abledbody 2021/08/14(Sat)15:52 No. 1007923 ID: fa8baf
File 162898153013.png - (450.89KB , 512x1024 , MAIN 1.png )

Ah, there we go. I shall call you... The Planeless Mind. I have given you most of the knowledge you'll need to keep things interesting. Now, just to make sure you're ready, let's see if you can tell which race I've given you to.

Human: Your host is generally accepted by the other races. They have the largest societies. They will need to steer clear of any opportunities to cause true anguish to immortals, or else risk becoming a dark sorcerer.
Humans are the only natives to the mortal plane. They are the only race capable of splicing planes, and of becoming a dark sorcerer.

Immortal: Your host is probably naive, with a childlike wonder. In order to stay fed, every few weeks they will either need a human to splice the planes, have access to a netherbound, or otherwise consume the soul of a human. Humans and netherbound generally resent them. They constantly have to be on their toes, or else get sent back to the immortal plane.
Immortals come from the immortal plane, and are the only race that can invent new runes. They are used to things being boring and non-urgent, and are fascinated by the mortal plane.

Netherbound: Your host is probably naive, with a childlike wonder. They have a solid grasp of the arcane. Immortals often fail to see them as a sentient being, (at least at first,) but the other races are generally welcoming.
Netherbound are concentrations of magic that are ordinarily mindless grunt workers in the immortal plane.

Untethered: Your host is a crude beast who once served a dark sorcerer. They have existed for about seventy years. They are likely an excellent brawler and worker, but lack communication skills. They are generally disliked by the other races.
Untethered were servants created by dark sorcerers, but freed from their control after their master's demise.

Corruption: Your host is probably pitied, humble, and cultured. They have existed for about seventy years. They could be just about any form, but will almost certainly be monstrous, and, even if perfectly healthy, appear sickly. They also have a cool tattoo. You like tattoos, right?
Corruptions are a discarded byproduct of an unpredictable arcane process. Very few corruptions can survive longer than a day without a rune.

You're obviously a corruption even though the title of the quest is Immortal.

Why? Because being a weird bird tripod or cool purple quadraped thing is badass as heck.

Corruption

Be a netherbound. Sorcery!

Anti-vote for Human, because why be boring?

Of the remaining options, I choose Immortal.

Immortal - no other can even approach this cuteness!

Corruption, but not that horrible gonarch bird thing. Why not a nice brightly colored salamander?

My vote is for immortal

Playing as the headcrab broodmother from Half-Life might be fun, but needing a rune each day to live is gonna be like playing hardcore mode.

Netherbound as my primary vote, Corruption as secondary if that's more popular.

Netherbound

Suggestion 2021/08/14(Sat)18:00 No. 1007947 ID: cdbcf8

>>1007923
Ok! Let's see what we have. We've got
Humans - Humans
Immortal - Hey kid, you like v i o l e n c e ?
Netherbound - FU*K THE IMMORTALS! WITH -#(MAGIC)#-
Untethered - EY YO FU*K MAGIC BRUV!
Corruption - Hey kid, you got any ...runes?

Untethered because they need the vote.

>>1007945
I should clarify, the rune is a scar that will last forever. Corruptions that weren't lucky enough to get one would have died within the first day of existence.

Corruption or Netherbound.

Either or really.

I love how everyone imminently hated on the human option.

>>1007956
dark sorcerer could have been fun but didn't see a point in casting a vote for them when it's obvious they're not going to get picked.

Immortal

abledbody 2021/08/14(Sat)20:55 No. 1007962 ID: fa8baf
File 162899972626.png - (285.00KB , 512x512 , MAIN 2.png )

Good! Let's take this a step further. Peer into their mind. What do you sense this immortal is like? While your at it... I know you understand the concept of gender on an intellectual level, but can you sense theirs without learning from experience? I don't expect you to know for sure.

I get the feeling that his immortal is clingy.

>>1007962
Kinda impossible isn't it? Hell, humans alone still can't decide how many genders there are, or if gender is even something that can really have specific labels, and that is just one race. Who knows what sort of genders immortals may have, or even if they have any to begin with.

We don't even know immortal biology well enough to know how their reproductive systems work to determine how many sexes there are, or if that even applies to them. Nor do we know if sex and gender are even related for immortals.

Basically, no, we don't know.

Female?

>>1007962
Male

Outward Persona is stoic. They don't exhibit any outward social traits that would be infeasible by a shoddy robot. What's inside them though, who knows.

Gender is... Curry? Socks? It's constantly shifting. I expect this is to troll anyone scrying their personal data... right?

Male.
Immortals don't reproduce sexually, but mortals see manhood as symbol of fear and power, and you are all about being seen as fearsome and powerful.

This immortal's primary motivation, upon entering the mortal plane, was curiosity, wanting to experience all the things that make it so very different from the immortal plan. To this effect, they have grown to become fond of mortals and like being around them.

This immortal doesn't really understand gender, but likes to hear what gender other people think they are.

>>1007974
To expand: They like to play with this. How much does it take to change someone's perception of their gender? Does a skirt do it? Long or short hair?

Female

We incarnate the aspect of apocalypse. Revolution, Destruction, Change, and ultimately new growth. We are not cruel and do not discriminate. Though some may think us villainous, we truly believe our cause just, necessary, and natural.

Agender. Whatever our hardware, we've never taken the time or care to consider such things. We're much too "hardcore".
Perhaps that will change. Perhaps not.

>>1007974
>>1007975
Maybe just as people's perception of gender can change with time and information, so can we change to suit our needs, likes and wants.
Screwing arround with peoples perseption of what is male or female gives us enjoyment.
Does having breasts and vagina make you female, does having a penis make you male, what if you have both, none or a mixture of them what are you then.

abledbody 2021/08/15(Sun)11:00 No. 1007993 ID: fa8baf
File 162905040268.png - (267.07KB , 512x512 , MAIN 3.png )

You seem very confused. That's alright. Just so that you can start learning, I'll tell you that they're... Um...

Oh, no wonder. This immortal is genderfluid. Once they understood how humans treated gender, their curious, testing, and slightly power-hungry nature has encouraged them to constantly test others' perception of theirs. Don't worry too much about pronouns; I'm sure they'll be fascinated by whatever you call them.

Now, one last question. Turn your senses outwards. Where is this immortal now?


A: Allyn-Wright
A massive facility in the center of Prarister City at the cutting edge of arcane research. This company was so successful Prarister City was built around it. Your host has special permission to be on the mortal plane, so long as they stay within the facility, and keep interactions with humans to a minimum.

B: Prarister City
A massive futuristic city built around Allyn-Wright headquarters. Life is tough, but full of new experiences. Your host is going to have a lot of problems to deal with, but will definitely lead an interesting life.

C: Haven
A small community primarily composed of the secondary races. What is, for most, a safehaven away from the politics, danger, and bustle of human society, is an othering layover for your host.

D: Anterro's Dark Temple
One of many dark temples dotted across the landscape. This place is old, dripping with arcane, and full of traps and monsters. Your host must be a temple marauder, looking for fortune, glory, knowledge, or some combination thereof.

E: Immortal community
Your host has managed to find one of the few immortal communities on the mortal plane. All of them managed to avoid being sent back to the immortal plane by one means or another. It's only a handful, but at least the work is honest, and your host won't have to deal with people who are scared or upset with them... Probably.

F: Anywhere

G: Somewhere else
Alright, you creative hotshot. What's your idea? Broad strokes, please; I still have lore to adhere to.

This is approval voting. Vote for all the ones you like.

B and D both sound acceptable, but with a preference towards D. Such a curious mind would never settle for the "safe and boring" way of life!

G) Sigtessero
Hidden beneath the chaotic desert jungles and fueled by rivers of lava surrounded by frost, lies one of the elusive and incredulous Autonomous Temples. Ancient precursors put the sum of their civilization into producing temples that would perform rituals without a summoner, binding the entity to a storage phylactery. Most are broken beyond repair. All are ruined and barely coherent.

But this time, this one worked.

>>1007993
B. New experiences = New meats.

E

G: In a moment of hubris, our host tattooed an untested rune of their own design upon themselves. Originally meant to "Make things Interesting", whenever our host gains a large amount of energy, the rune transports him to a situation that is indeed "Interesting". While it could be anything, it tends to land us with people in some sort of mortal danger.

This time, our host finds themselves somewhere relatively quiet. They are in the middle of what looks to be a child's bedroom in a human domicile. It's dark, and the only sounds they can hear are those of the current occupants breathing.

B.

C.
D.

G. Detroit. We are in Detroit.

Also backing Sigtessero ( >>1007998 ) but maybe as an explorer/marauder like in D.

They're curious about mortals. Out of sight in some temple doesn't fulfil that, and hidden away in a research facility required to interact with mortals to the minimum degree is barely better. B: Prarister City.

>>1007998
I'll back this

abledbody 2021/08/16(Mon)13:27 No. 1008074 ID: fa8baf
File 162914562356.png - (238.82KB , 512x512 , MAIN 4.png )

Correct. It looks like you understand more or less what's happening. Welcome to Prarister City. You can go ahead and ask their name and what it is they're doing in a minute. But before I leave you to your devices, your objective is twofold.
First: You should already be pretty good at getting your host into and out of trouble. Just because you can, give them a little extra push in experiencing li—

...

Shff
Thump

>>1008074
We're in. Time to snoop. Red things look like empty cans, purple thing is a cereal box... What's that orange thing?

abledbody 2021/08/16(Mon)14:08 No. 1008079 ID: fa8baf
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>>1008077
>We're in. Time to snoop. Red things look like empty cans, purple thing is a cereal box... What's that orange thing?

Wait, is someone else in here?

...

"Where are you?"

Everywhere are nowhere. We are The Planeless Mind.

We're going to be tagging along with you for a while.

Check under the bed. I think it came from there

abledbody 2021/08/16(Mon)15:43 No. 1008087 ID: fa8baf
File 162915381648.png - (242.16KB , 512x512 , MAIN 6.png )

Uh...

>>1008083
>Everywhere and nowhere. We are The Planeless Mind.

>We're going to be tagging along with you for a while.

That doesn't seem likely. I didn't see them outside, though. They sound really weird. Am... Am I hallucinating?

"I'm going to believe you for now just because I can't think of any other way I could hear you so clearly without you being right in front of me."

I should just grab my stuff and get out of here. Whoever they are, they've definitely seen me.

>>1008087
It's too late. We've seen everything.
You're here for your stuff, huh? Entered through the window though, so you don't live here. Why did you leave your things behind?

Check the counter, could be food

You really don't have to be worried. We've no interest in harming you, and we're not going to tell anyone else you're here. Not even sure if we can, at this point, so that's something to think about.

>>1008087
Don't worry little lady lad lad lady, we're not rats, we wouldn't sell you out for a quick buck. Also we have no means of receiving/spending said bucks. Although we did indeed see you.

abledbody 2021/08/16(Mon)18:46 No. 1008103 ID: fa8baf
File 162916476273.png - (235.31KB , 512x512 , MAIN 7.png )

Oh good. You're in my head.
On any other day not going crazy would be priority one, but today's been kind of a mess, and I'm actually just glad you're not about to make things harder for me. At least I have someone to talk to, now.
Things aren't going great. I haven't fed in a couple weeks, and not only did I get spotted, but I didn't realize it until the cult hunters showed up. One wrong move and it was shhvp, right back to the immortal plane. So now I have to worry about there being cult hunters around every corner.

>>1008089
>You're here for your stuff, huh? Entered through the window though, so you don't live here. Why did you leave your things behind?

I do so live here!.. Well, I'm living here. I'm not going to risk entering from the hall, even at this time of night. I might not live here for long, though. If it's gotten too hard to avoid cult hunters I might need to move to another part of the city.

>>1008094
>Check the counter, could be food

I checked those when I first found this place. There's still a couple of sealed cans, but human food is disgusting, so... I really couldn't care less.

>>1008077
>What's that orange thing?

It's a magazine I took from a store— If you're in my head, why don't you know any of this?

>>1008103
We can't read your memories, only your thoughts, and only the ones since you entered the window.

>If you're in my head, why don't you know any of this?
We aren't PART of you. We don't have access to your memories directly.
Maybe we could if you ALLOWED that. Let us try this, look at the cover...
*Activate first person view*

>>1008103
>If you're in my head, why don't you know any of this?
Because we haven’t always been in your head. We just now got here and we don’t know much of what’s going on.

abledbody 2021/08/17(Tue)14:45 No. 1008164 ID: fa8baf
File 162923673037.png - (197.68KB , 512x512 , MAIN 8.png )

>>1008108
>We can't read your memories, only your thoughts, and only the ones since you entered the window.
That's a strangely specific restriction.
Well, since you don't seem to know anything about me, my name's Anlo. I've been here on the mortal plane for a couple months, now.

>>1008117
>We aren't PART of you. We don't have access to your memories directly.
>Maybe we could if you ALLOWED that. Let us try this, look at the cover...
>Activate first person view
First person view? What does that mean?
Here's the cover. Allyn-Wright really has their hands in everything. I even have a box of that cereal on the floor, there. It's not any better than any of the other human food I've tried.

The sun's about to come up. I really can't do anything during the day with so many eyes around. Especially not without some sort of cloak.
...Damnit. I had a blanket, but as it turns out, fabric is a fickle thing, and brings little bits of the world with it everywhere you go until it falls apart.

Your shorts seem okay.

Well, there's a little bit of time left, we could go out and steal something?

Anlo 2021/08/17(Tue)15:41 No. 1008169 ID: fa8baf
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>>1008165
>Your shorts seem okay.
...They weren't shorts until two days ago. Nobody makes clothes for immortals, so I had to tear off the lower half of some human dress pants. Fashionable, yes, but they're probably not going to last long.

>Well, there's a little bit of time left, we could go out and steal something?
"Are you kidding? The paths are going to be swarming with cult hunters, looking specifically for me. I'm not leaving this apartment until at least tomorrow night."

Stealing a sheet or something would be a good idea, though. I think that's how I'll start the night tomorrow, then I really need to focus on feeding.

Feeding is going to be difficult, isn't it? You need to find a human to co-operate with unless you want to kill someone, don't you?

First person view means looking through your eyes instead of looking at that silly face of yours!
It worked by the way.
Also yes that means we normally see "around" you, and that you can use us to help find you things or look around Corners n junk.

Anyway. Blanket, but you are stuck in this apartment building.
Do you know if your neighbors are gone to work or something?

Are there any other rooms here?
Can you invade other apartments?

Anlo 2021/08/18(Wed)13:51 No. 1008233 ID: 06e1a9
File 162931987418.png - (134.75KB , 512x512 , MAIN 10.png )

>>1008170
>Feeding is going to be difficult, isn't it? You need to find a human to co-operate with unless you want to kill someone, don't you?
It's either that or find a netherbound. Killing a human for their soul is an option. I've done it once before, I can do it again.

I thought maybe she was too far gone, that she didn't have anything to look forward to, and that nobody would miss her, but the look in her eyes... She was just so... Scared.

Uh, but that would probably just stir up more cult hunters. A netherbound is definitely the easiest option, followed by immortal sympathizers, and then if things are really bad, I could try and swindle some cultists.

>>1008179
>First person view means looking through your eyes instead of looking at that silly face of yours!
Hey! You're in my head, and so long as you're in it, you don't get to make comments about my silly f—
Perfectly normal face!

>It worked by the way.
>Also yes that means we normally see "around" you, and that you can use us to help find you things or look around Corners n junk.
Freaky. This calls for a night of experimenting. But not this morning. Too tired.

Anlo 2021/08/18(Wed)13:51 No. 1008234 ID: 06e1a9
File 162931990241.png - (192.60KB , 512x512 , MAIN 11.png )

>>1008179
>Anyway. Blanket, but you are stuck in this apartment building.
>Do you know if your neighbors have gone to work or something?
At fuck-o-clock in the morning?

...

That's a big fat no.

>>1008234
Home invasion: fuck o'clock edition.

Well, might as well get some sleep, then.

Sweet dreams.

Suggestion 2021/08/19(Thu)01:58 No. 1008299 ID: f4981a

Try windows I guess.
No one here has dogs, right?

Anlo 2021/08/19(Thu)13:45 No. 1008342 ID: fa8baf
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>>1008262
>Well, might as well get some sleep, then.
Yeah... Tomorrow will be better.

Flick

>Sweet dreams.

Anlo 2021/08/19(Thu)23:34 No. 1008382 ID: fa8baf
File 162944127054.gif - (41.70KB , 512x512 , MAIN 14.gif )

Wall...

Bed...

Lights...

I hope the cult hunters have something better to do by now.

...What was it that that came up last night? I feel like it was important.

You forgot to water the plants and feed the cat.

You need a disguise, and to find food.

Anlo 2021/08/19(Thu)23:55 No. 1008386 ID: fa8baf
File 162944250601.gif - (1.00MB , 512x512 , MAIN 15.gif )

>>1008383
>You forgot to water the plants and feed the cat.
THOK

OH

YOU'RE STILL HERE

Yes, and now you can skip the coffee. Any thoughts for a disguise?

>>1008386
Oh cool, you can cling to ceilings?

Suggestion 2021/08/20(Fri)03:06 No. 1008406 ID: 80b336

You know we didn't expect you to go OUTSIDE the apartment building when we said sneak around.
Can't you like. Try door handles till you find one unlocked?

>>1008386
yup
good mornin' sunshine

I think it's evening actually, as Immortals need the cover of night.

>>1008408
you wish good morning to people who've recently woken up no matter what time it is, it's like a rule or something

Anlo 2021/08/20(Fri)16:33 No. 1008428 ID: fa8baf
File 162950241012.png - (133.78KB , 512x512 , MAIN 16.png )

>>1008391
>Yes, and now you can skip the coffee. Any thoughts for a disguise?
>>1008385
>You need a disguise, and to find food.
It's going to need to cover most of me. If all they can see is my snout, they might mistake me for a corruption or untethered. My tail, horn, mane, and even my eyes could give it away.

>>1008394
>Oh cool, you can cling to ceilings?
Yeah. That soft, chalky stuff humans make the inside of buildings out of is real easy to sink my claws into. I need to do a lot of climbing and going where I'm not supposed to.

Should I take something with me? I have two mysterious human trinkets on the counter. There's also scraps from the dress pants I tore in the corner.

>>1008428
We are very familiar with human technology and should be able to identify any and all trinkets you come across. Show them to us.

Anlo 2021/08/20(Fri)17:21 No. 1008431 ID: fa8baf
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>>1008429
>We are very familiar with human technology and should be able to identify any and all trinkets you come across. Show them to us.
This one on the left is pointy and has some sort of safety feature. It's too blunt and flimsy to be a weapon, though. I pricked myself with it and it left a black mark. I tried drawing a rune with it, but nothing happened, so it's not laced with immortal blood or anything.

The red bit on the right one can be turned, but only a certain amount before you have to go the other way. Beyond that, I have no idea what it does.

>>1008431
Okay, the thing on the left is either a pen or a marker, it's used to write things with. Are you familiar with written languages? If not... humans will often write symbols that correspond to vocal communication. This is to more easily record, preserve, and spread ideas.

The thing on the right is a valve pipe. It could be an outdoors water faucet but I can't quite make out the details. Uh you probably don't know what pipes are so let me explain further. Pipes are tubes of hard materials such as metal or plastic, used to transport fluids via pressure. The turning bit is the valve; turning it one way will progressively restrict the flow of fluid and eventually block it completely while turning it the other way will open it up. Pipes are attached to eachother in various ways and it would take too long to explain in more detail.

The pen could potentially have minor use for you but unless you have some way of storing it you may as well leave it behind.

Inspect the trinkets

Anlo 2021/08/20(Fri)19:27 No. 1008442 ID: fa8baf
File 162951282723.png - (133.23KB , 512x512 , MAIN 18.png )

>>1008434
>Okay, the thing on the left is either a pen or a marker. It's used to write things with. Are you familiar with written languages? If not... humans will often write symbols that correspond to vocal communication. This is to more easily record, preserve, and spread ideas.
Ah yeah. I can read. Non-rune writing took off like wildfire on the immortal plane once literate immortals started getting sent back. They kept talking about how important and useful it was, but nobody realized why at the time. I just learned to read because all the weird rules were interesting.

>The pen could potentially have minor use for you but unless you have some way of storing it you may as well leave it behind.
I'll stick it in one of the pockets in this pair of pants. Let it not be said humans aren't creative problem solvers.

>The thing on the right is a valve pipe. It could be an outdoors water faucet but I can't quite make out the details. Uh you probably don't know what pipes are so let me explain further. Pipes are tubes of hard materials such as metal or plastic, used to transport fluids via pressure. The turning bit is the valve; turning it one way will progressively restrict the flow of fluid and eventually block it completely while turning it the other way will open it up. Pipes are attached to eachother in various ways and it would take too long to explain in more detail.
Wow, that's... Thorough. How do you know all this? Were you humans? Actually, what are you? What are you doing in my head?

>>1008442
>Were you humans?
Are but not of the sort your familiar with. We don't have souls.
The mechanical details are not important. Just know that you are the anchor point for our small breach into your plane.

We hold the knowledge of an entire civilization at our fingertips.
It is yours, if only you can obtain the means to use it.

>>1008442
I'm afraid if we told you everything about what we really are, you wouldn't believe us. If you did, you might go insane. I'm not sure what I should say instead, as we have limited information that makes sense in your context.
We know that we are called The Planeless Mind. You are our "host". We were given to you by... an entity of some power. One that wants things to be interesting.

With that in mind, we shouldn't waste any more time. Let's go outside.

>>1008442
Do you know what a sink is? It’s that thing that’s set into the counter behind you. That’s also a type of valve and pipe system. Turning one handle gives you warm water and turning the other one gives you cold water.

Hang on, you can’t eat human food, but can you drink regular water? You can try it if you want. Just don’t leave it on when you leave.

We are a collective conscience called "The Planeless Mind," though we aren't sure what we are beyond that. We were created and attached to you (our host) by some entity that wanted things to be "interesting" - probably an immortal, with that motive, but we can't say for certain.

And yeah, the valve pipe doesn't really do anything on its own - it'll only be useful if you run into some niche plumbing problem. If you could put your blood into the pen, though, that could lead somewhere.

Of course, the next question is: "Where are we going, exactly?"

Anlo 2021/08/22(Sun)12:40 No. 1008566 ID: 06e1a9
File 162966121972.png - (165.67KB , 512x512 , MAIN 19.png )

>>1008478
>We are a collective conscience called "The Planeless Mind," though we aren't sure what we are beyond that. We were created and attached to you (our host) by some entity that wanted things to be "interesting" - probably an immortal, with that motive, but we can't say for certain.
I guess you and I are in pretty much the same boat, then.

>And yeah, the valve pipe doesn't really do anything on its own - it'll only be useful if you run into some niche plumbing problem. If you could put your blood into the pen, though, that could lead somewhere.
Why bother? I can write runes fine with my claws. Don't need to bleed for that.

>Of course, the next question is: "Where are we going, exactly?"
Well, there's a laundromat close by. It'd be difficult not to get spotted there, which means it'd make this whole area unsafe for a while, but it's a safe bet to grab a disguise.

I could go to the slums and nab one off someone who probably needs it. It's definitely the safest and easiest option.

I could go to a store and try to pull off a heist. If it goes wrong it might cause a scene, but even then it might just be mistaken for a common burglary.

I could try searching apartments for an unoccupied room to take a blanket from, but if things go wrong, they could go really wrong.

The Allyn-Wright facilities are several blocks away. I don't see why we would visit, though.

Or we could just explore and see what we can find.

Let's try the apartments.

>>1008566
Let's rob a store! Sounds like the most fun option. Might even get some money out of it.

Explore around

Robbing a store definitely sounds fun, but it would probably be way safer to just explore for now, so my vote is for exploration.

No robbing! We should explode. I mean, explore.

>>1008566
Explore.
While all of the other options are... passable, only the great unknown of RANDOMLY WANDERING AROUND can satiate our lust for FUN.

We can't just go wandering around aimlessly without a disguise. That's asking to just run into a cult-buster. No, in these early stages, we need to move with purpose.

I say we rob a thrift store; sneak in, take a disguise from off the rack or that's been abandoned in a changing room, sneak out. It's a thrift store, for gods' sakes; the homeless and desperate prolly shoplift from them all the time. We'll have the advantage of coming at the problem from the back with the power of runes!

By the way, seeing as we'll likely need to use those runes you got, could you explain how that works?

So be it, let's take clothes from a thrift shop.

Hey, so the year 2000 is almost here. Two thousand years from what?

Anlo 2021/08/30(Mon)11:45 No. 1009102 ID: 06e1a9
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>>1008683
>Hey, so the year 2000 is almost here. Two thousand years from what?
I don't really know, but mortals sure like to make a fuss about numbers with lots of zeros. It sounds to me like they should have been worried about 1927. That was a world-ending disaster.

>>1008676
>We can't just go wandering around aimlessly without a disguise. That's asking to just run into a cult-buster. No, in these early stages, we need to move with purpose.

>I say we rob a thrift store; sneak in, take a disguise from off the rack or that's been abandoned in a changing room, sneak out. It's a thrift store, for gods' sakes; the homeless and desperate probably shoplift from them all the time. We'll have the advantage of coming at the problem from the back with the power of runes!
Not bad, planeless. Sounds like there's a couple smart cookies knocking around in there.

>By the way, seeing as we'll likely need to use those runes you got, could you explain how that works?
Immortals have always been innately able to draw runes with their claws, but humans discovered that all you need to draw runes is a piece of an immortal. It's a little freaky to learn that your body is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in parts alone.

I guess immortals can tap into something no other race can, since we're the only ones who can come up with new ones. They say it's like recalling a really old memory, or finding an intense spark of inspiration.

I actually uh... Only know one rune. I didn't even come up with it.

Which rune does Anlo know?
A: Viscous Time
Time around this rune slows to a crawl. (Caution: Difficult to remove your claw from after writing)
B: Heat
This rune produces a steady supply of heat.
C: Strengthen
This rune causes whatever it's written on to become rigid and durable.
D: Float
This rune causes whatever it's written on to stay more or less fixed in space.
E: Charge
This rune can electrically charge conductive materials.

This is approval voting. Vote for every option you like.

>>1009102
C,D,E

D for floaty

D

A sounds super useful.

A,C or D. These are not the most useful in my opinion, but certainly are the more interesting and potentially funny to use with creativeness.

Anlo 2022/02/02(Wed)23:11 No. 1022203 ID: fa8baf
File 164387227966.png - (187.04KB , 512x512 , HW_Float.png )

Float. It's a real common first rune; so much so that it feels kind of weird that the only things that float around here are the cars.

Sadly, the mortal plane is not the best place to learn more runes, which is a little ironic, since they're not really needed where I'm from.

Anlo 2022/02/02(Wed)23:12 No. 1022204 ID: fa8baf
File 164387236306.png - (284.24KB , 512x512 , MAIN 21.png )

Took me a while to find it, but SUPER THRIFT here seems to fit the bill.

Well, lets go get clothes from the supe store

>>1022204
Nice. Is there a side entrance or something? Or maybe roof access... if possible you should enter without triggering the alarms.

Anlo 2022/02/04(Fri)16:56 No. 1022402 ID: fa8baf
File 164402258248.png - (356.53KB , 512x512 , MAIN 22.png )

>>1022206
>Nice. Is there a side entrance or something? Or maybe roof access... if possible you should enter without triggering the alarms.
Given that the roof is way up there and the thrift store is down here, roof access seems unlikely. There's a door over in that alley that looks like it leads in.

Alright, side entrance then.

Let us very carefully take a peek through the side entrance to make sure there is no one inside or around.

on the topic of the float rune, how much force can it apply? if it's non-negligible then it could be useful for Shenanigans involving—i dunno—blocking a door closed. a classic Immovable Rod. fun stuff like that

Anlo 2022/02/07(Mon)17:07 No. 1022724 ID: fa8baf
File 164428247255.png - (243.49KB , 512x512 , MAIN 23.png )

>>1022475
>Let us very carefully take a peek through the side entrance to make sure there is no one inside or around.
It doesn't look like anyone's in there, but I can't see much in the dark. There's a couple of light switches next to the side door. I doubt anyone would care if the lights turned on, but it might make it easier to see me from outside.

Light only the area with clothes on it, look at the rack with the ones you like most, then shut down the lights and grab them.

Can you use Float on something then grab it to fly around?

I say fumble around in the dark until you have a disguise on, then turn on the lights to see if you LIKE that disguise. Go grab something different at that point, if you want.

Anlo 2022/02/08(Tue)01:55 No. 1022762 ID: fa8baf
File 164431413742.png - (232.14KB , 512x512 , MAIN 24.png )

>>1022755
>I say fumble around in the dark until you have a disguise on, then turn on the lights to see if you LIKE that disguise. Go grab something different at that point, if you want.
I think most clothes in these places are just plain shirts and pants? Which wouldn't do a good job of hiding my immortaly-ness.

>>1022753
>Light only the area with clothes on it, look at the rack with the ones you like most, then shut down the lights and grab them.
Hopefully I can tell what they are from over here.

Anlo 2022/02/08(Tue)01:56 No. 1022763 ID: fa8baf
File 164431419827.png - (102.67KB , 512x512 , Clothable Anlo.png )

The less of me anyone can see, the harder it will be to tell that I'm not a corruption or untethered. A hood of some kind to hide the majority of my head is a necessity, and I'll need something long and loose to hide my tail and legs.

This image of Anlo standing there like a pantsless dope is brought to you by the Allyn-Wright Committee for Paper Dolls in Quests. As such, any modifications made to this image will be considered as a possible outfit.

Doomsby 2022/02/08(Tue)02:25 No. 1022764 ID: e7c7d3
File 164431591813.png - (48.02KB , 512x512 , cloothing.png )

Two gaudy clothes. One formal, one not

>>1022764
I support the leftmost option of these two

Suggestion 2022/02/08(Tue)03:10 No. 1022766 ID: 96c896
File 164431865430.png - (98.73KB , 512x512 , black-cloak.png )

1000% less suspicious.

Suggestion 2022/02/08(Tue)03:50 No. 1022768 ID: 96c896
File 164432103175.png - (101.97KB , 512x512 , granny.png )

My, what big teeth you have.

Yineeo 2022/02/08(Tue)16:26 No. 1022802 ID: f3de18
File 164436640861.png - (202.58KB , 764x759 , image_2022-02-08_192159.png )

"Hello, fellow human! It is I, Jerry from Research and Development, and NOT an alien from the glorious planet of Pluto! Take me to your head manager!

Psst... it's actually me, Jerry. I'm just testing out my Halloween costume for when it comes. Pretty spooky getup I got going on here, huh?"

M-bot 2022/02/09(Wed)05:36 No. 1022850 ID: bd0512
File 164441378212.png - (777.57KB , 513x517 , New Bitmap Image.png )

The key to any act of espionage is confidence. That and maybe a clipboard. With enough confidence, you can go anywhere they don't mind people with big sharp teeth.

I don't wanna draw it because it's super boring, but:
what about a raincoat? Pick one that's a darker color.

M-bot 2022/02/14(Mon)00:37 No. 1023449 ID: bd0512
File 164482785589.png - (42.57KB , 866x558 , nothing.png )

Nothing

Anlo 2022/02/21(Mon)15:58 No. 1024228 ID: 34c58c
File 164548793456.gif - (51.78KB , 512x512 , MAIN 25.gif )

Whatever you're doing in there, Planeless, knock it off. It feels weird.

Alright, well, this will have to do. Mobility might be a bit of a problem, but I won't have to run as much anyway if this disguise works out.

>>1024228
b e h i n d y o u

Jump forward!

1/2 Anlo 2022/02/23(Wed)00:48 No. 1024327 ID: 34c58c
File 164560612805.png - (198.80KB , 512x512 , MAIN 26.png )

Woosh

So, that doesn't look like a human. What is it?
What should we do with them, I wonder... could they tell you're a demon, up this close? Letting them live could be a liability in that case. You seemed like you didn't want to kill anyone though.

What are your feelings right now? You could try to intimidate them into keeping quiet. Seems awkward in a position of power to do something like bribe them into silence but that option IS possible I suppose. Alternatively you could just bash them around a bit and leave...

I say interrogate them a little bit, find out who they are, maybe get some info about if anyone knows you're here yet. For a solution to them blabbing, I'd go for intimidation.

>>1024328
just offer to pay, say your sorry for stealing but you're desperate for help

Throw Abomination into a clothes rack, removing their grip of the bat and hopefully tangling them in clothes.
Fashion a straight-jacket using a normal jacket, add the float rune, watch them writhe in air within a prison of cheap fabric.
During all this, ensure he never has more than a second to see your face, you don't want him committing your face to memory and recognizing you later, you should be fine if he remembers what you're wearing, given it's incredibly generic aside from the skirt.

>>1024330
I go against interrogating, there's nothing we need to know from this guy, and staying to interrogate is more risk than it's worth, whether he has backup or not we should automatically assume somebody is coming either way.

OH right, it's a Corruption. Hmm. Well, that doesn't say much about their temperament.

I'm sorry to barge uninvited, but I needed the clothes so that people won't try to exploit me, I'm sure you'll understand.

Hey, free bat!

Anlo 2022/02/25(Fri)15:00 No. 1024665 ID: 34c58c
File 164583005625.png - (102.84KB , 512x512 , MAIN 28.png )

>>1024330
>I say interrogate them a little bit, find out who they are, maybe get some info about if anyone knows you're here yet. For a solution to them blabbing, I'd go for intimidation.

"You think y—"
"Ah, I'm sorry, man. I just needed more time to look for my book."

???

"If you come back in, like, twenty minutes, I promise I won't be here to try and hit you with a bat again, and you can grab your keys or wallet or whatever it was you left here."

>>1024665
Why the bat in the first place?!

ask if he needs help finding his book? you don't really care if it's something embarrassing like a porno mag or something.

Anlo 2022/02/28(Mon)19:41 No. 1025055 ID: 34c58c
File 164610607276.png - (169.97KB , 512x512 , MAIN 29.png )

>>1024668
"Why the bat in the first place?!"

"Well, I had assumed that, if you valued your continued employment, you would attempt to prevent me from trespassing and thieving. Incapacitating you would ensure I had additional time to do so."

Okay, so, clearly he doesn't work here, and he doesn't know that neither do I.

"I was leaving!"
"I panicked."

He's light, but not that light. My arm is starting to get tired. Should I take the bat or let him have it? It might be good way to make a quick friend if I help him out, here.

Having a friend in the city would be very useful. Help a fellow criminal out.

Let him know you don't work here, and were just stealing clothes for modesty. You wouldn't turn your nose up at some company though.

Anlo 2022/03/14(Mon)21:08 No. 1026287 ID: 34c58c
File 164731732411.png - (169.60KB , 512x512 , MAIN 30.png )

>>1025060
>Having a friend in the city would be very useful. Help a fellow criminal out.

Alright, I guess I'm trusting him with the bat. I set him down.

"That is better, thank you."

>>1025067
>Let him know you don't work here, and were just stealing clothes for modesty.

"I don't actually work here. I just came to nab some nicer clothes than a pair of torn shorts."
"Why don't you just buy them?"

...

"You said something about a book?"
"The only one of its kind. It's very important to me."
"...And it's in a thrift store."
"The one who sold it to the store was a heartless bitch that, were I a more violent sort, I would vow to annihilate with all the prejudice and fury of the sun."
"You tried to hit me with a bat. "
"I panicked."
"Right. Well, I'm going to help you look for it."
"That's a very strange reaction to nearly getting a bat to the back of the head."
"It's been a strange couple days."

>>1026287
So, let's look in the main office first.

The book section might be the best place to look, along with getting some nike shoes from the shoe section.

Anlo 2022/08/06(Sat)23:57 No. 1040252 ID: fcfe1a
File 165985543330.png - (255.64KB , 512x512 , MAIN 31.png )

"How long were you looking for?"
"Not long. You showed up shortly after I broke in."

>>1026310
>The book section might be the best place to look.

All the books look like they're kept in a small section of these shelves. Though it looks like it's treated more as a loose suggestion than a dedicated area. A duck-shaped tea pot, in particular, stands out amongst the books.

"What am I looking for, here?"
"It's an antique. There's no title. It's a little chewed up around the edges. I should say it's less of a book and more a... Glorified notebook slash journal, I suppose."

With a description that specific, I'm sure we'll find it in no time.

"What's your name?"
"Surrogate."
"Where's that come from?"
"It's how the sorcerer referred to me. I couldn't recall my name from before, so I hung on to that word in its stead. What about you?"
"Anlo."
"What's that mean?"

>>1040252
Oh, does he think you're an experiment too?
Just say you don't know. Just a name.

Are you throwing the books on the floor?! Please treat them with more respect. You shouldn't even need to take them off the shelf...
Ask what color the book is, and how big it is. Is there a title on the spine?

"Anlo dese nutz! Gottem!"

(1/3) Anlo 2022/08/17(Wed)18:15 No. 1041120 ID: 4dda50
File 166078535742.png - (253.56KB , 512x512 , MAIN 32.png )

>>1040255
>Oh, does he think you're an experiment too?
With any luck.

>Just say you don't know. Just a name.
"I don't know. It's just a name."

>Are you throwing the books on the floor?! Please treat them with more respect. You shouldn't even need to take them off the shelf...
I do need to take them off the shelf because I need to see the whole thing to check for the scant few distinguishing features I've been told. While I might actually like to read one of these some time, I don't much feel like fiddling trying to get them back on this cluttered shelf, because I want to get out of here as quickly as possible. Speaking of which,

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to actually help do the thing you came here to do?"
"I feel perfectly comfortable standing whilst talking to you."
"What? No, the book! Finding the book!"
"Oh! Yeah. Well, you looked like you were really into it. I didn't want to take away from that experience."
"Oh my god. Just help me look, alright?"

(2/3) Anlo 2022/08/17(Wed)18:16 No. 1041121 ID: 4dda50
File 166078535973.png - (251.97KB , 512x512 , MAIN 33.png )

>Ask what color the book is, and how big it is. Is there a title on the spine?
That might help narrow it down, at least. But I already know there's no title; he just said as much.
"What color and size is it?"
"Blue, decorated in rich brown and gold, and of approximately this same size."

(3/3) Anlo 2022/08/17(Wed)18:16 No. 1041122 ID: 4dda50
File 166078536438.gif - (483.05KB , 512x512 , MAIN 34.gif )

...Something tells me this is what he's looking for.

And whatever hazards to your mental health reading it may pose is not what you're looking for, so let Surrogate have the book full of fucked up shit.

>>1041122
Can you read it? Flip through it before handing it over.

(1/2) Anlo 2022/08/23(Tue)04:08 No. 1041616 ID: e9163f
File 166125289966.gif - (892.09KB , 512x512 , MAIN 35.gif )

"Oh! That's the book! Gimmie!"
>>1041159
>Can you read it? Flip through it before handing it over.
Half of this is gibberish and the other half is demented. It's not really worth reading other than for idle fascination. There is a drawing here of some weird medical looking thing with a rune on it, though. I could probably replicate that.

Anlo has learned a new rune. It will be referred to as l5 so long as you don't know what it does.

"Egh! Give it here! Nyegh! Eh!"

(2/2) Anlo 2022/08/23(Tue)04:08 No. 1041617 ID: e9163f
File 166125293474.png - (254.69KB , 512x512 , MAIN 36.png )

>>1041131
>And whatever hazards to your mental health reading it may pose is not what you're looking for, so let Surrogate have the book full of fucked up shit.

Yeah, I see no reason to hold on to it. His enthusiasm to get it is kind of cute, actually... Aside from the weird stuff inside.
Anlo hands Surrogate the book, and he quickly presses it to his chest.

"Thank you! In being taller and less meticulous than I, you've saved me considerable time, something we all have precious little of."
That's, um... I think that's a compliment? I'll be honest, half the time I can hardly tell what he's saying.

"Alright, let's get out of here before somebody sees us rooting around."

Yeah let's go, but put the books back first.

A compliment means you're friends. Friends share with other friends.
See if you can convince Surrogate to tell you why he wants the book so bad.

(1/2) Anlo 2022/08/27(Sat)22:26 No. 1042042 ID: f62372
File 166166438240.gif - (57.62KB , 512x512 , Main 37.gif )

>>1041636
>Yeah let's go, but put the books back first.
...Fine. Just—

There. Books back on the shelf. Happy now?

(2/2) Anlo 2022/08/27(Sat)22:27 No. 1042043 ID: f62372
File 166166443266.png - (247.86KB , 512x512 , MAIN 38.png )

>>1041650
>A compliment means you're friends. Friends share with other friends.
>See if you can convince Surrogate to tell you why he wants the book so bad.

"So, what's so special about that book, anyway?"
"It's a keepsake from my progenitor. I escaped, and I swiped his journal on the way out for all the trouble. I hope he lost his mind looking for it, and that was what eventually did him in. Either that or that he blamed it on that fat tethered minion of his. Those were sleepless nights when he was left to see to me... Hard to believe that was a whole sixty-nine years ago, but I guess you never forget your origins."
"I know what you mean."
In the vaguest sense.

On the immortal plane, time all just kind of blends together. I recall new immortals just sort of... Being there, from time to time. Same template, different body, every one of them.

"In any case, it is a symbol of my freedom, my strife, and my place in this world."

Surrogate stops.

"What's up?"
"Well... I fear if I bring it back to where I live, it would simply be pawned off once more. I'm not quite sure what I should do with it."

>>1042042
Well, at least they're not on the floor...

>>1042043
Why is he living somewhere that he can't keep the book safe? Sounds like a change in living arrangements is in order.

Where does he live?
Better question, can he live with you? He's cute!

Do you have a sofa they can crash on? It might be a good way to learn more about their book too.

>>1042043
Eat it. Eat the book.

Anlo 2022/09/04(Sun)03:54 No. 1042823 ID: b51cca
File 166228888301.png - (247.91KB , 512x512 , MAIN 39.png )

>>1042044
>Why is he living somewhere that he can't keep the book safe? Sounds like a change in living arrangements is in order.

>>1042066
>Where does he live?
>Better question, can he live with you? He's cute!

"Where are you living now, anyway?"
"Down at ground level. One of the back rooms at The Nest."

Eesh. It's rough down there.

"What's The Nest?"
"It's a bar. A relic from before Prarister City grew in verticality. I don't have the skills to actually work there, but the proprietor tries to look out for everyone down there. Even vagabond nobodies, such as myself."
"Listen, I have a nice secluded spot up in the towers. If you want to stay with me I could actually use the company."
"I suspect that you have ulterior motives, considering I have yet to contribute anything of value to you, and supporting my presence would not be an insignificant burden."
"It could just be because you're cute."
"Oh."

"I have had enough experience whoring myself out to strangers to know I can't live that way. The back room would still be preferable."

OH RUNES, THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!

Can immortals even do that? Sex?
There's probably no way to convince him at this point, just drop it and carry on.

Cute as in adorable. You seem fun to be around and two immortals guarding your book is better than one.

Unless you think squatting there is too risky, that is. We can still try to keep in contact, otherwise.

>>1042823
Maybe it's better to just exchange contact information.

>>1042823
No real good way to dig yourself out of this one.
Just apologize for the comment and see if their open to exchanging contact information instead.

Giving up remarkably quickly here, when just saying that's not what we meant is on the table. In fact, Anlo can honestly say they forgot the other sort of companionship existed.

Anlo 2022/09/28(Wed)00:32 No. 1044917 ID: f76ec1
File 166435036349.png - (247.89KB , 512x512 , MAIN 40.png )

>>1042837
>Cute as in adorable.

"Err, I didn't mean it like that! Cute as in adorable!" "Oh." "Or, uh, not adorable, not like you're a pet, but—" "I um, don't—... Like, that's maybe my fault for—" "Yeah, no, I'm— I didn't even realize that was... Like, something people might ask you." "Usually when people say something like that, that's what they're attempting to, uh..."

>>1042929
>No real good way to dig yourself out of this one.
>Just apologize for the comment and see if their open to exchanging contact information instead.
Oh runes. It's fucked. It's so fucked. I have immediately torched this interaction.

>>1043873
>Giving up remarkably quickly here, when just saying that's not what we meant is on the table. In fact, Anlo can honestly say they forgot the other sort of companionship existed.
Alright, it's fine, I didn't actually ask him to sleep with me... Figuratively, anyway. He can't fault me for that, right?

"Ahem... Look man, I'm just trying to help. It's not the Ritz or anything, it's a place to stay. It's legitimately the least I can do, so... The offer's still open."
"...Yes, I suppose the book would still be safer in the reach of a stranger than a known villain."
"Cool. Are you gonna need anything else, or...?"
"No, this is just about the extent of my possesions. Though I do know some people that I would like to inform about my relocation."
"Got it."

Right, how am I going to do this, and in what order...?
Surrogate needs to go talk to people, I need to get fed, and I need to show Surrogate where I'm staying.

While we're at it, offer to sleep with Surrogate. In a friendly way, not a business way.

>>1044917
Seems most expedient for you to show him where your place is, then part ways so you can get some food (preferably by finding a netherbound) and he can go talk to folks.

Actually hang on, are Netherbound able to feed you without dying? They're people too, on this plane. I am aware most Immortals have trouble with that concept.
Hmm, I don't think we asked, what's Surrogate's likely reaction if he finds out you're an Immortal? I wonder if you could ask him where to find an ethical source of sustenance.

>>1044918
Probably not a good idea!

Anlo 2022/10/08(Sat)23:16 No. 1045923 ID: 12e5d5
File 166529617670.png - (185.88KB , 512x512 , MAIN 41.png )

>>1044922
>Seems most expedient for you to show him where your place is, then part ways so you can get some food (preferably by finding a netherbound) and he can go talk to folks.

Sounds like a plan.

>Actually hang on, are Netherbound able to feed you without dying? They're people too, on this plane. I am aware most Immortals have trouble with that concept.

Yeah, they don't ever just conk out right then and there like humans do. They never minded on the immortal plane, and other than being fussy I don't think it's a big deal here, either. I've never come back to check, but I have no reason to believe they don't survive.

>Hmm, I don't think we asked, what's Surrogate's likely reaction if he finds out you're an Immortal? I wonder if you could ask him where to find an ethical source of sustenance.

Best case scenario, he's sympathetic, and understands why going back to the immortal plane is not an option. Worst case, he acts like he's sympathetic, until he has an opportunity to call the cult hunters without me knowing, I get blind-sided, and then I'm stuck back on the immortal plane, waiting for another cult to splice the planes somewhere near me for likely decades, and hoping that they don't immediately end up killing me after I step through.

Needless to say, I'd rather he just not know.

"Alright, I've got some errands to run, so how about I show you where I'm staying, and then we can go do what we each have to do?"
"Very well. Do you have transportation?"
"No, I walked here."
"As did I. I suppose that it will be a long night, then. After we arrive, I urge you to prepare a bed or closet, as it will be quite late for me by the time I return."

>>1045923
Well, you do have a mattress... did you have a closet?

So uh, ask him who he usually hangs out with.

Anlo 2022/10/12(Wed)18:38 No. 1046355 ID: 8a5961
File 166562511882.png - (207.52KB , 512x512 , MAIN 42.png )

>>1045927
>Well, you do have a mattress... did you have a closet?

Yeah, I think so. I've only got the one mattress so either we're going to have to share, or someone's taking the closet.
...Er, wait a second.

"Closet?"
"Very well."
"Wha— No, I mean like, who sleeps in a closet?"
"I have taken up the habit, as many of those I have sought habitation with did not have adequate space, and I found they were more inclined to agree if they knew they did not need to dedicate any significant part of it to me."
"So being as small as you are lets you ask for places most people don't normally think of as sleeping spaces?"
"Essentially, yes."
"Huh. Well, not to worry, I have plenty of space. There's jack-all in the apartment. Basically, I've got a mattress and some food. That's about it."
"That sounds more than a little spartan. Do you not have clothes? Toiletries? Cookware? Cleaning supplies?"
"Nope. I kinda live my life outside the place."
"Hm. Perhaps I shall seek to remedy this in the coming days."

Oh, there's somebody.
"Hey."
"Hey."

>So uh, ask him who he usually hangs out with.

"So who are these people, anyway? Who do you normally hang around?"
"Other rejects, to put it succinctly. Many corruptions are too foreign for the humans to accept. Many untethered too threatening. Even among the humans, those who are not fully in control of their faculties, or simply lack capital, wind up at ground level eventually. I try not to associate with those who are cast away for good reason, but most are still fine people. They just have an excess of problems to surmount."
"So why do you live there?"
"A lack of talent, and consequently, a lack of capital, like I mentioned."

>>1046355
Money, right. What kind of jobs are there around here?

>>1046361
Better question, what kind of jobs are there that you can actually do?

Anlo 2022/10/28(Fri)16:08 No. 1047709 ID: 45e926
File 166699853149.png - (125.94KB , 512x512 , MAIN 43.png )

>>1046361
>Money, right. What kind of jobs are there around here?
>>1046447
>Better question, what kind of jobs are there that you can actually do?

I think you're asking the wrong person.
I've seen some papers with stuff asking for help on a number of jobs. I couldn't tell you what the vast majority of them are about, though. They all have weird, complicated names. It seems like a lot of people in Prarister City work at Allyn-Wright. I've even heard that there are immortals living and working there. I don't really know why they want me gone, but not them, but judging by the fact that people will call the cult hunters at the first sight of me, and I still haven't seen another immortal, they probably don't let them out into the city.

"I think we can solve that."
"Anlo, I'm nearly seventy. I've had all the time in the world to learn just how little I'm capable of."
"Yeah, but that was before you met me."
"I do not see how that would have an impact on my own otherwise immutable skill."

Some time passes. Anlo thinks about how the next few days are going to go while they make small-talk with Surrogate.

"This is the place."
"Somehow, I could not picture how barren it was before seeing it for myself."
"Alright, I get it, I've got no shit."
"It was merely an observation."
"If you want any of the food, have at it. I eat out."
"You do not strike me as the type to have the budget that that would necessitate. You were stealing clothes from the very first instance I saw you."
"Do you really want to know all the things I do to survive?"

...

I swear to god, if he's about to say yes—
"Perhaps a little bit."
"No, Surrogate. The correct answer is no."
"Well, seeing as you are lacking in luxuries, I will attempt to find something soft to sleep on while I am away... Unless the matress is not in use because you sleep like a bat or something."

You're keeping the mattress, it's your house (sortof). Also you're bigger, you need something bigger to sleep on.

>Allyn-Wright
Huh, have you ever spoken to anyone there? Maybe they have some way of marking Immortals that are willing to blend in with society, and you're not marked, thus considered a "wild" Immortal who isn't indoctrinated. Though that begs the question of how the Immortals allied with that faction managed to get that way without being killed first.

Might be worth tracking someone there down and begging for help.

Do you have a spare blanket or pillow to lend out? Or some clean(-ish) clothes that he could ball up and use instead?

Otherwise, do you or Surrogate have any immediate plans of what you want to do?

Anlo 2022/11/05(Sat)00:41 No. 1048502 ID: 863727
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>>1047713
>You're keeping the mattress, it's your house (sort of). Also you're bigger, you need something bigger to sleep on.
"Nah, hanging from the ceiling all day sounds exhausting. The mattress is mine."
"All day? Are you nocturnal?"
"What's that mean?"
"Do you sleep through the day, rather than the night?"
"I do right now."
"I see. I believe this form of mine lacks a preference for time of day when it comes to sleep. It changes as I require."

>Huh, have you ever spoken to anyone [at Allyn-Wright?] Maybe they have some way of marking Immortals that are willing to blend in with society, and you're not marked, thus considered a "wild" Immortal who isn't indoctrinated. Though that begs the question of how the Immortals allied with that faction managed to get that way without being killed first.
>Might be worth tracking someone there down and begging for help.
The whole reason immortals aren't allowed to just walk around is because of the risk of making dark sorcerers. And it's always a risk, because humans will find some way to fuck up the idea of "don't treat someone like trash" if given enough time. Dark sorcerers weren't even a thing until immortals started appearing on the mortal plane. If the rumors about the lab are true and they're smart, they must keep the immortals well away from the humans and exits, and that doesn't sound like a life I'd be down for.

...Yeah, I know, I'm not making myself sound very endearing, putting people in danger, but I need to do this. The mortal plane is like a drug. It's the first time I've felt like I'm living, and I'm not going to give that up for anything. And to put the immortal plane into perspective, there aren't any humans there because the second they step foot on it, the very aura of the plane itself makes them sad, and they just turn around. Immortals don't feel it, but after being here for a while I can tell exactly why it would have that effect.

>>1047962
>Do you have a spare blanket or pillow to lend out? Or some clean(-ish) clothes that he could ball up and use instead?
I have those two cloth tubes that used to be the legs of my pants. I think they'd be a little tight as a sleeping bag, even for him. I'd rather not, but I could live without the pillow if push comes to shove.

...Oh, dammit, we were just leaving the thrift store when this came up! Surrogate can't be sapping my brains, can he?

"Alright, well now that you know where we're staying, I'm gonna head out. If you're heading back in the other direction, maybe you can pick up something to sleep on from that thrift store."
"From what I recall, they don't sell beds."
"So? Just grab whatever's soft."

Now to find food for myself.

>>1048502
Right. So where can we look?

Anlo 2023/01/06(Fri)00:45 No. 1053343 ID: 35160b
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>>1048503
>Right. So where can we look?

Pretty much anywhere in the city.

I haven't seen many netherbound in the city. I've seen them occasionally in places of industry, and in the residential and recreational areas near Allyn-Wright. I think this is because they make good, low-maintenance laborers. The latter might be risky, though, since it's harder to hide around there, and cult hunters have a stronger grip.

If I wanted to practice my skills of deception, I could try finding a cult at ground level or the apartments, or maybe venture outside the city and look there. I can actually smell humans messing with splicing rituals for miles if the air is clean, so finding one shouldn't be much of a problem if I put my nose to it. Still, all the cultists I've met range from the weird to the deranged. They might even be trying to summon an immortal specifically to torture them and become dark sorcerers, so I'd be like an early Christmas present to them, and that means I could be the catalyst for the next dark sorcerer, since cult hunters can't track them down if they never splice the planes.

...You know what, let's start with the netherbound. Maybe if I'm lucky I can make a friend and stop having to worry about this. Probably not the same one I feed from today, though. I really want to make sure they wouldn't rat me out before they learn I'm an immortal, and sucking out seep magic from them would be a dead giveaway.

>>1053343
Sure, let's try the industrial complex. How about the docks?

Let's check out some industry

(1/2) Anlo 2023/01/21(Sat)01:40 No. 1054296 ID: 35160b
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>>1053523
>Let's check out some industry
>>1053346
>How about the docks?

The... Docks? I don't think I've seen anything like that. Some of the larger businesses have places where they load stuff onto and off of trucks. That sounds a bit similar to what you suggested.

Some time elapses as Anlo travels through the city once more.

Hm... That place should work. Looks busy. I'll wait here and see if I can spot a netherbound.

(2/2) Anlo 2023/01/21(Sat)01:40 No. 1054297 ID: 35160b
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So, what's your deal? Not that I'm the best judge of ambiguous disembodied voices, but you seem kind of... Aimless, I guess. Like, so far you've really just been trying to be helpful, and a little bit into Surrogate, I think? Which is just about the last thing I'd figure some collective magic brain invader would want to do. What do you all really want? From me, and just in general.

>>1054297
I want to explore.

most of us just want to look around, which usually involves keeping you alive and well

To be honest, a decent amount of us are sexually frustrated. It's not easy being a disembodied voice. That's why we want to live vicariously through others along those lines.

>>1054311

To add to this... what sorts of entities can you feed on without it being long-term harmful to them? What are the exact scenarios where this happens, and how does it work? What does it look/feel like for each? Humans (for example) often have mythology about entities feeding on them somehow without killing them, which tend to vary from 'horrible' to 'wow that power difference sexy as fuck' depending on how the folklore is swinging this particular decade. There are the right type of niche clubs and subcultures where people who would WANT that gather, if you can make the act appropriately glamorous and combine it with appropriate sexual signalling. And I can't imagine that OTHER social sapient entities wouldn't have subcultures with similar norms, if only via cultural osmosis?

Anlo 2023/01/25(Wed)03:18 No. 1054665 ID: 804a27
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>>1054301
>Most of us just want to look around, which usually involves keeping you alive and well.
I mean, it's still kind of weird that—

>>1054311
>To be honest, a decent amount of us are sexually frustrated. It's not easy being a disembodied voice. That's why we want to live vicariously through others along those lines.
>>1054316
>To add to this... what sorts of entities can you feed on without it being long-term harmful to them? What are the exact scenarios where this happens, and how does it work? What does it look/feel like for each? Humans (for example) often have mythology about entities feeding on them somehow without killing them, which tend to vary from 'horrible' to 'wow that power difference sexy as fuck' depending on how the folklore is swinging this particular decade. There are the right type of niche clubs and subcultures where people who would WANT that gather, if you can make the act appropriately glamorous and combine it with appropriate sexual signalling. And I can't imagine that OTHER social sapient entities wouldn't have subcultures with similar norms, if only via cultural osmosis?

...

Uh...
Wow. Okay. Not sure how I feel about all this...
Er, but it's just humans and netherbound. It'll kill a human outright. It's not like I can take just a little bit of soul, and unless they're some sort of sorcerer's abomination, like a corruption, they won't live without it. If I had to guess, I'd say soul-rending feels soul-rending.

My only other option is seep magic, which is abundant on the immortal plane, but around here the only place to find it is netherbound. They're made of the stuff, and taking a little is harmless. At most a little draining, I think. I guess Immortals have some, too, but it's not exactly like we have a cultural scene around here, and it just feels... Wrong.

In either case, it's like uh... Magic juice vapors getting sucked out? Need to be within about a foot of them to make it happen, but I don't need to be touching them.

Anyway, I guess it's possible there are some netherbound out there who are really into immortals feeding on them, but I don't know where I'd even start looking for that sort of thing. Plus, maybe they like it in theory, but in practice, they may be more worried about the dangers of me being on the mortal plane. I don't know; maybe there's something to this if I approach it carefully?

Hey, didn't you say you could see stuff I couldn't yesterday? Like, looking around corners or something? Since we're waiting to see a netherbound anyway, why don't we try doing some of that?

Uh... okay let's try to control it and... *swoosh over to get a closer look at the people at the docks*

Ah. So you can't take just part of a human soul. Pity. Hmmm. You meed to find the place where young (but not too young!), rebellious Netherbound hang out. There HAS to be a place like this! This city is large enough for it! What do you know about how Netherbound culture and society works, which might give us some clues?

>>1054665

Regarding the seeing stuff, there's a few parts to it. First, our perspective to you is third person, as in an illustrated book, video game, tv show, or as if we are scrying on you somehow. That said we don't have much control over the angle of the 'camera', so we might mostly get 'wall'. Maybe you could will control over our perspective? Try it, and see if you have any intuitive awareness of where we see from, or if you can see a distortion. As of right now, unless it changes by the time you get this message (theres some weird time stuff I'll go into in a bit), our camera view is a few feet in front of you and to your left. Second, our perception of time varies with relation to you. Sometimes we're faster, sometimes we're slower, sometimes we're MUCH faster, and the like. Also try willing this to follow your influence, to see what happens.

You know those stories of that supernaturally perceptive private detective that could glance at a scene and understand all that was happening in it in an instant, and make reasoned logical inferences and deductions that would take someone minutes to puzzle out? But he also had a massive drug problem so he couldn't do it reliably? Think of it like that.

Another way to look at it is that, in relation to you, we intermittently function as what is known as a 'speed superintelligence'. We're not qualitatively smarter than you, but can sometimes spend a lot of our time pondering something that you don't have time to think about because things are happening too fast on your scale.

Anyway, a good way to take advantage of these things is go to a place that is visually busy, has long sightlines, has a wide variety of things happening nearby, and spend some time looking around and mentally narrating about what you see and how that fits into what you know and what decisions you might immediately make. While that isn't guaranteed to synch perspectives, it increases the chance of that happening. That said, doing this (ie, inherently public) might have a lot of risk, so until we get a handle on the dangers of your environment, you'll need to take the lead in assessing and mitigating risks and dangers of discovery. Uh, even if you can't go someplace with lots of people, mentally giving exposition might be a useful habit to get into.

The upside of all of this is, if you get into a firefight and are taking cover, we're almost guaranteed to be incredibly helpful and useful!

>>1054675
To sum all of that up, from our perspective, time is dilated as FUCK. It doesn't happen ALL the time, but often enough. Remember our 'behind you' moment where you first caught Surrogate? That's a minor example.

>>1054720

That lacks nuance because we aren't speaking impossibly fast for them to hear, even when we have lots of time to ponder.

Anlo 2023/02/14(Tue)20:14 No. 1056158 ID: 408ca1
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>>1054675
>First, our perspective to you is third person, [...] as if we are scrying on you somehow.
>Maybe you could will control over our perspective?
>Second, our perception of time varies with relation to you. Sometimes we're faster, sometimes we're slower, sometimes we're MUCH faster, and the like.
Alright, um... I think I saw someone go behind one of those closer trucks a minute ago. If you can see them, you can tell me what they're doing, right?

>>1056158

They're leaning against the truck, with their hands at waist level. The perspective seems distorted; maybe we can't see away from you if you aren't 'in frame', perhaps. They may be holding something, it's hard to tell.

Looks like we can see clearly when something is in your line of sight, but if it isn't then it's all... wobbly. Distorted.
The guy's just leaning against the truck. Might be trying to light a cigarette.

>>1056182

Or holding a pistol in the depressed position.

A human, looking to be holding something at waist height. It's hard to tell since it seems vision that's not around you is hazy. They're either holding some kind of phone or tablet, or a gun.
Either way, you should really get out of there.

Well be glad you can't see what we're seeing because this is very nauseating. Everything is all wavy and splotchy, like a blood-kaleidoscope.
It's hard to make out, but he's wearing a coat with some kind of orange emblems on the shoulders. Whether or not he's holding something, his hands are both resting near his groin. Might just be about to take a piss. Or, uh, y'know.

(1/3) Anlo 2023/03/06(Mon)02:45 No. 1057631 ID: 969ad5
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>>1056162
>They're leaning against the truck, with their hands at waist level. The perspective seems distorted; maybe we can't see away from you if you aren't 'in frame', perhaps. They may be holding something, it's hard to tell.
>>1056182
>Looks like we can see clearly when something is in your line of sight, but if it isn't then it's all... wobbly. Distorted.
>The guy's just leaning against the truck. Might be trying to light a cigarette.
Hey, it's better than nothing. That's super cool!

>>1056287
>Well be glad you can't see what we're seeing because this is very nauseating. Everything is all wavy and splotchy, like a blood-kaleidoscope.
...And maybe just a little bit freaky.

Oh wait, something's going on.

...
"No! I can control it, just—"
Are those cult hunters?
...
"Don't touch me!"

(2/3) Anlo 2023/03/06(Mon)02:45 No. 1057632 ID: 969ad5
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"Look out!"
Kr-CRACK

(3/3) Anlo 2023/03/06(Mon)04:26 No. 1057641 ID: 969ad5
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BANG clink cla-dink

So that guy's associate executed him because he had runaway superpowers or magic or something. If the gunman notices you, you would qualify as a Loose End.

Time to make yourself scarce, yea?

Eh. There's at least one other witness. I expect that was a legal action, no need for cleanup. That said, we don't want to be near cult hunters or the resulting police presence from having to report a dead body.

Look around, see if there's anyone who's running away in a suspicious manner. If they get away, we can approach them, maybe...? ...wait, what was that big black thing in the warehouse? I wanna take a look at that.

Anlo 2024/01/30(Tue)14:12 No. 1082156 ID: 7ddd7c
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"AH!" "Jesus christ!" "What the hell, man!" "What happened!?" "Marko was a sorcerer!"
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?
Clue me the fuck in here, because I just saw big crazy blue lightning and then there was a loud bang and now that guy's dead!

>>1057645
>So that guy's associate executed him because he had runaway superpowers or magic or something. If the gunman notices you, you would qualify as a Loose End.
>Time to make yourself scarce, yea?

>>1057678
>Eh. There's at least one other witness. I expect that was a legal action, no need for cleanup. That said, we don't want to be near cult hunters or the resulting police presence from having to report a dead body.

This didn't happen because of me did it? ...Wait, they're not going to do that to me if they find me right!? I know they usually send immortals back, but what if you refuse!?
Shit, okay, yeah, I think I'm going to have to relocate to another part of the city... Mistakes like yesterday can't happen again. And now I gotta figure out what to do with Surrogate, too. Hopefully I won't have to wait too long for him to get back.

>>1082156
In what way does this change your plans? It had nothing to do with you.

Let's continue watching. Maybe the aftermath can give us some clues as to their motivations and desires.

So, yea, dunno if you did the lightning thing or not. I mean, it could've been the guys superpowers or magic or whatever? That said, you witnessed a killing, whether it was legal or no. Don't draw attention to yourself, quietly make yourself scarce from here.

I agree with the previous post; staying around is a bad idea; even if you're getting hungry, the night's still young, and if you stay, it's trouble.

No way it happened because of you. They'd have to chop off your ████ or something, to use your flesh for rune casting. If they used an immortal, it was another immortal, unless you notice any conspicuously missing body parts.

The uh... blood-kaleidoscope doesn't appear except only around the netherbound you were targeting. The netherbound also has a gun, and just murdered a guy, so uh... maybe... try finding another netherbound. This one's a biiit too dangerous to approach.

Anlo 2024/04/21(Sun)22:36 No. 1089379 ID: 3d7484
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>>1082163
>So, yea, dunno if you did the lightning thing or not. I mean, it could've been the guys superpowers or magic or whatever? That said, you witnessed a killing, whether it was legal or no. Don't draw attention to yourself, quietly make yourself scarce from here.
Yeah, there's no way I did the lightning, I'm all the way over here and as far as I know I don't have any lightning powers. But whatever just happened could be because the cult hunters are riled up, and I'm definitely to blame for that.

>>1082158
>In what way does this change your plans? It had nothing to do with you.
I didn't know the cult hunters were deadly. But you're right, it can't be that much worse than being sent back. Maybe things haven't gotten as bad as I thought. It's not like they know where I'm hiding out. Yet.

>Let's continue watching. Maybe the aftermath can give us some clues as to their motivations and desires.
Yeah, alright. They're definitely going to be focused on what just happened instead of looking for someone hidden accross the gap, and the better I know my enemy, the easier it'll be to avoid them.
Alright, if I can just... Focus for a second, we did already get some clues. The cult hunters came here, and confronted that guy who died, right? I think I heard something about a sorcerer in the chaos. It's their job to keep dark sorcerers from ever getting powerful enough to cause a second catastrophe, so they were probably looking for him specifically because he was a sorcerer. I'm not quite sure what happened after that. Maybe he accidentally hit himself with the lightning?

Anlo 2024/04/21(Sun)22:36 No. 1089380 ID: 3d7484
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>>1057678
>Wait, what was that big black thing in the warehouse? I wanna take a look at that.
They came out during the commotion. Judging by the fact that they look like they're held together by nothing but pity and force of will, I'd say they're probably a corruption. More green than black, really.

And would you look at that. There's our mark. Since I can't just go right up to them right now, let's sit and watch where things go from here.

Anlo 2024/04/21(Sun)22:36 No. 1089381 ID: 3d7484
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Alright, so, the cult hunters shooed everyone away from the dead guy. Some of those people left, but the netherbound is still here, and they've been talking with the others since. Several more cars and a van, each with lots of markings and flashing lights on them arrived, and they've just put the dead sorcerer into the van. It's an awful lot of fanfare for one dead sorcerer. I'd say it was a celebration if they weren't acting so serious and had let the people who were here join in.

And now the Netherbound is on the move. I need to catch them alone and preferably far away from the cult hunters if I want to siphon some seep magic. I don't know how long I'm going to be able to keep track of them from afar; Prarister is pretty dense, with lots of places to go. How do you think I should approach this?

>>1089381
You're in disguise, so once you get a decent distance away from the incident you can start following on foot. Do that for a little while, not enough for them to get suspicious, then approach them at some opportune moment and ask to talk to them in private somewhere. Say it's about what happened on the docks, with the sorcerer. You can even claim you're working with the cult hunters.