To the Lightning!

Really, you have nothing to worry about with electricity, since you've got no heart to stop. I wonder if electromagnetism can work backwards?

>>156894
yes. that's how generators work. a magnet spins inside of a giant wire coil.
while an electric motor is energy flow causing a magnet to spin.

anyway, let's check the village along the way first before we worry about what is past it.

>>156884

We should definitely try and use derkin to try and infiltrate a nearby town and ask some general and discreet questions about the conflict here.

Things like. Who's winning? What are the insurgent's grievances? How many sides are there? Derkin can claim he's a traveler or something that wandered into this area...

>>156894
>>156900
I march onwards, towards the lightning. After all, I have no heart that need risk being stopped, no reason to fear a bolt of lightning as far as I can see. I lead Oggroth, clad in heavy plate with his ball and chain attached to a runed hammer to create his own personal weapon which he proves devastating with, riding atop his new war beast, and Ugrokk, the surprisingly stealthy Premen with a penchant for axes, both of them commanding ten Premen apiece, all armed and armored with equipment custom made for them by the renowned smith Del Rogo, in exchange for a wealth in rubies. Jojo, a Premen mage with strange powers, follows along with our group, supported by an unseen magic, fully mobile despite his emaciated and from appearances cripple body. Arkus, the mage in training I captured when I first woke to sapience, sits atop the disk of bronze i carry, perusing the sketching of several runes we have found during our time the the lands of Duras. Derkin, a recently freed bandit and our newest member, leads the two carts we now own, with the bag of 140 Duran marks, the worth of some forty seven, forty eight heads of prime steer, as well as a goodly supply of canvas, used to cover all the supplies that we pillaged from our war on the Duran bandits.

The day wears on as our group of twenty six continues to trek forward, the lighting flashing some dozen more times before ten minutes pass, before it finally stops. Most interesting. The rest of the day proves uneventful, but rain starts to threaten more heavily in the darkening clouds, and as night falls droplets begin to fall. I decide to maintain our march, and none argue as we continue to seek a place for shelter. We march on, late into the night, all grabbing what food we need as we march.

[DAY 59]

The rains continue unabatingly, but through the Premen's impressive stamina and my decision to simply transport the humans on my hand, we manage to reach a town by mid-day, the rain still unceasing, but the temperature has slowly climbed since the early morning, and the chill is not nearly as biting as it was earlier, and none complain. When we arrive in the town, I find some several dozen villagers huddled up defensively about an old man, awaiting out arrival. The old man calls out to me, in turns sounding fearful and angry.

"What do you want?!"


How should I respond? And what should I say?

a place for your men to rest. and ask if the bandits that plague them come from the direction you are going.

Respond in kind, but have a convincing tone of voice. Ask if they've seen the bandits and in which direction.

>>156908
>>156926

I'm against saying we're anti-bandit immediately. We're pretty close to bandit territory, so there is a chance this guy is one of their informants or something...

Hmm...even though I'm against immediately giving away our position...I can't really think of any better way of getting information/trust though...

>>156938
Placing my vote with the cessation of the bandit hunting for now. We have to get more info before we reveal ourselves as hostile.

Well, I guess its time to spread word of ourselves again, and it has occurred to me that we are likely to be hunted by people who want to know how we control the golem from afar... oh well comes with the territory.

"Greetings, I am Mage Modre. I seek refuge from the elements for my men"

>>156908
>>156938
>>157021
I trudge forward, slipping into my role of mage Mordre as I address the villagers while the rain starts to finally worsen, slowly becoming a deluge.

"Greetings, citizens of The Azelhaedran State! This golem you see before you is controlled by I, the mage Mordre, And I seek refuge from the elements for my apprentice and other followers. They have been awake and marching for quite some time, And they need some rest. I'll admit I could also use some more current news, Should you be willing to speak with me."

At first the villagers recoil as my words ring out, having been looking at Arkus previously, but as I make claim to being a mage commanding the golem, much the same as they had assumed was the case, they seem to settle down. Putting together my polite address and the relatively uniform appearance of my troops, despite their scale, the villagers seem to relax, releasing fears of being attacked or pillaged. But the village elder, as I presume the one they gather about must be, seems to remain skeptical

"For what reason would a mage with such resources come here?
I must know this before our village could welcome you,
We cannot afford to make enemies."

I consider the old man, and estimate there is a realistic possibility that they might feed information to local forces, be they insurgent, rogue, or state, and so decide to sum my cover, both to establish some credence, and to give a relatively neutral presented reason.

"I am here for several reasons, actually. I am here to gain field data on their performance, That is, the Alchemical warriors you see with me. I am also here to show some State magic to this one, My apprentice, Arkus. Of course, I have no intention of seeing civilians come to harm, So if you do not mind, I would very much like to get my fellows inside."

My persistent courtesy seems to be weighing heavily in my favor, as the established high esteem for mages I was told would be found here now surfaces, as villagers intent on ingratiating themselves to a mage now hound their elder, who finally relents.

"...Of course, my apologies, this is no time to bandy words. Please, bring your men this way, we have an old barn that should suffice to house all of them. My name is Velneth, and I am sorry if I have offended, but times have been harsh."

As Velneth finishes tottering over to the barn, and making sure the roof is holding soundly while my followers get under it's cover, he steps inside with us, the whole village now starting to gather about the barn. As the two carts, are brought in, I am thankful for the chill inside and the fact we placed a cloth over Verther's corpse, as that could have made this introduction go poorly. After we manage to get everything stowed away, I turn to find the elder and some half the village crowded into the barn, the elder looking irritated, the villagers filled with wonder.

"..Now, while I would prefer to ask you this in private, as you can see it has been some time since a mage has passed through our little town. So, if I may, sir mage, could you be more specific about why you are here? I mean, to do 'field tests' of your warriors, ah, you would need to fight someone, yes? Who are you planning to gain this 'field test' data from, as it were? I hate to be so intrusive, but there are certain sorts we can't afford to shelter, I am afraid to say."


How should I respond?

Depends. You've found that just walking around will have plenty of test subjects just throw themselves at you.

>>157206
"Lets be honest, this state is full of greedy fools hellbent upon seeking power through means they will never understand, causing massive collateral damage to villages such as your own. The governing powers will not intervene because they only give a damn about their own affairs. Tell me, would you beg and cry out for me to stop if the people of this village were suddenly freed of bandits and mercenaries ransacking their homes? Is that not a more favorable lifestyle than huddling in a terrified mass everytime a group of strangers comes within a hundred feet of your village?"

>>157213
Lol

>>157224
second

>>157213
Allow me to clarify. Say something along the lines of "Oh, whoever. Honestly, just walking around with my men tends to attract plenty of willing... Research Assistants."

>>157224
>>157227
>>157275
>>157224

"Oh, anyone, really, could serve to make field data. Tromping this golem about tends to attract plenty of that sort of attention, Without my need to seek out foes. I imagine someone will aggress our group, at which point I shall find my 'data'. But let me table these talks about my personal research, I am not very familiar with the state of... the State, So perhaps you could tell me more current news? As far as I know, rogue elements have claimed much of the state, Using the weapons they find in the stolen research outposts to run rampant, leaving many villages much like your own in lack of proper protection. The State is still a long ways away from offering relief to the more distant citizens, Is this not so? And I have heard tell of insurgents of some sort as well. Honestly, the situation here sounds hectic enough without me bumbling about, Unwittingly making things worse while I travel due to lack of knowledge. Perhaps you all could assist with that?"

Whatever the town elder may have been about to say, he is drowned out by a deluge of voices, the crowd about us now pithcing in their own bits of knowledge. It proves a chore to even pull specific bits of data from the flood of words. As people start to repeat data points paraphrased to their own mannerisms enough, I elect to afford some measure of reliability to the claim, and after a surprisingly short time of sifting through all they say, I find several points pop up several times:

-This village is called Trekel.
-Trekel has been mostly safe from harm, too far from any outpost to be targeted.
-Trekel views The Azelhaedran State positively.
-To the south a Mercenary group has gained claim to some three or four research facilities.
-To the north, a group of bandits has gained command of at least one facility
-Neither group has bothered Trekel, the Bandits are busy fighting someone north of them, the mercenaries busy building new fortifications with nearby villagers to provide labor.
-The Insurgents are/were citizens upset at the condition of the State.
-The Insurgents have claimed three research outposts in total, the nearest directly down the road that cuts through the village.
-Trekel has mixed sentiments towards the insurgents, as they have fought the bandits and those who hold research outposts, but they also forcibly conscript citizens, and seize goods from villagers.
-There are some five other villages nearby, but travel is rare considering the lawless state of the land, so their status is unknown.

It takes the Trekel elder some time, but finally he manages to quiet the villagers, once more addressing me.

"Well, if you manage to get rid of bandits and in general restore order to the State, I imagine only other vagabonds would find this disagreeable. I do request that you not engage any military force that identifies itself as part of the state.... not that one has been seen in these parts for some time. ...So, do you plan to stay long in Trekel, or do you plan to move on after the rains stop? You do have some rather.... large... followers, and if you stay for any prolonged period, food may become an issue. Several of our fields have been appropriated by some opportunistic raiders, and food has grown somewhat scarce, so we have little to offer, I am afraid."

It would seem I am no longer being questioned with such scrutiny, even the village elder now accepting my presence, at least for the moment. I have gained a great deal of information, and now I wonder, what shall I do with all the new-found data?


What should I say or do?

>>157520
Alrighty, it seems to me that we've got our work cut out for us. We should definitely go rub out those bandits in the north first, having our own base of operations will REALLY help us here. Methinks we should also make friends with the mercenary group in the south. The insurgents, as much as I would like to sympathize with them, must either be done away with or brought to justice in the towns they've plundered. It's one thing to fight for something you believe in; their cause IS a valid one given that the state is almost in shambles, but extorting the already slighted villagers? Hell, thats worse than not fighting at all. If we do manage to take out the bandits + the insurgents, thats four outposts under our control. The only thing that worries me is that we won't have enough forces to split between four outposts, but if they are small enough, I think a bit of Magnetomacy might solve our problem.


But that's just thinking ahead, what we need to right now is prove that we're not just going to mooch off of these people. Ask what we can do to make ourselves useful. In fact, tell the premen to go hunting and set up some traps around the perimeter of the village. We could cut down some trees as well, and fortify the crap out of this place.

I am also in favor of walking North and bashing the bandits against whoever they're fighting, if bandit hunting here would prove ineffectual. Ask the Elder which would be more effective, if possible. If the northern bandits are fighting the state, question the state about it's problems. If insurgents, question the insurgents about the problems they want to express, if nameless horrors the bandits unleashed from their research outpost, help bandits kill/tame the beasts and then kill the bandits until they get the message of cut that out and stop unleashing things from the great wheel, or the glass tubes, or the sphere or where ever said nameless horror crawled out from.

Also, ask where the other villages are so we can check in on them later, if we need to. If possible have Derkin and/or Arkus start a map of where we have been so we know the lay of our future empire.

Also, are Jojo and Arkus still trying to talk their magic language? Suggest that Arkus continue on that, and offer some of our own suggestions to the pile. Of course, this is a 'while we can' suggestion, not to be enacted right now, but whenever Arkus, Jojo, or ourselves has a chance to talk.

Question-note: Do we still have our bushbeard? Because we should totally still have our bushbeard and we should put it on and stroke it when we think.

Actually, we should try and adopt some mannerisms the next time we talk. Start stroking out 'beard' as we think. Something so we build up the eccentric character of a wise, of slightly foolish, mage who is the only one who can control a Soulgrave from a great distance. Other suggestion: Tea Breaks!

lets stay away from insurgents for now, we should get a better understanding of the situation before we get involved.

Lets find the nearest bandit-owned research facility and establish a base there, so arkus can continue his studies

>>157626

I agree with this. Let's kill the bandits first b/c they are on nobody's side. So by killing them we gain favor with everyone.

I also agree with avoiding the government vs insurgent struggle for now. We don't know which side has a more "legitimate" reasons. And even if one side has an extreme moral high ground, we may not want to ally with them b/c they are losing horribly.

I like the idea of the map and support the idea of taking out the bandits if possible. If possible we should scout them first though. I also think we do need to help with the magic language a bit more now that we know magic ourself.

>>157592
>>157603
>>157626
I decide that while the insurgents and the state both seem a bit too shallowly understood to interact with just yet, the bandits to the north sound like straightforward target. However, I feel that I should start working towards the creation of a better opinion of my group, by performing some sort of service for the town of Trekel while I stay here. I consider how the rain means nothing to me, and that I have shown myself capable of using my blade launcher to fell trees, coupled with the forests I have seen about the landscape. While certainly not as tall as the red trees of the Duran forest, these trees bear thick, massive trunks, all their branches and fruit growing from the very summit of the obelisk-like trunk that comprises the majority of the tree's bulk. I estimate such trees could very easily converted into thick enough logs to erect a sturdy wall about the village, and considering that I need not stop for rest or sleep, and could carry whole trees myself.

I turn to Arkus and Jojo both after taking a bite out of the bronze disk and setting it down, and explain my desire to see them resume working on the magic based language, and learning more of each of their languages. Jojo informs me that he only briefly heard of the language from the Drazken shamans, but that he shall endeavor to learn. Arkus agrees readily enough, admitting that by now he has read the few book we salvaged enough times to have memorized them, or near enough. I turn to the elder and townspeople of Trekel, and make an offer in a move to gain support.

"Well, I happen to need to run some mobility tests, To make sure I am attuning myself properly to the Soul Grave, of course. For this test, I imagine I shall be generating a large amount of lumber, And a need to drive it into the ground, testing strength capacities and such. Tell me: Could the village of Trekel do with a wall?"

I see smiles brighten faces at my proclamation, but the elder immediately calls out several names, and some two dozen residents step forth, looking a bit confused. The elder simply addresses them, while speaking to me betwixt his commands to the villagers, intent on seeing industrious use of time.

"Go grab your tools for gathering, and the largest sacks, follow this kind mage and check the canopies of the trees he fells, look for fruits, eggs, birds, anything worth salvaging. I want the rest of you to be ready at the warehouse with as many bags, baskets and barrels as we have, as much wood as a golem this size could fell should have a wealth of bounty in their branches. ..Ah, my apologies if I offended, but we must be diligent when resources appear, with our fields still controlled by bandits. If it is no obstruction to your... 'tests,' may we villagers follow along?"

"If the weather does not offend you, As you must endure it in person, Then by all means, follow me on my evaluations."

I briefly command my followers to stay and rest, and that should the rains stop before I finish my task, that they should start hunting and planning traps and earthworks that could be used to the benefit of Trekel. I march out into the rain with the majority of Trekel's population still running about to get ready, and march out into a patch of forest nearby, sending my blades whirling out with a firm grip on their paths through Magnetomancy. Trees fall in droves, and I simply grasp a trunk in my hand before it falls with the rest, lopping off the sprout of canopy on the top and cutting a point into one end with the Sable Executioner, before I start appraising the village's perimeter. In the time it took me to do this, little has happened in the village, eyes staring in wonder, before the elder starts yelling and action resumes. I plant the first part of the wall about the village of Trekel as the villagers start to swarm about, and resume my toil.

Night has fallen by the time the villagers stop following my progress, simply because they have packed all their containers full of edibles from the trees, and they won't have things packed away so the containers may be reused till sometime tomorrow, but the elder promises me there will be little sleep in the village, and none will complain. I continue to work, setting tree trunk after tree trunk as a slowly growing wall about the village proper, laboring unceasingly through the night.

[DAY 60] ONE MONTH HAS PASSED, -1 SOUL AS FUEL (total: 471)

Some time before dawn, when I have some third of the wall up, working with the same intensity I had the moment I started, I consider that all this effort is likely providing a wonderful charge to my Amaranthine Annihilator. Several hours later, as the wall approaches halfway done, with the sun climbing, the rain finally stops. The Premen exit the shed some time thereafter, still in their gear, though their weapons discreetly left within the barn, make their way out to the wall I have started, and begin making an earthwork ramp, an artificial hill to complement the new barricade and provide better protection. They have made considerable progress by the time the Trekel villagers finally start to emerge, but they set to their work with a much greater will, flooding into the mass of discarded tree tops to harvest more fruit and anything else of worth they can find. For some several hours after that everyone labors toward their own pursuits, all aware the others worked towards a similar goal, if along a different path, and I surmise that the fleshlings feel at least some form of empathy over this act. A useless sentiment, but one I should be aware of if I am to be a competent leader.

While the fleshlings, Premen and human alike all take a break to have a meal, one of the Premen brought over my bronze disk, and after I grabbed a few bites I set back to my work. The day is once more returned to communal work after the meal, and until night falls I labor alongside many, but the villagers retire with the sun, having salvaged all they could while the light remained. The Premen work alongside me much later into the night, slowly catching up to me with their earthwork modifications. They finally retire deep in the night, after having run out of room, at last having reached me. Oggroth and Ugrokk both nod at one another before they return to the barn with the rest of the Premen, and I once more labor alone.

[DAY 61]

As dawn finally arrives I drive the last stake into the ground, finishing a wall surrounding the village save for the road that passes through, with several trunks set aside at each entrance. I enter the barn after circling the village once to assess the overall wall, and ask the Premen to finish the earthworks, as the wall is up. They set to work without complaint, and I see the elder exiting his house, already asking a question.

"..So, what kind of defensive implement do you have planned for the road? I'll admit we don't have all that much rope, should that matter for whatever setup you think is best. No one has a horse either, and... well, we haven't had a trader or much of any visitors in a while, so I don't know how open the road really needs to be. What do you think, honorable mage Mordre?"


What type of defense should I suggest for a road some ten feet wide, with sheer tree trunks and relatively little rope to work with? And after I complete the final defenses, should we do anything more here before we travel north to seek a bandit controlled research outpost? Or should I do something else?

No idea about more defences, but ask the elder if there are any local bandit camps we can break up as we travel north. nd just where these five other villages are - map making, remember?

Definitely need to get to map making when we get a chance. What are the limbs and leaves like from the trees? Sometimes those can be formed to make crude ropes if of the proper material. Otherwise I think a series of logs stuck in the road like the walls or earthen barriers designed more as road blocks to keep people from rushing in at a straight line would work if there's no rope or chains available.

We could always build a gatehouses at both entrances. Have the things fitted with a couple of arrow slits, a murder hole or two, and a portcullis at the front with heavy doors at the actual entrances of the town. While we're working on that have the townspeople draw us a map, perhaps making known safe routes and areas of interest. The town and our crew should be fit for battle after all that and we could get a move onto more bandit slaying.

>>157766
That would require a bit more time and effort than we're likely able to provide with nothing more than tree trunks and a small amount of rope. Also, as far as I know we're not even an amateur carpenter- at best, we could run a few more "weapons tests" to slash the logs into generally desired shapes.

Anyway, any defenses are only as good as the people manning them, and making the town too bastion-like would only make them a tempting location for someone else to capture and fortify.

i would say a nice gate would do. use magnetomancy to make some nails to hold the trunks together.

Anonymous 2010/04/01(Thu)22:35 No. 157784 ID: 2aaaf1
File 127018653462.jpg - (47.42KB , 610x1167 , initial layout.jpg )

>>157742
If it would be possible, construct a medium sized tower in the middle of the village. Dig out the bottom first to make a floor of the tower underground, make this big enough to fit most of the residents plus their important crops/resources. The surface level segment of the tower will be the entry point, this level will have it's own walls for protection, adorn the ground inside the walls with any traps the premen can manange. The final floor, should be littered with tiny "windows" so that any villagers trained with bows can take pot-shots at any incoming raiders. The general idea of the tower is to give Trekel a place to fall back to in case of pillagers, because even with a wall, defending from two sides while everyone panics is NOT a winning combination. The tower gives these people a place that they can defend from without having to engage bloodthirsty gangs of bandits.
Stop me if I'm being too ambitious.

>>157784
if you want to hang here for a month then sure we can do this. but we are not going to stand around that long, our premen want fights and while they understand a good defense these are warriors not builders.

I would suggest some elaborate DF class defensive system but we are on a schedule.
Voting for wooden gate held together with Magnet crafted nails. Fortified with holes to shoot arrows through.
You can make the holes with the Sable Executioner and the villagers can smooth and cover it. Fortifying the walls around it in like manner would be good too.
I just thought, If you can take the drill from the AGC out, you can use it to make holes for the fortifications.

>>157787
I just want to make these people self-sufficient, I don't wanna come back here and find their heads on pikes and the village burning.

Hey wait a minute-
>rope
>wood
>random sharp objects
Can't we just make these guys some cheapass flails and tell Oggroth to Mulan the crap out of Trekel?

>>157763
>>157766
>>157780
I ask the elder to construct a map of every known trail in the area, and where the nearby villages and research outposts are, as far as they know. He accepts my request with a bow, returning to his house immediately thereafter.

I work to drive several tree trunks into the ground as a screen forcing any attempting to pass to slow and make their way warily about, lest they crash. I then add a lip to the inside of the wall about each entrance, and cut out some arrow slits for the villagers, having noted at least some bore bows when foraging amongst the tree tops. Sadly, the wood's sturdiness, so useful as a wall, makes it's branches nonviable for using as any form of rope, so I abandon the treetops as I appraise the towns new defenses, the Premen finish expanding the earthworks the whole way about the village. While certainly not impregnable, this village now has a far more solid line of defense about their homes.... and I hope to find the elder awaiting me with a map. And besides, with the weight these branches represent, I doubt I could manufacture any form of hinge that could bear them, nor make a method for the villagers to manage such a heavy gate without excessive amounts of rope. So I feel pleased when I see the dense screen prevent issue when a Premen tries to pass it swiftly, his should catching and wrenching him to a standstill before he finally makes hi way through. Some simple pikes and spears could make trying to pass such a barrier a deathtrap, and with the arrow slits along the inner walls... well, I imagine the villagers can at least make use of this.

I reenter the town with the Premen, to find a feast to have been laid out while we completed our labor on giving the village a general fortification, and at the sight of how much Oggroth slavers as he unhinges his helmet to drool at the food, I cannot help but send the Premen on with orders to eat as if at a formal gathering, to prevent any clash of culture (I hope), after the elder assures me that with the food they gained while I built the walls, they could feed us a dozen times over to bursting and still have plenty for themselves. They seem to have nearly filled their warehouse with honey, fruits, some fungus, eggs, birds and a few snakes, their rations bountiful, and while they will do what they can to render some able to be stored for a long time, much of this will waste if not eaten. So I can reward the Premen without damaging my image as a considerate mage, excellent.

The elder shows me a roughly sketched map, with Trekel in the center.

-to the north, the woods stay intermittent, with some three villages interspersed throughout, before a general area is circled as having the bandit controlled research outpost they heard about somewhere within.
-farther north, a question mark has been drawn after some few more villages.
-to the east, the main road continues past another village before the research outpost marked as being along a river, labeled as belonging to the insurgents.
-farther east, some area is shown as belonging to the state, an outpost called Corthkota and several villages encircled and noted as safe. An arrow points farther east and simply says State.
-to the south, two villages are nearby, before some goodly distance below several more villages are drawn, clustered about several research outposts, all marked as under the control of the mercenaries mentioned earlier.

Interesting.... I hear the elder draw breath, and attend to his speech.

"This is as best we can tell accurate, though the more distant places might have out of date names, some news is old... anyway, I wanted to once more apologize for viewing you with such suspicion when you arrived, but with the food and defenses you provided us with, we can easily fend off at least roaming bandits, if not those armed from an outpost. Heh, but then, fighting someone warmed with magic weaponry like that would be a fools game for us. ...I have to ask though, even though you have helped us so much.... will you help us yet again? Our farm fields, to the south and north both, have been taken over by some vagabonds, and we cannot use our own fields. The food we gained now will only last so long, and without our fields, we could only prosper for so long...."


What should I say or do?

Sure, why the hell not, you probably have to anyways, to "acquire test data" and keep your cover. Inquire about the vagabonds. How many? Any known group affiliations? Are they scruffy looking nerf herders or gruff-looking professionals?

Gain allies + satisfy Premen war-lust? I say that equals win, though I am still wary from the 'warm welcome' the Yeti gave us.

>>157805
Clearing out the farms shouldn't be too much of a problem, it's protecting them from further assaults that disturbs me. Without further tools and knowlege, the most we could do for these people is make more wooden walls. Perhaps when we get to raiding that bandit controlled outpost, we'll find something to boost defensive capabilities.

getting the peoples fields back sounds like a good start, means we can get food from them at a later point. so head north first?

>>157809

Do this. Scout + Information gather...then we'll hit them like the goddamn 20 ton box of metal we are...

When we do ANYTHING regarding the bandits in their farm lands, do it at night. They will most likely torch the place the moment they see us, because fighting a giggantic metal man isn't worth the free meal ticket they have now.

>>157809
Note to everyone: Vagabonds =/= bandits. Let us find out about these people. Vagabonds could be a useful information network. If they are bandits, wipe them out.

Yes, yes, very social and not the warrior-like, but we're going to build an empire. We need to be a scalpel and not the battle ax. Sad, yes, but a truth we need to understand here.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/04/02(Fri)14:14 No. 158046 ID: d1210a
File 127024287059.jpg - (52.61KB , 700x454 , Northern Field House.jpg )

>>157809
>>157810
>>157828
>>157852
>>157900
>>157927
>>157941
I consider the northern field to be a likely target: If I claim the bandit-occupied research outpost to the north, then there should be little risk of new tenets to the field from that direction after I purge the bandits, and as the villagers have a much more defensible home now, they could at least fend off minor threats to the field, or so I hope. Besides, I imagine the Trekel elder labeled the occupants as vagabonds for a reason, perhaps they have a reason for their displacement I might find relevant. Finally, the northern field is along the way to the bandit-owned research outpost, or so the map implies. Not needing to deviate from my path aids my decision making process.

"Well, I do have tests to perform, true enough, But the northern field seems to be marked as along the way, To those venturing towards the bandit-occupied facility. Since it is right along the way, I see no reason to not stop in, And assess the situation. But I do need to be off, so once I have freed up your northern field, Keeping it safe, and the possible reclamation of the southern field, Will have to fall on your shoulders for now. I have to establish a legitimate base of operations here as soon as possible, Before I can start worrying about restoring order in it's totality. Between the food you gained, your new defenses and the northern fields, I imagine you shall fare a great deal better after my departure."

I glance about the area, noting that the feasting seems to be winding down, and give the Premen orders to clean themselves up and claim their gear, we shall be marching soon. As they make their way to the barn, I motion to the elder to show me the way to the northern fields, hoping to prevent him from trying once more to gain my assistance with the southern fields as well. His insistent requests that continue even as I provide significant aid has proven to be somewhat irritating, and I would rather simply move on for now, lest I break my cover. After mumbling to himself for a moment the elder starts tottering along, refusing the aid of a villager offering a cane, and slowly marches out of the village, heading to the north. I periodically take a step or two forward, keeping abreast of my aged guide, and after some time the Premen, Arkus and Derkin are all arrayed behind my, Oggroth having hung the bronze disk about his mount's neck as makeshift armor, while Derkin and Arkus both carry the many documents and journals Arkus carries. After a period where the entirety of our group slowly plods along behind the Trekel elder, he points out a set of plain fields, with a large building with a barn and silo beside it roughly in the middle.

"The vagrants holed up in there, and shoot arrows at us if we get too close. They haven't come out to attack us beyond that, but they haven't answered us when we tried addressing them beyond shooting at us. After Beloy got an arrow in the shoulder, we stopped trying to talk to them. Please, sir mage, anything you can do we appreciate."

I peer at the buildings more closely, and note that I can see planks nailed into most windows, leaving only a few slits through which arrows could fly, but otherwise, I see no movement about the buildings whatsoever. As the town elder starts to make his way back to town, I consider our options as my group and I stand several hundred feet away from the buildings in the center of Trelek's northern fields.


What should I do?

1) Fire Cannon into wall
2) Charge through new door
3) Feast on delicious souls nomnomnom

>>158062
Hush.

>>158046
Walk forward and bellow out from them to come out and talk. Ask them their grievances and what caused them to become to defend this house so fervently. Tell them that if they do not stop shooting arrows at you will break apart this house and rend them limb from limb and stem to stern and devour their souls - that is if the Elder is out of listening range at this point, of course. As we walk forward, and they haven't stopped shooting or answered, we ram our hand through the wall and pull out one of the vagabonds, still engaging them in polite conversation. This is of course staying true to the fact that they are just going to shower us with arrows - which we much magnetically direct toward ourselves and our least important parts.
If this is not the case and they start with stuff that can damage us, we just charge the wall and disable everyone - slice tendons, bash them just hard enough, etc, etc.

>>158062

I disagree with this. We should try and kill them without destroying the buildings...I'm not exactly sure about how best to go about it, but considering the level of threat they supply...I don't think it will be difficult...

>>158062
"Knock-knock."

>>158088
Yes, you're right, I guess we should talk a little. Stand a good deal away from the house and shout "Oi, what's all this then". If they don't answer, shout "Come on now, I haven't got all day." If they still don't answer, see >>158062

>>158088
I'm not advising collapsing the building, just putting in a new door. We could just board over it.

And actually now that I read the description of the building more closely, I doubt we will even have to fire the cannon. Just walk through the wall.

Or maybe we could send out ghosts.

Dude, guys, what is hard about this? Walk up to the building. What are they gonna do, shoot arrows at you? You are a giant scary golem, they are not going to ignore your requests to parley over the alternative of just dying like punks.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/04/02(Fri)15:53 No. 158103 ID: d1210a
File 127024881256.jpg - (59.60KB , 700x523 , Northern Field House Approached.jpg )

>>158086
I advance on the house, leaving my compatriots to stay out of range as I approach the house. As I trundle forward, an arrow sails out, and strikes my shoulder. It deflects off without causing any harm, but I note it has no arrow head, just a sharpened tip to the wooden shaft. Without any metal in the arrows, I cannot alter their paths, not that such pittances as this could harm me. I turn to look back, noting the elder is still walking, long out of hearing range, well on his way back to the village. I turn back to the mass of buildings as I near them, and address the occupants as a second arrow impacts my form with similarly negligible results.

"I would know your grievances, occupants of these houses, As the villagers of Trekel wish to regain their fields, And once more grow crops on the lands you have let become fallow. Perhaps I can convince you to leave peacefully?"

The arrows continue to come intermittently, and no voices respond. Indeed, I still have not been able to see any occupants, though the arrow slits are narrow enough that the interior is all but obscured in shadow. I continue to march forward, and as I draw nearer to the house call out once more as arrows continue to rain down on me to no effect.

>>158088
>>158092

"Now what kind of welcome is this for a mage? I know the golem I'm controlling is a bit imposing, But it must be obvious I am here to talk, not fight, And besides, I don't expect your arrows will do you any good. Now, I ask again, tell me why you have claimed this home, And refuse entry to the owners?"

Again, there is no response, and again, there is no change in the rate of arrows fired at my form, sneaking out of the cracks between the boarded windows whenever I look away. One more time I try addressing the house as I draw within some several dozen feet of it, letting irritation bleed into my voice.

"Now I have tried being polite, but this is not your home: Either parlay with me, or be ready to be forcibly ejected."

I make my way down the stone steps built into the ground about the boarded building, and as I draw near, taking the lack or response as a reason to simply break my way in and slaughter the inhabitants, I hear a voice, soft, broken, and raw..... and filled with fear.

"...R-rrr...R-ruun.... Run awaay..."

I pause, my fist still poised, ready to smash a hole in the wall, as I assess the voice. It continues to mumble in incoherent fear, over and over saying 'Run away,' the words broken and disjointed, before the voice simply fades away. I turn to my right as I hear a rock fall, noting that a stone dislodged from one of the retaining walls.... and that there seems to be a door around the corner, from the sound of squeaking hinges. The rain of arrows continues in the same sporadic rate evidenced since I got close enough to the house.


What should I do?

>>158103
"Fool, come speak with me. If you run, you die. I can pursue you for days if need be. I wish to see an end to this idiocy, as do the inhabitants of the village Trekel. NOW, WE WILL HAVE WORDS, OR WE WILL HAVE BLOODSHED. THE CHOICE IS YOURS."

Kids?

>>158121
What? How would that even be possible? We're being pelted by arrows right now. You're telling me a whole group of orphans aquired and learned how to use a bunch of bows, and then holed up here? Well in any case, lets go check that door and see just what we're dealing with.

>>158129
What your saying its not possible? Of course it is. That for one would explain why they don't answer. If people figure out that they are kids then they are in trouble.

But yea that was just an out-of-the-blue guess.

>>158103

We should be very cautious at this stage. Either that person was afraid of us or it is afraid of something else and was trying to warn us or something. Prudence dictates we be cautious in case the second scenario is true...

>>158131
Not saying it ISN'T possible, just unlikely. A bunch of kids running around shooting things with arrows in a place like this? I'm really suprised they've not been blown to smithereens, what with the bandits and such waving about powerful experimental magical weapons.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/04/02(Fri)16:43 No. 158146 ID: d1210a
File 12702518073.jpg - (81.05KB , 700x525 , Northern Field House Basement Door.jpg )

>>158121
>>158129
>>158132
I consider the possibility of the voice having belonged to a child, and but am unable to be sure with the words no longer audible. I decide that children are relatively unlikely.... but the strange response I am being met with intrigues me. For now, I decide to round the corner the rock dropped from, and appraise the door I believe I hear, hinges groaning harshly in the still day.

As I come about to the side of the house, I spy a door, set low, likely to a basement, closed but devoid of fortification. As I approach, I witness the door thump, the hinges crying out, but no damage is done, and the door remains shut. I observe the door shifting again and again, each time rattling as if something is trying to open it from the insider, yet despite the lack of visible locks, it is strange that whatever is testing the door does not, or cannot open it. As I come to a halt before the door, I make note of the cloud coverage having shifted, practically draining the light out of the landscape about me, the world tinged gray and lifeless. I address the inhabitants, still shooting arrows at me without any hesitation, their assault equally useless and unrelenting, hoping that someone will finally take the time to answer, and this can be resolved with some greater gain than simple souls of stubborn squatters.

"I believe I have been quite tolerant up till now, But my patience and time both wear thin at your response. Now someone, speak with me, or I shall tear this house down about you!"

The arrows continue, and the silence I am met with initially leads me to believe this attempt at communication to be fruitless. But soon enough I hear a quavering voice issuing forth from the door before me, which positively seems to vibrate in it's hinges while the voice slips by.

"Can you let me out? I'm not allowed to leave unless someone opens the door,
And everyone already left.... it's cold and dark down here, and I don't like it."

Oh? A response, finally? But the voice, while clearly that of a child, does not at all match the one I heard earlier, not even remotely. I consider the door before me in the colorless world, watching it jiggle and rattle as if in anticipation of my response.


What should I say or do?

>>158146
"What do you mean, -everyone left-? I'm still getting shot at out here." Whatever, open the door.

>>158146

we might want to force the barn door open, a near silent contionious arrow attack seems pretty odd after seing how it only annoys us. mabey its some sort of motion detecting magic?

open the door, of course

Am I really the only one getting the ghost story vibe here? Don't go doing just whatever any spooky voice tells you to.

>>158165
thats why i said open the barn door not the celler with the crepy voice

>>158165
Votan

Actually, im getting a reverse Vampire thing here. Needing permission to get out rather than in, funny.

>>158165
Agreed. This is most likely some sort of supernatural creature.
Try to use magnetomancy to sense metals inside. As was mentioned before, bodies contain trace amount of iron inside, so you probably can detect them.
Afterwards, interrogate elder. I think there are couple things he failed to mention.

>>158167
>>158168

Agreed. Let's bust a hole in the wall (non structurally damaging) and make our entrance from there. If it's a trap, we'll at least hold some kind of advantage. If it isn't, then no problem...the kid will be scared for a minute...but thats it...

>>158169
I'm kind of thinking the same thing. Can the spirits from your fist phase through walls and such? If so, summon some up and send them in. I wonder if they can report back to you with what they see, or only cut things.

Actually, fuck it, bust open the wall and eat souls.

i think we are starting to overthink this a bit, lets have a look at the archers and then open up the cellar. rebember were a 10-20 ton soul eating death machine, even if theres some sort of hidious monster in there we can probaly killit with one hand tied behind our back

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/04/02(Fri)18:12 No. 158208 ID: d1210a
File 127025713828.jpg - (47.79KB , 700x525 , Northern Field Fortified Barn.jpg )

>>158148
>>158162
I begin to reach for the door, the faded colors of the world dwindling even further into a simple gray-scale as my hand approaches the handle, sound fading into a simple drone...

>>158154
>>158165
>>158168
But I hesitate..... the door, no matter how I look at it, is not locked, the most feeble of fleshlings could manage this door so long as they can manage a latch.... so why does the child not open it themselves? And why would they say no one is present when I am still being bombarded with arrows? Something is not right.

>>158174
recalling what Ugrokk saw the presumed Magnetomancer in the woods of Duras do, I cast out my senses, seeking the iron in blood, seeking the inhabitants of the house. ....While I can discern the metals born on body and in blood by my companions still on the edge of the field, I cannot sense any.... wait... down, down below, some several dozen feet beneath the level on which I stand, I can feel the grainy texture of iron in blood, a massive reserve of it situated beneath my feet, but other than that, not a whisper of metal in this house, not even a single tool. Stranger and stranger still.

I activate the Spectral Gorging Anima, and place my hand near the stone walls about the door, and phase the ghostly skull full of teeth and hunger through the stone, before withdrawing my hand, and appraising the skull some time thereafter. It seems clear there was no flesh to be seen, as the skull still seems sluggish, inactive, but otherwise I can tell nothing about what may be within.

As yet another arrow bounces off my head, I decide that before I concern myself with the contents of the basement, that I should deal with the annoying arrows coming down upon my head. I return to the main structure's entrance, making note that color once more seems to return to the landscape, the entry still blocked off with pieces of wood and other obstructions, and prepare to smash down the door, after waiting long enough to be certain the pleading voice does not follow me away from the cellar. After satisfying myself in this respect, I couch my fist, and shatter the door with a swipe of my hand.

I stoop down and peer within the house, to be greeted with a strange scene. A bow floats above the ground, and as I stare orients on me, a simple arrow simply fading into view on the string, before it snaps off, yet another arrow striking my form to no effect. After firing upon me, the bow floats across the floor, occupying a place before a different window nailed mostly shut, and waits as another arrow fades into view. I duck out before the second arrow finds it's mark, but not before making note that before each boarded up window, I saw a charred outline of a body emblazoned on the ground. There may be more to see within the barn, but I would have to make a significantly larger hole to enter, considering my stature. As I ponder what all this could mean, I hear the door to the cellar rattle again, a plaintive cry reaching out to me. Out of curiosity, I once more seek out the iron that could be found in the blood of any human.... and find none near the cellar door, even as it continues to rattle.


What should I do?

just soulfire! we want whatever is in there to leave. soulfire will kill any humans caught, and will burn the shit out of anything potent enough to attempt to take us on

no, reverse that. perhaps it is incorporeal spirits, held together by the energy in the place.

>>158190
as i said, whatever it is we can probaly take it out. open up the barn a bit more and get a proper look inside. see if we can deactivate the magic bow. then see whats in the cellar

>>158222
Spirits and ghosts arn't the same ans soldiers. While we're powerful in the physical realm, it's possible we are vulnerable in the spiritual realm. Our great number of souls is likely a help, and IG's power to create soul soldiers might be of use here, but at the very least, we have less knowledge of fighting incorpreal enemies. We should be cautious.

>>158222
I agree with this. In the beginning, I wanted to keep the barn intact so that the villagers would be happy, but our safety comes first...we need to break this barn open...Let us shape the playing field and gain the advantage...rather than playing on someone elses home ground...

There is a spirit doing all of this. Suck it in.

Leave the barn intact.

>>158235
This idea has merit. Let's see if consuming whatever ghost is haunting this place is possible.

Wait a tic. Is the iron in the blood in the 'Massive reserve' you sense moving? Because generally... If blood isn't moving around, that means it isn't in a living body with a working heart, so that means whatever owns it is dead. Or worse.

>>158208
Pull that iron up from the earth, see what follows.

...Fuck. Lets walk back and talk to our mages. We're kinda out of our depth with winning with spirits.

As for suggestions, I'm kinda in favor of talking. Asking what wants out, who bound it, and what happened. However, before soul sucking the thing out, I want to suggest talking to our mages - they might have some suggestions like, I don't know, a malevolent spirit bound to a soulgrave makes it go stupid-crazy.

As a note to everyone: massive reserve. Massive from a think that is giant in and of itself. Of Iron in blood, of which there is only a trace amount of anyway. That's a lot of blood.

>>158208
The whole setup looks rather strange.
Why villagers didn't even try to take the barn by themselves? Yes, they are peasants not warriors but even peasants will fight when pushed far enough, any likely starvation certainly will be such a push. Even crude tower shield made of branches/planks will stop these wooden arrow cold, unless they are enchanted (and if they ARE magical, why elder didn't warned us?)
There are something strange going on with a barn itself, where did that reservoir of the blood came from? Again, why elder didn't said anything about whatever inhabit it? He *had* to knew *something*.

>>158353
The villagers couldn't even get close, they stopped once one of their guys got shot. There is something fishy going on here, but I doubt it's the villagers who did it. At any rate, we need to stop dicking around outside and smash our way into that cellar.

they also weren't near starvation, they still had some food stored so they would likely last at least another week. after that they may have tried to rush the place, but not while food was still easy to get.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/04/02(Fri)21:12 No. 158371 ID: d1210a
File 127026796424.jpg - (221.02KB , 1000x754 , Northern Field Celler Entity.jpg )

>>158222
>>158229
>>158230
I appraise the barn once more, ignoring the arrows that periodically fly my way, as I look for a place to seek entry through. At this proximity, I can see the minor shuffle of movement of the bow within floating near to a boarded window beside me, and I act decisively, smashing my hand through the wall to grasp at the floating bow. I wrap my fingers about the aged and worn wood before it can slip away, and find the bow vibrating in my grasp, constantly seeking some method of release. It's frantic struggling eventually ignites the wood through sheer dint of friction against my implacable grip, whispery wails exuding from the wood as it shrivels and chars. Ash stains my hand heavily by the time I finally feel the wood struggle no longer in my grasp, and a black powder flows away from my hand as I tentatively open it, dispersing in the air under the command of the idle winds flitting about. I stand motionless for a time, awaiting further action from the house I have now broken two holes into, through window and door both, waiting for some form of response.

....After enough time has passed some half dozen arrows would have struck me had I not dealt with the bow with no further action from the house, I deduce that whatever magic or spirits may have animated the bow dispersed when it was destroyed. The sudden rattling and groaning of the cellar door once more draws my attention, and as my mind turns to it, a bit of color fades out of the land. I peer into the house before me through both openings again, looking for anything noteworthy that I may have missed, and see nothing that piques my interest.

I step back from the building, and glance at the grain silo, which has presented no form of issue the whole of my time in this field, before dismissing it, noting that it's door stands somewhat ajar, revealing it's barren interior.

>>158270
I reach out once more with Magnetomancy, seeking further data on the mass of grainy iron like that in blood I felt below, checking for movement.... to find the massive reservoir not flowing, but.... throbbing as if in time with some massive heart, simply expanding and contracting with a rhythmic beat.

>>158235
>>158236
Thus far, I feel confident that no mass of spirits can be found in the main building of the silo, leaving only the cellar where noises still emanate as a possible source for what I now feel confident is some form of haunting, the displaced spirits of the dead responsible for what has been witnessed. I sidle up to the door, noting that the vibrant colors of the area once more fall under a pall of gray as I near the door, and simply breath in, attempting to gather up any soul that could be present here. The door rumbles as if in protestation as the voice within pleads with me.

"Stop it it hurts, don't do that. Please, open the door, let me out."

The voice still sounds scared, pitiful.... and abruptly, the voice shifts into surprise.

"..Oh?"

The door bleeds through, it's wood staining black as the knots and swirls in the wood twist and turn. A face pulls into focus, a stark collection of outlines in the colorless realm I see.

"Please, let me out, I don't want to be down here anymore, I am so hungry...."

Again, the voice of a child pull through the wood, echoing from lungs that do not exist. Does this entity know no other method of deception than to sound like a child? But still.... what is it?

>>158318
I wonder what I could learn from Jojo and Arkus on this subject, as I find myself somewhat out of my depth, hauntings and... whatever this may be are not something I have memories pertaining to, sadly enough. I decide to walk away from the door, even as it continues to rattle, the occupant calling out with it's newly formed face mewling at me from the door. I turn the corner, and as I march up the stairs along the side of the house towards the fields, I slowly hear the door cease it's groaning, the voice fading away as I leave the area. I am still unassailed by arrows even as I return, and draw Arkus and Jojo forward to converse, with myself playing the interpreter if need be between them, to see what they can offer me on this find. I explain all that I have observed, noting the fade of color in particular that occurred every time I neared the door, and I see both Jojo and Arkus pale, with Jojo speaking first, Arkus still stunned.

"...If the colors of life fled the land, and it cannot leave on it's own, little else this could be but World Nightmare. Bad thoughts, things of planet, seeking entry to surface, to destroy, to rend asunder. Door must NOT be opened, World Nightmares like avalanche, cannot be fought, might too great. All die if door open. ....But wood door? What to do about when wood rots......"

Arkus finally speaks, his voice abruptly cracking with as much fear as I heard when I first disobeyed his attempts to control me when I first awoke.

"...Hah...haha... that, uh, well.... that sounds exactly like you are describing a Core Being, which, uh, is really bad. Because, if that IS a Core Being, then one of the.... things.... that live way, way down, beneath mountains and miles of stone, closer to the planet's core? Uh, well, some of them have destroyed entire cities when released. And, once one has gotten this close to the surface, it.... ah, it will just wait until the door that blocks it wears away. They do not grow impatient, or leave.... at least, not that I have ever heard. And once they get loose, they.... they rampage about for a week or so, before they... run out of steam, I guess. Usually someone cuts them down once they start getting too weak, but the weird thing is, the ones that die on their own fade away, and the ones that get killed leave nearly static remains, practically untouched by time I am babbling again I am sorry but I would really like to get away from where a Core Being may be.... ah, if, that is, we are actually dealing with a Core Being. It could.... be something else, maybe...."

Interesting....
I see the Premen looking over in interest, Derkin keeping himself out of earshot as he tends to the carts and oxen, clearly trying to stay uninvolved with whatever necessitated all three magic users to converse.


What should I do?

>>158371
Could we consult Lenryt about this? Seems to me that this is another "caged one" and Lenryt made short work of that other one.

>>158383
this sounds like a good idea

what if it is both? a young core being.

well not that we know what it is we can ask it different questions. such as what it eats, and if we could get food for it. or ask what it will do if it get's out.

>>158383
>>158384
[How would you contact Lenryt? You do not know where she is, nor did she leave a means of contact. She said SHE might contact YOU, if the need arises.]

>>158389
Well then, ask Arkus what would happen if we ate it whole. It was clearly affected by us merely breathing in, and besides, I'm anxious to see what powers we get from the soul of a core being.

Attempting to ingest souls was painful for it? maybe this could be a weapon, or maybe we were pulling it forcefully through the door, and if we keep it up it will escape anyway. Really need further consultation on this.

Build a better door in the meantime. The bow was clearly there to keep people away, and now we have left a powerful engine of destruction defended from the local countryside only by a person's ability to decide when not to open a door. I recomend piling rocks in front of the door while we decide what to do. If rocks are scarce, hey, there is a silo handy.

>>158371
I would like to point out that the bow being there makes no sense if the Core Being wanted to escape. It wants people to open the door, and the bow prevented that.

We just took out the prison warden. This is bad. We need to make sure nobody opens that door, EVER. Unless it's actually a weak Core Being? Ask how we could gauge its strength.

Also, check out the silo. Maybe the person responsible for the bow is in there.

Guys, I just realized something. The villagers lost control of their fields in the north AND south. I think we may be dealing with more than one eldritch abomination here.

Guys, we also need to get word back to the town that the door needs to not be openned. Maybe send Derkin back, since he's not doing anything right now. We can try building some sort of wall or cover for the door with what we have at hand, and try telling Lenryt or somebody else about this first chance we get so they can take more permanent measures.

>>158398
...Ohhhh, crap. Ok, as much as I hate abandoning our current mission towards gaining power, keeping massively powerful destructive entities trapped is more important. We should check the southern field as well just to be safe, and make sure that the villagers don't mess things up and dig up something best left alone.

First off, Ask about the "static remains". Then ask if barricading the door or burying it will have any effect. It can't be too... strong? Maneuverable? I mean, maybe just burying it in dirt of logs or something could keep in in place for something more permanent. Could it slip through like spaces between the logs? Also, get Derkin to go back and tell the villagers not to open the goddamn door and to make a sign that says "Don't fucking open this door". Also have him ask about the layout of the building, is there any way to get to the cellar from the inside of the building.

Then go up to the door and start talking to it. Question it about its nature and what it will do if you open the door.

I'm thinking we wall it off for now and eventually make a concrete sarcophagus.

>>158371
Oh, well, so much for my paranoia. :)
I was so certain that it was some sort of trap or result of runaway magic by villagers (remebering yetis).

Lets see... The mass your magnetomancy detected are presumably body of "Core Being"/"World Nightmare" ("Core Nightmare"?)
Check barn carefuly, see if there are some runes that may be rosponsible for containment of creature - most likely people who taken it either did it to restrain CN (unlikely, otherwise they would have warned villagers) or detected it afterwards and managed to cobble warning (and possibly containing) magic.

DON'T try to suck again. Before, it wasn't able to get past door, now it can manipulate it.

Ask Arkus and Jojo everything they know about such entities.

resorting to my previous post. soulfire the fuck out of that shit

>>158436
This seems like an incredibly bad idea!

>>158436
...

>>158452
Agreed.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/04/02(Fri)23:48 No. 158471 ID: d1210a
File 127027728616.jpg - (165.09KB , 600x487 , Crawling Monster.jpg )

>>158394
>>158395
>>158401
>>158412
I ask Arkus and Jojo both, about what could be done to seal this creature, and prevent it from being released by idle curiosity. I mention simple earthworks, with a stone or wood barrier about the door to keep it safe. Both agree that the door must be buried, as at the very least, it marks the location of the threat, a sufficient amount of burying makes it unfeasible someone not actively seeking it will ever reach the door, and it allows some measure of safety while the threat is still present. Perhaps a solution can be found afterward, but they agree a stopgap measure is crucial. I call out to Derkin, and tell him to travel back to Trelek, and tell them something dangerous was found on the farmland, and that an earthen bunker is being erected about it. For now, they should NOT try to dig in or directly interact with the bunker, for any reason.

I order the Premen to gather stones while I set to disassembling the building above, salvaging timber as I can, seeking only well-aged, un-rotted lumber. As I bob in and out of proximity to the cellar door, I see color flashing as it writhes in and out of my vision, but I pay it no mind, and shortly I have a healthy selection of suitable planks of wood, and the Premen have returned with a wealth of stones. We set to creating a solid, well braced and snug barrier about the door, ignoring the face and the pleading it offers us. After we seal the edges up as best we can, we keep the crude walls braced as we slowly mound up more and more dirt, burying the door under meters of earth before we stop. Several tons of earth now bury the door, and they seem to ablate whatever force it contains enough that even standing above it the full spectrum is visible. Still, it took us until midway into the night to finish, and now that we have rendered the issue somewhat contained, we retire to a temporary camp...

>>158398
>>158403
...Until I realize the village has some TWO fields, BOTH with issues of vagrants having claimed tenancy. In case the two were claimed by similar groups, I decide I need to check the other field post haste, this is not a potential threat I want to leave lying around without at least identifying it. I turn to my men, and order them to march: Another possible extreme threat could be on the south field, and we aim to check it immediately, due to how dangerous it potentially could be. And when I tell them, that Jojo fears we may have found a World Nightmare, they offer no complaints to continuing the march.

It is some time just shy of midnight, the sky obscured with a pall of clouds, yet the Premen offer no complaint, the ambient light I produce from my eyes and mouth seem to provide plenty for them to navigate by. We have finally reached the south Field, some few hours after having finished entombing the northern farm's cellar, and I once more halt my troops some distance away from the structures, as this time I see some lights dimly glowing in some windows.... and I can hear screams. I march forward, intent on finding out what is going on, when a massive shape simply bursts through the roof, leaping free to land upon the earth again some fair distance away.... and I recognize it. The creature that stalked me upon the Premen mountains a month ago, covered in blood and viscera, turns to regard me for a critical second, before it bounds off into the woods at impressive speeds.

In the creature's absence, I neither see nor hear further movement from within the house, but some light still spills forth. I am halfway across the fields to the buildings, with my followers still on the outside edge of the field.


What should I say or do?

SON OF A BITCH! has it been following us the whole time?!

>>158471
Check if anything is still alive in there, quickly. DO NOT SEND OUR MEN TO PURSUE THIS THING, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT CAN DO. IF WE MUST CHASE IT, THEN WE DO IT IN A GROUP.

>>158476
agreed, we must capture this thing, and in some way attempt to communicate with it. For now, i propose shooting blades at it, aiming to disable, not kill the beast. Then run up close to it and headlock it!

>>158477
IDEA: Tell Oggroth to hogtie this sucker with his new UBER CHAIN.