"We are grateful for your deliverance from these hooligans." Adam said, trying his best to observe proper Church protocol and holding out his black flame pendant.
"And we are glad that this holy artifact won't fall into the wrong hands. Clearly these gangsters were not worthy of even beholding it, let alone wielding it.
As for your offer, it is most kind indeed." Then, he turned to the undead that was still shielding the corven and the artifact she had.
"Honorable ancestor, there's no need to be alarmed anymore. These people are from the church, and they know how to safely handle an artifact such as this."
After that, he also made a slight nod towards the group of armed men that had just obliterated their captors, indicating that it's not like they had all that much choice in the matter anyway.
Converse.
Name: Adam Blavatsky Darvaza
Description: A young man of slightly pale complexion and eternal 9 o’clock shadow, he was raised in a small village. While the village priest and passing mystics droned with endless sermons of the Church and their teachings, what had always captivated young Adam’s attention more were the stories of his Granny.
Old stories of the world as it once was, before people were forced to flee to the caves and crannies of this damp hell. Of warm days where pleasant green plants tickled your feet as you walked through them and a cool breeze blew through your hair. Where food was plentiful, nature was benign and endless vistas reached as far as they eye could see.
Adam was nominally a card-carrying member of the church, though he mostly did it for the connections and perks that brought. They were powerful and had ancient lore, all things he would need to fulfill his true heart’s desire: to return to the surface, vanquish the madness that tainted their homeland and reconquer paradise.
Goal: Plunge the secrets of the depths below to find an answer to the horrors above.
Stats
Str: 10
Dex: 10
Spe: 10
End: 10
Awa: 10
Cun: 10
Kno: 10
Ner: 13
Skills
Diving: +3
Stealth: +2
Occult: +1
Inventory
Clothing: simple priest robes, shortened a bit so as to less restrict his movements
1 minor artifact
1 beaker artifact (found in crystal ruins)
1 black book copy
1 black flame
1 Silent Night
1 field lighter
17 fathoms
(loaned 6 fathoms to aigre)
1 crystal construct
"I am glad we arrived in time to prevent their plans from coming to terrible fruition."
As Adam communes with the religious figure. the abomination moves toward the corpse of a guardsman who was shot through the chest. She crawls on top of it, laying down on it like a dog would with it's bone.
Name: Moku Youkou
Race: Abomination Shang-Gei
Description: A female Shang-Gei cloaked in a heavy and rough looking worm wool coat. Underneath the clothing, is a heavily mutated figure. Her scales has been coat in plastic, giving each one a iridescent sheen to them. Spikes of melded plastic, metal and circuitry are studded haphazardly, the largest one is a foot long, spearing right above her pelvis. Her many tongues have been replaced with metal tendrils that sneak in and out of her mouth when she is not paying attention.
Goal: To "find" her mate.
Stats:
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 8
Speed: 8
Endurance: 10
Awareness: 12
Cunning: 12
Knowledge: 11
Nerve: 9 (temp -4)
Skills:
Medical: +2
Machine Control: +1
Electronics: +1
Mechanical: +1
Armorsmith: +1
Occult: +1
Diving: +1
Stealth +1
Inventory:
Fathoms:16
Relic fragment
Bladed Shovel
Clothing with ? Balarim Jal
One stone snake piece
THIS ISN'T BOLDED YOU SILLY LIZARD.
"Thank you for freeing us, your offer is indeed most kind. Is there perhaps anything else we can help the church with?"
Talk the talk.
Name: Alex Wells
Description: A middle aged man standing 5'7" feet tall. He has short brown hair and an unkempt beard.
Goal: Exploring the depths and collecting its wealth.
Stats:
Str: 11
Dex: 10
Spe: 10
End: 10
Awa: 10
Cun: 12
Kno: 10
Ner: 10
Skills:
Explosives 2
Mechanical 1
Survival 1
Caving 1
Chemical 2
Geology 1
Inventory:
Dynamo Lantern
Field Lighter
3 TNT
Broken Bladed Shovel (Handle and Shovelhead)
Mail Shirt
8 Fathoms
Stone and crystal samples (including a diamond, black opals, quartz and goldlace marble)
Crystal box of golem limbs
Golem buddy
"Very generous of you, my friend. If you seek work, your local parish will no doubt have jobs for you."
"There's no reason not to accept that generous offer, specially as we're relinquishing the artifact to those who should rightfully own it. I believe the Church has our undying gratitude for rescuing us." Vikkan smiled quite wide under his mustache as he tried to sound more respectful than usual despite his simple upbringing. Things do work out well for the faithful even in the dark times! As he thought about that, he looked down at his vacant chain and frowned.
Maybe he should get a Black Flame. If Wiellste's theory was correct then maybe he once had once, but what mattered is that now he had none and he had to fix that. Good thing he still had his abridged Black Book.
Vikkan is all for the deal! He also silently laments the fact he doesn't have a Black Flame but he somehow thought an empty necklace would display his faith instead.
Name: Vikkan Laerthe
Description: A human from Anvil and a moderate Chthonic who was born and raised close in the neighborhood of the Hammerfall boreyard, where his parents were employed as menial workers. Being so close to a place so filled with machinery and boring machines left a lasting impression on Vikkan, who became a furnace helper, then a drivemaster's apprentice until he finally reached the controls of a bore. He's quite good at conducting driving bores and, most importantly, he deeply enjoys his work.
Bore love aside, Vikkan is also generally quite friendly and good-humored even when he's not behind a bore's controls. He is, however, aware of his limitations out of the control room, and he'd rather leave most other matters to more skilled people. What he lacks in intellectual education he displays in polite curiosity, and he tends to be interested in listening even to topics he can only vaguely grasp, making for a good talking and drinking buddy if nothing else.
At odds with his friendliness, he looks rugged, if young. His hair is dark brown and cut short, and he has a well-groomed handlebar mustache (though he's been known to let it grow and style it into a horseshoe at times). A small diagonal scar moves from his right eyebrow to the bridge of his nose. His skin is brown and displays a few burns thanks to a few years of furnace and boiler work. He's fairly hairy, with his shirt's sleeves covering hairy arms and a few spots of scar tissue. His uniform is made of thick cloth and utilitarian, overalls, a long-sleeved shirt and a cap. His major concession to vanity is keeping his uniform and mustache impeccable.
He doesn't have a right hand.Goal: To deep driving bores and having fun while doing it. It's not a difficult dream, even if it can be hard at times.
StatsStr: 10
Dex: 10
Spe: 10
End: 10
Awa: 13
Cun: 10
Kno: 10
Ner: 10
Skills+3 Vehicle (Bore)
+2 Navigation
+1 Defense (Mail Shirt)
Inventory-Conductor's Clothes
-Dynamo Lantern
-Black Book (Copy)
-Field Lighter
-Mail Shirt
-2 Fathoms
-Neck chain (that used to hold a black flame that actually never existed)
LAMENT.
”... kinda hissy noises”
silently and slowly grab some occult stuff(blood, body parts, etc.)
Take a firearm, also slowly, and if there’s any ammo, take it.
Hey, what kind of church is this? Do they have a no occult policy?
Name: Lan’Ra Ollin
Description:
Ethral: Scholarly Moths prone to shyness and mask wearing. Able to glide and ignore falls, come with mask.
Gray, 4 arms, proboscis, slight hairiness
Goals:
To learn everything about the occult, and also summon some friends, cause people from here aren’t all that easy to talk to(it’s really scary!)
Str:7
Dex:12
Spe:10
End:8
Awa:7
Cun:13
Kno:13
Ner:10
Skills:
Occult: +3
Stealth: +2
Diving: +1
Money: 100 fathoms
Inventory:
Generic balaclava(mask)
Self made Grimoire, half filled with some occult stuff
Quill
Ink
Wand. For occult stuff
Candles(also occult)
Knife(rituals)
Chalice(for liquids. To drink. Not from sacrifices, dummy!)
I'm gonna hold of on looting actions for the moment. I've given RC a list of whats in this area to loot, and I'll consider it all automatically looted by the general group once this is finished. From there, you can grab your desired stuff. Preferably with some cooperation between everyone.
Or not.
"Um... Uh..."
Try holding out my Black Flame to the old man and saying thanks. Ask if they are going somewhere else after this (like to the church) and if they would mind if I tried to stick with them.
Name: Lokam Pilgrim
Description: Lokam is an Ethral Aspirant of the Tenebrous Chruch currently on pilgrimage. His soft fur is pale yellow, his large and fuzzy mane is golden and antennae and wings are dark purple with white details. His antennae, unlike most Ethral, are also very long and fluffy. Most of the time, he's wearing his silky church robes, which also have a hood included. His mask is very dark purple, with bright yellow spirals and curves, similar to tentacles.
Goal: His goal is to just complete his pilgrimage and ascend in the chruch. He wishes to go as deep as possible and someday become a Living Saint, Stygian or even a member of the Council. But his dream is to someday go deeper than everyone, reach the center and finally find God.
Stats:
Str: 7
Dex: 12
Spe: 10
End: 8
Awa: 7
Cun: 13
Kno: 13
Ner: 13
Skills:
Diving: 3
Caving: 1
Navigation: 1
Survival: 1
Translate: 1
Inventory:
The Black Book (Real)
Black Flame
Bag of Path Markers
Silk Aspirant Gray Robes
Purple Mask
"Come with us? My boy, how precocious you are. But I am afraid such choices are not mine to make. However, if it is your wish, go to Empyrean and seek out Deep Walker Leon. He shall see you to a fitting position."
"You've just slain my pet!" Auft squeaks indignantly, pointing to her dead lackey. "I demand compensation!"
Sue for damages!
Name: Auft Kindheart
Description: Standing 3'10", with even fluffier than usual snow-white fur, this Ethral radiates adorable innocence even by the standards of her kind. Her porcelain-white mask is a circular shape carved into slices, each bearing a smiling face with eyes and mouths arched in joy, and adorned with pink blush marks. Her cloak is similarly pure white and a little too large for her, adding to her cute and defenseless appearance.
Goal: To amass and improve loyal pets and slaves.
Stats
Str: 7
Dex: 12
Spe: 10
End: 8
Awa: 7
Cun: 16
Kno: 13
Ner: 10
Skills
+1 Medical
+1 Translate
+1 Acrobatics
+1 Persuasion
+1 Stealth
+1 Animal Handling
+1 Archeology
+1 Biological
+1 Chemical
+1 Occult
Inventory
2 Fathoms
Ethral Rifle [7/7]
Doctor's Bag
Dodecahedron Spider-Thing: Fist-sized dodecahedron body, long unjointed legs that move in very slow cascades. Ceased moving upon being picked up. Can be trained in simple commands via clear hand signals, bops, and repetition.
2 quarter-inch cubes of impossibly heavy black stuff: Estimated 50 lbs weight total
No sex slave because the chasm pope is mean
The man smiles at you, warm and friendly despite your outrage.
"You seek a slave to replace the one we killed? Hm. It seems only fair." He pulls a pad from his cloak and gestures to one of his attendants, who hands him a ink and pen, then melts wax for him using a torch. The old man scribbles something on a piece of vellum before placing a wax seal using the imprint of a ring on his left hand and hands it over to you. "Consider this Weregild for your lost man. Present it to the officials in town and they will give you your choice of criminals that have been sentenced to slavery."
Clate emerges from the carnage protectively holding his crystal babies.
"I see the chruch is as efficient as ever. You have my sincere thanks."
Hold my crystal babies protectively and affectionately. Thank the kind mister church man for helping us out.
Name: Clate
Race: Shluck
Description: Being a Shluck, Clate is rarely seen outside of his environmental suit. Inside, he is the standard albino mollusk, with his only true defining characteristic being the alternating white/borwn pattern of his beak, much like on a nautilus shell. His environmental suit and exoskeltons are full of scuff marks and small blemishes from work, but the knowledgable observer will notice that it is mechanically kept in tip-top shape. He wears a toolbelt and a satchel to store his tools and other knickknacks, and has a blue cap perched on top of his helmet.
Goal: To create great works of craftsmanship and become filthy rich in the process.
Stats
Str: 8
Dex: 10
Spe: 8
End: 10
Awa: 9
Cun: 16 (+3)
Kno: 12
Ner:10
Skills
Electronics 1
Mechanical 1
Biological 1
Chemical 1
Occult 1
Weaponsmith 1
Armorsmith 1
Stealth 1
Steal 1
Explosives 1
Inventory
Clothing: A tool belt that can be modified to fit the exoskeleton, a satchel and a blue cap with "If it ain't broke, fix it" embroidered on.
Bladed Shovel - handle coated with chrome stuff
Silk rope (100ft)
TNT x3
Dynamo lantern
Field lighter
Path markers x10
8 Octaherdrons - supposedly replicate materials
2 gold cubes
1 container of Pseudomagnetic mortar
labradorite/Obedience rod
Slate box with multicolour crystal toothpick - supposedly turns someone into a gemperson.
Metal spike with gems on it - apparently some sort of crystal people fashion item.
7 structural junk
30 chemical junk
5 Fathoms
Crystal Babies
1. Dodecahedron, no limbs, rolls. Fist sized.
2. 8 sided diamond (looks like Ramiel from EVA and floats). 8 inches to an edge
3. Crystal snake. hiss. 18 inches long.
4. Spiky daddy long legs like Irony has. 1 foot legs, fist sized body.
5. Thing looks like (see pic). about 8 inches to a side.
6. Thing that looks like a Strandbeest. Foot long, 8 inches high.
7. Wheel sort of thing that has a fat inside edge and tapers to a sharp edge on the outside. Foot and a half in diameter.
"Faith is always rewarded, my friend."
AsHul stands in a stance of respect facing the Church delegation, as ever slightly separate from the rest of the group, and awaits developments.
Edit: May as well do some knowledge checking anyway. Questions in spoiler.
The Contingent of the Church is roughly 12 Aspirants, 6 Guides and Delvers, 2 Abominations wielding Dark Bells (on a stick!), and one more, with black eyes, 'dark' robes, and large beads, who is above the Delvers and below the 'upper echelons.' So 21 persons or so total. I know, this was not a question. It's context for the questions.
1) Are the Chthonics present all Human? if not, what other races are there? Is it apparent under the robes what race the Abominations were?
2) Do I recognize the Role and Rank of the Abominations?
3) Aside from making nauseating waves, what significance do I recognize the bells to have?
4) Do I recognize the Rank of the leader? I am assuming that it is Lightless or Abyssal rather than Chthonic or Stygian.
5) Not so much a knowledge check as an observation one: DO I notice other members of the group besides the procession? AS in, is this all there apparently are, or are there more about still tying up loose ends?
6) also not a knowledge check, but a Meta one: the Lore says that Pilgrims processing into the Depths on foot are shown more respect in the church. I am assuming it wold still not be wise to venture off alone (the Black Book says so). Let's say AsHul's goal was to take one of those pilgrimages. Is there a sort of way to chart progress toward being reasonably prepared for such a thing?
Name: AsHul
Description:Former human. Awful, ugly, indifferent
Goal:To find God
Stats
Str:9 Dex:8 Spe:8 End:10 Awa:12 Cun:10 Kno:10 Ner:16 (currently at -1)
Skills
Diving: 3
Animal Handling: 2
Survival: 1
Inventory
Relic Fragment
Black Book (copy)
1 Silent Night - calming. gives advantage on diving rolls
3 Worm Blood - steadies nerves (restores to max)
2 Occult Junks
3 Fathoms (One magnetically welded to the wall of his room in the Bore, one "shiny," one standard)
One Brass sphere with clockwork innards (From Balaram)
Book of sheet music (from Balaram) [stack of about 100 pages bound by three brass rings along the top of the sheets]
(3, 17, 10, 11, 20, 12)
The priests are all human, but the abominations could be anything, their forms are too twisted to make anything but a guess. But you think the one on the right might be a Lizard.
Nope
Dunno
Nope
You barely see the ones in front of you.
prepared in like...supplies or knowledge or what? There are group pilgrimages that are run from different places; you may want to look into joining. It would be a good starting point for a first pilgrimage unless you wanna jump into the deep end and organize your own.
sniff the priest to gauge their intentions, if they smell nice, give them a cuddle
Name: Aigresaur
Description: A sexy lizard with a serpentine head, smooth pale scales, a slender velociraptor's body with lanky arms and legs...
Goal: it just wants to snuggle
Stats Shang-Gei
Str: 8
Dex: 15
Spe: 12
End: 8
Awa: 12
Cun: 10
Kno: 8
Ner: 10
Skills
shotgun: 3
acrobatics: 2
Unarmed: 1
Inventory
Tunnel Clearer 5/5
[17]
You sniff at them but cannot smell anything specific over the reek of blood and death. Maybe if you got closer.
"Hold on a second." Kara said, cradling the artifact in front of her chest.
"Before I give you this, I need to make sure you are who you say you are. I sacrificed my arm for this. I was ready to sacrifice a lot more to make sure those thugs didn't win. So I'd be damned if I let it fall to the wrong hands. Not before we get some answers. I believe we all deserve that, at least."
Barter for more like a good Corven. Specifically, I want some answers:
0. Can they take a look at Vikkan's hand? Something strange happened to it and I'd like to make sure he'll be OK.
1. Who is he and who does he work for? Can we contact him in the future?
2. What is the Artifact? What does it do? Why did the crystals worship it?
3. Why do they want the Artifact? What is he going to do with it?
4. How did the Church learn about the Artifact? How did the thugs? Is there a mole in the church? Figurative mole, that is.
5. Do these thugs belong to a larger organization? Are we in danger of retaliation?
6. Would the Church consider hiring us to do more work like that in the future?
7. Are we under any restrictions about divulging what happened here? Are we under any obligation to the church?
8. Can he give us any official documents proving what we did here? Documents proving these things belong to us?
9. How about something that would give us favorable treatment by the church?
Use my knowledge to compare what they say to what I know to make sure they're not lying. In any case, give them the Artifact, unless they say something alarming.
Name: "Kara" is what most humans call her, though the closest pronunciation would be Kr'ra-Kax
Race: Corven (advantage for climb, disadvantage for falls)
Appearance: She is a crow-like Corven with matte-black feathers. A bit short. Constantly moves her head around, examining her surroundings. Moves her tail up and down whenever she's excited.
Age: Adult, but just barely
Goal: Wants to find artifacts and experiences that she can use to make an (under)world-famous museum. Wants to prove herself to her mother and piss off her brother with her success (both financially and socially).
StatusSacrificed left arm to reverse time. Bandaged and given spider venom for the pain.
StatsStr:8
Dex:13
Spe:13
End:6
Awa:12
Cun:10
Kno:8 + 3 = 11
Ner:10
SkillsRifle: 1
Medical: 1
Translate: 1
Acrobatics: 1
Caving: 1
Machine Control: 1
Stealth: 1
Geology: 1
Archeology: 1
Navigation: 1
InventoryFire Orb Artifact (in backpack-like thing made from shirt)
Ethral Rifle (rifle 3, pierce 3) 7/7
Crystal Friend
Field Lighter (Fire 2)
Simple Clothes (no shirt)
Crystal Tablets (diary, inventory, obedience rod instructions, construct assembly instructions)
Kara's Diary
0. The old priest turns his black eyes onto Vikkan and looks carefully at his hand. After a few moments he nods. "I fear you have confronted something quite dangerous in that place and sacrificed a great deal to defeat it." He pulls a black flame, apparently an extra one, out from his cloak and hands it over to Vikkan. "I can do nothing to counter what has been done, but thus armed with faith he should be prepared for anything."
1. "I work for God, of course." He says, smile deepening and becoming slightly frightening. There's an edge to that smile. Its the same one he gave the mob before he had them shot. "If you wish to contact me, you need merely speak with Deep Walker Leon, as I said to this companion of yours."
2. "I cannot say. Or rather I do not know myself." He says, his tone rather apologetic and distant at the same time. "I know only that I was told to retrieve it. That is enough for me."
3. "Again, I do not know specifics. However, the church gathers many artifacts. As many as it can, it seems. They are relics, objects touched by God. It is no surprise that HIS disciples seek them out. This relic will no doubt either be used to set up another shrine or perhaps stored in the church vaults, away from those who would seek to misuse or exploit divinity for personal profit."
4. "A good question indeed." The man says, again his manner becoming sharp and predatory for an instant. "From what I know, the church heard only of the ruins for sure, but such places almost always hold relics, so it was a safe bet that this one would to. We were on our way to that ruin when we heard through an...informant that others were attempting to block us. We came here and gathered the truth from those left behind, then waited for your return."
5. "They are members of the 'Iron Teeth' gang, but they were acting on their own. We got this location from the gang's leader when he heard that his men were acting against the Church. I think you will find that they are in no mood to seek vengeance for the misguided actions of a few of their members."
6. "I am in no position to do so, but always is the church looking for able hands. Leon, or a local parish, will be more able to guide you."
7. The man considers this for a moment. "No. I can think of no way in which our rescue of you and killing of these...people will negatively impact the view of the church. And we seek no hold over you. As I said, I seek only the relic you have."
8. "I can. Your friend there already has my seal and documents for Weregild, I can write similar papers guaranteeing you freedom from any sort of repercussions from your actions here and ownership of that bore and this property."
9. "Documentation of your favor worthy actions, perhaps?"
(9, 8, 7, 13, 14, 19, 13, 12, 4)
The things he says seem to check out, as far as you know. You hand over the relic with a bit of reluctance none the less and the old man takes it in both hands, examining it with passing interest for a moment before handing it off to one of the abominations, who somehow places it into their robe in a way that seems to swallow up the entire mass of the thing and vanish it into the fabric. The man writes the paper work he promised much as he did for Auft and hands over the sealed documents along with the two fathoms, wrapping the huge coins in the papers and handing them directly to Kara.
"It has been a pleasure." he says, smile still unwavering, and turns to go. The Abomination on the right walks several feet away from the group and draws a knife from inside its robes. An empyrean nail, by the look of it. The creature holds the knife out with a gnarled hand and thrusts it into mid air. The blade bites in and half vanishes. With a jerk the abomination slices downwards, carving a black tear into empty air as though slicing through a curtain. The procession turns and one by one they step through the tear. The old man goes in second to last, bowing his head towards the group one more time before stepping through. The abomination steps through after him and the tear closes up behind it with a ripping pop.
Author
Topic: DIG: Heresy (Read 413652 times)