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[Sir Knight]

Waste precious time by pulling out the lantern and chase after the magician and Dwain. A knight of the sun never leaves his companions alone!

Okay, then I'll need one more action from Dwain (Starver) sent to me privately, and I'll send private messages to the both of you (independently) about the results when I do the proper update.  As I say, hopefully the group can meet back up again (whatever the resolution may be), as that's a lot of text that I don't get to share in public right away.  I like sharing the fun!

[Dustan Hache]

"hey, there are other laws we can enforce.  Etc. etc. violence violence

I like how this would work either as an expression of your character (going further off the deep end, huh?) or as an effort to play "good cop/bad cop" against Solde and his less-violent offer.  I'll see how people react.

And I'm about to do a couple more days of transit, after which I'll be on honest-to-goodness vacation, with all the upheaval that means.  We are approaching the end of practical gameplay: after the vacation comes the huge lifechange event, bringing even more uncertainty.  This summer got incredibly complicated with everything happening at once (didn't intend it that way . . . ).  So I'll update as I can, ideally get you all back to town (though this logically means you needn't concern yourself with shopping), and hope you all feel that this extensive sequence was a worthwhile one to cap the experience!

Head of the nail on the good cop-bad cop routine, though that said he’s not afraid to get physical when someone doesn’t act relatively intelligently. You won’t die on his operating table, he’d just kill you there and then if he doesn’t like you.

[Sir Knight]

Previous -- Next

Right!  Here's an update before I'm away for some days.  Again, lamentably, I'm not giving enough time for Alyssa (Rautherdir), which is important because Gary (Coolrune206)'s action could demand a reaction.  I.e., are you willing to loan a knife for butchering a rock hydra?

However, butchery takes way longer than one turn.  At this point, if Gary feels like doing "proper" butchery, I might as well just leave him to his work . . . for however many turns it takes for Dustan to show up and go "No!  You fool!"

Now, add to this how you can only bring an oversized carcass back to town if it's intact enough not to have loose bits falling out of your wheelbarrow.  I can kinda sorta assume that people who want full money from these kills will stop Gary.  I just . . . request you do so without violence, as a new combat would drag out the scene!

Spoiler: What rolls we need (click to show/hide)

General good-cop/bad-cop-technique roll: 4, Succeed!

Tohil's observation roll: 3, Succeed weakly!

And some mysterious rolling because I can't tell you everything that's happening in hidden places:

Result: 5, Succeed greatly!

Result: 2, Fail!

Result: 6, Fail by succeeding!

The "battle" may be done, but aggression and blood stay front and center.  Dustan has a workstone knife of excellent sharpness to make your point as you join in the interrogation of the captured magician.  You explain to him your talent with organs.  You explain to him how the much-maligned "laws of humanity" keep you in check.  Or sometimes they do, anyway.  You ask Solde if you can keep the magician as your share.

". . . Or you could agree to the worm pits," Solde responds directly to the magician.  You've heard of the idea of a "glint" in someone's eyes, but you're not sure you've seen it before.  Solde's eyes are glinting hard.

The magician calls out "I'll take the pits!  I'll take the pits!"

Solde chuckles, then instructs surviving warriors to tend to their wounds and get the magician ready to march out.  "Once you've taken care of your pay, of course.  We'll arrange return trips to clean up the environs, get the last corpses out--"

"I am the bringer of the light and flame, the holy blade of Sol!"  It would seem that Tohil has made up his mind and gotten out a lantern.  You leave behind the exiles, the captured magician, and the salt pile to dive into the northern tunnel.  Onward to the aide of your ally!

(That "salt pile" is three 12 kg slabs of rock salt, by the way.  Heavy.)

Gary is also bloody-minded.  You know you'll need more materials, so you leave the paws and begin the process of hauling a rock hydra to your workspace.  Any chance you could bum a sharpy-sharp knife off of Alyssa?

John checks the dead magician.  Okay, there are a few things on his body; you leave them in stacks nearby just in case swordpeople want first dibs.  It seems the warriors are handling their various tasks right now, though.

Spoiler: Here's what's lying around (click to show/hide)

Including everything, because why not?

The salt pile:
--Rock salt: 3x 12 kg rough stone

Carcasses:
--Bug bat bird: 54x 1 kg carcass
--Scaled turkey bones: 1 kg for several (6x)
(There are other bones on the remains, yes, but I've reduced them to the bits that people in town would buy from you)
--Wall tiger, 3x 200 kg carcass
--Wall tiger, 180 kg slightly-butchered carcass
--Rock hydra: 2x 200 kg carcass

The two dead bodies that were here already:
--Damaged chain mail (iron): 2x 10 kg
--Damaged tunic (wall tiger leather): 2x 4 kg
(These armors give no benefit once damaged)
--Mining helmet (iron): 2x 1 kg
Avoid "missing helmet while underground" penalty
--Sword (iron): 2x 2 kg
You add Succeed; sharp
--Waterskin (standing jellyfish leather): 2x 0 kg by themselves
[Empty]

The dead magician:
--Damaged tunic (scaled turkey leather): 4 kg
--Cultist hood (wall tiger leather): 1 kg
Avoid "missing helmet while underground" penalty
--Mace (iron): 2 kg
You add Succeed; blunt
--Knife (iron): 1 kg
Butcher animals; you avoid unarmed penalty; sharp
--Food, three days: 3 kg
--Waterskin (standing jellyfish leather): 0 kg by itself
Water, one day: 1 kg
--Backpack (scaled turkey leather): 2 kg, 0/40 kg capacity
--Blanket (surface fabric): 2 kg
--Surface kit: 1 kg
The kit contains a stick of graphite, rolled parchment, flint, sewing needles, thread, and a mirror, all in a narrow wooden box
--Thumbing rocks (etherstone): 0 kg
A small assortment of smooth stones, just the right size for fiddling
--Weird candles (brain mold tallow): 1 kg for several (4x)
Like the candles sold in town for use with the sightstaff, but without any obvious powers of their own

. . . But I'd say not to get too worked up about money.  Very soon we will halt the game for the foreseeable future.  If it matters, I'll just do the math and give you the best deal on everything you could haul.

Then you go to finish exploring the hidden places in case of lingering danger.



There is no other exit from the western dig.  This area, with its high ceiling, seems to have made a nice lair for the flying bug bat birds: they clearly predated unfortunates who fled into this area to get away from other dangers.

John (ziizo): if you'd like, we can totally upgrade your weapon for a max HP point now.

I am sending messages to Dwain (Starver) and Tohil (randomgenericusername).  They might respond privately.  Again, I do hope we can wrap this up shortly (and logically).

[Dustan Hache]

”Gary, I can hear you moving that carcass. If you’re gonna do something, at least take my workstone knife to do it.”
offer my workstone knife for gary’s Plans. If he refuses, stop him in his tracks.

[ziizo]

"No dangers here!"

upgrade my pickaxe to the next level

[Coolrune206]

"Much appreciated. That is of course assuming that when you 'give' me the knife, it is not into my intestines."

Gary accepts Dustan's knife and resumes butchery.

[Rautherdir]

"Well, that seems to be over with."

Go get one of our wheelbarrows and cart it back up to the others.

[Sir Knight]

Great, that's everyone (including the two who are away from the party; urgh, split parties).  However, our author is on another continent.

But I should have enough time soon to do this mostly-simple update.  Still some rolls, and still I have to think carefully (urgh, thinking).  Back eventually!

[Sir Knight]

Previous -- Next

Yes, very busy right now.  Rationing my time online.  But after a few rolls, the update itself is rather quick.  (Whose rolls?  Not yours.)

Dustan notices the work ("work") Gary is doing with the carcass of the rock hydra he finished off.  Who can say what grim thoughts go through Dustan's head?  What mix of disbelief, sarcasm, resignation?  Dustan hands Gary his workstone knife, probably in an effort to reduce the upper limit on damage.  Gary finishes dragging things into the building and goes right to it!

John feels another mix of emotions: perhaps satisfaction is high on the list.  You report back that all the pits of these mines seem to be free of dangers.  That was decent fighting, wasn't it?  Killed a couple of bug bat birds, stabbed a rock hydra . . . and of course you roasted some things thanks to bloodbinding.  But your other bloodbinding is in workstone; and, with your iron pick in mind, you let it activate--

(As with previous such events, at this point a dramatic "#" symbol would wash across the action on your cartoon-resplendent screen.)

You feel the effort made by this sturdy metal just as you feel your own.  It is like a muscle, strained and damaged, but primed to heal into a stronger form--one more ready, more dexterous.  The trade-off is made possible only by the logic of magic; sacrificing your own health to gain new power, but the power is for your kindred, the metal pick.  It sharpens!  It strengthens!  Ha ha, what a remarkable feeling!

Alyssa, during this time, has been moving a wheelbarrow up.  Some warriors have come by to do similarly, and now there is just one wheelbarrow left in the darkness (the other one your group owns at present).  The warriors, led by that one who barely survived a dash against your tied-up magical buddy, groan their way into a circle around some balloons of standing jellyfish leather--otherwise known as packaged vitality.

Spoiler: Healing with packaged vitality (click to show/hide)

The living swordpeople would like to live longer

Swordperson D's results table, healing:

1: Fail
2: Succeed weakly
3: Succeed
4: Succeed greatly

Swordperson D's roll: 2, Succeed weakly!
Healing roll (1d4-1): 1-1 = 0!
(That was for swordperson D)

Continuing to heal the next in random order:

1: Fail
2: Succeed weakly
3: Succeed
4: Succeed

Swordperson D's roll: 2, Succeed weakly!
Healing roll (1d4-1): 2-1 = 1!
Swordperson C, HP: 3/10

Continuing to heal:

1: Fail
2: Succeed weakly
3: Succeed weakly
4: Succeed

Swordperson D's roll: 3, Succeed weakly!
Healing roll (1d4-1): 1-1 = 0!
(That was for swordperson I)

Continuing to heal:

1: Fail
2: Succeed weakly
3: Succeed weakly
4: Succeed weakly

Swordperson D's roll: 3, Succeed weakly!
Healing roll (1d4-1): 3-1 = 2!
Swordperson E, HP: 10/10

(Well, one of them is happy.  I'll do it again.)

Swordperson D's roll: 2, Succeed weakly!
Healing roll (1d4-1): 4-1 = 3!
Swordperson I, HP: 8/10

Swordperson D's roll: 3, Succeed!
Healing roll (1d6+1): 1+1 = 2!
(Ha, ha, very funny)
Swordperson D, HP: 4/10

Swordperson D's roll: 2, Succeed weakly!
Healing roll (1d4-1): 3-1 = 2!
Swordperson C, HP: 5/10

(Okay, they all can survive a 1d4-1 hit from bad circumstances; back to work)

Apparently there are four packages in the wheelbarrow.  They pop one and breath in the brown gas.  Then they stay right where they are and pop another.  Then they, quite grudgingly, get back to physical labor: they need to secure/escort the aforementioned prisoner out of the dig, but also make decisions about hauling large carcasses.  Some of them give raised eyebrows to the soggy operations building where Gary is using his time in peculiar ways.

From the tunnel in the northeast where Dwain and Tohil vanished, you hear a moderately-distant "boom" sound.  What are they doing out there?



I've upgraded John (ziizo)'s iron pick to superior.  Woo!  Now it's as good as a sword one quality level weaker, but penetrates armor with its usual ease.

I have not indicated any progress in the butchering job done by Gary (Coolrune206), because if you're gonna do it right then it's gonna take time.  The group will probably get moving before then (at least I hope so . . . ) and you can finish on the journey back to town.

Aside from the two people who are absent (I'm sending private messages), are we about ready to load up, optionally heal, (optionally get those absent weirdos back,) and move on?

[Coolrune206]

Gary is ready to go. He will be butchering as they move, of course.

[ziizo]

John is ready to go and will be following the boss orders, he will only try to locate the other two if Solde says to do that, and will reject healing for now.

[Sir Knight]

So that's a couple of votes for "going, modified by anything that modifies it."  Like I said before, not much need to worry about exact details in hauling the loot back, since I'll need to put an indefinite end on the gameplay soon.  I listed all the loot before; we can refer to it if desired.

I also have the hidden replies from the absent duo.  It should work.  Just need Dustan (Dustan Hache) and Alyssa (Rautherdir) now.  And a lot of time for writing!

[Dustan Hache]

Go check on/get tohil back with the group

[Sir Knight]

Go check on/get tohil back with the group

Okay.  And now, barring any surprises with the one missing action, I can say it looks like the group should be able to reform and depart (with a heap of other events along the way).  Knowing this, is there anything you'd absolutely want to do before leaving?

[randomgenericusername]

((Don't forget the burial!))