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[sproutella]

Also I just realised I've been calling Deken "Deker" for half the page. Too much Blade Runner.

That's ok, it's been longer than half the page too. I've kind of incorporated it as an alternate name in my headcannon, some people call me Deken, other's call me the Deker for some reason.

Thrakdar, Deken, Ein; One suit has thrown itself at your stealthy companion, the other is lying on the floor, cleaver raised above itself, Serrick sprawled over it in a bizarre embrace. The Big Suit meanwhile is seemingly ignoring everything around it and continuing to walk into the barrel over, and over, and over again. What do you do?

Seeing Serrick in danger, I toss my dagger in a lazy arc in the general direction of the Serrick and the suited figure, at the apoapsis I exhale an angry report, pointing at the suited figures arm (Casting Magic Missile 4+4+2=10). The copper wire wrapping the weapon warms with brightness, and then plunges fiercely at the arm of the figure engaged with Serrick (4+1=5 damage).

 

[Bowlie]

Just so I don't have to load the doc every time, if you lose HP could you declare your current HP in your title when you post? If you don't declare I'll assume you're at full.

Also I just realised I've been calling Deken "Deker" for half the page. Too much Blade Runner.

Okay! And Thrakdur "Thrakdar" c:

As it staggers backwards, Serrick manages to jam his stick in the suit's aperture, but it merely bounces off the window - seems to be quite solid. The other gloved arm grabs the stick on the rebound, dragging the hapless druid forward and pulling him with it as it falls prone. Serrick, you're lying splayed across a wet metal suit of diving gear that has an extremely sharp blade in one hand; what do you do?

(Waymore and Serrick need to defy danger before doing anything, though of course they can just take an action and eat the damage)

Seeing Serrick in danger, I toss my dagger in a lazy arc in the general direction of the Serrick and the suited figure, at the apoapsis I exhale an angry report, pointing at the suited figures arm (Casting Magic Missile 4+4+2=10). The copper wire wrapping the weapon warms with brightness, and then plunges fiercely at the arm of the figure engaged with Serrick (4+1=5 damage).

Defy Danger, 2d6+INT. (4+5) + 1 = 10

Right as the dagger penetrates the menacing arm I remember how these mass-produced suits are crafted and yank it, to then push it through the arm's armpit. That place won't be as solid.

Damage, 1d6 = 4

 

[justjim89]

Since DEX is kinda my dominant attribute, I'll assume I can defy danger with it.

Seeing the figure hurling towards me with violent intent, I wait as long as possible before dodging to the side quickly, hoping in his rage he collides with the wall.

2d6+DEX: (2+5)+2=9

 

[Ultimate_Trainer]

Thrakdar, Deken, Ein; One suit has thrown itself at your stealthy companion, the other is lying on the floor, cleaver raised above itself, Serrick sprawled over it in a bizarre embrace. The Big Suit meanwhile is seemingly ignoring everything around it and continuing to walk into the barrel over, and over, and over again. What do you do?

Trying to grab its attention and help out the party, I play my Oud.

3+4+(2)=9 and choose this:
-You coordinate your allies’ teamwork - the next time an ally Aids Another, they grant +2 instead of -1 to the aided ally

 

[Tubobutts]

The other figure, thrown by the sudden impact, collapses forward into the full weight of Thrakdar's axe; sparks fly as the helmet dents slightly, knocking the figure backwards - but as it staggers, a gloved hand whips around like a silver sheen, spraying water and blood across the room. Thrakdar, take 1d8 damage as a jagged metal blade bites into your arm.

This time me rolling a 1 is actually good, with my armor that turns into 0 Dmg right? Unless it ignores armor?
The blade bites into where my arm was, barely scratching me as I dodge away.

As Deken tries to magic one suit off of Serrick, I see the other fly at Waymore. He dodges its lunge, but the suit clad abomination runs straight into my attack.

(5+4)+2=11 and Dmg=7

Okay! And Thrakdur "Thrakdar" c:

I've been pretending that it means every NPC is slightly mispronouncing my weird foreign name

 

[Jintor]

You can't aid an action already made, try something else ( or change its effect)

 

[Tubobutts]

You can't aid an action already made, try something else ( or change its effect)

I edited it. Does that work?

 

[Jintor]

Seeing Serrick in danger, I toss my dagger in a lazy arc in the general direction of the Serrick and the suited figure, at the apoapsis I exhale an angry report, pointing at the suited figures arm (Casting Magic Missile 4+4+2=10). The copper wire wrapping the weapon warms with brightness, and then plunges fiercely at the arm of the figure engaged with Serrick (4+1=5 damage).

(At apoapsis the dagger hits peak delta-V and gets a nice comfortable orbital intercept with the suit in t-16hrs; you turn off the liquid fuel and let it coast until it's time to begin Suit Orbit intercept, but realise too late you didn't attach your monoprop to the retrothrusters, what do you do?

The dagger flies through the air, glowing an etheral light, and slams straight through the leather seal, spraying more liquid through the air on impact; the figure jerks, but continues fighting to angle the cleaver to scrape Serrick off without harm to itself.

Defy Danger, 2d6+INT. (4+5) + 1 = 10

Right as the dagger penetrates the menacing arm I remember how these mass-produced suits are crafted and yank it, to then push it through the arm's armpit. That place won't be as solid.

Yep, you got the idea; if you're going to defy danger using one of your other stats, you gotta justify it in the fiction. Of course, now you're going to have to tell me How does the land-bound Serrick know anything about the make and crafting of diving suits?

As the dagger slams into the arm, Serrick watches it thrust through the air in slow motion, his fingers closing on the handle even as the shudder of its impact ripples through the suit. Before the magic even fades he pulls it clean and angles it just so and jams it into the suit's armpit.

A muffled gargling sound emits and you can hear the vibrations of the sound rattle the strange frame as one gloved hand reflexively drops the cleaver; it clangs to the ground right by Serrick's head.

Seeing the figure hurling towards me with violent intent, I wait as long as possible before dodging to the side quickly, hoping in his rage he collides with the wall.

2d6+DEX: (2+5)+2=9

This time me rolling a 1 is actually good, with my armor that turns into 0 Dmg right? Unless it ignores armor?
The blade bites into where my arm was, barely scratching me as I dodge away.

As Deken tries to magic one suit off of Serrick, I see the other fly at Waymore. He dodges its lunge, but the suit clad abomination runs straight into my attack.

The wild swing barely glances off one of Thrakdur's many scraps of hardened leather, the rigid material turning the deadly blade aside; Thrakdur takes 0 damage as it grabs Serrick and bears him to the ground. The other suit leaps at Waymore, who nimbly leaps aside, as Thrakdur takes a vicious swing at the new target of opportunity.

A deliberate lunge becomes a flailing dive as the figure convulses through the air, Thrakdur's axe slicing through the leather as if it were Chunian rice-paper, Waymore twisting out of the way with ease. It slams helmet-first into the wall, denting with the force of its impact, making a loud jangling CRASH that echos through the small room and slides sickeningly to the ground. It doesn't move.

Trying to grab its attention and help out the party, I play my Oud.

3+4+(2)=9 and choose this:
-You coordinate your allies’ teamwork - the next time an ally Aids Another, they grant +2 instead of -1 to the aided ally

Ein, What's the name of your song? How does it help your friends to play it? Did you practice with it beforehand, have you sung it in chorus before? Is there a subtle magic in its harmonies and rhythms? Describe it for me.

Serrick, you are still lying across a suit with a cleaver blade-first in the ground by your head. What do you do?

Everybody else, Serrick is still struggling with a prone figure on the ground, what do you do?

 

[Bowlie]

Yep, you got the idea; if you're going to defy danger using one of your other stats, you gotta justify it in the fiction. Of course, now you're going to have to tell me How does the land-bound Serrick know anything about the make and crafting of diving suits?

Well, during the first days in Xingchu while Thrakdur was going to an inn to meet his folk and Deken dealing with that merchant, I was studying Xingchu's nature; to be frank that's the only thing I care about in this city or am good at.
That was when I learned about Vasces and its miraculous properties.

In a mix of preoccupation with the amount being harvested and desire to see an underwater farm (my parents would think I'm crazy if I told them) I looked closely at the process, knowing how the plant is harvested, what are the safety measures necessary for such type of farm, and how it's affecting the ecosystem.

I was happy to discover that the harvest is controlled by the authorities... and not so much to discover that the workers suffer bad working conditions with poor equipment.
In fact, the most common cause of accident at the farms is skin burn near a joint region, because those aren't protected well by their suits.

I think I mentioned some of this in the first pages, but maybe I only thought about it
edit: only thought about it

Serrick, you are still lying across a suit with a cleaver blade-first in the ground by your head. What do you do?

Still dazed, I use my club (can I start calling it a club? it's more practical) as support to lift myself up, but not before picking the blade with my other hand. Then I take a few steps back and search the room with my eyes to see what happened.

 

[Tubobutts]

Free bad joke if someone wants it: "Now what do we do about the big dumb one? No offense Thrakdur."

 

[Jintor]

Still dazed, I use my club (can I start calling it a club? it's more practical) as support to lift myself up, but not before picking the blade with my other hand. Then I take a few steps back and search the room with my eyes to see what happened.

As you climb to your feet a flailing hand shoots out and grabs your leg in a vice-like grip. You twist around to see the suit, leaking fluids and battered and dented, gamely attempting to pull itself to its feet and pull you down to the floor. Serrick, what do you do?

 

[Tubobutts]

I thought it was dead, sorry.

I see it grab Serrick's ankle and bring my axe down on the arm that's grabbing him.

(6+6)+2=14 Dmg=6

 

[Jintor]

Thrakdur's axe slams against the grasping hand, piercing the suit and spraying you both with freezing-cold water and... other stuff. A muffled, bubbly shriek comes from the suit and it collapses to the ground, immobile.

The Big One is, amazingly, still endlessly caught walking into the barrel. What do you do?

 

[justjim89]

"Shall we leave the big one be?" I wonder aloud, "Something tells me he's not about to become a threat."

I look closer at the corpses on the ground. Turning them over, examining the wounds, peering into their helmets. "These are new. Enchanted? Mechanical?"

Do I need to roll to learn more about these things? Like a WIS or INT check? 2d6+WIS: (5+2)+0=7.

 

[Tubobutts]

Can I aid Waymore by also looking at the corpses? Since he didn't roll yet technically. (6+1)+1=8

"They don't seem to be Steppelanders, I can tell you that much."

 

[Ultimate_Trainer]

Ein, What's the name of your song? How does it help your friends to play it? Did you practice with it beforehand, have you sung it in chorus before? Is there a subtle magic in its harmonies and rhythms? Describe it for me.

Gemini Dance was the name of the song. Originally used for intermediate dancers to practice staying in sync with eachoter, but often used in armies practicing formations due to how effective it is. No magics at all. Just rhyme and rhythm keeps people in sync. Some rumors say just by listening to it, people can send and receive orders subconsciously. I practiced it day and night many times when learning how to play instruments, but never in a crowd. Only once or twice with another person. Its an extremely fast paced song sung and played in a major scale.

 

[Jintor]

Gemini Dance was the name of the song. Originally used for intermediate dancers to practice staying in sync with eachoter, but often used in armies practicing formations due to how effective it is. No magics at all. Just rhyme and rhythm keeps people in sync. Some rumors say just by listening to it, people can send and receive orders subconsciously. I practiced it day and night many times when learning how to play instruments, but never in a crowd. Only once or twice with another person. Its an extremely fast paced song sung and played in a major scale.

Awesome. The next time anyone rolls to aid someone in the party they'll get a +2 on a success, buoyed by the rollicking whip-crack pace of the Gemini Dance.

"Shall we leave the big one be?" I wonder aloud, "Something tells me he's not about to become a threat."

I look closer at the corpses on the ground. Turning them over, examining the wounds, peering into their helmets. "These are new. Enchanted? Mechanical?"

Do I need to roll to learn more about these things? Like a WIS or INT check? 2d6+WIS: (5+2)+0=7.

Can I aid Waymore by also looking at the corpses? (6+1)+1=8

"They don't seem to be Steppelanders, I can tell you that much."

I think I'll interpret that as a spout lore check from Waymore immediately after I tell you what's in the suits, with Thrakdur assisting. Spout Lore is +INT, so, let's see... oof. (5+2)-1 +2(Assist) = 8. Good thing Thrakdur stepped in, yeah?

I might need to draft assist rules.

There's no way you can get the helmets off without spending some time prying at the connectors or sawing through the leather, but you can tell a few things without having to go to such lengths. The various rends in the suits are leaking a steady stream of what seems to be the bay's slightly acidic water and a disgusting mix of blood and tissue. Moving the suits around reveals glimpses of mottled grey-green-blue skin, beneath the dripping ichor.

What little you can see of their faces through the window are are ghastly, monstrous, fish-like; you've never seen anything like them, though between you and Thrakdur (and your memory jogged by Ein's fast-paced jig of drunken rumours shared in endless dockside dives), you've heard at least some tales of such strange beasts. Passing tales of ships lost in endless fog, ambushed at sea by creatures that swarmed the decks, pulled unlucky sailors to a watery grave. What were they called again? Depthians, Trenchers, Naga...? You were pretty sure they never had legs in those stories, though. Or diving suits.

The Big One bangs its shin into the barrel, steps backwards, lowers its head, and stops moving.

What do you do?

 

[Jintor]

New assist rules for PbP:

• If you anticipate someone needing assistance with something, you can always roll to assist provided you justify it in the fiction as long as it's before they actually roll the move.
• If you want an assist on a roll, I have to honour system this, but you have to decide that before you actually roll. You can't decide after you roll otherwise it kind of defeats the dramatic potential of it, you know? Anyway, to signify you'd like assistance, wrap your roll and results in spoiler tags whatever the result is (success, partial, or fail).
• If you decide to assist someone asking for help, make your own assist roll FIRST before checking their spoiler tags. They may well have already succeeded before you assisted, but who's to say.

This is honour system of course, since there's no way I could possibly check that.

 

[Bowlie]

I thought it was dead, sorry.

me too, let me goooo.

"Thank you for saving me back there, friend." I pat Thrakdur on the shoulder.

---

Who, or what are these? Is this another way to get in touch with animal spirits? Maybe that's how it's done down here? So many questions... this is way off my knowledge.

"Maybe he's sleeping... I'll put another barrel behind him, just in case. He seemed to like it."
I drop the cleaver and try to pick one up. Seeing that is too heavy, filled with wet soil, I lay it down like the first one and start rolling it with my left foot and walking by its side until it reaches him, when I stop the barrel from moving further.

 

[Jintor]

The Big One doesn't react in any way. You get the sense it's not even aware that you did anything.

You hear a familiar chittering as a pair of bats wing their way in down the stairs, circling just below the roof.

 

[Tubobutts]

Their piscine visages revealed to me I step back in horror, a look of disgust on my face.

"Demons," I gasp "Servants of Shorn!"

I reach into the accumulated soot at the base of the still burning torch, the heat reminding me of Arkahz's protection, and draw the eight pointed symbol of the sun on my forehead.

Pointing at the remaining creature I say

"That thing is of evil magic, we must be careful."

I turn to Serrick

"Surely you can counter it's evil with your own magic?"

Serrick's kind of magic is what Thrakdur is the most familiar with so he assumes that Serrick can do something. Even if he actually can't.

 

[Bowlie]

"All I know is how to communicate with the spirits of the land, and there are none here. I'm sorry."

Even if there were, would something like "i'm gonna rid your place of these foreigners" work as leverage to parley?

 

[sproutella]

The Big One bangs its shin into the barrel, steps backwards, lowers its head, and stops moving.

What do you do?

I step toward the giant, reaching into a satchel filled with books. It takes a couple tries to find the right book, but eventually I fish out Anomalilesh Gizli by Selim Towensend. I rifle through the pages, moving the pebble back and forth when I come to a passage that may be relevant before flipping to another bookmarked section. Eventually I find a passage that seems to connect to this creature.

(Spout Lore 5+1+2+1=9. Using a book, marked on the doc. Well, uh what is interesting about this guy?)

 

[justjim89]

"They fought more as animals than men, from where I sit. Not a great deal of strategy or tactical thinking behind their actions. Perhaps someone is animating them to harvest the Vasces." I look deeper into the fissure, trying to see if there are any more. "They couldn't have been alone, at the very least. Shall we press further into the depths?"

 

[Jintor]

I step toward the giant, reaching into a satchel filled with books. It takes a couple tries to find the right book, but eventually I fish out Anomalilesh Gizli by Selim Towensend. I rifle through the pages, moving the pebble back and forth when I come to a passage that may be relevant before flipping to another bookmarked section. Eventually I find a passage that seems to connect to this creature.

(Spout Lore 5+1+2+1=9. Using a book, marked on the doc. Well, uh what is interesting about this guy?)

Towensend doesn't have any verified entries on mer-folk or Shornians as such, but he does sketch some accurate pictures of strange pieces of armour occasionally dredged up by treasure-divers and other sea-faring adventurers. They seem to match the creature that stands before you quite well, although the helmet is noticeably different.

"Ironmongers, leatherworkers and blacksmiths agree that the men who wore such fine creations must have been giants," he writes, in a spindley hand, "But it is my belief that these deceptive-looking pieces hold a deeper secret. Experiments have confirmed that multiple karmic signatures once resided within each individual plate, gauntlet or piece of armament. It is theoretically possible that so-called 'dumb' spirits or easily-compelled creatures may, in concert, achieve baseline intelligence comparable to that of a small child... yet without an anchor to this plane, such collectives quickly fade away..."

The rest is mostly theories and hypotheticals, Townsend repeatedly lamenting the fact he was never able to acquire any samples that hadn't been above-surface for decades or more, let alone find a Colony in action.

 

[Jintor]

I look deeper into the fissure, trying to see if there are any more. "They couldn't have been alone, at the very least. Shall we press further into the depths?"

You hear nothing but the distant roar of the ocean below; perhaps the caves open up to the sea, or the shore? It is pitch-black down there, but Thrakdur bears his torch and Deken's pebble is working better when removed from the presence of the giant diving suit.

 

[sproutella]

"But it is my belief that these deceptive-looking pieces hold a deeper secret. Experiments have confirmed that multiple karmic signatures once resided within each individual plate, gauntlet or piece of armament. It is theoretically possible that so-called 'dumb' spirits or easily-compelled creatures may, in concert, achieve baseline intelligence comparable to that of a small child... yet without an anchor to this plane, such collectives quickly fade away..."

"Could it be..." I whisper, "What purpose does such a construction have? And what maleficence to bind spirit so grotesquely!"

I move closer to the armor, calling out and waving the pebble, "Spirits, ruh hali, can you hear my voice? Can you sense anything?"
Reaching into a pocket I grab the new bronze key, thinking whether I could(or should) tether to these effervescent beings.



Do you think telepathy is possible? The spell lists person so I'm assuming no. I could try a ritual to magically interact with it as well. That is all assuming that they don't react to me physically.

 

[Jintor]

The Suit lurches to life, backing away from you and falling over the barrel that Serrick rolled behind it earlier with an almighty CRASH, still clutching its net. It waves its legs in the air almost helplessly.

From above, you hear the faint but unmistakable sounds of a door slamming shut, and a questioning query (in a language none of you understand) ring out. What do you do?

 

[justjim89]

The Suit lurches to life, backing away from you and falling over the barrel that Serrick rolled behind it earlier with an almighty CRASH, still clutching its net. It waves its legs in the air almost helplessly.

From above, you hear the faint but unmistakable sounds of a door slamming shut, and a questioning query (in a language none of you understand) ring out. What do you do?

I look to my companions and in a hushed voice say, "I vote for going further rather than finding out who our company may be. Someone with light ought to go first."

 

[Tubobutts]

"Maybe if we continue downward we can find the source of this evil and destroy it. You're right Waymore, we should continue on if Deken and Serrick can't counter the demon magic from here."

If we decide to go down the fissure I'll go first with my torch.

 

[Jintor]

If we decide to go down the fissure I'll go first with my torch.

So this is what Thrakdar sees. If you guys went with him, you'll see this too. Just keeping things moving.

A well-trodden path extends onwards, spiralling down into the earth. Here and there small caches of mining equipment are left by walls or, at one point, simply dumped untidily on the floor. The sound of crashing waves echos throughout. Though these caves are, apparently, above sea level, water appears to coalesce on the sides of the walls and drip slowly down to pool in puddles on the ground.

After a few minutes or so of walking, retreating from false ends and places where you find no traces of a path, you find yourself in a larger cavern. You can feel blasts of fresh air and hear the roar of the waves coming from the far end of the room, although being night-time you can't actually see the outside very well at all.

Strange coral are glowing on the walls (coral? In an cave?), casting an strange, low-level glow throughout. The light is refracting off the various pools of water in this cave, the water sparkling an unearthly, shimmering white that throws shadows of stalagmites and rocks all around. The pool closest to you is more of an interior beach than anything, a shallow slope descending into the depths, but from here you can't see exactly how deep any of the other pools are.

Closer to you, easily accessible without having to get your feet wet, are two other cave mouths. One, you can see from here, appears to have crates and other miscellaneous supplies within.

If you are all together in this room:

Spoiler

From where you came from, the sound of panicked shouting, yells of surprise, and muffled footsteps can be heard.

If you are Waymore:

Spoiler

You notice delicate thin strands of... something strung across various parts of the room, all at around foot level, easy enough to step over if you know where they are. You're not entirely sure what they're connected to, at least at a glance.

What do you do?

 

[justjim89]

If you are all together in this room:

Spoiler

From where you came from, the sound of panicked shouting, yells of surprise, and muffled footsteps can be heard.

If you are Waymore:

Spoiler

You notice delicate thin strands of... something strung across various parts of the room, all at around foot level, easy enough to step over if you know where they are. You're not entirely sure what they're connected to, at least at a glance.

What do you do?

"Mind your footing, everyone. Look down as you walk. The room is trapped all over." I examine the strands carefully, trying to determine exactly what they are and what they're connected to. We're clearly being followed, but in my mind that's a situation to address after determining how dangerous this room is.

 

[sproutella]

So this is what Thrakdar sees. If you guys went with him, you'll see this too. Just keeping things moving.

Strange coral are glowing on the walls (coral? In an cave?), casting an strange, low-level glow throughout. The light is refracting off the various pools of water in this cave, the water sparkling an unearthly, shimmering white that throws shadows of stalagmites and rocks all around. The pool closest to you is more of an interior beach than anything, a shallow slope descending into the depths, but from here you can't see exactly how deep any of the other pools are.

Closer to you, easily accessible without having to get your feet wet, are two other cave mouths. One, you can see from here, appears to have crates and other miscellaneous supplies within.

If you are all together in this room:

Spoiler

From where you came from, the sound of panicked shouting, yells of surprise, and muffled footsteps can be heard.

What do you do?

"Hmm... if there is coral here, that must mean the water level has dropped - it could be low tide. We must be quick lest we risk a watery end."

 

[Jintor]

"Mind your footing, everyone. Look down as you walk. The room is trapped all over." I examine the strands carefully, trying to determine exactly what they are and what they're connected to. We're clearly being followed, but in my mind that's a situation to address after determining how dangerous this room is.

The thin strands are a kind of kelp or seaweed or something that has been delicately looped around various rocks and suchlike that disturbing the strands would splash some rocks into the pool. An incredibly crude alarm system would be your surmise.

As of yet, there is no sounds of pursuit, but that won't last long.

So long as the traps are active you'll need to Defy Danger + DEX (with a +1 because Waymore can point out the wires for you) to move around without tripping the wires. However, the closer cave entrance is accessible without touching a wire.

 

[Tubobutts]

"I'm going to stay near the entrance to confront whatever might be following us. If one of you wants my torch to aid up you in inspecting the cavern you can have it."

I get into a fighting stance, ready for whatever danger we're in for.

 

[justjim89]

I gratefully take Thrakdur's torch and carefully head towards the closest cave entrance to further explore it. For a moment, I look back to the party and ask "Anyone care to join me?"

 

[Ultimate_Trainer]

"There is strength in numbers, so I might as well join you, Thrakdur. I'll watch your back."

I lean on the wall, sword drawn supporting me as well.

 

[Bowlie]

"I'll join you, Waymore; let's see what's in there".

 

[Jintor]

I gratefully take Thrakdur's torch and carefully head towards the closest cave entrance to further explore it. For a moment, I look back to the party and ask "Anyone care to join me?"

"There is strength in numbers, so I might as well join you, Thrakdur. I'll watch your back."

I lean on the wall, sword drawn supporting me as well.

"I'll join you, Waymore; let's see what's in there".

Deken, you can be with the cave exploration team here or with Thrakdur, your choice.

The flickering flames of the torch illuminates a room, surprisingly, full of crates and shelves and miscellaneous gear of some description - ropes, saws, more mining equipment. A crate on the ground holds some strange bronze vessels, like vases but with a bizarre neck of some kind.

Also present in the corner of the cave are six diving suits, the design of which is familiar to all of you, having being worn by the strange creatures you confronted earlier. Serrick, you know also that these are fairly similar to stock diving suits usually produced for the underwater farms that dot the Bay of Longdu, although there are some obvious differences here - one major one being that one of the six is apparently in the process of being disassembled. By one of the other suits.

The suit doing the disassembling doesn't even look up when you enter the room, but continues, intent on its work.

What do you do?

"I'm going to stay near the entrance to confront whatever might be following us. If one of you wants my torch to aid up you in inspecting the cavern you can have it."

I get into a fighting stance, ready for whatever danger we're in for.

You strain to hear down the cavern above the crash of the waves. You may not understand the language, but the tone of voice, the sound of orders being barked and calm and discipline generally being restored is unmistakable. If you had to guess, it'd probably be a command like 'Find the intruders!', right?

What do you do?

 

[Tubobutts]

You strain to hear down the cavern above the crash of the waves. You may not understand the language, but the tone of voice, the sound of orders being barked and calm and discipline generally being restored is unmistakable. If you had to guess, it'd probably be a command like 'Find the intruders!', right?

What do you do?

I stand on one side of the entrance to the cavern, up against the wall ready to attack whatever comes through, and motion for Ein to do the same on the other side.

 

[Jintor]

Ein's investigating the cave, you mean Deken right?

 

[sproutella]

Deken, you can be with the cave exploration team here or with Thrakdur, your choice.

I follow Waymore into the nearby cave.

The suit doing the disassembling doesn't even look up when you enter the room, but continues, intent on its work.

What do you do?

I move nearer to the suit at work, casting the light of the pebble onto it, attempting to see if this suit is empty, or if there is someone inside.



Also a heads up Jintor

Ein's investigating the cave, you mean Deken right?

"There is strength in numbers, so I might as well join you, Thrakdur. I'll watch your back."

I lean on the wall, sword drawn supporting me as well.

 

[justjim89]

My hand instinctively wraps around the grip of my sword, prepared at any moment for the suit to attack. The lack of certainty as to what made the two previous suits hostile while the big one wasn't has been festering upon my mind. I'm good at what I do based upon information and planning. This, being a case in which I don't have much information or a way to plan around it, doesn't sit well with me. I've never been the type to play things by ear. While Deken investigates the suit, I take a more careful look around the room. Examining the strange vases, perusing the shelves, and keeping an eye out for anything of value.

At long last, I think I've properly set up a situation in which I can discern realities about the room, right Jintor?

 

[Bowlie]

how is the cave? are there any pillars or other rock formations?

I take a look at the vases to see if there's anything interesting inside them, to after stay equidistant from Deken and the moving suit.

 

[Jintor]

At long last, I think I've properly set up a situation in which I can discern realities about the room, right Jintor?

Yep, roll!

You're right about Ein, need to read more clearly

 

[Tubobutts]

Sorry, I went to sleep after my post, but it looks like Sproutella had my back. Thanks!

 

[Jintor]

I move nearer to the suit at work, casting the light of the pebble onto it, attempting to see if this suit is empty, or if there is someone inside.

The suit is empty of any living thing, at least in this plane, but the light is bugging out like mad, possibly even worse than above. There's power around here, somewhere - not quite right here - but very close. Multiple sources, maybe, but one that towers above all. In the glazed window of the suit, you see a hint of bubbles.

So long as you don't get between it and its work, the suit appears content to let you examine it; if you get too close, however, it gently pushes you back. It appears to be disassembling another suit. The gloved hands move rapidly but delicately, with the precision of a bizarre surgeon, as a seam neatly rips in two. The suit reaches beside it and dips a finger in a small rock pool by it, then with a deft touch traces something on its work.

Deker, you feel a tiny surge of power, and your pebble flickers and splutters out. How does that feel? What do you do?

how is the cave? are there any pillars or other rock formations?

I take a look at the vases to see if there's anything interesting inside them, to after stay equidistant from Deken and the moving suit.

This cave is actually closer in style to a rough-shorn room. The roof is low, but any errant stalactite have been cleared away, as evidence by a few broken stumps here and there. Barrels and shelves crowd the corners and sides, but the path to where the Suit is working is straight and clear.

The vases apparently have some kind of stopper as part of its neck with a complicated mechanism that does... something. By its weight and the sound of the inside, however, you surmise that they are filled with a liquid of some kind. Each has a mark of some kind on it (though it looks very different from the mark that Thrakdur showed you).

Serrick, it occurs to you (based on your studies) that diving suits usually require air of some kind. What do you do?

---

Waymore, roll Discern Realities and ask your question(s).

 

[justjim89]

Waymore, roll Discern Realities and ask your question(s).

What's the roll for it? Just 2d6? Any modifiers? If not, it's (3+5)=8. What are all my options for questions? I know I can ask "What here is useful or valuable to me?" but is there anything else I can learn? Sorry, should've asked this in my last post.

 

[Jintor]

http://book.dwgazetteer.com/moves_discussion.html

Discern Realities
When you closely study a situation or person, roll+Wis. ✴On a 10+, ask the GM 3 questions from the list below. ✴On a 7–9, ask 1.

Either way, take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

• What happened here recently?
• What is about to happen?
• What should I be on the lookout for?
• What here is useful or valuable to me?
• Who’s really in control here?
• What here is not what it appears to be?

To discern realities you must closely observe your target. That usually means interacting with it or watching someone else do the same. You can’t just stick your head in the doorway and discern realities about a room. You’re not merely scanning for clues—you have to look under and around things, tap the walls, and check for weird dust patterns on the bookshelves. That sort of thing.

Discerning realities isn’t just about noticing a detail, it’s about figuring out the bigger picture. The GM always describes what the player characters experience honestly, so during a fight the GM will say that the kobold mage stays at the other end of the hall. Discerning realities could reveal the reason behind that: the kobold’s motions reveal that he’s actually pulling energy from the room behind him, he can’t come any closer.

Just like spout lore, the answers you get are always honest ones. Even if the GM has to figure it out on the spot. Once they answer, it’s set in stone. You’ll want to discern realities to find the truth behind illusions—magical or otherwise.

Unless a move says otherwise players can only ask questions from the list. If a player asks a question not on the list the GM can tell them to try again or answer a question from the list that seems equivalent.

Of course, some questions might have a negative answer, that’s fine. If there really, honestly is nothing useful or valuable here, the GM will answer that question with “Nothing, sorry.”

One thing I noticed is that we're not really taking the +1 forward from Discern Realities very often, partially because I keep forgetting that thing exists and also since we don't really seem to act on the discern realities very often. Remind me if you feel like an action you do is helped by a discern realities roll.

Some of the examples seem to imply that you can indeed discern realities just by observation, but I think that's the key to it - it has to be a close study of something. You could spend a little bit of time discerning the way a creature moves or acts, for example, without needing to lay hands on it or anything.

 

[justjim89]

In that case, my WIS is 0 so my roll remains an 8. In this instance, I'd like to ask "Who's really in control here?" given that it's clear the diving suits are just carrying out someone's dirty work.