Dussty Historian's page

Sorry guys for the big delay. I think i'm going to close this game for now. I keep managing to put off updating and that's not healthy for the game and fair to you guys. I may restart it at a later time but have the ship find a larger city with the goal of the party sticking mostly together but I'm not sure exactly when that will be.

Zerblag
"Ah the Three Sisters. I don't reccomend going there. I've heard rumours from other hunters, and old stories about witches and other things. No one goes there and returns."
Make a survival check if you are looking for tracks.

Nilas
Roland seems interested as you explain your difference from other dwarves. "I haven't seen one before you, just stories."

"We take care of ourselves. Though I guess he keeps the bandits down. Haven't had any trouble from them in a while. Probably some out there though. Don't know about a map, but maybe our leader Tomar will. Never been much outside of town except for out to sea for a day's fishing. Perhaps if you travel down the coast you'll find another village or two like ours but you'll come to Cooren eventually. It's on the Fogdown river mouth."

Kyūzo
No damage, just a slight feeling of being tired.
"But you just stopped and fell down. I though maybe the Spirit killed you. I want to train here. I can't tell my dad though. Please keep it a secret?" the boy asks.

When you get back to town you see that another ship has come to port here and an important looking Elf is leaving the main Hall in a hurry. Your captain is watching her leave, shaking his head.

The boy has run off to talk to his friends.

Zaidel/Siete
The skeleton falls to pieces again but after a few seconds continues to begin to reassemble starting from the skull. gaining 1 HP per round

Nilas
The gruff man isn't worried about your manners. "We have never had travelers here. Today we are all surprised to see not 1 but 2 ships dock here."

Another man near the gruff one interrupts "Hi, I'm Roland. Don't worry about Gorte there. Not much happens here. We fish, our Lord takes the fish, we fish some more. I heard the other ship came here to trade from somewhere far away. They aren't staying long. There's much richer ports than a small fishing village. We're happy here being left alone except when our Lord's soldiers cause trouble. I've never seen one of your kind before. You're a dwarf right? I though you couldn't leave your mountains."

Zaidel/Siete
The skeleton falls, the longsword cuting through its spine and the bones fall apart in a pile.

You can hear the thumps again, not coming from any particular direction. P-L-E-A-S-E-H-E-L-P-M-E-W-H-E-R-E-A-M-I

The bones of the skeleton you have just defeated start to move and piece back together.

Kyūzo
"You speak with wisdom Kyūzo Sadamune. Perhaps one day you will join me too. For now you must return. Your body can not survive long without you. If you seek training, find other monuments of battle or heroes and place your weapon on them and I will find you."
You have gained 200 experience from training with the Spirit(it will always be the same level and similar stats as you, but with differing weapons, classes, traditions, stances, maneuvers, etc., for you to test yourself against. You can train with the Spirit anytime up to once per day but can get experience only once per level. When you have gained enough experience this is a great place to level up path of war classes and abilities.

Everything goes dark and you hear a familiar voice. "Wake up. Are you ok? Please wake up." You feel a grasp on your shoulders and yourself being shaken. You open your eyes to see the boy, worried about you, and yourself lying in the dust, your spear fallen a couple metres to the side.

Nilas
The welcoming group are talking to Captain Aurora who quickly gets directions of some sort and then walks briskly away without a second glance at you. You were barely above the status of a stowaway to her. Luckily you did pay your fare. They turn to you as you approach. Their clothes are simple cloth and leather with no shoes as they are dockworkers. "You have come to Arch." One of the men says gruffly, "Do you need assistance?"

Siete/Zaidel
Skeleton
HP:4/16 | AC:13
Zaidel hits it again with his longsword, this time smashing through an elbow and snapping off an arm. Siete tries to sweep out its legs but who knew a skeleton could be so sturdy, it is able to remain upright and continue attacking Zaidel but it just scratches his armour with its remaining bony hand.
claw: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
bite: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Zerblag
Thoms' Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
Thoms walks with you for several hours, leading you towards the south east. "about 2 days this way there are foothills where you should start finding some traces of the creatures. The foothills lead to the Three Sisters. A trio of mountains that these predators call home. They venture into the foothills, their territory, to hunt and that's where you should search."

Kyūzo
The Spirit chuckled. "You are inquisitive. The form of the hero you see in front of you IS me. When we fought, all those around you were once living. Humans like you and also other races. Those worthy and skilled joined and became a part of me when they died. I am all of them, from the First, whose iron will and unmatched skill transformed after death to seek vengeance on the coward who poisoned him to the most recent, the hero Fenton Arch. Over one hundred souls, the skill and knowledge of one hundred thousand days of training in every form known.

Not going to get to update for a couple more days. Hope everyone's enjoying holidays or so.

Might be able to make one more post tomorrow.

In any case will be pausing for a few days and hopefully have another update on the 27th.

In the spirit of the time, I give you all a gift. Merry Christmas.

Holiday Spirit You may use this bonus to automatically succeed at one attack roll or saving throw.

The Chillwake
Where are you: 1d4 ⇒ 1
"Land sighted captain!" The lost continent of Dusst lies on the horizon and is getting larger by the minute. Captain Aurora Density looks at it through her spyglass for a time before pulling it away from her eye and folding it up. "Blasted dogs! Someone has beaten me here. What kind of a stupid name is The Waterborne Giant?" After all the work she did, driving the crew to get as much speed from the ship as possible, there had been a storm that had halted her efforts for several days. "How long have they been here, how far ahead of me are they..." she asked herself. The elf captain was a ruthless woman, tall and sharp-eyed. Sailing on her ship has not been too pleasant.

When the Chillwake is closer, you can see the tree-filled coast and another ship docked at a small port. The dock leads to a small village of wooden building and thatched roofs. Several village people are on the docks and help you to dock. The men from the other ship stare at you. Captain Aurora leaps gracefully onto the dock, not waiting for the walkway planks to be raised. "Who is in charge of this tiny village and where are they?" She asks the village people.

Is there an ancient power that could change the world hidden someone here? Do you seek it? Or have you come for some other reason?

Zerblag
The brothers tell you their story, how they learnt to hunt and make traps from their father. "We'd love for you to meet him. But he tried to mess with Lord Mackellyn's men a few years ago and they took him. We have no idea if he is still alive or not. We've asked for conditions of his release but are always ignored." There are several other villages of similar size nearby, 1 each up and down the coast and the rest inland a days travel. All of them are part of Lord Mackellyn's lands that he protects and taxes from his castle town of Lonley 3 days travel away.

Apart from the story of their father, the rest of the night goes very well, mostly, the drink proving strong but delightful and strangely reminding you of home. Unfortunately the drink eventually overpowers you and sends you to sleep after trying to stand up too quickly. The time asleep passes instantly and you feel none of the effects of the drink from last night. Thoms is shaking you awake. "I will show you the direction you should go if you want to hunt the predators that call our land home. Bonn has taken the rest of the meat you gave to the butcher in the village as donation like you wanted. The butcher is a proud man and will not like not paying for it but Bonn will make him accept it. We are in his favour, and now you will be too."

Siete/Zaidel
This one doesn't have DR! I just described your minimum damage roll is all.
Skeleton
HP:8/16 | AC:13
Siete tries to pin the skeleton's bony legs but instead of being pinned the skeleton steps up onto the lid of the coffin. Zaidel send more bits of bone flying, the skeleton is looking somewhat damaged now.
Claw: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
Claw: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
Bite: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21 damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
It retaliates, claws hitting Zaidel's armour but its jaw finds purchase and bites down into the flesh of Zaidel's arm. 3 damage and make a fort save

That looks fine. Post in the discussion thread with your dwarven cleric and I will get your introduction post up with the next update.

Kyūzo
You step inside the reach of the Fauchard and slide past his defenses, the tip of your spear finds a gap in his armour and pierces skin and vital organs. He drops the Fauchard.

The sounds of battle around you stop and you look around to see the field of battle empty besides you and the man/statue/spirit thing. You still hold your spear as he sinks to his knees, breath ragged, blood dripping down your spear. "I can see some of myself in you Kyūzo Sadamune. You are recognised. What is it you want? Do you seek my aid for that village like their hero once did?"

Siete/Zaidel
Skeleton
HP:12/16 | AC:13
Claw: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Claw: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Bite: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Zaidel's longsword breaks a few of it's ribs, hardly hurting the skeleton as it claws and bites back at Zaidel but hits only his armour.
Both of you can have turns now.

Zerblag
"Excellent! We shall take the best cuts from your boar and boil them." He does exactly that, if you help it is done faster, the meat is boiled in a pot over an open hearth with some roots and other vegetables for a while. The hides are already left salting in the curing room to remove the moisture. The tusks and remaining meat will go into the village tomorrow, meat to the butcher and tusks to the herbalist. "She'll grind them to a powder and use them for one of her remedies." A little later Thoms returns with several small hare and one turkey. He exclaims at the story of your hunt. "This calls for some Spirit Water. Get our oldest brew." Bonn does so and takes a large gulp of the drink and offers you some as Thoms serves himself some of the pork stew and rips apart some dipping bread. Describe how much you wish to drink and make a fortitude save(effects won't be permanent).

How are we handling time getting out of sync here? If I'm pausing until evening for a feast and the rest of the party is still engaged in their encounters do we wait to move forward with my parts or do we allow timing to be off and run with it. I realize that Zerblag's probably a bit ahead of time compared the others already just due to the hunt probably taking longer than the encounters others are participating in.

Regarding time differences, unfortunately this is something that is a little unavoidable with everyone able to go in different directions and doing things that take varying lengths of time. Also affecting it are those that post less often. Perceived time inequalities are going to have to be ignored to keep the game running.

Your being invited to stay for dinner was not to slow you down or make you wait for the others. It was simply a process of, you were generous, they were impressed, and hospitality and friendship was offered. Plus the time taken hunting, and preparing the boar, it's probably not far from evening for you.

Kyūzo
I made a mistake. You took 7 damage not 8 last round.
Your opponent deflects your spear with his Fauchard and steps back, a quick sweep with his Fauchard to try and trip you is unsuccessful and a follow up stab cuts the air, singing as it misses.
Trip: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Zerblag
Yes, you have an exp bar starting at 0. As you gain it you can spend it once you have enough.
At your generosity, Bonn shouts, "You will be forever welcome in Dunloch, Hobgoblin."

"I can show you which direction to look. And I will even offer prayers for your safely. Please, stay and wait for my brother to return. We will feast on your bounty tonight. We will even bring out our secret family fermented brew to celebrate."
You gain 200 exp for the successful hunt. You are considered a friend of Dunloch and receive a 10% discount on goods purchased there.

Siete/Zaidel
Together you push the lid off the ornate coffin in the centre of the room. Inside lies a skeleton, it's flesh long since decayed away. It is adorned with jewelry, a necklace and earings lie next to it. Suddenly, like a movie jump-scare, its head snaps to look at you through empty eye sockets and it stands up out of its coffin.
Skeleton Initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
Siete Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Zaidel Initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
Round 1
Initiative - Zaidel - Skeleton - Siete

I'm not sure there will be any downtime. Crafting anything significant could take quite a while. Travel isn't quick straight away either. You don't start with a mount and would have to acquire one.

You could take Master of the Ledger, though waiting for a month to pass could take a while also and not be worth it.

Zerblag
All trappers are hunters but not all hunters use traps. The name of the hunter's lodge wasn't meant to be misleading.
Bonn sets down his shortbow and a quiver with a half dozen arrows next to some simple spears of different sizes. "The traps we set meet all our needs. We provide the village with hides and fur and meat to supplement the fish." After the boar is on the table he gets one of several knives and starts the incisions to begin separating skin from flesh. "When a boar or other heavy enough creature falls into our pit traps, a spear through the head is the quickest kill. We practice with the bows every day to keep our skill but it has been some time since we have needed to go further out.
What we catch in our traps keeps us busy."

"I guess there are good and bad types of all races out there just trying to survive. I'm glad you came here Hobgoblin. Your weapons are of a strange style to us," he has glanced at your waveblade and sansetsukon several times. "Your way of hunting and getting close to your prey is different. Too dangerous for my liking. We would use our throwing spears and our bows if the catch from our traps was scarce and we had to travel further out." There are not any trophies displayed, only the tools necessary for each part of the process in each room. "There are things that trouble us. There has been no issue yet but it is getting closer. The problem with the large wildlife population around here is that it will naturally draw predators. Of course we can take care of ourselves safely here and avoid the dangerous ones, we don't go more than a day or two from here anyway. But if you really are after the challenge, bears and jaguars are the more dangerous predators we've found proof of out there."

"We even had a bet about you. Thoms said you would come back in a week with nothing. I said you would not become lost and never return." He laughs, finding it very funny, "But we have both lost and for our doubt I will help you and ask for no profit. We will buy the skins and flesh from you for a fair price if you wish, the tusks too. They might find a buyer at the marketplace."

Siete/Zaidel
When Siete shout to Bjorn, the strange unnatural knocking starts again. "W-H-E-R-E-A-M-I" this time it seems to be coming from the coffin by itself in the middle of the room.

Kyūzo
Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21 Damage: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
The statue-turned-man merely twists to the side to dodge your stabs and steps back to wind up a strong overhead chop and then immediately springs back 10ft. It hits hard into the armour on your shoulder, almost making you drop your weapon. The special suit you wear in the real world cannot make you feel much pain but the impact of the heavy hit is surely felt as 8 out of your 13 HP drain away. "Come."

Zerblag
"Two! What traps did you set to catch them? Perhaps you can teach us your secrets. Bring them into our lodge. We shall skin them and give the butcher the meat and bones. The big ones tusks will also be useful." As you come in sight of the the lodge there is only one man to greet you and help you bring the boars into the skinning room. "I am Bonn, my brother Thoms is out checking the traps and pit."

The lodge is a sturdy log cabin with several rooms, sleeping, living, carving/skinning, curing and a storage room. "Mostly we catch hare, rodents, the occasional feline. We hunt for furs, skins, and meat to feed the village. Never have I wished to do it for the challenge. Is this what all Hobgoblins do?"

Ingoswitu
"Thankyou, you are so kind. Some days I wonder if he found that stupid tower after all and is still alive. Good luck." Outside the main Hall you ask a passing villager where to find their chapel. They point to a small building not 100ft. away. The wooden building looks old but it is well looked after. The door creaks open, there are dozens of many small crafted figurines on the shrine at the end of the small room. It is also empty. A door at the back leading to another room is open and you can hear noise coming from it.

Kyūzo
Alin runs to stand out of your way behind one of the broken garden fences. He is focusing on you intently, wanting to remember everything that you perform. His eyes are wide as he watches your moves in front of the statue. Your spear sings as you jab, the dirt crunches as you pivot and lunge, the cracking sound of shield hitting tree seems slightly off, the breeze on your face is now hot, you hear a cry on the wind and a horn signaling battle. Kyūzo Sadamune, we shall see if your gift is acceptable. Around you is no longer the overgrown garden, or the thin coastal trees. You are in the middle of a field, the clash of a chaotic battle scene is all around you, men and creatures fight, there do not seem to be sides. In front of you the statue transforms from stone to living flesh. A man wielding a Fauchard, dressed in fine clothes covered by scale mail armour and a royal tabard on top. This man could be a king, he certainly stands like one. "The Spirit of Blades senses your worth but you are not recognised here. Prove yourself."
Foe's Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21
Kyūzo Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
Foe Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
Without warning he springs forward at you with a roar meant to shake you and a swing of his Fauchard easily misses you.

Siete/Zaidel
The torch rolls down the stone stairs to the floor below, shedding its light. As you descend, you notice nothing that would indicate a trap. The crypt is one room, several times larger than the one above. Ornate coffins lie in slots along each of the walls. Only 1 coffin is not with the others and lies on its own raised platform in the middle of the room, even more ornate and important looking than the others.

Siete/Zaidel
Zaidel gets a much better footing and pushes the heavy door open. Inside, dust is disturbed and swirls around in the air. There in an unlit torch on the inside wall. The room is about 10ft. wide and 15ft. long. A staircase in the centre leads down to the crypts. The walls and the floor around the staircase is bare stone covered in layers of dust. No one has been down here for many years. Only important members of the community would earn a burial place in the crypts. You notice there is no one here.

Zerblag
You drag your quarry back in the direction of the hut, the crows above mostly dispersing, though one or two keep following you. Luckily you remember where the hunters traps had been placed as you almost step on one designed for small game. "Is that you Hobgoblin? You return to us in one day? You are either very lucky or the most skilled hunter we have ever seen. What have you?"

Kyūzo
"But I need someone to teach me. I just practise with wooden swords carved from trees with my friends. Are you staying here long?" He takes you a little way further outside the village. It looks like the memorial area was once a garden but it is broken down and overgrown now, reclaimed by nature years ago. "My dad lied. No one cares about our hero. He probably doesn't even remember where it is." In the centre of the 'garden' is the stone statue. A man standing tall, with his hand on his sheathed sword, weapon away but always ready if needed. Once beautifully carved armour now worn and detail lost. The statue is almost twice the size of a normal human. "What will you give him? The gift must always be important to get a Spirit's attention. He doesn't listen to me. I think if I had a real sword... but maybe my dad is right and he's not a real Spirit."

Zerblag
Only 1 round of actions at a time please.
Zerblag and the boar clash again with the waveblade this time sinking deep into its neck and barely deflecting the tusks from tearing into her legs. The boar squeals and is limp, the young dash off and are long gone. They will have to fend for themselves now. Adding the larger boar(about the size of a big dog) to your hunt (i overestimated the weight before, you could carry the other one with you and didn't need to leave it) it will take time to drag it back to the hunters lodge. Above you you notice a couple crows circling.

Siete/Zaidel
The knocking seems to be following a pattern, and you start to decipher the meaning. I-A-M-B-J-O-R-N-A-M-I-D-E-A-D. It is a direct reply to Zaidel's question.

Kyūzo
"You could see it while you're here too Captain? It is one of the last bits of pride left to us here."

The Captain declines the honour and says he must return to his ship. They have made some sort of deal in their talks but he is not staying much longer. "Your presence has been welcome on my ship Kyūzo. If you wish to continue, be on board tomorrow before noon. Tomar has given me a location of a larger port town further south and I am to head there for better opportunities. If you decide not to join us, may your journeys in this land be fruitful."

Alin looks to be a young teenager, he is excited when he is allowed to be the one to guide you to the memorial. He waits till you are outside the Hall to speak, "Is that sharp?" he asks about your spear. "I want to be a great warrior like Fenton one day. But dad says we don't need warriors in Arch. But I want to fight Lord Carton's men and stop them from taking everything we work so hard for. I train in secret, let me show you. The statue is this way." He points away from the village and starts walking if you follow.

Zerblag
gore: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8 miss
The boar is cut by your attack but it doesn't stop it. Pointing its sharp tusks directly at you it charges forward to gore you but misses and turns around just behind you to try again.

Siete/Zaidel
The stone mausoleum in the middle of the graveyard has only 1 door and no windows. The walls are made of large stone blocks with only tiny gaps filled in with mortar. Slate tiles cover the almost flat roof, a possible entrance could be created by moving or breaking some of the tiles. Though heavy, the stone door looks like it is made to open with enough of a push(Strength DC 15).

After Zaidel shouts, the knocking returns but this time with more knocks and pauses, as if some sort of message or code(Linguistics DC 15 to decode).
Knocking sounds something like this

Kyūzo
"Battles and strength, I see." He ponders for a minute, "Bandits have not been a problem for us for a long time. We have nothing worth stealing here since Lord Carlton's men take so much. I do not know what one sword, and that of an outsider, can do."

"Perhaps, sir," an unnoticed teenager waiting off to the side interjected, having been listening in rather quietly, "The Spirit of Fenton could be called upon, if a proper gift was given."

"This is my son Alin, he wants to learn what I do but has much too young a mind and listens to too many stories. Some say the great heroes of Dusst become Spirits after they die. Of course it's all children's stories and superstition. If you wanted to see the memorial to our hero, perhaps my son could show you?"

Zerblag
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Initiative: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (3) + 0 = 3
The boar smells something and looks your way as you try to sneak up on it and when you are 30ft. away it sees you and lets out a warning grunt. The young scurry away again as they did before.
Round 1 Your turn first

Siete/Zaidel
You push the door together but your feet slip as you push and it doesn't budge. You hear the knocking sound again.

Ingoswitu
"Lost magic, dungeons... nothing like that close to us," Tharin sighs, recalling something unpleasant, "What I tell you, I only tell you as courtesy for your generosity. I do not believe it but unfortunately I will never be able to forget it. My father was a ranger. Sometimes he would go further away than usual if the animals were scarce. About 2 days north-east of here is a very dry open plain, extends further than you can see. One time he came back and said that he saw a tower on the horizon but it wasn't there when he went closer. He kept trying to find it and to shorten a very long story, he abandoned his family in search of it, he was crazy. I believe he was dehydrated, seeing mirages." He goes silent for a while. "He died out there looking for it, crazy old man. Perhaps if you're curious enough to investigate, you might find him and bring something back for me? I never could make myself go out there to look for him when he didn't come back."

Sorry guys couldn't update last night. Will do it tonight.

The recently rediscovered continent of Dusst holds secrets, magic, wealth and power waiting to be claimed. We currently have 5 characters that have started and things are going well so I am posting here again to see if anyone else feels like joining in.

This game has a story and plot to follow but the order in which you follow it is completely up to you. That makes this sort of a sandboxy, character driven game. Have a look HERE for the details about the game and at the Campaign Tab for the character creation rules.

The game is using P6 as a base, meaning max level is 6 but experience points can be spent on gaining gestalt classes as well as the usual Epic feats to allow character advancement to continue indefinitely. I am also open to testing out 3PP(Psionics, Spheres of Power, Spheres of Might and Path of War are all on the list).

[edit]Edited to be at the top of a new page.[/edit]

I've added information to the campaign tab about the people you've met and places you've been and will keep it updated as we go for easy reference.

Zerblag
You slowly follow the path and the grunt of the young boars, sometimes losing the sound but not the trail. Eventually they calm down and you catch the grunting again. There is more noise, a louder, deeper grunting. The adult boar pushes the younger ones out of the way as they scamper around it. It raises its snout in the air, more cautious than its children, having caught some new scent.

Zaidel/Siete
Zaidel knocks on the stone and the thick doors make almost no sound as you would normally expect. A few seconds later though the knocking repeats, just 5 taps.

Siete returns to the game and catched up to Zaidel, feeling the same fear effect as before but resisting it this time. He hears the knocking sound too.

Kyūzo
"Arch is an almost forgotten fishing village. It was named after a long dead hero, Fenton Arch. Hundreds of years ago he overthrew a tyrant and brought peace to our region. He retired here and became a fisherman, no one knows why. Those he left in charge after him were not as wise and not long after his death things became just as bad as before. The latest is Lord Carlton who sits in comfort in his castle town of Brittl. Whether he is incompetent at his command or greedy I cannot say but he has showed no kindness to those of us that struggle here and I'm sure others villages under his protection feel the same. Above him is only the king and the king's council. They are supported by Carlton and 3 other lords who owe him fealty and taxes. I am Arch's leader but such minor villages as ours have no representation. No I have tried to reason and seek mercy but how hard our lives are are not their concern." When you speak of your blade being put to use he puts his hands up defensively, "There's no need for that, if they trace you back here, who knows what lesson they might try to teach us."

Oops didnt post that probably. Exiting in conbat to avoid death is not worth it. You could die and come back to your respawn location.

Yea i read your post and have been thinking about what to do with it.

DiamondTech officially apologises for the glitch, stating that you should always be able to exit the game at any time(exiting while in combat to avoid death, they will investigate the issue. Adverse reactions to emotional situations come with the same warning about sensitivity to light and epilepsy. Users are advised with caution.

It's early days yet and no, i planned for it. Only certain things will need a group to defeat, most 'encounters' will scale for party size and difficulty chosen.

The story will be uncovered quicker by people being in different places finding different secrets. You've discovered only a few basics.

1. A Calamity was said to have destroyed everything except Dusst (no knowledge of any Calamity or reason for Dusst being lost long ago is known from the continents that you came to Dusst from) and most people are disbelieving of you saying you aren't from Dusst.

2. The Spirits (of which there are many) sometimes interract with the world, for there own ends or as servants of the Gods is unclear.

3. Elves in the north forest with evil fey. Dwarves and gnomes in the eastern and southern mountains with evil things from below. Humans abound in the lands between the forest in the north, the mountains east and south and the ocean west, half-breeds, aasimar, and other types of almost humans, part humans and so on can be found here too. Beyond the mountains are a desert with orcs, goblins, dragons and more. Beyond the desert is unknown currently, other planes also exist. Many atandard tropes exist.

Number 3 was known before you started as part of advertisement to draw in players and let you know the things you can face. The mystery of Dusst will need clues from all over to solve.

I have sent Mirpaliniel a message to see if they have lost interest in the game.

Either way I'm going to post in recruitment again and see if others might be interested in joining. How are you guys finding things? I did throw in the rats in the basement quest as a little laugh.

Siete/Zaidel
Zaidel fights off the urge to get away from the cemetary but Siete is overwhelmed by fear and turns around and runs back down the path to get away from 'it'. He gets 60ft. away when the fear goes away. Zaidel walks past the silent graves towards the mausoleum. The heavy stone doors stand shut. He may not be able to open them alone(str check). Zaidel hears a knocking on the stone doors as if they are wood. An impossible sound.

Zerblag
Not satisfied with the smaller one, you are able to secure it and then easily follow the fleeing young's tracks. Perception and, if you wish, stealth.

Zerblag
Though the younger ones run at sight if you, an adult boar wouldn't. If you could find the mother and bring that to the hunters they would be quite impressed, though this endeavor would be more dangerous. The young boar weighs just over 100 pounds, an acceptable hunt surely. The direction that the other 2 ran looks promising if you wish to try your skills and luck. Survival If you wish to keep hunting

Kyūzo
You wait patiently for a couple of minutes until Captain Hedor notices you standing there. Their conversation pauses. "Tomar, this is Kyūzo Sadamune. He traveled with me here seeking adventure. As i was saying, we are not the only ones. We might be the first but more of our ships will come to this land. Maybe not yet, it is a journey of months, but certainly it will happen."

Tomar looks at you. He wears simple clothes like the rest of his people except that his are clean, like he doesn't do the same manual work of most. "I do not yet know if it is good that our world collide now. Perhaps the gods wanted us separated by telling us your lands were destroyed and you that ours were. What do you wish to speak of Kyūzo?"

Siete/Zaidel
As you move past the flowers and trinkets into the graveyard, a sense of danger washes over you. Both roll Will saves please.

Ingoswitu
Tharin's eyes go wide as water appears out of nowhere to fill the cup, carefully he tastes it, then gulps it down. "Amazing, as fresh as the freshest spring water. I offer what little our village can offer you in exchange for your magic water. If you come here to seek magic, perhaps speak to Aaron. He is caretaker of our little chapel to the Spirits of Dusst. He says he can hear them sometimes. Or maybe Isda, the herbalist. When the spirits won't listen, she takes matters into her own hands."

Zerblag
The grunting turns into 3 young boar. You see no sign of a mother around. Stealthily you creep closer until you can almost touch one of them and using the element of surprise cut one of them down, lifeless. The other two squeal and dart away.

Zerblag
The trail is easy to follow and you can make out the occasional cloven-hoof print in the dirt. You think it could be a group of small wild pigs, not a fully grown boar thankfully. After another half hour of following the tracks through the underbrush and sparse woodland trees you hear some grunting ahead, 2 or 3 young boar. How do you prepare?

Siete/Zaidel
Where the flowers and trinkets have been left so too do the footprints stop. No one has recently been into the cemetary at all. You see the path goes straight through the centre and though you missed it before, Siete sees(and can point out to Zaidel) a stone structure, obscured by overgrowth. It looks long abandoned. As you both come near the cemetary as you are about to pass the gifts the villagwrs have left, the hairs on the back of your necks stand up and give you an uneasy feeling. Do you press on where thr villagers turned back?

Ingoswitu
Tharin quickly looks around then realises he is holding the cup the captain presented him with. "Well why not this?" he says and confirms it is dry and empty by turning it upside down first, then holds it towards you ready to be filled. He asks curiously, "What kind of things can you summon?"

Kyūzo
The innkeeper shakes his head, finding it hard to believe what you say about another continent being out there. With such a generous tip the innkeeper is astounded, "That's a weeks worth of stay here!"

The main hall is easy enough to find and a woman carrying a basket full of sticks she has collected answers your question. "Tomar is inside already talking to your Captain. I'm sure he will be willing to speak to you also." If you go inside, at the other end of the hall you see your half-orc captain talking to what you assume is the leader od this village.

Kyūzo
"Across the ocean?" The innkeeper seems very surprised. "How is that possible, everything outside of Dusst is said to have been destroyed."

"Yes, the Lord that controls these lands from his castle. Every 3 months, his men come to collect their tax and empty our stores. Our leader tries to reason with them, but they are the law. No one cares about a little fishing village. Best to keep your head down if you see them."

"The Tinker comers around every couple months or so peddling his wares and offering repairs. He may be due soon but is sometimes delayed. Perhaps you would like to speak to our leader? You could find him in the main hall almost every day."

Siete/Zaidel
"Yes, go north out of the village, the entrance is lined with trinkets and flowers. Easy to find." He tells the truth, as you head north through the village only one worn down path exists leading away from it. Several women watch you as you walk towards it. The path is a few hundred feet long through sparse trees and bushes until you find a clearing ahead. A deathly quiet descends as you get closer, the usual sounds of nature are gone. The trinkets and flowers left near the end of the trail are still 30 feet from the closest grave. Such things are meant to be placed on the grave of the loved one.

Zerblag
"Good hunting, Hobgoblin," the men say as you leave.

Stalking through the trees and the brush, examining your surroundings carefully, you do eventually come upon a trail. A trampled down grass path made by a group of small, 4-legged animals. You could follow it or look for some other trail.

Yea you are much too distant from each other.

Ingoswitu
"You say you seek magic and also cast it. Forgive me for doubting but we don't see real magic often. You can stay here in Dunloch for as long as you want as our honoured guest if your abilities can prove useful in aiding us in some way." Tharin seems visibly excited, hoping that you are going to prove your magical ability in front of him here and now.

Siete/Zaidel
Thankyou Zaidel, if there's something that could help, maybe the child's mother, Aevera, can help. She may be near the grave, or somewhere in the village. Or perhaps you wish to examine the graveyard first. Please return to me if you discover anything at all. I will be making an offering to the spirits for you. It seems fate led your boat here."

Zerblag
"Hob...goblins? My mama told me stories about goblins that her mama and her mama told her, but you're taller than they said you should be. I always thought it was stories meant to scare us to behave as children. I've never seen one of your kind, or anything else except the humans of our village. They say there are elves in the northern forest and dwarves in the mountains and orcs in the dessert, surrounding us humans that live in the plains and lowlands, but no one here goes outside the village. You must be far from here if you don't know that." He speaks as if to a child who asks why the sky is blue. "If you are indeed a hunter, go, catch something and return to prove yourself to us. Then we will speak again."

"Oh and when you return, do not sneak, make some noise so that we do not accidentally mistake you for a large turkey." You think you hear the other man stifle laughter.

Siete
"Led by the spirit..." the old man says and is lost in thought for a few moments. "I cannot abide being strangers. I am Aaron, caretaker of this little monument to the Spirits of Dusst. What is yours?"

"We don't have much religion here except for the larger cities where they care more for the Gods than we. Everyone lives their own lives out here. We remember the Spirits that were charged by the Gods to keep Dusst from being destroyed in the Calamity. The gods could not interfere but their servants could. We leave gifts for them and pray asking guidance and favour and thanking them for protecting us. The gods are too distant, hiding in their realms, but sometimes i can briefly feel one of the spirits as they come to see what gifts we have left for them."

"Perhaps the spirits really did send you to me. I have sensed something wrong recently. One of our young caught a strange sickness and died. We buried him a few weeks ago but whenever anyone goes to visit his grave they get a terrifying feeling and must leave. I myself have felt a dread when i go near the place. We are not a brave people. I asked the Spirits for a way to cleanse the grave. Perhaps you can find a way and help us?"

Zerblag
You wait several long minutes before anything else happens. A voice in the direction that the arrow came from, "Walk forward slowly. Tell us what kind of creature you are. It's dangerous to come here so silently, we mistook you for some kind of beast. Though now we see you stand on two legs and are no beast, still you look strange to our eyes. You come to hunt?"

Ingoswitu
Captain Wakewell nods at you, "Perhaps their records of the other continents was lost or destroyed as ours were of Dusst. I will leave them with their ignorance for now until I get more information." His first mate brought him a gift for their leader, an embossed iron cup. When he was ready one of the men on the dock left the others and lead you into the village. Only a few hundred feet away was the main Hall. It was one of the brick buildings, though for its importance it suffered wear just like the others. A couple wooden stairs led up to heavy double doors. Your guide opened one of them to let you in. This building was used for village meetings, benches lined the walls and at the far end a raised section was for those who would speak. Near the back several older men were speaking amongst each other until you entered. They come over to meet you, feigning slight surprise though clearly expecting this meeting. "Greetings newcomers. I am Tharin, chief of this village. We were surprised but glad to see your arrival. Tell us, what reason have you come to Dunloch?"

Captain Wakewell replies, "We followed inaccurate and very old charts. My ship is a trading vessel and we are from a very far land from here. If you can furnish me with an accurate map or perhaps even names and locations of larger ports I will be most grateful." He holds out the cup he had brought as a gift, "As a token of thanks for allowing strangers such as myself to land here and enter your village."

Tharin takes the cup, pleased with its crafting. "It is a splendid gift. I shall indeed give you that which you ask. And you?" Chief Tharin looks at the older Ingoswitu, "What can I do for you?"

Zaidel and Mirpaliniel
Currently AFK but can post again at any time.

Kyūzo
In your HUD you notice a notebook icon with a page marked Quests. It is currently empty with an option to 'add' and a greyed-out option to 'remove' a quest. You also notice an Achievements page too with one achievement already awarded. It is called To Dusst or Busst and has flavour text, "You have arrived and disembarked. Welcome to Dusst. We hope your adventures are successful and your experience points many."

The inn is one of the sturdier brick buildings, it's roof still thatched. The thick door creaks on its hinges as you enter revealing a modest common room. There are only a couple locals currently here, of course most of the village would be working at this time of day. The owner comes to greet you. "Ahh, I shall give you my best room. You must have traveled far. We rarely get outsiders except for the Tinker. Did you perhaps misread your map? There is small chance of encountering dangerous creatures here. Arch is a peaceful fishing village. Perhaps be here tonight and challenge some of the men. They might want to see how they fare against an outsider. Perhaps you would like to clear my storage cellar of rats, they like the dark," he laughs at the suggestion of such a task, "The only thing that troubles us here is Lord Carlton's men. They always take more than the fair tax, but what can a few fishermen do? I won't trouble you with our issues. I will go to the kitchen right away and get you some food and drink."

Siete
As you walk into the small place of worship the man in the heavy cloak turns around. The idol that you first saw is one among many in this place. When you point to the one you meant he picks it up carefully. "This is the spirit of the lycan." He motions to the rest of them on display, "All of these are the different spirits of Dusst. Strange that you do not know them. You must have come with that big boat. Are you a praying man? Why do you come this place of reverence?"

Zerblag
You head out of the village, within 500ft. you can no longer see it, following the winding trail as your only guide. Thin trees block your view on either side. The sounds of nature can be heard but not so easily seen, an occasional bird flits through the corner of your eye. As you trek you sometimes glimpse the ocean through the trees and you feel like you are slowly gaining elevation.

Zerblag
"We stay in the village and face no danger here. If you wish for dangerous work you might ask our chief in the main hall. Or go to the hunter's lodge." They show you a lightly worn path leading south from the village.

Siete
One of the women you address replies to your question, "There is no tavern. We have only 1 inn here, the fishers usually go there after a work day," and she points you in the direction of the inn. The people look at you only half as much as they do Zerblag, who you see also walking through the town.

Zaidel and Ingoswitu
"There isn't much to see. The Chief's Hall holds important business. The chapel is a place of worship and meditation. The market is next to the chapel and we sell mostly fish and vegetables. The dock and warehouses are right here. The inn and brewery is in the middle of the village. Most of us will go there after all the fishers return with their catches. The rest are our houses."

Captain Hedor's Ship

The workers on the dock wear simple peasants clothes of rough and thick cloth, repaired several times. They wear no shoes and some have simple bone earrings or nose piercings.

Most buildings are made of overlapping planks and are simple structures (those closer to the water are on stilts) with almost flat, thatched roofs. Several buildings stand out with some sort of worn clay render covering a primitive brick frame that can be seen underneath in places due to wear. There is one wide unpaved dirt road through the middle of the village from the dock going east and out of the village. All other roads between buildings are merely thin tracks made by constant use and not design. The only vehicles here are small carts pulled by one or two villagers.

There are many people out, looking at the large ship that has come. The village looks almost frozen for several minutes. But with no alarm, they get back to their day-to-day. The village looks large enough to hold 150 to 200 people, all humans so far. Everyone wears simple bland clothes with little to no decoration or colour.

"Your iron gift is appreciated, we welcome you to Arch. For talk about trade we will take you to our village leader."

As Kyūzo walks through the village you notice many people pause to look at you before returning back to their activities. One that you approach tells you there is only one inn close to the docks where many men go after work, though they are mainly out farming or fishing right now. Also close to the dock is a small market open in mornings. You can see several stalls and people there.

More gameplay coming later. I ran out of time today.