Open again! Read the first post and a bit of recent Gameplay, check out the docs, especially the character sheets.
Let me know if you want to take over an existing villager, or if you want to try the dice and ride in on a holy warsheep.
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It's never occurred to you before, but grappling is a lot like sex. You're able to pin the cousin and hold them still long enough for Mumei and Anamika to perforate their organs with their knives. This seems to be enough to put the thing down, at least temporarily. In the process, however, it looks like LASaROS has found a more comfortable roost on Ferdinand's shoulders. The former beggar has the good graces not to rub it in, but you see in his eyes that he's won no small victory in this. The catfolk rush to your side, hefting the incapacitated relative off of you. "How delightful, Lord Krenin! Lady Alynthi will be so pleased you're in attendance. Her ladyship's gala will be such a sight with a Hitchhiker in attendance." This first catfolk has the grey striped coat of a tabby. "May we be introduced to your traveling companions, m'Lord, that we might adjust the guest list accordingly?" This carfolk purrs appraisingly, eyes discretely appraising Anamika from the shaded face of a siamese coat. The pair look eager to please, but are clearly hoping you'll make their jobs easier by acquiescing to their mistress' anticipated needs.
Imazael over-reaches, and looses her footing in the loose ash, sliding down her coveted high ground and away from her well-tended line of ranged forces. She lands at the base of the tower’s rubble, next to the tower’s cracked bell. One of the fell spriggans from the far side of the bloodmoon caterpillar stilts forward to take advantage of the supine attacker. He’s just within Reach, which gives her some options. In the distance, Ephorus and Myxis close on another spriggan, wary, but confident. Then, Pimrin drops down on top of the creature, Desmorlin not far behind. The four of them are able to keep the thing busy, hacking away at its tough, wooden hide.
Meanwhile, Amalina zeroes in on Kyrillosr, just out of Reach, clearly in the process of making a snap decision before chasing Muirkohm. Black, reeking death drips from her mandibles.
"Looks like we can get in close on the far side if we're quiet." Mumei points out a bare area of tower wall. "If something goes wrong, though, we could easily get surrounded."
Parts of reality freeze like crystal as the rest pushes through the cracks like dough through a shaped piping bag.
Pimrin and Desmorlin have scaled the jagged branches of the creature, only to come across another of the spriggans. They brace themselves against Amalina’s mane of branches as they exchange attacks with the spriggan. Pimrin takes a solid drubbing, and their attacks aren’t doing much. They shift into a fighting retreat, headed toward the far side of the massive creature.
Amalina turns to survey the area, watching for more disturbances. She eyes Imazael's squad, but there's some distance to cover, and many tiny creatures in the way. After pounding out the fire, she twists, swinging her tail. Hivroth and Shennenna scramble over the rubble, but they may not escape the swinging tail. Karudurk motions the other villagers to continue retreating, and turns to help the fatally injured Shennenna.
There's a giant caterpillar murdering everyone. It's got woodlice. Imaezel might get it to half hp next round. The Eternal got death-beamed. See also: Conflict Map
Krenin's party forges ahead, time distorting as they get further from the others. They take a moment to rest, eat, and feed their swine in the hearty stonegrass past the hills. Anamika sets the pace, but works too cautiously, sending the team around the slightest threat that Mumei returns with, and as a result, night falls before you reach Dunkleheim. Ferdinand rubs his tired eyes. "It doesn't look good, Master. The fallen walls are swarmed, and the gnomes have sealed their floating home for the night." The castle looms over you, the massive blackened crater has destroyed the lofty Magistrate's office. You can see the creatures of the night begin gathering in multitudes. What threats lurk in the darkness, and what secret way has your family left for you to get into their tower? Of the three high families, what is yours known for, and what does your position as a hitchhiker entail?
All good stuff. The best lore makes connections between other loose ends. The silver got sneaked in, but I think there's enough precedent there that it shouldn't need an extra roll.
Poorly managed production of the Bloodmoon Elixer is one of the many ways one might find themselves with the vampiric curse, and as such texts detailing the ritual are anathema. Where did Imazael find such a text, and why would it take a band of devil-may-care adventurers to retrieve it now?
Rhistel is the name Imazael gave the animal companion that got away. It was that or Myxis, and Rhistel happens to start with R. To be read as "name you would give a pet."
Watching the spectacle of the brilliant rotting mass, Imazael’s merry band of bloodsuckers almost miss Muirkohm ducking out of the collapsing cathedral.
Myxis leans in toward Kyrilosr. “One side makes you taller…” Like an illusionist drawing a cloak over the rose-tinted sky, the Eternal creates the lubricated surface. The charging creature hits the surface and slides. Thick mounds of gel build up around the behemoth as it rotates up the ramp. The underlying structure flexing and groaning until it snaps with the sound of parting silicon. The creature soars through the air, crashing into the sagging belltower. It would be much later before the Eternal would get a chance to explain to Muirkohm why the ramp had to be made from volume-modulated silicon. Anything stronger, and the behemoth wouldn’t slip. Anything more lubricated, and it would have plowed right through it. It would be much, much later before Muirkohm understood why the Eternal felt culpable for a ramp that, as far as the dwarf knew, had always been there.
Oh, yeah. Never mind on Imazael then. Just Kyrillosr. Also, the BEAT isn't waiting for EOS to be resolved, it's waiting for me to have uninterrupted time to write something sufficiently epic. Bookkeeping is for my little breaks. Suck on your custom Advanced Moves sheet and shush. There are... mechanical complications to introduce.
LASaROS laughs and is about to respond, but seems to think better of it. Then, he looks like he might have thought of a more cryptic, forshadowy thing to say... Then he realizes you're watching him and just pops his vent innocently a few times.
"I'll do what I can for those guys from my inferior station on Imazael's shoulder, but I think our survival depends on me keeping my eggs in separate baskets. The fishmun said part of the castle blew up. There are other, perfectly castle-y parts."
A description of who has how much food is at the top of the character sheets page. We can do a spot EOS for the crypt encounter, and, since the danger came since the last beat, feel free to retroactively eat to level, but there isn't any time to rest or cook the pork. Monstrous races can get away with raw meat, but eating raw meat makes yours a monstrous race. If everyone eats their meat raw, the world will be a more hostile place. The Eternal, you will need something more than your face-swap to resolve a bond for xp.
Krenin wakes from his reverie to a churning, jostling sensation. Looking around, he is outside in a flat open field of what would be ankle-deep ash, except the drow is belted to the back of a boar. Norma, Ferdinand’s newest recruit, tuts and paps at the swine’s ankles with her crook, looking from the sagging cathedral behind you to the massive, terrifying creature bristling with brightly-colored branches Far in the distance, kicking up a cloud of ash as it charges toward the cathedral. LASaROS taps the back of your head, and slides to the front of your shoulder. “Hey, Krenin, you awake? I need you to, like, pass down some commandments to the Nameless for me. I tell them stuff, but I don’t think they take me seriously.” Ferdinand jogs up beside your makeshift palenquin. “Mumei has gathered for us some voles and salamanders . She's confident she can keep us fed, but she's worried about feeding the swine. Norma says they should be alright, but we'll want to get them fed soon." Norma nods along. "We’ve acquired these two swine when I brought Norma here into the fold. Finally, I’ve collected some donations from the infidels. It does not seem as though they take our cause seriously, which can be a good thing. We’re not seen as a threat.” Finished with the important news, Ferdinand attempts to recount the actions of the other villagers. “The infidels spent some time attempting to liberate and/or capture the elemental named Kreza, who, by all appearances, committed an act of terror on our home, Dunkleheim, and fled to this chapel, which is falling apart now for some unknown reason. That horror in the distance started coming after a very loud bell rang.” Anamika trots up. “I don’t think it cares about us.” She doesn’t give any further elaboration.
Mumei is straggling behind, carrying a large sack full of live game.
WIS for the Nameless:
Vishti spends the whole game trying to cheat, feigning ignorance of the rules. Shennenna takes to leadership quickly in and out of the game, helping the others with rules and generally playing with a genuine interest in the characters' arcs. Her brother was kidnapped by the ogres. Desmorlin, though, is in the same camp as Muirkohm, pushing to maximize his mechanical output. He's the one to lead the party to their current encounter. Muirkohm finds Zelloris grooming herself in Imazael's adhoc throne room. She opens one eye at the dwarf's intrusion, but continues to lick and smooth her coat as if it would take concerted effort for him to deprive her of privacy. "It's not the bell. The orc took the clapper."
When Imazael's hand comes away, Vishti's next words are "Fukkin' Despoilers..." "Beautiful! Simply stunning." Lassiter pats Imazael's shoulder in a series of sucktion-y plops. "You're so skilled at keeping things running smoothly. So glad to assist in your meteoric rise. Say, do you think the Despoiler's ivory tower has an aquarium?" You and Filaurel are now in a side room of the veneration chamber with two semi-conscious villagers and a smug cephalopod. The cathedral is still shaking, and the ringing has not stopped.
I mean, you could have back-stabbed her. You're practically going out of your way...
Ephorus is speechless, but wary. He had always been tall for a dhampir, but kindling his life has brought out his more canine features... to a point. Furless, his freshly pumping blood brings his skin to a healthy black. When the shackles are removed, he buttons his cuffs and adjusts his cravat, ears at attention. “Let’s do call this an even trade then. I’ll wager neither of us is quite sure what we’ve done here, and you haven’t exactly made my life--such as it is--any easier.” Kreza leans in. “Don’t worry, they’ll still act like you owe them. Just make sure you’re carrying a big stick.” Turning back to the Eternal, Kreza smiles facetiously. "Doesn't sound like I'm free just yet, dove, but what did you have in mind?"
As we move toward traveling, check the conflict map to arrange marching order among your squads. Be mindful of who is carrying what. Especially food.
Ephorus is surprised, but eager to complete his family's oath of destruction. He bites, and drinks deep as Gulirk reinforces the threads that bind her to the fabric of reality. Some, small... perhaps less important details are lost, but Experience persists. Ephorus was a gnoll.
In case it needed to be said: I'm on board with both the reincarnation and Pimrin rolling. anyone can generate a stat if they need it.
makin' Gulirk's squad captains official.
*settles some inventory in front of the dm screen* Belnip has adventuring gear(4 uses 1wt)
The pig is 75 pounds and serves 50. You have 14 cuts of Pork (3 uses, raw, 1wt) Your tanner, Umlur, was able to make the skin into a stylish meatsack. She benefits from the happytime bubble, but uses her time to make a crude sack. If you had a leatherworker, they might have made a satachel or backpack. You have the beginnings of a food supply chain, but there are some obvious holes. Luckily the villagers are happy enough with unseasoned hunks of pork. Your peddler might be able to salt or smoke some of the leftovers, but they's more of a hobbyist. Of course, you now have enough food to rest now, and make the trip back...
Ah, okay, I'm following. My question then is, what are the consequences of death for your character, or is there a mechanical distinction between regenerating and death? (like the doctor could theoretically die if they were hurt while regenerating) It sounds like regenerating would be a fitting result of a successful last breath for your character, but for that you must be level one. For now I think the life spell can bridge that gap.
If I am following... Cucumbertree wants to transfer into either a villager or the prisoner via Avatar reincarnation. Using her living heart as a metaphor for her levels and experience? That sounds like casting a spell that fosters life.
In the basement, Kreza gives an appreciative wink at Phraanz’s display, hefting his axe with a ripple of flexing muscles. He, Lemongrass, and Gulirk’s squad captains gather around the remaining Dhampir, passing the slaughtered pork to the more industrious villagers. They don’t look too confident about making the most out of the carcass, but you’ll eat plenty of meat tonight. “Literally? Yes. -but spill my guts to Lontash’s freak? Our jihad isn’t settled until you’ve breathed your last. Your blood is a stain.” The Dhampir spits pig blood in Gulirk’s face. Outside, Krenin’s following have settled in for the kind of hedonism only cults can enjoy. Ferdinand has brought another Nameless into the fold. Alcinoos foreswears her name and brings her remaining three pigs into LASaROS’ following. Upstairs, Umlur has been watching Muirkohm play a game of stories for hours. They say time flies when you are having fun, and the first session of Pimrin’s game is coming to a close. Outside the belltower, Imazael’s inner circle bicker in taut whispers about the loyalty and suitability of their master. Inside the Lady’s cloister, Filaurel lays hands on the scroll. “Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum. For those in hiding, a spell to lift the traces of travel. Fortuitous.”
Currently, Pimrin is a villager under Imazael's control pursuant to a role as a companion per Entourage. Some of the other villagers have become hirelings. Gulirk just got two for coming back from a skirmish victorious and offering the villagers their lives and being all commanding 'n stuff. Muirkohm triggered the generation of the villagers' equipment with an attempt at a priest move. At this point, it's important to see how everyone feels about characters holding multiple roles, and players having multiple characters. As has been pointed out, there are moves that don't work well on PCs. For example:
Is it a natural progression of this game that you all have crowd-control characters in order to bring fresh lives into the plot?
This might help... It shouldn't be too bad if we keep it to downtime and keep the descriptions broad... Also, Zelloris informs you that the village has food enough for one meal... it might not be all in one place, but there is plenty of food. I've updated the character sheets to show total rations... it might not stay up to date.
The villagers are milling about the cathedral, peering fearfully out the door and rifling through the offerings in the veneration room. None touch the closed door to the monkery. When Gul asks about combat experience, Karudurk the orcish watchman and Hivroth the dragonkin gunsmith both raise their hands. Karudurk carries his spear like he’s most used to doing just that: carrying it. Hivroth has some kind of metal tube device and seems, perhaps, too eager to find a use for it.
Pimrim’s game: Sitting down to the game, Shennenna is eager to play. “Defender. Uhm, Drow. I’ll call her Emerald. She’s a princess, but she’s too far down the family line to be heir, and was training to become a fieldmarshal before the kingdom fell. Now her little brother Flourite is all she has left.” She pauses and looks at Desmorlin and Vishti, expression shifting from earnest to sheepish. “I played a lot of Reports & Reviews… I have an eighth level Database Analyst.”
Vishti shrugs. “I saw dice and crib sheets. Is there money in this?” Desmorlin has spent the better part of a minute scribing the name “Hobbs” in Old English calligraphy on his sheet. He leans back to admire his work, but doesn’t look up when he says “I’ll take a Dragonkin Glory Hound if that’s alright.”
Partway through his tear, Muirkohm developes a migraine.
There will be a custom 2-5 advanced move for using Pushing Pawns through your Entourage. For now, you'll have to bank on Muirkohm's gullibility. I did start cooking up some thoughts on central conceits for Gulirk and Imazael in the Discontinuity sheet. Once someone makes it to level 1 we'll have to compile a list of advanced moves. All those sheets are editable. Don't be shy about making changes. If I really don't like it I'll ask... if it looks like someone being funny, I can always revert to a previous version.
To Muirkohm, Lemongrass raises his hands. "He's useful when you need someone dead, sure. Wait until you need the fields plowed, your children cared for, or a piece of paper handed to you, eh? Look, buddy, I took in an orc child. I'm not exactly heartless or stubbornly prejud- Ho there, friend, I'd not leave on yer own. I'm not a fan, but we need all types if we're gonna get dat dere wall up. Not... Not that I think you're better at masonry on account of being a dwarf-" Umlur rests a hand on the gnome's head. "Worry not, podling. The master works in his own ways. He will not be fettered by your coddling." She continues past, following Muirkohm upstairs. Muirkohm and possibly Imazael: Muirkohm makes his way to the front double doors of the cathedral... church... thing. Outside, ash carried by the wind gathers in corners and makes visibility difficult low to the ground.
Each singular shackle is 1wt. Krenin could probably wear one on his neck too... They're made out of a very brittle metal, though. I think I tagged the gold hammer with Fragile, should I add that to these too, or are we comfortable with just knowing these two metals are awful for equipment? (The clapper will eventually break too, but I want it to be pretty epic) If you want to load up one or two individuals as tanks, that's cool.
The dhampir had them on their arms and legs.
The dhampir will need to feed before he is sensible enough to speak.
There are 7 available shackles . Many others have melted. Four are still occupied. Although, Kreza is making his way toward the last of the Despoiler's Six Sons. The words have been echoing in the murmur of the villagers.
To my knowledge, they are not known to eat. Imazael should have a particular advantage against the worst of the planned mobs, but per the usual use of the move, you can establish enemy weaknesses and behaviours with Spout Lore. (Which is to say you are welcome to try.)
Fair warning: in the next encounter, I will be actively trying to kill characters. A plurality of them. (I mean, you guys need that EOS xp, right?) I've thrown out hints, but the denizens of the forest are upset... and some are "much larger than a cart". They won't be insensible like the almsbies or prisoners, but you'll want to be very sure you have leverage if you're going to parley. After that session, though, we'll collaborate on a new set of session goals to fit the whims of the heroes that survive.
Kreza looks over his shoulder at the three dhampir Gulirk and Ginger killed. "Yeah, let's say that was me." He decapitates the struggling dhampir in the center of the room. Then, Guirk approaches with her request for assurances. "Is that the second 'one I owe you'? I'll let you know before we get back to town. Forgive me if I'm not gagging to forgive your... family."
Gulirk sets Ginger loose and the beast is on the mauled dhampir in a smear of black death. The orc drops one end of the clapper and lets out the length of her rope. She lashes at the newly released prisoner, and with a jerk, she pulls the rope taut at the last second and he’s hauled, flipping through the air to meet with the grounded clapper. Furious, winded, and bleeding, the dhampir claws at Gulirk. Then, Ginger returns. Her jaws practically appearing around the dhampir’s throat. In the distance there is a thuck, and Kreza holds up the head of one of the prisoners. “Did you want all of them dead? I forgot to ask.” There are two living prisoners. Both are trapped against the walls. Kreza is hopping toward the one in the middle of the room who has his arm free. He stops to turn a pulpy body with one foot and inspect the surface of the tile underneath. He seems happy to continue doing his job. Most of the villagers are similarly happy enough not to have to brave the deathtrap before them. Lemongrass pulls down the hem of his tunic with a harumph that blows out his moustaches. “Gods be kind you all live to regret settin’ dat dere elemental loose. Da boys at home’ll have somethin’ ta say aboot dat, eh?” Team New Blood: Outside, a silhouette near the horizon works to stamp out what remains of the fire. The nature of the black forest at work.
Myxis tips her hat. “Myxis...” Zelloris scoffs behind a clipboard she seems to have found, then composes herself before continuing introductions. “Stuart Zelloris of the house of the Despoiler, currently in the service of--if I may be so bold--Lady Emmaline, Dauphine of Dunkleheim.” Her eyes flick to Imazael, but she makes no move to indicate her. You’re pretty sure you’ve threatened her in the past about that name. You could understand it if she were a nanny, or even a quarter your age. She’s practically a housecat with a calculator.
“Uhm, I’m totally not Lassiter. I mean, he was a human, and I am clearly a-” Lassiter lets out a wet, peachy belch. “S-sorry... indigestion.”
Filaurel’s eyes open, pouring blinding fire like a glimpse of eternity. “Beware the trees that open these. The darker night that follows. The world is cracked, we carry back, a fiend whose heart is... hɒllows.” She blinks a few times, the light fading, and she peers sanctimoniously at the looks the rest of you are giving.
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