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[Sir Knight]

Whoops, today flew by.  Hmm.  I'm guessing there's a collision of notifications or such going on for our fellow exile.  I'll send a private message.

[Dustan Hache]

that looks familiar. Check the walls and ceiling in case there is a wall-tiger nearby, and prepare to defend.

[Sir Knight]

Previous -- Next

Thanks!

Now, I'd commented on the updates being short.  The team has started doing so many different things, these updates have grown again, like vibrant flowers under the long-forgotten sun . . .

Spoiler: This is a day for observation rolls (click to show/hide)

Result: 3, Succeed weakly!
Result: 4, Succeed!
Result: 5, Succeed greatly!

Spoiler: Forget inner peace, time for inner warfare (click to show/hide)

Overseer's meditation roll: 1-1 (mysterious unexplained factors) = 1, Fail terribly!

I just realized I may have no rule for whether pluses and minuses can send you outside the normal bounds.  I'll say "no," since this is strong enough.  To be nice I'll try another regular insight roll:

Overseer's insight roll: 5, Succeed greatly!

There we go . . .

Dwain backs up to get Dustan's attention, and the both of you take a look around, scanning the walls and ceiling.  It seems that this small chamber is the dirtiest, but even in there you spy no signs of monstrous activity, such as, say, claw marks or 200 kg green-colored predators.

Dwain, now being nearer the east intersection with your lantern, can also spare a glance north and south.  You see the mineral vein to the northeast, mined and left with nothing but the lightest flecks of dust.  You can't tell what the mineral is, but the space is awfully empty.  Your head starts to warp a little just looking at it.  Like a bout of vertigo . . .

Alyssa Alpine heads southeast, walking out into a bit of open space with other passages in the southwest and northeast corners.  To the southwest, you spot the gleam of what could be another exhausted opal dig.  You see intact patches of something else shiny in the southeast and draw closer, but, phew, it smells bad in the southeast!  Your lantern sparks and spits in the gas, and you back up to the north where it clears.  The bad air seems localized to a coal deposit.  Still, you see that somebody has been mining in that coal.



John approaches the carving.  You are familiar with this by now and press a copy using charcoal and parchment from your surface kit.  You're used to "big ugly people" and "shiny riches" in the images, sure; but this one shows an ugly person laying on the ground.  Many hands rise up above it.  Those hands hold shiny riches.  It's an odd carving, though nicely-made by some hand tool--well, until you hack it apart with your own.

Overseer goes on the offensive.  Mentally.  From a still position inside yourself, you gaze outward.  This use of a reference point should grant "perspective," yes?  Instead it grants "headache."  Ugh.  But thinking through the throbbing, wasn't there something you learned about this back in Rock Bottom?

(I've added "Copy of carving C" to John (ziizo)'s inventory.  And at least one of you has a private message now.)

I await decisive action.

[Starver]

"Would you mind watching my back?" to Dustan...

Enter area, it might deal with the stuff my head, at least. I do have to look at the NE tailings once I've finished here, but right now I need to know more about here, and I'd feel happier if someone would kindly stand guard. (If you don't mind, of course! But I shall risk it.)

[FallacyofUrist]

"Blasted opposition..." Okay then, grab one of the holy symbols from my box, the one that calls most to me, and hold it as I meditate. Use that as a meditative focus to spiritually strike the opposition.

[ziizo]

now that my monopoly in carvings has been secured I will explore the tunnel at the south

[Sir Knight]

Enter area, it might deal with the stuff my head, at least. I do have to look at the NE tailings once I've finished here

In context, I presume you're heading into the small chamber with the ugly mess on the floor.  Right?

[Starver]

Dat's der bunny.

(Meant to call it "chamber", as you described it.)

[Dustan Hache]

watch dwain. If he collapses or something attacks him, come over and get him to safety quickly.

[Rautherdir]

Keep going east

[Sir Knight]

Previous -- Next

He he he.  Ah ha ha.  Ah hee hee heeeee.

Spoiler: An observation roll (click to show/hide)

Just the one

Result: 6, Fail by succeeding!

John heads a short distance south, coming to a more open area with a (very) long tunnel out at the south end.  There is yet another fully-mined section of the wall.  In this case, if the teal color is to be believed, it was etherstone.  Your lantern reacts to bad fumes!  You remember the explosion Dustan caused the last time there was a strong cloud of fumes near etherstone, and refrain from taking your flame too far into it.

Outwardly unsure what to make of everything, Dwain turns away from staring into the (surely metaphorical) abyss and, with Dustan behind, steps into the smaller chamber.  Your vertigo ceases, but your agitation increases.  The filth looks to have been a kill from days ago, yet eaten so slowly that decay set in and now it is unidentifiable.  In the corners of the room you find evidence both of meaty remains and of debris from eating the mushrooms themselves.  This is . . . farming?!

Dustan watches and listens as Dwain starts saying "someone lives here!" over and over again.  As Dwain totally flips out, you scratch your head.  You'd figured on pulling him away if anything "happened"; does this count?  Whatever.  You grab him and drag his struggling form back toward the intersection to calm down.

And . . . that does it.  No more mister nice abbot!  Overseer is prepared for some serious meditative warfare; take no prisoners, like.

Spoiler: Determining religious dedication via random numbers (click to show/hide)

Result: 2!

(I had a list of relevant holy symbols, you see)

Spoiler: Inner peace by superior firepower (click to show/hide)

Result: 4, Succeed!

You rummage through the holy symbol kit you obtained from Theia.  Brightly-colored bunch, to be sure.  In the end you settle on one of those gray "#" things, then focus on it behind closed eyes.

. . . Ahh, something clears.  You had felt an internal conflict, but now you are of single-minded purpose.  And while normally you could follow this by the traditional technique of forgetting even your "mantra" and meditating with a blank mind, here you use it to sweep away the external corrupting influence.

It's like brushing a tableful of clutter only to find that one of the pieces moves.  Like a rat under your hand.  You open your eyes and determinedly put away the holy symbol; someone is here, in the east of this very cavern.  The hoarding wastrels.

Alyssa Alpine turns the last corner.



It is a dead end into a chamber with stains and filth across the floor.

Before you stands a slight figure.  He wears a robe of strange animal skin tinted purple.  He also has a pack, and wears a leather hood upon his head, and the only object in his hands is a mace of what might be workstone.  (No lantern . . . ?)  He looks like a human, but . . . the hungriest that you have ever seen.  Emaciated.  Shrivelled.  Like you took a human and drew out everything until you were left with . . . this.

But where you'd expect him to be shivering with weakness, he is stone-cold calm as he watches you.

(GM note: the tile is a lowercase letter for the same reason that Dwarf Fortress elves were one day downsized to lowercase.  The color is red because, apparently, using a mace means you should be red.)

[ziizo]

explore the path at the right.

[FallacyofUrist]

Go to the east, then. It's time to wage holy war.

[Rautherdir]

"Hello. You wouldn't happen to know where the nearest hoarding wastrel camp is, would you? I have something for you if you cooperate."

Communicate.

[Sir Knight]

This is going to be amusing.  Though I'll be a bit busy tomorrow; we'll see if I get back then or the next day.

explore the path at the right.

Do you mean to backtrack first, and then to go right?  Because if you go east from here, there's a chance you'd go through the fumes surrounding the etherstone dig.

(I try to make these things clear, but it's not so obvious when I don't draw vapors on the map or anything.)