Jadren stands up and smacks the skeleton with his shield once again.
Ezren mutters some things about the fuse's parentage and tries again on the east.
Seeing a crowd gather, Wax forgoes playing music. "Come one come all! For an extremely limited time and for your eyes only! See the Exciting Esha and her amazing Barrel Roll tumbling act! Will she fall in and be shipped to Cheliax?! There's only one way to find out!"
I don't want to pile on you Data but I do want to point something out in case you're in a similar situation in the future. You forgot one possible outcome in your calculations: we could fail the mission completely. Edit: 2 things you forgot to calculate: these dudes don't know what androids are so assuming they'll think you took it literally because of being an android is a long shot.
When Bruf runs by shouting, Steelscales stares at him as though he is the village idiot. He shakes his head and starts moving anyway, muttering. "Vesk brothers..." He doesn't feel the table and assumes he's not in melee range. So, he fires one more time in the general direction of the thing.
Seeing things getting a little heated, Regus tries to step in. "Don't mind them too much Themolin, we've been in this city for a few days now and it's really starting to wear on us. I can't imagine how people live here permanently, it must be just awful. We'll just get out of your hair here. We've got preparations to make so we can get back to civilization. If you change your mind just come meet us. Don't take too long though, we cant stay here much longer. It'll drive us all crazy."
"She asked if ve could chat and then didn't have anything to say. That and being unused to people actually saying vhat they mean instead of beating around the bush tells me that she isn't to be trusted," Deger tells Rose-5. Then adds to himself, "Simple. Humph! As though being straightforward makes me an idiot. I'll tell her vhere she can put her gift... "Yes, I'm ready for vhatever horror you have vaiting for us now."
I am the player in this situation. Let me start by saying that I could very well be wrong, I'm not fighting for this ruling it's just how I read it. I do want to point out that if it is the way I read it there would be three situations excluded, not two. 1. You’re fighting very weak foes. 2. You’ve just had your turn and used a zenith revelation, thus becoming unattuned. 3. You aren't in combat at all. The third one would be the key one I think. Since out of combat game time isn't measured in rounds you could then basically spam revelations to solve a problem. That's why they have the 'if you are attuned' caveat in my opinion.
I have been thinking of starting a GM career, and HMM has been urging me to as well. I haven't GMed in a long time so anyone brave enough to join up wouldn't be quite be getting a new GM but it would be similar. I would prefer to do something I've already played. So that's why I'm making this post. I see people requesting 1-02, 1-04, 1-06, 1-09, 1-12, 1-13 and 1-14. All of which I have done. So, if there are enough people interested in one of those to make a table, and willing to put up with my rustiness, I'll run one of them. Or something else I've already played is fine too.
Dalinar looks absolutely forlorn when the bug's guts cover him. Then he has to face the prospect of crawling back through those accursed pipes. "This day is just, the worst." Later, when the odheos try to converge on Rush Dalinar almost loses it. "MajQa' ghe naog okak liga." Orc:
"Oh hell no, you little *÷ฯ&$." He starts stomping.
"I also have some recordings from the Absalom Philharmonic I can share. And we have quite a collection of random goods you may be interested in." After listing all the other loot Dalinar adds, "We do have two more items you may be interested in seeing. Excuse me." Dalinar leaves for only a few moments before returning with two weapons. "These are apparently called Inevitable Downfall and Whitefire Trident," he indicates the weapons as appropriate. "They are, were, the personal weapons for some important Azlantis. The trident is particularly interesting I bet. It is ancient. I might be interested in some of those aeon stones but I think we are too poor."
Dalinar is very surprised when Aibretta kisses him. He almost pulls away but then the tension in him, which has been so constant as to possibly not even be noticed by some, fades away. "I..." he looks at her with wet eyes but his mouth twists into an ever so rare smile. "Yes, I think I'd like that." He looks around and straightens his jacket, trying to look like a big important man. Then he gives up and grins like an idiot. "Come on, let's eat." Dalinar talks to Aibretta as long as he can. It looks like the stick in his posterior has loosened quite a bit for once.
Dalinar spends the first part of the first day helping clear the rubble around the colony. He tries to keep the people's spirits up as he does so, pointing out how resilient they all were.
After a while Prosper comes to Dalinar looking for help with his close quarters combat. Dalinar is happy to oblige. He also attempts to bring Rushling along, Dalinar is curious about the bone blades the wrickreechee uses. Dalinar gives Prosper some one on one instruction for a bit...
Then has an idea. "Why don't we see if anyone else wants to learn some swordplay?" Dalinar spreads the word around Nakondis that The Mysterious Seven will be teaching some self defense that afternoon. When the people, if any, have gathered he begins with a small speech, "I know that it is usually smarter in this day and age to use a firearm but sometimes there is nothing better than a blade in hand. Besides, my aim has always been pretty bad," he chuckles before continuing, "And that may apply to some of you as well." He demonstrates a few forms for the people and asks Prosper to show off some of the things he learned earlier. He then walks amongst the group giving encouragement and correcting mistakes.
Dalinar responds to the hail from the Barazad. "I would tell you to ask your soldiers on Nakondis how well we can aim but they are all dead. I could also give you permission to piss yourselves but you won't have time. You shall be vaporized before you get the chance."
Bugface heads over to the crew quarters and starts digging around. Surely there's something here?
Next, Bugface tries to haul a massive pile of stuff from the main hold. Bugface feels the urge to whistle but doesn't have the right mouth parts. {Bugbrain, whistle for Bugface.} An affirmative sounding chirp is heard and then some whistling. Shortly after Bugface's speakers start working though the whistling is drowned out by a loud Abysshead song. Bugface shrugs, {This works too.}
Bugface tries again.
Dalinar's jaw almost hits the floor. "Did you just...," he begins to ask Pon a question then catches himself. "As much as I hate to say it, I think Pon is right. Not that I hate to agree with Pon. No. I mean, I doubt they will make good bargaining chips. And I also doubt taking them captive is much of an option, that is what I hate. I would prefer to give them a chance to see how the Empire uses them but they are likely too far gone. I am not sure what the plan should be but it must be something quick."
Bugface happily high fives Mu back and then gives a round of them for everyone else too. {Starfinders are the ultimate in badassedness!} Bugface digs through the robot parts, {Upon closer inspection Bugface doesn't think these joints can be called buttocks.} Bugface then joins in searching the area.
Apparently cameras are in Bugface's, er face too.
Every once in a while the SMC music is interrupted by every piece of equipment Bugface owns with a speaker, and sometimes electronics in Bugface's vicinity, beggining to blare out Abysshead music and advertisements. Bugface apologizes everytime but seems to have just gotten used to it happening. {That looks fun, Bugface would like a workout.} Bugface has never been in a fistfight or wrestling match or really anything along those lines so the bout goes on for about three tenths of a second before Bugface is sprawled on the ground.
Bugface had stayed up until 11:30 tinkering on various projects. So Bugface has just started to drift off to sleep when the banging starts. Bugface holds a pillow over their face and tries to ignore the noise. Groggily Bugface begins to process what was said. The Starfinders need Bugface? {Bugface will be right there boss!} Bugface sends telepathically through the door. After a couple of minutes Bugface leaves their room strapped to go. Bugface is wearing a fancy suit of ceremonial plate. The left arm looks as though it's not armor and is just a mechanical arm itself, which it is. Bugface has a rifle, two sidearms, both a sword and pistol, and a few grenades. {Where to?}
Once at the mine Dalinar becomes an absolute flurry of activity. He has once again taken the people in the mine's safety onto himself as a personal quest. He seems to plan on getting them out or working himself to death trying. Assess Stability & Safety of the Dig Site:
"Minos, what do you make of that?" Dalinar points out some of the supports the rescue crew has put up thinking they may have worked too quickly. He is off base however.
Organize Medicine, Food and other Emergency Supplies:
Next, Dalinar helps Wint dig through the Teapot, and the mess the squox have put it in, to find food. He seems to have much luck in finding stashes the squaox have set aside for themselves.
Try to Re-Establish Communications:
After that Dalinar heads over to the communications station to see if he can help in any way there. He mostly gets in the way until he realizes that he's better off leaving more qualified people to it. Help Move Equipment and / or Clear Rubble:
Feeling useless after his attempts with technical work Dalinar decides to do some manual labor. He hasn't spent much time doing that sort of thing in his life but he certainly has the build for it. He spends hours moving rocks and pushing mine carts to where the actual miners tell him to.
Check for Signs of Whatever’s Making this Trouble:
Sweating like a winterborn ryphorian on the Burning Archipelago he takes a break. From manual labor anyway, he just can't sit around and do nothing. So he heads out to look for tracks and other signs of the creatures Sam mentioned. He noticed Spec looking into them and takes any findings to the Professor.
Keep Morale High:
While doing all this Dalinar has something to say to every miner he passes. Whether it be a kind word to someone worried about the people stuck inside the ground or a stern talking to for folks he finds slacking off he misses no one. He even resorts to using his from time to time to let the people know that the Mysterious Seven are on the job and they do not slack off.
Travel In The Shafts to Help Repair Crews:
When Dalinar hears that Wint plans to head inside the hole he can't just let the skittermander run off alone. He helps Wint dig in a few places and holds up some rocks for him to slide past until the much smaller Wint goes somewhere Dalinar cannot.
After his first day of such action Dalinar is more worn down than after the Mysterious Seven took down nearly 30 trained soldiers. Everyday spent here he works long into the night until someone forces him to bed. Even then he tosses in his bunk thinking of all the things he could be doing. Should be doing.
The next morning Dalinar rises to find Aibretta at her work station. He delicately removes himself with his new weapon to let her sleep in. Once outside he draws Stag Render for an inspection. As soon as the blade clears the scabbard Dalinar notices the sound. Unlike Olajra's wailing blade it hums in a high pitch that is only barely audible, almost sounding like a children's choir. He arrives at the Teapot just after Goraya ready to go.
Stag Render's Tale: Dalinar looks uncomfortable when Aibretta asks for his story. He stutters a bit and then nods. After Aibretta begins her work he stands nearby watching. After the day's events it seems he can't wait until morning, he needs to tell his story. He begins abruptly.
"I was once first in line for the throne of a place called New Gremaine. It is a terrible place to live, mostly due to the Queen and King. It was not as bad for me as prince in some ways, worse in others. Queen Corvana and King Jakamav, my parents, are narcissists. Everyone who exists is there to serve them in their eyes, even one another. "As a small boy I yearned for their love, ached for it. I eventually realized that would never happen. I began to fall into the same pattern my forebears had for generations. At the age of 10 standard years my one dream in life was to grow up, kill my parents and take over as tyrant. It would be my turn to make others suffer for my amusement." The strain in Dalinar's voice is palpable at this point. "Things got worse as I neared adulthood. I am sure my parents knew my plan. It was the same one my mother followed as well as her father and so forth. I was big enough to fight my father off during one of his 'lessons' but I only tried that once. He just had his bodyguards hold me down so he could work me over more than usual. So instead I took to hiding. He did not care enough to try again once his anger passed. It was during one of my attempts at hiding that I found Stag Render. He kept finding my hiding spots so I had to keep looking for more. I discovered a hidden room in the palace. Inside was a library and that sword. "On a table was a book, not a datapad an actual book, titled Theodrin Family History. Both were covered in dust, no one had been there for decades it seemed. I started reading. My family has been around since before the Gap, as has Stag Render. The things that struck me most were the descriptions of my ancestor Galadon Theodrin, the first Theodrin amd King. He did not treat his subjects as fodder, he cared for them. And apparently he began life with no last name and little else. It baffled me that he could have been treated the way he was and to still look out for commoners! I laughed at first, simple commoners... "It is not known where Stag Render came from originally but it got its name When Galadon used it to slay an infamous bandit who called himself the Stag Lord. Stag Render has a double meaning. It was used to rend the Stag Lord from life and rendered justice to the unsavory elements of Old Gremaine. It was a symbol for many generations of people long after its last use in a fight. Somewhere along the way my family stopped caring about those things. After reading the book I started seeing how the people lived in my homeland. It was, and still is, disgraceful. That weapon will be a symbol again, to me if to no one else. It reminds me of the man I should be. After being kicked out of the only home I ever knew I decided that I would walk the path Galadon did. I will make my own way in this universe and return home to that blade to render justice one more time. Stag Render and The Theodrin Family History saved my life. Five years ago I would never describe this change that way but looking back at who I was shaping to be I just cannot say it any other way. "I said that I could not explain what that sword means to me but I suppose I just tried. I will let you get back to it." Dalinar does just that feeling drained again. He goes back to the bunk Aibretta had prepared the last time the crew was there. He couldn't leave Stag Render in another building and was too exhausted to go to the Teapot anyway.
Dalinar stares at the posters for a long time while the others look through the mess hall. He actually doesn't move away until prodded, saying, "Apologies. I was trying to decide who is worse, the Azlanti or my family. Obviously the azlants are worse in how much reach their brand of tyranny has. I was just thinking on the differences between hating everyone who is different from your people and not caring about anyone but yourself. Anyway, I am ready to continue."
"Gods help me, you people will drive me to drink. I am talking about our mission here and nothing else. Yes Mister Starr, they will surely catch the hobgars quickly but my hope is that we do not have to worry about them finding our meeting while they are busy doing so." After Pon's comments Dalinar seems agitated, again. "I hate that word, 'just'. They are not 'just colonists'. We would have not gotten nearly as far as we have, at least not without more work, without Aibretta and Goraya's help. And you do realise that we are mostly civilians as well right?"
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