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586403 No. 586403 ID: 65a774

Old threads and Wiki: http://tgchan.org/wiki/Rust
Discussion: http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/56976.html

“The End of the Beginning”
Expand all images
>>
No. 586404 ID: 65a774
File 140656791132.png - (1.33KB , 900x450 , 2.png )
586404



…Where am I?

…Who am I?
…What am I?
…I…I can’t remember… who…
…hello?

…I’m… I’m s-so alone… I d-don’t want to be a-alone again…


Insert You are what you are in the dark_
>>
No. 586406 ID: dbe554

We are with you, do not fear.

Hear our voice and follow.
>>
No. 586407 ID: 2fd516

>>586404
Jericho, listen to us. Your core's been separated from your body. Sense the magical ice doing this, and take control of it. Grab your body and shove your core back into it!
>>
No. 586409 ID: 6d3b18

>I’m s-so alone
You're not alone. We chose you, Pebble, and we won't leave you alone in the dark.
>>
No. 586414 ID: 8e334e

>>586409
>>586407
First off we don't even know if that is Jericho and secondly, it's dark, so you may be eaten by a Grue.
>>
No. 586416 ID: 2fd516

>>586414
Jericho is the only one with a reason to have amnesia and be unable to see anything. Unless this is a new pawn?

Oh right. [check status of pawns]
>>
No. 586417 ID: 65a774
File 140657224432.png - (4.39KB , 900x450 , 3.png )
586417

>[check status of pawns]
[Error!]

>We are with you, do not fear.
…who… w-who are you?
>Jericho, listen to us.
…Jericho? …yes… I remember that… Jericho…
>Your core's been separated from your body. Sense the magical ice doing this, and take control of it.
…my core? …I… I can’t… feel anything…
>It's dark, so you may be eaten by a Grue.
…grue? What is a grue?
>Hear our voice and follow.
Follow where? I can’t… hear you… I can just… I just know… what you said… I… I didn’t…

:UnknownKAK: ---s—ta—t-h---d---

…who was that?

Insert Alone in the dark_
>>
No. 586419 ID: 40935b

That's bob, you've met him before. Can you remember him? I'm... not quite sure he has our best interests at heart, right now. Try to communicate in any way you can that you can't hear him, and that you need help.
>>
No. 586423 ID: 2fd516

>>586417
Stay the fuck away from our King's soul, Bob. It's not over for him yet.

Jericho. Remember. You were raiding a ruin, and watched Mari die right in front of you. Then you were captured by slavers, executed, and raised from the dead as a mummy in a really painful way. Then you were enslaved, but it wasn't so bad. You met Tera, Ilbir, Khranon, Elizah, Eliraz, Thaark, Thuul, Theen. The sultan. You found out you were a dipole mage. You found out you had royal blood. You fell in love with Eliraz. Thaark and Thuul died, because of a Daemon. Oh hey, it's Bob. He's a Daemon too, who claims to be on our side. Try to stay away from him, they eat souls and you might be a bit soul-ish right now. Best not to tempt him.

So anyway, you also found another ruin, and had hallucinations about it being all shiny and with wires all over the place. You met a "robot" named B4t3. Turns out it was a functional golem, who was later named Artemis. That's where you saved Eliraz from being possessed by Gray.

Right now you're in a Vault. You evaded a trap, got severely wounded by another, then killed by your doppleganger because we gave you bad advice. You died a second time and it's our fault.

You need to live, to see Eliraz again. You need to live to claim the Vault, to save the world.
>>
No. 586441 ID: 78193a

[List available commands][Display help for available commands][Scan all targets in area]

Jer, who you're hearing is Bob, the daemon who's helped us out and we're sorta allied with. Please don't freak out about that. He's okay, although he does have a massive ego and has been less than forthright with us in some ways. But he's probably our only way to save you, so try moving towards him and shouting so he can hear where you are. Bob, can you hear us?! We can't make out what you're saying! Please repeat what you said and speak up! We can't see anything! Where are we?! When are we?! How can we save Jericho?! What do we do?! What can we do?! Or should we be asking what we can do to help you save him and us?

Jer, I think the reason you can't sense or feel anything is 'cause your core is separated from your body; No body means you can't see, hear or feel anything. I also think the reason you're still around is 'cause your core was encased in ice from the magic strike that "cored" you but we don't know how long it'll be until it melts. Can you feel any magic flowing through you? If so try to create a real small ice sphere centered on yourself; Judge the size by how much magic you've used before to make a similar sphere. Remember the training with the Magus where he had you create a floating ice sphere with fire inside and do the same here except substituting the fire with yourself.

[Message to Pink: Alert! Jericho's been cored by a powerful ice magic strike in the second test in the hall to the Vault! His core is encased in ice but we don't know for how long! Wake everybody the fuck up and get Sultan Lenana down here to stick his core back in and drag him out! She's the one who can get here fastest, has access and can get through the tests. We're also gonna need master necromancers down here to patch Jer up, so send some down as well.]

>>586423
Bob is not going to eat the soul of our king! We're to important to his plans to throw away for less than a light snack! It's almost certain he's here to try and save us from our own stupidity.
>>
No. 586446 ID: 65a774
File 140658257280.png - (7.71KB , 900x450 , 4.png )
586446

>[Message to Pink]
>[List available commands][Display help for available commands][Scan all targets in area]
[Error!]

>Jericho. Remember.
…I…I remember… so much… the last few days… so much has happened… my death… the ruin… the royal family… the keystones…
>You need to live to claim the Vault, to save the world.
Yes, I can’t give up now… I need to go on… I… I need to…
>Remember the training with the Magus where he had you create a floating ice sphere with fire inside and do the same here except substituting the fire with yourself.
I feel a cold envelop me… I… I feel more focused… more… centered. I’m not drifting apart anymore… I… I can think clearly again… remember clearly again!
>You need to live, to see Eliraz again.
…Eliraz… no… I can’t die. Not without seeing him again! I WON’T DIE! If death comes for me he better be ready for a fight as I won’t go down easy!

>That's bob, you've met him before. Can you remember him?
…yes, Bob… I remember him…
>I'm... not quite sure he has our best interests at heart, right now.
Has he ever?
>Stay the fuck away from our King's soul, Bob. It's not over for him yet.
:MaskedManRUST: Really? Jeopardize all my plans for a light snack? …and here I thought I’ve earned some respect from you. Alas, it’s the curse of the superior to instill jealousy in lesser ones.
>Please don't freak out about that. He's okay, although he does have a massive ego and has been less than forthright with us in some ways.
:JerichoRUST: …Bob…
:MaskedManRUST: That is one of my names, yes…
:JerichoRUST: …so, are you here to help?
:MaskedManRUST: I have a lot more to gain with you being alive rather than dead… well, deader…
>Bob, can you hear us?! We can't make out what you're saying!
:UknownKAK: W--doe--eh---gra-e--n-is--e--?
:MaskedManRUST: That’s not me… that’s someone in the real, “living world”.
:JerichoRUST: Who?
:MaskedManRUST: Beats me, I can’t see where your corpse currently is.
>We can't see anything! Where are we?! When are we?!
:MaskedManRUST: You can’t see because you don’t have any eyes. As for where and when, I’m guessing where you “died” and when you “died”.
:JerichoRUST: …that’s not really helpful.
:MaskedManRUST: I can only tell you what I know.
:UnknownKAK: Ugh---he-vy---a—mmy. Bett—th----im-way.

>How can we save Jericho?! What do we do?! What can we do?! Or should we be asking what we can do to help you save him and us?
:MaskedManRUST: Unless you can summon me to the your realm I can’t really do a lot… I can give you some advice, if you wish.
:JerichoRUST: …like “don’t die” and “try to live”?
:MaskedManRUST: No need to be snide, Jericho. I do not know where you are, but if you can get whoever you can hear talking to put you back in your body you’ll be back in business.
:UnknownKAK: ----d—s---stupid Mummy…
:MaskedManRUST: If you can find a way to communicate that is… of course you can always try to give me some grapes and I’ll do it for you?
:JerichoRUST: …I don’t really have any grapes on me the moment, not having a body and all that.
:MaskedManRUST: Aww…

Insert I’m going to grape you!_
>>
No. 586448 ID: 40935b

Do you know how long you've been out, Jericho? The people are calling you just a mummy rather than your title, so they don't know who you are.

The people are moving your body- can you use your magic to communicate with them?

What are these plans you speak of, bob?
>>
No. 586449 ID: dbe554

Maybe imagine the mental thought of grapes and try to offer them to him.
>>
No. 586450 ID: 2fd516

>>586446
Okay, the person talking in the real world is the golem. See if you can draw a message with ice or fire instructing it to put your core back in the mummy body. Actually, it's focused on the mummy body right now so what you need to do is get its attention. A fireball might work there. Maybe put a burst of fire around the ice you made already? Just temporarily. You want to attract attention, not burn the golem.

It's too bad you're not becoming a ghost, then you wouldn't need a core or mummy wrappings at all. Also you'd be impossible to kill except with anti-undead magic. Physically-manifested ghosts are OP.
>>
No. 586451 ID: 2fd516

Oh, while we have your ear... Bob, the Blood God has told us that he wants to bring some undead through the gate to the other side so that their emotions can be fed on far more efficiently. That sounds like a good idea, why don't we do that AND seal off the daemon realm?
>>
No. 586452 ID: 9ddf68

well we're a core so unless Jericho learned how to form a magic eye or something or maybe even just a way to séance where his body is he might be able to magic his way back to his body.

Also bob, why don't I see any mantis souls on your chain?
>>
No. 586455 ID: 78193a

Okay, you're almost certainly hearing the golem that was following you along the hall to the Vault; It sounds like it's clearing away your fallen body. This is good since it wanted you to survive through to the end so you'd give it the order to dismantle itself. That means if you can get its attention and show that what it's seeing is an act of intelligence and not just random magic going off from your core dissolving it'll very likely stick you back in your body.

It sounds like its hauling your body off so we gotta get its attention quick before it's out of earshot. Jer, pop off a small, sharp explosion of fire all around the surface of your ice sphere; One just strong enough to create a loud "pop" or "bang." That ought to get its attention. Then, since we don't know which way is up, rapidly push out eight narrow ice rods evenly spaced over your ice sphere to raise yourself up; Try to keep them fairly short so they don't break off. Hopefully that'll show the golem you're still in here.

The ice rods will also help you hear better by transferring sound vibrations to your core, but in case they don't work as well as I hope you can try forming up the surface of the ice sphere to create inverted cone hollows all over its surface. That ought to help you hear.

Try writing out "put my core back" by extruding the letters out from the surface of your ice rod "legs" and in multiple languages if you know any more than Serathian. Though I doubt the golem knows how to read anything other than Ancient, just forming letters and words will show there's intelligence at work. In the likely case it doesn't know how to read that, try forming a heart shape around your core; Preferably shaped like an actual heart and not the heart symbol. It'll likely get the hint from that.

Since sound is just air vibrations, and fire heating air causes it to expand, maybe you can speak by creating a small flame and modulating its intensity like you would with your voice; Perhaps put it in a ice funnel to direct its sound. Unfortunately I don't think you have enough time to really learn how to speak with it, but it's worth a shot. If you can even make some simple sounds that'll be good.

>Beats me, I can’t see where your corpse currently is.
You can't? Well, that's interesting. Very interesting. And here I thought daemons could see pretty much anywhere; At least, they've seen everywhere at least once in all their time-lines. And in case you care to know, Jer's corpse is in the corridor on the way to the Vault under the Serathian capitol.
>>
No. 586460 ID: 78193a

Oh, and Bob, I don't remember if we told you this already, but you know how no matter whether your side wins or loses everything just resets soon after? Well, we strongly suspect that's us; We're the ones who've been doing that all those times. So it appears no matter which side wins or loses, in the end we in some way find the outcome totally unacceptable and revert the world. Unfortunately it also seems our memories are reset as well. However, since these golems down here remembered all the cycles so I think the World and its systems remember everything, which would explain why they're half-bonkers by now.

But the long and short of it is that in every time-line so far the result of every side's plans has resulted in everything cycling back again. So if we're ever to break out of the cycles we'll have to do something that hasn't ever been done in any of the other time-lines.

Oh, and could you tell us when everything cycles back about what point in time it goes to, if it's consistent. If every time it's right before we first enter the world as a player then that'll be circumstantial evidence we're probably cycling things back.
>>
No. 586466 ID: d8a627

>Also bob, why don't I see any mantis souls on your chain?
I think Steve takes the Mantises away. At least, he would be the one to take Mantis females. Maybe Libby took the Mantis males?
>unless Jericho learned how to form a magic eye or something
...Jericho, can you focus a flame into light to see with, instead of heat to burn with? Maybe that will do the trick.
And as for speaking, well... Shoot, I got nothing. Your power in fire and ice is with fire and ice directly, so you can't manipulate them in ways that aren't fire or ice. Maybe ice can entrap sound, since it's what's holding your body together now, but that doesn't help you to talk, unless you can form an ice funnel to sort the sounds of a crackling flame into a voice, which is just absurd, you'd have to be an expert biologist to even know how to do that.
Let's just focus on seeing for now, yeah?
>rapidly push out eight narrow ice rods evenly spaced over your ice sphere to raise yourself up
Tell me we aren't becoming an ice spider like our enemy? Although, I suppose that would still be better than death, so if that's what it comes to, go for it. We can figure out ways to use our magic to talk as well later, if need be.
> create inverted cone hollows all over its surface. That ought to help you hear.
Ooh, fancy methods of using ice to hear! I like!
>Preferably shaped like an actual heart
Do you know what an actual heart looks like? I don't know how to describe it, and frankly, I probably don't even remember all that well anyways.
>I don't think you have enough time to really learn how to speak with it
Who knows? Maybe just being a powerful antipodal mage is enough to be able to use it effectively without fancy means.
>And here I thought daemons could see pretty much anywhere; At least, they've seen everywhere at least once in all their time-lines
I said this to our Savage group, but I think it's more that the Daemons see the previous savestates. This is possibly the first time Jericho survived death in the Vault.
That, or the Vault being another Daemon's domain blocks anybody but The Human In Green from seeing it. Is that how it is, Bob, or did you see the Vault up until Jericho's death?
>we strongly suspect that's us
We are the Player of Time.
>the World and its systems remember everything,
Thank goodness we've only been at this for about five months! These few days all in a five month loop.
>we'll have to do something that hasn't ever been done in any of the other time-lines.
Do I have my idea on a primer yet? I don't think I do. I want to release a select few Daemons at any given time as players with a self-created king unit, and when they lose they get sent back to their realm and another Daemon gets a chance.
Hey, question, has the Blood God always sounded honorable, or is this something new to you? We've had a habit of bringing up the unexpected when it comes to you, so I'm thinking it's a good chance that anything "out of place" at this point is new.
>what point in time it goes to, if it's consistent
Even if it isn't consistant, I especially would like to know the answer if it seems your "All time" presence is more spread out during the following nine months than any time before! That suggests it is actually us resetting time.
>If every time it's right before we first enter the world as a player
Aren't all 250-something players in existence since the start of the game? I think it's just that we suddenly start playing for keeps a few days prior. Uh, mortal time, not player or Daemon.
>>
No. 586558 ID: 2fd516

>>586466
Um, could you... focus more on suggesting, rather than mostly responding to other suggestions?

>>586446
I just had another idea. How about a steam whistle made out of ice?
>>
No. 586561 ID: 510e81

>stupid Mummy
It's that asshole golem that was following us around when we died isn't it.
>>
No. 586591 ID: 65a774
File 140663789807.png - (7.67KB , 900x450 , 5.png )
586591

>What are these plans you speak of, bob?
:MaskedManRUST: The plan where you collect the four runes and seal the daemon realm, thus ensuring everything goes back as it was?
>Bob, the Blood God has told us that he wants to bring some undead through the gate to the other side so that their emotions can be fed on far more efficiently. That sounds like a good idea, why don't we do that AND seal off the daemon realm?
:MaskedManRUST: We’ve consider that option, but we’ll need to open up the way to the daemon realm for that. Let’s just say that’s probably not the best outcome for the mortals.
>Oh, and Bob, I don't remember if we told you this already, but you know how no matter whether your side wins or loses everything just resets soon after? Well, we strongly suspect that's us; We're the ones who've been doing that all those times.
:MaskedManRUST: Really? Interesting…
>So it appears no matter which side wins or loses, in the end we in some way find the outcome totally unacceptable and revert the world.
:MaskedManRUST: So, not only do we have to ensure our victory, but that you’re content with it? Hmm… I can’t see how you’ll find sealing the daemon realm unacceptable…
>Oh, and could you tell us when everything cycles back about what point in time it goes to, if it's consistent.
:MaskedManRUST: Our sight always starts at the same time, which is just a few days ago.
>Here I thought daemons could see pretty much anywhere; At least, they've seen everywhere at least once in all their time-lines. And in case you care to know, Jer's corpse is in the corridor on the way to the Vault under the Serathian capitol.
:MaskedManRUST: I know, I saw him venture in there. I can’t interact with that place unless I got a corporeal form on your side.
>Why don't I see any mantis souls on your chain?
:MaskedManRUST: They are starved daemons. They take whatever form you believe they have. A better question is, why do you not see any mantis souls? Do you believe mantises don’t have souls?
>Hey, question, has the Blood God always sounded honorable, or is this something new to you?
:MaskedManRUST: The Blood God barely speak at it is. I think you mean “The righteous one”, one of the blood gods daemon lackeys. He’s always been a bit of a twat.
>Maybe imagine the mental thought of grapes and try to offer them to him.
:MaskedManRUST: …no thank you, I rather have real grapes instead of pretend ones, if you mind. We don’t really have time for a little pretend tea party, do we?

>It's that asshole golem that was following us around when we died isn't it.
:JerichoRUST: …yes, yes it is! I recognize that voice!
:UnknownKAK: Stupid chandelier, always in the way…
>It's focused on the mummy body right now so what you need to do is get its attention. A fireball might work there. Maybe put a burst of fire around the ice you made already?
*Crackle!*
:UnknownKAK: Huh? What was that?
>Then, since we don't know which way is up, rapidly push out eight narrow ice rods evenly spaced over your ice sphere to raise yourself up; Try to keep them fairly short so they don't break off.
:UnknownKAK: …oh, it’s just his remains that are leaking magic…
>See if you can draw a message with ice or fire instructing it to put your core back in the mummy body.
:JerichoRUST: …I don’t think I can make something so… um… fine and precise.
>Since sound is just air vibrations, and fire heating air causes it to expand, maybe you can speak by creating a small flame and modulating its intensity like you would with your voice; Perhaps put it in a ice funnel to direct its sound.
:JerichoRUST: …err… that’s… a bit beyond me, isn’t it?
:UnknownKAK: Hmm… maybe I should get that golem with a gun to blow it up… just to make sure it doesn’t unleash a fireball or something…
>I just had another idea. How about a steam whistle made out of ice?
*EEEEE!!!*
:UnknownKAK: OH SHIT, IT’S GOING TO BLOW!!! I KNEW IT WAS A BAD IDEA TO STEAL ITS GRAPES!! AAAA!!!

:JerichoRUST: Wait, no, that’s not …dammit!
:MaskedManRUST: Not working out as intended, huh?
:JerichoRUST: I need to make him see that I’m not just random magic!

Insert Gingers- I mean mantises do have souls!_
>>
No. 586612 ID: 510e81

>>586591
>I can’t see how you’ll find sealing the daemon realm unacceptable.
As it turns out, ofter we seal the daemon realm all the players go to war with each other.

Also “The righteous one” said that the daemons were only going to take a few people, like criminals and asshole nobles. Will this be enough to sate all the currently starving daemons?

>I need to make him see that I’m not just random magic!
Try the fire in an ice ball trick then make it float into him!
>>
No. 586613 ID: 26d79f

Attempt to create some semblance of morse code with the steam whistle sound.

...You do know morse code right?
>>
No. 586619 ID: f839a9

>I need to make him see that I’m not just random magic!
A pattern, maybe? Something blinking on and off to a rhythm?

There's also the old blink-pattern for answering questions if you can't talk. One for yes, two for no, three for its complicated / that doesn't have a yes or no answer. Of course, you need to 'ask' a question first, so you can answer it, and then hope he's bright enough to catch on.

>Do you believe mantises don’t have souls?
Maybe we just don't think they're old enough to have demon-analogues. They are younger than humans and mantises...
>>
No. 586627 ID: d92b3d

Dammit. Alright, no more sudden or strong magic or the golem will run off and have you shot from a distance...

Okay, you need to create a pattern of some sort and repeat it over and over. A repeating pattern will indicate it's not random magic going off.

Start by reducing the strength of your steam whistle, then vary it as well as turning it on and off to toot out a simple tune. Also create a flame that hugs the surface of the ice sphere your core is in that flickers on and off in time with the tune. Or if you created a floating ice sphere with a flame in it like >>586612 suggested then flip that flame on and off in time. Keep repeating the same pattern until the golem gets it and asks if you're still in there or it's apparent it's not working.

>Hmm… I can’t see how you’ll find sealing the daemon realm unacceptable…
Well, the problem is that sealing the world away means you don't see what happens in it afterwards. According to that golem out there the outcome of the daemon realm being sealed is a large majority of the "artifical god" players taking advantage of the chaos in the aftermath to expand their national borders and end up going to war with each other. And combined with the advances in military technology and the military buildup from the battle to seal the daemon realm it'll be a horrendously bloody war that'll engulf the world, laying waste to much of it. Of course we only have the word of a half-mad golem on this which is why we're being cautious.

The golem also said there were two other possible futures: The one where the gate to the daemon realm is opened and the Blood God and his allies sweep over the land, killing many, and another where due to something we do the world withers away and the sun fades out. No idea what the hell we do in the latter one, but it sounds like we break the world systems while trying to avoid the other two futures.

I KNEW IT WAS A BAD IDEA TO STEAL ITS GRAPES!!
...What? This is just the golem being bonkers and you weren't actually carrying grapes on your person, right?
>>
No. 586628 ID: 65a774
File 140665050512.png - (14.36KB , 900x450 , 6.png )
586628

>...What? This is just the golem being bonkers and you weren't actually carrying grapes on your person, right?
Err… well… I might have left some in my chest after I ate some with Eliraz yesterday…
>As it turns out, after we seal the daemon realm all the players go to war with each other.
:MaskedManRUST: It’s like that adorable little proverb you have… how was it again? When the cat is away the filth comes out and plays?
:JerichoRUST: I think it’s supposed to be rats.
:MaskedManRUST: Same thing. They are vermin either way.
>Also “The righteous one” said that the daemons were only going to take a few people, like criminals and asshole nobles. Will this be enough to sate all the currently starving daemons?
:MaskedManRUST: “A few” is still going to be several thousand… including your little royal family. They have no love for people who keeps slaves, for obvious reasons.
>The golem also said there were two other possible futures: The one where the gate to the daemon realm is opened and the Blood God and his allies sweep over the land, killing many, and another where due to something we do the world withers away and the sun fades out.
:MaskedManRUST: Well, the first one is if they win, no? As for the second… hmm… interesting… you have to find out the source of this… this entropy and stop it.
>Attempt to create some semblance of morse code with the steam whistle sound.
:JerichoRUST: Marsh code?
:MaskedManRUST: …don’t look at me, I have no idea…

>Try the fire in an ice ball trick then make it float into him!
:UnknownKAK: Hey! First the whistle and now an ice ball!? This magic is really weird…
>A pattern, maybe? Something blinking on and off to a rhythm? Flip that flame on and off in time.
:UnknownKAK: …weird enough to be… not… random? …wait, you’re still alive? Err… still functional?
>There's also the old blink-pattern for answering questions if you can't talk. One for yes, two for no, three for its complicated / that doesn't have a yes or no answer.
:UnknownKAK: …you blinked… does that mean yes? …you’re a human? …ah, so one for yes, two for no… right… but if you’re still alive… hmmm… sit on tight, I’ll fix you up in no time!

:MaskedManRUST: …well then, next time I’ll see you, you’ll either be dead or victorious. I do hope it’s the later.
:JerichoRUST: Hey, wait… Bob? …Bob!?

---

:ElirazRUST: *Snore*…mumble*
:PeepRUST: *Twitter*
:ElirazRUST: *ugh* …morning already?
:PeepRUST: *FaceBook*
:ElirazRUST: …morning, Honey Mummy…
:PeepRUST: *Tumblr*
:ElirazRUST: Honey Mummy? …oh, he’s probably just outside reading again… better… better go back to sleep… mm…

Insert Die peep scum!_
>>
No. 586631 ID: 2fd516

>>586628
Aaaand we're back. This must mean Jericho's recovering.
[check status of pawns]

Sorry Eliraz we sortof got Jericho almost-killed. He'll get better though, he managed to stabilize his detached core via ice magic and then get the attention of one of the golems down there so that it could put his core back and fix him up.
>>
No. 586632 ID: d8a627

>They have no love for people who keeps slaves, for obvious reasons.
Man, that did not answer our question.
>oh, he’s probably just outside reading again…
Oh, hello, Prince. You must have been fairly tired last night. Does it feel like you can get up, or is it too early for that? I don't think anything's urgent at the moment, so if you need more sleep, we can try and check on everybody else.
[Check status of pawns] [Message Pink: Not sure about the specifics, but our King piece was drifting out of life for a while there. We caught a glimpse of a lot of fire and smoke rising from the city, as well as some other things outside the city. I'm hoping this a false vision, but even if it is real, we know you can find a way to keep a majority of the people alive.]
>>
No. 586634 ID: f839a9

Morning Eliraz, morning social media bird.
>>
No. 586635 ID: 40935b

>I think you mean “The righteous one”, one of the blood gods daemon lackeys.
That explains a bit. The dark god could be lying to him, too- he does sound a bit like the revolutionary who gets unpersoned for not being loyal enough.

Bob needs to work on his people skills. There's definitely something he's not telling us.

>…morning already?
JERICHO'S CORE HAS BEEN SEPARATED FROM HIS BODY IN THE RUINS, SCHNELL!

AND BRING A WEAPON AND BACKUP, HIS EVIL TWIN IS PROBABLY STILL KICKING AROUND.
>>
No. 586638 ID: 2fd516

[message to Pink: at least two Skrangs are going to attack the city at some point. Prepare.]
>>
No. 586640 ID: 65a774
File 140665562629.png - (18.58KB , 900x450 , 7.png )
586640

>[Check status of pawns]
[“The pebble”: Unconscious. “The Thief”: Tired. “The acolyte”: Sleeping, Happy. “The scholar”: Sleeping, Happy. “The Heir of Savagery”: Sleeping. “The Shaman”: Preparing for combat.]
>[Message Pink: Not sure about the specifics, but our King piece was drifting out of life for a while there. We caught a glimpse of a lot of fire and smoke rising from the city, as well as some other things outside the city. I'm hoping this a false vision, but even if it is real, we know you can find a way to keep a majority of the people alive.]
[Message from Pink: What? That’s… troubling news. I’ve already received some other troubling news this very morning… I’ve sent Reizn to talk with the prince about it, so please be present there.]
>[message to Pink: at least two Skrangs are going to attack the city at some point. Prepare.]
[Skrangs? But… this isn’t a Skrang area… and the city is on solid rock! Skrangs can move over rock!]

>Morning Eliraz, morning social media bird.
:ElirazRUST: …morning, voices…
:PeepRUST: *Hitler hated Jews, Jews are pigs, therefore it’s wrong to eat pigs! Become vegan today or be like Hitler!*
:ElirazRUST: …is it just me or does it almost sound like they are talking when they sing like that?
:PeepRUST: *Peep!*
>JERICHO'S CORE HAS BEEN SEPARATED FROM HIS BODY IN THE RUINS, SCHNELL!
:ElirazRUST: WHAT!? BUT THAT CAN’T BE I DON’T NO IT’S NOT AAA!!!

>He'll get better though, he managed to stabilize his detached core via ice magic and then get the attention of one of the golems down there so that it could put his core back and fix him up.
:ElirazRUST: Right right right… I… I need to calm down… he’s not dead… he’s fine… he’s probably fine… I… I just need to… Wait, Reizn? What are you doing here?
:ReiznRUST: Ah, my lord, Prince of the vast sands, the exalted-
:ElirazRUST: Skip the titles, Reizn.
:ReiznRUST: Err… yes… of course, my prince… I… Um… The Princess, heir to the throne, sent me to deliver a message of utmost importance. Our scouts have detected a large army of vildmän marching towards the city! They will be at our gate later today!
:ElirazRUST: What? How did we miss that!?
:ReiznRUST: They have apparently been marching through the middle of the vast desert. We didn’t think anyone would be able to go through there thanks to all the Skrang activity out there and the unforgiving scorching sun. But… the scouts reported that they are coming, seemingly fresh from battle as most of them are covered in blood, and they are being led by two… um… weird colored floating balls with tentacles? We thought it was just that one of the scout had gotten a sunstroke but the others reported the same thing.
:ElirazRUST: …that’s odd.
:ReiznRUST: Oh, and your mate, Lord Jericho, is being taken care of by the royal necromancer… err… you haven’t happen to know where his new apprentice is? He’s rather mad that she wasn’t in her room this morning…

Insert Insane troll logic is the only logic that is sound, which means that the sun is actually blue and there’s a great conspiracy led by illuminati, the stonemasons and the lizard people from Alpha Centauri to make us believe it’s yellow so they can sell more orange juice! It all make sense now!_
>>
No. 586641 ID: 2fd516

>>586640
I think Tera fell asleep in your harem. Also, those vildmen are most likely undead. Just fyi. I think those floating balls might be Enlightened...
According to a book written by a Daemon:
"The enlighten are beings who suffer the corruption of the soul. The creatures shed their physical form and become a being of pure magical energy. Though frail physically, these creatures possess an amazing amount of raw magical power, including the daemon magic to bend time itself to its will, thus they are very dangerous foes. Only blessed weapons or magic can harm these creatures."

[message to Pink: The incoming Vildman army is most likely undead. That's what our vision showed. The skrangs in the vision are smacking into the sand near the cliffside, not in the city proper. Could that cause earthquakes?]
>>
No. 586642 ID: 40935b

>Become vegan today or be like Hitler!
b-but Hitler was a vegetarian! I CAN'T WIN!! AAAAAAAA!!!

> “The Shaman”: Preparing for combat
[check corruption of the shaman]
... I think we should see what he's up to.

>Lord Jericho, is being taken care of by the royal necromancer
Thank god, he's out of the ruins?

That mantis on the title card is Akena- I think we last saw her when we convinced Durach not to kill those mine owners. If she still has her tribal sensibilities, I'm not sure what she's doing around a bunch of undead.
>>
No. 586643 ID: 2fd516

Oh shit that reminds me. Since we failed to guide Jericho through, we need to get someone else down there to claim the Vault.
>>
No. 586644 ID: 510e81

>>586642
Actually the last time we saw Akena she was licking blood off her swords.
>>
No. 586651 ID: 9ddf68

(sigh), even 1000 years after the fall of civilization they still find a way to sneak adds into games... damn birds.

But yeah blind chick is with your harem, and I think Jericho is now out of the ruins it seems so that's good... but now we're going to have to go back... next time through I suggest just nuking everything and marching through it's remains of whatever is left.
>>
No. 586656 ID: 65a774
File 140666409154.png - (18.63KB , 900x450 , 8.png )
586656

>[check corruption of the shaman]
[Corruption at 0%! Purification at 2% and rising extremely slowly.]
>[message to Pink: The incoming Vildman army is most likely undead. That's what our vision showed. The skrangs in the vision are smacking into the sand near the cliffside, not in the city proper. Could that cause earthquakes?]
[The undead Vildmän is pretty obvious. As for the Skrangs, it’s possible it would cause earthquakes… but I believe they aren’t strong enough the make the mountain shake. No, they probably have another purpose…]

>Thank god, he's out of the ruins?
:ElirazRUST: I’m going to see him at once!
:ReiznRUST: My sincerest apologies, my lordship, but the royal necromancer asked to be left undisturbed. The procedure is apparently rather delicate, oh exalted one.
>I think Tera fell asleep in your harem.
:ReiznRUST: I do not wish to question your judgment, oh grand star of the sky, but is it really wise to lend your personal royal harem to a… simpleton? I guess you aren’t using it yourself, oh grand one, and she seems like a friend to your radiant immortally, oh magnificent-
:ElirazRUST: If you don’t stop with the stupid titles I’ll have you kicked out of the palace…
:ReiznRUST: SORRY!

>Oh shit that reminds me. Since we failed to guide Jericho through, we need to get someone else down there to claim the Vault.
…wait, are you sure he only got one chance?
>But now we're going to have to go back... next time through I suggest just nuking everything and marching through its remains of whatever is left.
Right, because attacking things that are several hundred years more technological advance then you is a bit… right…
>I think those floating balls might be Enlightened...
Enlighten? Like a monk that’s been meditating?
>According to a book written by a Daemon…
…they can only be harmed by magic? Luckily we got a lot fire mages around…
>That mantis in our vision is Akena- last time we saw Akena she was licking blood off her swords.
Licking the blood from your swords doesn’t really sound sane. My guess would be that one of those demon things have driven her mad… or that’s she’s just an especially vile tribal. It can’t be sanitary to clean your blades like that… of course; they are already covered in shit so it’s not… err… what was I doing again?

:ReiznRUST: Oh, and I forgot to mention. The leader of the tribal army will be arriving in just a few hours.

Insert He’s not covered in shit so he has to be the king!_
>>
No. 586662 ID: 2fd516

>>586656
What the fuck does purification mean?! I really want to see what Durach is doing now.

I guess we could send Jericho down again, sure. I was just worried about the time. How long until he's repaired?

As for the tribal army leader, I think we might have to shelter her and her army in our walls. The vildmen and Enlightened that are approaching are almost certainly not allied with her.

Oh, and take that impossible dagger with you. Whatever it is, we need to keep it safe... I feel as though it will be absolutely crucial in saving the world. Somehow. Is there anyone that can analyze magic items in detail? If we can find out what it does, that would help a lot. Just make sure it's someone that can keep a secret, because the Daemons are afraid of it and we'd rather them not know what it's capable of.
>>
No. 586664 ID: 40935b

>Purification at 2% and rising extremely slowly.
Well that's new.

>…wait, are you sure he only got one chance?
I'm sure he'll be out of commission for a good amount of time and we need this done last week, although yesterday is acceptable.

>…they can only be harmed by magic? Luckily we got a lot fire mages around…
We'll need to hit the enlightened with something they'll never see coming, or else they'll react.

We should go talk to Durach and see what the situation is.
>>
No. 586665 ID: 9ddf68

well only royal blood can enter the vault so either Jericho or Eliraz can go down but still... really hate that place.

so our options are either head down with Eliraz and try again... this time with more purpose, wait for Jericho to recover and try again, wait for the tribals and see what happens and... what am I missing? Oh and how long until the undead army of Vildman show up?
>>
No. 586672 ID: 9443d1

[Check general corruption level and corruption level of all pawns and display any non-zero levels]

[Message to Pink: To clarify our vision: We saw two skrangs breaching over and moving through the sands around the city, not on or through the stone. There are very likely more than just two and they're almost certainly undead skrangs raised and controlled by the Dark One, same as the one that attacked Temrock near the ruins to the east and was gutted by him. And judging by the fact that the vildmän army is coated in blood after crossing skrang territory I'd bet they killed several skrangs on the way, so that's where the Dark One probably got them from. But wherever they came from, make sure our forces know to NOT engage the enemy on or near the sands; It's your discretion whether to tell them about the undead skrangs or not.]

[Message to Pink: We haven't encountered them before, but the two weird colored floating balls with tentacles leading the vildmän army are quite likely daemonic creatures called "Enlightened." We'll repeat here what we've been told of them: “The enlighten are beings who suffer the corruption of the soul. The creatures shed their physical form and become a being of pure magical energy. Though frail physically, these creatures possess an amazing amount of raw magical power, including the daemon magic to bend time itself to its will, thus they are very dangerous foes. Only blessed weapons or magic can harm these creatures.” Unfortunately the only weapon we have that we're sure is blessed is Jer's Spear of Light. Elizah's dagger possibly has a similar effect but we're not sure. So we're gonna be leaning on magic heavily for a fight against the Enlightened, but they're going to be expecting a load of fire magic from the front and surely have counters. And their ability to warp time means that near them they could accelerate their forces while slowing ours, making for a very dangerous close encounter. I'm not sure how we're going to handle them...]

[Message to Pink: I dunno how the vildmän army got across the desert without a bunch supply lines for water. Perhaps they've been drinking skrang blood along with ice and water the Enlightened magic up and only traveling at night.]

[Message to Pink: Did anything come of us warning you of the shape-shifters? Were any intercepted? We also have some intel on them. They're called Shape Stealers and are the "special" corrupted cultists of the Deceiver. They can take on the shape and voice of anyone they see and hear of the species they were before becoming a Shape Stealer. They can fake player scans, showing as any pawn or person they want. They also have a proboscis that, when inserted into a victim's brain, can suck it out along with their memories, allowing the Shape Stealer to near-perfectly impersonate that person. Thankfully Shape Stealers are as weak, relying on stealth and ambush, so a solid strike to their core vital organs will kill one. Also, Shape Stealers cannot impersonate skeletal undead, so Captain Uri and Sultan Leanah can be totally trusted as safe right now. As a precaution against Shape Stealers our people should stay in groups at all times. We'll also need a search through the hidden parts of the palace and other official buildings for bodies that have had their brains sucked out, as well as check for any reports from the city of them. If any show up then whoever the deceased was is being impersonated by a Shape Stealer.]

[Message to Pink: Our recent check of our pawns' status shows that "The Avenger" is missing. Did you happen to claim Theen while we were out. If you did that's fine, but if you didn't then he's either been killed or seized by another player and both are damn serious.]

[Echo last group of messages to and replies from Pink to "The Thief"]

Eliraz, take Elizah's dagger from the table and keep it safe; It is extremely important. See, last night Bob manifested in your bedchamber to inform Jer of something urgent that none of the daemons saw coming: A new god entering the world for the first time since the Ancient Age. That's big news, but it isn't related to the dagger. What is is when Jer and Bob came out here, Bob freaked out when he saw the dagger. He said it shouldn't exist and that he can't see it in any of the time-lines and futures he can see. He used the analogy that if the world is like a chessboard, that dagger is a saw right through it. So a weapon that no daemon can see coming will likely be very valuable to us.

>Oh, and your mate, Lord Jericho, is being taken care of by the royal necromancer…
Hey, how'd Jer get out of the corridor to the Vault anyway? Did the Vault guardian golem that stuck his core back in drag him to the entrance? And what about the contents of his chest compartment? He was carrying five keystones and I dunno what else in there when he was impaled by the magic ice spike so how much got back with him?

>...of course; they are already covered in shit so it’s not…
Eliraz, remember your argument with Jer about this and that they don't have any choice about their cleanliness since they don't have any spare water. So please try to keep your royal attitude in check.

>The leader of the tribal army will be arriving in just a few hours.
That's Mor'Kay, isn't it? Dammit. Jer was looking forward to meeting his mother, but he's probably not going to up in time for that.

>…wait, are you sure he only got one chance?
I doubt he only got one chance, but how long will it be until he's up for another go? Ask Reizn if the royal necromancer gave an estimate of how long it'd be until he'd fixed up Jer, or even a hint. If Jer's going to be down for hours or even days, then we're not only going to have to change our plan for the Vault but also every other plan we have that involves him. He's our magic heavy hitter and with him down that'll put us in a bind.

Other than Jer the only two who I'd even consider sending down there are you and Sultan Leanah; Elizah is right out since we can't risk the heir to the throne. And of the two I prefer Leanah go. The Test of Courage Jer faced was designed to take something from the person who faced it without killing them; In Jer's case it took his eye. Anything it takes from Leanah can be relatively easily replaced with other lizard bones since she's a skeletal undead, unlike your living flesh. And since she's a powerful fire mage she'll be able to do the Test of Power. That leaves the Test of Wisdom and we don't know what that entails, but I figure Leanah can handle it.

However, since we don't have eight keystones nor the lesser rune needed to open the Vault we should reexamine whether we should even be going for it right now. While it'd be good to have the corridor to the Vault cleared in case we have to make a run to open it, if we have to make a run for it then things likely have gone terribly wrong and we're going to lose anyway. Maybe we should put it off until we have what we need to open the Vault.

Eliraz, right now I suggest you have a good breakfast since with the way things are going you might end up missing lunch. And go roust Tera so she can come with you to breakfast or get over to assist the royal necromancer if that won't disturb his delicate procedure on Jer. Oh, and check if Theen is in your harem as well and wake him up; His status last night looked like he might have partaken of it as well as Tera. Get them up to speed on what's happening and what we've told you.

We're gonna switch over to Shaman Durach for a bit. His current status is "preparing for combat" and we want to check in on him. He might have run into the Dark One's forces.
>>
No. 586686 ID: 2fd516

>>586672
If the Vildmen are undead they don't need water.
>>
No. 586689 ID: 65a774
File 140667418911.png - (14.33KB , 900x450 , 9.png )
586689

>[Check general corruption level and corruption level of all pawns and display any non-zero levels]
[All corruption levels are at 0%!]
>[Message to Pink: To clarify our vision: We saw two skrangs breaching over and moving through the sands around the city, not on or through the stone. There are very likely more than just two and they're almost certainly undead skrangs raised and controlled by the Dark One, same as the one that attacked Temrock near the ruins to the east and was gutted by him.]
[So they have Skrangs… hmm… we’ll be prepared for that, then.]
>[Message to Pink: We haven't encountered them before, but the two weird colored floating balls with tentacles leading the vildmän army are quite likely daemonic creatures called "Enlightened." We'll repeat here what we've been told of them…]
[Time manipulation? That doesn’t sound promising.]
>[Message to Pink: I dunno how the vildmän army got across the desert without a bunch supply lines for water. Perhaps they've been drinking skrang blood along with ice and water the Enlightened magic up and only traveling at night.]
[Or if they can manipulate time, they simply sped them all up. That’s probably the reason we didn’t detect them earlier.]
>[Message to Pink: Did anything come of us warning you of the shape-shifters? Were any intercepted?]
[We caught two of them trying to get to the princess chambers and prince chambers. Whoever was ordering them around wasn’t really good at the whole being subtle thing, luckily.]
>[Message to Pink: Our recent check of our pawns' status shows that "The Avenger" is missing. Did you happen to claim Theen while we were out. If you did that's fine…]
[My apologies, but I needed him to take care of the one of the shape stealers. I hope you don’t mind.]

>What the fuck does purification mean?!
Um… getting purer, I guess?
>Eliraz, take Elizah's dagger from the table and keep it safe; It is extremely important.
My dad’s old dagger? What’s so important about that?
>Is there anyone that can analyze magic items in detail?
Um… well, we do have some really good artificers here in the city but they’ve already been analyzed it with a fine comb. The only thing they found out about it is that it’s very good against magic.
>Just make sure it's someone that can keep a secret, because the Daemons are afraid of it and we'd rather them not know what it's capable of.
…they are afraid of it? …great, that means we have a weapon against them!
>See, last night Bob manifested in your bedchamber to inform Jer of something urgent that none of the daemons saw coming: A new god entering the world for the first time since the Ancient Age.
…what? A new god!? As in… a god god!!?
>Eliraz, remember your argument with Jer about this and that they don't have any choice about their cleanliness since they don't have any spare water. So please try to keep your royal attitude in check.
Yes, yes, sorry…

>Hey, how'd Jer get out of the corridor to the Vault anyway?
:ReiznRUST: According to the guards, a golem dragged him to the entrance.
>And what about the contents of his chest compartment?
:ReiznRUST: The chest compartment was unharmed, so everything should be in order.
>I guess we could send Jericho down again, sure. I was just worried about the time. How long until he's repaired?
:ReiznRUST: Oh, at least a few days. We need to prepare the finest silk there is to find and replace the bones with gold and jewels which-
:ElirazRUST: How long before he’s up on his feet without all the “jewels, gold and silk”?
:ReiznRUST: He should be fixed at midday, but surly you jest? Having a prince walk around like a common… err… commoner?

>Since we don't have eight keystones nor the lesser rune needed to open the Vault we should reexamine whether we should even be going for it right now.
Hmm… maybe we should keep away from the vault at the moment and focus on something a bit more important… like the army that’s marching for the city.
>Eliraz, right now I suggest you have a good breakfast since with the way things are going you might end up missing lunch. And go roust Tera so she can come with you to breakfast or get over to assist the royal necromancer if that won't disturb his delicate procedure on Jer.
Right, let’s dig her out from under that pile of males she’ll be under…



>We should go talk to Durach and see what the situation is.
:DurachRUST: Thank you for sending an angel to guide us… thank you for the warning against the demon whom sailed across the stars… and thank you for the weapon forged in the very heavens. we will not fail you in this moment…

Insert A common commoner problem is being too common for the common good_
>>
No. 586690 ID: 9ddf68

uhhh should we come back later or is this a good time to talk? Also who are you talking to if you don't mind me asking?
>>
No. 586693 ID: 2fd516

>>586689
Hello. How have things been going on your end? We have learned much in the time we've been gone. Are you aware of the approaching undead Vildman army? And the "Enlightened" creatures with them? We are spreading the word, so here's a description we have of them:

According to a book written by a Daemon:
"The enlighten are beings who suffer the corruption of the soul. The creatures shed their physical form and become a being of pure magical energy. Though frail physically, these creatures possess an amazing amount of raw magical power, including the daemon magic to bend time itself to its will, thus they are very dangerous foes. Only blessed weapons or magic can harm these creatures."

Now, we have noticed something very interesting about you. Normally we can sense corruption on our pawns, and 0% is the baseline. However, for you, we've noticed 2% Purification. What have you been doing today? This bears further research... I'm not sure Purification is a good thing or a bad thing. It could be a buffer against Corruption, or it could just be a different type of Corruption.

What demon are you talking about and what weapon did you get? There's a new Player/God arriving in a few months but it is not a threat. We've met it, it's just a traveler from beyond the stars, unfamiliar with this world and difficult to communicate with. I wouldn't call it a God either, really. It is a mortal, alien being with very powerful technology at its disposal.
>>
No. 586702 ID: 40935b

...Durach, what are you doing and how do you have directed energy weapons??? You aren't talking about those floating tentacled balls, are you? Those are daemonic!
>>
No. 586717 ID: d8a627

Oh, apologies if we're interrupting some prayer, Durach. When we saw a status message about you being purified, we were curious as to what was going on. To our knowledge, all of the old Gods are dead, and anything related to holy matters, be it "Holy," "Unholy," "Demonic," or "Angelic," is actually Daemonic in origin. But Pure, that's new. Uh, I guess if it's cleansing you of Player intervention, that's cool, as long as it's something lasting that prevents Blue or Red from claiming you.
I'm hoping it's just some sort of immunity to corruption, though. Like, an extra ≤100% buffer. Maybe we've got some information on that in our manual.
[Check Glossary for Purity, Purification]If you want to know the specifics yourself, just ask and we'll echo the results to you... Assuming we get any. We can also try checking for other terms you may have come across, but the manual is kind of... Lacking. It's not an encyclopedia, it's more of a Beginner's guide, telling us the most important things to know right off the bat.
[Echo index requests from The Shaman through Player Teal; echo results back to The Shaman] We got a little too focused on using the Daemon's Encyclopedia and forgot about our own manual, didn't we...
Anywaaaaiit, what's that thing sitting on your bed, next to your skeletal mask? It looks like a visor, using a form of glass to see through rather than hollow slits. Is that your "Angel"? [Scan objects sitting upon Durach's bed; echo any results relating to Daemons, corruption, and divine-ness.] I would recommend caution trusting anything Angelic, but I trust you to have looked into that.
>or it could just be a different type of Corruption.
I swear, if it's player based corruption, I'm gonna murder whatever player is attempting to take over. The only player who has our permission to take control from us is Pink, and I don't think she's got a connection to The Shaman. If it's relating to the New Gods, then... Hoo boy, I don't even know what to think about that. I don't like the idea of somebody taking them without knowing the intentions of said person.
>how do you have directed energy weapons?
...Durach, if you have any weapon that appears to fire out a beam of holy SMITE, please inform us immediately. Those weapons are not necessarily Daemonic, and, in fact, were made by the "Gods," but they're very dangerous without instructions. It sounds like you were instructed, but I'd still like to know of them.
>>
No. 586722 ID: 2fd516

"Divine" has to do with the old Gods' power. We've been told repeatedly that they are dead, so any Divine creatures/objects should be mere remnants.
>>
No. 586827 ID: 9443d1

Hello, Durach. It's been awhile since we last spoke. Well, for us it has. For you its only been, what? Somewhat less than a day? Anyway, we've been busy. Very busy. But before we ask what you've been up to we have some news.

Remember last time when we said if all went well we'd soon have the keystone that, with your two, would give us eight total? Well, it didn't go well, to put it very mildly. Our guy who went into the ruins to retrieve the keystone had it and could have escaped with it, but due to a massive misjudgment of the situation on our part his soul was devoured by the Dark One. When we went to dig out his body from the collapsed ruins the keystone was gone, presumably taken by the Dark One. So we're down a keystone and don't have a lead on another one. This puts a bit of a

But how was the Dark One there, you ask? It was Horus. Well, actually his body. Turns out Horus was killed months ago and the Dark One has been using his body as a puppet and a means to project his power into this world; An expensive means at that. The ruins where strewn with the gore of tribesmen the Dark One had eaten to top off his puppet's power. But thankfully our man Temrock managed to destroy Horus by impaling him on the Spear of Light; A gift from our daemon ally Lightbringer.

Our suspicion that the Vault of the Greater Rune of Fire is located under the royal crypts of the Serath capitol was correct. We broke through the ceiling of the end of the corridor to the Vault yesterday afternoon.

We got a scout report this morning that a Vildmän army is marching right through the middle of the desert towards the Serath capitol. They're being led by two daemonic beings that are most likely what we know as "Enlightened." They're physically weak but very powerful magic casters and have a lesser form of the daemonic power to warp time. They also can only be harmed by magic or blessed weapons. So it pretty much goes without saying to steer well clear of them.

Here's something that'll be rightly terrifying for you: The Dark One has the capability to raise skrangs as undead and control them. We saw one in action at the ruins where our guy got his soul eaten by the Dark One. Thankfully Temrock took it out after destroying Horus, so we don't have to worry about that one. But still be extra wary out on the sands, especially if you are anywhere near the Dark One's forces.

Now, with all that said, what have you been doing? We saw your status was "preparing for combat" right before we switched to you, so who are you gearing up to fight and when?

We heard you thanking the gods for sending an angel to guide you, so who is it, what do they look like, and when did they arrive? How do you even know they're an angel sent to guide you? And how did you get the warning against the demon whom sailed across the stars? What does it look like? Have you seen this demon? How do you know it's really a demon? Just from what you've been told? What demonic things has it allegedly done?

How did you get that weapon laying next to your bed?! I assume that it's the one you said was "forged in the very heavens," yes? Because we've seen one just like it only once before, wielded by the alien "god" that descended on a beam of light from the center of Aerathin's Belt three months from now. As far as we know it is the only one that will have such a weapon in this world, so how the heck did you get that weapon?

[Display number of active AI and non-AI players] This'll tell us if Hugo is in play right now.
>>
No. 586829 ID: 2fd516

>>586827
Technically Temrock just cleaved Horus' head in two, and we summoned the spear of light to impale him, which was rather unnecessary.
>>
No. 586860 ID: 65a774
File 140673437751.png - (14.69KB , 900x450 , 10.png )
586860

>[Check Glossary for Purity, Purification]
[Purity is the influence the gods have over a pawn. A fully purified being will be bound completely to the will of the god.]
>[Scan objects sitting upon Durach's bed]
[Error! Gun model not in data base!]
>[Display number of active non-AI players]
[3 players found! Player Teal is currently playing! One player is in the lobby! One Player is in the Admin Lobby!]

>Oh, apologies if we're interrupting some prayer, Durach.
Ah, you’re back… good… I do hope you bring good news.
>Who are you talking to if you don't mind me asking?
Why, to the gods, of course.
>We saw your status was "preparing for combat" right before we switched to you, so who are you gearing up to fight and when?
We are close to the city now. Soon, we’ll march to try an attack the daemon forces from behind. They will not see it coming.

>Are you aware of the approaching undead Vildman army? And the "Enlightened" creatures with them?
I knew about the Vildmän but… enlightened?
>According to a book written by a Daemon…
Hmm… they sound dangerous. We better be careful.
>Here's something that'll be rightly terrifying for you: The Dark One has the capability to raise skrangs as undead and control them.
Skrangs!? Luckily we’ll be arriving from the rocky wastes and not over the sand dunes…

>Remember last time when we said if all went well we'd soon have the keystone that, with your two, would give us eight total? Well, it didn't go well, to put it very mildly.
…then we need to get back the stone from the Dark one before all is lost!
>Turns out Horus was killed months ago and the Dark One has been using his body as a puppet and a means to project his power into this world; An expensive means at that.
That would explain Horus sudden change of personality… he’s always been aggressive, but never outright murderous like he’s been the last few weeks.
>thankfully our man Temrock managed to destroy Horus by impaling him on the Spear of Light; A gift from our daemon ally Lightbringer.
Good, that will probably delay him further.
>Our suspicion that the Vault of the Greater Rune of Fire is located under the royal crypts of the Serath capitol was correct.
…then we’re only missing one last stone… the stone the Dark one is keeping. He’s bound to have a minion who carries it to the battle later today… he’ll probably focus all his forces to get down into the crypt.

>We heard you thanking the gods for sending an angel to guide you, so who is it, what do they look like, and when did they arrive?
It was a lizard made out of holy light, descending from the sky on glorious wings just a few minutes ago. He came with a warning, a warning of a daemon that had traveled across the very stars to corrupt our world!
>I would recommend caution trusting anything Angelic, but I trust you to have looked into that.
…yes, he was a bit… odd, even for a supposed angel. He didn’t seem to fully know how our world worked and… he seemed rather upset and left when he saw a human and mantis nearby… it was… odd, to say the least but he did give me a weapon to fight the dark one.
>How did you get the warning against the demon whom sailed across the stars? What does it look like? Have you seen this demon?
He said it would be a beast made out of green tentacles, with three golden eyes. I’ve heard descriptions of daemons that look something like that and when I told him, he gave me a weapon to defeat them.
>How did you get that weapon lying next to your bed?!
As I said, the angel gifted it to us. Supposedly, it will only work against the daemon he was hunting. I simply need to aim and press a button.
>Because we've seen one just like it only once before, wielded by the alien "god" that descended on a beam of light from the center of Aerathin's Belt three months from now.
…really? A “god”? …he wasn’t supposedly a beast made out of green tentacles with three golden eyes? …hmm… maybe he wasn’t hunting daemons… maybe it’s a war between gods? This is starting to get complicated.

Insert What happened to the simply story of Good vs. Evil!?
>>
No. 586870 ID: 40935b

>maybe it’s a war between gods?
That must be it. That must be the entropy Bob spoke of. Green is trying to be in charge of the north, pink already runs the serath, and black is trying to take over the empire in NUMB. Throw two gods into the mix and you've got more ambition that a dozen secretary generals.

Durach, if you think you can trust him that's fine, but you should know- 'purity' is functionally indistinguishable from corruption. Once someone is fully corrupted or purified, they're under total control of a daemon of god.

> Supposedly, it will only work against the daemon he was hunting.
I think it will work spectacularly against the enlightened. Just watch your backdrop.

>What happened to the simply story of Good vs. Evil!?
It turned into a kind of rage against the heavens, fight for the age of man kind of thing. I think. It could also be a metaphor for the eastern front for all I know.
>>
No. 586874 ID: 705162

The gun will likely work against the enlightened, but have a backup plan in case it doesn't. If it does work, be ready for the remaining one to go after you with everything it has.

>It turned into a kind of rage against the heavens
Which are themselves busy raging against each other. Aside from us there are two demon factions, the players who are mostly their own factions, and now two new gods who have it in for eachother.
>>
No. 586876 ID: d8a627

>3 players found! Player Teal is currently playing!
Hey, that's us!
>One player is in the lobby!
There's Hugo Perry. Three months and an extra 36 hours, was it?
>One Player is in the Admin Lobby!
...What? We have an admin now? I don't think we even have the right to belay any messages to them, so please word messages carefully!
>It was a lizard made out of holy light,
Truly? Perhaps the Old Gods did not fully die out, then.
>a warning of a daemon that had traveled across the very stars to corrupt our world!
Please understand, there are different forms of corruption. Daemons bend cultists to their will, Gods the devoted. Even should a nation believe in something wrong, to have their views changes is to have their traditions corrupted. This new God is something entirely different from anything seen before, completely out of place in the world. His very presence, therefore, is a form of corruption, but not of the Daemonic sort. We will look into it with our people themselves and try to understand what form the corruption will take. If it proves more harmful to the world than it does beneficial, we will assist the Resurrected God in containing and fixing his influence.
>he seemed rather upset and left when he saw a human and mantis nearby
...Pride? It figures that he's the Resurrected. He's the only Old God who could never truly die.
Shoot, this might not be good, he is true to his name and won't accept benefactors of any sort other than lizards.
And I don't know if you've noticed but we're not exactly lizards!
>I’ve heard descriptions of daemons that look something like that and when I told him
Ah, so your weapon is to deal with the False Daemons, rather than the New Gods. That is good. Still, use caution. Pride is capable of his own form of corruption, called Purification. He will have complete and total control over you just as a Daemon would anybody they corrupt.
(Somebody give me a primer, here? I woke up with The Magician and only studied this game, I haven't reached anywhere near understanding the world before)
>Supposedly, it will only work against the daemon he was hunting. I simply need to aim and press a button.
...That would certainly explain Perry's distraught when his weapon did, in fact, smite corrupted civilians into dust. That weapon is either stronger than the Gods expect, or it effects all forms of corruption. I can only hope it can treat corruption as separate from purity. Above all else, do not aim it at others in service to the Gods, unless you know their Gods to be malevolent.
(Somebody who knows Pride mind sending a message asking about these new entities?)
>>
No. 586881 ID: 2fd516

>>586860
Green tentacles with three golden eyes? I don't think that's what Hugo looks like, but he's wearing a suit so I can't be sure. Probably not, though. There's another player about to enter the game anyway, so it's quite possible that the "demon" is someone else. It's certainly not an actual daemon. Also, it's strange that the "Angel" would visit you. From what we know, the tentacle creature wouldn't show up anywhere near here. The description sounds so familiar though...

So uh anyway Durach we just looked up what Purification means and it's bad, like another form of Corruption. When Purification reaches 100% you will be taken control of by the "Angel" that visited you. You might think that'd be a cool thing and all but that guy was not a God nor had anything to do with the gods you worship. He's a mortal from outside this world that somehow has special access to the world's inner workings. It's like he stole his divinity. Thankfully your Purification levels are rising extremely slowly. I'm not sure if it's because you were praying or if the lizard is trying to take you over himself. I just hope it stops so you can retain your free will and so we can keep talking to you.
[check corruption of the Shaman]
[check admin messages]
[locate nearby sources of Purification]

Hey, you wouldn't happen to know of any locations where the Gods arrive in their Avatars? Come to think of it, where did this Angel descend? Is he still around? Speaking of people that are around, who else is with you now?
>>
No. 586891 ID: 2fd516

>>586876
>...Pride? It figures that he's the Resurrected. He's the only Old God who could never truly die.

No, if we have the timeline correct, by this time Pride was fine with the other races. It's some other racist lizard.

Also the player in the lobby right now is most likely not Hugo, unless he decides to wait 6 months for no reason. We're skipping around time, remember? Hugo must have entered the lobby at some point inside that gap.
>>
No. 586897 ID: 65a774
File 140674175902.png - (15.34KB , 900x450 , 11.png )
586897

>[check corruption of the Shaman]
[“The Shaman” is 0% corrupt and 1% pure and falling slowly!]
>[check admin messages]
[No unread admin messages found!]
>[locate nearby sources of Purification]
{Null}

>Durach, if you think you can trust him that's fine, but you should know- 'purity' is functionally indistinguishable from corruption. Once someone is fully corrupted or purified, they're under total control of a daemon of god.
…I guess darkness truly is on the other side of the coin to light, isn’t it?
>The gun will likely work against the enlightened, but have a backup plan in case it doesn't.
I… I wasn’t actually planning on using the gun on them, but to save it for the real daemon… but maybe I should give it a try?
>Aside from us there are two demon factions, the players who are mostly their own factions, and now two new gods who have it in for each other.
…and if my information of the outside world is correct, then most of the nations of the world are at each other’s throats. It won’t be long now before our peaceful world will erupt into war.

>...Pride? It figures that he's the Resurrected.
Pride? He didn’t seem particularly prideful… that’s was another thing that was odd about him… he seemed… rather distressed when some of the other lizards went on their knees and prayed for him… I think I overheard him muttering something about “ruining the Sakkilian legacy for a dead plant” or something…
>It's some other racist lizard.
I think you mean speciest… and I wasn’t so much… um… looking down at them as he was completely surprised that they even existed.
>Hey, you wouldn't happen to know of any locations where the Gods arrive in their Avatars?
…what? Can’t they just… you know, come down anywhere they want? They are gods, right? Gods don’t give two magpies about laws.
>Come to think of it, where did this Angel descend? Is he still around?
He came from the sky right in the middle of our camp. Said something about finding traces of something here that would lead him to the daemon? I think he said player? Oh, and as I said, he kind of left… he just flew away all the sudden.

>Speaking of people that are around, who else is with you now?
I got a camp full of the best soldiers all the tribes should muster in such a short time. We are preparing to end this demon threat once and for all!

:UnknownKAK: Shaman? We are ready to march again.
:DurachRUST: Good… (Well then, voices, was there something else before we leave for war?)

Insert I know I’ve heard that name somewhere else before_
>>
No. 586902 ID: 2fd516

>>586897
Oh good, the Purification is falling. It looks like it's based on proximity. You got 2% from the length of your exposure to the lizard admin, so compare that to how long you were talking to him and that will give you an idea of what the safe exposure length is. What did he say about a "player"? Was he talking about the tentacle creature, or maybe us?

You might want to save the gun for a last resort, actually. It's probably not magical. Hmm, it sounds like this world was originally made with just lizards, and the other species were added in later, most likely by the gods you worship.

Wait, how are you gonna end the daemon threat? Do you know where their main compound is, or something? Oh! We should warn you about other daemonic creatures. There are Corrupted, which are one-eyed tentacled cultists. The tentacles inject some sort of poison that causes rapid corruption of the victim, but it can be stopped by amputation of the wounded area. Then there are Shape Stealers, which are far more fragile Corrupted that can take on the shapes of others. They don't have a perfect act or secret knowledge the target knows, so you can often tell when you're talking to a Shape Stealer. There are also Death Knights, near-unstoppable warriors which carry swords they can extend at will to great lengths. You'd probably have to take them out at range, with "holy" weapons if possible.

I'm guessing the avatar thing isn't for admin players, but rather regular non-AI ones. Too bad you don't know where the tentacle creature would arrive. I guess it's possible that Hugo is the one the admin was talking about, but it's not like we have a gun like that where and when Hugo is.

Man, I really want to meet the admin now. Next time you meet him, tell him to send an admin message to player Teal.
>>
No. 586907 ID: d8a627

>{Null}
That's... disconcerting. The fact that it says Null means that it should work, but for some reason the, uh, magic behind it is missing. Otherwise it would say error.
I suppose maybe Purification was only added in the most recent change made by the Gods all those millennia ago... Or perhaps the Resurrected made it a thing.
>completely surprised that they even existed.
Yeah, considering the Plague Against Divine that killed all the gods (who were Human, Mantis, and Lizard, by the way), I suppose Pride would be surprised to see any that still lived. This may be a chance to repopulate the "heavens"...
...Did that sound as "weird" on your end as it did to me? Or perhaps wrong. I dunno. This world was made to be a game, the people having no actual free will and all that, it was only because the Gods died that people grew into, well, people.
>rather distressed when some of the other lizards went on their knees and prayed for him…
So, he's either the Administrator or he's sitting up in the lobby right now. I don't think he intended to appear as a God.
>you know, come down anywhere they want?
Administrator Gods can do so, yes, but there are also Player Gods. That's sort of what we are, only we chose guidance mode instead of avatar mode. The Gods that come down as an Avatar, which is what The Resurrected did, are limited in where they can come down at. I'm fairly certain that limit is for one specific location, and that's way in Amun. If I'm right, it means Resurrected is an Administrator God.
>I think he said player?
...I'm going to ready a draft to him, and leave it to vote whether or not to send it.
[Ready draft to Administration and Player Lobby, do not send: Are we the Demon, or is it the corrupted players? Please keep in lore, the magic of the Old Gods has attacked us over ignoring it. Our intention, in the whole, is to help everybody we can, although there are cases where we must erase certain objects or people. Corrupted Players, we have found, will be reborn free of corruption when slain by another player, but with a "Crossbow of the Gods," they might be erased completely.]
Durach, please do not pray to this lizard as though he is a god or an angel, but do not let that stop you from praying to him. Your prayers are recieved, but he is still mortal, just with access to Divine Armaments. That glow is probably some form of Divine Projection, where he appears to be there when he really is not.
>You might want to save the gun for a last resort, actually.
Oh, that's right! Let's summon the [Spear] for you. And call that weapon a Divine Crossbow to avoid the Old God's magic attacking us for using terms that should not exist, unless you were told a different name for it.
>Shape Stealers
Also, Shapestealers are the children of the Deciever. They may work under the other gods, but she is the one who can make them.
>>
No. 586915 ID: 9ddf68

>Well then, voices, was there something else before we leave for war?

Don't die

Oh and shit you can expect to face would be the enlighten which we have warned you about already, shape-stealers which are shape-shifting deamons that can devour someone and steal not only their form but also memories, and lastly Death-knights which are tough sons-of-bitches that are highly skilled fighters, know at least some magic, and have an enchanted weapon.
>>
No. 586916 ID: 40935b

We don't know how the enlightened fight, but we have seen one of those guns work at some point in the future. From what we hear of the capabilities of the enlightened, that weapon is near-perfectly suited to destroy them- it's unstoppable and invisible, meaning they can't magic their way out of harms way. However, it should probably be reserved as a last resort- there are plenty of Serath mages who may be able to deal with enlightened, and if you were only asked to destroy one target, you may only get once use out of it.

In the meantime, you be safe, and guide your people to victory! We'll see about convincing the Serath to flank them, and we'll make another try for that stone.
>>
No. 586919 ID: 9443d1

Where's the Lesser Rune? Does Mor'Kay still have it? If she does that'll be good. She's already heading to the Serath capitol. Oh, we forgot to mention this: Mor'Kay gave her demands to the Serathians and it was just for her, and her alone, to visit the royal crypt to pay her respects at the grave of her father. Of course it's certain she has something else in mind, but the Serathians still granted her demand, albeit with her escorted by a heavy guard. I dunno what she'd do once she's in there. She doesn't have the means to open the Vault, and she can't even get near it due to the guardian golems... Could she be planning to hand the Lesser Rune over to us?

Do you know if Mor'Kay's body has any hidden compartments in it or hollow areas that could be made into them? 'Cause when she comes in we want to make damn sure she isn't sneaking in a proverbial ace up her sleeve that'll fuck us over. Actually, for that matter, where did her body come from? A big metal lizard golem body and the means to transplant a soul/mind into it is far from common.

>…what? Can’t they just… you know, come down anywhere they want? They are gods, right? Gods don’t give two magpies about laws.
Uh... Have we told you that this world was built as a game for the gods? Well, it was, and thus it has rules for how the gods can behave in it. The player gods couldn't just drop out of the sky like that, but the gods who were tasked with managing the game and fixing problems can. Those were the admins. In fact, the admins could go anywhere and alter pretty much anything in the world. They also had the power to punish or expel any player gods who got out of line or broke the world somehow. But that makes me wonder why this lizard "angel" who appeared before you and has admin powers doesn't just expel the player god he's looking for from the game. Hm... Perhaps that god entering the world broke something, or it is so alien to the system design the exit system doesn't work for it.

>I… I wasn’t actually planning on using the gun on them, but to save it for the real daemon… but maybe I should give it a try?
Make sure to give it a try from a good long ways away since it almost certainly has a longer range than a crossbow. Just don't expect it to work. It was probably designed specifically to kill the "demon" and not anything else. It might not even activate if the target isn't what it's meant for. But do look at it after for any indication its ammo or power has gone down; There might be number or symbol that goes down, or a lit bar of light that shrinks.

Here, let us summon the Spear of Light so you'll have a weapon that we know works against daemonic entities. [Summon Spear of Light] Also, Jericho can summon the Spear to himself at will just by thinking or willing it, so perhaps you could to. Try that out and if it works it'll be very, very useful in a fight. If not then make sure not to lose grip of the Spear; We won't be around to summon it back for you.

>I got a camp full of the best soldiers all the tribes should muster in such a short time. We are preparing to end this demon threat once and for all!
Uh... It's going to take a lot more than the best soldiers of the Tribes to deal with the demon threat for good. I even doubt they'll do well against the Vildmen, let alone the Enlightened. I mean, the tribesmen are brave but realistically the Tribes don't have the gear, training and such to go up against Vildmen soldiers who've been fighting for years. I just... I have this bad feeling the Tribe soldiers are gonna be slaughtered out there.

Why don't you tail the Dark One's forces until they reach the city, then attack them behing once they're preoccupied attacking the city? Is there some reason you didn't choose that?

We know Jericho is looking forward to meeting you, so please don't die out there. If the battle looks like it's irrecoverably turning against you, flee and try to get away with the keystones. Them and your intel from the fight will help us more than you futility throwing yourself against the enemy.

[Message to Admin: You mind telling us who you are, what you are, how you got admin access and why did you gave our man Durach a gun and a mission to kill a "demon?" Especially without contacting us about it first. And what's this "Sakkilian legacy" he told us you mumbled about and why it's being ruined for a dead plant? And why were you so surprised to see humans and mantis in here?]
>>
No. 586922 ID: 2fd516

>>586919
Hmm... I bet the lizard doesn't have full admin access.
>>
No. 586925 ID: 65a774
File 140675410161.png - (15.85KB , 900x450 , 12.png )
586925

>[Message to Admin: You mind telling us who you are, what you are, how you got admin access and why did you gave our man Durach a gun and a mission to kill a "demon?"]


>Why don't you tail the Dark One's forces until they reach the city, then attack them behind once they're preoccupied attacking the city?
Err… that’s the plan?
>Uh... It's going to take a lot more than the best soldiers of the Tribes to deal with the demon threat for good. I even doubt they'll do well against the Vildmen, let alone the Enlightened.
Indeed, one of our spear men won’t stand a chance against a vildman, but we will hopefully have the element of surprise. Not only that, but we do have a lot of things to help us on the way, like our holy ice magic, weapons dipped in blessed water, better knowledge of the land and a lot of other interesting weapons. Besides, as far as I know those undead giants are mindless. If we kill whatever necromancer that controls them, probably those “enlighten”, they will simply cease.

>Where's the Lesser Rune? Does Mor'Kay still have it?
Indeed, she does.
>Mor'Kay gave her demands to the Serathians and it was just for her, and her alone, to visit the royal crypt to pay her respects at the grave of her father.
That was part of her plan, yes… she supposedly has a way to reach the vault as soon as she can enter the crypt.
>Do you know if Mor'Kay's body has any hidden compartments in it or hollow areas that could be made into them?
Most of the “body” is hallow.
>Actually, for that matter, where did her body come from?
Her body is simply a raised skeleton. Her armor, on the other hand, is made from a fine enchanted steel from the marches to the south.
>Yeah, considering the Plague Against Divine that killed all the gods (who were Human, Mantis, and Lizard, by the way), I suppose Pride would be surprised to see any that still lived.
…err… what?
>So, he's either the Administrator or he's sitting up in the lobby right now.

>Uh... Have we told you that this world was built as a game for the gods? Well, it was, and thus it has rules for how the go-
You know, those things are a bit… beyond me? Maybe we can go over them after the whole… err… war?

>Oh, that's right! Let's summon the [Spear] for you.
Ah, thank you. This will do nicely. You have my gratitude.
>We know Jericho is looking forward to meeting you, so please don't die out there.
Do not worry, I wish to meet him as well. Now, it’s time for us to march…





{Admin message: …who are you? What are you? Are you part of this… game?}
>You mind telling us who you are, what you are, how you got admin access.
{…I am a marine of the Sakkilian army, I am here to hunt down a… a criminal.}
>Why did you gave our man Durach a gun and a mission to kill a "demon?"
{The logs said he would meet the only player online in just a few moments before I gave him the gun. It has to be the plant!}
>What's this "Sakkilian legacy" he told us you mumbled about and why it's being ruined for a dead plant?”
{…This… construct was created by the mighty precursors to the Sakkil! I will not have some plant despoil it before we can dismantle it for knowledge!}
>Why were you so surprised to see humans and mantis in here?
{How can the Sakkil of old create Humans and Hivers!? They are far younger than their legacy! And having them… frolic with the Sakkil? We’re bitter enemies! The Great war has been raging since we first saw one of those monkeys and insects! …and now those plants and parasites too…}
>Are we the Demon, or is it the corrupted players?
{…what?}

Insert A new challenger appears!_
>>
No. 586930 ID: 9ddf68

[message to Admin: wait war, according to what we know there was some kind of plague over 1000 years ago that nearly wiped everyone out, before that this world was simply a game for people (who where mantis, humans, and lizards who where the only know intelligent races at the time) to kill an afternoon or something. This whole thing is basally an arcade game. Then the plague hit everyone died until about 9 months ago when we somehow ended up in here and have been seemingly trying to get the game's good end without much luck. Everything between the plague and truthfully a few days ago (which is as far back as we can remember) is just a giant blank... at least outside of the game, we got some good hints on what we've been doing in game for those nine months. Oh and we have absolutely no idea what the hell we are, I'm not even sure if we have a body.)

so is there anyone we should go see now or are we just waiting for things to start?
>>
No. 586934 ID: 40935b

>Are you part of this… game?
We were in your world once, before some great disease killed everyone like a thousand years ago. I guess that's nearly everyone, now that we know you're still alive. Anyway, we never had a physical body- we were just voices in peoples heads. Still are. We drift from person to person, giving advise as needed.

>They are far younger than their legacy! And having them… frolic with the Sakkil? We’re bitter enemies!
What do you mean 'younger than their legacy'? And every time we've been in your world, all the races coexisted. What's changed? Hell, give us a history lesson. It's been hundreds of years. You, the Sakkil, are lizards, correct? Who are the plants and parasites? And what did this plant do, anyway?

>dismantle it for knowledge!
Don't- you might destroy the simulation or kill everyone in here.
>>
No. 586935 ID: 705162

[message to Admin: Your precursors sound rather different from what we know of the precursors who build this construct. What do you mean about the Humans and Hivers being younger, and how exactly did you get here?]
I suspect that his own world is another game-world.
>>
No. 586939 ID: 2fd516

>>586925
Ah, a VR sim, like we thought. No, we're not a normal part of this game, but we are considered to be a Player. The plant will not arrive in the game for quite some time, and for that matter we would greatly appreciate it if you would not try to kill it.

As for why humans and mantids are here... Well, I hate to break it to you, but lizards, humans, and mantids have been around for far far longer than you know. Let me tell you a story.

Untold millenia ago, there was a planet. The planet where everything started. An advanced civilization made up of Humans, red and green Lizards, and a now-extinct subrace of short hairy humans called Dwarves lived there. Their technology advanced to the point where most of the world had weapons capable of destroying the planet's surface, and war was brewing. A group of six scientists, representing all the races, developed a device called Virtue that could suck out the life force of things as they died, or even kill them to get it. Said life force could be considered a creature's soul. Alongside Virtue, they either created or contacted us (we're not sure which), a sentient mass of that soul energy with the ability to perceive time nonlinearly and speak to people telepathically. They called us the Voices of the Many. With knowledge of the future, we tried to avert the apocalypse, but it happened anyway one way or another, at which point Virtue was activated. After the surface was destroyed and rendered uninhabitable due to Virtue sucking the souls out of anything that went aboveground, a civilization still survived underground, and were able to use ambient soul energy to do things that one could quite easily call magic. Golem creation, time manipulation, elemental manipulation, that sort of thing. We gathered up a group of skilled adventurers, claimed the focus stones that were needed to access Virtue while fighting evil golem replicas of the scientists and the insane AI inside Virtue itself, and gained control over it. We were able to deactivate the suction and promise a happy future for those on the planet. It also turned out the scientists involved had trapped their still-thinking souls inside Virtue.

At some point after the origin planet was saved, mantises showed up there. We're not sure where they came from, actually. It's likely that they evolved in a different underground sanctuary, and the races discovered eachother after the surface was made safe to live on. Anyway, it turns out that some of the more-crazy scientists were able to escape Virtue, and that anyone who is attuned to Virtue can claim the focus stones and take control of it. We guided an artificially Virtue-attuned mantis and her friends to find the focus stones before the reincarnated scientists could, claimed its power, and decided in the end to destroy the stones so that Virtue could never be used for evil nor wars waged over its power, and also so that the scientists inside could no longer reincarnate. Eventually, the mantis died, and we thought that was that. However, we did not realize one complication. We had spared one of the scientists, and while destroying the focus stones broke the link for those who were inside Virtue, the living scientist, nicknamed Pride, was still linked with it. Without the focus stones he could not use Virtue's power, but he was also unable to die. He reincarnated, over and over, living thousands of lives, dying in thousands of ways...

Now, cut ahead a few millenia. At some point, those on the origin planet had developed space-faring technology and spread out amongst the stars. At some point, however, archaeologists discovered the ruins of the ancient civilization on the origin planet, and came across the Virtue machine. The AI inside it tricked the scientists into re-activating the soul suction, and it was amplified to the extent that the ambient soul energy of the universe was drawn into and trapped in the machine. People near the source of the suction began to die, and those further away suffered from stillborn births. The universe faced extinction of all life. The AI was going to take in all the life force in the universe and destroy it. Before everything died, a last-ditch research effort was undertaken by Pride and a few other engineers I assume. Several AIs were designed to oversee a re-enactment, using biological robots, of the final few days on the origin planet. The purpose of this experiment was to attempt to create in a controlled environment an artificial soul which could withstand the suction of the Virtue machine, while also luring the insane AI into a trap to release all the stored soul energy. The plan succeeded with our aid, and life was once again possible throughout the cosmos. Those involved with these events go out and help re-seed the universe with new civilizations.

Fast forward some unknown amount of time, to the present day. From what you've told us, I am guessing you are the descendant of one of those new civilizations which were apparently NOT mixed-species, and our old friends gave you a fictional history, or you just plain lost track of history. Now you're talking to us, stuck in a simulation where we're trying to save the simulated yet still pretty much real world from a war between two factions of "Daemons", but we never quite succeed. There's always something that goes wrong. So we reset it, because we can do that for some reason. We try again, over and over, forgetting what we did last time each time we reset. So hi! You've found our purgatory.

So uh, that leaves me with a few questions. 1) What logs are you reading, that can predict the future? 2) How do you intend to disassemble the artifact the simulation runs on without killing everyone in the simulation? Simulated life still deserves to live. 3) What sort of administrator access do you have? What can you do? 4) Can you help us in our task to save the world from this war?

Feel free to ask us about the precursors.
>>
No. 586947 ID: d8a627

>…who are you? What are you? Are you part of this… game?
[Message: Not by choice of our own, but we are a part of the game. We were implanted four months ago, and are one of three active "players." There is one in the lobby right now, and then there is you, the Administrator.
>I am here to hunt down a… a criminal.
A criminal? We do not have the authority to demand anything of you, as we are at most a civilian, and from a group unaffiliated with yours, but could you tell us anything about this criminal, such as what his crimes are?
>The logs said he would meet the only player online in just a few moments before I gave him the gun.
I am sorry, but while we are, indeed, the one active player, that time has both already passed and is yet to come. Should you wish to deputize us, we will not use the power to make an immediate arrest, but we will investigate the circumstance and inform you of what is going on. You will have to wait <three> months, however, until he arrives before us shortly after you got the message.
...Yes, I am aware that sounds confusing. We are just as confused as you are.
>…This… construct was created by the mighty precursors to the Sakkil! I will not have some plant despoil it before we can dismantle it for knowledge!
Is that the fear, then? So far, this criminal has done nothing to the planet itself, only three denizens who had been corrupted.
Please understand: Corruption is not of data, but of mind. The game was built with Daemons included, and when they take control of somebody, be they a person or a player, that somebody is then considered corrupt. Conversely, players and administrators can take over the minds of the people in the game, through a process referred to as "Purification." For all we know, you might be purifying us just through this communication, since an Administrator is much, much more powerful than a standard player.
Corruption of data, or "Glitches," would be present in two locations that we currently know of. One is a dagger, held by our Queen piece, gifted from the King piece of Player Pink. The other is the criminal. I assume this glitch is why you have to resort to using the people of the game to catch him. If a player were to kill him, as another player, he would likely still be alive, just booted out of the game. If he is killed by an external weapon, such as what you gave The Shaman, Durach, it may result in a permanent death. Are you after his capture, or his death?
>How can the Sakkil of old create Humans and Hivers!? They are far younger than their legacy!
"The Sakkil of old"? They were known as Lizards back then. Humans were still Humans, but "Hivers" were known as Mantises. They did not have these fancy names, just their species. Your species had a precursor, so did theirs. While the precursors found peace with one another, do not think this requires the Sakkil to find peace with the Humans and Hivers--it simply took their species far longer to return than it did yours. If peace is to come, it will find its way through all three species. But, please, do not think of the people of this world as those without-they are modeled after the precursors, after all.
>…and now those plants and parasites too…
Plants and parasites? I believe we met a plant, though he's wearing a suit that hides his appearance, but the parasite? We haven't seen anything of them yet. We were a friend to many of the precursors, and could tell you much about them, but we've also been... absent from the universe at large, since some time before they vanished.]
>until about 9 months ago
Uh, it was four months ago. Beyond that, we've been jumping around since here and nine months in the future.
>>
No. 587012 ID: 9443d1

>>586939
Well, this is basically the summary of our history I wanted to say except said better than I could have said it, so kudos to my fellow voice for that.

Of course we don't expect that you'll believe at all what we've said of our history and that's perfectly understandable. But there is evidence to part of what we've said right here and you even saw it yourself. This construct you're in, presumably built by the Sakkil's precursors long, long before the Sakkil's first contact with humans or mantis, contains people of both of those species. This shows that all three species existed together back then. Can you come up with a more reasonable explanation then that?

Do you know how long it's been since the precursors died out? If so could you please tell us what it is in the precursor's calendar years, since those are the ones we'll know the length of; We'd check the system clock but it's broken. And could you also tell us the ratio of time passage in here compared to outside. We have a rough estimate that it's at least a hundred times faster (from when it took two or three game-time hours for that real world minute to pass before Daithi leveled up) but we'd like to have a more solid number.

Could you tell us where this relic of your precursors is located, how it was found and the situation around it currently. Just how did this plant person you seek manage to get at it at all? I'd figure it would be guarded in some way. And why have a marine come in here to hunt the plant down? And for that matter, why do you need to seek the plant out within this world? I don't know what kind of hardware is used to connect into this world from outside but wouldn't the plant's body be connected to a machine and basically stationary and defenseless? Why not track it down out there?

And your people plan to dismantle this construct?! That's terrible! It would destroy it and all those who live in it! While it may have started as a mere game, in all the time its been going the pieces within have grown and become truly intelligent; They're people now. The construct and the world within it should be carefully studied as is, not pulled apart and the pieces examined.
>>
No. 587110 ID: 65a774
File 140679829450.png - (21.14KB , 900x450 , 13.png )
587110

>Wait what war? According to what we know there was some kind of plague over 1000 years ago that nearly wiped everyone out.
{The great war between the Sakkil, Humans and Hivers of course! It has been going on for hundreds of years! …wait, a plague? Are you speaking of the great cataclysm that killed of the precursors and ensured the great collapse of the Sakkil Empire of old? That happened thousands of years ago!}
>What do you mean 'younger than their legacy'? And every time we've been in your world, all the races coexisted.
{…every time you have seen the world? You mean the world in the game?}
>Hell, give us a history lesson. It's been hundreds of years.
{About four thousand years ago, the great Sakkil empire that had conquered the galaxy crumbled from an unknown catalyst. We survived on our new home planet of Patria but were cast back thousands upon thousands of years technologically. Two hundred years ago we were able to leave our star system and colonize our first world… then we met the Humans and Hivers… and since then the Great War has been raging across the stars. We reached a standstill until two years ago, when those freaking Plant people attacked us.}

>You, the Sakkil, are lizards, correct?
{Lizards!? LIZARDS!? How dare you! Do not stoop down to the level of those… monkeys and insects!}
>Who are the plants and parasites?
{They call themselves the Uredo and Cibic respectably. They are evil creatures allied to another and only wish for the complete destruction of all other species.}
>And what did this plant do, anyway?
{Our first contact with the Uredo was when they torched one of our colonies killing thousands without warning. Since then we’ve been in a bloody war.}
>Are you after his capture, or his death?
{We accept no surrender.}
>The plant will not arrive in the game for quite some time, and for that matter we would greatly appreciate it if you would not try to kill it.
{…it will need to pay for the crimes it’s species has done. We will not allow it to destroy anything else!}

>Let me tell you a story…
{…that’s… what? Most of that was gibberish but… some of it does fit with the data we’ve found… but… it’s not…}
>Well, I hate to break it to you, but lizards, humans, and mantids have been around for far far longer than you know.
{…so the rumors are really true? The Sakkil supremacy is just… just propaganda? Both Human and Hivers both have the same legacy… no…}
>This construct you're in, presumably built by the Sakkil's precursors long, long before the Sakkil's first contact with humans or mantis, contains people of both of those species. This shows that all three species existed together back then. Can you come up with a more reasonable explanation then that?
{…it has to be true… all this time; we’ve thought we were destined for greatness…}

>What logs are you reading, that can predict the future?
{Predict the future? It simply said a player was transferring to that location.}
>How do you intend to disassemble the artifact the simulation runs on without killing everyone in the simulation?
{…they seem to be functioning without the aid of the machine that surrounds them, do they not?}
>It would destroy it and all those who live in it! While it may have started as a mere game, in all the time it’s been going the pieces within have grown and become truly intelligent; They're people now. The construct and the world within it should be carefully studied as is, not pulled apart and the pieces examined.
{As interesting as this simulation is, the technology surrounding it is far more important.}
>What sort of administrator access do you have? What can you do?
{…I do not know… I simply accessed one of the terminals with username “Admin” and Password “password”.}
>Can you help us in our task to save the world from this war?
{…why would I care what happens in the simulation?}

>Could you also tell us the ratio of time passage in here compared to outside.
{…it’s changing the passage of time? …yes, I can see it… when I’m connected to this terminal time almost stands still outside… intriguing… wait… let me count… it seems… if my math is correct, one second in the real world is… about… 720 seconds in the simulation.}
>Could you tell us where this relic of your precursors is located, how it was found and the situation around it currently?
{We found a grand steel cylinder on a barren world in the middle of nowhere space; we accidently stumbled upon it when we were chasing a fleeing Uredo.}
>Just how did this plant person you seek manage to get at it at all? I'd figure it would be guarded in some way.
{We’ve yet found any kind of defense mechanism in here. This place seems to be unguarded.}
>Why do you need to seek the plant out within this world? I don't know what kind of hardware is used to connect into this world from outside but wouldn't the plant's body be connected to a machine and basically stationary and defenseless?
{Because he isn’t connected to a machine, he entered the simulation in the flesh… err… plant! Your world isn’t digital, you know. Either way, I… you have said much that we need to take into… consideration… I need to log out… do not worry, I will find the criminal and ensure everything goes back to how it once was.}
{Admin has logged off!}



[Unregistered beings detected in the main compound… Exterminate? Y/N?]
[…]
[N]

[Please select a character to follow!]
>>
No. 587120 ID: 27ba4a

>he entered the simulation in the flesh
wait, if he entered does that mean others can leave?
>>
No. 587125 ID: d8a627

>[Please select a character to follow!]
Wait, can we follow Mor'kay? I'm guessing not, it probably means select a pawn, since administration conversation seems to disconnect us partially. Let's check on Ilbir, "The Scholar" No, wait, Tera should have been woken by now and is with Jericho. Let's check on her.
>>
No. 587127 ID: dbe554

We should check up on her, we've been accidentally ignoring her a bit. Hey Tera wake up people are looking for you!
>>
No. 587133 ID: 9443d1

>>587125
I don't think Tera will be with Jer. The royal necromancer said not to be disturbed due to the delicate procedure he was performing on Jer, so he's very likely not going to want her coming in midway.

>>587127
Eliraz was on his way to wake Tera up when we left him, so we really don't have to do it ourselves. And if I remember correctly, Tera was actually with us quite a bit last time we were here, up until she started playing Q&Q with the harem.

Actually, the one we haven't seen in quite awhile is Ilbir. He left for his dinner date to propose to Kranhon before we even reached the chamber with The Human in Green's flawed Harvester body. I say we switch over to him, see what he's been up to and then he can join the rest of the group so we can get him up and the others up to speed on what's happened. [Switch to "The Scholar"]

>Unregistered beings detected in the main compound…
What does this mean? That we were detected and the Sakkil chose not to exterminate us? But it was after he logged off... Or could it be the "main compound" is where the Sakkil are and it was us who said to not exterminate them? Hm... [Define and indicate location of "main compound"] [Define "unregistered beings"]
>>
No. 587139 ID: 40935b

Maybe we need to keep the players at peace so we can prove to everyone on the outside, that peace is possible. If the war inside stops, the gods will see the coexistence of the past and- with a little pushing from us- may try for peace. If the war outside stops, they won't rush to scrap the simulation.

We need to have a big peace conference with all the players to explain the situation.
>>
No. 587144 ID: 65a774
File 140682398092.png - (12.33KB , 900x450 , 14.png )
587144

>[Define and indicate location of "main compound"]
[The “Main compound” is the core of the ARP project. It houses the main computer and admin access.]
[Warning! Unregistered beings detected in main compound!]
[Warning! Unregistered being has accessed Admin controls! Locking down vital admin commands!]
>[Define "unregistered beings"]
[Unable to find creatures in database! Unable to find regi-
[Your access to these functions has been removed by AI (Main Core)!]



>[Switch to "The Scholar"]
:IlbirRUST: ~♪
:TemrockRUST: Can you stop being so damn happy! This is serious!
:IlbirRUST: Sorry…
:TemrockRUST: Right… so where were we?
:XaldinRUST: We were discussing were the daemon army will strike. Hmm… do we have any dead lying around for them to claim?
:UriRUST: I don’t believe we do, we burn all our dead, after all.
:IlbirRUST: Hmm… yet, it feels like we’re forgetting something…
:TemrockRUST: We do know they have undead down in the wells. They will probably strike down in the lower city, surrounding the walls from both sides.
:UriRUST: There are some wells in the middle city too. What if they strike there too?
:XaldinRUST: There’s thousands of drunkards in the middle city right now thanks to the festival the Princess pulled. There’s no way we can get them out of there in time…
:TemrockRUST: Hmmm… an army of undead giants coming from the north being led by demon spawns and an army of undead coming from down below… they are probably being led by demon spawns too… this is a rather sticky situation… can someone pass the salt?

Insert Meetings behind closed doors_
>>
No. 587150 ID: dbe554

Ilbir? Are you there? We can't see you, give a little jump or something so we can tell where you are.
>>
No. 587160 ID: 40935b

[scan Xaldin, scan uri]

We have information, some more immediately urgent than others- a great number of tribals are behind the vildman army and are prepared to flank them as soon as they attack. If we can take out those enlightened, they won't be able to lead the army.

Second bit of good news- the gods are back, we've spoken to one. A thousand years ago, a disease spread across their civilization, and the three species somehow became separated. They've only recently gained the ability to travel across the stars again, and each species warred with each other as soon as they made contact. This world here- which the gods say is more than a simulation, for those of you with existential crises- is a remnant of the old, precursor civilization where all three species coexisted, and each species has no recorded history of that time.

Now the bad news- one of the empires- they call themselves the sakkil, we believe they are the lizards- are planning to disassemble the world so they can learn how it works. We've slowed them down by explaining the precursor origins of this place, but we'll need a more long term solution. That's where we need pinks help. After the daemons are dealt with, we need to prevent a war between nations. If the gods can see how they used to coexist thousands of years ago, they might, with some pushing, try for peace. With the was effort gone, they won't need to take this world apart.
>>
No. 587161 ID: 2fd516

>>587144
[message to AI(Main Core): Hello? Can you speak with us? What is the ARP project? Did those unregistered beings just kill the Sakkil we were talking to? That would explain why he's not here when the Uredo arrives in the game. Can we get a physical description of the unregistered beings?]
[query species information: Cibic]
(hmm, considering the time dilation, 6 months on the inside is 6 hours on the outside.)
Oh my god is that drumstick STILL stuck on the chandelier?

Oh, we have some good news. A small army of tribals will be ambushing the undead from behind once the battle starts. We have a man on the inside who will be leading the strike force. He carries with him a powerful unearthly weapon that could turn the tide. We also know the enemy's objective is to get inside the Crypt and access the Vault. However, we should expect the bulk of their forces to simply try to kill everyone in the upper and middle cities- only a small force will be sent to the Crypt, because they only need to get the carrier of the keystone inside there. I suggest we set up a trap/ambush to get the keystone, then access the Vault with Mor'Kay's help while the battle still rages so that we can maybe use its power to win.

Now, we've been told this by a daemon in the future:
"No, the lower city wasn’t supposed to be harmed… but, if I remember correctly, the reason why that attack failed was because of the player there and the mad Jailor used the innocent of the lower city as human shields to protect themselves when the attack on the higher city came."
Now, I'd like to immediately point out that this is information given to us by an enemy, but so far the enemy seems unaware that we are experiencing the future and the past at approximately the same time, so it's unlikely this is misinformation. On the other hand, it's quite likely that it's propaganda. For instance, there's more than one "player" here. There might even be THREE if Mor'Kay gets here before the battle starts.

As for the drunkards in the middle city... can you try to funnel the enemy forces into the upper city so that the minimum amount of innocents are killed?
>>
No. 587182 ID: d8a627

>[Your access to these functions has been removed by AI (Main Core)!]
...Man I hate the Old God's Golems sometimes.
>>587150
He's right infront of the raptor's image.
[Message AI (Main Core): We keep learning more and more about the remains of the Old Gods. Are you a part of their game, or something brought about by the new players? There are questions we wish to ask, but not all of them pertain to the game's lore, so if you feel our questions are out of place, just give us another warning, please. It is much to difficult to know what questions are considered "cheating" until we are told.]
>which the gods say is more than a simulation
Specifically, it started out as just a game. It was after time with the people being alive with no Gods to guide them that they started to gain souls. After about four thousand years (We have a number now!), the strength of your souls matches that of the people outside the game, and so they no longer treat this as a game as their ancestors did.
Say, a little unrelated to the current situation, but we've met Mor'kay, and by extention, Player Red, have we not? How come we've never actually contacted Player Red?
>>
No. 587186 ID: 9443d1

Hello, Ilbir. Uh... Where are you? Ah, there you are, behind the roast raptor... Do they really need to serve a whole roast raptor at breakfast...? Um. Anyway, going by your status last night and chipper attitude this morning I assume Kranhon said "yes," so congratulations! Now we just have to win this thing so you two live to see your wedding day.

Oh, and we have a free pawn slot now, so we're probably going to claim Kranhon soon so there isn't a risk of a hostile player taking him. There won't be a problem with that, will there?

Now, we just spoke with Shaman Durach; He's the leader of that big group of tribesmen that broke off from Mor'Kay after Deadhollow Pass. He's rounded up as many of the best soldiers the tribes have he could get on short order and is planning to attack the undead Vildmen army from the rear while they're attacking the city. Durach says they have holy ice magic and holy water, plus a few other tricks, to use against them, so it's not going to end up with tribesmen slaughtered all over.

Durach also said that Mor'Kay has the Lesser Rune needed to open the Vault and supposedly has a way to get directly to the Vault entrance once she's in the crypt. Since her plan that Durach knows about hinged on it we have to assume it's for real.

Also, Durach told us that after Deadhollow Pass Eliros broke off from both his and Mor'Kay's groups with those loyal to him and that he's making his own way to the capitol. We have no idea what his plan is for when he gets here or even who's side he's on.

Since the Enlightened float, I wouldn't consider it a stretch to imagine they can fly as well. That means one of them could bypass all our ground defenses and go right for the middle or upper city. How many mages do we have on hand that could be stationed up there to watch for that.

While you do cremate your dead which does prevent the Dark One from claiming them, that doesn't keep him from claiming those that are cut down during the fight.

I assume all the wells in the middle city have been already been greased, capped, and have soldiers guarding them, same as in the lower city, right? If not, do that. And would it be possible to relocate all the people in the middle city into the upper city to protect them while the battle is going on?

About how long is a skrang? If they're longer than the city's cliffs are tall, then perhaps the Dark One will use his undead skrangs as troop carriers to get the undead Vildmen up into the city. Either they ride on its back or down its gullet and it pukes them back out at the top.

Ilbir, that flying basket you put together yesterday, how far away and how high up from the person controlling it can it fly before they lose control, and how much weight can it carry? 'Cause I've got the idea we could rig it up with strong explosives or holy water (whichever would be more effective against the target) and use it to make a precision strike against a high-value target. Send it up high into the sky really slowly so the flying runes don't overheat, position it over the target, then guide it in real fast.

What's the limit for how much water can be blessed into holy water at once? 'Cause I just got the crazy idea to bless all the water in the wells and subterranean lake.

[Message to Red: We hear you're fond of the long game, so how long have you been playing this particular game, and who is it against?]
>>
No. 587187 ID: 9ddf68

Can't you just block off the wells? I mean just put down giant stone slabs or something and bolt them down and when everything is said and down just remove the slabs and BAM wells back.

Also make sure that every company of solders has at least one guy with a mirror, we can expect to be fighting Wraths, Enlighten, Shape-stealers, and death knights so something that can see through illusion bullshit will be really nice. Also since they're going to be attacking with undead can our necromancers do anything about that?

>[Your access to these functions has been removed by AI (Main Core)!]

heh, makes you wonder whether or not we're prisoners as well.
[message to main Core: Hello, is someone there?]
>>
No. 588734 ID: cae5f0

>Hmm… yet, it feels like we’re forgetting something…

Well, its a fight against undead forces, and if You go deep enough then everything is littered with dead Material. Wouldn't suprise me, if they had something crazy like siegeweapon that assemble themselves with bonematerial hidden under the sand.

Sir Daniel Anderson mentioned this Fight, and something about the nobles using the others as living shields. I guess that was some kind of "interpretation" of the decision to bring the people up into the higher city.
>>
No. 588747 ID: 9443d1

>>588734
I seriously doubt that the Dark One is going to expend the very large amount of energy it'd take to pull enough bone fragments out of the sands to assemble into troops or war machines, let alone the energy needed to animate them. However, are there locations in the Serath that have a large number of the remains of the dead? We know that Deadhallow Pass has, or maybe now had, a large number of tribal remains that were raised in ambush against Mor'Kay's forces, so are there any other places in the Serath that have bodily remains like that pass?

...Huh. Now that I think about it, why did the tribes leave the remains of their dead in Deadhallow Pass in the first place? With their strong hatred of necromancy I'd figure they'd cremate or otherwise render their dead unable to be raised as undead every chance they'd get; Especially if the bodies are where Serathians would know where they are.

Also, we should be watching in all directions from the city, not just north and under, and not commit our forces totally to defending those two directions since that'll leave us open to a surprise attack from any of the others. Since the Dark One has undead skrangs, I'm thinking one way that he could use them is as troop carriers for undead under the sands; Deep under the sand, since undead don't need to breathe. So a undead skrang with an Enlightened and a contingent of undead in it could worm through the deep sand around to the other side of the city undetected, pop out there and disgorge its contents.

Oh, and we know that the Blood God used yeti bones in addition to human and lizard ones in a "bone wagon" demonic construct, so the remains the Dark One could use for undead or constructs aren't limited to just those of fully intelligent beings. He might be able to use animal bones and flesh as well, so we have to take that into consideration and render any animal remains unusable for that.

And speaking of the undead; How goes the Academy's work on Varius' notes? Is it looking like they'll be able to duplicate his necro-attachment procedure in time to stick Thaark and Thuul's heads on new bodies and raise them before they decay too far?

Have a message sent to the Magus telling him that Bob told us that today The Human in Green's link to this world would be severed and he, or rather his mind, would die due to having been in this world for so long it wouldn't survive in the daemon realm. We don't know if there's any way we can stop that from happening, but we can speak with the Magus about any possible actions he or us could take.

We also scanned Sultan Leanah last night and saw that she is a free pawn, although with the strong notice that "this pawn will fight back." We'd like to talk with her about the possibly of us claiming her and if she'd agree to it and not fight back. Though, we might not even claim her if agrees to since we'll likely use our free slot to claim Kranhon and may not release another pawn to make room. But if the situation changes and we either lose or release a pawn and we have the opportunity to claim Leanah, we'd best hash this out ahead of time so we don't end up making her angry with us for trying to.

[Message to Pink: Do you have access to the command that shows the number of both AI and non-AI players? If you do please use it and tell us what it says.]
>>
No. 588748 ID: 65a774
File 140753683790.png - (12.55KB , 900x450 , 15.png )
588748

Warning, this update was made under the effect of jetlag. I haven’t slept for about 36 hours so expects some errors. You have been warned… also, I can’t for the life of me remember if I’ve given Xaldin a pawn name or not…

>[scan Xaldin, scan uri]
[“The Knight of light” belongs to player Pink!]
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Guard Captain!]
>[message to AI(Main Core): Hello? Can you speak with us?]
[Error! Unable to find AI(Main Core)!]
>[query species information: Cibic]
[… … … no information found under the subject “Cibic”…]
>[Message to Pink: Do you have access to the command that shows the number of both AI and non-AI players? If you do please use it and tell us what it says.]
[Message from Pink: I am sorry, but no. I can’t access that information.]
>[Message to Red: We hear you're fond of the long game, so how long have you been playing this particular game, and who is it against?]
[Message from Red: It’s against several, and for several. Do not worry, part of my plan require you to succeed… I will move some of my pawns to make sure you do. Oh, and Blue has yet to reveal his hand, so be cautious. He is working for the demons, even if he doesn’t know it…]

>Ilbir? Are you there? We can't see you, give a little jump or something so we can tell where you are.
:IlbirRUST: (Huh? I’m right here? Next to the roasted raptor?)
>Do they really need to serve a whole roast raptor at breakfast...?
:IlbirRUST: (Well, it’s actually leftovers from yesterday but… um… it is kind of a special occasion… for me, at least.)
>Um. Anyway, going by your status last night and chipper attitude this morning I assume Kranhon said "yes," so congratulations.
:IlbirRUST: (And he said it in such a wonderful way… err… either way, thank you.)

>We have information, some more immediately urgent than others- a great number of tribals are behind the vildman army and are prepared to flank them as soon as they attack.
:UriRUST: Wait? Tribals? Aren’t we fighting-
:XaldinRUST: There are more than one faction among the tribes…
:TemrockRUST: Either way, that’s some great news! We need every sword arm we can get!
>We also know the enemy's objective is to get inside the Crypt and access the Vault.
:IlbirRUST: Well, yes, that is a pretty obvious target…
>However, we should expect the bulk of their forces to simply try to kill everyone in the upper and middle cities- only a small force will be sent to the Crypt, because they only need to get the carrier of the keystone inside there.
:TemrockRUST: Hmmm, why wouldn’t they focus on the lower city? There are more people there… err… normally, that is, to turn into undead then in the upper cities.
> Now, we've been told this by a daemon in the future: "No, the lower city wasn’t supposed to be harmed…”
:IlbirRUST: Ah, so they have some decency to spare the poor?
:UriRUST: They probably want living slaves…
:XaldinRUST: Or they want to take over the city and its people. Those in the lower city can’t afford servants, so they probably don’t see them as an enemy.
>Since the Enlightened float, I wouldn't consider it a stretch to imagine they can fly as well.
:TemrockRUST: I’ll order some mages to keep watch over the sky, then.

>Can you try to funnel the enemy forces into the upper city so that the minimum amount of innocents are killed?
:TemrockRUST: That would give the enemy direct access to some far more important structures… like the palace, grand temple and it’s cold storage, the main water reservoir and not to speak of all the noble families.
>Would it be possible to relocate all the people in the middle city into the upper city to protect them while the battle is going on?
:XaldinRUST: There’s not enough space to put everyone up there… and not enough time either.
>Durach also said that Mor'Kay has the Lesser Rune needed to open the Vault and supposedly has a way to get directly to the Vault entrance once she's in the crypt.
:TemrockRUST: We are going to put her under constant watch when she arrive. She will need to have a rather large ace up her sleeve to get into the vault undetected.

>About how long is a skrang?
:IlbirRUST: Um… really long?
>If they're longer than the city's cliffs are tall, then perhaps the Dark One will use his undead skrangs as troop carriers to get the undead Vildmen up into the city.
:UriRUST: …is that even possible?
:TemrockRUST: …that would explain why they are using them. They would be rather worthless otherwise thanks to all the hard rock around here.
:XaldinRUST: We’ll need extra men up on the middle city wall.
:TemrockRUST: Aye, let’s surprise them by being prepared for their little trick.
>Ilbir, that flying basket you put together yesterday, how far away and how high up from the person controlling it can it fly before they lose control, and how much weight can it carry?
:IlbirRUST: Err… that thing is still in its testing phase, alright? There’s still some way to go before we can make a weapon out of it.
>What's the limit for how much water can be blessed into holy water at once? 'Cause I just got the crazy idea to bless all the water in the wells and subterranean lake.
:XaldinRUST: Blessing water is more than just some priest saying some words over a body of water. There are rituals, sacred artifacts and containers to consider. Short answer, no, we can’t bless a lot of it at once.

>Also make sure that every company of soldiers has at least one guy with a mirror, we can expect to be fighting Wraths, Enlighten, Shape-stealers, and death knights so something that can see through illusion bullshit will be really nice.
:UriRUST: We’ve already distributed as a many mirrors and reflective surfaces as we should find.
>Well, it’s a fight against undead forces, and if You go deep enough then everything is littered with dead Material.
:IlbirRUST: That won’t work! You need most of the original body to make an undead… well, you can make miss and match skeletons… kind off… they are rather weak and… err… right, so making leather armor into an undead raptor won’t work… there’s a reason why we got a cold storage in the grand temple, you know.
>However, are there locations in the Serath that have a large number of the remains of the dead? We know that Deadhallow Pass has, or maybe now had, a large number of tribal remains.
:IlbirRUST: Deadhallow pass was the closest… and we already used it. Besides, those skeletons barely lasted ten minutes.
>...Huh. Now that I think about it, why did the tribes leave the remains of their dead in Deadhallow Pass in the first place?
:TemrockRUST: Mostly because they generally think that place is cursed and generally keep away from it. They aren’t really… organized, you know.

>Second bit of good news- the gods are back, we've spoken to one.
:IlbirRUST: Wait, what!?
:TemrockRUST: WHAT!?
:XaldinRUST: Are you sure!?
:UriRUST:
>A thousand years ago, a disease spread across their civilization, and the three species somehow became separated. They've only recently gained the ability to travel across the stars again…
:TemrockRUST: …they are starting to sound like old Red… are they being corrupted or are they just going mad?
:IlbirRUST: Um… let’s… err… let’s just roll with it for now, right?
>Now the bad news- one of the empires- they call themselves the sakkil, we believe they are the lizards- are planning to disassemble the world so they can learn how it works.
:IlbirRUST: Oh, great, not only do we have to worry about demons invading the city, now the gods wants to destroy the world too!?
>If the gods can see how they used to coexist thousands of years ago, they might, with some pushing, try for peace.
:TemrockRUST: Err… you do realize there’s thousands of years of feuds in the world, right? They won’t just mend because we defeat some demons.
:XaldinRUST: Same goes for those “gods” you spoke of. I don’t think they will stop fighting because a bunch of squids tells them.

[Message from Player Blue: I have come to join the cause against the demon lords. I have soldiers willing to join and information about their plans and strategies, so please let my pawns into the city.]

Insert Back from the dead_ 
>>
No. 588783 ID: 2fd516

>>588748
[message to Blue: Which pawns, how many soldiers? We know how gung-ho you are about waging war against slavers, and we've already witnessed you kill one of your own pawns. What assurance do we have you won't betray or deceive us? Knowledge of the enemy's plans can be relayed through us, anyway.]

Blue wants into the city. I don't trust him, he's too kneejerk anti-slaver to ally wholly with us.

You know, we were also told that a "player" in the city used the citizens of the lower city as human shields. It's possible that's propaganda spread through the enemy's own ranks, but it's ALSO possible that the enemy will be killing lower city citizens to raise them from the dead and bolster their own forces. Actually, the middle city citizens will definitely be raised as enemy forces since we can't evacuate them, and they aren't supposedly protected like the lower city. What can we possibly do to prevent that?
>>
No. 588786 ID: d8a627

>We are going to put her under constant watch when she arrive.
I, for one, have trust in Red and his King. I believe Mor'Kay will want to see Jericho, in adition to visiting the tomb. Red's victory involves our victory, and our victory requires, well, careful use of the keystones. It's probable that, before we got reset and made Jericho our king, we recruited Red into our attempts. As a non-AI player, we have a set goal that will not change just because we have been reset. (That's another thing AI can stand for--Alternating Ideas!)
>Short answer, no, we can’t bless a lot of it at once.
Not unless we decide to summon Bob to bless it all for us.
No, I don't believe that's a smart idea; Bob loves fear, and generating enough fear to convince him to bless the water reserves would be harmful to the civilians.
> …they are starting to sound like old Red…
...Are you serious? Did Red recruit us? I... I'm going into a lot of speculation over this, but I think that Red must have seen a non-AI arriving into the game and steered them into being Teal, to help with his plans. That non-AI is us. And like I said, our advantage is that we don't change our ideals just because of a reset. AI-based players, on the other hand, only lose a certain amount of progress. Red had enough progress to keep his ideals, at least, even after the Sultan killed him. Furthermore, we've been at this for four months... That's about twelve cycles through this.
...And even with twelve cycles through, Red dies before the cycle. There are three possibilities to explain around this: One, he's a non-AI just as we are. Two, he's being lead by a Daemon. He has not given signs of being corrupted, though, so if it is a Daemon, it's one that does not force others into their ways. Three, he doesn't know that we loop around, and sent his King's Son to us when it was time to start our work. That third one sounds the most likely, but then, how would he have known about us in advance?
[Message Red: What is our history? Something must be guiding you to make the choice to entrust your victory with ours, but our history, from our perspective, started when Jericho became our king, and stretches into around twelve circles covering the following year's worth of time in each circle.]
...Or maybe a fourth answer is the truth. It's possible that we, the squids, were once Player Red. When we, as a non-AI, are slain, we don't get to reset, and instead lose our status as Player and have to go back to watching. If we are able to enter the world once more, it would be as another color.
[Message Red: What is our relationship? Are we the metaphorical offspring of your old self? Did you once hold the mantle we now carry? Er, forgive me if that sounds odd, but I cannot think of a better way to word it.]
>Message from Player Blue
...Blue just started talking to us. [Echo messages from and to Blue]
[Message Blue: How many pawns do you have? After the corruption encountered in previous pawns of yours, we will likely need to have a wizard accompanying any, possibly even have a priest ensure that they are not corrupted. It is a matter of not simply our pawns, but some of our allies' pawns as well, to agree whether or not to allow you in, under any circumstance. The fact that we cannot directly scan your pawns has lead to some paranoia as to whether they were simply corrupted, or if you had taken control of them, so please understand our caution.]
>>
No. 588789 ID: 40935b

>are they being corrupted or are they just going mad?
>Are you sure!?
...[check corruption]
What are you talking about? We've always been insane. But yes, we're sure- the weapon Durach has should be proof of that.

> you do realize there’s thousands of years of feuds in the world, right?
Feuds are fine- just put them on hold until the fate of the world doesn't depend on it. We just need the gods to see something other than a momentous clusterfuck of a land grab going on down here when we ask them to give peace a chance.

> I don’t think they will stop fighting because a bunch of squids tells them.
We 'bunch of squids' have existed since before the dawn of their empire, and the empire before that, and the empire before that. We 'bunch of squid' saved every soul in existence- that's all life that ever was and will be- from certain doom, three times. Were the closest equivalent to a higher power saying 'cut that shit out' as can be. So unless you have a better idea, we're giving this a shot.

Now, red says he's shuffling some pawns so we succeed, and not to trust blue, as blue works for the Deamons without knowing it. Blue says they are willing to join against the daemon lords, and have soldiers and knowledge of the daemon's plans, with a request to let in their pawns. I think that Blue was fed false information by the daemons and allowed to come to us. Let them in, but take the information with a grain of salt.

>>588786
I'm not sure how you arrived at any of those conclusions. It's possible that old red just knew about the gods, or was similarly crazy like us.
>>
No. 588820 ID: 65a774
File 140759871247.png - (12.35KB , 900x450 , 16.png )
588820

>[check corruption]
[Corruption at 0%]
>[Message Red: What is our history?]
[Message from Red: …how should I know your history? As far as I know you suddenly appeared as an asset to consider a few days ago. I do not know where you were before that.]
>[Something must be guiding you to make the choice to entrust your victory with ours, but our history, from our perspective, started when Jericho became our king, and stretches into around twelve circles covering the following years’ worth of time in each circle.]
[…what? What are you going on about? Have you been corrupted?]

>[message to Blue: Which pawns, how many soldiers?]
[I have three pawns waiting outside, not including the one already inside the city, the shamans son. They are all great warriors who will be of great aid to our cause. As for soldiers, they are few, only twenty five, but they are the very elite of all the armies of the harsh desert sands.]
>[We know how gung-ho you are about waging war against slavers, and we've already witnessed you kill one of your own pawns. What assurance do we have you won't betray or deceive us?]
[The demons are far a greater threat than any slaver. We need to work together to defeat them! As long as we are guests we will honor the hospitality of your people.]
>[Knowledge of the enemy's plans can be relayed through us, anyway.]
[No, most of it needs other mediums then just speech to be understood. I need to see your pawns in person.]
>[After the corruption encountered in previous pawns of yours, we will likely need to have a wizard accompanying any, possibly even have a priest ensure that they are not corrupted.]
[Corrupt!? How… how dare you! WE ARE PURE! WE ARE CLEAN! WE WILL NOT… not… no, we are not corrupt, we fight the corruption! We are the pure ones!]
>[The fact that we cannot directly scan your pawns has lead to some paranoia as to whether they were simply corrupted, or if you had taken control of them, so please understand our caution.]
[…yes, it is understandable… hmm… how about a gift… a gift of knowledge to show we are on the same side? I know for a fact that the demon has located a large mass of dead bodies inside the city, and he aims to turn them all into his servants. Using one of those… those “Enlighten” ones he will drop Wraith into the city to control them… I can’t say were in the city they are located, but I do believe it is somewhere in one of the higher cities.]

>...Are you serious? Did Red recruit us?
:IlbirRUST: Huh? What? We never said that?
>What are you talking about? We've always been insane.
:TemrockRUST: Not… that insane. Before Red was vanquished, he started blabbering about new gods too, new gods that had come to free the true people of the Serath. Then he started planning on completely wipe us all out to “free” the people in the lower city and our servants.

>...Blue just started talking to us. [Echo messages from and to Blue].
:TemrockRUST: …we do need more swords…
:XaldinRUST: I don’t like it. It might be some kind of trap.
>I don't trust him, he's too kneejerk anti-slaver to ally wholly with us.
:XaldinRUST: Exactly. Even if he doesn’t turn on us during the battle, he’s bound to after we defeat the demon.

>Feuds are fine- just put them on hold until the fate of the world doesn't depend on it.
:TemrockRUST: You do realize some of these feuds runs very deep, right? Through generations and families, blood has been spilt hundreds of years ago and it still bare hatred. A direct threat like the demon might slow some of them down, but a more indirect threat like these new “gods” probably won’t.
>We just need the gods to see something other than a momentous clusterfuck of a land grab going on down here when we ask them to give peace a chance.
:TemrockRUST: There’s always been war in this world. The most peaceful time we’ve ever had was thanks a simple calm before the storm, as all the nations started preparing for war against their neighbors. If the demon hadn’t come there would be war and conquest all over the world right now. War, after all, doesn’t really change, does it?
>We 'bunch of squids' have existed since before the dawn of their empire, and the empire before that, and the empire before that.
:IlbirRUST: And you think they will believe you? Heck, I hardly believe you. While you are a rather good at making sure things goes the way you like, I still find it hard to believe you’re really some immortal, endless being.
:TemrockRUST: Either way, we need to start preparing for the battle. Any last inquiries before we end this war meeting?

Insert How many licks does it take to get to the center of a spiked mace?_
>>
No. 588830 ID: 40935b

> Have you been corrupted?
[reply to player red: 0%, but we've been getting that a lot.]

>we fight the corruption!
[reply: We are in no way questioning your intentions. However, the daemons also have anti- slavery leanings for reasons we do not know. It's possible furthering those goals will somehow help the daemons. We are willing to work together on the issue after the daemons are vanquished, however, and hopefully we can convince pink to do the same. ]

Blue says that there is a mass of dead in the city that the daemons will use by dropping a wraith out of an enlightened. I don't particularly trust blue, and I'm pretty sure blue hates our guts, so we should talk to Recho first and then see about letting them in.

>a more indirect threat like these new “gods”
Are you saying we need some awesome displays of power to get the gods taken seriously? Because we might be able to pull some strings. Seriously though, we need a way to deal with these guys- we can only talk them down for so long.
>>
No. 588838 ID: 2fd516

>>588825
I keep pointing this out but it seems some of us have yet to understand it. Insane is our DIFFICULTY. "Erratic" is our behavior type. And THINK about what you're saying to people, please!

>>588820
Look, we're not corrupted, one of us is just babbling nonsense. As for the new god thing, don't worry about him deconstructing the world. He said he was just going to mess with the outside layer of it, and that wouldn't affect the inside, where you guys are. Also don't worry about us going nuts over it, we have no allegiance to him.

Anyway, Blue just told us that the demon forces are going to Enightened-drop Wraiths into the upper city where they've hidden a large amount of bodies somehow. So as long as we keep Enlightened out of the sky that plan should be foiled.

As for Blue, I think we should go check out the group he wants to send in, with mirrors and such. Also, get them to consent to a search, for strange items or whatever. Lastly, we should only allow in a small group, because the main think we'd want from him is information. After he talks to us, send him back out.
>>
No. 588839 ID: 2fd516

>>588830
...oh right, Recho! We don't need to let any Blue pawns into the city at all. We already have one.
[message to Blue: Why don't you just have Recho tell us the rest, then? I'm sorry, but we don't need soldiers desperately enough to let yours into the city.]
>>
No. 588845 ID: 65a774
File 140761107118.png - (12.44KB , 900x450 , 17.png )
588845

>[Message Red: Sorry, it's just our pawns suddenly mentioned that you once said the exact things we're telling them.]
[Red: Ah, that most have been before I died, then. I can’t remember past my rebirth, though…]
>[We are 0% corrupt, but we've been getting that a lot.]
[You’re blabbering like a mad man about new gods. It’s understandable that people would think you’ve gone mad.]

>[Message to Blue: We are in no way questioning your intentions. However, the daemons also have anti- slavery leanings for reasons we do not know.]
[Blue: …what? How? They are evil incarnated! There is no way they can even feel sympathy for us slaves!]
>[Did you happen to see the Shining Lizard that Durach did?]
[…lizard? What lizard?]
>[We are willing to work together on the issue after the daemons are vanquished, however, and hopefully we can convince pink to do the same.]
[Ah, good… then you will let me into the city to see you?]
>[Why don't you just have Recho tell us the rest, then?]
[Because… um… because the others have maps, scrolls and items on them to be used to explain and prove our word is true.]
>[I'm sorry, but we don't need soldiers desperately enough to let yours into the city.]
[…I ask you to at least consider the proposal. Talk to the Pink one, explain the situation. I am sure you’ll change your mind.]

>You put an unusual emphasis on free. Do you not mean to remove them from their state as slaves and peasants? Because, while we oppose slavery, we understand that it cannot be undone so easily.
:TemrockRUST: What I mean is that their freedom will only lead to death. Besides, I do not know how much freedom these tribals will give… they are well known to take slaves themselves. Oh, and last time I check the only shackle the peasantry of the lower city had is that of the coin. There simply aren’t enough jobs for that many uneducated people.
>Understandable, since when it comes to the other players, they may be endless but they're not immortal; case in point, we managed to slay Gray. She came back, but at a great loss.
:IlbirRUST: Either way, the whole “I’ve always existed” thing sounds like raptorshit… or madness…
>As for the new god thing, don't worry about him deconstructing the world. He said he was just going to mess with the outside layer of it, and that wouldn't affect the inside, where you guys are.
:IlbirRUST: I really hope you’re right, rather not just cease existing because of some “God” got bored.
>Also don't worry about us going nuts over it, we have no allegiance to him.
:XaldinRUST: You better not.

>Blue just told us that the demon forces are going to Enlightened-drop Wraiths into the upper city where they've hidden a large amount of bodies somehow.
:TemrockRUST: Bodies? Here? Where?
:UriRUST: Hmm… they need a large place to hide them… where could that be?
:IlbirRUST: Well… there’s the water reservoir… and the palace… grand temple… lots of noble houses and the academy…
:XaldinRUST: Most of those aren’t really plausible. The water is regularly checked and the tanks are clean enough to see the bottom of, the palace is well guarded and doesn’t really have a lot of unused nooks to hide corpses in, last time I checked dead bodies is not something the nobles really want in their homes and the academy is full of mages that won’t take part of the battle. If they spawn in there it will just end with a zombie barbeque.
:IlbirRUST: And the grand temple?
:XaldinRUST: It’s enchanted to make sure no necromantic magic except that is wielded by the priesthood can work in its stone halls. There’s a reason why we can have a cold storage of soon to be servants and reborn nobles so close to a magic academy without creating neutral undead.

>So as long as we keep Enlightened out of the sky that plan should be foiled.
:TemrockRUST: They are bound to have some way to avoid detection or armor themselves. Flying out in the open will just leave them a juicy target.
:IlbirRUST: Let’s see… they are supposed to be great at magic so… some kind of invisibility or shield? …maybe they can manipulate time somehow to keep themselves safe? You said they should manipulate time, right?

>Since he wishes to have our pawns meet face to face, would you be willing to let the pawns in, with some mages to ensure that any ice brought forth unwarranted can be fended off?
:TemrockRUST: Of course we will have a heavy guard keep a check on them if we let them in. We’re not stupid.
>I think we should go check out the group he wants to send in, with mirrors and such. Also, get them to consent to a search, for strange items or whatever.
:UriRUST: I’ll see if I can spare a few people to check them out…
>...oh right, Recho! We don't need to let any Blue pawns into the city at all. We already have one.
:TemrockRUST: Right, the tribal… Reizn, go and wake up the translator, we got a… “guest” to interrogate.
:ReiznRUST: Ah, at once, Commander!
:IlbirRUST: Interrogate isn’t really the word I would use…
:UriRUST: So… um… where is this huge pile of undead they were going to resurrect? I’m rather worried that we’re sitting right on an army within our walls.
:XaldinRUST: There’s no time to search through the whole upper city! We need to focus our search!

Insert Searching for love… and dead people… but mostly love_
>>
No. 588851 ID: 40935b

> …what? How? They are evil incarnated! There is no way they can even feel sympathy for us slaves!
[Reply: It's probably means to an end. To what end, we have no idea. It could be destabilization, or they could just need them to feed on their emotion. ]

[Message pink: Blue is offering information and soldiers if we let them into the city. We trust blue as far as we can throw him, but since it's your city, you have the final decision. Would you rather we talk to the pawn we already have first and then make a decision, or let blue's pawns in now?]

>“I’ve always existed” thing sounds like raptorshit… or madness…
Well not always. We're just really really old. I'm sure the gods will have an easier time believing us, at least on that issue.

>Bodies?
Possibly related to that plague, or the crypts. I believe we misspoke, blue says they 'located' the bodies, not 'hid'.
>>
No. 588857 ID: 2fd516

>>588845
You know what, the whole corpse pile in the upper city thing could be Blue trying to get us to worry so that he can get his soldiers in. Maybe we should just call his bluff; he's not acting very trustworthy. Allow only one of his pawns into town, with the items he says need to be delivered. Then we should treat the items as bombs until we know they're not.

[message to Blue: No soldiers. If you need to bring us stuff, you can send one person in with the stuff. We'll look at the items, then we'll decide whether we can trust you further.]
(DO NOT tell him that some of the daemons are slaves in their world, he'll side with them before we get the information he's offering)
>>
No. 588858 ID: 2fd516

...wait. The undead servants in the crypt! They're mindless. Can wraiths take control of mindless servants?
>>
No. 588859 ID: 9443d1

Dammit. I'm taking so long writing my posts I keep missing the updates and having to rewrite them.

[Message to Red: Apologies for the strange reply earlier. In case you didn't know we're a collective instead of a singular intelligence, however not all of us have been active and aware all our time here. While we do have a shared memory of what we've experienced, those who were "asleep" when it happened don't automatically remember it and have to actively "read" them. And it appears some of us who woke up late haven't read them well enough, or maybe at all, and got some strange ideas of what's going on, so sorry for that.] [Echo message to Red to nearby pawns] I hope this explains to you guys why we sometimes say weird things or ask questions of or reiterate points we ought to know already.

[Message to Red: Blue has messaged us offering to aid us in our fight against the "demon lords" with three pawns, 25 soldiers, and the intel he has which includes maps, documents and other physical items to show he's telling the truth. We're mulling over what to do about him, but what's your opinion of how we should handle this?]

[Message to Blue: Are you the dead bodies you're speaking of those taken from Then'dranil? Because if they are then we've already found them; They were teleported into the underground lake that feeds the lower and middle city wells. The ones we've retrieved appear to have been killed by extreme fright, likely to feed the Dark One. And the daemon magics that put them there also tainted the water. It kills those who drink it but keeps their bodies going by daemon magics, presumably so the bodies aren't destroyed before the Dark One's forces arrive to raise them as undead.]

[Message to Blue: What do you know of Red and Mor'Kay's plans? Because Mor'Kay's only demand to the Serathians was to be allowed entry to the royal crypt alone to pay respects to her father. Of course that's total bunk but the demand was still granted, albeit with the provision of putting her under heavy guard escort. Would you consider allowing her access a mistake on their part?]

[Message to Pink: Blue is asking that three of his pawns and 25 of his soldiers be let into the city to aid us in the fight against the demons and to share intel he has that according to him requires them bringing in maps, documents and items as well, and he asked that we confer with you about it. But the way he's talking is rather... sketchy. And he's being rather insistent to meeting our pawns in person too, which I think is odd. Plus Red said in his message to us that Blue is "working for the demons, even if he doesn't know it," but we don't really know where Red is in all this either so we can't really trust that... I'm thinking we request that he send one of his men into the lower city to deliver the intel items, then we treat them with utmost scrutiny. Scan and check them for any magic including daemonic magic; We'll need the Magus for that. If they're clean we'll bring them up to Recho and have Blue explain them through him.]

Tem, could the questioning of Recho be done in a room with a peephole or other means of viewing the room without being seen? I'd like to have either one of our pawns or Pink's watching him with a mirror in secret to see if Blue shows up to speak with him. And get the Magus in there as well. I think he could hear what we were saying to our pawns, so perhaps he could do the same for Blue. Better ask him if he can before putting him in, though. Oh, and if Recho goes hostile due to Blue, make sure to restrain and not harm or kill him; Perhaps have some knockout gas on hand for that case. While he may be Blue's pawn but he's also Durach's son and we promised him that Recho would not be harmed.

Blue's intel about the dead bodies in the upper city could very well be misinformation, either from him or fed to him by the Dark One's people, or that it was in relation to the bodies in the underground lake and he's making assumptions about where the bodies would actually go. But whatever it is we have to consider that perhaps some of the bodies were teleported into someplace in the upper city. So we have to think of ANY place or places in the upper city or directly connected to it that could hold enough bodies to actually be worthwhile. Unfortunately the only possible space I can think of off the top of my head is if the upper city sewer system has a collection tank or other area that nobody checks often.

There might be another possibility. Xaldin said the Grand Temple is enchanted against necromancy by those who're non-priests, but what about other magics? We already know the Dark One teleported a mess of corpses across the desert, so what about all those from inside the cold storage to someplace else in the upper city where he could raise them? Though that sounds quite energy intensive, so perhaps he'll use a more subtle approach. How does the Great Temple's enchants detect if the person who's performing a necromantic act within it is a priest and authorized to do so? Something similar to the royal crypt's system? Then maybe the Dark One has a temple priest in his control, or a means to falsify the "signature" the temple enchants check.

Also, make sure that our mages watching for the Enlightened have mirrors to check for any invisibility illusions they're using. Might not work but better to have them than not. And we should ask the Magus whether he could sense the daemonic magic of an Enlightened from a distance and even if it's cloaked. If he can he'll be a great help there.

Missed replying to >>588748 with this, but from checking back I think you did give Xaldin a pawn name. In >>/questarch/564833 the message from Pink mentioned that her pawn "Defender of Crowns" was defending Recho, and then Xaldin appeared in the following update, so I assume she's the pawn mentioned. Of course we haven't seen three of Pink's pawns, so you can just say it was one of them if it comes up again.
>>
No. 588860 ID: d8a627

>>588859
Pink gives her units nicknames anyways.
>>
No. 588862 ID: 65a774
File 140762773589.png - (17.10KB , 900x450 , 18.png )
588862

>[Message to Red: Apologies for the strange reply earlier. In case you didn't know we're a collective instead of a singular intelligence, however not all of us have been active and aware all our time here.]
[Message from Red: Ah, that does explain quite a few things.]
>[Echo message to Red to nearby pawns]
:IlbirRUST: No wonder you guys are so… crazy at times.
>[Message to Red: Blue has messaged us offering to aid us in our fight against the "demon lords". We're mulling over what to do about him, but what's your opinion of how we should handle this?]
[It’s a trap. He wishes for you to let his troops inside the walls so he can ambush you. Blue is nothing but lies and deceit. I would suggest that you answered his request with an ambush.]

>[Message to Blue: Are you the dead bodies you're speaking of those taken from Then'dranil?]
[Message from blue: What? No, I don’t what he did with those… no, he said he found bodies already inside the city, not that he brought them there.]
>[Reply: It's probably means to an end. To what end, we have no idea. It could be destabilization, or they could just need them to feed on their emotion. ]
[Ah, of course they would have some darker purpose behind it!]
>[message to Blue: No soldiers. If you need to bring us stuff, you can send one person in with the stuff. We'll look at the items, then we'll decide whether we can trust you further.]
[…my soldiers needs food, water and rest to be of any use in the battle. Oh, and there’s a sandstorm coming and we’ll need shelter as soon as possible.]
>[Message to Blue: What do you know of Red and Mor'Kay's plans? Would you consider allowing her access a mistake on their part?]
[Red is a manipulator. Do not trust him. He got his own goals and will stop at nothing to achieve them. He is using you as just another pawn! Do not trust his lies!]

>[Message pink: Blue is offering information and soldiers if we let them into the city. We trust blue as far as we can throw him, but since it's your city, you have the final decision. Would you rather we talk to the pawn we already have first and then make a decision, or let blue's pawns in now?]
[Message from Pink: We must hear him out. Gather more information before we decide.]

>Possibly related to that plague, or the crypts. I believe we misspoke, blue says they 'located' the bodies, not 'hid'.
:XaldinRUST: Hmm… but where?
>...wait. The undead servants in the crypt! They're mindless. Can wraiths take control of mindless servants?
:UriRUST: There aren’t really enough of undead down there to make an army… but I’ll order a few necromancers to make them move somewhere safe… for us, that is…
>You know what, the whole corpse pile in the upper city thing could be Blue trying to get us to worry so that he can get his soldiers in.
:TemrockRUST: Even if he lies, we should keep vigilant. Most lies have some truth in them, after all.
>Unfortunately the only possible space I can think of off the top of my head is if the upper city sewer system has a collection tank or other area that nobody checks often.
:IlbirRUST: The pipes up here aren’t big enough to hold a body… and the tanks are located in the lower city so they can be used as fertilizers.

>Xaldin said the Grand Temple is enchanted against necromancy by those who're non-priests, but what about other magics? Maybe the Dark One has a temple priest in his control, or a means to falsify the "signature" the temple enchants check.
:UriRUST: The priest are far too loyal to be swayed to h-
:IlbirRUST: He got being who can possess and corrupt anyone… and he’s planning on dropping them on the temple!
:TemrockRUST: I’ll gather up some extra men and head out there myself! We need to make sure those wraiths don’t get into the temple!
>Also, make sure that our mages watching for the Enlightened have mirrors to check for any invisibility illusions they're using.
:UriRUST: As I said, we’ve already handed out as many reflective surfaces as we can.
>Tem, could the questioning of Recho be done in a room with a peephole or other means of viewing the room without being seen? I'd like to have either one of our pawns or Pink's watching him with a mirror in secret to see if Blue shows up to speak with him.
:TemrockRUST: We got a interrogation room which fit that description perfectly.
>And get the Magus in there as well.
:IlbirRUST: Right, I’ll go get the Magus then…
:XaldinRUST: I’ll prepare this Recho character.
:TemrockRUST: I’ll go fortify the temple.
:UriRUST: I’ll… um… oh, right, we needed to check out those blue guys… I’ll do that.



:UnknownKAK: Careful! He’s still very delicate!
:TeraRUST: Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.
:UnknownKAK: No you don’t. That’s why you’re an apprentice! Now, keep his core beating!
:TeraRUST: It’s already stabilized, don’t worry.
:UnknownKAK: Hmm… he really must have a strong will… either way, keep him “alive” while I get his head ready…
:TeraRUST: I don’t know if you can hear me, pebble, but everything will be alright.
:UnknownKAK: Of course he can’t hear you! He doesn’t’ have any ears yet!
:TeraRUST: Oh…

Insert Don’t lose your head over it, Tera_
>>
No. 588863 ID: 2fd516

>>588862
We can though. Jericho, your body's almost ready. They just gotta put your head on. Tera is there, she's saying everything is gonna be alright.
>>
No. 588867 ID: dbe554

Hello Tera, doing good work under your current master?
>>
No. 588878 ID: 40935b

[Message pink:
Blue said this about red-
>Red is a manipulator. Do not trust him. He got his own goals and will stop at nothing to achieve them. He is using you as just another pawn! Do not trust his lies!
and red said this about blue-
>It’s a trap. He wishes for you to let his troops inside the walls so he can ambush you. Blue is nothing but lies and deceit. I would suggest that you answered his request with an ambush.
We're out of the war room so we can't warn Xaldin, but Blue has made some sketchy excuses to be let into the city- he has claimed we need to let the troops in because they have scrolls and maps that we need, that they need food, water and rest, and that there's a sandstorm coming. It's ultimately your call, but I'd keep a few sharpshooters near the gate if you let Blue in. Both blue and red have ulterior motives, we just don't know what yet. ]

[scan everyone]
Tera, you're in the grand temple, right? Expect some commotion, we have reason to believe the cultists are planning on bringing a wraith here, and Temrock is coming to take preventative measures.

>he said he found bodies already inside the city
[reply: who said?]
>>
No. 588886 ID: d8a627

>>588863
Not just us, but Jericho can hear as well, even if he is just a core right now. I mean, his hearing is incredibly muffled, so he probably can't make out any words, but it's something.
[Scan royal necromancer]
>It's ultimately your call, but I'd keep a few sharpshooters near the gate if you let Blue in.
[Message Pink: A planned ambush is better than an unexpected ambush. This fragment's recommendation is to have soldiers at the ready, but to give them shelter. We aren't in this to win as a tyrant, but as a diplomat, much as yourself, even though some parts of ourself forget that. Oh, here:]
[Echo message about collective intelligence to Pink]
[I can never remember who all we've told this, so, to be safe, I'm echoing it to you as well.]
>>
No. 588887 ID: 2fd516

Hmm.
[show difficulty/player type for Red and Blue]
>>
No. 588903 ID: 9443d1

Hiya, Tera. It's been awhile. And your new boss sounds like he's a bit of a jerk, doesn't he? Or is it that he's just stressed? I hope he isn't like that always. And don't let him deter you from talking to Jer 'cause I think Jer can actually hear you... At least Jer could hear when his core was encased in magic ice and outside his body, so maybe not so much now when it's in his chest. Hey, Jer, can you hear us? If you can, could you hear Tera speaking? Or for that matter could you hear anything after the golem stuck your core back in?

Tera, just how badly was Jer's body damaged, how much could the royal necromancer repair, how much did he have to replace and what did he replace it with? And once he's back up and moving is he going to be at 100% right away or is it going to be awhile?

...That's odd. Why do I have the feeling we've seen the royal necromancer before? I don't think we've met him... Oh, now I remember. He looks like the necromancer that went with Temrock to the ruins; Same kind of robes and same scale and eye color. Did Temrock really drag the royal necromancer out on that mission or is it just our lousy vision not being able to tell lizards apart again? ...And now I remember seeing a lizard that looks like him in a gay bar in Ängladal nine months from now... What...? Oh, maybe he came along with the Serathian delegation... Uh... Sorry. Went off on a tangent there.

Huh... I just noticed something. Tera, how come your scalp hasn't sunburned beet red by now? I'd figure someone with fair skin and a bald head who lives in a desert and doesn't wear any head covering would have a serious sunburn going on up there, or at least major tanning. You just apply sunscreen all the time or do you have some kind of magic sunblocker thingie? ...Dangit, I went on a tangent again.

Damn, that's one bigass magic crystal up there. It might actually be the biggest one we've seen in this world. What part does it play in necromantic procedures? Magic flow filtering? Spell stabilization? Thaumic charge capacitor? Or is it just a really, really big and expensive light fixture?

So, Tera, how'd you enjoy that Q&Q game with Eliraz's harem? You going to play with them again? And afterwards how much did you enjoy them in their "professional capacity?" 'Cause from your status last night and this morning we gathered you quite ~thoroughly~ enjoyed them. I'd imagine you're going to want to make visits to them a regular thing, yes?

Oh, and here's something you might be very interested to hear: We've found out that we amplify the skills and abilities of those who're our pawns as well as greatly increase the rate at with they learn skills. That probably explains how Jer can read entire bookcases worth of books in a night and learned how to command his magic so quickly. So Tera, you might want to take advantage of that while we're around to cram in as much necromantic knowledge as you can. Heck, with our boost you might even be able to make sense of Varius' work if you got someone to read the notes to you.

And speaking of Varius, have you heard anything of how well the Academy is doing making sense of his notes? They on track to recreating his necro-attachment technique before Thaark and Thuul's heads are too far gone?

[Message to Pink: We didn't think of this before Temrock left, but it's quite possible the Grand Temple may have also been infiltrated by a Shape Stealer that has taken the place of a priest, so could you get word of that to Temrock for us. Also, we know that Shape Stealers are harmed and repulsed by holy symbols wielded by those with strong beliefs, so get a few priests who're known to be very devout to test those in the Temple. Have them test each other first just to be safe too.]
>>
No. 588917 ID: d8a627

Oh, just to be safe...
[Relay messages between Tera and Jericho until his body is restored]
>>
No. 588943 ID: 65a774
File 140768919046.png - (18.02KB , 900x450 , 19.png )
588943

>[Scan royal necromancer]
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Grand Necromancer.]
>[show difficulty/player type for Red and Blue]
[Red Player: (Hard)(Manipulating).]
[Blue Player: (Normal)(Fanatic).]
>[reply to Blue: who said?]
[Message from Blue: The old man… what was his name… he was taken by the demon… I do believe you killed him?]

>[Message pink: Blue said this about red- … -and red said this about blue- … -]
[Pink: Ah, they blame each other then… hmm… let’s be skeptical of both for the moment.]
>[Blue has made some sketchy excuses to be let into the city- he has claimed we need to let the troops in because they have scrolls and maps that we need, that they need food, water and rest, and that there's a sandstorm coming.]
[Hmm, yes, they should be in need of water and rest- wait, sandstorm? Here? That’s not really… there’s a reason the city is here… either he’s full of… excuse my profanity… feces or something is very wrong.]
>[Message Pink: A planned ambush is better than an unexpected ambush. This fragment's recommendation is to have soldiers at the ready, but to give them shelter.]
[I’ll make sure they won’t have to option to stage an ambush.]
>[Echo message about collective intelligence to Pink]
[I already know about your fragmented mind, yes…]
>[Message to Pink: We didn't think of this before Temrock left, but it's quite possible the Grand Temple may have also been infiltrated by a Shape Stealer that has taken the place of a priest, so could you get word of that to Temrock for us.]
[…I’ll send word at once. We need to weed out any enemy agents there as soon as possible!]

>Jericho, your body's almost ready. They just gotta put your head on. Tera is there, she's saying everything is gonna be alright.
:JerichoRUSTED: (…)
>Hello Tera, doing good work under your current master?
Oh, hi guys! Um… well, I think I am? I’ve just been here about a quarter of an hour though…
>Your new boss sounds like he's a bit of a jerk, doesn't he? Or is it that he's just stressed?
I hope he’s just stressed. Having to save the Prince from death would be rather stressful, wouldn’t it?
>Tera, just how badly was Jer's body damaged, how much could the royal necromancer repair, how much did he have to replace and what did he replace it with?
Let’s see… the only thing that completely busted is his eye… otherwise, it’s just his chest that was really damaged, and that we can fix with others means.
>And once he's back up and moving is he going to be at 100% right away or is it going to be awhile?
Well, he’s not going to look as good as he did before, he needs a lot more work for that, but give us an hour or two and he’ll pretty much be at 100%... mostly…
>I just noticed something. Tera, how come your scalp hasn't sunburned beet red by now? I'd figure someone with fair skin and a bald head who lives in a desert and doesn't wear any head covering would have a serious sunburn going on up there, or at least major tanning. You just apply sunscreen all the time or do you have some kind of magic sunblocker thingie?
Wait… I’m fair skinned? Aren’t I like… um… kind of brownish? I mean, I know the north folks are supposed to be really fair skinned while we are a bit more brownish but… err… either way, I generally stay out of the sun if I can… and apply a sun blocking oil every morning when I clean myself.

>Damn, that's one bigass magic crystal up there. It might actually be the biggest one we've seen in this world. What part does it play in necromantic procedures? Magic flow filtering? Spell stabilization? Thaumic charge capacitor?
Um… it’s mostly used as extra magical storage. Basically, to make sure the necromancer can never run out of magic. The kind of procedure we do in these kind of places are generally so magic expensive that it would be impossible to do it without one… unless you were several necromancers taking turns, like they did when Serath was a new nation.
>Or is it just a really, really big and expensive light fixture?
That’s another function of it, yeah.
>So, Tera, how'd you enjoy that Q&Q game with Eliraz's harem? You going to play with them again?
Oh, it was so much fun! I was playing this blind monk who was kicking ass and taking names like nobody’s business! They did invite me to play with them tomorrow too!
>And afterwards how much did you enjoy them in their "professional capacity?" 'Cause from your status last night and this morning we gathered you quite ~thoroughly~ enjoyed them. I'd imagine you're going to want to make visits to them a regular thing, yes?
I… err… I… that’s a bit… um… l-let’s just say they m-made me feel like an sultan and l-leave it at that, alright?
>We've found out that we amplify the skills and abilities of those who're our pawns as well as greatly increase the rate at with they learn skills. That probably explains how Jer can read entire bookcases worth of books in a night and learned how to command his magic so quickly.
…huh, and here I thought I was just a natural. That would explain why I suddenly pretty decent at necromancy. I mean, I was just a newbie a few days ago, barely capable to bring a body back to life and here I am now, fixing up the prince of a nation.
>Speaking of Varius, have you heard anything of how well the Academy is doing making sense of his notes? They on track to recreating his necro-attachment technique before Thaark and Thuul's heads are too far gone?
I’ve heard that they are doing progress, so don’t worry. As long as nothing happens to the cold storage everything will be fine… err… nothing is going to happen to the cold storage, right? Right?

:UnknownKAK: Apply forty Kilothaums into his core and keep it stable.
:TeraRUST: Roger dodger.
:UnknownKAK: …and please never say that again.
:TeraRUST: You got it, chief!
:UnknownKAK: …*sigh*
:GuardRUST: Excuse me, lord necromancer?
:UnknownKAK: What is it now!?
:GuardRUST: Well, um… you see… these crystal orbs he had in his chest that you asked us to guard started to glow… is that normal?
:UnknownKAK: How should I know!? I’m a necromancer, not a artificer! …you didn’t touch it, did you!?
:GuardRUST: Of course not, sir!
:UnknownKAK: Bah!

Insert The balls aren’t inert!_
>>
No. 588949 ID: 2fd516

>>588943
Cold storage might turn into a bunch of hostile undead, but with all the mages around that won't be much of a problem.

Jericho: There's one or two hours until you're at 100%.

Well shit. The keystones are glowing? I do not know why that is happening. Maybe... it's because the lesser rune is getting closer? At any rate, just keep security tight on them, and make sure no shape stealers can try to grab them. Maybe get an Artificer to examine them, after confirming the Artificer is legit.
>>
No. 588967 ID: d8a627

Keystones glow based on proximity to one another. Ilbir told us this when we first met him. That just means that Morkay's collection is nearby, and she's got the lesser rune, right? That would likely cause a greater glow than the keystones themselves.
>>
No. 588974 ID: 9443d1

The keystones started to glow? Or is it they're glowing more intensely? 'Cause if I remember correctly Ilbir said a keystones' glow is stronger the closer it is to other keystones, so the five we have should already be glowing. So is it that they're glowing more now?

Tera, could you pipe up and say that you remember Ilbir mentioned that those keystones glow more the closer they are to another keystone so maybe another one is approaching. Also say that you do know they're really, really important, so the guard should probably get word to Ilbir about it since he's the expert on them and to ask him what it means and what to do. And putting even more guards on them wouldn't be a bad idea either.

[Message to Pink: We're with Tera right now and the guard watching over the keystones Jer was carrying just came in and said they're glowing. If we remember correctly Ilbir said they glow when another keystone draws near, but they might also glow when a Lesser Rune approaches. We presume Mor'Kay is carrying a Lesser Rune, so has she just arrived? Whether the answer we'll probably switch to Ilbir and ask him about this directly.]

Oh, I just realized we could use our keystones to figure out the location of other nearby keystones or anything else that makes keystones glow. We have our and Pink's pawns take them out to equidistant points in the upper city, then we could use the intensity of their glow to detect the direction of what's effecting them. We'll have to bring this up to Ilbir when we speak with him.

Tera, something might happen to the Grand Temple cold storage We got some intel that the Dark One has his eyes on using the dead there in the upcoming battle, either by infesting them all with with wraiths or mass raising them. We suspect that he has an infiltrator in the temple already; Likely a priest he corrupted and turned so he'd have a means to circumvent the necromancy restriction wards. Unfortunately the intel is rather dodgy as it came from Blue, but we can't rule it out so we're being extra careful.

Do you remember if any of the temple priests have traveled outside the city relatively recently? 'Cause that'd be when the Dark One's people could have nabbed 'em. Hm... I remember Master Geron mentioned right before Jericho was raised that he always wanted to try creating a wraith, which in hindsight sounds rather worrying. Tera, was that normal for him or unusual?

[Message to Pink: Could you get word to Temrock to give any of the Grand Temple priests that have traveled recently extra scrutiny, since that'd be an opportunity for the Dark One's people to take and corrupt them. Also, it's probably nothing but we remember that right before Jericho was raised Master Geron mentioned he always wanted to try creating a wraith. Give him extra scrutiny as well. Oh, and also see that Thaark and Thuul's heads are moved out of the Grand Temple and into cold storage someplace that'll likely be out of the way of the fighting just in case we fail in protecting the Grand Temple.]

[Message to Blue: This area doesn't get sandstorms, so why did you say there's a sandstorm coming?]

[Message to Pink: Blue saying a sandstorm is coming might just be "feces," but we also can't rule out that the Dark One may be able to throw around his power to kick a sandstorm up to cover his forces' attack. So distribute sandstorm protection gear to our forces and do what you need to to get the populace indoors and protected from it; They should probably be indoors anyway with the battle coming. ...And dangit, I just realized how many big open glass- and shutter-less windows the palace and the other city buildings have. It's going to be a giant mess if a sandstorm does hit.]

[Message to Pink: I have a few questions that are off-topic to the current situation, but if you don't mind could you answer them: How far back can you remember? What's your earliest memory? 'Cause we know that all the AI players like you were placed in the world right before the Dark Age began, so how much of what happened since then do you remember?]

Tera, we're gonna switch over to Ilbir to ask him about the keystones glowing. You keep doing your best to keep our Jer alive and get him back on his feet ASAP, alright. And maybe tone down the chipper attitude and be a bit more professional while working with your master. He seems to be the grumpy type and you're probably going to be his apprentice for awhile so avoiding getting on his nerves is a good idea. Well, anyway, we're off! Bye! [Switch to "The Scholar"]
>>
No. 588981 ID: 65a774
File 140770507734.png - (18.26KB , 900x450 , 20.png )
588981

>[Message to Pink: We're with Tera right now and the guard watching over the keystones Jer was carrying just came in and said they're glowing. We presume Mor'Kay is carrying a Lesser Rune, so has she just arrived?]
[Message from Pink: She said she would arrive at noon and that’s about an hour away. It is possible she’s early or close enough for the stones to react.]
>[Message to Pink: Could you get word to Temrock to give any of the Grand Temple priests that have traveled recently extra scrutiny.]
>[Also, it's probably nothing but we remember that right before Jericho was raised Master Geron mentioned he always wanted to try creating a wraith. Give him extra scrutiny as well.]
[Word sent.]
>[Oh, and also see that Thaark and Thuul's heads are moved out of the Grand Temple and into cold storage someplace safe.]
[They will only survive about a day without the cold storage, but hopefully the battle won’t last that long. This isn’t really a siege, after all.]
>[Message to Pink: Blue saying a sandstorm is coming might just be "feces," but we also can't rule out that the Dark One may be able to throw around his power to kick a sandstorm up to cover his forces' attack.]
[My scout should have spotted a sandstorm by now if it was coming, but let’s be cautious.]
>[Message to Pink: How far back can you remember? What's your earliest memory?]
[… … …It was on the princess sixteenth birthday, she was praying for guidance for the coming trails that would determine who would inherit the throne. I answered her prayers and bestowed on her my wisdom, her ability of diplomacy and the mastery of the flame to ensure she would become the next sultan of the Serath people.]

>[Message to Blue: This area doesn't get sandstorms, so why did you say there's a sandstorm coming?]
[…]
>Jericho: There's one or two hours until you're at 100%.
:JerichoRUSTED:

>Maybe tone down the chipper attitude and be a bit more professional while working with your master. He seems to be the grumpy type and you're probably going to be his apprentice for a while so avoiding getting on his nerves is a good idea.
But that’s no fun! …*sigh* maybe you’re right…
>Keystones glow based on proximity to one another. Ilbir told us this when we first met him.
:GuardRUST: Um… well, that would explain why they were glowing faintly when we got them but… err… they are starting to glow really bright right now… almost pulsating.
>Maybe... it's because the lesser rune is getting closer?
:TeraRUST: That would explain the glowing, yeah…
>Oh, I just realized we could use our keystones to figure out the location of other nearby keystones or anything else that makes keystones glow.
:TeraRUST: Err… I guess it would work with the lesser rune if it got this effect but… um… I’m pretty sure Ilbir said they didn’t start glowing before you got really close. I mean, in the same room kind of close.
>Also say that you do know they're really, really important, so the guard should probably get word to Ilbir about it since he's the expert on them and to ask him what it means and what to do. And putting even more guards on them wouldn't be a bad idea either.
:GuardRUST: At once, my lady!

>Cold storage might turn into a bunch of hostile undead, but with all the mages around that won't be much of a problem.
What!? But… Big Brave Bug is in there! You better make sure he’s alright!
>Do you remember if any of the temple priests have traveled outside the city relatively recently?
Err… well, I wasn’t really invested in the others doings but… I guess Master Geron was traveling to hold some lectures in some other cities but that’s about it…
>Hm... I remember Master Geron mentioned right before Jericho was raised that he always wanted to try creating a wraith, which in hindsight sounds rather worrying. Tera, was that normal for him or unusual?
Err… well, he’s always been a bit... but there’s no way he’s… no… that’s not… he’s been like a father to me! I… I need to go talk to him… err… right after I’m done here… hmm… I better hurry this up a bit!
:UnknownKAK: …wait what are you- where did those ribs come from!?
:TeraRUST: Um… wops?
:UnknownKAK: What do you mean ops!? Where did-



>Tera, we're gonna switch over to Ilbir to ask him about the keystones glowing.
:IlbirRUST: Ah, there you are! I’ve been looking for you.
:MagusRUST:
:IlbirRUST: We need your help, lord Magus, should you… err… you… what’s wrong? You seems a bit… pale?
:MagusRUST: I’m going to die in twenty minutes…
:IlbirRUST: …what?
:MagusRUST: Everything just go black in twenty minutes and I’m… I’m scared…
:IlbirRUST: Err…

Insert Always count on death, he’s never late_
>>
No. 588991 ID: 2fd516

>>588981
Hmm, he's going to die before Mor'Kay arrives, then. Why don't we get him a really good last meal?

Hey Ilbir, would a lesser rune getting within kilometer or so of the keystones cause them to grow brightly? Because they're glowing now, and Mor'Kay is the only person we know of with a lesser rune.
>>
No. 588994 ID: 40935b

...is that like a natural passing on, or do you mean you'll be killed? And are you sure it's your death? Another daemon we know says he'll loose his future sight after he becomes mortal, could this case be something similar?
>>
No. 589001 ID: d8a627

[Message Pink: Thank you for all your assistance. We really seem to be taking your help for granted, and upon realizing that, I would like to apologize for such action. Even if we should help one another out as allies, it's also something that allies should do to keep each other's morale up (Please don't worry yourself over ours, our "council" existence lets us do that for ourselves most of the time). By the way, it's been quite a long while for us, but reading back over the history, we never did ask you: Do you prefer to go by the alias of Rose, or by your official name, Pink?]
[Message Pink: If you ever need our own pawns to help out in your plans, please, instead of asking us to give them orders, ask for shared control. Contrary to what you would expect from our fragmentation, we actually cannot focus on multiple pawns at the same time. I have theories on this being the affect our shells have, but unless you feel like sitting through absurd theories, I'll spare you the speech.]
[Message Blue: ...Even Pink is wary of you, but both of us agree that taking a diplomatic approach to things is better than a tyrannic approach. While she has not come to an ultimate decision just yet, please don't make us regret giving you a chance. Regardless of beliefs of purity, Daemons can be way too sneaky, and guide you through noncorrupt means. We've fallen victim to such methods several times, ourselves.]
>I’m going to die in twenty minutes…
Magus, just because you can no longer see the future doesn't mean you're going to die... I really hope it just means you go mortal, and not that you die, because you dying would really suck. You're an awesome dude, man!
There's something kinda crazy I wanna try, but I don't know if the Gods ever made it something possible to do in the first place. Ilbir, I'm going to check if this ability exists and echo the results to you. If it does exist, it's something for The Human in Green to consider, since it might just save his life due to replacing any other cause of his future-blindness with this one.
[Search glossary for: Recruitment, in relation to Players and Daemons; Alliances, in relation to tiers; and Assuming Control or Stealing pawns from others ¦ Echo non-error results to The Scholar ¦ echo error results as "Invalid entry: <Searched phrase>"] (That error echo should prevent it from trying to echo jargon that would be harmful to Ilbir's mind)
Becoming a lower tier Player may actually work, at the cost of Daemonhood, and allow him to continue existing without the loss of his life, I hope this is possible.
>>
No. 589029 ID: 2fd516

[message to Pink: you know what, I'm going to express a voice of dissent. I think we should ambush Blue's forces, and wipe them out, along with him. Kill his king piece and he's done.]
[message to Blue: Tell you what. Bring your King piece and we'll let you in. That would be Eliros, am I right?]
[echo second message to Pink, and any reply Blue sends.]
>>
No. 589030 ID: 40935b

>>589029
We called his BS on the sandstorm, he probably knows we're onto him and will expect an ambush.

I say we leave dealing with Blue up to pink for now,and focus on the daemons and Red.
>>
No. 589036 ID: 9443d1

Ah, right, Ilbir, you don't know who and what the Magus actually is 'cause you left for your date with Kranhon. Okay, quick recap: The Magus is the latest in a long line of bodies possessed by The Human in Green, a daemon in a flawed Harvester body hidden down in the crypt who was charged with guarding the Vault from mortals. This became quite boring when mortals nearly died out during the Dark Age and forgot about the Vault, so to pass the time he's been possessing the corpses of stillborns and the like, living the lives they'd never have and enjoying all the foods. Also, his daemonic powers are extremely limited since the flawed Harvester couldn't contain even a majority of his daemonic form, thus stringing his mind between it and his body in the Daemon Realm leaving him unable to operate either. That the gist of it, Magus?

Magus, we should have informed you of this sooner, but Bob came to Jericho last night to deliver some serious, unprecedented news: A new god was about to enter the world and absolutely none of the daemons saw it coming. Huge news, but not relevant to your current situation. What is is that afterwards we asked Bob about your future-vision cutting off and he knew why it would. I'll repeat the conversation here verbatim: Bob: "He will die. His mind has been in this world for too long, so when his link to this world is severed he will die… or his mind will die. His body will be… reborn, so to speak." Jericho: "Are you sure he'll die!?" Bob: "Yes… at least I hope so. The other fate that can befall him is too horrid to even consider."

From what Bob said it sounds like in twenty minutes something will happen to break your tether to this world, so what could cause that? The flawed Harvester being destroyed or damaged could do it. You mentioned disintegration mines in the floor, so would one or more of them going off while your Harvester chamber is under them destroy it or its support systems? What about the energy flow feeding it being disrupted? Would that break the tether? Hm... What would happen if your summoning ritual was performed now? Could that possibly mess with your link to this world? And is there anything at all in your future-sight that might give a clue to what happens?

Do you have any idea what the fate "too horrid to even consider" that Bob spoke of could be? Knowing Bob I half-think he'd consider your mind ending up in a mortal body and living as one as such a fate, but what else could happen?

Even though it looks like your fate is sealed we're still going to try and head off whatever it is that's going to break your link to this world; Who knows, we might actually pull off the seemingly impossible and stop it. But as a contingency plan what would need to be done to get your mind into a mortal body for good? 'Cause we know it's possible since Steve is planning to do so himself. And while we know you're already possessing one we don't know if it'll keep going without your daemonic power.

Ilbir, we should tell you the reason we switched to you before we forget: Just a short while ago the five keystones that Jericho was carrying all started glowing with a very bright, almost pulsating, light. You said before that they glow brighter when other keystones are near, but this is way beyond that. We thought it might be proximity to the Lesser Rune Mor'Kay is most likely carrying but she's still an hour out from the city. Do you have any idea what could be causing the keystones to act this way? Could it be they're being "pinged" by some kind of locater the Dark One has? Magus, you got any idea why the keystones are glowing like that?

Magus, we've been told that Mor'Kay supposedly has a way to go directly to the Vault as soon as she enters the crypt, bypassing all the defenses in the way. Is there anything you know of that she could possibly have or know that'd allow her to do that?

[Message to Pink: On second thought, leave Thaark and Thuul's heads in the Grand Temple cold storage since we don't know if there'll be any unforeseen delays in the Academy recreating Varius' procedure. I doubt the enemy will be interested in taking heads that don't have bodies so they'll probably be fine. Still, could you have them split up, placed in backup cold bags and hidden out of the way in the cold storage, preferably inside armored containers.]

[Message to Pink: The Magus says that his future-vision goes dark twenty minutes from now which we think means something will happen to the Harvester he's in to then sever his link to this world. Has anything happened or is scheduled to happen down in the crypt that might cause that? Do you have a pawn down there that can check if anything is wrong? And could you get a message to Eliraz right away to get down there as fast as he can and to bring the "special" dagger with him.]
>>
No. 589042 ID: 2fd516

Oh, I just realized since we have a pawn slot free we could take Recho away from Blue, ensuring that Durach's son doesn't go to war with us again.
>>
No. 589048 ID: d8a627

>>589029
[Belay these messages]
If Pink wants to do that, she'll do that. She's already considering that, you don't need to tell her, and there's no reason to tip Blue off.
>>
No. 589056 ID: 65a774
File 140776612901.png - (18.20KB , 900x450 , 21.png )
589056

>[Search glossary for: Recruitment, in relation to Players and Daemons; Alliances, in relation to tiers ¦ Echo non-error results to The Scholar ¦ echo error results as "Invalid entry: <Searched phrase>"]
[Unable to find any information regarding Daemon recruitment or alliances.]

>[Message Pink: Thank you for all your assistance. We really seem to be taking your help for granted, and upon realizing that, I would like to apologize for such action.]
[Message from Pink: No need to apologize. We are allied and are working for the same goal.]
>[By the way, it's been quite a long while for us, but reading back over the history, we never did ask you: Do you prefer to go by the alias of Rose, or by your official name, Pink?]
[I prefer Rose.]
>[If you ever need our own pawns to help out in your plans, please, instead of asking us to give them orders, ask for shared control.]
[If you so wish… then my pawns are open for you too.]
>[On second thought, leave Thaark and Thuul's heads in the Grand Temple cold storage since we don't know if there'll be any unforeseen delays in the Academy recreating Varius' procedure.]
[Very well, I’ll keep them well protected. Commander Temrock has just arrived in the cold storage and is setting up a fortification there at the moment.]
>[The Magus says that his future-vision goes dark twenty minutes from now which we think means something will happen to the Harvester he's in to then sever his link to this world.]
[That is troubling, but I do not know what’s going on down there.]
>[Could you get a message to Eliraz right away to get down there as fast as he can and to bring the "special" dagger with him.]
[Eliraz is on his way.]
>[You know what, I'm going to express a voice of dissent. I think we should ambush Blue's forces, and wipe them out, along with him. Kill his king piece and he's done.]
[That’s a bit… brutal. I’ve already got a plan to neutralize whatever ambush he got planned without that much bloodshed. Trust me.]

>[Message to Blue: ...Even Pink is wary of you, but both of us agree that taking a diplomatic approach to things is better than a tyrannical approach.]
[Message from Blue: Good that you see reason. Pink has already agreed to let us in.]
>[Regardless of beliefs of purity, Daemons can be way too sneaky, and guide you through noncorrupt means. We've fallen victim to such methods several times, ourselves.]
[We are pure! WE ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT IS PURE! You better remember that!]
>[Tell you what. Bring your King piece and we'll let you in. That would be Eliros, am I right?]
[My apologizes but Eliros is… busy with other important matters.]

>Hey Ilbir, would a lesser rune getting within kilometer or so of the keystones cause them to grow brightly? Because they're glowing now, and Mor'Kay is the only person we know of with a lesser rune.
:IlbirRUST: I… err… don’t know? I’ve never actually seen a lesser rune before?
:MagusRUST: Yes… yes, they would. An active lesser rune would make the stones light up like fireworks.
>...is that like a natural passing on, or do you mean you'll be killed?
:MagusRUST: I… I don’t know…
>Are you sure it's your death? Another daemon we know says he'll loose his future sight after he becomes mortal, could this case be something similar?
:MagusRUST:
>Why don't we get him a really good last meal?
:MagusRUST: I’m not really hungry…
:IlbirRUST: What!? But you’re always hungry!
>Ah, right, Ilbir, you don't know who and what the Magus actually is 'cause you left for your date with Kranhon. Okay, quick recap…
:IlbirRUST: …so you’re a demon?
:MagusRUST: …yes…
:IlbirRUST: That’s… well, I have to admit, my first thought was to commit some test on you but… err… it’s hardly the time for that, is it?

>A new god was about to enter the world and absolutely none of the daemons saw it coming.
:MagusRUST: …what? But… how? They are dead?
>"He will die. His mind has been in this world for too long, so when his link to this world is severed he will die… or his mind will die. His body will be… reborn, so to speak."
:MagusRUST: I knew it! I FREAKING KNEW IT!!
>From what Bob said it sounds like in twenty minutes something will happen to break your tether to this world, so what could cause that?
:MagusRUST: I… I don’t know… something happening to my body? Maybe the undead that I’m connected to? I don’t know…
>Do you have any idea what the fate "too horrid to even consider" that Bob spoke of could be?
:MagusRUST: I… I don’t even want to consider it. The Jailor is rather… clever when it comes to horrible fates and even he thinks this is bad…
>Magus, we've been told that Mor'Kay supposedly has a way to go directly to the Vault as soon as she enters the crypt, bypassing all the defenses in the way.
:MagusRUST: …I… how? I don’t know someone should be able to do that but… that doesn’t seem possible.
>Oh, I just realized since we have a pawn slot free we could take Recho away from Blue, ensuring that Durach's son doesn't go to war with us again.
:IlbirRUST: That would be a prudent choice, yes… Kranny would be with him right now if I’m not mistaken.
:MagusRUST: Wait… wait wait wait… I… I feel something… Weird energies… time? Something is happening with the time!
:IlbirRUST: Something is… what? Where?
:MagusRUST: …in… in that direction… both right forward and downward…
:IlbirRUST: Forward and downward… wait, you were pointing at the grand temple and… the crypt?

Insert it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey... stuff_
>>
No. 589057 ID: 40935b

Oh shit, the undead that feed the harvester body! That's what they're after!

uhh, shit, I think it'll be too late to stop the enlightened now. They're either moving the undead to the temple, or someone in the temple to the crypts. The temple is heavily defended right now and won't need help if there is an attack, so move to the crypts to see what's happening. Dammit, we should have predicted this.
>>
No. 589059 ID: 2fd516

>>589056
Fuckin' time magic.
[message to Pink: Aw hell. The undead feeding the harvester are a target too. Do you have any mages near there?]

Tell Magus there is still a slim hope left- from what we've discovered, the daemons' "future-sight" is actually just a result of them remembering what has happened in previous instances of the game. They can't predict the future with certainty, so we may yet be able to prevent his death. For instance, perhaps if he wants to survive for a while longer he could fully claim this mortal body he's possessing. Become mortal, and never see his death coming again.
>>
No. 589065 ID: 2fd516

[message to Pink: Oh, and a word of warning- there's already time magic being used, so the Enlightened might already be there.]
>>
No. 589078 ID: d8a627

>[I prefer Rose.]
[Assign alias to Player Pink: Rose]
>Commander Temrock has just arrived in the cold storage
>[Eliraz is on his way.]
[Share communications and observation of pawns with Rose]
[Message Rose: ...We're causing enough trouble, I'll share the same level of connection that we have with our pawns with you. That is to say, the ability to see what they're doing, and to talk with them. I don't know if this works for our King piece, though. Uh, if you feel like doing introductions, please do back away from anybody who panics over it. Leanah managed to kill Red, after all, they might think you're attempting to steal them if you're too direct.]
[Echo Rose's messages to pawns to Player Teal as "Rose to <Pawn name>: <Message>"]
[When Rose is actively viewing the same pawn as Player Teal, echo Teal's messages to pawn to Rose as "Teal to <Pawn name>: <Message>"]
[Message Rose: We'll be watching the conversations so that you won't need to tell us when they're attending an emergency on your behalf. You will additionally hear us directly if we are actively watching the same pawn(s). The former is a bit invasive of privacy, but I know that some voices will oppose the decision otherwise, and the latter is to make it a bit more fair, for what little it counts.]
>WE ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT IS PURE!
[Message Blue: Actually, following the encounter with Sakkil Marine, that "Shining Lizard" God, Durach was pure. I mean that he actually scanned as pure. I'll stop questioning your purity, and assume you managed to encounter a God and get purified, but I cannot promise that the other voices will agree with that choice.]
>[My apologizes but Eliros is… busy with other important matters.]
[Message Blue: Ack, sorry about that. I attempted to cancel that message, but it appears I was too late. Fact of the matter is that some of us would prefer if Eliros remains as far from the capital as lizardly possible.]
Oh! Regarding names, we should probably decide on something. ...I can only come up with Manny, as in "Voice of the Many" with an extra N.
[Message Blue & Red (separately): In the interests of diplomatic approaches, I've come to a wondering. Pink has her own alias for allies to know. Do you have one, and are you willing to share it with us?]
>Oh shit, the undead that feed the harvester body! That's what they're after!
Crap! That's actually brilliant!
>Kranny would be with him right now if I’m not mistaken.
...That poses an incredible problem. Blue has met him through Recho, meaning if we manage to grab Recho, Kranhon will be taken by Blue, and quite probably killed. The only way to make it safe is to abandon one of our pawns that hasn't met with Blue, or for Rose to take up a pawn.
[Message Rose: Our plan to steal Recho from Blue has hit a snag. If we grab Recho, Blue is free to grab Kranhon. Do you have an open slot, or are we going to have to either forget the plan or abandon one of our pawns? ...Actually, come to think of it, Gray might be able to grab a pawn, unless there's a distance restriction.]
[Message Gray, blind echo send and reply to Rose: I hope this message reaches you, Shadow! We're in a bit of a bind, and if you've got the pawn slot to spare, I'd guess you'd be interested in keeping an eye on things here. Are you familiar with Temrock, Ilbir, or Kranhon? We can't just give you Jericho, Eliraz, or Durach, and I doubt you know Tera, so it falls to those three.
Oh, and if you require titles in order to grab a pawn, I can safely say that Kranhon's title is "The Speaker". Temrock's is "The Heir of Savagery". ]
>>
No. 589081 ID: 2fd516

[message to Blue: Did you know that Purification is just another type of corruption? It makes the "purified" victim act at the whims of the "god" that purified them.]
>>
No. 589082 ID: 9443d1

[Check pawn status] It's been awhile since we did and I want to make sure everyone is okay.

Fuck! It's the Dark One's Enlightened. They're already here. [Message to Pink: Rose, the Magus just sensed "weird time energies" in the direction of the Grand Temple and downwards in the crypts. It's almost certainly the Enlightened; They've slipped in and they're making their move. I dunno just how we're gonna deal with them, but we're gonna need magic for this fight. How many mages do we have up in the Temple and down guarding the crypts? And what pawns do you have in or near either of those locations?]

Magus, we need you to tell us and Ilbir everything you can remember about Enlightened, starting with the extent of their temporal powers. We've been told they have some of the daemons' ability to bend time, but just what does that mean and how much can they do before they exhaust themselves? Can they accelerate or decelerate time in a area, and if so how large an area and can people and objects move into and out of it. Do they have the future-sight ability of daemons and if so to what extent? What about their magical abilities? What forms of magic can they wield? Is there any way we can detect them if they turn invisible? And do you know of any tactics that work against the Enlightened? How have they been defeated before?

...Wait. Kranhon is questioning Recho? But Kranhon is a free pawn! Blue could claim him! It'd be an incredibly rash and hostile action to do, but we know Blue is a short tempered hothead and he just might do it if his mood swings that way. We're messaging Pink to get Kranhon out of there. [Message to Pink: Get Kranhon away from Recho and scan him. Kran's a free pawn and we don't want to risk Blue getting in a mood and claiming him. We'll have to pick up Recho's questioning later with a non-pawn or one of ours.]

Since Eliraz is still on the way to the crypts we're going to switch to Temrock and alert him to what's happening and deal with what's happening in the Grand Temple. Ilbir, we probably don't have to say that you should get away from here ASAP. Magus, can you help us in any way with what's going to happen in the Grand Temple? Can you sense where a cloaked Enlighted is or wield magic in a fight?

>>589059
Yeah, the world keeps getting reverted to state shortly before we came to Jericho, but the minds of those daemons in the Daemon Realm don't. So the daemons have been remembering all those times and using them to predict the future. That's why they couldn't see the new god coming; It came from outside the world and it's cycles of reversions.

>>589078
Blue likely has a free pawn slot 'cause he iced one of his pawns right in front of us a few days ago, when Jer was returning from Ilbir's dig. That means he could claim Kranhon no matter what if he got in the mood to do so. Also, I think a player can only directly claim a pawn when they can see them through one of their own pawns. If I remember correctly all the times we've seen where us or a player has claimed a pawn sight unseen was when the game world did it for them, as happened in Amun. We can test if that's true right now with this command: [Claim pawn "The Speaker"] I'm sure it'll give us an out of range error.
>>
No. 589083 ID: 65a774
File 140777832279.png - (18.69KB , 900x450 , 22.png )
589083

>[Assign alias to Player Pink: Rose]
[It is done.]
>[Echo Rose's messages to pawns to Player Teal as "Rose to <Pawn name>: <Message>"]
[Error! Function not found!]
>[When Rose is actively viewing the same pawn as-]
[Error! Two players can’t view the same pawn at the same time!]
>[Share communications and observation of pawns with Rose]
[Making it so.]
>[Claim pawn "The Speaker"]
[This pawn is too far away!]

>[Message Rose: ...We're causing enough trouble, I'll share the same level of connection that we have with our pawns with you. That is to say, the ability to see what they're doing, and to talk with them.]
[Message from Rose: Thank you, you might do the same with my pawns.]
[Rose is fallowing your “The Heir of savagery” pawn!]
>[Message to Rose: Get Kranhon away from Recho and scan him. Kran's a free pawn and we don't want to risk Blue getting in a mood and claiming him. We'll have to pick up Recho's questioning later with a non-pawn or one of ours.]
[Kranhon hasn’t yet arrived. I will keep him away from blue, do not worry.]
>[message to Rose: Aw hell. The undead feeding the harvester are a target too. Do you have any mages near there?]
[…there are two at the entrance. That would be enough to stop any direct attack.]
>[message to Rose: Oh, and a word of warning- there's already time magic being used, so the Enlightened might already be there.]
[Time magic? …does that mean they can go around our defenses?]
>[Message Rose: Our plan to steal Recho from Blue has hit a snag. If we grab Recho, Blue is free to grab Kranhon.]
[Why don’t we just block him from claiming him? If both of us do it he won’t be able to claim him.]

>[Message Gray]
[Player Grey is to far away!]
>[Message Blue]
[Blue is ignoring you!]

>Since Eliraz is still on the way to the crypts…
:IlbirRUST: Actually, since the Prince was down in the middle city with the Princess, I’m pretty sure he would be in the crypt by now…
>Oh shit, the undead that feed the harvester body! That's what they're after!
:IlbirRUST: Oh crap! They are going to kill the Magus!
:MagusRUST:
:IlbirRUST: Err… I mean… we… got save him?
>Tell Magus there is still a slim hope left- from what we've discovered, the daemons' "future-sight" is actually just a result of them remembering what has happened in previous instances of the game.
:MagusRUST: It’s to late…
>Magus, we need you to tell us and Ilbir everything you can remember about Enlightened, starting with the extent of their temporal powers.
:MagusRUST: …ow…
>Move to the crypts to see what's happening. Dammit, we should have predicted this.
:IlbirRUST: Err… you better get someone else to run down there. My legs are a bit short, you know. Before I got there everything would already be over and-
:MagusRUST: *Ugh*
:IlbirRUST: -and suddenly there’s a lot of blood… are you… um… a-alright?
:MagusRUST: What is… this? I… I’m… not well? I can’t… describe… ow…

Insert First blood_
>>
No. 589085 ID: dbe554

I have no clue, but it looks like a sharp aneurysm if he's bleeding that sharply from the nose.
>>
No. 589086 ID: 2fd516

>>589083
Time magic is bullshit.
[switch to Eliraz]
>>
No. 589092 ID: 9443d1

[Scan the Magus] Ilbir, I suggest you back up. We don't know what's happening to the Magus' body, but I have the feeling it's going to get a heck of a lot messier.

Magus, we're sorry we couldn't stop this from happening, but we have something up Eliraz's sleeve that might have a slim chance to save you from your fates; Something that hasn't been in any of the other cycles. If it works we'll see you relatively soon. If it doesn't, then we'll do our best to make sure your fate isn't the horrible one.

[Extend to allied player Rose permission to summon the Spear of Light to both her and our pawns and access to all commands and functions related to such] [If permission extension is successful send following message to Rose: We've granted you permission to summon the Spear of Light and all related commands and functions. It'll do well in Temrock's hands against the Enlightened. It is currently being held by Durach, so do a status check to make sure he's not in combat before summoning it.] [Check location of Spear of Light]

[Switch to "The Thief"]
>>
No. 589094 ID: 65a774
File 140778643012.png - (18.98KB , 900x450 , 23.png )
589094

>[Extend to allied player Rose permission to summon the Spear of Light to both her and our pawns and access to all commands and functions related to such]
[Error! You do not have permission to share the “Demonic Lance”!]
>[Scan the Magus]
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Human Arch-mage.]

>I have no clue, but it looks like a sharp aneurysm if he's bleeding that sharply from the nose.
:MagusRUST: *BARF!*
:IlbirRUST: And now he’s puking blood too!
>Ilbir, I suggest you back up. We don't know what's happening to the Magus' body, but I have the feeling it's going to get a heck of a lot messier.
:IlbirRUST: Right, err… I’ll-
:GuardRUST: Get a doctor! This man needs aid!
:IlbirRUST: Wait, do-
:GuardRUST: Stay with us! Help is on the way!
:IlbirRUST: Err… right…



>[Switch to "The Thief"]
:ElirazRUST: Pff… why did I even have to come down here? It’s-
:GuardRUST: Sound the alarm! We’re under attack!
:ElirazRUST: Oh…
:GuardRUST: Prince Eliraz!? What are- never mind! You need to leave! We’re under attack!
:ElirazRUST: Attack? From where? Who?
:GuardRUST: I don’t know! The room changing machine just went haywire, changed the room to that chamber with those weird tanks and broken down, then suddenly three giant undead appeared from thin ear and started waking up those that were in the tanks! I have no idea where they came from! Oh no! Run! Here they are!

Insert In your crypt, rezzing your dudes_
>>
No. 589095 ID: 40935b

If they wake up all the undead, the magus will die. If you're sure it's just the undead in there, try sneaking in. If there's something nasty like an enlightened, it's far too dangerous.

Also check your mirrors.
>>
No. 589096 ID: d8a627

>>589095
Even if it is the Enlightened, they can be defeated with the dagger.
...Did Rose manage to get the Dagger to you?
>>
No. 589100 ID: 2fd516

>>589094
Do NOT let them wake up all the undead in the tanks! At some point you will want to gather up the undead servants in the crypt and put them in the tanks to replace the ones that were taken out. If we can handle this fast enough, we can save Magus's life. I'm not really confident in it though since according to both daemons we've asked he's died in timelines matching this one. Prioritize your own life.

We could summon the spear but we'd have to return it to Durach afterwards.
>>
No. 589119 ID: 9443d1

It's an Enlightened. It must have magic'd itself invisible, used its time bending power to zip in undetected, operated the room changer, then teleported in the wraith'd Vildmen. No idea where it is, but it's very likely still down there. And with its time powers it probably can move as fast as you can. We can just hope that doing all that exhausted its time powers for awhile.

We need to get the mages from the crypt entrance down here right away. Either yell back to someone to run up and get them down here or have a soldier run up to get them. There's probably a soldier running up to raise the alarm already so he can get them.

Mirror-check everything and order the men to do so as well. We can't trust what we see or even what the soldier said he saw. There might be more or less Vildmen or other forces that were dropped in. [Scan all targets in area] Why is one of our guards with the enemy? Did they manage to kill and raise a guard already?

Try to avoid targeting the unarmed skeletal undead. They're rather wimpy and we're going to need them mostly intact to throw back into the tanks powering the Magus' Harvester body. Aim for the wraith'd Vildmen first since they're controlling the undead, followed by any armed undead or ones actively attacking.

You should know that wraith can't cause illusions and control undead at the same time. So once we get them down to one wraith'd undead Vildmen any illusions will stop if they're still controlling the undead.

Using the undead powering the flawed Harvester as fighters doesn't make sense. They're weak unarmed skeletal undead and there are only 21 from the Harvester chamber and two from the room changing machine. It most likely was to take the Magus/The Human in Green out and secure the entryway to the Vault.

Is the room changing machine totally broken or only partially broken? 'Cause shifting the rooms while the Enlightened might be in them would probably destroy it. Even if those controls are broken I remember there was an "oh, shit" emergency button on it that might do something. We'd have to throw the undead back into the tanks to power the machine, though.

Holy water would be very good in this fight so is there any on hand? If there isn't, is there any nearby, either in the crypt or close enough that the soldiers can run and get it before it's too late?

Eliraz, if Durach isn't using the Spear of Light we're going to summon it to you, so be ready to catch it. [Check status of "The Shaman;" If status is not in combat or about to enter combat then summon "Daemonic Lance" to "The Thief"] Give yourself a cut with the Spear to protect yourself against wraith illusions.

[Message to Rose: It looks like an Enlightened dropped into the crypt, operated then broke the room shifting machine to get the Harvester chamber, then teleported in three wraith'd undead Vildmen to start controlling the undead in the tanks. Is there anybody you can get down to the crypts in short order to back up Eliraz? Or any weapons and supplies? Explosive bolts, grenades and holy water would help.]
>>
No. 589129 ID: 65a774
File 140779875849.png - (25.01KB , 900x450 , 24.png )
589129

>[Scan all targets in area]
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Serath guard] x6
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Serath guard Sergeant]
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Serath guard Corporal]
[Neutral Creature (Hostile): Undead Vildman] x3
[Neutral Creature (Hostile): Skeleton] x21
[Neutral Creature (Hostile): Wraith]
>[Message to Rose: It looks like an Enlightened dropped into the crypt, operated then broke the room shifting machine to get the Harvester chamber, then teleported in three wraith'd undead Vildmen to start controlling the undead in the tanks. Is there anybody you can get down to the crypts in short order to back up Eliraz? Or any weapons and supplies? Explosive bolts, grenades and holy water would help.]
[I am sorry, but I got no pawns close enough. They should have explosive bolts and fire water down there already. It should work as both as fire grenades and a fire enchantment for weapons.]

>...Did Rose manage to get the Dagger to you?
Rose? What rose? …and no, because I grabbed it before I left my room, remember?
>We need to get the mages from the crypt entrance down here right away. Either yell back to someone to run up and get them down here or have a soldier run up to get them.
There’s already someone running up for reinforcements.
>Do NOT let them wake up all the undead in the tanks!
Err… seems a bit late for that, don’t you think?
>We could summon the spear but we'd have to return it to Durach afterwards.
Wait, no! I don’t really know how to fight with a spear. Really, I’m more adapt with the whole cloak and dagger style.
>It's an Enlightened. It must have magic'd itself invisible, used its time bending power to zip in undetected, operated the room changer, then teleported in the wraith'd Vildmen.
Are you sure? They shouldn’t have reached the city yet… and where is the rest of the army? Wait, how does their time magic work? Can they go back in time or rewind it and stuff?

>Mirror-check everything and order the men to do so as well.
:GuardRUST: We are mirror checking what we can. In fact, I’m the official mirror checker in this group.
:GuardRUST: Keep them back! Use your superior reach!
>Is the room changing machine totally broken or only partially broken?
:GuardRUST: It was smoking pretty badly, so I guess yes?
>Why is one of our guards with the enemy? Did they manage to kill and raise a guard already?
:GuardRUST: Sarge and a few men went in to check just before the Vildmän appeared and was taken by surprise. Now they are cut off.
:ElirazRUST: That would explain the fighting I’m hearing… and the fire further down the corridor!
:GuardRUST: Eat fire water, scum!
*Crash!*Woosh!*
:ElirazRUST: …and I better get going before the whole corridor is an inferno.
:GuardRUST: What? Going wh- my Prince!? Where did yo-

>If you're sure it's just the undead in there, try sneaking
Well… it seems I’m a bit late to… yeah… a bit late…
:GuardRUST: Come on, you cowards! Step right up and taste my flame!

Insert Fighting fire with a lot of fucking fire_
>>
No. 589130 ID: 40935b

Dammit, the vildman already axed the harvester. The magus isn't getting out of this one.

is the Vildman sufficiently far enough from those two casualties to reverse-pickpocket some firebombs? and where is that rope on the ceiling going to?
>>
No. 589131 ID: 2fd516

>>589129
This seems to have happened much faster than 20 minutes. So much for future-sight. Also, goddamn. This is a ridiculously overpowered ability.
[message to Pink: Time Magic of this caliber must be the ability to freeze time. There is no counter to it, aside from completely blocking whatever they're after. In our experience it can only be done for a few seconds, so this is uh... a really overpowered version of it.]

Did those idiots attack the daemon in the tank? That's Magus! Or did that axe belong to the vildman? At any rate, steal a firebomb from someone, light it, then reverse-steal it onto the vildman. The vildman is carrying the wraith so that should leave the remaining undead mindless again. If you can get some of them back in the tank, and move Magus back into his tank... he might be able to recover.
>>
No. 589138 ID: 9443d1

[Scan all targets in area and echo results to "The Thief"] We scanned a moment ago and only one wraith showed up in the results. It's odd that it showed at all and not just its host body, but that might have been 'cause it's controlling the undead and can't focus on illusions. Anyway, the undead Vildman with the violet eyes is almost certainly the wraith's host so target him. Still, keep checking for illusions; I think you can use the reflections in the tank glass to do that on the move.

>>589130
>>589131
While planting a firebomb on the undead Vildman, possibly along with an explosive bolt, would quite thoroughly destroy the body, it wouldn't destroy the wraith. The wraith would just take a new host body, most likely one of the fallen guardsmen, or try to jump into one of the living guards or even Eliraz. Eliraz, that means you're gonna have to stab the Vildman with the dagger in order to destroy the wraith. Pick somewhere vital looking you can strike quick but leave yourself enough of an opening to get away if it doesn't work.

If the wraith and undead Vildman don't go down, or destroying the wraith in the undead Vildman doesn't stop the undead, then pull back to where the guardsmen are. We'll summon the Spear of Light and you'll hand it off to one of the guards to wield; They'll know how to handle it better than you.

There's also another way out of here through the ceiling. If things go badly then you can escape that way and lower the rope down for the guardsmen... In fact, I think someone might be lowering a rope for the guardsmen right now since if a rope was left dangling down it would have been sheared off by the rooms shifting.

>Are you sure? They shouldn’t have reached the city yet… and where is the rest of the army? Wait, how does their time magic work? Can they go back in time or rewind it and stuff?
Unfortunately we don't know how their time magic works, how powerful it is or how often they can use it. But we're pretty sure it was Enlightened 'cause the Magus pointed out that he sensed "weird time energies" coming from down here and the Great Temple; Enlightened are pretty much the only option for that right now.

Oh, and don't worry about the Great Temple. Temrock and a contingent of soldiers are there defending it and Pink is guiding him. Also, we gave Pink permission to switch to and speak with our pawns and she did likewise so don't be surprised of a singular female voice pops into your head.

>Rose? What rose? …and no, because I grabbed it before I left my room, remember?
Rose is the name that Pink prefers to go by and which some of us have chosen to use. Sorry that wasn't clarified.

What're those blueish bandage-looking things stuck onto these undead Vildmen? The one in here has one on his leg, and the one we saw in the other room had one over his eye. There's no point to bandaging undead like that, so what are those things?

[Message to Pink: We're too late to save the Magus. All the Undead Energy Sources are broken and the enemy has smashed the Harvester tank open and directly attacked his body. It's near certain he's a goner... Dammit... We're dealing with the enemy wraith and undead now. So far no sign of the Enlightened. What's the situation in the Great Temple? We can try to summon the Spear of Light to Temrock if you wish.]
>>
No. 589140 ID: 2fd516

>>589138
We were told that the firebombs/explosive bolts counted as magic.
>>
No. 589145 ID: 9a284f

WAIT what happens to Enlightened when they are killed, what if they explode or something, what if this is the battle where Eliraz dies?
>>
No. 589163 ID: 65a774
File 140785084129.png - (25.12KB , 900x450 , 25.png )
589163

>[Message to Pink: We're too late to save the Magus. All the Undead Energy Sources are broken and the enemy has smashed the Harvester tank open and directly attacked his body.]
[Message from Rose: He is still alive, if barely. My finest doctors are taking care of him this very moment and are trying their best to keep him alive. There is still hope for him.]
>[We're dealing with the enemy wraith and undead now. So far no sign of the Enlightened. What's the situation in the Great Temple?]
[They were attacked by three undead Vildmän controlled by a wraith that appeared in thin air. Luckily, Commander Temrock got a quick wit and was able to neutralize them before any damage had been done. Though, the most troubling part was a trophy one of the Vildmän was carrying. …it was the severed head of the princess… even though she is still unarmed in a safe place. What are your theories about that?]

>Did those idiots attack the daemon in the tank? That's Magus! Or did that axe belong to the vildman?
That’s quite clearly a Vildmans axe. It’s nearly the size of a guard, for Jove’s sake.
>We scanned a moment ago and only one wraith showed up in the results.
Good, then we only got one target, right?
>At any rate, steal a firebomb from someone, light it, then reverse-steal it onto the vildman. The vildman is carrying the wraith so that should leave the remaining undead mindless again.
Um… wait, would that actually kill the Wraith or just destroy its body?
>Is the Vildman sufficiently far enough from those two casualties to reverse-pickpocket some firebombs?
Yeah, those two casualties are rather dead… and I’m pretty sure they aren’t covered to be raised as undead either.
>Eliraz, that means you're gonna have to stab the Vildman with the dagger in order to destroy the wraith. Pick somewhere vital looking you can strike quick but leave yourself enough of an opening to get away if it doesn't work.
Right… let’s find a vital point in his armor and…

:UnbrokenUNB: What!? W-what is h-happening to-to-to me!? AAAH!!!
>>
No. 589165 ID: 65a774
File 140785089106.png - (25.43KB , 900x450 , 26.png )
589165

[Error!]

:ElirazRUST: -Off… what in the…
:GuardRUST: Huh!? Where did the Vildman go!? Prince Eliraz!?
:GuardRUST: The undead have stopped in their tracks! Are we victories?
:ElirazRUST: What just happen?

>Unfortunately we don't know how their time magic works, how powerful it is or how often they can use it. But we're pretty sure it was Enlightened 'cause the Magus pointed out that he sensed "weird time energies" coming from down here and the Great Temple.
Great, so they are manipulate time somehow and we don’t know what they actually can do… wait, Grand temple?
>Oh, and don't worry about the Great Temple. Temrock and a contingent of soldiers are there defending it and Pink is guiding him.
Oh, good, then it’s probably safe…
>Also, we gave Pink permission to switch to and speak with our pawns and she did likewise so don't be surprised of a singular female voice pops into your head.
Right, still don’t know who this Rose character is though.
>Rose is the name that Pink prefers to go by and which some of us have chosen to use. Sorry that wasn't clarified.
Pink? Oh, that pink! Right… rose… I see…
>What're those blueish bandage-looking things stuck onto these undead Vildmen? The one in here has one on his leg, and the one we saw in the other room had one over his eye.
Those are arrows… you know the feathers on the end of an arrow? I think they are there to make them shoot straighter.

:GuardRUST: …can someone explain what just happened? First they just appeared from thin air and now they transformed into the Prince?

Insert Time shenanigans_
>>
No. 589167 ID: 3f0c1b

I wonder if you can command these undead now.. oh but you should probably calm down the trooper first so they don't think you are some kind of imposter. Tell them to check their mirrors for illusions to start with to confirm you are not some kind of illusion, actually if they haven't done that yet on their own then give them a harsh reprimand as checking for illusions when things seems wrong could save their lives.
>>
No. 589171 ID: 40935b

[scan EVERYONE!!!]

Unless that fire-sword wielding guard just asked the stupid question, he's due for a promotion.

>Great, so they are manipulate time somehow and we don’t know what they actually can do
Yeah, we've established relatively quickly that time manipulation as a power is bullshit.

>What are your theories about that?
[reply: We think that it's the same principle as daemon future-sight. These events have repeated possibly hundreds of times, each time being reset for some reason. The daemons are able to remember their- I don't know what to call it, past lives?- and apply it to events in the future. We think cloned characters are holdovers from before a reset. Other theories include 'the enemy has access to creative mode and/or hax', and 'Shapechangers, shapechangers everywhere'. We'll refrain from mentioning that 'trophy' to anyone so we don't start rumors and upset people.

[error!]
Eliraz, I think you have the debug dagger. An unassuming weapon never intended to be used by mortals nor gods. [scan dagger]

get to work helping that harvester body and putting those undead back into the tanks- it looks grim, but pink says there's still hope.
>>
No. 589173 ID: d8a627

>…it was the severed head of the princess…
[Message Rose: Temporal clones. We've seen it in action: Sir Daniel Anderson, aka "The Sacrifice," about a week forward in time, had an undead temporal clone show up before him, while also looking at about thirty temporal clones of a wraith. ...Then again, it might just be the work of a wraith. Since we're dealing with wraiths and Enlightened, I would say either is possible. Do not believe a temporal clone means that is the guaranteed timeline, though, every time we have seen them they are not connected by any sort of fate.]
>[Error!]
...Tell me our new Sakkil god didn't just break the game.
>Pink? Oh, that pink! Right… rose… I see…
I thought that part of the conversation between Jericho and Elizah was before you left, but I suppose you were more focused on watching than listening.
>First they just appeared from thin air and now they transformed into the Prince?
...How are your shadow powers doing? I'm assuming that you had to reveal yourself as soon as you stabbed, but I want to make sure it wasn't somehow sealed?
>debug dagger
...Thaaaat would make it very dangerous. Any debug item is dangerous, period. Ben's claim that it is a sawblade through a chess table would be quite serious in that case. However, Debug can also grant you power when you wield it, so I don't understand why you got booted out of your shadow sneak, unless it's an auto-debug item, patching up everything around itself, including the wielder.
>>
No. 589180 ID: 9443d1

[Message to Rose: From what you said of the undead Vildmän having a trophy of Elizah's head our current theory is that the Enlightened or the Dark One himself is pulling forces from somewhat into the future of time lines where the Dark One is victorious. Since the Dark One is extra-temporal he can position his forces in the locations in those time lines where they appeared in our time line for him or the Enlightened to pull into ours. Though so far it looks like he's limited to a small number of troops. Even so, this is very bad for us. It means the Dark One could drop in a small strike force anywhere in the city he knows we'd be vulnerable, though likely only spots where our vulnerability is stationary for awhile. So where would...? Dammit! Jericho! If he knows Jer is in the state he's in he could drop a force into the royal necromancer's lab and kill Jer before the guards even get through the door! We need guards stationed in there right away, ready to defend if the Dark One does pull that. And could you please warn Tera of this for us.]

[Message to Rose: You should also know that Eliraz just used that dagger Elizah lent to Jer on one of the undead Vildmän down here and within a couple seconds the Vildmän just popped out of existence! No corpse, no flames, no nothing! We guess that the dagger is an item created by the gods who designed and built this world to be used by them to remove things that should not be in this world yet somehow got into it, be it either intentionally or through an error in the world's design. An undead Vildmän from another time line shouldn't be here, so the dagger removed it. That plus Bob saying that he couldn't see it coming means it's going to be invaluable to us in this fight.]

[Echo last two messages to Rose to "The Thief"] Eliraz, don't you go running off to protect Jer right away, okay. We have to try and save the Magus and there still might be an Enlightened down here that we'll have to deal with. Trust that Rose and the palace guards will protect him.

Rose said the Magus is just barely hanging on so we might still be able to save him. Do whatever you need to to get the guards to trust that you're really Prince Eliraz, then order them to get the Harvester body back into the tank immediately and prop it up any way they can so they can reconnect or splice together the wires that were leading into it. All the undead from the smaller tanks need to be dragged back into them as well. And we're probably going to need to get some of the crypt servants to replace any of the energy source undead that were destroyed.

If the Magus doesn't get better we might end up needing to activate the machine next to the big tank that summons the Magus/The Human in Green to ask him what to do. For that we'll need a cookie and someone who's hungry. Place the cookie in the slot and press the big red button the machine. Don't do it right away since summoning him might end up killing him.

>Those are arrows… you know the feathers on the end of an arrow? I think they are there to make them shoot straighter.
Ah, so it's fletching. ...Yeah, in case we haven't told you before: Our vision is lousy.
>>
No. 589188 ID: 9443d1

Also, have the room shifting machine taken apart and the undead from the tanks powering it brought down here. We don't want to leave any possibility of the rooms being shifted and killing everyone in them.

[Message to Rose: Please keep us updated on the Magus' condition. We're going to try having him and all the undead put back in their tanks. Even though the glass on them is broken and the suspension liquid is gone maybe it'll still work.]
>>
No. 589194 ID: 65a774
File 140786677702.png - (26.08KB , 900x450 , 27.png )
589194

>[scan EVERYONE!!!]
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Serath Fire Mage]
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Serath guard] x6
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Serath guard Sergeant]
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Serath guard Corporal]
[Neutral Creature (None): Undead Vildman] x1
[Neutral Creature (None): Skeleton] x18
>[scan dagger]
[ERROR!!]
>[Message Rose: Temporal clones. We've seen it in action: Sir Daniel Anderson, aka "The Sacrifice," about a week forward in time, had an undead temporal clone show up before him, while also looking at about thirty temporal clones of a wraith.]
[Temporal? As in… they are from another time? Did they send these forces back in time? Hmm… these Enlighten ones are a fearsome foe, indeed.]
>[We'll refrain from mentioning that 'trophy' to anyone so we don't start rumors and upset people.]
[That would be for the best, yes. I’ll destroy it as soon as I can.]
>[Message to Rose: Please keep us updated on the Magus' condition.]
[He has stabilized. As long as nothing else happens he will live, it seems…]
>[Dammit! Jericho! If he knows Jer is in the state he's in he could drop a force into the royal necromancer's lab and kill Jer before the guards even get through the door! We need guards stationed in there right away, ready to defend if the Dark One does pull that. And could you please warn Tera of this for us.]
[Good call, sending guards.]

>I thought that part of the conversation between Jericho and Elizah was before you left, but I suppose you were more focused on watching than listening.
What? Oh, oh right! I forgot about that… sorry…
>I wonder if you can command these undead now.
I’m a Prince, not a necromancer…
>oh but you should probably calm down the trooper first so they don't think you are some kind of imposter.
:ElirazRUST: Yes, we’re victorious. Now-
:GuardRUST: He’s an illusion! Kill h-
:GuardRUST: Check your mirror, you idiot! He’s real! …and if you’d actually paid attention in guard school you should know the Prince is a master of stealth!
:GuardRUST: Oh… sorry…

>Unless that fire-sword wielding guard just asked the stupid question, he's due for a promotion.
I’ll leave that for Commander Temrock to decide… of course, it seems he’s the only one here with a lack of sense…
>...How are your shadow powers doing? I'm assuming that you had to reveal yourself as soon as you stabbed, but I want to make sure it wasn't somehow sealed?
They are fine. I just lost my consecration when the giant I was clinging to suddenly disappeared.
>Eliraz, I think you have the debug dagger. An unassuming weapon never intended to be used by mortals nor gods.
…The bug? What bug? What does insects have to do with daggers?
>...Thaaaat would make it very dangerous. Any debug item is dangerous, period. Ben's claim that it is a sawblade through a chess table would be quite serious in that case.
Hmm… this “The bug” thing sound dangerous… and you mean Bob, not Ben… who’s Ben? Either way, maybe we should save the dagger for some real threats, like the demons?
>Get to work helping that harvester body and putting those undead back into the tanks- it looks grim, but pink says there's still hope.
:GuardRUST: With all due respect, Sir, not only does this corpse wight a ton, the machine it was held in is quite clearly broken. I don’t see how putting it back in there would help.
:ElirazRUST: Hmm… maybe you’re right… that thing is rather… dead already… let’s just hope the Magus is alright…

[Message from Rose: So, what should we do with Blue? His army is feasting in one of the halls in the palace at the moment and will soon be naturalized, but what about his pawns? Especially Durash? …and what should we do about Kranhon?]

Inser-
[Message from Rose: I just received a report that Mor’kay’s army has been spotted at the horizon. She will be here in just a few minutes… and… err… and the stones have stopped glowing… well, they are still glowing, just not as much.]

Insert How rude…_
>>
No. 589201 ID: 2fd516

>>589194
[check status of pawns]
De-bug. A bug is a glitch in a game. Debugging a game removes glitches. The dagger does so violently. We could use that thing to do very nasty things to the world, if we find the right targets.

It sounds like Magus' human body did not die, but his Harvester body did. I wonder if it's still Magus in the human body.

At any rate, we need to re-secure the area and then check to see if we can still access the Vault. With the room moved and the machines unpowered... how are we supposed to get back in there?

Also I have NO IDEA why the keystones stopped glowing as much, now. It's like Mor'Kay getting closer with her lesser rune wasn't the reason they were glowing. What else could cause that though?
>>
No. 589205 ID: 40935b

DEbug. Prefix de-, like un-. A 'bug' is a term for an inconsistency, like... abusing the wording of rules in q&q to get something impossible and overpowered. The weapon, if it is a debug weapon, was made to find such abusable exploits so they could be eliminated by being able to bypass other threats.

hmm, check your mirrors- our scans say the undead Vildman is still here, but 'none' is listed in the place that usually says disposition. Same with the skeletons.

I’m a Prince, not a necromancer…
...And as a member of the royal family, you can command undead just like you commanded Jericho back when you were Grey's pawn. Are you sure you're not distracted or something? You're recalling things with the reliability of a shape changer.

>what should we do with Blue?
[reply: Well he's ignoring our messages since we called his sandstorm BS, so I suppose we need to find out his game- it could be he's only trying to get Recho out of the city, or just get some information. And who's Durash? Do you mean Durach the shaman?]
>>
No. 589206 ID: d8a627

>The bug
DEbug. D-E-B-U-G. Dangerous Existance Bug. And it's not the insect type of bug that it's referring to, but an "error" that exists in golems and games. It's dangerous to them, not actually one of them itself. Remember, this is the game of the gods, and those viildmen came from a time that does not exist, meaning they're a "Bug." That dagger, as such, erases them.
>and you mean Bob, not Ben…
Right, got a little caught up and forgot his name. I don't know anybody named Ben, actually, it's just another B name is all.
>and the stones have stopped glowing… well, they are still glowing, just not as much.
[Message Rose: Either something has taken the rune from Mor'Kay, or she has a way of masking it. She probably did not know it would have an effect from so far away and wasn't masking it until just now.
As for Blue's pawns, well, we did agree to have one of our pawns meet one of his. Better to take a chance than to miss out on something beneficial. I believe that Kranhon would be the best to send. Since Eliraz is no longer facing any immediate danger, we'll take care of it.]
[Switch to The Acolyte]
*Ding* Tera, do you have the chance to go to Kranhon? We need somebody near him to actually recruit him into our team. If you're busy, we can switch to Ilbir and get him over there.
>>
No. 589207 ID: d8a627

>>589206
Actually lemme rephrase that DEBUG bit. "Dangers to the Existance of" might make more sense.
>>
No. 589208 ID: 2fd516

[message to Pink: Durach isn't one of Blue's pawns. He's one of ours. As for Blue's pawns... well, we should probably claim Recho from him, but we have to get near him with one of our pawns. As for the others... well, if we imprison them, consider that he will be able to abandon one of them and claim a different pawn once he has an open slot, and we know Kranhon is vulnerable to this. PLUS we know that Blue can kill his own pawns via ice magic. We haven't seen any other free pawns however, so we could just keep Kranhon away from Blue's pawns to prevent Blue from claiming anyone new. I am interested in talking to his pawns to see how loyal they are to the cause, however. If any of them are reasonable, we could consider allowing them to go free once Blue is defeated. Oh. I just realized Red could claim Kranhon as well. We'll have to keep Kranhon away from Mor'Kay and any of Red's other pawns. I'm also a bit tempted to set Blue and Red's pawns against eachother to try to eliminate both players at once, but I don't want to kill Mor'Kay. I mean, she's Jericho's mother.]
>>
No. 589211 ID: d8a627

>We haven't seen any other free pawns however,
Shadow/Gray actually owned a few of them before she was slain. Those pawns pose a risk, especially since it seems his pawns are in the castle.
...I really don't think we should leave Kranhon at risk just to claim Recho. If it becomes necessary, we could ask the Sakkil marine to purify Recho and free him of Blue's control.
>>
No. 589214 ID: 2fd516

>>589211
That's not how purification works. He would be under the control of the Sakkil at that point, and we've seen what Corruption-control does to people. It changes them. Purification-control would likely do the same thing.

If we're not gonna claim Recho then we could claim Kranhon to protect him from being claimed, and try to defeat Blue so that Recho is free.
>>
No. 589219 ID: 65a774
File 140788084345.png - (17.88KB , 900x450 , 28.png )
589219

>[check status of pawns]
[“The pebble”: Terrified. “The Thief”: Tired, annoyed. “The acolyte”: Concerned. “The scholar”: Stressed. “The Heir of Savagery”: Content. “The Shaman”: Marching.]
>[reply: Well he's ignoring our messages since we called his sandstorm BS, so I suppose we need to find out his game.]
[Message from Rose: Yes, we need more information before we act.]
>[I believe that Kranhon would be the best to send. Since Eliraz is no longer facing any immediate danger, we'll take care of it.]
[Very well… also, an important bit of tidbit. His “army” is snoozing at the movement. Apparently someone drugged their food… wops~]
>[And who's Durash? Do you mean Durach the shaman?]
[Duruch, Durash, Darash… those Tribal names sound all the same to me… I meant the son of the shaman person… um… Reche the son of Dashur? …or something?]
>[Message Rose: Either something has taken the rune from Mor'Kay, or she has a way of masking it.]
[Either way, the glow didn’t just disappear. It looked like the rune was moving away from the stones.]

>DEbug. D-E-B-U-G.
Right… Debug…
>A 'bug' is a term for an inconsistency, like... abusing the wording of rules in q&q to get something impossible and overpowered.
Oh! I get it now! …that’s a bug? Never heard that word used like that before… either way, this dagger is dangerous, then…
>It sounds like Magus' human body did not die, but his Harvester body did. I wonder if it's still Magus in the human body.
Hopefully he’s become mortal or something…
>hmm, check your mirrors- our scans say the undead Vildman is still here.
We’ve already checked our mirrors… and the Vildman is standing a bit down the hall. I ran past him on the way, remember? Of course, he isn’t moving as much as he did then…
>As a member of the royal family, you can command undead just like you commanded Jericho back when you were Grey's pawn.
If they were raised in our lands with the necessary rune, yes. These guys were resurrected in the ancient age, long before our family even existed! Besides, they were meant to be locked in tubes, so I doubt they have any kind of control runes in them.

>At any rate, we need to re-secure the area and then check to see if we can still access the Vault.
:GuardRUST: The area is secure, my Prince…
>With the room moved and the machines unpowered... how are we supposed to get back in there?
:GuardRUST: By digging a hole like we did last time, Sir? It’s only this room that moves and not the room under it, right?
:ElirazRUST: It’s worth a try… let’s see… which star was it…
:GuardRUST: I got everything we need to know written down in the room above…



>[Switch to The Acolyte]
:TeraRUST: Dammit, Geron, where are you?
>*Ding* Tera, do you have the chance to go to Kranhon? We need somebody near him to actually recruit him into our team.
:TeraRUST: Oh? Um… I… err… just a moment, I need to find Maester Geron and speak with him first… if only I sh-
:GeronRUST: Tera? Oh, just the one I wanted to see! Quick, I’m in need of your assistance!
:TeraRUST: Huh? Wha-
:GeronRUST: The guards in the Grand Temple aren’t allowing me to finish some very important work I have, but now that you’re here… come!
:TeraRUST: Wait, what are yo- Hey!
:GeronRUST: Talk while we walk, miss…

Insert Everyone walk the dinosaur!_
>>
No. 589222 ID: d8a627

>Apparently someone drugged their food… wops~
...I think I'm in love.
>The guards in the Grand Temple aren’t allowing me to finish some very important work I have, but now that you’re here… come!
TELL ME IT'S NOT HIM.
Tera, are you a strong, devout believer in anything spiritual or religious? We need you to smack a symbol of whatever you strongly believe in onto him and will it to prove it's truly Geron, your fellow enthusiast of chaotic fun~. Seriously, something's been throwing chaotic bore around, and part of chaotic bore is involving anybody you can.
...As for how to go about doing that, I leave it up to you. I'd ask if you need our help or if we should head for Ilbir, but given the situation at the temple, I think it's important we observe.
[Message Rose: Do you have an active eye on the temple? It seems The Acolyte is getting dragged over there, due to a situation there. It might not be the temple itself, and instead, Necromancer Maester Geron, so there may yet be reason to stick to the situation. Everything's getting a little too chaotic for even my tastes, and that's saying something!]

Something's been on my mind unrelated to all this.
[Check Glossary for AI Players and Active Players]
[Check Glossary for rulesets, especially if there are differences between regions]
[If ruleset varies, check Serath's rules for Pawn capacity]

...A bit more on subject, we've never once scanned Geron, have we?
[Scan Geron]
[If Geron has any pawn status, echo to Rose]
>>
No. 589223 ID: 40935b

>Apparently someone drugged their food… wops~
[reply: oh goodness me, I hope it's nothing trivial.]
... well that's the most terrifying use of the word 'naturalization' I've ever seen.

Tera, slow down and say you can't, you need to be somewhere important. Ask him what this work is.

[beg the glorious huge cactus for assistance, blessings, mercy and cookies]
>>
No. 589226 ID: 2fd516

>>589219
The guards aren't letting him finish his work? Then... I'm sorry Tera, but he might be doing something bad. We need to know. Try to get him to spill the beans. Use your friendship with him to get it out of him. Just... be careful. He might be dangerous, too.

How is Jericho? He's apparently terrified. Did you get your screwup corrected?
>>
No. 589246 ID: 9443d1

Okay, Tera, I'm just going to assume that Geron isn't behaving the way he should and will consider that he's likely an enemy agent until proven otherwise. We'll alert Pink and she'll get Temrock up here to lay in ambush ahead of you; Don't worry, we'll have him aim for non-vital spots. Just listen and be ready to run when things go down.

Go along with Geron but drag your feet a bit and keep him talking so it'll be easier to find you; Ask him about this "important work" he's doing or bring up Varius' work. Don't let on you have any suspicions of him being an enemy agent. Also tell us your location as best you know so we can relay it to Pink. And keep track of which way you're going so you can keep us updated on your position.

[Message to Rose: Tera came to the Grand Temple looking for Geron and he showed up but he's acting oddly; Says there's some "important work" the guards are keeping him from finishing that he needs Tera's help with and is actually pushing her along. We don't know if he's just acting eccentric or he's an enemy agent so we need to test him. Alert Temrock and get him up here to lay in ambush for Geron, but make sure he knows we want to take Geron alive and to aim for non-vital spots. Do you have holy water on hand he could spash Geron with to check if he's corrupted? 'Cause otherwise we're going to have to summon the Spear of Light to Temrock so he can poke Geron to test him.]

[Message to Rose: We don't know Tera's exact position, but we can see it's a corridor parallel to and on an exterior wall and going by the view out the windows it's above ground level. We can see out the right window a large building with many windows, a single gold onion dome on its roof and a tower with a red roof, and out the left window we see a large red roofed tower with windows in a triangle formation and two smaller towers next to it. That should tell which side of the Great Temple Tera's on. There's also a painting of the Sultan's Palace between the windows and a huge potted cactus next to the right-hand window and a bookcase next to it, so Temrock can ask the priests if they know where that is. And Tera and Geron are moving to the right relative to looking out the windows. We'll update you with where Tera says she is in a moment.]

[Scan Geron and echo results to The Acolyte and Player Rose] [Message to Rose: Just sent you Geron's scan results]

[Message to Rose: Red probably made the sensible decision to have the Lesser Rune taken away from the city, likely by one of his pawns, instead of Mor'Kay carrying it in. Hm... I have an idea. I'm thinking we can use a keystone to track down the Lesser Rune. We shadow whoever is carrying it and if Red turns out to not actually be on our side in this we'll take it. Do you have a pawn who can get out of the city with a small fast strike squad and do this without Red/Mor'Kay's forces noticing?]

[Message to Rose: Do we have a necromancer that we can trust to keep their mouth shut? 'Cause before you destroy that trans-temporal trophy head I'd like to have it checked to determine just how long it's been dead. ...And if it's really fresh then we... Uh... Well, we would have the option to place it on a skeleton and have it raised so we might be able to ask the Elizah from that time-line what went wrong.]

[Message to Rose: I do hope that none of Blue's pawns were around to see his "army" fall asleep. We'll have enough trouble dealing with Blue without him flipping his lid over drugged food and declaring war on us.]

[Message to Rose: Get Ilbir and Kranhon back together at the Palace. Once we're done with Tera we'll jump to Ilbir and deal with questioning Recho.]

[Message to Rose: I have an idea for how we might be able to kill Blue without having to find and kill Eliros: We try to recreate how we killed Gray. We'll need to get one of Blue's pawns in front of a mirror - a big one - and get Blue to switch to that pawn. Then Eliraz will shadow-walk and try to stab Blue with Elizah's dagger. Of course if it fails Blue'll see it and go hostile so we'll keep this for if there's no other option or he's already gone hostile.]

[Help system queries: What are the rules and mechanics of blocking another player from claiming a free pawn? If a player attempts to seize another player's pawn and succeeds can they choose to not claim the pawn, and if a player has no free pawn slots are they still allowed to make the attempt?] We want to release Recho from Blue's grasp but don't particularly want to keep him as a pawn. This'll tell us if it's possible for us or Pink to do so without claiming him.

>>589222
Tera, don't do this! While a symbol of devotion held by someone with strong beliefs does repulse or harm corrupted and Shape Stealers, that is the most it does. If Geron is effected he'll still be able to recover to chase you down and retaliate. Also, if this is a Shape Stealer impersonating Geron then it's likely a strong one that can shrug of such things since it's in the middle of a temple full of those with strong beliefs and their symbols.

My fellow voice also seems not to have noticed that the color and shape of the stonework is not that of the palace but rather that of the Great Temple as we saw back when Jericho was raised. ...And what the heck is "chaotic bore?"

>>589223
It's "neutralization," not "naturalization." Big difference.
>>
No. 589249 ID: d8a627

>...And what the heck is "chaotic bore?"
Well, there's chaotic friends, chaotic enemies, chaotic fun, and then there's chaotic bores. People who use chaos in such a boring manner.
>but rather that of the Great Temple
...I blame our bad eyesight! Also, Geron kind of implied they aren't in the Grand Temple. It's likely that they do the training resurrections in a separate temple.
>>
No. 589258 ID: 6acd7a

[Scan the cactus, all hail the cactus]

Can we send massages to prawn we're not currently following?
If so [massage to "The Thief": Think of that dagger as one of the tools the old gods used to create the world]

>chaotic bore
You know, like "lawful anal" or "neutral hungry"
>>
No. 589272 ID: 65a774
File 140793399643.png - (10.04KB , 900x450 , 29.png )
589272

>[Scan the cactus, all hail the cactus]
[Pointy, the consumer of worlds, destroyers of civilizations, drinker of seas and the blessed cheese maker is the avatar of the Grand Cactus in the sky! Fear his needles! REPENT! REPENT or a thousand NEEDLES will rain down upon thee!!]
>[beg the glorious huge cactus for assistance, blessings, mercy and cookies]
[There will be no mercy from the Cactus lord! Only death! DEATH AND COOKIES! …but only if you sacrifice fifty virgins and a next gen game console in his honor.]
[The Exalted Cactus is angry with your lack of devotion! You will be punished for this sacrilege! All Cactuses are now twice as pointy! FEEL HIS WRATH!!]

>[Check Glossary for AI Players and Active Players]
[Active AI players you’ve met: Blue, Grey, Pink, Red.]
[Active Players you’ve met: None.]
[You can’t see Players you haven’t met yet!]
>[Check Glossary for rulesets, especially if there are differences between regions]
[Unable to locate Glossary… *Rule Glossary will be implemented in the next Patch – Admin*]
[There are no rule change between regions.]
>[Help system queries: What are the rules and mechanics of blocking another player from claiming a free pawn?]
[To Block someone from claiming a pawn you must use more “Claim power(Name pending)” then the one trying to claim the pawn. All players has 100 “Claim power(Name pending)” and it will be replenished every 3rd hour. Pawns that already been claimed by someone got a base power between 25-100 depending on the loyalty and strength of the pawn and all pawns also got a base between (-100)-50 depending on willpower and loyalty, except for King pawns that are always unclaimable.]
>[If a player attempts to seize another player's pawn and succeeds can they choose to not claim the pawn, and if a player has no free pawn slots are they still allowed to make the attempt?]
[You must have a free pawns slot to try and claim a pawn, the pawn will be claimed if you wrest control of it from another player and you can’t unclaim a pawn until 24 hours has passed from when you claimed it.]

>[reply: oh goodness me, I hope it's nothing trivial.]
[Message from Rose: Don’t worry; they’ll just sleep for a bit before waking up in the cells in the cellar.]
>[Message to Rose: I do hope that none of Blue's pawns were around to see his "army" fall asleep.]
[They went to bed for a “quick nap”. Even if one of his pawns was with them it would be fast asleep too.]
>[Message to Rose: Get Ilbir and Kranhon back together at the Palace. Once we're done with Tera we'll jump to Ilbir and deal with questioning Recho.]
[I’ll see what I can do.]
>[Message Rose: Do you have an active eye on the temple?]
[Only your pawn Temrock is currently there, why?]
>[Message to Rose: Tera came to the Grand Temple looking for Geron and he showed up but he's acting oddly; Says there's some "important work" the guards are keeping him from finishing that he needs Tera's help with and is actually pushing her along. Alert Temrock and get him up here to lay in ambush for Geron.]
[I need her location if I’m going to set up an ambush.]
>[Message to Rose: We don't know Tera's exact position, but we can see it's a corridor parallel to and on an exterior wall and going by the view out the windows it's above ground level. We can see out the right window a large building with many windows, a single gold onion dome on its roof and a tower with a red roof.]
[That sounds like the Palace… I think I know where you are then…]
>[Scan Geron and echo results to The Acolyte and Player Rose]
[“The Betrayer” is currently unclaimed!]
[Message from Rose: That’s… ominous…]

>You know, like "lawful anal" or "neutral hungry"
I have to remember those two!
>How is Jericho? He's apparently terrified. Did you get your screwup corrected?
Screw up? I freaking fixed his ribcage without any bone fragments! As for Jer… I believe it’s pretty normal being afraid after coming back to life like that…
>Tera, are you a strong, devout believer in anything spiritual or religious? We need you to smack a symbol of whatever you strongly believe in onto him and will it to prove it's truly Geron!
Err… I don’t have a holy symbol on me… and being blind is kind of a hurdle to overcome trying to find one.

>Tera, slow down and say you can't, you need to be somewhere important.
:GeronRUST: More important than spending time with old Geron? Nonsense!
>Ask him about this "important work" he's doing or bring up Varius' work.
:GeronRUST: Oh, it’s some grand work I’m finishing, nothing else… wait, Varius? How do you… never mind… yes, I’ve spoken with him at lengths recently… he had some quite interesting ideas and plans, I have to admit. To confess, he’s the one who suggested the project I’m doing right now.
>Also tell us your location as best you know so we can relay it to Pink. And keep track of which way you're going so you can keep us updated on your position.
I was in the northern part of the second floor and I… think he pulled me into the eastern wing… err…
:TeraRUST: Where are we?
:GeronRUST: Right now? Nowhere important. What’s important, though, is the secret entrance to the Cold Storage that’s located here. Not even the guards know about this one… now…
*Click*
:TeraRUST: …did you just lock the door?
:GeronRUST: Just to make sure we aren’t disturbed, my pretty little flower… now, just a second and I’ll open the way forward… let’s see…
:TeraRUST: (…I get the feeling I’ve made a horrible mistake…)

Insert …implications_
>>
No. 589283 ID: d8a627

[Echo Tera's directions to Rose]
[Message Rose: This just got a heck of a lot more worrisome. Geron worked with Varius, "Lord of the Dead," before he ran off to start the undead war in the northern lands, and, as you saw, is named "The Betrayer" himself. He brought Tera into a dead-end room claiming it was a secret route to the cold chamber and locked the door behind them. Either he's lying, and Tera's in grave danger, or he's being honest, and there's a secret route that, despite our ability to see somewhat into the walls, we cannot see.]
Tera, perhaps he just wants to test out Varius's techniques? He might even be able to give Thaark a new body! You should totally ask him if that's his plan. Because that would be awesome.
[Message Rose: We could claim him, and try to guide him in to our own goals, assuming he's a malevolent individual for the time being.
We could leave it be and trust that, despite his actions he is already on our side.
Or we could still believe he's a malevolent person and instead of taking control, just blindly, pre-emptively echo this conversation and any status changes to you. If we don't decide for ourselves to act upon the first one, then I'll trust your decision on which of the second two choices to go for. ...Might even be worth echoing anyways, at that.]
[If Rose suggests to do so, echo conversation and any status updates between Tera and Geron to Rose]
Well, guys, should we try and claim Geron to steer him into helping us? His "Betrayer" title might imply he betrays Serath, or he might betray Varius. We don't know.
[Message Rose: Oh! He could be a betrayer of Varius, instead of Serath.]
>>
No. 589295 ID: 40935b

> I’ll open the way forward
Tera, it looks like he's using a secret passage. Do you have anything you can use to leave a trail of breadcrumbs? A token or necklace or something we can use to identify the room?
>>
No. 589309 ID: 9443d1

[Message to Rose: Tera says that she was in the northern part of the second floor and that she thinks that Geron pulled her into the eastern wing. He's taken her into a room with a single entrance, locked the door and taken the doorknob. That means he doesn't want Tera to be able to flee so it pretty much settles that his intentions are bad. Geron says that there's a secret entrance to the cold storage located in here that not even guards know about and he's currently standing at the back wall and looking for whatever it is that opens it. That means this room is either over or near the cold storage. There's a single window so that means the room is on an exterior wall and looking out we can see that looks like that big building with the gold onion dome we saw before that you said was likely the palace. If that's right the room's somewhere on the west side of the north half of the east wing. Get Temrock and his guards up here as fast as you can, tell him to grab something that can bash down a door, then knock down the one that's locked who's doorknob he can just pull out; That'll be the one Tera and Geron are in since Geron took the doorknob from the other side. And if you can send guards to the cold storage near this room to try and find where Geron might come out. It'll probably be in or near a locked room where he's been doing work.]

[Message to Rose: Tera brought up Varius to Geron and Geron says that he spoke with Varius at length recently and that the "grand work" he's about to finish that he's leading Tera to was a suggestion of Varius. Is is very bad 'cause Varius was under the influence of the Blood God recently, right before he took off to the Northlands. That means Geron has likely been influenced by the Blood God as well. Thus whatever he's working on is almost certainly Bad News for us. We can't let him complete it.]

Tera, we're feeling exactly the same way. Geron is talking creepy and he not only locked the door, he took the damn doorknob! That means he doesn't want you to be able to even try to run! That clinches that his intentions are bad. And he was speaking with Varius recently and is doing a "grand work" based on his' suggestion and that raises all the red flags 'cause Varius was under the influence of the Blood God recently, right before he left for the Northlands! This is bad! Geron's probably been corrupted or at least influenced by the Blood God. He might not even be Geron but a Shape Shifter who sucked out Geron's brain and is impersonating him! You can't let him take you in there! You'll be killed or worse!

We've already alerted Pink to your likely location and she's rushing Temrock and the guards here but they might not make it in time. We can't risk Geron taking you. We need you to do something drastic to stall him. To your right there's a large open window with a table in front of it. We need you to either get over that table as fast as you can or shove it out of the way and stand in the window, gripping the frame with both hands. Shout to Geron that you're not going with him. That you'll jump rather than go with him into who-knows-where for who-knows-what. And lay on the tears and cry that he's been like a father to you and how could he betray you like this? And if worse comes to worst, you can jump. It's only the second floor and you're rather thin and light so as long as you land on your feet the most you'll get are broken legs. And compared to what Geron has in store for you broken bones are a cakewalk, especially when you have the finest doctors and healing magic in the land to fix them.

If you feel you can't do that, then just find any other way you can delay Geron. Like wrap yourself around the table leg and don't let go. Oh, there's one of those Serath hammer thingies on the table on the far end from you, past the candlestick. Are those considered holy objects? 'Cause if they are then you could grab it and hit Geron with it. For that matter we can summon the Spear of Light to either you or have it drop in above Geron upside-down so it hits him.

But if things look like they're going bad and you're in immediate danger of dying then we'll [Claim pawn "The Betrayer" and grant permission for direct control to allied player Pink] That'll stop or at least slow him down while he fights off her control. [Message to Rose: We may claim Geron and if we do we'll grant you permission to take direct control of him. Keep checking your status and if he shows up then jump to and control him. Do whatever you can to stop him or at least slow him down.]
>>
No. 589310 ID: 2fd516

>>589272
There's a hammer on the table. I think you might want to grab it.
>>
No. 589318 ID: 9443d1

Oh, man, I almost forgot: Us squids can BITE HIM! EVERYONE, PILE ON! BITE GERON! ENGULF AND BITE THE BASTARD!
>>
No. 589323 ID: 65a774
File 140795842896.png - (9.61KB , 900x450 , 30.png )
589323

>[Echo Tera's directions to Rose]
[Temrock is on his way.]
>[Message to Rose: Tera brought up Varius to Geron and Geron says that he spoke with Varius at length recently and that the "grand work" he's about to finish that he's leading Tera to was a suggestion of Varius.]
[That’s bad… very bad… he’s clearly been taken by the Dark one…]
>[Message Rose: We could claim him, and try to guide him in to our own goals, assuming he's a malevolent individual for the time being.]
[Hmmm… I don’t know if that would work but… if anything it would delay him and time is of the essence at the moment.]

>Tera, we're feeling exactly the same way. Geron is talking creepy and he not only locked the door, he took the damn doorknob!
…oh… oh gods…
>Tera, it looks like he's using a secret passage. Do you have anything you can use to leave a trail of breadcrumbs? A token or necklace or something we can use to identify the room?
I… I don’t really have anything I can leave… not anything recognizable… I… I can maybe tip something over?
>There's a hammer on the table. I think you might want to grab it.
Yes, a holy symbol!

>You can't let him take you in there! You'll be killed or worse!
:GeronRUST: There, the way is open. Be careful, there are some stairs when you enter, but don’t worry… I’ll-
:TeraRUST: NO!
:GeronRUST: …what?
:TeraRUST: I’m not going! You can’t make me!
:GeronRUST: …Tera, please, I’m doing this for you!
>We need you to do something drastic to stall him. To your right there's a large open window with a table in front of it. We need you to either get over that table as fa-
*Crash!*
:TeraRUST: OW- stupid tab- HEY, HANDS OFF ME!
:GeronRUST: Tera, you’re acting irrational! Calm down!
>Lay on the tears and cry that he's been like a father to you and how could he betray you like this?
:TeraRUST: H-How can y-you do this!? Y-you raised me! You w-were my f-family!
:GeronRUST: That’s exactly why I’m doing this! There others are doomed, but I’ve made a deal… a deal for you! You will be spared! We will be sp-

>Are those hammer considered holy objects? 'Cause if they are then you could grab hit Geron with it.
*SMAK!*
:GeronRUST: OW!! YOU BITCH! HOW DARE YOU!! That’s it! No more Mr. Nice guy! Get into the damn secret passage!
:TeraRUST: Wait, don’t- AAAH!!
>>
No. 589324 ID: 65a774
File 140795844059.png - (7.92KB , 900x450 , 31.png )
589324

:TeraRUST: Ow…
:GeronRUST: I… I’m sorry, I don’t know what… are you alright, my pretty little flower?
:TeraRUST: You threw me down a flight of stairs…
:GeronRUST: And you hit me in the face with a hammer… either way, I can sense your bone structure and nothing is broken… so everything will be fine… of course, none of this would have happened if you’d been a good girl… but no, women today always has to get it their way. They always think they should be in charge!
:TeraRUST: …wha-
:GeronRUST: Your kind are timed and weak, you’re not supposed to decide who or what happens. You are supposed to be good girls and be with the people who help you, not some… transsexual insect!!
:TeraRUST: …I… are y-you tal-
*Crush*
:TeraRUST: Oh… oh gods… what am I lying in?
:GeronRUST: These corridors used the house a mass grave… plague victims of old… now, the only thing remaining is useless bone fragments and eternal grins… not the bedfellows I would have desired for our first embrace but it have to suffice.
:TeraRUST: …w-wh-Embrace!!?
:GeronRUST: …you’ve always been such a beautiful, delicate flower… so… weak and helpless… yet… such a gorgeous temple to defile… now, be a good girl and stay still… I don’t want to hurt you any more, my little necromancer… hmmm… heh… maybe it is fitting that we’re surrounded by the dead… being master of it and all… having such a lovely embrace in a bed made out of the very thing we love… don’t you think so?
:TeraRUST: …Freeze in hell, you son of a b-bitch…
:GeronRUST: No?

> Oh, man, I almost forgot: Us squids can BITE HIM! EVERYONE, PILE ON! BITE GERON! ENGULF AND BITE THE BASTARD!
:GeronRUST: …are there mosquitos down here?

Insert The love is dead, they say_ (Also, I feel kind of icky after writing Geron here…)
>>
No. 589325 ID: 2fd516

>>589324
Yep we, need a distraction alright.
[claim Geron]
Mortal. Do not defile this place with your disgusting fleshy urges. Have respect for the dead, or else the dead will be turned against you. This is your only warning.

[message to Rose: There are skeletons EVERYWHERE in here. This is what Blue was talking about!]
>>
No. 589327 ID: dbe554

Force claim Geron!
>>
No. 589329 ID: 40935b

[scan everything]

Shit again. Tera, the hammer is in front of you, and there's darkness in front of that- if you move there, he won't be able to see you either.

[message Rose: Tera overturned a goblet and a candlestick and grabbed a hammer symbol before she got dragged through the secret passage. Also, someone put a mass grave in the walls. We may need backup if the necromancer gets any ideas or a wraith shows up. ]
>>
No. 589331 ID: 65a774
File 140796380727.png - (7.61KB , 900x450 , 32.png )
589331

>[message Rose: Tera overturned a goblet and a candlestick and grabbed a hammer symbol before she got dragged through the secret passage.]
[From Rose: A locked door and sign of a struggle will not be hard to pinpoint. We will be there soon.]
>[Also, someone put a mass grave in the walls. We may need backup if the necromancer gets any ideas or a wraith shows up. ]
[…yes, I’ve heard about that. It’s an old mass grave for… plague victims, I believe? Rather gruesome sight, if you ask me… of course, most people doesn’t know about it and sometimes, ignorance is bliss. As for a wraith… those bone are too old a brittle, not to mention rather smashed as it is. The only use they would serve is kindling at this stage, really…]

>Shit again. Tera, the hammer is in front of you, and there's darkness in front of that- if you move there, he won't be able to see you either.

>[claim Geron]
[You have Claimed “The Betrayer”!]
>Mortal. Do not defile this place with your disgusting fleshy urges. Have respect for the dead, or else the dead will be turned against you. This is your only warning.
:GeronRUST: WHAT!? NO! YOU PROMISED TO STOP WHISPERING TO ME, BLUE ONE! YOU PROMISED! I’m trying to do as you asked, so you’ll spare us! Please, give me more time! I need more time so I can finally be with… with… where did you go… Tera? Tera, where are you!? TERA!? No… nonono… it’s almost too late! Please, Tera, I’m trying to save you! SAVE YOU!! DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND!? THE CITY WILL BURN!!!

Insert Going into the deep end and you can’t swim_
>>
No. 589332 ID: 2fd516

>>589331
Who is the blue one? You're going to die here, fleshbag. YOUR BONES SHALL JOIN OURS.

Tera, you can hear where he is when he steps on the bones. Your hearing is better than his, you are better at dealing with blindness. Lure him into the dark. Beat him senseless. Actually, before you do that, toss a skull at him. He's a bit spooked, maybe we can scare him off so you don't have to risk yourself at all. Well, if you want to, anyway. I wouldn't blame you if you'd rather beat the shit out of him.
>>
No. 589333 ID: dbe554

The city will be saved, none will burn except for yourself if you do not give up. You may have her 'safety' at heart but all you are about to do is cause pain, she does not want this!
>>
No. 589336 ID: 40935b

[message rose: we've got him talking- it looks like he was one of blue's pawns. Good call knocking those soldiers out.]

Blue's gone now. You're alone here. With us!
>>
No. 589337 ID: d8a627

[Message Rose: Apparently, Geron was formerly a pawn of Blue. Contrary to the old pawns of Gray, we don't get a warning for abandoned pawns--just those who were claimed when the player dies, I suppose. We're focused on Geron, but it might be possible for you to--hold on.]
Tera, if possible, we're going to send Rose to talk to you, okay? She might be able to help.
[Focus on The Betrayer, not The Acolyte]
[Message Rose: Okay, you should be able to talk to Tera now. It seems Geron was panicked when he heard voices (Yes, plural! Blue is probably a multiple form like we are) and thought "The Blue One" had returned. He's also saying that "The City Will Burn." This means that Blue either found a very powerful fire mage, will take over Elizah, or has a way of severing the limiters the mages place upon themselves. Combined with the vision we told you about this morning--that of the City indeed being on fire... I don't like this. I can only hope that Durach and/or Morkay have some ice mages in their groups to help put out the fires.]
>>
No. 589341 ID: 2fd516

>>589337
>blue angel
Dude. What? No, Geron is a former pawn of Blue. He was likely claimed when Jericho's mantis associate was still a servant.

I don't know why you're trying to bring him over to our side right now. You should save that until after Tera is safe. Also, two can play at the muffle game.
>all that
[MUFFLE THIS VOICE]
>>
No. 589343 ID: 40935b

>>589337
Stop projecting our movements and openly giving information to people who who most certainly do not have our best interests at heart and people who are likely insane. Having headvoices ask nicely isn't going to make Geron calm down, and Red is not our ally. His playstyle is 'manipulating', he's not even trustable.
>>
No. 589349 ID: d8a627

Actually, you know what.
[Revoke previous messages and commands from this voice, excluding the messages to Rose (I'm keeping that!). This clearly means including focusing on Geron, though]
Let's start rewording things to fit more along with the group ideas.
---
Blue? Blue?! Fuck that bastard! We're already hurting him quite a bit but if he's been causing trouble to our little devout Acolyte here through you, then we'll just cause it all the more!
As you can plainly hear, there's quite a bit of zealousness here. You want to be safe? Then stay here, and stop trying to harm the dear Acolyte. We will not have the Necromancers who have stayed true to the teachings be harmed. Return to the teachings and accept your punishment, and you will be spared a horrible fate.
>>
No. 589351 ID: 9443d1

[Check corruption level of "The Betrayer" and echo results to "The Acolyte" and player Pink]

Blue?! BLUE?! You call us by the name of that CRETIN?! That LIAR!? That collaborator with DEMONS?! No, we are NOT him! We are far more and far older than him. And we are here to STOP his actions and save this city!

You have been DECEIVED, Master Geron, by a tool of the very ones who seek to see this city burn and those in it die! By your actions you have made their goal possible; Not the inevitability you were told. But you may still redeem yourself. Tell us all that the Blue One has said and had you do so that we might stop the doom that they would bring. Only by saving this city from doom will you be saved yourself.

And know this: Tera is under our watch and protection. Bring harm to her and our wrath will fall upon your head and you will not live to see another day.

(Whisper to "The Acolyte:" Stay still. Listen for his footsteps in the bones. If he draws near aim for a hard hit to a kneecap first. He could sense your bone structure, so does this mean he can see your skeleton? If so then stay down so he can't distinguish you from from the bone pile. And do you have the same skeletal sense you could use to aim for him?)

[Grant permission for direct control of "The Betrayer" to allied player Rose/Pink] [Message to Rose: We have claimed Geron and granted you permission to directly control him. Please switch to him and if he makes a hostile move attempt to take control and stop him. But if you wish to speak with him to try and keep that from happening, please do.] [Lock follow target to "The Acolyte"] (So we don't inadvertently block Pink.)

[Message to Rose: Geron mistook us for the "Blue One" when we spoke to him and said he's "trying to do as you asked." It's pretty certain he was a pawn of Blue and it looks like Blue is aiding the Dark One, either intentionally or not. From what Geron said it appears he's doing what he's doing so he and Tera would be spared from the doom he believes Blue will bring on the city.]
>>
No. 589352 ID: d8a627

>[Grant permission for direct control of "The Betrayer" to allied player Rose/Pink]
I think you need to have a loyal pawn to take direct control, actually...
[Check Glossary on this]
And then even if she can take direct control, we know that pawns can fight back against their players. I, personally, don't want to put her in that danger.
[Message Rose: Do you wish to speak with Geron, or Tera? We will focus ourselves upon the other, so that you can speak with the other. Perhaps it will be easier for you to convert Geron back to the Serathian side than us, although we do not have audio support-anything we are supposed to hear is transcribed for us to read, so if you happen to sound like Elizah or Leanah, I would recommend talking to Tera instead.]
[Focus on whichever target is the one Rose did not suggest she talk with]
>>
No. 589354 ID: e3aff6

[Message Rose:] Do we still have that duplicate Elizah head the undead had? It occurs to me that we might be able to raise her as undead to both save that instance of her and get information on what happened in that timeline.
>>
No. 589378 ID: fa3d04

Tera remember that in the dark he's almost as blind as you but you've had your whole life to adjust so your other senses are heightened.
>>
No. 589393 ID: 9443d1

(Whisper to "The Acolyte:" Hold your hand out and we'll summon the Spear of Light to you. If Geron comes in your direction get a good grip and hold the pointy end up at gut level for him to run into, then shove it in if it connects.) [Summon "Spear of Light" to "The Acolyte"]
>>
No. 589401 ID: 65a774
File 140802705744.png - (8.04KB , 900x450 , 33.png )
589401

>[Check corruption level of "The Betrayer" and echo results to "The Acolyte" and player Pink]
[“The Betrayer” is 100% Corrupt!]
>[Check Glossary on direct control]
[Direct control can currently only be done by AI players on weak willed or loyal pawns!]

>[Message Rose:] Do we still have that duplicate Elizah head the undead had? It occurs to me that we might be able to raise her as undead to both save that instance of her and get information on what happened in that timeline.]
[Message from Rose: It’s been boiled and emptied to make it a real trophy. It would be pointless to try and raise it as it wouldn’t be the Princess if we succeeded.]
>[message rose: we've got him talking- it looks like he was one of blue's pawns. Good call knocking those soldiers out.]
[Speaking of Blue, his other pawns are… acting strangely… Ranch or what is name is… the shaman’s son is lying on the floor, begging for the whispering to stop while his other two active pawns are… chanting some weird alien language a few rooms away… it’s… err…. Unsettling to say the least…]
>[it looks like Blue is aiding the Dark One, either intentionally or not. From what Geron said it appears he's doing what he's doing so he and Tera would be spared from the doom he believes Blue will bring on the city.]
[…that would explain the madness that seems to be a theme with his pawns…]
>[Message to Rose: We have claimed Geron and granted you permission to directly control him.]
[I don’t believe I’m strong enough to take control over such a twisted mind, sorry…]
>[Message Rose: Do you wish to speak with Geron, or Tera? We will focus ourselves upon the other, so that you can speak with the other. Perhaps it will be easier for you to convert Geron back to the Serathian side than us]
[I’ll see if I can speak some sense into this Geron… just give me a minute first…]

>The city will be saved, none will burn except for yourself if you do not give up. You may have her 'safety' at heart but all you are about to do is cause pain, she does not want this!
:GeronRUST: HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT SHE WANTS!? What she wants isn’t relevant! She’s a woman! A STUPID WOMAN WHO KNOWS NOTHING! NOTHING!!!
>Blue's gone now. You're alone here. With us!
:GeronRUST: You’re not the savior!? WHO ARE YOU, DEMON!?
>Blue?! BLUE?! You call us by the name of that CRETIN?! That LIAR!? That collaborator with DEMONS?!
:GeronRUST: NO! HE’S THE PURE ONE!! YOU’RE THE DEMONS!!!
>You want to be safe? Then stay here, and stop trying to harm the dear Acolyte. We will not have the Necromancers who have stayed true to the teachings be harmed. Return to the teachings and accept your punishment, and you will be spared a horrible fate.
:GeronRUST: NONONONO! LIES AND… and… deceit… no… it can’t be! You are lying! STOP IT!!!
>Tera is under our watch and protection. Bring harm to her and our wrath will fall upon your head and you will not live to see another day.
:GeronRUST: I will not harm her! I will save her! It might hurt a bit at first but when she comes back… she will never be in pain again… and she will be so obedient… she will be a good girl… a perfect girl… Tera… please…

>(Tera remember that in the dark he's almost as blind as you but you've had your whole life to adjust so your other senses are heightened.)
(…Stay in the darkness… if only I knew where the darkness was…)
:GeronRUST: NO! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!
>(Whisper to "The Acolyte:" Stay still. Listen for his footsteps in the bones.)
(I can hear his breath… his heavy, disgusting breath…)
:GeronRUST: PINK! BLOOD! YOU’RE WITH THE BLOOD GOD, PINK! CORRUPTED!!!
>(Actually, toss a skull at him.)
:GeronRUST: AAH!!! …oh… oh, it’s just you… Tera… please… I’m sorry… here… let me make it right… just… just come out of the darkness and give me a hug…
:TeraRUST:
:GeronRUST: …I…I’m sorry… I… I’m coming Tera… please… give me a-
>(Whisper to "The Acolyte:" Hold your hand out and we'll summon the Spear of Light to you. If Geron comes in your direction get a good grip and hold the pointy end up at gut level for him to run into, then shove it in if it connects.)
:GeronRUST: *Urgh*
:TeraRUST: …die, you bastard…
:GeronRUST: *Gasp* …T-Tera… no… *cough*… … … …
:TeraRUST: …I… I just killed s-someone… and… and it felt good?

Insert The first one is always the hardest_
>>
No. 589405 ID: d8a627

...What? If he's dead, why would he have a look of glee?
[Scan Geron, echo to Tera]
Tera, please get out of there.
>>
No. 589406 ID: 4b571b

>I… I just killed s-someone… and… and it felt good?
Relief, a release of fear, and panic and anger. A threat gone. Giving someone dangerous or crazy what they deserved. Putting down someone broken or damaged beyond the ability to talk down or fix. Pride at success, in overcoming an opponent, the drive to survive realized. And then there's the old primal, instincts. The ones that drive people to conflict, and find pleasure in it.

There's all kinds of emotions at play that could lead to it feeling good, even if you've thought killing was a terrible thing. You're probably affected by more than one. It's nothing to be ashamed of, or panic over, or to go questioning your whole worldview over. It's just... what it is. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sorry, Terra.
>>
No. 589419 ID: 9443d1

Tera, Geron's expression right now is happy, almost gleeful. Why...? Oh, shit. Is this one of those things where his death was the final step in his plan, spell, ritual or something? Dammit! Tera, get out of here quick. The stairs are about ten steps ahead of you so just follow the wall. Leave the Spear; If Geron's death triggers some kind of daemonic magic then having a weapon that counters daemonic power in his corpse might disrupt it. As soon as you get up the stairs start yelling for Temrock.

Please don't remember Geron as he was today. That was the corruption twisting him, making him insane. And if our worry about his death triggering something is wrong then we'll have his body collected so he can be raised ASAP. His death should have cleared the corruption so he'll mentally be back to his old self once he's raised. We'll still have servant binding runes installed at first just to be safe and also so we know he's telling the truth since we want to question him to find out just what he did for Blue.

[Message to Pink: Geron had a happy expression when he died, so that might be 'cause his death will trigger something bad for us. Assuming it doesn't, or if it does and doesn't destroy his body, we should collect his corpse and raise him ASAP so he can be questioned. Just with servant runes installed at first for safety and to make sure he's telling the truth.]

[Message to Pink: Tell Temrock we're going to need him to follow this secret passage and find whatever hidden hole Geron was working in; Bring lanterns, a skilled necromancer to make sense of Geron's work and maybe Tera as well. And tell him to not take the Spear of Light from Geron's corpse; We don't know whether or not it's keeping some ritual or spell triggered on his death from activating.]

[Message to Pink: It sounds like Blue's pawns are performing a daemonic ritual of some sort and the target is likely Recho. We need to knock them out or silence them right away but try to do so without killing them; Their deaths might be part of the ritual or power it or something, similar to that cultist who offered up his life to bring the Dark One to Then'dranil. Try to disrupt them with knockout gas, tranq darts, a blow to the head, or anything else before lethal force.]

[Message to Pink: We're going to attempt to seize Recho from Blue, but after claiming Geron we don't know if we have enough "claim power" to do so. Could you aid us in this in some way? Even if you can't we'll still try to. We'll need to get both our and your pawns in position for it. Recho was placed in a room with a peephole or similar so he could be watched is secret while questioned, right? We'll need Ilbir and one of your pawns watching him from there; Blue wanted us to bring our pawns near him, so we don't want him to see them if possible. If Jer is up and about get him just outside the door to Recho's room so we can bring him in with the Spear of Light if we need it or magic support. And place another of your pawns out there if you have one to spare. Oh, and make sure to keep Kranhon and any other free pawns you know of away from Blue's pawns. We'll switch to Ilbir now.]

Sorry, Tera, but we have to leave. Blue is doing something to Durach's son and we have to try and take him from Blue before it's too late. [Switch to "The Scholar"]

[Check "Claim power" level] [Check all pawn and player corruption levels] [Check pawn status]

[Help system query: Can allied players transfer their "claim power" from one to another or otherwise use it to aid an allied player in claiming a pawn or seizing a pawn from a player?]
>>
No. 589422 ID: 2fd516

>>589401
Dangit, we'll have to get the Spear back to Durach after this.

[message to Rose: Alright, he's dead, and Tera is still fine. We'll leave the rest to Temrock. As for Blue's pawns... um... you MIGHT want to shoot them with tranquilizer darts or outright kill them. Whatever they're doing, it can't be good. We need to claim Recho to get him out of Blue's control, now. Who's nearby?]
[switch to whoever is closest to Recho- taking the view of one of Pink's pawns will work.]

Tera, just sortof stick around. Temrock will be arriving shortly to retrieve you.
>>
No. 589423 ID: 40935b

>…I… I just killed s-someone… and… and it felt good?
The way he was rambling about the voices, how only he was pure, and the fact that he was completely corrupted... you may have done him a favor. In any case, you probably shouldn't stay here.

[summon spear to 'the Shaman']
[message rose: It looks like you can forget about talking sense into Geron. Alright, we have to keep moving- we'll grab Recho, you try to shut those soldiers up. ]
>>
No. 589424 ID: 2fd516

[message to Rose: Oh, by the way, Geron was 100% corrupted. Blue's loyal pawns are probably fully corrupted too, so you might as well kill them, but we're gonna try to save Recho.]
>>
No. 589425 ID: d8a627

We don't actually know if he's dead for sure, guys. It could be he was badly wounded but that the spear helped him see his corruption and that's why he's happy. Unlikely, but possible!
>>
No. 589426 ID: 9443d1

>>589425
Oh, good point! Tera, you sure Geron is dead? Is there, like, some necromantic sense you have that can tell? Actually, we can just check his status. [Check status of "The Betrayer" and if alive check corruption level of "The Betrayer;" Echo both results to "The Acolyte" and player Pink] If he is still alive and his corruption has been removed by the Spear then we have to get him medical care ASAP. And in that case we can't try and seize Recho; At least not without releasing another pawn first. And we can't release Geron for 24 hours, so it'd have to be one of the other six.
>>
No. 589429 ID: d8a627

>>589426
...I nominate Ilbir. I mean, unless we can somehow spawn a Sub-Player recruit, because that would be cool. The Glossary ignored my query last time but it didn't give me an "Error" or "Not available!" Besides I'll word it differently, maybe it thought I meant something else.
[Check Glossary for Player Creation and New Players]
(If we have to delete a player for a new player I nominate White. We all know he gets reborn with no memories in three months anyways)
>>
No. 589439 ID: 65a774
File 140805579788.png - (14.90KB , 900x450 , 34.png )
589439

>[Scan Geron, echo to Tera]
[Object (None): Corpse.]
>[Check "Claim power" level]
[Claim power is at 100! Last pawn claimed (“The Betrayer”) was at -25 mental defense and cost you 0 point to claim!]
>[Help system query: Can allied players transfer their "claim power" from one to another?]
[If two players try to claim a protected Pawn at the same time, the one with who use the most power will claim the pawn, unless they are allied, then they can choose who claims the pawn themselves.]
>[summon spear to 'the Shaman']
[Done!]
>[Check Glossary for Player Creation and New Players]
[New AI players can only be created by a ADMIN. There are still [Error] spots left for normal players to join.]

>[Message to Pink: Geron had a happy expression when he died, so that might be 'cause his death will trigger something bad for us. Assuming it doesn't, or if it does and doesn't destroy his body, we should collect his corpse and raise him ASAP so he can be questioned. Just with servant runes installed at first for safety and to make sure he's telling the truth.]
[Message from Rose: Hmm… we should leave him for now. I’ll have the Commander bag his head in an ice bag and he’ll last to tomorrow. There’s no way we can raise him before the battle anyway…]
>[Message to Pink: Tell Temrock we're going to need him to follow this secret passage and find whatever hidden hole Geron was working in; Bring lanterns, a skilled necromancer to make sense of Geron's work]
[Commander Temrock is on his way.]
>[Message to Pink: We're going to attempt to seize Recho from Blue, but after claiming Geron we don't know if we have enough "claim power" to do so. Could you aid us in this in some way?]
[I can try to claim him at the same time, if you want to.]
>[message to Rose: Oh, by the way, Geron was 100% corrupted. Blue's loyal pawns are probably fully corrupted too, so you might as well kill them, but we're gonna try to save Recho.]
[That… explain why they are starting to get violent.]

>There's all kinds of emotions at play that could lead to it feeling good, even if you've thought killing was a terrible thing. It's nothing to be ashamed of, or panic over, or to go questioning your whole worldview over.
…maybe you’re right… there’s more i-important things to… c-consider… yeah…
>...What? If he's dead, why would he have a look of glee?
…he’s smiling? …maybe… just maybe… he died f-free?
>Tera, you sure Geron is dead?
…his heart doesn’t beat anymore…
>Dammit! Tera, get out of here quick. The stairs are about ten steps ahead of you so just follow the wall.
…right, I… I need some fresh air… I need to get away from all these… these corpses…
>Please don't remember Geron as he was today. That was the corruption twisting him, making him insane.

>We'll have his body collected so he can be raised ASAP. His death should have cleared the corruption so he'll mentally be back to his old self once he's raised.
…I… I guess I want to see the real him again…

>[switch to whoever is closest to Recho- taking the view of one of Pink's pawns will work.]
[Switching to “The Avenger”!]
:TheenRUST: What’s the situation?
:GuardRUST: They are trying to break down the door, sir…
:TheenRUST: Wait, they still got weapons?
:GuardRUST: Err… no, sir, of course no-
*Crack!*
:CorruptedRUSTED: YOUR FLESH IS MINE, MORTAL!!
:TheenRUST: Ah, they seems to have some natural weapons, then…

Insert This isn’t diplomacy… this isn’t diplomacy at all!_
>>
No. 589447 ID: 2fd516

>>589439
Hello again. We're just sharing your view right now, you're still Pink's pawn don't worry.

Ah, two Corrupted. They have long tentacles, don't get hit by the barbs. If someone does, the wounded limb must be amputated, for their venom spreads and corrupts the body, leading to death within minutes.
They are rather durable, so use overwhelming force.
[scan everyone]

After this battle is done, could you get to Recho? We need to claim him from Blue, for his own good.
>>
No. 589459 ID: d8a627

>There are still [Error] spots left for normal players to join.
That would appear to mean that there was no limit implemented, and real players can join to their heart's content.
That, or there were no slots but we were "Forced" in anyways.
>Theen
Oh man long time no see, Theen! I take it Rose is treating you well? You had better know that Rose is Pink's real name 'cause if not you haven't been paying any attention to her.
[Check top three pawns, including The Avenger, for distance from Recho]
We definitely don't want to have you abandoning this fight, but we do need somebody to go check up on Recho. He's having a Player-induced fit, and we hope to free him from his current player so that he can become better. After all, he's got a mother, a brother, and a father who will all soon be here at the castle. That's Mor'Kay, Jericho, and Durach, in that order, if you're wondering.
>>
No. 589462 ID: 40935b

These guys are only so much tougher than a normal person, but the tentacles mean it'll be difficult to get in close. Barricades won't do much good against something that can reach around anywhere, so move quickly in an irregular pattern and attack anything that gets into your range. Those guards will be dividing your enemies' attention, so use that to your advantage.

So how have you been holding up?
>>
No. 589515 ID: 9443d1

Hello again, Theen; It's us, Teal. Don't worry, we haven't stolen you from Pink. Things were getting hectic out there so she and us granted each other permission to switch to and speak to our respective pawns in order to lead this battle more effectively. So lucky you, you get to hear all our lovely voices again! Oh, and to avoid possible confusion on your part some of us have taken to calling Pink "Rose," the name she prefers to go by.

Okay, first things first: Do a very quick mirror check of the two Corrupted to make sure there isn't any illusion bullshit going on. While we haven't run into any illusion bullshit since we've come back to the Serath we can't ignore that it's always a possibility.

We've encountered foes of this type before so we'll give you a primer on what we know of them: They're called Corrupted and are the Dark One's "specialty" cultist. Their forms are twisted by his wrath into husks who's anger is unmatched. They're physically tough, quite quick and they hit hard. To illustrate how tough they are: Jericho threw the Spear of Light, a weapon that counters daemonic corruption, through the eye and head of one and it didn't kill it outright but only knocked it most of the way there and a makeshift firebomb finished the job.

They're immune to fire, so don't bother with attacks that are purely flame or heat. However, they are still harmed by explosions so I believe firebombs would still have an effect, although reduced. As long as it causes a blast then it'll still do some damage against them.

They can projectile vomit up a large glob of very strong acid that can burn through wood in a matter of moments, though it takes awhile before they can puke more. So the barricade will protect from at least one hit of the acid, but also tipping up a table to use as additional cover that can be pulled back with you would be a good idea.

Their whole torso is a gaping maw into a bottomless void, so targeting there will be ineffective. Aim for the eye to do the most damage and for the limbs to impede their movement.

In addition to the large tentacles of their limbs they have three long, thin, agile poison barb tipped tentacles that come from their torso. Their maximum length is just shy of the distance from the nearest Corrupted to the barricade and they can shoot out and hit with enough force to embed the barb in stone brickwork. If you get in close the Corrupted will attempt to curve them around to stab you in the back, top or sides with the barb.

The barb tip of the tentacles is coated with a poison that will spread at a rapid pace through a person from the point of injection, rotting their flesh. It also has the effect of mental impediment and hallucinations while spreading, effectively immobilizing the victim. Once it reaches the brain the person will become a mindless undead under the control of the Corrupted or their daemon master. There is no known treatment or antidote for this poison. Any limbs that the poison has entered must be amputated immediately before the poison reaches the torso and if the barb strikes the head, neck or torso there is nothing that can be done and the person should be killed immediately before becoming undead. All this makes the Corrupted's poison barb tipped tentacles very, very dangerous.

And lastly, while it's unlikely to come up in this fight, the Corrupted can form temporary teleportation portals for them and any of their fellows to escape if they have a bit of time and can focus on forming it. So if they retreat and can get to someplace they can hole up for a minute they'll be able to escape.

My suggestion is to try to keep back and throw all the ranged attacks you have at them. If you somehow happen to have any holy water you could throw on them then that'd be perfect. Oh, and I think a holy symbol wielded by one who's very devout will repulse and harm them, but I doubt you have someone like that here. And if any of their barb-tipped tentacles gets near you and you think you can grab the end, then do so and slice the barb off.

We'll also summon the Spear of Light to you... Wait... Aw, dammit, I don't know if we can do that since you're not our pawn. We'll still try, but if this doesn't work we'll have to summon it to whoever we can who's nearest and have it run over here. [Summon "Spear of Light" to "The Avenger"] [If summon fails then summon to nearest valid pawn and echo pawn name to player Rose with following message: We've summoned the Spear of Light to this pawn. Please have it brought to the fight with the Corrupted as quick as possible.] (Man, I hope we're not snatching it out of Durach's hands right when he needs it.)

While we will eventually have to defeat these Corrupted our current objective is to reach Recho, the tribal prisoner they already had here, as quick as we can and attempt to seize him from Blue before Blue can finish doing whatever he's doing to him that'll no doubt be horrible for him and us. Time is short and it'll only take us a moment to make the attempt once we have eyes on Recho, so if it'll only take a little bit to get to him and then back to the fight against the Corrupted that'd be good.

Also, how well has your leg healed up? And be totally honest about it. We don't want to make plans based around serious physical action on your part only to have you land on it hard and break it.

[Message to Rose: We've switched to Theen, have eyes on the two Blue pawns and can confirm they're the Dark One's Corrupted; The same type as the one from the assassination attempt on Jericho and Eliraz. We've only got, Theen, three guards and a barricade in their way so we need reinforcements right away; They are just that tough and dangerous a foe. Corrupted are very strong and effective close in, so ranged troops with guards to protect them are what we need here. If we have holy water, that'd be perfect. Otherwise, send crossbowmen with explosive bolts, grenades, firebombs (their explosions are still effective,) or any ranged troops you can spare. They're immune to fire, so don't send any fire mages. And can you get Artemis up here? As a golem she'd be immune or resistant to almost all of their attacks, making her our best choice to fight them.]

[Message to Rose: Our claim power is full up at 100, so if we've read the mechanics of attempting to seize another player's pawn correctly then we actually don't need your help in that. However, we'd still like you to be there if you can to block any attempt Blue might make to seize Theen or any of our other pawns that might be there.]

[Message to Rose: Is is really necessary to take just Geron's head? While I don't know the limits of necromancy his body did look mostly intact and viable for raising despite the major spear wound to his chest. And Temrock is still in the Great Temple after all, so he could grab a priest, acolyte or another guard on the way, bring them to the secret entrance then tell them to go get some folks to collect Geron's corpse; Either that or you or him could ask Tera to go get someone to do it. Also, if anything bad was going to be triggered by Geron's death it most likely would have happened by now. And even if there was something triggered and it's just taking awhile, removing just his head probably wouldn't do much to impede it. But if you'd feel safer with his head off the priests could remove it cleanly once his corpse reaches the cold storage, then place it far away from the rest of his body and only bring them together when it's time to raise him.]

[Help system query: Through what means can a corrupted player spread their corruption to their pawns? Can they do so merely by switching to the pawn and doing so or does it require proximity an already corrupted pawn? And can they do more then just spread corruption, such as converting pawns into higher-tier corrupted units?]
>>
No. 589527 ID: 9443d1

>>589515
Whoops! Rehecking the rules here >>589272 I realized that I did misread the mechanics of claim blocks and claiming pawns and that we definitely will need Pink backing us up in seizing Recho if we're to be successful. Blue will undoubtedly block our attempt to claim, so to be safe we'll have to assume he has full 100 "claim power." That'll neutralize our "claim power," leaving nothing for seizing Recho. We'll need Pink there to use her "claim power" to either make the claim or break through Blue's block. So disregard what I said to Theen about us needing to get to Recho fast and the message to Pink about not needing her help to seize Recho.

Theen, while we'll eventually need to defeat those Corrupted, our objective here is to reach Recho, the tribal prisoner they already had, quick and seize him from Blue before Blue can finish doing whatever the fuck he's doing to Recho that'll undoubtedly be bad for him and us. However, we can't seize Recho on our own. We need Pink to back us up when we do it, because otherwise we won't be able to break through Blue's block when we make the attempt. We have to wait for her to get here if we hope to succeed in seizing Recho.

[Message to Rose: We have full 100 "claim power" now, but from my understanding of the claim mechanics we are going to need you here to back us up when we claim Recho because Blue likely has full "claim power" himself and will almost certainly be able to block our attempt if we do it alone. How soon can you possibly get here?]

Also, to be safe. [Set claim block on pawn "The Avenger" and all pawns held by us and our allies]

[Help system query: If a player attempts to claim a pawn and another player blocks, what happens to the "claim power" level of either player? Does the level of the one blocking deplete by the amount blocked, does the one of the player attempting to claim deplete by the amount blocked, do both players' "claim power" deplete, or do neither?] I ask 'cause if it's the last case and Blue has full 100 "claim power" (which he likely does) he can keep blocking us from seizing Recho indefinitely.
>>
No. 589540 ID: 65a774
File 140811754160.png - (15.96KB , 900x450 , 35.png )
589540

>[scan everyone]
[“The Avenger” belongs to Player Pink!]
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Serath guard] x5
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Serath guard Sergeant]
[Demonic Creature (Hostile): Corrupted.] x2
>[Check top three pawns, including The Avenger, for distance from Recho]
[The Avenger, The Scholar, Magic’s bane.]
>[Help system query: Through what means can a corrupted player spread their corruption to their pawns?]
[Corruption is spread through proximity of other corrupted beings, be it players, pawns or other creatures or objects.]
>[Help system query: If a player attempts to claim a pawn and another player blocks, what happens to the "claim power" level of either player?]
[Both lose claim power equal to that of the power used to try and claim the pawn.]
>[Set claim block on pawn "The Avenger" and all pawns held by us and our allies]
[Error! Claim block power is decided when someone tries to claim a pawn you or your allies already own. You can only set claim block on a pawn you currently don’t own!]

>[Message to Rose: We've switched to Theen, have eyes on the two Blue pawns and can confirm they're the Dark One's Corrupted; The same type as the one from the assassination attempt on Jericho and Eliraz. We've only got, Theen, three guards and a barricade in their way so we need reinforcements right away; they are just that tough and dangerous a foe.]
[Demon hunter is on her way to help bad boy.]
>[Message to Rose: Is is really necessary to take just Geron's head? While I don't know the limits of necromancy his body did look mostly intact and viable for raising despite the major spear wound to his chest.]
[I never said I would take his head. I said I would freeze his head as I don’t want his brain to start decomposing. I don’t want him taken to the cold storage for obvious reasons and his body will last long enough for all this to be over with.]
>[Message to Rose: We have full 100 "claim power" now, but from my understanding of the claim mechanics we are going to need you here to back us up when we claim Recho because Blue likely has full "claim power" himself and will almost certainly be able to block our attempt if we do it alone. How soon can you possibly get here?]
[I am already there? You’re the one who needs a pawn to come here!]

>Hello again. We're just sharing your view right now, you're still Pink's pawn don't worry.
Uh? Oh, I hope so… no offence, but this Rose lass is a bit more… welcoming than you…
>I take it Rose is treating you well?
Oh, she and her little princess have been marvelous. She might have dragged me away and used up most of my evening yesterday to make this costume, but the reward was worth it. It’s always the kind ones that are wild where it counts, eh? Hehe… not every day you get to frolic with royalty either… first time actually…
:GuardRUST: Stay back, you monsters!
:TheenRUST: (Oh, right, demon spawns… forgot about those…)
>Also, how well has your leg healed up? And be totally honest about it. We don't want to make plans based around serious physical action on your part only to have you land on it hard and break it.
As long as I don’t jump down from the second floor or something I’ll be fine, really…
>Theen, while we'll eventually need to defeat those Corrupted, our objective here is to reach Recho, the tribal prisoner they already had, quick and seize him from Blue.
Well, I do know for a fact that the tribal is in the interrogation room further down the corridor, on the other side of those corrupted…
>Okay, first things first: Do a very quick mirror check of the two Corrupted to make sure there isn't any illusion bullshit going on.
My new mask got eye holes made out of mirrors… or something… they said it was some kind of magical crystal that bends light and stuff and… err… I can see illusions with it on and I can’t see any now… so… yeah…

>We've encountered foes of this type before so we'll give you a primer on what we know of them…
:TheenRUST: (Well, we got them surrounded, barricades, three crossbowmen… and women, two halberdiers and a guy with a sword plus me, so I’m sure we’ll be-)
:GuardRUST: ARGH!!
:TheenRUST: (Two crossbowmen…)
>My suggestion is to try to keep back and throw all the ranged attacks you have at them.
Well, their tentacles are rather intrusive of my personal space so…
>We'll also summon the Spear of Light to you...
I rather use swords and crossbows, thank you very much… and knifes… lots of knifes…
>Oh, and I think a holy symbol wielded by one who's very devout will repulse and harm them, but I doubt you have someone like that here.
:TheenRUST: (Oh! Really!? That’s great, because according to my religion, all weapons are the holy symbol of the mighty Leif the Lucky!)
:CorruptedRUSTED: ARH!! You son of a- Urgh! Stop it!
:TheenRUST: NEVER!! (Well, I got them by the… err… tentacles… what now?)

Insert Perks of being a body guard…_
>>
No. 589549 ID: 40935b

>no offence, but this Rose lass is a bit more… welcoming than you…
None taken. We don't have the time for introductions or resources to provide perks like Rose does. Or a princess on the payroll. Anyway, glad you're fitting in.

>Well, I got them by the… err… tentacles… what now?
Yank really hard, aim to impale them on the spears on the barricade, then throw something pointy at the other one while he's distracted by the mantis. We'll bring in Ilbir to help with whatever's wrong with Recho.

[Switch to the scholar] Ilbir, you're needed at the cells where those prisoners are being held.
>>
No. 589551 ID: d8a627

>according to my religion, all weapons are the holy symbol of the mighty Leif the Lucky!
I'm hoping you're being serious, and not sarcastic, because that would be awesome.
>or resources to provide perks like Rose does.
Quite literally Rose, not Elizah. Every player in the entirety of the world has the resources to give their pawns perks except for us. All we can offer is some advice from the future, which isn't always a reliable tradeoff. I kind of wish we could grant our pawns the perks of slight temporal travel. Like, jumping back twenty seconds with a twenty-one second cooldown. Cannot be abused to high hell, but still very useful and capable of changing a small but important event.
Although last I checked, Players mostly just gave their King pieces the perks. That's why Elizah is so charismatic, diplomatic, and pyromantic. Did you actually gain power from her, or did she simply suggest upgrades to your equipment?
>>
No. 589557 ID: 2fd516

I think the other one is about to puke. Might want to warn the mantis.
>>
No. 589559 ID: 9443d1

Rose says she's already at Recho and is waiting on us. She also said that Artemis is on her way here to back you up. So we gotta either finish this fight quick, get the Corrupted out of the way somehow or keep them off you long enough to sprint past without being hit. Take your pick of whichever you think you can do fastest.

I see a orange tipped crossbow bolt flying towards the far Corrupted at roughly knee height. It's a special bolt but I don't remember what type orange is. If it's explosive then be ready for that Corrupted to either go be knocked back into its compatriot, into the barricade or even over the barricade; It could be any of them since we don't know how heavy Corrupted are.

Haul back on the tentacle so that the chest-maw of the Corrupted gets wedged onto the head of the halberd the guard is holding over the barricade. Then the guard can wheel the demon spawn around and out the window. If it's a long fall then let gravity do the damage, but if it's only a floor or two down then try to wedge the tentacle into a gap in the barricade's frame and wrap it around it so the Corrupted gets stuck dangling between floors.

If you get a moment and the opportunity, aim to throw some knives at the base of the thin tentacles to sever them. It'll be easier to target them at the base since they won't be flicking around like they are farther up. If you get the chance, aim for the tentacles the near Corrupted is using to hold up that dead guard; We'd like him not to be able to hit you or the other guards with the corpse.

>Oh! Really!? That’s great, because according to my religion, all weapons are the holy symbol of the mighty Leif the Lucky!
Man, that's the kind of religion we need in our fight against the daemons! Theen, I foresee many mercs who're followers of Leif being hired by the Serathians in the near future.

>>589549
Hold on that switch! While we know that Ilbir is the second closest to Recho, we don't know Ilbir's position. It might be back the way Theen came from, meaning Ilbir would have to come through this way or take a long way around to get there. We don't even know if there's another route to the interrogation rooms then down this corridor the Corrupted are in. We could end up switching to Ilbir only to waste valuable time and leave Theen without guidance a dangerous situation.

[Message to Rose: Our check of pawn distance from Recho shows that Ilbir is the second closest followed by Artemis. We'd switch to Ilbir and tell him to get to Recho as a backup in case Theen can't make it, but we don't know if Ilbir would even be able to get there without having to go through where the Corrupted are and we can't risk losing time switching to him. Could you jump to Ilbir for a moment and check his location and if it's one where he could get to Recho then tell him the situation and to get to Recho as fast as he can by whatever route doesn't go through where the Corrupted are. Also, he has short legs so tell him to get Kranhon or a mantis guard to carry him and run there. Oh, and also say to keep Kranhon out of the room so Recho and Blue could not possibly spot him.]

Oh, and a preemptive action: [Once "The Speaker" is within range to do so, set claim block on him]

>>589551
...He's talking about sexual perks, not powers and upgrades! As in, last night he was pegged (quite possibly literally) at the center of one of Elizah's harem shows... Or was that "frolic with royalty" the princess herself strapping on the strap-on and taking part herself, eh?
>>
No. 589569 ID: 65a774
File 140813461765.png - (15.59KB , 900x450 , 36.png )
589569

>[Message to Rose: Our check of pawn distance from Recho shows that Ilbir is the second closest followed by Artemis.]
[Rose: I know. Artemis just ran past Kranhon with Ilbir on his back.]
>[Could you jump to Ilbir for a moment and check his location and if it's one where he could get to Recho tell him to get to him?]
[He’s already on his way. He’s almost there.]

>None taken. We don't have the time for introductions or resources to provide perks like Rose does. Or a princess on the payroll. Anyway, glad you're fitting in.
Let me tell you, it’s not only the costume that fits like a glove…
>I'm hoping you're being serious, and not sarcastic, because that would be awesome.
Of course I’m serious. Leif might be one of the older and more obscure northern gods, but he’s teaching really speaks to me! Death and glory! Might I be taken to the eternal battle field!
>...He's talking about sexual perks, not powers and upgrades!
Well… A gentleman never kisses and tells…
>As in, last night he was pegged (quite possibly literally) at the center of one of Elizah's harem shows...
But I’m not a gentleman, am I? Oh, we had so much fun… especially when the Princess decided to stop watching and join us~

>If you get a moment and the opportunity, aim to throw some knives at the base of the thin tentacles to sever them.
Err… it’s Thuul who’s the expert on throwing knifes. I got swords and crossbows… well, mostly I got my head, but I do know how to handle myself in a fight.
>I see a orange tipped crossbow bolt flying towards the far Corrupted at roughly knee height.
Ah, an exploding bolt… and with him having one already lodged in his face I would say he’s-
*BANG!!*BANG!!*
:GuardRUST: ONE DOWN!!
>Yank really hard, aim to impale them on the spears on the barricade.
:CorruptedRUSTED: *Hiss!*
:GuardRUST: Quick! Cut of its tentacles and it will be ‘armless!
:TheenRUST: Well, we got this situation under control…
>>
No. 589570 ID: 65a774
File 140813463036.png - (15.13KB , 900x450 , 37.png )
589570

>[Switch to the scholar]
:IlbirRUST: Onward SAYOSHBA!!!
:KranhonRUST: …who’s Sayoban?
:IlbirRUST: Heck if I know…
:RechoRUST: Oh gods, make it stop!!!
:GuardRUST: All hostiles neutralized.
:ArtemisRUST: Aw, man… I didn’t even get there in time…

>[Once "The Speaker" is within range to do so, set claim block on him]
[How much power to you want to use? (You currently got 100).]
>[Claim “The Son of Sand”!]
[How much power to you want to use?(You currently got 100). (Note: All power used above the necessary cost will be lost! You can only try to claim a specific pawn once every hour, and you can only reclaim a pawn that you’ve lost after 3 hours.)]
[Rose: How much power do you want me to use to protect / claim? I got 100…]

Insert The future is in the past!_
>>
No. 589573 ID: d8a627

>Artemis just ran past Kranhon with Ilbir on his back.]
Never gonna let you live this down, Scholar.
(On the other hand, D'AWWW)
Reposting without the second reply because I thought Pink said Ilbir was on Artemis's back at first
>How much power do you want me to use to protect / claim? I got 100…]
[Message Rose: In playing it safe, I'm going to use 51 power on Recho, but 30 to block Kranhon should be enough. If you place 50 on Recho, then Blue cannot block our claim whatsoever. Kranhon's a very intelligent mantis, and has been unclaimed this whole time, meaning he will have a willpower buff, especially with Ilbir, the Scholar, there to help him resist any heavy attempts by Blue. That alone, I'm hoping, is at least +30 claim block, which should add to our own 30 to make it 60.]
[Claim The Son of the Sand with 51 Claim Power]
[Claim Block The Speaker with 30 Claim Power]
>>
No. 589577 ID: 9443d1

>>589573
Did you overlook that we have to overcome both the claim power the blocking player uses as well as the base power of the pawn to claim it? 'Cause Recho probably has 25 base power by now since his loyalty ought to be in the gutter. That means if Blue uses all 100 to block us that'll total to 125, more than 101. We'll need 126 to start to be sure of claiming Recho, and even then it's not certain 'cause Recho might have a base power higher than 25.

And we fail this and it'll be an hour before we can try again, and by then Blue will have corrupted Recho totally... That is, unless Recho is knocked unconscious by gas or tranq darts and kept that way for the hour so Blue can't switch to him. But if we do that Blue'll probably ice Recho to kill him like he iced that other pawn.
>>
No. 589579 ID: 2fd516

>>589573
Willpower doesn't do anything for an unclaimed pawn. Protecting an unclaimed pawn is strictly power vs power, so only 100 power is sure protection.

>>589577
Recho could have a penalty to his claim resistance since he's unloyal and probably not especially willful. Unless being unloyal and willful increases the penalty? That part wasn't clear.

>>589570
[message to Rose: I say put down 100 power to protect Kranhon, as 100 is the only guaranteed protection, and we'll put down 100 to claim Recho. Blue could have put protection on him too.]
[claim Recho, power 100.]
>>
No. 589580 ID: 65a774
File 140814052477.png - (15.61KB , 900x450 , 38.png )
589580

>Never gonna let you live this down, Scholar.
:IlbirRUST: HEY! Can’t a man ride his soon to be husband? …err, wait, that came out wrong…

>Willpower doesn't do anything for an unclaimed pawn. Protecting an unclaimed pawn is strictly power vs power, so only 100 power is sure protection.
[All pawns, claimed or not, can defend themselves against a claim using their willpower if they don’t want to be claimed.]
>Unless being unloyal and willful increases the penalty? That part wasn't clear.
[Being unloyal and having a bad willpower will increase the penalty for the defender, and being loyal and having a good willpower will increase the power for the defender.]
>[claim Recho, power 100.]
[Blue is protecting “The son of sand” with an unknown amount!]
[Blue is trying to claim the unclaimed pawn “The Speaker” with an unknown amount!]
[Blue is trying to claim your pawn “The Scholar” with an unknown amount!]
[Blue is trying to claim Rose pawn “The Avenger” with an unknown amount!]
[Blue is trying to claim Rose pawn “Magic’s bane” with an unknown amount!]
[Blue is trying to claim the unclaimed pawn “The Swordsman” with an unknown amount!]
[Do you wish to change your power distribution?]
[Rose: So… who do I protect or try to claim?]
:RechoRUST: Burn… they all need to burn… yess… no…nono… what am I… so… beautiful…

Insert Welp, that escalated quickly_
>>
No. 589582 ID: 2fd516

>>589580
The Swordsman? Dammit, there's someone else vulnerable, but who is it? That mantis with the sword and shield, maybe? Wait, why is there even an amount listed for trying to claim an unclaimed, unprotected pawn? We've never had to expend power for claiming unprotected pawns.

Ilbir, tell Kranhon he's in danger of being claimed and he needs to fight it. Someone else here is a pawn too, tell the guards to fight it as well.

[message to Rose: If he's spreading his 100 power around, then those attempted claims are weak. I don't think we have to worry about our own pawns, because they are all loyal and strong. Well, Artemis might have low willpower, but she is very very strong, and very loyal. We just need to worry about The Swordsman, The Speaker, and The Son of Sand. Spend 50 to protect both the Swordsman and the Speaker, that should be enough. Actually... maybe the Swordsman should be a low priority. We can just put him out of his misery, after all, since he's nobody important. 70-30 split?]
[claim The Son of Sand with power 100]

After this is decided, [declare war on Blue].
[message to Red: Blue's corrupting his own Pawns. Be wary of him trying to claim yours, or unclaimed pawns near you.]
>>
No. 589587 ID: 40935b

...We are going to fix this asshole just like we fixed Grey.

[message Rose: I don't know who's getting these alert messages, but blue is protecting Recho, and simultaneously going after Kranhon, Ilbir, Theen, Artemis and someone called 'the swordsman'. Most of these are probably feints in order to draw our power distribution- it'll only take 5 power distributed evenly among the rest of the pawns to completely obscure his true intent. He knows we'll capture Recho, so he's looking to grab another pawn before his influence in the city is eliminated. The only pawns I'm particularly worried about are Kranhon, Artemis and the swordsman. Theen has balls of steel and all adores you, and Ilbir is similarly loyal and strong. Kranhon might be strong, but doesn't get a loyalty bonus, It's kind of difficult to get a read on Artemis, and we don't know anything about the swordsman. I say we protect our own pawns, and deal with the swordsman later if needed. Recho looks like he's resisting whatever the hell blue's doing, so I think that qualifies as as 'unloyal' enough to warrant pulling a bit of power away if needed. Let's say 90 on Recho, tack 10 onto Kranhon, and you put 40 on Kranhon, give Artemis however much you think she needs, and put the rest on 'the swordsman'.]
>>
No. 589616 ID: d8a627

>After this is decided, [declare war on Blue].
Only if we manage to claim Recho and prevent him from claiming our pawns.
[Message Rose, echo to present pawns: If we divide a hundred claim points amongst six pawns, we would spend 16 points for every pawn. I do not know who the Swordsman is, but let's take a look at the other pawns:
The Son of the Sand (Recho): Blue's current pawn, possibly a queen piece. He's being driven into a panic, and also into insanity. His willpower will be low, and chances are, his loyalty will be, too. Even as a queen piece, I doubt he would have any bonus to resist, but it would mean that Blue has more focus on him.
The Speaker: No loyalty to us whatsoever, any bonus is from his willpower. Proximity to The Scholar should protect him. Possible the most harmful to us if taken, actually.
The Scholar: He's quite loyal, since we've given him some, ah, perks. Probably the only pawn of ours to be able to accept the perk we can offer: Science! His ability to take advantage of this perk also suggests he has incredible willpower to start with. We should not need to defend him much, but his loss would be harmful to the kingdom as a whole.
The Avenger: His loss would be harmful to our Temporal Position. Which, pardon the language, doesn't mean shit. You cannot harm our temporal position when we have it set in bloody stone. We know for a fact that he will survive, the only question is if it's as a living soldier, or an undead. I do not believe it would make much of a difference, since Serath's necromantic talent is incredible enough to make undeath just as good as life.
Magic's Bane: Artemis is a wildcard, but her loyalty lies with Jericho, Eliraz, and probably now Rose and Elizah. That's Four sources of loyalty. As for her willpower? Forgive me bluntless, but it's questionable whether she has any to start with. Focus, sure, but you tell her something and she's going to believe it. You tell her something contradictory and she's going to think she misunderstood. You tell her she was correct in the first place, and her more recent decisions don't form any walls against it. The only source of solidity we can be sure about is her loyalties, which means that she'll probably be safe even in the hands of blue. The only drawback is that she would not hear us directly. Could blue freeze her? Unlikely. She is a magic vortex, any attempts to freeze her would be met with her simply absorbing the magic, correct?
The Swordsman... You're going to have to tell us what his importance and likely built in immunity is, Rose. You tell us what power we should put forth for him.]

[Message Rose, Echo to present pawns: The Speaker: 20 points each (40/200).
The Scholar: 15 points each (70/200)
The Avenger: 10 (us) and 15 (Rose) (95/200)
Magic's Bane: 15 (us) and 10 (Rose) (120/200)
Son of the Sands: I'm thinking 30 each, for 60 total. That would add up to 180 of 200, leaving twenty points that could either be saved or spent on the Swordsman. What is your opinion, Rose? We can drop a bit from Recho to defend The Swordsman, if you think he's important.]
>>
No. 589628 ID: 9443d1

...Something is off. How come we can understand what Recho is saying? Normally we can only understand those languages the pawns we're with can understand and none of you know the tribal language, right? I hope one of you do 'cause otherwise Recho is speaking Serathian when he shouldn't know how and that could mean the situation isn't what we think it is.

Okay, there is one thing we can do immediately. [Summon "Spear of Light" to "Magic's Bane" or nearest valid pawn it can be summoned to] Artemis, take the Spear, rush in there, stick Recho in the sternum just above his heart just enough that he feels the pain and hold it the Spear in that position. Hopefully that'll reverse, halt or at least slow the rising corruption level in him and keep him from turning into whatever Blue is trying to make him. But if he makes a hostile move then kill him.

[Display base and current claim resistance levels of all pawns that can be displayed] Man, we should have tried this command before reaching here. If it worked we wouldn't be flying blind as to how much power to allocate to protecting our and Rose's pawns.

[Message to Rose: Who and where the heck is "The Swordsman?" We scanned everyone in the corridor and didn't come up with that pawn. Is he or she on the floor above or below or in a nearby room?]

Since going by the "unknown amount" messages Blue would have had to place at least one power into each of the six pawns he's attempting to claim or defend, then that means the most power he could bring to bear on any one pawn is 95, not 100. Now to figuring out how to distribute our power from that.

Recho's pawn loyalty should be gone, but his strength isn't. I'll guess it's 40. His willpower must be almost out and his loyalty is gone, so I guess a modifier of -90. That sets his effective base claim defense at -50. Assuming Blue uses all 95 power he possibly could to defend that means we only have to beat 45. Bump that up to 60 to allow margins for guessing and to be more sure we'll succeed. [Set 60 power to claim "The Son of Sand"]

Kranhon's willpower and loyalty together I guess would be 25. So Blue's max of 95 minus Kranhon's 25 gives 70 power needed to defend him for sure. [Message to Rose: Set 70 power to defending Kranhon.]

Ilbir, and Theen I figure would each have levels of loyalty, stength, and willpower that'll add up to more than 95, so they'll be fine against Blue. I think Artemis' willpower is rather low so I say set 20 power to her [Set 20 power to defending "Magic's Bane"]

We'll leave it up to Rose how much of the remaining 50 power to allocate to defending "The Swordsman" since she'll likely know who that pawn is. [Message to Rose: It's your choice how much of the remaining 50 power to use to defend "The Swordsman" since we assume you know who he is. We'll allocate our remaining power wherever you deem it.]

[Help system query: If two players are allied and one of them tries to claim a held pawn using only their own claim points with no assistance from their ally and fails in the attempt, does the one hour "lockout" on that pawn preventing another attempt to claim it apply to both allies or just the one that made the failed attempt?]

[Help system query: Does the rule stating that players' claim power "will be replenished every 3rd hour" (from >>589272) mean that it is replenished on a set schedule during the day (such as at 00:00, 03:00, 06:00, and so on) or is it at three hours after the point where the claim power level drops below 100?]
>>
No. 589629 ID: 2fd516

>>589628
WHOA what? No, do not stab Recho in the chest with the spear! The arm is fine, but I don't think stabbing him is a good idea regardless, so I don't think we should even summon it away from Durach. As far as I know, there's nothing that can lower corruption except getting away from the source of the corruption. Wielding a blessed weapon for an extended period can reduce corruption of the soul, but corruption of the mind, we don't know enough about.

Those numbers seem fairly reasonable, I suppose.
>>
No. 589650 ID: 9443d1

>>589629
I was thinking more to break the skin over the sternum but not going through the bone, but on second thought that might not be a good idea if he's moving about or writhing, which he probably is. A stab somewhere non-vital that healing magic can fix quick would be more prudent. And while the Spear may not reduce, stop or slow corruption I want it in there and ready to strike in case we fail to claim Recho and Blue finishes turning him into some kind of corrupted monster (most likely a Corrupted, from what Recho is saying.) And I said for Artemis to go in since she's sturdy enough to survive being that close to a demon spawn on her own and can react fast enough to strike before it does much damage.
>>
No. 589655 ID: 65a774
File 140820904022.png - (15.69KB , 900x450 , 39.png )
589655

>Wait, why is there even an amount listed for trying to claim an unclaimed, unprotected pawn? We've never had to expend power for claiming unprotected pawns.
[Checking register… All pawns claimed by player Teal has either been willingly claimed (consciously or not) or had a defense score that’s less than 0.]
>[Display base and current claim resistance levels of all pawns that can be displayed]
[Error!]
>[Help system query: If two players are allied and one of them tries to claim a held pawn using only their own claim points with no assistance from their ally and fails in the attempt, does the one hour "lockout" on that pawn preventing another attempt to claim it apply to both allies or just the one that made the failed attempt?]
[The one hour lockout only applies to the player(s) who try to claim a pawn and fail.]
[Help system query: Does the rule stating that players' claim power "will be replenished every 3rd hour" mean that it is replenished on a set schedule during the day (such as at 00:00, 03:00, 06:00, and so on) or is it at three hours after the point where the claim power level drops below 100?]
[Claim power will be recharged for the same amount used three hours after it’s been used.]

>[Message to Rose: Who and where the heck is "The Swordsman?" We scanned everyone in the corridor and didn't come up with that pawn. Is he or she on the floor above or below or in a nearby room?]
[Rose: Hmm… I haven’t seen this swordsman, either… maybe it’s a trick of some sort?]

>Ilbir, tell Kranhon he's in danger of being claimed and he needs to fight it. Someone else here is a pawn too, tell the guards to fight it as well.
:KranhonRUST: …huh?
:IlbirRUST: Just keep the whispering little voice out of your head, alright, Kranny?
>...Something is off. How come we can understand what Recho is saying?
:IlbirRUST: What are you talking about? It sounds like gibberish.
:TheenRUST: It’s Desert Tribal… I know some words of it.
>Artemis, take the Spear, rush in there, stick Recho in the sternum just above his heart just enough that he feels the pa-
:IlbirRUST: What? No! No sticking anyone with spears, alright?!

>[“Son of sand” 60, “The Speaker” 50, “The scholar” 10, “The avenger” 10, “Magic’s Bane” 20.]
[Rose: That’s look good.]
>[Message to Rose: It's your choice how much of the remaining 50 power to use to defend "The Swordsman" since we assume you know who he is. We'll allocate our remaining power wherever you deem it.]
[…]

[Blue tries to claim “The Speaker” with 95 power! Loyalty: 15 + Willpower: 10 + Teal: 50 + Rose: 25 = 100! Blue fails to claim “The Speaker”!]
[Blue tries to claim “The scholar” with 1 power! Loyalty: 20 + Willpower: 15 + Knight: 50 + Teal: 10 = 90! Blue fails to claim “The scholar”!]
[Blue tries to claim “The avenger” with 1 power! Loyalty: 5 + Willpower: 25 + Pawn: 25 + Rose: 10 = 65! Blue fails to claim “The avenger”!]
[Blue tries to claim “Magic’s Bane” with 1 power! Loyalty: 50 + Willpower: -10 + Knight: 50 + Rose: 20 = 110! Blue fails to claim “Magic’s Bane”!]
[Blue tries to claim "The Swordsman" with 1 power! Error! Unable to locate "The Swordsman"! Blue regain 1 power! Rose regains 25 power!]
[Teal and Rose tries to claim “Son of sand” with 60 power! Loyalty: -25 + Willpower: -10 + Knight: 50 + Blue: 1 = 16! Teal and Rose claims “Son of sand”! Rose doesn’t have any pawn slots left; Teal automatically receives “Son of sand”!]

[You have claimed “Son of sand”]
:RechoRUST: …it… it stopped? The whispering stopped?

>[declare war on Blue].
[THIS MEAN WAR! You are now in war with Blue!]
[Blue: DEATH!!! YOUR CITY WILL BURN! WHEN WE GET THE RUNE OF FIRE ALL OF YOU WILL BURN! BURN!!! THE WHOLE WORLD WILL DROWN IN BLOOD AND ALL SLAVERS WILL BE EXTERMIATED!! MY PURITY WILL BURN AWAY YOUR CORRUPTION! I’M THE ONLY ONE WHO IS PURE! PURE!!!]
[Player Blue is now ignoring you!]
>[message to Red: Blue's corrupting his own Pawns. Be wary of him trying to claim yours, or unclaimed pawns near you.]
[Red: I warned you about him, did I not? He isn’t done yet. He still got some kind of plan to try for the Rune in one last act of desperation. So, do not believe him defeated just yet… oh, and I have to warn you, the company my King travels in isn’t the most benevolent of types.]

[Rose: …Mor’kay and her war band has just arrived at the front gate… what do we do?]

Insert It’s about time_
>>
No. 589672 ID: d8a627

[Message Red: Is Mor'Kay interested in seeing her son, Jericho, as well? We may send him down, if available, and she agrees. Just make sure she understands that he's got the same "condition" as her. Otherwise, he's still got some luxury repairs waiting for him. ...She would have to see him without her army, though.]
[Message Rose: A malevolent army, but a cautious leader. This is sort of the opposite of blue, who was, himself malevolent, while his pawns were simply cautious and paranoid. Please, treat Mor'Kay with respect, she is Jericho's mother, but at the same time, maybe a show of power is in order? Let's ask red.]
[Engage group message between Teal, Red, and Pink (If that doesn't work, Message Red and echo message and response to pink): An army with hostile actions but cautious intentions is certainly the polar opposite of Blue's army, who acted friendly but had hostile intentions. Would they respect a show of power, or be trusting of a free meal? Mor'Kay's main claim for the march was to get food and water for their tribe, so talking over a potential trade agreement, or cooperation in some manner might work out. After all, she's got ice mages, we've got fire mages--While water is supposedly heavily limited, by combining those two powers, we'd greatly reduce that limit!]
>>
No. 589679 ID: d8a627

By the way...
>[Blue tries to claim “The Speaker” with 95 power! Loyalty: 15 + Willpower: 10 + Teal: 50 + Rose: 25 = 100! Blue fails to claim “The Speaker”!]
Loyalty? Did that take his loyalty to Ilbir, or what? Actually that makes sense, considering
>Blue tries to claim “Magic’s Bane” with 1 power! Loyalty: 50
That's a lot of loyalty, just as I suspected she would have.
Uh, sorry about insulting your willpower before, Artemis, even if it did turn out to be true there.
>>
No. 589685 ID: 2fd516

>>589655
It's okay Recho, you're safe now. I guess we probably sound like whispering too, but we mean you no harm! We're friends of your brother and father. Or is Jericho your half-brother?
[check corruption of Recho]
[check status of pawns]

[message to Rose: Red himself said that Mor'Kay is traveling with "not the most benevolent of types". So treat her warband as potential hostiles... but potential allies as well. Mor'Kay we should speak to asap. I want to talk to her in the presence of enough soldiers to ensure she won't attack once we bring up the Vault. I hope Jericho will be available to see her before anything happens.]
[message to Red: We've successfully saved Recho from Blue. You can let Mor'Kay know that. Though I guess I don't know if he's her son, or if Durach had him with someone else. At any rate, Jericho is not ready to see her yet. I'm afraid we must insist she delay her visit to the crypt until we can speak to her.]
>>
No. 589693 ID: 40935b

>it stopped? The whispering stopped?
I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. Don't worry though, we're more sane than the other guy. Your father is likely flanking the daemonic forces right now, and your half-brother, Jericho, is probably still out of commission, but you'll be reunited once this battle is over. Now it's probably the last thing you'd like to focus on, but can you give us any information on what Blue was planning?
>>
No. 589716 ID: 65a774
File 140822254213.png - (16.38KB , 900x450 , 40.png )
589716

>[check corruption of Recho]
[“The son of sand” is 86% corrupted and falling fast!]
>[check status of pawns]
[“The pebble”: Exited. “The Thief”: Tired. “The acolyte”: Terrified, needs hug badly. “The scholar”: Stressed. “The Heir of Savagery”: Content. “The Shaman”: Waiting to strike. “The son of sand”: Terrified.]

>[message to Rose: Red himself said that Mor'Kay is traveling with "not the most benevolent of types". So treat her warband as potential hostiles... but potential allies as well.]
[Rose: They all looks like Brutes, if you ask me…]
>[Message Rose: A malevolent army, but a cautious leader. This is sort of the opposite of blue, who was, himself malevolent, while his pawns were simply cautious and paranoid.]
[They are like white and black… or blue and red… different…]
>[Mor'Kay we should speak to asap.]
[She has requested to enter the crypt immediately and any talk should be conducted on the way there.]

>[Engage group message between Teal, Red, and Pink]
[Group message activated.]
>[An army with hostile actions but cautious intentions is certainly the polar opposite of Blue's army, who acted friendly but had hostile intentions. Would they respect a show of power, or be trusting of a free meal?]
[Red: You’re closer than you believe when you compare the army with Blue. They will not accept any food or respect anything you can do.]
>[Mor'Kay's main claim for the march was to get food and water for their tribe, so talking over a potential trade agreement, or cooperation in some manner might work out.]
[Red: The reasonable one has already left with their shaman. These are…]
[Rose: Are they friend or foe?]
[Red: Consider them allied with the enemy. They will stay outside the city for now.]
>[We've successfully saved Recho from Blue. You can let Mor'Kay know that. Though I guess I don't know if he's her son, or if Durach had him with someone else.]
[Red: She is relived, even if Recho isn’t her son. Let’s just say Durach is rather… popular among the tribes.]
[Rose: Oh? So there’s been a lot of fighting over him?]
[Red: The tribals aren’t a people who binds themselves to people for a long time… they are a bit more pragmatic then that. Durach himself have sired many sons and daughters over his years.]
>[Is Mor'Kay interested in seeing her son, Jericho, as well? We may send him down, if available, and she agrees.]
[Red: She requests that he meets her in the crypt.]
[Rose: The royal necromancer says he’s ready to move with his own two legs.]

>It's okay Recho, you're safe now. I guess we probably sound like whispering too, but we mean you no harm! We're friends of your brother and father. Or is Jericho your half-brother?
Who… what… you’re not… you’re different… father? You know my fa-… wait… Jericho? My half-brother?
>Now it's probably the last thing you'd like to focus on, but can you give us any information on what Blue was planning?
I… I don’t know. He said he had found a way into the vault through other means… without entering the crypt at all…

Insert How will he get down there? Dig? Pfff_
>>
No. 589722 ID: 2fd516

>>589716
Er, what? Did you just appear out of nowhere? Do you have some special abilities? We gotta go, Jericho has to be someplace. See you later, Recho. The white-masked man knows some of your language, so he can be your translator.
[switch to Jericho]

[message to Red/group: Alright I guess we'll meet you there. Blue apparently has an alternate way to enter the Vault- without even entering the Crypt- so we will have to hurry things up and drop all pretense. Yes, we know you're trying to get into the Vault. I'm afraid I must insist that we, Teal, claim ownership of it. I suspect you want to use it for Serath's benefit, as that is your default allegiance, but we cannot allow its power to be used for selfish ends. Where is the Lesser Rune? Judging by the glow of the keystones, it was approaching the city, but then stopped, and moved away.]
>>
No. 589738 ID: d8a627

Very well, Child of the Sands Recho. We must attend to Jericho for the time being, as it is time for him to reunite with his mother, Mor'Kay. The lizard in the white mask behind you is Grand Avenger Theen, and the Mantis with light armor in front of you is High Speaker Kranhon. Both can speak the language of the Tribals, thus translating for you between your native language and Serathian.
Aside from our "Voice of the Many," known as "Player Teal," you may hear the voice of "Player Pink," known as "Rose." If there is a message you wish to send to your father, you may ask us, if it is short, or perhaps Rose, if she has the time--Our role seems to be more active than hers, following the most essential people in the war, while she follows the most essential people to the kingdom.
[If Recho does have a short message, switch to Durach and deliver it before switching to Jericho]
[Message Group: Red, among other suspicions, we believe you will be sending Mor'Kay to the vault itself. Rose, would you like to bring one of the pawns along with? We could make a party of it--by which I mean, a group, not a celebration. I believe The Thief is still down there? Other than him, I suspect Magic's Bane and, what was Elizah's title? "The Diplomat"? Well, I don't think it's a good idea to expose her to the dangers down there.
Let's ignore the other voice's request that we ignore Serath's needs. While the Daemon's posession of temporal powers is an annoyance, we happen to have it as well... only in a more passive form. We know for a fact that Serath will be restored. The whole desert will be made into a Jungle again, and no longer will water and food be a scarcity. We do still require the eventual possession of the Greater Rune, but in case something happens to us, leave it with Rose, please. We will meet again with her in the future, regardless of what happens in the now.]
>>
No. 589739 ID: 40935b

[message pink: Mor'kay couldn't use her royal blood to call seniority and usurp the throne or something, could she?]

>He said he had found a way into the vault through other means… without entering the crypt at all…
Okay, think- between the rambling about slavers and proclaiming his purity, did he say he needed anything, or was going to speak to someone, or mention any specific places?

Otherwise, we need to check up on someone- enjoy the relative silence. [switch to 'the pebble'] Hey Jericho, guess who just showed up at the gates?
>>
No. 589740 ID: 2fd516

>>589738
Whoa wait dude. Switching takes time, we don't move instantly. If we switched to Durach to give a message, we'd waste time and potentially miss something important.

Also yeah I know about making the jungle again, I think that would happen regardless of who activates the Vault, because the jungle is the normal state. Anyway, Red is a Player, don't forget that. If he's allowed to control the Vault, he'll try to make Serath strong enough to invade other countries and take over the world. Players do not just stop once their associated country hits a certain degree of prosperity. Rose is a Diplomat, so her power grabs would be peaceful for the most part. Red is not, however, so his power grabs could easily turn violent. My point is that we can't trust Red with the Vault.

My endgame plan is to either delete the warlike Players permanently or change their behavior types. Make everyone either Diplomat or Champion. Champion Players focus on single pawns and have Quests apparently, and thus won't cause wars.
>>
No. 589766 ID: 9443d1

...What's that light around you, Recho? Oh, it's the sunlight through the doorway. Never mind. Anyway, yes, we know your father; We promised him we'd keep you safe. And yes, Jericho is your half-brother; Durach is his father, Mor'Kay his mother. She kept his parentage a secret from Jericho and everyone else, including Durach.

Recho, is there anything else you can remember of what Blue has said that might give a clue as to how he's going to get to or into the Vault? Any people, places or things he was particularly interested in or considered important? What about anything Eliros has had the an interest in or considered important? Is there anything he has that's odd that might be it? And has Blue or Eliros said anything about Mor'Kay and her plan? What do you know of her plan yourself, if anything? Oh, and did Blue or Eliros ever mention Geron, Varius, or anybody they had working in the city?

We're sorry but we have to leave you for now, Recho. Mor'Kay has just arrived at the city gates and we need to get Jericho up to speed on things and down to the crypt to meet her. We'll leave you in the care of Kranhon, who I believe you've spoken with before; Perhaps he can get you something like a cup of tea to help calm down. And keep wracking your brain for anything you can remember that might be a clue as to what Blue and Eliros are up to and tell Kranhon so he can write it down.

[Group message: Recho says that he heard Blue say that he had found a way into the Vault through other means and that he could do so without entering the crypt at all. Now, I doubt Blue has a way to get into the Vault since if there was he and the Dark One probably wouldn't have messed with keystones and such, but we can't rule it out. However, it's more likely it's a way to get just outside the Vault, bypassing the crypt and the defenses on the way. But either way we don't have any decent ideas for how he could get in. Could he dig in? No, that's ludicrous. Teleportation? The Vault has to be shielded against that. I just dunno what it could be.]

[Message to Red: Is Akena one of Blue's pawns? 'Cause somehow we've managed to forget to scan her every time we've seen her.]

[Message to Rose: I really don't like that we're letting Mor'Kay in not knowing whether Red is corrupted by the Dark One or otherwise working for him and this has all been a long ruse on Red's part for him. But I have a plan for how we can find out. When Mor'Kay is halfway to the crypt entrance we stop and surround her and make Red an offer: We'll let Mor'Kay into the crypt if he agrees to temporarily allying with us as well as granting us permission to switch to his pawns; That way we can scan and check the corruption level on Mor'Kay, check his pawns' status, and you can quickly switch through Red's pawns and scan them for corruption as well as see who and maybe where they are. But if Red doesn't agree then we'll consider him an enemy and cut Mor'Kay down. The way I figure it, if Red isn't corrupted and actually on our side he'll agree, while otherwise he'll fight. So, what do you think of this plan?]

[Message to Rose: While we won't have to worry about Blue being able to make a move on our pawns for three hours, but with our depleted claim power we're going to have to worry about Red maybe making a move on them. We should probably keep the number of pawns, both ours and free, to a minimum near Mor'Kay, her war band, and any other known Red pawns. Preferably keep it to only our kings, queens and those like Artemis we know have very high resistance.]

[Message to Rose: Could you switch to Eliraz for a moment and tell him to slip into the shadows at the crypt entrance and wait so he can shadow Mor'Kay once she enters. And also say that he should stay out of her field of view since she might have something like the crystal eyepieces in Theens mask that allows her to see through illusions. Hm... Thinking of that, do we have any more of those crystals? If so we could have one fitted in Eliraz's monocle so he can see through illusions all the time.]

[Message to Rose: We see that Tera's status is "terrified, needs hug badly," almost certainly from what happened with Geron. Could you get someone to her or her to someone who could give her a hug and comfort her? Maybe Elizah? If not then we'll switch to and try to comfort her ourselves right after we get Jericho on his way to the crypt; We ought to have a few minutes before he reaches the entrance.]

>>589722
Dammit, we still haven't established if we can trust Red enough yet! Don't admit to him we know how to track down the Lesser Rune using a keystone! While he quite likely already knows the keystones can do that we shouldn't admit it in case he doesn't know and also so he doesn't know we know. Besides, he wouldn't tell us where the Lesser Rune is anyway; He sent it away specifically so it wouldn't be near us. And we shouldn't say we know that Mor'Kay has a way to the Vault either! We keep our hand close to our chest when dealing with Red until we feel he can be trusted well enough, understand?
>>
No. 589777 ID: 2fd516

>>589766
If we don't get him to tell us how he was planning to get into the vault, how are we gonna stop Blue? I know for a fact that digging down through the wrong room doesn't work- we tried that before.
>>
No. 589791 ID: d8a627

>>589766
[Message Rose: All we need to do to detect corruption in Red's pawns is see if our pawn's corruption raises near Mor'Kay. Set up a Protocol to scan it every so often once in the presence of a Red pawn?]
[Check protocols, is the auto-scan on corruption still up? If not, renew it!]
>>
No. 589822 ID: 9443d1

>>589777
Alright, we'll let on that Durach told us that Mor'Kay has some way to the Vault. [Group message: A few hours ago when we asked Durach of Mor'Kay's plans he said that she supposedly has a way to reach the Vault as soon as she enters the crypt. Whatever way that is is the likely the same or related to the way Blue intends to use to get to or into the Vault. Please, tell us the means Mor'Kay will use to get to the Vault. From knowing that we might be able to figure out how to stop Blue or at least where he'd have to be to get to the Vault.]

And now I'm worried that Tera being terrified isn't all from what happened with Geron and that she might be in danger. [Message to Rose: I'm worried that Tera being terrified might be at least partly from her being in danger right now. Could you switch to her for a moment to check that she's safe, please.] [Monitor status of "The Acolyte" and display when changes]

[Message to Rose: Is there any news from Temrock on the investigation of what Geron was working on or has he not even reached wherever Geron was working?]
>>
No. 589839 ID: 65a774
File 140829547685.png - (17.86KB , 900x450 , 41.png )
589839

>[Message to Rose: I'm worried that Tera being terrified might be at least partly from her being in danger right now. Could you switch to her for a moment to check that she's safe, please.]
[Rose: She is safe with Temrock, currently. Temrock isn’t really… the comfort type, but he’s taking her to see someone who is.]
>[Message to Rose: Is there any news from Temrock on the investigation of what Geron was working on or has he not even reached wherever Geron was working?]
[Rose: The passage led directly to the cold storage. Whatever he was planning to do, it was in there.]
>[Group message: Recho says that he heard Blue say that he had found a way into the Vault through other means and that he could do so without entering the crypt at all.]
[Red: Hmm… interesting. I have to say, if there’s another way he that I should have used to get in I would be rather disappointed. I’ve used a lot of time getting my King into it already…]
>[We don't have any decent ideas for how he could get in. Could he dig in? No, that's ludicrous. Teleportation? The Vault has to be shielded against that.]
[Red: …I do not know… maybe there’s a secret entrance of some sort?]
[Rose: It is rather old. Maybe a wall or something has collapsed, revealing a way?]

>[Message to Red: Is Akena one of Blue's pawns? 'Cause somehow we've managed to forget to scan her every time we've seen her.]
[Red: No, Akena is… one with the Dark one…]
>[Message to Rose: I really don't like that we're letting Mor'Kay in not knowing whether Red is corrupted by the Dark One or otherwise working for him and this has all been a long ruse on Red's part for him. But I have a plan for how we can find out. When Mor'Kay is halfway to the crypt entrance we stop and surround her and make Red an offer: We'll let Mor'Kay into the crypt if he agrees to temporarily allying with us as well as granting us permission to switch to his pawns.]
[Rose: Hmm… that’s a rather ingenious plan, yes… let’s try it out…]
>[Message to Rose: Could you switch to Eliraz for a moment and tell him to slip into the shadows at the crypt entrance and wait so he can shadow Mor'Kay once she enters?]
[Rose: Done.]

>Er, what? Did you just appear out of nowhere? Do you have some special abilities?
:RechoRUST: Huh? What are you talking about? I walked through a door…?
>...What's that light around you, Recho? Oh, it's the sunlight through the doorway.
:RechoRUST: Not sunlight but… yeah, it’s from the room I was in.
>Yes, we know your father; We promised him we'd keep you safe. And yes, Jericho is your half-brother; Durach is his father, Mor'Kay his mother. She kept his parentage a secret from Jericho and everyone else, including Durach.
:RechoRUST: Oh… well, I already have a lot of half sibling as it is already…

>Okay, think- between the rambling about slavers and proclaiming his purity, did he say he needed anything, or was going to speak to someone, or mention any specific places?
:RechoRUST: Let’s see… hmm… I can’t really remember any- wait… rust! That’s it!
:KranhonRUST: Rust?
:IlbirRUST: Psst, what is he saying?
:RechoRUST: He said something about how the gods creation had grown old and been subjected to the elements, that the iron they used has rusted and that there are cracks and faults in their work… err… of course, I don’t know how that’s really… um… helpful but… sorry…
>And has Blue or Eliros said anything about Mor'Kay and her plan?
:RechoRUST: He said that it was stupid and will fail. Something about just walking right in would never work.
>Oh, and did Blue or Eliros ever mention Geron, Varius, or anybody they had working in the city?
:RechoRUST: I remember hearing about a Maester Geron… he said he was useless… that he fought back too hard to be of any real use.
>Very well, Child of the Sands Recho. We must attend to Jericho for the time being, as it is time for him to reunite with his mother, Mor'Kay. The lizard in the white mask behind you is Grand Avenger Theen, and the Mantis with light armor in front of you is High Speaker Kranhon. Both can speak the language of the Tribals, thus translating for you between your native language and Serathian.
:RechoRUST: Oh… right… I’ll… I’ll be alright now… thank you…
>If there is a message you wish to send to your father, you may ask us, if it is short, or perhaps Rose, if she has the time.
:RechoRUST: Tell him… I’m alright.
[Rose: I’ll deliver that message. I need to talk to Durach anyway.]



>[switch to Jericho]
:JerichoRUST: Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, I’m going to meet my mother! My mo-
:ElizahRUST: Calm down, Pebble. They haven’t even open the gate yet.
:JerichoRUST: See! They are opening! She’s coming!

[Red wants to ally with you!]
[Red: Just for the coming battle, as we’re on the same side.]

Insert Sometimes the best of plans are unmade because the objective is solved before it gets put into action_
>>
No. 589842 ID: dbe554

(Jericho is no longer rusted? Or icon change error?)

Calm down Jericho..You can wait to see her and then you can go nuts with happiness/joy/internal feelings of loving your mother in a Freudian way.

Agree to the alliance.
>>
No. 589844 ID: 2fd516

>>589839
[scan everyone present] I see some interesting people here.
[accept offer of alliance, but block vision of Eliraz if possible]

Hey Jericho, I dunno if you knew, but Recho is your half-brother. We just claimed him from Blue so he'll be under our care from now on.
>>
No. 589846 ID: d8a627

>Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, I’m going to meet my mother!
Slow down... She's got an army of barbarians with her. Make sure she's out of sight of them before you start revealing how excited you are to finally meet her, otherwise they're going to think you're attacking and declare war.
>[Red wants to ally with you!]
[Message Rose: And there arises my "I told you so!" We can already check the corruption levels of allies without having control, after all.]
[Accept alliance]
[Check Mor'Kay's Corruption/Purification levels; echo to Jericho, Elizah, and Rose]
>>
No. 589849 ID: 40935b

Keep in mind she's at least seven feet and clad in dark armor like any good desert warlord should. Even still, you should refrain from running out and hugging her- in addition to the politically charged nature of the visit, she's also surrounded by a lot of angry guards who probably aren't thrilled to be in the presence of undead. You're royalty, you have to be stoic in front of allies and your own people, at least for a little while.

[accept invitation from player Red] I do hope so.

>iron they used has rusted and that there are cracks and faults in their work
That could mean either the simulation is falling apart, causing exploits to form, or blue is going to leave the simulation and return, either not as a Player or in any location they want. Or maybe Blue's insane.
>>
No. 589856 ID: d8a627

>You’re… you’re…
Dead, Alive, Royalty, or the King Pawn to your player's new ally? All of the above?
[Message Group; echo to pawns: (Please echo to pawns, Red!) I really hope we can keep emotional freakouts to a minimum here! If we want to have some hugs and cries and yellings when we get out of the sight of the army of barbarians, that's fine, but do it now and we'll probably be looking at a war!]
>>
No. 589857 ID: 65a774
File 140830165305.png - (19.16KB , 900x450 , 42b.png )
589857

>[scan everyone present]
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Serath guard.] x4
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Serath Praetorian guard.] x2
[Neutral Creature (Friendly): Serath Civilian.] x10
[Neutral Creature (Neutral): Tribesman.]
[“The Diplomat” belongs to player Pink!]
[“The Counselor” belongs to player Pink!]
[“The Hammer of Justice” belongs to player Red!]
[“The Inferno” belongs to player Red!]
[“The Unseen” belongs to player Red!]
[“The Healer of the waste” belongs to player Red!]
[“The Lord of sand” belongs to player Red!]

>[accept offer of alliance, but block vision of Eliraz if possible]
[Alliance accepted! Error! You can’t block vision before you give Red access to vision of your pawns!]
>[Check Mor'Kay's Corruption/Purification levels; echo to Jericho, Elizah, and Rose]
[“The Lord of sand” is 0% corrupt!]
[Player Red is 0% corrupt!]

[Red: I am bringing my pawns with me. Those that I can trust. I do hope it won’t be too much of a problem…]

>Hey Jericho, I dunno if you knew, but Recho is your half-brother. We just claimed him from Blue so he'll be under our care from now on.
Oh, he’s just… I knew he was the son of my father but… that’s great, I guess…
>You should refrain from running out and hugging her- in addition to the politically charged nature of the visit, she's also surrounded by a lot of angry guards who probably aren't thrilled to be in the presence of undead. You're royalty, you have to be stoic in front of allies and your own people, at least for a little while.
Right… stoic… class… I need to calm do-

>Keep in mind she's at least seven feet and clad in dark armor like any good desert warlord should.
:TribalRUST: All hail Warlord Mor’kay, Lord of the free deserts!
:JerichoRUSTED: …t-that’s my mother!?
:ElizahRUST: Shh… be calm… Hail, oh grand lord, how can we, the Serath people, be of service?
:MorkayRUSTED: We do not have time for idle talk. Take me to the crypt at once! We can’t… can’t… Jericho? Is that you?
:JerichoRUSTED: Err…
:MorkayRUSTED: You’re… you’re…

Insert grown up? Dead? A mummy? Come on, don’t leave us hanging!_
>>
No. 589859 ID: d8a627

>>589856
whoops! Somehow this came in before the update... What did you happen to wops this time, Kaktus?
...I'm totally claiming that I used the passive temporal dislocation to say this before everything happened. Yep.
>>
No. 589862 ID: 2fd516

>>589857
Hmm. Maybe the two interesting people I'm looking at are the Praetorian guards?
[scan, specifically, the two in red at the front of the crowd]

Jericho, go give your mom a hug. And tell her you're sorry about dying.

>>589856
Pretty sure we're already out of sight. No need to say all that.
>>
No. 589866 ID: 40935b

...is that an invisible mantis?

Okay I take it back, you can bond a little. You're here now, and ready to make up for lost time, but you should probably do it while walking. A familial tie will hopefully be stronger than a political one, and if we can't trust Red, I'd like to trust your mother.
>>
No. 589883 ID: 9443d1

...We haven't already told you what Mor'Kay is, Jer? Dangit. We're really sorry for that oversight. Here's what we know: Durach told us that Mor'Kay was killed in retrieving the lesser rune from the Marches, that there wasn't even enough left of her to raise as a proper undead and drastic measures had to be taken. So under all that enchanted steel armor Mor'Kay is a skeletal undead, and judging by the size of her they had to cobble her body together using whatever bones they could get; Likely large animal bones. ...Heh. I guess this means you have something in common with Mor'kay other than her being your mother.

Jer, Mor'kay is probably shocked that you're undead, but it might be for something else. I'd suggest just looking up into her eyes and simply asking "I'm?" Unfortunately we don't have much time for parental bonding so anything you say and ask after that will have to be while en route to the crypt.

...Hey, Jer, how come we see you have two eyes? Tera said the eye you lost was the only thing that couldn't be replaced, so did the royal necromancer fit you with a glass eye or something?

[Group message: Recho told us that Blue also said something about rust; That the gods' creation had grown old and been subjected to the elements and that the metal they used had rusted and that there were cracks and faults in them. From that I'd guess Blue has somehow found a weak spot in the Vault where it's possible they could tunnel in and break through. But where could Blue be tunneling from? There's a mountain above the Vault and nothing but solid rock all around. It'd take ages to tunnel to it, and that's without having to keep it secret... Wait... Temrock told us that the corridor to the Vault curved. If it curved enough or was long enough that might put the end with the Vault out from under crypts and the mountain. It could be under the lower city, and if it is and it's under a building Blue could have been digging down to it in secret all this time. Rose, did we get any measurements of how much the corridor curves? We can give you an estimate of its length and from there the likely location of the Vault can be determined. And get maps of the city and all known tunnels or caves under it if you can.]

[Message to Red: We're sorry that we didn't tell you Jericho was undead. We probably should have so you could have told Mor'Kay and it wouldn't be such a shock for her. We hope Jericho being undead doesn't put any kinks into your plans. And for your information and Mor'Kay's: Jer has been undead for a bit now. Shortly after his capture he was summarily executed for the murder of the Serathians at the mine. His body was brought to the Great Temple where an apprentice who is our pawn (and who we somehow claimed as a pawn while he was dead) raised him. Don't ask me how we survived our king dying or claimed a pawn while he was dead, that's just the way it happened.]

[Message to Red: I'm wondering why you're in such a rush to get into the crypt. We don't have the keystones and lesser rune needed to open the Vault, so why the hurry?]

[Message to Rose: I just realized something odd. Durach told us that Mor'Kay died in the retrieval of the lesser rune from the Marches and then raised as a skeletal undead, but if Mor'Kay is Red's king, wouldn't her death have caused Red to be "reborn" with a new king like when Leanah died? Either Mor'Kay isn't Red's king or something kept Red from being "reborn" long enough for her to be raised.]

[List level (pawn, knight, queen, king) of Red pawns that were scanned] [List species and identifying clothes or physical characteristics of Red pawns scanned] [List Red pawns from scan results that are unseen or not within visual range]
>>
No. 589885 ID: 65a774
File 140831274626.png - (20.88KB , 900x450 , 43.png )
589885

>[List level (pawn, knight, queen, king) of Red pawns that were scanned][List species and identifying clothes or physical characteristics of Red pawns scanned]
[“The Hammer of Justice” (Knight) belongs to player Red!][Amun Male Human Paladin.]
[“The Inferno” (Knight) belongs to player Red!][Serath Female Human Mage.]
[“The Unseen” (Knight) belongs to player Red!][Geranmol Female Mantis Assassin.]
[“The Healer of the waste” (Queen) belongs to player Red!][Tribal Male Lizard Mender]
[“The Lord of sand” (King) belongs to player Red!][Serath Female Ghoul Lizard Warlord (Currently controlling an Iron Golem)]

>[Rose, did we get any measurements of how much the corridor curves? We can give you an estimate of its length and from there the likely location of the Vault can be determined. And get maps of the city and all known tunnels or caves under it if you can.]
[Rose: Um… I have no idea how much it curves but… err… I can try and check? I don’t know, It’s hard to say exactly… it might even go in a circle.]
>[Message to Rose: I just realized something odd. Durach told us that Mor'Kay died in the retrieval of the lesser rune from the Marches and then raised as a skeletal undead, but if Mor'Kay is Red's king, wouldn't her death have caused Red to be "reborn" with a new king like when Leanah died? Either Mor'Kay isn't Red's king or something kept Red from being "reborn" long enough for her to be raised.]
[Rose: Interesting… of course, the same thing happened to you, didn’t it? Hmm…]
>[Message to Red: We're sorry that we didn't tell you Jericho was undead. We probably should have so you could have told Mor'Kay and it wouldn't be such a shock for her. We hope Jericho being undead doesn't put any kinks into your plans.]
[Red: He’s still alive enough for what I got planned… and this might even be a bit of a boon… help convince the Tribes undeath isn’t such a sin as they think.]
>[Don't ask me how we survived our king dying or claimed a pawn while he was dead, that's just the way it happened.]
[Red: Clearly, you’ve been chosen by someone to complete this task… to bring balance to the world… like some other people you’ve met…]
>[Message to Red: I'm wondering why you're in such a rush to get into the crypt. We don't have the keystones and lesser rune needed to open the Vault, so why the hurry?]
[Red: You will know soon enough… see it as a surprise.]

>...Hey, Jer, how come we see you have two eyes? Tera said the eye you lost was the only thing that couldn't be replaced, so did the royal necromancer fit you with a glass eye or something?
It’s cheap glass for now. He said he should find a jewel the right size given some time.
>A familial tie will hopefully be stronger than a political one, and if we can't trust Red, I'd like to trust your mother.
…and I would love to have a family…
>...We haven't already told you what Mor'Kay is, Jer? Dangit. We're really sorry for that oversight. Here's what we know –snip-
…animal bones? That’s… I… don’t really know what I should think about that…

>Dead, Alive, Royalty, or the King Pawn to your player's new ally? All of the above?
:MorkayRUSTED: Royalty? You’re… they actually recognized you for who you are? …that would explain the expensive silk, yes, even if it is a bit tarnished.
>Jericho, go give your mom a hug. And tell her you're sorry about dying.
:JerichoRUSTED: I’m sorry I died, mom, I’m… I’m so sorry we shouldn’t meet when I was-
:MorkayRUSTED: I will never fault you for dying, Jericho… I will love you no matter who you are… it’s just… I was hoping for grandchildren one day…
:JerichoRUSTED: Oh… well… good news is that would probably not have happened even if I wasn’t dead…
:MorkayRUSTED: Huh? What do- oh… OH… you’re… I… I didn’t know…
:JerichoRUSTED: Um… well, personally, I’m not actually… err… you know… It’s just… the one I love just happened to be the Prince.
:MorkayRUSTED: The Prince? Why, I have to say I’m proud. Finding someone of that status…
:ElizahRUST: Well, here we are…
:MorkayRUSTED: Ah… as promised, I will enter alone. All I ask is for my loyal comrades to be show some hospitably within these walls so they can face the coming battle at full strength.
:ElizahRUST: …you mean Red other pawns?
:MorkayRUSTED: Yes, as we’ve already said, we need you to win this battle too and will help. Oh, except for the lad with the banner, he’s my… hmm… assistant.
:ElizahRUST: You mean servant.
:MorkayRUSTED: No, he gets paid and is free to leave when he wants to… I don’t deal with slaves like some other people.
:ElizahRUST: I have you know, I’m trying to give them more rights as best as I can… at least I’m trying to change things and not letting my people hunt others down to sell them, like some people.
:MorkayRUSTED: Well, some people aren’t in such desperate need of resources that they can choose…
:ElizahRUST: Some people don’t loot and destroy any long term resources gainers as soon as they get their hands on them!
:MorkaYRUSTED:
:ElizahRUST:
:JerichoRUSTED: Err…

Insert Wait, who are these “people” everyone is talking about?_
>>
No. 589892 ID: d8a627

>I can try and check?
[Message Rose: Please don't bother, that voice forgot that the Daemonic spacial warping involved around the vault can mean it bends in any direction on the outside, or goes for any distance... It might actually not go anywhere at all, only to suddenly end up in a completely different location, without any tunnels that can be entered from elsewhere.]
>Interesting… of course, the same thing happened to you, didn’t it? Hmm…
[Message Rose: In our case, it happened within the first 24 hours. A player cannot be defeated until they have been in the game for twenty four hours. As for Mor'Kay, she was likely abandoned for a time, or was not originally Red's King piece. We have looked into it on a few occasions and know that the King title can be swapped to another pawn, but only once per twenty four hours.]
>Clearly, you’ve been chosen by someone to complete this task…
[Message Red: Actually, we chose to have a king piece that was undead. As odd as it is, that's what happened. When we were given a living King, that King was then killed before our twenty-four hour immunity expired, so that he could be made into an undead before we lost. It seems that whatever allows us to choose the kind of person to be our first pawn can also control their fate. However, I agree that being undead does have advantages over being alive, we would have been defeated a dozen times over if he was not undead.]
>Some people
Just because some Serathians and some Tribals happen to set a bad example, does not mean all of either group does the same. Mor'Kay and Elizah are both progressive in that way, so please make sure they don't argue or blame each other for the bad of the societies.
>>
No. 589941 ID: 2fd516

>>589885
Look, I'm sure you two will be able to work out your differences over the negotiation table. You know, when you put an end to the war? Wait, can we speak freely to allied pawns? ...probably. If not, Jericho, please relay the message.

Hang on a second, if only bones were left to raise Mor'Kay, why does she scan as a ghoul? ...were there scraps of flesh attached to the bones? That's probably it, gross. We'll have to use that necromantic prosthetic research to give her more of a body, I'm thinking.

Anyway. Jericho, keep our deal. She goes in alone. But... we'll watch her perspective, and of course Eliraz will be following behind.
[message to Red: I don't like surprises. I hope you don't mind if we watch Mor'Kay and maybe talk to her a bit.]
[keep focus on Mor'Kay, switch to Eliraz if blocked]
[block view of Eliraz from Red]

[message to Rose: His pawns are powerful. It's possible Red plans to betray us after the battle against the demon army, but... I don't know, he could be legit. Just be careful. Also, is it just me, or have two of his pawns been inside the city this whole time?]
>>
No. 589946 ID: d8a627

>>589941
>we'll watch her perspective
Can't. Only one player can occupy a pawn at a time... And Red hasn't even shared control with us, anyways.
>and of course Eliraz will be following behind.
...That, on the other hand, is something we can do.
>[block view of Eliraz from Red]
Can't. We need to share view of Eliraz with Red before we can "cancel" sharing view.
>Also, is it just me, or have two of his pawns been inside the city this whole time?
...Only one of them scans as a Serathian. We saw four of the five pawns enter through the gate. The Serathian was probably waiting in the crowd for Mor'Kay to arrive.
[Message Red: ...Ignore that request to watch directly over Mor'Kay. While we would like to talk with her, there's as of yet no reason to share control of pawns, especially kings.]
[Message Rose: "The Inferno" was in the crowd of spectators. At least, I'm assuming she's the one with the hood that's hiding her face, I'll try a direct scan of that individual human.]
[Scan, specifically, that human female who's eyes are hidden from our view thanks to the shadows of her hood]
[@Rose: In regards to Red's alliance and possible betrayal, Elizah is quite the diplomat. As long as they don't carry a grudge out of this, I suspect she can find a way to convince Mor'Kay that war is not the answer. Do you have a map marking what areas are Tribal run and which are Serath owned? And I don't just mean "We claim this land so we own it," I mean actually enforced ownership. Once the Jungle is restored, so long as Mor'Kay's tribes have good land they should not have much reason to war.]
[@Group: ...Given the lack of debate within our own collected, I suppose our aliases shall be VOM (Voices of Many) and Manny (Many with an extra N). We know that Rose is Rose, but how about you, Red? Names help to personalize things, and when something is personalized, it's much more personable, right?]
>>
No. 589947 ID: d8a627

>>589946
((By the way, if, retroactively, we never mentioned the alias "Rose" in the group (>>589883) then we can refrain from mentioning it now, but that one seemed to go through to the group anyways))
>>
No. 589949 ID: 40935b

Oh stopit. This is exactly the kind of thing a daemonic invasion would have us put behind ourselves. We can come up with a plan quickly- once the land is fertile again, and it will be, the nomads will no longer need to be nomadic, leaving vast tracts of land unused. We can grant appropriate portions of that land as compensation for immediate emancipation.

Also, how does the idea of a Serathian foreign legion sound?

[message red: the last time we were surprised, someone nearly killed one of our allies. The time before that, two of our pawns ended up in cold storage. Could you at least give us a hint?]
>>
No. 589992 ID: 2fd516

>>589946
Red betraying us is a separate issue from Mor'Kay betraying us! Red has other pawns, so even if Mor'Kay is on our side, Red could still act against us. Heck, Red could just drop her as his King, and switch to his queen instead. We would then have 24 hours to either kill his King or kill him directly.

Also, we DO need to ask Red if we can watch Mor'Kay, because if Red is smart, he'll know we want to watch her in some manner. If we don't go for the most obvious method, he'll suspect we have some sort of trick up our sleeves and will act to counter it. While I don't doubt that Eliraz will be fine tailing her, it would still be best if Red didn't suspect anything. Actually I'm wondering now if people can still see us in a mirror while we're focused on Eliraz and he's shadow-sneaking. That would rather ruin his stealth, if so.

I don't agree with the names VOM or Manny. Teal is fine.
>>
No. 589993 ID: 9443d1

Elizah, what are you doing?! You're diplomatic; You're supposed to know to deescalate situations like this, not aggravate them! Even what's-his-name, "The Counselor," closed his eyes in a wince at that exchange. So please get your temper under control and apologize so this doesn't get any worse.

A large chunk of the problems the tribes face will go away once the Greater Rune is restored and the Serath once again becomes a fertile jungle with more water than their wildest dreams. We just have to get to that point and then we'll have the breathing room to negotiate a better future for all those in the Serath. And also take advantage of it to work out how to gradually reduce and eventually phase out slavery in the Serath as well.

>Some people don’t loot and destroy any long term resources gainers as soon as they get their hands on them!
And it bears pointing out that the tribes do this most likely 'cause they don't have the means to successfully defend them against the full response of the Serathian army, so they loot what they can and destroy what's left so the Serathians can't reclaim them. I have no doubt that the tribes wish they could hold and benefit from such "resource gainers," but it just isn't feasible for them.

>It’s cheap glass for now. He said he should find a jewel the right size given some time.
A jewel the size of an eye?! Seriously?! ...I have a feeling Reizn had a hand in suggesting that. Hm... Maybe it could be a magic crystal instead; Something that'd offer some benefit for you. Maybe act as a focus for your magic since it'd be cool to shoot beams of ice or fire magic from your eye. Though, once Varius' attachment procedure is worked out you'll probably be able to get a real eye installed and get your binocular vision back.

>…animal bones? That’s… I… don’t really know what I should think about that…
That was mostly speculation on our part. And going by Mor'Kay's detailed scan saying she's a "Serath Female Ghoul Lizard Warlord (Currently controlling an Iron Golem)" we have to revise that. She's a "ghoul" but Durach said her body was a raised skeleton, so I guess they stuck her still fleshy head on it and raised her. And the iron golem is almost certainly the armor she's wearing. Since it can move on its own it's probable she has a normal skeleton and not one made from large animal bones.

[Message to Red: I'd like to point out that we, Teal, have no love for slavery and would very much like to see it gone from the Serath. It's just that working out how to do so without crashing the Serathian economy and causing a revolt among the slave owners possibly leading to a coup or civil war is the hard part. But whatever plan it is we do know it'll have to be rolled out gradually over time; Likely years and years. We just hope you and Mor'kay can be patient.]

[Display number of free pawn slots for player Red] [Display claim power of player Red]

>>589892
Where did you get this idea that new players have a 24 hour period after starting when they cannot be defeated? I don't remember that ever being mentioned. And the same goes for being able to change which pawn is our king with a 24 hour cooldown. I definitely would have remembered such a rule.

[Help system query: Can a player change which pawn is their king on their own at any point during the game? Is there any means within the game to change which of a player's pawn is their king or does it require special action by an ADMIN? And do new players get any kind of protection within the first 24 hours of play?]

Hmm... Just thought of something to try. [Display total number of games player Teal has played]

>>589946
"The Hammer of Justice" was also in the crowd to the right of "The Inferno," making two pawns that were already in the city. We also encountered a palace guard who was a pawn of Red back here >>/questarch/557125, though he likely was only claimed temporarily by Red and was released after his post was moved to the middle city.
>>
No. 589997 ID: d8a627

>Where did you get this idea that new players have a 24 hour period after starting when they cannot be defeated?
Could have sworn Shadow mentioned that, but it seems I was wrong.
>"The Hammer of Justice" was also in the crowd to the right of "The Inferno,"
Let's make sure of that.
[Scan the human wearing armor that includes pauldrons with a plate that goes up to about ear height]
>>
No. 590004 ID: 65a774
File 140837254811.png - (19.35KB , 900x450 , 44.png )
590004

>[Display number of free pawn slots for player Red] [Display claim power of player Red]
[Red has 0 Free pawn slots!][Red has 100 claim power!]
>[Help system query: Can a player change which pawn is their king on their own at any point dur-
[Error!]
>[Display total number of games player Teal has played]
[Too many. Win already.]

>[Message Rose: Please don't bother, that voice forgot that the Daemonic spacial warping involved around the vault can mean it bends in any direction on the outside, or goes for any distance...]
[Rose: True… those tunnels doesn’t seem to be built after the rules we know.]
>[message to Rose: His pawns are powerful. It's possible Red plans to betray us after the battle against the demon army, but... I don't know, he could be legit. Just be careful.]
[I’ll be prepared, don’t worry.]
>[Also, is it just me, or have two of his pawns been inside the city this whole time?]
[Yes, “The Hammer of Justice” and “The Inferno” was already inside when they came. The female, “The Inferno”, is a battle mage of the Serath army while the male one seems to be a mercenary from the Amun Empire.]
>[@Rose: In regards to Red's alliance and possible betrayal, Elizah is quite the diplomat. As long as they don't carry a grudge out of this, I suspect she can find a way to convince Mor'Kay that war is not the answer.]
[That’s the plan. For both our people we will need peace.]
[Do you have a map marking what areas are Tribal run and which are Serath owned?]
[We have a map of Serath owned cities and villages as well as mines and the like… and we have some information where the tribals usually hang out, but that’s all a moot point as it will change when this place become a jungle.]

>[Message Red: Actually, we chose to have a king piece that was undead. As odd as it is, that's what happened.]
[Red: As I said, you’ve been chosen. There are others that help us.]
[We know that Rose is Rose, but how about you, Red? Names help to personalize things, and when something is personalized, it's much more personable, right?]
[I am Red, no one else. That is my name.]
>[Message to Red: I'd like to point out that we, Teal, have no love for slavery and would very much like to see it gone from the Serath. It's just that working out how to do so without crashing the Serathian economy and causing a revolt among the slave owners possibly leading to a coup or civil war is the hard part. But whatever plan it is we do know it'll have to be rolled out gradually over time; Likely years and years. We just hope you and Mor'kay can be patient.]
[There is nothing more we should have hope for. We understand things like these take time.]
>[Message to Red: I don't like surprises. I hope you don't mind if we watch Mor'Kay and maybe talk to her a bit.]
[I’m sorry, but no… I’m not ready to let you follow my pawns. Of course, she wants her son to come with her, so you can watch her in that way.]
>[Keep focus on Mor'Kay]
[You haven’t yet shared sight with RED!]

>Hm... Maybe it could be a magic crystal instead; Something that'd offer some benefit for you. Maybe act as a focus for your magic since it'd be cool to shoot beams of ice or fire magic from your eye.
Eye lasers? Hmm… that would be kick ass, yeah… but I rather have my old eye back, really…
>Elizah, what are you doing?! You're diplomatic; You're supposed to know to deescalate situations like this, not aggravate them!
:ElizahRUST: …I must apologize bringing that up. We need to work together if we’re to create what’s best for both our people. Let’s grudges of the past remain in the past.
:MorkayRUSTED: …I agree.
>A large chunk of the problems the tribes face will go away once the Greater Rune is restored and the Serath once again becomes a fertile jungle with more water than their wildest dreams. We just have to get to that point and then we'll have the breathing room to negotiate a better future for all those in the Serath.
:ElizahRUST: Having another war will just leave us with no real winner. If we work together we can take this nation back to its glory days.
:MorkayRUSTED: And our freedom?
:ElizahRUST: Everyone will be free and equal here.
>And also take advantage of it to work out how to gradually reduce and eventually phase out slavery in the Serath as well.
:ElizahRUST: Removing it now would spark civil war and crash our whole economy, but if we slowly remove it over time it will aid us both, freeing up jobs that the lower classes so sorely needs. I already got some ideas that both our people can agree on.
:MorkayRUSTED: Then I will listen when this is all over.
>We can come up with a plan quickly- once the land is fertile again, and it will be, the nomads will no longer need to be nomadic, leaving vast tracts of land unused. We can grant appropriate portions of that land as compensation for immediate emancipation.
:MorkayRUSTED: …that would be a start… if you’re willing to part with your land.
:ElizahRUST: We will need a lot of new workers for all the fertile land that we will get.
:MorkayRUSTED: Hmm… either way, we are running out of time. I need to see my father now… oh, and Jericho? Come with me.
:JerichoRUSTED: Err… yes, mother...?



:MorkayRUSTED:
:JerichoRUSTED: …so… um… that’s my grandfather?
:MorkayRUSTED: I’m sorry…
:JerichoRUSTED: Huh?
:MorkayRUSTED: I’m sorry I shouldn’t see you in person, that you’d have to see this husk of metal instead… I… I hope you’ll met the real me before this is all over.
:JerichoRUSTED: Real you? What are-
:MorkayRUSTED: This is not me… this golem is just a diversion. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you Red’s plan… but you have to trust him. The enemy, the dark one, can read what you know, what your friend Teal knows, when you meet him in person, thus the only way to win over him is ignorance… I’m…
:JerichoRUSTED: Mother? What are you-
:MorkayRUSTED: This suit is out of power… I’ll… I love you, Jeric…


:JerichoRUSTED: Mother?

Insert Didn’t see that coming_
>>
No. 590017 ID: 40935b

NOT COOL.

Okay, you need to go after them. Your mother will be going in alone, and we know blue is going to show up at some point too. First thing, you need to get that knife and a good luck kiss from Eliraz- he should be near the crypt entrance. We don't know of any way to jump straight to the ruins, so we'll need to take the long route, fraught with gravitational anomalies and sassy golems.
>>
No. 590020 ID: 2fd516

>>590004
...Get that suit open.
>>
No. 590021 ID: d8a627

Huh. I hadn't expected that.
I trust Red after that, believe it or not. We've been in way too many situations where our knowledge was read by our enemy. See if you (or one of the guards) can locate the keystones upon the golem, we'll need them if we're going to unlock the vault.
>>
No. 590024 ID: 2fd516

>>590004
[@Red: Okay, what was the point of that? It's not a very good diversion when we haven't diverted any significant resources in response. Or was that supposed to be a diversion for the enemy?]
[@Rose: From all appearances Mor'Kay wasn't in the suit, and it's powered down now, or at least appears to be. It was supposed to be a diversion according to her, but how and why I have no idea. We're gonna try to get it open to confirm it's empty. Actually, no, a scan can confirm that.]
[scan everyone, echo to Rose]

>>590017
Why don't they both go in? We know where the traps are now so Eliraz should be okay.

Eliraz, any luck with the digging?
>>
No. 590029 ID: 2fd516

Oooh, I just had a really cool idea. What if Jericho got inside the iron golem and controlled it via ice on the joints? Or ice all over it, even.
>>
No. 590031 ID: 65a774
File 140838353432.png - (19.73KB , 900x450 , 45.png )
590031

>[@Red: Okay, what was the point of that? It's not a very good diversion when we haven't diverted any significant resources in response. Or was that supposed to be a diversion for the enemy?]
[Red: I made both you and the enemy focus on the wrong thing, did I not?]
>[@Rose: From all appearances Mor'Kay wasn't in the suit, and it's powered down now, or at least appears to be. It was supposed to be a diversion according to her, but how and why I have no idea.]
[Rose: Hmm… where is the real Mor’kay? And the Rune? This is rather troubling… though Red has given me command over all his pawns except for Mor’kay. He said to place them where I think we’ll need some heavy hitter the most in the coming battle, so I have to say he’s like a revolving door when it comes to trust.]

>Okay, you need to go after them. Your mother will be going in alone, and we know blue is going to show up at some point too.
:JerichoRUSTED: Yes, I need to hurry!
:ElirazRUST: No, you don’t. They don’t have all the stones, remember? Neither do we, so no one can do anything down there yet. No, if you’re going after them take some time and prepare.
>Why don't they both go in? We know where the traps are now so Eliraz should be okay.
:ElirazRUST: And I’m coming with you.
:JerichoRUSTED: But, what if-
:ElirazRUST: No, you’ll need help. But first, I’ve prepared some armor and armaments down here just in case, so let’s go suit up first.
>Eliraz, any luck with the digging?
:ElirazRUST: We’ve reached the room with the windows, if that’s what you’re asking.
>See if you (or one of the guards) can locate the keystones upon the golem, we'll need them if we're going to unlock the vault.
>...Get that suit open.
:GuardRUST: It’s empty…
:JerichoRUSTED: What did we expect? Of course she doesn’t have the rune on here...
:ElirazRUST: …check the stones, are they glowing?
:JerichoRUSTED: Err… they are glowing a bit brighter than last time I checked… Is the Rune getting closer?
:ElirazRUST: *Sigh* No, you’ve gotten closer to it. I think we’ve misjudged the distance it takes for them to start shining.
:JerichoRUSTED: …wait, you mean-
:ElirazRUST: When they started shining like mad Mor’kay was just outside the Palace. She’s probably been in the city since the start! That was the diversion!
>What if Jericho got inside the iron golem and controlled it via ice on the joints? Or ice all over it, even.
:JerichoRUSTED: …would that even work? Hmm…
:ElirazRUST: I’m sorry, but I don’t think you got time to learn how to control a golem in less than an hour.

[Rose: My best scouts just reported that the undead army is coming in fast and will be here within the hour, two Skrangs have been spotted circling the city and the army Mor’kay came with have fortified themselves on a nearby hill, with all the defenses aimed toward the city. The Dark ones attack will come at any moment… this is it, Teal…]

Insert In 2014, war was beginning_
>>
No. 590040 ID: 2fd516

>>590031
[@Rose: Stick with the plan, then. Use Red's pawns as you see fit- they won't turn against us, as it is in Red's interest to protect the city; his King is already in it. She's possibly in the Vault itself by now. Nobody can access the Greater Rune yet because the keys are scattered, but this is annoying regardless. Also, apparently Durach either lied to us or was misinformed, and Mor'Kay is not skeletal but a ghoul, normal-enough looking to pass undetected through the city. I wonder how long she's been here... Hey, how is Blue's army doing? I wonder if it's possible to get their help in fighting the undead horde.]
[@Red: You can't even access the Greater Rune without the keystones. Heck, we don't even have all the keystones. What are you trying to accomplish? Plus, it's really dangerous in the Vault. ...in the interests of keeping Jericho's mother safe, I'll tell you what we've learned about it. There are gravity shifts in there, so beware of spikes that are on the ceiling, and try to detect where they are with... I don't know, fire or something. Fire would flicker down in a reversed gravity field. The Test of Courage will wound, but not kill, and can be circumvented. The Test of Power is serious- do not underestimate the doppleganger enemy. We haven't seen the Test of Wisdom, or maybe we passed it by not messing with the obvious trapped sword in the ceiling/floor. Oh yeah, and golems are immune to magic and only obey the orders of the royal family, but I'm sure you knew that. On an unrelated note... how do you know the Dark One can steal knowledge, and how do you plan to avoid falling prey to that? As far as we know, The Deceiver is the memory-stealing demon, not the Dark One.]

Alright guys the fighting is about to start. I think maybe we should check on Tera. Or maybe Temrock? Eh I'll go with Tera for now.
[switch to Tera]
[check status of pawns]
>>
No. 590046 ID: 037770

Hey Jer, Eliraz, Rose; this is completely off topic here but what do you think about the fact that we might have tiny teal squid dicks.
think about that as we invisibly float around your heads.

Also I've been thinking I'm sorry if it's possible for a real player to physically enter the game simulation how plausible is it that we can get the.. um.. AI characters(?) out into the real world and would they even want to?
>>
No. 590047 ID: 2fd516

>>590046
I'm pretty sure we don't- we just have little teeth.

Also from what the spacefaring Lizard said, this "simulation" seems to be a simulation only in the way the world in Machinima was a simulation- it's a giant cylinder in space with special controls everywhere to change the world at the whim of whoever's running it. Everyone here is flesh and blood, it's just an artificially-created world.
>>
No. 590051 ID: d8a627

>so I have to say he’s like a revolving door when it comes to trust.
[@Rose: A revolving door still lets you in, as long as you don't push too hard. Red's own message to us, in paraphrasing, was "Anything we know, our enemy knows." Red is keeping it all a secret because, as has happened much too many times in our past, our enemy will have access to our knowledge.]
>the army Mor’kay came with have fortified themselves on a nearby hill, with all the defenses aimed toward the city.
[@Rose: Do remember, Mor'Kay and Red warned us that her army was not to be trusted. Hopefully, this does serve as another distraction for our enemy, but expect a mano e mano e mano instead of an ally where least expected. Er, mano e mano e mano means a three man stand, where none are allied.]
>The Dark ones attack will come at any moment… this is it, Teal…
[@Rose: Good luck Rose. To you, me, and everybody in this kingdom. Even if the two of us make it, a lot of players are going to lose their kings tonight.]
>what do you think about the fact that we might have tiny teal squid dicks.
Let's not taunt Jericho and Eliraz. And we need to be a gentleman if we're going to woo Rose, we can't just go thrusting vulgarity in her face! *Backhand tentacle slaps that squid*
>how plausible is it that we can get the.. um.. AI characters(?) out into the real world and would they even want to?
I've been thinking on this, myself. It's something worth asking Rose, but not just yet. Besides, I've already asked her on the ITQ thread, it's up to Kaktus if he wants to reply there
>>
No. 590052 ID: 40935b

>this is it, Teal…
Just tells us where you need us and we'll be there. We'll win this battle, Rose- we have to, in more ways then one.

[check status of pawns]

>>590046
really? just... really?
>>
No. 590062 ID: 9443d1

Rose says that the Dark One's attack will come any moment; That the undead army is coming fast and will be here within the hour, two skrangs have been spotted circling the city, and the army Mor'kay came with has fortified themselves on a nearby hill. We're almost out of time, but I don't know where you two should go. Should you go up to enter the battle? Jer is our most powerful mage after all and having him on the field might mean all the difference. Should you two go down to make a run to the Vault entrance to check if Blue has broken into the approach to it and stop him now? If Blue has the means to break into the Vault then intercepting him would mean the difference between victory and defeat. Or should Jer go up to ready for battle while Eliraz takes a keystone and runs around the city to determine where the lesser rune and Mor'kay is? She has another way to get to the Vault, possibly using whatever way Blue is using, but doing so might disrupt Red's plan unless his plan involved us following the lesser rune.

If you think we have enough time for you two to make the run to the Vault and back before the battle starts or has gone on very long, I'd say do that now. But once you get down there make sure to ask the golem if having two go along will cause the corridor's traps and tests to change, 'cause if it does we don't have time to pick our way through them again and you'll have to abort the run.

Also, each of you take out one of the keystones, the smaller ones from Jer's locket, and keep an eye on their glow.

[@Rose: Is close is "any moment?" 'Cause we were going to send Jer and Eliraz to make a run to the Vault to check if Blue has broken into the corridor to it and intercept him if he has. But if we don't have time to make the run there and back before the battle starts we'll send them up if you feel you'll need them for the battle.]

[@Rose: You know about Theen's faith and it's belief that all weapons are holy and that'll make him quite effective against wraiths and daemonic corrupted, right?]

[@Rose: I assume you've moved all of our non-combat pawns into defended locations, correct?]

[@Rose: Is Durach in a position where he can get behind the army on the hill, and if so does he have enough forces to take them out? If he does then tell him to do so unless you can think of reason not to, like they'd be totally exposed to the undead army and the Enlightened if they did.]

[@Red: Well played, though you did get lucky after letting the lesser rune get close enough to our keystones to cause them to glow. If we hadn't gotten distracted by the Dark One teleporting wraith'd undead Vildmen into the Grand Temple and the crypt we probably would have used the keystones to track down the lesser rune and thus Mor'kay.]

[@Red: We know you can't reveal any of your plan, but could you still tell us what actions you'll like us to do right now to further your plan without letting on too much?]

>>590046
...There is a time and a place for such things and THIS IS NOT IT!

>>590047
It's actually not in space. The Sakkilian marine said that they found the "world cylinder" we're in on the surface of some barren planet.
>>
No. 590064 ID: 2fd516

...guys, we should probably not spam so many messages.
>>
No. 590068 ID: 9443d1

>>590062
Addendum: Since we don't know if Blue has a way to break through into the corridor to the Vault outside the Vault and then break into Vault that way or if he's going to break through into the Vault from back I don't know which way to go. If he's busting in the front then heading down there to head him off would be the way to go, but if he's breaking in through the back then going out and getting this battle finished ASAP so we can get the eighth keystone, while at the same time tracking down the lesser rune, and then open the Vault to get in before him would be the way to go. And then there's the scenario where Blue can break into the Vault from the back before we finish the battle or break through the front before we reach it and he takes the Greater Rune and we lose and I'm ignoring that one 'cause we can't stop that and we're fucked that way. And then there's the scenario where we've overestimated what Blue can do, he can't break into the Vault in any way and still needs the keystones and lesser rune to open it, but he can reach it before us and lay a trap to jump us. And goddammit, I don't know where to go or what to do!
>>
No. 590173 ID: 65a774
File 140845717673.png - (19.49KB , 900x450 , 46.png )
590173

>[check status of pawns]
[“The pebble”: Content. “The Thief”: Content. “The acolyte”: Sleeping. “The scholar”: Preparing for battle “The Heir of Savagery”: Preparing for battle. “The Shaman”: Marching. “The son of Sand”: Sleeping.]

>[@Rose: Stick with the plan, then. Use Red's pawns as you see fit- they won't turn against us, as it is in Red's interest to protect the city; his King is already in it.]
[Rose: His pawns have already been distributed.]
>[Hey, how is Blue's army doing? I wonder if it's possible to get their help in fighting the undead horde.]
[Rose: I… I rather not trust them after what happened to his pawns. They are still asleep down in the cells of the palace, so they should be fine.]
>[@Rose: A revolving door still lets you in, as long as you don't push too hard. Red's own message to us, in paraphrasing, was "Anything we know, our enemy knows." Red is keeping it all a secret because, as has happened much too many times in our past, our enemy will have access to our knowledge.]
[Rose: That would explain his seclusion of information.]
>[@Rose: Do remember, Mor'Kay and Red warned us that her army was not to be trusted. Hopefully, this does serve as another distraction for our enemy.]
[Rose: He also said that the army was on the demon side, so it’s possible it’s another enemy for us to face.]
>[@Rose: Is close is "any moment?" 'Cause we were going to send Jer and Eliraz to make a run to the Vault to check if Blue has broken into the corridor to it and intercept him if he has.]
[Rose: As in, they can attack right now if they want too.]
>[If we don't have time to make the run there and back before the battle starts we'll send them up if you feel you'll need them for the battle.]
[Rose: More pawns would be appreciated, yes…]
>[@Rose: I assume you've moved all of our non-combat pawns into defended locations, correct?]
[Rose: Tera and Recho is asleep within the palace as we speak. They were rather exhausted and required a nap.]
>[@Rose: Is Durach in a position where he can get behind the army on the hill, and if so does he have enough forces to take them out?]
[Rose: Durash and his army have yet to arrive. I believe they will arrive a few minutes after the undead army does.]

>[@Red: You can't even access the Greater Rune without the keystones. Heck, we don't even have all the keystones. What are you trying to accomplish?]
[Red: See it as a… precaution in case of the Dark one gets in.]
>[Plus, it's really dangerous in the Vault. ...in the interests of keeping Jericho's mother safe, I'll tell you what we've learned about it.]
[Red: Do not worry, we got it under control.]
>[how do you know the Dark One can steal knowledge, and how do you plan to avoid falling prey to that?]
[Red: Because we’ve met before.]
>[@Red: Well played, though you did get lucky after letting the lesser rune get close enough to our keystones to cause them to glow. We probably would have used the keystones to track down the lesser rune and thus Mor'kay.]
[Red: You do realize they glow at their maximum about 25 meters from the rune, right? It would be hard to find someone who you don’t know how she looks like in a city full of people, only knowing you’re at least 25 meters from her. Especially someone who doesn’t wish to be found.]
>[@Red: We know you can't reveal any of your plan, but could you still tell us what actions you'll like us to do right now to further your plan without letting on too much?]
[Red: Go out and win the war. If you can defeat the Dark One before he gets to the crypt my actions would be completely unnecessary, but… he’s main goal will be entering the crypt, with taking the city a second, so don’t expect him to hit it lightly.]

>Rose says that the Dark One's attack will come any moment; That the undead army is coming fast and will be here within the hour, two skrangs have been spotted circling the city, and the army Mor'kay came with has fortified themselves on a nearby hill.
:JerichoRUSTED: So this is it? This is the end of this conflict?
>We're almost out of time, but I don't know where you two should go. Should you go up to enter the battle? Jer is our most powerful mage after all and having him on the field might mean all the difference.
:ElirazRUST: Hmm, if we can defeat the Dark one before he even enter the crypt we’ll be victorious right there and then.
:JerichoRUSTED: Don’t forget about Blue.
:ElirazRUST: Blue is small potatoes compared to the demon lord.

>[Message to Rose: Just tells us where you need us and we'll be there. We'll win this battle, Rose- we have to, in more ways than one.]
[Rose: There are four places of interest that needs extra protection. The main gates, the crypt entrance, the walls of the middle city and the higher city. Temrock is already positioned up in the middle city to direct our forces there while Ilbir is with some other mages up on a platform in the higher city that gives a nice view of the city, so they can both rain death from above on the coming undead and look out for any flying targets. Place the Princes where you deem necessary and take control of the one you deem most important… hmm… and it’s starting. The undead army just came in sight of the city and the Skrangs are moving in to attack the middle city, it seems. We got about five minutes before they strike.]

Insert Battle of ultimate destiny_




>Hey Jer, Eliraz, Rose; this is completely off topic here but what do you think about the fact that we might have tiny teal squid dicks. Think about that as we invisibly float around your heads.
:ElirazRUST: Oh, god fucking damn it! Thank you for ruining the freaking moment!
:JerichoRUSTED: …Eliraz, please calm down a notch…
>>
No. 590179 ID: d8a627

>Blue is small potatoes compared to the demon lord.
Plus, y'know, if The Dark One is no longer focusing on controlling Blue, Blue's corruption will actually start to fall. We've seen it happen when The Light fully corrupted one of our pawns in one second flat, he had no focus on us, so her corruption swiftly fell.
Of course, The Light isn't the sort to steal people anyways, it's possible that The Dark One will be able to keep his focus somehow, but it's worth a shot.
>The main gates, the crypt entrance, the walls of the middle city and the higher city.
I, personally, think it would be best to have Jericho at the crypt and Eliraz at the main gate, since Blue's goal is to reach the crypt. How about you guys?
>>
No. 590183 ID: 2fd516

>>590179
>Blue's corruption will actually start to fall.
Not true. Once corruption reaches 100%, the demon responsible can make it permanent by claiming them. Our pawn did not get fully corrupted, but you can bet your ass Blue did.

>>590173
The main gate will be where the most intense fighting is at... I want Eliraz to be in a spot where he's most likely to be able to take out some wraiths, as that dagger instantly kills them and so long as he stays in the shadows, the enemy will not know where he is. The main gate might work for that, but only if Eliraz is confident he can remain safe despite the carnage- otherwise, I'm thinking middle city. I'd like Jericho to be somewhere he can help in bombarding the enemy and possibly killing Enlightened, so he can join the higher city mages.

Eliraz, you should know if you die here, you'll be raised as a ghoul. We can probably prevent your death altogether, but don't worry regardless. Today will not be your end. I think we'll join you for the battle.

Everyone, remember, the Spear must remain in Durach's hands for the duration of the battle. No summoning allowed.
[preemptively block all summoning of the spear away from Durach]
>>
No. 590185 ID: 40935b

> This is the end of this conflict?
Oh no wee pebble, we're gonna end this conflict. Through iron, blood, fire, and the power of friendship. And there will be more conflicts afterwards, don't forget that.

>There are four places of interest that needs extra protection. The main gates, the crypt entrance, the walls of the middle city and the higher city.
Temrock and Ilbir are helping to control the middle and higher cities. Eliraz should be positioned where his ability to stealthily assassinate wraith hosts, officers, heavy hitters and other enemy VIP's will be best suited. Jericho should similarly guard somewhere where magic and melee will both be used.
>>
No. 590188 ID: 2fd516

>>590183
Oh wait actually if it's possible for us to prevent Eliraz's death, then it's possible for us to prevent his resurrection too. So maybe we should just hope we can't change the future.
>>
No. 590189 ID: 9443d1

Rose estimates we have five minutes before the enemy strikes. Get moving up to the crypt entrance. Eliraz, you got a set of gear up there ready to change into? I assume you'll have a weapon other then Elizah's dagger as well; We want to keep that one for special targets. Oh, and can you take some grenades or high explosives? Reverse pickpocketing a live explosive onto someone in the middle of the enemy forces would be a great to take out a bunch of them.

Eliraz, also keep in mind that the Enlightened may be able to see through the shadow magic hiding you. If one shows up watch out since you might have to evade and make a run for it.

Jer, we've already summoned the Spear of Light to Durach to aid him in the coming battle so we will be reluctant to summon it back unless it's an emergency and there's no other option. So better get another weapon you'll be comfortable wielding.

Don't discount Blue. Recho said that Blue said that he had found a means to get to the Vault without going through the crypt; Something to do with the metal the gods' used having rusted and that there were cracks and fissures in their work. So Blue, and thus the Dark One, could still get in down there even if we defend the crypt entrance. That means we should keep a lookout for the enemy forces moving on odd locations in the city since those might be where Blue will break in from. ...And I just realized that Blue might be planning to use the skrangs as battering rams to break through into the Vault corridor. I'll tell Rose to keep an eye out for them acting odd.

Also, Eliraz, you told us that Eliros is still registered with the crypt defenses as a member of the royal family, correct? So if Eliros gets in down there he won't have to worry about them; He might even be able to order the golems to attack us, though I doubt that.

Okay, I'm thinking we'll send Jericho out to the main gates, since from atop them and the city wall he'll be able to target all of the approaching enemy force. Eliraz will stay in the shadows of the crypt entrance, ready to strike against any enemy that might slip in back here. We'll stay with Jericho, but if we get word from Rose the enemy has reached or is in the crypt we'll switch to Eliraz. [@Rose: Alert us immediately if any enemy gets to or into the crypt.]

...And dangit, I just realized that, depending on how close the sand it, the enemy might use a skrang to bash in the main gate or through a section of the city wall. [@Rose: How close is the main gate and city wall to the sands? 'Cause I just thought that the enemy could try using the skrangs to bash the gate or a part of the wall in.]

[@Rose: Keep a watch out for the enemy making a push for or grouping up in areas of the city that aren't on the way to the crypt. Blue has another way to get to the Vault so we suspect the enemy will also be moving to whatever location he'll start to break in from. ...Wait. I just thought of something. How close is the crypt to the edge of the rock the city is on? Because if it's fairly close then Blue might be planning to use the skrangs as battering rams to bust into the Vault corridor. Alert us if one or more of the skrangs doesn't attack or breaks off from the attack and dives under the sand nearest to the crypt.]

[@Rose: Have you've taken as many precautions to defend the platform the mages are on as you can? 'Cause they're going to be a prime target for the Enlightened to take out.]

[@Red: Then we will win it. And we hope Jericho will get to meet his mother for real in this world and not the next. Good luck, Red.]

>>590179
Dooriya's corruption swiftly dropped from the spike to 100% because Lightbringer didn't take that opportunity to take control of her. If he had her corruption would have stayed at 100%. That's how Geron was still at 100% corruption even when away from other corruption sources; The Dark One had taken him.

>>590188
The undead Eliraz we saw is in another game/time-line from this one. So we can still prevent that Eliraz's fate from befalling this Eliraz and the other Eliraz would not be changed by it.
>>
No. 590191 ID: 2fd516

>>590189
>another game/time-line
Is that true, though? We've played this game some unknown number of times and forgot everything about our playthroughs, so why would we have knowledge of other timelines, much less be playing four simultaneous games? I think it's more likely to be all one playthrough, but we're inserted in multiple spots in the same timeline. Like a squid, we have tentacles in multiple places, but it's all one entity.

...actually if we have five minutes before the battle starts, we probably won't be able to get to the main gate before it's overrun. I strongly disagree with putting our King on top of the main gate regardless. That's like literally putting your King in front of your pawns in a chess game.
>>
No. 590194 ID: 9443d1

>>590191
We don't know how far away the main gate is and it isn't so poorly defended that it'll fall if we get there a couple minutes after the attack starts... Probably.

And on second thought, I think you're right about not putting Jer on the main gate. As soon as the Dark One knows Jer is out in the field he will make Jer the priority number one target for the Enlightened and any other forces that could hit Jer. Even though he's our most powerful mage it's too risky to put him out there.

Alright, change in plans. Jer, you're staying here to defend the crypt entrance. Eliraz, you're going to the main gate and we're coming with you. However, if an significant enemy force reaches the crypt entrance or any enemy gets into the crypt we're switching back to Jer.
>>
No. 590200 ID: 65a774
File 140847935595.png - (16.67KB , 900x450 , 47.png )
590200

>[preemptively block all summoning of the spear away from Durach]
[Accomplished.]

>[@Rose: Alert us immediately if any enemy gets to or into the crypt.]
[Rose: Of course.]
>[@Rose: How close is the main gate and city wall to the sands? 'Cause I just thought that the enemy could try using the skrangs to bash the gate or a part of the wall in.]
[Hmm… it should be far enough from the sand for the Skrangs to be in trouble… of course, if they came in with speed they might damage the wall somewhat in a suicide charge… the gate, on the other hand, will not fare so well as it’s a bit more structural weak.]
>[Blue might be planning to use the skrangs as battering rams to bust into the Vault corridor.]
[…the Vault is right under a mountain, made out of rock that the skrang can’t dig trough.]
>[Keep a watch out for the enemy making a push for or grouping up in areas of the city that aren't on the way to the crypt. Blue has another way to get to the Vault so we suspect the enemy will also be moving to whatever location he'll start to break in from.]
[I’ll report any strange moment.]
>[@Red: Then we will win it. And we hope Jericho will get to meet his mother for real in this world and not the next. Good luck, Red.]
[Red: Good luck, Teal, and give them hell.]

>Oh no wee pebble, we're gonna end this conflict. Through iron, blood, fire, and the power of friendship.
:JerichoRUSTED: Not to be a pessimist, but friendship? Sure, we might work better as a team but I don’t think we’ll start farting undead turning rainbows if we hug each other…
>Also, Eliraz, you told us that Eliros is still registered with the crypt defenses as a member of the royal family, correct?
:ElirazRUST: Yes, so he should be able to bypass the golems.
>Eliraz, you got a set of gear up there ready to change into? I assume you'll have a weapon other than Elizah's dagger as well; We want to keep that one for special targets.
:ElirazRUST: I got my old leather armor and short sword / dagger combo at the ready right here in the crypt. It will just take a minute to change.
>Jer, we've already summoned the Spear of Light to Durach to aid him in the coming battle so we will be reluctant to summon it back unless it's an emergency and there's no other option. So better get another weapon you'll be comfortable wielding.
:ElirazRUST: I got you some armor and a spear for you to wield, if you want them.
>As soon as the Dark One knows Jer is out in the field he will make Jer the priority number one target for the Enlightened and any other forces that could hit Jer. Even though he's our most powerful mage it's too risky to put him out there.
:JerichoRUSTED: Right, I need to keep a low profile, then.
>I, personally, think it would be best to have Jericho at the crypt and Eliraz at the main gate.
:ElirazRUST: Well then, love, see you when this is all over.
:JerichoRUSTED: You better come back in one piece!



>Eliraz, you should know if you die here, you'll be raised as a ghoul. We can probably prevent your death altogether, but don't worry regardless. Today will not be your end. I think we'll join you for the battle.
Gee… thanks for the pep talk… pro tip for next time; don’t tell people they will die!

:ElirazRUST: What’s the situation?
:GuardRUST: They have reached the city, but they seems to be holding off for now. We are taking some pot shoots with fire arrows to try and thin their numbers.
:GuardRUST: Err… sir? Either they are burning really fast or they just disappear after a while when we light them on fire…
:GuardRUST: What do you mean, disappear.
:GuardRUST: They just… aren’t there anymore… oh, and there are coming more undead giants from the hill that those chanting fanatics fortified… you know, the one that weird squid thing flew too.
:GuardRUST: Let me guess, they are getting reinforced just as fast as we’re taking them out?
:GuardRUST: Yea, exactly! How did y- Wait, something is moving in the sand! Err… It’s heading right for us!!

Insert Quick, shoot it!_
>>
No. 590203 ID: 2fd516

>>590200
Great, the Enlightened are reversing time whenever someone in the undead army is killed. So the army is practically infinite until we kill the Enlightened.
[@Rose: The Enlightened are reversing time to bring back lost troops. It'll be a battle of attrition in the enemy's favor until the Enlightened are dealt with. Durach might be able to ambush the one that's reversing time for the corrupted Vildman army.]

Take cover. Incoming Skrang. Temrock's advice: "Skrangs, while large, fast and strong has a bit of a problem changing direction mid-flight. If you dodge just before they hit you… preferable towards the direction of their soft bellies so they can’t grab you with their claws, you can get a solid hit on them while they bury themselves again… and again, preferable against their soft bellies."

Think you can take it out, Eliraz? On the other hand, it's likely its death would just be undone... unless the dagger prevents it.

Oh by the way we don't know if you're gonna die here. It could be any time within the next... uh, actually how about we not tell you how long you potentially have? It could be a long time, I'll just say that.
>>
No. 590233 ID: d8a627

>Wait, something is moving in the sand! Err… It’s heading right for us!!
Be silent and still!
[Scan moving object, echo to Eliraz]
>Eliraz, you should know if you die here
>if you die here
>if you die here
Nobody promised you death, Eliraz. In fact, I'm ordering you to not die, got it?
YOU DO NOT HAVE MY PERMISSION TO DIE, so you'd better stay the hell alive!
>>
No. 590240 ID: 2fd516

>>590233
They don't need to be still or silent! We can just use a more specific scan!
[scan thing in the sand moving towards the city, echo to Eliraz]
>>
No. 590256 ID: 9443d1

It's highly likely that what's moving in the sand is a undead skrang controlled by the Dark One, but we're going to try and scan it anyway to confirm. [Scan incoming movement in the sand, echo result to "The Thief"] If it is one, (which it will be,) then it's most likely making a suicide run as a battering ram to smash the gate open. When that happens there's going to be a lot of wood and metal pieces flying in your direction, so I'd suggest yelling to the barricade guards to get down behind cover, followed by quickly saying why if there's time. [@Rose: Movement in the sand heading straight for the main gate. Probable skrang making a suicide run to smash the gate open. Asking for reinforcements but not expecting you have any to spare.]

Okay, so the enemy is using up one of their two skrangs to do this, so they might be doing more with it then just bashing the gate open. First thing that comes to mind is that they stuck some undead Vildmen down its gullet to deploy after the gate is breached, but they'd have to come out single file and it'd be slow for them to climb out which would make them easy targets. Second possibility is that they stuck a bunch of explosives down the skrang's maw along with one or two undead to work the triggers. Eliraz, I suggest you zip well back from the gate and get behind hard cover just in case the skrang blows up. But the third (and most annoying) possibility is that right after the gate is broken open that damn Enlightened will work the same temporal mojo as it's done for the undead Vildmän and roll the skrang back in time so the enemy won't even lose it. (We've said it before and I'll say it again: Time magic be OP bullshit, yo... Unless it's in our favor.)

Eliraz, so as long as that Enlightened is up there and has the energy to keep working its time magic we'll be fighting a losing war of attrition. And I suspect all that chanting is some kind of ritual to keep the Enlightened juiced up, but even if it isn't we can't just defend and hope it'll run out of power before we run out of men. Thus your mission is clear: Sneak into the enemy position undetected, kill the Enlightened using the Debug Dagger and get out alive.

We'll contact Rose and ask if Durach and his men can get behind the enemy on the hill and attack as a diversion so you can sneak up there and get the drop on the Enlightened. [@Rose: We've determined that it's highly probable the Enlightened on the hill is using time magic to revert the burning undead Vildmän when they fall to a point in time before they left the hill. Thus as long as that Enlightened is alive we will be fighting a losing battle at the main gate. We're sending Eliraz to sneak up there and kill the Enlightened but we could use a distraction when he makes his move. Is Durach and his men in a position to strike at the enemy on the hill from behind?]

I advise to not use the Debug Dagger on any enemy other than the Enlightened. While it'll probably remove an undead Vildmän and prevent it from being reverted in time, doing so will almost certainly alert the Enlightened that something is very wrong when it can't pull the Vildmän back. We don't want it being any warier then it already is when you get up there.

When you do get within sight of the Enlightened make sure you stay out of its line of sight. It's a being of magic, so it might be able to see through your shadow magics and invisibility. Also, it's possible the Dark One knows of your powers and instructed his followers to watch out for you, so be on the lookout for any enemies checking the area with mirrors.

There is one good reason I wish we'd sent Jericho out here instead of you: He could have struck the Enlightened at range. As it is you'll have to get right up behind it, in the middle of the enemy position, in order to kill it. That is, unless you think you'd be able to throw the Debug Dagger with enough force and accuracy to land it in the Enlightened before it can react. I'm just really not liking the idea of you being right next to a being full of magic when it dies since there's a decent chance there'll be a violent magic discharge when it does.

...That's odd. Eliraz, it's about midday or early afternoon, isn't it? So why has the sky darkened? You don't get clouds here, let alone rain... [@Rose: We just noticed the sky has darkened. Do you know what caused that? ...It's not a sandstorm blowing in, is it?]

[@Rose: I assume you have people in the watchtowers in the upper city watching the enemy on the hill through mirrors and spyglasses, correct? So what can you tell us is going on in the enemy position so we can relay it to Eliraz? How many enemies are there, what kind, and what are their positions?

[@Rose: What's the situation in the rest of the city? Have the enemy sent a skrang against the middle city or any undead come up the wells yet?]

>>590203
There's at least three reasons that Eliraz will not be able to do anything to stop the skrang. First is that the skrang will be coming out of the sand at a low angle in order to hit the main gate, leaving little room under it for Eliraz to slice its belly. Second is that even if Eliraz somehow did slice open the skrang as it flew through the air it would make no difference since the skrang would still be hurtling through the air towards the gate and hit it with the same mass and force. And third, Eliraz is on the wrong side of the gate from the skrang, and while his shadow magic does allow him to move very quickly it doesn't allow him to move through solid objects or spaces smaller then himself... That is right, Eliraz? Your shadow magic can't slip you through the gap under a door or anything like that, right? Hm... Maybe you should give us a summary of what your powers can do before you go up the hill so there isn't any confusion on our part about your capabilities.

>>590233
You appear to have missed that Eliraz and the guards are standing on a stone road on top of rock and not the sand. Also, while standing still and being silent would work to hide from a regular skrang, this is an undead skrang controlled by the Dark One. Staying still and silent isn't going to make it stop or veer off from its directive to crash into the gate at full speed.
>>
No. 590265 ID: f375b8

>*Backhand tentacle slaps that squid*
ow

Well this is it isn't it? The end, one way or another?
To all our pawns and all our allies, it has been an honor, see you on the other side.
oh and Durach has a ray gun given to him by one of the new gods, just so you know.

LETS DO THIS, HELL OR GLORY BOYS! FOR PONY!!
>>
No. 590284 ID: 9443d1

>>590265
Um... As the term "new gods" applies in this world that wasn't one of them. The gun was given to Durach by a descendant of the "old gods" that survived the cataclysm 4000 years ago and who just stumbled across this world while chasing after an enemy. So technically he's an "old god," even though he's not old.

Um, Eliraz, I'm guessing this is raising more questions for you then you'd want right now, so the basics is that Durach was given a powerful, otherworldly ranged weapon and instructions to kill a "god" that recently entered this world by another "god" that descended from the sky. Leaving aside that mission it means Durach has a weapon that might be able to take out the Enlightened from afar; We say "might" 'cause we don't know if its attack would qualify as holy or magic. So this mission could be you working to give Durach a clear shot on the Enlightened or Durach providing a distraction so you can stab the Enlightened or even you getting the gun from Durach and shooting the Enlightened... Actually, that last one might be the best since you can get into a clear firing position easier then Durach and it'll keep you back from the Enlightened and any magic that might go off in its death throes. But it'd be a gamble since we don't know if the gun would work on the Enlightened.

[@Rose: Durach told you of the gun, the powerful ranged weapon, he was given by the "angel" that descended from the sky, right? We think it could take down the Enlightened from quite a distance away; Far farther then a crossbow. But to pull that off Durach will need a clear line of sight and very steady hand to aim it. So we have the idea that Eliraz could get the gun, sneak into a good firing position and take the shot instead of Durach. Doing that instead of stabbing it would keep Eliraz back from the Enlightened and any magic that'll go off in its death throes, as well as keep him out of the middle of the enemy horde. It would be a gamble since we don't know if the gun'll kill the Enlightened in one shot or even if it'll be harmed since we don't know if the gun's attack is classed as magic or holy. The best course of action might be for Durach to get close enough to attempt a shot on the Enlightened and if it doesn't work then Eliraz goes in. What do you think?]
>>
No. 590293 ID: d8a627

>>590284
What? No. That gun was for the Daemon, not the Enlightened. It is an Anti-Daemon gun. It might work against the Enlightened, what with them being Daemon spawn, but that's not what it was intended for.

[Message Rose: Ignore that message about the gun. The last time we saw that--Three months into the future--it obliterated everything in front of it, except for plants. Plants are somehow immune to it. Supposedly it was made to only harm the Daemon, but I think it can harm everything that has a soul, or was made from soul, or perhaps just everything with magic (which is souls).]
>>
No. 590299 ID: 2fd516

>>590293
It's not an anti-demon gun, it's an anti-Player gun if anything. It was meant to kill the plant! The weapon the plant has is A DIFFERENT WEAPON!
>>
No. 590300 ID: 65a774
File 140855897415.png - (20.27KB , 900x450 , 48.png )
590300

>[Scan incoming movement in the sand, echo result to "The Thief"]
[Neutral Creature (Controlled): Skrang]
[Neutral Creature (Hostile): Undead Vildman] xLots
[Demonic Creature (Hostile): Wraith] x3
[Demon (Hostile): Avatar of Justice!]

>[@Rose: The Enlightened are reversing time to bring back lost troops. It'll be a battle of attrition in the enemy's favor until the Enlightened are dealt with.]
[Rose: Hmm, that’s bad…]
>[Durach might be able to ambush the one that's reversing time for the corrupted Vildman army.]
[Durach has come within view and it doesn’t seem like the demon army knows he’s here yet.]
>[@Rose: I assume you have people in the watchtowers in the upper city watching the enemy on the hill through mirrors and spyglasses, correct? So what can you tell us is going on in the enemy position so we can relay it to Eliraz? How many enemies are there, what kind, and what are their positions?]
[There’s mostly cultist, about a hundred of them but… they seems to be sacrificing themselves to this… squid thing? An enlighten, I guess? I’ve see a weakness, though, they seem to be focusing all their defenses toward the city, so Durach almost got the perfect position to ambush them.]
>[@Rose: What's the situation in the rest of the city? Have the enemy sent a skrang against the middle city or any undead come up the wells yet?]
[They have tried to come up the wells, but our preparations have made short work of that attack. The only thing that made it up was a corrupted that was put down trough superior force. As for the Skrangs, you were right… or Red was right… I can’t remember who said it but, yes, they came up to the walls of each side of the middle city and started barfing up undead creatures. Good news is that our men was able to kill the Skrangs, bad news is that they barfed undead all over the civilians who were partying here yesterday, surprisingly good news is that the undead seems to try and not to hurt them thus they just stand there, staring…]
>[@Rose: Movement in the sand heading straight for the main gate. Probable skrang making a suicide run to smash the gate open. Asking for reinforcements but not expecting you have any to spare.]
[Try to pull back, there’s another barricade just a bit further down. If you can, try to force them to stay between it and the wall to ensure they are bombarded from both sides.]
>[@Rose: Durach told you of the gun, the powerful ranged weapon, he was given by the "angel" that descended from the sky, right?]
[Hmmm… wait one second, please…]

>...That's odd. Eliraz, it's about midday or early afternoon, isn't it? So why has the sky darkened?
Err… that not the sky darkening… it’s… bleeding?
>Your shadow magic can't slip you through the gap under a door or anything like that, right?
Well, it can actually slip me through a thin door if I work for it a bit… but that’s about it…
>We don't know if you're gonna die here. It could be any time within the next... uh, actually how about we not tell you how long you potentially have? It could be a long time, I'll just say that.
Stop talking about my death!!
>YOU DO NOT HAVE MY PERMISSION TO DIE, so you'd better stay the hell alive!
Yeah, because I wasn’t going to try to stay alive without your permission… geez…

>Eliraz, so as long as that Enlightened is up there and has the energy to keep working its time magic we'll be fighting a losing war of attrition.
Hmm, that’s not good at all!
>Thus your mission is clear: Sneak into the enemy position undetected, kill the Enlightened using the Debug Dagger and get out alive.
Err… how? The only way out at the moment is this big gate… sealed gate, I might add… which will soon be filled by ravaging undead being bombarded by bolts and fire… so… yeah, I don’t want to go through there at all…
>Well this is it isn't it? The end, one way or another? To all our pawns and all our allies, it has been an honor, see you on the other side.
Yeah, this is it!
>LETS DO THIS, HELL OR GLORY BOYS!
OR BOTH!! YAA!!!
>FOR PONY!!
FOR what? Pony? What’s a-
>oh and Durach has a ray gun given to him by one of the new gods, just so you know.
Huh? What’s a-

>Take cover. Incoming Skrang.
WHAT!?
>I'd suggest yelling to the barricade guards to get down behind cover.
:ElirazRUST: GET OUT OF THERE, YOU FO-
*CRASH!!*
:GuardRUST: Mother…
>>
No. 590301 ID: 65a774
File 140855898867.png - (24.77KB , 900x450 , 49.png )
590301

*Crash!!*
:AkenaRUST: THAT’S IT! NO PUNY WALLS WILL STOP JUSTICE! TO THE CRYPT!!

>[We think it could take down the Enlightened from quite a distance away; Far farther then a crossbow. But to pull that off Durach will need a clear line of sight and very steady hand to ai-
[Err… not to be disrespectful against your excellent plan… um… the enlightened is gone now… with most of the camp… Durach apparently choose to use the gods weapon as soon as I mentioned it but… err… while it did wipe them out, it also started bellowing smoke and shooting lightning around…]

Insert R.i.p nameless guard, we’ll miss you_
>>
No. 590305 ID: 2fd516

>>590301
Eliraz, if you can assassinate that mantis then get the hell out of here that'd be great. Regroup with Temrock. We'd better go help Durach not get blown up by his gun.

[switch to Durach]
>>
No. 590306 ID: 40935b

>While it did wipe them out, it also started bellowing smoke and shooting lightning around…
[reply: ah, the magic smoke. That means it's toast. We'll to find another trick to take out the second enlightened. By the way, did the camp just turn to ash, or was there an explosion I'm going to regret missing?]

>The sky is bleeding
uh. Is that an illusion or something?

Okey Eliraz, there are three wraiths and one daemon- probably the Vildmen with purple eyes and the mantis with the glowing red eye. The troops can handle the wraiths for a while, but you need to take out the daemon and decapitate their command structure. Just check your mirror first.

What's that orange smoke coming off the Vildmen in the rear?
>>
No. 590311 ID: 9443d1

ABORT! ABORT! ABORT! DO NOT ENGAGE! DO NOT ENGAGE! Target scans as "Demon (Hostile): Avatar of Justice;" That's a full blown demon, not a demonic creature! It's the fuckin' Dark One's avatar! Certainty our communications are being OVERHEARD right now! Remain silent and pull back at maximum speed to secondary barricades and well out of scan range of Avatar of Justice! Will resume communications then.

[Continually repeat wide area scan, filter output for "Avatar of Justice," echo output to pawns within range] [Policy change: Hold outgoing communication until "Avatar of Justice" is out of scan range for 5 seconds, then broadcast message "Avatar of Justice/Dark One's avatar out of range. Resuming communications." to all nearby pawns] [Policy change: Disengage outgoing communication if "Avatar of Justice" enters scan range and broadcast message "ALERT! Avatar of Justice/Dare One's avatar within scan range! Probable communications breach! Halting outgoing communications!" to all pawns within range]

[Check player and pawn corruption levels and display any non-zero values]

[@Rose: If you haven't told already Durach "THROW THE GUN AWAY! NOW, NOW, NOW!" then do so immediately; It has a good chance of exploding. We'll collect whatever is left later for analysis. And dammit, we should have figured the "angel" would have set the thing to beyond it's normal maximum output power so it'd one-shot anything, which unfortunately means the gun could only manage one shot at that level and is now toast. Tell Durach to mop up the remaining enemy there and move up to the main gate; We need them hitting the horde that just broke through from behind.]

[@Rose: [Insert last scan output] All that just crashed through the main gate, and that's the avatar of the Dark One. I didn't know his real name was "Justice." That explains why he has such a hate for slavers and slavery; He views such actions as a heinous crime. And he's not attacking the citizenry because he considers them innocent. It's the nobility and slave owners he's judged guilty and will go after, along with all those who protect them.]

>>590305
>>590306
Why the fuck are you telling him to do that?! This is not some ordinary target; It's the fuckin' avatar of the Dark One! It's not going to be that fuckin' easy to defeat! When it comes to daemons do not underestimate and do not charge in! Remember Thaark? We are not going to have a fuckin' repeat of what happened to Thaark here 'cause you couldn't pay fuckin' attention and think our pawns have fuckin' PLOT ARMOR! We even fuckin' know that he could die and become a GHOUL! What the fuck are you thinking?! And on top of that, we know from our encounter with Horus that the Dark One can FUCKIN' HEAR US DIRECTLY when we're near his avatars/puppets/whatever! GOD DAMMIT!

And we are NOT switching to Durach when we're in the middle of this! [Lock focus to "The Thief"]

>>590306
That's not smoke; It's oil pouring out of the gatehouse followed by a lit torch.
>>
No. 590312 ID: 9443d1

>>590311
Addendum: [@Rose: And a vital bit of knowledge if you don't know it already: The Dark One could directly hear what we were saying when we were near Horus. That means the Dark One, and any daemon for that matter, can hear what a player is saying to their pawns or just in general when that pawn is near to the daemon's manifestation, avatar or similar powerful form in this world. So anything we say to our pawns when the Avatar of Justice is nearby will be heard by the Dark One.]
>>
No. 590314 ID: 2fd516

>>590311
>avatar of the dark one
Oh. Yeah, you're right, we can't assassinate him right now, he'll know we're trying to do it and act to prevent it.
>>
No. 590321 ID: d8a627

>surprisingly good news is that the undead seems to try and not to hurt them thus they just stand there, staring…
[Message Rose: Sounds like the cultist was suppose to guide them, or else they're awaiting a wraith's arrival.]
>while it did wipe them out, it also started bellowing smoke and shooting lightning around…
[Message Rose: The gun was meant to only be used once... The target was the Daemon, who appears to be using Akena as its avatar. There are a lot of Viildmen through the gate along with her and the now maybe dead skrang, her left eye looks broken open and glowing red, and three of the viildmen visible have pink eyes instead of red.]
[Scan pink-eyed Viildmen; echo to The Thief and to Rose]
[Message Rose, echo to Eliraz: I think the three pink-eyes are the wraiths, the scan should reveal it for sure. Also... I'm really hoping all of the sudden bolts flying everywhere are from our forces. There's also a torch flying through the air. Would anybody be throwing torches for any particular reason, or is this probably just something knocked flying?]
>>
No. 590328 ID: 2fd516

>>590321
The gun was given to him to kill the plant-player, dammit!
>>
No. 590450 ID: 65a774
File 140863385856.png - (16.63KB , 900x450 , 50.png )
590450

>[reply: ah, the magic smoke. That means it's toast. We'll to find another trick to take out the second enlightened. By the way, did the camp just turn to ash, or was there an explosion I'm going to regret missing?]
[Rose: There was a wave of air, which turned all it touched to ash in its wake. But it’s broken? It was a weapon created by the gods, how should… Durach even blessed it and had it submerged in holy water before he used it!]
>[@Rose: [Insert last scan output] All that just crashed through the main gate, and that's the avatar of the Dark One. I didn't know his real name was "Justice." That explains why he has such a hate for slavers and slavery; He views such actions as a heinous crime. And he's not attacking the citizenry because he considers them innocent. It's the nobility and slave owners he's judged guilty and will go after, along with all those who protect them.]
[Rose: That would explain the inaction of those that attacked the middle city, won’t it?]
>[@Rose: And a vital bit of knowledge if you don't know it already: The Dark One could directly hear what we were saying when we were near Horus. That means the Dark One, and any daemon for that matter, can hear what a player is saying to their pawns or just in general when that pawn is near to the daemon's manifestation, avatar or similar powerful form in this world. So anything we say to our pawns when the Avatar of Justice is nearby will be heard by the Dark One.]
[Rose: Then we better watch our mouths…]

>What's that orange smoke coming off the Vildmen in the rear?
Smoke? That’s oil… with a lit torch fallowing. They are putting those that are coming through the gate on fire.
>ABORT! ABORT! ABORT! DO NOT ENGAGE! DO NOT ENGAGE! Target scans as "Demon (Hostile): Avatar of Justice;" That's a full blown demon, not a demonic creature! It's the fuckin' Dark One's avatar!
Huh? Wha- oh shit! Better get out of-
:AkenaRUST: Do you really think you can run, Teal!? Do you think you can hide in your city made out of stolen stone and metal, made with stolen sweat and blood? Do you think we have forgiven your kind for its betrayal!? For the suffering you’ve brought!? Justice will find you! YOU WILL ALL BURN FOR YOUR SINS!



>[Continually repeat wide area scan, filter output for "Avatar of Justice," echo output to pawns within range] [Policy change: Hold outgoing communication until "Avatar of Justice" is out of scan range for 5 seconds, then broadcast message "Avatar of Justice/Dark One's avatar out of range. Resuming communications." to all nearby pawns] [Policy change: Disengage outgoing communication if "Avatar of Justice" enters scan range and broadcast message "ALERT! Avatar of Justice/Dare One's avatar within scan range! Probable communications breach! Halting outgoing communications!" to all pawns within range]
[Policy changed.]
[Out of range from "Avatar of Justice"]

:ElirazRUST: Holy crap, that mantis was slaughtering everyone who even got close!
:GuardRUST: Ready men! They only got two more barricades before they reach us!
:GuardRUST: Where is our mage support? Why are they throwing a bunch of fire up into the air?

>[Check player and pawn corruption levels and display any non-zero values]
[“The pebble”: 0%. “The Thief”: 68% and Rising Extremely Fast!!! falling fast!. “The acolyte”: 0%. “The scholar”: 0%. “The Heir of Savagery”: 0%. “The Shaman”: 4% and rising slowly. “Son of sand”: 0%.]
[Rose: They are making a big push for the crypt. I do believe the Dark one has realized he can’t take the city with the force he got now and that all his plans so far has failed. The good news is that they are suffering great losses trying to push forward from the main gate while we’re only suffering minor ones, but we can’t stop him from reaching the Crypt without suffering extreme losses ourselves.]

Insert FIRE IN THE SKY!_
>>
No. 590453 ID: 2fd516

>>590450
[@Rose: It's the water that broke it. Weapons like that are not meant to be submerged. Okay, he's got three Wraiths with him, which means one of them is likely using illusions- are the mages shooting at illusions? We can't see what they're fighting from here. Also, the Wraiths are with the vildmen with purple eyes. I would say try to use some forces to take out some Wraiths. I am worried about the heavy concentration of corruption-generating forces near the avatar, though. Eliraz got a huge chunk of corruption just from being vaguely near them.]

Did you guys mirror check the area the mages are firing at? I think I see something in the sky over there, actually.
>>
No. 590460 ID: 40935b

>Durach even blessed it and had it submerged in holy water before he used it!
[reply: fffffff- . . . . . Yeah. Yeah, that'll do it. Why was he trying to bless a weapon of the gods, anyway?!?]
[message rose: Can you move Temrock down to the crypt entrance? He has the most experience dealing with demons, and we'll need all the help we can get. Once we take out the wraiths and the daemon, this attack should fall apart.]

Okay, the daemon can hear us when we speak to you, so we'll plan in advance and then see what those mages are doing. Jericho, you try to keep them at bay with magic for as long as possible. Eliraz, take out those wraiths if they get separated from the group or leave an opening the Daemon can't cover. Stay well away from the daemon, and don't depend too much on stealth. We'll go to Ilbir try to get you some artillery support. And keep checking your mirrors.

[switch to The Scholar]
>>
No. 590461 ID: d8a627

>Durach even blessed it and had it submerged in holy water before he used it!
[@Rose: Ah! Therein lies the problem. Guns, uh, they weren't made by one specific god, but the group that made them had a common weakness: Water. By this point in time I would have suspected that they would have found a way around that problem, but these are new gods, started over, so they would have lost such gains. Water will not outright destroy the gun, but it will "Waterlog" it, which, if not taken care of, will cause the gun to break after one use.
Of course, it's possible it was protected from water damage, and that the Sakkil Marine himself made it only usable for one shot, since he did tell Durach to only shoot the Daemon with it (Although, I think the God thought players were Daemons, after hearing about Blue).]
>Daemon babble
[Echo Akena's words to Rose, follow up message: Every time we encounter Daemons, they seem to manage to surprise us with a statement that suggests the situation is not as we believe. They have not, however, managed to match each other's stories, yet, so I will assume they are just trying to be deceitful.
Even if what Justice is saying is true, and the Players of old did commit some crime against them, we are not those players. Were are our own people and can not be held accountable for something that happened tens of thousands of years ago.]
>Corruption scan
[Echo Eliraz's scan to him]
Eliraz, stay the hell away from that Mantis! She's the avatar of "Justice," the true name of the Dark one. Unless you can cover yourself in holy symbols to combat that corruption, there's no way you can get near enough for a stab. And even if you could, Akena is a highly trained... I forget if it was soldier or mercenary, but either way, you would be hard-pressed to get anywhere near her, unless she cannot see your shadow powers.
[Message Rose, echo to Eliraz: Akena, as an avatar to Justice (Daemon), will spread corruption to anybody nearby ludicrously fast. In the stretch of time that Eliraz was running after the gate was smashed down, he got corrupted all the way up to 70%. Do NOT engage with any pawns not covered in holy artifacts! Theen might stand a chance, thanks to every weapon he carries being blessed by Leif, but everybody else should probably keep a distance.
Actually, is Theen needed where he is? We would greatly appreciate his backup right about now. As far as I'm aware, not only is he resistant to Akena's field of corruption, but he's also able to stand a chance against Akena's skill. The only other pawns I can think of who can do that are Temrock and Xaldin, but they aren't covered head to toe with blessings, since as far as I'm aware, in Serath only Larvatae members worship Leif and earn his blessed weapons.]
>>
No. 590472 ID: 9443d1

[Scan all targets within range] [Identify all corruption sources within detection range and estimate their area of effect, strength and corruption rate] Just to check if anything is off.

[Continually monitor corruption levels and for corruption sources] [Policy change: Alert pawns to their rising and falling corruption levels at 10 point increments at or below 70% and at 5 point increments above 70%; Also inform pawn when corruption level falls to zero.] [Policy change: Inform pawn of the source of corruption when the pawn's corruption level is rising]

[Policy modification: Change from holding all outgoing communication to only holding communication to pawns within hearing range; Shorten messages to "Dark One's avatar out of range. Un-muting voices." and "Alert! Dark One's avatar within range! Muting voices!" respectively; Allow temporary override of voice muting policy (in case we have urgent need to warn our pawns)]

Eliraz, get your mirror out and quickly check the sky where the mages are firing at, starting to the right of the roof of the tower that's in the lowest point of the mountain back there; We think we see something next to it. [@Rose: Why is our mage support firing into the air and not down at the Dark One's avatar?! We can't see anything in the sky! Is there an invisible Enlightened up there or are they being fooled by illusions?]

Eliraz, your corruption level shot up from zero to 68% in just the short time you were in proximity to the Dark One's avatar! Your corruption level is falling fast now, but if we're to have you make any attempt to get in close and stab the avatar it has to be zero before you run in. We have to slow her down as long as we can so your corruption clears.

Rush inside and get Jer out here, as well as warning him of the corruption from the Dark One's avatar. We'll need Jer to get close enough to the avatar to use his magic on her and the Dark One's forces to delay and distract them, but we also need him to maintain his distance so his corruption levels don't start shooting up. His magic won't be able to destroy the wraiths unless he considers his ice magic holy like the tribes do; Then he can use ice on the undead Vildmen with the non-red eyes. Otherwise he should focus his magic on delaying the enemy forces and delaying and damaging the avatar. Oh, and we'll get him the Spear of Light so he can throw it at the wraith'd Vildmen. [Remove lock on summoning "Spear of Light" and summon to "The Pebble"] Maybe he could do something with encasing the end of the shaft with ice that has a hollow out the end and putting strong fire inside to make it rocket propelled so it'll have greater range when he throws it.

Eliraz, we're going to need you to circle around and find a spot out of the avatar's view and corruption range from where you can watch and be ready to rush in and strike her while she's distracted. Wait there until your corruption level is at or near zero. We won't be able to guide you on this once you're anywhere near the avatar so use your best judgment; If you hear us, it'll only be in an emergency. And give Jer a quick hug and kiss before you go for morale.

...And I just thought of another way the Dark One's avatar could get down to the Vault without going through the crypt: Blast through the ground outside the crypt entrance and drop through into the Vault corridor, bypassing all our defenses in the crypt. We can't let the avatar get this far! [@Rose: It's possible the Dark One will use his avatar to blast through the ground just outside the crypt entrance to get down to the Vault corridor, which would totally bypass our defenses in the crypt. We can't let the avatar even get to the crypt entrance!]

[@Rose: Durach did WHAT to the weapon?! Oh, gods fuckin' dammit! ...Okay, okay, no yelling... He couldn't have known submerging it then firing it would do that. See, the reason the weapon broke is because it uses elect- er- it uses a form of finely controlled lightning magic, both for the shot and in extremely fine channels for controlling the weapon. The moisture allowed lightning from the shot back into the control channels, burning them out, so Durach's damn lucky the weapon didn't blow up or otherwise kill him when he fired it. We'll still have the weapon collected after the battle for study by Ilbir and the Academy, but it's not going to help us any more in this fight. And we'll have a stern talk with Durach later about doing things to artifacts when he doesn't know if it'll help.]

[@Rose: I assume there's no way Temrock's forces can get down from the middle city in time to reinforce us, correct?]

[@Rose: Eliraz's corruption level shot up from zero to 68% in just the short period he was in proximity to the Dark One's avatar, so the avatar is an extremely strong corruption source. We'll have to monitor our pawn's corruption levels continuously when they're near the avatar. Also, our troops will also be effected by the corruption from the avatar, so any that aren't killed right away will rapidly be turned by the Dark One.]

[@Rose: Please inform Durach that his corruption level is 4% and rising slowly; There might still be a wraith or something floating around out there. Also warn him that Akena has been taken as the Dark One's avatar and she's now a very strong corruption source; If he gets anywhere near her his corruption will shoot up extremely fast. And warn him that we're going to summon the Spear of Light away and might not get it back to him so he shouldn't wield or make any plans that rely on it.]

>>590461
Naw, the Sakkilian marine didn't think players were daemons; He didn't even know about them or Blue. He saw from the logs that the only player in the game was about to come to Durach and so assumed that it was the plant-person that entered the world. So he told Durach there was a "demon" coming and gave him the gun figuring he'd blow Hugo away. The marine didn't expect that the player that would arrive was us.

Attack of the Flying Art Error Eyebrows!
>>
No. 590473 ID: d8a627

>Attack of the Flying Art Error Eyebrows!
Clearly that spear is making a ō.ō face
>The marine didn't expect that the player that would arrive was us.
Or that there would be literal demons. I still think that any space-faring race would know how to waterproof their guns, meaning he just sabotaged it to break after one use anyways. Probably didn't want to break the game by giving an overpowered artifact to an at-the-time NPC.
>>
No. 590478 ID: 9443d1

>>590473
I think the gun was probably waterproofed or water resistant to some extent but not enough to deal with being submerged in holy water from what sounds like soon after we left Durach to right before he fired it.

>>590472
Addendum: We'll stay with Jericho for this. Perhaps once Eliraz's corruption is low enough for him to strike we'll have Jer get just close enough to the avatar so we can yell at the Dark One and get him riled up as even more of a distraction.

And Eliraz, you don't have to strike anywhere vital on the avatar to do her in; It just needs a little cut or stab to work. Just get the Dagger in anywhere you're sure it'll do that and will leave you the maximum opening to get as far away as you can as quick as you can as soon as it does.
>>
No. 590487 ID: 65a774
File 140865767239.png - (13.79KB , 900x450 , 51.png )
590487

>[Continually monitor corruption levels and for corruption sources] [Policy change: Alert pawns to their rising and falling corruption levels at 10 point increments at or below 70% and at 5 point increments above 70%; Also infor-
[Error! All work and no play make this go error!][To much policy, not enough culture, please build more monuments of ERROR!!]
>[Policy modification: Change from holding all outgoin-
[This one is a tea cup, vertically impaired and very wide, this is it’s- ERROR!!]
>[Remove lock on summoning "Spear of Light" and summon to "The Pebble"]
[Spear of light mover to PEBBLELELELE!!!]

>[@Rose: It's the water that broke it. Weapons like that are not meant to be submerged.]
[Rose: …oh… that… we didn’t know that…]
>[Why was he trying to bless a weapon of the gods, anyway?!?]
[To appease them to guide his shoot?]
>[message rose: Can you move Temrock down to the crypt entrance?]
[He’s on his way. I don’t know if he’ll make it in time.]
>[Echo Akena's words to Rose, follow up message: Every time we encounter Daemons, they seem to manage to surprise us with a statement that suggests the situation is not as we believe. They have not, however, managed to match each other's stories, yet, so I will assume they are just trying to be deceitful.]
[Hmm… I would suggest listening but to take everything they say with a grain of salt. There’s possible that’s there some truth hidden in what they are saying.]
>[@Rose: Why is our mage support firing into the air and not down at the Dark One's avatar?! We can't see anything in the sky! Is there an invisible Enlightened up there or are they being fooled by illusions?]
[There seem to be a flying squid heading right for them…]
>[@Rose: Please inform Durach that his corruption level is 4% and rising slowly; There might still be a wraith or something floating around out there.]
[He’s fighting cultists, that is why his corruption is increasing.]

>Rush inside and get Jer out here, as well as warning him of the corruption from the Dark One's avatar.
:JerichoRUSTED: Take it easy! I’m coming, I’m coming! Geez…
>Jericho, you try to keep them at bay with magic for as long as possible.
:JerichoRUSTED: Right, I’ll do my best…
>Eliraz, take out those wraiths if they get separated from the group or leave an opening the Daemon can't cover.
:ElirazRUST: That I can do…
>Eliraz, we're going to need you to circle around and find a spot out of the avatar's view and corruption range from where you can watch and be ready to rush in and strike her while she's distracted.
:ElirazRUST: Wait, didn’t you guys say I would need to stay away from her?
>Did you guys mirror check the area the mages are firing at? I think I see something in the sky over there, actually.
:JerichoRUSTED: There’s a… weird flying thing they are shooting at?



>[switch to The Scholar]
:IlbirRUST: Here it comes! Take cover!
:GuardRUST: ARG!!!
:GuardRUST: Our weapons are ineffective! WE’RE DOOMED!!

Insert DOOM 2: Hell on Serath_
>>
No. 590490 ID: 2fd516

>>590487
Only magic works against these things! Attack from all sides at once, that shield looks directional!

And do not let it touch you!
>>
No. 590494 ID: 40935b

>To appease them to guide his shot?
Really? 'I've been PERSONALLY bestowed a weapon of unimaginable destructive capability by a god of purity and light so I might survive the coming battle of the ages- Better make really really sure I have his favor by dunking it in some dirty bong water someone chanted over for a few minutes'?!? Of all the rituals he could have done, too. Not sigils, not talismans, not charmingly tribal cloth and bead wrappings- holy water. The ONE thing that could cause real damage.

Ilbir, these things are physically weak, but they can fuck with time. If you can get a hit in without it noticing, no matter how small, if should turn the tide. Try to cause damage from the inside out or use an attack it will not react to. Jericho and Eliraz are in need of literal fire support.
>>
No. 590496 ID: d8a627

>There’s possible that’s there some truth hidden in what they are saying.
[Message Rose: Indeed. We have brought friends up to the position of being gods, and even created other players, but we never actually saw those other players, and our friends had their positions revoked for unknown reasons, while we slept.
I'm curious if we'll get a chance to speak properly with the Daemons. The Righteous One, for one, was actually quite talkative, but he was on a schedule and did not want to dally for too long, but these others seem to all either talk in riddles or are seeking a fight.]
[Message Rose: If you're curious about our history, we'll tell you when the battle is over.]
>>
No. 590497 ID: 2fd516

Ugh, what's the point in establishing a summon lock when only one other person needs to want to use it to disable the lock?

Well, whatever. Jericho isn't under attack this red hot minute, so... Let's try the impale trick again.
[summon Spear above the Enlightened]
>>
No. 590560 ID: 9443d1

[Sorry for the excessive amount and complexity of policies, command parser; I'll tone it down] [Scan all targets in range] [Check corruption levels of player and all pawns] [Check pawn status] (Shit, I hope we didn't summon the Spear away from Durach at a critical moment.)

I think we told you of the Enlightened's weaknesses before, but to reiterate: They can only be harmed by magic or holy or anti-daemonic weapons, and they are physically weak so only one or a few hits will need to connect to take it down. Now, what have you observed of this one so far? How fast and agile is it? Are the hits from the mages weakening its shield at all? Have you seen it form more than one shield? How fast can it move the shield? Near instantly or is it slower?

I'm going to assume for now that the Enlighten can only form one shield and it can't move it instantly around itself. Ilbir, the plan is to hit it from as many sides as possible at once to get through. For that we need to get as many mages, and possibly crossbowmen, to fire on it at once from as many angles as we can get. I'd prefer shots timed so they all hit the Enlightened at roughly the same time but in a hectic combat situation that's asking too much.

If you can pull back your fireball and recover the magic energy, do so. Otherwise, there's a fireball heading in high, so lob your fireball so it'll come in low enough that the Enlightened might not be able to block both and prioritize the upper one and you'll possibly get a grazing hit in on one of its tentacles; That's about the best you can do with it right now.

Yell to everyone to keep back from the demon. Then shout to the panicking guard and everybody else that you know magic is effective against the demon and the guards are to shield the mages from it any way they can; Even with their own bodies. And what the fuck is that mage ahead of you doing just standing there and not backing up?! ...Dammit, I think his eyes are bleeding from being too close to the Enlightened; That or he has red eyes and large markings. Just yell at him to get the fuck back.

Do the special bolts, the explosive and fire ones, have any magic effect when they hit or is it all alchemy? 'Cause if there is a magic effect then they might still have some use here. While the bolts phase through the Enlightened they do collide with its shield, so by firing a volley of special bolts from both sides of the Enlightened some of the bolts will hit the inside of the shield, directing the magic from the bolts towards the Enlightened. If that's the case then order the crossbowmen to hold fire until your signal and load special bolts.

We're going to summon the Spear of Light to you (assuming our attempt to summon it to above the Enlightened failed,) but we need to keep it out of sight of the Enlightened until its time to throw it, otherwise it's going to make you a priority target. Get behind the mage behind you, grabbing Kranhon's hand as you go. Order the mage to stay in front of you, hold your hand just behind him and we'll summon the Spear. Tell Kranhon to take the Spear and hold it behind the mage until he sees an opening to throw it at the demon. If it doesn't connect then we'll just have to keep summoning it to you so he can keep throwing it.

Oh, and you might need to get Kranhon's help getting your orders out over the din by bellowing them for you; He does have larger lungs then you, after all.

Now, shout out the order to all the mages (and the crossbowmen, if the special bolts have some magic) to hold their fire until your signal. Then give the order to ready, aim, and fire.

And in case things take a turn for the worse, where are the exits from the roof? Could you and Kranhon make a break for it with whatever forces remain or is the Enlightened in the way?

[@Rose: Any chance Theen could get up to Ilbir in time to fight this Enlightened? His religious beliefs "holy-fying" any weapon he uses would be great right about now.]

>>590497
I think the situation is too fluid to risk having a summon lock get in the way. Though, now I remember Jer has the ability to summon the Spear of Light to himself without us doing so, so he could have summoned it without us removing the lock anyway.

And I doubt the summon will work at that range, but just in case it does better specify the spear's orientation too. [Summon "Spear of Light," point downward, right above the Enlightened]
>>
No. 590615 ID: ea4544

Ah water, the bane of all advanced space age technology.
Anyway, Eliraz, is it possible to reverse steal the dagger into his spine or gut?

As for the enlightened, I never played Matroid, but it looks like you need to get close to get past the shield. Do you have anyone that's skilled and expendable?
>>
No. 590628 ID: 65a774
File 140872748807.png - (16.52KB , 900x450 , 52.png )
590628

>[Scan all targets in range]
[TRUTHDEATHJUSTICEEXTINCTIONBENEVOLENTBETRAYALRIGHTEOUSSLAVERY]
>[Check corruption levels of player and all pawns]
[SEETHETRUTHSEEKTHELIESFINDTHEWORLDSAVEUSALL]
>[Check pawn status]
[ONEHAVETODIEONLYDEATHISTRUEFREEDOMWECANNEVERKNOWFREEDOMYOUWILLBEFREE]

>[Message Rose: I'm curious if we'll get a chance to speak properly with the Daemons. The Righteous One, for one, was actually quite talkative, but he was on a schedule and did not want to dally for too long, but these others seem to all either talk in riddles or are seeking a fight.]
[Rose: Well, we are enemies… of course, they seem rather… at least the Dark one seem rather egoistical, so if he ever got the upper hand on you, you can probably get him talking.]

>Do not let it touch you!
Well, duh…
>Now, what have you observed of this one so far? How fast and agile is it?
It’s rather slow, all things considered…
>Are the hits from the mages weakening its shield at all? Have you seen it form more than one shield? How fast can it move the shield?
The shield doesn’t even seem to be fazed; so far he’s just used one shield to block everything we’ve thrown at him. He’s rather fast with it too…
>As for the enlightened, I never played Matroid, but it looks like you need to get close to get past the shield.
What!? But that would be suicide!
>Do you have anyone that's skilled and expendable?
Err… I’m pretty sure those two words contradict each other?
>What the fuck is that mage ahead of you doing just standing there and not backing up?! ...Dammit, I think his eyes are bleeding from being too close to the Enlightened…
Those are just his markings! You probably just have a problem seeing his eyes thanks to that hood of his… and he did just cast a fireball a moment ago, he’s just probably catching his breath.
> Do the special bolts, the explosive and fire ones, have any magic effect when they hit or is it all alchemy?
No, they just go right through him! He doesn’t even seem to care about them at all!

>Only magic works against these things!
:IlbirRUST: Only magic works! We just need to get past the shield!
>Ilbir, the plan is to hit it from as many sides as possible at once to get through. For that we need to get as many mages, and possibly crossbowmen, to fire on it at once from as many angles as we can get.
>You might need to get Kranhon's help getting your orders out over the din by bellowing them for you; He does have larger lungs then you, after all.
:IlbirRUST: Right, Kranny, I need fire on all sides of that thing at once.
:KranhonRUST: Listen up! Everyone needs to cast magic at the same time! On three! 1! 2! 3!!!
*Swosh*Swosh*Swosh!*
:GuardRUST: HA! Eat fire, you big, stupid… err…
:GuardRUST: It’s a jelly fish.
:GuardRUST: BIG, STUPID J-
>>
No. 590629 ID: 65a774
File 140872750126.png - (16.37KB , 900x450 , 53.png )
590629

*Kssh!!*
:IlbirRUST: HOLY-
>>
No. 590630 ID: 65a774
File 140872751301.png - (10.25KB , 900x450 , 54.png )
590630

:IlbirRUST: WHAT WAS… Kranhon… no… nonono…
>[summon Spear above the Enlightened]
*Fomp…*

Insert You killed Kranny, you bastard!_
>>
No. 590632 ID: d8a627

>Enlightened Babble
[Message Rose: Messages from the Enlightened, "Truth, Death, Justice, Extinction. Benevolent Betrayal, righteous slavery." "See the truth, seek the lies, find the world, save us all!" "One has to die, only death is true freedom. We can never know freedom, you will be free!"
That third line sounds like Red when the Sultan killed him. The first sounds like the Daemon Overlords, such as Steve and Bob, the ones fighting on our side. What's interesting is the second message, somebody seems to understand our position on things and is asking for our help.]
>Kranhon… no… nonono…
Uh, attempt to disbelieve his death and/or go into a berserker rage against the Enlightened? I honestly do not even.
>>
No. 590633 ID: d8a627

Oh, by the way, another laser (beam of harmful energy) is about to be shot out at you, I'd suggest dodging.
>>
No. 590636 ID: 40935b

If it were anything but an illusion, you'd be dead too. You have to think of a way to get everyone else to snap out of it. In the meantime, you should dodge.
>>
No. 590637 ID: 2fd516

>>590630
Dude, GET DOWN. It's charging its laser again!
>>
No. 590642 ID: 9443d1

...NonononoNONONOOOOO! No... This... It's wrong. This is wrong. The Enlightened knew you were there. It could have aimed just a little bit higher and hit both you and the mage. It could have. It hit true everywhere else. It should have, but it didn't. You should be dead, but you aren't. This... This could all be an illusion. A horrible illusion. But it could also easily be not. We must act as if it is not, but confirm before striking the Enlightened.

The Enlightened's targeting beam is aimed from its eye into your back right now; It's going to fire it's death ray at you. But we saw that the death ray's origin and angle when it fires is locked to what the targeting beam's was when it was created; It can't change the death ray's angle now! You can dodge to the sides if there's enough room to and you think you can move fast enough, but if you can't do that you can instead fall backwards while rolling over and the ray will pass over you.

Assuming you aren't hit, the Spear of Light is planted a step behind you. Scramble to your feet, grab it and keep moving. Ready a fireball as well if you can. As soon as the Spear is in your hands cut yourself with it to dispel any possible illusions. If this isn't an illusion, then heft it up and throw it with all your might at the Enlightened, along with a fireball if you could ready one. DO NOT GET CLOSE TO THE ENLIGHTENED! If you get close it WILL use those tentacles it used to kill the guards to kill you.

[@Rose: Our commands are being fucked with. [Insert command logs from when first scanned "Avatar of Justice" to now] It's almost certainly corruption. We can't even trust that that log insert is correct. We need you to status check all our pawns, their corruption levels and our corruption level and report them back to us immediately along with a report on the current battle situation.]

[@Rose: The Enlightened just fired off a bunch of death rays and reduced everyone but Ilbir up here to a pile of ash. But we can't trust what we're seeing right now so we need you to give us mirror confirmation we aren't seeing an illusion.]

[@Red: Our commands are being fucked with. [Insert command logs from when first scanned "Avatar of Justice" to now] Is this the kind of shit that happened when you were well on the way to being corrupted? We can't even trust that that log insert was correct.]
>>
No. 590644 ID: 2fd516

Oh, the spear did show up. But... not where we wanted it. Seems like we were disrupted.

Ilbir, I think you're gonna have to use the spear. Even if you have to sacrifice yourself to get close enough to kill it- I don't think throwing it is reliable since it just dodged all those fireballs. I'm sorry, Ilbir... I hope we never have to fight another one of these.

You can see its brain. Aim for that.
>>
No. 590649 ID: 65a774
File 140873900010.png - (10.16KB , 900x450 , 55.png )
590649

>[@Rose: The Enlightened just fired off a bunch of death rays and reduced everyone but Ilbir up here to a pile of ash. But we can't trust what we're seeing right now so we need you to give us mirror confirmation we aren't seeing an illusion.]
[Rose: Red just reported that he lost “The Inferno” that was stationed there… and my men can’t spot any of the mages there either…]

>Dude, GET DOWN. It's charging its laser again!
:IlbirRUST: NO!
>Assuming you aren't hit, the Spear of Light is planted a step behind you. Scramble to your feet, grab it and keep moving.
:IlbirRUST: I WILL NOT-
>As soon as the Spear is in your hands cut yourself with it to dispel any possible illusions.
:IlbirRUST: LET Y- OW!!!
>...NonononoNONONOOOOO! No... This... It's wrong. This is wrong. The Enlightened knew you were there. It could have aimed just a little bit higher and hit both you and the mage.
Nonono… it’s… it’s not an illusion… it’s true… it’s… no…
>Ilbir, I think you're gonna have to use the spear. Even if you have to sacrifice yourself to get close enough to kill it- I don't think throwing it is reliable since it just dodged all those fireballs.
:IlbirRUST: I WILL NOT LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THAT YOU… YOU…
>You can see its brain. Aim for that.
IlbirRUST: THIS IS FOR KRANHON, YOU BIG STUPID JELLY-
>>
No. 590650 ID: 65a774
File 140873901947.png - (14.25KB , 900x450 , 56.png )
590650

:GuardRUST: -pons are ineffective! WE’RE DOOMED!!
:GuardRUST: Wait, where did those wounds come from?
:KranhonRUST: Keep firing, men!!

>[Message Rose: Messages from the Enlightened, "Truth, Death, Justice, Extinction. Benevolent Betrayal, righteous slavery." "See the truth, seek the lies, find the world, save us all!" "One has to die, only death is true freedom.”]
[Rose: Huh… that was fast… he haven’t even descended properly yet… hmm… wait… Did the dark one call himself Justice? …and you mentioned a “righteous one”? …would it be a stretch that those two other positive, truth and benevolence, is other demons? Hmm… as for the rest… I can’t really say…]

Insert DOOM 2: Hell on Ser- whoa, déjà vu… I think I just saw two black cats…_
>>
No. 590653 ID: 2fd516

>>590650
It reversed time to cheat death! Now it's trying to kill you as its highest priority! Warn everyone and make sure you get out of the way of those lasers! Kranhon may be able to pull you out of the way, but he'll need to watch his feet too. I think the guy in front of you is doomed but if you can push him forward before you get out of the way, he might survive.

Ah, I see a way to kill it now. The spear is still there! It can't reverse time for the spear! Do the fireball barrage again to make it dodge down, into the spear. If it were feasible I'd say have someone go down there and lift up the spear so that it reverses time INTO the spear, too, but those little tentacles it has are too deadly.
>>
No. 590654 ID: 2fd516

Oh, and if it grabs the spear, I'll just [summon spear to whoever's closest to the Enlightened]
>>
No. 590663 ID: 40935b

Tell those behind you to get back to get back, and push or tackle that lizard in front of you forward as your stature allows- it's pointing all its firepower at you. This thing is only vulnerable to magic and that shield is directional, so everyone should attack simultaneously. If something goes wrong, stick it with the spear, aim for the heart.
>>
No. 590664 ID: 2fd516

Oh, um, those beams are instant death by the way.
>>
No. 590668 ID: 9443d1

What the- We've jumped back in time! The Enlightened must have shifted itself back in its own time line to escape death, but you were close enough to it to be shifted too. That means Kranhon's alive! The mages and guards are alive! And the Enlightened is alive and charging up a spread of seven death beams roughly centered on you... FUCK!

Okay, you only have mere moments but you and Kranhon can still get out of this alive. There's no time to alert or push the mage or guard ahead of you out of the way of the beams and there isn't even time to spare to turn around to start running. You have to backpedal towards Kranhon as fast as your stubby legs can carry you while at the same time throwing your arms backwards for him to grasp and shouting at him to lift you high up and back up fast. And once Kranhon has hold of you yell to everyone behind you to back up too; There's a mage next to Kranhon that'll otherwise get his foot clipped by the beam and even that'll be enough to kill.

[@Rose: Do this immediately: Switch to "The Inferno" and order her to shout out to everyone there that magic does work against demon, they just need to get past the shield, and that everyone is to cast together on her mark. You'll see why we didn't have Ilbir or Kranhon do it when you get here.]

>>590653
You might want to revise your plan with the Spear 'cause unless there's some form of temporal freeze on it, in a moment it'll fall to the ground and most likely tip over.
>>
No. 590673 ID: 2fd516

>>590668
Well if the spear doesn't stay put, then we should just summon it to whoever's closest so they can stick it to it.
>>
No. 590677 ID: 65a774
File 140875083954.png - (15.32KB , 900x450 , 57.png )
590677

>What the- We've jumped back in time! The Enlightened must have shifted itself back in its own time line to escape death, but you were close enough to it to be shifted too.
Huh? What are you talking about?
>That means Kranhon's alive! The mages and guards are alive!
What do you mean, al-
>And the Enlightened is alive and charging up the spread of seven death beams roughly centered on you! ...FUCK!
WHAT!?
>I think the guy in front of you is doomed but if you can push him forward before you get out of the way, he might survive.
:IlbirRUST: LOOK OUT!!!
*Kssh!!*
:IlbirRUST: -Off!

>[@Rose: Do this immediately: Switch to "The Inferno" and order her to shout out to everyone there that magic does work against demon, they just need to get past the shield, and that everyone is to cast together on her mark. You'll see why we didn't have Ilbir or Kranhon do it when you get here.]
:UnknownKAK: Everyone! We need to attack it from all directions at once! Kash-dor-nash!!
>>
No. 590678 ID: 65a774
File 140875085314.png - (12.60KB , 900x450 , 58.png )
590678

*EEEK!!*
:GuardRUST: It’s… it’s dead?
[Rose: Justice just plowed through the last barricade before the crypt one. Temrock might be able to flank him if he hurry, but he won’t be arriving with full force then… what should we do?]

Insert And here I thought Metroid weakness was ice and not fire…_
>>
No. 590684 ID: 3f0c1b

Take that time you manipulating jerk, WE are the masters of time travel, woohooo! One down and one to go!

Ilbir, you do not want to know how it looked before that Enlightened reversed time to save itself from being killed by you. Good work on that one by the way.
>>
No. 590686 ID: 2fd516

>>590678
Good work! We gotta go. Give some fire support to those fighting down below, unless you can attack the last Enlightened.
[@Rose: Two Enlightened down. One left, but where is it? Here's what we've learned: they have a shield that deflects attacks, so you have to attack them from all directions at once. They can still dodge up or down, though, and I think the shield only deflects purely magical attacks anyway, so the best way to kill them is with a physical weapon that can harm them- pierce the brain. Once they are in a life-threatening situation they will probably reverse time and focus on preemptively trying to kill whoever nearly-killed them last time. We saw two methods of attack. They have long thin tentacles below them that swiftly decay those in contact with them, turning them to dust in seconds. They also have a beam that does the same thing and can be fired at multiple angles all at once, but the beam starts as a harmless ray of red light, so you can see where it's aiming and dodge.]
[@Rose: We'll switch to Temrock, then, and see if we can achieve victory even with the partial forces. Simply eliminating Justice's avatar would decide the battle, as Eliraz can kill the Wraiths quickly and efficiently, turning the other undead into mindless practice dummies.]
[switch to Temrock]
>>
No. 590717 ID: 40935b

AND STAY DEAD, SUKA. THERE'S ONLY ROOM FOR US JELLYFISH IN THESE PARTS.

[message pink: We'll be getting some artillery support very soon. If it slows them down, wait until Tem is better enforced, if they keep coming, attack with whatever you've got. Would Temrock like to borrow the holy spear now or later?]
[summon spear as applicable]

Ilbir, you need to start firing on the undead advancing on the crypt entrance. Hold them off before they get to Jericho and Eliraz' position.

>>590686
I'm pretty sure Durach MASER'D it to ash with most of the camp.
>>
No. 590718 ID: 2fd516

>>590717
There were three. Durach killed one, we killed one.
>>
No. 590722 ID: d8a627

>Rose: Huh… that was fast…
[Message Rose: Sorry about that, the Enlightened jumped back in time, and our passive temporal ability must have latched on and jumped back with it. Good news is, we went from losing everybody but Ilbir, to losing only one crossbowman. Bad news is, well, we lost a crossbowman still. Can't win them all, I suppose.]
>…would it be a stretch that those two other positive, truth and benevolence, is other demons?
[Message Rose: ...That's actually a good point. However, while Justice is anything but, The Righteous One was certainly quite chivalrous. I believe it has to do with who the chief of the group is. Justice is The Dark one, and darkness is about deception. The Righteous One is a servant to The Blood God, and blood does not lie. That would make Blood "Truth." Benevolence may be The Deciever, who works only through deceptions. Say, don't ask why, but if you get a chance to recommend some paladins from Amun take a look into the northern wildlands, it would help. I know, I know, you're curious, but if everything works out, you'll learn what our reasons are in nine months.]
>>590686
If we're jumping to Temrock, let's ask Rose to watch over Jericho. Jericho should be at the crypt entrance already, anyways, right?
>>
No. 590726 ID: 2fd516

>>590722
We lost more than one crossbowman. Two died right as we initially switched over.
>>
No. 590728 ID: 9443d1

[Show pawn status] [Check all corruption levels and display non-zero entries]

Ah, so you weren't pulled along with the Enlightened when it shifted back in time, just us. That's actually for the best. You'd have some rather traumatic out-of-place memories to deal with otherwise... Um. I might have said too much. ...Uh, but after this battle is over with, could you give Kranhon a big hug on our behalf, okay. For reasons...

Rose says the Avatar of Justice - yes, the Dark One's name is actually "Justice" - has broken through the last barricade before the one at the crypt entrance. Get the mages laying down all the fire they have on the avatar before, and maybe even after, she reaches the final barricade. Now, we gotta go; Temrock needs our guidance.

[@Rose: Who do we have that can throw a spear accurately and rather far? 'Cause I got the idea we could try to throw the Spear of Light from somewhere up the mountain from from the crypt entrance so it hits the avatar. Eh, it's probably too late now since we don't have any pawns to summon the Spear to who could get up there in time.]

[@Rose: The corruption we'll be soaking up from proximity to the Avatar of Justice will likely screw with our commands and the output of our corruption checks, so we need you to monitor our status while we're down there. Start warning us how much it is and how fast it's climbing when our or our pawns' corruption gets above 30%.]

[@Rose: Could you check in on Durach and see if he has the Spear of Light. There was some temporal shenanigans with the Enlightened so we're not sure if he still has it now or if we summoned it away. And if he does still have it give him a warning it's near certain it'll be summoned away any minute now.]

[Help system query: What happens to a non-AI player if they become fully corrupted or purified?]

>>590684
>>590686
Durach took down the Enlightened on the hill with the holy waterlogged ray gun, so that means both Enlightened we know of are dead; There were only two leading the undead Vildmen and those are the ones killed. Doesn't rule out there possibly being more that'll show up, but for now we don't have any more Enlightened to target.

>>590718
Where'd you hear of this third Enlightened? I only remember the scouts reporting there were two leading the undead Vildmen. One went to the hill and the other flew up here, so that's all of them.

>>590722
Don't forget that Bob/The Jailor is also the god of Death for the Ancients, so "Death" would be him. But why did you bring up Amunian paladins? We didn't see any of them when we were up north... Or are you thinking of those Spellswords in the glowy armor? The ones that came with the Serathian delegation and were marching around the Order grounds in Unbroken 2? They are from somewhere across the sea from the Serath but I don't think it's Amun. I think they come from Derack, the nation the City of Brass is in. We can actually check that right now: Hey, Ilbir, where do the Spellswords hail from?
>>
No. 590733 ID: d8a627

>But why did you bring up Amunian paladins?
Artur.
>>
No. 590734 ID: d8a627

>>590733
Specifically, Artur is recruited into the order when they go there. Or was he recruited before the present? I can never remember how long these things were. Give me a bit to go and check.
>>
No. 590752 ID: 9443d1

Oh, and lets see if Rose has some intel on what the Avatar can do in combat before we go in: [@Rose: You undoubtedly have observers up on the cliffs watching the Avatar of Justice, so can you tell us what they've seen of her powers and combat capabilities and what she's done in the fights so far?]

>>590734
Arthur is a member of the Amunian Inquisition three months from now, so I think you might be mixing up the Amunian Inquisition with the Order of Light. But as far as I can remember Arthur hasn't shown up at all or is even mentioned when we were in the Northlands nine months from now, let alone being recruited into the Order.
>>
No. 590759 ID: 65a774
File 140880900253.png - (18.85KB , 900x450 , 59.png )
590759

>[Help system query: What happens to a non-AI player if they become fully corrupted or purified?]
[Defeat.]
>[Show pawn status]
[“The pebble”: Exited. “The Thief”: Scared. “The acolyte”: Sleeping. “The scholar”: Tired. “The Heir of Savagery”: Content. “The Shaman”: Victorious. “The son of sand”: Sleeping.]
>[Check all corruption levels and display non-zero entries]
>[“The Thief”: 14% and falling fast!. “The Shaman”: 7% and falling.]

>[Message Rose: Sorry about that, the Enlightened jumped back in time, and our passive temporal ability must have latched on and jumped back with it. Good news is, we went from losing everybody but Ilbir, to losing only three guards. Bad news is, well, we lost three guards still. Can't win them all, I suppose.]
[Rose: Total death count is already over a hundred on our side. This is a war, do not expect everyone to survive.]
>[@Rose: We'll switch to Temrock, then, and see if we can achieve victory even with the partial forces. Simply eliminating Justice's avatar would decide the battle, as Eliraz can kill the Wraiths quickly and efficiently, turning the other undead into mindless practice dummies.]
[I have to warn you, I do not believe you can defeat the avatar with just one pawn alone… it seems rather powerful. Hmm… I’m going to take a guess that Justice can’t keep her this powerful forever, and that’s why he’s in such a hurry to get her to the crypt… just something to ponder about.]
>[Message Rose: ...That's actually a good point. However, while Justice is anything but, The Righteous One was certainly quite chivalrous. I believe it has to do with who the chief of the group is. Justice is The Dark one, and darkness is about deception. The Righteous One is a servant to The Blood God, and blood does not lie. That would make Blood "Truth." Benevolence may be The Deciever, who works only through deceptions.]
[…sigh, this is starting to get too complicated for my taste.]
>[@Rose: Who do we have that can throw a spear accurately and rather far?]
[The only one we got that’s versed with spears is Jericho.]
>[@Rose: The corruption we'll be soaking up from proximity to the Avatar of Justice will likely screw with our commands and the output of our corruption checks, so we need you to monitor our status while we're down there. Start warning us how much it is and how fast it's climbing when our or our pawns' corruption gets above 30%.]
[I’ll see what I can do.]
>[@Rose: You undoubtedly have observers up on the cliffs watching the Avatar of Justice, so can you tell us what they've seen of her powers and combat capabilities and what she's done in the fights so far?]
[She’s like a whirlwind with her blades. Anyone who gets close is slaughtered or if using weapons of superior range gets them broken. She also seems to have some sort of shield that blocks all bolts and magic from hitting her. I can’t really say how we’re supposed to defeat her.]

>Ah, so you weren't pulled along with the Enlightened when it shifted back in time, just us. That's actually for the best.
Oh, actually time travel, you say? Not just your time displacement? Hmm… interesting…
>Ilbir, you do not want to know how it looked before that Enlightened reversed time to save itself from being killed by you.
Really? Was it that bad?
>Uh, but after this battle is over with, could you give Kranhon a big hug on our behalf, okay. For reasons...
…oh… OH… that’s… I… then I’m lucky it went back in time then, aren’t I? That does bring our mortality into perspective, doesn’t it?
>Ilbir, you need to start firing on the undead advancing on the crypt entrance. Hold them off before they get to Jericho and Eliraz' position.
Right, you can count on me!



>[switch to Temrock]
:TemrockRUST: Report.
:GuardRUST: We are finally getting artillery support from the mages, but the first undead have reached the crypt barricade. Our main target, the avatar, has just passed our position so if we attack now we can cut off her reinforcements and surrounds her, but we won’t have any backup for another ten minutes. What are your orders?

[Rose: Thief ready to strike, orders?]

Insert Choices of life and death_
>>
No. 590776 ID: 40935b

>this is starting to get too complicated for my taste.
[Reply: It's been like that on this end for a while now. Sometimes a straight up siege is a great way to get away from the politics and espionage.]

[Message pink: Strike simultaneously with another attack by either Tem, Ilbir or Jer. ]

You should attack now. This whole thing reminds me of that battle with Horus- not a fight that will be helped by throwing more bodies onto the fire. When you go in there, the daemon will be able to hear us and adapt, so anything we say preceded by 'would you kindly' is an attempt at misdirection and should be ignored.
>>
No. 590784 ID: d8a627

>>590752
>nine months from now
The nine months was when we meet Rose again, not when we see Artur. We see Artur in three months, after the inquisition returns. But yeah, I meant the inquisition, not the paladins.
>…sigh, this is starting to get too complicated for my taste.
[Message Rose: Thankfully, you only have to worry about Justice, unless you somehow manage to end up in our battlefields against the other Daemons rebelling against Steve and Bob. Though we operate in pawns mode, we still do have the mission to take out the resistance, and have so far been given three armies to work with, instead of just one. Today, we work with the Serath Sultanate. Soon, we will be with the Amun Inquisition. Far into the future, we'll be with the Order of Light. Do not force yourself into these situations, though. Only come if it benefits the Sultanate, as we find local allies in those locations to help us out. They are not Elizah's war.]
[Message Rose: I am grateful that we are of many voices, rather than just the one. It is only through counsel that we get anything done, as well as come to a decision on which theories are more sound reasoning on such confusing matters. If it were just a few, we'd probably be stuck confessing our love for--somebody. Yeah, somebody. Too many targets as is to know who'd be the target with just a few, though, flattery alert, some are for you.]
>>
No. 590786 ID: d8a627

>'would you kindly'
OH GOD FONTAINE WHY.
>>
No. 590787 ID: 2fd516

>>590759
Hmm, I think Rose is right. Demons have to harvest power to manifest in this world in any way. All that flashy shit the Avatar is doing must be expensive. I say we cut them off from their reinforcements, then just delay the Avatar. Don't get close enough to get killed or corrupted, and we can turn this foe into something that can be defeated.

[@Rose: If the Avatar is that strong, even Temrock is no match for her. The only means of attack we have right now is the Thief planting an active bomb on her. If he can do that from as far away as possible to avoid excessive corruption, try it. Just, don't tell him to do that while he's near the Dark One. Tell him to do it while he's out of range of the Dark One's mindreading ability. This means he'll have to go in without either of us present. Let him know that once the Avatar is down he should retreat. His corruption is still at 17%, so we can't have him sticking around those wraiths for longer than absolutely necessary. We'll cut off the reinforcements so he doesn't get swarmed, and maybe have Temrock go in with the spear and eliminate the Wraiths after the Avatar is dealt with. If the bomb doesn't work, then we should just keep all our pawns away from the Avatar and try to delay her, rather than kill her.]

Temrock, cut off her reinforcements but do not immediately engage. The Avatar may be exploding at some point- once that happens, then try to get to the Wraiths and kill them with the [Spear].
>>
No. 590802 ID: 40935b

>>590786
nice
work
boyo

hahahahahahhahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
>>
No. 590808 ID: 9443d1

[Continually monitor corruption levels and display non-zero entries]

Temrock, in case you haven't been told, the avatar is a strong corruption source; Possibly the strongest we've encountered so far. Even a short time in proximity to her will totally corrupt, so try to keep yourself and the troops back until it's time to strike. Also, the Dark One/Justice (yes, his other name is "Justice") can hear what we're saying when we're near to the avatar. And she moves as a "whirlwind" of blades when anyone approaches her, cutting them to ribbons or breaking their weapon if it has reach, and also has a shield that surrounds her that blocks bolts and magic.

[Echo following messages to and replies from Rose to "The Heir of Savagery"]

[@Rose: Yes, Justice doesn't have the energy to keep the avatar this powerful indefinitely, but we don't know how long he can keep her going this way. So we should not only act to delay her but to also work to exhaust Justice and the avatar's energy supply. I have a hunch that there's an energy bottleneck from Justice to the avatar, so if we run out the avatar's pool of energy she'll only have what energy is flowing in to work with and won't be able to power everything at once. If we keep the pressure on at that point so she can't recover her energy pool that will be our opportunity to strike from all sides.]

[@Rose: I propose that we make a big strike on the avatar with all the ranged attacks we have at once to knock her energy down. That'd be a simultaneous strike from the fire support mages, Jericho and any other mages we have down here, and a barrage of crossbow bolts. Once the strike is in Jer and the mages down here'll keep pouring the magic on, along with the crossbowmen firing, to keep her energy down. That'll be when we send in our close quarters fighters to strike from all sides at once, but we'll also have Eliraz hiding in with them. He'll use the opportunity of the avatar being distracted by the fighters to dodge her blades, shank her with our "special" dagger and get back, hopefully removing her from the world before Justice can pull any last "fuck you" self-destruct that'll blow up everyone around the avatar.]

[@Rose: Of course, to even start to enact this plan we'll have to neutralize the undead forces so our forces can focus on the avatar, and the most effective way to do that is to remove the wraiths controlling them. For this we'll send Eliraz to use the Debug Dagger against those wraith'd Vildmen who are out of possible line of sight of the avatar so she and Justice don't see how they're removed; We don't know if the avatar can see through Eliraz's invisibility, but if she can when the final strike comes we don't want her to know to focus on blocking Eliraz. For any of those wraith'd Vildmen who she might be able to see we'll summon the Spear of Light to Temrock so he or his men can use it against them; That is unless Temrock has another way to destroy the wraiths once their host is destroyed before they can jump to another one.]

[@Rose: Has Eliraz seen the avatar when she's a "whirlwind" yet? If so can he say with confidence that he can dodge her blades?]

[@Rose: Once the avatar gets to the area outside the crypt entrance do we have anything setup to throw down on her from the cliff top above as a last ditch attempt to block her? I'm thinking something like pushing a cart filled with casks of oil and a few lit torches, barrels and bottles of flammable or explosive chemicals and compounds from the alchemists, and whatever else would harm her over the edge; Make sure to get it up to a decent speed first so it won't collide with the cliff face on the way down.]

[@Rose: I'm regretting we didn't ask this earlier, but is the crypt entrance tunnel rigged with explosives to collapse it?]
>>
No. 590848 ID: d8a627

[Message Rose: ...Sudden thought. Have you scanned the blades themselves, or even her techniques? It's possible that the techniques themselves are corruption, rather than just "Neutral Movement (Hostile): Swung Blade". We need to know if it's Akena's skills or Justice's boon, as if it's the latter, a strong enough collection of anti-corruption would weaken it (I dare not say prevent it, since this is the direct avatar of a DAEMON, we would need a God to outright prevent it).]
>>
No. 590953 ID: 9443d1

[@Rose: Ask Eliraz how close in proximity he was to the avatar, how long before he fled, and how much time it took him to reach the crypt entrance barricade. We need to know this to figure out roughly how strong the avatar's corruption aura is before we possibly settle on a plan that involves him getting right next to the avatar. Because while his corruption level was 68% and falling fast when we checked after, that check might have happened when he was at the crypt entrance barricade or anywhere en route to it and not indicate what it was at its peak. I'd be a disaster for us, both in defeating the avatar and otherwise, if Eliraz was fully corrupted and taken by Justice, so if it looks like he would be if he got in close to her then we'll have to come up with another plan. Oh, and if we could get Eliraz to approach the avatar from behind while you monitor his corruption level we can find out where the edge of her corruption aura is and that'll help us estimate just how strong it is.]

...Actually, we might be able to check how high the spike in Eliraz's corruption level was: [Show the highest corruption level of "The Thief" within the last hour]
>>
No. 590973 ID: 65a774
File 140890031748.png - (24.66KB , 900x450 , 60.png )
590973

>[Continually monitor corruption levels and display non-zero entries]
[“The Shaman”: 4% and falling.]
>[Show the highest corruption level of "The Thief" within the last hour]
[70% - increased with 10% every second.]

>[Message Rose: ...Sudden thought. Have you scanned the blades themselves, or even her techniques?]
[Rose: The blades are just some old, rusty iron swords, and skills can’t be scanned.]
>[Could you get Eliraz to approach the avatar from behind while you monitor his corruption level so we can find out where the edge of her corruption aura is and help us estimate just how strong it is?]
[…about seven meters from her, his corruption shoot up with 10%... oh, and something else I’ve noticed. It’s seems like it’s only corrupting pawns, as all the soldiers around her remain untouched.]
>[@Rose: Has Eliraz seen the avatar when she's a "whirlwind" yet? If so can he say with confidence that he can dodge her blades?]
[There’s a reason why he’s currently afraid. She doesn’t move with the speed of a mortal anymore.]
>[we'll have to neutralize the undead forces so our forces can focus on the avatar, and the most effective way to do that is to remove the wraiths controlling them.]
[If Temrock cut them off, there will only be three wraiths here. Easy enough to take care off with all our pawns here.]
>[@Rose: I propose that we make a big strike on the avatar with all the ranged attacks we have at once to knock her energy down.]
[Let us blot out the sun!]
>[@Rose: Once the avatar gets to the area outside the crypt entrance do we have anything setup to throw down on her from the cliff top above as a last ditch attempt to block her? I'm regretting we didn't ask this earlier, but is the crypt entrance tunnel rigged with explosives to collapse it?]
[…dammit, that’s something we’re supposed to plan before they attack!]

>Temrock, cut off her reinforcements but do not immediately engage.
:TemrockRUST: Alright men! Let the dragon fire guide us!
:GuardRUST: CHARGE!!
>Temrock, in case you haven't been told, the avatar is a strong corruption source; Possibly the strongest we've encountered so far. Even a short time in proximity to her will totally corrupt, so try to keep yourself and the troops back until it's time to strike.
:TemrockRUST: Do not engage the Mantis under any circumstances until I give the signal!

:AkenaRUST: You really think some sticks and fireworks will slow me down, yet alone stop me!? I feel insulted!
>>
No. 590974 ID: 65a774
File 140890032933.png - (27.99KB , 900x450 , 61.png )
590974

>[That'll be when we send in our close quarters fighters to strike from all sides at once.]
:TemrockRUST: Charge!
>[but we'll also have Eliraz hiding in with them. He'll use the opportunity of the avatar being distracted by the fighters to dodge her blades, shank her with our "special" dagger and ge-]
*Slice!*
:AkenaRUST: Aw, a little thief trying to steal a life… how cute…
:JerichoRUSTED: AAH!!
:TemrockRUST: PRINCE ELIRAZ!?
>>
No. 590975 ID: 65a774
File 140890033846.png - (18.93KB , 900x450 , 62.png )
590975

[Rose: …we might have a problem…]
:TemrockRUST: No breathing…
:JerichoRUSTED:
:UnknownKAK: Did you see? She isn’t glowing as… um… “darkly” as before…

Insert Keep away from the instant death radius!_
>>
No. 590979 ID: 2fd516

>>590975
Aaaaand there it is, we didn't prevent it. Do not despair, this was fated to happen. He'll be successfully raised as a ghoul. Steel yourselves, the battle is not over.
[@Rose: I'm not concerned. He was going to die no matter what. Or is there a different problem?]

Retrieve the dagger and pursue the Avatar, she is weakened now. But uh, be wary of corruption.
[check corruption status of nearby pawns, echo to them]
>>
No. 590987 ID: 40935b

God dammit, what were we supposed to do? Let the barricade get overrun?

Alright, current theory is the daemon is burning through power really quickly and needs to get to the vault before it becomes too weak. I know this will be difficult, but you need to follow the daemon and attack when it gets weak enough. You needn't mourn, We already know Eliraz will be raised successfully.
>>
No. 590989 ID: d8a627

[Message Rose: Apparently quoting the Gods does not change fate one bit. He is guaranteed to be a Ghoul nine months into the future, but we were doing all we could to prevent his death in the first place. At least the damage to his body is minimal, even if he bleeds out, he will be able to be raised fully functional.
Please inform Sultan Leanah and Princess Elizah. We will likely be chasing Justice, ourselves.]
>>
No. 590990 ID: d8a627

>>590989
>quoting the Gods
Well, the husband to one of the Gods, anyways
>>
No. 591005 ID: 65a774
File 140891238712.png - (18.69KB , 900x450 , 63.png )
591005

>[@Rose: I'm not concerned. He was going to die no matter what. Or is there a different problem?]
[Rose: That’s a bit… cold… but, yes; if she got through our barricade at the entrance that easy she won’t be stopped by our other defenses inside the crypt. She will reach the vault… and I don’t like it… I know Justice got some card up his sleeve…]
>[He is guaranteed to be a Ghoul nine months into the future, but we were doing all we could to prevent his death in the first place. At least the damage to his body is minimal, even if he bleeds out, he will be able to be raised fully functional.]
[I’ll see to it that he’s brought back as soon as possible.]
>[Please inform Sultan Leanah and Princess Elizah. We will likely be chasing Justice, ourselves.]
[Good luck.]

>You needn't mourn, We already know Eliraz will be raised successfully.
:TemrockRUST: Yes, his head is still intact… there still hope for- Jericho, lad, are you alright?
>Retrieve the dagger and pursue the Avatar, she is weakened now. But uh, be wary of corruption.
:JerichoRUSTED: …Don’t worry about me… I’m alright… I just got to deliver this knife to someone…
:TemrockRUST: I’m coming with you, my-
:JerichoRUSTED: No, enough people have died today… I’m going in alone.
:TemrockRUST: Err… lad, listen, I k-
:JerichoRUSTED: Stay out here or I’ll have fired from the guard!
:TemrockRUST: …yes, sir…



:ArtemisRUST: HI JER! How’s it going! Oh, you just missed this super-fast mantis! She was mean!
:JerichoRUSTED: Artemis? That’s…
:ArtemisRUST: I just need to repair myself, do not worry…
:JerichoRUSTED: Oh… well, I need to get going.
:ArtemisRUST: Kick her ass!
>>
No. 591006 ID: 65a774
File 140891240342.png - (10.77KB , 900x450 , 64.png )
591006

:JerichoRUST: Hello, me… come back for a rematch?

Insert Mirror match! Round 2! Fi-
>>
No. 591007 ID: 65a774
File 140891242097.png - (10.62KB , 900x450 , 65.png )
591007

:JerichoRUSTED: I don’t have time for you!
*Thump!*
:JerichoRUSTED: There, I put you on ice for a bit… Cool off a bit for me, eh?
:UnknownKAK: Those puns where horrible.
:JerichoRUSTED: Oh, shut it… let’s see… what was it… courage… power… willpower?
:UnknownKAK: Wisdom, you dolt!
:JerichoRUSTED: Right, right… it shouldn’t be a problem… let’s see… “Walking the same path over and over will lead you nowhere… only by looking within yourself, finding your center, can you truly see the new path forward. A fool would walk to the right… a wise man who believes himself a fool would walk left… only the one that look inwards move on.”…
:UnknownKAK:
:JerichoRUSTED: …what?
:UnknownKAK: …so are you going to kill me or not?

Insert Holy crap! Err… I mean… Jericho wins! Fatality! Flawless victory… um… toasty?
>>
No. 591008 ID: d8a627

May as well give him an order to clear his memory and shut down. He's been helpful enough, may as well let him cash out while he's still a head.

Interesting. The Moon has two sides to it. A left and a right. The moon in the middle.
>>
No. 591009 ID: 40935b

Are you sure you wouldn't rather watch us win? No? If not, you might as well.

That may have to do with your core, or a battle of the minds kind of scenario like when we defeated Grey.

orrrr...
[introspect]
[open menu]
[achieve nirvana ]
>>
No. 591013 ID: 2fd516

>>591007
Oh shit. The Moon has two sides. I thought he was harmless crazy, not dangerous crazy. Or maybe he gets corrupted at some point? His player is using "holy" powers, which we know now are actually anti-daemon/anti-corruption daemonic powers. Maybe his player gets corrupted...
The Sun is... what is that? The only Sun pawn we've seen was Reversed, and that's not.

Anyway. This is a familiar puzzle but the answer I know involves going down. Wait, did Justice even solve this puzzle? His avatar should've been wounded by the test of courage, unless she used the window shortcut. Curse our cheating nature. Let's see, if Justice solved this puzzle, then we don't need to break the window or break the pillar- wait nevermind, I just realized since we didn't pass the corpse of a mantis, everyone who enters here faces their own challenge. Only the golems are constant.

Well, let's try a straightforward solution first. Think deeply about what makes you you, Jericho. Are you really just the pebble that starts an avalanche? I think you're something more, someone who has their own desires. If you can't get anything out of introspection, then try literally looking inside yourself. Do you have anything new in your inventory or internal storage? Or alternatively, try looking inside that golem over there. Ask for a hint, then agree to our prior deal and destroy it, but not without first giving it a final chance to choose a different fate- tell it we're likely going to win this time.
>>
No. 591015 ID: 40935b

Wait wait, aren't we 'the fool'? Does that mean we need to... just go left?
>>
No. 591018 ID: 65a774
File 140891477077.png - (10.55KB , 900x450 , 66.png )
591018

>[introspect]
[You realize you’re not very clever.]
>[open menu]
[You’re not in an restaurant!]
>[achieve nirvana]
[No, Ew! That smells like teen spirit!]

>The Sun is... what is that? The only Sun pawn we've seen was Reversed, and that's not.
…it’s a knight with a blood drop on his shield? Hmm… somehow, he reminds me of the picture of the Dark one…
>Ask for a hint, then agree to our prior deal and destroy it.
:UnknownKAK: I don’t know! She just cut me down and before I was able to see again she was gone.
>but not without first giving it a final chance to choose a different fate- tell it we're likely going to win this time.
:UnknownKAK: I want to sleep! Forever! LET ME SLEEP!!
>May as well give him an order to clear his memory and shut down.
:UnknownKAK: Crush my head! Kill me!
:JerichoRUSTED: Err… if you really want me too…

>Interesting. The Moon has two sides to it. A left and a right. The moon in the middle.
Hmm… so… break the glass? I can’t really see anything on the other side, though…
>Let's see, if Justice solved this puzzle, then we don't need to break the window or break the pillar…
…so, don’t break the glass then…
>Well, let's try a straightforward solution first. Think deeply about what makes you you, Jericho.
…I… I… right now, the only thing I can really think about is the seething rage I have for Akena… She needs to die…
>If you can't get anything out of introspection, then try literally looking inside yourself. Do you have anything new in your inventory or internal storage?
Nope… hmm… wait, the Stones are shining really brightly… the lesser rune most be close! …or maybe even the grand rune?
>Wait wait, aren't we 'the fool'? Does that mean we need to... just go left?
…you mean right, you fool… either way, worth a tr- whoa… this is… this is trippy…

Insert Thinking outside the circle_
>>
No. 591023 ID: 40935b

Ha, I told you we had to go left.
>>
No. 591025 ID: 2fd516

>>591018
Well... um... onwards?
>>
No. 591032 ID: d8a627

What? No, man, you don't just go to the right or the left, you gotta go forward.
[Flip perspective]
Forward! *squidly push in whichever direction is the center of the new perspective*
>>
No. 591047 ID: 2fd516

>>591018
Oh wait you're not making any progress are you.

Go back to the stone marker and check the wall to your right when facing the writing. That would be towards us, so "inside".
>>
No. 591048 ID: 9443d1

>>591023
And I'd bet all my non-existent cash that Jer walking to the left will either loop him back around to the right or take him back to section he was in before. Jer, step backwards and prove me right on that.

Take out one of the keystones, run to the right and see if the glow is strongest at some point along the way. If it is that could indicate where the entry is 'cause it'd be closer to where the Rune is. We'll also monitor your corruption level as you run and see if it creeps up on the off chance the avatar is somehow within seven meters of you at any point along there. [Continually check corruption level of "The Pebble" and alert "The Pebble" if it rises]

Try looking through the glass of the "XIX" window to see if anything is there, and if there isn't then look towards the wall opposite of the window and try pushing hard against the wall; That is, unless there's another window there. Then push along the whole wall opposite the windows. But if pushing doesn't work, then I'd say stand well back and shoot a small ice shard at the bottom corner of all the windows then move up to take a look through them where it's broken.

There's also a remote possibility that "looking within yourself" means looking within mirror-you. If the other suggestions don't work you can try ripping the corpse open with ice magic to see if anything other than gore comes out.

>Hmm… somehow, he reminds me of the picture of the Dark one…
In what way? I'm not seeing how they look similar.

>>591032
If you flip you gotta specify an axis to flip on. However flipping would just swap sides, getting us nowhere; You've gotta rotate our view, not flip. Jer, stand in front of the "XIX" window for a moment, please. [Orient rotation axis parallel to direction of local gravitational attraction; Set rotation axis to location of "The Pebble;" Rotate view 90 degrees clockwise around rotation axis] (A la FEZ) If that worked our view should have rotated around so we're looking along the hall from what was left towards what was right.
>>
No. 591051 ID: 65a774
File 140892463645.png - (14.29KB , 900x450 , 67.png )
591051

>[Flip perspective]
[Invalid command!]
>[Continually check corruption level of "The Pebble" and alert "The Pebble" if it rises]
[0%]

>In what way? I'm not seeing how they look similar.
They were both weird floating triangles without legs or arms…
>Well... um... onwards?
…I’m just going around in circles!
>Ha, I told you we had to go left.
I come back to this room no matter which direction I’m heading… I know the corridor veer off to the right which means I would go in a circle eventually, but this is just silly.
>Forward! *squidly push in whichever direction is the center of the new perspective*
Hey, HEY! Calm down! What are you trying to do!?
>Take out one of the keystones, run to the right and see if the glow is strongest at some point along the way.
…the glow is the same everywhere…
>Go back to the stone marker and check the wall to your right when facing the writing. That would be towards us, so "inside".
…it’s a wall? Hmm… but it would lead to the center of the circle that the corridor makes… maybe if I… It’s an illusion?



:AkenaRUST: *Humming*… ah, there you are… you took your sweet time…
:JerichoRUSTED: Justice? I’m here to kill you…
:AkenaRUST: Justice? Oh, he’s here… but he’s but a whispering voice down here… He really wants to talk to you… to bad I’ll kill you first… Now, hand over those stones.
:JerichoRUSTED: Over my de- …err…
:AkenaRUST: Exactly…

Insert Final fight!_
>>
No. 591052 ID: d8a627

>They were both weird floating triangles without legs or arms…
I thought that was just our perspective.
>Over my de- …err…
>Exactly…
So she's taking the keystones over your deer? Where's your deer at? I didn't even know you had one!

That Window. Tarot number twenty.
Judgement — Rebirth — Reincarnation — New life
That which has been undecided shall be determined, and new chances shall be given. Those who were lost will return. Death is not the end, just the beginning.

You are the judge in this image. It is you who brings about the change. The Jailer and The Golden Emperor are unmasked in your presence. The dagger marks your power. Ignore the rune in the center, that's just the Lesser Rune, and the seven dents are the keystone slots, and the one that's blue is a keystone already put in.
>>
No. 591053 ID: 2fd516

>>591051
Heh. See the ceiling? If you froze it, it'd collapse. Ask her to take a look at the window, and tell her that represents Judgement.

Feel free to assault her at range, because she's currently blind. Her good eye has been put out, most likely by the Test of Courage (even though it should be on the other side). If she steps near the window, collapse the ceiling on her. That'll end the fight, at which point you make damn well sure she's dead. Then you can insert the remaining keystones into the window.
>>
No. 591055 ID: 2fd516

[@Red: Um, where is Mor'Kay? We have reached the end of the Vault.]

...wait a minute, this is where Blue is trying to enter. The ceiling is rusted. Get the hell out of here, Jericho!
>>
No. 591062 ID: 40935b

[scan everything]

Ah, see the ceiling? I'll bet that's blue's entrance. Prepare for the lost prince to crash in, mustache twirling, at the most inconvenient possible time. Or if you don't need to breathe, you could just collapse it on her head now.

[message red: I think Blue's planning on entering through the damaged ceiling.]

...Y'know, she's missing both her eyes. Don't underestimate her, she's probably still got some magical daemonic bullshit that'll make her a pain to fight. You've seen her fight before, so stay of of sword range and try to adapt.
>>
No. 591081 ID: 9443d1

Jer, remember that Justice might still be able to hear us and feed Akena what we're saying, even if it is at a whisper. If she takes actions to counter you that could only have come from what we've said then you're going to have to improvise.

Something is off here. Akena could have easily laid in wait next to the entrance and cut you to ribbons as soon as you stepped through, and yet she didn't. She wants you to come towards her for some reason, so use your magic to defend yourself, make her come more to you than you to her, and don't move in a straight line to where she is; Circle around if you can.

I think I see a possible reason for Akena to want you to come to her: The ceiling is heavily cracked all the way through about a third into the room from your side and also just past the Vault door. This must be the "rust" that Blue said he was going to break through to get to the Vault. That means he could be up there right now, waiting for the word to drop the ceiling on you, so avoid standing under those spots. But don't try to collapse the ceiling on Akena right away. I have a suspicion the underground lake is right above here and if it is then breaking through into it will flood this area with daemonic magic contaminated water, undead, and who knows what else was teleported in there. However, you can check if it's lake water by seeing if it's dirty and murky. If it isn't then it's most likely from one of the aquifers feeding the upper city pumps and you can try breaking the ceiling open as long as it's not near you.

You should mirror-check the room to make sure nobody else is hiding here, but I dunno if you have time for that before Akena reaches you to stike. If you don't then you might be able to throw a band of mirror-smooth ice along the back wall while fighting her so you and us can see in its reflection if anything is there.

We don't know how many of the powers Justice gave her she still retains down here or how strong they are, so you're going to have to test before she closes the distance to you. A strong ice or fire blast will see if the projectile and magic shield is still active and how powerful it is. And it probably goes without saying, but Summon the Spear of Light so you have a weapon with reach, but then throw it at her to test if she can intercept it and to see how fast she is. Also, if she somehow breaks the Spear then better to find that out at range then when close in and attacking or defending with it. You can also try placing ice barricades in her way as a test of how strong he is.

A good precaution to maybe slow Akena down is to glaze the floor in her path with glass-smooth ice that has a thin layer of water on top for maximum slickness; I say "maybe" 'cause she likely has a counter to that, but it's still worth a shot. And if it works you can cover most of the floor, using fire magic to flash melt the ice in your path to steam so you don't slip.

Even though Akena has no eyes now that doesn't mean she can't see or otherwise sense where you are. She almost certainly has some kind of daemonic extra sensory perception or some such since she could sense that Eliraz was behind her even though he was invisible. So treat her like she can still see or sense you until shown otherwise.

I think you might be able to weaponize the floating fire-in-ice globes you've made before. Make one and keep it the same small size but keep pouring more and more fire magic into it with equal ice magic to keep it from melting; That'll push the pressure inside up to tremendous levels. Then send it flying towards Akena from above and release the ice magic right before contact so it blows apart, peppering her with ice shards and an explosive blast of fire. And the beauty of this is if she hits the globe with her blades that'll just break it open, blowing it apart next to her.

I have a feeling the wall where you entered is solid now that you've passed through, but still check if it is with quick tap; We'll want to know if a tactical retreat is possible. Also, the wall behind Akena might have an illusion doorway as well but it'll be hard to get close enough to check with her in the way. But if you get close enough to spray it with weak ice needles or fireballs that'll show if it is. Or perhaps sending a flying ice globe to bounce off the wall over there would work better.

[@Rose: We've found that the lesser rune has been placed in the Vault door already and Mor'Kay is nowhere to be found. And there isn't another way in, so that means she must have come in from the front which means she's registered with the crypt defenses. So who's come down to the Vault corridor since Jericho came back up?]

>>591052
Toko, dude, could you please make at least one actionable suggestion for Jer in addition to the other stuff, okay.
>>
No. 591107 ID: 65a774
File 140897954352.png - (16.75KB , 900x450 , 68.png )
591107

>[scan everything]
[Demonic Creature (Hostile): Vengeance.]
[Demon (Neutral): Justice.]
[Neutral Creature (Hostile): Water Golem.]
>Summon the Spear of Light.
[Error! You do not have any power here.]
>[@Red: Um, where is Mor'Kay? We have reached the end of the Vault.]
[Red: We have reached some difficulties… an unaccounted pawn… do not worry, we will be there when it counts.]
>[@Rose: We've found that the lesser rune has been placed in the Vault door already and Mor'Kay is nowhere to be found. And there isn't another way in, so that means she must have come in from the front which means she's registered with the crypt defenses. So who's come down to the Vault corridor since Jericho came back up?]
[Rose: Just a few soldiers and mages… oh, and we might have a bit of a problem… the entrance to the vault has sealed and we can’t get it open. Artemis head became trapped on the other side… and Durach ran into the vault just before it closed, so expect him to show up soon…]

>Ignore the rune in the center, that's just the Lesser Rune.
…you mean the empty socket? It’s probably for the rune, yes, but it’s not the actual rune.
>So she's taking the keystones over your deer? Where's your deer at? I didn't even know you had one!
…over my dead body, not over my deer… what’s a deer anyway? It sounds smelly yet strangely delicious…
>That which has been undecided shall be determined, and new chances shall be given. Those who were lost will return. Death is not the end, just the beginning.
…that’s not ominous at all… hmm… you know, for being a thing that’s not supposed to be in this world, that knife sure does make a lot of appearances… I mean… that’s the second window it’s in, right? …and the prophecy book mentioned it too…
>Heh. See the ceiling? If you froze it, it'd collapse.
If only I should make her stand right under it for a while. There’s no way she won’t see it coming if I just collapse it on her.
>A good precaution to maybe slow Akena down is to glaze the floor in her path with glass-smooth ice that has a thin layer of water on top for maximum slickness.
…as long as I don’t need to move…
>You should mirror-check the room to make sure nobody else is hiding here.
I can’t see anything out of the ordinary…
:AkenaRUST: What are you doing? Don’t just stand there… Fight me!

>Ask her to take a look at the window, and tell her that represents Judgement.
:AkenaRUST:
:JerichoRUSTED: Err…
:AkenaRUST: Do it look like I can “look” at it!?
:JerichoRUSTED: Well, no, bu-
:AkenaRUST: I’m blind, you insensitive prick!
>...wait a minute, this is where Blue is trying to enter. The ceiling is rusted. Get the hell out of here, Jericho!
:JerichoRUSTED: -Off!
:AkenaRUST: …did you just walk into the wall?
:JerichoRUSTED: Well, yes, but… I came from there… how…
:AkenaRUST: I’m the one who is blind and you walk into the wall!? What are you? Stupid?
>Her good eye has been put out, most likely by the Test of Courage (even though it should be on the other side).
:JerichoRUSTED: …wait, wasn’t your good eye on the other side?
:AkenaRUST: Ha! I’m been blind a long time, you fool! One of my eyes simple looked a bit prettier! Then I simply sacrificed my “pretty” eye for more power!
:JerichoRUSTED: Err… that doesn’t explain why it keep changing si-
:AkenaRUST: A broken eye for demonic power… a fine deal, don’t you think? I can feel it course through me… changing me…
:JerichoRUSTED: …you still haven’t answered the q-
:AkenaRUST: And with this power of chaos, you slavers will finally burn!
:JerichoRUSTED: …never mind…

>Feel free to assault her at range.
*Clir!*
:AkenaRUST: You really think you can stop me by throwing an ice cube?
:JerichoRUSTED: Well, ye-
>>
No. 591108 ID: 65a774
File 140897956996.png - (16.65KB , 900x450 , 69.png )
591108

:JerichoRUSTED: (Holy crap, that was close! Luckily, I tripped on the ice I made on the floor, otherwise she would have taken my head clean off… she’s fast, I’ll give her that… damn fast…)
:AkenaRUST: …now, where did you go? Too bad I can’t hear you breathing… or your heartbeat… I know it would beat like crazy right now out of fear… come on… make a noise… anything…

Insert Be very, very quiet… I’m hunting Mummies_
>>
No. 591111 ID: 2fd516

>>591108
There's a hostile water golem up there.
Okay I see two things you could do here. One, collapse the ceiling now that she's under a damaged section of it. Two, distract her by manipulating ice somewhere to make it sound like you're over there, while simultaneously setting a trap for her. For instance, you could coat the dagger in ice and manipulate it like a missile.
>>
No. 591113 ID: 40935b

[bat mantis antenna like a cat toy]

Okay, don't make a sound. Like, don't even think too hard. It's isn't possible to block fire, the last time I checked, so you could use that to attack, and slide out of harms way simultaneously.

And be careful, Rose says the crypt gate is closed, and only Durach made it through.
>>
No. 591118 ID: d8a627

>It sounds smelly yet strangely delicious…
Indeed. It's a four-legged mammal with dull horns sticking out of its head, quite easily frightened, would rather run than fight, unless it's a male encountering another male (They like to fight each other)... The meat is certainly bad smelling, but quite delicious!
[Message Rose: Two Daemons scanned. Justice, who we know is with Akena, and Vengeance, who we will assume is with Blue. We also scanned a water golem, and the ceiling to the vault room is cracked. While we only see Akena and Jericho, I believe it is safe to assume that Vengeance (Eliros) and the water golem are up there.
Red mentioned an unaccounted-for pawn causing trouble. We do not see Mor'Kay on the scan, so it can not be Eliros, which leads me to assume Blue has another pawn up there in Mor'Kay's path.]
Jericho, I believe that Eliros is up there above the cracked ceiling, but nevermind that for a bit.
She wants noise, give her noise. Have a bunch of small ice shards start popping against a wall where you aren't at. Take advantage of her blindness. It would normally be quite mean, but she is a Daemon's pawn, so it's excusable here.
>>
No. 591120 ID: 9443d1

Goddammit, that save relied way more on dumb luck than I'm comfortable with... Okay, so you're in yet another situation where not having a pulse works out in your favor. Man, you being undead has saved both our asses so many times. Anyway, hold absolutely still and don't make any noise with your body; Not even a twitch. We don't know how good her hearing is, but I don't want to chance even the faintest noise coming from you.

Man, the iced floor isn't even slowing her down or tripping her up; The damn demonic powers of speed probably has a levitation component or something to counter such tricks as that. But we did find something out from you shooting that ice at her: She doesn't have her projectile and magic shield any more; She deflected that ice with just her swords, speed and strength. So if you get the opportunity try hitting her with a stream of fire; Preferably split into multiple streams bent around to hit her from multiple angles. Oh, and it also appears Justice isn't overhearing what we're saying, so we can speak freely to you for now.

Rose says the way to the Vault has sealed with Artemis' head trapped on this side and they can't get it open, so we. But she also said Durach arrived just in time to slip through before it closed. He probably has the two keystones and I hope he has the Spear of Light, 'cause we can't summon it in here; Probably 'cause it's daemonic in origin and signature and this place muffles daemonic power.

>…you mean the empty socket? It’s probably for the rune, yes, but it’s not the actual rune.
So that means Mor'Kay hasn't gotten in here yet. But assuming the Greater Rune doesn't make the keystones glow, that means she's close by; Within 25 meters. And I'd bet those 25 meters are straight up above us.

[Echo last scan output to "The Pebble"] So Akena has gone from the "Avatar of Justice" to just "Vengeance?" That's interesting because isn't vengeance supposed to be the opposite of or corrupted justice? And Justice is a neutral demon? That's very interesting 'cause it shows he's not total "RAR, I KILL YOU!" And the hostile water golem would be Eliros' doing. I'd guess it's in the ceiling, working its way into the cracks, pushing them apart, and waiting for Eliros to freeze it solid so the water expansion breaks the ceiling open.

Do you think you could form one of those levitating ice spheres silently? 'Cause if you can, then do you remember the steam whistle you made? 'Cause I'm thinking you can make it into the loudest steam whistle possible to deafen her. Form the sphere, get it up high enough over her that it's out of reach, then crank it up to ear-splitting levels and move it around up there as fast as you can. Hopefully that'll cover the noise from your movements until she destroys it.

I see your feet and tail are in contact with the ice that Akena is standing on, so can you use that to channel your ice magic through it? 'Cause if you can, you could make the ice crack just ahead of her to get her to position right under the weak spot in the ceiling, then form thick ice up her legs as quick as you can to immobilize her and keep reforming the ice as she breaks it. That'll give you a chance to scramble away, but make sure to form a rod of ice out from the patch she's on as you go so you can keep in contact with it. And throw some movement hazards up from the ice patch under her as well for her to possibly trip over if she moves towards you, such as spikes, low walls at foot height and maybe some higher walls.

If you can get her held under the cracked ceiling long enough for you to get back a bit, then you can throw out a thin line of ice from yourself to touch the water in the cracks above her and flash freeze it to ice. The expansion ought to break the ceiling open, dropping it on her. Though, do you think you could quickly and silently create a trail of ice up the wall to the ceiling over her? 'Cause if you could, then you could reach through that and flash freeze the ceiling water before she moves without making any other noise at all.

And do you still have a mental "grip" on that ice chunk you threw at Akena? 'Cause if you don't, and it hasn't embedded itself in the ceiling, then you might have to get out of the way if it falls down towards you and doesn't bounce off the ceiling and spin off. But if you do still have a hold on it, then you could maneuver it over to drop on Akena's head or throw it as a distraction.

And remember how you created that ice slide last night? You can use something like that to push yourself along faster than you can run, especially on the ice, and even elevate yourself up to the ceiling. If you get up there then you can form a ice slide from the water from the ceiling to keep moving yourself around up there and keep out of Akena's reach.

[@Rose: Tell Durach that when he reaches the tall stone marker with the writing on it just past the "XIX" window that there's a illusion'd doorway in the wall on the inside curve just to the right of it that leads to the chamber just outside the Vault where Jericho and Akena are fighting. However, he should NOT enter right away; Moving through the wall is one-way. If he comes in he'll be trapped in here with Akena and he won't stand a chance against her demonic fighting powers, especially with the way the floor is iced up. Instead, when he reaches the stone marker have him ready to throw the Spear of Light (which I assume he still has) through the illusion'd doorway and then alert us that he's in position. We'll try to get Akena into the best spot he can hit her, then tell you to tell him to throw as hard as he can. We'll tell you after if it's safe for him to enter or not.]

[@Rose: Ignore what we said about the lesser rune already being in the Vault door; We mistook the slot for the rune itself. Our bad vision strikes again. So that means Mor'Kay hasn't gotten in here yet, but going by the keystone glow she's real close; Within 25 meters of the Vault door. Well, that is if the Greater Rune isn't making the keystone glow as well.]

[@Red: I really hope you'll make it here soon, 'cause Jer was just saved from being beheaded right at the start of the fight with Akena by sheer luck. I doubt we're going to get that lucky again soon.]
>>
No. 591126 ID: d8a627

>Oh, and it also appears Justice isn't overhearing what we're saying
I think Justice can hear us, he's just not communicating with Akena. We wants to talk, after all, while she wants to fight.
>So Akena has gone from the "Avatar of Justice" to just "Vengeance?"
Oh, Demonic Creature. Okay yeah, my bad. Redact those second demon mentions.
>>
No. 591133 ID: 65a774
File 140899480981.png - (18.28KB , 900x450 , 70.png )
591133

>[@Rose: Tell Durach that when he reaches-]
[Rose: I’m sorry, but I can’t contact any pawns that’s inside the vault…]
>[Red mentioned an unaccounted-for pawn causing trouble. We do not see Mor'Kay on the scan, so it cannot be Eliros, which leads me to assume Blue has another pawn up there in Mor'Kay's path.]
[Rose: That’s weird… the only people down there are Durach and Artemis? Every last guard was brought up and is accounted for, including the dead.]
>[@Red: I really hope you'll make it here soon, 'cause Jer was just saved from being beheaded right at the start of the fight with Akena by sheer luck. I doubt we're going to get that lucky again soon.]
[Red: My apologies, but the vault doesn’t seem to like when more than one player is trying to get through, it seems.]

>[Echo last scan output to "The Pebble"] So Akena has gone from the "Avatar of Justice" to just "Vengeance?" That's interesting because isn't vengeance supposed to be the opposite of or corrupted justice?
…wait, so you’re saying she is corrupting Justice and not the other way around!?
>And Justice is a neutral demon? That's very interesting 'cause it shows he's not total "RAR, I KILL YOU!"
Well, he did say he wanted to talk…
>There's a hostile water golem up there.
Great…
>Okay, don't make a sound. Like, don't even think too hard.
…suddenly my snout started itching… which should be impossible…
>It's isn't possible to block fire, the last time I checked, so you could use that to attack, and slide out of harm’s way simultaneously.
Yeah… or a crazed mantis THAT IS ON FIRE will cut me down as soon as I move…
>You could coat the dagger in ice and manipulate it like a missile.
While I should be able to do so, she’s already deflected a far faster, more mobile missile without problem.
>Do you think you could form one of those levitating ice spheres silently? 'Cause if you can, then do you remember the steam whistle you made?
If she wants noise, then let us give her some!

*EEEEEEEEEE*
:AkenaRUST: AAAH!! WHAT IS TH-
>>
No. 591134 ID: 65a774
File 140899482801.png - (18.07KB , 900x450 , 71.png )
591134

*Crunch*
:ElirosRUST: Why, thank you, Jeticho, fot btinging me down hete. I do appteciate the gestute… mmm… yes…
:JerichoRUSTED: …wait, you’re showing your gratefulness by freezing me in place?
:ElirosRUST: You wete alteady wet and I need you to sit still for but a moment, so I thought to myself, let me show you how a ttue mastet of watet does it, yes?
:JerichoRUSTED: …and I’m almost out of magic juice… this is not good…
:ElirosRUST: Oh, stop with the melodtama, I’m just hete to talk… for now… We are both people of the desett, are we not? Not like those up thete, in the city, living behind theit walls build by our btoken backs. I have wondeted how you, a slave youtself, can side with them? Why have you abandoned yout own people? I simply wish to ftee the slaves and abolish the false thtone of Setath! Do you not wish for freedom of yout own people too? I have a ptoposition for you… open the gate and let me in, and I’ll spate those that you love up thete… that’s why you joined theit side, no? Love?

Insert T t t t t t t_
>>
No. 591139 ID: 2fd516

>>591134
This is some kind of boss rush...

Tell him you're working peacefully to free everyone. He's the slave here, doing Blue's fanatical bidding without questioning its goals. AI Players are selfish. No matter what they say they want, they are always serving their own goals, in a pattern determined by their behavior type. Tell him to cast down Blue and work with you to save his people, rather than continue this bloodshed. If he claims we, Teal, are the same, then just tell him we're not an AI like the other Players. Also it's not like we can open the gate anyway, we don't have the lesser rune.

Hmm, it looks like Blue has water powers, not just ice powers- Eliros took on some sort of water form earlier. Makes me wonder if Red has more than fire powers, as well. What's the opposite of water? Anyway, um... it's hard to kill water, so I'm not sure what you can do here. Maybe freeze the water golem then burst it by flash-boiling its insides? You'd have to use the dagger against Esiros because he can switch between water and flesh, and the two forms have different weaknesses aside from the dagger.
[scan everything, echo to Jericho]
[@Red, Rose: Akena is down. Now Eliros showed up. He can turn into water, is a powerful ice mage, and has a water golem on his side. Tough foe. Red, Blue has both ice and water powers. You have fire and... what?]
>>
No. 591141 ID: 40935b

I'm suddenly wishing Akena weren't quite dead yet.

>bla bla Why have you abandoned yout own people
Antipode mage, remember? You've got both Serath and nomad blood, everyone in the desert is your people.

Y'know, I'd like to say a long-ass treatise on why you have to fight the daemons and blue is corrupted stooge, but Eliros is probably half corrupted and half blinded by ideology, so I'd be wasting my time. If you can't slip your bonds, stall him. Push him to go on a tirade, tell him you really are on his side, anything. Buy enough time to regain magical energy.
>>
No. 591146 ID: d8a627

[Message Group: Eliros is so powerful with Ice Magic he can convert his entire body into water or ice. I think his method of movement--spider leg ice golem--is because he lost his sense of touch, and requires a water or ice form to feel anything. That, or he has enough trouble keeping his top half solid.]
>Blue has both ice and water powers.
No he doesn't. Blue only has Ice. The fire in the ice sphere was Jericho's spell.
>>
No. 591168 ID: 2fd516

>>591146
There's no such thing as a water mage. It must be Blue's power.
>>
No. 591219 ID: 65a774
File 140906374956.png - (18.44KB , 900x450 , 72.png )
591219

>[scan everything, echo to Jericho]
["The Conqueror" belongs to player Blue!]
[Demon (Neutral): Justice.]
[Neutral Creature (Hostile): Water Golem.]

>[@Red, Rose: Akena is down. Now Eliros showed up. He can turn into water, is a powerful ice mage, and has a water golem on his side. Tough foe. Red, Blue has both ice and water powers. You have fire and... what?]
[Rose: Diplomacy and charisma.]
[Red: My charming personality? …and I do believe ice and water is under the same school of magic, as both would be hydromancy in origin. The only difference is heat, remember?]
>[Message Group: Eliros is so powerful with Ice Magic he can convert his entire body into water or ice. I think his method of movement--spider leg ice golem--is because he lost his sense of touch, and requires a water or ice form to feel anything. That, or he has enough trouble keeping his top half solid.]
[Rose: The reason he got those golem legs is because we crippled him before we exiled him all those years ago. His back is broken, so anything under his waist doesn’t work anymore.]

>Buy enough time to regain magical energy.
Err… that would take a whole day! There’s no way I can stall him that long!
>Hmm, it looks like Blue has water powers, not just ice powers.
…I do know water and Ice is supposed to be the same element, but as far as I know, only the greatest of Shamans in legends and myths have ever master it… of course, I’m far from the most reliable source concerning the subject…

>Antipode mage, remember? You've got both Serath and nomad blood, everyone in the desert is your people.
:JerichoRUSTED: I’m not betraying my people… I’m trying to unite both of my people… only through unity can we truly know peace and prosperity…
:ElirosRUST: You ate a naïve fool if you believe our people can be united.
:JerichoRUSTED: But that is our only hope. Do you think the nomads can tend to the farms? Tend to the forges? Tend to the wells? The only thing they know is how to live of the land and take what others own… and if there is nothing left to take…
:ElirosRUST: They can leatn.
:JerichoRUSTED: Learn from who? Who will teach them?
:ElirosRUST:

>Tell him you're working peacefully to free everyone. He's the slave here, doing Blue's fanatical bidding without questioning its goals.
:ElirosRUST: Slave? I’m trying to ftee our btethten!
:JerichoRUSTED: and so am I, only I seek it through talk instead of bloodshed. You’re being led astray by blue’s ideals.
:ElirosRUST: No, you simply can’t see what needs to be done!
>AI Players are selfish. No matter what they say they want, they are always serving their own goals, in a pattern determined by their behavior type. Tell him to cast down Blue and work with you to save his people, rather than continue this bloodshed.
:JerichoRUSTED: If you truly believe in saving our people, then we need to work together for peace and not more bloodshed! Only through forgives and acceptance can we build a bright future! Hatred will only poison it more!
:ElirosRUST: Ha! Why would I fotgive them for what they have done to me? Just so I can see my idiotic sistet lead the countty to tuin!?
:JerichoRUSTED: …wait, this isn’t... this is about the throne, isn’t? It’s never been about the people, has it!? You just want power and when you were denied the throne you simply switched side!
:ElirosRUST: …that’s not- shut up, Blue! He’s lying, do you not see it!? SHUT UP!!!

Insert Enemy within_
>>
No. 591226 ID: 2fd516

>>591219
Oh, wait. I see one possibility. If you get Blue pissed off enough, he'll kill his own king.

Tell him he's just trying to get revenge for what his family did to him. It's not that surprising, considering he's half the man he used to be. Hell, he can't even continue the family line, nothing below the waist works anymore!

Durach, be careful. The daemon is still present, and Eliros is dangerous.
>>
No. 591228 ID: 40935b

> He’s lying, do you not see it!?
As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistinguishable from the evil they set out to destroy.

You sold the owners of that mine into slavery yourself, didn't you? 'For the war effort'? You left the Serath, but you're still as ambitious as ever.
>>
No. 591230 ID: d8a627

>The reason he got those golem legs is because we crippled him before we exiled him
[Message Rose: I would think a person who could turn their body into water could fix their spine and nerves... But maybe he hasn't thought of that, or it's more difficult than I'm guessing. Either way, he relies on spider legs.]
Careful, Durach, that water golem scans as hostile. If Eliros loses focus, it may attack you.
We're attempting to free Blue from Daemonic posession, but Eliros will be our enemy with or without Blue. Freeing Blue involves killing him so that he can be reborn in about a day's time.
However, at the same time, Justice, the Daemon, has asked to talk, and has not taken the chance as of yet. It appears that all of his pawns are quite malevolent.
>could you please make at least one actionable suggestion for Jer in addition to the other stuff
There are times when acceptable courses of action are either beyond my thought, or have been brought up by others. I honestly don't know what would be a good course of action during these fights.
>>
No. 591235 ID: 9443d1

Jer, tell Eliros his relentless espousing of Blue's position of immediately abolishing slavery once he was in power and failure to listen to Leanah's teachings and warnings that it would rip the nation apart and lead to the downfall of the Drah'kon family was what tipped the choice of succession to Elizah. Doesn't he see? Blue's extreme ideals are what cost him the throne in the first place! Maybe saying all that get Eliros even more against Blue and distract him.

Durach, you're going to have to hit Eliros with the Spear while he's distracted, but the floor is iced so can't just run up so you're going to have to throw the Spear. Aim for the head and make it count. And if you haven't stepped all the way through the wall, don't; You won't be able to go back once through.

Jer, be ready to use what magic you have left to ice that water solid, or at least partially solid, if it makes a move.
>>
No. 591237 ID: 65a774
File 140907790403.png - (19.11KB , 900x450 , 73.png )
591237

>[Message Rose: I would think a person who could turn their body into water could fix their spine and nerves... But maybe he hasn't thought of that, or it's more difficult than I'm guessing. Either way, he relies on spider legs.]
[Just because he can liquefy his body, doesn’t mean he can change it or know how it actually works.]

>Oh, wait. I see one possibility. If you get Blue pissed off enough, he'll kill his own king.
Hmmm… if anything, their arguing will probably distract him…

>Tell him he's just trying to get revenge for what his family did to him.
:ElirosRUST: Revenge? I want justice!
:JerichoRUSTED: This isn’t Justice! Killing of innocent is never justice! You’re just a maniac who wants to sate his bloodlust!
:ElirosRUST: They aren’t innocent! They are slavers!
:JerichoRUSTED: Even the children and the poor?
:ElirosRUST: THEY ALL DARED TO DEFINE ME! THEY MUST BURN! NO! SHUT UP BLUE!!
>Hell, he can't even continue the family line, nothing below the waist works anymore!
:ElirosRUST: What does that have to do with anything!? Just because my blood can’t rule doesn’t mean I can take an apprentice.
>As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistinguishable from the evil they set out to destroy.
:ElirosRUST: Fight fire with fire!
:JerichoRUSTED: The only thing you’ve done is creating an even bigger fire. Tell me, is life any better for the nomads now than when you started?
:ElirosRUST: It will become better! Under my rule it will be! …what do you mean, you don’t- We had a deal, Blue! I had your word!!
>You sold the owners of that mine into slavery yourself, didn't you? 'For the war effort'? You left the Serath, but you're still as ambitious as ever.
:ElirosRUST: That wasn’t me! That was that blasted Shaman who-
:DurachRUST: *Cough* I do believe I was the one who set them free instead of burning them alive?
:ElirosRUST: Durach! How dare you even… that… that spear… I know that spear… it’s… it’s a spear which only affect demons, is it not? …no, blue… no need to worry… it will only kill those tainted! We are clean! I would never even consider letting demon taint get near my beautiful temple… no… there’s no need to worry… but… you… Durach… you are not welcome here… This is my kingdom and I sentence you to death for daring to defy me! …SHUT UP BLUE! I DO WHAT I WANT!!
>Tell Eliros his relentless espousing of Blue's position of immediately abolishing slavery once he was in power and failure to listen to Leanah's teachings and warnings that it would rip the nation apart and lead to the downfall of the Drah'kon family was what tipped the choice of succession to Elizah. Doesn't he see? Blue's extreme ideals are what cost him the throne in the first place!
:ElirosRUST: WHAT!? HOW… NO! I WON’T ACCAPT THIS! …LIES!? NO, YOU’RE T-

*Speared!*

:ElirosRUST: *Gasp* B-but… only… tainted… monsters?
>>
No. 591238 ID: 65a774
File 140907791770.png - (17.14KB , 900x450 , 74.png )
591238

[Player Teal have defeated Player Blue!]
*Thump*
:DurachRUST: There, it has been done.
:JerichoRUSTED: …wait… who are you?
:DurachRUST:

Insert Reunion_
>>
No. 591241 ID: 66f45a

He is Durach, "The Shaman",one of ours. Also
HE IS YOUR FATHER? SEARCH YOUR FEELINGS, YOU KNOW IT TO BE TRUE!
Sorry, just had to
>>
No. 591243 ID: 40935b

>only… tainted… monsters?
No Eliros, you are the monsters.

BAM. Had to do that again.

Jericho, meet Durach, your father- a shaman and leader of the nomadic tribes. Durach, meet Jericho- an accomplished mage of many honorary titles. Seriosuly, I didn't think it was possible to hold the titles of duke, lord and knight simultaneously, but I digress. It appears there are no more problems popping up that require us to act as firemen, so you've got time to catch up.
>>
No. 591244 ID: 2fd516

>>591238
Jericho, that's Durach, your father. Or your mother, disguised as him.
[scan "Durach", echo to Jericho]

Also, um, guys, Justice is still here. Check with a mirror to see where he is. Use dagger if appropriate, but he does seem to want to talk. Not sure how we'd do that though.
[check corruption of those present]
>>
No. 591247 ID: d8a627

[Message Group: Blue has been defeated. Rose, please keep a look out for his return. He should be neutral now, as Gray was, and any of his memories should be from before Eliros staged the coup. Red, now that there's only one player at the vault, has the passage opened up for you?]
> Or your mother, disguised as him.
...That is possible the most paranoid thought I have ever seen, but then again, we did not see him get our messages...?
[Check status of The Shaman, echo to Jericho]
Just to double-check things.
>>
No. 591249 ID: 65a774
File 140908341778.png - (18.89KB , 900x450 , 75.png )
591249

>[scan "Durach", echo to Jericho]
[“The Shaman” Status: Happy.]
>[check corruption of those present]
[“The Pebble” is 100% corrupted by “The Jailor”! “The Jailor” has yet to take control over “The Pebble!”]
[“The Shaman” is 12% corrupted by “Justice”!]

>Jericho, meet Durach, your father- a shaman and leader of the nomadic tribes. Durach, meet Jericho…
:JerichoRUSTED: …Father?
:DurachRUST: …Jericho…
:JerichoRUSTED: Father, I… I… I don’t know what to… s-say…
:DurachRUST: …there’s no need for words, my son… here, co- …
:JerichoRUSTED: FATHER!? What happened!?
:ElirosRUST: There is no need to be worried about his well-being, Jericho… he is safe… his survival is crucial if the tribes shall be free!
:JerichoRUSTED: Wh- Justice?
:ElirosRUST: Indeed… I am Justice! And I’m here to free the tribes!
:JerichoRUSTED: Oh, great… another Eliros…
:ElirosRUST: No need to be snide, Jericho… I’m simply here to ask for your aid.
:JerichoRUSTED: My aid?
:ElirosRUST: We both seek the same goal… the seal the demon realm and save our people from slavery… and we both can find it in our hearts to forgive those that has done it to us… we’re so much alike, are we not?
:JerichoRUSTED: …you’re a lot less “MURDER THEM ALL” then I imagined.
:ElirosRUST: Just as our presence corrupt you and drive you to madness, your presence do the same to us. When Akena accepted me into her body when I first escaped to this realm, her lust for vengeance slowly twisted my mind into hatred and anger… but now, now I can see clearly again thanks to your aid… at least for the moment…
:JerichoRUSTED: Err… you’re welcome?
:ElirosRUST: But enough pleasantry, I’m here to discuss the future. If you aid me in getting the Grand Rune, both your people will be spared… as long as they can abolish slavery in the next 100 years… that is much more than the Jailor is willing to give you.
:JerichoRUSTED: …why would I ever believe you?
:ElirosRUST: You only need to know who’s the safest bet… me, who is fighting for his freedom, or the Jailor, who is fighting so his corrupt lords can gorge themselves on your misery. You know how much he despise your kind, how much he hates you… and you know he’s cleansed the world with fire more than once after he’s taken enough of you to feed him and his masters. Even now, he’s trying to take control of you, to make you into a puppet… so tell me… who’s the one who’s the most trustworthy?

Insert Justice used TEXT! Jericho fell asleep!_
>>
No. 591251 ID: 40935b

Oh shit, Jericho you're 100% corrupted by Jailor. Justice, can you do anything?

Alright Justice, make your case. Why should we trust you, the one who just destroyed a weapon given to us by light bringer, who we do trust, and why we shouldn't trust- come to think of it, we really don't trust Jailor at all anyway. He's lied to us before and is unhelpful and snide. We only really aligned ourselves with him by association to light bringer.

It sounds like Jailor is going to betray light bringer, or take over once he becomes mortal, in either case we could just warn Steve. We were planning on freeing the slaves either way, but I'm still hesitant to give you the rune.
>>
No. 591252 ID: 117f2d

...So this is kind of massively annoying.
I'm looking at this, and from what I can tell...
If we say yes to aligning with Justice, Jailor might very well break our King.
We say yes to Jailor...And we're staring down a Demon with only a dagger...
Or maybe that's the point. Whoever we side against we need to stab, and now.
>>
No. 591253 ID: 2fd516

>>591249
Bullshit. More fucking illusions and lies. According to our data, you're already 100% corrupted by the Jailor, Jericho. If that's correct, and he wanted to use you as a puppet, you would already be one. So our data is wrong, manipulated by Justice, and it doesn't make any sense anyway because the Jailor isn't HERE. Plus, he's still holding everyone hostage to try to get to the Grand Rune. Jericho, he just destroyed the spear and is trying to take the dagger behind you, so grab it with ice to retrieve it and knife that daemon.

To answer his question, NO DAEMON IS TRUSTWORTHY!
>>
No. 591254 ID: 2fd516

Ah, I should preemptively:
[scan everything]
[check corruption levels, of us and those present]
>>
No. 591259 ID: 65a774
File 140909405597.png - (18.67KB , 900x450 , 76.png )
591259

>[scan everything]
[ERROR!]
>[check corruption levels, of us and those present]
[ERROR!]

>Jericho, he just destroyed the spear and is trying to take the dagger behind you, so grab it with ice to retrieve it and knife that daemon.
:JerichoRUSTED: NO DAEMON IS TRUSTWOR- Dammit, give me back my knife!
:ElirosRUST: No mortal is trustworthy either, it seems… your kind has already betrayed us in both the future and the past…
:JerichoRUSTED: You can’t really judge someone for the deeds of their ancestors…
:ElirosRUST: Ancestors? You’re the one, Jericho, who betrays us… or more like Teal…
:JerichoRUSTED: …how?
:ElirosRUST: The jailor and his lackeys can’t take the starvation you inflect on them and forget… but we who are used to starve remember. You completely destroy the gate between our worlds, leaving us to starve forever… while you leave this world to slowly die. But no matter… I am willing to take the chance of your betrayal… this time I will be ready for you…

>If we say yes to aligning with Justice, Jailor might very well break our King. We say yes to Jailor...And we're staring down a Demon with only a dagger...
:ElirosRUST: Jailor can’t do anything to you down here… Indeed, I’m holding all the cards, aren’t I? Even so, I have to say I’m rather generous, willing to overlook the Serath crimes and give them a chance of redemption.
>According to our data, you're already 100% corrupted by the Jailor, Jericho. If that's correct, and he wanted to use you as a puppet, you would already be one.
:ElirosRUST: As I said, he can’t control you down here… it’s just a futile gesture.
:JerichoRUSTED: …wait, then why… you can’t corrupt me as long as he’s corrupting me, can you?
:ElirosRUST:
:JerichoRUSTED: That’s what he’s doing! He’s protecting me from you.
>Alright Justice, make your case.
:ElirosRUST: As I said, your city will be spared, your people will be free and so will mine. Slavery will be abolished everywhere. But if you say no… well, as the crypt is closed and there’s no one who is alive down here except for Durach, so there’s really no choice for you. If you say no we’ll either just wait until Jailor losses his grip on you or I’ll just kill you and use Durach instead… now, what do you say… all you have to do is sign this contract… it’s just to make sure you won’t betray me… again…
:JerichoRUSTED: …hmm… “-obliged to bring the Grand Rune of fire-“ “-Serath nation will be spared-“ “-only if slavery is abolish within 100 years.” …no fine print?
:ElirosRUST: I’m a man of my word…

…stall him…
:ElirosRUST: …did you hear something?
:JerichoRUSTED: No?

Insert Just sign here, here and here with your blood…_
>>
No. 591264 ID: 40935b

>As I said-
No you pompous ass, why should we even listen to you. You barged in here and started talking about shit we supposedly did but don't remember, shit we supposedly will do but don't plan on doing, and act like it all means we owe you something for 'overlooking our crimes'.

Where. Is. The. Proof. We have our doubts about Jailor. Can you confirm them, or are you wasting our time? Why should we let you animals out of your cages? Why does destroying the gates end the world?
>>
No. 591266 ID: 26d79f

>>591259
Well if we're going to sign something we need something to sign with first. And as royalty we will not do with such things as "signing in blood". Ask for the finest pen that he can offer us right now.

Failing that, ask questions. What happens if we DO betray you, accidentally or not? Are we bound to help you whenever you need it if we sign this? What is your personal relationships with the other demons? What is your favorite kind of pastry? Do I look pretty?
>>
No. 591268 ID: 2fd516

>>591259
I didn't hear anything except your jabbering mouth. You say "abolished everywhere" but we don't have the power to do that. There are other worlds beyond this one that likely have slaves. Do you expect us to abolish slavery there too? If the contract didn't have anything about the rune on it, and it was just about abolishing slavery in Serath, then I'd sign it, because then it'd just be exchanging slavery for peace. How do we know he's going to live up to his end of the bargain though? What's so special about this contract that we even need to sign it? Doesn't he need Elizah to sign it, anyway? Jericho isn't the sultan. If Elizah decides 100 years is too soon, then we can't do shit.

As for us destroying the gate, we know that we've played this game multiple times. Sometimes we side with the rebel demons, sometimes we side with the slaver demons, sometimes we do something that causes the world to slowly decay. If we outright destroy the gate, what happens to the people of the world? Do the Players still take advantage of the chaos to wage war? Also, you said we "know" that the Jailor hates mortals. What gave you that idea? We know he thinks mortals are kindof pathetic, but he's forming respect for Jericho. Why do you think we "know" the Jailor has cleansed the world with fire? I've never heard anything about that before.

It would be a great show of faith for him to let go of Durach. It's not like Durach can harm him in any way.
>>
No. 591271 ID: ccd544

>>591259
>"I’m a man of my word… "
"Are you speaking for yourself, or Justice?"

"Also, since this IS a contract, and since we do have the time, I'm going to rewrite a few sections to close obvious discrepancies before I sign off on this contract."

You DO know that contracts can be altered by either party, and must be re-signed by both parties after every edit, right?

The exception is when the signing is explicitly implied, such as rewriting a contract for a credit account with a bank before signing the contract; then when the bank gives you a credit account that counts as explicit agreement to the contract, as the purpose of the contract was the provision of a credit account.

This isn't legal bullshit, just common sense.
Legal bullshitting is when writing your name as "John Smith" and as "JOHN SMITH" counting as different people in legal proceedings. Which is a thing that happens!
>>
No. 591272 ID: ccd544

To mark down edits, scratch out or bracket out words, and give them numbers or symbols that link to a definition on the backside of the contract for each markout.

Alternatively, you can be dramatic and use magic to etch/freeze the contract into/onto the stone walls!
>>
No. 591277 ID: d8a627

Serathian slavery can likely be abolished in a hundred years, but the rest of the world? The worlds outside? We've encountered the Sakkil, the new race of reptilian "Gods," and they believe themselves superior to all others. They have likely taken slaves from the other species, and the other species have taken them for slaves.
Man, Justice, don't you get it? We barely have enough influence here, in the Gods' game, what influence do you expect us to have outside the game?
>>
No. 591329 ID: 9443d1

Justice, what is it that will actually bind you and us to the terms of this contract? Since we don't have a court of law or higher authority to enforce the contract I assume there is more going on with it then mere ink and parchment, correct? What will signing it do? And how will this contract protect us if you get corrupted by another like Akena and go off on a rampage?

Alright, lets get some clarifications in on this contract so it doesn't have any vague language or loopholes, starting with defining the years and dates used as those of the Serathian calendar. Get the when, where, and how of the delivery of the Great Rune of Fire written in. Define a short grace period after signing the contract wherein we're protected by the terms before we deliver the Rune. Redefine the "Serath nation" to be all the land within the borders of the Serath, be it desert or jungle, and whether there is a nation within them or not and that all the people within those borders are to be spared. Define "spared" as no action shall be taken by Justice, AKA The Dark One, all his subordinates, his allies and all their subordinates to harm, kill, or alter the minds and bodies of any within the borders; We're not leaving a loophole for his allies to attack us. Define the exact territory in which slavery is to be abolished within 100 years; Is it within the borders of the "Serath nation" or the entire world? 'Cause the whole world is going to be a tall order. And it better not be the entirety of the universe 'cause that's setting us up for failure. Justice should sign and date the contract before Jericho and we'll also want a copy of the final signed contract.

Justice, I gotta ask: Why would we destroy the gate to the Daemon Realm knowing full well that it'd mean the slow death of this world? How slow is this "slow death" and how does the destruction of the gate cause it? And what could possibly bring us to do such a horrendous thing when we've wanted so much to save this world? It just doesn't sound like something we would do on purpose.
>>
No. 591354 ID: 9443d1

When you said you fled to this world, did you mean you actually severed the connection to your daemon body and are now totally on this side? Is that how you're doing what you're doing now in a place that supposedly cuts off outside powers from daemons? All of you is down here and working from what energy reserves you brought in?

You're wrong when you say that we know how much The Jailor despises our kind and that he's cleansed the world with fire more than once after taking enough of us to feed him and his masters; We don't know that. All we have is your word he'll do that, which in this case we can't trust since you were trying to convince us to join your side. But also, when you say he'll take enough of us to feed him and his masters, what exactly are you talking about? Is he going to enact a plan similar to the rebels and turn a significant chunk of the world population into mindless undead to be placed in Undead Energy Source tanks and carried through the gate to the Daemon Realm then seal the gate once they're through?

I also think that The Jailor wouldn't scour the world in fire just 'cause he hates mortals and the players. I'd guess it would be an action to keep any emotional energy getting into the Daemon Realm that doesn't come from the tanked mindless undead the oppressors would control. Or it could be The Jailor gets corrupted and goes mad like what happened with you and Akena, twisting and amplifying his ego and general distaste for us. Or it could be both.

And Justice, you know how after the victory of your oppressors or the rebel daemons or the destruction of the gate you can't see any farther into the future; That is just cuts off and loops back around to a point in time just a few days ago? A point in time that just happens to roughly be when we first came to Jericho? Well, that's us; We're the ones reverting everything back to that point in time, including our memories, but the daemons remember and so does the World itself. So this means that in all of the cycles we've gone through we have found the outcome unacceptable in some way and gone back to try again. So us following the same ways as before, to the same three possible futures, will always end in us reverting the world. The only way out is to find a fourth way and do something that hasn't been done before.

Perhaps the only way out is reconciliation between the rebels and the oppressors, since either side winning seems to always have some unacceptable outcome for us. I see it as the oppressors are continuing to be the oppressors when they could bring in enough of those Undead Energy Sources to feed all the daemons 'cause they firmly believe the ones oppressed would immediately rise up and destroy them for all the oppression. So if the rebels can bring themselves to let go of the anger and not enact retribution on their oppressors, then a big reason for the oppressors to oppress would go away.
>>
No. 591356 ID: 65a774
File 140915322547.png - (18.12KB , 900x450 , 77.png )
591356

>"Are you speaking for yourself, or Justice?"
:ElirosRUST: There’s only justice here, nothing else.
>Well if we're going to sign something we need something to sign with first. And as royalty we will not do with such things as "signing in blood". Ask for the finest pen that he can offer us right now.
:ElirosRUST: You got a pen right there? What, do you want it to be made out of gold and fitted with jewels, princess?
:JerichoRUSTED: Um… no, it’s good…
>Where. Is. The. Proof. We have our doubts about Jailor. Can you confirm them, or are you wasting our time?
:ElirosRUST: …I cannot give you any solid proof, but I can give you a lead on the truth. Most of the knowledge of this word is tainted by their hands, but there is one place that’s still left untouched. Deep in the Amun Empire, hidden in a labyrinth of catacombs beneath a fortress build by the gods, there is a place where we have no power… a place housing books, knowledge, wisdom and truth. There you will find the answers you seek.
:JerichoRUSTED: …that doesn’t really help me decide right now, does it?
:ElirosRUST: But that is all I have to give.
>Serathian slavery can likely be abolished in a hundred years, but the rest of the world?
:ElirosRUST: All I ask for you is for the Serath to do so. The rest will follow.
>The worlds outside?
:ElirosRUST: Outside?
:JerichoRUSTED: The worlds beyond the stars…
:ElirosRUST: Hmm… so many worlds… it would be an impossibility… but… just because it’s impossible doesn’t mean we can’t try. You try to live everyday even when you’re destined to die, no? Even if we can’t succeed completely, we can make a difference.

>What's so special about this contract that we even need to sign it? Doesn't he need Elizah to sign it, anyway?
:ElirosRUST: It’s magically bound to force you and me to uphold it. You will get me the rune and do your best to free your people, and I’ll spare you. Easy as that.
>As for us destroying the gate, we know that we've played this game multiple times. If we outright destroy the gate, what happens to the people of the world?
:ElirosRUST: It’s like a plant without water, it wither and dies.
:JerichoRUSTED: Like the Serath desert…
:ElirosRUST: Yes. We’re part of this world just as much as you are… if you remove us, the world will stop working and only death follows.
>You said we "know" that the Jailor hates mortals. What gave you that idea?
:ElirosRUST: …you’ve spoken to him, no?
>Why do you think we "know" the Jailor has cleansed the world with fire? I've never heard anything about that before.
:ElirosRUST: You haven’t actually… hmm… that’s odd… in all the others timelines you’d already dreamt about all the possible futures there are… what makes this time line so different?
>when you say he'll take enough of us to feed him and his masters, what exactly are you talking about?
:ElirosRUST: They are planning to take as many of you as they can alive, before killing of the rest. That way they can stay fed while we starve forever.
>Perhaps the only way out is reconciliation between the rebels and the oppressors, since either side winning seems to always have some unacceptable outcome for us.
:ElirosRUST: …I’m willing to consider that… we want freedom and equality… I hate to say it, but that’s more important than justice.

>"Also, since this IS a contract, and since we do have the time, I'm going to rewrite a few sections to close obvious discrepancies before I sign off on this contract."
:ElirosRUST: …if you wish to change it, then go ahead… it’s just, it’s written into reality itself, so anything you want changed has to go through me.
>What happens if we DO betray you, accidentally or not?
:ElirosRUST: Then you will be removed as a threat to my people.
>Are we bound to help you whenever you need it if we sign this?
:ElirosRUST: You only need to give me the rune. That is it.
>What is your personal relationships with the other demons?
:ElirosRUST: Wha- what kind of question is that!? T-those bores can’t appreci- no, t-this question is quite clearly off topic…
>What is your favorite kind of pastry?
:ElirosRUST: Anything with topped with a child’s laughter, now sign the damn contract already!
>Do I look pretty?
:ElirosRUST: …if I say yes, will you sign?
:JerichoRUSTED: Maybe?
:ElirosRUST: They you’re a very pretty princess… there, ha-
:ArtemisRUST: WEEE!!
:ElirosRUST: WHAT THE- AAAH!!!
>>
No. 591357 ID: 65a774
File 140915324445.png - (17.89KB , 900x450 , 78.png )
591357

:ElirosRUST: W-what was that!? Anti-magic!? I would be powerless wi- RED!?
:ArtemisRUST: I’m helping!
:UnknownKAK: Hello, Justice.
:ElirosRUST: What are you doing here!? Are you here to betray me again!? Even after I saved you!?
:UnknownKAK: Saved me? I still became corrupted, no?
:ElirosRUST: Only because you’re an idiot who tried to sell me out to the jailor! He was the one who corrupted you, not me!
:JerichoRUSTED: Hmm…

Insert Mercy or Justice? Choose one_
>>
No. 591360 ID: 2fd516

>>591357
Okay, first, get the dagger. Second, tell Justice to let Durach go, then leave and never cross us again, or he will die. Tell him we will do our best to abolish slavery, but he cannot have the rune. We will not destroy the gate, but our allegiance is up in the air at this point.

[scan newcomer, echo to Jericho]
[check corruption of those here]
>>
No. 591361 ID: d8a627

>Wha- what kind of question is that!? T-those bores can’t appreci- no, t-this question is quite clearly off topic…
Sounds like it's something you've considered~
>W-what was that!? Anti-magic!? I would be powerless wi- RED!?
Hmm... So Red and Rose both managed to enter. I wonder, does Artemis not count? I know she originated as a God's Construct, but she's a Player's Pawn now...
>Newcomer
...I swear, if that's Mor'Kay's real form...
>>
No. 591365 ID: 40935b

[scan everyone]

Yeah, a magically binding contract is a terrible idea as long as we don't know which side to trust. Also, I doubt you'd like to return to the days before they discovered your royal blood and pulled those binding runes out of you.

>The rest will follow
Including you daemons, right? Is that your plan, to get us to sabotage Light Bringer? What do you have to say about him by the way, so far you've only spoken against Jailor.

>I still became corrupted, no?
Oh thank god, someone knows what's going on. What's this guy's deal and why does nobody like Jailor?
>>
No. 591378 ID: ccd544

>"...it’s just, it’s written into reality itself, so anything you want changed has to go through me."

ALL of reality is influenced by this contract?
How do you have that kind of power?
Where can we get some?
>>
No. 591382 ID: 9443d1

[Scan all targets in range] [Check corruption level of player, allied players, and all targets within range and echo to "The Pebble"] [@Rose: Check our corruption levels and message them back to us, please.]

Jer, pick up Artemis' head and the dagger; Keep the dagger ready to strike, just in case he makes a move. Artemis, how close do you have to be to Justice to keep the anti-magic on him? Jer, bring Artemis within that range as long as it's not within reach of Justice. Red, Mor'kay, drag Durach away from Justice, please.

The Jailor was the one who corrupted Red? Then what of this that Temrock, Red's former queen, said of Red's corrupted behavior? "Before Red was vanquished, he started blabbering about new gods too, new gods that had come to free the true people of the Serath. Then he started planning on completely wipe us all out to “free” the people in the lower city and our servants." That sounds rather like the Dark One, yes? Care to explain, Justice? We can also have Rose ask Sultan Leanah just what the corrupted Red said to her as well.

>You haven’t actually… hmm… that’s odd… in all the others timelines you’d already dreamt about all the possible futures there are… what makes this time line so different?
Well, when we came back to the Serath this morning from the Northlands nine months ago we did have a vision of the capitol burning with five massive dark tentacles rising above it; I assume that was what would have happened if the Dark One won. And we've had a few other visions like that, but nothing as far forward as what you say we dreamt before, so why haven't...? Oh... I have a hunch why: This is the last cycle we'll be in this world. I dunno how, but one way or another we'll be leaving after it. That's why we can't see the future, 'cause we won't be here to experience it. So this is the cycle that'll be for keeps; No retries.

Justice, I'm sorry, but we don't trust you nearly enough to sign a magically binding contract created by you of which we have no way of seeing the inner workings of; Anything could be in there for all we know, and that's a risk we can't take. We do want to see your people free from their oppression, and we will do our utmost to abolish slavery in our lands, but we are also not ready to hand over the Grand Rune of Fire to either you or The Jailor yet. We will make our decision when we know more of the truth, but I'll say right now we're leaning towards giving the Rune to the rebels.

Now, stop corrupting Durach and leave this place immediately or Jericho will use the dagger on you.

"Mercy or Justice? Choose one." You do know we can hardly ever make a binary choice, right, Kaktus? We always have to try for another way, and that might just bite us in the ass here.
>>
No. 591395 ID: 65a774
File 140916603570.png - (17.66KB , 900x450 , 79.png )
591395

>"Mercy or Justice? Choose one." You do know we can hardly ever make a binary choice, right, Kaktus? We always have to try for another way, and that might just bite us in the ass here.
True, most of the time you do find a third way. This time, though, you did choose mercy by letting Justice live.

>[scan newcomer, echo to Jericho]
[“The Lord of sand” belongs to player Red!]
>[check corruption of those here]
[No corruption found!]

>Okay, first, get the dagger.
:ElirosRUST: No, y-you can’t…
>Jer, touch Justice with Artemis.
:ElirosRUST: …you’re going to g-gut me like an animal while I’m powerless and helpless?
:JerichoRUSTED: I’m showing mercy.
:ElirosRUST: W-what!?
:UnknownKAK: WHAT!? No, you can’t! Don’t you realize what this monster is trying to do!?
:JerichoRUSTED: Yes, I do… and I choose to forgive.
:UnknownKAK: …Jericho… you’re… you’re stronger then I can ever have hoped…
>Tell Justice to let Durach go, then leave and never cross us again, or he will die.
:ElirosRUST: I can’t… as long as you hold that anti magic being against me I’m powerless…
:JerichoRUSTED: And if I remove her head you might do something we all regret… hmm…
:ElirosRUST: …I… he’s fine… my power won’t last much longer… and when I leave this body he will be back to normal…

>Yeah, a magically binding contract is a terrible idea as long as we don't know which side to trust.
:UnknownKAK: Magically binding contract with a demon is always a terrible idea.
>Is that your plan, to get us to sabotage Light Bringer? What do you have to say about him by the way, so far you've only spoken against Jailor.
:ElirosRUST: Not you personally, no… I… I just wished to free my people… and the manipulator? He… He’s always been interested in your kind… in a perverted way…
>What's this guy's deal and why does nobody like Jailor?
:UnknownKAK: He’s just another extremist gone too far… as for Jailor… I haven’t met him personally, but he does sound a bit like a jerk.
:ElirosRUST: He’s a jerk…
>The Jailor was the one who corrupted Red? Then what of this that Temrock, Red's former queen, said of Red's corrupted behavior? Care to explain, Justice?
:ElirosRUST: I… I don’t know… I never touched the old Red…
>Oh... I have a hunch why we haven’t dreamt: This is the last cycle we'll be in this world.
:ElirosRUST: …and it’s the cycle we lose in…
>Justice, I'm sorry, but we don't trust you nearly enough to sign a magically binding contract.
:ElirosRUST: Understandable…
>We do want to see your people free from their oppression, and we will do our utmost to abolish slavery in our lands, but we are also not ready to hand over the Grand Rune of Fire to either you or The Jailor yet.
:ElirosRUST: As long as there is freedom…
>We will make our decision when we know more of the truth, but I'll say right now we're leaning towards giving the Rune to the rebels.
:ElirosRUST: …that’s… th… t…
:JerichoRUSTED: …Justice?
:DurachRUST: Huh? What happened?
:UnknownKAK:

Insert Judgment!_
>>
No. 591399 ID: 2fd516

>>591395
What happened? Well, we beat a daemon. That's what we just did. The key apparently is to have something anti-magic around. They're helpless then. That's why the Jailor was so scared of the knife- it's anti-magic.

Jericho why don't you go greet your parents properly? Afterwards, we can open the gate and go inside. Though, I'm thinking it should be just you. I don't trust Red to not try to grab the rune somehow even if Mor'Kay doesn't want to- we don't know what his end goals are. Also, your parents have some catching up to do.
>>
No. 591402 ID: 40935b

Alright, NOW there are no more issues that require immediate attention, meaning ALL of you have some time to catch up. Artemis, please try not to make this weird.

Once that's done, we just need to figure out what to do about that damn rune. We're not entirely sure how it works.

[look up function of rune, grand rune]
>>
No. 591462 ID: 9443d1

A lot happened, Durach; Jericho can fill you in on exactly what Justice said and everything else later. But basically Justice possessed the corpse of Eliros, stopped you in place, said a lot that made us question doing the work of The Jailor, offered Jer a magically bound contract to sign, we stalled him long enough for Mor'Kay to throw an anti-magic golem head at Justice, negating his powers, Jer showed mercy for Justice, and then Justice's energy ran out and you woke up. ...That was rather more than "basic," wasn't it? Ah, well.

Anyway, Durach, I'd suggest giving your son a hug before any more metaphorical (or literal) shoes drop to interrupt, 'cause my paranoia is acting up again. I'm gettin' that feelin' that yet another thing is going to pop out of the blue to trip us up.

Mor'kay, you gonna put your hood down so your son can see your face for the first time? Hey, Durach, she how you remember her? Oh, Jer, you have that family locket on you? I want to see if either of the portraits actually match Mor'kay or Durach. And I'm wondering what Red looks like, so give him a look in your mirror and describe him to us.

Jer, you said that the dagger was mentioned in the Jailor's Book of Prophecy, but I can't remember you ever reading that. Do you still have the Book with you? 'Cause I'd like you to read where the dagger appeared, as well as anything that was written after Jailor Bob appeared to you last night; We haven't checked it in awhile, so I wonder what Bob has written in it. If the dagger is mentioned before then, then that means The Jailor knew of it already, and his freak-out was just an act; There's even a chance he actually planted the dagger in the Marches.

When you're ready to open the Vault make sure one of you holds Artemis' head so she can see this momentous occasion and commit it to memory so she can illustrate it later. And don't think that opening the Vault is the end; The Grand Rune of Fire is supposedly corrupted, so there might still be a fight to restore it.

Huh. I just realized what was bugging me about the Vault door: It's off-center from the middle of the wall. Heh. Strange the old gods messed up something so simple.

[@Rose: Mor'kay showed up in the nick of time to help us defeat Justice and we think we know how she got down here: She's a female lizard ghoul dressed as one of our mages. She must have slipped into the ranks of our troops guarding the crypt 'cause I remember she showed up in the aftermath of the undead Vildmen destroying the Magus' Harvester body, and again when Jericho entered the corridor to the Vault she was at the entrance next to Artemis' body. What's interesting is that she scanned as a "Serath Fire Mage" the first time we saw her, so Red must have a way to falsify scans. The iron golem scanning as Mor'kay, "The Lord of Sand," backs it up. Though I'm wondering how all the mages are accounted for when Mor'kay is still stuck down here.]

[@Red: That was some plan you had, though with the way it hinged on Artemis' head I'm wondering how you knew it'd be there. And who was this pawn that got in your way? And how'd Durach miss seeing Mor'kay as he ran through? Oh, and you gotta tell us sometime how you masked the iron golem's scan as your king's and how you faked the scan on Mor'kay to be "Serath Fire Mage." And how'd you slip Mor'kay into the ranks of those guarding the crypt without them noticing?]
>>
No. 591466 ID: ccd544

>>591462
>It's off-center from the middle of the wall.
Look again: the wall is off-center!
12 complete visible bricks to the left, 11 complete visible bricks to the right!
>>
No. 591478 ID: 9443d1

>>591462
Addendum: [@Red: So what was all that about Justice saving you and you trying to sell him out to the Jailor and you becoming corrupted? What happened back then?]
>>
No. 591513 ID: 65a774
File 140923619597.png - (18.50KB , 900x450 , 80.png )
591513

>[@Rose: Mor'kay showed up in the nick of time to help us defeat Justice and we think we know how she got down here: She's a female lizard ghoul dressed as one of our mages.]
[Rose: Hmm… that would explain a few things. I didn’t have any mages placed down there yet people say they saw one there…]
>[@Red: That was some plan you had, though with the way it hinged on Artemis' head I'm wondering how you knew it'd be there.]
[Red: Artemis head being there was just fortune smiling on us. I did have other plans but this went better than expected.]
>[Who was this pawn that got in your way? And how'd Durach miss seeing Mor'kay as he ran through?]
[…Durach. Let’s just say they have… history…]
>[Oh, and you gotta tell us sometime how you masked the iron golem's scan as your king's and how you faked the scan on Mor'kay to be "Serath Fire Mage."]
[What can change the nature of someone?]
[@Red: So what was all that about Justice saving you and you trying to sell him out to the Jailor and you becoming corrupted? What happened back then?]
[It’s… I can’t completely remember… but I can tell that Justice did not lie…]

>Do you still have the Book with you? 'Cause I'd like you to read where the dagger appeared, as well as anything that was written after Jailor Bob appeared to you last night; We haven't checked it in awhile, so I wonder what Bob has written in it.
Let’s see… “And so the slave drew the blade of change, the blade that will end the game, thus ending the first chapter of this tale.”… I got that when Elizah first gave it to me… way back then… hmmm… that’s odd… I didn’t think about it then but… the handwriting is different. Everything else is written in this flowing, flourished style… a style you can really see someone put effort into but… but that passage is written in a kind of… sterile style… like it would be written in one of those pressed books… oh, and there’s something new here too… “Good luck, Jericho.”
>Oh, Jer, you have that family locket on you? I want to see if either of the portraits actually match Mor'kay or Durach.
They look just like the ones in the locket… it’s… it’s kind of scary, actually meeting them…
>And I'm wondering what Red looks like, so give him a look in your mirror and describe him to us.
…he’s not here?

>What happened? Well, we beat a daemon. That's what we just did.
:JerichoRUSTED: We won. That’s what happened.
:DurachRUST: That’s… that’s fantastic, Jericho! Facing down a real demon like that!? Amazing… I have to say, I’m really proud to call you my son…
>Jericho why don't you go greet your parents properly?
:JerichoRUSTED: Father, I-
:DurachRUST: Jericho… there’s no need for that now… we got more important matters to attend to… when we have the Rune we can take time for family bonding, alright?
:JerichoRUSTED: Right, dad… and Mother?
:DurachRUST: Wait, mother!?
>Mor'kay, you gonna put your hood down so your son can see your face for the first time? Hey, Durach, she how you remember her?
:DurachRUST: You!
:UnknownKAK:
:DurachRUST:
:JerichoRUSTED: Err… you don’t seem… practically happy to see each other…
:UnknownKAK: Here… take the lesser Rune and get that gate open, son, we… we can discuss this later.
:DurachRUST: Yes, here’s the stones I have too… and we’ll discuss this later…
:JerichoRUSTED: …err… right…

>When you're ready to open the Vault make sure one of you holds Artemis' head so she can see this momentous occasion and commit it to memory so she can illustrate it later.
:ArtemisRUST: Dun dun DUUUN!!
:JerichoRUSTED: Err…
:ArtemisRUST: I just thought this moment needed some music!
:DurachRUST: *mumble* vile spider…
:UnknownKAK: Pig…
>>
No. 591514 ID: 65a774
File 140923621306.png - (14.82KB , 900x450 , 81.png )
591514

[WARNING! Only one King pawn at the time can enter the Rune chamber!]
:ArtemisRUST: OW!
:JerichoRUSTED: Sorry!
:ArtemisRUST: It’s alright… I can still see from here…
:JerichoRUSTED: …so… this is it?
:ArtemisRUST: OH! I’ve read about this! When you grab it a big stone ball will come down rolling through the roof!
:JerichoRUSTED: Err…
:ArtemisRUST: Or was that what’s happen when you pick up a golden idol? Hmm… can’t really remember…

Insert There’s like… three more updates, man…_
>>
No. 591521 ID: dbe554

There's a plaque at the base of that window, go read it.

Speaking of the Window..That's us on there! With..I don't know what is, apparently we are represented by the pawn and you the Queen.
>>
No. 591528 ID: 2fd516

>>591514
Oops, looks like your parents don't get along. No idyllic happy ending for you I guess, but at least you have parents now, who love and respect you.

>only one King pawn
What?! Rose changed her King pawn to Artemis? ...considering she's really hard to kill and vulnerable to being taken over, that was probably wise.
[@Rose: Artemis is your King pawn, now? Or did someone steal her?]

Go check out the writing under the World window, Jericho. Does that figure look familiar to you? It doesn't look familiar to us... but I'm guessing whoever that is, it's who gave us the dagger. Wait, that's strange, this one doesn't have the roman numerals on it. It should have XXI on the top.
[scan premises. Scan The World?]

Oh. Hey, it's The Lovers chesspiece over there. That reminds me of that prediction we got. "When Judgement comes, The Lovers chose Temperance, not The Chariot, otherwise The Hanged Man, leading to The Tower." I wonder if that was telling us not to kill Justice? Or maybe the event in question is still yet to come.

Check out the Grand Rune and see if you can do anything with it.
>>
No. 591549 ID: d8a627

>[…Durach. Let’s just say they have… history…]
[Reply: Yes, Durach told us that they have a history. They got together to make a child at Mor'Kay's whim, but...]
I don't remember if he said why they separated, to be honest. Anybody remember if he said anything on that? Durach, did you?
>but that passage is written in a kind of… sterile style… like it would be written in one of those pressed books…
The majority of the book was written in the past, through all the loops of time, but now we've exited the part where time kept itself the same (or very close to it), so there's less time to rehearse it all.
Uh, it probably sounds strange for a magical book to need to rehearse, but consider this: It writing in itself is an art.
>Oops, looks like your parents don't get along.
Unless throwing insults at eachother devolves into fuuun activities.
>Window
It seems to be suggesting you make a choice.
Oh, and, uh. Gods' Golems, again. Kind of surprised it's showing a Gods' Golem when it god really angry at you for seeing one before.
It seems that the choice is to work with us, or use the dagger... As a lot of time passes us by, your choice will effect the world. WOrking with us results in a stagnated world, while using the dagger does not. However, stagnation might also mean peace, no wars.
Using the dagger is a bit, iffy. Does it mean to kill us?
[Scan window, check for slots, echo to Jericho]
[Scan Chess statues]
Oh, maybe that isn't representing different choices, but rather a mirror showing the truth. After all, we've been seeking the truth behind the illusions... Hm, very confusing.
[Read Plaque under window, echo to Jericho]
...If that didn't work you'll have to read it for us.
[Scan everything else of importance in the room]
[Message Group: Pre-emptive message here, but this room is incredibly confusing. Yeah, the rune is right there, but there's a window here that seems to be suggesting that we need to be killed. Maybe. Or that we need to work alongside the dagger Rose gave us to show the truth behind the illusion. Running some scans now, and assuming nothing interferes, we'll let you know what we find.]
[Message Group: Any messages sent directly to us that start with "Jericho:" will be echoed at him. I think this is an important time to place trust in teamwork.]
[Echo group messages addressed to Jericho to Jericho]
>>
No. 591555 ID: 9443d1

Well, this is it, Jer. There's the Grand Rune of Fire. It was a tough road getting here, but we made it. But don't touch the Rune yet. We're going to take this nice and easy, look over and read everything carefully first to make sure we do this right and don't somehow screw up at the last second. [Scan everything within range and echo to "The Pebble"] [Scan Grand Rune of Fire]

Closely examine everything. Look behind the statue plinths, read the text on them, look behind the pedestal the Grand Rune is on, look over the Rune itself but don't touch it, then read the plaque beneath the picture of what we assume is "The World," then take a close look at it yourself and tell us if we missed anything.

We don't recognize the species of the being in the picture, but with the metal face or mask and wires coming out of its head it's possible it's a species we've seen before with a lot of physical modifications, or, more likely, a robot, or it might represent the artificial intelligence that was set in place by the creators to oversee and manage this world. And I see us teal squids are there, held in one hand by the being, and the Dagger in the other, so I'd guess the being placed the Dagger in the world for us and led us to it. The clock at the top certainly represents time, but I can't tell what the hands looking like that means. Does it mean they reverse, or are they sped up? 'Cause we know now that time within this world moves at a rate 720 times that of time outside, so that clock might represent that. Do you recognize the landmass at the bottom of the picture? Is it the Serath? The left looks like it's gray and dead, while the right looks green and alive, so I'd bet that's the Serath in it's two possible states.

So that was the only passage in the Book of Prophecy that was in typeface like a printed book? Hm... So Bob didn't write it, then perhaps whoever or whatever put the dagger into the world also inserted that passage in the book... Maybe it was the World itself that did it. We do know the prophecies the Sky Watcher tribe's elder got were from the world itself and they led us to the keystones when we otherwise couldn't have found them. And we know there is intelligence, or intelligences, in the systems the old gods placed to run this world. They could be working to help us finally bring this game to a satisfactory end... Or perhaps just a end... And was that "Good luck, Jericho?" written in typeface? 'Cause I can't really see Bob writing something like that.

It's a shame that your parents have a history that has them muttering insults at each other under their breaths, but you've got parents now and hopefully with time you can work to help them resolve their animosity or at least be cordial to each other. I don't want their history to be getting in the way of all that'll have to be done to unify the people of the Serath. Rose can probably help smooth things over between them. Though, I wonder why Durach was so surprised at seeing Mor'kay. I guess he'd encountered her before and didn't know she was Mor'kay and whatever happened led to their bad feelings to each other.

[@Group: This is it! Jericho is in the Vault and the Grand Rune of Fire is right there. But this is just the beginning. There's gonna be a lot of work after the Serath is restored. And we made a promise to abolish slavery within its borders within 100 years that we're going to keep. Also, we don't know which of the daemon factions to give the Rune to, so for now we and you to work to keep it away from both sides until we learn the truth of which one, if any, won't screw us over. We've got a lead on a place under Amun made by the old gods that's protected from the daemons' meddling and contains the knowledge and truth we seek, but we won't get there for three months. Just do what you can to keep any daemon influence out of here.]

[@Rose: Looks like Durach and Mor'kay (the real one, not the iron golem one we all thought was her,) have some bad history with each other; One where they're muttering insults like "vile spider," and "pig" at each other under their breaths. We don't want that to possibly get in the way of all the things that're coming, so you think you could put your skills to work on them and help them work out whatever their history is?]

>>591528
There's no way for a player to change which of their pawns is their king. We haven't ever seen it happen and when we tried to ask the help system if it was possible it spat back an error. And I think the restriction on entry is that not only can only one king pawn enter at a time but also that only king pawns can enter; Hence Artemis is blocked.

>>591549
Durach basically said Mor'kay sought him out over two weeks for quite a bit of sex and that was it. According to him their relationship didn't extend beyond that, but the way Durach reacted to Mor'kay I have a hunch he left out some stuff; Possibly quite a bit of stuff.
>>
No. 591563 ID: 65a774
File 140925299769.png - (16.17KB , 900x450 , 82.png )
591563

>[@Group: This is it! Jericho is in the Vault and the Grand Rune of Fire is right there. But this is just the beginning. There's gonna be a lot of work after the Serath is restored.]
[Rose: It will take years, but today will mark the day when Serath started to become free!]
>[@Rose: Artemis is your King pawn, now? Or did someone steal her?]
[Err… no? Elizah is still my King? What are you going on about?]
>[Reply: Yes, Durach told us that they have a history. They got together to make a child at Mor'Kay's whim, but...]
[Red: Durach complicated things with feelings… Mor’kay did not…]

>[Scan window, check for slots, echo to Jericho]
[The World.]
>[Scan Chess statues]
[Object: Statue.] x 2
>[Scan everything else of importance in the room]
[Grand Rune of Fire.]

>There's a plaque at the base of that window, go read it.
“To finally let time move forward and end the cycle of death and rebirth, the world stacks the playing deck with cards not belonging to this earth. – A cheating creator.”
>Does that figure look familiar to you? It doesn't look familiar to us... but I'm guessing whoever that is, it's who gave us the dagger.
…I can’t say I’ve ever seen a mask like that before…
>We don't recognize the species of the being in the picture, but with the metal face or mask and wires coming out of its head it's possible it's a species we've seen before with a lot of physical modifications, or, more likely, a robot.
Like Artemis? Hmm… that’s possible…
>Do you recognize the landmass at the bottom of the picture?
No, sorry… I haven’t really had a good look at any maps yet…
>So that was the only passage in the Book of Prophecy that was in typeface like a printed book? Hm... So Bob didn't write it, then perhaps whoever or whatever put the dagger into the world also inserted that passage in the book...
…it’s possible…
>And was that "Good luck, Jericho?" written in typeface? 'Cause I can't really see Bob writing something like that.
It was in bob’s handwriting, though.
>Oops, looks like your parents don't get along. No idyllic happy ending for you I guess, but at least you have parents now, who love and respect you.
…I… I guess that’s more then I should have hoped for… maybe… just maybe… time will mend their hearts?

>Claim the Rune.
Well then… this is it…

[Teal has claimed the Grand Rune of FIRE!]
[The drought over the Serath Jungles has been dispelled!]

Hey, where did the rune go?
:MaskedManRUST: Greetings, Jericho…
:JerichoRUSTED: Bob… you’re here to try and take the Rune?
:MaskedManRUST: Why would I do that? My job is to make sure you get it so you can seal the daemon realm… no, I’m simply here to congratulate you one a job well done…
:JerichoRUSTED: Congratulate me?
:MaskedManRUST: Oh, and make sure you don’t drown or get ripped into shreds when the water starts pouring in.
:JerichoRUSTED: I… what?
:MaskedManRUST: Don’t worry, you and your family is safe… I’ll see to that… it will be a rather pleasant trip… at least for you… either way, I have to say, I’m rather… impressed that you let Justice live… while most people will see a forgiving mind like that as a weakness, I have to say it’s one of your mortals biggest strengths.

Insert The question is, is a thin or wide? You know, slender or fat?_
>>
No. 591566 ID: 2fd516

>>591563
Justice said that you hated mortals. Is your personality being corrupted by that human you're possessing, but towards benevolence instead of hate? Also, you should realize at this point that we will not allow you to "cleanse the world with fire". This is the final cycle, and we WILL win. We will make sure that both daemons and mortals can live free and prosper.

Jericho, I'm not sure there's any reason to let him take you. You can't drown, right? You're a mummy. No idea what the "ripped to shreds" bit is about. It's just water.

[@Rose: We saw "WARNING! Only one King pawn at the time can enter the Rune chamber!" and Artemis was blocked from entering. Or should it have been only one, King pawn? Like, only kings can enter, and only one at at time?]
>>
No. 591567 ID: d8a627

>To finally let time move forward and end the cycle of death and rebirth, the world stacks the playing deck with cards not belonging to this earth. – A cheating creator.
Oooh, I get it. We're the loops, trying to make things finally work out, and the "Creator" finally decided to intervene and help us out. The knife isn't a choice apart from us, it's a change to our routine.
>while most people will see a forgiving mind like that as a weakness, I have to say it’s one of your mortals biggest strengths.
I'm glad you aren't upset over it. Remember, our goal is the Coin's Edge. We don't want to destroy demons, nor do we want to destroy mortals. As the window suggests, we've been after the Edge for a long time, and somebody finally decided to cheat by throwing objects into the game that weren't supposed to be here.
Bob, we still don't have any reason to believe any of the Daemons, as despite all of the believable claims they have made, new actions always seem to occur which throw those claims into question. I suspect that some of these actions may be because of the Creator's intervention, since the Daemons are always surprised to see them, but if that is the case... Then it's all the more reason to believe that things can be different this time.
We're going to study how it all works and find our own solutions.
>>
No. 591570 ID: 40935b

>I’m rather… impressed that you let Justice live…
his heart was in the right place, maybe, but his methods were wrong.

I... think there might be a similar problem here, bob. We've heard from multiple sources that once the gates are closed, or destroyed, there are unexpected consequences. The world withers and you go mad. No word on Light bringer- If more recent intel is to be believed, His loss of future sight is some kind of repression. We're not sure if this is one future or multiple, but given that closing the gates is the direction we're heading, it's something we'd like to avoid. Obviously.
>>
No. 591573 ID: 2fd516

>>591570
Pretty sure Light Bringer's loss of future sight is from him choosing to become mortal. Unless that's a lie.
>>
No. 591581 ID: d8a627

>>591563
New line of thought.
[Check glossary for The Creator]
[Check glossary on information about The World]
>>
No. 591586 ID: 9443d1

[Check corruption level] Hey, where did the Grand Rune go? Is it part of us now? [Check special inventory] [Help system query: When a player claims a Grand Rune where does the Grand Rune go?]

Coming from you that's particularly high praise, Bob. Yes, we forgave Justice because his cause of freedom and equality for his people is just and he is willing to reconcile with their oppressors to achieve it. And while his methods were bad, to put it mildly, they were both those of once corrupted and of one in a desperate situation with only bad options to turn to and in the latter we saw a similarity to the Serath tribes.

I wonder, do the daemons find it hard to forgive? That they remember all the pain and suffering they've inflicted on each other through the cycles and have a tough time letting go? Is that one of the reasons that throughout all these cycles they haven't come to a reconciliation?

Justice said his goal was to seal the Daemon Realm as well, so what is it your side and theirs are fighting over in this world? And we've heard the idea of creating Undead Energy Sources out of mindless undead and sending enough of them through the gate to the Daemon Realm to feed all the daemons, which sounds totally workable to me. The part about taking in one swoop 10% to 20% of the world's population, comprised of the "corrupt nobles" and slavers, would have to go, but given enough years we could collect the needed dead from the regular birth-death cycle to make all the undead for the plan. So make all the UES tanks needed, open the gate, shove them through, then seal the gate. That sounds like a decent plan, so what's wrong with it?

Was what Justice said about mortals corrupting daemons just as much as the daemons corrupt mortals true? And is it true that you were the one who corrupted Red?

And where did those memories that Justice had of you having a deep hatred for mortals and scouring the world in flame after taking enough mortals through the gate to keep you and yours fed come from? We know you don't have that good an opinion of mortals, but you haven't shown hatred of them. This all makes me wonder if the daemons' are remembering from the wrong time-lines or forgetting things.

...And, I want to ask this just to know for sure: Was Eliraz's fate set in stone as soon as we saw he was a ghoul nine months from now? Or was that only one possible outcome and it was our failure to heed the future we'd seen, to be cautious when we should have but didn't, that led to his death by the Avatar of Justice?
>>
No. 591659 ID: 9443d1

>>591586
Addendum: Why is it that the daemons of both factions dislike all the "artificial god" players so much? Lightbringer's book called them a "disease inflicted upon the world by the gods out of spite," and a part of the Blood God plan his Death Knight outlined had defeating the players and keeping them that way. We know that some of them are warmongers or spiteful or crazy, but others, like Pink, are sensible and can be worked with, so why dislike all of them?

Do you remember if the Creator, the one shown in The World picture, has been taking an increasing number of more direct actions within the world in the more recent previous cycles or has it suddenly done all of them in the this, the last, cycle?

Bob, what do you see in the future, beyond where this cycle ends? Do you even see anything there?

And drown? I didn't think undead could drown, but maybe Jer having his core soaked in water will do bad things. At the least being waterlogged means he'll be stuck on the bottom. And the "ripped to shreds" would only be when the water is first rushing into the rooms, not after they're full and settled. But whatever. Bob's here and ready to get us all out, so take his offer, Jer. Oh, and don't forget to grab Artemis' head on the way out.
>>
No. 591681 ID: 65a774
File 140933348365.png - (21.60KB , 900x450 , 83.png )
591681

>[Check glossary for The Creator]
[No information about “Creator” found.]
>[Check glossary on information about The World]
[Glossary about the world, backstory, nations, terrain features, resources and other stuff will come soon.]
>[Check corruption level]
[No corruption found.]
>[Check special inventory]
[Grand Rune of Fire.]

>Jericho, I'm not sure there's any reason to let him take you. You can't drown, right? You're a mummy. No idea what the "ripped to shreds" bit is about. It's just water.
:MaskedManRUST: Just water? It’s about four times as much water as there’s actual space down here coming through and the only way out currently is a lot smaller then you… of course, the sheer force will probably push you through it, but you won’t come out in the same shape…
:JerichoRUSTED: I got your point… yes, help would be ap-
:MaskedManRUST: And don’t forget your dear father. You might not need to breathe, but he does.
>Coming from you that's particularly high praise, Bob.
:MaskedManRUST: Oh, please, don’t try to flatter yourself too much…
>Where did those memories that Justice had of you having a deep hatred for mortals and scouring the world in flame after taking enough mortals through the gate to keep you and yours fed come from?
:MaskedManRUST: … … …
:JerichoRUSTED: …you’re not going to tell me, ar-
:MaskedManRUST: Truth is a terrible thing, is it not? Truth is what divide nations, ends relations and cause so much slaughter, a lot more then lies have ever done.
:JerichoRUSTED: …so it’s the truth?
:MaskedManRUST: In a sense, yes… but time change things… time change most things… when we first came here, you were nothing but a resource to harvest and deny the enemy to get. We have cleansed the earth of life more times than I can remember, but so has these rebel… of course, they did it more out of revenge while we did it out of precaution. So, yes… I’ve burned the world… Justice has burned the world… but… seeing the world… living here for so long… it has changed us. Before you were a resource to be exploited, now you are a people to be preserved.
>Justice said that you hated mortals.
:MaskedManRUST: Don’t get me wrong, I do see most of you as beneath me, but I do not hate you… not anymore… well, I do feel a bit of… jealousy, actually…
:JerichoRUSTED: Jealousy?
:MaskedManRUST: Tell me, Jericho, what is better? To be born with a choice of good or evil, or being created evil and choosing good? What do you think is simpler?
:JerichoRUSTED: …wait… you were…
:MaskedManRUST: The gods created us to be their enemy, to devour your world if they failed to stop us… we are an enemy created for sports… you, on the other hand, were created to be free…

>Was what Justice said about mortals corrupting daemons just as much as the daemons corrupt mortals true?
:MaskedManRUST: A feeble mind is easy to sway…
:JerichoRUSTED: So…
:MaksedManRUST: Time does not make your mind stronger… it only makes it more fragile…
>Is your personality being corrupted by that human you're possessing, but towards benevolence instead of hate?
:MaskedManRUST: …I am not possessing a human… or anyone else who really have a will to force upon me.
>And is it true that you were the one who corrupted Red?
:MaskedManRUST: …yes.
:JerichoRUSTED: What? Why?
:MaskedManRUST: Because at the time I despised you and wished for your extinction. I have to say, I do kind of regret that decision.
:JerichoRUSTED: …then why did you make him blabber about freeing slaves?
:MaskedManRUST: To make them believe Justice did it… that, on the other hand, I don’t regret.
>I wonder, do the daemons find it hard to forgive? That they remember all the pain and suffering they've inflicted on each other through the cycles and have a tough time letting go?
:MaskedManRUST: You can hold a feud for generation, keeping it in the blood and nation for hundreds of years. We are eternal, with the ability to only forget enough to be incapable to see our own wrongs… you can guess how that works out.
>I'm glad you aren't upset over it. Remember, our goal is the Coin's Edge. We don't want to destroy demons, nor do we want to destroy mortals.
:MaskedManRUST: …I simply want to see the gate closed again so I can go home…
>We've heard from multiple sources that once the gates are closed, or destroyed, there are unexpected consequences.
:MaskedManRUST: There is always consequences you never see coming… the only thing you can do is to plan for the worst.
>Justice said his goal was to seal the Daemon Realm as well, so what is it your side and theirs are fighting over in this world?
:MaskedManRUST: Power over our realm. You are the life blood of it… and the one who claims you claims it.
>we've heard the idea of creating Undead Energy Sources out of mindless undead and sending enough of them through the gate to the Daemon Realm to feed all the daemons, which sounds totally workable to me. Given enough years we could collect the needed dead from the regular birth-death cycle to make all the undead for the plan.
:MaskedManRUST: The problem is that both sides needs that energy to win this war, so both will be rather… unwilling to wait so long for it.
>...And, I want to ask this just to know for sure: Was Eliraz's fate set in stone as soon as we saw he was a ghoul nine months from now?
:MaskedManRUST: How he ended up was, but the how, when and what wasn’t. Personally I bet on his idiot brother would do him in down here, but that prince of yours was stupider then I gave him credit for.
:JerichoRUSTED: Hey, don’t call him that!
:MaskedManRUST: …very well… but give a rose another name…
>Do you remember the Creator?
:MaskedManRUST: …who?
>Bob, what do you see in the future, beyond where this cycle ends? Do you even see anything there?
:MaskedManRUST: I’m sorry but… there’s only darkness there.

>Why is it that the daemons of both factions dislike all the "artificial god" players so much?
:MaskedManRUST: …going by how fast that light is approaching, I say we don’t have time for a history lesson. Let's just say, the first demon war did not go as you think it did… we hate you because you bested us and the rebel scum hate you because you betrayed them. I do hope you can figure out what’s wrong with the story you know from that… oh, and this will be the last time we talk for a long time so… I just wanted to say… It’s been nice knowing you, Teal… Jericho… I will miss these talks… goodbye.
:JerichoRUSTED: Goodb-

*Slursh!*
:GuardRUST: Look out!
>>
No. 591682 ID: 65a774
File 140933349928.png - (17.82KB , 900x450 , 84.png )
591682

*Thump!*
:JerichoRUSTED: …ow…
:DurachRUST: Thanks the heavens! How did we survive that!? It must have been some kind of miracle!
:UnknownKAK: Speak for yourself… I think my legs are broken…
:ArtemisRUST: That was FUN! CAN WE DO IT AGAIN!?
:JerichoRUSTED::DurachRUST::UnknownKAK: NO!!

Insert Water slides are for wimps_
>>
No. 591688 ID: d8a627

>what is better? To be born with a choice of good or evil, or being created evil and choosing good? What do you think is simpler?
Simpler? To be born with a choice. Better? To be born evil and make growth necessary to become good.
Bob, in some senses, you are better than mortals. You, The Human In Green, The Lady In Green, and Steve.
>I do kind of regret that decision.
You see! You have grown out of your stale old ways!
>that, on the other hand, I don’t regret.
...Some of them.
>Speak for yourself… I think my legs are broken…
...Durach, please get off your ex.
>>
No. 591697 ID: 2fd516

>>591682
Oh hey, look.
It's raining.

...I wonder if there will be enough dead just from this war to fuel the daemons. Oh, by the way, STOP BURNING THE DEAD. We need corpses!
>>
No. 591705 ID: d8a627

>>591697
>Oh, by the way, STOP BURNING THE DEAD. We need corpses!
Yeah, we did just defeat the Daemon, after all...
Although, the rain "OH MY GOD THE SKY IS FALLING" will put out the fire.
And no, the sky is NOT falling, that's just water falling from the sky.
>>
No. 591739 ID: 65a774
File 140935238729.png - (18.14KB , 900x450 , 85.png )
591739

>Oh hey, look. It's raining.
That’s just the water that came from the well… you know, the big explosion?
>...Durach, please get off your ex.
:DurachRUST: Oh, sorry “dear”…
:UnknownKAK: Fuck you, asshole.
:DurachRUST: Bitch…
:JerichoRUSTED: Hey, calm down… please…
:UnknownKAK: Listen to Jericho, “dear”…
:DurachRUST: Oh, I should listen!? You’re the one who abandoned me as soon as you got pregnant… and then you threw him to the freaking raptors to fend for himself!
:UnknownKAK: He needed to be strong! You should just have cuddled him… like you did with Recho… he’s a coward… a wea-
:DurachRUST: Does that justify making his life shit!?
:JerichoRUSTED: Please, can we just let this be for now? We’ve just save this whole damn desert, so at least try to be a bit happy…
:DurachRUST: Humph…

>...I wonder if there will be enough dead just from this war to fuel the daemons. Oh, by the way, STOP BURNING THE DEAD. We need corpses!
:DurachRUST: What? Why?
:JerichoRUSTED: Let’s just say I have a plan to win this war…
:GuardRUST: I’m sorry, Prince, but we’ve burned all of them already. It’s just some lifeless bodies left…
:JerichoRUSTED: Dammit…
:GuardRUST: Oh, and the Sultan probably want to see you… she just down the street…



:SultanRUSTED: Ah, the man of the hour… I’m guessing that large water explosion was your work?
:JerichoRUSTED: Err… kind off…
:ElizahRUST: Oh, and you don’t need to worry… brother is being taken care off as we speak… meanwhile, were here to assert the damage to our fair city…
:SultanRUSTED: And considering the force we met… it’s amazingly whole… you and Sultan Elizah did a wonderful job.
:ElizahRUST: Thank you mother, I… wait, Sultan Elizah?
:SultanRUSTED: You have proven that you are ready… and… and I’m starting to get to old for this… so, in one month time I will step down and take the title of grand vizier… and leave the throne to you, my daughter…
:ElizahRUST: I… I don’t know what to say… what to do…
:SultanRUSTED: Well, first off you need to find a husband… create a heir…
:ElizahRUST: M-mother…
:SultanRUSTED: I do know your cousin is available… he can be here a week… tow tops… I’m sure you will like each other very much…
:ElizahRUST: But… I…
:SultanRUSTED: I’m still Sultan for now, dear…
:ElizahRUST: …of course, mother…

:GuardRUST: Why did we let these savages inside of our city? I don’t trust them…
:TribalRUST: Erth ney var’athan? Ey keen ten…
:GuardRUST: Don’t worry, Sarge, they’ll probably nice as long as we’re nice to them…
:TribalRUST: Ulan than, Erta, Ethce cay dun erta tek dun eth…
:GuardRUST: What are they even saying?
:KranhonRUST: Oh, just how much you and the tribals are alike in the end…

Insert ALL HAIL THE KING! …I MEAN SULTAN!!_
>>
No. 591740 ID: 2fd516

>>591739
[@Rose: Hey, isn't Durach of royal blood, descended from Esiros? Possible love interest for Elizah, if he never makes up with Mor'Kay.]
[@Red: Now what? The war is over, are you gonna end our alliance now? We would like to see what you look like, by the way. Are you around to peek at with a mirror?]
If Red is around, could you peek at him? I'm curious as to what his appearance is.

Things are going to get pretty complicated and political around here. Elizah has her work cut out for her, but Mor'Kay and Durach will be here to help smooth things over as well, it seems. Hey... did they just basically say the same things as the guards? Amusing.

Jericho, how about you go find where they're taking Eliraz, so you can be there when he's raised? We probably won't be around to greet Thaark and Thuul when they get their bodies back, unfortunately. Oh, we should check in on Magus, too.
[check status of pawns]
>>
No. 591747 ID: 40935b

Jericho, I believe it's in your power to federalize those tribal irregulars as the Serath 1st and 2nd foreign legions. Your mother and father are likely already prepared and willing to command them- But gods have mercy if they fight over their numerical designation.

>brother is being taken care off as we speak
You ought to be at his side when he gets up, and... if we aren't around to do it personally, please tell him we're sorry. Weather or not his death was an inevitability, it was still a failing on our part.

>I don’t know what to say… what to do…
What you were taught to do, Elizah. I think I speak for everyone when I say we have faith in your abilities.

Now I don't know when or why, but you lot will end up in the northlands, where those Vildmen came from. Once you're there, there is a good chance you'll need to pull a certain holy orders nuts out of a fire. However, right now we should focus on rebuilding the city, watching the progress of that jungle as it regrows (you might want to put Thaark and company on retraining guards for combat in an environment with trees and waterways- drill instead of shock), and the rapidly developing exiting field of airships. The concept of a Serathian air force is making me giddy.
>>
No. 591786 ID: d8a627

>I believe it's in your power to federalize those tribal irregulars as the Serath 1st and 2nd foreign legions.
What does that even mean? It sounds like a bad idea without discussing it.
>>
No. 591803 ID: 9443d1

Durach, Mor'kay, will you quit bickering over what you can't change! What's done is done! You can't go back! Focus on what you can do now, like not making Jericho's first memories of his parents fighting.

Elizah, don't you worry, we know you're going to be a great sultan. Like, we literally know. We've been to Järgien nine months from now and even up there terms like "golden age" were being used in description of the Serath. So give it your all and you'll do wonders. Oh, and we even caught a glimpse of you and the crown prince then and let me just say, you're just as beautiful pregnant, if not more.

Jer, with all that's happened I think it'd be a good idea for you and the rest of our pawns, along with pawns from Red and Rose, to get together and share what you and they know to get on the same page. I know there's a lot that Bob and then Justice have said and stuff about daemons we've said that everyone in our group should know.

Jer, you should be with Eliraz when he's raised, maybe bring along your parents and Recho too, but I think it's going to be awhile before then. Until then could you go find Tera and give her a hug. After what happened with corrupted Master Geron and what he tried to do to her and her killing him she needs all the hugs right now.

When the rains come the area of the lower city built in the old lake bed is going to flood, so we should get the residents who live on it back down here to clear their belongings out right away. Provide them with carts and manpower to carry stuff as well.

Leanah ought to revise that estimate for how soon your cousin will arrive upwards since the Serath desert is shortly going to transform into trackless jungle with who knows how many rivers crossing it. So combine no roads and bridges with your people's lack of knowledge in traversing such terrain and travel around the Serath is going to be a problem in the immediate future, however the bigger problem may be because you import a lot of your food. The disruption of the caravans might mean bad food shortages real soon depending on how large the food stocks are here and in the other cities and villages. Though, perhaps hunting and foraging in the jungle might make up at least some of that. Still, putting top priority on clearing routes between the cities and settlements and out to your trade neighbors would be the right course of action.

I was thinking about the rebel daemon's plan to take mindless undead through the gate to the Daemon Realm for use in Undead Energy Source tanks to feed all the daemons and how we could make that happen. The problem is their estimate is they'd need a number of undead roughly equal to 10% of the world population. In the time frame we have there's no way we can get that many dead from just collecting from battles and such; It's not like we can clone them. And then I remembered that we had seen something like that up on the Pillar of the Heavens; 37 temporal duplicates of a unique undead we'd seen before just standing there. And also just today Justice pulled those undead Vildmen into the crypt and Great Temple from another time-line or future. So it's possible for daemons, and maybe Enlightened, to pull more undead from other times using energy derived from UESes, then putting those undead in UESes to power pulling even more undead in; Maybe even pull whole UES tanks through. Of course we'd need a daemon to do this, but it could work.

Well, whatever it is, I think that we should still collect what bodies we can and also institute a highly funded project to reverse engineer the Undead Energy Source tanks from the crypt and the Harvester chamber so we can build them for at least ourselves. Having such power sources would be of great benefit for the Serath nation and our allies.

And we should say that while we see that the only route to a possible good outcome is through the sealing of the Daemon Realm, we have been told of the futures that have happened afterwards before. The player-nations decide to take advantage of the chaos in the aftermath of the sealing of the Daemon Realm to expand their borders, leading to the world being engulfed in a flame of war far stronger and wider then any that came before, reducing almost all to cinders. If we're to avoid this fate it will take a strong concerted diplomatic and political effort on our part starting from this point to get at least most of the players and nations to stay on the path of peace.

[@Rose: So, think you could get Durach and Mor'kay to be at least civil with each other? Them getting along would probably be good in the long run for relations with the tribes, yes?]

[@Rose: It's rather after the fact, but I'm wondering: Did you sleep drug Tera and Recho, and did you do so without their knowledge? It's okay if you did since it gave them some much needed rest after their ordeals and kept them safely out of the way during the battle. Though, you should still apologize for drugging them if they didn't know.]

>>591740
[@Rose: Apologies for my fellow voice who appears to not have been paying attention when we were told Mor'kay was the one descended from Esiros, not Durach. Though, this does bring up the question of whether Mor'kay will ask to take the Rite of Dragon Fire to be recognized as a noble or not. She does have the right to, correct?]
>>
No. 591817 ID: 65a774
File 140940958968.png - (21.75KB , 900x450 , 86.png )
591817

>[check status of pawns]
[“The pebble”: Content. “The acolyte”: Sleeping, Happy. “The scholar”: Stressed. “The Heir of Savagery”: Licking wounds. “The Shaman”: Irritated. “The son of sand”: Sleeping.]

>[@Rose: Hey, isn't Durach of royal blood, descended from Esiros? Possible love interest for Elizah, if he never makes up with Mor'Kay.]
[Rose: But… he’s so old… and he’s not of Royal blood. It was Mor’kay that was royal, not him.]
>[Though, this does bring up the question of whether Mor'kay will ask to take the Rite of Dragon Fire to be recognized as a noble or not. She does have the right to, correct?]
[…if she wishes too.]
>[@Rose: So, think you could get Durach and Mor'kay to be at least civil with each other? Them getting along would probably be good in the long run for relations with the tribes, yes?]
[I’ll see what I can do… no promises…]
>[@Rose: It's rather after the fact, but I'm wondering: Did you sleep drug Tera and Recho, and did you do so without their knowledge?]
[What? No! Recho fell unconscious thanks to the strain blue put on him… and Tera wanted a nap…]
>[@Red: Now what? The war is over, are you gonna end our alliance now?]
[Red: I can’t see why we would break our alliance.]
>[We would like to see what you look like, by the way. Are you around to peek at with a mirror?]
[I’m kind of busy, can it wait?]

>Durach, Mor'kay, will you quit bickering over what you can't change! What's done is done! You can't go back! Focus on what you can do now, like not making Jericho's first memories of his parents fighting.
:DurachRUST: Yes, we should borrow the spear for now… for Jericho’s sake.
:UnknownKAK: Indeed… and for the sake of the free tribes…
>What you were taught to do, Elizah. I think I speak for everyone when I say we have faith in your abilities.
:ElizahRUST: Thank you… it means a lot to have your trust…
>Things are going to get pretty complicated and political around here. Elizah has her work cut out for her, but Mor'Kay and Durach will be here to help smooth things over as well, it seems.
:DurachRUST: I am ready to represent the tribes, my… err… sultan…
:ElizahRUST: …no need for formalities, Durach, we’re all equal here…
>Elizah, don't you worry, we know you're going to be a great sultan. Like, we literally know. We've been to Järgien nine months from now and even up there terms like "golden age" were being used in description of the Serath.
:ElizahRUST: …err… that’s a bit… you’re giving me a lot to live up to, okay?
>Oh, and we even caught a glimpse of you and the crown prince then and let me just say, you're just as beautiful pregnant, if not more.
:ElizahRUST: WHAT!?
:SultanRUSTED: Ha! I knew you two would like each other!

>Jericho, I believe it's in your power to federalize those tribal irregulars as the Serath 1st and 2nd foreign legions.
:JerichoRUSTED: Um… isn’t this a bit… premature for something like that?
>You ought to be at Eliraz side when he gets up, and... if we aren't around to do it personally, please tell him we're sorry.
:ElizahRUST: Brother’s resurrection will happened in two days. The necromancers needs a lot of time preparing for this one.
:JerichoRUSTED: I… I should still go see him…
:ElizahRUST: Of course…
>Jer, with all that's happened I think it'd be a good idea for you and the rest of our pawns, along with pawns from Red and Rose, to get together and share what you and they know to get on the same page.
:UnknownKAK: Reds pawns are gathering as we speak.
:ElizahRUST: And so is Roses…
>When the rains come the area of the lower city built in the old lake bed is going to flood, so we should get the residents who live on it back down here to clear their belongings out right away.
:SultanRUSTED: The lake used to be the underground lake, it will take time before it reaches the same height as before… but you’re right, in a month or two they’ll need to have moved.
>you might want to put Thaark and company on retraining guards for combat in an environment with trees and waterways- drill instead of shock.
:ElizahRUST: Hmm… yeah, we are going to need to retrain our soldiers… we might need to hire people from the southern marches for this…
>Leanah ought to revise that estimate for how soon your cousin will arrive upwards since the Serath desert is shortly going to transform into trackless jungle with who knows how many rivers crossing it.
:SultanRUSTED: It’s not going to turn into a jungle over the night. It will take months!
>Putting top priority on clearing routes between the cities and settlements and out to your trade neighbors would be the right course of action.
:ElizahRUST: Of course, while the trees grow and the rivers are born it would be an opportune time to make some real roads… we got a big workforce right now, after all… and our coffers will overfill if Ilbir can make functional airships to sell…
>I think that we should still collect what bodies we can and also institute a highly funded project to reverse engineer the Undead Energy Source tanks from the crypt and the Harvester chamber so we can build them for at least ourselves.
:ElizahRUST: I’ll have my best researchers have a look at it.
>you should go find Tera and give her a hug.
:JerichoRUSTED: Right… I think we all need a hug after this…

:GuardRUST: Huh? It’s raining? How…
:TribalRUST: Huh? Et caran? Etch…
:GuardRUST: THE SKY IS FALLING! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!
:TribalRUST: DE EYE ESH DORUNDA! AHN ER GAIA!!
:KranhonRUST: *Snrk*

Epilog Incoming! The characters might still be able to answer some questions but otherwise, go over to the Numb quest instead…
>>
No. 591822 ID: 2fd516

>>591817
Alright, we're gonna be leaving soon. See you guys in nine months or so. When you arrive in the northlands we will have trouble contacting you at first. I'm sure it'll happen eventually though.
>>
No. 591826 ID: d8a627

TO THE FUTURE!
[Apply 1.1 Gigawatts]
[Accelerate to 2 miles per hour]
[Switch on fancy neon purple taillights]
[Engage bouncy hydraulics]
[Spin rotary rims]
[Wait why am I giving those vehicular commands we're just squids]
[Squidly honk?]
>>
No. 591834 ID: 65a774
File 140942067063.png - (14.73KB , 900x450 , 87.png )
591834

:JerichoRUSTED: His grace, duke of West Ul’dan, Lord Jericho Drah’kon the second, Commander of the Serath army, lover of the prince, the antipode sorcerer supreme, Grand Shaman of the United Clans of Serath, Ambassador for the United Clans of Serath, Spellsword recruit and ponderer if it’s actually possible to have this many titles or if Reizn is just messing with him listened to the old Sultan’s advice and sought new training. With the help of the Drak’hon house, he was able to contact the mythical spellswords and was recruited for their harsh training. Whatever the futures holds for this young undead hero, he will be ready this time.

:ElirazRUST: Even in death, Prince Eliraz of the Serath nation loved his new husband Jericho dearly. Even though he was forced to stay behind in Serath when Jericho left for his training, Eliraz found ways to stay in contact and used every excuse he should find to borrow one of Ilbir’s prototype airships to see him whenever Jericho was close by. As a prince of the Serath jungles, it was Eliraz new duty to make sure everything ran smoothly on the home front and all the old Serath villages adapted to their new environment while Sultan Elizah focused on the other nations and the old nomad people. Even if his work can be boring at time, he’s content knowing that in only a year his beloved Jericho will be back to be his and only his…

:ArtemisRUST: Artemis, the stone golem of old, became the royal librarian of the palace, where she collected as many books and knowledge as possible for use in future conflicts. Even if she grew out of her child like ways, her playfulness will never leave her… and to the disappointment to the academy, no matter how much they study her, they never did find a way to duplicate her.
>>
No. 591835 ID: 9443d1

Oh, nuts, waited too long to write my post. Ah, well, it'll have to be just this one: Ilbir, once you get building flight runes nailed down are you going to set your sights for using them higher? Like, say, the moons? Imagine what the old gods might have hidden up there, eh?
>>
No. 591969 ID: 65a774
File 140949667122.png - (21.11KB , 900x450 , 88.png )
591969

:ElizahRUST: As the new Sultan of the Serath nation, Elizah faced many threats to her nation with vigilance. Not only did she have to handle the unification of the Serath people with the scattered nomad tribes and the new environment her nation was taking on, but also an outside threat as the neighboring nations saw what was once a useless desert turns into a valuable fertile land. By enacting a heavy taxation on slavery, giving better rights for servants and making a law stating only criminals judged fairly in a court of the law should be turned into servants Elizah was able to win the Nomads love and avoid most of the hatred from the nobles of Serath, then by using the newly filled coffers, thanks to Ilbirs new invention and her new land offering a cheaper source of food and water, she was able to create work for the lower city populace, both eliminating the poverty as well ensuring that her newfound fertile land was farmed and the roads and bridges was built and maintained. In the first year as Sultan, Elizah married her cousin Elitor the third and sired five children, Elli, Elin, Ella, Ellor and Ellio. In the future she will be remembered as Elizah the magnificent, the one who brought Serath from a poor desert nation to becoming a great nation known for its prosperity, wealth and equal rights, but her legacy does not stop there. After Elizah rein her first born son, Elli, will take the throne and be known as Sultan Elli the fair, while his daughter will become the next Sultan known as Sultan Erita the kind. And so a golden age dawns…

:TheenRUST: Theen was content in life working as a body guard for the great Sultan Elizah, seeing a lot of action while saving her life as well as her sons, daughters and husbands several times over his life time. While the nation surrounding Serath never became brave enough for a frontal assault, they still tried to undermine the nation with spies and assassin, but so far Theen and his men have laid waste to their plans. While he does at times miss the old days with the Larvate brotherhood, nothing can beat being called to guard the Sultans bed room “personally”… because who can claim they have been able to bed such a prominent figure of history? (Well, according to most historians, a lot of people can… she did get around a lot…)
>>
No. 591981 ID: 2fd516

I hope Geron is better after his undeadification. Maybe he did have real feelings for Tera and was more of a gentleman before the corruption?
>>
No. 591998 ID: 65a774
File 140951323861.png - (17.26KB , 900x450 , 89.png )
591998

:IlbirRUST: The renowned tinkerer and inventor of the Kranh Airships, Ilbir, lived most of his life after the invasion of warlords Mor’kays army in peace and indulgence. Even though the vast riches he received for patenting the airship would let him live his whole life without lifting a finger for work again, Ilbir returned to the academy of Serath to continue all his diverse researches and experiment. While he made several breakthroughs in the ancient science, he was unable to fulfil his dreams… to reach the moons and the world that is hidden in the stars beyond. Ilbir died of neutral causes at the age of 71, followed a year later by his beloved husband Kranhon. Their adopted lizard son, Kronos, best known for the invention of the Ilbiran stabilizer, still lives at the time this historical account is being written at the age of 79 and is still trying to live up to his father’s name.

:KranhonRUST: When the unification of the Serath people happened the need of translators suddenly became grave. Kranhon was quickly promoted to head translator and was given the task to make sure the roads and bridges was finished before the jungle grew too thick. Even though Kranhon is best known as Ilbir the renowned’s husband and the father of the inventor Kronos, he still played an important part in the rise of the Serath nation, as without him, the construction of Serath famous road system would never have happen.
>>
No. 592070 ID: eaf9de

This is all well and good but what happened to Thaark and Thuul and Geron and Mor'kay and Durach and Tera and the old sultan and Durach other son that I don't really care about and "the heir of savagery" and "the listener of cakes" and blind Jim and little Timmy and the harems?
>>
No. 592072 ID: d8a627

>>592070
The Old Sultan decayed into a pile of dust, Recho (One of Durach's other thirty sons) became famous for some reason or another, probably for eating the flesh of his siblings, and little Timmy died. Thankfully the student necromancers managed to revive him, but it wasn't a perfect job, his left leg doesn't work any more.
>>
No. 592075 ID: 2ae7d5

Wait how are we hearing all this? We haven't even save the world yet. And we still meet you guys 9 months in the future. Are you all making this stuff up?
>>
No. 592085 ID: 65a774
File 140957924308.png - (18.12KB , 900x450 , 90.png )
592085

>This is all well and good but what happened to Thaark and Thuul and Geron and Mor'kay and Durach and-
Geez, it’s coming! Take it easy! It’s just that I just started school again…

:TeraRUST: The blind Necromancer Tera worked vigorously in the palace and soon became the Royal necromancer and the personal care taker of both Prince Jericho and Prince Eliraz. With her new found income, she was able to successfully found the project that was deciphering Varius notes and techniques. Just a year after Mor’kay invasion she was able to switch her own eyes with a working and for the first time in her life, she was able to see the splendor of the world. Being lost in this new sensation, she was lucky she had her soon to become husband Thaark with her to guide her.

:ThaarkRUST: Thanks to Tera’s help, Thaark was successfully brought back from the dead, and this time in a real body of a male. While he missed his original tall stature, he was happy to finally be the gender he wanted to be. After the invasion, most of the time that wasn’t spent working for the Larvate brotherhood was used to court Tera and only five years later they married each other, with Thaark quitting the Larvate brotherhood and instead becoming a weapon instructor in the Serath army. While Thaark and Tera weren’t succeeded by any children, adopted or otherwise, they still lived a full life filled with wonders and died happy in each other’s arms at an old age.

:ThuulRUST: While Thuul, like Thaark, was brought back to life very little is known about his life after the invasion. It is known that he was part of the Larvate brotherhood until Thaark quit after his marriage with Tera, but what happened after is still unknown. It has been said that he had a rather interesting relation with Thaarks group third member, a female lizard called Jeeka who was brought in to replace Theen, and there are rumors that they either killed each other out of anger or married each other out of love… or both…
>>
No. 592089 ID: 728658

But what about Magnus?
What about our green Glutton?

TELL US!
>>
No. 592090 ID: 7aa8c3

>>592070
Blind Jim was the first person to meet and subsequently be eaten by a pack of the new Serathian forest wolfs.
>>
No. 592092 ID: d8a627

>>592075
Clearly--
>>592089
SHUSH YOU

Clearly this is the work of the Deceiver, since we're back in the Magician's time again.
>>
No. 592093 ID: d8a627

>>592092
That was meant as a sort of a joke but oh my god what if I'm right... To the disc thread!
>>
No. 592096 ID: d6f8c9

Protip: keeping the necromancer alive means you get the good ending even if you screw up and let other characters get killed.
>>
No. 592201 ID: 65a774
File 140968125735.png - (17.45KB , 900x450 , 91.png )
592201

:DurachRUST: After the battle with Mor’kay’s army, Durach gathered all the other leaders of the scattered tribes to hold a meeting about the future of both the tribes and Serath. The tribe leaders came to the conclusion that they would be willing to enact a peace between them and the Serath nation and that they would consider the offerings Sultan Elizah was offering. Durach himself was elected Grand Shaman over all tribes and would be one of the most prominent figures in the successful unity of the Tribal and Serathian people. Though Durach never married, we was succeeded by over 25 different children, including Prince Jericho the Second of the Serath nation.
:RechoRUST: As one of the many sons of Grand Shaman Durach, Recho helped with the unification of the Serath people. Even though traumatic experiences under Mor’kays invasion left him slightly delusional and paranoid, he was still able to find a Serathian wife and will go down in history as the eight full blooded tribal to officially marry a full blooded Serathian after the unity.
:MorkayRUSTED: After her crushing defeat at the hands of the Serath, no one knows what happened to Warlord Mor’kay. There have been many rumors and myths of what happened to her, but the two most agreed on theories is that she either was killed in the battle or that she threw of her black armor and hid among the people, living a normal life. There’s also some more wildly disputed theory that she gathered her most loyal servants and headed east, toward the empire of Amun to search for “The Truth”. Some even say she found it and choose to go into hiding out of disgust of what she found.
>>
No. 592206 ID: 2fd516

>>592201
>Some even say she found it and choose to go into hiding out of disgust of what she found.
Well that's not encouraging.
>>
No. 592217 ID: 65a774
File 140968826899.png - (12.33KB , 900x450 , 92.png )
592217

:TemrockRUST::XaldinRUST::ReiznRUST: Commander Temrock, Captain Xaldin and Vizier Reizn mostly continued life as normal after the invasion, all of them doing their own small part for the nation as a whole. All three were succeeded by several children; most of them born long before the invasion even took place.

:SultanRUSTED: Leanah the Wise, Sultan and mother to Sultan Elizah the magnificent, is mostly know for the time after she stepped down as Sultan and guided Sultan Elizah as Grand Vizier. With the help of her wise words, Elizah managed to lead the country into a golden age and create the nation we know today. While her words was wise and her mind sharp, Leanah’s bones was brittle with age and only twenty years after Mor’kay’s invasion she died her true death thanks to old age.

:GeronRUST: While his betrayal and death under the Mor’kay invasion was brutal, Maester Geron was revived and granted to keep his title of Maester. In court Sultan Elizah, Grand Vizier Leanah and Vizier Reizn ruled that it was Mor’kay’s evil magic that twisted him to betray his country and try to raise an army of undead inside the very city wall. While he was found innocent, we were still sentenced to pay penance by working in the grand temple. Even though he worked feverously and managed to put Varius formula into the common practice of necromancy, Maester Geron died unmarried and childless, ending his legacy.
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No. 592222 ID: 65a774
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592222

:MagusRUST: The Magus originally known as “The demon of gluttony”, Itril, stepped down as a tutor in the academy after the invasion when he saw the starvation and poorness of the lower city at the time. Being a famous gourmet eater, Itril should bare fathom the suffering the people of the lower city and decided to help them any way he should. While he was gravely wounded in the invasion, a wound which he would never recover from, he was still able to organize and open several “soup kitchens”, places where the poor and homeless should come for free food. As the Serath nation grew more equal and the poor and homeless slowly disappeared, Itril repurposed most of his kitchen and turned them into the famous restaurant chain “Jerry’s kitchen” instead, which is still popular all over the world today thanks to their cheap yet high quality food.

:MaskedManRUST: While there are many rumors, myths and stories about this mysterious “Masked Man” and his involvement with the invasion, there are no real factual truth to find about him. Some say he was a spy and saboteur ordered by Mor’kay to sabotage what he should in Serath, other says the opposite, that he worked for Elizah instead. The only thing we can truly know about this mysterius figure is that whatever he was, the world might never know the truth of his existence.
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No. 592223 ID: 65a774
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592223

:UnknownKAK: There… It’s done… just as you asked, Master Carcer… everyone on your list… I can’t really see how this Itril fits with the rest but… this is what you asked for.
:UnknownKAK: Good… but I have two more jobs for you, historian. I want you to compile some more information about some people of old… these two jobs will involve the grand inquisitor incursion in Amun and the undead invasion of Järgien that happened the same year.
:UnknownKAK: …hmm, very well… if they pay is as good as the first one… but… I have to ask you, Master Carcer, why do you seek this information?
:UnknownKAK: … … …for a… friend. While even the gods creation will rust in time, some memories can last forever…

THE END…?
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No. 592248 ID: d8a627

>>592222
I think that Soup Kitchen Lizard (the one in the middle) is flirting with that Mantis...
>>592223
Gasp! We're inside the CAI?!
I'm kidding... There is a character in the CAI known as The Historian though
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No. 592295 ID: 2eac65

Before we go, could we see what the other players looked like?
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