Turn 10: Out!Mordred sensed a change coming over the tower. Perhaps it was a difference in mushroom growth (he fondly patted a cute little green mushroom that had started growing from his bed), or the flickering light and maniacal laughter coming from their newest pyromancer, or the way their shared apprentice was now crying about .. still having some vestige of humanity?
Or it could have been Enoch having apparently transcended into becoming a purer form of Enoch.
Regardless, he felt that the coming days would be a useful forge for his Rabble Guard. He needed Revolutionary Guards, not mere rabble!
Micromanage my guards into more general usefulness! Actually dealing with threats (like whatever Enoch's latest problem is) should work.
((Isn't the cabal only in their minds/shared waking dreams?))
We're dealing with insane wizards. What difference does this have from their reality?
Well, now we're not the ones to blame. Can't you guys just rescue this random girl already and leave us to destroy the world in peace?
[1] You convince your guards to start publicly impaling bakers. It doesn't start off that way, of course, you open with suggestions about dealing with Enoch and the need for true heroism in the days to come. Unfortunately by the end of the speech you're apologetically admitting that pastries are
sort of the root of all evil and the world would be better off without them, while your guards mutter and nod about dealing with the bourgeois doughmongers.
You hesitantly label this a draw for the revolution.
Rabble Guard->Kilnsticker Guard"No no no. This will not do. Enoch doesn't run. Enoch doesn't fight. Enoch doesn't think. Enoch doesn't live.
Enoch teaches. Enoch has to teach now.
Dismantle the body, corrupt the soul, destroy the mind. The dead can never die. Enoch is the avatar, I pull the strings."
Enoch grabs the princess by the arms and screams to her the eldritch truth and the lessons of Dagon Magic, ignoring everything else. She has to learn.
If anything blocks Enoch from teaching, use Dagon Magic itself to allow Enoch to teach the princess by any means possible. Even if that involves using it on himself, the princess, the tower, the mages, etc.
One day, I might not be there for her anymore. While Enoch continues the lessons, attemp to have the princess gain some initiative and try to learn by herself, like Sally and the other mages. When Enoch dies, she will have to continue her own training alone.
[1] You try to convince her that time is limited, and that she will soon have to go on without you. She counters that this is a good thing and would be untrue if you weren't a maniac. You respond by vomiting Dagon Magic directly into her soul, which isn't normally a thing people can do but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Princess: Thrashing ComaConsole Princess; hopefully this is the edge of realization that's needed to help her move herself.
To all mages, especially exotic mages--stop training the Princess directly and use your skills to either help with the tower, or help fix this mess you put us all into, please!
Cio could only create short and concise messages to the others as she dealt with the heavily taxing task of managing things in an environment laden with self-centric pursuits and thoughtless training. This was purely why there should be a curriculum, or at least some manner of coordination between trainers. Nobody else bothered to reply, too, which gave her the impression that they were only looking after themselves.
[5] She has a good cry on your shoulder, and you assure her that everything will be all right, she just needs to move past this whole madness and conquest thing. She doesn't seem entirely convinced, but looks more human than you've seen her in a while.
Then Enoch screams into her face and puts her into a void coma.
Both: +2 Consoler
Princess: Doubtful Hope"Proper vision. Autonomous psychoarthropodic constructs. Ja, this is not good. Not good at all."
Maxime runs. Finds somewhere else in the Kingdom. If the visions go away, she finds a girl that looks reasonably like Marcille used to, and explains to the parents that their daughter is in fact of royal blood, along with some cock-and-bull story about switched cradles and huntsmen and evil counts.
Maxime also sends a short note in reply to Cio.
To all mages, especially exotic mages--stop training the Princess directly and use your skills to either help with the tower, or help fix this mess you put us all into, please!
Cio Cioae,
While your advice on discontinuing Marcille's education is sensible and perceptive, I believe that nothing further can be done for the tower. The situation is simply beyond repair. As such, I suggest that we retreat at once, and pretend to the council that some backwoods peasant girl is the Princess, in order to spend the following years in wealth and security, making preparations against the end of the age of man. This is what I shall devote myself to directly.
If you know of anyone sane who would be willing to assist me, do not hesistate to tell them of my actions.
Good luck with all future endeavours,
Maxime
[6] Nope. You're out. You're done! This isn't the first time the tower has burned to the ground and it won't be the last, unless the world ends rather quickly which is looking increasingly likely. You hitch a ride on the next ship to Literally Anywhere Else and find yourself safe- some would say 'marooned', but they haven't been in the Mages' Guild recently- on a pleasant series of tropical islands inhabited by savage crabs. Not crabmen, just crabs wearing loincloths and wielding stone-tipped spears.
The visions vanish over the course of several days. FREEDOM!
+2 Subterfuge
Lost: Mild Grumbles
Dreamwalker: Latent DreamingStop training the Princess directly for now and use my skills to help with the tower.
[4] You cook everybody a series of nice homecooked meals. Including drugs to make them sleepy, because as far as you can tell this tower's biggest problem is its rightful inhabitants.
+1 Chefery
Everyone In Tower: Drowsy And Full"That is... Actually a fair improvement. The next thing you need to do is erase the 'crab' part of the title and we will be very close. I am not a crab, I am a dragon." Nallihen repeated. Truly, there was still hope for the peasantry if they could start actually listening to you after several weeks of training. After getting his apprentice to... Well, actual Apprentice level in the magical arts of polymorphing, he would be ready to provide assistance in educating the inner circle of high priests he intended to create.
Preferentially also ones without much interest in keeping themselves in one piece. Or in living.
More polymorphing lessons for the suicidal volunteer.
[2] He melts screaming into a pile of goo again. Then pulls himself sort of back together and tracks himself all over the tavern thrashing around.
This is Sloppy Joe Night all over again.
Suicidal Volunteer: "Like a Sloppy Joe"Nji stares at a white mushroom. It was a good mushroom. He was sorry for doing what he did. When he first noticed a little button on it, he couldn't resist pressing it. And when he pressed it real hard and the shroom opened he realized it was a good mushroom. There were letters inside and letters are good because they know things. These ones told him what to do. They also expressed doubt. That was not right. Marcille is equal to all things. But then he remembered her cucumber fase. Best be sure. He put the white shroom on some a tall shelve where the princess can't see it. Then, he will help the princess micomancy a plate of shrooms. And to make sure she doesn't grow discouraged and think he doesn't trust her enough to grow it alone, eat the result.
[5] Untrained caster, mandatory meal, final destination.
It works out great! The princess is even a bit taken aback that she can do nice things instead of just tearing down the veil between sanity and truth.
Both: +2 Mycomancy
Princess: Mushroom Sultana->Generous Mushroom SultanaNinjas:Wage Ninja War with the Cabal Ninjas: (2) Quest, Dolosus
Use ninja tricks to make Sally fireproof, encourage her to Burn It All Down: (4) Egan, Maximum Spin, ZBridges, Doomblade187
Rescue Sally already: MCreeper
Use ninja mind tricks to make Sally fall in love with Marcy:
"BURN IT ALL."
[2] You slosh molten wax over her and scream "BURN IT ALL!" before running away. She responds with "GAH WHAT THE HELLS" and starts burning her fireproofing wax off.
Not a great week, if you're being honest.
Sally: NinjabaneFire? Fire!
[4] Fire continues to do good things! Like be fire!
+1 Fire MagicBlock the Citadel!
[5] The Cabal notices the rising threat of the Citadel, and does an admirable job in blunting their efforts, hemming them in and stifling their progress. Soon they'll be no threat at all!
Citadel: StifledASCEND!
[2] With their greatest threat dealt with, the Citadel attempts to expand and grow stronger. Its efforts are stymied at every step by the Cabal's insidious plotting, and also the fact that they're composed entirely of horrifying parasitoid nightmare wasps.
Stifled->Stifled!Carve off chunks of him, slowly, gently
[4] The Hunters are unamused by Enoch's desperate bid to complete his mission, and being slowly slicing him up with crude knives made out of purplish dreamstone.
Enoch: Very Slightly CarvedPrincess Marcille
SKREEEEEE
-
+2 Apprentice Dagon Priest (5/8)
+1 Novice Consoler (2/4)
+1 Novice Sea Cucumber Mage (1/4)
+1 Novice Magical Theorist (0/4)
+1 Novice Mycomancer (0/4)
+0 Dabbling Vitamancer (0/2)
+0 Dabbling Public Speaker (0/2)
+0 Dabbling Sea Cucumber Carer (0/2)
+0 Dabbling Illusionist (0/2)
-1 Incompetent Sacrificer (1/2)
-1 Incompetent Air Mage (1/2)
-1 Incompetent History Mage (1/2)
-
Scorn For Life Magics: Life magic, Vitamancy, Mutationsim... none of it works, none of it helps, NONE OF IT IS WORTHY!
Enthusiastic Magical Theory: You don't have to be a sea cucumber when you love your classes!
Noodle Armed: Poor Marcy is not very martially inclined, tending to quake and quail at calls to valorous combat.
Imminent Cuddly Tentacle Empress: Princess Marcille will lead the awakening of a new age, an age shaped by her will and her will alone. None may stand against the inevitable, but her precious dollies will be well cared for. That day is rapidly approaching, as such pathetic sacks of goo bound by time must understand things.
Fear of the Dark: The Princess gets nervous when she can't see things, such as in the dark or behind a veil of illusion.
Patient Cucumber Princess: Little Marcy insists she's a sea cucumber whenever somebody tries to drag her out of the sea cucumber tank to force her to learn eldritch magic. She also claims the day of the Boned Ones is drawing to a close.
Humanoid Graft: Has a long and branching mass of tentacles protruding from mouth. The tentacles are extremely vibrant and healthy, while her actual body is sickly and frail. Understandably swearing eternal vengeance against all of you over this.
YAK NAK VAR AIE: Ashul'adan ok'phur man'or u'k ver'fal'fal'mroa tshu'mar mor'ai ko'vak ko'vak ko'vak ab'tul mo'ka.
IT COMES: The princess seems rather distraught about something?
Faint Terror Vents: Faintly covered in eldritch stuff that is not stuff, but rather vents in the world through which things may reach...
Dreamwalker: Your mind is linked up with everyone else's, resulting in a sort of closely shared dreamscape that sometimes manifests even for those not part of the link.
Gentle Caress: The princess knows the things between worlds have plans for her. They have assured her all will be as it should be.
Cute Puppy!: Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy who S E E S A L L ?
Hankering: Really could do with a good ol' fashioned sacrifice...
Crying Wreck: The princess is having a breakdown on account of regaining her humanity while all these terrible things are happening. Maybe this is the first step to getting better?
Generous Mushroom Sultana: Mushrooms are the future! Mushrooms are your friends! Mushrooms are the one thing that doesn't seethe with screaming purpose under her slightest touch!
Thrashing Coma: The Princess is currently more awake in nightmarish other realms than her own, though she continues to convulse violently with the horror of what she experiences.
Doubtful Hope: The Princess isn't entirely convinced all is beyond salvation. Also she'd rather not be a world-shattering terror, all else being equal.
Drowsy And Full: You feel sleepy and content, which might hamper your attempts to light everything on fire.
Nallihen Talandr (Caellath)
Healthy and Goo-Free!
-
+3 Adept Polymorpher (6/16)
+2 Apprentice Vitamancer (2/8)
+1 Novice Resilient (0/4)
+1 Novice Charismatic (0/4)
-
The Great Crab: Worshiped by a nearby cult of terrified peasants who occasionally leave offerings to The Briny One. Attempts to explain that he is an evil and fearsome dragon rather than an arctic crab have failed.
Mild Grumbles: Your colleagues keep accidentally hiding your keys and unscrewing the specimen jars. Or maybe the specimens are unscrewing the specimen jars.
Suicidal Volunteer
"Like a Sloppy Joe"
-
+1 Novice Polymorpher (2/4)
High Priests
Incompetent
-
+0 Dabbling Polymorphers (0/2)
Maxime Pfeiffer (NJW)
On Vacation!
-
+3 Adept Psychoarthropodist (6/16)
+2 Apprentice Subterfugist (3/8)
+2 Apprentice Gemcrafter (0/8)
-
Overlouse: Seems to have some kind of cultural or spiritual significance to the dream lice now infesting the tower, and who will occasionally leave her strange offerings or... maybe just garbage for her to take out? She's not really sure.
Sally: Pet merchant's daughter, highly sought after by deadly ninja.
Nightmare Lice: Tiny, cute little scuttlies that crawl into victims ears and give them horrible nightmares of the things living in the deep. Hopefully persuades people to stop summoning things dwelling in the deep.
Id Plan: You think you know how to get Marcille to manifest an arthropodic aspect of herself...
Latent Dreaming: You don't wanna talk about the dreamscape, and now you don't have to! It's gone forever, you assume.
Landscaped Mind: Your mind has been sabotaged to make it more difficult to affect the dreaming world.
Sally
Feelin' Fine!
-
+1 Novice Fire Mage (2/4)
+1 Novice Accountant (0/4)
+0 Dabbling Researcher (0/2)
+0 Dabbling Medic (0/2)
+0 Dabbling Psychoarthropodist (0/2)
-
Lightly Melting Walls: You keep seeing things that should not be, cannot be, and by all subsequent investigation are not. However, lately they've seemed more frequent and less exploitable in arcane magic.
Cabal Possessed: You're infested with nightmare lice, nightmare spiders, and their mysterious overlord. From their towering citadel within your own nightmares, they plot and scheme for ever greater power...
Citadel Possessed: You're infested with nightmare parasitic wasps. From their mighty citadel, they plot their dominion over all things, and of infinite fields of spiders to consume...
Dreamwalker: Your mind is linked up with everyone else's, resulting in a sort of closely shared dreamscape that sometimes manifests even for those not part of the link.
Firelord: SETTING THINGS ON FIRE SOLVES EVERYTHING!
Drowsy And Full: You feel sleepy and content, which might hamper your attempts to light everything on fire.
Ninjabane: Ninjas are in this very tower! The King must be warned! Except the King doesn't care and would probably tell you to go back to your arranged marriage. So the ninjas must be burned! Not because of anything specific, applying fire is just the default solution to most things.
The Cabal
Fine/Fine
-
Deep Schism: The entity known as The Cabal is actually two rival factions with similar methods and goals. While they are not above working together, they are similarly not above directly opposing each other's aims.
Ninja Shells: The Cabal controls a few ninja fools who attempted to mindrape their betters.
The Citadel
Stifled!
Nji (Secheral)
Healthy
-
+3 Adept Mycomancer (5/16)
+2 Apprentice Life Mage (0/8)
+2 Apprentice Dagon Priest (5/8)
-
Above the Law: Your reckless disregard for civility and law has earned you a fearsome reputation as a ruthless outlaw, not to be lightly crossed.
Nagging Feeling: You feel like you're being watched all the time. Presumably by your all-seeing puppy whose gaze knows barriers of neither stone nor time.
Mild Grumbles: Your colleagues keep accidentally hiding your keys and unscrewing the specimen jars. Or maybe the specimens are unscrewing the specimen jars.
Dreamwalker: Your mind is linked up with everyone else's, resulting in a sort of closely shared dreamscape that sometimes manifests even for those not part of the link.
Drowsy And Full: You feel sleepy and content, which might hamper your attempts to light everything on fire.
Enoch (randomgenericusername)
Lightly Savaged
-
+3 Adept Dagon Priest (8/16)
+2 Apprentice Archarus Priest (0/8)
+2 Apprentice Hag Magic (0/8)
-
Starsucker: Has a knack for sucking nightmarish abominations into the world. Does not have a knack for controlling nightmarish abominations.
Moderate Terror Vents: Absolutely covered in eldritch stuff that is not stuff, but rather vents in the world through which things may reach...
Chitinous Hunt: Humanoid bugs are hunting you in your dreams, including the waking ones you have all the time due to the link-thingy. That makes your day very exciting!
Mild Grumbles: Your colleagues keep accidentally hiding your keys and unscrewing the specimen jars. Or maybe the specimens are unscrewing the specimen jars.
Dreamwalker: Your mind is linked up with everyone else's, resulting in a sort of closely shared dreamscape that sometimes manifests even for those not part of the link.
Drowsy And Full: You feel sleepy and content, which might hamper your attempts to light everything on fire.
Very Slightly Carved: You've had some slight disagreements with crude stone weapons and horrifying nightmares intent on hunting you for sport.
Dennis the Mage (enemy post)
Healthy
-
+3 Adept Sea Cucumber Mage (7/16)
+2 Apprentice Sea Cucumber Caretaker (2/8)
+2 Apprentice Chef (1/8)
+0 Dabbling Medic (0/2)
-
Cucumber Lord: Has a deep affinity with sea cucumbers. This might not sounds useful or remarkable to the untrained ear, but lots of things sound different to mages than to normal people.
Mild Grumbles: Your colleagues keep accidentally hiding your keys and unscrewing the specimen jars. Or maybe the specimens are unscrewing the specimen jars.
Dreamwalker: Your mind is linked up with everyone else's, resulting in a sort of closely shared dreamscape that sometimes manifests even for those not part of the link.
Drowsy And Full: You feel sleepy and content, which might hamper your attempts to light everything on fire.
Archeux "Archie" Venison (OceanSoul)
Healthy
-
+3 Adept Academic (0/16)
+2 Apprentice History Mage (1/8)
+1 Novice Enchanter (0/4)
+1 Novice Polymorpher (0/4)
+1 Novice Magical Theorist (0/4)
-1 Incompetent Sealer (1/2)
-
Arkanikon: Has glimpsed the terrible truths of basic magic and recorded these unspeakable secrets into a blasphemous tome, available at most book shops and read widely by children. Has more familiarity with basic and intermagic principles, and haunted by swarms of living and ghostly children wanting autographs and deeper fell knowledge.
Mild Grumbles: Your colleagues keep accidentally hiding your keys and unscrewing the specimen jars. Or maybe the specimens are unscrewing the specimen jars.
Dreamwalker: Your mind is linked up with everyone else's, resulting in a sort of closely shared dreamscape that sometimes manifests even for those not part of the link.
Best Idea: There's a Sealing Mage you could summon from beyond, if you had the right components. Dark, ruinous components, not needed save for the vilest of sorceries... and this, which would turn out great!
Drowsy And Full: You feel sleepy and content, which might hamper your attempts to light everything on fire.
Cio Cioae (Tiruin)
Healthy
-
+3 Adept Air Mage (1/16)
+2 Apprentice Prophet (0/8)
+1 Novice Life Mage (0/4)
+1 Novice Illusionist (2/4)
+1 Novice Consoler (2/4)
-
Philosopher: Renowned as a guru and philosopher, granting improved understanding of foreign, sometimes downright alien and inexplicable, psychology and conditions.
Mild Grumbles: Your colleagues keep accidentally hiding your keys and unscrewing the specimen jars. Or maybe the specimens are unscrewing the specimen jars.
Dreamwalker: Your mind is linked up with everyone else's, resulting in a sort of closely shared dreamscape that sometimes manifests even for those not part of the link.
Drowsy And Full: You feel sleepy and content, which might hamper your attempts to light everything on fire.
Mordred (Nirur)
Healthy
-
+3 Adept Public Speaker (5/16)
+2 Apprentice Poll Mage (4/8)
+1 Novice Tactician (0/4)
+1 Novice Sacrificer (1/4)
+0 Dabbling Dagon Priest (0/2)
-
Noble Hero: Celebrated as a noble hero, especially by the vile aristrocracy and hungry wraiths of the Untouchable Wastes.
Cracked Mirror: You've glimpsed the terrible truths lurking beyond... and within.
Mild Grumbles: Your colleagues keep accidentally hiding your keys and unscrewing the specimen jars. Or maybe the specimens are unscrewing the specimen jars.
Dreamwalker: Your mind is linked up with everyone else's, resulting in a sort of closely shared dreamscape that sometimes manifests even for those not part of the link.
Drowsy And Full: You feel sleepy and content, which might hamper your attempts to light everything on fire.
Kilnsticker Guard
Zealous and Reasonable
-
+3 Apprentice Pitchforkers (0/8)
-
Doughy Hatred: You refuse to let these treacherous maggots infest your kingdom any longer. Let all who wield a rolling pin or wear an apron beware!
Dreamwalker: Your mind is linked up with everyone else's, resulting in a sort of closely shared dreamscape that sometimes manifests even for those not part of the link.
Gah, a week since the last turn? Tut tut!
Author
Topic: Wizard Princess RTD [Turn 15: Sideshow] (Read 47040 times)