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Dozens B. McCuzzins 2022-12-22 15:01:35 -07:00
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@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ src/epistolary/00042.md
src/epistolary/00043.md
src/epistolary/00044.md
src/epistolary/00045.md
src/epistolary/00046.md
src/bestiary/index.md
src/bestiary/aur.md
src/bestiary/blahoblin.md

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src/characters/alex.md
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@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
---
title: alex
created: Fri, 18 Nov 2022 09:04:34 -0700
updated: Fri, 18 Nov 2022 09:04:40 -0700
updated: Thu, 22 Dec 2022 12:43:42 -0700
public: yes
---
### Alex
@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ Alex is like Corraidhin in some aspects, he’s younger, more brash, more given
- Player: sinatra
- XP: 1
- Skills: Do Anything 1, Investigation 2, Illusions 2
- Skills: Do Anything 1, Investigation 2, Illusions 2, Sneaking 2
- Equipment:
Paths:

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@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
---
title: 00046
created: Thu, 22 Dec 2022 12:36:07 -0700
updated: Thu, 22 Dec 2022 12:36:10 -0700
syndicated: yes
public: yes
---
### 00046 {#00046}
> Ah so I suppose those Toques were being honest then, there was a
> Ginnarak crystal, and I guess they were going to give it to us.. oh
> well, nothing good in life comes easy.
>
> Alex cranks the dial on the sunspoke, grabs the hemogoblin from the
> basket, and jumps out of the balloon and onto the deck of the ship.
> He rushes over to the nearest pile of bundled rope and barrels and
> stows his new hemo friend. "Just stay hidden little guy, let me
> take care of these pirates first."
>
> Alex grabs the dagger from his side as he makes his way towards the
> side of the ship, first thing first, best to cut the mooring lines
> and zip lines. The static clawing sensation appears at the back of
> Alex's mind, but he attempts to ignore it. There's too much that
> needs to be done too quickly, and he's all too aware of the danger
> he's put himself in. "What would Corraidhin do.." Alex thinks to
> himself, "perhaps a spell?".
>
> ```lua
> function target:new(obj, tbl)
> obj = obj or {}
> setmetatable(obj, self)
> self.__index = self
> self.x = 0
> self.y = 0
> self.speed = 0
> reutrn obj
> end
>
> function target:yeet()
> self.x = 100
> self.y = 100
> self.speed = 50
> return self
> end
> ```
>
> After preparing the spell Alex makes his way towards the guard rail
> ready to cut the mooring and zip lines, spell at the ready should
> an enemy appear.
You crank the dial to 11. The sunspoke squeals in delight and burns
like a tiny star. You grab the hemogoblin, who chirrups and clings
tightly to you, and leap from the balloon onto the deck of the
airship.
You think you can hear---barely audible---the sunspoke singing a song
of homecoming as the hot air balloon continues to rise unpiloted up
toward the sun.
You rush over to cover behind a barrel, and deposit your new
hemogoblin friend safely inside the center of a large coil of rope.
It looks up at you quizzically, but nods when you tell it to stay
put.
You invoke the powers of the moon and prepare a quick but (hopefully)
sufficient Spell of Yeeting.
<!--
Alex rolls Do Anything 1 to cut the lines and avoid detection
6 = Great Success! Level Up!
//-->
When you draw the dagger, the world develops a faint static
background noise which is easy enough to ignore at the moment given
the state of things. You dash forward and start sawing at the thick
mooring lines. The dagger's ruby hilt flashes in the sunlight as you
work, and in your mind's eye you see a bright red wine, and a drop of
blood red ink flowing from the nib of a fountain pen.
You shake the images from your head just as you finish sawing through
the rope. A Cyberplasm who was shimmying back up the rope from the
hotel to the ship yelps as the line goes slack and swings back into
the side of the cliff. The pirate rebounds from the impact, bounces
off the mountainside a few times, and falls from view as it
disappears through the clouds below.
The ship drifts lazily, rising slightly, and despite your best
sneaking around, the remaining Cyberplasms on board cannot help but
notice that the ship is no longer tethered. You successfully hide
behind a barrel as three cyber ghost pirates come rushing over to the
ship railing and lean over, looking below at where there are no
longer any ropes attaching the ship to the hotel.
Out of the corner of your eye, you can see the hemogoblin toddling
across the deck toward the Cyberplasms, no doubt curious about what
they're looking at over the side of the ship.
> "Indeed, Bread, it's me. You have not yet escaped your fate of
> untraceable disappearance just yet." Inky deadpans, then smiles.
> "We have much to discuss, but later. I do need a guide … to your
> hotelier. Presumably I will find them by following the racket and
> trail of ruined decor, but maybe you know of a quicker route?"
Bread smiles at the threat of being untraceably disappeared, mostly
confident that they are on the inside of a private little joke and
that they are presently in no actual danger from Inky. They grip
their hammer a little tighter nonetheless.
Confidence slips their trowels into their apron. "Yes, this way!"
They hurry down the hall. You know you're going the right way because
tattered, torn, charred books litter the ground in increasing
numbers. Bits of paper and ash fall like snow.
Confidence guides you away from the entrance to the library's Great
Hall, and takes you instead to a smaller, more discreet staff
entrance. They open the door a crack, and as you look through you are
just in time to see the ship captain with their cybernetic leg, arm
canon, and eye. Now that the crew have cleared the way for them, they
stroll across the library over piles of fallen, damaged books.
A thin bald man with a neatly trimmed mustache is on the other side
of the hall, his back turned to the pirate. He wears a fine suit and
has just finished unlocking a glass display case. He retrieves a
multifaceted blue and gold stone and hugs it to his chest with both
arms. He throws a panicked glance over his shoulder at the slowly
approaching pirate, and turns to run away. His retreat is halted by a
small explosion at his feet. He skids to a stop and looks back at the
pirate, who is lowering their arm canon.
"The crystal," the captain demands in a voice part ghostly moan, part
mechanical drone. "Hand it over, hotelier." It steps closer. "Mother
has promised us new bodies if we deliver the quintessence. You won't
be permitted to stand in our way."
One pirate near the breach tucks a couple volumes of manhwa under its
arm and climbs out onto the mooring line, returning to the ship with
its plunder. It howls as the line suddenly goes slack, flinging the
pirate and its comics into the mountainside, and then out into space.
Sunlight pours into the library from outside as the shadow of the
airship shifts as it starts to drift, suddenly unmoored.
WHAT DO YOU DO
[www](https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00231.html)

189
www/index.html
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@ -157,6 +157,69 @@
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@ -254,6 +317,7 @@ of the Were-Hare</a></li>
<li><a href="#00043" id="toc-00043">00043</a></li>
<li><a href="#00044" id="toc-00044">00044</a></li>
<li><a href="#00045" id="toc-00045">00045</a></li>
<li><a href="#00046" id="toc-00046">00046</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><a href="#bestiary" id="toc-bestiary">Bestiary</a></li>
<li><a href="#geography" id="toc-geography">Geography</a></li>
@ -263,11 +327,11 @@ of the Were-Hare</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>
<h2 id="stats">Stats</h2>
<p>Total length: 43487 words / 185 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the
<p>Total length: 44522 words / 190 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the
length of this entire page, including all the extra bits and bobs. Not
just the story.)</p>
<p>There have been 159 messages posted over 162 days since the first
post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of .98.</p>
<p>There have been 163 messages posted over 162 days since the first
post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of 1.00.</p>
<h2 id="about">About</h2>
<p>This is a game that me and the kids in the basement are playing over
email.</p>
@ -299,7 +363,7 @@ he can slip by.</p>
<ul>
<li>Player: sinatra</li>
<li>XP: 1</li>
<li>Skills: Do Anything 1, Investigation 2, Illusions 2</li>
<li>Skills: Do Anything 1, Investigation 2, Illusions 2, Sneaking 2</li>
<li>Equipment:</li>
</ul>
<p>Paths:</p>
@ -4975,6 +5039,123 @@ offensive stances. “Oh!” cries Bread. “It’s you!”</p>
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
<p><a
href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00227.html">www</a></p>
<h3 id="00046">00046</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>Ah so I suppose those Toques were being honest then, there was a
Ginnarak crystal, and I guess they were going to give it to us.. oh
well, nothing good in life comes easy.</p>
<p>Alex cranks the dial on the sunspoke, grabs the hemogoblin from the
basket, and jumps out of the balloon and onto the deck of the ship. He
rushes over to the nearest pile of bundled rope and barrels and stows
his new hemo friend. “Just stay hidden little guy, let me take care of
these pirates first.”</p>
<p>Alex grabs the dagger from his side as he makes his way towards the
side of the ship, first thing first, best to cut the mooring lines and
zip lines. The static clawing sensation appears at the back of Alex’s
mind, but he attempts to ignore it. There’s too much that needs to be
done too quickly, and he’s all too aware of the danger he’s put himself
in. “What would Corraidhin do..” Alex thinks to himself, “perhaps a
spell?”.</p>
<div class="sourceCode" id="cb26"><pre
class="sourceCode lua"><code class="sourceCode lua"><span id="cb26-1"><a href="#cb26-1" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a><span class="kw">function</span> target<span class="op">:</span>new<span class="op">(</span>obj<span class="op">,</span> tbl<span class="op">)</span></span>
<span id="cb26-2"><a href="#cb26-2" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> obj <span class="op">=</span> obj <span class="kw">or</span> <span class="op">{}</span></span>
<span id="cb26-3"><a href="#cb26-3" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> <span class="fu">setmetatable</span><span class="op">(</span>obj<span class="op">,</span> self<span class="op">)</span></span>
<span id="cb26-4"><a href="#cb26-4" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span><span class="cn">__</span>index <span class="op">=</span> self</span>
<span id="cb26-5"><a href="#cb26-5" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>x <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">0</span></span>
<span id="cb26-6"><a href="#cb26-6" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>y <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">0</span></span>
<span id="cb26-7"><a href="#cb26-7" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>speed <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">0</span></span>
<span id="cb26-8"><a href="#cb26-8" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> reutrn obj</span>
<span id="cb26-9"><a href="#cb26-9" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a><span class="kw">end</span></span>
<span id="cb26-10"><a href="#cb26-10" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a></span>
<span id="cb26-11"><a href="#cb26-11" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a><span class="kw">function</span> target<span class="op">:</span>yeet<span class="op">()</span></span>
<span id="cb26-12"><a href="#cb26-12" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>x <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">100</span></span>
<span id="cb26-13"><a href="#cb26-13" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>y <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">100</span></span>
<span id="cb26-14"><a href="#cb26-14" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>speed <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">50</span></span>
<span id="cb26-15"><a href="#cb26-15" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> <span class="cf">return</span> self</span>
<span id="cb26-16"><a href="#cb26-16" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a><span class="kw">end</span></span></code></pre></div>
<p>After preparing the spell Alex makes his way towards the guard rail
ready to cut the mooring and zip lines, spell at the ready should an
enemy appear.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You crank the dial to 11. The sunspoke squeals in delight and burns
like a tiny star. You grab the hemogoblin, who chirrups and clings
tightly to you, and leap from the balloon onto the deck of the
airship.</p>
<p>You think you can hear—barely audible—the sunspoke singing a song of
homecoming as the hot air balloon continues to rise unpiloted up toward
the sun.</p>
<p>You rush over to cover behind a barrel, and deposit your new
hemogoblin friend safely inside the center of a large coil of rope. It
looks up at you quizzically, but nods when you tell it to stay put.</p>
<p>You invoke the powers of the moon and prepare a quick but (hopefully)
sufficient Spell of Yeeting.</p>
<!--
Alex rolls Do Anything 1 to cut the lines and avoid detection
6 = Great Success! Level Up!
//-->
<p>When you draw the dagger, the world develops a faint static
background noise which is easy enough to ignore at the moment given the
state of things. You dash forward and start sawing at the thick mooring
lines. The dagger’s ruby hilt flashes in the sunlight as you work, and
in your mind’s eye you see a bright red wine, and a drop of blood red
ink flowing from the nib of a fountain pen.</p>
<p>You shake the images from your head just as you finish sawing through
the rope. A Cyberplasm who was shimmying back up the rope from the hotel
to the ship yelps as the line goes slack and swings back into the side
of the cliff. The pirate rebounds from the impact, bounces off the
mountainside a few times, and falls from view as it disappears through
the clouds below.</p>
<p>The ship drifts lazily, rising slightly, and despite your best
sneaking around, the remaining Cyberplasms on board cannot help but
notice that the ship is no longer tethered. You successfully hide behind
a barrel as three cyber ghost pirates come rushing over to the ship
railing and lean over, looking below at where there are no longer any
ropes attaching the ship to the hotel.</p>
<p>Out of the corner of your eye, you can see the hemogoblin toddling
across the deck toward the Cyberplasms, no doubt curious about what
they’re looking at over the side of the ship.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Indeed, Bread, it’s me. You have not yet escaped your fate of
untraceable disappearance just yet.” Inky deadpans, then smiles. “We
have much to discuss, but later. I do need a guide … to your hotelier.
Presumably I will find them by following the racket and trail of ruined
decor, but maybe you know of a quicker route?”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Bread smiles at the threat of being untraceably disappeared, mostly
confident that they are on the inside of a private little joke and that
they are presently in no actual danger from Inky. They grip their hammer
a little tighter nonetheless.</p>
<p>Confidence slips their trowels into their apron. “Yes, this way!”</p>
<p>They hurry down the hall. You know you’re going the right way because
tattered, torn, charred books litter the ground in increasing numbers.
Bits of paper and ash fall like snow.</p>
<p>Confidence guides you away from the entrance to the library’s Great
Hall, and takes you instead to a smaller, more discreet staff entrance.
They open the door a crack, and as you look through you are just in time
to see the ship captain with their cybernetic leg, arm canon, and eye.
Now that the crew have cleared the way for them, they stroll across the
library over piles of fallen, damaged books.</p>
<p>A thin bald man with a neatly trimmed mustache is on the other side
of the hall, his back turned to the pirate. He wears a fine suit and has
just finished unlocking a glass display case. He retrieves a
multifaceted blue and gold stone and hugs it to his chest with both
arms. He throws a panicked glance over his shoulder at the slowly
approaching pirate, and turns to run away. His retreat is halted by a
small explosion at his feet. He skids to a stop and looks back at the
pirate, who is lowering their arm canon.</p>
<p>“The crystal,” the captain demands in a voice part ghostly moan, part
mechanical drone. “Hand it over, hotelier.” It steps closer. “Mother has
promised us new bodies if we deliver the quintessence. You won’t be
permitted to stand in our way.”</p>
<p>One pirate near the breach tucks a couple volumes of manhwa under its
arm and climbs out onto the mooring line, returning to the ship with its
plunder. It howls as the line suddenly goes slack, flinging the pirate
and its comics into the mountainside, and then out into space.</p>
<p>Sunlight pours into the library from outside as the shadow of the
airship shifts as it starts to drift, suddenly unmoored.</p>
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
<p><a
href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00231.html">www</a></p>
<h2 id="bestiary">Bestiary</h2>
<p>Some of the creatures who inhabit the world of Basmentaria</p>
<dt>

469
www/rss.xml
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@ -5,6 +5,260 @@
<title>BASEMENT QWEST</title>
<link>https://tilde.town/~dozens/quest/rss.xml</link>
<description>Friends having ADVENTURES! Huzzah!</description>
<item>
<title>43</title>
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
<guid isPermaLink="false">43 - Mon, 19 Dec 2022 08:03:20
-0700</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 19 Dec 2022 08:03:25 -0700</pubDate>
<description>
<![CDATA[
<h3 id="00043">00043</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>Pirates?! Again?! Alex groans, unfortunately he’s run into
this crew of dastardly mostly cybernetic punks in the past.
Nasty group back home, always kept the precinct busy. Not
necessarily with the detective work, it was always a little
obvious when they showed up. They have a flair for the
dramatic.</p>
<p>Alex shouts to Inky &amp; Jarrod “Come on, we need to get
in one of those balloons and fast!” he then darts off in the
direction of the nearest abandoned balloon in the market
place, not looking to see if his companions had followed
him.</p>
<p><em>internally</em> I know these guys have pulled off
smaller heists, they could just be attacking the hotel to
plunder riches from its guests. They don’t seem the likes of a
retrieval team.. Then again, that Blavin fellow has multiple
teams working for him, and he doesn’t seem all too picky about
how they get the job done, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’d
hired some brigands hoping they’d get the gems faster.</p>
<p>Alex conjures up another bug, a stag beetle this time, and
casts it away at the pirate ship. It’ll probably take some
time to catch up, but once it does we’ll be able to keep an
eye on the pirate’s ship and general actions, at least within
line of sight of the bug.</p>
<p>As Alex reaches the balloon he grabs the ruby hilted dagger
and cuts the mooring lines keeping it down, and jumps into the
basket preparing for take off.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You spot a balloon that has already been knocked half loose
of its mooring by the pirate attack. The basket is listing to
the side and tugging at the one remaining rope tying it down
Its owner scurries around in circles trying to secure it.</p>
<p>The vertical panels of the balloon are all different
colors, creating a brilliant rainbow pattern. The large woven
basket is large enough for maybe three people.</p>
<p>You leap inside, swinging the ruby hilted dagger at the
remaining mooring line. The balloon owner cries out in dismay.
The basket shifts beneath your feet as the balloon tugs it
skyward.</p>
<p>In the burner, a small sunspoke—a minor fire elemental—is
merrily burning away, producing a modest flame that is hot
enough to lift the balloon slowly above the market into the
sky. There is a knob valve on the side of the burner to allow
more oxygen to flow in, thereby feeding the sunspoke and
encouraging it to burn more intensely and raise the balloon
higher and faster. The valve is currently only about one third
open.</p>
<p>A pile of blankets in one corner of the basket—and that
area of the basket itself—is covered in blood. Somebody
injured in the pirate attack must have temporarily climbed
into the basket looking for cover? As you’re about to look
away, something large-ish (small for a human, large for an
animal) under the blankets shifts and moves.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Inky stares after Alex’s sprinting figure before shrugging
and stepping towards one of the stalls selling sandwiches
bowled over by one of the large boulders. They place some
loose change on the stall’s wooden sign that had tipped over
on the ground and pocket one of the sandwiches displayed
inside an open chest oven. Next, they pick up several of the
scented candles scattered on the ground by the crash, throwing
some coins in the direction of the disoriented vendor before
continuing at a leisurely pace up the steps to the hotel,
taking in the balloonship and surrounding scenery. The members
of their merry party arriving first can hold their own as well
as the fort of a hotel.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You do a little leisurely shopping as the vendors and other
shoppers put out fires and tend to the injured. With a couple
scented candles and a sandwich safely in your pocket, you
start to climb the cloud steps, enjoying the scenery as you
go. Bread and Confidence have quite a bit of a head start on
you, and are nowhere to be seen. As the stairway winds around
the mountainside, the market and its bustle recede from view,
and soon you are quite isolated and alone.</p>
<p>The majesty of creation is humbling here: the endless,
roiling ocean of cloud; the towering mountain of rock. It’s as
though this was the creator’s playground when they were still
trying to figure out scale. Before they quite got it right for
human-sized creatures.</p>
<p>About halfway up your climb, it starts raining sheets of
paper. You snatch one and read it. Some heroic fantasy about
slaying demons and facing great peril. You grab another. A
bodice-ripping romance. Another. A gourmand’s food tour of
Basmentaria, eating their way from coast to coast. A murder
mystery whodunnit. An aetherwael handler’s guide to
interplanetary travel. How to grow your own fortified
pumpkins. On the Care and Maintenance of Fortles. The Rise and
Fall and Rise of Palace Runesocesius. Within a minute, you
have fists full of an entire library’s worth of snippets and
passages.</p>
<p>~</p>
<p>It looks as though Alex will approach the hotel by balloon
from the non-pirate side. And Inky’s approach by stair will
deposit them at the hotel entrance, roughly
pirate-adjacent.</p>
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
<p><a
href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00217.html">www</a></p>
]]>
</description>
</item>
<item>
<title>46</title>
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
<guid isPermaLink="false">46 - Thu, 22 Dec 2022 12:36:07
-0700</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2022 12:36:10 -0700</pubDate>
<description>
<![CDATA[
<h3 id="00046">00046</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>Ah so I suppose those Toques were being honest then, there
was a Ginnarak crystal, and I guess they were going to give it
to us.. oh well, nothing good in life comes easy.</p>
<p>Alex cranks the dial on the sunspoke, grabs the hemogoblin
from the basket, and jumps out of the balloon and onto the
deck of the ship. He rushes over to the nearest pile of
bundled rope and barrels and stows his new hemo friend. “Just
stay hidden little guy, let me take care of these pirates
first.”</p>
<p>Alex grabs the dagger from his side as he makes his way
towards the side of the ship, first thing first, best to cut
the mooring lines and zip lines. The static clawing sensation
appears at the back of Alex’s mind, but he attempts to ignore
it. There’s too much that needs to be done too quickly, and
he’s all too aware of the danger he’s put himself in. “What
would Corraidhin do..” Alex thinks to himself, “perhaps a
spell?”.</p>
<div class="sourceCode" id="cb1"><pre
class="sourceCode lua"><code class="sourceCode lua"><span id="cb1-1"><a href="#cb1-1" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a><span class="kw">function</span> target<span class="op">:</span>new<span class="op">(</span>obj<span class="op">,</span> tbl<span class="op">)</span></span>
<span id="cb1-2"><a href="#cb1-2" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> obj <span class="op">=</span> obj <span class="kw">or</span> <span class="op">{}</span></span>
<span id="cb1-3"><a href="#cb1-3" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> <span class="fu">setmetatable</span><span class="op">(</span>obj<span class="op">,</span> self<span class="op">)</span></span>
<span id="cb1-4"><a href="#cb1-4" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span><span class="cn">__</span>index <span class="op">=</span> self</span>
<span id="cb1-5"><a href="#cb1-5" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>x <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">0</span></span>
<span id="cb1-6"><a href="#cb1-6" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>y <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">0</span></span>
<span id="cb1-7"><a href="#cb1-7" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>speed <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">0</span></span>
<span id="cb1-8"><a href="#cb1-8" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> reutrn obj</span>
<span id="cb1-9"><a href="#cb1-9" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a><span class="kw">end</span></span>
<span id="cb1-10"><a href="#cb1-10" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a></span>
<span id="cb1-11"><a href="#cb1-11" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a><span class="kw">function</span> target<span class="op">:</span>yeet<span class="op">()</span></span>
<span id="cb1-12"><a href="#cb1-12" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>x <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">100</span></span>
<span id="cb1-13"><a href="#cb1-13" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>y <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">100</span></span>
<span id="cb1-14"><a href="#cb1-14" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>speed <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">50</span></span>
<span id="cb1-15"><a href="#cb1-15" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> <span class="cf">return</span> self</span>
<span id="cb1-16"><a href="#cb1-16" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a><span class="kw">end</span></span></code></pre></div>
<p>After preparing the spell Alex makes his way towards the
guard rail ready to cut the mooring and zip lines, spell at
the ready should an enemy appear.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You crank the dial to 11. The sunspoke squeals in delight
and burns like a tiny star. You grab the hemogoblin, who
chirrups and clings tightly to you, and leap from the balloon
onto the deck of the airship.</p>
<p>You think you can hear—barely audible—the sunspoke singing
a song of homecoming as the hot air balloon continues to rise
unpiloted up toward the sun.</p>
<p>You rush over to cover behind a barrel, and deposit your
new hemogoblin friend safely inside the center of a large coil
of rope. It looks up at you quizzically, but nods when you
tell it to stay put.</p>
<p>You invoke the powers of the moon and prepare a quick but
(hopefully) sufficient Spell of Yeeting.</p>
<!--
Alex rolls Do Anything 1 to cut the lines and avoid detection
6 = Great Success! Level Up!
//-->
<p>When you draw the dagger, the world develops a faint static
background noise which is easy enough to ignore at the moment
given the state of things. You dash forward and start sawing
at the thick mooring lines. The dagger’s ruby hilt flashes in
the sunlight as you work, and in your mind’s eye you see a
bright red wine, and a drop of blood red ink flowing from the
nib of a fountain pen.</p>
<p>You shake the images from your head just as you finish
sawing through the rope. A Cyberplasm who was shimmying back
up the rope from the hotel to the ship yelps as the line goes
slack and swings back into the side of the cliff. The pirate
rebounds from the impact, bounces off the mountainside a few
times, and falls from view as it disappears through the clouds
below.</p>
<p>The ship drifts lazily, rising slightly, and despite your
best sneaking around, the remaining Cyberplasms on board
cannot help but notice that the ship is no longer tethered.
You successfully hide behind a barrel as three cyber ghost
pirates come rushing over to the ship railing and lean over,
looking below at where there are no longer any ropes attaching
the ship to the hotel.</p>
<p>Out of the corner of your eye, you can see the hemogoblin
toddling across the deck toward the Cyberplasms, no doubt
curious about what they’re looking at over the side of the
ship.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Indeed, Bread, it’s me. You have not yet escaped your fate
of untraceable disappearance just yet.” Inky deadpans, then
smiles. “We have much to discuss, but later. I do need a guide
… to your hotelier. Presumably I will find them by following
the racket and trail of ruined decor, but maybe you know of a
quicker route?”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Bread smiles at the threat of being untraceably
disappeared, mostly confident that they are on the inside of a
private little joke and that they are presently in no actual
danger from Inky. They grip their hammer a little tighter
nonetheless.</p>
<p>Confidence slips their trowels into their apron. “Yes, this
way!”</p>
<p>They hurry down the hall. You know you’re going the right
way because tattered, torn, charred books litter the ground in
increasing numbers. Bits of paper and ash fall like snow.</p>
<p>Confidence guides you away from the entrance to the
library’s Great Hall, and takes you instead to a smaller, more
discreet staff entrance. They open the door a crack, and as
you look through you are just in time to see the ship captain
with their cybernetic leg, arm canon, and eye. Now that the
crew have cleared the way for them, they stroll across the
library over piles of fallen, damaged books.</p>
<p>A thin bald man with a neatly trimmed mustache is on the
other side of the hall, his back turned to the pirate. He
wears a fine suit and has just finished unlocking a glass
display case. He retrieves a multifaceted blue and gold stone
and hugs it to his chest with both arms. He throws a panicked
glance over his shoulder at the slowly approaching pirate, and
turns to run away. His retreat is halted by a small explosion
at his feet. He skids to a stop and looks back at the pirate,
who is lowering their arm canon.</p>
<p>“The crystal,” the captain demands in a voice part ghostly
moan, part mechanical drone. “Hand it over, hotelier.” It
steps closer. “Mother has promised us new bodies if we deliver
the quintessence. You won’t be permitted to stand in our
way.”</p>
<p>One pirate near the breach tucks a couple volumes of manhwa
under its arm and climbs out onto the mooring line, returning
to the ship with its plunder. It howls as the line suddenly
goes slack, flinging the pirate and its comics into the
mountainside, and then out into space.</p>
<p>Sunlight pours into the library from outside as the shadow
of the airship shifts as it starts to drift, suddenly
unmoored.</p>
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
<p><a
href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00231.html">www</a></p>
]]>
</description>
</item>
<item>
<title>42</title>
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
@ -154,169 +408,6 @@
]]>
</description>
</item>
<item>
<title>44</title>
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
<guid isPermaLink="false">44 - Tue, 20 Dec 2022 08:47:08
-0700</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2022 08:47:11 -0700</pubDate>
<description>
<![CDATA[
<h3 id="00044">00044</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>As Alex spots the sunspoke valve he grabs it and cranks it
up to the 2/3 mark. “Sorry little friend, we’re going to need
a little bit more juice”. The baloon lurches upwards as air
rushes in feeding the sunspoke, causing it to burn more
intensely. After setting the sunspoke ablaze and shouting back
to the balloon’s owner Alex takes account of his surroundings.
It’s during this time he spots the bloodied, moving blankets.
They seem to writhe, as though something beneath them is
injured.</p>
<p>Gripping the dagger firmly in one hand Alex grabs the
blankets from the corner of the balloon basket revealing
whatever lay beneath.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The sunspoke stretches its little arms and wriggles its
little fingers. It sighs happily, luxuriating in the extra
fuel. It burns twice as bright, shooting a hot jet of bright
yellow flame up into the parachute. The sunspoke starts to
glow a molten red, and you start to rise faster.</p>
<p>As you rise up over the peak, you can finally spot the
Runesocesius. The grand hotel is draped over the top of the
mountain, clinging to it like a dragon resting on its
hoard.</p>
<p>The “cyberplasms” as Confidence called them have docked to
the side of a tower on the other side of the peak from you.
They have shot a large hole in the side of the tower, and you
can see them now starting to zipline into the building. A
thick plume of black smoke billows out of the side of the
tower, carrying pages and pages of loose paper into the air
with it. They rain down like snow. The tower must house an
extensive library.</p>
<p>You cautiously pull back a corner of the bloody blankets,
jeweled dagger raised and ready to strike. You reveal a small
bloody furry blob. You see two big round eyes, a short-snouted
face, and enormous pointed ears. It quickly looks away from
you, chirps pathetically, and trembles as it cowers in place.
You have found a frightened hemogoblin stowaway!</p>
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
<p><a
href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00219.html">www</a></p>
]]>
</description>
</item>
<item>
<title>43</title>
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
<guid isPermaLink="false">43 - Mon, 19 Dec 2022 08:03:20
-0700</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 19 Dec 2022 08:03:25 -0700</pubDate>
<description>
<![CDATA[
<h3 id="00043">00043</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>Pirates?! Again?! Alex groans, unfortunately he’s run into
this crew of dastardly mostly cybernetic punks in the past.
Nasty group back home, always kept the precinct busy. Not
necessarily with the detective work, it was always a little
obvious when they showed up. They have a flair for the
dramatic.</p>
<p>Alex shouts to Inky &amp; Jarrod “Come on, we need to get
in one of those balloons and fast!” he then darts off in the
direction of the nearest abandoned balloon in the market
place, not looking to see if his companions had followed
him.</p>
<p><em>internally</em> I know these guys have pulled off
smaller heists, they could just be attacking the hotel to
plunder riches from its guests. They don’t seem the likes of a
retrieval team.. Then again, that Blavin fellow has multiple
teams working for him, and he doesn’t seem all too picky about
how they get the job done, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’d
hired some brigands hoping they’d get the gems faster.</p>
<p>Alex conjures up another bug, a stag beetle this time, and
casts it away at the pirate ship. It’ll probably take some
time to catch up, but once it does we’ll be able to keep an
eye on the pirate’s ship and general actions, at least within
line of sight of the bug.</p>
<p>As Alex reaches the balloon he grabs the ruby hilted dagger
and cuts the mooring lines keeping it down, and jumps into the
basket preparing for take off.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You spot a balloon that has already been knocked half loose
of its mooring by the pirate attack. The basket is listing to
the side and tugging at the one remaining rope tying it down
Its owner scurries around in circles trying to secure it.</p>
<p>The vertical panels of the balloon are all different
colors, creating a brilliant rainbow pattern. The large woven
basket is large enough for maybe three people.</p>
<p>You leap inside, swinging the ruby hilted dagger at the
remaining mooring line. The balloon owner cries out in dismay.
The basket shifts beneath your feet as the balloon tugs it
skyward.</p>
<p>In the burner, a small sunspoke—a minor fire elemental—is
merrily burning away, producing a modest flame that is hot
enough to lift the balloon slowly above the market into the
sky. There is a knob valve on the side of the burner to allow
more oxygen to flow in, thereby feeding the sunspoke and
encouraging it to burn more intensely and raise the balloon
higher and faster. The valve is currently only about one third
open.</p>
<p>A pile of blankets in one corner of the basket—and that
area of the basket itself—is covered in blood. Somebody
injured in the pirate attack must have temporarily climbed
into the basket looking for cover? As you’re about to look
away, something large-ish (small for a human, large for an
animal) under the blankets shifts and moves.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Inky stares after Alex’s sprinting figure before shrugging
and stepping towards one of the stalls selling sandwiches
bowled over by one of the large boulders. They place some
loose change on the stall’s wooden sign that had tipped over
on the ground and pocket one of the sandwiches displayed
inside an open chest oven. Next, they pick up several of the
scented candles scattered on the ground by the crash, throwing
some coins in the direction of the disoriented vendor before
continuing at a leisurely pace up the steps to the hotel,
taking in the balloonship and surrounding scenery. The members
of their merry party arriving first can hold their own as well
as the fort of a hotel.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You do a little leisurely shopping as the vendors and other
shoppers put out fires and tend to the injured. With a couple
scented candles and a sandwich safely in your pocket, you
start to climb the cloud steps, enjoying the scenery as you
go. Bread and Confidence have quite a bit of a head start on
you, and are nowhere to be seen. As the stairway winds around
the mountainside, the market and its bustle recede from view,
and soon you are quite isolated and alone.</p>
<p>The majesty of creation is humbling here: the endless,
roiling ocean of cloud; the towering mountain of rock. It’s as
though this was the creator’s playground when they were still
trying to figure out scale. Before they quite got it right for
human-sized creatures.</p>
<p>About halfway up your climb, it starts raining sheets of
paper. You snatch one and read it. Some heroic fantasy about
slaying demons and facing great peril. You grab another. A
bodice-ripping romance. Another. A gourmand’s food tour of
Basmentaria, eating their way from coast to coast. A murder
mystery whodunnit. An aetherwael handler’s guide to
interplanetary travel. How to grow your own fortified
pumpkins. On the Care and Maintenance of Fortles. The Rise and
Fall and Rise of Palace Runesocesius. Within a minute, you
have fists full of an entire library’s worth of snippets and
passages.</p>
<p>~</p>
<p>It looks as though Alex will approach the hotel by balloon
from the non-pirate side. And Inky’s approach by stair will
deposit them at the hotel entrance, roughly
pirate-adjacent.</p>
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
<p><a
href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00217.html">www</a></p>
]]>
</description>
</item>
<item>
<title>39</title>
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
@ -523,6 +614,58 @@
]]>
</description>
</item>
<item>
<title>44</title>
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
<guid isPermaLink="false">44 - Tue, 20 Dec 2022 08:47:08
-0700</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2022 08:47:11 -0700</pubDate>
<description>
<![CDATA[
<h3 id="00044">00044</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>As Alex spots the sunspoke valve he grabs it and cranks it
up to the 2/3 mark. “Sorry little friend, we’re going to need
a little bit more juice”. The baloon lurches upwards as air
rushes in feeding the sunspoke, causing it to burn more
intensely. After setting the sunspoke ablaze and shouting back
to the balloon’s owner Alex takes account of his surroundings.
It’s during this time he spots the bloodied, moving blankets.
They seem to writhe, as though something beneath them is
injured.</p>
<p>Gripping the dagger firmly in one hand Alex grabs the
blankets from the corner of the balloon basket revealing
whatever lay beneath.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The sunspoke stretches its little arms and wriggles its
little fingers. It sighs happily, luxuriating in the extra
fuel. It burns twice as bright, shooting a hot jet of bright
yellow flame up into the parachute. The sunspoke starts to
glow a molten red, and you start to rise faster.</p>
<p>As you rise up over the peak, you can finally spot the
Runesocesius. The grand hotel is draped over the top of the
mountain, clinging to it like a dragon resting on its
hoard.</p>
<p>The “cyberplasms” as Confidence called them have docked to
the side of a tower on the other side of the peak from you.
They have shot a large hole in the side of the tower, and you
can see them now starting to zipline into the building. A
thick plume of black smoke billows out of the side of the
tower, carrying pages and pages of loose paper into the air
with it. They rain down like snow. The tower must house an
extensive library.</p>
<p>You cautiously pull back a corner of the bloody blankets,
jeweled dagger raised and ready to strike. You reveal a small
bloody furry blob. You see two big round eyes, a short-snouted
face, and enormous pointed ears. It quickly looks away from
you, chirps pathetically, and trembles as it cowers in place.
You have found a frightened hemogoblin stowaway!</p>
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
<p><a
href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00219.html">www</a></p>
]]>
</description>
</item>
<item>
<title>41</title>
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>

189
www/spoilers.html
View File

@ -157,6 +157,69 @@
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@ -254,6 +317,7 @@ of the Were-Hare</a></li>
<li><a href="#00043" id="toc-00043">00043</a></li>
<li><a href="#00044" id="toc-00044">00044</a></li>
<li><a href="#00045" id="toc-00045">00045</a></li>
<li><a href="#00046" id="toc-00046">00046</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><a href="#bestiary" id="toc-bestiary">Bestiary</a></li>
<li><a href="#geography" id="toc-geography">Geography</a></li>
@ -266,11 +330,11 @@ id="toc-acknowledgements">Acknowledgements</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>
<h2 id="stats">Stats</h2>
<p>Total length: 43487 words / 185 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the
<p>Total length: 44522 words / 190 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the
length of this entire page, including all the extra bits and bobs. Not
just the story.)</p>
<p>There have been 159 messages posted over 162 days since the first
post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of .98.</p>
<p>There have been 163 messages posted over 162 days since the first
post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of 1.00.</p>
<h2 id="about">About</h2>
<p>This is a game that me and the kids in the basement are playing over
email.</p>
@ -302,7 +366,7 @@ he can slip by.</p>
<ul>
<li>Player: sinatra</li>
<li>XP: 1</li>
<li>Skills: Do Anything 1, Investigation 2, Illusions 2</li>
<li>Skills: Do Anything 1, Investigation 2, Illusions 2, Sneaking 2</li>
<li>Equipment:</li>
</ul>
<p>Paths:</p>
@ -4978,6 +5042,123 @@ offensive stances. “Oh!” cries Bread. “It’s you!”</p>
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
<p><a
href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00227.html">www</a></p>
<h3 id="00046">00046</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>Ah so I suppose those Toques were being honest then, there was a
Ginnarak crystal, and I guess they were going to give it to us.. oh
well, nothing good in life comes easy.</p>
<p>Alex cranks the dial on the sunspoke, grabs the hemogoblin from the
basket, and jumps out of the balloon and onto the deck of the ship. He
rushes over to the nearest pile of bundled rope and barrels and stows
his new hemo friend. “Just stay hidden little guy, let me take care of
these pirates first.”</p>
<p>Alex grabs the dagger from his side as he makes his way towards the
side of the ship, first thing first, best to cut the mooring lines and
zip lines. The static clawing sensation appears at the back of Alex’s
mind, but he attempts to ignore it. There’s too much that needs to be
done too quickly, and he’s all too aware of the danger he’s put himself
in. “What would Corraidhin do..” Alex thinks to himself, “perhaps a
spell?”.</p>
<div class="sourceCode" id="cb26"><pre
class="sourceCode lua"><code class="sourceCode lua"><span id="cb26-1"><a href="#cb26-1" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a><span class="kw">function</span> target<span class="op">:</span>new<span class="op">(</span>obj<span class="op">,</span> tbl<span class="op">)</span></span>
<span id="cb26-2"><a href="#cb26-2" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> obj <span class="op">=</span> obj <span class="kw">or</span> <span class="op">{}</span></span>
<span id="cb26-3"><a href="#cb26-3" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> <span class="fu">setmetatable</span><span class="op">(</span>obj<span class="op">,</span> self<span class="op">)</span></span>
<span id="cb26-4"><a href="#cb26-4" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span><span class="cn">__</span>index <span class="op">=</span> self</span>
<span id="cb26-5"><a href="#cb26-5" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>x <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">0</span></span>
<span id="cb26-6"><a href="#cb26-6" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>y <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">0</span></span>
<span id="cb26-7"><a href="#cb26-7" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>speed <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">0</span></span>
<span id="cb26-8"><a href="#cb26-8" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> reutrn obj</span>
<span id="cb26-9"><a href="#cb26-9" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a><span class="kw">end</span></span>
<span id="cb26-10"><a href="#cb26-10" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a></span>
<span id="cb26-11"><a href="#cb26-11" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a><span class="kw">function</span> target<span class="op">:</span>yeet<span class="op">()</span></span>
<span id="cb26-12"><a href="#cb26-12" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>x <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">100</span></span>
<span id="cb26-13"><a href="#cb26-13" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>y <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">100</span></span>
<span id="cb26-14"><a href="#cb26-14" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> self<span class="op">.</span>speed <span class="op">=</span> <span class="dv">50</span></span>
<span id="cb26-15"><a href="#cb26-15" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a> <span class="cf">return</span> self</span>
<span id="cb26-16"><a href="#cb26-16" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"></a><span class="kw">end</span></span></code></pre></div>
<p>After preparing the spell Alex makes his way towards the guard rail
ready to cut the mooring and zip lines, spell at the ready should an
enemy appear.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You crank the dial to 11. The sunspoke squeals in delight and burns
like a tiny star. You grab the hemogoblin, who chirrups and clings
tightly to you, and leap from the balloon onto the deck of the
airship.</p>
<p>You think you can hear—barely audible—the sunspoke singing a song of
homecoming as the hot air balloon continues to rise unpiloted up toward
the sun.</p>
<p>You rush over to cover behind a barrel, and deposit your new
hemogoblin friend safely inside the center of a large coil of rope. It
looks up at you quizzically, but nods when you tell it to stay put.</p>
<p>You invoke the powers of the moon and prepare a quick but (hopefully)
sufficient Spell of Yeeting.</p>
<!--
Alex rolls Do Anything 1 to cut the lines and avoid detection
6 = Great Success! Level Up!
//-->
<p>When you draw the dagger, the world develops a faint static
background noise which is easy enough to ignore at the moment given the
state of things. You dash forward and start sawing at the thick mooring
lines. The dagger’s ruby hilt flashes in the sunlight as you work, and
in your mind’s eye you see a bright red wine, and a drop of blood red
ink flowing from the nib of a fountain pen.</p>
<p>You shake the images from your head just as you finish sawing through
the rope. A Cyberplasm who was shimmying back up the rope from the hotel
to the ship yelps as the line goes slack and swings back into the side
of the cliff. The pirate rebounds from the impact, bounces off the
mountainside a few times, and falls from view as it disappears through
the clouds below.</p>
<p>The ship drifts lazily, rising slightly, and despite your best
sneaking around, the remaining Cyberplasms on board cannot help but
notice that the ship is no longer tethered. You successfully hide behind
a barrel as three cyber ghost pirates come rushing over to the ship
railing and lean over, looking below at where there are no longer any
ropes attaching the ship to the hotel.</p>
<p>Out of the corner of your eye, you can see the hemogoblin toddling
across the deck toward the Cyberplasms, no doubt curious about what
they’re looking at over the side of the ship.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Indeed, Bread, it’s me. You have not yet escaped your fate of
untraceable disappearance just yet.” Inky deadpans, then smiles. “We
have much to discuss, but later. I do need a guide … to your hotelier.
Presumably I will find them by following the racket and trail of ruined
decor, but maybe you know of a quicker route?”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Bread smiles at the threat of being untraceably disappeared, mostly
confident that they are on the inside of a private little joke and that
they are presently in no actual danger from Inky. They grip their hammer
a little tighter nonetheless.</p>
<p>Confidence slips their trowels into their apron. “Yes, this way!”</p>
<p>They hurry down the hall. You know you’re going the right way because
tattered, torn, charred books litter the ground in increasing numbers.
Bits of paper and ash fall like snow.</p>
<p>Confidence guides you away from the entrance to the library’s Great
Hall, and takes you instead to a smaller, more discreet staff entrance.
They open the door a crack, and as you look through you are just in time
to see the ship captain with their cybernetic leg, arm canon, and eye.
Now that the crew have cleared the way for them, they stroll across the
library over piles of fallen, damaged books.</p>
<p>A thin bald man with a neatly trimmed mustache is on the other side
of the hall, his back turned to the pirate. He wears a fine suit and has
just finished unlocking a glass display case. He retrieves a
multifaceted blue and gold stone and hugs it to his chest with both
arms. He throws a panicked glance over his shoulder at the slowly
approaching pirate, and turns to run away. His retreat is halted by a
small explosion at his feet. He skids to a stop and looks back at the
pirate, who is lowering their arm canon.</p>
<p>“The crystal,” the captain demands in a voice part ghostly moan, part
mechanical drone. “Hand it over, hotelier.” It steps closer. “Mother has
promised us new bodies if we deliver the quintessence. You won’t be
permitted to stand in our way.”</p>
<p>One pirate near the breach tucks a couple volumes of manhwa under its
arm and climbs out onto the mooring line, returning to the ship with its
plunder. It howls as the line suddenly goes slack, flinging the pirate
and its comics into the mountainside, and then out into space.</p>
<p>Sunlight pours into the library from outside as the shadow of the
airship shifts as it starts to drift, suddenly unmoored.</p>
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
<p><a
href="https://framalistes.org/sympa/arc/tildepals/2022-12/msg00231.html">www</a></p>
<h2 id="bestiary">Bestiary</h2>
<p>Some of the creatures who inhabit the world of Basmentaria</p>
<dt>