(2/4) kpwlt 2026/02/24(Tue)13:48 No. 1122581 ID: 127310
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>there was a halberd on the cover of the book Umberto showed you
>The Halberd is on the cover of the book we're investigating!

The Halberd is a typical adornment on the covers and in the margins of mystic texts produced in Southshoals, as it’s the most iconic constellation visible here. It shows up more on astrological texts than tryptological.

Sam is unsure why Clerk would put the Halberd on his book aside from for patriotism’s sake. Or due to conflation of tryptology and astrology.

(3/4) kpwlt 2026/02/24(Tue)13:48 No. 1122582 ID: 127310
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>What's familiar about the big bird symbol?
>Seems like bird-like elements, wings and clawed limbs.

There was something else bird-like in this cavern, wasn’t there? Sam can’t quite place her finger on if there was or wasn’t.

The six blobs near the top of the symbol evoke the most familiarity. Like looking into the eyes of an old associate.

>Or, the core of the symbol is a triangle, similar in shape to the figure's head on the diagram we found. connection?

That’s a similar familiarity, but it gives Sam an impression distinct from this bird symbol.

>Hmm, those are runes around the edge. Can they be translated?

Sam recognises these runes. They function as a sort of alternate, officially unrecognised script. They might find themselves sprayed under a bridge or on the walls of a drainage tunnel, or on some country town resident’s hasty notes. All sides of the political spectrum have used them to paint themselves as ‘allies of the people’. They aren’t taught in schools, but they’re culturally osmosed from generation to generation.

A suburbanite like Sam would have been expected to learn them through notes passed at the back of the classroom, or etched into desks. Owing to her unpopularity during school, however, Sam has failed to pick these up.

When Uberto sees Sam gazing at the runes, he looks as though he’s digging up some mythic ancient lore, and then he points at the top left point of the symbol and calls them out in counterclockwise order.

UBERTO: “T, N, O, C, L, O, R. Any idea what t’noclor means?”

(4/4) kpwlt 2026/02/24(Tue)13:48 No. 1122583 ID: 127310
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>Hey, do that divination thing again. The orange symbol should have moved, so... where did it go?

Sure thing. Oh, hey. That’s what gave Sam the same vibe as the bird symbol. The map did, for whatever reason.

>Is it boarded up on both entrances? Wait, which room was the weapon storage?

That was the weapon storage. One of the entrances was boarded up, the other had a makeshift door. The orange symbol is now in the forbidden room.

>Should be the northernmost storage room,
>check out the third storage room.

Yes. The group moves to the northernmost storage room, the only one that they haven’t looked in yet.

SIMONE: “Oh, I don’t really want to go in there. Mary took one look and came straight back out.”

SAM: “Did she say why?”

SIMONE: “No, but she was holding her nose when she came back out.”

It’s not difficult to see why. This passageway reeks.

Uberto and Sam enter anyway. There are a bunch of bones with some rotting flesh clinging to them. Some corpses are more complete than others, so it’s difficult to tell how many are here or how they were all killed.

UBERTO: “Must be those… people that lived here before.”

He covers his mouth and pinches his nose with his right hand. With his left, he guides Sam back out. Sam is reluctant to leave. Not because it feels irreverent to leave so soon, but because she feels as though she is missing something. There is some presence of which she is not aware. There must be.

Trol Con eh? some kind of troll gathering?
just kidding it says 'control'

It feels like something's trying to communicate through your divination. Feels... corvidy
Does Sam know any birds?

also there seems to be a faint something right in front of you. Like a dark red star. Is that coming from the sigil?

also also, what are the red and green symbols?

>>1122582
>something bird-like in this cavern
Not really, but... those little stone figures could be similar if their arms were raised up instead of down.
>it's the map
Oh! There's birds in the background. Crows? They're saying something.
The first time, it was "Quit pro quo, Samantha"
This time, it's "I have waited... so long... ...to meet you"
>letters
CONTROL.

The divination still has a dark red reading here. I think we need to do something with the big bird symbol. Try touching it, saying "control", or maybe using that lockpicking spell again.

This room also has an eye symbol on it... looking up? Is there anything on the ceiling? Could just designate that there's art here.
The black symbol shows up in the remaining two rooms we haven't been, and it's also drawn on the wall. I guess we'll get an idea of what it means when we visit those rooms. Fairly sure the red !! symbol signifies threats, and the blue/red arrow symbol is for travel.
The green symbol wasn't here before... did someone new show up? I guess it could be Hella, but I expected her to correspond to the orange symbol, due to her text color. Oh, she can't be the burning figure though, you saw what she was wearing and it didn't match what the figure was wearing, right?

>>1122596
given the eye symbol's placement on the first map it would seem to indicate Sam's position

>>1122580
Mary was holding one of those figurines? We saw the burning thing just after we found them, but it was in another room looking through a different crate. Maybe it's searching for them, and it sensed us messing with one of them, but didn't know exactly where they were because we put them back in their box. Or it could have been after something else in the box, like the amulet.

Where did Mary find the figurine she had, and how long did it take the burning thing to appear?

(1/3) kpwlt 2026/03/02(Mon)12:25 No. 1122841 ID: 127310
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>given the eye symbol's placement on the first map it would seem to indicate Sam's position

The symbol has moved with Sam and it’s the same as the one on her dress.

>red and green symbols

The green symbol generally indicates the Lower House or the Legislature as a whole. The red symbol is the logo of Hazard Association. It could be that Uberto and Simone’s weapons were either imbued with some power, or some power rubbed off on them, causing them to register.

>Does Sam know any birds?

Not personally. She has issues with Uberto’s cockatiel, though.

>Oh, she can't be the burning figure though, you saw what she was wearing and it didn't match what the figure was wearing, right?
Hella was wearing black and white, loose, sort of boxy clothing, and wore her long orange hair down. It was difficult to see what the burning figure was wearing because of its large and indistinguishable form.

>just kidding it says 'control'
>CONTROL.
>"Quit pro quo, Samantha"
>"I have waited... so long... ...to meet you"

This makes Sam a little nervous. Why does the big bird with ‘CONTROL’ written around its sigil want to meet her?

>Where did Mary find the figurine she had, and how long did it take the burning thing to appear?

SIMONE: “In the same room you did. We were in there for a little while, and the fire thing only appeared when we started to leave.”

>Maybe it's searching for them
>Or it could have been after something else in the box, like the amulet.

There seems to be only one way to find out, and Sam might need a little push before she volunteers herself as a lab rat.

>also there seems to be a faint something right in front of you. Like a dark red star. Is that coming from the sigil?
>The divination still has a dark red reading here.
>Try touching it, saying "control", or maybe using that lockpicking spell again.

Struck by (your) inspiration, Sam rushes back to the art room. In blatant disregard of the black and yellow tape, she reaches out and places her hand in the centre of the sigil.

SAM: “Control.”

Nothing happens. That would have been a little embarrassing if the others were here.

(2/3) kpwlt 2026/03/02(Mon)12:25 No. 1122842 ID: 127310
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Sam retrieves her documents on Kleidas and completes the ritual prescribed for a situation as close as conceivable to this one.

A ripple of darkness extends from Sam’s hand and corrodes a part of the wall. She steps back to allow the sliver of rock to peel away and crumble into nothingness. The room starts to smell quite strongly of the absence of black tea.

A feathered mass bulges in place of the star-shaped slice. It’s as though whatever was on the other side has pressed itself up to its own wall as best it can. A mound in the centre of the apparition cleaves itself in two to reveal a featureless eye.

(3/3) kpwlt 2026/03/02(Mon)12:25 No. 1122843 ID: 127310
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A pale membrane flicks across the viscous dark several times. With each pass, it embeds some greyish afterimage into Sam’s mind.

A lot going on here.
Looks like you working with the birds. wielding a feather, then summoning a bird, and it must have gone well because you have a crown in the third image.
Also of note is you are holding a halberd.

the question is; is this a premonition, or an offer?

The first image. You are standing in a room with thorned vines and bones. You are holding up a feather... there is someone in the doorway.
I think this means the feather can be found in the corpse room.

The second image. You have performed or are performing some sort of ritual, and a crow stands on a pentacle drawn on the floor.
Clearly you can use the feather to summon the crows.

The third image. You are wearing a crown, wielding a halberd, and there are symbols visible... those black symbols on the map that look like flies are attached to your hand by lines. There are buildings in the background.
Hmm. I guess this means you become ruler of... whatever this place is? They're promising good things will happen to you after you summon them. Perhaps they're saying you will have control.


Well, no harm in getting the feather at least. We can confer with our allies as to whether it's a good idea to summon the birds.

>>1122583
Ok now that we know what the symbols generally mean I think the black fly symbols are associated with Hella's group... assuming she's in her office. If Hella is in the pit room then the orange symbol is her, and there's someone else in the office.

>Hella is wearing black and white
>She peers through the makeshift door and spies a black and white clad figure hunched over a crate. The figure quickly ceases its rummaging and bursts into bright orange flame.
Yeah either Hella is the culprit, or someone that dresses like her, which would mean someone in her organization. After we decide what to do about the crows, we should confront her.

(1/3) kpwlt 2026/04/03(Fri)14:05 No. 1124264 ID: 127310
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>the question is; is this a premonition, or an offer?

How does Sam tell the difference?

>I guess this means you become ruler of... whatever this place is?

Shrikenest, the capital of Southshoals, perhaps? Or even all of Southshoals? Seems a little out there.

>They're promising good things will happen to you after you summon them. Perhaps they're saying you will have control.

Sam does like the idea of that. Even a little bit of control would go a long way in her life.

>After we decide what to do about the crows, we should confront her.

Very well.

>I think the black fly symbols are associated with Hella's group

What are the implications of Hella’s group using the same symbol that represents cosmic darkness? Could they be tryptologers, too? Sam wonders.

>I think this means the feather can be found in the corpse room.
>Well, no harm in getting the feather at least.

Sam jolts back out of the painting room.

UBERTO: “Sam, what’s going on? Could you slow down a little, please.”

Only one thing is on Sam’s mind now. This is the closest she’s ever been to something truly new. She might be the closest person ever to seeing the edge of the world and the border of human knowledge.

She winds around Uberto and enters the corpse room. She’s down on her knees and scrounging through the muck with nothing but her hands and her will. What she finds is no feather, but a box. A sort of smallish heptagonal prism emblazoned with the image of a feather at one end. There are a number of panels with small knobs on them, held in by some latches.

(2/3) kpwlt 2026/04/03(Fri)14:05 No. 1124265 ID: 127310
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UBERTO: “Sam! Oh hey, what’ve you got there?”

SAM: “A feather… Oh, I don’t know. It doesn’t look like a feather. I think I can use it to summon some kind of crow.”

UBERTO: “Why are we summoning crows?”

SAM: “I think they might be able to help me, us. With looking for the pages and other things.”

UBERTO: “...Alright. Well, just keep me in the loop about this stuff.”

Uberto gags a little from the smell and leaves. Sam can tell that he is utterly unconvinced that this ‘feather’ will be any more than a pataphysical dead end. She is a little disappointed. It feels as though he only goes along with all of this because she’s his friend, and not because he thinks anything will come of it.

(3/3) kpwlt 2026/04/03(Fri)14:06 No. 1124266 ID: 127310
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The box feels a little heavy in Sam’s hand. The placement of the knobs and latches makes it difficult to get a good grip on the thing. In the near silence, a quiet tapping comes from within.

Sam quickly unlatches the end panel to find nothing inside. Opening the other panels reveals the same interior. The tapper is nowhere to be seen.

Sam leaves and joins the others.

SIMONE: “Heya. What’s that?”

SAM: “A box. It’s empty.”

JURIST: “Hmm. It is too shallow here. Too bright. The Daughter will not find this bird far from its nest.”

The box is much lighter now.

It sounds like the jurist is saying it will cone back after you go down the well.

I suppose now is as good a time as any to ask Uberto what he thinks of crow visions, and where to go from here.

Hmm. Close it again, I think, and bring it to the gallery. Closer to the nest. Open it there, the feather should appear.

(1/4) kpwlt 2026/04/29(Wed)03:56 No. 1126033 ID: 127310
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>I suppose now is as good a time as any to ask Uberto what he thinks of crow visions, and where to go from here.

SAM: “Uberto, listen, when I went back into the gallery, I saw-”

Uberto interrupts. He takes on a precatory tone.

UBERTO: “Sorry. Guys, could we maybe have a moment, please?”

He’s always reluctant for Sam to discuss her tryptology in the presence of others. Sam knows he’s not embarrassed of her or anything, there’s just a certain stigma surrounding it that he would rather her not have to deal with. In the past, people have been executed by angry mobs for practising, and even today ‘black magic’ (as its opponents call it) carries connotations of death and inhumanity. Still, Sam can’t help but feel a little offended, for some reason.

The Jurist and Simone leave the room and strike up a conversation of their own.

SAM: “-a crow, or a raven, or a rook or whatever it is. I found it because it showed me a map earlier in the caves. And so I ‘unlocked’ the sigil and,,, there was an eye that showed me visions.”

Sam relays the contents of the visions to Uberto.

UBERTO: “Wow. That’s, wow. That’s a lot, Sam. Do you think the first bit is already finished? You always said these things could be pretty symbolic. And you called it a feather earlier. And it wants you to summon it? Or it says you will summon it and come into power, you think?”

SAM: “Something like that, yeah. What do you think?”

UBERTO: “Well, seems ominous. Maybe even a little Faustian!¹ We should definitely be careful, but carpe diem, right? Isn’t this what you wanted? And surely we can figure things out without committing to something… unfavourable.”

SAM: “True. Alright, carpe diem. Come on now, we’ve got to figure this thing out.”

Sam shows Uberto the feather-box, inside and out. It is still empty.

¹ Here, Uberto used a word derived from the name of a literary character who is not Faust, but the translator felt that it would be best to use the more familiar term.

(2/4) kpwlt 2026/04/29(Wed)03:57 No. 1126034 ID: 127310
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>Hmm. Close it again, I think, and bring it to the gallery. Closer to the nest.

Sam and Uberto make tracks to the gallery, picking up the others on the way.

SIMONE: “Productive chat?”

SAM: “Productive enough.”

UBERTO: “Yeah! Pretty good. We’re going to go check out something in the art room now.”

The Jurist and Simone wrap up their conversation as they trail behind. It sounds as though they’re on the topic of their families.

The sigil has returned to normal. The monster from before is nowhere to be seen, but Sam feels as though its presence still lingers. A greying aura subtly exudes from the lines, but nobody comments on it.

When Sam walks into the room, the tapping returns and grows stronger the further in she travels. She almost drops the box in shock, but manages to compose herself enough to start unlatching it.

However, as Uberto, then Simone, then the Jurist quickly draw nearer to see what the fuss is about, the tapping dies down. Once again, the box is empty.

SAM: “Odd.”

SIMONE: “Weird?”

UBERTO: “Strange!”

JURIST: “Peculiar…”

Nobody addresses the thin black mist that emerges from the box. Nobody but Sam even seems to watch it rise and dissipate. The tiny particles float and burst like bubbles.

SIMONE: “How was it making that noise if there was nothing inside it? Is it like a puzzle or something?”

JURIST: “Nothing must have been making the noise.”

SIMONE: “Do you guys get what they’re talking about? Usually?”

UBERTO: “Haha. Too soon to say.”

>It sounds like the jurist is saying it will cone back after you go down the well.

SAM: “Come on. I’ve got another idea.”

(3/4) kpwlt 2026/04/29(Wed)03:57 No. 1126035 ID: 127310
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Uberto remarks about the catacombs as the group traverse through it.

UBERTO: “I never knew there were such huge caverns down here! Makes you wonder what else is just under the City, huh?”

(4/4) kpwlt 2026/04/29(Wed)03:57 No. 1126036 ID: 127310
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The well stands before the four. It looks ancient. It looks prehistoric.

Sam leans over the opening. On the inside, several handles have been drilled into the walls of the well, allowing safe passage up and down.

SIMONE: “Down there? Didn’t Hella say that was off-limits?”

UBERTO: “Hey Simone. We’ve explored everywhere else. If Mary’s anywhere in this place, she’ll be down there. I don’t think she’d be in the office.”

There is a small device blinking in the corner of the room. One of its two lights started flickering weakly ever since Sam drew near. She’s too far to get a good look at it.

>>1126034
>However, as Uberto, then Simone, then the Jurist quickly draw nearer to see what the fuss is about, the tapping dies down.
Try again, alone this time.

>>1126036
You could check the light, but imo that's a security device to sound an alarm when someone unauthorized approaches the well. Probably shouldn't approach either before finalizing our research on the box.

>>1126039
These assertions make sense. The boxed entity seems to want to meet you alone, which is worrying.

>>1126067
It MIGHT be sufficient for them to stand back a ways

(1/4) kpwlt 2026/05/06(Wed)13:04 No. 1126422 ID: 127310
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>You could check the light, but imo that's a security device to sound an alarm when someone unauthorized approaches the well. Probably shouldn't approach either before finalizing our research on the box.

Sam agrees. Best to remain sceptical.

>Try again, alone this time.

SAM: “Everyone stay here for a moment please.”

>It MIGHT be sufficient for them to stand back a ways

SAM: “Or just don’t come into the art room. Okay? Maybe just standing back will be enough.”

The others regard her with puzzled looks, but Uberto gives her an unsure thumbs up.

(2/4) kpwlt 2026/05/06(Wed)13:04 No. 1126423 ID: 127310
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Sam walks back to the gallery in total silence.

>The boxed entity seems to want to meet you alone, which is worrying.

It’s worrying, is it? Sam’s mind is plagued with tales of tryptologers triumphantly running through their towns, exclaiming that they’ve made contact with some cosmic intelligence from beyond the stars only days before their half eaten corpses are found by police in a ditch somewhere.

To push this fear back beneath the surface, Sam cracks open Clerk’s book again, back to where she was before. She turns the page.

It doesn’t really make much sense. There are elements that make sense in isolation but the whole is confusing. The heptagram reappears, and there’s another letter. At least it’s distracting.

(3/4) kpwlt 2026/05/06(Wed)13:04 No. 1126424 ID: 127310
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Sam decides to turn another page just to make sure whatever she was worried about stays away. Much better.

(4/4) kpwlt 2026/05/06(Wed)13:04 No. 1126425 ID: 127310
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Sam reaches the gallery and stands squarely in front of the sigil on the wall. The tapping returns, and with it, Sam’s worries resurface. Regardless, she calms her shaky hand and opens the box. A small beak emerges from within. It opens with a croaky voice that dims the soft light around it.

BEAK?: “Samantha… hello. It is good to rrk speak to you. You, your friends, your nation,,,,,, your future, are in danger. I can… help you. But first, you must… help me.”

SAM: “What? Hold on, who are you? What are you? What kind of danger are you talking about and will you help me? And how do I help you?”

BEAK?: “I have no name… I have been called many things, Samantha, but none,, ring true. In bygone years, I have been hailed as a god.. But, yours is an enlightened era, isn’t it? No gods govern this world, anymore, only philosophies. And, in truth… I am no god. I am but… a teacher and servant.”

The beak clicks a little before continuing.

BEAK?: “The other countries… have their eye on Southshoals, the orphaned nation. They want its riches and… splendour,,, for themselves. And your leaders, Samantha, they are willing to sell. The Prime Minister invites the usurpers in, and the, the Governor turns a blind eye. All other positions in this Government exist to protect those two and allow them to sell out the Crown.

But, I can grant you… the strength to oppose this. The strength to mould this nation into something that pleases you.”

It pauses now, and shivers uncomfortably. It seems sick.

SAM: “Are you alright?”

BEAK?: “Your will is corrosive to this feather of mine. I am unharmed. But listen, Samantha. I am locked outside. I cannot come in. I need your help. You must find the three missing pores and make me an entrance. I can tell that one is already close, but in another’s control…”

The beak lapses into silence.

>>1126424
...ah, we came here in search of the missing pages, but it seems we are likely to rediscover the content of the missing pages in a more direct fashion.

>>1126425
What it says supports what we found remaining in the book. "Protect the Crown" most importantly-- that is a noble goal. As for molding the country... honestly you should forget about that, aside from perhaps implementing more protections to keep the Crown protected.

Ask how you can open the pores. Did you already open this one?

On the one hand this seems like it could be a classic temptation lure you into freeing something evil.

On the other hand, crows are cool.
You should go along with this until information presents itself that it would be a bad idea.

To that end, ask it why it wouldn't talk in front of the others.

(1/2) kpwlt 2026/05/12(Tue)15:41 No. 1126734 ID: 127310
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>What it says supports what we found remaining in the book. "Protect the Crown" most importantly-- that is a noble goal. As for molding the country... honestly you should forget about that, aside from perhaps implementing more protections to keep the Crown protected.

Sure, Sam can get behind the idea that the vague idea of ‘protecting the Crown’ is good, in the same way that ‘promoting peace’ and ‘ending conflict’ are, but what, specifically, does this mean? And Sam isn’t convinced that moulding the country is necessarily a bad thing. She knows Southshoals has its problems. If she was at the reins, maybe things would be better for everyone?

You should go along with this until information presents itself that it would be a bad idea.

What kind of information would clue Sam in to that?

>To that end, ask it why it wouldn't talk in front of the others.

SAM: “So. Why did you want to talk to me alone?”

BEAK?: “It is not… a want. Your will corrodes the feather. Your acquaintances’ will does too. Perchance, imagine a tree that spreads outwards as it grows upwards. You are currently in one of the… lowest boughs, of this tree, where my feathers can reach you. When you are… joined by others, there is not enough room in the low parts of the tree, and… without even realising, you climb to a higher branch. Now that my feather is in the tree, it is easier for it to stay in the tree than before, and perhaps it could ascend slightly, but it is a poor climber.

SAM: “If your feather is here, where are you?”

BEAK?: “In the… roots.”

>Ask how you can open the pores. Did you already open this one?

SAM: “How do I make a way for you? How do I open the pores?”

BEAK?: “Steal them from the weak. Learn them… Harness their power. Unite them… in your mind.”

>it seems we are likely to rediscover the content of the missing pages in a more direct fashion.

SAM: “Steal the pages, you mean?”

BEAK?: “If you… think that would be best. But I know… you are past needing that. When the pores’ power is used… in your presence, pay attention to the flow of the darkness and you may… discover them yourself.”

(2/2) kpwlt 2026/05/12(Tue)15:41 No. 1126735 ID: 127310
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Sam’s train of thought is interrupted by a jabbing sensation in her left forearm. It’s as though someone is jabbing around with a needle. This is a sensation that Sam is fairly used to. Sam and Uberto have a small sympathetic alphabet tattooed on their non-dominant arms that they can use to communicate if need be. It’s fairly rudimentary, but it gets the job done.

This particular message roughly translates to
UBERTO HERE IF SAM NEED HELP LOUD SAY.

>>1126734
>If she was at the reins, maybe things would be better for everyone?
Do you have any experience governing? Or being in a position of power/authority? You could easily make things worse with an ignorant or reckless approach.

>>1126735
Well, time to see if the feather can ascend to Uberto's branch. Call him in.

Ask the feather what protecting the crown means exactly. In what ways could this be done?

you can message back that you're fine and headed back.

unless beak has anything else to say you should return to the others.

(1/5) kpwlt 2026/05/25(Mon)14:15 No. 1127163 ID: 127310
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>Do you have any experience governing? Or being in a position of power/authority? You could easily make things worse with an ignorant or reckless approach.

Sam is currently taking a small break from her more-complete-than-not political science degree. She was also a registered member of the Southshoals Esoteric Party (which is currently led by Uberto), though she seldom attended meetings.

>Ask the feather what protecting the crown means exactly. In what ways could this be done?

SAM: “What do you mean by protecting the Crown?”

BEAK?: “Repelling… foreign influences. Northreef… the Regnum Centratum, even the Beltonine Federation… Their governments and magnates hold too much sway over your… our Legislature. And take wealth away from the people of Southshoals. We must strengthen the Executive to… protect the integrity… of Parliament and the sovereignty of the Crown.”

Sam thinks back to the pitch Uberto gave her to convince her to join his party.

SAM: “Hmm… You mean like taxing foreign corporations more?”

BEAK?: “A good start… though phasing them out entirely in favour of… domestic industry… would be better. A better goal, perhaps.”

(2/5) kpwlt 2026/05/25(Mon)14:15 No. 1127164 ID: 127310
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>Well, time to see if the feather can ascend to Uberto's branch. Call him in.

Sam calls out to Uberto. He bursts in with his brass knuckles raised.

UBERTO: “I’m here, Sam! Don’t worry!”

SAM: “I’m fine, it’s okay, Uberto.”

UBERTO: “Oh. Whoops.”

In hindsight, Sam could have called him in a less alarming way.

The beak recoils slightly. It makes a few clicking noises.

SAM: “Have a look at this. It is a ‘feather’.”

UBERTO: “Oh yes?”

BEAK?: “Samantha, this friend of yours carries the will of another as well as his own. And the light… so bright…”

SAM: “Don’t be worried. Your presence is harming the feather.”

UBERTO: “Oh no! I’m sorry little fella!”

SAM: “It’s alright, it’s just a feather. The main body is… not here.”

UBERTO: “Oh.. Where is it?”

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BEAK?: “It is not.”

UBERTO: “What could that possibly mean?”

OYARSA: “I am outside. Waiting in the innavigable darkness that looms beyond the edge of your world. Peering through the holes in the sky with eyes that are not yet real.”

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UBERTO: “Oh, like plague locusts? You know them, Sam, those freaky bug monsters that sometimes try to swarm the City. They think they come - spontaneously generate - from nothing, or almost nothing, now. I guess it makes sense, since they’re always coming out of the ground or melting through walls, but I always thought they came from somewhere, you know?”

SAM: “Is it like that?”

The beak scoffs. Then coughs.

BEAK?: “In the same way… you emerge from the same womb… that births roaches and… maggots.”

UBERTO: “Eugh.”

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>unless beak has anything else to say you should return to the others.

Now seems like a natural break in the conversation. Sam can’t think of anything else to ask at the moment, anyway.

SAM: “Let’s go meet up with the others. I want to know if the feather can withstand that.”

UBERTO: “Sounds like a plan.”

The two bump into Simone first.

SIMONE: “Oh, hey. I was just coming to check if you two want to come down the well with me. I don’t- I don’t really want to do it alone. Justice McGregor says they’ll go if you go.”

SAM: “Justice McGregor?”

SIMONE: “Your jurist friend who you’ve been travelling with?”

UBERTO: “Of course. We’ve just had a… mind-addling moment in there, is all.”

Thank the Crown for Uberto.

SIMONE: “Fair enough. Is it related to that?”

Simone points to the quite still feather-beak. It has begun to emit a kind of grey fume and does not speak.

SAM: “Oh yes. You could say that.”

SIMONE: “Haha, don’t worry. I won’t pry. Not sure if I want to know, anyway, judging by your expression.”

Sam is not aware of any expression she’s been making.

She now defers to you for her next course of action.

>>1127165
Thulcandra... malacandra, glundandra? From a web search, these look like names of planets in "Old Solar" from a film called The Silent Planet.
Thulcandra is Earth, (literally "Silent Planet"), Malacandra is Mars, Glundandra is Jupiter.

>>1127167
The fume has those unidentified symbols in it. Now they kindof look like weeping eyes with the pupil missing.

>Jurist's name
Oh lord we never asked it, and of course he's the kind of weird person who doesn't introduce themselves. Speaking of weird, his comments on the feather have been rather interesting haven't they? "Nothing must have been making the noise" indeed. You should ask if he knows anything specific about this, or if his statements have been more Pataphysical/prophetic than based on knowledge. Though maybe ask in a way that you won't be overheard by Simone.

>go down the well?
I guess. I take it we're not going to try retrieving those weapons. Makes sense, it's probably not worth alerting them to our intent.

whoops, seal beak back up.

onwards and downwards to the well

>>1127170
Holy Heavens! I had not read those years in many years. What a gracious delight it is to see them again.

That's not the name of a film, Out of the Silent Planet is the first book of the Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis!



In that book, the protagonist travels to Mars (Malacandra for the locals) and learns all planets can comunicate with one another thanks to the angel-like beings ("if they are mundane intelligent beings, they must have different bodies than us" the locals in Mars say to the protagonist) who were tasked by, well, God by any other name, to guide and keep watch over intelligent life.

All planets except Thulcandra, whose guardians have gone rogue; "bent", as the guardians on Malacandra call them, for they have no word for evil.

(Yes, the Christian themes are way more overt in this work than in Lewis' subsequent Narnia, but the first book has some cool aliens, and the second has an unforgetable scene where- right, back to Sam and company!)

So, I guess what Oyarsa is implying is that it emcompasses at least a sizable amount of the vastness between world, that it might be a deity, and that there is an active, maybe malevolent, force keeping it and our world unable to communicate. A force that's hard to see to the naked eye.

Hmm, I also err on the side of subterfuge! Let's go for the weapons without sharing spreading it around.

Oh, and I'd like to point out that the third symbol in the haze is not the same as the others. I wonder if we can see that better by trying to look at it while the haze is around?

Speaking of looking at things, is it possible to "zoom in" on the map? Like, do a local scan for objects with notable energies? Might get a better idea of what the symbols mean in the well room, or in the office if we dare go there now.

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>Malacandra is Mars, Glundandra is Jupiter.

Mars and Jupiter? Sam knows of no planets with those names.

>an active, maybe malevolent, force keeping it and our world unable to communicate

Odd. And ominous. Sam hopes this force isn’t too malevolent.

>seal beak back up

The lid goes back on.

>I take it we're not going to try retrieving those weapons.
>Let's go for the weapons without sharing spreading it around.

Sam weighs up the two options. She decides to go case out Hella’s office.

The strange room does not appear to be an office at all. Before Sam is a white plinth, and on the ceiling above it is another. They are identical aside from the symbols painted on them and the fact that the ceiling plinth has a sword wedged in it. Sam hopes it doesn’t fall out while she’s here.

At the far end of the room is a little golden bell on a pedestal. ‘RING FOR ASSISTANCE’, instructs a plaque on the pedestal. On the upper part of the wall is a white panel with the floor plinth’s symbol painted on it, only upside down. A window, perhaps? It’s big enough to be a door.

On the left wall of this room are two double sliding doors, such as one might expect to encounter when attempting to enter a lift, on an artificial column set in the wall. One door is on the floor, and the other is at the ceiling. Both bear the ceiling plinth’s symbol.

Odd.

>Oh, and I'd like to point out that the third symbol in the haze is not the same as the others.

It may be worth noting that the third symbol in the haze bears a striking resemblance to the symbol on the lift doors and ceiling plinth.

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>Speaking of looking at things, is it possible to "zoom in" on the map? Like, do a local scan for objects with notable energies?

Sam does not receive another map when she does this. Instead, the sword glows. Well, it’s not really a glow per se. Sort of the opposite. The sword unglows, and exudes strange particles. While bearing no resemblance to each other, the particles somehow impress the weeping eye glyph upon Sam’s mind.

Sam also notices a slight orange glow coming from her skin. It could be a trick of the light.

Nothing else in the room has any notable energies.

Sam makes an executive decision that she will not be retrieving the weapons. Unless she has an epiphany about this room.

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>onwards and downwards to the well
>I guess.

It's not mandatory. I, for one, wouldn't fault Sam if she simply decided to let Simone wait for backup.

Sam picks up Uberto and Simone and makes for the well room.

McGREGOR J: “Ah. The fated descent draws near.”

The light still flickers in the corner of the room.

Sam initiates another local scan. Everyone in the room immediately begins to glow faintly orange. Other, bolder colours soon dwarf the orange, though. Violet for the jurist McGregor, bright red for Simone, and grass green for Uberto. Sam is a bit disappointed that she has no second colour.

UBERTO: “All good, Sam?”

SAM: “Um. Yes. You two go ahead, I just… I just thought of something.”

Uberto, thankfully, takes the hint.

UBERTO: “Ah, alright! Simone and I will go scout out the well.”

The well has been converted into a black pond. It unglows in a similar way to the sword, and impresses the idea of the weeping eye as well. Like something watching from inside the well, between waking and sleeping. Looking into Sam’s skull with every glance she takes towards the divot. Uberto and Simone vanish into this void.

>You should ask if he knows anything specific about this,

Sam shows McGregor the box.

SAM: “Do you know anything about this?”

They take it from Sam and look over it, carefully fiddling with the latches.

McGREGOR J: “Ah, this is very impressive. Something that should not be, but is anyway. So convincing that it has not been ejected yet. A cuckoo egg. Could it be Clerk’s Raven?”

SAM: “Clerk’s Raven?”

McGREGOR J: “The book the Daughter carries became of great interest to the University of ‘Pataphysics, for rumour of an odd Raven between the lines. Shortly after, it was defaced and returned. The Raven was nowhere to be found.”

SAM: “What does the Raven do? What did the University want with it?”

McGREGOR J: “This one has heard much, and many. But the answers to those questions cannot come from this tongue. The Daughter should descend shortly. The situation may require her… expertise.”

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Sam and McGregor climb down into the well.

Night has fallen in the forest. Trees and darkness surround the two. A trail of small, tree-mounted lights illuminate the clearing and a path forwards.

Something moves up ahead. Sam can hear the chittering of birds… no, they don’t sound quite like birds, all around.

SIMONE: “Not sure I like this place. I can see why Mary wasn’t planning on coming down here.”

Uberto emerges from the path.

UBERTO: “Ah, hey guys. I had a little look up ahead. There’s another clearing without any other lit-up paths coming out of it. I haven’t been in there, but there’s like… some pots and boots and stuff there. It’s a little creepy.”

Huh. You went down a well intto a forest?

hmm, does it look like its been abandoned in haste? food still in the pot? should we be worried about predators?