Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

Yes

13 (46.4%)

No

15 (53.6%)

Total Members Voted: 21

[Smoke Mirrors]

BA.
However, also study - as a backup and interim measure, for before we figure out how to safely release Anna's soul/if we figure out that we can't safely release Anna's soul - methods with which to allow a soul that is trapped within the Key to exert an influence on the outside world. For example, a robot body.

We can ask about studying it for other applications - for example, keeping terminally ill people in stasis until we can try to treat them - at a later time, when/if David trusts us more. Studying the broken pieces could also be valid for that part.

"+1 to whatever Glass said."

[Madman198237]

BA.
However, also study - as a backup and interim measure, for before we figure out how to safely release Anna's soul/if we figure out that we can't safely release Anna's soul - methods with which to allow a soul that is trapped within the Key to exert an influence on the outside world. For example, a robot body.

We can ask about studying it for other applications - for example, keeping terminally ill people in stasis until we can try to treat them - at a later time, when/if David trusts us more. Studying the broken pieces could also be valid for that part.

"+1 to whatever Glass said."

+1

[blueturtle1134]

BA.
However, also study - as a backup and interim measure, for before we figure out how to safely release Anna's soul/if we figure out that we can't safely release Anna's soul - methods with which to allow a soul that is trapped within the Key to exert an influence on the outside world. For example, a robot body.

We can ask about studying it for other applications - for example, keeping terminally ill people in stasis until we can try to treat them - at a later time, when/if David trusts us more. Studying the broken pieces could also be valid for that part.

"+1 to whatever Glass said."

+1

Spoiler: Rolls (click to show/hide)

Roll 2d6, +2 for scientific, -2 because David still has the Key, where:

2 = The Key detonates!
3 = Quill accidentally deletes Anna’s soul
4 to 5 = No method of extracting the soul can be found
6 = Only a risky method can be found
7 to 10 = Quill can extract the soul.
11+ = Well would you look at that we just found a way to build our own Key

Result: 4 (the dicebot I used refuses to tell me the individual dice) → FAILURE!

“Nothing.” Quill says. He checks over the readouts one more time to be sure.

Spoiler: What about using a robot? (click to show/hide)

Roll 2d6, +2 for scientific, -2 because David still has the Key, where:

2 to 5 = No method of doing that can be found
6 to 9 = You can get communication only.
10+ = Yeah, we can do that

Result: 2+2 = 4 → FAILURE!

“Nothing,” he repeats. David Eborrenial, Erin Quill, and Enir Nest are standing in Quill’s lab. The Key of Taloc is still active and still in David’s hands, with wires running out of it to Quill’s instruments.

“I thought I’d be able to at least interface with the soul and communicate with it or something, but I can’t even determine how exactly it’s being contained. Whatever mechanism pulls it in seems to be completely one-way.”

“There’s no way to bring her back, then,” David says flatly.

Do you suggest another way?
A: Suggest bringing it to the OOTS universe anyway, in the hopes that they have something that can free the soul.
B: Suggest that David give you the Key so you can study it further (reroll with no maluses)
C: Suggest nothing.

[Glass]

A.

"I promise you, we will not give up until we have well and truly exhausted our options. The people there have had experience with trapped souls; if anybody can help us figure this out, it will be them."

[Glass]

A.

"I promise you, we will not give up until we have well and truly exhausted our options. The people there have had experience with trapped souls; if anybody can help us figure this out, it will be them."

"We could bring her to Azure City. The people there have experience with trapped souls; if anybody can help us figure this out, it will be them. And even if that doesn't work, I promise you, we will not give up until we have well and truly exhausted our options." Quill looks David in the eye; the determination in each is clear to both.

David looks away first, and sighs. Runs his hand through his hair. "Yeah, yeah, I- I know. I'm just... she's practically dead. Maybe even worse, because there's still that sliver of hope to make it keep hurting."

Quill puts a hand on his shoulder. "I understand. You're worried about her, and I won't tell you not to be. But this is about our last option on this."
In order to convince him to give it a try: 2d6, can look into it on 5 or higher, as the dice would be rolled before the action is actually undertaken (if the result would be bad, it won't happen in the first place). Roll: 5+5 = 10, success.
"Are you... are you sure?" David looks back at Quill. The Visionary looks so... deflated, from how Erin is used to seeing him.
What would the dice say? 2d6+2, based on the original table... it would be 3+4+2 for a total of 9. Erin Quill would be able to extract her soul!
Erin hesitates. "...listen. I know you're reluctant to hand over the Key, and for good reasons. But the only other remaining option - and the only one that doesn't rely on magic or any other extradimensional stuff that we don't understand - is if you would allow me to take the Key - purely temporarily, of course - and study it properly. Would you be willing to do that?"

David closes his eyes, scrunches up his face. Takes a deep breath, and lets it out. "...fine. Fine. You can have it. I don't like it, but you can have it." He glares at Quill. "Do not make me regret this."
He hands the Key to Erin, who nods solemnly. "I won't. I swear on my life."

David nods back. "Good enough."
The next day, everyone is back in the lab. Erin looks much happier than he had the previous day.

“We can get her out.”

David’s expression soars, before crashing back into the ground. “Good. That’s good! But - once she’s out, what can we do then?”

Erin gives a small sigh. “That’s the big question, really. And why I haven’t actually extracted her yet.”

[blueturtle1134]

“That’s the big question, really. And why I haven’t actually extracted her yet.”

...why are you all looking at me? I don't know why he hasn't extracted her yet.

Spoiler: Notes (click to show/hide)

Glass's post is canon. I legitimately had no idea where to go from here, hence the long delay, so I suppose I shall go with the people who do have an idea

Flashback: Night, previous day

"Amazing, Quill," Enir Nest says, leaning against a wall. "You actually got him to give you the Key?"

"Perhaps unlike you, I actually make an effort to get people to trust me, Nest," Erin Quill replies. He doesn't look up from his work, which consists of a mess of wires and instruments hooked up to the red piece of glass at the core of the Key.

Nest gestures at this assembly. “How’s this going?”

“Excellently,” Quill answers. He lifts his goggles and turns to face Nest. “Getting it out of the supporting structure made the difference. I can reverse the process that pulled Anna’s consciousness into the Key, so that when activated, the Key will transfer it back out instead.”

“And that will resurrect her?”

“Hopefully, yes.”

Enir Nest nods. “And leave the Key intact, if empty, I suppose.”

“I’m unsure if the process will damage it. I’ve located and deactivated the mechanisms restricting when the soul will be transferred - I have no idea how those will affect the reverse transfer, so it’s better to disable them. It’d be a good idea to have nobody else touch the Key when we throw the switch” Quill answers.

“And, conversely, we could drain someone else’s soul into the thing quite easily,” Nest muses.

“I’m going to recommend against that for hopefully obvious reasons,” Quill replies.

“You may be right. Might we be able to make our own Key?”

“Probably not. I haven’t deciphered a tenth of it, and we have no means of manufacturing one anyway.”

“How about the other idea, then? Can we design a countermeasure?”

Spoiler: Well, how about it? (click to show/hide)

Roll 2d6, +2 for science, where:

2 to 5 = No
6 to 8 = We need to power up the Key to find out
9 to 10 = Yes, with a costly piece of equipment
11 = Some common element will do the trick
12+ = Yes, and it’s easy

Results: 2 + 3 + 2 = [/b]7 → Power it up![/b]

“...well, that’s more complicated,” Quill admits. “I have a few theories, but I can’t validate any of them by just looking at the Key itself. I need to examine its interactions with a living mind…”

“...which would entail powering it up and using it.” Nest says.

“Which would equate to torturing Anna, or whatever’s left of her, even further,” Quill states.

“Are you worried about David’s reaction?” Nest asks.

“He might not be able to tell. Same with Anna, once we’ve resurrected her.” Quill answers.

What do you say next?
A: “I’ll get things ready for the test.”
B: “Nevertheless, I don’t think it’s worth it. Drop the idea."

[Kilojoule Proton]

B

[Glass]

B.

There ideally shouldn’t be any more Key(s) after this, so a countermeasure isn’t really worthwhile? At least not at this potential cost.