From 0702055ef53c405bebcf335bc475e7c558f193eb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Christopher P. Brown" Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2022 16:51:12 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] =?UTF-8?q?=F0=9F=A4=AB=20notes?= MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit --- src/notes.md | 3 +- www/index.html | 4 +- www/rss.xml | 756 +++++++++++++++++++++++----------------------- www/spoilers.html | 10 +- 4 files changed, 388 insertions(+), 385 deletions(-) diff --git a/src/notes.md b/src/notes.md index ec3524d..fb33343 100644 --- a/src/notes.md +++ b/src/notes.md @@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ updated: Sun, 27 Nov 2022 02:24:11 -0700 - Beaker (and Cio) trailing the BANDits? - Benefactor wants Crystals to kill a god - Golden Iris wants Crystals to make a new god -- Gnu Zealots seek Sitopotnia the Corn Mother (aligned with Golden Iris) +- Gnu Zealots (aligned with Golden Iris) seek to open source godhood +- Sitopotnia has offered new corn-based bodies to the cyberplasm if they can deliver to her the Quintessence - Blavin double agent with Golden Iris - BATT wants to preserve the timeline - Felixe and Corraidhin diff --git a/www/index.html b/www/index.html index 6594212..88dd658 100644 --- a/www/index.html +++ b/www/index.html @@ -330,8 +330,8 @@ of the Were-Hare

Total length: 44522 words / 190 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the length of this entire page, including all the extra bits and bobs. Not just the story.)

-

There have been 163 messages posted over 162 days since the first -post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of 1.00.

+

There have been 165 messages posted over 162 days since the first +post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of 1.01.

About

This is a game that me and the kids in the basement are playing over email.

diff --git a/www/rss.xml b/www/rss.xml index b527c37..c7863e7 100644 --- a/www/rss.xml +++ b/www/rss.xml @@ -6,113 +6,151 @@ https://tilde.town/~dozens/quest/rss.xml Friends having ADVENTURES! Huzzah! - 43 + 42 dozens@tilde.team (dozens) - 43 - Mon, 19 Dec 2022 08:03:20 + 42 - Sat, 17 Dec 2022 08:01:41 -0700 - Mon, 19 Dec 2022 08:03:25 -0700 + Sat, 17 Dec 2022 08:01:48 -0700 00043 +

00042

-

Pirates?! Again?! Alex groans, unfortunately he’s run into - this crew of dastardly mostly cybernetic punks in the past. - Nasty group back home, always kept the precinct busy. Not - necessarily with the detective work, it was always a little - obvious when they showed up. They have a flair for the - dramatic.

-

Alex shouts to Inky & Jarrod “Come on, we need to get - in one of those balloons and fast!” he then darts off in the - direction of the nearest abandoned balloon in the market - place, not looking to see if his companions had followed - him.

-

internally I know these guys have pulled off - smaller heists, they could just be attacking the hotel to - plunder riches from its guests. They don’t seem the likes of a - retrieval team.. Then again, that Blavin fellow has multiple - teams working for him, and he doesn’t seem all too picky about - how they get the job done, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’d - hired some brigands hoping they’d get the gems faster.

-

Alex conjures up another bug, a stag beetle this time, and - casts it away at the pirate ship. It’ll probably take some - time to catch up, but once it does we’ll be able to keep an - eye on the pirate’s ship and general actions, at least within - line of sight of the bug.

-

As Alex reaches the balloon he grabs the ruby hilted dagger - and cuts the mooring lines keeping it down, and jumps into the - basket preparing for take off.

+

This seems a bit strange. Certainly Blavin has been pulling + strings from behind the scenes the whole time, but why + coordinate a special escort for us when there are other + retrieval teams, and we’ve been less than amicable with the + bloke the entire time.. Alex thinks to himself.

+

DM: I’d like to check for any signs of deceit in the + toques demeanor or communcations with us

+

Confidence you said right? What would you do if I simply + chose not to accompany you? I mean, there’s a whole city + around us, perhaps I’d prefer a drink before climbing a + mountains worth of stairs. Or better yet, I could get back on + the boat and ride to the top and same myself the hassle.

-

You spot a balloon that has already been knocked half loose - of its mooring by the pirate attack. The basket is listing to - the side and tugging at the one remaining rope tying it down - Its owner scurries around in circles trying to secure it.

-

The vertical panels of the balloon are all different - colors, creating a brilliant rainbow pattern. The large woven - basket is large enough for maybe three people.

-

You leap inside, swinging the ruby hilted dagger at the - remaining mooring line. The balloon owner cries out in dismay. - The basket shifts beneath your feet as the balloon tugs it - skyward.

-

In the burner, a small sunspoke—a minor fire elemental—is - merrily burning away, producing a modest flame that is hot - enough to lift the balloon slowly above the market into the - sky. There is a knob valve on the side of the burner to allow - more oxygen to flow in, thereby feeding the sunspoke and - encouraging it to burn more intensely and raise the balloon - higher and faster. The valve is currently only about one third - open.

-

A pile of blankets in one corner of the basket—and that - area of the basket itself—is covered in blood. Somebody - injured in the pirate attack must have temporarily climbed - into the basket looking for cover? As you’re about to look - away, something large-ish (small for a human, large for an - animal) under the blankets shifts and moves.

+

Bread once again looks confused. Confidence looks + surprised, caught off guard.

+ +

Confidence sputters, “Well, yes, of course. You’ve been + traveling for some time now, haven’t you? I can assure you + that the food and drink at Runesocesius will be better than + anything you can get here! But the choice is entirely yours. + Feel free to avail yourself of the local offerings. We will + wait here at the steps for you.”

+

Bread nods slowly, and seems to trailing behind the + conversation just a second or two.

+

Their reactions seem genuine to you despite the + circumstances. They seem like a couple of low level employees + of a luxury hotel earnestly trying to follow the instructions + they’ve been given.

+

There are a couple of stalls and vendors set up around the + gondola station. Many of them serve mulled wine and hot + chocolate. There is some edible fare. Hot sandwiches and + pitas. Nothing that an empanada from Enrique’s wouldn’t put to + shame. But they look hot and steamy, and of great comfort to + anybody who might be hungry and cold. There are a few fire + pits, next to which there are long benches with blankets, + where you might sit and warm up for a bit.

+

The gondola lift ends here, and does not continue up to the + mountain any further. The cloud steps are the most common way + to get up to the peak, and to the Runesocesius. But you’re + pretty sure one or two of the stalls here offers balloon rides + up to the peak for thrill seekers and for those with + accessibility needs.

-

Inky stares after Alex’s sprinting figure before shrugging - and stepping towards one of the stalls selling sandwiches - bowled over by one of the large boulders. They place some - loose change on the stall’s wooden sign that had tipped over - on the ground and pocket one of the sandwiches displayed - inside an open chest oven. Next, they pick up several of the - scented candles scattered on the ground by the crash, throwing - some coins in the direction of the disoriented vendor before - continuing at a leisurely pace up the steps to the hotel, - taking in the balloonship and surrounding scenery. The members - of their merry party arriving first can hold their own as well - as the fort of a hotel.

+

“I think you already know I’m interested in neither bread + nor cheese, the second of which I certainly did not ask for + yet you tried to offer in your hasty pretence.” Inky smiles + thinly at the toques.

+

Taking out a small bag of gold coins and weighing it slowly + on one hand to the sound of coins clinking inside the pouch, + Inky continues, “Speak, answer our questions frankly and you + will be rewarded. The hotelier up there need not know. Breathe + a word of our little chat to another soul, however …” Inky’s + gaze cut briefly to four snow ravens perched atop a spiral + lamp post and back, “and you will learn the meaning of + disappearing without a trace.”

-

You do a little leisurely shopping as the vendors and other - shoppers put out fires and tend to the injured. With a couple - scented candles and a sandwich safely in your pocket, you - start to climb the cloud steps, enjoying the scenery as you - go. Bread and Confidence have quite a bit of a head start on - you, and are nowhere to be seen. As the stairway winds around - the mountainside, the market and its bustle recede from view, - and soon you are quite isolated and alone.

-

The majesty of creation is humbling here: the endless, - roiling ocean of cloud; the towering mountain of rock. It’s as - though this was the creator’s playground when they were still - trying to figure out scale. Before they quite got it right for - human-sized creatures.

-

About halfway up your climb, it starts raining sheets of - paper. You snatch one and read it. Some heroic fantasy about - slaying demons and facing great peril. You grab another. A - bodice-ripping romance. Another. A gourmand’s food tour of - Basmentaria, eating their way from coast to coast. A murder - mystery whodunnit. An aetherwael handler’s guide to - interplanetary travel. How to grow your own fortified - pumpkins. On the Care and Maintenance of Fortles. The Rise and - Fall and Rise of Palace Runesocesius. Within a minute, you - have fists full of an entire library’s worth of snippets and - passages.

-

~

-

It looks as though Alex will approach the hotel by balloon - from the non-pirate side. And Inky’s approach by stair will - deposit them at the hotel entrance, roughly - pirate-adjacent.

+

Bread looks confused. You are starting to believe it is + their default expression. “So, you don’t want no + chee—”

+

“Our only desire is to help!” Confidence hastily + interrupts. He smiles pleasingly. “We are your guides! Not + just physically up the steps, but in all things here on Kelsun + Peak. You have but to ask, and if it is within our power to + give it, it will be yours! We are but humble ser—”

+

And just then Confidence is also suddenly interrupted. A + thundering boom like a canon sounds from somewhere nearby, + followed quickly by an explosion somewhere up above. Snow + ravens fly off in all directions in a panic. The sound ripples + through the mountaintop, rattling the ground on which you + stand. A bunch of small rocks and two large boulders shake + loose from the mountainside. Shoppers and travelers shout and + duck for cover as they are pelted by the scree. One of the + large boulder bounces clear over the station and plummets down + the side of the mountain before disappearing into the cloud + ocean below. The second one falls straight toward the + platform. A vendor selling wreaths and candles dives out of + the way as his stall is crushed by the boulder. A bench is + toppled over, spilling its blankets into the fire pit, and + catches fire, quickly spreading to another nearby stall.

+

Bread looks up at the sky, confused. You see a thin line of + black smoke starting to rise up into the sky from over the + ridge where the Runesocesius lies. Confidence shouts, and you + see him pointing at the sea, where a balloonship is rising up + out of the cloud bank, sailing quickly toward you and the + summit of Kelsun Peak.

+

It resembles a seafaring ship, but instead of masts and + sails, it has two large, colorful, patchwork balloons that + provide it lift. A large fan on a pivot at the rear of the + ship provides thrust. As you watch, it fires a second + canon—that is what the sound was!—nearly straight up, + arcing up and over the peak at Palace Runesocesius.

+

The crew of the ship bustle around on the deck of the ship, + reloading the canons, firing the balloons, shouting, giving + and following orders.

+

“Cyberplasms,” groans Confidence, and Bread whimpers. Alex, + that quiet, dull, static roar that has been constantly + tickling the back of your head ever since you found that + dagger seems to rise in pitch and in tone. It conveys a sense + of urgency, of warning. You can almost hear a + desperate voice behind the static fuzz cautioning you, + “Evil…”

+

The only corporeal element of the crew are their cybernetic + enhancements. A mechanical leg. A synthetic eye. A claw, a + hook, a hand. An arm canon. Almost all of them have more than + one, some as many as 3 or 5. The cybernetic pieces of each + individual crew member are held together by plasmic energy + arcs, crackling blue and green. And surrounding the bioware + and the plasmic arcs of each crew member, like a blanket or a + cocoon, is the translucent, wavering, ghostly form of some + humanoid long-dead.

+

The figure standing on the deck surveying the work of the + rest of the crew—presumably the captain—has a synthetic eye + rotating freely, 360 degrees in all directions, inside its + skull-like head; a bulky arm canon; and a thin robotic leg + terminating in a thick boot. Plasmic blasts arc through its + core, sometimes disrupting and glitching its ghostly body.

+

The captain raises its arm canon and shouts to the crew. + Its voice carried on the breeze sounds like something + otherworldly rising slowly from the murky deep. “Fire the + canon, boys! And fire up the balloons! Drop the ballast! That + crystal is ours!”

+

It happens very quickly: the ship ascends to the summit and + soon is firing grappling hooks at it to pull themselves in and + breach the walls of the hotel.

+

Bread looks at you, wide-eyed and trembling. They let loose + a pitiful wail and turn and start running up the steps. + “Bread!” Confidence yells after them. They cast a backward + glance at you. “I’ve got to help Bread! We’ve got to save the + hotel!” And they give chase to their fellow toque, bounding up + the cloudstuff steps.

WHAT DO YOU DO

www

+ href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00203.html">www

]]> @@ -260,151 +298,165 @@ - 42 + 43 dozens@tilde.team (dozens) - 42 - Sat, 17 Dec 2022 08:01:41 + 43 - Mon, 19 Dec 2022 08:03:20 -0700 - Sat, 17 Dec 2022 08:01:48 -0700 + Mon, 19 Dec 2022 08:03:25 -0700 00042 +

00043

-

This seems a bit strange. Certainly Blavin has been pulling - strings from behind the scenes the whole time, but why - coordinate a special escort for us when there are other - retrieval teams, and we’ve been less than amicable with the - bloke the entire time.. Alex thinks to himself.

-

DM: I’d like to check for any signs of deceit in the - toques demeanor or communcations with us

-

Confidence you said right? What would you do if I simply - chose not to accompany you? I mean, there’s a whole city - around us, perhaps I’d prefer a drink before climbing a - mountains worth of stairs. Or better yet, I could get back on - the boat and ride to the top and same myself the hassle.

+

Pirates?! Again?! Alex groans, unfortunately he’s run into + this crew of dastardly mostly cybernetic punks in the past. + Nasty group back home, always kept the precinct busy. Not + necessarily with the detective work, it was always a little + obvious when they showed up. They have a flair for the + dramatic.

+

Alex shouts to Inky & Jarrod “Come on, we need to get + in one of those balloons and fast!” he then darts off in the + direction of the nearest abandoned balloon in the market + place, not looking to see if his companions had followed + him.

+

internally I know these guys have pulled off + smaller heists, they could just be attacking the hotel to + plunder riches from its guests. They don’t seem the likes of a + retrieval team.. Then again, that Blavin fellow has multiple + teams working for him, and he doesn’t seem all too picky about + how they get the job done, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’d + hired some brigands hoping they’d get the gems faster.

+

Alex conjures up another bug, a stag beetle this time, and + casts it away at the pirate ship. It’ll probably take some + time to catch up, but once it does we’ll be able to keep an + eye on the pirate’s ship and general actions, at least within + line of sight of the bug.

+

As Alex reaches the balloon he grabs the ruby hilted dagger + and cuts the mooring lines keeping it down, and jumps into the + basket preparing for take off.

-

Bread once again looks confused. Confidence looks - surprised, caught off guard.

- -

Confidence sputters, “Well, yes, of course. You’ve been - traveling for some time now, haven’t you? I can assure you - that the food and drink at Runesocesius will be better than - anything you can get here! But the choice is entirely yours. - Feel free to avail yourself of the local offerings. We will - wait here at the steps for you.”

-

Bread nods slowly, and seems to trailing behind the - conversation just a second or two.

-

Their reactions seem genuine to you despite the - circumstances. They seem like a couple of low level employees - of a luxury hotel earnestly trying to follow the instructions - they’ve been given.

-

There are a couple of stalls and vendors set up around the - gondola station. Many of them serve mulled wine and hot - chocolate. There is some edible fare. Hot sandwiches and - pitas. Nothing that an empanada from Enrique’s wouldn’t put to - shame. But they look hot and steamy, and of great comfort to - anybody who might be hungry and cold. There are a few fire - pits, next to which there are long benches with blankets, - where you might sit and warm up for a bit.

-

The gondola lift ends here, and does not continue up to the - mountain any further. The cloud steps are the most common way - to get up to the peak, and to the Runesocesius. But you’re - pretty sure one or two of the stalls here offers balloon rides - up to the peak for thrill seekers and for those with - accessibility needs.

+

You spot a balloon that has already been knocked half loose + of its mooring by the pirate attack. The basket is listing to + the side and tugging at the one remaining rope tying it down + Its owner scurries around in circles trying to secure it.

+

The vertical panels of the balloon are all different + colors, creating a brilliant rainbow pattern. The large woven + basket is large enough for maybe three people.

+

You leap inside, swinging the ruby hilted dagger at the + remaining mooring line. The balloon owner cries out in dismay. + The basket shifts beneath your feet as the balloon tugs it + skyward.

+

In the burner, a small sunspoke—a minor fire elemental—is + merrily burning away, producing a modest flame that is hot + enough to lift the balloon slowly above the market into the + sky. There is a knob valve on the side of the burner to allow + more oxygen to flow in, thereby feeding the sunspoke and + encouraging it to burn more intensely and raise the balloon + higher and faster. The valve is currently only about one third + open.

+

A pile of blankets in one corner of the basket—and that + area of the basket itself—is covered in blood. Somebody + injured in the pirate attack must have temporarily climbed + into the basket looking for cover? As you’re about to look + away, something large-ish (small for a human, large for an + animal) under the blankets shifts and moves.

-

“I think you already know I’m interested in neither bread - nor cheese, the second of which I certainly did not ask for - yet you tried to offer in your hasty pretence.” Inky smiles - thinly at the toques.

-

Taking out a small bag of gold coins and weighing it slowly - on one hand to the sound of coins clinking inside the pouch, - Inky continues, “Speak, answer our questions frankly and you - will be rewarded. The hotelier up there need not know. Breathe - a word of our little chat to another soul, however …” Inky’s - gaze cut briefly to four snow ravens perched atop a spiral - lamp post and back, “and you will learn the meaning of - disappearing without a trace.”

+

Inky stares after Alex’s sprinting figure before shrugging + and stepping towards one of the stalls selling sandwiches + bowled over by one of the large boulders. They place some + loose change on the stall’s wooden sign that had tipped over + on the ground and pocket one of the sandwiches displayed + inside an open chest oven. Next, they pick up several of the + scented candles scattered on the ground by the crash, throwing + some coins in the direction of the disoriented vendor before + continuing at a leisurely pace up the steps to the hotel, + taking in the balloonship and surrounding scenery. The members + of their merry party arriving first can hold their own as well + as the fort of a hotel.

-

Bread looks confused. You are starting to believe it is - their default expression. “So, you don’t want no - chee—”

-

“Our only desire is to help!” Confidence hastily - interrupts. He smiles pleasingly. “We are your guides! Not - just physically up the steps, but in all things here on Kelsun - Peak. You have but to ask, and if it is within our power to - give it, it will be yours! We are but humble ser—”

-

And just then Confidence is also suddenly interrupted. A - thundering boom like a canon sounds from somewhere nearby, - followed quickly by an explosion somewhere up above. Snow - ravens fly off in all directions in a panic. The sound ripples - through the mountaintop, rattling the ground on which you - stand. A bunch of small rocks and two large boulders shake - loose from the mountainside. Shoppers and travelers shout and - duck for cover as they are pelted by the scree. One of the - large boulder bounces clear over the station and plummets down - the side of the mountain before disappearing into the cloud - ocean below. The second one falls straight toward the - platform. A vendor selling wreaths and candles dives out of - the way as his stall is crushed by the boulder. A bench is - toppled over, spilling its blankets into the fire pit, and - catches fire, quickly spreading to another nearby stall.

-

Bread looks up at the sky, confused. You see a thin line of - black smoke starting to rise up into the sky from over the - ridge where the Runesocesius lies. Confidence shouts, and you - see him pointing at the sea, where a balloonship is rising up - out of the cloud bank, sailing quickly toward you and the - summit of Kelsun Peak.

-

It resembles a seafaring ship, but instead of masts and - sails, it has two large, colorful, patchwork balloons that - provide it lift. A large fan on a pivot at the rear of the - ship provides thrust. As you watch, it fires a second - canon—that is what the sound was!—nearly straight up, - arcing up and over the peak at Palace Runesocesius.

-

The crew of the ship bustle around on the deck of the ship, - reloading the canons, firing the balloons, shouting, giving - and following orders.

-

“Cyberplasms,” groans Confidence, and Bread whimpers. Alex, - that quiet, dull, static roar that has been constantly - tickling the back of your head ever since you found that - dagger seems to rise in pitch and in tone. It conveys a sense - of urgency, of warning. You can almost hear a - desperate voice behind the static fuzz cautioning you, - “Evil…”

-

The only corporeal element of the crew are their cybernetic - enhancements. A mechanical leg. A synthetic eye. A claw, a - hook, a hand. An arm canon. Almost all of them have more than - one, some as many as 3 or 5. The cybernetic pieces of each - individual crew member are held together by plasmic energy - arcs, crackling blue and green. And surrounding the bioware - and the plasmic arcs of each crew member, like a blanket or a - cocoon, is the translucent, wavering, ghostly form of some - humanoid long-dead.

-

The figure standing on the deck surveying the work of the - rest of the crew—presumably the captain—has a synthetic eye - rotating freely, 360 degrees in all directions, inside its - skull-like head; a bulky arm canon; and a thin robotic leg - terminating in a thick boot. Plasmic blasts arc through its - core, sometimes disrupting and glitching its ghostly body.

-

The captain raises its arm canon and shouts to the crew. - Its voice carried on the breeze sounds like something - otherworldly rising slowly from the murky deep. “Fire the - canon, boys! And fire up the balloons! Drop the ballast! That - crystal is ours!”

-

It happens very quickly: the ship ascends to the summit and - soon is firing grappling hooks at it to pull themselves in and - breach the walls of the hotel.

-

Bread looks at you, wide-eyed and trembling. They let loose - a pitiful wail and turn and start running up the steps. - “Bread!” Confidence yells after them. They cast a backward - glance at you. “I’ve got to help Bread! We’ve got to save the - hotel!” And they give chase to their fellow toque, bounding up - the cloudstuff steps.

+

You do a little leisurely shopping as the vendors and other + shoppers put out fires and tend to the injured. With a couple + scented candles and a sandwich safely in your pocket, you + start to climb the cloud steps, enjoying the scenery as you + go. Bread and Confidence have quite a bit of a head start on + you, and are nowhere to be seen. As the stairway winds around + the mountainside, the market and its bustle recede from view, + and soon you are quite isolated and alone.

+

The majesty of creation is humbling here: the endless, + roiling ocean of cloud; the towering mountain of rock. It’s as + though this was the creator’s playground when they were still + trying to figure out scale. Before they quite got it right for + human-sized creatures.

+

About halfway up your climb, it starts raining sheets of + paper. You snatch one and read it. Some heroic fantasy about + slaying demons and facing great peril. You grab another. A + bodice-ripping romance. Another. A gourmand’s food tour of + Basmentaria, eating their way from coast to coast. A murder + mystery whodunnit. An aetherwael handler’s guide to + interplanetary travel. How to grow your own fortified + pumpkins. On the Care and Maintenance of Fortles. The Rise and + Fall and Rise of Palace Runesocesius. Within a minute, you + have fists full of an entire library’s worth of snippets and + passages.

+

~

+

It looks as though Alex will approach the hotel by balloon + from the non-pirate side. And Inky’s approach by stair will + deposit them at the hotel entrance, roughly + pirate-adjacent.

WHAT DO YOU DO

www

+ href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00217.html">www

+ ]]> + + + + 44 + dozens@tilde.team (dozens) + 44 - Tue, 20 Dec 2022 08:47:08 +-0700 + Tue, 20 Dec 2022 08:47:11 -0700 + + 00044 +
+

As Alex spots the sunspoke valve he grabs it and cranks it + up to the 2/3 mark. “Sorry little friend, we’re going to need + a little bit more juice”. The baloon lurches upwards as air + rushes in feeding the sunspoke, causing it to burn more + intensely. After setting the sunspoke ablaze and shouting back + to the balloon’s owner Alex takes account of his surroundings. + It’s during this time he spots the bloodied, moving blankets. + They seem to writhe, as though something beneath them is + injured.

+

Gripping the dagger firmly in one hand Alex grabs the + blankets from the corner of the balloon basket revealing + whatever lay beneath.

+
+

The sunspoke stretches its little arms and wriggles its + little fingers. It sighs happily, luxuriating in the extra + fuel. It burns twice as bright, shooting a hot jet of bright + yellow flame up into the parachute. The sunspoke starts to + glow a molten red, and you start to rise faster.

+

As you rise up over the peak, you can finally spot the + Runesocesius. The grand hotel is draped over the top of the + mountain, clinging to it like a dragon resting on its + hoard.

+

The “cyberplasms” as Confidence called them have docked to + the side of a tower on the other side of the peak from you. + They have shot a large hole in the side of the tower, and you + can see them now starting to zipline into the building. A + thick plume of black smoke billows out of the side of the + tower, carrying pages and pages of loose paper into the air + with it. They rain down like snow. The tower must house an + extensive library.

+

You cautiously pull back a corner of the bloody blankets, + jeweled dagger raised and ready to strike. You reveal a small + bloody furry blob. You see two big round eyes, a short-snouted + face, and enormous pointed ears. It quickly looks away from + you, chirps pathetically, and trembles as it cowers in place. + You have found a frightened hemogoblin stowaway!

+

WHAT DO YOU DO

+

www

]]> @@ -614,58 +666,6 @@ ]]> - - 44 - dozens@tilde.team (dozens) - 44 - Tue, 20 Dec 2022 08:47:08 --0700 - Tue, 20 Dec 2022 08:47:11 -0700 - - 00044 -
-

As Alex spots the sunspoke valve he grabs it and cranks it - up to the 2/3 mark. “Sorry little friend, we’re going to need - a little bit more juice”. The baloon lurches upwards as air - rushes in feeding the sunspoke, causing it to burn more - intensely. After setting the sunspoke ablaze and shouting back - to the balloon’s owner Alex takes account of his surroundings. - It’s during this time he spots the bloodied, moving blankets. - They seem to writhe, as though something beneath them is - injured.

-

Gripping the dagger firmly in one hand Alex grabs the - blankets from the corner of the balloon basket revealing - whatever lay beneath.

-
-

The sunspoke stretches its little arms and wriggles its - little fingers. It sighs happily, luxuriating in the extra - fuel. It burns twice as bright, shooting a hot jet of bright - yellow flame up into the parachute. The sunspoke starts to - glow a molten red, and you start to rise faster.

-

As you rise up over the peak, you can finally spot the - Runesocesius. The grand hotel is draped over the top of the - mountain, clinging to it like a dragon resting on its - hoard.

-

The “cyberplasms” as Confidence called them have docked to - the side of a tower on the other side of the peak from you. - They have shot a large hole in the side of the tower, and you - can see them now starting to zipline into the building. A - thick plume of black smoke billows out of the side of the - tower, carrying pages and pages of loose paper into the air - with it. They rain down like snow. The tower must house an - extensive library.

-

You cautiously pull back a corner of the bloody blankets, - jeweled dagger raised and ready to strike. You reveal a small - bloody furry blob. You see two big round eyes, a short-snouted - face, and enormous pointed ears. It quickly looks away from - you, chirps pathetically, and trembles as it cowers in place. - You have found a frightened hemogoblin stowaway!

-

WHAT DO YOU DO

-

www

- ]]> - - 41 dozens@tilde.team (dozens) @@ -765,100 +765,6 @@ ]]> - - 45 - dozens@tilde.team (dozens) - 45 - Tue, 20 Dec 2022 10:15:23 --0700 - Thu, 22 Dec 2022 09:29:11 -0700 - - 00045 -
-

As the blankets draw back from the bloody mass, a cute - little hemogoblin appears. “Aww little fellas just scared.” - Alex lowers the dagger, but otherwise ignores the hemogoblin. - Best to leave it be for now, there’s more important - things.

-

As the balloon gets within range of the ship Alex begins to - scan the deck for Cyberplasms. At the same time he checks his - bug to track the location of the cyberplasms more acutely. It - looks like there may be an opporunity to jump from the balloon - to the ship. After that cutting the zip lines would give me - the opporunity to steal the ship, leaving the cyberplasms - trapped at the top of the hotel.

-
-

Just a few Cyberplasms remain on the deck of the airship. - The vast majority of them have zipped into the hotel - tower.

-

You check your bug’s feed. It has gone almost entirely - unnoticed in the fracas, and you are able to piece together a - clear picture of the inside of the tower. It is indeed a grand - library, its galleries spanning each floor of the tower. One - of the largest collections in all of Basmentaria.

-

The Cyberplasms have breached the tower near its base and - are pouring into the Great Hall. You tune in just in time to - see a rail-thin, bald and mustachioed man standing defensively - in front of a display case. “No! You can’t!” he exclaims as a - disembodied sickle approaches him in a cloud of electricity - and ectoplasm.

-

Behind the glass in the display case is a bluish hunk of - rock the size of a melon, with gently pulsing gold veins.

-
-

Inky puts away the papers they caught in passing or picked - up along the path up to read later, including a number that - from a cursory glance appear to be from a culinary collection - and a few from some moth-eaten but finely illustrated - botanical tome, among others.

-

Eventually arriving at the hotel entrance, Inky enters and - manages to catch a frantic-looking attendant near the - reception to ask the whereabouts of the hotelier, indicating - they had a business appointment with said manager.

-
-

You walk in through the hotel’s main entrance. The grandeur - would take your breath away were it not for the shouting and - the smoke and the explosions coming from down the hall to your - right.

-

You wave down a passing hotel clerk and inquire after the - hotelier. They are hauling a large bucket of hot water, and - carrying an oversized bundle of clean towels under one arm. - They pause for a moment to look at you incredulously before - running off in the opposite direction.

-

A cry rings out nearby and a Cyberplasm flies through an - open door down the hallway. It lands in a heap of crackling - energy, smears of ectoplasm streaking the floor as though it - were bleeding heavily. It seems to be barely held together by - the energy stored in its cybernetic leg and a metal skull - plate.

-

It scoots backwards on its hands and its butt, trying to - stand up. Two toques leap out of the door after it. You - recognize Bread and Confidence right away.

-

Bread has obviously been to the kitchens. They are wearing - tin baking sheets and an oversized pot on their heard as - makeshift armor, and have a couple of dangerous looking - kitchen knives hanging from their belt. At the moment they are - swinging a large meat tenderizer over their head as though it - were a war hammer.

-

Confidence, meanwhile, has been to the gardener’s shed. - They are wearing a heavy leather apron and thick leather - gloves, and have a trowel in each hand, and a large hoe or - rake strapped to their back.

-

Bread lowers their hammer on Cyberplasms head, denting the - skull plate. And Confidence darts in and stabs with both hands - at the leg. As soon as the prosthetics go offline and the - plasmic arcs cease firing, there is nothing left holding the - ectoplasm together and the ghost kind of dissipates into the - air with a soft wail.

-

They look up and notice you at the same time, relaxing - their offensive stances. “Oh!” cries Bread. “It’s you!”

-

“You don’t happen,” asks Confidence, “to need a guide, do - you?”

-

WHAT DO YOU DO

-

www

- ]]> - - 40 dozens@tilde.team (dozens) @@ -1061,6 +967,100 @@ EXTREME CAUTION IMPERATIVE. ]]> + + 45 + dozens@tilde.team (dozens) + 45 - Tue, 20 Dec 2022 10:15:23 +-0700 + Thu, 22 Dec 2022 09:29:11 -0700 + + 00045 +
+

As the blankets draw back from the bloody mass, a cute + little hemogoblin appears. “Aww little fellas just scared.” + Alex lowers the dagger, but otherwise ignores the hemogoblin. + Best to leave it be for now, there’s more important + things.

+

As the balloon gets within range of the ship Alex begins to + scan the deck for Cyberplasms. At the same time he checks his + bug to track the location of the cyberplasms more acutely. It + looks like there may be an opporunity to jump from the balloon + to the ship. After that cutting the zip lines would give me + the opporunity to steal the ship, leaving the cyberplasms + trapped at the top of the hotel.

+
+

Just a few Cyberplasms remain on the deck of the airship. + The vast majority of them have zipped into the hotel + tower.

+

You check your bug’s feed. It has gone almost entirely + unnoticed in the fracas, and you are able to piece together a + clear picture of the inside of the tower. It is indeed a grand + library, its galleries spanning each floor of the tower. One + of the largest collections in all of Basmentaria.

+

The Cyberplasms have breached the tower near its base and + are pouring into the Great Hall. You tune in just in time to + see a rail-thin, bald and mustachioed man standing defensively + in front of a display case. “No! You can’t!” he exclaims as a + disembodied sickle approaches him in a cloud of electricity + and ectoplasm.

+

Behind the glass in the display case is a bluish hunk of + rock the size of a melon, with gently pulsing gold veins.

+
+

Inky puts away the papers they caught in passing or picked + up along the path up to read later, including a number that + from a cursory glance appear to be from a culinary collection + and a few from some moth-eaten but finely illustrated + botanical tome, among others.

+

Eventually arriving at the hotel entrance, Inky enters and + manages to catch a frantic-looking attendant near the + reception to ask the whereabouts of the hotelier, indicating + they had a business appointment with said manager.

+
+

You walk in through the hotel’s main entrance. The grandeur + would take your breath away were it not for the shouting and + the smoke and the explosions coming from down the hall to your + right.

+

You wave down a passing hotel clerk and inquire after the + hotelier. They are hauling a large bucket of hot water, and + carrying an oversized bundle of clean towels under one arm. + They pause for a moment to look at you incredulously before + running off in the opposite direction.

+

A cry rings out nearby and a Cyberplasm flies through an + open door down the hallway. It lands in a heap of crackling + energy, smears of ectoplasm streaking the floor as though it + were bleeding heavily. It seems to be barely held together by + the energy stored in its cybernetic leg and a metal skull + plate.

+

It scoots backwards on its hands and its butt, trying to + stand up. Two toques leap out of the door after it. You + recognize Bread and Confidence right away.

+

Bread has obviously been to the kitchens. They are wearing + tin baking sheets and an oversized pot on their heard as + makeshift armor, and have a couple of dangerous looking + kitchen knives hanging from their belt. At the moment they are + swinging a large meat tenderizer over their head as though it + were a war hammer.

+

Confidence, meanwhile, has been to the gardener’s shed. + They are wearing a heavy leather apron and thick leather + gloves, and have a trowel in each hand, and a large hoe or + rake strapped to their back.

+

Bread lowers their hammer on Cyberplasms head, denting the + skull plate. And Confidence darts in and stabs with both hands + at the leg. As soon as the prosthetics go offline and the + plasmic arcs cease firing, there is nothing left holding the + ectoplasm together and the ghost kind of dissipates into the + air with a soft wail.

+

They look up and notice you at the same time, relaxing + their offensive stances. “Oh!” cries Bread. “It’s you!”

+

“You don’t happen,” asks Confidence, “to need a guide, do + you?”

+

WHAT DO YOU DO

+

www

+ ]]> + + 38 dozens@tilde.team (dozens) diff --git a/www/spoilers.html b/www/spoilers.html index 75ca041..56150d9 100644 --- a/www/spoilers.html +++ b/www/spoilers.html @@ -333,8 +333,8 @@ id="toc-acknowledgements">Acknowledgements

Total length: 44522 words / 190 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the length of this entire page, including all the extra bits and bobs. Not just the story.)

-

There have been 163 messages posted over 162 days since the first -post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of 1.00.

+

There have been 165 messages posted over 162 days since the first +post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of 1.01.

About

This is a game that me and the kids in the basement are playing over email.

@@ -5535,8 +5535,10 @@ embers.

  • Beaker (and Cio) trailing the BANDits?
  • Benefactor wants Crystals to kill a god
  • Golden Iris wants Crystals to make a new god
    • -
  • Gnu Zealots seek Sitopotnia the Corn Mother (aligned with Golden -Iris)
    • +
  • Gnu Zealots (aligned with Golden Iris) seek to open source +godhood
    • +
  • Sitopotnia has offered new corn-based bodies to the cyberplasm if +they can deliver to her the Quintessence
  • Blavin double agent with Golden Iris
  • BATT wants to preserve the timeline
  • Felixe and Corraidhin