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[Dustan Hache]

ze healing leaves little time for ze hurting.

[Coolrune206]

Gary, finally overwhelmed by his curiosity, heads North to where Dwain is.

[ziizo]

stay still for healing

[Sir Knight]

(Back from travel!  Now I just have to do . . . you know, everything.  And part of this is planning the scope of the next update.)

Gary, finally overwhelmed by his curiosity, heads North to where Dwain is.

It looks like no one is deliberately pursuing the hit-and-runner, so when you head up you'll just meet Dwain (Starver) coming back.  So the overall movement is against you.  I need to be able to plan: do you think that you would forge upward into peril with or without him?

And Dwain: do you think that, I dunno, you'd turn right around and use Gary (Coolrune206) as a meatshield now that you know you're likely to bump into your fellow exile?

'Cause if both of you say "nope, I'm not that interested in heading up there" then the group vote swings toward leaving the conflict and the region behind.  And I can't change scenes like that if you people don't want it.

Also, haven't heard from Alyssa Alpine (Rautherdir) in awhile, not to mention Louis (dustywayfarer).

[Coolrune206]

nope, I'm not that interested in heading up there

[Starver]

I'd love to resolve this episode (personally) but it could perhaps take more than two of us and I'm heading back to the full group to add to the collective knowledge, if not wisdom.

[Rautherdir]

((Sorry, I'm still around))

Guard in case of a more dedicated attack

[Sir Knight]

And so the main votes come down to "wait and see."  Barring any surprises (he he), this translates to "we're done being curious; we can leave."  So unless Louis (dustywayfarer) contradicts anything, I'll assume that I should wrap up stated actions (searching, healing) and try to send you out west.

I'd love to resolve this episode (personally) but it could perhaps take more than two of us and I'm heading back to the full group to add to the collective knowledge, if not wisdom.

I may comment on this later.  For now, I need to get my head around real-world stuff, then see about the long and complex bit I've got coming to you in the next update.  Back . . . sometime!

[Sir Knight]

Previous -- Next

I'm very pleased to reach this point!  I picked up the use of random encounters--where only 3 in 10 times would you find something worth slowing down your trek--to hurry things up between your main destinations.  Now you're departing from the last random bit and I can show you the stuff I've had waiting for months now.  The "stuff" is multiple subplots; I think I'll split this one into a double post, and updates in general may become lengthy for awhile . . .

Spoiler: Rolling of the observation sort (click to show/hide)

Result: 5, Succeed greatly!

Result: 6, Fail by succeeding!

Spoiler: Healing with thread only (click to show/hide)

Dustan's results table, actually a doctor:

1: Fail
2: Succeed weakly
3: Succeed weakly

Dustan's roll: 1, Fail!

Sneak, sneak, sneak . . . Tohil goes ahead to the west, keeping an eye out for more peril, but for now sees none.  Dwain turns back, quietly, to encounter Gary coming the other way; oh, and you brought a lantern up here, so anyone nearby would see the moving light.  Hrm.  Okay, neither of you is eager to fall for a potential-but-very-likely trap and so you descend.  Dwain thinks he hears something as you leave: a sigh?

Dustan tries to find worthwhile cuts to thread up among John's injuries, but nope.  You were "lucky" in that the falling rocks caused you a heap of painful bruising.  Seeing that nothing else is really happening, you snag the scaled turkey so the evening isn't a total waste, and everyone follows Tohil's lead to the west.

This does not appear to prompt a bandit rush.  You are on your own again, headed into the depths in the hopes of reaching civilization.

Spoiler: Camping overnight (click to show/hide)

Food (travel food and scaled turkey) +1 HP
Water +1 HP
Bedding (blankets) +1 HP
Warmth (1 kg of glowstone) +1 HP

Total +4 HP

Spoiler: Risk of rot (click to show/hide)

You have reached day 18, morning, and I need to check whether the raw hide of your standing jellyfish carcass turns to rot.

Freshness table, 48 hours:

1: Fail
2: Fail
3: Fail
4: Succeed
5: Succeed
6: Succeed

Result: 1, Fail!
(Which means it rots)

Most of the group appreciates the coming nightfall and time of rest, as injuries still remain from recent struggles.  It does mean some alarm: you're eating your last food.  There's just enough on the scaled turkey to round out your rations.

In the morning, you're awakened by a nasty smell.  Turns out you're not going to get any benefit out of that standing jellyfish hide, previously scraped clean of meat . . . and now gone to rot.  You leave it behind; at least the bones will still be good to sell, assuming you get to civilization soon.

. . . Civilization.  The more veteran among you think back to when you'd been told how to get anywhere in the underground, like when John was told about the salt mines run by one of the ruling families: apparently you "head to the mines" and hopefully you get there.  Or when you were told to reach the Hoarding Wastrel Camp by heading west . . . or east.  "Directions are weird down here."

Your route back to Rock Bottom was supposed to be westward, but you've been turned around a couple times.  As morning passes and you're still on the march, you can only hope to get somewhere that has more food.

Then the tunnel begins to slope up.  Then you feel fresh air.  Then you hear voices!

Day 18, Afternoon



You step into fresh air on the floor of this gigantic sinkhole.  This is a first-time experience for Gary, Louis and Tohil: at long last you have reached the town you spotted when first you were lowered into the depths.  It's downright thriving!  Here countless exiles have carved homes for themselves, with unique foods and crafts on display under the light of lanterns and glowstone fires.  Guards at the edge, like the ones you saw at the Halfway House, wield menacing battle axes to keep the people safe.

Apparently, the exile group that you joined has been here before; one day they headed back into the depths where they found you.  Yet here there is safety, security, society . . . why would anyone ever leave?!

"Newcomers," says one of the guards, snapping you out of your gawking.  "Looks like you've got a lot in those wheelbarrows.  If you're here to trade and to work, then you're welcome in Rock Bottom until tomorrow morning.  Don't bother anybody, don't stay overlong, and don't come back again until you've got more loot."

Ah.

(Second post incoming.)

[Sir Knight]

Previous -- Next

So you're in town now.  Obviously you'll want to sell stuff and pursue topics of individual interest.  This'll get complicated because of all them subplots I mentioned; just tell me what you want to do, and I'll introduce more details as you bump into them, like new items for sale beyond the ones currently listed in the opening posts.

Spoiler: Updates to those opening posts and general GM commentary (click to show/hide)

I have prepared a MASSIVE update for the opening posts, summarizing discoveries and plot so you don't have to worry about forgetting.  I can't post it yet because I need you to resolve . . . well, keep reading.

Previously I said:

Right now the players are in a puzzle.  I have shown you the current step twice, in two different ways.  I will show you it a third time again soon, in yet another way.  Once you get to the fourth or fifth time, you will have to decide on your answer to the current step.

You are on approximately "the third time."  Puzzleness has been slow-running to date because I'd rather you explored the world than had me throw it all in your face to shout "solve it!"

Several noticing events occur in rapid succession.

Dustan and John notice Elena, the "prospector" person from the Svarog family, whom you have encountered on more than one occasion.  You understand she is also the daughter of Tikhomir and Militsa, the alchemists for whom you were bringing vials, vile or otherwise.  You notice that she is pushing a wheelbarrow you don't remember her having before.

Gary, Louis, and Tohil notice this woman as well.  In particular, Louis understands this as the person to whom you pitched an ungainly object of wood and metal across open space while descending into these caverns in the first place.

The woman notices Louis.  She smiles a practiced businessperson's smile.  She looks about to say something.

Then she notices John.  "You!" Elena says, a sharp change in her demeanor.  "You're the one bringing in all those pictures from the caverns, aren't you?!"

. . . Some of you will want to react to what just happened.  Some of you won't care and just want to make money.  I'd say not to strain yourself on money-math until we know what everyone's doing, since things could change.  Here's a review of how town life works:

Spoiler: The rules of Rock Bottom (click to show/hide)

Staying in Rock Bottom

You can't.  The only people allowed a home in Rock Bottom are those who carved the slabs of rock themselves . . . or inherited from their powerful family.  But the locals know the value of the resources you sell them, so you may stay until tomorrow morning, at which point all folks like you will be kicked out to let in the next crowd.  Use your time well.

So what's here?

A key thing is to do local work based on your past profession.  You just tell me you're ready to do it and then I advance the "plot" until tomorrow morning and grant you your rewards.

You can shop (before or after you earn more cash through local work), utilize your personal lockbox, and sleep overnight . . . or not necessarily so.

Obviously, you can also talk to people, cash in on existing "quests," and pursue whatever personal projects you may have.

Lockboxes

You will find one for you in the local bank.  If the entire group of exiles suffers a tragic death, your progress is kept and anything you left in a lockbox will remain available to the next group.  Your lockbox is the same general capacity as your backpack (40 kg), but it's shaped deep and narrow so you can fit in things like large weapons.  No, you can't have more than one, but they will be grateful if you return any spare lockbox keys you find.

Shopping

You can sell minerals and animal carcasses at the prices listed in the opening posts (I'll give partial value for butchered carcasses).  You can buy items at the prices listed.  If you want to sell used equipment, you only get half price in return.  "Damaged" equipment sells for half again.

You can buy as many items as you want if they're made of iron or the three most basic leathers: scaled turkey, standing jellyfish, and wall tiger.  There are also a few items that are weird but commonplace, like splitter wands.

For special equipment, merchants in Rock Bottom will sell on a one-to-one basis: give them special materials like glowstone, you may buy the related products.  You'll see equipment listed along with their ingredients in the opening posts.  In case of multiple ingredients, you need only sell one of them.  If you want to sell a new commodity you haven't sold here before, just ask me to provide new listings.

Usually, surface goods are not for sale here, but they'll gladly buy yours from you.

Local work

You may use the skills from your past life to make a little extra change (and "unlock stories," if this were an app).  This is also how you earn a bed for this night, so do it.

I will assign results based on how long you are here: from today to tomorrow is two time periods (afternoon and evening), so I'll give you two payments each.  They're much less profitable than adventuring (like 1d6+1 opal per payment plus a chance at a bonus), but what did you expect?  This is easy mode and primarily exists to advance stories.

Sleeping

If you agree to do local work, you can sleep here with free heat, a safe bed, and water.  You've earned it.  You still have to eat your own food or spend 5 opal to buy some.

OR . . .

When done for the evening, you can go carousing in the local taverns at night.  It also costs 5 opal (food included), then I roll for the result.  You might restore extra HP, you might restore nothing.  You might get a dice boost (like from ether cola), you might get a dice penalty.  You might get in a fight.  And at the end, if you want, you walk away with your waterskin full of "ale."

Double the amount you spend and I'll raise the risk and reward.  That's 10 opal.  At 20 opal, I'll raise it again . . .

I'll assume the group stays vaguely together, or at least within earshot, so you can respond to everyone else for the next few updates regardless of what you tell me now.

[Dustan Hache]

"Don't mind them, the settlement is something of a private town. Everyone that lives in it is related in some sort of extended family way." Dustan would explain to the newcommers of his party. He then gets side tracked by Elena shouting at his only remaining original teammate and scowl in annoyance. "What's the problem with cave sketches? They're just pictures, yeesh."

[ziizo]

"Yes any idea of what they are?" John then pulls a vial "We also have some of these vials for one of your family friends, the magical one. Do you know where he or she is?"

[randomgenericusername]

"A whole town, underground?! This must be truly a miracle of God! A sign!"

Tohil is about to start praying to Sol, but is interrupted by the woman. He recognizes her as the woman from the scaffold and tries to be polite.

"Ah, hello. I am truly grateful for our exchange, the supllies were very useful and helped everyone survive. Except for Bob, he turned against us and died a coward's death."

"You could have just ran away with our wheelbarrow without fulfilling your part of the trade, as we wouldn't be able to reach you because of the chasm. But you still decided to give your backpack, and I respect that you actually kept your promise. Thank you, and may the Sun bless you and your family for generations."

Tohil does a bow to the lady and then raises his arms to the sky (or at least where the sky should be), calling for his god Sol.

"Umbasa! Praised be the incandescent Sol, and long may the sun shine in the sky!"

After uttering his blessing for the woman, Tohil regains his composture and continues talking.

"Forgive me if I was too intrusive. And now that I remember, have you heard of a person named Theia? I was told she was the one in charge of religion."

Talk to the fair lady, use my chivalrous manners and ask about who is she, what are the families that rule, how is religion underground, where can I get a holy symbol of my god made, who is Theia and if I could do something to return the favor she did to us.

Make sure to express my gratitude and how much I value trustworthy people that fulfill their promises.

[Rautherdir]

"We brought things for Theia, so if you could lead us to here that would be helpful."

[Sir Knight]

"Yes any idea of what they are?" John then pulls a vial "We also have some of these vials for one of your family friends, the magical one. Do you know where he or she is?"

By the way: if it impacts your actions any, your character is carrying two new images that no one in town has seen yet.  (Carvings "C" and "D" are new.)