Jester
Arbiter
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2013
- Messages
- 1,493
Wait, what would we get if we would roll critical miss. Godhood? Immortality? New Orb of UNLIMITED Power? It actually might work in our favour yet.
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Myth: A New Age CYOA
- Thread starter Fangshi
- Start date
Kz3r0
Arcane
- Joined
- May 28, 2008
- Messages
- 27,017
We made some bad or careless decision before, like shelling the bomb zomnbies instead of aiming for the necromacers guiding them, then we avoided a TPK just thanks to a lucky roll, with the green orb in Nine's mind we survived thanks to The Faceless Man, this time would have been a conscious risk we would have took, instead we pussied out, such a hell of a pair, more very lucky clueless morans, R00fles.
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2011
- Messages
- 2,835
It'd be a hell of a risk for questionable gain. The best option was A since we'd be taking no needless risks and losing very little. All of the others have the potential for far greater losses. And the rewards for their successes are few if any. Still, I think B was the next best option.
Kz3r0
Arcane
- Joined
- May 28, 2008
- Messages
- 27,017
Believing The Faceless Man and letting him do what he wants, very 'safe'.
Without mentioning that Mazzarin can held us responsible for this when we will encounter him in the future.
Oh well, I hope that the Oneroi are much smarter that he thinks and he is just jumping head first in a deadly trap.
Without mentioning that Mazzarin can held us responsible for this when we will encounter him in the future.
Oh well, I hope that the Oneroi are much smarter that he thinks and he is just jumping head first in a deadly trap.
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2011
- Messages
- 2,835
It's not the most desirable outcome, if we had the benefit of hindsight we most likely would have avoided this altogether, but given the current choices it is superior.
Kz3r0
Arcane
- Joined
- May 28, 2008
- Messages
- 27,017
Oh well, I regret not taking this opportunity but at least we are almost certain that this magnificent LP will continue.
Let me see by the way about that Oneroi spell trapping the gate that The Faceless Man has overlooked:
Fangshi
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2014
- Messages
- 1,997
Chapter 25: Faith or Folly?
A hero would have stopped him.
The Faceless Man walks towards the gate. Slowly, confidently, he approaches his freedom. He pauses before passing through, "Thank you ladies. I shall remain eternally grateful for your aid in restoring me. You are my saviours, my angels and I shall look forward to the day when we meet once again."
He gives you the slightest of bows and steps through the gate.
You do nothing to stop him.
Nothing to stop the release of the fifth or sixth most powerful mage in recorded history.
Nothing to stop the release of a true Fallen Lord.
For a moment you think.
You think that if you were a hero you would stop him. You would stop him no matter the cost.
Yet it does not truly bother you.
He has been a useful asset even if not an entirely loyal one and you have no desire to antagonize him.
In the final balance of things he was not, is not, your enemy.
A hero would have stopped him.
Would have sacrificed their life to do so.
But then you have never claimed to be a hero.
You are a mage and you will fight the battles you have to for the things you care about. You will build, you will learn, you will plot and you will grow and perhaps someday you will achieve the sort of power that can permanently remove these old evils from the world. To snuff them out or to redeem them. But that is something for the future.
In the present you will live and take solace in that fact.
For now, for you, that is enough.
A hero would have stopped him.
But heroes die...
-----------------------------------------
Three mages run through the dark.
Lilac robes trailing behind them.
Just a little further.
A little further and they will be safe.
A quarter of the way down the hallway the trailing mage screams as an arrow strikes him in the thigh. He falls, rolling as he hits the ground. The arrow snaps off in his leg and he howls in pain. That pain is swiftly ended by another volley of arrows.
The remaining two do not even look back.
The second mage makes it four fifths of the way before being dropped by four arrows in the back.
The final mage, though, makes it.
A arrow whizzes over his head as he races around the corner. These mercenaries are persistent. He has personally killed four since the battle began but they simply keep coming.
He does not pause for a moment as he turns the corner. He has mere seconds to make it to the dining room.
He sees the doors.
He has made it!
Hands on the handles he pushes.
It will not yield.
He is too late.
He is trapped.
He turns and faces his executioners.
He will sell his life dearly though it matters little in the end.
----------------------------------------
The mercenaries press in on them from every access point but they give ground just as they were taught to. They fall back towards the center of the facility. Towards the master coiled upon its throne, dreaming. Here in its chamber they would make their stand.
The doors shake as the remaining Oneiroi cluster around their master.
They flip tables, set up barricades, ready themselves for the final push.
The mercenaries are persistent. They must taste victory but the Oneiroi will not go quietly. The master will wake and will purge the compound of non believers.
They chant loudly, calling out to it.
One eye drifts open lazily.
A clawed hand stirs.
The doors give way.
The mercenaries pour in.
The master wakes.
---------------------------------------------
Otto dives out of the way, rolls and steadies himself. These mages are quick and their spells are deadly.
A cloud of purple mist envelops three of his men. They gasp, they fall. "Arrows!" the captain shouts out, "Return fire!"
Six arrows loose, then another six, and another. The four enemy mages collapse, writhing in pain as the arrows draw their knifes to finish them off.
The mages struggle but unable to focus there is little they can do as the archers dispatch them. Boots to the head and throat, knives to the stomach and chest, it is a simple thing to finish them off. Muffled moans and screams echo through the corridor.
"Alright men form up," Otto draws his men up for the next push, "We are to join up with the rest of the teams at the heart of the compound. Once secure we will-"
The compound rumbles.
"What the hell was that?" an Arrow mumbles.
"It is coming from the center of the compound," another answers.
"Well then gentlemen we best hurry up," Otto takes off towards the disturbance with his men in tow.
-----------------------------------------
Otto has found the source of the disturbance.
Like a good officer he moved to deal with.
Right now though he is wishing he had not.
He dives behind a table as a swarm of devouring, lavender serpents fly past his head.
The main chamber is a mess. Corpses strewn everywhere. The last ten Oneiroi congregate on a large platform throwing out spells.
In front of them is... something. It vaguely resembles a man but is put together wrong. Twisted wings, oddly bent legs, horns that seem to drain the light from the room.
It is strong... stronger than the best of them.
It is fast... faster than the best of them.
And to top it all off it can cast.
He lost half his men in the first two minutes.
The last five have consisted of constant dodging and weaving. He has used every trick he knows but this is it. He is too tired to carry on.
It hurls a rose coloured bubble at the table. It strikes home with a deafening pop and dissolves the wood around him. Otto slowly stands. The creature... smiles at him.
He readies his sword, about to charge to his death.
"Oh my! What is happening in here!" the voice is feminine and the excitement, the joy, it exudes stands in stark contrast to the bloody spectacle that is playing out around Otto.
He turns, compelled to find the source of this voice.
She is a tall woman with short blonde hair. She wears mail and carries an iron spear in her hand. She strides into the room like she owns the place.
"So you must be an Arrow," she points at Otto, "Which would make you lot the Oneiroi correct?"
The creature howls and throws a twisting corkscrew of blue energy at her.
She moves faster than his eye can track.
She points the spear at the beast and it begins to evaporate, its flesh boils, bubbles, away. Its muscles liquefy, its bones crackle and burst. It howls as it dies, powerless. It dissolves in front of Otto like a bad dream gives way before the dawn. In less than a minute the creature is no more.
The woman sulks a little, "I was really hoping it would be more of a challenge," she shrugs, "Oh well, time to get to work."
The remaining Oneiroi watch on in horror.
She hums as she casts, an old tune, older than living memory.
---------------------------------------------
"So how do we want to do this?" Thaïs asks.
You both already know the answer. You are not going to kill this thing. It would probably be wiser to do so but murder is not something that either of you are terribly comfortable with. Especially when your target has not wronged you in any substantial way.
You adjust your hat, "We let him go I suppose."
You drop down closer to the creature, "You won't kill and devour us if we free you right?"
He gives a pained smile, "Of course I will not."
"Well I guess that is the best we can hope for," you move to free him.
Lyssa calls from across the room, "Derryth stop!"
Thankfully the Faceless Man did not harm her.
The first thing you did after he left was to check on her. She just needed a few moments to recover and you were happy to grant them to her.
"Why?" you naturally ask.
"He will attack, though he is not lying, he will not kill or eat us but he will not let us leave either," she seems certain of this.
"How do you know?" Thaïs asks arching her eyebrows.
"Mazzarin taught me about many of the beings that prey upon mortals. He was fond of telling stories to pass the time, to relive his years of glory. He mentioned a creature once in passing, one that matches this creature in almost every detail," she approaches the two of you as she speaks, "He is a rogue and a scoundrel. With a love for youth and beauty. If given half a chance he will capture us."
"So what do we do?" the question rolls of your tongue.
"We extract an oath from him first," she pushes past you and begins to chant. Her words twist, they are simultaneously too low to make out and too high to truly hear.
The creature grunts, it barks, it howls, then it falls silent, "Fine. Let me go and I will let you go. If that is not enough then we can all wait for my fellows to find a way in."
"So it is safe to release him now?" you ask the witch.
"Yes, as long as we do not overstay our welcome," she nods.
You are about to begin when you hear a slight moaning from across the room. The three of you stop and turn slowly.
"Is... is she still alive?" Lyssa mutters.
"Looks like," you and Thaïs respond in unison.
"Help... help..." she repeats the word weakly, trying to draw some sort of power from it. Over and over she repeats it, afraid that if she should stop she would die. She is likely right.
"Should we... do anything about her," the witch hazards to ask, "Put her out of her misery perhaps?"
"I should like her if you would be so kind," the creature grins as it lies pinned to the floor, "Her people owe mine much and she can help repay that debt."
But you have another idea and looking at your partner you can tell the same idea is worming its way through her mind as well.
You fall into an odd conversation that is half spoken and half assumed.
"We could save her-" you begin.
"Put her is the bracelets-" you friend continues.
"She would live and be of use-" you push on.
"Until we can find or make a body for her," Thaïs nods.
Ultimately you make the decision to:
-------------------------------------------
1. The officer: She lies dying. What if anything will you do about it?
A) Kill her. It would be a mercy.
B) Leave her for the creatures. It is not your concern after all.
C) Save her and take her back to the now empty bracelets. You could use an extra set of eyes watching your back and she would be much easier to control than the previous occupant of the bracelets. What you do after that remains to be seen.
D) freeform
-------------------------------------------
The three of you work to free the creature.
Though it looks like marble it feels like tar. When you touch it you stick slightly. You suspect that if it wanted to it could absorb at least part of you.
You remove the bricks, set its broken bones and withdraw all of the shards that have been buried within it.
When you are done you back away from the creature. It does not move at first but you can feel it casting. Drawing power out of the air around it. Slowly it pulls a few bricks lose as black earth falls in, peppering the floor. As the hole widens energy pours through it and the creature comes to life before you. Colour returns to it and its body regains its former vigour.
Within five minutes it stands before you in all of its glory.
It bows low, it grins, its mouth now full of razor-like teeth "I suppose now we must part ways?" he pauses waiting for your answer. When you nod it frowns slightly, "A shame, I should like to thank my saviours. I should like to thank all of you in depth over the course of a few centuries. I could show you the silver shores of the Deep Dreaming. The floating palaces of Pleasant Slumber. The calm, dark waters of horror and mystery. We could travel for an age ladies, will you not at least consider it?"
Its voice is smooth and strong. It caresses your ears. Urging you to absolve it of its oath. Urging you to go with it into the depths of this place.
You know all too well though that such a trip would be permanent. It would never lead you back out again. Your body would waste away and eventually you would become little more than a spirit yourself.
You politely refuse its offer, "I am afraid we have pressing business to see to in our bodies."
It bows again, "A shame my ladies. Then till we meet again I will bid you long life and sweet dreams."
It begins to boil in front of you. Transitioning into a thin mist as it slips gently away, under the door and out into the fort.
With the Oneiroi spells unravelling it is a simple though long process to drift back to your bodies. The natural attachment each of you has to them serves to guide you back safely like broad leaves carried on the current of some slow, wide river.
As you leave this odd plane of dreams and nightmares a single thought occurs to you, "Well that went well..."
-------------------------------------------------
You drift serenely back into your body.
A happy smile on your face.
As your senses return to you, you realize how wrong everything seems.
It is all so quiet.
The air smells slightly of smoke and magic.
As you regain your senses Thaïs happens to glance at your pack. She casually warns you, "Derryth you pack is open."
You frown, you are sure you closed and secured it before you attacked the compound's spells.
You take it off to check and your heart sinks. Someone has gone through your things. You are missing the Halcyon stone and even worse... you are missing Nine.
"That son of a bitch," you kick a nearby rock in frustration.
"What is the matter," asks the witch.
"The Faceless Man robbed us!" you are furious. After everything you went through to help Nine, to get the stone, they are both gone. He betrayed you... you were such a fool...
Your companions have to drag you back to your feet and through the compound gates. You are shocked by the scene that greets you.
There is little of the Oneiroi compound left.
Most of the building has been levelled.
All but two of the Oneiroi lie dead. The two survivors snore loudly, tied back to back. The Arrows sleep as well, Ceannard, Otto and all the rest of the survivors, lined up in a row leaning on the exterior wall.
You do not see Biliku or Uttu amongst them. Your heart jumps into your throat... he didn't... he couldn't... first Nine... then the stone... and finally the girls... you kept your word... why would he...
The rage builds in you. You are unable to speak, unable to think clearly. If the Faceless Man took them, hurt them, you will, you will-
You do not finish that thought.
Biliku tackles you as Uttu crashes into Thaïs. They refuse to release you. They cling to you like a drowning man to his last lifeline. So the four of you rest on the ground in a large pile as the girls squeeze the life out of both of you.
They bury their heads in your laps, babbling.
It takes you a few minutes to make sense of their story.
"She was soo powerful Thaïs!" Uttu spits out, panicked, "She levelled the whole compound!"
Biliku nods, "Ceannard tried to stop her. He ordered his men to open fire but she burnt up their arrows in mid air."
"Yeah! She totally cheated!" Uttu snorts, "She put them all to sleep too!"
"All except us, yes," Biliku cuts in catching your attention but she drops her gaze as she continues, "We... ah... we hid... we are sorry we left you but Ceannard told us to."
Uttu nods sadly, "It was an 'order'," she proceeds to do her best impression of her idol, wagging her finger as she goes, "'Don't you girls come out for anything understand? Not unless you see me, Derryth or Thaïs,'" she drops the impression, "And we did exactly what he said!"
"Oh, one more thing!" Biliku exclaims, "We... we went through your pack when the lady appeared..."
Uttu hangs her head, "We are sooo sorry and we know we are not supposed to look through your things without asking but..."
The sisters nod to one another, Biliku speaks, "We thought that the lady might try to take Nine like that other archmage was going to do. And you both said it was very important that no one get her so we took Nine-"
"And your favourite stone!" Uttu adds.
"Yes," Biliku nods to her sister, "We took Nine and your stone and we hid. Please don't be angry! We did not want to rob you and we did not want to abandon our posts, honest!"
It is sweet that their first fear was angering you. You want to comfort them but you are overcome with joy at seeing them alive and pride at their quick thinking. You hug the kids instead, to their credit they understand. Thaïs gives them a speech about how proud you both are of them and how their quick thinking saved the day though you have trouble giving it your full attention. They beam and squeeze you both tighter. It is several more minutes before you manage to get back to your feet.
Thaïs and Lyssa take the girls over to inspect the mercenaries as you put the Halcyon Stone and Nine back in your pack.
The Arrows begin to wake up shortly after and you are able to properly survey and secure the compound. Or at least what is left of it.
It seems the Faceless Man, or would that be Faceless Woman now, was as good as her word. She levelled the Oneiroi, killed them all in fact, save for your two hostages.
With her promise fulfilled she then proceeded to raid their vaults and library. From the looks of the place she took the best she could find and destroyed everything else.
All you have to work with are your two hostages and they seem to resent your questioning. You might have to get a bit creative here.
You do find one thing though.
A letter. In the bottom of your pack.
Addressed to you and Thaïs.
My Angels
It is a shame I can not stay to give you my thanks in person but given how you are... shall we say 'compromised' by a man I would never consider a friend I must instead take my leave of you through this letter.
It is my hope that you will remember our time together fondly as I do. Without your help, your courage, your compassion none of this would be possible and I want you to know that I will remember the service you did me.
I would say that should you ever need anything you have only to ask but we all know that, that would be a lie. In our business nothing is free but if you ever have something interesting to trade... well... do not try to find me. You will fail. Should I have need of you or something in your possession I shall contact you and we can go from there.
Until we meet again. Stay safe.
Yours Fondly.
TFM
p.s. I have great plans for the future ladies. Sleep soundly in the knowledge that you are now a part of them.
Not necessarily a comforting thought, but not something you can help for the time being.
To ease your mind you turn to more practical affairs.
------------------------------------------
2. Interrogation: You need to know how to help Meletē. You need to know what these mages know. How do you want to get it?
A) Offer them their freedom in exchange for the information. Naturally you will not free them until Meletē wakes and if they lie and get her killed then they will die as well.
B) You will take them back to the safe house and use your mental spells to break their minds. This will likely take time (days, perhaps weeks) but should eventually get you everything you need to know.
C) You are close friends with one of the best interrogators in the kingdom. You let Bari take a shot at them. You can not rush an artist though.
D) You invade their minds with infiltration and manually extract the information. It is certainly the quickest way to do this and ensure you get the truth but it is also the most dangerous.
E) You will pursue both B and C. You will mentally wear them down and Bari will work on their bodies. This might increase the chance of killing one or both of them but it would also be quicker.
F) Use Item Book of the Past - while this is the slowest method it is also the surest. The book will eventually find what you need.
G) freeform
3. Prisoners: Once you know what you need to know and have restored Meletē what do you want to do with them?
A) Kill them. There are no words for what they were a part of. They deserve death.
B) Let the Pathfinders imprison them. What they were doing has to violate at least some law and even if it does not they can lock them up forever as a personal favour to you.
C) Release them. You have what you need from them. You will not judge them.
D) Offer them jobs? It might work... you suppose...
E) Recondition them. If you succeed in mentally breaking them with 2. B or D you could try to turn them into servants or slaves.
F) Imprison them until you can find a way to dump them into the Dreaming. A fitting fate for them, you think, all things considered.
G) freeform
A hero would have stopped him.
The Faceless Man walks towards the gate. Slowly, confidently, he approaches his freedom. He pauses before passing through, "Thank you ladies. I shall remain eternally grateful for your aid in restoring me. You are my saviours, my angels and I shall look forward to the day when we meet once again."
He gives you the slightest of bows and steps through the gate.
You do nothing to stop him.
Nothing to stop the release of the fifth or sixth most powerful mage in recorded history.
Nothing to stop the release of a true Fallen Lord.
For a moment you think.
You think that if you were a hero you would stop him. You would stop him no matter the cost.
Yet it does not truly bother you.
He has been a useful asset even if not an entirely loyal one and you have no desire to antagonize him.
In the final balance of things he was not, is not, your enemy.
A hero would have stopped him.
Would have sacrificed their life to do so.
But then you have never claimed to be a hero.
You are a mage and you will fight the battles you have to for the things you care about. You will build, you will learn, you will plot and you will grow and perhaps someday you will achieve the sort of power that can permanently remove these old evils from the world. To snuff them out or to redeem them. But that is something for the future.
In the present you will live and take solace in that fact.
For now, for you, that is enough.
A hero would have stopped him.
But heroes die...
-----------------------------------------
Three mages run through the dark.
Lilac robes trailing behind them.
Just a little further.
A little further and they will be safe.
A quarter of the way down the hallway the trailing mage screams as an arrow strikes him in the thigh. He falls, rolling as he hits the ground. The arrow snaps off in his leg and he howls in pain. That pain is swiftly ended by another volley of arrows.
The remaining two do not even look back.
The second mage makes it four fifths of the way before being dropped by four arrows in the back.
The final mage, though, makes it.
A arrow whizzes over his head as he races around the corner. These mercenaries are persistent. He has personally killed four since the battle began but they simply keep coming.
He does not pause for a moment as he turns the corner. He has mere seconds to make it to the dining room.
He sees the doors.
He has made it!
Hands on the handles he pushes.
It will not yield.
He is too late.
He is trapped.
He turns and faces his executioners.
He will sell his life dearly though it matters little in the end.
----------------------------------------
The mercenaries press in on them from every access point but they give ground just as they were taught to. They fall back towards the center of the facility. Towards the master coiled upon its throne, dreaming. Here in its chamber they would make their stand.
The doors shake as the remaining Oneiroi cluster around their master.
They flip tables, set up barricades, ready themselves for the final push.
The mercenaries are persistent. They must taste victory but the Oneiroi will not go quietly. The master will wake and will purge the compound of non believers.
They chant loudly, calling out to it.
One eye drifts open lazily.
A clawed hand stirs.
The doors give way.
The mercenaries pour in.
The master wakes.
---------------------------------------------
Otto dives out of the way, rolls and steadies himself. These mages are quick and their spells are deadly.
A cloud of purple mist envelops three of his men. They gasp, they fall. "Arrows!" the captain shouts out, "Return fire!"
Six arrows loose, then another six, and another. The four enemy mages collapse, writhing in pain as the arrows draw their knifes to finish them off.
The mages struggle but unable to focus there is little they can do as the archers dispatch them. Boots to the head and throat, knives to the stomach and chest, it is a simple thing to finish them off. Muffled moans and screams echo through the corridor.
"Alright men form up," Otto draws his men up for the next push, "We are to join up with the rest of the teams at the heart of the compound. Once secure we will-"
The compound rumbles.
"What the hell was that?" an Arrow mumbles.
"It is coming from the center of the compound," another answers.
"Well then gentlemen we best hurry up," Otto takes off towards the disturbance with his men in tow.
-----------------------------------------
Otto has found the source of the disturbance.
Like a good officer he moved to deal with.
Right now though he is wishing he had not.
He dives behind a table as a swarm of devouring, lavender serpents fly past his head.
The main chamber is a mess. Corpses strewn everywhere. The last ten Oneiroi congregate on a large platform throwing out spells.
In front of them is... something. It vaguely resembles a man but is put together wrong. Twisted wings, oddly bent legs, horns that seem to drain the light from the room.
It is strong... stronger than the best of them.
It is fast... faster than the best of them.
And to top it all off it can cast.
He lost half his men in the first two minutes.
The last five have consisted of constant dodging and weaving. He has used every trick he knows but this is it. He is too tired to carry on.
It hurls a rose coloured bubble at the table. It strikes home with a deafening pop and dissolves the wood around him. Otto slowly stands. The creature... smiles at him.
He readies his sword, about to charge to his death.
"Oh my! What is happening in here!" the voice is feminine and the excitement, the joy, it exudes stands in stark contrast to the bloody spectacle that is playing out around Otto.
He turns, compelled to find the source of this voice.
She is a tall woman with short blonde hair. She wears mail and carries an iron spear in her hand. She strides into the room like she owns the place.
"So you must be an Arrow," she points at Otto, "Which would make you lot the Oneiroi correct?"
The creature howls and throws a twisting corkscrew of blue energy at her.
She moves faster than his eye can track.
She points the spear at the beast and it begins to evaporate, its flesh boils, bubbles, away. Its muscles liquefy, its bones crackle and burst. It howls as it dies, powerless. It dissolves in front of Otto like a bad dream gives way before the dawn. In less than a minute the creature is no more.
The woman sulks a little, "I was really hoping it would be more of a challenge," she shrugs, "Oh well, time to get to work."
The remaining Oneiroi watch on in horror.
She hums as she casts, an old tune, older than living memory.
---------------------------------------------
"So how do we want to do this?" Thaïs asks.
You both already know the answer. You are not going to kill this thing. It would probably be wiser to do so but murder is not something that either of you are terribly comfortable with. Especially when your target has not wronged you in any substantial way.
You adjust your hat, "We let him go I suppose."
You drop down closer to the creature, "You won't kill and devour us if we free you right?"
He gives a pained smile, "Of course I will not."
"Well I guess that is the best we can hope for," you move to free him.
Lyssa calls from across the room, "Derryth stop!"
Thankfully the Faceless Man did not harm her.
The first thing you did after he left was to check on her. She just needed a few moments to recover and you were happy to grant them to her.
"Why?" you naturally ask.
"He will attack, though he is not lying, he will not kill or eat us but he will not let us leave either," she seems certain of this.
"How do you know?" Thaïs asks arching her eyebrows.
"Mazzarin taught me about many of the beings that prey upon mortals. He was fond of telling stories to pass the time, to relive his years of glory. He mentioned a creature once in passing, one that matches this creature in almost every detail," she approaches the two of you as she speaks, "He is a rogue and a scoundrel. With a love for youth and beauty. If given half a chance he will capture us."
"So what do we do?" the question rolls of your tongue.
"We extract an oath from him first," she pushes past you and begins to chant. Her words twist, they are simultaneously too low to make out and too high to truly hear.
The creature grunts, it barks, it howls, then it falls silent, "Fine. Let me go and I will let you go. If that is not enough then we can all wait for my fellows to find a way in."
"So it is safe to release him now?" you ask the witch.
"Yes, as long as we do not overstay our welcome," she nods.
You are about to begin when you hear a slight moaning from across the room. The three of you stop and turn slowly.
"Is... is she still alive?" Lyssa mutters.
"Looks like," you and Thaïs respond in unison.
"Help... help..." she repeats the word weakly, trying to draw some sort of power from it. Over and over she repeats it, afraid that if she should stop she would die. She is likely right.
"Should we... do anything about her," the witch hazards to ask, "Put her out of her misery perhaps?"
"I should like her if you would be so kind," the creature grins as it lies pinned to the floor, "Her people owe mine much and she can help repay that debt."
But you have another idea and looking at your partner you can tell the same idea is worming its way through her mind as well.
You fall into an odd conversation that is half spoken and half assumed.
"We could save her-" you begin.
"Put her is the bracelets-" you friend continues.
"She would live and be of use-" you push on.
"Until we can find or make a body for her," Thaïs nods.
Ultimately you make the decision to:
-------------------------------------------
1. The officer: She lies dying. What if anything will you do about it?
A) Kill her. It would be a mercy.
B) Leave her for the creatures. It is not your concern after all.
C) Save her and take her back to the now empty bracelets. You could use an extra set of eyes watching your back and she would be much easier to control than the previous occupant of the bracelets. What you do after that remains to be seen.
D) freeform
-------------------------------------------
The three of you work to free the creature.
Though it looks like marble it feels like tar. When you touch it you stick slightly. You suspect that if it wanted to it could absorb at least part of you.
You remove the bricks, set its broken bones and withdraw all of the shards that have been buried within it.
When you are done you back away from the creature. It does not move at first but you can feel it casting. Drawing power out of the air around it. Slowly it pulls a few bricks lose as black earth falls in, peppering the floor. As the hole widens energy pours through it and the creature comes to life before you. Colour returns to it and its body regains its former vigour.
Within five minutes it stands before you in all of its glory.
It bows low, it grins, its mouth now full of razor-like teeth "I suppose now we must part ways?" he pauses waiting for your answer. When you nod it frowns slightly, "A shame, I should like to thank my saviours. I should like to thank all of you in depth over the course of a few centuries. I could show you the silver shores of the Deep Dreaming. The floating palaces of Pleasant Slumber. The calm, dark waters of horror and mystery. We could travel for an age ladies, will you not at least consider it?"
Its voice is smooth and strong. It caresses your ears. Urging you to absolve it of its oath. Urging you to go with it into the depths of this place.
You know all too well though that such a trip would be permanent. It would never lead you back out again. Your body would waste away and eventually you would become little more than a spirit yourself.
You politely refuse its offer, "I am afraid we have pressing business to see to in our bodies."
It bows again, "A shame my ladies. Then till we meet again I will bid you long life and sweet dreams."
It begins to boil in front of you. Transitioning into a thin mist as it slips gently away, under the door and out into the fort.
With the Oneiroi spells unravelling it is a simple though long process to drift back to your bodies. The natural attachment each of you has to them serves to guide you back safely like broad leaves carried on the current of some slow, wide river.
As you leave this odd plane of dreams and nightmares a single thought occurs to you, "Well that went well..."
-------------------------------------------------
You drift serenely back into your body.
A happy smile on your face.
As your senses return to you, you realize how wrong everything seems.
It is all so quiet.
The air smells slightly of smoke and magic.
As you regain your senses Thaïs happens to glance at your pack. She casually warns you, "Derryth you pack is open."
You frown, you are sure you closed and secured it before you attacked the compound's spells.
You take it off to check and your heart sinks. Someone has gone through your things. You are missing the Halcyon stone and even worse... you are missing Nine.
"That son of a bitch," you kick a nearby rock in frustration.
"What is the matter," asks the witch.
"The Faceless Man robbed us!" you are furious. After everything you went through to help Nine, to get the stone, they are both gone. He betrayed you... you were such a fool...
Your companions have to drag you back to your feet and through the compound gates. You are shocked by the scene that greets you.
There is little of the Oneiroi compound left.
Most of the building has been levelled.
All but two of the Oneiroi lie dead. The two survivors snore loudly, tied back to back. The Arrows sleep as well, Ceannard, Otto and all the rest of the survivors, lined up in a row leaning on the exterior wall.
You do not see Biliku or Uttu amongst them. Your heart jumps into your throat... he didn't... he couldn't... first Nine... then the stone... and finally the girls... you kept your word... why would he...
The rage builds in you. You are unable to speak, unable to think clearly. If the Faceless Man took them, hurt them, you will, you will-
You do not finish that thought.
Biliku tackles you as Uttu crashes into Thaïs. They refuse to release you. They cling to you like a drowning man to his last lifeline. So the four of you rest on the ground in a large pile as the girls squeeze the life out of both of you.
They bury their heads in your laps, babbling.
It takes you a few minutes to make sense of their story.
"She was soo powerful Thaïs!" Uttu spits out, panicked, "She levelled the whole compound!"
Biliku nods, "Ceannard tried to stop her. He ordered his men to open fire but she burnt up their arrows in mid air."
"Yeah! She totally cheated!" Uttu snorts, "She put them all to sleep too!"
"All except us, yes," Biliku cuts in catching your attention but she drops her gaze as she continues, "We... ah... we hid... we are sorry we left you but Ceannard told us to."
Uttu nods sadly, "It was an 'order'," she proceeds to do her best impression of her idol, wagging her finger as she goes, "'Don't you girls come out for anything understand? Not unless you see me, Derryth or Thaïs,'" she drops the impression, "And we did exactly what he said!"
"Oh, one more thing!" Biliku exclaims, "We... we went through your pack when the lady appeared..."
Uttu hangs her head, "We are sooo sorry and we know we are not supposed to look through your things without asking but..."
The sisters nod to one another, Biliku speaks, "We thought that the lady might try to take Nine like that other archmage was going to do. And you both said it was very important that no one get her so we took Nine-"
"And your favourite stone!" Uttu adds.
"Yes," Biliku nods to her sister, "We took Nine and your stone and we hid. Please don't be angry! We did not want to rob you and we did not want to abandon our posts, honest!"
It is sweet that their first fear was angering you. You want to comfort them but you are overcome with joy at seeing them alive and pride at their quick thinking. You hug the kids instead, to their credit they understand. Thaïs gives them a speech about how proud you both are of them and how their quick thinking saved the day though you have trouble giving it your full attention. They beam and squeeze you both tighter. It is several more minutes before you manage to get back to your feet.
Thaïs and Lyssa take the girls over to inspect the mercenaries as you put the Halcyon Stone and Nine back in your pack.
The Arrows begin to wake up shortly after and you are able to properly survey and secure the compound. Or at least what is left of it.
It seems the Faceless Man, or would that be Faceless Woman now, was as good as her word. She levelled the Oneiroi, killed them all in fact, save for your two hostages.
With her promise fulfilled she then proceeded to raid their vaults and library. From the looks of the place she took the best she could find and destroyed everything else.
All you have to work with are your two hostages and they seem to resent your questioning. You might have to get a bit creative here.
You do find one thing though.
A letter. In the bottom of your pack.
Addressed to you and Thaïs.
My Angels
It is a shame I can not stay to give you my thanks in person but given how you are... shall we say 'compromised' by a man I would never consider a friend I must instead take my leave of you through this letter.
It is my hope that you will remember our time together fondly as I do. Without your help, your courage, your compassion none of this would be possible and I want you to know that I will remember the service you did me.
I would say that should you ever need anything you have only to ask but we all know that, that would be a lie. In our business nothing is free but if you ever have something interesting to trade... well... do not try to find me. You will fail. Should I have need of you or something in your possession I shall contact you and we can go from there.
Until we meet again. Stay safe.
Yours Fondly.
TFM
p.s. I have great plans for the future ladies. Sleep soundly in the knowledge that you are now a part of them.
Not necessarily a comforting thought, but not something you can help for the time being.
To ease your mind you turn to more practical affairs.
------------------------------------------
2. Interrogation: You need to know how to help Meletē. You need to know what these mages know. How do you want to get it?
A) Offer them their freedom in exchange for the information. Naturally you will not free them until Meletē wakes and if they lie and get her killed then they will die as well.
B) You will take them back to the safe house and use your mental spells to break their minds. This will likely take time (days, perhaps weeks) but should eventually get you everything you need to know.
C) You are close friends with one of the best interrogators in the kingdom. You let Bari take a shot at them. You can not rush an artist though.
D) You invade their minds with infiltration and manually extract the information. It is certainly the quickest way to do this and ensure you get the truth but it is also the most dangerous.
E) You will pursue both B and C. You will mentally wear them down and Bari will work on their bodies. This might increase the chance of killing one or both of them but it would also be quicker.
F) Use Item Book of the Past - while this is the slowest method it is also the surest. The book will eventually find what you need.
G) freeform
3. Prisoners: Once you know what you need to know and have restored Meletē what do you want to do with them?
A) Kill them. There are no words for what they were a part of. They deserve death.
B) Let the Pathfinders imprison them. What they were doing has to violate at least some law and even if it does not they can lock them up forever as a personal favour to you.
C) Release them. You have what you need from them. You will not judge them.
D) Offer them jobs? It might work... you suppose...
E) Recondition them. If you succeed in mentally breaking them with 2. B or D you could try to turn them into servants or slaves.
F) Imprison them until you can find a way to dump them into the Dreaming. A fitting fate for them, you think, all things considered.
G) freeform
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Fangshi
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Little changed here except who is in your party.
Party/Organizational Changes:
A note on the rolls in the update for the curious:
Party/Organizational Changes:
Derryth:
Loses the following Active Skills:
1. Possessed (The Faceless Man is riding on your arm. He can grant both you and Thaïs an additional check should you fail a fatal roll provided you are in close proximity. His constant presence though wears you a bit thin over time. Occasional sanity loss when otherwise stressed.)
A magical item loses the following ability:
1. Possessed - Bracelet
Thaïs:
Loses the following Active Skills:
1. Possessed (The Faceless Man is riding on your arm. He can grant both you and Thaïs an additional check should you fail a fatal roll provided you are in close proximity. His constant presence though wears you a bit thin over time. Occasional sanity loss when otherwise stressed.)
A magical item loses the following ability:
1. Possessed - Bracelet
The Faceless Man:
Leaves party
Status changed to Ally
Ceannard:
Leaves party
Loses the following Active Skills:
1. Possessed (The Faceless Man is riding on your arm. He can grant both you and Thaïs an additional check should you fail a fatal roll provided you are in close proximity. His constant presence though wears you a bit thin over time. Occasional sanity loss when otherwise stressed.)
A magical item loses the following ability:
1. Possessed - Bracelet
Thaïs:
Loses the following Active Skills:
1. Possessed (The Faceless Man is riding on your arm. He can grant both you and Thaïs an additional check should you fail a fatal roll provided you are in close proximity. His constant presence though wears you a bit thin over time. Occasional sanity loss when otherwise stressed.)
A magical item loses the following ability:
1. Possessed - Bracelet
The Faceless Man:
Leaves party
Status changed to Ally
Ceannard:
Leaves party
A note on the rolls in the update for the curious:
- The Faceless Man had a few simple rolls to determine how badly he crushed the lesser demon by.
- Otto had a few rolls to see if he would die.
- Biliku and Uttu both rolled to see if they remembered to grab Nine and the Stone. Seemed the fairest way to do it. They were scared kids but they have also received training and knew how important both Nine and the Stone are to Derryth so I left it to chance. Uttu was actually the one to pass so she really saved your ass there.
- You, Thaïs and Lyssa had a check against the demon convincing you to come with him but it was a very easy one. Lyssa knew about it and you used your combined WIS to make the check since it would have to be a group decision. The chance to fail was quite tiny.
- And that was about it really.
- Otto had a few rolls to see if he would die.
- Biliku and Uttu both rolled to see if they remembered to grab Nine and the Stone. Seemed the fairest way to do it. They were scared kids but they have also received training and knew how important both Nine and the Stone are to Derryth so I left it to chance. Uttu was actually the one to pass so she really saved your ass there.
- You, Thaïs and Lyssa had a check against the demon convincing you to come with him but it was a very easy one. Lyssa knew about it and you used your combined WIS to make the check since it would have to be a group decision. The chance to fail was quite tiny.
- And that was about it really.
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Nevill
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Well... All I have to say is that I kind of want to take us away from the most heroic path. The part that made us heroes to the kingdom was also the part where we made our stand with odds of 50-to-1, and that was just stupid.
Still, this probably went better than we deserved. I winced at a thought of losing Nine to TFM as I read the update.
Good job at an ambiguity there. It feels both like a triumph in that we got to walk away alive and relatively in no worse shape than we were, and at the same time as the biggest screw up we've had so far.
Still, this probably went better than we deserved. I winced at a thought of losing Nine to TFM as I read the update.
Good job at an ambiguity there. It feels both like a triumph in that we got to walk away alive and relatively in no worse shape than we were, and at the same time as the biggest screw up we've had so far.
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1C
2A
3D
Masterfully written Fangshi! I felt exactly as Derryth did when i read that TFM stole nine and the stone.
I am voting to keep the officer. Its the least we can do since we let TFM steal her body.
Also i think that the mages are professionals and can be useful so the 2A + 3D combo works fine for me.
Turns out these are not the type of recruits we are looking for.
Masterfully written Fangshi! I felt exactly as Derryth did when i read that TFM stole nine and the stone.
I am voting to keep the officer. Its the least we can do since we let TFM steal her body.
Turns out these are not the type of recruits we are looking for.
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Nevill
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Nah, I'd rather we break them and bury them. They are fanatics and I don't think you can trust anyone who've been doing what they did.
At least Lyssa is really regretful about her past. These guys, not so much.
Just what was the demon we've freed, Fangshi? What does Lyssa know about it?
At least Lyssa is really regretful about her past. These guys, not so much.
Just what was the demon we've freed, Fangshi? What does Lyssa know about it?
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Fangshi
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Nevill said:
asxetos said:
Thank you the first draft was not to my liking so I threw it out and started over again. Then the second draft was not much better so I threw that out and started over again. I mean it is only 3 o'clock in the morning here. Sleep is overrated anyway...
Going to make myself a pot of coffee and wait for the sun to come up...
Nevill said:
Lyssa thinks that it was one of the three princes that rule this part of the Dreaming. If it was it was either Morpheus, Phobetor, or Phantasos. It would most likely have been Morpheus since he specializes in humanity.
She could be wrong of course but that is what she believes.
Nevill said:
They lost three quarters of their numbers between the dead and the wounded. 3/4 wounded to 1/4 dead.
They probably lost 1/5 of the overall organization in casualties and they will be operating at half strength for a while. But those are the risks of the business, Ceannard does not hold any of that against you.
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Nice update. A shame we couldn't talk to the Faceless (Wo)man. Would be entertaining. Overall this went pretty well I'd say. Also, we've made a friend of the Faceless Man! Another to add to the collection!
B>C
I don't like her. Enslaving her spirit would be pretty cool though and useful.
E>C>B>A
Would using mental spells on these guys stop us from doing anything with the Pathfinders/The Dwarf King?
Edit: I don't want to waste time on these guys. Let's go for quick and brutal torture mental and physical
E>A>D
Kill them. Yet if we break them with mental spells with our interrogation, perhaps we could have made them our mental servants through conditioning?
Edit: New option! They're horrible, evil men, who are horrible and evil. They should make up their debt to society by serving us unquestioningly and without fail. It's a good experimental technique to create an army of cannon fodder as well. Who needs necromancy when you can enslave nations with mind powers?
B>C
I don't like her. Enslaving her spirit would be pretty cool though and useful.
E>C>B>A
Would using mental spells on these guys stop us from doing anything with the Pathfinders/The Dwarf King?
Edit: I don't want to waste time on these guys. Let's go for quick and brutal torture mental and physical
E>A>D
Kill them. Yet if we break them with mental spells with our interrogation, perhaps we could have made them our mental servants through conditioning?
Edit: New option! They're horrible, evil men, who are horrible and evil. They should make up their debt to society by serving us unquestioningly and without fail. It's a good experimental technique to create an army of cannon fodder as well. Who needs necromancy when you can enslave nations with mind powers?
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Nevill
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How bad were casualties among the Arrows? How well the operation went, all things considered?
Did we do more help than harm with trying to unravel those spells?
Did we do more help than harm with trying to unravel those spells?
What is the Dreaming? I am not well-versed in Myth lore.Fangshi said:
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Fangshi
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Smashing Axe said:
You could try to do both but you increase the chance of accidentally killing them by straining both their minds and bodies too much. There would also be the problem of coordinating the 'sessions' with Bari but I can add it as an option.
If you want I can add it as an option.
Nevill said:
They lost three quarters of their numbers between the dead and the wounded. 3/4 wounded to 1/4 dead.
They probably lost 1/5 of the overall organization in casualties and they will be operating at half strength for a while. But those are the risks of the business, Ceannard does not hold any of that against you.
Depends what you mean in particular. If you had no gone in it would have been a more standard dungeon, if you made good choices you could have minimized casualties perhaps or they could have been even higher. It was possible to get the Arrows killed to a man here. There are simply too many variables to answer such a broad question.
It would not help you if you were. Bungie's early settings were great because they just give you the bare bones and let you run wild with them. Sometimes less is more when running a campaign. It is one of the reasons I don't much like Forgotten Realms as a setting. There is too much written about it.
The Dreaming like all the other planes of existence is something I invented entirely (though there are plenty of parts in it stolen from other works or myth and folklore in general).
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I meant, since the mental spells would take a longer time to work properly, would we be missing out on any other opportunities that might spring up, such as whatever the Dwarf King has planned for us?
Yes please
Nevill
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It looks like most casualties the Arrows took was from the Oneiroi's 'master'. What the hell was that thing, anyway? What triggered it's awakening, and could it have been avoided?Fangshi said:
Basically, did we make things better or worse with our little stunt?
What I'd like to know is 1) will we be meeting the daemon prince again and what is required to do so (not that it would be too smart, but we might want to down the road) 2) what happens with the Dreaming if you kill it, what role does the creature play in its 'ecosystem', so to speak 3) does this thing affect our dreams (or can be communicated to through them) in any way 4) what happens with the Fort the Oneiroi built from the souls of all those people.Fangshi said:
It looks like we've made an 'ally' there as well, so I am naturally interested in how it can be used further.
I assume our oath does not extend to our future dealings, however?
Nevill
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You should gift them to Albrecht, then, because working the debt off to the society has nothing to do with us.
Also,
at rationalisation.As for the choices, contemplating between 2A with a twist that you will test their spells on them first so you don't get Melete killed, and 2C.
We didn't mind Bari's work back in the first chapter, but we didn't want to be a part of it either. So I'll go with C C>F A>B. Extract what you need from them, keep your own hands clean and, most importantly, free, and execute or otherwise get rid of them permanently.
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Why? Isn't it more humane than killing someone?
The Corps is mother, the Corps is father.
We've tried to avoid killing folk, but we've not been adverse to torture in the past. Nor have we been adverse to mindfuckery. It's not out of character if the option is available anyway, Fangshi has stated that he won't offer options if we've become too set in our ways. For instance I don't think he'd ever offer us the option to backstab a companion in good standing.
I see us as a representative of the communal good. What's good for us is good for society. We're trying to become Empress of the World, right?
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Zero Credibility
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Well, it's over and we are all still alive (except for some of the Arrows). That's as good an end as any other. If I may ask, what were our chances of taking him out with the gate? Or him not noticing it if we fail?
1 C - sure, why not. The braces are useless without a spirit in them and we could use a bit of an edge the next time we do something really stupid. Like in that fight with the necromancers that would have gotten some of us killed without the braces. The fact that it also serves as a kind of a mercy means our new occupant will actually be grateful.
2 A - the easiest method by far. I really doubt they would try anything funny in this situation. Also, don't we have the book? Or is a knowledge like this one too specific for it? But we should promise them their lives, not freedom, because...
3 B - yeah, have the Pathfinders imprison them.
edit: Adding some conditionals.
2 A > D > F > B
A and D because I want to get this over quickly, F because if we use the book we at least won't have to be there personally the whole time, and B if we really, really have to waste all this time while other things are going on. And I hope our inventor doesn't die while we are doing that.
1 C - sure, why not. The braces are useless without a spirit in them and we could use a bit of an edge the next time we do something really stupid. Like in that fight with the necromancers that would have gotten some of us killed without the braces. The fact that it also serves as a kind of a mercy means our new occupant will actually be grateful.
3 B - yeah, have the Pathfinders imprison them.
edit: Adding some conditionals.
2 A > D > F > B
A and D because I want to get this over quickly, F because if we use the book we at least won't have to be there personally the whole time, and B if we really, really have to waste all this time while other things are going on. And I hope our inventor doesn't die while we are doing that.
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