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Myth: A New Age CYOA

Jester

Arbiter
Joined
Mar 24, 2013
Messages
1,493
Nevill said:
We must master the spell school of Metal. It must happen! :salute:

Actually if you do want to master METAL then your best bets are either the swordmasters of the Fir'Bolg (who have never accepted an outsider amongst them) or the Druid Brewmasters of the North Sea. Both know a number of rather interesting spells that could be considered musical in nature... just putting that out there... :lol:
More things to pursue huh. So much epic, so little time. Need more rats to cope with world, we know from where Torment got so much rodents. ;)
Song magic will be part of things to do.

Thais and Derryth by day leaders of secret mercenary/mage companies and heroes of kingdom. By night fighting evil with power of songs. Sound like magical girls program.
 

Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Jester said:
Hmm was it scheduled before, or my post helped a bit? :lol:

Ah, maybe a little bit... :lol:

Jester said:
Hmm if we will master thunder we can put our science division to electric powered instruments.

If we ever use earth element here is little something i personally find hilarious.

:lol: The Fonz makes everything better.

Jester said:
More things to pursue huh. So much epic, so little time. Need more rats to cope with world, we know from where Torment got so much rodents. ;)
Song magic will be part of things to do.

Thais and Derryth by day leaders of secret mercenary/mage companies and heroes of kingdom. By night fighting evil with power of songs. Sound like magical girls program.

Certainly an option, you have about six female mages by now, you could in theory form an entire band. The only question is who gets to play what... bass... lead guitar... drums... vocals... keyboard... cowbell?
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Need more rats to cope with world, we know from where Torment got so much rodents. ;)
Song magic will be part of things to do.
Singing mice would be the next step in our genetics program, to give the setting a distinct Disney feel. It's too gloomy otherwise.

Let's transform the world with a power of music!
 

Jester

Arbiter
Joined
Mar 24, 2013
Messages
1,493
Jester said:
Hmm was it scheduled before, or my post helped a bit? :lol:

Ah, maybe a little bit... :lol:
Your welcome.
Jester said:
Hmm if we will master thunder we can put our science division to electric powered instruments.

If we ever use earth element here is little something i personally find hilarious.

:lol: The Fonz makes everything better.
New NPC added? Golden empress got a new problematic minion, Fonz the headhunter? ;)
Personally i prefer Thinli elf with great nose and fury management problems.
Jester said:
More things to pursue huh. So much epic, so little time. Need more rats to cope with world, we know from where Torment got so much rodents. ;)
Song magic will be part of things to do.

Thais and Derryth by day leaders of secret mercenary/mage companies and heroes of kingdom. By night fighting evil with power of songs. Sound like magical girls program.

Certainly an option, you have about six female mages by now, you could in theory form an entire band. The only question is who gets to play what... bass... lead guitar... drums... vocals... keyboard... cowbell?
My new plan of world domination will use all female band, Science! and thunder powered instruments. Lots of rats as roadies and fake prophecy depicting accordion wielding dark lord opposed by rock band painting style used in Sistine Chapel... peanuts butter factory might happen to.
 

Jester

Arbiter
Joined
Mar 24, 2013
Messages
1,493
Need more rats to cope with world, we know from where Torment got so much rodents. ;)
Song magic will be part of things to do.
Singing mice would be the next step in our genetics program, to give the setting a distinct Disney feel. It's too gloomy otherwise.

Let's transform the world with a power of music!
YES AND WE WILL OPEN THEME PARK AND EARN BIG BUCK... emm i mean we will do our part in helping children smile.
(Earning ourself place to extract volunteers to dreaming, that so twisted... I love it. After all what kind of Disney don't have elves? :smug:)
 

Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Update is done, has a little bit for everyone I think, a ribald tune (quite a big one actually), a little bit of demonic music, some waifu stuff, the works. Of course it is also quite long (twenty four pages) so you might want to get a drink or something while I vainly attempt to edit the damn thing. It should be up in an hour or so.

Edit:

Alright, all edited (at least to the best of my abilities for the moment), enjoy, I guess.
 
Last edited:

Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Chapter 50: Elf

The darkness crowds around you, it presses against the ring of light cast by your spells and torches. At the edge of your vision the creature sits twitching, looking for an opening, in the distance, above and around you, you can hear its comrades growing closer.

Terror, horror, death in the dark, cold earth.

And yet you are not afraid. Perhaps you have simply tired of fear or perhaps like any good mage you know that you will force your desires upon reality, you will remake it in your image and these things will fall before you.

The beast rolls forward slightly, its great bulk casting shadows along the wall behind it.

Okay, maybe they won't fall before you exactly but you should still be able to slip out of here with your people... maybe...

"What are we going to do Derryth?" Biliku repeats her sister's question.

"Something stupid," Thaïs answers with a smile.

"You have not even heard my plan yet," you protest with a grin, doing your best to put on a brave face.

Your grin quickly fades though as the beast, once more, begins to sing

"Broken, bleeding, lacking in spine," the soprano voice of the woman's head call out from across the chamber.

"Come to me children, please be mine," the child-like treble giggles.

Your men waver slightly.

"Oh, fuck off!" Lyssa shouts which prompts a wave of cheers from your men.

A little defiance in the face of an unfathomable terror. That gives you the spark of an idea.

The four heads call out as one, weaving shrill tones together into a horrifying melody.

Your men start to move forward, "Lyssa," you point at the creature, "Stop it."

She focuses, and the cavern fills with the whistling of a high wind. It is just enough to break the hold the creature has on your people. Quickly they fall back into formation.

"Why is it not attacking," your friend whispers.

"It is waiting for reinforcements," Caoilainn answers in your mind, "That is what I would do."

The choir above your head grows louder, somewhere in the darkness dozens, no, hundreds of voices call out in unison, "Love, love me do. You know I love you, I'll always be true, So pleeeasseee love me do..." it is terribly catchy.

You are definitely outnumbered here, even if each creature consistently has four heads, each with a different voice, you guess that your enemy has at least double your numbers and they are quickly falling upon you.

"Well," you flash a wicked grin at your friend, "Maybe we have reinforcements as well."

"What are you thinking?" your disembodied officer enquires.

"She is thinking of calling an old friend of yours," Thaïs responds with a frown, she directs her next question at you "Is that a good idea Derryth?"

"Probably not," you chuckle, "But it will sure as hell be surprising."

Thaïs sighs, "Alright then, where do we begin."

Lyssa shakes her head and begins to laugh, "You two are insane, you know that?"

The two of you beam, "Well thank you for the vote of confidence," you reply together as you all dissolve into laughter.

Kaf eyes the three of you suspiciously, "Ah, what is going on?"

"Mage stuff," you reply, "I will need you to command the retreat while we work our magic. We need to fall back across the room and through the tunnels, we need to get to that fissure and through it before we are overwhelmed. Have the grenadiers lay down satchel charges as we go, if those things start to pursue we will at least be able to thin them out a little."

Your captain nods, unlike eldritch horrors and magic rituals, these are concepts he is familiar with, these are things he can do, and instantly he becomes more confident, "What about the prisoners though?"

"I have a plan for that too, you will break their chains with your bare hands once I am done with you," he seems uncertain at your words but your confidence is contagious, "Once the prisoners are free you are to lead our people out of here, we will remain at the rear where we can best engage the enemy so I will need you to lead the men to the fissure. Keep them moving and do not bunch together, these things can launch that sap of theirs at you."

"Alright," your captain takes a deep breath, "Anything else?"

"Actually there is one thing," you reply with a smile, "Know any good songs?"

"A few," he smirks, "But they are not really fit for ladies and children."

"What did you have in mind?" Thaïs asks with a look of amusement etched on her face.

"Well," Kaf scratches the back of his head awkwardly, "You happen to know The Ball o' Kirriemuir?"

Your friend laughs and nods, as does Lyssa.

Of course you know it. It is common throughout the empire, a bit ribald to be sure, and that is likely why the mercenary and his men know it, but it is certainly simple and catchy. It should work perfectly to drown out the creatures' music, "Alright, once I hit you with the spell needed to free the prisoners I want you and your men to start singing at the tops of your lungs, drowning that thing and its friends out completely. It should hopefully protect us from the music these things play."

Kaf snickers, "Never thought singing would save my life. You do realize we won't be able to give many orders that way, right?"

"I don't see what other choice we have," you remark with a shrug, "We just have to keep falling back in an orderly fashion. Try to look out for each other and make do. If someone falls behind though..."

"Goes without saying," the captain answers quietly as he holds your gaze, "I will do my best."

It is all you can ask for.

The creature scrutinizes your group from the doorway, it clearly wishes to attack but it must not like its odds without help. For the time being it waits.

Above you, you can hear thousands of tiny legs drumming in the dark, you have little time left.

You approach the child, "Help me!" he screams again.

"I am," you quietly reply as you focus upon his form, every scar, every defect, every horror visited on him by these beasts serves to make your spell easier. You close your eyes and you cast retrieve item on the boy.

As soon as you feel his weight in your hands you pitch him away from you.

Opening your eyes you watch its body crash down mere metres from you. It begins to bubble and twist, skin, scales, fur and hair rip and tear along the length of it. Tiny insect-like appendages burst forth from its open wounds as it rights itself. Its mouth opens, its jaw splits in half as a trio of fluted stalks burst forth. It writhes before you and begins to billow smoke.

"What have they done my lovely one?" the tenor croons.

"What have they birthed so far from the sun," the baritone spits while it spins closer in curiosity.

The smoke billows out into a form you are all too familiar with, the demon that Lyssa calls Morpheus, appears before you with a broad smile upon his chiselled face.

He considers each of you in turn then bows slightly and smiles, behind him a pair of impossibly wide wings spread out into the darkness, "My dear saviours. I thought you would send me a rat, a bat, perhaps another hare but not this! A child, oh, but he is so much more than a child! He knows so many delightful things, secret things, he is so very unique and interesting. Why I-" he stops as, for the first time, he takes in the room in its entirety, "Ah, my dear ladies. What have you been up to? Where have you brought me? I-"

"A beautiful visitor arrives in great haste," the woman sighs, batting her eyelashes at Morpheus.

"I wonder dear mother, just how does he taste," the child giggles, licking her lips.

"Oh," he turns slowly to take in the creature, "Now this is interesting."

It fires a glob of yellow sap at Morpheus, the semisolid blob passes through the demon without any ill effect.

"A rhyming beast if I am not mistaken," Morpheus grins, "If it attacks me again, its spine I'll be break'in."

The beast hisses but does not make another attempt.

The demon prince turns his attention back to you, "Am I correct to assume that you desire my help to escape?"

"We certainly would not turn it down," you answer with a wink.

"Well," he pretends to stretch, "It won't be easy," he cocks an ear, "Sounds like there are an awful lot of those things out there. What is your current plan?"

For a moment you worry about the creature hearing your plans but you quickly dismiss the concern. Everyone here knows there is going to be a fight and the creature is well aware of what you are trying to do.

"We are going to free our people," you gesture to your men, "Then will fall back, ah, singing."

"Singing," Morpheus nods to himself, "Yes, I can see how that would work and I can already think of a way to help. I know a few... people... give me, oh, three or four minutes to pull them through and we will cover your retreat. I ask only one thing of you."

"What?" your friend asks with a little trepidation.

"When it starts, when my people come through, you run and do not stop running until you are out of these caves," he tilts his head back, looking up into the darkness, "I have met these things twice now, I do not intend for there to be a third time."

In the shadows above you legs and tendrils begin to creep from the darkness.

You take a deep breath, grab an energon cube and begin to cast.

Kaf gasps as his skin shifts taking on a metalic sheen. He gains bulk and strength, "Derryth..."

"Get to work!" you shout, "We will need every second we can get!"

He grabs a hold of Neel's chains and with a twist snaps them, "Alright boys! We are leaving, grab the prisoners, grab your weapons and let's haul ass!"

Lyssa and Thaïs each lash out with a bolt of energy while Uttu and the rest of your ranged fighters unleash a withering barrage at the beast.

Its four heads scream as it is ripped apart, it wheezes and whistles while puss and gas pour from its rapidly deflating torso. Above you the creatures weave an entrancing melody and fully half of your men lower their weapons.

Kaf sings in response as he shatters Bari's chains:

"Oh, the ball, the ball, the ball, the ball

The ball o' Kirriemuir,

Where folk o' high and low degree

Were screwin' on the floor.


Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


His men begin to laugh, some shake their heads and raise their weapons as they join in for the second verse, twelve boisterous voices against the dark.

"'Twas on the first of August

The party, it began.

Noo, ne'er shall I forget, me lads,

The gatherin' o' the clans.


Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo.

'Twas the gatherin' o' the clans, mon,

And everyone was there

A-playin' wi' the lassies

An' twinin' curly hair


Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


They loose arrows, they hurl cocktails and grenades at the walls as the beasts slide down them. With a crack Kaf frees the last of your prisoners and shouts for his men to move. They are slow in turning given the deafening roar of the beasts and the raucous revelling of your soldiers. But after a verse or two more they begin to withdraw toward the far end of the room.

The grenadiers bellow out a verse as they lay their charges.

"Five-and-twenty virgins

Came doun frae Aviemore,

Ane o' them got back sae,

But she was double-bore.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo.

John McGowan, the father,

Was quite surprised to see

Four and twenty maidenheads

A-hanging frae the tree.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo.

There was dancin' in the meadows,

There was dancin' in the ricks,

Ye could nae hear the bagpipes

For the swishin' o' the pricks.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


As your men flee the beasts increase the speed of their advance and their tune comes on stronger. They hurl their horrid fluid at your withdrawing soldiers and catch one or two but your men sing on and as you drop your spell you join in with a laugh,

"There was screwin' in the parlour,

An' screwin' on the stones.

Ye could nae hear the music

For the wheezin' and the groans.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


Thaïs takes up the next verse as you and your mages hold the rear of your force together,

"There was screwin' on the banister,

Screwin' on the stairs;

Ye couldna' see the carpet

For the mess o' curly hairs.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


You wonder for a moment if she always knew this song or if she learnt it from one of your memories, you shake your head at the thought as Kaf sings in front of you,

"There was fuckin' i' the stable,

There was fuckin' i' the ricks;

An' ye couldna' hear the rantin'

For the plungin' o' the pricks.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo.


They tried it on the garden path

And once around the park,

And when the candles all burned out

They did it in the dark.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


Lyssa fires off a strong wind that sends your pursuers rocking backward on their bulbous frames. Then she hits them with a freezing wind, they scream as the hail and frozen rain pierce their soft, squirming hides. She casts off another pair of energon stones as she takes up the tune,

"The deacon's wife was standin' there,

Her arse against the wall;

"Put your money on the table, lads,

I'll take ye ane an' all.''

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


The three of you sing the next pair of verses in harmony and to be honest it sounds quite nice, well and truly at odds with your surroundings and the material itself. 'Angels singin' filth' you think you hear Morpheus mutter as he works his spells across the room from your retreating band,

"The queen was in the parlour,

Eatin' bread and honey

The king was in the chamber maid,

And she was in the money.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."

The groom was in the corner,

Oilin' up his tool;

The bride was in the icebox,

Her private parts to cool.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."

At first they tried it simple,

Then they tried it he's and she's,

But when the ball got rollin'

They went at it fives and threes.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


Your men work quickly to free anyone trapped by your enemies' sap but in the end you are forced to leave far too many people. As you plunge into the entrance to the tunnels you count four mercenaries pinned to the floor, at least they will die quickly as you give the order to blow the satchel charges.

In the seconds before the charges explode you survey the room one final time, dozens of the beasts skitter across the floor over their dead. In the distance you can see Morpheus fighting, blasting away the beasts with nothing but his voice. He has opened some sort of gateway made from the flesh and blood of the fallen, and three tall pale horrors have come through to join him. They are dressed in black leather, wild hair down past their shoulders, they salute you oddly, with their index and little fingers raised in the shape of ears or horns. Behind them and around them tiny elves and goblins, twisted amalgams of dozens of breeds, build. They raise great black boxes, they set up flashing cylinders of life and light.

One of the demons raises an odd rod with a narrow head and a fat base, you could swear it is some sort of musical instrument but it looks like no instrument you have ever seen.

You want to stay, to watch and satisfy your curiosity but that is not an option, the blast has reduced an entire wave of the enemy to puss and paste but still they press on and so you push on into the tunnels, guarding the retreat of your men.

It is curious, singing an old drinking song while men fall around you, you do not feel the fear you would expect, you feel defiant, maybe there is a very good reason why armies march to war with drums and horns, it really does make a difference. One of the beasts stumbles out of the dust and smoke, it rears back, intending to lob a great yellow ball your way. No time to react this one is going to hit you as proudly you sing,

"O' cocks some men had but a tad,

An' some men had a lot,

An' some would make a lassie glad

That she'd been born but naught.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


Your friend is there beside you, she burns through her last energon cube as she hits the beast full on in the torso with a greater energy bolt, "Keep moving!" she shouts in your ear. The two of you sing in harmony,

"The bride was in her bower,

Explainin' to the groom

The vagina, not the rectum,

Is the entrance to the womb.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


You really hope those will not be your last words as another knot of fluid arcs past you.

"The parson's dochter, she was there

A sittin' way down front,

A wreath of roses in her hair

And a carrot up her cunt.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


Come to think of it, those are not much better...

"The minister's dochter tae was there

An' she gat roarin' fu'

Sae they doubled her ower the midden wa'

An' bulled her like a coo.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


Well there probably is not a single 'respectable' verse in the entire bloody song...

"The village priest was also there,

And on the floor he sat

Amusing himself by abusing himself

And catching it on his hat.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."

The undertaker tae was there

Dressed in a lang black shroud,

Swingin' on the chandelier

And pissin' on the crowd.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


Masturbating priests and pissing undertakers tumble through your mind as you ignite three of the beasts with a greater firebolt and your last energon cube. One more beast tumbles out of the smoke and ruin and lobs a ball of yellow fluid at you.

"The mayor's dochter, she was there,

And kept the crowd in fits

By jumpin' off the mantle piece

And landin' on her tits.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


What a delightful verse to sing right before this thing hits you. You close your eyes as your men sing behind you.

"The village idiot, he was there,

He was a perfect fool;

He sat beneath an auld oak tree

And whittled off his tool.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."

Only the projectile never hits, you open you eyes and Biliku is before you with her shield raised. The substance hits the girl hard and she tumbles back into you, you steady her as the sap slides harmlessly off her shield.

"The minister's wife was there as weel,

A' buckled to the front,

Wi' a wreath o' roses roun' her arse

An' thrissels roun' her cunt.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


Of course! Her shield, "Kid, stick close to us and keep that shield raised!"

She nods and smiles at you over her shoulder, today she really will be your protector, then she does something else that surprises you. She sings,

"The groom by then was daft wi' glee

An' racin' through the halls

A-pullin' on his pecker an'

A-showin' off his balls.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


Your men laugh and cheer the girl. She winks at you and you laugh, slightly concerned, "Did you just make that up?"

"Yeah!" she proudly beams and you wince a little inside.

Oh the things you are teaching these kids... you wonder what Casgair would say if he were still alive. But no time for that, your group is falling behind the main body so you sing louder,

"It's the first lady forward,

And the second lady back

And the third lady's finger

In the fourth lady's crack.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


You race with your remaining people back to the fissure, the mice on Lyssa's shoulder shouting instructions to ensure you do not lose your way. They squeak loudly and in tune with your men, you wonder just what they are singing to make it through this. Lyssa obliges you by translating,

"It's a' the ladies back,

Wi' yer arses tae the wall;

Gin ye can't get fucked at Kirriemuir,

Ye'll ne'er get fucked at all!

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


Charming, there goes another little part of your innocence.

The five of you have sent the rest ahead, you are not going to lose anyone else down here, you are going to protect your men. A pair of the beasts squeeze together down the tunnel, with a nod you, Thaïs, Lyssa and Uttu fire a barrage. The beasts wail as they die and the fluid they hurl toward you is absorbed by Biliku's shield. That girl is a lifesaver, without her you would probably all be stuck to the walls by now. Behind you Kaf's singing grows, you must be getting close.

"The village pervert, he was there,

Scratchin' at his crotch,

But no one minded him at all;

He was only there to watch.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo.

Big John, the farmer, swore an oath,

An' then he cursed an' grat

For his forty acre corn field

Was completely fuckit flat.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo.

The village masochist, he was there,

Beggin' for a blow;

The sadist merely looked at him

And cruelly answered, "No."

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


The fissure, you have made it. Looks like your wounded are through and only the last of your men are left now, "Derryth!" the mercenary shouts down the tunnel as his men continue to sing,

"Four and twenty virgins

Came doon frae Inverness,

And when the ball was over

There were four and twenty less.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo.

Several lusty wenches

Gathered 'round the door,

And tripped the men as they came through

But beat them tae the floor.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


That last verse, was that Myora singing from the other side of the fissure?

Yes, that was her, she and the mauls are making an awful racket over there. You grin and call out in response,

"John the Blacksmith, he was there

He wouldna play the game;

He fucked a lassie seven times

But wouldnae see her hame.

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


"Derryth!" she calls back and the mauls break into cheers, they call out to you in verse,

"Guid old Jock McNorris

Took his partner by the arm,

And grinned, and said, "Another 'do'

Won't do us any harm!"

Singin' "Wha'll dae ye, lassie,

Wha'll dae ye noo?

The mon wha did ye last nicht

Cannae dae ye noo."


Together Kaf and his men on your side of the crack sing along with Myora and your people on the far side. You do not break your stride as you race toward them singing the final verse,

'And when the ball was over,

The opinion was expressed:

The music was exquisite but

The screwin' was the best!'


You listen intently from the edge of your group, peering back into the darkness as your people slide through. In the distance you can hear the beasts singing their horrid tune but you can hear something else as well, battle and... music but you can not quite make it out.

Thaïs, meanwhile, gives Kaf his orders, "You did well captain, now go to your men."

He salutes as he follows the last of his mercenaries through the crack.

"Derryth, we have to go!" your friend calls to you, she turns to Lyssa, "You are next."

The witch nods and plunges into the crack in the wall.

Behind you, your friend continues to work, "Derryth will you hurry up! Uttu dear, your turn."

You can hear the girl squeak as she slips into the passage, followed by her sister.

You feel a hand on your shoulder, "What are you doing?"

You glance at your friend, "Do you hear that? On the wind?"

Wind?

There should not be a breeze down here.

But there is.

And there is a whispering on this wind. An odd progression, familiar and yet like nothing you have ever heard before. It weaves on down the tunnels, through the rock, delicate, slightly sinister and yet enthralling.

"Yes," your friend steps next to you, "What is that?"

The swaying cords are quickly joined by something lower, deeper, a sort of light thundering, a crashing, metal and hide and something else.

And words.

You can not make them out from this distance.

Then you hear them behind you, the beasts, and as you turn they roll out of the passages behind you. Just how many of these things are there?

They lumber out of the dark, separated from the rest, but you are near your breaking point and they are more than a match for you, they sing so softly, so sweetly as they raise their tendrils.

You begin to drift off as Caoilainn screams at you both.

You squeeze your friend's hand, she squeezes back, this is it.

Then you hear something else.

Something about... women?

But you can not make it out.

The beasts laugh, then they scream, in pain and terror and it hits you.

"Dowwwnnnn!" the sound bursts from the darkness as the subtle strains of the music flare to life around you. The rock begins to roll, it begins to bend, and twist and dance.

The aggression of this music stands in stark contrast to everything that came before it, your entire life, nothing like this, you... lack the words...

And you are merely thankful that whatever this is, it is not an attack directed at you, the words are clear now as they drift down the tunnels,

"Hey you, you know me, you've touched me, I'm real

I'm, forever, the one that lets you look and see and

Feel me I'm danger, I'm the stranger

And I, I'm darkness, I'm anger, I'm pain

I am master, the evil song you sing inside your brain

Drive you insane"


The creatures babble to themselves, their legs twitch out of tune, their tendrils snap and slash at each other. Something is manipulating them, making them attack each other, thrash against each other. Is Morpheus doing this? Or perhaps his followers...

"Don't talk, don't let 'em inside your mind"

Then it hits you, this order, this compulsion as the caves begin to dissolve around you and you remember Morpheus' words.

"Run away, run away, girl!"


"We have to go," your friend reminds you or you remind her, you are not sure, it all grows so cloudy, so shaken.

You and your friend stumble together toward the hole, "You first!" you shout.

The cavern pitches around you, "No, you first!" she shouts.

"We are not having this argument!" you put your foot down.

"Right!" she shouts, digging in, "That is why you are going first!"

You grumble and slip into the passage, still holding her hand.

The two of you shuffle as quickly as you can, behind you the roof starts to fall in.

"No, no, no don't let them in your mind

Protect your soul"


The screaming, wailing spell behind you is destroying everything and worst of all the fissure begins to close.

You slip out of the hole, Thaïs' hand still firmly in your grasp, but she, she isn't going to make it, you pull, with all your strength you pull but the fissure is closing so quickly.

Visions of her death race through your mind, trapped between great slabs of rock, crushed into paste, you, you-

Lyssa grabs your hand, "The Warrior's Mask!"

Right, you focus on your friend, you pour every ounce of magical energy you have left into the spell while Lyssa channels everything she has into you and then...

You cast.

The stone crashes in on her but she does not give way, Lyssa howls, you scream, Thaïs roars and she bursts from the hole, tearing a large chunk of rock off with her.

You drop the spell as the three of you sail across the room.

You are not looking forward to hitting the far wall, thankfully you do not have to as Myora plucks the three of you out of the air and gently spins you toward the ground.

She deposits you in a pile against the wall.

"Oh Wyrd..." Lyssa moans.

"Thank you," Thaïs gasps, "Thank you both."

You cough from the middle of the pile, "Next time, you go first."

"You two really are insane," Lyssa groans from the bottom of the pile and laughs in spite of herself, "But I will be damned if you aren't a lot of fun also."

The three of you chuckle wearily in between groans and just as you begin to untangle yourselves you are tackled by Biliku and Uttu.

Somewhere above you, you hear Kaf ask Myora, "And this happens all the time?"

You do not catch her answer over the girls' joy and your own relief to be alive.

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

Upon returning to your tower you tended to your wounded and made what arrangements you could for Bari, Neel and Stigr. They have not woken yet which is probably for the best, their bodies could use a little rest and recuperation.

Already you and your colleagues are trying to plan the best way to restore them but you are simply too tired to think. You are exhausted, completely, absolutely exhausted.

In fact as soon as the three of you limp up to your tower, supported largely by the girls, you collapse together onto one of the spare beds and pass out.

Sleep claims you and with it comes a whole world of dreams.

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

You awake in a crimson meadow under an emerald sky.

You rest upon a jade altar in the dress that Albrecht bought for you.

As you rise you notice two other altars, one of ruby and one of axinite. Thaïs and Lyssa rest on each. They rise from their altars with yawns and groans.

"Derryth?" your friend calls to you, "Where are we?"

"Dreaming if I had to guess," you reply cautiously, "Are you real?"

"Of course I am real," she replies a little annoyed, "Are you real?"

"We are all real," Lyssa mutters, "This is some sort of shared dream."

The three of you come together in the center of the meadow, "So why are we here?" you begin.

"Oh," a rich voice calls from above you, "I brought you here."

Morpheus drifts down on a warm and soothing current of air, "For a... ah, a sort of debriefing," he grins, revealing rows of sharp teeth.

You try to ready a spell, try to focus but you find yourself unable to muster enough energy for even the simplest incantation.

He merely shakes his head, "Now, I understand I have a certain reputation but you have nothing to worry about here. I could not sweep the three of you away even if I tried, even if you begged me with all your sweet hearts. You are not actually here, you see, you are dreaming and so you are safe. You can not hurt me and I can not hurt you so I thought we would talk a little."

"Is he telling the truth," you ask the witch.

"Yes," she answers, eyeing the demon, "He is not lying as far as I know. He should not be able to harm us if we are simply dreaming."

"Alright," you turn back to the creature, "What do you want?"

"Wow, straight to the point," he fakes a deep wound, "I thought we could maybe talk a little first, get to know each other, maybe you would see that I am just misunderstood, maybe we could arrange for that vacation for you all, after all?"

"No," the three of you answer in unison.

He dramatically sighs, "Oh very well, I wanted to thank you for giving me that mage. He is such a delightful little thing and he has seen so much. He is a truly unique addition to my... circle of acquaintances. In fact, I am now the envy of every duke and prince in the entire Dreaming, we have not had a find like this in a very long time. I-"

He stops as the three of you glower at him, "Alright, alright. I have an offer for you. The mage you sent me has a master. The boy speaks very highly of him. I would like you to procure this Thin White Mage for me, I should like to add him to my collection, er, my circle of dear acquaintances. I would not normally ask but you are such a resourceful trio and I am certain you could manage somehow. I am also certain we could come to some sort of arrangement. Simply name your price and if it is in my power to give it I shall. So what do you say?"

An interesting proposition to be sure, you confer with your colleagues for a moment and readily come to a decision.

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

Turns out the three of you slept for almost a day. As you wake the girls bring in three trays of breakfast, salted pork and thin ale... again, but they also bring something far more interesting. Four letters for you.

The first is a dispatch bearing the seal of the House of Welf, it reads:

To the mercenaries of Fort Blackrock:

We have suffered a number of attacks over the last several days but fear not, we are bloodied but victorious and even now we make slow progress toward the fort.

We are greatly cheered to learn that you have bested the raiding party that was so vexing you, we are certain that the King will also be quite happy to learn of this fact.

We expect to arrive within another day at the latest.

Loyal servant of the Crown

Lord Welf

"Well I suppose that is good news though this 'Lord Welf' sounds like a bit of an ass," Lyssa chimes in as she tries her best to ingest some of the pork, "We will have proper reinforcements within half a day at most based on when the eagle returned."

"Yes, I suppose so," you frown, "I wonder though if they really were attacked or if they were just taking their sweet time to get here."

Your friend snatches up another letter as she speaks, "Hmm, this one is from Mayer. It details some of what he has been up to but he is being purposely obtuse. He writes to say that our finances are in 'good order' but that he has also had to take a number of 'measures' that he will not discuss save in person. He notes that we have lost most of our merchant clients by now but he has managed to convince a few of the families that owe him funds to remain under our protection. Sounds like it will be a bit of an uphill battle to turn that around though. He also says that there was an attack on the city by Eberhardt rebels while we were gone, they hit a government facility, he does not come out and say it but it is clear he is talking about a Pathfinder prison, from what he can tell the attack failed but he can not be certain as the Palace is keeping everything very quiet. He also says that something is happening in the South, the Lords forced Albrecht's hand and most of the army has been dispatched in that direction. Further he states that Albrecht sent an army toward our position several days ago. He notes that they are not actual military, they are all House Albrecht, Welf and Hesse guards..."

"So the Lords did not send help after all," you mutter, "Wouldn't that be treason?"

Your friend skims the letter further, "It seems they heard our witnesses and immediately agreed that the threat was quite severe. In fact they agreed so much that each member of the assembly felt compelled to rise and give a speech," she sighs, "A very long speech to that very effect. Albrecht sent out his army eight hours into the proceedings when two thirds of the lords had yet to speak."

"Those fucking assholes!" Lyssa damn near tosses her tray across the room.

"Lyssa," you stop her, "Don't waste good, er, don't waste food."

She sighs and mutters.

Well hell... it does not come as a complete surprise that the lords are trying to get you killed. You will likely have to deal with that at some point as well.

"What else have we got here," you pick up on of the remaining letters, "Albrecht's seal."

"Well open it," Thaïs nudges you.

You skim the letter and mutter to yourself, "He congratulates us on our victory and he apologies for being unable to send more help and help sooner. There is a vague promise that he will do all he can to help us and... little else, he does not mention the attack Mayer mentioned, nor does he say much of anything about events to the south. He does mention in passing that most of the army has gone south and he asks us to return as soon as possible to the capital to discuss our next move."

"Not terribly enlightening," Thaïs replies with a shrug.

"At least he is not trying to kill us," Caiolainn interjects, "That puts him on a rather short list."

You and your friend snicker.

"What is the final letter?" the witch asks.

You turn it over in your hands, it is simple white envelope with a simple white seal, you mutter, "Three guesses who this is from."

You crack the letter and begin to read out loud.

To my Pretty Things,

Very well, subtlety did not work, deception did not work and so I challenge you.

March your remaining forces two days to the southeast.

There you will find me waiting.

Do not make me come and find you.

TWM

Well, that was direct...


1. What do you want to do? (If you want to split your personnel up for any of these options then simply set up a freeform where apprpriate.)

A) Nothing, you will wait for Albrecht's forces to reach the fortress. Once they have reinforced your position and you have met the allied commanders you can decide what to do.

B) Head to Myrgard, you will head to Myrgard in the remaining balloon and meet with the King. (B options will be counted together)

i. You want to renegotiate your relationship with the dwarf. No more hiding things from you though you suspect he will have demands of his own as well.

ii. You want to arrange with the King to cast a Gate spell, you are going to need a lot of mandrake roots to restore your three wounded allies and the only place you will find them is in Muirthemne. You can negotiate the specifics of the process with the king when you see him.

iii. You simply want to hear what the King has to offer, you will meet with him and listen to his plans.

iv. As per Bi, but meet Welf and Hesse on the way to Myrgard and establish the chain of command with the help of Argus and your mercenaries before leaving the fort.

v. freeform

C) You will march to the southeast, if the Thin White Mage wants a fight you will oblige him.

D) You will explore the secret passage your mice have found in the fort.

E) freeform - You will do something else instead.


2. Morpheus' deal. He wants you to send him the Thin White Mage, somehow. To do so you would have to incapacitate the mage without killing him. He is willing to negotiate on the price of this transaction and he has not imposed any sort of time limit given the difficulty of the task. Do you accept his offer?

A) No, you reject the offer. The boy was a one time deal, you have no intention of working with the demon again.

B) Yes, you will accept the demon's offer, all that is left is to negotiate a suitable payment. The demon has no problem paying you in advance. (B options will be counted together).

i. You request spells.

ii. You request secrets.

iii. You request memories.

iv. You request a servant (you will have to provide a body for it to inhabit but the demon will tell you how to prepare a proper anchor).

v. You agree to the deal in principle but you do not want to be bound by it. You will take no reward until the deed is done and then you will negotiate your price.

vi.You request the secrets of Metal! in exchange for the mage should the opportunity present itself but you refuse to commit to the task ahead of time.

vii. You request a Nightmare spell

viii. freeform. You request something else.

C) freeform


And finally given all the sexual themes in this update it is only fitting to present the long awaited waifu choice (have at it lesbomancers...) :


3. Thaïs: Well you both survived and she expects an answer as to where the two of you stand. You are certain you love her by now but you have never tried to categorize that feeling till now and there are a great many different types of love. It would probably be best if you figured this out before she asks you again or you could choose to ignore the issue until it comes to a head.

A) Romantic Love - just as it sounds, nothing could be simpler and yet so complicated though you are not really a stranger to it either. (If you want to come up with a suitably romantic plan to woe said maiden then be my guest.)

B) Compassionate Love - she is your dearest friend but she is just that, a friend, nothing more. (If you want to get a bit specific in how you break the news to her then feel free to suggest specifics.)

C) Familial Love - she is closer to you than a friend, more like a sister maybe though you are not yet sure. (Again, if you would like to give specifics on how to make this news easier for her then feel free to suggest something.)

D) No, you do not need to deal with this at the moment. You will just play it by ear and give her an answer when next she asks. (If you want to be reactive instead of proactive on the issue then this is the choice for you. The issue will certainly come up again though)

E) 'Soulmates' - In the original meaning of the word. You are two halves of a single whole, you would not want to be without her.

F) freeform - as mentioned there are a great many different varieties of 'love'. Have something else in mind? Then feel free to suggest it...


4. A Dream Deal: In exchange for his promise to protect you and your people while in the Dreaming (to the best of his ability) Morpheus would like you to entertain him by telling him stories. You can cancel this contract at any time but when you do his protection will also be revoked. As part of his protection he promises not to abduct any member of your group or detain them, he also promises not to try and influence your companions to return to him at a later date when the contract is not in effect. Do you accept this deal?

A) Yes

B) No
 
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Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Party/Organizational Changes:

Party Changes:

Derryth:

Items Lost:

1. Two Energon Cubes - used to fuel spells

Spells Mastered:

1. Greater Firebolt

2. The Warrior's Mask

Thaïs:

Items Lost:

1. Two Energon Cubes - used to fuel spells

Item Status Changes:

1. Gold Ring is now empty, Used - Greater Energy Bolt

Spells Mastered:

1. Greater Energy Bolt

Lyssa:

Items Lost:

1. Six Energon Cubes - used to fuel spells

Spells Mastered:

1. Freezing Wind

Pet Changes:

1. Mirra - Improved her spellcasting ability

2. Poppy - Improved her spellcasting ability

3. Jatayu (trained eagle) - On hand

4. Aquila (trained eagle) - On hand

5. Calaeno (trained eagle) - On hand

Organizational Changes:

Named Personnel, status updated:

Neel - goes from MIA to Wounded.

Unnamed Personnel Changes:

1. One Veteran Human Sell-sword died

2. One Veteran Human Archer died

3. Two Veteran Dwarven Warriors died

Faction Relation Changes:

1. The Dreaming: +15

2. Assorted Bonuses to the Rodent Clans do to your treaties and interactions with them (they all went up, some by a little and some by a lot so check the Organization Sheet for the specifics.)

Rolls:

Quite a few rolls, some of which went your way and some of which did not.

Might as well start at the beginning.

There was a chance that the boy's possessed body would successfully latch on to you which would have been interesting but not necessarily fatal. It was a DEX based check and Derryth rolled very well really so it did not come up.

Following that the enemy rolled to advance and there were a number of will checks as the thing sang to you across the room. For the most part your side did fine. Your men did about average while your named characters did above average, again nothing happened there really though it would have been interesting if your people started falling.

The checks for KAf with the Warrior's Mask were fairly trivial given his strength with the spell active. There were no real rolls involved in getting Morpheus to help, he would have done more or less anything you asked him to do.

Once the fighting began there were essentially three factions at play here. The demon used the dead you were creating to fashion a gate through which his people could enter your world while the creatures poured toward your position.

Your group began your singing retreat (you asked for something dirty and that is what you got ;) ) a nice seventeenth/eighteenth century folk song that has been expanded and elaborated on for the last few centuries (seriously, what I included here are not even the full lyrics, there are more verses).

The way the singing retreat worked is if you had to give instructions to anyone you had to roll to see if they would hear you (and the same went for you and your group). On average your group passed about as many checks as it failed and those failed check often led to a character getting tagged by the sap. Your people saved those they could but that stuff is very sticky and it was just as likely that the 'rescuing party' would themselves become stuck. Of course it then became necessary to leave a few people behind.

There were no real rolls involved as far as the charges went, the dwarves laid them without difficulty, the creatures had no clue what they were and the roll to set them off was simple.

While all of this was going on the demons were busy setting up the physical components of their spell. A little rock to wipe out your enemies.

They suffered casualties but not enough to actually stop them from doing what they had to do.

The second half of the battle took place in the tunnel system against a fraction of the creatures as most of them went right for the demons so it was actually easier than fleeing across the chamber in the first part.

Again you had a number or rolls for movement and for hearing while the creatures tried their best to hit you with the yellow sap. At one point you failed a pair of rolls to avoid a hit but Biliku (being your bodyguard) did get a roll to save you.

Given the nature of her shield she could actually fight these things off with little difficulty so from that point on she shielded your group while you cast.

Had she failed her roll, Thaïs would have gotten a chance to save you via Caiolainn but she would have been hit by the sap and the update would have enede there with a choice to try and save her (and possibly become stuck yourself) or to kill her to prevent the creatures from getting her.

Most of the rest of the rolls for this update had to do with movement (down the tunnel and through the hole) and the demons' performance (which essentially formed your time limit).

You did not roll terribly well there (though you could have done worse, if you were really slow you could have both been crushed or you could have been trapped in the caves which would have been very interesting), so you did not make much progress there (hence the scene where you wasted time listening to the music), I needed some way to represent that failure in the narrative though I did have you roll to see if you learnt anything from listening (You didn't really).

Following that there was a pair of STR/CON rolls to see if Thaïs would die. She had about a sixty percent chance of making it out given how close she was to the end of the fissure (but only about thirty percent chance of making it out with all her limbs).

She had by far the best roll of the update at that moment. So I guess I will just have to try again later... ;)

Then there was the usual suite of rolls for events elsewhere in the kingdom and beyond.

All and all your rolls averaged out to just above average while the creatures rolled only average and the demons rolled just a bit shy of average. Nothing too exceptional except for the Warrior's Mask trick at the end there. (Though it is worth noting that this was a battle where your mages really did do almost all the heavy lifting, if not for the three ladies your side would not have had a great chance.)

Oh, there was one last roll to see just how long you would be passed out for, you slept for the maximum amount of time (rolled very poorly) but that is not too terribly important (at least not as far as Derryth knows).
 
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Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
Gentlemen, this was glorious. I congratulate Nevill on creating the singing plan. However, we cannot stop there, oh no. This is just a prelude to a New Age of the world. We will accept Morpheus' deal, having him teach us the arcane secrets of ROCK and METAL in return.
C
Bvi METAL
A>D,
kinda curious how Thais will "approach" this delicate topic on her next attempt, but would rather we seize the chance. Who knows, maybe True Love will afford us a measure of protection from the Thin White Mage, since he is all about making his subjects fall in love with him.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
It is interesting that the King continuously urges us to return back to Myrgard as soon as possible. Something bad happened back there. Maybe the necromancer is finally out (they steadily refused to talk about her earlier), maybe the Watcher's stones are missing. Or maybe it is something else.

Normally, I would have let Welf and Hesse garrison the fort, and only then I would go back, but right now I am considering making haste, especially with that information about the last roll now disclosed.

We probably should renegotiate our relationship when we get back there. It is awfully strange considering our +100 reputation. After that, I am planning the trip to Muirthemne, unless the situation is so dire it threatens the existence of the known world.

The White fucker is not nearly as important as he thinks he is. We are not his toys and we are not dancing to his tune. He wants us, he comes for us, and never the other way around.

Speaking of which, deception I understand, but when did he try subtlety? :lol: He is just as bad at it as Mazzarin.

I won't promise anything to Morpheus, and I won't request my payment in advance. It may simply be not in the cards. If there is an option to agree on something beforehand without committing to the deal, though, let it be Baltika9's Secrets of Metal.

As for our relationship with Thais, I consider our bonds with her to be greater and deeper than that of a friend, a sibling, or a lover. Friends can become enemies, siblings may drift apart, and love may pass. I consider our relationship as that of soulmates in its original meaning - a single soul shared by two bodies and two minds. Our dreams, hopes and futures are intertwined and tied together, so we will never willingly choose to go separate ways in life. I think it catches the nuances of our interactions with her better than the others. Call it E.

So...

1) Bi (leaving Argus, pathfinders and the mercs to defend the fort while we take the Arrows - all of them, some of them? - and the Royal escort as guards our crew, Berty, Astrid, Ori, Hamundr and the wounded on a balloon ride) > A
2)
Bvi METAL (but without committing to the deal, maybe? - just agree that if our side doesn't renegotiate, or if his side doesn't agree with possible new terms, that's what we will get)
3) E Soulmates (I'd add 'for life', but with a term like that it would be meaningless. There is no other kind of soulmates)
 
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Absinthe

Arcane
Joined
Jan 6, 2012
Messages
4,062
2Bv Giving him the Thin White Mage might be a good idea but I don't like being bound to this deal. Somehow I suspect that's going to give us trouble. If extracting an oath worked on him, then I wonder if it's also possible for us to be subject to a binding oath should we accept. I'm going to stick to "maybe, but I make no promises."
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Brothers! Let me make a case for Bvi. Let me try and make us into the heralds of the glorious Era of Metal!

Let's stick to 'maybe', sure, but let's at least agree on a potential reward now. Catching the White Mage is tricky, and there is a chance that even if bound, he will not stay that way for long. He always has an option of 'killing' or otherwise undoing himself if he feels we have a way of ending him permanently. I'd rather have the terms down right now than haggle about them later when we might not have time.

That said, I think Jester's analogy was spot on:
Jester said:
Coincidence? I THINK NOT!
We play Tenacious D in skirts. :lol:

I have a vision, brothers. A vision of us waltzing into the Dreaming, carrying our haul, singing this song:
It's time to pass the torch,
You're too old to rock, no more rockin' for you!
We're takin' you to a home,
But we will sing a song about you.

And we will make sure that you're very well taken care of.
You'll tell us secrets that you've learned. Woah!


And then we will roll in Myrgard's Assembly Hall with this little gem:

We've even rehearsed this part before, with mixed success:
We get the feeling we should fuck shit up,
Yeah we should fuckin' start a riot.
A Riot!

We have 'em screaming in the streets,
we have 'em tippin' over shit and breakin' fuckin' windows of small businesses,
and settin' fuckin' fires!
and settin' fuckin' fires!
and settin' fuckin' fires!

And then after the smoke is cleared,
and the rubble has been swept away,
me and KG will peek out our heads.
We've been watching the riots on a monitor twenty floors below sea level,
from a bunker.
Now tell me it wasn't our Destiny!

From then on we shall rule Myrgard as Two Queens, spreading the Word around, carrying it to the Empire, to Gower, and further up north, to the lands of the Trow. With our godly performance we shall convince them that they were wrong to swear off Metal before, we shall have them take it up again, and from there we shall take on the world!

It is going to be glorious, brothers! Choose wisely! Choose Metal!
 
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Absinthe

Arcane
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Jan 6, 2012
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4,062
I don't mind the metal choice, but if we're being noncommittal, we would have the option of renegotiating our reward when we deliver anyhow. And with any luck, we'll know enough by then for a better trade, so I'm not sure why we would want to commit to a future reward so soon.

Also:
Turns out the three of you slept for almost a day. As you wake the girls bring in three trays of breakfast, salted pork and thin ale...
This is an outrage! :outrage:

We still have Tyrvard's still, so lets make proper ale. Thais should know the recipe (she was presumably helping Tyrvard & Serpent when they were making the brew), Derryth has herbal skill like Serpent, and Lyssa has outdoorsman skill to scavenge ingredients like Tyrvard.
 
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Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
I leave the option of renegotiating open, but I want a consensus now.

If the world isn't in danger of falling apart, I want to stick to Metal as our reward. And maybe even then, for the Era of Metal may be the only thing that can displace the cycle of Light and Dark and bring Peace and Unity to the world!

In fact, I have half a mind to actually commit to it. The Power of Metal may be our best chance at destroying the Thin White Mage. I mean, he is no novice in the art of musical combat:
Chapter 29: Desperate Measures said:
The mage shakes his head, he continues to hum to himself, "It's too late to be grateful."
[...]
He raises the blade and mutters the lines he has thousands of times before. He says them with all the feigned emotion he can muster. It is important to seem 'alive' even if he no longer believes it himself.

Chapter 40: Where Angels Fear to Tread said:
As you contemplate giving the order your thoughts are interrupted by a howling and crashing of drums.
[...]
In response a curious and haunting melody descends from the fort on the mountain. Two signals flare to life from within the fort. The first is as strong as you and Thaïs put together, it has a slight quality to it that you recognize; a sort of clod flame, dancing but without warmth.

Chapter 43: The Battle of Blackrock II said:
Your attention is pulled back to the battlefield as the Thin White Mage begins to cast. Something odd and powerful, it takes the form of a slight tune upon the wind, upbeat and lively but it does not seem to be directly dangerous.
[...]
The music on the wind builds, it flows over you and through you but it is becoming clear that it is not aimed at you. As it builds to a crescendo the thralls begin to glow slightly and leap into the air. Easily, they cover the distance between them and your line of battle in mere moments.

But he has no passion for it anymore. He has nothing on this:
"Dowwwnnnn!" the sound bursts from the darkness as the subtle strains of the music flare to life around you. The rock begins to roll, it begins to bend, and twist and dance.

The aggression of this music stands in stark contrast to everything that came before it, your entire life, nothing like this, you... lack the words...
It might be our chance to catch him with his pants down and show him how it's done!

Long live the Metal!
 
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Jester

Arbiter
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Mar 24, 2013
Messages
1,493
1) D - explore secret map room. (Edit. Or make some ALE, for Tvrvad sake. Credits to Absinthe i think.)
2) Bv - owning something to demon prince, yeah i think not. Still If we have to choose Rock and Roll baby.
"3) E Soulmates (I'd add 'for life', but with a term like that it would be meaningless. There is no other kind of soulmates)" - with Nevil on this, soulmate is perfect word for their relationship. Gj bro.
 

Kz3r0

Arcane
Joined
May 28, 2008
Messages
27,012
1)D
2)
Bv.
About this I have a proposal, ask Morpheus to teach us a spell that can entrap a powerful mage into the Dreaming, this is not a bargain or a prize, it's just him providing us with the tools to procure him the TWM.
3) E Soulmates
4)A
 
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Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Eh, I just noticed that B has us flying to Myrgard in a balloon. So no guards are actually needed or warranted. Just take us, the girls, the wounded, Berty, Astrid, Ori and Hamundr, 12 people in total. It's 12 people per a balloon, right?

I want to meet Lords Hesse and Welf personally while they are on their way here and bring them up to speed. It would be rude for us to call them to defense only to fly past them just as they are about to arrive. We need to explain ourselves to them, because our haste is due to the request from Albrecht himself. I also want to hear what befell their army and give them condolences about the loss of their family during the ritual. Remember, those guys are the only ones who came to our help, they are our only allies in the kingdom. It is kinda important not to piss them off.

I want to leave Argus and our merc officers in charge of the fort to ease the Lords' integration into the defense force. Something tells me they would not be terribly happy accepting the orders from the 'common rabble', and that our mercs would not be happy with those nobles and their 'courtiers' either. Argus, as the King's champion who had proven himself in the defense of the fort, is a reasonable compromise.

Also, someone will have to break the news about mice to them, especially if the Lords have cats. Poor guys. :lol:

I know, it looks awfully close to A that way, but if we don't do this, something tells me that the situation in the fort will go to shit quickly, and its defensive capabilities will drop drastically.

So what should it be? Bi or some sort of a freeform B? Or still A?
 
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archaen

Cipher
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Our poor mercenary group. I think we are down to about fifty of the poor bastards. It also looks like I was right that our caravan(s) was(were) the one(s) poached by Nanshe.

For our bargain we should see if he has access to a Dream. Metal is awesome, but a Dream puts us into instant archmage territory. I also agree if Morpheus wants us to take on the TWM he needs to give us any tools he thinks will help us get him there alive. We have about 10,000 things on our bucket list and don't have the leisure time necessary to research everything needed to take him out without killing him in a timely manner.

Those two are complete soul mates at this point. Give them another decade of integration and I'm not sure they would truly be separate people. I could easily see one dying and the other one opening up their mind and the two cohabiting in the same body while another body is found. All with no loss of sanity.


1. What do you want to do? (If you want to split your personnel up for any of these options then simply set up a freeform where apprpriate.)

B) Head to Myrgard, you will head to Myrgard in the remaining balloon and meet with the King. (B options will be counted together)

i. You want to renegotiate your relationship with the dwarf. No more hiding things from you though you suspect he will have demands of his own as well.



2. Morpheus' deal. He wants you to send him the Thin White Mage, somehow. To do so you would have to incapacitate the mage without killing him. He is willing to negotiate on the price of this transaction and he has not imposed any sort of time limit given the difficulty of the task. Do you accept his offer?
in.

B) Yes, you will accept the demon's offer, all that is left is to negotiate a suitable payment. The demon has no problem paying you in advance. (B options will be counted together).

vii. Dream from the Dreaming. You want access to a Dream.


3. Thaïs: Well you both survived and she expects an answer as to where the two of you stand. You are certain you love her by now but you have never tried to categorize that feeling till now and there are a great many different types of love. It would probably be best if you figured this out before she asks you again or you could choose to ignore the issue until it comes to a head.

3) E Soulmates
 

Nevill

Arcane
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Messages
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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Also, Fangshi, I'd like to have a talk with Morpheus, since he was so kind to visit and wants to know us better.

It appears he can control dreams and even make them shared. I suppose that also means he can minimize our downtime in situations that call for it (say, we would be able to make research or share spells in our sleep as well as when we are awake) and 'connect' us even when we aren't physically present in one location if all of us are asleep at the same time.

Meaning there can, in fact, be telepathy or instant messaging simply through the use of the Dreaming. Am I correct?

Can he infiltrate anyone's dream and connect any people, or are there limitations? What are those?

As per Kz3r0's suggestion, what instruments does he have to bring people inside the Dreaming? Retrieve Item is not terribly reliable. Also, is there a way for him or his messengers to possess bodies in a way that is safer for the caster?

What does he know about musical spells? It seems TWM employs a lot of those, and it might be relevant to our mission. Also, ask him in a hushed and reverent tone what was that spell he killed the creatures with and what are the principles behind it. If we are aiming for the Power of Metal eventually, I'd like to know what it can do in a bit more detail.

Basically, I am asking for a description of the Musical Spell School, similar to the others we have listed on the Resourses page.

Is there a way for us to contact him without sending him a living being, just by going to sleep? He just made it clear that he can contact us whenever he wants to, but can we do the same? The spell we are currently using to contact him is a bit dangerous, and there are situations when summoning a demon with a lot of witnesses around is not the wisest of choices. Something more discreet might be more interesting.

What happens if we try to use Retrieve Item on a living being when he is out there in the physical world? Will something else try to catch a ride?

Is there a chance for someone else to hijack the beings we send to him? Can we be sure that he will always be the one answering our calls? There are other beings in the Dreaming, after all. He tried to warn us before:
"One last thing my dear, sweet saviours. I would be very careful with what you play with. Not every spirit that answers will be as generous, delightful, gorgeous, gregarious, merciful, tender, loving-"
What did he mean?

For how long can he maintain his form and/or connection in the physical world? As long as the body he inhabits lives? Can he even 'dies' in the physical world? Would not want to lose an 'ally' like that due to a misunderstanding.

What precautions are there to ensure that one can not escape from his 'collection'? Essentially, can we be certain we won't meet TWM in a new body, Faceless-style, if we send him to Morpheus? The mage is quite powerful, after all. What if TWM promises to him an even greater supply of 'interesting' souls in exchange for freedom?

What if we need to get someone from his 'collection' back? Can we exchange them for a new person?

Does he know what happened to Melete? After all, she is sleeping, even though the sleep is magically induced. Can he return her consciousness back to her body? What would happen then, if the spell is not broken? Is there anything he can do to help her (and no, he can't have her to himself)?

Can he keep people asleep (from their consent?) or wake them up at will, or is that sort of thing guided by the reactions of the body in the physical world?

Is there a reason we can't cast our spells in the Dreaming when we are asleep?
 
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Nevill

Arcane
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Messages
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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
For our bargain we should see if he has access to a Dream. Metal is awesome, but a Dream puts us into instant archmage territory.
Mazzarin knows several Dreams, probably, and he owes us a favor, but there is no way Mazzarin can into Metal.

It is truly a unique opportunity.

I could easily see one dying and the other one opening up their mind and the two cohabiting in the same body while another body is found. All with no loss of sanity.
An interesting idea. Fangshi, can a human body become a temporary container for another's soul/mind/whatever it is that contains a person's identity? Kind of like the bracelets we have.

What would be involved in it?
 
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archaen

Cipher
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Mar 10, 2014
Messages
633
For our bargain we should see if he has access to a Dream. Metal is awesome, but a Dream puts us into instant archmage territory.
Mazzarin knows several Dreams, probably, and he owes us a favor, but there is no way Mazzarin can into Metal.

It is truly a unique opportunity

I think you can say that about the dream these creatures may have. We may obtain a Dream never before seen on our plane of existence that could give us a school of magic that no one has seen.
 

Nevill

Arcane
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Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
I think I just had an evil idea.

Fangshi, is there a way for us to analyze, reproduce and contain the sap from the creatures we just fought? It still seals the wounds of some of our companios, and the mercs must be covered in it.

Seems like a natural mage disabler to me. Couple that with a remote bomb Astrid is researching (she is, right?), and we might have an answer to how to capture the TWM.

Ask the demon how many spells without a somatic component are there in the setting. We know mental often don't have one. Is there anything else?

What can prevent a mage, especially an undead mage, from casting?

Also, since we have sent our eagles by 3 different routes, do we know which one brought us a present from the TWM and what route we probably shouldn't be taking?

I think you can say that about the dream these creatures may have. We may obtain a Dream never before seen on our plane of existence that could give us a school of magic that no one has seen.
Maybe. Still, 'never before seen' might be overstating it. Mazzarin knows enough about the Dreaming and Morpheus to bind them with an oath, at least. Hell, he just mentions it to his apprentice in passing.

Shiver had a Whispering Dream that had to do with actual dreams and nightmares (I think), and it was the Faceless who taught her.

Still, I approve of the question. Let's ask him what Dreams does the Dreaming have.

Actually, what is the Dreaming at all? Is it in any way connected to the One Dream of Wyrd?
 
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Kz3r0

Arcane
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May 28, 2008
Messages
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While we are asking all that I would like to know more about the creatures we fought and why he disliked them so much.
 

Nevill

Arcane
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Messages
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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
They were stealing his audience? :)
 

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