Caley 2011/05/10(Tue)14:05 No. 303030 ID: 0fa2de
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>Lets explore that hole and see where it leads. You could uncover something else that is important to your investigations there.

Hm, didn't even think of that.

>Let's speak with the elder and tell him. And stress the threat poor Tom's possessed body posed. And ask the elder about the hole, if you think it may be related to the fae. You want to be able to present as much intelligence to the Silver Quills as you can, when you deliver the corpse and surrender yourself to them.

Yes, I think a village elder would not react with instantaneous hostility. They're supposed to be wise, right?

>Explore the hole for a bit, then unless it seems to be exactly what you want just use it to stash the body while you go speak to the elder

And we found a beautiful compromise!

I climb into the hole, which is not all that easy with my quill and my crossbow, but I manage.
It's... oddly spacey in here. Like this was supposed to be a basement but they stopped working on it. There's a fairly large and dark hole in the back of this cave. Fascinating.

>>303030
Old people are supposed to be wise for some reason yes. But simply living a long time doesn't really mean they grow any wiser. Atleast not necessarily.

And this is rather odd. Lets drag the corpse in here as well and then explore it further. This doesn't seem like a normal thing for someone to have under their house.

It's not so much that old people are supposed to be wise, but that the position of Village Elder is (hopefully) something that is based off of merit rather than a title given to the oldest living dude.

Caley 2011/05/10(Tue)15:37 No. 303104 ID: 0fa2de
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>Old people are supposed to be wise for some reason yes. But simply living a long time doesn't really mean they grow any wiser. Atleast not necessarily.

>It's not so much that old people are supposed to be wise, but that the position of Village Elder is (hopefully) something that is based off of merit rather than a title given to the oldest living dude.

Precisely. And I do believe that old age means that someone had a long time to think about certain things. And thinking is the path to wisdom.

>And this is rather odd. Lets drag the corpse in here as well and then explore it further. This doesn't seem like a normal thing for someone to have under their house.

Right on. I'll just...
Hrrrgh Daaaaamn just- By Yivvin, just move al-rea-dy! Damnit! Why does this have to be so goddamn-

Paused Caley 2011/05/10(Tue)15:46 No. 303113 ID: 0fa2de
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"WHOOMP"

Agh, Daaaaaaamn!

WHAT HAPPEN?

>>303104
Heavy? Rigor Mortis. The hole be so tiny? Because otherwise people would notice it all the time.

Simply having time to think doesn't automatically make one wise. It also has to be the right thoughts and the right patterns. Simply sitting around, thinking about how life has wronged you and how things have never gone your way simply because the gods spit on you does not make one wise. It only makes someone old and bitter. Don't make assumptions, gather information and form solid opinions on the basis of that information.

Anyway, now that the corpse is less likely to be found, lets get exploring.

Caley 2011/07/05(Tue)01:12 No. 321936 ID: 48e8e1
File 130985353513.png - (196.82KB , 1600x1200 , 020.png )

>WHAT HAPPEN?

>Heavy? Rigor Mortis. The hole be so tiny? Because otherwise people would notice it all the time.

I'm all right. The body just almost didn't fit through the hole. The cape got caught on something, I suppose, then it came loose and crashed onto me. Everything's all right.

>Simply having time to think doesn't automatically make one wise. It also has to be the right thoughts and the right patterns. Simply sitting around, thinking about how life has wronged you and how things have never gone your way simply because the gods spit on you does not make one wise. It only makes someone old and bitter. Don't make assumptions, gather information and form solid opinions on the basis of that information.

Sounds good, I suppose.

>Anyway, now that the corpse is less likely to be found, lets get exploring.

Right away.
I really wonder whit this whole thing here is all about. Who made this? And for what purpose? I prepare to crawl in.

Caley 2011/07/05(Tue)01:12 No. 321937 ID: 48e8e1
File 130985356998.png - (127.79KB , 800x600 , 021.png )

The tunnel becomes very uneven as I crawl in further, narrowing here, widening again a little ahead. This was not a thoroughly planned operation. More like something they wanted done as fast as possible.
I'm glad that my knees and elbows are padded.

Caley 2011/07/05(Tue)01:13 No. 321938 ID: 48e8e1
File 130985359185.png - (109.07KB , 800x600 , 022.png )

I reach a corner. I'm not very firm on my mining knowledge, but I find this odd. Wouldn't it be kinda hard to plan a tunnel like this with a bend in mind? And what purpose does it serve? But then again, I'm making assumptions again.
I hear something odd and instantly stop moving, freezing in place. It sounded like... someone crying, but stopped now. Whoever is behind this bend has most likely heard me approaching.

Seems like someone facing away, hugging his/her knees to her face. Odd positioning. Anyway, I'm a bit claustrophobic and hate tunnels, but as far as I know there's not much you can do but continue around as you can.

>>321938
I can think of a reason why someone might make a bend in a tunnel. A bend would likely drastically reduce the amount of light escaping the tunnel, keeping it from being seen at night.

With that ominous thought in mind, be ready to fight if this is another fae-touched.

>>321938
Could be for defensive purposes, a bend like that would make it very easy to defend that place. Not that a tunnel as cramped as this is in any way an ideal fighting place.

Anyway, looks like someone decided to use this tunnel to sit and cry in. Get out a dagger in an easy to reach place in case of trouble, then go up a bit closer and ask what's up. Don't get close enough to be grabbed if they manage to turn around.

Caley 2011/07/05(Tue)12:33 No. 322029 ID: c89c77
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>Could be for defensive purposes, a bend like that would make it very easy to defend that place. Not that a tunnel as cramped as this is in any way an ideal fighting place.

>I can think of a reason why someone might make a bend in a tunnel. A bend would likely drastically reduce the amount of light escaping the tunnel, keeping it from being seen at night.

You are a fountain of knowledge. That is... me... Huh... How do I know this stuff?

>With that ominous thought in mind, be ready to fight if this is another fae-touched.

Oh I sure hope not. Please no.

>Seems like someone facing away, hugging his/her knees to her face. Odd positioning. Anyway, I'm a bit claustrophobic and hate tunnels, but as far as I know there's not much you can do but continue around as you can.

>Anyway, looks like someone decided to use this tunnel to sit and cry in. Get out a dagger in an easy to reach place in case of trouble, then go up a bit closer and ask what's up. Don't get close enough to be grabbed if they manage to turn around.

Sounded like agirl, I think. Hard to tell, but I'll stick to that for now. I need both hands to move in this cramped space, but judging from her position, I should be quick enough to draw my sword if things go south.
Now I see her. Long hair. Though that's not saying much at her age. So far she's not making any hostile movements. Seems to shiver a bit. What should I say?

>>322029

"Hey kid, what's wrong?"

I think this is a bolt hole, a secret escape tunnel.

Caley 2011/07/06(Wed)13:42 No. 322458 ID: 249d76
File 130998493675.png - (133.05KB , 800x600 , 024.png )

>I think this is a bolt hole, a secret escape tunnel.

I suppose that makes sense.

>"Hey kid, what's wrong?"

"Hey, kid! What's wrong?"
She slowly turns her head and looks at me with tear-filled eyes, while I slowly, casually move my hand towards the sword on my belt.

"Uh..." She sniffs. "I'm hiding from my father. You're... You're that paladin, right?"

... I might be mistaken, but judging from the face and voice, this might actually be a boy after all. Wouldn't suprise me. Village folk tend to dress up their boys as girls and sometimes have them grow their hair out, because Fae are said to like boys more than girls. Superstition if you ask me.

"Yes, I am the paladin. My name is Caley Mimulus, and I am a Paladin of the Order of the Leaden Raven. Are you Tom's child?"

>>322458
Sword is not going to have the room needed to be moved around in here. A dagger would be better.

Anyway, stuff is usually not good when someone is hiding from their father. Ask why they're hiding from their father rather than answering the question.

Caley 2011/07/07(Thu)07:34 No. 322883 ID: 6e1a8c
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>Sword is not going to have the room needed to be moved around in here. A dagger would be better.

It's a short sword and I don't have anything smaller than that. Never really learned how to fight well with any other melee weapon in the first place.

>"Yes, I am the paladin. My name is Caley Mimulus, and I am a Paladin of the Order of the Leaden Raven. Are you Tom's child?"
>Anyway, stuff is usually not good when someone is hiding from their father. Ask why they're hiding from their father rather than answering the question.

Indeed, I should probably listen before making assumptions like that. However, I don't think it's going to help me any to hide who I am.

"Yes. I am the paladin. My name is Caley Mimulus, and I am a Paladin of the Order of the Leaden Raven. Why are you hiding from your father?"
They sniff again and look at me with tear-filled eyes.
"He's caught a Fey Mood. Uncle Terry told me to hide. Did father do something bad?"

I think I nailed that one. By Yivvin, I killed this child's father. Doesn't feel good at all.

>>322883
Good, that means you're normal. You can't tell him what you did though. Just tell him that the danger has passed for now and he should return to his uncle.

Then we can be on our way and get that corpse delivered. Delaying here will only further endanger people like this boy.

>>322883

"He was tampered with by the fey. I'm sorry, child. It's a sort of sickness that affected his mind. Where is your uncle?"

Caley 2011/07/07(Thu)09:11 No. 322904 ID: 6e1a8c
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>Good, that means you're normal. You can't tell him what you did though. Just tell him that the danger has passed for now and he should return to his uncle.
>Then we can be on our way and get that corpse delivered. Delaying here will only further endanger people like this boy.
>"He was tampered with by the fey. I'm sorry, child. It's a sort of sickness that affected his mind. Where is your uncle?"

All right let's try getting him out of the way.

"He was tampered with by the fey. I'm sorry, child. It's a sort of sickness that affected his mind."
"I know. I know the fairy tales. I just wonder... has he hurt anybody? Did he kill someone?"
"... The danger has passed for now. Where is your uncle? You should probably return to him for now."
"So he's not dangerous then? Do you think it'S gonna go back to normal?"

Urgh, I feel like a lowly criminal, trying to hide the corpse in my cellar. I never did like children, especially ones that don't know when to just stay quiet and follow an adult's directions.

>>322904
Tell him that everything will end up as the fates decree they should or something mystical like that and then ask him to get out of your way, because this tunnel is not wide enough to allow passage for more than one individual.

what i want to know is if the fey curse COULD of been removed or if he would of been like that until he died anyway. it sounds to me like he would of kept killing, and putting him down was the only thing that could be done.

tell him that you have him tied up and need to take him to headquarters.

>>322924
I recall that, technically yes, it could have been, but he would have kept killing right up until that point. They tried locking him up, but he just walked out like it was nothing. Our heroine wasn't powerful enough to remove it herself, so, she did the only thing she could, and killed him.

>>322949
then i say it was a sad thing, but not a bad thing. seriously why the fuck are we avoiding these people like them finding out will make them all switch to satanism and kill her?

He's a scared child, and his entire world has been shaken up. He needs comfort.

Tell him the truth. "When your father was infected, he was no longer in control of himself. I'm sorry, child. If there had been more paladins instead of just one, and if they'd had all the proper training required for the complicated rituals to undo fey infection, your father's story may have ended differently. But if nothing had been done, it would have been only a matter of time before the entire village was mad with the fey's infection."

Be ready to grab the little shit though, you don't want him going past you and seeing his dad's corpse. If he runs the other way that's fine. Just don't let him past you.

He may burst into tears. If he does you should comfort him. Hold him like a little brother, if he will allow it.

Caley 2011/07/07(Thu)15:02 No. 323019 ID: 6e1a8c
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>what i want to know is if the fey curse COULD of been removed or if he would of been like that until he died anyway. it sounds to me like he would of kept killing, and putting him down was the only thing that could be done.
>I recall that, technically yes, it could have been, but he would have kept killing right up until that point. They tried locking him up, but he just walked out like it was nothing. Our heroine wasn't powerful enough to remove it herself, so, she did the only thing she could, and killed him.
>then i say it was a sad thing, but not a bad thing. seriously why the fuck are we avoiding these people like them finding out will make them all switch to satanism and kill her?

People act irrationally. I don't want to risk that. We've been over this.

>Tell him that everything will end up as the fates decree they should or something mystical like that and then ask him to get out of your way, because this tunnel is not wide enough to allow passage for more than one individual.

I doubt that a child his age would want to hear stuff about fate. It might go over his head.

>He's a scared child, and his entire world has been shaken up. He needs comfort.

>Tell him the truth. "When your father was infected, he was no longer in control of himself. I'm sorry, child. If there had been more paladins instead of just one, and if they'd had all the proper training required for the complicated rituals to undo fey infection, your father's story may have ended differently. But if nothing had been done, it would have been only a matter of time before the entire village was mad with the fey's infection."

>Be ready to grab the little shit though, you don't want him going past you and seeing his dad's corpse. If he runs the other way that's fine. Just don't let him past you.

>He may burst into tears. If he does you should comfort him. Hold him like a little brother, if he will allow it.

I... feel like I owe him this.

"When your father was infected, he was no longer in control of himself. I'm sorry, child. If there had been more paladins instead of just one, and if they'd had all the proper training required for the complicated rituals to undo fey infection, your father's story may have ended differently. But if nothing had been done, it would have been only a matter of time before the entire village was mad with the fey's infection."
"What does that mean?!
"I did what I could. I'm sorry."
His eyes are tearing up even more.
"What does that mean?! Where is he?!"
"That's... for the gods to decide now."
I can't believe I'm too much of a coward to just say it as it is.
He looks at me with a completely... destroyed...

Caley 2011/07/07(Thu)15:03 No. 323020 ID: 6e1a8c
File 131007618023.png - (55.14KB , 800x600 , 028.png )

And before I know it, the child is crying on my shoulder. This is really uncomfortable. I can't reach my short sword like this. I hope he'll let go soon, oh god, please let go soon, please, please, please.

nope, hug him until he let's go. then follow him out the other hole. then make sure all the villagers are on one side to you and tell them, that way you have a clear path to flee if they look like the are going to be violent about you doing everything you could, which i STILL say makes no sense. they will say "well that sucks" and use it as a cautionary story for the kids about the dangers of the fae.

You said before you owed him an explanation. Well you owe him some comfort too. Hold him and let him vent his sorrow on you, tell him that you're sorry for his loss and that everything will be all right. Eventually, though, we'll need to figure out where this tunnel leads.

Caley 2011/07/07(Thu)15:30 No. 323036 ID: 6e1a8c
File 131007782014.png - (59.71KB , 800x600 , 029.png )

>make sure all the villagers are on one side to you and tell them, that way you have a clear path to flee if they look like the are going to be violent about you doing everything you could, which i STILL say makes no sense. they will say "well that sucks" and use it as a cautionary story for the kids about the dangers of the fae.

We had a plan. Come on. We can't be sure, can we? These insecurities are really giving me a hard time here.

>nope, hug him until he let's go. then follow him out the other hole.
>You said before you owed him an explanation. Well you owe him some comfort too. Hold him and let him vent his sorrow on you, tell him that you're sorry for his loss and that everything will be all right. Eventually, though, we'll need to figure out where this tunnel leads.

Alright alright. I'm just... Ugh not good at this.
I'll try. I actually push him against me a bit. That's how this works, right?

"I... I'm sorry for your loss. G-go ahead. Uh. Everything will be all right."
He cries loudly. It hurts my ears.
"No it's not! I want my daddy back!"
"Y-... Yes, me too."

roll with that, tell him what happened to your father.

Caley 2011/07/07(Thu)16:27 No. 323084 ID: 6e1a8c
File 131008126866.png - (199.26KB , 800x600 , 031.png )

>roll with that, tell him what happened to your father.

"I can't say I know how you feel, but... My father... went with the gods, too, recently."
"..."
"To be fair, I hadn't seen him in years, when I got the letter. He never wanted me to do this, you know? And I always planned on... reconciling with him eventually. And now he's gone."
He manages to speak in between the uncontrolled sobbing.
"Death sucks. Why do people die?"

"i don't know, the gods probably do. but, think about from your father's point of view. he is probably happy that he was stopped before he hurt you. if sad he can't be with you anymore..." pause for a bit "you could join the paladins, learn more about how to get rid of the curse so that no other kid has to go through this"

Caley 2011/07/07(Thu)17:03 No. 323104 ID: 6e1a8c
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>"i don't know, the gods probably do. but, think about from your father's point of view. he is probably happy that he was stopped before he hurt you. if sad he can't be with you anymore..." pause for a bit "you could join the paladins, learn more about how to get rid of the curse so that no other kid has to go through this"

Sure, why not? Might as well recruit a traumatised child for the order.

"I don't know, the gods probably do. But, think about it from your father's point of view. He is probably happy that he was stopped before he hurt you, if sad he can't be with you anymore..."
I pause. It's very welcome here, as it allows me to clear my throat a bit.
"You could join the paladins, learn more about how to get rid of the curse so that no other kid has to go through this."
The child is quiet for a little while. Then he speaks:
"Nobody should die anymore. Can a paladin make that happen?"
Oh boy.
This is... getting really awkward and uncomfortable.

>>323104
Oh, those are some annoying questions. You can't bring someone back from the dead, right?

If you can't then tell the truth, paladins can't save everyone. Nobody could save everyone. All paladins can do is the best they can and try even harder when their best is not good enough. It's a thankless task and you're likely to die before you get old, but it's a task that needs to be done so that other people can live in peace and grow old.

And yeah, the original plan is still good. Paladins able to deal with fey infestations need to know what has happened in their jurisdiction. The sooner they know the sooner other tragedies can be avoided.

"not everyone, but they can stop deaths from fighting and evil. getting too old will still do it"

Paused Caley 2011/07/07(Thu)17:20 No. 323120 ID: 6e1a8c
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>And yeah, the original plan is still good. Paladins able to deal with fey infestations need to know what has happened in their jurisdiction. The sooner they know the sooner other tragedies can be avoided.
Okay. I should hurry this along.

>Oh, those are some annoying questions. You can't bring someone back from the dead, right?
Not even the First could do that.

>If you can't then tell the truth, paladins can't save everyone. Nobody could save everyone. All paladins can do is the best they can and try even harder when their best is not good enough. It's a thankless task and you're likely to die before you get old, but it's a task that needs to be done so that other people can live in peace and grow old.
That's a rather bleak thing to say...

>"not everyone, but they can stop deaths from fighting and evil. getting too old will still do it"
That's not a lot better...

"Uh. Listen you... I... N-not everyone, but..."
Oh Yivvin. Please tell me you see that, too.

I'm against trying to recruit the kid. Right now, he's probably on that edge where he might become an anti-paladin extremist ("Paladins killed my father!!!!!111"), and pushing too hard might yield the opposite of the desired result. Tell him that loss is a part of life, and life isn't always fair, but sometimes you've got to take the bad with the good. Then we need to look for his Uncle or something before he becomes your permanent sidekick.

>>323120

Hm. Yes.

eah we are seeing this, seems someone else is talking to us and you. slow up for a sec.

>>323120
Life is bleak at times, so is the truth. Telling people otherwise is doing them a disservice by making them expect something else.

And yeah, we see it as well. Seems like someone really wants your attention.

Caley 2011/07/09(Sat)04:59 No. 324087 ID: ea7554
File 131021277957.png - (329.07KB , 800x600 , 033.png )

>I'm against trying to recruit the kid. Right now, he's probably on that edge where he might become an anti-paladin extremist ("Paladins killed my father!!!!!111"), and pushing too hard might yield the opposite of the desired result. Tell him that loss is a part of life, and life isn't always fair, but sometimes you've got to take the bad with the good. Then we need to look for his Uncle or something before he becomes your permanent sidekick.
>Life is bleak at times, so is the truth. Telling people otherwise is doing them a disservice by making them expect something else.

I.. Okay, I... Wait I'll deal with this once I find out what is going on here.

>Hm. Yes.
>eah we are seeing this, seems someone else is talking to us and you. slow up for a sec.
>And yeah, we see it as well. Seems like someone really wants your attention.

It would appear so. What is this? There'S writing on the wall. I'm fairly sure that wasn't there before. Should I point it out or try to act as if nothing is happening?

>>324087
It's more likely writing directly to your eyes rather than on the wall. Don't point it out, instead stick to the plan and actually do it this time. Something wants you to get out of this place, now we don't know what it is that wants you to move yet, but we won't find out by staying and shouting at the air or something like that. Send the kid on his way, retrieve the body and then be on your way.

no, leave the body for now.

'send the kid on his way' isn't really an option when the one way you came from has his father's dead body. Ask the child what's at the other end of this tunnel, then we can decide which way to move.

Caley 2011/07/13(Wed)01:52 No. 325926 ID: 91b0c5
File 131054717026.png - (307.36KB , 800x600 , 034.png )

>It's more likely writing directly to your eyes rather than on the wall.
There has to be some magic behind this. It'S really distracting.

>Don't point it out, instead stick to the plan and actually do it this time. Something wants you to get out of this place, now we don't know what it is that wants you to move yet, but we won't find out by staying and shouting at the air or something like that. Send the kid on his way, retrieve the body and then be on your way.

>no, leave the body for now.

>'send the kid on his way' isn't really an option when the one way you came from has his father's dead body. Ask the child what's at the other end of this tunnel, then we can decide which way to move.

Okay, I'll ignore the writing for now. Time to keep the eyes on the prize, right?

"Look, I'm sorry, kid, but I'm in a hurry. The other paladins must know what happened here, so we can prevent this from happening again."
"But... b-but", he whimpers.
"Where does this tunnel lead?"
"Out of the village. To a cliff. It-... it's an escape."

Perfect.

Perfect? Perfect for you maybe, but that means that the child can't go that way, meaning that he'd have to get back to town by the route you came from, passing by the corpse of his father. Well, maybe it doesn't lead too far out of the village. Have him show you and then if it leads to somewhere outside the village but near enough that it'd be okay to send him in a way that wouldn't expose him directly to his father's slain body, do that.

>>325926
Excellent, tell the kid to go out that way and then make his way back to the village. It should be safe enough.

While he's doing that you can go back and retrieve the body, need to take that along with us so nobody else get Fae infection from it.

>>325938
Sure he can go back. There's nothing stopping him from walking back to the village outside of the escape route.