Totemists, one of the first lines of defense against the malicious and monstrous, famed slayers of Behemoths which are perhaps the most dangerous examples of such, and bridge to the domains of spirits and magic unseen. The role is not an easy one of course, but it must be done and has been since time before almost all written history.You are Capran, young man of the Four Peaks mountains, pupil of Oranya Skystrike.There has been a lot of unrest on the mountain slopes lately, the issue growing further with each day it seems, but with your teacher still guiding you, there will always be a way to deal with it the trouble.Such as this post mimic, which stands on thin wood-splinter-like legs and angrily spears them into the ground beneath it at the failure of its ambush. You stand nearby your teacher and her friend Heyra, ready and willing to destroy this mimic.Awful thing. You're rather happy you three are the one who found it rather than some poor patrol guard or villager.>Cont
>>6325199>47 from previous threadYou pull your Umbral Snare forward and take a quick swing at the damn thing, but it skitters away from the hook like some freakish insect and angrily stomps at the ground again with it's sharp legs.Your teacher Oranya channels power into the wind beads wrapped around her arm and moves a flat palm downwards toward the hellish creature, slamming it down onto the ground with the force of gale winds. Heyra is there, strange spiked weapon in hand, chanting some sort of verse you don't recognize as she ushers the Trailing Fog away for a moment. No telling what kind of reaction this might cause from the spectre but time will tell.Her weapon, you absently notice, has begun to sport little wisps of flame, so perhaps it's used to burn monsters to a crisp.With your first attempt to bind the creature a miss, you need to make another shot at taking it out, but the question is how.>https://rentry.co/g66xqyhb>Binding Log with all currently available binding combinations.>You currently have Mourning Shroud, Umbral Snare, Legion March and Squall Caller equipped How will you act?>Apologies in advance, internet has been spotty but I promised you all a thread this Wednesday and that's that.
>>6325204Could we get a brief description of what all these bindings can do on the rentry?Act like we're attacking the main body with the sword, wait for the tentacle to try to strike us and chop that off instead
>>6325275Absolutely, yeah, I'll go ahead and get that done now
Binding log pastebin bas been updated!I must leave for work in an hour so I'll update and allow votes and rolls after that
But first!>>6325275>Fake out+maim the mimicPlease roll for this first everyone
Rolled 87 (1d100)>>6325308
Two more rolls and I'll call it
My shift approaches so I'll be at work and probably make an update this Thursday or Friday based on the rolls
Rolled 85 (1d100)>>6325308
Rolled 64 (1d100)>>6325308
>>6325199Whoa, this quest was EXTREMELY based. Very exciting to see it return...
>>6325204>>6325204While you maybe not be the most proficient swordsman of all the guards, you like to think that you've got a solid understanding of the basics and the first thing you do once you extend your sword out is to bait the nasty mimic into extending itself out too far. A quick little jab at it causes it to back away slightly and make a go at spearing your head through with one of its thin legs, but you're well aware of how to counter an attack like that from your years of sparring with Rakes, and your free skeletal left hand latches on to the mimic's spear leg.This is rewarded by the mimic whipping its tendril out to possibly do a bit of stabbing itself but you were ready for it, and clearly the mimic forgot all about that nice red blade of yours!>87There's a moment when you yank hard on the mimic's leg and bring it scrabbling towards you that it clearly shows surprise, if the sudden screech was any hint, which then turns into pain and horror as you draw a lingering wave of red energy with your countering sword slice. The mimic has noticed your sword again much too late and you make it pay dearly for that and the mistake of trying to ambush not just one but three Totemists.Usually this would be a learning experience but you don't have any desire to allow it the chance to live long enough to appreciate the lesson.>85Your blade finds the whipping black tendril and cleaves it down to a third of its length with a spurt of oily blood, and even a nasty gash up the side of its false-post body to boot. Sadly not a killing blow but you're sure it won't be trying to use that tentacle thing to attack you anymore.Oranya slides over nearby and thrusts her beaded arm forward with her hand flat, casting a thin plane of air to shoot out and cleanly slice through the leg you're grabbing and dealing a significant blow herself. More jabs deal more slices as the mimic frantically backs up and away, falling to the ground from losing one of its walking limbs and jabbing forward with one of its remaining legs to force your teacher to keep her distance. Clearly it doesn't understand the concept that she isn't limited by her range and takes another slice across its deceptive body for the error.The post mimic rolls over a bit and now uses its two remaining legs to spear and swipe as the tendril thrashes this way and that to act as an extra bit of defense. Fat load of good it does though, as Heyra has finished her strange chanting and in her hands rests a blazing sickle of otherworldly power. With one swing, the flaming blade slices off one of the mimic's limbs and sears the would closed all in the same attack. One left, and the mimic is using it for wide attacks that have no hope of actually harming any of you.>Cont
>>6325573>64One of the swipes does flick some blood at you and as it lands on your chest you become immediately thankful of your full immunity to poisons in your skeletal form. The oily blood hisses and pops, letting out a horrible stench if you used the faces of your teacher and Heyra to judge, and is likely poisonous to normal bodies.One more thing to thank Xandin for.With the monster basically done for, you suppose you should consider if binding it is a decent option or perhaps just killing it would be the best choice.>Roll 1d100 for reaction DC 60
Rolled 10 (1d100)>>6325574
Rolled 25 (1d100)>>6325574
Rolled 18 (1d100)>>6325574
>>6325574Perhaps it's yet again time to claim a monster for your bindings, though you don't really know what good a post mimic binding would be. Maybe it could turn into a trap or so-->25An echoing blast rings your ears and you cover our face as your teacher slams a localized wind whirl into the screeching mimic to end it for good. When the twisting winds are finally done eviscerating the corpse, you lower your arms and stare at the smears and shreds of it littering the ground around the area.Heyra's flaming weapon sweeps over the chunks and they instantly turn to ash, as if you needed more proof you weren't going to be binding the mimic at all.And then Oranya slams a hand down and you once again cover your face as she blasts the spot the mimic was squirming in for good measure.and then she spits at the ground.It occurs to you that she has an especially strong loathing of mimics. It makes perfect sense when you think about it, what with the mimicking Behemoth effectively traumatizing her own teacher, and you feel that she'd be organizing a total purge of the mimic population if such a thing might actually be forbidden by the Totemist Pact.Oranya takes a few deep breaths and stands up straight to address you with an unquestionably serious expression. "Good eye Capran." She says, darting her eyes here and there even while facing you. "If you hadn't spotted the nasty thing hidden among the landscape it might have actually gotten one of us by surprise. I understand you've been using the scrying map to assess dangers and I'll personally add mimic species to the higher threat rankings. From now on, no one ventures out from the village gates without a totem specifically to reveal mimic locations. Damn things just couldn't stay as boulder mimics now we have freaks of them that imitate totems..."You nod quickly as she begins to rant. "Understood, Teacher. Some kind of arm band that perhaps highlights them would be best. Now...I think we should wrap up our business with the Spectre before any more monsters begin to appear.""Well thought, Capran. Heyra. If you would?"Heyra's been conversing with the ghost ever since burning up the mimic pieces and seems to have come to an understanding with it. She turns to you both and produces an effigy of some sort and the Trailing Fog begins to slowly be absorbed into it.>Cont
>>6325919Interestingly enough, the effigy seems to take on the spherical form the Trailing Fog took with a few carved faces on the surface as if a personal touch has been made by the ghost for it's new housing. In some sort of way there's similarities between the way the effigy changed and how you bind monsters and spirits to your Foci bindings. Perhaps this is one of the ways Heyra and her branch of Totemists utilize the pact.She and your teacher nod to each other and begin to walk back towards the village and you follow, Heyra explaining to you that she's given the Trailing Fog a suitable vessel to host its being, and your teacher silently marching along back home.The trip is mercifully peaceful and short and you exchange waves and greetings with the guards at the gate before moving on towards the workshop where you can finally settle down again. The day has begun to feel exceptionally long and between the spectre, obligations towards Harrell's daughter, your bindings and other such things, you feel that a moment to collect yourself would be of great help.After helping to attune the map to more threats hiding in plain sight of course. Oranya pulled you into the mapping room and made that an expedited matter to see to. You think you can see her already formulating ways to annihilate entire populations of boulder mimics, and by some immense act of mercy there isn't a single other new type of mimic left. Just one freak variant that thankfully didn't propagate and spread somehow.Now that you're here, however, you have an opportunity to reveal new functions of the map with Oranya's guidance.>Select a new 'filter' to add to the map that adds new ways to find certain things, such as ghosts, mimics, ores, herbs, etc.>The top three most voted for options win>Spiritual materials>Rare herbs>Rare ores>Rare bones>Rare monsters>Oddities (randomized loot with...interesting...variety)Oranya automatically adjusts the filtering to show more monster and spirit types that weren't previously shown, such as imitation-specializing creatures and concentrations of Change energies.There is an abundance of Change energies that you can see pooling in certain areas matching where the orange level threats were already displayed.>Calling in an hour
>>6325948>Rare ores>Rare herbs>Oddities
>>6325948>Rare ores>Rare bones>Rare monsters
Ok ores wins first slot but we have an impass. I'll keep votes open through tomorrow
>>6326175>>6325998 Changing my vote >>6325984 to>Rare ores>Rare herbs>Odditiesto break the tie
>>6325948>Rare ores>Rare monsters>Oddities
Late call, but I'm tallying the votes now and readying a small update for sometime tonight. 2 hours max
I miscalculated the time it woul take to do all my errands so I'm holding the update for tomorrow as I have a medical checkup early in the morning and it's past midnight here Ore and oddities win at 3Herb and monsters are tied, however I should be generous since cutoffs were extended and updated are delayed, so I'll enable every remaining option but bones will show up the least places.Please look forward to the update!
>old thread wasn't archived on suptg>had it up in another tab; was still up in the 4chan archive thankfullyhttps://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6283490/I usually don't archive things and I fucked up the tags (is that something that can even be fixed?), but there it is.
>>6327227You're an absolute lifesaver dusty, I really appreciate you taking the time to do this since I have no clue how to do it myselfUpdate incoming asap
>>6325948Its... it's very clear that things are changing in ways you don't expect even with the assistance of your teacher and the map you've begun to utilize, but there's only so much you can do at the moment with how little you know of how this Change thing is actually effecting things.The monsters are clearly being influenced in a variety of ways, now even the ghosts too seem to be experiencing drastic shifts, but with some luck maybe there's a chance this concentration of Change the Trailing Fog revealed can shed some light on how to better track larger quantities that may have been absorbed into other thing.But that's something you can get to later once you feel like you've built yourself up a bit more to take that task on. At this moment, you stand above the map, looking down at it as your mind churns. Things were somewhat closer to disaster than you were ready for.A mimic, resembling the very totem nodes you rely on for the network and map. You think about what would have happened if Heyra or your teacher were there along with you, about what it would have been like if you didn't notice it._________________Mmmm. You've begun to develop a reasonable fear, young Capran. As good as it is, do not let it cloud you.________________Xandin's whispering voice settles your nerves a little, as ironic as it is that a Fear incarnation of sorts would be capable of it.She's right. You avoided the worse outcome by simply being careful enough to observe your surroundings. Maybe you just need more of that, so you get to work in highlighting more of the map, coming to understand how it functions just a bit more clearly.Obviously, it will only reveal things that you specify, and has technically done so without issue. You need to know how it categorizes monsters and dangers however, as the mimic was somehow overlooked as a proper danger. A horrible thought of more of them being out there comes to mind and you voice the concern with Oranya."Do you still have a bit of its gunk on your blade? The map can always find anything as long as it has a sample to work off, without fail."You reach for your Blade of Fear, thankfully still manifesting as you haven't unbound Xandin yet, and scrape off a bit of the mimic's dried fluids onto a small plate to set down on the map as you're instructed to by Oranya.>Cont
>>6327415>This is the third time having to retype all this thanks to pulling up an image refreshing the page.____________________Immediately, a glowing pale orb flares up from the dish and the contents have apparently disappeared. A line of light traced down the length of the map from one side to the other and once it reaches the far side, the entire map glows briefly before settling again. As far as you can tell, nothing has changed and your teacher lets out a sigh of relief."We have a bit of luck still left for us today. It seems as though whatever that mimic was, there are no others like it that mimic the nodes of the system itself. I suspect it must have encountered some energy of Change in a location within very close distance of a node, and whatever happened, it needed a new disguise so it changed to become how we saw it. With how the mimics are all rocky in appearance, I doubt it really knew what it was doing, but we killed the only one that seems to have mutated.""Small blessings", you huff, "but I don't like that the map didn't pick up on it. Is there a way to have the map show more than it is now? We need to have a foot forward on finding mutated things more often."Oranya hums thoughtfully, then drags her the thumb, index and middle finger of her hand along the map and a quill materializes in her grasp. She begins to write with it on the map, each word fading away as she completes it, and soon another line of light travels along the map until it glows again. This time several markers show up where none had been previously and as you suspected, more monsters were revealed...along with herb, ore, bone and icons for strange things the map simply declares as "discernable oddities". How strange.>Cont
>>6327425There are a few more groups of yellow level threats and some more orange level threats but you still feel glad not to see anything worse appear her.Time won't be kind of you don't prepare soon though, as you're very well aware that you miraculously didn't have to deal with that Behemoth.You might not have such good luck next time.Oranya and Heyra inspect the map alongside you and are equally as curious about these oddities as you are, speculating that it's entirely possible for them to actually be higher ambient concentrations of Change that would need to be investigated as soon as possible.Despite the urgency, you all know that the day is getting late and the slopes are entirely different at night compared to wandering about during the day. No doubt the map simply displayed threats only active in the daylight and you have a good feeling it'll show a lot more if you checked after sunset.You have plenty of spiritual energy to spare enough to go about a night search but ultimately it's up to Oran--"Capran, don't undo any bindings. We'll be heading out tonight and you need to conserve some power in case things get nasty. Grab your vision totems no matter what, and...keep Xandin Arre's spirit bound to you. I worry you may need her more than ever after sunset."Heyra, who hadn't spoken much this whole time, only gives your teacher a curious look and eyes you as well a little. "I'll prepare a rite. I've already used one to initiate the Fellblaze and I'll need at least a half hour to broker a respectable deal.""Understood." Oranya says as she excuses herself from the room to prepare as well. "I'll need to get a few things together, but we'll make for the valley at sundown."Oh.Well, you had to go out at night sometime, and you're sure to get pressed for stories from patrol teams once you see them come morning. You know the night patrols stick closer to the village, so you've only heard of what they've reported from seeing things from far far away. You'd rather not find out they weren't actually drunk when they told you stories of strangle creeping glows and scrabbling black swarms.>For now you are locked into the current loadout unless you want to add one single binding, which sets your energy reserves at Low.Is there anything you want to do in the meantime before heading out a night?
>>6327435Be aware that your binding with Xandin means you don't need to rely on any vision totems, but Oranya is specifically speaking of totems to help with seeing ghosts which she has a few of, to ease tracking wayward ghosts with.Please consult the earlier binding list to plan any additional gear. I will check back in a little while and see what you all decide on
>>6327435Prepare food/bait that we can throw/offer.Im not particularly angling for a binding. Maybe swap to the thunder cane?
>>6327458Hmmm.Lets give it a shot.Roll 3 1d100 and we'll find out if the dice gods like bait
Rolled 84 (1d100)>>6327477
Rolled 41 (1d100)>>6327477
Rolled 71 (1d100)>>6327477
Something is gonna see bait that can't be ignored. Updating after dinner
>>6327435>>6327435There have been a few lessons about night time hunts and patrols given to you by your teacher and seniors on the night guard rotations, mostly to stay close to the village and not follow any lights out see, don't venture towards dark patches on the ground and to move as a group no matter what. The first lesson is to keep you in view of the torchlight the guards use to spot with, second being to help avoid a variant of grasscarpet crawler hat only moves at night and the third lesson so that nothing can just pick you off without at least needing to fight your other patrol members.You've heard tale of men disappearing as a black claw grabbed a guard and snatched them away as they began screaming, but you know for a fact nobody has died out on patrol in a long long time, so you're sure the last one is spurred on by reasonable caution and a chance to scare the fresh recruits. Once upon a time you were one of these greenhorns but you've since bought enough rounds at the brewery to coax the truth from the older guards.Nevertheless, as your teacher would tell you, the night is not the realm of man, but of spirits and beast of many vicious kinds. That's not to say that man can't hunt during the night, however. One of the best ways to do so is actually very simple and one of the first things you're told humanity ever learned to do.Make some bait and see what you catch.>84And you'll be very honest, you think you make some really irresistible bait. It took about long enough for Heyra to be complete her business with her Rites for you to come up with what could basically be said to be a bait bomb.A thick, sanitized sack stuffed with three different intestinal meats, a sponge that soaked up the oils and juices of your last animal dish that you'd kept around to make stock with, a cleverly made prank totem that emits the stench of a recently dead animal and a stopper on the sack connected with a vial of your own preserved blood that, when thrown as you held the long string holding it shut tight, would come undone and spread the area around you with the kind of smell a hungry beast couldn't ever pass up.>Totem Obtained: Beastbringer bomb. An incredibly potent lure that attracts any and all carnivorous beasts in a fifty yard radius, increased to farther if the beasts sense of smell is keen. Use carefully. Do not let it burst near you.Heyra seems to appreciate your lure and inspects it with a professional eye as you explain how to arm and use the bomb. "If we come up with any trouble, it'll make for the perfect getaway. I really hope we won't need it though, but you do well to prepare for times you do.""Speaking of preparation, you mentioned you needed to perform a rite, correct? Something about a fell flame?"Heyra shakes her head a little and corrects you gently. "Fellblaze, one of my more destructive bindings. Every time I intend to call upon its power I must offer it a sacrifice of carved wood decorated with oil.">Cont
>>6327391NP, QM. And it's pretty simple to do: >go to https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html>click "Add Thread" on the menu to the left >fill out the request form (should be pretty self evident from there; OP post number, title, description, tags) >hit "Go!" >let it process the thread and you're done>>6327438Spiritual sight not to be relied on at night or against possibly malevolent spirits? Interesting.
>>6327534You wonder what manner of spirit she could have made a pact with to have a binding named Fellblaze, and as if she reads your mind, Heyra's eyes drop down to the strange staff in her hand that has yet to ignite again. "I must also describe an afterlife I wish to send what I kill with it to, and an appropriate destination will be determined by the greater spirits of my homeland. Since this is not my homeland, I have instead allowed judgement to be made by whichever presiding force over the dead may have authority here. I...have not been informed of which that may be."Your eyes drop down to what she carries as well and you feel a strange itchiness at the idea of a weapon that doesn't just kill a beast but offers it's very afterlife up to a power she doesn't even know of. Perhaps you should have annihilated the mimic yourself to spare it from that end.>You have discovered the fear of --- --- ---________________Capran. Do not ever use that Fear. I will stop you myself if need be.________________You think you hear Xandin's voice for a moment but Heyra is still speaking and you catch the end of what she said."-it shouldn't have ended up anywhere abysmal, though, seeing as it was just a hungry monster and nothing that was probably aware enough to enjoy killing."You nod, though you must seem skeptical because Heyra just buffs a little and waves you off.You consider alternating your bindings but it leaves no room for any error if you end up needing a new binding to add to your stock, but perhaps the new lightning staff could be useful.>Do you truly wish to change your Fawl binding? If so, you will be capped out completely until you have a full rest.>Y>N>>6327538>Clear instructions Hell yeah, again, I really appreciate thatAlso, the ghost vision totems allow you to use Spiritual Sight without having to be disoriented by the stark differences in perception between spiritual and mundane.You can see ghosts but you can't SEE ghosts without these totems unless you can get used to how different things are
>>6327548>NBetter not squander our strength before a fight. >>6327548NP. Just happy to help. And that makes sense. Could probably bridge that gap with training if we're so inclined then.
>>6327563You can absolutely train yourself up to deal with shortcomings, and it should be said that no Totemist really ends up trained the same. While Diarca might not have really given much exposition on other Totemist cultures before he disappeared (god willing he's doing okay and just had to move on from his quest), I want it to be that other pockets of Totemists have developed some specializations. For instance, Capran is clearly more of a craftsman than Osyki is, but Osyki has more energy reserves thanks to basically being drugged by a madman who literally haggled his way through a lot of the proper rituals needed for the role of Totemist.
>>6327548>YI presented the idea, but I'll roll with whatever comes of it
>>6327548>N
Woke up, rushed to work, posting from phone. Will update once I'm home
>>6327548>>6327548No, you don't think that changing any of your bindings would be necessary at the moment and you never know when you'll need that energy for later. There could be anything out there in the night and it would do you good to save some strength for what might lay ahead of you, especially considering the recent mutations and changes to what lives outside of the village on the mountain.It doesn't take long for your teacher to return to the entrance and joining later is Heyra who looks somewhat frustrated at something but you don't suppose it's anything you might have done so you decide to leave any prying for later."We will be heading out with clear roles so that everyone is fully aware of what to do, and to do that we'll need to go over our gear. Capran, I know that you've brought your Thunderhorn ballistae as well as bindings for your boots, snare and.....Xandin Arre bound to your cloak. I've given Heyra the basic rundown of what each can do so we both understand what you're capable of. If you happen to rebind anything out in the night, you must do so incredibly carefully as the flash will attract danger. I will act as the vanguard in the formation with Heyra as a guard for our backs, with yourself between us and offering assistance whenever the need arises. Now, Heyra has....well...."Heyra coughs and indicates the Fellblaze (which you still give an uneasy look despite it not a weapon that will be tirned on you), Havid, the dragonsteed, then Jhi Vaer the Leaping Rock, Chamm'Gis the Plated Stonedrake, Vas Marr the Ivory Geist (etc.) Jhin Suemendo the Grand Fear of Loss, and many many others. You're a bit hesitant to have such a long list of binding and if the day comes that you do, you're sure to embarrass yourself just keeping all their names together.Once she's finished, your teacher notes that Earest still has her power bound to the Aurora Beads, her lightning staff as usual and mentions that she'd entered an agreement with an Anntaris, whom is bound to a cloth draped across her shoulders. This Anntaris is a spirit of Mysteries and wholeheartedly agreed to the binding as long as it can witness your findings firsthand.>Cont________Apologies anons, I've been plagued by constantly crashing browsers whenever I try to select a picture for post uploads and a refreshing page whenever I tab away.
>>6328195FINALLY I got a pic to upload.
>>6328195Oranya explains that it will help to alert us of anything that might require its insight as well as being able to ward off roaming dangers with its own power. You ask how it would be able to do that, but she shakes her head and sighs. "It says that itself is a part of its own mystery, so I doubt it will be explained. However it works, it just works."You make a mental note that you won't be binding any sort of Mystery Spirit if they'll leave you to just guess on how their power effects the world around you. You much prefer clear answers over a mind game, harmless or not.Your teacher opens the workshop door and leads you all out as the sky has begun turning a deep orange-red towards the western gate which takes you all to the main path down to the valley. Nothing dares bother the three of you Totemists as you venture further away from the village but your skeletal senses, which you suppose harnesses some kind of spiritual sense entirely of its own, allow you to pick up on small skittering forms rushing away. Far, far further along the path you can faintly make out strange forms moving in stalking and fleeing patterns that hide from you all as you make your way down the slope path.>Roll 1d100+20 (large bonuses from Heyra's eyes and your odd senses with Xandin bound) first three rolls taken. DC80
Rolled 50 + 20 (1d100 + 20)>>6328204
Rolled 63 + 20 (1d100 + 20)>>6328204
Rolled 5 + 20 (1d100 + 20)>>6328204
>>6328204And then you notice them. And you're very sure they've known you were here long before you knew they were there.You can faintly see shapes hidden among the barely moonlit landscape, one flying in the night sky much much further ahead, one some kind of bulbous figure shambling along the way down the slope, one even peeking at you (at least you think it is) from beyond the figure which must be massive if your judgement is correct and some kind of long thing in the water flowing down the mountain. Heyra must have seen them too just now as she begins to chant a quick verse with an odd blade in her hand. Thankfully not the Fellblaze this time.You snap your finger twice and nod your head at each of the strange shapes you see. She nods silently and the cloth over her shoulders shudders before glowing softly just once. That same glow appears in her eyes and she casts her gaze out and also takes notice of what you indicated. Your group formation tightens as Oranya whispers to the three of you."Good and bad news. That one looking at us from afar is Hongul, a hill spirit. As long as we aren't loud and don't get too close to it, we'll be fine. It has a wide area so monsters and spirits won't come near but that's only at night. For some reason he's a bit nocturnal and leaves humans alone as long as we don't go digging around his hill. The one on the air we shouldn't have to worry about and it's called Ghilormar. Huge, serpentine, lined with quills and eyeless. It has more or less got a head like the nasty beasts you saw when we met Yvorro, and I'm willing to be it might even be some relative of whatever she makes her flock from."Oranya points at the shambling thing and the one in the water next."If we have to make contact with the one down the path, we do so with mouths and nose covered. That one's a nasty piece of work, smells like week old rot and knows it. Consider it a pest species that I'm not technically allowed to get rid of. Finally, that one in the waterway is Skitterbrick. If it bothers us, blast it. I've given it a clear message not to disturb humans and if it's forgotten that then it needs a reminder."You hum at her last choice of words, still trying to make out the proper shapes of everything you see but the night makes their forms churn in the dark. No telling what else is skulking around here, so Oranya guides you down the slope and towards the valley further.>Try to sense more things in the night>Consult a spirit as you walk>Consult a member of the team _______________>Gotta head to work, thank you all for stopping by this thread!
>>6328254>Consult a member of the team
>>6328254>Consult a spirit as you walkAsk the thunder elk if it has history with these spirits
>>6328254>Try to sense more things in the night
Hmm. Bit of a tie all around I see.Sure, all three then
>>6328254'First time out this far at night and already meeting the nocturnal locals, how nice'. You think sarcastically. Your eyesight, or spiritual sight, rather, is being augmented in some way by Xandin's shroud. Maybe it doesn't allowed you to see them in fantastic detail, but it's certainly an improvement.The flying one, Ghilormar, might not be a direct danger for now but you make a note of how to pick it out from its silhouette and the dark clouds above you. Skitterbrick has stopped moving about the water and now poses still, one end directed towards you in a tightly backed position that could mean it's angry or giving you due caution. Hongul watches you all, silent as can be, more curious than anything if you're up to guess.And then you see the last figure and you grimace as you actually get a better look at this...deer-thing. Shelf fungi of some sort just out of its body in seemingly natural ways but it's hard to tell as anything you might check to see if it's not just an animated corpse is covered with an almost armor-like lining of the mushrooms. Some rise up from its head like fungal horns and its face is entirely covered by small mushroom caps that cause it to appear almost choked by all of them.You notice that your teacher has a cloth tied around her head and leaving just enough room for her to see forward so you rely on the skeletal traits of your transformative cloak to their fullest. You feel like you take a large breath of air that's entirely unnecessary and silently walk past it.No twitches, no sudden sounds, you all just keep walking and.... nothing. No issues, no confrontations. You think you're all well past three hundred paced when you turn around and notice that Heyra has her mouth covered by her own hand which emits a subtle glow that fades the further away you all get from the bizarre deer. Finally when the light entirely fades, she drops her hand and takes a deep breath. Heyra noticed you starting and gives you a nod and you turn forward to see that your teacher is slightly heaving as she exhales and spits a bit. "Is everything alright, Teacher?" You ask, worried that the mushroom perhaps had spores that got to her and she fishes a small stick of something from her clothing and holds it up against her face. Oranya immediately seems to recover and she waves your corner away and undoes all the wrapping around her head."Great spirits one and all I hate that stench! The sooner I find a spirit to broker a deal with for a permanent solution to that wretched things odor the better."You think to keep quiet about your lack of nose and mouth keeping you safe but it seems to dawn on Oranya that you're effectively immune to smells."...didn't have to smell a bit of that did you, Capran." Its not a question but you answer all the same."Well. No. Not at all actually."Oranya gives you a scanning look and sighs. "Perhaps I should bind undead monster and wear its power as a mask. Then I might be spared.">Cont
>>6328862You must look apologetic because she straightens back up and resumes her march towards the valley, occasionally casting her gaze out at the slopes around you all. Its assuring she's taking the lead and likely knows of all kinds of beasts that would try to pick you off if you were the one to guide everyone, but you suspect you'll need to be the one to guide yourself next time as Oranya is very much about diligence and self sufficiency. Now would be a good time to speak with her about things, so you lowly voice some questions you have at the moment."Teacher, I've been meaning to ask, why is it that I've never heard of any spirits of the night before? Surely since there are spirits of the streams, hills and mountain winds themselves, why weren't any night spirits in our lessons?""Ah, I suppose I thought you wouldn't need the lesson. You see, Capran, spirits of the night don't often even answer their call, even from a Totemist such as myself. Granted that I don't tend to bother as the business of the night is best left to its own hand, but I admit that I hardly made myself known to them personally. And before you ask, shadow spirits most certainly reside in the night, but those rely on the existence of a light to give them existence in a more fleeting way that one of the Darkness.""Fleeting?""Well of course." She answers as the group continues. "Shadows need a candle or a glow of something, but so long as day exists, so too does night and darkness. Alternatively, spirits of day and light have lesser need for their counterpart to a point. No night means light still has meaning, but it is still there to produce shadows. Darkness and night cannot create anything, and it may seem out of turn for me to say this in the night itself, but I suspect the spirits of darkness may perhaps be inherently jealous. Anything created in darkness craves light in some way. Light is similar to the concept of life."You nod, thinking deep on that, and the spirits you might associate with the darkness are...restless after hearing your teacher.________________Not to dismiss the entirety of her words, but it's absolute truth that not everything in the light is deserving of such warmth. And of course, I refer to the dragon scourge.________________Your owlish predator spirit merely seems to bristle, not being one for words you think.You send your thoughts to Xandin, asking if she would be a spirit of darkness, to which she hums and you think she returns with a shrug.>Cont
>>6328887________When I was finally stopped and brought before the court of the World itself, which I assure you means that my vengeance was noteworthy enough to garner the utmost attention, I was ordered into imprisonment by an unfathomably massive power. Perhaps it was the will of the World itself or just an envoy of theirs, but they delivered my sentence of an eternity of stagnation within the Vaults, cursed to wander and wait for a day when maybe the Vaults would be breached or all of existence would crumble. In the process of my sentencing and essence being marked as a Grand Fear, I gained an aspect of Darkness. Fear is a negative so it coincidentally lines up with the darkness, but...I am the fear of undeath, you see. The undead care not for what time of day it IS so long as they aren't under the suns wrathful light. Believe me, Capran, there are undead shambling about the world at all times. Though most of them crave rest denied to them through the power of curse or grudge. If you happen to see any, please put them to their final sleep. My actions should have been done with me.________________You feel as though Xandin has opened up to you quite a lot ever since that first day with the cloak. Maybe you should attempt to bridge yourself and other spirits together once you have some free time.At the moment, you think it would be good to also check your surroundings in case Heyra or your teacher happen to miss anything, so by relying on the senses you're mysteriously afforded and aided by the Mourning Shroud, you join in keeping a watch for any surprises.>Roll 1d100+30 DC 80 (sight assisted bonuses throughout the party)________________>Capcha AAASSc'mon now.
Ans with this big update I leave for the night. Have a good one everyone!
Rolled 60 + 30 (1d100 + 30)>>6328888
Rolled 53 + 30 (1d100 + 30)>>6328888
Rolled 59 + 30 (1d100 + 30)>>6328888
... the dice were remarkably consistent this time
Rolled 96 (1d100)>>6328888>Capcha AAASSDoes mourning shroud give capran a nice ass?
>>6328919Osyki is silver tongued but what the hell is Capran if hits one crit in at least everything. Capran the all rounder? Capran the lucky?I know one thing for sure, Capran sees e v e r y t h i n g
>>63292861/20 rolled 3 times is not actually that hard
>>6329315Fair enough, let's see if we can continue doing it.Writing after some dinner
>>6328888Maybe it's your nerves or something, possibly hearing that the undead don't even stop when it's daytime, but you just decide to comb your eyes over the slopes once more to stay vigilant. Being careful couldn't hurt when you've never been out so far at night, especially when Skitterbrick isn't too far away from your left side. In fact, you give it a stare just to let it know you're keeping your head on a swivel and then face forward again.>126 (incredible and critical success.)>(Even slimmed down to your singular +10 bonus this is a critical success. You have come to grasp Fear Sense, exclusive to using Xandin's bindings, earning bonuses to actions related to tracking and intimidating those with minds capable of fear.)Something changes for just a moment and a faint sensation draws your focus to Heyra beside you, like a smell or a sound. Something not too different from how you perceive spirits more clearly once you became a Totemist, and you don't know why but she doesn't seem to notice it herself. You turn your head and feel/smell/taste/hear/see the same thing coming from Skitterbrick, in odd quantities that are and aren't there.And you look upwards just out of curiosity and notice a small bit of it flying around slowly in the night sky, like a firefly of sorts but much much subtler, and you realize that you're able to see something that's doing its best to hide from you all.The shape of it is very strange, pulsing in a sort of subtle sensation that matches this new way to look at things, and you realize it's almost like a kite. Well, if a kite could fly itself and used the sides to glide around like a bird. It's very slow, carefully slow you'd say, and picks up speed just slightly as it does a lazy circle around your group and then goes off towards the valley.You point up and indicate where it is with your finger and speak up. "Teacher, do you happen to see that spirit up there, heading southwards to the direction of the valley?"She lifts her head and tries to make it out and comes to a stop in front of you all and snaps her fingers twice to get a tighter formation. "I do, and Anntaris isn't sharing good news. What you've seen is an ocean spirit, not something that should ever be around these parts. The nearest body of water that could possibly be its home is well over two months of travel from here. I don't know what it's doing in the mountains but something or someone brought it here. From now on, weapons out.""Understood", you and Heyra say and you bring your blade forward and she begins to recite a chant that causes her Fellblaze to start creating embers.
>>6329351Heyra herself calls upon her Dragonsteed and mounts it quickly as you all get going down the mountain, kicking your group into an urgent pace as it's now very clear that something else is wrong on the mountain You notice that some flying beasts and odd shadows begin to drift off towards where the kite had gone and little bubbles of your new sense alert you to a rise of activity in the night around you. Some things scurry and hide away as fast as they can, some flare up angrily as if to drive off a threat, and you feel just the tiniest bit of it drift off your teacher as you all quicken your pace down the slope.You focus on this out of place ocean spirit, trying to understand what part of it is a fish. Its nothing like what you know lives in the water, the fins are all wrong for starters and the tail is more like lizard's than anything else. Just what kind of a strange place could the ocean be for such an odd spirit to exist there? Perhaps you'll have your answer when you catch up to it and find out what its purpose here is, if something else doesn't get to it first. There might be some heated competition if the swarm of shapes along the slope and in the air are any clue.Around you are the forms of various canine, large cat, lizard and other beastly and stranger figured things heading towards the valley, likely a mix of some that noticed the flying spirit and others that saw your group hurrying and want to know what the reason is or maybe just thing you'll be a bit of prey to feed them tonight.In fact, one black wolf tries to rush your teacher and a blast of solid wind throws it far far away to lands in a rolling dead heap on the mountain grass and is promptly torn into by a few things that you don't slow down to look at. Another, some kind of long bird, attention to grab Heyra and earns itself a quick death as her Dragonsteed snaps its jaws around the bird and crunches through it in just a single bite.>Roll 1d100+10 for reflex. DC 60
Rolled 78 + 10 (1d100 + 10)>>6329359
Rolled 88 + 10 (1d100 + 10)>>6329359
Rolled 9 + 10 (1d100 + 10)>>6329359
Hate to write and run it I forgot how late it is and I have work in the morning so I'll see you all later, possibly after work
>>6329387Been sick. Shivering in bed and now it's 30°F outsideI'll update Wednesday
>>6330886We can make Capran tanky, but we can't make qm tanky
I'm alive, the temperature drop from 65°F caught me off guard. Have a huge headache but I want to push out at least one update tonight in case tomorrow is a bust
>>6329359You do your best not to fall behind and force Heyra to cover for you as the group rushes down the slope, fending off pest and predator that attempt to converge on you all. More birds swoop down to claw and grab, earning swift retaliation from your party and you spot something purple and glowing oddly in the path ahead.And then as you get close you realize it's another damn Mesmer Hare, ears straight and tail flared out, ready to put any of you or the predators nearby under its control to defend it and it's burrow. Well you're quite tired of its kind and the powers they use. While you'd likely earn yourself a berating lesson later, right now you have no tolerance for that kind of nonsense and you do what comes naturally.>98. critical!You WILL your mind and body to obey the training that's become second nature as you whip the Umbral Snare out to catch the Hare by its head and yank hard to snatch it right off the ground. In your haste, you jerk the snare the other direction, causing the Hare to squeeze and screech before using its body as a flail to slam into an incoming panther of some kind and breaking them both as you all continue rushing along. The strange ocean spirit is almost out of your sight by now but you can still vaguely sense that strange feeling as a small dot in the night sky, still being pursued by flying beasts that gain on it with every passing minute. If you all want your answers, you'd better put a faster step forward before the spirit ends up as food to some night horror.>Cont
>>6331298>QM will be back tomorrow for the rest. Headache but me like a bat
>>6331298There are some close calls where a snapping flyer dives at the ocean spirit and is dodged at the last moment and gets stabbed at with its odd tail, sending the attacking creature to fall down to the ground and crash, which diverts a few pursuers towards the downed meal. None of you stop or slow to inspect the dead things but the sensation you get from the ocean spirit slowly begins to fade as it gets accustomed to striking down its attackers. You're coming up on a small drop when you notice that a few terrestrial beasts are avoiding the sudden include but the three of you leap off the side and leave the beasts behind.Your teacher lands with a soft puff of cushioning wind, your own Legion March protecting your legs from snapping as you touch down and Heyra's Dragonsteed lands on the ground with a kind of grace you didn't expect. Not the time to admire it though as some boulder mimics try to snip at you with their pincers, which you reply to with a blast from your Squall Caller. It explodes the mimic you're already rushing away from and one of its fellows but there's no chance to admire your work as your group is moving farther away and you have places to go.There's some kind of commotion ahead, nothing that you can accurately make out of course except for a few blinks of light before something like a two rocks hitting each other rings out from way ahead of you all, but you notice the air around you feels heavier like it does after rainfall.>Roll 1d100+10 sense check DC 70
Rolled 93 + 70 (1d100 + 70)>>6331454
Rolled 83 + 10 (1d100 + 10)>>6331454
Calling in 30
>>6331454You're not entirely sure why but the air continues to grow heavier and about when you can almost taste the humidity like actual water, something prickles at the back of your mind and you dive forward to the ground right when some kind of giant object slams through a line of trees to your left. You feel some splinters and shards of wood rain down as the three of you skid to a stop as a massive lizard rises from the destroyed wood and roars angrily. You don't know if it leapt at you or if it was somehow thrown towards your group, but whatever happened doesn't matter to the new obstacle.>93You hear some kind of wet flapping sound from your right and your head whips to that direction to briefly see multiple of some kind of soaking wet, glowing ribbon disappear through the trees around you. You speak quickly as your eyes go back to the giant lizard, which has gotten back on its feet and bashes its skull on the ground with a deep tremor. "Possible tentacle or worm to our right, doesn't seem to be moving in to attack but I don't recognize it. Looks like someone smeared Glowcap spores all over a long flatworm. I saw a few of them squirm away before they left.""Noted!" Your teacher calls back as she aims her can at center mass of this new lizard and calls a trio of lightning spears to rise above her. Then she holds her hand out like a claw and you can faintly hear a quiet howl of wind respond to her will.Heyra takes her place to the back flank and has the Fellblaze fully alight as some smaller beasts prowl up, mouths dripping hungrily as they sense a possible meal out of the three of you. "When we catch that ocean spirit I'm going to threaten it if there's no good reason it's this far inland!" "Do you know if anyone was going to follow you here?" You ask Heyra as her fiery binding sears the leg of a skulking beast and it promptly howls and scampers off before being hanged on by other hungry creatures. Nasty work, and you know that if you stumble even a bit, you might end up like that too.You think you catch sight of the glowing ribbon again before it simply snatches something from near the trees and drags it off. No telling if that thing is just hungry or what, but you make sure to call it back to your party."Problem, maybe! Whatever the thing I saw was, it's grabbing things that get close to the trees, so stay away from them!""Good eye!" Your teacher yells as she fires a spear off at the lizards head as it uses its own skill as a flail.You can't watch how that goes, however, you have your own problem to deal with in the shape of some horrible bug.>Roll 1d100 for combat! DC 60
Rolled 86 (1d100)>>6331519How about i just roll without modifiers
>>6331527Ironically enough, your unmodified roll and the other were the same at value so I'm glad that worked out
Rolled 2 (1d100)>>6331519
Rolled 41 (1d100)>>6331519
>>6331532Ooof
>>6331532>>6331535So terribly closeAlso going to head to work soon so please look forward to the next update
>>6331519There must be a trend going on with insects on the mountains and looking vicious -you don't think you've seen so much as a single one of them that doesn't have awful fangs, bristling spikes or some kind of brutal stinger- and this thing is no exception.It's like some kind of giant roach with the tail of an earwig, spikes all over it and of course it has a body colored like rotting meat and the same stench. Small miracle that there are more around you, perhaps it cannibalized all of its siblings, and you draw the conclusion that it doesn't play well with others by how the bug's tail snap like a jaw at anything that approaches nearby to join the fight.>86You don't know how much good your Fear Blade will be against this, Xandin's power isn't likely effective against an unthinking mind that it could have, but with the parry you make against a sudden jab by the mandible-like pincers on the tail you find that it squirms back and swings the tail around like an angry snake. Apparently it can feel fear, but it comes back at you with more jabs that you deflect away with quick swipes of your sword. You're careful you don't overextend yourself in case it decides to rush in and take a bite, slowly positioning yourself so that your back is towards Heyra and nobody is behind the insect.You hold the Fear Blade in your right hand and grab the Squall Caller with your left, sacrificing the accuracy of your hand ballista with the ability to drive back and sudden frenzy attacks by the insect. It seems to be a bit wary of whatever it is you're doing and backs up just slightly and lowers its stance. >Roll 2d100 DC 140 for reflex and attack
Rolled 28, 27 = 55 (2d100)>>6332358
Rolled 75, 21 = 96 (2d100)>>6332358
Rolled 92, 35 = 127 (2d100)>>6332358
Rolled 9, 83 = 92 (2d100)>>6332358
>>6332358Theres a moment where you both stay still and wait for the other to make the first move but the insect proves to be more impatient, likely worked up when your Fear Blade gave it a slice on the pincer tail. It rears up its back legs and jabs at you with snapping grabs that go for your chest and neck, no care at all when you score a cut on the thing's carapace back nor when your Squall Caller explodes the ground next to it and blasts mud and stone into its side.>127You underestimated this bug somewhat as it jerks forward in a feint and then its tail grabs at your arm and sizes it with a tightly closed claw and does its best to run you over and rip into your leg, but you just barely stomp on its head and use your feet to force it's mouth mandibles open so that it can't take a bite so long as you keep them blocked. Its horribly awkward and will only buy you time before either you can shoot it with your Squall Caller or it snaps your skeletal arm and then goes for you next."CAPRAN!" You hear Oranya call out in worry as she fights her own enemy, but you know you can't just get her to help you when she's already occupied."I've got it! Leave it to me!" You return as you focus hard on the insect and your options. You may be grabbed but you're not down yet.>Shoot it with the hand ballista>Stomp its head with the Legion Marches>Brute force your arm out of the pincers>OtherRoll 1d100-10 for whatever action you take DC 70
>>6332459>Stomp its head with the Legion Marches
Rolled 94 - 10 (1d100 - 10)>>6332513
Rolled 100 - 10 (1d100 - 10)>>6332459>Stomp its head with the Legion Marches
Rolled 42 - 10 (1d100 - 10)>>6332459>Stomp its head with the Legion Marches
>>6332614Yo wtf nice roll
>>6332514>>6332614I'm glad I can comfortably add in some debuffs to combat without it being a significant risk since Capran just crits enough times that you're more likely to just kill something than fail Writing soon
>>6332459There's a particular annoyance to holding off this bug that only grows when it tries to thrash around to stop you from blocking its mandibles. One that only grows worse as it doubles down on attempting to crush the arm it grabbed already and you feel it starting to creak a little as the struggle goes on. Your left hand is mercifully free once you shove the hand ballista onto the holding hook on your armor and then the bug notices that you're at an advantage, so of course it tries to wrestle you down to the ground. Little does it know that your boots aren't just anything normal.It just takes a quick hop backwards off the struggling mandibles of the insects mouth and your feet land steady on solid ground.>90And then you give this thing a good taste of pain as you use its own grip on your arm against it to jump up and drive both boots into its head, jumping up and slamming them back down again and again until you crack through the exoskeleton and onto the dirt. The grip on your arm vanishes as the bug twitches erratically and the tail jerks a bit before it curls up like a dead roach. Absolutely disgusting. You send a feeling of apology through your link to Behr but he doesn't seem the least bit bothered. If anything he seems happy you've used him to kill it.You turn to where Heyra is fighting a small gang of beasts and while it looks like she can hold her own, they might get clever and pull some tricks Heyra might not expect. Then there's your teacher, locked in combat with the club headed lizard and you think you'll need to make a decision on who to assist.>Help Heyra>Help Oranya
>>6333417I think we can blindfire Thunder into the gang of beasts then help master Oranya. We don't have to hit for either of them, just blend some chaos in.
>>6333417>Help Oranya
Work shift dragging on so I'll try to post an update once I'm home if the closing doesn't take too long. If not, I'll shoot for monday
Please give me a 4d100, first three taken
Rolled 65, 30, 9, 57 = 161 (4d100)>>6333930
Rolled 54, 65, 37, 30 = 186 (4d100)>>6333930
Rolled 67, 69, 27, 1 = 164 (4d100)>>6333930
Checking in once surprise dinner with family is finished. Expect it in maybe two hours max
>>6333417Your teacher is first and foremost your concern to help as she's the closest of them to you personally and you're pretty sure Heyra's fire of judgement or such is a heavy power against the beasts attacking her, but you can send a few warning shots at the crowd to drive some of them off. That should give her a bigger advantage, or so you hope. You've never actually blind fired the Squall Caller before and it's a damn big power to be using without proper aim, but time is of the essence.>67, 69Your first two shots blow a pair of canine beasts off the ground and into a scorching pile on the grasses further away and into the way of a prowling feline that was trying to sneak up.>37The third shot goes wide, badly missing but blasting the ground off the ways and spooking some pest monsters. It buys her some time at least.>1Your last bolt misses badly, streaking past Heyra narrowly and hits the slope of the valley way into the distance, freaking out the Dragonsteed a little bit and causing it to flinch away as Heyra swings at a beast. Her strike misses and the creature claws at Dragonsteed thankfully to little effect. She turn to look at you with a frown and you hold your hand up to apologize as you dart towards the lizard your teacher is fighting. You'll have to answer for that miss later but for now she seems a bit understanding. You'll definitely be chewed out by your teacher though for just wildly firing a binding in the direction of an occupied fight.>Cont
>>6334115You stop nearby your teacher as she deflects a blow from the lizards head and you take a shot at it as the beast rears it back for another strike. It backs away slightly at your intrusion but it's clear that you won't be driving it off if your teacher hasn't. It's simply too damn stubborn and ferocious for it. You'd mistake it as a dragon but given how Xandin hasn't spoken up at all, you have to dismiss that thought. The Squall Caller is leveled at the beast's center of mass as it considers you both and you ease away from Oranya to take up a position closer to its flank, but it just backs away more to avoid being caught between the two Totemists.'clever thing' you think to yourself as it eyes both of you with a low gravelly hiss.There's a chance the Fear Blade doesn't work so well against this thing if your own teacher hasn't driven it off yet and you're unsure about the Squall Caller itself. It could be resisted but you have no real way of knowing just yet, and your snare is no different on if it could really hold well enough. That leaves your Behr binding and you'd have to get last the strikes from its head just to find out.So...how will you help Oranya now that you've come to help?>Shoot it as fast and hard as you can>Repetitively strike with the Blade of Fear until it succumbs>Bind it as best you can, give your teacher time to slay it>Introduce its body to the Legion Marches. If it can break a man sized big it can probably break a joint
>>6334118>Repetitively strike with the Blade of Fear until it succumbsOof, my bad Heyra
>>6334118>Repetitively strike with the Blade of Fear until it succumbs
Heads up, will post an update once work is over.Expect it around 6-7 EST
Alive and updating. It's storming bad here and net was down when I got home
Actually give me a 2d100 for combat DC 175
Rolled 83, 88 = 171 (2d100)>>6334619that's......high.
>>6334624No worries as near misses don't have large issues. You're only in moderate fail and hard fail territory when you're at like a 1-30 rolls. For this, the moderate and hard fail territory is at 1-60 which is easy to clear. Just don't roll a 1
Since it's so late,I'll call in 1.5 hours
Rolled 49, 12 = 61 (2d100)>>6334619Damn these are some tough rolls
>>6334118>171 DC 175Minor failure You deftly parry a few wild swings from the lizards skull as it uses the rebounds to swing back like rubber, making it harder than expected to get any hits in. What small strikes you do get in are definitely just making it angrier and not scared, possibly due to some kind of resistance or something but at the moment that doesn't matter so long as your blade can at least defend against the rapid jabs and swings.Teacher Oranya has been peppering the lizard with continuous solidified balls air that punch its side like dull fists that thankfully do more work to it than you are but between you just keeping the head busy while the lizard's tail whips out and tries to slam into your teacher, there isn't much progress just yet.Your arms are slowly beginning to get accustomed to the strikes until the lizard slams its head straight down in an arc and you're forced to take a step off to the side to avoid the impact.You feel like you might be losing ground here, and without the option to just leave the fight thanks to the lizard being this worked up and Heyra working on clearing out her own battle, something has to be done soon to break the stalemate.But what?>The Squall Caller is the key to victory. See if it can handle two ranged attackers at once.>The Fear Blade just needs more time. It will do the job.>Tie it with the Umbral Snare. The night is perfect for it.>Get in its face with the Legion Marches. See how it likes a few kicks from your boot bindings._______________This is where I gotta stop, I'm more drained from today than I expected
>>6334709>Tie it with the Umbral Snare. The night is perfect for it.Now's the time. Maybe.
>>6334709>Tie it with the Umbral Snare. The night is perfect for it.
I have enough energy in me for one update so let me see some 2d100 DC 140first three takenYou're tiring the lizard out but it's a tough one. Perhaps using the snare will give you more advantages
Rolled 52, 69 = 121 (2d100)>>6335212
Rolled 72, 2 = 74 (2d100)>>6335212
Rolled 44, 58 = 102 (2d100)>>6335212
No regular successes but nothing in failure territory so don't be discouraged, it's just a slow and steady victory. Your teacher is still in this fight too!
>>6334709If the Fear Blade won't wear it down fast enough you have other plans on how to put a stop to this giant lizard, and you draw the Umbral Snare as you dodge back from a jab. It knows your range now so as the battle drags on it'll get used to your methods but you're a Totemist. You have a wide variety in your arsenal and as you swing the Snare around like a lash, near invisible in the dark night, you grin as you realize that the lizard's clearly losing track of your new weapon.Its torn between focusing on your teacher and you, and you use the opportunity to swing underhanded to catch one of the lizard leg's shadow and immediately feel the magic at work. There's a lot of resistance when you pull but the leg is stuck hard to the ground where shadow meets leg, until it begins to thrash around hard and you begin to get dragged towards it.So far, it doesn't have the ability to break free but neither do you have it fully stuck yet."Hold it there, Capran!" Your teacher yells as she readies a heavy strike with wins that you can almost see raging in an open hand. The lizard sees it as well and begins to yank back hard, dragging you further forward inch by inch.You've got a chance to end this quickly, but can you? It knows it's stuck and knows you're the cause but it can't reach you from this distance. There are stones around it could fling at you with its tail if it is capable of that dexterity, so you must be quick and careful.>Hold the beast! DC 70 best of three
Rolled 72 (1d100)>>6335248Shouldn't Legion Marches keep us anchored?
>>6335253Usually yes and I had to think about how it would actually be able to drag you forward and the best way to explain this for me is to say it's actually that strong.This is one of the orange tier threats I have on the list
On the plus side you're rolling better than I expected and getting rolls that are on the cusp of successes. I'm really trying to keep battles more engaging without sacrificing a bit of urgency in them. I feel that monsters so far have had standard difficulty and even some on the lower end so I want to give you all a chance to have a battle that's against something stronger for a change. Please let me know if you feel this isn't a fair fight so far and I'll try to improve combat
>>6335260>>6335254The only thing I can think off is that you could have made it clear that it was overpowering the anchoring effect
Anons I'm gonna take a break til about Wednesday. Sorry to those who look forward to more frequent updates but I think another break might be what I need to get more energy
Alright everyone I'm back and I've got some energy again. Let's see two more rolls and then we begin
Rolled 33 (1d100)>>6338490
Rolled 91 (1d100)>>6338490
Writing now
>>6335248As you hold the beast down as best as you can, you can see it plotting and it curls its tail around a nearby beast and tosses it at your teacher, forcing her to dodge wide while she charges her powerful winds. The thing it hurled slams into the earth with a horrible crunch and splatter, limbs shattering like brittle twigs and it tries to grab another one to throw at Oranya.>72Not to be ignored, you grip the Umbral Snare hard and yank it with all your might, flattening the monster against the ground and giving your teacher a much needed moment to work. The damn thing roars and slams its club head against the dirt, trying to slam into you but you're much too far and the neck isn't nearly long enough, and then you notice its tail curling around anything it can to produce another weapon. No large stone was thankfully in its grasp and all it succeeded in grabbing was a clump of mud and dirt that it flings at you.>33Even dirt can hurt you if it's thrown hard enough and you thank all of your charms and armor that the most it does is knock the wind out of you. Behrs binding holds true and you stay on your feet but you reel slightly from the blow but keep your grip on the Umbral Snare. By the time the lizard realizes you weren't dropped though, you fix it with a stare and it senses something in your posture.You've gotten a bit mad at it now and binding or no binding, it's going to answer for that.>Cont
>>6338514>>6338514>91You dig your heels into the dirt and grab the length of the Umbral Snare's shadowy rope, holding it tight as the lizard thrashes around and you have a clever idea. You keep your grip on the shadow rope and drop the handle of the snare to the ground and stomp down with Behrs boots to essentially lock it there. With a free hand, you grab more of the rope and reel the lizard towards you, prompting more desperate thrashing as it realizes you're meeting its own strength. The damn beast tries to grab more things to throw at you with its tail but a fierce yank stops it every time and you can feel its panic start to set in as the moment it slips after a particularly strong pull, Oranya is leaping at it with an orb of violent gale winds in her hand.What comes next is nothing short of a focused, concentrated blast of concussive wind that craters the entire side of the lizard and it's only thanks to your training that keeps you from dropping down from the sheer force radiating outwards. You shield yourself quickly with both arms as the wind kicks up dirt and you lower them to see the lizard twitching on the ground, bleeding profusely from its mouth and side as scales have been shred off and its body looks more broken than whole."Blasted lizard," Oranya curses as she produces a towel to clean her own face off from the muck that was thrown around during the battle.You'll admit, you'll need to clean yourself up later when you remove Xandin's cloak but for now you've been spared the grime and dirt from sticking to your skeletal form, but more importantly you turn to Heyra and notice she's squaring off against some manner of twin plant people...or perhaps another odd strain of mimic.Whatever they are, they're clearly intensely wary of the Fellblaze and are backing away quickly as Heyra makes a swipe at them with the flaming weapon and the two things scatter.With her side settled, she turns to look at how your progress is going and is relieved the two of you are alright. And gives you a hard look. You're thankful for when it eases up and she chants a quick verse that sees the flames absorbed into runes along the Fellblaze's form."I'm sorry about earlier." You blurt out as Heyra and Oranya begin their way further towards where you'd all seen the strange ocean spirit go off to."I...know you were trying to help Capran, and it's alright, but in the future, let me know you're going to help and maybe I could have been a bit more prepared."Oranya is silent as she witnesses the exchange but says nothing after and you all make haste. Shortly until you all come upon a bizarre scene that defies explanation.>Cont
>>6338522There's a large...churning ball of water? Its situated on the open ground, slowly and steadily sloshing its contents round and round as the strange ocean spirit you all saw before is flying around it, seemingly concerned as it moves around the sphere.Bodies of beaten and broken monsters lay scattered around it and you notice that the glowing tendrils from before are slithering out of the bottom of the sphere. The tendrils extend around the area protectively guarding the orb and nobody dares to move closer. You don't know what this thing is and it seems to be influencing the area around it as the smell of rain and salt mixes in the air thick enough to feel. It's like nothing you've known before and it's certainly mesmerizing, but you snap out of it when you see....something. It briefly seems to fade in and out from inside the water orb, like a flash of a form that defies your explanation swimming past."Heyra." Your teacher says in a whisper, still locking her eyes on the scene. "What in the world is that thing? Is it alive?"Heyra herself is staring dumbfounded at the oddity, transfixed on it as the tendrils extend further until one seems to actually take notice of you and raises up to point at your group. And it spears towards you all before snatching a wolf from the ground and whipping itself away to slam the wolf into the ground to kill it."Gods of all things, that's a portal. Someone opened up a portal somewhere and it's got Totemist energy all over.""I haven't heard so much as a peep from anyone else but you, Heyra." Your teacher says as she carefully steps forward. "If there's another Totemist about then where could they be and why are they here...?">Investigate the area>Investigate the sphere>Consult a spirit of yours>Consult the party
>>6338534>Investigate the area
Oh I'll call in 30 btw, sorry I'm a bit absent-minded today
Alright then, give me a 1d100+10. Ill take the first three with no set DC
As a heads up, I gotta head off to work in 2 hours so I'll try to squeeze in as much questing as I can before that
Rolled 100 + 10 (1d100 + 10)>>6338565
>>6338592Whoohoo
Well damn ok.I need two more rolls and I'll write but I really do have be get going when it's time so if we don't have them by the , I'll try to squeeze in a single update after my shift
Rolled 30 (1d100)>>6338565>>6338592bruh
>>6338611I'm so tempted to call it but what if we get a 1? Or TWO hundreds?
Rolled 100 (1d100)>>6338565
>>6338638>>6338612.....fuck I hope we didn't summon the big guns.
At work rn but ohhhhh boyWe see ALL the things
>>6338592>>6338638Capran is about to see everything all at once
>>6338534With the space around you littered with the corpses of broken monsters there's time to investigate the area, take a moment to see to the state of your equipment, consult everyone including your spirits, and maybe get some kind of clue as to what the portal was meant for. You didnt take many hits on the way here so your check goes quickly and at most you've got some scrapes and you adjust a little bit and think it's all fine. Oranya is rapidly firing off questions to Heyra who's scanning the valley clearing around you all with a flurry of answers called back as she's apparently seeing a lot of nonsensical things with her different kind of sight.You choose the last to work on, running a skeletal hand along the ground and silently admiring that the bones of your hand feel just as well as if made of flesh, and notice...>110There's something faintly but distinctly familiar that you pick up on, like a sort of temperature difference -no, not exactly, more like a sort of thickness to the surface- along the ground leading away from the portal. The ground itself is different, specific little spots of damp soggy ground leading away from the portal in different patterns. Two legged. Unless it walked on fours with a very strange posture Something was slowly moving away from the water sphere, stumbling you think, and when it returned it was in longer steps. It makes more sense if this thing was bipedal considering the traces of soggy imprints. Strangely, there are no actual prints on the ground as you'd see from boots or feet so however it travels it doesn't seem to actually have much weight or it's assisted by magic. You'd guess it was rushing back in a hazardous sprint, but the direction is towards and away from the village.You inspect the moist parts where the intruder or visitor made their way and there's something prickling your newest sense that holds tints of doubt and worry. It thinks, whatever this stranger is, and you turn your attention to the traces it left behind when it returned. And while it's only two or three little drops, you know the smell of blood was thick in the air. Something or someone was injured.Was there a fight? When? Before or after the arrival.>30The sense of fear grows keener but you can't figure anything out from it just yet so all you can guess for now is that there was a fight at some point and the intruder likely returned. One set of tracks and nothing that may have joined->110No. Two things joined the newcomer. The strange flying ocean spirit and those bizarre tendrils that savaged the beasts that got too close to the portal. The fact the tendrils themselves didn't attack the spirit means they're on the same side, probably as well as the stranger that came to your land if you had to bet.>Cont
>>6338893"Teacher, Heyra." You call as you take a hesitant step towards the watery sphere ahead of the group, eyeing it carefully as you take another and you sheath all of your weapons, considering the way the tendrils slither away from you all it must have been a good choice. Of all the dead creatures you can see, none of them aren't vicious carnivores if you considered all the fangs and poisonous barbs and such among them. You will the power over fear you have to recede as far back as it can within Xandin's binding and you slowly remove it from your head in the shape of a deathly black cloak. You take a breath of air from your newly remade face and taste the humidity around you and the odd tinge of salt to it. "Whatever you do, don't raise any weapons at the spirits. They're reactive to attacks and I have a feeling whatever came through the portal's already left.""Capran, don't get too close to the rift." Warns Heyra as she inches forwards along with Oranya until you point at the ground closer to the sphere. "What are you pointing at?"You see the smallest sign but a thin ring of odd dirt is around the area near the portal and it's clearly been wet recently and the area within the ring has been disturbed. "The portal's been shrinking, I think. It looks like something flooded within a distance of the portal and kept growing smaller. It's like...looking where a drop of rain landed in the dust. I think the portal wasn't meant to last long.""How can you tell?" Presses your teacher as she keeps her arms at her sides and more tendrils go back into the watery sphere as of something is lowering its guard as well. "I need a good reason to let you closer to that thing, Capran."You think on the most solid bit of evidence you can."Something came through, bled a little, and ran back through. I don't really know how to explain it but I can...smell the fear.""Is Xandin Arre...?" Oranya begins, no doubt glaring at your cloak and you can smell her worry, then takes a step towards the sphere as well. "We can discuss this some other time, but I as well as Heyra saw the specks of blood. No doubt what came into this lands was Totemist, and it's the damnedest thing but we never heard any news of Oceanwatcher Totemists making any travels lately. Nor did I hear peep of them wanting to come to the mountains.""It left in a hurry," you explain, "and I don't think it stayed long. If I'm right, the portal was meant to last this long because whoever came through it intended on it lasting only this much. Something made them run back through and I get the gut feeling the ocean spirit and the tentacles are just guarding the back. Maybe just before we got here, they'd left."You go closer, very careful of all the glowing tendrils slipping back into the water, and use every sense to focus into the depths of the sphere where you swear something is moving.And...something...is there.Staring back.>See it>Smell it>Hear it>Taste it>Feel it>???>Connect
>>6338929>See it>Connect
Ah.Totemists
This one is mine.Safe and secure.He's done well.To return.Untainted.
Calling in 30. Final update for the night
>>6338939>See itYour eyes train as you attempt to understand the thing within the sphere, to discern what it is to the best of your ability. Nothing you've ever seen comes close. Its...you think it's enormous. Its near but so far and the more you try to make sense of it, the more your senses are thrown off by its entirety. A head that isn't a head, and that aren't arms, hands that aren't hands, no legs all arms, it sees but you can't tell how. You KNOW it sees you for sure.Remain on your land.Away from my water.Face your Behemoths.Hunt your monsters.As mine does his.>ConnectYou send out a small probing but of your own spiritual energies to poke the surface of the water and it doesn't so much as enter the sphere as sink into it and the crushing weight of the foreign power has you jerk back like you're pulling yourself out of thick mud. Unless.You wish to make a deal?>Enter a covenant with this...unknown thing>Decline. You don't even know it.
>>6338960>Decline. You don't even know it.Not sure if I'm throwing away the two 100s here but this seems like a bad idea
>>6338960>Decline. You don't even know it.
>>6338960>Decline. You don't even know it.Just because we can doesn't mean we want to
I see we don't trust mysterious watery beings.And no, I would never just make anything happen that negates the fantastic double 100.Once I've posted the update, I think you'll enjoy the rewards
>>6338960If there's ever been any lesson your teacher drilled down into your head as much as she made it clear that preparation is highly important, especially against highly dangerous monsters, it's that you should always ALWAYS get all the information on any deal or pact or any such thing with a spirit. No matter what, always know as much as you can about the specifics before accepting anything like it.Now, you don't know what manner of thing is there in the water...but you know its got magic and that means it wants something from you as a Totemist when it offers any deal, and anything you'd be doing on their whims would potentially have large lasting effects of you end up tilting the balance of the world around you in its favor.Its also some weird thing in a weird watery portal speaking to you in a weird way through the portal and tonight is too weird for your liking.'No.' You think simply as you attempt to focus harder, maybe perceive it a little better as you come to a stop away from where the ring on the ground sits.A pity.Then farewell.You expected the portal to suddenly vanish but you only notice the ring shrinking tighter but by bit as Oranya inspects it while also cautiously keeping her guard up. She regards you, noticing your frown towards the portal and peers long and hard at it. Her mystery spirit binding glows briefly and she raises up, suddenly on high alert."Everyone back away from the ring!" She exclaims, staff and beaded band aimed squarely away from the portal as it and the ring shrink more. "Don't let any of the tendrils touch you!"You jerk back as one tendrils nearby wriggles suddenly, but it rapidly slithers back into the portal as if struck, and the others quickly do the same.The thing from deep inside the portal gets further away from you all and you get the feeling it could snatch the three of you up without much trouble, but it's letting you all go unharmed.Whatever it came here for, or whoever, must already be in its grasp. You might have just been a bonus if you'd accepted.As the moments pass and the portal and ring grow smaller and smaller until they're merely a strange glowing dot in midair, you notice that the ground around you has dried and the air itself as well. Curiosity drives you to ask what the strange spirits were."A Queen of the Deep and her messenger, it seems." Answers Heyra as she stares at the ring once it finally disappears and looks around the area. "Don't ask me how it got here or what it was doing but I think our missing visitor has all we'd like to know. I think you're right, Capran, it must have been some kind of brief escape or safety spell to take the caster elsewhere and fast, but it wouldn't last long and there must have been something that drove them back. Maybe even the lizard you fought or something entirely different.">Cont
>>6339745>>6339745"Well whatever it is or whoever it was, I must let Zahn know of what happened here. Oceanwatchers must never abandon their assigned waters and who knows what could have given them reason to be so far away."Heyra steps over something you can't see as she inspects the ring of earth where the portal had been minutes before, running her hand along the ground and rubbing her fingers together. "I can tell you that thing drained the entire spot within the ring of all magic once it left. It could take days, maybe even weeks to recover from how badly it drained this spot as it left."You ponder that as you consider what you saw within the portal. "I think it could have been using some power that leaked through the portal to seal it back, but I dont know for sure. The air and ground are definitely drier than before.""Another mystery." Growls your teacher as she pulls a bottle out of her bag and begins to chant a spell of...collection? You're not sure what she's doing until you flick your spiritual sight on and SEE what it was that Heyra was stepping over.It's like a dusty river of iridescent golden light, dancing in streams along the ground in snaking patters and it dawns on you that these are traces of where the tendrils had been, possibly leaking a power belonging to their owner into the surroundings. Then you look to see that it's all beginning to flow into the glass bottle that Oranya held above her, sucked into the container like...like water down a drain.>Your spiritual sight has been used to the limit to perceive a great spirit and the traces it leaves behind, and your strain has caused growth.>Cont
>>6339752...and change.As things wind down and what feels like an hour passes by without incident you all clear the area of corpses through fire and buria, then investigate the immediate surrounding land of any kind of clues or treasures that you can collect, but nothing spectacular really shows up aside from some choice herbs and spiritually tinged sand on the ground within the area.All in all disappointing despite the significance of what had just been here. The night drags on and weighs on everyone's shoulders as you three make your way back through the valley, having dinner your skeletal cloak to resume wielding its full powers. The night stalking creatures wisely leave you all be at least. You must absolutely reek of danger at this point, especially Oranya who's leggings are splattered with all manner of grime and guts.Hongul is there on his big hill, peering and still as a rock and happy to just watch you all pass by without incident. Likewise, Ghilormar is up there in the sky and contently drifting around the night clouds, illuminated briefly by rays of moonlight that catch it from the side.Skitterbrick, bold as it must be, snips at Oranya just once and earns a terrifying blast of lightning to its face, throwing it back and into the water of the nearby river you all saw it in initially. She really wasn't playing when she said to blast it, and you're quite sure there's a lot of history between Oranya and the thing as it hisses in a squeezing high pitch when it burst out of the water.Oranya shoots it again.>Cont
>>6339756Everyone finally FINALLY makes it back to the workshop after all this night had in store for you and the moment you collapse into a chair a groan escapes you as Xandin's binding slips off your head. The flesh of your face instantly returns and as your hands massage it, you hear Oranya fetching glasses and her own private drink from the locked drawer she keeps it in.She begins to set it all down on the table and pours some out for herself and hands Heyra a glass half full of the brew. One of old Caskwin's work by the look of the rich amber brown fluid. Her eyes meet yours as you look over and you shake your head. "I've got my own, but thank you."Your teacher huffs with smile you can hear as you've already gotten back up to walk over to your locked cabinet you keep ingredients in. "Lords and Ladies of the mountain don't tell me you're about to drink your horrible spices."You can't help but laugh as you unlock the cabinet, remove a false top to the wooden frame and remove a container of something that even you need to be careful of ingesting.>Anons, what kind of a drinker is Capran?>Whiskey>Wine>Beer>Cider>Liqueur
>>6339773>Beer
>>6339773>Cider
I'll call in one hour. Gonna grab a snack from the grocery
Fuckit I'll wait til tomorrow and check for a tie breaker
Heads up everyone, I've got a late thanksgiving to attend with family which should be wrapped up in a few hours, so expect an update around 5pm EST
>>6339773You kept this new batch that the Brewer made just for you when you celebrated your first binding, what feels like a year ago for you now, and grab yourself a glass from the cupboard to enjoy at the table with everyone else. It's a specially crafted beer that has a higher content of alcohol than standard, since the Brewer figured you need an extra kick considering the type of stuff you usually eat, and it's been part of a malt case that he promised you would drop some men after half the bottle. Time to out his word to the test.The moment the cap comes off the bottle you're hit by a sweet and deep aroma that tingles your nose. It's a heady scent for sure and you think the cooling totem you stuck to the bottom of the bottle even made it concentrated a bit, so this is really gonna be a good one, and you take a seat at the table where your teacher and her friend are seated, all filling your glasses halfway."A toast to a night of utter shite and nonsense." Proclaims Oranya as she lifts her glass up to you both. "Maybe I'll make pacts with a luck spirit to toss us some fortune and clear up half these damn mysteries.""Fat chances of that, I've read your notes and never found any hint it's possible." You return with a chuckle and raise your glass up to meet the toast. "If you figure it out, that'll be one of the best things you can teach me.""Spread the love for the rest of us, yes? Not even Zahn tells us if they exist or not." Remakes Heyra as she raises her glass up as well."Yes yes, I'll be sure to reveal all my secrets."You, your teacher, and Heyra share some good humor before you all take a drink and there's a collective round of coughing as everyone most definitely feels that first sip hit like a slap to the face."Great Spirits of all, that burns!" Comes Heyra as she tries to clear her throat, breathing out heavily as she tries to find relief from the drink."Augh!" Exclaims your teacher as she heaves a little from her own drink and grimaces so hard you'd think she bit into a sour melon. "Caskwin you madman, what kind of demon did you put in this stuff?"As for yourself, you're reeling from that first sip. The cold liquid went down right before the taste hit and you feel a familiar burning through your nose as it all comes at once. The Brewer most certainly used some kind of spiced herb and harder grains for this batch and as much as you love some heat, this definitely caught you off guard. A good batch, but you know you won't be drinking it like any normal beer!Everyone sets their drink down after the first sip and takes a moment to collect themselves, then finishes their half glass off to set the bottle back into their places. Perhaps a bit too stiff of a drink to unwind with, but you all feel the days edge taken off.________________>Cont
>>6340209That night, once everyone has undone their bindings and settled in, you slip under your covers and feel like the world around you is more chaotic than you ever knew it. Too many things and too many dangers keep appearing and you honestly feel like you'll never be rid of them all. First the mutating monsters, then the North Lord in his box, and now the mysterious ocean Totemist that nobody knows of has appeared and vanished back through their portal where that bizarre thing was which offered you the chance of a deal with uncertain terms and conditions.You rest fitfully, tossing and turning on your bed and thankfully the beer you had earlier keeps things from overwhelming your mind, foggy as it is and nothing sticks for long to bother you. Blessings be to alcohol and how the beer keeps at least your body calm.Thankfully when all the thoughts run out, so does your time staying awake and you drop into unconsciousness like a rock.________________>You feel what you've seen expand your mind. Your spirit reflects this growth and a part of you connects paths and opens previously blocked energies.>+1 binding potential. You have stressed yourself and grown and changed? and therefore you are able to understand your bindings that much better. You can bind and unbind more as well, expanding your much needed repertoire.>Limits raised open up new paths.>Fear Senses have developed, unlocking new and strange ways of detecting things in the world around you.>Double 100s on detection. You now know the deepest fear of anything you spend a roll to focus on unless the target specifically has wardings against that exact information, which only suffer a -10 to that roll.A change has begun within you, though Change has no part in this nor control over it.---->Choose one of these two options>Develop an Aspect (Fear, Hunting, Crafting)>Develop an affinity. (Lightning)----Hesheza Zahn has taken note of your progress with Xandin Arre. It is slow work but you are beginning to connect with your Fear Spirit binding, though he is reluctant to praise such a thing.>Be careful, young Totemist. Greater Fears can easily corrupt and control.---->A Queen of the Deep has left traces on this land and could have easily upset the precarious balance of the entire mountain. By refusing the deal you have placed yourself as a buffer against foreign and invasive spiritual entities, though what cost or benefit it brings you is yet unknown. Always know the specifics of pacts before you enter them.>Increased positive reputation among the mountain court spirits. You may soon be invited to their domains.>The endless armed Queen of the Deep has seen you and measured your worth. Potential. Much potential.---->Many successes have earned you the right to enter the Halls of Reflection, under the watchful eye of Hesheza Zahn at a time he sees fit.---->Please roll me 1d100. Taking first three.
Looks like the break got me the posting power I need to actually get some chunky updates, hopefully all that continues
Rolled 77 (1d100)>>6340253>Develop an Aspect HuntingDang where is everybody?
>>6340324Eh, I have a pretty irregular posting schedule and it's a holiday week. Plus the fact that I took a week or so off and this really isn't too surprising.
Rolled 19 (1d100)>>6340253yeah I'll back >>6340324I can only be awake so many hours a day, and I don't think it's wise to vote directly after waking up.
Rolled 60 (1d100)>>6340253>Develop an Aspect Hunting
Alright anons I'm back from work. Let me get some food going and I'll be with you all soon
Okay it's running later for me than expected so let's hold this off until tomorrow.thank you for your patience once again
>>6340253You sleep.Once again.Not entirely without dreams nor full of them, but some bizarre mixture that is becoming familiar to you. A strangely swirling dream of tunnels and burrows and wide plains and towering pillars and a day and night that are and aren't present.Eyes dancing around turn to you and the gazes slip off you like water, though some linger longer than they had before. You are still somewhat here, a small threat but not a spectacle.A pair of glittering horns circles you in bounding arcs. Small rays of light bounce off the horns, happily sweeping the ground between you both. You meet the Elks eyes and share a nod.>You have grown.Above you hovers a black haze, eating away at the light shining from the horns and sun. It casts a living shadow upon you and rests a shadowy hand on your shoulder, silent but reliable. She will whisper secrets if you just send her your ear.>You have learned A sturdy, tested, metallic helmet lies in the grass before you. Always ready to help, with the cost of simply preparing to protect yourself and others. Coin is useless if you're dead after all and a life saved is a life with a long story.>You have stood strong.The grass rises before you and up rises a green wolf, covered by the land it hides within. Patient and cunning, it recognizes you as the better. It will share its tricks whenever you ask.>You have earned respect.Many others crowd around, itching to communicate if you choose.You see mountains in the far distance, unreachable for now but perhaps soon.This is a place of rest and recovery for a deeper part of yourself.Though you have grown, this place is still somewhere that transcends common sense. Where feeling and intent are greater forces than simple understanding.>Previous rolls will be factored into the next choice.>Renew your mind. Clear your thoughts.>Renew your body. Aches plague you.>Renew your soul. Stillness haunts you
>>6341190>Renew your mind. Clear your thoughts.Is this the one we haven't chosen yet?
>>6341190>Renew your mind. Clear your thoughts.Yeah I think this evens it out
>>6341190>Renew your mind. Clear your thoughtsIt feels like ages since you were last here but you know better. Time feels faster when it is crowded, after all, and the hustle and rush keep you occupied but in constantly shifting motions.You need this moment to think, and your bound spirits are glad to give you room. Lists are made of what you've learned and what still confuses you. Change has caused rampant and unchecked mutations in the world around the mountain. There are faint glimpses of it you've caught, but whatever sort of thing it is...maybe it lacks a proper form to take to communicate with others. It has a purpose you can only guess, and if it's as you suspect then it's purpose is its namesake like any other spirit.The spiders are safe and peaceful, a bulwark against threats from below and around them.The courts are likely preoccupied with their own business and have been largely out of contact. Perhaps you should call to Earest?Then there's the old -formerly late- Northern Lord and that entire mess. Harrell must be worried sick, even though you've shared a meal and spoken heart to heart. You should do something to ease the fears of the village, something that stands out as your own. So far you've been Oranya's pupil but not often have you been your own man in their eyes save for a few hunts. You will need to find strong game to build a strong sense of confidence.There are many many more questions than their answers, but they will come in due time.>Your mind has achieved newfound depth after finally giving it time to settle. Riddles may come and go but you have need of a mind that doesn't get lost in the motions.As you think, ideas come and form ways to improve yourself.>77Before you is the long sturdy road of plain but reliable brick. A simple way, but direct.This is most familiar to you. Material preparation. Arms and armor.>60Another path lies down through a dark ravine, though how deep and treacherous it is can't be guessed. You're becoming familiar with the unknown in a way that may be helpful but who can say?Aspect and arcane. Myth and meanings. The material stands beside the magical at all times, and perhaps to take magic upon yourself in newfound might may be just the thing.>19You are unpracticed, but then there's the risky way. It is held aloft by glowing glass steps that could easily be treacherous but if you are careful...maybe you can reach heights even above the mountains. Oh, how high could you go, if you just had the right binding and pact?Dealing with spirits, potentially even gambling your safety for incredible gain. You've made some simple pacts but the greater the trial the greater the power.So Capran...which way?
>>6341247>>77>Before you is the long sturdy road of plain but reliable brick. A simple way, but direct.>This is most familiar to you. Material preparation. Arms and armor.Old master delved into the second path so hard that we don't even have the documentation for a lot of it, and Capran's already dipping his toes into the third path way more than Oranya is comfortable with.But if the entire mountain is Changing, we can't shelter the village forever. We're not strong enough for that, they're gonna need to pull their weight, and that means the technology to stand firm and.....not die in one hit.
>>6341247Another path lies down through a dark ravine, though how deep and treacherous it is can't be guessed. You're becoming familiar with the unknown in a way that may be helpful but who can say?Aspect and arcane. Myth and meanings. The material stands beside the magical at all times, and perhaps to take magic upon yourself in newfound might may be just the thing.Let's mix it up
I'll be back at 10pm EST to finalize votes
Hmmm, still at an impass eh? Would you anons prefer a tie breaker by roll or anon votes?
>>6341287I've made my case, and I gotta head out for work
>>6341290Have a good day at work anon and stay warm
>>6341287Tie breaker is cool with me
Rolled 2 (1d2)Alright here it goes the.1=material2=magic improvement
>>6341247Its a struggle to choose, though the best options were the first two either way. The handmade methods are your bread and butter, but perhaps it's time to dive a bit deeper into the arcane dealings you have as a Totemist. And so you take your first steps down into the dark, opening yourself up to the mysteries and magics.>By choosing this path, you maybe now experience lower roll requirements for rituals and rites that depend on mostly magical actions such as channeling and inspecting energies. This is a permanent bonus unless inhibited by forces that specifically hamper your connection to magic.________Perhaps it's your inexperience with this path that has you so cautious but your teacher drilled home the importance of proper care and exercising basic sense when handling something new, so you feel your way forward through your rudimentary skill.>60It is slow, almost agonizingly slow, but you make progress.And every step takes you further than you were before.________You finally exit this ravine, the light above stinging before you adjust, and you see that your spirits are by the exit. Waiting patiently for you to take the steps on your own.It is important for you to make some journeys with your own power after all.What meager skill you have in your magical repertoire give you a faint hint at possibilities.>Choose one of your bound spirits and a binding that suits their individual selves will be revealed to you, though it will be vague. It is also just one results out of many highly valuable potentials, but it is a hint nonetheless.
>>6341305Blackwing
Be back tomorrow, have a good day/night in the meantime anons!
>>6341305>Blackwing
It served you well during your latest battle, and you'd be a fool not to see the potential within your Blackwing for a variety of incredibly effective bindings, so you use your link to reveal one of the better choices you might discover with foci bindings.What you see is vague at best. Some form of quill, but a blade? You're entirely unsure, but there's a handle to it no doubt. You'll have to experiment, try it out on different blades to see what gives the best results, but you get the feeling whatever this vision revealed to you is a ferociously powerful binding.>Binding revealed. Nacht Maester.Its up to you now to pursue this strength, With your emerging skill in the arcane arts, there might even be a better chance your vision has shown you a heavily magical binding.________Your time in the dream grows short.You stand upon a pillar of basaltic rock that rises up the side of a mountain cliff, bringing you to your destination at speeds far eclipsing your previous visit. There atop the mountain sits a silver saucer as always. It hovers at shoulder level, humming a light note that heightens as you approach.The water is still and calm. As eager as before but curious.It knows you hunt.>Your aspect will reveal juicy prey but only a single target.>The flying one>The digging one>The dead one>The ----- hunter
>>6341557>The ----- hunter
>>6341557Sights, sounds, smells and other sensations pass over you for a moment before you come to know of something. The ----- hunter, some kind of strangle glowing quadruped beast, with an odd posture and a prehensile tail with what seems to have a hand at the end. Upon its back are bizarre frills of smooth skin and numerous tendrils that you assume are for attack or sensing, with two luminous eyes. No real hint if it's a nocturnal or daylight hunter but Oranya and her late master have a wealth of catalogs to inspect for your new prey.Best prepare yourself extensively. You've been surprised before on a hunt and with Change at work, who knows what new danger awaits you.You feel the limit of the dream approach, though there is more time to see.>The sea>The forest>The sky>The caves>The desert>The plains>The Graves>The firelands>The mountains>The kingdom________Please select two
>>6341747>The sea>The kingdom
I'll call in an hour to give people time to arrive
>>6341747>The firelands>The kingdomcurious about that fire spirit
Okay kingdom is first confirmed pick but I'll wait for more anons to vote for a tie breaker
