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Transient looked moderately surprised. "I do? Certainly." Why not?
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"Always interesting to meet others of my kind," Transient replied cheerfully.
Fun. Since the symtpons can last a pretty long time even after I can no longer spread it as Nurgle's Chosen Son I'll give that a look and maybe pick some up when I'm free again.
"Duergar are hard to find on the surface," Transient announced from behind the talking humans. "Everyone keeps thinking we're going to do something odd, and tends to be wary. If I was looking for a duergar I'd probably look around for strange happenings, as we're a strange folk."
Don't worry, someone already has! Or at least I feel like someone already has.
I shall swing over to table 2 when my head no longer feels like it's full of gloop. COVID is being unkind to my creativity.
"OK, so generic 'the darkness is coming' prophecy." Transient supplied to the others, then paused. "Although you'd think an underground race wouldn't fear the darkness? The darkness is here. It's comfy. Does anyone have anything they'd like to ask our new friend Bataar?"
Transient nodded along. Well. This was a lot to process. It seemed off that the being didn't know of the Duergar, but it probably helped here. He explained to the others, "His name is Bataar Tengi of the Orkhan, and there prophets foresaw a darkness coming for there home, apparently many miles beneath the surface. They're investigating this place because his people were in ancient times slaves to Sorcerer Queen Söğüt-Khagatan the Amber Witch, who was an ally to this place's former king, and this was a prison where he kept monsters he called to fight for him. Also, there are some constructs hunting him, and killed the rest of his party." Undercommon: "Sounds like you know much more about what is occuring than we do, friend. This place was forgotten to the surface folk, so these names were lost to the memories of the people there too. They have no idea they sit upon a vault of monsters. Did your dreamer dream that it was from that the darkness would come?"
Transient smiles. "He says this is the ancient diablerie of the Sorcerer King Cazmatlaloc the Dread King." Focusing on his new friend, Transient nodded.
Undercommon: "You speak true. They come from the surface as this place was exposed, and they did not know what this place forfends. As for me...my people are from the deeps, the darkest places of the world. When we venture up the people speak this tongue, and so we learned it. Fate brought me to the surface, and now back to this place, just below it. We have no great desires to fight or do battle, unless something threatens the world above. Will you tell us of this place, it's peoples and its dangers? I will translates for those with me who don't speak your tongue."
Transient grunted, but made no move to attack either, the massive, black axe held loosely to the side for now. That looked like venom or poison, and while he was resilient he wasn't sure if this was the fun kind of poison that showed a thousand pretty colours before death or the make your blood boil kind, and it would be rude to take any until he was sure. He repeated his greeting in Dwarf, Undercommon, Goblin and, oddly, Celestial to see if this one didn't speak Common, and hoped Clear knew what it was.
Transient waved a hand. "Greetings! I don't suppose you happen to be able to tell us about this place?" The bulky warrior was clearly unbothered by the creatures appearance, either thanks to his faith in his opalescent armour or because some of his best friends had fangs. If he had friends.
"Seems like a plan," Transient agreed. Hopefully whatever was imprisoned was dead, shy or not interested in leaving.
"Depends on what's imprisoned. Depends on what it can do. Depends on what it wants to do." Transient frowned. There were things that would hold a grudge simply because you could have freed them and didn't, and there were things that would try and bring about the end times for giggles. It was really funny, admittedly, but how could the laughter last if the joke ended? "The deaths of so many will draw the attention of things. We might not be able to run far enough."
"Not my people, at least," Transient murmured, clearly pleased by that. They were nowhere near deep enough, really, but it was still a possibility. "I wonder whose people it was?" Gleam, in response, searched it's memories for answers.
Quite happy to be a shield, as he was tough by mortal standards - rice paper by the standards of the immortals, of course, but most things were, including trees and castles - Transient waited until the others decided what was happening. "Welcome, then, Leska." As the one in front, Transient scanned the area too before marching in, because falling down a hole was funny, but awkward.
"Oh, good thing I'm not dead. Do tell me if I do die. I'd hate to not know." Observing the restored form of Eleven was vaguely odd, but no odder than anything else, Transient supposed. "And yes, let us head in. I suppose I had best prepare for war." Transient's armour flowed once more, filling out the missing plates and growing larger and bulkier. His shield took on a silver gleam, runic forms flowing around it's edge and a storm in the centre. And his axe was nothing. A hole in the world, staring into the void that just happened to be shaped like a Dwarf waraxe. Still, somehow, impossibly details could be seen on it, etched in a shade of black a touch less absolute. Ready for what came the Druergar marched forwards.
"Perhaps I should go first?" Transient suggested, his armour flowing to his heavier form as he swung his shield out. "I have good eyes, I can see in the dark, and I tend to not to die if I miss anything." He ran his free hand over the ugly scar on his face. "See? Not dead!" He paused, muscles rippling on his head. "Probably?"
With the Half-Gestalt/bonus archetype do we gain that ability on any classes we multiclass into later, or do we only get it on our first class?
You may wish to turn the new thread into a full campaign, or alas my dotting does not bring it up on the games section. If we're gonna do gestalt then I too would rather do full gestalt. Transient will take some fun stuff from the Akashic section, because I love Akashic, but there is an Archetype for the Aegis that grants a limited access. So I can do that. I just think something off the wall, like the Rajah perhaps, might be fun.
"It seemed fine to me," Transient said after a moment. "Of course, I've hit my head before this." He started pointing out footholds within Koboldin leg reach on the easier climb. And prepared to catch Krat if he slipped.
"Oh, you're not dead," Transient said with mild surprise. "I'm please to see. Most people would probably be really hurt." He looked back up, and shouted up to Krat, "I can point you to the best handholds, if you like?"
Sounds painful, take care.
'Blunt' could work, too.
Transient glanced into the chasm. "Probably not," he replied cheerfully. Cracking his fingers, his armour once again flowed to the lighter form to avoid getting in the way and he began to look for a way down that wasn't hurling oneself into a chasm. It did look fun, but he had a task and needed most of his bones for it.
Transient also shrugged, since it seemed to be the going thing. "Need a hand climbing down?" It didn't looked especially difficult, but not everyone was as gifted at climbing.
"With no time to get items that might help or prepare?" Transient said with a bemused look. "Excellent."
"Some kind of near-surface ruins. Nothing too deep, so likely just whatever this city was built on, which was probably more of this city. Or the same city with an older name. Could be fun to find out what it once was." Transient shrugged. As holes went this one was pretty shallow. He had in his memories the endless maw into which the world would day be consumed. This could barely nibble at existence.
"The past has an infuriating habbit of escaping from where it should be to invade the present," Transient agreed, slightly worried about the fact the world was shattering. Had the ancient Thing broken free of his peoples bindings and made its way up? The calculations seemed to say no, yet the giant gash said yes.
Transient watched the sage die. It had been pretty basic, as prophecy went - no mention of fire, and where else but the ground or the stars was the End of All going to pop out from? - but dying had certain given it a bit more impact, a little more gravitas than the standard collapse with a bloody nose ending. "It would seem Fate thinks I should be at your disposal, and I have no reason to argue yet," the Aegis replied to Kratt's query. "Although to be clear, in case you hadn't noticed, not all people like the Duergar or those who associate with us. Something about raving madmen." Transient grinned. "I don't suppose he has some notes on him, does he?" Transient asked those near the deadman. "A direction would be nice."
I'm fine with whatever works, honestly. I can already do a little of everything thanks to the Power Stone Repository and Harness Power Stone abilities that I'll probably pick up later, so any kinda gestalting is a bonus, but a fun one I can get behind. More people? Cool. More power? Cool. Just keep going and feed Transient Power Stones until he can function as a slightly limited healer? Cool.
"You're welcome," Transient replied cheerfully as he woke the others with a small splash of water or a light slap if the water didn't work. "They seemed nice. There sleeping gas was very pleasant. I barely saw any white spots."
Apologies for the delay, we're moving/packing at the moment, and my router got broken during the process. Thankfully a new router is already at the new house...but the internet doesn't switch over until Saturday. I may be able to post again when I'm at work this evening (yes, I'm working while moving, as cover could not be found) but may be too tried, so please feel free to bot if I'm slowing things down. Transient can simply get sleepy finally, or help out as he suggested. Normal posting will hopefully resume on Monday.
"And a hint of lemongrass?" Transient added, sniffing again and apparently none the worse for ware yet. Looking as everyone else napped, he added, "Uh, would you like me to help you carry them back to the surface. I don't mind helping."
"Everyone's falling asleep," Transient murmured as Krat and his new friend passed out. Sniffing for a moment, he added, "Is that lilac?"
"Malachite ring? Sounds pretty." Transient considered as Clear dumped what it knew directly into his mind. Sometimes he wished he could store all his knowledge in Clear. It would be safer that way. Easier.
"Is it?" Transient looked at the platform. It seemed like there really wasn't much to be done here, honestly. It didn't seem like it was nearly far enough. "There was a hole down. Now we seek a hole out. Don't worry, we seek nothing of yours. Just freedom from the deep."
"Hello new friend, welcome to the next place to go." Transient paused, then switched back to the armour he'd been wearing before and casually examined the tables for anything interesting, like money, food, keys, ritual symbols of long forgotten but undying gods - you know, normal table things. "I am known to most as Transient, and as my name suggests the next thing it seems we must do is move on." He gestured to the one obvious door.
Would his new friends find the humour in it if Transient walked away, climbed away, leapt back to the cold ground beneath? It would be a great joke. But alas, he didn't know there humour, and humour was so subjective, was it not? Why, he'd laughed himself sick when he'd been stabbed once, although that might have been the fever. Considering the intricacies of humour, Transient let down any way up he could find and then and looked around.
Transient looked up. "I can try. Feel free to laugh if I slip, it'll be hilarious." Cracking his knuckles, Transient's armour changed from the heavy breast plate and grieves to something akin to etched leather pants and a vest, his arms and feet bare, his monstrous axe and heavy shield on his back. Clear moved to the belt, and Transient padded up to the rock wall and began to find foot holds.
Transient watched the kobold become a goblin, and that was fine. Thing becoming other things was perfectly normal. A stone became a gem. Stone became a house. The living became the dead which became food for others. Why shouldn't a kobold become a goblin? It wasn't really worth commenting on. Surely the gobold of koblin knew what it was.
As someone in the middle of moving I feel your pain. Thankfully my gaming stuff is on my laptop so it's only exhaustion that limits my posting.
"Sadly not, but I'm quite good at climbing. Strong fingers." Clear chimed in Transient's mind, dumping what information the gem-like being had gathered into his mind.
"Underground," Transient replied with firm conviction. Pausing, he realized that this may not be as enlightening as the others might wish. "If it's worked by hands then there will be an exit. No one is mad enough to drop down a chute with no way to return." It had made perfect sense for Transient to do just that. "The platform yonder might shed some clues as well as some light." He eyed the crystals with interest. Scanning the area, Transient began to move in that direction unless told not to.
"Transient," Transient replied. Both his name and title, description and existence. "I saw you were in trouble. It looked like I could help." It looked like fun. Glancing up the chute, he added, "And I don't think I can go back. I can try, if you like, but it seems silly now that I'm here." He paused, and added, "Control device?"
Transient popped out of the shoot, chute, loot and into the new area with the thud of a heavily armoured warrior with a lot of mass hitting the end of a long chute. He looked around for a moment. "Well, this is much cosier than I thought it would be." The suzzling gullet of a world ending beast, that was the right place for a maw. This was very disappointing. "Are you all still fine? Yon friend seems to be a bit quiet." Transient nodded to Eleven_Zee_Alpha in moderate curiosity.
Transient paused, listening to the wisdom of the echoes. They shimmered from other worlds, and you could catch a glimpse of what could be in how they changed. Everyone knew that. But they didn't say what was happening here. The passage's echoes didn't speak. Perhaps it was a gullet, not a hole. Such things did not speak. Which was ironic. Stone spoke but gullets could not? Transient laughed at how silly that truth was. Still giggling, Transient jumped down the whole. The hole? The maw into the earth. He allowed himself to be devoured.
Yikes, and I thought house stuff was a good reason to be slow. Good luck and get better soon.
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