Myth: A New Age CYOA

[Fangshi]

Fangshi, can we interpret C votes as Aii+Av like Nevill suggests?

Certainly I don't see a problem with that provided no one objects.

Also, Fangshi, is there a 'Bullshit Tactics' skill? Because I feel like we are steadily becoming more and more proficient with it.

Possibly, in theory there are an infinite number of skills (hell there is a whole skill set just for fucking...) as I use them as modifiers and descriptors primarily to remind myself what each person is good at.

If there is one then you are making great strides towards it.

Has Berty finally warmed to us? We have shown him loyalty to our troops and is probably thinking "Why do they need me as an insurgent tactical tutor when they got this shit down pat?

Oh he knew he liked the two of them within five minutes of meeting the ladies so I would say he warmed to you long ago.

Now if you want all of his deepest, darkest secrets, well, that will take time and effort like all good things.

 

[Nevill]

Now if you want all of his deepest, darkest secrets, well, that will take time and effort like all good things.

For the moment, all I want to know is how on earth he became a priest. And of what exactly.

 

[Jester]

Now if you want all of his deepest, darkest secrets, well, that will take time and effort like all good things.

For the moment, all I want to know is how on earth he became a priest. And of what exactly.

Cathulu mby? He got the madness part right.

Im more interested how he kept his list mostly normal. Expected more thralls and other extraordinary things, still he was James Bond at some point.

 

[Nevill]

A question, Fangshi. What would be the best way to establish ties within the nobility? Can we throw a victory party as an official event? I feel there is a need to negotiate at least some kind of a truce with them.

 

[Fangshi]

A question, Fangshi. What would be the best way to establish ties within the nobility? Can we throw a victory party as an official event? I feel there is a need to negotiate at least some kind of a truce with them.

Well the only way to establish ties with them is to spend time with them but that can be done in a number of ways. Most of the officers in the army come from the noble Houses so you could hunt or campaign with them if you wanted to get in good with the next generation of dwarves. The people that will hold power in a century or two (could be useful assuming Derryth intends to extend her lifespan as most mages try to do).

If you want more immediate influence then you should target the current leaders of the Houses (or their heirs and arrange for the current leaders to suffer accidents). If you want to meet the current heads of the Houses you will likely have to go to a number of social events and meet one or two Houses at a time.

A proper victory party though would also work as it would bring almost all of the heads and their immediate supporters to one place at one time. If the ladies made a good impression at such an event you would likely receive a number of invitations to other events and a fast track into the social circles that now dominate the kingdom.

Another possible route would be through the Silver Flame Club, who knows who you could meet there and if you manage to secure ties to the owner then that could open doors for you as well.

 

[Nevill]

Most of the officers in the army come from the noble Houses so you could hunt or campaign with them if you wanted to get in good with the next generation of dwarves.

I assume they would hunt ghols? That's their favorite sport, right? I don't think that's an option for our ladies anymore.

What kind of campaigning are we talking about?

The people that will hold power in a century or two (could be useful assuming Derryth intends to extend her lifespan as most mages try to do).

What is the lifespan of a normal human in the setting?

It looks like extending one's life is relatively easy in Myth-verse. Every Heron Guard knows how to do it, even though they aren't terribly powerful mages. Even Forcas, who didn't display much in terms of magical ability, knew how to do it. Are there some kind of common methods readily available?

A proper victory party though would also work as it would bring almost all of the heads and their immediate supporters to one place at one time. If the ladies made a good impression at such an event you would likely receive a number of invitations to other events and a fast track into the social circles that now dominate the kingdom.

How demanding are these social occasions? We aren't nobles, we are adventurers, so we can't spend too much time on these, but I would assume they would expect us to and will feel offended if we don't. Then again, the dwarven society has its quirks.

I have no intention to have our ladies become Great Ladies, I just want to get to know the Lords and calm them down by clarifying our intentions towards them and the country, as those, I presume, concern them the most. They are afraid of us because we are becoming quite powerful, yet they have no idea of what to expect from us.

I wonder if we can reach some sort of understanding without trading off our freedom of occupation for balls and the like.

 

[Fangshi]

I assume they would hunt ghols? That's their favorite sport, right? I don't think that's an option for our ladies anymore.

What kind of campaigning are we talking about?

Yeah, they would hunt ghôls though if they came across regular animals they might hunt them as well.

Campaigning would involve traveling with the army in some capacity but a lot would depend on what is going on in the Kingdom and what Derryth chooses to do.

What is the lifespan of a normal human in the setting?

It looks like extending one's life is relatively easy in Myth-verse. Every Heron Guard knows how to do it, even though they aren't terribly powerful mages. Even Forcas, who didn't display much in terms of magical ability, knew it. Are there some kind of common methods to do it?

Most people die young in the setting but the numbers are skewed a bit by high infant mortality rates, moderate rates of death during childbirth and fairly high rates of violent death (particularly among men). There are essentially two times in a person's life when they are likely to die. They are likely to die between birth and four years old from malnutrition, disease and predation. If they survive that then they are likely to die do to violence, disease, predation or in the case of women, childbirth (most would die between fourteen and thirty).

However if they survive all that then they are likely very lucky or of the upper class. If they maintain a good diet, avoid threats and generally look after themselves then it is likely that their 'natural' lifespan would be around seventy or eighty years.

As for extending ones life it both is and is not easy. There are a variety of means available but most of them come with a trade-off.

Some, like the spells used by Forcas cause a great deal of pain as they slow (rather than stop) the aging of the body. He had maybe another ten years left in him if he took care of himself, at that point the spells would simply cause too much pain for him to cast and he would expire. These types of spells are fairly common and all they really do is slow the decomposition of the body, they almost always carry with them a variety of negative consequences, pain, localized damage, insanity and so on.

The Heron Guard are all subjected to a number of rituals (it is important to note that they do not know the rituals that extend their lives, they are merely subjected to them) which grant them a natural lifespan in the hundreds if not thousands of years. Rumour states that the rituals have something to do with mandrakes roots which might suggest that it is similar to your own spell to prevent aging but you have no way of knowing for sure. The trade-off in the case of the Heron Guard is that they must swear service to the Emperor of the Cath Bruig. They gain a greatly extended lifespan but they forever loose their freedom, it is interesting to note that no known Heron Guard has ever turned against the Emperor or sought to leave his service. Hard to say if there is magic at work there or not.

A lot of the Dark Gods can also extend your lifespan significantly, some can even render you immortal after a fashion but there is always a cost.

Then there is the ritual that creates Shades but the trade-off there should be obvious.

Finally you have whatever it is that the archmages do to remain immortal (likely a great many different things rather than a single 'magic bullet' based on what Nine told you) and the trade-off there is that it takes power, time and knowledge to achieve such a state of being. You really have to work at it.

So yes there are quite a few means that can be used to extend one's life and some are fairly common knowledge though the risks and skill required often limit who can actually make use of them.

How demanding are these social occasions? We aren't nobles, we are adventurers, so we can't spend too much time on these, but I would assume they would expect us to and will feel offended if we don't. Then again, the dwarven society has its quirks.

The short answer is that they are as demanding as you want them to be.

The more time you spend on the task and the better you do the more of an effect it will have on the nobles though the exact effects it may have might vary from one lord to the next. Some of the nobility spend all of their time at such social functions but many of the more powerful ones have business to see to so they are likely to understand if you occasionally bow out to see to your own affairs as long as you do not insult them or give them other reasons to dislike you.

 

[Nevill]

Yeah, they would hunt ghôls though if they came across regular animals they might hunt them as well.

Just out of morbid curiosity. How do they go about this?

Do they seek out and attack 'wild' ghols? Or do they release captured slaves, give them some time to run away or hide, and then hunt them down?

Do ghols have similar interests as well? I mean, if there ever were survivors of ghol captivity or living witnesses. After all, it is easier for a ghol to outrun dwarven pursuers than the other way around.

Another possible route would be through the Silver Flame Club, who knows who you could meet there and if you manage to secure ties to the owner then that could open doors for you as well.

Hmm. Can we pursuit a career of cabaret singers and turn the Great Lords into our rabid fans?

 

[Fangshi]

Just out of morbid curiosity. How do they go about this?

Do they seek out and attack 'wild' ghols? Or do they release captured slaves, give them some time to run away or hide, and then hunt them down?

They go after 'wild' ones if they can, it is more challenging and 'fun' that way. If there are no wild ones in the area they will release a few slaves and hunt those instead. As most of the hunters are nobles they usually own chariots, teams of dogs, assorted chasers and birds of prey. Even though their prey is faster on foot it is quite rare for slaves to get away. If the slaves used happen to be worth a lot they will even use nets sometimes to bring them back alive and use them again. A good 'runner' can be worth a lot.

Do ghols have similar interests as well? I mean, if there ever were survivors of ghol captivity or living witnesses. After all, it is easier for a ghol to outrun dwarven pursuers than the other way around.

Impossible to say for the time being. Derryth knows of no one on hand that she can ask and get an answer from. It would not surprise her though, ghôls are known to eat humans, mauls, dwarves and anything they feel like so it seems reasonable that they would hunt for prey and take whatever they find.

Hmm. Can we pursuit a career of cabaret singers and turn the Great Lords into our rabid fans?

That would be... interesting.

I reserve the right to introduce a fast talking lawyer P.R. guy then. Hell, maybe Berty will do, he could show you how to hit them with that ol' razzle dazzle...

 

[archaen]

Hmm. Can we pursuit a career of cabaret singers and turn the Great Lords into our rabid fans?

Hey, now we are turning this into an anime. Talking magical animals, friendship is magic protagonists, love interest that goes nowhere because of duty, and now thinking about an idol career. We probably should draw the lines somewhere.

 

[Nevill]

Talking magical animals, friendship is magic protagonists, love interest that goes nowhere because of duty, and now thinking about an idol career

Not to mention leading a double life - magical girls Heroes of the Kingdom by day, pop stars by night.

And there is a demon from another plane of existence offering us strange powers in exchange for souls. Huh, maybe it is anime.

No, seriously, dude, it sounds awesome. Think of all the powerful and extraordinary people we can meet there! It is also a perfect place for recreation - I can't imagine Derryth enjoying herself during official ceremonies. They are stiffling by nature. The dinner at Barings' place probably still haunts her dreams.

It makes sense, is what I am saying. I can't think of a better way to spend our downtime after treading between life and death for two weeks.

 

[Nevill]

Are the votes closed? If at all possible, I'd like to add that we should send our eagles via 3 different routes (should not matter too much time-wise, as Myrgard is right next to us), and tell them to fly at maximum altitude (3km, or how high can the eagles go?). We don't know is this can prevent the third party from interfering with them, but it does not hurt to try some precautions in case the spell that kidnapped Calaeno out of the air has a limited range, and it is difficult to spot an eagle flying that high in the first place.

 

[Fangshi]

Are the votes closed?

The vote will close in roughly eleven hours and the update should be out within a sixteen to twenty four hours of that.

If at all possible, I'd like to add that we should send our eagles via 3 different routes (should not matter too much time-wise, as Myrgard is right next to us), and tell them to fly at maximum altitude (3km, or how high can the eagles go?). We don't know is this can prevent the third party from interfering with them, but it does not hurt to try some precautions in case the spell that kidnapped Calaeno out of the air has a limited range, and it is difficult to spot an eagle flying that high in the first place.

Sure, those seem like reasonable precautions Derryth and her people would take. If there are no objections then that is how they will do it.

 

[Fangshi]

Alright, the vote is closed. 1G wins so your forces will split up like so:

"- The grenadiers under Otto's command unload Lyssa, load up Pathfinder's crates, and bomb the remnants of the enemy army to oblivion.
- The Arrows under Ceannard's and Argus' command mop up the survivors, supported by chariots (as means of transportation only) and a mortar to help them get through this without casualties.
- Do not pursue too far. After inflicting maximum damage and destroying the vast majority of the army, have them return to the fort and join the search for our friends. We don't need every thrall dead.
- Thais, Derryth and Lyssa are to lead the search, aided by Blackrock troops, Hamundr, Astrid and Ori. And our rat volunteers, of course.
- Have the Pathfinders and Berty help wherever they are more needed."

For question 2, i, ii, and iv all managed to get a majority so you will send one eagle off to Mayer, Albrecht and the army respectively.

The update will be out in sixteen to twenty four hours time permitting.

 

[Fangshi]

Chapter 49: They Will Sing of Horrors, Darkly

One foot in front of the other, all the way down, down into the cold, black earth, down into darkness, down to your friends, you hope.

It has been several hours at least, that much you are sure of, several hours since you left the light behind you and once more pushed on into the dark. Thankfully though these have not been wasted hours.

Your mercenaries have made little progress mapping the tunnels by themselves but the addition of your rodent trackers have sped things up significantly.

Three hours ago they found your friends' scents.

Two hours ago they led you past five ruined thralls. One of which had a knife lodged in its jaw that was clearly Bari's.

Ten minutes ago they found a large crack in the side of a tunnel that they are convinced your people fled down.

Five minutes ago you assembled your captains and sent your rodent scouts in.

Now you merely await their return.

"They are certainly taking their time," you remark, leaning on your glowing staff.

"Well these things take time," Lyssa replies as she peers into the hole before you.

Myora grimaces, "Would they really flee through such a small hole?"

"We shall have to wait and see," Thaïs answers, leaning next to you against the wall.

"They have been awhile, maybe I should go check," Astrid mutters more to herself than anyone else. She eyes the crack and for a moment you think she will dive into it.

You lower your staff to block the entrance, "We wait. Once we know what is down there we can send a team in."

You do not have to wait long as your mice return shortly thereafter.

It seems that they were right, the trail of your missing people picks up right on the other side of the fissure.

Myora speaks first, "We should find another way around," it is not terribly surprising that she does not want you to follow this path. There is no chance that she or the other mauls will fit through a passage that tight and you do not doubt that she would loathe to be left behind.

You can not think of another way that is sure to find your allies though, so you give the order, "We are going in. Myora, you will stay with the other mauls and guard the entrance, everyone else will follow-"

"Will follow me," Hámundr steps forward and without so much as a glance at you plunges into the hole.

His dedication to his job is touching but infuriating, you grit your teeth as you repeat your order, "Right, everyone in," you motion for them to follow as you join the dwarf in the crevice.

-------------------------------

The little grey mouse races up Lyssa's leg, through her robes and out her collar. Deftly it swings onto her shoulder and sits at her ear as your two mouse mages shift over to make room. It grabs hold of her ear to steady itself and begins to squeak rapidly while the witch fights the urge to nod.

"What is he saying?" Kaf enquires with a grin, the man is still quite amused at the way you have conducted your search. You suspect he will have a lot of questions for Myora when he finally gets a moment alone with your remaining officer.

"He says that there was a fight in the tunnels up ahead," she pauses as the mouse continues his tale, "There are a number of dead thralls but no 'regular' bodies," she frowns, "There is also an odd smell, it is not like anything he has encountered before he-"

She stops short as a strange melody wafts down the tunnel toward your group.

Twenty hands reach for their weapons as your group instantly falls into complete silence.

"Oh, they punish the strong and raise up the weak..." a feminine voice cuts neatly through the silence and darkness in front of you.

"They reward the cowardly in all that they seek..." a child calls in response, giggling merrily as she sings.

"But someday, somehow we will be complete..." the rich tenor of a young man takes up the tune.

"And then, oh yes then, we shall devour the meek." a great booming baritone brings the simple rhythm to its conclusion.

Uttu squeaks slightly as her sister lays a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"What the hell was that?" Lyssa whispers from your right.

"No doubt something we should attempt to avoid," your friend quietly answers from your left.

"Maybe we should go back," Kaf suggests, "Widen the tunnel and bring in a larger force?"

You, Thaïs and Astrid answers as one, "We are not going back."

"Just a suggestion," he shrugs defensively.

You dim the light on your staff as a precaution while you begin to question your scouts through your mage, "Lyssa, do our scouts have a good grasp on what is ahead?"

She asks your question of her subordinate and he squeaks in reply, "They are working on it, the tunnels ahead all seem to converge on a single great chamber and they think that is where are people are."

Ori, largely silent till now speaks up, "I could try to sneak in and see what I can find."

You are not sure that is a good idea, splitting up on unfamiliar territory may well allow whatever is down here with you to pick you off one by one, "I think for the time being we should stay together and let the mice and rats do the scouting."

As you finish your sentence a small pack of mice come racing back to your position. They are led by Martin, your 'champion' amongst the mice of the fort, and he clings to his 'sword' as he runs on three paws.

The group race up to you and begin to climb you and your colleagues. Martin takes a place on your right shoulder and is joined by three of his fellows while four more come to rest on Thaïs' shoulders.

They all squeak at once, trying to get out their story but succeeding only in jumbling it. Lyssa raises a hand to silence them, "One of you speak for the rest, I can not understand you when you all talk at once."

The rodents fall silent as Martin speaks up. Lyssa's eyes flash with excitement as she translates, "They think they found our people, at the end of the tunnel, in the large chamber, there are a number of slabs. They did not get close but they did see that four were occupied."

"Any guards," your friend quickly asks as she checks her crossbow.

Lyssa translates for the mice and Martin replies with an proud series of squeaks, "None that they could see though there were a number of tunnels leading into and out of the room."

Ori, at the edge of your group, stares into the darkness as he speaks, "What about those voices?"

Lyssa swiftly asks and answers, "He says the singing is coming from chambers further into the cave system. He could not smell anything nearby so he is fairly certain that it is just an echo we are hearing."

"Good enough for me," you reply, as you take a step toward the darkness, "Everyone stay close together and move quietly. Hopefully we can get to our people without a fight."

------------------------------------

"Wyrd..." you are at a loss for words.

Bari, Neel, the charioteer, they are all alive but they are not in good shape.

Each of them rests on a large slab within the massive chamber. They are chained to the wall behind them by their necks and each has been stripped naked. They... they have had pieces cut off of them. The charioteer is missing his nose, an arm and a leg. Neel is missing both of his legs and an arm. Bari... Bari is just a torso and a head...

They have been cut and they have been sealed, along each wound is an odd yellow sap that seems to have been used to prevent blood loss and death.

Your people are soldiers, they are professionals, but many of them have never seen something like this. Your head spins and you damn near throw up in your mouth. Thaïs reaches for you and on instinct you grab hold of her hand and squeeze, you mutter together, "We, we can fix this... we can... we can fix this..."

You can hear Lyssa retching behind you and Uttu whimpers quietly as her sister tries to lead her from the scene.

Astrid, Ori and Hámundr race forward.

"Oh Bari! What happened to you!" Astrid cradles the dwarf's head in her arms as Ori feverishly works on his chains.

"Stigr! Come on boy! Wake up!" Hámundr shakes his soldier by the shoulders.

"Derryth," Kaf hisses in your ear, "If they keep yelling..."

His words snap you out of your trance, "Right, Astrid, Hámundr!" you call to them but they pay you no mind.

"We need to calm them," you friend whispers, "Compulsion?"

You nod, "Our best bet, yes."

You each seize on a target and launch your spells. Astrid and Hámundr each fall into silence and look back at you in confusion.

Together you mouth the words 'sorry' and 'be quiet'.

They nod but sadly it is too late.

A low rumbling echoes in the distance followed by a high pitched giggle and a seductive moan.

"That does not sound good," your friend groans.

"We will just have to be quick," you add as the two of you race toward Neel with Kaf close behind.

When you reach the old man it becomes clear that he too is unconscious, "Kaf, get to work on those locks. If we have to I will melt the damn things out of the wall-"

You catch a slight movement out of the corner of your eye. The fourth prisoner in the room stirs slightly and for the first time your attention is drawn to him.

He is small, child-like, and shifts restlessly on his grey stone slab. As bad as your friends look, this child seems to have had it far worse. His limbs are gone, his nose and ears are gone and to make matters worse a great open wound sits in the middle of his chest. A mass of yellow sap holds it closed but it is clear that someone could reach inside if they so chose to.

As you watch him his eyes flicker open, "Help..." he mutters.

You approach the boy, "What happened down here?"

"Pursuing... enemies..." his eyes close as he takes a laboured breath, "Attacked... horror... kept... alive... fresh... food... " his eyes bolt open, "Help me!"

"Racked and bound to uncaring stone!" a voice calls out from behind you, your hair stands on end at the sound. It drifts toward you, light, graceful, and terrifying.

You turn as a second voice answers, it giggles and murmurs to the first, "Here in pain they shall find a home!"

Your eyes light upon it, this thing. Slowly you trace its form. It rolls into the doorway on a thousand tiny, hexagonal talons. They tap out a strange rhythm, the foundation of the song you heard earlier. Each of these tiny multi-jointed limbs feed into a bulging, twisting larval torso and tail that slaps wetly behind the beast. Dozens of ribbed tendrils extend from its torso in every direction and emit a variety of pleasing tones while they whistle through the air. From the other end of the creature four bobbing heads extend along plant-like stalks. They twist and spin around one another surveying the room as they sing.

"Cries unheard, mediocrity undone," the grinning young tenor sings as he stares into you, through you.

"Find your purpose, far from the sun!" the baritone exclaims in triumph, its chins waging, sending tiny ripples back down its stalk to the rumbling, bulbous body below.

Yes, purpose. Here in the dark.

This thing's song whispers to you, tempting you, but you have received far better offers from far more alluring beings than this... abomination.

"Um, Derryth? You aren't going to fall for this are you?" Caoilainn chimes in, snapping you out of your thoughts.

"Oh course not," you quietly reply, "Have a little faith."

"Oh, I do, I do," she replies laughing nervously, "But that thing... what is that thing?"

"Our enemy," your friend replies from your side, surprising you slightly. Thankfully, it seems that all the battles your group has fought together over the last month has done wonder for unit cohesion. Discretely Thaïs, Lyssa and the girls have moved to your side and readied their weapons, at the very least you won't have to worry about this thing picking them off one by one.

"What do you want!" you call out to the beast, perhaps, just perhaps it will let you go without a fight.

Its heads all focus on you, they laugh and it begins to roll into the room, humming as it goes.

Some of your people begin to hum as well.

Well, best to put a stop to this. You launch a single firebolt at the beast and it skitters backward and hisses at you. A shame you did not hit it but you were not really tying to either. You were just sending it a message.

Your men snap out of their trance and begin to back toward your position, forming rank against this new foe.

"How long till out people are loose?" you whisper under your breath, afraid to break eye contact with this thing.

"A few minutes at most," your friend quietly replies.

"What if we do not have a few minutes?" Biliku mutters.

"Then we stall," you answer as, once more, you address the beast, "I said, what do you want! Answer or I will strike you down where you stand."

"Strong it is, but strong enough?" the woman muses.

"Perhaps, perhaps we call its bluff!" the child merrily suggests.

"I would not do that!" you shout, "We have killed much stronger devils than you in our time!" though you are not quite sure that, that is in fact true, "If we fight, I guarantee you that you will die! Now I will ask one more time, what do you want!"

"Awakened, empowered by devouring will," the young tenor answers playfully.

"We desire but only to kill, kill, kill, kill!" the older head bellow as the four begin the laugh.

"You will not kill today!" your friend answers with a bolt of magic that strikes mere millimetres from the beast.

It skitters backward into the entryway and for a moment you sense indecision.

You try to capitalize on its hesitation, "We merely want these three. Give them to us and we will let you live."

"Such a trade is hardly fair!" the woman protests.

"Show us how much you really care!" the child nods in agreement.

"What do you mean?" you ask, dreading the answer.

"This meat we have tried and found to be lacking," the young man begins.

The oldest head grins, "New flesh to be tasted, new bones to be cracking?"

"You, you want a sacrifice? You want us to leave a person for each one we take?" the very thought of it disgusts you.

The four 'heads' nod as they roll and tumble together.

You try one final time to drive home your point, "There are many of us but you are alone! If we fight you we may lose a few but you will die!"

"Alone they say, so sure of their vision!" the woman cackles.

"Perhaps they be wrong, a dire omission!" the child spins as it screams.

The four heads laugh together and far above you, in the darkness, an entire choir begins to sing.

"What are we going to do?" Uttu looks up at you and asks.

That is a good question...

What are you going to do?


1. Seriously, what are you going to do? (All votes for a particular option will be counted together with the most popular variant chosen from the winning choice.)

A) You accept the creatures deal: As much as it kills you to admit this, you do not believe you can win this fight but you will not leave your allies. You will give them three people and hopefully you or your people will be able to return to save these new captives before it is too late. (Name the three people you are going to leave behind, Derryth can be among them if you are feeling particularly suicidal.)

B) The same as A only you will also free the child as well. (Name the four people you will leave behind, Derryth can be among them if you are feeling particularly suicidal.)

C) You will leave now. If you are quick enough you might be able to make it back to the fissure before your enemy can trap you. You will have to leave Bari, Neel and Stigr behind though.

D) Fight of course! You are not going to lose this and you are not going to abandon your people! You just need to come up with a plan... (What I will do here is lay out a few very general plans then include a freeform option, which will allow you to come up with a nice through plan. I will include a full force list and a map in the next post so that you know where everyone is and what kinds of resources you have at your disposal.)

i. Pitched Battle: you will free your friends and withdraw to the far side of the room. You will then try to break the enemy by hitting them with everything you have. Hopefully they run out of bodies before you run out of things to throw at them.

ii. Running Retreat: you will free your friends and then withdraw in a rolling retreat toward the fissure. Hopefully you will be able to reach the passage and slip through it without being trapped.

iii. Rearguard Action: you will free your friends and cover their retreat. Once you are fairly certain they have escaped you will then try to flee back through the tunnels and the fissure. If you can not make it back you will have to look for another way out. The risks of such an action to the delaying party should be fairly obvious... (Feel free to stipulate whatever team you want, Derryth does not have to be part of the rearguard but she would be inclined to be, if you want to split up specific characters that will also require rolls, some characters will be very much against splitting up and I will provide a full list in the next post..)

iv. Demonic Negotiation "- Send the child into the Dreaming. Morpheus (I'll just call him that, since Lyssa thinks that's his name) said that if we send him living beings, he'll send back his elves and fairies. He promised us power and information. As far as the gifts go, this one is quite generous, so he might even come in person. He might know how to fight these creatures, or he might provide us with direct support. We don't know what he can do, but if he ever wants to receive more 'gifts', he'll have to do something to get us out of here.
- Scatter our people just a little bit so that we don't bunch up and get trapped in the yellow substance as a group, but not too far tha one would not be able to help the other if something happens.
- Hit the creature with everything we've got. Have our archers, and even spell-casting mice (why the hell not, if the range permits?), aim for the heads or the eyes. Hopefully, it does feel pain just as we humans do, and it might overwhelm it and make it unable to react. Or maybe we can one-shot it with the Greater Energy Bolt which, apparently, is still stored in Thais' ring.
- Astrid's flash grenades might come in handy if the creatures rely on sight. We might want to check that.
- Break the locks with the Warrior's Mask. Or just rip the chains out of the wall. We don't have minutes to pick them, we must hurry and flee before the other creatures pour through. We must do it fast, and it is the next fastest thing after C.
- Redistribute the energon cubes, if necessary.
- Have the dwarves drop the satchel charges as they retreat. If the creatures do get through, we'll have to detonate those to cover our flight. Try to blow up the creatures, not the tunnels.
- If anyone gets caught in the sap, try to break them out with the Warrior's Mask. Either apply it to them directly, or to the one trying to dig them out, depending on who is stronger.
- The mages can help in a variety of ways, but that would depend on what kind of support we'll get from Morpheus. It's hard to theorize beforehand.
- Send our people through the fissure. A scout should go first, the kids and the wounded go right after them. The mages should not go last, but they should not evacuate quickly, either, as they are the ones who can hope to keep the creatures at bay. Hopefully, Morpheus can cover those who will go last, as he does not belong to the material world and thus isn't risking much."

v. freeform: if you want to do something clever or complicated then this is the choice for you. (I will attach a force list/equipment list and a map to the next post, it might take a few minutes to appear depending on how much trouble I have formatting things.)


2. The child/'child': If you choose to fight you need to decide if you want to spend time to free the child or only your own people. This question only applies if an option C wins.

A) You will free the child as well.

B) You will leave the child, he will only further slow you down.

C) You will kill the child, it is the only mercy you can offer him but it is certain to provoke an attack.


3. "These creatures apparently can affect one's will through their movement and singing. If that becomes a problem for your forces, you think you may want to try to snap them out of it and protect them by having your people sing a different song of their own.

A) You try it. It might save lives.

B) You do not try it. It sounds silly."

 

[Fangshi]

Force List and Update Resources:

Current Party List: (Current Party, 20 people)

Spoiler

The Lost:
Derryth - Mentalist, see character sheet
Thaïs - Mentalist, see character sheet
Lyssa - Illusionist, see character sheet
Biliku - Warrior (sword and shield), see character sheet
Uttu - Archer, see character sheet

Blackrock:
Kaf - Warrior, (warhammer, axe and shield). Skilled Warrior, skilled infantry commander, loved by his men.
2 Veteran Dwarven Grenadiers (each has the usual set of cocktails and charges but they all have a single frag grenade as well)
4 Veteran Dwarven Warriors (Hand weapons (swords, axes, hammers) and shields)
3 Veteran Human Sellswords (Sword and shield, they each also have a crossbow and bolts)
2 Veteran Human Archers (bow and arrows, each also has a falchion)

Pathfinders:
Ori - Warrior/Grenadier (sword and shield, a dozen pathfinder frag grenades, four flash grenades, four satchel charges)
Astrid - Grenadier (twenty improved dwarven cocktails, a dozen 'dwarven fire' grenades, 4 concussion grenades, 4 satchel charges)

Royal Guards:
Hámundr - Warrior (sword and shield)

Rodents: (just to be complete...)
Mirra - Elementalist Novice
Poppy - Elementalist Novice
Martin - Warrior (hatpin and can lid)
3 Observer Mice (armed with sewing needles and blowguns)
2 Ratguard Mice (armed with a straight razor and a stolen jeweler's hammer respectively)
2 Gold Digger Mice (armed with a small sack of tacks and a bit of wood with a nail in it respectively)

Map:

Spoiler

--------------------------------------------------------------X <--------The Creature is here-------------------------------------

Most of your men are spread out in this area​

XXXXX <---You and the Lost are here

X The child is here​

X The slabs
X are here along
X with those trying
to free your allies​

---------X <--You entered here--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Character Relationships:

Spoiler

These should be obvious but some people are going to have trouble leaving others behind:

Derryth: Everyone, she is not going to want to do it, but she will not have to roll for it. She already has, if she had failed it would not be an option. However she will not leave Thaïs and the girls. If they stay she stays.

Thaïs: Everyone and she still has to roll for that. She will resist leaving Bari, Lyssa and Astrid in particular. She will not leave Derryth or the girls.

Lyssa: Will not want to leave Derryth, Thaïs or the girls and will require a check for those specific cases.

Biliku: Will not want to leave Derryth or Thaïs. Will not leave Uttu.

Uttu: Will not want to leave Derryth or Thaïs. Will not leave Biliku.

Kaf: No problems here. He just wants to live...

Astrid: Will not leave Bari.

Ori: Will not want to leave Bari.

Hámundr: Will not leave Stigr.

Party/Organizational Changes:

Party Changes:

Spoiler

Derryth:

Received the following items back:
1. Gold Ring - was on loan to Lyssa

2. Heaven Stone - was on loan to Lyssa

Thaïs:

Recieved the following items back:

1. Spyglass - was on loan to Lyssa

Lyssa:

Returned the following Items:

1. Gold Ring - returned to Derryth

2. Heaven Stone - returned to Derryth

3. Spyglass - returned to Thaïs

Pet status changes:

1. Jatayu (trained eagle) - Dispatched - Currently on his way to Myrgard and the King

2. Aquila (trained eagle) - Dispatched - Currently on his way to Myrgard and Mayer

3. Calaeno (trained eagle) - Dispatched - Currently on her way to check with the King's forces

Argus and Ceannard leave the Party to mop up undead.

Organizational Changes:

Spoiler

Not much of anything for the moment.

Rolls:

Spoiler

This update had very few rolls that actually pertained to the update itself. Most of the rolls dealt with your other groups cleaning up what is left of the enemy. Your eagles also had a few rolls, as did the army the King dispatched. There were also a number of rolls for things happening around the kingdom.

As for the rolls pertaining directly to this update they were mostly movement and tracking based. How long would it take to find the trail, how long would it take to find the fissure into the natural cave system, how long would it take to organize a search party, that sort of thing.

Your rodents rolled quite well on top of being very skilled and as a result you got down there and to your friends quite quickly really. Given how long they were down there, there was a decent chance that one or more would be dead.

Beyond that there were a few rolls to see where the creatures would be and if they would spot your rodents, they didn't. There were also rolls to see if they would hear the noise you were making, they did. Speaking of the noise everyone got to take a few SAN checks after seeing that, pretty much everyone but Kaf, Derryth, Biliku and Thaïs failed spectacularly and began acting on impulse. Kaf and Biliku passed easily while Derryth and Thaïs struggled a bit.

There was a roll to see if any of the prisoners would manage to wake up, the kid did but only barely.

There was also a roll or two to determine how quickly your people could free the prisoners though I can't yet mention how well they did.

Finally I can now talk about the rolls relating to your missing people. They fled into the tunnels and rolled to escape. Your enemies sent people after them that also rolled to track and find them. The tunnels are a labyrinth without a proper guide so all of the tests were quite difficult.

There were a couple skirmishes for your missing people and eventually they found that fissure in the wall and decided to enter to see if they could not find another way out before they ran out of food.

Once they entered the creatures' territory they had a number of checks to avoid detection. They managed for a while, and like usual Bari rolled well, but in the end they failed before they could find any way out or make it back through the fissure.

The rest of the rolls had to do with the creatures' feeding habits and I doubt I need to elaborate on that.

 

[Nevill]

Do we have time to reach inside the child's mind to see if he isn't a part of TWM's party pursuing our people? It does not seem to be in a condition to resist.

Or maybe one of our friends knows.

Or the mice.

 

[Fangshi]

Do we have time to reach inside the child's mind to see if he isn't a part of TWM's party pursuing our people? It does not seem to be in a condition to resist.

You have time, you force your way into his mind and it all comes pouring out. He is a follower of the Thin White Mage but he was not chasing your people. He was in the fort when you sprung your ambush, he fled the fort and slipped into the tunnels with a few other mages. Once in there they wandered for a time until they found the crack in the wall. They heard someone coming and they fled through just to be safe. These things were on the other side, they attacked, they are fast and can spit that thick yellow sap from their tendrils. The mages did not even have a chance to defend themselves.

The other mages were all taken away before your friends arrived. He knows nothing more than that.



I also forgot the option to simply kill him if you choose to fight. It will certainly provoke an attack but that won't matter if you plan to fight anyway. I will add it.

 

[Nevill]

Oh no. No no no. We won't kill him.

Do we have means to send him to the Dreaming in exchange for help from a certain someone? A Retrieve Item spell, perhaps? He is kinda small.

If we fight, I'd like that to be our opening move.

 

[Fangshi]

Do we have means to send him to the Dreaming in exchange for help from a certain someone? A Retrieve Item spell, perhaps? He is kinda small.

Sure, Retrieve Item is a spell Derryth is quite familiar with and the boy is very... unique.

 

[Nevill]

Before we commit, can we search his mind for clues? Who is he, why is he following the White Mage, is he a part of robed figures, is he 'good' or 'bad', does he serve the Watcher, does he have a will of his own, that kind of stuff?

Something that would help Derryth to determine if it would be worth it to keep him alive.

If we can get away with it, who is the White Mage? How did he become what he became? Though I guess if we keep in contact with the DEMONZ, we'll be able to learn that eventually.

Does he know anything more about these horrors? Their numbers, per chance?

Mental spells only take seconds to work, so I'd like to understand as much of this unusual situation as possible.

Edit: I have to learn to read.

 

[Nevill]

Also, is he the one who killed Jawbone?

 

[Fangshi]

No problem, some of these questions are answered above so I will skip them. As for the rest.

Who is he, why is he following the White Mage, is he a part of robed figures, is he 'good' or 'bad', does he serve the Watcher, does he have a will of his own, that kind of stuff?

Well these are the responses you get from his mind when you probe his thoughts:

He is the third son of the fourth house of Asyut far to the south. He follows the White Mage because he loves and adores him. Sometimes he wears a robe, yes, but the creatures took it when they captured him. He says he is good, naturally. He will do anything for his beloved master. Of course he has a will of his own and his will is to do exactly what his beloved master says.

If we can get away with it, who is the White Mage? How did he become what he became?

That he does not know (and you are fairly certain his mind is not hiding the fact). The White Mage came to Asyut one hundred years or so ago (give or take several decades). While there he challenged all the mages of the city to a test, the winner would recieve eternal life and great power. The boy was the one to solve the magical puzzle presented to him and so he received his prize.

He has not dared to subject his lovely master to any sort of questioning, that would be very rude and that vexes the master so.

Also, is he the one who killed Jawbone?

He does not know who Jawbone is, you would have to do a deeper scan to check his visual memory and that is not terribly wise at the moment. He was there though and he did kill dwarves, make of that what you will.

 

[Nevill]

Well, fighting Cthulhu in his home is suicidal. We don't know their numbers, but judging by a choir in the distance, there are a lot of them.

I'll try to come up with a plan, but it probably should be a retreat covered by an army of goblins (or whatever else) our 'friend' might send us.

Lyssa translates for the mice and Martin replies with an proud series of squeaks, "None that they could see though there were a number of tunnels leading into and out of the room."

Do we have any means of sealing those without also collapsing the fissure we came through?

It may be another way of doing things - collapse the passages and cut the creature off from its reinforcements.

 

[Fangshi]

Do we have any means of sealing those without also collapsing the fissure we came through?

It may be another way of doing things - collapse the passages and cut the creature off from its reinforcements.

Satchel charges are your best bet to collapse tunnels but if you are talking about caving in sections of the cave system then you always risk potentially sealing off your escape. Your dwarves could do a controlled explosion if they had time but it would take them a while to map the tunnels for possible weaknesses and you will not likely have that much time.