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In Progress Torment on the Shards, Part 36 - Planescape-inspired CYOA
- Thread starter Lithium Flower
- Start date
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- cyoa
Gauldur's Bait
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Lithium Flower
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You shall learn more about Look-It-Up and Sees-It.
Belt and Quiet tie, so we will roll a Die of Fate for that. 1-3 means Belt wins, 4-6 means Quiet wins.
Part 20 - Behind the Face
You can't stand it. From the many flavors in your food to heavy perfumes to several conversations going on at once. You look across the table, almost scowling in disgust as your vision passes Wretch (who was, to your displeasure, brought to the table, treated like some precious curiosity by the non-freebooters), studying Lord Sees-It. The richly dressed beholder looks like he wants to be somewhere else right now. What is the reason for this bothersome event, then? Is he merely courting favor, or is there something else going on? Have you gotten yourself into some dull upper class affair, or does someone at this table really have an ulterior motive for coming here?
After the first course and a few phony rituals, Loyalty makes a toast and claps her hands. Her servants enter the lush dining room, carrying in two chairs and a table. They are left in the corner of the room as Loyalty explains that the furniture set is made from some woody plant that only grows in the Twilight Beastlands, while her help quickly leaves the room, presumably so as not to spoil the atmosphere with their presence.
So this is a gifting ceremony of some sort? How exciting.
Everyone claps and makes delighted noises (though some merely pretend to, yourself included) as Lord-Foreman Sees-It badly feigns gratefulness. Lord Steel makes his toast, approaches a veiled object he had placed on a table in the corner of the room beforehand, and removes the cover. Underneath is a small cage, with a long, scaly beast within. Steel introduces the new guest as a “fuchsia”, apparently a sort of beasts that is always twinned, the two creatures being able to access each other's senses.
You can hear Loyalty go: “Ooooh, is it named after the color of his scales? How vibrant, ah...”.
You consider slitting your wrists with a dinner knife.
Belt is last to offer tribute. His gift is a thin smallsword concealed in a cane, enchanted to only be drawn by the last person to willingly deposit their blood into a small receptacle on the handle. Lord Sees-It accepts the gift and servants bearing the second course – something freshly slain and with a dozen different sauces on it - arrive soon after. You are left guessing when it will be that the conversation becomes more pretentious than the food.
---
It happens halfway through the second course, when everyone save for Steel's companions appear to be partaking in the same high-brow conversation.
“Certainly!” Lady Loyalty replies to...something. “Oh, and Lord-Inquisitor? I do so hope you will tell us a bit about your past investigations!”
“I suppose I can!” the herald, who had previously looked tired, suddenly seems lively. “One that I am most proud of occurred, when was it, perhaps a month or so ago. The Orb Shard, before being purged and absorbed, had cast a shadow over a neighborhood within the Plaza. A small group of idle rich had formed a cult of some sort in that time, their headquarters within one of the houses under the shadow. The vile heretics had organized a party in that blasted house, where they laced the drinks with sedatives and set fire to the place after the guests had fallen asleep, intent on sacrificing them all to the Shard above...Demiurge, protect us! Ah, finding about the event in advance took a lot of effort, but when the fire started we had already arrived and were able to save the majority of-”
“Don't you mean a minority?”
Everyone stares at Look-It-Up, who seems none the wiser after having interrupted Belt.
“I've read that out of the thirty-two people lured to the house, only eight survived the fire. Thus a minority was saved. Less than half, thus a minority,” Look-It-Up continues, matter-of-factly.
“P-perhaps you are mistaken, Book-Taker?” the Lord-Inquisitor stammers out after a considerable silence.
“I seem to recall reading about the incident quite well, actually,” Look-It-Up answers, something like enthusiasm flaring up in his beady manus eyes. “I remember the excitement I felt when the report had been partially declassified. I remember being excited to read it for it was said that the townhouses under the Shard's shadow shrunk to a resemble a rectangle standing upright with the approximate dimensions of three by two by fifteen meters, with sloped roofs, ornamentation, and various aesthetic features having folded into the building, leaving the sides flat. I remember being curious if such a building would enlarge itself to accommodate a party of people, as is common in Demiurge's Plaza ward, despite the interference from the Shard above...alas, such information was not included in the report. After all, the Temple Guard detachment with an inquisitorial attache had only arrived after the building started burning, having been alerted by the smoke, and...hmm...”
The manus spreads the fingers of his head and raises one of his many arms, stroking his hairy chin. He appears to be entirely oblivious to his faux pas and genuinely lost in thought.
“A-are you alright, Lord-Inquisitor?” Loyalty asks with some concern.
The herald has ceased eating, his lips tightly pursed, an empty glass in his hands. His face is bright red and his entire body appears to be shaking slightly. He does not respond except to nod. Only Lord Steel appears amused by this.
“Uhm...” Loyalty goes, looking as uncomfortable as Belt. “Master Flagellant...I was curious, why do some call you the Philosopher of Pain? After, uhm, some great feat, no doubt?”
You can't see the beholder open his lips as they are covered by his mask-like harness, but a harsh voice stabs into your ears. Still, it is slightly easier to bear than Lord Steel's.
“I share a belief rare even among the Guard. It is only appropriate that I am named after my belief.”
“Would you care to...tell us about it?” Loyalty says, desperate to redirect attention from the last conversation, though her voice is tinged with fear and uncertainty.
Oh, Void take you all. You begin searching for a way out of this.
“Many see the Demiurge in hope or goodness. I see him in torment. Is it through kindness or mercy that we fulfill the Demiurge's will and protect his creations from the Trickster? No, it is through pain that we inflict onto others and the pain that we inflict onto ourselves – the greatest tool given to us, or perhaps it is even more than that.”
“If I may...” Sees-It interjects, “I understand hurting demons and heretics, but why would one want to hurt themselves?”
“It is not the question of want,” the masked beholder replies and you notice that his tentacles are no longer gripping his knife and fork as eating utensils but as weapons. “As you say, pain is used against our enemies. Yet it is also used to discipline oneself. To discipline oneself is also to strengthen one's faith. Faith is power, but only when it is a true faith, one so strong that it taps into the energies of creation within the Void and becomes reality. Thus, pain is power and pain is reality itself. Why else do heretic wizards mutilate themselves in their rituals? Simple: because our beliefs are not real until they have hurt us; our faith is not true until we've bled for it. What's more is that pain is the one certainty we have, for no life escapes it. In short, pain is everything. Perhaps pain is even the Demiurge himself.”
There is a crash as a glass explodes in Belt's hand, strained fingers jamming the fragments into his palms. Stains the color of his face appear on the tablecloth. Loyalty shrieks and Wretch begins making a series of horrible noises. Sees-It calls for a servant. You take this as your opportunity to escape.
---
You find Deadliest in the hallway. He snuck out some time prior and appears to have stopped a servant carrying a tray of spirits in the meantime, helping himself to the drink. You join him.
“Something happen?” the freebooter asks, then makes a noise that is sure to make his mother proud.
You reply that you weren't paying attention and drink straight from the bottle, then thank the uncomfortable-looking buzzer servant for his assistance.
Fuck, these clothes are too tight. You fumble around with your collar, loosening your cravat.
“Strider?”
You turn around, facing Quiet. Well, three's a company – you offer her the bottle you just drank from. She tilts her manus head and, after a moment of hesitation, takes the bottle and has a modest sip.
“Mmm...not bad, though I reckon the Lord-Inquisitor might need a drink more than we.”
No kidding. You ask her what's wrong with him.
“Well, being humiliated by your potential replacement is tough...though his reaction still seemed too extreme, no?” she says, her gaze playful for but a second – she is trying to hide the fact that she finds enjoyment in rumor-mongering. “The Book-Taker appears to be harmless, book-smart but otherwise oblivious, though I doubt that the Lord-Inquisitor would react in the way that he did if Look-It-Up was no threat at all. There are rumors that the Book-Taker used to moonlight as a freebooter, secretly acting in the interest of Censors College. It could very well be that he is a master thespian, merely pretending to be socially impaired – though if you ask me, the simplest explanation is probably the most likely.
Taking the Book-Taker out of the situation, I have heard that the Lord-Inquisitor is quite easy to offend...and there is a very good reason for that, of course."
Impotence.
“Precisely,” Quiet says. She is too shrewd for a head servant... “his position is of little importance compared to Inquisitorial lordships in other wards. Demiurge's Plaza, besides not exactly being a hotbed for Void Cultist, is primarily managed by the Auspicious Assembly – the authority of its Lords is mostly secondary. To be a Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza is to be a bureaucrat first, a public person second, an administrator third, and an inquisitor last. There is much vanity in the position, all of which Lord-Inquisitor Belt loves and very little of which he deserves. Somewhere deep inside he knows that, of course – hence the rage.”
She might be correct in her assessment, but wouldn't that make Loyalty a “public person” first and a scribe dead last? You decide to confront her.
“Oh, I do not mean to denigrate the importance of these positions – merely their vanity. The City wouldn't function without pencil-pushers – funny, that, with books being restricted and with Censors breathing down everyone's necks. And your assessment of the kindest Lady-Scribe is very much correct. She is a figurehead, much more so than other Lords of Demiurge's Plaza. Which is precisely why she has a capable individual paying attention to all her matters while she maintains a beautiful facade. The brain behind the face, so to speak.”
A position that Quiet, a Lady-Scribe in everything but name, is very glad to fill, you are sure...but one with zero attention or vanity. You don't say this, but perhaps your eyes do. Behind her spectacles, Quiet's eyes look large, sharp, and beautiful. In them you see recognition of your own recognition.
“Oh, one more thing. The Lady-Scribe invites you to accompany her in the garden this afternoon,” Quiet says and turns to leave.
You must know one more thing: why did she come here? Much like you, she seems out of place.
“A few reasons. How much do you know about Lord-Foreman Sees-It?”
You confess to not knowing much. She looks past you, at the servant who appears to have his hands full with Deadliest, then steps close towards you and begins to speak into your ear in a gesture far more secretive than sensual.
“It is thought that Sees-It has a secret hoard of wealth. Naturally, the Auspicious Assembly has doubts about the legitimacy of said finances. A group of thieves turned up with blueprints to the manor a while ago. They were apprehended and the blueprints were seized. They clearly showed an immense vault located on the fourth floor. Of course, the manor only has three floors...it could very well be a work of sorcery, perhaps the same kind that maintains cool temperature around the mance. As it so happens, there had been some digging done into the identity of the sorcerer registered as staying in the manor. He has been deceased for a very long time.”
She steps away from you and walks away, soon disappearing around the corner. You can't help but wonder why she said all of that to you. Perhaps she expects you to return the favor?
You turn back to Deadliest, just in time for a tentacle to whip you between the legs with great force. You fall to your knees, choking back tears.
“Sorry, I was just checking if you were a man or a cunt. I was confused there for a second, with you standing there dressed like a cunt, talking about cunt things with that cunt and all.”
You try to stand up, but your knees give in again. Your mouth opens involuntarily and you moan in a buzzer's voice. Then you just sort of sit stay like that as your lower body burns up.
When the pain subsides, the first thing you can hear is the servant's outraged voice.
“Ge- s-stop! You can't, not in here, please, the latrine is only down the hall!”
You look up to see Deadliest Vile, the veteran freebooter, practically straddling the corner with his tentacles, pissing on the wall with abandon. You are reminded of the statue in the entrance hall, so you start cracking up. You don't manage to laugh, of course, as the pain causes you to choke up and tear up once again.
You stand up and stumble away from the angry drunk and the soon-to-be-dead servant. What a day. How do you spend the rest of it?
In the afternoon, you....(choose 2)
1A) Try to get closer, if not get the trust of, one of the guests. It is evident that most of the people here see you as Steel's accessory and not your own person, after all. Specify whose favour you are after:
a) Deadliest Vile, freebooter thug
b) Look-It-Up, the Censor aspirant
c) Steel, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
d) Head-Taker, his close friend/rival
e) Sees-It, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
f) Belt, Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza
g) Wretch, his pet
h) Loyalty, Lady-Scribe of Demiurge's Plaza
i) Quiet, her chief servant
j) Step-There, your old companion
k) Master Flagellant, also known as the Philosopher of Pain
1B) Bribe a lowly servant to act as your informant. You know naught and it doesn't hurt to go out of your way to look for information. You approach a servant of a) Sees-It's b) Loyalty's c) Belt's and offer as leverage d) money you don't have e) threats and pain f) Steel's patronage.
1C) Follow the invitation you have been given and walk the gardens with Loyalty. Why not, eh?
1D) Conceal yourself in garden and wait there, watching, like a sleuth or a sex offender. The respectable guests are likely to come here in the afternoon, so this is an opportunity to learn more of them.
1E) Walk the manor, trying to memorize its layout. Could be useful if you find yourself chased by an axe murderer tomorrow.
1F) Do something else, please specify what.
In the evening, you... (choose 1)
2A) Drink with the others in the lounge before going to bed. The spirits might loosen their tongues, though you might get drunk yourself.
2B) Just go to sleep like a normal person. It won't do to be impaired when you are meant to be vigilant.
2C) Try to stay up through the night and look out for anything strange. You will keep watch at the door to your room, in case someone leaves their room at night. While you are no beholder, you might be able to catch a little of the noise coming from the other rooms, as well.
2D) Try to stay up through the night and look out for anything strange. You will keep watch at the window of your room facing the back of the mance, anticipating that someone would be sneaking around there.
2E) Do something else, please specify what.
-added the rest of the party guests to the Dramatis Personae section
Last update I have referred to the Master Flagellant as a Censor, but after some thinking about it, it would make more sense for him to be a Temple Guard.
Since a bunch of terms surrounding official titles and hierarchy of power have been brought up, and it has been a while, here is a few quotes from the second post explaining some jargon:
"OFFICIAL FACTIONS
The Demiurge's power is said to be unlimited, but his attention isn't. Thus it was necessary for him to relegate some power to his subjects. These factions have the Demiurge's approval to run the City. Their leaders and the seneschals of each ward form the Auspicious Assembly, which decide on matters of the City."
"On leadership: the Auspicious Assembly elects a governor for each of the wards, called a Seneschal. The Seneschal then appoints a number of administrators, each to manage a specific area, who are called Lords and given a hybrid title to reflect their duties (Lord-Inquisitor, Lord-Commander, Lord-Surveyor, etc.)"
As always, feel free to ask questions.
Belt and Quiet tie, so we will roll a Die of Fate for that. 1-3 means Belt wins, 4-6 means Quiet wins.
...the Die of Fate
Result: 4; You will find out more about Quiet!
Result: 4; You will find out more about Quiet!
Part 20 - Behind the Face
You can't stand it. From the many flavors in your food to heavy perfumes to several conversations going on at once. You look across the table, almost scowling in disgust as your vision passes Wretch (who was, to your displeasure, brought to the table, treated like some precious curiosity by the non-freebooters), studying Lord Sees-It. The richly dressed beholder looks like he wants to be somewhere else right now. What is the reason for this bothersome event, then? Is he merely courting favor, or is there something else going on? Have you gotten yourself into some dull upper class affair, or does someone at this table really have an ulterior motive for coming here?
After the first course and a few phony rituals, Loyalty makes a toast and claps her hands. Her servants enter the lush dining room, carrying in two chairs and a table. They are left in the corner of the room as Loyalty explains that the furniture set is made from some woody plant that only grows in the Twilight Beastlands, while her help quickly leaves the room, presumably so as not to spoil the atmosphere with their presence.
So this is a gifting ceremony of some sort? How exciting.
Everyone claps and makes delighted noises (though some merely pretend to, yourself included) as Lord-Foreman Sees-It badly feigns gratefulness. Lord Steel makes his toast, approaches a veiled object he had placed on a table in the corner of the room beforehand, and removes the cover. Underneath is a small cage, with a long, scaly beast within. Steel introduces the new guest as a “fuchsia”, apparently a sort of beasts that is always twinned, the two creatures being able to access each other's senses.
You can hear Loyalty go: “Ooooh, is it named after the color of his scales? How vibrant, ah...”.
You consider slitting your wrists with a dinner knife.
Belt is last to offer tribute. His gift is a thin smallsword concealed in a cane, enchanted to only be drawn by the last person to willingly deposit their blood into a small receptacle on the handle. Lord Sees-It accepts the gift and servants bearing the second course – something freshly slain and with a dozen different sauces on it - arrive soon after. You are left guessing when it will be that the conversation becomes more pretentious than the food.
---
It happens halfway through the second course, when everyone save for Steel's companions appear to be partaking in the same high-brow conversation.
“Certainly!” Lady Loyalty replies to...something. “Oh, and Lord-Inquisitor? I do so hope you will tell us a bit about your past investigations!”
“I suppose I can!” the herald, who had previously looked tired, suddenly seems lively. “One that I am most proud of occurred, when was it, perhaps a month or so ago. The Orb Shard, before being purged and absorbed, had cast a shadow over a neighborhood within the Plaza. A small group of idle rich had formed a cult of some sort in that time, their headquarters within one of the houses under the shadow. The vile heretics had organized a party in that blasted house, where they laced the drinks with sedatives and set fire to the place after the guests had fallen asleep, intent on sacrificing them all to the Shard above...Demiurge, protect us! Ah, finding about the event in advance took a lot of effort, but when the fire started we had already arrived and were able to save the majority of-”
“Don't you mean a minority?”
Everyone stares at Look-It-Up, who seems none the wiser after having interrupted Belt.
“I've read that out of the thirty-two people lured to the house, only eight survived the fire. Thus a minority was saved. Less than half, thus a minority,” Look-It-Up continues, matter-of-factly.
“P-perhaps you are mistaken, Book-Taker?” the Lord-Inquisitor stammers out after a considerable silence.
“I seem to recall reading about the incident quite well, actually,” Look-It-Up answers, something like enthusiasm flaring up in his beady manus eyes. “I remember the excitement I felt when the report had been partially declassified. I remember being excited to read it for it was said that the townhouses under the Shard's shadow shrunk to a resemble a rectangle standing upright with the approximate dimensions of three by two by fifteen meters, with sloped roofs, ornamentation, and various aesthetic features having folded into the building, leaving the sides flat. I remember being curious if such a building would enlarge itself to accommodate a party of people, as is common in Demiurge's Plaza ward, despite the interference from the Shard above...alas, such information was not included in the report. After all, the Temple Guard detachment with an inquisitorial attache had only arrived after the building started burning, having been alerted by the smoke, and...hmm...”
The manus spreads the fingers of his head and raises one of his many arms, stroking his hairy chin. He appears to be entirely oblivious to his faux pas and genuinely lost in thought.
“A-are you alright, Lord-Inquisitor?” Loyalty asks with some concern.
The herald has ceased eating, his lips tightly pursed, an empty glass in his hands. His face is bright red and his entire body appears to be shaking slightly. He does not respond except to nod. Only Lord Steel appears amused by this.
“Uhm...” Loyalty goes, looking as uncomfortable as Belt. “Master Flagellant...I was curious, why do some call you the Philosopher of Pain? After, uhm, some great feat, no doubt?”
You can't see the beholder open his lips as they are covered by his mask-like harness, but a harsh voice stabs into your ears. Still, it is slightly easier to bear than Lord Steel's.
“I share a belief rare even among the Guard. It is only appropriate that I am named after my belief.”
“Would you care to...tell us about it?” Loyalty says, desperate to redirect attention from the last conversation, though her voice is tinged with fear and uncertainty.
Oh, Void take you all. You begin searching for a way out of this.
“Many see the Demiurge in hope or goodness. I see him in torment. Is it through kindness or mercy that we fulfill the Demiurge's will and protect his creations from the Trickster? No, it is through pain that we inflict onto others and the pain that we inflict onto ourselves – the greatest tool given to us, or perhaps it is even more than that.”
“If I may...” Sees-It interjects, “I understand hurting demons and heretics, but why would one want to hurt themselves?”
“It is not the question of want,” the masked beholder replies and you notice that his tentacles are no longer gripping his knife and fork as eating utensils but as weapons. “As you say, pain is used against our enemies. Yet it is also used to discipline oneself. To discipline oneself is also to strengthen one's faith. Faith is power, but only when it is a true faith, one so strong that it taps into the energies of creation within the Void and becomes reality. Thus, pain is power and pain is reality itself. Why else do heretic wizards mutilate themselves in their rituals? Simple: because our beliefs are not real until they have hurt us; our faith is not true until we've bled for it. What's more is that pain is the one certainty we have, for no life escapes it. In short, pain is everything. Perhaps pain is even the Demiurge himself.”
There is a crash as a glass explodes in Belt's hand, strained fingers jamming the fragments into his palms. Stains the color of his face appear on the tablecloth. Loyalty shrieks and Wretch begins making a series of horrible noises. Sees-It calls for a servant. You take this as your opportunity to escape.
---
You find Deadliest in the hallway. He snuck out some time prior and appears to have stopped a servant carrying a tray of spirits in the meantime, helping himself to the drink. You join him.
“Something happen?” the freebooter asks, then makes a noise that is sure to make his mother proud.
You reply that you weren't paying attention and drink straight from the bottle, then thank the uncomfortable-looking buzzer servant for his assistance.
Fuck, these clothes are too tight. You fumble around with your collar, loosening your cravat.
“Strider?”
You turn around, facing Quiet. Well, three's a company – you offer her the bottle you just drank from. She tilts her manus head and, after a moment of hesitation, takes the bottle and has a modest sip.
“Mmm...not bad, though I reckon the Lord-Inquisitor might need a drink more than we.”
No kidding. You ask her what's wrong with him.
“Well, being humiliated by your potential replacement is tough...though his reaction still seemed too extreme, no?” she says, her gaze playful for but a second – she is trying to hide the fact that she finds enjoyment in rumor-mongering. “The Book-Taker appears to be harmless, book-smart but otherwise oblivious, though I doubt that the Lord-Inquisitor would react in the way that he did if Look-It-Up was no threat at all. There are rumors that the Book-Taker used to moonlight as a freebooter, secretly acting in the interest of Censors College. It could very well be that he is a master thespian, merely pretending to be socially impaired – though if you ask me, the simplest explanation is probably the most likely.
Taking the Book-Taker out of the situation, I have heard that the Lord-Inquisitor is quite easy to offend...and there is a very good reason for that, of course."
Impotence.
“Precisely,” Quiet says. She is too shrewd for a head servant... “his position is of little importance compared to Inquisitorial lordships in other wards. Demiurge's Plaza, besides not exactly being a hotbed for Void Cultist, is primarily managed by the Auspicious Assembly – the authority of its Lords is mostly secondary. To be a Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza is to be a bureaucrat first, a public person second, an administrator third, and an inquisitor last. There is much vanity in the position, all of which Lord-Inquisitor Belt loves and very little of which he deserves. Somewhere deep inside he knows that, of course – hence the rage.”
She might be correct in her assessment, but wouldn't that make Loyalty a “public person” first and a scribe dead last? You decide to confront her.
“Oh, I do not mean to denigrate the importance of these positions – merely their vanity. The City wouldn't function without pencil-pushers – funny, that, with books being restricted and with Censors breathing down everyone's necks. And your assessment of the kindest Lady-Scribe is very much correct. She is a figurehead, much more so than other Lords of Demiurge's Plaza. Which is precisely why she has a capable individual paying attention to all her matters while she maintains a beautiful facade. The brain behind the face, so to speak.”
A position that Quiet, a Lady-Scribe in everything but name, is very glad to fill, you are sure...but one with zero attention or vanity. You don't say this, but perhaps your eyes do. Behind her spectacles, Quiet's eyes look large, sharp, and beautiful. In them you see recognition of your own recognition.
“Oh, one more thing. The Lady-Scribe invites you to accompany her in the garden this afternoon,” Quiet says and turns to leave.
You must know one more thing: why did she come here? Much like you, she seems out of place.
“A few reasons. How much do you know about Lord-Foreman Sees-It?”
You confess to not knowing much. She looks past you, at the servant who appears to have his hands full with Deadliest, then steps close towards you and begins to speak into your ear in a gesture far more secretive than sensual.
“It is thought that Sees-It has a secret hoard of wealth. Naturally, the Auspicious Assembly has doubts about the legitimacy of said finances. A group of thieves turned up with blueprints to the manor a while ago. They were apprehended and the blueprints were seized. They clearly showed an immense vault located on the fourth floor. Of course, the manor only has three floors...it could very well be a work of sorcery, perhaps the same kind that maintains cool temperature around the mance. As it so happens, there had been some digging done into the identity of the sorcerer registered as staying in the manor. He has been deceased for a very long time.”
She steps away from you and walks away, soon disappearing around the corner. You can't help but wonder why she said all of that to you. Perhaps she expects you to return the favor?
You turn back to Deadliest, just in time for a tentacle to whip you between the legs with great force. You fall to your knees, choking back tears.
“Sorry, I was just checking if you were a man or a cunt. I was confused there for a second, with you standing there dressed like a cunt, talking about cunt things with that cunt and all.”
You try to stand up, but your knees give in again. Your mouth opens involuntarily and you moan in a buzzer's voice. Then you just sort of sit stay like that as your lower body burns up.
When the pain subsides, the first thing you can hear is the servant's outraged voice.
“Ge- s-stop! You can't, not in here, please, the latrine is only down the hall!”
You look up to see Deadliest Vile, the veteran freebooter, practically straddling the corner with his tentacles, pissing on the wall with abandon. You are reminded of the statue in the entrance hall, so you start cracking up. You don't manage to laugh, of course, as the pain causes you to choke up and tear up once again.
You stand up and stumble away from the angry drunk and the soon-to-be-dead servant. What a day. How do you spend the rest of it?
In the afternoon, you....(choose 2)
1A) Try to get closer, if not get the trust of, one of the guests. It is evident that most of the people here see you as Steel's accessory and not your own person, after all. Specify whose favour you are after:
a) Deadliest Vile, freebooter thug
b) Look-It-Up, the Censor aspirant
c) Steel, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
d) Head-Taker, his close friend/rival
e) Sees-It, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
f) Belt, Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza
g) Wretch, his pet
h) Loyalty, Lady-Scribe of Demiurge's Plaza
i) Quiet, her chief servant
j) Step-There, your old companion
k) Master Flagellant, also known as the Philosopher of Pain
1B) Bribe a lowly servant to act as your informant. You know naught and it doesn't hurt to go out of your way to look for information. You approach a servant of a) Sees-It's b) Loyalty's c) Belt's and offer as leverage d) money you don't have e) threats and pain f) Steel's patronage.
1C) Follow the invitation you have been given and walk the gardens with Loyalty. Why not, eh?
1D) Conceal yourself in garden and wait there, watching, like a sleuth or a sex offender. The respectable guests are likely to come here in the afternoon, so this is an opportunity to learn more of them.
1E) Walk the manor, trying to memorize its layout. Could be useful if you find yourself chased by an axe murderer tomorrow.
1F) Do something else, please specify what.
In the evening, you... (choose 1)
2A) Drink with the others in the lounge before going to bed. The spirits might loosen their tongues, though you might get drunk yourself.
2B) Just go to sleep like a normal person. It won't do to be impaired when you are meant to be vigilant.
2C) Try to stay up through the night and look out for anything strange. You will keep watch at the door to your room, in case someone leaves their room at night. While you are no beholder, you might be able to catch a little of the noise coming from the other rooms, as well.
2D) Try to stay up through the night and look out for anything strange. You will keep watch at the window of your room facing the back of the mance, anticipating that someone would be sneaking around there.
2E) Do something else, please specify what.
-added the rest of the party guests to the Dramatis Personae section
Last update I have referred to the Master Flagellant as a Censor, but after some thinking about it, it would make more sense for him to be a Temple Guard.
Since a bunch of terms surrounding official titles and hierarchy of power have been brought up, and it has been a while, here is a few quotes from the second post explaining some jargon:
"OFFICIAL FACTIONS
The Demiurge's power is said to be unlimited, but his attention isn't. Thus it was necessary for him to relegate some power to his subjects. These factions have the Demiurge's approval to run the City. Their leaders and the seneschals of each ward form the Auspicious Assembly, which decide on matters of the City."
"On leadership: the Auspicious Assembly elects a governor for each of the wards, called a Seneschal. The Seneschal then appoints a number of administrators, each to manage a specific area, who are called Lords and given a hybrid title to reflect their duties (Lord-Inquisitor, Lord-Commander, Lord-Surveyor, etc.)"
As always, feel free to ask questions.
hello friend
Arcane
1A)g
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1Ac
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Lithium Flower
Arcane
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2016
- Messages
- 1,832
So since these updates are getting longer and taking me longer to write, I decided to split this one up and release it in parts so that there are (hopefully) no more overly long waits and so that people don't lose interest. This is about one half of part 21 and doesn't have any choices.
Question: should I split updates that are taking me a while to write up in the same manner in the future, or should I just finish and post the whole thing?
---
You will take a walk with Mistress, then explore the manor to become familiar with its layout, before drinking with the others.
Part 20.5 – Steel's People
Being in the indoor garden makes you forget that you are in the middle of the Badlands. The sky above the glass ceiling is a pleasant shade of blue, hiding the Void from sight.
The garden is huge, its walls almost overgrown with vegetation, tall plants forming walls of a green labyrinth. As a whole, the room feels more like a park – or a forest. There are all kinds of flora planted around, a collage of violets and reds and yellows everywhere you look. It doesn't take you long to find a different kind of beauty.
“Oh, you came,” Loyalty says, delighted. “I was worried that an expert shardwalker such as yourself would not have time to spare for a boring woman like myself...walk with me, good Strider.”
She looks much the same as she did in the entrance hall. You notice that she has reapplied makeup, perhaps because she cried when Belt bled all over the dinner table. She deftly slips her arm around yours and practically takes you away, your elbows intertwined.
Walking arm-in-arm with a rich, pretty socialite in a posh garden, intoxicated by her perfume, was not exactly something you expected to ever be doing even a few hours ago. You almost forget the anxiety and discoveries of the other day, the mysterious objects Whisper left for you, and the fact that nothing about this whole situation seems right.
Unsure as to what you should say, you remark that you expected the Lady-Scribe to be spending more time with nobler gentlepeople.
“Haha, why, I find your profession quite noble,” she says, laughing nervously, and you wonder if you've said the wrong thing. “And besides, for all the anticipation I felt, I never expected Lord-Foreman Steel's voice to be so...hard to bear. And the Lord of the house seems so bored, like he cares not to speak with anyone at all! Oh, and the Lord-Inquisitor – why, after what happened, he frightens me!”
She presses into your side suddenly, her warmth and smell almost overwhelming. You notice, perhaps for the first time, that she is leading you through this floral maze, and that the two of you have ventured quite far from the entrance.
“Look at the sheer care put into this...” Loyalty whispers, her eyes running up and down the walls of the garden that are practically blanketed with hanging vines and the like. “It is almost as if he wanted every bit of these walls green.”
Perhaps he has something to hide.
“Perhaps he has a lot to hide. Or maybe he just wants somewhere to escape to...a place where one can one let go, break the rules without being found,” she whispers in your ear.
Loyalty draws her arm back from you but stays close, assessing your surroundings. A dense wall of shrubbery separates you from the center of the garden. She turns back around to face you and bites her lip.
“This should be secluded enough,” she says, a predatory look in her eyes.
'Enough for what?' you try to ask, but suddenly find her tongue in your mouth and end up merely moaning into hers. Her right hand runs down the front of your body, stopping at the buttons of your breeches, her left disappearing under her skirt.
Snip! Snip!
She disengages from you and shoots an alarmed glance towards the way you've came. A buzzer gardener appears to be cutting branches just around the corner.
“...or perhaps not,” she says quietly, and comes close to you again. “I will see you tomorrow, the evening before we depart, yes?”
With that she plants a kiss on your cheek, straightens her enormous skirts, then hurries away. You don't move an inch, your mind blank. As if in a daze, your gaze starts drifting toward your feet. Hmm, that flower is very nice. Oh, what's that? A piece of delicate fabric, just laying there in the grass. You pick it up, examining the mysterious object. Why, it almost looks like under-
Oh.
Wait. What the fuck just happened?
---
You walk the length of the manor, trying to get a good feel for its layout. The occasional guard you pass does nothing to give you trouble, though it does look like guests are barred from the third floor.
After an hour or so of exploration, you feel as if you have a pretty good understanding of where everything on the first floor is, confident that you can move around the first two floors quickly without getting lost. The basic layout is one of four connected hallways, enclosing the space in the middle of the manor dedicated to the massive garden. Every hallway has a large room adjacent to it and a series of small ones. For instance, the spacious entrance hall is connected to the western hallway, whereas the northern hallway leads to the dining room. The large room of the eastern hallway is the kitchen (which have access to the back grounds, containing stables and a few sheds) and finally, the staff quarters are to the south.
What you find strange is that every one of these large rooms appears to be the same in size, as if the building was designed in a utilitarian fashion with no regard to an individual room's function, or perhaps to convey some sort of meaning. Another mystery is the reason behind the smaller rooms – identical in size to the dressing room you've been to, each appears to serve a different function...or lack thereof.While some are clearly storage rooms or latrines, others are full of furniture and decorations, as if to simply fill the room's space.
You return to the garden to clear your head. You spot Steel and Belt conversing near the center of the garden, the latter dragging Wretch along. Steel waves at you and you wave back. As you cross the distance to join them, something in the corner of your eye blinds you like. You turn and look upon the hull of an airship, raising your hand to guard yourself against the light reflected from it. It is made out of a uniform silvery metal and is small for an airship, resembling a big bucket, with the space on the top for a balloon and ballast. It sits on a raised marble slab which almost resembles a podium.
That is when the scope of the garden hits you. This is the second time you've come to the garden, yet you are seeing entirely different sights.
“Smallest patented airship design,” you hear a beholder's voice behind you.
You turn around, facing Lord Sees-It, whose tentacles must have made too soft a sound on the grassy floor for you to hear. He appears to be paying no attention to you, looking at the airship instead, his many eyes squinting at the light.
“It requires only two crew to fly safely, one if they know what they are doing. And the quality is quite excellent, let me tell you...”
And so he does, spouting a few parameters and measurements that go over your head. This is the first time that you see him interested in anything. You glance around, hoping for Steel to come and save you, but all three people are gone now.
“I was designing it at the same time as the decision to replace the floor with a skylight was made,” he keeps going, oblivious to the fact that he seemingly misspoke and said 'floor' instead of 'ceiling'. “That is when I decided to have a hole cut in the glass and turn the center of the garden into an airship dock. You can barely see the hole as the glass is very clear, but it is there.”
Finally he levels his eyes at you and his enthusiasm instantly vanishes.
“You are one of Steel's...people.”
With that he simply turns around and leaves. Was it contempt that you've heard in his voice just now?
Question: should I split updates that are taking me a while to write up in the same manner in the future, or should I just finish and post the whole thing?
---
You will take a walk with Mistress, then explore the manor to become familiar with its layout, before drinking with the others.
Part 20.5 – Steel's People
Being in the indoor garden makes you forget that you are in the middle of the Badlands. The sky above the glass ceiling is a pleasant shade of blue, hiding the Void from sight.
The garden is huge, its walls almost overgrown with vegetation, tall plants forming walls of a green labyrinth. As a whole, the room feels more like a park – or a forest. There are all kinds of flora planted around, a collage of violets and reds and yellows everywhere you look. It doesn't take you long to find a different kind of beauty.
“Oh, you came,” Loyalty says, delighted. “I was worried that an expert shardwalker such as yourself would not have time to spare for a boring woman like myself...walk with me, good Strider.”
She looks much the same as she did in the entrance hall. You notice that she has reapplied makeup, perhaps because she cried when Belt bled all over the dinner table. She deftly slips her arm around yours and practically takes you away, your elbows intertwined.
Walking arm-in-arm with a rich, pretty socialite in a posh garden, intoxicated by her perfume, was not exactly something you expected to ever be doing even a few hours ago. You almost forget the anxiety and discoveries of the other day, the mysterious objects Whisper left for you, and the fact that nothing about this whole situation seems right.
Unsure as to what you should say, you remark that you expected the Lady-Scribe to be spending more time with nobler gentlepeople.
“Haha, why, I find your profession quite noble,” she says, laughing nervously, and you wonder if you've said the wrong thing. “And besides, for all the anticipation I felt, I never expected Lord-Foreman Steel's voice to be so...hard to bear. And the Lord of the house seems so bored, like he cares not to speak with anyone at all! Oh, and the Lord-Inquisitor – why, after what happened, he frightens me!”
She presses into your side suddenly, her warmth and smell almost overwhelming. You notice, perhaps for the first time, that she is leading you through this floral maze, and that the two of you have ventured quite far from the entrance.
“Look at the sheer care put into this...” Loyalty whispers, her eyes running up and down the walls of the garden that are practically blanketed with hanging vines and the like. “It is almost as if he wanted every bit of these walls green.”
Perhaps he has something to hide.
“Perhaps he has a lot to hide. Or maybe he just wants somewhere to escape to...a place where one can one let go, break the rules without being found,” she whispers in your ear.
Loyalty draws her arm back from you but stays close, assessing your surroundings. A dense wall of shrubbery separates you from the center of the garden. She turns back around to face you and bites her lip.
“This should be secluded enough,” she says, a predatory look in her eyes.
'Enough for what?' you try to ask, but suddenly find her tongue in your mouth and end up merely moaning into hers. Her right hand runs down the front of your body, stopping at the buttons of your breeches, her left disappearing under her skirt.
Snip! Snip!
She disengages from you and shoots an alarmed glance towards the way you've came. A buzzer gardener appears to be cutting branches just around the corner.
“...or perhaps not,” she says quietly, and comes close to you again. “I will see you tomorrow, the evening before we depart, yes?”
With that she plants a kiss on your cheek, straightens her enormous skirts, then hurries away. You don't move an inch, your mind blank. As if in a daze, your gaze starts drifting toward your feet. Hmm, that flower is very nice. Oh, what's that? A piece of delicate fabric, just laying there in the grass. You pick it up, examining the mysterious object. Why, it almost looks like under-
Oh.
Wait. What the fuck just happened?
---
You walk the length of the manor, trying to get a good feel for its layout. The occasional guard you pass does nothing to give you trouble, though it does look like guests are barred from the third floor.
After an hour or so of exploration, you feel as if you have a pretty good understanding of where everything on the first floor is, confident that you can move around the first two floors quickly without getting lost. The basic layout is one of four connected hallways, enclosing the space in the middle of the manor dedicated to the massive garden. Every hallway has a large room adjacent to it and a series of small ones. For instance, the spacious entrance hall is connected to the western hallway, whereas the northern hallway leads to the dining room. The large room of the eastern hallway is the kitchen (which have access to the back grounds, containing stables and a few sheds) and finally, the staff quarters are to the south.
What you find strange is that every one of these large rooms appears to be the same in size, as if the building was designed in a utilitarian fashion with no regard to an individual room's function, or perhaps to convey some sort of meaning. Another mystery is the reason behind the smaller rooms – identical in size to the dressing room you've been to, each appears to serve a different function...or lack thereof.While some are clearly storage rooms or latrines, others are full of furniture and decorations, as if to simply fill the room's space.
You return to the garden to clear your head. You spot Steel and Belt conversing near the center of the garden, the latter dragging Wretch along. Steel waves at you and you wave back. As you cross the distance to join them, something in the corner of your eye blinds you like. You turn and look upon the hull of an airship, raising your hand to guard yourself against the light reflected from it. It is made out of a uniform silvery metal and is small for an airship, resembling a big bucket, with the space on the top for a balloon and ballast. It sits on a raised marble slab which almost resembles a podium.
That is when the scope of the garden hits you. This is the second time you've come to the garden, yet you are seeing entirely different sights.
“Smallest patented airship design,” you hear a beholder's voice behind you.
You turn around, facing Lord Sees-It, whose tentacles must have made too soft a sound on the grassy floor for you to hear. He appears to be paying no attention to you, looking at the airship instead, his many eyes squinting at the light.
“It requires only two crew to fly safely, one if they know what they are doing. And the quality is quite excellent, let me tell you...”
And so he does, spouting a few parameters and measurements that go over your head. This is the first time that you see him interested in anything. You glance around, hoping for Steel to come and save you, but all three people are gone now.
“I was designing it at the same time as the decision to replace the floor with a skylight was made,” he keeps going, oblivious to the fact that he seemingly misspoke and said 'floor' instead of 'ceiling'. “That is when I decided to have a hole cut in the glass and turn the center of the garden into an airship dock. You can barely see the hole as the glass is very clear, but it is there.”
Finally he levels his eyes at you and his enthusiasm instantly vanishes.
“You are one of Steel's...people.”
With that he simply turns around and leaves. Was it contempt that you've heard in his voice just now?
"The fuck" is exactly what didn't happen. Probably a good thing too, as I get Fatal Attraction vibes from her.
You know, with her hand in his pants I was rather concerned about these words 'til it turned out to be the gardener.
hello friend
Arcane
My preference is for complete updates, ready when they're ready.
The floor... curious. I wonder if the missing floor can only be accessed by airship.
The floor... curious. I wonder if the missing floor can only be accessed by airship.
Lithium Flower
Arcane
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2016
- Messages
- 1,832
If I was clever and pretentious, I'd claim that the genital horror present in the scene was intentionally written to hint at Loyalty being a potentially dangerous character.
Unfortunately, I am not clever.
Lithium Flower
Arcane
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2016
- Messages
- 1,832
This is a big one and things actually happen.
Part 21: Seeker's Curse
The eastern hallway on the second floor connected to the lounge and many smaller rooms that were outfitted as guest bedrooms. A door to one of the said rooms creaked open as you crossed its length, Step-There's hairy face peeking outside.
“Oh, Strider. I was just about to...” he begins, flustered. “Do you want to come in?”
This is not like him. Step-There is usually reserved, more so than you. You oblige him and enter his room.
“These are meant to be our rooms. Look strange, don't they, almost as if they were meant to be something else...”
Step-There, being a curious seeker like yourself, has noticed as much but you are no longer listening to him, instead moving past the fine furniture and towards a blueprint framed on the wall next to a pane of glass serving as the window. Steel had many schematics, blueprints, and mechanisms on display in his manor but this is the first such thing you see in this mance.
It is a voidship. No, an airship (as it is not built to withstand the energies trapped in the Void,) one that rivals even the Temple Guard voidships in size. Its shape is remarkably ugly, resembling a giant box tapered so its top is wider than its bottom. Your knowledge of mechanisms allows you to discern that in its center is a single huge chamber containing various magical and steam engines necessary to keep a ship of this size and weight above ground. The rest of the ship is more or less built around this massive chamber.
“Something wrong?”
You reply that you were only immensely curious.
“Ah, yes...that is our's – the Seekers' – curse. You can sit down if you'd like,” the manus points at the only chair in the room and sits down on the bed.
As he sits down, you notice that his many hands unconsciously grasp the bedpost. He is worried about something. His eyes are shifty, his head half-clenched, as if the manus is trying to hide his face from you. Sweat beads in his beard, matting his fur.
“You haven't shown the courtesy of greeting me but perhaps that was good judgment on your part. Our history is rotten.”
He should know that you don't hold anything against him.
"But I do," he suddenly spreads the fingers of his head, looking up at you. "While the majority of the problems that had occurred were Whisper's fault, I blame you for bringing him along."
Ah, yes. You recall your final journey together...
Step-There wanted to walk the Cold Shard but had little in the way of coin and assets, so he reached out to you and you had to bring Whisper along. He had been your partner for so long, after all, and the awesome things you've discovered together forged a bond between the two of you.
When a portal thought to have been stable unexpectedly stranded you in a dangerous situation, you expected Whisper to use his sorcery to help you. Whisper didn't even try to use his magic in your defense so that the expedition may be salvaged and he even refused to pull out. He had insisted to stay on the Cold Shard due to some obsession he had trouble explaining to you. As danger closed in, you had no choice but to flee without him. You were shattered and Step-There was furious.
Then, months of crawling and bleeding and stealing just to make ends meet. Months of searching for Whisper and whoring yourself out to the factions. Then the letter, and the shack, and the white beast, and the orb of flesh...
"So...how are the two of you?” the manus breaks the silence. “I heard that he eventually came back to Demiurge's Shard only to disappear again. I assumed that you had gone with him but then I found out that you took up freebooting. I wanted to find out before I...you know, before I also disappear.”
You shoot a cautious glance at the window. Step-There picks up on it and pulls the blinds shut. You spot a blur of movement in the back garden seconds before the view is obscured by the blinds. Probably nothing to worry about – it is likely a servant or a beast moving about and it is dark out, after all...still, you can't help but to feel nervous, in part because of the manus' shaking knees. He looks at you, expecting an answer.
You decide to...(choose 1)
A1) Lie. Say that he has never attempted to contact you. The knowledge you possess is dangerous, and you don't know if Step-There has a hidden agenda.
A2) Tell him part of the truth. Say that you got his letter and that he is very sick, likely dead, and that was that. Give him enough to seem honest, but don't mention anything about Whisper's belongings or Seamstress' shack.
A3) Tell him the entire truth. About the ball of flesh and all. Step-There, despite his resentment of you, is probably more trustworthy than anyone else you've met so far.
A4) Say something else, please specify what.
“Fuck it, let's go drink.”
You oblige, seeing as how you were going to do so in the first place.
You can't help but wonder what it is that spurred him on to talk with you. Was it the “Seeker's curse” or something much more peculiar?
---
The door to the lounge flies open before Step-There manages to reach it. The Lord-Inquisitor stumbles into the hallway, red in the face with drink and anger, pulling the leash connected to Wretch's harness, who whimpers and follows close. Step-There stumbles into Lord Belt, causing the latter to angrily mumble under his breath.
“Fucking dirt...all them...going to get what's theirs...” is all you manage to make out.
The lounge would have looked nice if the strange arrangement of the house didn't bother you still. Much of the room is full of fine tables, chairs, recliners, and so on. A single buzzer servant manages the bar area and carries drinks to and fro. Looks like the servants wear many hats, with them being so few in number.
A well-groomed manus dressed in the uniform of the White Cloaks is reclining in the corner of the room. Head-Taker and Deadliest Vile sit around one of the tables close to the entrance and look very giddy, perhaps at Belt's expense.
“I was wondering when you'd show up,” Deadliest says, addressing Step-There more so than you, and calls for four more drinks.
---
“So do you ever stand on your hindquarters like one of then normal people?” Deadliest asks Head-Taker.
“Only when I wield the axe. My jaw gets tired otherwise,” Head-Taker growls in response.
After imbibing much alcohol, the beholder has turned a queer pink in color and now he kind of reminds you of a giant testicle monster. You let him know that this is what you think. Then you laugh like an idiot.
Deadliest turns to you, then puts a tentacle on your shoulder. You suddenly feel very afraid.
“You're alright, you know? Sorry about earlier,” he says, then slaps you on the back with the force rivaling the blow from earlier. Your face is now very close to the table for some reason.
“Hello, uhm, gentlepeople,” a voice from above booms.
Your head feels very heavy, so instead of raising it off the table you turn it and stare directly at the crotch of the speaker's pants. Huh, the pants of these guard uniforms don't have buttons...how inconvenient. You suddenly have the urge to visit the latrine.
“I am Silver, the lieutenant of the White Cloaks. I hope that you are enjoying Lord-Foreman Sees-It's company and feel safe and secure with my men around."
“Fuck off,” Deadliest says.
The crotch sways out of your field of vision. The table shakes with laughter. You laugh also, hurting your jaw on the table. You think you may have chipped a tooth.
Mighty tentacles wrap around your body and rearrange it so that your head is upright again. You plead with Deadliest not to hurt you. He promises that he won't.
“Say, Step-There, perhaps a few more drinks for courage?” Head-Taker offers.
“What are you talking about, beastlike? The manus is all wobbly.” Deadliest replies, confused. You nod in agreement.
“I think that might just be your vision.”
"Oh..." Deadliest says, then holds up a tentacle and stares at it for a few seconds, before adding, "yeah, I think you might be right."
“I'm alright,” Step-There says, awkwardly eyeing his empty glass. “Well, I suppose I will call it a night...”
Despite his words, he sits around for a minute or two before leaving the room. His departure reminds you that you wanted to go to the latrine, so you do.
In the latrine, you think about Lady Loyalty. After an hour of fruitless thinking, you stumble around the hallway until you finally find your room, then collapse on the bed. A rectangle of blue on the wall manages to catch your attention somehow. Shit, its the schematic; you must have stumbled into Step-There's room. You should flee at once... you don't want him to think that you fancy other races or worse, that you are a pederast. You stumble outside and open the door to your right – your rooms are next to each other, so this must be it...
“Uhm,” Step-There says, standing in the middle of the room. “Get out.”
Your eyes wide. The traitor! You trusted him, and now he is in your room, probably digging through your belongings! You brandish your fists and advance on him, ready for a fight to the death.
“No, seriously. Leave. Please?”
The villain does not appear to be intimidated, so you start yelling at the top of your lungs. Grab-bastard! Thief! Rapist! What are you doing in my room!?
“What? This is my room,” the thieving, raping grab-bastard replies.
He lunges before you are able to strike, grabbing you with four of his hands, one on each of your fists and shoulders. Your spirit is broken; you have lost the will to fight.
“Calm now, Strider. We got little slips with our room numbers on them in the afternoon, remember? Mine had a six on it, same as the number of this room. What has led you to the conclusion that this is your room?” Step-There speaks slowly, as if talking to a small child. What a fucking moron – there are clearly no children here.
You mumble something about a blueprint.
“A bluewhat?”
You turn your head to the blueprint on the wall. Wait. Oh...
The manus shakes his head. “There is one in every bedroom...” he says, then begins moving. With surprising speed he pushes you back to the door and deposits you outside.
---
That night, memories...
Terrified, strained breathing. Shaky appendages clutch weapons desperately. The three of you are in a cavern of meat, hot all over, the churning of gargantuan organs heavy on your ears. With every cut and chop, the flesh before you parts with a squelch. You strain and slash your way past the meat and bone and skin and carve out an entrance to a frigid world where a blizzard rages.
The three of you emerge from the creature's carcass and fall to the snow beneath, hyperventilating. You are all slick with its lifeblood and its heat is escaping you, fleeing in the steam coming off your thick clothing.
After a period of time that feels like eternity, you finally catch your breath and look back. The creature you just crawled out of is thrashing about in dying agony, seemingly constrained to the wall of ice behind it, unable to hurt you. The mad wind carries its howl. The blizzard is so heavy that you are unable to see the creature's features, only its monolithic silhouette and its flesh pale, turning into a crimson smear at the belly...
“Whisper! Cast us a shelter or something offensive, quickly! They are coming closer!” Step-There shouts.
You turn to look and see stocky silhouettes in the distance, moving towards you through the blizzard.
“Whisper?! What are you doing, Demiurge take you?! Whisper!!”
Whisper has already found balance on his tentacles and is ignoring Step-There's desperate shouting. The beholder is facing the creature that had just stopped moving. With no strength to stand you shuffle over to him on all fours and cling to his tentacles, asking him what's wrong.
“We've killed it,” he replies in a voice you can barely hear over the sound of the blizzard.
“It is too late, they are closing in! We must find a portal out – look, see how the snow parts to your left! It must be it!” the manus screams into your ear.
You barely stand up and grab one of Whisper's tentacles, pulling him along. He lashes out at you, and you fall on your back. You look up, expecting to find him looking back at you, but he continues solemnly examining the massive carcass.
Manus hands wrap themselves around you, dragging you away. You start pleading, tears in your eyes. Please, Whisper, let's go home now...it is so cold here. Step-There, come back for him! You hear me? I will fucking kill you if you leave him!
Why, old friend? Why this, why now, why...
---
You wake up in a cold sweat. It is still dark and your head feels like it had been run over by a dozen carriages all at once. Despite this, you have no urge to sleep.
Last night was a mistake, you think as you rub your temples.
You get up from the bed and pull back the blinds. The Shard's atmosphere casts a slight light onto the surface. You were probably drinking past midnight last night, so it must have been a few hours since then-
There is a beholder in a servant's uniform lurking near the stable, looking up at the second floor of the house. You shut the blinds quickly and fall onto the bed, breathing heavily. Your heart races and so do your thoughts.
You are positive you have seen every servant in the house, with them being so few in number, and all of them are buzzers. Could it be that this is a servant who only works outside...at night? But the servant's quarters you've been to are basically a barrack, with all the bedding in the open. You are almost certain there were no more than eleven beds, matching the number of buzzer servants...
You spend the next several hours ruminating over this, unable to catch any sleep.
---
Morning light shines through the windows of the library on the second floor of the mance, illuminating Look-It-Up's corpse which lies face-up, stretched out on the carpet. His clothing has been cut away, revealing a myriad of cuts all over the body. The throat – the wrist of the head – has been slit. So much blood has pooled underneath the body that the original color of the carpet is unrecognizable.
All the guests are present, save for the Lady-Scribe, the interior guard separating them from Lord Sees-It who looks very much on edge. A single bespectacled buzzer servant is examining the corpse.
“The cuts look like they were made by a small blade,” the buzzer says, “such as, uhm, a knife. The vast majority of them missed important organs. The bruising around the wrists indicate that he was bound by something like a thick rope with a smooth consistency. Cord, perhaps?”
“And since not a single guard has heard a thing,” Sees-It says, giving Lieutenant Silver a deadly stare, “I assume that the deceased had been gagged.”
You take a look at the guests. Deadliest and Head-Taker appear indifferent. Step-There, shaky. Steel and Quiet, contemplative. Belt, deathly pale. And Master Flagellant? Who knows what he looks like behind the mask, but his eyes tell you naught.
“There must be signs of intrusion, surely...” Quiet says, almost to herself.
“Before we continue, why isn't the Lady-Scribe here?” Sees-It says coldly.
“She said that she does not wish to see a crime scene and that whatever you want her to know you can tell me.”
“Fine, then,” Sees-It continues. “The Book-Taker showed me his library license yesterday and asked me for permission to use this room. I agreed – he is a Book-Taker, after all. Unfortunately, when the body was found the door to the library had been unlocked-”
“You mean you let one of..these people have access to the library, too?!” Belt interrupts, outraged.
“Don't be ridiculous, Lord-Inquisitor,” Sees-It replies, waving a tentacle in dismissal. “I have granted no one else access – incidentally, no one else had requested it. And I doubt that someone who is a Censor, and a Book-Taker to boot, would forget to lock the door behind them. Also, see how the chair is disturbed, there, by the desk? Looks like the Book-Taker had been sitting at this desk, reading with his back against the door. This leaves us with two most likely conclusions: either the lock on the door was picked and the killer snuck up on the Book-Taker, or the killer was someone the Book-Taker knew and trusted enough to unlock the door for them"
You mention that you think you saw a beholder in a servant uniform by the stables last night. Sees-It gives you a strict look, then replies after a second: “That can't be possible. All the servants are accounted for, I assure you, and none are beholders. All of their uniforms are accounted for as well.”
Could it be that you were mistaken? It was terribly dark, but you were quite sure it was the servant's uniform because of the light reflected from its brass buttons, the kind that none but the servants of the mance have. Of course, an outsider could have snuck onto the grounds of the manor, or perhaps one of the guests had changed clothing...
“There is one more thing,” Sees-It continues, “Lieutenant Silver?"
“One of my men found this...in the hallway near the door, tucked partially behind the carpet. It looked as if it was dropped there by accident,” Silver produces a small piece of monogrammed fabric from his coat pocket.
“Is this not your handkerchief, Lord-Inquisitor?” Sees-It says, calmly.
“What? No, it can't be, mine is right he-” Belt objects, rifling through his pockets uselessly, his face turning red once more. “This is ludicrous!! Such an accu- I'm a fucking Inquisitor! I won't stand for this shit!!”
And with that, Lord “fucking” Inquisitor Belt leaves the room, pulling the whining Wretch along. The Master Flagellant follows him noiselessly.
“Do whatever you please, just don't try to leave!” Sees-It calls after them. “No one is going to leave this house until the killer has been neutralized. The white cloaks outside have already been told not to let anyone in or out of the mance.”
“What?! Are you insane, Sees-It?!” Steel exclaims, “you mean to trap us in here with a murderer on the loose?!”
“I mean to protect myself. Perhaps this is a crime of passion or perhaps it is the first of many to come. Perhaps the killer is one of you, or your servants, or mine, or the white cloaks, or perhaps he is an infiltrator from outside. Ultimately, the possibility exists that they may be here to kill me. All I can to is erect a living buffer between myself and them. If their goal is to isolate me before striking, they will have to do so by culling the guests, which means more murders, which means more opportunities for the killer to make a mistake and reveal themselves,” Sees-It stoically explains.
Steel says nothing for a while and merely looks down at the floor. When he looks up, his eyes are narrow and accusatory.
“I see what you are doing now,” he says, “you are responsible for this, aren't you? I bet this was a set-up from the beginning. You want to kill me that bad, huh?”
The guards separating Sees-It from the rest of the people in the room uneasily reach for their rapiers. Steel's men go for their blades.
Lord Sees-It raises a single tentacle, stopping the guards. For the first time, a smile appears on his face. Then he laughs perhaps the most genuine and hearty laugh you have heard in a very long time. Then, he speaks:
“First of all, you have some gall throwing accusations at me – you, who came here to rob me. Why is it that someone as fashionable as yourself is wearing the same cravat two days in a row? Did you really think that you could fool me into thinking that the thing around your neck wasn't a twin of that fuchsia you gifted me? It didn't take me long to realize that you had found a way to access its twin's senses. Presumably through alchemical means – your pupils are unusually dilated, aren't they? No, Silver, don't bother confiscating the thing – I am about to burn his little gift in the fireplace, so he is going to feel a rather unpleasant sensation if he chooses to keep it on. I assume that you were hoping that I'd stick that beast of yours into the vault, so that you would know its location? Please, Steel – you were never any good at playing the long con.
Second of all, why would I want to kill you? That would imply I feel threatened by you – or feel any sort of respect, or strong feeling towards you whatsoever. Did you think we were rivals, Steel? Clearly you did, otherwise you would not have brought five men with ex-freebooter backgrounds with you as guests. Tell your men to sheath their steel, Silver – Steel brought his entourage here because he is a scared little herald who is afraid that I might hurt him, not for any offensive purpose. I know what you are, Steel. You are nothing but a Lost herald playing at being a Taker because your daddy was so good at it. You inherited his business and have done well running it, but you have not expanded territory in a long while, nor have you put any rivals into the ground. There is only one path left for you to walk, and I'm afraid it is a long and painful one: decline. Your are cut out to be neither Taker nor Lord-Foreman. I know what you are and so does the rest of the Enterprising League – and we've all been laughing at you for a very long time.
Now, all of you – out. This is a library, after all.”
---
Do you find time in the morning to report to Lord Steel?
B1) Yes, and you tell him all your findings and thoughts so far.
B2) No, you avoid him and tell him you've noticed nothing of interest if confronted.
B3) You report to him, but omit something (please specify what)
What do you do in the morning? (choose 2)
C1) Consult with Deadliest Vile. The veteran freebooter's security expertise might come in handy.
C2) Consult with Head-Taker. The strange lurk is something like a bodyguard to Steel and might be knowledgeable about killings of this sort.
C3) Consult with Step-There. He seemed to have gotten to known Look-It-Up recently and may shed a light as to the killer's motive.
C4) Consult with Quiet. The shrewd manus may have noticed something that you haven't, plus she may know if Loyalty is involved...
C5) Critically analyze the killing from the information you have gathered so far. The pieces are all there, you just need to connect them.
C6) Critically analyze a related matter – the queer layout of the house and how it may relate to the location of the vault. The pieces are all there, you just need to connect them.
C7) Steal the key to Sees-It's library, then thoroughly search the scene of the crime and the library itself for clues. This is risky.
C8) Steal the key to Sees-It's study, sneak up to the third floor, and infiltrate it. You might find something interesting there. This is very risky.
C9) Do something else, please specify what.
C10) Persuade one of the following to open up to you and reveal more than they otherwise would:
a) Deadliest Vile, freebooter thug
b) Lieutenant Silver of the White Cloaks
c) Steel, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
d) Head-Taker, his close friend/rival
e) Sees-It, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
f) Belt, Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza
g) Wretch, his pet
h) Loyalty, Lady-Scribe of Demiurge's Plaza
i) Quiet, her chief servant
j) Step-There, your old companion
k) Master Flagellant, also known as the Philosopher of Pain
l) One of Sees-It's servants
m) One of Belt's servants
n) One of Loyalty's servants
Do you know who the killer is?
D1) No, not yet.
D2) Yes – someone who has infiltrated the mance from the outside.
D3) Deadliest Vile, freebooter thug
D4) Lieutenant Silver of the White Cloaks
D5) Steel, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
D6) Head-Taker, his close friend/rival
D7) Sees-It, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
D8) Belt, Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza
D9) Wretch, his pet
D10) Loyalty, Lady-Scribe of Demiurge's Plaza
D11) Quiet, her chief servant
D12) Step-There, your old companion
D13) Master Flagellant, also known as the Philosopher of Pain
D14) One of Sees-It's servants
D15) One of Belt's servants
D16) One of Loyalty's servants
Do you know who the next victim might be, if anyone?
E1) No, not yet.
E2) Yes – no one.
E3) Deadliest Vile, freebooter thug
E4) Lieutenant Silver of the White Cloaks
E5) Steel, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
E6) Head-Taker, his close friend/rival
E7) Sees-It, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
E8) Belt, Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza
E9) Wretch, his pet
E10) Loyalty, Lady-Scribe of Demiurge's Plaza
E11) Quiet, her chief servant
E12) Step-There, your old companion
E13) Master Flagellant, also known as the Philosopher of Pain
E14) One of Sees-It's servants
E15) One of Belt's servants
E16) One of Loyalty's servants
-Added Silver to the Dramatis Personae section of the journal
Reminder regarding libraries: books are controlled items, which means that people seeking to own/access books or build libraries need permits from the City Officials. Look-it-Up was a Book-Taker, which is a person responsible for investigating cases of lost & missing books, return overdue library books, all the meanwhile escorted by a Censor/Temple Guard joint force in an armored carriage or a dozen (basically a mix of librarian and SS officer).
You get -1 to your next roll due to sleep deprivation and being hungover.
As a part of this vote, you may write-in a belief move (or several) you wish to retroactively activate during the library scene.
The mance counts as a dungeon for the benefit of your rover ability.
Option C10 may be selected multiple times, for different people.
EDIT: I should clarify that C and D choices determine what your character thinks. You are*not* defining the killer like you would a write-in shard, for example.
D and E choices will be counted together as opposed to separately.
Part 21: Seeker's Curse
The eastern hallway on the second floor connected to the lounge and many smaller rooms that were outfitted as guest bedrooms. A door to one of the said rooms creaked open as you crossed its length, Step-There's hairy face peeking outside.
“Oh, Strider. I was just about to...” he begins, flustered. “Do you want to come in?”
This is not like him. Step-There is usually reserved, more so than you. You oblige him and enter his room.
“These are meant to be our rooms. Look strange, don't they, almost as if they were meant to be something else...”
Step-There, being a curious seeker like yourself, has noticed as much but you are no longer listening to him, instead moving past the fine furniture and towards a blueprint framed on the wall next to a pane of glass serving as the window. Steel had many schematics, blueprints, and mechanisms on display in his manor but this is the first such thing you see in this mance.
It is a voidship. No, an airship (as it is not built to withstand the energies trapped in the Void,) one that rivals even the Temple Guard voidships in size. Its shape is remarkably ugly, resembling a giant box tapered so its top is wider than its bottom. Your knowledge of mechanisms allows you to discern that in its center is a single huge chamber containing various magical and steam engines necessary to keep a ship of this size and weight above ground. The rest of the ship is more or less built around this massive chamber.
“Something wrong?”
You reply that you were only immensely curious.
“Ah, yes...that is our's – the Seekers' – curse. You can sit down if you'd like,” the manus points at the only chair in the room and sits down on the bed.
As he sits down, you notice that his many hands unconsciously grasp the bedpost. He is worried about something. His eyes are shifty, his head half-clenched, as if the manus is trying to hide his face from you. Sweat beads in his beard, matting his fur.
“You haven't shown the courtesy of greeting me but perhaps that was good judgment on your part. Our history is rotten.”
He should know that you don't hold anything against him.
"But I do," he suddenly spreads the fingers of his head, looking up at you. "While the majority of the problems that had occurred were Whisper's fault, I blame you for bringing him along."
Ah, yes. You recall your final journey together...
Step-There wanted to walk the Cold Shard but had little in the way of coin and assets, so he reached out to you and you had to bring Whisper along. He had been your partner for so long, after all, and the awesome things you've discovered together forged a bond between the two of you.
When a portal thought to have been stable unexpectedly stranded you in a dangerous situation, you expected Whisper to use his sorcery to help you. Whisper didn't even try to use his magic in your defense so that the expedition may be salvaged and he even refused to pull out. He had insisted to stay on the Cold Shard due to some obsession he had trouble explaining to you. As danger closed in, you had no choice but to flee without him. You were shattered and Step-There was furious.
Then, months of crawling and bleeding and stealing just to make ends meet. Months of searching for Whisper and whoring yourself out to the factions. Then the letter, and the shack, and the white beast, and the orb of flesh...
"So...how are the two of you?” the manus breaks the silence. “I heard that he eventually came back to Demiurge's Shard only to disappear again. I assumed that you had gone with him but then I found out that you took up freebooting. I wanted to find out before I...you know, before I also disappear.”
You shoot a cautious glance at the window. Step-There picks up on it and pulls the blinds shut. You spot a blur of movement in the back garden seconds before the view is obscured by the blinds. Probably nothing to worry about – it is likely a servant or a beast moving about and it is dark out, after all...still, you can't help but to feel nervous, in part because of the manus' shaking knees. He looks at you, expecting an answer.
You decide to...(choose 1)
A1) Lie. Say that he has never attempted to contact you. The knowledge you possess is dangerous, and you don't know if Step-There has a hidden agenda.
A2) Tell him part of the truth. Say that you got his letter and that he is very sick, likely dead, and that was that. Give him enough to seem honest, but don't mention anything about Whisper's belongings or Seamstress' shack.
A3) Tell him the entire truth. About the ball of flesh and all. Step-There, despite his resentment of you, is probably more trustworthy than anyone else you've met so far.
A4) Say something else, please specify what.
“Fuck it, let's go drink.”
You oblige, seeing as how you were going to do so in the first place.
You can't help but wonder what it is that spurred him on to talk with you. Was it the “Seeker's curse” or something much more peculiar?
---
The door to the lounge flies open before Step-There manages to reach it. The Lord-Inquisitor stumbles into the hallway, red in the face with drink and anger, pulling the leash connected to Wretch's harness, who whimpers and follows close. Step-There stumbles into Lord Belt, causing the latter to angrily mumble under his breath.
“Fucking dirt...all them...going to get what's theirs...” is all you manage to make out.
The lounge would have looked nice if the strange arrangement of the house didn't bother you still. Much of the room is full of fine tables, chairs, recliners, and so on. A single buzzer servant manages the bar area and carries drinks to and fro. Looks like the servants wear many hats, with them being so few in number.
A well-groomed manus dressed in the uniform of the White Cloaks is reclining in the corner of the room. Head-Taker and Deadliest Vile sit around one of the tables close to the entrance and look very giddy, perhaps at Belt's expense.
“I was wondering when you'd show up,” Deadliest says, addressing Step-There more so than you, and calls for four more drinks.
---
...2d6+Constitution
Relevant skill: Survival
Result: 5; Partial Success with Heavy Consequences!
Relevant skill: Survival
Result: 5; Partial Success with Heavy Consequences!
“So do you ever stand on your hindquarters like one of then normal people?” Deadliest asks Head-Taker.
“Only when I wield the axe. My jaw gets tired otherwise,” Head-Taker growls in response.
After imbibing much alcohol, the beholder has turned a queer pink in color and now he kind of reminds you of a giant testicle monster. You let him know that this is what you think. Then you laugh like an idiot.
Deadliest turns to you, then puts a tentacle on your shoulder. You suddenly feel very afraid.
“You're alright, you know? Sorry about earlier,” he says, then slaps you on the back with the force rivaling the blow from earlier. Your face is now very close to the table for some reason.
“Hello, uhm, gentlepeople,” a voice from above booms.
Your head feels very heavy, so instead of raising it off the table you turn it and stare directly at the crotch of the speaker's pants. Huh, the pants of these guard uniforms don't have buttons...how inconvenient. You suddenly have the urge to visit the latrine.
“I am Silver, the lieutenant of the White Cloaks. I hope that you are enjoying Lord-Foreman Sees-It's company and feel safe and secure with my men around."
“Fuck off,” Deadliest says.
The crotch sways out of your field of vision. The table shakes with laughter. You laugh also, hurting your jaw on the table. You think you may have chipped a tooth.
Mighty tentacles wrap around your body and rearrange it so that your head is upright again. You plead with Deadliest not to hurt you. He promises that he won't.
“Say, Step-There, perhaps a few more drinks for courage?” Head-Taker offers.
“What are you talking about, beastlike? The manus is all wobbly.” Deadliest replies, confused. You nod in agreement.
“I think that might just be your vision.”
"Oh..." Deadliest says, then holds up a tentacle and stares at it for a few seconds, before adding, "yeah, I think you might be right."
“I'm alright,” Step-There says, awkwardly eyeing his empty glass. “Well, I suppose I will call it a night...”
Despite his words, he sits around for a minute or two before leaving the room. His departure reminds you that you wanted to go to the latrine, so you do.
In the latrine, you think about Lady Loyalty. After an hour of fruitless thinking, you stumble around the hallway until you finally find your room, then collapse on the bed. A rectangle of blue on the wall manages to catch your attention somehow. Shit, its the schematic; you must have stumbled into Step-There's room. You should flee at once... you don't want him to think that you fancy other races or worse, that you are a pederast. You stumble outside and open the door to your right – your rooms are next to each other, so this must be it...
“Uhm,” Step-There says, standing in the middle of the room. “Get out.”
Your eyes wide. The traitor! You trusted him, and now he is in your room, probably digging through your belongings! You brandish your fists and advance on him, ready for a fight to the death.
“No, seriously. Leave. Please?”
The villain does not appear to be intimidated, so you start yelling at the top of your lungs. Grab-bastard! Thief! Rapist! What are you doing in my room!?
“What? This is my room,” the thieving, raping grab-bastard replies.
He lunges before you are able to strike, grabbing you with four of his hands, one on each of your fists and shoulders. Your spirit is broken; you have lost the will to fight.
“Calm now, Strider. We got little slips with our room numbers on them in the afternoon, remember? Mine had a six on it, same as the number of this room. What has led you to the conclusion that this is your room?” Step-There speaks slowly, as if talking to a small child. What a fucking moron – there are clearly no children here.
You mumble something about a blueprint.
“A bluewhat?”
You turn your head to the blueprint on the wall. Wait. Oh...
The manus shakes his head. “There is one in every bedroom...” he says, then begins moving. With surprising speed he pushes you back to the door and deposits you outside.
---
That night, memories...
Terrified, strained breathing. Shaky appendages clutch weapons desperately. The three of you are in a cavern of meat, hot all over, the churning of gargantuan organs heavy on your ears. With every cut and chop, the flesh before you parts with a squelch. You strain and slash your way past the meat and bone and skin and carve out an entrance to a frigid world where a blizzard rages.
The three of you emerge from the creature's carcass and fall to the snow beneath, hyperventilating. You are all slick with its lifeblood and its heat is escaping you, fleeing in the steam coming off your thick clothing.
After a period of time that feels like eternity, you finally catch your breath and look back. The creature you just crawled out of is thrashing about in dying agony, seemingly constrained to the wall of ice behind it, unable to hurt you. The mad wind carries its howl. The blizzard is so heavy that you are unable to see the creature's features, only its monolithic silhouette and its flesh pale, turning into a crimson smear at the belly...
“Whisper! Cast us a shelter or something offensive, quickly! They are coming closer!” Step-There shouts.
You turn to look and see stocky silhouettes in the distance, moving towards you through the blizzard.
“Whisper?! What are you doing, Demiurge take you?! Whisper!!”
Whisper has already found balance on his tentacles and is ignoring Step-There's desperate shouting. The beholder is facing the creature that had just stopped moving. With no strength to stand you shuffle over to him on all fours and cling to his tentacles, asking him what's wrong.
“We've killed it,” he replies in a voice you can barely hear over the sound of the blizzard.
“It is too late, they are closing in! We must find a portal out – look, see how the snow parts to your left! It must be it!” the manus screams into your ear.
You barely stand up and grab one of Whisper's tentacles, pulling him along. He lashes out at you, and you fall on your back. You look up, expecting to find him looking back at you, but he continues solemnly examining the massive carcass.
Manus hands wrap themselves around you, dragging you away. You start pleading, tears in your eyes. Please, Whisper, let's go home now...it is so cold here. Step-There, come back for him! You hear me? I will fucking kill you if you leave him!
Why, old friend? Why this, why now, why...
---
You wake up in a cold sweat. It is still dark and your head feels like it had been run over by a dozen carriages all at once. Despite this, you have no urge to sleep.
Last night was a mistake, you think as you rub your temples.
You get up from the bed and pull back the blinds. The Shard's atmosphere casts a slight light onto the surface. You were probably drinking past midnight last night, so it must have been a few hours since then-
There is a beholder in a servant's uniform lurking near the stable, looking up at the second floor of the house. You shut the blinds quickly and fall onto the bed, breathing heavily. Your heart races and so do your thoughts.
You are positive you have seen every servant in the house, with them being so few in number, and all of them are buzzers. Could it be that this is a servant who only works outside...at night? But the servant's quarters you've been to are basically a barrack, with all the bedding in the open. You are almost certain there were no more than eleven beds, matching the number of buzzer servants...
You spend the next several hours ruminating over this, unable to catch any sleep.
---
Morning light shines through the windows of the library on the second floor of the mance, illuminating Look-It-Up's corpse which lies face-up, stretched out on the carpet. His clothing has been cut away, revealing a myriad of cuts all over the body. The throat – the wrist of the head – has been slit. So much blood has pooled underneath the body that the original color of the carpet is unrecognizable.
All the guests are present, save for the Lady-Scribe, the interior guard separating them from Lord Sees-It who looks very much on edge. A single bespectacled buzzer servant is examining the corpse.
“The cuts look like they were made by a small blade,” the buzzer says, “such as, uhm, a knife. The vast majority of them missed important organs. The bruising around the wrists indicate that he was bound by something like a thick rope with a smooth consistency. Cord, perhaps?”
“And since not a single guard has heard a thing,” Sees-It says, giving Lieutenant Silver a deadly stare, “I assume that the deceased had been gagged.”
You take a look at the guests. Deadliest and Head-Taker appear indifferent. Step-There, shaky. Steel and Quiet, contemplative. Belt, deathly pale. And Master Flagellant? Who knows what he looks like behind the mask, but his eyes tell you naught.
“There must be signs of intrusion, surely...” Quiet says, almost to herself.
“Before we continue, why isn't the Lady-Scribe here?” Sees-It says coldly.
“She said that she does not wish to see a crime scene and that whatever you want her to know you can tell me.”
“Fine, then,” Sees-It continues. “The Book-Taker showed me his library license yesterday and asked me for permission to use this room. I agreed – he is a Book-Taker, after all. Unfortunately, when the body was found the door to the library had been unlocked-”
“You mean you let one of..these people have access to the library, too?!” Belt interrupts, outraged.
“Don't be ridiculous, Lord-Inquisitor,” Sees-It replies, waving a tentacle in dismissal. “I have granted no one else access – incidentally, no one else had requested it. And I doubt that someone who is a Censor, and a Book-Taker to boot, would forget to lock the door behind them. Also, see how the chair is disturbed, there, by the desk? Looks like the Book-Taker had been sitting at this desk, reading with his back against the door. This leaves us with two most likely conclusions: either the lock on the door was picked and the killer snuck up on the Book-Taker, or the killer was someone the Book-Taker knew and trusted enough to unlock the door for them"
You mention that you think you saw a beholder in a servant uniform by the stables last night. Sees-It gives you a strict look, then replies after a second: “That can't be possible. All the servants are accounted for, I assure you, and none are beholders. All of their uniforms are accounted for as well.”
Could it be that you were mistaken? It was terribly dark, but you were quite sure it was the servant's uniform because of the light reflected from its brass buttons, the kind that none but the servants of the mance have. Of course, an outsider could have snuck onto the grounds of the manor, or perhaps one of the guests had changed clothing...
“There is one more thing,” Sees-It continues, “Lieutenant Silver?"
“One of my men found this...in the hallway near the door, tucked partially behind the carpet. It looked as if it was dropped there by accident,” Silver produces a small piece of monogrammed fabric from his coat pocket.
“Is this not your handkerchief, Lord-Inquisitor?” Sees-It says, calmly.
“What? No, it can't be, mine is right he-” Belt objects, rifling through his pockets uselessly, his face turning red once more. “This is ludicrous!! Such an accu- I'm a fucking Inquisitor! I won't stand for this shit!!”
And with that, Lord “fucking” Inquisitor Belt leaves the room, pulling the whining Wretch along. The Master Flagellant follows him noiselessly.
“Do whatever you please, just don't try to leave!” Sees-It calls after them. “No one is going to leave this house until the killer has been neutralized. The white cloaks outside have already been told not to let anyone in or out of the mance.”
“What?! Are you insane, Sees-It?!” Steel exclaims, “you mean to trap us in here with a murderer on the loose?!”
“I mean to protect myself. Perhaps this is a crime of passion or perhaps it is the first of many to come. Perhaps the killer is one of you, or your servants, or mine, or the white cloaks, or perhaps he is an infiltrator from outside. Ultimately, the possibility exists that they may be here to kill me. All I can to is erect a living buffer between myself and them. If their goal is to isolate me before striking, they will have to do so by culling the guests, which means more murders, which means more opportunities for the killer to make a mistake and reveal themselves,” Sees-It stoically explains.
Steel says nothing for a while and merely looks down at the floor. When he looks up, his eyes are narrow and accusatory.
“I see what you are doing now,” he says, “you are responsible for this, aren't you? I bet this was a set-up from the beginning. You want to kill me that bad, huh?”
The guards separating Sees-It from the rest of the people in the room uneasily reach for their rapiers. Steel's men go for their blades.
Lord Sees-It raises a single tentacle, stopping the guards. For the first time, a smile appears on his face. Then he laughs perhaps the most genuine and hearty laugh you have heard in a very long time. Then, he speaks:
“First of all, you have some gall throwing accusations at me – you, who came here to rob me. Why is it that someone as fashionable as yourself is wearing the same cravat two days in a row? Did you really think that you could fool me into thinking that the thing around your neck wasn't a twin of that fuchsia you gifted me? It didn't take me long to realize that you had found a way to access its twin's senses. Presumably through alchemical means – your pupils are unusually dilated, aren't they? No, Silver, don't bother confiscating the thing – I am about to burn his little gift in the fireplace, so he is going to feel a rather unpleasant sensation if he chooses to keep it on. I assume that you were hoping that I'd stick that beast of yours into the vault, so that you would know its location? Please, Steel – you were never any good at playing the long con.
Second of all, why would I want to kill you? That would imply I feel threatened by you – or feel any sort of respect, or strong feeling towards you whatsoever. Did you think we were rivals, Steel? Clearly you did, otherwise you would not have brought five men with ex-freebooter backgrounds with you as guests. Tell your men to sheath their steel, Silver – Steel brought his entourage here because he is a scared little herald who is afraid that I might hurt him, not for any offensive purpose. I know what you are, Steel. You are nothing but a Lost herald playing at being a Taker because your daddy was so good at it. You inherited his business and have done well running it, but you have not expanded territory in a long while, nor have you put any rivals into the ground. There is only one path left for you to walk, and I'm afraid it is a long and painful one: decline. Your are cut out to be neither Taker nor Lord-Foreman. I know what you are and so does the rest of the Enterprising League – and we've all been laughing at you for a very long time.
Now, all of you – out. This is a library, after all.”
---
Do you find time in the morning to report to Lord Steel?
B1) Yes, and you tell him all your findings and thoughts so far.
B2) No, you avoid him and tell him you've noticed nothing of interest if confronted.
B3) You report to him, but omit something (please specify what)
What do you do in the morning? (choose 2)
C1) Consult with Deadliest Vile. The veteran freebooter's security expertise might come in handy.
C2) Consult with Head-Taker. The strange lurk is something like a bodyguard to Steel and might be knowledgeable about killings of this sort.
C3) Consult with Step-There. He seemed to have gotten to known Look-It-Up recently and may shed a light as to the killer's motive.
C4) Consult with Quiet. The shrewd manus may have noticed something that you haven't, plus she may know if Loyalty is involved...
C5) Critically analyze the killing from the information you have gathered so far. The pieces are all there, you just need to connect them.
C6) Critically analyze a related matter – the queer layout of the house and how it may relate to the location of the vault. The pieces are all there, you just need to connect them.
C7) Steal the key to Sees-It's library, then thoroughly search the scene of the crime and the library itself for clues. This is risky.
C8) Steal the key to Sees-It's study, sneak up to the third floor, and infiltrate it. You might find something interesting there. This is very risky.
C9) Do something else, please specify what.
C10) Persuade one of the following to open up to you and reveal more than they otherwise would:
a) Deadliest Vile, freebooter thug
b) Lieutenant Silver of the White Cloaks
c) Steel, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
d) Head-Taker, his close friend/rival
e) Sees-It, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
f) Belt, Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza
g) Wretch, his pet
h) Loyalty, Lady-Scribe of Demiurge's Plaza
i) Quiet, her chief servant
j) Step-There, your old companion
k) Master Flagellant, also known as the Philosopher of Pain
l) One of Sees-It's servants
m) One of Belt's servants
n) One of Loyalty's servants
Do you know who the killer is?
D1) No, not yet.
D2) Yes – someone who has infiltrated the mance from the outside.
D3) Deadliest Vile, freebooter thug
D4) Lieutenant Silver of the White Cloaks
D5) Steel, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
D6) Head-Taker, his close friend/rival
D7) Sees-It, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
D8) Belt, Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza
D9) Wretch, his pet
D10) Loyalty, Lady-Scribe of Demiurge's Plaza
D11) Quiet, her chief servant
D12) Step-There, your old companion
D13) Master Flagellant, also known as the Philosopher of Pain
D14) One of Sees-It's servants
D15) One of Belt's servants
D16) One of Loyalty's servants
Do you know who the next victim might be, if anyone?
E1) No, not yet.
E2) Yes – no one.
E3) Deadliest Vile, freebooter thug
E4) Lieutenant Silver of the White Cloaks
E5) Steel, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
E6) Head-Taker, his close friend/rival
E7) Sees-It, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
E8) Belt, Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza
E9) Wretch, his pet
E10) Loyalty, Lady-Scribe of Demiurge's Plaza
E11) Quiet, her chief servant
E12) Step-There, your old companion
E13) Master Flagellant, also known as the Philosopher of Pain
E14) One of Sees-It's servants
E15) One of Belt's servants
E16) One of Loyalty's servants
-Added Silver to the Dramatis Personae section of the journal
Reminder regarding libraries: books are controlled items, which means that people seeking to own/access books or build libraries need permits from the City Officials. Look-it-Up was a Book-Taker, which is a person responsible for investigating cases of lost & missing books, return overdue library books, all the meanwhile escorted by a Censor/Temple Guard joint force in an armored carriage or a dozen (basically a mix of librarian and SS officer).
You get -1 to your next roll due to sleep deprivation and being hungover.
As a part of this vote, you may write-in a belief move (or several) you wish to retroactively activate during the library scene.
The mance counts as a dungeon for the benefit of your rover ability.
Option C10 may be selected multiple times, for different people.
EDIT: I should clarify that C and D choices determine what your character thinks. You are*not* defining the killer like you would a write-in shard, for example.
D and E choices will be counted together as opposed to separately.
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B1
C5
C10i
D1
E1
B1
C5
C10i
D1
E1
Lithium Flower
Arcane
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2016
- Messages
- 1,832
Somewhat predictably for a CYOA, I am going to fridge this one due to wanting to concentrate more on my jobs and other obligations (still running the PnP campaign using the same setting and system and I hope you guys understand that it takes priority over this). Maybe when things settle down I might continue this, or perhaps start something new - we will see. Thank you for participating everyone. It is a shame that we didn't get around to exploring any of the other shards, but I hope you've enjoyed what was there. This CYOA did help me hammer out a few mechanics and was a nice writing exercise all around, so for that I am extremely grateful. 
Gauldur's Bait
Arbiter
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2015
- Messages
- 247
Understandable. Really enjoyed this so far even though I recently didn't participate actively.
Really enjoyed this so far even though I recently didn't participate actively.
Lithium Flower
Arcane
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2016
- Messages
- 1,832
'sup.
So I made a mistake in that I have set an expectation of daily updates from the beginning, which led to me becoming increasingly more disappointed as I could not keep up the pace. So from now on, no expectations. Updates will come when they are ready, possibly split up like Part 20.5 if I feel like it makes sense. Hopefully that seems reasonable, and the materials that I try to keep updated in the second post are an easy reference for information that may have been lost in the passage of time. If you have any questions or comments, as always feel free to post them and I will get back to you.
I have made a few changes and have come to a few realizations regarding the adventure and its system, so I will list them below. Feel free to skip the spoiler if you are bored by such things.
Tagging all the people who have previous participated in this thread:
Finally, the story so far:
To sum up your choices: You tell Step-There a part of the truth. You report everything to Lord Steel. Then you spend the rest of the morning trying to analyze the killing based on the information you already have, before finding Quiet and trying to get her to open up about everything she knows. Finally, you postpone your judgment as to who the killer is, and as to who the next victim might be.
Part 22 – Suicide's Stigma
As the crowd shuffles out the library, a foreign thought enters your mind.
Waste some time, maybe get the cooks to prepare you something, then come see me in your room.
When you next see Steel, he is sitting up on your bed, no cravat around his neck. You ask him if Whisper's accusations were true – if Steel really came here with the intent of robbing the beholder host.
“Indeed they were,” Steel says, lowering his eyes, “and he countered splendidly. Yet I stand by what I said – I am sure that Sees-It intends to kill me- to kill us! That's not to say we should discount the others, as they could very well be working with him. Besides, we don't want to be blindsided. Now, tell me what you found so far.”
Not so fast. Why the secrecy? You are the one who unknowingly risked your neck for his scheme, after all.
“If it went well, you wouldn't have known until after the deed was done. No one besides Head-Taker knew – wouldn't want anyone to take the easy way out and rat me out to Sees-It. What's the matter? You would've benefited from the spoils either way...”
He keeps his eyes on the floor as he speaks. Steel, a shamed person? In trying to keep his voice down, he somehow makes his low and grating tone even more unbearable. You decide to get on with your report, if only so that you don't have to listen to him for some time.
“Nice catch with the beholder you saw lurking outside,” Steel says after listening to you intently, “it was a good idea to press Sees-It on the issue. Did you happen to see his eyes? I was paying attention; they were full of lies. His intent was to misdirect you, the aKH- !”
He almost looks up, before a coughing fit destroys his composure. As he cleans himself up with a handkerchief, he continues:
“The Quiet girl...fascinating. Bah, Deaders and their rotten politics! Keep an eye on her, would you? I might have a use for her. As for the rest, I'm not certain that the queer geometry of this place is particularly relevant, but you are free to explore it if you think it might help. The prudent thing right now would be to figure out who really killed Look-It-Up, so that we may guard ourselves against them. Contact me our herald way if you've urgent news – otherwise, I will make sure to call on you again if I ever need anything.”
He finally looks up at you. His eyes are sharp, focused, without any trace of vulnerability you thought he may have had.
“I will bury the Eyes someday...” he mutters before slipping out of your room.
---
While your inquisitive side urges you to do some legwork and actually examine the crime scene, your cowardly side (a more tempered herald would have called this their pragmatic side, but you know very well that your zeal in the pursuit of knowledge have eliminated that part of you) instead suggests that you think the killing through based on the information you know so far. Thus you pace around, walking in tight circles around your cramped room to stimulate your mental faculties..
Of course, it doesn't help that it feels like there is an invisible maul pounding your head. After half an hour of fruitless thinking, worries start to seep in. You have very little not to worry about, after all – you are trapped in a bizarre compound, surrounded by incompetent guards and a killer on the loose. Oh, and evem if you happen to escape this situation, there may or may not be a Lord-Inquisitor on your tail. Occasionally you glance at the intriguing blueprint framed on the wall in order to calm yourself, but that only distracts you further.
Then it hits you. Sure, the situation may seem hopeless, but the only way you will have a chance of getting to the bottom of the many mysteries surrounding you is by surviving this ordeal. And to survive, you must focus...
The door is unlocked, then the manus is attacked from behind. Was the killer responsible for both? How much time passed between the two events? You picture Look-It-Up, lost in his books, hearing a knocking at the door. He sees a familiar face – perhaps someone he trusts or respects, enough to let them into the library. The manus returns to his books, sitting with his back to the door, and soon he is absorbed once more. He doesn't even notice as the other person leaves the room, leaving the door unlocked. Soon after, someone creeps into the room and assaults, binds, gags, tortures, and finally kills Look-It-Up.
It is a sound theory. While it is possible that Look-It-Up invited the killer in, it seems just as likely that there was once more person involved. Whether said person is an accomplice to the killer or simply an innocent bystander remains to be seen. Regardless, it is clear that investigating people that Look-It-Up would trust or respect enough to let into the library will be a good idea going forward. Belt immediately comes to mind, as his credentials as a Lord Inquisitor would probably entail him access to just about any library, private or otherwise, but was Look-It-Up stupid enough to let a person he has gravely offended join them in an isolated part of the mance? According to Sees-It, Look-It-Up was once a freebooter – he might have been piss-poor when it came to people, but it seems unlikely that he was utterly clueless about the danger that they may pose. Then there is Step-There, who seemed to have spent some time getting to know Look-It-Up before Steel's party departed for the mansion.
Another person who may have witnessed the murder could be the mysterious beholder servant. Perhaps they are hiding out in the grounds? Would it be worth it to sneak out and attempt to find him, if he is even still there? And what if he turns out to be the murderer, and you will be walking straight into danger?
Damn...this might be all the information you can get without investigating the scene itself. You need only swipe the keys from Sees-It, and then...
You quickly leave the room and go to find Quiet to distract yourself from such dangerous thoughts.
---
You find Quiet pacing about in front of one of the guest bedrooms on the second floor, opposite of the library. Looks like the two of you share the same quirk. Before she is in earshot, however, a passing guard pulls you aside. You ask him what he wants.
“If the murderer is found by one of the guests, a sum of five thousand coin will be split between the surviving guests as compensation. If anyone speaks of this in public, the offer shall be nullified.”
The words come out almost mechanically – a rehearsed message. The guard gets back to his patrol.
Well, the message certainly came from a Taker – they understand the profit motive well.
Quiet seems almost startled by your approach.
“Shardwalker? What is it that you want?”
Thinking? you ask.
“That, and waiting. The Lady left and...well, she left, that is all.”
The head servant closes up, unconsciously moving her arms towards her chest. She seems troubled, but remembers to be discreet. You need to be tactful to get anything out of her...
You tell her that it is clear that both of you are intelligent people, thrust into consequences beyond their control. Such minds should always work together, lest they perish, which is a principle you think applies in the City as well as on any other shard. That is when you take a step towards her and she practically jumps back.
“I must be clear that I have only fraternized with you earlier without the knowledge of your party's intention to rob the Lord-Foreman,” she says, almost desperately, “I will not be threatened into any of you schemes. Persist, and I...and I will call the guards!”
You try to tell her that there was no threat, that you've had no knowledge of Steel's plans, that she misunderstood, but she leaves in haste. You might dress yourself into fine fashions, eat, and even attempt to talk with these people but that does not change the fact that they are civilized folk and you are a lowly mercenary. Did Quiet really think your association with the would-be robbers too dangerous, or was she repulsed by your Suicide's stigma? After all, now that the situation she found herself in turned deadly, why would she put her trust into a freebooter, too curious for his own good and infatuated by the deadly distant Shards and the corruptive Void...
You are used to people abandoning you. Still, you can't help but feel dissapointed.
It is now the midday. What do you plan to do? (choose 2)
A1) Consult with Deadliest Vile. The veteran freebooter's security expertise might come in handy.
A2) Consult with Head-Taker. The strange lurk is something like a bodyguard to Steel and might be knowledgeable about killings of this sort.
A3) Consult with Step-There. He seemed to have gotten to known Look-It-Up recently and may shed a light as to the killer's motive.
A4) Try to follow and keep an eye out on Quiet. You still don't know what worries her, and Steel seemed interested in her.
A5) Try to find Loyalty. She “left”, apparently, but where to?
A6) Critically analyze a related matter – the queer layout of the house and how it may relate to the location of the vault. The pieces are all there, you just need to connect them.
A7) Steal the key to Sees-It's library, then thoroughly search the scene of the crime and the library itself for clues. This is risky.
A8) Steal the key to Sees-It's study, sneak up to the third floor, and infiltrate it. You might find something interesting there. This is very risky.
A9) Attempt to sneak out into the grounds and search them for the mysterious beholder.
a) Do so by climbing out of your room's window and sneaking past the exterior guards.
b) Do so by collaborating with Head-Taker, whose lurk properties may be useful in this.
c) Do so by promising Silver, the lieutenant of the guards, Steel's favour if he has his men look the other way.
Add a + to this vote if you wish to flee the mansion instead.
A10) Persuade one of the following to open up to you and reveal more than they otherwise would:
a) Deadliest Vile, freebooter thug
b) Lieutenant Silver of the White Cloaks
c) Steel, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
d) Head-Taker, his close friend/rival
e) Sees-It, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
f) Belt, Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza
g) Wretch, his pet
h) Step-There, your old companion
i) Master Flagellant, also known as the Philosopher of Pain
A11) Do something else, please specify what.
Do you know who the killer is?
B1) No, not yet.
B2) Yes – someone who has infiltrated the mance from the outside.
B3) Deadliest Vile, freebooter thug
B4) Lieutenant Silver of the White Cloaks
B5) Steel, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
B6) Head-Taker, his close friend/rival
B7) Sees-It, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
B8) Belt, Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza
B9) Wretch, his pet
B10) Loyalty, Lady-Scribe of Demiurge's Plaza
B11) Quiet, her chief servant
B12) Step-There, your old companion
B13) Master Flagellant, also known as the Philosopher of Pain
B14) One of Sees-It's servants
B15) One of Belt's servants
B16) One of Loyalty's servants
Do you know who the next victim might be, if anyone?
C1) No, not yet.
C2) Yes – no one.
C3) Deadliest Vile, freebooter thug
C4) Lieutenant Silver of the White Cloaks
C5) Steel, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
C6) Head-Taker, his close friend/rival
C7) Sees-It, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
C8) Belt, Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza
C9) Wretch, his pet
C10) Loyalty, Lady-Scribe of Demiurge's Plaza
C11) Quiet, her chief servant
C12) Step-There, your old companion
C13) Master Flagellant, also known as the Philosopher of Pain
C14) One of Sees-It's servants
C15) One of Belt's servants
C16) One of Loyalty's servants
-Strider has been advanced to level 2, gaining +1 health bonus.
-Updated some of the sections of the Goods & Services slightly.
Note on choices B and C: trying to predict who the murderer and the next victim may be might give you an advantage as you will anticipate their next moves. However, making the wrong assumption will leave you blindsided. Consider the information you have received so far carefully and vote to postpone your prediction if you are not sure.
So I made a mistake in that I have set an expectation of daily updates from the beginning, which led to me becoming increasingly more disappointed as I could not keep up the pace. So from now on, no expectations. Updates will come when they are ready, possibly split up like Part 20.5 if I feel like it makes sense. Hopefully that seems reasonable, and the materials that I try to keep updated in the second post are an easy reference for information that may have been lost in the passage of time. If you have any questions or comments, as always feel free to post them and I will get back to you.
I have made a few changes and have come to a few realizations regarding the adventure and its system, so I will list them below. Feel free to skip the spoiler if you are bored by such things.
1. In my absence I realized that the format I chose for this CYOA (that is, trying to keep it as close to a tabletop roleplaying game as possible, and rather open-ended), while useful for the purposes of play-testing various mechanics, is actually not focused enough for a good CYOA game. I will not be dramatically altering the format, however I now have a better idea of the game's length and how best to railroad focus it. Hopefully this means this particular CYOA might actually be finished instead of being abandoned, though this does mean that this is not going to be an infinite sandbox where you will necessarily make it to level 10. Any CYOAs I run in the future (modifying this system to work with a cyberpunk setting currently and am really fucking excited about it) will probably be fairly short, maybe vignette-based, maybe with multiple points of view of an overarching plot – think of grosnik's or MercantileInterest's adventures.
2. Because of 1, I realized that the XP system is pants and will dramatically simplify it. Succeeding at a mission (success being interpreted pretty generously) will lead to an increase in level. I figure that recovering Whisper's belongings counts as your first mission, you congratulations – you are level 2. Bonuses right now are pretty tame, just +1 health bonus, but if you don't fuck up your current mission you will be able to pick up some extra skills and abilities.
3. Over the course of several pnp sessions of this game, and in my infinite wisdom, I realized that in a quasi-Victorian pseudo-Steampunk setting where steam engine-driven undead worms and airships are common means of transport, ordinary beast-driven carriages should probably exist. This means that an option to get somewhere cheaper, and at a much slower rate, is now available. I have also added some rudimentary rules regarding the postal services and associated costs, as well as a time system to track how much time each method of transportation/message delivery takes, but the former is mostly behind the scenes and the latter probably won't be used in a text medium so there is that.
4. I will be sure to add more opportunities for player-created (or atleast player-picked) wards and races! My pnp game has greatly contributed from the fact that the setting is partially player-created and I think it would work well in this format as well.
2. Because of 1, I realized that the XP system is pants and will dramatically simplify it. Succeeding at a mission (success being interpreted pretty generously) will lead to an increase in level. I figure that recovering Whisper's belongings counts as your first mission, you congratulations – you are level 2. Bonuses right now are pretty tame, just +1 health bonus, but if you don't fuck up your current mission you will be able to pick up some extra skills and abilities.
3. Over the course of several pnp sessions of this game, and in my infinite wisdom, I realized that in a quasi-Victorian pseudo-Steampunk setting where steam engine-driven undead worms and airships are common means of transport, ordinary beast-driven carriages should probably exist. This means that an option to get somewhere cheaper, and at a much slower rate, is now available. I have also added some rudimentary rules regarding the postal services and associated costs, as well as a time system to track how much time each method of transportation/message delivery takes, but the former is mostly behind the scenes and the latter probably won't be used in a text medium so there is that.
4. I will be sure to add more opportunities for player-created (or atleast player-picked) wards and races! My pnp game has greatly contributed from the fact that the setting is partially player-created and I think it would work well in this format as well.
Tagging all the people who have previous participated in this thread:
hello friend
Nevill
Azira
Kz3r0
oscar
MercantileInterest
Grimgravy
a bear named spigot
Gauldur's Bait
Obsequtious Obsequouti Obsequious Approbash FUCK Obsequious Approbation
Storyfag
Kipeci
Nevill
Azira
Kz3r0
oscar
MercantileInterest
Grimgravy
a bear named spigot
Gauldur's Bait
Storyfag
Kipeci
Finally, the story so far:
You are Strider, a herald who once made a living exploring other shards with a partner and an old friend, beholder sorcerer Whisper. Some time ago you have found yourself transported into the belly of a giant creature when trying to teleport to the Cold Shard, after which Whisper appeared to have been overcome with unspecified guilt, forcing you to flee the Shard with him still on it. He reappeared sometime during the Shard's absorption by the Deimurge and his City, but managed to avoid your numerous attempts to reconnect with him. Your separation forced you to become a freebooter, sometimes selling your services as a shardwalker and other times as a lowly mercenary.
Around four days ago, you received a letter from Whisper, who – apparently dying and/or delirious – requested that you recover some of his belongings. Around the same time you have had a brand new gambeson...appear in your apartment while you were out, with a note suggesting that you visit a door at the end of an endless hallway in the Termitarium ward for assistance, information, and employment opportunities.
You have successfully recovered Whisper's belongings – specifically, a fleshy sphere with changing anatomy, and a large vial of senses stored in beholder excrement - from a shack of a manus whore recently executed for miscegenation (Whisper sure kept strange bedfellows...hopefully not literally in this case). In doing so, you met a strange killer that spread chaos throughout an area of the Voidship Yards with a single murder, and were spotted by an Inquisitor's spy. You also heard alien thoughts in your head, like herald telepathy, yet with no apparent source. Fearing persecution, you moved quickly to offload the items to your sorcerer accomplice Knowns, who agreed to study Whisper's belongings in exchange for either 200 gold, or by telling him of how one feels when imbibing a potion of Freefall on the Shard of Curious Depths (Knows provided the potion and suggested that you see Veil, a magic user who hunts for portals, to find a safe portal to the Shard).
To pay the rent, you decided to work for Lord-Foreman Steel, a notorious member of the Enterprising League, by simply accompanying him to a party at the house of his rival, Lord-Foreman Sees-It. There you reconnect with Step-There, a fellow shardwalker who has travelled wide but never far, and was a member of your final voyage to the Cold Shard with Whisper. Though he inquired about Whisper' state, you chose to only disclose a part of the truth to him, as you do not fully trust him yet.
The party itself is perplexing. Your initial impression of it as a dull affair seems to conceal curious depths, rivalries, and flaring passions bubbling beneath its surface – not to mention the strange geometry of Sees-It's peculiar mance. While the first day goes by in a fairly mundane fashion, the second day starts with the dead body of Look-It-Up, one of Steel's companions, being discovered in the mance's library. While it is unclear who is responsible, Strideru-san is on the case! He will develop an emotional connection with as many chinese school girls as possible before watching them brutally amputated and slaughtered by an obsessive killer!
Except he won't, because there are no taiwanese maidens here, nor amputations (yet.) There is only Torment.
Torment on the Shards
Around four days ago, you received a letter from Whisper, who – apparently dying and/or delirious – requested that you recover some of his belongings. Around the same time you have had a brand new gambeson...appear in your apartment while you were out, with a note suggesting that you visit a door at the end of an endless hallway in the Termitarium ward for assistance, information, and employment opportunities.
You have successfully recovered Whisper's belongings – specifically, a fleshy sphere with changing anatomy, and a large vial of senses stored in beholder excrement - from a shack of a manus whore recently executed for miscegenation (Whisper sure kept strange bedfellows...hopefully not literally in this case). In doing so, you met a strange killer that spread chaos throughout an area of the Voidship Yards with a single murder, and were spotted by an Inquisitor's spy. You also heard alien thoughts in your head, like herald telepathy, yet with no apparent source. Fearing persecution, you moved quickly to offload the items to your sorcerer accomplice Knowns, who agreed to study Whisper's belongings in exchange for either 200 gold, or by telling him of how one feels when imbibing a potion of Freefall on the Shard of Curious Depths (Knows provided the potion and suggested that you see Veil, a magic user who hunts for portals, to find a safe portal to the Shard).
To pay the rent, you decided to work for Lord-Foreman Steel, a notorious member of the Enterprising League, by simply accompanying him to a party at the house of his rival, Lord-Foreman Sees-It. There you reconnect with Step-There, a fellow shardwalker who has travelled wide but never far, and was a member of your final voyage to the Cold Shard with Whisper. Though he inquired about Whisper' state, you chose to only disclose a part of the truth to him, as you do not fully trust him yet.
The party itself is perplexing. Your initial impression of it as a dull affair seems to conceal curious depths, rivalries, and flaring passions bubbling beneath its surface – not to mention the strange geometry of Sees-It's peculiar mance. While the first day goes by in a fairly mundane fashion, the second day starts with the dead body of Look-It-Up, one of Steel's companions, being discovered in the mance's library. While it is unclear who is responsible, Strideru-san is on the case! He will develop an emotional connection with as many chinese school girls as possible before watching them brutally amputated and slaughtered by an obsessive killer!
Except he won't, because there are no taiwanese maidens here, nor amputations (yet.) There is only Torment.
Torment on the Shards
To sum up your choices: You tell Step-There a part of the truth. You report everything to Lord Steel. Then you spend the rest of the morning trying to analyze the killing based on the information you already have, before finding Quiet and trying to get her to open up about everything she knows. Finally, you postpone your judgment as to who the killer is, and as to who the next victim might be.
Part 22 – Suicide's Stigma
As the crowd shuffles out the library, a foreign thought enters your mind.
Waste some time, maybe get the cooks to prepare you something, then come see me in your room.
When you next see Steel, he is sitting up on your bed, no cravat around his neck. You ask him if Whisper's accusations were true – if Steel really came here with the intent of robbing the beholder host.
“Indeed they were,” Steel says, lowering his eyes, “and he countered splendidly. Yet I stand by what I said – I am sure that Sees-It intends to kill me- to kill us! That's not to say we should discount the others, as they could very well be working with him. Besides, we don't want to be blindsided. Now, tell me what you found so far.”
Not so fast. Why the secrecy? You are the one who unknowingly risked your neck for his scheme, after all.
“If it went well, you wouldn't have known until after the deed was done. No one besides Head-Taker knew – wouldn't want anyone to take the easy way out and rat me out to Sees-It. What's the matter? You would've benefited from the spoils either way...”
He keeps his eyes on the floor as he speaks. Steel, a shamed person? In trying to keep his voice down, he somehow makes his low and grating tone even more unbearable. You decide to get on with your report, if only so that you don't have to listen to him for some time.
“Nice catch with the beholder you saw lurking outside,” Steel says after listening to you intently, “it was a good idea to press Sees-It on the issue. Did you happen to see his eyes? I was paying attention; they were full of lies. His intent was to misdirect you, the aKH- !”
He almost looks up, before a coughing fit destroys his composure. As he cleans himself up with a handkerchief, he continues:
“The Quiet girl...fascinating. Bah, Deaders and their rotten politics! Keep an eye on her, would you? I might have a use for her. As for the rest, I'm not certain that the queer geometry of this place is particularly relevant, but you are free to explore it if you think it might help. The prudent thing right now would be to figure out who really killed Look-It-Up, so that we may guard ourselves against them. Contact me our herald way if you've urgent news – otherwise, I will make sure to call on you again if I ever need anything.”
He finally looks up at you. His eyes are sharp, focused, without any trace of vulnerability you thought he may have had.
“I will bury the Eyes someday...” he mutters before slipping out of your room.
---
While your inquisitive side urges you to do some legwork and actually examine the crime scene, your cowardly side (a more tempered herald would have called this their pragmatic side, but you know very well that your zeal in the pursuit of knowledge have eliminated that part of you) instead suggests that you think the killing through based on the information you know so far. Thus you pace around, walking in tight circles around your cramped room to stimulate your mental faculties..
...2d6+Intelligence
Malus: -1, due to being hungover!
Result: 7; Partial Success!
Malus: -1, due to being hungover!
Result: 7; Partial Success!
Of course, it doesn't help that it feels like there is an invisible maul pounding your head. After half an hour of fruitless thinking, worries start to seep in. You have very little not to worry about, after all – you are trapped in a bizarre compound, surrounded by incompetent guards and a killer on the loose. Oh, and evem if you happen to escape this situation, there may or may not be a Lord-Inquisitor on your tail. Occasionally you glance at the intriguing blueprint framed on the wall in order to calm yourself, but that only distracts you further.
Then it hits you. Sure, the situation may seem hopeless, but the only way you will have a chance of getting to the bottom of the many mysteries surrounding you is by surviving this ordeal. And to survive, you must focus...
The door is unlocked, then the manus is attacked from behind. Was the killer responsible for both? How much time passed between the two events? You picture Look-It-Up, lost in his books, hearing a knocking at the door. He sees a familiar face – perhaps someone he trusts or respects, enough to let them into the library. The manus returns to his books, sitting with his back to the door, and soon he is absorbed once more. He doesn't even notice as the other person leaves the room, leaving the door unlocked. Soon after, someone creeps into the room and assaults, binds, gags, tortures, and finally kills Look-It-Up.
It is a sound theory. While it is possible that Look-It-Up invited the killer in, it seems just as likely that there was once more person involved. Whether said person is an accomplice to the killer or simply an innocent bystander remains to be seen. Regardless, it is clear that investigating people that Look-It-Up would trust or respect enough to let into the library will be a good idea going forward. Belt immediately comes to mind, as his credentials as a Lord Inquisitor would probably entail him access to just about any library, private or otherwise, but was Look-It-Up stupid enough to let a person he has gravely offended join them in an isolated part of the mance? According to Sees-It, Look-It-Up was once a freebooter – he might have been piss-poor when it came to people, but it seems unlikely that he was utterly clueless about the danger that they may pose. Then there is Step-There, who seemed to have spent some time getting to know Look-It-Up before Steel's party departed for the mansion.
Another person who may have witnessed the murder could be the mysterious beholder servant. Perhaps they are hiding out in the grounds? Would it be worth it to sneak out and attempt to find him, if he is even still there? And what if he turns out to be the murderer, and you will be walking straight into danger?
Damn...this might be all the information you can get without investigating the scene itself. You need only swipe the keys from Sees-It, and then...
You quickly leave the room and go to find Quiet to distract yourself from such dangerous thoughts.
---
You find Quiet pacing about in front of one of the guest bedrooms on the second floor, opposite of the library. Looks like the two of you share the same quirk. Before she is in earshot, however, a passing guard pulls you aside. You ask him what he wants.
“If the murderer is found by one of the guests, a sum of five thousand coin will be split between the surviving guests as compensation. If anyone speaks of this in public, the offer shall be nullified.”
The words come out almost mechanically – a rehearsed message. The guard gets back to his patrol.
Well, the message certainly came from a Taker – they understand the profit motive well.
Quiet seems almost startled by your approach.
“Shardwalker? What is it that you want?”
Thinking? you ask.
“That, and waiting. The Lady left and...well, she left, that is all.”
The head servant closes up, unconsciously moving her arms towards her chest. She seems troubled, but remembers to be discreet. You need to be tactful to get anything out of her...
...2d6+Charisma
Bonus: +1, due to clothes!
Result: 5; Failure!
Bonus: +1, due to clothes!
Result: 5; Failure!
You tell her that it is clear that both of you are intelligent people, thrust into consequences beyond their control. Such minds should always work together, lest they perish, which is a principle you think applies in the City as well as on any other shard. That is when you take a step towards her and she practically jumps back.
“I must be clear that I have only fraternized with you earlier without the knowledge of your party's intention to rob the Lord-Foreman,” she says, almost desperately, “I will not be threatened into any of you schemes. Persist, and I...and I will call the guards!”
You try to tell her that there was no threat, that you've had no knowledge of Steel's plans, that she misunderstood, but she leaves in haste. You might dress yourself into fine fashions, eat, and even attempt to talk with these people but that does not change the fact that they are civilized folk and you are a lowly mercenary. Did Quiet really think your association with the would-be robbers too dangerous, or was she repulsed by your Suicide's stigma? After all, now that the situation she found herself in turned deadly, why would she put her trust into a freebooter, too curious for his own good and infatuated by the deadly distant Shards and the corruptive Void...
You are used to people abandoning you. Still, you can't help but feel dissapointed.
It is now the midday. What do you plan to do? (choose 2)
A1) Consult with Deadliest Vile. The veteran freebooter's security expertise might come in handy.
A2) Consult with Head-Taker. The strange lurk is something like a bodyguard to Steel and might be knowledgeable about killings of this sort.
A3) Consult with Step-There. He seemed to have gotten to known Look-It-Up recently and may shed a light as to the killer's motive.
A4) Try to follow and keep an eye out on Quiet. You still don't know what worries her, and Steel seemed interested in her.
A5) Try to find Loyalty. She “left”, apparently, but where to?
A6) Critically analyze a related matter – the queer layout of the house and how it may relate to the location of the vault. The pieces are all there, you just need to connect them.
A7) Steal the key to Sees-It's library, then thoroughly search the scene of the crime and the library itself for clues. This is risky.
A8) Steal the key to Sees-It's study, sneak up to the third floor, and infiltrate it. You might find something interesting there. This is very risky.
A9) Attempt to sneak out into the grounds and search them for the mysterious beholder.
a) Do so by climbing out of your room's window and sneaking past the exterior guards.
b) Do so by collaborating with Head-Taker, whose lurk properties may be useful in this.
c) Do so by promising Silver, the lieutenant of the guards, Steel's favour if he has his men look the other way.
Add a + to this vote if you wish to flee the mansion instead.
A10) Persuade one of the following to open up to you and reveal more than they otherwise would:
a) Deadliest Vile, freebooter thug
b) Lieutenant Silver of the White Cloaks
c) Steel, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
d) Head-Taker, his close friend/rival
e) Sees-It, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
f) Belt, Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza
g) Wretch, his pet
h) Step-There, your old companion
i) Master Flagellant, also known as the Philosopher of Pain
A11) Do something else, please specify what.
Do you know who the killer is?
B1) No, not yet.
B2) Yes – someone who has infiltrated the mance from the outside.
B3) Deadliest Vile, freebooter thug
B4) Lieutenant Silver of the White Cloaks
B5) Steel, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
B6) Head-Taker, his close friend/rival
B7) Sees-It, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
B8) Belt, Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza
B9) Wretch, his pet
B10) Loyalty, Lady-Scribe of Demiurge's Plaza
B11) Quiet, her chief servant
B12) Step-There, your old companion
B13) Master Flagellant, also known as the Philosopher of Pain
B14) One of Sees-It's servants
B15) One of Belt's servants
B16) One of Loyalty's servants
Do you know who the next victim might be, if anyone?
C1) No, not yet.
C2) Yes – no one.
C3) Deadliest Vile, freebooter thug
C4) Lieutenant Silver of the White Cloaks
C5) Steel, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
C6) Head-Taker, his close friend/rival
C7) Sees-It, Lord-Foreman of the Gambit Badlands
C8) Belt, Lord-Inquisitor of Demiurge's Plaza
C9) Wretch, his pet
C10) Loyalty, Lady-Scribe of Demiurge's Plaza
C11) Quiet, her chief servant
C12) Step-There, your old companion
C13) Master Flagellant, also known as the Philosopher of Pain
C14) One of Sees-It's servants
C15) One of Belt's servants
C16) One of Loyalty's servants
-Strider has been advanced to level 2, gaining +1 health bonus.
-Updated some of the sections of the Goods & Services slightly.
Note on choices B and C: trying to predict who the murderer and the next victim may be might give you an advantage as you will anticipate their next moves. However, making the wrong assumption will leave you blindsided. Consider the information you have received so far carefully and vote to postpone your prediction if you are not sure.
Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
Okay, caught up... it's a beautiful setup.
It's a peculiar experience when you read the last update and then the ones that lead up to it... noticing that Steel doesn't wear his cravat anymore struck me as weird, so I wanted to raise that point... and got ninja-d by the penultimate update. Also knowing the victim and knowing the scene Looks-It-Up caused prior made me think someone wants to implicate LI Belt... before it had been made clear in our face by someone stucking his hankerchief near the crime scene. How did the killer get a hold of that, anyway? Did Belt come by the last night, and was he the guest whom Looks-It-Up invited inside? I can't imagine Belt wanting to talk to the manus, or their potential conversation being the quiet kind that would make the manus return to his books.
The question is, who would benefit from such an accusation, and what's their goal?
So we know three beholders: Sees-It, Deadliest, and Master Flagellant. By laws of the genre, Chinese are not allowed, which means we must have seen one of the three.
The Lady Scribe is a mystery, I can't really make a jab at her possible motive yet. Was she trying to plant something into our clothes yesterday?
What's the number on the slip we've got (i.e. our room), anyway? And is this important? What's the significance of a blueprint? What's up with the rooms and the layout? The blueprints are a map for navigating the manor-maze, aren't they? What's the reason Sees-It threw up this ill-fated party in his vault, of all places? Is there a transfer of something that is supposed to take place? So many questions...
I suspect Quiet may turn out to be the next victim. How do we keep an eye on her? Is A4 our only bet?
Do you know who the next victim might be, if anyone?
C11) Quiet, Loyalty's chief servant
A9) Attempt to sneak out into the grounds and search them for the mysterious beholder.
b) Do so by collaborating with Head-Taker, whose lurk properties may be useful in this.
I do not trust Head-Taker there at all, but he might help us finding the next piece of the puzzle. Even if he's involed, it might be worth his time to point us to another suspect.
A3) Consult with Step-There. He seemed to have gotten to known Look-It-Up recently and may shed a light as to the killer's motive.
(+) ask him to keep an eye on Quiet, if possible.
We need someone we - relatively - trust to work together on this, since we can't be everywhere, and it might be possible to enlist a fellow Shardwalker to keep an eye on some things (re: Quiet) for us. We worked once already, and even though we didn't part on best terms, it's better than what we can say about everyone else. As for an incentive for him, I suppose 'not dying to a murderer' and 'not getting the employer killed' would do.
He has a reason to fear Belt, but to try and frame Lord-Inquisitor just for that in the middle of a petty political snakefight? Naaah.
It's a peculiar experience when you read the last update and then the ones that lead up to it... noticing that Steel doesn't wear his cravat anymore struck me as weird, so I wanted to raise that point... and got ninja-d by the penultimate update. Also knowing the victim and knowing the scene Looks-It-Up caused prior made me think someone wants to implicate LI Belt... before it had been made clear in our face by someone stucking his hankerchief near the crime scene. How did the killer get a hold of that, anyway? Did Belt come by the last night, and was he the guest whom Looks-It-Up invited inside? I can't imagine Belt wanting to talk to the manus, or their potential conversation being the quiet kind that would make the manus return to his books.
The question is, who would benefit from such an accusation, and what's their goal?
So we know three beholders: Sees-It, Deadliest, and Master Flagellant. By laws of the genre, Chinese are not allowed, which means we must have seen one of the three.
The Lady Scribe is a mystery, I can't really make a jab at her possible motive yet. Was she trying to plant something into our clothes yesterday?
What's the number on the slip we've got (i.e. our room), anyway? And is this important? What's the significance of a blueprint? What's up with the rooms and the layout? The blueprints are a map for navigating the manor-maze, aren't they? What's the reason Sees-It threw up this ill-fated party in his vault, of all places? Is there a transfer of something that is supposed to take place? So many questions...
I suspect Quiet may turn out to be the next victim. How do we keep an eye on her? Is A4 our only bet?
Do you know who the next victim might be, if anyone?
C11) Quiet, Loyalty's chief servant
A9) Attempt to sneak out into the grounds and search them for the mysterious beholder.
b) Do so by collaborating with Head-Taker, whose lurk properties may be useful in this.
I do not trust Head-Taker there at all, but he might help us finding the next piece of the puzzle. Even if he's involed, it might be worth his time to point us to another suspect.
A3) Consult with Step-There. He seemed to have gotten to known Look-It-Up recently and may shed a light as to the killer's motive.
(+) ask him to keep an eye on Quiet, if possible.
We need someone we - relatively - trust to work together on this, since we can't be everywhere, and it might be possible to enlist a fellow Shardwalker to keep an eye on some things (re: Quiet) for us. We worked once already, and even though we didn't part on best terms, it's better than what we can say about everyone else. As for an incentive for him, I suppose 'not dying to a murderer' and 'not getting the employer killed' would do.
He has a reason to fear Belt, but to try and frame Lord-Inquisitor just for that in the middle of a petty political snakefight? Naaah.
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Lithium Flower
Arcane
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2016
- Messages
- 1,832
Great post, Inspector Nevill!
To be honest, the "number on the slip" is deliberately ambiguous because I didn't want to think of a plausible number of rooms for a building of that size. So it is not terribly significant per se, although it does speak somewhat of its peculiar layout (after all, those guest rooms are just other uniformly small rooms which have been re-purposed to be guest rooms).
Keeping an eye on Quiet could be done through A4 or C11. The former means you will physically shadow her, whereas predicting her as the next victim might entail that Strider puts precautions in place - like warning her or telling someone else to keep an eye on her (like you just suggested, and yeah, telling Step-There to keep an eye on Quiet is totally possible).
EDIT: Also don't forget you have belief moves, and that you should specify if you are going to use them for the actions you are planning t do.
To be honest, the "number on the slip" is deliberately ambiguous because I didn't want to think of a plausible number of rooms for a building of that size. So it is not terribly significant per se, although it does speak somewhat of its peculiar layout (after all, those guest rooms are just other uniformly small rooms which have been re-purposed to be guest rooms).
Keeping an eye on Quiet could be done through A4 or C11. The former means you will physically shadow her, whereas predicting her as the next victim might entail that Strider puts precautions in place - like warning her or telling someone else to keep an eye on her (like you just suggested, and yeah, telling Step-There to keep an eye on Quiet is totally possible).
EDIT: Also don't forget you have belief moves, and that you should specify if you are going to use them for the actions you are planning t do.
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