rolled 56, 21, 68, 63 = 208

>>20655039
first

Oh, is this a chance for us to react? I thought there'd be more inbound. Hmm... >>20655035
has the right idea.

>>20655053

"Elana, I can see everything. It's beautiful, and I will never let the Magus touch you. You're connected to everything, you're linked to everything. And I'm rambling because it's just so gorgeous," you say, unable to stop the words from spilling from your mouth. Elana remains silent, staring at you.

"Osyki, what are you doing?" Boand asks softly. "You're scaring the girl."

You frown, narrowing your eyes. The runic circle before your eyes tightens, and you looker more closely at the connection between Elana and yourself.

"Can you see that?" you ask her, pointing to the humming line of energy. She shakes her head, eyes searching where your finger ends.

"No, Osyki." she says. "I can't see anything there. What do you mean, I'm 'linked to everything'?"

>>20655070
"Right, well it's there. There's threads coming out from you, you by your very nature are tied or connected to everything around you. And your eyes are burnt and hollow.

It's all there. I want to take a closer look at your eyes, find why you can't see all of this beauty."

Get closer to Elana, take a look at her eyes, focus completely on them, see if it is natural, if it was caused, find why they're burnt.

>>20655070
>She doesn't know how to second sight
There's magic here. Lots of it. In the waterfall, in the pond, in miss Boand.
And, in you, Elana. To be more accurate: Magic threads linking you to ... well, pretty much everything.
I suspect these threads are what would let you see the "True nature of things", if the Magus wasn't lying about you.

>>20655070
There are literally -lines- of magic connecting you to the world around us. Every single line holding more power than I've seen in any creature or spirit. The only place on you that ISN'T absolutely brimming with power is your eyes.

Man, if Osyki and Elana have a kid it will be akin to a god as far as power goes.

>>20655083
>>20655106
>>20655087

"Right, well it's there. There's threads coming out from you, literally -lines- of magic connecting you to the world around us," you explain rapidly. "You, by your very nature, are tied or connected to everything around you. There's magic here. Lots of it. In the waterfall, in the pond, in Boand. And, in you, Elana. More power than I've seen in any creature or spirit. The only place on you that ISN'T absolutely brimming with power is your eyes."

You lean closer, and you can see Elana flinch slightly as you do.

"Osyki, I don't see -anything- like you're describing," Boand says behind you. You are too intent on examining Elana's eyes to respond.

There. In the center of her eyes, behind where her pupils should be. Some sort of blockage, some kind of seal or clot in the ley lines of energy that naturally run through her body. There's a massive buildup of energy, but it can't exit properly. Its channels have been sealed by a deep green energy. You can't make out the seal at this distance. You clamber on to the island, and Elana scrambles backward further.

"Osyki, you're starting to worry me," Boand says.

How about we calm the shit down?vwe don't want to frighten her anymore. Release our sight and apologize for scaring her. That seal could have been placed there by Aryen, we need to know more.m

>>20655148
DON'T undo it. Aryen put it in place to keep her safe, if we want to keep her safe we leave well enough alone.

>>20655114
Unlikely, Elana's power is the result of a ritual performed at her birth. Osyki's power is that he's the protagonist.

>>20655148
Okay Boand, I'm going to calm down.

I can see things, things that you can't, but I assure you they're there. For some reason I am very good at seeing these things, I'm guessing it has to do with these green patterns
.
I'm sorry for worrying the both of you.

Someone or something put a seal in Elana's eyes, whether to restrict her or protect her I don't know. The energy doing so is green so my first guess is that Ayren did this to keep her secret, to keep her safe.

>>20655148
"Listen, I know what I see and I've never seen anything like it before. It's magnificent. A tapestry of magic. The implications are endless. It feels like I'm really -seeing- for the first time and I... I need to calm down. This is too much."

>>20655148
Well, what do YOU see, Boa?

Also, yes. That seal's likely Ayren's, put there to stop Elana from being a gigantic beacon of glowing "I am delicious please kidnap me thanks" energy.

You stop, seeing for what seems like the first time in ages the look on Elana's face, rather than the seal in her eye. You take a step back, shake your head, and run a hand along your face. The enhanced aura sight falls apart in jagged chunks around you, and the burning beneath your skin fades to nothing.

"I... I'm sorry," you say, a bit unsteady. "I'm going to calm down. Sit down."

You take a seat on the edge of the island, opening your eyes.

"I assure you, they were there. It was magnificent. A tapestry of magic. It was like really seeing for the first time."

"Those patterns... is that what you were talking about?" Boa asks. You nod, and her brow furrows. "That was raw elemental earth, alright. Seems like whatever you did to that bauble, it gave you a serious dose of elemental energy. Your aura may have fed on it to boost your capabilities. I don't know how healthy that is, per se, but it certainly is interesting."

"Are you alright Osyki?" Elana asks unsteadily.

"Fine. Sorry for scaring you. I think I understand what the Magus is so intent on now, though. There's a seal in your eyes, to restrict or protect you, or both. I'm guessing Ayren put it there to keep you hidden."

Boand nods. "That would be just like him. Seal away a massive secret, take that secret to the grave with him."

>>20655266
"Would it have killed him to leave a notepad somewhere with a list of important things I should know about? Seriously, he's just as tough a master to work with dead as he was alive, I loved him dearly but he was not an easy man.

So Elana, how does it feel to be the most magical being in this room?"

Give Elana a hug.

>>20655303
I don't know about mentioning how magical she is, that will probably just put her off. A hug would be nice though.

>>20655303

You sigh. "Would it have killed him to leave a notebook somewhere with a list of important things I should know about? Seriously, he's just as tough a master to work with dead as he was alive, I loved him dearly but he was not an easy man."

Boand and Elana both laugh at this.

"Well, have you actually gone through his library and his notes, Osyki?" Elana asks. "We always seem to be referencing his books and his notes. Maybe we just haven't looked hard enough. You use your workshop, but I feel like you don't actually know what's -in- it."

There's a ring of truth to that, you realize. You've been going so non-stop that you haven't taken the opportunity to do inventory on what your master left behind for you.

>>20655415
"I suppose your right. I really do need to sit down and take a good look at his notebook. I'm just so busy, you know? Negotiating with spirits, running errands for spirits, preventing the rise of a warlord in the Ikrin Peaks, building things, constructing totems... I would love to just have a few days to read and a couple days to spend time with you."

>>20655415
"In my defense I've been rather busy. Always a crisis or something important to take care of.

I probably should clear it up some, organize things, find any hidden notebooks that are titled "Things you should know when I die." By Ayren Overwake.

He made all this look easy."

>>20655415
I'll add it to the list. Or wait, I have a minio--apprentice now. I'll have him sort it into piles and then sort the piles. And that's after I use spirit sight to find anything he might have left behind. I can do that tonight.

>>20655485
>>20655465

"I suppose you're right," you say with a shrug. "I really do need to sit down and take a good look at his notes. In my defense I've been rather busy. Always a crisis or something important to take care of. Negotiating with spirits, running errands for spirits, preventing the rise of a warlord in the Ikrin Peaks, building things, constructing totems... I would love to just have a few days to read and a couple days to spend time with you"

Elana blushes deep crimson, and you catch Boand silently laughing into her hand just out of Elana's range of vision.

"I probably should clear it up some, organize things, find any hidden notebooks that are titled 'Things you should know when I die.' By Ayren Overwake. I'll add it to the list. Or wait, I have an apprentice now. I'll have him sort it into piles and then sort the piles. And that's after I use spirit sight to find anything he might have left behind. I can do that tonight."

Elana nods. "Sounds like a plan. Only..." She turns to look at Boand. "Would you mind if we stayed a while longer? It is beautiful here, and I don't imagine I'll be coming back any time soon."

Boa shrugs, an easy smile on her face. "You can stay as long as Osyki does, dear. It's up to him."

Elana looks at you questioningly.

>>20655547
How many more hours do we owe Boa?
Good grief, 48 hours is a long time.

>>20655547
"I figure it's helping me pay off my debt. Sure we can stay."
>Return to village hours later.
>Everything on fire.

>>20655547
Sure. Might as well meditate while you're here, try and figure out what the Earth element has done to you. No reason it can't be a practical break.

>>20655575
Knowing this quest, and narrative casuality? Probably.

rolled 90 = 90

>>20655575
>Everything but the bowyer's doorway on fire...
Fix'd

>>20655547
I'm not in a huge hurry to get back, and the moment I do I'm going to get swamped with work again.

So I think we can stay for a while, it really is beautiful. And since this technically counts as Boand's pool I'm paying off my time debt to her.

>>20655639
Yeah, that bowyer is gonna be fine. The whole town could burn down and he would sleep through it.

>>20655639
Fuckin really?
>Dat 90
>Everything on fire
Boand, Can you show my my village from here?

>>20655547
>>20655639
>>20655653
Just look at the magic strand connecting Elana to the village.
If the strand is on fire, we're bad.
If the strand is not on fire, we're safe.
It's like a Telephone. Only it has a vagina and an angry powerful person trying to steal it.

>>20655559
>>20655575
>>20655591

"I figure it's helping me pay off my time debt. Sure, we can stay. As soon as I get back I'll be swamped with work, so we may as well enjoy the time off."

You allow Elana to lean against you. Folding your legs, you close your eyes and slip into a pattern of breathing Ayren taught you to induce a state of meditation.

Gradually, the world fades away around you. Your breathing becomes deep and even, and you slip into a trance.

>Roll 2d100 and specify what part of Osyki's being you would like to explore via meditation.

>>20655664
You mean you don't have a fleshlight phone and a klepto roommate?

rolled 32, 49 = 81

>>20655669
I want to explore our connection to the Raw Earth, our connection to the spiritual world, and most importantly how those two things tie together.

rolled 17, 71 = 88

>>20655669
Going to have to ask for more info on what you mean by "being". Mind/soul/id/write in/what?

rolled 42, 89 = 131

>>20655669
His memories of Aryen (Specifically relating to the loss of his sword), and the nature of his spiritual power and how to improve and utilize it.

rolled 34, 90 = 124

>>20655669
Ace Deuce Craps Mark Four.

>>20655688

[[Mind and Soul would be most accurate.]]

rolled 29, 66 = 95

>>20655669
> specify what part of Osyki's being you would like to explore via meditation.
Link to the World Without, second sight.
Cmon, level up that mana bar.

rolled 32, 47 = 79

>>20655684
>>20655688
>>20655689
>>20655692
>>20655708

All right, it's unanimous.
First roll is ass.
Second roll is good.

>>20655713
Silly anon and your superstitions!
>rolled 32, 47 = 79

...FETCH THE CRUCIFIXES.

File: 1347178677987.jpg-(408 KB, 800x600, BSO Temple island.jpg)

>>20655689

>>20655689

You find yourself staring up at a massive stone pillar. It reaches into the sky, seeming to nearly touch the sun above you. Carved into its length are several stories, written in pictographic script. They are stories you have read before.

You turn to find yourself in the sky. The ground beneath your feet feels light and spongy. Behind you, past the pillar, a grand temple awaits. To your left, a blooming garden wafts sweet scents your way from a few islands over. To your right, a shining crystal impales another island, which wobbles unsteadily. In front of you is the expanse of clear blue sky, and a long, long drop.

>[ ]Temple
>[ ]Garden
>[ ]Crystal
>[ ]Pillar
>[ ]Jump

rolled 27 = 27

>>20655771
Jump

rolled 4 = 4

>>20655771
Pillar. Examine that pillar.

rolled 46 = 46

>>20655771
Temple seems useful

rolled 71 = 71

>>20655771
crystal

rolled 76 = 76

>>20655782
>>20655803
>>20655806
>>20655810
Screw you guys, I'm going for the garden :P

>>20655771
Temple.

File: 1347179437651.jpg-(259 KB, 640x412, BSO Jungle Temple 2.jpg)

[[Two votes for Temple, then. Thought I was gonna have to go by roll.]]

You walk past the monolithic pillar, paying its runes and inscriptions no mind. The temple is where you spend most of your time here, and with good reason. Its oracles are sound, and its pools refreshing.

You climb the ascending steps to the entrance carved into the temple's side, about halfway up its height. The cool, damp air soothes your frayed nerves. The smell here is that of aged parchment and silence. The hallway splits into two familiar paths, and you know that they will split again. You haven't time to visit more than two rooms here before you know you must move on.

>[ ]Visit the Library.
>[ ]The Wading Pools are our destination first.
>[ ]Peruse the Hall of Vision.
>[ ]Descend into the Core. (Consumes both destinations)

rolled 76 = 76

>>20655858
Library, then Hall of Vision

>>20655858
[X]Visit the Library.
[X]The Wading Pools are our destination first.

>>20655858
Core. Metagame reason is that it's the biggest. In-game reason is that a core is the central aspect to something, meaning Oyski's power.

rolled 89 = 89

[X] Descend into the Core.

>>20655858
I'd say core first, after all this should be a state we can accomplish fairly easily once every few days to learn more.

>>20655858
[X]Descend into the Core. (Consumes both destinations)

It could be fun.

>>20655941
>>20655940
>>20655902
>>20655891
This will end poorly

You haven't got time for the upper levels today, much as you enjoy them. The only answers you seek can be found on the very lowest levels of the complex.

You take the rightmost turns in the temple, following the hallway to the long, spiral descent into the core of the temple. From the top of the widening spiral you can see the faint crimson pulse below you. It paints the walls deeper and deeper as you walk the long circuitous route, your hand tracing the only slightly unfamiliar wall to your right. As you reach the very lowest level your vision is tinted the color of blood.

You step through the massive archway, its double doors long since destroyed. There rotates the Core, a beating pulsing orb of power. Thin tubes of silver feed into its sparking surface, stabilizing and containing the arcs of energy that spill outward.

Your control is imperfect. You must learn to contain.

>Roll 1d100. One of the first five rolls must beast 60.

rolled 66 = 66

>>20655994
Rollan!

rolled 87 = 87

>>20655994
>>20656000
Everyone go home, we win.

rolled 90 = 90

>>20656000
>>20656008
Yep, we win all right.

rolled 83 = 83

>>20656000
>>20656008
>>20656009
IT'S GOING HIGHER

rolled 27 = 27

lets see if we can make it unanimous

>>20656000
>>20656008
>>20656009
>>20656016
HOLY SHIT THESE ROLLS

rolled 64 = 64

>>20656019
>>20656021
Aw.

rolled 72 = 72

>>20656019
>>20656021
well, I would say we derped, but it appears I am the only one that derped since I beat you to the punch, just didn't derp as much is all

rolled 100 = 100

>>20656029
Delete your post before Diarca notices, man!

rolled 89 = 89

>>20656036
since you got a 100, I feel obliged to do so, but.....I just can't do it, it's just too wrong

>>20656036
A bit too late, but damn.

>>20656009

You extend your hand. Your mind is calm. Your will is sharp. The room flushes a deep green for a moment, and the silvery tubes turn verdant. Your core grows calm, its tremors quelled to quiet shivers. The silver returns to the room, and this time it is the dominant color. Something within you clicks.

---

You find yourself staring up at a massive stone pillar. It reaches into the sky, seeming to nearly touch the sun above you. Carved into its length are several stories, written in pictographic script. They are stories you have read before. The script glows with a soft silvery light, and you feel a sense of calm.

You turn to find yourself in the sky. The ground beneath your feet feels light and spongy. Behind you, past the pillar, the great temple is sealed. To your left, a blooming garden wafts sweet scents your way from a few islands over. To your right, a shining crystal impales another island, which wobbles unsteadily. In front of you is the expanse of clear blue sky, and a long, long drop.

You feel a bit rushed.

>[ ]Garden
>[ ]Crystal
>[ ]Pillar
>[ ]Jump

File: 1347181345374.png-(53 KB, 320x204, spit-take.png)

>>20656036

>>20656046
>>20656036
>>20656029
>>20656028
>>20656016
>>20656009
>>20656008
>>20656000
YOU SAW THE CORE.
YOU MADE THE CORE KNOWN
YOU OPENED YOUR MIND
AND THEN MADE IT YOUR OWN

rolled 75 = 75

>>20656053
Crystal

>>20656053
[X]Garden

>>20656053
pillar

rolled 3 = 3

>>20656064
>>20656068
>>20656102

[[Let's see.]]

>>20656053
Crystal, I'll go with crystal.

[[ There we go. Tie broken.]]

You head to your right. The crystal that impales the island sends pulses of energy rocketing outward every so often, destabilizing the island's ordinarily level flight.

The land seems to be breaking up here, fragmenting. It may be dangerous to walk.

>[ ]Take your time. No sense falling now.
>[ ]Let's move. You don't have time to waste.
>[ ]Meditate on your progress thus far. (Does not advance)

>>20656127
>[o]Let's move. You don't have time to waste.
I feel a bit rushed.

>>20656127
[X]Take your time. No sense falling now.

Falling to our death doesn't sound fun.

>>20656127
Get moving.

>>20656127
Voting to take it fast. We've stabilized the Core so we should be okay.

>>20656132
>>20656133
>.>?
<.<?

File: 1347182633165.png-(32 KB, 234x263, gofast.png)

>>20656127

You can't help but feel a little rushed. You walk quickly across the fragmenting ground, feeling the earth dissolve at your heels.

That's okay. You can't move down if you've already moved forward.

The ground seems to hold for just long enough. You step onto the circle of light surrounding the crystal. The ground is strange here, soft like sand, but at least it isn't falling. The crystal is humming. You've heard that melody before.

>[ ]Hum along.
>[ ]Make some dissonance.
>[ ]Uproot the crystal.

>>20656215
>[x]Make some dissonance.

>>20656215
>[X]Hum along.

>>20656215
[X]Hum along.

>>20656215
SING UNTIL YOUR LUNGS GIVE OUT.

>>20656215
Hum along, though knowing where the melody comes from would be ideal.

rolled 20 = 20

>>20656257
Sing it for the boys.
Sing it for the girls.
And every time that you lose it, sing it for the world.

You sing with the crystal.

At least, you try.

It's got a difficult pitch, and the melody's old. But you think, maybe, if you try hard and open yourself up to the melody, you can make a beautiful harmony.

The hum starts low in your throat, but soon it vibrates throughout your being. You can feel the resonance, but you're not there. Not just yet.

You need a little connection.

>Roll 1d100. One of the first five rolls must beat 65.

rolled 24 = 24

>>20656294
Big dollars, no collars.

rolled 15 = 15

>>20656294

rolled 27 = 27

>>20656294
SANIC, AID MY DICE.

rolled 30 = 30

>>20656294
"Is this the real life...?"

rolled 1 = 1

>>20656294
I shall doom us all!

>>20656305
With perfect pitch!

>>20656307
You are so incredibly lucky you were sixth.

rolled 4 = 4

>>20656294
Channel American Idol

>>20656312
Yeah, we doged quite a bullet, there.

>>20656312
>You are so incredibly lucky you were sixth.
Oh, he was 6th now? I don't see any rolls of 97 with the text "Calm down guys, I got this" around here.

>>20656326
Nice try. Diarca: archive.foolz.us/tg/thread/20655039/#20656305

>>20656326
/tg/ remembers everything:
http://archive.foolz.us/tg/thread/20655039/#20656305

>>20656346

>97

You hum and you hum, but you can't seem to find the right pitch, the right tone. It's so close, the resonance, the perfect alignment. You hum for what seems like hours before you realize what you've done wrong, and you feel a little silly.

You fall silent, and so does the crystal. And in doing so, you harmonize perfectly. The ground ceases crumbling behind you, and a pair of green circles burn on your wrists. You feel a little more connected. The sand beneath your feet feels like home.

---

You find yourself staring up at a massive stone pillar. It reaches into the sky, seeming to nearly touch the sun above you. Carved into its length are several stories, written in pictographic script. They are stories you have read before. The script glows with a soft silvery light. At the pillar's base, blades of green crystal grass sprout. You feel stable.

You turn to find yourself in the sky. The ground beneath your feet feels light and spongy. Behind you, past the pillar, the great temple is sealed. To your left, a blooming garden wafts sweet scents your way from a few islands over. To your right the green crystal has stabilized, and the small ring of sand has expanded outward into a cloud of shining diamond dust. In front of you is the expanse of clear blue sky, and a long, long drop.

You know that time is short.

>[ ]Garden
>[ ]Pillar
>[ ]Jump

>>20656376
Jump!

>>20656376
Garden.

>>20656376
[X]Garden

rolled 71 = 71

>>20656376
>>[x ]Jump

>>20656376
Pillar

rolled 42 = 42

[x]Pillar

C'mon, guys, we've come here to remember stuff about Ayren.

>>20656376
Jump.

>>20656413
>>20656411
>>20656402
>>20656395
>>20656392
>>20656378
<_>

>>20656376
Pillar

>>20656376
[X]Pillar

>>20656413
We came here with two purposes actually. To remember Aryen and to meditate on Osyki's power. The more we build power, the better connection we'll be able to form.

>>20656442
>>20656435
>>20656413
>>20656411

You turn again, regarding the pillar before you more closely. The stories it holds are familiar in the way a childhood blanket or a long-tread route home might be. And yet, there are pieces you do not remember. Symbols here and there that do not make sense, cannot fit into the story. You walk around the pillar once, twice, three times, and pick these symbols out one by one. But what to do with them?

>[ ]They form a code. Illuminate them with silvery light.
>[ ]They hold back the truth. Crush them with verdant strength.
>[ ]They contribute to the whole. Fit them into the story.

>>20656470
>[o]They contribute to the whole. Fit them into the story.

>>20656470
>>[X]They form a code. Illuminate them with silvery light.

>>20656470
...Come back later. The first two options were derived from stabilizing the core and the crystal. If we solve the garden we'll get a different option.

>>20656470
[X]They form a code. Illuminate them with silvery light.

rolled 61 = 61

>>20656470
[x]They form a code. Illuminate them with silvery light.

>>20656505
>>20656500
>>20656486

They form a code. You know this to be true. The cool, silver glow of the text traces patterns between the strange runes. You know the meaning is hidden there. It's simply a matter of finding out where.

You lift the outstanding symbols from the surface of the pillar, arranging them in front of you. Perhaps not a code. A cipher? Or a design. These are all possibilities. You'll need to work quickly. Time is short now.

>Roll 1d100+20. One of the first five rolls must beat 70.

rolled 83 + 20 = 103

>>20656521
Well, here we go.

rolled 13 + 20 = 33

>>20656521
Okily dokily.

rolled 66 + 20 = 86

>>20656528
VICTORY VICTORY VICTORY.

rolled 14 + 20 = 34

Come on dice

>>20656528
Well, that went well.

rolled 7 + 20 = 27

>>20656521

rolled 54 + 20 = 74

>>20656528
Success
>>20656529
Failure
>>20656532
Success
>>20656533
Failure

So I am success?

>>20656543
Yes, but the pattern was broken before you.

This is the second time we've broken 100 in this quest...

>>20656521
This is some baller meditation.

I need to build up my room-inside-my-mind thingy so I can do stuff like this.

File: 1347186826125.jpg-(912 KB, 2000x2000, Celestialcircle.jpg)

>>20656528

There. You should have seen it all along, of course, but the distraction around you are plentiful. The hum of the crystal, the rumble of the core deep beneath the ground, and the ever so slight floral scent wafting from the gardens could all be attributed to your failure, if you so chose to assign blame.

But you didn't. Instead, you simply succeeded.

The pattern falls into place in front of you. A pair of circles, one within the other, criss-crossed by arcane patterns and geometric shapes, flowing script and smaller spheres. It's blinding simple, now that you've seen the way. And it tells a story. A story you haven't heard before.

---

Choose one:
>[ ] Increase Binding Potency
>[ ]Increase Binding Variability

Choose one:
>[ ]Increase Elemental Affinity E
>[ ]Increase Spiritual Reserves
>[ ]Increase Communion

Choose one:
>[ ]Ask one question about Ayren Overwake to be answered with 100% accuracy.
>[ ]Ask one question about Osyki's training to be answered with 100% accuracy.
>[ ]Ask one question about Modi Magni to be answered with 100% accuracy.

>>20656596
Could you eplain the first two choices a bit more, please?

>>20656521
Wake up, Quest dude!

>>20656596
Oooooh.

[x]Increase Binding Potency

[x]Increase Elemental Affinity

[x]Ayren Overwake question: (is this in or out of character?) Where is the spirit that was bound in the sword of Aryen Overwake?

>>20656596
[X] Increase Binding Potency
I prefer potency, I think of Osyki as the kind of guy who has a hammer and sees all of his problems as nails, at least much of the time.

[X] Increase Elemental Affinity E
We've never really had any big trouble with our spiritual reserves, we naturally have pretty good spiritual raw power. I think Affinity will allow us to do some really interesting things with the Raw Earth, the Turtle and Cordia.

I don't know what question I want to ask.

>>20656596
I'd say potency and affinity, and for the question, although I doubt it would be allowed, I would ask for the history of Ayren Overwake.

>>20656596
>[x] Increase Binding Potency

>[x] Increase Spiritual Reserves

>[x] Ask one question about Ayren Overwake to be answered with 100% accuracy.
"If he was brought back to life for just 10 minutes, to give me advice for the rest of my life ... what would the man say to me?"

>>20656615

[[Nope. Affects will be revealed after choices are made.]]

>>20656638
Well, in that case:
>[X]Increase Binding Variability
>[X]Increase Communion
>Indifferent

>>20656626
Wait no, scrub that question, the sword will come up again. What was Aryen's game with Elana?

>>20656615
Character leveled up. We get one from each section. Potency is the strength of the foci we create, variability is what we can turn into a foci.

Diarca, tell me if I'm right: the Garden would have provided a fourth path to solving the pillar, and the jump option takes us out of the meditation. Would have completing all three steps have resulted in further bonuses to choosing how to solve the pillar? And this is another character determining point isn't it. How we choose to see the extra symbols determined the next path.

>>20656596
[x ]Increase Binding Variability

[X]Increase Communion

[x ]Ask one question about Ayren Overwake to be answered with 100% accuracy.
"Where is Ayren Overwake's sword?"

[[ It seems that Binding Potency and Elemental Affinity are the most popular choices right now.

Will you ask about:
Ayren's place of origin
The location of the spirit in Ayren's sword
The nature of the spirit in Ayren's sword
Ayren's advice

Voting closes at 7:00 server time.

>>20656657
You are correct, the garden would have revealed an alternate method for solving the pillar. Jump would have revealed another. There was not time to complete each and every area.]]

rolled 75 = 75

[x] Increase Binding Potency
Is good for us. Variability also sounds good, but we haven't had problems with that yet.

[x]Increase Communion
Is very good. We have good relationship with spirits - we are better Totemist.

[x]Ask one question about Modi Magni to be answered with 100% accuracy.
Knowledge about our arguably most powerful weapon is a very, very good thing. Although I have no idea what to ask.

>>20656671
I'd go with the Advice, seems most useful to us.

>>20656668
is me, changing question suggestion to the same as this guy:
>>20656657
"What was Ayren's intent with regard to Elana

>>20656671
I'm extremely tempted to ask about his advice but it will probably just be "Don't fuck up" or some cryptic shit... Fuck it, going with advice.

>>20656671
Oh, the jump was another puzzle option. Interesting!

Pre-generated choices for questions to ask. Not what I had in mind, but okay. I think we have to know the nature of the spirit in Aryen's sword. His advice wouldn't be helpful since Oyski's a different kind of Totemist, the place of origin is backstory that we can probably find elsewhere (though not so easily), leaving location and nature. Nature matters more because we can rebind it ourselves in the future, should it be necessary. Also keep in mind that Aryen gave his half-trained apprentice Modi Magni while making his name with a sword. That's some firepower there that we know nothing about.

[[If one anon or other would keep a running tally of the votes thus far so we could take off running at 7:00, I would appreciate it. Going to make myself some tea.]]

>>20656701

[[Those aren't the only choices. Just suggestions for questions regarding him. If you can think of a better one, feel free.]]

>>20656709
How about "What are the natures of the spirits that Aryen has bound?" ?

That'll give us info on the Sword's nature, but also on the nature of all the other stuff he's bound as well.
I'd go for that.

>>20656709
Well so much for that thought. Want me to count only questions asked after you called it for Aryen?

>>20656681
I can guess, thinking about it some. He was going to give the magus a spirit blind apprentice. We did crazy good on the investigation roll and she was connected to Oyski, which is why he could see it. The Magus would get the apprentice he wanted but she would be utterly useless as a Totemist.

[[Alright. Let's call the voting closed. What do the totals come to?]]

>>20656752
Deadlock with 1 for everything ma'am.

>>20656752
Okay... three for advice
One for history
One for sword's location
One for Elana
Two for sword spirit's nature and one for nature of all spirit's bound by Aryen (group as you see fit)

>>20656767
I think we'll get screwed over with the advice, but a vote is a vote.

>>20656779
Agreed, but it's worth noting that this is covering all the votes for Aryen, before and after Diarca called the question chance for him.

rolled 1 = 1

[[ So, the final votes stand:

Binding Potency

1. Elemental Affinity or 2. Communion (rollan')

Ayren's Advice

Post incoming.]]

You find yourself in your workshop. Quinn is absent, as is Elana. In the back room, you can hear a familiar sort of grumbling.

On your wrists, the bands of green energy still burn. You feel stable.

A pair of silver circles glow from your palms. You feel a little stronger.

A man comes from the back room, a man you've seen many times before. He looms over you, and for a moment you feel like a child apprentice all over again.

"Good to be back," he mutters. He sits gingerly across the table from you, nursing a nasty purple wound in his side. He sips at the tea on the table, and you do the same after a moment.

"You were gone so suddenly," you finally say, "And I had no idea what to do. I've been doing the best I can, filling in what I don't know with the help of friends and some dumb luck. What can you tell me that will help me?"

He has the sense to look sorry, at least. "Time is short, but I won't waste it any further. Listen close."

(Cont)

>>20656835
:-O!
Oh boy oh boy oh boy

*Shut up and listen*

>>20656835

"From what I've seen, you've done a passable job so far. Never forget that you are the village's last and best line of defense. That being said, if you intend to travel any appreciable distance from the village, I recommend repairing the totems in the walls. All of them. Some of them are built into the support beams, and that will be tricky, but everything you need is in one book or another in the library. I didn't craft or invent a totem that I didn't write down. You just have to know where to look."

He takes another sip of tea to clear his cracking voice.

"It's all well and good to drop the facade of the mysterious warlock to the villagers, but don't forget that it'll make you all the more accountable for your mistakes when those around you understand your duties. You can't screw up if you walk that road."

He narrows his eyes at the spear suddenly perched in the corner. "Magni is a tool in every sense of the term. Don't trust a word he says unless you can prove it, and don't fiddle with his bindings unless you're damn sure of what you're doing. He can't hurt you how he is now. Change his bindings, his channel, I can't guarantee that."

(Cont)

>>20656863

He runs a hand through his hair. "The chest of drawers in the workshop is my last series of trials for you. Every drawer is locked with a different sealing totem. The lower drawers are easier to open. Each seal's set to open to a specific trigger. I've left hints scattered in the books around the workshop. The stuff inside's worth your while.

"I can't stress this enough: Do your research. Flying into a situation blind is a great way to get heroic stories of bravado and derring-do. It's also what got me killed. The more you know of your enemy, or the totem you're crafting, or the spirit you're bargaining with, the safer you are. Speaking of which," he says with a stern face, "Don't get too close to anyone. I know that coming from me that must seem pretty predictable, but I was a mysterious hermit for a reason, and it wasn't just the eerie facade. The fewer people who are close to you there are, the fewer opportunities you have to be disabled by crippling guilt or fear if they're injured or put in danger. A lot of people's lives depend on you, and you can't put one or two people above that."

He falls silent after that. He seems to be waiting for another question or two from you. The wound in his side is slowly darkening in color.

>>20656863
>>20656895
"Where'd you leave your sword?"
"What was your plan with Elana?"

>>20656895
"Elana, eye binding that was you right? Is it still needed? What would happen if it was broken or if I found a way to break it?

Cursed sword, Illithuvia, where'd you leave it? What happened to it?

Are there any allies in the area that I don't know about who I should be acquainted with?

I love you Dad, I miss you."

>>20656921
that.

>>20656921
Second and third are more important right now. What happens with Elana is pretty obvious (though accidents happen).

>>20656908
>>20656921

"Your sword. Illithuvia. Where did you leave it?" you ask urgently. Ayren shakes his head, paling a little.

"I can't tell you. I mean I literally, metaphysically cannot tell you. One of the drawers has a hint to it. That's all I'm capable of saying."

Undeterred, you press on. "Elana. The binding in her eyes. That was your doing, right? Is that still needed? What was the plan there?"

"I had planned for her to live a normal life. The wards around the village would never have failed if I stayed alive, and she could've lived a perfectly ordinary life as a healer. Yes, the bindings are mine. Leave them in place. You'll both be happier for it."

"Are there any allies you had in the area who I should be acquainted with?"

"In the area? No. You're already on better terms with half of the forest than I ever was." His face grows a little paler. Drops of tainted blood begin to drip to the floor. "But the world's a big place, Osyki. Our village is tucked away in a quiet corner of the world. There are places that would blow your mind just over the mountains, if you can build up the village's defenses enough to visit them."

You purse your lips for a moment, then let your facade drop.

"I miss you, Ayren."

"I'm sorry, Osyki. I never meant for this to happen. But now it has, and I know you can up the mantle. Good luck."

He falls from his chair, and as he does the hut dissolves around him. You take a deep breath in, focus, and open your eyes.

>>20656983

Elana is breathing slowly on your shoulder as you open your eyes. Behind you, you can hear Boa fiddling with her shrine.

"Welcome back," she says. "The two of you slept right through the night."

Your wrists hurt, as if you had worn manacles all night. They don't look any different.

>>20656983
Everything went better than expected!

Time to see how long we've been out.

>>20656996
"I got to say goodbye to Ayren, it was a good dream, but it wasn't really a dream as it was all true.

I'm starting to talk like a mystic aren't I?"

Don't get up immediately, lay there with Elana a bit more, hold her close for a bit.

rolled 98 = 98

Thank Boa, apologize for not spending more time communicating with her and leave with Elana.

Go home, task Quinn with sorting through library and begin experimenting with foci and bindings.

"Thank you for looking after us," you say, not turning for fear of awakening Elana. "How long have we been out?"

"Day will be breaking soon outside." Boa says.

"I got to say goodbye to Ayren, it was a good dream, but it wasn't really a dream as it was all true." You laugh. "I'm starting to talk like a mystic aren't I?"

Boa goes silent for a moment behind you, then resumes her work. "What a lucky opportunity.

Elana stirs on your shoulder.

You wait for her to come around fully, then have Boa ferry you across the veil. She leaves you at the pool's edge, apparently eager to get back to whatever work she had busied herself with in your time of meditation.

"You look... different, Osyki," Elana says as the two of you head back toward the village. "Not like back in the pond. Just... older, I suppose."

You smile faintly. "I got to grow up a bit last night."

[[And that's where we'll end for this evening. Next quest should be Thursday at the usual time, and as always I'll send out an email to the mailing list if I can run it any earlier. Email for the list is in this post. Thanks for playing, everyone, and have a good week.

Since we never got to questions this week, we'll open Thursday's session with some answers. Email any questions you have about the setting to the mailing list email, and I'll pick the most interesting ones for Thursday.]]

>>20657110

[[Herp derp. Email here.]]

>>20657110
Thanks for the thread! Looking forward to next time.

Just finished catching up on the last bit of yesterdays thread and this thread. And the lilac smell is definitively the extremely spooky primordial spirit from a thread 14(XIV):

Diarca !!rV8GTu4cyt+ 12/26/11(Mon)00:29 No.17335142

You round the tree that you saw the movement behind in record time, the Cloudwalker's Stride leaving slight scorch marks where you tread. As you round the corner, everything seems to slow. It is not the dilation of time that you are used to via Modi Magni. Your muscles suddenly feel sluggish, slow to respond. Your eyes flit upward, and a strange sight greets you.

A long, lanky figure sits crouched between two tree trunks. Its features are obscured, indecipherable, but what stands out the most are the burning white orbs that form its eyes. Its head seems refracted in the light behind it, shifting outward in irregular beams and spikes with each subtle movement, but the orbs of white light remain constant. The same sense of dread hits you like a rampaging Drake, and you swallow hard.

As the sound of your audible gulp rings out, you suddenly become aware of a shift in your surroundings. The forest seems cast in a strange twilight, and thin red mist filters along the ground, highlighted by the strange filtered light that seeps from behind the figure. With a shudder the upper part of its left arm writhes outward in serpentine lines, only to snap back into place a moment later.

>The soft smell of lilacs fills the air.

Can't see the email, but that may be because i'm viewing it via smartphone.

Questions:
>-do any normal animals exist in this world? Wolves? Bears? Cows? Or is everything a murder-matic shper beast?

>-Do we know the history of the village? Why it's here and where the founders came from?

>-what are the limits of technology in this world? We clearly have bows, metal work, mail armor, paper. What else does the village have access to? The greater world?

>-Cordia puts us in a bit of an awkward position. I understand spirit-worship is a manor part of the local religion, but what do the elders say happens to most people after death? Are there religious priests? O do Totemists fill that role as well?

>-Are Totemists respected everywhere? Or only by small communities in the wilderness?

>-Magna Modi poses an interesting conundrum. He is an Avatar of Wrath. Whose? So far we've dealt with primarily nature spirits. Are there more esoteric or abstract spirits we've yet to learn about?

Think we can discuss other questions here before mailing them in?