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[dgr11897]

"Yeah, I doubt I can get this mess running again. The best we can do if we want to keep traveling in a mobile castle or something similar would be to scrap the current castle for parts and fabricate a number of smaller vessels engineered to operate specifically in the Ashen wastes. Or, if the original reactor is still intact, I should be able to rework and stabilize it so we can use it to power a small city built up out of the castle's wreckage. Given the issues with time, it may be wise to see if we can create a clock to keep track, to organize things to create a standardized temporal flow. If nothing else, a network of timepieces would tell us if time is working as it should out here or if what we're experiencing are actual irregularities in the flow of time."

[Prophet]

I don't like the thought of sitting around waiting for the Worm Beast to pick off our forces, never underestimate the danger of bleeding manpower. Yog-Har hisses out, somewhat displeased with being at the mercy of the Worm. We'll also have to worry about it attacking any scouting force I try to organize, along with reliably being able to backtrack to here. Though I must admit, this Beast will serve as a good grindstone. We'll either pass the first test of this hell, or die, there is no in between out here. He seems to switch a sort of grim humor at the dire situation, having long accepted the possibility of bitter death, even before the end of the world.

[Nakéen]

The Ashen politely declined the refreshments with a waving motion. His arms crossed, Arashkal was making annoyed clicking sounds with his crustacean mouth.
"I shouldn't have expected much from this vessel, though it did manage to carry us into the Wastes albeit a short distance. That much should be praised, at least."

He gazed at the ashen horizon, musing about the dangers hiding in the Wastes.
"This worm will be the least of our worries, I doubt the Wastes greatest danger is a vulgar worm. Worse things must be waiting there."

He paused for what he perceived as a few seconds.
"I will volunteer to lead an expedition with my Ashen Husks. They are resilient and expendable, and whatever curse of the soul exists in these lands couldn't possibly make my kin degenerate further. And it will give me an excuse to not be stuck in this palace of scrap. With some luck I may even find a place where to settle without being bothered by nagging godlings."

"Oh and of course, I will be magnanimous in my gratitude for carrying us this far. I will share any findings, if findings there is."

Arashkal volunteers to lead the Ash-Husks into the Wastes in order to explore the surroundings.

[dgr11897]

While he appreciates the sentiment, being a thing of metal and dead flesh, Howldyne has trouble partking of the refreshments offered. In response to Arashkal's words, Howldyne nods.
"I concur, that worm might not be the worst that's out there, we need to go out and search, and hunt down that worm and anything else we can find. We can't afford to have some random creature come by and destroy more of the castle and kill our people."
He Leans back a bit. "There is an issue though, navigation will be difficult without a good landmark. I'm thinking about rigging up a beacon to provide a point of reference. Maybe even a network of outposts with such beacons for navigation and early warning. Should let any expeditions find their way back or at least know where they are. By having the beacons use a lighthouse like beam and emit a series of omni-directional flashes every time they complete a rotation, we can have the beacons provide explorers with their direction relative to the beacon, and tell them which beacon is which, letting them figure out precisely where they are at any point. While I acknowledge your desire to split off, I don't believe it would be wise to do so before we have a good way to navigate out here, go off now and if you get lost there's not going to be an easy way to get back to the castle, or anywhere really, which is a problem if you plan to have your people split off to smaller groups to search larger areas."

[IronyOwl]

((Preliminary traits have been written for Ten-Tick Rani and Arashkal. If these look good, I'll officially add them. If you have concerns, let me know.))

Spoiler: Ten-Tick Rani (micelus) (click to show/hide)

4 Strength
3 Finesse
1 Spirit
-
Tush-Tyi's Will: +4 Strength. When overpowered by a superior foe, you may throw them back and make a high-stakes attempt to turn the tables; this is typically calamitous for at least one of you. Your silvery mechanical right arm possesses immense strength, but never so much as when faced with impossible odds.
262's Sight: +3 Finesse. You can see things better the more care has been taken to obfuscate them. Your right eye shines with the blood of those who saw the world clearly and justly, and so do you likewise notice treachery like a beacon.
Nine Slow Seconds: +1 Spirit. Your successes are unusually visible to those around you. Your elaborately decorated family Jezzail is more than an exotic weapon; it is an Attuned Artifact, a sort of external Tenet only the worthy may wield properly.

Spoiler: Arashkal (Nakeen) (click to show/hide)

4 Strength
4 Wisdom
-
Nukshom, Ashen Eye of Wisdom: +4 Wisdom. You can see and discern how to influence morale, conviction, and other forms of motivation in others. This single eye of Ambrosia can see the hearts of soldiers and the tides of battle.
Gorungal, Ashen Crown of Might: +4 Strength. Challenging important foes to single combat generates an enchantment which saps enemy resolve until a champion arises to challenge you. Defeating a worthy adversary under such an enchantment breaks enemy morale while bolstering your own forces, even among hardened or craven troops. Naturally, the reverse is also true. The Crown of the Ashen is an imposing symbol of authority, including the strength and resolve to break any pretenders.

[Criptfeind]

Thakk Kal gently takes the offering from Ttipcmov, thanking the Glowcoil god with a slow nod. He then listens to the other gods thoughts on their situation and what they should do to move forward. "These are ambitious designs you have, clocks and lights, already you plan to start to tame these lands with your artifice. How long will it take you to create such devices?" Thakk Kal thinks for a moment, one hand tracing along a chain link in his beard as he contemplates. "For until we know if there is anything of interest around us, it will be hard for us to make decisions about if we are to stay here or attempt to move on. Perhaps if for now we may merely stays close in our explorations, so that we may try to minimize the chances of getting lost? Not that such a course of action has any degree of assured safety, but waiting over long seems like it may be dangerous as well."

[dgr11897]

"It should be fairly simple to make a basic beacon, just a really big light. I can probably rework the Reactor to provide the energy. I need to check the thing anyways, it's been throwing out weird readings this whole time and I want to make sure it isn't going to fail or explode."

[micelus]

"How much do we truly know of the Wastes? For all we know, a landmark may be of little use. Say, if we walked a mile that way or this way, would we be able to see the point from which we came? Indeed, would we be really spatially a mile away? Enlighten me about this, scholars."

Ten-Tick Rani took a drink for herself and slurped it down. "Still, I don't see what harm a clock would do. Useful if it works, enlightening if it does not. As for myself, I would like to take patrol around to see if there is...anything we could use or navigate towards to. Assuming my hypothesis on spatial oddities here are unfounded. Should we find trouble, well, I've faced impossible odds before."

[dgr11897]

"How much do we truly know of the Wastes? For all we know, a landmark may be of little use. Say, if we walked a mile that way or this way, would we be able to see the point from which we came? Indeed, would we be really spatially a mile away? Enlighten me about this, scholars."

Ten-Tick Rani took a drink for herself and slurped it down. "Still, I don't see what harm a clock would do. Useful if it works, enlightening if it does not. As for myself, I would like to take patrol around to see if there is...anything we could use or navigate towards to. Assuming my hypothesis on spatial oddities here are unfounded. Should we find trouble, well, I've faced impossible odds before."

"And that is why a beacon is a necessity, if such anomalies do exist, then knowing of them is critical. If the Last is willing to handle making some clocks or other time keeping mechanisms, I would prefer to work on reworking the reactor, studying the anomalies encountered and either harnessing or minimizing them, to make a beacon and a power source for any future settlements built in or on this castle."

[IronyOwl]

Remaining traits are done! You'll be stuck with these all game, so speak up if you're not happy with them.

Spoiler: The Last (Glass) (click to show/hide)

1 Strength
3 Finesse
3 Wisdom
1 Spirit
-
Many As One: +3 Finesse. You may individually craft and then combine items with only moderate difficulty, rather than forging it all at once. Your fingers are each of a different tarnished metal, and the tips of each are shaped slightly differently to allow a wide range of tools while working. Whether these fingers or your kin, many things working in unity is at least a match for one powerful force.
Eyes of Eternity: +3 Wisdom. You may spend actions recalling ancient lore and forgotten secrets, though not always the ones you wanted. Your eyes are brilliant aquamarine, having witnessed untold eons of the world and remained worn down but unbroken.
Rustblood: +1 Strength. Your hands drip small amounts of exotic blood. As your granite callouses and scars can attest, you have weathered much loss in the world, and are both tougher and more well-rounded for it.
Voice of the Mountain: +1 Spirit. Others can tell your voice comes from something ancient. Your long, thin tongue is made of topaz, and sings with the wisdom of ages.

Spoiler: Arashkal (Nakeen) (click to show/hide)

4 Strength
4 Wisdom
-
Nukshom, Ashen Eye of Wisdom: +4 Wisdom. You can see and discern how to influence morale, conviction, and other forms of motivation in others. This single eye of Ambrosia can see the hearts of soldiers and the tides of battle.
Gorungal, Ashen Crown of Might: +4 Strength. Challenging important foes to single combat generates an enchantment hampering attempts to interfere in such a duel, and sapping enemy resolve until a champion arises to challenge you. Defeating a worthy adverary under such an enchantment breaks enemy morale while bolstering your own forces, even among hardened or craven troops. The Crown of the Ashen is an imposing symbol of authority, including the strength and resolve to break any pretenders.

Spoiler: Ttipcmov, tFlfimseoh (TricMagic) (click to show/hide)

2 Strength
2 Finesse
2 Wisdom
2 Spirit
-
Slave-Flame: +2 Strength. While you toil on a project, mortals you lead on that project do not mind poor working conditions. Your right eye burns with azure fire, a beacon to the downtrodden that salvation lies ahead.
Poisonous Whispers: +2 Finesse. Those who mistrust you tend to assume you are in league or thrall to their other enemies, rather than an independent foe. Your black star sapphire lips can make any lie sound sweet, because they have tasted (and faintly reflect) the sweet alien world such treason might lead to.
Soul-Sight: +2 Wisdom. You can see and measure how close mortals are to breaking emotionally. Your left eye is a sapphire, measuring the souls of others in cold detail.
Gem-Freckles: +2 Spirit. Your company is valuable and luxurious enough to grant a title. The numerous tiny gemstone freckles covering your body signify just what a valuable possession you are.

Spoiler: Howldyne (dgr11897) (click to show/hide)

1 Strength
2 Finesse
4 Wisdom
1 Spirit
-
Fleshweld: +4 Wisdom. You can take apart and put together living tissue as though it were mundane materials. Your right arm is an elaborate mechanical device of bronze, and flesh wielded in its grip is no less amenable to being taken apart and welded together than metal.
Internal Scan: +2 Finesse. You can see the internal structure of most organic entities. A glowing purple gem embedded in your collarbone senses things normal eyes cannot, giving you deep insights into the nuances of flesh.
Corpseflesh: +1 Strength. You may ignore pain at a cost in feeling and fine control. Emerald thread holds your torso together, and you are no more crippled by pain than you'd expect from a being who has been stitched back together.
Spiritsight: +1 Spirit. You can sense incorporeal spirits and the strong flares of a creature's soul. Your eyes glow with azure power, signifying to everyone that you see beyond the mortal plane and into that of the dead.

Spoiler: Yog-Har, The Unyielding (Prophet) (click to show/hide)

4 Strength
4 Finesse
-
Lashcoil: +4 Strength. Whenever you are wounded by a foe, you immediately strike back if possible. Thick brass scales are regularly scattered through your lower half. When wronged, you instinctively lash out with the fury of a serpent.
Shadow of the Sands: +4 Finesse. Forces under your command are far harder to spot or track. Golden symbols adorn your hood, marking you as not only a wraith of the sands yourself, but a mastermind of the lingering shadows that harry your foes.

Spoiler: Thakk Kal, The Memory of the Forgotten (Criptfeind) (click to show/hide)

1 Finesse
6 Wisdom
1 Spirit
-
Echoes of the Past: +6 Wisdom. You may spend actions to craft or generate prophecies. Your cobalt-ring beard, inscribed with impossibly tiny script in a forgotten language, represents a thousand lifetimes of accumulated memories. With such memories of the past, often the future may be seen as well.
Gentle Divide: +1 Finesse. You may cut or carve things with extreme precision and at minute scales. Your emerald claws are small and precise, better suited to fine incisions and carving than grappling with prey. Sometimes the world works better when things are severed with care.
Soul Hum: +1 Spirit. You can calm others by interacting with them. Your impressive teeth are made of glass, which hum with a soothing melody when clicked. Seeing the predatory fangs of a Jadescale used in such a disarming way often puts others at ease.

Spoiler: Ten-Tick Rani (micelus) (click to show/hide)

4 Strength
3 Finesse
1 Spirit
-
Tush-Tyi's Will: +4 Strength. When overpowered by a superior foe, you may throw them back and make a high-stakes attempt to turn the tables; this is typically calamitous for at least one of you. Your silvery mechanical right arm possesses immense strength, but never so much as when faced with impossible odds.
Rana's Sight: +3 Finesse. You can see things better the more care has been taken to obfuscate them. Your right eye shines with the blood of those who saw the world clearly and justly, and so do you likewise notice treachery like a beacon.
Nine Slow Seconds: +1 Spirit. Your successes are unusually visible to those around you. Your elaborately decorated family Jezzail is more than an exotic weapon; it is an Attuned Artifact, a sort of external Tenet only the worthy may wield properly.

Starting possessions, followers, and so on will be next.

[Glass]

"How much do we truly know of the Wastes? For all we know, a landmark may be of little use. Say, if we walked a mile that way or this way, would we be able to see the point from which we came? Indeed, would we be really spatially a mile away? Enlighten me about this, scholars."

Ten-Tick Rani took a drink for herself and slurped it down. "Still, I don't see what harm a clock would do. Useful if it works, enlightening if it does not. As for myself, I would like to take patrol around to see if there is...anything we could use or navigate towards to. Assuming my hypothesis on spatial oddities here are unfounded. Should we find trouble, well, I've faced impossible odds before."

"And that is why a beacon is a necessity, if such anomalies do exist, then knowing of them is critical. If the Last is willing to handle making some clocks or other time keeping mechanisms, I would prefer to work on reworking the reactor, studying the anomalies encountered and either harnessing or minimizing them, to make a beacon and a power source for any future settlements built in or on this castle."

Of course I should be glad to work the cogwork of clockwork! The fine mechanisms, the precision intrinsic, it is a true test of a real craftsgods' skills to shape one that can capture every freefloating second and force them to march in lockstep timelines!

[dgr11897]

Of course I should be glad to work the cogwork of clockwork! The fine mechanisms, the precision intrinsic, it is a true test of a real craftsgods' skills to shape one that can capture every freefloating second and force them to march in lockstep timelines!

"Good. While you do that I will go and salvage the reactor to convert it into a beacon, while I will not actively prevent anyone from leaving if they wish, I recommend staying close until both projects are complete. Given the state of this castle, it might be wise to start disassembling the interior and reorienting it, if someone is willing to do so."
Howldyne leans back as he contemplates something
" Hmm... Given that we don't know what's out there, I have realized a beacon may be ill advised, but besides making something more arcane, which would take time we might not have, it seems to be our best shot for navigation, as it is simple and requires little equipment for away teams. I'll wait to hear if anyone has a better idea, but if nothing better presents itself I'm going to head right down and rework the reactor." Upon thinking a bit more Howldyne realizes something else.
"Oh, and we need someone to get started figuring out food, water, and other basic necessities, our current stocks won't last forever."

[Criptfeind]

Thakk Kal settles back as he contemplates the words of his fellow gods. "Such exuberance for action, I hope it is not misplaced in these desolate lands. Unless my help is required in such an area, I shall leave matters of technical and exploratory nature to the rest of you, for I have small interest and not much talent in such things." He seems to pause and think for a moment. "But I seem to recall... Yes. There are others matters I must attend to on this castle I think. For although I have no doubt that this place outside the world is not yet as horrible as I had feared, it yet may perhaps be more then can be withstood by some. The cessation of our movement may as well be a chance for me to attend to what little duty I have yet and sooth the present as well as the past, I think, lest the mortals under our charge find this change in the rhythm of their lives too upsetting to go on."

((These Tenets seem fine to me. Am I correct in assuming that the +1 tenets are essentially a specialized bonus to something that's already possible with the stat? Like, anyone can sooth people with spirit with a charismatic speech or whatever, it's just that Thakk is better at it then the amount of spirit he invests in the action would suggest, whereas the ability from the higher level Tenets is a unique possibility?))

[IronyOwl]

((These Tenets seem fine to me. Am I correct in assuming that the +1 tenets are essentially a specialized bonus to something that's already possible with the stat? Like, anyone can sooth people with spirit with a charismatic speech or whatever, it's just that Thakk is better at it then the amount of spirit he invests in the action would suggest, whereas the ability from the higher level Tenets is a unique possibility?))

((Correct. In that particular case, you can also calm people as a side effect of interacting with them for different purposes.))

[TricMagic]

"Oh, and we need someone to get started figuring out food, water, and other basic necessities, our current stocks won't last forever."

Ttipcmov speaks softly as she places the remaining refreshments down.

"Food can be grown by turning the mud to farmland and setting up light. Basic materials could be baked from mud to form bricks. And water perhaps by cutting open the clouds and reliving them of their bounty, capturing the water for later use after purification. All of these require power to be restored. Mortals are hardy enough to survive with gods to lead them. If it pleases you divines, I shall get started on the farmland with our mortal followers."