(1/4) kpwlt 2024/07/03(Wed)06:04 No. 1093729 ID: 127310
File 172001189388.png - (15.15KB , 700x700 , u1p1.png )

A figure enters the closed-off female bathroom of a once thriving store on Edgar Street.

(2/4) kpwlt 2024/07/03(Wed)06:04 No. 1093730 ID: 127310
File 172001189504.png - (19.96KB , 700x700 , u1p2.png )

The far wall of this bathroom has had a hole smashed in it, large enough for the average person to comfortably walk through it. The wall next to it bears the Mark of the Lower House, signifying classified information, or worse, politics, beyond the threshold.

Being a Civil Servant, the figure has no qualms with dropping through into the space below.

(3/4) kpwlt 2024/07/03(Wed)06:04 No. 1093731 ID: 127310
File 172001189814.png - (17.09KB , 700x700 , u1p3.png )

The Government has known about the Edgar Street Catacombs for a while now. It was a point of discussion in the Lower House for a few weeks, until the Minister for Spatiotemporal Anomalies professed to do something about it.

The topic settled after the Government became familiar with all the ins and outs of the Catacombs, and something was never done about them.

Having become frustrated by the Government’s inaction, or, more likely, bored by the lack of spatiotemporal anomalies in the City Centre, the Minister decided to investigate the Catacombs himself. He has since gone missing.

You are the aforementioned Civil Servant, a member of the Ministry of Memetic Philosophy, and you have been sent to find the Minister for Spatiotemporal Anomalies.

(4/4) kpwlt 2024/07/03(Wed)06:05 No. 1093732 ID: 127310
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You are now in the main chamber of the Edgar Street Catacombs. Three tunnels line the right wall, with a small amount of light coming out of the furthest one. There is one tunnel directly opposite you, but you will have to crawl through it. Two tunnels are on the left wall, though you can hear the hoots of the Mole People emanating from those.

The Mole People (officially known as the Edgar Street Humanoids) are an odd group of beings that inhabit the Catacombs. They are territorial, but mercifully slow and weak.

Regrettably, their numbers mean that combat with them will likely be inevitable, though you probably can avoid engaging with them for a while. Just don’t kill them. There is an irritating amount of paperwork associated with that. Just rough them up a bit with your baton.

What exactly is our mission down here? I’m definitely interested in that glowing tunnel on the right, but if we’ve got directives to go somewhere else, then we should probably do that instead.

What doth right?

>>1093734
I wonder if we're some sort of memetic creature, but yeah right

>>1093732
Check the light.

(1/4) kpwlt 2024/07/03(Wed)19:45 No. 1093750 ID: 127310
File 172006111932.png - (48.44KB , 700x700 , u2p1.png )

>I wonder if we're some sort of memetic creature, but yeah right

You are not some sort of memetic creature. You are nothing more than a Civil Servant.

>What exactly is our mission down here? I’m definitely interested in that glowing tunnel on the right, but if we’ve got directives to go somewhere else, then we should probably do that instead.

Your mission is to find the Minister for Spatiotemporal Anomalies, and get him back home. Ideally alive, but he can be replaced.

You go into the glowing tunnel on the right. The glow is being softly poured into the tunnel by a small device called a beacon. Ministers typically carry beacons in order to communicate with the Government in case things become too difficult or scary. This one is transmitting an ongoing distress signal to the Lower House. Probably how they knew the Minister had gone missing.

You deactivate and pocket the beacon. You could probably use it to communicate with people outside the Catacombs. It only has 24 hours of battery life at full charge, though, so use it sparingly.

(2/4) kpwlt 2024/07/03(Wed)19:45 No. 1093751 ID: 127310
File 172006112906.png - (19.74KB , 700x700 , u2p2.png )

This tunnel seems to loop around to join the middle tunnel you saw earlier, so you decide to investigate around the bend.

There is a Mole Person sleeping on the ground here. It doesn’t seem to be sleeping very deeply. It gets more restless as you draw close. You back off slightly, but it still looks as though something within it knows it’s being watched.

Your impulses tell you to knock it out properly. It’s still a threat as long as it can still get up, and dealing with it now means you won’t have to later.

I give you a 75% chance of knocking it out with no problem. (D100 must roll greater than 25 in order to pass)

(3/4) kpwlt 2024/07/03(Wed)19:45 No. 1093752 ID: 127310
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>What doth right?

You leave the slumbering humanoid be for the moment and go to have a peek at the right tunnel closest to the entrance.

The tunnel looks to keep going for a while, but you can see an end to it. The subtle light dimly illuminating the very far wall makes you think that it’s another entrance to the Catacombs, further up Edgar Street, perhaps.

A Mole Person is standing here, facing away from you, slightly hunched over.

(4/4) kpwlt 2024/07/03(Wed)19:45 No. 1093753 ID: 127310
File 172006114692.png - (19.35KB , 700x700 , u2p4.png )

It turns around to face you, startling you, but doesn’t look aggressive. Presumably, somebody had instructed it to prevent anyone from coming in through that entrance. You are already in, so you must be alright.

Once it has made this connection in its mind, the placid humanoid continues pretending to study several scraps of paper.

They look like the Prime Minister’s sketched maps of the catacombs from when they were first investigated. They were eventually brought back here to preserve the secrecy of the Catacombs.

You could probably take the maps, but it’s not clear whether your new friend would be all too happy with that.

>>1093750
Is that writing?

>>1093753
Look at the maps. Study them and commit them to memory and you won't have to take them.

Read over his shoulder. If he doesn't like it that's the perfect excuse to knock him out and take the map.

(1/2) kpwlt 2024/07/03(Wed)20:52 No. 1093758 ID: 127310
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>Is that writing?

No.

(2/2) kpwlt 2024/07/03(Wed)20:52 No. 1093759 ID: 127310
File 172006514591.png - (24.05KB , 700x700 , u3p2.png )

>Look at the maps. Study them and commit them to memory and you won't have to take them.
>Read over his shoulder. If he doesn't like it that's the perfect excuse to knock him out and take the map.

You manage to memorise the first two chambers (including this one) and part of the third one, before the humanoid realises that what he has is valuable and refuses to let you peek.

>>1093759
This writing is hard to read.

Let's go knock out that sleeping mole person I guess.

Yeah, sleeping mole ko seems like our best option. They seem at least semi-sapient. I’d love to study them, but that’s not what we’re here for.

(1/1) kpwlt 2024/07/04(Thu)07:06 No. 1093772 ID: 127310
File 172010200711.png - (39.83KB , 700x700 , u4p1.png )

>This writing is hard to read.

The Prime Minister is not known for having good handwriting.

>Let's go knock out that sleeping mole person I guess.
>Yeah, sleeping mole ko seems like our best option. They seem at least semi-sapient.

You head back over to the sleeping mole person and raise your baton.

D100 rolls 82 (>25). Success!

With one fell swoop, you have knocked the humanoid into deep unconsciousness.

>I’d love to study them, but that’s not what we’re here for.

Nobody says you can’t later.
Unconscious Mole Person has been added to your inventory.

You can hear the sound of the other Mole People shuffling towards the main chamber. Whatever meeting they were having must have just ended.

Lurk in wait to see if anyone comes in this chamber that you can pick off.

Do these beings speak our language? Because if they do, we could probably make our argument to retrieve the Minister and leave immedeatedly without them accosting us.

At any rate, pick a corner out of view where we can see without being seen.

(1/2) kpwlt 2024/07/06(Sat)23:11 No. 1093896 ID: 127310
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>Do these beings speak our language? Because if they do, we could probably make our argument to retrieve the Minister and leave immedeatedly without them accosting us.

All testing so far has indicated that they don’t. If they do, they are very good at pretending not to. Negotiated agreement is probably not an option with these guys.

>Lurk in wait to see if anyone comes in this chamber that you can pick off.
>At any rate, pick a corner out of view where we can see without being seen.

The other Mole People come shuffle into the main chamber single-file. There must be about six or seven of them. You recede further into the loop so that there’s even less chance of them seeing you.

(2/2) kpwlt 2024/07/06(Sat)23:11 No. 1093897 ID: 127310
File 172033268060.png - (15.18KB , 700x700 , u5p2.png )

Oh dear! It looks like a Mole Person has stumbled into this tunnel and is about to realise that you are not where you should be! You can definitely run away from it, and you could also run around it, but by then it will put two and two together and alert its buddies.

If you stay and fight, it will not alert any other Mole People.

You have the initiative. Roundhouse kick!

Fight it!

Yeah, stealth is key here. The more mole people we alert, the more we risk potentially having no choice but to kill at least one. Imagine the paperwork for more than one Mole Person Murder… I shudder at even the thought! Better to fight this one here and now where it’s easier to be non-lethal about things.

Wait! Maybe this is a trick. This might be a philisophical quandary regarding the measure we value our objective over the well-being of this creature. Maybe we will later leave a trail of corpses and the realización we were the true villains all along.

We should likely broaden our philosophical horizons and base our next course of action on Kant's postulation that all people are good.

With this in mind, the decition is clear: we will hug the mole man!

(1/2) kpwlt 2024/07/09(Tue)23:36 No. 1094044 ID: 1e982e
File 172059341352.png - (17.14KB , 700x700 , u6p1.png )

>Wait! Maybe this is a trick. This might be a philisophical quandary regarding the measure we value our objective over the well-being of this creature. Maybe we will later leave a trail of corpses and the realización we were the true villains all along.

Thankfully, your training has prevented you from needing to have thoughts like this. Besides, you won’t kill the Mole Person, that I promise. Hugging the Mole Person would also end poorly for you.

>You have the initiative. Roundhouse kick!
>Fight it!
>Better to fight this one here and now where it’s easier to be non-lethal about things.

You initiate with a kick! You catch the Mole Person with your shin, dealing 1 damage.

Alright, now I have to tell you about memetic philosophy. Basically, your opponent opens with their Thesis and comes up with new Arguments each turn to try to support their thesis.

If you want to avoid damage, you should try to logically reject their arguments. You must then also provide your own arguments to attack their thesis. If your opponent cannot reject your arguments, you may damage them. You don’t usually have to disprove an opponent’s thesis, you just need to deplete their health. Theses and arguments don’t necessarily relate to what’s happening at the very moment, some can get very abstract.

Think of it as using your psychic powers to break your opponent’s stance and open them for an attack.

Lots of enemies will also have Passive Abilities that will complicate the fight. I’ll provide a link to a google doc where you can read the passive abilities. Make sure to stay on top of them!

(2/2) kpwlt 2024/07/09(Tue)23:38 No. 1094046 ID: 1e982e
File 172059351274.png - (27.23KB , 700x700 , u6p2.png )

Battle against Mole Person

Turn 1

You [20/20hp]

Opponent: Mole Person α [4/5hp]
Passives:
Protected https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gEJkxaTXmFsiHQ2f43KKy0jS5DrTCnQO2wMtecQU2HM/edit#bookmark=id.qn1mggc71iip

Thesis:
You should not be here.

Arguments:
You do not look like me, therefore you should not be here.

Alright, now’s your chance to use your Sick Rhetoric Skills.

Seems like we have a pretty easy start! Counter Argument: It is possible for me to not look like you and also belong here.

Also, this is a pretty nifty combat system! Love it!

>>1094046
Mole People look different from one another, yet they belong here. Is he judging you on your appearance? RACIST!

>>1094049
This one gets it

(1/1) kpwlt 2024/07/10(Wed)01:32 No. 1094051 ID: 1e982e
File 172060036848.png - (27.76KB , 700x700 , u7p1.png )

>Also, this is a pretty nifty combat system! Love it!

Thank you! I hope you enjoy all the stuff I have planned for it.

Turn 1 (Continued)

>Mole People look different from one another, yet they belong here.

Conceded as a rejection of Mole Person α’s argument.

You do not look like me, therefore you should not be here.

>It is possible for me to not look like you and also belong here.

Conceded as an attack on Mole Person α’s thesis on the basis that it was never conceded that you have to look like a Mole Person to belong here. The opponent provides no counterargument.

You lunge forward and strike the Mole Person. It winces at you.
1 damage dealt.

Turn 2

You [20/20hp]

Opponent: Mole Person α [3/5hp]
Passives:
Protected https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gEJkxaTXmFsiHQ2f43KKy0jS5DrTCnQO2wMtecQU2HM/edit#bookmark=id.qn1mggc71iip

Thesis:
You should not be here.

Arguments:
You have not been permitted in here.
You are attacking the people here, so you should not be here.

When responding to multiple arguments, please specify which of your counterarguments corresponds to which of the enemy’s arguments. Please also specify if you intend to directly attack the enemy’s thesis.

Thesis: You should not be here.

Argument 1: You have not been permitted in here.
Counterargument: Permission to be in this area has been granted by the relevant authorities.

Argument 2: You are attacking the people here, so you should not be here.
Counterargument: The usage or application of force is unrelated to the concept of belonging.

>>1094052

Seconded

>>1094052
concurred

(1/2) kpwlt 2024/07/11(Thu)20:52 No. 1094152 ID: 1e982e
File 172075636497.png - (28.06KB , 700x700 , u8p1.png )

Turn 2 (Continued)

>Counterargument: Permission to be in this area has been granted by the relevant authorities.

Conceded. You follow up your lunge with a smack from left to right.
1 damage dealt.

(2/2) kpwlt 2024/07/11(Thu)20:52 No. 1094153 ID: 1e982e
File 172075636848.png - (36.25KB , 700x700 , u8p2.png )

>Counterargument: The usage or application of force is unrelated to the concept of belonging.

Conceded. The baton retraces its steps, injuring the Mole Person such that the bruises will be symmetrical.
1 damage dealt.

Turn 2 Summary:
Mole Person α [3/5hp] → [1/5hp]


Turn 3

You [20/20hp]

Opponent: Mole Person α [1/5hp]
Passives:
Protected https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gEJkxaTXmFsiHQ2f43KKy0jS5DrTCnQO2wMtecQU2HM/edit#bookmark=id.qn1mggc71iip

Thesis:
You should not be here.

Arguments:
(Not acting this turn)

>Seconded
>concurred

It doesn’t really matter right now, but in future you may want to come up with your own arguments. The Mole Person could have been defeated a turn earlier with just one more conceded argument. Future encounters will also try to rebut your arguments, so having multiple arguments will prove useful.

Violently sagacious fanfare! Win for rhetoric! We were here to find the minister right? If this mole person can talk after the fight, we should find out what they know.

Whoops shit early celebration. They still have a hit point remaining.

To attack the thesis directly, according to our own authority assigned to us, this is explicitly the location where your work requires to be. We act according to this authority. Thus, we are supposed to be here and we should be here.

Arguement: the mole person is not here in any official capacity and thus has no say on who should or should not be here.

(1/2) kpwlt 2024/08/01(Thu)07:27 No. 1095091 ID: 127310
File 172252244304.png - (41.81KB , 700x700 , u9p1.png )

>To attack the thesis directly, according to our own authority assigned to us, this is explicitly the location where your work requires to be. We act according to this authority. Thus, we are supposed to be here and we should be here.
>Arguement: the mole person is not here in any official capacity and thus has no say on who should or should not be here.

Though some foes could construe these arguments as fallacious, the thoroughly battered Mole Person concedes this. 1 damage dealt.

Turn 3 Summary:
Mole Person α [1/5hp] → [0/5hp] (Unconscious)

Since the Mole Person was [Protected], they fell unconscious, and you won the battle.

You gained 5 TP. Your current TP count is 5.

(2/2) kpwlt 2024/08/01(Thu)07:27 No. 1095092 ID: 127310
File 172252244566.png - (19.21KB , 700x700 , u9p2.png )

I don’t want to alarm you, but the other Mole People in the corridor seem to be sticking together. You may want to avoid them. Unless, of course, you think you can handle a group?

>We were here to find the minister right?

Yes, the Minister for Spatiotemporal Anomalies is your VIP.

>If this mole person can talk after the fight, we should find out what they know.

Even if this Mole Person was awake, it’s generally accepted that Mole People don’t have the capacity for speech, and may perhaps only respond to basic commands after some training.

You may do well to seek a more… human interlocutor.

How is mole person eyesight? Could you sneak around the edge of the room to the next doorway?

(1/1) kpwlt 2024/08/09(Fri)06:56 No. 1095586 ID: 127310
File 172321176614.png - (17.49KB , 700x700 , u10p1.png )

>How is mole person eyesight? Could you sneak around the edge of the room to the next doorway?

Mole people can see well in the dark but are such lumbering brutes that it doesn’t really matter. Considering the next doorway is more of a raised vent, sneaking into it will be a bit tricky.

Let me put it like this. I will roll a d20. 10 or above will get you through, 15 or above will get you through without alerting the mole people.

The mole people in the hall stop meaninglessly chattering to each other, and for a moment, you think you can hear muffled human speech coming through the vent.

Your sneakiest parkour into the vent then

That’s definitely where we need to go then! Let’s roll those dice and see how well our vent sneak goes!

(1/2) kpwlt 2024/08/20(Tue)06:46 No. 1096153 ID: 127310
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>Your sneakiest parkour into the vent then
>That’s definitely where we need to go then! Let’s roll those dice and see how well our vent sneak goes!

Best of luck!

D20 rolls 20. Critical Success!

You effortlessly jump from your doorway to the coffin thing, to the vent, and slip in like letters into a mailbox. The Mole People in the corridor don’t even know there’s anyone here.

(2/2) kpwlt 2024/08/20(Tue)06:46 No. 1096154 ID: 127310
File 172416157272.png - (17.13KB , 700x700 , u11p2.png )

The smell in here is not lost on you. Thankfully, the high ceiling of this room probably helps contain it, or something, since it hasn’t spread beyond it as far as you know.

The centre of the room is home to many a carelessly discarded bone. Most small. Some larger.
There are also some other seemingly meaningless odds and ends here.

A Mole Person shuffles towards this room. You can hear it.

Hmm, could we hide around the corner? We might not be able to sneak past him, but we can at least get the jump on him if he misses us on the way in.

Hide, they'll probably just carelessly discard a bone and then leave.

(1/3) kpwlt 2024/08/23(Fri)09:36 No. 1096355 ID: 127310
File 172443098989.png - (20.46KB , 700x700 , u12p1.png )

>Hmm, could we hide around the corner? We might not be able to sneak past him, but we can at least get the jump on him if he misses us on the way in.
>Hide, they'll probably just carelessly discard a bone and then leave.

…

(2/3) kpwlt 2024/08/23(Fri)09:36 No. 1096356 ID: 127310
File 172443099201.png - (21.12KB , 700x700 , u12p2.png )

You sock the hapless mole person directly in the side of the face and it crumbles to the ground. In a very non-lethal way, of course. Your record continues to stay clean.

(3/3) kpwlt 2024/08/23(Fri)09:36 No. 1096357 ID: 127310
File 172443099609.png - (19.94KB , 700x700 , u12p3.png )

Before you struck the mole person, it was carrying a length of green fabric. A tie. Not unlike the ties mandatorily worn by those who sit in the Lower House. Exactly like those, actually.

Confirmation we’re on the right track. Excellent~ Is there any way to track where that thing came from? I can only assume more twists and turns lie ahead, so the further we can get without guesswork, the better.

Hmm, none of the bones on the floor look ministerial, right?

(1/2) kpwlt 2024/08/27(Tue)06:44 No. 1096552 ID: 127310
File 172476626755.png - (19.76KB , 700x700 , u13p1.png )

>Hmm, none of the bones on the floor look ministerial, right?

You’ve never seen the inside of a minister before. Your experiences tell you that some of these bones are human, or close to human, however.

The tie still looks mostly clean, which it wouldn’t be if it was handled by too many mole people. It must have been removed recently.

>Is there any way to track where that thing came from? I can only assume more twists and turns lie ahead, so the further we can get without guesswork, the better.

You burst boldly into the next room, since that’s obviously the most recent place the tie came from.

The most immediately noticeable features of this room are the mole people along the floor. Asleep, about as deeply as the fella you knocked out. There’s room enough to get to every exit without stepping on a potential hostile.


Speaking of exits, not counting the one you just emerged through, there are four in total.


The leftmost has sounds like you’ve never heard coming from it. There’s also a trail of detritus and lesser rot trailing from that one to the one you’re standing in.

The next is silent, but you can make out a peculiar and pungent smell coming from it.

The next is silent, and has no identifiable odour. It’s definitely darker in there than any of the other rooms, though.

(2/2) kpwlt 2024/08/27(Tue)06:44 No. 1096553 ID: 127310
File 172476627033.png - (19.50KB , 700x700 , u13p2.png )

The final exit, directly across from the one you’re standing in, has a draught coming through it. The first echo of fresh air you’ve felt in a while, actually. You can also hear the occasional murmur.

Wiped prints of dirt track from where you’re standing to this exit.

Check out one of the rooms that would connect guy with the tie to here. Investigate the tracks in dirt door first.

>>1096553
Whoa that looks spookier than the other openings. Let's check it out.

The rot trail clearly leads to their charnel pit. If the Minister is there, we don't have much time before they kill him. Best to prioritize it.

Also, in all likelihood, the dark, odorous passageway is their dumping grounds. Ulikely to find him in there, unless he really, really favours hiding tactics over hygiene.

(1/1) kpwlt 2024/09/02(Mon)07:32 No. 1096829 ID: 127310
File 172528757352.png - (24.23KB , 700x700 , u14p1.png )

>The rot trail clearly leads to their charnel pit. If the Minister is there, we don't have much time before they kill him. Best to prioritize it.

Perhaps, but what does that make the other room you were in before? The other voices have spoken, I’m afraid, but you’ll leave a mental bookmark on that opening.

You hope that if the Minister is in there, he’ll be able to hold his own until you show up.

>Investigate the tracks in dirt door first.
>Whoa that looks spookier than the other openings. Let's check it out.

Alright. You head through the spooky opening.

Intersecting the corridor you now walk through is another tunnel, full of mole people on both sides. You quickly head beyond that so that the mole people don’t realise you’re there.

Now you come to a fork. Noise emanates from both tunnels ahead of you.

On the left, the cacophonous shuffling of what you can only assume to be mole people. The occasional vocalisation you’ve been hearing before too.

On the right, a cheerful humming. You’ve never heard a mole person hum before.

You must choose a path. Unless you choose to go back and investigate something else instead.

The humming seems ominous. Well, admittedly both seem ominous, but I somehow find it hard to believe that the Minister, in his predicament, would be cheerfully humming.

Either way, it seems better than lunging into a den of Mole People for now. Head right, and pray that it's the Minister.

If it's not the minister then it should at least be someone you can question. stalk the hummer.

(1/3) kpwlt 2024/09/06(Fri)05:41 No. 1097039 ID: 127310
File 172562646569.png - (22.12KB , 700x700 , u15p1.png )

>Head right, and pray that it's the Minister.
>If it's not the minister then it should at least be someone you can question. stalk the hummer.

You head carefully into the room on the right.

In this room is the hummer, a lady musing over some marks on the wall and making a cheerful noise while doing so.

Her black and red attire tells you that she works for the Hazard Association, which is like this organisation dedicated to categorising and ranking different hazards. Although it’s not officially affiliated with the government, it is generally respected by the government and community alike.

(2/3) kpwlt 2024/09/06(Fri)05:41 No. 1097040 ID: 127310
File 172562646886.png - (20.80KB , 700x700 , u15p2.png )

“Oh, hey.” she says “I was wondering when you’d get here.”

You ask her your burning question.

“No, no, I haven’t seen the Minister. He’s actually why I’m here though. Since he disappeared, we need to re-evaluate the catacombs’ hazard level.”

You can see that she’s carrying a clipboard with some notes scribbled on it.

“I still haven’t seen everything here yet, so I can help you look if you want. Reckon the Association would get that kind of thing done faster than the pollies anyway.”

(3/3) kpwlt 2024/09/06(Fri)05:41 No. 1097041 ID: 127310
File 172562647147.png - (17.68KB , 700x700 , u15p3.png )

You look at the wall she was inspecting before. The marks actually seem to be drawings. You didn’t know that mole people had it in them to draw. You didn’t think that they knew about most of the things they’ve drawn here.

Compare notes, what has she seen out of the ordinary so far. And what does she make of this diagram.

An ally! Yay! Do we get to learn her name? Or shall she remain a nameless HA member in our eyes? As for game plans, we should definitely catch each other up on what we know. Being on the same page information-wise is the first step to successful collaboration~

(1/2) kpwlt 2024/09/18(Wed)07:53 No. 1097516 ID: 127310
File 172667120225.png - (23.89KB , 700x700 , u16p1.png )

>An ally! Yay! Do we get to learn her name? Or shall she remain a nameless HA member in our eyes?

If you ask, you might get something.

If you decide not to ask her name, I’ll just call her the Rep.

>Compare notes, what has she seen out of the ordinary so far.
>As for game plans, we should definitely catch each other up on what we know.

After spending some time verbally mapping out the place, you come to realise that you’ve both pretty much been in the same places.

The only differences being she went straight to the end of the first hallway without checking any of the siderooms like you did, and she also checked the coffin at the end of that hallway. She says that there was nothing of interest in there, just bones.

Additionally, she went partway through the left tunnel that you rushed past earlier. She says that it goes for a very long time and branches, so she hasn’t explored all of it yet. Seems to be exclusively mole people in there, though.

“This is just what I’ve seen this time around though.” She says. “When the Association first scouted this place I went all over. There’s actually a pretty major storage room fairly close to here, if I’m remembering correctly, that is. Maybe your minister friend’s in there?”

(2/2) kpwlt 2024/09/18(Wed)07:53 No. 1097517 ID: 127310
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>And what does she make of this diagram.

I presume you mean the wall drawings.

The top leftmost etching is pretty obviously the Halberd, which is a constellation famously visible throughout very few countries, with this being one of them.

Next is fairly obviously a king. You are free to speculate on what exactly that means but the Rep seems to prefer not to read too much into it.

Next is what the Rep claims to be a depiction of a well, accompanied by what you both agree to be a skull and crossbones. You think you’ve only seen wells in country towns, so why mole people underground in the city would be drawing them is a mystery to you.

Next is a crude representation of a stretch of the shoreline, with the city’s approximate location marked by two long, crossing lines.

Off to the side is a group of four people. All armed with different weapons. The Rep seems to suggest that the crosses over their faces aren’t meant to be metaphorical or artistic.

Finally, a scene of the tunnels underground and the city above it. Three people stand in a tunnel, while a fourth seems to have fallen off of an underground cliff.

Speculation: could this be a history of the mole people, how they came to be underground. Or someone else occupying this space before them.

I very much would like to learn this young lady’s name~ Let’s ask about it~ Now, as far as going places, this storage room seems like a good bet. I like the idea of traveling together with this lass.

(1/2) kpwlt 2024/09/26(Thu)08:17 No. 1097851 ID: 127310
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>Speculation: could this be a history of the mole people, how they came to be underground. Or someone else occupying this space before them.

May well be. You’ll keep this in mind in case it ever becomes relevant.

>I very much would like to learn this young lady’s name~ Let’s ask about it~

“Alright, call me Mary.”

I like the idea of traveling together with this lass.

That’s good. She should make hacking your way through this place a bit easier.

>Now, as far as going places, this storage room seems like a good bet.

Mary grabs you by the forearm and leads you back the way you came, to the fork.

Mole people have filled in the gap now, enticed by your fleeting presence. They recognise you. Maybe. Regardless, they shuffle towards the pair of you, eager to grab and bludgeon you into submission.

(2/2) kpwlt 2024/09/26(Thu)08:17 No. 1097852 ID: 127310
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Mary leads you down the left path. After a few turns and narrow sections, a vast emptiness opens before you. The shrieks of lost fruit bats and dripping punctuate the sound of rushing water beneath you.

On the other side of this darkness is a huge column that stretches up as far as you can see, and down the same distance. A large door is conveniently set directly facing you. On either side of the door is a mole person, both taller and broader than any you’ve seen before. Mary looks puzzled at their presence.

Connecting the door to the cliff where you’re standing now is a thin and treacherous path that looks as though it could crumble at any moment. Another path starts out at the same place, but forks around and continues underneath the upper one. You can’t get a good look at what might be on the lower path.

“Either of these should lead to the storage room,” says Mary. “probably.”

take the sneaky low path

Argument: Take the forward path. It will be direct and put us in full comfrontation of the mole men at thegate, but their threat is manageable and time is of the essence in this mission.

(1/2) kpwlt 2024/12/27(Fri)05:25 No. 1101651 ID: febe9c
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>take the sneaky low path
>Argument: Take the forward path. It will be direct and put us in full comfrontation of the mole men at thegate, but their threat is manageable and time is of the essence in this mission.

You weigh up the options. Sure, taking the lower path will allow you to avoid the bulky mole people, but mole people are stupid, and there are two of you.

You decide to directly confront the mole people.

[Note: I’m not crazy about the combat system so far. I’m going to be switching to narrative combat for a while. I’ll still judge your arguments in combat but I’m not gonna have health and stuff anymore.]

(2/2) kpwlt 2024/12/27(Fri)05:25 No. 1101652 ID: febe9c
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As you approach the mole people, they shift into more active postures. Mary pulls a flail from her bag and you are already holding your baton.

You interface with your opponent’s psyche. Defeating the following arguments will break their stance, if for but a moment.

You are not prepared for what lies beyond the gate.

Our king is not eager to receive you.

That second one is tricky, (though one could always attempt “But what if he is eager to recieve us though?” as these mole people have been made out to be rather dull) but we can make progress with the first. “You know nothing of us. It’s completely possible that we are fully prepared for what lies beyond the gate.”

For the first argument, this is a pair of indiviaduals trained for a variety of contingencies, as well as capable to asses and adapt to new, unforseen dangers. Even if the current threat proves too much for just two special agents, there is no harm in actual passing through to verify.

For the second, Your king needs not meet us at all! This is a rescue operation meant to retrieve a missing individual, without intent on intruding further. Passing near the king's chambers in order to fulfill this mission is purely incidental and bids no further thought.

1) "I am at least partially prepared to witness what lies beyond the gate, because I have eyes. I am not prepared for what happens if I give up on my mission."
2) "Do you have data on the emotional status of the king? Have you checked on the king?"

Start with the legs.

Preparation only counts for so much, one must be able to improvise.

Finding the man we seek is more important than the whims of an unrecognized king.

1. What evidence do you have for this statement? We have not displayed any sign that could possibly allow you to determine our preparedness. As such, your assertion is baseless.

2. As a representative of the Government of the land you occupy, I speak in this circumstance with its authority. As such, you must acquiesce to my demand to enter, as your King does not have recognition or authority, and is thus overriden.

(1/3) kpwlt 2024/12/30(Mon)18:25 No. 1101769 ID: 127310
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>“You know nothing of us. It’s completely possible that we are fully prepared for what lies beyond the gate.”
>What evidence do you have for this statement? We have not displayed any sign that could possibly allow you to determine our preparedness. As such, your assertion is baseless.

You appear to be of this world. If that is true, then you cannot possibly be prepared for what follows your audience with our king.
The mole person grasps at your baton. This point is still up in the air.

>1) "I am at least partially prepared to witness what lies beyond the gate, because I have eyes. I am not prepared for what happens if I give up on my mission."

Your baton smacks the shins of the mole person, certainly bruising it, but it still stands firm.

I would suggest that it would be less disastrous for you to give up on your mission. You may abandon your livelihood by doing this, but by continuing on this path you abandon your life.

(2/3) kpwlt 2024/12/30(Mon)18:25 No. 1101770 ID: 127310
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>For the first argument, this is a pair of indiviaduals trained for a variety of contingencies, as well as capable to asses and adapt to new, unforseen dangers. Even if the current threat proves too much for just two special agents, there is no harm in actual passing through to verify.
>Preparation only counts for so much, one must be able to improvise.

When I last visited the surface, no person would have been able to survive what lies beyond the gate. Could it be that you have the means to?

Your baton lands. Painfully. You’re sure that whatever kneecap this thing once had has now retreated far up its thigh. The mole person roars and stumbles in agony but continues to make a valiant effort to strike back.

(3/3) kpwlt 2024/12/30(Mon)18:25 No. 1101771 ID: 127310
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>“But what if he is eager to recieve us though?”
>2) "Do you have data on the emotional status of the king? Have you checked on the king?"

Word travels from his chamber to the gates every so often, so I have an idea. I have guarded this gate since the king ascended the throne. He has never accepted visitors.

The guard seems to have adapted to its injury and continues to resist you.

>For the second, Your king needs not meet us at all! This is a rescue operation meant to retrieve a missing individual, without intent on intruding further. Passing near the king's chambers in order to fulfill this mission is purely incidental and bids no further thought.

Your tone calms me, though your words aggravate. Unless you seek another of my kind, retrieving a visitor will interfere directly with the king’s matters. I am only aware of one of your kind inside here. He is currently being held by the king.

>Finding the man we seek is more important than the whims of an unrecognized king.
>2. As a representative of the Government of the land you occupy, I speak in this circumstance with its authority. As such, you must acquiesce to my demand to enter, as your King does not have recognition or authority, and is thus overriden.

Another blow to the mole guard. Unfortunately, it seems to gather itself quicker every time you hit it.

Why is your Government more important than mine?

You can feel the guard’s mind pulse with bated brainwaves. Its fist rushes towards your central mass.

When I last visited the surface, no person would have been able to survive what lies beyond the gate. Could it be that you have the means to?
It is not possible to know for certain if we have the means to. However, as a highly trained government agent and a licensed private agent of the Hazard Association, I and my companion, respectively, have a high likelihood of possessing the means to survive (at least comparatively).

Why is your Government more important than mine?
The subjective 'importance' of our respective governments is of no matter. The fact of the matter is that the Government I represent possesses two factors that yours does not. Widespread international recognition, and a monopoly on violence over the land we currently occupy. As such, it is not a matter of 'importance', but a matter of power and recognition.

Importance is a factor of scale. Our government is larger, has dealings with more countries, and has influence over more subjects than yours. Thus it is more important.

>>1101769
"If I fail to bring back intelligence, they will send another to do my job. They will suffer as I would suffer for cowardice."

>>1101770
"Times change, the nature of conflict does not. But what exactly are you implying?"

>>1101771
"My government may or may not be superior to yours. That is not the point. What is the point is that my government inflicts more impact upon a wider range of people than yours. It is impacting your people right now.
"

(1/3) kpwlt 2025/01/04(Sat)22:28 No. 1101977 ID: 127310
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>The subjective 'importance' of our respective governments is of no matter…
>Our government is larger, has dealings with more countries, and has influence over more subjects than yours…
>What is the point is that my government inflicts more impact upon a wider range of people than yours…

I grant that your government holds a monopoly on violence here - the guard absorbs a strike - and I know not of the international relations it has with others, therefore I choose to concede this point.

You draw blood this time.

>It is not possible to know for certain if we have the means to…
>Times change, the nature of conflict does not…

If you do not know for certain, then you are not ready. Your people are not prepared for the evil sealed within these walls.

>If I fail to bring back intelligence, they will send another to do my job. They will suffer as I would suffer for cowardice.

Then you shall all perish at the bottom of the pit!

As if giving up, the stocky mole person falls to its knees and slides into a lying position on the cold stone.

(2/3) kpwlt 2025/01/04(Sat)22:28 No. 1101978 ID: 127310
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You turn to Mary, who is already writing notes about how hazardous mole people are or something. Her mole person looks like it’s been out cold for a while now.

“You ready?”

She flashes an ever-so-slightly sinister smirk at you.

You laboriously force the gates open.

“WHO GOES THERE?!”

(3/3) kpwlt 2025/01/04(Sat)22:28 No. 1101979 ID: 127310
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The voice booms throughout the cavern. You can see a figure shrouded in darkness sitting atop a hideously tall throne. You also swear you can see something… dangling just behind the throne.

“Come into the light so that I may lay eyes upon you!” The figure commands.

“Who is it, King?” Another voice asks. “Oh, by the Crown! Whoever you are, come help me, please!”

Though the king quickly roars him into silence, you recognise the second speaker as the Minister for Spatiotemporal Anomalies

Demand the release of the minister. Ask what terms his majesty would have you meet.

Definitely specify you won’t be leaving without the minister. Also perhaps state that your goal is to remove yourself from the mole people’s territory as soon as possible once we’ve secured the minister’s safety. If this king simply wants us off his land so we’ll stop hurting mole people, there’s an easy and diplomatic way to go about it.

>>1101982
This argument is good, plus begin by introducing yourself with a bow or other courtesy befitting nobility. At leaast it won't hurt.

(1/1) kpwlt 2025/01/09(Thu)19:20 No. 1102135 ID: 8ba6a7
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>Demand the release of the minister. Ask what terms his majesty would have you meet.
>Definitely specify you won’t be leaving without the minister. Also perhaps state that your goal is to remove yourself from the mole people’s territory as soon as possible once we’ve secured the minister’s safety. If this king simply wants us off his land so we’ll stop hurting mole people, there’s an easy and diplomatic way to go about it.
>This argument is good, plus begin by introducing yourself with a bow or other courtesy befitting nobility. At leaast it won't hurt.

You come into the light and bow. Mary remains just out of sight.

You explain your situation to the king, applying plenty of respectful language. Though he is still just a silhouette to you, you think you can make out some sort of long and pointy implement in his hand.

“Nice try,” exclaims the king, “but I can smell the surface on you! I know your objective is to annihilate my kingdom! As for this guy, he trespassed, and his punishment is to spend eternity bound in my chamber! And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll let me tie you up for eternity too! Otherwise, I will kill you.”

Ask the king how much room he has for prisoners, for if you fail to return the government will send more agents. But if he is open to negotiation, then his kingdom could be declared off limits to the surface.

Also, if you were here to annihilate, then you would be fighting now, not talking.

There's not just the prison size issue. Every time an agent is sent, they have to fight their way here, which means his people suffer. The path of least suffering is for him to let the prisoner go.

As for the "You're here to destroy my kingdom" part, what gives him that idea? You have avoided conflict thus far. If you wanted to destroy his kingdom you could have chosen to do a lot more damage, and in fact it would be very unwise for you to be here in this room if you wanted to do damage to his kingdom. After all, he's far stronger than you, isn't he? Coming here would be foolish unless your objective was in this room, and since you are weak then your objective cannot possibly be to kill him.

Ah! I have it! He thinks we’re here to eradicate his people, right? Well, perhaps an arrangement can be made that would allow for such an eradication to be completely off the table. Perhaps we can explain to the king that we cannot guarantee his people’s safety unless a temporary non-aggression pact is made. Whatever Spatiotemporal anomaly is down here is probably causing problems for the Mole People as well. If we have the means to possibly stabilize it, all parties involved will benefit. You get to get rid of the anomaly, and once that’s done, the ministry will have no more business down here and we can leave these Mole People alone. All that’s really needed is a temporary pass to locate this anomaly and do away with it. If your company is as efficient as it should be, the whole process shouldn’t take more than a few days, surely? Unless there are in world complications to this idea. I don’t think it’s wise to lie to this king just yet.

(1/1) kpwlt 2025/02/01(Sat)03:10 No. 1103141 ID: 127310
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>Ask the king how much room he has for prisoners

“Plenty! I am not for want of more room. In fact, I’ll show you, once I have learnt everything he has to tell me. He’ll be thrown into the pit with the others, where they shall forever wallow in blackness and silence. Forever!”

>Also, if you were here to annihilate, then you would be fighting now, not talking.
>You have avoided conflict thus far. If you wanted to destroy his kingdom you could have chosen to do a lot more damage

“Lies! I know better than any that regimes are not felled with spears and bombs. You wish to corrupt my very mind and seduce me into destroying my own kingdom! Now, allow yourself to be tied, or I will kill you and throw you into the pit.”

>Whatever Spatiotemporal anomaly is down here is probably causing problems for the Mole People as well. If we have the means to possibly stabilize it, all parties involved will benefit. You get to get rid of the anomaly, and once that’s done, the ministry will have no more business down here and we can leave these Mole People alone.

“Whatever what?! If you tell the truth- no. More trickery!”

The Minister now pipes up.
“It’s true! My king, that is what I first came here to do!”

The king now addresses you.
“Hmmmm. I have an offer. I will release this weak one to clean up or fix whatever issue there is, if, and only if, you throw yourself into the pit. It is behind my throne. Otherwise, I will kill you and send the prisoner into the pit.”

You get the idea that this fellow has a bit of an eroded sense of reason. You are also not entirely certain whether or not he could overpower you. He speaks very severely, but you think you can make out very skinny limbs moving in the darkness.

>>1103141
Ask the captive if the king is indeed strong, or if he got beaten by servants... or he lost in a battle of wits.
It occurs to me that we have not seen the pit, either. The proposed deal might work if the fall is survivable and then you could climb out.

You also have Mary's help. I wonder what help she can be here? She's been awfully quiet.

Heh, could be amusing to challenge the king to an arm wrestling match.

This is a false dichotomy, as the king's description of the pit sounds much like death.
What assurance is there that the King will keep his word?

Hmm… That’s certainly an offer. I think there’s still an “honorable” way to go about this, since I’m sure we have no interest in jumping in the pit. Since the only issue with the offer is the whole pit thing, I suggest we challenge the king to a duel. Whoever loses will throw themselves into the pit in exchange for the Minister’s release. Seems only fair to duel for which one of you throws themselves in, no? (This way the minister is released even if we fail, and can go with Mary, worst case scenario. We’ll easily best this king, surely, but it’ll feel nice knowing the mission is technically already completed)

Wait! Better plan! Or alternative plan? Return his ultimatum with your own. We will throw ourselves in the pit if and only if we are bested in combat. Otherwise the minister is to be released with no sacrifice.

(1/2) kpwlt 2025/02/04(Tue)05:31 No. 1103241 ID: 127310
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>Ask the captive if the king is indeed strong, or if he got beaten by servants... or he lost in a battle of wits.

The Minister manages to explain before the king hushes him.
“I surrendered when I saw he had a gun. Good on you for mustering up your courage despite that though, mate!”

A gun is arguably the most deadly thing a layperson can have and operate on their own in this world. Hence why they are almost completely illegal here in Southshoals.

>You also have Mary's help. I wonder what help she can be here? She's been awfully quiet.

Mary presumably wishes to remain concealed so she can strike at the most opportune moment. Oh, nevermind, she’s now shouting at the king.

“Hey! Drop your firearm immediately! I’m arresting you for possession of illegal weaponry. As a citizen of Southshoals, of course.”

At least she has her flail drawn and ready.

(2/2) kpwlt 2025/02/04(Tue)05:31 No. 1103242 ID: 127310
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>It occurs to me that we have not seen the pit, either. The proposed deal might work if the fall is survivable and then you could climb out.
>This is a false dichotomy, as the king's description of the pit sounds much like death.

“You will survive the pit, interloper, but you will never, ever, ever, ever leave it!”

>What assurance is there that the King will keep his word?

“You have my word as king that I will keep my word.” He takes on a very solemn tone when saying this.

>Whoever loses will throw themselves into the pit in exchange for the Minister’s release. Seems only fair to duel for which one of you throws themselves in, no?
>We will throw ourselves in the pit if and only if we are bested in combat.

“You anger me with your words. I cannot understand what you want, you speak too much! You argue for a fairer bargain than the one I have given you? Do you wish to fleece me? I’ll kill you!”

With that, the king makes an almighty downwards leap from his throne, and rises, pointy thing outstretched towards you. You can also see the glint of the pistol he has tucked under his belt.

The king is pretty slender, so you think you might be able to scoot around him to get to the Minister, if you don’t want to fight him. As long as he doesn’t manage to shoot you in the process.

>>1103242
The crown, it says.... "W.O.L.A.N.T."? This guy isn't even a mole person. A false king.

>threatens to kill you
>doesn't pull his gun
Maybe it's out of bullets. Anyway, the best way to avoid getting shot is to not let him draw the gun at all. Get in there.

Slip around him as a feint, so Mary can attack from behind. Try to keep moderately close so he isn't tempted to draw his gun.

(1/2) kpwlt 2025/02/06(Thu)04:47 No. 1103370 ID: 127310
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>The crown, it says.... "W.O.L.A.N.T."?

Does it? You aren’t entirely certain. Your eyes are on the knife right now.

>This guy isn't even a mole person. A false king.

Almost makes you wonder how he came to be king of the mole people in the first place. Or whether the mole people even know that they’re being ruled by a false king.

>Anyway, the best way to avoid getting shot is to not let him draw the gun at all. Get in there.
>Slip around him as a feint, so Mary can attack from behind. Try to keep moderately close so he isn't tempted to draw his gun.

You have an idea.

You barrel directly into the king (avoiding the knife of course), knocking him over and catching a whiff of his psychic aura. Something to the tune of you should throw yourself in the pit, because squadrons of braver warriors than you throw themselves in the pit without argument.

Anyway, after smashing into the king, you strafe around the throne to assess the situation with the Minister.

(2/2) kpwlt 2025/02/06(Thu)04:47 No. 1103371 ID: 127310
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Before you can process what you’re seeing, the king draws his gun and blows a massive crater in the wall, mercifully yet inexplicably far from where you or Mary are standing. You then hear the sound of a man in a ridiculous outfit being clobbered by a Hazard Association Agent.

The Minister for Spatiotemporal Anomalies is restrained very thoroughly. Although, if you could get to him, you’re fairly certain you’d be able to remove the ropes with relative ease.

The only problem is that he’s suspended over the dead centre of what you presume to be the pit. Surrounding the pit is a well-like concretion. Inside the well seems to be a slope, steep enough to ensure that almost nobody will be able to scramble out, but shallow enough to not necessarily mean certain death on impact.

Anyway, you reckon you can jump to the Minister and are strong and dextrous enough to hold on to him and untie him then and there, but the only problem is that you have no idea how to untie him in such a way that you and he will be able to jump out of the pit. You don’t even know if you can get back once you jump to the Minister regardless of whether or not you untie him.

“Thank you ever so much for coming, I thought I was going to hang up here forever.”

>>1103371
Maybe you can just swing? Hold onto the rope as you're untying the minister, make sure he's got a grip on it as well, and then the two of you swing on the rope until you've got enough momentum to jump over the side of the pit.

I'm wondering if you can use the rope to recover the people trapped in the pit? Seems pretty long, but we don't know how long the slope is.

>>1103374
That seems like the best bet. It looks like there is a lot of rope to work with.

And on the note of the king's combat-argument:

Jumping into the pit is neither required to be brave nor to prove it. Moreover, I'm not here to prove my bravery or combat prowess, but to rescue a person of import Jumping into the pit would be counter-productive to this goal.

(1/2) kpwlt 2025/03/02(Sun)07:18 No. 1104374 ID: 127310
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>Maybe you can just swing? Hold onto the rope as you're untying the minister, make sure he's got a grip on it as well, and then the two of you swing on the rope until you've got enough momentum to jump over the side of the pit.

You jump off the edge of the pit and grab on to the Minister. The sudden jolt of weight snaps a cord above you. It also jerks the Minister’s glasses off and into the pit. He assures you that retrieval of those will be unnecessary. The ropes continue to adjust to their new burden, and it’s not clear to you how they’ll eventually end up. You quickly start untying him.

>I'm wondering if you can use the rope to recover the people trapped in the pit? Seems pretty long, but we don't know how long the slope is.

Surely it can’t be that deep, right? Once you’ve managed to get yourself and the Minister to safety, you are free to decide whether or not to rescue the people in the pit.

>Jumping into the pit is neither required to be brave nor to prove it. Moreover, I'm not here to prove my bravery or combat prowess, but to rescue a person of import Jumping into the pit would be counter-productive to this goal.

If you have to fight the King at any point, you’ll keep this one in mind.

(2/2) kpwlt 2025/03/02(Sun)07:18 No. 1104375 ID: 127310
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Speaking of, here come Mary and the King now! Somehow, they both seem to be fairly evenly matched. Mary, although definitely stronger than the King, appears to be struggling to control his unwieldy body or her unwieldy weapon at such a close range. The King also waves his gun around ineffectually, threatening to shoot some random point in the cave. You see Mary’s psychic field flaring and flickering as she tries to predict his movements.

A terrible idea seems to occur to both of them, as they unanimously struggle over to the edge of the pit and try to force each other in, whilst keeping a firm grip on each other. There’s no telling who will come out on top here.

Better get in there and turn the tide. From my impression he's probably using the Argument from Authority fallacy a lot so you can be quick to counter him with that.

Keep untying the minister so one of you can drop on the king.

our duty as a public servant is first and foremost to the minister! we should untie him first and then all three of us can defeat the (quite illegitimate) king!

Untying the minister ought to be our first priority as a servant of the state. However, as soon as we manage to untie him, we should rush to Mary's aid. Looking a bit too close to the ledge for comfort, there.

(1/1) kpwlt 2025/03/04(Tue)06:15 No. 1104496 ID: 127310
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>Keep untying the minister so one of you can drop on the king.
>our duty as a public servant is first and foremost to the minister! we should untie him first and then all three of us can defeat the (quite illegitimate) king!
>Untying the minister ought to be our first priority as a servant of the state. However, as soon as we manage to untie him, we should rush to Mary's aid. Looking a bit too close to the ledge for comfort, there.

You get to untying the Minister.

By the time he’s almost free (but still bound securely), you can see the pair of combatants tumble over the wall of the pit out of the corner of your eye. Damn!

Mary grabs a loose piece of cord. The King grabs her leg. All four of you can see that if she continues to hold on for much longer, the link to the ceiling will snap. For a brief moment, she engages your psychic field.

Something isn’t right. My arguments with the King… He seemed to indicate that the people he sent to the pit already intended to go there. Get the Minister out of here, and come find me if you also want to get to the bottom of this.

And then she’s gone.

You finish untying the Minister and get him to safety. You then get on with the “Okay, Mister Minister, let’s get you home” but he cuts you off. “If you’re going down there, I’m coming with you. Don’t try to stop me. Besides, I need my glasses back.”

You could carry the Minister all the way back to the Lower House if you really wanted. You consider that the Minister only wants to come with you out of guilt or embarrassment over not being useful thus far.

Attempt to convince the minister to exit the catacombs and return to safety. Once again, we are a servant of the state, and thus our mission is of the utmost importance.

However, as a servant of the state, we also have a responsibility to safeguard its citizens, and Mary is (presumably) a citizen of Southshoals. If we are able to convince the minister to head back, we should do our utmost to assist her. In the case that we are utterly unable to, defer our next course of action to the minister's authority.

Pull down the rope and secure it to the edge of the pit. If it reaches the bottom then fine, you'll go down and help. If not then the minister will have to admit you need more rope before you can proceed. You cannot allow the minister in the pit without a secure egress.

Only allow him to come if he's useful.

I think we might need the Minister’s help. The spatiotemporal anomaly is still down here, and based on argument weirdness, probably down there. Think of it this way. Remember our point from our negotiation with the king? If the Minister can finish what he set out to do here in the first place, then he has no further business here, and we don’t have to risk disturbing the mole people any further. Two birds with one stone type deal. If we can safely ensure the completion of the Minister’s mission, at the very least we know we won’t have to save him from this hole AGAIN the next time he comes down.

(1/3) kpwlt 2025/03/10(Mon)05:32 No. 1104771 ID: 127310
File 174160996948.png - (28.08KB , 700x700 , u27p1.png )

>Pull down the rope and secure it to the edge of the pit. If it reaches the bottom then fine, you'll go down and help. If not then the minister will have to admit you need more rope before you can proceed. You cannot allow the minister in the pit without a secure egress.

You try to see whether the rope will reach the bottom of the pit. It is impossible to tell.

>Only allow him to come if he's useful.

You think he probably won’t be. He may be the Minister of Spatiotemporal Anomalies, but his job is only to run a Ministry of people who know about the subject. You tell the Minister that you would really prefer it if he didn’t come.

“Fine. But you had better come straight to my office the moment you resurface. If I don’t see you again this week, I’m coming right back here.”

>I think we might need the Minister’s help…

You really hope you can finish the Minister’s mission without him, but you decide to leave him out of this for now.

You navigate the Minister back through the catacombs and deposit him back in the bathroom. You ask him for any information that could help you with his mission.

“A while back, when the catacombs were first discovered, they were just a complete no-go zone. Because of the mole people, you know. Of course, people went in anyway. Teenagers, mostly. They usually just went in to gawk at the residents, but eventually NESTPOL started receiving panicked reports of something weirder down there, with photos to back it up. People that aren’t quite right, formless blobs, things like that.

It was initially presumed to be a hoax, until this pretty well respected organisation, WOLAND I think they were called, applied for permission to investigate, saying that they had some ideas about what might be going on and might be able to clear it up for us.

So we had a joint expedition down here between some of the Lower House and some guys from WOLAND. They said they didn’t find what they were looking for, and nothing was out of the ordinary. I didn’t realise this in the rush to leave, but that throne room? I asked everyone from the House if they remembered going in it and none of them did. Some didn’t even know it existed. Of course, they were all comfortable saying that the WOLAND agents must’ve checked it thoroughly enough to say definitively that there was nothing there, but this has been keeping me up at night. And look! There was definitely something there!”

Before you head back down to the pit, you go to hand the Minister his beacon and tie.

“Keep it." He says, pushing back the beacon. "You can use it to send out a distress call. I'm sure it'll be more use down there than it is up here."

(2/3) kpwlt 2025/03/10(Mon)05:32 No. 1104772 ID: 127310
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You return to the pit. Now that the silence is no longer broken by fisticuffs or conversation, the room takes on an awfully sombre quality. You collect Mary’s belongings, grab a rope, take a deep breath, and leap in.

You slide down, into the dark, gradually building up momentum. You hold on to the rope ever tighter but that doesn’t stop it from being jerked from your hand the moment it goes taut. The slide steepens, then shallows, then steepens again. You are sure that this is death.

(3/3) kpwlt 2025/03/10(Mon)05:32 No. 1104773 ID: 127310
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In an instant, you see light, rushing towards you, then engulfing you. You skid across dirt interspersed with leaves and twigs before slamming into a tree.

You appear to be in some kind of forest of thin, densely-packed trees. You can see shapes moving in the distance ahead of you, obscuring the light of the sky. Short grey ones (which seem to be keeping away from the others), white ones, and a tall black one.

Taking some time to appreciate the subtler details, you notice a path. It’s not well defined, but it almost certainly has less debris covering it. Many footprints seem to have gone along the path, and have gone off it at various points.

At almost a right angle to the main line of footsteps, you notice another, clearer trail. This one is made of prints that look almost nothing like the main ones. Shoeprints, not an animal trail, but of a distinctly different shoe. They also only go in one direction, and there is only one set. They are also accompanied by a long, slithering pattern, which runs continuously, occasionally obfuscating some of the other prints.

Your observations are interrupted by a stiff thwack of something rather small impacting rather forcefully on a nearby tree, scaring off the birds that were perched there.

>>1104772
That's... that's not how you use a rope to descend...

>>1104773
Oh well I guess we're stuck here now, like all the rest.
>thwack
Probably an arrow, you're being fired upon. Get behind a tree that gives you cover from whatever direction the projectile came from then try to locate the aggressor.

I'd prefer to follow the path, to try to find the king and the allied agent. If we can do that while avoiding getting shot that'd be great.

Guess we can investigate the noise and then, if the source of it is nothing too distracting, follow the main, heavily-threaded path.

That sounded like a sling shot. Keep low and see if you can spot where it came from.

>Shoeprints, only one set, accompanied by a long, slithering pattern
That sounds worryingly like someone dragging a body. investigate

>>1104795
Wouldn't dragging a body be a straight line? Sounds more like a tail to me.

(1/2) kpwlt 2025/03/20(Thu)06:21 No. 1105114 ID: 127310
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>That's... that's not how you use a rope to descend...

Damn it! You knew something was off about the whole affair.

Tell you what, seeing as this was on me, say the word and I will retcon a rope into existence. Just for you.

>That sounds worryingly like someone dragging a body. Investigate
>Wouldn't dragging a body be a straight line? Sounds more like a tail to me.

The trail looks a bit small and wiggly to be a body. Maybe it’s a snake that followed directly behind and a bit to the right of whoever left these footprints? Must be a big snake.

>Probably an arrow, you're being fired upon. Get behind a tree that gives you cover from whatever direction the projectile came from then try to locate the aggressor.
>That sounded like a sling shot. Keep low and see if you can spot where it came from.

You hide behind a tree and keep your eyes peeled. As you scan for whoever (or whatever) shot at you, the white figures clarify themselves in your eyes. It turns out that they are people (or people-shaped things) clad in primarily white armour. There does not seem to be a consensus among these people for how much armour is necessary, as they all appear to be wearing different pieces of armour. Some are completely covered in it, some only seem to wear the parts that are convenient to them. All have a gleaming white helmet. They also seem to be carrying a number of weapons. Swords, maces, a crossbow, et cetera. They seem to be using the crossbow to shoot at birds.

(2/2) kpwlt 2025/03/20(Thu)06:21 No. 1105115 ID: 127310
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>I'd prefer to follow the path, to try to find the king and the allied agent. If we can do that while avoiding getting shot that'd be great.
>Guess we can investigate the noise and then, if the source of it is nothing too distracting, follow the main, heavily-threaded path.

You follow the main path, whilst keeping your distance in case any of those armoured people come near. After following the trail for a while, you see the tall black figure again. It seems to be a person clad in dark armour and some small amounts of cloth. It carries no weapon and is followed around by a number of other armoured people.

They all seem to be milling around some kind of campsite situated in a clearing. Several irregularly shaped deep grey tents are dotted around the clearing. Some fly white banners, some have people going in and out of them. After a while, the dark figure and a few white figures head off, leaving the rest of the soldiers to lapse into rest, having conversations, cooking, et cetera.

You can see the path continues through the camp and stretches away from you.

>retcon a rope?
Eh, even if the protag climbed down on the rope it was apparently too short to reach the bottom of the ramp, so it wouldn't have done much for us except possibly soften the landing.

>>1105115
Hmm. Alright, so there's a bunch of soldiers about and what looks like their leader. Considering you weren't chased, that crossbow bolt missing you wasn't actually aimed at you and was accidental, so we don't know if the soldiers are hostile or if they saw you.

Eavesdrop on the soldiers to see if you can get any idea as to what they're doing here, then go around and follow the path.

>they are people (or people-shaped things)

how can we determine if they are actually people (and not say souped-up mole-people)? Can we hear/understand what they are saying?

try to sneak into earshot, see what they're talking about.

(1/1) kpwlt 2025/03/26(Wed)06:44 No. 1105428 ID: 127310
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>Eavesdrop on the soldiers to see if you can get any idea as to what they're doing here, then go around and follow the path.
>how can we determine if they are actually people (and not say souped-up mole-people)? Can we hear/understand what they are saying?
>try to sneak into earshot, see what they're talking about.

You spot two very conveniently positioned soldiers. At present, they’re seated facing you (approximately), but once you go around the camp and get close they’re pointed the exact opposite direction from you. They seem to be enjoying lunch. You seem to be arriving at the tail end of conversation.

“Regardless, I hope they sub us out soon.”
“What, you tired of galah and roo already? Our supplies can’t be too far off.”
“I suppose.”
“Look, I think we can get out of here. Nobody else wants to take that government guy down, so we’ll volunteer and then they’ll have to send us back home. Maybe the next well won’t be so bad.”

As the two ponder on what the next well (?) could possibly entail, another soldier blunders into camp, rushing straight past you without even realising.

He’s most certainly panicked, but delivers his message in an almost calm tone. “An Engelkind,” he says “has been spotted downstairs.”

The entire camp is on their feet with a weapon in every pair of hands in the blink of an eye. A great deal of commotion is burgeoning, soldiers are asking each other for the quartermaster, the pair that you eavesdropped on earlier are well and truly assimilated with the bubbling crowd.

There's that word 'Woland' again. Some sort of mercenary outfit? or a corporate interest?

Sounds like they have orders to find you so best to sneak away while they're distracted.