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
>>6341751This
Sea it is!Unfortunately my day will be pretty full so please expect an update maybe around 10pm EST or tomorrow around 10-ish AM EST
Back and writing
>>6341747>The Kingdom________Reports were not looking good. Far from it.The Visionaries could only report the same things, that far to the west a world changing power was slowly beginning to reveal itself and could spell the doom of the entire kingdom should it fully manifest. No word on what it was, how it would bring its doom or even the specific area but it has her Highness in knots. First the word of multiple behemoths roaming the land had come close to each other which risked a possible calamity scale fight, then the Sand King's festival would be coming ahead of schedule this decade, and now this foul omen.And then those thrice damned reports of a Totemist from who knows where making contact with the moon loonies. How did they even get powers from a moon goddess when even the mere blessing of a goddess is the stuff of myth? Now a Totemist with them?Gods and spirits where does it end?You need a drink but the winemakers were all busy preparing their wares and even getting a drink at this point was asking them to sell stock already accounted for.Maybe you could find the kingdom a Totemist as well and barter for some hard drink at this point. Well, sometime after you get their help with this infernal list of problems plaguing her Highness first.You sigh, rub your brow to ease the headache that's long set in, then groan before rising up and walking out to the balcony overlooking the market plaza. Usually there would be the hustle and bustle of citizens and merchants cutting deals and doing business, but it is more subdued in its chaos today. As it had been in the last months time as well. The people are getting restless.While some of the upper rings would say that it was just the naive fears of those who live among the lower rings you cannot help but feel as though something grows beyond the power of even the Royal Army of her Highness. Unlike those lunar lunatics, you have no goddess that bestows tremendous powers to your knights. There was a time when your kingdom could claim such, but much has been lost in the battles with roaming Behemoths that have worn terribly on the forces the Kingdom can muster.You rest your hands on the balcony and sigh again You really need that drink.
>>6342410Then there comes a knock in the pattern of the spy network. This could be a welcome break with some good news or perhaps today would be the day you'd be informed of more disasters."The hands of the hour strike six." Comes a muffled voice from above and behind you, from the walls of stone lining the castle.Ah. There we go."And six more until the clock begins." You reply in code as you nod, feeling some relief after this day had been pressing down on your shoulders. "Small mercies, I'd been worried there was news of another gods damned behemoth sighting. So the two avoided each other and wandered off south?""Survey corps just sent through bird that not only did they not interact, the monsters even headed towards the no man's lands of the rock flats. No sign of them heading towards the sand kingdom nor any sudden diversions.""I can't tell you how badly I feared those things would get I to a brawl with one another and we'd need to redraw territory lines. I should have stuck to finances instead of management if I'd have known I'd be so stressed.""Her Highness would most certainly have someone who worries as much in her court than anyone who cared less."You breath in and exhale. One less thing to worry about. "And the festival?""Proceeding smoothly. No issues, not even so much as a merchant trying to hike up their prices because of 'scarcity'. Her Highness has them all aware of how important the event is. His lordship Samin Olorio, the heir and two of his brothers and sisters each will be in attendance.""Less than expected, very manageable. The turnout is just enough that we can add another layer of security without stretching too thin. Have it done.""I hear and do." Replies the spy and then silence.Good news finally. Maybe you won't need that drink after--You turn and see a tall thin flask of soft red wine corked on your work desk and chuckle. Spies and their tricks.>Cont
>>6342422The world is storms and raging water that pound into the coast as you drag yourself to shore, arm still bleeding after you cut it open to rip that warping thing out of yourself.You don't know where you ended up after smashing through that pearl mirror to finally kill that beach rat bastard but it's a place of freaks and danger. What kind of pirate intentionally makes a magic doorway to a random location he doesn't truly know so long as it's dangerous enough to 'give you trouble' anyways? Screw him. That lizard thing did you a huge favor when its headbutt crushed his body. You made sure he was gone, no magic resurrection, no sudden ghostly attack. You didn't have to check much, the whole place was happy to eat the bastard before he even knew his chest was pulp.What in the watery hell was that place? You weren't so much as there for an hour before something tried to enter through your skin and the moment you felt the change you know you put up as many wards as you could against foreign spirits. It ONLY got through the skin and thankfully you had a knife specifically meant to cut through energies with you or else it might have been stuck there until you could get back home.Whatever it was, your Matron had extinguished it back there in the deep. You curse and call Yere to heal it as best as it can, and whatever the energy did to you it seems like it made your arm HUNGRY. Yere barely sends a sliver of healing power into the skin before it's sucked up and your arm heals faster than you've ever seen before.Yere swims around the arm and finally seems like it's settled down before vanishing into its tattoo on your shoulder.At least it wasn't toxic. You've had enough of venoms and poisons from spirits for a lifetime."TEACHER!" Yells the voice of your little apprentice and you groan as you flop over and pull in deep breaths. Sure, your blessing allows you to breath under the waves but the air you're used to is so much better. "Hello little one.""Are you hurt?" She asks, noticing the blood on your arm but when she inspects it there's no wound to be found. Huh. That's nice."Not as much as I thought I'd be, but I need to get back to the house. I need my arm checked fast.">Cont
>>6342428Your apprentice tugs on your sleeve and pulls you along, forgetting that you just dragged yourself onto shore and remain thankful that you aren't full of holes. Maybe your next lesson for her with how to be delicate with the injured.As you walk through the beach and onto the wooden platform of the fishing docks, you notice that many of the village lamps have been kept lit even so deep into the night.Enzan greet you, almost leaping up from his seat as soon as he sees you, and he quickly pats you down before sighing."Don't you ever do something so stupid as leap into the Razors ever again do you hear me Jarro? Do you hear me?"Nodding is really all you can do and you rest your hand on his shoulders. Your eyes meet and you take something out of your pocket you feel is long overdue to return to him. Setting it into Enzan's hand, you watch as curiosity turns to shock and disbelief."I didn't get to finish him off myself but some great big lizard smashed his guts in and land beasts tore him apart right after. No magic to bring him back. None of his tricks. Whenever we ended up, there's no judge of the dead in that land to make deals with. Bastard probably wondered why he didn't just revive.""I'd give my other leg to have seen his damn face, Jarro. I bet it looked like when I threw my harpoon into his sludge guts!""Big lizard that did the deed clubbed him like huge damn fist right into his side, same one you got him in."Enzan laughs through tears as he holds his dead brothers charm, the largest fang of a deep Reaver, etched with the names of both men who called the ship Reef Maiden their own.You pat Enzan's shoulder and see that more villagers are awake, coming out of their homes in a rush as you walk forward towards your own. Chief Mauru is there, looking at you with wide eyes and you grin, all teeth and victory. You pull the braided, spirit blessed cloth from off your arm previously invaded arm and raise it high."HE'S DEAD!"You shout. "And his crew is too. No more raids, no more hiding. The seas are free again.">End _______________I hope you enjoyed these peaks at other parts of the world that have their own worries, and please look forward to possibly seeing those in this dream sometime.I need to get to work for now but please look forward to more.
>>6342443So it was just a little bit of pirate tomfoolery mixed with the spirit of Change SUCCESSFULLY AFFECTING A TOTEMIST. Which means humans are totally fair game.
>>6342451More to be seen on that but remember that Heyra pointed out that the village wards cleanse those who return to it or perhaps leaving the gates makes them immune. Who can say just yet?But I wanted to show off more of the world and give you some hints as to what it does. Now that you've seen the state of different lands, it'll also be easier to build off concurrent events that may or may not brush up against the mountains.
Okay, I'll now open up the thread for some Q&A. I'll try to avoid spoilers for things I'm building towards, but feel free to ask what comes to mind
>>6342480What's the education level of a village vs. kingdom?Do people even have the same currency if travel is so dangerous?How many behemoths has master killed?What happens to all the old binding materials of a dead totemist?Have we found any goofy mutant crops to cultivate?
>>6342690>Education Most of this is vocational, you can do simple math into the beginning exponents but most of your focus is on the day to day. Some jobs like the carpenters and such require more knowledge. Consider it somewhere along the early medieval era in your own village.>CurrencyThere are some mines where copper is plentiful so you usually trade in minted copper coins. These are given as sign of you doing something that puts your life on the line or saving a life, otherwise there's a bartering system for jobs to get done or splurge a bit. Gold isn't too useful because people in the village care more about merit than how pretty gold is.>BehemothsTwo personally. More when she got a call to assist other Totemists that were far away and genuinely couldn't put a stop to them alone.One was a giant with two upper bodies that controlled snow and fire with a horn on each individual head. She entered into a binding contract with a storm spirit in exchange for killing it and this is where she got her lightning spears binding.The other was a massive rock worm that ate a gigantic pit into a mountain so deep it exposed molten rock. She worked together with another totemist to kill this one and made bombs that react to sudden increases of pressure. Basically she made spiritual white phosphorus. Her latest hunt was to kill a behemoth that spawned horrible bugs from its back. This is the one she returned from back when Capran was a kid.>What happens to a dead Totemists bindingsUsually they lose their own magic fast. If a spirit is bound into it then it needs a new Totemist to rebind it if you're playing fast and loose with the vows of the Totemists. Otherwise you can rebind them under a new pact. For material bindings like wards, etc. Those go bad fast and break depending on how much magic was put into it.>CropsThe usual weird veggie mutations show like weirdly shaped tomatoes and such but not like that Change can doas you know it. Your village is protected.
you know i wonder if we where to find the equivalent of a pistol shrimp and it's actual size is like the ones on earth would the focus be weakened by it being so small and could we make it stronger by using multiple of the same focus from multiple pistol shrimps?
>>6343115An equivalent in a magical sense and form can exist yeah, but you'd have to find a way, and be permitted, to travel to the ocean. Multiple of the same spirit into bindings is uncommon because it's something seen as potentially excess hunting, but it's allowed if there's an issue directly caused by so many to be present. Also I truly want to caution you because dipping your foot into the ocean is dangerous even for a Totemist.The reefs are littered with spirits and monsters and open ocean is a place of horrors even without magical monsters involved.However, if you decide to take a swim, I'll be grabbing stuff from the old Diarca Totemist quest because I still adore it.
i mean if we where to get like a shitton of mosquit proposcite to fuse togeder to get a blood draining focus that woudn't be execissive hunting it would be public service
>>6343278The ecosystems of the world are somewhat different as monsters outnumber regular animals and therefore they also prey upon each other so that means things get weird. However, this also means big mosquitoes exist than do harass people. You can regularly hunt these but when you bind something, it's taking into consideration two things.Is it a danger to people, and whyIs it disturbing the balance of the area, and howAlso I recommend finding a really big magic mosquito because you gotta kill these things in symbolic combat and I can't in good faith lie and say a regular mosquito would make a wonderful binding lmao
Alright anons I've got some time tonight for an update, but I want to ask if you all would like a bit of a binding montage, crafting montage or such?Id like to know if you all would like a chance to explore out into the world as well. We havent left the mountains since the start of the quest and I think a bit of adventure might be refreshing, or do you all want to explore the mountains more? There's plenty of things to be found either way
>>6344295Yeah we're due for some binding experiments and a journey
Well, it's a little late for me but I'll take 3d5 for bindings.First roll is for amount of spirits we bind, second is for how many things we bind with, third is for increasing affinity for whatever spirit we use to bind and how likely we are to increase the limit.I'll keep the rolls open until about noon EST or earlier tomorrow. Coincidentally, this is perfect if we want to explore some of the world because Oranya is gonna be here at the village, and Heyra is going to return to her floating islands to continue her duty as the totemist of that area.
Rolled 3 (1d5)>>6344358Just one custom, incase we ever have to escort or protect someone.Can we bind a house or shed with the earth spirit?
Rolled 2, 2, 2 = 6 (3d5)>>6344358
Rolled 4 (1d5)>>6344358
>>6344358
Rolled 4, 5, 1 = 10 (3d5)>>6344380>>6344436>>6344523You'll need to do it like thisdice+3d5 I believe
Rolled 1, 4, 4, 4, 1, 3 = 17 (6d5)Okay in the interest of keeping things going I'll roll a 6d5 to cover the missing rolls. The highest value of all the rolls so far will determine what happens so bear with me
4/5/4So we have4 spirits, 5 binding items and 4 is high results. Also since we cleared the required roll, we now increase our binding limit!Anons, please select spirits you'd like to make more bindings for and what equipment you want to bind them with!I'll see you all in about two hours to decide
>>6344570So it was 3d5 per person not 3d5 total after all
>>6344601Yes, sorry I wasn't clear there.
>>6344601yeah i missunderstood it too
>>6344595Blackwing CaneBlackwing GlovesBlackwing LanternBlackwing CloakBlackwing BootsYork ShedYork Drum sticksYork ShieldYork Hand BallistaYork GlovesGrasscarpet DaggerGrasscarpet BootsGrasscarpet MaskGrasscarpet CaneGrasscarpet Drum Sticks
>>6344595>>6344614Xandin MaskXandin Cane(oh god necromancy)Xandin Drum sticksXandin LanternXandin Shield
>>6344614>>6344615Seems good.Everyone else in agreement?
>>6344620Yessir
>>6344614Btw do you mean to fuse york with a storage shed?
oh idea could we get some kind of jigsaw cane that can be broken into three part and have a different focus in each part?
>>6344620They sound good to meBut I'd like to suggest>Blackwing Whip>York Stone club>Xandin scythe>Behr patahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pata_(sword)
>>6344635As a spirit binding? Not at this stage. Further along there are experimental ways of combining equal powers of spirits into one focus but we're a long way off from that.Also I'll go along with the shed post from earlier.>>6344636Going off the initial post for now but if anons vote for more bindings, please bring this up again.Also you'll have to make a special order for a Pasta at the weaponsmith, you wouldn't have one of those on hand.>Currently editing the binding log
>>6344614>>6344615Not gonna lie, for a way too long I was thinking anon meant drum sticks as in the food. My brain hasn't been working at full power today
>>6344646Diarcas Totemist quest had the MC eat spirit bound fruit with.... interesting effects and side effects. Be careful with that stuff
Binding log is updated. Going to be heading home soon where I will be able to update more
>>6344626Basically testing the limits of binding. Can you do a whole building? Do you have to stay IN the building? How far can you be from the building?>>6344636dang, whip is rad. I am absolutely not ready for scythe yet lmao.
>>6344641>>6344706I am open to switching lantern or cloak to whip, but that still needs the others to chime in.
>>6344706It might be a possibility, but you've got to be careful with things you store valuables inside because things inside might be effected in odd ways.>>6341747You wake slowly, feeling yourself emerge from the thickness of sleep like you're rising from water, and find that you are exhausted. Its a struggle to remember what on earth could have tired you out so badly until you turn your head and see all your bindings and foci on their rack and recall that the day after you returned from your night hunt you'd gotten to work pushing yourself with making more and more bindings. Teacher Oranya had both locked themselves away in Oranya's personal study and hadn't come out unless they were grabbing scarce rations before returning into their locked room. This of course left you to your own devices and you decided that you should press harder on your own personal training, and that led to you having a sort of marathon binding session.In hindsight, maybe you should have spaced thing out more. You feel like you're back in your trainee days with the guard, grogginess and all.The day won't wait for you to wake up though and you get ready for another day of work before you hear a knock at the door."Capran, we've something for you to do urgently. Be out as soon as you can." Comes Oranya, voice in a professional tone. Must be very important."Will do," you reply. And truth be told you were just about ready to get some food going in case she and Heyra hadn't come out from their room. All in all it takes maybe another ten minutes before you come out of the bedroom all dressed and ready, then notice that Heyra is packed with full travel gear. "Oh..leaving then?"Heyra nods, her face tense. "I'll be heading off fast, back to the skylands, and I'm afraid it'll have to be a quick goodbye, so take care of yourselves and stay safe."Then she's turned around, heading out the door and calling her Dragonsteed and taking off at a full sprint. Whatever they must have been doing has to have been dire."Capran."You look at your teacher, posture rigid and eyes clearly worried. "Y-yes?"She stands there and takes a deep breath before letting it out and hoisting a heavy looking pack up to you. "I'm afraid it's rushed, but it falls on you to head out to another village to check up on the area. News of our little visitor spread fast and I've gotten word from there which makes it seem as though trouble is brewing.""Like Change?" You ask. You weren't sure how isolated the mutations were but perhaps the spirit or such isn't as singular as you might expect.Oranya sighs and shakes her head. "No, small mercies. It seems like there's been a dragon sighting, but thankfully no victims. I need you to go out there and see what the issue is, and if it's a lesser dragon, likely slay it if theres conflict."A flicker of spite and anger comes through your connection with Xandin Arre and then is gone just as fast. You understanding the gravity of the situation.>Cont
>>6344725"Is there anything I need to be aware of concerning the dragons on the other side of the barrier?"Oranya shakes her head and you grab your pack from her hand and slip it on your shoulders. "The barrier prevents them from entering our range of the mountains but there are many other nests of dragons that exist all over the world. Truthfully I don't know how closed off the dragons from the other range are from everything else but I've heard no word of them causing havoc until now. Hell, if that dragon is even part of their nest or not isn't something I even know.""So, go investigate, bring peace to the area and report back?""Quick on the uptake, Capran. It might take a while so you need to head off immediately. No need to worry about the villagers, I'll let them all know you'll be busy with official Totemist duty."It goes unsaid but she mostly means your concerns with telling Harrell's daughter where you'll be and what you'll be up to. All you can do is nod your head and go collect all your spirits and their used bindings, minus the shed of course, and this does mean you might be locked out of any new totems until you reach the other settlement."If you have anything urgent to do before you leave, anything you need to grab, do it quick and then you have to get going. I've already sent word to Earest to clear your way through the valley so expect company. Now go on, hurry.">Is there anything last minute and quick you need to do? Time is of the essence.
>>6344720>>6344706>>6344636You can bring a scythe along to bind with. You don't have time to dawdle but you can definitely grab a piece of gear to two.Your pack contains all the bindings you can carry with you and your spirits as well as camping gear, basic equipment and food.Nets, knives, etc are included.
>>6344730Say bye to the waifu
Calling and writing after dinner, probably an hour from now
>>6344730>>6344730Theres not much time to spare so you double check your equipment and throw on your gear that you made yourself, the horned arm guards and all, and think about anything else you might need to do...and can only think of telling Harrell's daughter of your new duty yourself. You know that your teacher said to leave immediately but maybe just a quick goodbye.You haven't so much as closed the door once you're done finishing your equipment checkover when you notice Oranya is standing right beside your door and pinning you with her no-nonsense gaze."All ready? Nothing else?"There's a moments hesitation and your eyes briefly dart over to the workshop door. "Well...I have all my gear.""Capran. You understand the gravity of the situation, yes?"You nod. You do understand."You know what's at stake right?"You nod again. Oranya is still keeping her eyes on you and you have no choice but to meet hers. It feels like minutes pass but she sighs and shakes her head."You have your mission. I promise you I will personally tell her what you're doing and where you're going so just head out. Don't waste time.""Yes, teacher." You answer and walk towards the exit and once you have it opened, Oranya calls to you."You know she'd hate it if you arrived late to a potential rescue on her account, right?"You nod solemnly and close the door and take a few steps from the workshop...>Head off immediately >Go see herCalling in an hour
>>6344768>Head off immediately
>>6344768As much as you really want to go off to see Harrell's daughter, you know it's your duty to see to your Totemist business before all personal matters and your teacher is right. She might end up hating you a bit if you put her above the lives of others that could be in danger even now. Begrudgingly or not.Your feet carry you off through the village and up to the gate where you find Shaw standing beside Rakes who both straighten up when they see you on full gear. You give them a quick salute and they call for the gate to open."Heard you're off to another village, eh?" Says Rakes as he marches along beside you with Shaw on your other side."Word already got around? Oranya called ahead of me?"Shaw barks a quick laugh and points ahead where you see...Earest?"A Lady herself popped up and she's been floating there a good half hour. Whatever you're doing, good luck. She hasn't said a word to us other than that she'd been waiting for you."Earest, for one, is there in midair with what seems to be regalia on her person and a serious look on her face that mirrored the one your teacher had before you'd left the workshop. You knock our knuckles and Shaw and Rakes's armored chests as you go forward towards Earest. "Buy me a drink when I get back? I feel like this is gonna take a while.""Bring back stories and we'll make it even!" Calls Shaw as you depart, Earest floating up to you quickly.>Cont
>>6344798"Greetings Lady Earest, please forgive me for cutting to the chase but may I ask what requires your presence?" You try to keep as much respect as you can in your voice but you feel a bit of nervousness creep in."I'll tell you on the way, but I'm going to fly us both so you'll have to get the short version."When you feel yourself lift off the ground in a sudden rush of wind you do your best to maintain composure but you still yell a bit in surprise as you're suddenly rushing down the slopes beside Lady Earest. "Is it that bad already?" You ask once you stabilize and find a comfortable angle to fly in."Our connections to other wind spirit courts aren't bringing up good news Capran. We don't leave the mountains, too much to do here, but there's been a lot of courts spooked ever since the Behemoth rolled by and disappeared and the first sign of trouble brewing has everyone on edge. Last word was that it wandered over near the dragons' side of the mountains and probably got slaughtered or it wrecked the area but details are vague. This new dragon issue isn't too far from that area and it's poor timing.""So go there, maybe expect signs of behemoth damage? Did the dragons fly out of the range?" You ask, just above the sounds of wind rushing so you're not yelling."Hard to tell." Replies Earest, flying you both further and further, the speeds you're both going almost dizzying you and you can barely tell the grass under you isn't just a green blue. "We don't exactly talk to the dragons and the barrier keeps anyone from crossing it ever since Oranya's master passed. If you see a dragon there after all, I'm not sure you'll have much choice other than to put it down. From what I heard, the villagers are rallying."You look at Earest and you fear her answer for what you're about to ask."You don't really think they can do it any harm do you? Surely they don't have a Totemist to help...""No." She answers simply, no words minced or softened. "They'll be slaughtered. No wards, no Totemist. They don't even have a guardian spirit to help them.""How have they managed to survive this long? How can they not even have wards?"All Earest does is groan as she picks up her speed and perhaps it's because she's an elemental of wind that you can hear her over it. "Not everyone takes so well to the idea of magic like your village does. I imagine they've got some deal with the their local spirits going on for protection but no way do they have the kind of help that could do anything to a behemoth. The damn monster probably even scared the local spirits off if the village got unlucky."You balk at that but understand that even spirits would flee the area if a Behemoth came around their homes. Part of the reason Totemists were even a thing is because the spirits and humanity joined together to drive off or kill the monstrosities. It's a tall order to ask anyone to face a Behemoth so it fell on the Totemists, the bridge and link to both worlds.>Cont
>>6344819As you both continue to fly down the slopes, you shoot her a few more questions like what kind of dragon it might be, what the local spirits are like and if any Totemist has ever been to the village before. You find it odd that they might refuse magical aid but make deals with spirits."I honestly didn't get a clear picture of it from the messages but it was seen circling around the area of the village borders before disappearing. There's been two sightings of it flying so it's obviously a winged dragon. The spirits should be smalltime woodland or field courts judging by the area but you might not even find them. As for whoever they might have gotten a Totemist visit from, it'll have to have been Oranya's late master and even herself, but they didn't exactly welcome her. They apparently raised spears at her and told her to leave. You'll need to be careful, Capran.""She didn't cripple some of them did she? I've heard what she did to the last drunken man to try sparring with her at the pub and he wasn't walking right for days."That gets a laugh from Earest despite the seriousness of the situation and you can tell some of the tension bleeds out of her. "She left them alone, but she barely kept contact with spirits from the areas on route. Something big must have happened already for them to call for a Totemist. If Oranya wasn't so busy with her own work and this business with her contact network around the mountains, she'd probably have left herself. You'll have to pull your weight for real Capran. Give it ten minutes and you'll be at the bottom of the mountain range so that's where I'll have to leave you.">Ask her another question, but she might not know it.>Ask your spirits any questions>Nevermind
>>6344828So either we never pull out Xandin, or we max out fear so hard that they just sit still while we do the work.>Ask Falk if his lord ever encountered this village>Thank Earest for the cloak again, although we haven't quite made friends with wind-adjacent spirits to bind with it>Ask her if there's a particular language or tone the dragons prefer>Ask Behr if it's possible to tell if they've made deals with spirits of his typeMaybe it's time for the commander's mask.
>>6344848Support
I'll see you all tomorrow morning around maybe 10Am EST
So I think>Behr mask>York hand ballista>Grasscarpet bootswould leave the best first impression, and we save the xandin cloak for when we actually fight.Blackwing Lantern sounds really fun for some mundane kills, although it looks like gloves weren't a good idea. I completely forgot about the armguards and if Capran made anything else.
>>6344848+1
Noting things down and will update soon.
>>6344848We all seem to be in agreement of this so I'll begin writing now
>>6344828You send for your Elk spirit through your spiritual binding connection and Fawl's response comes with some curiosity. 'how may I be of help, Totemist?''You served under the old Northern Lord, right? I need to know if he might have had some kind of contact with this village. Anything you know could help.''I've heard nothing about any of the court making contact with humans outside of the mountain range. We were expressly forbidden from venturing off, as it would potentially be an act of invasion and spark conflict. It certainly wasn't my place to question his orders.'You thank Fawl and gently drop the connection. Interesting. You wonder if the old court could leave even if they wanted to. From the sounds of things even Earest was only getting news from second hand sources, and you wonder if the orders were more permanent than you expected. Maybe they're in effect so long as the old Lord is alive?Speaking of Earest, there's something important you've been meaning to say."Pardon me Lady Earest, I realize this is quite late, but I never did get around to properly thanking you for this wonderful cloak. Its been an incredibly powerful foci and I can tell it was crafted with great care, so I think my appreciation is overdue."Earest looks at you with a smile and laughs into her hand as she flies you both further and further down the slopes. "Oh enough with that stuffy politeness. Be more natural! And your appreciation is all I need! I may not look it but I'm a damn good seamstress. Threaded the cloak with my own wind!""I think that's all the more reason for me to be polite, Lady Earest.""Augh" groans Earest. "So formal. You'll have to learn to drop that one day."That reminds you of something important and now is as good a time as any to ask. "Speaking of formal, how should I speak to the dragon when I encounter it?">Cont
>>6345054"Beats me honestly." Is her simple reply, even shrugging a little. "The last time our side of the mountain ever interacted with the dragons was that one that invaded the border and had to be put down by Oranya. Dragons supposedly respect power, so you might have to subdue it by force.""Well that's wonderful. I'll have to see how things go then." And you leave it at that, calling on Behr really quick before you arrive at the bottom of the mountains.'Mmm? What's the matter Capran?''Don't suppose you or any other spirit you know might have had some kind of contract business with the village nearby?'You feel like Behr is a bit incredulous at that. 'capran, the world is bloody gigantic. Not even spirits have that much coincidence I'm afraid. The last humans I had a contract with was in a war about...somewhere around a hundred years ago. We Helmkeepers tend to get summoned less and less in the physical but some old traditions last, and we send some of our power through rituals to help whenever we can. Maybe they know of the ritual and that's a common thing you might share with the village but don't bother betting on it.''Damn. Thank you for the heads up though, Behr.'As you drop the connection you feel Behr wish you some luck, and now it's back to the present. Far ahead of you, theres a marker indicating the bounds of the mountain territory and you feel Earest slow down until you finally stop at the bottom."We'll have to catch up another time. You should have a map in your pack to show you where to travel so just follow that and you'll be set."You roll your shoulders and get the travel pack nice and comfortable. "Thank you for the quick lift, Lady Earest. I'll be back as soon as I can."Earest nods and flies off after wishing you safe travels, and now it's up to you to find your way. You realize that you've never once stepped foot off this mountain without Oranya beside you, and the first time you ever did go outside the markers was when she brought you to the Grave and got tangled up in that Ichor Wing nonsense.What in the world was gonna happen this time?>Prepare your bindings. Your travels will take a good week to reach the village from the starting point so be sure to select bindings that can help you the most.I'll call at 2:30 EST and hopefully have time to update
oooh small question could we have something like a deltaplane like link in botw? because with some binding that could be very interesting
>>6345061Fieldsprinter for faster travelThunderous Sliver for melee, traversal, dodgingSlate cloth for defense, concealment (disguise as a rock)Fortified blasting blow for ranged attackKeep an eye out for any potential ammo like magical seeds, fruits, stones, etcAvoiding xandin because we don't want to spook anyone we could potentially meet during our travels
>>6345061>>6345074 +1
>>6345074Noted! Work starts soon so I'll try to update later tonight or tomorrow around the same time we started today.>>6345065Never heard of this before. I'll Google and see how possible it could be
i just realised i never finished the original totem quest did we ever try to eat a totemed fruit and what was the result?
>>6345146Sure did and it had a big power boost but side effects. If you guys wanna eat the forbidden raspberry I can write it but that'll have the same consequences it did in Diarcas quest
>>6345216Wasn't it some kind of spiritual contamination?
>>6345269I believe it was yeah, and this was shortly after Osyki was playing Toph so it had something to do with that as well iirc
>>6345216i mean we could see to get totem from a basic bitch animal like a chicken to add to the fruit to have it be way weaker but also reduce greatly any corruption
>>6345061Fieldsprinter for travelI'm game to experiment with the Behr blastbowFawl Cloak will get plenty of charge from walking aroundGaia Drummers now's a great time to practice with bridges and such.
>>6345501Eating it will have the same result.Also work is apparently understaffed so I'll have to update after my shift. Probably around 6pm EST
>>6345061There's a few options you go through in your head as you prepare yourself for the travel and you settle on the idea that you need to be able to move quickly and quietly while also being able to defend yourself with strong weapons in case something decided to attack you as you go. So with that in mind..>You have equipped Fieldsprinter (carpet crawler boots), Thunderous Sliver (Fawl Dagger), Fortified Blasting Bow (Behr hand ballista), Gaia Drummer(york drumsticks).>You have two binding slots left open (available to use now or later.)...you prepare yourself for some trouble. Although it's with new equipment you haven't had the chance to really use in actual combat, there's no doubt you can do a lot of damage with your current weapons. A few steps with the Fieldsprinter binding makes it feel like you're making leaps with every step which will make travel just a bit easier too, so you decide to not waste any time and make your way.With the bow held in both hands and your eyes scanning as you run, you hope that you won't actually need to use it and find out how it stands up against some weird monster.>Roll 2d100 for encounters. First roll is for what you find and second is for how you deal with it
Rolled 1, 14 = 15 (2d100)>>6345737
>>6345745lmao good start!
>squirrel appears >We spray and pray with the hand ballista
Rolled 69, 20 = 89 (2d100)>>6345737
Okay ill wait for one more roll just to see if we get a 100 to cancel out the nat 1
Rolled 60 (1d100)>>6345737check these double hundos
Rolled 88, 100 = 188 (2d100)>>6345737lol I'm dumb
>>6345772if you're gonna be dumb you gotta be lucky I suppose. or was it tough?
Rolled 7, 8 = 15 (2d100)
This is why I can't get enough /QST/.This is still a 1/100 roll but now I get to be extra silly with itPlease look forward to the update
>>6345737>1,100_______________Okay. Okay.Shit.You don't know if this could even be considered good or bad luck but hey. You found the dragon. DragonS. Plural. There are two of them. Okay, so you already found the dragons and it's been like three hours of running and you should really call this a success, but no way these can possibly be the right dragons. Its a WEEK of travel for a normal person and you've only been moving for three (maybe) hours before you encountered monsters that are definitely making Xandin itch for blood so they're absolutely dragons but there's no way to tell if you have the ones you need in front of you.You are currently far off enough they likely can't sense you but you're behind a fallen tree and peeking out above it very carefully and very quickly. You look back where you've traveled through the forest at the base of the mountain and notice how far away the mountains are now. How far HAVE you gone already? Maybe half a days worth or more of travel for any normal human? Surely not a full days worth already.You peer over the tree and see a dragon yawn and move to get more comfortable. The other is soundly sleeping and breathing slowly.Ohhhh you're not prepared to fight these things right now and, again, you don't even know if they're the right dragons.Maybe there are others around and you just evaded them somehow.No. Surely not. There's no way you managed to just slip past a dragon running like you were and end up here spying on two drag-Your eyes dart a little upwards and see the dragon that hadn't yawned rise up and stretch, yawn, and slowly look around.The urge to yell is forced down as you nearly freak out.Okay. Okay.Shit.>S N E A K >1d100>HIDE >1d100>attack >2d100
Rolled 11 (1d100)>>6345803>HIDE >1d100Maybe we can eavesdrop on them to figure out what's up
Ill take rolls until about 10am EST tomorrow then I'll see what we got.
>>6345803>HIDE >1d100Basics of monster hunter: Hide until the problem is over, then loot whatever scales and dung are left behind.
Rolled 3 (1d100)>>6345807If I understood you right you want us to roll now so here you go if not ignore this
Rolled 59 (1d100)>>6345807
Rolled 25 (1d100)>HIDE >1d100let not become dragon show
Well no worries folks, you cleared the DC and I believe I see we are hiding
>>6345803Should you run? You've already made considerable distance in just three hours so maybe you could outrun- no, don't be stupid, you might make the dragons notice you if you ran now.Attacking them is out of the question. Those are Dragons. Xandin might have been able to go slaughtering dragons but she's a bound spirits now and there's no chance you have a binding for her that's got the power she had in her prime. There's also no telling if any other dragons are around. You might get locked into battle and then be ambushed.So you have to hide, and take your chances.>DC50>59You're pressed for time but you get flat on your back against the fallen tree and scoot yourself as deep into the crevasse as you can. One of the dragons, probably the one that woke up just now, sounds like it's begun to walk around. You hastily put as many sticks and bits of dirt on you as you can and pull your hood over your head. The less skin exposed the better and you just get yourself properly hidden when something huge flies over the area, heading toward the way you're traveling. Sudden thuds and flapping follows and you're pretty sure the other dragons took flight to follow whatever passed over.There's a moment where you think moving might expose you if something else comes this way, but you risk taking a peak...And the coast is clear. Some torn up earth where the dragons must have took off to fly but otherwise everything seems like a perfectly normal clearing.>Check the area. roll dice+1d100+10 (DC80 for best results)>Bind a spirit >Keep moving
>>6345998>Check the area. roll dice+1d100+10 (DC80 for best results)sniff the soil, taste the.....air.
I'll call in 30. If you select to check the area, I'll need you to please roll a 1d100
Rolled 43 (1d100)>>6345998>Check the area. roll dice+1d100+10 (DC80 for best results)>>6346011
Rolled 63 + 10 (1d100 + 10)>>6345998>Check the area. roll dice+1d100+10 (DC80 for best results)
Calling in 5
Rolled 67 + 10 (1d100 + 10)>>6346011one last roll?
>>6345998You move carefully, afraid that if you move too fast or loudly that something might just drop out of the sky to attack, but as you get closer to where the dragons were resting you gain more confidence that the area is safe. You don't exactly go sprinting over, but you move a bit more freely and pick your way around the clearing.>73All in all, you find some scales that are just the right size to fit into your pouch but not too small to be easily dismissed. These must have been scratched off at some point so they're not the best quality but dragon scales are dragon scales, and you collect about seven of them plus the bones of what must have been their meals left strewn around. Luckily you were able to find some of these because you really didn't want to resort to picking through dragon dung to find materials.With just a few spoils, and there not much more to see here, you head off towards the marked area on the map Oranya packed for you with a compass giving you the proper direction.You're a bit more aware of your route this time but there's no telling what might pop up next.>Roll 2d100 and let's see how wild our adventures get
Rolled 13 + 10 (1d100 + 10)>>6346011
Rolled 100, 28 = 128 (2d100)>>6346031
>>6346034>>6346036I will be keeping the hundred since you used the proper dice format for the second roll
Calling in 30 in case something hilarious happens
Rolled 41, 6 = 47 (2d100)>>6346031
>Caprans silly luck remains________________>100You sprint off, probably scaring most of the forest as you make your way through and peek at the compass now and then. There's little more than some squirrels and a deer that you encounter but you definitely spook a spirit as you race past and you barely catch site of it before you're gone. Some kind of forest nymph if you had to guess, didn't seem that old so it's probably not the spirit OF the forest in this part "Sorry about that!" You yell back as your boots make the run so much more smoothly than you expected. Something is making your speed so much faster than it was in the mountains.>You have discovered a secret of your Fieldsprinter binding. The speed and silence you move with increases with the density and health of the grass you move through.Is this how you've been making such quick time? The answer would make sense."EXCUSE YOU!" yells an unfamiliar, feminine voice from just up ahead and you pass another...no, the same forest nymph as before. You slide to a stop and trip, but roll to recover and come skidding right in front of the forest nymph who has appeared ahead of you. Cool trick, you think to yourself as you brush your cloak off."My apologies, spirit, but I must be heading off. Please let me pass so I can reach the village a few days ahead.""That's not important!" She yells. She seems oddly mad at you for just passing her so you're a bit taken back by this. Was there some sign you missed to ward off trespassing? "You ran right through the forest with no announcement?! Who do you think you are? This is my land and it's bad enough those dragons landed here! I don't need some wild human running around here too!">Apologize. You owe her some manners if this is her forest. >Ignore her. You've got to get moving.>OtherCalling in an hour
>>6346052>Apologize. You owe her some manners if this is her forest.
Writing
>>6346052As much as you wish to just ignore her in favor of the speedy arrival at the village, you know there's no excuse to just ditch her and run. Besides, she's kept up with you so far and you doubt you'd really be able to outrun whatever method she's used to intercept your path.You stand straight, noting that you're almost a whole foot and a half over her height, and give her a short respectful bow as your teacher taught you years before. Not too short, never too low."Fair spirit, my apologies for intruding in your forest. The shortest path to my destination lies through the wood where you rule and I wasn't given word that it would have upset any spirits. I do sincerely apologize for this, but my business is extremely impor--""Don't care, never asked!" The spirit interrupts you with all the tone of an angry child. "You're not even properly apologizing to me! Where are the gifts? The respect?""I bet you're pardon?" You blurt this out without thinking, purely because it's so odd. Oranya would never have left out a lesson on spiritual etiquette. She made you dream pages from the Tomes of Decorum."Not begging hard enough! If you really want my pardon than where is my tribute?""I-I... don't have any tribute...?"This just makes the nymph more angry and she she waves her hands around and looks at you like you just told her something stupid."And why not? You think you can just step into someone's home and not even bring gifts? Where are your manners? You think you're some king of the far mountains?" Shes almost screaming at this point and the forest around you rustles in the direction of the village and you worry that you might have a fight on your hands. "You know what? Just hand me something good. Like that cloak! Hand it over and then whatever you've taken from my forest and go back the way you came!">Refuse to hand her your cloak or anything else.>Barter, the cloak stays.>Push her out of your way, you're a Totemist. Where's YOUR respect?>Stare her down. Shes robbing you.
>>6346093>Push her out of your way, you're a Totemist. Where's YOUR respect?
>>6346093>Refuse to hand her your cloak or anything else.To think that a noble forest nymph has resorted to banditry. She should be ashamed.
>>6346093She can't be serious."Well? Hand it all over! You came in here and just barged your way through my forest, so it's only fair you give me something in return!" She demands, arms crossed as she stares up at you with a scowl.She is actually serious.You came here into an unmarked forest where two dragons were sleeping just fine, made your way for hours where you hadn't once been stopped and told that you were trespassing, and now that you're this far into the forest this woods ruling nymph appears to demand you give her tribute for traveling through her territory? Wait...why would the ruler of this entire forest be a forest nymph? That's...highly unusual."I understand." You answer calmly and respectfully. "I'll just set it all in front of your home tree."Her scowl changes just a little and you've got her."No," she says and she shakes her head. Shes still standing in your way, but you know enough about spirits to have caught her. "Hand it all over! You don't need to know where my tree is! Just give me my tribute and you can go!"'where my tree is' huh?"I'm quite serious about you needing to pardon me. I can just set it right in front of your home tree. You just need to show me where that might be."She shakes her head, yelling louder as you press a little more. "No! You don't need to know where it-""IT?" You say sharply, cutting her off and the look on her green face tells you everything you suspected. "IT? Not THEY? This is your forest, isn't it? These are ALL your trees aren't they?""I-I..."She's fidgety now. She knows she's been caught, and the rustling grows louder as the seconds pass, but you know it can't be her. You take a few steps a use your cane to push her back and out of your way, letting you pass without further little schemes from the spirit. You sense something else moving towards you though, from the direction you were traveling. Was she stalling for time? Is this a friend of hers?"Just give me tribute!" She screams and grabs onto your cane. She refuses to let go even when you jerk it back but she's very clearly overpowered and every movement of the cane shakes her. She screams at you, how you're a trespasser and some stupid human who doesn't know his place. Then the forest screams as well.Just not in her voice.EKASTA!!>Cont
>>6346126You disregard the little spirit and have your hand ballista out in a fraction of a second, aiming it straight at the direction all the rustling is and keeping some trigger discipline as you've always been taught with a crossbow. You don't know what EKASTA means but you guess you're about to find out.The spirit cries out and let's go of your cane, dropping to the grass and shuffling away. Okay, not a friend then. An enemy? The actual forest spirit come to stop you too? You could easily handle this nymph but a true forest spirit getting involved and demanding you give the real ruler tribute is another matter. You don't dare think you could take a Lady of the Peaks in a fight, the scale of power is too great for one, and you're here in the forest spirit's home territory. Before, you were polite and would have simply handed over all the scales if she made a reasonable demand. That did fall apart but it was easy enough to dismiss. You hadn't even needed to mention you were a Totemist before the spirit demanded things from you. You briefly wonder if mentioning your profession would have kept her out of your way but it's over and done now.You notice the nymph scrabble away from the rustling and voice but you don't have time to be distracted, no telling what's about to burst out of the trees.Your electrified dagger is brought out as a green clad figure with Birchwood hue skin storms out of the treeline and stops. She fixes you with a stare, confused if you had to guess, before her eyes fall on the little spirit trying to scurry off and a growl like bark rubbing against itself escapes her lips. "Young lady, what in all of the world are you DOING? Who is this? What is happening THIS time!?""I wasn't doing anything!" The nymph cries as she scuttles away and rises up fast. Whoever this is, you're under no illusion they've come to help her. Not an enemy though. Her mother maybe? You've heard spirits do form families.>Stay silent>She was trying to rob me>She won't let me pass(Be back after dinner)
>>6346133>She was trying to rob me>She won't let me pass
>>6346133You cast the nymph that's caught there like a deer staring at an incoming danger and lower your hand ballista. There's the ghost of a smile bubbling up as you absolutely have her caught but you need to make things clear before anything else happens, so you sheath the dagger carefully after sticking the cane into the soft ground beneath you and address the newcomer. "She won't let me past.""IM NOT DOING ANYTHING!" The nymph explosively denies as she points her hand at you and starts bouncing in place like a child trying to be louder than another to make the world believe her volume means she's right. "HE WAS RUNNING AFTER THE DRAGONS AND I ASKED HIM WHY AND HE DIDNT SAY AND-""That is ENOUGH!" yells the clearly more mature spirit. Shes becoming progressively higher on the hierarchy pole as far as you can tell. "Young man, what is going on?""HE WAS RUNNING AND HE HAS STUFF FROM THE FOREST!"You are unbothered by the constant volume from the nymph so you answer simply and honestly. "I was sent to check in on the village a few days ahead and saw a pair of dragons sleeping in a clearing far behind me. They flew this direction and I picked up some of their scales. Dragon scales are pretty valuable for my work. I believe I was being robbed by-""I WASNT ROBBING ANYONE! I WASN'T!"The withering glare from this new spirit smothers any further outbursts and the scream dies almost as fast as it came. The new spirit, who you mentally designate as possibly the forest spirit herself or one of her handmaidens, has her face scrunched up and lets out a raspy sigh. When she finally speaks, her face is calm but very serious."Ekasta. Return to her Lady Arbova at once. Do not give me any 'buts'. Go NOW."The nymph, who you would have to assume is named Ekasta, stares down at the ground and shuffles off towards where this possible handmaiden had appeared from and sulks the whole way."NOW, I said." Calls the spirit, and then it's just you and whomever this is.You both stare at each other evenly and you place your hand ballista into the hook designed to hold it on your person and pull the cane out of the ground."Now then," she begins and clears her throat, soothing her voice out and becoming the image of professionalism, "if you could explain again...? You were heading towards a village?"You give this new, much politer spirit a respectful bow as is most definitely proper when meeting a spirit that acts with some actual class. "I was sent to check in on a village somewhere to the Southeast. I've been given a map and a compass to follow, and I was making surprisingly good distance before I was...blocked."The new spirit looks you up and down quickly and nods. "Please let me inspect your map, young man. You've come at a very...poor time."You nod back and produce the map for her to look at.>Was there any trouble?>Who was that nymph?>Do I really have to pay tribute?
>>6346169>Was there any trouble?>While I don't mind gifting something that might help, there are limits.
Seems we're offering help, writing!
>>6346169You let a soft 'hm' slip, eyes settling on the way forward and returning to the more mature spirit. The dragons don't seem to be entirely welcome but you aren't sure. Something has this spirit on edge other than the younger one and no matter how much you try to sense anything, you can't find anything other than this new spirit within sight. Not even birds are anywhere you can see.You take a slow step forward, looking for the slightest trace of danger but she just has her hand held out for the map you give her. She scans it quickly, her brow creasing as she does and you catch her gaze flicker over to the mountains where you started and off the map and at your chest before darting back down again to the map."Was there any trouble with the dragons?" You ask, breaking the silence. "While I wouldn't mind gifting a little something to...ward them off, nothing serious just a little charm or two, I don't want to just be robbed and left to dry, miss...?"The spirit promptly hands the map back and the lock on her face is calm and collected and you can smell the tiniest hint of nervousness. Something about you."My duty as a Totemist makes me obligated to help if there's trouble brewing."Her nervousness eases up just slightly as you reveal your profession but her eyes linger on things she now begins to take note of that you wear. Your boots for one, the ballista you tucked away, and the knife you've slipped back into its sheath. Perhaps not binding Xandin was an especially good call."I'm afraid I cannot offer any comment on the dragons, but we haven't seen any Totemists in a while. The last time I can recall hearing of one wasn't too recently, and they came down from those mountains, far behind you. You could reach there in about a days hike."You mentally increase your evaluation of your new boots. You shortened a days travel by half that time at most!"I see. Thank you kindly for keeping track of us Totemists, but I really must be heading off to the village about a weeks travel from here. I've been commanded to check in, apparently they have dragon troubles themselves."You sense the nervousness return and she opens her mouth to speak but the first time she says nothing, eyes going towards the mountain you left just today and then back to you. "I'm happy to leave you to your work, Totemists, truly. However I must ask you a question."You urge her on with a look of curiosity. "By all means, please ask."Again she looks at you, then the mountains and back."Do you...perhaps feel any strange changes lately?">Answer honestly, you don't.>You feel tired actually, there's been too many obstacles so early into this.>Changed in what way?>Do YOU feel changed lately?>Weapons out
>>6346225>I mean we just recently dealt with some great spirit of change, which caused a lot of issues like animals mutating and even a water spirit disappearing.>Some time ago there was also a great battle underground with a fire spirit.>Are these related to your troubles?
Be back tomorrow sometime to tally up votes. For now, I gotta get some sleep
>>6346225>Answer honestly, you don't.
>>6346225"You'll have to be specific, please. I don't really know what kind of changes you mean but I cant say I have."You don't have enough information about what she's getting at. The first thing that came to your mind was the current situation back on the mountain, where some manner of Change spirit was running amok and causing thing to be mutated. As far as you know, you weren't being influenced by it. "Is there something I should know? I'd love to know your name for starters. Here, I'll introduce myself. My name is Capran, Totemist of the four peak mountain range. You are...?"It might be thanks to your ever improving senses but you can tell this spirit is wavering on growing more tense. She doesn't want to show it, but you can tell enough from some way she smells. She thinks she should hold you off, maybe stalling for time? It doesn't matter. If you can just get some information on why she's tense, then you might just be able to resolve this peacefully.She takes a deep breath."Regrettably, sir Totemist, I must pry into some matters before I give you my name.""Such as?" You ask, using your spiritual senses to peek around and find that you're surrounded. Every tree and bush around you about twenty paces distance is charged with energy and some are currently being possessed by minor spirits. She definitely realizes you've noticed and she stiffens up just slightly. "I don't suppose I'll be introduced to them either?""A small precaution," says the spirit. "There are rumors coming from lands at the base of your mountain home.""Again, such as?" You're well into being frustrated and now you're being surrounded. You count close to a dozen spirits within the trees and everyone can tell you know which ones. Their spiritual forms are practically glowing in each tree."We've been hearing some unsettling rumors of your mountain raising a spiritual weapon."You blink."Doing what?">Cont
>>6346542"Sir Totemist, I am being quite serious." Says the spirit. "Please do not feign ignorance."You frown and try to hold back the frustration that's been building up ever since meeting with the forest nymph from earlier. "I AM being serious. What do you mean by raising a weapon? What kind of changes have anything to do with a weapon?"She tenses more as the forest around you fills will more signatures of spirits that appear inside trees, ready to potentially possess them and swarm you."Sir Totemist, you must be aware of the thing growing on the mountain range no doubt. Please, speak honestly. We of the forest have heard that a terrible power is growing upon your mountains. It corrupts the spirits and warps the mind, and that you intend to use it against the dragons. We do not wish to be brought into your war!">What war?>Explain the mountain pass border>Explain your issues with this Change>Order the spirits to back off>Demand to know why dragons are in this forest >Other
>>6346551>Explain your issues with this Change
>>6346551>Explain your issues with this Change>Demand to know why dragons are in this forest
Gonna be helping family with Christmas decorating so I'll be back after. Probably a few hours time
>>6346551Oh. They're talking about Xandin.
>>6346551>Sit down>Give an account of your investigations into an entity of Change>Explain that it's entirely separate from the Dragons, although we WOULD like to talk to them.
>>6346551You stare good and hard at the spirit as you toss that around in your head. There are several questions that absolutely need to be asked now so you get to the first and maybe the most important one."First off, how do you even know about that thing? We only found out it was some kind of spirit within the month, but it's apparently been causing small little mutations for years now." You speak with pure honesty as the spirits around you grow restless. "Mind explaining to me who even told you we had some control over it?"For her part, the spirit tries to perceive any kind of lie you may have told but obviously has none to find. "We have been told by Totemists on the past that there has been a dangerous power on the mountain. Even the dragons are wary of it.""Is that why the pair was resting here? Are you planning some kind of raid?" You press harder now, eager to get about the what and why of the dragons' activities. "It won't work anyways, the barrier to the four peaks still holds strong. We have enough to deal with thanks to this Change spirit nonsense, so if you'd be so kind as to tell the dragons if they want to fight the. Totemist Oranya will blast another few of them to charcoal like last time."She frowns, but not angrily. Something confused her. You're not sure why but it seems that something that was scaring her is smothered by the sudden question she asks you. "Please repeat that, sir Totemist. What do you mean by raid?""The dragons have tried to raid us before when the barrier weakened just enough for them to break through. It won't be happening again."Something in her mind keeps growing over the sense of nervousness she had earlier and she only seems more and more uncertain now. You don't really know what's bothering her but there are a few things you've noticed already.She's mostly concerned about the fact you came from the mountains. She knows about Change, or perhaps something related to it, maybe even another instance of a Change spirit. She also didn't ask anything about this barrier you mentioned, so perhaps that's some knowledge the dragons shared?She's silent so you go on a gut feeling and try to clarify some thing."This damn Change or whatever it is has been mutating monsters and causing chaos in the spiritual courts up and down the mountain. It's got spirits that know of it more riled up than the dragons have and to make matters worse it seems to just be floating around the mountains out of sight. Nobody can find it, the best thing we've done is just see traces of it, so you accusing us of raising some kind of weapon against the dragons is absolute nonsense."The crowd around begins to whisper for a time, the spirits are all talking to each other at a volume you can't really make anything clear at, but you know something you've said seems to contradict the situation as they know it. >Cont
>>6346738The whispers grow into unintelligible conversations until finally dying down enough for the spirit in front of you to take a step forward. She doesn't come too close, probably about ten paces away from you and the look on her eyes is definitely scrutinizing and barely disguised suspicion. You raise a brow as the silence continues before she eventually lets out a small sigh."Please allow me to straighten up some things, sir Totemist.""By all means, miss spirit-who's-still-nameless.""... please call me Ghesha. Handmaiden Ghesha of her Lady Arbova's forest court." Now that she's finally introduced herself, you drop the look of impatience and take a breath to center yourself."A pleasure, miss Ghesha." You motion for her to continue and get down to business.She falls into a polite tone and begins. "First, I do apologize for blocking your way as you go to do your duty, but I must make things clear between we of the court and yourself. Now, I believe you said you had a barrier set up. It is a ward against the dragons I presume?""Correct." You answer. "They've broken through before when I was basically a boy, and a score of them rampaged through the mountains until they were all slain by the spirits and my own master.""How long would you say this barrier has been in place?"You can't honestly say for certain but you give her your best answer. "I believe it's been up since before my own master was born. Possibly a hundred years even. Now, my turn...">What do you want to ask
>>6346744>What do you see the mountains as?>What is this war you speak of? It was never mentioned by the last Totemist who visited.>Are you familiar with the current spirits ruling the mountains? Or perhaps the former leader?>Have dragons been spreading out here often?I suspect our dear mountain rulers have been spending a lot of effort trying to look waaay too tough.
>>6346746Supporting this
>>6346744>>6346746 +1
Heads up folks, currently at work and I'll be here for a while so once I'm back home I'll try to post an update. If not tonight then later on tomorrow
I return, and writing!
>>6346744"I need to know what it is about the mountain that's clearly got you all so riled up. Are the dragons spreading rumors? I haven't heard a thing about any war with the dragons, especially since they're all kept out by the barrier."Ghesha frowns and she seems to be trying to see if you're lying or not. You have a distinct feeling that both of you are working with missing pieces to the puzzle. "The spirit of Change on your mountain, you know about it and you've been trying to find it. We have lived within this forest for hundreds of years, long enough to remember a time before your mountain had wards. Do you know anything about the wards themselves?"As far as you can recall, through lessons drilled into you by your teacher, there are wards mostly set in place around the village, the barrier and the beginning of the mountain territory so that the scrying totem nodes have a set boundary to operate in. Detection, spiritual contamination cleansing, nightmare warding, dragonward totems, and several others."I've been taught how to build and replace many apart from the more complex and powerful wards. I'm not sure I should give you too much information about them, since you might give it all to the dragons. Why the interest?"Shes quiet, clearly deciding if she should say something until she asks you another question. "Totemist, your mountain has long been known to us as a closed and insular place that only barely communicates with the lands around it. Your wind walking courts only rarely speak to those outside of your lands and nothing has been heard of from the earthly courts within your domain for a good time now. Your wards are both a safety and a concern. From everything my Lord and Lady have learned I'd say the spirits can't even leave the mountain. Do you know of any time a spirit or human has once left the mountains and returned?"You do. "My teacher, her own teacher and myself, not including current company on the mountains." You answer honestly."I see. And you're clearly not... afflicted with the kind of taint this Change brings?""We believe the warding on our village has a way to cleanse this power the Change spirit is capable of."She eyes you up. She's clearly interested in this and you take the opportunity to get a little advantage. "That's two questions Ghesha. I get two of my own now.">Ask two questions.
>>6347443Why are the dragons here?What else has been different around the area recently?
>>6347443>>6347457 +1
I apologize for the delay. Please expect an update later today around 6pm EST or so
>>6347640still alive qm?
>>6347657wait no nvm i'm dumb wrong quest
>>6347657>>6347659 Please don't hurt me like that lmaoAlso writing, just got back home
>>6347443"I believe you still owe me an explanation on what the dragons are doing here. Are these the same ones from across the mountains? How long have they been able to snoop around our side of the mountain and why are they here? You say you can't speak for them but I need to know what they've been doing. My village has been attacked by these things before."Again Ghesha frowns at you and seems to be questioning more of what she might know. You'd hazard to guess that maybe things have been happening longer than you realize and perhaps Oranya herself simply doesn't know of it despite her clearly having left the mountains.She takes a breath and answers, honestly you hope. "Sir Totemist, I truly cannot speak for my Lord nor Lady and neither can I speak for the dragons themselves, but they are as wary of your mountain as we are. I cannot say for certain what their intentions were for invading your territory, though this has been a common occurrence for them to patrol the areas surrounding both halves of tbe mountain. We of the woods simply allow them to go about their business without interference so long as they respect the sovereignty of our Lord and Lady's rule. They may partake of small game but only so long as we are paid fittingly. I must admit I believe the scales you now possess are indeed part of their debt...although poorly lacking in the usual amounts."You knew that the dragons were moderately intelligent to some degree but perhaps your lessons on them were somewhat...slept through.Okay you definitely dozed off a few times and you probably didn't commit the draconic section to memory, possibly among others, but you understood they were highly dangerous and usually very violent."And it is my turn to ask, sir Totemist. What have you seen so far that shows the effects of this Change you've found. What has it done specifically that you were able to see for yourself? Have you slain any of the beasts or spirits tainted by it?">Name specifics. How much do you want to say?
>>6347811It's increased aggression and strength of spirits effected by it. Traces of its influence have been detected nearly everywhere.Wtf is this new captcha btw
>>6347833Honestly it's been easier to sort this capcha than that garbage with the circles and text slides so I'm happy with it.Also calling in 30. Need some snacks real fast
>>6347811Resistance to lightning, changed appearances, strength...we managed to bind one of them recently, and I can confirm they aren't particularly smarter or dumber for it. They certainly adapted to their new powers quickly, though.
>>6347811You think on this, especially if you should really reveal what you've been dealing with on your side of the mountains but you've been given more information here than you expected to ever find. There's more to discover and the better choice is to make deals for information and this here, taking turns asking questions, is the basics. It may give you some small hesitations but the best thing to do now is continue."I've had an unfortunately brutal encounter with one particular beast that grew wildly resistant to lightning compared to their usual type. Stronger, more aggressive types, entire body mutations, there's plenty of things to list. A particularly nasty one I hunted myself and keep its spirit contained. It seems they don't grow much smarter even if Change has done something to them, which I'll say is a small mercy."She's clearly puzzling more things out thanks to your answer and you think a few things, maybe even instances where another changed beast or spirit was seen along the border of the mountain, and perhaps kept inside thanks to the wards you suspect have actually contained the spread and damage. But there's one thing that's bothering you now..."There was a spirit, tainted by change most likely, that caused a problem and fled down the slopes. I don't suppose you ever happened to see a river spirit trying to escape the mountains, have you?"Ghesha stiffens up and you catch the flash of fear that showed itself and the same sensation spread around the trees nearby."Is this spirit a friend of yours?""I think it's your turn to answer actually." You say simply, staring calmly at Ghesha.Shes quiet for a time and takes another deep breath. You're absolutely spot on. They most definitely saw her, but you're not sure if they might have killed the spirit. Eventually she answers, a little strained and nervous."Patrolling knights saw they'd witnessed her slam into the warding wall, scratching against the barrier the wards create as if some rabid animal. I'm told she was raving about how no man nor spirit would be spared and nothing was safe. It certainly spread the rumors that your mountain was creating a weapon very far."Oh shit."And as for my question, I will repeat myself. Is...was this spirit a friend of yours?">Yes>No>Shes a criminal now
>>6347871I genuinely don't know the answer to this question. Was this the one who tried to drown a guy after she was changed? She used to be friendly right?
>>6347878You'd never met her but yes it's the one that attempted to snatch a patrolling guard
>>6347871>No
>>6347871>NoShe tried to take one of the village guards, but had she actually talked to us she'd have been reprimanded like Ekasta over there.
Taking a pause for today folks, please check back tomorrow around 10EST
>>6347871You choice of words catches your attention. The news that something had eaten the spirit comes to mind and you mentally sigh as a potential lead on this spirit of Change is undeniably crossed off. You figured the stream spirit was dead but it would have been great if they surprisingly survived and you had the chance to question her."No." You reply. You can't really even say you heard of that stream spirit before so no point in misleading Ghesha. "There was an incident where the crazed spirit tried to snatch one of the village guards before she fled. I'm not sure if she'd have drowned him or tried to force a spirit contract but I doubt I'll get those answers."Ghesha thinks deep again and says something to the spirits around her, but since nothing makes a move to strike you keep at ease. A little back and forth and things seem to wrap up. You might need to brush up on your spirit language skills if you want to understand that kind of conversation. You didn't even manage to pick anything out from it that you could recognize.One of the spirits breaks formation and leaves towards the east, around the same direction you were taking on route to the other village. Ghesha clears her throat and addresses you with her formal and professional manner, bringing your attention back to her."Sir Totemist, if I may, I would like to extend an invitation. Although the dragons are making their patrols, I believe it would be best to escort you to meet with my Lord and Lady, who are best able to assure your continued journey is...uneventful. would this be acceptable?"You're not entirely convinced you could just barge through and make your own way through this forest without a potential retaliation, but you do have bindings that could allow you the chance. The only question is if it's the right choice to make. You are a Totemist and by duty you are not to be meddled with while performing your duties or the safeties of the pact can be considered as a suggestion. On the other hand, you can make a deal with this forest court for possible (maybe even mutual) gain.Decisions, decisions."And you can't just guide me through the forest?" You ask. You'd rather just do this the easier way. No real telling if the rulers of this forest will even give you any serious terms."I'm afraid not, sir Totemist. I really must invite you to meet with them.">Force your way through the forest. Who are they to stop you?>Meet with the Lord and Lady of this forest.
>>6348502>Meet with the Lord and Lady of this forest.
>>6348502You weigh your options and decide that you'll go along with this for now, even if you do have the right to just ignore her and go about your business. Best thing to do is just do as they request until they start making demands. At that point, you'll just have to do your best to hash out an agreement through deals. Besides, this has been a wealth of information so far and you wonder if you can dig out some specifics of what the dragons are doing out on patrols. You were under the assumption that the dragons fiercely stuck to their nest, although maybe this dragon lord you saw through the scrying totem with Heyra might be the one specifically stuck there by the barriers. Hard to say.It could be that neither you nor your teacher Oranya truly understand the full scale of what this barrier is. Dragons are clearly able to pass it, but the stronger the dragon the higher the resistance maybe? The last time you saw any dragons break through was a while ago, or so it feels, and it was a large one leading a flock of younglings. There's something you're missing and the gap is beginning to get to you.You set it aside and return to the here and now, nodding to Ghesha and stepping forward towards her."I agree. Let's not waste any time, there's plenty for me to do and a long travel ahead."Ghesha bows slightly and waves her hand towards the route you were previously taking. "Worry not, Sir Totemist, the path will be cleared in just a moment."And she's right. As she waves, a ripple in the trees has them all bending out of the way and the ground itself slides them aside to open up a straight path through the forest.Its a bit surprising if you'll be honest, because you've never actually seen any spirit influence the world around them so directly and you reevaluate how powerful you think Ghesha really is. Unless the Lord and Lady themselves timed it just right and you're being fooled.Well, either way. You follow along as Ghesha begins to walk in even steps, only slowing down to usher you to follow.________________>Intermission >Oranya>Heyra>The sea>The forest>The sky>The caves>The desert>The plains>The Graves>The firelands>The mountains>The kingdom
>>6348559>The forest
>>6348559>>Oranya
I'll call in 14 if nobody has a tie breaker I'll get both written up asap. Currently at work so sorry about slow updates
>>6348559________________>The Forest ________________You caught her, as usual, just about as easily as you always had. How hard can she possibly think it is to find her when all you have to do is just send out a pulse through the trees to see where she is at exactly that moment. If she didn't slack off so much and run around ignoring all the lessons then maybe she'd have figured out the ways to block that.But no. Four centuries and she still sprints around like a human. Like the human she was clearly trying to rob in broad daylight under the branches and in perfectly clear perception of yourself and undoubtedly your Lord and Lady. These trials as the royal caretaker never cease to wear on your mind.You engage in back and forth questions, trying to peel apart rumor to find all the facts and it seems as though the humans of the mountains, even the Totemists no less, seem to be in the dark of some things as much as you are about their circumstances. Was there some sort of fractioning, or perhaps did the previous Totemists pass and key information wasn't left behind? Were those past Totemists even aware?This young one sheds some light on the current situation of his home mountain, even confirming the rumor that a malignant spirit of Change was running amok and being doggedly pursued by the Totemists. You know their numbers are dwindling, because of course they are, the humans face Behemoths, the incarnation of chaos and destruction, but it seems as though the reports that the Totemists still lived is thankfully true.Such would mean that Oranya Sky strike herself had a hand in his tutelage. Now there's a legacy.You probe a bit more, trying to learn as much as you can before coming to any conclusion about the rumor that befriending a Totemist can somehow ward off the taint that spreads from metaphysical spirits, and he easily deflects it to remind you that it is a question for a question. Oranya trained him well to keep him on his toes to not give things to spirits for free."I think it's your turn to answer actually". He says, perfectly correct and highly guarded. You wish Ekasta had half the capacity to take up your lessons like this human did, but she'd rather chase after the dragons that land within the forest and pretend to chase them off.And the mere existence of the dragons has the young Totemists guard raising even higher as one goes on. You send a knight to give word to your esteemed rulers without delay, with express instructions to convey the entirety of the questioning so far to them both.>Cont
>>6348627Several times your eyes have drifted along his attire to pick out possible totems, active spirit bindings and other such tools of his trade and the footwear is the most obvious tell for his apparel. Some manner of grass spirit? No...too wild, if you have to guess. Definitely a beast. It doesn't seem to give of that sickly energy the water spirit reportedly had, but you can't be too sure. It could be one of the creatures that the Change has influenced.There's some kind of sheathed weapon, maybe another binding, tucked away on his belt. Its very tightly controlled energy but you think it's quite potent. You haven't sensed its kind before, perhaps some kind of enchanted blade then? Its hard to say.Something tucked under his cloak stands out just slightly, the energy not as bright as the possible blade at his side but it's definitely an active binding. Its too reserved and steady to be a feral binding so perhaps a properly pact-bound spirit.Finally, a set of stone rods tethered to his side nearby the possible enchanted blade has a similar energy to the forest. It must be an earth spirit, pact-bound like the other stable energy you sense form beneath his cloak.He rhetorically asks if you can't just guide you through the forest domain and while he could try, maybe even break through the forces of knights for a time, you doubt he'd want to really stir up that kind of chaos if you have to guess by his character so far. You'd like to let him pass the entire way without issue but it's simply not up to you, and no doubt your Lord and Lady are both expecting you to guide him for a meeting. That familiar connection you share with the highest of the court gives affirmation that you suspect correctly.You notify him that you must invite him to have an audience with your rulers, glad to see that he agrees and you waste no time splitting the path so that travel will be short and simple. The knights along the path all feel the silent order you send through the trees and a number of them line up on either side of the clearing so that nothing can be allowed to interrupt as you guide the young Totemist.You do hope the dragons have flown off far enough that they won't notice a possible guest in the forest they might get curious about. No telling what they'd do to someone from the mountains, especially a Totemist.
Update coming tomorrow, 10am EST unless something wild happens
>>6348729>Oranya________________You're up to your neck in all this nonsense and it never seems to end.The dragons, the mimics, the Royal Manarachne, the mutations, this insufferable Change that you can hardly even find the trail of and there's plenty of orders with the pact as leverage from three of the Ladies here on the mountains. You're sure the problem starts at Change and spreads out in a web but you genuinely have no idea how it spreads. You think it must blanket wherever it goes in its own essence, but the way it begins to change things is a mystery. The only way you can really find out for yourself is if you stayed out of the village long enough for it to start influencing you but who knows what that could cause, to yourself and anything around you.You wonder if Master ever had this kind of trouble with things and sigh, remembering how sure he was and that nothing ever stayed a puzzle for long. Wishing won't bring him back but there are times when you would give limbs just to have his help again. Its possible he felt this way too without his own master before him but it's still hard to imagine he ever had this much trouble other than that infernal mimic Behemoth.Mimics...You've seen some before, usually just the boulder-types and something disguised as grass that you easily blasted to bits.Then you, Heyra and Capran all come across one hiding itself away as one of your own node posts which is absolutely inconceivable! You check these things yourself twice per year! Its certainly a sign that it was influenced by Change because this type of mutation and form is far outside the ability of any normal mimic. Things are changing too fast on this mountain now and the sooner you find a way to prevent and maybe even reverse the Change mutations the better off everyone and everything will be.And now you have some unknown, unannounced, unbelievably risky invader that came in through some arcane portal, a type you've never seen before at that, and when you called for a wind wisp to collect the blood left behind and you studied it, there was a list of issues coming up from what you found.The blood is human, but utterly charged with magic to the point it might as well be sparkling. Your spiritual vision has it light up like a blazing fire and it's saturated with water attributed magics and a small curse upon anything that ingests it. The best guess you have is that some Totemist, and you know for a fact it has to be a totemist now since you were able to scry the Pact from the energies off the blood, opened up a portal somehow onto your mountain and taught another human. The wind wisp had found two different bloods there aside from obvious monster bits and now you're beginning to piece together some of the puzzle.So now you're obligated to inform the Ladies each of what you've found and you can't wait for all of their little orders and weaseling with the pact to basically have you soothe their every little fear.>Cont
>>6348929You take a drink of your favorite, you'll be needing this soon enough and you'd rather face the day with the curse of sobriety mellowed down.So...two humans, one Totemist, enter the mountain. They're clearly fighting, one dies to the Totemist or the beasts of the mountain. There's a specific kind of power that belonged to the tendrils, most certainly on the scale of being able to fight off a behemoth for a time. You wonder if it was some Leviathan offshoot or maybe it was a spirit that consumed their power, but it's hard to say. You think you saw a flicker of it through the portal but it was gone too fast to really get a good look.And you're here, stuck making reports for the ladies and sending them off. Then you'll be requesting an audience with Hesheza Zahn himself to get to the bottom of all this.You take a swig of your drink again and sigh. You just hoped Capran would be alright.________________>End
Wanted to bust out a quick update before I had to work, so take care anons, I'll be back as soon as I'm able to
We will resume Monday, likely around 1pm EST
Alright another round of votes>Intermission---->Heyra>The sea---->The sky>The caves>The desert>The plains>The Graves>The firelands>The mountains>The kingdom
>>6350280>The Graves
I got time for two intermissions today so I'll wait another hour for the second vote and then I'll be back to write
>>6348933The night is nice, cool and quiet as you lounge about atop the bones.In hindsight, perhaps offering a Gift to a Totemist no matter the age and experience was a bad idea. There were plenty of choices you could have made and now you're going over the moment in absolute frustration, no lack on part of the fact that thrice Damned Xandin Arre was just laying about in the Vault.How in the bloody thousand hells did she even wind up in the Others' Vault in the first place. You heard Hesheza Zahn himself extinguished her spark. Hopefully he wouldn't do the same to you. But those are worries for later.At the moment you're perched stop one of the Titanic Behemoth ribs overlooking a great deal of land and tending to the area remotely through your flock. You personally are staring hard at the mountain far, far away and using the vision granted unto you by the Others to scan for any signs of the Change you've been hearing about. Oranya's fuming mad about trying to find it and if you were to find a trace and see it in full perhaps, you might be able to curry some favor with the Totemists. Hopefully even keep Hesheza Zahn from deciding that your wanton access to the Vault isn't something that needs to.... reconsidered.You know nothing of what relation that old monster has with your patrons but you don't care to poke your nose into it or find that it would have consequences. But you know for sure that Zahn exhibits some manner of curation to greater powers. You'd wager that the Others qualify as such.And then there's the dragons you spy flying over the far green expanse of the forest far, far away. Flying pests. Truly, how have these things survived for so long when they've been buzzing around territories outside of their control is beyo-You sense something that urgently grabs your attention.There's a murky and ferocious energy leaking out through some small node of power, reaching into the land and....another Totemist walks the lands of Skystrike. On top of something horribly twisted and foul that sets your every sense on edge.You don't recognize it. You've seen nothing like it before in all of your time before and after becoming one of the Dark and you sincerely hope that you never will.It's hideous!Like something truly natural had been dragged through some far deep hell and pulled back out to get dipped into a new one to soften it up for twisting into something undeniably wrong.>Cont
>>6350313It is gone in a moment in a moment though, shattered somehow after a split second of warping and then a sudden stop. You focus as much as you can towards the area of the mountain you think you felt it in and come up with nothing, but you sense Oranya and her pupil rushing down the mountain as the mysterious Totemist lingers. The flock is on edge as you are, gnashing and clacking their scissor beaks as your connection to them filters your mind through them all. You squash the feeling of disgust and they calm down again, though the lingering sensation still has them riled up as you are.You refocus on the spot from before and swear something new has begun to creep towards it but it's so faint and strange to you that there isn't much change to figure it out before that too fades away. Whatever it was, you don't recognize that either.Damn it all, you need to know what's going on. You must send a message through the shadows to Oranya.Come tomorrow you should have answers but for now you will have to wait and see what comes of all this tonight...________________>Intermission end.For Christmas week I'll likely be very busy, working and preparing for guests and I don't think it'll have time or energy to update much but I'll see what I can squeeze in to my day to day and do a few more intermissions before a main story update.I'll also have to end it here for tonight as I'm going to be visiting family to help cook, so for now, good luck out there anons and happy holidays
>>6350280>The firelands>>6350318cheers, merry christmas
>The firelandsseem interesting and merry xmas
