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@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ src/chapter2.md
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src/epistolary/index.md
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src/epistolary/00038.md
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src/epistolary/00039.md
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src/epistolary/00040.md
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src/bestiary/index.md
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src/bestiary/aur.md
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src/bestiary/blahoblin.md
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@ -0,0 +1,216 @@
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---
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title: 00040
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created: Sun, 27 Nov 2022 01:30:42 -0700
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updated: Wed, 14 Dec 2022 05:41:15 -0700
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syndicated: yes
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public: yes
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---
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### 00040 {#00040}
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> As Blavin finished his afterthought about handing over the crystal,
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> a yelp was the only warning they heard before a young waiter was
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> suddenly half-sprawled over the hobbit, a tray of ginger beers
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> toppled from his hand and the mugs' contents splashed onto the
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> hobbit's front, though fortunately some of it ended up in a large
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> puddle on the ground rather than on Blavin's person. The waiter had
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> tripped over a bag on the floor on his way to the table two over
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> from theirs and was scrambling to his feet.
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>
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> "By Nullar's nuts, I— OH SH——!! S-s-sorry, sir! Hold on, l-lemme
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> get— uh—" the waiter looked around frantically. The waitress who
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> had brought their drinks rushed over with some clean dry towels, a
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> few of which she handed to the other waiter, and they both
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> proceeded to wipe and dab at Blavin's damp clothes amid the hapless
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> waiter's babbled apologies. Under the cover of the towels, the
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> waitress patted down the hobbit's vest and replaced the sheaf of
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> papers she had covertly lifted from one of the vest pockets earlier
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> with a beguiling smile and wink. Once the beer on the floor had
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> been cleaned up (the despondent young waiter had offered to pay for
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> Blavin's next two rounds of drinks) and the waiters had moved on to
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> serve other customers, Inky spoke.
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>
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> "You don't mind that we prefer to deliver it to the Benefactor
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> personally, of course," Inky piped cheerily, referring to the
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> crystal. "The late wizard thought it was prudent to cover our bases
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> since you're a new, untested case manager after all. Besides, a
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> little delayed gratification never hurt anybody, did it?" Inky
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> smiled and raised their drink. "Another toast in tribute to Master
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> Corraidhín! May his courage and buoyant spirit guide us on our next
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> mission!"
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>
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> ~
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>
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> When Inky stepped out of the tavern and was a few paces away,
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> someone clattered through the door and called out, "Hey! You forgot
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> your takeout!"
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>
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> Inky turned in the direction of the voice. It was the waitress who
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> had served their table earlier. She waved a brown paper bag in one
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> hand. Inky gave her an embarrassed smile and said, "Thanks." As the
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> bag changed hands, the waitress mouthed soundlessly, *We'll report
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> any more.* She went back inside, and Inky strolled off into the
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> cool night air with the bag securely tucked away next to a tea
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> pouch and a more pressing question: what blend would go best with
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> fried tofurkey balls?
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>
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> ~
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>
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> *(Meanwhile)*
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>
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> "The BANDit and his associates had gone to the tavern." His
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> assistant looked up from the scrap of paper held under a claw.
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>
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> Beaker heaved a sigh and rubbed the tips of one wing against his
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> forehead. Surely he had better things to do than play Eye Spy over
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> a bunch of crackpots, such as peer reviewing the latest draft of a
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> paper on the development of Cerylidian hunting techniques for an
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> upcoming issue of *The Ichnition*. But Cio seemed to think
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> something may come of it and unfortunately, she was usually right
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> about troublemakers.
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>
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> "Tell them to continue tailing from a distance," he replied with a
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> distracted wave, and his assistant left the room.
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>
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> Anyway, if he had the spare time, he could look at more interesting
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> things, like the data he had collected surrounding the
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> disappearance of the time anomaly that had popped up a few weeks
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> ago. It had happened gradually, and he still wasn't entirely sure
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> what had caused this particular incident, but the signals picked up
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> by his instruments had later faded, just like other ones before it.
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> Still, it was comparatively larger than previous ones, and seemed
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> to have taken slightly longer to dissipate, which meant more data
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> points.
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>
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> He stole another glance at his Dat repositories before sighing
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> again, swivelling his chair and attention back to the manuscript
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> before him. Work first … then more work.
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~
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> The party dispersed after the discussion with Blavin. Nobody had
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> wanted to relinquish the crystal to him, personally Alex felt that
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> was prudent, though he still wasn't sure what the point of it all
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> was. The foolish hobbit had blathered on and on about their "mark"
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> tactfully ignoring the real questions. And then the bug, damn it,
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> the bug that chittered on about absolutely nothing for hours. It
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> didn't take Alex too long to figure out why, but he clung to the
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> transmission until it died out hoping he'd be mistaken.
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>
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> So there he sat, in the attic of his once Uncle, staring bleakly
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> into a cup of dark black coffee. The desk strewn with hastily
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> scratched notes pulled from the bugs feeds. At least the one that
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> had tracked that nosey group had proved somewhat helpful. Turns out
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> this little group has less friends than a drunk who's run up their
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> tab.
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>
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> Still, there's no point to share any of this information. It's too
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> loose, not definitive enough to action with the group.
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>
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> Alex begins to pen a message to an fellow operative, in hopes that
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> HQ will pick it up and assign someone to the task.
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>
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> ```
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> <- OP 2817 * LOC MB-A
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> -> OP 25120 * LOC ESPER
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>
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> CLEARANCE: SECRET
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> PACKET ENCLOSED. YOUR EYES ONLY.
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>
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> REQUESTING DETAIL ON BLAVIN
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> EMPLOY OF "THE BENEFACTOR"
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> PERCEPTIVE, AWARE OF BUGS.
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> DO NOT CONTACT, DO NOT DISRUPT
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> EXTREME CAUTION IMPERATIVE.
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> ```
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>
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> Once penned Alex encrypts it with GPG and sends it along. These
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> channels have worked well for him in the past. If Blavin wants to
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> play games, then games we shall have.
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>
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> "I hate to do this" Alex mumbles to himself. "Normally I'd trail
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> him myself, but I don't think I have much say in the matter." As it
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> stands the group is dead set on gathering more of these cyrstals,
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> regardless of what the danger may be, and if Alex wants to find his
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> Uncle, they're his best bet in doing so. Blavin doesn't even matter
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> outside of that. But if he can help the group reach their end
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> faster, or force the information out of Blavin, perhaps it can come
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> sooner..
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>
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> Alex lets out another sigh and glances wistfully around the gloomy
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> attic room. It looked just like he remembered his Uncle's office
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> looking like at the College of Sysorcerery when he had taught
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> there. He always was so particular. Pushing his chair away and
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> grabbing his coffee he wanders to the bookshelf where a large
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> steamer chest sits beside it. The bookshelf is covered in
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> manuscripts, "Practical Common Lisp", "The C Programming Language
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> Vol 2", "RHEL 5 Systems Administration", each one arcane and well
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> worn. And the amount of volumes, sometimes it's a wonder Corraidhin
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> had time to do anything other than read.
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>
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> "Maybe if I had been a little more studious I'd know how to help
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> you.." as he pulls "A Guide to Backups and All Things Necessary"
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> off of the shelf a knife falls out of the book, and clatters onto
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> the floor glaring malevolently up at Alex.
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Your gondola lift finally rises above the thick layer of clouds. The
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sudden flash of clear blue sky is a revelation after ascending for
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nearly 60 minutes through clouds so thick you couldn't see through
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the foggy windows more than three feet. Above you towers rocky,
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imposing Kelsun Peak. You can just see a tiny portion of the hotel
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roof through a cleft in the rocks. Below you, a frozen turbulent
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ocean of clouds dotted with twisting leaning spires and spiraling
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branching towers, all made out of solid cloudstuff. Handiwork of the
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whimsical and industrious zephynos.
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You spot two or three of them now, leaping and diving playfully
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through the clouds like dolphins, spinning the clouds like yarn, and
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packing them into solid constructs. Their current project resembles a
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garden of outlandish, distorted tubas, french horns, and trombones.
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The small cloud dragons are about 6 - 8 feet long including their
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thick tails. They have wide faces with round lidless eyes, and always
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seem to be smiling. Their heads are topped with multiple pairs of
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filamented stalks. They have six short, stubby arms with long thin
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fingers that they use to knead and pull clouds into solid shapes.
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They build ceaselessly and mostly for the sake of building: they have
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no apparent need for the structures themselves, living as they do
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floating among the clouds. On occasion they have been entreated to
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build on behalf of others. And the rare floating palace or city can
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still be found drifting around Basmentaria as a result. The great
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city of Vay'Neddas---tethered to the ground by great chains to
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Primora in the north and Agendell in the south---is one of their
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greatest enduring works.
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You approach the gondola station at the base of Kelsun Peak, and exit
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your cable car as it slowly rounds the bullwheel. There are two
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toques---presumably meant to be operating the lifts---standing off to
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the side, ignoring their responsibilities, complaining loudly to
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nobody and everybody about being forced to work long hours and being
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unfairly compensated. The tips of their soft, conical heads slump
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forward, calling to mind revolutionaries, or smurfs.
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It is wicked cold as you step out onto the platform and the wind nips
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and bites at you relentlessly.
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At the edge of the platform, foggy white steps made of firm
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cloudstuff climb up around the side of the mountain peak to the
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Palace Runesocesius. Once the conspicuously extravagant residence of
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one of Basmentaria's most powerful politicians, it has since---after
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its owner fell from public favor and was routed out---been gutted and
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transformed into a luxury hotel of equally conspicuous extravagance.
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It continues to be one of the highest inhabitable places on
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Basmentaria.
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Two small toques at the base of the steps rush forward to meet
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you---the floppy tips of their coneheads waggling side to side in
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their exuberance---and introduce themselves as Confidence and Bread,
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your guides. They have been instructed to guide you up to
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Runesocesius where you will take posession of the Ginnarak Crystal.
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WHAT DO YOU DO
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[www](https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00186.html)
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@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
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---
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title: notes
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created: Tue, 26 Jul 2022 20:32:23 -0600
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updated: Tue, 26 Jul 2022 20:32:23 -0600
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updated: Sun, 27 Nov 2022 02:24:11 -0700
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---
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## Spoilers
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@ -10,10 +10,11 @@ updated: Tue, 26 Jul 2022 20:32:23 -0600
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**THREADS**
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- Lady in Red ???
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- Beaker (and Cio) trailing the BANDits?
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- Benefactor wants Crystals to kill a god
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- Golden Iris wants Crystals to make a new god
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- Blavin double agent with Golden Iris
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- Gnu Zealots seek Sitopotnia the Corn Mother (aligned with Golden Iris)
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- Blavin double agent with Golden Iris
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- BATT wants to preserve the timeline
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- Felixe and Corraidhin
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176
www/index.html
176
www/index.html
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@ -248,6 +248,7 @@ of the Were-Hare</a></li>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#00038" id="toc-00038">00038</a></li>
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<li><a href="#00039" id="toc-00039">00039</a></li>
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<li><a href="#00040" id="toc-00040">00040</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="#bestiary" id="toc-bestiary">Bestiary</a></li>
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<li><a href="#geography" id="toc-geography">Geography</a></li>
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@ -257,11 +258,11 @@ of the Were-Hare</a></li>
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</ul>
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</nav>
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<h2 id="stats">Stats</h2>
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<p>Total length: 37919 words / 162 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the
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<p>Total length: 39588 words / 169 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the
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length of this entire page, including all the extra bits and bobs. Not
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just the story.)</p>
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<p>There have been 136 messages posted over 136 days since the first
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post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of 1.00.</p>
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<p>There have been 142 messages posted over 154 days since the first
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post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of .92.</p>
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<h2 id="about">About</h2>
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<p>This is a game that me and the kids in the basement are playing over
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email.</p>
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@ -4408,6 +4409,175 @@ Lucy’s before Blavin leaves if you want to.</p>
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</ul>
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<p><a
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href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-11/msg00103.html">www</a></p>
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<h3 id="00040">00040</h3>
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<blockquote>
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<p>As Blavin finished his afterthought about handing over the crystal, a
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yelp was the only warning they heard before a young waiter was suddenly
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half-sprawled over the hobbit, a tray of ginger beers toppled from his
|
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hand and the mugs’ contents splashed onto the hobbit’s front, though
|
||||
fortunately some of it ended up in a large puddle on the ground rather
|
||||
than on Blavin’s person. The waiter had tripped over a bag on the floor
|
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on his way to the table two over from theirs and was scrambling to his
|
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feet.</p>
|
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<p>“By Nullar’s nuts, I— OH SH——!! S-s-sorry, sir! Hold on, l-lemme get—
|
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uh—” the waiter looked around frantically. The waitress who had brought
|
||||
their drinks rushed over with some clean dry towels, a few of which she
|
||||
handed to the other waiter, and they both proceeded to wipe and dab at
|
||||
Blavin’s damp clothes amid the hapless waiter’s babbled apologies. Under
|
||||
the cover of the towels, the waitress patted down the hobbit’s vest and
|
||||
replaced the sheaf of papers she had covertly lifted from one of the
|
||||
vest pockets earlier with a beguiling smile and wink. Once the beer on
|
||||
the floor had been cleaned up (the despondent young waiter had offered
|
||||
to pay for Blavin’s next two rounds of drinks) and the waiters had moved
|
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on to serve other customers, Inky spoke.</p>
|
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<p>“You don’t mind that we prefer to deliver it to the Benefactor
|
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personally, of course,” Inky piped cheerily, referring to the crystal.
|
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“The late wizard thought it was prudent to cover our bases since you’re
|
||||
a new, untested case manager after all. Besides, a little delayed
|
||||
gratification never hurt anybody, did it?” Inky smiled and raised their
|
||||
drink. “Another toast in tribute to Master Corraidhín! May his courage
|
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and buoyant spirit guide us on our next mission!”</p>
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<p>~</p>
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<p>When Inky stepped out of the tavern and was a few paces away, someone
|
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clattered through the door and called out, “Hey! You forgot your
|
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takeout!”</p>
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<p>Inky turned in the direction of the voice. It was the waitress who
|
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had served their table earlier. She waved a brown paper bag in one hand.
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Inky gave her an embarrassed smile and said, “Thanks.” As the bag
|
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changed hands, the waitress mouthed soundlessly, <em>We’ll report any
|
||||
more.</em> She went back inside, and Inky strolled off into the cool
|
||||
night air with the bag securely tucked away next to a tea pouch and a
|
||||
more pressing question: what blend would go best with fried tofurkey
|
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balls?</p>
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<p>~</p>
|
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<p><em>(Meanwhile)</em></p>
|
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<p>“The BANDit and his associates had gone to the tavern.” His assistant
|
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looked up from the scrap of paper held under a claw.</p>
|
||||
<p>Beaker heaved a sigh and rubbed the tips of one wing against his
|
||||
forehead. Surely he had better things to do than play Eye Spy over a
|
||||
bunch of crackpots, such as peer reviewing the latest draft of a paper
|
||||
on the development of Cerylidian hunting techniques for an upcoming
|
||||
issue of <em>The Ichnition</em>. But Cio seemed to think something may
|
||||
come of it and unfortunately, she was usually right about
|
||||
troublemakers.</p>
|
||||
<p>“Tell them to continue tailing from a distance,” he replied with a
|
||||
distracted wave, and his assistant left the room.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anyway, if he had the spare time, he could look at more interesting
|
||||
things, like the data he had collected surrounding the disappearance of
|
||||
the time anomaly that had popped up a few weeks ago. It had happened
|
||||
gradually, and he still wasn’t entirely sure what had caused this
|
||||
particular incident, but the signals picked up by his instruments had
|
||||
later faded, just like other ones before it. Still, it was comparatively
|
||||
larger than previous ones, and seemed to have taken slightly longer to
|
||||
dissipate, which meant more data points.</p>
|
||||
<p>He stole another glance at his Dat repositories before sighing again,
|
||||
swivelling his chair and attention back to the manuscript before him.
|
||||
Work first … then more work.</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>The party dispersed after the discussion with Blavin. Nobody had
|
||||
wanted to relinquish the crystal to him, personally Alex felt that was
|
||||
prudent, though he still wasn’t sure what the point of it all was. The
|
||||
foolish hobbit had blathered on and on about their “mark” tactfully
|
||||
ignoring the real questions. And then the bug, damn it, the bug that
|
||||
chittered on about absolutely nothing for hours. It didn’t take Alex too
|
||||
long to figure out why, but he clung to the transmission until it died
|
||||
out hoping he’d be mistaken.</p>
|
||||
<p>So there he sat, in the attic of his once Uncle, staring bleakly into
|
||||
a cup of dark black coffee. The desk strewn with hastily scratched notes
|
||||
pulled from the bugs feeds. At least the one that had tracked that nosey
|
||||
group had proved somewhat helpful. Turns out this little group has less
|
||||
friends than a drunk who’s run up their tab.</p>
|
||||
<p>Still, there’s no point to share any of this information. It’s too
|
||||
loose, not definitive enough to action with the group.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex begins to pen a message to an fellow operative, in hopes that HQ
|
||||
will pick it up and assign someone to the task.</p>
|
||||
<pre><code><- OP 2817 * LOC MB-A
|
||||
-> OP 25120 * LOC ESPER
|
||||
|
||||
CLEARANCE: SECRET
|
||||
PACKET ENCLOSED. YOUR EYES ONLY.
|
||||
|
||||
REQUESTING DETAIL ON BLAVIN
|
||||
EMPLOY OF "THE BENEFACTOR"
|
||||
PERCEPTIVE, AWARE OF BUGS.
|
||||
DO NOT CONTACT, DO NOT DISRUPT
|
||||
EXTREME CAUTION IMPERATIVE.</code></pre>
|
||||
<p>Once penned Alex encrypts it with GPG and sends it along. These
|
||||
channels have worked well for him in the past. If Blavin wants to play
|
||||
games, then games we shall have.</p>
|
||||
<p>“I hate to do this” Alex mumbles to himself. “Normally I’d trail him
|
||||
myself, but I don’t think I have much say in the matter.” As it stands
|
||||
the group is dead set on gathering more of these cyrstals, regardless of
|
||||
what the danger may be, and if Alex wants to find his Uncle, they’re his
|
||||
best bet in doing so. Blavin doesn’t even matter outside of that. But if
|
||||
he can help the group reach their end faster, or force the information
|
||||
out of Blavin, perhaps it can come sooner..</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex lets out another sigh and glances wistfully around the gloomy
|
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attic room. It looked just like he remembered his Uncle’s office looking
|
||||
like at the College of Sysorcerery when he had taught there. He always
|
||||
was so particular. Pushing his chair away and grabbing his coffee he
|
||||
wanders to the bookshelf where a large steamer chest sits beside it. The
|
||||
bookshelf is covered in manuscripts, “Practical Common Lisp”, “The C
|
||||
Programming Language Vol 2”, “RHEL 5 Systems Administration”, each one
|
||||
arcane and well worn. And the amount of volumes, sometimes it’s a wonder
|
||||
Corraidhin had time to do anything other than read.</p>
|
||||
<p>“Maybe if I had been a little more studious I’d know how to help
|
||||
you..” as he pulls “A Guide to Backups and All Things Necessary” off of
|
||||
the shelf a knife falls out of the book, and clatters onto the floor
|
||||
glaring malevolently up at Alex.</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>Your gondola lift finally rises above the thick layer of clouds. The
|
||||
sudden flash of clear blue sky is a revelation after ascending for
|
||||
nearly 60 minutes through clouds so thick you couldn’t see through the
|
||||
foggy windows more than three feet. Above you towers rocky, imposing
|
||||
Kelsun Peak. You can just see a tiny portion of the hotel roof through a
|
||||
cleft in the rocks. Below you, a frozen turbulent ocean of clouds dotted
|
||||
with twisting leaning spires and spiraling branching towers, all made
|
||||
out of solid cloudstuff. Handiwork of the whimsical and industrious
|
||||
zephynos.</p>
|
||||
<p>You spot two or three of them now, leaping and diving playfully
|
||||
through the clouds like dolphins, spinning the clouds like yarn, and
|
||||
packing them into solid constructs. Their current project resembles a
|
||||
garden of outlandish, distorted tubas, french horns, and trombones.</p>
|
||||
<p>The small cloud dragons are about 6 - 8 feet long including their
|
||||
thick tails. They have wide faces with round lidless eyes, and always
|
||||
seem to be smiling. Their heads are topped with multiple pairs of
|
||||
filamented stalks. They have six short, stubby arms with long thin
|
||||
fingers that they use to knead and pull clouds into solid shapes.</p>
|
||||
<p>They build ceaselessly and mostly for the sake of building: they have
|
||||
no apparent need for the structures themselves, living as they do
|
||||
floating among the clouds. On occasion they have been entreated to build
|
||||
on behalf of others. And the rare floating palace or city can still be
|
||||
found drifting around Basmentaria as a result. The great city of
|
||||
Vay’Neddas—tethered to the ground by great chains to Primora in the
|
||||
north and Agendell in the south—is one of their greatest enduring
|
||||
works.</p>
|
||||
<p>You approach the gondola station at the base of Kelsun Peak, and exit
|
||||
your cable car as it slowly rounds the bullwheel. There are two
|
||||
toques—presumably meant to be operating the lifts—standing off to the
|
||||
side, ignoring their responsibilities, complaining loudly to nobody and
|
||||
everybody about being forced to work long hours and being unfairly
|
||||
compensated. The tips of their soft, conical heads slump forward,
|
||||
calling to mind revolutionaries, or smurfs.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is wicked cold as you step out onto the platform and the wind nips
|
||||
and bites at you relentlessly.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the edge of the platform, foggy white steps made of firm
|
||||
cloudstuff climb up around the side of the mountain peak to the Palace
|
||||
Runesocesius. Once the conspicuously extravagant residence of one of
|
||||
Basmentaria’s most powerful politicians, it has since—after its owner
|
||||
fell from public favor and was routed out—been gutted and transformed
|
||||
into a luxury hotel of equally conspicuous extravagance. It continues to
|
||||
be one of the highest inhabitable places on Basmentaria.</p>
|
||||
<p>Two small toques at the base of the steps rush forward to meet
|
||||
you—the floppy tips of their coneheads waggling side to side in their
|
||||
exuberance—and introduce themselves as Confidence and Bread, your
|
||||
guides. They have been instructed to guide you up to Runesocesius where
|
||||
you will take posession of the Ginnarak Crystal.</p>
|
||||
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
|
||||
<p><a
|
||||
href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00186.html">www</a></p>
|
||||
<h2 id="bestiary">Bestiary</h2>
|
||||
<p>Some of the creatures who inhabit the world of Basmentaria</p>
|
||||
<dt>
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
202
www/rss.xml
202
www/rss.xml
|
|
@ -211,6 +211,208 @@
|
|||
]]>
|
||||
</description>
|
||||
</item>
|
||||
<item>
|
||||
<title>40</title>
|
||||
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
|
||||
<guid isPermaLink="false">40 - Sun, 27 Nov 2022 01:30:42
|
||||
-0700</guid>
|
||||
<pubDate>Wed, 14 Dec 2022 05:41:15 -0700</pubDate>
|
||||
<description>
|
||||
<![CDATA[
|
||||
<h3 id="00040">00040</h3>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>As Blavin finished his afterthought about handing over the
|
||||
crystal, a yelp was the only warning they heard before a young
|
||||
waiter was suddenly half-sprawled over the hobbit, a tray of
|
||||
ginger beers toppled from his hand and the mugs’ contents
|
||||
splashed onto the hobbit’s front, though fortunately some of
|
||||
it ended up in a large puddle on the ground rather than on
|
||||
Blavin’s person. The waiter had tripped over a bag on the
|
||||
floor on his way to the table two over from theirs and was
|
||||
scrambling to his feet.</p>
|
||||
<p>“By Nullar’s nuts, I— OH SH——!! S-s-sorry, sir! Hold on,
|
||||
l-lemme get— uh—” the waiter looked around frantically. The
|
||||
waitress who had brought their drinks rushed over with some
|
||||
clean dry towels, a few of which she handed to the other
|
||||
waiter, and they both proceeded to wipe and dab at Blavin’s
|
||||
damp clothes amid the hapless waiter’s babbled apologies.
|
||||
Under the cover of the towels, the waitress patted down the
|
||||
hobbit’s vest and replaced the sheaf of papers she had
|
||||
covertly lifted from one of the vest pockets earlier with a
|
||||
beguiling smile and wink. Once the beer on the floor had been
|
||||
cleaned up (the despondent young waiter had offered to pay for
|
||||
Blavin’s next two rounds of drinks) and the waiters had moved
|
||||
on to serve other customers, Inky spoke.</p>
|
||||
<p>“You don’t mind that we prefer to deliver it to the
|
||||
Benefactor personally, of course,” Inky piped cheerily,
|
||||
referring to the crystal. “The late wizard thought it was
|
||||
prudent to cover our bases since you’re a new, untested case
|
||||
manager after all. Besides, a little delayed gratification
|
||||
never hurt anybody, did it?” Inky smiled and raised their
|
||||
drink. “Another toast in tribute to Master Corraidhín! May his
|
||||
courage and buoyant spirit guide us on our next mission!”</p>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<p>When Inky stepped out of the tavern and was a few paces
|
||||
away, someone clattered through the door and called out, “Hey!
|
||||
You forgot your takeout!”</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky turned in the direction of the voice. It was the
|
||||
waitress who had served their table earlier. She waved a brown
|
||||
paper bag in one hand. Inky gave her an embarrassed smile and
|
||||
said, “Thanks.” As the bag changed hands, the waitress mouthed
|
||||
soundlessly, <em>We’ll report any more.</em> She went back
|
||||
inside, and Inky strolled off into the cool night air with the
|
||||
bag securely tucked away next to a tea pouch and a more
|
||||
pressing question: what blend would go best with fried
|
||||
tofurkey balls?</p>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<p><em>(Meanwhile)</em></p>
|
||||
<p>“The BANDit and his associates had gone to the tavern.” His
|
||||
assistant looked up from the scrap of paper held under a
|
||||
claw.</p>
|
||||
<p>Beaker heaved a sigh and rubbed the tips of one wing
|
||||
against his forehead. Surely he had better things to do than
|
||||
play Eye Spy over a bunch of crackpots, such as peer reviewing
|
||||
the latest draft of a paper on the development of Cerylidian
|
||||
hunting techniques for an upcoming issue of <em>The
|
||||
Ichnition</em>. But Cio seemed to think something may come of
|
||||
it and unfortunately, she was usually right about
|
||||
troublemakers.</p>
|
||||
<p>“Tell them to continue tailing from a distance,” he replied
|
||||
with a distracted wave, and his assistant left the room.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anyway, if he had the spare time, he could look at more
|
||||
interesting things, like the data he had collected surrounding
|
||||
the disappearance of the time anomaly that had popped up a few
|
||||
weeks ago. It had happened gradually, and he still wasn’t
|
||||
entirely sure what had caused this particular incident, but
|
||||
the signals picked up by his instruments had later faded, just
|
||||
like other ones before it. Still, it was comparatively larger
|
||||
than previous ones, and seemed to have taken slightly longer
|
||||
to dissipate, which meant more data points.</p>
|
||||
<p>He stole another glance at his Dat repositories before
|
||||
sighing again, swivelling his chair and attention back to the
|
||||
manuscript before him. Work first … then more work.</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>The party dispersed after the discussion with Blavin.
|
||||
Nobody had wanted to relinquish the crystal to him, personally
|
||||
Alex felt that was prudent, though he still wasn’t sure what
|
||||
the point of it all was. The foolish hobbit had blathered on
|
||||
and on about their “mark” tactfully ignoring the real
|
||||
questions. And then the bug, damn it, the bug that chittered
|
||||
on about absolutely nothing for hours. It didn’t take Alex too
|
||||
long to figure out why, but he clung to the transmission until
|
||||
it died out hoping he’d be mistaken.</p>
|
||||
<p>So there he sat, in the attic of his once Uncle, staring
|
||||
bleakly into a cup of dark black coffee. The desk strewn with
|
||||
hastily scratched notes pulled from the bugs feeds. At least
|
||||
the one that had tracked that nosey group had proved somewhat
|
||||
helpful. Turns out this little group has less friends than a
|
||||
drunk who’s run up their tab.</p>
|
||||
<p>Still, there’s no point to share any of this information.
|
||||
It’s too loose, not definitive enough to action with the
|
||||
group.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex begins to pen a message to an fellow operative, in
|
||||
hopes that HQ will pick it up and assign someone to the
|
||||
task.</p>
|
||||
<pre><code><- OP 2817 * LOC MB-A
|
||||
-> OP 25120 * LOC ESPER
|
||||
|
||||
CLEARANCE: SECRET
|
||||
PACKET ENCLOSED. YOUR EYES ONLY.
|
||||
|
||||
REQUESTING DETAIL ON BLAVIN
|
||||
EMPLOY OF "THE BENEFACTOR"
|
||||
PERCEPTIVE, AWARE OF BUGS.
|
||||
DO NOT CONTACT, DO NOT DISRUPT
|
||||
EXTREME CAUTION IMPERATIVE.</code></pre>
|
||||
<p>Once penned Alex encrypts it with GPG and sends it along.
|
||||
These channels have worked well for him in the past. If Blavin
|
||||
wants to play games, then games we shall have.</p>
|
||||
<p>“I hate to do this” Alex mumbles to himself. “Normally I’d
|
||||
trail him myself, but I don’t think I have much say in the
|
||||
matter.” As it stands the group is dead set on gathering more
|
||||
of these cyrstals, regardless of what the danger may be, and
|
||||
if Alex wants to find his Uncle, they’re his best bet in doing
|
||||
so. Blavin doesn’t even matter outside of that. But if he can
|
||||
help the group reach their end faster, or force the
|
||||
information out of Blavin, perhaps it can come sooner..</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex lets out another sigh and glances wistfully around the
|
||||
gloomy attic room. It looked just like he remembered his
|
||||
Uncle’s office looking like at the College of Sysorcerery when
|
||||
he had taught there. He always was so particular. Pushing his
|
||||
chair away and grabbing his coffee he wanders to the bookshelf
|
||||
where a large steamer chest sits beside it. The bookshelf is
|
||||
covered in manuscripts, “Practical Common Lisp”, “The C
|
||||
Programming Language Vol 2”, “RHEL 5 Systems Administration”,
|
||||
each one arcane and well worn. And the amount of volumes,
|
||||
sometimes it’s a wonder Corraidhin had time to do anything
|
||||
other than read.</p>
|
||||
<p>“Maybe if I had been a little more studious I’d know how to
|
||||
help you..” as he pulls “A Guide to Backups and All Things
|
||||
Necessary” off of the shelf a knife falls out of the book, and
|
||||
clatters onto the floor glaring malevolently up at Alex.</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>Your gondola lift finally rises above the thick layer of
|
||||
clouds. The sudden flash of clear blue sky is a revelation
|
||||
after ascending for nearly 60 minutes through clouds so thick
|
||||
you couldn’t see through the foggy windows more than three
|
||||
feet. Above you towers rocky, imposing Kelsun Peak. You can
|
||||
just see a tiny portion of the hotel roof through a cleft in
|
||||
the rocks. Below you, a frozen turbulent ocean of clouds
|
||||
dotted with twisting leaning spires and spiraling branching
|
||||
towers, all made out of solid cloudstuff. Handiwork of the
|
||||
whimsical and industrious zephynos.</p>
|
||||
<p>You spot two or three of them now, leaping and diving
|
||||
playfully through the clouds like dolphins, spinning the
|
||||
clouds like yarn, and packing them into solid constructs.
|
||||
Their current project resembles a garden of outlandish,
|
||||
distorted tubas, french horns, and trombones.</p>
|
||||
<p>The small cloud dragons are about 6 - 8 feet long including
|
||||
their thick tails. They have wide faces with round lidless
|
||||
eyes, and always seem to be smiling. Their heads are topped
|
||||
with multiple pairs of filamented stalks. They have six short,
|
||||
stubby arms with long thin fingers that they use to knead and
|
||||
pull clouds into solid shapes.</p>
|
||||
<p>They build ceaselessly and mostly for the sake of building:
|
||||
they have no apparent need for the structures themselves,
|
||||
living as they do floating among the clouds. On occasion they
|
||||
have been entreated to build on behalf of others. And the rare
|
||||
floating palace or city can still be found drifting around
|
||||
Basmentaria as a result. The great city of Vay’Neddas—tethered
|
||||
to the ground by great chains to Primora in the north and
|
||||
Agendell in the south—is one of their greatest enduring
|
||||
works.</p>
|
||||
<p>You approach the gondola station at the base of Kelsun
|
||||
Peak, and exit your cable car as it slowly rounds the
|
||||
bullwheel. There are two toques—presumably meant to be
|
||||
operating the lifts—standing off to the side, ignoring their
|
||||
responsibilities, complaining loudly to nobody and everybody
|
||||
about being forced to work long hours and being unfairly
|
||||
compensated. The tips of their soft, conical heads slump
|
||||
forward, calling to mind revolutionaries, or smurfs.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is wicked cold as you step out onto the platform and the
|
||||
wind nips and bites at you relentlessly.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the edge of the platform, foggy white steps made of firm
|
||||
cloudstuff climb up around the side of the mountain peak to
|
||||
the Palace Runesocesius. Once the conspicuously extravagant
|
||||
residence of one of Basmentaria’s most powerful politicians,
|
||||
it has since—after its owner fell from public favor and was
|
||||
routed out—been gutted and transformed into a luxury hotel of
|
||||
equally conspicuous extravagance. It continues to be one of
|
||||
the highest inhabitable places on Basmentaria.</p>
|
||||
<p>Two small toques at the base of the steps rush forward to
|
||||
meet you—the floppy tips of their coneheads waggling side to
|
||||
side in their exuberance—and introduce themselves as
|
||||
Confidence and Bread, your guides. They have been instructed
|
||||
to guide you up to Runesocesius where you will take posession
|
||||
of the Ginnarak Crystal.</p>
|
||||
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
|
||||
<p><a
|
||||
href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00186.html">www</a></p>
|
||||
]]>
|
||||
</description>
|
||||
</item>
|
||||
<item>
|
||||
<title>38</title>
|
||||
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -248,6 +248,7 @@ of the Were-Hare</a></li>
|
|||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><a href="#00038" id="toc-00038">00038</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#00039" id="toc-00039">00039</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#00040" id="toc-00040">00040</a></li>
|
||||
</ul></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#bestiary" id="toc-bestiary">Bestiary</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#geography" id="toc-geography">Geography</a></li>
|
||||
|
|
@ -260,11 +261,11 @@ id="toc-acknowledgements">Acknowledgements</a></li>
|
|||
</ul>
|
||||
</nav>
|
||||
<h2 id="stats">Stats</h2>
|
||||
<p>Total length: 37919 words / 162 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the
|
||||
<p>Total length: 39588 words / 169 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the
|
||||
length of this entire page, including all the extra bits and bobs. Not
|
||||
just the story.)</p>
|
||||
<p>There have been 136 messages posted over 136 days since the first
|
||||
post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of 1.00.</p>
|
||||
<p>There have been 142 messages posted over 154 days since the first
|
||||
post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of .92.</p>
|
||||
<h2 id="about">About</h2>
|
||||
<p>This is a game that me and the kids in the basement are playing over
|
||||
email.</p>
|
||||
|
|
@ -4411,6 +4412,175 @@ Lucy’s before Blavin leaves if you want to.</p>
|
|||
</ul>
|
||||
<p><a
|
||||
href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-11/msg00103.html">www</a></p>
|
||||
<h3 id="00040">00040</h3>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>As Blavin finished his afterthought about handing over the crystal, a
|
||||
yelp was the only warning they heard before a young waiter was suddenly
|
||||
half-sprawled over the hobbit, a tray of ginger beers toppled from his
|
||||
hand and the mugs’ contents splashed onto the hobbit’s front, though
|
||||
fortunately some of it ended up in a large puddle on the ground rather
|
||||
than on Blavin’s person. The waiter had tripped over a bag on the floor
|
||||
on his way to the table two over from theirs and was scrambling to his
|
||||
feet.</p>
|
||||
<p>“By Nullar’s nuts, I— OH SH——!! S-s-sorry, sir! Hold on, l-lemme get—
|
||||
uh—” the waiter looked around frantically. The waitress who had brought
|
||||
their drinks rushed over with some clean dry towels, a few of which she
|
||||
handed to the other waiter, and they both proceeded to wipe and dab at
|
||||
Blavin’s damp clothes amid the hapless waiter’s babbled apologies. Under
|
||||
the cover of the towels, the waitress patted down the hobbit’s vest and
|
||||
replaced the sheaf of papers she had covertly lifted from one of the
|
||||
vest pockets earlier with a beguiling smile and wink. Once the beer on
|
||||
the floor had been cleaned up (the despondent young waiter had offered
|
||||
to pay for Blavin’s next two rounds of drinks) and the waiters had moved
|
||||
on to serve other customers, Inky spoke.</p>
|
||||
<p>“You don’t mind that we prefer to deliver it to the Benefactor
|
||||
personally, of course,” Inky piped cheerily, referring to the crystal.
|
||||
“The late wizard thought it was prudent to cover our bases since you’re
|
||||
a new, untested case manager after all. Besides, a little delayed
|
||||
gratification never hurt anybody, did it?” Inky smiled and raised their
|
||||
drink. “Another toast in tribute to Master Corraidhín! May his courage
|
||||
and buoyant spirit guide us on our next mission!”</p>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<p>When Inky stepped out of the tavern and was a few paces away, someone
|
||||
clattered through the door and called out, “Hey! You forgot your
|
||||
takeout!”</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky turned in the direction of the voice. It was the waitress who
|
||||
had served their table earlier. She waved a brown paper bag in one hand.
|
||||
Inky gave her an embarrassed smile and said, “Thanks.” As the bag
|
||||
changed hands, the waitress mouthed soundlessly, <em>We’ll report any
|
||||
more.</em> She went back inside, and Inky strolled off into the cool
|
||||
night air with the bag securely tucked away next to a tea pouch and a
|
||||
more pressing question: what blend would go best with fried tofurkey
|
||||
balls?</p>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<p><em>(Meanwhile)</em></p>
|
||||
<p>“The BANDit and his associates had gone to the tavern.” His assistant
|
||||
looked up from the scrap of paper held under a claw.</p>
|
||||
<p>Beaker heaved a sigh and rubbed the tips of one wing against his
|
||||
forehead. Surely he had better things to do than play Eye Spy over a
|
||||
bunch of crackpots, such as peer reviewing the latest draft of a paper
|
||||
on the development of Cerylidian hunting techniques for an upcoming
|
||||
issue of <em>The Ichnition</em>. But Cio seemed to think something may
|
||||
come of it and unfortunately, she was usually right about
|
||||
troublemakers.</p>
|
||||
<p>“Tell them to continue tailing from a distance,” he replied with a
|
||||
distracted wave, and his assistant left the room.</p>
|
||||
<p>Anyway, if he had the spare time, he could look at more interesting
|
||||
things, like the data he had collected surrounding the disappearance of
|
||||
the time anomaly that had popped up a few weeks ago. It had happened
|
||||
gradually, and he still wasn’t entirely sure what had caused this
|
||||
particular incident, but the signals picked up by his instruments had
|
||||
later faded, just like other ones before it. Still, it was comparatively
|
||||
larger than previous ones, and seemed to have taken slightly longer to
|
||||
dissipate, which meant more data points.</p>
|
||||
<p>He stole another glance at his Dat repositories before sighing again,
|
||||
swivelling his chair and attention back to the manuscript before him.
|
||||
Work first … then more work.</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>The party dispersed after the discussion with Blavin. Nobody had
|
||||
wanted to relinquish the crystal to him, personally Alex felt that was
|
||||
prudent, though he still wasn’t sure what the point of it all was. The
|
||||
foolish hobbit had blathered on and on about their “mark” tactfully
|
||||
ignoring the real questions. And then the bug, damn it, the bug that
|
||||
chittered on about absolutely nothing for hours. It didn’t take Alex too
|
||||
long to figure out why, but he clung to the transmission until it died
|
||||
out hoping he’d be mistaken.</p>
|
||||
<p>So there he sat, in the attic of his once Uncle, staring bleakly into
|
||||
a cup of dark black coffee. The desk strewn with hastily scratched notes
|
||||
pulled from the bugs feeds. At least the one that had tracked that nosey
|
||||
group had proved somewhat helpful. Turns out this little group has less
|
||||
friends than a drunk who’s run up their tab.</p>
|
||||
<p>Still, there’s no point to share any of this information. It’s too
|
||||
loose, not definitive enough to action with the group.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex begins to pen a message to an fellow operative, in hopes that HQ
|
||||
will pick it up and assign someone to the task.</p>
|
||||
<pre><code><- OP 2817 * LOC MB-A
|
||||
-> OP 25120 * LOC ESPER
|
||||
|
||||
CLEARANCE: SECRET
|
||||
PACKET ENCLOSED. YOUR EYES ONLY.
|
||||
|
||||
REQUESTING DETAIL ON BLAVIN
|
||||
EMPLOY OF "THE BENEFACTOR"
|
||||
PERCEPTIVE, AWARE OF BUGS.
|
||||
DO NOT CONTACT, DO NOT DISRUPT
|
||||
EXTREME CAUTION IMPERATIVE.</code></pre>
|
||||
<p>Once penned Alex encrypts it with GPG and sends it along. These
|
||||
channels have worked well for him in the past. If Blavin wants to play
|
||||
games, then games we shall have.</p>
|
||||
<p>“I hate to do this” Alex mumbles to himself. “Normally I’d trail him
|
||||
myself, but I don’t think I have much say in the matter.” As it stands
|
||||
the group is dead set on gathering more of these cyrstals, regardless of
|
||||
what the danger may be, and if Alex wants to find his Uncle, they’re his
|
||||
best bet in doing so. Blavin doesn’t even matter outside of that. But if
|
||||
he can help the group reach their end faster, or force the information
|
||||
out of Blavin, perhaps it can come sooner..</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex lets out another sigh and glances wistfully around the gloomy
|
||||
attic room. It looked just like he remembered his Uncle’s office looking
|
||||
like at the College of Sysorcerery when he had taught there. He always
|
||||
was so particular. Pushing his chair away and grabbing his coffee he
|
||||
wanders to the bookshelf where a large steamer chest sits beside it. The
|
||||
bookshelf is covered in manuscripts, “Practical Common Lisp”, “The C
|
||||
Programming Language Vol 2”, “RHEL 5 Systems Administration”, each one
|
||||
arcane and well worn. And the amount of volumes, sometimes it’s a wonder
|
||||
Corraidhin had time to do anything other than read.</p>
|
||||
<p>“Maybe if I had been a little more studious I’d know how to help
|
||||
you..” as he pulls “A Guide to Backups and All Things Necessary” off of
|
||||
the shelf a knife falls out of the book, and clatters onto the floor
|
||||
glaring malevolently up at Alex.</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>Your gondola lift finally rises above the thick layer of clouds. The
|
||||
sudden flash of clear blue sky is a revelation after ascending for
|
||||
nearly 60 minutes through clouds so thick you couldn’t see through the
|
||||
foggy windows more than three feet. Above you towers rocky, imposing
|
||||
Kelsun Peak. You can just see a tiny portion of the hotel roof through a
|
||||
cleft in the rocks. Below you, a frozen turbulent ocean of clouds dotted
|
||||
with twisting leaning spires and spiraling branching towers, all made
|
||||
out of solid cloudstuff. Handiwork of the whimsical and industrious
|
||||
zephynos.</p>
|
||||
<p>You spot two or three of them now, leaping and diving playfully
|
||||
through the clouds like dolphins, spinning the clouds like yarn, and
|
||||
packing them into solid constructs. Their current project resembles a
|
||||
garden of outlandish, distorted tubas, french horns, and trombones.</p>
|
||||
<p>The small cloud dragons are about 6 - 8 feet long including their
|
||||
thick tails. They have wide faces with round lidless eyes, and always
|
||||
seem to be smiling. Their heads are topped with multiple pairs of
|
||||
filamented stalks. They have six short, stubby arms with long thin
|
||||
fingers that they use to knead and pull clouds into solid shapes.</p>
|
||||
<p>They build ceaselessly and mostly for the sake of building: they have
|
||||
no apparent need for the structures themselves, living as they do
|
||||
floating among the clouds. On occasion they have been entreated to build
|
||||
on behalf of others. And the rare floating palace or city can still be
|
||||
found drifting around Basmentaria as a result. The great city of
|
||||
Vay’Neddas—tethered to the ground by great chains to Primora in the
|
||||
north and Agendell in the south—is one of their greatest enduring
|
||||
works.</p>
|
||||
<p>You approach the gondola station at the base of Kelsun Peak, and exit
|
||||
your cable car as it slowly rounds the bullwheel. There are two
|
||||
toques—presumably meant to be operating the lifts—standing off to the
|
||||
side, ignoring their responsibilities, complaining loudly to nobody and
|
||||
everybody about being forced to work long hours and being unfairly
|
||||
compensated. The tips of their soft, conical heads slump forward,
|
||||
calling to mind revolutionaries, or smurfs.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is wicked cold as you step out onto the platform and the wind nips
|
||||
and bites at you relentlessly.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the edge of the platform, foggy white steps made of firm
|
||||
cloudstuff climb up around the side of the mountain peak to the Palace
|
||||
Runesocesius. Once the conspicuously extravagant residence of one of
|
||||
Basmentaria’s most powerful politicians, it has since—after its owner
|
||||
fell from public favor and was routed out—been gutted and transformed
|
||||
into a luxury hotel of equally conspicuous extravagance. It continues to
|
||||
be one of the highest inhabitable places on Basmentaria.</p>
|
||||
<p>Two small toques at the base of the steps rush forward to meet
|
||||
you—the floppy tips of their coneheads waggling side to side in their
|
||||
exuberance—and introduce themselves as Confidence and Bread, your
|
||||
guides. They have been instructed to guide you up to Runesocesius where
|
||||
you will take posession of the Ginnarak Crystal.</p>
|
||||
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
|
||||
<p><a
|
||||
href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00186.html">www</a></p>
|
||||
<h2 id="bestiary">Bestiary</h2>
|
||||
<p>Some of the creatures who inhabit the world of Basmentaria</p>
|
||||
<dt>
|
||||
|
|
@ -4784,11 +4954,12 @@ embers.</p>
|
|||
<p><strong>THREADS</strong></p>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li>Lady in Red ???</li>
|
||||
<li>Beaker (and Cio) trailing the BANDits?</li>
|
||||
<li>Benefactor wants Crystals to kill a god</li>
|
||||
<li>Golden Iris wants Crystals to make a new god</li>
|
||||
<li>Blavin double agent with Golden Iris</li>
|
||||
<li>Gnu Zealots seek Sitopotnia the Corn Mother (aligned with Golden
|
||||
Iris)</li>
|
||||
<li>Blavin double agent with Golden Iris</li>
|
||||
<li>BATT wants to preserve the timeline</li>
|
||||
<li>Felixe and Corraidhin</li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
Loading…
Reference in New Issue