>>737954
Challenge him to a duel for possession of the sack.

>BanHammer105: Also, have you found Speaker yet???
>BanHammer105: She was supposed to be waiting for you!!!
I think she might be a little tied up at the moment.

>>737964
Might be too straightforward. We might want to get him to challenge us to a contest as strength as part of the celebration, and have Aria sneak Speaker out while they're distracted.

...well, sneaking off with the sack depends on if it's near somewhere we can sneak off to. If it's surrounded by the crowd of cultists then there's no sneaking off with it.

Is this a wide open space or are the walls nearby? Or what?

>>737969
The Parade Grounds are enclosed by four large walls. The crowd of cultists has two large gaps to the sides, but you're not sure you could make it to the gate while carrying the sack.

You may have to fight Rakshasa for it, unless you can come up with some more clever ideas...

>What do you do?

How high can either of our heroes jump? If we can do a Heroic Leap across the crowd or over the wall we could grab it and run.

I suspect we're gonna have to fight the leader though.

>>738044
> you're not sure you could make it to the gate while carrying the sack

We don't need to carry the sack; it clearly has a person inside, and they're struggling so they're conscious. If we free them, they can run with us.

A few possible ideas, depending on how blatant we want to be.

We can have Ari go for a musical distraction, and try to sneak the sack away and get it open without anyone noticing; however, Ari may have trouble getting away before anyone notices the sack.

We could directly challenge Rakshasa for the sack. As long as we just defeat him, without killing him, we might get away without the cult all wanting to kill us.

Or, we could go all-in and challenge Rakshasa for leadership of the cult itself. Then, when we're running it, no more sacrifices. And followers might be useful.

>We don't need to carry the sack; it clearly has a person inside, and they're struggling so they're conscious. If we free them, they can run with us.
That comes with its own risks. They might have additional bindings we can't see through the bag right now, and we might not be able to remove them quickly. Or they might be injured an unable to run, or they might just be uncooperative if they see a big scary bull-man dragging them out of a sack as they expect to be killed.

>Ari may have trouble getting away before anyone notices the sack.
...can she just go full-on dove and fly away?

>>738139

Yes, Aria can become a dove and fly away. However, several Monsters in the crowd appear to be capable of flight.

>>738141
Better than the entire cult chasing us on foot.

>>738163
Though Aria is fast in Dove form, it's not guaranteed that she'd be able to escape uninjured. (In game terms, escaping without damage would require a Medium Strength Check.)

She's willing to risk it... But are you?

Can't we just fight the guy? How tough is he? Ask Mod what your chances are.

>>738201
You text Mod again, inquiring about your chances against Rakshasa.

BanHammer105: Depends, I guess.
BanHammer105: He probably won't take you too seriously.
BanHammer105: Might summon one of the Deaths, might summon a From The Air, might summon a Siren.
BanHammer105: Beat that up, then go after him. He's a pushover when he can't hide behind a Monster bigger than him.
BanHammer105: Might take a few scrapes, but I'm pretty sure you'll win!
BanHammer105: Also seriously where's Speaker? Don't tell me she bailed...

>What do you do?

>>738206
Text back:

She's kind of tied up right now.
Literally. In a sack.
At least I assume that's her.

>what do
Hammer is kind of combat oriented, our odds of coming out on top in a fight are probably better than our odds of running for it and having nothing go wrong?

Yeah let's just try fighting him.

>>738206
>>738208
Wait for a response to this, then challenge Rakshasa for control of the cult.

>>738211
>>738211

DropTheGavel: She's, uh, tied up.
DropTheGavel: Literally. I think they put her in a burlap sack.
DropTheGavel: We're trying to rescue her.
BanHammer105: ...what
BanHammer105: Okay, listen.
BanHammer105: Get her out of the bag. That's your priority. If they covered her mouth, uncover her mouth.
BanHammer105: She'll be good to go after that.
BanHammer105: Good luck, Hammer. I'm rooting for you~

You put away your phone, and take the opportunity to climb onto the stage with Aria.

Rakshasa raises an eyebrow as you stare him down. "Huh. You're awful bold for Monsters, aren't you?" He asks, putting one of his weird backward hands under his chin. "What, are you Devils?"

He pauses and scrutinizes you... and his eyes go wide. "No... pretenders to the throne! Fascinating! What brings you here?"

"We're here to rescue the person you captured! We're challenging you for her!" You say, summoning your warhammer and hefting it menacingly.

He grins. "Oh, wow. Really? That's awesome. So, what happens if you win?"

"I lead the cult, and you let us take the Speaker with us when we leave." You say, narrowing your eyes.

Rakshasa begins literally clapping in excitement. "Oh, shit, you're asking for the Cult? Sure, fine! I mean, you know absolutely nothing about how to appease the Others, and I've literally danced with one, but sure! We'll see who they prefer more!"

He grabs the sack, and with surprising strength literally kicks it towards you. The person within lets out a muffled cry of pain. "Here, how about this? Let's make it interesting. That sack's been tied with a whole bunch of knots. You get it open, she joins you in the fight." He says. "But first... let's begin."

He reaches for the heavy robe he's wearing, and throws it off dramatically, revealing that underneath the black fabric he's clad in only a particularly baggy pair of pants. As well, the oversized robe was hiding a remarkably lithe form.

You're not even into dudes and you have to admit that Rakshasa is absolutely stunning.

Rakshasa strikes a pose, and suddenly Aria's drumsticks begin vibrating heavily in her hands. "Woah!" She says. "These things are picking up... something..." She begins laying down a beat, and the rest of the song it goes with begins playing out of thin air!

Music Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9CyxL1gpTE

COMBAT START!

Rakshasa gives you a dazzling smile. "Hope you don't mind if I go first, right?"

Rakshasa Uses Battletech: Invoke Hekatonkheires!

Rakshasa focuses for a moment, and suddenly begins an elaborate dance! He moves in ways you couldn't imagine anyone moving without some serious pain, flowing seamlessly between styles that would normally seem completely opposed, but are instead surprisingly appealing when he does it...

Normally, you feel like this'd take a while, but something in the air feels electric. Like raw anger. You get the feeling you've pissed someone off, and you're about to pay for it...

Hekatonkheires will arrive next turn!

Rakshasa HP: 15/15
Hammer HP: 12/12
Aria HP: 8/8

Hammer Actions:
>Attack
>Battletech
>Items (No Items)

Aria Actions
>Attack
>Battletechs
>Items (No Items)

I guess try smacking him.

If we win we're obviously not going to lead the cult, we're gonna dissolve it.

>>738220
"You know we're burning this fucking cult to the ground if we win, right?" Aria says, smashing the drums like they insulted her mother.

Rakshasa's dance continues, but the grin on his face changes to genuine fear for a moment before he recovers his wits. "Oh, no, no..." He says, making a particularly sinuous move before speaking again. "The Others wouldn't allow it. In fact, they're a bit offended you'd try... Actually, they're angry out of their fucking minds."

Suddenly, a deep rumbling emanates from the ground. Somehow, even with the vibrating ground, Aria never skips a beat and Rakshasa's footing remains sure.

HEKATONKHEIRES HAS FORCED HERSELF INTO YOUR REALITY!

You get the briefest feeling that something has gone extremely wrong before dozens of hands begin bursting from the ground around you. Only a few are human, the rest from species of all sorts, and a few you don't even recognize. More than a few wield various weapons and implements, and at least two have large, red eyes that stare down at you and Aria.

Rakshasa takes a break from his dance to offer some vigorous jazz hands in the direction of the arms. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Hekatonkheires to the party! Let's all give her a big hand! Oh! No pun intended, ma'am!"

Roll 2 d20s! 1d20+3 for Hammer's attack, and 1d20+1 for Aria's attack! Best of 3 will be accepted!

rolled 14, 19 = 33

---

>>738303
Attack the eyes. Blind her and we might have a chance to drive her back.

...I can't roll two separate rolls like that. Add the +3 and +1 yourself.

rolled 4, 5 = 9

---

>>738303
thwack

>>738307
I thought we were attacking Rakshasa first?

>>738311
Well that was because he was the only target. Now that we have something in the way we'd better deal with that first, like Mod advised.

Oh and we should use Hammer's Battle Tech to double the initial hit.

rolled 19, 14 = 33

---

>Let's make it interesting. That sack's been tied with a whole bunch of knots. You get it open, she joins you in the fight.
Aria might want to try this, considering she's probably a lot more dexterous than you.

...although the Gordian solution is a lot faster. If Aria can cram Speaker down one end of the bag and then pull the other end taught, you could cut the top off it and right through a bunch of rope with your axe.

rolled 2 = 2

---

Both attacks hit! You swing with your hammer while Aria manipulates her drum strikes to send shockwaves of sound at Rakshasa!

rolled 1 = 1

---

Rolling Aria damage

rolled 13 + 1 = 14

---

Unfortunately, both of your strikes prove uneffective, Rakshasa dodging them easily. "Really? This is the best you guys can do?" He asks, swaying to the beat. "I'm a little disappointed, honestly."

Hekatonkheires needs a turn to adjust to your reality!

Rakshasa pulls a wicked looking dagger from within his pants and takes an opportunity to slash at you!

rolled 2 = 2

---

>>738472
Rakshasa's attack hits! The crowd roars in approval!

>>738474
Rakshasa HP: 12/15
Hammer HP: 10/12
Aria HP: 8/8
Hekatonkheires HP: 20/20

Thankfully, he only manages one slash on your chest, leaving a thin, bleeding line. You grimace, but the pain is bearable.

The sack wriggles beside you. Apparently whoever's inside has renewed dedication towards escaping.

Hammer Actions:
>Attack
>Battletech
>No Items

Aria Actions:
>Attack
>Battletech
>No Items

>>738476
He has damage resistance?!

Fuck it. Focus on the sack. Cut it open, with Aria's help if you need to.

>>738477
No damage resistance, just shitty rolls.

>>738479
Oh dur, his hp went down despite him taking no injury.

>>738483
I meant he dodged the worst of the attacks. He didn't get complete frigging smashed into a paste by your hugeass hammer.

It's a bit too late to go back and edit it now, though.

Oh right, hammer, not axe. We can't cut open the sack anyway.

rolled 15, 10 = 25

---

Right, this is dumb.

Hammer, just pick up the sack in two hands and rip it in two. Minotaur fighter strength check, how hard can it be? (Just orient the sack so you are dropping Seeker on her head).

>Hekatonkheires needs a turn to adjust to your reality!
Aria, make that adjustment as hard as possible. Heavy metal has been used to torture, especially those from cultures not familiar with it.

>>738499
...so you are not dropping her on her head. Whups.

>>738476
Hammer should focus on guarding both himself and Aria against that dagger while Aria focuses on getting the sack open. (Or the other way around, either way works.)

>>738499
Aria would need to take over the song to hamper Hekatonkheires' adjustment! This would require a Charisma Check!

The Sack seems very fragile. With your strength, it would probably be EASY to tear it open.

This would use up your turn. Are you sure you want to do this?

>Yes
>No

>>738566
Yes to tearing open the sack. Reinforcements would be much appreciated.

Stunning Hekat for a turn sounds like a good idea too.

>>738566
> Aria would need to take over the song to hamper Hekatonkheires' adjustment! This would require a Charisma Check!

Go for it.

>>738566
> The Sack seems very fragile. With your strength, it would probably be EASY to tear it open.

> This would use up your turn. Are you sure you want to do this?

Yes

One turn to bring Speaker into the fray, and Moderator specifically said:
> BanHammer105: Get her out of the bag. That's your priority. If they covered her mouth, uncover her mouth.
> BanHammer105: She'll be good to go after that.

Aria focuses, and with what can only be described as an ideal metal scream she begins whaling on her drums! With any luck, she'll be able to take control of the song!

Meanwhile, you tear open the burlap sack easily, revealing a young woman curled up inside. Her hands are bound, and a piece of duct-tape is currently covering her mouth!

You tear it off, and she lets out a shout of pain.

"Thanks, I guess." She says, her voice melodic and soft. She stands up while Hekatonkheires and Rakshasa are distracted, then scowls at the ropes binding her hands.

"Fall." she says, her voice suddenly taking on a commanding quality. The ropes shudder for a moment, then seemingly untie themselves and fall away from her wrists.

She looks up at you, nodding approvingly. "Now then. Shall we?"

>SPEAKER HAS JOINED THE PARTY!

Roll 1d20+3 for Aria's Charisma check. Best of three will be accepted.

rolled 16 + 3 = 19

---

>>738575
Let's.

rolled 3 + 3 = 6

---

>>738575
Rock.

rolled 11 + 3 = 14

---

And Roll.

The Archivist !0iuTMXQYY. 2016/07/26(Tue)04:25 No. 738751 ID: ea2bfa
File 146953234075.png - (12.94KB , 1000x1000 , Trip.png )

With sheer force of will, Aria takes over the song! The tune from before is replaced!

The song blares from seemingly everywhere at once, and Hekatonkheires doesn't like it one bit. Hands cringe, shudder, and more than a few start slamming the ground in apparent pain. Apparently Bardic playing is just that powerful.

The ground shudders even harder, and due to this, Rakshasa finally misses a step in his dance, and trips!

He hits the ground with a thud, but quickly clambers to his feet. He glares at the three of you. "You must think you're real clever! But this won't work forever! Hekatonkheires will claim you!"

Speaker stares at the hands surrounding you, and seems genuinely surprised. "Ho-lee shit he can summon Others now."

She sighs, and clears her throat. "Well, I'll be happy to help you take these guys out, don't worry."

>Hammer Actions
>Attack
>Battletech
>No Items

>Aria Actions
>Attack
>Battletech
>No Items

>Speaker Actions
>Attack
>Battletechs
>No Items

Rakshasa HP: 12/15
Hammer HP: 10/12
Aria HP: 8/8
Speaker HP: 8/8
Hekatonkheires HP:20/20

>>738751
Can we please have a list Speaker's Battletechs and what they do?

>>738758
Speaker's Battletechs:
Ruinous Command (Inflicts 1d8 Physical Damage) (2 Turn Cooldown)
Heated Argument (Inflicts 1d8 Fire Damage) (3 Turn Cooldown)

rolled 5, 4, 13 = 22

---

Everyone gang up on the summoner while he's helpless on the ground! That leaves him unable to summon anything else or buff the other, and maybe without him it'll go out of control and target the cult.

Hammer, apply double damage battle tech, Speaker, light him on fire, Aria attack.

(Redirect later attacks to the summon if he gets KOed by earlier ones).

>don't worry, I'll help
How gracious of you to assist in your rescue! (Banter, said without Malice).

>>738763
He got up again though.

I'd rather take out Hekat, since she's more dangerous. Hammer can use his battle tech, Aria can Attack, and Speaker can use Ruinous Command.

>>738778
Would taking out the summoner either dismiss or weaken the summon? If so, focus on Rakshasa.

rolled 12, 17, 20 = 49

---

Rolling to see if we can do better than that 3 and 4.

Are you targeting Hekatonkheires or Rakshasa?

I feel we should take Mod's advice and target the summon first, but I think I'm in the minority.

>20
You have successfully gotten a critical hit! Critical Hits allow you to roll damage twice and combine the numbers! Please declare who you will give the crit to! Take note, this will only happen once! Unless a character order is specified, all crits in the future will be determined through a roll of 1d3!

>>749061
Let's go with Hammer, since he used the double damage tech.

>>749069
Agreed.

rolled 6, 1 = 7

---

Rolling Hammer's damage!

rolled 6 = 6

---

With a bellow of rage and a mighty swing, Hammer hits Rakshasa directly in the chest! The tiger-man is sent sailing across the stage, outright flying off and landing in a crumpled heap beside it!

RAKSHASA DEFEATED!

Aria and Speaker turn their focus onto Hekatonkheires, launching attacks at the various hands!

Speaker offers a Ruinous Command, closing her eyes and commanding the hands to BLEED.

Rolling Speaker's damage.

rolled 5 = 5

---

Several gashes open up along the arms and hands around you, and one of the eyes adorning a few hands outright bursts open! Several hands retreat into the ground, leaving no holes behind them.

Aria sends a few shockwaves of sound outwards, herself!

Rolling Aria damage

rolled 14, 6, 9 = 29

---

Hekatonkheires' hands are buffeted around by the sound, and several of them seem to suffer serious enough injuries to retreat. The remaining ones seem very angry, though.

Three fists armed with assorted knives stab downwards at the party!

Attack order is Hammer, Aria, Speaker

rolled 4 = 4

---

One of the knives catches Hammer, though Aria and Speaker dodge out of the way of their own attacks. The butterfly knife sinks into your flesh!

Rolling damage.

The wound is bad, though not as bad as it could be, and you're still standing! A multitude of arms surround you, but Speaker brings up something. "She's panicking. I can tell. Give her a few more hits and she'll probably run off. She never had much of a stomach for foes that could fight back."

She's apparently referring to Hekatonkheires, though you're not sure how she knows so much about a being seemingly made of hands.

Hekatonkheires HP: 9/20
Hammer HP: 6/12
Aria HP: 8/8
Speaker HP: 8/8

Hammer:
Attack
Battletech (2 Turns until M. Crusher Available!)
No Items

Aria
Attack
Battletech
No Items

Speaker
Attack
Battletechs
No Items

rolled 2, 11, 1 = 14

---

Hammer, hit a thing.
Aria: use healing battletech on Hammer.
Speaker: use Heated Argument on Hekat.

Rolling to hit, in order.

rolled 15, 5, 6 = 26

---

>She's apparently referring to Hekatonkheires, though you're not sure how she knows so much about a being seemingly made of hands.
Maybe she know it? Or it's some supernatural ability to "speak" for others.

>what do
Hammer: normal attack
Aria: Right To Remain, on Hammer.
Speaker: Heated Argument

Rolling respectively.

rolled 6 + 1 = 7

---

Hammer's blow hits another arm, and Aria pounds out a few notes that, while only healing Hammer slightly, at least keep him in the fight, the two slashes on his body closing up a little and hurting less.

Speaker, however, seems to be having some trouble. She commands the hands to BURN, but nothing happens. It almost sounds like... she doesn't have the conviction to do it?

Rolling Hammer damage.

rolled 6 + 3 = 9

---

Hammer lets loose with a large, sweeping blow, shattering the bones of several arms! They too retreat into the ground, leaving several behind... but they seem to be hesitating.

Rolling Aria healing

rolled 9 + 3 = 12

---

Hammer's HP is completely restored! The wounds on him still remain, but they're small enough to heal on their own with only a little time, and they don't hurt at all regardless.

Hekatonkheires seems to hesitate, but eventually, one hand gets bold and moves forward, attempting to grab Hammer!

Hammer dodges the hand's grab! It begins moving as if it had him, swinging around as if slamming him into the ground, before apparently realizing it does not, in fact, have Hammer in its hand.

An eye covered hand gazes down at you and blinks once. Then, it retreats into the ground. The rest of the hands follow suit, and soon you're alone... well, alone with a large, stunned crowd and Rakshasa crumpled in a heap at the side of the stage.

Rakshasa: "Oh, shit... they won... oh god..."

YOU WIN!!!

10 EXP Gained! 10 Relic Fragments Obtained!

In several of the areas where Hekatonkheires' hands were, you notice several golden, softly glowing orbs. You take a picture and send it to Moderator.

BanHammer105: Oh! Oh! Those're Relic Fragments!
BanHammer105: You know what those are worth???
DropTheGavel: Uh, no?
BanHammer105: ...actually, not a lot.
BanHammer105: I don't think those even add up to a full Relic.
BanHammer105: But hold onto those! There are some guys who'd give you some pretty neat shit for those!
DropTheGavel: Alright, gotcha.

You put away your phone, and Rakshasa has stumbled up onto the stage. He's clutching his arm, which is currently leaking blood that dissolves into blue smoke.

"Alright. You win. You've got the cult. What're you gonna do now, bigshot?" He seems both incredibly pissed off, and more than a little scared!

>what do with cult?
I think maybe we should first ask Speaker how she ended up in the situation we found her in? That would impact our judgement. (A longer conversation with Speaker if she's joining is a good idea, but later, not in front of an audience, awaiting judgement).

Also maybe get advice from Moderator.

(Breaking them up entirely might not work / would allow them to reform later / might just set them all on us at once. We might want to make them our servants or minions? Suddenly we have eyes and ears on the ground to gather information, and to do chore level stuff like making sure we have food and water).

>>750093
You examine the crowd, all of which are gazing up at you. Or glancing at Rakshasa, who is currently prodding at his visibly broken arm.

"So, uh, how'd you wind up like that?" You ask Speaker.

"I was hanging out here, when the party showed up. It was originally gonna be a sacrifice of worshippers, but they thought I'd make a better one."

You nod. Aria is currently tapping away at her phone, and shows you a conversation she's been having with Mod.

Crypteque: okay so rakshasa just got beaten to a pulp, and we own a cult. what now
BanHammer105: ...what?
BanHammer105: Uh, okay, don't disband them. They'll just reform, I'm calling it now.
Crypteque: neat, okay. any idea what we should do?
BanHammer105: I'd suggest just letting them do their own thing?
BanHammer105: Maybe throw in some stipulations about not sacrificing people and needing to help you with things?
BanHammer105: Don't ask them to fight for you, though.
BanHammer105: I got a good view of the crowd (don't ask how) and you're basically dealing with a bunch of cannon fodder.
Crypteque: really? the guy with no head and a meat cleaver looks pretty intimidating.
BanHammer105: He's a spirit of halloween. The cleaver is dull. He actually hates hurting people. Goes by Sam.
Crypteque: ...fuck.
BanHammer105: It's up to you guys, though. Might be good to have some minions to at least do some scouting or some shit.

>What do you do?

>BanHammer105: I'd suggest just letting them do their own thing?
>BanHammer105: Maybe throw in some stipulations about not sacrificing people and needing to help you with things?
This was basically the plan I would have gone with, so it's good to see she also thinks it would work.

>what say
All right, from now on, you're all officially minions. No more sacrifices, you do small stuff for us, bring us information, and keep from doing anything that would piss off god-fearing types. Which is all of you now, seeing as how you should be afraid of me. And you know, don't go running to any big bad monsters or devils and try and rat us out to them. Obvious stuff.

Other than that I think we can avoid micromanaging, let you do your own thing. Fair enough?

>>750326
This, but a little less sanctimonious. Let them do their own thing, ask them to be decent, not-sacrificing-others people, and ask them to pray to you if they're in serious trouble. Deities help those who helps themselves, but sometimes people really do need serious help, and we ought to be there for them if they do.

>>750482
You grab the microphone up on the stage, and clear your throat.

"Okay, listen! We're the ones in charge now, got it? And we have some new ground rules for you. You can keep worshipping whoever the hell you want to worship, but we'd rather you not go murdering people to satisfy them?"

The crowd seems a bit unsure.

Speaker facepalms, and grabs the mic from you. "Your worship of The Others may continue. But the taking of lives is forbidden. If you require assistance, you may seek us out, but we may ask assistance from you in turn. If you attempt to disclose our location to those more powerful than you, you will suffer. Understood?"

The crowd murmurs some sort of assent.

"You are dismissed." She literally drops the mic, then crosses her arms and glares down at the crowd. They slowly begin filing out, two other Monsters helping Rakshasa leave.

When the crowd is gone, Speaker pinches the bridge of her nose. "You're obviously not one of those "Be not afraid" sort of Gods, aren't you?" Before you can answer, she hops off the stage and approaches the gate of the Parade Grounds. "That's fine, you're young. You've got plenty of time. Now, come on, let's get out of here and plan our next move."

There's nothing else really left for you here, so you guide her back to the campsite. She examines the area, then frowns and commands the air itself to Be Whole. A sleeping bag materializes out of nowhere and plops onto the ground. She sits down on top of it, and examines the two of you.

"Hi. I'm Speaker. I'm a friend, and technically one of the Others. Any questions?"

>What do you do?

>speaking lets her summon objects
Well, that's certainly useful.

>what do
She introduced herself, return the favor.

You were sent here on what amounts to a fools errand, until moderator pulled you aside at the last minute. Now you're basically figuring out how to deal with surviving a virtual exile here.

>Any questions?
You can start with how you got caught and why you got caught. And what's your relationship with Mod? Oh yeah, if it wasn't obvious already, she said to tell you that she sent us.

>>751013
"I was hanging out, waiting for you to show up, and then the crowd got there first. It was gonna be a sacrifice of worshippers, but there were dozens of them and one of me, and they figured sacrificing an Other would get more favor than a few losers with no power."

She puts a finger on her chin. "Mod and I... we go back. Way back. We ran in the same general crews, had similarly aligning goals, and so we were friends. And now she called in a favor to get me to help you guys. So here we are."

>>750991
You inform her who you are, and Aria does likewise. She nods. "Yeah, I heard about what happened to you guys. Really shit deal. Well, hopefully once we thin the crowds a little you can head back."

She thinks for a moment, then unrolls the sleeping bag. "We should get some rest. Tomorrow we'll need to head out to another Landmark. We can't rest for too long, yknow?"

>What do you do?

>>752226
Ask if we can get something to eat first. Then we can go to sleep.

>Landmark
We never did get how those work explained, did we?

>>752241
You inquire as to how the fuck Landmarks work. Speaker pauses.

"Uh, well, it's kinda hard to explain, but... basically, the idea is, in an environment of perfect chaos, anything can happen, right? Which means that, hypothetically, order could rise out of that chaos. Landmarks are that order. Little islands of more-or-less stability in the world. Due to this, they're frequent prowling grounds for monsters, and usually where the most powerful ones hang out."

She picks up your map and points to the two other circled areas.

"The forest, right here, is basically where a lot of quote unquote "nature" based Monsters hang out. It is divided into Night and Day, and both halves have a dedicated ruler. The Night Forest is ruled over by The Wendigo, Queen of Ice and Death, while The Day Forest is controlled by The Firebird, King of Flames and Life."

She points to the other one. "This crypt, right here, is usually filled with "undead" Monsters. As Monsters do not leave bodies when they die, this means they're not actually undead. They simply take forms and share concepts relating to the idea of Undeath. There are two wings, East and West. The West is full of rank-and-file Undead, and ruled over by some asshole called The Necromancer. The East is full of assorted Demon Monsters, ruled over by Asmodeus, Princess of Lust and Sin."

She puts the map down, then crosses off The Parade Grounds. "Any more questions?"

>>752227
You inquire about food, and she frowns. "Okay, I'm gonna level with you. Food's gonna be scarce as hell here, and I only ever learned how to create sandwiches with my voice. Not even good, complex ones. I'm talking ham and lettuce and no condiments. But, yknow, if you want."

She commands a patch of air to BE WHOLE again and a few sandwiches appear. You eat the (admittedly bland) food and Speaker wills the leftovers away.

"Alright, can we get to sleep now?"

>What do you do?

>BE WHOLE
Hammer says, "What? You couldn't command it to 'BE WHOLEWHEAT'?"

And then Aria takes advantage of the opportunity and does a *ba dum tss* with her drumsticks! XD

"....I'm not sorry for the pun."

Then everybody go to sleep.

>You eat the (admittedly bland) food and Speaker wills the leftovers away.
We're gonna have to see if we can turn that cult to finding a better food source, if we're gonna be stuck here for years.

>"Alright, can we get to sleep now?"
Well I guess, if you're going to call more sleeping bags out of whole cloth.

>>752265
She shakes her head. "There's one in that tent. This is the "Campsite" Landmark, I know how this place works. Should be big enough for the both of you."

She frowns. "Please don't get frisky or anything. I have to share this space with you two."

With that, she gets into the sleeping bag and closes her eyes. You and Aria enter the tent, and see the aforementioned sleeping bag. You both squeeze in, and while you aren't uncomfortable, it is a bit of a tight squeeze. Aria kisses you and snuggles against you. "Guess we've got a while of this to go, huh? It's alright. I know we'll get out of this fine, right?"

She looks up at you, trust and love in her eyes, her head pressed against your chest.

>What do you do?

>>752267
Yeah. We'll be fine. Weird situation, but we've got friends here, apparently.

Go to sleep.

>don't get frisky in my tent
Better living arrangements will have to go on the wishlist along with better food, cause that's an injunction you won't be able to obey forever.

>>752269
>Better living arrangements will have to go on the wishlist along with better food, cause that's an injunction you won't be able to obey forever.
You got that right.

>>752269
You tell her that you've got friends here, and everything should be fine. Then, you snuggle against her and tell her to go to sleep. You fall asleep in each other's arms...

DAY 2

You're awoken by Speaker whispering AWAKEN right in your ear. You jolt up and nearly gore her with your horns, and she jumps back out of the tent.

"Uh, guys? You might wanna see this..."

The Archivist !0iuTMXQYY. 2016/10/10(Mon)20:52 No. 752275 ID: ea2bfa
File 147615792852.png - (9.24KB , 1000x1000 , Shop.png )

A strange gray creature in a black robe is standing at a small, hand-made stand right at the edge of the camp. He blinks at you, then raises a hand.

"HOY! Welcome to Shopkeep's Super Good Stand, Customer-Person! I am having many deals for you on this day! Please, come see wares!"

>What do you do?

...you know this guy, Speaker?

>shop
Ask what currency he accepts. Because I kind of expect you guys didn't bring your wallets, and even if you did, it probably would have been the wrong kind.

>question
Okay, you're a shopkeeper in monsterland. I gotta ask, how exactly do you keep from getting murdered by things that decide it would be better to take your stuff than pay for it?

>>752280
"I've never seen this individual before in my life." Speaker tells you.

You ask "Shopkeep" what currency he accepts.

"Relic fragments, Customer-Friend! Bits and pieces of big Scary Monster Things! I refine. I make into merchandise. Then I sell Merchandise to Customer-Person! Is good. Is circle of commerce."

You ask him how he stays in business in The Wild Place.

"I have patron! Is good man. He watch me, give me way to defend myself. I not use on Customer Person! You are good Customer Person. Patron tells me so. He sends me here, to sell you things! So you give me fragments, and I give you items, yes? What will you have?

>Massive Scythe: Hammer Weapon, 2d6 damage (8 fragments). "Is good, Customer Person! I make from Death Monsters! Very powerful, very deadly! Good for big man like you!"
>Western Scroll: Ressurects defeated Ally (2 fragments) "Is made using forbidden techniques from dead scientist! Brings back recently dead! But only recently. Is design flaw."
>Restoration Formula: Heals 1d10 damage and removes all status ailments (1 fragment) "I make from special forest berries and water! Make you feel better! Very cheap, very simple."

>What do you do?

>>752304
Buy the weapon upgrade, and two restorations.

Resurrection seems a bit harder to get our hands on than healing-- oh wait I forgot you guys come back to life on your own. How much of a problem would that be?

>>752312
Hypothetically, Deities can bring each other back to life with a few uninterrupted minutes of concentration. While impossible in combat, you should be able to do it AFTER a battle.

As long as one of you is alive at the end of a battle, you should be able to resurrect everyone else afterwards. You can't do this mid-combat without certain battletechs you don't have yet.

>What do you do?

Healing's probably a better idea, then.

You purchase the scythe, along with two healing potions, handing over all of your relic fragments to Shopkeep. He sweeps them underneath his robe.

"Thank! You are good Customer Person. I stay here, sell you things! Sometimes I am gone, though, making more merchandise for you! Just put fragments on counter, and take what you want!"

You go back to Speaker and Aria, who're sitting at the map. "Well, we're at a crossroads, Hammer." Aria says, staring at the map.

"Indeed. I say we should go to the forest, but Aria wants to go to the Crypt."

Aria shrugs. "No particular reason. Just think it's a good idea. More loot."

Speaker frowns. "Look, just act as a tiebreaker, okay, Hammer? Where do you want to go?"

>Forest
>Crypt

Uh, forest? Sorry, babe. But I'd kinda like to find a less bland food source, and the woods seem like a better place for that than skeleton land.

Good point. Go to the forest, get some real food along with hunting monsters. Can we store gathered food in some way so that it won't spoil?

>>752322
The forest, for a different reason. The forest seems like a more likely place to find allies and less unambiguously evil folk, and the King and Queen of the Day and Night halves of the forest seem more likely to be potential allies. I don't think we'd have nearly the same shot at that with the Necromancer and Asmodeus. And as much as I relish a good ass-kicking, I'm rather enjoying having a couple of allies already, and I wouldn't mind a few more, or an army or two.

The Archivist !0iuTMXQYY. 2016/10/31(Mon)06:16 No. 756259 ID: 2169b1
File 147791976138.png - (22.12KB , 1000x1000 , Reading Asshole.png )

>>752550
Well, you do have your BAG OF HOLDING, which is basically your inventory. You're not sure how perishables interact with it, but considering that most items enter a state of suspended animation while they're in the bag, they should stay fresh until you remove them.

Failing that, there's a dented cooler in the corner of the campsite that should still work.

>>756254
You also mention how there may be a chance to find allies in the forest, and Speaker nods.

"My thoughts exactly. I've heard that The Firebird is relatively level-headed for a powerful monster. With any luck we can get some help from him. Or at least some resources.

Aria sighs. "Alright, sounds logical. I guess fighting through hordes of undead doesn't sound like that great a time either."

After a bit of preparation, the three of you head on your way, Aria keeping up a beat as you go. After a long while spent walking, the roiling ground underneath you changes to soft grass, and you stand at the edge of a large forest.

You seem to be at the DAYTIME portion of the forest. A strange creature sits on a blanket in front of you on the grass. He appears human, but completely bald and with pure white skin. He wears a suit seemingly carefully folded from paper, with a tie inked onto the front. Words cover the suit, constantly shifting.

He looks up at you as you approach, lowering the book he's reading. He looks you up and down as you approach.

"Howdy." He says, though he doesn't seem friendly whatsoever.

>I guess fighting through hordes of undead doesn't sound like that great a time either.
Let's refrain from commenting how much the guy we just came across resembles a mummy.

>though he doesn't seem friendly whatsoever
Well he's not jumping up to attack us, or offering anyone up as a sacrifice, so he has that in his favor.

>Howdy
Hey.

>>756273
He scowls as you greet him, and stands up. He steps forward, the blanket underneath him disappearing in a puff of paper shreds and the scent of binding glue. He closes his book, and seemingly inserts it into thin air, the book disappearing as he pushes it to the side.

"Well, the rumorsss were true, huh?" He says, looking the three of you over. "Two Godsss and an Other. Bit of a motley crew you've got going, isssn't it?"

He shakes his head. "Regardlesss, my name isss Babel. I get the feeling you all know who I am?"

You and Aria feel rather disturbed at the revelation that one of the strongest Monsters known to any living being is in front of you... and then Speaker snaps her fingers and points. "You're Queen's kid! Gosh, you've sprouted up like a weed! And also you're not a snake anymore!"

Babel scowls. "Ah, yesss, missss Ssspeaker. How pleasssant to sssee you again."

He pulls another tome from the shelf, this one labelled "Le Grimoire des Contes". He flips it open and begins examining the pages critically. "Really, she wanted me to ussse thisss one?"

He shakes his head and looks up at you again. "I sssuppossse you have sssome quessstionsss for me. I'd sssuggessst asssking them now."

"You got some kind of beef with us, kid? I seem to recall deciding not to fuck with you royal types."

"And hey it's a free... anarchist wasteland. We're just walking here, and the only fight we've been in we were invited to."

>>757543
> He shakes his head. "Regardlesss, my name isss Babel. I get the feeling you all know who I am?"

> You and Aria feel rather disturbed at the revelation that one of the strongest Monsters known to any living being is in front of you... and then Speaker snaps her fingers and points. "You're Queen's kid! Gosh, you've sprouted up like a weed! And also you're not a snake anymore!"

What do we know about Babel, in-character?