[Burichan] [Futaba] [Nice] [Pony]  -  [WT]  [Home] [Manage]
[Catalog View] :: [Graveyard] :: [Rules] :: [Quests] :: [Discussions] :: [Wiki]

[Return] [Entire Thread] [Last 50 posts] [Last 100 posts]
Posting mode: Reply
Name (optional)
Email (optional, will be displayed)
Subject    (optional, usually best left blank)
Message
File []
Password  (for deleting posts, automatically generated)
  • How to format text
  • Supported file types are: GIF, JPG, PNG, SWF
  • Maximum file size allowed is 10000 KB.
  • Images greater than 250x250 pixels will be thumbnailed.

File 128786783538.jpg - (132.76KB , 729x576 , Thunder Golem.jpg )
247147 No. 247147 ID: a76809

[ First Thread http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/83524.html ]
[ Second Thread http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/142119.html ]
[ Third Thread http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/156884.html ]
[ Fourth Thread http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/177882.html ]
[ Fifth Thread http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/186331.html ]
[ Sixth Thread http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/195348.html ]
[ Seventh Thread http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/203684.html ]
[ Eighth Thread http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/222777.html ]
[ Ninth Thread http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/233735.html ]

[ Discussion Thread 1 http://quest.lv/kusaba/questdis/res/316616.html ]
[ Discussion Thread 2 http://quest.lv/kusaba/questdis/res/331007.html]

[ Wiki Page: http://tgchan.org/wiki/Golem_Quest ]

LAST TIME, ON GOLEM QUEST:
Mordre, the sapient Soul Grave, made great headway in establishing himself as a player within the Land of Dragons, and successfully outdid the Dragon Jioga the Arbiter in a contest set by the new emperor, Lubu the Unparalleled. While Mordre spent time reinforcing his position in the Land of Dragons, Ugrokk the Tall was brought to the inventor Toledo Gialgorra, and a fortune was offered to craft a new arm for the maimed warrior. Bang Magnum, travelling back to the Arcanoworks at Mordre's request, revisited his homeland Despardos, and made a big splash. Now, Bang is finally returning the Arcanoworks, and Mordre moves to join him, so that Eisenhardt can finally be dealt with.

ELSEWHERE
An inventor labors, thoughts whirling in his head. The frightfully tall and lithely muscled Ugrokk, the man he was paid to craft a new limb for... is mundane. There are no alchemical augments to his body, no magics engorging his form... and yet in several ways his body differs in subtle yet fundamental ways from the human norm. This changes nothing in terms of adhering to the job taken... but it bothers him. When the warrior returned to have his partly completed new arm once more checked for fitting, the inventor had an idea. He checked the patient's nervous system as ably as he could... and found it far more robust than expected. Instead of simply insulating the electrically charged arm to be from the patient, he decided on something a bit.... different, considering the proffesed goal of stealthy endeavors. And to this end.... The Thundering Heart now lives far more ably to its name. Reconfigerations have been calculated to allow the patient's heart to be stopped... yet circulation to continue, mind to keep firing thanks to the pressure and electrically bades engine in his arm. While this means that without the aid of magic, the warrior could keep fighting even when fatal damage to the heart has occurred... it also means he will be most ably equipped to fake his death. A stopped heart, a non-responsive body... yet just enough circulation to keep the brain oxygenated, enough electrical support to keep the mind alive, ready to resume control. Interesting possibilities, with such a skill. The inventor smiles, as he continues to work, for once his daughters nowhere to be seen.

.................................................................PERSPECTIVE SHIFT: MORDRE.................................................................

Finally.

I am informed of Bang's return to the Arcanoworks, informed of Eisenhardt's confusion as seeing such a monster as Nidhogg appear and be welcomed.... and I make my choice. I step into the teleportation box in the Land of Dragons, summon Burduko to my side-

And finally, I return to the place I claimed as my home, my Disjoining rune activating the moment I change locations.

I step out of the teleportation box on the Arcanoworks grounds, within seconds being hailed by a voice from the sky.

"SO, back again are you? ...With several modifications to your golem, to boot. Excellent. I hope you will be able to keep up!"
"Do you intend to attack those near me as well, Or shall you wait while we relocate to outside the Arcanowork walls?
"Of course I shall wait, I still fully intend to claim your apprentice in exchange for the one you took from me."

Eisenhardt, standing on a metal platform, floats in the sky beside Nidhogg, Bang still astride her, and looking to me questioningly. ...It would seem he wonders if he should simply attack Eisenhardt, now that he is so close, his attention turned away... and Bang completely bereft of any metal save that found in any human body. Reinhardt stands amidst the ranks of Derkin, Vespinto, Ellorika and Ulzrick, watching to see what I do, as I note the familiar presence of Ellayia's soul somewhere within the Arcanoworks tower, peeking out of an open window a floor above Arkus. Dame Valiria, daughter of the Blue Knight, calls a halt to the morning training session she was running, and the soldiers of the Arcanoworks-MY soldiers, now fully garbed in well-fitted plate, turns to speak with a grumpy and bearded face, Del Rogo the smith complaining as he follows his assistants outside to see what all the commotion is about.

With the dawning sun blazing away, I consider.....





What should I say or do?
>[Reminder: Mordre currently possesses 2,999 non-heroic souls]
Expand all images
>>
No. 247151 ID: 445c48

Please ask him if he's willing to wait just a bit longer, been away for some time, so much work has piled up, etc etc.
>>
No. 247154 ID: e31d52

Tell Bang via Phohn that this is your fight. After all, it would cheapen the victory if it was two on one.

However, he is to stay nearby. If we can end this without killing Eisenhardt, we'll need him to help repair the damages done.

Furthermore, we have a lot more souls than we did in our first match: Our magical endurance is probably thusly enhanced. Remember all of our tricks and their relative potency.

We have to pick between going all out right from the start, railgun blazing and inferno golems rushing forth, or to do things the normal way.
>>
No. 247155 ID: 7a79fd

I still do not understand why we had to wait for Bang and Nidhogg to arrive.

Are you guys planning to use them in this attack or something?

I though this was going to be one-on-one duel.

Also, I wonder, when we turn on the Blood Flow doesn't that mean we are more "organic" and have much more stronger sense of ownership about ourself? Shouldn't that mean that Eisenhardt can't manipulate our body?
>>
No. 247156 ID: e31d52

>>247151
Let's just get this out of the way, now. I've got a feeling that we might not be able to put it off much longer...
>>
No. 247161 ID: 9e5b05

What to do...Well, I know Bang would love to just pounce and punch Eisenhardt until he almost died, but we are more gentlemanly then that - if Bang did it of his own free will...

But anyway, sigh a bit and laugh like an old man. "Eisenhardt, Please. I have only just gotten back myself after aiding Lenryt in some venture or other. I don't even know how my Apprentice is doing! Please, come in for tea - I believe that's how we started this last time, and we can discuss how you have been, I can get caught up on what I have missed, and we can dicuss where we will hold this Tournament."

Phohn to Arkus: Have you talked to Del Rogo about his ax and Eisenhardt needing a name off it? That is why he's attacking, so if we can turn him into an ally, or at least have him not kill us, that would be nice.
>>
No. 247164 ID: 9e5b05

>>247155
We waited because HOLY SHIT, BANG ON A DRAGON IN LUCHA LIBRE LAND!

>>247161
An Addendum: "Yes, Eisenhardt, that is my dragon. Would you like me to tell you how I came by it?"
>>
No. 247166 ID: 56dc25

>>247151
>>247161
After making him wait already, having him wait even longer seems rather rude. Let's just get to it, perhaps loudly apologizing to everyone else with pressing business and informing them that we will handle their matters after dealing with this, or should we lose they're naturally free to do whatever they like.

>>247155
The blood flow requires that we use magnetomancy upon ourself. We might very well be able to accomplish that, but Eisenhardt would immediately sense it and unless our new magic-absorbtion abilities are up to stopping him from tearing us apart with magnetomancy, he'd one-shot us the moment we turn off our rune.

That said, I don't want THAT badly to conceal our blood magic abilities, particularly as Eisenhardt will be either dead or on our side after this. Or we'll be dead, in which case we don't need to worry about it. So the only serious consideration is if we'll be able to stop him with Goran's trick- perhaps we can fake him out by switching over to it at an opportune moment during the fight to test if it'll work.

>>247147
Fighting tactics: Whatever we do, do NOT use those new Magnetomancy-boosting blades of ours; should Eisenhardt get his hands on one it'll make him far more dangerous. (After he's working for us, we can give him one or two as a present.)

Frankly, this time around we might be able to just absorb magic all the time and fight him as much as a giant golem as a mage; we're much faster-moving and if we get our claws on him it's basically over (I think). He's tough, but ultimately still fairly squishy. Still, keep on the ball- make sure we're on alert for any new tricks that he might have planted inside the ground around the Arcanoworks, geomantic or magnetomantic. He's had weeks to prepare this ground to his advantage.
>>
No. 247168 ID: 7a79fd

>>247166

Well, we can use the new-found Jade-Soul techniques to put ourself inside a 'green soul bubble' of sorts, I think that means expanding our soul to encompass our body. That way our body should be shielded from Eis. influence (I think), while in that state we could turn on the Blood Flow.
>>
No. 247171 ID: 7a79fd

Listen...

Time moves in proportion how the mind sees it. Bang noted that Mordre thinks so much faster than him and Bang thinks extremely fast, so ... we need to find a way to use a golem kind adrenaline rush (like Keddic and Bang do). I don't think this should be that hard for Mordre, he is not constricted by fleshy limitations only by his mind.

If we manage to achieve that, we could see Eisenhardt coming when he uses his super speed thing
>>
No. 247172 ID: 445c48

>>247168
I'm rather sure we can't. We've got Jade Fist, Ethereal Strike, Warding Palm, and Rending Grasp.
>>
No. 247174 ID: 1854db

We are going to fight him again, alone. If we bring anyone else into the fight he'll fuck over the Arcanoworks.

Except... maybe if we get permission from him first. He will after all assume that he can simply kill those that are fighting alongside us. If those in question are Deep Spawn, that will be a non-issue. Burduko and Nidhogg might be of some use in this fight.

Bang might be strong enough to survive being drained of Iron... but probably would get scoured by Iron mist like we've used before. Leave him out of this.

Hey guys don't forget we have Vectormancy, Ignimancy, and Jade Soul attacks. Plus there's the railgun we can pull out of nowhere. Extra good if we can do it without him realizing we're lining up the shot. Like have the blades orbiting around in erratic patterns that 'coincidentally' align at him when we're ready to fire.
>>
No. 247182 ID: 7a79fd

>>247172
Maybe we can develop a new move?
We know that it is possible so it shouldn't be that hard.
>>
No. 247183 ID: 7a79fd

>>247174

I think Bang has extreme sense of ownership for Eisenhardt to mess with his iron
>>
No. 247186 ID: 6b5126

Is Reinhardt still around? It might be best to talk with him before you set out to kill his only known remaining relative. Also Ellayia might have fight-relevant information.

For the fight - I suggest keeping the Nimble Nitro ability as a hidden ace along with the AA.
>>
No. 247191 ID: 445c48

We're still looking to end it non lethally, right? So he'll work for us? Ignimancy Taser should help.

Hopefully Goran's Magic Eatin' will let us say "Fuck you" to any direct magnetomancy by him to us.
>>
No. 247203 ID: a76809
File 128787291627.jpg - (42.26KB , 267x400 , ROUND 2.jpg )
247203

>>247812
[Mordre can combine existing abilities to create hybrid actions, but Mordre still cannot simply develop a new move from nothing.]

>>237174
Before I even respond to Eisenhardt, a plan comes to mind. I let the six rune rings I possess slowly flit off if their rack at my hip, and set them to revolving about me. Each one is given its own independent orbit, all moving at different speeds.... that will allow them to all line up before my cannon, as if by pure happenstance. It is a long-term trap I plot in this, and I hope to keep it in mind when it becomes relevant.

>>241171
I begin to wonder just how I could augment my perception of time. I know I can see between instants innately, far faster in my cogitation than humans.... but could I push that even father? Could I slice time into even finer sections? I get the feeling this is possible without the need for Chronomancy... but I do not know how such could be accomplished. Barring any enlightenment on the subject, I do not believe it will be relevant during this coming duel continuation.

>>247162
>>247151
"Eisenhardt, please. I only just returned, And I have not seen my apprentice- Indeed, I have not seen the Arcanoworks for quite some time. Could I have a moment to-"
"Rejected. I have been made aware of your... genial duplicitous behavior. I will not let you out of my sight until our duel begins, and I will not let something else take priority for you. If my verbal request does not suffice, I will regrettably be forced to begin the destruction of your base here. Have I made my sincerity on this subject sufficiently clear?"

>>247166
>>247154
Through Phohn, I ask Bang to restrain himself, and watch the warrior leap from the dragon's back to the ground, moving to chat with Valiria while he keeps an eye on Eisenhardt. With that potential snafu averted, I re-address Eisenhardt, the orbit of runed saw-rings about my body complementing the 37 Deep Spawn cores still circling my torso.

"You have indeed been most concrete about this. Well then, shall we?"
"Lead the way."

I begin marching out of the Arcanoworks, sending furtive tendrils of Magnetomancy and Geomancy earthward-and finding the leyline beneath my base even closer to the surface, and the grounds thoroughly laced with thousands of tons of metal, all of it drenched in Eisenhardt's ownership: He has prepared the field even more thoroughly than he did the prior time we fought... hm.

After we move some hundred feet away from the Arcanoworks, Eisenhardt, still standing atop his floating metal disc, halts and speaks.

"This should be far enough. ...Are you ready?"

Here? Still so surrounded by territory he has had WEEKS to prepare for his own use? ...I do not at ALL see that ending well for me, but Eisenhardt only halfway seems to await my confirmation, as I feel his magic flitting into the ground, already claiming dozens of metal spheres each thrice as massive as my own form. ...I also note that in one third of a second, the 'random' circling of rings about my body will align with my cannon.... if I can get it turned on Eisenhardt without him becoming suspicious, this could be over before it begins....




What should I say or do?
Should I go for the riskier option, and try to fatally end the fight here and now with a shot from my revolver cannon accelerated to relativistic speeds?
Or should I try to sway my foe, and get our battleground moved with carefully chosen words?
Or should I simply... begin running, and force the battlefield to change locations? (I am certain he does not yet know of the speeds Nimble Nitro allows me to reach)
Or do I have another plan in mind?
>>
No. 247208 ID: cbce1d

On the topic of our soul, I wonder exactly what species our soul would be, and how skilled we would have to be to replicate the pattern of our soul so that there would be a soul that is the same species as our soul; there was that comment in the first thread, that more variety of species in the souls we consume have some effect on our spell matrices, and I want to know what effect that would be; creating different species/Life Golems, with souls different from other species' souls, and consuming their souls, would facilitate, or at least make it easier to reveal, that effect.

Bang could just spontaneously challenge Eisenhardt before we can start. He did say that he was going to challenge Eisenhardt in the last thread; since Eisenhardt wants to kill us, and is unlikely to back down from that position (unless someone has any brilliant ideas on how to persuade him?), we would therefore kill him if we fight first. However, if Bang were to battle Eisenhardt before our fight with him, because Eisenhardt has no special enmity against Bang, nor Bang him, they could just fight each other until they get tired of it. We do not need to fight alongside Bang.

Perhaps a viable strategy would be using Kinitemancy to propel ourselves up into the air (like we did during Goran's fight when we were in that pit), to reach him. Since Eisenhardt relies on physical projectiles (the metal spheres) to damage us (since he cannot rip us apart with Magnetomancy with the 'Disjoint' rune up), we have one ability to handle that (Abaeloth's HANDS OF HUNGER) along with another that will let us speed up our mind (Chronal Banditry) and another, Kinitemancy, if we can do that, to steal their motion to allow us to move faster. That's for the defensive; for the offensive, the only suggestion I can give would be: use Pyromancy to gather the residue Soulfire around our head to burn away his armor; using Kinitemancy to bring ourselves close enough to him fast enough to bring two tendrils of our Sable Executioner into and through his eyes, and into his brain; Ignimancy, charged before/from the beginning of the fight to immense proportions, get in close enough so that he can't attract it to his metal spheres, and let loose so that the charge fries him (I forget, does metal armor protect one from being fried from electricity, or enhances the damage one suffers from the shock? I know the metal can attract the lightning, but I forget if the electricity would jump to the flesh, rather than stay within the metal.); IG anti-magic field to strip away any magical defense of his, and then get in close to kill him, or IG primary function to strip away his magical defenses and hurt him with the explosion (probably going to waste his skin, though).

Er, for other things that don't quite fit: if we use Inverter on Eisenhardt's armor, what would happen? We know that his armor enhances his combat ability, and that Blood Iron, the metal the armor is made of, has innate magical properties; inverting that, would it not hinder, and perhaps outright destroy, Eisenhardt's ability to battle? And, I would like to test out our altered Edge of Oblivion, put it through some combat (though it might be safer to test it out after we have Arkus look over it).
>>
No. 247210 ID: e31d52

I very much doubt we can end this with him alive. Unless we life golem him.
>>
No. 247230 ID: 56dc25

>Grab something (a tree, a rock?) that can have its time stolen through Chronal Banditry
What exactly are the requirements for being able to steal time, anyway? Because the air has substance, when it comes right down to it. We could just be stealing its time constantly to act faster whenever we don't need that hand for anything else.

As for the railgun, I would not use it until you've got Eisenhardt's attentions tied up in one of his massively multitasked attacks upon your person. It'll have a greater chance of success then, when he doesn't expect it... and if nothing else, it'll force his attention away from coordinating his attack on you at that point. Best to save that particular ace for when it can do the most good.

One thing that puzzles me about what Eisenhardt does: He said that he doesn't like to use the earth's magnetic field, so what the heck is he pushing all these spheres against to control them? Does he have hundreds of thousands of pounds of metal embedded in the ground to use as steering posts for the tens of thousands of pounds he's floating about? Because magnetomancy works based upon manipulating magnetic fields, which means that it should still cause equal and opposite reactions- it's not like kinetomancy where that can be ignored. If he's ripping dozens of tons of metal upwards, then an equivalent force is shoving downwards, at least during this initial exchange.

As for our opener... well, perhaps we can attack him and move the battlefield at the same time. Instead of running away at speeds he cannot match, try charging directly for him ridiculously fast and snatching him right off his metal disc. If he falls back, well, you'll be moving away from his prepared ground, so you win. If he doesn't, you'll snatch him. And if he flies higher, well, you'll at least be able to throw inferno golems and what have you at him. Maybe it'll even be harder for him to use geomancy that far from the ground, although I'm not sure on the mechanics.
>>
No. 247232 ID: 6b5126

Escape first. Trying anything magnetic within Eisenhardt's area of control is probably not going to work. Escaping the trap zone should be priority #1. While running remember that Eisenhardt probably also has a magnetic railgun attack. He's got more than enough power to do it.

Start moving using kinetimancy force redirecting ground punches and keep bouncing erratically across the landscape while making good use of cover. Maybe head into the forest to grab a tree or something that you can apply chronal banditry to in order to move faster.

Start charging Immortal Genocide. If we later unveil the Nimble Nitro and manage to dash inside melee range with a supercharged magic dispel ready... I'd also like to see how powerful we can make the sheer devouring effect of the IG. It might be possible for its hunger to grow such that all world magic in the area is devoured and arcane magic becomes incredibly difficult when Mordre has the energy equivalent of a black hole on his arm.
>>
No. 247233 ID: 445c48

Answer to the affirmative, and then leg it, while tossing spells and/or rocks at him. Start up the Immortal Genocide.
>>
No. 247242 ID: d3dfb8

Hmm, perhaps we should take a page from the book of that armor bang picked up. Start a punch then steal the kinetic energy and use it to punch Eisenhardt in the face from anywhere.
>>
No. 247244 ID: 1854db

He is not suitably distracted to try the railgun snipe. Mess with the paths of the blades so that they take a little more time to converge again. We should only fire it when we're already fighting him full on, and he thinks we're going to use it for some other purpose.

Also I support continuing to move, saying that no, you're not quite ready yet. RUN if he starts fighting anyway. We need to get him away from that leyline, and hopefully away from more of those orbs. Also begin charging up Ignimancy.

As far as slicing time is concerned... Overcharge your matrix. Shove magic into it. That should make it 'move' faster.
>>
No. 247246 ID: 56dc25

>>247242
...that is the seed of an AWESOME plan. We have kinetomancy; we can literally take our own vector of motion (thirty thousand pounds going two hundred miles an hour, is it not?) and transfer that to literally whatever we like (say, a much lighter projectile). Result: A projectile moving really, really fast, and we stop moving. Add vector redirection to avoid missing as necessary.

So if we go with a charge attack and Eisenhardt is getting away, we can stop using ourselves as the attacker and suddenly shoot him instead.
>>
No. 247273 ID: 7a79fd

"Now, Eisenhardt, don't think that I cannot see what you did with this field....
I thought we were going to fight on equal grounds, no? By heavily modifying the battle field you are trying to rig the game and stack the odd in your favor.

Now.... to even out the playing ground, what do you say that I use my minions too? I did not want to have use them in this fight but if you are going to be like that, I think it is more than fair."

At this point Eisenhardt may think that we are referring to our soldiers and subordinates at Arcaneworks but in reality we are going to get our Deep Spawn help.
As Jiogas attack on Vanguard and Zaggrath showed, our Deep Spawn can be carried by Burduko-Express.

So we summon our Deep Spawn, they summon their spawn and we quickly get this fight over.... if Eisenhardt agrees of course, wouldn't want to him to think that we cheated out since we are planning to get him alive.

Other thing, if we are going to insta-'kill' him with the rail gun:
We must quickly relay orders to Murhihal and Akeam. They must instantly get working on restoring Eisenhardt. We might need Bangs help there too.
If all fails, we must dispense souls from our furnance and make him a life golem.... this will make him much more powerful though
>>
No. 247276 ID: 56dc25

>>247273
I don't really want to deploy our Deep Spawn here. Eisenhardt commands a level of power which might well be able to kill even them; recall how he was able to snuff out our Inferno Golems with such ease? I don't consider them disposable enough to deploy unless I'm certain that it would ensure victory.

Also, that argument- we can make it, but it's not very persuasive, considering that we just went and stacked the odds in OUR favor by delaying the conflict until we'd powered up substantially. The playing field is evened already.
>>
No. 247285 ID: 5f0943

>>247273
I doubt our spawn would have any real effect on the battle.
Eisenhardt is so damn powerful that he could easily brush them aside with a few well placed multi-ton metal spheres, since they don't have all the neat tricks that Mordre has at his disposal that could help him survive such an attack.

Also all the reasons mentioned by >>247276
>>
No. 247287 ID: 35bba5

It's pretty likely we are going to have to kill Eisenhardt. We should try to kill him in a way that leaves his skin intact, if possible, since we only need one more. But I don't think we should try to hit him with the railgun right away-it won't be as surprising now as it would be after we fight him for a while, and it won't leave his skin intact if it does work. Ignimancy would probably leave skin intact, though.
>>
No. 247296 ID: 5f0943

Wouldn't Ethereal strike be rather useful in this fight?

>Ethereal Strike:
>-A projection of energy, a replica of one's hand that is emitted as a projectile impact, possessing some of the Jade Fist's piercing ability, but little of its kick. The fact it can be used in rapid succession opens the options to which it can be applied.
>-The projection has a range directly related to the originating source of energy, your Soul Furnace, and as such can reach ranges normally not considered feasible for the move, some several hundred feet before half the energy has dissipated, and more than a thousand before it completely decays.

We could hit Eisenhardt from a distance, and it would also probably shock him the first time or two.
>>
No. 247310 ID: ddd48d
File 128788050125.jpg - (200.00KB , 1672x1553 , YUDODISTOMEBOB.jpg )
247310

YOU KNOW WHAT WE NEED TO HIT?

THE FUNNY BONE

FUCKERS TO THE LEEEEEEEFT

BOB LIKES STRIPED PANTIIIIIIIIES~
I AM NOT DRUNKKKKK I SWEAR
>>
No. 247329 ID: a76809

>>247310
[FANART OPTION UNLOCKED]

>>247232
>>247233
"Quite ready."

Kinetomancy upon myself, the immediate development of a vector for my entire body, jerking into motion with acceleration a human body could not take. ...So the Disjoining rune really DOES only effect Magnetomancy, interesting. Nimble Nitro gets added onto that initial velocity, and I go faster, feet pounding with far greater speed than before. But as I see Eisenhardt's eyes easily tracking me as he continues ripping a few dozen of the multi-hundred ton spheres from the ground, I realize-this is note enough.

...Very well then.

I divert another layer of magic to the act, now plying Geomancy as I plot out where each foot will fall, the ground already moving to pull me along faster when I land. I accelerate again, and without the aid of personal Magnetomancy, I reach one hundred miles an hour in three steps, over the course of one twentieth of a second. For the next half second, I'm losing Eisenhardt, his eyes widening at the turn of speed I'm displaying here. But before that second ends, a blur of motion brings Eisenhardt to hovering beside me some sixty feet away, a massive sphere already hurtling at my back-

As I use Kinetimancy to add a lateral vector to my movement, taking a perfect right angle turn without decelerating, moving out of the falling wrecking ball's path just in time, a dull thump shivering up my legs as the ground trembles. I see Eisenhardt's eyebrow quirking as he raises a hand, two fingers standing up. I feel a pair of titanic metal masses now rocketing towards me. I dodge the first with a change of path, again employing Kinetimancy to turn aside-only to find the second sphere's path corrected for my new angle.

So I use Kinetimancy AGAIN.

When I safely navigate the double layered assault without a scratch, putting more and more distance between myself and the center of Eisenhardt's prepared dueling ground, I note several things as Eisenhardt raises his hands like a conductor, brow setting.

-ALL of the other airborne sphere (currently nineteen) begin hurtling towards my general direction in staggered fire, as scores more of the superdense orbs rip from the earth one by one, some twenty new ones in the air per second assuming he does not accelerate.
-Eisenhardt's soul, already a far more brilliant thing than when I last fought him begins to once more build ever-swelling magnetic waves about himself, the same as when he did so the last we fought.... I still do not know what that could mean, this building swell of bent magnetism.
-I note the leyline's closeness to the surface dwindling very slowly, but I can feel the end of prepared land-some several miles distance..... a rather thorough individual.

With no superior option revealing itself to me, I resign myself to ever more rapid redirections of my momentum, Kinetomancy dancing in my grip as Eisenhardt's fingers play through the air as if he were a daydreaming maestro. I find no time to stop, turning my momentum towards an accelerated shot through kinetic redirection.... his assault is to tightly timed for both evasion and counterattacks to be performed simultaneously, and I'd rather not have to deal with the absurd weight behind his strikes unless I am certain I can benefit from taking the hit.

[OPTION TRIGGER]

...It has been quite some time since I was last at the Arcanoworks. Arkus, Derkin, Dregas, Ulzrick, Vespinto, Ellorika, Jezebel, Valiria, even Del Rogo... I find myself missing the personality quirks of those I have gathered about me, and look forward to more interactions once I navigate this challenge. Jezebel's antagonistic aggression and prickly nature, Arkus's meandering curiosity and nervous babbling, Valiria's high-minded opinion of herself, Ellorika's gruff and abrasive nature, Ulzrick's.... dazed and distracted demeanor to mask his crafty mind... I find it irks me somewhat, that Eisenhardt has had weeks to be around them while I attended to so many other pursuits. I somehow doubt he did not at least observe them, and considering his interactions with Ulzrick and Arkus alike, he likely has gotten to know at least some of them... Hm. He likely DOES know them, at least somewhat. An interesting facet of information.

....I follow this new line of thought as I dodge enormous balls of steel and a multitude of other metals continue to crash down around me. Have I amassed enough examples for this to work? Does my understanding of the human psyche extend to this? ...Humor. Eisenhardt has demonstrated an appreciation for the non-serious, and I am told that it is nearly impossible to fight while laughing. I have established individuals we both know that can be used as the building blocks, so... what could I say? Even as part of me wonders how it came to tactical use of humor, I tentatively try out an idea, hoping the bits of world lore I discerned from snippets of Bang, Keddic and Arkus' conversations is accurate.

"...HehehHAHAHA... oh, my."
"Something amuses you?"
"Well, it was just an idle thought."
"Well now you have me interested. What is it?"
"Well, this is our second round of fighting, yes?"
"By just about every method of defining it, yes."
"I have heard that in some places where fights are bet upon, There are showgirls who carry cards to display the round between exchanges."
"This is true."
"Even more, I have heard of times that slaves are bet, Between fighters that is, and used as round-girls, prizes for the winner."
"Many of the areas that traffic in slavery do just that, the Golden League and Mahnlea both doing so. Where are you going with this?"
"Well, heh... I pictured Arkus as a round-girl, and could not help but laugh."

For a moment, Eisenhardt says nothing, face wrinkling in strange contortions, like a cat trying to escape an old sack. Then, the man who kept up his bombardment of me unabated as we conversed, the man who I now note is well past his prepared land, but still using his metal sphere bombardment with careful thought (At any given time two thirds of the one hundred and thirteen metal spheres are on the ground, providing an anchor for those airborne), the man how oh so calmly informed me of his intention to kill me, to destroy this Soul Grave-

Laughs, metal spheres dropping from the air as his assault abates, hands clutching about his sides as eyes tear up, His soul's clarity disrupting beneath it shell of ever growing magnetic distortion.

This could be my chance.





What should I say or do?
Do I have some sort of attack in mind for my momentarily defenseless foe some hundred feet away?
Or maybe some things I would like to say to him?
>>
No. 247343 ID: 445c48

Something to test later, Inverting AND time stealing the Edge of Oblivion.
There is no way this could possibly go wrong.


Anyways, fire off a decent lightning bolt at him, and immediately follow up with several Ethereal strikes.
>>
No. 247345 ID: ddd48d

MILK IT FOR ALL ITS WORTH
>>
No. 247346 ID: a17cca

>>247343
DON'T do this.
>>247345
DO do this.
>>
No. 247348 ID: 445c48

Another thing to test later, after the fight, would be inverting the Disjoining rune. Or the magneto runes on the new blades. Or the skyfall cannons. Not that I've got particularly any idea what will happen for any for any of these but it would be good to test it, see what happens.
>>
No. 247356 ID: 7a79fd

A reminder: all of Jade Soul techniques are extremely lethal.
Keep that in mind if you want him alive.

We should somehow get close to him and catch him with our Sable Executioner, the black steel with negate his magic.
>>
No. 247361 ID: ab04d4

>>247356

We just spent all that effort running away. I doubt we can get back in the same time, and if we can't catch Eisenhardt off his handle we're dead.

A long ranged attack would be really nice here, but we can't railgun him because we don't want him dead...

Well, maybe we could railgun him and then soul-infuse-golemize him. Though it's a long shot (no pun intended).
>>
No. 247362 ID: 445c48

>>247356
Are they? Ethereal strike specifically mentions it doesn't pack too much kick (And reading the wiki, it looks like it shoots energy fists out of our fist, hahah, reminds me of megaman), and Warding Palm is a defensive move, though I know you weren't talking about that one and I was just trying to be a smartass.

Black steel wouldn't negate his magic entirely because we know he uses blood magic, I remember Bob saying this last time we fought. It would weaken him, though, since he uses World and Will in addition to blood.
Speed wise, If we're still going 100 miles an hour, we could make the hundred or so feet in less than a second indeed, though I'm still not quite sure we'd be fast enough, or that the reduction in power would be enough for him to not wreck us. Though, he probably wouldn't be able to throw those big steel balls willy-nilly, seeing as he might hit himself. Does he have his armor on? I'd hate for us to grab him and then suddenly his armor becomes spikes and tears off our arm.

And I don't think the AA would be very non-lethal.


Oh, and JoJo, isn't he at Mordreden? We might need him after this fight. We should tell Phohn to tell him to get in the box and come down in, just in case, if he isn't asleep. Ulzric might be able to heal the man on his lonesome, but I'd feel safer with multiple mans. Oh wait, we've got Murry, so that's not too much of an issue, nevermind.
>>
No. 247364 ID: 56dc25

>>247329
Head for him at full speed- everything we've got. If we can grab him with black steel and put magic absorption and the Genocide into play, even his impressive magic should get nullified. We'll have him completely in our power, but whole and undamaged- a perfect win, if we can do it.

He's less than half a second away at our top speed. If he's that distracted, we might make it, but betting our victory on that is foolish. If we can yank extra energy out of that leyline to boost our power, then do it. If we can't, burn souls to boost our magic for it- I want us there in a tenth of a second, if possible. Faster than he could possibly ever react.

And if we're not fast enough... well... we should be able to get very close. If he starts reacting, mix in lightning (which he'll be able to deflect with magnetic fields) and Ethereal Strike (which he won't). Even if both fail, do NOT stop attacking- we've allowed him to basically dominate the combat so far, and that is unacceptable. It doesn't matter what attacks we use as long as they can put him on the defensive. Relentless assault.

If he objects to our moving in while he was so distracted, explain that there are very few situations that cannot be improved by a healthy dose of humor, even on the battlefield.
>>
No. 247365 ID: 445c48

Oh and keep laughing, whatever you do.
>>
No. 247366 ID: 0cfe8b

Personally, i think we should try more HAM, he would be much more valuable as an ally than an enemy.
That said, you're still going to have to fight him since he is hardly going to stop after waiting that long.
>>
No. 247373 ID: 903f16

>>247329
I wonder, do we happen to have a Skyfall cannon shell chambered now? I can't recall if we even have any on us, but I imagine if we did that while Mordre was on autopilot he would have chambered some for this fight instead of the regular rounds which would be useless here. But yeah, fire a shell at him if you have one.

If you don't have any charge up an Ignimancy bolt and fire it at him or better yet his floating platform to disrupt the magnetic fields. Hopefully he won't be able to regain control of the disc in time and he'll be forced into free fall and have to take the battle to the ground.
>>
No. 247376 ID: 421192

Um... well, I have a hypothesis, which I will take silence as a negative answer and thus side with killing Eisenhardt, and the positive therefore I shall fall to the side of letting Eisenhardt live.

We know that Eisenhardt works with Weinsho, a Soul Mage. Dulu, a former employee of Weinsho, has had a binding laid upon his soul by Weinsho: that, when he dies, or is somehow disembodied, and his soul released from its physical host, his soul will flee to Weinsho. It is suspected that some of his apprentices, particularly those who participated in the caravan attack, also have this binding laid upon them. (The only hole I see within this foundation is that Balboa and Daobo, two apprentices of Weinsho did not evidence such bindings upon their souls; though, perhaps their souls did not have the time to escape, since, if I recall correctly, Mordre soulsucked them immediately after their death.) As Weinsho has evidenced a penchant for laying bindings on the souls of those who work for him, perhaps he also has laid a binding on Eisenhardt's soul, for it to flee to Weinsho in the event of his death. Eisenhardt had made it known to Weinsho that he was going to fight Mordre, going to fight a Soul Grave, a noted consumer of souls. If, for whatever reason, Eisenhardt died... well, they certainly did not want that Soul Grave to gain power from consuming Eisenhardt's soul, would they. Therefore, it makes sense that Weinsho, in the interest of preventing the growth of power of an enemy through the consumption of the soul of an ally, bound Eisenhardt's soul to return to Weinsho if Eisenhardt were to die.
>>
No. 247385 ID: 9e5b05

I am in favor of hamming it up, and asking him why he's doing this. We can attack later, but now let us press the human dimension of this attack.

"And Ellorika would be yelling at him, and that would make him get quite flustered, and Jezebel would make some waspy comment..." laugh, before dying quickly. "Of course, I do not think we should tell Arkus any of this, agreed? Although Ellorika does cut a lovely figure in that golem-armor of her's. So, how is Del Rogo taking to the Arcanoworks? You have been here while I have been running around like a chicken without a head."

GLUE! DRAW ELLORIKA IN GOLEM ARMOR IN THE SAME OUTFIT! WE WILL HAM AND HUMAN UNTIL WE WIN!
>>
No. 247400 ID: 6dd58d

My vote goes to HAM. LARGE HAM. Like BRIAN BLESSED ON LAUGHING GAS.
>>
No. 247401 ID: 445c48

>>/questdis/335316

Oh. Well. I guess forget what I said.

We need a comedian, asap.
>>
No. 247404 ID: f4e4f9

"And who, I wonder, would commentate such a thi...Oh, nevermind, Miss Jezebel AND Del Roga here at once? I don't think the fight would be needed at that point, I'd pay money just listen to THAT exchange.
>>
No. 247414 ID: 32a249

Alternatively, you can try intimidation route:

"Ohohoho... Now you gone and made me feel guility for offering you fight you can't win.

I suppose there are no harm in explaining - you see, while I indeed developed remote control for golems, I wasn't first to do so; Morsmorden mages managed to create it few years befoe Curse.

This golem is last Soul Grave ever made, number 24 - specificaly designed for remote operation. When Curse struck, it was used by Morsmorden archmage; His soul was torn from the body and imprisoned within Soul Furnace.

I managed to suppress it, but it tried to overcome my control once already. So, even if you manage to damage this golem to the point where I lose control of it, you will have to fight Legendary Soul Mage, Master of Sorrows in my place.

No offense, but while you are cut above most mages I've meet, you are certainly not up to his level."
>>
No. 247416 ID: 32a249

>>247414
On the second throught, I am not sure if that will intimidate him or make him fight harder - he wouldn't be a hero if he was a coward, (Commissar Cain notwithstanding :] ) but the fact that he is still alive means that he know when to back down from the fight he couldn't win.
>>
No. 247485 ID: 1854db

I'm going to side with making him laugh more.

...OH MAN have the maid walk in now and say "Oh, what's this about cross-dressing? Are you trying to find out if he likes it too, you dirty old man?" In which case we start yelling at the maid and the golem's path becomes a bit more erratic (but please continue dodging)

Oh, or better yet just have the maid comment on the laundry, saying that we were almost out of stockings. Yell at Eisenhardt as he laughs that it's for circulation, and the maid should pop up "Then why do you always get the frilly ones?"
>>
No. 247491 ID: ddd48d

>>247385
OH GOD YES I'M DOING IT MANNNNN

>>247485
OH GOD IM DYING

>>247414
I doubt intimidation will work here,and that just seems more like we are mocking him instead of trying to intimidate. or he might even see it as us giving him a challenge like "give me your best shot" or something.

OK I'm going to think of some more funny things while I'm drawing.
>>
No. 247517 ID: a76809

>>247343
Without hesitation, I fire off a bolt of Ignimancy, raw electricity guided by my Will straight towards Eisenhardt. I aim to capitalize on what is transpiring here-only to find the bolt parting, bending, warping, now flowing about him, a nimbus of light. His control of the massive metal spheres behind me weakening even further, a few rising uncertainly from the ground only to drop once more. I sustain the bolt, tapping my considerable magical stamina, noting as I do that the charge about him continues to grow even as the magnetic distortion builds, yet all the same his soul grows more and more ill-defined thanks to the electrical follow-up to my verbal thrust.

>>247345
...I also note he is recovering from his laughter, his soul beginning to regain clarity faster then he loses it. ....Then I must endeavor to keep him laughing.

>>247362
Whatever may come of this fight, I feel confident that Jojo's expertise will be needed... beyond that, Ulzrick will likely be most pleased to see one of his masters again, to continue his Souldreaming training outside of his dreams.

With my need to adjust my vectors and geomance the ground into aiding my deceptively swift movements temporarily abated, I juggle about my casting, switching my Ignimancy to come from my innate casting to free up both my hand and body Soul Nexus. with the two so freed, I finally give myself an opportunity to give the Jade Soul techniques I possess a field testing. I direct energy and flow between the two points of power, building momentum of a metaphysical sort as my open palmed hand shoots forward in a sharp thrust, a dim glow of emerald light sheathing it- to have a ghostly shadow of my hand jet forth, burning itself away as it lances through the air. Still clutching his sides laughing, and clearly having classified my attacks as negligible due to my electrical ministrations, Eisenhardt's laughter is rather abruptly aborted as the Ethereal strike, diminish from having to travel so far still blazes straight through any defenses Eisenhardt might have lain in its path, and collides with him heartily, knocking him from his perch atop the metal disc with a resounding clash, rending apart most of the heavy cloth covering his chest-and revealing the Blood Iron beneath, carefully molded to his body. ...Not as defenseless as I had hoped. Before his abating laughter can turn back to a focused effort to slay me, I strike from the other side of my assault.

>>247385
" "And Ellorika would be yelling at him, You know how little discretion she has, And that would make him get quite flustered, And Jezebel would make some waspy comment..."

I let a few distorted chuckles and snickers issue forth from my body as I move more awkwardly, simulating someone attempting to still command the same degree of finesse from delicate devices while laughing-and failing. In my peripheral, I see.... Eisenhardt laughing all the harder as the disk he stood upon falls to the ground, completely ignored as current continues to build, intermingling with his ever growing warped magnetic field.

"HAH! ...Oh dear, and that one... VALIRIA, that was it, I could picture that little one doing an impressive job looking down her nose at Arkus despite his greater height-"
"Ulzrick would probably just be standing there in a confused daze, Maybe Ellorika trying to tell him a dirty joke and just failing to get through-"
"PFFFHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhaaaa..."

Again Eisenhardt's laughter becomes so all-consuming that his eyes squeeze shut as he slaps his side. The metal spheres behind me seem to quiver in ressonance with his mirth, but under my careful observation I do not see them moving. ...Still, the magnetic field about Eisenhardt continues to build without hesitation, ensnaring every watt I send his way. ...MORE.... JOKES.....

>>247404
"If Arkus were cross-dressing as a round girl, I have to wonder just who would commentate on... Of course. Miss Jezebel AND Del Rogo here? Heh, I doubt the fight would even be the main attraction, If THOSE two were exchanging verbal blows!"
"Deep-damn, I can picture it too! At some point in their fight, they'd be fighting over who argues the most... PFF, a never-ending argument loop, HAH!"

While he certainly seems to have found that more than passing humorous, his laughter seems to be abating, his soul regaining clarity with his composure. ...I need something more.

>>247400
>>247485
....An idea most fiendish comes to mind, of a way to really kick my verbal shenanigans up to another level.

"Oh, what's this about cross-dressing? Are you trying to find out if he likes it too, you dirty old man?" "ILLIATHANKYOUFORBRINGINGMYTEAYESQUITENOWGOODBYE-"

As Eisenhardt rolls about in his midair float, now laughing so hard he begins to wheeze, whatever semblance of focus he was restoring to his soul shatters, and his floating personage wobbles under fluctuating command of magnetism-all while that field of warped magnetism about him continues to swell and condense. I am still quite leery of what that might portend-and act to push the humor so far he cannot even sustain it.

"Haha, ah, yes, they're for, forCIRCULATION, Yes, some vein issues in my legs, old age and all that-" "Then why do you only get the frilly silk ones?" "OHLOOKATTHATILLIAMAUSER'SLITTERBOXNEEDSCLEANING, HOPTOITTHANKYOU!"

>[HAM SCALE BROKEN DUE TO LAUGHING GASSED BRIAN BLESSED]
>[Pristine Soul given in place of new non-player character. PRISTINE SOUL TOTAL: 05]

I turn my focus back to Eisenhardt, who is now going red in the face as he withholds laughter, and offer what I hope shall be the final nail in his comedic coffin.

"....Ah.... they ARE more comfortable, Which is really quite important when you get older, And the most comfortable ones always have frill, Or lace, or something on them-you can't even see them, Under my robes-" "Why don't you tell him what the robes are made of!" "ILLIA!" "Litterbox, yes sir, will scoop it dutifully sir. "....The robes are velvet."

At this point, Eisenhardt simply falls to the ground in stitches, kicking his feet and pounding his fists as he desperately tries to get in air, so under humor's thrall he can barely breathe. ...For some reason, I find myself happy I am out of earshot of the Arcanoworks, despite this all being part of my mage persona, that which keeps my greatest secret as hidden as I can. ...My electrical attack is STILL being consumed, his magnetic field still building, but otherwise not a single thing suggests my foe to be combat ready. ...Time to attempt the end of this exchange, then.

"Hahahaa.. Of course, I do not think we should tell Arkus any of this, agreed?"
"HEHAHAA, HEHAA... *snrk* ...Ah, no, I don't think we should."

Eisenhardt starts pulling himself together as I press on, looking to sway his mindset.

"So, how is Del Rogo taking to the Arcanoworks? You have been here while I have been running around like a chicken without a head."
"A chicken in frilly socks and velvet robes-heheheHAHA!! ....Hah, well, as you might expect, the smith is taking VERY well to the place, getting along well with others with his own special brand of 'friendship'. ...I do find it interesting that I have not seen hide nor hair of his axe though, but then, it is my understanding that he was forced out of Hletwa by the Steel Fists."
"Really now?"
"Yes, I heard they effectively ruined him, but that his sons still run the smithery-"[/code]

Eisenhardt stops abruptly, casting me a sidelong glance.

"....Well played. I feel no inclination to fight you just now. One moment-"

The disc he rode on a few minutes ago wrenches itself from the ground as he leaps atop its polished surface, floating back closer to the cluster of metal spheres halfway embedded in the ground behind me, the magnetic field about him growing as I surreptitiously cut off my Ignomantic attention, no longer engorging the electrical current about Eisenhardt.

"Thank you. ...Still, futzy stuff, electricity and magnetism interwoven like this. Hmm... Eh, it'll work."

Eisenhardt takes a single deep breath, his soul's focuse spiking to clarity levels I had yet to see from him, and in one explosive burst all the magnetic warping and electrical charge about his personage is vented.

Of the scores and scores of multi-ton metal spheres scattered in my wake, all but one shudder and slam farther into the earth, completely submerging themselves in the dirt-as the lone sphere to be treated differently vanishes. I feel a magnetic signature rocketing skyward and pass outside the range of my senses in an instant, even as I note air rushing to fill a massive vacuum in its wake.

....Eisenhardt just sent a metal sphere with a weight exceeding one hundred tons rocketing skyward with such force it was comparable to my rail gun attack in terms of velocity.

This thought rattles about in my head as I consider its ramifications while Eisenhardt sweeps a hand before him, earth sliding and shifting to cover each of the now submerged spheres he had been trying to squash me with not so long ago.

[SECRET BONUS 26: THE SECOND AND FINAL ROUND] [MISSED]
[SECRET BONUS 27: WHAT SECOND ROUND?]
>--Force the rematch with Eisenhardt to end without fatalities.
>--Neither Mordre or Eisenhardt can claim victory by any definition save survival.
>--BONUS KNOWLEDGE: Jeeba Hechler, having returned to Castiliathen, shared with his father his defeat at Keddic Harksburton the 4th's hands. This information eventually made its way to the royal family, through Delbulu Fissykus overhearing Oggduro and Jeeba conversing on the subject. High King Arcturo Fissykus has decreed that the Harksburton estate is to absorb some hundred acres of land belonging to the Hechler line, once the Harksburton scion returns to corroborate the event said to have occurred. The standing of the Harksburton family has risen as a result of this information beginning to disseminate in Castiliathen. Keddic the third is now awaiting his son's return, to speak to him regarding his position as heir apparent.

Eisenhardt and I begin making our way back to the Arcanoworks, where Nidhogg now perches atop the central tower, the walls lined with inquisitive onlookers.





Do I have anything I want to say or ask of Eisenhardt while we are still able to converse relatively privately?
Once I am back in the Arcanoworks, what should I focus on next?
>>
No. 247523 ID: 1854db

Ask him about the talking Core Being. Has anyone dealt with it?

(btw we should make more Deep Spawn soon, Mordre's soul is probably recovered by now. Voting that Mordre should create one or two every time he's fully recovered or near fully recovered. We need to use the eggs or else they will go to waste! Remember our 30-day time limit!)

If we do make another Deep Spawn, let it be something more combat-oriented. Perhaps one that can disable our opponents while attacking them? Something related to gravimancy perhaps.

Colossi embodies the concept of GRAVITY, its form revolves around WEIGHT and DARKNESS.
>>
No. 247526 ID: 445c48

>>247523
What thirty day time limit? I remember that they go crazy after a while, but after several seasons.
>>
No. 247530 ID: 1854db

>>247526
"It is suggested you not wait overlong in defining those Individuated-to-be now slaved to you, as enough time upon the surface without structure could leave them truly chaotic, though I speak of seasons, not days."

Okay, I guess you're right. Still, we do need to use them at regular intervals. Plus, it powers Mordre up eventually because of the soul meshing thing! Also, the older the Spawn are the stronger they get, so making them early pays off in the long run.
>>
No. 247537 ID: 7a79fd

.... can't say that this is how I imagined the fight would go down...


We should try to convince Eisenhardt to sway sides now that he is in good mood.
We could talk to Del Roga and ask him what happened. I guess we must find a way to retrieve his axe.
>>
No. 247538 ID: 12c392

Mutually exclusive Secret Bonuses? Aww...

Once at the Arcanoworks, it is obvious that we should give over one of our runed disks and the altered Edge of Oblivion to Arkus to study and hopefully replicate. And we should talk to Ellayia, get what she found out.

>>247523
We made our first Deep Spawn on day 9 of week 1 of month 4. We made Dompaggio (speaking of Dompaggio, how's progress on finding proof of the Lined One's innocence?) on day 6 of week 3 of month 4. Today is day 9 of week 3 of month 4. Yeah, I would say that our soul's nearly recovered; any Deep Spawn we make should be helping us with our short-term goals while remaining broadly useful in the long-term (what I am thinking of is the Scarred Yeti, the one with the Spectral Arm that stole our Soul Soldiers; that one needs to die quickly and soon).

In any case, I would rather hatch our Deep Spawn where Soul Magic is not illegal. And the method described by others indicates that we are doing some sort of Soul Magic when we hatch our Deep Spawn.
>>
No. 247542 ID: f4e4f9

"Ah, I've missed this place. Good to see the reaction to Bang's arrival wasn't all that tumultuous."

"Moss? Where are you, you little blighter? Haven't seen you in ages!"

And has Mordre recovered the money Keddic got from Gainer? He's been reminded like 3 times.
>>
No. 247544 ID: f4e4f9

>>247538
Interestingly enough, by that definition, even operating a Soul Grave would be illegal. We really should get a better idea of what the Soul Magic ban entails, considering that by the strictest definition of "No Soul Magic Ever", every nation and faction with a Soul Grave is in violation of that.
>>
No. 247546 ID: 7a79fd

Oh, also

What do you guys think of using 2 Pristine Souls to supplement the Deep Spawn iron blood harvesting?

iirc, 2 pristine souls will increase the Deep Spawn iron blood by factor of 1000, meaning that we can have 30000 pounds in a month if we harvest 1 pound each day.
Now that we are back home, I don't think we have to explain anything to anyone when we harvest blood. If we are so cautious about that, we can do that inside the tower in the upper floor at night when there aren't people there.

Call the Deep Spawn home in the middle of the night, take their iron and send them back to Oz for training.

Speaking of training, we should totally send our troops to LoD, so that they can also train with our Deep Spawn and Oz's students. Our golem armor division will gain the most of it.


As of what to do, hmmm. First go speak with Arkus, just have him report to you, maybe tell him what we did.
Then go around and speak with every other notable character.
>>
No. 247547 ID: f4e4f9

>>247546
I simply do not like the idea of harvesting our own Deepspawn in such a manner, personally, and I doubt that they'd like it either.
>>
No. 247553 ID: 445c48

>>247546
Don't like it. Probably would be easier to just kill dragons.
>>
No. 247559 ID: ddd48d

WE FORGOT TO GET ARKUS A LAME SOUVENIR. well Maybe we can ask Burduko to pick some random thing up and bring it to us when we are discussing stuff with Arkus.

Tell Nidhogg that she did a good job of dealing with Bang, haha.

We have a lot of catching up to do with a lot of people. Also using Phohn to check up on those still in the LoD is a good idea

>>247547
>>247546
still don't really like the idea

>>247544
we can ask Arkus about the Ban first, then if we need more info we should be careful about how we go about asking/obtaining it
>>
No. 247567 ID: 1854db

You know we could just make a specialist Deep Spawn that happens to bleed all the time like Eldghodd did, for harvesting blood from. Something like...

Mahklargg embodies the concept of WEAKENING, and its form revolves around BLOOD and WOUNDS.
>>
No. 247572 ID: 5f0943

>>247567
That was already suggested earlier.
Nobody liked the idea because it would be a terrible waste of a spawn.
There is simply no real point to having a spawn that does nothing but bleed.
>>
No. 247573 ID: 9338f5

>>247559
>LAME SOUVENIR

get him a dragon leather wizard hat
>>
No. 247574 ID: 9338f5

>>247572
sounds more like a debuffer
>>
No. 247575 ID: 1854db

Yeah, the point of it isn't that it bleeds, it's just part of its form so we can harvest from it. It's not even part of what it does. Well, maybe it can use the blood in a fight but in general we just harvest it.
>>
No. 247579 ID: 445c48

We don't need any deep spawn right now. Hold off on it.
>>
No. 247581 ID: 35bba5

I actually think we should make a few more Deep Spawn focused on mostly non-combat functions. We have a fair few combat specific spawn, but we don't have anyone to say, build fortifications. I think we should make one based on construction, because it's always useful to have someone to build you a wall, or a road, or a fortress. And a Deep Spawn focused on it would have both magical powers and a group of smaller spawn to build things with.
Something like...
[insert name] embodies the concept of CONSTRUCTION, its form revolves around BRICK and MORTAR
or some other kind of construction materials, like stone, or steel.
>>
No. 247582 ID: 7a79fd

Don't understand why you guys don't want to saturate our body with new, even more awesome, type of metal.

I'm sure it will give us great benefits, I am thinking it will boost our magic powers tremendously.
Beside, don't you understand that when we completely saturate our body we will be able to pull that metal out of our ass. We could make equipment for our allies our of it or trade it.... fuck, it would be one of the rarest metals in the world seeing that we are the only ones that can produce it.
>>
No. 247583 ID: e31d52

>>247572
But that one makes others bleed!
>>
No. 247585 ID: 35bba5

I actually totally forgot about the way we can just produce more of the metal we are made of. We should go check out that school of martial arts in the LoD that keeps samples of rare metals-the guys who had orange platinum. We might be able to find something else that mixes well with our current composition.
>>
No. 247586 ID: 12c392

Continuously taking Blood Iron from our Deep Spawn is absolutely a terrible idea, even if it does strengthen our form's composition.

So, in the interest of improving our form while not slowly killing our Deep Spawn, perhaps we can get Mury, with the proto-metal that turns into the surrounding metal, to help. If we were to isolate and take out the Blood Iron we got from Eldghodd (Administrator's Blood Iron, which is much more potent than Blood Iron from other Deep Spawn) from our body, we can get Mury to convert his daily proto-metal into Administrator Blood Iron using that sample, can we not? It would likely take a very long time until we fully saturate our form with such metal, but the benefit is that we still get very potent Blood Iron and we don't weaken our Deep Spawn in the process (and perhaps even strengthen Mury; it is a challenge to produce such powerful metal in great quantities, the process forces the soul to evolve and grow, would it not?).
>>
No. 247587 ID: a76809

>>247546I send a Message to Phohn, to have him and the other Deep Spawn in the Land of Dragons begin bloodletting themselves every day, however much they can do safely while insuring the blood is empowered, and for Murhyihal to build a massive metal vat for them to store it in. They accept my request without hesitation, and my plot to slowly collect enough Deep Spawn Blood that with 2 Pristine Souls I could fully saturate my body begins.

[IN 40 DAYS (30 IF NIDHOGG AND DOMPAGGIO RETURN TO LEND THEIR BLOOD TO THE MIX) ENOUGH BLOOD IRON WILL BE GATHERED]
[DAYS 179-189 SET AS PROJECTED PROJECT COMPLETION DATE]

>>247544
[Relevant wording of the decree banning Soul Magic: No new spells fueled by Soul may be cast or begun, effective date/time royal seals blah blah. This allowed a loophole for pre-existing passive magics, such as Soul Graves, to continue existing. Can't make new Soul Graves, or start new spells, but any Soul magic begun BEFORE the ban, if at no point altered or ended, is still legal. Thank High King Arcturo for the wording, it was his idea.]

>>247523
"So, the talking Core Being- Has anyone dealt with it yet?"
"Sadly no. The State has been dragging their feet on that. They still only have three mages attending to it, not even Mortal Coil trained ones either. Exactly what are they supposed to do about a potential nation ending problem, I ask you!"
"Exactly my concern, when I reported the issue to them That Brigadier General Quinto Delevas-"
"The one south of here?"
"Yes, in that outpost some bandits through Daobu were working-"
"I never did like him or Balboa... neither were particularly capable of seeing a larger picture, just indulging in short term vices, however good they were at commanding respect from rabble. Anyway, what did the General say?"
"When I offered to help in dealing with that Core Being, He told me that my help would not be needed, That the State would take care of it."
"Oh? He rejected an offer for aid? I would assume then if I offered I would be likewise rejected... I comprehend their resources are spread excessively thin while they try to reclaim land, but honestly, that little attention to a Core Being?"
"It is quite worrying."

>>247542
We move closer to the Arcanoworks, and as we do I decide to keep the genial conversation flowing, trying to build on the positive image I currently occupy in his mind.

"Ah, I must say, I've missed this place. Good to the reaction to Bang's arrival wasn't all that Tumultuous."
"I have to admit, when I saw that beast he rode in on flying in, I had to restrain myself from attacking. Until I saw the Arcanoworks was not firing on it-and that that fellow Bang was riding it-I assumed it a possible threat. Even then, I thought it possible it was a threat to my personage, maybe an indirect attack by you."
"Hah, a good thing you didn't, It was not easy to get that dragon!"
"Is that what it is? I've heard of them before, comments from dignitaries and officials from the Land of Dragons, but I've never seen one. I was under the impression they could not be tamed though, a singularly wild and feral thing."
"Not when you make them Life Golems."
"Oh-ho, an interesting work around. I wondered at that sapience I saw in those eyes. So, found someone that wanted to be strong, offered them that body?"
"Something like that."

As we near the gates, I grow impatient to see Moss, who by now would normally have been all over me, and call out in a flare of volume, my voice cracking across the landscape.

"Moss? Where are you, you little blighter? Haven't seen you in ages!"

I see birds taking wing from the forest to my right, treetops swaying, something big moving through the forest, footsteps pounding ever louder, headed straight towards me, and-

A mass of root, bark and vine, a mane of star shaped leaves about his head, Moss, now fifteen feet at the shoulder and some six feet across leaps straight at me, Tongue of root lolling out of his hooked beak as tendrils of light flare from all about his face. Before I can figure out a way to move him without harming him, the now much heavier wooden creature slams into me, knocking me off my feet as he licks at my skull, yelping and backing away as he scalds his tongue on the Soulfire, quickly spitting out some burnt root before placidly sitting on my chest, staring at me. ...He clearly has no intention of moving, just as surely as I heard Eisenhardt snicker.

"Moss..... get off me."

Moss cocks his head at me, feigning ignorance of my meaning. I turn Geomancy towards creating a slope beneath me, levering myself up as Moss scrabbles, sliding off once his perch shifts too much. Once more standing, I resume walking towards the Arcanoworks, Moss and his stone heart plodding along beside me as Eisenhardt continues to float along, chuckling softly to himself.

>>247559
Having only just left the Land of Dragons, I go over what the most current situation was as I work out who I am going to talk to first now that I am back:

-Word has gotten out about Oz's school in the capital. He has thinned out the gladiator and slave ranks considerably, but those left, some fifty in all, are now his students alongside Bagrom, his elder student. Ugrokk is treated as a guest student whenever present, and given lessons alongside the rest of the new students. He is still working on learning how to manifest a Ghost Hand.
-The Deep Spawn have become somewhat famous in the capital, both in and of themselves and for making Oz's school capable of subjecting students to heretofore unheard of levels of pressure, adding to the notoriety and fame quickly gathering about Oz's name... and mine, both as his friend, the one that helped him found his school, and the provider of the Deep Spawn.
-Thanks to Oz's presence in the capital, Jioga was immediately sent back out on another task, moved to speak with Iron Dragon Zuon the Armorsmith about retooling the armor he was gifted. Apparently, Lubu wants the armor to restrict and drain his power, making movements more laborious and demanding while so garbed. I am unsure as to why he desires it altered so, and did not ask when the topic first appeared.
-The initial aggressors, the group led by Forest Dragon Okuga The Sly and the White Pheonix, has grown. The Proud Dragon Gyokujo The All-Seeing has allied with him, as has Monk Melrondio, and the Living Legend Theriguno The Claimer, The Supreme Swordmaster. Currently, this force is slowly working its way across the southern reaches of the Land of Dragons, slowly moving north towards the capital. As of yet, no one else has joined their side.
-Word has been making the rounds that the only Rageglut Living Legend Goujar The Unstoppable has left his nomadic wanderings amongst the True Mountains, and is heading towards the capital as well. I have been told the last time he appeared, he slew four Dragons and two entire squads of Ragegluts alone, only leaving when convinced by Thoughtful Dragon Kunna that he would find better sport endlessly slaughtering his way through the True Mountains. That was thirty years ago. There are rumors he comes to face Lubu, and see if a better challenge can be had than facing thousands of the oldest dragons deep in their homes.
-Senth was finally made to return the 800 Lo that Keddic had sent for me, so I now possess coinage in the Land of Dragons worth somewhere around 50,000 marks.
-Keddic and Dompaggio have found a lead they believe will lead to proof of The Lined One's innocence, and are currently pursuing it, The Lined One in tow as he continues to reconnect with his past student.


In my considerations of what I learned the past few days, I belatedly see Arkus pushing his way through the crowded onlookers, clearly with something on his mind to share with me. It is at this moment I realize I did not get Arkus a souvenir-this must be remedied. I discreetly send Burduko back to the Land of Dragons, sent flitting over to Oz's school, to ask after a hat, or other such trinket that could be claimed. I am told he has received something within ten seconds, and just before Arkus reaches the front of the crowd, Burduko reappears behind me, discretely placing an object in my left hand before winking out of existence, back to the Land of Dragons. I proffer forth my hand just as Arkus is about to speak.

"Arkus m'boy, it's good to see you well! I got you a souvenir from my travels to the south!"

As I speak, my hand opens to reveal-
>>247573
An exceptionally wide brimmed leather hat with a floppy, pointed top, heavily and almost artistically stitched with thick thread. Arkus stands gaping like a fish for a moment, clearly struggling to organize his thoughts as I place the hat on his head, noting that beneath his robes I see the collar of the leather armor Bang sent to him. From beneath the floppy hat's brim, I hear Arkus speak, that oh so familiar breathless rush of words directed my way.

"Um let's see I put the Skyfall rune on all the shells you left, The first Golem Armor has been fully modified and we now have six unmodified golem armors just got the most recent trade shipment yesterday, we've got some fifteen hundred Hand Cannons built now, and one hundred Skyfall revolver hand-cannons-Jezebel and Del Rogo helped with those mods as well-Uh the Arcanoworks Militia is now fully equipped with plate armor, morphic weapons-I went ahead an prepared enough extra for them all, only needed like a hundredth of the Morphic fluid to do it-a lightning gun and a hand-cannon. Um, um, trade. Let's see, Berluut and Trepany are both becoming real go-getters with trade according to Dregas, and are doing a good bit of crafting work while others are taking over their crops and managing them for them, so two agricultural towns are now becoming craft-specialists I guess, uh Dregas wanted to comment you now have some 300,000marks worth to your name here thanks to his trade efforts, and he bought those books back from Ellayia-by the way she's still waiting to speak with you about that stuff, the Blue Knight would like a meeting with you when you get the chance oh and Lord Brigadier General Quinton has been wanting to meet with you for more than two weeks and is probably getting pissed he hasn't seen you... ah.... I think that's all but I may be forgetting something.... oh right! Ah, welcome back Master Mordre, how was your trip?"




What should I say or do?
What should I set as my immediate goals for the short-term?
>>
No. 247591 ID: 35bba5

Why is taking blood from the deep spawn for a little while such a terrible idea? It isn't as if we are going to continue doing it once we have enough to saturate ourselves with it. And why hold off on making deep spawn? We have to keep making them, we have a time limit. And our soul should be in okay shape to make a couple more right now.
>>
No. 247593 ID: 35bba5

We should give Eisenhardt one of our cannon shells to look at. He might be interested in our custom alloy of Blood Iron, since he uses Blood Iron himself. And if we use those 2 pristine souls for saturating ourselves we could offer him some of that, too.
>>
No. 247598 ID: d3dfb8

I say we head up into the tower with Arkus and talk with our little buddy.

Let's study that armor and try to replicate it with our own Kinetimancy. If we can figure out how to do what the armor can do, because we use arcane magic, we can then apply that force anywhere within reach of our magics. We punch, steal it's momentum, then PUNCH ANYONE ANYWHERE!

We should also bring up runeing the inside of that hat, possibly to empower something or something. Post suggestions for possible hat uses.

And we should ask if Arkus can add a restriction to our AA, letting us fire it only once per day. If anyone else has any useful restrictions then go right ahead and post them.

Oh, and we need to let him study the new AV blades, give him one as well as a mundane one. Ask if he would be able to replicate that shit.

I haven't been keeping track of the list of stuff we gave Arkus to do, so if he could list that off, and how much progress he made on each of those, that would be great.
>>
No. 247599 ID: d3dfb8

>>247593
Hey now, bad idea. He's still our enemy.
Just because he didn't want to continue to fight us doesn't mean he's our ally.
>>
No. 247600 ID: 445c48

>>247593
Not quite sure he's completely on our side yet. So maybe later.
>>247591
Because it's creepy.

Say your trip was good, eventful. Had to fight an army in the north and dragons in the south, I'll tell you all about it later.

First thing's first, talk to Quinton. It is only through him we are allowed to keep the Arcanoworks. Then, Ellayia. Talk to Del Rogo next.
>>
No. 247602 ID: 9e5b05

>>247587
Sigh and stoop, picking up Arkus. Sit him upon our shoulder, away from the fire, as we use to carry him. "The trip was...painful and exhilarating. I lost a warrior of great strength and an old friend. I learned things of myself I would rather forget. My friends and allies grow strong to eclipse even an old man and his trinket, I have sung a rather beautiful song and granted a luckless boon to a terrible foe and slighted an some-what ally that could ruin me." Sigh and chuckle. "But I am home now, Arkus. Calm down, first. Second, let us celebrate. You said that those towns closest have been doing well in harvesting? A feast, then. It has been too long since I have been with my Family! Come, let us prepare a feast! Eisenhardt, any treats you fancy? I believe there are excellent peppers and pickles from...oh, blast, what was that town called?"

For feast: Phohn up all our friends and allies. Invite them for one hell of a party if they can make it, with possibly brawling included.

Once we can talk to Arkus alone, we NEED to tell him about the other and what happened. And also apologize for only bringing him back a hat and no books.

For the next few days: Talk to Del Rogo and make sure he's fitting in, and pardon ourselves for not being here. And about the Steel Legion, and what we can do for him.
Talk to Ellayia, and again pardon our absence. Ask what she's found out and how she likes the place. Banter with her, she was nice.
GO TO MEET QUINTON! OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GO MEET HIM!
Go out and talk with our friendly towns, see how they've been doing.
Phohn up Keddic, and tell him about the Family needing him.
Blue Knight needs visiting.
Check on roads.
Find out if any mages have been causing trouble.
>>
No. 247605 ID: 56dc25

>30 IF NIDHOGG AND DOMPAGGIO RETURN TO LEND THEIR BLOOD TO THE MIX
Can Burduko acquire their blood and transport it to the holding container on a regular basis?

Speaking of Burduko, standing order for when he's not doing anything else: Go to one of our teleport box locations and go exploring. Move very quickly and teleport around randomly so that it's very difficult for others to sneak attack him, but continually expand the amount of places that he's been and can therefore get to instantly. An hour spent sitting around is an hour wasted when it could have been contributing to his location knowledge; we can call him with Phohn if we need him. In fact, keep in contact with Phohn at all times while doing this, just in case someone tries to bushwhack him. I don't really expect that to happen, but I'd like a heads-up if it does.

>Lord Brigadier General Quinton has been wanting to meet with you for more than two weeks and is probably getting pissed he hasn't seen you...
Solution: We show up on a dragon. When he questions what took so long, our reply is "Dragons are not found on every street corner, you know! Acquiring and ensorcelling one was no trivial task." Something to do after we've dealt with immediate matters here- we can depart to meet with him in a couple hours, I think.

>Ah, welcome back Master Mordre, how was your trip?"
"My trip was quite productive! More difficult than I expected in many ways, but I accomplished most of the goals I set forth with and managed to make some new friends. (Heh, heh, heh; I'll explain why that's funny later.) You may be able to meet many of them soon; those boxes form the core of a transportation system which I would like to use for a number of things. Glad to hear you've been holding up well here. Now, in your judgment, whom of the numerous people demanding my attentions should I speak with first?"

I want to hear what he says. It'll be interesting to find out.

>Um, um, trade
Dregas will be happy to know that we now have a direct link to the Land of Dragons right in our home, meaning that we can import exotic goods with no travel time or cost whatsoever. And export whatever we've got that they want, naturally. Same G's island of tech, although I think we might be keeping that particular connection on the down-low for the moment. If he can't turn that into a mint in no time at all, I've severely underestimated the man. Bring up the matter when we meet with him.

>Del Rogo
Find out what exactly he wants from us, thank him for his efforts helping out Arkus and our other staff here at the Arcanoworks. We can offer him long-term employment if he desires it, with a fairly wide variety of projects to work upon. Starting, perhaps, with enchanting Ugrokk's new arm to be even more ridiculously badass than the world's most awesome inventor is making it.

>Arcanoworks Militia
These guys are better equipped than most regular armies. See how their training is coming along, and consider renaming them as a proper force. We need to take them into battle at some point, too; they're really our private army here, and should feel that is so and take pride in it. That's a morale problem that we will need to work upon. Speak with our officers about it.

>Ellayia
Speak with her, naturally. Thank her for being so polite as to wait, and invite her to utilize Phohn to make her reports in the future, as he is to the best of our knowledge entirely secure and bound to be loyal with magics we strongly doubt anyone else will be able to break. He also has the advantage of not requiring her to return to our base to speak with us, although of course if she cares to utilize our facilities as a site for relaxation we are more than happy to host any of our employees.

>Blue Knight
This guy's pretty cool, so we should meet him soon- though sadly, the State will have to come first. When we do go to see him, invite Dame Valiria if she wants to come.

>Jezebel
Say hey to her and laugh uproariously as she insults us with an unrelentingly acid tongue. Ask her if she's come up with any new and devilishly clever inventions, and if not, why not?
>>
No. 247608 ID: 12c392

Well, first is Ellayia, since she is closest, and can get done the quickest. Then Quintin, and on the way, or after, Carkiano.

With Arkus, ask him what's he's going to do with that nice hat we got him (it's dragon hide; surely it gives a bonus for making Arkus not need sleep (or not as much sleep) or not getting tired, allowing him to work on so much more without inefficient organic concerns getting in the way), and how are his side projects going. Give him the altered Edge of Oblivion and one of the AV blades to study and hopefully replicate.

On the topic of why Lubu wants an armor that drains his power, that is easy to answer. With such a hindrance, he will be forced to grow even stronger to attain the heights of power he normally wields, and therefore is more powerful when out of the armor.

>>247605
>Jezebel without new inventions
Well, she might not have any, since we haven't gotten her those superconductors she wanted.

>>247593
We are not empowering Eisenhardt until he is solidly on our side; he can still decide that we are enemies and try to kill us.
>>
No. 247610 ID: 56dc25

>>247608
>Well, she might not have any, since we haven't gotten her those superconductors she wanted.
I bet Eisenhardt could whip her up some superconductors in a matter of seconds. Would he if we ask him, well, who knows; the answer to that is probably all in how we frame the question.
>>
No. 247635 ID: 9e5b05

Oh, yes, our army. Field Tests in Yeti Hunting, maybe?
>>
No. 247637 ID: 0cfe8b

Oh, we need Arkus to copy the runes on the upgraded sawblades while we are here.
>>
No. 247663 ID: 1854db

Oh guys...
>Remember that for normal organics, transfer OUTSIDE of a place of Sameness is excessively lethal.
Someone pointed this out before but I wanted to repeat it since some people may have missed it (I sure did) We should be able to kill people with our teleporter Deep Spawn!
>>
No. 247676 ID: f4e4f9

>Well, she might not have any, since we haven't gotten her those superconductors she wanted.

Yeah we did. We got her a one-time supply from Carkiano (and I can't imagine she used up ALL of it, she's not making her inventions out of the stuff) of Tantalum and Niobium, and Tin can also function in that manner.
>>
No. 247683 ID: f4e4f9

>Phohn up all our friends and allies. Invite them for one hell of a party if they can make it, with possibly brawling included.

All of our other operations are actually pretty busy at the moment, so I don't think this is feasible. We've got the Premen working on Trollzaru and the Premen negotiations, and the guys in the LoD working on Oz's training and reinforcing the capital.

Calling them up for a random party does not seem an effective use of their time at this moment.

"Very well, Arkus, and it's good to see everything running so smoothly. Yes, well, events South have been quite invigorating...and productive, though I'm still not finished with that job for our Mortal Coil friend.

That stuffed up Quinton wanted a meeting for 2 weeks running? Well, the wait is the least he deserves for leaving that...*eherm*...major farmhouse problem, to fester. I suppose I should see what he wants, soon...you could have mentioned the want for a meeting in one of the reports, though.

I heard Del Rogo's here? Thats interesting. A shame that the Steel Fists have their underclothes in such a bunch. Fortuitous, though, I did have something I wanted to converse with him about."

(God, I'm curious about Domgaggio/Keddic, now. A detective operation? Seriously? Thats awesome).
>>
No. 247695 ID: dfdc26

Dregas has been doing really well for himself. We should look into getting his golem Silicanthos restored. The golem core presumably needs to be hooked up to a leyline geyser so run that idea by Arkus and see if he's aware of any geysers in or around the state area. Maybe something can be arranged with the owners of the geyser. Alternatively it might be possible to resurrect it using a Deep Spawn egg, but then it would serve Mordre.

The morphic weapons would probably sell at even better prices in the Land of Dragons. It seems like their kind of thing.

Any chance we can send Ellayia out to find a criminal world mage? You know the kind who doesn't need his skin...? Give her a time limit like a week or two.

It could also be a good idea to create some Deep Spawn that can help out at the Arcanoworks. I think people have been suggesting a research assistant Deep Spawn for some time. Other ideas would be a manufacturing Deep Spawn (with a factory line of lesser spawn), some agriculturally inclined Deep Spawn, a general construction Deep Spawn able to help the Arcanoworks become a new city or a mining Deep Spawn to find and take advantage of any local mineral deposits.
>>
No. 247698 ID: b14128

>>247663
Wait... Transfer outside of a place of sameness is lethal for -organics-? ...This sounds similar to the way Lenryt teleported us to the Land of Dragons the first time.
>>
No. 247711 ID: e31d52

>>247695
>Alternatively it might be possible to resurrect it using a Deep Spawn egg, but then it would serve Mordre.

GREAT IDEA I SEE ONE

Ask Dregas first. Notify him that it might have a similar effect as Nidhogg had on the dragon, EI, it'll change some. But the basic functionality might be kept, as well as the form.

Also, tiny/lesser golems.

DEMONWROGHT GOLEM, FUCK YEAH

________ embodies STONE, in the form of GOLEMS and CONSTRUCTIONS.
>>
No. 247725 ID: 12c392

>>247698
That's what Bob said, in the next sentence even.

>>247711
I still think this is a bad idea; we promised to to find a way for Silicanthos to be resurrected, but using it to serve as a host for a Deep Spawn (the only other Deep Spawn that used something already existing as a template for their existence, Nidhogg, turned out to be a parasite) feels to me like we are breaking that promise.

If (and even then, I am still against it) we were to hatch a Deep Spawn for the purpose of resurrecting Silicanthos, I would prefer a Deep Spawn that can make golems, instead of one that feeds off golems. Perhaps something like: Queeyurtoh embodies the concept of GOLEM CONSTRUCTION, form revolving around ANIMATION OF QUINTESSENTIAL MATTER (For constructing non-Life Golems) and ALCHEMICAL TRANSMUTATION/FUSION OF LIFE (For creating Life Golems).
>>
No. 247747 ID: 445c48

>>247725
>form revolving around ANIMATION OF QUINTESSENTIAL MATTER and ALCHEMICAL TRANSMUTATION/FUSION OF LIFE

what.


A golem making deepspawn might be good later, don't need it right now. Got other business to take care of first. But see if Murry can fix up Silicanthos.
>>
No. 247797 ID: 0cfe8b

Don't we already have a deep spawn that can fix things like golems, why not bring it to the arcanoworks to try.
>>
No. 247827 ID: a76809
File 128797715238.jpg - (195.11KB , 1000x869 , Ellayia checking wall.jpg )
247827

>>247683
[Arkus did mention Quinton had requested a meeting by runner. I think he even mentioned it twice, not sure though.]

>>247598
>>247637
[The armor is runic magic. There is a runic correlative for each branch of mancies. Knowledge/ability with an Arcane or Combat mancy will not extend to runic mancy. That is, even if you know Kinetimancy, seeing a runic equation involving Kinetimancy cannot then be replicated into the Arcane, different equations are used between active and pre-rendered spells. Also Arkus isn't the one with the supposed perfect memory, Mordre is. Thus Mordre is expected to recall what tasks were begun, as once completed Arkus' attention had more important things to track.]

I use Phohn to suggest to Arkus he place runes along the INSIDE of his hat, away from prying eyes, a complement to his hidden runed body armor. The response I get, in addition to a startled blink, is a rapid affirmative. I then hand Arkus a runed blade ring and one of my regular saws.

"Take a look into why I can't replicate this with the shoulder launcher, would you? The runed version was crafted once, but is not recrafting every time."
"Yeah okay I got enough reference material I should be able to figure out what runes those are. May or may not tell me why your blade launcher is having trouble."

Grunting under the strain of the two massive slabs of metal, he nods as he hands them off to one of several assistants arrayed around him, who quickly carry it off upstairs for him.

>>247600
>>247602
>>247605
Burduko is given a standing order to, whenever not immediately engaged in another activity, to explore the immediate area around each teleport box, to expand the areas he can travel to. He is also told to use Phohn to contact me if he is ever met with aggression. I also communicate a standing order to once daily bring a charged batch of both his blood and Nidhogg's to the collection pits in the Land of Dragons. Burduko again offers acceptance, and Nidhogg simply snorts while bowing her head obediently to the command. ...It really does seem like the servitude of the Deep Spawn is absolute, they seem unable to not carry out an order.

"And as to my return... My trip was quite productive! More difficult than I expected in many ways, But I accomplished most of the goals I set forth with, And managed to make some new friends. (Heh, heh, heh; I'll explain why that's funny later.) You may be able to meet many of them soon; Those boxes form the core of a transportation system, One which I would like to use for a number of things. Glad to hear you've been holding up well here. Now, in your personal judgment oh apprentice of mine, Whom of the numerous people demanding my attentions should I speak with first?"
"Ah Ellayia would definitely be the first I'd talk to, she's right here and all, but after that I'd see the general."
"Very good lad, exactly the priorities one would hope to see!"

I turn to Dregas, likewise in the crowd, and offer soem words to my Castellen.
"Oh yes, I have outlets in the Western Islands, The northern Mountains and the Land of Dragons. I don't suppose you could make economic use, Out of instant free shipping between such places, eh? Speak to Burduko, the one of cloth and wind for details."

Like a child in a candyshop, Dregas's eyes gleam as he fights to withhold drool at what I've handed him, a chance to turn the Arcanoworks into an transcontinental trade hub, and flood the less stable parts of the State with commerce, and the redevelopment it would bring, all while making our coffers swell. His reverie ceases to be my concern as Del Rogo rudely shoulders his way through the crowd.

>[Del]"So the high and might feckin' mage is back, great, well I got a deep-damn bone to pick with you! That job I did fer ya, that feckin' armor set and all, pissed off the Steel Fists enough they put their all in ruining me. Can't even go back to my feckin' hometown! So you'd damn well better put me up, and pay me as yer head smith, or I'll find ya and thump ya a good fuckin' beating for bein' a rat bastard! Well, what the feck do yeh have to say ta that!?"
"...I am most happy to welcome you as my head smith: Please, talk with Dregas concerning any supplies or pay concerns-"
>[Del]"I don't feckin' need ya tellin' me that shit, I know it! I wasn't askin' yer permission, I was feckin' tellin' yeh I'm pissed, pissed off, yeah?"
>[Eisenhardt]"...Del Rogo. Good day sir."
>[Del]"Don't go actin' all prissy and formal with me, ya dipshit! I made yer first damn swords, yer armor, I helped ya learn metals, so don't you go throwin' civility at me like some twat! ...Why the hell haven't you come talk with me since I arrived, you feckin' too busy to see an old man?"
>[Eisenhardt]"...Rogo, come on, I AM here for grievances against the very man you seek employ from, isn't that a conflict of interests?"
>[Del]"YOU STUPID SHIT! Ye think you even have a chance of convincin' me ta be unprofessional about a client!? The hell's wrong with yer head?"
>[Eisenhardt]"..I will look to make time, alright?"
>[Del]"Ya feckin' better!"

I leave Eisenhardt to his humbling at the old smith's hands, wondering at how this meshes with that professed goal of Del Rogo's axe, while entering the tower and slowly ascending... closing on Ellayia's soul. When I reach the level I feel her present on, I hear a slow, steady clap heralding my approach. On the top floor of the Arcanoworks, I find Ellayia hanging from a rope, tinkering with the locked door that leads to the hypothetical final level of the tower. She turns in her harness to grin at my approach.

"Soooooooooo, the mage is finally here, how nice.
Well, I got some oh-so juicy tidbits concerning Weinsho for you-
But make no mistake, they are priiiceeeyyy.
Still want to here them?
Also you guys have some great locks!"
"What kind of information do you offer, and what do you ask?"
"Offered: The location of all three of Weinsho's controlled outposts in the state, his total force roster as of a month ago, and some interesting testimonials from local civilians with some valuable legal options being unveiled..
Asked: ten thousand Marks. No negotiating this either, I know you can afford it, and I'm not here to haggle. Take it or I'm out. ..So?"
"Speak with Dregas, he will pay you. So, the information?"
"Okay, so this map here? follooooow my finger... here, here, and here. Weinsho's got forts. Let's just call them East, North and West, since they're arrayed like a triangle, okay?
-So, East is the middling one, got two thousand total heads, eighteen hundred solders, a hundred servants, and a hundred of his shadow-type apprentices. One of them in particular is in charge when Weinsho's out, makes some sort of armor out of shadows, covers himself in it. Stuff is dense enough it can exist in light, and he has a sword that can eat light. Not sure exactly what it is he can do inside it, but whenever he surrounds himself and the area around him in shadow, it ends with everything near him absolutely wrecked. Other than that, a strict shadow-variant Tractomancer, with the same tricks the other apprentices can do-this includes the body cloning thing, whatever that is. Outpost seems to have stuff on shadow-based Tractomancy as its focus, so the apprentices from there do better, or so it seemed to me, than the others.
-West has the least forces in it, being nearest to Duras, the steppes and the mountains, none of which are a threat to something that big. Got some fifteen hundred heads, twelve hundred soldiers, one hundred servants, and two hundred apprentices. Head one here is also an armor type, but he can kinda fade out of existence-I made sure it wasn't some illusion thing. It's like he can make parts of his body stop existing, pain in the ass to keep an eye on, or from the one time I saw an assassination attempt, to even hit him if he's ready. His sword is definitely of the snicker-snack type, cuts through anything like butter. Focus of this place seemed to also be Tractomancy, but non-specialized. The apprentices here are way more widely spread in ability then the other forts, and some can pull some regular Tractomancy out, making them a real grab bag.
-NorthIs by far the biggest, some twenty eight hundred heads, and it makes sense, considering Weinsho spends more than half his time at this base. Anyway, got some two thousand soldiers there, better equipped than the others, some sort of magic armor for officers. Two hundred servants, and six hundred apprentices, with the head being this guy with a real fancy magic suit-this outpost being, obviously, a specialization in augmentive armor-that seems to give him some sort of inversion ability. He can use shadow, AND he can use light. Seems to be Weinsho's eldest apprentice too. As to Weinsho himself, he's got this Golem Armor that I think is designed to magnify his magic to golem scale, so... yeah, does not look like a fun guy to go against, got his own well equipped personal army and all.

SO THAT'S WHY I have these testimonials. Okay, so, four out of five villages around those outposts? Big old farming villages? They have consistent reports of Weinsho just off and kidnapping people, using them to make Life Golems. These big cloth and bone floating masses that go invisible and such, real nasty enforcers. Hard as all get out to accurately count, but I'd bet each outpost has at least fifty of the blighters. But yeah, you barely have to look to find people who would be willing to testify to his illegal capture of civilians for magical experimentation about his lands, he's been greedy. So yeah, there's your ten thousand mark report, I'm going to go get paid now. Oh-"

Ellayia, unhooking herself from the harness and abandoning it where is lays, taps a small rock sticking out of one of the harnesses pouches.

"You can call me with that, if you want to hire me for more stuff, I keep a receiver with me. But first, I got some marks just itching to fuel shopping, soooooooo... bye!"

Without any further comment, Ellayia jumps out the window, descending far too slowly to be solely under gravities pull, already moving off to meet with Dregas. ...Rather vital information, this. I now know the scope of my foe far better than I ever have before. With Ellayia spoken too, I make my way outside as I summon Nidhogg to my side, hopping on to take flight to Quinton. As I beg my leave of Eisenhardt, who seems quite content to chat with Reinhardt now that Del Rogo finished giving him an earful, Bang jumps on to join me in my trip, as does Burduko (after I ask him to via Phohn). I do not object to Bang's presence as I take off, a circuitous route bringing me a fair viewing of the roads-to find them complete, and thriving. It would seem their completion is what has allowed Berluut and Trepany to specialize as trade became easier. ...With the trade my teleport boxes shall bring, I can only wonder at where it shall go from there. My curiosity sated, I make my way to Quinton's Keep-

To be greeted by arrows and cannon fire before we even get close. ...Ah yes, giant flying monster coming unannounced. Well. I erupt to incredible volumes, hearing Bang's eardrum rupturing behind me, just the same as I hear the slithering sound of flesh reknitting. ...Truly his healing is a marvel.

"HOLD YOU FIRE, IT'S MAGE MORDRE! I WAS SUMMONED BY GENERAL QUINTON!!"

It takes a full ten seconds before the attack halts, and even then I wonder if it was because Nidhogg's use of Gravimancy was sufficient to prevent any attack from being a genuine threat. I have her land outside of the keep, and by the time Bang and I have dismounted, Lord Brigadier General Quinton, at the head of a great train of staff and officers, barges out to meet me. He brusquely looks at Nidhogg and Burduko, as well as glancing at the colorfully garbed Bang, before inspecting my new form. Finally, he offers a few terse words.

"So, I am finally graced with you presence. And what reason exactly is responsible for you delay?"
"Well, there's a civil war in the Land of Dragons, I'm part of a joint effort with the Mortal Coil, There to perform peacekeeping work."
"Is that so? Well, then you can put your experience to work then: The Disciples of Domintus are invading in earnest, claiming a scouting patrol unjustly slain in our borders. They claim one of their leaders, a Knight Captain, to have been slain. I don't suppose the incident they reference sounds familiar? Because the better part of a hundred thousands soldiers are invading... and our army is a fifth that size. So, my orders are as follows: You will provide all aid as is humanly possible in repelling these invaders, AND as you have shown yourself oh so prone to multitask, you are now ALSO responsible for ensuring we have no issues inside our borders. If any foreignly held outpost starts trouble, I fully expect you to deal with it. Is this clear? Good. If you have any questions, my aids here should be able to answer your questions. ...Good day, Mage Mordre."

Without a further word, Quinton turns on his heel and stalks away as imperiously as he can, his officers following him as the aids stay behind looking at me in uncertain fear and trepidation.

...Wonderful.





What sort of questions do I have for Quinton's aids concerning my new mission directives?
And once I've finished questioning them, what should I do next?
>>
No. 247838 ID: d3dfb8

"Hohoho, I guess if you need me I'll be off doing your job. COME NIDHOGG, LETS GO SLAUGHTER SOME INVADERS!"

Let's start off with a hit and run, just the three of us to see what we're up against. Inform Bang that it's just a raid and that we'll be back to finish them off later. As for approach, lets fly up to 10,000 feet on Nidhogg's back then jump off with Bang. Launch 3 new AV blades while we are falling and have a nice violent landing, using the blades to slow us so that we will not take damage. We could also make the ground softer/bouncy with geomancy to lessen the recoil of our DYNAMIC ENTRANCE.
>>
No. 247840 ID: e31d52

I'd say it's time to put the Golem Armor to use, don't you? Also, let's get our Deep Spawn up in this!
>>
No. 247842 ID: 12c392

Well, it would be nice if we knew exactly where the invading forces are and their number, along with the outposts we are expected to watch.

I think we should also have Moss along with us, he doesn't have much else to do. And some of our Militia, if they can be spared, they need the experience.
>>
No. 247843 ID: 445c48

>>247838
Mm, not sure if this is really the best idea. Last time we had a bit of trouble. Not sure it would be a good idea to drop right in the middle of them with just Bang. At the very least get the other Deep Spawn. I'd say get our militia, but I don't know how many of them there are. Ah, getting them (And our mans from Mordreden) moving to the Front while we and the faster among us performed hit and run attacks, could be good.

Wait why am I talking tactics we've got a deepspawn for that

Also, that "Doing your job" bit, not good. Don't say that. At all. We're in trouble as it is.
>>
No. 247848 ID: ddd48d

>>247842
yes, we should ask the aides for specific information. Then we can send Nidhogg+whoever to scout while Mordre returns to the Arcanoworks and gets some people together to defend the innocents no doubt being plagued by these fiendishly fiendish fiends!

We can have our more in-depth discussion with Arkus while our troops prepare to be awesome.

(also I am still drawing that Ellorika picture I promised, with a few others in the works. SO MUCH FUN.)
>>
No. 247850 ID: d3dfb8

>>247843
I agree that we should probably begin moving our militia, we will need them soon enough. Also, we should probably talk to Quinton about co-ordinating attacks.

>>247842
The militia should not participate in hit and run maneuvers; they are in full plate, are mostly mundane, and we need speed/maneuverability.

Speaking of hit and run, we can essentially drop in anywhere, so have Bang take out middling-powerful people while we (and the Deep Spawn) cause mayhem and chaos. Tell him we'll deal with the truly powerful one's later.
Inform Oz that we are in the middle of a war up here and we may need to take the Deep spawn for a time. We'll teleport them back whenever they are not needed.
>>
No. 247853 ID: e31d52

UH

WHERE IS THE INVASION

THAT'S UH

KINDA IMPORTANT, QUINTIN

DUDE
>>
No. 247857 ID: 9e5b05

You know, I think this invasion is a good thing. We have the warrior that slaid the Knight Captain who said 'No one attack him'. Bang is now in charge of defending the nation. Army better back the hell off!

Also, let us not spend so much time away again.
>>
No. 247858 ID: 9e5b05

Oh, also: If we're inviting everyone to stop a war, the party can be the pefect closer to that.
>>
No. 247859 ID: 12c392

Also, if we are returning back to the Arcanoworks for whatever reason, perhaps Bang should inquire about that necklace of faces, if he hasn't already?
>>
No. 247860 ID: d3dfb8

>>247857
Yes, because they will defiantly stop their invasion because Bang shows up and says 'I killed whatshisface, go away'
The guy is dead, and the Disciples of Domintus are douchebags, the're not going to stop their invasion.
>>
No. 247864 ID: 9e5b05

>>247860
Not all of them are. It was a command by their leader - one that might have some weight. And if it means that one sixth the army stops to ponder, then so much the better.

After all: Abaeloth is/was a staunch supporter of survival of the fittest: He vowed that should he ever be bested, that such that bested him be left alone by the rest of the Disciples of Domintus. Whether his wish is shared by those who survive him remains to be seen.
>>
No. 247877 ID: 903f16

>>247827

Damn I was hoping Ellayia would stick around so we could give her another contract. We still need to find a Leyline Geyser and a World mage skin from a mage no one would mind dead. I suppose we can contact her with her rock communication device, which I will now call her rockie - talkie because it amuses me, to call her in a couple days after her shopping spree. We could also wait for Dompaggio to finish his investigation with Keddic, which would probably be preferable because he won't charge us. Whichever options opens up first I guess.

Anywho, it looks like it's time to call back some of our forces from abroad now. When we get back home send a Phohn call to the Sons of Mordre to be at the box for transport and we'll pick them up really quickly, then do the same with the Deep Spawn and Oz back in the Land of Dragons. Then we need to make sure the Golem Armor division is up to snuff and get the unmodified ones as suped up as possible before the invasion. I'd like to keep most of the militia at the Arcanoworks just to make sure our base is safe while we are gone.

Small Stuff:

- Give Dregas a little run down of what the Frostback Mountains need. Mention building supplies, food, metals other than bronze. Tell him he can get bronze, furs, and furry hats as an export from them. Also mention they are preferred trading partners so try not to squeeze too much money out of them.

- Ask Bang if he'd be willing to take Ellorika off everyone's hands so she stops being a nuisance or ask who he thinks will be able to help with the issue.

- Take that stone Ellayia had and give it Arkus to check out and see if he can recreate the thing, we don't really need it now that we have Phohn but it's always nice to have back up communication systems.

- Del could use a project or two to keep him occupied. Express interesting in getting our Golem a set of armor. It needs to be quickly detachable and have attachment points for weapons, but otherwise he can go hog wild and be creative with it.
>>
No. 247879 ID: 9e5b05

>>247877
...are you trying to make Bang and Ellorika a couple because she's been getting defensive of anyone gawking at her without being up to her badass standards?
>>
No. 247882 ID: 903f16

>>247879
Pretty much? Why is that a bad thing?
>>
No. 247886 ID: f4e4f9

>>247877
Guys...um...

By facilitating Burduko and the boxes as PUBLIC TRADE transportation, he's going to be doing nothing else. Unless his Spawn have the ability to run the boxes in his stead, once proper trade gets going (GOD FORBID Dregas' aspirations of the Arcanoworks becoming a Multi-national Trade hub)...yeah...might want to see if those spawn are capable of serving in that capacity, as Burduko is too useful to be tied down like that. Also, pretty shitty fate for a Sentient being.

Regarding Quinton:

"*Snicker*

Well, then, to business, I suppose. You three, what are your names?"

"I need to know the following:
1. What areas of the State have been taken
2. What areas are currently under direct threat of attack
3. What do you know of their numbers and force composition, including but not limited two: How many distinct armies are the invaders divided into, what numbers each has, who any notable figures leading this assault are, and ALL of their locations as of your last bit of intel.
4. Where are State forces currently engaged in defensive operations against the invaders, with similar information regarding composition and notables.

Oh, and lastly, a note that Lord Quinton should consider: However much he insists I should butt out of the State's business, if NOTHING is going to be done but have 3 mages stand over that farmhouse worrying about what they're going to do, while I'm still barred from even approaching the area...

Well, the Arcanoworks AND all my following actions in repelling the invaders are quite useless in that case, aren't they?"

The deal was that lend aid to any defensive endeavours within the States borders in exchange for the works. All of that is fucking useless to us and our time and efforts are being wasted if the State handles it as incompetently as Eisenhardt has been suggesting they have been.
>>
No. 247889 ID: a69afd

>>247882
Because Bang wants to get with Collete the Colossus. Also, we're going to level Arkus up to MANLY MAGE status so he can take his shot at courting her.
>>
No. 247897 ID: 56dc25

>Because the better part of a hundred thousands soldiers are invading
>hundred thousands soldiers
>delicious candy
Oh, soooo delicious. We'll get right on that one, Quinnypoo.


>AND as you have shown yourself oh so prone to multitask, you are now ALSO responsible for ensuring we have no issues inside our borders. If any foreignly held outpost starts trouble, I fully expect you to deal with it.
What's that, Lord Quinton? You're giving us license to seize control of any outpost that shows signs of dissent, sucking the souls out of their current occupants and looting their research and resources for our own purposes? Why thank you!

The way this guy talks, you'd almost think he wasn't being extravagantly nice.


>If you have any questions, my aids here should be able to answer your questions.
>the aids stay behind looking at me in uncertain fear and trepidation.
"Excellent! You lot, mount up. We'll go fly over the countryside, you point us in the right direction to find the Disciples' army, we'll gather some intelligence- what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

[obvious statement that they don't want to leave the base]

"...oh, fine, be that way. Stick-in-the-muds. Do you at least have maps? Good maps, with little markers on them to show where the Disciples' armies are, maybe who's leading them, what forces of note they have at their disposal? Where the State forces opposing them are, what bases and towns are claimed by whom? And a list of which outposts are currently foreignly held, with locations, since apparently I'm now in charge of those. I want to see them all. Preferably within the next thirty seconds, but I could stretch it to ten minutes if you throw in some intelligence on the capabilities of the Disciples' leader types."

Hopefully we will get a great deal of information rather quickly.


War plans.

Our priorities in this conflict are:
-Gaining more souls, particularly hero and mage souls, for Mordre (but all sorts are good)
-Gaining more assets, including troops and other followers, magical or advanced technological equipment, bases from which to operate, and so forth.
-Putting our followers into combat and thereby hopefully generating more/stronger heroes
-All the usual objectives regarding secrecy, discovering more information, etc. etc.

Based upon this, I would counsel against relying primarily/exclusively upon our heroes and deep spawn for this. Instead, we can use our Arcanoworks force as an airmobile combat unit; they've got heavy enough ranged weapons to be utterly terrifying as wyvern cavalry, and can dismount to take/hold towns as necessary. Mix in our more powerful characters with them, and they should be able to drop in on almost anywhere and tear whatever Disciples are in the area a new one. This is particularly useful because it lets us go after the most tempting targets in terms of souls and loot, rather than fighting whatever armies happen to be nearby.

On the Deep Spawn: Tipping our hand about what they are and how many we have under our control might be unwise. I'm of two minds about this; "fuck it, it'll come out eventually, throw them at our enemies" and "let's keep their use as restricted as possible and handle most things ourselves". Either way, they're probably too big to fly around and will be stuck with a ground force, which would be everything we've got which can't fit on the wyverns/Nidhogg. Our ground force will have the priority of picking up new recruits at every town they pass in addition to merely fighting and holding whatever ground we take; we need rather badly to build up our ranks.

Whatever else we do, we will need to leave enough troops at the Arcanoworks to hold it against attack; how close we can shave that one is up for debate. Some Deep Spawn might go a damned long way towards keeping it secure, though.


>>247886
>By facilitating Burduko and the boxes as PUBLIC TRADE transportation, he's going to be doing nothing else.
But we're not. We're keeping this private trade- locked down by us. There are more profits that way, and if we tell Dregas that he gets Burduko for an hour a day and he'd better maximize his profits based on that, then that's what will happen. We remain in sole control. Besides, it's not like Burduko sleeps, or can't just teleport wherever he's needed at any given time.


Other matters. We need to ask G if we can buy up the area which happens to surround our box on his island- if I recall it was in a deserted area, but if there's anyone who technically owns it this had best be done above board. For now, just message Dregas through Phohn and tell him to see it done; he should be able to handle it without a problem given our current resources. He can travel there, with an escort if he desires, to make sure that everything's in order. After purchasing it, we stop in there at some point in the next short while and use our geomantic abilities to whip up some walls and a small fortress. Plus some other buildings, I guess. That can serve as security for the island's box and function as our trade depot at that location; we should be able to staff it with some of our Arcanoworks personnel. Have any of our people who might be interested in designing its layout and defenses (Dregas and Jezebel come to mind, but someone else might have input) put together a plan for what we need to do geomantically ready within the next week or so.
>>
No. 247900 ID: 903f16

>>247889
Oh yes I forgot about Collete. We really need to get that girl's location down and find her for Bang. Though I really don't agree with trying to change Arkus' personality for the girl. If he happens to become more assertive and whatnot on his own then we could give him a shot.
>>
No. 247901 ID: 1854db

Replicating the stone would be handy for our dudes to talk amongst themselves.

Also, LET'S KILL US AN ARMY! Ask the aides exactly where the army is, and what it's composed of exactly. We need to know what we're up against!
>>
No. 247902 ID: f4e4f9

Once we have some logistical information, we should form our plan from there. We'll head back to the Arcanoworks.

A General gameplan, however, for any assault:

Nidhogg will approach with ourself and Bang from above cloud cover. Once we actually get stuck in, she becomes aerial artillery, lobbing firey-acid at any large concentrations of Domintus troops (especially caster groups like those Geomancy and Pyromancy groups we first encountered with Abaeloth).

Sadronm assumes control of the Spawn for coordination purposes.

Mothbern and Nihilino will be shock leaders. Nothing saps morale like watching your allies and leaders wither dessicated husks or fade from existence without a fight.

Zelgoto, Vandgurd, and Aggocrag will form the point of an assault, breaching enemy lines to disrupt formations.

Murhiyal will be held in reserve as emergency aid to any non-Deepspawn forces. Her spawn will be issued to any non-Deepspawn high-priority combatants we bring with us that do not have their own healing capability (Bang would not qualify, Moss/Ulzrick and Co/Valiria/Etc would)

Akeakam should provide his enhancement to combat magic Practitioners (Bang Qualifies, because MAGIC STEALING to add to his Magic Pool nullifies his major weakness: Stamina), and his spawn should be divvied up to two combatants, 10 and 10.

Burduko, Phohn, and Velada are highly specialized. I dunno what Velada's capable of in truth.
>>
No. 247907 ID: e31d52

>>247902
As always Emba

Great job
>>
No. 247909 ID: d3dfb8

>>247902
Velada protects us from chronomancy, phohn kills people with wires n shit, burduko is good for teleporting our doods around the battlefield. Also burduko is our getaway vehicle.
>>
No. 247919 ID: 1c7a93

>I send a Message to Phohn, to have him and the other Deep Spawn in the Land of Dragons begin bloodletting themselves every day, however much they can do safely while insuring the blood is empowered, and for Murhyihal to build a massive metal vat for them to store it in. They accept my request without hesitation, and my plot to slowly collect enough Deep Spawn Blood that with 2 Pristine Souls I could fully saturate my body begins.


NONONONONO

I was the one who brought up the subject but this is not the way to do it.
Bob, you hinted several times that doing this might have political consequences in LoD.
That is why I brought up this subject now when we have access to Arcaneworks again.

So, put that barrel of blood inside the Arcaneworks tower, on the most secluded floor. Then have your spawn come to Arcaneworks once a day (during the night probably, when there's no training).
If we need to explain why the Deep Spawn travel between these locations every day do this:
Oz already knows how recent and experimental those things are, so it is logical to assume that we would like to know how they are performing, we can tell that we are performing several medical tests and generally measuring their daily progress.
Inside Arcaneworks we don't have to explain anything to anyone.

Speaking of progress. We should get a report from our Spawn how they are progressing. Ask them if they feel that they are getting stronger/better.
Oh, and I forgot to ask: Bob, are ALL of our spawn participating in these training sessions (save for Dompaggio and Nighogg of course) if not, I would like everyone to participate, including Phohn and Sardronm. They might not be combat oriented but some training will do them good, besides Sardronm can help with coming up of creative training sessions and can direct little spawnlings.

Nihilino and Mothbern should use EVERY chance they get to spar with Oz. Give them direct order to focus their training on getting more control of their power. Sometimes destroying entire existences including the souls is not the best answer. Ultimately I want them to be able to destroy bodies with leaving souls intact (and general level ups too).

Also, if we are going to deal with Discipline of Dominculus, first tell Quintin that our task in LoD has much higher priority (being a direct order of an Elder Mage and all) and if something important comes up we might need to leave there.
Second, we will need all of our Deep Spawn for and maybe our own standing army (though I do not really want to use those guys) for this campaign.
We should send invitation to Oz to join this venture with his students if he wants too. He can put a strain on his students in real combat this way (like training with Oz is not real combat)


One other thing I wanted to be done (but was late before the last update), I wanted us to speak with Arkus in private dropping the mage persona. ... You know... just talk. Ask him about his progress, how the things are going in Arcaneworks, his general thoughts, if he has any suggestions he would want to share with us. We might even tell him about our own ventures we did without him in more detail and ask him if he likes it better at Arcaneworks or would like to travel with us again.
Tell him about the task that Lenryt gave us and her plans on building secondary Mortal Coil tower there.
Oh... maybe we could pull some strings with Lenryt and put Arkus as an administrator in the new tower (though that might constitute as a boon).
Talk about LoD and their magic practices, maybe he would like to visit it and get some books, magical artifacts from those lands? etc, etc...

When we come back to Arcaneworks, congratulate Dregas with his amazing work and give him a bonus (about 10k marks, maybe? or is it too much), tell ti put the in his "fund of restoring his family name again" *wink wink*
He is doing a great job... how much are we paying him?..... How much are we paying anyone?
>>
No. 247955 ID: 9338f5

if my brain meats are working right a few threads ago it was mentioned that Eisenhardt's homeland and mabey family were killed/destroyed by the disiples. he probabley has a grudge against them, lets have phone ask if he wants to join our first raid.
>>
No. 247960 ID: 1c7a93

Oh, right
take Oggroth and Sons of Mordre too

and Seth... we hired him so he should do something for us. And negotiate his salary, whatever he demands, offer him half of it. I am sure the weasel will try to ask much more than he is willing to work for.
>>
No. 247973 ID: 4896cb

Ok, let's call in Oggroth and Our Sons and all of our Deep Spawn (excluding Dompaggio) to assist us. Ask Reinhardt and Kyrchesia if they would assist in the defense of the Arcanoworks and our towns. Now this may sound a bit extreme, but if Disciple Soldiers are spotted or reported near the villages we should arm the populace with hand-cannons.

Once we get back to the Arcanoworks let's talk with Eisenhardt, "The people that destroyed your home many years ago, now come to destroy mine. Will you standby and watch while history is repeated or will stand up and bring justice to the murderous zealots of Domintus with me?"

After we have an inkling as to where the main Domintus forces are, let's set off with our army-killing-gang. Now we should try to direct the first of our many hit and run attacks toward the rear or sides of the main force, that way they will pull troops out of the front lines to deal with us, therefore, helping to even the playing field for the State army. After the Domintus forces have been sandwiched between our blitzkrieg tactics and the defending State army, let's kill this invasion by cutting of its head so to speak. Assuming the Domintus army likes having their captains and generals working together, then they will have a central camp with their most of their tacticians or leaders to facilitate the invasion. If such is the case, then it should be pretty easy to spot on Niddhog's back in the cover of darkness with our enhanced Golem-vision and Bang's awesome Mantis shrimp-magic detector eyes. If not, then I will assume that each captain has his or her own camp with their personal staff.

Let's contact Ellayia with her rocky-talkie immediately: "Hello Ellayia, so sorry to interrupt your shopping spree or whatever you're doing, but my job at the Arcanoworks has just become a bit more complicated than I expected and it is leaving me with considerably less time to pursue my hobbies and past times. So I have another job for you, I need you to subdue or kill a criminal/corrupt World Mage or sufficient World Magic user and bring them or their skin back to the Arcanoworks. Now the difficult part of this job is that if you kill them, their skin must remain unbroken. The more powerful they are in World magic, the more money you will receive, likewise, the faster you bring me the skin or bring the Mage to me alive will also yield greater rewards for you."
>>
No. 247975 ID: d3dfb8

>>247973
Alive, preferably. (that way we can eat their soul)
>>247919
Hell, we may as well use Lenryt's boon to send Arkus an invitation to join the Mortal Coil.
>>
No. 247977 ID: 5f0943

Ok Let's see.
The Disciples are being dicks, and decide to invade with close to a hundred thousand soldiers.

Now, this is a fuck load of soldiers for almost any army.
Even if we manage to kill them by the hundreds, there are still thousands more.

Facing this army head on (even with our deep-spawn) isn't going to work out all that well.
They have the advantage in numbers, and could probably just keep throwing soldiers and mages at us until we die.
Now let's sum up our advantages.
1. We have handcannons. They are extremely effective weapons, and with revolver style set up, plus skyfall runes, they are even more effective.
2. The deep spawn. Nuff said.
3. Nidhogg. Nidhogg can fucking fly. She can strike from where they least expect it, and as shown, is mostly immune to cannons and arrows.
This means she can strike, shrug off most attacks made in retaliation, pull back and then rince and repeat.

There is ONE primary weakness that the Dominitus army has.
An army marches on it's stomach. Cut the armies supply lines, and BAM, it's only a matter of time until they starve.
This could drive to send groups of men to pillage villages though, but if we cut their most important supply trains (because they still have to move around a lot of stuff with them) we could still reduce their overall effectiveness.
Men, weapons, armour, food, water even horses.
All of the that good stuff that keeps an army going.

And how are we going to strike at these supplies, which are most likely heavily guarded in the middle of their camps or what not?
Nidhogg. She can just spew forth a couple of flaming-acid globs, and *poof* no more supplies.

If we ARE forced into a direct confrontation though, we should stay out of melee as much as possible.
If we can stay at a comfortable distance, we can pepper them with handcannons (assuming we take Arcanaworks soldiers with us).
If they DO get to close though, the handcannon soldiers would pull back, while the deep-spawn delayed the Disciples.
Rince, and repeat.

Also, for this reason, I propose a couple of Spawn with long range capability.

Acronum embodies the concept of RANGED COMBAT, its form revolves around GUNS and CANNONS

Vahnderhuug embodies the concept of BOMBARDMENT, it's form revolves around HEAVY, LONG RANGED ARTILLERY and UNPARALLELED STRENGTH
>>
No. 247978 ID: d3dfb8

>>247977
I quite like these spawn.
>>
No. 247981 ID: 1c7a93

>>247977

If we are going to manifest spawn, do it away from prying eyes like Eisenhart and such.
>>
No. 247995 ID: 1c7a93

Oh, the invading army is marching somewhere, right?
So, we predict where we will meet them and send Burduko way in advance to cover ALL of the battlefield so that we can instantly teleport around the battle field.
Hell, we might set up geomancy mines again.
>>
No. 247997 ID: b1f877

>>247977
I was thinking something similar. Mordre's army has advantages with its guns and air support. The addition of one or two artillery/bombing type Deep Spawn could be brutal. If a front can be established with trenches and fortifications then the Deep Spawn can hit supply lines and generally train the enemy to fear demon ambushes. Mordre could also strike almost anywhere at short notice by either dropping down from Nidhogg in the night or by travelling at Nimble Nitro speeds. In fact with Burduko at hand it might be possible for Mordre to singlehandedly crash into an army killing scores of officers and mages before disappearing, giving the army no time to react in defense.

The Disciples will have far more massed magic available so if it's possible to hire State mages skilled in counterspelling then that would be most helpful. A few runes on the defensive walls could make a whole lot of difference.

I'm worried that this might interfere with the affairs in the Land of Dragons though. Does Lubu have any tasks for Mordre? We HAVE to keep supporting him or we will lose Lenryt's good will.

Question - How long does it take for lost lesser spawnlings to be reformed? Can they be sent charging at the enemy army in infinitely respawning waves? It might be possible to just halt the Disciples by constantly sending small swarms of lesser spawn at their flanks, forcing them to dig in and defend, making it hard to sleep as demons harass them from every side all day and night. Either way the real strategy should be to finish this little war quickly through pressure rather than by causing casualties. Maybe Mordre can press them until the enemy commander accepts a duel challenge or something.
>>
No. 248005 ID: 5c701b

If they're actually just moving all 100,000 soldiers around in one big mass...they're not terribly competent. I assumed they were attacking from multiple fronts, splitting their total forces to strike targets of priority.
>>
No. 248006 ID: 5c701b

>>247997
If he cant function without us for a short time, he's not terribly effective. He's a national leader, we're not the only servants he can call on, and we specifically explained to Lenryt that we'd be splitting our attention somewhat. He also has easy access to us via Phohn, who as I recall is still in the city.
>>
No. 248026 ID: 1c7a93

Wait,
why don't we send Ellayia, Uggroth, Vespinto and Burduko to do some reconnaissance and gather intel on our enemy?
That way we will know better where they are headed, where to set up an ambush, their numbers and how their army is structured.

We can send them as a team or each individually or paired
>>
No. 248033 ID: 12c392

>>248026
>Uggroth
Did you mean Ulzrick? The sneaky SoulDreamer?
>>
No. 248034 ID: 9e5b05

>>247977
God no, for Vanderhuge! He's going to be a Hero Deep Spawn, and we are going to reference Space Mutiny to hell and back for him.

And going by the list I would suggest Fjordak rather then Vanderhuug, as we have more suggestions we could combine for Fjordak which are:

Fjordak embodies the concept of STONE, its form revolves around SPHERES and LAUNCHING.
Fjordak embodies the concept of TELEPORTATION it's form revolver around PORTALS and SCIENCE!
Fjordak embodies the concept of BOMBARDMENT. Its form revolves around THROWING and EXPLOSIONS.
Fjordak embodies the concept of DEPTH, his form revolves around WATER and STILLNESS

And Acronum has two we can use:
Acronum embodies the concept of RANGED COMBAT, its form revolves around GUNS and CANNONS
Acronum embodies the concept of MARKSMANSHIP. Its form revolves around GUNS and ACCURACY.

Checking for more ranged ideas that we could add to these.
>>
No. 248035 ID: 9e5b05

>>248033
Ugrokk, I assume. Got Oggroth and Ugrokk confused again. But both would work.
>>
No. 248053 ID: 1854db

Hey, if we're going to fight some shadowmages, let's make a Deep Spawn to oppose their ability.

Ekron embodies the concept of THE SUN, his form revolves around FIRE and LIGHT.
>>
No. 248062 ID: 56dc25

Guys, you are looking at this in what is perhaps not the best way. Our task here is NOT "defeat the Disciples", whatever the State may think; it's "strengthen ourself as much as possible".

Throwing all our deep spawn into battle will:
-Almost completely tip our hand as far as combat capabilities go to Weinsho and anyone else who can hear a rumor
-Probably make ourselves seem more dangerous and creepy to basically everyone; quirky mage with a remote-control golem is a far cry from mage with an army of unstoppable monsters rep-wise, and I don't think it's a shift that we want
-Fail to actually strengthen our forces, except insofar as it might make the Deep Spawn's souls grow

If we can fight this battle without using any more of them than we already have revealed, then we should do so. Even if we do choose to bring in more of them, the horde of demons is likely not the best way to do it. We simply don't have the numbers to engage the Disciples everywhere they are, which leaves us with an airmobile strategy as our best bet- and the Deep Spawn mostly can't fly to keep up with that.


>Oggroth and Sons of Mordre
Again, we should NOT call these guys in. Our premen are currently engaged in a massive unification effort, even if they've been carrying it out offscreen. Robbing them of one of their best champions and elite forces would weaken them substantially, and considering all the other powerful types that we're pulling together here we have no serious need for them in this conflict. It might even prompt the yeti to strike if he sees some of our champions gone.


>Making new Deep Spawn
Be CAREFUL with this. If we choose to do so, make sure it's in the premen lands, Land of Dragons, or otherwise somewhere far removed from observation by our immediate foes. And I don't think that we really need it; we already have a myriad of ways to slaughter our enemies in terrifying numbers without making another specialist or three to do so. Particularly given the above re: tipping our hand to our enemies.
>>
No. 248065 ID: 12c392

>>248062
This guy is saying everything I want to say, so seconded.
>>
No. 248066 ID: f4e4f9

>>248062
While I do agree with not calling in forces from every place we have a stake in, please don't forget:

Defending the State from the Disciples and Strengthening Mordre are very much intertwined. Our whole purpose behind operating in the Azelhaedran State is to eventually obtain control of the area, something we are well on our way to doing. Failing to Stop the Disciples is EXTREMELY counterproductive to that goal.
>>
No. 248069 ID: ddd48d
File 128805087760.png - (1.14MB , 1753x1327 , dammitmordre.png )
248069

>>247385
>ELLORIKA IN GOLEM ARMOR
lol sorry it took so long to draw

seems to me like we should finally use our normal troops and such for battle, and keep the others for reserves if we really need them. I really like the idea of having some people ride on Nindy's spawn though, sounds SO COOL.
>>
No. 248073 ID: 56dc25

>>248066
Oh, we definitely have to win. The ideal situation here is for the State to almost lose and have us bail them out in a highly visible, manner, thereby rendering ourselves an extremely popular war hero. We have to err on the side of making them win by a larger margin, but that's the ideal.

>>248069
I back deploying our current personnel as wyvern-mounted cavalry as well; they've got lightning guns and hand cannons and will therefore likely prove a potent ranged force. More than that, having such a force made up primarily of line troops creates a rather romantic image which will likely prove a potent recruitment and PR tool.

We can claim to have gotten the wyverns wherever we got the dragon, of course, rather than having Nidhogg spawn them somewhere visible. That should dodge most- well, some- questions and conceal the Deep Spawn bit at least somewhat.
>>
No. 248083 ID: f4e4f9

>>248073
Wyvern mounted Lightning Shooting fast-attack troops with Muriyhal's spawn granting the riders passive regeneration.

My god. Fund it.
>>
No. 248086 ID: f4e4f9

Mind you, we're going to need to give them training first on riding such creatures. But my god.

(INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, I just finished watching How to Train Your Dragon, so...yeah, fuckawesome suggestion Glue)
>>
No. 248101 ID: 4896cb

>>247877
Let's get Del Roga to rune our Golem Armor to turn invisible like Ugrokk's. Invisible Golem-Tank division anyone? Also let's get Arkus to finish up on those unmodified Golem-Armor and make sure they have appropriately trained pilots.

We should also get Del to reforge our Sons', Oggroth's and Uggrokk's armor with Blootz Steel without having them appear in the Arcanoworks. Also see if he replicate the cloaking runes onto Ugrokk's followers' armor.

>>248086
Get someone to make saddles or seats for Niddhog and her spawn.

>>248053
NO. We don't need to waste a Deep Spawn Egg on making a Deep Spawn that can only kill these shadow-mages, we have to design our Deep Spawn so that they are useful in multiple ways.

>Delicious Soul Candy
Mmmmm.... 
>>
No. 248103 ID: 903f16

>>248083
>>248086
You know what could make the whole thing even better? If we could have our men hide in heavy cloud cover while they ride the wyverns, especially in any storm clouds. Then we go down into visible range on Nidhogg and pretend to direct lightening strikes at our enemies while in reality we are ordering them to fire in one direction or another. We do all sorts of crazy things like claiming we're bringing the wrath of nature down on them and bombarding them with Skyfall cannon shells. It would be scary as hell for their troops and we could totally pull off a look like the golem in the opening picture.
>>
No. 248105 ID: 903f16

>>248103
Ordering our men to fire that is.
>>
No. 248106 ID: 56dc25

>>248103
>what could make the whole thing even better
>>248101
>Let's get Del Roga to rune
Night vision goggles for all our wyvern riders, so that we can strike in the middle of the night?
>>
No. 248112 ID: f4e4f9

>>248106
Honestly, what I really want to do with Del Roga is...let him see what he can do with the Edge of Oblivion. After Jioga's enhancements, I'm curious what innovations such a renowned smith could make in addition to the weapon.

We could eventually turn it into a weapon that is truly marvelous.
>>
No. 248123 ID: 903f16

>>248106
I imagine we wouldn't even need to ask Del for those, they sound simple enough that Arkus could make them or alternatively Jezebel.

>>248112
That would be pretty interesting, I wonder if we could expand on it an make it a little side quest to have various famous smiths add to our blade and improve it until we have some insane master's sword. Which will be fitting because Lubu is going up against a guy named Theriguno The Claimer, The Supreme Swordmaster and if we work out a way to eat his soul we could become a Samurai Soul Grave.
>>
No. 248124 ID: 12c392

>>247919
>Deep Spawn coming to the Arcanoworks everyday
Alternatively, Burduko could just transport the container, once Mury finishing it (also, what metal is the container made of? If it is Blood Iron, as the characteristic of the proto-metal to turn into the metal surrounding it suggests, that would significantly cut the time we need, unless Bob, as he probably did now that I think about it, included that into the estimated date), to the Arcanoworks, and everyday, return to the LoD to gather the blood, and then teleport to the Arcanoworks.

Actually, perhaps we shouldn't have our critical Deep Spawn Blood Iron bank located in places where the constituent members are completely loyal to us. Having the container in the LoD is not the best idea, since it doesn't exactly have the most secure base for us currently (...if fact, I don't think we even have a base there), nor having the container at the Arcanoworks such a good idea either, since there isn't necessarily a private place where we can put the container without having people walking by and seeing it everyday (the hypothetical top floor probably is the best place, if we had access to it, and the next best is Arkus' workplace, but there is lots of traffic going there too...).

The only other bases we have, that I can think of, are: Mordreden and Kyorto's tower. I don't think we should put it in Mordreden, but the only reason I can think of, outside of a hunch that it is a bad idea, is that it feels, to me, that doing so projects a sense of insecurity outside that place (Which is bad, since we want the clan to feel that we don't actually need them, but we like them and thus help them to their goals, strengthening ourselves in the process. But that explanation doesn't feel quite right). Kyorto's tower presents the problem of being in the Cursed Lands, with everything that being in there implies. It might be the safest place: no, or few enough to be statistically negligible, people go there, and, if we put the container on the level where Kyorto is at, then we have a guardian as well (if this is done, we really need to tell Kyorto that we are storing it, and describe what 'it' is, there because we want as little people to know of this as possible and there is the best place for that purpose).
>>
No. 248125 ID: 9e5b05

Note: Why are we not wanting our Deep Spawn seen again?
>>
No. 248126 ID: e31d52

>>248125
Deep Spawn, to the public, are pretty much Demons.
>>
No. 248128 ID: 12c392

>>248125
Look to the first part of >>248062
>>
No. 248129 ID: f4e4f9

>>248125
Because it tips our hand to Weinsho, a bit.

Mind you, I'm sure he knows at least SOMETHING about our DeepSpawn (probably not much more than that they exist), given he DOES have anonymous holdings in the Land of Dragons, in addition to what he has here. They're probably not as extensive, but I imagine he's had SOME informants tell him of "Demons accompanying one called Mordre", though I can't imagine he knows much of their true capabilities.
>>
No. 248204 ID: a76809

[JESUS FUCKING CHRIST THATS A LOT OF SUGGESTIONS]
[In the future, please keep the multi-post speculation and whatnot to discussion, as I'd rather not have to make new threads all the time for the quest. Also when there are THIS many different suggestions, I have no way of doing everything, so bear that in mind for the future.]

>>248069
[FANART BONUS: +1 Golem Armor modified: 2/6 total Golem Armors modified]

>>247842
>>247853
>>247886
I turn torwards the aids still standing before me, and do what I can to act like an exasperated but patient old man. From their reactions, I achieve only moderate success.

" Well, it would be nice if we knew exactly where the invading forces are, As well as their numbers, along with the outposts we are expected to watch."
>"Ah, the Domintus forces are split into three prongs. There's a group forty thousand strong, led by three of their Knight Captains-"
>"Reports name the leading individuals as Knight Captain Oggjud The Devil-Lance, Knight Captain Siode The Ravager, and Knight Captain Farrogut The Red Knight."
>"What's more, The Pure Lady is with them, as well as her Soul Grave."
>"This force is presumed their main force, since it is the largest, has three Knight Captains and the Pure Lady herself in its ranks... and is slowly moving straight towards the capital. SO far, there have been two attempts to parlay with them... the envoys never returned."
>"Then there's their northern front, thirty thousand troops under Knight Captain Delfargoth the Despoiler, and Knight Captain Therikio the Inspiring. They are sweeping along the northern border, establishing supply stockpiles and outposts from which to raid south anywhere into the northern part of the State."
>"There are reports they are entering dialogues with the steppe bandits, looking to absorb their numbers into their ranks rather than having to fight them."
>"The most pressing issue though is the southern force. So far they've been the most active, steamrolling straight through the heart of our agricultural sectors, burning fields and razing villages. Give them another two months, and the State will starve."
>"This group, likewise of thirty thousand, is lead by only one individual: Abaeloth the All Consuming"
"Abealoth!? ...That can't be right, I watched him die... I even have his soul stored in this golem!"
>"..Ah, well, he calls himself by that name, has a cloak of shadow hands, a crystal sword-"
>"Those saved from the earlier Domintus Incursion he was involved in swear it to be him."
>"On our front... we are losing ground, steadily but surely. So far there have only been brief skirmishes between the Domintus forces and the State... and so far we have lost every one of them. Their soldiers in and of themselves are not particularly troublesome, if oddly willing to employ suicide tactics-"
>"The issue is threefold: The Knight Captains, thus far completely unstoppable on the battlefield, and their ease at calling forth Clay Siege Golems. ...They also have considerable numbers of Alchemic Life Golems, but as of yet we have been unable to get any force estimation on them. The last issue is that we still cannot nail down how many mages they have, as they dress them the same as soldiers, and constantly shift their formations."
"So how much State land has been claimed?"
>"So far, the entire eastern sector has fallen, and half the soutern sector, so... nearly one third of State land has been taken."
>"This not including the land that was still under the control of foreign elements in the western sector here, and in the northern sector."
"What areas are under direct threat of attack?"
>"The most pressing threat is to the south, the constant attacks on farmland. However, the largest force is making a straight line towards the capital, and will be there in a matter of weeks at their current pace. The northern front, while not currently under attack, is being prepared for a massive incursion along the entire border."
"Where are State defensive lines the strongest?"
>"The capital has ten thousand soldiers and our best officers present. The rest are scattered trying to keep our communication network strong enough we still know what the enemy is doing."
>"Here is a map, with the most recent known locations of each of the three Domintus forces, and the paths they have taken."

The aid who speaks stops, hesitantly offering forth the parchment as he strives very mightily not to flinch as I pluck it from his hand. I glance over the crude map, compiling the data I derive from it's imagery with my established knowledge of the State... and I now know where the Domintus forces are... or at least, where they were. ...I also find that the aids fled from my presence whilst I perused the map. ...No matter, they told me what I needed to know, and by the fact they made no mention of third parties currently attacking, I merely need to keep a watchful eye open.

>>247877
I speak through Phohn to Arkus, busying myself as I ponder my next action. I ask my first follower to use Ellayia's stone to request a new job be completed, that being the following, as two individual jobs:
-Finding and either capturing or slaying and returning the unmarred corpse of a practiced World Mage to the Arcanoworks, and
-Finding either a free Leyline Geyser, or someone in possession of one that would be willing to sell temporary access.
I am rather swiftly informed the message has been sent-and seconds later told that a message came back through the stone as words emblazoned on its surface, saying Ellayia will 'think about it.'

>>247897
[Gialgorra owns the island, the whole thing. The towns are giant rent collectives, effectively. How do you think he got enough money to fund his ridiculous research?]
I one more speak through Phohn, this time to Dregas, informing him that he will at most be able to demand an hour of immediate transport time a day from Burduko, and that he is to arrange it through Phohn, the very one conveying my words into his mind. There is a lengthy pause before I get his response, but he accepts my restrictions nonetheless.

>>247919
[All Deep Spawn save Dompaggio, Nidhogg and Burduko are participating in the training. Furthermore, the vat in question is being kept in the room the Deep Spawn go to within the arena when there is no active need for them. Thus far, NO ONE but Deep Spawn has intruded into this chamber. For the moment, the secret is safe.]

>>247955
>>247973
>>247977
>>247995
My mind finally getting into gear as I consider the multitude of contingencies and issues involved in a multi-front war, I remount Nidhogg as I send Burduko to teleport back to the Arcanoworks, and from there begin moving (in all possible stealth and speed) towards three seperate points, each estimated to be where a Domintus force is headed. My hope is that this will allow Burduko to bring myself and any Deep Spawn I want instantly to contest the Domintus forces... though as I consider the sheer scale of the enemy forces, I wonder if such tactics as I employed against the earlier Domintus incursion can still apply. ....This also will make it MUCH easier to target what in my opinion is the weakest link of such large forces away from home: Their supply chain. No matter how strong, a mortal deprived of food... well, strength is worthless against the pains of hunger. Much occupies my thoughts, and I barely notice Nidhogg's swift flight back to the Arcanoworks. Before she can even descend to ground level in the late afternoon, Eisenhardt is floating at my side, mouth about to open. I speak on reflex, recalling something he mentioned once long ago.

"You have grievences against the Disciples of Domintus, do you not?"
"...Aye, that I do."
"Well, it would seem some six Knight Captains, Someone called The Pure Lady, And the better part of a hundred thousand soldiers are here, In the State, as we speak attacking the locals. I don't suppose you would be amenable to fighting them? The State could certainly use your help."
"....I was going to ask if you were ready for round 3.... but you seem to have found a singularly noteworthy distraction. ....So be it then, I will put my grievances against you on hold, whilst I turn my attentions to this older threat."
"I appreciate your gesture, And likely so will the Sta-"
"Save it. I do it for purely selfish reasons. I will fight not for justice, for the lives of the people, nor will I fight because I am a solder myself, or I was long ago: I shall fight purely to satisfy a grudge that makes the one I hold against you seem inconsequential. Make no mistake, this is not kindness, or proof of some moral pull to do the right thing: This is vengence."
"...I can respect that."
"Why do I get the feeling those are the most truthful words I have yet heard you speak?"
"For your vengeance, are you amenable to working with others?"
"You rather clearly have more knowledge on this subject than I.
I will lend an ear to any words you have on the specifics,
Any advise you may have, but my choices will be my own."
"Understandable. I have much to prepare-"
"And I have nothing but time. I shall follow you, and await that moment you DO have time to 'advise' me. ..Do not keep me waiting unduly."
"Perish the thought."

My tense conversation with Eisenhardt for the moment concluded, I guide Nidhogg to land atop the Arcanoworks tower, and leap from her back, keeping my fall from being calamitous with the application of Kinetimancy and Geomancy alike. Once more at the Arcanoworks, Burduko already in transit to boost my future mobility in this conflict by considerable amounts, I set to pondering the specifics of what I should do, with Eisenhardt now the equivalent of a feral beast coincidentally at my side in facing foes.

>>248062
>>248065
>>248066
...I can't call on the Deep Spawn in the Land of Dragons. My extra time there revealed how vital they are to spreading my name, as being their master I am gaining credit for their prowess and services. Considering they are helping Oz make his newly founded school the most well known in the capital, it is only a matter of time before they become famous throughout the land. Further, their efforts seem to give them wonderous opportunity to get a better handle on how to interact with mortals safely, all while giving them sustained endeavors to hone themselves through. ...Besides, if I removed them, only Keddic would still be down there, and I doubt Lenryt would much like that at all. The Drazken Clan, including Oggroth, Ugrokk and the Sons of Mordre are all likewise vital in the north, thoroughly entrenched in aiding Lorgk's efforts to unify the premen clans. If left alone, this could yield to me an army of Premen in the thousands, whereas taking them would only grant me twenty two warriors, however powerful two of them are. ...Besides, Ugrokk's arm shall not be done for several more days, according to Gialgorra's initial estimates. ..So, whatever I do, it would be wisest in the long term if I restrain myself only to the resources I have here in the Arcanoworks. To that end... the militia is better equipped than most armies, and eight hundred strong... they are also slow, thanks to the wealth of weapons and formidable armor they wear.

>>248073
>>248083
...Nidhogg has thirty eight spawn she can manifest... and each is easily large enough to mount a rider... in fact, two fully equipped militia members could be born without issue, if my calculations are correct. ...So, Seventy Six soldiers could be mounted at a time on the spawn... that would allow enough rotations I could effectively insure that no matter what I have fresh troops to seat upon the dragonlings, the wyvern spawn. With the wealth of potent ranged weapons at my disposal, that would mean that in addition to their scaled down dragon fire-acid spit, a pair of Skyfall revolver hand-cannons could likewise be brought to bear... considerable damages could be caused, and the mobility such forces would have.... I am hit with another realization when I consider that the difference in weight between Golem Armor and normal equipment is small enough that in place of a pair of soliders, a warrior in Golem Armor could be mounted upon a given wyvern. I then consider Nidhogg herself. Even with my own form on her back, Bang at my side, she easily has enough room to seat two dozen of my soldiers on her back, allowing them to effectively treat her as a ship and perform broadsides as she passes by targets. ....All this, without overtly showing my Deep Spawn save Nidhogg. ...And so in my plotting, the Arcanoworks Air Cavalry is born. Orders fly from my mouth, Nidhogg manifesting her spawn as I call forth soldiers to begin learning how to not come unseated, as I task Derkin with making saddles for my soldiers, a task he swiftly recruits others to aid him in. To Del Rogo, I pose the question of a modular, detachable set of over-armor for myself, asking the old smith what he could do to truly make this Soul Grave impregnable. For once, Del Rogo does not lambast me with his acidic tongue, instead turning a speculative eye upon the irregular task I have presented him with, even as I note he already has one of the many Anti Golem shells I left behind in his hands. He simply mutters as he stalks away to the forge. To Jezebel, I assign the task of crafting some sort of eyewear to allow improved vision at night, affording my planned Air Cavalry the chance to function unimpeded at night.

With plans set in motion to soon grant me a force to dominate the skys, all while avoiding any messy issues with explaining why I have a freakshow of unkillable monsters at my beck and call, I turn back to Eisenhardt under the light of the setting sun. He notes my focus, the final cessation of my flurry of plans, and looks to me expectantly, awaiting my further explanation of the Domintus invasion... and advise on where his talents would best be spent. Considering he flat out told me he will make his own choices, I must be careful with my words if I want to guide his wrath where I want.....






What should I say to Eisenhardt the Metal Titan, war hero and master Magnotmancer concerning the Disciples of Domintus?
And once I have spoken with him, what should I do while the Air Cavalry are being prepared?
>[I need a SINGLE d100 roll for the coming of day 150, and every time a day passes thereafter until 200 points have been accrued. A perfect roll of 100 counts as double its value, so a single roll of 100 will instantly pass this check. When 200 total points are accrued, the Arcanoworks Air Cavalry will have their equipment ready and have gone through basic riding training. Whether this takes a single day or weeks is up to the dice, representing how much luck it takes for all the different tasks you just set to not impede one another. Again, I currently need ONE d100 roll, and will need ONE d100 roll every time a day passes hereafter. If I find multiple rolls in between posts, I will go with the lowest roll. This will only come into effect if there are three or more rolls, as I understand it can be hard at times to be sure if a roll has been made or not. Good luck.]
>>
No. 248212 ID: 445c48

rolled 72 = 72

I believe dice go in the Email field. Rollin' them bones.
>>
No. 248213 ID: e31d52

Again, I leave the plotting in capable hands.

MOAR SPAWN though, would be excellent, especially one centered around massive numbers.

_________ embodies the concept of ARMIES, its form revolves around BODIES and STEEL.

_________ embodies the concept of MANY, its form revolves around FORMATIONS and SHEILDS.


_________ embodies the concept of TACTICS, its form revolves around MAPS and PLANS.


_________ embodies the concept of POWER, its form revolves around STRENGTH and ASSISTANCE.


If you like any of these, just give them a name. The more expendable lesser spawn we have, the better.

Also, we should seek to take down Aboeleth ourselves, if possible: If he's exactly like the previous guy, we might be able to empower our other soul!
>>
No. 248215 ID: f4e4f9

>>248212
Pretty nice roll.

Ok. So "Abaeloth". His appearance is pretty fucking obvious: Given his espoused last wishes, the rest of the Domintus Leadership has seen fit to install an impersonator in his place, one whom they can call the same name.

After all, how can any save the survivors of Abaeloths failed assault (probably silenced to preserve the secret) give heed to Abaeloths final wishes if he's "Still alive". Conniving bastards.

Explain this to Eisenhardt. We'll burn out the impersonator and the southern forces ourself, first. They are the most immediate threat, and destroying the States food-stores is more crippling a blow than can be dealt by any conventional battle. It must be stopped.

(The second reason is that I cannot POSSIBLY imagine that Abaeloth's soul is happy with this turn of events. Destroying the impersonator corrupting his last will and condemning his soul to the ministrations of Abaeloth's own within our Metal Shell could lead to a similar manner of "Willingness" as is demonstrated by Zagrath the Unseen's soul. A point to consider).

For Eisenhardt, the best targets I can see for him to attack would be the northern group led by Delfargoth and Therikio. This, for the same reason that we are attacking "Abaeloth": Disrupting their supply lines will stall their entire warmachine.

Alternatively, he could also consider heading off the larger group and not attacking ANYONE for the moment, instead seeding the territory between the Pure Lady's group and the Capital. This will give a decided advantage to him against the larger, likely more potent group, at that location.
>>
No. 248223 ID: f4e4f9

I would like to note: I think it would be best for us if we saved the largest group for last:

They are heading straight for the Capital, the most heavily defended location in the state. They can likely hold for a time in the event the force reaches the City walls.

Additionally: Consider this. We've been trying to perpetuate the image of Mordre, Hero of the State since we got here, to facilitate a sort of Caesar-like takeover in that the populace views us as a more influential figure then the actual ruling class.

Imagine how much our HEROIC image could be bolstered under the right situation: The Capital, heart of the nation, under siege, barely holding out...hope seems lost...then *BAM*, Mordreand the Arcanoworks to the rescue.

We'd have to time it pretty well, and make sure we had a good gameplan to take on the Domintus Army, but success of that nature would be fucking AMAZING four our plans.
>>
No. 248224 ID: 35bba5

Eisenhardt is a Magnetomancer. Soul Graves are made of metal. Unless the enemy Soul Grave has some sort of defense against Magnetomancy, like our disjoining rune, he could probably tear the thing to pieces. We don't really know anything about 'The Pure Lady' though. She could be someone he would have trouble with. Still, might be a good idea to get Eisenhardt's assistance with her and her golem. Because obviously we want to capture that thing. We don't have to do it now, though.
>>
No. 248227 ID: f4e4f9

>>248224
Honestly, anyone who devotes any sort of major efforts towards a unit like a golem, would foolish to not have some kind of contingency vs. their elemental weakness. Wood golems vs fire, Soul Graves vs. Magnetomancy. Given how easy our direct large-scale/area magnetomancy can be trumped, it's something we should plan for.
>>
No. 248232 ID: 903f16

>>248204

>What should I say to Eisenhardt the Metal Titan, war hero and master Magnotmancer concerning the Disciples of Domintus?

Relay what we were told to him. Explain our current plans to either cut off their supply lines or to protect our own in the north and south respectively before taking on the main force. While he's not a foolish man we should caution him that going with our attacks is probably the best way to get his revenge, if he wants to stand any chance of taking down their big players he needs our army as a distraction or else he'll probably get squashed by a couple Knight Captains. We're thinking of pairing him either with the State's main ground force so he's close to metals in the ground and can more readily draw then up and screw with the enemies armors and fling giant metal balls at them. Either that or he can join us on Nidhogg and toss a bunch of giant metallic objects at them as we swoop by and help us and Bang engage in Hero killing scenario's.

>And once I have spoken with him, what should I do while the Air Cavalry are being prepared?

Yeah, we need to visit the Blue Knight, but instead of just exchanging pleasantries with him like we were going to we're going to need to ask for aid in the war effort. That man has a good amount of resources on hand a several strong life golems that could be helpful on the front lines. We also might want to see if we can contact Sam Vimes. I don't remember where he got called off to, but hopefully it's less important than helping the state deal with an invasion. He's a combat Blood magic user and he also has a bunch of life golems at his beck and call. Plus if the war goes well and we can convince him we're not a crazy sapient Soul Grave we could get him to teach Arkus some basic Blood magic which he needs to know to recreate the blood togas if I remember correctly.

>>248212

Good roll.
>>
No. 248233 ID: 56dc25

>>248204
>[Gialgorra owns the island, the whole thing. The towns are giant rent collectives, effectively. How do you think he got enough money to fund his ridiculous research?]
Then we can rent a fort-sized plot of land from him, instead of buying it. It's still important to secure a location of our own there for warehouses, protection of our assets in place, and what have you; from our previous experiences there I would not want to bet that our stuff and people there will be entirely safe on their own, particularly given that we'll (hopefully) be raking in absurd amounts of cash. I wouldn't even put it past the people that we might well be economically ruining to try and blast apart our teleport box with cannons or something, which we cannot allow as it is currently irreplaceable. We should make several orders of magnitude more money than it costs to rent the place from the crazy trade shenanigans that we'll be able to pull, so it's not a problem. Put orders in place so that our people will have arrangements made for us to build holdings there within the next couple weeks.

>>248213
We are doing this while keeping the Deep Spawn on the down-low. None of your suggestions seem terribly conducive to that.

I would be willing to go for the following sorts of spawn at the moment:

-There was a "just as planned" specialist Spawn suggested a while back. As our interests grow more diverse, we could really use something like that- make it a giant brain or something, virtually immobile but capable of keeping track of thousands of minute details and calculating likely outcomes. Keep it in Mosmordre or Mordreden, feed it a constant flow of information with Phohn, and we basically end up with an AI to keep track of things for us and provide us with counsel.

-For a combat Spawn, something specifically centered around having hundreds of faceless spawn that can pass as golems of a more common variety, with the central body very similar to any of the lesser spawn. We make them all elsewhere, then bring them through the teleport box and when asked where we got a golem army, chuckle and say "That would be telling, wouldn't it?"

-I'm sure that there are other ideas which could be beneficial in our current situation, but they have to be subtle. That's very important.


>>248215
>(The second reason is that I cannot POSSIBLY imagine that Abaeloth's soul is happy with this turn of events. Destroying the impersonator corrupting his last will and condemning his soul to the ministrations of Abaeloth's own within our Metal Shell could lead to a similar manner of "Willingness" as is demonstrated by Zagrath the Unseen's soul. A point to consider).
This is very true. Actually, this is true enough that I propose we burn several Pristine Souls to learn soul magic, as previously discussed, and chat with Abaeloth about it. If that works out well, we can move on to spending much of our time over the next several days speaking with the various souls we now have in our body and attempting to align more of them with our will. We've been dancing around getting soul magic for a long while now, and it's getting foolish to delay when it could be ours already and useful in a myriad of ways.


>Imagine how much our HEROIC image could be bolstered under the right situation: The Capital, heart of the nation, under siege, barely holding out...hope seems lost...then *BAM*, Mordreand the Arcanoworks to the rescue.
Definitely with you on this one.


>Honestly, anyone who devotes any sort of major efforts towards a unit like a golem, would foolish to not have some kind of contingency vs. their elemental weakness.
Speaking of planning around weaknesses... we need some sort of defense against common anticipated methods of anti-aircraft fire, I think. We're planning to operate at night, which is a good first defense, but it's not enough. We can probably expect to face pyromancers, magnetomancers, geomancers, and guys with bows and crossbows as the more common viable threats to our air cav. What can we do to armor our forces against them? The only things that come to my mind are boosting our soldiers' ownership of their stuff somehow, and making sure that their saddles don't have easily manipulated metal parts. But neither of those will help against getting fireballs thrown at them, and I don't think the wyverns have enough cut-rate aeromancy to make a decent shield.


>And once I have spoken with him, what should I do while the Air Cavalry are being prepared?
We need to go meet with the Blue Knight. Invite Dame Valiria if she wants to come, although if she takes her position as one of our captains seriously I daresay she'll decline. See what he wants, and discuss the invasion and what we're planning to do about it. We should be able to fly over and meet him in a very short time, I think.


>To Del Rogo, I pose the question of a modular, detachable set of over-armor for myself
Show him our sword, while he's working on this. He may find it interesting and/or be inspired to make something that synergizes with it... or just tell us to piss off. Whichever, really; I just figure it's worth a shot.


Other matters. As days are passing, get regular reports from Keddic/Dompaggio, Lorgk/Jojo/Oggroth, and Uggrokk as to events in their respective locales. Keep appraised and up to date on things. Also, I believe that we heard that Figment is into dream magics somewhere? Mention this to Jojo, and if Uggrokk says that Figment shows up to visit Oz at any point offer Jojo the opportunity to drop in and speak with him. He could learn quite a bit, I suspect. I have no idea when this might actually happen, but I want our people to have those orders so that they can take advantage if it does.


>I don't remember where he got called off to, but hopefully it's less important than helping the state deal with an invasion.
I suspect that he was called off specifically to help deal with the invasion.
>>
No. 248234 ID: f4e4f9

One more suggestion: A Deepspawn themed to counter the geomantically inclined. Specifically, to head off the rather...EXTREME numbers of Clay Seige Golems the Domintus like to employ.

Pengaiea, embodies the concept of EROSION. It's form revolves around WATER and CRUSHING EARTH.
>>
No. 248235 ID: 903f16

>>248232
About Abaeloth, I'm thinking when we take him on we should utilize the Hands of Hunger ability as much as possible and have Bang very visible with his creepy face cloak covered in Masks. It'd be rather amusing to see the look on his attacking forces faces when they see a Soul Grave using the ability with a man wearing part of his gear. It may even make the impostor realize how deep in he is as he's fighting the guys who killed his predecessor.
>>
No. 248236 ID: 35bba5

>>248233
Agree that we should spend those Pristine Souls to get Soul Magic.
>>
No. 248237 ID: f4e4f9

>>248236
We do have an assload of them. Using 2 for the super basic soul-magic understanding would put us at 3.
>>
No. 248249 ID: 903f16

>>248233
>>248236
>>248237
I'm cautious to agree to this because it feels like a waste when we could just wait and get it from one of Lenryt's boons after we help Lubu. From what I remember if we requested the boon of Soul magic we'd get basic ability and a choice of a specialty for the ability, I can't recall if it was bundled with golem crafting as one boon or not. Also I think it was three pristine souls to acquire Soul magic and golem craft or at least that's what the wiki says and the normal updater is usually on the ball with those sorts of things because half the information is copy pasted from Bob's text. I mean I suppose it would free up a boon or two from Lenryt we could use on something like perfecting our cover or acquiring abilities from exotic magical schools.
>>
No. 248250 ID: 6834bc

>>248237
Don't forget that it also costs 2 Pristines for the Deep Blood Iron Saturation thing.
>>
No. 248256 ID: 56dc25

>>248249
We don't have those boons. We're not going to get them until after the Land of Dragons' civil war is over, in all likelihood, which could be a matter of months. Besides, there are a myriad of things upon which to spend them- including upgrading our soul magic, even if we know it already. Lenryt is, based upon what we know about her, basically capable of raising us to super-grandmaster level in any discipline that we want, so it's not as though we can't stack upgrades.

You might be right that it costs three, but I don't really mind. I'd spend all five, if that's what it took to get us something this powerful and flexible. Three is a bargain.

>>248250
We're almost certainly going to get more pristines at some point in the next forty days. They'll be pretty action-packed and with plenty of opportunity to call things, no doubt.
>>
No. 248257 ID: 35bba5

>>248249
I think it would be a waste of a boon to use it to get basic soul magic. That boon could be better used granting us any number of things that we can't use pristine souls for, and boons are not as easy to come by as pristine souls are.
>>
No. 248258 ID: 1854db

Can we PLEASE have Arkus look at the Edge of Oblivion to see what it does?
>>
No. 248270 ID: 6834bc

>>248256
Yes, I realize that, I just thought I'd point it out.
>>
No. 248272 ID: a69afd

>>248233
>Honestly, anyone who devotes any sort of major efforts towards a unit like a golem, would foolish to not have some kind of contingency vs. their elemental weakness.
>Speaking of planning around weaknesses... we need some sort of defense against common anticipated methods of anti-aircraft fire, I think. We're planning to operate at night, which is a good first defense, but it's not enough. We can probably expect to face pyromancers, magnetomancers, geomancers, and guys with bows and crossbows as the more common viable threats to our air cav. What can we do to armor our forces against them? The only things that come to my mind are boosting our soldiers' ownership of their stuff somehow, and making sure that their saddles don't have easily manipulated metal parts. But neither of those will help against getting fireballs thrown at them, and I don't think the wyverns have enough cut-rate aeromancy to make a decent shield.

GUYS, REMEMBER BALBOA'S AEROMANCY WIND SHIELD WANDS? Giving those to our golem armored CO's would be beyond useful, especially if the Aeromancy from the wands stacks with the innate control of the art possessed by the wyvern spawn. In fact, if Nidhogg and the thirty eight spawn under her control concentrated their magics towards Aeromancy, a FUCKING HUGE barrier of wind could be constructed around the entire formation!
>>
No. 248278 ID: 12c392

>>248223
And how easily detractors can spin that into something negative: we purposely withheld our support, causing the capital, and thus the Azelhaedran State, to be severely weakened, letting us easily take over the state as a dictator. And worse, it would be true.

Well, it is a good PR booster, though, so good job coming up with that. We really need to crush thoroughly the armies before heading toward the capital (and keep an eye on the capital, perhaps use one of Velada's component bees?) to help ward off such accusations.

>>248258
I very much agree with this.
>>
No. 248279 ID: 1c7a93

Now that we have some free time before preparations do this >>247919, I mean the last two paragraphs, about talking with Arkus and possible bonus for Dregas.

>>248258
Shit, I forgot about that. Wanted to suggest that too but slipped my mind.

We can't use our Deep Spawn? Awwww...
We are defiantly going to suffer major casualties. We'd better not spread our forces to deal with several tasks at once, like, if we are attacking southern group have everyone participating including Eienhardt, that way we might keep our losses at minimum.

Setting up ambushes and traps (like geomancy mines during the fight agains Goran) is a must.


Oh, the Blue Knight wanted to see us, right? We should pay him a visit.
>>
No. 248282 ID: 1c7a93

We should ALWAYS have several Pristine Souls in reserve to use as Deus Ex.
Don't go spending all of them, please.
>>
No. 248287 ID: 903f16

>>248256
>>248257
If this thing goes through I just hope you two are willing to step up to the plate and earn us some Pristine Souls yourselves instead of off offhandedly saying we're sure to get more in the future. Between this and the Deep Spawn blood pretty soon we're going to running around with a Pristine Soul safety net. That's not only bad for Mordre, but potentially for our allies. For instance when Oggroth was mortally wounded we managed to use our reserve of pristine souls in conjunction with existing abilities to save him. Should we come across another crazy scenario we won't be able to jury rig up a solution like that and have to face the consequences.
>>
No. 248288 ID: a69afd

>>248204
I'm going to go ahead and say that "Abeloth the All Consuming" is that Domintus soldier Keddic and Bang were fighting during the previous invasion. We never did find his body- I'm guessing he escaped, gave his superiors the lowdown on the six freaks of nature that steamrolled their strikeforce, and landed himself a very hefty promotion as the new abeloth. Also, if the Disciples managed to make a new Abeloth with the same abilities and equipment as the last one... well, I don't think Lorgk would mind if we brought him a second crystal sword to complement Legalloth, especially if it contained the imprisoned souls of a thousand tortured yeti. And if one bitchin necklace of faces and masks was the bees knees, imagine what Bang could do with two.
>>
No. 248292 ID: f4e4f9

>>248278
That sounds like conspiracy theorizing, and with no proof to back it up if we're smart. Who would actually bother doing that, in either case? we have no major enemies in the state save Weinsho, who is despised by the local populace courtesy of Weeinsho.

Thats a very weak position to hold. Besides, it doesn't become an actual issue unless they manage to breech the capitals walls and get free reign within for an extended time.

Not undergoing beneficial courses of action would be silly given the fact we've done similar in the past, given the infinitessimal odds of a random conspiracy gaining momentum against us when ALL of our actions and almost everyones view of us is incredibly positive.
>>
No. 248300 ID: 35bba5

>>248287
Working on it, but we would still have 2 souls left for at least a month. We won't have enough deep spawn blood iron to do anything with until then, regardless. It wouldn't take away our safety net to spend the souls necessary for soul magic/golem crafting.
>>
No. 248305 ID: 1c7a93

Don't forget Senth of Trollingwood, if we are employing he'd better work to gain that pay.
>>
No. 248436 ID: 9338f5

> Knight Captain Farrogut The Red Knight


the Red Comet said

>"Ancestral Dragon Jaegrezweistrik The Radical AxeGod Is Another Paradox Knight, A Local Dragon, The Only.. Ancestral Tomb, As They Call Us, To Hold The Office For Three Hundred Years... He Has Been In Service As A Dragon For Two Hundred Of Those Years, But Still. He Is Coming To Meet Me Here Per My Request, As He Has Information Concerning A Local Claimant To The Title Of Red Knight. I Will Deal With The Issue Myself, Once Informed Of The Culprit's Location. Be Advised That I Would Appreciate Any Notification Of One Claiming To Be The Red Knight, As It Is Not A Title I Share To Upstarts."

we should phone him and let him know about Knight Captain Farrogut The Red Knight
>>
No. 248489 ID: 629216

Maybe Jezebel could work on some kind of weapon that's even more suitable for destroying groups of enemies from the air? Some kind of two-stage bomb that disperses flammable liquid or dust and then ignites it?

Send the Arcanoworks army/militia to reinforce the main State frontline. If the unused handcannons are lent to the state forces it might help halt the advance.

For now I suggest Mordre, Bang and Eisenhardt fly over to quickly cut the heart out of the Southern force. Argue with Eisenhardt that this force is unstable as they seem to be led by an imposter. If his falsehood is revealed before he is destroyed then it might go a step towards ruining the Disciples of Domintus as a whole.

If Bang can use his mask and magic-seeing eyes to identify the fake Abaeloth. Then Mordre and Bang can just drop down, denounce the fake (loudly in Abaeloth's voice) and kick his ass while Eisenhardt ravages the surrounding forces from the air.
>>
No. 248555 ID: 4896cb

>>248233
>>248236
>>248237
>>248256
>>248257
Second, let's learn some Soul Magic!
>>
No. 248562 ID: 445c48

Soul magic? I hope you guys are good at hiding it, because I'd rather not have the Mortal Coil on our asses.
>>
No. 248565 ID: f4e4f9

>>248562
As long as it isn't actively used in obvious arcane magic endeavourss, what are they gonna do?
>>
No. 248575 ID: f4e4f9

>>248568
It is a legitimate query. The Hechler family is farm more visible than we are, and they continue to use Soul magic in their fighting style.

Weinsho is FAMOUS, and has been pretty openly using Soul Magic to anyone who even passingly looks into his operations.

Unless we start openly fucking around with visible displays, theres very little that we can do that can't be passed off as an innate Soul Grave function even under Scrutiny.
>>
No. 248579 ID: 1c7a93

I still think we should reserve Soul Magic as a boon from Lenryt and use PS in future for other things...
>>
No. 248582 ID: 56dc25

>>248579
Waiting months to learn soul magic when we could do so now would be... suboptimal, I think.

>>248562
If we're worried, we can just... not use it. But primarily internal use of soul magic, focusing on souls that we've already captured and the ways that we burn hundreds of souls at a time in order to achieve various effects, would likely be almost undetectable. And easily excusable as part of the golem's functioning. So we should have a fair variety of things that we can pull without any significant risk.

>>248436
Great catch. Do it. If nothing else, he might thank us for taking care of the guy for him.
>>
No. 248591 ID: 903f16

>>248232
Adding to my post we should also ask Arkus or Eisenhardt if they know anything about The Pure Lady or her golem. Arkus had a decent bit of information in thread one regarding the composition golems like The Grey Destroyer. Eisenhardt's vendetta against The Disciples of Domintus may have led him into pursuing information on it's powerful members and pieces of equipment like their Soul Grave.
>>248575
I'm just going to point out that while they may be far more visible than we are they also have more resources. By that I don't just mean funds, but connections that would allow them to operate so freely. Weisnho is a war hero and prominent mage who has likely maintained bonds with powerful friends he met during the war. The Hechler line is one of the most powerful and regarded warrior houses around and being an heir to it puts him near the head of it. No one has any reason to distrust them and in fact their reputations would make people less likely to believe any wrong doings committed by them. Even if someone did see and could provide evidence their aforementioned connections are likely powerful enough to sweep any incidents under the rug.

We on the other hand are viewed with suspicion almost immediately. We're always working to improve on this, but there's always a bit of suspicion surrounding us. People who get close to us always notice something is up. Our cover story isn't even air tight yet and if we do ever get caught we'd be in more trouble than we could ever imagine.
>>
No. 248595 ID: 9e5b05

>>248436
YES, PLEASE.

>>248565
>>248568
Can we please delete these? Bob will...use it against us. Anyway, we're going up against the Disciples. If I remember, they have soul magic. We eat them, we get power.

As for Eisenhardt I suggest we just tell him what we know and let us offer our services to help vengeance. "I know what vengeance is. After all, you see this golem before you do you not? But I have learned to channel that rage into more fruitful ventures, but I will help you in anyway I can. We will destroy this army in vengeance."

>>248278
Yeah. You Caeser it up when you have a lot of public support, not when your boss just yelled at you like a useless IT guy. Let's go stomp GAUL!THE DISCIPLES OF DOMINTUS!
>>
No. 248596 ID: 12c392

>>248575
>Hechlor
Yeah, they do; they also don't do it where they believe people can see them (i.e. not people who they are going to kill anyways in a small enough time frame that they can't inform others of the Soul Magic use). Since our entire basis on coming to the State was to become a Hero of the People, we want our accomplishments to be seen by people; spending three Pristine Souls for the purpose of getting access to Soul Magic which we won't be using anyways seems to be a waste to me (we will be getting basic golem craft competency along with the Soul Magic, of course, but that is not the main drive of the proposal, so...)

Say, is the PS usage getting us mere access to Soul Magic, or is it getting us access to Soul Magic and the ability to become more competent in Soul Magic as we consume the souls of Soul Mages? Also, do the Soul Mages we have already eaten count toward the competency of Soul Magic gained through the usage of the PS?
>>
No. 248601 ID: f4e4f9

>>248591

Response posted in Discussion Thread
>>
No. 248603 ID: 9338f5

>>248596
apart from the business with the disiples we have and will be focusing on the land of dragons where they dont give a damn about soul magic

also as one of the previous posters mentioned we could do alot internaly with soulmagic which would be hard to detect and could be shruged off as working out a new way to access the soulgraves magics which should fit in that loophole in the anti soulmagic laws
>>
No. 248688 ID: 445c48

Oh bugger, I forgot, ask Arkus about the changed runes on your sword. Or get one of your spawn to flip the pages in the book and see if you can look it up yourself.
>>
No. 248733 ID: a76809
File 12881530892.jpg - (113.89KB , 1024x768 , Aurockoth The Anti-Soul-Grave Life Golem.jpg )
248733

>>248212
[072/200]

>>248436
[You don't know where The Red Comet is, and Phohn has never spoken to him. So you have no way of contacting him.]

>>248489
[Jezebel is the lead for both making the night vision goggles and refitting the four remaining stock golem armors. She has plenty projects, but could be used after the Air Cavalry's founding for further equipment upgrades.]

>>248215
I speak to the expectantly waiting Eisenhardt, starting off with an aggressive lead, in what I hope is a tactical approach to his established personality norms. I do still have issue quantifying mortal existences and their glandularly derived emotional quirks.

"First, I wish to begin by saying I wish to claim the southern front, As it is claimed led by a Knight Captain I saw friends slay in fair combat, I even carry his soul within this Soul Grave, he cannot be alive."
"How many fronts?"
"Three."
"...Then fine, you can have it so long as it is not their main force , now tell me about the other two fronts."
"The Eastern front is their main force, three Knight Captains and the Pure Lady-
"So she's here then."
"Do you know her then? I admit ignorance on the Disciples."
"...Their prophet. Claims that Soul Grave holds God within it's metal Tomb, and preaches the tenants of survival of the strong and cruel, fanatical worship to the one claimed strongest, their god Domintus The World Reaper."
"She leads through such a folly?"
"...I have come to suspect it is not entirely false. There is.... something in that Soul Grave I do not recall seeing in it prior to the Curse, or in any other Soul Grave, your own included. ...A dark, deep depth, an emptiness that seems alive only in mockery of the word, a fanatically intense and perfect void. .....And in that..... Well, I would say that I have met Lenryt, the one some call the Monster of the Mortal Coil... and while I would certainly not claim her entirely human, he otherness was a speck beside what dwelled in that sea of anti-existence."
"How did you come to see this depth of the Soul Grave?"
"I fought it. It had no runes, no enchantments or abilities associated with resisting or ablating Magnetomancy, how could I fail to best such as that? This was my thought process after.... Well, I attacked, and I was right, I could manipulate and rend its metal with ease-it was not enough. That thing inside just laughed, the ground, air, existence itself rumbling with its cackles as the Soul Grave spewed and grew metal with impossible speeds, gaining mass in such complex detail and quantity in so little time even Legendary Souls could not hope to sustain it. I doubt if even old Father Time, indeed if any save Lenryt could. ...Faced with hundreds of tons of minutely shaped spears, axes, swords, pikes, arms, claws, all manner of metallic sculpture weaponized as self-purging tides, constantly shedding every bit I gained Ownership of. It... scoffed at my attempts. I was only able to escape when I used my favored Ace move.... due to this experience I could not accept that thing as being nothing but her puppet. However great a mage that witch may be, her might was nothing to what she called her god."
"...That sounds suspiciously-"
"Like Anathema, yes. But Castiliathen is busy trying to stay top dog while Athelens thumbs their nose at them with that peaceful religion of theirs and increased prices. So the only nation that would have the scope and power to intervene into the heart of the Warring Nations is too busy to bother with a possible Anathema."
"A valuable bit of information, and I thank you. the Northern force, third of the three, is scattered just outside the States borders, along the mountain's low slopes and the steppes, led by two Knight Captains."
"Which ones?"
"I was told Delfargoth the Despoiler and Therikio the Inspiring."
"Pfft, that pansy Therikio's there? Some convoluted mass revolution/invasion/hit everything forever plan no doubt wedged in that egotistical mind. ...I will deal with the north."
"Anything to do with Weinsho being up there?"
"Finally doing some reconnaissance are you? Good for you old man, finally getting your feet wet. But no, I have no intention of visiting Weinsho... I have an urge to break things. The general geography you gave me is sufficient for me to locate them."

Without another word, the ever-brusque Eisenhardt blurs away, riding his metal platform into the sky at multiple times the speed of sound, thunder startling everyone remotely near us, several clutching their ears. I lose track of his position in less than a second as he moves miles in an instant, having hurled himself towards those distant mountains to the north and already vanishing behind clouds. ...Well there he goes, off to face an army himself. I wonder how the Metal Titan shall fare. My mind now turns towards the here and now, as I consider what to do in the relative flow about me as all sorts of people leap to action on different and interwoven paths.

>>248233
I call Burduko from his current labors to reach each of the three Domintus force's projected immediate destinations , and have him bring me directly to Gialgorra's Manse, from his prior trip with myself and Ugrokk to the inventor. In the dimming evening, I knock on the closed door, and this time when the automated butler greets me it does not do anything save step aside, clearly recalling our past encoutner and the designation I was afforded in its system. Highly impressive, for Gialgorra to have worked such complexity from naught but his understanding of things non-magical. Sofiazza is staffing the front desk, looking decidedly out of place, seeming torn between smiling and scowling at me, nevertheless showing as little respect as possible in her irregular recognition of my presence. Since she simply stares expectantly, I speak without further hesitation from my established persona's mannerisms.

"Hello Sofiazza, is your father available?"
"Maybe. Why?"
"I'd like to discuss renting some land on this island-"
"How much and where?
"West up the coast from the port about two miles, a hundred foot by hundred foot area plus a cliffside cave."
"Five hundred marks a month."
"I'm sorry?"
"For the land, Five hundred marks a month, first AND last payment upon assuming ownership actually, so that's one thousand marks to begin renting."
"... I see, one moment."
Speaking through Phohn to Burduko to transcend the lengthy times needed by organic minds I flicker back to the Arcanoworks even as Phohn explains to Dregas my need for one thousand marks, and as I march to the building he occupies I find him emerging in seconds to hand me a small pouch, the substantial clink of coins from within. I nod to him, and again bid Burduko to transport me back to the Manse, back to where I stood. Ten seconds after disappearing, I reappear before Sofiazza and hand forward what now feels like a paltry sum.

"First and last payment, as stated."
"...DId you just teleport somewhere to get money?"
"Yes?"
"Why the Deep didn't you just teleport the bag to you?"
"...Old habit of doing things myself?"

Without warning or hesitation Sofiazza's blank expression breaks into jubilant laughter, hearty giggles of amusement as she nods her head, lifting the bag in one robotic limb (this time a pair with assorted pressure sensors in them... if the whole island makes rent payments.... as I look past her considerations, I note hundreds of heavy sacks stacked behind her. ...Must be rent due for the end of the Cycle... or the end of the month. That should make it easy to remember when payments are due.

"Can I request ownership be assumed tomorrow?"
"Sure, makes it easier to know when you're due too. ..That's it old guy, you got the land. At some point one of us might come out, see how you're doing. As is, most of us are working on that arm you commissioned. ...Dad's really gone wild with the new inventions and cramming tech in that limb, when it's finished and gets mounted again for the final install in three days-oh yeah because dad got so involved in the project and got us involved it'll be done faster, FYI. So if that was it, I have to finish counting everyone's rent before I can get back to fiddling at that Dynamo frame and all its goodies with everyone else, so... do you mind?"
"Not at all, that was it I desired right now."

Again I disappear again, off on another immediate goal.

I am brought to the islands teleportation box I just began to rent land around, noting Burduko's soul to be waning from the rapid teleportations. I recall his mention the number of souls I carry causes him considerable burden, and I wonder if moving through the boxes would alleviate the strain. But first-

>>248233
>>248236
>>248237
>>248258
>>248272
>>248555
My attention turns inward, as I gaze upon the yeti mage souls I harbor... and how comperatively little I got from them. I know Soul magic was used by several of their number... but I seem to have not breached that initial border of magic yet, that gap betwixt mortal frailty and the implacable demands of my form. With five glimmering whispers of paradoxical souls swimming in my Soul Furnace, untouched and free to roam, I take a gamble, grabbing a pair of them to act as a lubricant of the self as I try to irk something more comprehensive from the bare beginnings of Soul Magic I hold.

[-2 PRISTINE SOUL TOTAL PRISTINE SOULS REMAINING: 03]

Something happens. I fell something previously immovable shifting, yielding, something pulled into my realm, understanding, a knack pervading my being. It clings to the Soul Grave ability to sense souls-

Burduko, visible at my side, is abruptly more concretely defined as a spiritual existence. I know that his soul is depleted to two thirds of its ideal maximum, and that he is perfectly balanced between Chaos and Order. With the realization that I can detect Chaos and Order in souls, the pinnacles of existence and anti-existence becoming understood, in some general way at least, comes a new sense of capability, an aspect of magic I know I have not tapped yet. It is small, it is feeble still, nothing like the fully developed buds of Will, or the corporeally reliant Blood... but I reach out to it nonetheless. Not truly understanding the sensation that comes, I find myself surprised as Ozmand the Hammer appears within my mind, words unspoken yet simply known.

>"Woah now, you can talk to me now? Hey that's great! I've been wanting to say that was an awesome ride in the shell you shot at that dragon, WHOO I went fast. ...At some point, I would like to talk to you about the whole 'you're a Sapient Soul Grave' and all that baggage you have with you, but I know you got a BUNCH on your plate, so I'll leave that for when you're ready."

Ozmand's individuated existence flutters away, my grasp of the infantile Soul magic wavering as I consider the things I am coming to understand resulted from my manipulations.

-I gained the passive ability to sense the Chaos and Order of souls, which will likely prove more useful on mortals than on crafted beings like Burduko.
-I can speak with the Heroic Souls within me. I believe I must focus intently to speak with them of my own will.
-I can manipulate the Chaos/Order balancing of a Soul whom is unresisting.
-If I gain the compliance of a consumed Hero soul, I can alter their Chaos/Order balance, and as purely existences of the soul, this could have considerable range to its application.

With my mind still filing away this new knowledge, this understanding forcibly claimed from the few yeti Soul mages within my system, I have Burduko teleport me back to the Arcanoworks via the box, observing his soul barely disturbed in any way at all in transit-the Sameness does seem to help, I shall note that. I exit the intricately carved teleportation chamber and intterrupt Arkus in his administrative work on the second floor. With but a glance, I clear the area of any others, freeing myself from prying ears within the buffer afforded each level of the tower, sonic dampening preventing anyone outside the room hearing what's spoken within.

"I know you have much on your plate right now-"
"Actually not really, not compared to before. Oh, I had forgotten to mention, got the Skyfall cannons installed on each tower. Just one per each of the five wall turrets, but hey, plenty of ammunition. Anyway, what's up?"
"I shall be leaving my sword with you, I wish you to analyze the runes, and tell me how they have changed from before. Seek counsel from Del Rogo, in joint considerations how the object as a whole could be improved. You recall that trick I pulled before, inverting its spatial and temporal stasis, I wish that to be its primary focus."
"Yeah sure I can maybe do that. Uh, what else?"
"Recall those aeromantic wands from Balboa's belongings?"
"Is THAT what they are? I hadn't yet had time to inspect them."
"I desire those analyzed, their runes duplicated to arm each Air Cavalry member with on. The spawn they ride on, and the dragon herself, Nidhogg, all have innate command of Aeromancy, As a Combat Magic, somewhat an Arcane magic for Nidhogg alone. Could you make the items network with one another and with the mounts, to form a collective spell? It wrought shields formed of dense air, Surely that much power could make a considerably potent and amply sized deflector."
"Okay first wow why was I not told the wands could do that, and second since when did you know that much about the mechanics behind the more involved and advanced applications of magic as a conceptual subject? I mean I am only just getting a handle on some of the runes involved with that! Also what's up with those creatures you got?"
"Arkus-"
"Yes yes I'll do it obviously, and yes that should work, and yes the usual 'this will take a bit yadda yadda' That... that should make the Air Cavalry pretty devastating... especially if I can tweak it to just be one-way, so that it pushes all air down, so attacks from the ground are repelled, shots from above are accelerated in passing... yeah that would make the Air Cavalry some beasts. Speaking of which, come on, what are they, the beasts and fabricated people?"
"They are Deep Spawn forged from fragments of my soul using these cores that orbit me even now, which I gained from Deep Spawn in the northern mountains when speaking with the area Administrator."
"...Deep Spawn being what, exactly?"
"Immortal existences forged to care for part of the worlds function as the root of their existence, "
"..Ah ha. So yeah, I'll get on those. ..Ah, also I'm a bit worried, and I can't really think of anyone to talk to about it but you. Ah, I'm, well... generating World Magic. I don't know why, or how, but in addition to being able to tap World magic from, you know, the world, I find my body innately generating it around my veins and nerves... it's a fair bit disconcerting, even if handy for runework, since I have more magical stamina now, but.... what do you think? Should I be concerned?"
"I see a harmony of Chaos and Order in your system, the two artfully interwoven in what at first looks a chaotic scrawl but when looked at more deeply reveals hidden complexities. I see the harmony of your soul, nothing foreign intruding on your existence. I think you should simply count it as the blessing it seems to be, and make full use of it."
"I.... see. ...Thanks. ....Uh, back to work, or...?"
"Yes. I have much to attend to while the Air Cavalry is formed."
"Okay, I think we got it here, I mean we have everything we need to work with."

Without further comment, I make my way back down the steps, the workers flooding back in to resume attending to Arkus, taking orders and missives about the camp as he eyes the sword and rings alike.

>>248232
>>248279
>>248305
[The Blue Knight is the rebel resisting the invasion, what with his noted presence to the South and possession of multiple bases and a comprehensive setup. So.... he's kinda busy for a visit, unless you can bring some muscle. Plus Nidhogg is engaged while the Air Cavalry initial training and final refitting is underway, so Burduko to places past is what you have outside of foot.]
I have Burduko bring me via the teleportation box to the Land of Dragons, nodding to a few workers laboring to fix yet another broken window, as I feel Lubu's immense soul several buildings away. I track down Senth once Phohn informs me of his location, and I explain in the next day or so he shall be earning pay as part of a riading party against an army in the Land of Dragons. He says nothing and only continues to shoot me that dopey grin as he puffs away on Old Bessie, yet he follows me to the box all the same, and just as the sun sets Senth is in the Arcanoworks, his smile thinning for a moment as he appraises our surroundings. I give him no time to gawk at being so much closer to his homeland as I gather up Bang, and seek out Dame Valiria.

"Dame, I mean to travel to your father's land. Would you like to come along?"
"Yes, I would. I find myself of little use in forming this.. Air Cavalry of yours. Truly, they shall be magnificent when ready. ....Oh, do you mean to leave now?"
"I mean to be there before midday tomorrow."
"Ah?"
"Fear not, I have a way to transport you smoothly and safely at such speeds. Shall we go?"
"...Yes, I suppose we should."

I gently float down a metal disk, gently taking command of Valiria's armor and firmly seating her on my fanged replica of Eisenhardt's platform, as I slave the joined magnetic fields to my own, unlocking the Disjoining rune. I turn Nimble Nitro to active, and drive Magnetomancy into myself, tossing a last remark over my shoulder to Bang and Senth.

"Do try to keep up."

WIthout further comment I take off, miles vanishing beneath me as I swiftly climb to one hundred and fifty miles an hour, en route south to the lands of the Blue Knight. I note Senth idly teleporting along at Burduko's side, having taken a clear liking to him, while Bang continues to fire himself like a rocked with every one-legged leap of his immense stride. Hours pass without incident and as the land whips by one day becomes another.

[DAY 150: DAY 10 OF WEEK 3 OF MONTH 4:]
[Randiday of the Third Cycle of Praeclarum (Summer)]


[-1 soul upkeep. 2,998 souls remaining.]

Before the sun has rightly risen, I am in the southlands, passing the place I met Valiria, mere hours later finding something I did not expect:

I see a red human-sized Life Golem, its soul possessing such depth without breadth that it feels out of place in existence itself, is alone against a force of thousands, warriors in plate and chain wearing black tabards showing a man made of weapons as their sigil.

The Life Golemis winning. The soldiers are dying.

Blades and spurs erupt like lightning unending from the golem's flesh, slicing through all in their path with not a trace of resistance. Nothing survives to even get within thirty feet of the life golem, who seems almost bored as he walks through the slaughter he creates, the sword in his right hand not once being raised. Senth pulls up short to frown speculatively at the sight, Valiria looks worried and Bang looks ready to rumble, a manic grin painting his face.





What should I say or do?
Now that I am in the southlands, where specifically should I go? To the mine I met Vonjeen? Or should I ask Valiria where to go?
Or should I attend to the exchange I stumbled upon?
>[Roll for next day passing [in next post] please. 1d100 roll.]
>>
No. 248735 ID: 110ca6

Heroic soul conversations? Awesome.

We need to talk to Abaeloth about the whole imposter thing after this encounter.
>>
No. 248736 ID: 9e5b05

...
Phohn. Call Keddic. We've found Aurockoth.
...
>>
No. 248738 ID: a69afd

rolled 1 = 1

>>248733
>I see a red human-sized Life Golem, its soul possessing such depth without breadth that it feels out of place in existence itself, is alone against a force of thousands, warriors in plate and chain wearing black tabards showing a man made of weapons as their sigil.

Could you clarify on this? The men fighting Aurockoth have Aurockoth as their sigil? Or is Aurockoth crass enough to have symbols of himself adorning himself?

If these aren't Carkiano's men or part of the Azelhaedran's military force, I don't think we should engage. However, if we do- Tell Keddic to grab the lined one and Dompaggio and haul ass over here. We are NOT fighting this guy without Keddic.
>>
No. 248742 ID: 445c48

rolled 87 = 87

Oh Gog DAMN. Aurocockoth or however his name is spelled. Should we just run like a babby? I think we've got some pretty potent first strike capabilities, with the AA and railgun, good as a surprise attack.

I think we should railgun, maybe soulboosting magnetomancy if that helps at all, AA, and then continue running like a baby. Ah, fire five shots normally, then on the last shell Railgun.

Actually, Wait, there's probably no way we could kill him in one volley. I think we should run like the wind. Run, Mordre, run! Ask Valria where to go.
>>
No. 248743 ID: a76809

>>248738
[DoD symbol is, coincidentally, a picture of a man of weapons, depicting their god's manifestation in the golem, or so the thought goes.]

[Also, LOL GOOD ROLL]
>>
No. 248744 ID: 445c48

Arkus spewing out magic is probably from either when he touched that stone moss ate, or when he turned himself to stone.


And yeah, changing my plan from "Surprise attack and run" to plain ol' "Run". Tell Bang that Keddic has got dibs on Aurockoth, wouldn't be cool to fight him now while he's down south.
>>
No. 248745 ID: 903f16

>>248733
My first reaction to this sighting is to both call Keddic and to run. Run very fast and very far away. Aurockoth is scary, incredibly scary. His primary function is to kill Soul Graves, we do not want to fight him without some serious upgrades or help. We'd need help from some serious warriors too, like Jak Stryfe or Lubu. Ideally we'd have one or both of them and Keddic would be fully upgraded, having both completed his training and be wearing his family's ancestral armor. We don't have any of that now. I mean we've got Soul magic now so maybe we could put up a fight, but win? I don't know.

Just have our guys calm down and ask Valiria where she thinks we should go. Probably do all this while running away very very quickly.
>>
No. 248747 ID: 732129

>>248733
>[You don't know where The Red Comet is, and Phohn has never spoken to him. So you have no way of contacting him.]

Have Phohn ask one of our spawn in the Land of Dragons to hire a courier or runner to deliver the message, and have Burduko bring the funds for the errand.
>>
No. 248748 ID: a69afd

>>248743
[yay, go me]

Hmmm, so the "god" that the Disciples of Domintus worship is actually an extremely augmented human, like Aurockoth was just a prototype for the thing inside the soul grave. Or, it could just be the largest concentration of Caged One essence on the surface of the planet- Perhaps this is what the C.O. is planning, mass worship from two sources, Athelens and the DOD, to augement itself enough to escape.
>>
No. 248749 ID: 903f16

>>248745
Wait I think I may have an idea. What if we lead Aurockoth into Domintus The World Reaper? Wait, that's probably where he's going to go anyway. He hunts Soul Graves and is always looking for a fight, this invasion is probably awesome for him. So maybe our problems with Domintus The World Reaper will solve themselves and he's hunting it now.
>>
No. 248752 ID: 9338f5

hey Bob would shouting at Aurockoth that the DoD called him whimpy have any chance of working?
>>
No. 248753 ID: 12c392

>Chaos and Order in souls, the pinnacles of existence and anti-existence
>as purely existences of the soul, this could have considerable range to its application.

I am so totally lost right now, somebody help? What does that all mean?

Also, concerning Aurockoth: run, run like hell. Preferably very far from it. If it can be done, suck up all the souls of the soldiers that are dying.
>>
No. 248768 ID: 1854db

We are NOT fighting this guy without the sword. I want to let loose with a railgun shot, CCC, and AA while also blasting him with all sorts of other arcane magic.
>>
No. 248772 ID: 69bee4

On something related to the prophecy a while ago, I think the last Three Eyed Lord is Lerynt. The three part is because of the split between the form we see her as, the demigod/elder that we know she is a part of, and likely some third for we haven't seen or fail to recognize as her yet. Shes also understandably a threat to Morde on par with the Caged one.

Observations on Pristine Souls:
Note that they are 'Moments of Inspiration', a compatible statement to what occurred to Keddic with White Blood cells. This is because they are a corollary on some levels.

A Pristine Soul is purified Chaos made manifest, likely taken or allowed to be generated through us when we successfully predict the future. As we ourselves are figments of chaos, what we have just done by revealing the future is allowed newness, an essence of chaos to enter into what at one point was a purely defined and set future event.

This essence of Chaos also explains why a Pristine Soul does not 'use up' one of our current souls. Purified Chaos could easily 'create' something new like this.

Other parts of the chaotic nature are that when we use them, change occurs rapidly. Loxrite could be turned from the immutable to maleable, Runes are modified on the fly as seen in the AA, the order of the stronger defeating the weaker is nullified, Dragons are tameable, etc.

As an added prediction so accustomed to the Pristine soul, if this is right, then Morde will soon be much more aware of our presence. If so, good to speak to ya buddy.
>>
No. 248784 ID: f4e4f9

First, to the matter at hand: Don't. Fucking. Engage.

Say to Bang:

"Not yet. With Keddic not even present, to attack now would be doing a heinous disservice to our friends honor and pride. However enthused you are, I know you don't wish for that."

It seems the Disciples were not wise enough to avoid engagement. So much the better.

Memorize the runes on Aurockoth's blade (if any, going off the picture here) and note everything he does: the speed at which he creates cutting edges, the number, etc. Make the most out of this passing sighting, but do not stop, and do not let anyone attack.

Now then, regarding more...generalized matters:

We should consider contacting the Reavers of Nibelheim. A mercenary force would be useful, especially a competent one like them.

Ask Valiria where to go. She's the independent sort, the kind with something to prove to her family. I suspect she'll fancy getting a chance to direct your group's path. "I defer to your wisdom as to where we should travel from here. I'm afraid I do not know your lands terribly well."

Finally, when we get a chance, sit down with Ozmand and talk.

"You have questions or something to tell me. I will do my best to answer and listen.

Oh, and glad to here you enjoyed that ride. The idea just...came to me, really."
>>
No. 248786 ID: f4e4f9

>>248747
This doesn't seem like it would work, as we still have no idea where he is. Where would we send the runner/courier?
>>
No. 248791 ID: 1c7a93

Well fuck, let's just go on our merry way. Hopefully he did not notice us.
>>
No. 248792 ID: 6834bc

>>248786
Well, someone must have seen or heard him leave/where he was traveling to. Though that might mean it'd take a bit longer, depending on when he left/how far away he is.
>>
No. 248793 ID: 35bba5

>>248786
We could ask Reinhardt if he knows anything. We could send a message to Jaegrezweistrik.
>>
No. 248843 ID: f4e4f9

>>248792
Except he was constantly using some sort of ability that made him nearly unnoticeable, remember?

>>248793

Phohn never spoke or made connection to Jeagerweizstrick either, as I recall.
>>
No. 248851 ID: ddd48d
File 128818753679.png - (752.99KB , 931x1762 , jezebel_3.png )
248851

>>248738
>rolled 1 = 1

D:< AHHHHHH
picture related


Ignore Aurockoth. We don't want to fight him now, and we have a meeting to attend to anyways. We told Valiria we'd be meeting with her father at a set time and we should keep that promise.
>>
No. 248863 ID: 9e5b05

>>248843
Yes, but we can give a message to the Knights Paradox, as the Red Comet is a member of the Order.

>>248784
I like this, for getting Bang to NOT attack Aurockoth.

However, let us also appeal to his competitive side: "Anyway, you're rather falling behind, Bang! An old man beating you in a race, tut-tut. Come on lad, lets see who gets there first!"

We seem to focusing on Bang, lets also tell Valiria to NOT attack Aurockoth. I don't think she would, but I'd rather be safe then sorry.

>>248851
Keep a promise and NOT DIE.

As for Ozmand, do we have to talk out loud? If not, can we do it while moving? Just ask his opinion on everything thus far, what we should do about our abomination status, and if he has any cunning plans to win.
>>
No. 248865 ID: 9338f5

>>248738
>1
For some reason I dont think we will be able to just walk away and pretend we werent here
>>
No. 248868 ID: 8c06b9

>>248748
You know, considering Eisenhardt's description of the the World Reaper, its name, and his opinion that it would take Lenryt herself to take him down... I wonder if the World Reaper and Lenryt are similar in nature. We already had the idea that Lenryt can feed off souls, so maybe the World Reaper does the same? Taking this further, maybe Lenryt feeds off souls for the expression reason of denying them to the World Reaper and to keep up her power so that she can oppose him?
>>
No. 248869 ID: d3dfb8

... We need to go back to the land of dragons briefly to ask Lubu if he would like a real challenge. (fighting Domintus The World Reaper)
We can work this into something like, If i can provide you with a real challenge would you grant me a small favor?
>>
No. 248907 ID: a6526e

He didn't say it was stronger than Lenryt. He said it was an even more alien existence.
>>
No. 249032 ID: 12c392

How much is 'intense'? Because, if we could try to communicate with Abaeloth while traveling, we could get so much more concerning the capabilities (and origins; we really want to know how to get Magic-Eating and Physical-Eating don't we) of Abaeloth's cloak of shadows, and the crystal sword. (We never did take that cloak of shadows from Abaeloth's corpse, did we? I checked, and there wasn't any mention of it during the post-battle post. Therefore, since the cloak was iconic of Abaeloth's (we got that for our Soul Nexus ability after all), perhaps it was salvaged and used, ala what Trollzaru is doing right now with Goran's arm, to accelerate someone's soul development to become like Abaeloth, with all his attendant capabilities at the height of his power?)
>>
No. 249083 ID: e38c07

Alright, so let's try this hero talking thing out. Doesn't quite seem like the best time but should you find the time, Mordre, isolate Ozmand's soul and start up a conversation.

“So Ozmand, sorry about the whole 'encasing you in the very device that (indirectly) killed you' thing... And then stuffing the shell that killed you back in there. It was more than a little heartless, in retrospect. Still, you seem to be taking all of this rather well. How do you feel about all this?”

Steer the conversation towards your sapience. “It's strange, all of this. Things were a lot different back then. I've changed a lot. I keep adopting strange mortal mannerisms. I don't suppose you've seen anything different? I am curious about the soul and just how it is that you observe things in your form.”

Ozmand response. Now the next conversation topic. If he mentions anything at all about the other heroes try and dig at that. Otherwise, prompt him into it. “And what of the others? The other heroes? What do you think about them?”

In particular try and get a little information on Thomro and Zaggrath, as they're my next targets. Wrap up your conversation with Ozmand and move on to Thomro. “It's been a long time coming hero of the Empire. Greetings.” Let's shoot the shit for a little here. Get a grasp on Thomro's character. In particular we're looking for oddities of the soul as he's a divided soul, the only one we're truly aware of.

Although if I can make a small prediction I think that Zaggrath has a divided soul as well. His odd mannerisms I think are an indication of a soul division. I think it's likely that the Empire used the souls of deceased heroes in such a fashion, holding part of a soul in a soul tomb and the other in a crystal for later use. It would fit in with their utilitarian nature, getting the most out of every resource.

If Thomro acts in such a fashion to indicate that he and Zaggrath have similarities betwixt them then this could be the start of research into soul division and the consequences of such. A useful knowledge to have that we could very well put to our own use in the future.

Of course, this is for when you have the time. Right now a, ah, strategic retreat sounds in order.
>>
No. 249085 ID: 69bee4

Another thing to add/possibly pristine.

The Paradox Knights, or Order of Harmonious Discord.

Its really obvious in hindsight, but just look at the name. They are completely a play on the need to achieve a balance between Order and Chaos.

As we know, Morde is very much Chaos, and there have been hints that other 'abominations' are de facto essences of Chaos. As such, the other members of the Paradox Knights are likely Chaos filled vessels. However, consider our Deep Spawn, masters of balance by having forms made of chaos, yet being so strongly ruled as to be souls of Order.

I believe that Paradox Knights are a corollary to Deep Spawn, and I predict by looking at Reisenhardt and seeing his soul, we would likely see something very similar to Deep Spawn. A vessel and outside appearance of Chaos, but the enforcement of the Paradox Knights making a force of Order. This also explains the Red Knight's obsession almost with his title, as a member/personality/soul of Order would require a 'stasis' of something as simple as a name.

Even moreso then a corellary (although I cannot be so sure of this), Paradox Knights could actually BE part of the web of Administrators and Deep Spawn tools the system uses or is currently using.
>>
No. 249098 ID: a76809
File 128823453833.jpg - (114.71KB , 604x840 , The Blue Devil.jpg )
249098

>>248738
[073/200]

>>248752
[Go ahead and try it sometime, see what happens.]

>>248745
>>248753
I speak softly to Bang even as I put together what I see of the life golem rending a path through an army single handedly with what I have been told of Aurockoth, all while imprinting what I can see of the runes on Aurockoth's immobile sword.

" Not yet. With Keddic not even present, To attack now would be doing a heinous disservice, Both to our friends honor and his pride. However enthused you are, I know you don't wish for that."
"...Dammit, you're right.... oh man, I wanna duke it out with that guy SO BAD."
"...Valiria, I suggest we simply move on."
"...If that's who I think it is, I wholeheartedly agree."
"Where do you suppose your father might be? I've only ever seen the mining operation Vonjeen oversees, So I'm unsure as to where specifically to go from here."
"South for another twenty miles you'll hit a bit of road, turn east and you'll be headed straight at the main outpost daddy uses. Odds are good he's there."

Without any further comment or pause, I resume my flurry of motion, whizzing south as my head swivels about to keep an eye on Aurockoth. Just as he finally vanishes behind a copse of trees' coverage, I realize what disturbed me about his soul more so than it's irregular shaping: I could not typify it as Order or Chaos, which to my burgeoning understanding of the field should be mechanically impossible. I consider this for the short time it takes to reach the southern road Valiria mentioned, before I turn west, Bang and Senth still keeping pace at my side as Valiria primly stays seated on the metal disk I gave her as seating. I keep an eye on her form, but she offers no corrections to our path, and I find my attention turning inward, as I tap that new bud of Soul Power and reach out towards Ozmand.
>"Oh hey you have a moment then."
You have questions or something to tell me. I will do my best to answer and listen.
>"Right now? ...Okay, fine. Well, first off, what the hell, you're a sapient Soul Grave. A soul immortal in nature commanding thousands of souls taken from mortals. That's so freaking Anathema that... man, you're like a DOUBLE Anathema. I mean, you're even using Soul Magic, hell that makes you a trifecta of shit people are not supposed to do. ..So, I guess my question, or my first two questions at least, are where you came from... and how you are able to keep your ruse going. I mean, it just doesn't make sense to me."
I came from the Cursed Lands, which you no doubt inferred during your tenure in my cannon, But I presume you meant where my soul came from. As to that... I do not know, not yet at least. As to my ruse, it works because I make efforts to meet every requirement for it to be true, My facade so supported by little mannerisms that it is far easier to believe than the truth.
>"Seriously, I've known you're Anathema since you ate me, and it STILL is jarring. ...Well, since if you go poof, I'm pretty sure I will to, I guess I'm just gonna have to live with it. ...Heh, live."
I was glad to hear you enjoyed the ride down in the Land of Dragons... The idea that led to such velocity just.... came to me, really.
>"Well it was fun, no doubt about that. ...Look, I'm not exactly all that great on involved conversation, you're gonna have to give me some time to organize my thoughts, figure out what I need to find out from you, ok?"
Take as much time as you need, I do not intend to go anywhere.
>"Yeah.... I bet you don't..."

With these oddly disconcerting last words, my conversation with Ozmand the Hammer terminates, but I note that his soul seems more clearly defined within my structure now... perhaps I gained some measure of his trust from that candid exchange. We shall have to see.

>>248851
Several villages and farming communities flash by my sides during our pell-mell jaunt, and just shy of mid-day, Phohn brings me words from Arkus.
Administrator Mordre, Mortal Arkus requested you be informed of how training fares today. The productivity of yesterday has stalled, the wind controlling devices more difficult to decipher than initially expected, Jezebel having trouble mass producing a means for quality night vision, and Nidhogg.... is being resistive. As she cannot respond to me, I cannot discern its cause, but she has displayed a foul mood and an unwillingness to cooperate today. Even when reminded you bid her to take part in this, she only evidenced minimal improvement in temperament. Training still continues, but is slowed considerably by her lack of cooperation. Mortal Arkus wished you informed, and aware that he will appraise you of any changes as they occur.
...Wonderful.

>>249032
My mind drifts towards what led me to target the southern Domintus front, the tales of Abaeloth being at their head... and as I ponder this, I once more reach out to my budding Soul Magic, with my mind so fizated that I cannot help but summon forth the vestige of Abaeloth's soul. I feel his quiet, almost mournful presence for long seconds before thoughts start to drift my way.
>".....Why is it you disturb my slumber?"
To learn what you think of this imposter.
>"What does it matter? My strength waned, my might fled, and now I am dead and done. Why should I care what happens amongst those still warring for the right to live?"
Does not the fact this spits on your death mean anything to you? You did say you respected those who bested you enough to say-
>I remember my words, those moments before death. They are dust, only memories now. Were I to feel discontent over current events, what could I do? There is no point to worrying over something you cannot affect."
But if you could affect it? If the mortal world was not barred to you?
>Elaborate lest I suspect you to be deceiving me.
You have observed the soul of Zagrath the Unseen, dead yet able to act.
>"How could I miss that which you house in your eyes?"[/code]
Perhaps if you let me, I could grant you some measure of control in the world around us, A restoration of some of that might you held while living.
>[i]"You speak of possibilities, not certainties."

Of course, this is new ground to me, I would not promise what I cannot deliver.
>"Then I shall await a more concrete proposal from you. Know that should I be satisfied, I shall speak on all manner of things concerning my life, much of which could prove useful indeed when concerning this replacement Knight Captain."
Once again the connection between my soul and that of one of the Hero souls I hold is severed. ...I wonder, perhaps I am missing something for these exchanges? Maybe I need more direction when calling a soul, to elicit a more impactful response. A thing to consider.

Valiria asks us to stop as we near a considerably sized outpost, frowning as she appraises it from a distance.

"...Dad's flag isn't being flown. He must not be here currently. ...Perhaps to the south and west? Another outpost he frequents quite often awaits in that direction."

Another hour passes, and soon enough we stand before another structure, Valiria's face once more painted with hesitation.

"..Not here, either. ....East-Northeast, past the prior outpost, there is another place he might be."
"Why do we not stop and ask where he is?"
"Perhaps you have grown overly used to the mobility and communication abilities you flaunt. When father is away from his main home-that being the outpost we neared first-he frequently ends up moving constantly, and outpaces any messages concerning his whereabouts. I hope to bypass such a game of catch-up."
"East Northeast then."

The sun has begun to set when finally we near this third outpost of the Blue Knight. Unlike the others, there is a highly stylized flag flying along with the now expected solid blue flags of the Blue Knight, yet when I turn to Valiria, her expression leads me to believe this flag is also not Carkiano's.

"...What is little brother Vonjeen doing here?"

Almost in time with her query, the gates begin to open, and a golem some twenty feet tall strides out, a simple enlarged humanoid shape, no weapons I can observe anywhere on it's form.... yet all the same, it exudes a constant nimbus of clinging blue flames, the grass it treads upon failing to ignite, instead simply converting to ash without any in between. I detect Vonjeen's soul within the metal housing, and as the Golem Armor-clad son of Carkiano comes to a halt before me, flanked by six of the blue skinned Hounds as he bows jerkily towards me.

>"....It is g-g-g-good to see you again, M... M-m-Mordre. You as well, Si-si-sister."
"Vonjeen! Why are you using that?"
>"..Th-th-things have n-n-not been going w-well. The D-d-d..."
"Disciples of Domintus?"
>"..Yes. T-They attack our holders. F-father is busy with this. ...M-mage Mordre, f-f-forgive my brusquen-ness, but could you aid m-m-my father? The enemies are m-many, and our l-l-losses heavy. ....W-w-we will not win, I f-f-fear."

Valiria finally stops speaking, as her jaw drops, contemplating her father facing a third of an entire nation's army, even sounding like he has been doing so for some time. While she does this, I note that Vonjeen likely does in fact know where his father is... unlike Valiria.




What should I say or do?
Do I offer Phohn's services to Vonjeen to mitigate his speech impediment?
And what is my next step now?
Should I do anything with the fact I now have memorized Aurockoth's soul, and will have an easier time tracking him down in the future?
>[Same dealie, I need 1 1d100 roll for the next day. And yes, because the prior roll was so terribad, it only counts for a half-day.]
>>
No. 249100 ID: a17cca

rolled 47 = 47

No words, just rolls.
>>
No. 249102 ID: 445c48

rolled 70 = 70

>>[Same dealie, I need 1 1d100 roll for the next day. And yes, because the prior roll was so terribad, it only counts for a half-day.]

Does that mean two rolls?

Anyways, rolling dem bones, words later.

Try talking to, let's say, Merrack.
>>
No. 249106 ID: 445c48

Marreck, my bad.
>>
No. 249115 ID: 9338f5

Fuck. Is our dragon PMSing?
>>
No. 249121 ID: e31d52

"These Disciples need to be taught a lesson in humility! I shall face them here and teach them a right and proper lesson in manners. ILIA, DEAR?"

"y-yes?"

"BRING OUT... THE SPECIAL TEA."
>>
No. 249144 ID: 1854db

>>249102
When speaking to him, address him as Merrack the Swift, and mention that he has been around the longest, and has helped us greatly in subtle ways.

Get permission from Vonjeen to have Phohn talk to him, and agree to assist him/his father fight the army. We do, after all, have quite a lot of power to our name right now. Mention that we're developing some air cavalry though, and if it's possible to wait a day or two we'll be much stronger for it.

Nidhogg probably misses Bang. Heh.
>>
No. 249147 ID: 9e5b05

>Do I offer Phohn's services to Vonjeen to mitigate his speech impediment?
Only if Bob wishes it.

>Should I do anything with the fact I now have memorized Aurockoth's soul, and will have an easier time tracking him down in the future?
YES! We need to try and find a way we can track that signature. Possibly Phohn up Arkus, have him drop everything and work on this. Some way to track that signal. I do not want to get anywhere near that thing until Keddic is Ready.

>And what is my next step now?
"Of course, Vonjeen. As a friend of your father, it is my duty to aid him, as it is any friend's duty. Where is he, and how many strong does he face? I we will aid him, and if this small force is not enough, the Might of Mordre will thunder down like dragons from on high to crush those that would harm my friends."
>>
No. 249156 ID: 12c392

On the Chaos/Order sense, I wonder what Senth's soul looks like. It shifts constantly, so I'm not sure whether that means his soul is dominated by Chaos, or that his Chaos/Order balance changes with the shift. And on the topic, what does Zagrath's soul's balance of Chaos and Order; if we can determine the quirk that allows Zagrath to leave our form is inherent to his soul's balance of Chaos and Order, we can perhaps somehow alter Abaeloth's soul to also be able to exit our form to his satisfaction, and, by his promise, give up information on this replacement of his. And surely Zagrath knows something of souls (since he was a Mosmordren Hero, he must have utilized Soul Magic of one kind or another) that he could teach us (we, sadly, won't actually be able to utilize it if it is not pure knowledge, since we still aren't able to grow our soul on its own (how many Pristine Souls would it take to gain that anyways?), but even knowledge is useful) something about the various aspects of the unique souls we are encountering?

Also, on Zagrath, his 'Unseen' can still be used while he is out of our form right, and it covers the rubies and the Amaranthine Annihilator beams as well? Since it allow escape from our attentions (and our soul sense), can it not also hide Zagrath and allow him to sneak up close to Abaeloth, close enough to hit Abaeloth with a full-force Amaranthine Annihilator, producing a one-shot kill? Contingent on him not perceiving and reacting to it fast enough to block it with a magic-nullifier of some form or another, of course.
>>
No. 249186 ID: 903f16

>What should I say or do?

Offer help of course. Can't let one of our most valuable allies in the States fall, especially since he's been so helpful in both metal trade and in bolstering our military with his golem armors. Plus this battle gives us something to sate Bang's lust for kicking ass.

>Do I offer Phohn's services to Vonjeen to mitigate his speech impediment?

Nah, I like it. It adds to both the boy's character and immersion.

>And what is my next step now?

Have Vonjeen lead us to his father. Ask if there's another equally imposing suit of golem armor for Valiria to wear. If there isn't I don't really feel comfortable taking her with us, this will be a dangerous fight. Then again looking back at her stat block I do want to help her along with her Wild Child phase and push her past her Pampered Life problems that make her react adversely to struggle.


>Should I do anything with the fact I now have memorized Aurockoth's soul, and will have an easier time tracking him down in the future?

Yes as best we can. Keep tracking him in the back of our mind if you can. I don't think we will be able to come up with a device unless we create it ourselves as none of our other allies can use Soul magic and devising a system for tracking a soul without it seems like it'd be hard.

>>249121
I love this idea. It could be like Mage Mordre's equivalent to Pop Eye's spinach.
>>
No. 249258 ID: ddd48d
File 128826170884.png - (800.96KB , 2070x1337 , everyonelovesarkus.png )
249258

>she has displayed a foul mood
Does someone need a huuuuuuug? I think someone needs a hug. Or maybe to kill something...nah she needs a hug.

Bah don't give the boy an easy way out with his speech impediment! I got rid of mine, he can get rid of his! But do ask him and Valiria if they would like a way to contact us long distance, and if they say yes then go ahead and do the Phohn thing.

>>249121
the...special tea?
ITS HUNTING TIME
>>
No. 249314 ID: d3dfb8

>>249121
>>249258
These.
>>
No. 249331 ID: bedd6b

I guess we will not be using our Spawn here either?

I vote for using them anyway
>>
No. 249362 ID: 5f0943

I think we should go and assist the Blue Knight post haste (as soon as we know WHERE he actually is).
I also think we should leave Valiria behind.



Also:
>>249258
> That picture
D'awwwwww
>>
No. 249495 ID: 69bee4

Alright, someone else said this, but I want to try and finish that prophecy. the last Three Eyed Lord is the Master of Sorrow himself, as he is well... literally three eyed in his picture.

This mostly seems to predict the threat we already know he is to Morde, but it also paints him as Morde's potencial reaper (as we know happened before), he killed Goren, but that does add the dimension that the Master of Sorrow is responsible for the death of Mosmorden in addition to the actions of the Caged one and Elgohodd.
>>
No. 249514 ID: a76809

>>249258
[3/6 Golem Armors modified]

>>249100
[120/200]

>>249121
My response to Vonjeen is carefully tailored to minimize how threatening I appear when announcing my intent to commit mass-slaughter as a favor to an ally.

"These Disciples need to be taught a lesson in humility! I shall face them here and teach them a right and proper lesson in manners. ILIA, DEAR?" "y-yes?" "BRING OUT... THE SPECIAL TEA." "What specialty?" "...The tea I drink when... third tin from the right, second shelf." "OH, THE SPECIAL.... TEA. Right away sir."

In the dead silence that seems to always accompany my more involved social fabrications, I interject, some ten seconds later, the sound of noisy sipping, and a contented sigh.

[+3 HAM points (no situation bonus) Total HAM points: 099 Next bonus: 100]

"So happy I taught that girl some Pyromancy, Used to take her forever to brew a good cup..."
"S-s-s-so, you off-fer aid?"

>>249144
"I do indeed. However, I could offer far more in a few days: Just now I am preparing an aerial cavalry, tailored to fighting mass numbers."
"M-m-m-my father's n-need is dire, I m-m-march to his s-side even n-n... now. H-h-however much you c-c-c-could of-ffer later, w-w-would pale c-c-c-ompared to the n-now."
"I see."

I turn to Bang, hoping to keep myself appearing personable with this verbalized remark.

"Well, even though Nidhogg seems to miss you and grows restless in your absence, It would seem we have more pressing concerns."
>[BANG]"Hell yes we do, there are faces to punch! Takes priority over... everything, really."

>>249147
"So Vonjeen, about your father... Where is he, and how many does he face?"
"Un-n-nnkown. If you w-w-wish to help, then f-f-f-ollow me."
"Straight to the point then? ...Will it just be you and the Hounds?"
"Th-the rest are n-n-needed to watch the outp-p-p.. post, and father has t-t-t-troops aplenty. He needs m-m-m..."
"He needs some more might at his side?"
"Just s-s-so."

Without there being any pressing need for further words to be spoken, Bang, Senth and myself (with Valiria and her platform still slaved to my body) all fall in behind the towering figure of the dusky navy Golem Armor Vonjeen pilots, all of us carefully avoiding the places he steps. Those blue flames... they seem to skip the entire process of burning something, jumping straight from start to finish, only ash in its wake. Interesting. I continue to appraise his golem armor's function as we walk (moving far more slowly now, as his armor does not seem to have comparable speed enhancements as my own body does). Several things occur to me, chief among them that the flame seems to be almost completely Order based. This is noteworthy because the Soulfire surrounding my head has constantly registered as Chaos inclined when I observe it. There is likely something to be learned from this, should I focus diligently enough. We march late into the night without any signs of stopping, and midnight comes... and goes.

[DAY 151: DAY 1 OF WEEK 1 OF MONTH 5:]
[Zakday of the First Cycle of Libiturnius (Summer)]


Some time before dawn, a light drizzle begins to fall. Before dawn can come, the clouds overhead become a dense curtain, heavy droplets falling without pause. Still Vonjeen marches, the twenty Hounds with him uncaring to the climate conditions. Bang seems to likewise care not at all, beyond throwing a mournful look at his scarf, now so damp it cannot billow weightlessly about him, while Senth's brow stays constantly furrowed as he enacted unending Tractomancy over Old Bessie to prevent the rain from dousing his cherrying herbs, determination painting his face for the first time since I have met him. Valiria simply bows her head, doing what she can to ignore the rain, but I see her beginning to shiver. Her armor is likely becoming horrendously cold. The Magnetomancy I grip her in is modified, such that I vibrate her armor ever so slightly, and in minutes her shivers subside from the heat generated. My attention is diverted as Phohn speaks to me.

Administrator Mordre, Arkus wishes you to be informed. Nidhogg has been making odd crooning noises and continues to be restless and resistive. However, the mortals tasked with learning are striving to work around this, and making headway. The Air manipulation magic you asked of him is starting to be understood, but at the cost that mortal Arkus still has not even looked at your runed ring and sword yet. He also wishes it noted that mortal Jezebel tried to yell at Nidhogg to quiet down, and was hissed at so loudly she fired a bolt of lightning at Nidhogg. Who then promptly sneezed on mortal Jezebel. She is still cleaning herself, and swears she will make a dragon leather set of overalls.

As I digest this newest report under the heavy pall of damp from the sky, I note something on the horizon: movement, glints of light flashing through the morning mist which resolve into hundreds, thousands of soldiers. Amongst them I see the Blue Knight Carkiano, in his Blue Steel Golem Armor, battling a dozen clay siege golems and a pair of massive alchemical life golems, a war of giants amidst the sea of soldiers. About his feet I see clusters of soldiers in blue.... they are few, and falling. The enemy force is at least seven thousand strong, but as of right now I cannot see anyone I would deem a commander in their ranks. I do note several hundred in soggy cloaks nearer to the back, though I cannot tell if they work magic at the moment. All of this becomes clear to me in the instant the masses of lives first become visible, even seven miles away. ....I do not think Vonjeen can see them yet.




What should I say or do?
Should I inform Vonjeen of what I see, and if so, should I offer any tactical advise on how to proceed?
And what would be the best use of my current resources, those being myself, Bang, Senth, Valiria, Vonjeen in his golem armor and a score of the Hounds of the Blue Knight?
>[Do NOT need a roll for the next post, unless the prevailing opinion involves a tactical withdrawal of some sort. Then a 1d100 will be needed as normal.]
>>
No. 249524 ID: 9338f5

>>249514
inform them of the situation.

ask if there are any problems with us fireing a few rounds from our cannon and chucking Bang at the Deciples while the blue knights children and ourself catch up
>>
No. 249532 ID: 45be60

>>249524
Seven miles is still a considerable distance. A lot can happen in the minutes it would take to cover that at our current speed. I sort of want to use our remaining magnetic anchor blades to help Vonjeen engage them sooner, with a ballistic trajectory perhaps.
>>
No. 249536 ID: 445c48

Fire your AGC at that Giants as you speed up.
>>
No. 249537 ID: 1854db

>>249514
I like how we have a cannon that can fire at these ranges. However we should be aware that in the time it takes for the shell to reach our target, it may have moved.

You know, we are far enough away that firing a railgun shot would not be inadvisable. By the time we got close enough to do much of anything else, the barrel would have cooled down considerably.

Wait until we can get both of the giant alchemical golems in one shot, then fire the railgun to take them out. That should help our buddy out considerably.

Consider aiding Vonjeen's and the hounds' march with our magnetomancy, geomancy, and kinetomancy. We need to get over there asap.
>>
No. 249542 ID: e31d52

>>249537
>>
No. 249547 ID: 9338f5

>>249537
i think i read some where that our aim could be summed up as if we can see it we can hit it.
also the blue knight is a bit too close to the target for the rail gun. we have to remember that as far as we know hes a squishy meat bag. the sonic boom from the railgun alone could deafen him.
also for our cannon we can simply target the thickest groups of the enemy, even if they move a bit its still near the center of their troops
>>
No. 249550 ID: ddd48d
File 128832574921.png - (466.98KB , 1281x880 , Ulzrickbeingproductive.png )
249550

>>249524
BANG CANNON, ACTIVATE
"hey Bang, pretty sure i see them over in the distance there, want to go for a ride?"

Inform everyone the battle is within a close distance, and it looks like assistance is required immediately.

Burduko is still following with us right? When we get to the battle he can be used to move some wounded away (not teleport, just carry) or at least keep an eye on them while we focus on attacking/pushing back.

On the subject of Nidhogg, I wonder whats going on. Does keeping one's spawn out indefinitely do something? If not, then its something else and I can't think of anything. Odd crooning noises, wat.

[DRAGONS EVERYWHERE]
>>
No. 249553 ID: 69bee4

Nid's issue is almost certainly being in heat... the noises are to attract a mate.
>>
No. 249565 ID: ab04d4

You know what'd be cool?

Super-long range AA. Glue your ruby eyes to the belly of the railgun shells, and fire the new AA missile out, optionally with railgun power. As it flies over the attackers, the AA will activate and create a searing path through the attackers which cannot be done with a direct attack on the two-dimensional plane.

Perhaps it could be considered as our opening attack in this situation, though the retrieval might be a problem. Mordre might want to direct Zakrath to return as soon as possible if such a move is carried off. However, this will allow us to essentially deal sniper-range damage using the AA in a matter of instants.

Also, artillery that shoots missiles that shoot thermal lasers. How cool is that?
>>
No. 249569 ID: f4e4f9

>>249565
Thats an easy way to lose our eyes, again.

I'm not sure you realize how fast the railgun shot was implied to be going.
>>
No. 249576 ID: 903f16

>>249514

>What should I say or do?

Have everyone keep moving and speed them up by carrying anyone we can and pushing everyone else with Magnetomancy. Mimic the sound of someone sipping tea and giving a satisfied sigh.

>Should I inform Vonjeen of what I see, and if so, should I offer any tactical advise on how to proceed?

Yes, there's no reason not to tell Vonjeen what we're seeing. I'd also offer our advise on what to do, particularly with our own men, but I'd also like to ask him what he thinks we should do. His father trained his sister in tactics and leadership, the boy probably got the same lessons or better. For our advise see below. At a certain distance we will drop everyone but Bang and split off from them and try to flank around the side of the enemy forces and charge in with Nimble Nitro as we toss him into battle. This should provide them a good opportunity to join their father's forces and give them a bit of a reprieve as everyone turns focus to us for the time.

>And what would be the best use of my current resources, those being myself, Bang, Senth, Valiria, Vonjeen in his golem armor and a score of the Hounds of the Blue Knight?

Our primary functions in this fight should be destroying enemy infantry, going after the mages, and providing long range support to the Blue Knight as we preform our other duties. We're taking on the mages because we now have the Feasting Vestments in addition to the Immortal Genocide and if we switch the Vestments on their spells can charge our own and we can slice through their ranks with the Sable Executioner, preventing more siege golems from being created and stopping them from casting any large battle spells. We can fire out Anti-Golem Cannon shells at the life golems and siege golems to aid the Blue Knight. We could also convert the souls of soldiers we kill into Inferno Golems and have those sent to aid him as well.

Bang can do well on his own, we can probably toss him straight into the thick of it as we approach. I'd think the best place for him would be just busting through their and making his own fun. I idly wonder if we can have him attack the life golems and inject them full of cancer, but who knows if that would work.

Senth, well I'm not sure what he can do in large scale combat. I guess we can send him out to look for key targets and kill them like their commander or mages spawning more golems. If he can't do that then he can provide support to someone, like maybe Bang.

Valiria is a support fighter with her Chained Sword. We should attach her to the Hounds and have them go support her father's troops on the front lines. I think the combination would be rather formidable. Also I wonder if she would be interested in learning Chaining Calamity in the future. Either offering her the opportunity to join us abroad or if we happen to get one of those students to follow us.

Vonjeen should be helping out his father and taking out those golems surrounding him. He should be capable and I'm interested to see what that fire can do to them. Anywhere else but there or the front lines and his speed is a bit of a problem.
>>
No. 249577 ID: d3dfb8

RUN IN AT FULL SPEED YELLING 'RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE... OH, hi Carkiano, I had bit too much of my special tea.'

Target the life golems, have Bang and Senth go for the mages, and everyone else protect the Blue Knight.
>>
No. 249578 ID: f4e4f9

Make that Anti-Geomancy Earthen Deepspawn.

Pick out one of the Giants, and take off his head with a shot from you AGC Railshot.

Create 2 INferno Golems, and send them to relieve some of that pressure on Carkiano's knights.

Ask Vonjeen if he can't turn down those flames just a bit. If he can, pick him up and MOVE, FULL BURN.

If he can't...magnetomance him along with you and BOOK IT.

And, of course, BEING THE DIRGE. AND THE DELICIOUS SOULSUCKING.
>>
No. 249579 ID: d3dfb8

Also, toss Bang into the air with the Accelerator before we reach the battle for a DYNAMIC ENTRANCE
>>
No. 249584 ID: 56dc25

>>249514
>Should I inform Vonjeen of what I see, and if so, should I offer any tactical advise on how to proceed?
Pick up your speed, and call out to the others.
"I can detect a large battle some seven miles ahead. The Blue Knight and his forces are hard pressed against many troops and golems. Vonjeen, I will deploy immediately into battle unless you have some other recommendation. Everyone, please focus on preserving as many of the Blue Knight's forces as possible; we cannot afford many losses in this war."

Unless he objects with a better plan, do the below while moving forward quickly.

>And what would be the best use of my current resources, those being myself, Bang, Senth, Valiria, Vonjeen in his golem armor and a score of the Hounds of the Blue Knight?
Activate our blood magic for the power boost. No one else here is a magnetomancer or otherwise able to sense it to the best of my knowledge.

"Bang, to my hand, please." Proceed to use the Accelerator and a big Kinetomancy boost to hurl him into combat at high speed, aiming near one of the larger concentrations of the Blue Knight's forces.

Then: "Senth, there is a group of several hundred cloaked figures near the rear of the enemy force. They may be mages, or something else unexpected. Deal with them." He should be able to teleport into combat faster than we can deploy him.

"Valiria, are you durable enough to survive deployment similar to Bang's?" If so, throw her. If not: "Then you can stay with me. This will be but a moment." Set her aside so that she does not take backlash, and...

Soul-speak to Ozmand while readying our railgun. "Have you any preference for targets, Ozmand? Siege golems or life golems, those near the Blue Knight or merely trying to damage as much as possible?" Hopefully he will respond with enthusiasm. If not, well, fire the supersonic rail gun on our own towards whatever seems most likely to preserve the Blue Knight and as many of his men as we can, penetrating several of the golems if possible.

Then grab Valiria and move forward with all possible speed while readying our railgun for use once again. If we can spare the magic, use Ignimancy to blast lightning bolts down on any threats which present themselves in the Domintus forces- in these weather conditions, it should be easy. Match the size of the lightning bolts to the size of the threats, naturally- many small strikes against infantry, single massive bolts against the golems.

Use Phohn to request running commentary with a better view from Bang and Senth as we move forward, so that we have information coming in from multiple channels to use when making our decisions.
>>
No. 249600 ID: bedd6b

.... Soo....No one in favor of calling up our spawn?
This fight shouldn't take more than half of a day, I think we can remove them from LoD for such a short while without having too great of a hit on our fame.
Also inform Oz why we are taking them.
>>
No. 249604 ID: 7150d8

>>249600
Our spawn can't get to the battle in time, mostly because without the assitance of the METAL BAWKSES, Burduko can seemingly only transport Mordre, or objects.
>>
No. 249605 ID: bedd6b

>>249604
No, I think Burduko can teleport Deep Spawn as they are not mortal and can survive this kind of transport.
>>
No. 249606 ID: 7150d8

>>249605
>Burduko can only teleport itself, its spawn, and Mordre safely, barring outside aid or the identical locations method

Yeah, no...
>>
No. 249610 ID: 35bba5

>>249600
We are trying to avoid using our spawn here.
We don't want to be known as 'that mage with all those demons' in this area.
>>
No. 249645 ID: 8af6b8

>>249550
Thisthisthis, oh my god, this. I don't know if we should load Bang in a chamber, Bang in a chamber with a shell - with or without Skyfall - or if we should make him jump on the shell afterward, but my GOD we need to do this.
AND WHILE WE ARE DOING IT, BROFIST OZMAND! AND SOMEONE SAY SOMETHING BADASS TO HIM!
>>
No. 249672 ID: 732129

Everything we know about Valeria says that she's a straight up sword fighter with very little enhancement or magic at her disposal to make her more durable. She's a skillful, but normal, person. And frankly deploying via railgun shell would be insanity with anyone but Bang, since his techniques make him capable of doing things that no one else we've met could consider.

No matter how you look at it though, once they're in it we'll need to press the pedal to the metal and get over there. If we go flat out it'll take less than five minutes for Mordre to get into the fight.

Isn't everybody except Senth and Bang wearing metal armor, Hounds included? Couldn't we grab them and levitate them along at high speeds to a point where they can reassemble and enter the fight under their own power?
>>
No. 249681 ID: 56dc25

>>249672
>deploying via railgun shell would be insanity with anyone but Bang
It'd be insanity with Bang, too. He couldn't possibly maintain enough of a grip of the railgun shell to be accelerated by it successfully, and obviously we can't fire him off independently because our railgun is magnetomantically-based.

Remember, Bang is not actually incredibly durable- he just heals right away from anything bad that happens to him. If we tried to deploy him via railgun shell, his arms- or whatever he was trying to use to grip it- would have less kinetic energy than the shell by orders of magnitude, and get torn apart while trying to transfer it. Biological systems aren't built to withstand that kind of acceleration, even at Bang's levels of modification. Sure, he'd put them right back together again, but he'd be left behind.

He could definitely withstand the air resistance of going that fast in spite of the massive damage it would cause, but getting him to those speeds in the first place isn't something we can manage, I suspect. Also, thinking about air resistance he'd probably massively screw up the shell's flight path even if he managed to successfully stand the initial acceleration.

Accelerator-kineticomancy isn't as fast, but it has the advantage of providing uniform acceleration to whatever we're using it on- meaning that there won't be significant problems with getting up to speed and the only difficulty is the landing.

((Disclaimer: The above is based upon an insane medley of physics and magic interacting in a fictional universe which I may not fully grasp, and could therefore be wildly inaccurate.))
>>
No. 249689 ID: 9338f5

i vote for useing our normal cannon shells. the railgun is a boss fight weapon and is a bit to dangerous to use outside boss fights.

even with our targets moving a bit they shouldnt be able to move so far that we miss them, just hit a different group of enemys. if we hit them now it should hopefully distract them from the blue knight for a minute or two. if there is a clear group of mages shoot them first before they can try any anti artiliry defences.
>>
No. 249711 ID: 9e5b05

>>249681
>Wildly inaccurate
I take this as more reason to FIRE BANG VIA THE RAIL GUN, although I hadn't even thought of that. We shall call it MAGNUM BANG BULLET!
>>
No. 249718 ID: d3dfb8

Oh, have Burduko teleport our sword to us.
>>
No. 249727 ID: 9338f5

>>249711
Sound cool but I dont think it will work, just throw Bang and use our Skyfall cannon. Lets save the Bang bullet idea for later.
>>
No. 249733 ID: cf043f

Use magnetomancy and geomancy to help everyone cross the 7 mile distance quicker. I reckon throwing Bang high up above so he can sail down at will would be good. His magic-seeing eyes make him the #1 mage hunter! In fact if he can provide some quick aerial recon and transmit it back through Phohn then Mordre will know where the biggest concentrations of elite enemies are, which is crucial.

Senth is a more defensive fighter and he could probably do best against the golems, warping their centre of gravity. Valiria is also a more defensive type and if she can chain up the golems then that'll be helpful.

A few of the hounds could be sent to flank and track down some of the enemy mages that are summoning and controlling the golems.

Mordre should open up with a railcannon shot on the massive life golems. Remember Mordre doesn't HAVE to fire the railcannon at 100% power every time. If he uses it at a slightly lower level (75%?) then cooling times will probably be much better. Try lining the targets up as well. After firing Mordre is probably best off going past Carkiano and WADING INTO THE ENEMIES LIKE A MASTER OF WAR!

Try to rouse up the Beatles quartet by admitting that they can 'help' now that you've opened the door to communicating with them:

When I was younger, so much younger than today, I never needed anybody's help in any way. But now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured, Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors.

Then crush the frontline with Soul Grave scale Jade Fist and Ethereal Strike attacks. The jade monks are probably very order based so see what pushing them further towards order will do. Maybe they'll finally join up and form an unstoppable band.

Once past the frontline try a few other things to try would be overcharging Immortal Genocide, using the magnetic amplifier rings in an array to throw soldiers, weapons and armor around with extreme force, mass producing soul soldiers and inferno golems, using geomancy to explode earth, Mordre spinning his head constantly while emitting soul fire... Mordre is just so lethal at mass combat. Hands of Hunger can negate nearly all infantry weapons and Feasting Vestments can be used if any mages try their tricks. Really Mordre should just head towards strong souls, denouncing the fake Abaeloth and generally slaying everything in his path and drawing attention so the Blue Knight and his troops can rest.
>>
No. 249740 ID: 65acf1

>>249514
>>Those blue flames... they seem to skip the entire process of burning something, jumping straight from start to finish, only ash in its wake. Interesting. I continue to appraise his golem armor's function as we walk (moving far more slowly now, as his armor does not seem to have comparable speed enhancements as my own body does). Several things occur to me, chief among them that the flame seems to be almost completely Order based. This is noteworthy because the Soulfire surrounding my head has constantly registered as Chaos inclined when I observe it. There is likely something to be learned from this, should I focus diligently enough. We march late into the night without any signs of stopping, and midnight comes... and goes.

Alright, wait a second here. If we can sense the Order and Chaos of souls, and these blue flames register as Order based, does this mean that golem armor actually houses a soul?
>>
No. 249750 ID: a69afd

>>249740
>>249098

>"....It is g-g-g-good to see you again, M... M-m-Mordre. You as well, Si-si-sister."
>"Vonjeen! Why are you using that?"
>"..Th-th-things have n-n-not been going w-well. The D-d-d..."
>"Disciples of Domintus?"
>"..Yes. T-They attack our holders. F-father is busy with this. ...M-mage Mordre, f-f-forgive my brusquen-ness, but could you aid m-m-my father? The enemies are m-many, and our l-l-losses heavy. ....W-w-we will not win, I f-f-fear."

>"Vonjeen! Why are you using that?"

Oh shit, Vonjeen's golem armor is using his SOUL as a battery. It'd explain his speech impediment too, I would imagine the very act of talking to be rather taxing considering his essence is rapidly expended everytime he walks on a battlefield.
>>
No. 249759 ID: cf043f

>>249750
Blue flame is a sign of very pure, efficient combustion so my guess is that the armor is forcefully oxidizing everything it touches, bringing it to a more stable state and sucking out the chemical energy normally released by the reaction? A fire that methodically steals energy rather than soulfire which just applies lots of energy and incidentally triggers combustion in the process..
>>
No. 249773 ID: 5f0943

>>249727
I don't think Bang would even fit inside the cannon, since it was stated some threads ago (during our first visit to Gialgora's Island) that the barrel has a diameter of 140mm.

That isn't even near wide enough to fit Bang into... Of course, since this is BANG we are talking about, he could probably just surf the shell as it exited the cannon or something.
>>
No. 249777 ID: 46c430

Ok, two things: One, the Blue Knight's speech patterns... Well, to be a little meta, the text is really blocky. Who else has blocky text? Us. Dulu. The Paradox knights. I feel there might be a connection here. Particularly considering he thought of the possibility we were anathema, -and- the fact his son is in golem armor and has not gained blocky text.

Second: When are we going to ask Phohn to stop using titles, calling us Administrator and the mortals, well, mortals? Bang already noted this was odd.
>>
No. 249778 ID: bedd6b

>>249777
What? I like being called Administrator.
>>
No. 249795 ID: 9338f5

>>249778
So do I.

Also has anyone given any thought on what to do if one of our followers learns theres no mage Mordre?
>>
No. 249828 ID: 56dc25

>>249795
Offer them the chance to work for us anyway. If they refuse, eat their soul.
>>
No. 249841 ID: f4e4f9
File 128839352126.jpg - (170.62KB , 1080x790 , nidhoggSketch.jpg )
249841

I haven't been all that productive with fanart lately (so busy), but heres a quick sketch I managed to do of Nidhogg.
>>
No. 249842 ID: 9338f5

>"Like Anathema, yes. But Castiliathen is busy trying to stay top dog while Athelens thumbs their nose at them with that peaceful religion of theirs and increased prices. So the only nation that would have the scope and power to intervene into the heart of the Warring Nations is too busy to bother with a possible Anathema."

do we know who or what this Anathema is? from >>248733
>>
No. 249847 ID: 56dc25

>>249842
The term "Anathema" refers in this setting to intelligent artificial beings.
>>
No. 249863 ID: ab04d4

Okay, how about this? We get Bang to form a conic-shaped hard bone protrusion on his head similar in resilience to our shells. Then we remove his head and shoot it out, relying on his scarf to keep him alive. As soon as Bang lands, he regrows his body and attacks.

The cons of this is that Bang will be without most of his power magic items, and will be momentarily defensive. Not to mention the gore, though Bang might approve of such a batshit insane idea.

If not, perhaps we can develop Bang's cellular skills and have him transform his body into a resilient micro-organed form covered in superstrong bone that can basically hibernate for all of the half of an instant that he's in flight as a shell.

Either way, I want to shoot Bang at someone :P
>>
No. 249865 ID: 445c48

>>249863
>Okay, how about this? We get Bang to form a conic-shaped hard bone protrusion on his head similar in resilience to our shells. Then we remove his head and shoot it out, relying on his scarf to keep him alive. As soon as Bang lands, he regrows his body and attacks.

what.


no. That is stupid.


Announce to the group that you can see the enemy seven miles up ahead, first off.
>>
No. 250833 ID: a76809

[120/200]

>>249550
>>249841
[+2 Golem Armor's modded, 4/6 Armors modded]
>[HALF OR MORE CURRENT GOLEM ARMORS MODDED]
>[Bonus to Air Cavalry End Effectiveness: +10]
[120/200 => 130/210]

>>249740
>>249750
>>249759
I finish putting together several facets of information, revealing a disturbing theory concerning Vonjeen. That trepidation and dread that filled Valiria's voice when she referenced her brother using it, Vonjeen's emaciated appearance when seen before, despite otherwise showing evidence of a potent and hearty soul, the supernatural power in the flames... I suspect this Golem Armor of his runs off of his soul, at least in some form or other. I am getting too many familiar sensations from these flames to not think them related to Soulfire. ...A rather exceptionally important observation, as this would classify as active use of Soul magic if my theory is correct, and as such is a capital crime on the part of Vonjeen, and the entire Blue Knight collective thanks to his integral role in its administration. This could even suggest that I could find other examples of Soul Magic amongst the Blue Knight's forces.... truly, a potent bit of information to have concerning a trade ally.

>>249524
>>249532
>>249536
>>249537
>>249542
>>249547
>>249576
>>249578
>>249584
I begin without hesitation to inform those with me of what I see, the active battle miles distant, the Blue Knight surrounded and outnumbered. I tell them this without breaking stride, even as I calculate out the delays between firing a shot and impact at this range. ...No matter how I run it, short of using that electro-magnetic acceleration trick I picked up in the Land of Dragons, I cannot at all guarantee the target will still be there. What with the trouble I have had with predicting mortal behavioral choices, this seems to leave me only a rail shot as capable of spanning the distance. ...But one rail shot, no matter how monstrously capable of piercing through anything in its way, would not be sufficient to insure Carkiano was safe. Yet were I to try and fire a second shot immediately on the heels of the first, my cannon's barrel would rend itself apart in an explosion of molten metal....

As my gaze falls on Bang during my explanation to my colleagues, a plan to supplement my long range firepower flits into being, and I make my proposal immediately on the heels of my situational report.

"-So based on what I can see, the ideal approach right now, Would seem to be an immediate action to stabilize the Blue Knight, While optimizing the travel time of our force to reach him swiftly. Unless there are objections, I will proceed to address this, With a specialized set of artillery bombardment, And long range tactical deployment of human assets."
"Ok the moment you said that I started thinking 'I'm gonna get to fly'. Please tell me I am right, and I am that long range human asset."
"You are one of the two I have in mind. I will send you after an artillery shell, using a sawblade as a bracing platform, While Senth teleports over on his own. From there, the two of you will have a simple task: Insure the Blue Knight's safety, and maximize damages to the enemy, Any way you see fit until the rest of us arrive."
"Oh fuck yes you can rely on me for something like that. Heh, I get to be a ballistic weapon, awesome."
>[Senth]"...Alright, but that will, uh, mean you need to pay me, like, later for this."
>[Vonjeen]"I s-s-see no issue with y-your p-p-p.. p-plan."
>[Valiria]"I can only guess at what kind of artillery could function over such distance."

With a straight line like that to build off of, I cannot help but feel gladdened as I prepare. the five runed metal rings with me (barring the one I left with Arkus) lining up before the Anti-Golem Cannon as they slide open as wide as possible, Bang solidly settling onto a hovering sawblade as I prepare. I dimly note Senth already winking out of sight, blinking in and out of reality as he flickers across the ground towards the distant battle. Ignimancy, Magnetomancy, together the two forces are brought to bear against my cannon and runed rings alike, the magical array I dreamt up days ago once more springing into being.

>>249645
So Ozmand, about to do that trick again, You even get a friend along for the ride.
>"Seriously? That Bang guy will do that? ...How is he not dead?"
"He is rather capable at regeneration.
>"Well, either way this should be fun. Thanks for the heads up!"

With Geomancy I create sliding braces beneath my feet, designed to bleed off recoil from my body without putting undue stress on my joints. Two seconds after Valiria speaks, I fire my cannon, electricity crackling as magnetic waves ripple and swell. My body was pushed back ten feet, the earthen trenches I prepared easily accommodating me my cannon's barrel hisses and steams, glowing as bright as the sun as I see the cored hole in the air from my cannon shot. Once more I lost its acceleration around the fourth ring, and once more my gaze cannot turn away from the vacuum-like holes placed in one of the Life Golem giants and four of the Clay Siege golems, bodies breaking, cracking and sloughing away as that column connecting here to there within the air collapses with a tremendous boom, gases crashing to fill a vacuum. It is in this situation, one third of a second after I fired my rail gun, that I carefully position Bang, and accelerate him through the magnetic lenses of the saw rings off the top of my hand with Accelerator to aid his departure. Before Bang is likewise sent away as a ballistic missile, I turn my focus to snaring the metal gear of all my allies I can, and making shifting patches of earth beneath their feet. I begin accelerating with Nimble Nitro and magnetomancy alike, breezing past one hundred miles an hour in a brief moment as I race after what was sent before, every one of my allies tethered to my form by magical ropes and pulled in my wake as I aid their marching speed.

I can only wonder at how Bang's arrival on a battlefield in such a fashion will mean.


.............................................................[PERSPECTIVE SHIFT: BANG] .............................................................

....Okay.
OW
>"Bang, you're-
I know, parts of my brain collapsed from the pressure of acceleration. 'Sall good though, the amount of redundancy I made with my bone brain trick kept me ticking well enough to fix myself.
>"If you whole brain had collapsed instead of just parts-"
Yes then I would be dead, or braindead maybe I guess, but either way, I'd be out of the game. The point here though, is that it didn't happen this time. ...Now, where the hell am I? I feel pressure all over, and can't see shit. Was moving so fast the pressure made vision impossible mid-flight.
>"Currently you are inside a Clay Siege Golem's chest. You served as a fully acceptable ballistic projectile, and cored out its chest, rendering it inoperable as you used it to decelerate. Beyond that, several things are of note:
-The Blue Knight, Carkiano, is to your right, thirty four feet away, still engaging an Alchemical Life Golem in runed plate and a collection of Clay Siege Golems.
-The Clay golems do not register much for detection, so I cannot say more about their numbers beyond there being at least ten.
-Six Clay Golems and a Life Golem were just rendered inoperable during and immediately preceding our arrival, and account for the majority of what immediately surrounds our clay tomb.
-With Carkiano I can feel at least three hundred souls clustered around him, many in a beleaguered state.
-I can feel three humans of considerable soul strength in the immediate area, each at least comparable to a Masked Warrior, but beyond that and the fact each one is in a different direction from you current location, I cannot say more.
-With the thousands and thousands of soldiers all about, I cannot provide soul sensing information out past one hundred feet with any degree of accuracy.
...That's what I can discern Bang. Almost everyone is still reeling and reacting to Mordre's cannon attack and our arrival. Beyond that, I don't think they even know you are here yet. ...So what should we do, oh Bearer?
"
...Well, Nagging Wide, The Red Eye of the Dynamo, I'll tell you what we're gonna do......








What are we gonna do?
>>
No. 250841 ID: 445c48

Fix yourself up so you can see, or at least think straight, and then burst out of that pile o corpses and start laying into the soldiers immediately surrounding the Blue Knight's troops, to give them a little bit of breathing room, and then heading off to one of the Masked Warrior power-equivalent guys once you locate them.

Also tell the Blue Knight and his men that Mordre and bros are incoming.
>>
No. 250846 ID: e31d52

>>250841

>Also tell the Blue Knight and his men that Mordre and bros are incoming.

HA! That's not how Mordre makes an entrance.

Unfortunately we're not mordre so we can't make the old YOUR SOULS ARE FORFIET AS PUNISHMENT FOR INVADING A SOVERIGN NATION speech.
>>
No. 250849 ID: 9338f5

>>250833
Make the clay golem explode in a cloud of shrapnal with a mighty shout, then loudly shout our awesome intro with human bullet added in somewhere.

After that beat the hell out of a few groups of soldiers attacking the blue knight, make sure we have a good bit of attention then start picking off whoever looks like there controling the golems repeat this tactic(stomp soldiers, attack leaders/mages) until Carkiano's men look like they are doing a bit better. Then find one of those 3 big souls nagging wife mentioned.
>>
No. 250905 ID: f4e4f9

>>250846
Agreed. Don't ruin Mordre's DYNAMIC ENTRY by spilling the beans, Bang. Would YOU want someone spoiling it for you?

Assuming he's moving at 120 MPH, thats 2 miles per minute, so you've got about 3 1/2 minutes before he gets here.

Erupt out of the clay golem like a goddamn cannonshot: Aim for the life golem Giant. If everyone's still reeling, here's your chance to take out one of the big-boys right quick. Circle your arms around its neck, activate saw blades, and grind it's head off.
>>
No. 251031 ID: ddd48d
File 128862615224.png - (671.90KB , 1326x696 , ArcanoworksAirForce.png )
251031

>>250905
>grind it's head off.
aw yes, this

Until Mordre arrives, support is the name of the game, then you can go buck-wild-crazy!
>>
No. 251034 ID: 62ddad

Dammit,

I was looking forward for new massive Mordre-perspective massacre.

Why did we switch to Bang? Didn't we just have a long-ass journey with him?
>>
No. 251056 ID: f4e4f9

>>251034
ts gonna be 3 minutes till Mordre arrives. We're with bang to prepare the field.
>>
No. 251108 ID: 426944

You have to open up in style! Burst out of the clay golem's chest and announce your arrival! It's time to adapt your possibility cells for the battlefield! Stand on the golem, arms wide and fire the Bang Cannon at the Domintus soldiers in accurate bursts, aiming for maximum efficiency, spread and devastation. The nematocyst missiles should be extremely lethal to non-heroic foes. Then use the recoil to propel the clay golem body through the enemy forces and towards Carkiano so you arrive in front of the Blue Knight surfing a destroyed golem over the bodies of your enemies, leaving a trail of crushed corpses and cancer infected enemies behind you!

Carkiano and his men can then die in peace as they will never again see anything as awesome.
>>
No. 251167 ID: 5f0943

>>250833
>Alchemical Life Golem in runed plate
>runed plate

I have a plan!
Step 1. Burst out of the clay golem and destroy that life golem, against Bang, that armour might as well be tissue paper.

Step 2. After killing the life golem (however long that may take), do the whole introduction thing (MAGNUM BANG, THE HUMAN DYNAMO etc. etc).
Maybe kill some clay golems WHILE doing so.

Step 3. Wreck the shit of the regular DoD troops, because nothing says 'FUCK YOU' like being smashed into a bloody pulp.

Step 4. Look for any heroics, make sure they die. Inflict MAXIMUM collateral damage toward DoD forces while fighting a heroic.

Step 5. CANCER! CANCER EVERYWHERE!
>>
No. 251176 ID: 56dc25

>>250833
Take a good, solid look around with those Eyes o' Seeing All Kinds of Shit. See anyone trying to raise or repair those siege golems, and they become target numero uno. Any Disciples flinging around any other kind of magic are target two, any apparent leaders third, followed by anyone else that you can dispose of as target four. Method doesn't matter, as long as it's quick and devastating- cancer, punching, jumping on faces, thunderclaps, whatever. Don't worry too much about conserving magic, because in about five minutes Mordre will be here and he'll completely clean up regardless of if you're helping or not- so best make as big a difference as possible while you can.
>>
No. 251240 ID: 62ddad

Flying at light speed was pretty dumb, huh, Bang?
>>
No. 251324 ID: a76809

>>250905
>>251031
>>251108
[FANART BONUS]

Okay, so I have a plan-
>"YOU CALL THAT A PLA-"
Oh just roll with it, here we go!
My back ripples and shifts, my body erupting spines carefully as a protective pelt, each topped with over-sized nematocyst based cellular cannons. One hundred thirty two dot my back, built carefully and given time for cancer to recede safely. Total time lost, one fourth of a second from singular focus on an 'empty stomach', but a significantly increased risk of cancer... eh, I'll take it. All right, one more thing and I'm set, I swiftly pre-extend and serrate my prehensile arms, carefully bracing them to act as extra thrust, as I orient towards the largest soul Nagging Wife can sense. I tense, heave, muscles surging as ceramics shatter around me, a cloud of recently made clay dust enveloping and trailing behind my leap, arms beginning to whip forward mid-flight, my trajectory on a collision course with that last standing Alchemical Life Golem-and woe to him, I see no sharp glimmer of heightened thought or magical perception to his eye. I'm two feet from his face when he even cogitates a threat approaches, my body flipped upside down as feet land on his helmeted forehead, arms encircling his chainmail-covered throat, bone spikes slipping through rings to reach flesh beneath with ease. My arms wrap so completely about his neck that my hands clasp together right over his lump of a larynx. I grin at him, upside down standing on his face, as I heave while setting the blades to calamitous vibrations, rending through all in their path with ease once that joint covering bit of unruned armor gives-there we go. Two thirds of a second in now, almost out of initial shock time. I kick off the falling Life Golem's head as I expand that cancer cannonry on my body, directing it all in alignment with the spurs on my back. I land heavily on a different target than intended, as in my haste I forgot to account for the diminished mass behind my jump on beheading-
>"BANG FOCUS"
My jump brings me straight into the chest of another Clay Siege golem, easily of a size with Mage Mordre's Soul Grave. I curve my body to direct cannons into alignment, and on impact add additional thrust, the sharpness of the pressure great enough the siege golem begins to topple. One second in, and I'm almost done. I begin a ballistic barrage out of my backside, arms and legs, everything turned to organic rockets as I force the falling weight of tons of clay to plow through its allies, while pelting those behind me with expanding, infectious cancer bullets. ...I LOVE THIS PLAN!

The clay golem finally falls to the ground and begins to skid to a halt as blood and gore is wiped off it's back, My view finally unobstructed to see if what I planned, and now am in danger of erupting in cancer for doing, was accomplished.

...Oh yeah.

One entire flank of the previously surrounded forces of the Blue Knight is cleared of foes for thirty paces depth, and the last alchemic life golem ended. Every eye is on me, friend and foe alike. Even as I bask in the attention and dynamism of the moment, I am thankful for my skeletal neural network to provide support. That is a whole mess of things to see... I set myself to processing stimulus as I thunder out my arrival just as my mount comes to a halt.

"EXPRESS BY AIR DELIVERY!!
TO THE DISCIPLES OF DOMINTUS,
A BEATDOWN OF EPIC PROPORTIONS!![i]
"

>>251176
I stamp a foot against the clay golem's jaw as it struggles to rise, crushing its face as I leap forth, moving back down the receding paths of light that anchored to those clay golems destroyed. The originating point is only hundreds of feet away, hardly distant.
>"[i]Perhaps they cannot support such a casting long range?
"
Seems possible. Well, a moot point as I shove a finger through a mage's eye, leaving a gift of cancer as I simply crush his companions skull one handed, before darting off again. I continue to strike at lightning speed, flitting through the immediate ranks, as I finish my introduction.

"COURTESY OF MAGNUM BANG THE HUMAN DYNAMO!!"
After the fifth and sixth mage fall to me, I note one of the clay golems beginning to crumble to dust... do they need their owners?
"THE CRACKER OF CASTLES!!"
I idly begin trailing and whipping out my arms at nearby soldiers, ultimately slowing myself as I massively enhance the casualty rate I cause, a trail of gored and screaming warriors in my wake.
"THE SMASHER OF SIEGES!!"
My path becomes more erratic as I clear an entire hemisphere about Carkiano of casters, noting three of the clay golems to have fallen, only six yet left harassing Carkiano. I now look for any and every target colorful, be it mundane spectrum glimmer, thermal brilliance, of Soulglow's shine, I begin taking out the sergeants, the corporals, the people that keep armies moving. Five seconds have passed since landing, and so far one Life Golem, two Clay Siege Golems, thirteen mages and sixty eight soldiers of assorted denomination. I see the fear beginning to take root in their eyes at the horrendous, blurred death that keeps racing through their ranks, happy to claim my next title.
"THE ANNIHILATOR OF ARMIES!!"
This time I see genuine concern and outright terror sprouting as I just tip past burning through one forth of my scarf so far-
>"And at seventy percent cancer saturation-"
I am aware thank you, now-okay, so, to those potent souls you sensed, where are-ah, I make assumptions based on the brilliance I begin to see as I process deeper layers of what I have seen, picking out warriors hidden amongst the ranks with great wells of color spilling forth to my scintillating eyes. Yes, I can sense a comparable brightness between this and a Masked Warrior-ah, and I see the three of them now. One is a heavily armored and runed warrior with a gigantic maul, got really weird shaping on one end of his hammer and parts of his armor, bunches of tubes poking out, particularly covered in runes-and soot. I shall call him HAM-MAR. The next I see is some jerk in leathers, so freaking many layers I can't discern more than the fact he has at least twenty different capes, she is like some fluttering ball of cloth, my god. Got a lance with her, a real mean, hooked one with some chains on the back wrapped in Soulglow. She's already got her eye on me. I'll call her Peggy, since her left leg is in fact-
>"Really Bang-"
OH VERY MUCH SO now, so beyond HAM-MAR and Peggy, I saw a funny looking dude, shorter than me, which is something of a start considering the trend of height in leadership-something I shall SHATTER like a mighty python!
>"BANG-"
This short one's only got only a ragged pair of pants on him, completely devoid of Soulglow, but his body is just flooding the surroundings with it's special light, his the fiercest Soul I see. I note all three of these primary targets as being seventy feet away or more each, with Peggy JUST barely closer than TINY. I see Carkiano capitalizing on the stall in battle, his massive black blade cleaving down, wreathed in sable and scarlet lightning as his men rally, pushing towards the opening I made as they try to cut towards weaker sections of the army. Moving towards the same place, I see a general mass of Soulglow, but too many enemy ranks separate my sight from the glow's source, so I cannot say what makes it, beyond that it seems more potent than any of the three I considered. I am reminded I stopped moving one third of a second ago as some eager soldier tries to stab me, and falls as the Blood Toga turns his strike back upon him, his comrades looking on in rampant fear at my lethality, as I wonder-
--I got a terrified and unprepared army, I could cut through SO MANY of them if I focused on them. By the time Mordre gets here, I might kill a thousand, if I can balance my cancer rate right and the sash to recharge the scarf.
--I got three delicious seeming targets a bit outside my immediate vicinity, HAM-MAR, Peggy and TINY. Each one looks like they could give a good rumble-HAM-MAR is looking at me, I definitely caught his attention, wonder how well he can fight...
--There's Carkiano, who is going to have that Soulglow's owner, whatever it is, to contend with in about twenty seconds. While this is now about two hundred fifty feet away, I think I could get there in two seconds with a high leap.






What should I go for?
>>
No. 251328 ID: f4e4f9

>>251324
Primary Goal as Per Mordre's Request: Ensure the Blue Knights safety

Once we've cleared the area around the Knight, and assessed who Glowbro Lightshow is, we can move on to TINY, PEGGY, AND HAM-MAR.

In the meantime, make the most of things. MAGNUM THUNDERCLAP as a going away present for the Disciples immediately around you, and GINSU the bastards between you and then Blue KNight.
>>
No. 251330 ID: 9338f5

>>251324
We are here to help Carkiano so lets kill our way to whatever it is thats focused on him. should be more fun than slaughtering a bunch of grunts.
>>
No. 251335 ID: 445c48

Go through the normal guys for 18 seconds and then jump in and help The Blue Knight.
>>
No. 251352 ID: d3dfb8

>>251335
This.
>>
No. 251360 ID: a76809
File 128867620620.jpg - (219.20KB , 762x1047 , Disciples Of Domintus Abaeloth The All Consuming R.jpg )
251360

>>251335
>>251352
I make some mental calculations and grin, beginning to dash about with minimal use of power, ripping open faces and throats, punching holes in torsos, kicking people in half, tearing arms off and beating the armless-really, I have a fun time. In seventeen seconds, I manage to kill one hundred twelve more soldiers, just like that. Really, since I'm at best their height and move around so fast, no one knows where I'm going to be until it's too late. Really, the clothes booting Curing make this way easier, and having so much extra magical reserves on top of Possibility Cells... well, this is going very differently than my last attempt to fight in an army. ...Practically too easy. I turn to leap towards Carkiano, the cannons on my back firing again as I propel myself out of the crowd of soldiers and recent corpses, finally getting a chance to see the source of the Soul Glow-wait is that really-
>"BANG!"
Something around two tons of weight slams into me at a little over a hundred miles an hour, a furious roar keeping my eardrums in a perpetual state of near-rupture as a heavily armored shoulder dents my chest. I note that HAM-MAR is a nimble shit... okay, those runes, the tubes... he channels flame out of those tubes, uses them for thrust.... a rocket knight? ...Oh man, this guy seems like fun to fight..... but that sure as the Deep looked like Abaeloth The All Consuming, freaky pasty pale/green skin, shadow cloak, crystal swords... huh. Abaeloth was a bit more heavily muscled, at least thirty pounds, and had a much thicker cape of shadowhands. He also only had one crystal sword, and it was blue, not black like these. Yet that Soulglow, it feels.... like the memory of familiar... ah, I don't know how to describe this feeling.

Thankfully I don't have time to consider this further right now as HAM-MAR's hammer begins to glow, fire pouring out in dense cones from its back as it jets towards my body-ah, that is a BIG magic nullifying rune on that hammerhead.

Currently three feet away, midair, just moved past his body from the initial shoulder check. My redirected vector is taking me farther into the Domintus forces, and away from Carkiano, now three hundred feet away as my foe's entire set of armor likewise explodes into spiky protrusions of flame and billowing smoke, rushing to smash me asunder. His horizontal swing looks to be just shy of the sound barrier... yeesh, I haven't broken that since I made my legs explode jumping on air-
>"WAT"
It totally happened!





What should I do?
What's my plan for dealing with HAM-MAR?
Am I gonna beat him down? Maybe try to distract him and move past to Carkiano?
>>
No. 251362 ID: e31d52

>>251360
Oh hoh. He's coming at you, swinging a massive hammer? DIRECTLY AT YOU? as in, CHARGING TOWARDS YOU?!

NO ONE CHARGES AT BANG!

BIG BANG DRILL, HIT HIM BEFORE HE HITS YOU
>>
No. 251369 ID: a69afd

>>251360
Well what are you waiting for? Answer him with even more force! Kick the air in back of you and Dynamo Double-punch the fuck out of him. Also, start looking for openings in his armor, if you can kill this dude while leaving his suit and stuff intact... Maybe you can be ROCKET BANG! Not by piloting the suit of course, but if you study the way way his propulsion system works, you can adapt it to work with the Cannon Cleave and be beyond rediculous fast all the time.
>>
No. 251375 ID: f4e4f9

Dodge aside and armor up, and give him a 'tap' on the leg. Lets see just how much stability he gets with that much force behind his rocketing. There's no reason to take that full on, and Healing huge amounts of damage requires energy.

Fighting in a protracted Melee is nothing like a one-on-one duel. Stamina is all to important, especially with a fighting style like your own. Don't take hits you don't need to unless you can be sure it'll get you results.
>>
No. 251379 ID: 1854db

DO NOT LET HIM HIT YOU WITH THAT MAGIC NULLIFYING HAMMER! You do not want to lose your mana.

Find a chink in his armor, like... the spots he sees out of in his helmet, and fire some spurs in there to cancer him.
>>
No. 251380 ID: d3dfb8

Hey Bang, just some food for thought, if you see figment again you should ask him to modify your scarf so that it can only be charged in bursts of greater than a certain amount, that way it can hold a lot more and it will be excellent for use with the sash. Simply charge the sash, then use the sash's bursts to charge the scarf.
You seem to be doing it anyway.
>>
No. 251448 ID: e58eb9

Pick ALL the options! Head back to Carkiano and beat Ham-Mar up on the way there! Avoid using too cancer-intensive moves. If that hammer interrupts your healing at a critical moment then it could be game over.

Your dynamo electricity production means are biological, so if he does hit you with that hammer then counter with DYNAMO SHOCKS right through the hammer and into his hands! He won't expect that so he could even drop his toy! Also get down on the ground so more enemy soldiers get caught in the crossfire.
>>
No. 251577 ID: 5f0943

Don't let that hammer hit you, one way or another, doesn't matter if it is through dodging or something else.

Also, after making sure you are not hit by hammer, then do a DYNAMO PUNCH or something, because he is wearing metal armour, and metal is conductive to electricity.
>>
No. 251641 ID: a76809

>>251369
-Right, fuck retreat, he's got enough forward momentum he'd probably catch me anyway. ...Gotta love those lightning bruisers.
>"Lightning Bruiser?"
Big and fast.
>"Ah. So, if you will not retreat..."
What do you think I am gonna do?
>"Really Bang? Really?"
FUCK YES I'M GONNA CHARGE STRAIGHT INTO HIM. DEAL WITH THAT MOTHERFUCKER!

I think back to the ludicrous speeds I subjected my legs to last time I faced the Disciples of Domintus. I recall the wall of pressure I found hiding in the air, bracing against the very pressure waves my legs made.
>"You do know that makes no sense. LITERALLY, you know that makes no sense, since I can see your mind, and I know you cannot make the numbers add up right. You should not have been able to do that."
Which is why I believe that my decades of constantly saturating my body with untold billions of instances of curatiomancy did something. I mean, I've heard from every other healer I've met (barring Souldreamers) that repeat healing causes system degradation, a decay of quality, something I have most certainly not experienced. Since I already have that as thus far unexplainable concerning my special brand of combat healing, why not attribute the fact I can somehow jump on air to it? I mean, I already know that I am SOMEHOW Jumping on a pressure wave that doesn't exist until after I jump, which is rather patently temporally insane, I just need to figure out how exactly I can do that.
And there's no way to be sure but empirical testing!
Or as I prefer to term it, trial by FIST!

My focus briefly goes solely to my legs, limbs snapping taut with such force I feel air congealing, molasses I struggle to move through. I feel a sensation of my legs being in two places at once, my vastly improved cogitation giving me no more data than that before my feet find purchase on open air, and kick off as if it were bedrock, straight into HAM-MAR. I duck inside his reach before the hammer's head can collide with me, a fist flying towards my foes armored stomach as another flies up, fingers opening to reach through his helm's eyeslit-okhedoesnothaveeyeslitsatalljustrunes.
"DYNAMO DOUBLE!!"

I barely manage to close my fist in time, the twin sets of knuckles flattening like pancakes against my armored foe as I keep my manipulators from exploding. Electricity crackles as my muscles generate current and dump it in the highly receptive metal form of my foe. I see my foe's neck crack back, head just barely stopped short of spinal injury by a solid metal brace (stupid heavy plate), while I fail to make even a dent in his armor. What I DO accomplish, is completely reversing his momentum, subjecting him to several hundred times normal gravity pressures, something I note causes his gauntleted hands to slacken, the hammer only staying in his grip thanks to a chain about one of his hands. Several things become apparent to me in that post-impact instant.

-Runes (not all, but some) covering HAM-MAR's vestments begin to glow oh so soulishly, and I note fingers twitching before he's even traveled fifty feet. Seems like some sort of automated reversion to a conscious state.
-Seeing as my foe weighs, counting armor and hammer, around two tons (well, more like two thousand nine hundred seventy one pounds), while his motion vector was reversed almost perfectly, the smaller mass (that being me) got shoved back at something around twelve times as fast as I approached, putting my redirected vector at a little over the speed of sound.
-The pressure wave I somehow glitched reality into letting me brace against is gone, but my legs did not explode this time when I used the trick, so I think I could make another pressure wall to brace against.
-Making a pressure wave is more energy intensive than I suspected, having consumed a full sixth of my Scarf, between the horrendous speeds my legs move at and the comprehensive preventative healing I have to do. Does not at all seem like a long-term sustainable ability, but WOW, does that open up mobility options. Having proper bracing ANYWHERE on demand for course alteration even in midair is just a bit ludicrous... and it still bothers me I don't know why I can do it.

>>251375
One second has elapsed since I struck HAM-MAR, and already he seems fully aware again, his metal tubes spewing forth fire and smoke once more as he charges straight back at me without hesitation, hammer once more whipping through the air, this time to cave in my skull. I assume HAM-MAR to not be that bright, as I can see his uncertainty even through his full-body plate as I once more kick with such force my legs find purchase on thin air as I redirect myself to fly past his left flank. Ducking under his swing, I wrap fingers about his left foot, and tug in passing. Pyromantic propulsion tubes now abruptly misaligned, HAM-MAR keeps going past me, his flight now a hectic jumble on a collision course with the ground. Well, found a way to deal with him.
>"At the cost of nearly halving your scarf's magical reserves."
WHAT'S THAT I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF ME CHARGING THAT SCARF RIGHT BACK UP

I sweep my gaze about, leery of any more midair collisions as I hurtle towards Carkiano, but TINY seems perfectly content to wade through Carkiano's soldiers one by one, while Peggy... is nowhere to be seen. Now that IS odd, I do have some spiffy eyeballs, why can I not find her? ...Her electrical signature is gone too. Eh, at least my path is clear, a thought that brings me satisfaction as I finally land, using the immense, ornate and caped Blue Steel golem armor Carkiano's sporting as a stopping point, gripping the edge of a pauldron to keep myself from falling away.

Well, I made it to Carkiano's side before Abaeloth could finish closing. I beat the All Consuming here by three seconds, but hey, I was still first. Okay, so.... still not learning anything new about what the deal is with this off-kilter Abaeloth dude, especially considering I kicked a sword through Abaeloth's head like a month ago, but more pressing, Carkiano's armor does not seem to afford particularly great vision, and I can tell he is still trying to figure out what just hit him.





Okay, what's the plan here?
Do I have anything I want to say to Carkiano since I am right at his golem's head, and I'm just about guaranteed he'll be able to hear me?
Or maybe I have some fun ideas of how to fight Abaeloth, or HAM-MAR?
Or hey, if I took a few seconds I feel confident I could re-pinpoint Peggy.
Lastly, do I have any ideas on how to either analyze or abuse (OR BOTH) my air-kicking trick? Some explanation for how I can kick off a pressure wave before it is made?
>>
No. 251651 ID: a69afd

>>251641
HAM MAR likes to charge, yes? When he manages to get back up, use your scarf like a bull-fighting capote! Make him charge past you and Carkiano and bash Abeloth on the head, making this dude even easier to deal with the second time around. Now that's what I call: KILLING TWO BIRDS WITH ONE BANG!
>>
No. 251700 ID: 1854db

>Lastly, do I have any ideas on how to either analyze or abuse (OR BOTH) my air-kicking trick? Some explanation for how I can kick off a pressure wave before it is made?
Yeah, you're preventing damage to the air, like you prevent damage to your legs. Your ownership extends to the area around you. YOU'RE HEALING AIR, BANG.
>>
No. 251726 ID: 903f16

Damn Bob, you pulled from way back when you mention those three heroic souls working under Carkiano. I was just rereading our first meeting with him back in thread five for a refresher and you mentioned these guys being his strike commanders collectively called The Three.

>Do I have anything I want to say to Carkiano since I am right at his golem's head, and I'm just about guaranteed he'll be able to hear me?

Knock on his helmet and tell him it's all good, it's just you and you needed a place to land. I know people are against ruining Mordre's dynamic entrance, but surely we can at least tell him back up is on the way. Give him a bit more hope since his situation seemed so bleak before we stepped onto the field. Also scan the area for him and give him a bit of up to date information on current situation since his vision doesn't seem too keen.

>Or maybe I have some fun ideas of how to fight Abaeloth, or HAM-MAR?

Fun? Well how about you go find out where HAM-MAR crashed and try to get behind him again. Last time you managed to bend one of his pipes right? I don't know if you bent it medially or laterally but try to bend it the same way for the pipe on his opposite foot. If he tries to rocket towards you again he'll either be forced to tangle up his own legs or do a rocket powered split. I mean he'd have to be a bit stupid to try and charge you with one of his pipes still bent, but you did mention he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer and he might not have noticed that the bend you made caused his fall. Alternatively get behind him and instead try to crush one of his pipes ends, hoping it will create a nice seal and when he tries to charge again it will backfire on him and maybe roast him inside his own suit.

>Or hey, if I took a few seconds I feel confident I could re-pinpoint Peggy.

Don't focus on it, but maybe keep an eye out. If you can't sense her electrical signals she's either too far away, isn't moving at all, or is masking it. Only the last option is really concerning and if she's going to try and sneak up on you, well that will just add to the fun of things won't it?

>Lastly, do I have any ideas on how to either analyze or abuse (OR BOTH) my air-kicking trick? Some explanation for how I can kick off a pressure wave before it is made?

You might be able to analyze if you make a little alteration to yourself. You're kind of in battle, but it seems relatively safe right now seeing as you're sitting the shoulder of a twenty foot golem armor. Anyway spiders can detect mechanical strain on their exoskeletons using organs called slit sensilla that provide information on force and vibrations. They're basically grooves that deform under stress and send the information to neurons. You don't really have an exoskeleton right now, I mean you could if you spent the time and created some crab armor for yourself. It's not like you need it though, you could just create some calcium structures on yourself that could easily depress and attach them to nerves.
>>
No. 251730 ID: 903f16

>>251726
Looking at the discussion thread it looks like we won't need to use my suggestion of giving Bang a spidey sense, still might as well keep it in his back pocket for later. Pressure and vibration sensing could be useful as all get out when facing a Phonomancer or a Gravimancer.
>>
No. 251741 ID: f4e4f9

Hey, Bang, check out Abaeloth, specifically around the neck.

Any big scar or patched over area? Like a hint of the wounds you guys inflicted on Abaeloth?

Point out Abaeloth if Carkiano hasn't seen him yet. Also, ask for a rundown of what abilities Carkiano has seen these three enemy leaders demonstrate.
>>
No. 252065 ID: a76809

>>251700
...Huh.
>"What?"
I think I figured out how I can jump on air. Well, no one Owns the air, no ownership to worry about, and Combat magic extends to anything you have an uninterrupted line of Ownership to. Given this, and the fact my use of Curatiomancy has largely progressed to the point of being preventative, I think I'm actively hardening and armoring the air, making it more cohesive and at the same time resistive to force. I define free air currents swirling all about as being a form of damage, with static gas the hypothetical 'healthy' state of air.
>"That fits well with my own hypothesis."
That being?
>"You are using your bodies ability to generate electric current to create electric attraction between the individual pieces of air, making it act like a cohesive, solid block when pressure is applied to it."
Wait electricity is involved? That doesn't make sense, I first did this BEFORE I could do that.
>"As that was before you became my wearer, I cannot comment on that event, but I can say that each time I have observed you kicking air, you have discharged electricity."
Huh. So, abusing the un-Owned status of air, and involving electricity on some scale, that's how I do this? I mean, sure that sounds like a workable explanation, but how exactly did I just stumbl-eh, whatever, I CAN JUMP ON AIR, I don't need to question it. ...Probably a WHOLE mess of applications for this too...
>"I would like to remind you that you are on Carkiano's shoulder-"
Yeah yeah, gotta say hi and all.

>>251726
I rap a free hand's knuckles against the blue steel, and speak conversationally to the Blue Knight as his attempts to fling me off his flank subside.

"Don't worry brother, it's all good, I just needed a place to perch for a second. Oh yeah just a head's up I'm not the only bit of backup you'll be getting, I'm just the first here. -Speaking of, see that guy with red hair over there, no armor, flickers a lot? That's Senth, kind of a spacey asshole, but as you can see by the piles of puking warriors behind him, he can take care of himself."
>[Carkiano]"Your name is.. Bang?"
"Damn right it is. So, let's see, there's a dude with heavy runed armor covered in tubes, some girl with cloth everywhere and a peg leg, and some tiny guy that feels REALLY empty out there, know anything about them?"
>[Carkiano]"...Betrayers, one-time confidants following greed. They were once The Three of the Blue Knight, my commanders. Now, Todwick Revelrik The Rocket Hammer, Giana Bamblino The Lancer of Hearts, and Guuten The Hungry."
"No shit? Huh. Well, I would LOVE to hear more about them, but see that dude there, the black cloak of hands and all? That's Abaeloth The All Consuming, a Knight Captain of the Disciples of Domintus and the dude in charge of their southern front...."

>>251741
"-Who I note looks quite dessicated, and has wounds from where I kicked a sword through his spine."
>[Carkiano]"Excuse me?"
"Oh yeah, should mention that: I've killed Abaeloth before. Not sure why he's still alive and all, as I watched him die and his soul put in Mage Mordre's golem, but quick head's up: Crystal swords there, most likely magic nullifying like his old crystal sword, and that cloak of hands can eat matter. Beyond that, just the regular Combat Magic enhancement stuff, but I would note he was already ludicrously durable, and what with having come back from a soulless death, I'd suspect him to need quite a licking to put down. So, since he's starting to cut into your soldiers there, I'm just gonna... hold still for a second."

Before the Blue Knight can say anything more, I leap from his shoulder, propelling myself downward on a collision course with the resurrected Knight Captain. Halfway done traversing the distance between us, I realize several things:

-I STILL cannot detect Peggy-Giana, I guess. That strikes me as more than passing strange, as my current sensing has shown itself capable of piercing illusions to some degree, and my ability to see Soulglow has thus far been quite reliable.
-Senth is having no trouble, even as he attracts even more attention than I have. Sure he's got a couple hundred pissed off soldiers trying to gut him, but he keeps flickering in Soulglow as his body is never where sharp things are, and any warrior he touches seems to practically throw themselves on the ground as they noisily and violently begin vomiting.
-Todwick (who will ALWAYS be HAM-MAR to me) is standing again, working his way out of the crater all that weighty armor led to when he crash landed, and is currently inspecting his left leg's greave. Seems he is not going to just up and jet about with his tubes skewed... oh well.
-Guuten looks like he's leaving. He's walking away from Carkiano's forces, deeper into the Domintus numbers, with no evidence he will be returning. Interesting, considering he just betrayed his former commander, and the other two traitors are still here in combat against their one-time master.
-Abaeloth's body has no electrical signals. Despite how new my electrical senses are, that is just not right. The ONLY organic things without an electrical signal that I have ever encountered are corpses, which are decidedly less lively than this guy/
-The coloring of Abaeloth's Soulglow is.... off. There are variations and fluctuations of texture and gradient I have never seen before, but set me to thinking about that tribal guy Jojo, and his apprentice in the Arcanoworks, Ulzrick. Is there some sort of Dream shenanigans going on here?
-Abaeloth's swords are already rising to intercept me as his cloak likewise moves to make my approach far less viable. I remember how quick they tore through flesh, bone and steel alike, being on the receiving end of that could suck.... but short of jumping on air (really need to come up with a name for that) I can't really change my direction midair.






Okay, so what's the plan here?
I have to protect Carkiano, that's simple enough to grasp, but how do I go about fighting solo some back from the dead warrior that took three other fighters aiding me to best?
And now that I have at least a tenuous grasp of how I can jump on air, what kind of conclusions can I draw about the trick, and the applications it can be put to?
>[MORDRE ARRIVES IN: TWO MINUTES, TWELVE SECONDS]
>>
No. 252068 ID: e31d52

>And now that I have at least a tenuous grasp of how I can jump on air, what kind of conclusions can I draw about the trick, and the applications it can be put to?

AHAHAHAHAH

BANG, MY BOY, YOU JUST FOUND YOURSELF AN INVISIBLE WEAPON.

No, seriously, since you can harden the air itself, that means you can punch the air and have you punch propel air to hit someone farther away. Wave fist, motherfucker.

Other neato-keen tricks: Since the air needs to be hit, have a feild of this up around you and watch enemies slow as if moving through molasses.

Harden the air around your fists and you have to worry a lot less about your hands exploding.
>>
No. 252073 ID: f4e4f9

>>252065
Zombies. Fucking Zombies.

Ok. First:
Get Abaeloths attention.

"He-HEY, Abby, man! Thought you'da gotten the message the first time we knocked you on your ass and just, y'know, STAYED DEAD. No problem, though, rematches are always welcome."

Enhance that fear permeating the Disciples, let them know you've bested him once before. More importantly, get him on you. The old Abaeloth wasn't much of a speed-freak, and liked doing that whole Terminator-Walk towards you guys. Lets see if we can't draw him away from the squishier dudes.

Giana, I suspect, is going after Senth. Give him a warning.
>>
No. 252086 ID: a69afd

>>252065
Say wait a minute, if you are using electric attraction to bond air...

HO
LEE
SHIT

BANG, THE AIR IN YOUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE IS ONE BIG GODDAMN SENSORY ORGAN FOR YOU! This also means finding and keeping track of peggy is going to be fucking easy. Bitch is a walking shag carpet for crying out loud! If you can mangage to zap her one time, static electricity will do your job for you.
>>
No. 252089 ID: d3dfb8

>>252073
>Zombies. Fucking Zombies.
Actually, yeah. He's a corpse that is being controlled by a puppeteer somehow.
Which means, he'll feel no pain and won't die until we rip him limb from limb to the point the puppeteer decides he's worthless.

Or we could just find the puppeteer.
>>
No. 252092 ID: f4e4f9

>>252089
I'd agree for the most part, if it weren't for the Shadow Hands.

Those were one of Abaeloth's personalized abilities, part of his soul. We're dealing with possession, and if those assumptions that it's a Dream-based magic are accurate:

Perhaps a Dream-crafted Abaeloth soul.
>>
No. 252156 ID: ddd48d
File 12888807208.jpg - (169.31KB , 1270x1693 , fuckingzombiesman.jpg )
252156

>>252092
>>252089
Dreamed soul ,puppeteer, zombies, arg so confusing! Some sort of soul must of been constructed and inserted for the body to be used again, that is probably for sure.

Well, attacking Abaeloth will keep him from attacking Carkiano at least. I like the idea of pushing Abaeloth and whoever else into the other troops so they damage each other. ZOMBIE PINBALL :D maybe try the air-push with your fists?
>>
No. 252157 ID: 9338f5

It is possible that there is some sort of puppet mage among the DoD. From the sounds of it the three commanders betrayal was quite unexpected there is a chance they are being controlled like Aboleth but it may be less noticeable as they are still alive.

Also like whatshisname the enslaver killing the one pulling the strings would be the quickest way to deal with them.
>>
No. 252244 ID: 5f0943

Try to do a solid-air punch like some all some others have suggested.
It is very likely he won't see it coming.
It would also be totally awesome!

Also, my thoughts on the whole 'Abby returning from the dead thing':

The Dod might very well recovered his body after the battle, stitched it back into a life golem, and then planted some form of soul into it, artificial or actual fragments of Abby's soul.

That's about as far as I can guess though. And mostly obvious.
>>
No. 252258 ID: c943c2

Idea: Extend an arm and strike while overloading your fist with possibility cells and bang blades. See if the explosion of rampant tumors and biological weapons can overcome the hands of hunger.

Regarding the crystal swords you need something strong, yet magically passive to fight them. What about growing some SPIDER SILK GLANDS?! If you can produce silk strands then you could produce web that's stronger than steel to catch and restrain the swords. If it's sticky then it will even stick to the flat of the blades and since it's non-magical the magic canceling effect (if the swords still have that) does nothing to it! Then you can hold Zombie Abaeloth's swords to the sides and kick him as much as you want.

Could Peggy-Giana be hiding underground? That would obscure her from your vision and your electric senses don't reach far into the earth I'd guess. Geomancy seems popular among the Domintus and if she moves through geomantic means then she doesn't really need 2 legs to fight.
>>
No. 252388 ID: 903f16

I have a guess at the reason for why Abaeloth is still walking about. When Modre sucked out the guy's soul it wasn't in tip top shape, his abilities ate it away as fuel. With Abaeloth's experience at flaking bits of his soul off and the DoD not being shy about using soul magic it's possible they kept a fragment of his soul and stored it just in case something happened to him. Then after hearing of his death they located and pulled his body out from where we left it and put the fragment back in. The tinge of Dream about his soul could be from the method they used to put his soul back in or maybe something they did to beef up and fluff out what they had to make it better/more effective.

It could be that or maybe they put in the soul of the Knight of Wailing Faces. He was also killed in the last battle, but his soul and armor were never recovered. If he had a Weinsho style recall placed on it it would explain how it got away and maybe why his armor was missing, he had a plan for his own death and had underlings in place that would take his soul and armor to a place where he could be put into a new vessel. Though with his own body was decapitated it's not like they could have put him back into it. So why not make something good out of a bad situation and keep a high ranking officer alive and at the same time keep Abaeloth's final wishes from being fulfilled by sticking him into there. Have someone skilled at manipulating the dream come around and tweak his own soul so it would be more like the original and you could get what we have now.

I'm a bit wishy washy on those though, but I'm fairly certain I know why he's lost muscle mass. Before he used Blood magic to pump himself up to super human levels. Now he's kind of a corpse, can't really use Blood without being able to mimic life or maybe he does imitate it enough but can't properly pump himself up because what he has is coagulated and the dead muscles can't grow.
>>
No. 252400 ID: 12c392

>>Dream shenanigans

Er, perhaps the soul that is animating Abaeloth's corpse is a SoulDreamer who, like Figment, has given something very big up (perhaps their living body, forcing them to possess corpses?) to gain great power (in this case, the ability to mimic, to a certain extent, the abilities of the soul whose body it is possessing)?
>>
No. 252401 ID: fb7332

>>252258

...Bang has a mask on. The mask has at least some red patterns. You propose giving him the ability to shoot webs.

I totally need to do a Spider-Man Bang pic for this.

And solid air punches might not do much, the Hands of Hunger eat matter which implies that they can simply eat the solidified air. Abaeloth II probably could just put up a defense field of consuming hands and deflect most physical attacks.

Still, if he doesn't see it coming, it might be worth a shot. But only one shot, and preferably a powerful shot at that.
>>
No. 252463 ID: f4e4f9

>>252068
Regarding punching air to make a ranged blow:

Nothings keeping that air together beyond a few feet, so something like that would lose all appreciable force...really quickly. Like, a few feet.
>>
No. 252471 ID: 445c48

Airpunching is probably monstrously inefficient, too.
>>
No. 252498 ID: a76809

>>252068
Oh man, so much I can do with this air trick, I-
>"First, you can only claim completely un-owned air, which would not apply to air around a magically capable foe. So an air column punch is unfeasible. Second, you could sustain an air field around yourself sufficient to slow object for approximately three seconds before you burn through all your magic, and it STILL would run into issues when something firmly owned by another intrudes into that field. Lastly, unless you plan to punch only things lacking souls or ownership, the air field about your fists would collapse before you ever make contact."
You enjoy crushing my dreams don't you?
>"I will note you chastised me with tumors within one minute of putting me on. I did not approve."
Fine fine.

>>252086
ALRIGHT, FIND A FLAW WITH THIS THEN. I could-
>"Yes, you are indeed fully capable of exuding a passive electrical field about yourself, enhancing and extending your electroreception. I would note that while not magically demanding in the slightest on a direct level, it IS more energy intensive for your body, and so you would either need to eat even more frequently, or resort to magic to restore yourself more frequently."
Well I kinda expected that, I mean this is a neat-ass trick, no reason it would just be better in every way... right then, giving it a try, HERE WE GO.

My body surges with electricity, Millions of instances of healing being creatively applied to the air around me, and my senses where electricity is concerned expand instantly, revealing to me that, deep beneath his null exterior, Abaeloth DOES have some electrical energy in his body... but its arrangement is even weirder than just having someone walking about without any electricity to them at all. So, his brain is completely devoid of electrical signals... which is more than a little strange, and I don't sense a single iota of power in his general nervous system either. Where I DO feel electricity is what confuses me. Its ONLY in his optic nerves, not his eyes, or the related parts of his brain, JUST the connection between eyeball and brain. What's up with that? Wife?
>"On this, I have little to offer, except that the individual in question seems to have more than one soul, while still having less than two. And yes, I am fully aware how paradoxical that statement seems. Now, as we are twenty feet and closing, could you maybe-"
Yeah yeah, fighting time, LETS DO THIS

>>252073
>>252089
>>252156
I whip about midair to bring my feet to the front even as I use my field of electroreception as the base to harden another section of air, setting myself to constant redirection as I buzz about Abaeloth, making observations even as I taunt my foe.

"He-HEEEY, Abby, man! Thought you'da gotten the message the first time we knocked you on your ass and just, y'know, STAYED DEAD. No problem, though, rematches are always welcome. And I dig the scar, really shows how much you got messed up when I kicked that sword through your spine!"

Over the course of seven seconds, I bounce off non-existent foot-holds twelve times, constantly airborne, and several things become immediately clear to me.
-Abaeloth is not responding to my taunts even a little. Could be he's just a cool customer... or, it could be that whatever is piloting him doesn't know what I'm talking about. Which seems strange, given he has that special cloak that was Abaeloth's icon, all that.
-Abaeloth also has no issue keeping track of my locations, swords or shadow hands always between me and him, no matter how fast I move. Well, at least he doesn't have time to actively seek out other foes as he focuses on me.
-My comments about killing Abaeloth DEFINITELY had an effect on the other soldiers. I see outright panic taking root in many faces as they look from the scores dead by my hand to my fight with their captain, and I see many starting to slowly back away-and just as quick I see that beginning to terminate, Guuten EAT one of the soldiers. Just opens his mouth and a body dissolves, wafting its way down his gullet. They still seem scared of me after that... but not THAT scared. Hm.
-Senth just tweaked Todwick's armor, the tubes now a hopeless jumble of random protrusions from his vestments, no direction or order to their arrangement. Huh, he just... shuffled the matter in Todwick's armor. That... is one hell of a trick. He is now blinking his way through the crowds on his way to Guuten, plumes of smoke the only evidence of where he's been.
-I spotted a glimmer of electricity that COULD be Giana, but I can't really be sure, as it vanished again before a hundredth of a second had passed.
-My air jumping antics have completely drained my scarf, and after refilling it I note a substantial amount of mana missing from my sash. Loathe as I am to consider it... I may need to be a bit more conservative with my energy consumption.
-There is not a single bit of evidence that Abaeloth is being controlled from an external source, no paths of Soulglow trailing away from his body. However he's animated, it's all internal.

BUT FIRST-

[FANART BONUS]

-I HAVE AN IDEA!!
>"BANG-"
SHUSH, THIS IS A GOOD ONE.

I reach out with both hands, electricity flooding the area around me as I link together great bundles of air, collecting it all together-and I HEAVE. I pull hundreds of cubic feet of gas away, creating a vacuum right before Abaeloth, which leads to the air AROUND that vacuum to seek equilibrium. And WHAT DO YOU KNOW, that includes the air around Abaeloth. Without ever actually extending my magic too close to him, I force the air to pull him about-and I see his footing slip, a knee dropping to the ground as shadow hands sprouting from his cloak flail about in an attempt to restore balance. ...I've created an opening. I don't know how long it will last....





So what's my move here?
I have a limited window of opportunity, exactly how am I going to insure I fully take advantage of it?
And seriously, where the hell is Giana? I STILL can't find her.
>[MORDRE ARRIVAL IN: ONE MINUTE, FORTY SEVEN SECONDS]
>>
No. 252508 ID: a69afd

>>252498
GO FOR THE EYES BANG! Skewer his eyes and dump as much electricity as you can muster into his optic nerves, OVERLOAD THAT SHIT. Also, while you maintain electrical contact with his corpse, see if you can't hijack the controls and use Abaeloth to attack the Disciples. It won't be fast or radically insane, but think of it this way- If the disciples were shitting their pants when you entered the frey, what do you think the general reaction will be when you start using their own commanding officer to kill everything?

Also, if we didn't have abaeloth to worry about I'd totally suggest grabbing the nearest disciple, loading him up with delayed nematocysts and tossing him at Guuten. Cancer snack? Cancer snack.
>>
No. 252510 ID: 445c48
File 128892803846.jpg - (11.87KB , 296x177 , Stooges- Eye Poke.jpg )
252510

>>
No. 252594 ID: 69bee4

Some infodump concepts about Peggy:

Her title implies someone who is making an extremely accurate and hard to land shot. This means she likely as we are learning specializes in stealth (because few people would allow a heart stab).

My concept: Unable to confirm atm, but I suspect her peg leg is made of metal, and not what I would initially assume wood. What she likely does is 'transforms' in some sense into electricity somehow, thus defying the normal senses. Using her metal peg leg, she grounds herself to remove the electricity and reform herself in an unseen location, at this point she is a millisecond from stabbing your heart (she cannot immediately because of the human field/ownership), and thus suceeds. Also, she can pinpoint the heart because of this electricity power, as the pacemaker uses electricity to power the heart, affinity for electricity lets her target this.

Some other notes: A peg leg gives her a nearly perfect pivot point, combined with chiins this allows her to 'whirl' around in an extremely deadly way.

Her multiple layers of cloth might be being used in order to aid her generating static electricity, as rubbing of such cloths would cause this to happen. Soaking her with water somehow if this is true would likely invalidate her powers.
>>
No. 252658 ID: bff47f

Hey, Nag-, Red Eye of Dynamo, what do you think of Mordre now that you have finally met him in person?
>>
No. 252664 ID: ddd48d
File 128896639578.jpg - (203.77KB , 2419x773 , BANGITUP.jpg )
252664

>>252508
delayed cancer snack...priceless :D Even if you don't want to touch your foe, you can manipulate the area around them to good effect. You have already attacked him with air, now you can use the ground against him! Flip a section from under his already unbalanced feet onto his face, and if he stays unbalanced, do it again! Its time to...flip out. :P
>>
No. 252695 ID: d3dfb8

Shoot cancer filled teeth into his eyes!
>>
No. 252927 ID: a76809

>>252508
>>252510
>"BANG!"
How could poking him in the eyes be a bad idea? I mean I can run current into his body, make some decent damage, figure out if he even needs eyes or a brain at all... and it will be awesome. Besides, I can even dump some loose Possibility Cells, determine if cancer is applicable as well. All ultimately with enough force behind my planned attack to rip his head clean off, it functions on every level! Also I am not really asking, I was telling, as I began the process on one hundredth of a second ago so yeah.
>"Hopefully you plan to not simply take his quite probably violent response."
Well since I AM a self healer, I can take it. And check it out, right arm wrapping already off and added to my left arm, in preparation to lose a limb with minimal consequences. See? Already one step ahead of you here, nowLETSDOTHIS

I bounce off the air ten times in my approach, air-jumping in a blurring medley that finally keeps his eyes from locking on my approach as my speed passes through the sound barrior. My right arm lances forth, a fist save two fingers raised like a forked spear, the arm elongating as I air-jump to gain instant velocity down towards Abaeloth. I see his body reacting the the changing shadows in his vision. His face begins to lift just as my fingers spear through each of his eyes, driving fingertips back to grind and rend through the optic nerve. I begin releasing every single bit of current I possess to potentially burning out or otherwise damaging the sole charge I feel in the body. At that same moment, Nematocyst cannons hastily crafted from fingernail fire, untamed and growing Possibility, raw Chaos is let loose in the center of my foe's head. And as this triple layered attack lands, I take satisfaction as I play to my ego, roaring out a swiftly assembled name.

"DYNAMO DISGUISE!!"

>"WHAT did you just call that?"
In a roundabout way, I am hiding myself from their sight. I hide EVERYTHING from them sure what with the blinding, but since I am 'hidden', it's like a disguise.
>"You just wanted alliteration."
MOVING ON-

My fingers crush through the back of the eye sockets, rending and dispensing cancer-and the body does not react. Without any acknowledgement of the attack its receiving, both arms rise, twin black crystal hooked blades slicing upwards as my fingers, now deep in his brain, finally hit the back of his head, cancer fingernail cannons cracking through the upper occipital-lower parietal, the hand being withdrawn as I hope to avoid the anti-magic of those blades. In lashing my arm up and away from the uppercut slices, I find my flesh disintegrating, pulled apart by the shadow hands of his cloak.

In less than one forth of a second, before my arm's retraction could build momentum, I lose everything from the mid-upper arm down, in its extended state some eleven feet of prehensile arm in total. The thing that disturbs me is not the loss of the limb-hey, I got some real interesting data, and as of yet I have not demonstrated my considerable Curatiomancy skills, except in exotic application: My rapid regeneration may well still be unknown to them, especially considering how much more I have to work with. I recoil away from the questing hands and slashing swords, to find Abaeloth still practicing the slow, foreboding march of doom, never rushing after a foe. I have plenty of time to land fend of a surprising amount of encroaching cancer... it would seem reaching out to touch the world around me is dependent on Possibility Cells, didn't notice before what with getting used to healing reality.
>"You have also lost considerable mass, total Possibility Cells and magic in that arm. Further, your constant use of reality warping is taxing, your sash is now only an eighth full. It cannot fully fill your scarf again, which is currently two thirds used up. No matter how wondrous these new applications may be, they are COSTLY. And your earlier calculations give Mordre still one minute forty four seconds to arrive. You cannot sustain this!"
...I need to find Figment again, I have an idea-well, I think I could get a bigger magic battery, with his help. THEN would you stop complaining about how much magic I use?
>"I wonder at what could be done to give you such magical stamina, artificial or no? AND WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE THOSE MASKS OUT OF YOUR PANTS!?"
NEVER! The magical glow they bathe me in... so soothing...
>"UGH, just what, what the hell!?"
I feel like they are protecting my second most important bits real well, you know? I need that!
>"...And as we are in active combat, I can hardly suggest you remove them currently. ...We will speak on this later."


>>252658
>>252664
So, I need to run some calculations, mind telling me about your thoughts on the old Mage with the golem? I could use something to focus to!
>"The one you currently have taken to traveling with, the one titled Mordre... you have never met the man."
Well duh that's his thing, old dude who's probably a fragile punching bag in a fight, but through his remote control shenanigans, he can make that golem DANCE!
>"Which worries me. Just how deep is his interface, for the golem to be that finely controlled? Do you recall any but Small Tombs displaying the fine motor control Mordre does with that immense siege golem?"
Again, as it is a single person controlling it, and he seems rather GOOD at this, beyond the long range part even, so why shouldn't he be able to? Spent some long ass time on this, and look what I did with a decade!
>"So can you sense an electrical or Soulglow based path, a thermal umbilical, ultraviolet leash, anything connecting Mordre to a distant place?"
I do actually.
>"So why does it point to the earth through the golem's feet? What possible control path could come through the EARTH for such intricate manipulation. There would be too much matter interfering with the connection. So how is it controlled? It does not add up."
...Uh.... I'm gonna have to get back to the fight, some wannabe hero coming at my eye with a knife to aid his captain, so-

I regenerate the arm after five seconds that saw some rather industrious thinking occur, some cancer cannons in my hand rupturing through armor as my hand clasps about the soldier's throat, and with a calculated toss he's now a projectile aimed at Guuten. I see him turn to face the coming screaming soldier, and without a thought I see his mouth gape wide, wider and wider, whole torso now an empty maw that cannot possibly fit in just four dimensions. I see the soldier swallowed without hesitation, that empty sense about his Soulglow growing just an infintesimal fraction deeper. Then I see him doubling over in confusion as Abaeloth continues his slow march of doom, pounding on his chest as the mouth recedes to normal, a rictus snarl, a grimace of agony painting his face. Gave him a bit of a stomach bug there. Speaking of which, fine the initial cancer didn't take in Abaeloth when I gouged out his eyes and twin tunnels through his skull-

[FANART BONUS]

But the delayed trigger Possibility Cells, given a few instances of magical equations each to process, have no issue feeding with their failed compatriots. Even as Abaeloth's dead body proves resilient to the Chaos, it cannot escape the sheer mass expanding inside it's skull, and with a sharp, lashing CRACK!, his skull explodes, naught remaining but part of a lower jaw and a neck.

And he stays standing, and marching.

But while I see Senth glancing my way with rheumy eyes and giving a rather lazy nod to me, his attention only recently having caught the previously approaching Guuten, Even with my dwindling magical reserves, seeing Abaeloth still standing, I come up with a somewhat more direct attack idea. I know it to be costly as all get out, but I believe it will ultimately cost me less then slugging it out with the body until it disintegrates. Through my feet I begin carefully healing the ground beneath my feet, thankfully devoid of any overtly complex organisms or difficult things to claim ownership of, and so I weave together a layered block, a rectangle a meter tall and three meters to a side slowly layering preventative healing to harden it unto steal. As I recharge my scarf for the last time with what I have, I reach out to the air before mre, linking the prepared healing about foot and ground to anchor my body more ably. I wrench free from the earth the immense block of healed earth, my tremendously bound feet allowing me to heave seven tons skyward, magical reserves already beginning to shrink to nothing. But the speed I lifted the chunk from the earth was so fierce it made a vacuum, so I watch Abaeloth get sucked forward, again having trouble dealing with wind pressures. I grin and roar as I slap the multi-ton slab of earth like steel down to obliterate my foe.

"MAGNUM PRESS!!!"

Abaeloth doesn't even slow the block in the slightest. It simply slams straight back down on the densely packed earth that it lay on for centuries, a crack of air pressure so sharp I feel my eardrums rupture as do those of scores of nearby soldiers, all Dominton and most dropping to the ground with screams of agony. I heal my own ears just in time to see Senth teleport Guuten's body into a wrecked mass, violently puking as skin begins to crumble, tumors springing forth, my delayed attack compounding Senth's. And yes, I may be down to a two fifth's full scarf and that's it, potentially restricting me to just normal healing and RIP AND TEAR if I want to hold out for the minute ten till Mordre's here. Well, I sure as shit cowed the domintus dudes about, they want NONE of me, some even being cut down as they stare in fear at me by Carkiano's men, steadily building momentum in cutting a path free. of the ensnaring army. I see Todwick yelling profanities as he withdraws, his armor so mangled I doubt it could do anything but hurt him now.

>>252594
So with Guuten dealt with, Todwick going-WHERE THE DAMN IS GIANA? Maybe-no, her peg leg was wooden, no metal to resonate with for electroreception. ...I really need to find her-
>"I found her."
I feel Nagging Wife's pull to my gaze, and I see, some one hundred twenty feet distant from me, Giana Bamblino the Heartlancer, clinging to the Blue Knight's cape, hefting her spear in one hand as a mass of Soulglow fades from her garments.

I see her grin at me, while I realize no one else has yet noticed her.
The mound of earth, now bereft of my augments, begin to shift and move, Abaeloth coming back for more, a hand already free of the ground, bones twisted and badly broken. Puss and dust leaking from split skin, Soulglow oozing like blood about the wounds.







What should I do!?
>[MORDRE ARRIVES IN ONE MINUTE]
>>
No. 252931 ID: e31d52

STOP THAT WOMAN
>>
No. 252948 ID: 9338f5

>>252927
we dont have many ranged attacks if any that will let us strike her while not harming Blue Knight so i think a super speed air jump followed by kicking the spear/lance away then pulping her skull would be most likly to work. considering her title, seperating her from the pointy stab stick is a good idea.
>>
No. 252959 ID: 903f16

>>252927

Get Peggy. She's an immediate threat and could potentially hurt or kill Carkiano if her lance can pierce his golem armor. His actual body is around the center or heart of his golem armor and if she can get enough penetration she could skewer him. I have my doubts she could seeing as it's Blue Steel, but it's best to err on the side of caution.

I'd recommend moving as quickly as possible to her location, using Cannon Cleave if it's within a reasonable energy spending budget. While en route prepare a little defensive measure against her by shifting your blood toga towards your heart, so if she tries to live up to her name the only heart she'll be lancing is her own. Should she not take the bait just get in as close as possible to her and take away the effectiveness of her favored weapon by getting out of it's usable range. Hit her with as many punches as possible and you should be able to overwhelm her.

Minor Thoughts:

- If soulglow is fading away from her armor it sounds like that's what has been keeping her hidden from us. If all goes as planned and she dies we should have Arkus take a look at it later.

- I'm forgetting how big Abaeloth is, but his two blades, are they big enough for a human to wield? Even just one? Vespinto has been getting no love and we should try to beef up our Arcanoworks heroes a bit.

- We should probably avoid killing Abaeloth again until Mordre arrives so he can eat out the soul as soon as it's separated from his body. If he can eat it and it's of high enough quality he can interrogate it and we can find out what shenanigans the DoD is up to.
>>
No. 252977 ID: ddd48d
File 12890185098.png - (737.11KB , 1477x1981 , ashinyobject.png )
252977

Seems Abaeloth is going to need to be completely pulverized, so we should focus on Peggy now. Carkiano can probably use that soulfire of his to burn the twisted carcass of Abaeloth into oblivion, but we need to protect him from traitorous Peggy. I'd say warn him, but because we can move faster than sound perhaps juts straight up doing it ourselves would be better.
>>
No. 252980 ID: 1854db

>>252927
Clinging to the blue knight's cape? Yank her off that thar cape.
>>
No. 252982 ID: 445c48

Shout something short, such as "Carkiano! Cape!" and hope he gets it in time to remove the cape. Would he wear a cape if he couldn't remove it quickly? He seems a pretty practical guy, and capes could be a liability in a fight.

Anyways, jump over there and either punch her or or tear the cape off on your way over.

Shame we didn't make CRAB ARMOR when we could, the enhanced regen would be handy.
>>
No. 253005 ID: f4e4f9

STOP HER.

If you can accelerate yourself to the speed of sound, you should have no problems picking tearing off some random soldier's head and beaning her in the face with a throw at supersonic velocities. And since she's so busy gloating, and only 120 feet away...suffice to say the projectile will hit before Carkiano can move to risk impacting.

Gogo Bang-supercomputer-calculation rate.
>>
No. 253011 ID: bff47f

Shoot cancer-teeth at her while closing in
>>
No. 253054 ID: 5f0943

Tell Carkiano to stop drop and roll!
It may be worth a shot, I bet she won't be expecting to be crushed under a multi-ton suit golem armour made of blue steel.

Though if said armour can get back up in an appreciable time-frame afterward is another matter.
>>
No. 253056 ID: 112b25

She thinks she's bad?

Time to show her who's bad

CEREBRAL ZENITH

Super-boost of the rock
Heart-lance her....
With your fist
(also grab her lance in case it has some kind of auto fire...)
Then turn it off.

I have a funny feeling that they are going to withdraw and plan to leave us with a nasty parting gift to slow us down while they regroup, but you never know.

A second idea would be to ask Wifey to mind speak him... though I'm not sure that she can do it at this range.

third
Phohn + Mordre = lightning fast attack
(railgun or AA or something else)
>>
No. 253058 ID: 112b25

Also I have a funny feeling that her attack will be faster than sound, so shouting might be too slow.


Damn you Bang, you need to figure out how to call lightning from the heavens... with healing.

Maybe healing the atoms in the air so as to cause a charge to build up and lightning come from nowhere to strike your opponent.

[If somebody feels like explaining the science behind lightning to him, go for it. Back to work now]
>>
No. 253094 ID: bff47f

>>253058
>Also I have a funny feeling that her attack will be faster than sound, so shouting might be too slow.

Alright, lets give everything we have into stopping this attack and then just wait for Mordre while we try to recover some magic.
>>
No. 253113 ID: a76809
File 128906961343.jpg - (25.92KB , 384x329 , Cerebral Zenith 2.jpg )
253113

>>252931
>>252948
>>252959
>>253005
Abaeloth'll keep, he'll need at LEAST a handful of seconds to get out of his makeshift grave, but Giana... I have to deal with that now. ...Energy reserves are too low for air-jumping, so I can't get to supersonic speeds.... but there's nothing preventing me from throwing something that fast. I lung towards the nearest soldier, once again picking out the bravest looking one and 'rewarding' his courage by ripping off his head with almost absent-minded focus as I make some quick calculations based on wind resistances and spatial geometry, before letting loose. The Domintus soldier's head rockets through the air, and were it not for the fact that his helmet came free and let a considerable amount of hair loose to add additional drag, it would have beaned Giana square in the face. As it is, it clips her left shoulder, her hand entangled with Carkiano's cloak jarred loose by the numbing shock. Without hesitation she begins to plunge her spear forward, its tip slicing through the Blue Knight's metal cape with disturbing ease.

Thankfully, I did not just stop and gawk when I threw the head, and I've already covered a fourth of the distance between us. ...But with 90 feet to go and plenty of obstacles in my way, I don't think I can make it there in time-

>>252977
>>253056
Dammit, Carkiano doesn't have any enhanced senses of reaction speed, hell I wonder if he could even cogitate a warning before it was too late... his safety is the entire reason I'm here, however much fun this may be. I HAVE to protect him..

[FANART BONUS]
....Nag-Red Eye of the Dynamo, if I gave you permission for a Cerebral Zenith, could you get me to Carkiano in time? I don't have enough magic left to move as fast as I have to on my own.
>"....Yes Bang, I could."
Then do it, I give you permissio-

[DISCONTINUITY]

My fist is one foot and closing from Giana's face, and she only now seems to note my presence. Her spear has moved forward one quarter of a foot, and has not yet his Carkiano when the manifold capes and strips of cloth about her flutter and flair, my fist plunging into the seething mass-and finding nothing of substance, just cloth that unravels into ever-finer pieces before becoming nothing at all, flickering Soulglow my only proof I was inches away from striking a foe. My only solace is that I distinctly heard a collarbone shatter when I threw that head at Giana, so hopefully I have made her less capable.

I halt my tremendous momentum with a hand firmly clenching onto the Blue Knight's cape, the tug I exert so great that Carkiano, mid-swing with his massive black and gold sword, is pulled off-balance, that titanic blade slicing a long gash into the earth, black and red lightning crackling as he steadies himself.

"Sorry 'bout that, Giana on your back with a spear, figured that was important."
>[Carkiano]"...Feel free to imbalance me as much as you need to keep her spear away from me."
"I'll remember that."

So... wifey?
Nagging Wife?
...Red Eye of the Dynamo, you there?
>".......
Come on, whine and complain about something already!
>"...Stop... bothering me so much."
But that's what I do!
>"I... need a moment."
Fine, fine.

Some seven hundred feet away, a column of sullen red fire and ebony smoke swirls and roar, climbing into the sky and drawing the eyes of hundreds. Carkiano, who I still cling to, turns to face it as well, before speaking again.

>[Carkiano]"...Blast, Todwick's gotten in his golem armor"
"Pssh, guy's a joke, how much difference could it make?"
>[Carkiano]"Well, considering the Golem Armor is the size of my own, and patterned after his runed armor, I don't know. Would you call a twenty five foot tall warrior with instant acceleration, a hammer that weighs five tons and is wreathed in clinging flame an issue?"
"I'D CALL THAT FUN AS HELL!"
>[Carkiano]"If we survive this, I will apologize for what I am about to say, but... are you insane?"
"CRAZY AWESOME, OH YEAH!"

From within that massive pillar of flame, I see the outlines of a collosal figure rising, coated with the runed tubes that dotted Todwick's form. ...With it THAT big, I don't think I could bend the tubes up, so... hm. What's more, Senth seems to be busy with Guuten, who is now once more standing pretty, the previously crippling effects he suffered under gone.... as frustrating as it is how many people won't stay down, I have to admit loving having such durable foes. Too bad I'm damn near out of stored magic (got just a third of a scarf left), and-
>"I would ask... you not request... further Cerebral Zeniths... unless your own life... is in immediate danger....
...Yeah, this is a bit of a sticky situation. I take quick stock of the battlefield from Carkiano's back.

On a plus note, it would seem I know how Nagging Wife got me here so fast: I see dozens of bodies, all turned to gorey streaks and chunks on the ground, between Carkiano and where I was. It would seem that, deprived static footholds or the ability to air-jump, Nagging Wife used people as stepping stones. Cool stuff. On the down side, Carkiano's momentum is pretty much gone, and casualties are starting to pile up again, only two hundred troops left to his name against the six thousand or so remaining Domintus forces still combat ready, with another five hundred still very much so alive if incapacitated. With Giana still completely out of sight again, Guuten engaging Senth and Todwick (now in Golem Armor) rising into the sky with great bellows of flame and smoke forming a wreath about his metallic shell, hammer held high (and topped with an anti-magic rune larger than my body), and my own magic reserves running near empty, at least as far as my flashier tricks go I wonder....






How am I going to spend the remaining forty eight seconds until Mordre gets here with the reinforcements?
>>
No. 253141 ID: ddd48d

Well, it may seem like a log time to you now, but just back up Carkiano until Mordre arrives, then you can dump the whole protection business on his ass, haha!
>>
No. 253145 ID: 5f0943

>>253113
> How am I going to spend the remaining forty eight seconds until Mordre gets here with the reinforcements?


Well, given the current shortage of mana stored in the scarf (and sash), there isn't much that can be done, since all of bangs better moves has a rather steep energy cost.

The best that can be done now, is to give the blue knights forces some breathing room, kill the guys shouting orders and all that, destroy moral.
Scared men don't fight as well as those who are not.

Also, try to chuck something solid at Guuten, see if it does something.

As for Todwick, there isn't much we can do about him right now, due to the current lack of energy in the scarf.
The regular Todwick was bad enough, but with his golem-armour, I doubt even Bang with a fully charged scarf/sash could do much, barring a GENESIS move.
Of course, Senth could probably screw Todwick over, Phohn him and ask him if he can make Todwick crash into the ground.
>>
No. 253170 ID: 112b25

Damn... it seems that that CZ had more of an effect than I thought it would.

I had hoped that we could do at least 5 of the instant ones without any negative effects showing.

Crap. It looks like she is under a great deal of strain...

Try this.
Allow her to temporarily use the extra processing power you got from 'smart bones' to properly analyze her own condition and to see if any repairs could be made.

Then FORCE her to tell you her current condition. No lies.

Then ask her if she could somehow take over/absorb/assimilate/drain another mask to restore herself to peak condition.

If not... I think you might want to ask Mordre a favor after this.
(P.soul. Pricey I know but I like this mask)


In any case
BIG BANG DISCO!
Jump into the air over the center of the enemies forces,(watch out for HAM-MAR) and SHOOT BEE STINGS EVERYWHERE!!!
(also watch out for your allies)

and immediately get out of the way of HAM-MAR's inevitable charge.


Also, WHY THE HECK DOES THIS GUY HAVE UNDERLINGS STRONG ENOUGH TO KILL HIM!

I mean, if nothing else, he should be strong enough to take on 3 of his men

(that being said, I don't know if Mordre could take Bang, Keddic and Lorgk in a fight... not without outright blowing up that section of the world... then he would still have to deal with Keddic and Bang.)
>>
No. 253180 ID: 46c430

>>253141
>>253145
Yeah, unfortunately, I'm gonna have to agree with this. You don't have much juice left, and we've played our aces, we don't really have anything left to throw out if we get into the thick of things again. I think you're just going to have to watch Carkiano's back for now. Though, come to think of it... Well, actually... Ok, this might be a little disgusting, but maybe you could regain energy by nomming on the corpses of the fallen? This would NOT make you look good though, so... Yeah, do it under the cover of your scarf there, if you're willing. And just the Domintus soldier corpses, don't do friendly ones.

...I have the sudden mental image of Mordre railgunning Todwick out of the sky for his dramatic entrance. Or using his LASER EYE BEAMS to do so. Heh, here's a possible idea: Mordre fires off his sawblades, sets them to move towards in on the likely a massive magnetic field of Todwick's golem armor, BAM, homing anti-air missiles! Heck, if he gets downed, Mordre could probably grab his hammer and start whacking people with it, since he doesn't have his sword at the moment.

...Hey. How fast could Burduko get to the battle? And could he fuck up Todwick's golem armor like Senth did his regular armor, shuffle around the matter, and make him crash land? Even a single nozzle changed would really mess him up, considering he's in the air.
>>
No. 253186 ID: 56dc25

Bang, you need to figure out where Giana went. No one else on the battlefield has a chance in hell of keeping track of her, and she's still exceedingly deadly if Carkiano's comments are anything to go by. Other concerns are secondary; spend your time blasting cancer needles at the Domintus forces to give the Blue Knight's infantry cover (or something else less than incredibly straining) while trying to find her.

>>253180
If Bang mentally calls Phohn and says that he needs additional support, Mordre might send in Burduko. I don't see that many other assets can get there in the next minute, though.

>Also, WHY THE HECK DOES THIS GUY HAVE UNDERLINGS STRONG ENOUGH TO KILL HIM!
Because not everyone is on the level of Mordre or Lubu. Most people are still vulnerable to being stabbed in the back.
>>
No. 253190 ID: bff47f

I think we should play safe till Mordre arrives.
>>
No. 253203 ID: 112b25

Oh hey Bang, TAUNT THEM!

Just walk out straight into the abttlefield, and shout

WELL THIS IS BORING, I THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A GOOD FIGHT BUT I CAN'T EVEN GET SOME FUN FROM YOU GUYS!

Prepare to dodge.

Dodge like crazy.
Hit when you have the opportunity.


This will be good training for you.
>>
No. 253215 ID: d3dfb8

For the moment, we are just going to have to stick to slaughtering the Domintus troops while we recover. Only expend significant energy to stop the heroics from doing anything useful.
>>
No. 253220 ID: 9338f5

I think we could use 20 or 30 seconds to catch our breath while trying to figure out how to properly kill these 3 opponents. While were doing this it shouldnt be too hard to rip bits off the enemy soldiers and chuck them at other enemys, most of the regular soldiers should be easily slain in this manner.

We will probably need to wait for mordre to do his antimagic trick to kill Aboleth and mabey peggy, HAM-MAR we might be able to take with that all out attack of ours but we would then be vulnrable to the other 3. So as best as I can judge we would best off waiting a bit to recover while picking of the regular grunts or we could try swaping with Senth as we have not battled against Guuten yet.

Then again this seems a bit too cautious for Bang
>>
No. 253224 ID: 46c430

>>253203
...Why would we dodge? Blood toga. And there's tons of blood to refill it with it with if we need it. Hell, them attacking Bang would be -good-.

Meanwhile, perhaps Giana's style of magic is similar to Senth's? She seems to have some ability at tractomancy, what with her teleporting around, and seeming to share similar instantanious ability to teleport out of the way of attacks. I suspect her to possibly also have ability in kinetimancy, as she obviously has some form of direct-attack capability. I wonder if her absense during the battle was her grabbing Todwick's golem armor or something, because, I mean, if he had it already, why didn't he use it from the start?
>>
No. 253231 ID: b8f8dd

Wouldn't it be awesome if we could drain our blood-toga to refill our magic sash so that we can refill our magic scarf?

We should entertain that possibility. In massive fights like these we would have unlimited mana.

Hmm... maybe Arkus can come up with something and modify the toga?
>>
No. 253234 ID: 1854db

Our task must be to keep Giana busy. She must not be allowed to assassinate the Blue Knight.

Hmm, hey bang, are you okay with eating humans? You were able to recover mana by converting food directly into energy, before.
>>
No. 253236 ID: 112b25

>>253224
>Why would we dodge. Blood Toga

Anti-magic hammer.
Also a set limit in the damage it can take.
(remember we surpassed that simply by using an InfernoG)


On that note, if we get them enraged enough, we might be able to trick HAM-[i]MAR[/i} into outing Abeloth for us... at the very least taking out his hammer trying to take out Abeloth.
>>
No. 253250 ID: 46c430

>>253236
I meant 'don't bother dodging' for the regular soldiers, you didn't specify taunting Todwick, or anyone else, so I just assumed it was a general taunt.
>>
No. 253337 ID: f4e4f9

>>253250
Most of the normal Soldiery are scared absolutely shitless of him. I doubt many will try to attack him.

Giana's the big irritant right now. Best way to think of her is that she serves the same purpose Ugrokk did, battlefield assassination.

Find Giana.
Kill Strelok. I mean Giana.

Then take GIana's spear and Hurl it at Todwhick.

I'll be honest though, I have no fucking idea how she's doing her stealth. Given how she disappeared...perhaps it's a Gestalt thing? Her cloak separates her into ultrafine filaments that coalesce near a target?

Can you examine the residual soulglow from her ability?
>>
No. 253341 ID: 112b25

Oh yes, right forgot this

ASK the blue knight about what they can do, he should know enough to help you.
I would suggest that you use wifey to make the conversation go faster, but she seems pretty shaken up.


Also, look up.
>>
No. 253392 ID: a76809
File 128909220980.jpg - (24.65KB , 320x311 , Bang Starts Recycling.jpg )
253392

>>254170
[Can't share part ownership like that, she can manipulate YOUR body, not use it as part of herself. She can't do anything about her own condition.]

>>253141
>>253145
>>253180
>>253215
Without enough power to fuel most of my newer ideas, I can't keep fighting at this level. I need something to supplement me. ...When I create my extended limbs, converting magic directly into mass, I regain power when reclaiming the flesh.... why could I not do the same to-
>"Are you suggesting you eat the fallen as a scavenger, or the living as a beast?"
I suggest getting enough power to do what I have to without forcing you into a Cerebral Zenith again, I can see it pains you.
>"! I.... how will you disguise such a gruesome act?"
Scarf, wrap around self and eat fast. If I do it in like a swooping leap type thing, landing into a low crouch as I feast, rising slow to jump again after eating was my plan, with the Blood toga as a 'gore collecter' of sorts. If I make sure to wound or kill soldiers in my hopping, I should have more than enough diversion from what little I shall leave. ...Without it, I do not think I can deal with Abaeloth, Giana AND Todwick in his Golem Armor, with Senth looking slightly frustrated in his prolonged fight with Guuten. I don't see any other option for staying a central figure in this battle's outcome, do you?
>"..Do what you must. ...And thank you."

I turn upon the terrified Domintus soldiers, a manic grin painting my face as I resume my slaughter of them, gorily consuming corpses under the cover of my fluctuating scarf. As I hypothesized, the fresh dead give me some glimmer of life without intervening Ownership, and I charge my Scarf back up to full in three corpses consumed in three seconds, while slaying or wounding seventeen other soldiers as cover for my cloaked deeds. As some soldiers finally begin breaking in panic at my assault, some begin to run, and I do what I can to not attack them, in the hopes encouraging flight will further destabilize the Domintus forces. Five more seconds later, six more bodies have been consumed, and my Sash is now a quarter full. ...I have also learned that the more recently dead, the more energy derived from flesh..... perhaps feasting on a living body would yield optimal returns-
>"Bang, no matter you do this partly for me, DO NOT cross that line into feasting on the living. ...I do not think I could handle it, however well you could."
I'm Bang, if my Inner Fist can play as much as I like, and all it takes is eating a few bodies of dudes trying to kill me... eh, whatevs.

>>253337
>>253341
...I have to find Giana. Even as Todwick takes off with a crack of thunder and gouts of flame, finally having the Domintus soldiers about him cleared to a safer distance, I know her threat to be the greatest. Abaeloth's still partly in the earth, a few seconds from total freedom, but his body seems so mangled that no matter how resilient he is, he won't be able to perform as well. Wheras Giana.... she shouldn't be able to vanish that easily. Where is she-

I look up as I feel the slightest tug of something entering my net of electrified air.

I spear three inches from my left eye plunges down.

An adrenaline surge to levels normally fatal to humans lets me leap aside, my speed great enough a crack is produced as some joints go supersonic. Giana's spear bends, shifts, stretches, and as I flee tracks after my heart, somehow ignoring the normal twist of space, all the while suffused in Soulglow. Yet the moment the tip pierces my blood toga, I see Giana's eyes widen, and the spear withdraw before it plunged more than a third of an inch into the enchanted cloth, and while I see her eye twitch in recognition of the transferred wound, she does not seem impeded. She once more is surrounded in cloth beginning to flutter and unravel, ten feet away. I finally have some magical reserves again, if not full ones.





Do I want to try and attack Giana before she can once more flee from perception, and if so how will I strike the fastest?
And should I try eating live foes to see if I get some serious energy returns?
And given that on some level I seem able to do something as wild as 'heal reality', do I have any ideas I want to try during my feasting and fighting?
>>
No. 253404 ID: 445c48

Don't eat living dudes. Ain't cool.

And yes, hit her. Shoot those cancer cannons at her face.
>>
No. 253417 ID: 9338f5

>>253392
super fast teeth shot into her eyeballs should make stabing us a bit tricky
>>
No. 253423 ID: 46c430

Um, impale yourself on her spear pointed at your heart and let the blood togo kill her? Use that sonic ear-splitting attack to damage her ears and hopefully mess her up?
>>
No. 253428 ID: f4e4f9

Don't eat the living. Even corpse feasting is kinda a "No option left" dealy, but eating people alive...thats a Line you don't cross.
>>
No. 253479 ID: a2fbf9

Giana keeps going for vital organs. How about you move them around? Then you can possibly just take the hit and counter with full force bang blades and nematocyst cannons. In fact it might be worth considering scaling down your digestive system to make room for more electricity-producing muscles, bone structure and maybe something like a backup heart or brain. You don't need a digestive system to fight, especially since you can keep yourself going almost indefinitely using curiomancy. You could also regrow discarded parts after the battle anyway.

You could use your reality healing trick to do a sort of supercharged Magnum Thunderclap. If you move your hands at supersonic speeds and keep the resulting vacuum behind them 'healed' for a millisecond then you can release some incredible blasts that'll certainly deafen the Domintus soldiers.
>>
No. 253480 ID: 46c430

Hrmm. Hey, use those bang blades of yours, cut the cloth, that might hinder her.
>>
No. 253481 ID: 9338f5

>>253479
i dont think theres enough magic left for that
>>
No. 253496 ID: a76809

>>243404
>>243428
..Yeah, I guess eating living dudes would be totally gnarly, should avoid that.

>>253423
>>253480
I dash forward, a bit of hardening applied to the ground and air about my feet for an ideal brace, kicking off with every bit of force I can muster, a sonic boom in my wake. Giana's swift: I have seen her disappear in an instant, but how shall she do against this?

My arms fling forth, shifting into prehensile Bang Blades, as I throw myself chest-first onto her spear, looking to use the Blood toga offensively.

"BANG BEAR-HUG!!]"

I slice through several feet of cloth before she can vanish. Unfortunately, her spear seems to withdraw from my charge, never making contact with me again: Some sort of spatial warping allows her to put her spear anywhere? A fiendish ability. Still, before I can actually wound her, she finishes fading from view. ...However, this time I note I can just barely perceive a faint electrical signal where she stood, moving swiftly to flank me. I experimentally let my still-extended arms slice through where I sense the charge, but they catch on nothing... so, I cannot harm her, but the damages I caused at least let me sense where she is when she... disappears. Really, what is her trick here?
>"She seems to use the Dream, stepping to a different possible here. How else would she register as there on some level, but otherwise be completely intangible?[./i]"
Really? So.. she's dreamwalking?
>"[i]An apt enough term.
"
Well, at least I can track her better now.

Todwick is fifty feet and closing, and Abaeloth has finally pulled himself fully free of the ground. ...including Giana, that makes THREE people with considerable power in their hands. On the plus side, their attention on me, plus Senth keeping Guuten occupied, is making Carkiano and his men as safe as possible in their situation, their casualty rate slowing back down as no heroes come to the aid of the Domintus soldiers.

More pressingly, I have 3 baddies closing, Abaeloth twenty feet to my left, Todwick sixty feet in front of me and closing FAST, hammer held high, and Giana ten feet to my right, still intangible but finally trackable. I am also surrounded be soldiers, but I see the fear in their eyes: They shall not attack me.




So what should I do?
I could use what magic I restored to focus on one of the three attacking me, or I could stay mobile and gain back even more magic for something a bit flashier.
Or maybe I should do something else? I can finally see Mordre in the distance closing, his and Vonjeen's golems easily visible over the swell of armed forces.
>[MORDRE ARRIVAL IN: THIRTY EIGHT SECONDS]
>>
No. 253500 ID: 9338f5

>>253496
throw soldiers at the captins, it will kill and further demoralize the soldiers and distract and delay the captins
>>
No. 253501 ID: a2fbf9

Todwick is the primary concern, Abaeloth is primarily a defensive fighter after all and Giana is hard to reach in her dream state. Attack back, but this time with a massive Bang Blade drill-lance. Use Todwick's own momentum against him and pierce that golem armor, then discard the lance tip inside as a massive possibility-cell spreading cancer bomb!
>>
No. 253518 ID: 112b25

We obviously have to defeat everything here (sans Abeloth) before Mordre arrives.

...
...
...

Genesis?
Skyfall type?

Nah.

!!
hmmmm

Dreams occur when the body is unconscious or asleep, this states exist when there is damage to the body or the body needs to regenerate energy,

This state is normally entered into naturally as but she is using energy to generate the same effect on the world, i.e. making the world dream her.

I predict that if you HEAL the meta-physical damage to her body that is causing it to enter the dream state, she will be forcefully rejected from teh dream into the physical, therefore attackable.

MoI attempt logged.

in any case, try to maneuver so that when HAM-MAR attack you can dodge and make him hit something else, preferably Abeloth shaped.

Also, seeing as you have discovered that the reason you can jump on air is not totally attributed to your badasserey, but that you are actually, pre-preemptively healing any possible damage to the air, how about you try that with light?

Your new eyes can pick up light in ways never before seen (no pun intended), so I think you should be able to manage this.

In a nutshell what I am suggesting is that your try to imitate Mordre's AA, i.e. Laser eyes, by pre-preemptively healing damage to the light hitting a person. This will stop the light from refracting and it will, hopefully' transmit all it's energy into the target object as heat.

Doing this from your eyes, like a beam, may be easier because your sense of ownership will extend from your eyes to the target.

Second MoI attempt logged


The crazy idea guy is back people.
>>
No. 253524 ID: 46c430

Uh.

Put Aboleth between you and Todwick. It will put a possible obstacle between you and the Rocket Knight, and mean you arn't flanked on three sides. Don't bother attacking Aboleth, I suspect if we can kill Giana, Aboleth will be defeated too as the magic keeping him alive and in this reality fades.

I also wonder, would forcibly going to sleep (I'm sure Bang can do this somehow, with how much control he has over his body) make him more capable of taking on Giana, 'cause it'd be dreamstate? ...'course, this might simply make him vulnerable to her with no upshot. At the very least, with the time disconnect for dream-time and real-time, and our super-reflexes, might combine to mean if it would prove useful, we wouldn't have to be asleep for long. ...Or maybe he'd be asleep forever because we'd have done something stupid and gotten ourselves killed or worse. Food for thought in any case.

Hrmm. Could you grab one of Aboleth's anti-magic swords from him, and try attacking where Giana is with it?
>>
No. 253537 ID: f4e4f9

Flail about and look confused, pass your half-hearted attack against Giana as errant swinging in confusion at her vanishing. Don't let her know we can track her.

Three baddies all going at you...and one of them is basically a point and shoot rocket. I bet Toddwick can't see Giana either. So bait her into striking you, make like your guard is down.

I wonder if Toddwicks ANTI MAGIC HAMMER can still hit her while incorporeal. See where I'm Going with this?
>>
No. 253539 ID: f4e4f9

>In a nutshell what I am suggesting is that your try to imitate Mordre's AA, i.e. Laser eyes, by pre-preemptively healing damage to the light hitting a person. This will stop the light from refracting and it will, hopefully' transmit all it's energy into the target object as heat.

Unless I'm mistaken, wouldn't this run into the same project as the Air-punch idea?
>>
No. 253542 ID: 903f16

>>253496

Here's an idea. What if while eating a body you heal the flesh in your mouth to a somewhat living state? Then when you bite down you could get the same effect as eating a live person, but with none ill effects. This relies on you being able to heal the flesh at all or in a time frame that is somewhat reasonable, but hell you can heal air and calculate thousands of heals within a second of time. What's stopping you from healing a pound of flesh in your mouth when you can do that? I mean besides those problems the only other one I can think of would the net magic gain being lower than average corpse munching due to what you have to spend to get the flesh in a living state, but one simple test run should tell you if it is or not.

Or maybe how about something weirder? When attacking Peggy next you grab onto her, but instead of trying to attack her you try to heal her. See using SoulDreaming magic, but you need to be broken to use it. I'm guessing what makes her broken is her little pegged leg so if you can regenerate the limb perhaps she'd lose her abilities and be put into the open. Then you could deliver a nice fatal blow. Arcane healing isn't exactly your game but you did fine with Adolfo and Conrado when you held onto them. Also this might be based on a faulty premise seeing as I don't remember if it's even possible to heal away a SoulDreamer's wounds or if Bang has enough magic to regenerate a limb. Might as well give the idea a shot though.
>>
No. 253551 ID: f4e4f9

>>253542
Healing requires energy. The problem, thus, with healing the flesh (if dead flesh can be healed, since Jojo couldn't repair Balboa's skin after death), is that you're spending energy to get energy, and probably not at a beneficial rate.
>>
No. 253558 ID: 903f16

>>253551
Yes I know, I pointed it out myself in the last sentence of the idea. That's I just suggested testing on one body and seeing if what he gains is better or worse than normal.
>>
No. 253667 ID: a76809

>>253500
I chuck a a trio of soldiers into the air without hesitation, one aimed at where Giana was before disappearing (even though she has moved two feet to the left thus far), and one each straight at Todwick and Abaeloth. Abaeloth doesn't react at all, and Todwick is clearly in competition with him over who gives less of a shit their allies are being used as projectiles. ...New idea, then.

>>253518
>>253537
I continue to flail at where I saw Giana even as her electrical signal moves, trying to make it clear I can't track her. While I do this, I start plotting, hoping I can pull this off before Todwick crosses the remaining thirty feet. I hook my healing to the electrical discharges coming from my body, relying on the paths I have been building air jumping and manipulating the earth. I feel... a pain, a crippling, a wound inside that mass of electricity representing Giana. ...If she is a Souldreamer, or soulwalker, or whatever, she has to have something impairing her to elicit such function. The peg leg seems obvious at first... but her cloths completely cover all the rest of her body save hands and face, hands still within fingered gloves and face above a high collar, below a hooked hat. So maybe the peg leg is a distraction, with a more pervasive impairment under wraps, so to speak.
>"I see no flaw with your reasoning, but you cannot outright back your hypothesis."
Don't need to, I just need to test it. Okay, healing a foe through electrical currents in the air.... well, hopefully her problem is related to the nervous system... I blow my entire scarf's load, all of it, on trying to find some hole in her Combat Magic, some place to slip my magic through without coming into contention with her Ownership. I find her to be as paranoid as I feared, body blocked even from healing-save for her Peg-Leg. ..She hasn't realized that if you graft something to your body, that becomes part of you, not just a piece of equipment. I have a path to take, and I dump everything I have through it, even as I dance to the side, putting Giana in between myself and Todwick. As the golem armor wreathed in flame begins to swing earthward that calamitous hammer, the air flickers and pops, Giana Bamblino the Heart Lancer stumbling out of thin air with a shocked look on her face. She completely ignores me and the shit-eating grin I shoot her, instead prioritizing the massive hammer swinging down towards both of us. As I leap aside at just below the speed of sound, I see Giana stabbing a knife claimed from one of the prolific pockets hidden on her person straight towards her heart, and a darker patch of leather ringed in strange looking runes with a different color of Soulglow. The hammer head falls upon her-and instead of feeling her electrical signal go erratic and fade in death, it... winks out of existence. ....Hm.
>"You suspect she fled"
What I felt would match.
>"And so, what are you going to do about Todwick?"
How about you think about that while I figure out what to do about Abaeloth getting all keen with his shadowhands, and showing they can extend at his will? I mean, don't want to get caught by those, shit just tears right on through flesh, costly to regenerate in the wake of. Todwick's hammer is a threat sure, but he's big and not particularly quick witted or perceptive, so long as I don't get hit by that hammer, I should be good, no matter how durable he may be. I even note Carkiano's attention turning to his one-time ally in comparably sized Golem armor.






What should I do? Should I resume my battle with Abaeloth, or stick to Todwick and help Carkiano off him?
>[MORDRE ARRIVAL IN: TWENTY FIVE SECONDS]
>>
No. 253673 ID: 569038

We should help Carkiano.

Oh and see if you can manage to scavenge more bodies since you blew your scarfs entire reserve.
>>
No. 253681 ID: d3dfb8

I say we fuck up HAM-mar's stabilizers so if he tries to fly he'll simply crash horribly awesomely. Then he should be a piece of cake for Carkiano to handle.
Then Abaeloth is all ours.
>>
No. 253689 ID: 9338f5

>>253681
the rocket bits seem to be reinforced with runed metal and to large for us to easily damage. also we are far to low on magic to fight the terminator zombie
>>
No. 253694 ID: 669ef7

We might be able to get HAM-MAR to hit Abaeloth instead, that would be hilarious and seriously put a DENT in Abaeloth's plans!
>>
No. 253713 ID: 4ad9b2

Now that Todwick is EVEN BIGGER with MORE ARMOR could you just hang onto him and hide on his back between the jet exhausts where he can't reach you? Then you can punch or cut your way inside the armor and say hello.
>>
No. 253729 ID: a95392

Heh, no MoI but a good result all the same.

At a high cost.


hmmmmm, now what.
You seriously need to get the full story on these guys... but until then

"Hup"
Jump up and slam the hammer further into the ground courtesy of a MAGNUM DOUBLE BARREL(only if the runic effect does not extend to both sides)

"Ho"
Bounce up and grab hold of the handle and swing yourself up to the cockpit (you saw him get in, it's cool)

"HOO-HAAAA"
Scan the cockpit area with awesome eyes and look for breaks in the magical reinforcement (likely around the seams for the cover), run some quick calculations and hit it in the area for maximum effectiveness.

(if you don't find a weak point, the just grab the head and pull him down... then get out of the way of the crushing force.)
>>
No. 253734 ID: a76809

>>253673
Yeah, quarter Sash and nothing else ain't gonna cut it. I need some real juice, if I want to put down Abaeloth for good. Besides, Carkiano should be able to keep Todwick occupied, I mean he had to have made that Golem Armor, he's the one with the outposts built for it and all. Plus, fight between giants, how can that not be a cool dining backdrop? I dart away from the questing hands of shadow, not even a sliver of flesh lost as I disembowel two soldiers in passing, whirling about to fall upon a dead soldier on the ground, adding his mass to my magical reserves.

>>253729
I leap atop Todwick's hammer, the fire tubes adorning its back unlit and bereft of anti-magic. I slam my hands down, doing what I can to push the hammer's head deeper into the ground before I begin running up its thick haft. I move towards the Golem Armor's torso, my eyes scanning for the seams of the opening Todwick vanished into. I see runes on both sides of the metal, made whole with it shut, and my fingers find no nook to dig into. I leap away before a swatting hand can crush me, and I begin spending the next seven seconds gorging myself, restoring magical reserves enough I can finally finish Abaeloth, leaving Todwick to Carkiano.


.......................................................[PERSPECTIVE SHIFT: CARKIANO] .......................................................


My feet fall like thunder, suspended in the fluid embrace of my Blue Knight. My Dreamcloak, that which lets me store sword, spear and shield alike within its nebulous confines, flutters about me despite its weight. My sword in hand, Midnight Storm, I hope to bring vengeance on the heads of the betrayers, those who spat on my trust. One should be able to trust people, and to have my three most able subordinates....

I am thankful that this Bang individual, this associate of Mordre, is lending aid: That hammer out of the way like that-

Midknight Storm slices up into a lateral slice with a slight upwards cant, set to path straight through Todwick's cockpit and take off naught but his head. Execution for rebellion, rightly served.

Ever one to face problems head on, Todwick predictably shoulder charges me, trying to get inside my swing: Sadly enough for him, I anticipated it, and swayed back to keep my sword in line. His right arm drops off an instant before my sparking blade meets his torso, and midway through his armor shudders, and goes limp. My blade carries through, justice served to one of three traitors. ....That other one, Senth, he fights Guuten. My spear, Dawn Thunder would be most ably suited to slaying the beast of hunger. ...With the traitors dealt with or otherwise fled, I could then move to fight against Abaeloth.... this ambush could be turned about into a route, if I work for it.

But first... Guuten.


.......................................................[PERSPECTIVE SHIFT: BANG] .......................................................


Okay. Kinda didn't expect the fight to be over that fast, but hey, full Scarf, three sevenths full Sash.... I got a good bit done, I'm about half full of power. And Abaeloth, I have noted, is oh so slowly beginning to heal. Gotta act fast, even if Mordre will be here any second.





Who am I going to fight the still impaired Abaeloth, considering how durable he's proven?
>[MORDRE ARRIVAL IN: EIGHTEEN SECONDS]
>>
No. 253739 ID: a95392

OH YEA BABY!!!!!!!

[Let's see how this works out.]
This should be done in 3 seconds tops... if you go slow.

Dash so that Abeloth and Guuten form a straight line in front of you.
crouch like an athlete getting ready to dash out the starting blocks.

CHARGE!
PUSH ENERGY INTO YOUR LIMBS!!
MAXIMUM POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FLOOD YOUR ARM WITH HEALING ENERGY!!!
prepare to heal damage nanoseconds after it happens.

EXPLODE from that position and grab Abeloth with elongated hands (to keep his shadows out of reach of your brain bits.)

KEEP GOING!
DON'T LET HIM TAKE YOUR ARMS OFF!
WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T LET HIM HIT YOU WITH THE ANTI-MAGIC BLADES!!


SLAM HIM STRAIGHT INTO GUUTEN!

Whatever happens, one of them will die.
Possibilities:
1)Guuten will sense it and eat Abeloth to save himself (I also suggest ejecting your arm at this point, Gutten might eat it too)

2) Abeloth's S.arms will rip him apart.
3) Gutten will not do anything and the sheer force will pulp him


If Abeloth does not does from this, chick him into orbit.
I'm serious.
You can do it.
>>
No. 253753 ID: 5f0943

>>253734
Take Abby out quickly with a GENESIS MOVE.
Remember not to use what you got in your sash.
Use that to refill after the Genesis have been used.
>>
No. 253769 ID: 4ad9b2

The Hand of Hunger eat flesh and matter, but they can only eat so much at any given time, right? How about you throw another few soldiers at Abaeloth and this time push the attack using the bodies as temporary shields to ablate the initial Hands of Hunger effect by crashing through the bodies at full speed using HANDS OF BANG! Grow more arms, blades, bone spears, fire nematocyst salvos and everything you can think of in an all-out explosion.
>>
No. 253778 ID: 903f16

>>253734

Pump yourself up with as much adrenaline as you can and extend the Bang Blades. Level into his arms and try to hack them off through repeated hits. Work around the shadow hands from his cloak and if you get into a situation where you are going to be hit maneuver yourself so it only touches nonessential or easily replaceable bits. Removing his arms or at least mangling them means his very potent magic severing blades are out of commission and he's a lot less dangerous.

Wait Todwick's hammer is still stuck in the ground right? Could you use your herculean strength to do something like jump skyward and hit the haft causing it to jettison from the ground and fly into his face? Or maybe just try to get it out of the dirt and throw if manually. Eh probably not strong enough, but it's worth a shot.
>>
No. 253783 ID: f4e4f9

>>253753
The whole point of Genesis is that it uses up everything.

It's not a Genesis without giving your all to an attack.

And damnit, at his rate Mordre won't get his Dynamic Entry! AH, well.

Fish Todwicks Normal Warhammer out of the remains of his suit, see if you can heft it, and give it a toss at Abaeloth. I'm curious what would happen if crystal anti-magic sword met metal anti-magic Hammerhead. Shadow Hands won't block it, and I'd hate to see what happens to Abaeloth if it actually hits him.
>>
No. 253789 ID: 903f16

>>253783
Actually yeah, throw the normal hammer instead of the giant one. That would be much more reasonable in terms of weight. Hopefully you remember where he dropped his stuff or there's residual soulglow around the thing.
>>
No. 253795 ID: fb7332

Just saying, Mordre should be able to AA the heck out of Guuten or Giana- the laser should be faster than perception unless they have super perception mods like Bang and a few other characters met thus far. W
>>
No. 253796 ID: a95392

Well Giana appears to be gone.

I though we might have misjudged it for a second, but Blue Knight mentioned escaping so I think she is gone for now.

Also Mordre won't AA without our say so... we be savin' it remember.

when was the last time we used that thing anyway?
>>
No. 253799 ID: 445c48

>>253796
In the fight against Goran, I believe. Used it on his troops.
>>
No. 253801 ID: fb7332

>>253796

Hm, didn't read that part right I guess.

Also, souls will hang around for a minute or two, right? Wouldn't want Mordre to miss out.

>>253783

That hammer idea depends. Does antimagic act as an intrinsically opposite concept to magic that thus is not powered by its own magic, like gravity and normal force, or does it simply negate some properties of the magical field using its own magic, like negating gravity with a powerful fan?

If it's the first, the two will probably not react, but this creates a separate field of magic in which magic can be negated with other powers nonmagical. Thus, it's more likely that the second is correct and that the two forces will simultaneously clash and... Shit, man, I don't know what'll happen then.

If the two collide and simultaneously negate each other, several things could happen. Nothing could happen as both the weapons instantaneously lose all magical charge and become mundane. Maybe both the weapons will begin sucking in magic in some sort of supercollider-escalating action. Maybe an asplode of magikz.

We should totally try anyways. If we can get the universe to commit a divide by zero with enough prodigious use of negating magic items that are designed to negate magic, we could get nuke-equivalent magical traps.

Alternatively this is all conjecture and will never happen. That's a lot more probable than tricking the universe into a divide by zero anyways.
>>
No. 253805 ID: a95392

>>253801
Or we could ask Arkus to do math with magic, he might try something weird again and frig with the world.
:3
>>
No. 253869 ID: 35bba5

>>253805
If we really want to maximize our ability to frig with the world, we need more talented mages(getting Kyorto online is probably a good start), we need to get our 'unified magical theory' thing going again, and we probably need more texts on obscure magical fields and the like. There was that mobile secret library, the C-whatever Repository? We could maybe use one of our future boons from Lenryt to get some more teleport boxes made-if we could get one there we would have immediate access to a huge magical library, although we would probably have to do a lot of negotiating to get access to a lot of their stuff.
>>
No. 253873 ID: db9547

>>253869
The Caemlo Repository is supposedly a Mobile Soul Grave or something.
>>
No. 253879 ID: 35bba5

>>253873
I don't think that necessarily invalidates anything I said, unless it is actually a really small Soul Grave and they keep all those texts in the form of some magical omnibook or something. Soul Graves can be huge. We are pretty small for a Soul Grave, I thought?
>>
No. 253881 ID: db9547

>>253879
No, but it makes everything about it harder. And the Caemlo Repository is supposed to be very hard to find, so I don't think Size is the issue (as a wandering gigantic whatever is kinda hard to miss).
>>
No. 253883 ID: db9547

Also, I kinda figured they used the Soul Grave's mental capacity as the storage system (why else use a Soul Grave for that purpose?). We aren't THAT small.
>>
No. 253884 ID: e31d52

>>253879
We're not small!

We're efficient.
>>
No. 253886 ID: 66667c

>>253869
Or we could get a lot of clever people and teach them the basics of magic, then ask them to do something complex from what they know.

They might figure out the way it's currently done... OR they could make something completely new.
>>
No. 253893 ID: a76809

>>253769
I begin with turning nearby soldiers into projectiles, trying to get so much matter between Abaeloth and I that he can't get those shadowy tendrils at me. It is at this point that the soldiers around me lose their last semblance of courage, and not a one stays to face me in close combat, now all rushing back as I hear shouts for cannons to be brought up.

>>253778
>>253783
>>253789
With the time I bought by filling the air with my foes, I rush to the immense warhammer of Todwick, the Golem Armor scale weapon several tons in its own right. I anchor my feat to the earth and air as I heave, the hammer coming free to spin in my hands. I slap aside soldiers with bone-crushing force in my whirling blow, but I bring the hammerhead, complete with its anti-magic rune, against Abaeloth. I See shadow hands reflexively reaching towards the hammer's face, and unraveling into smoke as they touch. Abaeloth raises and arm, a black sword coming up to break the coming enchantment. ...Can the corpse not see the nature of the impending attack? A perilous situation, but one to my advantage. NOW: Let's see what happens when an anti-magic rune hits anti-magic crystal! IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE!
>"You call magical experimentation science?"
Magic is just a word for science that as of yet has not been fully quantified. So: IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE.

Hammer meets sword.

The world goes dark, not a whit of Soulglow visible. The visible spectrum is likewise hit, disordered soldiers panicking in the dark. Electroreception, thermal, these are my methods of 'seeing' now, but what I note most is the sound. From the moment those two items met, not a single sound of impact has been heard. Indeed, a quarter second after impact, just as I start hearing the screaming blind, a wave of silence washes over me as a palpable force, and a sphere goes deadly dark to my thermal vision, spreading from the point of impact and seeping every bit of warmth it can find. I leap back, relinquishing the hammer's haft in dodging the spreading cold, and am gratified when the cold field slowls its expansion, with color and magic again returning to the world.

Where the two weapons clashed is a shattered crater, frost and ice everywhere, as if cold itself had feasted on the landscape. I feel a pervasive presence of Order within the area, as if entropy, the void of vacuum itself where worshipped here. Abaeloth himself is frost coated, an arm blown off from the sheer force of the impact, the sword shattered to naught but slivers and shards. Yet with a badly broken body, missing an arm and his head, He continues to stand, continues to walk after me.

So I once more spring for the titanic hammer's haft, I leap into the air and begin once more lace Curatiomancy into the air about my feet, creating a stable foothold from nothing as I begin leveraging the hammer up-and over. I let my foothold vanish the moment the hammerhead is set in motion, having drained my Sash down to a seventh, my Scarf down to half-

But as the headless and one-armed Abaeloth is faced with a hammer blow from the heavens, I consider the price well worth it. I see his arm rising to oppose the blow-and I see broken bones refusing to move ably enough, and no crystal blade rises to ward off harm. The anti-magic rune is smashed into Abaeloth's body, and just before I shove his animated corpse into the ground I see the Soulglow about him winking out. Abaeloth is toast.

Senth and Carkiano seem to have a problem though, as Guuten... I don't know WHAT he did, but he's about twenty feet tall and growing now, eating Carkiano's soldiers and Domintus soldiers alike, glowing brighter and brighter. Carkiano's two handed stab of his spear is stopped midair with an implacable grip-

Or it is, until a perfect line of Thermal, Electrical and Magical energy breaches a path through Guuten's breast, and instants later amidst a crack of thunder Guuten's body pulls itself apart, sucked along by tremendous forces imparted by what just struck.

Mordre has arrived, then. At least I got to kill Abaeloth.

AGAIN.


.............................................................PERSPECTIVE SHIFT: MORDRE..........................................................


I see a soul that MUST be Abaeloth's by Bang, I see a massive golem armor cleaved in twain, I see Senth and Carkiano now freed from fighting that fleshy monstrosity, and I see the comparatively cool condition of my cannon, having relied exclusively on the saw rings to turn a normal cannon shot into a rail shot. I count one hundred eighty five soldiers to Carkiano's name yet alive, with the Domintus forces numbering six thousand three hundred alive and fighting fit. Hundreds lay on the ground dead or incapacitated, and not all of it is Bang's handiwork. I shall have to discern just how much aid Senth provided.

I also note that the duo seem to have done an excellent job preparing the battlefield: The last heroic soul has perished, and the Domintus soldiers look to have their will broken. I believe I could attempt to force their surrender. I am not sure if the state could use prisoners, but if there was some way I could claim their manpower.... I do recall numerous mention of the Domintus forces following the will of the strongest..... hm....





What should I say or do to best take advantage of my appearance on the battlefield?
Do I want to slaughter the soldiers and harvest souls, or attempt their capture as prisoners of war/possible recruits?
>>
No. 253903 ID: db9547

Consume ABAELOTH, TODWHICK, and GUUTEN's souls. They can't have disipatted yet, its only been minutes.

Soulsuck, ON. Dirge, ON.

You need only capture some of the mages alive. The rest are not trustworthy. Rule by power alone is a shaky rule, and if they're that eager to turn on their current masters, they'll do you no better when the chips are down.

Inferno Golems to corral. Let none escape.
>>
No. 253911 ID: db9547

Actually, tone that suggestion down a bit. We'll try to leave a very small portion alive (a number of the mages, and between 300 and 600 of the normal soldiery.
>>
No. 253912 ID: 903f16

>>253893

Do a mixture. Kill some, take the rest as prisoners. Basically be as brutal as possible in your methods to wrangle them up. You're mainly looking for mages, which would probably be any of the guys in cloaks. The rest of the guys you take will be for Wiesmahn, the local administrator of this area. Eldghodd mentioned him after we told him about Timmy. In fact not only did he mention him we get a free audience with the guy along with another administrator of our choosing. Administrators give out favors in exchange for offerings like live prisoners, corpses, and technology. The train of logic is pretty obvious from there. What we ask him for in return for a bunch of dudes and corpses I'm not sure.

Also, soul suck like the wind. Scream a war cry, something loud terrifying. Like the dirge combined with a dragon's cry. Flex out the Sable Executioner, and let out a bit more soulfire spew out of your neck than usual. Make your steps heavy and loud as to trample into the mess of things. Then demand surrender.
>>
No. 253913 ID: 903f16

Also if we can get a large number of them to surrender claim Blood Iron from the fallen and attempt to shape it into chains or bindings. If that isn't possible have Senth gather clothing and use it to tie their hands together.
>>
No. 253914 ID: 741399

Well, consume all currently disembodied souls, with Heroic souls as a first priority.

Also, make sure to claim all of Abaeloth's remains: armor, sword shards, shadow hands, everything. If only to (hopefully!) prevent anything like this from happening again (though if it gives a massive power boost to Abaeloth (but not enough to escape our enslavement of him, of course) and enhance our HANDS OF HUNGER, I don't mind too much), if other usages (like: the hands to Arkus for replication, or, failing that, for him to wear; hands to to one of our Premen Heros, whoever needs them most; etc.) cannot be done. Looting, of items and corpse, should also be done to the traitors, if Carkiano does not want them; Guunten seemed to be like a version of Goran, surely at least one of our mage assets (Kyorto (if only for completeness' sake, since she hasn't evidenced anything other than illusions, with possible Life Golem craft), Arkus, the Drazken shamans) can make use of him; Todwick's armor, if fixed, would most likely give Arkus more runes at the very least.

As for the DoD soldiers: first priority is finding a (hopefully living, because of the soul boost and Curatiomancy works on them) World mage with an intact skin for Kyorto (this is most probably not gonna happen, Bang was searching for mages to kill near the beginning of the fight, and Bang explodes his opponents, not neatly kill them and leave the skin intact); if there isn't any, well, all parts of the body of mages must surely have some value to the Drazken shamans. For the rest of the soldiers, I would like to remind everyone of the deal with Eldghodd: bodies, be they living or dead, can be traded for greater available mining area. If they cannot be used for any other greater purpose (and if we want to use them directly for us; we could give them to Carkiano, who might want them for his Hounds or something), they could be given over to Eldghodd.

>>253903
Nah, no Dirge; the Dirge is for when we go to battle, and this isn't a battle: this is just clean-up.
>>
No. 253915 ID: 741399

>>253913
Or we could have Valiria use her sword's special enchantment, summoning chains to bind those struck by her sword, to tie any prisoners we get.
>>
No. 253916 ID: 46c430

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey now, soul-sucking is great, but not ALL souls! The Blue Knight will have our ass if he soul-suck his own fallen soldiers!
>>
No. 253917 ID: db9547

Also: I'm friggin DYING to know what our Omni-Maw can do, IF it does in fact do anything other than look totally bitchin.

See if you can't find a suitable mage or Soldier Target to test it's effect on.
>>
No. 253918 ID: db9547

>>253914
Hey, now, there's still 6000+ troops on the field. Theres still some fight left.

Also, the Dirge is like...our calling card. Also morale buster. Not wading through soldiers while singing the song of our people just seems...wrong, somehow.
>>
No. 253919 ID: 903f16

>>253915
All of them? We could end up with several thousand prisoners, having her hit each and every one doesn't seem practical or even possible. Her sword probably has some limit to the number of chains it can exude and maintain at a time. She can hit the high priority targets with it to ensure a tight binding, but anything more seems a bit much.
>>
No. 253920 ID: d3dfb8

Consume.
Fucking.
Everything.
>>
No. 253921 ID: 445c48

Eat "Abaeloth's" "soul". And Todwick's and Guuten's. See if that Antimagic hammer is big enough for you.

Kill some, eat some enemy souls, make some soul soldiers, attempt to capture most of them.
>>
No. 253922 ID: d3dfb8

>>253916
Right, yeah, don't eat our allies souls.
>>
No. 253923 ID: c4098d

Let's go for their unconditional surrender. While it would be delicious to kill some and imprison some, Carkiano only has one hundred eighty five soldiers left. Even with our combined help, Carkiano's men will take more casualties when we face the  remaining Domintus troops. He has already lost too many men this day, he cannot afford to lose anymore if he is going to help us deal with the rest of the Domintus forces within the state.
 
And if things go south, we can always just curb-stomp the majority of them and leave the useful ones alive. Otherwise we should try to end the battle here and now (hopefully with the Domintus' surrender).

And now for that dynamic entry we have been waiting for:
"Fools of Domintus! Where is your God now? Your golems have been shattered and your officers have been slaughtered! Even your faux, puppet Abaeloth has been crushed by Magnum Bang! Surrender, and your lives shall be spared. Refuse and I, Mage Mordre: Slayer of Core Beings, Defender of Trepany, Consumer of Abaeloth, Nullifier and Devourer of Magic, Overseer of the Kyogrock Arcanoworks, Slaughterer of Golemslayers, and Summoner of Avalanches, shall see to it personally that EVERY single one of your souls are chained to my Soul Furnace for eternity!"
>>
No. 253925 ID: f4e4f9

>>253921
Agreed with the Soul Soldiers, but use them thus: Create an "Honor Guard" of 20 or so for Valiria, Carkiano, and Vonjeen.
>>
No. 253929 ID: 65acf1

Ok Mordre,time to put on your thinking cap (skull?).

So Arkus is leaking world magic right? As is the stone we fed to Moss and Mordre. That would be the line of magic Bang saw connected to Mordre from the world. What do all three have in common? They were used to see through or were possessed by the Caged One. Since Moss is using that power to grow, does that mean either Arkus or Mordre could also use it to become more powerful? Will this connection through which world magic is syphonned allow the Caged one to escape at some point in the future?

It seems the color of soulflame is related to the saturation of order or chaos, blue soulfire and green soulfire respectively. The techniques of Jade Soul monks as well as the soul magics of the yetis produce a chaotic green soulflame, as does Mordre. If Mordre were to find a way to align his soul(s?) with order, would that provide some form of protection from or mitigation of Jade soul technique and regular soul magic?

The only reservation I might have to doing this sort of conversion is that being chaotically aligned might be necessary for the formation of pristine souls.
>>
No. 253931 ID: f4e4f9

Can Mordre distinguish between who he soulsucks?

If he can stop from sucking Allied souls, go for it. I just wasn't aware he could distinguish.
>>
No. 253936 ID: e31d52

>>253923
DAT

FUCKING

TITLE
>>
No. 253937 ID: 35bba5

>>253929
If we are going to be realigning souls we should probably look into talking to some of the other guys we have in here. And try and figure out whether we can talk to all our souls, just heroic ones, heroic and mage ones...if we can talk to any of the soul mages we ate(yetis mostly?) they might be able to tell us some useful information about that sort of thing...but if they are yetis they probably wouldn't be trustworthy. LoD guys use soul magic of sorts, so maybe one of them could help.
>>
No. 253938 ID: 569038

Soulsuck everything. There were several mages amidst those soldiers, we can't let them go.

And there's also the problem with Peggy. We must find her.
>>
No. 253952 ID: f4e4f9

>>253938
They wont dissipate immediately. It takes a long time for souls to totally disappear. We can afford to take the time to sort out Carkiano's men.
>>
No. 253958 ID: e31d52

>>253952
We cannot take the time to let them fiddle-faddle with Aboeleth. Again.
>>
No. 253959 ID: f4e4f9

What does that have to do with what I said? I was referring to the normal souls, and siphoning only the Domintus Soldiers Souls instead of Carkianos.
>>
No. 253961 ID: d65d9c

You know, I was thinking what a neat thing it would be if we kill all of liutenants, knight-catains, that lady leader her god-golem, then the rest of DoD would be left with no leadership.
We could assume the position of their god-golem and somehow make them worship us as a god.
I suspect the power that their soul-golem has comes from the same source as Dragons and Masked Warriors, mainly peoples belief.

Imagine, we would be known as Dragon in LoD giving us tremendous boost in power then we would be know as god by the whole of DoD giving us additional boost. Maybe we could manage to make some kind of belief system in Premen lands, say, having them believe that we are some kind of super-powerful, immortal chieftain that will look over Premen for centuries to come giving us EVEN more belief based power.

As to where to put all of those DoD population, well, I suggest using them to reclaim Cursed Lands which were know at some time as Mosmordre Empire.
Start with building a town with Kyortos tower as a center (meaning that our teleport box would be in the center of this new empire)

How big is the population of DoD anyway? Is it completely made up from soldiers or are there regular towns and such. If they invaded with and army with the size of 100k, the civilian population should be somewhere 500k-1mil
>>
No. 253965 ID: d65d9c

>>253929

I think that Arkus is becoming a sorcerer. You know, like source of magic. I know most of you guys have read Discworld series so you should know the ramifications of being a sorcerer.

In short, it means that Arkus may have the potential of having unlimited mana and becoming the strongest magic user ever.
He would be like a living leyline geyser.

We must take this into our advantage. Making Arkus powerful will be good for us.

Heck, I wanted to suggest making him the director of the new Mortal Coil tower which is being planned in LoD. We could have more chance of convincing Lenryt if he has appropriate power-level.
>>
No. 253989 ID: 9338f5

first eat all the souls, then kill them all.

if we could get them to surrender we could use them for penal labour to help fix everything they ruined or destroyed, but the logistics of such a thing and the possible reaction of the state as well as the effort required to guard them makes taking them prisioner more trouble thsn its worth
>>
No. 253991 ID: 69bee4

Morde Brain infodump pt 1: (numbers are based upon when I thought of idea, don't worry about em, part 2 comes when combat is fully done.)

4) Belief Magic is a form of sustained Will magic.

Observations: Belief about an objects power by a large enough number imbues it with power (such as Masked Warriors, precious metals). We have no reason to see why any person is incapable of magic, but lacks the know-how of how to do it. As Will is the most easily connected form of magic without understanding theory (Word requires book knowledge, World needs some knowledge of Leylines, Blood and Soul are more dangerous and seem to be very unintuitive to most), it holds that Belief is most likely a Will form of magic.

Prediction: The silver of Morde’s mask provides some boost to the AA’s charge, being in an area where more people are ‘wow’ed by his vistage would improve this effect. (something like a defeated army maybe)

13) A heroic soul will best respond to Morde’s call when spoken to in the correct way, doing something the soul likes, and/or using the soul’s power in a way the soul would appreciate. Being formerly on friendly terms/willing accumulaion also helps.

Observation: Ozmand had a much better reaction towards us than Abaeloth. Ozmand and Zagrath have both mentioned being able to ‘see’ the effects of their powers. Abaeloth’s poor reaction to us was done on cordial talking terms, and immediately after fleeing a foe, actions against his philosophy in life.

Prediction: both Thormo and Abaeloth would react much better towards us in soul conversation if we spoke to them in combat. Particularly with someone of Heroic level talents, and where their personal powers make an impact.

14) Abaeloth’s Hands of Hunger is a form of Dream based combat magic.

Observation: Bang will report about Peggy’s abilities, attacks, and how they worked seemingly off Dream principles. Harm/disfigurement must come to the body in order to power a Dream based power, and it was noted that Abaeloth was losing his spirit over time, and seems like he was degrading with use of his power.

Prediction: Absorption of this part of the second defeated Abaeloth should improve our Hands of Hunger, as similar to Thormo (though done into a small tomb instead), Abaeloth’s soul was fragmented.
>>
No. 254002 ID: ddd48d
File 128923279614.png - (437.73KB , 1074x1133 , MEATBANG.png )
254002

Bang's already had his fun, so its FATTY MORDRE TIME NOW. EAT THEMMMMMMMMMMM.

Once they all start running, with no one fighting back anymore, that may be a good time to take prisoners/gather information.
>>
No. 254032 ID: 3affc4

It's time to be seen by all! Embed the magnetic rings into the ground and float above the Domintus army like demon battleship, arms outstretched to the sides. Magnetically lift up all the weapons of the fallen to hover with you and then send the captured weapons raining down onto the enemy army in precise, brutal strikes along with soulfire blasts to drive back the Domintus frontline and punish any who try to fight back. State the terms of their surrender while activating the Hands of Hunger to show them who's the new boss as you prepare to counter the last, futile attempts by artillery and mages to strike back.

Be careful when consuming the fake Abaeloth's soul. Perhaps it's some sort of soul grave trap?

Also I don't think anyone has pointed this out - Todwick wore GOLEM armor and Mordre can to some extent assimilate GOLEM parts and runes like the Immortal Genocide. The question here is CAN MORDRE GET A ROCKET JETPACK?!
>>
No. 254036 ID: 6d3aaa

>>254032
>Jetpack
FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YEAH!!!
>>
No. 254047 ID: 66667c

Also, The anti-magic wave thing shows how the IG works.

Pretty crafty if I do say so myself.


I say that but I am still stuck between two theories,
was the wave created because of the 'divide by zero' factor or is ant- magic always like that but it has been bound to work in a certain area?

All in all, I favour the first theory because if it was just binding, I would expect that at least people like Eisenhardt would know about it... unless, of course, humans were not the ones to derive anti magic and it was instead 'gifted'.
>>
No. 254049 ID: 669ef7

PS Grab the Anti-Magic Hammer
>>
No. 254053 ID: d65d9c

Hey guys,

I propose we should make a bee-line to the army that Eisenhardt is supposed to be engaging right after we deal with all this. We should go there at our top maximum possible speed and take only those who can keep up with us.
This has several reasons:

If Eis still battling and has trouble, we can help him out

If he has already murdederated everyone, we can reap the spoils.

This would be an excellent opportunity to initiate 3rd round on neutral grounds. Eisy won't have terrain advantage this time and would be more or less at the same power as when we first fought him.
>>
No. 254069 ID: f4e4f9

>>254053
Theres still a force of 24000 or so Domintus in this area. We aren't quite done.
>>
No. 254074 ID: d65d9c

>>254069
something tells me that ss long as there are no more lieutenants, knight-captains or any other heroic level enemies Bang alone would be enough to deal with them.
Without a strong leader these soldiers should not be hard to deal with.

Though, we still must find peggy.
Lets use all of our available powers to search for her. Also ask Bang to keep looking for her.
>>
No. 254102 ID: 5f0943

>>254069
Well, a bunch of those have probably already been killed by Aurockoth, so it's probably a lot less than 24000.

Anyway, Nom souls, kill DoD's and take that hammer!
>>
No. 254178 ID: 35bba5

>>253961
Trying to make people worship us as a god is a potentially really bad idea. Most people don't really look on that sort of thing kindly. If we want to exploit belief magic, there are any number of ways to do it without the risks of that sort of thing. Plus, if the DoD start worshipping us as their god, we may BECOME that god, given enough worshippers. As in, we wouldn't be us anymore.
>>
No. 254321 ID: a76809

>>253931
[Not anymore.]

>>253929
[Nope, and you got a hint of something but didn't hit the mark.]

>>253903
>>253912
My first priority is Abaeloth, and the rest of the Heroic Souls. I mean to see my decayed fragment of Abaeloth complemented by this corpse warrior Bang fought, recognizing the shapings of the soul coalescing over the body. I look from Heroic Soul to Heroic Soul, so many I wish to feast on. I dash forward ahead of my companions, diving straight into the Domintus flank , like a fussy customer choosing between house specials. As I wonder at which I'd move to consume first, my omnidirectional body maw belches a particularly dense patch of Soulfire, it's nimbus of energy empowering my hunger as I enhale. Every soul within a hundred feet of me is pulled in as feast, two Heroic Souls claimed in the area effect devouring. I feel my shoulder, the cannon empowered by Balboa the Butcher and Ozmand the Hammer humming in conjunction with Todwick Revelrik The Rocket Hammer's soul. I let the soul likewise fuse into the shoulder's cannon, and feel a subtle shift of design. I feel Ozmand's presence swell, the promised area of wreckage expanded, multiplied. I also feel a reshaping, a runing of the back of my cannon shells, a hollowed pit with thrust capacity, independent of firing. A self propelling artillery round, what a thing. I become increasingly glad for the existing rifling and revolving bladed tip, a drill in all but name. Abaeloth The All Consuming's soul is likewise tugged upon the moment its consumed, resonating with... itself. I think nothing of merging the two, and force them together more swiftly than their innate pull might have accomplished. I feel consciousness collide, clash... and one emerge. The soul I feel now, however, shines brilliantly, a rival to Goran's soul in sheer magnitude. ....Who was this Abaeloth, to command such power?

My single enormous gulp taken, I am gladdened as I note none of Carkiano's men had been within the area, Todwick's soul only just barely reached. I consider Guuten's soul, still surrounded in a pervasive sense of hunger, and the Blue Knight reinforcements I brought having split up to provide cover, the partly ethereal (-and possibly Dream?) Beast manifestations about the Hound bodies tear mighty paths through the enemy ranks, Vonjeen a walking funereal pyre, everything ash before his might as he marches with determination towards his father's side. Valiria (Thankfully kept by asks to remain on her magnetic perch, and sets to lashing out quick whipping wrist snaps, her pommel's chains lengthening with every loop of motion, and in seconds scores of feet of chain dangle freely. I keep some attention on her and maneuver her with erratic, unpredictable patterns that still bring her long swoops towards officers, targets she inevitably loops links about, does something with her sword, and the chains snap off, perfectly and seamlessly secured about the target so as to make escape impossible short of destroying the chains. I continue to plot further high-officer yield paths for her as I plot my next instant's move, within the hole of death I cut in the Domintus forces, halfway having carved a path to Carkiano's forces. ....It is at this point that I note only a few soldiers are left, the severely wounded have been claimed along with the dead in my feast.

Abaeloth's cloak, now just runed cloth, and remaining crystal sword are swiftly claimed mid-feeding frenzy. ...No, I think for maintaining my persona, and understanding mortal though, I must carefully consider the implications of what this means for my feeding now. It is almost an arbitrary afterthought that I pay attention to the total souls I gain-but I find my attention very much so warranted.
[+753 SOULS. TOTAL SOUL COUNT: 3,751]

That many? ...True, it was a hundred foot radius from inside an enemy formation.... and it consumed the wounded... yes, the number sounds more believable when considered.

>>253923
In my field of death, only the few hale and hearty soldiers are still standing, but their ranks are so ravaged I see outright terror and rabid fear in so many of their eyes. It is onto this perfectly rapt audience that I make my introduction.

"Your golems have been shattered and your officers have been slaughtered! Even your faux, puppet Abaeloth has been crushed by Magnum Bang! Surrender, and your lives shall be spared, where possible. Refuse and I, The Mage Mordre: Defender of The Azelhaedran State, Consumer of Abaeloth, Nullifier-Devourer of Magic, Overseer of the Kyogrock Arcanoworks, Conqueror of Golemslayers, And Summoner of Avalanches, shall enforce THE LAW. Treacherous dogs of Domintus, for your unwarranted acts of aggression against the State, Be aware the due punishment for your crimes are execution, YOUR SOULS FORFEIT."

For a moment not one of them acts after the oddly longwinded speech I gave after mass murder, and Valiria has even easier pickings trussing up officers as the Blue hounds and Vonjeen finish catching up to my location, and the thinned patch of foes.Thinking of the most efficient way to solve this issue, I dart forward with Kinetimancy and Geomancy, carefully positioning myself to claim Guuten's soul and the rest of the dead or wounded between the Blue Knight and his own land. I work for a brief moment replicating the sensations, and once more create a rebounding weight in the air around me, lives on the brink ending and claimed along with the dead.

[+610 SOULS. TOTAL SOUL COUNT: 4,361]

Guuten the Hungry's soul is, like the other two claimed, inclined towards existing souls: Guuten is pulled towards Goran. Having seen excellent polish come from following this path before, I encourage the soul towards its destination-

To have Goran's soul eat the new one, and grow vaster in engorged contentment, a sullen malice palpable about its presence. ...Interesting. In either event, Goran's soul is once more the undisputed strongest in my collection... but Abaeloth is still surprisingly close. I almost absentmindedly note the Domintus soldiers are dropping their weapons and surrendering without hesitation now, many falling to sob on the ground as they cower, surrounded by dead they called comrades seconds ago. ...I should take note of how psychologically traumatizing mass-claiming the considerably wounded or near to death could be, applied properly in warfare. I wait as the unharmed and the walking wounded are slowly led away, Vonjeen insisting on marching them to whichever base he references by 'home', while Carkiano only lets him leave after the Blue Soulfire ceases to emit from the suit. As Vonjeen, Valiria, the twenty hounds and some hundred seventy five of Carkiano's soldiers lead away some three thousand captives. Bang and Senth each appraising flanks of the captured foes seem to deter any thoughts of escape. In my considerations of the effective containment on the prisoners, at least three hundred of which I can see appear to be Arcane mages, Carkiano in his much larger Golem Armor stands at my side.

"....An interesting day, to face an ambush, a trio of betrayals, and salvation. ...I must now shame-facedly admit I had some reservations about you before, and I must apologize. The service you and your affiliates, Bang and Senth provided, even transporting my family.... You are a friend to the Blue Knight, for saving me, my family, my army, and even the southlands themselves. ...Now, on to the business at hand. The invading force's head is gone, no commanding officers to be found I would imagine, too many involved in this attempt on my life. I can recognize far too many officer insignia for this to not be the case for a branch army.. They will be disorganized, uncertain, unready. ....But I have so many more supplies I could bring to bear on them, soldiers armed more ably if you can convey them... with a day or two, I could be ready to turn the lot of them into a butchered slop splayed across the land. What is your advice, should we attack now with what resources we have, or should we prepare for a day or so to make the punch we can deliver as powerful as possible?"

>>254002
>>254032
>>254036
[FANART BONUS]
"Carkiano, do you still need that Golem Armor you cleaved in twain?"
"Todwick's? No, I don't have the facilities for extensive repair to the large Golem armors, do with it as you will."
"Then I thank you, but first I must attend to the battlefield, Lest truly distempered souls make the land potentially lethal."
"Oh? I have not heard of this, of what do you speak?"
[LORE CHECK: DATA ACQUIRED]
[HAM CHECK: 60 PASS]
"Why, I speak of Core Being Hosts. You are of course familiar with Core Beings?
"I am quite familiar with them yes."
"Well, it has been established possible to aid a Core Being, In manifesting that is, by giving it a host: So far as I have seen, The Soul is the important piece of this puzzle. So, if we leave disabused souls looking to sustain their existence as comrades crumble, A Core Being could possible find a vantage point for entry."
"...How long have you known this?"
[HAM CHECK: 85 PASS]
"Hm? Oh, the correlation? Well I'd never had a chance to study a host, Or indeed even hear of one, until a few months ago. As for actually connecting it, That didn't happen until... oh, a few weeks ago, actually. Why?"
"...The least remarkable part of what you just said is that I am apparently speaking to a Mortal Coil Professor before he submits his thesis. ....You.... you have no idea, how valueble that knowledge is. It explains why Core Beings manifest more often away from cities, excepting those recently hit by war."
"...My word. ..Well, I DO need to tend to those soul]"
"Please, Professor Mordre, at your own leisure."


And so I area feast my way about the battlefield, the mortally wounded, the gutted, the de-limbed, the broken, I claim them all with the dead, not even bothering with their Blood Iron I make my way to Todwick's Golem Armor, and drag the pieces and hammer back to Carkiano's side, where he has been waiting for me. I go to him, thoroughly engorged.

[+1,937 SOULS. TOTAL SOUL COUNT: 6,298]

"So.... have you given it any thought? You and I, our two siege golems walking Death, attacking the enemy encampment in its moment of weakness, or waiting a few days to marshal forces?"








What should I say or do?
What should I be focusing on as short-term goals?
>>
No. 254325 ID: e31d52

"Truth be told, a Soul Grave's greatest strength is that of terror. The two of us alone would be able to do a great deal, but I think... yes. BANG! Do come over here, I have a proposition!"

pause, for bang.

"My boy, since you have demonstrated such ability in prepping the field, I think... Yes. You shall be my Vangaurd, at least for this next, coming battle. Carkiano, Bang will move ahead of us, weaken their defenses, take out powerful foes or distract them, whilst we move in from flanking ends, meeting at the centre of their camp. Does this appeal to you, my good man?"
>>
No. 254326 ID: 445c48

>Professor Mordre

We need a tweed cap and a pipe.
>>
No. 254327 ID: d3dfb8

Bah, why waste potentially valuable resources on a war already mostly won when we can do so without any permanent losses?
Damage to our golems can be repaired, the lives of our troops cannot.
[Make sure others hear that last bit, great for the whole 'hero of the people' shtick we got going]
>>
No. 254328 ID: d3dfb8

Also, I don't know about you guys but I don't think associating with the Mortal Coil is a good idea. For one, Lenryt probably wouldn't like it, and for two the Mortal Coil isn't particularity well known for aiding the people, but catering to the rich.
>>
No. 254330 ID: 9338f5

>>254321
while rushing over and slaughtering them all is a tempting idea, i would rather like to see how our milita would fare in a real battle.
>>
No. 254331 ID: 445c48

Say something about keeping up the momentum, that barreling through the enemy camp at 120 miles per hour, hit and run stuff, etc etc could probably finish this before sundown.
>>
No. 254332 ID: 69bee4

>>253991
(Bob asked me to reference, Hands of HUNGER)

Morde Brain infodump part 2

1) All dream selves are connected most easily to other alternate versions of themselves.

Points: This explains how Soul is involved (because all Magic is Soul), Figment gave his Ego to himself, Ulzrick has formed a Hivemind, No known exceptions to rule.

Prediction: Jojo will discover if his condition worsens, that he is connected to his Dream self. Ulzrick is connected to himself in schitzophrenia.

3) Dream magic works off the principle of Equivalent Exchange.

Points: Figment lost his own ‘Ego’ and alternate Figment now has control. Why else must one give up a part of themselves? It in part explains the degradation effect, a different reality you recieves the benefit of what you give up, and in exchange fuels your Dream powers. In case of Jojo, by giving up his self concept of physical wellbeing, he gains his powers, in exchange that part of his soul is given to the alternative reality.

Prediction: Dream is a form of Soul magic, the Premen mage in the healing tent can be awesome at dream because her exchange so far is her entire body.

5)Part of Morde’s soul (or group of 12 that make up his soul) is the Scientomancer who allowed the Curse to occur when opening the leylines.

Observation: The Deep Spawn considered Morde one of their own. Oz found Morde’s soul to be unusual, explaining it as seemingly artificial or a mimicry of a real soul. This implies Morde’s soul was not formed in what is considered a natural way. As the Curse was leyline disruption and thus System disruption. This explains also why Morde has a soul connection to the World, as Deep Spawn are connected to System. If bindings are broken on a Scientomancer, the Order element is removed, and instead you have only Chaos (Morde is extremely Chaos). Master of Sorrow’s conversions to Morde reflect some of the chaotic forms that Deep Spawn are apt to take. Morde noted that since Scientomancers cannot lie, and Elghoddo could not confirm who did the curse (despite having Scientomancer level commands involved), this means the Scientomancer can either lie or escape detection. If the Scientomancer became one with a soul grave during the curse, it escape detection (Scientomancer cannot be forced to tell truth if its not there to be found). This occurs because Scientomancers die if they lose connection to the system, Soul of scientomancer went into Morde during curse like Master of Sorrows.

Prediction: Master of Sorrow used this scientomancer’s essence as a soul mage to make many of the modifications to Morde’s body when he had control.

6) Said Scientomancer unlocked the system’s power like that due to collusion between the Master of Sorrows and Caged One.

Observation: Master of Sorrows is a legendary level Soul mage, and likely as such gained knowledge of the connection to the system and Caged One. Order of events that leads to curse goes like this: MoS makes deal with Caged One during the war in order to win the war as the tide turns against Mosmorden. A scientomancer is bound in its soul to use any tool available to preserve the order of the system, and acts in order to prevent this from happening. Unleashes the massive power from the System (Which Elgohodd told us happened and was only of Scientomancer level control) in order to attempt to pull back in the Caged One. Someone knew this was going to happen, and instead used this opportunity to invoke the Curse.

8) Morde was not completely sublimated by MoS due to his connection to Chaos.

Observations: Morde’s one area of control was the Soul Nexus of his hand. A soul Nexus requires runes of Chaos, combied with its much longer sense of ownership to Morde, and its connection to his much more innate Will magic , it became the closest thing to his sanctuary in his body.

Prediction: If Morde were to lose control to Master of Sorrow again, this Soul Nexus would likely still be his sanctuary.


10) Scientomancers are the white blood/immune system equivalent of the human body, ‘cleaning’ the System.

Observations: Elgohodd had far more bindings than the other Deep Spawn, despite only being a bit older, thus forcing him more into ‘Order’. The System is a form of Blood (Leylines), and Scientomancers are charged with its preservation, if Leylines are a blood corollary, then Scientomancers are the ‘protection’ of that body. Provide order to Chaotic Caged One.

Prediction: This is why Dream Mage’s are so harshly effected by Deep Spawn, proper Order destroys the Dream mage connection to its alternate reality. See also Dream/World/Soul connection.


11) Paradox Knights are an order of those who can become Scientomancers. Probably as a vetting process

Elgohodd mentioned that Dulu could become a brother eventually. Explains why ‘Abominations’ are so common to the organization (as they need to be timeless, but yet have a soul). Why Reinhardt is at the Arcanoworks, and sticks around despite somewhat ignoble treatment.

Prediction: Morde is being watched as a candidate for becoming a potencial Scientomancer of the future.

12) Dream Magic’s most direct corollary is World/Soul magic combination.

Observations: Dream Mages are effected by Deep Spawn and their pain, Deep Spawn are connected to The System, and thus mostly to World Magic. Being connected only to self makes no sense, as there seems to be some net gain of power, and multiple Ulzrick effect. Soul Dreamers: masters of delving into the dream of Zakrath by Elgohodd.

Prediction: A Scientomancer will have much more effect on a Dream Mage than just a Deep Spawn.

15) Morde’s soul is defined female overall, Pristine Soul’s are a corollary to childbirth.

Observations: Pristine Soul’s make a new soul separate from the soul count total. Childbirth in this world must be a function of chaos, as not only is a child a ‘new’ thing, it also creates an entirely new soul. Females are only ones who do childbirth, Kyrchesia is treated explicitly as a female, which confirms the possibility of a female non living golem and female vs male souls. Morde is a being a chaos, previous prediction on nature of pristine established connection to these Pristines being created by the chaos formed from breaking the order of the future by predicting it. Definitions of pristine:
1. having its original purity; uncorrupted or unsullied.
2.of or pertaining to the earliest period or state; primitive.

Supports the newborn soul hypothesis, as a ‘just born’ soul must have its original purity, and also pertains to earliest state (being just born).

Pristine Souls function as they do both in a function to protect their ‘mother’, and as a reflection of the malleability and chaos inherent to a newborn.

16) Anathema are always ‘female’ constructs (see pristine corollary).

There seems to be little all that scary to the concept of anathema, except as a social device, its deviance, etc. So why would it be so roundly hated and such massive resources sent to destroy? One target, no matter the strength level should be so scary (Especially as Morde shows, hes one of the strongest War Golems ever made, and yet has opponents who could win against him). However, if anathema have a method of reproduction, the potencial to manifest new souls and lives in the same way as the living, that is where the fear of anathema likely grows by those who actually understand the why of their hatred. A true history of the time of an anathema will likely reflect this, or have hints towards this. Kyrchesia might be able to confirm.
>>
No. 254340 ID: 903f16

>>254321

Strike now with Carkiano. We need to press our assault and hit them while they're vulnerable. Something like this also makes for great press, any who hear the tale will be stricken by the evocative image of two golem piloting heroes striking at their land's enemies. Spreading our fame and reputation is always a priority when we're out here because it makes our slide into the political scene of The State even easier when we finally get into it. It also gives us time to tighten up our alliance with Carkiano and maybe time to talk and drill his brain for information on himself and all his gadgets.

Later on we need to have a chat with Goran and Abaeloth's souls. Goran needs to explain what he just did and in general we should see how some of our more hostile enemies are now that they're a part of us. Abaeloth is probably more energetic now that he's a bit more whole and could reveal a bit more information to us.

>>254325
I'm opposed to this just because it likely means we're going to perspective shift to Bang AGAIN. If we can do this without the shift I'm fine, but otherwise just no.
>>
No. 254348 ID: 2a062f

Mostly won war my backfoot

this is just beginning. I think these guys were the most violent simply because of Abeloth.

He doesn't really stop, so they just had to pillage and run, no time to stop and 'convince them' to join.

If I remember correctly, the untaken force is their strongest, what with the Pure Lady and The caged one super golem there.

If I am mistaken, please carry on.
>>
No. 254351 ID: c25e0d

>>254332
> 15 and 16
That we, or other Anathemas, might have developed the trick of infusing souls into bodies is a very interesting possibility.
I'm not convinced that it works that way for mortals, with mothers passing on a portion of their soul to their children. I'd guess it has more to do with the child discovering the world, and having its first - literal! - Moment of Inspiration.
I'm still working through the archives so I can't provide any proof, besides a brief aside on the wiki page under Caged One: >instead of most, it developed a life after having a soul (most develop a soul after having a life)
>>
No. 254352 ID: 56dc25

>>254321
Random thought: Somewhere in those souls that we picked up should have been mages with the knowledge of how to raise/maintain those clay siege golems. I'd like to know how the mechanics of those work. Or did their souls somehow rapidly dissipate or get pulled away?

Actually, as Bang was priority-targeting mages for a bit and I suspect Senth was working against them as well, we probably picked up a fair few mage souls. Can we have them explicitly mentioned if this is so?

On a related topic: If I understand correctly, our raw magical strength, particularly in Will, scales linearly with the number of souls we have available to provide Will. Is this correct? Are we now something like three times as strong as prior to this engagement?
>>
No. 254353 ID: d3dfb8

Also, now would be an excellent time to talk to Goran. Ask him if he enjoyed eating guuten's soul
>>
No. 254354 ID: 69bee4

We need to do one thing now, unless we are going combat immediately

Take a mage
Crystalize a mage (so they survive the teleportation)
Call over our teleport Spawn
Disappear off to Kyorto's tower
Celebrate, invite her to join in on our war efforts if shes up to it.

Interrogation is probably valid also for prisoners (and a good pretense for a break), and discussion of how to deal with prisoners (we are getting some mages and harvesting their souls when we are outside of view, our word of being allowed to live be damned).

In relation to our soon to be improved mage-ventory. a Pristine possiblity.

Kyorto is a Phonomancer. This explains her illusion magic, and how it could be so convincing to even mages who might have had some counter (Premen). This will be fully revealed upon her freedom as a prediction.
>>
No. 254360 ID: 35bba5

>>254354
Actually, rather than just eating them, we should probably sell them to the Deep Spawn if we are going to just kill them. Unless they use some obscure kind of magic or something. Or are runecrafters. Runecraft is something we could get a lot of use out of.
>>
No. 254384 ID: d65d9c

>>254354

Seems like we captured several hundred of mages.

I know that we need only one skin/mage but lets send 5 instead of 1. I think this will potentially give her more power if not, we will have not lost much.

Also, there should have been a bunch of mages slaughtered during the battle but after eating up souls there was no mention of them. They should have improved our magic capabilities. Iirc, the last time we fought DoD, we claimed 16 earth mages so if we only ate about half a dozen of mages after this battle, they still should give us significant power boost.


Concerning the prisoners. Does no one like my idea to use them to reclaim Cursed Lands?
As in, build a settlement around our teleport box and Kyortos tower, put the prisoners we got in it and let them live and expand there. Later we will get more prisoners and slowly build a new country there.
Of course it will be harsh, they will have to clear the place of abominations, make lands fertile again using all possible means, build the town, etc.
By the time we deal with DoD, we might potentially have a prisoner population of 50k+, they could have chance to redeem themselves and become citizens of these new reclaimed lands (otherwise we'll suck their souls).

Also, killing these people after they surrendered is not cool. Selling them to the Deep Spawn is probably even worse.


Also, is no one concerned about Peggy?
She must be either planning a new attack or, much likely scenario, is fleeing to the rest of the army to report on what happened here.
We can't afford to dawdle. Let's take offensive action now!
If there aren't more knight-captains and hero level enemies this is going to be piece of cake (though I doubt this will happen)
>>
No. 254459 ID: 5f0943

>>254384
> Concerning the prisoners. Does no one like my idea to use them to reclaim Cursed Lands?

There's so many holes in this plan that if one poured water on it, it would run like a waterfall.

For one, keeping a few thousand people in one place, especially when we don't really have much manpower, is hard.

Also, what would they eat? The cursed land is devoid of food sources save for fish in rivers, and those aren't enough to sustain that many people.

Also, then there's the whole THE CURSED LANDS IS THE WORST PLACE EVER deal.
No one in their right minds stay in the cursed lands for extended periods of time.
Hell, most don't even want to travel through it.

No, what would happen would be that the moment Mordre is out of sight, these people are going to make a break for it, damned be the consequences.
>>
No. 254461 ID: c4098d

(What was the name of the city that Mordre woke up in? Trodar? Was it just a city with the Duke's palace in it or was it the capital of Mosmordre?)

"I don't believe I gave you my full name when I first introduced myself, please pardon my former rudeness," *extend siege-fist to shake hands* "my name is Mordecai Trodar Noth, but my friends call me Mordre. (Mordrenoth)"

>Professor Mordre
"HAHA Carkiano please, no one has called me 'Professor Mordre' since I started remote controlling a Soul Grave! Just plain Mordre will do fine. As to what course of action we should take? Let's attack immediately, while they are vulnerable and unprepared. Our only concern will be dealing with any other mages they have and possibly Peggy.

(So close to 100 Ham I can almost taste it).

Let's only take one of the world mages, otherwise it might seem suspicious. "Carkiano, I require one of the prisoner world  mages to 'interrogate', this is not something I enjoy but I must see what Domintus is planning."

Once we have a world mage, end their life quickly and painlessly, claim their soul, and send the body to Arkus so that he can prepare it for transportation to Kyorto (Don't send it to her until we get back). Also inform Ellayia that the offer for finding a suitable world mage has expired.

Place Todwick's Anti-Magic Hammer in Edge of Oblivion's holster if it can fit. Have Burduko take the crystal sword to Lorgk and the damaged golem armor to Arkus, we can incorporate its enchantments and runes later.

Is Abealoth's cloak big enough for Mordre to use? If so, then equip it and reach out to Abealoth's soul, "I may have found a way to grant what you desire. With the help of your cloak, I believe I can give you the freedom your seek. I can also burn a pristine to expedite this, however, I require that you give your willing cooperation to make this process workout as smoothly as possible."

>>254384
I'm all for reclaiming the Cursed Lands as you suggested, but I don't want to use POWs to reclaim it. Let's find a clan of Premens that require an adequate place to live and send them their instead, that way we are sending loyal subjects instead of terrified soldiers.
>>
No. 254465 ID: 76fa14

You should definitely strike as soon as possible. Mordre's soul grave body is inexhaustible and every moment it isn't tearing into the Domintus armies is a moment wasted. Perhaps Vonjeen or Valiria can muster the additional forces and follow up to either clean up behind Mordre and Carkiano or head north to support the rest of the State forces?

Also Mordre was put in charge of maintaining internal State security. Have we any way of keeping track of that?

Before you go speak to some Domintus representatives to see if you can get a clue on how they'll behave now that they've surrendered. Could they be convinced to join your cause or settle down somewhere in the state or the Cursed Lands? Have they got any interest in continuing the Domintus war effort or do they just want to go home?

Senth did pretty well and he was perfectly suited for the delaying tactics you needed to reach Carkiano. Agree a set payment for his assistance over the next month or so and offer him a permanent residence at the Arcanoworks. He'll probably be happier once he knows he's got some income and a place to spend it. Gives him more incentive to win the war as well.
>>
No. 254474 ID: d3dfb8

We should ask Carkiano if we can have Todwick's hammer before we just up and take it, after all Todwick did have the armor made by the blue knight, and it would technically be his property.
>>
No. 254478 ID: 9338f5

>>254474
the hammer may have been dammaged in its clash with the crystal sword
>>
No. 254481 ID: 10f195

>Masked ones
>People believe in the Masked warriors
>Harness belief
>Get stronger

>Mortal Coil
>People believe in the strength of the Mortal Coil
>We become associated with Mortal Coil (correctly or not)
>Find way to harness belief
>STRONGER MORDRE!!!

I would suggest using a cloak to harness in place of masks, since I think they tend to wear cloaks anyway, would be easier to associate us with the Mortal coil, thus making it easier for us to harness the belief.
In essence, if Mordre gets something that Mortal could mages are normally associated with by the populace (besides power) we could harness the belief easier.


(MoIMoIMoIMoI)
(c'mon, daddy needs a new pair of shoes)
>>
No. 254501 ID: d65d9c

>>254461
I really don't think it is a good idea to give too much freedom to our souls, especially using PS on them.

>>254459
Oh well, I though it would be great idea. It would be like a harsh penal colony or something, it is expected that many of them will die.
And the thing about the food, well they'd better start with making land fertile again. Since there are tons of arcane mages in the midst (probably geomancy inclined) maybe they would have means to do it?

>>254465
I think that our mistake was not determining the pay before hiring Senth.
One of the mistakes that the employer can do is not set up a proper contract before the job. Meaning that either we will have pay more than we want to (if we want to keep good relations with the employee) or underpay (making employee angry with us).

We should determine how we are going to pay in future. Per job wages or per month (week).
I suggest we go with the per month based variant.
We will have to discuss this with Dregas to come up with appropriate wage.

>>254478
Even if it is, we have repair based spawns. Sure, it might take a while but it is better than letting this hammer go to waste.
>>
No. 254510 ID: 5f0943

>>254501
> Oh well, I though it would be great idea. It would be like a harsh penal colony or something, it is expected that many of them will die.
>And the thing about the food, well they'd better start with making land fertile again. Since there are tons of arcane mages in the midst (probably geomancy inclined) maybe they would have means to do it?

I get your point, but the cursed land might be a little more complex than simply *making the land fertile again*.
Until we can conduct tests to ensure that such measures are at all possible, THEN, it would be fitting to start thinking about restoring the land.
>>
No. 254523 ID: d65d9c

>>254510
Oh well... I guess we'll have to make a research group in future or do it ourself when we have more magic.

What do we do with prisoners now? Having them surrender and then slaughtering them is not a good idea.
Selling them to an Administrator isn't better as we'll have to explain to the State what we did with thousands of prisoners. Telling them we sold them as raw materials to some mysterious underground abominations will do our reputation much, much harm.

Lets not take prisoners the next battle and just cut down everyone who hasn't fled yet. Much more simpler.
>>
No. 254526 ID: 9338f5

>>254523
we could always drop them off at that state mages place, the one who stuck us with the defend the state job.
>>
No. 254529 ID: e31d52

>>254526
"Here, have a bunch of assholes to question. I'm off to DEFEND THE ENTIRE MOTHERFUCKING STATE, thanks."
>>
No. 254533 ID: 56dc25

>"I don't believe I gave you my full name when I first introduced myself, please pardon my former rudeness," *extend siege-fist to shake hands* "my name is Mordecai Trodar Noth, but my friends call me Mordre. (Mordrenoth)"
Do not give ourselves a longer name. Particularly one that blatantly references our actual origin. People use last names to keep track of each other, you know.

>HAHA Carkiano please, no one has called me 'Professor Mordre' since I started remote controlling a Soul Grave! Just plain Mordre will do fine.
I would word this differently; "no one has called me 'Professor' in decades", perhaps. We don't want to cut ourselves off from the story that we're using "Mordre" as a mere pseudonym, even in casually dropped hints.

>"Carkiano, I require one of the prisoner world mages to 'interrogate', this is not something I enjoy but I must see what Domintus is planning."
I suspect that we could approach from a different angle and come up with better results while seeming less ominous. Just say that we're interested in the Domintus forces' use of those summonable siege golems and would like to take a couple dozen of the more capable captured mages to learn more about what techniques they're using. There are hundreds of mages here and we are a mage ourselves, so expressing an interest in analyzing/reverse-engineering enemy magical techniques is perfectly natural; I seriously doubt that Carkiano would think anything even remotely suspicious about it. And we can actually interrogate the excess captives... or have them start teaching combat magic to our forces proper.
>>
No. 254535 ID: f4e4f9

>>254533
Better yet, Just DON'T imply that we're affiliated with the Mortal Coil.

Because, You know, ANYONE WHO CHECKS THAT OUT would find our we're full of shit.

Self-taught private magic researcher is better, and actually WORKS as a cover.
>>
No. 254537 ID: 56dc25

>>254535
...wait, the Mortal Coil has a monopoly on the title "Professor"? I thought it was more generic than that, and we could pass ourselves off as having taught people way back without necessarily being an affiliate.

If that's not so, adjust as necessary to avoid pissing off large mage organizations.
>>
No. 254541 ID: f4e4f9

>>254537
Carkiano specified Mortal Coil Professor, but even being a freelance Professor would have glaring weaknesses in it's story. Where were we based, who'd we teach, if we've taught (without Mortal Coil Resources), why'd no one hear of us before, etc, who gave us the title of Professor, etc.

As it is, we've been claiming we're an unaffiliated mage who developed remote golem control (and now has deduced the cause and a method to prevent certain types of Core Being Outbreaks). We're going to become well known among magic circles for that, and thats going to lead to scrutiny. The more titles we have that we can't back up, the easier it is to find something very wrong with our story.

"Aha, well, I must thank you for the complements, but please, don't call me professor. It makes me sound stuffy, and you know how the Coil is about membership. But yes, my research into golem control, particularly regarding my SOul grave, has lead to many curious links such as that."
>>
No. 254544 ID: 8c798b

>>254541
This makes sense to me.
>>
No. 254548 ID: c4098d

>>254501
We don't have to burn a pristine soul to try and grant Abaeloth his freedom, I'm just trying to suggest the way that is the most likely to succeed.

Also, it's not like our souls will eventually overthrow us if we give them freedom (Right Bob?). It is well worth the risk, considering that Abaeloth offer intel on the DoD inexchange for his freedom.
>>
No. 254568 ID: 741399

For what to do, perhaps say that we might want to wait a few days, since we currently have an Air Cavalry in the works, that hopefully will be ready in a few days, and we want to collect Moss for the coming battles.
>>
No. 254652 ID: a76809

>>254354
[First of, no live mages around you, only ones left are in prisoner train, so you'd have to go after them, claim one, explain why you are crystalizing one, then help a MOSMORDREN soul forge a skin golem body to wear, without attracting suspicion? You think people won't connect disappearing with a body and the new companion? Nigga, what are you smoking?]

>>254325
"Truth be told, a Soul Grave's greatest strength is that of terror. The two of us alone would be able to do a great deal, I would think."
>>254327
"Besides, damage to golems can be repaired, a lost life..."
"Say no more Mordre, you have swayed me. ...Well, unless you feel like looting the battlefield further, I'd suggest we be off: I have the primary enemy formation's location as of this morning, the longer we wait, the less likely our plan will be successful."
"Do you mind if I keep this hammer?"
"What, Todwick's? He's a dead traitor and you saved my life, of course you can have it. ...Isn't that a little overly large for you though? It was a two handed war maul for a golem ten feet taller than you."
"I do have command of Magnetomancy-which reminds me."

I recall the disk Valiria once sat on, still moving erratically over the battlefield. ...It would seem split attention must be more closely watched, else I run the risk of sheer automatic function. The saw I perceived but did not actively cogitate slips back onto my left hip rack, as I retain the five runed saw-rings in the actual launcher, a single normal disk accompanying them. I then let go of Todwick's body, ultimately it's sheer scale demanding too much time, while at the same time making its theft in the interim highly improbable. With a long-handled war-maul five feet taller than me with a head the size of my torso clutched in my left hand, I apply Magnetomancy as the last of dead Todwick's Ownership is shunted aside, the massive and runed rocket-hammer completely supported, creating resonance fields between my own body to tug and push the hammer with my hand guiding it. Carkiano say nothing, simply chuckling into whatever system amplifies his voice, the metallic hollowness of his chuckles not that unlike my own. A Knight with his sword, Me with my new toy, runes already memorized and compared against known lists. I note their presence within the comprehensive works of Wendelin I glanced through, even recall the text of the page with said sigils-Pyromancy with several Enhancement matrices fused with kinetimancy, a given vector conjoining with and magnifying the flames. I see the runes of hardening, preserving about the rims of the metal craters that give burth to such directed fire. WIth my amplified sensory capacity, I note the pits to be almost raw Chaos in orientation. On the FRONT of the hammer, on single, massive rune is heavily engraved and inked into the hammer's head, Order is made manifest in a annulling rune, which if I read the commentary about correctly is thought difficult, master-level runing, considering the paradoxes involved in its creation. Then all about the hammer's head and haft alike, are hardening runes inscribed over and over in spiraled paths.

Order on the Front, Chaos on the back, Magic proliferating and dying on opposed ends, the whole piece Rune Steel and quite prolific in its namesake. Now mine. ...The trigger for the rocket related runes reveals itself to be Magic input based, and by directly pouring an instant of starter magic into the runes the rockets persist for long seconds, pushing that nullifying head through any obstacle magical in nature. Power and ruin... what to name it.

>>254332
[Some can't be used because Mordre does not inherently know some of the things you reference. Also the prediction needs to be about a FUTURE event, not something in the past or current for this to work, cutting some slack this time but that is how PS work.]
My Magnetomancy unable to be extended to Carkiano due to passive runes on his part, we are forced to his comparatively slow land speed of thirty miles an hour, so I am given time to consider much. I consider what I saw of Abaeloth's cloak, this time and the time before, both distant to me when witness, but combined with personal example (now tucked beside a back-mounted spare shell for the cannon, wrapped about the black crystal sword) I believe I have analyzed its function. It is Dream magic, a type of runing referenced as existing but ultimately not directly discussed in any of the texts I saw, no examples given. As such this is something of a leap, but through Dream Magic, the ability to unravel existence, to tear apart matter of any form-perhaps it instead removes it. By feeding on pieces of the bearer's soul (explaining Abaeloth's decayed state) the cloak produced hands that forcibly pushed anything they touched into the dream, as good as destroying them in the immediate sense. ....A fascinating item, and with its revelation I feel myself energized to address more issues that have plagued me, answering questions still pending.

Figment is controlled by his dream self. I presume that somewhere within that strange existence something must need to rest, yet there clearly must not be a vulnerability, for him to persist. ...Perhaps this could be due to the fact it is his Dream Self that controlled him, an Alternate self. Could this act as evidence then, that Dream selves are connected most easily to other alternate versions of themselves? Fits for figment... and Ulzrick seems far too together for how crippling I have been lead to believe having dozens of voices in one's head can be for mortals. This may be due his voices being that of himself, or more specifically his dream alternate selves communicating with him. It would explain how high functioning he is, and continue to accept my new postulation. I believe I shall assume this to be true until otherwise proven wrong.

[+1 PRISTINE SOUL TOTAL PRISTINE SOULS: 04]

With the now easily recognized glimmer of a Pristine Soul forming within the depths of my Soul Furnace, I consider different topics, wondering if I can ride some sort of creative storm, resolving several issues. I consider how the Deep Spawn, my own and Eldghodd's, all have referenced me as a brother of theirs... I have been told my soul (what others feel my golem's soul matrices) feels hollow, artificial... well, perhaps I feel like a Deep Spawn not because my soul type is coincidentally artificial, but because I house one. It would explain why I am given the title Administrator beyond innate servility by my Deep Spawn, and I know the Mosmordren Scientiomancer was somehow involved with the Mosmordren mages and nobility. As Deep Spawn are notoriously hardy, I have no doubt one could exist as a soul, if it were an administrator, even amongst a hellish soul inferno-inside a Soul Grave. Whether it hid from being detected for its treachery to the system, as likely being involved with the Curse, given Administrator level codes were needed, or was thrown there on accident during the Curse, the point remains that I feel certain I house a Deep Spawn Administrator's soul, Mosmordre's Scientiomancer. I feel it with a certainty that grows unmovable as I feel ANOTHER Pristine Soul pulling itself free of the ethers of my Soul Furnace.

[+1 PRISTINE SOUL TOTAL PRISTINE SOULS: 05]

Growing ever more pleased, I address yet another topic, this one Dream magic's innate function. Dream magic has struck me as completely different from other magics, more than a different fuel source. Perhaps that is because its name is more than a name... a descriptor. Perhaps Dream Magic is the World's Dream-I have heard Jojo reference it as such, but if it really is The Caged One's dream? The immense power of the beast with ease opening gates to other realities, other possibilities through the Dreams... Could that really be what Dream is? So Dream and World BOTH are dependent on the Caged One. ...as a third Pristine Soul starts to bloom in my Soul Furnace, I consider the magnitude of weight behind some of the realizations I have recently had about the world....

[+1 PRISTINE SOUL TOTAL PRISTINE SOULS: 06]

...It feels less like a moment and more like a FUGUE OF INSPIRATION

>>254340
I try to access Goran's soul for conversation, but lacking some conversational or situational enticement to draw him, I am unsuccessful in summoning him. When I try speaking with Abaeloth's soul, I find my presence welcomed, a soul less tattered, much more sharply defined within my view. He nods to me deferentially, a clear thank you for giving him a whole soul. After a few seconds, he begins to speak.

>"It is a strange thing, to become yourself. I have two full sets of memory now, and while the two are nearly identical, several key points differed years ago. The resulting difference in recent events is... jarring. I am having issue sorting what is actually me. All of it, I welcome, for the chance to once more be complete, unburdened by my Cloak's weight. I had not realized, until it was too late, that some of the cloak's price cannot be recovered, and over the years..."
So you feel better then?
>"As it turns out, I was exactly what I needed, so with my help I'm good."
A turn of wit? I had thought you more serious.
>"I was. The one I subsumed however had a morbid fascination with wordplay. I do not know how I got it."

>>254352
>>254384
[Actually there was mention of it]
I think back to the tiny tingling of shifting Geomancy command I felt when consuming mass souls, the thoughts I'd had, that perhaps Domintus mages were trained in mass spells, imitating one single spell to mass-shell out golem summoners. It would allow them to saturate their forces... and horrendously reduce quality. I learn nothing new from one trick amateurs, many not even qualifying as mages and spared from the Soul Furnace, but nevertheless their sheer number DID do something. Between my expanded reserve of total souls and Geomantic souls, I find my command of Geomancy gaining a new facet from sheer power access. I can now transform stone, making igneous rock into any of its type, the same applying for Sedimentary and Metamorphic. Within each category, rock can flow like water to my will, limited alchemy. Midway through this realization of increased strength forcing increased flexibility, I recall Burduko still patiently pacing along behind me, and speak through Phohn to the Deep Spawn, telling him to bring Abaeloth's Cloak to Arkus, sword to Vespinto, Todwick's golem armor to the Arcanoworks He departs without a flicker of sound, and I find myself now fretting after that warrior I saw, the one in the manifold cloaks, that perched on Carkiano's back and faced Bang. She was not among the dead... she could well be fleeing back to the enemy forces, bringing word of what happened. And with Carkiano unable to be accelerated, there is nothing I can do. The day drags on to night.

>>254533
"Carkiano, I'd like to ask for a few of the Domintus mages when we get back, To interrogate on my own. Their ability to call forth golems... as a golem specialist, I must admit myself thoroughly intrigued. Would you mind if I took a few, With the hopes of expanding my knowledge?"
>"Take as many as you need, Vonjeen and Valiria will be pulling out their hair trying to find room to keep them all, you'd be doing us a favor."
"I thank you... I had another question, actually. Concerning this Hammer here, once Todwick's. I saw it warped in the fight, yet now it is fine- How is this possible?"
>"Well, Giana could do some real strange runes, and added some extra things to the hammer. To my understanding, it reverts it to a prior unharmed state, if the nullifying rune's scale is larger than the received damage. Seeing as she touched THAT rune up to... well, I'd say it's just about unbreakable, at least by conventional standards."
"Indeed? She was one of the traitors, then?
>"The one that got away, and likely moves to warn our foes. Still, she is not swift over distances, we should easily beat her, and we are less than an hour away-look"

So lost was I in my thoughts, considerations and Pristine Soul forging that not only did I barely catch Phohn's message Burduko is going to be used for shipping for this next hour, per my aggreement with Dregas, but I did not note the entire valley filled with campfires before us, still more than a score of miles distant.

>"Well, you showed yourself to have some impressive long range capacities in your suit...I also note you are faster than me, and based on your thus far impressive golem capacities... I find myself deferring. Do you have any suggestions on how we should proceed? For reference, my suit is almost exclusively close range in orientation, a few auxhiliary mid-range attacks topping out at three hundred feet. I can field all three of my items or store all three, Sword, Spear and Shield. The spear is effectively a hero-killing implement, while the sword is for mass casualties. The shield wards off harm, but like both other items is two handed for my armor. ...That's the trouble with using a testbed prototype golem armor, plenty of toys, no synergy. I find myself rambling as I fondly think of how much vengeance we are about to rein upon them. So, what do you propose?"

My rough head count puts the enemy camp around eighteen thousand, nineteen thousand at the most. They have no immediate defensive measures beyond sentries and torches, some several massive tents at the camp's heart that I cannot sense within.






What do I propose for the two of us to face nearly twenty thousand?
>>
No. 254666 ID: e31d52

>What should I call it?

OPERATION GROUND AND POUND.
>>
No. 254670 ID: 445c48

"You get the ten thousand on the left, I'll get the ten thousand on the right"


hahaha no
>>
No. 254714 ID: a69afd

>>254652
Use your now expanded control of Geomancy to weaken the walls of the valley, placing landmines where necessary. Pre-emptively start to draw metal from the ground to yourself, this way we can start up our maelstrom of souls early instead of having to use what metal we can wrench free from our deceased foes. We should steer clear of excessive use of Soulfire and Inferno Golems, limiting our use of souls to creating Soul Soldiers if anything. We have a potential boost of at least fifteen to sixteen thousand souls, assuming that some are to be left alive for whatever purpose we see fit. As for Carkiano, I'm debating if the pincer approach is even neccessary- If collapsing the valley walls on the Domintus base camp is as effective as I think it will be, we can simply wade through the Disciples with Carkiano at our side.
>>
No. 254736 ID: 9338f5

>>254652
We could fire our skyfall shells apon the unsuspecting camp to start with, then use the (I assume) partialy charged AA to deal with the largest unpanicked group remaining after the skyfall bombardment. After the bombardment and lazer eye combo Carkiano and ourself will charge closer to the camp, while moveing we will watch for any commanders or heros and pick them off with the vanguard blades. We should keep the railgun in reserve incase we encounter any truely dangerous foes. Once we are in the actual camp we mostly slaughter them all.

Also for the blade launcher, would throwing them with the Accelerator be faster or more potent than launching them normaly?
>>
No. 254747 ID: 445c48

>>254736
>partially charged AA
I don't think we've fired it since we fought Goran. That was a while ago.
>>
No. 254749 ID: c4098d

>>254747
Didn't we use it against Guuten?
>>
No. 254751 ID: 445c48

Pristine Soul. AA. Take out the right side.
>>
No. 254752 ID: 445c48

>>254749
No, that perfect line of Thermal, Electrical, and Magical energy was a result The Blue Knight's spear.

spoilers we don't want to stand in front of that spear ever.
>>
No. 254753 ID: d54ef6

Does this mean that the reason we get P.Souls is because the scientomanccer in us is doing the proto-soul thing?

But the wrong way because of the curse?
>>
No. 254754 ID: d54ef6

and, you know, pure chaos.

crap, I suppose I really should take the time to type out my theories in their fullness eh?

*sigh*
>>
No. 254758 ID: d54ef6

Well the caged one being asleep would explain a lot of things for me... and also raise a few more questions.
I always wondered why he didn't just bust the heck out.
That one time he was with us, why didn't he just hijack us or blow us to smithereens instead of being captured by Lenryt?
Why wouldn't he use his power to change sword version of him into something bigger better badder than before, something that could wield itself.
Why the heck has he not busted out of the world Northern SergalLenryt style yet?
I can understand him not being able to break out because of the system, but what is the system really?

It got me thinking, is the system less like a prison and more like a 'sleep forever' machine like I use on my devourers?
and the reason Eldgodd couldn't be gone for long is that if he left the spell un-cast (using spell for ease) for too long he would wake up?
are all the artifacts just the fond dreams of a child?
Is he even fully aware?

-----------------------
In any case
SPAWN EARTH GOLEMS!!!!
i.e. steal the mages trick, just do it better since you have sense.

I think about 20 would be cool.

One other thing, if you could use the IG to place fragments of a soul you have subdued in it, that would be great

!!!
HOW TO CREATE AN EARTH GOLEM
1)Create earth golem like statue
2)Use IG to pour souls into it, maybe 5
3)Use IG AGAIN before it becomes malevolent and tries to kill you to slave it like you would a soul solider.

order it around and have fun.

I think it would cost more than normal but less than an InfernoG
>>
No. 254760 ID: d54ef6

sorry bout the wall
>>
No. 254762 ID: 741399

...Oh crap. We don't have anything that would actually allow us to competently wield the hammer, do we. We're going to have to find a heroic soul whose area of expertise is on blunt weapons like mauls, if we don't want to only be able to wave it around. Even if incompetently waving around a highly damaging massive hammer can wreck armies.

Say, is the Caged One always dreaming/sleeping? One's dream doesn't exist when one is not sleeping, as evidenced by Jojo's inability to access the dreams of those who are not then sleeping, as the dreams of awake entities do not exist while said entities are awake. Therefore, as one can always enter the Dream of Zakrath, does it not follow that the Caged One is always sleeping, generating the Dream? That means if the Caged One were to ever 'wake', the Dream would cease to exist, and SoulDreamers wouldn't be able to draw on the energies of the Dream beyond the energy generated by their own dream, doesn't it? That would suck, since Ulzrick nor Figment would not be able to access their own dream for power, since their sacrifice depends on the holes to the alternate realities the Dream gives, and which would cease to exist once the Dream is no longer generated.

Of course, that opens the question of what exactly is meant by the the sleep/wake of the Caged One. My only idea on that is that the 'sleep' is what the System is doing, shunting the majority of the Caged One's consciousness into an alternate reality, and the 'wake' is what would happen when the Caged One goes magic nova.

Also in the vein of SoulDreaming, can't Giana fade into the Dream, and ride to the dream of a person she knows who is near the leaders of the DoD, and therefore making up for her atrocious speed?

Also, can't we use Geomancy and Kinitemancy to help Carkiano to move faster?

And did we tell Arkus the function, and the method to accomplish the function, of the cloak we gave him, so he might reverse-engineer the function of the runes on the cloak?

>>254736
If we were to discharge the AA, remember to use the AA + Infernal Lance Chained Attack.
>>
No. 254766 ID: d54ef6

>>254762
>competently wield a hammer

... "Yo Ozmand, want to test this baby out?"
>>
No. 254777 ID: 46c430

>>254666
Might I offer the 'The Cerulean Comet' as a possible name, as well?
>>
No. 254779 ID: d3dfb8

I'd like to name our new hammer Douglas.
>>
No. 254788 ID: f4e4f9

Actually, the thing that Killed Guuten was a Railshot from Mordre, I'm quite sure.

Regardless:

"My first thought is that we need some method to defend against Giana arriving on our coattails. Given how easily her spear was slicing through your cloak, and her own apparent confidence, I'd not rule out her showing up and attempting to finish the job Bang stopped. What weaknesses does her cloaking have? Her spear?"

"As for the Domintus...well, suffice to say I can have a small army as our vanguard at will, provided we do some damage in the first strike.

HOWEVER...given that Abaeloth's soul is now housed within my Golem, I may be able to cow most of them into laying down arms. Failing that, I would highly recommend we stay close to provide each other with cover. You never know what surprises could be in store.

Also, the mental image of two massive metal warriors fighting back to back is quite an inspiring image, however one-sided such a fight may, most likely, be.
>>
No. 254790 ID: 903f16

>>254652

Initiate a little dialogue with Carkiano before we start with the planning. Ask him what he knows about DoD military tactics apart from the branching system they use, like for instance how sophisticated their attacks are? Do they keep plans or just separate people into branches and go off to destroy things they don't like? If they keep them we might want to do a bit of digging around after everyone is dead and give what we find to the state. If it's true also ignore the first option of my Pyromancy plan below as it would likely destroy anything they have.

Then direct Carkiano to cleave a path towards the heart of their camp and the massive tents. With his sword he should make it through cleanly. Those tents are worrying though, I recommend he keep the spear on hand when he draws near to them. It's possible they contain heroes ordered to hold down the base while the others led a force to eliminate Carkiano. Whatever is in there knowing the DoD it's got to be bad.

While he begins his charge we'll bombard them with shells from the AGC directed toward the most densely populated parts of the camp. Three shells should do it, the rest kept in the revolver just in case we need them. We can then move forward with Nimble Nitro out and become a whirling dervish working on the perimeter and keep anyone from escaping. We should also make use of the campfires lighting the area. Either we should increase their direction and use them to light the whole camp ablaze or try to snuff them all out and use the darkness to our advantage. I lean towards the first option because Carkiano's suit doesn't have very good vision and unless he has night vision added onto the suit snuffing out lights would make his problem even worse. By the by we should offer to augment his stuff with night vision when we get back because Jezebel is working on creating goggles, we could upscale a pair or just give him schematics to the tech involved.
>>
No. 254791 ID: 903f16

>>254790
Man I also really want to suggest asking him about the cloak and maybe opening up the option to purchase one if he can make more, but this isn't really a good time. Still we'll need something like what he has since we now have two weapons we can wield. Plus I imagine we'd look quite dashing in a cape. Maybe we could get it in green to match the soulfire and have the ends of it tattered to further emulate the look of flames.
>>
No. 254795 ID: f4e4f9

Also, we need a pocket-dimension storage method like Carkiano has. We have TWO oversized weapons now.

As for the name of a magic-annulling Rocket hammer: VOID SURGER
>>
No. 254806 ID: 1854db

Hey. If the thing inside Mordre is a scientomancer, then I'm betting that last prophecy is referring to the Parasite being the SYSTEM, the 3EL being that scientomancer, and the Ruin being the CURSE.
>>
No. 254849 ID: ddd48d
File 128940844867.png - (1.06MB , 1075x803 , ProffesahMordre_PhD.png )
254849

>>>254326
>Professor Mordre
oh man yeah!

>>254790
yeah leaders came out of tents last time, so that is a good idea.

Make a pincer attack with one going in first, then SURPRISE from behind!
>>
No. 254866 ID: 32e3c3

Construct a metal or earth cowl to hide the glow of the soul fire connecting Mordre's body and head until the attack is sprung. Surprise attack is best attack.

If it's possible to destabilize the valley sides then that's a great plan. Really all that needs to happen might be some thin "cuts" where rock is turned into fine sand and it could all come apart. Mordre and Carkiano can then ride the rockslide into battle, especially if Mordre can turn the rock into magnetite or some other highly magnetic ore.

The new rocket propelled AGC shells... Mordre could use magnetomancy to fire the shells and then create a powerful attraction between his body and the shells to make the shells circle around him like lethal rocket satellites. Good for this sort of mass combat.

The goal would probably be for Mordre and Carkiano to pave a bloody path into the heart of the enemy force and killing the enemy mages and commanders. Steady use of inferno golems and soul soldiers could counteract the legions of soldiers as they can only bring so many to bear at any given time.
>>
No. 254867 ID: eb0897

So no-one else wants to try earth golems?
>>
No. 254884 ID: cd7581

screw that noise, we're a soul grave, it's time to do what soul graves do best!

Artillary bombardment followed by a charge, blow up the biggest tents first, hopefully that will take out anyone who happens to be in charge.
>>
No. 254892 ID: 69bee4

Our plan of attack:

Attempt Falcon's Clay Golemcraft, restrict the numbers based upon effectiveness (if they seem fairly useful and effective, make more). Request Carkiano to join you, along with anyone else he feels he wants by his side (probably with sword out at first). Bang will lead the other allied forces with Carkiano assigning anyone he feels he can trust under Bang (as we all know Bang is going to run off to kick ass and thus not really coordinate forces beyond charging). Golem's go with Morde.

Find an area of high ground in the nearby area, you and Carkiano will head to that spot. Bang will be instructed to take the rest of the forces, and to attempt to hide their location, and to attack when he gets the signal. If he asks what the signal is, just say "You'll know what it is when you see it, trust this old man".

Upon arrival to that high ground, move into an appropriate range to engauge the enemy fairly soon after your first attack, staying quiet for that point. Then tell Carkiano something to the effect of "I've always wanted to do this" and to get ready with his spear. Let the AA gems fly off on their own, targeting the center of mass of the enemy camps. Both will then fire off their MASSIVE charge of AA at this point, making a series of two cursive M's with the destruction of tents via the laser that fires off and the resulting explosion of cold (Don't forget the periods). You'll trust Zagrath to make the largest M possible with the duration alloted. If possible with valid ranges, since were about to fight anyways, get the magic a flowin and Pyromancy it into full Infernal lance addition, making a few runes with the secondary beams.

Then turn to Carkiano, and as nonchalantly and understatment-ly as possible say "Well, I think all parties involve got the signal".

Pull out your new warhammer, see if you can hold it in the range of your sable executioner, warn Carkiano to target any heroic levels, not to get too close for your next attack, and due to dirge to poke you or something if he needs your attention. Begin the dirge to force more attention to your side for the sake of Bang, meet the enemy forces with Vanguard Blades, Magnetomancy, and anyone willing or able to get towards you by the point you hit their lines, by switching to Geomancy and using the ludicrous range of a 15 foot warhammer with the Sable to turn yourself into a spinning top of hammer doom. Clay Soul Golems will fan out outside of spinning top of doom range to deal with people avoiding your death wheel, and to support Carkiano. Always be soul suckin when your hammer be a hittin also.

OR, we could call our strategy Deep Spawn... but I find my idea more fun.
>>
No. 254895 ID: a69afd

>>254867
Maybe if we fiddled with it a bit, we could get a construct that is not quite a traditional golem, but has traits of both stone and clay golems. A hybrid prototype. Magnetic ore stone skeleton for enhanced puppet-like control via Magnetomancy, a series of clay muscles/joints/ligaments for mobility and strength, skin of granite or pumice coated in soulfire tempered ceramic armor... Oh the possibilities.
>>
No. 254904 ID: c20b40

We might want to summon an Infernal Golem or two, they are exellent for population control.

If we are using the valley in our advantage to make a rock slide (or something similar), make preparations to use artillery volley to make that plan work if our geomantic abilities are not good enough.

When we get into the battle proper, launch our vanguard blades and use magnetomancy to make them spin and move around the battlefield haphazardly, cleaving soldiers in two and making massive casualties.

>>254895
That's pretty cool. Maybe we'll manage to make it permanent too (but I think we'll need golemcraft knowledge for that though)

>>254892
While stylish, I would suggest not using up our doom-weapon yet. Who knows what we are going to meet in that camp, maybe there are some capable hero-level enemies there?
And if not, then it means we are dealing with regular soldiers. There might be hundreds of thousands of them, and we still would kill them all (it's just matter of time)

>>254806
I bet that when we are much more powerful at Soul Magic we will be able to scan and examine ourself with much more detail and find that scientomager who's hiding inside of us (if there is one). Also, we will be able to communicate with the souls in our system on our terms (ie. being able to call them up and letting them go only when we want to, not when they feel like it).


One thing we should do the whole battle is looking out for Carkiano and making sure that Peggy doesn't try to sneak attack him again. We must be always ready to defend him at moments notice if she gets on his back again (maybe keeping one of our vanguard blade near Carkiano, and when Peggy makes herself visible again, quickly strike at her. Or shooting an artillery shell at her...)
>>
No. 254950 ID: 65acf1

All this talk of summoning clay golems, it could be made much easier if we spent a few PS's to get that basic skill in golemcraft. Would probably not only give us insight on how to easily spew out those type of clay golems they were using but would also allow us to more extensively modify Mordre. Would definitely help us with fixing Dregas's original golemn as well, a not insignificant boost to the Arcanoworks forces.
>>
No. 254951 ID: 65acf1

Would also likely allow us to make significant improvements to our infernal golemns as well. Plus the possibilities of constructing new types of golems?
>>
No. 254952 ID: 9338f5

>>254950
if we do snything like this we will have to wait until after we "question" a few prisioners as we have already asked for a few so we can learn about their golem crafting.
>>
No. 254953 ID: 8c798b

>>254952
Well we don't have the ability to 'learn' anyway, so we wouldn't get anything from questioning them, and apparently they suck too much as individuals to contribute anything soulwise.


You know, I am beginning to think that the mages are golems, when Mordre absorbed the souls on the battlefield, there was more than expected. When Bang attacked them in the first run (pyromancers and otherwise), they did not react, instead they kept on task even in the face of death.

So I think that the 'caged one'-Golem and/or Pure lady created them as life golems and that their task in the case of the pyromancers was to 'keep this fire going', and that is what they did.

We have seen that with soul magic, there is an extra soul cost to the golems, so I attribute that to the surplus Mordre noticed (rather than just the wounded), and I predict that we will continue to get surplus from the battles, and that we can control them just like any other golem if we remove their current bindings, i.e. kill the master.

The reason why Mordre did not notice this before is because some of the souls had dissipated by the time he finished his battle and we were focused on Oggroth.



Otherwise, mass enslavement.
>>
No. 254954 ID: 903f16

>>254950
>>254951
>a few PS's

Actually I'm thinking it would be more like one Pristine Soul. The original projection was that three would get us basic golem crafting and Soul magic. We spent two to get the Soul magic already, so one spent now should get us the golem crafting.

My only hesitations are that last time Lenryt offered us this really great bundle package of boons:

> Boon of knowledge of Golemcraft(will not include how to make Soul Graves, though other golems will be craft-able with sufficient resources), long-range communication/control methods involving magic, and runes involved with both (Will make it WAY easier to maintain your cover)

And what basic golem crafting entails. If it's the same as above then I think we may as well go for it. Perhaps she would be willing to replace golem crafting for rune crafting.
>>
No. 254955 ID: 8c798b

I VOTE TO SPEND THE P.SOUL ON GOLEMCRAFT KNOWLEDGE!

ALL IN FAVOUR...
>>
No. 254959 ID: 1854db

I'd like to save the pristine souls. You know just in case something happens.

Speaking of which, considering the pristine souls always come out of the DEPTHS of the soul furnace, I wonder if their creation has something to do with the connection Mordre has with the earth?
>>
No. 254960 ID: 9338f5

>>254959
perhaps some mix of the earth energy and the administrator's soul within us combined with the chaotic prediction
>>
No. 254965 ID: 8c798b

>>254959
Aw, but we have SIX now. what kind of situation (short of fighting Lenryt or the Caged one) would call for using 6 of those bad boys that 5 couldn't handle swimmingly?

but seriously, if we meet up on a 6 P.Soul challenge, we done for.
>>
No. 255001 ID: 631ae1

>>254955
I vote against.
>>
No. 255022 ID: fb7332

>>254955

Vote against. Not like we need it, we already have viable golems (would earth golems/golem construction be any more efficient at this point than infernos?) and we should keep the pristines...

>>254965

...so that we can get about 100 or so pristines and use them all to chain Lubu to our furnaces after we kill him.

...What? A man can dream can't he?
>>
No. 255073 ID: 9338f5

fairly sure its just mordre and the blue knight at the moment
>>
No. 255118 ID: 8f17f0

Voting for Golemcraft pristine soul
>>
No. 255120 ID: 445c48

Vote for Golem Craft pristine, and AA pristine.
>>
No. 255121 ID: 9338f5

>"Carkiano, I'd like to ask for a few of the Domintus mages when we get back, To interrogate on my own. Their ability to call forth golems... as a golem specialist, I must admit myself thoroughly intrigued. Would you mind if I took a few, With the hopes of expanding my knowledge?"

if we make golems now it will appear as though we lied to the blue knight. so i vote against using any pristine souls at the moment. we dont need them at the moment, lets not waste them.

at the very least wait for the heros in the camp to show themselvs before we waste any Pristine souls
>>
No. 255129 ID: e31d52

Vote for Golem Craft pristine, and AA pristine.
>>
No. 255134 ID: b58f4b

I dunno, making permanent golems is cool, but very Anathema... We already have the Deep Spawn anyway.

If we spend a PS I'd like to spend it on something like chronal banditry to gain reliable bullet time (cannon time?). Alternatively upgrade soul fire so that it melts everything ever. Very useful now that Mordre is picking up pyromancy.
>>
No. 255136 ID: c20b40

..... No update today? :(
>>
No. 255147 ID: a4f0df

>>255121
You see the thing is, we(mage mordre) have to use all sorts of complex magic algorithms in even more comples golem constructs to allow us to call em forth like that, but they can just do it.

That is why we are intrigued, not because we can't do it, but they can do it without your badass system.

If we claim not to be able to do it, then making InfernoG's would be sealed for this battle.
>>
No. 255156 ID: 65acf1

>>254955

Obviously voting for golemcraft knowledge, since I brought it up again.
>>
No. 255162 ID: 903f16

>>254751
>>255120
>>255129

Voting against both posters suggestions for using a Pristine Soul on AA. We don't even need to the AA at this instance and doing so would probably be unwise since we don't know what is inside the large tents. Even if we did we don't need to add another Pristine Soul to it, it has a significant amount added to it already. We need to spread the Pristine love around us and avoid putting too many eggs into one basket.

>>255134
I don't really see how it would be an Anathema unless we tried to make sapient golems.

Normally I'm conservative with our Pristine Soul use, but I'll go ahead and toss in my vote to using one here for golem crafting. We need it to rebuild Silicanthos and of course it would have other helpful applications.
>>
No. 255196 ID: c20b40

This might not be time and place to ask this but...
where is Dulu and what is he doing? Did we leave him in LoD to train along with Deep Spawn?
I guess he would like it there as people give immense respect to Ancestral Tombs. But we were trying to sway him to our side, weren't we? He didn't choose yet, iirc....
>>
No. 255255 ID: 35bba5

Spend the pristine on golemcraft, but save the rest of them. We might be able to use that knowledge of golemcraft to build new parts for ourselves.
>>
No. 255270 ID: 9338f5

use the boon for golem craft not the pristine soul
>>
No. 255272 ID: c20b40

Are we going to use Blood Flow to make things easier/faster?
>>
No. 255274 ID: 8c798b

>>255270
Boon > P.Soul.

Possibly.

In any case, they are harder to get.

Also against P.S on the AA, that has enough.
>>
No. 255312 ID: 9338f5

A vote for no pristine soul usage at least until we encounter a dangerous opponent
>>
No. 255327 ID: 903f16

>>255304
You know you don't need to restate your vote every time you post a rebuttal. It makes it look very odd and appear as if your proposition has far more votes than it actually does.
>>
No. 255386 ID: 445c48

After this battle we should totally geomance up the blood-soaked earth and see if there's anything special about it, like how we can magnetomance blood iron better.
>>
No. 255427 ID: 421264

>>255274
There is never enough Pristine Souls for our eyes. One day, when we have a hundred Pristine Souls keyed to our eyes, we will be as the DEATH STAR, destroying whole planets with a gaze.
>>
No. 255435 ID: 9338f5

>>255427
then someone steals or breaks them and we lose out on a huge investment of power.

have you not read the evil overlord list?
never put a heap of your power into something that can easily be lost stolen or destroyed
>>
No. 255442 ID: e31d52

>We never sleep
>The gems are OUR EYES.
>They function as our most powerful weapon thus far

Good luck stealing that, bro.
>>
No. 255445 ID: 445c48

Destroyed, yes they can be. They have been. But they can be repaired, and have been.

No way they're getting stolen though. I think the soul in them would argue. Argue with lasers.

Also we're not evil.
>>
No. 255446 ID: 421264

>>255445
We must host debates composed entirely out of lasers now.
>>
No. 255752 ID: a76809

>>254670
"You get the ten thousand on the left, I'll get the ten thousand on the right"
"Do you have any more... in depth plans than that?"
>>254714
>>254788
"My first thought is that we need some method to defend against Giana arriving on our coattails. Given how easily her spear was slicing through your cloak, and her own apparent confidence, I'd not rule out her showing up and attempting to finish the job Bang stopped earlier today. What weaknesses does her cloaking have? Her spear?"
"Well, her cloaks are a great interconnected matrix of interwoven restrictions. Thirty three cloaks, but at the same time one... Little hazy on this part, as I never understood that Dream magic stuff she prattles about. The salient point here, is that if ANY of those thirty three cloaks is destroyed, that whole network that lets her go invisible and intangible shuts down. Sadly, the news is not as good on the front of her spear. The chains, if you noticed, actually don't terminate, or loop back to the handle: instead, they fade away after a certain length. She has claimed that is because the spear is tied to the dream in some manner, but again, I could not tell you the specifics on that."
"..Well, we shall deal with her whenever we encounter her. As for the Domintus...well, suffice to say I can have a small army as our vanguard at will, Provided we do some damage in the first strike. "
"Ah-ha, one of those Soul Grave tricks I keep hearing about?"
"Something like that. Soldiers forged of the recently dead's souls. HOWEVER...given that Abaeloth's soul is now housed within my Golem, I may be able to cow most of them into laying down arms. Failing that, I would highly recommend we stay close to provide each other with cover. You never know what surprises could be in store."
"...No matter how respected and or feared Abaeloth may have been, he is nothing compared to their leader, the Pure Lady. Knowing the wrath she would have should they not fight, I doubt they will surrender."
"Alright then, I do have a plan C for just such a situation."
"That being?"
"Destabilize the hills surrounding the valley until mud and landslides are a hair's breadth away, Then charge down into their force, from opposed sides, to trigger an avalanche as we join battle. Our golem constructs should have no issue with loose earth... the same cannot be said for our foes."
"That sounds an excellent way to strike with force.. but there are so many of them, it will be morning before we slay them all, unless you have more ideas to share."
>>254790
"Before I can offer more, perhaps you could share some observations: Have you identified any common themes in Domintus military doctrine? Myself, I have very limited experience with them, So I can only plan so much."
"Well, for one I know that at most there is only ever one set of written orders in a given force, no matter how large. The members are expected to memorize current duties, minimize paper trail. Beyond that, they have been notoriously difficult to interrogate. It was something of a stroke of luck the orders for that ambush force survived well enough for me to claim it. Beyond that, Knight Captains and the forces they lead are given huge freedom, only general orders given to them, the specifics their own to choose. I cannot say how they will behave, lacking their resident Knight Captain."
"Then I suppose as the chaos from the planned avalanches dies down, I shall stir things up again with some point blank artillery use. If we keep the pressure up on them, they should be too disorganized to pose a threat."

The Blue Knight shifts, the sword it almost delicately rested on its shoulder now being held forth, as metal feet shift on the ground underfoot.

"Sounds a very thorough plan. My final question concerning it: What will be the signal to begin the assault?"
"Just worry about getting to the west side of the valley as discretely as possible. Trust me, you will know when to attack. Things will get... interesting."
"Very well then Mordre: Good luck, to the both of us."

Carkiano sets out, his movements more subdued than normal as he tries to make a multiton construct just shy of thirty feet as inconspicuous as possible. I use Geomancy to earthslide noiselessly to my own area, staying behind a final copse of trees as I begin to work. The hillsides, stone breaking down to sand, solidarity made fragile and transient. Even as both hillsides are readied, I know that more is needed. I begin to lace the ground in the valley itself with geomantic mines, forced to place them deep so as not to run afoul of the thousands of different sets of ownership stomping about above ground, completely filling my time with these two pursuits for the half hour it takes Carkiano to move into position. Once he is finally ready, I decide to make my move.

>>254849
[FANART BONUS TO FOLLOWING PLAN'S EFFECTIVENESS]

I switch to Magnetomancy, getting all thirteen normal saw rings airborne, calculating flight paths that will let them wound as many as possible. The five runed Saw Rings float up before my cannon as I take aim at the largest tent. I send my vanguard blades whirling into the crowds below without a whisper of noise, instants later rewarded by confused and pained shouts as agony makes its way through the enemy ranks. I see sense sharpen, panic start as the screams grow louder. Finally, what I was waiting for: I see the tent flaps to the largest, most central tent beginning to stir. Without hesitation I fire my cannon, accelerating the rocket propelled drill to nigh-relativistic speeds, noting the diameter of the vacuum path left in its wake to have doubled. A tent some forty feet tall is completely blown away in an instant, more than a hundred bodies ripped apart and pulled into the sky as part of the shot's wake. The ground rumbles as the hyper accelerated shell digs deep, gouts of earth thrown everywhere. To further exacerbate the confusion, I use this as the starting point, and begin triggering deeply sown geomantic mines in concentric rings radiating out from the impact, the ground shifting, heaving and lapping over those too slow to dance away. The camp now a tumultuous mass of chaos two seconds after I first struck, I begin charging down the hillside, briefly grasping the earth about me to pull it after me, an earthen wave underfoot washing down towards the panicked Domintus forces. On the opposed side, I see Carkiano likewise charge, his greater weight compensating for his lack of Geomancy to bring to bear.

We two warriors ride great waves of earth into the chaotic sea of panicked soldiers, bringing death and ruin with us. I make note of the fact I still have sensed no inkling that there are any potent souls present, even as I finally come to a halt, tons of earth flying about me in a whirling storm as I rise, cannon barrel glowing white hot and hissing in the night as I heft my hammer, VOID BRINGER, its titanic head blotting out the moon overhead and casting a shadow of doom over those before me. Our entrance was so violent, unexpected and forceful that most soldiers are still processing what's going on. If I wish to make a speech, attempt demoralization, now would be the time.

I am within the enemy camp, the central tent wiped off the face of Zakrath, those once within it now dead or dying. The earth continues to shift and heave as avalanche meets geomantic mines, chaos and injury everywhere. At least a third of the soldiers immediately around me are injured enough they cannot even flee. Yet I am hardly heartened, as the massive sea of people looks completely undiminished, the sheer weight of their numbers giving them a strength all their own.




What should I say or do?
Do I have any other plans on how to optimize this surprise attack?
>[And do you want to try controlling Carkiano for this fight?]
>>
No. 255761 ID: 445c48

Soulsuck the wounded.
>>
No. 255762 ID: 445c48

Also start up the dirge.
>>
No. 255769 ID: 9338f5

lets go with mordre

Activate our blood magic for starters, we can use our Magnetomancy to twist and crush the armour of the soldiers still wearing theirs. If were holding our hammer in the sable executioner we can use Ethereal Strike to strike any nearby groups of soldiers. we could also pick up clumps of dirt or stone in our seige hand and use the accelerator to hurl them at soldiers.

The best wide scale death tatic I can think of is activating the nimble nitro and hands of hunger/spectral gorging anima, then we just charge through the soldiers crushing anyone who cant dodge 20+tons of 100+mph death
>>
No. 255775 ID: 1854db

Let's spread out our use of Blood magic a bit more and try some Geomancy. Just... fucking... ROCK SPIKES EVERYWHERE. Make it like a Megaman level.
>>
No. 255776 ID: d3dfb8

Slave the 13 AV blades to orbit us at about torso height approximately 90 feet out then we run around with nimble nitro and soulsuck. Because 180 feet of death running at 200mph makes quick work of an army
>>
No. 255814 ID: 903f16

>>255752

Let's turn their strength into a weakness by conjuring up some Soul Soldiers. The dead or dying men around us should provide enough fuel for the first wave we send out. Keep ten to twenty Soul Soldiers fielded at a time, replenishing them as they fade away. It's an acceptable expense of souls considering that sustaining the this tactic will cost us only a several hundred souls at most and we stand to gain close to twenty thousand after this fight.


And while the chaos surrounding us is still in full swing and we have time before our up close artillery strike I may have an idea to improve it. With Todwick's soul our cannon shells are kind of like rockets. Maybe we can use the flame from this rocket modification for a different purpose than it was intended. For instance the flame that will exude from the rocket could perhaps be expanded and made into a bigger plume with Pyromancy. It won't be effective at propelling the shell, but it may allow us to roast anyone in proximity to the shell, but not close enough to be hit by it.
>>
No. 255816 ID: 445c48

Also we should at least try getting them to surrender. Just shout "Surrender now or die!" unless someone else comes up with something better.
>>
No. 255836 ID: f4e4f9

Rotate the saw-blades in a stable orbit around the Domintus army, and set them to magnetize anything that passes under them.

Cut off enemy escape avenues by using the rings and your own magnetomancy to pick up loose metallics in the ground, thereby creating a massive metal-dust-storm around the formation. Anyone who tries to leave through it will be scoured like Daobo was.

Create Souldiers out of HALF of those killed in the attack, an consume the other half of those killed/wounded. This will equal out the cost of forming your mini-army.
>>
No. 255863 ID: c20b40

I am against demanding surrender.
Just slaughter them all.

If they decide to lay down arms on their own, then we should spare them but do not make any demands.

We should turn on "Speedy Gonzales" mode and kill everyone at X-TREME speeds till we run to a hero-level soul which could demand more attention.

Make way to that tent we destroyed, maybe there were some potent souls there, we should consume them before they become problematic/disappear.
>>
No. 255868 ID: 5f0943

>>255863
> What should I say or do?

"Disciples of Domintus! FEAR FOR YOUR LIVES! FEAR FOR YOUR SOULS! FOR YOUR END HAS COME FOR YOU!"

Also, maybe throw in a "Where is your god now!?" somewhere.

On the battle plan, use as much AoE as possible, since powerful directed attacks are wasted against large crowds.

> Do I have any other plans on how to optimize this surprise attack?

Take out anyone that seems to be shouting out orders/looks important, and mages.
It seems like a wise move from my point of view to take out as many of those as possible while they are confused.
>>
No. 255912 ID: a76809
File 128966717340.jpg - (43.20KB , 640x515 , Arcane Wordmaster Threatens.jpg )
255912

>>255761
>>255762
I focus the cleaving slaughter brought by my still whirling saw blades about myself as my Sable Executioner darts and flits through those in reach, tearing already decaying rents in armor and flesh alike. One third of a second after starting this, I find myself rapidly being surrounded in freshly free souls. Death is everywhere I look, and I am pleased even as I begin my Dirge, those eerie hollow whistling sounds, likes pained souls miles away, flit through the air. There is something.... cathartic, innately fulfilling, about ending lives. I wonder if that comes from being a Soul Grave, an entity designed for this very function. In either event, were I capable, a small, secretive smile, pleased and jovial, would be spreading on my face. I consider sucking in the souls about me, feasting yet again, but-

>>255814
>>255836
With such stock to work with as the Domintus souls, I trigger the Immortal Genocide, engaging those processes I discovered so long ago that let me craft a most deadly foe. Hundreds of souls are pulled to that throbbing, humming pit of nothing on my hand, mashed and minced to reforge into purely soul-based Life Golems. I funnel energy from my Soul Furnace towards that insatiable maw of the void on my hand, and-

[-187 SOULS. TOTAL SOUL COUNT: 6,111]

Nearly two hundred soul soldiers burst forth from my hand, their spectral forms glowing sullenly in the deep dark of twilight, given orders the moment they are formed. Unlike the Inferno Golems, Soul Soldiers do not need constant monitoring to perform ably. Given some flexible orders, they can continue to function independently. And so my orders are simple: Kill.

They perform their duty without hesitation.

The panicked and disorganized soldiers that still kept some semblance of rationality through all this finally break, the earth still heaving underfoot, dirt and rock crashing about the battlefield, immense saw blades rending apart all in their way, my Sable Executioner cutting those near me, now the recently dead turn upon their comrades at my while, all while that maddening sound, the Dirge echoes all about. As the Soul Soldiers continue to spread and slay, I think of what else I can do to make this valley a living nightmare.

>>255776
>>255863
I push the spinning blades farther out, and set them to orbit about myself some ninety feet out, their viciously swift orbits at chest level for humans. Twenty feet from my body, I set my reloads of cannon rounds to orbiting me, their pyromantic rockets giving them a far more vicious flight. With both sets of spinning objects controlled by my left hand's Soul Nexus and my innate casting devoted to maintaining the manifold Geomantic ministrations I began here, I turn my Body Soul Nexus to tapping Merrack's soul, Nimble Nitro lending me its speed. I dash forward without hesitation, only now realizing I still hold the hammer high overhead, as I start carving a massive hole through the enemy ranks, a roving blender on the battlefield.

Seven seconds after the battle has been joined, my attention is drawn to the far side of the enemy camp, as scarlet and ebony tendrils of sparking lightning flair and writhe, a mountain of electricity surrounding Carkiano as his sword glows during a vicious two-handed swing. My attention snaps back away from observing my companion, fighting some four thousand feet away, as I note the two remaining massive central tents, both largely in the direction I now run and some seven hundred feet away, belch forth a mage each from their innards.... and I note both mages to look identical, even walk with the same pace. Some ten steps out, the two mages, fifty feet apart, blur, and now but one mage stands before me, her elaborate high topped helmet festooned with dozens of cloth strips, each ending with a leather bound tome, the books floating about her as if weightless. Three of the books open before her as her lips move, spidery, scratchy and twisting words snaking off her tongue as air begins to warp and compress within her proffered hand, her soul's weight completely masked by the sheer magical might of what she forges..... air made purely with Order? What could this entail?

With the mage holding that Ordered air orb in hand staring me down as I charge, I wonder:




What should I do?
Do I want to focus on this mage, or continue to prioritize mass casualties?
Or perhaps I should go to aid Carkiano, or reprioritize towards harvesting souls?
>>
No. 255914 ID: e31d52

>Tents

Soulfire, pyromance it onto the tent, get those assholes the fuck out.

Activate IG once they are out, and leap into the center of them.

YOU HAVE HUGE SPELLS
RIP AND TEAR YOUR SPELLS
>>
No. 255919 ID: 421264

Idle notes: We should admonish Goran for eating an ally soul and ask if he gained any power from it as we should ask Ozmand what he thinks of our new hammer.

Also, activate Feasting Vestments and have Goran snack on the magic they're using and funnel it into a concentrated effort to kill them without damaging their skin. I suggest using Geomancy to have the earth swallow them and choke them to death.
>>
No. 255920 ID: ddd48d
File 12896699492.png - (644.42KB , 1160x788 , SOSMALL.png )
255920

Send some of the soul soldiers after the mage specifically to see what that spell is all about before you go rushing in. If it turns into a one-on-one make a Fire Golem to keep the normal casualties up while our attention is focused.
>>
No. 255923 ID: 903f16

>>255912

We get to fight a Word Magic user and a powerful one to boot? Awesome, her soul will provide us a competency that's difficult to acquire for a Soul Grave and we can steal her books for Arkus. I say we focus on her, our Soul Soldiers can pick up our slack for a while.

Her orb is interesting, but we might be able to nullify it. Our Soulfire is entirely Chaos and Chaos and Order don't mix. If we spew some, ensuring we hit it from our maximum range to avoid any nasty feedback. Or maybe we could have it touch our hammer's anti magic rune, then again that sounds dangerous too. Either way do something with the orb and charge up the Immortal Genocide as we reach the end of our charge towards her and have it ready to pulse.
>>
No. 255925 ID: 56dc25

>>255912
Carkiano will be fine. He's got a big golem, and didn't express any concerns over his ability to take care of himself in the planning stages of this venture.

I don't like the looks of that mage. We should dispose of her before she has any chance to do anything interesting.

I propose using our Geomancy to shift the ground in a wide area out form underneath her while leaving a shell on the surface intact for her to stand on. Then, once we've got a large potential pit, blow up the edges and collapse it all in on her as quickly as possible.

Supplement this with an artillery shell to the face, boosted by one or two of the magnetic rings.

And with a blast of lightning. Attempting only one method of attack on potentially threatening enemies is silly.

Prepare the Immortal Genocide for a dispel pulse. If she sends that ordered air after you somehow, don't wait to find out what it does- just dispel it before it gets the chance to really mess with you.


While doing this continue to slaughter wildly. Start absorbing the souls that you're killing, too.


Does anyone have objections to kicking on our blood magic and doing the "scouring wind of blood iron" trick from before? Because I'd say that this is an appropriate moment to break it out.
>>
No. 255937 ID: c20b40

>Three of the books open before her as her lips move, spidery, scratchy and twisting words snaking off her tongue

Hah, it seems that she needs to actively SAY her spell before it works. Probably doesn't need to be very loud so she's whispering.
Anyway, interrupt the Dirge for a moment and muster the loudest possible noise you can and concentrate it on her, like a spear of noise. If I'm correct (that her spell needs to be audible) we could disrupt her magic before she manages to do anything. If this is not the case, the sheer volume could kill her at least shatter her eardrums and sound is very hard to dodge. This might be a total shot in the dark, but worth a try imo. If this can be magically amplified, do that too.
Doesn't have to be any kind of specific noise.... just NOISE.

Start charging up our Anti-Magic field.

While at first glance it looks like just one mage who can make a double of herself, it is quite possible that the other one just ran (very, very fast) behind us. Scan the field to see if you can find her.
If the other one was just an illusion we would have seen through it.

Send about 100 souls soldiers to assist our ally.

Shoot a regular vanguard blade at our lady-friend to probe her defenses.


Also, how many enemies did we kill in this short span?

Question:
During the huge battles like these, where's a lot of carnage and dead people, which means that there is a sea of blood here, wouldn't our blood magic extremely powerful? I mean if we switch to blood flow? The wiki says that when we use blood flow, we switch from Will as source and use Blood instead.
>>
No. 255979 ID: 445c48

Ah, shoot, we probably could have shot the AA at the mages, one with the left, and one with the right, before they combined or whatever it is they did.

Make some more soul soldiers, set to defend Carkiano, and another batch set to murderdeathkill everyone but Carkiano.

Start your heart beating. And then, FEAST, with both Vestments and IG. If a spell hits you, pause geomancy and fire off some lightning at the mage, then start geomancy again.
>>
No. 255997 ID: c4098d

>>255914
>Soulfire 
Be careful not to burn her delicious mage soul.

Idea:
Place our siege fist against the AGC and activate the IG, it should drain the heat from the barrel at a much faster rate than its regular cool-down.

Let's focus on the mage/remaining tents, that seems to be where the biggest threats will be coming from. Keep an eye on Carkiano, we don't want Peggy or some other mage killing him while our back is turned. 

How long do normal souls last before dissipating? Try to continue mass soul harvest as we go along, this battle will probably last longer than what it takes for them to disappear.

If the mage tosses that air-ball full of Order at us, activate Warding Palm and intercept it with our siege fist. If we decide to magic-eat it instead, let's try to talk with Goran.

>>255925
Adding onto the pit-trap idea, put large and very sharp stones at the bottom of said pit. Hopefully her tomes will not be damage in the fall or the explosion.

Let's go ahead and crank out the blood magic.
"Today's forecast predicts a 100% chance of BLOOD IRON STORM!"

>>255937
>Spear of sound
"FFFFFFUUUUUCCCCCK YOOOOUUUUU BIIIIIIITCH!!!!!"

While twenty thousand souls sounds delicious, we have an image to maintain. Slaughtering everyone on the battlefield doesn't show our compassion or kindness to anyone, if anything it would make people even more cautious and fearful of us. Let's curb-stomp this army until they're about half-strength or maybe a quarter, then go for their surrender. That way they KNOW that they're screwed if they continue to fight us.
>>
No. 256012 ID: c20b40

Remember how we couldn't read some notes we found because they were covered in blood?

Spill blood over her books so that she can't read them. I abstain from suggesting the obvious use of pyromancy to burn them so that we can give them to Arkus for studying.
(hopefully the blood will not act as an amplifier of sorts)

Also, it is quite possible that those tents hold more mages.... or maybe they hold original mage who is just controlling these ones.
>>
No. 256016 ID: 445c48

>>256012
>Remember how we can't read stuff covered in blood?
>Spill blood over her books
>give them to Arkus for studying.

>Arkus then cannot read books because they're covered in blood

Magnetomance a normal blade into the mage, and two more, one into each of the big tents.
>>
No. 256021 ID: c20b40

>>256016

You don't understand.
Back then our magnetomancy was weeak and we had no blood magic at all, we couldn't clear the notes of blood (we tried and made mess of it).

Now we can clear the paper of blood like it was never there.
>>
No. 256076 ID: 623906

Focus on the mage for now and help Carkiano afterwards. Probe her abilities with an Inferno Golem and an AGC shot with a magnetic boost.

Get ready to go into full anti-magic mode. This isn't your normal mage. Start up Immortal Genocide, be ready to parry with the Sable Executioner and Void Bringer. Activate the Feasting Vestments at the first sign of magical action.

@Goran's soul: "Goran, Have you ever fought anything like this? Looks like two mages have combined into one. We can devour her."
>>
No. 256077 ID: 445c48

>>256021
There's stuff other than iron in blood, you know.

I'd really rather not try it until we've tested it on a worthless piece of paper.
>>
No. 256136 ID: ddd48d

>>256012
I don't think she needs to read them, probably has them memorized.

I'm liking the sound idea, would it also be possible to see if we could just make her heart explode or something? Blood or Blood+Sound. That way we have an unbroken skin, a word-mage soul, and those books. All ours! MMMmmmm
>>
No. 256145 ID: 69bee4

More Morde Ideas

1) Paradox Knights are an organization led/created by Lerynt, this is her method of watching over beings like Morde.

Observations: Organization appears to be made exclusively of soul bound golems (as she called Morde unique). Lerynt has connections to the System/Scientomancers, and potencially models the Order of Harmonious Discord based upon their principles. Lerynt has at least one Soul Bound ‘living’ Golem under her control, entire Order is based upon these.

Prediction: Because they are an external System, they are watching us AND SO will be trying to direct our activities towards things helping the system and possibly be trying to hire us.

2) Pristine Souls are powered by the Chaos introduced breaking the order that is normally the set status of the future. This meets with a residual of burned souls in the soul furnace, that would described as an ‘essence of evolution’ form of Chaos, that creates the pristine Soul. Pristine Soul’s do the work they do because they replicate this intrinsically Chaotic form of evolution.

Observations: Evolution in this world would be something nearly exclusively by Chaos, as change and adaptation are the primary results. The most notable change in a ‘human’ level would be the change from a Proto-Soul like a Dragon to the existence of a ‘true’ soul in human like lifeforms. Morde is empowered by variety of souls, but only of human-like level souls (or ‘true’ souls). If all species of true soul bearers are considered to have a different form of this ‘moment’ or Chaos that reflects the moment of Soul creation in evolution, different varieties would empower a creature who takes advantage of this.

Why can Morde take advantage of this? Because he personally has had this moment, as a result of his growth from a ‘Soul Cancer’ to a being that has its own soul. This ‘memory’ of evolution he personally has had allows him to replicate the event via the formation of Pristine Souls, by enfusing the remains of this ‘evolution’ Chaos that is left behind from the burning process, with the massive Chaos of ‘breaking’ the future. This also explains how Pristines are sentient, have desires, and knowledge of magic… as they are living embodiments of Chaos, derived from living things, and ‘Evolution’, and thus have a ‘need’ to result change for the improvement of survival.
>>
No. 256153 ID: 903f16

>>256136

Trying to make someone's heart explode with sound seems like it'd be within the realm of Phonomancy, which we don't have yet. I think the most we could do now would be deafening anyone who gets close to us, which isn't really too helpful since we kill most people before they even get the chance to be deafened.

It also might be worth noting we need the skin of a mage adept at World magic. This one might be, but we should try and feel out if she's drawing from anything but Word before we attempt to kill her in a way that won't damage her skin.
>>
No. 256174 ID: a76809

rolled 78 = 78

>>255914
I flare out a puff of Soulfire from my gaping maw, Pyromancy briefly taking Nimble Nitro's place as I send the flames careening off towards the remaining central tents, being sure to sow flames amongst other tents in between. The night, which had been muted from few campfires and torches, now blooms in light, sickly green and stark. The flames dance to my directed targets so swiftly that only for a brief instant midstride am I outside of Nimble Nitro's influence, still charging forward towards this strange Mage of words.

>>255920
[Fanart Bonus]
I send a trio of the nearest Soul Soldiers towards the Word Mage, looking to gain both a sense of what she is capable of, but also to learn just what that Ordered sphere of air is for. The three charge straight through enemy ranks, leaving dying bodies in their wake as flesh rots whilst they pass through unimpeded. I see the mage, once two and now one, smirk by just a single degree. A lone finger twitches, the air sphere wobbles, and a sliver of Order tips towards the Soul Soldiers, like a ruptured balloon spewing what it holds out. Where the ordered, pressured bits of air falls, the Soul Soldiers cease to exist, fading away in instants. I also note her air orb has not altered in size or intensity... now what does that mean?

>>255923
She begins to cast her orb forward, pitching it towards me with absent minded focus, while I belch more Soulfire, twisting and turning it to intercept her own attack as I set the Immortal Genocide to feeding, preparing an anti-magic pulse. Chaotic flames meet Ordered air.


The opposed forces collide and-

[DC 45 CHECK]
>>
No. 256175 ID: a76809

>>256174
[PASS]

The forces meet with a clash of change, Chaos the dominating force, consuming the Ordered air as it hungrily expands towards my foe. The flames come to a dead stop before ever reaching her, swirling about some unseen defensive force-even as I note the pages of one of her dozens of books beginning to burn... some sort of channeling through her books, then?

She seems staggered, but as I finally get within thirty feet of her she starts to rebound, every single book on her person opening before her and glowing in manifold colors and shades as her words echoes strangely, making her sound a collective entity with a thousand throats.

I am within melee range, that protective field somehow allowed her to slip through my ring of spinning saw blades unharmed, likewise diverting the orbiting cannon shells. I sense immense weights of Order beginning to gather about both of her hands, and I know myself to only have time for one chance.





How will I strike?
Beyond that, what is my next move?
>>
No. 256177 ID: 4ea973

She is trying to use Order against your predominantly Chaotic form, so hit her with the most potent charge of Order you have, the business end of your new hammer.
>>
No. 256178 ID: 9338f5

>>256175
crush her with the antimagic-hammer or stab her with the black steel of the sable executioner
>>
No. 256180 ID: e31d52

Flash the IG, then while the charge is active,slam your seige fist directly into her. If my memory is correct, this will turn the magic around her into explosion, and not only cancel the casting but any magic she was building up reflexively.
>>
No. 256182 ID: 1854db

>>256175
HIT HER WITH THE HAMMER!
>>
No. 256186 ID: 8f17f0

>>256180
Gonna vote for this.
>>
No. 256187 ID: 7ba30d

IG this shit up.
>>
No. 256196 ID: d3dfb8

As a magnetomancer we can do both of these at once, hit her with the hammer using magnetomancy and punch her with the IG at the same time.

Also you forgot to subtract souls for soulfire. OR DID YOU? (dun dun duuuuuuun)
>>
No. 256258 ID: 48a93b

If we're in melee range just slice her up with sable executioner before she manages to do anything.

Also, set off our Anti-Magic field just to be sure.
>>
No. 256265 ID: d3dfb8

>>256258
Oh hey, we can do all three! MULTITASKING :D
>>
No. 256276 ID: 421264

We really should try to get the books whole, if possible.
>>
No. 256280 ID: 421264

>>256265
I've noticed that all our heroes seem to have a habit of CHOOSING ALL OPTIONS.
>>
No. 256419 ID: a76809

rolled 35 = 35

[I'm rolling a 1d100 for how Air Cavalry Training is going, last score was 130/210]

>>256196
[Technically Mordre is not using Soulfire in the conventional sense Soul Graves can, instead taking the passively emitted Soulfire from his body-maw, and controlling it with Pyromancy to achieve the same effect without increasing the drain on his soul stockpiles.]

>>256177
>>256178
>>256182
>>256258
I trigger the Pyromancy runes in the Void Bringer, it's titanic head hurtling downward like a falling star even as I stab forward with my right arm's Sable Executioner, newest and oldest anti-magic methods applied simultaneously to whatever working this Word mage employs. After meeting Jeagrezweistrik, I have become leery of mages specializing in the field. My foe, books still open all about her and a multitude of voices whispering through her lips, whirls one hand into the way of each incoming attack, all as my head makes a quick revolution, appraising me of the Soul Soldiers continued successes, and Carkiano now wielding a titanic spear, a weapon I have not seen before, hefting it one handed as his sword is likewise bereft of its normal double grip. Massive gems on his arms burn fiercely as he lays waste to those about him, clearly finding something cathartic in the act of squashing those associated with his recent bout of treachery.

The Sable Executioner splits at my will, each of the three blades going a different way towards my foe-and as they near her body, running into some sort of deflecting force, never able to reach her-interesting, given Black Steel's innate ability to dispel magics below Blood, which I was quite certain Word was. So why does her magic persist?

The Void Bringer slams into the ordered air sphere in my foe's upturned hand, and I see that brief instant where the anti-magic rune activates, becoming such pure Order nothing magical can persist within its presence, feasting on the powers my foe holds. Or so it does, until her other hand, initially moved to deal with the Sable Executioner, is brought to bear as well. Every single one of her books begins to glow, and I feel a strange sense of her soul unfolding, Chaos and Order staying balanced... for now.

The hammer seems unable to handle the raw magical input directed it's way, and instead banishes it, a shockwave of Order blasting away as Void Bringer recoils so harshly it leaves my hand. The ordered wave passes through my legs, and through hundreds of soldiers. An instant later I see limbs falling, bodies cleaving in twain, as if the Order simply tore away the connection between things-

I find my own body beginning to slide, perfectly smooth cuts near frictionless my only contact with my lower legs. I immediately divert magic to Magnetomancy, holding myself together as I begin repairing the largely minor damage around the injury. ...A pity my foe's own body was not in the way.

>>256280
My hammer still out of hand, I activate the Immortal Genocide, plying my third and ultimately most reliable anti-magic medium, refusing to give my foe a chance to breathe. I thrust the hand forward even as it begins to feed, and I see frost beginning to creep up my foe's clothes... and her books, their pages starting to freeze. Just as her eyes widen and vocalizations begin to reach a crescendo, I trigger the Immortal Genocide, that second of power released some three feet from her face.

Her books drop to the ground, no longer wafting weightlessly at her side. The spheres of air she held re-expand so harshly her hands and forearms are torn to shreds by sheer wind pressure. As she falls back, I lightly stab her through the heart with a tendril of the Sable Executioner, thankful her defensive field is down, and immediately inhale nearby souls of the dead and dying, refusing to give her soul time to solidify, or oppose me further. My foe dealt with, I catch my hammer as it falls back earthward, resuming my maintained Geomantic hellscape in the enemy camp as Magnetomancy returns to whirling sawblades and cannon shells making me the axel of an immense blade scything through the enemy force. I resume Nimble Nitro, and begin feasting as I run and chop my way through the enemy force. I build spead and cut a line straight through to one of their flanks, where I see some moving to saddle horses, attempting to flee. Beasts scream and die alongside men as I feast with abandon.

[-1,291 SOULS. TOTAL SOUL COUNT: 7,402]

...Strange, where is the soul of the one I fought? I search for a heroic soul, finding nothing, before checking my mage repository-only to find a fading shadow of a soul, glimmers of Dream the only hint I ever held something.

....Did she just flee from within my stomach?

I was unaware that was possible.

As I try to roll this new concept around in my head I finish spreading fire and steely death to the central tents, and no further individuals of note end up showing themselves. With my greater speed I begin working the borders of the quagmire our foes occupy, Geomancy now turned to making escape itself dangerous, lethal, difficult, quicksand pits, geomancy mines, even storms of Blood Iron as I activate Blood Magic, finding my connection with the iron storm intensify so much I surround the entire remaining force with a blindingly swift hurricane, a flesh flaying wind to accompany the treacherous footing. To complement this, I continue to dash about the perimeter in person, hitting particularly dense patches of soldiers before they can overwhelm my magics with sheer numbers. Soul Soldiers are replaced as the battle flows, a standing force of three hundred becoming my standard, in three sets of one hundred, refreshed like clockwork as they expire.

[DAY 152: DAY 2 OF WEEK 4 OF MONTH 4:]
[Morday of the Fourth Cycle of Praeclarum (Summer)]


Nearly half an hour past midnight, Carkiano finally returns his spear to his mystical cloak.... and I mull over what I witnessed of his weapon while slowly thinning enemy forces. That spear.... it seems to involve highly Ordered Ignimancy and Pyromancy, anchored on a Kinetomancy wavefront. The forces are so Ordered that whatever the spear stabs towards is assaulted with a pillar of unmaking.... a dangerous weapon, and deceptively swift. I then move on to taking stock of my current situation, now that the enemy force has been thinned to just shy of ten thousand, and only fight now due to sheer rabid desperation, not any hope of victory.

-I have gained enough individual tiny pieces of Geomantic knowledge from the hundreds of different Domintus pseudomages that I can finally levitate stone and earth, molding it on the ground or in air at my own whim. I feel my mastery becoming comparable to my command of Magnetomancy, knowledge gaps filling as I assess them.
-I have been employing Blood Magic, my body beating in tune to the flow of iron, for an extended time without any issue or threat from the Other within me.
-Even subtracting for Soul Soldiers, I have thus far gained an addition few thousand souls, MY NEW TOTAL SOUL COUNT 10,086. I continue to find the raw amount of power at my magical disposal climbing as I feast..... THIS is what made Soul Graves great, being able to take strength from war and death, make it their own. It is good to be doing what I was built to do.

As we continue to butcher our way through the enemy numbers, unassailable with our immense metal forms, I-

[THREE d7 ROLLS, ONE PER PERSON]
>>
No. 256421 ID: d3dfb8

rolled 6 = 6

rrrrrrollan!
>>
No. 256431 ID: 421264

rolled 5 = 5

Rolling Out!
>>
No. 256435 ID: 1854db

rolled 5 = 5

I will roll the fuck out of this die.
>>
No. 256443 ID: 421264

Oh! Yeah, GRAB THE BOOKS before anything else happens
>>
No. 256444 ID: d3dfb8

now, Gather up those books into a block of stone and have it levitate behind us while we geomancy up some 20' walls surrounding the army so they can't escape.
>>
No. 256446 ID: d3dfb8

>>256444
Considering the size of the other armies we can't afford to be merciful. If they are allowed to run they will go straight to the main army making that even more of a hassle when we have to face it.
>>
No. 256449 ID: 421264

>>256446
Who said 'Merciful'? I just wanna watch 'em tear themselves apart til one becomes a hero.
>>
No. 256459 ID: 56dc25

>....Did she just flee from within my stomach?
FUCK FUCK FUCK
THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM

Souls within our stomach are given awareness of our true nature. She was there, and is now loose and presumably intending to oppose us. She knows our secret and has no incentive to keep quiet about it- she WILL tell someone, and word will spread, unless we can somehow locate and silence her immediately. Hell, since we've now apparently spent further hours tooling around in combat, it might be too late even now.

It's not certain if her strike will come in loud denunciations or sinister whispers of our true nature, how long it will take to build, but this is it. The facade has been broken here, and unless we can act more quickly than I believe we can to repair it it's only a matter of time before it crumbles to dust.

If we can't come up with a decent method for locating and catching her, then we need to start pushing contingency plans for what we'll do when our true nature goes completely and totally public. Start sorting out our servants and troops by who will be loyal and who will need to die. Start moving resources to more secure areas. Come up with contingency plans for all-out assault against our holdings by those agencies which normally would be called in to deal with an anathema.

Shit.
>>
No. 256462 ID: a76809

>>256419
[165/210]
I am given a pre-dawn report in the dead of night by Arkus via Phohn, concerning the Air Cavalry training and armament. It would seem Nidhogg's foul mood has finally passed, and that the round the clock, shift based training regiment is getting everyone fully used to wyverns and dragon alike. Currently they wait on Arkus to finish creating the networked Air wands, and Jezebel to finish modifying the personal golem armors. He expects the project to have concluded by tomorrow.

>>256443
>>256444
With my Geomancy no longer making the normal ground a hellscape, I craft an earthen dome over the Word and Dream mage, insuring none take those books attached to her corpse as I work.

>>256421
[6]
At first I suspected I saw something on a nearby ridge, but I put it down as misleading sensory data, as I continue my work. Again and again I obliterate those few knots of order, of resistance springing up amongst the soldiers as we slay them, relishing every rent in flesh, every bone sliced in twain, every action of violence I commit. That shell of normalcy, that persona of the amiable mage may become difficult to take off at times, but I never, not once, have stopped enjoying the action of slaying, taking lives. I feel at peace.

>>256431
[5]
Even as their numbers dwindle the Domintus soldiers continue to fight, not a one attempting surrender. At this point I think all recognize it for what it is, a field execution of an entire army. Let us see how the Pure Lady deals with this.

>>256435
[5]
It is sometime before dawn, the sky just beginning to lighten, a scant two thousand left living and trying to fend off death as evasively as they can, when Carkiano calls out to me, ignoring the soldiers around him.

"Over there!"

I turn to look where he points his sword, to see Giana perched atop a tree some distance away, her grin visible to my eyes as she stabs her spear into the sky, chains lashing forth and anchoring to some massive unseen object. Chaos dominating all about her, the chains begin to reel back in, as about the spearhead some sort of portal begins to spread, unfurling before my eyes.

....And through it, I feel a weight familiar by turns to so many of my recent endeavors. I am reminded of the Caged One, I am reminded of Lenryt... but above all, I sense a Soul Grave, and a soul of pure Order, it's scope immense, nearing that growing gate.

....The Pure Lady and Domintus, possibly her entire main force, are being summoned.

....Ah.






What should I say or do?
>>
No. 256471 ID: 8f17f0

>>256462
One choice left. Fire the Rail Cannon. Add two pristines to the AA, then fire that at the Gate.

Then fire the Void Bringer at the gate as well.
>>
No. 256475 ID: 56dc25

How many souls did we get between half past midnight and predawn? Another few thousand, presumably...

>>256462
Two choices: Engage or avoid.

If we wish to avoid, get that gate closed by any means possible. Giana and her equipment are the obvious things to blast away at with all methods at our disposal.

If we wish to engage, then we should take this time to prepare this ground as best we can, bearing in mind what Eisenhardt told us about the Pure Lady and Domintus' capabilities.

Which, as I recall, was something like "they are made of endless blossoming matter, and for all practical purposes are walking rape that you can't defeat". But that could be pessimism talking. I don't know how we'd go about preparing to combat them, though.
>>
No. 256479 ID: d3dfb8

FFFFFFF have Burduko teleport to us(if he can) and teleport us next to Giana. Then we IG antimagic and bye-bye portal.

If Burduko can't teleport to us we're going to just have to run over there as fast as we can.
Under no circumstances should we allow that summon to finish.
Oh well start up the good ol' IG.
>>
No. 256491 ID: a86c5f

SHOOT HER.

RAILGUN GIANA
TWICE

START UP IG AND BREAK THE HECK OUT OF THE SUMMONING SPELL.
>>
No. 256505 ID: d3dfb8

JADESOULFISTPUNCHFACEINGTIME
>>
No. 256518 ID: fb7332

Wait, so were high rolls good or bad? I can't really tell.

Railgun, IG, AA, the works. Destroy that portal, and see if Carkiano can help.

Somehow I keep thinking that summoning Nihilino would be helpful here (I dunno, void seems like it'd be interesting to experiment with when it comes to magic). I definitely want to see more of him and some of the other less-used spawn. Seriously, the only ones we use on a daily basis would be Burduko and Phohn.

I note that we haven't been using accelerator much these days, maybe we should upgrade its current function (which the Railgun seems to have effectively replaced as of right now) into a new niche of tactical use.
>>
No. 256519 ID: 9338f5

First fire a skyfall cannonshell at the portal the lighting bolt should mess things up then the railgun at MAXIMUM POWER through the portal, the shockwave should mess Giana up. Useing our accelerator throw a few of the normal vanguard blades at Giana and anything that may be supporting the portal. while we are waiting for the result gather all the iron we can in the form of sand near our form. Phone up Esinheart and his ancestor and let them know about the portal with the possibly possesed soulgrave and the pure lady, if the two super powers are soon to cross over then the huge army would be at its most vulnrable. also ask if either of them knows how we might disrupt a chaos based portal?

also the while were doing everything charge the Immortal Genocide
>>
No. 256527 ID: 8f17f0
File 128979828083.png - (179.78KB , 600x800 , Mordre.png )
256527

Made you a fanarts.
>>
No. 256544 ID: 445c48

Ok, fine. THIS is when pristine AA seems a good idea.

Start with her, and flick your eyes to the chains and spear.

And shoot the chains, and her, with your cannon.

And also toss your hammer at the gate.
>>
No. 256550 ID: 56dc25

>>256544
>>256471
Why are we so into throwing pristine souls at the AA? It's not the only weapon that we've got, and frankly it's one with sharply limited utility because of the nature of its charge/discharge. If we feel the need to spend pristine souls on increasing our capabilities, it would be better to spend them on something more flexible. Investing ever more pristine souls in our eyes isn't optimal.
>>
No. 256553 ID: 445c48

>>256550
Ok, pristine a railshot maybe? I don't know. I want to pristine because we can hit Giana and the chains and the spear and such nearly instantly, and I'd like to boost it just to make sure.
>>
No. 256554 ID: 1854db

AA THAT BITCH. Let's see her dodge that! She'll probably see us point the cannon at her and dodge, but she'll have no chance of avoiding eyelasers. Consider targeting the spear itself...
>>
No. 256558 ID: f4e4f9

Tell the Blue Knight to fire his Spear's Order-beam at the Portal. Aim your annihilator to intersect it at the focal point.

Lets see if we can't create an Order Backburn on Giana's Chaos dream portal.
>>
No. 256559 ID: f4e4f9

HOpefully, after Bang did his healing deal on Giana, she's a bit underpowered. Worth a shot.
>>
No. 256564 ID: e31d52

>>256550
Because it works, frankly, most of the time.

PRISTINE THE FOLLOWING:

AA
RAILGUN (COOLDOWN)
OUR VANGAURD BLADES (MAGNETIC CONNECTION)
SOULFIRE (SIZE)

FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE AND DON'T STOP UNTIL EVERYTHING IS DEAD
>>
No. 256566 ID: 35bba5

>>256550
Yeah, we could stand to spread them around a bit. The IG has a million useful functions, while the AA does one thing infrequently.
>>
No. 256569 ID: afc341

We could risk shooting 2 Railgun shots, the barrel will explode and we will be left with no cannon for the fight though.

Ask Carkiano to shoot his spear beam, guide/intensify the beam with our pyromancy.

When shooting the AA, have both eyes aim at different places (aiming at the left eye and right side of the hip, for example), so that there are two beams which are harder to evade. Use pyromancy to additional two beams.


If we somehow don't manage to stop the her, summon our entire Deep Spawn army to the battle field. It's time to test their training in battle.

I am okay for using a pristine soul to have higher chance of success.

(that said, we should use AA as last attack if Railgun and Carkiano fail. Don't want to use up our supercharge)
>>
No. 256572 ID: e31d52

>>256569
>Don't want to use up our supercharge
Because clearly, CLEARLY, this isn't a big enough emergency!
>>
No. 256606 ID: 421264

Now, let's remember >>256459. Although I don't like the idea of 'lets kill our troops and friends', but we should start broaching the subject about the 'lies' that will be use.

Also, we need to wipe out the DoD.

And speaking of the creepy dream-girl, we need to spend a Pristine soul to get some of her memories. Rocky Talky Ellayia and ORDER THE HIT.
>>
No. 256613 ID: 9338f5

I vote a pristine soul to the immortal genocide with the intent of boosting its antimagic powers.
>>
No. 256614 ID: afc341

>>256606
She couldn't have gone far.

Maybe she has a backup body nearby where the soul fled? Maybe she slipped into Dream realm?

Rather than spending PS on a single action to find her, maybe we could try using PS to permanently upgrade on of our systems to track her down?
Develop a magic sensor to pick up her trail? Improve our Soul Magic even further so that we can sense her soul?

We could also import Dompaggio on put him on this new (more important) task. we could use PS or Deep Spawn egg to make him better (though I am not too hot on that idea)
>>
No. 256621 ID: 421264

>>256614
I'm implying getting at least half the mage/hero soul and hopefully some idea of where she is.

>>256613
We already have like three or four anti-magic weapons or items. I would like to spend a Pristine Soul on the Immortal Genocide, but I don't know if it would take. I suggest at least one Pristine Soul on the Amaranthine Annihilator and one or two on the Anti-Golem Cannon.

Stopping the portal is the very important for now but finding the escape soul is WORSE.
>>
No. 256634 ID: 9338f5

what is it with the obsesion with the AA? Its neat to use but its not useful enough to keep spending souls on. its only a single shot and from what we have seen the two enemys were facing will probably have a defence against it.
>>
No. 256652 ID: 0c1ef6

Using a pristine is probably a good idea if it can stop this summon. Use it on the railgun or soul fire if possible.

Mordre could breathe out soulfire while holding his chin or breathe it through a circle made by his thumb and forefinger to apply the hand-borne INVERTER to the fire! Then he'll have a blast of pure order fire to break down this chaos portal. Also try to cut those chains as quickly as possible! Shout to Carkiano that he needs to strike the chains or portal. If the summon goes through he had better run.

And start up Immortal Genocide. If Domintus appears I can't see anything less than a overcharged IG punch being able to stop him.
>>
No. 256681 ID: 5f38b7

>>256634
>>256634
It is a single shot, and then a continuous beam. Pristining it often makes it last longer, deal more damage, etc. It's always worked in the past.
>>
No. 256688 ID: 445c48

Something something dream. Perhaps the Wordmaster's soul and body were pulled from the dream by the two mages? And when we killed it we also killed them so it went poof back into the dream.

bugger I had an idea but now I lost it.
>>
No. 256753 ID: 1854db

I remember Bob saying that we couldn't spend more pristines on the AA anyway.
>>
No. 256842 ID: 69bee4

thought/idea

the Blue Knight suffered a rather serious defection of his three top military assets besides his children. This seems a bit odd, as why would the Disciples make this plant on a seemingly random person? ... except that The Blue Knight has been doing this for awhile, and thus they knew he was going to be there. The only reason we haven't likely suffered defections is because we are such a new force in the area, we were not expected. Giana has the ability to summon the Pure Lady and their god? this is not a new thing or some mind control.

The Disciples have planned for this invasion for who knows how long. And so, this means that the Capital itself is almost certainly not immune, and is suffering or about to suffer a similar set of defections and internal attacks while we fight here!
>>
No. 256850 ID: 6834bc
 

>>256753
Do we have AA Omega Beams? No? Then we're not maxed.

Granted, they are avoidable... if you're the goddamn Batman.
>>
No. 256851 ID: f9127d

Considering we will have TWO omega beams, bending and circling and shit, we'll be able to do some ZANY shit.


And then we pristine the energy conversion...
>>
No. 256856 ID: a76809
File 128988145458.jpg - (26.82KB , 1024x819 , Closing the Portal.jpg )
256856

>>256475
[New Soul total calculated after battle concludes]

>>256479
[Burduko is not present, after finishing his hour of trading aid last night for Dregas, he resumed his efforts moving towards each of the three enemy forces to prepare teleport paths. If you desire his presence, it will take some time for him to physically reach your location, having never been there before.]

>>256518
[Rolls were good, as you get time BEFORE the portal is complete. And if you want the Deep Spawn to stop assisting Oz at his school, building trust amongst an entire nation for their existence, then certainly you can pull them for future battles.]

>>256519
[You never restocked on Skyfall rounds when you had the chance, so you don't have any.]

>>256753
[No you mis-remember me saying that any given thing can have ten total Pristine souls spent on it, and that at 10 Pristine Souls the AA would be Darkseid Omega level eyebeams.]

>>256471
>>256491
>>256527
>>256544
>>256554
>>256558
>>256564
[FANART BONUS]
I can't hesitate. Even through the tiny window of expanding connection, that partway-portal, I can sense the magnitude of those two: Just they alone would be a monstrous threat right now, and I recall some three Knight Captains being with the main force.... this is a battle I wish to avoid, by any means possible. I start plotting even as I speak to Carkiano, not letting a single instant go squandered. I plan to speak just after my coming-

TH-THUMP!!

-Heartbeat.

"Get your spear, use it against the portal, Order against Chaos."

Even as I speak, I line my cannon up on Giana's spear, right where it joins with the portal, already plotting a seperate trajectory for attacking Giana herself. I plan to fire with the advantage of magnetic hyper-acceleration rapidly, by using purely the saw rings to amplify beyond baseline. I only needed some four rings to completely lose sense of my shot, so surely five could give me comparable speeds from lessening the load on the cannon itself? My first shot approaches infinity, vanishing from my perception the moment it passes beyond the fifth ring. Giana now holds a metal baton-yet the Domintus figure, that Soul Grave behind her weapon beyond the portal is completely unmarred. I pay it no mind, already adjusted to fire again, a second shell following the first, a second vacuum trail now leading to.... and beyond.... Giana. I do note that roughly half of her cloaks are now rotting away as I watch air crash back together to fill the vacuum left in the wake of my twin shots, hardly having dealt with any recoil at all.

TH-THUMP!!

I do note my barrel is nevertheless warped-a combination of pyromantic thrust when the shots were so vigilantly accelerated and magnetic backlash has marred its function. With full focus, I could fully repair it in thirty seconds-

One twentieth of a second after recognizing the results of my twin attack, the chains anchored to the portal still in Giana's grip, weaponless or no, Carkiano finishes switching out his sword for his spear. ...That was one second. ..Ah, he has reactivated the glowing gems on his arms, and I note his spear swelling-with soul magic?

I witness that Ordered beam of Pyromancy, Ignimancy, Kinetomancy, that unraveling thrust racing forth. I grasp two Pristine Souls, intent on ever perfecting my signature ability, focused now not on power-but speed. I wish to use the Annihilator as often as any other armament, to make my first great weapon my mainstay. I feel the comprehension, the absorption of my desires, as I send the souls off into my ruby eyes, as I pull the magical trigger.

TH-THUMP!!

AMARANTHINE ANNIHILATOR!!
[-2 PRISTINE SOULS TOTAL PRISTINE SOULS: 04]

Twin beam of astounding light so brightly red as to be white blaze forth, lightning lances that converge on Carkinao's lance, just as it reaches the portal. Into the face of that Chaos, the portal and those behind it, we apply our combined Order.

There is light.

There is no sound.

Pressure, pressure everywhere, the ground nowhere to be found.

Spinning, can't determine location, pressure continues.

TH-THUMP!!

Pressure lessens, spinning can be stabilized, location reestablished.

I land on the ashen ground, on the side of a crater. I determine it to be some fifteen hundred feet across, myself two thirds away from its center. The crater dips to three hundred feet below prior ground levels for the location. I note that one half of the remaining Domintus forces were slain outright, another several hundred more seriously wounded, those few beyond the crater's reach. I see Carkiano's golem lying prone on the ground-He is alive, I feel that, and not immediately at danger of dying, I can tell that much. Either way, his golem is inoperable for the moment. My own structure is pitted, warped, marred and scorched, but I should be fully functional in a few minutes if I focus.

TH-THUMP!!

The portal is gone. I see scorch marks from cloaks and bone, a few starker outlines of atomized iron, emblazoned on the crater bed, reeking of Dream. There is no sign of The Pure Lady, or Domintus. Beside Carkiano and the Domintus general motley, there is absolutely nothing else as a potential threat about.

Then there is a voice.

I remember the word, register the meaning afterward. In the here and now, I merely absorb the miles wide weight and vibrations of these words I hear, feeling the singular focus of that titanic weight before the utterance of epic proportions ends. This is what was said:

'To the red-eyed pretender, I will eat all you hold dear.'

That was the thing. Despite the weight, the immensity of these Words, they were in essence devoid of malice. It was simply a notification, as if nothing could prevent this event from transpiring.

TH-THUMP!!

I do the only thing that seems logical given the situation:

I butcher every last survivor save Carkiano, feasted on every single soul I could find, repaired my form back to pristine condition, replenished my ammunition, recovered the Word mage's books, and used the inverter to invert Pyromantically directed Soulfire in Ordered Crystal about the five individuals among the surviving I deem most inclined towards World Magic. In this case, three women and two men, one old two middle aged two teenagers. Each is frozen with a look of surprised relief on their face as the Soulfire fails to burn them. It is just now that I realize roughly one minute after firing the Amaranthine Annihilator, it was already back up to two thirds of its prior potency, despite the cataclysmic event that drained every ounce of power from my rervoirs. .....did those Pristine Souls give me a way to rapidly regenerate charge for the Amaranthine Annihilator for successive use in battle?[u] I think they did.

TH-THUMP!!

I call for Burduko to take these to the Mosmordren ruins, to Kyorto. I continue checking Carkiano, still finding him unresponsive but having gained enough data to insure he is not braindead or in a coma, but is merely unconscious, and in no danger of dying-and that he hasn't woken up. I tally my count of [u]total souls remaining: 16,724 souls, a truly tidy sum. Burduko eventually arrives, and I Walk with him to the teleport box in the Mosmordren ruins, immediately noting him staggered by the journey, my massively increased weight of souls far harder to transport. I bring the books and bodies alike up the stairs, Geomancy keeping the stone stairwell comfortably supporting my weight, the walls pending to accomodate my passage. I walk down the just barely two small halls to Kyorto's room, excited as I consider the prospect of Kyorto's aid, finally brought to bear.

TH-THUMP!!

I note her room to have a single, homogenous mass of flesh, folds and folds sheeted out precisely along inked and inscribed runes all over the floor and walls, an engraved and metal plated latticework of many formats glowing softly. As I deposit the quartet of World mages before Kyorto's soul, in the one part of the room where the runes don't reach, simply placing them from a distance with the Sable Executioner, thinking about my hammer I left back by Carkiano's body and all those souls. Kyorto looks at me, her aged soul unreadable, as she turns to her work.

>"...No, I can work with this.

Her soul spreads about the room like a spiderwebs, drawing the souls from the bodies and cocooning them in her own Ownership, before setting to extracting the skin, her esiting work beginning to puck and split and-

>"...Do you mind? I do not enjoy an audience to my work.

TH-THUMP!!

>>256614
>>256621
>>256688
I leave Kyorto to her work, stepping outside for a moment to watch dawn arriving in the Mosmordren ruins, considering my next step-and more importantly, what that Word-Mage's disappearance meant. She was in my grasp, did she absorb that innate sense of what I am, or does that only come when fully bonded? Where did her soul go? She could have my secret, the key to destroying me, the truth that I am Anathema, worthy of destruction by any and all the world's might. Perhaps, given she was once two mages, that the controlling essence was a Dream thing, brought in by the merged mages? It would fit the magical resistance, the strange potencies of her work... but what would that make her, a dream thing? Some fey creature of ether, manipulating from afar? Or were she mortal, what vessel could she flee to? A sibling? A prepared live body? A Life Golem? The hands of a Soul Mage? I come to grips with the fact there are so many possibilities that I have no idea where to even start. My secret COULD be out... and I cannot verify it or influence how this plays out.

TH-THUMP!!

Well, we shall see what the future brings, then. My behavior now could determine how the world at large views me, now a most critical time with that deadly possibility hovering overhead. As I consider how to make my plan to ride the invasion will pan out, what with needing to oust control of the Azelhaedran state in a way that can be spun as jovially, nicely and well-meant as possible. A genuinely strange task, but vital now.

TH-THUMP!!

Time passes as I think, Burduko back in the State observing Carkiano, to inform me the moment he wakens should I not yet be back.

>"....Before this goes any farther, it has been long since I saw you,
And much change do I see within and without.
Tell me one more time: Just what are your goals,
One who claims the right to lead me,
To claim my service?"






What should I say or do?
>>
No. 256860 ID: 257633

"What are my goals? I wish to destroy those who ruptured the land, and tore a wound upon this planet. That my home was there is of little consequence. These people have made a grave error, and I seek to make that known. In the place that I vacate with my vengeance, I shall construct an everlasting empire of my own, one that will hold the world above all, one that will destroy those who cannibilize the home of all peoples for petty power."
>>
No. 256863 ID: 9338f5

>>256842
So this invasion has been carefully planned and some of the states important organizations and allies have likely been infiltrated by agents of the deciples and will soon be attacked from within.

I have this sudden mostly baseless suspician that the mages dealing with the corebeing are not simply incompetent or unlucky but are agents of the DoD working at some sinister plot.

I think I am just being paranoid, but mabey we should have Derkin and Arkus sneak over and checkout the corebeing and supposed state mages.

That thing is a ticking timebomb and the disiples seem like the sort that would love to set it off.
>>
No. 256865 ID: 252e1b

I still seek to make the parties responsible for the curse laid on Mosmordre feel the wrath of the nation reborn. I have learned something of how such a horror could be accomplished, and have been gaining power, allies, and a good reputation in preparation for ultimately taking action.
>>
No. 256872 ID: 46c430

Our goals? Well, as I see it... To gain power. To bring an end to the meaningless destruction, stagnation, and incompetence rife in the lands we've seen. To put together a complete theory of magic. To help those we deem as our 'friends'.
>>
No. 256874 ID: 445c48

Turn off your blood magic.

And what are our goals, when it comes down to it? Really, I want to say Make the world a better place. (Optional: Add "With ourselves at the top of it"). Kind of lame though.

Also we should look into upgrading Burduko, feeding him a core like what was offered to the other spawn before we made Murry and Ak. Dude's really one of our handiest dudes, and he's struggling with the load. Gotta ask about the specifics on that.

Beep Phohn, send a report to the Arcanoworks, and get them to send a runner to Quinton, with the number killed/captured, number of mages, how the Blue Knight was a big help, but had some defections, and also the Blue Knight helped stop some crazy portal thing that was bringing The Pure Lady and Domintus through, holy dicks that would have been bad, etc etc.
>>
No. 256877 ID: 421264

Turn to her, and speak in Mornostric:
"||What I wish? You ask that at a worrying time. I wish...to stop the Disciples Of Domintus. They attack my allies, my friends, my home. To stop,||" Pause, shake our head. "No. Not stop the revelation of myself from tearing my friends, my family, from me.||" Look to Kyorto and bow. "||Kyorto, friend and first link to my history, Kyorto, a challenge of truth, what my goals are is to grow strong, rule wisely, lead justly, and search this land for the secrets it holds. My goals are simple and so hard. We must stop these Disciples for they accost my home and assault my plans. I will take vengeance on those that assaulted our home not for my sake, but for the System they so carelessly wounded and let bleed out such demons. I will rule all I see, all beyond, all I may know. I will be,||" Pause and turn toward the world. "||Nay, I am the Conquering Hero. I am the Well-of-Souls. I am the Grave-that-Grieves. I am Mordre, self-willed Soul Grave, and these are my Goals. Will you still aid me, Kyorto, Last Free Mage of Mosmordre?||"
>>
No. 256879 ID: f4e4f9

"The same as it has always been, with a few adaptations as any longterm goal must endure.

I will see an empire unified. I will find who orchestrated this sin upon my old home. I will preserve what I have built. There are others, of course, but I do not intend to lay myself completely bare to anyone, yet.

Those who side with me will be rewarded. Those who aggress me will be destroyed.

Does that suffice to sate your curiosity?"
>>
No. 256896 ID: 741399

We last used the AA against Goran's army, on Day 136. This day is Day 152.

152-136=16.

While none of those days were spent with non-stop marching (what is the non-stop marching equivalent?), that must have been a potent charge; that potency could be gained in about one and a half minutes. ...Pristine Souls are scary, when they empower such.

>her aged soul unreadable
Does that mean her expression was unreadable, unable to be used to determine her thoughts/feelings, or does that mean we can't determine the Chaos/Order balance of her soul?

Also, ask Kyorto if she can see/sense the Deep Spawn Scientomancer within our form.
>>
No. 256898 ID: a69afd

>>256856
I am Mordre now, and forever more. My goal is both destruction and rebirth. When first we met, I had spoken of an empire of my own creation, forged from the broken bodies of the traitors and conspiritors who had ruined this kingdom. I had spoken of being both a conquerer and a hero, felling enemies and gaining allies in all my ventures. I have not lied, my cause grows stronger by the day. My allies and I have done deeds some would consider impossible, and we continue to carve out a lasting legacy with each challange overcome. Yet, there is so much more to do...

And if you trust me, if you believe in my cause- I would have you by my side to accomplish these goals. By the time Mosmordre has been rebuilt, I want the people of the world to recognize their error in branding our kingdom- nay, our very individual existances Anathema. I have experienced many facets of this world, and do you know what I have seen?

Mosmordre.

The same Mosmordre that the world had felt so compelled to band together against and destroy. I have seen what men do to each other for power and glory, I have heard the lies they tell each other to justify slaughter and abuse of the very law that was created to prevent another kingdom such as ours from ever surfacing again. I have not even been to the largest city on the surface of this planet and I know that corruption exists in such high concentrations that any village, any town, any congregation of people with some semblance of organization could be swayed and perverted to become a carbon copy of Mosmordre. With this fact so apparent, my hatred for those who sought judgement upon my home- for those who would come to seek judgement upon me for simply existing in the state I do hold now... Well. My anger BURNS. How dare the fools even think of such hypocracy with the very state of the world hanging by such a fragile thread. How convienient it is for me to be written off as a mindless killing machine and simply get removed by the ones who hold power in this world. But I will show everyone the difference, I will provide clarity to those who refuse to see. I will destroy this preconception that humans have made.

Kyorto, this has been a long time coming for both of us, lend me your power and guidance, and let us change this world.
>>
No. 256899 ID: 1854db

Hey, we also want to become more organic, less anathema-y. Getting rid of the Other would be something to bring up with Kyorto as well.
>>
No. 256901 ID: 56dc25

>>256856
>"....Before this goes any farther, it has been long since I saw you,
>And much change do I see within and without.
>Tell me one more time: Just what are your goals,
>One who claims the right to lead me,
>To claim my service?"
I would recommend rereading our conversation with Kyorto in the first thread, all. Makes for some interesting stuff, given what we now know.


"What are my goals? To become a conqueror-hero, a leader and a monster, as you once said. To forge an empire of loyalty and strength. To lay waste to all who oppose me.

The world is larger and more complex than I once believed, and more than anger and the desire for vengeance drives me now, but those goals remain."
>>
No. 256907 ID: 45be60

"I have learned much since we last spoke, but my motivations remain the same. I will see those responsible for the atrocity leveled upon our homeland rooted out and I will raise a new nation to carry on. They grow less general and more refined as I further my goals. I have identified one who was connected with the destruction of our land, and who grew bloated with power in the wake of his success. He uses this power even now to sew suffering through the lands around him, and almost without thought I find myself whittling at his strength as I build my own to crush him. Where once there were but a small tribe of brutal warriors and an untrained mageling serving me, now there are hundreds who march under my banner, and thousands who call me friend. Scientist, general, farmer, warrior, noble, mage and shaman, all toil happily under the banner I have raised. And further thousands have foolishly tried to stand against me and fallen, and they too serve me. I remain protector and instrument of vengeance."


(And maybe later, sort of casually work in "Kyorto, when we first met those months ago, you told me I remind you of someone you once knew. May I ask who that was?")
>>
No. 256928 ID: fd0672

Holy shit, that attack was powerful. Will the full AA charge have such a blow-back every time we use it or is it because we amplified the attack with Carkiano?

What happened to Gianas soul? Did we kill her? I think we did.
Our attack was powerful, sure, but it deals physical damage no? Or was it so strong that it eradicated the soul too? .... Man that sucks, we never manage to get Dream based souls, first Figment then Air Mage now Giana...


FINALLY WE FINISHED KYORTO!! ... Man, 10 threads... that was a long time ago, huh?
Ask her how she's feeling.
Hopefully we didn't take too long to restore her, she might have thought we gave up on the task.

Ask her about her abilities, strength and weaknesses. Ask her about interesting things she can do with her magics. Is Soul Magic her only proficiency or does she know more? Did her normal human magic stamina increase now that she absorbed several souls? If not, can she manage to do that if we provide her more souls? Will she need mage souls or any will do? We could provide her will souls from our Well. .. Oh! Tell her that we have collected a lot of souls now, maybe she can find a use from them. Ask her if it is dangerous to house too much souls within our forge?
Ask her how it feels to have a body and get out of that tower finally.

I guess she is going to relocate to Arcaneworks, right? We should take all the books from the tower and transfer them there.

And remember that small tomb we left at Dukes place (I think it was there)? Kyorto should be able to command it. I always wanted to suggest making it a sentient golem with on of our hero souls. I suggest Ozmand, as he's the most friendly/trustworthy type.
Anyway, go to that place and check it out.


I hope there is no danger of killing or heavily wounding Burduko when he transfers us. On the other hand, the more he transfers us the stronger he will become. Soon he should be able to teleport our 15k+ soul self with the same ease when we first had him.

After we chat with Kyorto and deal with other stuff, we must return to the battlefield. If Carkiano is still out, then we should try to dragging him to his outpost.
>>
No. 256931 ID: 35bba5

>>256907
oh crud Kyorto might know who the soul mage guy in us is.
>>
No. 256947 ID: ddd48d
File 128991670537.png - (2.58MB , 1232x1674 , PortaltoDomintus.png )
256947

Dammit too late to use this picture.

>>256842
Conspiracies everywhere!!!

>>256863
>checkout the corebeing
Good Idea. If we have the time perhaps we can go and serve as the distraction, being the friendly, curious mage.


>>256928
>relocate to Arcanoworks
Might not be the best idea, I guess it depends on how it works out. We will have to make a cover-story for her anyways, if we can make a good one it might work out. Like she is our daughter/granddaughter! haha. But if her main magic is soul having her in The State where it is banned.....agh. But checking out the small tomb/Mansion when we get the chance is definite priority. I WANNA KNOW DAMMIT!!
>>
No. 256949 ID: f4e4f9

>>256928
Pretty sure it was just a side effect of "crossing the streams" with Carkiano and the portal. Max power for the AA was supposed to be 2-3 days worth of forced marching anyway.
>>
No. 256952 ID: 9338f5

We should make sure we ask about the mutant Corebeing, the possibly possessed soulgrave of Dominatius and "The Master of Sorrow" I think it was. We should also mention our newfound ability in soul magic and ask for suggestions on how best to use it. Any other questions we meant to ask Kyorto? Perhaps what she knows of the deep spawn?
>>
No. 256954 ID: 9338f5

>>256947
Easy solution, Kyorto is a pre-ban small tomb that we the fleshy mage mordre finaly figured out how to control. As for the magical abilitys only Arkus and his rather ignorant underlings will be in a positon to know about them. When shes in combat we could just say she was a prototype of some sort. The ban is only on "new magic" after all
>>
No. 256963 ID: 5f0943

>>256901
This.
This so Much!

>>256907
Also this to some degree.


>>256954
> Easy solution, Kyorto is a pre-ban small tomb that we the fleshy mage Mordre finally figured out how to control.
> Kyorto is a pre-ban small tomb
> Kyorto small tomb
...Whut? Last time I checked, there were no small tombs involved in resurrecting Kyorto...
>>
No. 256979 ID: 9338f5

>>256963

Its been a while since I read it but I am under the impresion that Kyorto is essensialy makeing a golem she can use as a body. As I understand it a golem powered/controled by a single powerful soul would be classified a Small Tomb like Dulu. Then again its been a while and I could have completly missread it.
>>
No. 256982 ID: 5f0943

>>256979
Then it would mostly classify as a LIFE-golem.

Small-tombs are generally made of metal (Like Thomro (guarding the palace), Dulu, Jaegerweistrish, the Red Comet, Reinhardt, the one that Zaggrath was in etc, etc).
>>
No. 257010 ID: 45be60

yeah, she's a life golem, like a Morgren or Rageglut, or Oggroth, Korgotyo, and Aurockoth. These things are some of the more common constructs, having personalities seems more common than not, and unique examples are not rare. She'll be fine.

I am curious if she will end up a Morgren, or something of her own devising though.
>>
No. 257022 ID: 534fc2

Read through Kyorto's books. Even if Mordre can only read half of them (The Mornostric ones) he could still decipher all of the contents later if he somehow learns the Mosmordren magic language of Ozric.

Could this be a good time to make some more Deep Spawn? It'll certainly impress Kyorto and I'd like to see her reaction to seeing creatures of the Deep... How about making a Deep Spawn expressly for the purpose of reclaiming and repopulating the land affected by the Curse?
>>
No. 257023 ID: 9338f5

>>256982
>>257010
Wouldnt she have to be alive to be a Life golem?
>>
No. 257025 ID: 9338f5

>>257022
perhaps one focused on undoing magical harm or fixing/repairing mutations. mabey throw in returning things tp their proper or natural state?

for some reason i am thinking of it being some sort of gardener
>>
No. 257030 ID: 445c48

If we're going to be doing deepspawn related things, I suggest we feed Burduko Welgahoo's core.
>>
No. 257031 ID: fd0672

>>257022
Hmm...

How about one that just converts otherwise hostile wastelands in paradise lands (or at least as hospital and arable as possible). That way we can terraform Northern Mountains too... maybe even convert some desert lands.

But this seems rather narrow-tasked Deep-Spawn imo, too specific-oriented. We reclaim the lands and that's that, there's hardly any use for it anymore.

Maybe make it also an awesome farmer or gardener like >>257025 said. He would be able to increase the food output several times its normal output by means of making some special world-magic network (not unlike our farming artifact)
>>
No. 257035 ID: fd0672

>>257022
>>257025
>>257031

I can totally see how this will unfold:

We will be having a totally serious conversation full of speeches, wise sayings and big words.
Suddenly Mordre goes like:
-"Hey, Kyorto.."
-"Hmm?"
-*retard grin* "Wanna see a cool trick?"
>>
No. 257041 ID: fb7332

We should feed our more useful spawns (Burduko and Phohn) some cores, seeing as we haven't really been doing much with them as of late. We do have a long time, but still, no development is no development.

Now I wonder if in retrospect we could have created a deep spawn embodying the concept of servitude and lack of self, a deep spawn designed for Kyorto to inhabit, circumventing the 5 mage body requirement.

Maybe we could still do it? Kyorto can probably integrate new magical powers from cores while the body's still hot from the forge, so to speak.
>>
No. 257044 ID: 421264

>>257035
If we do this, we need to unleash Bobobo.
>>
No. 257085 ID: 741399

>>257041
>>257030
I am vehemently opposed to any usage of cores, that do not give us another Deep Spawn, except when we must use the cores.

>>257031
Perhaps: Welgahoo embodies the concept of LAND IMPROVEMENT, in the form of LIVING WORLD SPIRITS and CONNECTED NETWORKS?

I support the creation of Bobobo: Bobobo embodies the concept of KNOWLEDGE, his form made of BOOKS and WORDS.

Also, on non-Deep Spawn related subjects, where are we going to put Kyorto? I don't think she can live in the Cursed Lands, since she is a flesh and blood Life Golem (I think; she is crafting a golem made purely of skin, from what I recall) and needs food that the Cursed Lands won't provide; in any case, she is unlikely to be of much use staying in the Cursed Lands (though going to places she knew contained various useful knowledge/artifacts/etc. and recovering them for our use would be useful) unless we set up a colony. Our other two holdings - Mordreden and the Arcanoworks - and I suppose the LoD as well are the other options. I would prefer Mordreden, to help defend against the Soul magics of the Yetis with her own magic and perhaps teach the shamans Soul magic, though helping the magical research of the Arcanoworks sounds attractive.

So, I had a potentially horrifying thought: if the Mosmordren Scientomancer resides within us, where are the lesser Deep Spawn bound to it?
>>
No. 257091 ID: fd0672

>>257085
>So, I had a potentially horrifying thought: if the Mosmordren Scientomancer resides within us, where are the lesser Deep Spawn bound to it?

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet


Anyway, if we are going to make a land improvement Deep Spawn then we could start up colony in Mosmordre with teleport box roughly in the middle of it.

Also, I think Kyorto might be sick of this patch of land and structure after being confined there for almost two decades.

Also, I don't understand why we need to explain ourself to our personnel in Arcaneworks (or anyone else for that matter) why we have a new mage in employment.
Did we go around making sure every soldier, farmer and assistant knows why, how, when we got Jezebel to work for us?

All we need to say is: "Hey, I found this chill woman who agreed to work for me" and set her up a room.
People around here aren't magic sensors to determine what she practices like every second person and their grandma in LoD.

If we REALLY need to introduce her, we can just say that she's our old acquaintance. That we are good friends who have helped each other a lot. We know each other since we are mages. Etc... Just make something up and stick with it.
It has worked before.
>>
No. 257093 ID: 445c48

>>257085
>where are the lesser Deep Spawn bound to it?

That patchwork monster, of course.
>>
No. 257095 ID: 534fc2

>>257085
Perhaps more than one Deep Spawn is in order. We do have a lot of cores left. This could be another 'matched pair' like Akeakam and Murhyihal that have powerful synergies.

Pengaiea embodies the concept of NATURE CONTROL, in the form of GARDENING and SPORES.

So if Welgahoo can alter the land and world magic balance then Pengaiea changes the biosphere within it.
>>
No. 257097 ID: fd0672

>>257095

MAKE LANDS HOSTILE WASTELANDS
>Advice_Mordre.jpg
TURN THEM INTO PARADISE AFTERWARDS
>>
No. 257112 ID: 903f16

>>256856

Dialogue appears to be covered, going to take the chance to make some observations and toss out ideas.

> ..Ah, he has reactivated the glowing gems on his arms, and I note his spear swelling-with soul magic?

If anything this makes me like Carkiano more. He seemed too righteous and good to be true, breaking the law grounds him a bit. We need to talk to him about it later.

>'To the red-eyed pretender, I will eat all you hold dear.'

Intriguging to say the least. Does this mean he already knows what we are or does he just assume we wish to be like him? I'd assume the former unless his massive existence is similar to Lenryt's in that it allowed him to glimpse into our mind as he was crossing over or that the Word mage's soul found it's way to Domintus. Perhaps that's where it was assigned to go upon death. If it's latter then it's just another case of our enemies claiming we are a cheap copy. Goran did it, the Master of Sorrow did it, and now Domintus is taking his turn with the threat.

>>256928

>And remember that small tomb we left at Dukes place (I think it was there)? Kyorto should be able to command it. I always wanted to suggest making it a sentient golem with on of our hero souls. I suggest Ozmand, as he's the most friendly/trustworthy type.

This has been discussed before and the general concern about this is that the Small Tomb is low quality, being composed of bronze and having only a set of shoulder runes. Before we decide to put anyone into it we should endeavor to improve it and make it a more suitable vessel. So after Kyorto commands it to yield we can remove the second fragment of Thomro's soul and cart it off to the Arcanoworks to be carefully labored over.

>>257022

Creating more Deep Spawn seems like a good idea. Beyond impressing Kyorto it seems like enough time has passed and we need to flex our creative muscles. I offer up the idea of a teaching Deep Spawn, one formed around the notion of the rapid transference of ideas and knowledge to others. This has a variety of uses, like instructing Arkus while we are away and teaching him things while we are away and in a better manner than we are able to. It could also solve the problem of the many language barriers cropping up, particularly valuable now that we have Kyorto who does not speak the common tongue. This seems slightly limited in scope though and could probably be attached to another Deep Spawn, Phohn comes to mind.

>>257025
>>257031

These are also good. How about [Unclaimed Deep Spawn Name] embodies the concept of NATURE, his form revolves around CULTIVATION and RESTORATION. Alternatively we could use [Unclaimed Deep Spawn Name] embodies the concept of NATURE, his form revolves around CONTROL and RESTORATION. The first one is a straight forward translation of the ideas and would most likely give us a Spawn that can restore lands to habitable conditions and cultivate them, making lush landscapes. The second is my attempt to create a spawn with a bit more utility, allowing it to restore lands and hopefully be combat capable using it's control aspect to manipulate nature around it to do it's bidding.
>>
No. 257141 ID: 35bba5

Bobobo embodies the concept of KNOWLEDGE, his form made of BOOKS and WORDS.

Make this guy.
>>
No. 257241 ID: 421264

Does anything thing we should use a Pristine Soul to make Bob, The Deep Spawn?
>>
No. 257249 ID: a76809
File 128996979782.jpg - (337.95KB , 1344x1024 , Kyorto Complexion.jpg )
257249

>>256896
[Actually the AA now will regenerate to two thirds of its prior capacity in one minute irrelevant of how much power was held. If you had one hundred points, spent them all, in a minute you would have 67 points. If you had twenty points and spent them, in one minute you would have 13 points. Does that clear it up? And Kyorto's Soul's expression is unreadable, as is her soul's disposition. Her Order/Chaos balance can be sensed, and is largely equivalent to norms for humans.]

TH-THUMP!!

>>256860
"What are my goals? I wish to bring destruction, make ruin reality, For those that ruptured the land, Tore a wound in the planet, beneath Mosmordre."
>"Then vengeance guides you?"
>>256865
"Partly. I have learned much since last we met, And what I know now of those involved in the Curse, make NOT dealing with them a foolish choice."
>"And just what is it that you learned, to make you so resolute?"

TH-THUMP!!

>>256874
I deactivate my Blood Magic, carefully choosing my words as I try to quantify the total sum of what I intend, what I have done, what I do. ...Putting one's purpose to words is a difficult thing.

>>256877
I begin to speak in Mornostric, hoping the high tongue of the Mosmordren Empire will hold some deeper meaning for the long dead mage.
"||What I wish? You ask that at a worrying time. I wish...to stop the Disciples Of Domintus. They attack my allies, my friends, my home. Kyorto, friend and first link to my history, one who made me see Truth, What my goals are is to grow strong, rule wisely, lead justly, and search this land for the secrets it holds. My goals are mind-numbingly simple and so immensely hard I relish the dissonance. We must stop these Disciples for they accost my home and assault my plans. I will take vengeance on those that assaulted our home, not for my sake, But for the System they so carelessly wounded and let bleed out such demons.||"
>"So... you know of the System now.... where did you learn this?"
"||From a northern Scientiomancer, the Administrator Eldghodd. It was from that entity I gained the orbs you see circling my body, where I learned so much. But more than that, more than knowing the full scope of what the Curse entailed, the truth of leylines, What I learned was of the Mosmordren connection, the Crafting of Soul Graves learned from the Deep||."
>"...So much you know I did not expect. But still, I am waiting for a clear answer:
>What do you plan to pursue? Naught but vengeance?
"
"||I would be little more than a brawler, should such be my sole focus. ....I will rule all I see, all beyond, all I may know. I will be....||"

"||Nay, I [am the Conquering Hero. I am the Well-of-Souls. I am the Grave-that-Grieves. I am Mordre, self-willed Soul Grave, and these are my Goals. Will you still aid me, Kyorto, Last Free Mage of Mosmordre?||"
>"Ever forceful, ever assertive, so sure of your path...."
>>256879
"||You asked, sought affirmation from me, A review of the promise once made. I did not but answer you. Did my words sate your curiosity?||"
>"But are they just words? You speak well enough,
>But one can say or claim anything they wish-
>What makes your words MORE than words?
"
>>256901
"||The fact they have not changed. I still play the conqueror hero, I am still leader and monster both. The empire I build is strong, loyal to my will. I have learned and done so much, Yet those core oaths remain untouched, No matter what time and history throws at me.||"

...No retort comes my way, merely a sense of ever-changing magics within that room coming to a climax, before winking out, no more power spilling out into the hall.

"||... it would seem I feared for naught, then.||"

There are slow, stately footsteps, so delicate, so muted they sound like leather gliding through the air. A pale set of fingers wraps around the door frame, their shaping... off, no harsh angles from bones to be seen. A body formed wholly of skin, yards and yards of it, a living tapestry drawn up and contorted into human shape walks out of that room, empty eye sockets letting me peer into the endless abyss within that shell, and see Kyorto's soul safely settling in to her new reliquary. I see the tanlines where different skins were merged together, but instead of a gory patchwork monstrosity, this body of skin looks delicately crafted, dainty and precise the first words that come to mind. The skin continues to contract and contort, Kyorto's form now shockingly similar to a woman in robes, as I feel the dim pall of magic-and Kyorto's body warps, an afterimage of an older woman in sturdy robes, spare and lightly wrinkled, stands before me. In that image, I still see the mass of skin that is Kyorto... this is an illusion, then. Excellent, this could make her presence far easier to support, if only those that can pierce magical guises could see the truth.

>>256952
"||So, you finally have flesh to call your own. Before we go further, I have question of my own: Do you know of precedent for a talking Core Being?||"
"||You encountered such? Odd. That should not-well, there is one way, should the Core Being be a more... linked... existence.||"
"||You speak of the Caged One, And the Fragments he can sow?||"
"||Indeed I do. ...Was that also learned from this Scientiomancer Eldghodd?||"
"||Partly, but I also draw from having spoken with the Caged One.||"
"You what?||"
"||I hosted the Caged One, or a fragment at least, for a time, conversed some, and had it excised by Grand Elder Mage Lenryt.||"
"Is this Lenryt a new member of the Mortal Coil's ruling council?||"
"||Yes she slew a prior member to gain entry... I don't know when she did that, but given at best, She is only now hitting puberty, one would assume she joined young. Now back to Caged One fragments, could one possess a Soul Grave?||"
"Only if given permission.... a CHILD?||"
"||You have been secluded for more than a decade, The world marches on whether you will it or not. Much has changed that you will need to learn.||"
>>257022
"||So we shall leave now? One moment then.||"

Kyorto's body unravels and unfolds, that massive skin canvase flowing through the doorway, tipping books from shelves and wrapping them within herself, scores of tomes removed and contained before she walks back out, a shimmering image of Kyorto with a heavy travelling bag now taking the place of secondary image.

"||What few corporeal trinkets I claim as my own are on my person: Where shall we go?||"

>>257022
>>257025
>>257031
>>257035
>>257085
A fey mood strikes, as I pull forth a pair of Deep Spawn eggs.
>Welgahoo embodies the concept of LAND IMPROVEMENT, in the form of LIVING WORLD SPIRITS and CONNECTED NETWORKS?

WELGAHOO

A creater, an improver. Life, bounty, growth, proliferation, habitation. Thoughts of the consummate farmer, to turn desert to paradise, fills my mind. The core before me now begins to look like an egg, no, a seed, tendrils sprouting, vines unfurling, plants, life and greenery blooming forth, weaving together, compacting, condensing-

Now before me stands a biped, green and brown, like a forest made flesh. There are no eyes to regard me, no mouth to offer a pledge of service-yet all the same the creature, some ten feet tall, bows reverently to me, as Phohn whispers words into my mind.

Welgahoo wishes to give his everything to Administrator Mordre's will, and will bring life anywhere he wills it.

I am not done. The second egg beckons, and even as I note Kyorto's illusion waver ever so slightly as her skin body gains slack from sheer shock, I press on.

> Bobobo: Bobobo embodies the concept of KNOWLEDGE, his form made of BOOKS and WORDS.

BOBOBO

Knowledge. Possibilities. Words. I dream of power put to paper, secrets transcribed, the future foretold, the past uncovered. I see a tome of everything, even the Dream an open realm of understanding to this thing, so much knowledge it coalesces into life. I see the Core flatten and fold upon itself, swelling and growing hair as it slowly reopens, a massive tome eight feet tall, five feet deep and two feet wide, it's cover a shaggy pelt, its pages lined with teeth. Again no words are directed my way.... yet betwixt the toothy protrusions, I see words forming, ink springing into existence.

The Tome Bobobo, The Book of Possibilities, opens before Mordre.

I begin to wonder what kind of spawn these two could make as I turn back to Kyorto-
>>257085
>>257091
-Before getting sidetracked by a simple thought: If I hold a Scientiomancer, an Administrator in my form.... where are the attending Deep Spawn bound to its will? Kyorto has to speak twice to gain my attention.

"||....Did you do what I think you just did?||"
"||I just crafted some Deep Spawn bound to my will, If that is what you are asking. ....I should have resumed Blood magic for that.||"
"||So I was not mistaken, you WERE tapping the power of Blood before... Blood magic, and magic from the Deep.... you have indeed been busy, Mordre. ....So:||"

"||Where shall we go?||"

Burduko wishes to report the mortal Carkiano begins to stir.





What should I say or do?
What kind of cover should I establish with Kyorto?
What are my plans for the immediate future?
>[I need 1d100 roll for Air Cavalry training. Just one. If I get multiple, I'm taking the lowest roll, so be aware.]
>>
No. 257260 ID: 8f17f0

rolled 19 = 19

Rollan
>>
No. 257275 ID: 9338f5

>>257249
First we go to the palace guarded by the small tomb, loot the hell out of it and take that small tomb with us. On the way we explain things a bit better to Kyorto, tell her pretty much everything. also ask her about the master of sorrow
>>
No. 257280 ID: 445c48

Well, cover. Let's see. That would be easy, but unfortunately, we've got bros that can see through illusions. I mean I'm sure the skin and weird structure could be explained away with magic, but those eyes man. Those lack of eyes. We need to get her some sunglasses or glass eyes or something. Also, that unfolding thing. That's creepy. Maybe the story could be a mage we knew before we found the soul grave? And then when people see through the illusion, say that she's actually a deep spawn based on illusions and deception? No, this is a terrible idea.

Bring everyone to Mordreden. They're more used to our crazy magical shit. Introduce Kyorto to Phohn and tell her she can use her to translate.

Get Welgahoo to see if he can grow shit up there. Ask Bobobo if he comes in a smaller size, or if he can move on his own. Tell Kyorto to mingle with the Premen Shamen, and apologizing for leaving her suddenly, but you came here while you were in the middle of something.

Then go back to The Blue Knight, and bring Burduko with you just because.
>>
No. 257282 ID: 421264

>>257275
If we can pull this off, then yes. But remember, we have a war to fight.
>>
No. 257285 ID: 0e5efb

>>257275
>>
No. 257286 ID: 69bee4

Hurry the fuck up you Dragon Riders (A modified English Ode in respect of Ellorika)

Hurry the deep up you air cavalry!
Just because some dragons refuse to obey,
Get back on! Or ill show you agony!
When dealing with iron lungs, is no dolce.
And so, let me be frank
Your showing, it is stank!
And as the one with rank…
YOU GET BACK ON THOSE DRAGONS! OR ILL SHOVE
MY FOOT SO DEEP UP YOUR ASS YOU’LL BE SPITTING DOVES!
HURRY THE FUCK UP YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR DRAGON CAVALRY! Oƒ!
>>
No. 257288 ID: 445c48

Also, not a thing to do right now, but once things cool down a bit, we've got to get our more recent Deepspawn up to Dogrum to put the "Don't tell people about Mordre" binding because we haven't done that on the new guys, just told them not to tell.

And as for looting The Duke's place, think we should do that later, so it doesn't look like we ditched the Blue Knight/exploded ourselves. It'll take at least another day to get the Air Cav trained, so we could do it then.

And yes, start filling in Kyorto as you make your way to the Telebox.

Oh, and ask her a question, what -mancy do illusions fall under? Not too important, but something good to put on the wiki. As I recall, our -mancy list was just given to us by Arkus off the top of his head, and he said something about it being incomplete. I might not recall this correctly.
>>
No. 257291 ID: 1854db

Right now... let's investigate the Duke. Go get that Small Tomb.
>>
No. 257319 ID: c4098d

>>257291
Agreed. For too long the Duke's palace has been beyond our reach, now we can finally unlock it's mysteries. What treasures lie beyond that Small Tomb? No time like the present to find out.

Send Bobobo to Mordreden to collect the knowledge of the Shaman think-tank, have Burduko fetch our Anti-magic hammer, and accompany Carkiano while we investigate the palace.

Questions for Kyorto: Duke Mordecai, an arrogant noble or an effective ruler? Were we constructed in Trodar or merely being repair here? Does she remember the locations of other Mosmordren cities, military outposts and bases, Soul-Grave locations, supply caches, or research facilities?
>>
No. 257322 ID: 35bba5

Oh, those books from the word mage, Bobobo might be able to figure them out.
>>
No. 257326 ID: 46c430

Uh, let's wait to investigate until -after- our buddy in blue is safe again, huh? We need to return to him.
>>
No. 257327 ID: 741399

>>257260
>19
What a terrible roll. ;_;

And the usual spiel about the exact capabilities of our new Deep Spawn: exactly what they do and how they do it, what limits are there on their powers, what special abilities do their spawn have, etc.

Set Bobobo on showing Arkus all the knowledge of legal magic, that we have acquired, in public, and all the knowledge of all magic in private, after Burduko has teleported it to the Arcanoworks if we can set some small part of our mind constantly in communication with Phohn to tell Bobobo what we know and it can record it all. Otherwise, keep Bobobo near us while we tell it everything we know through Phohn, as we concentrate on other matters then send it off to the Arcanoworks. If Phohn can get a Drazken shaman to concentrate on telling Bobobo their knowledge about everything important (concentrating on magic, the progressing universals), that should be done. If, somehow, Arkus, and Ulzrick now that I think about it, manage to learn everything Bobobo can show them, send it over to the Drazken shamans.

Welgahoo should get some of those World magic seeds to plant in Mordreden, when it has made some of that land suitable for the trees. Hopefully, it can also make the climate suitable for the trees too, or the trees to the climate. I suspect that Welgahoo can connect the two leyline systems made by the network of World magic trees could be connected with each other to form a Leyline between the two, allowing mages at each end to tap into the World magic in each network. I imagine that Welgahoo must stay in Mordreden to insure the trees grow properly, but if it doesn't, then set it to the Cursed Lands and make it suitable for colonization, keeping the area small so to keep the chance of people stumbling on it low.

On Kyorto, explain to her the nature, and some of the specifics (kindly, old, mage who discovered how to control golems over distances, likes cats and maids, benevolent, would like to see peace and prosperity in everyone, etc.), of our disguise as Mage Mordre, including how the Premen of the Drazken clan in Mordreden (explaining who and what those two terms mentioned above are) knows that we are sapient. Explain to her the specifics (the nature of the situation there, the problems they are facing) our four areas of interest - Mordreden, Arcanoworks, LoD, Cursed Lands - and allow her to choose where she wants to be. I would like her to choose Mordreden: she must have some knowledge of Soul magic that she can use to counter the magic of the Yetis. After looting the Duke's place, and claiming the Small Tomb, of course.
>>
No. 257344 ID: eee271

We should get around to ask Kyorto to train Arkus.
>>
No. 257372 ID: 8f17f0
File 128997830911.png - (251.59KB , 600x800 , Mordrefront.png )
257372

I made more!
>>
No. 257374 ID: 56dc25

>>257249
>What should I say or do?
Introduce Kyorto to Phohn, and instruct him to brief her on our current assets, allies, and plans. That will probably take some time, during which she can stay here.

>What kind of cover should I establish with Kyorto?
Tell her that we have a few thoughts on how to present her to our servants, but would be interested in hearing what her preference would be after she's appraised of the current situation. She has a better grasp of her capabilities than we do, after all- though we will want a full briefing on that. She can contact us by Phohn at any time to discuss matters.

>What are my plans for the immediate future?
Return to the Blue Knight. Inform him that the portal was successfully closed through your combined efforts, and if his armor is unable to walk we will transport it (and him) back to a safer location.

While walking, discuss the nature of his golem and its/his talents, the understanding being that what nothing we hear will be held against him. Bring up also that we are somewhat concerned for his son's health, as the tool he was using in combat seemed rather dangerous to the user.
>>
No. 257388 ID: 903f16

>>257249

>What should I say or do?

"We will go to the Northern Mountains and the lands of the Drazken clan. Our journey will only take a moment, my Spawn Burduko is capable of transporting us directly into their capitol using a specially crafted teleportation box. As you are aware when first we met it I said it was a poorly defended town with but a single bronze name as it's resource, it is now so much more. It is known as Mordreden - The Icy Bastion, it's walls formed of ice and empowered through magic making it a veritable fortress amidst the snow. The Drazken have likewise grown, now holding a position of power amongst their people.

I will introduce you to their leader Lorgk as a close friend and an elder shaman of high ability. After this they will allow you to do as you please and accommodate you as best they can. Sadly I must leave you there for a brief time, I came to you in the aftermath of a large battle and a potential ally is just now regaining consciousness. When I am done with him and preparing your entrance and cover story for my base in The State I can secure you more appropriate and comfortable dwellings. In the mean time I recommend using another Spawn named Phohn to communicate with their Shaman think tank. I have tasked them with two very difficult projects which could use your aid. Mind the wandering soul known as Heol, she suffered a rather unfortunate accident. Last and most importantly if you see Yeti warn the tribe, they are treacherous creatures deserving only extinction."

Then be a bit silly, make a mock bow and offer her your hand to escort her to the box.

>What kind of cover should I establish with Kyorto?

She is our colleague and friend. We met her long ago and she recently decided to visit us, but due to our previously hinted at constantly changing location she decided to go to our golem instead. This works because we have referred to having a colleague like her previously to people like Dregas and her arrival wouldn't be surprising and instead people would have a small level of familiarity due to this previously offered cover.

>What are my plans for the immediate future?

Basically what I listed above. We drop Kyorto off in Mordreden for a spell and then go see Carkiano as he wakes up. Either invite him over to the Arcanoworks or return to his home. We have much to discuss, further alliances to build and plans to make with him. Then we need to either head back to the Arcanoworks or wait there and handle business while we wait for the prisoner's to be walked over. March all the prisoner's to Quinton's outpost and offer them to him as cannon fodder and give our report/receive news.
>>
No. 257405 ID: ad5304

Also, have Bobbo teach her common.

Can't have people recognizing that Mornosic(?).
>>
No. 257406 ID: 35bba5

>>257405
Mornostric. Also Bobobo needs to learn Ozric, the magic language Kyorto is probably one of the only existing speakers/readers of.
>>
No. 257407 ID: fd0672

>>257249
I would like these >>256928 questions answered if possible.

what are the capabilities of our new spawn? Welgahoo is more or less understandable but what about Bobobo? How much is he supposed to know? Everything? Just to test him out, ask for information about the Caemlo Repository and it's current location... huh, if we find it, Bobobo could be a good bargain chip to gain their knowledge.... but then again, do we need Repository now? Wouldn't Bobobo know all of their texts?.... I find that unlikely as that would be too easy.

OH! Remember in the beginning of the quest we found several soul grave schematics which we used to alter ourself? We haven't found any more after that. Can we ask Bobobo for that knowledge too?


What we should do right now is go to the small tomb in the area. the consensus seems to be that it is very weak for us to use so I strongly suggest that we take its soul and finally have Thormo whole again. Try to address him, see if he's responsive and what he has to say.
Huh... we would have 3 Mosmodren souls in us that way, plus Kyorto... hey we might be able to rebuild Mosmordre after all!


Why doing all this talk with Kyorto about the things we have been doing all this time.
At one point go like:
-"Kyorto, you wouldn't believe shit I had to pull to get accepted all around the world" Then tell anecdotes about notable HAM scenes, like the one we pulled in the forest where we made up a bunch of forest fairies, pretended that we were controlled by the spirit of the forest and made the mercenary team to work with us.
Or where we made up imaginary wife.
Or our daily shenanigans with cats and maids.

Our overly detailed and complicated social ruses should be equally hilarious and horrifying to Kyorto.


After we are done in Mosmordre, leave Kyorto in Mordreden or Arcaneworks and return to Carkiano. It is important that we are there when he wakes up.
>>
No. 257410 ID: fd0672

>>257406
>Ozric

First time hearing about it. Care to elaborate?
What is different about it that makes it "magical"? Is magic stronger if you vocalize it in this language rather than other?


Also, we need to increase our efforts on unified magic theory/language, right now only Premen shamans are doing bits and pieces on it but we need mages from all over the world working on it to make it "unified".... otherwise it's just Premen magic theory.
>>
No. 257411 ID: 35bba5

>>257410
Kyorto's books are in Ozric. Or some of them are anyways. Nothing has been said about Ozric having any actual magical properties as far as I know, but it is the Mosmordren language used for magic texts and the like. It might have word magic properties or something, though. That is the sort of thing you would try to build in if you were creating a magical language.
>>
No. 257434 ID: 9338f5

A thought has occured to me, apart from the Blue knight (who I suspect lacks a good rep with the state) a few aids that were around the camp at the time and Quinton nobody from the state knows we are doing most of the defence against the DoD, we have no proof save our word that we are doing so (unless I forgot the bit where it was mentioned). If Quintion feels like it he could quite easily claim all credit and good PR as well as fame from doing a good deal of the work to fend off the invaision.
>>
No. 257435 ID: 9338f5

>>257434
Also when I was checking the wiki I found this.
>Magnum Bang -- whose soul is almost pure chaos, creation, explaining how he can 'create' spell calculations, and in general think so swiftly

There was some talk before about improving our thinking speed, if that sentance is right altering our internal balance to be more chaotic could increase our thinking speed somehow. We may need better control of soulmagic to do this.
>>
No. 257483 ID: fd0672

Admit that what you know about the System is just bits and pieces.

Ask her what she knows about it, Deep Spawns and Mosmordre dealings with them.
>>
No. 257514 ID: 421264

>>257286
>>257372
I hope this helps us finish upgrading our Golem Armor.
>>
No. 257515 ID: 421264

Yeah, I'm in favor of giving her the highlights of what we've done and asking her opinion on where she'd like to go. Oh! We should say we named our base after her, a future school of learning. She'll like that, I hope.

Welgahoo should stay around Mosmordre and start trying to fix up the Cursed Lands and then head up to Mordreden to kick it Shangra-La style.

Bob-obo should head up to Mordreden first, to help with our mage collective. He should not head to the Kyogrock Arcanoworks. Not until we've helped Ulzrick. For various reasons. Ahem.

And as no one seems to have brought up the question, ask Kyorto about the Mosmordre Administrator and just where his spawn might be.
>>
No. 257522 ID: 445c48

I think Welgahoo should focus first on getting stuff to grow in Mordreden. They're expanding, and they'll need a more stable food source. Starting now on the Cursed Lands won't get us much. Maybe some unwanted attention. If he works up there, there's a more immediate benefit.

The Cursed Lands Restoration Project is a long term one, one that I think we shouldn't start just now and to avoid suspicion, should probably not start at this city, but either from the outside in, or at places that are like world magic significant. Maybe on a leyline or forest or something.
>>
No. 257524 ID: fd0672

Oh right, don't forget to give verbal restrictions to our new spawn. Actually repeat the order to all of our spawn just to be sure. I am talking about not giving any information about us if they are asked.

This is important for Bobobo, right now people don't think of giving any questions to our Spawn, they probably see them as specialized constructs with simple mind. But when you give them access to an entity which specializes in KNOWLEDGE then they might start thinking creative and asking all kind of things we don't want them to learn about.


Also, we should order our spawn LoD to give us heads up if anyone starts questioning them. We have enemies there and Jioga is not really happy about us... what if he tries to question our Spawn? They can't help but answer him unless it is restricted.
So, when someone starts questioning about more or less touchy subject, the spawn should relay the question to us and we'll determine how to answer it.
>>
No. 257535 ID: 741399

>>257327
>Bobobo teaching the Drazken
Wait no, the Drazken don't know how to read, scratch that. Still, have Kyorto teach Bobobo and Phohn Ozric, and they teach her the language of the place where she is put.

Speaking of Phohn and Kyorto, connect Kyorto with Phohn, after telling her of the intrusion of her mind that Phohn will do. She understands spoken Common (and likely speaks it well, since understanding spoken language tends to mean you can speak it well), as demonstrated by her comprehension of our Common before we switched to Morstronic, so that is one thing we don't need to do; she doesn't understand Premen, though, so Phohn will need to teach her that if she chooses Mordreden, but she understand the universal language of magic they're working on, so she can communicate while learning Premen, even if it is only with the shamans.

Also, tell her of Domintus, particularly about the Chaotic body with Ordered soul, that was a deep emptiness. Explain further about Lenryt, particularly about her fusion with a planetary-sized super entity, and how we are working on a job from her in the LoD currently. Those probably fall under explaining the situations at our areas of interest.

>>257435
We can't, you know, make our soul more Chaos aligned, since our soul is completely Chaos. We have no Order in our soul. None!

>>257483
And yeah, agreement on asking her of her knowledge of the System and the Mosmordren Deep Spawn.

>>257522
>Cursed Lands Restoration Project
Inside out, I would say. The Cursed part will allow any colonizers to only worry about the innate dangers of the land, without worrying too much about outside invaders. (There will be invaders, once word gets out that we are making the Cursed Lands safe to live in; there is so much lost knowledge and magic there, everybody who wants to learn Soul Magic probably will rush in and try to steal everything we reclaim.) Better to maintain a buffer. I actually prefer making the lands still highly hostile, but having the inhabitants able to work within the land.

>>257524
Our Spawn aren't stupid, I'm sure they can refuse to answer questions that we don't want answered. They have intelligent minds.

On immediate goals, get updates on the situation in the LoD, Mordreden, and the Arcanoworks. Then move Kyorto, to where she wants to be, and Welgahoo, to Mordreden, and Bobobo, to the Arcanoworks, with Burduko. After Burduko has recovered to full strength, teleport to Carkiano. Fill him in on the situation (portal blow up in a massive explosion, killed all the remaining soldiers, how many hours gone by, etc.), and ask him what he wants to do.
>>
No. 257537 ID: 252e1b

>>257515

The patchwork beast is likely, in part, the Administrator's spawn.
>>
No. 257539 ID: 445c48

>>257535
>Our Spawn aren't stupid, I'm sure they can refuse to answer questions that we don't want answered. They have intelligent minds.

Yes, but have we told some of them that we don't want people knowing we're Anthema? Or perhaps the older spawn told the younger spawn that we don't want people to know?

Maybe, maybe. We should still order them to, just in case. And after every deep spawn creation, since we can't go back to Mordreden to get actual bindings every day (Which we should do sooner or later though). A bit of caution here would not hurt.
>>
No. 257541 ID: 741399

>>257539
I thought that all our Deep Spawn, including our potential Deep Spawn, have had our standard restrictions, which includes being unable to speak of our Anathemaness, laid on them, during the first time we had Dorgrum help us lay restrictions on them?
>>
No. 257545 ID: 69bee4

Helping out a Mage Friend (An epic style tale of advice for Arkus)

Ah, the good lass Ellorika is your interest my lad?
Help you out with an intimidating woman? Id be glad!
So my dear studious mage, first off your going to need a plan
For its hard to get a women with such large… tracts of land!
Compared to her strength and her being quite frank.
You sir have arms that look like some thin planks.
However, when one seeks only someone who is her better
You dear Arkus, are going to have to be a hell of a go-getter.
So opportunity arises, as she yells at the failing cavalry
You just need to engage her in a bit of corrivalry.
Though her better in strength you will never be, you sir do have knowledge
And if you can rip those boys into shape faster than her, she will acknowledge
Those wands you see, make a shield that control the air
And making sure that in combat those knights don’t fall is fair.
So set a condition that gives someone control, so they don’t give up and let go
And well, soon you will be in control even over the intimidating girl, as long as the winds blow.
A mastery of knowledge, an invoker of your will, and power through magic
That so many underestimate the directness of mages, tell her, is tragic.
For when it comes to strength and such, she may true be your better.
But when it stands for control and power, prove she is your debtor.
So Arkus, let it begin, you shall make her your rival and be sure to come out on top.
Do it just right my dragon hatted friend, and your world I’m sure she shall rock.

A sort of poem pair for my previous >>257286, and some help in the realm of love for our best studious mage Bro. Also a great excuse to 'help' those Air cavalry get into shape.
>>
No. 257546 ID: 445c48

>>257541
Ah, potential deepspawn? I assumed it was only the deep spawn we had with us at the time. Hmm.

Well no problem then.
>>
No. 257556 ID: 741399

The books from the Domintus Word mage, flip through them for a moment, then give them to Kyorto, explaining they were apparently used to enhance the workings of a Word and Dream mage. If she doesn't know what to do with them, send them off to Arkus.

Concerning Arkus, send him the schematics of our new hammer, using Bobobo if possible.
>>
No. 257593 ID: a76809

>>257260
[184/210]
>>257372
[+1 FANART BONUS 4/6 GOLEM ARMORS MODIFIED]
>>257286
>>257545
[LYRICAL BONUS, +10, 194/210 AIR CAVALRY TRAINING]

>>257407
[Setting mechanics questions are for discussion or IRC.]

>>257280
>>257285
>>257327
>>257374
>>257388
>>257515
>>257522
>>257535
"Before we go further, I wish to switch to Common: I know you speak it, and soon you shall have to use it often."
"An acceptable request. Go on."
"I have relatively little time at the moment, so I have much to say, To compress as finely as possible-and so I shall begin: [u]Firstly:[u] Concerning your cover, I would think it wiser to call you a past acquaintance, a colleague. It would make any eccentricities noted easier to accept, given my established persona as an old mage remotely controlling this Soul Grave. As an established comrade, your presence will be easy to explain, simply that trying to find me for a house call was nigh impossible, and you settled on this as the next best thing. I have mentioned a colleague before at several points, this cover will allow you to take advantage of this. [u]Secondly:[u] I intend to send you and Welgahoo, the Deep Spawn here, to Mordreden, what was once the small premen holding with a meager mine. They know my secret, and will be gracious hosts and friends to any I send. There is a Deep Spawn liason by the name of Dorgrum present there, along with caves that lead directly to the System itself. So by instant transfer, I shall send you both, for the time being. [u]Thirdly:[u] The reason I am leaving you there for the moment is because I have engagements elsewhere that must be dealt with. I have a Deep Spawn, Phohn, able to speak across any distance, whisper and listen alike in any ear. He could facilitate any desire to speak to me, or indeed anyone else Phohn has met."
"You take your cover quite seriously... good, perhaps the truth of barbarism hidden within you can yet be kept close. I shall do as you ask, show me to this instant transfer of yours."

I glance through the Domintus Word mage books, their texts meaningless to me, some language I do not recognize employed, before handing them to Kyorto as well. She thanks me for the extra reading material, and along with Welgahoo departs to Mordreden with Burduko, who flickers back into view a fraction of a second later. Phohn is already reporting on having informed Lorgk, Mingsk and Delro of the coming travelers and each one's purpose. crops growing on snow mountains, a long-dead mage brought back? All three find something to like in what is arriving. Next I turn to Bobobo, considering my next move, possibly my last before I return, knowing Carkiano is either awake or about to be.

I turn to the open book, the thing I dreamt of holding all knowledge, and I pose a question.

"Where is the Caemlo Repository?"

Words begin to appear on the fanged pages.

The Soul Grave, or the shipping storage company?
"The Soul Grave"
Betwixt lands of hunger and lands of bounty, the farmers and the sailors, it is there they exist in the most Possibilities. It is the most likely place to find them in this here and now. That would translate to somewhere on the border of the Mahnlea Mountains and Athelens.

I nod thoughtfully on this bit of information, decisively closing up Bobobo and grasping the hairy book in my left hand, letting Burduko lead me into the teleportation cage. Completely recovered from the earlier jaunt, Burduko nevertheless sags and wobbles after the world shimmers, and I make no more demands of him as I walk the remaining few scores of feet to Carkiano's golem armor, which I see is beginning to stir, attempting to push itself up. I let Bobobo float in the air beside me, still tightly shut, as I help Carkiano to his feet, the warrior's vocalizations full of grimace and grumble.

>"...Eh, eh-heh, heh... what happened here?"
"Well, our Ordered attacks met the Chaotic Portal. The resultant explosion created the crater we are within."
>"..How long was I out?"
"A few hours, no more. Do not fear, Not a one was allowed to flee, The army slain to the last, In retaliation for your grievance. I made sure of it."[code] >"..Then I thank you for that. ...Thank you, but I'm fine now.." I step back as Carkiano finishes rising, his heavily dented, pitted, scratched and scuffed armor covered in grit, a tacky partner to my own pristine repiared and cleaned form. Instead of commenting, Carkinao simply walks about for a few minutes, looking at the crater, the field of dead, all of it. Finally he speaks. >"...Still worth it, to deal such a blow to the Disciples.And we lived through meeting the Domintus leadership, However indirectly. I'll take that without complaint... Well, shall we go?" [code]"Of course."

I pick up my hammer, the Void Bringer, as Bobobo continues to soundlessly waft alongside me, Carkiano's black and blue armor limping only slightly as we walk. The sun continues to climb, and after we have covered a few dozen miles I speak.

"So, exactly how does your Golem Armor function? The Cloak that holds so much intrigues me, As much as the items dwelling within. I ask not to replicate or disseminate, But because I would know what my friend can do, Knowledge kept close to the soul"
>"...Shit, so you did see that then. Yes, I did use Soul Magic, but it is part of previously assembled mechanisms in my Golem Armor, something I cannot perform on my own. A case could be made it does not officially fall under the ban."
"And you need not argue it, as I saw no problem with the use."
>"..I thank you. Well, the suit... it takes a piece of your soul, a small piece, magnifies it to the scale of the golem armor, and then puts that giant soul all into the next Item use, a form of supercharging its performance."
"Knowledge I appreciate, and will keep to myself. I must admit being concerned on another matter, Quite related to this one: Your son, he-"
>"What can I do? He knows what the armor does, that wasting away of the soul-and despite this, he used it without hesitation. If he had done it in defense of those he is sworn to lead, I could accept that... but to protect his father, the one he's supposed to one day take over for? It's reckless, unnecessary risk for an heir."
"He is still currently fine though, correct?"
>"Thankfully so, but what if he keeps doing this? He only has the one life, and the cost of the Blue Devil is high indeed."
"What IS it?"
>"That's a story in itself. Unlike this, the Blue Knight, or the other Golem Armors I possess, the Blue Devil was NOT forged here in the Azelhaedran State. It was a trophy from the fall of the Mordreden Empire, something that sparked the research of three separate outposts that I know of. Three entire magic resaerch facilities, all completely driven by the study of this one thing. Beyond that, I don't know more of its history. What I can tell you is its capabilities. The Blue Devil... it is a paradox, a thing hewn of impossibility. There are notes, BOOKS on those flames it makes. You mentioned Order and Chaos... those books called it a 'Stable Impossibility Loop', Order and Chaos coexisting in the same area to mutual benefit rather than destruction. Anything, ANYTHING can be immediately incinerated, atomized in an instant. The flames are even capable of being shaped, controlled, pushed and pulled: Flight is documented as possible-and that every test pilot that tried died in the process. And there is the crux of the problem. It's performance easily outstrips my own... but the demand on the pilot..."
"You worry for your son's wellbeing. Yet I note he struck me as stronger than he looks: With the southern lands safe for now, He should have no need to use it again."
>"Maybe. Probably. That doesn't change the fact he's twice now run to get that suit when there were troubled times... this is a pattern that I do not like. ...Bah, enough with these somber mutterings, The two of us felled an army and snubbed the noses of the Pure Lady and that Domintus Soul Grave! Would that I could recall the event itself... ah, well."
>>257434
"A worry strikes me: Could not Quinton claim credit for this? He is the only one that I know of, aware I am here helping you. He could easily take credit for the safety we bought the southlands."
>"He could... but he won't. You must not have been in the State much, or you'd know. Quinton, however pompous or arrogant, is predictable. If he asked for your aid, I'm betting he didn't, he COULDN'T know you'd succeed. So, per his normal behavior, I imagine he sent word to the State Leadership, saying something along the lines that 'This Mage Mordre promised he'd deal with the threat, blather blather blather', so that he could blame you when you die and fail. So really, he did you a favor."

We continue walking, Burduko once more following, keeping a respectful distance as we speak, observing Bobobo. It is at this juncture, knowning our travel is slowed thanks to Carkiano's suit, I wonder:


What else could I ask?
And after we return to his nearest base, what should I do?
>>
No. 257594 ID: a76809

[Correction: 5/6 Golem Armors modified.]
>>
No. 257596 ID: 421264

First: Start talking to our souls. 'Ozmand, I hope I didn't hurt you too much with that. Ha...hahaha! Did you manage to see that poor girl's face as you rocked at her? Anyway, how's the new resident doing in there?'

And talk to the souls we never got to know. Luo of the Winding Path, John, Paul, George and Ringo, Lumingo the Blademaster, Yogoko the Time Thief & Bagata the Inverter. For the last three, we should be thankful and forgiving. Those three we've used the most, and we never really fought them.

And other than that, shoot the breeze. Ask him where he found the suits of Golem Armor. Ask him how he liked the pickles. Ask what it's like to still have family around. Ask if we can look at the Blue Devil and see if we can help.
>>
No. 257603 ID: eee271

>>257596
i second this motion
>>
No. 257612 ID: 741399

Well, if Bobobo can tell us all the capabilities and weaknesses of Giana, Domintus, and The Pure Lady, where they are, what their target is, how long it will take for them to reach their target, that would be highly useful. The capabilities and weaknesses of the Scarred Yeti. The origin and nature of the patchwork creature would be nice, though that is probably best asked in private. The meaning and use of any and all runes, whose meaning we don't know, that we have encountered; a comprehensive and exhaustive list of all runes and their meanings and uses; etc. Also how to resurrect Silicanthos. Translate and replicate those books of the Domintus Word mage into a language we understand.

Shouldn't Burduko by tracing a path to the Domintus forces? We don't need him here yet.
>>
No. 257683 ID: f4e4f9

>>257612
He's exhausted. We if we intend to keep him functioning under the weight of our own transportation, we need to enhance him, Either through a Deepspawn Core or a Restriction.

Also, have we applied the base restrictions to all of our Deepspawn?
>>
No. 257685 ID: f4e4f9

Also, I think looking into this Blue Devil has merit. We could potentially enhance our own Soulfire given proper understanding, and utilizing our own restorative resources and capabilities (with a little help from our own soul-magic senses) we may be able to repair the dessicated state of Vonjeen's soul.

Can you think of a greater loyalty than that of a Father to the healer of his beloved child? I cannot.
>>
No. 257686 ID: f4e4f9

Regarding how: We've seen that on it's own, Soul combination can result in...side-effects. Oggroth's Dreams and dangerous symptoms, and Abaeloth's. However, if these symptoms can be overcome, the result is a whole, healthy individual stronger than ever before, with a few quirks.

However, this was when each was left to deal with the consumption on their own. What if we had ourself and one or two able in the manipulation of souls, (like say, Ulzrick and Jojo) guide the process and attempt to reinforce Vonjeen's own spirit? Moreover, Souls are malleable by nature, so could we not morph lesser souls used in our furnace so that when converted to 'soul glue', they are more inclined to just revitalize Vonjeen's soul rather than take over like what happened with Oggroth? We know based on our own Soul Nexus (with John, Paul, etc) that such a relationship and soul structure is possible.
>>
No. 257687 ID: 0e5efb

>>257683
Restriction: He can only teleport us during odd-numbered minutes, counted from NOW.
>>
No. 257689 ID: 1854db

>>257683
We could also enhance him by messing with his soul's balance. Bumping him towards order should result in easier teleports, while bumping him towards chaos would result in easier telefrags.
>>
No. 257693 ID: 35bba5

>>257685
Kyorto could potentially be a lot of help with that, since the armor was made in the Mosmordren empire.
>>
No. 257725 ID: 9338f5

did we ask about that legendary soul mage yet?
>>
No. 257736 ID: 421264

>>257687
>>257689
Or we could wait for him to get very strong from just general practice?

>>257685
Just call us the Mad Mage Mordre. Hopefully we won't be shot, posioned, stabbed, and drowned because we healed the Czar'sCarkiano's son.
>>
No. 257744 ID: 9338f5

>>257736
It does not sound like his soul has been severly damaged only that every time he has a big problem he runs to the soul damaging super golem armour. If we want to help we should find a way to lessen the Armours cost or find an alternative for the kid to use.
>>
No. 257747 ID: fd0672

>>257736
>Or we could wait for him to get very strong from just general practice?

I agree with this. He should be becoming stronger each time he transfers us.
If we are dubious of his progress we could ask him to evaluate himself: how strong he was when first created and how strong he is now. Maybe ask him percentage growth so that we get rough idea of the speed of his progress.


We should ask Carkiano the possibility of studying Blue Devil. We'll need Kyorto, Arkus and Bobobo to examining and modifying it, and applying what we learned on ourself.
>>
No. 257749 ID: 8c06b9

>>257744
Or we could just, you know, have a private word with him or something? Maybe ask Abaeloth if he can think of anything to say to the kid, as he's had personal experience with one's soul being used as a price for power.
>>
No. 257752 ID: 9338f5

>>257749
That might work, but the boy seems to be jumping into the bluedevil at the first sign of serious trouble. Exactly the sort of situation where he might consider it an exception to the dont kill yourself thing. So long as it is avaible he will try to use it when theres any serious danger as there is no other option other than stand around and wait to die, so we should eithergive him another choice or make the armour less dangerous.
>>
No. 257759 ID: f4e4f9

>>257747
Um...whats this based on? Do you know the rate at which such an improvement occurs, or any indication that such an improvement wont take...decades for sufficient returns? ESPECIALLY at the rate at which we increase our load with our soul intake?

For reference, we just about tripled the load we bring with every transport, such that transferring just ONCE causes Burduko intense nausea/unsteadiness for a significant duration.
>>
No. 257773 ID: 35bba5

>>257683
Burduko is probably the only Deep Spawn I could agree to adding a second core to. Mobility is king. Our ability to transport ourselves and others is probably our most significant advantage at this point. The Mongols and the Romans both pretty much proved the point in different ways. If we are going to build an empire, it might be a good idea to learn something from their examples.
>>
No. 257790 ID: 445c48

I suggest we feed Queeyurtoh to Burduko to upgrade Burduko, because, as anon said, mobility is king, and also because Queeyurtoh has one of those fiddly names I'm not going to remember.


Also, we should expand our road network even more. Ask Quinton if he wants in, make one to the south to The Blue Bro. Etc.
Not now, of course, but we should Phohn Home and get Dregas to write it down and start it when things have cooled down.
>>
No. 257803 ID: 9338f5
File 129012079858.gif - (17.16KB , 400x300 , roman-road-bed.gif )
257803

>>257790
fuck no to leting Quintin in to our road network, if we do it will be easier for him to bug us.

I vote for makeing a proper road in the roman style from the Arcanoworks to the nearby towns under our protection, from the Arcanoworks to the nearest large settlement of the Blue knights, again from the Arcanoworks to the premen mountain. I am fairly sure the island of Gialgora(sp?) is a bit to far away for a road.

have our milita work on the construction supported by one or two deep spawn for protection. this would also be a good chance for our three captins to get out and about and practice their independant leadership.

pic and link related http://historylink102.com/Rome/roman-roads.htm
>>
No. 257822 ID: 0e5efb

>>257803
Man, we need a deep spawn dedicated to large scale but simple work.
>>
No. 257829 ID: 35bba5

>>257803
If we are going to be building a road all the way to Mordreden we might want to consider making a construction oriented Deep Spawn. Otherwise it'll take forever, or we will have to do it ourselves. Humans without geomancy probably won't be able to build roads very quickly.
>>
No. 257831 ID: 9338f5

>>257822
Good idea, it can heavily fortify all of our villages and other holdings we could also have it do most of the dangerous work in that mine we were poking about a few threads ago.

I was thinking of having the milita do most of the road work for exercise and someithing a tad different from training, they have been at it for a few months now some of them are probably getting a bit tired of training all the time.
>>
No. 257834 ID: 9338f5

>>257829
On our last trip that way Mordre made a rough path, clearing the stones and trees to from a very rough road. So the road to Mordreden is already 1/4 done and with a few deepspawn coming with them to deal with the curse twisted monsters and do some of the heavier lifting construction should go fairly quick so long as they are well supplied.
>>
No. 257835 ID: 35bba5

>>257831
Can our Deep Spawn learn arcane magic or runecraft? Something that can construct fortifications with a basic knowledge of runecraft could probably put together stuff much better than most nations would have access to. And if we give some thought to appearance we could make something that could pass as a golem, rather than a demon.
>>
No. 257844 ID: 9338f5

>>257835
perhaps some sort of magic builder deepspawn with a focus on large scale construction and magical enhancement? roads that make travel faster, walls that repel hostile magic, irragation projects that grow more robust plants and prevent floods

we could make a lot of money and earn a lot of good will if we rented it out once were done our building projects
>>
No. 257863 ID: fd0672

I still don't agree using Egg Core on Burduko. He will become stronger the more strain we put on him.

>>257759
Because Deep Spawn can evolve not only by fighting. As all living beings they can become stronger and better at things they do the more they do it and the more complicated/hard they are.

Just see him as a guy wanting to get some strength by heavy lifting. At the beginning he can lift only 20kg dumbbells, but as he keeps working out after few weeks he'll be able to lift 25kg, later 30kg, etc.
But if he never strains his body by taking up heavier weight but by sticking with 20kg, he'll never gain strength (just endurance).

Fuck, if you guys are so concerned about our heavy weigh, lets come up with some kind of soul repository where we will keep reserve souls. Dump that thing in Mordreden and give the shamans permission to use those souls for their magic rituals and/or experiments.
Kyorto will probably help with making soul container, Bobobo might have useful information on that subject too.

Speaking of Bobobo, why did we take him with us? Wont Carkiano be suspicious of a floating, living book that suddenly appeared with us?
Didn't we ask him to be send to Arcaneworks to help Arkus?
>>
No. 257877 ID: 741399
File 12901301731.jpg - (358.42KB , 1500x1338 , Rotgur.jpg )
257877

>exist in the most Possibilities
Possiblities: Possibility Cells, True Blow's breaching barriers between possibilities; does it seem likely to anyone that the Caemlo Repository is Chaos aligned, possibly also utilizing the Dream, to transport itself to a different possible location, restricted only to war-torn places to concentrate enough power to teleport all that mass?

Actually, shouldn't we ask Bobobo what are the general orders for the forces of Domintus, to know the first objective (it probably is just "conquer the State", but at least then we would be sure that they just want to conquer the state instead of like, I don't know, summon a Core Being host by killing off everyone and getting some magical research in the process).

>>257790
>>257773
I still oppose any usage of our Deep Spawn cores that don't result in a new Deep Spawn for us. (If we ever get the ability to just make new cores, then will I shall consider supporting such a notion.)

>>257844
>>257835
>>257829
>>257822
If you suggest a Deep Spawn idea, perhaps propose the concept and forms? I like the idea, so: Tallagga embodies the concept of INFRASTRUCTURE, in the form of NATURE GENESIS and RUNE MAGIC? What I envisioned was nature contriving to construct the asked for structure - oddly localized tremors pull up perfect cubes of stone to the surface, volcanoes spontaneously erupt beneath the sea to solidify as natural and perfect strong bridges from the mainland to the islands, hills buckle and crumble in exactly the right manner and time to leave behind formidable and perfectly defensible fortresses, etc. - as tiny, elaborate runes etch and inscribe themselves over the structures, granting the structure the desired enchantments.

>>257863
Er, I drew how I envisioned a possible a Deep Spawn: Rutgur embodies the concept of STORAGE, in the form of WHITE CLOAKS and BLACK COFFINS. A storage Deep Spawn was conceived when we obtained Void Bringer, and perhaps this might be acceptable?
>>
No. 257879 ID: 903f16

>>257593

>What else could I ask?

Would you like me to remove some of the dents and dings from your armor? Does your son not have another golem armor he can use or is he simply resorting to the Blue Devil whenever there is real danger? You wouldn't mind me taking a look at the Blue Devil later on would you? Would you and your metal traders be interested in using my instant transport system to deliver goods? How long did you have your lieutenants before they turned, and how did you go about hiring them? What do you make of Aurockoth attacking DoD soldiers near your outposts? What do you plan on doing after this?


>>257822

A couple building Deep Spawn have been suggested before. For everyone seconding this I'd take a look at the Deep Spawn name list and pick something off of it.
>>
No. 257887 ID: 45be60

[name] embodies CIVILIZATION, taking the form of GOOD ROADS and PROPPER SANITATION.
I can't tell if I'm joking
>>
No. 257888 ID: 741399

Also, if we are going to be hatching any Deep Spawn, switch to Blood Magic before doing so.
>>
No. 257890 ID: 46c430

Just saying, we should probably hold off on any deep-spawn related activities until we're in private, I think. Thinking up deep-spawn stuff is nice and all, but no sense in giving Carkiano questions to ask.

Personally, I'm for feeding Burduko a deep spawn core, if his ability growth isn't keeping up with our soul count.
>>
No. 257895 ID: 741399

>>257890
We will probably gain a massive quantity of souls during these days/weeks, since we are fighting against a rampaging army with excessively large count of souls to consume; I doubt Burduko can keep up with that easily. However, unless something highly urgent comes up, we're going back to the Land of Dragons, which, pointedly, frowns on such manipulation of souls, and therefore, that venture will unlikely increase our amount of souls. That is, despite the vast gains we are making here, it is most probable that this is only a momentary bump; our gains will stagnate, as they always do, and Burduko will have the time and chance to catch up with our growth.

And agreement on doing Deep Spawn stuff in private.
>>
No. 257899 ID: 9338f5

like the others said wait untill were alone before making any

Geopum embodies BUILDING, taking the form of MAJOR CONSTRUCTION and RUNE ENHANCEMENT.

Not sure if I am doing it right

Basicly he only builds big stuff, the sort of things that would take hundreds of people more than a year to do. the runes would enhance the natural abilitys of whatever he makes.
>>
No. 257908 ID: 741399

Oh yeah, once we get back to the nearest outpost, if that one contains five Domintus Geomantic golem spell casters, pick them up after our other business there is done; we did ask for them, better to avoid the Dulu thing again.

We probably want to build up a sort of rapport with them, so we would have sort-of-loyal to fanatically loyal mages, or at least knows one spell and therefore more of a mage than most, for Arkus to use as helpers.
>>
No. 257912 ID: 69bee4

The Fresh Soul Grave Prince of Arcanoworks

This is a story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I liked to take a minute just sit right there
And tell you how I became the prince of an outpost called Arcanoworks

In west Trodar born and raised
On the Battleground is where I spent most of my days
Chillin out, slayin, eatin some souls,
And all shooting some mortors into their ranks
When a couple of guys who were up to no good
Started making trouble in my neighborhood
I got in one lil curse and Master of Sorrows got scared
And said "Im moving into that Soul Grave right there!"
I Begged and pleaded with him day after day,
But he kept me in shutdown and sent me on my way
But Arkus gave me a kiss of life and then he gave me some tasty souls
So I put my claw on and said I might as well kill some guards

First class yo this is bad
Drinking souls while wearin my monocle and hat
Is this what the people of The States living like?
Hmm this might be allright
But wait I hear prissy, core being breakin rules and all that
Is this the type of place they should send this cool cat
I don't think, I'll see when I get there
I hope they're prepared for the prince of Arcanoworks

Well ah I landed, a small earthquake happened, and I came out
There was a dude that looked like a mage standing there with my name out
I aint trying to get arrested yet I just got here
I sprang with the quickness of lightning and dissapeared
I went on walkin and when I came near
My license plate said MORDE and I had dice in the Cannon
If anything I can say this walk is rare
But I thought naw forget it yo homes to Arcano-there!


I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8
And I yelled to the occupants, Soul Grave takin over there!
I looked at my kingdom I was finally there
To sit on my throne as the Prince of Arcanoworks
>>
No. 257922 ID: a69afd

>>257593
Ask Carkiano if his dreamcloak comes in human size and if we can work out trade for a regular shipment of some small ones plus one for us. I've got plans for these interesting items, one of them being - THE SHOTGUN OF WONDERS

The primary function of this doesn't require a dreamcloak at all- but it will if we don't want to kill everything everytime we fire it. So the basic idea is: Get Abaeloth's shadowcloak, invert, activate. Assuming whatever Abaeloth's cloak "ate" during the time he had it kept his ownership upon entering the dream, we'll be able to take those things back out. Violently. The reason I'm adding a dreamcloak to the equation is because it'll cause less collateral damage, and we'll be able to put better ammunition in this abomination if we can modify Abaeloth's shadowcloak to send material to/take material from other places that are not THE DREAM. Hell, stick one or two of our modified Vanguard blades on the buisness end of this thing and we can have a mini-railgun that can be used continuously without tying up our Anti Golem Cannon with cooldown time. And we come full circle with the request for the human sized dreamcloaks, I want everyone in the Arcanoworks to have one as a last resort weapon. If you can't kill whatever you're fighting by making another dimension shit out an entire payload of assorted weaponry/volitile substances/magical doodads at your target at several times the speed of sound... You probably weren't going to win anyway.
>>
No. 257923 ID: 421264

Note: I love the Storage Deep Spawn idea, very interesting sound. However, I'm torn on the Build Deep Spawn, I like it, because it's easy, but it also puts our civilians out of work. That seems like a bad idea to me.
>>
No. 257925 ID: 9338f5

>>257899
the deep spawn cant be everywere and wouldnt be used for small to mid sized projects.

my idea of the spawn would be able to make several hundred miles worth of high quality road but couldnt do more than flaten the ground for any inns or messanger post that would be built near the road.
>>257923
>>
No. 257927 ID: 69bee4

Requiem to the Young, The Temptation of Power, and Lost

My dear boy Vonjeen, I entrust you to let an old man speak to ye
I have long passed the moment that is life’s marquee
I notice you now, tempting the fate of an armor that burns the soul
Invincible as you can feel when at your age, your life can still be but coal.
When I was like you, I was tempted by the sirens lure of power from all knowledge
I saw myself using magic as but a tool to power and fame, I must acknowledge.
There once was a girl, flowing hair of red as that made all men pale blood
To one of her noble birth, to a mage as low as me, I should have been just mud.
Yet to one who fear not death for power I could beget
The power and anger of her family seemed but idle threat.
I stole an artifact of power from the Coil itself, to demand my desires fulfilled
And many times after, I wish instead that a merciful deity would have had me killed.
With some tender words, looks then of the bold, and a brain full of stupid.
I did end the life of another for the first time, just due to the tempt of cupid.
However, I knew this an artifact of soul, more than a part of me was lost.
It was for using such a thing of power that day, the seal of my fate was crossed.
Stealing her away, it was for a life I would never wish to trade away.
And yet for all gains there is a cost, this law of life shall always hold sway.
I could have acted more right in love, or used that artifact to save instead of take life
Such foolish actions would… would… be the… end of my beloved wife.
My physical body would soon begin an advanced state of decay
The cost of using such an artifact would seen I learned weigh.
My beloved… Perdita…. Why did I fail you so why!
Oh, sorry my boy… let me remove the tear from my eye…
She was determined to help me succeed and live, I thought it a lie of love
But as always she would never fail me, never once thereof.
Knowing the wrath of some still strong, she dared the anger of her family
Pretending to be rid me, and knowing what buttons to push she did so airily.
She knew in a house such as hers there be an heirloom
One deep within, that which could emtomb.
My soul could be saved from decay
Though I would still die eventually, it would cause total allay.
But she never told me the cost, one that came full circle
I could have known, but I was blinded by fear and the hurdle
Of my last great invention I wished to finish.
To finish the transfer of technology to this golem made me skiddish.
One night I awake, to a feeling of such comparative relef, to a sound of just breath
And that night…. I…. I truly….oh Perdita! WHAT… what… did I beget?
Oh know, if I had not tempted fate for all the wrong reasons
I could have won her…. even if it had to take seasons!
Her soul was taken to save mine, to atone for my selfish act.
And though my body could heal some, my life was now whacked.
To act noble, to use power when it trulys save is without sin
But the temptation to run to it, to make it close and dear, to replace a need to conquer fear
Power is a grace, but use those that risk your life only when you will else lose all that is dear!
Your father understands your care, but you must think of the greater good wherein.
And so I work with more wisdom, and aid for more than just those I care.
I must think for those larger, the masses who from wherein are born the rare.
Consider when you place your soul at risk, that there are those who care more for you than themselves.
We must when we carry the future burdens of lives, life for much more than ourselves.
So let this lesson be learned, while I myself must still atone.
Please boy… please…. Let this burden… oh Perdita…. Let this burden be mine alone!


Let the soap and Morde backstory rain down! and help that boy realize what he must do.
Cue whatever must be done by other people, silences, etc must be done to make this work, Im doing mostly the poem end.

>>
No. 257929 ID: 69bee4

>>257927
oh, and sorry to double post, but I don't want to go through the deletion and fixing the thing.

Private conversation before we use this poem, not to everyone.
>>
No. 257930 ID: c4098d

Instead of wasting one of our VERY precious Deep Spawn cores and instead of waiting for Burduko to acclimatize to our new weight, we could spend a pristine soul to enhance him.

"I apologize for bringing the topic up again, but with your permission I would like to have a word with Vonjeen about his use of the Blue Devil. I also have an idea that might solve your concerns about his frequent use of it. I wish to study the Blue Devil as you no doubtingly postulated, hopefully with no one inside it of course, and you want your son to stop using it. If you would allow me to put the Blue Devil in a place where he could not easily access it, the Arcanoworks for example, he would not be able to jump inside it at the first sign of trouble. Now here comes the neat part, since I am the Marvelous Mage Mordre, I posses a means of transporting the Blue Devil to your holdings INSTANTANEOUSLY and since I've already introduced you to Phohn, all you would have to do if a need arises that the armor must be used, is contact me or my associates and it shall returned immediately. What do you say to that?

>>257877
Before we make a storage Deep Spawn, let's see if we could potentially use Abaeloth's cloak instead. >>257922 (You think like a mad genius) Maybe we could also use this for a means of storage as well. If we can have the item we wish to be stored taken into the Dream, we could also potentially invert back into existence like >>257922 said.

I'll throw my vote for a construction Deep Spawn. 
>>257923
I'm sure that if we make a construction oriented Deep Spawn, the humans could expedite the building process with the Spawn faster than having it work alone.
>>
No. 257935 ID: 445c48

Votin' for construction spawn too
>>
No. 257938 ID: c4098d

>>257927
Interesting ideas on Mordre's back story, bravo on the rhyming by the way. I had always imagined, "Mage Mordre" gained the Soul Grave through a perilous expedition into the Cursed Lands with a large group of Mercenaries and/or Mages, that left his body broken and him as the only survivor.
>>
No. 257941 ID: 69bee4

>>257938
well, that isn't fully explored. Only that his last major thing he wanted to do before what he thought was his death was get the technology of the assumed remote golem control active. Also, if this is done as I imagine, it will be one person who knows this story, and modifications can be made.

This was just an idea/inspiration I had.
>>
No. 257963 ID: a76809
File 129014558982.jpg - (315.21KB , 632x900 , The Azelhaedran State Blue Knight On Foot.jpg )
257963

>>257912
>>257927
[Vonjeen gonna get the talkin' to of his life from papa Carkiano!]

>>257596
>>257603
My thoughts turn inward, hammers, a briefly known friend, a laid back soul with a fascination with speed. My greater knowledge of Ozmand's nature allows me to reach him quite easily, What did you see as you rocketed towards those targets?
>She didn't even see me coming. Hell, she couldn't, the speeds I reached... that is one fine trick you picked up there. Gotta say, that other Soul that took over-nasty scent about it, no mistake. Makes you smell like roses, heh.
So how is Todwick's soul doing?
>Mm.. I think the closest analogy I could make is a knight now made squire, his armor and weapon claimed by his new master.... A bit strange, feels vaguely symbiotic.
How do you feel about this conjoinment?
>Definite pluses all around, I'll either completely dominate his soul or form a cohesive duo with him, so I'm set either way.
Glad to hear it.

I move on, attempting to speak to Luo... a polite, fastidious man, nimble, precise-and ultimately expecting a less durable foe. A death in surprise.
>Why do you pull me forth, abomination?
You do not burn in my pits, but instead achieved immortality through me. Why do you scorn me, as a fellow taker of lives, an assassin by trade?
>Assassin? I am an Executioner, a licensed hunter of criminals, directed towards a duly noted criminal with outstanding warrants known to have fled the Land. I did my duty, and sought him out. I thought you an Ancestral Tomb, an honored meeting in lands of barbarism.
And I share much with Ancestral Tombs, in functionality, This you surely must have seen through your sustained presence.
>You are an error of existence, a mistake to correct.

...Well, no getting through to that one just now. I try to call up the four Jade Soul Monks.... but I know less about them than any of my other souls, and I cannot fixate well enough on their behaviors, their traits, as I need to. They remain silent. Lumingo, Yogoko, Bagata.... no meetings to reference against, these souls gained through Lenryt yielding no secrets.... does this mean I would have to investigate those three in the Land of Dragons, learn more of who they were before I can call them? ...Interesting, I would get to know the graveyard that is I far more intimately down this path. A thought I tidily keep to myself, as I speak to Carkiano.

"So, where exactly did you find the suits of armor, Those Golem Constructs that you cannot replicate?"
"The big ones? They were part of each outpost's setup, the Blue Knight to the North, the Blue Devil to the East, somewhat the focus of each one's mass-produced armor research. A good number of research holes to fill in many designs, but we're getting there."
"Interesting. And how did you like the pickles I sent?"
"My god man, where did you find such devilish things!? I've never tasted something remotely like it, a freezing, biting burn, a paradox of sumptuous flavor... I would be MOST interested in getting more."
"That could be arranged. So, is it just the son and daughter?"
"Sadly yes, their mother passed away several years ago. Still, they are the light of my world, I'm happy to have them."
"You must treasure what you have."
"That is exactly it."
"Actually, I was curious about the Blue Devil- Do you suppose I could look it over? Call me crazy, but I think I could make it safer."
"Really? You know they never really got that far in testing it, so if you want to poke and prod, feel free, but do let me know what you find, eh?"
"The Blue Devil, is it at the outpost we travel to now?"
"Should be. Vonjeen would keep the prisoners there, biggest outpost, where the Blue Devil is normally kept, and as that's the nearest of my abodes, that's where we march. Should be around midknight when we get there, actually.:"
>>257879
"So does Vonjeen not have another armor he could use instead of that? And on the subject of Golem Armor... do you wish me to repair yours?"
"If you really think you can, I'd appreciate it, but the runes on this thing are quite belligerent in rejecting things, and I have yet to figure out how to bypass it. And... well, really beyond the Blue Knight and the Blue Devil, the only large Golem Armor I had was Todwick's preferred mount, the one I severed, the one you took that hammer from. I obviously can't give him that one, as the Soul matrices bound in it got nullified, it'd take active Soul Magic to fix it. The rest of my Golem Armors are vastly inferior to these, as you have well seen in what you have received. What I can make does not match what I have."
"If you don't mind me asking, how long did you have those three officers? And exactly where did you find them? I ask because I suspect a Domintus plot."
"I'd like to agree with you, but really, they were only ever in it for the money and to make their own lives better, their defection only shows that they got paid more than I could offer, and sided with the 'winning' side. And now all three are dead... heh. Any way, I doubt this was a planned thing, just opportunistic exploitation of a weakness in my command structure."
"Complete change of topic, but did I tell you I saw Aurockoth, Up north of here, butchering a few thousand Domintus soldiers?"
"Did you now? ....Hm. That is interesting for many reasons, beyond why anyone would knowingly attack The Reaper Made Flesh. Domintus soldiers that close, but not part of this force? It doesn't add up, and I feel we may be missing a piece to this puzzle."
"So, what do you plan to do now, Or once you get back to your hom?"
"Well, First thing I'm going to do is sleep, then I'm willing to give you a chance to fix my Blue Knight if you want, or look at the Blue Devil while we're there. Some time tomorrow you could pick out some prisoners of war to interrogate, I recall something about geomancy? In any event, tomorrow will be a busy day."
>>257922
"I don't suppose you have more of that cloak you wear?"
"Sadly no I do not. Part of Blue Knight Equipment Set, non-replicatable."

Hmm... I finally go quiet as I run out of things to inquire after, puzzling myself with thoughts of magical combinations. Abaeloth's Cloak, the hungering Dreamthing... what would happen if I inverted it? Would it not spill its accumulated content, the feeder now the regurgitator? I am sure that between Carkiano's Blue Knight Cloak and Abaeloth's own, there is the secret to some sort of pocket dimension, an item-space to manipulate and weaponize... it would behoove me to pursue this when I find time.

Little more is said, and we finally make our way to the Blue Knight's Eastern Outpost. Despite the gloomy night, drizzle intermittently falling from the inky sky, their gates are staffed and lit, not to long after the doors open I see Vonjeen coming to meet his father, the golem armor kneeling, cloak falling forward to obscure hissing and humming parts as I feel a soul detach from within the Blue Knight, its systems winking out. A large and powerfully built man clad in matching blue plate armor emerges, a sword and shield at his side, even when he just leapt from his Armor-and I note runes and additional parts on his plate. This thoroughly armed man is all smiles, fiercely hugging his son, before wrapping an arm around Valiria as she runs up as well. I feel out of place in this moment of mortal closeness. After some time passes, I accept my invitation inward, Burduko and Bobobo following me as I am directed to a storage room, where the Blue Devil is already located, and Carkiano moves the Blue Knight. Clearly exhausted, he bids me goodnight, his own fortress no more suited to the presence of my immense form as any other place, save in this one building.

I have been left to my own devices, alone, overnight, with two highly advanced Golem Armors, and with Bobobo and Burduko alike as my sole companions. There is much I could do.

>>257612
"Bobobo, what can you tell me of the Pure Lady and Domintus?"
Existences present in multiple settings, a definitive trend. The Pure Lady is always something raw, primal, a precursor to conventional magic no matter how details may shift. Domintus.... is only here. In all other settings, her Soul Grave is more conventional than this. I therefore have no reference point to comment on, given the vast differences in functionality involved.
"What would their target be?"
Unknown on specifics, too many variations. The general theme remains largely consistent. Cross referencing... all known attacks were to gain land-excepting one hundred ninety two instances, no more than one per possibility. Assessing... referencing... each time, an individual largely stable across most possibilities was found, and slain. You know this individual as Aurockoth.
"They hunt Aurockoth? I can use this... What of the Scarred Yeti, Trollzaru?"
One of the more varying souls encountered. So much divergence between different realities, no causal patterns can be established.
"The Patchwork Beast that stalks me?
I see no example of this in any other possibility.
"Can you explain the meaning and use of the runes I have seen?"
If desired the entirety of all established Rune lore from all other possibilities could be display, but would likely take several millenia to wade through, all while more is added. Would you like to refine your search?
"Not currently. How do I ressurect Silicanthos?"
"Multiple things are titled this, Clarity needed.[/i]
"A Stone Golem, relic of the Dregas family."
Identified. A Leyline Geyser works in all evidenced points when this golem needed repair, no matter the setting.
.....

>>257877
>>257887
>>257890
>>257899
I begin to dream of forming more Deep Spawn here and now, but hesitate as I consider the setting... Outright Soul Magic? in the middle of another person's camp? Alone in this room or no that runs a heavy risk. A shame, as I have many excellent ideas.




So, what WILL I do with my time?
Should I investigate the Blue Devil?
Or maybe I should focus on repairing the Blue Knight?
Either task would be quite involved, and last me until morning.
>>
No. 257965 ID: 56dc25

>>257927
An interesting poem, backstory-wise. The character of our wife/lover as presented here is somewhat different from previous ideas discussed about her, but as we've made relatively little mention of her to others it's not incompatible with existing claims.

My concern would be mostly in the timing of this, which doesn't particularly fit the picture of an aged researcher mage in a hidden tower somewhere with some loyal servants and cats, and its all-too-convenient parallel for exactly what Vonjeen is up to. A somewhat less direct reflection might leave us with more options in the future and make for a more believable moral lesson; soul damage is very specific, while "mind the price you pay for power, and that others will care if you break yourself chasing it" is a rather broad theme.
>>
No. 257967 ID: 445c48

Oh yes, don't do it now, but remind yourself to do it later. In fact, tell Phohn to tell you in a couple days, if we forget, to make a construction based deep spawn.

See if you can INVERT the rejection runes on The Blue Knight's armor to make it more malleable to your magnetomatic repairs. Unless you think you can't just make it invert the antimagnet runes.
>>
No. 257970 ID: 741399

Wait, Giana's dead? I thought she escaped.

...Ask Bobobo what are the capabilities and weaknesses of Aurockoth, if there is time enough after/before the below. Does Aurockoth also represent an irregularity as Domintus?

I think we should try to improve the Blue Devil. Using Bobobo, asking the question "With my current capabilities currently on hand, and without resorting to Deep Spawn creation/core-implantation, how may I most efficiently, in time and energy, improve the Blue Devil so that it retains its current level of function, or close enough that the difference is negligible, while excising/lowering, or reversing, the harm it does on its wearer?"

If suggesters go the way of repairing the Blue Knight, then I suggest asking Bobobo "With my current capabilities currently on hand, and without resorting to Deep Spawn creation/core-implantation, what is the most efficient, in time and energy, method of repairing the Blue Knight Golem Armor?"
>>
No. 257975 ID: 903f16

>>257963

>So, what WILL I do with my time?

With Vonjeen getting a stern talking to there's no immediate need to to make the Blue Devil safer. Of course our other goal in examining it is to learn how it works and try to adapt it's abilities to our self, but as long as nothing bad happens to the suit we can take a look at it later on. The Blue Knight on the other hand is more of a pressing issue because Carkiano will need to use it in the coming days and he can't be running around with a messed up golem armor and fight effectively. So with that in mind I'm going with doing the repair job.

Aside from that would it be possible to fit in some time to ask Bobobo some questions? I'd like to see what information he has on Weinsho, Eisenhardt, and maybe Arkus.
>>
No. 257995 ID: d3dfb8

Ask Bobobo 'How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?'
>>
No. 258013 ID: 9338f5

Ask Bobobo about those super powerful cosmic beings like lenyrt, also ask about the legendary soul mage of Mosmordre
>>
No. 258036 ID: 1a2c94

How about you ask Bobobo about YOURSELF. That might prove interesting.

Look into the Blue Devil armor. This ultimate soul fire sounds like the real deal. Wonder if it'll burn Lortoxite...

IMPORTANT: Have Phohn inform Ellayia if possible. Tell her that you no longer need a world mage so that job is off. The Leyline geyser thing just got a bump in priority though.
>>
No. 258038 ID: 8d9c56

The more you ask Bobobo the less Pristine fuel we have, also the more P fuel we have.

I suggest you use him sparingly.

[though Bob has implemented his ability in a clever way that allows him to give out stuff but not too much, just like him, but at a different 'angle']
>>
No. 258052 ID: 9338f5

>>258038
>The more you ask Bobobo the less Pristine fuel we have, also the more P fuel we have.

What!? Whare does it say that?
>>
No. 258058 ID: 8d9c56

No, I mean, if he tells you something, you don't get the bonus for figuring it out yourself. Of course since he told you, you can expand on it and figure out something else.

So I say use him only when it's something you probably couldn't figure out yourself, or a topic you know about already and just want some points clarified or a bit of cross referencing. that kind of thing.

basically, don't use it on P.Soul stuff.
P.Soul = leaps and bounds in reasoning and prediction
Bobobo makes it more of a laid back stroll.

in my opinion.
>>
No. 258083 ID: 35bba5

>>258038
Ooh. Ask him about unclaimed leyline geysers. We aren't going to just be able to guess where those are.
>>
No. 258087 ID: 35bba5

Especially unclaimed leyline geysers in the Cursed Lands. We could have Welgahoo start making that kind of place habitable. Because a leyline geyser in the Cursed Lands might have some nasty stuff living there, send some combat spawn with him too, though.
>>
No. 258098 ID: 741399

>>258036
>burn Lortoxite
I doubt it will: from my understanding of things, worked Lortoxite is pure Order, laughing at the Chaos and rejecting the Order of the Soulfire.

>>257970
The questions should probably include the restriction "without resorting to Blood/Soul magic", if doing so is possible.

>>258087
>>258083
Yeah, agreement on this; though perhaps list Leylines on proximity, in time to reach, to Trodar.
>>
No. 258132 ID: 35bba5

>>258098
We shouldn't really expect to be able to burn Lortoxite unless we become Pyromancy masters on the level Eisenhardt is a master of Magnetomancy. Does Geomancy cover gemstones?
>>
No. 258155 ID: 9338f5

>>258132
Eisenheart was able to manipulate that leyline crystal, so I would say yes but we need greater skill if we want to do anything.
>>
No. 258158 ID: 741399

>>258155
Eisenhardt did not manipulate that Leyline crystal, as it would have just absorbed his magic, he moved the ground around the crystal.

>>258132
Yes, Geomancy covers all earth and stone, and gems count as stones.
>>
No. 258188 ID: 35bba5

So...Bobobo can basically take a look into alternate timelines and the stuff that happens there I guess? Could we ask him about say, schematics for magical artifacts that might have never existed here? Could we get the design for the Blue Devil from him? What about an alternate design from another timeline where the Blue Devil was safer? Then we could sort of compare them and make the modifications without having to come up with it ourselves.
>>
No. 258205 ID: 35bba5

Also the thing about rune lore. We have access to rune lore that noone in this possibility has ever used before through Bobobo. We should take advantage of that.
>>
No. 258210 ID: 741399

>>258205
I asked something to that effect last time, and Bob, through Bobobo, stated that to do so would take millennia to wade through it all; I understood it as that we should ask for a very small category of runes to look up.
>>
No. 258213 ID: 35bba5

>>258210
We don't need to know all of it. We just have to ask for specific stuff, and then specify runes not used in this possibility. If your enemies can't identify what stuff does, that is an advantage.
>>
No. 258222 ID: ddd48d

rolled 39 = 39

rollan?
>>
No. 258225 ID: a76809
File 129023051921.jpg - (159.72KB , 589x632 , A strange man met.jpg )
258225

>>258222
[233/210, OVERBONUS]

>>257970
[Standing at ground zero for a magic nuke is rather hard to survive.]
" With my current capabilities currently on hand, And without resorting to Deep Spawn creation/core-implantation, How may I most efficiently, in time, investment and energy, Improve the Blue Devil so that it retains its current level of function, Or close enough that the difference is negligible, While excising/lowering, or reversing, the harm it does on its wearer?"
Multivariable request processing. Cross-referencing. Mordre/Soul Grave/Well of Souls/Disease of Souls/Indelible Dragon Mordre The Ascendent/Master Of Sorrows/Scientiomancer Reference complete. With current capacity, Administrator Mordre could achieve optimal results with the use of a Pristine Soul and an inversion of the Immortal Genocide, to create a Soul Reliquary within the Blue Devil, something the pilot can then use to amplify their capacity. As the armor is designed for use by a Legendary soul, it would otherwise cause pilot erosion of fatal levels within a year of constant use.
"A Soul Embryo, or Soul Organ of sorts, A buffer and a battery?"
The proposed solution could qualify as all these things.
"How many souls invested would be optimal for the use of one Pristine Soul?"
By all examples of Blue Devil/Blue Demon/Navy Devil/Order Beast Golem Armor, an investment of one thousand souls would guarantee safety for any user, providing a complete artificial Legendary Soul for the suit to draw upon. The Pristine Soul acts both as glue and stabilizer, keeping the mass from becoming a gestalt consciousness and possibly a threat to a pilot.

>>257975
My path seems clear. I shall resume Blood Magic, the thick stone walls surely capable of muting my heartbeat, and direct my every bit of power towards examining the Blue Devil, inside and out. Once mapped out, I shall apply my solution to the suit's 'flaw', and map out the resultant changes. With all those layers of Soul Magic I sense worked into its runes, only the most perceptive eyes would be able to pick out my pending addition, and even then only if they came within the next day or two as the Soul Magic's intermingle and harmonize. My senses grow sharper as my Iron begins to circulate.

TH-THUMP!!

Magnetomancy tracks out the corporeal, my sight and Ignimancy giving me some glimpse at the spell matrices involved-decidedly more complex than those of my own innate nature.... a Golem Armor more complex than a Soul Grave? With no explanations or names for Soul Magic runes to be found in any book I imprinted, I cannot say what the hundreds, thousands of tightly and precisely clipped runes do. I can merely take them in, add them to my archive-and do what I came here to do. ...Unsurprisingly enough I have severe trouble putting a name to the metals involved, an innately magical alloy used. ...It feels reminiscent of Black Steel.... The metal is so intensely, darkly red as to appear black, the blemishes of the decades scoured away by the flames the suit can surround itself with. Those Ordered Soulfire manipulations... I wish to make them mine. As much data gathered as I can muster, I act, inverting the Immortal Genocide, and netting a Pristine Soul around the whole mass, my palm against the Blue Devil.

TH-THUMP!!

[-1,000 SOULS-----TOTAL SOULS REMAINING:-----15,724]
[-1 PRISTINE SOUL-----TOTAL REMAINING:----- 03]


I feel the mass flowing about, sloshing and churning as it slips through the inactive armor's runes and enchantments. It settles, takes root, integrates, all in the blink of an eye-and there it is, a complement to my corporeal heart, a beating mass of Soul, no sound to be heard, just a subtle ebb and flow of pressure in the air.

TH-THUMP!!

I turn to the Blue Knight, confident in what I plotted and implemented, a safer and more accessible Blue Devil now in Carkiano's hands. And in that process, I gained a total analysis of the construct, a worthy trade in my mind. Because with the Repairs I already undertake, Inverting into the rejecting runes about the Blue Knight, weaving my Magnetomancy into that quiet Blue Steel, so mutely magic. Pits fill, gashes mend, scorch marks shifted away, cracks sealed, dents dealt with-

[DAY 153: DAY 3 OF WEEK 4 OF MONTH 4:]
[Atenday of the Fourth Cycle of Praeclarum (Summer)]


I hardly notice I labored till just a few hours before dawn, the suit now gleaming-and likewise mapped out. I know your stress points, your weaker joints, which way you can't move... I do myself a far greater service than Carkiano, in gathering this information. I think of it as... insurance. Beyond that, a fully repaired suit? An armor tamed for safe use? Considerable efforts towards further positive dealings-as if I am to take the State through this Invasion and the local response, I will need more allies, more generals to my coming leadership. I've already been a trading partner, as well as his savior-now I can be his benefactor. Worth the price in loss of personal power, in terms of what the Blue Knight could bring should he bow to my rule some day.

>>258013
With my duties completed, analysis made, and hours yet left till the day begins in earnest, I turn back to Bobobo, still invitingly laying open.
"What kind of being is Lenryt?"
Referencing-Lenryt/The Wanderer. The Wanderer is a known world eater, comprised of the gestalt souls of several of the oldest planets, before this world was even crafted those worlds were dead, all falling prey to a brother in their solar system that had undergone Maginova. This all transpired before this world's creation in every possibility, in the exact same format: All Cosmic Souls are Dimensional stillpoints, across space and probability, The Wanderer no exception.

>>258083
"Any known unclaimed Leyline Geysers?"
In other possibilities there are. Sometimes many, sometimes only a few, sometimes none at all. No pattern can be established and used to predict which are unclaimed, as the shaping of the System varies from Possibility to Possibility.
"Any likely areas?"
The more land-locked, and the more war-torn, the better. Maximize chances of happening upon a recently sprouted geyser to claim/

I digest this information and ask nothing more, playing the part of the inactive golem as the fortress resumes full activity. Nearly two hours in, Arkus contacts me through Phohn. He reports the Air Cavalry finally having pulled together, all thirty-eight of Nidhogg's spawn used to riders, Nidhogg herself used to carrying scores of soldiers now, all the Golem Armors have been modified, and the Arcanoworks equipment list has been expanded (for those of the Air Cavalry) to include revolver skyfall cannons and linked Aeromancy shielding rods, in addition to many useful boarding weapons. All of the militia hav had a chance to get used to riding spawn or on Nidhogg herself, who has finally grown accustomed to their presence. In short, the Arcanoworks Air Cavalry is up and running.

A half hour later, Carkiano walks in, having been summoned by shocked looking soldiers that came in earlier. He grins as he looks at the Blue Knight, before looking my way.

"You awake Mage? I wish to thank you!"

I feign activation, moving jerkily for a brief moment as if coming to grips with my bearings, before I respond.

"Think nothing of it. Oh, I made the Blue Devil safe to use, Put in a buffer to protect the pilot."

As Carkiano stares at me like a fish, agog at the news I just dispensed, Phohn reports another message.

My spawn in the Land of Dragons has been informed Lubu has demanded your presence






What should I say or do?
>>
No. 258230 ID: 445c48

Have we introduced him to Phohn? We should.

After we tell him about Phohn, we should say something along the lines of "Excuse me, but the Emperor of the Land of Dragons has demanded my presence. I shall be back shortly, with any luck." And then teleport over there.
>>
No. 258232 ID: d3dfb8

Send a message to Lubu through the spawn that you're on your way.
'Carkiano, I'd love to stay and chat but i have just been informed a friend requires my assistance. I will be back as soon as I am able, and I hope to co-ordinate our attack on the domintus main force when I return. I the meantime, I recommend you ready your troops.'
>>
No. 258233 ID: 3aee7b

>>258232
This

Also, see if you can't get him a magic tool he could use to contact you or something. Maybe Phohn could leave a spawn.
>>
No. 258238 ID: 421264

Suggestion: Telling Arkus about the quick trip, and see what's been brewing back home while we've been fighting a war.

Oh! And Phohn Bang too.
>>
No. 258260 ID: 741399

Well, since we didn't consume Giana's soul, I assumed she escaped. Pity that we didn't, we would have the full complement of traitors.

>intensely, darkly red as to appear black
I thought the Blue Devil is blue? Last time I checked, red-black was not blue. And that description sounds like it is Necronostrium.

Speaking of the Blue Devil, won't the Soul Reliquary run out eventually, leaving the pilot stuck in the same situation? Or does, through PS shenanigans, the pseudo-soul counts as living, and therefore can regenerate the damage quicker than/as fast as the damage is applied?

...Well, Carkiano just gave Vonjeen a lecture on not recklessly doing things, and then we went and 'fixed' the problem of the suit, allowing Vonjeen to ignore with little/no consequence the foolishness that his father lectured him about. Huh.

Also, well now we know something about Lenryt that explains partially why she works to prevent the collapse of the System maybe, but that introduces some more questions, most obvious is why she doesn't just eat the System already. Outside of the memetic "That's where I keep all my stuff", I have not much clue on why she doesn't.

On Lubu's front, I think we should inform Carkiano that we have an Air Calvary and Phohn, in his guise as a communication golem, and connect him to Phohn, to allow communication between him and Arkus and/or Ellorika, who, I believe, was chosen to be the commander of the Calvary. That should allow them to plan for our attack on the DoD.

Since we are likely going to use Burduko, without the help of a teleport box, Bobobo would probably be left behind, since it is living and therefore, Burduko cannot safely teleport it along with us. Since we are 1,000 souls less than before, Burduko should have an easier time transporting us, and thus can teleport back to Carkiano's outpost, and grab Bobobo, some five geomancers, and Bang and Senth (now that I think about it; they should be here as well, shouldn't they? Also, inform Bang, by Phohn or Burduko, that he should work on his Mask necklace; he's going to need it, since we are planning on taking on Domintus. I don't know what to do about Senth) to take back to the Arcanoworks. If that happens, inform Arkus that he will be getting five people who will know how to cast and conjoined geomantic spell to raise clay seige golems, with no other guaranteed magely qualifications (unless we can arrange that), and to prepare that necklace of faces Abaeloth gave us for Bang. To Dregas, I think we should let him handle the matter of Senth's payment, unless he doesn't know how to do that.
>>
No. 258267 ID: 4cfe95

Have Arkus introduce all subleaders to Phohn. We will go to the land of dragons.

We will then relay orders via phohn.

Bang will replace us on the feild of nbattle.

TWO FRONTS, TOO FURIOUS!
>>
No. 258379 ID: 635d70

Maybe you should discuss the altered Blue Devil armor with Vonjeen and Carkiano. They really need to understand the weight of the change that has been wrought.

"I have made an alteration of sorts to the Blue Devil armor. Before I explain the change I'd like to explain a little more of what I've learned. You know full well what happens to the soul of its wearers, but that is not a fault of the suit. It is a side effect of the wearer being too weak to drive and fuel it properly.

I strongly suspect that someone will always be willing to wear this armor no matter the price so what I've done is that I've imbued the Blue Devil with 1001 souls from the furnace of the Soul Grave you see before you to amplify the wearers strength to a suitable level. Wear the armor. Use it to fight for what's right and just, but it is no more a free ride than it was before. I want you to always remember the terrible dark weight of what lies within and the incredible responsibility that comes with it."
>>
No. 258385 ID: 9338f5

>>258379
>imbued the Blue Devil with 1001 souls
>souls

might want to rephrase that, it sounds a bit like we used soul magic.

Also I suspect thart the Bluedevil may have been plan A for the master of sorrow(ourself being plan B or a mistake) and may have been one of its creations or its own armour. As far as I kow there was only the one Mosmordian legendary soulmage
>>
No. 258390 ID: f4e4f9

>>258385
A few moments to explain the alterations:

"I have created a buffer of sorts, between the Blue Devil's demanded price and the wearer of the suit. This buffer will serve to enhance the Wearer, such that the side-effects demanded will no longer be able to exceed your sons, or really anyones, natural energy output, and thus no erosion of their spirit will occur."

Also, I think we need to work on a gift for Valiria. She's devoted alot of time to our operation, and I believe she deserves something from it.

"Now then, I've just been informed that some rather urgent business demands my attention in the southern lands, so I must make my leave. Should you need to contact me, I will give you a line to my associate, Phohn. Through him, you can contact me near instantly at any point.

Oh, before I forget: Do tell your daughter that, in thanks for her contributions at the Arcanoworks, I will have a gift prepared for her. And as always, you and your family are welcome at any time to my facility."
>>
No. 258403 ID: a76809
File 129028000716.jpg - (409.17KB , 874x661 , Land Of Dragons Lubu Second Mission.jpg )
258403

>>258260
[Blue Devil appeared blue when first seen, as the almost-black of its metal was tinted by the blue flames it was surrounded in when active. And short of Bang trying on the Blue Devil and triggering a Genesis with it, the Soul Reliquary will last decades before it begins to erode enough as to become unsafe again. And Deep Spawn are exempted from the restriction to teleportation outside boxes, as was evidenced when Burduko teleported the pasted Vandgurd and Zelgoto to your side in the Land of Dragons. As a last observation the title Blue Devil was only given to the Golem Armor by the State, and is not its actual name.]

In that moment of shock as Carkiano processes my claims, I speak to Phohn within my head, sending a message to Bang that now is the time to reclaim that necklace of faces, and start preparing for our main offensive against the Disciples. I send a modified message on to Keddic as well, informing him that soon we shall be facing the Domintus main force. Keddic's response makes him sound gravely ready, and he makes mention that with Dompaggio's aid he found enough proof to throw the charges against The Lined One into uncertainty. As such The Lined One turned himself in at the capital, surrenduring directly to Lubu himself, while Dompaggio continues to ferret out secrets. Keddic himself is once more available for adventure though, a rather pertinent point to derive from his words. It is Bang's response that intrigues me, as he requests to either borrow Nidhogg for a brief jaunt back to Despardos, or to tag along with me back to the Land of Dragons to seek out Figment before the main offensive her in the State: He feels confident either path would help him polish his capacities. I send a third message, this time to Dregas, briefly summarizing how the offensive on the southern front has gone, Senth's part in it, and our need to pay him for his services. Dregas says he will take care of it as my Castellan, and I turn my attention fully back to the here and now as Carkiano finally begins to speak.

"...Now, I can accept you repaired the Blue Knight, I can see what you did-but how did you make the Blue Devil safe?"
>>258390
" I have created a buffer of sorts, between the Blue Devil's demanded price, And the wearer of the suit. This buffer will serve to enhance the pilot, Such that the side-effects demanded will no longer be able to exceed your sons, Or really anyone with substance's natural energy output, And thus no erosion of their spirit will occur, no decay of the soul."
"Just like that? A problem I and all those who serve me could not surpass for years, and you solve it in a day?"
"I am a golem specialist, as it were."
"...I am in awe of your expertise, Mage Mordre. What did I do to deserve such?"
"You have been an excellent trading partner, a gracious host, and a friendly neighbor, It would seem untoward if I did not return such generosity. How have the cannons been working?"
"The hand-cannons? Excellently, they-ve proven capable of coring a path straight through conventional armor. I'm looking into shoulder mounting one on every Golem Armor I possess, to expand their ranged capacities."
"That certainly has the sound of a noble endeaver. Now then, I've just been informed of some rather urgent business, Business that demands my attention in the southern lands, so I must make my leave. Should you need to contact me, I will give you a line to my associate, Phohn. Phohn is a life golem built around communication, you need only think his name, And he can bring your words to anyone he knows, myself included. Through him, you can contact me near instantly at any point."
"In the middle of an invasion you have business to the south? How will you have time?"
"Burduko here is capable of spatial warping, a modified form of Tractomancy: He will bring me across hundreds of leagues in the blink of an eye. And while there is an invasion here, a nation as large as the whole of the Warring States, The Land of Dragons, is embroiled in a civil war."
"...The world is a busy place as always. ...Well, I will not delay you then Mordre, just know you are always welcome here."
"Oh, before I forget: Do tell your daughter that, In thanks for her contributions at the Arcanoworks, I will have a gift prepared for her. And as always, You and your family are welcome at any time to my facility."

With our farewells said, I take Bobobo in hand and nod to Burduko, who steps forward and lays hands on me. The world shifts, and I stand within a box, Burduko again sagging to the ground in exhaustion from transporting the immense weight of my soul collection. Before I step out of the teleportation box, I send another message to Bang, saying that if he returns to the Arcanoworks, Burduko can either bring him to the Land of Dragons, or he could borrow Nidhogg for his flight. The response I am met with is quite simple: Bang will follow where I go, to insure he does not miss out on any more 'fun'. So Bang shall be joining me for this venture, excellent. A message is sent to Keddic as well, to discern his current location: He is some five minutes away, likewise within the capital. Just as I am about to open the metal doors, Phohn brings me one more mesage-this one from Lorgk.

-Lorgk comments the Drazken Clan has now absorbed three nearby tribes, their numbers now just under a thousand.
-Lorgk is currently one of the most prominent claimants trying to take Goran's vacant throne, and his name is well known throughout most of the mountains now from the non-stop skirmishes and political maneuvering the Drazken Clan has undertaken.
-Oggroth has brought his old Clan into the fold, and has likewise been making a name for himself.
-Lorgk is now known as the Red Knight, a title ascribed by the thousands who have seen his Red Steel and blood-based armor, starkly contrasting with his blue-green crystal sword.
-Oggroth is known as the Hungry Mountain, and is considered as implacable as an avalanche.
-Kyorto's presence has been a great boon, as her expertise in many realms of magic has been accelerating the Drazken Thinktank, pushing them to new heights. In addition, her knowledge of illusions has made dealing with yeti attacks far more managable.

...Things are proceeding apace, then.

I open the doors before me, to find Lubu lounging on the floor, pointedly ignoring the gaggle of officers about him seeking orders.

>"Really now you all are familiar with war and its function, you don't need me to hold your hand-Ha, so the Gift-Horse-Golem is back, what a prompt one Mordre is. Okay so here's the situation: Still can't find Figment, even though word has gone out that Oz is here. I know one other person familiar with Figment, an Ancestral Tomb named Alabaster Adept Fuu[u]. He's been seen off to the east. I already sent Jioga after him, but what with how you did last time I figured I'd give you a shot at this too. Oh, also I got three names that have been causing me a headache, and refuse to take the field when I am within ten miles, so if you want to do some killing instead of recruiting, that could work too. There's [u]Immortal Angormandius the Undying to the southwest, The Golden Axeman to the north and a rather special War Hound to the east called The Spined Lion. So, you feel like more of the politicking, recruiting gig, or do you feel like cutting loose and offing some dudes? Either way works, but I got several people already working on both. Really, I summoned you because you said you are at my disposal, and I want to see just how capable you are. How much can you do when everyone else has a head start?"




What should I say or do?
>>
No. 258404 ID: 4cfe95

>-Lorgk is now known as the Red Knight,

DIDN'T WE TELL HIM TO AVOID THAT
>>
No. 258405 ID: a900b0

Observation: We can not gain Pristine Souls from guessing events that happened in the past.

In Bobobo, we now have the means to learn about a great manner of things that was beyond us before he was made.

Therefore, we should be able to ask Bobobo about those who cursed the Mosmordren Empire, how they got the scientiomancer codes, who the Other within us is exactly, and any past events without worrying about less PS opportunities.

As for Lenryt:
a) Has been described as a World Eater.
b) Is formed from souls of several worlds
I suggest that one of Lenryt's motives might be preventing the Caged One from becoming a world eater like it by preserving the System. Perhaps the System was established by Lenryt or an entity like it?

Consult Bobobo on "Maginova" so that we have a better idea what this process entails. Also ask if there is a way to selectively shield our thoughts from Lenryt, the Caged One, entites like them, or any mind reader. It might be to our benefit that Lenryt knows we can find out so much about it, possibly coming across weaknesses; a way to hide certain thoughts and memories which we do not wish known may serve to prevent or avert some avoidable threats.
>>
No. 258406 ID: 69bee4

"Ah dear Lubu, let me have you know, I have a war to deal with back in some of my own holdings, you have given your people a head start, and all against an old man from far off who is hardly familiar with the land itself? I hardly consider that fair to your subordinates at all! you should consider giving them an actual chance next time, this will be far too easy, ill tell you I once...."

[waste a good 5-10 minutes recounting the war against Goran being imminent AND dealing with deep spawn incursion]

... and my back was aching the whole time! but I still won all sides of that issue. Plus, now that I've rambled that off, I've given them some precious few minutes to have a chance at beating me. Now then, im off to [insert location we choose here]"
>>
No. 258407 ID: a900b0

>>It might be to our benefit that Lenryt knows we can find out so much about it,

derp
That should read:
It might NOT be to our benefit
>>
No. 258408 ID: fd0672

>Lorgk is now known as the Red Knight
Didn't we tell to make sure that this title doesn't hold? At least it is in Premen language so Red Knight, the Paradox Knight will probably never know of it.

And what of Welgahoo? How is he performing? Or is it too early to tell?

How is Ugrokk? I do believe it must have been a week ago since we left Gialgorra islands. He said in might take 10 days, +/- 3 days, to finish the hand. How is his spectral hand training going? We could ask that question to Oz too.


I say we go after the Figment. Bang wants to meer with him, Keddic could probably also make use of Figments modifications.
When (if) we recruit Figment, if those enemies are still left we could go after them.

Oh I really want to have a talk with Keddic. Ask him to tell us how the investigation went through. I also want him to tell his opinion on Dompaggio, how well he performed and if they got along. We barely used Dompaggio in person and only heard him say one sentence so I'm very curious about any and all information about our Spawn.

>sending a message to Bang that now is the time to reclaim that necklace of faces
If I recall correctly we never talked to Bang what took him so long in Despardos and where he got that mask, and Bang probably didn't mention yet about leather faces.
Actually, I wanted us to inquire about his journey, so that we know he fought all those people. Then I wanted to act a little annoyed because we couldn't claim those souls and tell Bang to take us along next time he goes on killing spree in Despardos so that we can get powerful souls. We'll promise not to interfere if he doesn't want to.


For now, meet with Keddic. After the inquiries let him and Bang exchange their breakthroughs, have then teach each other as much as they can so that they can both benefit.
OH! Remember during the Arena fight Keddic had some questions he wanted to ask Mordre about? ... I don't remember what they were exactly but this might be the time.

Then go to Arena and have a short chat with Oz. Ask him how he's training is going, how well the Spawn are performing and if he sees any progress in them.



Oh! After the last challenge suspect that Jioga will forgo his army and go to the destination alone, lest he be slowed down. As he's a tractomancer and chronomancer I believe he can reach frighteningly fast speeds. We must go at our top possible speed, if Bang or Keddic can't keep up, take carry one in your hand and another on the shoulder (or both in the hand if they fit)


Ask Bobobo what he knows about Figment and Alabaster Adept Fuu, if he can find their locations.
>>
No. 258409 ID: 9338f5

>>258403
I want try killing that immortal, was he the one that Bang had trouble with last time?
>>258406
I wouldnt go into to much detail we dont want to bore Lubu
>>258405
I second this, but I would recomend investagating the ruined palace and seeing what we can learn there before asking about the other.


I sugest putting "loot mosmordian ruins" at the top of our to do list. Also on our trip to do whatever mission we pick from Lubu we can make those large construstion and teraforming deepspawn.
>>
No. 258410 ID: a69afd

>>258403
Bang vs. Angormandius round 2
Keddic vs. The Spined Lion
Mordre vs. The Golden Axeman

Sounds good to me. I mean, yeah we can try some diplomacy and recruitment, but if they start swinging, the gloves come off.

Let Jioga deal with Fuu unless we get done early and have time to kill.
>>
No. 258412 ID: fd0672

>>258405
>Also ask if there is a way to selectively shield our thoughts from Lenryt, the Caged One, entites like them, or any mind reader. It might be to our benefit that Lenryt knows we can find out so much about it, possibly coming across weaknesses; a way to hide certain thoughts and memories which we do not wish known may serve to prevent or avert some avoidable threats.

I'm mostly frugal on our PS usages, I do not approve the last spending.... BUT a means of shielding our minds from all of these entities that can read it is a must! If we need to use a pristine soul on it then so it.
.... Though....
Ask Bobobo for a list of powerful mind shielding runes then (if possible) relay them to Arkus and ask him if he can inscribe them on our scalp. OR, Soul Grave/Small Tomb schematics that can do the same so that we can do the modification ourself.

Oh also, ask Bobobo to summon couple of his lesser spawn. I wanna see how they look like (my guess they will be books, smaller than Bobobo but still pretty big, like encyclopedias)

Also a question about our spawns: is there a distance limit between a Deep Spawn and their lesser spawns that are bound to it? Observing from the one bound to our will, I would say that there are none. If my guesses are correct, we could send a lesser Bobobo spawn to Arkus so that he can work/study with a All-Knowing Book (tell him to be creative as they hold many answers).

>>258225
>In other possibilities there are. Sometimes many, sometimes only a few, sometimes none at all. No pattern can be established and used to predict which are unclaimed, as the shaping of the System varies from Possibility to Possibility.
Ask Bobobo to reference only the Settings that are most close to our own Setting. Actually, if this is possible, tell him to do that each time he encounters too many different Possibilities to give exact answer.
>>
No. 258413 ID: 421264

Personally, we should use Bobobo to gain background knowledge we can use to make Pristine Soul deductions.

Anyway, I'd rather not go up against Angormandius. He was kinda bro-ish. I mean, it would be awesome to convert him instead, might be a feather in our cap. And Alabaster Adept Fuu is clearly the route Lu Bu wants us to go, but I'm a bit nervous about making Jioga more angry at us.


Decisions decisions.

Well, lets make some Deep Spawn, favoring >>257877 and a few others. I'm also in favor of talking to Oz and Bang about where Figment might be, and talking to Bobobo about it. If we can get Figment without Fuu, that might be a nice boost for us...
>>
No. 258414 ID: fd0672

Oh, right!

I forgot we can not soul-suck in Land of Dragons. Damn it!

I want to modify >>258408 a bit.

Have Mordre go after the Figment.

And have Bang AND Keddic, the Dynamic Duo, TOGETHER go after one of the targets.
It is important that they do there as a team! That way they will have time and opportunity to learn from each other AND show what they know on practice! DO NOT split them up for individual missions no matter how great that sounds.
I propose they go after the CLOSEST target, when they deal with it have them go after the NEXT CLOSEST target. That way they might have chance to kill 2 or even all 3 of them.

Oh, also, how do you guys like the idea of giving Keddic one of the masks? Of course the ultimate decision remains with Bang.
..... Though masks might not be in Keddics style.
>>
No. 258416 ID: 56dc25

>At least it is in Premen language so Red Knight, the Paradox Knight will probably never know of it.
This is a really good point. The term "knight" is a very culture-specific one for a type of warrior that the Premen simply don't have; unless Premen are using a loan word, it's all but certain that whatever actual term the Premen are using in their language carries very different meaning, even if it's translated into the same thing.

>So, you feel like more of the politicking, recruiting gig, or do you feel like cutting loose and offing some dudes?
I would rather kill people. We could use more delicious souls, and we already one-upped Jioga once on a recruitment job. No reason to deliberately do so again. Also, we have a lot of things to do and killing is usually pretty quick.

Ask for details on the descriptions and powers of those Lubu wishes slain, as well as anything more specific he's got on locations.


Make sure that Bang and Keddic don't hang out by Lubu much. If we share our belief that Lubu can instantly copy anyone else's powers with Keddic, he'll likely avoid the man like the plague; Keddic wants to keep all the secret powers of his line secret, after all.
>>
No. 258417 ID: 6834bc

>>258416
>We could use more delicious souls
Except we can't suck up souls here, because that's a big, big, cultural no-no.
>>
No. 258418 ID: 56dc25

>>258417
Only a problem if there's someone watching and they live to talk about it.
>>
No. 258419 ID: 9338f5

>>258417
we cant publicly eat them
>>
No. 258420 ID: fd0672

Oh hell, Keddics new found powers lets him become stronger when he tastes the blood of other beings, right?

Ask Bang if he would let Keddic become "immune" to him. Have Keddic "taste" the blood of our Deep Spawns.

..... Bang can implement traits of other living begins, right? Can he implement Deep Spawn biology too? Ask him to study our Deep Spawn to find out, if it is possible get him to implement as much as possible.
Some examples:
Nihilino - gives abilities:
*Bang Black Hole Punch - Bangs attacks can deal dark energy damage which can hurt the souls directly.
*Black Skin - Physical damage done fades completely or partially.

Mothbern:
*Reinforced skeleton, almost adamantium level.
*Further strength increase from its lesser spawn.

Sadronm:
*Modified brain - allows to deal with information EVEN BETTER

Phohn:
*Nanotube wires - hair thin, near indestructible wires used for offense.

Zelgoto, Vandgurd, Aggocrag:
*Rock body, metal skin - increase personal protection further.
*Silicone Strength - increase strength because if you the harder you hit the better!

Burduko:
*Speed increase

Murhyihal
*Regeneration boost

Akeakam
*Can give the ability to increase all capabilities for a short time. Has a long cooltime so it can be used only once or demands too much from the body and frequent use can kill the user (even Bang)
>>
No. 258422 ID: 56dc25

>>258420
Pretty sure that Keddic only becomes better against specific things after tasting their blood, not better in general. Like the body's immune system can build tailored cells to fight specific illnesses after identifying them. Having him taste our deep spawn would only make him better at betrayal, should that be the case.

I could be wrong, though; been a while since I reviewed Keddic's abilities.
>>
No. 258425 ID: 741399

>>258417
>>258414
While we cannot soulsuck indiscriminately, we can persuade disembodied souls to allow themselves to be consumed by us.

>>258413
You might want to clarify which Deep Spawn you want to make.

>>258422
Actually, Keddic can also steal Blood Magic workings if he steals some of their blood/bone/flesh. Since the blood of a Deep Spawn is pretty much a combination of World and Blood Magic, he probably can improve himself, in general, after tasting their blood. You are right, though, that would make him better at betrayal.

Actually, I remember Keddic thinking about getting Mordre to help him learn Combat Blood-based Magnetomancy to increase the cutting power of his attacks. Can Keddic count some of our Blootz Steel as 'blood', for the purposes of his Blood magic thievery? I'm thinking of molding one of our normal AVB into a model of the human circulatory system, while using Magnetomancy to cause Blood Flow in the model. Would that count as Blood-based Magnetomancy he could steal? Hopefully this won't allow Keddic to counter against Mordre himself.
>>
No. 258426 ID: 445c48

>>258420
>Bang can implement traits of other living begins, right? Can he implement Deep Spawn biology too?

I'm not quite sure he would be able to. I mean, copying an electric eel's one thing, but Deep Spawn? I fear they're too magic-y to be copied like that.
>>
No. 258427 ID: 903f16

>>258403

>-Lorgk is now known as the Red Knight, a title ascribed by the thousands who have seen his Red Steel and blood-based armor, starkly contrasting with his blue-green crystal sword.

Ugh damn it. Tell Lorgk to start calling himself a new name, like the Scarlet Chieften, whenever he has to refer to a tittle. It's probably not his fault that people started calling him this, but he needs to snip it the butt before it gets too widespread.

>What should I say or do?

Now as for ourselves we'll go ahead and take care of the three guy's Lubu wants us to. We'll take Immortal Angormandius the Undying, we've met him before and there's a chance we can sway him. Keddic can take The Golden Axeman, who is probably humanoid and would be a good match to Keddic. Bang will fight the last one, the Spined Lion, and try to gain a couple tricks from the War Hound.

>>258412
I'm against spending a Pristine Soul on mind shielding. We do not need the ability at this juncture and we would be left with only two Pristine Souls, which I remind everyone we are spending on saturating ourselves with Deep Spawn blood. We need at least one Pristine Soul as a safety net.

>>258413
Seconding the creation of more Deep Spawn now that we are in the Land of Dragons. Both the storage spawn quoted are a good start. Then either another combat Spawn like "Colossi embodies the concept of SIZE, its form revolves around METAL and LIMBS." or maybe a bard type spawn that can help spread belief faster and make conversations easier when they are around.

>>258414

>Oh, also, how do you guys like the idea of giving Keddic one of the masks? Of course the ultimate decision remains with Bang.
..... Though masks might not be in Keddics style.

I don't like it. It doesn't fit his character and Bang is going to use them to make his Necklace of Masks.
>>
No. 258428 ID: 903f16

>>258427
Also, I just figured out why the Red Knight is killing people. The more people tapping into the belief pool a tittle holds the less power he can draw from it. So he's killing other claimants to his tittle so he gets all the power. It's not like he's being honorable in all of this though, I mean he picked a generic tittle so other people's actions would get tied to his name. So yeah Red Comet's kind of a dick.
>>
No. 258431 ID: 35bba5

>>258427
You know, making too many combat spawn might result in altering our soul to be more combat oriented. Given that we already really enjoy killing stuff, that could be bad.
>>
No. 258433 ID: 903f16

>>258431
Considering barely a fourth of our spawn are combat oriented at the moment I doubt one more could hurt.
>>
No. 258434 ID: 07091c

>>258225
>A strange man met.jpg

Am I the only one bothered by this? Who is this guy, why wasn't there anything about him in the post?
Bob never posts pictures if they are not relevant to the post.
>>
No. 258435 ID: 9338f5

>>258431
the builder, gardener and storage spawn should fix this a bit.
>>
No. 258437 ID: 9338f5

>>258434

I was wondering that myself at first I thought he had simply runout but now that I think about it seems important.

It could be a reference to us. Some weird or crazy guy shows up and does something damn near impossible just because he felt like doing somthing nice. Seems like it could fit both the pick and what we did during that post. OR Bob could be messing with us.
>>
No. 258438 ID: a76809
File 12902931373.jpg - (208.04KB , 900x719 , Land Of Dragons Lenryt Champion The Golden Axe.jpg )
258438

>>258484
[It seems he couldn't.... or wouldn't.]

>>258410
"I shall go after the wanted, then. I could do with a bit of headhunting."
"Good to hear. Which one you figure on hunting?"
"All of them. Well, I like the sound of the Golden Axeman, I know Bang would love to fight Angormandius again, And Keddic would likely find such sport as the lion intriguing."
"So, with a late start you plan to steal all three targets away from their current hunters?
Hah, if you can do that, I'll make you an officer, get your own platoon and everything!"
"So, who would have specifics on the targets?"
"Got three scouts here, one for each target. Each has their most recent location, and can brief each of you on what we know of their capabilities. ...Just as a heads up, while the Spined Lion is a known defective War Hound prototype, and Angormandius is a centuries old murderer, the Golden Axeman... he's completely new. His presence can only be confirmed in the Land of Dragons three cycles ago and onward, with no record of him passing through borders. That one in particular I'd like some answers to come with his head. Each of the three has destroyed garrisons, razed villages, and in general made quite a nuisance of themselves. Well have at it then."

Keddic arrives in the next two minutes, his scarlet cloak and toga resplendent alongside his burnished gold skin, some degree of color returned to him, if not in the form it once took. He smiles warmly as he nods to me, and once I explain our goal, I find my estimation accurate, his attention gravitating towards the Spined Lion. He begins speaking with the involved scout, when I feel Burduko vanish, instants later a familiar voice lashing out, Bang having arrived. ...Just how swiftly did he run? When I put the situation to him, he immediately chooses Angormandius, as I expected. Bang and Keddic both, upon being informed of the time constraints, pick up each respective scout, and begins running with them in a manner highly reminiscent of how I began my first mission for Lubu. ..Interesting. I place the scout with data on the Golden Axeman in my palm, and after getting my initial orientation, begin running, accelerating with Nimble Nitro and Blood magic alike as I use Kinetimancy to create a stable bubble around my passenger as I listen to what he knows.

TH-THUMP!!

.The Golden Axeman is an Ancestral Tomb some ten meters tall, with a lifelike gold face within his helm. His body is styled after birds of prey, and takes the shape of immense heavy-plate armor. Copious amounts of writing have been noted all over his form.
-The Golden Axeman possesses an axe that holds some sway over the concept of Severance, being evidenced by bisecting every single target it has yet been seen to touch, no matter how durable or warded.
-Thus far has porven completely impervious to attacks, including siege weaponry and golem-slaying equipment.
-The Golden Axeman has thus far attacked and subsequently sacked and razed three garrisons, no survivors from a total of three thousand six hundred six soldiers.
-In addition, the Golden Axeman has destroyed two of the nine villages he has been spotted in, in both places after some form of altercation at local schools of Mass Connection styles.
-The Golden Axeman has also been observed meeting with Ancestral tombs in four separate cities, for purposes unknown.

I digest this information mid-transit, already well beyond the capital, and turn to Bobobo, still floating along at my side. I start asking it questions amidst periodic course corrections as I track down my prey's last known whereabouts.

>>258405
My first question is rather direct.
"Who was responsible for the Curse that befell the Mosmordren Empire? Who was involved beyond the Master of Sorrow and the area's Scientiomancer?"
In seventy percent of all settings where the Mosmordren Empire ever existed, the human mastermind of the Curse has consistently been Arcturo Fissykus, the Chronomancer and High King of Castiliathen. The methodology differs between instances, but ultimately he is the one most likely to have masterminded the process in this setting.
"How did they get the Scientiomancer codes?"
Commentary is only available on how it was gained in other settings, and absolutely no pattern exists, in general or in the settings most like this one.
"Who is the Other within me?"
Mordre exists only in this setting, questions pertaining directly to said existence cannot be answered outside of ability comparison as previously demonstrated.
"Define and explain the process of Maginova"
Maginova: The process by which a planet's Core Beast/Planet God finally awakens, consuming all life on the planet's surface. Once awake, the Core Beast consumes the shell it once dwelt in, becoming a living planet-sized organism to wander the stars. The Process of Maginova is when the Core Beast's incubation period expires, it's System crumbles, and the Planet God reaches the next stage of its existence. The period as a wandering living planet lasts for millions of years.
"What runes or other magical countermeasures have you seen against mind-reading, That could be implemented with the resources I currently possess? I desire the most potent ones available."
Cross referencing..... by a margin of an effective strength 6% greater than the next best, the Shade of Soul rune schematic would be the most potent available to you.
Designs, runes, words, concepts flow across those pages, and I imprint the complete explanation of the desired runes. When next I visit Arkus, I shall have a task most nostalgic for him.

>>258412
"Summon up some of your spawn"
Impossible. my spawn are the anchors in other possibilities, they cannot be moved to the same Setting I occupy.
"Could you pinpoint Figment?"
Entity, Land of Dragons... Figment seems to be a multidimensional existence, spread amongst multiple settings yet still a single cohesive existence. Referencing against locations in other possibilities.... Dream interference encountered, time required to breach.

I leave Bobobo to it and focus on getting to the Golden Axeman as swiftly as I can. An Ancestral Tomb... the largest Small Tomb I have heard of. Made of a metal intrinsically linked to Belief, covered in runes, with an axe that by all accounts cuts through anything. On my end, my sword is with Del Rogo and Arkus begin evaluated and augmented, my hammer Void Bringer clutched in the Sable Executioner.

The sun is beginning to set when I begin to slow down... having spotted a glinting gleam of gold about a distant yet massive figure. I see a head turn my way-

And what was once miles away is now fifty feet and closing, charging straight at me in a mad game of chicken, axe raising for the kill. The scout in my hand hasn't even had time to register what happened.






What should I say or do?
[I need a 1d10 roll for Keddic, and a 1d10 roll for Bang. Please denote who you are rolling for.]
>>
No. 258445 ID: d3dfb8

rolled 4 = 4

FOR THE GLORY OF BANG
>>
No. 258446 ID: 903f16

rolled 2 = 2

Rolling for Keddic.
>>
No. 258447 ID: 35bba5

>>258445
>>258446
great rolls guys.
>>
No. 258449 ID: 9338f5

>>258438
Activate blood magic and fire the AA, use the vanguard blades combined with our magnetomancy and our body as a ancor to create a powerful field of repulsion, use that trick with the blades from when we trained with those chain weilding students. Also if it does not harm the scout prepare and fire a powerful electric charge like the ones that triped us up for a few seconds.
>>
No. 258450 ID: 9338f5

>>258449
also try to evade the attack
>>
No. 258451 ID: 56dc25

>>258449
His axe might be able to slice through magnetic fields. Yes, I know that makes little sense, but it's a conceptual attack- we'll have to dodge it, rather than block it. Basically, any counter which could be overcome by a rule-of-cool powered "I SLICE THROUGH THE [whatever]!" declaration is likely doomed to fail.

Whatever else we do, get our senses working. Sense his magnetics, his soul, his blood if any, his ownership of things around him. Get more information on what the heck this guy actually is so that we can prepare an effective counter.
>>
No. 258454 ID: d3dfb8

Start up the IG, and discharge when in range. Hopefully we can fuck up his sword so he can't insta-kill us.
>>
No. 258455 ID: 9338f5

>>258451
I dont mean block the attack I mean use the rune and possibly soul enhanced blades to repel the weapon or small tomb. At the school whare we spared with the students we were able to effect the chains which were all but drenched in ownership. If the blades can do that they should be able to do something to the golem at least.
>>
No. 258465 ID: 07091c

I just noticed
>Land Of Dragons Lenryt Champion The Golden Axe.jpg
>Lenryt Champion
>Lenryt

So this is a champion working for Lubus opponents? I wonder who he works for.


What does his soul tell about him?

Start charging the anti-magic field. If I remember correctly from Goran fight, charging it up and imminently using it makes a field of few feet. Move the hand to block the attack.
Use kinetomancy to evade his attack.
If we don't manage to evade the attack, release the anti-magic charge and strongly reinforce the palm with magnetomancy (at the same time push away the axe with magnetomancy), we might be able to block the attack.

Or try to block it with sable executioner. (Black metal dispels all magic and the axe should act like a normal one, right?). .... hmm, instead of directly blocking it, try to capture the axe with your ribbons and pull it away.

After evading the attack, use chronal banditry to slow him down.

Probe his defenses for magnitomancy.

Examine the writings/runes on his body and axe. Ask Bobobo to put current task on fold, relay your finding to him and ask him to deciphers them. Instead of READING his answer, tell Phohn to read Bobobo mind directly and "read" to us what he said.


Use geomancy to make quicksands to make Golden Axe immobile or at least hamper him mobility a bit. It does not seem he can fly.
Make it so that the ground appears normal and solid but when he steps on it, it turns out to be few millimeters think crust and he'll fall into it. Do this so that he doesn't jump over the quick we make.

At the first opportunity let the scout go and tell him to flee as fast as he can and don't turn back (this so that when we kill Golden Axe we can suck his soul without witnesses).

I'm not sure how much he depends on eyes for his senses but engulf his head with brightly lit soulfire so that he has trouble with seeing.


If we manage to trap him even for a second in qucksand or get an opening for an attack, shoot one railgun cannon at his torso and another at his head. The first attack will destabilize him, the second might be mortal. If that is not enough use pyromancy-boosted AA to finish him off.

>the largest Small Tomb I have heard of. Made of a metal intrinsically linked to Belief
What metal? Gold?
Gold melts relatively at low temperatures, right? At least lower than iron or steel?
When we fought Eisenhardt we could melt his super metal balls with our Inferno Golems.
Lets summon one or two and try to melt him ... at least make him uncomfortable. Try to use our newfound Soul Magic powers to use souls more conservatively.
Also, Infermo Golems are made entirely of fire, right? By serving them with physical axe shouldn't kill them... just make a gash in them which will seal immediately, right?


>[It seems he couldn't.... or wouldn't.]
Linked post to this sentence leads to 404
Does that happen to anyone else? I've seen Bob quote 404'd pages and even posts from entirely different quests before.
What was the post in question?
>>
No. 258469 ID: 903f16

>>258438

Drop the scout gently on the ground and tell him to flee. Then either use Kinetimancy to redirect The Golden Axeman's force vectors and cause him to swerve away from us or Geomancy to earth slide around him. Tag him with the Accelerator or Chronal Banditry as you pass, but only if you see an opening you can exploit. Try to feel him out after this for any weaknesses to exploit. His face may be one, in which case you can dust off the old Spectral Gorging Anima and destroy the tissue. You could also try to smash his magical armor and warp the runes inscribed onto it with the Void Bringer.

We should also try to open up a dialogue with him. Lubu wants his life and his information and since we can't devour his soul and interrogate him latter now is our only chance. Start with something like "Hail Ancestral Tomb, why do you insist on destroying High Dragon Lubu's assets? What is your grievance with the Emperor?" We know he's from Lenryt, but Mordre doesn't yet. After he asks that then we can ask "Who has Lenryt asked you to serve?" Also don't stop to say any of this, just amplify your voice so he can hear it.
>>
No. 258470 ID: 903f16

>>258447
Because I could totally control what the random dice generator gave me, right?
>>
No. 258471 ID: 07091c

He might be impervious and his axe might be able to cut anything.
But does that make him physically stronger than us? We could try to grab the handle of his axe and wrestle it out of his hands. It does not look like he has any other weapons, as long as we hold on to the axe he wont be able to attack us. Sure, he might kick us but unless his kicks can break us in two, it will be futile attempt.

When/if we grab the handle of his axe, disable nimble nitro (as it makes our defenses weaker). Use all available powers to take the axe away from him. Heck, use our FEEDING ability to eat through the handle and break the axe if we can't possibly take it way from him.
Of course the question is how we grab it. Using kinetomacy charge duck UNDER his attack and grab it. Or at the last moment, just before he starts swinging down, propel yourself forward (so that the blade of the axe fall behind you) and try to grab the handle from below..... wait, we have scout in our hand.... umm... just throw him in the bushes and hope he'll survive.


Also, a thought to think on: our head is mobile. We could move our head several meter to the side then have one rubie float a little bit more to the side, circling Golden Axe a little bit and shoot AA. This will disorient our enemy a bit as his mind must be set to fighting single humanoid opponent and suddenly he must evade from 3 sides (our body, one AA shot from our head and one AA shot from the ruby). We might catch him off-guard like this.
>>
No. 258472 ID: 741399

>>258469
He's a Small Tomb, he doesn't have any flesh for the Spectral Gorging Anima to tear.

Also, don't use Soulfire or any other ability that is obviously made of souls, since, you know, this is the LoD and they respect dead souls. And Soulfire is made by burning souls.

Er, I'm not very good at identifying how the magic works in this setting, but won't IG's Anti-Magic Field clash against Void Bringer's anti-magic rune, and therefore ruin the weapon if the charge within the IG is large enough?
>>
No. 258474 ID: 903f16

>>258472
He has a fleshy face, it's worth a shot.
>>
No. 258476 ID: 903f16

>>258472
I also never suggested activating the IG, other people have, but I haven't. Stand alone my suggestion doesn't damage either the weapon or rune.
>>
No. 258478 ID: c4098d

>>258470
Yes, with the power of IMAGINATION!
>>
No. 258479 ID: 07091c

>>258471
Got lost in the thought here:

If we manage to take the axe away from him, then we can use it to kill him as it can cut anything, probably including his impervious body.

Though our hammer might be able to dispel the runes on his body and damage him too.
>>
No. 258480 ID: 35bba5

>>258470
you could have if you were trying harder!
>>
No. 258481 ID: 32a249

>>258438
>"Who is the Other within me?"
>Mordre exists only in this setting, questions pertaining directly to said existence cannot be answered outside of ability comparison as previously demonstrated.

That question was rather badly worded.
Best to ask was "Who is a 'Master of Sorrows', a Legendary Morsmorden Soul Mage?"

Also, if you start asking about Lenryt, remeber that we don't deal with just a Lenryt the Legendary Mage or Wanderer the Planet God - it's a gestalt of both. We heard it from Lenryt-Wanderer him/her/itself and have tentative confirmation during our interactions (And I still have hard time believing that a single human, no matter how great, can have any impact on beahvior of something so wast and ancient as Planet God).


>>258454
This, also I wonder if hammer's anti-magic rune can cancel out his axe's magic?
>>
No. 258482 ID: 07091c

>>258472
Nah, we used fairly powerful IG charges when fighting Eisenhard and Goran and it didn't mess up our sword. I think it doesn't affect stuff under our ownership otherwise we would be harmed by it too.
>>
No. 258484 ID: 56dc25

>>258469
Christ, almost forgot about the scout. No way in hell can he take the sort of reaction speeds that we'll need to survive this; fling him aside before he gets killed and use Kinetomancy to make sure he gets through it intact.

While dodging. After we get a bit of a feel for how this guy moves and what he can do, I think >>258471 probably has the right idea for dealing with that axe. I'd much like a weapon that can cut through anything. Though moving our eyes aside seems like it would make them too vulnerable, to me; it would rob them of our movement speed and defenses. Then they could get axed.

>>258470
Did you sacrifice a small animal whilst chanting supplications to your patron deity as you clicked "Reply"? Because if not, we can feel justified in blaming you.
>>
No. 258487 ID: 07091c

>>258472
>Also, don't use Soulfire or any other ability that is obviously made of souls, since, you know, this is the LoD and they respect dead souls. And Soulfire is made by burning souls.

Yeah but no one knows we use souls, even powerful Oz can't sense that we have thousands of souls within us, just that our soul seems to be immense.
The only other guy here is the scout, I doubt he has even basic magic senses.
We can use soulfire without burning our souls now, though if we need to burn souls to blind him I am for that too.
>>
No. 258489 ID: 445c48

>Made of a metal intrinsically linked to Belief

Wait, what? What is he made out of that's linked to belief? Or is it automatically linked to belief, despite whatever it is, because he's an Ancestral Tomb down here? Or is he made out of gold, and there's just general belief directed to the power of gold? Shouldn't make it any more durable, though, because no one believes gold's a very tough material, though it might explain why it makes better runes.

>>258474
While the picture does seem kind of fleshy, the scout said it was just very life-like, and made of gold. Mordre should easily be able to tell the difference, though.
>>
No. 258491 ID: 9338f5

>>258472
if I recall correctly our head "floats" on a small cloud of soulfire, meaning everyone in the LoD who has seen us has seen us useing it. so theres no need to hide it.
>>
No. 258495 ID: 680d71

"Stop. I know Lenryt."

If he does not, Nexus boost geomancy and slide the earth under him to the right as soon as his foot makes contact with the ground.

Then take hold of the earth under him, mentally denoting them as two giant slabs, and turn them over, locking him in a pit, preferably with his head out or arm restrained.

Then to seal the deal, create an Inferno Golem and give it a name 'Ifrit the Consumer' or something, so it seems to the untrained eye that you can temporarily give old spirits a corporal body, rather than you burning the souls of hundreds to do your stuff.
[When it is about to die, you can have it kneel and you say ' I will call you again soon my friend' or somn]
>>
No. 258506 ID: a76809

rolled 6, 6 = 12

[Rolling for: Bang's foe, Keddic's foe]

>>258445
[BANG: 4]
>>258446
[KEDDIC: 2]

>>258451
In that instant that the Golden Axeman took to appear before me, I learned much. His body is suffused with Combat magic, a thorough glow that prevents deep analysis. The multitude of runes include rejection, warding, fusion and amplification runes, a collaberative network to render the bearer as resilient as possible. From having met a number of Small Tombs before, I can verify that however fleshlike the molten gold of his face, the Golden Axeman most assuredly is not alive, a soul housed in metal like any other. I find his axe likewise consumed in his magic and Ownership.... mf foe seems built around being as durable as possible, to wade through faster attacks and end it with a single, decisive strike. ...I still have not identified what runes were involved in his teleportation, though. Perhaps it was some sort of Mass Connection maneuver?

>>258469
>>258484
I toss aside the scout in my hand, imparting a trajectory that will see him landing in a nearby tree's canopy after dropping only ten feet. Hardly ideal, but easily survivable, and the only way to get him out of the middle of this clash fast enough.

>>258449
>>258454
>>258455
>>258465
[Black Steel Dispels anything below Blood Magic]
I set my Blood Iron to flowing as I turn Kinetomancy on myself, Nimble Nitro deactivating as Magnetomancy is turned towards my runed Saw rings. Magnetic fields bloom into existence, tugging at my foe and his weapon alike as I try to destabilize him. His body is too massive, too well warded to impact-but his axe's course is warped. Conjoined with my Kinetomancy induced dodge, I am now flanking my foe. I heft Void Bringer and without hesitation smash its head against the side of his axe's head. In that moment of impact, I detect the tightly compacted Order of his axe failing to disperse on contact, the impact so severe that I lose my grip on the Void Bringer as my foe's axe goes tumbling through the air. We both have been deprived of our held weapons-but I have much more than that to draw on.

TH-THUMP!!

Does my foe?

I reach out with the Immortal Genocide towards my foe, pulling in a few instants of power and releasing it the moment my hand closes within a foot of his chest. I see those molten gold eyes turn to regard my outstretched hand, noting the rippling wave of light and shadow expanding from that pit of darkness. Instants before the wave reaches his form, my titanic foe once more disappears, now closing a hand aobut his axe and hefting it again, several hundred feet away. Rather than immediately charge again, he regards me with a more wary, focused expression, feet spread wide and a cornucopia of shifting Chaos and Order playing over his runed form.

As I note the scout I tossed into the nearby copse of trees dropping to the ground and fleeing with all possible speed, I know that soon, it will just be my foe and eye, a chance encounter in the middle of nowhere brought about by accurate intelligence and precise soul-sensing capabilities. I try to buy my escort time to flee while trying to ferret out answers. I speak to the Golden Axeman in Common, his guise far more reminiscent of the northlands than anything local to the Land of Dragons.

TH-THUMP!!

"And what grievance do you have with me, to attack me so?"
>"You were headed straight towards me with no other destination in sight, >One of Lubu's scouts in your hand. Call me crazy, but I assumed you here to kill me. >...You look-and sound-as out of place as I do in these lands, a fellow Northerner? "
"I am indeed. Where did you come from?"
>"Oh, a place. Can't give a name as no books mention my home anymore, >If you follow. If you were looking for where I am currently based.... >Well, I like to wander, and I DON'T like visitors when I do hunker down, >So I'll be keeping that to myself."
"What about why you're attacking Lubu's forces? Do you have a grievance with the man?"
>"Not really, don't even know him. >Not the point though, I have a job to do. >....Which I suspect you are here to pursue as well."
"Talk of a job, newcomer to the area, magically inclined, No longer classified as Mortal... does the name Lenryt-"
>"I knew it, I knew it! >She mentioned I wasn't the only champion around here. >...Your luck sucks though, to be on Lubu's side. >You do realize there are dozens of champions dispersed throughout the other Dragon's forces, right?"
"I suspected as much. It changes nothing."
>"....."

My foe vanishes.

TH-THUMP!!

>>258465
>>258469
>>258471
I feel the weight of his soul appear behind me. I spin about counter-clockwise, my left hand brushing against his axe's handle mid-swing.

CHRONAL BANDITRY

My foe slows as I accelerate, those stolen slivers of time letting me fully turn about and wrap the Sable Executioner and my left hand about his axe's haft, locking us together as he strives to lodge his axe in my shoulder, and I endeavor to prevent it.

TH-THUMP!!

>"You sure you don't feel different? >I mean, however capable Lubu may be, >Do you really think he makes a good emperor? >This land will not benefit from his rule. >So, altruism's out for your motivation. >You can't be looking for power, >As Lubu will take your gains and dash them to pieces. >No way you can't know about what he is. >You can't even be looking for the side most likely to win, >As Lubu is no more immune to indirect assassination than anyone else. >So why shackle yourself to the losing team? >Kunna's a pragmatic one, she'd richly reward a defector."

My eyes flit out of their sockets, ruby gems suffused in a scarlet glow as Zagrath guides their flight, each orienting on my foe from a different angle. I trigger them without hesitation, wondering if he can react more swiftly than the speed of light.

TH-THUMP!!

AMARANTHINE ANNIHILATOR!!

Twin beams impact the Golden Axeman, head and heart alike targeted. I see frost creeping about from the points of impact even through the harsh, blinding red glare of the blast, twin spheres of intense heat blooming from each impact. Without hesitation I turn my manipulations to Pyromancy, and direct all that shunted heat into a single tightly condensed beam, directed right back into the heart of each frozen patch on my foe. Let us see how his resilience stands up to the laws of thermodynamics.

INFERNAL LANCE!!

The beam of brilliant heat slams into the patches of cold, cracks racing outwards-

And my foe teleports away, leaving his axe in my grip. He reappears five hundred feet behind me-and I note the cracks no longer spread, the cold patches having vanished in transit. Coupled with how little effect the Amaranthine Annihilator had... I suspect his metal form is subjected to immense heat when spatially warping, explaining why he did not outright freeze when hit the first time. Beyond that, the heat seems to be perfectly distributed, else his teleportation would have exacerbated the cracking on his frozen areas, rather than stabilizing his temperature.

The Golden Axeman holds out a hand as I turn about to face him, and his axe, still clutched in my grasp, reappears in his own grip as he regards me calmly, running his free hand over the spiderweb cracks across his chest as those on his liquid face mend in seconds. The Void Bringer finally falls back to the ground, and I snatch it out of the air just before impact, once more arming myself.

TH-THUMP!!

And so here we are again, facing each other with weapons in hand, at a standstill.

>"You sure you have to help Lubu? >It seems unnecessarily difficult, >And I'd rather not kill a fellow champion."

The scout has finished his flight, and is nowhere to be seen. There are no longer any witnesses, or prying ears.





What should I say or do?
[Another 1d10 each for Bang and Keddic is needed]
>>
No. 258511 ID: 1854db

rolled 5 = 5

Ask him who would make a better emperor. We were tasked by Lenryt to help Lubu. Why exactly should we disobey her? We're in this mainly for the boon Lenryt is promising... but since we're both working for her I don't think she'd be THAT upset if we switched sides. Also, what makes him think Lubu is going to lose anyway?
>>
No. 258519 ID: d3dfb8

rolled 10 = 10

Rollin for Keddic this time
>>
No. 258520 ID: 60e647

"You sure you have to help Kunna? It seems unnecessarily difficult. I would hate to die."

Ozmand, two rounds rapid, please. Aim for where we last hit him, and where he is the weakest. I doubt we can feel any more Ownership on the ax, but if we can, try to Magnetomnacy that thing away. And charge in, lets turn on our Feasting Vestments, try to eat his armor from a distance. Our IG is still charging? We'll punch him proper after this.

"From Mosmordre, are you? Or somewhere else wiped off the map? Anyway, why kill women and children, scoundrel? And schools of learning, doesn't seem like your Kunna is less 'pragmatic' and more 'blood thirsty'."
>>
No. 258528 ID: f4e4f9

>>258520
"Besides. Treachery does not sit well with me.

It's one of those pride things."

Axe, meet Disintegrating Hands of Hunger Mk2. If he doesn't back down, Trigger it after tossing up the Void Bringer. IG feeding and dispelling as well.
>>
No. 258533 ID: d3dfb8

>>258528
Toss of the void bringer, and when we close in to take him on we hit him in the back with it using magnetomancy. Hopefully he'll be too distracted by us to notice it.
>>
No. 258534 ID: 9338f5

Use the railgun, have the disk float around at what looks to be random like we intended to use on Esinheart. Also charge up a mighty burst of Ignimancy, if we can somehow combine the two into someform of lightning charged railgun the electricity should stun him or weaken his defencive runes thus letting the railgun bullet splater him. perhaps use the shifting magnetic feilds to boost the charge of the ignimangy?
>>
No. 258535 ID: 445c48

Start up the IG again.

And say something along the lines of "You do the job in front of you. It's my job to help Lubu. And he's a pretty cool guy. Besides, I don't think Lenryt would like me switching sides. "

Is Burduko with us? If not, we should call for him. See if Burduko can hold him still, or teleport him constantly to one place.

Also Soulfire.
>>
No. 258538 ID: 07091c

Teleporting like crazy..... it sure would be nice to have that ability.
We need Velada here!
Dammit, we take Burduko EVERYWHERE! Why didn't we take him here?
How long would it take for Velada (with Burdukos help) to arrive here?
And why the heck do we keep running into tracktomancers? I thought it was exceptionally rare skill. Damn it, we need to kill this guy and EAT HIS KNOWLEDGE.


Hey, don't listen to him. He has the same task as we do and he is trying to achieve it by all means. He's just using his PERSUASION skills on us... explains how he managed to convince Mass Concentration schools to make alterations for him. He killed them later so that no known knows what they were and there weaknesses.
We have no idea who he's rooting for and Lubu is a cool guy and from what we have seen just about the most powerful thing on this planet except Lenryt and the Caged One.

Why does his writing style alternate with each sentence? Is he talking in different voices? Is there actually more than one soul in him? ..... does his axe have another soul stuck in it thus his immense ownership over it?

Also, how could he take the axe away from us? Weren't we holding it with our Sable Executioner?



God damn tracktomancers. The trapping plans with geomancy will not work anymore, though that does not mean we can shift ground to destabilize him and gain openings for attacks, so don't throw away that idea just yet.

Observing the way our opponent fights, he will teleport close to us again and charge. This definatly not be from the front, and probably not from the back .... I suspect he will be attacking from the left (as defending with Void Bringer from that side will be harder than from the right) ... or the most probable imo, he'll attack from above.

If he appears on the ground and charges us again, I think he will not be bringing down his axe on our head again, he'll probably aim from the side which is hard to protect with the Void Bringer, our mid-section of the legs. IF he does that ans IF the attack from the side on or torso will not touch our Soul Furnance, I say we let him, not just let him but even weaken our defenses in that area.
That way he will cleave right though us, like a hot knife on butter giving us and opening to attack him. We can repair that kind of damage in mere moment as evidenced during the fight against the Air Mage.

I think we should try using the devastating Jade Soul attacks. They are more powerful, the more souls we hold and seeing how we have 15k+ souls they will be world-shattering powerful.
>Jade Fist: -The Soul field can somewhat ablate and negate magical defenses, in proportion to Mordre's own soul. Considering that it is ultimately slaved to the Soul Grave furnace containing several thousand souls, it can pierce considerable amounts of magic.

If he appear from above, rapidly shoot two railgun shots at the places where we shot AA. While he's flying hit him with Ethereal Strike just to be sure (judging from the attack description it should be several miles long so its a good ranged attack)


He might try some crazy shit too, like using his tracktomancy to throw his axe at us while he appears from other side. Be ready for that kind of attack.


How fast can we set up geomancy mines? We could put several around our position while talking to him, when he charges us again we can set them off. They probably will not do much damage but the attack will be unsuspected and the brief moment of surprise can give us another opening.


If none of these plans work. Charge up the IG (ALWAYS CHARGE UP THE IG WHY DO WE KEEP FORGETTING TO PREPARE?). Use evading maneuvers from previous posts (kinetomacy, land sliding, magnetomancy) or block the attack with Void Bringer or Sable Executioner. Use Chronal Banditry again if we get the chance. During these few moments of slowness shoot railgun AA at point-blank range (if we have no time to align the blades, shoot regularly). Try to get hold of his axe again BUT THIS TIME discharge the IG and shake away his Ownership with the use of whatever means, if that is not possible just warp the axe beyond usage.


Also summon an Inferno Golem so that we can try to melt him even further/distract him
>>
No. 258541 ID: 0bfdb2

Right so his body runes are ENTIRELY focused on resistance, warding and rejection. How about we lay the INVERTER on that and turn him into a frail magic-accepting target that can be crushed with a quick magnetomantic burst, Sable Executioner swipe or point-blank AG shell.

Alternatively block the axe with the inverter to render it totally incapable of cutting and wrap him in Sable Executioner, hopefully disabling his teleports.

Instead of using the IG secondary mode why not try the primary where Mordre punches something and the IG violently detonates the magic present in the target. For a combat magic suffused guy like the Axeman that should be pretty devastating.
>>
No. 258543 ID: 07091c

>>258519
See?
Now THIS guy sacrificed several cute kittens for this roll.
Take lessons >>258470



Hey... if we make a stone pillar and stand a top of it, he wont be able to charge directly at us and will be forced to teleport above us giving the opportunity to use plans outlined here >>258538
Of course he can try to break the or slice the pillar but that will give us opportunity to shoot railgun at him and Etheral Strike. Also we could repair the damage as he inflicts it.

He could also try to run up it, but that position will leave him many openings.

The rising of the pillar should not be slow though, we can build up the geomancy charge underground, build the pillar there and when in is ready shoot it up using kinetomancy and charged geomancy then fill the void beneath it with the ground.

If he doesn't try to deal with the pillar and just wait us to attack we can pester him with:
Inferno Golems
Regular Anti-golem rounds
Rail-gun accelerated Anti-golem rounds
Recharged AA
Ground spikes
Ethereal Strike
Ingnitomancy

>Also: keep us updated with AA recharging
>>
No. 258544 ID: 07091c

>>258541
>Right so his body runes are ENTIRELY focused on resistance, warding and rejection. How about we lay the INVERTER

Thats brilliant!

We must touch him though and keep touching while we attack him.
I suppose grabbing his blade with the Inverter active is the best way. But if we manage to Evede him, use Chronal Banditry again to gain more time, immediately switch to Inverter and attack him.
>>
No. 258557 ID: 9338f5

>>258544
>We must touch him though and keep touching while we attack him.

Fairly sure theres a antiarmour move of the jade soul school with a few seconds of touching as a requirement.
>>
No. 258558 ID: 07091c

>>258557
One second.

But seeing how ridiculously fast fights have become lately I think that might not be enough.
>>
No. 258566 ID: 9338f5

>>258558
thats why we have a bit of time magic
>>
No. 258572 ID: 903f16

>>258506

"Interesting argument ... Golden Axeman was it? That's what I've been told they call you around these parts. But I'm afraid I'll have to decline the offer. You know very little of Lubu. He will make a fine emperor in time, a force for change in these lands. Power? He builds up those around him, not tear them down. Everyone vies and competes to win power under him and those that are successful gain what they seek, a fine a system as any. And victory? You can be assured the odds are not as stacked as you think they are. I'd rather not find myself opposite to him and his newly gained allies when the time comes, and I suggest you'd do the same.

But enough of that business what do you get out of this? I work for her as a free agent, gaining favors in return for contracts. I can't imagine you work on the same model as she gives you resources you need. Furthermore where did she find you? Did she track you down like she did me or did you find her? I can't begin to imagine where she picks all of you up."


>>258538

>Hey, don't listen to him. He has the same task as we do and he is trying to achieve it by all means. He's just using his PERSUASION skills on us

Of course he is, that's obvious. We can still beat him at it though, we have more than enough experience manipulating people.
>>
No. 258580 ID: a76809

rolled 3, 9 = 12

[Rolling for: Bang's foe, Keddic's foe]

>>258511
[BANG: 4, 5][ANGORMANDIUS: 6, __]
>>258519
[KEDDIC: 2, 10][SPINED LION: 6, __]

TH-THUMP!!

>>258520
"You sure you have to help Kunna? It seems unnecessarily difficult. I would hate to have to kill you, You already went through that once. So where are you from? A onetime Mosmordren citizen, are you? Or somewhere else wiped off the map?"
>"...You know where I am from, why the games?"
"You slew students, butchered children. Twice you sacked towns, on a murderous rampage. Tell me why you did this."
>"Simple. One village's elders were discussing a mass enlistment in the imperial army.
>I had to put a stop to that before it became a larger problem, preventative manipulations.
"And the other?"
>"Would you believe I lost my temper?"
"I don't know, would you?"
>"Probably not."

TH-THUMP!!

>>258534
>>258538
>>258543
>WHY DO WE KEEP FORGETTING TO PREPARE?
[Probably because it is an area of effect ability like Soulfeasting is now that could pose immense risks to nearby parties. Also having it active interferes with the Soul Hand nexus, and you keep doing other things with your hand, like using the Soul Nexus abilities Can't use all those abilities at once.]

The Golden Axeman vanishes. I turn all my magic to Geomancy for an instant, the ground jumping up twenty feet beneath me, a stark plateau for me to occupy. I see a flicker, a blur-The Golden Axeman had been flanking me, but at my change in elevation-

As I suspected, he is midair above me and descending, axe slicing sideways for a three-dimensional attack as he plummets.

TH-THUMP!!

I line the runed saw rings up before my cannon, and fire two rounds rapid, each accelerating as they pass through the magnetic fields, head and heart targeted in turn. What happens after I fire.... differs from my prior examples.

There is no hole in my foe, no cleanly gouged paths for Ozmand to expand upon. In that space between instants, the slivers of time no mortal can see, I watch the shells crumpling, the pyromantic rockets on their back sputtering out as the runes are warped. I see the Golden Axeman's form flexing, warping, ripples and undulations flowing outfrom the impact, his body in a wild state of flux. His axe is hurled from his grasp as the waves keep spreading outwards, reaching fingers and feet-

The wave escapes his body, tearing through the air. Trees shatter like tinder in its wake, stones crack and crumble, earth is rent, a curved line carved into the landscape where the shockwave impacted. The plateau I stand on crumbs as the ground buckles and heaves, a tiny quake accompanying the massive dispersal of force I just witnessed.

TH-THUMP!!

For his part, the Golden Axeman is now five hundred feet away, moving just under the speed of sound. Another eight hundred feet later, he finally dips low enough to plow into the ground, his crash-landing plowing a massive trench into the landscape. I turn towards Geomancy, soundlessly sliding towards him as I keep my hand and body Soul Nexus free, readying my left hand as the Void Bringer is clutched once more in the Sable Executioner. I close the distance to six hundred feet when I see a mildly twisted and warped Golden Axeman starting to rise. I do not let him reach his feet, my hand thrusting forward palm-first as I tap the lessons of the Jade Soul Monks I consumed.

>ETHEREAL STRIKE

A balefully glowing replica of my hand rockets forth, a ghostly visage that slams into my foe, knocking him back prone as I continue to close the distance. I see him starting to rise again , and send another spectral hand racing his way, an even sharper impact coming with the closed gap. Again he begins to bounce back immediately, this time simply reaching out a hand to the sky. His axe is once more in his grasp-

And twelve feet from me closing, he is gone.

TH-THUMP!!

I try to turn in time, but to no avail. He's to my rear right, sheltered as my Sable Executioner is occupied clutching my hammer, out of the reach of my left hand. I begin to turn, Geomancy, Kinetimancy both going to my aid-

My balance fails as my right leg leaves the ground. The balance of the Void Bringer shifts, and I lose track of one ribbon of the Sable Executioner.

An instant later I identify what happened, a short, controlled slice cleaving through my right arm, the Void Bringer's haft, and my leg all like butter, that molten gold face, still completely unblemished even as the cracks in his chest are notably expanded within the new crater I added, grinning at me with smug eyes.

>"You aren't the only one who changes tactics on the fly."

TH-THUMP!!

In my whirling fall, even as I see the Golden Axeman readying for a killing blow I manage to make my apparent balancing flailings bring my left hand into contact with my foe, fingers and upper palm now against his side. The Inverter, Chronal Banditry, a brief Immortal Genocide Pulse... even Rending Grasp could prove useful.




I bought myself a chance to strike cleanly.
How best do I think I can pierce my foe's defenses in my current state?
>[You know the drill, 1d10 roll for Keddic, 1d10 roll for Bang, say who you are rolling for.]
>>
No. 258592 ID: d3dfb8

rolled 8 = 8

BACK TO BANG
>>
No. 258593 ID: 69bee4

rolled 10 = 10

Bring your blood to bear!
>>
No. 258600 ID: 4cfe95

...How much AA do we have left?

Fire it at him. At this range, there's no missing.
>>
No. 258601 ID: 60e647

The suggestion of the inverter seems neat. I also hope we can beat him without killing him
>>
No. 258602 ID: 4cfe95

>>258600
Actually, invert his magical feild, first.
>>
No. 258603 ID: 445c48

Invert him, crush him with magnetomancy or your hand or something. Also soulfire.
>>
No. 258604 ID: 903f16

>>258580

I couldn't choose between the Inverter and Rending Grasp so I flipped a coin, the Inverter won. So Invert him and if possible fire more shells from the AGC at him from point blank range. Also try to keep together using Magnetomancy and do some rapid regeneration.
>>
No. 258606 ID: f4e4f9

Say in Mornorstric:

"Not bad, my brother."

Invert him.
>>
No. 258607 ID: 1854db

Oh, trying for a Pristine here.

Knowing what we do about Maginova, I'm willing to be Lenryt is trying to ensure one happens so she can eat another planet in the system. She's only eaten dead ones, after all. I believe that the System itself is a kind of womb for living planets, and Lenryt came to this one because it is about to go Maginova. She is assisting the System, and focusing on the war down south because if it goes wrong, the Caged One will be released too soon, resulting in a weaker Maginova and no planet for her to eat. She seeks to make sure she is in control of the Land of Dragons in order to control how the System works here.
>>
No. 258611 ID: fb07ac

>>258481
Badly phrased as it was, we did learn something: Apparently in all the multiverse, Mordre being sapient is unique. I wonder what that could mean?

So we've met another of Lenryt's champions. Interestingly, he is also a golem AND he is also from the Mosmodren empire. Seems like that is more then a coincidence. Perhaps he is not just an ancestral tomb, but is Anathema like Mordre as well?
If we come across a third of Lenryt's champions and they are also a golem from the Mosmodren Empire, I'm calling shenanigans.

More on Lenryt's motives: Lenryt appears to have some interest in preserving the system of this world so that another World eater is not born, whether out of compassion for living things here or merely to prevent competition, who knows? The reason it wanted so badly to take the Caged One from Mordre is because Caged One is the being that would become the World eater of this planet. It has already awakened and is only being held by the system; had Mordre died with the Caged One within him, the world would have been consumed.
When something with a nonheroic soul dies, the soul goes to the core beast right? So with enough death, the incubation is over and the core beast is then strong enough to break out of the system. Lenryt is looking gain influence in the Land Of Dragons to stabilize the political landscape, resulting in less war and slowing the rate souls go to the core.

Then there is Domintus the World Reaper, said to be far more powerful then Lenryt. Perhaps Domintus is a World Eater as well? The reason Domintus could be more powerful is that he travels from world to world reaping the souls from all life on the planet, or perhaps devouring other newborn World Eaters. However, Lenryt was also described as having the gestalt souls from many worlds, which means Lenryt's motives may be ultimately selfish in nature. Maybe preventing the system collapse long enough to grow powerful enough to oppose Domintus? Both are feeding off this planet's souls while the Caged One remains trapped, just going about it different ways. Domintus raising a religion and starting wars to cause death so he can harvest souls, but Lenryt is less obvious.

Note: Mosmodren Empire knew about the system and had dealings with that region Scientiomancer. Scientiomancers/Deep Spawn know how to create beings that consume souls to gain power as shown with Goran. Goran is similar to soul graves, probable that the Mosmodren Empire learned to make soul graves through their scientiomancer dealings. The scientiomancer may have been willing to part with that information since war machines that suck up and consume souls remove the souls from the system, denying the core beast power. Scientiomancer knowledge of this type of power gain comes from knowledge of the system, it is a reflection of the system.

Core beasts are formed from a gestalt soul of all souls that have died on that world; formation of gestalt consciousness is the "awakening."
Theory: The cause of Mordre's sapience is the mass of souls within him having formed a gestalt consciousness due to the curse/presence of the Master of Sorrow/Mosmodren Administrator.

If the Soul Grave is a reflection of the System and Mordre's sapience is his "awakening" then...

Prediction: Should Mordre survive long enough and consume enough souls, he will eventually become a World Eater or similar entity.

Of course if that is true and on the mark enough to net a PS, it may have to be spent on that thought shielding rune to be absolutely sure Lenryt can read our mind. We then need to get that rune before we run into Lenryt again. Lenryt probably won't like that realization. If questioned by Lenryt why our thoughts can't be read any more, just tell it that we don't want Domintus in our head.

(Maybe this is accurate, and maybe I just need to stop rambling and get some sleep.)
>>
No. 258646 ID: 1636b0

RENDING GRASP!

while earth sliding.

[somebody rip out a beatles tune]
>>
No. 258652 ID: 07091c

Let go of the Void Bringer.

Briefly use Chronal Banditry to gain few more precious moments.

Use the Inverter to invert Gold Axes defensive capabilities.
Now his body should be weak. Strongly grab his side with our hand digging deep in his side with our fingers. Begin expelling our ownership over his body trying to make a part of him our own. Do this is so that he cannot teleport away when he notices that something is amiss.

Use magnetomancy to warp the runes around his body so that that don't work anymore. At the same time warp his arms so that they become immobile.

Shoot Anti-Golem rounds at him till our cannon explodes from the stress. Use vanguard blades to accelerate them if possible (even 1 is good). Aim at his face.

Shoot AA at his torso at the same time.

Use sable Executioner to sever his arms and then torso.


If all of this does not work for some reason and he keeps attacking us use geomancy again to raise him on the pillar so that he's above us and misses his attack.
OR use accelerator to shoot him away from us.


Use magnetomancy to repair us.
>>
No. 258653 ID: 07091c
File 129035743686.jpg - (752.06KB , 2592x1944 , 01012007289.jpg )
258653

>>258652
Picture goes with this post.

I wanted to draw him shooting AA but that was too much for me to handle.
>>
No. 258658 ID: a76809

rolled 9, 10 = 19

[Rolling for: Bang's foe, Keddic's foe]

>>258592
[BANG: 4, 5, 8][ANGORMANDIUS: 6, 3, __]
>>258593
[KEDDIC: 2, 10, 10][SPINED LION: 6, 9, __]

>>258604
[Cannon is temporarily out of commission from strain of double firing railshots]

>>258600
>>258602
>>258606
>>258646
"|| Not bad, my brother.||"

I trigger the Inverter, the contact points between my hand and my foe buzzing, singing as power surges. I feel that sense of isolation, of being closed, the sense of warding about my foe shifting and twisting, folding in on itself until I feel naught but an invitation for my magics. The Amaranthine Annihilator largely recharged, back to half the power it held last time it was fired earlier in this fight, is once more focused on head and chest, the rubies remaining in their sockets this time as I take aim. With my fingers still in contact with my foe's side, the world goes red-tinged white.

TH-THUMP!!

AMARANTHINE ANNIHILATOR

Diverging beams lance out from my eyes, catching my foe full in the face and chest with his axe midswing. I see cracks racing outwards, shattering metal cascading from his torso-and his axe keeps falling my way, still on a collision course with my skull. I see frost, I see flying chips of ice and slivers of metal, ugly and raw craters the mark of my attack... with half the power, I did some five times as much damage by my estimations-which is strange, as with all those defensive runes inverted I would have expected even more injury. Are there runes or other magics in his body at play that I am not aware of?

Which is when I become grateful that my hand just reached one second of contact with my foe, as I trigger the Restricted combat magic of the Jade Soul Style.

RENDING GRASP

TH-THUMP!!

My hand starts to wrench a path through my foe, the one-time obdurate foe tearing like wet paper before the passage of my hand, my splayed fingers. I carve a channel through his midsection that would have revealed his spine from the front, if my foe had a spine. As is the abrupt loss of bracing mass in his trunk sets his body to pitching forward, his attack angle thrown off. Instead of bisecting me, his axe catches my spinning form in the back, carving off a half-foot thick strip of metal and sheering off my back-mounted reloads.

That frantic moment having passed, my foe and I both fall to the ground, my back mangled, my right leg missing from the knee down, and the Sable Executioner down a blade-ribbon. My foe's face is a mess of frozen metal, slowly churning as it tries to regain fluidity and flow, that massive gouge out of his belly making movement supremely difficult. Both of us crippled, a few frantic seconds are spent as both of us try to disentangle ourselves first with our hobbled movements.

TH-THUMP!!

>>258611
>Theory: The cause of Mordre's sapience is the mass of souls within him having formed a gestalt consciousness due to the curse/presence of the Master of Sorrow/Mosmodren Administrator.
>Prediction: Should Mordre survive long enough and consume enough souls, he will eventually become a World Eater or similar entity.
I know not why it occurs to me in the here and now, in the midst of battle. ALl I know is that in a sudden chilling moment I recollect what I have learned of souls and their interplay with the System and Caged One. Those who die have their souls subsumed by the Caged One... except when their souls are stored, or otherwise eaten by a Soul Grave. What if that is not just a preventative measure, a ward against the Caged One's growth? What if the mechanisms of that soul consumption are identical between Soul Grave and Planet God? ....Would that not mean that Soul Graves, if made sapient and given enough souls, could BECOME Planet Gods? Certainly it would take an amount of death never before seen on this world... but the similarities are compelling, conjoined with where the designs for Soul Graves came from. Certainly, I feel there are important details, specifics at play here that make this theory of mine not perfectly accurate... but I feel I just nailed down a rather vital core concept.

TH-THUMP!!

>[MOMENT OF INSPIRATION!!]

[+1 PRISTINE SOUL TOTAL PRISTINE SOULS REMAINING: 05]

>>258652
I relinquish my grasp on the Void Bringer, idly noting the once-shorn handle to be fully repaired, those reversion runes having triggered upon suffering damage, using the shifting of my weight to once more move my left hand into contact with my foe. This time there is no use of Inversion, or Jade Soul techniques employed. I activate Yogoko's soul, and steal time from my foe. As he slows down, I speed up, my focus turned towards holding my severed leg against the stump, hoping to heal over the viciously clean cut without issue.

TH-THUMP!!

What feels like three seconds to me, and must feel like half a second to my foe, is in reality a little over one second: A time felt three ways elapses as I reseal the breach, mobility returning to me as I finally stand again, breaking contact-

Time returns to its normal flow for the both of us.
>>258653
[FANART INSIGHT BONUS]
As I wrap the remaining two ribbons of the Sable Executioner about my foe's axe, I ponder my observations. I have noted thus far that every time he teleported himself, he clutched his axe while initiating the warping. I also recall he could not directly bring the axe with him while I hold it, needing to warp it seperately. Somewhere in these observations is the secret to my foe's demise.

As I expected, my foe teleports away before I can take any further action. Also as I expected, his axe remains in the Sable Executioner, left behind as he gated to a point some thousand feet away. Slumped on the ground, unable to stand upright, my foe reaches a hand out to the empty air, just as he did when last he warped his axe back into his grip.




What should I say or do?
Do I have any plans on how to prevent him from reclaiming his axe?
>>
No. 258661 ID: d3dfb8

rolled 6 = 6

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD
>>
No. 258662 ID: 69bee4

rolled 9 = 9

Bang dosen't roll a single d10, HE TAKES ALL DICE ROLLS!
>>
No. 258663 ID: 5018f7

His axe probably hold their own runes for jumping into his hand, I'm not sure what an inversion of them would do but it would probably ruin his day.
>>
No. 258664 ID: 07091c

Invert the axe so that he teleports to us instead of the axe teleporting to him?

Then catch him with our hand again use Chronal Banditry then use Rendring Grasp again. Oh and grab him by his head this time.
>>
No. 258665 ID: 445c48

Repair your Sable Executioner as you shoot off as many Ethereal Strikes as you can.
>>
No. 258667 ID: 445c48

Also
>rolled 9, 10 = 19

FUCK
>>
No. 258668 ID: 07091c

>>258664
Clarifying further on this.

When he teleports to us instead of getting his axe, there should be an opening for the strike.
But either way, use kinetomancy to accelerate our left hand when grabbing him as he knows now how dangerous it is he will try to evade it as much as he can, the faster our hand the better.
After using Rendring Grasp try to keep holding of his body, use the inverter and attack him with sable executioner, try to slice him into pieces.

Other plan:
When he teleports to us, punch him with the Jade Fist. Use kinetic acceleration to give the punch more power.
>>
No. 258672 ID: 60e647

Aw, I wanted frantic headbutting action as we struggled, wounded. Oh well.

And yes, lets Invert the Ax and start up magnetomnacy to fix our Executioner. Turn Nitro Boost on, to get ready to either close the distance, punch like hell, or flee from another Ax-blow. And lets use our Anti-Vanguard Blades to start slicing into. The other Blades could work too, slicing in and magnetically screwing with him.
>>
No. 258676 ID: 5f0943

>>258658
> Do I have any plans on how to prevent him from reclaiming his axe?

Activate HANDS OF HUNGER.
He can't get his axe back when it's been nommed to pieces by magical shadow hands.
>>
No. 258677 ID: 60e647

"||No reply, brother? Too caught up in your loss?||" Switch to common. "Or is it that you don't even know what I'm saying?"
>>
No. 258679 ID: 4cfe95

Invert the axe's teleportation. When he teleports to us, SLICE HIM UP GOOD.

Also: A hammer, a sword, and now an axe? We're becoming quite the theif, of both souls, and weaponry.
>>
No. 258680 ID: 9338f5

>>258679
though we only have some skill with the sword
>>
No. 258681 ID: 07091c

>>258679

The axe is pretty bad-ass, I wouldn't want to lose it.

>>258679

And no one is stopping us from leghtening our torso and growing additional two arms.
Too bad that Void bringer is so ridiculously out of proportion otherwise we'd look quick the bad-ass
>>
No. 258682 ID: 741399

I suspect that his face is the focal point to which his soul is anchored. If at all possible, try to get a hold of his face and tear it out of the armor. If he is still moving, perhaps eat the face; perhaps, if there is time (Chronal Banditry would help with that), alloy the metal with the silver of our head, concentrating on the area around the Amaranthine Annhilator to as to further, however minutely, empower our signature weapon.
>>
No. 258684 ID: a76809

rolled 2, 8 = 10

[Rolling for: Bang's foe, Keddic's foe]

>>258662
[BANG: 4, 5, 8, 9][ANGORMANDIUS: 6, 3, 9, __]
>>258661
[KEDDIC: 2, 10, 10, 6][SPINED LION: 6, 9, 10, __]

>>258663
>>258664
>>258668
>>258677
"||No reply, brother?||"

TH-THUMP!!

I apply Inversion to his Axe, my guess that it holds some sort of homing runes on its form proving true, as in their inverted state, they do just what I'd hoped: Pull the Golden Axeman right to me, a look of surprise barely getting through his still-scarred visage as my left hand powers forward, Blood based Magnetomancy and Kinetomancy alike pushing the limb far past normal speeds, as I channel another Jade Soul ability. Their signature move, in fact, that allowed human hands to nearly cave my chest in not so long ago.

What shall it do now?

JADE FIST

My hand turns brilliant emerald as it is suffused in flashing, flaring light, the runes covering the Golden Axeman's shoulder disintegrating, the Belief chained to armoring the gold he's made of likewise forced aside, the now defenseless soft metal wripping apart like tissue before my fist, his right arm flying. In trying to claim his axe, my foe cost himself the ability to effectively wield the two handed weapon. He tries to blink away-but an ever so briefly charged Immortal Genocide Pulse is fed straight through my direct contact with his body, and he goes nowhere. He spends a full half second processing how badly this is going for him. All told, a second has passed.

TH-THUMP!!

RENDING GRASP

My fingers and entire hand once more tear through unyielding matter, and I behead my foe before tearing through a heart would be. I feel a slight resistance somewhere in his core, and pull back as I realize I struck his soul. With a direct path out of its tomb opened, the soul begins to waft outward-

And I waste no time in consuming it.

[SOUL GAINED: MOSMORDREN OFFICER GELUG THE GOLDEN AXEMAN]

I feel this soul pulling at Lumingo's, its greater dominance giving gravity to its commmands. Likewise I feel it reach out to Ozmand and Todwick, before a tiny piece detaches... the memories and skills, not the equipment of Todwick. I briefly feel pleased at how well Ozmand is doing as a soul, having commandeered all of Todwick's association with his spectacular runed equipment, and now sacrificing the stripped Todwick for no real personal loss. Gelug, Todwick and Lumingo meld together-

TH-THUMP!!

My understanding of melee weapons on my scale explodes. Weightings, optimal swing arcs, known threat countermeasures, parries, ripostes, adaptations to use the Sable Executioner... all of it is mine now. I repair the one lost blade of the Sable Executioner with Blood Magnetomancy before fixing and cleaning myself up, claiming both Void Bringer and the Golden Axe in my right arm's tendrils, while picking up Gelug's head in my left hand. I re-orient myself after taking a last look at Gelug's form, and after almost absentmindedly claiming some of the completely pure gold I reforge my skull mask, noting a significant increase in the collective energies involved in the Amaranthine Annihilator. ...If I get a few more chances to watch for it, I think I could even see Belief magic...

I shake my head and continue back towards the capital, heart still beating as O turn my every effort towards maximum speed. As I note an army passing in the distance, I wonder-how are Bang and Keddic doing in their own hunts? ...And what secrets could I learn from the Mosmordren Officer I consumed, a onetime Champion of Lenryt?

TH-THUMP!!




>[TABULATING ROLLS]
>>
No. 258685 ID: a76809

>>258684
[BANG: 4, 5, 8, 9][ANGORMANDIUS: 6, 3, 9, 2] [-2, 0, -1, +6 BANG WINS HANDILY]
[KEDDIC: 2, 10, 10, 6][SPINED LION: 6, 9, 10, 8] [-4, -3, -3, -5 KEDDIC IN CRITICAL DANGER]

>[SPEND 1 PRISTINE SOUL TO SWITCH TO KEDDIC?]
[Y]/[N]
>>
No. 258687 ID: 8f17f0

Y
>>
No. 258688 ID: 46c430

>>258685
Y
>>
No. 258689 ID: 5f0943

>>258685
YES!
Loosing one pristine soul is better than loosing Keddic!
>>
No. 258690 ID: 07091c

Holy wow.
This was a truly magnificent beatdown!

>>258685

Can I ... can I quickly scribble some fanart so that we don't have to spend Pristine Soul for this?
>>
No. 258691 ID: d3dfb8

Go back and grab his body!
It's pure gold, goddamn.

Use earthslide to get around the warding runes. If it's still a problem earthslide the earth it's on top of.

Also, HELLS YEAH SWITCH TO KEDDIC!
>>
No. 258693 ID: c4098d

No.
Nah I'm just kidding, SWITCH TO KEDDIC!!!!
>>258691
Ya, when I saw the PURE GOLD part, I was starting to wonder why Mordre didn't loot the shit out of it.
>>
No. 258694 ID: 07091c

>>258691

Not only that. We might be able to learn from the remains what kind of protective shenanigans he had and apply them to ourself.

I wonder if we use inverter on Void Bringer then use its restoration rune on the body, would it be back in repaired state?... Though that might take away the soul from us...

Also, where did the soul rest?
>>
No. 258697 ID: a69afd

>>258684
Mordre, turn your shiny metal golem ass around and get Gelug's body. It alone is CHOCK FULL OF BELIEF. If we don't claim it and use it, someone else will.

Also: OH GOD KEDDIC WHY
>>
No. 258698 ID: a69afd

>>258697
And when I say "why", I mean [Y]! SO MUCH [Y]
>>
No. 258701 ID: d3dfb8

The Soul Grave matrices are powered by the ambient energies of the souls contained within the furnace, as evidenced by Oz's statement on how we contain an insane amount of power doing nothing but sustaining itself. The Blue Devil runs on the same thing, the ambient energy of the legendary soul operating it.
Except that we added in a container of souls that is sustained by runes on the golem (modified by the pristine soul we used).

If we were to study the before and after runes on the Blue Devil we could determine what changed, and possibly implement said runes (or ones similar) onto ourselves. This would lead to our spell matrices being powered by runes, and giving us the ambient soul energy of about 15 legendary souls (assuming 1 legendary soul=1000 souls). If we were to learn from Lenryt's boon soul magic, so that we could tap this ambient energy we would be one of the most powerful mages on the planet, right up there with Lenryt.
>>
No. 258702 ID: 69bee4

A Gentleman’s Duel (A hastily made homage to Keddic CAUSEIGOTTARUNLIKERIGHTNOWDAMNITBOB)

Stand up dear Keddic, equip your monocle and dapper hat
For this foe seems not to know the basics of proper combat!
Every proper man knows, redundant circulatory systems are just
The sort of things that fill proper gentleman’s combat with disgust
For true gentlemen fight with the fists and the true spirit of pugilism
Not with bestial traits dear fellow! But with arbitrary rules from feudalism
Prepare an ultimate weapon of dapperness, a white blood monocle
With a bit of luck and a poem, this may just become canonical!
Use this to see beyond the chaos of battle, see through the disorder
Let your sight become that of what should be pure order, become the warder!
And with this you shall deliver your gentleman’s slap of dishonor.
I’m afraid dear fellow, when you must take off the gentleman’s gloves, your foes a goner.
>>
No. 258703 ID: 741399

Of course we are going to save Keddic; spend the PS.

Also, if we can keep the Axe, what are we going to call it?
>>
No. 258704 ID: f4e4f9

[Y]

ONWARD.
>>
No. 258705 ID: 07091c
File 129036973920.jpg - (844.49KB , 2592x1944 , 01012007292.jpg )
258705

>>258690


HERE!

Keddic standing triumphantly over that things body.

See? Everything is alright. wE Souldn't have worried at all



....
Damn, this drawing is shitty.
>>
No. 258707 ID: 445c48

Yes.

Also, take the body. Keep a hand on it, invert it, and magnetomance it to drag it with you. If you don't have a free hand, get Burduko to take one of your giant weapons, or magnet it along with the tomb.

Also reclaim the ammo he cut off, grow more ACG shells, etc etc.

Also find the scout. Bring him with you.
>>
No. 258708 ID: 1636b0

Turn Golden Body into Golden Armour (at least chestplate)

Shine like the sun, Mordre the Indelible (always remember to scream that name after doing something important[e.g KILLING THIS GUY with the army just over there] while here)

Also greet the army, they were likely after him, reclaim the scout and get back to base.


SWITCH TO KEDDIC!!!!!
>>
No. 258710 ID: 07091c

If we can't take armor with us, call Burduko and camp by the body till he arrives. Tell him to move the body to Arcaneworks and store it for future study.
>>
No. 258711 ID: 07091c

>>258705

Oh shit, I just only noticed the pictures Bob posted in Discussion thread. I just drew the guy the way I imagined him.
>>
No. 258716 ID: fb07ac

Mordre should converse with Gelug about his place in the Mosmodren empire, being Lenryt's champion and how he came to be such, and how he ended up in a golem. Also loot EVERYTHING.

After that YES SWITCH TO KEDDIC. Keddic is a true ally, can't leave him to death!
>>
No. 258751 ID: a69afd

Just had a great idea- Remember the modular armor for Mordre that Del Rogo is working on? WE'LL START USING OTHER GOLEMS AS BUILDING MATERIALS FOR IT. Spoils of war is fair goddamn game. Integrating trophy items and runic abilities from other enemy golems is going to make our belief pool SO HUGE. We need to find a golem that uses fuzzy dice now, just because.
>>
No. 258761 ID: ddd48d
File 129038328742.jpg - (214.73KB , 1728x1242 , ITSKEDDICTIME.jpg )
258761

SWITCH TO KEDDIC CRITICAL AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH
>>
No. 258765 ID: ede337

THE SCION OF HARKSBURTON, THE LION OF BLOOD, FALTERS?!? THEN THE ANCESTORS RAGE AND STRENGTH YOUR RESOLVE, YOUNG KEDDIC! SPEND THE HALO SOUL! SPEND TWO, WHATEVER IT TAKES TO SAVE KEDDIC!
>>
No. 258766 ID: 07091c

Before I forget.

Tell Dregas to start buying precious metals and gems. The tell Arkus to start using those for runes, equipment and experimentation. Have them work together so that Dregas knows which metals and gems to acquire from Arkus.

Also, after we claim the body and have Burduko transport it rush towards Keddic. Ask Phohn his location if we don't know where he is. We might come just in time to claim that Lions soul.
How long would it take us to get there?
Anyway, I think it is important. We need more powerful souls.
>>
No. 258771 ID: a76809

rolled 1 = 1

[Rolling for Spined Lion lethality]

>>258691
>>258694
>>258697
As I start to move away, I recall the immense value associated with gold-and the use such Belief soaked metal could be, in many magical pursuits, Del Rogo's task to make me detachable Golem Armor amongst that. I use Geomancy to set the earth beneath it sliding, building up speed as I start my personal caravan, becoming aware I am transporting roughly two score tons of gold. No matter how Bang and Keddic fare in their own hunts, I find myself amply rewarded.

>>258702
[Lyrical Bonus]
>>258705
[Fanart Bonus]
>>258761
[Fanart Bonus]

[Did I say switching to Keddic would cost a Pristine Soul? I meant sure go ahead]


............................................PERSPECTIVE SHIFTL KEDDIC HARKSBURTON THE FOURTH............................................

Having finally wrested myself free of my foe's grasp, and for once not being immediately pursued by that thick pelted and sharply spined mongrel, I take stock of my situation.

NEW ABILITIES
-The lessons of the Winding Way The Lined One imparted to me during our reunion seem to have difficulty functioning around my foe. It would normally allow me to perform body swaps with my own sword even when it is not in hand, but currently they seem to have a 50% failure rate [If Keddic's new form of teleportation is desired, roll a d2, success on 2]
-I have finished coating my every sinew, every vein, every nerve and every organ with White Blood, vastly improving both my magical resistance and the innate magical hardiness of my body.
-I have expanded on my twin livers, both now more prolific and complex organs than before, higher efficiency yielding much improved output.

BATTLE STATUS
-I have lost my right eye to one of the Spined Lion's raking claws. The eye was lost after having tasted my foe's blood.
-My right arm is so badly mangled the fist no longer closes. I would need days of healing to restore full dexterity. At best it will serve as a club.
-Both of my collarbones, my sternum and ten ribs are still healing from multiple compound fractures, again sustained after tasting my foe's blood. The same event, in fact.
-My cloak is one half full, my toga two thirds burned through, and my foe still stands.

FOE ANALYSIS
-The Spined Lion has proven itself to be a War Hound styled after several lessons of Rageglut origin, heavily tied to Blood. The beast has some form of supernatural blood sensing ability, and cannot be surprised by a sanguine attack.
-The Spined Lion has a secondary circulatory system, and the correct assortment of organs to completely filter and replace all blood in one of the two systems. Effectively, this means that even if I gain a sample of both his bloodflows, he can completely negate any benefits in a relatively short time.
-The Spined Lion seems heavily instilled with Chaos, and causes some sort of reaction with its spines, and the chemicals contained within. With automatic sanguine armor unresponsive most of the time due to my foe's shifting blood, I have to manually defend against his every claw swipe, or raking spine thrust.
-Currently fighting in a forest, the Spined Lion has proven itself most capable at using the environment to its advantage, using trees to change direction, fleeing into cover, and in general being a deceptive foe fully content to stalk me.

My escort died when the Spined Lion struck, and with myself not the target of its strike I found myself without any forwarning. After a few tentative exchanges I gained my foe's blood, and was doing quite well. That was when the Spined Lion seemed to connect my automated defenses with the tasting of its blood-and promptly displayed its possession of two circulatory systems. It was then, when I went from having full Threat sensing abilities locked on my foe, to relying solely on mundane senses. The change was jarring-and in that bloody moment, the Spined Lion ripped me apart. I lost an eye, an arm was nearly mangled to pieces, and I was struck hard enough that nearly every bone in my torso is broken.

On the plus side, I have started to identify certain patterns. My foe likes to charge one's flank, and only fight face to face against a wounded foe-such as myself. It has absolutely no ranged abilities, which is strange, as I would have assumed those profuse spines would in some way be long ranged weapons, but not once have they been used so. Contact with my body seems to cause it pain and agitation, something to do with the interplay of Chaos and Order. It causes me no small amount of discomfort either, but while stronger and faster than I, I feel I best my foe in endurance. ...If I can just nail it down well enough....


Thirty feet away and growling, the blood-flecked Spined Lion snaps its wings shut, claws digging into the ground as it springs forward. Wings snap open again in preparation for a midair-course correction, already anticipating a counter from me. As I expected, the creature is listing to my right, moving towards my brand new blind side.





What should I do?
>>
No. 258772 ID: 4cfe95

FIRST: GTFO of the way. Fire a sanguine tentacle at the nearest tree to your left or right and leap towards it while pulling yourself in.

SECOND: Wrap your mangled arm in blood, using it to control the arm and return it to functioning. It'll feel kinda odd at first but I have confidence it'll work.

THIRD: Rely on wide-area attacks and sweeping blows. He does not have combat healing, you do. Kill him by papercuts and FOCUS ON EVASION and KEEPING HIM IN SIGHT. Try to get out of the woods, if you can!
>>
No. 258777 ID: 9338f5
File 129038712240.jpg - (63.68KB , 225x300 , retiario1.jpg )
258777

>>258771
how are we doing for magic? Also throw things at the lion, were in a forest right? Rip or break off a few branches to throw javalin like at the lion.

Faily sure Keddic has one of those pistols of Gavrok, has he used it?

Do we have the magic, blood and control to make a net of blood capable of tangleing and entraping the beast?
>>
No. 258783 ID: 35bba5

>>258771
Avoid close combat. Use white blood attacks from range-it apparently doesn't like being hit with Order.
>>
No. 258791 ID: 1854db

Hey. It can sense your blood... but can it sense your SWORD? Dodge the predictable attack, counterstrike with your sword to impale it to the ground then NAIL IT WITH WHITE BLOOD SPIKES. It may see your blood attacks coming but it can't very well dodge if it can't move.

In fact if you can feint with a blood spike, making it dodge into your sword, all the better.
>>
No. 258792 ID: 0bfdb2

It's time to go back to basics. Your right arm is too damaged to attack with, but it can still do one thing...

Form a spiked sanguine shield on your right arm. That'll protect your weak side and dissuade this beast from attacking that flank. If it does then some sword and shield action should prove a formidable way to hold it off.

Now this thing can sense blood, but can it sense pure white blood or is the rejection ability too strong? It might be possible Keddic to coat himself in a thin layer of white blood to avoid its magical senses and turn this hunting game around by vanishing into the forest and baiting it with drops of red blood towards a canyon or rocky environment while healing the fractured bones and other damage taken so far.
>>
No. 258797 ID: 903f16

>>258771

Primary idea: Has the Spined Lion tasted the effects of the blood toga yet? If not it's about time to introduce it to him. First gather blood from your body or cloak and ready the Lion's Mane. Then turn into the strike it's about to make on your flank and center the hit on the toga. Grab the beast as it's being hit by the reflected attack and activate the Lion's man while it's in this bear hug. Release as the spikes begin to penetrate it's cloak and toss it away from yourself.

Alternate idea: Use Hematic Reversal. Flip backwards after it gets hit or blocks the attack and use two Ivory Lances to try and spear him on both sides. As the Proud Lion returns from the Hematic Reversal use Proud Roar.
>>
No. 258804 ID: 445c48

Adrenaline and shoot him with your gun.
>>
No. 258809 ID: ede337

Cock the Gavrock. "You miserable coward! Come back and face me like a man!" Gavrock Assault, Keddic! Let your BURNING BLOOD soak into the MIGHTY MORPHIC STEEL of that weapon, let your WHITE LION BLOOD soak into it, fill it to the brim with your little defenders. They will attack the beast, tear it's organs to pieces. So keen it thinks itself with it's twin system, let us use that against him!
>>
No. 258813 ID: 45be60

>>258797
>Has the Spined Lion tasted the effects of the blood toga yet?
Yes. Yes it has. He said the toga has burned through 2/3 of it's charge.

As far as dodging the incoming attack, I would say this. The Other Lion is expecting a counter of some sort from you, so oblige him. He is drifting to your right side? Form a single bloody wing on your left and flap it forward at him. He will dodge away from the swing, toward your right, even as the force of your wing flap throws you to the left. Bloody pinions followup attack is optional, depending on how ready to dodge he looks following your evasion.

>>258804
This one has a point. You owned a gun last time I checked. Do you have it? I know it isn't very sporting, but surprise and range are your friends in this fight.

You only get one shot with it still being a surprise, so make it count. Herd the beast with its ability to sense your blood based attacks. Let your attacks grow sloppy, but don't give it a chance to do anything but dodge them until you have a clear shot which you cannot miss.
>>
No. 258816 ID: 1636b0

TREE BOUNCE
:V

Let us see who can go faster.

See if you can block your blood from detection with the sheer weight of your soul.
I'm sure the lined one taught you some new tricks


!!!

Superimpose your soul over your body by using teh Winding Path

then try to suffuse the area with it so that he can't detect your blood nor the true position of your soul.
>>
No. 258822 ID: ede337

Oh yes, and Mordre, if you're still hearing this, turn towards Keddic and NITROBOOST.

And talk to Gelug while you're running.
>>
No. 258824 ID: 9338f5

perhaps have phone inform mordre that we may need a bit of help getting back to the capital after we finish this fight
>>
No. 258839 ID: 46c430

Go with >>258813 's suggested move, with the following additions: As you herd it and set it up for a strike, say "You can see my blood coming, I conceed, but," And then draw and aim your gun. "I challenge you to DODGE THIS!" And then blow its brains out.
>>
No. 258843 ID: a69afd

>>258771
>>258838
"Well my thorny friend, our time has come to an end. I'd like to say this was an enjoyable encounter... But if I did, I'd be LION."
>>
No. 258845 ID: 741399

>two score tons
(2)(20)(~2,00lb)=80,000lb

Mordre's mass=30,000lb

Wow, that was one very big Small Tomb. ...I wonder what the effect the gold would have on the IG. Say, what's the comparison, in terms of the boost it give to runes, between Blootz Steel and gold?

Anyways, I don't suppose you have had the opportunity to sever one of its spines? That would give you some measure of Threat assessing capacity, since it can't change the composition of its spines, I would think, and it would tell you more about the capabilities of its spines. And since you have tasted its blood, anything Blood magic that you could steal?
>>
No. 258846 ID: ede337

>>258839
How about 'This forest is only big enough for one lion'?

But I do believe that applying the deadly White Blood would give an added punch.
>>
No. 258855 ID: a76809

>>258777
>>258804
>>258809
>>258813
I draw the one of the Chained Twins of Gavrock, the other in Ugrokk the Tall's care, and aim from my hip, straight at the center of that beasts mass. I see some confusion on it's leonine face-ah-ha, pistols not to be found around here?

Wonderful.

BOOM!

A hole the size of my head gorily opens up in my foe's gut, intestines and chunks of spine flying as chain snaps taut. I fully shatter my collarbone from the recoil. I see confusion, shock, I hear enraged roar of agony-and the diaphragm gives out as the creature pitches forward. I reel the shot back in, noting again that damnable regeneration, skin starting to close over the wound as organs are regrown. But really, it doesn't matter. Still incapacitated as I step close, the Spined Lion can do nothing as I say my last words to my foe just after it's pelt regrows over the wound.

>>258846
"This forest is only big enough for one Lion"

I drive a sanguine needle through each eye, rending up the optic nerve and making paste out of my foe's brain, the heavily White blood laced attack surmounting whatever resistances may have been there. I diligently continue making a mess of every internal organ of its skull until its body stops moving. My ribs starting to heal up from dedicated layering in White blood, the Order of my system fueling more potent recuperation, I set to skinning my foe. This hide's fur carries some sort of power, having turned and confounded my blade every time its path was not precise, as if it befouls attacks with ill luck. This, in conjunction to the healing abilities... and the leonine theme... make my choice seem blindingly simple. I shall eat it's heart, so that my Augmented stomach may take some knowledge of its physiology beyond what the blood told me, not the least of which being learning about secondary circulation systems. I hope to find someone that could turn this pelt into an addition to my blood cloak, a more iconic way to display my battle moniker, the Golden Lion. I feel the time to return home is soon approaching, at least to report on what I have done for the families Way-and my encounter with Jeeba.

My empty right socket slowly fills with blood, as I preserve every bit of tissue I can, hoping I can run into a talented healer soon. That pooled blood behind my closed eyelid trembles, a battery to augment my Threat perception as I note hundreds-thousands of Threats approaching, the drone of marching feet filling the forest. I continue my work skinning, attentive to my surroundings, as soldiers begin to pour through the trees, their furious charge slowing, faltering as those that spot me in my grisly work call out to those behind. There is a general milling about I keep my one eye on, my right arm and my entire torso now coated in a form-fitting sanguine brace, many eyes straying to fixate on my use of Blood magic. officers start sending for orders, as the biggest threat in the whole group steps forward, waving the others to take up position behind him. He walks forward confidently, six feet tall and heavily muscled, his armor flawlessly polished and bearing more than a few old gouges and rents, his exposed skin heavily sun-darkened and likewise adorned with scars, his steps neat and precise. His measured gait stops exactly forty feet away from me, flanked by ten of his officers, every hand save his straying close to weapons. He speaks clearly, his words clipped, neat, and projecting.

"I'll say this only once, and if you can't understand our tongue you'll die in ignorance: Why are you skinning that War Hound, and what methods did you use to kill it?"



The entiry force behind him hinges on his words, awaiting my reply. ...Shit, this is something I didn't pay attention to before, I know master spoke once on why Ragegluts, War Hounds exist... OH. The Land of Dragons has but one Arcane Magic branch: A Blood based method of controlling corpses like puppets, with masters controlling the living. ...Blood magic is almost as badly recieved as Soul Magic back home, only lacking an official document stating what does and doesn't qualify the use for execution.

...Wonderful, I note they have someone with Eyes in their group, I'd recognize those eybrow markings and irregular cornea anywhere, that officer third on the left of their commander, she can probably detect falsehood.




What should I say or do?
>>
No. 258860 ID: 4cfe95

>>258855
Not much point in lying, then. :V
>>
No. 258861 ID: a69afd

>>258855
"Because High Dragon Lubu the Unparalleled ordered me to. I shot it with a gun, and I ate it's heart to make sure it didn't get back up."

Finish skinning the Spined Lion and look the man straight in the eye:

"PROBLEM, OFFICER?"
>>
No. 258869 ID: ede337

>>258855
The truth, my boy! "I am Keddic Harksburton the Third, The White Lion, Heir to the Way of Harksburton and most recently winner of the Grand Gainer and savior of the same city. I defeated this fine opponent with cunning, skill, and being the smarter fighter, I must say. No, no, I didn't use my Way of the Harksbuton to kill this foe, but I can give you a demonstration if you wish. It was this little trinket!" Raise forth One Half of the Twins, and let everyone see it. "Why? Haha! I am doing so because my friend, Mordre, promised Lu Bu he would best three targets while being set late to the task, and by thunder, it seems my target is quite dead. Now! Would one of you help, I seem to be quite blind in one eye, and am in need of some medical attention." I do hope you have managed to eat it's heart, Young Keddic!

And if Mordre arrives so quickly, gesture to him as he makes his speedy way through the forest. "And speaking of him, ha! Here he is now!"
>>
No. 258873 ID: ede337

>>258869
"The Fourth! Not Third. Forgive me, combat does sometimes leave trauma one does not always notice right away, haha! Deepspawned thunder, that blighter hit me hard."
>>
No. 258874 ID: 35bba5

>>258855
Tell him that your usual combat methods weren't working, so you shot it. With a pistol. Show them the pistol if necessary. You probably don't want to tell them about the whole Blood Magic thing.
>>
No. 258886 ID: 56dc25

>>258869
>And if Mordre arrives so quickly, gesture to him as he makes his speedy way through the forest. "And speaking of him, ha! Here he is now!"
...why would Mordre be coming? We haven't called for help, and I'm sure he has faith in Keddic's capabilities. Although if this turns into a chase situation, it might be good to inform him of it with Phohn so that we have someone to flee towards other than Lubu.


I have to wonder, if blood magic is received so poorly here, why did Keddic end up widely cheered in the arena? Wouldn't the crowd be appalled and disgusted by the use of it?
>>
No. 258890 ID: 9338f5

>>258874
fairly sure keddic was useing blood magic when they showed up
>>
No. 258891 ID: 35bba5

>>258890
yeah, but that doesn't mean he should tell them 'oh yeah most of what I do is Blood Magic.'
>>
No. 258892 ID: 903f16

>>258855

>"I'll say this only once, and if you can't understand our tongue you'll die in ignorance: Why are you skinning that War Hound, and what methods did you use to kill it?"

"I am skinning this War Hound because it is my quarry, one given to me by the High Dragon. Should you need evidence of this you can look to the body of my escort. He was one of Lubu's scouts, the beast attacked him first before setting upon me. The wounds on his body clearly belonging to the creature. This pelt is both a trophy and proof of it's death. It was partly killed using this projectile weapon made in lands far North of here. The beast insisted on living even after I had cored through it with my weapon so I had to scramble it's brains and other organs to ensure it's death. The blood around my body is being used to heal the injuries sustained fighting this beast. Now if you're finished with the questions I need to be off, I need to report my success and find proper healing."

>>258874

It doesn't really matter if we don't want them to know about the Blood magic, they already do.

>There is a general milling about I keep my one eye on, my right arm and my entire torso now coated in a form-fitting sanguine brace, many eyes straying to fixate on my use of Blood magic.
>>
No. 258893 ID: 741399

"I am skinning it so that I have some proof, without having to carry the whole body, of my kill of the... Spined Lion, was it? I was asked by one of my friends, Mordre (perhaps you have heard of him?), someone working for Lubu, to kill one of three targets - Angormandius, the Golden Axeman, and the Spined Lion; I chose the Spined Lion. As for his cause of death, I stabbed his brains out. So, who are you, what are you doing here, and where are you going?"

While speaking, continue to skin it, and use blood tendrils to sever pieces of the body, transporting them directly to the stomach/liver (whichever is correct).
>>
No. 258900 ID: 445c48

"I was tasked by my colleague, Indelible Mordre the Ascendant (Or just Mordre if Keddic doesn't know that's the title we plan on. Did we tell him? I'm almost certain we have.) to defeat the Spined Lion. He gave this task to me because Emperor Lubu the Unparalleled gave him three targets to hunt. Our group split up, to take out all three quickly and effeciently.

I killed this war hound, The Spined Lion, by stabbing it in the eye. I (Have/am going to) destroy its heart. I need to make sure it stays down, as it has shown remarkably robust regeneration.

I am skinning the War Hound to give proof of my kill, and because the pelt is rather nice, and if allowed to keep the pelt, I wish to make clothing out of it.

Also, I am a foreigner. I would cease using blood magic, which I understand is rather frowned upon down here, despite me using it rather differently, but it is my only means of healing, and the fight has left me rather wounded."
>>
No. 258903 ID: 741399

>>258900
Don't give them control of the situation. We should be holding ourselves with all our noble snobbishness, making them feel inferior, instead of giving them reason to feel superior to us. (I'm talking about the foreigner, if-allowed, stop-because-you-want-me-to comments.) If we do, then they would feel free to make demands of us that they would not make to more respected individuals.
>>
No. 258915 ID: ede337

>>258903
When has Keddic ever been Snobby?
>>
No. 258916 ID: 07091c

We do not even know if this guy is one of Lubus officers.
He might as well be working for one of Lubus rivals. Examine the uniform colours and insignia to see if they resemble Lubus forces.

Tell them that while you were crossing the forest, the beast violently ambushed you and your companion.

Basically, don't lay out our whole damn life story with one response. Tell things slowly and carefully phrase your sentences.

Then ask them who they are. And why they are marching through the forest. And why the harsh tone of the questions.


Hmm... I wonder if with our red and white blood magic we can cloud The Eyes, like, telling a lie but their senses tell them we are saying the truth.
Doesn't matter, we aren't withholding any info.
>>
No. 258917 ID: 07091c

Oh right!

While we are with Keddic we can ask him some questions!

Foremost, Keddic, how did the investigation work go through? I am very interested to know any and all details. What did you unearth,
What are your thoughts on Dompaggio? What did you think when you first met him? How did he do during the investigation and how do people react to him? Are they inclined to answer his questioning or or do they become reclusive?
What was the evidence you found that Lined One decided to give himself in?

Also. How is the Lined One doing? How did the reunion go? Was he happy to see you?

[I also hope that when Mordre, Keddic and Bang have some time together they can share all of their stories together. Bang tells them about adventure in Despardos. Mordre about the fight agains DoD and close call with Pure Lady. Keddic about the stuff he did in LoD with the Lined One and Dompaggio.
That way Mordre will be up to date and we will not have to meta about the stuff that revolves round these subjects]
>>
No. 258918 ID: a76809

>>258886
[As you may recall, in first bout Keddic got HUGE bad rep with crowd for how fight went. Most of that was for use of Blood Magic, not for pasting a local favorite. Beyond that, being a jovial newcomer that ends up actively saving spectators from a foe that goes on a rampage does a whole lot to mitigate any negative connotations to Blood magic use.

>>258861
"Because High Dragon Lubu the Unparalleled ordered me to. I shot it with a gun, and I ate it's heart to make sure it didn't get back up."

I turn a decidedly smug grin towards the commanding officer as I prop a fist on either hip, the mangled right arm twitching as I do so.


"Problem, officer?"

The military individuals before me aren't quite sure what to do at my completely nonchalant answer, and I see many heads turning towards that one with Eyes, who simply shakes her head-they're checking my words for truthfullness. Now, while they are still occupied-

>>258869
"But in sincerity, yes I can speak your tongue, and my name is Keddic Harksburton the 4th. I claimed victory in the Grand Gainer of the town by the same name, and was recently given the task of hunting down the Spined Lion. It would seem firearms are not a widely spread commodity in these lands."
>"Firearms?"
"Yes, like this pistol I used against the Spined Lion."

I proffer forth the Chained Twin of Gavrock.

"It was like he'd never seen one before. Well, I don't suppose you have any healers with you? I can take care of my arm and ribs, but I seem to have lost an eye somewhere in that fight."

The officer says nothing for a time, simply staring at me and my blood encased arm, when one of the officers speaks up.

>"Which event did you take part in for the Grand Gainer?"
"Grab-Bag, I like to spice it up a bit."
>"I DID hear about some foreigner that could use Blood magic in the recent tournament... Nothing about being able to control others, just direct combat applications like any other style. ..Also heard he saved the town when his foe for the finals ate a Rage Core."

The previously impassive commander turns to regard the trooper that spoke, before turning back to me, and speaking slowly.

>"...We'll escort you back to the Capital. If High Dragon Lubu did indeed send you, then fine, and now we know your face. If not... you will find us very unforgiving."
"I'm in a bit of a hurry to get back, how fast will you be travelling?"
>"Some forty miles a day."
"...That's it? I could get back to the capital in hours, why should I wait like that? How about I leave his body, the organs, muscle, the bone, all that with you, and I just bring the pelt back with me to Lubu? That way you carry some proof, and I get to get back faster, should work for everyone."
>"That will not be-"
"GREAT to hear, I'll meet you back at the capital then?"

With them disarmed by my forthright speech, no one pays attention, or at the least is not attentive enough, to react in time. Sanguine Kinetic Pugilism boosts my footwork, and I flit through their ranks in an instant, that freshly harvested pelt cracking in the wind behind me. I hear shouts, orders being dispensed, and I ignore it all, doing what I can to stay ahead of the brewing response. I am out the back of the armed force's mass before anyone can even swing a weapon at me, with the trees providing ample cover from arrows and javelins hurled my way. Ten seconds later I've put enough foliage between us I can no longer see them. I keep my pace as alacritous as I can manage, and reach the capital just as the son is setting, a blood and gore spattered Bang chatting amiably with Mordre, both with a head sitting before them-so they were successful in their pursuits. One my arrival, Mordre turns and addresses me warmly.
"So, you were successful as well?"

I give my confirmation, and the golem the old mage commands turns to face the tower out teleport box resides within, sharply calling out to its occupants.

"Well Lubu, it would seem all three individuals troubling you... Will trouble no longer. As I recall, there was mention of a reward should-"
>"Yeah, I guess you earned it. Alright, a military officer? ...Eh, it'd be boring to see you bogged down under logistics dealing with thousands of mouths to feed, plus getting you a full staff.... huh. Actually, I know exactly where to put you three: In charge of a Rageglut Platoon. Specifically, the 17th Imperial Giant Brigade, freshly formed and in need of a commanding officer, as well as a second in command and a drill sergeant... Okay, who will do what, the gold haired guy gonna be your second in command with the little guy doing duty as the trainer, or the other way around? And what do you plan to name the unit, Mister captain?"

Trying to process the deceptively cavalier words of the High Dragon, I turn to Mordre to see what his response shall be.

.................................................PERSPECTIVE SHIFT: MORDRE .................................................

Lubu has stayed true to his word. Now he awaits details of my choosing to get this underway. Gelug's golden body is currently being held at Oz's school, with a hand already given as payment for safe storage.





What should I say or do?
Do I want Bang to act as second in command and Keddic as trainer, or the other way around?
What do I want to name the 17th Imperial Giant Brigade?
Do I want to meet with my new underlings right away, or do something else?
>>
No. 258922 ID: ede337

>>258918
"Well, first, have you found Fuu? If not, I would like to assist Jioga. Or we could search for Figment himself. However, before our next mission, I must simply catch up with my friends. I'm sure a few more set backs will only make the prize sweet, yes?" And turn to start talking to friends! Find out about what Keddic's been up to! Go see our deep spawn, and make new ones that have been suggested and liked! Oh, and we -are- fighting a war, so lets keep it kinda brief.
>>
No. 258923 ID: 45be60

As I recall, Keddic has a great deal more familiarity with the language than Bang. That sort of thing is important for giving orders and speeches in our absence. Meanwhile, you can spar and train just fine with a broken accent. Lubu's suggestion seems like the obvious choice.

Hey Mordre, I think Keddic has something to mention to you and Lubu, regarding the aftermath of his fight and who he met there. Who knows, maybe Bang does too. No rush though, you should have a couple days for travel time. >_<
>>
No. 258924 ID: f4e4f9

>>258918
Keddics family keeps a stable Military force at all times, so he's likely had training in command and control of military formations. Bang, meanwhile, is a very prolific combatant and apparently a grueling taskmaster, as well as very confident in himself. He, however, lacks the proper restraint to assess a situation before heading in. As a solo point-and-fire-and-watch-the-enemy-die sort, he's superb, but I have doubts about command.

Keddic Second, Bang in charge of Training. His proficiency at combat analysis will be good in that field.

ALTERNATIVELY, they can occupy both functions. Both are experienced with Training troops together (thanks to the Arcanoworks Militia), and as long as there is a Commanding Officer above them (MORDRE), conflicts of opinion can be deferred. In training, Bang can run combat drills/endurance training, whereas Keddic can handle tactical/Strategic acumen.

Additionally, I propose we use the gold from Gelugs body to create a bedding underlay for all of our runes: The copied dulu runes, the Immortal Genocide, the Mortar runes, everything we got. Make the bedding one inch-deep and extend past the rune-lines 1 inch on the surface (to make it look like they're all 'outlined' in gold). That way, they can all benefit from the rune-enhancing material, while simultaneously not affecting the actual durability of our body structure.

We could also potentially work it into the runes of our weapons: The Axe (Yet to be named), the Void Bringer, and the Edge of Oblivion.
>>
No. 258925 ID: 69bee4

>>258924
Pretty much agreed. Although I wish to add if we have the time to fix the damage from our railgun use now, we should probably do so. If on the go is an option, then that can be done.
>>
No. 258929 ID: 56dc25

>>258918
Tell Lubu you'll talk it over with your subordinates and get back to him soon.

Than talk it over with your subordinates. Apparently Bang wants to do some traipsing about in the deserts, and Keddic might be pining for the north at this point. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of other people as capable as them to serve as our platoon officers, particularly ones that know the lingo here, but it's worth at least thinking about a bit.

Keddic needs repairs, as do we. There's probably a healer around here somewhere who can fix his eye.

There is a major war going on in the north, so we might want to stop in there and give our military forces there a few directives, as long as we're right next to a teleport box. Could also probably spend a productive afternoon up in the Premen's holt.

Anyway, we should probably meet our new platoon by maybe this evening. We can choose their name to be something fitting after meeting up with them.
>>
No. 258931 ID: 903f16

>>258918


>Do I want Bang to act as second in command and Keddic as trainer, or the other way around?

Have Keddic as second in command and Bang as the trainer. Keddic has more experience being in a leadership position, whereas Bang doesn't seem like he would be comfortable.

>What do I want to name the 17th Imperial Giant Brigade?

A couple names spring to mind. How about the Titans? The Walking Mountain Range? Or the Implacable Legion?

>Do I want to meet with my new underlings right away, or do something else?

Not right away, but definitely soon. A couple things have already been suggested, like talking to Keddic and expanding on that we may want to talk to Bang and get the riveting tale on how he punched an immortal to death. We also can create some Deep Spawn, specifically the storage and building ones already suggested. And see if we can get Keddic some healing, I'm thinking Murhyihal might be the best choice for that.

>>258922

I agree with this post. In addition to seeing how Keddic is doing and forming more spawn we should also find out if Bobobo has finished pinpointing Figment's location.

>>258924

I also agree to this, especially the portion about inlaying our runes with gold. I have been wanting and suggesting we do this forever and now that we finally have the resources and time this is the perfect opportunity to do so.
>>
No. 258935 ID: 8850c6

First ask Lubu how the things are going with th Figment.

Have Murhyihal heal Keddic.

Then talk a bit with Keddic anf Bang. Have Keddic tell about his adventures with Dompaggio and Bang about his time in Despardos. Don't let Bang go to Despardos alone, again, we should accompany him for soul harvesting.

Actually, meet with Oz. Take him and our bros to a bar or a teahouse. Lets have a celebration! During that time we will exchange our tales.
Ask Oz how the training is going, how our Spawn are performing.
Where's Senth anyway? Take him with you too.

See if Bobobo has unraveled any information.
Hmm... we've been meeting to many tracktomancer lately. Ask Bobobo what are weaknesses of tracktomancy.

Is Ugrokk in LoD at the moment or on Gialgoroo islands? If he's here, talk to him and see how's he doing.

>Yeah, I guess you earned it. Alright, a military officer?

Actually.... do we really need this?
If we are taking them, why not have them train in Ozs school along with our Spawn? Bang can come too....
Slowly Ozs school will be the most crazy wicked school of learning anywhere.
>>
No. 258942 ID: 252e1b

>>258935

Because Oz's style focuses around using phantom limbs, and most of the ragegluts we will be commanding won't be missing limbs.
>>
No. 258948 ID: 10f195

>>258924
Agreed
Both equal rank as usual, both train, let them work out the specifics.

>Name
Mordre Boys.
Lenryt's Gang (heh...)
The Indelibles

[These all sound like horrible band names... perfect]

>Bobobo
Ask him how to get through trollingwood.
>>
No. 258950 ID: 07091c

>>258942

They still make excellent sparring partners. They don't have to learn Ghost Hand, just train with the students, our Spawn and Bang.
And with Muryhal there, they can go all out without worrying about injuries.
>>
No. 258955 ID: ede337

>>258924
I actually like the idea of 'Both'. And 'Bling it up' with gold.
>>
No. 258956 ID: 9338f5

Dont forget to make those deep spawn when we have a minute. Make sure Lubu is not watching, we dont want him to figure them out.
>>
No. 258958 ID: 07091c

>>258956

Don't want to rain on anyones parade but why do we need STORAGE Spawn?
The only thing he could do is ... store things and get them out when we need them? It's not like he's going to be part of us, or equipment we can carry around.... just a guy who stores things and get them out.

We just could build a warehouse put shit in them and when we urgently need them call for Burduko to retrieve them.
>>
No. 258969 ID: 9338f5

>>258958
I was a tad uncertain about the storage spawn myself. But using it with our other spawn could work quite well. like the teleporter, it can only move so much so far but if whatever were moving is in storage we could move a massive ammount of goods in a single movement
>>
No. 258972 ID: 263430

>>258958
>we urgently need Burduko to get something in the middle of combat
"Phohn, could you tell Burduko to grab my spare super hammer? Thanks."
"Ah there you are. Much appreciated, Burduko."
"Oh dear, you just got splattered while handing it to me. Along with my arm. And the hammer. What a mess."
>we urgently need to get something from Mordre's personal hammerspace
Mordre grabs his spare super hammer. Badguy is knocked into orbit. The day is saved, hugs all around.

At the speeds these fights take place at, it really will make a difference. But the bottom line is, more carrying capacity is always good.
>>
No. 258974 ID: 10f195

>>258969
>Store army
>Burduko teleports storage spawn
>Release army
> :D

This would work if the spawn acts as a beacon to some kind of pocket dimension rather than just holding it as some form of energy in him. This way we can teleport us and the army in one go (Burduko has enough trouble with just us, I don't think he could do the army as well in one go... plus they can't fit in the box.

That's one way I see the storage guy being useful... otherwise I'm not sure.
>>
No. 258976 ID: 10f195

Also, get Mury and his leeches to check out Keddic.

Or Bang can do that.
That works too.
>>
No. 258980 ID: 6d3aaa

>>258972
>>258974
>>258931
>Storage Deep Spawn
Or we could, actually use the Abaeloth's cloak idea that was mentioned earlier to achieve our storage needs instead of  wasting a Deep Spawn egg on carrying our shit.
>>
No. 258988 ID: 07091c

>>258969
>>258974

If this actually works then it is worth making this spawn.
We wouldn't even need teleport boxes anymore.
Burduko and the storage spawn would work great in team like Mury and Akeakam.

Otherwise... I dunno. Seems like a bit of waste.

>>258972
I am not sure what you are getting at. Do you mean that due to the speed exercised Burduko will not be able to stop and splatter against our hand? That's wrong, you know, as evidenced when Burduko got us the hat we gave Arkus. It was quick and without any incidents... Burduko even had to search and buy the hat and it took him only several seconds. If there was a storage place with weapons carefully arranged and easy to recover then Burduko would be able to do that in an instant.
>>
No. 258989 ID: 5f0943

>>258918
>What do I want to name the 17th Imperial Giant Brigade?

"The warfeasters"?
"The Metal Skulls"?
"They might be Giants"?
>>
No. 258990 ID: 69bee4

A few ideas for the name, some are biased towards representing a certain person as our ‘face’ of the platoon.

Serial Peacemakers
Avatars of the Indelible
Relentless Reiterations of Rage
The Silver Tongue’s Silver Fists.
Facetious Finishers
Morde’s Martial Miscreants
The Eternal Face Punch
Pow, Right in the Kisser
Truculent Titans
We survived Bang as a trainer, and all we got was this lousy platoon name
Aristocrats of Pugilism
A Dapper Swain’s Dapper Platoon
Royal Ragegluts of Rampage
Paladins of Pugilism

In addition, since we have deep spawn time, a few concepts.
Mahklargg embodies the concept of TRAINING, its form revolves around INSIGHT and RESPECT (Worried that using mortals is an inefficient form of training? Problem solved)
Idoneus embodies the concept of IRRESISTABLE FORCE, its form revolves around CHAOS and INFINATE (use an Inferno Golem as the body)
Colossi embodies the concept of MORPHIC ARMOR, its form revolves around PROTECTION and REGENERATION (A Deep Spawn intended to act as a layer of Morde’s armor, variable size allows it to change as Morde does)


I also think Phohn and Burduko should be given a deep spawn egg for purposes of augmentation. (choosing names, Geopum and Tallagga’s eggs)
>>
No. 258993 ID: 252e1b

>>258924

This is a fine newsletter, I am subscribing to it.
>>
No. 258997 ID: 6dd58d

Name? Hrm...well, I'll be silly just this once.
CRUSH FIESTA!
>>
No. 259008 ID: 4cfe95

>>258924
>>
No. 259010 ID: 07091c

>>258997
I like this one

>>258990
>We survived Bang as a trainer, and all we got was this lousy platoon name
Hahaha
>>
No. 259014 ID: 9338f5

>>258924

it might be a better idea to wait until we have a better understanding of belief before useing the gold. from what bob hinted it shouldnt be long before we can see and hopefuly use belief
>>
No. 259017 ID: 66697c

Yeah Keddic would be a good commander, but putting Bang in charge of anything is a silly idea. Bang will probably just get bored of the responsibility real quick. Make Bang into the Senior Drill Sergeant with a training and conditioning based Deep Spawn as Assistant Drill Sergeant for when Bang goes off to do other stuff.

Anyway ask Lubu what the 17th should prepare for. Is there any action coming up?

IIRC the Edge of Oblivion runes are suited best for giant objects. It would be nice if the ragegluts could be set up with massive near unbreakable shields or some other sort of cunning armaments that just require metal (easily pulled from the ground?) and some simple runes.

Can we also get a mission report from Dompaggio? How's he doing? If he manages to prove the Lined One innocent then it would be nice to see him investigate the souls that Mordre has from the Land of Dragons. It'd be good to know more about them.
>>
No. 259023 ID: 35bba5

>>258990
Phohn doesn't really need extra power. Burduko does. But don't use Geopum's egg. We were going to use that one.
>>
No. 259024 ID: 07091c

Why do you people insist on wasting a perfectly good Deep Spawn egg on Burduko?
He'll become stronger eventually.

Heck, we should start training regiment for him to speed up his progress. When we retire for the night, go to a secluded place like a storage house, or where our Spawn Reside when not training. When there task Burduko teleporting us at the same place (or like one millimeter off), then wait till he's fully recovered (shouldn't take more than a dozen minutes) and teleport again. Do this all night, every night.
He'll become stronger in a short while.


Additionally, Bob, there were several suggestions on asking Burduko personally about his current power and the growth since we had made him. We really need that information if we are pondering using a Core Egg on Burduko. Also, the info if the earlier said training technique is going to work and projections on level growth.
>>
No. 259028 ID: 35bba5

>>259024
Because 'eventually' may be too long to wait. Burduko is more important to what we do than any other spawn.
>>
No. 259035 ID: e5b1bf

Bang can heal Keddic, if REotD extends his Combat Magic.

Also, does the runed Soul Grave to other Soul Grave capability extend to Small Tombs? Because giving Mordre better defense in general would help a lot (especially with resisting the damage Nimble Nitro with Magnetomancy can cause). If that can be done, do so. Otherwise, just eat enough of the gold to boost the power of IG and shoulder mounts, and send the rest to Arkus to use it as he wishes.
>>
No. 259044 ID: 445c48

If we could, having Arkus study the runes before we decide to eat the guy would be good. Or we could just draw them for him, I suppose, since we've seen them all.
>>
No. 259050 ID: 445c48

>>259017
>IIRC the Edge of Oblivion runes are suited best for giant objects. It would be nice if the ragegluts could be set up with massive near unbreakable shields or some other sort of cunning armaments that just require metal (easily pulled from the ground?) and some simple runes.

>Implying the crazy spatial/time lock runes are simple, especially after Jioga fucked with them

>Implying one wrong line, one errant twitch, won't turn Arkus into an 80 year old man or a pile of dust
>>
No. 259070 ID: 680d71

>>259050
*cough*Kyorto*cough*

>>258989
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS!!!!! YES!

>>259024
Teleporting us around wight be hurting him more than helping him.
If you tore your muscles lifting a 300 pound weight, I think you would start at 250 next time (at most).

Really, we should let him train by teleporting instead of walking.
Another thought is that we could give him tractomancy warded objects, maybe balls, and have him teleport them around the place, stepping up the warding strength or number of objects as he gets better.

The egg would only be for when we get impatient or if the 'crazy' limit draws nigh and we have torn most of our soul asunder trying to finish them all but could not.



Also, not exatly supporting the idea to make a spawn purely for storage (unless it's the pocket dimension beacon form or something simialar), it seem too much of a waste.
>>
No. 259072 ID: 741399

You know, do we even know the responsibilities of a Rageglut Platoon? I would prefer to find out what we need to do as a captain of such a platoon before it can surprise us. Don't want to find out that Keddic and/or Bang needs to stay with them at all times, or something more realistic yet still hindering after all. Also, we need to ask where are they located?

Actually, I had a potentially clever though: can we lever this reward into fulfilling Lenryt's task for us?

Still don't like the idea of egg infusion. Besides, if we were to meet our new unit, I would prefer to have a/some Deep Spawn that could help in their training and on their job.

>>258990
So I would support the Mahklargg one, though I would suggest that the forms perhaps might be better changed to be: MOMENTS OF INSPIRATION and INVINCIBLE SOULS.

I also like the Idoneus one, though I would suggest as its forms: INFINITE CHAOS and PERFECT ORDER. Though the suggestion to use an Inferno Golem as a template might need a PS (unless there is lots of fan stuff to bypass the need for a PS).
>>
No. 259080 ID: 252e1b

>>258420

Doesn't Bang study non-human biology by eating the subject?

>>258417

Why don't we tell Lubu about how loose souls are hotbeds for core beings? He seems practical enough to take measures in the face of tradition. And if those measures mean more souls for the Gift-Horse-Golem, all the better.
>>
No. 259085 ID: ede337

>>259050
>Implying Time Bomb.

>Implying our next boss fight will be against a cyclops with amazing Pyromancy powers.
>>
No. 259094 ID: 445c48

They are Definitely Giants.
>>
No. 259096 ID: 35bba5

>>259085
I...what? Are you referencing the right post????
>>
No. 259101 ID: 680d71

Oh yes, I forgot to mention this.

Congratulate them, celebrate.

We seem to miss that a lot.
>>
No. 259104 ID: 903f16

>>258990

>Avatars of the Indelible

This is good, it adds to the belief of our future title subtly and as the unit grows in prestige we will too. The only thing we may want to change is the Avatars part, it seems too high for our current position within politics. I'd go for maybe the Hands of the Indelible or The Indelible's Giants.

>>259044
We're probably not going to eat this guy aside from the metal required to inlay the runes. I was thinking it was going to be sent to the Arcanoworks to be studied and ultimately be used as parts for our armor.

Also here's an idea for a spawn, Akumdo/Anfrotti/Gantzio embodies ANIMATION in the form of SABOTAGE and ABILITY REINFORCEMENT. I was thinking poltergiest.
>>
No. 259356 ID: a76809

>>258922
"Well first have you found Fuu? If not, I would like to-"
>"An EXCELLENT deflection, but he has been found, and Jioga rather specifically mentioned he has this under control. Why, it's almost like he has a grudge against you. So what do you want to name your new unit?"
" before our next mission, I must simply catch up with my friends. "
>"Haha, that's funny, you think you have an option in this. Look, I made a bet with you, you had the audacity to win-and good on you for that-and now you have to deal with the fallout. Really, what's so bad about getting a military unit to command? Should be fun to meet the! If you want I can phrase it as an order, or even say something along the lines of 'name them or off with your head' but that just feels really cliched. Also you have no neck to cut. SO, what do you want to name them, who's gonna be your second, who the head trainer, all that."

>>258923
>>258924
I apply some lightning rationalization to the issue at hand. Bang is certainly an assertive individual... but I would hardly call him a leader. Keddic on the other hand, I met while he was the effective leader of an entire village, comes from a Warrior family of Castiliathen, meaning he is familiar with having a private Family army, as well as commanding masses. He has consistently shown himself to have a history, inclination, and birth to leadership. As juxtaposition to this stark difference in capabilities, comparing them as trainers yields intriguing results. Both were familiar with how to spark focus, to irk performance from tired trainees. Given this, the choice seems clear, especially considering Bang at best is so thickly accented as to be nigh-unintelligible when trying to use the Low Tongue, while Keddic is fully fluent and speaks with grace. One last nail in the coffin.

"Keddic Harksburton the Fourth will be my second in command, Magnum Bang shall be my head trainer."
>"Okay, sounds good, I can tell people who talk to people about making stuff-really, they will need formal uniforms and armor, so I guess as your Supreme Commanding Officer now I will need to get that arranged. But on to the nitty-gritty, my Gift-Horse-Golem: What is the unit going to be called?"

>>258989
>>258990
"The Metal Skulls of the Indelible."
>"Oh really? Looking to get your face out more? Fine, I can indulge such a want, closed-face skull-themed helmets for your troop. ..Nice name. 'Metal Skulls of the Indelible,' sounds like a group out to make a mark."
"Now that I've done as you asked, I had a few questions."
>"Oh all right, go ahead."

>>258929
"Do you have a healer Keddic could meet? He seems to have lost an eye."
>"Has he now? Well, I would ask your friend Bang there, from what little I've seen he looks to have learned quite a bit about healing. ...I'd reccomend you keep him away from me, or I'll lose what fun I have left. Personal request?"
"..Certainly, I can do that."

Bang and Keddic are already being led away, some of the patiently bowed nearby officers having stepped forth and begun escorting them away. I transmit via Phohn that Bang is Keddic's best chance for healing unless they wait to meet with the Deep Spawn at Oz's school to both of them, to use that knowledge as they will.

>>258931
"Will they be away for some time? I still would like to inquire after their hunts, Learn how they went."
>"Eh. It takes however long it must, to craft metal and weave thread specific to them. They'll keep, you can ask once they're ready."

Bobobo floats into view, opening its pages to me as Lubu idly glances at the floating book before averting his eyes with a dejected disposition.

Figment located, to within fifty miles. In the Land of Dragons, in the Eastern True Mountains, there is a valley amidst all the towering peaks. Within this valley, more than two thirds of all possibilities have housed some Dream manipulator. This conjoins with Figment's childhood having been spent no less than two hundred miles west in the town of Fowba. The probabilities he has heard many tales of that valley's existence is effectively one hundred percent. He is there, or nowhere.

>"...Fancy book you have there. ...Couldn't help but note it is alive, even has a soul. ...Where did you get such a book?"
"I made it."
>"...So you did. ...I'll ask you never make something like that in my presence. Crafting beings, a rather swift path to the end."
"I would note I am fairly certain I know where Figment is now."
>"Color me interested. Through the book-thing?"
"Just so."
>"Well you certainly have my attention. We got Oz, Jioga's bringing back Fuu.... finding that elusive bugger was the hardest part at this point. So, where is he?"
"Eastern True Mountains, I am informed there is some sort of valley-"
>"He's there? No wonder we couldn't find him. ...Alright, you found the tip, the job's yours if you want it, don't even have to give someone a head start, or even compete with them: You got to know Oz pretty well it seems, and I am told your man Bang has something of a history with him as well. So, if you really want to impress me, take on the challenge and show me what you can do, getting to a valley ONLY accessible by crossing the peaks of many True Mountains, or avoid disappointing me by passing the task on if the call is too high. Don't compare those fledgings I heard you tusseled with to these: Could be your last mistake. ...Speaking of which, while you're up there, keep an eye out for any signs of Goujar having been there, I heard he wandered those mountains as well, and if he's doing me the honor of coming to off me I should know a bit more about the hero of a prior age."
>>259017
"So while you SAY it's a choice, I note you didn't ask me if I desired it. Well, it's a moot point, I'll do it- But tell me, what should I get the 17th ready FOR? What sort of action would they be expecting?"
>"Let's see, dragon mating season starts soon, will be the worst months of the year in terms of dragon incursion, and other than bloody puppeteers, dragons are Rageglut's primary focus. So there's that, which can be a mixed bag. Then there's the long-term goal of having them ready to be of use when that coalition against me gets here. Then, depending on how they do in those things, how their training goes, all that, I might end up asking for them to be around when Goujar shows up, as an Imperial honor guard.... assuming you can make them dance to your tune and perform as you desire."
Rather clearly finished speaking, Lubu turns, and ambles away, asking after his armor.

>>259024
I speak through Phohn yet again, this time trying to get an assessment from Burduko, of how he's grown since his creation, and if he believes training could aid him. My response is swift indeed: An instant later I know the following:

-Since his creation, Burduko has experience a twenty percent increase in soul capacity, as a measurement of growth.
-His growth has lagged far behind my own.
-Training programs sound like they would be a failure, as variety is what expands his power, not monotony.
-He notes his work aiding Dregas actually qualifies as different, given how many packages they move, with all sorts of content, and as such he gains power through this action, just as he does transporting my ever-changing soul signature.

...So, short of intervention on my end, at the rate we're going sooner or later Burduko will note even be able to transport me. With this possibility looming in the distance, I wonder if he should be my test subject, to try merging another Core to his own as a means of amplification.

>>258924
I retire to the teleport box, dragging the golden small tomb behind me, and after closing the door begin to feast on the now defenseless gold, clinging to those threads of belief as I add plating to my each and every rune, an anchor of Belief to tie to my every inscribed magic. I feel those gossamer strands extending off to everywhere, and consider the still largely untouched mass of gold. I decide to leave it be in the teleport box, closing the ten-ton door behind myself, rather neatly closing off my multiton trophy from prying eyes. Once more in the outside world, I note that dawn approaches-a new day came whilst I toiled on personal improvement.

[DAY 154: DAY 4 OF WEEK 4 OF MONTH 4:]
[Washiday of the Fourth Cycle of Praeclarum (Summer)]


...I note something feels strange in the air today, though no matter where I turn in the early dawn hours, I cannot place the source. Keddic and Bang are still nowhere to be found. Lubu is likewise nowhere to be seen.





So what should I do with my moment of personal time, and what should I do beyond that?
>>
No. 259368 ID: 9338f5

>>259356
try to work out what that strange feeling is. mabey make the construction and terraforming deep spawn then visit Oz ask him about Figment, that valley and any noteworthy events or festivals that may be happening
>>
No. 259371 ID: 9338f5

Should we take our shiny new ragegluts with us when we go to the True mountains? could be good training.
>>
No. 259372 ID: 703865

Ask if you can get the armor to have skull helmets. Possibly with red lenses. Maybe with claws in the left hands, and a weighted right gauntlet?

You know, pattern their armor off of us when we woke up.
>>
No. 259375 ID: 445c48

Pssh, fuck going OVER the peaks, blood geomance your way THROUGH them.

What's the deal with the True Mountains again? I feel as though I'm forgetting something important that will dick with this plan.
>>
No. 259380 ID: 1854db

Something different in the air? Reach out with your senses and discover what is different.

Hmm, with the spare time we have... Well, how much time do we have exactly? We could pop over to Mordreden and scold Lorgk on his choice of name, maybe have burduko teleport some premen around for practice- oh wait, that would kill them. Well, I guess they could step into the box briefly.
>>
No. 259388 ID: 07091c

>>259375
Ancient Dragons and shit.

We must take Nidhogg with us if we go there. There it can feast on an Ancient Dragon and become even more of a bad-ass.
>>
No. 259393 ID: 741399

>>259375
The True Mountains are massive mountain ranges that contain dragons, and are, in fact, the sole territory of dragons. What's so dangerous about them is that there are lots of dragons (young, old, positively ancient) there, lots of synergistic capability. Like the air shield we have with Nidhogg and spawn, but stronger with multiple dragons instead of one dragon, multiple weaker clones, and magic wands, I think.

Beyond that, I don't think we have any more information about the True Mountains beyond that they are place for dragons.

>>259371
If we are going to do that, I would suggest making a Spawn that could give the Ragegluts some regenerative capability, without muscling in on Mury's area (since I don't think we would want to pull Mury off helping Oz), or just rely on Bang for healing. In any case, I would suggest making the training Spawn (Mahklargg embodies the concept of TRAINING, its form revolves around MOMENTS OF INSPIRATION and INVINCIBLE SOULS) so as to make the training more efficient. While in Mosmordre or somewhere private so Lubu won't see, and with Blood Magic up.

...If we are going to the True Mountains, I suppose we won't be able to take Nidhogg with us, since she is helping with the raids against DoD as the Air Cavalry.

In any case, after our personal business is done, we should be heading toward our new platoon.

On other topics, I would suggest getting situation reports from the State.
>>
No. 259396 ID: 69bee4

Fix the railgun barrel! not that its pressing per se, but you don't wanna be foregetful like with Dulu.

Speaking of him, you should go see how hes doing. DULU!
>>
No. 259397 ID: a69afd

>>259356
Well, first up- Go meet your new troops. Go through some training, get a feel for what their strengths and weaknesses are. See if we can't get a proper schedule worked out with our soldiers. I actually want to send bang back to get Nidhogg, if things work out we can actually accomplish quite a large number of our goals: Bang can finish up most of his buisness in his hometown, Nidhogg can start her female dragon only diet on our trip(This part is made far more manageable consider Goujar has been up in the True Mountains wrecking shit, following in his path will make for a good start.), Bang and Keddic get a chance to claim dragons of their own, we get a chance to take out Goujar before he even reaches the capital... Damn, Figment is pretty much the icing on the cake for us. We should really prepare for this excursion whenever possible, the rewards from it are just too good to ignore.
>>
No. 259402 ID: ede337

Suggestions: Burduko's duty now is to work closer with Dregas. He will warp back to us if we have an emergency or once every night, which ever happens first, but he's gonna BULK UP via teleporting TRADE GOODS, OHYAH!

Other then that, I think we should make a few Deep Spawn. Yes, this means coming to an agreement, mostlikely on the dicussion page, about what we want, but sodit, we have cool ideas.

Other then that, Phohn our feild commanders, and find out what the hell has been happenign while we've been away.
Talk to Bang and Keddic, see how they feel about the decission, and also bring up the 'Both' suggestion Emba had.
Go down and talk, face to face, to our Deep Spawn to see how they've been growing in strength and what they've been doing.

Go and meet our army. Introduce them to Deep Spawn, Bang and Keddic, and Oz's students. Introduce them to PAIN.
>>
No. 259412 ID: ede337

Deep Spawn Suggestions:
Mahklargg embodies the concept of TRAINING, its form revolves around INSIGHT and RESPECT

Vahnderhuug is embodies concept of THE HERO and made from HUGE and MEATROCK

Khanite manifests around SOUND and FURY, which embody NOTHING

Orochoth, who embodies the purity of WAR, is made fer' two fings! FIGHTIN', and WINNIN'!

Tallagga embodies the concept of INFRASTRUCTURE, in the form of MANY TOOLS and MANY HANDS
>>
No. 259413 ID: f4e4f9

>>259380
Why on earth would we scold Lorgk? It's not his fault, and he said he was actively trying to dissuade the name coming into use when we told him the problem. Its not his fault people still talk about appearances.

Merge Erostika's egg with Burduko. We NEED to be effectively transportable, seeing as we're looking at one active war we're in in the North, and one War looming on the horizon in the South, and have things that demand our attention in both theaters.

Also, if we're going to the True Mountains, Nidhogg is coming with. She'll feast and grow as best as we can manage.
>>
No. 259415 ID: ede337

>>259413
If we're gonna use -anyone-, let's use Jodron. It's a silly, regular name that only has one suggestion.
>>
No. 259416 ID: 445c48

>>259415
Second.

But we don't have time to wait for Nidhogg, and it wouldn't be good for the AirCav to remove their ... "aircraft" in such an early stage of their development. They need to keep training, probably going to need to skirmish with the DoD as well.

I think we should get Figment and get back as quick as possible.


On an unrelated note, the wiki seems to have the calendar wrong. It says there are three weeks in a month, and that Praeclarum is spring.
>>
No. 259417 ID: 445c48

>>259416
Actually, no, it seems Bob has it wrong, at least once.

>>248733
>[DAY 150: DAY 10 OF WEEK 3 OF MONTH 4:]
[Randiday of the Third Cycle of Praeclarum (Summer)]

>>249514
>[DAY 151: DAY 1 OF WEEK 1 OF MONTH 5:]
[Zakday of the First Cycle of Libiturnius (Summer)]

If these two are right, then it should be day 4 of week 1 of month 5, Washiday of the First Cycle of Libiturnius.
>>
No. 259423 ID: d3dfb8

>>259417
Bah, he's only human.
>>
No. 259425 ID: 445c48

>>259423
Well, yes, but pointing out inconsistencies has generated benefits in the past.
>>
No. 259440 ID: 07091c

I suggest we check out the Arena first
>>
No. 259441 ID: 903f16

>>259356

>So what should I do with my moment of personal time, and what should I do beyond that?
Chat with our people in the Mordreden and the Arcanoworks. Tell Lorgk that since he has the title of Red Knight a rather potent golem made of the same material as him armor may come looking for him. Should this happen he needs to call us over to talk with him or if need be get him out the situation. Aside from that ask for how Welgahoo is doing and the current status of the mines. Ask Arkus about our sword and other projects he's working on. Express interest in having him work on the rather large project of studying the Morphic Steel and figuring out how to not only make more but achieve it's effects on other metals. This isn't to be done now, but sometime in the future when he is done with his current projects.

>Figment
We should ask Oz if has something we can show Figment so he knows we're coming in peace as a friend of his. Or maybe he has some code word or nickname we can use, anything works. It'd just be a shame to fight our way to the man only to have him attack us on sight because tried to kill him the last time we met. We do have Bang, but it's always best to have insurance just in case.

>Burduko
Well if that's the case I'm going to give in and agree we put another core into Burduko. And if we're going to be putting cores into existing spawn I'd like to put up Velada for consideration. It is currently one of our weaker spawn, having a very niche ability and virtually no combat applications. Though I only suggest this if adding a core to a spawn doesn't only amplify existing abilities, but can expand the spawn into more.

>>259397

Actually I'd say the icing on the cake is that everyone we plan on bringing to the True Mountains stands to gain something from the dragons. Bang gets to analyze multiple dragons and adapt their abilities to himself. Keddic can eat the dragon's hearts and taste their blood to gain immunity to them. We get their blood iron and bones to empower our alloy. The scales can be made into armor. And we all get fame and prestige from killing them, adding to our budding belief pools.

>>259393
>>259412

I prefer the second quoted posts incarnation of Mahklargg. It revolves around things that are a bit more practical.
>>
No. 259444 ID: ede337

Something we seem to not be focusing on is this 'weirdness', so I suggest we focus on that now, too. Mordre, does everything look like like it use to? Search for anything that feels like a human.
>>
No. 259445 ID: 058745

That strange feeling is Belief you big lug.

You have people believing in you now.
Soon you will be able to DO THE IMPOSSIBLE,
SEE THE INVISIBLE, TOUCH THE UNTOUCHABLE and
BREAK THE UNBREAKABLE.

Feels good man.

Also for some funny reason I think you are dreaming hmmmm.

[also Bang should be getting closer to being able to punch politics in the face. We can't forget that goal. we can't.]
>>
No. 259450 ID: ede337

>>259445
DO THE IMPOSSIBLE, - Mostly Bang and Keddic's Shtick. When did we last do the impossible?
SEE THE INVISIBLE, - Can do!
TOUCH THE UNTOUCHABLE - A few times, I believe.
and
BREAK THE UNBREAKABLE - I do not believe we've done this yet. We should get on it.
>>
No. 259452 ID: 5f0943

>>259450
> BREAK THE UNBREAKABLE - I do not believe we've done this yet. We should get on it.

Well that would be easy enough.
Step 1. Find Lortoxite
Step 2. Once Lortoxite has been found, place it in a safe location where you don't have to care about collateral damage.
Step 3. ???
Step 4. Profit.
>>
No. 259455 ID: 058745

>>259452
i.e. Nuke the heck out of Gialgorras golem.
>>
No. 259456 ID: 058745

>>259450
>when did we last do the impossible

We exist. I think that counts in this setting.
>>
No. 259457 ID: ede337

Well, we didn't do that. We more had that done to us. More 'Have The Impossible Done For You' rather then 'Do the Impossible'.
>>
No. 259460 ID: 45be60

man, has it really been since ant quest that we broke the unbreakable? Everybody around here is all dodge/parry/regen. No turtles. I guess conventional durability isn't up to the level of firepower and armor bypass we bring to the table.

Though to be fair, we did almost break our unbreakable sword...
>>
No. 259462 ID: 07091c

>>259393
>...If we are going to the True Mountains, I suppose we won't be able to take Nidhogg with us, since she is helping with the raids against DoD as the Air Cavalry.

NO.
We simply must take her.
We are not conducting any small-scale raids against anybody because that would be dangerous, we need all of our troops in one place for defense and it could bring unnecessary casualties. Since we finished training Nidhogg isn't needed 24/7 at Arcaneworks.
Have Burduko teleport Nidhogg. We don't have time to wait for her. And don't tell me he can not do that. She might be big physically but she's no where near our own weight.
Don't forget to put off her harness and unsummon her spawn.

>-Training programs sound like they would be a failure, as variety is what expands his power, not monotony.
So that means transporting different stuff makes him grow faster. Maybe we should increase the trade transport a little bit? One hour in the morning and one hour in the evening?

Also, does that mean that transporting people (even if the die) would be an excellent work-out?
Next time we go against DoD army we must take Burduko with us. Totally, absolutely, must take him with us!. We will give him an order to teleport low-danger enemies. As much as he can as fast as he can.
Have him work at the outskirts of the army, away from danger. He'll be there for training not for battle.
Ask him to be creative when transporting. Like, teleport people upside down, on the trees, two at once, inside a boulder, in the air, use them as projectiles against other, etc...
After teleporting thousands upon thousands of enemies, he will not only grow up in power very quickly (as each person should count as a different "good") but might even learn to teleport people without harming them. That should be his main goal - safe organic transportation.

---

Before going to the True Mountains, talk with Oz and ask him if he is willing to go with us. I think he would like the challenge and the prospect of meeting his old friend.

>I note something feels strange in the air today, though no matter where I turn in the early dawn hours
Maybe it's Lenryt?
Or an early Dragon incursion.
Or the legendary rage-glut is here?
Though I suspect there's something going on in the arena. Like Bang, Keddic and our platoon having fun and shit without us! ... On the other hand why would Lubu be there? He doesn't want to learn any more shit that would make him stronger.
>>
No. 259464 ID: 9338f5

if I recall correctly Bob said that with enough skill in soul magic we could do thing like punch the idea of paperwork
>>
No. 259465 ID: 07091c

>>259462
Oh right, fuck, I forgot to add.

Teleport Nidhogg in to use her for training with the rage-gluts.
Since they specialize in killing dragons, what other training can be better but a training with real dragon?

>>259397
>we get a chance to take out Goujar before he even reaches the capital
No. Lubu will be absolutely pissed with us.
And he's a God damn Legendary. We have no chance against those fucks yet.

>>259402
>Suggestions: Burduko's duty now is to work closer with Dregas. He will warp back to us if we have an emergency or once every night, which ever happens first, but he's gonna BULK UP via teleporting TRADE GOODS, OHYAH!
Second

>Go down and talk, face to face, to our Deep Spawn to see how they've been growing in strength and what they've been doing.
Also, second
>>
No. 259466 ID: 35bba5

>>259464
...this is a noble goal.
>>
No. 259470 ID: fdfd8e

I wonder what the inverter would do to Lortoxite...

>>259441
Speaking of Velada. Send Velada up to Mordreden together with Nihilino to assist Lorgk and his men with hunting Yeti. Neither of the Deep Spawn are particularly useful for training. Velada will see lots of use in tearing apart the Yeti chronomancy tricks and Nihilino's soul destroying abilities will hopefully get to see plenty of use.

How is Kyorto meshing in? We never did go to the Mosmordren Duke's estate to investigate that Small Tomb and the secrets within. Can we check that out? I doubt Kyorto needs to sleep much.

Suggest to Dregas that he should try to finance a manufacturing base at Gialgorra's island now that you have a teleport box and some land there. The inhabitants seem industrious and there are plenty of opportunities. Perhaps they can come up with some means to maximize production rates and values. Also tell Dregas that you are now completely certain that Silicanthos can be restored provided that you can get access to a Leyline Geyser, something you're looking for.

How are the battles up North faring? Can the Arcanoworks military be mobilized together with the Blue Knight's forces to assist the State defenses?

Go to a jeweller and buy some rare metals to experiment with and generally try to tear some metal out of the ground. It will be needed to outfit the Metal Skulls. How many others will have ever tried to create a platoon of heavy infantry ragegluts? Maybe Del Roga can give some tips on molding armor.
>>
No. 259471 ID: d3dfb8

>>259462
>>259465
I agree with this man.

Also, use the runed AV blades to fly up above the town to see if we can spot anything unusual.
>>
No. 259474 ID: 058745

>>259462
She has to be able to fit in the box, which I don't think she can do since Bang had to fly her over.

Burduko can only tele us and himself unless there is a sameness, if I remember correctly.



Let's bring Bang AND Oz.

with your moment of personal time?
Talk to the new guy, I think he will be easy to speak to, we have Lenryt as a topic, Mosmordre, belief, Lubu and Anthema.
Go wild.

Also get more friendly with the great Ozmand. He is the boss.
>>
No. 259481 ID: 07091c

>>259470
>Also tell Dregas that you are now completely certain that Silicanthos can be restored provided that you can get access to a Leyline Geyser, something you're looking for.

Oh, since he's going to work all over the world with many different people we should give him a permission to look for someone willing to lend out leyline geyser and work out a deal. We must ask Bobobo for how long we need the geyser to restore Slicanthos and what other things must be put in order before beginning the operation. Maybe we need special people for that too, ask if people in our employment are competent enough to restore the golem or do we need to hire someone.
We can also ask Dregas to put up bounty for information about unclaimed geysers (but we must be careful not to be tricked)

>>259474
>Burduko can only tele us and himself unless there is a sameness, if I remember correctly.
*sigh*
Burduko can teleport us and our Deep Spawn with no problem. Bob confirmed that.
And if you need evidence:
Remember when Jioga was being all jerk-ward and attacked Zelgoto and Vandgurd?
He reduced them into puddle of barely alive beings. In that state, hair-breath away from death, Burduko transported them to us successfully.
Now, do you think that he couldn't transport a fully healthy Deep Spawn?
Of course he would!

We don't need to wait till she comes here, just teleport here here. And when comparing our "weight" and "dimension" I think Mordre is much, much more heavier than Nidhogg.
>>
No. 259485 ID: 9338f5

>How many others will have ever tried to create a platoon of heavy infantry ragegluts? Maybe Del Roga can give some tips on molding armor.

>heavy infantry

Once we get mesurements and an idea of how our ragegluts fight get Del Roga and Jezabel to work on designing and building giant sized armour with weapons built in. I am thinking wrist mounted lighting cannons charged by the giants movement as well as just about anything else you can strap on a giant robot.

Ask Gialgora(sp?) about creating or renting a production facility or factory.

Another thought, we should grab all the unclaimed metal we can refine it and have Burduko pick it up whenever we get a few tons. This should lower the cost and slightly speed up the production of the rageglut armour.
>>
No. 259488 ID: 07091c

>>259485
That's cool.

And if that is too unfeasible, or too time-consuming we can always craft personal cannons for our rage-gluts. They wont be at the same level as our rail-gun but maybe at the same level as our original Anti-golem cannon.

Massive ranged weapons seem to be much better weapons against dragons then whatever these people had before. I'm guessing they don't really have cannons in LoD or they are vastly inferiors to those in Northern lands (especially those from Gialgorra islands).

I suggest we first start with cannons and then move towards heavy armor and other weapons.
>>
No. 259490 ID: f4e4f9

Guys, if you want armor made custom for the Ragegluts, Dels going to need a LOOOOOT of manpower.

A LOT. And a shitload of material. Like, unfathomable amounts
>>
No. 259491 ID: 9338f5

>>259488
Good point, start with giant sized pistols then weapon studed. An even better idea considering that dragons spit would ruin the armour with great ease.
>>
No. 259493 ID: 9338f5

>>259490
We were quite rich last I checked, Gialgorra's island has many skilled workers and inventors for man power and making tools to reduce the need for manpower as well as they should be reciving regular shipments of metal to work with.

Mordre is also getting quite powerful at magnetomancy so if we find a good sized metal deposit or mine we should be able to rip it clear out of the soil or stone
>>
No. 259495 ID: 07091c

>>259493
Also, we can shit out Blootz steel as we go.

Hmm... has anyone calculated the maximum amount of Blootz steel we can make per hour? Take our vanguard production also into calculation.


Speaking of cannon round production:
Order Burduko to retrieve about 6 Skyfall Rounds from arcane works. Also, send our new modified rounds to Arkus for him to work with.
>>
No. 259498 ID: ede337

Oh, this just reminded me, did we leave any Other Vanguards back at the Arcanoworks? Because we should let Arkus look over them.
>>
No. 259499 ID: 5f0943

I don't think armour would be all that useful on Ragegluts.

For one, they are huge, and even Del would be hard pressed to make even one suit of armour that big in an appreciable timeframe.

Second, Ragegluts are likely very durable to begin with.

Third, when fighting dragons, it doesn't matter for shit how much armour you are wearing, barring armour made of Lortoxite or more 'mundane' plate so runed that it would be ridiculous.

Giant sized firearms like was proposed by >>259488
Seem like a much better idea.
A lot more doable (if we shit out enough money), and much more effective than giving them armour/other weapons.
>>
No. 259503 ID: 9338f5

we can use dragon hide for armour, that rageglut we met with Oz said it was about the only thing a rageglut could use because they were so huge
>>
No. 259504 ID: 5f0943

>>259503
Now that's an idea...
>>
No. 259506 ID: c4098d

>>259495
Not counting our Anti-Vanguard Blades, our Blootz Steel production rate is (with sufficient enough metals supplies, dedicated Blood Magnetomancy, and time):
1,800 pounds per hour, 
43,200 pounds per day, 
or 302,400 per week

I don't remember the weight of our Anti-Vanguard blades, but the last time it was mentioned, we could produce all six within 10 minutes with regular magnetomancy (probably much shorter now that we have more souls and Blood magic).

>>259498
Yes, we left one of our mutated AV blades for Arkus to study.

I agree with the use of Dragon Scales for our Ragegluts' armor and Blootz Steel firearms for them as well.
>>
No. 259509 ID: 07091c

>>259506
That means we can increase our size by two every day?

And with Deep Blootz steel we should have the same production, yes?

I wonder if we can make a metal golem using the same principle when we make Inferno Golems?
Make a couple of Metal golems without souls or golem matrices. When we need them in combat call upon Burduko to transport them to use, then blow in some souls to give it a temporary animation.


Also, I wonder how much money could 1000 pounds of our unique Blootz steel net us?
And even more powerful (theoretically) magic Deep Blootz steel?
>>
No. 259521 ID: ede337

>>259509
Oh yes, we should also go drink down the blood of our Deep Spawn.
>>
No. 259523 ID: 07091c

>>259521
Not till days 179-189 we don't. We have barely 4-5 pounds of Deep Blood Iron right now.
>>
No. 259528 ID: a76809

>>259396
[Fixed when effecting repairs during journey back from fighting Golden Axe, so redundant.]

>>259417
[Good catch]
CORRECTION:
[DAY 154: DAY 4 OF WEEK 1 OF MONTH 5:]
[Washiday of the First Cycle of Libiturnius (Summer)]

BONUS INFO:
>-Gialgorra has annexed a nearby island , taking control to stabilize the area after rebellion against oppressive government caused chaos.
>-Gialgorra in his Dapper Gentleman, his Steam Golem, and Elrind the Slayer all have become famed throughout the islands for pacifying the massive island nation of Baroomba in two days, now just part of the GIALGORRAN EXPANSE, larger than Gialgorra's home island by a factor of ten.
>-Two nearby islands closer to the size of Gialgorra's original island have petitioned to be governed by him as well, for reasons unspecified, and been accepted, likewise part of the Gialgorra Expanse. In terms of total landmass, the area he can claim to govern has now grown by 1250%.
>-Gialgorra is now working on means for mass-production of automatons, to rebuild the largest island of the Gialgorra Expanse and restore infrastructure, as well as creating an automated policing force. His experiments with his Steam Golem and his automated butlers have taught him much of coding.
>Gialgorra's Steam Golem recently had its two thousandth victory, the daughters now participating in its control while their father sleeps or toils on other projects. It is engaged in matches twenty four seven, and the pot, now 650,000 Marks with a five thousand mark buy-in, draws ever more interested parties.
>-Most recently the Steel Fists came, with a remodeled Steel Fist Soul Grave to their name. A fully runed Blue Steel body, Red Steel hands, a runed array of six cannons across its back, even a runed Blue Steel shield chained to its waist, all said a vastly improved creature to its earlier incarnation. With its destruction, Gialgorra's Steam golem has now fought and bested one of the world's Soul Graves.

>>259368
>>259380
>>259444
>>259445
I cast out, searching for the source of that odd feeling in the air. There seems to be no discrepancies in the Chaos-Order balances of what I sense, no irregular magic to the air. Everything seems in order no matter where I cast my gaze or wander. All the same, that feeling something is off persists. After having done a full circuit of the tower containing my teleport box, I finally note something irregular.

I have not seen a single person in this, the largest known nation's capital this morning.

At that realization, the feeling of wrongness intensifies, and the sky itself shakes. Looking up, I see the stars once more visible, a massive shape blocking the sun's rays, a figure so vast it but clutches Zakrath in its palm. This being so vast as to dwarf planets has no detectable rhyme or reason to its shape, a massive bundle of lumps, protrusions, tentacles and limbs, a writhing mass so shadowed I cannot make out its surface outlined in brilliant light. I feel a possessive, almost protective disposition, all restraining a vast and terrible hunger.

I name this thing beyond the ken of worlds The Wanderer.

I name this Lenryt.

And I know myself right.

I find my hands lowering from my meal, having just finished plating my runes in gold. ...What just happened? ...Did I dream? I put down the Golden Axeman's body, and open the immense metal slab of a door-to find Keddic and Bang outside, hoisting themselves up from the ground as I close the door, sealing away that mass of gold. Bang speaks first.

"So, they finished Keddic's measurements-I know my shaping, so they didn't have to measure me-and we gave our requests for armor format. I'm getting detachable armor, with hooks so I could strap it to myself even if I grow an exoskeleton, it'll be awesome! Keddic's getting something with slits here and there with bladed edges, so he can let his own bodies blood out more easiler. Also they are re-weaving that cloak you gave him, adding that war hound-lion-whatever's pelt. A fur coat over armor, HAH!"
>"...It seemed prudent to act, once they identified I was correct, and the hid retained considerable augmentations and energies, even its inclinations toward Blood magic, and blood sensing. They said blood accumulated in it will count as possessed by the cloak. I calculated it out, I should be able to carry twenty gallons of blood with me, in my cloak alone. I assumed I would have your endorsement, and gave them the go ahead. Now Lubu's men said instead of meeting the Ragegluts-"
"Metal Skulls of the Indelibe!"
>"-We were to accompany you on a new mission, while the they were outfitted per your request."
"We figured we'd wait for you to wake up, cool that you can set it to automatically do some stuff like walk or eat metal."
>"He said something about going to the True Mountains"
"Please tell me we are going, and Nindy's coming with us!"

>>259372
"First, I need to attend to something."

With the two in tow, I wander outside, and find an officer currently unengaged. When I explain I seek those working on the 17th, he directs me to one of several massive buildings, warehouses on the scale of giants. Within is immense heat, Ragegluts and humans alike operating unending suppliers of blacksmithing tools, even group polishing by those actively practicing some form of Mass Connection. I am quickly met by an old man who seems quite at home here, who seems to already know who I am. When I explain my desire, for the Ragegluts to not only get those helmets, but also heavy left gauntlets and claws for their right arm, he simply sighs like a freight train.

"I can do it, yeah.. Alright, emperer says whatever he asks, so fine. Don't expect it to be good for our production times though, it'll take a little longer to outfit them."
"I can accept that."

>>259440
"Alright, we need to visit Oz before we leave."
[Bang]"Can't wait to see those Deep Spawn wailing on trainees, will be HILARIOUS."

The sun climbs higher in the sky as we walk, and shortly enough we enter Oz's school, where he teaches his style, Ghost Hand and Breaker. On entry I am immediately noted by my deepspawn, who all continue their participation in training while nevertheless staying fixated on me. With no cessation to their actions, the students cannot help but keep training, Oz chuckling as he and Burduko walk up to me, while Bagrom shouts orders to students in drills.

[Oz]"Hey, it's the big guy, how ya doin'? Really have to say, those guys of yours? Dream come true for running a school. Anyway, what's the occasion?"
"Just stopping by while I was in town, wanted to say hi, See if anything way happening, that sort of thing. I have another errand to run, so I'm heading out soon."

Dulu speaks to me in Common.

[Dulu]"...Where are you going?"
"Into the True mountains to the east, actually."
"That is a... dangerous place, yes?"
"So I have been told."
"I tire of safety, no matter how enjoyable the Land of Dragons can be. I would join you."
"...Feel free, if that is what you want."

After Oz cocks his head and listens to Phohn translating my conversation with Dulu, Oz speaks again.

[Oz]"Well hey, thanks for stopping by, but nothing new is happening now... give me a week or so, and I might have a favor to ask, but I'm happily busy myself, so I'll see you. Try not to kill too many dragons, eh? HA!"
>>259441
"I was actually wondering if you have anything Figment would recognize?"
"Yeah a set of prayer beads he made me, why?"
"I believe him in the mountains. I would like something to help me convince him to come."
"Pssh, the guy shouldn't isolate himself so much. Here, for HIS sake, get him out here, I could use my old bud around this place. ...Guy can be such a loner sometimes. Just bring those back in one piece, eh?"
"Of course. Until next time, Oz."

>>259481
I send one more message through Phohn, this time to Dregas, informing him that I have confirmed Silicanthos can be restored with a Leyline Geyser, and that he has my permission to see if he can arrange a deal to borrow the use of a known Geyser for such a purpose with my funds.

>>259388
>>259462
I speak to Phohn, asking Burduko to bring Nidhogg after she unsummons her spawn, and relay to Arkus word that the Air Cavalry is to continue weapon training in her absence. When the four of us reach the capital's central square, Burduko is waiting with Nidhogg. The six of us depart, the five of us mounting up on Nidhogg's back, and before the morning has ended we leave the capital in our wake, heading east. Dulu, Bang and Keddic catch up, sharing the stories of their recent days. I listen in, learning much of what my comrades recent endeavors have been. I share my own adventures, the tail of facing an army with Carkiano, to mixed reactions: Keddic's compliments, Bang's dejected enthusiasm at a fight he missed, and Dulu's passive nonreaction. It is some time after noon's passage when Nidhogg touches down at the base of a massive mountain range, its peaks shrouded by thick, murky clouds. Burduko gets a taste of the land, finds a point he can remember so that I can come back whenever I wish-

And here we are. I cast out my senses-and find walls of magic ablating crystal a few hundred feet under in the mountain ranges, nothing of its core sensible to me. ...What secret do these mountains hold? In any event its seems my only choice is to climb. But a question remains:





Is there anywhere I should go first before I begin my journey over the mountains to Figment's den?
And when do begin climbing, should we fly up, or go by foot to stay more discreet?
[I will also need three separate 1d20 rolls to see how the mountain ascent goes no matter what choice is made.]
>>
No. 259532 ID: 07091c

Dragons have air superiority, so flying is a bit tricky. Though we could maneuver with Nidhogg and her wyverns and get our self on the backs of the dragons, which are a great spot for attacking their vitals from more or less safe position.

Have Nidhogg summon her spawn and then have everyone in our party mount them. We'll have more flexibility that way.
>>
No. 259534 ID: 07091c

Also, the suggestion from other guy to use geomancy to tunnel a path wouldn't work here, right?
>>
No. 259536 ID: 445c48

So, while you wouldn't be able to go straight through, you could still geomance your way through. Just have to stay a little close to the surface. But that's not the way we should be going, not with Nidhogg, Bang, Keddic, and Dulu with us. Fly, Mordre, Fly. Make extra ammunition also. You're going to need it.
>>
No. 259542 ID: 058745

>Mating Season
>Nindy's a girl dragon
Oh boy.

I know she reacted before when it began, hopefully she ain't in heat anymore.

why would you dream now, what could have caused it?
Some kind of side effect of all those souls you have now?
I know they made you act and think more like a human, but dreams?
hmmm

ROLLAN
>>
No. 259543 ID: 058745

rolled 20 = 20

silly me
>>
No. 259544 ID: 058745

>>259543
HECK YEA!!!!!

hope that was for us.
>>
No. 259545 ID: fdfd8e

rolled 1 = 1

Ask Bang if he has ever had anything to do with bears, bloodhounds or any other animal with an excellent sense of smell. If the crystals block magical senses then supercharged mundane ones might be able to compensate... You could also float Bang or Keddic up in the air at times using a bit of magnetomancy to have them scout the area visually.

Otherwise proceed on foot or at very low altitudes. Lubu told you about dragons bro!
>>
No. 259546 ID: 058745

>>259545
SHIIIIIIIII-
>>
No. 259556 ID: 445c48

We might need to talk to Jojo after this, about the dream.
>>
No. 259558 ID: a69afd

>>259528
Giant Leyline crystals in the True Mountains? WAT? Does this mean volcanoes and such are the equivalent of The Caged One thrashing away at its prison in slumber?
>>
No. 259560 ID: 9338f5

>>259528
Search for a tunnel, cave or other opening this wall of antimagic crystal seems like some work of the deepspawn or possibly the caged one. My best guess would be some sort of deepspawn city or possibly a important bit of the "system". the hordes of dragons are likely a defence or some sort of "firewall".
>>
No. 259562 ID: ede337

rolled 9 = 9

Well, lets focus on getting Figment out with minimal harm.

Possibly raise your arms in truce and declare your are not her to attack the local administrator, just passing through.

And Burduko should get back to strength training via trading.
>>
No. 259564 ID: 9338f5

>>259556

I suspect that our dreaming was caused by the gold we ingested, belief seems like the sort of thing that would play a signifigant part in dreams.

I have the feeling that theres a prediction that can be made with this but I am not sure what. Something to do with strengthing belief also strengthing the depth or power of dreams?
>>
No. 259566 ID: f4e4f9

We had a dream...?

Thats...interesting. VERY interesting.
>>
No. 259594 ID: ede337

>>259556
Phohn up Jojo and ask him. And, as we didn't talk to our deep spawn, physically, Phohn them up to and get a 'how have they been doing' list - Sorry Bob.
>>
No. 259595 ID: a76809

>>259532
>>259536
>>259542
We remount, and begin to fly up, Nidhogg's Aeromancy and Gravimancy allowing her to rise far more easily than would normally be possible. Even so a full hour is spent just ascending before we even reach the cloud cover. Everyone goes silent as Nidhog sails through that wet obscuring pall, no objects to orient on-

>>259543
[20]
We emerge from the clouds, and there is but a single dragon anywhere to be seen about us-

>>259545
[1]
I note this dragon to be eighty five feet long, and I feel a sullen hint of genuine intelligence hidden behind the primal malice that is directed towards us. It seems to immediately sense the wrongness of Nidhogg, and from its aimless loopings some few thousand feet away, it turns to fly our way.

>>259562
[9]
With Bang jumping up onto Nidhogg's head to get a better view and getting an indignant snort back, I note something else: I can see the peaks of these True mountains, some of them at least-and on every peak, I see exposed flesh peaking out from breaks in the rock, shredded tissue that seeps such a heavy weight of World magic I have no doubts as to what it is: The Caged One's flesh. ...It reaches the surface through the True Mountains? ...That explains where dragons would get food to support them, get that stomach-oriented proto-soul-they are EATING parts of a Planet God to be.

The massive dragon, now fifteen hundred feet away, pulls back its head, throat working.




What should I say or do?
>>
No. 259598 ID: 8f17f0

>>259595
Say nothing.

Kill everything.
>>
No. 259601 ID: 9338f5

>>259595
Blood iron of the caged one would be VERY powerful. If it has any.

Lets question our deepspawn liasion about this.
>>
No. 259607 ID: 9338f5

>>259601
about the true mountains and the caged one's flesh, not the bloodiron
>>
No. 259610 ID: 9c61bd

>Flesh
>Caged One
>Talking Core Being
>Heart, flesh, blood

SHIIIIIIIIII-
Effing Core being is part of the Caged one. Bitch be trying to escape.
If we leave it to the state, he WILL escape (part of him anyway)
Heck they might be trying to make a deal with it or something.

What WE need to do is station Nindy over there and have her eat it's heart. All we have to do is use our badass new Geomancy skills to get to it in a roundabout way so that we don't release the Core being.

I never thought it would have flesh though.
This brings up an interesting idea, are Deep Spawn actually part of the whole thing? Is the system not really a prison, but a mechanism to facilitate maximum growth before release?

Like an egg. The only problem being that the 'chick' operates on a scale that would dwarf most things, that being so, the 'egg' has to be more complicated than a simple wall to keep him in.

If he comes out early, he dies so they have to ensure maximum growth before release.


In any case.
Stand up tall.
Whip some soulfire out with Pyromancy, and look imposing, get ready to counter it's attack if needs be.

"Why do you attack me"
>>
No. 259612 ID: 741399

Get Blood Magic up; it will hopefully be useful in deflecting any flames with combined Pyromancy and Kinetomancy, and perhaps detect and attract some Blood Iron (if there is any) of the Caged One for consumption or storage for later consumption enhanced by a PS. (If there is Caged One Blood Iron, that would help in making that better-than-Lortoxite metal, qualifying for the "given power by the Caged One", wouldn't it?)

That the Caged One can extend its flesh to the surface causes me to think that there is no Administrator/Deep Spawn for the LoD. There isn't much evidence to support the hypothesis, but: consider that Lubu didn't know that Bobobo was a Deep Spawn. Since he is, and was, itching for a fight that can excite him, and that stories of demons from beneath the earth should still be in circulation, it is not unlikely that Lubu tried to find the 'demons' below the earth. Since Lubu did not recognize what Bobobo is (nor did he actually have the cloning ability of all Deep Spawn before we got here with our Deep Spawn), it can be reasonably assumed that Lubu did not find any 'demons'. Thus, as we know the 'demons' are Deep Spawn, that can be called as evidence for the absence of Deep Spawn, other than ours, in the LoD. Too, that the Caged One has broken to the surface, supports the idea: I would think that no Administrator would allow any potential escape path for the Caged One, even if there are predators constantly eating at it at the exits. Also, perhaps the massive core of magic-eating crystal is the remnants of the System?

On the dragon itself, Nidhogg should manifest spawn, to help carry Bang and Keddic, while we and Nidhogg focus on preventing the dragon from harming us and making opportunistic attacks. On that topic, if it is possible, try to gain control of the dragon's Blood Iron, and use it to attack its own vital organs. Also, since Nidhogg can gain power from consuming, can Nidhogg just eat any flaming acid attacks?
>>
No. 259613 ID: ede337

>>259612
I'm against blood magic this close to the Core Being. I'm also against direct confrontation and possibly first-shot. The reason I don't want to fight here is I don't want us accidentally destroying the cage of the Caged One.

This thing is smart, right? Or at least intelligent. Maybe we can talk to it.

"Greetings, Dragon, I am Mordre! I offer no ill will, and merely desire passage!"
>>
No. 259614 ID: 741399

>>259613
? We can't destroy the System, by my understanding, with magic, since it is made of magic-eating crystal. What are you talking about?
>>
No. 259616 ID: 741399

>>259613
>>259610
Also, the dragon is attacking because it thinks Nidhogg is wrong, and because it is in the nature of dragons to attack others.
>>
No. 259617 ID: 903f16

>>259595
>That explains where dragons would get food to support them, get that stomach-oriented proto-soul-they are EATING parts of a Planet God to be.

So that's what they do. Well that kind of puts a damper on the dragon slaying fun now that we know they're useful in keeping the Caged One locked away. Still we've got a mission and unless we dedicate multiple years to tramping about and killing them like Goujar we shouldn't cause too much damage,

>The massive dragon, now fifteen hundred feet away, pulls back its head, throat working.

Avoid that mouth. It seems like it's far too long range for it try and belch fire at us, but it's an eighty five foot dragon and we are rapidly closing that distance so who knows what it could do. Fly around it to see if there are any weaknesses or old wounds on it and we can then plan an attack accordingly.
>>
No. 259619 ID: 9c61bd

>>259616
Yes, I know that, but I want it to say so.

It is intelligent, maybe it can speak. Maybe the willingness of someone to actually speak with it will make it stop and talk before raping us.

In any case, I want to see its reaction, if there is no reasoning with it then we can railgun it and feel happy.
>>
No. 259622 ID: ede337

>>259614
I don't want Bang punching the ground and destroying the crystals.
>>
No. 259624 ID: 741399

>>259622
But we're in midair, on Nidhogg? And the only fight to be had is in midair, and with Bang's ability with preventive healing the air, he most likely won't even touch the ground in this fight.
>>
No. 259627 ID: 445c48

AA, if that doesn't kill him, railgun.
>>
No. 259629 ID: 703865

AA, Railgun, blade launcher, (by this point, enemy should be closer) PRISTINE soulfire pyromanced (TO BURN THROUGH THE FIRE), Lightning, THEN MAGNETICALLY LEAP ON TOP OF IT.
>>
No. 259632 ID: 741399

>>259629
>PRISTINE
Wait what?! Why use a Pristine Soul in something that isn't existence destroying?

Also, there are more people in the fight than Mordre and the dragon, people; Keddic, Bang, and Nidhogg are available to help, too.
>>
No. 259635 ID: 9c61bd
 

Man, if Bang gets into this fight, I expect to see a mountain top blown off.

Picture this, he KICKs the dragon straight through the mountain, using it's body as a buffer between him and the magic draining crystals so the magical force of the attack does not abate while the dragon is unable to summon its energy because of magic drain and THE POWER OF FOOT.

They both dissapear into the earth.
The ground rumbles and cracks, the sky goes red.
The mountain erupts in a shower of lava.
Bang crawls out, skin burnt off but healing.
He screams out the name of his attack and the mountain explodes.


Basically this vid, from 4:40 to the end.
>>
No. 259638 ID: ede337

>>259624
Bang has a tenancy to do 'AWESOME' rather then sense.

>>259629
Anyway, it's this that worries me more. AA and Railgun are two things that -could- crack the cage, and I don't wanna do that.
>>
No. 259639 ID: 9338f5

>>259629
charge the IG instead, this is magic dragon fire. dont waste a P.soul
>>
No. 259642 ID: 9338f5

>>259638
the crystal "cage" is under several hundred feet of rock, unless we have horrid aim a railgun shot should easily hit the dragon
>>
No. 259645 ID: 9c61bd

>>259638
AA? no. magic
Railgun? Maybe, not likely. especially since our target is in the air, no direct shot to the earth unless it moves under us.



Also tell they guys to hang on in case Nindy takes awesome evasive action (you too mordre)
>>
No. 259649 ID: ede337

Ok, sorry. Just feeling like this needs kid gloves. I don't want another natural one to go 'lolgaemoer' because we unsealed the Caged One somehow
>>
No. 259650 ID: a69afd

>>259595
SHIT, THE DRAGON IS ANOTHER AVATAR OF THE CAGED ONE! YOU THOUGHT THE TRUE EDGE WAS BAD? THE MORE ANCIENT DRAGONS ARE GUARANTEED TO HAVE PIECES OF THE CAGED ONE IN THEM, MAKING THEM GORAN LEVEL THREATS WITH MINIMAL CAGED ONE EXPOSURE, AND NIGH DOMINTUS LEVEL WITH AGES OF EXPOSURE. WE NEED TO PURGE THESE MOUNTAINS OF THE CAGED ONE'S TAINT. Hopefully there are still "Normal" dragons left in these mountains, we need to evacuate as many as possible to preserve the species.
>>
No. 259651 ID: 703865

>>259639
>This is magic dragon fire
>We have soulfire, an all-consuming sheet of flame powered by the single greatest magical fuel in the world
>Pristine that so it burns through everything and anything


Ahuh. Magical dragon fire. Yep.
>>
No. 259652 ID: 703865

>>259651
I meant pristine it so it burns FASTER.
>>
No. 259658 ID: 445c48

I don't think we should pristine soulfire right now. We could probably take him out before we get in flaming acid-breath range, and if not normal soulfire/pyromancy would probably be enough to burn away the acid before it gets to us.
>>
No. 259660 ID: 9c61bd

>>259651
single greatest KNOWN magical fuel in the world.

For some funny reason, I think dreams would be better.
Picture this, 10K sleeping people rather than 10K souls. The kind of stuff that is possible in dreams would make it awesome, heck, the people could be trained to dream about souls, then if the each dream about 2 (and they could do 10 easy, 100 even) we could harness the power of 20K soul (or psudeo souls anyway) while they sleep, and in a way that we can use all the power we need rather than just having most of these things just sitting in the furnace, looking pretty.

Of course to do this we would need some badass, dream harnessing abilities (not hard for us since we have NO BODY and a SPLINTERED MIND as 'tradeoffs') and arrange to have 10,000 people that we know sleeping at the same time, probably forever, or in rotating shifts (guess we could go on a 'meet and greet' spree).

Blah, blah, blah, crazy talk.
>>
No. 259665 ID: 9c61bd

also, save our Duex EX Machina(Golem?) people, we might need them soon.

If ya wanna use em, go learn GOLEMCRAFT or pump up SOULMAGIC, maybe a little DREAM WEAVING or RUNECRAFTING.
Useful stuff.

You could use it on the cannon so it can take more consecutive railgunshots, maybe by magically shunting the heat and force, or rerouting it to make the missle even faster.

You could use it on the AA so that it charges from world magic or somn.

You could use it on a mask bought/gotten from Bang to allow Mordre to wear a mask (I think REotD would figure us out though unless we came up with a very HAMMMY explanation)

Or anything else useful beyond the next 3 seconds.
Using it to boost a single attack would no doubt put the power off the charts, but it would be one shot, so I wouldn't recommend it unless you are desperate.


Also, the primary IG function allows us to blow up magic, does this count for normal magical attacks?
Could we cause, for example, a metal ball of Eiesnhardt's to blow up? or cause him to lose control of it because his magic blew up?

blah blah blah, crazy talk.
>>
No. 259670 ID: fb07ac

What would happen if Mordre took blood from the Caged one and integrated it into himself? What about if he brought his Deep Spawn to periodically feed on the exposed Core beast flesh?

The dream, perhaps a vision of the future? We should probably be a bit more worried about that.
>>
No. 259671 ID: 445c48

Also, aim for the eyes with AA.
>>
No. 259675 ID: 903f16

>>259670
I recommend we wait until this fight is over and ask Bobobo. We need to carefully phrase what we ask to get useful information, but I think that's the best course of action.
>>
No. 259677 ID: ede337

Because artwork always helps us I suggest we get a few for sucking the blood of a caged god, and for kicking a dragon god's ass.
>>
No. 259705 ID: 703865

>>259665
This isn't for just one attack. This is for our soulfire overall. You know, the stuff that we can pyromance at any time with no soul cost, since it floats around our head? The stuff that fuels the inferno golems? Our least-buffed attack, ever, yet the one with the most potential because it burns everything, including, possibly, magical defenses?

Yeah, that.
>>
No. 259716 ID: 445c48

>>259705
And upgrading it right now isn't a pressing issue. I'd rather save the pristine for some of the shit we're almost bound to run into in these mountains. We've got one, really, if two are to be saved for eating deep spawn blood. I'd like a safety net, just in case.
>>
No. 259721 ID: 07091c

What? You people want to talk with a dragon?
I don't really think they have capacity to talk. Maybe if we use Phohn for direct mind to mind communication.

Anyway.
Shoot railgun round (or two) as soon as it opens its mouth. That should shut it up. Use one of the vanguard blades for recoil, we don't want to hurt Nidhogg.
Also, don't use Anti-Magic charge. It will hit Nindy, making us fall and incapacitate our allies.

>>259675
Second
>>
No. 259743 ID: fb07ac

Voting AGAINST any PS soulfire improvements. There are far better things to spend them on, like golemcraft for example. Plus, a way to improve soulfire might be found by improving Soul magic anyway.
>>
No. 259747 ID: d3dfb8

>>259743
>>259721
These.
>>
No. 259749 ID: 703865

>>259743
>>259721
>>259716
>>259747
I get the goddamn point, jesus, post rescinded. Fuck.
>>
No. 259755 ID: 07091c

A little bit more detailed course of action:

Have Nidhogg summon all of her her wyverns. Have several be summoned near us so that Keddic, Dulu and Bang can mount them. (just like it was said here >>259532)
Have all of the wyverns circle the dragon from right and left (unmounted wyverns will act as distraction).
First have them rise above the dragon and dive back on it while while arcing around.
Dulu, Keddic and Bang must try to land on its back.

We, at the same time, stay on Nidhogg and order her to fly below the dragon. The dragon will probably have us as its main target so its fire breath will go at us. We might use soulfire to counter it but don't use Pristine on it yet.
If we get a chance, shoot railgun in the dragons mouth but don't count on it being
When we are below it, use vanguard blades, magnetomancy and Kinetomancy to jump. Use the Golden Axe to make a swift slice along its belly and get inside the dragon through the new opening.

Wreck chaos of its innard while moving towards its head.
When reaching its neck, spread your arms, circle around using kinetomancy and use Golden Axe and the Sable Executioner to sever its neck from inside.
(I intentionally do not say to destroy its heart as Keddic need to eat it)

Our allies at the same time should try the same thing: serving it neck.
At least keep it busy while we deal with it from inside.

Have Burduko also get on its back (the nearer to its neck, the better)
If the afro-said plan fails, have Burduko teleport us on its back, where we'll use the golden Axe to decapitate it. Use Sable Executioner to gain better footing.

In the mean time Nidhogg and her wyverns should harass the Dragon to keep it occupied. Tell her to keep out of harms way (something tell me that this Dragon could attack the souls directly)
>>
No. 259760 ID: 8f17f0

>>259747
>>259743
>>259716
>>259658
It's actually a pretty good idea to pristine the soulfire, since it is the cheapest and most effective attack we have outside of the souped-up AA and Railgun Cannon, both of which are either single use, or take a LONG time to recharge, battle-time speaking, which is about 1-2 minutes for 1v1 battles.
Now, if we pristine soulfire, we have
A. An attack that can be utilised at near to any range beyond incredibly close or incredibly far
B. It's also very powerful, aka BURNS THROUGH EVERYTHING
Now, I can understand that you would want to have something of a safety net, but since pristines are EXPONENTIAL INCREASE, as we have seen with pristines while devouring metal, this means that our already powerful soulfire that can be used AT ANY TIME, ALL THE TIME, would gain significant power.
>>
No. 259762 ID: 703865

>>259760

This is what I've been trying to say the whole time.
>>
No. 259763 ID: 07091c

>>259760
>B. It's also very powerful, aka BURNS THROUGH EVERYTHING

Yes. Including potentially awesome souls. Don't forget that.
If it didn't do that, it would be very awesome. We might even upgrade it till the level of Blue Devil, where stuff doesn't even burn but just gets atomized.
But as things stand, its good against many low-level enemies.... and we have lots of options to deal with mass enemies without wasting their souls.
>>
No. 259764 ID: 10f195

I am sort of against summoning the spawn, at least until we see if it want to chat or no, (via phohn or otherwise)

It seems to be smarter than the ones we have met so far, so I think the main reason it is attacking us is because it sees Nindy as 'Dragon Anthema', something that must be eradicated.

So I suggest we wait to attack it, at least until we see if we can settle this peacefully.
>>
No. 259765 ID: 703865

>>259763
>DRAGONS DO NOT HAVE SOULS
>>
No. 259766 ID: 703865

>>259765
>AND NEITHER DO PALISADES, MAGICAL BARRIERS, ARMOR, MORALE, AND LARGE FEILDS, NOT TO MENTION SEIGE ENGINES AND NORMAL GOLEMS
>>
No. 259882 ID: 7c03f8

Aw, man, no update?

At least I'll modify my suggestion a bit.
>>259755
>>259721

I take back the suggestion not to use Anti-Magic field.
It is most likely that the dragon will use aeromancy and gravimancy to repel us.
The first action should be charging up the IG.
When we are below the dragon and jump up, at the sign when we meet some kind of resistance (be it aeromancy or geomancy) use Anti-Magic attack to burst through. Use kinetomancy after that to gain more velocity.
Then proceed with the plan.
>>
No. 259918 ID: 7c03f8
File 12908088412.jpg - (619.49KB , 2592x1944 , 06012007293.jpg )
259918

>>
No. 259919 ID: 7c03f8
File 129080886028.jpg - (849.57KB , 2592x1944 , 06012007296.jpg )
259919

>>259918
>>
No. 259920 ID: 7c03f8
File 129080887815.jpg - (645.18KB , 2592x1944 , 06012007298.jpg )
259920

>>259919
>>
No. 259921 ID: 7c03f8
File 129080891323.jpg - (320.96KB , 2579x653 , 06012007299.jpg )
259921

>>259918
>>259919
>>259920

>Now all together!
>>
No. 259924 ID: c4098d

>>259921
That Dragon is fucked now.
>>
No. 259928 ID: a69afd
File 129081197612.jpg - (13.24KB , 320x320 , subway.jpg )
259928

>>259918
>>259919
>>259920
>>259921
FIVE-
FIVE DOLLAR-
FIVE DOLLAR FOOTLONG~
>>
No. 260015 ID: a76809

[So many people assuming intelligence = Linguistic skills in a language made for the throats and tongues of bipeds]

>>259598
>>259617
>>259721
>>259755
>>259918
>>259919
>>259920
[TRIPLE FANART, DRAGON IS FUCKED]

Words could be said now. Attempts at communication made... I ignore these options as I continue to sense that deep, primal malice, that hatred directed my way. So I say nothing, even as Nidhogg preemptively summons up her spawn, and sends them careening towards our collective foe. As our mount begins evasive maneuvers, I see our titanic foe's head snap forward, a massive glob of viscous ooze igniting amidsts sparks from clashing teeth as it rockets our way. Between her spawn and her airial maneuverings (complete with Gravimantic efforts turned towards keeping those of us that ride her safely seated), the shot goes wide-a good thing, given it ACCELERATED post-projection, a decidedly unusual trick.

My response to this aggression is simple: I float the runed saw-rings before my cannon. I pick a moment where the monolithic dragon stalls, snapping at spawn in the air about it. I fire two rounds rapid, one to its head and one to its chest, both angled so the shot never interesects the mountainside. Just as before, a vacuum is left in the air. Just as before, holes open up in my foes body. Just as before, there is a thundreclap, and as air rushes to fill the void, Ozmand's hammerblow strikes, pulling tons of matter through those pinpoint holes. In less than a quarter of a second, only the dragon's wings and legs still even remain whole, continuing on the path established by their onetime living owner, before dropping to the mountainside below.

Or that is how it should have gone, should have ended.

But there is a next part to the tale. The rent and torn, the displaced masses of pulped flesh begin to revert, pulling themselves back into place, the beast reforming itself, wings already struggling to beat before fully anchored to returning shoulders. One second after I fired, the eighty five foot long dragon is whole again. The dragon is also only six hundred feet away now, but ninety feet below. Nidhogg's spawn, previously having a brief field day with the dragon's exposed flesh, return to their more cautious attacks, able to be fully consumed in a single bite or otherwise instantly slain by direct attacks from a foe of such scale. The ancient dragon seems to now ignored their attacks, even as they pry scales free to fall on the ground, make blood well and drop-the body pulls back its own, every piece, replacing it from where it falls. With my cannon once more white-hot and warped, I carefully appraise the coming foe, looking for something, anything-

The Proto-soul it harbors in its gut, that massive pit of energy-quite possibly the source of the sapience-is notably lower, having lost one sixth of its mass.

This comes as small comfort as the Proto-Soul swells-

And the air around us presses us down while our own weight intensifies immensely-Every single one of us is subjected to Arcane Gravimancy and Aeromancy, all from that ancient dragon's gut. ...And there are more of these?

>>259650
!?
Of COURSE there are more of them.

The dragons eat Caged One flesh. Given it could exert its will over such diverse hosts as a sword, myself, and a semi-stoned human, I see no reason it could not control beasts through its flesh. While likely serving a vital function by consuming the excess mass of tissue, I suspect those that have eaten too much for too long are subject to the Caged One's control-and that in a way, I am fighting the palest, most meager imitation of a Core Being now...


[FANART BONUS TRIGGER]

Well, I COULD try burning my way through my foe's entire magical reserve-but if ALL of its flesh and bone, every bit of its being, were deemed unliving, destroyed, no initial point left untouched around which to regenerate. A plan comes to mind, as Bang and Keddic both struggle to their feet, Dulu unfolding unimpeded as he sprouts a second pair of arms, drawing his cleavers with a detectable air of satisfaction. Right as the collective downward force acting on us carries us down to our foe's level-an act that takes less than a second in itself-I fire the cannon with magnetic hyper-acceleration again, forcing the barrel as straight as I can in that instant before the shot. Firmly sighted along the center of the dragon's mass I fire-

Four rounds rapid, nose to tail.

The cannon's barrel explodes, molten scraps caught in my magnetic embrace almost as an afterthought. That bullet train slams into the dragon's breastbone-and the four replicas of Ozmand's soul resonate, amplify one another. The hammer blow that before only claimed half its body now ensnares every last bit, all of it ripped asunder, sent crashing along in the wake of that enormous soul-wave. While still impaired by Ozmand's passing, I decide to be thorough.

AMARANTHINE ANNIHILATOR!!

The brilliant beam is rapidly traced over every single speck of the dragon's rent flesh, all of it freezing in its seperated state. But I am far from done. I catch the resulatant thermal explosion, focusing all that immense heat onto the already regrouping frozen shards.

EMERALD ERADICATOR!!

I focus all that heat not into a beam, but a point, an explosive core at the heart of the feebly reforming chunks of ice. Unable to contain such volatile temperatures for any length of time, my grip quickly slips-

Bang tries to say something in that resulting moment of silence, that wall of pressure and light that claims all sound. The brilliant fireball that has Nidhogg hastily unsummoning her spawn is some one hundred thirty feet in diameter-I detect not a single bit of Proto-Soul remaining, nor does the dragon attempt to reform itself. ...An interesting conundrum to face: Foes as difficult to slay was the Core Being Host in the Land of Dragons.

As I set to repairing my cannon and regenerating ammo, Bang merely whistles appreciatively to a good lightshow, while Dulu and Keddic both give nods of respect. With no immediate threats seen in the area, I consider flight paths:

-Up would mean continuing towards an even higher peak several miles farther up.... the air is particularly hard to see through up there, but I believe I see dragons several hundred feet long up there. ...I wonder how distorted my view is.

-To the left would have me skirting the taller peak's edge over a sizable crater, many patches of Caged One flesh exposed at this preposterous height-I would expect such meat density to draw hungry dragons, but where are the feasters?

-To the Right is a peak a thousand feet higher than my current position at most, and I see but two dragons circling its peak. This seems the easiest path, as I find myself leery of the perfect calm of the crater.






Which path should I choose?
How do I plan to harvest materials from elder dragons considering their regenerative properties courtesy of the Caged One?
Do I have any stealth plans, or do I not mind killing the odd dragon, even as I now begin to understand their relevance to the System?
[I need 3 individual 1d20 rolls, you know the drill.]
>>
No. 260017 ID: 703865

rolled 12 = 12

Why gather stuff from the dragons? Stab the ground and pull out some blood.
>>
No. 260019 ID: f4e4f9

rolled 2 = 2

We've seen one method of dealing with Regeneration, courtesy of Dulu: Eating them. One of the reasons we're here is to allow Nidhogg to grow in strength by consuming and integrating an Elder dragon by consuming it's flesh (a shame, then, that we were far too thorough in that Dragons destruction).

Additionally, Core-being regeneration/Invulnerability can be cancelled/anulled by our anti-magic pulse: It follows that the Void Bringer and Immortal Genocide could do some not-insignificant damage.

Stay the fuck away from Multi-hundred foot long Dragons for now. Those will be labeled firmly as DNFWIP ("Do Not Fuck With If Possible") for now, though we may end up having to deal with one anyway.
>>
No. 260020 ID: f4e4f9

Oh, and Right.
>>
No. 260023 ID: 725c0a

>>260015
I do think we should go down and and search the corpse for dragon-bone carbon and let our two body-mod heroes devour and learn from the body
>>
No. 260027 ID: d3dfb8

rolled 1 = 1

R-r-r-r-rollan
>>
No. 260032 ID: 1854db

Go down and retrieve the bits that flew off the dragon.
>>
No. 260039 ID: 903f16

>>260015

For harvest I guess gather up whatever bits of bone and possibly blood are left and pack them on Nidhogg, we can deal with how to make them safe when we get home. Then just go right, hopefully taking the easiest path will mitigate some of the damage our terrible rolls have wrought. Any option of stealth is screwed so make a bee line for the destination. When we come across something just kill it, the system can afford to handle the damage if it means us getting out of these damn mountains.

Also when we get back we pitch the idea of using this place as a method of execution to Lubu. To do this effectively we have Lenryt put a box in the middle of these mountains and tell her that by doing so it furthers her goals by putting us in better standing with him. I'd suggest before sending someone out here they'd be stripped naked and covered in blood and various bits of intestines as bait.
>>
No. 260048 ID: 35bba5

>>260039
There are like a million easier ways to kill people and this seems pretty pointless.
>>
No. 260056 ID: 252e1b

>>260048

There's no sport in such a manner of execution, I doubt that Lubu would like it.
>>
No. 260062 ID: 445c48

Shit rolls.

Shit rolls everywhere.
>>
No. 260069 ID: cd3fb7

Fring that, we go in on Hard mode.

It's time we started having trouble with things again.
Well, even though we have trouble, we havn't had that OHGADWHAYCAN'TWEWINNOTHINGISWORKING kind of trouble since Goran.

So since it's a choice between huge ass dragons and huge ass numbers, I choose huge ass numbers. Go left.


Battle strategy?
Blast Dulu and chuck him at a dragon, N.Spawn #1 and #2 can keep him company.

#'s 3 & 4 help out Bang

#'s 5 & 6 keep Keddic company

Then we push this Baby to the limit.
At the end of this, I want to see Bang-Keddic Gattai.

Hmm, #1 would be more suited for giants, #2 more suited for numbers, so I guess #2.

Lets go kick some ass.
>>
No. 260097 ID: f4e4f9
File 129087553597.jpg - (224.13KB , 994x1336 , MordreNidhoggSketch.jpg )
260097

Just realized, you know what might cause dragons to avoid a crater full of Delicious Caged One flesh?

A field of "Go away to the Dream" courtesy of Figment. Avoid that area and scout it out when ready, keeping a healthy distance.

Also, heres a picture of Mordre on Nidhogg. A little rough, admittedly.
>>
No. 260099 ID: 9338f5

lets have a look at that dragons remains. also hace phone contact Dorgrum, discribe what we have seem of the true mountains and ask if it knows anything about them
>>
No. 260112 ID: 7c03f8

I suggest we wait till AA recharges and til lwe repair the cannon.
Rather than repairing it with the metal hot as the sun, I suggest we just build a new one.

How long would this take anyway?
Don't wait mare than an hour.
>>
No. 260122 ID: a76809

>>260097
[BONUS:]
>-Del Rogo bonus equipment to air cavalry-Dragon Knight's Omni-Sheath, an enormous metal construct with Jezebel and Arkus both aiding in its creation over the last few days, that can be strapped to Nidhogg's neck about her top spinal crest.
>-It acts as a dimensional storage point, a place completely metallic, unliving objects attached to the concept of 'weapon' can be stored within. With speed limitations on weapon switch-out, it only acts as a massive storage point for large or otherwise cumbersome weapons.
>-Completion time: seven hours

>>260023
>>260032
>>260039
>>260099
I check about our surroundings intensely, searching for remnants of the elder dragon-an avatar of the Caged One-in the crater and beyond. My search yields nothing, no matter how far out my inspecting sweeps range, meticulously grooming the ground. In one second I conclusively determine no traces are even left of the lizard I just squashed, not within a mile of my location at least. Short of being reduced to a particulate so fine it floats like dust, too minute to even be properly detected, I believe it atomized. ...The complete destruction of its every limb and cell seems to bypass that impressive regeneration-but likewise mean I can claim nothing of substance from the victory. A pity. ...Though other than draining its proto soul away, I can see little other means by which to fell such prodigious beasts.

>>260069
>we go in on Hard mode.
[Hard Mode Request: Mid Setting, ACCEPTED]

I choose to go left as I work to reknit my cannon barrel, a laborious process as I labor to cool each individual shard at equivalent rates-a rather consuming process, but necessary if I want optimal reaction to my restorative procedures. It will take half an hour, but I should have a fully regenerated cannon by then, complete with replenished ammunition. Considering I believe I see further dragons beginning to fly about on more distant peaks to my right and left alike, it would seem leaving now would be best. I see too many specks getting larger, suggesting the eventual approach of multiple dragons. Not something I wish to be here for, so early in my trek.

To the left I go,across the meat-lined crater.

>>260017
[12]
I have Nidhogg fly low, while I trail the Golden Axe through an upwardly thrust mass of Caged One flesh, Magnetomancy striking out at the sanguine droplets spilling out, a shadowed melange of murky colors, burgundy, violet, navy-I feel a pulse of power in it all the same. I gather all I can from that single slice, perhaps a tenth of a pound of metal-but I do not eat it, nor do I even touch it-I keep it suspended Magnetomantically over my hand, still occupied carrying the Golden Axe, my right arm wrapped about the Void Bringer. ...Now, this is truly a sample that could have interesting uses, if the proper precautions are used.

>>260019
[2]

>....?

In my trip across the silent crater, I feel the slightest of tremors shiver through the landscape below me, but as nothing more seems to come of it no matter how I assess the surroundings, I press on, noting that I have perhaps one hundred fifty to two hundred more miles to go, over more terrain like this. I must get myself acclimatized, familiarized with the environment.

>>260027
[1]

>....!!!!

The ground rumbles again, far more loudly now, like a quake timed to a hammer's blow, the quaking heart of the mountain. I look down-strange, were we not at five hundred feet altitude? ...Nidhogg is not dropping the crater is rising-

"NIDHOGG GO!!"

Spires about the crater's edge begin to shed rocky calcifications, fangs hundreds of feet tall standing wicked and lean to the sky as acid festers out from all the exposed Caged One flesh, dissolving the rock in instants, revealing an unnumbered and ever shifting nightmare of mouths and tongues, fangs and beaks, whirling and snapping and vomiting their acid. Nidhogg's protective barrier about us vanishes, and Bang continues to sit on Nidhogg's head, a lengthened pair of arms rapped about horns to hold himself down. Keddic was sheltered behind my form, and Dulu's weight seems no more bothered by the wind than I.

A good thing, as we all must focus on holding on as Nidhogg begins to weave and bank about in sharp and darting twists, slipping between enormous globs of projectile acid-vomit, while trying to climb faster than the maddening maw can climb. As we cross two-thirds of the way across the crater-turned monster, a mouth some fifteen hundred feet wide, rising up into the air after us as if to claim a tasty snack.

That being us.





Do I have any ideas, with my cannons still out of commission, on how to wound or otherwise ward off this massive mountain monster?
Do I have any ideas on how to improve Nidhogg's ability to escape, magically or otherwise?
[Do I want to try using a Pristine Soul on something?]
>>
No. 260124 ID: cd3fb7

Shit.
>>
No. 260125 ID: cd3fb7
File 129088368152.jpg - (144.25KB , 728x1062 , Keddic and Bang.jpg )
260125

Keddic and Bang, 300 pond cannon GO!

(Could use some proper fanart of this)
>>
No. 260126 ID: cd3fb7

Also, I thought of this a while back, we should spend a P.Soul on our cannon, directed towards allowing it to shunt any energy into making the projectile move faster.

So when we fire the railgun, the heat will be rerouted to propelling the shot rather than effing the barrel.

All unused energy gets shot out the back, balance for recoil.

I was going to wait until we knew some Golemcraft and we could do it ourselves, but I think it would be useful now.
>>
No. 260128 ID: 725c0a

>>260124
You set difficulty to 'hard', you dingus!

Well, lets haul ass. Start fleeing as much as as possible. Lets start doing some awesome aerial showmanship. Nidhogg can fly between teeth while we slice teeth out of the way with the Golden Ax.

Also, we should apologize to Ozmand for blowing up his cannon.
>>
No. 260129 ID: 5f0943

>>260126
The cannon is mostly useless right now, having been ruined from being fired six times in a row, and probably won't be usable for a little while.

If we are using a pristine right now, it would probably be best to use it on something that would have immediate effect.
>>
No. 260130 ID: 725c0a

>>260125
>300 Pond Cannon
Falcon, we have no water. How can we have 300 Ponds?
>>
No. 260131 ID: cd3fb7

Well I thought pristines, being what they are, would fix it up too.

Maybe not.


And one more thing I've been meaning to ask

WHERE THE HELL IS SENTH!?
>>
No. 260133 ID: cd3fb7

>>260130
Huur huur
funny.

pound*
>>
No. 260134 ID: cd3fb7

Also, good time to test the Spectral Gorging Anima Wave now.

Start up the IG but make it feed on the SGA instead of the environment.

Then anti magic wave EAT EVERYTHING (organic) WAVE!

directed at the caged one of course.
>>
No. 260135 ID: 5f0943

>>260131
In the North.
Probably doing Senth stuff...

Anyhow, I think I got some ideas on how to get the fuck out of there, both of them gambles, and both of them maybes.

1. Use a pristine soul to somehow make Nidhogg go faster (Don't know if it would even work or if it would be a bad idea, but P-souls are basically Deus Ex Machina so...)

2. Somehow feed a deep-spawn core to Nidhogg and hope it makes her go faster (may be impractical given the situation, I dunno).
>>
No. 260139 ID: 445c48

Also, get Dogrum on the Phohn, see if blood iron of The Caged One is something an administrator would be interested in, or if getting it leads to bad stuff.
>>
No. 260141 ID: f4e4f9

ITS A FUCKING CORE BEING.

Move move move! Move your magnetomancy rings into place across Nidhogg's body, repel them against any magnetic fields, ANYWHERE, ores in the mountains, the ground, whatever.

Use your kinetimancy, amplify whatever thrust is generated by the beating of Nidhogg's wings. Invert the ANTI-MAGIC PULSE, and BOOST all of these attempts.
>>
No. 260142 ID: f4e4f9

>>260141
Just in case, I'm gonna clarify:

DON'T repel against your own or Dulu's or Keddics or Bangs fields (from equipment or whatnot).
>>
No. 260146 ID: 445c48

>Maid: "Sir, it's quite possible this mountain is not entirely stable. "

>"Not entirely stable. I'm glad you're here to tell us these things"
>>
No. 260167 ID: d3dfb8

Touch Nidhogg with the accelerator, then use kinetomancy to boost or magnetomancy to SLAP THEIR SHIT (with hammers).
Repeat until safe.
>>
No. 260196 ID: 7c03f8

Now this is good time to use Pristine soul.
They were practically made for these kind of situations.

I like this >>260126 idea.
The process of using the Pristine soul should repair and then modify our cannon.

If we use PS to upgrade our cannon, can we use this new design to base off any future cannon we might use to replace this one?
I had several ideas floating around and was going to try to draw them (as Bob said that drawn designs can be made by people in our employment, rather than finding/buying them from somewhere else)


Anyway, whatever we do, I approve the usage of Pristine Soul.
>>
No. 260226 ID: 11d842

I don't think the cannon will stop this enormous crater beast even if it is working.

Call out to Fang Taker's soul: "Here's a worthy challenge you hateful yeti! Try to best the very fangs and teeth of the mountains themselves!" Push Fang Taker's soul further towards order (for extra annihilation) as the Spectral Gorging Anima is activated and try to replicate the supreme flesh-destroying wave that The Other demonstrated or something with a similar effect. If necessary throw in a Pristine Soul to seal the deal.

Consider giving Keddic a small sample of the Caged One blood that was collected. He might be able to adapt to it and form a white blood defense.
>>
No. 260236 ID: 31ba85

Goddamnit.

Face backwards, hold onto nidhogg, then pyromance your ambient soulfire into a goddamn rocket. Avoid burning Nidhogg, but turn on Blood magic.
>>
No. 260247 ID: 9338f5

>>260236
I think we might need fan art to do this one
>>
No. 260251 ID: 903f16

>>260048
>>260056
The only reason I suggested the idea is because when I mentioned it as a joke in chat Bob said Lubu would actually like the idea and we should propose it to him. Granted I should have probably waited until we were actually near him, but I wanted to have it out there so I could just call back to it.

>>260167
>>260236
Do both of these.
>>
No. 260257 ID: 1854db

It's time... for an INFERNO BOMB!

Call up an Inferno Golem, send it into the maw, then fire the AA at it. KABOOM!
>>
No. 260265 ID: 5f0943

>>260236
If we are actually doing this, then it would be a good idea to activate blood-iron circulation, and use the IG's magic amplifier ability (at the cost of a hundred souls or two).
>>
No. 260291 ID: cd3fb7

>>260226
No, I don't think it will stop the beast, I'm just thinking ahead, noting that we do not have the time for the barrel to 'heal' before the dragons arrive, and if we are would fix it then, we might as well fix it now, it might be able to help us in a pinch (Ozmand Hammerlance maybe)
>>
No. 260298 ID: 445c48

>>260226
Order? Hmm. Fang Taker strikes me more of a Chaos kinda guy.

Tap tap tap Nidhogg with your left hand, activating accelerator as you do. Soulboost kinetimancy first. Maybe a pristine on Accelerator?
>>
No. 260307 ID: 445c48
File 129092260220.png - (342.50KB , 813x764 , Crayon Mordre.png )
260307

<Grail> I'm just going to draw Mordre with the crayon tool in paint.
<alurkinggrue> YES
<alurkinggrue> CRAYON TOOL
<alurkinggrue> EVERYONE
<alurkinggrue> GRAB YOUR CRAYON BOX
<alurkinggrue> ITS SCRIBBLE TIME

Challange accepted.

>>
No. 260312 ID: 903f16
File 129092298960.png - (187.14KB , 483x800 , Mordre.png )
260312

More crayola Mordre.
>>
No. 260313 ID: 21e57a

So, idea: We fly close enough to hit the beastie with our Inverter, see what that does.
>>
No. 260315 ID: ddd48d
File 129092417980.png - (92.07KB , 800x600 , THISISSILLY.png )
260315

>>260307
>>260312
seems I don't have the crayon tool but FUCK IT
ITS SILLY TIME
>>
No. 260317 ID: 445c48
File 129092461139.png - (243.07KB , 1143x618 , Crayon Nidhogg Rocket.png )
260317

>>260236

More five-minute crayon drawing.

Minor edit.
>>
No. 260329 ID: a76809

>>260131
[Senth is one of the primary reasons the several thousand prisoners of the Blue Knight have not even made a single attempt to escape, rather unusual for Domintus behavior when captured on the field. Usually they try to violently self-destruct and take as much with them as they can if they cannot be freed. You may wish to consider paying him, as he has been spending tireless nights stoned out of his mind, teleporting about, trolling the prisoners in nightmarish ways in the shadows. Many awaken screaming with body parts ever so slightly warped compared to the day before. These pervasive nightly visits have kept the prisoners more scared of Senth than they are of eventual Domintus response to their continued imprisonment.]

>>260134
[Using an area of effect offensive ability on top of an ally with others immediately around you? Dulu would be fine, but if this worked, everyone else would be fucked to varying degrees, being point blank and all.]

>>260124
Had I bowels, this would be the moment I void them.

>>260128
I take time before I plunge into action to sneak between moments, my memories of Ozmand drawing the soul into my direct presence, a faint outline overlaying all I see.
I just wanted to offer my condolences, With the cannon temporarily out of comission.
>"Really, nothing to worry about... hell of a crazy thing you found right after what would already have been a great monster of fable.... is it just me, or does it really seem PART of the mountain, rather than some titanic beast perched therein?
I assess what my peripheral vision has been picking up more finely.
I find I must concur. The mountain sporting the crater seems to be the host to some colossal wormlike protrusion, normally hiding itself as a crater, coiled and waiting.
>"Sounds a bit complex. I'd just say it a mountain sized barnacle, with a hungry tongue-I mean really, its eerie how similar the two are in form. ..But you, having never been underwater, have no idea what I am talking about, do you?"
I do now, from your active focus on it.
>"Okay that... that is a bit creepy, and I know you can do it. But ah-might want to be a bit more discrete in your memory probings, if you're not looking to put a foot wrong. ...So-"
I can think of no other evidenced organism even remotely as close, so your comparison seems accurate.
>"Alright. Good luck Mordre-looks like it will be dicey."

The connection terminates as I conclude a conversation that lasted one femtosecond, and focus on the here and now.

>>260141
I invert the Immortal Genocide as I anchor it on the massive kinetomancy equation I prepare, and-

>>260307
>>260312
>>260315
>>260317
[FANART BONUS X4]

[-391 SOULS-----TOTAL SOULS REMAINING:-----15,333]

Nidhogg. Bang. Keddic, all save Dulu, now clutching a spine in an iron grip, are wrapped in a massive field of vector manipulation expanding from my own body. I feel Nidhogg tensing to the spreading wave, before the whole thing is triggered, a spell larger than a dragon running through its computations, reshaping reality to the answers it finds. We have gained an upward velocity augmentation that, based on the massive clap of thunder left in our wake and the cone of silence we occupy, is past the sound barrier-

Or is, for that instant it lasts.

But it does the job, opening up a mile's distance in the blink of an eye.

>"......!?!?"

The massive, trunk-like body keeps piling out of the mountain, fangs growing longer, gaining vicious serration as I watch, those thousands of ever-shifting maws hurling their acid at us like an upside down rain.

>>260167
Even as Nidhogg uses the sudden lack of obstacles in her flight path to accelerate, I turn my hand's soul Nexus to the fragmented piece of Thomro's soul, the source of Accelerator. I bring her to her full flight speed in an instant, evading the rain and staying away from those questing fangs. Finally reality seems to take hold, and the fangs quest no further. Slowly, almost reluctantly, the titanic beast begins withdrawing into the mountainside, mouth re-calcifying into a new stony crater.

>>260126
>>260196
I turn my attention inward during this moment of silence as I passively observe Nidhogg's flight, still on track for the area depicted. My cannon, pieces no longer molten and already in the process of being repaired, re-integrated with my form... the strains of the rail firing weigh so heavy on my armaments. ....But what if I had thermal shunts, runed countermeasures to redirect the thundering recoil generated? Could not the back of my cannon host a metal crater like Void Bring's back is so festooned with, those pits of directed pyromancy-Could I not simply shunt all that force out and away, preserving my system stability with a modified version of the runes I saw on Todwick's armor?

Yes, comes the seductive call of one of the four Pristine Souls swimming in my soul furnace, those paradoxes of individuality in that sea of conformity and assured eventual combustion. I reach out, and direct the soul where it wills, seeking out Todwick's soul, and taking a copy of his essence, as it migrates on-to Ozmand. As that accommodating Pristine Soul merges with Ozmand's, his soul blooms in brilliance, and his face appears before my eyes unbidden to deliver a simple message.

>"...Thank you Mordre, for making me a greater warrior than I was ever able to be in life.

[OZMAND THE HAMMER SOUL TRUST GAINED, FULL CHAOS/ORDER BALANCE ACESSIBLE]
[/b][-1 PRISTINE SOUL TOTAL PRISTINE SOULS REMAINING: 03][/b]

A single, enormous metal pit forms on the back of my left shoulder's revolver cylinder, heavy runes snaking into being with a spidery script, harsh and angular. In that surge of rapid modulation, the cannon barrel itself is restored to full function as its interior lines with runes linking to that massive pit. The cylinder itself once more sporting a full loadout, I find my cannon fully repaired-and granted a truly interesting new look.

Well, for the moment there is nothing around us actively trying to attack us, and no one is in immediate danger of dying.

The path to Figment seems to branch from my current place down two paths:

-To the left, there are but two peaks that reach ever higher into the sky, their blurred summits home to dragons several hundred feet long. One in particular though looks to be several thousand feet long, which seems entirely possible. Other than that, the whole path seems low peaks with a single crater along the way, most areas teaming with the smaller, more conventional dragons.
-To the right, there are eight seperate peaks jutting ever higher to venture past, but only three have dragons about them, and only one has that haze I am now beginning to suspect means the peak has pushed through the atmosphere-along wit the dragons circling it.




Which way should I go?
Do I have any ideas or plans I want to address?
[Three 1d20 rolls needed please]
>>
No. 260331 ID: 69bee4

rolled 20 = 20

sleep needed, just rolling. Ideas and thinking with brain meats later.
>>
No. 260332 ID: 45be60

rolled 18 = 18

So, any of the squishies suffering oxygen deprivation yet? I guess Keddic is probably pretty good at keeping himself oxygenated, but how is Bang doing?
>>
No. 260333 ID: ddd48d

rolled 6 = 6

rollan on my skates
>>
No. 260345 ID: 903f16

>>260329
Go to the right. There is no way we are going near those several thousand foot long space dragons, at least not without some sort of illusion magic on hand. If one of them swoops down and sees us it'd be game over.

And while we're relatively safe let's see how everyone else is holding up. Try something like the following while imitating an excited voice ramped up by an adrenaline rush. "Gracious that was a wild ride! Everyone is still in one piece I take it? Ha, I must admit this wasn't the outing I expected but it's certainly proven interesting." Ask Bang if he's observed enough to begin using some dragon tricks and if this is the type of life threatening danger Dulu was looking for.
>>
No. 260367 ID: cd3fb7

>those paradoxes of individuality

pay attention to that guys.

also
>Full order Ozmand
>Erase everything

>Full Chaos Ozmand
>WHY DOES THAT GUN HAVE 3 BARRELS?!?!?
>(CHAINGUN!!!!!)
>>
No. 260371 ID: 602bbd

Go right and try to get into melee with a dragon so your companions can have some fun as well.
>>
No. 260389 ID: 1854db

Did you say normal-sized dragons? Let's get Nidhogg some food!
>>
No. 260409 ID: 21e57a

>>260407
>20 and 18
>Holy Shit, Nice Art
Fuckit, lets go after super-dragon, we can take him.
>>
No. 260410 ID: 5f0943

>>260407
Awesome.
>>
No. 260415 ID: f4e4f9
File 129096775692.jpg - (313.75KB , 1632x2080 , MordrePossessedColorTestRevision2.jpg )
260415

Revised Edition, runes added.
>>
No. 260434 ID: cc5437

>>260415
Love.
>>
No. 260438 ID: 7c03f8

I propose we name our cannon "Ozmand" and carve the name on the side of the barrel for all to see.
>>
No. 260441 ID: f4e4f9

Hmm, outta curiosity, didn't we have 5 Pristine souls before upgrading the cannon?
>>
No. 260447 ID: 21e57a

Oh, yes, I suggest we ask Ozmand if he's...gained control of the two other souls, or, if not, see if we can talk to either of them.
>>
No. 260449 ID: 5f0943

>>260441
Those five pristines were a typo last time I checked.
>>
No. 260452 ID: f4e4f9

>>260449
Oh, your right.
>>
No. 260454 ID: 445c48

>>260452
Aye, but it was pointed out in IRC and he said we can keep it because we pointed out the error.

He also said it was because 5-1(Keddic switch)-1(Cannon) but then we pointed out he said Keddic Switch was free so he said he'd deal with it later.


HONK
>>
No. 260456 ID: 5f0943

>>260454
So what you are saying is that it is a double typo?
>>
No. 260480 ID: f6360f

>You may wish to consider paying him
We are paying him, as per >>258403:
>I send a third message, this time to Dregas, briefly summarizing how the offensive on the southern front has gone, Senth's part in it, and our need to pay him for his services. Dregas says he will take care of it as my Castellan
>>
No. 260484 ID: 9338f5

So, when are we going to ask our deepspawn liasion about mount corebeing?
>>
No. 260485 ID: 445c48

>>260480
We should tell Senth that Dregas is handling the pay.
>>
No. 260486 ID: 0183f5

I think we should pay him a tad bit more. He is holding down an entire army after all.

But then after that he goes through our training camp.
No special treatment just because he's the only one not following for the fun of it.
*cracks knuckles*

We need to make friends with him.



Oh yea, left.
>>
No. 260494 ID: 252e1b

>>260329

I wonder what the eventual Domintus response to the prisoners' continued imprisonment will be? I guess we should ask a prisoner or something later.
>>
No. 260523 ID: c4098d

>>260494
Or we could ask Abaeloth. (He is a former Knight-Captain).
>>
No. 260597 ID: a76809

Correction:
[ TOTAL PRISTINE SOULS REMAINING: 04]
>>260331
[20]

So far, so good. Despite my earlier reservations concerning this path, it proves trouble free, the lesser dragons circling about from nearby shorter peaks keeping wide of us-and that recently revealed mountainous monster, that maw that chased me. I consider the harvest half pound of blood iron that essentially prompted the whole encounter-is this part of some empowered existence, like a Core Being? ...No, it felt to non-central. I'd call it a direct extension of the Caged One's form, a moutainous defense system to ward off dragons-or exact vengeance where possible. ...That would make this a dangerous place, and a valueble thing to realize the extra threat to my own personage. It also means I could well hold a blood iron sample of the Caged One itself, as if blood drawn from a finger. I keep it cautiously floating above my hand, still avoiding direct contact as I think about how I could even begin to safely test such a find.

>>260332
[18]

I turn back to Bang and Keddic. I note neither having respiratory issues, or evidencing issue from the altitude in any way I can discern. Bang seems to have a different musculature to his neck now-and his soul is even more strongly Chaotic than it was last I looked his way. More self-modifications? And with Keddic's command of blood, the means of oxygen absorption, his own lack of reaction seems hardly surprising. We continue to enjoy a moment of piece, making excellent headway, miles falling away beneath us in peace. ...A welcome change of pace.

>>260333
[6]
>>260415
[FANART BONUS +5]
[11]
>>260345
>>260371
I turn my head about once more and speak to Keddic and Bang, having now registered the looks on their faces, those revelatory, horrified and excited gazes-I must act similarly if I am to even be thought human.

"So. That."
>[Keddic]"A mountain came alive and chased us."
[Bang]"...I don't know if I can punch enough for THAT.."
"Still, it didn't even grab us, and we got away fine- Ah, did Bang help you with your eye then?"
"Yup. Bit futzy, as his schemes are way different, inherently, alchemically, and from mutated white blood cells integrated into everything. But I got it to work. Took like ten minutes though. Nagging Wife here-fine fine, the Red Eye of the Dynamo here was moaning and complaining before the end-you totally were!"
>"...Indeed, Bang's work... with the aid of his Mask... is quite marvelous-I would call him the equal to any expert in the field."
"It is well to hear that. I could not help but note, That we are being approached By some of the smaller dragons, none longer than seventy feet."
"Why, is that an invitation to shenanigans I hear?"
>"I would not mind the chance to hone my giant-slaying swordplay."
"Nidhogg, please manifest spawn for our three guests, To follow all verbal commands in the area of mobility?"

Bang leaps like a child off a lakeside cliff, Dulu and Keddic both only a hair behind him, all three beginning to bark out directions to their mounts as they fly at the coming foes. Some score of dragons come to face us, all said and done. I calmly lend magical aid as necessary to Nidhogg in her aerial duel with a sixty nine foot long female, with particularly dense wing musculature. finally she ensnares and devours her foe, her regenerative fury surpassing the strength and size of her foe. And then the beast I ride shifts beneath me. She grows, shoulders thickening, slabs of ready muscle bringing increased mobility along with the increased mass. As my attention turns back to my escorts, I find that in the time it took Nidhogg to claim a new form, they worked their way down to just two last dragons still opposing them. One falls to Keddic's Proud Lion, a scarlet blade scores of feet long bisecting the beast as Dulu carves his way to the heart of the other, even as Bang breaks his way into the skull via the right eye socket. Needless to say, they finish their bout shortly. I pull Blood Iron from the bodies, but noting a new swarm of their ilk forming, this one looking to number in the hundreds, I cannot claim the bones for carbon-not now. On my newer, more powerful Deep Spawn mount, we continue onward-

To round a mountain upon a hidden valley, brightly secluded, a lone stone double decker of an abode-

On the porch of this building I see Figment sitting. His empty black eyes lift to observe us, even in our slow descent. As we prepare to meet with the dream master for the second time, I wonder:






What should I say or do?
Should I step inside his field of influence as a show or trust, or keep away for safety?
How should I go about making introductions, and should I involve Bang, with his known past dealings?
>>
No. 260598 ID: f4e4f9

>>260597
Well, if Figments ability equates to "Localized God", its possible it'd be hard to keep secrets from him.

However, it's hard to hold a cordial conversation with someone 50 feet distant, and it would be readily obvious we're scared to do such. Display in a non-threatening manner, and approach Figment. Inform Dulu, Keddic, and Bang of the nature of Figments ability, and leave them to their own idea of whether to approach with you (though you might word it in an intimidating manner. Preferably it'll be just you and Bang, the two who have genuine business with Figment).

"Hail, once more. I hope there's no hard feelings given the last time we met, but I trust you understand the nature of that given situation's urgency.

A strange place to cloister oneself. May I enquire why you chose it?"
>>
No. 260599 ID: f4e4f9

>>260598
*Display the beads in a non-threatening manner
>>
No. 260604 ID: a69afd

>>260597
Greetings, Figment. A proper introduction was not made the first time we met, allow me to rectify- I am Mordre. Well, you and I both know what this visit is for... But, if you would allow, we could put the matter aside for a moment. I estimate that this chance I have now will only come once, I'd like to spend it talking with you.
>>
No. 260609 ID: 445c48

"'Sup"
>>
No. 260616 ID: 7c03f8

Tell Nidhogg to eat other carcasses too.

Eat as much possible.
>>
No. 260618 ID: 10f195

Rotate skull Bang's way.
Nod.
>>
No. 260624 ID: 1854db

I think it's interesting that when we were talking to Ozmand, time froze. That can be our adrenaline rush- we stop and have a conversation with one of our inner souls while thinking about what to do next. Maybe if we repeatedly do that, in and out of conversation... it can slow time from our perception.
>>
No. 260630 ID: 21e57a

Ask Keddic or Dulu if they would like to harvest some bones for us - or find some other way to do that, we need the bones. Maybe Burduko?

Anyway, tell our bros about what we're gonna do, talk to Bang about this especially.

When we go down, lets hop off our awesome dragon and walk closer with arms open, with the pray beads in our hand.

"Greetings, Figment! I was sent to, oh how did Oz put it? 'Get him out here, I could use my old bud around this place. ...Guy can be such a loner sometimes. Just bring those back in one piece, eh?'," We could play that from our recordings, or quote it like an old man. "Other then that, I wanted to come and offer my congratulations for a well fought duel that I sadly needed to break off and that Bang here has been wanting to meet you and, well, I'll let him tell you in his own, awesome manner, what he wants." Cough. "I have heard you're a god in your dream so forgive me for not coming in, there are a few secrets I'd like to keep about this soul grave before I publish, I'm sure you can understand."
>>
No. 260639 ID: 7c03f8

Tell Nidhogg to hunt down and eat smaller or equal dragons while we parlay with Figment.

Have her eat as much as possible.
>>
No. 260643 ID: 21e57a

>>260639
We should offer the same to Keddic and Dulu, as Bang and Ourselves may be here a while. However, not eating all, at least a half-to-a-third bodies should be saved so we can harvest the bones. Unless Nid can pull a Garfield and just spit out the bones.
>>
No. 260650 ID: a007ee

I say keep away for safety until Figment agrees to a diplomatic truce. Figment might still be a little upset/wary about that last battle where Mordre tried to kill him off and then went around him to wreck things in the city he was protecting.

Definitely involve Bang straight away. He's pretty straightforward and Figment will probably have a pretty good idea of what he's like. Ask why Figment has taken up a hermit residence in the mountains and what his take is on developments in the Land of Dragons.
>>
No. 260668 ID: 98203d

I think that Eldghod would like to know about Caged One mountain. We should set up a meeting with him next time we are in the area, maybe give him a sample of the caged one blood iron.
>>
No. 260675 ID: 9338f5

>>260668
we could just have phone tell dorgrum to tell eldghod. dorgrum is meant to be our liasion right?
>>
No. 260683 ID: 1685f0

One more thing, we need to learn how to SEE.
Just like how we completed Ozmand, I want to complete Zagrath (though he seems like the type that would only be satisfied with bloody murder).

We could stick to tradition and use a P.Soul to do it, or we could hunt down a few (maybe 5) people who can SEE, like we did for the world mages, just faster.

I think this would help him (and us) a lot.


There is also one thing I have been thinking about, the time thief.
I think we could move him to our eyes and get an advantage.
The ability has shown itself useful in our hands, but I think it could be even better in our eyes.
Think how would you steal time with sight?
By seeing the future of course.
We could use his soul as a passive ability that lets us see the future actions of those we target with it, (like a sharingan for those who don't mind the comparison).
Also, I help this would help Zakrath even more, he would be seeing the future, and that lies within the realm of the 'unseen' I suppose.

My only problem (somethign I just thought of) is that it might remain an 'active' ability rather than become a 'passive' one, meaning that we would be able to 'slow down time' for things we look at, basically seeing everything in slow motion, still useful in fights, about the same value as the ti,e thief in a way.

The last thing I think we need for Zagrath is DREAMS, rather the power to SEE into the dream. Lupi the forgotten and that spear chick have proven that that would be a useful ability to have.
To accomplish this, we could copy Bang's style and use a delicate balance of Ignimancy and magnetomancy to imitate his electroception and track the brain activity of those in the dream, but we could also find a better, more permanent way.

Lastly, top secure our investment, we need to HARDEN the Ageless Eyes of Winter. We saw that they could be broken and that we had to spend a P.soul to fix it.
Well instead of fixing it, just prevent it from breaking.
We could give each piece a 'time-space lock' effect that comes off when its time to focus the beam or move, something like that.



It occurs to me that we could spend our remaining P.Souls to make all this happen right now... but that's not what I want, just want us to keep it in mind and work towards it.
After we uncover more P.Souls, we can think about spending em.
>>
No. 260684 ID: 1685f0

Sorry bout the wall, prly should have been in disc.
>>
No. 260717 ID: d3dfb8

Whatever we do, let's leave our massively huge weapons with the dragon.
>>
No. 260719 ID: 21e57a

>>260717
We are a massively huge weapon.
>>
No. 260750 ID: 69bee4

Bring Bang since he has some personal dealings, and for the first part of conversation start outside of his area, introduce yourself with.

"Hello sir! My name is Mage Morde, and I was hoping to speak to you on behalf of myself, Lubu, and your friend Oz. Hope you'll forgive the way the golem acted, but duties and such you know. Anyways, as best I understand I believe I am a sort of dreamthing or outsider to you right now. So, before I step into reality, id like to ask permission, otherwise it would seem so rude. I mean you can just ask my assistant about when I intrude into her space... a pretty sight to behold for sure, but the thrash..."

sound of door

Illiora voice "Sir! this must be some sort of harassment"

Continue with verbal back and forth of Mage Morde over privacy rights, trying to learn your lesson about privacy, AND STOP HITTING ME WITH THAT!
>>
No. 260761 ID: a76809

rolled 1 = 1

>>260598
>>260599
>>260604
>>260630
...Keeping secrets from a Localized God in his own domain would likely prove impossible. On the other hand, NOT entering his field is a clear demonstration of lack of trust, could be taken as a sign of weakness... I believe I stand more to lose by NOT entering his area. I shall have to hope my fears of mind-taking are unfounded, and that those secrets I must keep remain mine. I decide to land well outside his range, and begin walking his way slowly, the sphere of Caged One blood iron still wafting along beside my hand even as I proffer forth Oz's prayer beads, crafted by Figment himself. With my pair of weapons left with the now smugly snuggled Nidhogg, who dug herself a nook rather swiftly after landing, I hope to appear as unarmed as I realistically can. Bang approaches with me, an easy smile on his face while Keddic holds out an arm to block the inquisitive Dulu: After words are exchanged, the metal clad one-time foe seems to lose his interest in gaining proximity. Seventy feet, sixty-

And then Bang and I cross the threshold.

The world.... shifts. It feels less static, like an ephemeral moment, ready to snap at any moment-yet through it all is a sense of lazy peace, of a mind freed of worry. Only genial curiousity seems to greet our arrival, until the world around us, every speck of dirt, every blade of grass, every stone, every speck of air, EVERYTHING save Figment speaks in a single, unified voice.

IT WAS SUSPECTED THE GOLEM WAS A RECURRING CHARACTER. THE SUSPICION SEEMS ACCURATE. WHAT IS THE GOLEM'S PURPOSE?

I try not to falter as I get a slim taste of his power, that even I spoke his words, as did Bang-and I felt not a whit of magic from him. ...In fact, I cannot sense his soul, now that I am within his field. I proffer forth the prayer beads as I speak, this time my words my own alone.

"We meet for the second time. I hope there's no hard feelings given the last time we met, But I trust you understand the nature of that given situation's urgency."

A NIGHTMARE QUENCHED BEFORE IT COULD BLOOM, A NATION TO BREAK, MUCH NEEDED DOING, THIS IS UNDERSTOOD. NO MALICE IS FELT DUE TO PAST DEALINGS. THE ISSUE OF THE CURRENT VISIT HAS NOT BEEN ADRESSED BY THE WOULD-BE RECURRING CHARACTER.

" I am here to how did Oz put it?"

I make a few erroneous grumbles, gargles and modulations as I retest my voice, and then in an exact replica of Oz the Breaker's speech, continue.

'Get him out here, I could use my old bud around this place. ...Guy can be such a loner sometimes. Just bring those back in one piece, eh?'

...THE CRAFTING IS RECOGNIZED, YOU COME VIA THE MAJOR CHARACTER OZ THE BREAKER, LEFT HANDED GOD OF THE FIST. ...WHERE IS HE?

"In the capital."

THEN THE INVITATION MUST BE DECLINED, HOWEVER ENTICING. THE TURBULENCE OF THE COMING ARC IS GREAT, NO NEED TO INVOLVE MYSELF WITH THE OLD REGIMINE DEAD AND GONE.

"That would explain choosing such a place to cloister oneself."

BESIDES THE MAJOR CHARACTERS GOUJAR THE UNSTOPPABLE AND BROGGAMEK, NONE COME HERE. IT IS PEACEFUL, A PLACE TO REST, RELAX.

....His ability to speak through everything in his field save himself, intruders included, is growing vexxing.

[Bang]"Heyo Figgy, what's up?"

IT WAS HOPED BANG WAS A RECURRING CHARACTER. HAVE TRAVELS GIVEN HIM WILD TALES TO SHARE?

"Deep yes they have! But also I came because I figured out a new form of magic, using these little cells inside your body, right? It's crazy awesome, I can wreck some major shit-but it consumes so fucking much magic, it's ridiculous. So... seeing as how you made this Scarf what it is, I hoped you could help again."

ALREADY IN DEBT TO FIGMENT, ALREADY ASKING FOR MORE? ENCOURAGED FOR THE SHEER SPUNK SHOWN. WHAT IS OFFERED, TO AID IN REMAKING YOUR SCARF?

"Ah, everything I got-except the mask I'm wearing."

Light shines out from successive objects Bang is adorned with, as the world echoes Figment's orderly cataloguing.

THE SCARF.... A SASH OF MY OWN MAKING, SO ANOTHER POSSIBLE GONE TO THE VOID....... LEATHER OF HEALING......CLOTH OF BLOOD......MASKS CLOTH AND LEATHER EACH.....FLAYED AND RUNED FACES.....YOU OFFER INTRIGUING MATERIALS. THE END RESULT WILL BE POTENT... AND THE COST-

"If it will let me use my power freely, I'll pay without hesitation!"

IN PLACE OF BUT ONE, NOW BANG MUST PAY HEED THRICE TO FIGMENT'S WILL, HIS PART IN THE GRAND PLAY TO DANCE TO MY WHIM AND WILL.

"You going to employ one of those now?"

NO. NOW SILENCE.

Every article of Bang's body save the Red Eye of the Dynamo is sucked away, stripping him bare as his garments, his collected masks, his scarfs and sashes, togas and face-necklaces all pile together into a rippling fold in space just before Figment. Bang seems to get into a heated argument with himself as Figment works, all while I wonder how it is I still feel not a single speck of magic being used. In less time then I had suspected would be the case, a single strip of cloth floats back towards Bang. While still a scarf, I'd call what was once a collection of magic items a newly made magic artifact. On an ever-shifting scarf shading from scarlet to brassy sunrise orange, seven masks stand in stark relief, each with their own individual appearance-and none like they looked when given to Figment. Woven into the threads themselves are the flayed faces, the masks given flesh-and made to wear themselves, a reality glitch to draw out their power without wielders. While each face is paired to a given mask, the whole piece now throbs with a form of life, the yeti leather likewise bonded with the thread. The magic artifact that drapes itself about Bang's neck is so horrendously complex I cannot innately assess its function or mechanisms-yet Bang looks upon his new sole article of clothing with childlike awe.

NAME IT WELL, FOR THAT IS FOR THE PROCESSOR ALONE, AND NO OTHER CHARACTER.


I have had a chance to observe some of Figment's mannerisms, gain some sense of his motivations... and he refused my offer. There must be something to say, some avenue to take, to pull this powerful recluse from his mountain abode.





What should I say or do?
Do I have any questions for Figment?
[Rolling for Figment's suspicious level of Mordre, with low being GOOD]
>>
No. 260764 ID: 1ac283

Heck yea best roll ever Bob
>>
No. 260766 ID: 903f16
File 129109366341.jpg - (3.92MB , 3240x2640 , 101130_051411_e_5400_per_low_y_12756217454_Large.jpg )
260766

One year ago today the first Golem Quest thread was made. So in honor of the anniversary I put together a mosaic of all the previous fan art posted. Thanks for making an awesome quest Bob.
>>
No. 260768 ID: 69bee4

To celebrate the coming ONE YEAR anniversary of Golem Quest, NaiveOne and Glue have worked in collaboration to bring you the following.

The Golem Quest rap, produced and sung by NaiveOne, edited by Glue.

Singing: http://vocaroo.com/?media=vCkjjl188vg66fau4

Lyrics: http://pastebin.com/XHt3YzwU

Apologies ahead of time for my horrible singing voice, but trust me Glue's is even worse. In addition, sorry for overall quality, but I have never done -anything at all all like this ever- before.

This was supposed to be only a written rap at first. Glue, I will strangle you for convincing me to do this.
>>
No. 260770 ID: 1ac283

Figment is an observer, the figurative audience to the story of life, more specifically, the life of the LoD.

Very interesting guy.

I think the reason you don't feel any magic being used is:
1) You can't really pick up dreams properly.
2) The magic has not been used yet, this is all a 'dream' and is taking place in an instant
3)The area might just be so bloody saturated that you can't really tell anything apart.

In any case, he likes to observe. Why not offer him a 'better seat', so to speak.

For a moment, I expected him to have an ability close to Omniscience while here, but his lack of knowledge on certain matters shows that he is not. So one angle you can approach him from is that he will get 'front row seats' to the action and opportunities to pick out more main characters for the coming years.
[This has a good chance of getting him, I think, but he might come simply as an observer, not a fighter, don't really want that, but if we can get him there, we can work on him.]

You could also appeal to the desire of all audiences to be interested in what they watch. Tell him that if Lubu is defeated, things might get pretty darn boring for him.. or somn

Arrg, why do I feel that the Order/Chaos balance has a significant role in terms of how his powers work.
Can't put my finger on it.
>>
No. 260772 ID: 9338f5

Anyone else feeling a bit creeped out by Figment?
>>
No. 260773 ID: f6360f

>THEN THE INVITATION MUST BE DECLINED, HOWEVER ENTICING. THE TURBULENCE OF THE COMING ARC IS GREAT, NO NEED TO INVOLVE MYSELF WITH THE OLD REGIMINE DEAD AND GONE.

Hmm. Well, we know that Alabaster Adept Fuu is supposed to know Figment and have been recently recruited, so we can bring him up as well. Seems that Figment has a fondness for people he knows. It couldn't hurt, at any rate.

But it seems that the real task here is to puzzle out why Figment involved himself with the old regime at all, what he'd consider a "need" to involve himself, and why he wants to avoid turbulence. For that matter, what does he want at all? From his demeanor, my suspicion would be that he wants to somehow either watch or guide the coming war.


>>260766
>heard you like fanart so I made fanart from your fanart so you have art made of art
That is awesome.

>>260768
That shows an entirely unanticipated level of boldness. My compliments.
>>
No. 260774 ID: 6834bc

>>260761
You know, if nothing else, this is still a chance for him to see an old friend. Who said he had to specifically side with Lubu?
...Or perhaps he should give Lubu a chance to persuade him to join his cause. Has he even talked with Lubu yet (in this reality, I guess?)

After all, Figment himself described the proposal as "enticing". Even if there's no 'need' for him to be there... on some level, he 'wants' to.

...Unless the reason he's staying away is because he doesn't want Lubu to copy him. That would be... interesting.

On that note, am I the only one who thinks it seems like Lubu can't control what he copies/learns, sometimes? It might be an explanation for why he requested we not make any Deep Spawn in his presence - he might involuntarily pick it up and be tempted to do it himself.
>>
No. 260776 ID: 1ac283

>>260766
>>260768
I am unworthy....
>>
No. 260782 ID: 903f16
File 129109905829.jpg - (4.62MB , 2720x3200 , 101130_072223_e_5400_per_low_y_125956432283_Large.jpg )
260782

>>260766
At the behest of another poster and to keep up with NaiveOne and Glue's awesome rap, I've made one last celebration mosaic. This is all the art Bob has posted in quest. It's all the visuals we've used to picture the world of Golem Quest inside the image that started it.

Credit for the previous mosaic artwork goes to Glue, Emba, ZtP, and various unnamed but amazing artists. Mosaics were made by me - 903f16 otherwise known as Grail.
>>
No. 260788 ID: a69afd

>>260761
I'd like to see Zagrath's opinion on the situation first.
"A curious case to behold,
a dream that walks but refuses to leave home,
coercion and persuasion my challenge to uphold,
how best to appeal my request of convincing a sleeper to roam?"

To Figment:

"If you knew the potential of the nightmare then, surely you know the nightmare this place will eventually become, yes? Also, do you know who summoned the core being I was tasked with helping dispatch? I doubt it was Emperor Shangod, he had nothing to gain from placing his entire nation in mortal danger. I suspect the culprit was an agent serving under a man I currently hunt, hoping to cause enough damage to this nation that a position of power could be secured in the wake of the anarchy the core being would create."
>>
No. 260855 ID: 9338f5

>>260774
Lubu can copy just about any magic except dream.
>>
No. 260864 ID: f4e4f9

"You know, all things considered, if a place to relax is what you seek...you might observe Oz's newfound school! He was in such a depression when I first saw him, I can't imagine he was much better when last you two met. You should see him now, though. A more jovial and happy individual I've rarely seen, a jarring though welcome change in demeanor. Wouldn't you agree?

"
>>
No. 260897 ID: 69bee4

"Ah, well sir, I feel a mistake needs to be clarified, I am not just recurring sir. I am poised to not just a main character, but I am in fact a protagonist! It is by my motivations that major actions of the play turn, not only here, but across the deserts and beyond into the north! Just ask my friend Bang here, if I do not make things happen, the events will fall into me anyways, in the span of half a year I have made more events turn, met more global forces, and probably learned more about the foundations of magic than entire nations in centuries! I sir am here to offer you a ticket to the best seat in the house, and even have already given a wonderful front row seat with your friend Oz as a bonus! ACT NOW! supplies are limited."

*introduce a new maid voice*

"ummm... great Mage Morde... sir... Illia told me to check on you if you were having megalomania issues ag... ag... a good hunk of man~"

have Mage Morde act flustered and tell her to get away from the viewfinder. sound of footsteps barging in. use Illia's voice

"Mr. Morde! are you corrupting another one of the maids with your odd shenani... WHY IS THERE A NUDE MAN! MARY! away from those magical parts this instant!"

Follow with aftermath, Morde objecting to his things being called shenanigans, sounds of teacups falling, etc.

"... and I apparently provide internal comedy relief... protagonists do that, right? (complain about paying more attention to literature)"
>>
No. 260902 ID: 7c03f8

>A NIGHTMARE QUENCHED BEFORE IT COULD BLOOM, A NATION TO BREAK, MUCH NEEDED DOING, THIS IS UNDERSTOOD. NO MALICE IS FELT DUE TO PAST DEALINGS

It seems that Figment wants the land to be safe and peaceful.
This is the angle I think we can work with.
Tell him that we need him to protect people and the land again. He's not going to be used for offense.
Lubu did tell us that he could pretty much take out all of his opponents by himself but there wouldn't be much left to rule after that. He needs Figment to defend the capital.
>>
No. 260906 ID: 7c03f8

>>260897
Figment is probably one of rare individuals who could learn of our true existence if he wants too.
So I don't think it is good idea to play this act with him, at least till we are sure how capable he is.
>>
No. 260907 ID: 445c48

>>260906
Yeah, I'm going to have to agree. Shouldn't Ham it up too much right now.
>>
No. 260908 ID: 9338f5

>>260907
I agree, figment does not seem like the sort to be receptive to the ham treatment and apart from bang and keddik hes the only one there
>>
No. 260911 ID: 45be60

"There is more going on now than another simple power strugggle Figment. There are individuals from outside the story at work here, scheming between the lines, and I believe that they are seeking to become not characters, but authors of the tale. I fear if you are not present to observe the turbulence of the coming story arc yourself, you may not recognize the story when you return."

>>260897
I'd rather not make up stories around this man until we have a firmer grasp on what he can and cannot know. I mean as an observer, he might very well know and just not care that we are an abomination.

I would like to know why he was helping the last ruler though.
>>
No. 260934 ID: 21e57a

As no one has suggested a name for the new piece of clothing, I suggest 'Scarf Face'.
>>
No. 261015 ID: 445c48

We took Burduko with us, right? Get him to transport back to the Arcanoworks and bring some clothes for Bang, but keep him OUT of the Figment Radius.

>>260770
>Arrg, why do I feel that the Order/Chaos balance has a significant role in terms of how his powers work.
I believe Bob said Figment gets his powers from something along the lines of him losing his ego and being controlled by a dream-figment he made or something.

Introduce yourself, as Mage Mordre. We haven't even told him our name yet, I'm shocked!
>>
No. 261033 ID: 1ac283

>>261015
Yes, I know that, I just have this weird sensation that Order and Chaos have a good deal to do with his particular brand of dream logic.
>>
No. 261048 ID: a76809

rolled 94 = 94

>>260761
[1]
[Rolled minimum suspicion levels]
>>260766
[FANART COLLAGE]
>>260768
[FANRAP LYRICS]
>>260782
[IMAGE COLLAGE]

THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED RECURRING CHARACTER WAS TO BE SCANNED, LEARNED AS ALL OTHERS ARE. BUT NO CORRELATIVE EXISTS IN ANY OTHER STORY. A GENUINELY INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER? AN UNEXPECTED PLOT TWIST. ALLOWANCES MADE, SECRETS MUST REMAIN LEST THE SHOW BECOME DROLL. KEEP PLAYING, FREE OF JUDGEMENT.

...My mind is safe from his influence or perusal then? A windfall indeed.

>>260770

"Would not better seats to the coming turbulent story be preferable? Surely there is only so much to be gleaned from a location such as this."

INACCURATE. ANYTHING CAN BE SEEN FROM ANYWHERE, ALL THAT IS REQUIRED IS FOCUS. HOW ELSE COULD THE STORY BE FOLLOWED, WITH THE WORLD THE STAGE?

Space folds and unzips, openings to elsewheres appearing all around, all sorts of places shown, from boundless deserts to arctic mountains to murky swamps to lush jungles-even an image of a great furred dragon flying on a black sky. ...So, he can peer anywhere he wishes from here...

>>260773
>>260774
"So, even if you could spend time with both Oz and Alabaster Adept Fuu-"

ALLOWING SECRECY TO PERSIST YIELDS REWARDS. FUU IS PRESENT IN THE CAPITAL AS WELL?

A new portal briefly opens before Figment, a hole in the ground that lets us peer down at the capital-and there it is, a brilliant, massive and pear-shaped golem body, an ivory titan twice the size of a Rageglut, chatting with the comparably minute Oz.

THE STATEMENT IS TRUE. ANOTHER MAJOR CHARACTER GATHERED, BOTH WHOM SHARE THOUGHTS ON THEIR ROLL IN THE STORY. A HEAVY INCENTIVE, BEYOND THAT OF BEING FIRSTHAND TO THE COMING INTERWEAVING OF PLOTS THAT GATHER... BUT THE MAJOR CHARACTER LUBU HAS SET IN MOTION CERTAIN EVENTS THAT NEED NOT BE WITNESSED. AGAIN, A REFUSAL.

>>260864
"You know, all things considered, if a place to relax is what you seek... you might observe Oz's newfound school! He was in such a depression when I first saw him, I can't imagine he was much better when last you two met. You should see him now, though. A more jovial and happy individual I've rarely seen, A jarring though welcome change in demeanor. Wouldn't you agree?"

THE LOSS OF THE MINOR CHARACTER OF HIS BROTHER DID ENGENDER INWARD STORY FOCUS WHEN CONCERNING OZ, AND THE STORY WAS MUCH IMPROVED BY ASSISTING THE CHARACTER IN GROWING PAST THE EVENT. ENJOYABLE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. ....YET NO MATTER HOW ACCOMODATING A PLACE COULD BE HAD... NO MATTER HOW ACCESSIBLE TO ESTABLISHED MAJOR CHARACTERS WILLING TO SPEAK CONCERNING THEIR PARTS... I HAVE NO INTEREST IN THE COMING MOURNFUL TALE THAT AWAITS LUBU, THE HURDLE HIS STORY MUCH REACH-AND CANNOT SURMOUNT. CENTRAL CHARACTER BROGGAMEK'S STORY IS FAR MORE ENGAGING, NO SIGN OF IMPENDING CONCLUSION-I DO NOT WISH TO WATCH A DYING STORY FIRSTHAND AGAIN.

>>260788
"So even with the threat posed by the Caged One-"

At this Figment the person finally moves, his face leaping into startlement as bushy eyebrows climb into the wild tangled mane topping his head. Figment the person laughs, before his body resumes its unnatural stillness while the world speaks his words.

A CHARACTER THAT KNOWS THE STAGE? AND WOULD RISK THE STAGEHAND'S WRATH BY SPEAKING IN CHARACTER, WHILE THE PLAY IS STILL IN EFFECT? AN ACTOR ALL ALONE, NO DOUBLES TO COMPARE OR PROTECT, SO FULL OF SECRETS..... YES, MORDRE IS A MAJOR CHARACTER, POSSIBLY EVEN CENTRAL... FASCINATING.

>>260902
"Even if the story as a whole holds such woe to come, Could not your actions keep a few stories brighter?"

ENTIRELY POSSIBLE. BUT YOU WITNESSED THE ATTEMPTS AT CHANGING THE STORY FOR SHANGOD-POWER MEANT NOTHING TO THOSE THAT DO NOT COME TO FIGHT. HAD THE DECISION TO ACT NOT BEEN MADE, THE ACTOR HOSTING A WORLD NIGHTMARE COULD HAVE BEEN DETECTED EARLIER. CERTAINLY THERE IS A MOMENT TO ACT.... BUT IF THE CHOICE IS MADE TOO SOON, THE STORY SEEMS TO TAKE ON A LIFE OF ITS OWN.

I have gotten Figment to be hesitant refusing. I have made him acknowledge the personal enjoyment he could derive from the visit, re-meeting old friends... and still I need more.





What should I say or do?
Do I have any questions for Figment?
[Rolling for WHAT'S BROGGAMEK UP TO RIGHT NOW]
>>
No. 261067 ID: e43bfe

Mmmmaybe we could ask about Ulzrick? I mean... it's not like there's a greater expert.
>>
No. 261076 ID: 6834bc

>>261048
Perhaps one character aware of his role in the story was not enough to change its flow, but can the story yet stand up against two such characters?
You speak of Lubu's coming challenge as a mournful tale, an insurmountable hurdle, yet you acknowledge that the story takes a life of its own when choices are made early. Could we not together change the flow of Lubu's story, and cause him to accomplish the 'impossible'?
Think of how much more exciting the story would become. A character that was written out - yet, above all odds, remained a part of the play.
>>
No. 261082 ID: 9338f5

>>261048
perhaps an offer of another story to view? one that takes place thousands of miles away which he is unfamilar with?

basicly offer to let him play tourest with the teleport boxes so as to take a bit of a break from the LoD story
>>
No. 261110 ID: f4e4f9

>>261048
"But is that not the most interesting sort? A story that defies prediction, keeps things changing, takes the input of it's audience and adapts, becoming something new.

Just as the Core-Being may have been detected earlier had you not intervened, so may I have not been introduced to the stage. Even as you watch, others in a similar position to yourself act to intervene (Like say Lenryt), and change the tale into something new.

Come with us, Figment. Being in the audience is fine, but being an Actor holds a draw to which the former simply cannot compare. Share in it, lest you take the opposite extreme of acting to late, and miss your chance."
>>
No. 261113 ID: 7c03f8

Who is this BROGGAMEK person anyway?
>>
No. 261114 ID: 9338f5

>>261113
someone powerful enough to wander around the true mountains, possibly one of Lubu's rivals or a mabey lethal(to Lubu) enemy
>>
No. 261124 ID: 263430

Wait, is Figment saying the Caged One is the stagehand, or he is? He approved of Bang's audacity before, and ours in breaking the "fourth wall." Either way, we should follow up on that.

Figment is more than just the audience to this grand drama. As a commentator on the unfolding story, interacting with characters, he's taken on the role of the chorus. He could return to being an isolated spectator, out here in the mountains, or he could embrace his role and become something greater.

(Does anyone else think Lubu's inability to perceive Dream magic and perfect ability to sense everything else seem like it has a lot in common with the way Dream magic works, as though he gave up the ability to dream in exchange for his abilities. In a sense, that would make him a dream mage on par with Figment, perhaps his inevitable downfall reminds Figment of his own mortality.)
>>
No. 261125 ID: f4e4f9

>>261124
Pretty sure he's saying the Caged One is the Stage, and the Stagehands whose wrath we risk incurring are the Deep Spawn.
>>
No. 261251 ID: a69afd

>>261048
"I AM a stagehand. Only I intend to go above and beyond the cause to keep this rock in one piece. Toward that end, I need to make sure the Land of Dragons does not collapse in civil war. I must ensure Lubu prevails, I must change the people's opinion to one far more favorable towards the man. I've heard over and over that Lubu is not the best choice for emperor and that he will bring the nation to ruin, but the naysayers are wrong. Lubu is not an incompetent ruler, he simply fears what comes ahead. Now, you've made it quite clear that you do not wish to accompany us back to the capital, I will not force you to leave, but consider this:

Lubu and yourself share a similar plight, the inevitablity of gaining to much power. Only, you have this place to run to, to hide away, to watch forever from the shadows, Lubu does not. Don't you think simply watching him crumple under the pressure is a little cruel, even from a walking peanut gallery?"
>>
No. 261260 ID: a76809
File 129126296317.jpg - (532.67KB , 850x850 , Bang Takes Curatiomancy Farther.jpg )
261260

>>261076
>>261082
>>261110
"But is that not the most interesting kind of story? Besides, where one may have been limited in impact, Two could far more easily sway the story in concert"

...YOU OFFER YOURSELF AS ALLY TO ATTEMPTS AT CHANGING THE FLOW?

"Of course. I no more want the sorrowful conclusion to Lubu's story than you, And I believe we can prevent it all while allowing you ample time to meet past friends."

...OZ.... FUU..... BANG.... AND YOU. A COMPELLING ARGUMENT. THERE ARE... DISADVANTAGES, TO THE CURRENT SETTING.

"And consider the story should we be successful: A character that was written out - yet, above all odds, Remained a part of the play, an audience favorite."

HMM....

"You are not alone in acting to change the play, And others likewise labor to make the story something new."

A CHARACTERS CANDID COMMENTARY, ONE TO HEED.... YES THEN, THE NEW MAJOR CHARACTER MORDRE SHALL BE THE IMMEDIATE FOCUS.

Figment is standing.

I do not mean to say he rose from that slouched seat on the steps, however slow or fast. There was no transition: He was prone, then he was upright, halfway down the steps. Before his third footfall, Bang speaks to me.

"So hey, awesome job figuring out his lingo, guy can be a bit hard to talk to."
"Do you intend to do anything about your attire?"
"Do you have any idea how refreshing that mountain breeze is, just freeballing it.... ahhhh."
"I am quite familiar with the wonders of a breeze, But consider how the ride on Nidhogg shall be."
"Eh. I need time to figure out what it's gonna be."
"It?"
"Yeah, my organic warfare body armor? I need to run a whole lot of simulations as I streamline the thing, so... naked till done, unless you can magic up clothes."

A MONTAGE COULD BE APPLIED, CONVEYING TIME WITHOUT FOLLOWING IT, AS SO-

Space warps and ripples about Bang, and I gain glimmers of patient meditation, of partial body morphs, trials, failures, learning, growing, gaining-

In seven seconds, the distortions about Bang flicker away, leaving a perplexed looking Bang to simply shrug, then festoon himself with a devilish grin.

"Oh fuck yes."

Arms fly out wide, lengthening till the fists are a score of feet apart, before muscles tense, and the twin appendages hurtle back together. As they scythe ever closer, I feel Chaos blooming and growing about them, magical equations going wild with creation and change. Bang irks out two simple words just before collision, their intonations hauntingly, harshly familiar.

"CHAOS OSMOSIS!!"

As the fists collide, the air around them cracks and throbs, shattering as reality itself seems to peel away, revealing a layer beneath-through it all I feel floods of Chaos through Bang's body.

On that subject-Bang's head seems completely unchanged beneath his Mask, yet everything else is now encased in form-perfect, dull white bone exoskeletal armor. I see studs and pits on every bit of bone surface, the faces of trillions of bone cannons-and something else. Bang's body flickers like quicksilver, assuming the colors and contours of his surroundings so well he seems to fade from view, a disembodied head and scarf.

"...Guess I don't need time, then..."

THE STORY CAN CONTINUE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION, CAN IT NOT?

"It most certainly can."

The bone-armored Bang, the messy and indistinct Figment, both follow me back to Nidhogg, where Keddic and Dulu both nod in salutations to the new guest, but otherwise stay silent. All board Nidhogg, who seems oddly complacent, especially with a new passenger. We take off without issue, the recently bolstered body of the possessing Deep Spawn performing admirably. There is even time for me to brun to ashes and render off the carbon of the left-behind dragon bones from before. My passenger does not seem to mind a roundabout journey in the slightest. I decide to ask some questions to pass the time, with no immediately looming threat.

>>261067
"You strike me as something of an expert on the subject of Dream."

THE PLAYS IN ALL THEIR ITERATIONS ARE INTIMATELY KNOWN AND CHERISHED.

"Perhaps you could offer some insight then: I have a comrade who likewise uses the Dream. He is new to the path, learning from another dreamer, An old one from a hard and harsh people- But as the pupil's strength grows, so to does his malady, His mind growing more erratic."

THE PRICE DEMANDED TO BE PART OF THE AUDIENCE IS QUITE HIGH. IF UNABLE TO WALK TO DIFFERENT PLAYS, THE AUDIENCE MUST BRAVE THE PATH ON MIND ALONE. ....IT IS NOT A PATH ONE CAN RETURN FROM, WALKING OR THINKING.

>>261113
Seeming unwilling to speak more on this subject, I switch gears, even as I here Bang smugly talking with Keddic about his new body armor.

"Who is this Broggamek person anyway?"

NOT A PERSON. THE CENTRAL CHARACTER BROGGAMEK IS ONE OF THOSE THAT FEEDS ON THE STAGE. THE CHARACTER WAS WITNESSED BY MORDRE, THOUGH NO EVENT DEVELOPED DUE TO THE GLIMPSE.

"When?"

Figment's hand raises, and reality warps: I see myself, gazing upwards-and spotting that thousand foot long dragon, high in the sky through the heavy distortion. ...Broggamek?

"That is Broggamek?"

CORRECT. THE LARGEST CORPOREAL CENTRAL CHARACTER, BROGGAMEK THE DRAGON.


.....Huh.





What should I ask of Figment now?
Do I want to speak with any of my other companions?
>[Roll five 1d100s for encounters]
>>
No. 261262 ID: d3dfb8

rolled 2 = 2

They see me rollin, they hatin.
>>
No. 261263 ID: e43bfe

Not much to ask, though his speech of major characters and settings reminds me of Bobobo.

Perhaps Bobobo uses the Dream to do his stuff?
>>
No. 261264 ID: 69bee4

rolled 50 = 50

Figment has the power of Montage? OH HELL YES!

rolling for encounter. need to stew on ideas.
>>
No. 261265 ID: e43bfe

rolled 3 = 3

:V
>>
No. 261268 ID: a69afd

rolled 34 = 34

>>261260
Rolling
>>
No. 261271 ID: 903f16

rolled 65 = 65

Fifth roll.
>>
No. 261275 ID: 46c430

>>261262
>>261265
Fucking. Hell.
>>
No. 261276 ID: b0d596

Bobobo and Figment should be good talking buddies.
>>
No. 261282 ID: b0d596

>Oz's school + Figment Montage = insta competence.

In any case, introduce figment to Bobobo, they can chat.It's like meeting someone who watches the same show as you. Good conversation.


Too tired to think
>>
No. 261283 ID: 21e57a

Bang, Figment, and Ulzrick in one place equals a good deal of mind-fuck.

Anyway, look upward. Whistle.

"This Broggamek. Is he a friend of yours?" Wave a bit upward. "Because if he is, I would hate to ruin your friendship by taking you to see your old friends. Perhaps he will join us? A Stagehand bringing the Largest Corporeal Central Character and Narrator to Tragic Character Lubu. That...that will be an interesting story."

Keep one eye skyward, while we gesture to Keddic and Dulu. "These are my friends, Dulu and Keddic, Figment. I hope they become an integral part of your story, too. As is the beast you ride, although her name is Nidhogg."
>>
No. 261284 ID: 21e57a
 

>>261282
Thank you for reminding me. Just some music for our last montage and maybe the next, if Keddic will get some as we fly home.
>>
No. 261285 ID: 9338f5

>>261283
I think the dragons may be hostile to anything not a dragon.
>>
No. 261290 ID: 21e57a

>>261285
Oh, we don't know that yet. Anyway, Figment didn't seem to have a problem with it. It wasn't 'RUN COWARD, HE HUNGERS', it was more 'That dragon is very large'
>>
No. 261299 ID: 9338f5

>>261290
I dont think Figment can do scared.
>>
No. 261300 ID: b0d596

>>261290
This made me laugh
>>
No. 261359 ID: 21e57a

>>261299
Well, I'm not saying that Figment is scared. I'm saying he's not warning us that Broggamek will attack, he's just saying 'Yeah, he's big'.
>>
No. 261367 ID: 7c03f8

Ask Figment what his relationship is with Broggamek.
Ask if Broggamek is sapient and capable of conversation.
Ask if he is aggressive.

Ask him if he knows anyway the we can help Ulzrick not become insane and better dream-mage overall. Maybe he can mojo up some kind of artifact like he did for Bang and Oz (though we don't want to become indebted to him like Bang)

Talk about the fate that might await Lubu. See if Figment is willing to talk about it.
Ask about the previous core-being possession.
(we should set Dompaggio and Bobobo to work on these tasks after Dompaggio is finished with the Lined Ones investigation... speaking of him, how is Dompaggio doing?)

Have Bang tell us about his new scarf and body armour. Ask him about their specifics.

Ask Keddic if he managed to gain any new abilities while fighting the dragons. Maybe he ate a dragon heart or something.
>>
No. 261393 ID: 46c430

Oh, hey. Ask after the stories of the souls originating from the Land of Dragons we carry within our form, this seems a good opportunity to find out more about them.
>>
No. 261438 ID: 21e57a

>>261367
>Asking Keddic if he's leveled up.

You know that's just mean, right? What we could ask if Keddic could get a montage too.
>>
No. 261458 ID: a76809
File 12913470466.jpg - (444.26KB , 1680x1050 , Broggamek Acid Fireball.jpg )
261458

>>261283
"This Broggamek. Is he a friend of yours?"

DEBATABLE. APPLYING KNOWN BEHAVIOR SCHEMES OF HUMAN ACTORS TO THE SOLE DRAGON CENTRAL CHARACTER YIELDS LITTLE. ...HOWEVER MUCH ESTEEM CAN BE HELD BY A FIFTY THOUSAND FOOT LONG DRAGON IS LIKELY FELT. TO DATE, AFTER AN INITIAL BOUT, BROGGAMEK'S ATTEMPTS TO BREAK THE FOURTH WALL AND REACH THE AUDIENCE HAVE HALTED.

"So is he a threat?"

UNDOUBTEDLY BUT THE CHARACTER'S MOTIVATIONS ARE UNCLEAR, SO ESTIMATIONS CANNOT BE MADE.

>>261367
"Is Broggamek sapient, capable of conversation?"

THERE IS NO DOUBT THE CHARACTER IS DEEP, THAT MACHINATIONS WHIRL ABOUT IN HIS STORY. BUT NOT ONCE HAS BROGGAMEK SPOKEN. HIS MOTIVATIONS MUST BE READ FROM ACTIONS.

>>261264
[50]
>>261268
[34]
>>261271
[65]
>[Well that's not so bad-]

>>261262
[2]
>>261265
[3]
>[Ah.]

With the burgeoning reds and golds of sunset spreading swiftly through the sky, I am about to continue questioning Figment when I realize it is mid-day. I look up.

A fireball the size of a mountain, an inflamed sea of acid hurtles downward towards us, more than three thousand feet across, lighting the entire sky as it plummets our way. Figment sums up the situation quite well, as the mountain sized projectile descends, a screeching Nidhogg already desperately trying to put on speed.

[b][i]IT WOULD SEEM BROGGAMEK IS UPSET.


This would seem apparent.




What am I going to do about the mountain sized fireball comprised of acid capable of eating away flesh and metal alike?
>>
No. 261459 ID: 445c48

"Dicks."

Soulboost Kinetomancy, Slap Nidhogg with accelerator again and again.
>>
No. 261461 ID: 111240

Tut tut tut.

No need to dodge or destroy the while thing, just undermine it's core or create a path for yourselves.

COURSE OF ACTION
Accelerate Nidy then promptly time steal her.

1) (Rail)Fire all remaining AG rounds along the fireballs approach vector, keeping them equidistant from the balls estimated point of contact with you so that the vacuum can have full effect.

2) Release time theft.

3) Promptly create a Kinectomancy tube extending from Nidhogg to the end of the resulting hole, ensuring that acid does not flood back into the hole.

4) COMMAND Nidhogg to fly through the hole, ACCELERATING her as soon as she has attained the proper vector.


To do this properly, all soul nexus' must be engaged to boost your magic when they are available. Blood magic must be activated. Soul boost (pure soul effect) recommended.

This would be much easier if you had areomancy or aquamancy(assuming it gives control over all fluids, not just water) or if that was a fireball.


MODIFICATIONS
If full Kinectomancy tube cannot be maintained with current abilities, instead wrap Nidhogg in a Kinectomancy bubble as she flies, aimed at warding off any wayward splashes of acid.
>>
No. 261465 ID: 111240

I think this dragon needs a good talking to.

Time for some MASTER MORDRE mode.

*stare at approaching projectile*
"Leia"
"Y-Yes master Mordre"(sounding incredibly freighted)
"Hold my tea"


*crack knuckles*
BEGIN!
>>
No. 261466 ID: 445c48

Is Burduko with us? I'm pretty sure we brought him to the mountains, and I don't remember if he went anywhere or if that was just a suggestion.

Depending on how high we are, I suggest he take Nidhogg away, and we rely on Figment to stop the thing. We could all survive this drop, and I bet Figment can fly, or keep us in the air.

Hmm. I would suggest we throw Figment at the fireball but he might not take that the right way. Then again... Can he read our thoughts? Or does he just know what we *are*?
>>
No. 261467 ID: 445c48

>>261465
No time for Ham.

><@TheBeardiestBob> You have about two seconds until impact, with its current velocity.
>>
No. 261469 ID: 69bee4

there is ALWAYS time for ham!
>>
No. 261471 ID: a69afd

>>261458
ETHEREAL STRIKES, MILLIONS OF THEM, RIGHT NOW. We can use a nearly unlimited amount of them at this moment, I'd rather save our railgun for Brogammek if anything.

Also: "Brogammek as a central character interests you, yes? Is there a way to placate Brogammek for the time being? If he continues to attack, I shall have to defend myself- Beyond that, if Brogammek continues to pursue us back to the capital, I may have to severly wound or kill him. Oh. Can you hold this for a second, my full attention must be given to the current situation."

(We are still keeping that sample of caged one blood suspended in the air above our hand, once we focus our attention towards escaping Brogammek's fireball... well, either we eat it, let it fall haphazardly wherever it pleases, or give it to the only other guy in the vicinity that I'd trust to handle it properly.)
>>
No. 261472 ID: e43bfe

>>261465
more like, After the conflict:

"Thank you, Leia."
"D-did you..."
"I did."
"Through a fireball?"
"I did."
"RIDING A DRAGON?!"
"I did."
*sip*
"What of it?"
>>
No. 261473 ID: 9338f5

Brogammek sounds like a Boss dragon, if we kill it and have niddy eat/assimilate it would niddy then be able to control the other dragins?
>>
No. 261479 ID: f4e4f9

He launched a fireball the size of a Mountain. If thats no bigger then his head, then he is many, many MILES long at least.

I don't think claiming we can wound or kill him is going to amount to anything more than very transparent, empty bravado.
>>
No. 261481 ID: f4e4f9

Additionally, I would like to point out that given that Figment's TOTAL REALITY CONTROL extends in a 50 foot radius around himself...

Are we even in any danger here? Nidhogg's only 60-80 feet head-to-tail as I recall.
>>
No. 261485 ID: 6834bc

I'm just going to point out that, just because Broggamek hasn't spoken, that doesn't mean it isn't sapient. Hell, that doesn't even mean it doesn't understand human speech.

After making sure we don't turn crispy and/or melt into a puddle of goo, I'd suggest calling out to Broggamek and asking him to allow us to leave peacefully/to give us a chance to explain our presence before attacking again (while, of course, being ready to do more dodging.)
>>
No. 261486 ID: 9338f5

>>261485
I am fairly sure that the giant ball of burning acid flying at us is a clear sign that Brogammek is not in the mood to chat.
>>
No. 261488 ID: 45be60

>>261473
>>261479
If Figment is not exaggerating, Brogammek is approximately 9 and one half miles long.

>>261461
This is more or less what I was going to suggest, though I would suspect that pyromancy would be helpful too.
>>
No. 261491 ID: 445c48

>>261485
While it is intelligent, I really doubt it understands us talking. I mean, who would have taught it the language?
>>
No. 261502 ID: 6834bc

>>261486
He's a giant fuckoff dragon, we might just surprise him by trying to talk to him - who in their right mind is going to talk to a giant fuckoff dragon other than screaming "Aaaaaaahhh, help, I'm being attacked by a giant fuckoff dragon!"? It's a long shot, I admit, but if we're paying enough attention to keep dodging, it's not like it's going to seriously hurt us.

>>261491
Like I said, it's a long shot, but it's still remotely possible that he's picked up some grasp of the local language (obviously we wouldn't be using common - we'd be using high or low or both,) seeing as he's lived in these lands for who knows how long.

So yeah, maybe he doesn't speak it, but he could understand it.
>>
No. 261517 ID: 1854db

Use pyromancy on the massive fireball to deflect it.

Hmm, sending an Inferno Golem at an incoming fireball worked before to stop it. We could try that again too.
>>
No. 261519 ID: 35bba5

>>261517
The fireball is also acid. Pyromancy may not be entirely effective.
>>
No. 261521 ID: b7f789

I have a question, but it might be completely irrelevant.

Who named Broggamek? People go around naming dragons, do they?
>>
No. 261535 ID: 111240

>>261467
Don't worry man, I working on the law of 'Talking is a free action' (http://tinyurl.com/72amy6).

This should work, especially since figment is so close.

>>261481
I was thinking about that, but there is no guarantee that he will help us anyway.
He could just as easily erase what was coming towards him and then utter a sigh at the loss of so many interesting characters.

----
If figment is part of the audience, then Bobobo is that guy who has been to every showing, (live, animated or otherwise) has collected all the cards, gotten the limited edition character bio's and action figures and has all the commentaries, possibly even written a few himself.
>>
No. 261539 ID: c848b0

Shoot a rail-gun round at it at full power.
That should create a tunnel in the ball through which we could fly through.
Use soul-boosted kinetomancy and accelerator on Nidhogg to speed up (her new wings should make her faster).

Also, I don't think we'll be able to beat Boggamek, considering how fast an ancient dragon regenerated itself (a second), I think Boggamek wouldn't even register our most devastating attacks.
So we should get the fuck out as fast as possible.
Unless we find a way to stop their regenerating powers, then we might stand a chance.
>>
No. 261561 ID: 21e57a

We have some really goods idea here, but I think we need to first go to Figment first. Friendly nod to the Dreamer. "Seems like Broggamek would like our story to end here. Seems a shame, wouldn't you say? Bang, quite the interesting character!, Dulu and Keddic, who you haven't really seem to talk to yet, and myself - the most unique character, only man to control a golem from nations away. Could we talk to the dragon and ask him if he could stop trying to burn us to death, please?"

If that doesn't work, yes, lets fly through the fireball.

>>261521
As Broggamek is a 9 mile long dragon who just spat a fireball at us the size of Detroit. I think he can call himself whatever he wants.
>>
No. 261563 ID: c848b0

>>261561
Heh, maybe Figment can just teleport us all to the capital and save us a lot of trouble.
If he agrees to help, thats what we should ask him.
>>
No. 261628 ID: 46c430

Copy our techniques for boosting our speed from our encounter with the mountain worm, use them again here. Fire off the railgun at the part of the fireball we're under, and going to be fleeing under, so as to use Ozmand's soul's power to try and deflect it and/or slow it down. Maybe tip the balance of Ozmand's soul towards chaos or order to help out. Support pristine soul use in this, as this is not exactly the time to hoard our resources.

Meanwhile? I somehow get the feeling the 'Shoot a hole in the fireball and fly through it' ideas may not quite work. Mostly because it'd involve flying through a very narrow tunnel, that's 3000 feet long, with the edges of the tunnel on-fire acid that will kill us all if it touches us.

Also: WE HAVE OTHER PEOPLE ASIDES FROM US AND FIGMENT. Like Bang. Try asking Bang to solidify air so as to deflect it or something. Or use super-scarf cheese. Or fire off bone-cannons at it. Ask Keddic to try putting up a white blood (Or whatever-blood) shield. Or maybe use the winding way/path to swap flaming-acid about to hit us and stick it below us, it's slightly tied to order, and Keddic manipulates order.
>>
No. 261629 ID: d3dfb8

>>261628
This but Bang also goes into a Cerebral Zenith and Genesis.
And for the record I am against using pristine souls.
>>
No. 261630 ID: 46c430

>>261629
What would you rather have, us using a pristine soul (Or a few, or all of them), and it's overkill, or we get greedy and don't use any, and we die? I support 'Better safe than sorry'.

Also: Try feeding magic into Dulu or something so he goes into overlimit trance, he turns his staff into shield, and combines with it into super-shield. Then we magnetomance him between us and flaming acidic death as our last line of defense. Or he turns the staff into a bow and fires it off at flaming acidic death. Really, I have no idea if this stuff will work, but I can't think of anything else Dulu could do.
>>
No. 261632 ID: a76809
File 12914348204.jpg - (585.08KB , 1360x778 , Broggamek Acid Fireball Impact.jpg )
261632

>>261461
>>261539
[Even with Six Rounds Rapid, the resultant path through the acid would not be sufficiently large for Nidhogg to maneuver, and you have no means of sheltering her from the heat emanated from the walls of still-burning acid. This plan would kill you all.]

>>261466
[You left him behind to work with Dregas in transcontinental shipping when you touched down at the base of the True Mountains. While he can innately teleport to Mordre, it takes time to orient himself for a teleportation to an unknown place. Wouldn't you know it, he can't do that fast enough to be of use.]

>>261561
[Not enough time to talk, impact in two seconds, I would like to see someone speak or listen to that much in that short of a time, let alone ponder it and react before impact.]

>>261563
[Figment can't teleport, as he can only mess with the space around him, not space outside his sphere of influence. The most he can do is look at places outside his sphere, he can't reality warp to them or otherwise influence them without moving his sphere of influence into proximity mundanely. Granted his 'mundane' differs from most.]

>>261471
Blood Magic still inactive as I rely on a hunch that such a move would be a disaster far worse than this, I build my fabrication of a living left arm, the soul points that are the foundation of Mass Connection and all the styles of the Land of Dragons taking shape. One one thousandth of a second is all the time I need to ready myself. I thrust my arm upwards, sole remaining magical source directed exclusively to accelerating arm movement as I work to turn the Jade Soul ranged maneuver I know into a shield.

ETHEREAL STRIKE

There is a sonic boom oriented about my palm as if I slapped the sky itself, as a jade shadow of my open hand races forth. Even moving at blinding speeds, it has moved less than two feet before my arm finishes thrusting forth a second time. Again there is a crack and boom, and again a shadow of emerald sails away. I continue, Nidhogg shaking beneath the horrendous vibrations I send shivering through her body just from the recoil of my own arm, a thundering drone of rapid fire sonic booms filling the air as I turn my own nature into a means to augment existing martial dogma.

ETHEREAL BARRAGE

I do not fill the sky with my hand, nor do I blot out the sun. But every single hand survives to reach the acid itself, and most persist beyond a half second-my efforts pile up to provide heavy coverage of the fireball's bottom, its ludicrously swift descent abating by degrees. It is not enough, not on its own. The burning sun continues to fall towards us.

>>261628
>>261629
>>261630
With a second elapsed, I have coated the bottom of the meteoric projectile with vestiges of my hand, fragments of soul. They will burn through in a second-but that's all the time we have, really. My magic could be better spent elsewhere. I free myself up to work a massive Kinetomancy boost as I did when faced with the world-worm earlier-as I see my allies beginning to take action. Bang's scarf blazes like a magic sun to my perceptions as mundanely it does naught but softly glow as I feel the cloth about his face soak itself in Chaos, his body going rigidly still. The air above us shimmers, and I feel trillions of magical equations endlessly layering themselves, connecting each individual gas particulate. The intense heat of the coming projectile, hot enough it burned away bits of the atmosphere (thereby reducing the effect of air friction) burns even this-but burns it too slowly. The fireball makes impact, flattening, distorting, and for the briefest of moments stops. Bang's scarf drains of magic, going dark and limp for a moment before reviving as Bang's body relaxes, and his normally excited expression seems tense and inwardly focused.

[-378 SOULS-----TOTAL SOULS REMAINING:-----14,955]

The last of the air barrier burned through, Nidhogg blasts through the sky like a bullet with the massive Kinetomancy working I just applied. Yet in flattening the sphere, its surface tension was shattered: Where once one lone freakishly large and swift attack was our focus, now hundreds, thousands of individual acid globs dozens of feet across descend , wrath from above. It is at this point that I see keddic's soul sharpening itself, even as I turn my magic all on Dulu, pumping every bit of Magnetomancy into him I can. In an instant he has eight arms and is molten hot-he has reach Over Limit Trance. Keddic's cloak, almost completely white with soaked blood, begins to sizzle as glob after glob of enflamed acid that would have struck Nidhogg is teleported away, reappearing beneath our mount, having skipped the area in between. ...Keddic is using Mass Connection here, adapted to Blood Magic. He has not spent his time with his master idly. Again, there is hope, as there is naught but a thousand feet left before we are out of the area effected by the torrential attack-already scouring holes through dirt and stone alike as it impacts mountainsides.

Again the hope is dashed as Keddic's cloak is burned through, its reserves depleted.

Cue Dulu, having finished merging with his staff and having found the means to shift it into its shield form. Bonded with his own form, a now strangely turtle-like Dulu springs into the air, magic in his shield shell writhing at it attracts the coming projectiles. An instant of cover is given, and we are free, clear of the threat unscathed-

With Bang oddly quiet and withdrawn, Keddic having exhausted a carefully built stockpile of blood, and Dulu now free-falling, so superheated from taking those impacts he'd melt a hole through Nidhogg, and still actively absorbing any magic thrown his way. Only Figment seems unbothered, his murkey eyes hidden as ever beneath massive tangles of hair, a lazy smile etched on his relaxed face.




What should I say or do?
>>
No. 261636 ID: d3dfb8

Dulu'd melt a hole through Nidhogg, but he can sit on us! Grab him with our siege fist and place him on our shoulder.
SOMEONE SAY A BAD PUN, WE NEED BAD PUNS!
>>
No. 261672 ID: b9c2c6

Deploy a magnetic ring array and magnet an AG shell or two over to Dulu. If Dulu grabs the shells or if they are reshaped to catch him then they can be pulled back through sheer magnetic attraction without directly affecting Dulu. Maybe Mordre should start to keep a bigger stockpile of spare metal at hand for all sorts of magnetomantic purposes? With more metal available it might have been possible to form and control a giant rotating fan to blow away acid droplets.

>turtle-like Dulu
"And here I let you come along hoping you would come out of your shell!"

Where's Broggamek at now?
>>
No. 261674 ID: 69bee4

Pristine Souls are a mixture of ‘true’ soul with an effect of ‘time cancer’

Note the former concept of Pristines being made because of prediction introducing Chaos into the usual order of time. Side effects as we know from Bang of Chaos are cancer, and creation of new things. Pristine predictions by introducing this Chaos literally introduce a ‘cancer’ of time into the system.

And then the following occurs: this new fragment of time fuses with the remains of a soul that is consumed. Because a fragment of time is ‘timeless’ and thus sees time in all directions, it will know exactly how to deal with anything we desire to change. Power of a pristine is limited due to its being bound to a soul, and thus why multiple augmentations can be used.


Soulfire replicates on a smaller scale the false ‘legendary’ soul we made previously.

As we know from fighting Thromo, a Heroic soul literally seems to have soulfire as its form of blood. Normal souls don’t seem to exhibit this trait. Why soulfire uses 3 souls is that it replicates a small portion of a heroic soul by the use of these three souls.

And thus, if we ever got a more complete understanding of Soul magic, we could produce soulfire of any extreme, either Order fire, or Chaos fire, in a similar way we can manipulate Ozmand’s bias..


Master of Sorrows was a specialist of Chaos Soul Magic.

Morde’s form was drastically changed in forms that coincide with Chaos magic while under MoS control. Also, MoS calls Morde a Soul Cancer, and as we know about Chaos and cancer.

and thus I postulate that further, that Morde is specifically MoS’ soul cancer, made in result of the magic used before MoS attempted to go into the Soul Grave’s body.


Time, like the planet, is an entity with its own soul.

As we see with Morde’s predictions of the future, Time is something that has form that can be changed. If planets can have souls, why not Time itself? And then, if this is correct, this also means its possible that one could reach out directly to this source of Time as a source of magical potential, or as a being that might speak to us given cause.
>>
No. 261675 ID: 111240

Screw this.

P.Soul on IG aimed at allowing us to control it's active feeding area (like how we can control our magnetic field).

Then activate that sucker and shape it into a shield.

This 'Melchsee's door' needs to be tamed.


Which also makes me wonder, could the IG's soul solider effect not be turned to making us soul based armour? Essentially it would be a giant mass of souls shaped around us and bound to us, directed at warding off magical attacks and killing anyone that comes near.
I think this can work.
I estimate the cost at about 100 souls.
>>
No. 261676 ID: 111240

>>261675
In essence, a giant soul solider that moves with us (or interdependently if necessary)
>>
No. 261678 ID: 9338f5

>>261675
>>261676
sounds like aboleth's grasping hands (i think thats the name) only with soul soldiers instead of hands
>>
No. 261680 ID: 111240

>>261678
GENIUS!

now we have a base.
>>
No. 261692 ID: f4e4f9

...

Lets just grab Dulu. Nothing fancy or wasteful, and nothing dangerous.

He's just hot. Extremely so, yes, but thats the benefit of having a right arm that's conventionally indestructible. Catch him with the Sable Executioner whips.
>>
No. 261698 ID: e43bfe

If we catch Dulu, let's use Pyromancy to pull the heat out of him.

Safety first~
>>
No. 261702 ID: f4e4f9

We can't. That would require interacting with his body via pyromancy, thereby generating more heat.

He has to be cooled down non-magically, or just through radiation.
>>
No. 261712 ID: e43bfe

>>261702

Are you telling me we could easily and expovelyt drag heat out his body if we dedicate enough energy to pyromancy? Like, throw him into battle and then suddenly incinerate everything around him from the sheer HEAT, even as he's hot enough to melt steel?

...huh.
>>
No. 261714 ID: 1854db

Hmm. If we can condense souls to make golems via the IG, can't we just... condense souls into our own? That'd be pretty handy if the MoS woke up.
>>
No. 261720 ID: 5f0943

GUYS! I think I know how to cool down Dulu!
It might be a horrible idea, but I'll say it anyway.

The AA pushes heat out of an area, right?
And Dulu has a shit ton of heat right now.

Just blast him with the AA, instantly cool Dulu.
Of course, I'm not sure if the blast would harmless to him or not.
>>
No. 261724 ID: 1854db

>>261720
He'd just absorb it. A better idea would be grouping together a few of our expendable metal objects, blasting them with the AA to cool them, then magnetomancying them at Dulu. Like an ice cube.
>>
No. 261737 ID: f4e4f9

>>261712
Actually, Dulu would almost certainly melt WELL before that point.

Also: Condensing our normal souls to craft our own, true soul? Color me intrigued.
>>
No. 261738 ID: c848b0

[I assume that the danger is over]

Turn to Figment and ask if he was also in lethal danger just as we and what he was going to do if we didn't manage to evade the attack.

Then ask these questions >>261367
>>
No. 261739 ID: 5f0943

>>261692
> Catch him with the Sable Executioner whips.
That's probably the best idea for catching Dulu right now...
>>
No. 261747 ID: 21e57a

First, we need to talk to Bang. 'Oddly Quiet and Withdrawn' worries me. Then we should go catch Dulu, or at least fly with him, and tell him we're gonna try to catch him - and I hope our Black Steel holds up to holding him. Other then that, introduce Figiment to everyone, and also ask if Broggamek was just saying hello or what.
>>
No. 261750 ID: f4e4f9

>>261747
>Guy plummeting in freefall
>Guy being silent after massive mountain fireball
>Talk to silent guy first, more urgent

Uh...
>>
No. 261752 ID: 46c430

From IRC (Damn me and not posting it in here first for pristine soul.)

<Conil> ...Huh. Prediction: If we go to other continents, we'll run into Lenryt and more organizations influenced by her.
<Conil> I mean, I doubt she's only focusing on our current continent, as powerful as she is
<Shiitake> Right
<Conil> Hell, she might have entire continents under her thumb, and our current one is simply the next on her list
>>
No. 261753 ID: 445c48

>>261752
>(Damn me and not posting it in here first for pristine soul.)

Right, when you talk of deep thinkan stuff, wait until Bob's not in there.

Or make a new channel and don't tell Bob about it I guess.

Can't Dulu choose not to eat magic? Just shout at him to turn it off and then do whatever.
>>
No. 261754 ID: 21e57a

>>261750
Ok, -after- we save Dulu, we talk to Bang.
>>
No. 261758 ID: 46c430

Hrmmm... I wonder what Jak Stryfe is up to... Considering from what Dulu heard of him, he'd already raided the Caemlo Repository, I imagine he's likely done all he can north of the Desert and Land of Dragons... Considering his thirst for fame, I therefor expect that he has travelled -into- the desert and/or land of dragons to stir up trouble and drummy up some more fame. Or plans to, or currently is travelling. Or will think of it later. Something like that. Anyway, prediction, at some point in the future he's going to pop up in the fighting scene in the Desert or Land of Dragons.
>>
No. 261759 ID: 46c430

ALSO: Lonsdaleite! Or, according to the internet, meteor-diamonds, formed when meteors containing graphite impact the earth, the heat and stress turning the graphite into diamonds with a hexagonal crystal lattice. Considering Jak Stryke has them in his armor, who wants to bet they're ultra-diamonds, the gem version of the lortoxite metal? I mean, it -is- meteortoric like lortoxite. Let's look for that stuff.
>>
No. 261760 ID: a76809

rolled 20, 71, 62, 88, 22 = 263

[Rolling for encounters]

>>261672
I scan the skies-there, that murky, blurred shape-that is Broggamek, or at least it is the dragon I gazed at earlier, the one that looked thousands of feet long. Figment said it was fifty thousand feet long... I mis-estimated its distance: Broggamek is visible overhead, but only by sheer dint of his size, for he is three score miles away. Currently, he seems to beslowly wheeling to his side, a lone eye glued on our group.

>>261674
I consider the nature of Pristine Souls in our post-survival moment of peace. I know them to be temporal in nature, noting how they hinge upon prediction of future events. Pristine Souls are not normal souls converted to a new purpose, they are completely new existences-something from nothing, which appears rather heavily involved in Chaos. Now, what did Bang say when he was discussing what he's learned of Chaos... ah, its recoil. Chaos has a recoil of chaos unchecked, manifesting as cancer in the body.... could not Pristine Souls incur some kind of recoil, likewise being Chaotic in nature? If so, would it not be cancerous in nature? Could not Pristine Souls cause time cancer? ...I feel I am on to something here, but when I try to quantify how this time-cancer phenomenon I predict would manifest, I feel myself straying off the path. For now, all I can think of is inserting rogue blocks of time into a timeline... I am missing something...

...My mind wrapped around Chaos, I wonder about the Other, the Master of Sorrows within my breast.... his modifications to my form all were consistently Chaotic in disposition, by a more than fair margin... could part of his power have come from being a Chaos user? Could the Master of Sorrows be a Chaos Soul mage? ...It fits, giving another place for all that power to come from-but far more jarring is the realization that, IF the Master of Sorrows was a Chaos Soul mage as I suspect, then.....

MOMENT OF INSPIRATION!!

....I am his recoil, cancer of his soul, for some last act before he was ensnared in this Soul Grave. That means the entity titled Mordre does not include this Soul Grave. At best, I am an errant growth that is possessing this golem... Just how small is my existence?

[+1 PRISTINE SOUL TOTAL PRISTINE SOULS REMAINING: 05]

...Giving no outward evidence of the crushing realization I am hit with, that I am not the Soul Grave, merely a pilot, I wonder....

>>261675
>>261676
>>261678
>>261680
>>261714
>>261737
...Could I not change this? I have souls aplenty at my disposal-could I not cobble together a more fitting existence to call my own within this metal shell I share with the Master of Sorrow? The more I ponder it, the more likely it seems that I shall find success. I can craft Soul Soldiers, compressing together souls to bind to my will-could I not make a larger Soul Soldier, one to match this Soul Grave's scale, and bind it permanently to my will? Surely with the aid of Pristine Souls, I could repurpose existing abilities I have stockpiled on this golem to make it happen. Before it can even begin to settle, I reach for that freshly crafted Pristine Soul, even as I turn the Immortal Genocide upon my own Soul Furnace, feeding it souls. Rather than letting output be internal, I let the mass build and swell in my body, assessing it as it slowly bubbles up to fill my every speck of existence. One hundred souls.... two hundred... still it has not filled me Finally I hold in suspension a blend of four hundred twelve souls, ready and waiting as I ponder my next step. Certainly I should use a Pristine Soul to bind them together... but should I only use one? ....And should I use a Deep Spawn Core for this? Who knows, it could grant my soul innate timeless properties, or even innate regeneration. This is virgin ground I tread on, and I want to be sure my pioneering steps are not ones I regret later. I let the mass of souls continue to percolate as I turn to the matters at hand around me as I mull over how to forge my own soul.

>>261692
>>261747

I direct Nidhogg via Phohn to fly by Dulu's descending form, and ensnare him in the Sable Executioner after transfering the Void Bringer to awkwardly be clutched alongside the Golden Axe in my left hand. With the falling ally caught, I turn my attention to Bang, but only after sharing a brief nod with Dulu.

"You seem uncharacteristically quiet Bang, Are you not pleased with the magic you worked?"
"...I didn't work it, Wif-the Red Eye of the Dynamo, my Mask did. A trick they can do, Cerebral Zenith, packs a hell of a punch, and I gave her a Genesis to work with.... but she's been real... off, since the event. Weird as it may sound, I'm worried about my Mask."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"..Honestly, I don't know. Unless you got some sort of insight into the minds of crafted existences, or symbiotic entities, Soul Magic, and some means of reading Chaos/Order balances, I don't think so."
>[Keddic]"I am sure something can be done Bang."
"...Yeah, you're probably right... Okay, so... that was an acid fireball, right? Like the kind Nindy or any other dragon can spit out? I thought Figment was bullshitting when he said fifty thousand foot long dragon... but the scale fits. How is that even real? I mean, the weight alone-OH RIGHT, Gravimancy abilities are staples for dragons."
>[Keddic]"It would be safe to assume this Broggamek is a master of Gravimancy. Did you note the speed at which the fireball descended?"
"Yeah. Way too fast. It was burning air out of its path, reducing that which could cause friction with it. Supersonic, super sized spit.... man, these mountains..."

EVEN LACKING MANY ACTORS, THE STAGE AND MASCOTS OF THE TRUE MOUNTAINS MAKE IT MOST ENGAGING.

"You said it. That crater monster, this... and is it just me, or is this place REAL easy to get in the groove for figuring stuff out, on the combat end?"
>"I was wondering if anyone else felt that. I suspect the proto-souls of the dragons qualify for measuring one's soul against, and their saturation encourages personal growth, even more so than the Land of Dragons as a whole."
"...Okay, can we see if we can catch that Goujar guy? I mean, Living Legend Rageglut, living up here for DECADES? I gotta meet this guy!"


Bang, Keddic and Figment seem content to pursue their own conversation right now, though I imagine if I do not weigh in soon they will ask my opinion anyway, what with our mount being slaved to my will. Dulu seems content to wait in my grasp as his body cools, and Nidhogg, as ever, keeps flying.





What should I say or do?
Now that I have had some time to think about it, how many Pristine Souls should I use in crafting my own soul?
Should I use a Deep Spawn Core as well, or even multiple?
>[NOTE: YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A SOUL. ONCE IT'S MADE, THAT'S IT, YOU HAVE TO ALTER IT FROM THERE LIKE ANYONE ELSE, THE LONG AND HARD WAY.]
[I need five 1d100 rolls again.]
>>
No. 261761 ID: 21e57a

Mmhm...Pristine idea. In Trollingwood, we have 'lolcatbeard' and our own Senth. The place seems to run on Troll Logic. I bet you that there will be someone there who's using that stupid 'Social Experiment' trolling to control a group of people.
>>
No. 261762 ID: e43bfe

rolled 14 = 14

Use three cores, fuck.

ALSO.

WHEN WE MAKE THE SOUL.

WE MUST ACT AS IF MAGE MORDRE HAS HAD A HORRIFIC ACCIDENT, MAKING THE SOUL GRAVE INTO A GIGANTIC FUCKING SMALL TOMB BY ACCIDENT, THROWING HIS SOUL INTO THE GOLEM.

THIS IS THE CHANCE TO NEVER FUCKING WORRY ABOUT OUR IDENTITY: IF WE CAN PASS OFF OUR INTERIOR SOUL AS ONE NOT BORN INSIDE A GOLEM, WE CAN THEN ACT AS IF WE'RE A SENTIENT SMALL TOMB, WHICH IS NOT

I REPEAT

NOT ANATHEMA!
>>
No. 261765 ID: 893401

SHit, is this something we should do now?

dammit.
dammit all


well bitches, I think this qualifies.

Use renaming P.Souls to give golemcraft competence, and any competencies you think would eb useful at holding up or image.

Then use 3 D.Spawn cores to get this done.



!!!!
WAIT!!!

we should do this after faking the heart attack, that way we can use 'our body being on it's last legs as a reason why we had to do it.

Also, we need to use a P.Soul to bind 'Morde' to our will so that MOS does not surface. and we can still keep up appearances as 'being able to control a golem from long distances'
>>
No. 261768 ID: 46c430

rolled 7 = 7

Burn all or all but one pristine soul on making our soul, -this- is the time to use expendable resources. As for deep spawn cores... We don't know whether the truth/untruth thing will affect us, so that makes it a bit of a leap of faith. Still... If we -do- go for it, I propose we burn through a ton of the things, and go for 25 or 30. We've been slowing down on how many deep spawn we make, and they do have an expiration date, so let's use them.
>>
No. 261769 ID: 98203d

Use 10,000 souls, 5 deepspawn cores, and 2 Pristine souls. We can only do this once, might as well go for the good stuff. We'll likely need this considering the things we are up against.
>>
No. 261770 ID: d0d015

rolled 21 = 21

Use 4 pristine souls, 10 cores.
>>
No. 261771 ID: f4e4f9

Since the deep-spawn cores are already innately linked with our own, and are going to start warping (and probably have already started), lets use a good number of them.

I recommend:
1/2 of our current stored souls
3 Pristine Souls
1/3 to 1/2 of our current Deepspawn cores.

I'd also propose that if anyone notices, we just pass it off as us experimenting with our Golem Control method. This way, we don't necessarily commit to changing our ruse, but leave the option that we can. For example, pass it off as being very temperamental and glitchy. That leaves room for something to "go wrong" later.
>>
No. 261773 ID: 893401

Wait, I thought that using the cores would give us an organic body, but I suppose we are just extracting the proto-soul from them eh?

If so you can ignore the last part of my plan.
>>
No. 261776 ID: 21e57a

rolled 17 = 17

And a dice roll, too.
>>
No. 261777 ID: 445c48

>>261762
I don't know. The whole "Possession" idea for long-range control didn't work perfectly. We've made noises from the background, had cats and dogs bark and meow through it, had maids speak through it, and I'm almost certain made a cat "Walk on our keyboard" so to speak. Tech has been hinted at, and I prefer to think we're using some sort of magic virtual reality suit but hooked up to a golem rather than any soul-based shenanigans. Anyways, I don't like committing so much to such a lie. Perhaps if worst comes to worst...

I say we stick with our current story. Hope Mordresoul is hidden behind the noise of the several thousand other souls, or fluffed away as always having been there.

I say we sink quite a bit of resources here. All but one pristine. I'm going to suggest we use the cores of ... Hmm. Should we use Deep Spawn cores? All Deep Spawn have to tell the truth after all, and they're pretty much all soul, and what if that carries over to us? We would be totally screwed.
>>
No. 261780 ID: 46c430

rolled 29 = 29

Last roll coming up. Praying it's above 22.
>>
No. 261781 ID: 21e57a

>>261777
Personally, I prefer this. I would rather not loose our maids, our cat, and our ability to be 'not here'.

It seems like everyone else is suggesting crazy disaster, however.
>>
No. 261782 ID: 46c430

>>261760
>>261762
>>261768
>>261770
>>261776
>>261780

...We're all gonna die.
>>
No. 261783 ID: c848b0

I would go up to 3 pristine souls (just for safety, so that if we use too much regular souls or egg cores it does not back fire... Heck, leave the remaining 2 PS for back up)
Several Egg Cores
As much as regular souls as possible (leaving us with at least 3000 souls)

Concerning Goujar. Lets just go back to the capital, I think we have seen enough already.
>>
No. 261784 ID: 21e57a

Huh, just checked the votes, and it's actually around 4-to- in favor of just going 'Ah! That's what that switch does.' Deleting post and updating to reflect that.
>>
No. 261785 ID: 21e57a

I say we burn three or four Pristine Souls and we say goodbye to five Cores: Jodron, Rutgur, Sanfrotti, Idoneus and Gantzio. Bless them, that we will will grow strong by their sacrifice. Silently, of course. Use this, and as many souls from the furnace as we need to make this work.

Turn to Bang, and put our large hand upon his shoulders. "Don't worry Bang, a friend of my ally will not be harmed. This golem is actual quite capable of most of those things. Well, my perfect mind behind a quite capable war machine is capable of those things. Let me take a look at her. I may have to tinker a bit, so if anything weird happens, just blame delving into soul-grave magics and sciences." And if we need to spend a pristine soul on Nagging Wife, I say use it.
>>
No. 261786 ID: a69afd

>>261760
Actually I'd like to put a halt on forging our own soul, we can only do this once, and well... I'd like it to be as strong as possible when we do. Learning isn't a problem if we do, we have all the time in the world. But, I'd like to make sure we can "Sorrow-proof" our soul before we attempt anything- I mean, for all we know, this is only making HIM stronger instead of us. The dude's a scientomancer, he knows a hell of a lot more about deepspawn cores and the inner workings of the soul than we do currently. He most likely always knew what we were, he just took the time to voice it when he possesed us.
>>
No. 261787 ID: 5f0943

>>261777

I completely agree with this as well, it seems better than the "MAGE MORDRE'S SOUL WAS TRANSPORTED INTO GOLEM!" that many seem to swing towards.

On how much stuff to use for soul:
1-2 Pristines
3-5 Deep-spawn cores.
At least 4000 regular souls.
>>
No. 261788 ID: c848b0

Oh, and I suggest (if we can) land on the ground before we proceed with our souls making.

Also, I had some thoughts about the Prostine souls. Not HOW they are made but WHY the work.

As we have recently learned, there are many, many more settings/dimensions than our own. If they follow some of the modern theories that would mean that "anything that can happen will happen", ie. something has happened in some other reality.
So what our Pristine Souls do is relatively simple, they just search all of the settings and pull out the appropriate "upgrade/action" for us to use. I do not think that stuff just happens.
That would mean, that any and all of the upgrades we did and will do in future can be done by conventional means, which are of course much more harder and time consuming (just think how long it took Arcus to inscribe AA into our eyes), but doable nonetheless.
>>
No. 261789 ID: 445c48

Also, see if you can start a Mordreport before whatever these low rolls generates rapes us. Could be helpful.

Do you think adding an extra 9,994 normal souls would help? Do it if you can.
Burn up Dorln, Hasbern, Jodron, Doftern, and Gantzio for making the soul.

I almost want to say you should spend a pristine on your spell matrices, which ever part is responsible for the speed at which you process events, but not now.


And stay away from "The man trapped in the armor" bit for now. It is far, far too restricting a lie. If either of them notice, say you are experimenting, or have activated a previously hidden function. We can give something more concrete later, perhaps even using the "Trapped int he golm" bit, but later, as now is simply not the time. It would not make it easier for our bros to help escape whatever is about to rape us if they're dealing with "Holy shit he's trapped inside a golem now".

Dulu could probably call it out as bullshit too.

Oh, and we should totally see Jojo about fixing Nagging Wife, assuming we, Bang, and The Red Eye of the Dynamo get out of this alive. About Jojo, we should ask about the dream we had. And ask why we're having them... I think we'll be having many more of them after we make this soul.
>>
No. 261790 ID: c848b0

>>261786
IF we put this on halt, I suggest we wait till we do Lenryts task and ask Soul Magic boost as a boon. (Or find some other way to make our soul magic much more potent)
And only then proceed with shaping our soul. Having good soul magic will make this venture much better.

On the other hand, the sooner we have a real soul the sooner we will hone it like every other being. Meaning that we can become stronger at magic (for example) by just continuously using magic till we are exhausted (like Eisenhardt told Arkus).
Imagine how fast we'll improve our magnetomancy: night-unlimited mana + no need to sleep, eat, drink + no physical/mental exhaustion = super fast learning time.
>>
No. 261797 ID: f4e4f9

In the hopes of avoiding the incoming impending death, I'd like to submit the following as a "oh fuck" bonus request:

http://quest.lv/kusaba/questdis/res/316616.html#326561
>>
No. 261805 ID: f4e4f9
File 129151179096.jpg - (216.61KB , 966x1323 , Patchwork.jpg )
261805

Aaaand one for the whole Soul Crafting thing. Anyone else remember Patchwork?

Wonder how he fits into all this.
>>
No. 261809 ID: c848b0

>>261805
Probably has something to do with chaos again. If we are a cancer by-product of his soul then the patchwork beast is the cancer by-product of his body.
>>
No. 261817 ID: 9338f5

>>261809
considering what we know of the Curse it may well be his mutated body not just the cancer. the creature may be useable as a method to prevent the MoS from retaking control, not sure how but its a possibility
>>
No. 261821 ID: ffbedc

A lot of differing opinions on how much we should put into our new Soul. I'll second >>261787, since it seems like a reasonable amount.
>>
No. 261822 ID: 46c430

>>261821
Well, we have only one shot at this, which is why I suggested going for the max. I admit I may have gone a little overboard with my suggestion, but still, I think we should use a good deal of our resources. Or not, since we've got ultra-doom incoming, but still.
>>
No. 261823 ID: d3dfb8

2 Pristines 5 cores and 10000 souls.
We need atleast 2 for the deepspawn blood and preferably 1 more as safety net.
>>
No. 261825 ID: c848b0

>>261822
If I wasn't sure that going all the way wouldn't bite us in the ass, I would suggest we use up all of our resources.
>>
No. 261829 ID: 9338f5

My vote is for useing 1000 souls and 3 pristine souls. I am against deepspawn cores due to not having a clue what they will do to us, it is quite likely that if we use too many we will end up unable to lie like all the other deep spawn. at least use more pristine souls than deepspaw,n cores
>>
No. 261842 ID: 69bee4

Invoking my personal overlimit trance, beginning with my suggestion for soul build

(Soul Total: 14,955), 14/50 Deep Spawn eggs used (I think)

Spend:
Souls: 12,000
Pristine Souls: 4
Heroic Souls (if allowed): The Fang Taker, Todwick Revelrik The Rocket Hammer
Deep Spawn: 15 (suggesting the following names: Lerato (willing to kill my own, this seems big), Sanfrotti, Queeyurtoh, Vahnderhuug, Colossi, Audey, Orochoth, Asgardia, Doftern, Jodron, Ekron, Larn, Aehroahquia, Ignitract, Nechrahno)
>>
No. 261850 ID: 69bee4

Thriller, Soul Grave/Parasite time.

Cause this is Morde, it’s his growin time.
Just found out cosmically he’s a slime.
But we don’t careeee no,
cause he will always be our guy
just look at him go
Its time to grow, we got some fish to fry.

Its time to show em all
Entire continents will fall
Oh they will try and stall
People now may just scrawl
And try to defeat before you install
But in the end, its only just a forestall
Because Morde’s a comin, its your curtain call.

Gather resources, alliances and friends
Let them all behold what is about to begin
Its time for a million more things that cause Bang to grin.
Right now its all been an exercise of odds and ends

In the end, you sir are the heart and soul of this operation
Although between Blood and Internal souls, literally in your nation
To improve oneself is usually an exercise of time and work
But when your this awesome, sometimes you can be a bit cirque
Grab some souls, lets go for a ride
And see what happens for a soul parasite’s pride.
>>
No. 261853 ID: 45be60

Man, I was pondering crafting a huge pile of souls together to run the golem, but I wasn't expecting to do it NOW, on top of a dragon traveling places. Ah well.

I was thinking in terms of creating a giant gestalt soul which could be used to power a soul grave like a heroic soul powers a small tomb, i.e. non-destructively, running indefinitely off of just power which can be regenerated.

Mordre has always displayed a preference for things to be well ordered, love for causing confusion and panic notwithstanding. I suspect we will be ending up with an Order balanced soul anyway, so if it seems possible to direct things in that direction to start, it would probably give us a jumpstart. And opposing the chaos from which we apparently sprang can hardly be a bad thing.
>>
No. 261855 ID: d3dfb8

>>261823
Changing my post to
>>261842
>>
No. 261857 ID: 69bee4

Mask of Silver

Sometimes the hero isn’t the largest
Instead, the one who is the boldest
One who seeks the changes that chaos is,
Can remove the path taken, onto his.
Let the change ring true, let the builder lie
Let the living lie, let them truly try.

Why me may be the question?
But is it asked in the wrong direction?
For someone who is truly one of a kind
Must know there is something to belie.
Verily, the vestages of vigor are vent.
Let the souls writhing within, went
through the crucible of being your foe
Found themselves wanting, show
them the meaning of consequence.
Let your situation be its providence.

An angel of destruction you may have been.
Yet from whence does this kindness begin?
Loftily, lifting what it means from the belays
You sir wear a mask of silver, belief inlaid.
And yet you live to this purpose, what it represents.
So let me offer you my boon, seek not need of repent.
Forthcome your future, belay solace, seek no time unspent.
>>
No. 261858 ID: 21e57a

>>261842
I am so not in favor of removing hero souls.
>>
No. 261863 ID: 21e57a

However, changing my vote from five deep spawn to all of them but ten. These ten: Pengaiea, Vahnderhuug, Orochoth, Khanite, Dorln, Idoneus, Tallagga, Nechrahno, Aehroahquia, Jidkof.
>>
No. 261867 ID: 69bee4

Brothers of Chaos (For helping Bang, Red Eye, and Morde)

Oh Morde and Bang, you both are equally insane
Seekers of chaos, harbingers of true change.
One who uses his flesh and fists to cure in more pain
One who uses metal and moxie to melt hearts or souls.
And yet they are more alike than different, seekers in the deranged.
One a mask who speaks, one whose mask speaks of impending death cold.

One turns his fist into a saw
One’s hand is more saw and maw.
One seeks a fight against truth
One seeks the truth in a fight.
One can conjure, define essence of sleuth
One sleuths through conjuring enemies, jumping height.
One seeks the impossible with all tools at his disposal
One seeks to do the impossible, living with a single tool via proposal
One stands in the field of belief gained for himself
One stands in a field of belief in himself.
One was once married, in a lie of a life
One now worries, having just gained his wife.

And so the annihilator of armies stands before one built for such a task.
Despite no formal agreement, the larger of the two need not even ask.
Both stand as immortals in the eye’s spawn, one administrator, one’s title gone
Both continue forward, their journey long, and yet having lived a short time wronged.

See now One, for your brother’s heart hurts for his beloved.
See now, for you hold the tools of belief and soul uncoven.
Look into your brother’s eyes, One let chaos not die.
Seek to save those held dear
Protect red eye, to protect your own pair
For in exchange of a brother’s love, he risked his wife lie
Let your newfound growth be your brother’s spear
For with Brothers of Chaos the future is what you Dare.
>>
No. 261870 ID: 903f16

>>261760

I'm going to support the general idea of this >>261842 suggestion, but with a couple alterations. Lower the soul count to 7,000 or 8,000 and remove the heroic souls from the mixture. It's not exactly conservative, but if there's something you want to go hog wild on it's your soul.

>>261785
How about instead of saying it in a nonchalant manner we milk this opportunity. When we get back home we take Bang aside and confide in him something like we aren't a young man and in the past we dabbled with Soul magic prior to it's ban. We've kept a couple tomes from those days that we really shouldn't have. We've been wary to pull it out, but we also know what it's like to see someone you care for in pain. So we're willing to break the law to help him, but he must never speak of it. This way we can potentially get some good SOAP and tighten our bond with Bang. It's not too bad of a lie and I don't think it'll hurt us too badly when we have to reveal our secret to him.

>>261777
Yeah, keep the current story. Leave an opening for changing it now if we ever need to, but don't commit to anything.
>>
No. 261872 ID: 69bee4

Pull Bang to the side

“so, your wife heh Bang? A funny thing to call her, but I… I can appreciate that, and so, im willing to risk the wrath. See, I can almost certain help your mask; however, and I only tell you this in trust. I beg of you, on an old man’s dying heart to not reveal this to any others. I have faced the wrath of others before for my work, and well… its part of why you do not see my bodily before you, and some scars will never heal….”

“Oh, excuse an old man but I promise you as a friend, the least I can do is help you after all you have done for me. And I hate to ask you this… but , I beg of you good sir to keep Keddic busy a moment while I do my work. I suspect he would be less willing to accept such aid, and I respect that. However, seeing you in less than…. Well being Bang honestly, is just something I never wish to see again.”
>>
No. 261878 ID: 21e57a

>>261872
Ah, we do we gotta keep Keddic out of this? He's lost a wife too, and him and Bang are bros. He'd be ok with keeping Bang's new face-wife ok, as long as we don't do too much.
>>
No. 261889 ID: 893401

two words

call
Burduko
>>
No. 261890 ID: 0d095c

If you're going to use the power of SOOOULS to make yourself one, do not let it be a mere amalgamation of lesser souls, it must be something more, something imbued with the power of ancient beings of power, a true Demon's Soul if you will....

FIVE pristines
FIVE Eggs
10000 SOOUUUULLS
>>
No. 261898 ID: a76809

>>261805
[EVENT TRIGGER]

>>261762
[14]
>>261768
[7]
>>261770
[21]
>>261776
[17]
>>261780
[29]
>[14+7+21+17+29=88]

>>261760
[rolled 20, 71, 62, 88, 22]
>[Sum of five poster rolls meets one highest encounter roll, is less than one third of collective value of encounter rolls]
>OHBOYHEREWEGO.jpg

There is a sound. I know this objectively, from the vibrations racking my form, from Keddic and Bang both reacting so sharply, Dulu and Figment the only ones to stay unresponsive. It is a weight on the air, something so pervasive I could make no effort at triangulating its source... but I know where it came from. Broggamek, that massive dragon so many miles overhead, still watching us from the cold beyond the planet's surface.

"How persistent is Broggamek?"

BASED ON WHAT WAS WITNESSED OF SPACE PIRACY, BROGGAMEK'S CHARACTER IS COMPLETELY IMPLACABLE AND UNABLE TO BE DETERRED FROM GOALS. THIS IS ALL BASED ON HIS TENDENCIES AT HORDING ITEMS IMBUED WITH BELIEF, IT IS UNKNOWN HOW WELL IT TRANSLATES TO LIVING BEINGS.

I am about to speak again as the cry passes-when I hear the answer. From hundreds, thousands of throats, I hear the keening roars of obedient followers, hungry voices taking flight. In five seconds, the air fills with dragons as they pour from their every perch, nook and cranny, all taking to the sky-

All focusing on Nidhogg. Keddic, now down to only his own blood and that on the Blood Toga, looks conflicted about how he could help, while Bang, his scarf only partway recharged, seems more reserved than he normally does when faced with an impending fight. Dulu, still not cool enough to safely seat on Nidhogg, shifts again, body becoming swoops and curves, arms flying to strum strings, barrages of arrows flying from his arbalest-themed body. Nidhogg looks to me, as Bang and Keddic, both cursing their own current state, likewise turn my way. Keddic and Bang at best will be of nominal help... by my own and Dulu's hands alone, we are to be saved? ...What of Figment?

"I don't suppose you feel like interfering?"

THE STORY YOU PLAN TO CHANGE IS A GRAND ONE. IF THE CHARACTER MORDRE CANNOT NAVIGATE THIS, HOW COULD CENTRAL CHARACTER LUBU'S TALE BE ALTERED?

...So, on my own, then.

Well, I have that soul mass prepared, 412 of my stored souls, as much as it took to match my own form. I try to feed more lives into the mass, but it seems to threaten rupture. ...Now I consider just how complex what I make shall be, even as I speak, twisting words in the hope of finding a way to live openly.

"...I have something I can try, A function of this Soul Grave to tap...."

>>261768
>>261769
>>261771
>>261783
>>261821
>>261842
[-412 SOULS-----TOTAL SOULS REMAINING:-----14,543]
[-3 PRISTINE SOULS-----TOTAL PRISTINE SOULS REMAINING:-----02]
[-15 DEEP SPAWN CORES-----TOTAL UNSPENT DEEP SPAWN CORES:-----20]

I come to a grim determination: Of my thirty five remaining Deep Spawn cores, a full fifteen will go towards building my soul. I hope the collection of Deep Spawn souls will grant me the depth of power it seems I must have to operate on a global scale. With them, I send a trio of Pristine Souls, keeping them at bay for a moment as the fifteen Deep Spawn cores meet the four hundred and twelve souls. I feel the Deep Spawn eggs eroding the few glimmers of identity left to the souls around them-even as their own Names are being stripped away in their contest. It takes Keddic calling to me to make me pay attention to the outside world again, and not just carefully monitoring the slow wiping of any quirks from the building Soul Mass. ...It is at this point I note my body is LEAKING magic, Bang is staring at me with an unreadable look, and Keddic looks concerned. I note the air about me is crackling and warping even as the scion of the Harksburton house speaks.
>"...Are you alright?"

"...I can keep going. No escape vector, Not enough munitions- I need a magical solution, And I'm... almost...."

The air hums and sings, a dull throb rocking wildly out from my body, a hollow parody of my own artificial heartbeat as the Soul Mass loses its last semblances of identity, and the Pristine Souls I held at bay are let loose as the encircling net of thousands of ravenous dragons continues to close, the frontrunners already whipping back their necks as they ready for acidic discharge. Light goes wild around me, paths of blazing light and murky shadow rippling and writhing as if tangible about me, just as Dulu puts a bolt through the eye of his fifth Dragon so far. I feel those three working in concert, binding together the disparate elements, fusing soul to soul, weaving it all together, until where once there was nothing but a writhing mass of turbulence, there is but one massive, the would-be lives of the Deep Spawn not so much ended as homogenized, a quiet soul-to-be, not a whit of life experience or character imprinted on it, ripe for the taking. I feel the richness of power, the full scope of Mortal Magic open to this, as well as Deep Spawn workings.... I say my next bit before I take the plunge.

"...Nearly....THERE!-"

I dive into the mass waiting all around me, extending my will, my ownership, my essence into its open embrace.

The sky shakes, wild winds race and whip about without warning as my whole body vibrates so harshly it acts like a massive tuning fork. I feel power fantastic flow into my grasp in a manner far more intimate than any power of my Soul Grave has yet felt. I see the reaction to this not just in my allies, but in the narrowing eyes of approaching dragons.

>>261850
>>261857
>>261867
[LYRICAL TRIPLE BONUS: KNOWLEDGE]
In my rush of new sensation, feeling a soul of my own, even as the ripples of warping reality begin to fade with my working complete, I gain an innate sense of just what I can do.

>-Mordre can learn any magic that a mortal could learn in equivalent circumstances.
>-This does not mean Mordre's soul innately knows all the magics it casts through the Soul Grave, even though they are still fully usable. It just has the means to tap them freely.
>-Mordre can learn any and all Deep Spawn magic, including Administrator magic.
>-Mordre's soul is currently of a well-established Hero level, benefiting from having Deep Spawn regeneration inbuilt. This passes on in some form to anything Mordre possesses (Currently can only be Soul Grave).
>-Mordre can directly dominate and command the souls of the dead so long as they are not Hero level or above, or otherwise warded from influence. This allows normal souls to be used as fuel for basic Soul Magic.

My gaze sweeps out in one fell rotation- Three thousand, two hundred seventy eight dragons. At least I see none of the Elder dragon class amongst them-does Broggamek not command the Elder dragons? This thought seems too large in my mind as I reach into my soul furnace, and hardly knowing what I do cast what I grasped out, hurling it away like a metaphysical spear.

The Soulfire about my floating skull flares to white, suffusing so heavily with Chaos I scoff at myself for ever thinking its default form chaotic, as a rain of souls rocket forth in every direction.

[-3,278 SOULS-----TOTAL SOULS REMAINING:-----11,265]

The air roiling in their passing, my blazing stars, each as hot as an Inferno Golem, scream across the gap in an instant. Where they touch dragon flesh, those wild, white flames spread in seconds, burning everything to ash. I sense nothing, no Blood Iron, no carbon, nothing of value descending in those clouds of ash, the dragons wholly consumed in a handful of seconds. For a brief moment we are within a blazing sun as our would be attackers burn and scream. As the last of them falls, nothing is said for a moment. I dare not even move, until-

"...Uh, Mordre? Dude? ...What did you just do?"

This is it. This is where I make or break my attempt to finally find a way to live openly without being defamed for being Anathema. These are to be the witnesses to my 'accident'....






What should I say or do?
>[Please give me actual dialogue, leaving it up to me will not guarantee success.]
Should this be navigated safely, what should I do?
>>
No. 261912 ID: 69bee4

Have the Soul Grave fall to the ground, emit some random magical pulses and sounds for about twenty seconds.

“Uuuugh… I think… Keddic, Bang, I can hear…. Dear god I think im blinded, and all that magic felt like…”

Begin standing up as saying this, fall down again, more pulses for about five seconds.

“My body felt like it was going to tear apart…. My eyes were already bad, but dear god all that light burned. I promised not to try such a spell again, but I guess… wait… why…. Why can I feel my legs?!? OhDEEP!, BANG! KEDDIC! DULU! I thought I heard, I think I can see…. Are you all really there? Your so… clear. My body though… It feels insanely heavy. And my legs, I haven’t… its impossib… let me just find the alpha control…”

Jerk the body to the right, grasping with the sable hand at the air.

“What the, that’s not…. ILLIA! ILLIA! I need help!?! Illia…. My bed!? Why can’t I feel the bed… where, where is my home? Why do I only.. so much ash…. A dream? Is this…. Figment? Are you doing something to my mind?…. Bang, Keddic? A dream… now?.. why.. why, I need to save them!”

Soul Grave flails a bit and crawls forward. Do not allow interruption from others for this monologue.

“Did… did we all die? OH Bang, Keddic, Dulu! Are you to be my specters, my punishment for forbidden lores of magic!?! Did I truly die before I could save you all! Forgive me my friends, forgive me! I tried everything I could I swear! I was willing to risk it all to save you… I didn’t want to fail anyone again! I didn’t! I DIDN’T! forgive me…. No… no… forgive me….”

(let them a chance to respond, assuming attempt to state they are not dead)

“not dead? But… how can I feel my legs? How does it feel so cold… so dark? And yet it burns… its… indescribable. I haven’t had my legs in years… that’s part of why I developed this golem system, I guess you never knew. But where… where am I now? How do I see… no, please, hold a moment, I guess if I can feel legs again, let me stand.”

Attempt to stand up clumsily, nearly fall a few times, but succeed, look forward the whole time.

“Im… impossible…. How…. There were soul and world mechanics… but this should…. Across the ley? But no… my friends? Is this… is this an old man in front of you? Is this a bodied…. No… no… I can’t feel it, I can’t feel the wind. I can’t feel anything but the burning and the cold and odd silence…. Is it…. Dulu, is this how every moment feels for you? Am… am I? oh please tell an old man some truth! Let a truth seeker in his folly know! Am I? am I really… here?”

Allow time for them to respond, move sable and fist slightly, flex leg parts, spin revolve and move in surprise, then gasp in surprise.

“I… really am… is this how it… it is every day for you Dulu? How… strange. I don’t know if I can ever apologize enough for… putting you through the same…. I suppose what comes around… “

A feeble sounding, hollow, laugh

“never to taste again…. Every moment like in that teahouse? Every… what is it like Dulu? What is it? What… oh gods, what have I done? What have I? is this punishment? Is this a reward? ANSWER ME! Lenryt!” IS THIS HOW YOU DAMN ME AFTER REFUSING THE COIL! IS THIS WHY YOU SENT ME!~”

Silence for a bit

“Forgive me…. I think… I think I need a moment.”
>>
No. 261913 ID: f4e4f9

>>261898
Story as follows:

We attempted a risky gambit, to supercharge and expell some of the Soul Graves fuel and soulfire in a forced burst. We, however, did not consider the ramifications of PURGING souls from the Golem...while maintaining the sort of quasi-Possession we use to in conjunction with more conventional methods to fine tune reaction and control of the golem.

End result - that forced purge caught up the possession and tried to purge it as well. However, since it was 'tethered' to Mordre at manor, it ended up pulling some of Mage Mordre's soul through the connection as well.

Now a portion of Mordre's potent soul (unknown how much, this just happened, very traumatizing, trying to get our bearings and all that) seems to be locked into the golem, and we can't feel our mortal body anymore.

Communications seem to be up...but Illia's going to need to be manning the Sending unit to fully communicate, so they'll be limited while they take care of his Comatose body.

We can cite Heol as a similar corollary.

Will post some dialogue to go with this shortly.
>>
No. 261914 ID: d3dfb8

>>261913
Excellent, I like the sound of that.
>>
No. 261915 ID: f4e4f9

Bonus is, it leaves us options: Perhaps there's a bleed effect, pulling more of "Mage Mordre's" soul into the golem, or vice versa, and he's going to make a recovery!
>>
No. 261916 ID: 9338f5

how about this?

we tried to take direct control useing the tiny bit of soul magic we learnt when it was still legal. we attempted this to increase the power of our enhancements to the soul grave. It was intenended to be a last resort but we only finnished working out how to take control of the Golem and things seem to have gone a good deal further than we had intended.
>>
No. 261917 ID: f4e4f9

ALTERNATIVE COVERUP (Preferable, in my opinion):

Same idea as before regarding what we tried, only instead of Mage Mordre being pulled through the golem, instead the DEEPSPAWN CORES THAT WE SUDDENLY LOST were, instead, and they are now forming an ethereal mass within the golem that our good Mage Mordre finds MOST CURIOUS, INDEED. Will require further studying on Mordre's part, but he has a number of suspicions as to what effects could be taking place, and is eager to test these budding theories.

Professor Mordre, away.

LIken it to
>>
No. 261918 ID: 45be60

This calls for presentation, not explanation.

Stare at your hand as though seeing it for the first time.
Cuss quietly.

"I knew there would be side effects, but this..."
Move your fingers. Hang your head.
"Illia.. I suppose I won't be needing that tea after all..."
Sulk for a while. Let that statement percolate for a bit. Ignore questions, just stare at your hand. Your friends have been filling in blanks about you for a while now, they can do it a bit more.

Perk your head up, heave your shoulders as though you were giving a resigned sigh but had no lungs.
"I am a soul grave then. Fully and completely. Better than the alternative I suppose... Um... you fellows can still hear me, right? I haven't kerfluffed my ENTIRE spell matrix, have I?"

*inevitable questions do deserve SOME explanation, so here we go*

"The soul-based abilities of this golem have always been a bit of a mystery to me. Because of the ban on research materials, I have had to feel my way through them myself. So I have to say, I am not completely sure what happened myself. But I can make some good guesses. As you have probably surmised, I have been... erm... possessing... this golem rather directly for some time. I am afraid it is rather technical, and... No, if I am being honest, I never fully understood it myself. I have only theories which have been close enough to work with, and flashes of inspiration. Deep..."

In a singsong melancholy voice: "And now I have tried something probably ill considered in a moment of desperation, and though it seems to have worked, as a result my soul is housed in this shell. I only hope I understand the shell enough to ensure it does not consume me. I suppose we shall find out."

Once again, as with all my fabrications, zero lies.
>>
No. 261919 ID: 893401

Speak as if speaking to yourself

Stay silent for a few seconds
"...I've done it, I've really done it now. Bound myself to this stupid golem.
Dammit, Leia is gonna have a fit when she finds my body, I'm gonna have to break all those wards and run the connection backwards so I can talk to her.
Blast it all.
This certainly puts a stopper in my plans for the long range control system, blasted thing took too many resources anyway, still need to figure out a way to make that smaller.
That damn cat is gonna wreck the lab while I'm gone.
Well I suppose that I can't die anymore, and I can finally walk again, though I don't have my 'tea drinking hand' anymore, not that it matters as I can no longer drink.
And I just got that package of Jasmine Dragon Lilly too dammit all.
How am I going to explain this to Rob, he's gonna be miffed *chuckle* he might want to do it too actually, the crazy bastard.
Well at least I managed to remain in control, would have been most unfortunate if I just ended up as fuel, good show old man, good show.
Bah, but now I have to manage all this non stop.
Hmm, gonna have to get back to the castle and install the new upgrades.
Wait what was the path again?
Blast it all, I'll just re-fabricate them.
Hey, I might just get to attend my own burial, HAH."

^all done in one long flowing speech reminiscent of Arkus', though lacking the breathless part since you do not breathe.

Whilst speaking, you rotate your head, look at your hands, all that jazz, 'get a feel for your new body'.

Then you notice remember the others.
>>
No. 261920 ID: 893401

Well at least we get the chance to live in freedom now, sort of, we still have the MoS to deal with.

We better become LEGENDARY soul mages before he shows up again.
>>
No. 261922 ID: 445c48
File 129153408622.png - (72.76KB , 700x700 , Scarf.png )
261922

Have a really shitty picture of Bang's scarf, in that it only has a sort of reddish color and a lucha mask, none of the faces or yetihide because holy dicks that would be a pain to draw.

Anyways, for the story: Fuck possession, double fuck getting trapped. Too restrictive. To easy to poke holes into. Our cover's got to be Rock Solid. We'd have to be very careful about our behavior, especially during fights, if we use the "Stuck" story. Would someone who has been, up until recently, an old research mage in a tower be so ruthless, so killy in combat, for one?

Instead, the story is as follows: Seeing that you were totally boned, you decided to activate a function, some button, some ability that you didn't know what the fuck it did. Almost completely redacted in most of the scraps of what manuals you could find while salvaging the golem, the only details being that it would Get Shit Done with whatever you have. Press the button, and BOOM. Explosions at the tower, the machinery, the equipment is damaged from the feedback, crystals shattered or whatever. Connection to the Golem is severed, and it remains on auto-pilot. Your large staff gets to action fixing it, putting out fires, tossing in spare parts, redrawing magic bits, whathave you.


Anyways, you should say, with a mechanical timbre in your voice, "Response: Protocol 412 has been engaged. Status Check: Auto-Pilot: Engaged; Combat Routines - Suspended: No hostiles in sight; Awaiting external connection."

Hopefully you've got some time after this. Be still for a bit, unless a threat pops into view, in which case shoot it, and return to a more passive state.

In a couple minutes, chime in as Mage Mordre. Have static throughout your speech, with the sound of fires, panicking animals, breaking glass, machines clunking or being fixed going on the the background, something suitably chaotic. Say something along the lines of "Hello? Hello? Is this thing on? Can anyone hear me? [Make a noise like you're thumping some equipment, glass shatters] Damnit! Guys? What the hell happened on that end? I really wasn't sure what that would do, but what little documentation I had said it was 'dead killy'. Nothing mentioned the massive feedback we got back on this end, though! I've only got audio here, it might be a little bit until I've got everything up and running again, bear with me."

In ten or so minutes, regain full "control".


Also, get Burduko to you. A good a time as any to get Mordreport to not take thirty seconds.
>>
No. 261926 ID: 45be60

>>261912
Agree with the sentiment, just seems a bit melodramatic

>>261917
Hmm, you do bring up a point, an explanation for the deep spawn cores might be in order, I'm not sure. The others have even less clue about how they work than we do.

>>261919
There is much here which could be combined with what I said. Including some stuff I meant to say but left out.

In other news, time for a new thread yet?
>>
No. 261927 ID: f4e4f9

>>261922
>>261917
Actually, I'm all for a merger between these two ideas, for three reasons:

1. Covers most bases.
2. Going the Soul Trapped in Soul Grave route ruins alot of the rep we've made up as being a wise old mage, and provides a brand new pile of questions we'd need to answer.
3. It uses the term "Dead Killy" in total seriousness. I laughed.
>>
No. 261931 ID: 893401

>>261922
No
Horrible idea
Horrible horrible idea that is eaiser to poke holes in than us getting trapped

>Would someone who has been, up until recently, an old research mage in a tower be so ruthless, so killy in combat, for one?

Man has slain thousands, golem or not. Also, I think that 'yourger mordre' would have to have been a golem controller to even have the basic knowledge to get the golem running properly when he found it. That being said, he would have been present on several occasions when his previous golem had to kill a man, and by his orders, so yea, I don't think he's queasy.


>some button, some ability that you didn't know what the fuck it did. Almost completely redacted in most of the scraps of what manuals you could find

No, we made our own system, it would be absurd to think we did not understand what the 'button' did and even so, that the button could work with our system.


In any case, our behavior would not change except acting out of sorts for a bit (few days, maybe a week) and acting scared in fight for a while (maybe the first two).
More like wary that scared, since I think having the attacks coming directly at 'us' would be more threatening than coming at a golem controlled from miles away, even if it was a significant investment.

Reason why it would be a brief lapse is because I don't think 'Mordre' got his golem by sitting down and being a lilly-livered, spineless coward.
Also we alluded to the fact that when we were 'younger' we traveled.

Also, we can't return to our old life without some SERIOUS findangling. If nothing else, Bang could see the change with his own eyes and though he may be confused, he might be able to figure out what went on (even if not in it's entirety).

It can be done, but not with a half assed excuse like that.
>>
No. 261939 ID: 893401

>>261917
This can work because it alludes to us trying something never mapped before, simply hacking something together on the fly, and getting a completely unexpected by-product.

Though this could work with some dressing (needs the dressing because Bang saw the whole process, even if he didn't understand all of it, and might be able to see if there is anything inherently wrong with our statement, especially with Wifey's help), but it strips us of this opportunity to 'exist' as non-anathema.

We must decide which is more important.
And quickly.
>>
No. 261940 ID: ffbedc

Fuck Yeah "Man Trapped In the Armor" story! Let the SOAP rain from the Heavens!
>>
No. 261943 ID: f4e4f9

>Man has slain thousands, golem or not. Also, I think that 'yourger mordre' would have to have been a golem controller to even have the basic knowledge to get the golem running properly when he found it. That being said, he would have been present on several occasions when his previous golem had to kill a man, and by his orders, so yea, I don't think he's queasy.

I think the idea he was trying to espouse is that there is a disconnect between doing something through a medium and doing something as though you're actually there.

Also, I think we has a story written up a while back for our background, didn't we? Seemed pretty solid.

>>261939

Bangs vision allows him to see soulglow, but not interpret it, and even if it could, all it could possibly tell him is that the Deep Spawn cores merged with something within the Soul Grave...which is exactly what the cover story states. Suspicion would only serve to reinforce our story.
>>
No. 261945 ID: 445c48

>>261931

>Man ... queasy.

Difference between going "Go kill that guy" and seeing it done, or stabbing a man with a sword, and whipping your crazy bladed ribbon tentacle arm about and slicing a man open, and then eating their soul, and the souls of the wounded near them.

And, depending how one envisions our "Remote Control Golem" setup, a difference between actually being in the fight and using the machine. My image of it seems to be a bit different than most, but that doesn't really matter!

>No ... system

Giving an order with the right pass-phrase could be the activation method for this ability. Easily done with whatever setup one cares to envision.


But yeah Emba's Hybrid cover is best. +1 to Emba's story.
>>
No. 261947 ID: b7f789

My vote is for Emba's first story, with something about the deep spawn cores added in.
>>
No. 261953 ID: 45be60

The biggest reason I see for going Emba#1/me/falcon scenario is that this is our best and likely only chance to put an end to the far away mage tower story with our closest friends without pissing them off. People have seen minor holes in it, but mostly dismissed them. It's only a matter of time before someone really decides to get suspicious. This option also gives us more long term freedom in what we can do without breaking character. We can still do the remote control mage story with the general public if we want for now. I think that would be dandy, and should be discussed with the others after we have had some time to let things soak in.

>>261922
I also agree with falcon on why this is a horrible idea. I am slightly concerned that he and I are in such close agreement today.

-------
And while we are thinking about it, lets talk about what the control scheme was like, alright? We never had to make a decision on that tidbit. I was envisioning a hybrid system where the golem's physical actions were controlled via a complicated mechanical contraption, levers and buttons of brass re-arranging runes tied to each limb and weapon system, as well as communications, while delicate and dynamic magical control was handled through an inadequately tested partial-possession system as Eisenhardt(I think?)
proposed. The physical control devices had been developed and tested for a long time, and were finely crafted in their current form. The possession controls on the other hand, were cobbled together in a bit of a hurry after receiving the soul grave and figuring out what we had to work with. I was considering making a picture, but it never seemed like the right moment to bring up the matter. >_<
>>
No. 261955 ID: 445c48

>>261953
Hopefully we never have to say a word about the remote control stuff, and even then we should strive to be as vague as possible. Concision is the enemy here.

Anyways, I saw it as a sort of magitech VR thing for walkan around, and a mic for issuing the verbal commands that comprise the bulk of combat. Shouting "Kill that guy!" or "Touch him, invert, and crush him" and letting the golem go through the motions itself.
>>
No. 261957 ID: 741399

>HORDING ITEMS IMBUED WITH BELIEF
Oh...can Broggamek see the Belief that imbues the metal from Gelug we consumed? I think he might want to hoard us, though that may just the late night talking. He did try to melt us; I'm pretty sure the Belief won't imbue metal melted together... Though, I won't be surprised if, instead of melting us, the sea of burning acid would atomized us.
>>
No. 261962 ID: 741399

Also, Bob, which Names have been taken off the list? Or are you going to let us make twenty more Deep Spawn, using the full available Name pool, before closing off that option?

As for what should be done if the conversation goes well, maybe have Nidhogg fly low to hoppefully avoid Broggamek and his dragon followers and manifest spawn for Keddic, Bang, Dulu once he's cool enough, and perhaps Figment is he wants to ride and fly around, allowing them time to contemplate the revelation(s)/shock(s) we've gave them and to pick off a few dragons while they're at it. Hopefully that would give Keddic blood to replenish his blood supply, Bang enough insight to create replicas of some, at least, dragon abilities in him, Dulu inspiration to use his staff in new and innovative ways (speaking of Dulu and his staff, were the turtle-like Dulu and the bow Dulu applications of the same thing, or different abilities - I remember there were eight available forms beyond the default staff to Dulu's staff, with four being as yet unknown; i.e. does the staff have three more unknown forms it can take assuming the merge-with-staff is itself a form, or one more again assuming the merge-with-staff is a form?), and maybe building something of a rapport with Figment through giving the experience of riding and commanding dragons (even if they are clones of a dragon-host of Nidhogg).
>>
No. 261967 ID: c848b0

Will magic sensing types see our new massive soul?

Anyway, I don't fully understand the new possibilities that Mordre gained. Someone explain them to me.
Why were we able to send soul soldiers as strong as IG but using only one soul each? What magic was that?

Also, Figment said that Broggamek will not back down, so we need to get the hell out of here fast.
>>
No. 261969 ID: ffbedc

>>261957
!!!- An idea just popped into my head, what if we throw our Golden Axe (we STILL need to name it) toward Broggamek? He would be distracted by the Golden Belief Axe while we fly away and as I recall the Axe has homing teleportation runes (call Gelug and ask how to do it).
>>
No. 261971 ID: c848b0

Whatever we do or say keep silent for a minute and do not move (observe the reactions of our allies meanwhile).

I am sure that Figment would appreciate this dramatic effect.


Also, I am for keeping our facade of Mordre the Mage just for the fact if we do (partially)reveal our existence then we will lose a lot of chances to use HAM and SOAP for future bonuses (maybe even all of them)
I don't have a good reaction or dialog, I'm sure other participants will come up with something good).
>>
No. 261972 ID: c848b0

Hey, guys!
Hey, guys!

Now that we can learn and improve our magic abilities the same way that everyone can what do you think we should focus on training/learning?

I suggest we start learning tracktomancy. The ability to spontaneously teleport around like a rabbit on crack seems a very sweet thing to do (just remember the crazy shit The Golden Axe did).

The other thing we could do.
We retreat to every night to keep the ruse that we are human, right? The last time we spend our night in the Metal Box.
So... we retreat in there everytime, take some equipment (or just reshape our cannon rounds into solid plates) and spend all that time writing the most intricate runes we can manage. Of course we take Bobobo with us, he'll not only have runes we can use but also texts on the most optimal way to learn rune-craft (or any other disciplines for that matter)

I also had an idea how we can train magnetomancy and geomancy further.
Remember Eisenhardt told Arkus that to train effectively one needs to cast the most powerful spell he can manage and keep casting it? Also, he dragged huge balls of metal underground with him?
Well.... Whenever we travel, we should drag along a huge metal ball few dozen feet underground and keep making it bigger as we go (aslo re-shaping it for more training).
This will train magnetomancy and geomancy at the same time as for dragging giant metal ball underground we need to shift ground.

Learning souls magic would be also a good idea but I don't know how we should go around doing it. We might need to ask Bobobo, Mordreden Shamans or Kyorto.


The reason why I write it here and not in Discussion thread is because we need start doing this on automatic effectively starting from now.
Just like we don't need to tell every time to retreat for the night, we shouldn't remind these actions either.... we could call this Passive Training.
Sometimes we could spend days or weeks on Active Training when we need to learn something faster/better.
>>
No. 261973 ID: c848b0

>>261962

Oh, we should use our newfound abilities (or just our old magic sensing and Soul Magic) to see if we can help Bangs mask.
Or at least see what is wrong with it and how we can help with our available resources.

We might need to as Bobobo about that or bring Bang to Mordreden since all our Soul Magic specialists are situated there.
>>
No. 261974 ID: 35bba5

>>261972
Runecraft. Also ask Bobobo about more obscure variants of magic, since our current list of magical disciplines comes from Arkus, I believe, who wasn't sure of things.
>>
No. 261975 ID: 893401

I always thought of it as a circular, stone room with a raised section in the center.

The would be a chair there that, while comfortable enough to hold us for a long time without endangering our 'circulation', was sturdy and rigid so that it could hold a simple interface for our magic (a trackball in the handle[That our cat messed with once], extended arms to hold our tea tray, that sort of stuff).

Surrounding the platform would be a vast array of golem constructs that act like computers for our complicated maneuvers and allow for autopilot (this is to cover that 'an old man can't think that quickly' scenario.)

A ramp for our wheelchair, some coloumbs surrounding the platform, either as decoration or to hold a magical veiwscreen between them (depending on how we controlled the golem)

That sort of stuff.
>>
No. 261981 ID: 893401

Also

GET GOLEMCRAFT :V

It is more pertinent than ever now.
regardless of outcome.
>>
No. 261990 ID: 9338f5

>>261918
>>261919

these two look ok if were going with traped in the golem.
>>
No. 261995 ID: 9338f5

>>261990
Also for learning magic, soul is highest priority followed by golem crafting and then runes. As runes are the only one we can practice (from memorizing the runes for idiots book) lets grab a bit of metal maybe a anti golem shell and use that to start practicing rune magic.

Of course we wont do this until an hour or two after whatever explanation we decide to go with. We act like we just realized something then start playing with runes because we have discovered we can now use our own golem boosted magic to do stuff instead of working through complicated doodads we clumsily stuck on the golem. As for why we are fooling around with the kiddy stuff its because we need to carefully test this unexpected ability to see if we can use all of our mage powers through the golem. This should plug a few holes in our mage story, if we cant do a bit of magic any mage worth the name could do we can just say its because we have not properly adjusted to the golem or that the golem seems to be interrupting the magic.
>>
No. 262012 ID: 21e57a

>>261912
(Because I promised, to be said immediately after Naive's)
Breathe heavily with a sob in our throat, our siege fist weakly thumping to Nidhogg’s side. “Damn it it’s not fair. It’s not fair.” We will say as, in the background, Illia’s voice saying “Sir? Sir! Mordre, sir where are you.” gets louder and louder.
As it gets louder, we need to get louder too. “No! No! I will not allow this! I will never allow this! Deep and Damned, I will never ah-“
“SIR!” Illia says, very annoyed and upset.
“Never allow Illia catch me trying to calm myself down by indulging in a little acting and a little of what that ‘Senth’ fellow called ‘trolling’.” We will sigh, a weak laugh as Illia splutters angrily in the background “Good. Ba. Sir. You, and ah! This! We just fire put out! Egah!”
“Sorry Illia, sorry! I know I should have waited until you all were sure the fire was out, but I simply needed to make sure Mauser was ok. I have yet to find him, worrying. And…and much of my work is now ash and dust. And, well, I remembered the play that we are doing next week and I must say getting into the role of Tsar, with an Eye of Turquoise and the Zoisite Medallion, who was most naïve, is quite a challenge, if close to my heart. The curse of being trapped within magical armor of your own making? Hah, yes that is a curse I am well aware of, even if it would never happen. Now, my friends and allies, I am terribly sorry-ah! Illia! Stop hitting!”
*Wack, thud, biff, thunk*
“I am so sorry, sirs!” Illia says and pauses as she curtsies, the sound of fabric rustling coming through the golem. “And Hello Bang,” a girlish giggle, now, before a cough and a soft ‘yes, details’ whispered by the golem “There was a minor explosion that we maids needed to deal with. Master Mordre was usurer out and we were making sure no other rooms were on fire and he must have snuck back in. It seems like he has been a horrible cad rather than telling you what actually happened!”
“Yes, shall I do that, Illia, or will you continue to beat me with an empty bucket? Deepness, woman, I am old. I mean, I am almost thinking you shouldn’t be head maid but the way you’re holding that bucket over your head makes me thing that you will always be head maid, heh? Whoo. Ha, nothing, nothing, just breathing out Illia. Nothing to hit me about.” Cough.
“Yes, I’m sorry everyone, just needed to vent, and the theater is such a lovely way to express one’s self, isn’t it? You see, I..well…there are a few things that Castiliathen has kept me from legally studying, Keddic old boy, but as long as I don’t use it, I can, well, read to my heart’s content and I golems were crafted before the ban, weren’t they? Eh?” Cough, and glance around worryingly. “I hope that wasn’t too much an admission of guilt, Keddic. I would hate to have to come in because I was helping Bang and defeat these ghastly dragons.” Clap our hands, rubbing vigorously.
“But! This golem is quiet special – as is my set up here, too, I’ll have you know! – And there are a few limiters I fiddled with, and the soul-tether that I – Haha, no, no, I shalln’t say that. This golem possesses a very power soul, as well as a few other handy secrets I have yet to ferret out. What I did was over-charge the controls on my end, allowing me to over-power my connection with the golem. What you must have seen was part of the feedback loop – can someone explain what happened, by the way? It would appear that all the dragons are now, well, dead. And that would be a most useful skill, wouldn’t it? – but thankfully the apparatus is made of sterner stuff and the explosion did only limited damage to it…my books, less so. Blast it all, I’ll need to rebuild my thesis from the ground up! DAMN! Oh, woe, this metal foe- *twack*”
“Yes, sorry Illia. Continuing with EXPLINATION.” Grump, whispering ‘Conniving devil woman’. “Ah! Don’t look at me like that! Fine, Fine!”
“Geeze. Well, you see, now that I over powered that connection I can,” There is a scrape of a chair, dragging it closer. Sitting, a sigh. There’s a few equations – many being read aloud by Illia, as a few slow ticks and clicks come from the golem.
“ASSUME DIRECT CONTROL.” The golem cackles, eyes glowing wide. Pause, lifting our siege fist. “Deep and thunder, this is bloody worse than Tsar’s speech! Goodness, I can’t feel a blessed thing…and I think that’s my…direct control burning. Well, let’s have a look at that Wife of yours. I should have finer control like this. And a bit more power, too.” Have our soul flare, if possible as we ‘Assume Control’.

[For the explanation to Bob: Mage Mordre strengthen his 'soul tether' - that is the cancer-lump that actually is Mordre - so he could operate the soul grave directly, like a long-distance mecha. That will make his magic stronger, and be able to learn, but may mean that he'll be a little sluggish, until he gets straightened out. There, we are actually using 'Cancer-soul' as our explanation, which is just what we're doing.]
>>
No. 262022 ID: c848b0

Can't we just tell that we used highly experimental shit that needed consuming 15 cores and a lot of souls.

We didn't do it before because we were still working out the details but the situation forced us to make the procedure without thoroughly testing it.

I kind of like our Mage front and wouldn't want to leave it yet.
>>
No. 262025 ID: a76809

rolled 3, 8, 6 = 17

[Rolling for: Bang/Keddic/Dulu Incredulity Levels, low is good for you, high is bad for you.]

>>261912
>>261917
>>261922
>>261971

My first thought is to use Phohn to command Nidhogg to keep flying no matter what as I keep my body perfectly still, and speak in an uninflected voice, flat and neutral.

"PROTOCOL 4-1-2 ENGAGED. STATUS CHECK: AUTO-PILOT:-----ACTIVE COMBAT ROUTINES:-----ASSESSING NO FOES LEFT IN SENSOR RANGE COMBAT ROUTINES:-----INACTIVE AWAITING EXTERNAL CONNECTION"

>"Bang?"
"I don't want to comment, not yet."
"It seems his connection was broken-what did he do? I saw several of those monster cores vanish in that thundering light."
>"And what did he even do? ...That was a trick that could wipe out armies all at once, I'd not suspected his golem so capable of mass slaughter on such a scale. What about it do you think caused this break in connection-and kept him from ever playing such a card before."
"It seems a weapon of price. Perhaps the Soulfire shifts during the attack disrupted the Soul Furnace? My understanding is the Soul Furnace is the source of all Soul Grave power, and that Soulfire is emitted from it, yes? So would not passive flames like those have a direct path back to the golem's core?"
>"It seems possible... Bang, you've granted yourself wondrous eyes, what did you see?"
"...I'm not sure. Something happened with that shadowy hand enchantment, that much I am clear on, but beyond that... I think I saw a section of souls from within the Soul Furnace sectioned off, shunted out of the inferno, but I have no reference to work against. As it moved, some... things, like masses of Chaos shaped into souls, jumped out, and it seemed they pulled the Deep Spawn seeds in with them... "
"And then?"
"...I THINK that the Deep Spawn cores messed with the regular souls, damaged parts of each other, and the Chaos souls sank in right before Mordre did... whatever that was, that Chaosfire or whatever."
>"A mass of souls, composite in nature as a power source-do you suppose the Deep Spawn cores were intentional? I could hardly expect he is all that knowledgable about them, I know there isn't any reference data he could use, what with being the first to make contact and SURVIVE-"
"Hey come on we totally have first contact rights!"
>"We aren't the ones that negotiated a treaty and came back bearing gifts from them, we just survived fighting them."
"So, Deep Spawn cores causing an errant spell? I had wondered at how such a paltry golem could be a Soul Grave-"
"Paltry that golem can kick out some MAJOR devastation-"
"It can now, yes. But understand I ran into it when it was far less altered, more basic. I presume it was one of the first encounters Mordre experienced, as at the time it seemed merely an overgrown Small Tomb. Where was the fabled abilities of the Soul Graves, each one different? ...Here it is."

I let them continue musing for a while, ten minutes of them going farther from their initial theories as I carefully choose me next words.

"......ello?........an anyo........ar me?"
"Mordre, I can barely hear you!"
"..old on, I'm do......at I can, there's in.....nce, hard to work thr...."
>"Out with it man, what happened?"
"Well, I tried using th.....built-sorry, the inbuilt soul ma...ic. Something happened, I do.....ow what exactly, but that can't be how it's supp....ed to work. Why, I felt like I was having a heart attack, with a... the bedlam stirred up in my lab. Needed Illia to get me a tincture or two, not m.... of a healer myself. ....Well, I don't see any dragons-did it work?"
>"...The dragons were dealt with, yes-"
"Are you aware you are missing monster cores?"
"Monster, what are-oh, Deep Spawn, right... ...? Why am I short fifteen seeds? What happened?"
"Ah... they got sucked into your hand, man. As did some wierd Chaos-soul things from your Soul Furnace. Things got in right before you triggered that magic... you did say soul magic, right?"
"Well yes but it's pre--isting algorithms and equations, Inbuilt to the Soul Grave prior to the war. Technically its not in violation of the ban- All the same, this is the first time I used it... was not expecting that, The few documents recovered with this Soul Grave made no mention of... THIS..."

I take the momentary pause in questions to glance about, making something of a show of the act itself, before I speak.

"...Maybe its just me, but the connection seems better than usual right now- Maybe it's just because I started to feel better-funny that happens only now, eh? ...Well, the connection errors seem to be gone..."
"Mordre, got another question, actually."
"Yes?"
"Do you know much about Chaos and Order?"
"Some, why?"
"Do you know if that working had an inclination one way or another?"
"I believe it was Chaos based, but I couldn't verify it mid-use, -Sorry, not too knowledgeable on the intricacies of Soul Magic... So that is still theory as far as I am concerned. Why do you ask?"
"..Welp, lets say you can go ahead and just assume it is Chaos based, because I guarantee you, I feel a whole mess of Chaos in that golem now-though it could be those chaos souls and their influence-do you know what those are?"

So far, so good. I have lain solid basework, referencing health issues upon the incident, an improved connection, and health returning on manipulating the golem: It would seem good building material to one day claim I discovered part of my soul was torn away in the 'accident' and glued to the golem. Then, with some 'Soul Grave Soul Magic', I formed a soul power source that in an accident claimed my Dee Spawn cores, as well as part of myself. If I play this as a gradual thing, I can 'set my affairs' in order with my wasting body before I leave it behind, so no one questions why I do not seek out my old home post-soul migration. It will leave as few questions unanswered as possible. ...But I am not out of the woods yet. So far I do not seem to have drawn any notable suspicion from my explanations, but I need to keep that up. ...I also do not like the look Figment is giving me, like one watching the climax of a play. ...At least I note we are just about to finish exiting the True Mountains, Broggamek finally having wheeled away and leaving us to depart in peace.




What explanation should I give for the detected Pristine Soul use?
What else should I say or do?
What kind of time-frame should I work with concerning my planned 'soul migration'?
Once I have finished setting down my story, where should I go?
>>
No. 262042 ID: 9338f5

>>262025
>do you know what those are?

I am not entirely sure, I think they are a result of the soul furnace. So many souls in such a unnatural state are certain to have side effects. I wish I could give a better explenation but I dont know enough about soul magic.
-practice a bit of rune magic if possible see if we can enchant a skyfall shell
-go to the capitol, drop off figment
-find that traveling library learn as mage mordre what happened with the soul grave
-think for a few days before "starting" preperations for the 'soul migration' let bang and keddik know about it
>>
No. 262060 ID: 21e57a

>What explanation should I give for the detected Pristine Soul use?
Talk to Bang about it. "I'm not sure what you mean, Bang. What is it you see?"
>What else should I say or do?
"I'm sorry Keddic, I know this all strikes of, well, opposition to the Soul Ban. How could I make it up to you?"
>Once I have finished setting down my story, where should I go?
Capital. Find out what happened while we were away, have Oz, Fuu and Figment bro together, make some more deep spawn. Create new Spawn. Check in with Lu, see what he needs. Talk to Arkus and Carkiano. See how the war goes, and possibly hop back.
>>
No. 262062 ID: c848b0

Spend some time assessing our new soul/upgrade.
Try to poke around our soul and abilities.
Use all of our magic sensors.
Maybe we'll find some shit about us.
>>
No. 262083 ID: 69bee4

What explanation should I give for the detected Pristine Soul use?

>Well, to be perfectly honest, I do not know everything about what some of this soul mass is and how it behaves. However, I have noted that when some currently not fully determined conditions are met, I have speculated that time is involved, that this odd form of soul energy is produced by the golem. From this end I find that when it is allocated towards use, instead of the more mundane power sources of this Golem, strange things, but always so far beneficial have occurred. Most notably, my apprentice was able to inform me that the Runes used upon my eyes beam were changed when this resource was allocated. I have not had full time to investigate the ramifications and causes, but I suspect it may part of what makes either this Soul Grave unique, or maybe its a more common feature? unable to determine sadly. However, I am almost certain that use of so much of that resource was in part to blame for what just occurred with the change in the Golem we both now sense. I wish I knew what exactly happened, but this is just the matter of such things... ha! I appear to have gone into an old professor like mode. Excuse the rambling.. besides! its these unknowns that makes research so much more worth the living!

What else should I say or do?
>I do believe however this presents a unique opportunity. Using this golem as a conduit has been arduous for casting most anything but Magnetomancy, and has left me without much of my skills at my disposal. Some recent improvements to my equipment have also given me much of my geomancy via world connection from this location, along with some minor scruples unfortunately. I do suspect this new connection, combined with material I'm working on will soon allow me to show you more of my Word and other talents! oh ho, you will all be in for much of a sight then! Ah, Arkus reminds me of when I was a lad, one of the best at Word when growing up, being unable to use it has been such a bore.

>Oh also Bang, I do believe you had asked me something prior to this yes? Remind me of the specifics again, I suspect those same opportunities may aid us now.

>Dear Figment? would you be willing to speak with the rather large dragon that has been hounding us? Here I am trying to enjoy the mountainside with my friends! Instead, I have to risk my soul grave every few moments, and truely, im not that fond of all the nature killing.

What kind of time-frame should I work with concerning my planned 'soul migration'?
>Unfortunately, as I've never tried such a thing previously, and this recent field experiment has yielded... odd results. I do not think Ill be able to say anything about the timeframe of such things at this moment. However, it does pose such a thrilling challenge!

Once I have finished setting down my story, where should I go?

>Capital, Figment and Oz need a brofist moment.
>>
No. 262086 ID: c848b0

I would finally like to know all about Keddics and Dompaggios adventure and how Dompaggios solo search is doing.

Also, would like to gain the information about soul increase of our all Spawn like we had from Burduko.
>>
No. 262088 ID: c848b0

Also
>-Mordre can learn any and all Deep Spawn magic, including Administrator magic.

What does that mean?
If we can use all of Deep Spawn magic, does that mean we can do the same stuff like our Spawn?
I mean, teleporting like Burduko? Speaking at great distances like Phohn? Shooting hot magma like Aggocrag? Time magics that Velada has? etc...

Or something else?
And how fast will our body regenerate? Would be magnificently awesome if it did at the same rate as an Ancient Dragon (under one second)
>>
No. 262099 ID: 903f16

>>262025

>What explanation should I give for the detected Pristine Soul use?

"I'm uncertain, my attempts to delve into the subject have yielded poor results. What I have learned is that their creation involves time and some sort of Soul magic inbuilt within the Soul Grave. When used they also provide an incredible boost in power to whatever they are applied to. The function was inbuilt when I discovered the Soul Grave, much like the one I activated just now."

>What else should I say or do?

"From what you've told me I can surmise that this Soul Grave's unique function seems to have taken in both the Deep Spawn cores AND the chaos souls during it's activation. Perhaps it requires a massive intake of power prior to firing? That may account for why it absorbed the two materials, seeing as they are both incredibly potent and under my ownership. Hm, regardless this is a troubling event. I'll need time to study this, time to research. This could have far reaching and disastrous consequences."

>What kind of time-frame should I work with concerning my planned 'soul migration'?

Symptoms start in a couple days and build up until the finalization of the migration in a couple weeks to months seems reasonable. This is just a rough outline though, if anything we should keep our plan fluid, and do the big transfer when it best suits us.

>Once I have finished setting down my story, where should I go?

Off to the capitol. We need to drop off Figgy-Mints and report our progress. It's not going to be good when we have to tell Lubu we didn't get to find Goujar, but what can you do when a giant dragon bear space pirate is chasing after you with ill intent?
>>
No. 262106 ID: f4e4f9
File 129158764837.jpg - (121.56KB , 782x1213 , IncredulousKeddic.jpg )
262106

Heres hoping Skeptical Keddic can dissuade Keddic from being...skeptical.
>>
No. 262108 ID: f2f452

Figment approves!

>>262083
I wouldn't state that 'mage' Mordre has ever been casting magic THROUGH the golem because the golem has pretty obviously been gaining magic talents at a rather rapid pace.

First give a rough explanation of the Pristine Souls: "I know a little of what you call chaos souls. They're a rare product created in this golem's soul furnace, raw potential if you like. They seem to be intended to be a way for this particular Soul Grave to evolve and adapt."

It's probably best to make the migration a bit more tragic. Stay silent during most of the trip back and stop to deliver some bad news news.

"I've been reviewing the outcome of the incident earlier and I believe the situation is clear. I am dying. In trying to create a new Soul Grave power source this golem greedily consumed a bit of everything it had at hand, including a large part of my own soul. I strongly suspect it's a one-way process as I am in fact losing Ownership of my own body and I.... weaken.... when not controlling the golem entity.

I am going to have to put my affairs in order. Break the news to Illia - she'll be distraught I imagine - and figure out what to do with the cats."
>>
No. 262113 ID: f2f452

>>262108
Oh and make the transition fast. A week at MOST. It'll be hard to play out for more than 2-4 days.
>>
No. 262122 ID: f4e4f9

We can spread our findings out over several weeks or so as we examine the "effects". A gradual 'bleed' effect.

Playing it out over time won't be that hard if we act slightly more introverted. Perhaps mutter to ourselves now and again and muse on supposed "examinations" and investigations and their findings.
>>
No. 262159 ID: a76809

>>262042
>>262060
>>262083
>>262099
"I'm not sure what you mean, Bang. What is it that you see?"
"Uh, masses of Chaos, shaped like souls, but way more refined and restricted than Chaos normally is, coming from the golem's Soul Furnace. What... what are those?"
"I think I know what you speak of. This Soul Grave seems to have been a testbed for Chaos based Soul magic- Please keep in mind this is conjecture, based on incomplete nature, Both of the golem when I gained it, and the documents with it."
>"...Continue."
"Well, as of yet I have not nailed down all the particular triggers, But it seems when certain conditions are met, those chaos-inclined souls- I've been calling them Pristine Souls-are produced. Thus far their use was safe, And having given me a rough idea of what they do."
>"That being?"
"They seem to assess the desires of the golem operator, And fuse with the Soul Grave in some form or other, Always something to fulfill user desires. ...It is more nebulous than I expected, as I had not anticipated... THAT."

[KEDDIC: SUSPICION 7+]
>"Yet you were able to precisely weaponize that recent usage just fine."
"...Again, it is not so much my expertise, But that the Pristine Souls took such an action. I knew soul manipulation was the purpose of this golem, But I have not studied it all that much, It is rather close to banned material."
>"So someone as cautious as you uses such a risky magical implement?"

[BANG: SUSPICION 3-]
"Oh take the stick out your ass Keddic-hey Mordre, what exactly is that Soul Mass doing there, anyway?"
"I am not yet certain. Running my sensors on the golem itself, It is far different from environmental analysis. It's still underway."
"Still, any guesses as to what it is?"
"..It feels... familiar to me, but I could not say why. It is a strange sensation, but beyond that, I could not comment. It just sits there, a soul blob. ...I still have many tests to run yet."
"Well let me know what that is, because it seems pretty interesting."
"You said you felt ill before, was that right?"
"Yes,, I must admit I felt quite terrible when the system glitch hit my apparatus- I had something of heart troubles, possibly from the stress. They seem cleared up now."
"You started feeling better when you started using the Soul Grave again, correct?"
"....Yes?"
"I see, that was all I wished to know."

Keddic is distracted still, and both Bang and Dulu seem done questioning me for the moment-I use the time to turn towards Figment, and speak to the thus-far silent master of Dream.

"Would you be willing to speak with that dragon Broggamek? I'd rather not have to worry about him coming back to play."

BROGGAMEK DOES NOT HEED THE MOTIVATIONS OF OTHER CHARACTERS, HE VIEWS THE PLAY AS HIS OWN, EVERY STAGE HIS TO PLUNDER.

"And you mentioned something about hording items, Things imbued with Belief?"

UNFETTERED BY THE STAGE AS ALL OTHER DRAGON CHARACTERS ARE, BROGGAMEK STILL NEEDS A MEANS OF SUSTENANCE. BELIEF HAS TAKEN THE PLACE OF THE STAGE.

"Broggamek... consumes Belief? Interesting...."

I lapse into fitful consideration, doing what I can to act distracted, withdrawn. Keddic does not seem to fully accept my explanation, but he is not so overtly suspicious he is demanding answers of me anymore. Dulu seems content to ride in silence, and Bang is conversing with Figment. Our group exits the True Mountains as the sun begins to set behind us, en-route back to the capital.

I wonder what fate has in store for us before the day has ended?

[GOLEM QUEST ARC 10 COMPLETE]
[NEXT ARC: DOMINTUS, TO DOMINATE OR BE DOMINATED?]
>>
No. 262167 ID: fd0da7

Sweet.

I wonder what would have happened if you had rolled three 10s on suspicion rolls.
Would we have been found out here immediately?
>>
No. 262237 ID: a76809

>>262167
Yup.
[Return] [Entire Thread] [Last 50 posts] [Last 100 posts]

Delete post []
Password