There are two interesting paths that you can see, each taking you a ways away from the village. On the left, a well-beaten path leads to a spring where the village men often go to fetch drinking water and fish. On the right, the trail leads deeper into the forest. Both hold exciting prospect for adventure. You're having a tough time deciding which way to go!

What is it to be, little Osy? To the forest, or to the spring?

---

> Previous Threads:
> Thread 1: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14975796/
> Thread 2: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15001904/
> Thread 3: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15014075/

I vote forest.

Forest please. If we're gonna sneak around when we aren't supposed to, let's make the trip worth the effort- Getting caught and yelled at for clean drinking water and catching fish sounds kinda dumb.

not op but for those who went to sleep before 3 ended, op answered a lot of questions and we discussed what to do with our new foci- >>15019141

The decision is an easy one. You didn't sneak past the guard to explore a pond with some carp. You're out for adventure! You give your spear a few practice thrusts, then set off, using the blunt edge of the weapon as a walking stick.

The trail into the forest quickly darkens, with less and less sunlight worming its with through cracks in the overhead foliage. You spot a number of cool bugs, all of which buzz away when you attempt to approach them. Stealth, young Osyki, is not your forte.

A soft glow catches your way as you duck under a low-hanging tree branch. Crouching down, you recognize a patch of glowing mushrooms by your feet. These are Aminycia mushrooms, famous in your village for their sweet taste when boiled. Local beasts like to munch on these, so finding such a large patch of them is a rare treat. You curse yourself for forgetting a backpack on your excursion; you doubt you could fit all of the mushrooms into your pockets.

And we're back \o/

Readan to catch up :3

>>15028239
We should put what we can into our pockets. Are they edible raw? If we're not sure, let's find out.

Pick healing weeds
Loot behemoth cave
Escort the scavenge team to the corpse of the Rock turtle we killed earlier

Do in whatever order is necessary - we want those scavenge teams rolling ASAP.

aw yeah, totemist quest.
Good evenin', storyteller.
You have my rapt attention for an amount of time that will probably result in me missing a lot of my usually self-imposed sleep, but who cares.
also explanation real quick, I suffer from insomnia. The biologically needs pills kind.

>>15028289
We're doing a flashback/backstory thing atm

What happens if we die in the backstory?

>>15028239
We should fit at least some in our pockets, if they're edible/tasty/not-poisonous raw we could snack on a few. If we see anything that we can improvise for a bag we should make one, bringing gifts ought to mollify any who would be angered at our leaving without permission.

>>15028301
>>15028274
>>15028330
Let's second these and grab some mushrooms, OP.

Then let's head into the woods towards something we've heard is interesting.

You immediately begin picking as many of the shrooms as you possibly can, stuffing them haphazardly into your pockets. You imagine with glee the look on the matrons face when you present her with the enormous bounty of sweets. Dessert will be the best ever tonight

You ponder the possibility of eating one of the mushrooms raw. Something the matron said about mushrooms nags at the back of your mind, but you can't quite recall it. It strikes you as a bad idea, however, since one of your friends recently got very sick from eating the wrong kind of mushroom. You wouldn't want to end up like him, he spent most of the last week in the outhouse.

Having crammed your pockets full to bursting, you abandon the remaining fungi. You can always come back. Maybe it will still be here when you do. Do you want to continue exploring, or head back to drop off your bounty? It's a little past mid-day. Dinner is in just a few hours.

>>15028369
EXPLORATION!!! Caution is for those without adventures to have.

>>15028369
Let's explore moar, then go home and get out of this flashback if OP will let us.

>>15028369
Drop off bounty
Obtain backpack
Obtain skinning knife if we don't have one already

>>15028369
We should keep exploring, if we go back we might not be able to get out of town without getting caught again.

>>15028390
Large supply of water, and some travel rations are never a bad idea too. Maybe flint + iron if they exist.
Gotta grab a length of rope, too. Bitches love lengths of rope.

>>15028390
>>15028403
It is clear we won't be allowed out without difficulty if we go back to town.

We're younger than last time, this is a flashback.

>>15028403
We are a child exploring the woods near his home and you're suggesting that we obtain travel rations for this endeavour?
>Osyki THE PREPARED

Unwilling to risk being apprehended by the guard just yet, you press onward. After all, who knows when the next time you'll get an opportunity like this will be? You adjust your sagging pants, take up your weapon, and head further into parts unknown.

The forest canopy blocks out nearly all sunlight by now. You're relying on ambient light and the occasional photoluminescent moss to see where you're going. You didn't know that the forest could get this dark during the daytime, and it's making your a little nervous. There is a sense of movement just beyond your range of vision, and every time you look behind you you could swear you can catch the edges of a form whipping into the underbrush, though it does not seem as though the leaves are rustling. Steeling your nerves, you put the thought out of your mind. You are an adventurer, an explorer! Your friends would never let you live it down if you turned back now. You press forward with renewed vigor until you come up against an unusual formation.

A cave stands before you, the rock forming its walls and ceiling jutting up from the earth below. Dripping stalagmites and stalactites lance every so often from the solid rock, and there is a faint sound of dripping water. Straining your ears, you hear soft tones of music. Coming from inside the cave? You think so.

>>15028434
Gotta have travel rations, lots of water, skinning knife, source of fire, and a length of rope bro.

>>15028434
Don't cha mean Osyki "Silvertongue" the Prepared, the schizophrenic?
Because I believe every single character in every single /tg/ quest must be driven slowly insane by the voices of the multiple neckbeards raging bewee every decision.
But I digress

>>15028434

[[ I fucking lost it. Fell out of my chair. ]]

>>15028493
Sneakily approach the cave, angling towards either side of the entrance and not entering yet, we should once to one of the sides of the entrance press our ear against the wall and see if we can hear more.

>>15028493
Into the cave then.

>>15028493
CAVE DEVOURER! Let's go inside, cause who is playing music inside a cave that eats people?

>>15028518
SECOND.
Enter CAVE, use STEALTH, hug WALL.

And grab something photoluminescent along the way if you're in darkness.

Were you in the mountains, you would suspect that this cave was in fact a Cave Devourer. You know, however, that their preferred prey is the mountain goat, along with the occasional stupid Drake. Finding one in the forest, especially this deep, would be unusual indeed.

That thought doesn't stop you from double and triple checking the patterns of the spiky protrusions, however.

You pull one of the glowing mushrooms from your pocket, slowly edging into the cave along one wall. You are careful to avoid any pockets of water on the ground, fearing an echoing splash. Ear pressed to the wall of the cavern, you listen. The music isn't a figment, that much is certain. A soft female voice seems to echo from deep within the cave, accompanied by some sort of stringed instrument. It's a soft melody, and you enjoy what snatches of it you can hear. Compelled to discover its source, you inch further into the cavern.

After a ways travel, you spot a bend in the rock walls. Around it, a flickering light dances, casting shadows across the wall. A humanoid shadow, its proportions grossly distorted by the lumpy cave wall, jumps in and out of view. This is definitely the source of the music.

HEY DIARCA!

You should try giving us a target time until your next post so we know how long we have to second other ideas or build a consensus. Fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, whatever.

Twenty should be enough imo >.>

>>15028580
It is perfectly safe to follow the source of the music, and we should do so posthaste.

>>15028580
Toss a glowing mushroom at the source of the shadow, let's see if we can light it up before it sees us.

Be stealthy, Osyki. Be silent and still.

>>15028593

[[ Hah. I seem to have people telling me to speed up or slow down alternatively. I'll shoot for allowing fifteen minutes between posts. ]]

>>15028611
I second this motion!

>>15028580
Seems legitimate to me but we should still have a modicum of caution, try to light it up a bit and cautiously pick up a small pebble and toss it into the distance and see if it reacts to the splashing and the like

You reach down, plucking a mostly whole mushroom from your pocket. With shaking breaths you draw your hand back, then fling it forward. The mushroom bounces off of the cave wall, settling with a soft splash in a pool of water near the source of the shadows. Feeling brave, you peek one side of your head around the curve in the wall.

A woman sits on a pedestal of upraised rock, the flickering flames revealing what the soft glow of your mushroom does not. Her hair is a deep green, and her eyes glow with a soft amber light. The tone of her skin is a deep olive color, edging toward brown in some places. She is swathed in a flowing garment of white cloth, the fabric of a material that you cannot place. A harp rests gently in her hands, her longs nails resting against the polished strings. It is only when you stare at the motionless harp that you realize the music has stopped.

Glancing up, you see that she is staring directly at you. A look of mingled bemusement and confusion is painted across her features. Her lips turn up in a small smirk, then open to emit a voice like honeyed aminycia.

"You seem to have lost your way."

>>15028768
"This is one of those dreams my mommy told me about, isn't it?"
Walk up to her.

>>15028768
Ask her if she wants some mushrooms.

If this is some kind of monster, keep it talking as long as you can and then flee. Otherwise, introduce yourself politely but be wary. Strangers! Strangers not from the village!

>>15028768
I'm not lost, I'm on an adventure. Who are you, what are you doing here, what are you, are you a spirit and do you want some mushrooms?

>>15028817
>>15028810
We appear to have spunk and a willful urge to SHARE MUSHROOMS.
Osyki the UNEXPECTEDLY GENEROUS

>>15028842
>>15028810
>>15028817
Yes, YES. GIVE HER YOUR MUSHROOM!
ALL.
NIGHT.
LONG.

>>15028874
And by that I mean offer her dinner, as it is getting very late and she can't have possibly remembered to bring her own, nor can she accurately tell the time from inside this cave.

You shake your head, stepping out from around the corner. "I'm not lost." you proclaim, placing a hand into your pocket. "I'm on an adventure! Who are you?"

The woman smiles, watching you approach. "Call me Sylvia."she says, reclining on the pillar she is perched on.

"Okay, Sylvia," you say, drawing your hand from your pocket with a fistful of glowing mushrooms. "Would you like some amynicia? I was going to take some back to the Raising House, but I can share."

She smiles, taking a mushroom from your hand with manicured nails and placing it into her mouth. "My thanks, little one." she says, licking her lips. "An unexpected treat."

"What are you doing here?" you ask, taking a seat next to the fire. "Practicing your harp?"

"In fact, that's exactly right." Sylvia says, beginning to pluck at the strings of her instrument once more. "I come here from time to time to practice and hide away from the world outside."

"Are you from the village?" you inquire, looking her over. She doesn't seem familiar, but you don't know very many adults outside of the Raising House. She shakes her head. Her fingers work over the strings of her harp with increasing speed.

"I live in the forest." she says simply. You nod, accepting this without further query. It makes sense. Some people don't live in the village.

You listen silently to her music for a short time before she stops and turns to you. "Run along now, little adventurer. It's nearly time for your dinner, and you wouldn't want to deprive your friends of those mushrooms."

>>15028963
Are there any other people in the area besides you and whoever lives in the forest with you? Maybe tomorrow I'll come back and see if I can explore further!

See ya, Sylvia!

>>15028963
Thank you very much for your company Sylvia. I am going to return home but I would very much like to meet you again and listen to you play. If I wished to find you again where should I look.

>>15029001
"Can you teach me the harp sometime? I can meet you here in this cave."

And seconding the question about people living in the forest.

>>15029001
>>15029060
>>15029046
So we're going to thank her for her company, ask if anyone else lives in the forest, and ask to learn the harp...in a cave.

Fun. Secondan.

>>15029001
>>15029046
>>15029060
By god we neckbeards make horrible children, not as in assholes but as in unlikely.
In any case, seconded thirded etc

You climb to your feet, feeling your skin cool as you back away from the fire. "Thanks for the music, Sylvia." you say, stretching your arms over your head. "Maybe I'll come back some time, and you can teach me how to play."

"Perhaps I will." she says, smiling, but no longer looking at you. Her fingers are a blur across the strings now, the music positively symphonic. You linger to the end of the song, then head on your way.

As you reach the mouth of the cave, you stop. There is a man outside, grim and grizzled with a long scar over his eye. You recognize this man. He is the Totemist of your village. You marvel silently for a moment at the long blade in his grasp before he steps forward, snapping you out of your study. He is an imposing man, and you can't help but take an involuntary step back. Seeing this he smiles, attempting to put you at ease.

"Never seen Sylviannis act so kindly to a human." he comments, stepping past you. "Run along home, kid. It's almost dinner time, and the matrons will have your hide if you're late."

You turn and go without another word. Something about this man commands respect, and you feel compelled to follow his orders. As you walk away, you hear him chuckle before you are out of earshot.

"...Here's hoping her good mood lasts."

---

You slowly open your eyes. Casting your gaze around the room for your master, it occurs to you with a sudden pang that he is, in fact, gone. You are Osyki, newly promoted Totemist of your village. It is very near to dawn by the tell of the windows, and there is a knocking at your door.

[[ It feels as though 15 minutes is really too long a wait for some of the shorter posts I'm putting up, so I'll try to cut my responses down to about ten minutes after each post unless there's serious deliberation going on. ]]

Well, let's see who it is.

>>15029165
OH SHIT

>>15029165
Ask Amal to check who it is, relay the information to us without them knowing. From there either speak their name and tell them to come in, or speak their name and have Amal open the door without them touching it so it looks like it just fell open in front of them.

>>15029181
Awesome. Ten minutes sounds like the right shot. I was the one who suggested that you tell us a target time mainly as a reminder to people to reply at a decent pace.

>>15029213
Let's not lord it over the villagers. Just have him tell us who it is. And try to get rid of your bed-head there while you're at it.

>>15029213
2nded.

>>15029231
It's not lording over, and we'll get a lot farther with people is they stop thinking of us and Osyki the Totemist rather than Osyki the Apprentice.

You rub the sleep from your eyes, pulling Amal's Focus from around your neck. The spinning ethereal prism fades into view at your call.

"Amal, see who's at the door and let me know. Let them in when I tell you."

"On it." the spirit says, flying across the room. As he phases through the wall you run your fingers through your hair, attempting to stave off the worst of your bedhead.

"It's Pierce." Amal reports, reappearing. "Shall I let him in, then? It looks rather urgent."

"Yes, please Amal." you say, pulling yourself from your bed. You seat yourself at a workbench as the door swings open, apparently of its own accord.

"Pierce." you say, not looking up from the shard of crystal you are fiddling with. You think it looks pretty impressive. "What can I do for you?"

"Morning, Totemist." he says. His armor, polished to a mirror shine, reflects the first ray of dawn as the sun creeps over the horizon. "Can I come in?"

"Please do." you say, glancing up. "What's going on?"

"The men are ready to head up the the peak any time you are, Osyki." Piece says, closing the door behind him. "You should have seen Walther's face when I told him the news. Took him a fair ten minutes to scoop his jaw off of the floor."

You smile at that, but don't bother to gloat. "Tell the men to meet me at the north exit to town. I'll be there in ten."

"See you there, Totemist." Pierce says, exiting your hut.

Very well, Totemist. The men await you at the base of the Ikrin Peaks, and Elana expects you later in the day. What will you take with you on your second journey to the lair of the Rock Turtles?

Including what we had last time in the pack minus the lantern and of oil. More Loot!
spear
tryd, amal, and silent turtle\
If we can round up a few extra bags or baskets.
def have hammer and chisel and a sturdy knife,

Rope. Preferably eighty feet. Your companions may need to use it if the goat path is off limits to them.

A larger bag. Hopefully there's some damn shell left to scavange loot from.

An instrument for taking apart shell, harvesting bone, sinew, and meat, and so forth. Your master should have some kind of set of tools around here somewhere, or maybe notes on what to harvest in what Tryd found for you yesterday. Waste not.

Bait, should you need to direct other turtles away from a given area.

All of your foci and weapons. Your medical supplies.

Ask if the men will be taking the same, of there's a mule train, etc. That's a lot of meat and so on to carry, you know? They'll need hammers to break the shell, and implements to strip the beast's flesh.

Send Amal to check on your sister, and bid Elana good morning, incidentally. We've got to cover our bases.

>>15029414

I was thinking that? can we get them op?

er horses or mules I mean.

>>15029414
I was thinking along these lines myself.

You set to work as soon as Pierce leaves, gathering up supplies for your journey. You load your pack with the rope you brought yesterday, plus another few coils. You place your spear and the crystal Focus into the loops in the side of your backpack. The hammer and chisel are still inside from yesterday, as are your medical supplies. You take a few pieces of fruit from a bowl on the counter, placing them gently on top of the coiled rope within. You snatch a larger canvas sack from under a bench, for carrying harvested materials, and slot your ritual blade into your belt.

There. Ready to go.

You call Amal to your side once more, asking him to deliver a message of good morning to Elana and to check on your sister. He pulses once, fading from sight.

The men are assembled as you walk to the northern exit to the village. Walther taps his foot impatiently, while the others rub the sleep from their eyes. Pierce gives you a salute, shortly followed by the other guards. Excepting Walther, of course.

"I hope you all brought bags, rope, and heavy hammers." you say, scratching your head. "You're going to need them."

There is a general nodding of heads, so you walk past the group, waving for you to follow them.

Are there any special instructions that you wish to give the men? Will you take the climbing route, or the goat path? You have four mules to make use of, as well as about a dozen able bodied men, and Walther. If you choose to climb, someone will have to lead the mules up the path or stay at the base with them.

>>15029608
give them a warning that there are still rock turtles in the cave and that this isn't a walk in the park everyone needs to be alert.

How should we split the loot guys? meat to the village of course. but the gems and bone and shell?

What route we take will depend entirely on the condition of the goatpath after the storm from last time. If the path looks too slippery this time, we'll have to send bags of harvested material down to the loaders.

>>15029671
I'll say everyone in this expedition gets a fair share of what they want here within reason, naturally with us and Walther getting a slightly bigger cut, due to our positions.

I'm voting goat path any trouble we can handle witht the help of Walther and the gaurds.

when amal returns ask him to scout ahead for us.

>>15029608
Given that the Mules are taking the Goat path anyway and it's the logical path to take when laden down with goods we should take the goat path and make sure it's clear and safe. Tell the men that while the Rock Turtles were sleeping last time we were up there there might be a few awake ones in the cave so caution is key. We'll be able to use our spirits to keep an eye out and to do some advanced scouting but don't rely on them, have a scout and make sure everybody keeps lookout.

This is a generous bounty for the village but if stuff starts going south be willing to bug out quick.

>>15029608
The goat path. We don't need to split the group. You lead, intersperse scouts through the unit, put the Chief Slayer in the center 'Because that's the best spot for your skills, sir.' Put Pierce behind you to watch your back, have the spirits watching and scouting also.

The mules need to be handled by whoever can keep them from spooking.

Once you all get up to the canyon area, stealth is a priority. If possible, keep the mules WELL away from the Rock Turtle lair until they get near the cave, perhaps by going along the ridge of the canyon.

>>15029704
agreed. everyone should be happy with that.
>>15029677
go with this.

>>15029608
Let's start moving up the goat path, I'll climb up and take lead by about half a mile. If you hear me yell, there is danger ahead.

Start moving.

>>15029677
>>15029707
>>15029732
Don't leave the mules behind in an area full of things that could eat them. There are drakes there, drakes eat goats.

>>15029721
>>15029713
these

rolled 86 = 86

A thought:

could we command other turtles with the spirit we got?

>>15029704
Seconded/thirded.

You jog ahead some, taking stock of the state of the goat path. The trail is wet with morning dew, but the sand scattered across the path seems to have absorbed it to the point that traction will not be a serious issue. You wait for the men to catch up, then face them.

"Alright. This path leads up to the lair of the Rock Turtles. We've got time on our side here, so there's no need to rush. Keep your eyes and ears peeled, and whatever you do, stay quiet. You know as well as I do how dangerous these mountains can be. Pierce, you're up front with me. Watch my back. Walther, sir, I think your commanding presence would serve best in the center of the group."

You see Walther's eyes narrow at being ordered around, but he complies quickly enough. Pierce takes his place next to you, sword gripped tight in hand.

"Keep an eye on the mules so that they don't spook. Last thing we need is a stampede. When we get up to the nest, stick close to me and keep as quiet as possible, and this should go smoothly. Sound good?"

"Sir!" the guardsman say, saluting once more. Walther's eyes stare daggers into your heart.

Calling Amal and Tryd, you instruct them on their role. "Amal, you'll scout ahead for me. Warn me if anything looks like trouble. Tryd, see if you can't scale up the cliffside and get a look at the nest. I'd like the know whether the Turtles are up and about yet."

(Cont.)

>>15029861 [[Whoops. Dropped my trip. My bad. ]]

The journey progresses smoothly for most of the trip. You're just about to the nest when Amal comes flying back at top speed, rotating fast enough that his edges are a blur.

"Osyki!" he whispers, his tone urgent. "Bone Warden. Big one. Sitting right in the path. It's feeding on a Drake. I don't think it'll be done any time soon."

You curse, halting the company. Pierce stares at you, concern evident on his face.

"What do you think, Osyki? Can you take that thing, or should we turn back?"

The Slayers, skilled as they are, would stand very little chance against the Bone Warden's unnatural speed. You would be on your own.

>>15029899
We're doing this. We didn't come all the way out here to fuck around.

We don't have the Greater Avatar of Wrath around for nothing.

Tell them to get to safe ground and watch the mules, you've got a bone warden to take down.

If they want to throw a rock now and again to distract it, that'll be pretty alright.

>>15029899
I'd give us a chance against a Bone Warden with prep time and our choice of where the combat takes place, if we had connected to Mr. Turtle I might suggest fighting him but given that we don't even know what he does I'd avoid this fight.

Are there any paths around or environmental hazards in that area that we could use to our advantage, weak cliff faces, maybe we could lure it to another beastie and have them kill each other.

Ask Amal what the area around the bone warden looked like. If there were any ways around or exploitable terrain features.

Aw, I thought t'was the flashback you promised us, the one regarding the meet with Amal. Or maybe it is realted somewhat, Sylvia seems like a forest spirit.

>>15029899
We are Osyki the Prepared. Osyki Boulderslayer. Osyki the Brave. Osyki Spiritspeaker. We don't back down from anything.

Have the men return to the base with the mules. Set up a rune circle on the path. Lure the warden to it and perform another feral binding. Add its speed to our spear's. We will become Osyki Zephyrblade, fastest human in the world.

>>15029961
Agreed. Osyki the Prepared looks for exploitable benefits. :p

Regarding the Lightning Rock Turtle focus, since we hadn't bound it to anything, for now order it to fire a lightning bolt at the Warden as our first shot, after any preparation. Rather not keep it as a trump card and failing when we brought it out.

I'm new to the quest. What's a bone warden?
Also, is there anyone able to put a dent in it reliably besides us?

>>15029899
If we're going to face that thing, we've got to trap it. Not only THAT, we're going to have to decide this in one exchange. Annnnnnnnnnd, we'll have to do it before it finishes eating the drake- Fighting a creature arguably faster than what Modi can give us currently is one thing... Fighting the same creature after it gains the ability to FLY? Fuck that.

>>15030040
Well, don't be too arrogant. There are many things that can still kill us if we are too overconfident.

Regardless, can Amal check if there are MORE of the Wardens around?
Did the Drake die of natural causes or did it die from wounds inflicted by the Warden?
That ought to tell us about the average power of the Warden itself.

>>15030066
near as I can tell they're naturally occurring spirit/constructs that form their bodies from the bones of the dead. They're apparently very fast and very tough to kill.

>>15030066
Bone Warden seems to be animated bones, conjured out of some kind dark emotional phenomena (mass murder, battle sites, etc.). They hunt other creatures and take their bones.

We seem to be the only one really capable. The others are normal village guards. But as had been mentioned, they can probably offer distractions by lobbing spears and whatnot as we take the field.

Did we bring the Lightning Crystal? And, more importantly do we know what it does?

>>15029941
>>15029961
>>15030003
>>15030055
>>15030040
>>15030075
I'm seconding all these,

-Have Amal tell us about the area
-Get the men and mules to safe ground, instruct them that if they see you fighting it they can try to distract it with missiles and rocks, maybe they have bows.
-Prepare a binding circle.
-If you have a chance to get it to fight Rock Turtles, do so. Otherwise, let's go a few rounds with this thing.

"Amal, what's the area like up ahead? Any boulders on ledges, sudden pitfalls, caves?" you ask, rubbing your chin. Behind you, the Slayers grow restless, whispering to one another.

"It looked to be much like the rest of the path, Osyki." Amal informs you. "Cliff face to the left, sharp drop off to the right. Didn't notice anything like you said, but I didn't really stick around for very long."

"Did the Warden kill the Drake, or was it already dead?"

"Couldn't say. I wouldn't doubt if it had, though. Big, nasty sucker. Lots of arms, lots of teeth."

You ponder this, then turn to the men.

"Take the goats and head down to the base. I'm going to check this situation out. One way or another, you'll need to give me some room."

They nod, beginning to retreat down the path. Not a one among them looks confident.

"Wait for me there. I'll send Amal to let you know when it's safe to come back."

What now, Totemist? You have many options. A Bone Warden Focus could be a powerful ally, but if this creature was powerful enough to slay a Drake, your chances seem grim. Perhaps some manner of trapping is in order? Even if you retreat and ascend the cliff, the Bone Warden is not far from the Turtle's nest. It may well catch up with you.

Idea!

Do we know where to find any Cave Devourers?

>>15030175
We're going to lure it into a fight with the Rock Turtles, climb it, and inscribe runes of binding on its stupid ass.

If necessary, use SPEED to effect the LURING.

Get that focus out, Totemist. Our way is clear.

rolled 54 = 54

>>15030175
Plan of action is to push the thing off the cliff and watch it fall and break all its bones. Roughly how massive is this thing?

>>15030055
>>15030158

Unfortunately, the unbound Focus cannot help you. A Focus needs to be bound to an item, whether it is a weapon, a gemstone, a necklace or a chair, before its powers can be channeled.

>>15030218
This. We're not ready for a straight fight with this sort of thing yet, so we have to send it on the express elevator to hell.

>>15030218
There are cliffs in the area, ones you can get to easily. But it's pretty huge if it killed a drake, and the source of bones here is the rock-turtle we killed yesterday, which was the size of a HOUSE..

>>15030241
Are you dense? It's going to fall into the area where the men and the mules are and kill them, not shatter into pieces. It's made of magic and dead people, and the tallest cliff around is probably all of not quite twice its height at most.

>>15030224
Dang. Well we know what we're doing once we get back to town.

Our options seem to be:
Lure it to fight the dragon turtles
Push it down the cliff
Take it in a straight fight
Wait for it to stop

I suggest a 5th option: We distract it or lure it without making it angry at us, then push the drake corpse down the cliff.
If we do that, it'll fly down the cliff to eat the drake, and we can just walk onwards since it's not blocking us any more.

>>15030175
We aren't going to be able to safely deal with the dead turtle with him around so we need to take him out. Using gravity makes it easier but pushing it off a cliff doesn't work with binding unless we happen to have a binding circle where if crashes or we inscribe runes on it, not a easy task. Does Big mean 20 feet tall and roughly humanoid shape, 15 feet tall but roughly dog proportioned.

>>15030307
I don't think we know that it flies.

It may march down the goat path and right into our guys. The only way to make it less unpredictable at this point is to kill it, and we already took something down that we were told we had no chance of killing before - so why assume we'll be unable to deal with it now?

>>15030175
Bring it up to the Rock Turtle nest, and lure it to fight against the young Lightning Rock Turtles and their more common cousins.

Then take it down when it is heavily injured?
Can it use readily available bones, or does it have to 'digest' them first?

Get Tryd to scout the Rock Turtle nesting ground, while Amal make careful investigation about the Warden and the Drake it is eating on. We need information to be sure.

>>15030313
Questioning Amal, he describes a horrific vision to you. Roughly eighteen feet tall with countless spider-like legs extending from the lower body, the upper form of the Warden is a writhing hydra of snapping skulls, tearing arms, and stinging spines. He suspects that if the Warden is allowed to harvest the Drake's wings it will not be able to fly, but it may be able to glide until the skin rots off of them.

>>15030307

Sending it down the mountain risks sending it toward the village, something you'd really, really like to avoid.

>>15030195

You didn't see any suspicious looking caves on the way up the mountain, though that's not to say that there are not about. Just none actively hunting.

>>15030376
Second/thirding

This sounds like a big bone warden relatively close to our village.

I'm not confident we can bind it. sending to hell is the best option. Set up our rope along the path somewhere to trip it. check for boulders above for the slayers to roll down on it you and the spirits are the distractions and 3 or 4 of walther men to chuck rocks
and spears.

>>15030391
>risks sending it toward the village

yeah, we really can't let this thing get out of here alive

time to kill it

>>15030224
Could we build an item around a focus? Say, take a some fresh green saplings, and twist/helix them around the crystal to form a staff or walking stick with the crystal as an integral part? would that allow for greater control and integration than just attaching it to something?

As for the warden: Can we set up a deadfall? A trap that, when the warden approaches, we can spring, knocking it off the trail in a small, controlled avalanche and down to the ground far below? That should severely injure it and make it easier to catch should we pursue it. Maybe set up the ritual combat arena in a wide area at the base where we predict the trap to deposit it. Left half of Pic related is similar (though slightly off-period) to what I envisioned, though mounted slightly higher to build more debris and momentum.
Would that be within our abilities?

>>15030412
There was an area near the lair of the Rock Turtle you killed that had an easily accessible canyon around it.

You could use that, and let the three or four remaining rock turtles there to weaken it.

Then jump onto it and use your speed focus to try a binding POSSIBLY by chalking runes on it as you ran around on its back, stabbing it to death by severing all its joints.

If this quest is at all run on rule of cool, we should have a shot.

>>15030412
>>15030402

With what you know of the Warden's terrifying speed, you doubt that you would have the time to set up such a complicated trap, even if it could spring fast enough to hit the beast. From what you have heard, its reflexes are comparable to yours when under the influence of Modi Magni's speed.

>>15030460 wasn't there a boulder there on top of the canyon we could use like the log in pic related on this post? >>15030412

>>15030481

Yes. If you could get around the Warden and have the Slayers wait until you have it in place and distracted, you could certainly have them attack with it. Three or four of them would be enough to push it down into the canyon.

>>15030520
FUND IT

>>15029982
Sounds feasible. Attempt that with either of our Spirits as the communicator.

After we send it down the canyon- Wait, this is the Rock Turtles canyon, right? Not to the direction of the village?

If so, once it falls down, get it fighting with the Rock Turtles. Nevertheless, we need to put it down.

>>15030596

The question remains, now, how to get past the Warden. It's sitting directly in the center of the path up ahead. You could retreat and try to scale the cliff, but it may have moved by that time.

>>15030596
D'oh, wrong link.
>>15030520

>>15030613
Speed of Modi Magni, and it's distraction by the Drake corpse. Considering we somehow managed to ride down a falling spike, aim it to a Rock Turtle, and dodge lightning beams, running on a cliffside shouldn't be much of a stretch, right?

>>15030613
Could we distract it with the food we brought with us? Or will it only go after living creatures?

Say we got it into a binding circle, if we plunged our ritual knife into the center of it's mass fast enough, would that do the trick of killing it?

>>15030667

The Warden would likely have very little interest in things lacking a skeletal structure. While a sufficiently powerful stab would likely weaken it, you have no idea of what animates these creatures or binds them together. Short of snapping it into pieces, you're not sure how one would die.

If only we had access to a good smashing weapon.

>>15030667
>>15030656
Probably too late to send Trud to get the notes on Bone Wardens from your master's workshop, so...

How long does it take to bind your new lightning crystal directly to your spear?

We should do that if we can do it reasonably quickly, then communicate with the guards, then run up to or past the Bone Warden with our speed focus and distract it by breaking one of the bones on it, then lure it up the canyon walls.

We might even roll the boulder down on it, with or without the men's help.

Have Trud shoot fire at it from time to time, with an eye to keeping it distracted.

Have Amal inscribe runes of binding on it and the area around it where it's likely to fall.

>>15030688
Confer with Amal regarding how to kill one decisively.
If not, it would have to be the Slayers that drop more boulders on top of the Warden as we dance around it.

>>15030734
THE GUARDS

ALL OF THEM HAVE HAMMERS, SOME MIGHT BE CARRYING WAR-HAMMERS OR CLUBS

Borrow Pierce's, move your speed focus from your spear to the hammer?

>>15030688
If we do fight it directly, we'll need to fight smart. Use our speed and reach with the spear to strike directly at the joints. Knees, shoulders, elbows, and neck. If we can remove most of its limbs, then we gain a olid advantage. We'll have to ignore the main body until the very end, though. We an't risk a failed kill shot if it an still retaliate.

rolled 50 = 50

Do we really have to fight it ?

Cant we just wait tilk it goes away?

It is not like the turtle corpse is going anywhere soon

>>15030753
Sounds like a plan to me. We go for leg joints first.

>>15030778
Have you considered that OP said in a previous thread that Rock Turtle corpses could make great bodies for Bone Wardens?

It could BE the rock turtle corpse.

rolled 16 = 16

>>15030742
>>15030751

You have an incredibly uneasy feeling about doing any bindings regarding your spear. Modi Magni is a powerful entity, and you're unsure what manner of binding truly holds him in place. Adding or removing Foci on the spear might disrupt his binding, which would spell your end without a doubt.

The binding ritual will only take a few minutes, and you can bind the focus to literally anything you have on hand. Your ritual knife, your rope, even the fruit in your pack could serve as a conduit for the Focus, and every one of them would have a different effect.

>>15030742
Trud would be better at incribing the runes. He's a soot/ash imp. His lightest touch could leave a smear, right? Just need him to mark out an area, or tag the beast while we engage it.

>>15030520
how much rope did everyone bring, all together? We tie heavy weights to both ends of the rope, and place one of the weighted sections higher up the trail. We lure the warden between the two weights, the drop the higher of the heavy weights from the trail. The rope whips out, catches whatever is on the trail, and drags it and the lower weight down the cliff like a massive bola, sweeping the path clear.

I really think we need a major trap here to weaken the beast before we move in to fight it.

>>15030778
The problem is its nearness to the village.
Do we really want to take the chance that it might invade the village for our sister's bones instead of haring off somewhere else?

>>15030753
Makes sense.

>>15030751
I can't recall the speed for transferring focus, just that it takes a while. Anyone remember for certain?

>>15030734
As mentioned, there should be some hammers among the guards/slayers since we are going to crack the Rock Turtle's shell.

Also, THERE IS THE EARTH! BOULDER SMASH! SPIKE RAIN!

>>15030811
>the fruit
Oh lawds

YO HO HO
OSYKI TOOK A BITE OF GUM GUM

>>15030804
or it could eat it and deprive us of the spoils while we wait for it to leave. No, this thing is a threat to the village, a possible/probable drain on our haul, and a powerful source of resources. We need to bring it down. Now.

>>15030811
Get a hammer our of the guard, tie lightning focus, dual wield it with spear. Break some knees. Lots of knees.

I wouldn't fuck around with Modi's focus, he's too mysterious and powerful for us to touch that charm and move it. I'd prefer it not being attached to a hammer but instead something we can use along with the spear easily. Either a Gauntlet or Glove would be my suggestion. Might give us lightning fists or maybe just awesome strength or both.

We need the Ritual Knife to function as before, let's leave it alone and either attach the turtle's focus to a borrowed hammer or use our spear.

>>15030827
>>15030832
>Fight smart
I am a fan of this. Let's do this thing intelligently and well.

>trap
People keep mentioning a canyon up ahead with a cave near it and a boulder on the edge. That's a set-up trap right there that doesn't require any work except maneuvering the target into position.

We have a VERY limited timespan before the Bone Warden finishes with the Drake. Let's go through with it already before the storyteller rules we've wasted all our time or something, guys. It's been like thirty posts.

>>15030858
Also, Drake corpse, and the other potential victims we can get out of the battle between the Bone Warden and the Rock Turtles if we herd/lure it that way.

Profit for the village.

>>15030827
Magus, Diarca mentions that it is possible to get guards/slayers/warriors up to the cliff and drive boulders on top of the Bone Warden, if we position it right, and make it fall into the canyon.

Then, AFTER we make it fight a few of the Rock Turtles, we go in for the kill.

How does that plan sound?

rolled 17 = 17

>>15030913

Oh, I'm not really that much of a dick of a storyteller. Letting you guys deliberate doesn't take up in-quest time, unless you're actively arguing with someone as Osyki. If worst comes to worst I'll make a part 2 of the thread, honestly. I'll be up all night.

Unless you guys are trying to waste time, but that's a different kettle of fish altogether.

What is it to be, folks? Borrow a hammer from the guard, or bind the Focus to something you have on you?

>>15030925
I'm all for a rope-a-dope, letting them tire themselves and rip themselves up before we move in. You'll get no complaints from me. Rule 1 in any fight is to stack the odds in your favor as much as possible.

And if the turtles kill the warden before we can bind it, then we can still polish off the turtles and score MAJOR LOOT for the village. Hell, the original turtle we bound should have enough meat to feed the village for at least a week, if not a month. A few more and we'd be set for the year.

HAMMERTIME

I'm okay with the hammer so long as we're not playing with our Avatar. The Crystal sure. Not the spear though.

>>15030953
I'm this guy >>15030890
and I still advocate glove or gauntlet for two reasons. It's more versatile and it doesn't require binding an object that isn't ours. We can still use a hammer but between glove strength and Spear speed we should be pretty much set. We don't fuck at all with Modi's focus.

We'll need to bind the Lightning horn to a bow or a crossbow. Some kind of ranged weapon.

>>15030982
So, we agreed on that score? Let's head down/call one of the warriors with a hammer up and tell him of our plans as we bind our focus to a hammer.

Tell Amal to help them find the boulders from last time, then find us after.

How is the Rock Turtles' nest, did Tryd find out anything? He can later urge/bait the Rock Turtles out to meet the Warden after it fell, and create a binding ritual as they fight it out. Or we can make it ourself, if we don't trust him that much...

>>15030996
We don't have any gloves or gauntlets our size on us.

>>15030953
From the looks of >>15030991 and >>15030985 and so on, we want that hammer, and we want the lightning crystal focus on it.

Keep the Spear, use it as main weapon.
Set up the rope trap.
If we're binding the crystal to anything, it has to be gloves. It's our only RANGED focus - the lightning - so it has to go on a weapon or something that operates a bowstring.

plan is to spear the thing in the leg as a surprise, run, lead it into the boulder trap, and send it crashing down. We then show up and finish it off.

>>15031049
It's not that we don't trust him, it's that the Bone Warden will be moving very fast. Have both spirits work on that WITH you.

>>15031054
We don't know that the crystal will shoot lightning anymore than we know it will make the hammer strike harder or make armor tougher.

>>15030996
I wouldn't want to experiment right now. A hammer seems to have a certain outcome, i.e. improve damage somehow. A glove? We are not so sure.

>>15031006
Hmmm, this might have merit. But I am not to sure of the use of arrows against the non-fleshy Warden. IF it really improve the damage...

Lightning focus+hammer="Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be Worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."

>>15031054
we're assuming it will create a lightning effect. Not confirmed. We need a strength or defense boost more than anything else. Hell, I'm tempted to suggest that we stitch together a loose bone-armor (ancient native american plains-dweller style) from the Warden's remains and bind the crystal to that, giving us armor equal to a rock turtle's shell. We're kinda exposed at the moment. We rely on not getting hit, but if we're fighting things as fast as the Wardens, that might not be an option.

I would go with the hammer.

We need to unbind it anyway to give the gaurd his hammer back. hammer will be the best in this situation.

Guys, I don't really think we have time to think about binding our horn as a focus at the moment for a couple of reasons.
A) We don't know for sure the effect of the horn's binding on any item.
B) We won't know what the effect of hte binding has on the item and the ability to master it fast enough to feasibly use without going over a limit or doing something we might regret because we have no practice with it.
C) We shouldn't be hasty about deciding what we want to bind it to, lest we possibly regret it later because we don't get a desired effect.

All in all, see if we can get the men to set up a large rope trap that essentially binds the bonewarden by tangling it up in a large amount of ropes similar to a web of some sort. Multiple pin points, multiple crossing lines and a focal center, around a binding circle so that it will:
A) Give us time to strike and find a weakness
B) Bind the warden taking it's advantage of speed away
C) Giving us SOME sort of advantage over it
We would have to be the focus of it getting it's attention and making it chase us into the trap, that is the only way this will work so that the other hunters have the least chance of getting hurt.

rolled 9 = 9

You send Amal to call for one of the warriors, walking down the path to meet with him half-way. As he comes into view, you point to his hammer.

"I need to borrow your weapon." you say, drawing your crystal shard from your pack. The Slayer hesitates for a moment, then hands you the mace. You hold the Focus and the Weapon together in one hand, focusing.

"Begin climbing the cliffs immediately, with three or four others. Amal will lead you to a boulder on the edge of a small canyon, just past the Rock Turtle's nest. I'm going to lure the warden into the path of the boulder. When it's ready, and you'll know when it is, push the boulder down onto it to knock it into the Turtle nest. Clear?"

The Slayer nods, running down the path with Amal in hot pursuit.

You close your eyes, feeling the warmth radiating out from the Focus. Slowly drawing in a deep breath, you chant the sixteen words of binding in a slow, methodical voice. The mace vibrates as you do so, and you have to struggle to keep a hold on it.

"In the name of Osyki, Link to the World Without, I unite the spiritual and the mundane. Grant this conduit your blessing, spirit, and work through it to influence the material world."

The mace in your hand explodes into a shower of cyan light, forcing you to squeeze your eyes shut. A sharp jolt of electricity rushes up and down your arms, though it does not hurt you. When you open your eyes, you could not be more gratified with the result.

The mace is streaked through with the cyan of the crystal, and sparks leap to and from its surface. It feels lighter than before, and it jumps around eagerly within your grasp. Testing the weapon, you give it a wide swing. When it does nothing out of the ordinary, you frown and test it against a nearby rock.

(Cont.)

>>15031141
>>15031171
damn too late it seems, hopefully this goes well

>>15031171
WHAT DOES IT DO?

The suspense is murder!

A sudden crack overhead immediately causes you to instinctively throw yourself to the side. A bolt of lightning materializes the rock as you do, blowing it into several pieces.

"...Perfect." you mutter, grinning.

> Binding Complete: Thunder Hammer. Calls bolts of lightning to strike whatever it touches.

You turn, spear in your right hand, hammer in your left, to face the way up the trail once more. This will be a true test of your abilities, both in leadership and in Totemist Combat.

Activating the power of Modi Magni, you bolt up the path. Were it not for the nearly stilled clouds above and complete absence of wind, you would never know that you were moving at an accelerated speed. Trail flies by beneath you as you sprint forward, and finally, as you round the corner, you see it.

Amal's description did no justice to the true grotesqueness of this fiend. Dozens of ivory spikes skitter impatiently back and forth, propelling the nightmare to exposed bones on the corpse of the felled Drake. A single, enormous spine serves as the base for a myriad of hands, each ending in a set of scything, tearing claws. Interspersed among the grasping appendages are serpentine necks, each bearing a unique and gruesome skull, snapping and tearing away the skin of the Drake to expose its innards. Scraps of flesh, some rotting and some fresh, hang in crimson and black ribbons from the form of the Warden, and what eyes remain in its various skulls roll in the heads wildly.

You do not slow down as you approach the fiend, noting that it moves just as easily as you do, though you have advanced your speed as far as it will go. Approaching the edge of the rock wall, you place one foot firmly against it and rise from the ground, running along the side of the mountain trail. Your arm arcs out as you pass by the writhing mass of bone and rot, sending your hammer crashing into an outstretched hand.

(Cont.)

>>15031171
Hope we can unbind it. "Electric mace" isn't the best option when we already have "Super speed spear".
Better used in a glove or a bow.

Test that we can still get super speed while wielding the mace - we may well need to dual wield spear and mace.

The effect is immediate, not that you turn or stop to see it. A bolt of lightning arcs from the heavens, blowing the wayward appendage off of the warden in a shower of sparks and chipped bone. The beast screeches in the tone of a screaming infant, immediately hot in pursuit.

This is not as fun as it was yesterday.

You urge your legs to move faster, heading for the mouth of the Rock Turtle's canyon. You can see the rope anchored by Amal on the rock outcropping. It seems that the men are still climbing the wall. Not surprising, as you doubt very much that more than a few minutes have passed since you began your ascent in ordinary time.

You leap up the canyon wall, running along the flat mesa with the ravine to your left. You can hear the clicking of the Warden behind you, its unholy screeching seemingly unending. The sound of snapping jaws behind you keeps your acceleration constant, and you soon skirt the ravine and lure the Warden into the canyon on the far side. The boulder is visible, lying in wait for you to punish the beast with.

Behold! We are now Osyki the silvertongued, god of thunder and preparedness!

Now, my question is, are we moving so fast that by the time we move, and have struck something with the hammer, will it take a time interval for the lightning to strike, if so, better start hitting the hammer on things as we move so that the lightning falls on the bonewarden as we are running.

>>15031307
Drop that rock.
Summon any help to attack the Warden - both figuratively from the slayers, and literally.
Bop it on the nose or the claw as it lunges at us. Even a glancing blow will send lightning at us, so a wild swing as we jump backwards might actually have use.

>>15031288
It's 'call a bolt on the place you strike' rather than just electrified mace. Also, we do intend to try out the binding on other stuffs, just that it seems more prudent having a bashing weapon, considering our current target.

>>15031358
Don't invlolve the guards yet. They're not in position.

We need to BUY TIME to get them there.

Send Trud to WAKE AND LURE THE ROCK TURTLES INTO A FIGHT WITH THE BONE WARDEN.

In the meantime, smack it around, keep it in position, see if you can carve marks of binding on it as you go by, and whittle away at its offensive capabilities.

> Soundtrack: http://homestuck.bandcamp.com/track/time-on-my-side

You continue your run, aware that if you stop for even an instant, the Warden will be upon you. Readying your hammer, you indulge on a crazy idea. Your hunches have certainly paid off before.

Running up the wall on the other side of the canyon, you allow your foot to rest on the very lip of the canyon wall before turning a full 180 degrees, hammer raised and at the ready. As you suspected the Warden is directly behind you, claws and snapping mouths outstretched. You bring the hammer down into an outstretched palm, then brace yourself.

The bolt forms directly next to your head, and lances downward into the Warden's unsuspecting form. The blast blows both of you in opposite directions, spinning wildly. The ringing in your ears is powerful, but you right yourself in mid-air and land on your feet. The warden was blown down into the canyon by the bolt, buying you some distance and a few moments of breathing room. You realize now that the Slayers likely wont arrive for a few minutes from your accelerated perspective, and even as they do, you're unsure that you'll be able to keep the warden in one place for long enough to allow to boulder to hit it.

The Warden climbs up from the rim of the canyon, its front-most appendages blackened and charred. It rears back, then lunges its upper-most skull forward. A barrage of razor-thin bone shards burst forth from its mouth, hurtling toward you.

> Roll a d100 and suggest course of action. First three rolls determine efficacy.

>>15031455
Dodge out of the way, lure into position in front of boulder. It's focused on us. Strike the base of the boulder, toppling it onto the warden as we pass. Smile like a smug bastard.

Dodge, preferably by firing a bolt in the opposite direction you want to dodge in, so the resultant force propels you away.

After that, send a blast or two into the rock turtle cave, that should wake them up. AND KEEP RUNNING.

rolled 84 = 84

>>15031490
Derp. Forgot my roll

rolled 39 = 39

>>15031455
If we don't have binding runes set up we're going to want to incapacitate the fucker. I say we dodge, and try to get him into position by the time the slayers arrive. Once in position and with a boulder falling with can cage it in with lightning bolts.

rolled 34 = 34

>>15031455
Ugh... Dodge the hail and create your own hail by making music on the Warden's bones?
Bone xylophone with electric amp!

>>15031493
>>15031493
Forgot my roll

>>15031493

Forgot my roll

rolled 73 = 73

>>15031529
>>15031517
God dammit

rolled 32 = 32

>>15031496
>>15031505
>>15031506
Ouch on efficiency. Magus, you're the only one who rolled well there.

> 73

You hurl yourself out of the way, hearing rather than seeing as the storm of shards embeds itself in the mesa beside you. You quickly roll to your feet and take off, moving in a wide arc around the Warden. It sets off in hot pursuit, clicking and screeching, claws outstretched.

You run to the edge of the ravine that makes up the canyon. Coiling your legs, you spring for the other side of the gap. It's a long leap.

> 84

Your legs, fueled by fear and adrenaline, carry you over the yawning gap below. The Warden opts to take the slightly slower route behind you, scuttling down the walls of the canyon and back up the other side. It's all the time you need to get into position behind the boulder. With a single stroke of your mace, you plant a powerful blow into the back of the enormous rock, then quickly hop backwards. The rock flies through the air, hurtling toward the Bone Warden

> 39

The reflexes of the damned are sharper than you anticipate, however, and the only pieces carried off by the sailing boulder are a portion of the Warden's upper right body. It's significantly damaged, but it shows no signs of slowing in its pursuit of you. With a lunge it leaps toward you, and it is all you can do to bring up your spear and mace, barely blocking its sword-like fingers.

rolled 56 = 56

All we can do now is pound the fuck out of him. Hit that motherfucker!

>>15031547
I make regular obeisance to the dice gods.

If we can drop the boulder on it ourselves, then the guards can get to work on what's left of the turtle up there while we finish this. Once we get to the canyon floor and/or weaken/cripple the warden, get trud to start marking out a ritual circle for us.

rolled 45 = 45

>>15031611
Right, time to get some goddamn help.

Let's start a three-way fight, then get out of it.
LET'S WAKE UP THOSE ROCK-TURTLES.
Surely their larger skeletons will attract it.

rolled 95 = 95

Idea: Find a rock that's small enough, and in a good place to be kicked.
Tap it with the mace as we kick it.
Observe result.

>>15031664
Better yet, toss it up and use the mace as a baseball bat to launch it with a lightning-bolt chaser. But save that thought experiment until we aren't locked in mortal combat with something just as fast as us and much bigger/stronger.

>>15031664
Whoa... That's an idea.
Do the bolts vary in size regarding how hard a tap we do?

For now, go on the defensive until the warriors get into position to hurl it down. Take any opportunity you can get, but keep yourself whole and hale.

>>15031689
When we're out of combat we're rebinding Mr. Lightning into a Bow or a Glove.
Bow for long-range lightning.
Glove so it can be used with the spear, possibly making the spear a lightning rod.

rolled 68 = 68

>>15031723
Hmm, try them out certainly. But by no means decide only on just those two. We can also try it out on a suit of armor, or a shield, if a real suit of armor is out of the question for our current fighting style.

Or we can also attempt to turn it into a lightning turret!
Even the bolt-calling mace we have right now is not that bad.

Roll for the defensive fight.

You struggle against the Warden as its claws close in on you, its serpentine heads snaking in from every angle, jaws clamping in eerie unison. Images of your skeleton dangling from this horrid beast's claws flash in your head, and your resolve instantly hardens to steel.

> 56

"No!" you scream, pushing with all your might against the Warden's claws. With a snap the scything talons splinter into bone shards. You whirl in place, lashing out with spear and mace at the rapidly encroaching teeth. Your spear carves deep gouges into the bones of the Warden, and your mace strikes like the lightning it calls down to pulverize claw and knock teeth from skulls. You roll out from beneath the Warden's grasp just in time as the results of your barrage form over your head, lancing downward in a half-dozen deadly beams of heavenly light.

The Warden is thrown down into the canyon below once again, chips of bone and blackened flesh raining down like macabre snowfall.

> 45

You struggle to your feet, your grip on your spear and hammer slightly looser than it was before. You can feel the strain of your constant use of Modi Magni's speed; your body aches, and your muscles scream from overuse. Still, you cannot fail.

Standing at the edge of the canyon, you observe the scene below. The Bone Warden has righted itself. Even as it lunges up the canyon wall toward you, its arms reach out to re-attach fallen pieces of bone to its body. You grow weary of this fight, mentally and physically. The undead monstrosity will not stop coming, and unlike you, it has an unlimited supply of energy to move like lightning and continually pull itself to its feet. You take a few steps back, hefting the hammer in your grasp. You need to end this. It's time to send the monster into the abyss.

(Cont.)

>>15031792
Since the warden is so fast, I think that if we can bind it, we should aim for a cloak or boots to grant us similar speed.

>>15031816
We didn't have enough prep time to make a binding circle. The warden is going to hell.

>>15031816
as much as i'd love to bind it needs to go. if we cant safely bind it we need to make sure it wont get to the village.

"Tryd." you call. "Runes of binding."

Your imp sets to work as the Warden crawls over the rim of the canyon for the third time. You take up a ready stance, spear before you, mace raised high over your head.

"Come and get it, you bastard." you mutter, digging your heels into the rocky ground. "I don't need anyone else."

The Warden needs no invitation, and rushes in to harvest you flesh. You take a step back, readying your counterstrike

> 95

Your spear comes up first, lancing into the bottom of the beast's topmost jaw. Knocked off balance by the sudden assault, it has no time to counter-attack as you step forward, bringing your mace hurtling into its spine. A backwards hop leaves you out of range of the bolt of lightning, which travels down directly into the Warden's upraised head.

The skull blows apart as the bolt arcs downward into it, showering you with tiny white shards. But you are by no means finished.

Your spear snaps out again and again, its head dancing like the bolts your hammer calls down. You fend off each of the Warden's assaults in turn, snapping an arm here, severing a neck there, never giving an inch. As you twirl the spear before you to fend off a multi-pronged claw attack, you hear Tryd's voice from behind you.

"Get 'im, Osyki!" the soot spirit yells. You're only happy to oblige

> Roll 3d20 for the finishing blow!

rolled 9, 16, 5 = 30

Rollan, so as to end this shindig.

I refuse to roll the dice gods hate me.

rolled 5, 17, 4 = 26

>>15031865

rolled 10, 11, 11 = 32

Blood for the blood god!

>>15031901
truly, They Who Roll are fickle, but fair.

rolled 19, 20, 1 = 40

>>15031865
Hang on
Lemme just grab my 48 I keep lying around

>>15031937
>dat 1

Oh come on, you stingy piece of shit.

rolled 7, 7, 18 = 32

Heh.
Let's make it count. We're gonna be really bone tired after this.

>>15031964
>Bone tired
Oh you.

> Normally go with one of the first 3 rolls
> See this shit: >>15031937
> Wellwhythehellnot.jpg

> 19

You plant your mace once more in the Warden's ribcage, this time leaving it firmly lodged in the foul creature's rapidly blackening skeletal figure. The bolt of lightning that follow it down is like a fist from the heavens, blowing the Warden nearly in half, like a tree struck in a powerful storm.

Drawing your knife with your now free hand, you hook its curved edge around the nearest jaw that the Bone Warden thrusts at you. The knife sinks deep into the white surface, and you feel a spark of excitement run through you.

"In the name of Osyki, link between this world and the world without, I hereby claim this abomination's spirit as my own." you roar, pulling the skull toward your chest. Its jaw, immobilized by your knife, cannot snap as you haul it up to eye level. You scream into the one good eye left in the skull, fending off the enfeebled assaults with your spear hand as you do so.

"In the name of the Totemist's Pact, I hereby assert my dominance over this soul, and claim it as my own!"

A wide swing hurtles toward your head. Ducking it, you stab the blade of your spear between the arm bones of the offending appendage, snapping it in two.

"I have bested this soul in mortal combat. Its speed is mine to command!" you roar, bringing your spear down and sweeping the legs of the Warden out from beneath it. It staggers backward under you assault, unable to focus as your ritual blade pours spiritual energy into its entire being.

(Cont.)

""By blood!" you scream, pushing forward with all of your strength, "And Bone!"

The Warden buckles backward, its ruined legs finally giving out.

"In spirit and soul, let this ritual blade show: I am Totemist, Link Between Worlds." you spit, still staring directly into the whirling eye of the skull bound by your knife.

> 20

With a grinding sound, the world slows to a complete halt around you. You can hear the whirling cogs of Modi Magni's terrible metal appendage screaming behind you, and as you speak, you feel your voice mingle with tinges of his own.

"Now!" you scream, rearing back, skull in hand, "SUMBIT!"

Your hand crashes to the earth like a meteor, driving the knife through the jaw, through the skull, and deep in to the ground. A sudden explosion sweeps out from the point of impact, and you can see the bone all around the skull your knife has cut dissolving into a fine dust from the force of the shockwave. You see the color drain from the world around you, but deliberation is something that you are long past; your know your prize. You pick the top half of the skull, a perfect vertical crack running from between the eyes down through where the septum would be, and mark it with your knife.

As the world fast-forwards back to speed, you feel disoriented. It whips rapidly between your enhanced speed and the ordinary world before the rapid alternation becomes too much for you.

> 1

You hit the ground, knife and skull in one hand, spear int he other. You can feel your consciousness fading from you, even as footsteps rapidly approach from the distance.

You grin, allowing your eyes to drift closed. You think your master would be proud.

---

HOOOLEEESHITTT

>>15032096
Oh, yeah. Tine for some well-deserved rest.

Can't wait to see the look on Walther's face when we come to. We should have the smuggest grin of victory imaginable. A massive Rock Turtle corpse to harvest (hopefully), a Bone Warden's corpse, and bragging rights second to none. Solid days work, I say.

>>15032156
Best not to do this kind of style of fighting too often, though. If there aren't any warriors to pick us up, I'd hate to think what kind of critter would we wake up to.

>>15032180
agreed. We need to see about getting an assistant. Apprentice. Squire. whatever you want to call it. Even if it's just one of the wash-outs slated for farming duty and we have no intention of teaching them our ways, we may need a bit of support from time to time. Until we get better at this, anyway.

>>15032180
For serious. We pushed really fucking hard here.

rolled 3, 13, 20 = 36

>>15032212
>>15032180
Someone hasn't paid much attention to the last two threads. We totally pushed this hard last time. Easing up is a good idea, though...
>>15032210
Apprentice/assistant/squire, sure. But that's what nature spirits and imps and so on are for. Get a bigger, badder version of Amal and Tryd along with our assistant or whatever, is what we should do.

Someone

>>15032225
Someone we can train would be good, though, is what I meant. We'll keep an eye out in the village maybe?

You groan, attempting to shift onto your side. This immediately turns out to be a terrible idea as tremendous pain tears down your side, into your spine, and back out through your neck. You relent to your body's demands, keeping still for the moment. Whatever is beneath you feels soft, and the pressure on your body tells you that you're covered with some kind of sheet. You can feel a soft pressure being applied to your head, and it immediately feels much cooler.

"Just relax, Osyki." you hear a voice say as the dabbing on your forehead continues. It takes you a moment, but you recognize the voice as Elana's. "We'll have you fixed up in no time."

Neat! Let's screw around with our two spirits and see what sort of stuff we can make from them. When we recover, of course.

I'm thinking we make Light Armor from the warden - its immense speed is very important.
Finally, the Lightning should go in a Glove or a Bow. Try both, see what happens.

>>15032261
I actually like the idea of making the lightning into a punch dagger.

"Guess I was out. Did Walther's slayers manage to get much from the rock turtle?"

>>15032248
sounds good. Maybe let Tryd out to play a little, give him some freedom in our back yard, have the village kids come over and see if any of them look like they have the potential to get along with him. He'll be happy for the free time, and playing tag with a bunch of kids where he's allowed to get them dirty sounds like something a soot imp would enjoy. The matrons might be a little upset at the washing/laundry load required, but if this gives us a hint as to whether or not any of the next generation ha a knack for the spiritual, I think we can live with that.

>>15032251
I say we groggily compare her to an Angel and remark on how beautiful she is and then ask if we missed out on going flower picking with her. Remember you can say pretty much whatever you want when you're unconscious after killing a Bone Warden.

[[ Stepping out for a momentary nom break. Be back in ten. ]]

>>15032290
Our own sudden elevation to Totemist status should be proof enough that not having a fully trained heir is a bad idea. We're still learning, but if we fall we need someone ready to take up the mantle.

And having a go-fer can't hurt either.

>>15032302
Seconding, with supplied dialogue.
"...Can we still go flower-picking? I hope I'm not too late. You're a saint for putting up with my lateness, you are."
>>15032277
Seconding this, afterwards.

>>15032354
seconded.

>>15032225
I did. And I would still remark that both this one are too riskily done, considering the harm done to ourself, not because of the fight, but because of the strain Modi Magni's augmentations are causing.

The prior one ends we had the advantage because of the speed, but this one would have certainly gone abit easier on us if we could have tried to fight a bit more defensively to wait for the warriors to enact our plan.

Mind, the respect garnered from taking down a Warden that big probably is good. But at the same time, we would be certainly held to be reckless, considering the plan already made, the warriors' lateness and the Warden's speed notwithstanding.

. . . Fuck. I hope the warriors weren't late up the cliff because of Walthers.

"...Can we still go flower-picking? I hope I'm not too late." you say, slowly opening your eyes. "You're a saint for putting up with my lateness, you are."

Elana's look is halfway between incredulous and swooning, and she bends down to lay her cheek on your forehead.

"There will be plenty of time for picking flowers when you feel better, Osyki." she says, her voice gentler than usual. "Every time you go out, you come back more injured, do you know that? I'm afraid that one of these days, you wont come back at all."

You smile, shaking your head slightly. "Nonsense." you say, flashing a grin as best you can. "I'm a Totemist. I don't die, I just get back up again."

She rolls her eyes at that, dabbing a damp cloth at your neck. It feels wonderful.

"I guess I was out for a while. Did Walther and his crew manage to gather much from the Rock Turtle?"

"From what I hear, they damn near stripped it apart. Of course, some chunks were already missing when they got there, but they got enough meat to keep us set for a long while, and you should have seen the size of the bones they were hauling back."

You wince slightly at the mention of bones, thankful that you can feel your skeleton pulsing angrily beneath your skin. Better than the alternative.

"Good." you sigh. "Glad that everything went well."

>>15032354
Seconding these too.

>>15032459
I don't think they were late because of him, I think they were moving at normal speed and we're a goddamn whirlwind when augmented.

And this one was a no choice sort of thing. Last time we planned and executed.

I just have this hunch that the Bone Warden was made out of the Rock Turtle's skeleton, or attracted to it.

We'll see what it turned out to be, I guess.

"That's good then. You should have seen the bone warden I fought, all huge gnashing jaws and nastyness. Even managed to bind it before I passed out. I hope they brought back the focus I made of it with me."

>>15032539
Seconding.

Assess your condition. Ask Elana what's wrong with you, and how long you'll be healing.

"You should have seen the bone warden I fought, all huge gnashing jaws and nastyness." you say, startling Elana slightly. "Even managed to bind it before I passed out. I hope they brought back the focus I made of it with me."

"They brought all of your things back to your workshop. I hear that Pierce carried you all the way down the mountain on his back. Wouldn't let anybody else help. I guess you and he get along well, yeah?"

You begin to nod, then stop. The pain lancing down your spine prevents too much of that. "We're friends." you say, glancing around the room. "I think he'd be a much better captain of the guard than-"

"Walther!" you hear the Healer yell, just as the door slams open. "You cannot barge into this building whenever you please! Open the door like a human being!"

He ignores her, crossing the room to your bed. Staring down at you with beady eyes, he sneers.

"Well, would you look at that. Our Totemist, all laid up. It's great that you keep going off to the mountains to fight these insane monsters, Osyki, but if you keep getting yourself beaten half to death, your recklessness is going to get all of us killed."

>>15032591
"You have a suggestion for what I should do, Chief Slayer? You have some urge to have such creatures in the village-down? I would listen to the counsel I know you are capable of giving and work with you, not stand at odds. In the meantime, I would have a feast in your honor, of the meat we have taken home today - and I would gather the village leaders and take heed of what should be done next."

"Is that acceptable to you, or are we at odds?"

"The Bone warden was a threat too large to leave anywhere near that close to the village. Especially one that big. It had to be ended. Admittedly though, I was a little more reckless than necessary."

>>15032591
I'll take that into consideration, Walther. You can relax, I don't plan on anything as extreme for the next few days.

>>15032591
Walther, I just got us the bodies of a giant Rock Turtle and Bone Warden in my first week. This isn't something to complain about. I've got it all under control, I was trained for this. Now if there isn't anything else you want to say would you mind if I heard about my condition from the healer and spend some more time with Elena. While you're leaving if you see my Sister would you mind telling her to come visit so I can reassure her I'm doing OK.

>>15032662
>I was more reckless than necessary
>admitting a mistake in front of a guy that will hang it around your neck like an albatross
>losing face in front of your allies, who worry too much about you already

Yeah, no.

>>15032685
>see my sister
>send pedo guard-captain to see a sister after he said you 'can't protect her forever'

No.jpg

>>15032591
Smile, ask sweetly, "Wasn't really expecting that Warden to be THAT fast. But we really can't let one that big to stay near our village, can we?"

"So sorry. I forgot how much faster I am when I do that. I probably should have taken a nap to wait for you to get into position. So, I take it you saw the fight? Still think you can do what I do? Still think that you can defend the village without me? How would you have taken down the Warden, Walther? What would you do if one of those walked right into the village square one day? Go home, and count your blessings that I do hunt the mountains for the most dangerous beasts. Because without me, you'd have to. Stick to 'slaying' the gophers in the fields and the deer in the forest, Walther. I'll let you know if I need anything else."

>>15032704
I don't think we need to be quite THAT hostile while dealing with him. Try and make it more subtle.

But the barb should still be there.

I'd avoid blatant outright insults in his face, he could end up a serious pain in the ass if we go out of our way to antagonize him. Confident and competent and letting the results speak for themselves. We aren't at our Master's level but we're handling ourselves pretty well.

>>15032704
We're in a bed with bandages on, and this guy has no respect for the healer or for you.

Seems like you're going to need to wait until you can walk and stuff before you try to give him serious shit. Stay cool.

Hell, you don't even have your weapon in hand.

>>15032704
Outright throw it at his face? Could work. Just... Reword it that we are not slandering the rest of the warriors as well.

Just don't make a sneering face. A scornful face suits the ire better.

Gonna have to agree with having a slightly less outright hostile comeback. He's a necessary evil, afterall. At least until he fucks up and touches our sister. Then he gets to be our new focus.

We could say something about how we'd rather see us get hurt than any of the men who can't call on the aid of spirits to help recover faster. Or something. Make it sound like we had his men's best interests at heart.

>>15032715
The way I see it, he's trying to play a dominance game. he resents not being the village's primary protector, despite the fact that he is woefully unprepared to face the spirits that may threaten it. He likely chafed under our Master as well, but kept his mouth shut because of our master's reputation and power. Now he sees us as a weak replacement and thinks he can bully us into a subservient position. He wants to play dominance games, which means we need to cow him and establish ourselves as his superior. We've already got the loyalty of his men, and soon the respect of the village. Just put him in his place firmly and we'll have, in his eyes at least, taken our master's unassailable position within the village.

You can feel a combination of your aching body and your frustration at this fat, slovenly bastard welling up within you. You feel your tenuous hold on self control snap, and the words blast forth like a blast of lightning.

"You have a suggestion for what I should do, Chief Slayer? You have some urge to have such creatures in the village? How would you have taken down the Warden, Walther? What would you do if one of those walked right into the village square one day?"

You watch his expression grow less and less confident as you continue to speak, your words slamming home.

"I take it you saw the fight? Still think you can do what I do? Still think that you can defend the village without me? That Bone warden was a threat too large to leave anywhere near that close to the village. Especially one that big. It had to be ended. Go home, and count your blessings that I do hunt the mountains for the most dangerous beasts. Because without me, you'd have to."

You stare, daring him to make a move. You can feel your fists curl into tight balls beneath the sheet on top of you. Walther's mouth flaps open and closed a few times without sound. You sigh, turning your head away from him.

Walther, I just got us the bodies of a giant Rock Turtle and Bone Warden in my first two days. This isn't something to complain about. I've got it all under control, I was trained for this. Now if there isn't anything else you want to say would you mind if I heard about my condition from the healer and spend some more time with Elena."

The man stares at you silently for a few moments. He casts a glance around the room, noting the dead silence that has fallen over it. Every patient watches him to see his next move, and even the Healer seems as though she is holding her breath. You do not bother to look at back Walther as he turns on his heel and walks out of the building.

"...Holy hell, Osyki." Elana mutters, staring at you with newfound respect.

>>15032751
His men's best interests are his responsibility. Taking over his duties threatens his position.

I'd handle him with kid gloves about all that shit right up until you replace him.

You're bedridden, you're in a bad way. Treat him well, tell him you're going to honor him and his men's part in the day's work, and let the chips fall where they may.

Then, work behind his back to get him replaced.
>>15032744
>At least until he fucks up and touches our sister. Then he gets to be our new focus.
>wait for him to commit possible rape
Yeah, let's catch him doing something other than that wrong, please. I don't think we need to give sister some sexual trauma there.

>>15032769
It's time for a massive grin.

"Thanks, I think. So, how am I? Going to be bedridden for a while, or can we go flower-picking soon?"

"I've got my moments, though ...I think I'm finally starting to really understand my mentor."

>>15032769
Osyki the silver tongued just became Osyki the iron tongued.

>>15032769
Sorry about that but he's been harassing me ever since Aryen died and if I wanted things to work I couldn't have that so I put it to an end. Did Aryen Overwake ever have to deal with this kind of thing. But moving on, how long am I bedridden with you and when will I be able to take you out to the meadows.

>>15032822
>take you out to the meadows

Osyki the Irontongue just made a euphemism

>>15032822
Second that.
Also add that you wonder whether picking blooms would better your sour mood.

I hope this turns Walthers for the better.

>>15032819
Osyki, whose tongue is silvered razors.

"...I'm sorry." you say, turning to look at Elana. "He's been on my back ever since Ayren died. Did Ayren Overwake ever have to deal with this? No."

You grimace, then shake your head.

"But that's behind us now, and I don't wonder if picking some Whint Blooms would lighten my mood. So how about it? How long am I down for?"

Elana begins to speak, but pauses as the Healer appears at her side.

"Boorish or not, Walther was right on one point, Osyki. Your injuries are nothing to scoff at. You'll be down for at least the rest of the day, and that's if the medicine I'm brewing works perfectly. For now, I need you try to get some rest."

>>15032886
Ask if you can stay awake and read, or you need to be asleep.

Master's notes and the newest focus need some investigating.

Maybe he wrote you a letter that starts with 'In case of my death..."

"I think I'm about ready for some actual rest, honestly. Thank you, the both of you."

>>15032886
Oh well, I suggest we get a nap in and if we're stuck in our bed after some sleep get some reading done. If Amal is around ask her to grab our sister so we can make sure she knows we're just fine before we collapse again.

[[ Pausing here to check energy levels of the crowd. The thread's getting up there in post count. Are you all awake enough for me to do a part II, or should we call it here for the night? ]]

>>15032943
If you're willing to keep running I'm want to keep playing.

>>15032886
"I will rest, but there are things i need done. If Elana would be so kind, I need my old family pendant. Amal will be my hands for the next day or two while I heal. Please don't look at me like that. I will not budge from this bed, just instruct the spirit as to what I need done. My master's house is still a bit of a mess and I had planned on cleaning it. and I would like to do some reading of my master's old notes, which i'll need him to fetch. A Totemist's work is never done, but it is not all danger and hunting. I have a lot of scholarly matters to catch up on."

Also, see if we can let Tryd out for a while, let him relax in the fireplace. He served us well and deserves a reward, and I'd like to see about lightening his mood for a bit.

>>15032943
I'll be there if you're there, though I could use an hour's break to cook and eat some things.

>>15032943
Sure, let's go for it.
How soon is part two coming? I'm going to grab some grub of my own.

I've got some work to get done tonight so I'll be up a while longer, duckin' in to check on things.

Meh. Looks like i'm not getting any sleep tonight anyway. Let's do this.

[[ Very well then. Are we close to the post limit? I think that we're getting there. If so, someone should archive this thread. Please use the tags from the first thread on suptg, the last thread and the Q&A session got a completely different set of tags from the other two.I'm going to head off to grab a soda and line up a playlist. Next thread in probably 15 - 20 minutes. ]]

Let's leave Tryd to scamper around as Magus suggests.
And get Amal to bring us some reading up materials.

Too bad we aren't going to get any loot out of that Basilisk Behemoth.

Can't really try out our foci on other bindings while we are laid out on the bed, though.

>>15033043
We got a powerful new focus out of the expedition, and with any luck, one of the warriors will have insisted on setting aside a share of the loot for us. Not to mention half a drake corpse and what was left of the warden. Even if they set aside a quarter of a share, we've made so much headway in the Village Respect department that it would be worth losing a little of the material wealth. All of the patients that saw us shut down walther? are going to tell their friends, family, and visitors. All of the soldiers who watched us single-handedly kill a massive warden? Are going to tell everyone they meet. We just marked a pretty huge territory in public consciousness. Nobody will be talking about anything except us for a few days. Maybe a week. And the patients will watch us study and read while we recover. So, not only are we a fearless badass, but we are wise and learned as well. And, if we go with my suggestion in >>15032290, then the public will also see us laughing and having fun with children. A powerful, wise, fearless man who is friendly, approachable, kind, and good with kids? We'll be, in the public consciousness, what every leader and elder should be. Walther wouldn't dare speak a word against us in public at that point.

Hearts and minds. That's what we need right now, and we're well on our way. We'll be a 'village elder' before we're 25.

New thread:
>>15033220

>>15033130
>Walther wouldn't dare speak a word against us in public at that point.
We embarrassed him in front of a small group.

I'll bet he's talking shit about us right now.

We'll do all that and more, but we:
1) Need all those patients to LIVE. There's a fever on. We need to gather herbs and support the healer.
2) Need the warriors' respect to last and outdo Walther's reputation poisoning. We should ASK Pierce and the others for advice on a training regimen and train with them.
3) Need the kids and villagers to know we're fair as well as approachable. We can't play favorites with our sister.

Incidentally, the Smith might mention us to others too.

We should ask the guy from the General Store if he knows of any other settlements or outsiders who trade with him.