Riv assumes with the approach of a seafaring journey, and other seafaring journeys to follow shortly that she'll be locked in her quarters and have very little to do other than make clockwork creatures, build magic daggers and preform dangerous surgery on herself/others and maybe even get consent to do so this time . For these reasons, she will supplement some of her current dagger crafting pursuits with a visit to Garaile. She address the paladin while cloaked in her full body garb, so very little of her is visible except for a small dark slit at eye level, angled away from him. The sound of chains rattling quietly emanates from within her cloak and only serves to enhance her raspy hissing voice.
" Ears. I have need of you. Teach me to kill creatures like you, creatures like Meatfist. We train now, every day, until ship departs. Anything breaks, you restore, start again tomorrow. Need to be in real danger to learn real value. Attempt to kill me. I attempt to kill you. I grow stronger, I donate to your kobolds. Kill me, I leave wealth to kobolds. We start tomorrow. Bring weapons.
She turns sharply with a billowing motion and leaves, returning to her room to continue work on her project.

>Marijke's personal share from this haul and leftover of the previous one is over 850 gold, more than enough to buy a ship... which was the original plan, wasn't it? The captain's larger share is offset by responsibility.
Marijke's original plan was to get rich enough to retire in luxury for the rest of her life.

Blowing everything on a ship (and worrying about an allergy that's suddenly a lot more relevant than she ever expected), not so much, no.

Although providing we don't sink it, ships do have resale value. And it's an investment towards making more money. And actually owning the ship personally does give her role as captain a lot more legitimacy. (Why is she in charge? It's her ship!).

>850, more than enough
How much, more than enough?

>extras
Getting a lifeboat / longboat / dropship to actually be able to reach shore seems reasonable.

And funding Riv to actually arm our pirate ship is a pretty small investment compared to the actual cost of the vessel.

>Ravenous Llyr on the other hand, will approach Marijke and propose a deal. Llyr would like to surrender all current liquid wealth and any future shares of wealth to which he might be entitled, in exchange for triple rations, first dibs of any food-related bounty, and a chartered right to be able to at least partially consume any living thing slain by the party.
The last term is the one that might be the stickiest. Some living things might be valuable to harvest for supplies before consumption (such as the snake skin, or things with academical applications). Although from his earlier actions, I think he understands that.

The bigger issue is for people we slay, their surviving companions might think they have a prior claim on the bodies. We might lose the ability to get other groups to surrender or yield if Llyr consuming their dead is non-negotiable.

Would Llyr be willing to waive his claim on the meat in this circumstance? (Possibly having this loss offset by a share of loot).

>>751215
Garaile is unintimidated by Riv's bizarre appearance and mannerisms, and initially uninterested in the proposal, but relents when Riv targets that kobold weakpoint. Given Garaile already has a morning training regiment planned out for the kobolds, (Remember >>738559 ?) Garaile will incorporate Potentially-Lethal-Sparring-with-Riv time into that routine, to allow the kobolds to watch a real no-holds-barred fight while they're recovering from their own (much more reasonable and realistic) training.

>>751232
Llyr agrees to allow particularly valuable materials to be harvested from monsters beforehand, as long as he still gets some of the meat. Regarding negotiating surrender using the corpses of the fallen, Llyr is extremely bewildered. Having been a self-sufficient hunter-predator his whole life, Llyr has never heard of and fundamentally doesn't understand the concept of "sparing someone you were trying to kill just because they don't want to fight anymore." From his hunter point of view, when the prey gets tired and can no longer struggle or escape, that's when you get to kill and eat them. Hearing Marijke's concern over enemies not giving up, Llyr assures her that if you keep killing and eating them, they'll definitely give up eventually. Llyr is also a very short-sighted individual, with interest in loot only as far as he can see its immediate usefulness. (i.e. He only cares about money if there is something else he wants that is for sale at that time.) In other words, he understands money has value, but only in the same way that a child in a toy store understands money has value. It's a different story, however, if the loot in question is an actual item he can find a use for, like a fancy weapon or a high-quality whetstone. Llyr could definitely be persuaded to waive his claim on a meal in exchange for something tangible like that, but won't pass up fresh meat just for currency. Low ambition, y'know.

>>751295
>Garaile is unintimidated by Riv's bizarre appearance and mannerisms
>but relents when Riv targets that kobold weakpoint
She may be a paranoid child but she does her best to appeal to what people want. She very much does remember your daily training regiment; it's possible that even factored into her decision to appeal to you
If Garaile wants to work out more concrete details as to the incentives she's offering the kobolds, she'll give up one share to Garaile after every successful acquisition of assets, and he can choose how this works into his fund. She also agrees to sign into the will he outlined designating supplies go to Kobolds at a future point and time, before the ship has left but after she feels progress is being made. She also offers instead of paying for services in gold, she will provide alchemical lesions to any willing and capable students he brings to her. A educated individual is that much more difficult to enslave. Trust her, she would know

>>751232
From a bookkeeping and pirate-ethics standpoint, it might be simpler to say that Llyr is formally entitled to the same share of loot as everyone else, but has an arrangement with the quartermaster to receive the majority of his pay directly in the form of fresh meat rather than gold. Then, if he eats anybody you've got a treaty with, recompense to next-of-kin can simply be added to his bar tab.

>How much, more than enough?
850-375=475
Marijke could've gotten two ships and started calling herself "commodore." Probably safer to get used to being a real captain first.

>From a bookkeeping and pirate-ethics standpoint, it might be simpler to say that Llyr is formally entitled to the same share of loot as everyone else, but has an arrangement with the quartermaster to receive the majority of his pay directly in the form of fresh meat rather than gold. Then, if he eats anybody you've got a treaty with, recompense to next-of-kin can simply be added to his bar tab.
That does seem a simpler way to word it. Marijke is happy with that arrangement if Llyr will accept it.

>Garaile is starting a Save the Kobolds fund.
>Eventually, the fund will be used to build a safe haven for kobolds.
Marijke will offer her support for this idea. Helping run a charity is a relatively low threat endeavor with a high social credit return. It's something she could see herself lending time to once she's rich and retired from piracy.

>Potentially-Lethal-Sparring-with-Riv
Try not to kill her, please. An alchemist is useful, even if there are limits to how far you can protect someone from their own foolishness.

>Marijke could've gotten two ships and started calling herself "commodore." Probably safer to get used to being a real captain first.
Even Tagon knew trying to take control of a fleet when you don't know how isn't a good idea.

>>751435
>>751511
>simplified contract
Llyr will accept it so long as it means his previously-stated conditions will be met. The extra rations can come out of his shares, but he still wants written authority to eat part of whatever the party kills, and first dibs on food-related loot. He is perfectly willing to give up all his gold for those privileges. He's pretty sure that's a fair trade.

OOC, I don't know what the average gold-food exchange ratio is, but regardless, there's no way he can possibly eat his shares' worth of food. He hasn't been paying to eat the monsters the party's killed so far, and without realizing it, he's basically suggesting he start paying for it. Getting "special permissions" makes him feel like he's getting the better end of the bargain, but in actuality, he's just trading away all his money for what he would have gotten for free anyway. Even in the don't-eat-the-bodies-they-surrendered situation, he definitely would have just eaten the bodies anyway without thinking twice. With this deal, he'll have to pay for that. This is intended to be an IC way for me to remove all his funds so I won't have to deal with this constant wealth ambiguity. He'll just be flat broke from now on.

>>751585
Morally, Marijke has no problem getting the better end of the deal versus someone who seems intent on cheating themselves.

The complication comes from the charter. The senior staff ripping off one of the crew in their share of the loot is basically failing a contractual obligation, and someone who wanted to challenge her authority / legitimacy could use that.

Let's just say the quartermaster is setting aside the difference in the gold to meat exchange rate for a rainy day. I think it's very likely Llyr will one day eat something he's not supposed to; we can just use his unclaimed shares to pay it off inevitable shark-zerker expenses.

>>751585
>average gold-food exchange ratio
One gold coin (50 to a pound) is $400.
Grain varies from $1 per pound for corn to $4 per pound for wheat (at market; maybe less if you're buying wholesale direct from a farm)
Trail rations (mainly hardtack, supplemented with almonds and pemmican) are $2 per pound, and 15 pounds is enough for one man for a week.
Meat varies from $4 per pound for the least appetizing kinds of fish to $8 per pound for basilisk or chicken to $15-$20 per pound or more for anything rare or elaborately prepared, including long-term preservation.

Three-quarters of a gold coin ($300) will support a peasant family of five for a month, and most of that cost is food on the cheap-and-starchy end of the scale. Twice that for more calories, a higher proportion of protein, and other lifestyle considerations necessary to middle-class professionals, whether scribes or soldiers.

One gold coin will buy Llyr a 50 pound slab of raw lizard meat, the basilisk equivalent of a side of beef, which, if he's not feeling quite up to finishing it off in one sitting, can be stored in a refrigerated pantry in the "basement." Llyr's share of the latest raid (his financial share, not counting giant centipedes, as much of the snake's meat as he felt like taking, and Yorgala's entire corpse) was eighty-five gold coins. If he weighs 210 pounds and devours his own weight in meat every two weeks, that is, if he's scarfing down an average of fifteen pounds per day, which is on the upper end of 'plausible without magic,' that diet's not going to put a noticeable dent in the money for months yet.

>>751641
>>751729
Pretty good deal for Marijke then. It's easy enough to say "Oh yeah, that [insert-thing-Llyr-just-ate-here]? Yeah, that particular thing was super rare, so it was definitely worth 10x the market price for similar products." or "What a shame, Llyr shouldn't have eaten that particular thing, it would have been alchemically useful or something, that'll have to be counted for extra." Llyr would never catch on, and it wouldn't be able to be used to fuel a mutiny either, because Llyr would literally be eating the evidence. It would work out just fine IC, and OOC I'd rather Llyr not have any money at all than have to constantly wonder how much money he has. If Marijke feels a little guilty about conning someone who doesn't know any better out of $34 grand, she can assuage her guilt by donating a small percentage to Garaile's charity.

>>751751
>guilt
Marijke has no qualms about ripping someone off in a deal- that's pretty much what she's for. With mind magic pushing on scales when she can manage it, even.

The objection is... sort of a lawful evil logic kind of thing? (Not that I want to stamp a restrictive alignment system on here). Namely that the small bonus of Llyr's share isn't worth breaking the group's rules in a way that could be used to challenge or undermine her leadership down the line. Ripping off your own minions' benefit plan is right there in the evil overlord list!

If OOC you don't want to deal with Llyr's finances, that's fine. We'll pay him in meat, and instead of pocketing the difference, the extra will be dumped into a "sharkmergency" fund. (Like a trust fund, since he doesn't want to and/or can't manage his own money). If he gets killed without a will (I doubt Llyr would ever think of one) we'll dump it back into the loot pool. If not, maybe we'll buy him a mammoth or dinosaur or something suitably rare and expensive to eat someday.

>>751773
>"sharkmergency" fund
Sounds good to me. It'll probably help a lot when Llyr inevitably breaks somebody's ming vase or gets arrested and needs bail or something. I just don't want to have to keep asking how much money I have. I'll know the answer: zero.

So, Marijke's Marauders (or whatever you decide on as a company name) have up to two months of downtime. Any side plans? If left unspecified, I'll assume your character focused on R&R, converting gold to XP as efficiently as possible.

>>752015
Riv is devoting an hour of her time to grueling and dangerous training with Garaile each day. When she's not doing that, she's working on her knife which she intends to trade to Marjije for the clockwork lock box after which she will begin work on her familiar. I assume this will be more efficient in terms of time and money as compared to making and selling alchemical solutions on the street, correct?

Stone is not yet sorted out, but assuming he's brought into the fold he wants to do what he can to make low risk money to get a little equipment and some sleep aids and then as assumed kick back, relax, earn EXP

>>752019
>trade to Marjije for the clockwork lock box after which she will begin work on her familiar. I assume this will be more efficient

Nico Nashville, the quartermaster, has already budgeted some gold for Riv's familiar. Instead of a convoluted trading sequence followed by cannibalizing the cashbox, it would be vastly more efficient to mail-order from wholesalers in Passholdt, or possibly travel there yourself to do some shopping. Once you've got the parts, rebuilding your familiar's body is only about three days of work, or, with the help of some powerful stimulants, a single 24-hour frenzy. Still want to go ahead with the blood-seeking dagger, or mothball that plan in favor of potions? Or library research toward deciphering Neogi physiology? Or cobbling together some nautical siege engines? Or...?

>Stuff to do
Marijke will probably be involved in the construction of the ship. There's logistics to handle, people to negotiate with, deals to be struck, things to buy, people to hire, etc etc. It's all pretty relevant to her skillset. Probably be working with Nico on at least some of that, since he's the quartermaster, and is still an eloquent charmer in a negotiation, even with the lisp.

(Nico would probably be spending his free time on researching his condition or whatever weirdness caught his fancy, I assume. Between his own condition, Stone's condition / the leg we recovered, the library, there's all kinds of weirdness to keep him entertained).

Rixxil would probably be useful in the logistics end of ship making as well. Maybe make him a foreperson?

For side projects she'll finish educating Eadric in Humish, and try to provide him with the context to be an aerial scout. (Be useful to have, especially at sea). I'd also like to get in a little practice with a sling (for smacking things with gem-form familiar to cheese touch-range spells), and to make a few poisoned wax-apples if I can convince Riv to mix something up for that.

Might want to hang with Gary some more, since we're going to be in the area, and he seemed amenable to teaching stuff. Possibly some of our fighters with nothing better to do while we're stuck here for a few months could provide an escort to the monks he was gonna see and back? Marijke can easily afford to pay him something for his time to get him to stick around a little longer. (Bonus that this increases favor / relations with the acolyte faction a little).

Uh, we might want to finalize the deal for those enchanted boots? Not sure how we left that negotiation, both Than and Letkra were interested, and are probably much more able to afford them on their own (or convince the quartermaster to purchase them as company gear and issue to them, now that we have that as a practice).

There's also the library we now own for someone to explore and catalogue, but I think I've got Marijke busy enough already she wouldn't have much time for that. Might be relevant to Nico's interests. Maybe Riv or Stone, if Santova doesn't have then doing anything else. Not sure who else might be a big reader.

>>752019
I thought we already established the only way Riv could afford to buy the lockbox out of the loot pool was if she sold herself into slavery? That would have to be one hell of a knife to be equal in value.

You're probably better off just ordering the high quality parts you need. We're stuck in place for months and bringing in workers and supplies for the ships, anyways. You can order all kinds of specialized clock-work equipment and likely have it arrive before we're done, and still probably have your familiar up and ticking before we start the next thread.

And selling potions / alchemical things on the side while you wait for the parts to come in would probably offset what you spent on the parts and shipping anyways. (If Riv was clever, she could save on shipping by getting her stuff added to the requisition orders bringing in ship-construction stuff).

rolled 6, 5, 6 = 17

---

>>752015
>>752019
Garaile will likely be spending all morning, every morning training the kobolds and Riv. Afternoons will be R&R and possibly helping with general logistics. Garaile will probably stop drinking in order to stay fresh in the mornings, but will certainly be meditating in the evenings to hone martial focus and contemplate the divine. I probably should have done this before, but what with taking the kobolds as formal disciples and all, Garaile is going to actually learn their names. Lastly, when there's spare time for it, Garaile is going to root through the group's occult library, sift out every book that detects as being inherently evil, and group them all together in one place under lock and key, if necessary purchasing a nice large chest and padlock for that purpose. If Garaile is capable of it, laying down a divine blessing/seal on top would be great too. Just a precaution, as Garaile is not at all interested in something nasty being accidentally summoned in from extradimensional space to melt the party.

>>752021
See here >>104058 Riv has acknowledged that she can get the parts she'd need to get crackin, but if I remember the description of the lockbox its clockwork parts were so beautifully crafted that they'd be almost impossible to replicate; the problem was that functionally they had little value, so they were priced at roughly 1000 gold. A magic dagger is worth 1000 gold, so it should be an equivalent exchange, so it's just a matter of quality. If it would improve the quality of her Familiar and its existence, then she will wait to be able to afford the superior parts. Honestly, even if it makes no functional difference, Riv is still a child and for this, for her opius maximus, she going to do whatever she can to stand out. I think for her, the pride and satisfaction in knowing that her creation is made out of beautiful irreplaceable parts is worth the time and effort. Full work on the dagger, trade dagger to Marjike and build a familiar to be outshined by none. And if there's ever a question of using mind altering drugs Riv will likely say no, except in the cases of teas and coffees to ensure she can work through the night without faltering. If requested, she will find time to make seige weaponry, doing her best to finish that off quickly and returning to her side projects during the night until she can devote herself fully again

>>752023
>what with taking the kobolds as formal disciples and all, Garaile is going to actually learn their names
>rolled 6, 5, 6 = 17
The sewing-and-leatherworking specialized kobold is named "tha'tun," the cooking-and-hazmat specialized kobold is named "oth'run," and the heavy-lifting-and-brownsmithing specialized kobold (who came along as a trapfinder) is named "shortstop." Or at least, Garaile thinks so, and over the course of teaching them to read and write Humish and ensuring equal rights for kobolds in the charter, has them sign some official papers accordingly. Who's on first, What's on second, I-don't-know's on third...

>>752037
It was my understanding that a lot of the work of art aspect was tied directly to the current configuration of the parts, not the parts themselves, which would be lost as soon as you started prying them apart.

Also if you can build something worth 1000 gold in your free time, you could put that profit towards funding even better familiar construction instead of chasing the shiny lock box you're fixated one.

>>752037
You don't actually have a good timetable on completing the dagger, and the clockwork box might plausibly go for more than a thousand gold at auction, if Marijke and Rixxil Kas were willing to sell it, which they aren't. Riv can get an adequate set of parts to build the familiar for 300 gold, with Nico peeking over her various shoulders to clamp down on any unnecessary extravagances, and then put in the time and effort to further upgrade it by her own skill as she gains levels.
>>752022
>Rixxil would probably be useful in the logistics end of ship making as well. Maybe make him a foreperson?
Rixxil Kas settles easily into any sort of administrative role, once the expectations are made sufficiently explicit.

>increases favor / relations with the acolyte faction
Meaning Altsoba, Eswic, and Goris? Gary's friendly with them, but has had no contact with the larger Church of Orcus in many years. His expertise and social circle might be better described as "Passholdt's criminal underworld."

>poisoned wax-apples if I can convince Riv to mix something up for that
Fat-soluble toxins are simple enough, when you can get the target to eat something without noticing what it tastes like.

>Not sure who else might be a big reader.
Garaile volunteers, then eagerly wastes a week and a half attempting to reorganize and further secure the library based on, apparently, his own highly eccentric opinion of how certain books (such as volumes two, three, five, and seven but not one, four, six, eight, nine, or ten of a particular set of encyclopedias) smell "evil."

>>752074
In that case, realizing that while her ideal creation would be difficult to obtain the resources to create, she will simmer down and mail order the parts she needs. Knowing that it'll take more than 480 hours of work to complete the dagger, she will slow the pace- if she can't complete the project within the next two months then she'll have plenty of time on the boat. She'll throw some silver on another combat dagger and some smaller knives she can hide about her person more easily, the smallest being a razor blade that she attempts to find a way to insert sub-dermally, near one of her wrists as a last ditch fail safe should she need it. She will devote maybe 8 hours a day after her training to the market, selling what she can. After that, she'll return and spend roughly 4 hours working on anything the captain needs, with any time spare after she finishes her allotted tasks being spent making her dagger. Riv will sleep anywhere from 7 hours a night, to which she wakes up angry for wasting so much time doing nothing, to as little as 1-0 hours, tired but so hyper focused on the task at hand she looses touch with time, her surroundings, and much of her help. Of course, once her familiar is made it will be employed as a full time lab assistant, brewing teas and helping with anything it can.

In regards to Marjikes comment indicating that she was slightly worried about getting Riv to do what she wants; anytime the captain approaches her Riv stops what she's doing and drops her eyes to the floor. When Marjike tells Riv jump, she asks how high. It is evident that Riv is deferential at least to Marjikes face, and does as she is told when she is told. In comparison, she treats the rest of the crew, aside from letkra, as if they were beneath her and that even if she is not captain she is clearly superior and should be obeyed.

Three days before Marijke's new ship is ready to set sail, Gary shows up again at the Black Boar, looking rather more haggard than before, and missing his left arm below the elbow.

After the business at the monastery, he got another contract job. Seemed like a very straightforward strike mission. Some earl's granddaughter's birthday party went wrong, now she's stuck with a curse, simplest fix involves pearls from a particular spot near the mouth of the Stoneheart River, currently held by alien pirates. Good money, plenty of intel. Team of mercenary Griffon Knights and a couple of other specialists banded together, flew in to raid the place. Whole plan went to pieces almost immediately, because one big thing wasn't in the briefing. Literally big, maybe half as tall as the Froghemoth. Spat little cat-sized buggers faster than a catapult loaded with scattershot. You know what happens when a riding griffon suddenly gets pumped full of paralytic venom in midair above a rocky shoreline? It ain't pretty. Riders all had featherfall rings or talismans, of course, but the ones that didn't drown, or turn on each other in melee with the hulking beetle-apes, rotted away to nothing when they breached the wrecked ship's hold. There was an eye in there. Any time somebody tried to hit it back, it just slid away, fast as blinking. If that eye ever fit in a face, on an elvenoid body, the owner would have to have been two hundred feet tall, like the very highest trees.

Anyway, long story short, Gary's pretty sure he was the sole survivor of the attacking party, and they didn't get the prize, so he's here to check whether Ulman Dark has any suitable replacement limbs ready to go, and then head west into the orc territories. How's the exodimensional sanctum been working out for you? Wards stable? Any weird, ah. light shows?

rolled 1, 5, 3 = 9

---

>>753083
Marijke sighs sympathetically. "I wish I'd known you were heading that way, we had our own run in with them. We could have provided you with better intel (for a price, of course) or at least warned you to stay the hell away."

Looking in Riv's direction: "I'm calling 'I told you so' on a full on attack being a bad idea!".

Mental line to Rixxil: what's the likelyhood your former compatriots would be trying to hunt down survivors of an attack like that? Can you tell if he's being tracked?

We there any of those pearls among Rixxil's share of the loot we captured? If any of its wealth was in the form of precious and/or semiprecious gems, we might be able to just sell one of these pearls to the people in need of one.

>Ulman Dark has any suitable replacement limbs ready to go
Well, I'm in possession of a lovely articulated stone leg, but that's not quite what you're looking for.

>How's the exodimensional sanctum been working out for you? Wards stable? Any weird, ah. light shows?
Rolling for uh, retrospective spot check to have noticed instability and/or light shows, if they happened. Response dependent on what I noticed, if there was anything to notice.

>>753232
>could have provided you with better intel
After a bit of further discussion it becomes clear that his initial briefing included everything you learned in your raid (including from Riv and Rix) and shared with Marty, plus more besides. The elephant-sized spawn-spitter simply wasn't there six weeks ago, although with even a cursory description Rixxil Kas can confidently identify it as a "Great Old Master."

>Mental line to Rixxil: what's the likelyhood your former compatriots would be trying to hunt down survivors of an attack like that? Can you tell if he's being tracked?
Possible, but unlikely. Revenge is a low-margin business. Too late to stop knowledge of their location from getting out, no point building a reputation of terrifying invincibility if they're still planning to pack up and leave. Gary seems to have taken all reasonable precautions against mundane tracking, and they didn't have any relevant supernatural resources.

>any of those pearls among Rixxil's share of the loot we captured?
Nope. The way it's described, might be easy to misconstrue as something naturally occurring, but they're actually synthetic, a private project the administrarch was working on.

>retrospective spot check
If anything was going to go wrong with the wards, it would most likely have done so during the ceremonial teleportation surgery thing, and didn't, so mostly good news, but now that he mentions it...
>>748014
>vaguely reminiscent of whatever left those scorch marks

>>753083
If possible, Riv will do her best to take Gary aside and gather all the information she can regarding the layout, number of creatures, defenses and so forth. What's the chain of command like, did he notice any sort of morale changes throughout the fight, etc etc. It's fairly clear she's trying to gather as much detailed information that could be used to plan an assault as possible.

rolled 1, 4, 4 = 9

---

>>/questdis/105102
>do something
I figured this was a decision for Marijke as the captain, not me.

Here's a roll. Let's go find the coven, get what we're owed, and then head to the pearl-aliens, I suppose.

>>753404
>>/questdis/105104
Gary doesn't have much more to give; he wasn't in a great position to observe the larger conflict at any point. Only made it out at all with a mix of elite ninja skills, unabashed mercenary cowardice, and considerable luck. Posts unaccompanied by a roll won't generally achieve much unless the action in question has no plausible chance of failure, and putting together follow-up questions that could extract further useful information from his jumbled memories of sequential jump-scares and near-death experiences would be nontrivial.

>>755792
>find the coven, get what we're owed

An unspecified favor, in exchange for compromising the neogi crash site's security. Did you have a specific favor in mind?

>>755795
>specific favor
Yes, actually, unless Marijke has something she wants more. Since our ship is about to become integral to our continued livelihoods, it would be excellent to have it enchanted by such a powerful group of magic-users. We'd like them to make it supernaturally faster and more durable than other ships, reliably capable of both chasing down and fleeing other ships, as well as able to take more damage than it might otherwise. A Black Pearl enchantment, so to speak.

And speaking of cool ship names, we still have to name our ship, yeah?
Garaile would like to give it a regal-sounding name like the Highland Duke or the Ardent Star. Conversely, Llyr wants a dangerous-sounding name, for people to say in hushed tones, like the Wicked Seer or the Storm Raider.

We'll give our condolences to Gary, and Marijke will at least spend a little time hanging with him before we set sail. If Gary's interested, he can sign on, but I'm not going to be aggressive about pushing recruitment.

>An unspecified favor, in exchange for compromising the neogi crash site's security. Did you have a specific favor in mind?
I was imagining oracular services of some kind? Say, several questions answered (or one per person, fits the visiting the oracle trope). We have several characters on personal (or other) quests in need of answers. Or information to set them on the right track. Letkra is trying to find a path home / the truth about his nature; Nico's whole thing is seeking out occult secrets; Riv is on the prototypical alchemist's stone type quest for knowledge, power, and personal security; Stone is seeking a way to break his curse; the acolytes want foreknowledge about what the cult of orcus is sending after them (if anything); Snake wanted to do something with his mutations. Garaile could certain ask something to help his search for renown, or Llyr for true love.

I hadn't decided Marijke's exact question in this scenario yet- but there's plenty of ways to leverage wealth from potent information. An insider tip for a grand haul to last a lifetime?

(Also, just noticed Stone's fear of deep water, drowning. Pff. I'm not the only one disadvantaged out here, ha).

>>755856
OOC, I think Ardent Star sounds the coolest. And it's sort of neutral, connotations wise, and could be spun to be something positive or negative in different contexts. Plus it translates pretty easily into some kind of flag or heraldry. (And for Marijke's part, it speaks indirectly to wealth, if the star is a gem).

I think we might need to have a flag made before we leave. And Marijke would probably add a pin or something to her outfit with the same symbol.

>>755856
>supernaturally faster and more durable than other ships, reliably capable of both chasing down and fleeing other ships, as well as able to take more damage than it might otherwise.

Sounds like you're looking for a war galley instead of a sailing ship, with some sort of tireless spirits powering the oars. Could get you a letter of introduction to somebody at an appropriate shipyard, and cut through most of the red tape that usually prevents unaligned murderhobos from getting their grubby paws on large scale military hardware, but you'd still need to put up at least a couple hundred gold of your own money, or thousands if you really want the best of the best.

>>755870
>grand haul to last a lifetime

The Cauldron of Blood has limits on how far into the future it can see, based on the quantity of blood supplied, and tends to slant ambiguous requests toward it's fascination with violent tragedy. You know that old saying, "build a man a fire, he's warm for a day, but set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life?" Might want to rephrase the problem so that it can't be trivially solved by steering you toward an untimely death.

>>755939
>rephrase desire for wealth
How about "How can we, without making an enemy of any major mover and shaker or directly causing the death of any member of our own group, acquire enough wealth to afford the platonic ideal of a noble's standard of living, within six months?"
We're pathetically below our Character Wealth by Level. Even a level 3 character should be able to afford a few minor magic items. We have maybe one such item in the whole party? Even a gritty setting should allow us some nice things, once in a while.

>>755997
A wagon worth hundreds of thousands, and a boat + crew worth a hefty sum have taken up most of our Magic item fund I think

>>755997
>a few minor magic items

Rixxil's cashbox has four cure light wounds potions and two lesser restoration potions. Marijke has cinnamon incense and dragonweed. Letkra bought a pair of boots that aren't technically magical, but provide comparable benefits. Most of all, you had a third-tier (meaning, equivalent to +3) weapon and traded it for, effectively, a Bag of Holding rated to hold 240 tons. That's a few minor magic items and one big one, which might put your group somewhat above standard D&D wealth by level, without even counting the acolytes. I haven't actually done the math on that, because I'm not especially concerned with keeping personal prowess and financial success marching in lockstep.

>>755792
After a day of sailing down the river, a night at anchor, and a day of cautiously exploring coastal reefs to the south, Marty the Adorable Talking Shark shows up off the starboard bow. He explains that he's carrying some magic which will let the folks his coven owes a favor to walk across the surface of the water as if it were solid ground, they just have to jump overboard and boop his snoot. Anyone who didn't help with the raid, and tries to follow, will be treated as hostile... except for Garaile. He can come too.

>"How can we, without making an enemy of any major mover and shaker or directly causing the death of any member of our own group, acquire enough wealth to afford the platonic ideal of a noble's standard of living, within six months?"

Following the crones' instructions, Garaile cuts his palm over the bubbling cauldron and solemnly intones the request. The surface clears, and he sees his own face, in profile, embossed on a gold coin the size of a dinner-plate. The coin flips over, showing some grand palace or temple on the reverse side, then continues to turn, but now the face is some ancient long-bearded conqueror-king, only vaguely resembling Garaile. With another turn, the palace has been replaced by a circle of standing stones, and then the face by something barely human, with elongated jaw and ram's horns. The coin spins faster, into a golden blur, and drops away into a glittering pile of similar coins. As the view continues to pull back, Garaile sees himself and companions scooping the loot into bags, in a cavern deep beneath the earth. There's more than one such cache to be found. In fact, staring into the cauldron, they seem nearly as numerous as the stars in the sky. A whole network of caves, a vast tangle of tunnels and yet-unplundered tombs, a veined tumor in the telluric currents. The focal point on the surface, epicenter of the whole thing, is a green glass pipe nearly four yards in diameter, protruding from the ground amid a distinctive array of earthworks in the coastal hills. Having seen the whole thing from above and within, the way it all interlocks with the natural flow of the land, Garaile would have no trouble finding the place on foot.

There's a message woven into those earthworks, describing a central knot at the heart of the dungeon. Not the deepest pit, with Orcus upon his throne, but a nugget of some unnatural self-sealing stone that far predates the demon prince's arrival.

"This is not a place of honor. No highly esteemed deed is commemorated here. Nothing valued is here. This message is a warning about danger. Sending this message was important to us. We considered ourselves to be a powerful culture. What is here is dangerous and repulsive to us. The danger is unleashed only if you substantially disturb this place. This place is best shunned and left uninhabited. The danger is still present, in your time, as it was in ours. This place is a message, and part of a system of messages. Don't go down the well!"

rolled 2, 6, 6 = 14

---

>>756072
>had a third-tier (meaning, equivalent to +3) weapon
Too bad it was a weapon that was literally unusable? It burned Garaile on touch, who was the only melee fighter at the time. I'm just complaining about still having to use a mundane weapon at this level since we've started encountering monsters (like the snake) which Garaile actually couldn't cut through with the current grade of weapon. No adventurer should have to mark down cause of death as "Couldn't afford equipment strong enough to fight same-level monsters."

>a whole network of caves, a vast tangle of tunnels and yet-unplundered tombs
>seen the whole thing from above and within, the way it all interlocks with the natural flow of the land
Rolling to draw up a map, while the image is still fresh, so when Garaile inevitably dies a horrible untimely death from this cauldron blood tragedy juju, the rest of the party won't be disadvantaged in obtaining all that treasure.

>>756075
>snake
Based on emperor cobra stats from the Bestiary 2. Nothing that specifically requires a magical weapon, just 50+ HP protected by pretty good natural armor. CR 5. Plenty of adventurers have had to mark down cause of death as "tried to solo a monster which turned out to have twice as many hit dice as me."

>Rolling to draw up a map,
>rolled 2, 6, 6 = 14
The resultant frantic scribbles will be a useful mnemonic device for Garaile himself, but nobody else can make heads or tails of 'em.

>when Garaile inevitably dies a horrible untimely death
The Cauldron of Blood tends to interpret ambiguities toward tragedy, but it won't pervert the letter OR the spirit of a clear and focused request. "Monkey's Paw rental" is not a long-term viable business model.

Raiding tombs is dangerous, but not remotely certain death, and if there was a safe way to get that kind of money in a hurry everyone would do it. Whatever enemies you make that way are probably the sort of cthonic horrors that would've killed you soon as they had the chance regardless. And, hey, if you kill them first, and plunder what they swore to protect afterwards, that's violence and tragedy accounted for without any of your own team hurt!

rolled 6, 6, 3 = 15

---

>>756075
The mace was traded in for a portable inn and storage keep. Inventory management and storage are solved for the conceivable future. As noted, because Garaile couldn't use it, this is out best bet, but even if he could the portable dimension seems more valuable than magic armament the mace could be traded for

As for magic weapons, we could have afforded a magic weapon for Garaile, but decided as a group that investing in a boat was the way money should be spent. You've gone up against some tough enemies, and lived to tell the tale, so maybe prioritizing better equipment can be your next choice but we have not lacked the resources in game to do so. Our GM is not depriving us or starving the party for magic and gold. As I understand encounters are rolled randomly based on location. I don't think he's scaling it to level and fucking us over because we spent our experience and money in places other than combat utility. The comments made feel hostile, but perhaps I'm just reading too much into things. I think if the lack of weapons and armor really scare Garaile though, he should have a talk with Marjike about how funds are spent, rather than directing comments towards the GM. We've had the chance to get these magic items a couple of times and chosen to do other things with them- things like travel by boat which we deemed better safety wise. So not everything we've bought puts us at greater risk either. There's different ways to procure safety

Rib is unsure if the coven considers her part of the raid. If Marty confirms this to be the case, she is going to take the time to devise a makeshift raft and oar as well as a chain or ladder of sorts down the side of the boat. She is going to do anything and everything to avoid being dunked in the ocean. The salt spray is bad enough for her and she can feel her joints stiffen in the damp mornings, add any more water and she might just start to rot. Her coat should be water proof enough to protect her from ocean spray but not jumping overboard or the damp salty air. She doesn't trust the magic to work in the first place, -and even if it does who know when it'll wear off? She's not going to "cash in a favor" and then be told she has to swim back to drown at sea or get devoured before she can do even that.

Is Riv eligible to cash in a favor? If so, what guidelines are set forth by the coven?
And, if any of what Garaile sees is broadcast, she makes known her doubts. An anchient evil locked away by an anchient civilization, with a ladder leading straight down too it? Vast riches, available to be plundered in an underground tunnel network? Things just don't all add up. And she hates it when people tell her what not to do.

>>756106
>water problems
There's a bit of a leap of faith involved, and the water-walking magic produces a sensation unpleasantly similar to hopping barefoot across hot sand, but Riv suffers no actual injury. The coven's hideout is only accessible through a cave which floods to the ceiling at high tide, so it would be advisable not to waste time while inside.

>Is Riv eligible to cash in a favor?
She helped compromise the neogi camp's security, so yes.

>If so, what guidelines are set forth by the coven?
They're fairly evasive about the exact limitations of their knowledge and power. Ask whatever you wish, and if it would cost more to grant than they feel you're owed, they'll figure out some counter-offers, possibly including further favors you could do in exchange for greater boons.

>did Riv sparring for an hour every day these past few months have a noticeable effect on her, Garaile or the kobolds?

In GURPS, the standard rule is 200 hours of training per point in a skill. One hour a day for two months is about 60 hours, so the kobolds are making visible progress toward the rudiments of self-defense, but they have some ways yet to go.

>Did her alchemy stand in the market square have a net affect on finances?

Riv is a highly skilled alchemist, but her abrasive personality, lack of formal certifications, and disregard for 'trivial cosmetic side-effects,' don't exactly attract a horde of eager customers. I'm figuring she spent most of the time allocated to alchemy on preparing tools and reagents for future projects, or building her familiar into it's current form: an articulated serpent of gilded steel and brass, about the size of a cat, with seven iridescent membranous wings.

rolled 1, 4, 6 = 11

---

>>756119
>advisable not to waste time while inside
Got it. If Riv is able to pull a makeshift raft along behind her without risking being caught in high tide she will do so, informing the other members she is skeptical that the spell will last long enough to prevent them from having to swim back home. Roll is for mage sight to see what she can ascertain about the spell. Analyzing magic isn't necessarily her strong suit but she'll give it the best look over she can.

If she is unable to make hast and bring a raft, she'll voice her concerns but will come along anyways.

>>756121
>making visible progress... but they have some ways yet to go.
Understood. If possible, Riv will continue her training with Garaile on the ship. It may take her another 4 months but she's already committed a big enough chunk of time that she's committed to getting something back for it. With her progress made on her familiar and lack of customers which is pretty much how I envisioned it- Riv is pretty sorely lacking in the customer service department. As for her familiar though, holy shit, how cool is that?! She's willing to dedicate more time to a formal education for the kobolds. She's not very personable or patient, but she is pretty damned smart. Her master had a background in philosophy as he was a learned nobleman before his life changed paths, so she should be aware and capable of teaching the kobolds more about formal etiquette, history, and general information about civilization, even if she doesn't adhere to them herself.

Concerning her favor, Riv advises the party that for the acolytes, as long as their clever, only one needs to ask about Orcus. They should have a backup question in case someone fucks up. Riv's greatest concern is immortality of course, but she has some ideas up her many sleeves. She will pose her questions to the crew before asking the witches, in case they wish to advise her otherwise:

Option 1) "Make me immortal." Straight forward. She doubts the coven can/will actually do it, but if they're asking for favors, that's what she wants. She imagines there's less fuck up room in a request like this because they won't grant it right away, and if they have to clarify or step in, she can get more information about the costs or trade offs of a request like that. Basically, ask for something she knows they won't grant, so instead of getting fucked over immediately she can gather information about what the price really is and haggle from there. Not a surefire bet by any means though.

Option 2) "Tell me how to become immortal." Pretty self explanatory. Will likely require haggling

Option 3) "I would like to be able to do what you do." Obvious benefits: If we have the same powers the coven does, we don't have a limit on the questions we can ask. Downside is, they probably don't want to give away trade secrets, and it's doubtful that their power can be replicated easily. We don't have a magic blood cauldron after all.

Option 4 "How can I conduct black market research into magic and black power weaponry without being discovered by forces that would oppose this research?" I imagine this is a more straightforward request with less haggling involved

Option 5/6: "I want insight into creating a magic blade/ I want insight into creating a more capable familiar." Simple, easy, likely to have a tangible benefit worth roughly 1000 gold without too much risk of self harm, and in the near future.

What are the crews thoughts on these questions. Advise as to which Riv should ask? Should she rephrase them?

rolled 2, 5, 2 = 9

---

In regards to Marjikes comments in the disq thread which I'm too lazy to link to,
>Might be worth having Stone take a look at it,
In the days leading up to reaching the coven, Stone examined Marjikes amulet, under the presumption that because of the nature of Thans bow, spirits, and time travel, Stones affinity for the ocular and his abilities to look into the past of a place or object might give him an edge in alayzing the amulet and understand the events that unfolded. Roll is to use a combination of spirit guidance, mage sight, postcognician and sensitivity to the dead to see if he can add insite to what happened

rolled 6, 3, 6 = 15

---

>>756121
>One hour a day for two months is about 60 hours, so the kobolds are making visible progress toward the rudiments of self-defense, but they have some ways yet to go.
Riv was receiving one hour a day. However, the kobolds were being trained "all morning", of which one hour included Riv. That would reasonably be something like 7am to noon. With Sundays being a rest day, 5 hours/day x 6 days/week x 4 weeks/month x 2 months = 240 hours, plus a little more depending on the individual month length. Taking 200 hours of training as one point in a skill, that would mean the kobolds now have one point of combat ability, and ~40 hours toward the next point. So they do already have some rudimentary capacity for self-defense.

>>756105
>a useful mnemonic device for Garaile only
This is fine. It will prevent it from being used by enemies if it gets stolen. After we leave the coven, Garaile will sit down with Marijke and teach her to be able to interpret the map, such that it becomes a device she can also use. Rolling for that.

>what ask
Well, since Garaile already has lead on treasure (when we're prepared to go delving again) I suppose my amulet is the most interesting thing I've got ask about.

"I have in my possession a once-jade amulet attuned to magics of the mind, that caught an arrow fired by a spiritual bow. Creatures slain by that weapon now appear deep inside, and I have since seen that same arrow in my dreams, and woken to a perforated mattress stained with my own blood.

"I ask to know the secrets contained within this item. What its changed nature means, if that arrow still flies towards my breast, if that flight can be arrested."

If Eadric counts as an independent creature to receive a reward (he'll ask somewhat shyly, intimidated by the coven, after Marijke has received her answer) he'll ask about Marty and shapeshifting. Being able to turn into a small stone is great for hiding or defending himself, he guesses, but it's not very pleasant, and Marty's a lot better at this changing thing. How does he get better?

...I'm not sure if Rixil is here? It might be useful for telling the Coven anything they wanted to know about the aliens, but Marijke can question him remotely if needed. And arguably it's actions helped in our efforts, but saying as much and then offering payment (crediting incompetence so bad as could be considered treachery) is pretty insulting. Not sure what he would ask for either. (A way to redeem himself?).

Not sure if other nearly accidental turncoats like the octopus or Gunderbag are here. Although I am amusing myself imagining what they might ask for.

I'd assume Llyr is here too, since he did participate in that fight. (And he'd be able to swim in regardless of water walking enchantments).

>>756218
>Llyr
Llyr isn't eligible to receive a reward. He didn't do anything except join the crew, get on Marijke's bad side, and then fumble himself into a lake, ultimately accomplishing nothing. Being able to swim is irrelevant, because the coven stated they'd attack him if he tried to come with anyway.

>>756390
Technically that's still helping with / participating in the raid, even if he wasn't very effective. (Of course if Llyr himself feels he doesn't deserve to show up, showing up in front of powerful people who can probably tell that at a glance is a bad idea).

>>756184
> Garaile will sit down with Marijke and teach her to be able to interpret the map, such that it becomes a device she can also use. Rolling for that.
>rolled 6, 3, 6 = 15

Marijke's eyes glaze over midway through the explanation and she mutters "The danger consists of... three bodies?... a threefold emanation of energy. If it began to dream, it might wake. It cannot die, only kill." Then she asks Garaile to slow down, or maybe start over, or just leave the explanation for another time since she's suddenly got a nasty headache.

>>756218
>"I have in my possession a once-jade amulet attuned to magics of the mind, that caught an arrow fired by a spiritual bow. Creatures slain by that weapon now appear deep inside, and I have since seen that same arrow in my dreams, and woken to a perforated mattress stained with my own blood.
>"I ask to know the secrets contained within this item. What its changed nature means, if that arrow still flies towards my breast, if that flight can be arrested."
"Transmutation of jade into crystalline yasal is no great feat, though it's a bit impressive someone managed to do so accidentally, while retaining the original shape. The arrow must have been fired from a bow strung with a thread of Time. A skilled archer, thus armed, can angle the shot into the future so it strikes the target when it's least expected, but always within the next week or so. If more than two months have come and gone, it probably just missed, as hastily-fired arrows tend to do. You'll be fine."

Assuming Than admits to having fired the arrow in question, Marty immediately inquires about the status of her soul, and any afterlife plans, in the manner of an insurance agent sizing up competition before making an offer.

>If Eadric counts as an independent creature to receive a reward (he'll ask somewhat shyly, intimidated by the coven, after Marijke has received her answer) he'll ask about Marty and shapeshifting. Being able to turn into a small stone is great for hiding or defending himself, he guesses, but it's not very pleasant, and Marty's a lot better at this changing thing. How does he get better?
Normally they'd count caster and familiar together as one, but this is so easy it's not an issue. Marty provides an extended metaphor involving a burlap sack being woven out of raw fibers and being filled with various items. Long story short, Eadric's powers are a nearly direct result of Marijke's stored spells. The three members of the coven are powerful as individuals, and Marty is familiar to all of them, so he's got considerable power stacked up inside. Of course, such a situation is not to be entered into lightly! Consider one of those comedies about two rivals fleeing through the wilderness while shackled together at the wrist, and imagine how unpleasantly the situation might evolve if those shackles were... deeper, rather than being severable by any rural blacksmith.

>...I'm not sure if Rixil is here?
Yep.

>It might be useful for telling the Coven anything they wanted to know about the aliens, but Marijke can question him remotely if needed.
They have lots of questions about "great old masters," and it's generally easier not to work through an intermediary.

>And arguably it's actions helped in our efforts, but saying as much and then offering payment (crediting incompetence so bad as could be considered treachery) is pretty insulting.

From Rixxil Kas's perspective, it's a matter of having a really bad day, then working one's way back up from "bushwhacked chump," through "livestock," or "boss's science project," and now finally being back up to the level of performing tasks which are valuable and sensitive enough that the incentive package consists primarily of rewards rather than punishments. Neogi don't generally believe in an inherent, inalienable right to survival or security or dignity or anything like that, but they'll grab an armload off the free sample tray if you're offering, and gladly forgive almost any misbehavior provided it ultimately turns a profit.

>Not sure what he would ask for either.
(Rixxil Kas is not male.) It whispers a request, out of earshot of the rest of the crew. Rylshna abruptly steps back, with a look of disgust. Marmtroth bursts out laughing. Shralynn chews her lower lip contemplatively, then hesitantly nods. "Sure. Haven't ever done something like that before, but it's easy enough in theory. Nothing above the fourth circle. Come back in a year, most of the setup should be ready by then." Rixxil politely acknowledges this as acceptable, then telepathically petitions Marijke with a formal request for three days of shore leave, on this specific shore, starting exactly a year from now.

>Not sure if other nearly accidental turncoats like the octopus or Gunderbag are here.
The coven's counting those two as 'plunder' rather than 'teammates.'

>>756151
>Stone examined Marjikes amulet
>Roll is to use a combination of spirit guidance, mage sight, postcognician and sensitivity to the dead to see if he can add insite to what happened
>rolled 2, 5, 2 = 9
In conjunction with what the coven said (or is reported to have said, because apart from not being invited, no way is somebody with a phobia of drowning going to jump overboard feet-first into the waiting maw of a sapient shark they're just now meeting for the first time), Stone theorizes that the arrow may be moving along nearly parallel to Marijke's 3+1 dimensional existence, occasionally intersecting at very shallow angles like a pebble skipped across calm water. Great-Uncle Petros had quite a bit to say on the subject of 'angles of time,' some of which was very nearly comprehensible, but he died during the war. Not, it should be noted, in the war; he was found naked, covered in slime and appalling lacerations, inside his apartment, far from the front lines. Doors and windows were locked from the inside, walls were covered with plaster in swirls vaguely reminiscent of elven architecture. Since bizarre and initially inexplicable deaths were fairly common for both that particular family and that time period, no assassin ever stepped forward to take credit, and Petros personally lacked obvious political or symbolic significance, the incident mostly got lost in background noise. His spirit is not among Stone's available advisors. Unclear whether this is because he somehow escaped the curse without breaking it's hold on others and is now at peace, or stumbled across some other horror and is bound to still greater torments, or simply isn't a lineal ancestor.

>Marijke's eyes glaze over midway through the explanation and she mutters "The danger consists of... three bodies?... a threefold emanation of energy. If it began to dream, it might wake. It cannot die, only kill." Then she asks Garaile to slow down, or maybe start over, or just leave the explanation for another time since she's suddenly got a nasty headache.
Wow. The exploitation was so bad you made her hallucinate. Or left her open to temporary possession.

>crystalline yasal
Well, know that I know what it's called, I'm going to have to look up the properties of that material first chance I get. (Having a portable library is convenient).

>A skilled archer, thus armed, can angle the shot into the future so it strikes the target when it's least expected, but always within the next week or so.
So... Than can theoretically perform conventionally untraceable assassinations and surgical strikes. Granted, the truly dangerous and powerful you'd want to kill untraceably probably have the resources to magically backtrack that, but we could still probably find a way to exploit that.

>(Rixxil Kas is not male).
(Typo. I have to go back and make sure I actually call it an it instead of reflexively gendering it, and one slipped through).

>Rixxil politely acknowledges this as acceptable, then telepathically petitions Marijke with a formal request for three days of shore leave, on this specific shore, starting exactly a year from now.
Granted. It would be remiss to prevent it from collecting its payment. Marijke is curious what Rixxil could have asked for that would have provoked that reaction, but isn't going to pry, for now.

>Stone theorizes that the arrow may be moving along nearly parallel to Marijke's 3+1 dimensional existence, occasionally intersecting at very shallow angles like a pebble skipped across calm water.
Hmmm. The obvious question is if there's any way to exploit that.

>what do
Gotta wait for the remaining PCs and NPCs to get paid in oracular lore, then see if there's any new business to discuss with the coven.

>>756732
>look up the properties of that material
Hardness, optical properties, planes along which it can be easily cut, and other mechanical and alchemical trivia are easy enough to look up in a geologist's encyclopedia.

As for magical properties... there are a number of mid- and high-circle effects which bind spiritual creatures, or souls outside a body, and almost all of them require some sort of gem as the focal point, the actual container. Usually the specific type of crystal is carefully chosen to match the type of entity being bound. Onyx for petty hollownesses to animate zombies and skeleton warriors, diamond for purifying corrupted Messengers, and so on. Yasal crystal, cut in a rough angular natural shape, can not only substitute for any type of gem in such a ritual, a big enough one can obviate the need for any casting at all, simply capturing a spirit in the moment of physical contact like a pokéball.

>So... Than can theoretically perform conventionally untraceable assassinations and surgical strikes. Granted, the truly dangerous and powerful you'd want to kill untraceably probably have the resources to magically backtrack that, but we could still probably find a way to exploit that.
Acolyte Goris, after she's asked whether the Church of Orcus is sending assassins after herself and her friends (answer: not in the forseeable future), explains that in high-level warfare, such weapons are more often used for harassing fire than actual sniping. Forcing someone to either maintain constant, sleepless vigilance for days on end, or else retreat to a teleportation-warded sanctum, can be much more costly to their side than a single arrow wound, however precise and heavily poisoned.

There's also the issue that strands of time are hard to come by. Only known sustainable source is to steal from the Norns, around whom even dragons tread carefully. Since the bow can't be removed while she lives, this makes Than's soul exceptionally valuable to the sort of people who deal in such things.

>remaining PCs and NPCs
Anyone heard from CalimariGod?

>Anyone heard from CalimariGod?
Nope. He doesn't hang out in the chat room, so far as I'm aware.

If you don't want to automate a question for Nico, we could stage his reward as something that will take prep time, like Rixxil's, leaving it in flux for now.

That still leaves Letkra, Than, and Snake.

>>756599
>Marijke cannot grasp the true form of Garaile's map
Well, at least now she has a reason to keep Garaile alive and around.

While we wait for this fortune-telling session to conclude, we may as well decide on where to go next. Should we go fight the alien pirate monsters that slaughtered an entire team of flying griffon knights, or go find the warp pipe that leads to the underground demon nightmare labyrinth?