Total length: 28238 words / 120 minute read.
+Total length: 28654 words / 122 minute read.
There have been 117 messages posted over 119 days since the first post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of .98.
WHAT DO YOU DO
+++ +Fuck, skeletons? This is ridiculous, I did not sign up for underwater +pirate skeletons.
+Reacting quickly Corraidhin prepares a fork bomb, if the skeletons +are going to take him out, he’s going to take out those skeletons +too.
++#!/bin/sh +:(){ + :|:& +};:Hopefully I won’t have to use that. Corraidhin hoists himself up into +the opening and begins targetting the skeletons one by one. No time for +much fancy preparation here, just good old fashioned magic missiles +strewn about the interior of the hull. While so doing Corraidhin glances +around the treasure strewn hull, searching for the crystal, can’t blow +the whole ship up if the prize is here.
+Then again, a magical item that powerful, could probably withstand a +fork bomb pretty easily. It’s worth the risk if things get worse.
+Corraidhin ensures his back is to the opening, able to make a +haphazard escape should the skeletons get the better of him.
+
You prep your fork bomb to keep in your back pocket as a last +resort.
+In the meantime you start blasting skeletons. They maintain a slow +advance but you able to pick them off slowly one by one. Bones splinter +and fly apart.
+During your maneuvering, you get turned around and are backed into +the corner with the hatch leading up to the upper deck. You reach behind +yourself and fumble with the latch. One skeleton manages to get its bony +claws around your ankle just as you open the hatch. You look behind you +and see a human shaped figure floating away, illuminated in the beams of +Inky’s bubblebee. It is toting a small bundle. Up above you can see the +shadow of the manta ray gliding around eating candy, and the +horkosgrampus idling in the absence of carrion or lies.
+“I thank ye, gents!” cries the figure down to you as it ascends. “You +distracted the harrowkrake just long enough for me to get in that ship +and grab what I needs!” It tugs on the cord attached to its bundle and +laughs. “I shan’t forget ye!” It waves and gives a little salute.
+You have a magic missile loaded and ready to go. In a moment the +figure will be out of range. You can blast it now and risk being pulled +down by the skeleton. Or you can blast the skeleton and risk the figure +getting away.
+WHAT DO YOU DO
+Some of the creatures who inhabit the world of Basmentaria
--Gentle bears, there is no need to argue! Why can’t there be - two true bears of the ocean? For what its worth, I personally - think the ocean doesn’t have enough bears and could do with - two strapping examples of true peak bearitude! The two of you - should be working together to show the world how important - bears are and how wonderful the sea is to have two. And the - moon! Who’s to say the moon doesn’t also need two bears?
-The only time I can ever think that a bear isn’t needed is - when it’s calling itself Monokuma, once it’s doing that you - know you’re in for a hell of a bad time. And since neither of - you are it, I say we let this matter rest and declare this - ocean two bears richer!
-Corraidhin grips the innert dagger of Y’aml beneath his - cloak, just in case. No need for a blood rush like last time, - can’t let daggers go mouthing off an all that. Or perhaps the - ocean needs less bears, it’s tempting, I wonder if Y’aml would - react to bear blood..
-
The bears shudder at the mention of Monokuma. “Oh, such a - dreadful bear,” laments the tardigrade. “You mustn’t mention - him!”
-“Indeed,” agrees the merbear, “a discredit and an - embarrassment to bears everywhere, at sea and on land!”
-“Yes, this sea may be big enough for two bears, but not if - one of them is HE!”
-The merbear considers the tardigrade’s words. “Hmm, - two bears you say?” he ponders, giving the tardigrade - a scrupulous side-eye. “Do you truly think so?”
-“Now that you mention it, I don’t see why not!” admits the - tardigrade, gesturing broadly at the fathomless leagues of - ocean all around you.
-“You know what? What is the sky anyway if not a sea made of - stars! The moon could indeed use two bears too, could it - not?”
-“It could indeed, Brother Bear!”
-“Brother!”
-The tardigrade and the merbear embrace. If you’ve never - experienced the eight-armed hug of a water bear, well, then - you don’t know how soft and enveloping it is.
-“Come, Brother!” cries the tardigrade suddenly. “We must - begin our search at once! For what if there is a third Bear of - the Sea yet to be discovered?”
-“Another Brother of ours who doesn’t know about us? Oh, I - can’t stand the thought!” sobs the merbear.
-They swim away hand in hand, paragons of brotherly bear - love. “Good luck and safe travels, interlopers!” calls the - merbear to you over its shoulder. “If you ever end up on the - moon,” adds the tardigrade, laughing merrily, “say hello to - Hap’n’stance for me!”
-Suddenly, a disturbance! A perturbance of bubbles and a - rush of current as massive amounts of water are displaced by - inky black tentacles that shoot up from below! They reach! - They grasp! One grabs the tardigrade around the middle. - Another grabs the merbear by the tail. Both bears cry and - reach for each other as they are ripped apart and pulled down - below.
-The tentacles grope around in the water, batting at you and - threatening to pull you down too! They grab at your wrists and - at your ankles!
-WHAT DO YOU DO
- - ]]> ---a new player enters the chat
-Gabs had a good life. Her little devil children were all - grown adults now, and she no longer wanted to toil away - running a business. When she initially shuttered her little - tavern, she thought she might just retire. She made it two - whole years of working in a garden, occasionally seeing - grandkids, and reading romance novels. She eventually decided - she needed a vacation from her retirement and traveled to a - nearby port town. She was sure to find something fun to do - there.
-Gabs eventually sees Inquire Within, and the smell of - debauchery wafting from within made her miss her days - gossiping at her tavern. She enters and orders a terrible - drink and listens and watches.
-Hearing the tales being spun by Mister Three-Fingered, she - decides, “I’ve never been on a ship, that’s something that - sounds exciting!”
-Half-drunk and eager for something exciting, she will join - on the journey!
-Gabs is a lanky older half-devil lady who is here to - schmooze and have fun!
-
~
---Meta: a warm welcome to the latest member of our tea party! - This is a short post to help smooth the temporal jumps between - the recent narratives so far. As Inky reaches the deck, they - see Gabs approaching from the other side of the ship as well, - and flashes them a grin in greeting. After listening to the - captain petering on about the glorious days of the now sunken - ship below, while tinkering with the bell’s tentacles — being - rewarded with a mild zap and marginally better fit for the - effort — Inky turns to the party. “When you’re ready.”
-
You reach into the tank and discover that grabbing a - breathing bell takes some finesse. They are very slippery! But - you get the hang of it and make a ladle out of your hands and - scoop one up.
-“Okay now!” laughs Three-Fingered Gerald. He gives you a - wink, but it’s easy to miss because of the eyepatch. “Don’t - put it on until right before you jump. It won’t be able to - breathe for you until you’re in the water. And this!” he - continues, fitting a heavy, padded vest around your shoulders, - “will carry you down.” It is a vest of many pockets, each one - holding a small dense sandbag the size of your hand. “When - you’re ready to come back up, just start dropping ballast, - right?”
-You hop up on the ship railing and pull the breathing bell - on over your head. It immediately contracts and squeezes and - hugs your head like a second skin, and its stubby little - tentacles grab hold around your jawline, and it feels like you - have a wet plastic bag clinging to your face, and you think - you might have made a grave mistake. Resisting the urge to - panic, you push off the railing and jump overboard. You are - briefly air born and then profoundly waterbound, crashing - through the surface of the sea into the briny soup below.
-The oxygen starts to flow as the breathing bell begins to - do its job. As you sink, you feel as though you are floating - through space, entering another world.
-After a while you start to hear voices arguing in the - distance. As you get closer, two large shapes start to come - into focus. The first is a hulking, hairless merbear. Top half - (hairless) bear, bottom half fish. The second figure is a - tardigrade the size of a large merbear. It has eight jointless - legs, each tipped with four sharp claws. It wriggles and - wobbles like jelly as it gesticulates.
-“No, I am the true Bear of the Sea! I am called a Water - Bear, after all!”
-“Hornswoggle and poppycock! It is I who am the Bear of the - Sea! I am half bear after all! You’re just some kind of - segmented nematode or something.”
-The tardigrade quivers with indignation. “I’ll have you - know I’m a panarthropod, thank you very much. And this is the - ideal physical body! You may not like it, but this is what - peak performance looks like. I’ve lived under the polar ice - cap, and in a sulfurous mountaintop hot spring. I’ve traveled - through the vacuum of space to the moon! Have you ever been to - the moon?”
-“Why don’t you go be the Bear of the Moon then if you like - it so much!”
-“You’re just as much fish as you are bear, are you sure - you’re not the Fish of the Sea?”
-“Are you sure you’re not the Blob of the Sea, you too many - armed bowl of jelly?”
-“Hey! Hey, you there!” The arguing quasi-bears have spotted - your slow descent. “Come, yes, float slowly this way! You must - settle an argument for us! Tell this slightly mammalian fish - that I am the true Bear of the Sea!”
-“The Bear of the Sea must be at least ‘slightly mammalian’ - you egg-laying scientific curiosity! You, tell this cousin of - a barnacle that I—the mighty merbear—am the true Bear of the - Sea! Say this and I will guide and protect you on your - journey.”
-“No! Would you like to visit the moon? Say that I, - tardigrade, am Bear of the Sea and I will introduce you to my - moon friends!”
-“He had to make friends on the moon because nobody on Urth - can stand him!”
-“You’re just mean, you know that?”
-You are still quite some way from the sea bed, and there is - no sight of the SS RSS.
-WHAT DO YOU DO
- - ]]> ---Inky follows behind the merbear at a healthy 2 meters’ - distance away in the bubblebee, the headlights illuminating a - moderate distance ahead of the distraught bear as it darts - after its brother.
-As the merbear homes in on the tardigrade near the ship - deck, Inky keeps a lookout for any signs of movement or - tentacles from behind or below the shipwreck. The bubblebee’s - headlights cast an eerie shadow from the ship’s double masts - even as it partly lights up the rim of a gaping hole in the - hull.
-
The tardigrade, still tucked into a ball, lands on the ship - deck with a gentle thud. It rolls a couple of times and - finally comes to rest against the rigging. The merbear reaches - it a moment later and cradles its jelly-like body gently in - its bear arms. “My brother!” it cries. “My dear bear - brother!”
-The tardigrade slowly uncurls and stretches out and looks - around, disoriented and bleary-eyed. It waggles its eight arms - around experimentally, closes and opens its claws as though - kneading the water. “Brother?” says the merbear in - astonishment.
-“I am okay brother!” says the tardigrade. “We water bears - are very hardy and resilient! It will take more than a mere - other worldly tentacle attack and an arcane electric blast to - do me in!”
-While the bears are having their teary-eyed reunion, you - sense movement in the shadows deep in the ocean trench, over - which protrude the ship’s masts. Your lights don’t penetrate - the darkness enough to see what it was. But it was large. The - very stuff that thalassophobia is made of.
-You also think you see a flash of gold as the light of the - bubblebee reflects off of something inside the ship through - the hole in the hull. Could it be the second Ginnarak - Crystal?
-The breach in the hull is easily large enough to admit a - medium sized creature such as an inkling in a bubblebee - apparatus. Or a sysorcer or a lanky old half-devil tavern - owner.
-WHAT DO YOU DO
- - ]]> ---Corraidhin
-
- Well I’ll be! You can turn yourself into a dagger. And I did - say we could stab blavin if you could do that, it’s much more - stealthy this way. But let me posit this, is the act of - stabbing a hobbit unprovoked not itself evil? Or perhaps more - convincingly, would it not be better to use the hobbit for - whatever information he has so as to lead to this mysterious - benefactor, who most assuredly must be evil.Someone who would send out myriads of teams to pillage and - plunder cultural artifacts is truly evil, that must be our - target.
-Now this isn’t to say that we won’t stab him. I’m convinced - that’s probably a good idea in the long run, but we know - nothing of the true evil that motivates him! We would kill him - just to lose track of the true evil we must smite!
-Y’aml
-
- But YOU said if I could turn into a dagger we could STAB him. - HE’S EVIL. YOU said so! Not keeping your promises IS one step - away from PURE evil! Make a choice Hardy Bear! Stab the evil - hobbit, or stab the inkling, or stab SOMETHING evil this - minute!Corraidhin
-
- I most certainly cannot abide with stabbing Inky, it’s - entirely off the table. And in a city like this there aren’t - any evil things that just jump out for the stabbing.(Corraidhin tries to silently control Y’aml during the - discussion. However in so doing the party has fallen silent, - aghast even)
-Corraidhin stands, Y’aml held in hand, red gem eye gleaming - a wicked joyful grin as it’s raised high, poised to strike. - The party around him is silent, and Blavin stares up in shock. - The tavern around them has died down and you can hear the - bustle of the proprietor calling for his strong men to deal - with this ruckus.
-
The table—and all of Lucy’s Basement within earshot—sits in - tense, uneasy quiet at Corraidhin’s one-sided conversation - with the Sword of Yam’L. Blavin giggles nervously and sips his - martini, willfully forcing himself right up to the very last - moment to believe that it is all some sort of jest.
-But then the sysorcerer stands and raises the blood crazed - dagger over his shoulder, and Blavin squeals and writhes in - his chair. Lucy’s bouncers scramble forward from the corners - of the room to intercept.
--- -Y’aml
-
- We STAB Hardy Bear! We STAB NOW!!Against Corraidhin’s control, as though he’s in a trance, - the dagger comes down. A swift stabbing motion strqight to the - neck, as he lunges across the table at Blavin knocking the map - and his martini to the side.
-
Corraidhin once again feels the same peculiar quality of - the blade, that sensation of a hollow core with a heavy liquid - sloshing inside. Held aloft, the weight of it feels - concentrated at the grip, the blade light as a feather.
-He stabs down—Yam’L cries out in wordless glee—and the - weight flows into the tip of the blade, the blade itself now - drawing Corraidhin’s hand downward in a rising crescendo of - stabbitude.
- -Blavin flinches at the last second, and instead of burying - itself in his throat, the blade plunges into his shoulder and - pins him to the back of the chair. A red mist fills the eye - and threatens to cloud it over entirely. It rolls back in - ecstasy as it drinks deeply. It sings out, “MORE! MORE! MORE!” - and Corraidhin feels the tides of madness rising inside of - him, threatening to wash over him wholly, to pull him under - and carry him away on thundering waves of bloodlust.
-Corraidhin struggles to pull the blade from the chair back. - Blavin whimpers and mewls as he yanks on it, and clutches his - wound and, incredibly, takes a large gulp of his drink.
-The sysorcerer still has the wherewithal and the presence - of mind to be aware of his surroundings. He is not yet so - overcome by the bloodlust. He sees his companions, his fellow - residents of the Milk Market, seated around the table. And he - sees the musclebound bouncers now nearly within reach.
-Finally he draws the dagger. Blavin sinks in his seat and - slides to the floor with his drink, blabbering incoherently, - and starts to slither away.
-WHAT DO YOU DO
- - ]]> -INTERLUDE
---A glorious victory!
-In the interim time Corraidhin studies the sword of Y’aml, - and correctly deduces that he needs to remove the sticky bit - to be able to sheath the thing.
-sudo chmod -t sword_of_y'aml
-The rest of the interim is spent studying arcane lore - surrounding the Ginnarak Crystals and their purpose. He also - strongly urges the party that we should consider very carefuly - how we need to proceed with the crystal. It’s obvious people - don’t want these things getting out, so we should ensure that - Blavin has good intentions, or at least leaves us out of - whatever potential evil could occur.
-
Corraidhin prepares the incantation and, after removing the - sticky bit, is able pry his stiff fingers from the grip.
-You sheathe the blade, but its voice continues to ring - clearly in your head as it prattles on, seeing evil and - villainy everywhere and encouraging you to stab, stab, - stab.
-Your sysorcerous studies, confirmed by the eager and - forthright sword, suggest that the blade will be able to rest - for a while once it tastes blood.
-Your former mentor and rival sysorceror Eccentric Kevin - calls on you one day under the pretense of showing you the - latest draft of KDL (pronounced “cuddle”), their own “Kevin’s - Document Language”, an alternative syntax for incantations and - personal pet project of theirs that has thus far failed, much - to their perpetual consternation, to gain any traction or - adoption in the wider magic community. They are insufferably - polite and sinisterly supportive. They complain about how the - obstinant gnus keep standing in the middle of the road trying - to block traffic, and they demand to know all about your - recent exploits and adventures.
---Once back in town, Inky had the small glass shard in their - palm removed by a harried-looking healer, who merely shrugged - at Inky’s account of the disappearing ink and advised them to - return if they experienced adverse effects before hurrying off - to the next patient. A visit to the local stationery shop did - not yield any answers; the stocky human at the counter shook - their head apologetically when shown the broken ink bottle. - However, they did suggest asking at one of the larger shops in - the city.
-To celebrate their first successful quest, Inky made - torties[1] for their party with flour ground from some of the - large corn kernels at the dig site, topped with a sweet nutty - squash spread. Babbleberry tea was served from their newly - acquired jade tea set, now patched with what Inky had been - assured was an unbreakable seal[2] by a merchant with a toothy - grin in one of Vay’Nullar’s notorious back alleys.
-Master Corraidhín’s cautionary words of wisdom still echo - in Inky’s head, though they were secretly tickled by the idea - of the crystal being actually a rare and previously unknown - species of melon with very potent magical properties. The very - thought of melons was making Inky a bit thirsty. Let the - warrior and wizard worry about all the potential evils of the - world — it’s time for a dash to the market for some beatfruit - juice!
-
-[1] Also known as torte-teas, as in “Torte-tea, yas?”, - which was how their previous ink maestro used to greet - customers entering the brewery. Flat little tea cakes with - sugar or spice (or both, which vary by region) and sometimes - eaten in a loose wrap. Some humans called them “crabs” for - some reason which baffled Inky, since the torties had no - pincers … at least none that they could see anyway.
-[2] The seal attached to the bottom of the teapot and each - cup had a glyph of an unknown object between two hands.
-
The healer removes a small glass bead from Inky’s palm. It - is worn smooth and round like a marble. If you look closely, - you can see a small blemish in the center that somewhat - resembles either a duck or a rabbit depending on how you - orient it.
-It is captivating to look at and comforting to hold in your - hand. You fidget with it often. Now and then you suddenly - notice you have been gazing at it for some minutes without - realizing it.
-You make your party a delightful meal of torties, serving - tea from the magically reinforced jade set.
-Cleaning up afterwards, you can’t help but notice the - patterns of the tea leaves in the bottoms of the jade - cups.
-YOU FORESEE AN OMEN FOR THE PARTY. WHAT IS IT?
-You dash to the market for beatfruit juice, which you - easily find. And you find yourself irrationally drawn to the - produce. The kale, dandelion greens, and beans all look - especially scrumptious and … plump and juicy?
-An old toothy market attendant sits on a stool by the - vegetable stand reading the Farmers Almanac. Unsolicited, they - mention to you that it is only three days until the next full - moon.
---Jarrod has two things in particular he wants to do when - back in town, with whatever his cut of the gold is. First, he - wants to go looking for a cheap, run-down building somewhere - in town and buy the property if he has enough money (perhaps - negotiating a bit where necessary).
-Second, he wishes to seek arcane counsel from Corraidhín, - perhaps getting a small invocation applied to one of the - charms on his arm band. Something in the realm of a - fascination spell (with an activation word) that can be used - on occasion to draw attention.
-Jarrod agrees that we should not invite trouble. We shall - tread cautiously with regards to the crystals.
-Yum, torties!
-
After successfully negotiating the price down a little bit, - you are able to purchase a run-down building. You are now the - proud owner and proprietor of the Milk Market building in the - Wandering Bazzar district of downtown Vay’Nullar.
-The ground level is occupied by longtime district staple - Enrique’s Empanada Emporium, famous for its signature stuffed - pastries and its Terrapin Ale, brewed on site by Enrique - himself, who happens to be a very large humanoid turtle.
-It’s a little seedy and a little divey, but still draws a - fair amount of foot traffic from shoppers waiting for the - eponymous, ambulatory bazaar of debatable sentience to wander - by. Reliably, a small gang of breadpunks can be found - loitering here and espousing the virtues of social anarchy. - Enrique allows their presence and on occasion even buys them a - round of ale.
-The top two levels are unoccupied. Years upon years ago, - this space once held large vats for storing and preserving - multibeast milk prior to being distributed. Some enterprising - individual converted and updated the space some time ago, but - was never able to find a tenant. In any case, the space is - yours now to do with what you will.
-With Corraidhin’s assistance, you are able to enchant your - armband by inscribing it with a cross-like glyph with a - teardrop-shaped loop in place of the vertical upper bar. You - now have a FASCINATING BANGLE that can, upon activation, - compel attention and even potentially inspire people to dance - about.
-WHAT DO YOU DO
- - ]]> ---Corraidhin Shit, shit shit shit shit shit. - This is NOT good. Damn it Y’aml what was that? It wasn’t even - slightly stealthy
-Y’aml STAB, delightful blood. Stab the - flesh, tear the skin, pierce the fruit that gives us strength. - Drink the blood, consume their soul. More more more more more - more more more more
-Corraidhin (internal thought) Ugh my head, - it’s heavy, hurts. Misty and red? I can’t see straight, it’s - hard to think straight. That blasted sword, I thought for a - moment it, no, not think, it definitely did move on its own. - It became lighter and heavier. Pulling against it and it just - weighs itself down. This little magical bauble is definitely - cursed..
-Y’aml CURSED?! Rude Hardy Bear. All we did - was stab that evil hobbit. And it’s getting away! Stab him - again, taste his blood! The tavern gaurds are closing in, they - look like they’re trying to get rid of us, EVIL. Them trying - to stop us from getting that evil hobbit is EVIL, STAB - THEM.
-Corraidhin raises his free hand to his head as though - holding a wound and he groans in dismay as the dagger rises - again. It travels swiftly down towards Blavin, missing as he - slithers of the booth. And again, digging deep into the wooden - seat.
-Y’aml Disgusting wood, stab the flesh! - Stab the Hobbit Hardy Bear!
-But Blavin was inching further out of reach towards the - gaurds. In desperation the dagger begins swinging side to - side, making furtive slashing moves in the direction of the - guards. The party is safely behind Corraidhin, but innocent - patrons and the guards are directly in their sights.
-Corraidhin grabs his other hand and pulls hard, steadying - the swinging. STOP! I command you you blasted toothpick, STOP. - You’ve had your fun, now STOP. These people are innocent, this - man has done us no harm despite his potential “evils”, this is - entirely uncalled for!
-Y’aml NO!!! EVIL. STAB. EVIL. STAB. EVIL. - STAB.
-The dull voice of the magical dagger rises, angry, - insistent. It consumes the last of Corraidhin’s mental - strength. All he hears is EVIL. STAB. EVIL. STAB. Yet he - clings to his spare arm trying desparately to resist. At this - point the party and the tavern has cleared a wide path around - the sysorceor as he struggles with himself, mumbling, - sometimes yelling. EVIL. STAB. EVIL. STAB. NO WE WILL NOT. - EVIL. INNOCENT. STAB BLOOD DRINK. EVIL. EVIL EVIL EVIL STAB - IT. MAKE IT BLEED. I WILL NO.. STAB IT. STAB HIM.
-The voice seems to change, it dies down. Not yelling, but - commanding. Firm, calm, sane.
-Stab them, stab them, make them bleed. Drink the blood, - consume the soul, free them from their evil being. Stab them, - stab them… over and over and over, as the sysorceor approaches - Blavin and the guards with a malevolent look in his ruby red - eyes.
-
~
---Inky moves to stand next to Blavin and the nightclub - bouncers. Tossing a tiny “see-eye” container they had borrowed - from Master Corraidhín at him, Inky looks the sysorceor in the - eye and says, “You are not your sword.”
-Watching the wizard’s expression, Inky continues, more - quietly, “If Master Corraidhín truly wishes to end the hobbit, - a mere imp would not stop him, but likewise, whatever he sets - his mind to do, a dagger cannot stop him either.”
-
~
---Jarrod steps gently into the fray and activates his - FASCINATING CHARM, attempting to draw all eyes to him. He - carefully avoids the wild swinging of the - once-sword-now-dagger.
-“I think,” he rumbles gently, “we could all use a drink - over the other end of the room. I’m buying, and I’ll spin you - all a tale of wonder! A tale of a wanderer, and of a war - hammer, and the first of their wild battles together!”
-Leaning over to whisper urgently in Corraidhín’s ear: - “Friend, I do not know what occurs here, but pull yourself - together. We can later sate our blood lust in more appropriate - places!” Jarrod lends a sly wink in the sysorcerer’s - direction, one that promises adventure later.
-
The tavern guards tense, but pause their advance, as the - crazed mage’s friends position themselves protectively around - him and try to placate him. They wouldn’t want to engage a - master sysorcerer on the best of days, much less one with some - kind of malevolent blood dagger in the middle of a psychotic - break. If his compatriots can handle him without them having - to interfere, all the better.
-The duck waddles up next to Inky and quacks softly, - pleadingly at Corraidhin. Only the Ornithologer in the corner - can understand its words when it says, “As your marketing - manager I must strongly advise against this course of - action!”
-Seated in the corner next to the Ornithologer is a shaggy - groll dressed in a dusty, faded poncho and a wide brimmed hat; - and a greasy, matted gnu, dressed in black ceremonial - robes.
-The groll discreetly draws its poncho back revealing a - bandoleer of wands and draws a cracklestick and points it at - the sysorcer. The wand starts to hum and glow as it charges up - for a blast.
-The gnu slaps the groll’s wrist, and immediately launches - into a tirade against the cracklestick’s manufacturer’s - proprietary spell slotting algorithm, and honestly how can you - possibly justify your choices when there are open source - alternatives available?
-The groll rolls its eyes, obviously having been on the - receiving end of this particular lecture before, and tries to - slap away the gnu’s grasping hands. The ensuing scuffle - threatens to turn this powder keg of a situation into a full - blown conflagration until Jarrod actives his FASCINATING - CHARM, commanding the attention of the entire room.
-The gnu freezes with its hands around the groll’s throat. - The groll halts with fists full of the gnu’s beard. A grub - smoking a hookah pauses with the mouthpiece raised to its - pursed lips. A distracted waitress on roller skates crashes - right into the bar.
---As though in a trance Corraidhin continues to yell STAB. - THEM. STAB. IT. cutting wildly at the air before him. As Inky - whispers to him his expression changes, first a grimace, then - a whimper. As Jarrod leads the patrons away from the sysorceor - he begins to tremble and cower away from himself, away from - everyone. His ruby red eyes dart back and forth between his - friends and the patrons, like a frightened animal searching - for an escape. He pulls the dagger into himself, as though - sheilding it from his surroundings.
-What.. what’s going on, he mutters feebly to himself. - Everything is a blurr. Uncertain of where he is or what’s - going on, Corraidhin thumbs the dagger, caressing the large - ruby embedded in the hilt. Y’aml, you’re still here, good - good, the syscoreor croons.
-Standing up straight his eyes lock with Jarrod as the Bard - glances over his shoulder, momentarily distracted from his - oration, worried about his companion.
-I.. ugh, Corraidhin grabs his head as though in pain, and - collapses to the floor.
-
Corraidhin hits the floor and the dagger, now bereft of the - well of emotion it had been drawing from, grows still. The eye - closes and it seems to sigh happily. “Good job, Hardy Bear. - You have spilled the blood of evil.” And it sleeps, inert, - lifeless.
-Corraidhin is on the ground cradling the dagger.
-Most of the patrons are still fascinated by Jarrod.
-Blavin is squirming around on the floor gibbering about - reassigning your case.
-The duck has found a toppled plate of corn chips and is - happily snacking away.
-You feel like your welcome at Lucy’s Basement has been, for - the moment, overstayed.
-WHAT DO YOU DO
- - ]]> ---Inky slowly approaches Master Corraidhín and taps lightly - on the sleeve of his robes to get his attention. Between - Inky’s tugging and Jarrod’s strong, steady hand, they manage - to hoist the wizard to his feet.
-With a brief glance at the hobbit on the floor then a nod - to Jarrod, Inky leaves the nightclub with the wizard. The - duck, having emptied the plate of corn chips in record time, - follows them shortly after.
-The trek back to the Milk Market is mostly silent aside - from the occasional mutter and stumbling curse, the mage - seemingly having fallen asleep as soon as he landed on the cot - in the loft. Inky retreats downstairs after leaving a jug of - water, a mug and a small packet of kuding leaves beside the - bed.
-Exiting through the back door into the night, Inky finds a - dark corner in a dusty abandoned house, and cries.
-
~
---” … and then the Orc Maiden said: ‘That’s not my - club!’”
-The room roars with laughter, and Jarrod moves to the bar - and puts a bag of coin down. “Serve drinks until this runs - out!” Leaning over the bar to the bartender, Jarrod adds in a - whisper: “I owe a favour to Lucy’s Basement for the trouble. - Call it in when needed.”
-Jarrod saunters over to Blavin, on the floor in pain. From - his pack, Jarrod retrieves a med kit and begins to bandage the - wound.
-As Blavin opens his mouth, likely intending to raise all - kinds of hell, Jarrod pulls tight on the bandage he is - currently applying, drawing a curse from the hobbit. “Shut it! - Let’s be clear. You’ve hired us for a dangerous set of jobs, - with the understanding that we’re dangerous people. There may - be ‘accidents’ on occasion. You’ve learned something today, - and what’s more, you lived to absorb your new wisdom.”
-Jarrod grins as he finishes with the bandage. “We will - finish what we have started. We’re probably the team with the - best chances, I’m sure you’ll agree. Are you going to back the - winning play here? Either way, your decision won’t change our - plans. I’m sure you know how to take the win.”
-Jarrod pats the hobbit’s good shoulder in a friendly, but - dismissive, way, then turns and saunters out the door, trading - small quips with his new (and now very drunk) tavern - friends.
-
You are at a small port town on the northern tip of - Agendell, just past the Rana’For Valley. The sun is bright and - the wind blowing in from the Sugrin Sea to the east is cool - and salty. The floating island-city of Vay’Neddas, bridging - Agendell and Primora, can be seen very faintly in the distance - hanging in the northern sky.
-Your faithful multibeast is carrying all of your supplies - and gear, which were generously provided to you by the - indefatigable Blavin Blandfoot. His arm in a sling, he kept up - a constant nervous chatter as he saw you off on your journey - to recover the second Ginnarak Crystal.
-From here, you can easily provision a boat to take you out - to the site of the shipwreck just off the coast.
-Or, optionally, you are very close to the Hartlands. It - would be quite easy to make a quick visit to hemogoblins and - pick up some synthetic blood for your experiments with the - Sword of Yam’L.
-The sword, incidentally, after finally tasting the blood of - “evil”, has remained sated and entirely inert and unresponsive - this whole time.
-WHAT DO YOU DO:
---Inky flips backwards and up, narrowly avoiding the - tentacles’ grasp. From their courier bag they shake out an - inflatable bubblebee[1] of the sort made for aquatic camping. - It is one of the fancier models provided to each member of - their party courtesy of the well-endowed Benefactor. They yank - on one of the cords and scramble inside, hastily closing the - flap as the bubblebee rapidly draws in water and fills out to - its full size.
-The bubblebee rises as Inky pulls on the flippers and - allows the drifter to buoy the bubble upwards, a bat from the - end of one tentacle sending the bubblebee forward a short - distance before it slows above the flailing tentacles. Inky - switches on the lights to try to get a clearer view of the - source of the tentacles.
-[1] Specific features of bubblebees vary among makers, but - they generally have a transparent or translucent spherical - body, a pair of small translucent wings that act as flippers, - an opening flap at the back with a short rudder attached, and - two cords inside at the front near the top which when pulled - inflate the bubble with the surrounding air or water. Premium - versions might also include headlights, a buzzer, built-in - filtration, improved insulation, a drifter and thruster. Like - tents they come in various sizes, from small ones that can fit - one or two people at average elven height, to larger ones for - group outings. Their portability and rugged durability make - them very popular among tourists and campers who can enjoy a - range of water sports, such as water walking on the surface, - riding the bubble down river rapids, or bobbing along - underwater to watch the sea life wander by.
-
Inky climbs into the inflatable bubblebee just in the nick - of time. A tentacle bats them a short distance away, and then - the apparatus’s lights cut on and illuminate the murky - water.
-You see the tentacles recede into the depths into, from - this distance, what looks like the outline of a shipwreck.
-At the moment, you are out of reach of the tentacles. And - the bubblebee affords you some extra maneuverability.
---Corraidhin eyes inky as they drift away in their bubblebee. - “hmm a wonderful idea, that seems safe, but I need to get in - closer.”
-While Inky drifts away Corraidhin swims down and towards - the tentacles to get a better view of whatever creature stole - his new found bear friends. “I simply cannot bear any harm to - come to my bears!” As he approaches the creature he prepares a - spell should he need to vanquish the monster.
--(fn vanquish [target] - (match target.state - [:living] (searing-bolt {target target - radius "narrow" - intensity "high"}) - [:undead] (smite {target target - deity "Larani"})))
Corraidhin charges up a spell!
-The tentacles pull your dear bear friends downward, and you - struggle to get a view of whatever creature is abducting - them.
-The long, slender tentacles appear to originate from within - or behind a large sunken ship!
-Could it be the SS RSS?
---Gabs was stunned by the majesty of the two bears, and upon - seeing these two beautiful creatures be pulled down, got - unreasonably angry. She made sure that the breathing bell was - properly attached to her head (a marvelous thing, she thought. - She had always wondered what it would be like to have a - jellyfish on her head).
-Gabs bundled and tied up her skirt, as she started to bolt - toward the edge of the ship. She reached into her purse and - moved away all the loose candy and pulled out two long - stiletto daggers. She begins stabbing with unusual precision - at the tentacles reaching up on the ship.
-She yells, “Come’on y’all! We gotta save those babies!”
-She dives in.
-
Prior to the incident, Gabs would have noticed that there - was a very slight, wobbly weight to the jellyfish. Kind of - like getting a gentle hug from a helmet of warm spaghetti.
-Some loose candy floats up and away as you rummage through - your purse, the brightly colored wrappers attracting the - attention of a curious passing manta ray. It glides over and - has a nibble.
-You fetch your stiletto daggers and start stabbing at the - long, slender tentacles. Your unusual precision causes the - tentacles to coil and retreat, releasing the merbear in the - process. It shouts through its tears, “My brother!” and dives - back into the fray, fighting to free the tardigrade.
-From here, you can see that the tentacles seem to come from - the wreckage of a large ship lying on its side on ocean - floor.
-META: Gabs rolls a 6 on “Do Anything 1” - and gains a new skill: Stabbing 2
---Seeing his new comrade enter the fray heroically Corraidhin - gathers himself. “I suppose this is no time for errant - curiosity, can’t have anyone getting hurt after all.”
-Ensuring that he doesn’t hit either Inky nor Gabs as they - near the creature, Corraidhin throws the spell he prepared in - the direction of the center of the tentacles. (vanquish - “tentacles”) And releases a pinpoint thread of searing energy - from his palm, guiding it through the mass of tentacles in a - random and chaotic pattern, attempting to sever as many - tentacles as possible.
-As that goes on the sysercoerr calculates his retreat plan, - he won’t be able to prepare another spell like that on the - fly, far too meticulous work to do mid combat. As soon as the - spell runs out, best case will be to retreat somewhere out of - reach, or as far away as is possible there.
-
Corraidhín takes careful aim fires off a searing bolt into - the center of the mass of squirming, reaching tentacles. The - bolt of energy bounces from tentacle to tentacle creating a - chaotic web of energy.
-One of the final bolts of energy pierces the tentacle that - happens to be gripping the tardigrade. It releases the water - bear, but not before the tardigrade takes the full brunt of - the final blast of the dying searing bolt. It cries out and - curls up into a ball. Motionless, it starts sinking downward. - “BROTHER!” the merbear swims after it heedless of any nearby - danger.
-A wayward crackle of energy blasts outward toward a giant - manta ray happily crunching on a piece of hard candy. It flaps - out of the way at the last minute and continues to angrily - enjoy its candy, glaring at you quite indignantly.
-META: Corraidhín rolls a 2 for “Do - Anything 1”, which means things go bad, and gains 1 xp for a - total of 1 xp. You can spend xp to turn any die into a six for - the purpose of advancement.
---While Master Corraidhín and Gabs confront the tentacles to - rescue the bears, Inky looks around the sea floor. Maybe if - they found suitable replacements for the bears, the tentacles - might be distracted long enough to release the bears, or - provide an opening advantage for one of their party?
-A small distance from the fray, Inky finds a load of - discarded bottles among a large pile of other trash carried - there by the push and pull between the water currents and a - hot spring. Gathering up some bottles, Inky ties them together - with twine in singles and small clusters until they resemble - two large, crudely-made multi-coloured tanokuma[1].
-With some difficulty due to the additional weight, Inky - attaches the tanokuma to the back of their bubblebee and drags - them back above the tentacles, roughly near the spot where the - previous bears were taken. When the valiant members of their - party dive to one side for another strike, Inky loosens the - rope around the “bears” and lets them sink down within reach - of the tentacles.
-[1] First featured in the garden play Teatime with - Tanokuma, the fluffy purple, jam-grabbing, tea-guzzling - bear became an overnight hit among children as well as the - fashion-conscious youth who frequent the trendy “Shin-ku” - district of Vay’Nullar.
-
The decoy tanokuma float above the tentacles as they - retreat from Gabs’s stabbses and Corraidhin’s bolts. They - grope about weakly, wrap themselves around the tanokuma, and - finally withdraw.
-You can now clearly see the wreckage of the SS RSS. The - tentacles—and whatever beast they belong to—is either within, - behind, or below the ship. It is definitely ship - adjacent wherever and whatever it is. The large - double-masted ship is lying on its side, teetering - precariously on the edge of a large, deep ocean trench. There - is a large hole in its hull providing unfettered access to its - insides.
-The tardigrade is sinking inertly toward the ship deck, and - the merbear is swimming blindly after it.
-WHAT DO YOU DO
- - ]]> ---Oh thank goodness, I thought I killed that innocent bear! I - should probably be a little more careful with my spells..
-Nonetheless, we need to shed some light on what’s going on - here, no sense in diving into the clutches of some evil sea - creature blind.
-Gather himself, Corraidhin casts a fzf on the ship, - searching for the creature inside
--
sudo fzf $(pwd)--t e n t a c l e
-Hmmm, no nothing too interesting there.. Maybe crystal?
--
sudo fzf $(pwd)--c r y s t a l
-Blast! Why can’t I find anything.. The syscerroer muses for - a moment.
-OH!
--
sudo fzf /sea/ship_wreck/interior--t e n t a c l e
-
You probe the ship. You do not detect the presence of any - tentacles inside the ship. But you do detect the presence of - the crystal you seek.
-If you scan the trench, you will detect the presence of a - harrowkrake. A colossal, many-tentacled sea monster - with a plow shaped shell that it drags across the ocean floor, - digging deep furrows. Kind of like if a giant squid could grow - a nautilus shell. They are usually content to stay in their - trenches, grabbing prey as it swims by with their long - tentacles like some kind of nightmarish barnacle.
-The giant manta is still gliding around crunching on - candies. A few blue spherical globules of harrowkrake blood - float lazily upward from where Gabs got her stabs on, - attracting the attention of a couple horkosgrampus. The manta - gives them a wide berth but doesn’t otherwise seem too - concerned about them.
-Horkosgrampus are toothy whales with a single long tusk. - They are mostly scavengers, and are only provoked to violence - in the presence of a lie or the breaking of an oath, in which - case they go into a frenzy preying on the liar or liars. They - can smell blood from a great distance, but can hear a lie from - much further.
-You hear a thud from inside the ship, and a slow rustling - like smooth stones rolling over each other. The ship settles a - little further onto its side, and dangles just a little - further over the harrowkrake trench.
-WHAT DO YOU DO
- - ]]> -++Oh thank goodness, I thought I killed that innocent bear! I + should probably be a little more careful with my spells..
+Nonetheless, we need to shed some light on what’s going on + here, no sense in diving into the clutches of some evil sea + creature blind.
+Gather himself, Corraidhin casts a fzf on the ship, + searching for the creature inside
++
sudo fzf $(pwd)++t e n t a c l e
+Hmmm, no nothing too interesting there.. Maybe crystal?
++
sudo fzf $(pwd)++c r y s t a l
+Blast! Why can’t I find anything.. The syscerroer muses for + a moment.
+OH!
++
sudo fzf /sea/ship_wreck/interior++t e n t a c l e
+
You probe the ship. You do not detect the presence of any + tentacles inside the ship. But you do detect the presence of + the crystal you seek.
+If you scan the trench, you will detect the presence of a + harrowkrake. A colossal, many-tentacled sea monster + with a plow shaped shell that it drags across the ocean floor, + digging deep furrows. Kind of like if a giant squid could grow + a nautilus shell. They are usually content to stay in their + trenches, grabbing prey as it swims by with their long + tentacles like some kind of nightmarish barnacle.
+The giant manta is still gliding around crunching on + candies. A few blue spherical globules of harrowkrake blood + float lazily upward from where Gabs got her stabs on, + attracting the attention of a couple horkosgrampus. The manta + gives them a wide berth but doesn’t otherwise seem too + concerned about them.
+Horkosgrampus are toothy whales with a single long tusk. + They are mostly scavengers, and are only provoked to violence + in the presence of a lie or the breaking of an oath, in which + case they go into a frenzy preying on the liar or liars. They + can smell blood from a great distance, but can hear a lie from + much further.
+You hear a thud from inside the ship, and a slow rustling + like smooth stones rolling over each other. The ship settles a + little further onto its side, and dangles just a little + further over the harrowkrake trench.
+WHAT DO YOU DO
+ + ]]> +++Why no, we don’t mind much about competition, certainly + nothing wrong. Can’t imagine someone to put all of their eggs + in one basket, especially when whatever it is they desire is + so valuable.
+That said, our benefactor must be pretty eager to get these + crystals if he’s willing to send out team after team. I mean, + we’re team 43, that’s a lot of people to pay and a lot of + eagerness to find these crystals. Why is that? What benefit + are these shiny rocks to them? What even is their purpose in + retrieving them?
+
“Oh, no no no, child,” Blavin titters as he takes a sip of + his ever-present martini. “You must understand, the Benefactor + is a singularly dedicated collector, and has been for ages! + There are—and have been!—many other retrieval teams, yes. But + not all of them have been for the crystals. And some of them + were formed, active, and disbanded long before you or I + arrived on the scene.” He winks at you conspiratorially.
+++I would postulate, based upon the magical wards we had to + bypass, the cadre of gaurds that needed to be dispatched, and + the gigantic moth monster that rested beneath it, that these + crystals aren’t meant to go anywhere.
+Now I’m not trying to point fingers here, morality is many + shades of gray, and it isn’t really my job to suss out what + you’re doing. But I’m a curious sysorceor, and when I see a + chance to learn I seize upon the moment. There’s something + here you’re not telling us, and I for one and keen to know + it.
+
“I wouldn’t worry your wizened old brow about it,” Blavin + chuckles, sloshing his drink. “The Benefactor’s concern is + precisely the same as yours! These items are of enormous + cultural and historical significance, to say nothing of their + well of concentrated arcane energies. They’re dangerous just + sitting out there in the world. Who knows who might come + across one and use it for nefarious purposes.”
+Yam’L’s eye widens and it seems to shudder at the mere + suggestion of evil.
+“Did you say this one was in the hands of a giant moth?” + Blavin shudders with revulsion. “My word, man! Do you really + think such an overgrown insect is an appropriate guardian for + a beloved and dangerous cultural icon such as the Ginnarak + Crystal? Surely not!”
+“No,” he sits back with a satisfied smile, “I think we must + all agree that they are safer in the public collection of a + competent and benevolent curator. Then everybody can enjoy + them safely!”
+++META: I’m gonna preface the sword speech with this to make + it quicker to write
+Y’aml
+
+ I like what you’re putting down here, this guy is DEFINITELY + evil. Nobody asks loads of people to steal things for them + without being evil. I say we stab him, nice and good, right in + the gut. Maybe 6 or 7 times. I’m positive nobody will mind. + Evil people steal things, we saw that inky creature stealing + things from that vault, definitely evil. (singsong) Evil evil + evil, stab stab stab, make the evil go away with every little + stab~Corraidhin to Y’aml
+
+ Dear sysadmins, once again, inky is not evil. They were + borrowing something that had been cast on the ground, + abandoned. Giving a tea set a good home is far from evil. But + you might be onto something about this Blavin fellow, but we + can’t just stab someone in a busy pub! Besides you’re a sword, + and stabbing someone in a pub is the job of a dagger. So + unless you can transform into the Dagger of Y’aml I think + we’re out of luck here.
Yam’L gets a curious look in its eye at the suggestion. + “CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!” it cries directly into your mind. It + squeezes its eye shut and trembles with intense concentration. + With great effort, the sword shrinks itself down to the size + of a dagger, shunting its extra mass off into yamlspace.
+“There!” it says breathlessly, opening its eye wearily. + “Now, Hardy Bear. You promised..” it continues, its eye + glinting with growing ferocity. “Let’s. STAB. THE HOBBIT!”
+++While the wizard pressed Blavin about the crystal’s + secrets, Inky let their attention wander slightly around the + table.
+They had agreed that Master Corraidhín and Jarrod, being + most wise and well-spoken, would question Blavin about the + crystal before they set off on their next mission. The party + had also befriended the duck unofficially dubbed their + marketing manager after the fluffy little creature had trailed + Inky all the way back to the Milk Market. Said creature now + occupied a small office to one side of the building complete + with a fountain, feathered up pillow and all the rummy worms + it can eat. Inky had tried getting the duck to communicate + with words by making them little croutons etched with letters, + but the only ones they would gobble up were Q-U-A-C-K.
+
Your marketing manager moves into its office at the Milk + Market and seems to really be enjoying itself. It joins you at + Blavin’s table at Lucy’s Basement, cleaning its feathers and + chortling merrily to itself.
+You and your tablemates take turns feeding it croutons and + bits of soft pretzel, and it seems very happy and content with + that.
+++A familiar prickle, but passed quickly — Inky had gotten + used to the glares directed at them by the sysorceor’s + gleaming sword and resisted returning the stare with an + eyeroll. Watching Stabby eyeing up their case manager over + Master Corraidhín’s shoulder reminded Inky of a conversation + they had overheard a few evenings ago between two pale coffin + sleepers about a new product from the hemogoblins that was + said to quench the thirst for longer than the leading brand. + They might be able to find some at the town of Plasma, which + sits by the Hartlands on the way to the shipwreck. It seems + the milky blood pudding could do with some improvement.
+
You note on Blavin’s map that the Hemogoblin region is + indeed on the way to the shipwreck. At least, it’s not that + far out of the way. You reckon their synthetic blood product + would indeed be a much better substitute for the real thing + than the milk you’ve been feeding the thirsty sword thus + far.
+Or, at the very least, you’ll get a new variant of the + blood pudding recipe you’ve been working on!
+++Maybe someone else’s mood will be improved in the meantime? + Before setting out for their meeting with Blavin, Inky slipped + into the kitchens downstairs and left the empanada chef a + trick-and-treat. A plate of honeyed breadfruit and ghost + pepper tapas sat on an icebox atop a new pair of Blueberry + oven mittens with a pattern of tiny smiling green turtles. + Tucked inside one mitten was a slip of paper (regrettably + inedible) that simply read “BACK SOON :)”. A tapa recipe, + which included a note on adapting the toppings for pan frying, + was printed on the reverse in neat blocky letters and + sandalwood ink.
+
Enrique wakes in the middle of the night to start baking + the next day’s breads and empanadas. He frowns thoughtfully + when he sees yet another mysterious gift from across the room. + Again? What little elf must have taken up residence in his + shop? But his face cracks into a smile when he sees the + presentation and the oven mitts. And the smile becomes a + bonafide grin when he tastes the fare and finds the + recipe.
+He taps his chin thoughtfully with one green claw as he + skims the note and looks through his pantry. He chops some + veggies and starts pan frying them.
+Later, when the oven dings, he smiles to himself as he + pulls on the new turtle pattern oven mitts and opens it.
+> A) MORE QUESTIONING, OR B) TIME FOR SHIPWRECK?
+ + ]]> +++Inky slowly approaches Master Corraidhín and taps lightly + on the sleeve of his robes to get his attention. Between + Inky’s tugging and Jarrod’s strong, steady hand, they manage + to hoist the wizard to his feet.
+With a brief glance at the hobbit on the floor then a nod + to Jarrod, Inky leaves the nightclub with the wizard. The + duck, having emptied the plate of corn chips in record time, + follows them shortly after.
+The trek back to the Milk Market is mostly silent aside + from the occasional mutter and stumbling curse, the mage + seemingly having fallen asleep as soon as he landed on the cot + in the loft. Inky retreats downstairs after leaving a jug of + water, a mug and a small packet of kuding leaves beside the + bed.
+Exiting through the back door into the night, Inky finds a + dark corner in a dusty abandoned house, and cries.
+
~
+++” … and then the Orc Maiden said: ‘That’s not my + club!’”
+The room roars with laughter, and Jarrod moves to the bar + and puts a bag of coin down. “Serve drinks until this runs + out!” Leaning over the bar to the bartender, Jarrod adds in a + whisper: “I owe a favour to Lucy’s Basement for the trouble. + Call it in when needed.”
+Jarrod saunters over to Blavin, on the floor in pain. From + his pack, Jarrod retrieves a med kit and begins to bandage the + wound.
+As Blavin opens his mouth, likely intending to raise all + kinds of hell, Jarrod pulls tight on the bandage he is + currently applying, drawing a curse from the hobbit. “Shut it! + Let’s be clear. You’ve hired us for a dangerous set of jobs, + with the understanding that we’re dangerous people. There may + be ‘accidents’ on occasion. You’ve learned something today, + and what’s more, you lived to absorb your new wisdom.”
+Jarrod grins as he finishes with the bandage. “We will + finish what we have started. We’re probably the team with the + best chances, I’m sure you’ll agree. Are you going to back the + winning play here? Either way, your decision won’t change our + plans. I’m sure you know how to take the win.”
+Jarrod pats the hobbit’s good shoulder in a friendly, but + dismissive, way, then turns and saunters out the door, trading + small quips with his new (and now very drunk) tavern + friends.
+
You are at a small port town on the northern tip of + Agendell, just past the Rana’For Valley. The sun is bright and + the wind blowing in from the Sugrin Sea to the east is cool + and salty. The floating island-city of Vay’Neddas, bridging + Agendell and Primora, can be seen very faintly in the distance + hanging in the northern sky.
+Your faithful multibeast is carrying all of your supplies + and gear, which were generously provided to you by the + indefatigable Blavin Blandfoot. His arm in a sling, he kept up + a constant nervous chatter as he saw you off on your journey + to recover the second Ginnarak Crystal.
+From here, you can easily provision a boat to take you out + to the site of the shipwreck just off the coast.
+Or, optionally, you are very close to the Hartlands. It + would be quite easy to make a quick visit to hemogoblins and + pick up some synthetic blood for your experiments with the + Sword of Yam’L.
+The sword, incidentally, after finally tasting the blood of + “evil”, has remained sated and entirely inert and unresponsive + this whole time.
+WHAT DO YOU DO:
+++Gentle bears, there is no need to argue! Why can’t there be + two true bears of the ocean? For what its worth, I personally + think the ocean doesn’t have enough bears and could do with + two strapping examples of true peak bearitude! The two of you + should be working together to show the world how important + bears are and how wonderful the sea is to have two. And the + moon! Who’s to say the moon doesn’t also need two bears?
+The only time I can ever think that a bear isn’t needed is + when it’s calling itself Monokuma, once it’s doing that you + know you’re in for a hell of a bad time. And since neither of + you are it, I say we let this matter rest and declare this + ocean two bears richer!
+Corraidhin grips the innert dagger of Y’aml beneath his + cloak, just in case. No need for a blood rush like last time, + can’t let daggers go mouthing off an all that. Or perhaps the + ocean needs less bears, it’s tempting, I wonder if Y’aml would + react to bear blood..
+
The bears shudder at the mention of Monokuma. “Oh, such a + dreadful bear,” laments the tardigrade. “You mustn’t mention + him!”
+“Indeed,” agrees the merbear, “a discredit and an + embarrassment to bears everywhere, at sea and on land!”
+“Yes, this sea may be big enough for two bears, but not if + one of them is HE!”
+The merbear considers the tardigrade’s words. “Hmm, + two bears you say?” he ponders, giving the tardigrade + a scrupulous side-eye. “Do you truly think so?”
+“Now that you mention it, I don’t see why not!” admits the + tardigrade, gesturing broadly at the fathomless leagues of + ocean all around you.
+“You know what? What is the sky anyway if not a sea made of + stars! The moon could indeed use two bears too, could it + not?”
+“It could indeed, Brother Bear!”
+“Brother!”
+The tardigrade and the merbear embrace. If you’ve never + experienced the eight-armed hug of a water bear, well, then + you don’t know how soft and enveloping it is.
+“Come, Brother!” cries the tardigrade suddenly. “We must + begin our search at once! For what if there is a third Bear of + the Sea yet to be discovered?”
+“Another Brother of ours who doesn’t know about us? Oh, I + can’t stand the thought!” sobs the merbear.
+They swim away hand in hand, paragons of brotherly bear + love. “Good luck and safe travels, interlopers!” calls the + merbear to you over its shoulder. “If you ever end up on the + moon,” adds the tardigrade, laughing merrily, “say hello to + Hap’n’stance for me!”
+Suddenly, a disturbance! A perturbance of bubbles and a + rush of current as massive amounts of water are displaced by + inky black tentacles that shoot up from below! They reach! + They grasp! One grabs the tardigrade around the middle. + Another grabs the merbear by the tail. Both bears cry and + reach for each other as they are ripped apart and pulled down + below.
+The tentacles grope around in the water, batting at you and + threatening to pull you down too! They grab at your wrists and + at your ankles!
+WHAT DO YOU DO
+ + ]]> +++a new player enters the chat
+Gabs had a good life. Her little devil children were all + grown adults now, and she no longer wanted to toil away + running a business. When she initially shuttered her little + tavern, she thought she might just retire. She made it two + whole years of working in a garden, occasionally seeing + grandkids, and reading romance novels. She eventually decided + she needed a vacation from her retirement and traveled to a + nearby port town. She was sure to find something fun to do + there.
+Gabs eventually sees Inquire Within, and the smell of + debauchery wafting from within made her miss her days + gossiping at her tavern. She enters and orders a terrible + drink and listens and watches.
+Hearing the tales being spun by Mister Three-Fingered, she + decides, “I’ve never been on a ship, that’s something that + sounds exciting!”
+Half-drunk and eager for something exciting, she will join + on the journey!
+Gabs is a lanky older half-devil lady who is here to + schmooze and have fun!
+
~
+++Meta: a warm welcome to the latest member of our tea party! + This is a short post to help smooth the temporal jumps between + the recent narratives so far. As Inky reaches the deck, they + see Gabs approaching from the other side of the ship as well, + and flashes them a grin in greeting. After listening to the + captain petering on about the glorious days of the now sunken + ship below, while tinkering with the bell’s tentacles — being + rewarded with a mild zap and marginally better fit for the + effort — Inky turns to the party. “When you’re ready.”
+
You reach into the tank and discover that grabbing a + breathing bell takes some finesse. They are very slippery! But + you get the hang of it and make a ladle out of your hands and + scoop one up.
+“Okay now!” laughs Three-Fingered Gerald. He gives you a + wink, but it’s easy to miss because of the eyepatch. “Don’t + put it on until right before you jump. It won’t be able to + breathe for you until you’re in the water. And this!” he + continues, fitting a heavy, padded vest around your shoulders, + “will carry you down.” It is a vest of many pockets, each one + holding a small dense sandbag the size of your hand. “When + you’re ready to come back up, just start dropping ballast, + right?”
+You hop up on the ship railing and pull the breathing bell + on over your head. It immediately contracts and squeezes and + hugs your head like a second skin, and its stubby little + tentacles grab hold around your jawline, and it feels like you + have a wet plastic bag clinging to your face, and you think + you might have made a grave mistake. Resisting the urge to + panic, you push off the railing and jump overboard. You are + briefly air born and then profoundly waterbound, crashing + through the surface of the sea into the briny soup below.
+The oxygen starts to flow as the breathing bell begins to + do its job. As you sink, you feel as though you are floating + through space, entering another world.
+After a while you start to hear voices arguing in the + distance. As you get closer, two large shapes start to come + into focus. The first is a hulking, hairless merbear. Top half + (hairless) bear, bottom half fish. The second figure is a + tardigrade the size of a large merbear. It has eight jointless + legs, each tipped with four sharp claws. It wriggles and + wobbles like jelly as it gesticulates.
+“No, I am the true Bear of the Sea! I am called a Water + Bear, after all!”
+“Hornswoggle and poppycock! It is I who am the Bear of the + Sea! I am half bear after all! You’re just some kind of + segmented nematode or something.”
+The tardigrade quivers with indignation. “I’ll have you + know I’m a panarthropod, thank you very much. And this is the + ideal physical body! You may not like it, but this is what + peak performance looks like. I’ve lived under the polar ice + cap, and in a sulfurous mountaintop hot spring. I’ve traveled + through the vacuum of space to the moon! Have you ever been to + the moon?”
+“Why don’t you go be the Bear of the Moon then if you like + it so much!”
+“You’re just as much fish as you are bear, are you sure + you’re not the Fish of the Sea?”
+“Are you sure you’re not the Blob of the Sea, you too many + armed bowl of jelly?”
+“Hey! Hey, you there!” The arguing quasi-bears have spotted + your slow descent. “Come, yes, float slowly this way! You must + settle an argument for us! Tell this slightly mammalian fish + that I am the true Bear of the Sea!”
+“The Bear of the Sea must be at least ‘slightly mammalian’ + you egg-laying scientific curiosity! You, tell this cousin of + a barnacle that I—the mighty merbear—am the true Bear of the + Sea! Say this and I will guide and protect you on your + journey.”
+“No! Would you like to visit the moon? Say that I, + tardigrade, am Bear of the Sea and I will introduce you to my + moon friends!”
+“He had to make friends on the moon because nobody on Urth + can stand him!”
+“You’re just mean, you know that?”
+You are still quite some way from the sea bed, and there is + no sight of the SS RSS.
+WHAT DO YOU DO
+ + ]]> +INTERLUDE
--Why no, we don’t mind much about competition, certainly - nothing wrong. Can’t imagine someone to put all of their eggs - in one basket, especially when whatever it is they desire is - so valuable.
-That said, our benefactor must be pretty eager to get these - crystals if he’s willing to send out team after team. I mean, - we’re team 43, that’s a lot of people to pay and a lot of - eagerness to find these crystals. Why is that? What benefit - are these shiny rocks to them? What even is their purpose in - retrieving them?
+A glorious victory!
+In the interim time Corraidhin studies the sword of Y’aml, + and correctly deduces that he needs to remove the sticky bit + to be able to sheath the thing.
+sudo chmod -t sword_of_y'aml
+The rest of the interim is spent studying arcane lore + surrounding the Ginnarak Crystals and their purpose. He also + strongly urges the party that we should consider very carefuly + how we need to proceed with the crystal. It’s obvious people + don’t want these things getting out, so we should ensure that + Blavin has good intentions, or at least leaves us out of + whatever potential evil could occur.
“Oh, no no no, child,” Blavin titters as he takes a sip of - his ever-present martini. “You must understand, the Benefactor - is a singularly dedicated collector, and has been for ages! - There are—and have been!—many other retrieval teams, yes. But - not all of them have been for the crystals. And some of them - were formed, active, and disbanded long before you or I - arrived on the scene.” He winks at you conspiratorially.
+Corraidhin prepares the incantation and, after removing the + sticky bit, is able pry his stiff fingers from the grip.
+You sheathe the blade, but its voice continues to ring + clearly in your head as it prattles on, seeing evil and + villainy everywhere and encouraging you to stab, stab, + stab.
+Your sysorcerous studies, confirmed by the eager and + forthright sword, suggest that the blade will be able to rest + for a while once it tastes blood.
+Your former mentor and rival sysorceror Eccentric Kevin + calls on you one day under the pretense of showing you the + latest draft of KDL (pronounced “cuddle”), their own “Kevin’s + Document Language”, an alternative syntax for incantations and + personal pet project of theirs that has thus far failed, much + to their perpetual consternation, to gain any traction or + adoption in the wider magic community. They are insufferably + polite and sinisterly supportive. They complain about how the + obstinant gnus keep standing in the middle of the road trying + to block traffic, and they demand to know all about your + recent exploits and adventures.
--I would postulate, based upon the magical wards we had to - bypass, the cadre of gaurds that needed to be dispatched, and - the gigantic moth monster that rested beneath it, that these - crystals aren’t meant to go anywhere.
-Now I’m not trying to point fingers here, morality is many - shades of gray, and it isn’t really my job to suss out what - you’re doing. But I’m a curious sysorceor, and when I see a - chance to learn I seize upon the moment. There’s something - here you’re not telling us, and I for one and keen to know - it.
+Once back in town, Inky had the small glass shard in their + palm removed by a harried-looking healer, who merely shrugged + at Inky’s account of the disappearing ink and advised them to + return if they experienced adverse effects before hurrying off + to the next patient. A visit to the local stationery shop did + not yield any answers; the stocky human at the counter shook + their head apologetically when shown the broken ink bottle. + However, they did suggest asking at one of the larger shops in + the city.
+To celebrate their first successful quest, Inky made + torties[1] for their party with flour ground from some of the + large corn kernels at the dig site, topped with a sweet nutty + squash spread. Babbleberry tea was served from their newly + acquired jade tea set, now patched with what Inky had been + assured was an unbreakable seal[2] by a merchant with a toothy + grin in one of Vay’Nullar’s notorious back alleys.
+Master Corraidhín’s cautionary words of wisdom still echo + in Inky’s head, though they were secretly tickled by the idea + of the crystal being actually a rare and previously unknown + species of melon with very potent magical properties. The very + thought of melons was making Inky a bit thirsty. Let the + warrior and wizard worry about all the potential evils of the + world — it’s time for a dash to the market for some beatfruit + juice!
+
+[1] Also known as torte-teas, as in “Torte-tea, yas?”, + which was how their previous ink maestro used to greet + customers entering the brewery. Flat little tea cakes with + sugar or spice (or both, which vary by region) and sometimes + eaten in a loose wrap. Some humans called them “crabs” for + some reason which baffled Inky, since the torties had no + pincers … at least none that they could see anyway.
+[2] The seal attached to the bottom of the teapot and each + cup had a glyph of an unknown object between two hands.
“I wouldn’t worry your wizened old brow about it,” Blavin - chuckles, sloshing his drink. “The Benefactor’s concern is - precisely the same as yours! These items are of enormous - cultural and historical significance, to say nothing of their - well of concentrated arcane energies. They’re dangerous just - sitting out there in the world. Who knows who might come - across one and use it for nefarious purposes.”
-Yam’L’s eye widens and it seems to shudder at the mere - suggestion of evil.
-“Did you say this one was in the hands of a giant moth?” - Blavin shudders with revulsion. “My word, man! Do you really - think such an overgrown insect is an appropriate guardian for - a beloved and dangerous cultural icon such as the Ginnarak - Crystal? Surely not!”
-“No,” he sits back with a satisfied smile, “I think we must - all agree that they are safer in the public collection of a - competent and benevolent curator. Then everybody can enjoy - them safely!”
+The healer removes a small glass bead from Inky’s palm. It + is worn smooth and round like a marble. If you look closely, + you can see a small blemish in the center that somewhat + resembles either a duck or a rabbit depending on how you + orient it.
+It is captivating to look at and comforting to hold in your + hand. You fidget with it often. Now and then you suddenly + notice you have been gazing at it for some minutes without + realizing it.
+You make your party a delightful meal of torties, serving + tea from the magically reinforced jade set.
+Cleaning up afterwards, you can’t help but notice the + patterns of the tea leaves in the bottoms of the jade + cups.
+YOU FORESEE AN OMEN FOR THE PARTY. WHAT IS IT?
+You dash to the market for beatfruit juice, which you + easily find. And you find yourself irrationally drawn to the + produce. The kale, dandelion greens, and beans all look + especially scrumptious and … plump and juicy?
+An old toothy market attendant sits on a stool by the + vegetable stand reading the Farmers Almanac. Unsolicited, they + mention to you that it is only three days until the next full + moon.
--META: I’m gonna preface the sword speech with this to make - it quicker to write
-Y’aml
-
- I like what you’re putting down here, this guy is DEFINITELY - evil. Nobody asks loads of people to steal things for them - without being evil. I say we stab him, nice and good, right in - the gut. Maybe 6 or 7 times. I’m positive nobody will mind. - Evil people steal things, we saw that inky creature stealing - things from that vault, definitely evil. (singsong) Evil evil - evil, stab stab stab, make the evil go away with every little - stab~Corraidhin to Y’aml
+
- Dear sysadmins, once again, inky is not evil. They were - borrowing something that had been cast on the ground, - abandoned. Giving a tea set a good home is far from evil. But - you might be onto something about this Blavin fellow, but we - can’t just stab someone in a busy pub! Besides you’re a sword, - and stabbing someone in a pub is the job of a dagger. So - unless you can transform into the Dagger of Y’aml I think - we’re out of luck here.Jarrod has two things in particular he wants to do when + back in town, with whatever his cut of the gold is. First, he + wants to go looking for a cheap, run-down building somewhere + in town and buy the property if he has enough money (perhaps + negotiating a bit where necessary).
+Second, he wishes to seek arcane counsel from Corraidhín, + perhaps getting a small invocation applied to one of the + charms on his arm band. Something in the realm of a + fascination spell (with an activation word) that can be used + on occasion to draw attention.
+Jarrod agrees that we should not invite trouble. We shall + tread cautiously with regards to the crystals.
+Yum, torties!
Yam’L gets a curious look in its eye at the suggestion. - “CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!” it cries directly into your mind. It - squeezes its eye shut and trembles with intense concentration. - With great effort, the sword shrinks itself down to the size - of a dagger, shunting its extra mass off into yamlspace.
-“There!” it says breathlessly, opening its eye wearily. - “Now, Hardy Bear. You promised..” it continues, its eye - glinting with growing ferocity. “Let’s. STAB. THE HOBBIT!”
---While the wizard pressed Blavin about the crystal’s - secrets, Inky let their attention wander slightly around the - table.
-They had agreed that Master Corraidhín and Jarrod, being - most wise and well-spoken, would question Blavin about the - crystal before they set off on their next mission. The party - had also befriended the duck unofficially dubbed their - marketing manager after the fluffy little creature had trailed - Inky all the way back to the Milk Market. Said creature now - occupied a small office to one side of the building complete - with a fountain, feathered up pillow and all the rummy worms - it can eat. Inky had tried getting the duck to communicate - with words by making them little croutons etched with letters, - but the only ones they would gobble up were Q-U-A-C-K.
-
Your marketing manager moves into its office at the Milk - Market and seems to really be enjoying itself. It joins you at - Blavin’s table at Lucy’s Basement, cleaning its feathers and - chortling merrily to itself.
-You and your tablemates take turns feeding it croutons and - bits of soft pretzel, and it seems very happy and content with - that.
---A familiar prickle, but passed quickly — Inky had gotten - used to the glares directed at them by the sysorceor’s - gleaming sword and resisted returning the stare with an - eyeroll. Watching Stabby eyeing up their case manager over - Master Corraidhín’s shoulder reminded Inky of a conversation - they had overheard a few evenings ago between two pale coffin - sleepers about a new product from the hemogoblins that was - said to quench the thirst for longer than the leading brand. - They might be able to find some at the town of Plasma, which - sits by the Hartlands on the way to the shipwreck. It seems - the milky blood pudding could do with some improvement.
-
You note on Blavin’s map that the Hemogoblin region is - indeed on the way to the shipwreck. At least, it’s not that - far out of the way. You reckon their synthetic blood product - would indeed be a much better substitute for the real thing - than the milk you’ve been feeding the thirsty sword thus - far.
-Or, at the very least, you’ll get a new variant of the - blood pudding recipe you’ve been working on!
---Maybe someone else’s mood will be improved in the meantime? - Before setting out for their meeting with Blavin, Inky slipped - into the kitchens downstairs and left the empanada chef a - trick-and-treat. A plate of honeyed breadfruit and ghost - pepper tapas sat on an icebox atop a new pair of Blueberry - oven mittens with a pattern of tiny smiling green turtles. - Tucked inside one mitten was a slip of paper (regrettably - inedible) that simply read “BACK SOON :)”. A tapa recipe, - which included a note on adapting the toppings for pan frying, - was printed on the reverse in neat blocky letters and - sandalwood ink.
-
Enrique wakes in the middle of the night to start baking - the next day’s breads and empanadas. He frowns thoughtfully - when he sees yet another mysterious gift from across the room. - Again? What little elf must have taken up residence in his - shop? But his face cracks into a smile when he sees the - presentation and the oven mitts. And the smile becomes a - bonafide grin when he tastes the fare and finds the - recipe.
-He taps his chin thoughtfully with one green claw as he - skims the note and looks through his pantry. He chops some - veggies and starts pan frying them.
-Later, when the oven dings, he smiles to himself as he - pulls on the new turtle pattern oven mitts and opens it.
-> A) MORE QUESTIONING, OR B) TIME FOR SHIPWRECK?
+After successfully negotiating the price down a little bit, + you are able to purchase a run-down building. You are now the + proud owner and proprietor of the Milk Market building in the + Wandering Bazzar district of downtown Vay’Nullar.
+The ground level is occupied by longtime district staple + Enrique’s Empanada Emporium, famous for its signature stuffed + pastries and its Terrapin Ale, brewed on site by Enrique + himself, who happens to be a very large humanoid turtle.
+It’s a little seedy and a little divey, but still draws a + fair amount of foot traffic from shoppers waiting for the + eponymous, ambulatory bazaar of debatable sentience to wander + by. Reliably, a small gang of breadpunks can be found + loitering here and espousing the virtues of social anarchy. + Enrique allows their presence and on occasion even buys them a + round of ale.
+The top two levels are unoccupied. Years upon years ago, + this space once held large vats for storing and preserving + multibeast milk prior to being distributed. Some enterprising + individual converted and updated the space some time ago, but + was never able to find a tenant. In any case, the space is + yours now to do with what you will.
+With Corraidhin’s assistance, you are able to enchant your + armband by inscribing it with a cross-like glyph with a + teardrop-shaped loop in place of the vertical upper bar. You + now have a FASCINATING BANGLE that can, upon activation, + compel attention and even potentially inspire people to dance + about.
+WHAT DO YOU DO
+ href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-10/msg00001.html">www + ]]> +++Inky follows behind the merbear at a healthy 2 meters’ + distance away in the bubblebee, the headlights illuminating a + moderate distance ahead of the distraught bear as it darts + after its brother.
+As the merbear homes in on the tardigrade near the ship + deck, Inky keeps a lookout for any signs of movement or + tentacles from behind or below the shipwreck. The bubblebee’s + headlights cast an eerie shadow from the ship’s double masts + even as it partly lights up the rim of a gaping hole in the + hull.
+
The tardigrade, still tucked into a ball, lands on the ship + deck with a gentle thud. It rolls a couple of times and + finally comes to rest against the rigging. The merbear reaches + it a moment later and cradles its jelly-like body gently in + its bear arms. “My brother!” it cries. “My dear bear + brother!”
+The tardigrade slowly uncurls and stretches out and looks + around, disoriented and bleary-eyed. It waggles its eight arms + around experimentally, closes and opens its claws as though + kneading the water. “Brother?” says the merbear in + astonishment.
+“I am okay brother!” says the tardigrade. “We water bears + are very hardy and resilient! It will take more than a mere + other worldly tentacle attack and an arcane electric blast to + do me in!”
+While the bears are having their teary-eyed reunion, you + sense movement in the shadows deep in the ocean trench, over + which protrude the ship’s masts. Your lights don’t penetrate + the darkness enough to see what it was. But it was large. The + very stuff that thalassophobia is made of.
+You also think you see a flash of gold as the light of the + bubblebee reflects off of something inside the ship through + the hole in the hull. Could it be the second Ginnarak + Crystal?
+The breach in the hull is easily large enough to admit a + medium sized creature such as an inkling in a bubblebee + apparatus. Or a sysorcer or a lanky old half-devil tavern + owner.
+WHAT DO YOU DO
+ + ]]> +++Corraidhin
+
+ Well I’ll be! You can turn yourself into a dagger. And I did + say we could stab blavin if you could do that, it’s much more + stealthy this way. But let me posit this, is the act of + stabbing a hobbit unprovoked not itself evil? Or perhaps more + convincingly, would it not be better to use the hobbit for + whatever information he has so as to lead to this mysterious + benefactor, who most assuredly must be evil.Someone who would send out myriads of teams to pillage and + plunder cultural artifacts is truly evil, that must be our + target.
+Now this isn’t to say that we won’t stab him. I’m convinced + that’s probably a good idea in the long run, but we know + nothing of the true evil that motivates him! We would kill him + just to lose track of the true evil we must smite!
+Y’aml
+
+ But YOU said if I could turn into a dagger we could STAB him. + HE’S EVIL. YOU said so! Not keeping your promises IS one step + away from PURE evil! Make a choice Hardy Bear! Stab the evil + hobbit, or stab the inkling, or stab SOMETHING evil this + minute!Corraidhin
+
+ I most certainly cannot abide with stabbing Inky, it’s + entirely off the table. And in a city like this there aren’t + any evil things that just jump out for the stabbing.(Corraidhin tries to silently control Y’aml during the + discussion. However in so doing the party has fallen silent, + aghast even)
+Corraidhin stands, Y’aml held in hand, red gem eye gleaming + a wicked joyful grin as it’s raised high, poised to strike. + The party around him is silent, and Blavin stares up in shock. + The tavern around them has died down and you can hear the + bustle of the proprietor calling for his strong men to deal + with this ruckus.
+
The table—and all of Lucy’s Basement within earshot—sits in + tense, uneasy quiet at Corraidhin’s one-sided conversation + with the Sword of Yam’L. Blavin giggles nervously and sips his + martini, willfully forcing himself right up to the very last + moment to believe that it is all some sort of jest.
+But then the sysorcerer stands and raises the blood crazed + dagger over his shoulder, and Blavin squeals and writhes in + his chair. Lucy’s bouncers scramble forward from the corners + of the room to intercept.
+++ +Y’aml
+
+ We STAB Hardy Bear! We STAB NOW!!Against Corraidhin’s control, as though he’s in a trance, + the dagger comes down. A swift stabbing motion strqight to the + neck, as he lunges across the table at Blavin knocking the map + and his martini to the side.
+
Corraidhin once again feels the same peculiar quality of + the blade, that sensation of a hollow core with a heavy liquid + sloshing inside. Held aloft, the weight of it feels + concentrated at the grip, the blade light as a feather.
+He stabs down—Yam’L cries out in wordless glee—and the + weight flows into the tip of the blade, the blade itself now + drawing Corraidhin’s hand downward in a rising crescendo of + stabbitude.
+ +Blavin flinches at the last second, and instead of burying + itself in his throat, the blade plunges into his shoulder and + pins him to the back of the chair. A red mist fills the eye + and threatens to cloud it over entirely. It rolls back in + ecstasy as it drinks deeply. It sings out, “MORE! MORE! MORE!” + and Corraidhin feels the tides of madness rising inside of + him, threatening to wash over him wholly, to pull him under + and carry him away on thundering waves of bloodlust.
+Corraidhin struggles to pull the blade from the chair back. + Blavin whimpers and mewls as he yanks on it, and clutches his + wound and, incredibly, takes a large gulp of his drink.
+The sysorcerer still has the wherewithal and the presence + of mind to be aware of his surroundings. He is not yet so + overcome by the bloodlust. He sees his companions, his fellow + residents of the Milk Market, seated around the table. And he + sees the musclebound bouncers now nearly within reach.
+Finally he draws the dagger. Blavin sinks in his seat and + slides to the floor with his drink, blabbering incoherently, + and starts to slither away.
+WHAT DO YOU DO
+ + ]]> +++ +Fuck, skeletons? This is ridiculous, I did not sign up for + underwater pirate skeletons.
+Reacting quickly Corraidhin prepares a fork bomb, if the + skeletons are going to take him out, he’s going to take out + those skeletons too.
++#!/bin/sh +:(){ + :|:& +};:Hopefully I won’t have to use that. Corraidhin hoists + himself up into the opening and begins targetting the + skeletons one by one. No time for much fancy preparation here, + just good old fashioned magic missiles strewn about the + interior of the hull. While so doing Corraidhin glances around + the treasure strewn hull, searching for the crystal, can’t + blow the whole ship up if the prize is here.
+Then again, a magical item that powerful, could probably + withstand a fork bomb pretty easily. It’s worth the risk if + things get worse.
+Corraidhin ensures his back is to the opening, able to make + a haphazard escape should the skeletons get the better of + him.
+
You prep your fork bomb to keep in your back pocket as a + last resort.
+In the meantime you start blasting skeletons. They maintain + a slow advance but you able to pick them off slowly one by + one. Bones splinter and fly apart.
+During your maneuvering, you get turned around and are + backed into the corner with the hatch leading up to the upper + deck. You reach behind yourself and fumble with the latch. One + skeleton manages to get its bony claws around your ankle just + as you open the hatch. You look behind you and see a human + shaped figure floating away, illuminated in the beams of + Inky’s bubblebee. It is toting a small bundle. Up above you + can see the shadow of the manta ray gliding around eating + candy, and the horkosgrampus idling in the absence of carrion + or lies.
+“I thank ye, gents!” cries the figure down to you as it + ascends. “You distracted the harrowkrake just long enough for + me to get in that ship and grab what I needs!” It tugs on the + cord attached to its bundle and laughs. “I shan’t forget ye!” + It waves and gives a little salute.
+You have a magic missile loaded and ready to go. In a + moment the figure will be out of range. You can blast it now + and risk being pulled down by the skeleton. Or you can blast + the skeleton and risk the figure getting away.
+WHAT DO YOU DO
+ + ]]> +++Corraidhin Shit, shit shit shit shit shit. + This is NOT good. Damn it Y’aml what was that? It wasn’t even + slightly stealthy
+Y’aml STAB, delightful blood. Stab the + flesh, tear the skin, pierce the fruit that gives us strength. + Drink the blood, consume their soul. More more more more more + more more more more
+Corraidhin (internal thought) Ugh my head, + it’s heavy, hurts. Misty and red? I can’t see straight, it’s + hard to think straight. That blasted sword, I thought for a + moment it, no, not think, it definitely did move on its own. + It became lighter and heavier. Pulling against it and it just + weighs itself down. This little magical bauble is definitely + cursed..
+Y’aml CURSED?! Rude Hardy Bear. All we did + was stab that evil hobbit. And it’s getting away! Stab him + again, taste his blood! The tavern gaurds are closing in, they + look like they’re trying to get rid of us, EVIL. Them trying + to stop us from getting that evil hobbit is EVIL, STAB + THEM.
+Corraidhin raises his free hand to his head as though + holding a wound and he groans in dismay as the dagger rises + again. It travels swiftly down towards Blavin, missing as he + slithers of the booth. And again, digging deep into the wooden + seat.
+Y’aml Disgusting wood, stab the flesh! + Stab the Hobbit Hardy Bear!
+But Blavin was inching further out of reach towards the + gaurds. In desperation the dagger begins swinging side to + side, making furtive slashing moves in the direction of the + guards. The party is safely behind Corraidhin, but innocent + patrons and the guards are directly in their sights.
+Corraidhin grabs his other hand and pulls hard, steadying + the swinging. STOP! I command you you blasted toothpick, STOP. + You’ve had your fun, now STOP. These people are innocent, this + man has done us no harm despite his potential “evils”, this is + entirely uncalled for!
+Y’aml NO!!! EVIL. STAB. EVIL. STAB. EVIL. + STAB.
+The dull voice of the magical dagger rises, angry, + insistent. It consumes the last of Corraidhin’s mental + strength. All he hears is EVIL. STAB. EVIL. STAB. Yet he + clings to his spare arm trying desparately to resist. At this + point the party and the tavern has cleared a wide path around + the sysorceor as he struggles with himself, mumbling, + sometimes yelling. EVIL. STAB. EVIL. STAB. NO WE WILL NOT. + EVIL. INNOCENT. STAB BLOOD DRINK. EVIL. EVIL EVIL EVIL STAB + IT. MAKE IT BLEED. I WILL NO.. STAB IT. STAB HIM.
+The voice seems to change, it dies down. Not yelling, but + commanding. Firm, calm, sane.
+Stab them, stab them, make them bleed. Drink the blood, + consume the soul, free them from their evil being. Stab them, + stab them… over and over and over, as the sysorceor approaches + Blavin and the guards with a malevolent look in his ruby red + eyes.
+
~
+++Inky moves to stand next to Blavin and the nightclub + bouncers. Tossing a tiny “see-eye” container they had borrowed + from Master Corraidhín at him, Inky looks the sysorceor in the + eye and says, “You are not your sword.”
+Watching the wizard’s expression, Inky continues, more + quietly, “If Master Corraidhín truly wishes to end the hobbit, + a mere imp would not stop him, but likewise, whatever he sets + his mind to do, a dagger cannot stop him either.”
+
~
+++Jarrod steps gently into the fray and activates his + FASCINATING CHARM, attempting to draw all eyes to him. He + carefully avoids the wild swinging of the + once-sword-now-dagger.
+“I think,” he rumbles gently, “we could all use a drink + over the other end of the room. I’m buying, and I’ll spin you + all a tale of wonder! A tale of a wanderer, and of a war + hammer, and the first of their wild battles together!”
+Leaning over to whisper urgently in Corraidhín’s ear: + “Friend, I do not know what occurs here, but pull yourself + together. We can later sate our blood lust in more appropriate + places!” Jarrod lends a sly wink in the sysorcerer’s + direction, one that promises adventure later.
+
The tavern guards tense, but pause their advance, as the + crazed mage’s friends position themselves protectively around + him and try to placate him. They wouldn’t want to engage a + master sysorcerer on the best of days, much less one with some + kind of malevolent blood dagger in the middle of a psychotic + break. If his compatriots can handle him without them having + to interfere, all the better.
+The duck waddles up next to Inky and quacks softly, + pleadingly at Corraidhin. Only the Ornithologer in the corner + can understand its words when it says, “As your marketing + manager I must strongly advise against this course of + action!”
+Seated in the corner next to the Ornithologer is a shaggy + groll dressed in a dusty, faded poncho and a wide brimmed hat; + and a greasy, matted gnu, dressed in black ceremonial + robes.
+The groll discreetly draws its poncho back revealing a + bandoleer of wands and draws a cracklestick and points it at + the sysorcer. The wand starts to hum and glow as it charges up + for a blast.
+The gnu slaps the groll’s wrist, and immediately launches + into a tirade against the cracklestick’s manufacturer’s + proprietary spell slotting algorithm, and honestly how can you + possibly justify your choices when there are open source + alternatives available?
+The groll rolls its eyes, obviously having been on the + receiving end of this particular lecture before, and tries to + slap away the gnu’s grasping hands. The ensuing scuffle + threatens to turn this powder keg of a situation into a full + blown conflagration until Jarrod actives his FASCINATING + CHARM, commanding the attention of the entire room.
+The gnu freezes with its hands around the groll’s throat. + The groll halts with fists full of the gnu’s beard. A grub + smoking a hookah pauses with the mouthpiece raised to its + pursed lips. A distracted waitress on roller skates crashes + right into the bar.
+++As though in a trance Corraidhin continues to yell STAB. + THEM. STAB. IT. cutting wildly at the air before him. As Inky + whispers to him his expression changes, first a grimace, then + a whimper. As Jarrod leads the patrons away from the sysorceor + he begins to tremble and cower away from himself, away from + everyone. His ruby red eyes dart back and forth between his + friends and the patrons, like a frightened animal searching + for an escape. He pulls the dagger into himself, as though + sheilding it from his surroundings.
+What.. what’s going on, he mutters feebly to himself. + Everything is a blurr. Uncertain of where he is or what’s + going on, Corraidhin thumbs the dagger, caressing the large + ruby embedded in the hilt. Y’aml, you’re still here, good + good, the syscoreor croons.
+Standing up straight his eyes lock with Jarrod as the Bard + glances over his shoulder, momentarily distracted from his + oration, worried about his companion.
+I.. ugh, Corraidhin grabs his head as though in pain, and + collapses to the floor.
+
Corraidhin hits the floor and the dagger, now bereft of the + well of emotion it had been drawing from, grows still. The eye + closes and it seems to sigh happily. “Good job, Hardy Bear. + You have spilled the blood of evil.” And it sleeps, inert, + lifeless.
+Corraidhin is on the ground cradling the dagger.
+Most of the patrons are still fascinated by Jarrod.
+Blavin is squirming around on the floor gibbering about + reassigning your case.
+The duck has found a toppled plate of corn chips and is + happily snacking away.
+You feel like your welcome at Lucy’s Basement has been, for + the moment, overstayed.
+WHAT DO YOU DO
+ + ]]> +++Inky flips backwards and up, narrowly avoiding the + tentacles’ grasp. From their courier bag they shake out an + inflatable bubblebee[1] of the sort made for aquatic camping. + It is one of the fancier models provided to each member of + their party courtesy of the well-endowed Benefactor. They yank + on one of the cords and scramble inside, hastily closing the + flap as the bubblebee rapidly draws in water and fills out to + its full size.
+The bubblebee rises as Inky pulls on the flippers and + allows the drifter to buoy the bubble upwards, a bat from the + end of one tentacle sending the bubblebee forward a short + distance before it slows above the flailing tentacles. Inky + switches on the lights to try to get a clearer view of the + source of the tentacles.
+[1] Specific features of bubblebees vary among makers, but + they generally have a transparent or translucent spherical + body, a pair of small translucent wings that act as flippers, + an opening flap at the back with a short rudder attached, and + two cords inside at the front near the top which when pulled + inflate the bubble with the surrounding air or water. Premium + versions might also include headlights, a buzzer, built-in + filtration, improved insulation, a drifter and thruster. Like + tents they come in various sizes, from small ones that can fit + one or two people at average elven height, to larger ones for + group outings. Their portability and rugged durability make + them very popular among tourists and campers who can enjoy a + range of water sports, such as water walking on the surface, + riding the bubble down river rapids, or bobbing along + underwater to watch the sea life wander by.
+
Inky climbs into the inflatable bubblebee just in the nick + of time. A tentacle bats them a short distance away, and then + the apparatus’s lights cut on and illuminate the murky + water.
+You see the tentacles recede into the depths into, from + this distance, what looks like the outline of a shipwreck.
+At the moment, you are out of reach of the tentacles. And + the bubblebee affords you some extra maneuverability.
+++Corraidhin eyes inky as they drift away in their bubblebee. + “hmm a wonderful idea, that seems safe, but I need to get in + closer.”
+While Inky drifts away Corraidhin swims down and towards + the tentacles to get a better view of whatever creature stole + his new found bear friends. “I simply cannot bear any harm to + come to my bears!” As he approaches the creature he prepares a + spell should he need to vanquish the monster.
++(fn vanquish [target] + (match target.state + [:living] (searing-bolt {target target + radius "narrow" + intensity "high"}) + [:undead] (smite {target target + deity "Larani"})))
Corraidhin charges up a spell!
+The tentacles pull your dear bear friends downward, and you + struggle to get a view of whatever creature is abducting + them.
+The long, slender tentacles appear to originate from within + or behind a large sunken ship!
+Could it be the SS RSS?
+++Gabs was stunned by the majesty of the two bears, and upon + seeing these two beautiful creatures be pulled down, got + unreasonably angry. She made sure that the breathing bell was + properly attached to her head (a marvelous thing, she thought. + She had always wondered what it would be like to have a + jellyfish on her head).
+Gabs bundled and tied up her skirt, as she started to bolt + toward the edge of the ship. She reached into her purse and + moved away all the loose candy and pulled out two long + stiletto daggers. She begins stabbing with unusual precision + at the tentacles reaching up on the ship.
+She yells, “Come’on y’all! We gotta save those babies!”
+She dives in.
+
Prior to the incident, Gabs would have noticed that there + was a very slight, wobbly weight to the jellyfish. Kind of + like getting a gentle hug from a helmet of warm spaghetti.
+Some loose candy floats up and away as you rummage through + your purse, the brightly colored wrappers attracting the + attention of a curious passing manta ray. It glides over and + has a nibble.
+You fetch your stiletto daggers and start stabbing at the + long, slender tentacles. Your unusual precision causes the + tentacles to coil and retreat, releasing the merbear in the + process. It shouts through its tears, “My brother!” and dives + back into the fray, fighting to free the tardigrade.
+From here, you can see that the tentacles seem to come from + the wreckage of a large ship lying on its side on ocean + floor.
+META: Gabs rolls a 6 on “Do Anything 1” + and gains a new skill: Stabbing 2
+++Seeing his new comrade enter the fray heroically Corraidhin + gathers himself. “I suppose this is no time for errant + curiosity, can’t have anyone getting hurt after all.”
+Ensuring that he doesn’t hit either Inky nor Gabs as they + near the creature, Corraidhin throws the spell he prepared in + the direction of the center of the tentacles. (vanquish + “tentacles”) And releases a pinpoint thread of searing energy + from his palm, guiding it through the mass of tentacles in a + random and chaotic pattern, attempting to sever as many + tentacles as possible.
+As that goes on the sysercoerr calculates his retreat plan, + he won’t be able to prepare another spell like that on the + fly, far too meticulous work to do mid combat. As soon as the + spell runs out, best case will be to retreat somewhere out of + reach, or as far away as is possible there.
+
Corraidhín takes careful aim fires off a searing bolt into + the center of the mass of squirming, reaching tentacles. The + bolt of energy bounces from tentacle to tentacle creating a + chaotic web of energy.
+One of the final bolts of energy pierces the tentacle that + happens to be gripping the tardigrade. It releases the water + bear, but not before the tardigrade takes the full brunt of + the final blast of the dying searing bolt. It cries out and + curls up into a ball. Motionless, it starts sinking downward. + “BROTHER!” the merbear swims after it heedless of any nearby + danger.
+A wayward crackle of energy blasts outward toward a giant + manta ray happily crunching on a piece of hard candy. It flaps + out of the way at the last minute and continues to angrily + enjoy its candy, glaring at you quite indignantly.
+META: Corraidhín rolls a 2 for “Do + Anything 1”, which means things go bad, and gains 1 xp for a + total of 1 xp. You can spend xp to turn any die into a six for + the purpose of advancement.
+++While Master Corraidhín and Gabs confront the tentacles to + rescue the bears, Inky looks around the sea floor. Maybe if + they found suitable replacements for the bears, the tentacles + might be distracted long enough to release the bears, or + provide an opening advantage for one of their party?
+A small distance from the fray, Inky finds a load of + discarded bottles among a large pile of other trash carried + there by the push and pull between the water currents and a + hot spring. Gathering up some bottles, Inky ties them together + with twine in singles and small clusters until they resemble + two large, crudely-made multi-coloured tanokuma[1].
+With some difficulty due to the additional weight, Inky + attaches the tanokuma to the back of their bubblebee and drags + them back above the tentacles, roughly near the spot where the + previous bears were taken. When the valiant members of their + party dive to one side for another strike, Inky loosens the + rope around the “bears” and lets them sink down within reach + of the tentacles.
+[1] First featured in the garden play Teatime with + Tanokuma, the fluffy purple, jam-grabbing, tea-guzzling + bear became an overnight hit among children as well as the + fashion-conscious youth who frequent the trendy “Shin-ku” + district of Vay’Nullar.
+
The decoy tanokuma float above the tentacles as they + retreat from Gabs’s stabbses and Corraidhin’s bolts. They + grope about weakly, wrap themselves around the tanokuma, and + finally withdraw.
+You can now clearly see the wreckage of the SS RSS. The + tentacles—and whatever beast they belong to—is either within, + behind, or below the ship. It is definitely ship + adjacent wherever and whatever it is. The large + double-masted ship is lying on its side, teetering + precariously on the edge of a large, deep ocean trench. There + is a large hole in its hull providing unfettered access to its + insides.
+The tardigrade is sinking inertly toward the ship deck, and + the merbear is swimming blindly after it.
+WHAT DO YOU DO
+ ]]>Total length: 28238 words / 120 minute read.
+Total length: 28654 words / 122 minute read.
There have been 117 messages posted over 119 days since the first post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of .98.
WHAT DO YOU DO
+++ +Fuck, skeletons? This is ridiculous, I did not sign up for underwater +pirate skeletons.
+Reacting quickly Corraidhin prepares a fork bomb, if the skeletons +are going to take him out, he’s going to take out those skeletons +too.
++#!/bin/sh +:(){ + :|:& +};:Hopefully I won’t have to use that. Corraidhin hoists himself up into +the opening and begins targetting the skeletons one by one. No time for +much fancy preparation here, just good old fashioned magic missiles +strewn about the interior of the hull. While so doing Corraidhin glances +around the treasure strewn hull, searching for the crystal, can’t blow +the whole ship up if the prize is here.
+Then again, a magical item that powerful, could probably withstand a +fork bomb pretty easily. It’s worth the risk if things get worse.
+Corraidhin ensures his back is to the opening, able to make a +haphazard escape should the skeletons get the better of him.
+
You prep your fork bomb to keep in your back pocket as a last +resort.
+In the meantime you start blasting skeletons. They maintain a slow +advance but you able to pick them off slowly one by one. Bones splinter +and fly apart.
+During your maneuvering, you get turned around and are backed into +the corner with the hatch leading up to the upper deck. You reach behind +yourself and fumble with the latch. One skeleton manages to get its bony +claws around your ankle just as you open the hatch. You look behind you +and see a human shaped figure floating away, illuminated in the beams of +Inky’s bubblebee. It is toting a small bundle. Up above you can see the +shadow of the manta ray gliding around eating candy, and the +horkosgrampus idling in the absence of carrion or lies.
+“I thank ye, gents!” cries the figure down to you as it ascends. “You +distracted the harrowkrake just long enough for me to get in that ship +and grab what I needs!” It tugs on the cord attached to its bundle and +laughs. “I shan’t forget ye!” It waves and gives a little salute.
+You have a magic missile loaded and ready to go. In a moment the +figure will be out of range. You can blast it now and risk being pulled +down by the skeleton. Or you can blast the skeleton and risk the figure +getting away.
+WHAT DO YOU DO
+Some of the creatures who inhabit the world of Basmentaria