AsHul, welcome back. I did not expect you to return from that direction. Drett says, waving hello absentmindedly. These books are quite interesting... They would be moreso if I could understand them.
Other than books, is there anything else of interest in this room? Maybe something behind the books or the shelves?
Drett, Doktormoth
This room has a writing desk and a few shelves of items but a quick search shows they have nothing interesting other than a stack of paper. It would be valuable, if you could fool people into thinking it was authentic and not diving-made. The most interesting thing is that this room is butting up against several others, all at different angles. A sideways hallway, an upside down kitchen, and some sort of open room with a table in it.
How recovered am I? Is my hand back up to normal, or am I going to be having difficulty with some things?
Are prosthetic eyes a thing, if so, are they common? Would most people understand the concept?
You know what, I’m gonna cut to the chase and go see how much it would cost to get someone to safely remove one of my eyes. I’m going to want to keep the eye by the way, maybe put it in one of those glass bottles in my inventory.
Name: Harmony “Harm” Li
Description: Lean and broody looking. This woman has short black hair and is partially covered in interlocking black tattoos. She wears simple black clothes, with a knee-length Maggot Wool Coat overtop. She wears a mail shirt underneath her clothes.
Goal: Overall, Harm would like to find a place where refugees and travelers could seek refuge without dealing with the dogmatic influence of the church. Right now, though, she just wants to get away.
Stats
Str:11
Dex:11
Spe:11
End:10
Awa:11
Cun:12
Kno:10
Ner:11
Skills
Weapon smith (3)
Mechanical (2)
Lucky Shot (1)
1 unassigned
Condition
Hand has been severed, then reattached.
Healing cut on hand.
Inventory
Radio
Mail shirt (protect 3)
Small Obsidian Knife [cut, stab 3. Fragile]
Crystal cutting utility knife (free to borrow)
Obsidian arrowhead (cut 4, fragile)
6 Octahedrons
Half a ton of obsidian
5 Large branches of crystalline lead
Lucky Shot (6/7)(14 rounds)
Short sword (cutting 3, pierce 2)
Voice in the Eyes- and intricate mechanical eye
Field Lighter
10 Path Markers
2 units mechanical junk
2 mechanical arms (belong to Kara and Vikkan)
6 sturdy glass bottles
144 fathoms
Your hand hurts and they say you shouldn't work it too hard. Your arm is stitched on so you really should not use it for a while unless you want it coming off. Give it [5] turns to get back to normal.
To safely remove an eye and replace it with the mechanical one would be 50 Fathoms. They guarantee it will go correctly or your money back.
"Thank you, Doctor. I wonder if any of those books focus on the prime denizens of the spheres, or of the particular workings of the Diving process. If oyu find any, or if you find any books of music, please set them aside for me.
Everyone, do not assume that going backward will be the same as going forward. If going forward loops back to the group, going backward could easily scatter us to the Seven Depths. Stay in sight until we've decided how to proceed.
Hmm. If up is not an option, we could try down. I suppose we could tie a rope on one of us and send them down the stairs to see if they reach the bottom , loop around, or disappear. Or we could bypass the stairs and lower the rope to the floor directly."
Examine the sky above. Any hint of a moon up there? Any patterns on the mostly natural floor at the bottom of the shaft? Have a peek in each of the buildings on the loop - anything catch my eye, guardian related, or musical in nature? try not to wander out of sight, if such a thing is even possible.
Name: AsHul
Description:Former human. Awful, ugly, indifferent. Currently a dream robot
Goal:To find God
Stats
Str:9 Dex:8 Spe:9 End:11 Awa:12 Cun:11 Kno:11 Ner:16 (-1)
Skills
3 Diving
2 Animal Handling
1 Survival
1 Weapon skill: Guitar
Inventory
Relic Fragment
Black Book (copy, strata 1,2,4)
1 Silent Night
3 Worm Blood
100 ft of rope
1 knife (cut/pierce 2)
2 Occult Junks
59 Fathoms (One magnetically welded to the wall of his room in the Bore, one "shiny," 57 standard)
168 Fathoms (Team Account. Kept on AsHul's person for safekeeping. Stored separately from his personal funds.
Stored at warehouse during Relic Vision:
Firing Control Module (Brass Brain)
Book of sheet music (from Balaram) [stack of about 100 pages bound by three brass rings along the top of the sheets]
his former bomb collar - made of something like demagnetized neodymium.
One Bone-fretted haunted electric guitar
One mundane acoustic guitar with wave patterns in abalone and turquoise
Notes:
Travellers' guild is offering a relic retrieval job. Local hazards ('living').
You look up at the sky, squinting. It looks like just bright light at first but then as your eyes adjust you see a very brightly lit starfield and not one but 6 moons lined up in a row, each in different phases from waxing crescent through to waning crescent.
There are no discernible patterns on the natural floor of the shaft, at least none that appear man made. You can see the pattern of a different sedimentary layer winding through the floor like a rust colored river through darker stone.
You look around and do notice something. A shadow of movement higher up, someone peeking out from one of the rooms and then hiding again. hmm.
"I'll try not to get split off from you guys. Losing sight of the group in this place probably isn't a good idea."
Give the pile o' books a quick once over for a book that looks like it's about music of some kind. If I find one, grab it.
Make sure I stick to the group. If they move, I move with them.
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: 11
Spe: 9
End: 10
Awa: 10
Cun: 16 (+3)
Kno: 12
Ner: 11
Skills (1 point unused)
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.
Mail shirt (Made to integrate directly into the exosuit, protecting surface that houses Shluck including head.Protect 3)
Bladed Shovel - handle coated with Pseudomagnetic mortar
Knife (cut2, pierce2)
Rifle (pierce2, 6/10 magazine)
TNT x5
Dynamo lantern
Field lighter
Path markers x10
"Muggy"(skull mug scrimshawed with "can we fix it?" on the side, "No, it's fucked." on the bottom. Has trigger on the inside of the spine-handle that, when squeezed, caused the mandible to open and close)
1 Bow from weird eyeball creature. Produces a bone arrow when drawing the string.
3 weird picture books
2 Octahedrons - supposedly replicate materials
1 container of Pseudomagnetic mortar
labradorite/Obedience rod
100ft silk rope
3 structural junk
30 chemical junk
1 gold ingot
143 Fathoms
Crystal Babies
2. 8 sided diamond (looks like Ramiel from EVA and floats). 8 inches to an edge
3. Crystal snake. hiss. 18 inches long.
Warehouse/bore storage:
1. Dodecahedron, no limbs, rolls. Fist sized.
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.
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.
1 corpse (missing: skull, neck vertebrea, some bones)
Bomb Collar
Slate box with multicolour crystal toothpick - supposedly turns someone into a gemperson.
Spool of thermoreactive wire.
Acoustic guitar (Metal + guardbone, totally mundane.)
Box with "kidnapper bell"
6 Octahedrons - supposedly replicate materials
[17] You search through the books quickly but find nothing on music.
Grab a few books at random and read them.
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: 11
Spe: 10
End: 11
Awa: 11
Cun: 12
Kno: 11
Ner: 11
Skills:
Explosives 2
Mechanical 1
Survival 1
Caving 1
Chemical 2
Geology 1
1 Skill point
Inventory:
Dynamo Lantern
Field Lighter
4 TNT
Bladed Shovel (Cut 3)
Mail Shirt
39 Fathoms
Crystal box of golem limbs
Golem buddy
Black Flame (Cut 3)
Rifle (Pierce 2) 4/10
8 Structural Junk
Grappling Hook
Moon bladed staff (Cut 4)
[5]
You can't read it, but you do recognize the text. Its an ancient human script, used when they lived on the surface. You have no idea what it says but at least you can identify it as something that someone might be able to translate. They might have info about it at the Ethral Archives. And even if they don't, the Ethral would probably be willing to pay a pretty penny for these.
"Medizin, would you like me to carry those for you? I will have to drop them if we encounter another guardian, but I can still carry more books than you."
Carry any books that anyone else wants carried, be the packmule. Continue to keep an eye on Ashul, and don't be afraid to drop the load if he needs a good unconsciousness-causing swat to the head with an encyclopedia.
If nobody complains, choose one the smaller and more trite-looking books and drop it off just off the edge of the staircase to see if it loops around. Be ready to catch it when it does, if it's not too difficult to do so.
Name: Nyw'geuq Otin Sunam; calls himself "The Lords' Child"
Description:
((No murakumo anymore.
))
Goal: Inscrutable, which is code for
"Talks like this.".
Stats:Str:14
Dex:8
Spe:10
End:14
Awa:14
Cun:8
Kno:7
Ner:10
Skills:Unarmed: +1
Defense Skill: +3 (Full Plate)
Vehicle Skill: +1
Caving: +1
Navigation: +1
Murakumo: +1
Inventory:
Full Plate Armor [Protective 4]
Ornamental Mask of the Child
Shattered to powder, which is held in a little cloth bag: Crystal Murakumo [Cut 6, Pierce 3, Fragile]
Giant Guardian Hatchet [Chop 4,
]
Probably left in the warehouse:
A hooked cleaver [Cut 3]
Two knives [Cut 2, Pierce 2]
Guard rifle [Pierce 2]
A bunch of bloody guard garments, to be used as raw material.
You take all the books that people want to give you, loading yourself down with them, trying to stack them in a way that won't damage them and that you can quickly set down if combat starts.
You grab a book that no one seems interested in and underhand toss it off the edge. You watch it tumble down towards the ground and...keep going for several times longer than you expected. It hits eventually but you can now tell that what looks like the bottom of the pit must be some kind of optical illusion; its much larger and far further down than it appears.
Back home... I didn't expect to come back here so soon. Let's get this over with.
Find a piece of cloth or something I could turn into a hood or similar that could prevent others from recognizing me. Kara would like to avoid bumping into family members or other people who might know her, if possible.
Have I perhaps heard of that warehouse when I was living here? Do I know who runs it? Does it have a bad reputation?
Make my way to the meeting. Try to stay close to cover, preferably in a good vantage point, if it wouldn't make me look too weird.
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 (eaten by giant Shluck-like thing). Bandaged and given spider venom for the pain.
StatsStr:9
Dex:13
Spe:13
End:7
Awa:12
Cun:10
Kno:12
Ner:11
Skills1 unspent
Rifle: 1
Medical: 1
Translate: 1
Acrobatics: 1
Caving: 1
Machine Control: 1
Stealth: 1
Geology: 1
Archeology: 1
Navigation: 1
InventoryRadio
3 fathoms
Ethral Rifle (scope+bipod) (rifle 3, pierce 3) 7/7
Ethral Rifle magazine 7/7
Ethral Rifle magazine 6/7
Field Lighter (Fire 2)
Grappling Hook + Ethral Silk rope 100 ft
Simple Clothes
Kara's DiaryIn StorageCrystal Tablets (diary about All-Eater and Great Destroyer, inventory, obedience rod instructions, construct assembly instructions)
Church Documents (document ownership and events, and recommend favorable treatment)
Cot
Book (Adventures of Pilgrim)
Deck of Cards
Mechanical Arm (not installed)
Crystal Friend
Bomb collar (unlocked)
All bomb collar remotes
"Interesting. This is your home, Kara?"
Continue to follow Kara like a lost puppy.
Name: Wiellste Gunsmithy
Description: A young Ethral, no taller than 4 feet. Her fur is unpatterned and a milky white. Usually wears a rather plain quilted brown silk cloak, and a polished copper mask with symmetrical, spiraling lines etched on the sides.
Goal: Wiellste is like many Ethral in that she seeks to gather knowledge about the world before all else. Though being an Ethral from Knot, her skills are largely more on the practical building side than the scholarly side. She isn't particularly invested in the teachings of the Tenebrous Church, but the idea of the spheres intrigues her, especially Balarim, with it's writings and technology.
Stats:
Str: 8
Dex: 12
Spe: 10
End: 9
Awa: 7
Cun: 15
Kno: 13
Ner: 11
Skills:
SKILL 1
Weaponsmith 2
Diving 2
Pistol 1
Bore 1
Translate 1
Stealth 1
Inventory:
Silk cloak
Copper mask
Human-made revolver (Pistol 3) (6/6)
Notes
1 Fathom
Kara quickly camouflages herself with a dashing hood and mask combo. Difficult to do with the beak but she manages. Thinking about it, the missing arm should probably throw most people off the trail better than the mask even, but hey, whatever.
[Advantage
18,2]
Kara thinks back to what she knows of the warehouses and can only remember that the entire area is somewhat shady. Any sort of industry with a large amount of money moving through it is bound to be at least pretty corrupt. There were rumors of trafficking in less than legal goods, but since the law is so variable place to place its all a pretty gray area.
She head to the warehouse and are greeted by several corven. She can tell by their dress that they're pretty rich but not RICH rich. Small time rich. Gangster rich. She gives them the order and they start bringing out large metal crates. A lot of them. Dozens, each at least 4 feet high. Far too many for what is listed on the order. Hmm.
Inspect the permanent diving mechanism a little, can I discern what kind of dive/effect they are using here to protect from the magma's heat?
Either way, go to the warehouse. Scan it with wizard eyes, and if nothing suspicious comes up, go in and tell them what we're here for. Be sure to wear my robes long for now, don't need to advertise my, ah, 'skin condition'.
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.
After his encounter with a Word of God, the edges of his vision are flickering with black flame and his skin is extremely pale with what appear to be black veins instead of the normal blue ones. It also forced him to reevaluate his views on the cthonic church and god.
Goal: Plunge the secrets of the depths below to find an answer to the horrors above.
Stats Str: 10
Dex: 10
Spe: 11
End: 10
Awa: 11
Cun: 10
Kno: 10
Ner: 13
SkillsDiving: +3
Stealth: +2
Occult: +1
Can see things in great detail as well as look through objects such as walls. Rolls Nerve.Inventory1 soldier chestplate
Clothing: simple priest robes, shortened a bit so as to less restrict his movements
1 ethral rifle [10 rounds] (pierce 2)
1 black flame
1 Silent Night
4 worm blood
1 minor artifact
1 beaker artifact (found in crystal ruins) => in locker
1 crystal construct
Transport mission papers
1 black book copy
1 black book
1 book "Artifacts of Faith"
1 empyrean city map
1 field lighter
1 radio
6 fathoms
-loaned 40 to Cara (Tiruin)
297 fathoms (payment from pilgrim escort)
1 unspent skillpoint
Adam follows behind Kara, keeping himself as covered as possible and hanging around in back.
He stares at the docks and tries to work out the mechanism of their cooling as Kara talks. Some kind of combination air suction and cooling he guesses; the docks don't melt but they have to be kept cool for workers so its probably just wrapped around under the walkable sections.
He looks at the crates with his enhanced vision and sees something odd. One crate does indeed contain a large amount of gold. The others contain what look like corpses, but there's something off about them. Some interwoven diving, though his enhanced vision again sees it as shadowy non-existence.
Author
Topic: DIG: Heresy (Read 413279 times)