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Ability Tree

GREEN abilities have been unlocked and learned.

BLUE abilties are unlocked, but are not yet purchased.

RED abilities are revealed, but locked due to prerequisites.

UNDERLINED abilities are active-use, as opposed to passive.

Unlocked Ability Descriptions:

>Great Strength - you have the strength to shift boulders. Bonus to physical attack.

>Earth Resistance - gives 1st earth resist upgrade. Costs 2 exp.

>Spirit Resistance - gives 1st spirit resist upgrade. Costs 2 exp.

>Communicate - you gain a natural understanding of languages. You can project your words into the minds of those that are within normal speaking range. With Ink, you can physically speak the words aloud (would help with blending in)

>Tough Skin - increases defense

>Fangs - armor piercing at close ranges

>Iron Stomach - Nullifies negative effects from consuming nasty sorts of things. (Actual nutritional value may vary)

>Observe - better chance to detect tricks and traps

>Snuff - your shadow can put out lights it touches

>Shade - create an illusory projection of yourself to confuse the enemy (costs 1 mana, grants temporary dodge bonus)

>Mimic - take on the vague form of things you've seen. Won't stand up to close examination, but works well in the dark

>Shadow control - You can grab at the shadows near you, manipulating the object that casts them. Your physical shadow attack is stronger. Success is based on physical shadow power.

>Fog - A cloud of darkness shrouds your form, helping you stay undetected out of combat and helping you dodge blows in combat.

>Shadow Walk - You no longer have to remain still while hiding in the shadows of other objects, allowing you to move between shadows that touch each other. You gain a small overall bonus to stealth.

>Bind - Trap and enemy in ropes of spirit magic. May spend 0 to 10 mana (determines strength).

>Robust immunity - Gain a greater natural immunity to ailments.

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>Regeneration - slow health regeneration in dark areas

>Parasitic - potential for a larger heal after consuming something

>Poison - there is a 5% chance you will poison the enemy with any physical attack

>Doom Aura - puts out all lights in an area at once

>Quiet - You naturally make much less noise, granting a bonus to physical stealth.

>Marathon Monster - You are have great stamina and won't get tired even from miles of running. This grants you a dodge and accuracy bonus; you are unphased by rough terrain or poor conditions.

>Centipede - Your amorphous form allows you to create many additional legs which can immediately redirect you, reducing the impact of your own momentum and distributing your weight for better balance. Dodge, stealth, and accuracy bonus.

>Fist - all physical attacks gain a small armor piercing bonus

>Fear - Stun and disrupt foes nearby with a spiritual blast of magic. Weaker enemies may flee. (3 mana to cast)

>Shadow shield - Your aura is a shield against not only might, but magic. You gain a small bonus to all resistances.

>Compress - By sacrificing strength and defense, you can compress yourself and your aura to the size of a small mouse, greatly increasing dodge and physical and magical stealth. Warning: requires a turn to activate and deactivate.

>Lash - You become adept at whipping your amorphous body to strike your enemies, greatly increasing your range and accuracy.

>Lightning Shadow - You move like the shadow of a lightning bolt--flickering, darting, able to confuse lesser opponents with your speed alone and pursue even the swiftest foes. Bonus to dodge and accuracy.

>Spirit sight: allows you to see and interact with spirits easily. Removes natural dodge bonus of spiritual creatures.

>Shadow sense: Better trap detection and enemy stealth detection. You also become more attuned to the elements...

>Shadow assault: Launch several shadowy projectiles at the enemy. Costs 4 mana. 4 base magic power. Can hit multiple enemies.

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Statistics:

HP: 15/15
Mana: 4/4
EXP: 3
Humanity: 4
Corruption: 5

Basic Battle Options to keep in mind during fights (it would get tedious to list all of them every time):

-Physical Attack
-Shadow Attack (requires light source!)
-Magic Attack (Spirit Whip)
-Defend
-Dodge and Counter
-specific ability (takes one turn. Defensive abilities activate same-turn)
-Flee (dodge check if enemy attacks)

Party Members:

Sir Donovan Flint - A knight of Dobshire. He is clad in half-plate with a minor protection enchantment and wields a two-handed longsword. He is skilled in combat and knows some basic Light magic. He has a clumsy streak, but has sharp senses.

Joey - A 16 year old boy from Jacob's Field. Feeling responsible for Pastor John's death, he trailed you and Flint through the Old Forest. He is inexperienced in combat. He wears thick leather clothing and wields a long hunting knife.
- minor injury

Inventory:

-Sun Key

Current Location:

Old Forest Keep - Dungeons

>>24244331
Hey SM, a friendly advice: Put all the ability descriptions in a pastebin, cause it will became a huge clusterfuck by the time we unlock half of the map.

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>Last time...

After finishing off the ghouls and the gargoyles, you used the Sun Key aquired at the top of the keep to open the dungeons below it.

You chose to have Sir Flint light his torch. He and Joey follow you as you scout ahead.

You discovered a fork in the dungeon's path and went explored left after telling your partners to wait. A faint haze of light greeted your eyes around a long bend.

You discovered that the base of the well had since worn away a large crack in the dungeon wall, explaining why the stone floor is somewhat flooded. The gleam of a sword caught your eye, and you slipped through the crack to investigate...

-------
-------

You send Flint an image of the bottom of the well and the sword, as well as a note of curiosity. He should get the message that you're going to investigate.

You Ink your way through the crack, liquifying and plopping into the water on the other side. You reach a tendril toward the sword.

It springs into the air! Its metal glows hot orange. It brandishes itself left, right, then levels itself in your direction!

What do you do?

>try to pin the sword to the wall
>deflect the sword away
>dive into the water to hide
>retreat through the crack back to the dungeons
>something else

>>24244388
>try to pin the sword to the wall

We will wrestle it to submission!

>>24244381

Yeah. I'm also working on a list of all your LEARNED abilities, since that's also rather important.

Probably next thread.

>>24244381

Seconding this. It's kind of a mess already and we've only got, what, a third of the map uncovered?

>>24244388

Looks too hot to consider touching directly. Let's dive in the water.

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>pictured

>>24244388
>>dive into the water to hide

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>>24244412
>a third of the map uncovered?

>implying

>>24244388
>>something else
Send image to flint that image came alive and is hostile.

Also, we should buy Tough Skin although Spirit Sight might help us see whatever the fuck is attacking us.
But, I still think it is better to retreat and have Flint deal with this shit

By the way, I think we were too reckless with eating all those corpses in the previous thread.

Until we know how exactly Corruption affects us, I propose that we only eat corpses as a way to regain health while in combat.

>>24244483
Oh you magnificent evil cunt, I hope you aren't just joking.

>>24244483
>>24244542

If we manage to get even half of that, we'd be some unstoppable powerhouse.
though I bet OP would through us similar leveled challenges

Did we eat the second Gargoyle in the last thread?
I either missed it or it was not clear.

>>24244542

I am not joking.

Not that you'll see some parts of the tree for a good while.

So, diving into the water has a slight majority right now...

>>24244592

No, you did not eat the gargoyle. You regained all your HP before you consumed it, and Flint was heading off to the keep, so you just went along behind him.

>>24244621
Oh, shame. Should have eaten it instead the ghouls just to see if we'd get better/different rewards

>>24244388
Well, it is a magic sword. Maybe we should try magic against it?

Hit it with Shadow Strike!

>vote is very split, going with slight majority option

Surprised by the sudden enemy, you dive into the water.

The dark well is inviting to your sensibilities. It seems to effect you somehow - turning to Ink and swimming about seem second nature. You can move very easily.

With a splash, the sword dives in after you. Its orange glow lights the water eerily. It swipes at you, but the water slows its speed significantly. You easily bend out of the way. It slowly tries to drag back through the water to cut you, but you've already swum to the other side of the well.

You have the advantage...but whatever is causing that sword to move remains a mystery. Below, the well continues, deep into the dark.

>try to attack the weapon with magic/shadows
>focus your senses on the weapon
>dive further down. Lure it away from your allies.
>use the opportunity to escape back to the dungeons
>something else

>>24244714
>>focus your senses on the weapon
this

>>24244714
>focus your senses on the weapon

We might learn something this way.

>>24244758
>>24244769
ditto

>>24244714
we should send a message to flint then we can focus our senses or whatever

>>24244791
>>24244787
>>24244769
>>24244758

You send a brief message to Flint, three successive images describing the strange situation you've found yourself in. You're getting rather good at using pictures to communicate.

You focus your senses on the sword...

...it feels like Spirit. Rather like the heavy weight of magic within the keep, the same feeling Abigail radiated when she attacked the zombie with her magic. But though you've characterized the enemy, your senses are too dull to learn anything more.

The sword, rather than swipe through the water, tries a stab! It's much faster that way, and nearly pierces you!

You swim away, evading harm, but the sword seems to have 'realized' that stabbing attacks will be more effective. You still have the upper hand, however.

>>24244885

>What do you do?

>>24244898
Pin that sucker

>>24244885
>>24244898

we really don't know how to fight spirits, I say we retreat and have Flint deal with it.

>>24244885
Use Ink to make multiple hands and the grab the sword by the hilt.

>>24244885
Hit it with a Shadowstrike!

>>24244905
>>24244941
>>24244950
>>24244967

>....

>>24245002
Ha Ha, time for tievotes!

Can we lure the sword back to Flint? The sword might only be attacking us because we are a Shadow elemental (or because our corruption is so high).

>>24244905

I'll second this. We can at least try to wrestle this thing into submission.

>>24244905
Go towards the wall of the pool, make the sword go for another stab attack and make it stick into the wall.

You unleash your shadows to pin the sword!

Roll 1d40

>>24245034
Pin the sword, and then CONSUME it!

Have we tried CONSUME on something that is not meat?

Rolled 32

>>24245092
Rollin'

Rolled 28

>>24245092
That's an odd dice choice.

Rolled 14

>>24245092

>>24245144

Meh. I'm torn between 1d40 and 1d100 actually. Double everything or quintuple everything? I don't know if I want critical events to be that rare. I'll play it by ear.

>>24245124
>>24245144
>>24245160

Writing...

The sword, seemingly unprepared for your assault, is thrust flat against the wall of the well! Your shadows hold it there, though it still struggles, trying to slip away. For every inch it gains, your shadows merely compensate, sliding up and down its side without harm; you're careful to avoid touching its sharp edge.

Holding it feels somehow numbing...like holding a vibrating object for a long time.

What do you do?

>grasp the hilt and take charge
>try to consume the sword
>throw it down into the water and use the opportunity to escape
>something else

>>24245214
>>grasp the hilt and take charge
Make it our bitch.

Rolled 3

>>24245214
>grasp the hilt and take charge

>>24245214
Grasping the sword and trying to convince it that we are the True King of England!

>>24245214
Can we combine actions? What happens when we try to consume it while grabbing the hilt? Shadowy sword arm spears???

>>24245289
>What happens when we try to consume it while grabbing the hilt

I don't see what difference will it make, consuming is consuming no matter which part we are holding

>>24245236
>>24245246
>>24245260

Your Ink worms through the water. Your fingers grab onto the hilt wrap it tight.

The vibrating sensation increases tenfold.

Suddenly, you see what you've been fighting - an orange haze hangs in the water next to you! The vaguely humanoid shape is...reminiscent of something...but you can't place it.

It struggles to keep its grip on the sword. You're in a tug-of-war over the weapon!

What do you do?

>use your strength to wrestle control
>attack while it's distracted
>try to communicate
>something else

>>24245329

>try to consume the enemy
>CONSUME IS ALWAYS AN OPTION

>>24245338
CONSUME ENEMY

>>24245329
>try to communicate

Sent him an image of Flint saving the villagers.

lets not try consuming the sword

>>24245329
>attack while it's distracted

We could also get Great Strength and totally take over the sword.

>>24245356
And that will do what exactly?

>>24245329
COMMUNICATION, AWAY! If it fails though, SWORD, AWAY!

>>24245329
>>try to communicate
You've got a nice sword here. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to it.

>>24245364
Show it that we fight for Justice and Honor.

Try to consume the sword, gain its powers.

>>24245329

You flash images at the orange haze.

The corruption of the plague. Yourself, fighting the zombies. Sir Flint, trying to help the village...

The spiritual creature responds to none of it! It shrieks back at you in your own language - that of images. You see nothing, then the sword, and then the well, and then clouds, sky, rain, weather passing, changing, shifting, alone, the sword, alone, nothingness, an orange light,

ALONE

You pull back from the contact, shaken. It's bestial, incomprehensible. You can't understand any of it, and you severely doubt it understood you.

The sword is being pried from the edge of your fingers! You Ink works to grasp at the bits it has left.

What do you do?

>CONSUME EVERYTHING
>wrestle the sword free
>let the sword go, attack!
>flee
>something else

>>24245505
CONSUME

>>24245505
>>let the sword go, attack!

>>24245536
no

>>24245505
>wrestle the sword free

Its our sword now bitch!

>>24245505
>>wrestle the sword free

>>24245505
We need to NOT consume. Corruption is bad. Let's stick an exp point into great strength, and wrest the sword from the motherfucker's grasp.

>>24245505
SWORD, NOW. SWEET BITCHING SWORDY ACTION SCENE, AWAY!

Why do you all assume that we will always get corruption from consuming? How will we know if we do not experiment?

Consume

>wrestle sword away
4
Sounds like a consensus.

But do you put EXP into Great Strength before doing so?

>>24245644
Yep. Do it.

>>24245644
Seems like a good choice, so yes we do.

>>24245644
sure

I think we should get Tough Skin too. Resistance and 4 extra hp would be useful in any fight

>>24245644
Indeed

Wait guys, what if consuming things isn't necessarily bad, consuming evil monsters however, is? It seems like we could try to consume non-evil things, like the sword, or stick a point into iron stomach, and save ourselves hassle with that shitty corruption score.

>>24245644
Make it so!

>>24245693
>>24245675
>>24245673
>>24245727

K.

Roll 1d100 in the meantime for success.

>>24245723
That's what I've been trying to say!

I'm just saying, give CONSUMING a chance.

Rolled 64

>>24245742
THIS. SWORD. IS. OURS!

Rolled 54

>>24245749
>>24245723
>Corruption isn't bad guyz!

Get a load of those plebs

>>24245742
Rolling.

Rolled 95

>>24245742

Rolled 11

>>24245742

>>24245742

You have purchased Great Strength.

You're strong enough to shift even boulders aside!

>Berserk - You fly into a furious rage. You gain a significant bonus to physical power and armor piercing, but the lack of concentration means you cannot quickly differentiate friend from foe and pay little heed to your own defenses.

>>24245723
>>24245749
>>24245783

Keeping Humanity and Corruption even would be best, I think.
Also, OP explained what Corruption is and I feel like the term he used does not really fit the description.

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>mfw I miss half the thread
Awww shit, I'm late to the party.

Nice to see Shadow Quest during the afternoon though.

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>>24245810

>pic

>>24245826
>not embracing corruption and becoming BBEG of this setting

>>24245852
>>24245826
>not refraining from meta-gaming and just playing the character naturally.

>>24245852
>Not becoming the silent warrior and the hero this world deserves

Get out of here evil doer.

>Captcha: Justice stunitiz

I vote for Shadow Master to hide Corruption/Humanity gains and only show those stats at the beginning and end of each thread!

>>24245852
>>24245871
>>24245891

I'd prefer we were more neutral than anything

>>24245983
Yeah, let's remain a bit more neutral for right now...

>>24245943
Seconding.

>>24245943

That's not a bad idea, what do others think?

>>24245826
>Also, OP explained what Corruption is and I feel like the term he used does not really fit the description

I am also getting this feeling. I'll exercise the thesaurus later.

Statistics:

HP: 15/15
Mana: 4/4
EXP: 1
Humanity: 4
Corruption (but not quite, because eating things doesn't make you evil, per se): 5

--------
--------

You feel untapped energy within you come forward as you struggle for the weapon...you feel a Great Strength surge through your arms!

You pry your fingers around the hilt of the sword and tear it free from the grip of the spirit! A sound like a banshee's cry rips through the air! The shadow wavers, then evaporates.

The dull vibration within the sword fades, though a sense of...discomfort, remains. It is not something you would wield - you feel that in your bones. It is Other. Alien. Not your element. Of Spirit, not Shadow.

Its instinct more than anything that tells you this. For now, you hold onto your hard-won prize.

You swim to the surface of the well and slip through the crack. The hilt of the sword can -just- wedge through. Perhaps it was a good decision not to run!

Flint and Joey have come down the hall somewhat. Flint narrows his eyes. "Shadow? Is that you? What happened in there?"

You spend a few moments describing the events to Flint and Joey.

Joey's eyes go as wide as tea saucers. "...a real magic sword!"

"It's not a toy, dammit. Shadow, let me see it." Flint stretches out his hand.

What do you do?

>Hold onto the sword. Finders keepers.
>He just wants to look at it. Hand it over.
>something else

>>24246165
>He just wants to look at it. Hand it over.
Votan'

>>24246165
>He just wants to look at it. Hand it over.

>>24246165
>>He just wants to look at it. Hand it over.

Fuck that shit, we don't even want it. Let him keep it or give it to Joey

>>24246165
Let him look at it. If he wants to keep it, let him. If he does not want it and gives it back, CONSUME it.

>>24246165
Show flint what happened when we found the sword, he might be able to tell us what that orange thing was.

>>24246165
>That's not a bad idea, what do others think?

I don't know. Then people would CONSUME without stop and we'd have 100 points of Corruption before end of the thread.

>>24246254
This

>>24246285
>>24246254
These

>>24246285
We already consume almost anything that holds still near us.

>>24246310
Last thread was special, before that we never consumed anything.

>>24246165
Yes to the hiding corruption/humanity.

We'll hand it over, but we got to warn Flint that there's something off about this sword, he might not want to touch it barehanded.

>>24246310
Not really.
We didn't eat the second Gargoyle for example

I vote that we don't consume the sword, because not only will it give corruption points but also because we could always need more weapons.

>>24246373
We ARE our own weapon. And who cares about the points?

>>24246391
>nearly everyone says not to eat things so we don't get any corruption points.

Who cares about the points?

>>24246165

You hand the sword over to the more experience warrior without complaint. You flash him a strong image of the orange spirit, along with a note of confusion.

Flint takes the sword, then fumbles the weapon and drops it. "Shit!" He gingerly touches the blade, then hurriedly withdraws his hand. "How can you touch this thing? It feels like my hand's getting stabbed when I try to pick it up." He turns around. "Here, put it in my back. There's a spare leather sheath in the large pocket. Not a perfect fit, but it'll do."

You stick the sword in the sheath. Flint adjusts his pack. "...looks like it only hurts to touch. Well, I'll have a friend take a look at it later. Might be powerfully enchanted."

You move off back down the tunnel. You send Flint another image of the spirit.

"...probably a Spirit...ah...spirit," Flint says. "With all the magic around, I'm not surprised one formed here." Flint turns as if he's speaking to Joey. "Most elemental spirits are just raw, condensed magic. Barely alive. Shadow is different...though I'm not sure why, exactly. Something for a wizard to know, not me."

"I though you knew magic," Joey says.

"Well, a little," Flint admits. "Enough to sharpen this sword, or do some impromptu healing. But magic is a physical science. I'm no real expert. It's something that requires years of dedication. With my sword training and political studies, I hardly had the time."

Joey seems yet more impressed with all the talk of a lifestyle he's never witness, let alone experienced. You walk down the hall until you get back to the fork.

Flint looks at you. "Taking the lead?"

What do you do?

>scout ahead once more
>something else

>>24246373
We already can slash and stab even without a weapon.

And carrying around a sword would negate our stealth since we couldn't effectively hide in peoples' shadows if we had a big shiny piece of metal with us.

>>24246426
>scout ahead once more

Let's not forget the plan.

>>24246444
>>24246391
>Implying I was talking about shadow using it.

Did you guys forget that our party also has one deadweight teenager and a scrubby paladin? We WILL need some better equipment if we stick with them.

>>24246426
>>scout ahead once more

I hope this side-quest is over soon.
...wait, what is our main quest?

>>24246482
The main quest is to find the elf princess and demand answers.

>>24246482
>...wait, what is our main quest?
Spread darkness across the lands and enslave all life.

>>24246517
>Spread darkness across the lands and enslave all life.

No, bad anon, go be a villain somewhere else.

>>24246482
>...wait, what is our main quest?

To grow and subsequently twirl the most impressive mustache the world has ever seen.

>>24246536
Come on dude, we're a living shadow. That's like the stereotypical embodiment of evil.

How can we not be at least a little villainous?

>>24246426

Oh, also, scouting ahead has been working for us so far. Let's do that.

>>24246560
Do you fucktards even read the fucking quest? We are not fucking evil, Shadow is just a fucking element just like Light and Fire.

God, no wonder you people started spaming CONSUMECONSUME on all choices.

>>24246560
You should have been in the first threads and tried to steer the quest into that direction. As it is now, we're not playing evil at all, actually more the opposite of that.
Try to play according to the established character, it is annoying when people drop into quests and start suggesting stuff completely opposite to how everyone else played the game.

>>24246599
I've been here since first thread, not saying CONSUME to be lolevil but because it gets us power.

>>24246517
>>24246499
>>24246482

That's really for you to decide.

Although you've been randomly teleported here and your memory has been walled-off by an elf noblewoman.

>pictured

That said, their might be other people that could help you somewhere out there. It's not like elves have a monopoly on magic. Perhaps if you could talk, you could communicate these desires more clearly to Flint.

You've chosen to get involved in the situation in Jacob's Field rather than just set off. Which is where you are now.

>>24246517
>Spread darkness across the lands and enslave all life.

You can do whatever you want.

--------------------
--------------------

You scout ahead of the group, slipping into the deep of the shadows ahead of the torchlight.

It's quiet. The bend of the dungeons continues the opposite way...

You see something in the dark. You stop. It's a ghoul - one that's been chewed in half. Its lower section is sawed cleanly from its torso, both legs spread over the floor. Blood pools in a trail around it - perhaps where it tried to struggle forward before ultimately dying.

You can faintly hear sounds up ahead. Scratching, clawing. A rattle of metal. And a faint...clicking sound, almost like a clock.

What do you do?

>continue forward
>something else

>>24246629
>I've been here since first thread, not saying CONSUME to be lolevil but because it gets us power.

I respect that, but I get the impression that other people just do it for lolevil shenanigans

>>24246426
Time to scout ahead we got a magic sword the first time lets see what else awaits!

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>>24246656

>ahem

>>24246656
Sent a mental picture of the ghoul to the guys and tell them to arm themselves. Then continue forward.

>>24246656
if its around a corner can we take a quick peek around to see what were dealing with? We are sneaky enough for that right?

>>24246656
send image to flint and go ahead

>>24246629
Like we are currently doing right now by doing normal shit that isn't "I EAT THE MONSTAR TO GET BIGAR, RAWR!".

>>24246165
>HP: 15/15

Weren't we supposed to get 1 HP from Geat Strength?

>>24246482
>I hope this side-quest is over soon.

I think I'll leave the main dice-action to the players but take care of more in the background. That should speed up encounters somewhat.

>>24246718
You're absolutely right.

Only you're 17/17 at the moment.

>>24246761
>1 more HP than I thought we had
Everything went better than expected

>>24246761
I feel like we are aproaching a boss fight. Should we buy Tough Skin with our 1 exp to buff our defence guys?

>>24246629
>>24246709

I'm against lolevil route but I gotta admit, it is hard to resist CONSUMING everything for that sweet, sweet EXP

>>24246792
We're going to buy it sooner or later anyway, I say we buy it.

>>24246656

You send an image to Flint of the ripped-in-half ghoul. You faintly hear a sword being drawn, and a gruff command spoken to a young boy.

You move forward. All the sounds get louder, including that incessant ticking. There's definitely something moving up ahead, but it's still past the bend in the hallway.

What do you do?

>try to determine the source of the sound
>continue forward
>something else

I imagine if our corruption outstrips our humanity by too much we might accidentally eat someone.

>>24246817
>>try to determine the source of the sound
sneaky, sneaky

>>24246817
>try to determine the source of the sound

>>24246817
>try to determine the source of the sound

Also lets buy Tough Skin.

>>24246845

It's a good buy, I'll do it if there's a second.

And then

>investigate the sound

>>24246873
seconding Tough Skin

>>24246845
Second.

After that last fight, I'm thinking we need to work on our survivability.

>>24246817
Let's start sneaking. Tell Flint that I'll be moving on ahead a bit to see what the problem is.

The ticking is bothering you. It doesn't sound natural. More...mechanical.

You slither about, peering at the stone.

You press against the stone. The sound seems louder. No - you can feel it in the wall. You press harder.

A part of your body sinks into a long crack you hadn't noticed. You draw back to look at it. Not a crack - a long, smooth bevel carved into the wall. You glance behind you, can you can see a similar line beveled into the stone across the hall.

But why is it ticking?

You continue your investigate by probing near the fallen body of the ghoul. You can see the bob of the torch clearly - Flint and Joey are almost to your position.

Roll 1d100

Rolled 32

>>24246946
>It doesn't sound natural. More...mechanical.

Oh fuck

Rolled 48

>>24246946

Rolled 99

>>24246946
IT'S A TRAP!

Rolled 17

>>24246946
Dont be a bomb dont be a bomb...

Rolled 36

>>24246946

Rolled 29

>>24246946
>You press against the stone. The sound seems louder. No - you can feel it in the wall. You press harder.
>A part of your body sinks into a long crack you hadn't noticed. You draw back to look at it. Not a crack - a long, smooth bevel carved into the wall. You glance behind you, can you can see a similar line beveled into the stone across the hall.

OH FUCK WE ARE STANDING ON A GOLEM

Rolled 51

>>24246986
>>24246977
>>24246961

SENT A MESSAGE TO THE BOYS TO STAY AWAY

Rolled 90

>>24246961
>>24246970
>>24246977
59,6 average, that's good right?

>>24247044
I don't think OP does averages

Rolled 38

>>24247101
I'm pretty sure he takes the average and then adds bonuses or minuses depending on our skills.

>>24246946

You stop and listen hard.

Click-CHUNK

WHIIIRRRRRRR

Orange light flashes around you as two spinning blades fly out of the walls!

You barely duck below the two weapons, falling back onto the floor before they strike you. The heat of the magical energy brushes over your shadow like a reaper's scythe on the back of your neck.

The blades continue to move, slicing up and down the hall on what you realize is a track. Staying below waist-height, you crawl forward...

...and the stone you stood on moves slightly. The blades snap back into the walls.

"Shadow!" Flint and Joey are almost there. "What the hell was that?"

You send him an image describing the trap, as well as a very, very strong image of the slightly raised stone near the body of the ghoul. Your friends carefully stick near the sides of the wall as they move past.

You begin to move ahead, but it isn't long until you find the source of the sounds you've been hearing.

The hall opens into a series of iron cells. While rusted, the ancient bars still hold strong to the stone of the dungeon. Within the pens, animated skeletons move about, rattling and cracking the iron or scraping at the walls. They move with a relentless drive, trying to escape their prison.

"...what the hell was this place?" Joey asks.

"I don't care," Flint says. "Let's keep moving."

You stay ahead of them, but something in one cell catches your eye.

There are two skeletons. One is huddled in the corner. The other beats its arms on a particularly rusty part of the iron, but to no avail. A rusted keyhole, perhaps still useable, is of no use to prisoners without a key.

In the back of the room is a strange, silvery talisman.

What do you do?

>try to reach the talisman with your shadows
>open the cell and confront the enemies directly to retrieve the talisman
>you've had enough of strange objects in hard-to-reach places. Move on.
>something else

You will automatically communicate your intentions to your party members.

Rolled 15

>>24247224
>>try to reach the talisman with your shadows

Sneeaky shadow time.

>>24247224
How much exp do we have after we bought Tough Skin? Cause we should kill the skeletons if we are low on it.

>>24247267
But what if the skeletons are total bros?

If we free them, we could have skeleton minions maybe.

File: 1365982691643.jpg-(334 KB, 1949x759, ability tree (14).jpg)

334 KB JPG

>>24246899
>>24246903
>>24246845

You have purchased Tough Skin.

HP: 21/21

>Rocky Hide - Your skin is as tough as rocks. Physical defense bonus.

>Wind Resistance - same as other resistances. Costs 2 EXP.

0 EXP remains

>>24247287

flynt said no raising skelies or zombies

>>24247224
Squeze through the bars to get the tailsmen might be what we need, sides whats two skeletons?

>>24247320
we should really save 2 exp for communicate

>>24247320
We should kill these skeletons for the exp.

>>24247339
Agreed.

Kill the skeletons while they are still in the cage. I bet once the talisman is grabbed, the cage doors would open.

>>24247339
Bleh. Communicating with images gets the job done

>>24247346
>>24247348
>>24247348
Kill the skeletons while they are still in the cage

Good point, we should use long ranged shadow attacks to kill them through the cage.

After checking with Flint, he nods to you, his eyes on the talisman.

"...reminds me of something..." He snaps his fingers. "Remember that steel chest? Doesn't it look like that?"

You nod, then prepare your shadows for an attack while the skeletons are still trapped in the cage. They seemingly ignore your presence...

Roll 1d100

>>24247324
But they've already been raised. Never said we couldn't be friends with a currently extant skeleton.

Rolled 6

>>24247412

Rolled 19

>>24247412
Here comes the 1(00)

>>24247427
Well fuck.

Rolled 39

>>24247412

Rolled 42

>>24247412
>>24247427
>>24247434
>>24247444
Well now.

Rolled 3

>>24247412
This might hurt a little....

>>24247494
For the love of Satan, Mohammed, and Buddha, please stop rolling!

>>24247494
>>24247453
>>24247444
>>24247434
>>24247427
The dice gods are giving us a sign, we must befriend the skellies!

Rolled 39

>>24247427
>>24247434
>>24247444
>>24247453
>>24247494
Aaaand with that I must go sleep.

Try not to consume the skeletons, ok?

>>24247412

Your aura of shadows stabs through the bars!

But like any weapon, you can fumble it.

You smash into the first skeleton, blasting most of it to dust. But in the process, you rip the iron bars right out of their holes!

The last skeleton glances up, and its eyes flare with orange light. It snags the talisman off the floor and sprints right toward you.

Just as you attempt to reduce it to the same state as its partner, it leaps over you, evading your attack. Its movements remind you of a ghoul - and its speed is hardly different. It's gone down the hallway before you can blink, deeper into the dungeon.

"There's only one way out," Flint growls. "Let's go."

You move along down the hall, and the dungeon opens into a wide chamber.

It's a long room, all the same stone as the rest of the dungeons. Pillars of rock support a flat ceiling.

On the other end of the room is a pedestal, and resting on the pedestal is a softly glowing orange light, illuminating a key to match the one you already have - a small iron trinket in the shape of a moon.

And behind the pedestal is what looks like a giant man made of boulders. An orange light glows in its core. Even you, in your inexperience, can tell that this is the guardian of the treasure.

The skeleton is nowhere to be seen, though it seems as though you're standing at the only entrance to the room. It might be in the shadows behind a column.

What do you do?

>look for the skeleton
>investigate the pedestal

You can perform an action yourself, or have Flint/Joey do something while you stand guard at the entrance. Or, alternatively, leave the entrance unguarded and move into the room together.

Rolled 32

>>24247604
>look for the skeleton

THAT SHIT STOLE OUR LOOT

KILL IT

>>24247604
Have Flint and Joey stay at the entrance while we move after the skele.

That big bad golem isnt active or anything right?

Rolled 52

>>24247650
Kill it and then CONSUME it to gain its loot stealing powers.

>>24247683

It appears motionless.

>>24247705
Appears and is are two different things, Master.
Still sticking with looking for it but very carefully so as to not wake up our big friend just yet.

>>24247604

You send Flint an image of him blocking the door, and then of you finding and killing the skeleton. He plants his feet firmly. "Kid, get ready. Shadow's going to find that skeleton."

Joey nods hard, and grasps his knife in both hands, scanning the darkness. Flint holds his torch high in one hand, the sword low in his other.

You slip forward. And your best attribute takes over - your ability to remain unseen.

You slide across the floor in search of the skeleton, keeping to the dark shadows cast by the pillars...

Roll 1d100

Rolled 96

>>24247800

here skelly skelly skelly

Rolled 75

>>24247800

Rolled 2

>>24247800

Rolled 7

rollan'

>>24247860

>>24247820
Nobody roll!
>>24247833
>>24247833
Damn it Joey!

It's quiet.

The slight crackle of the torch burning follows you through the room, along with the softest pat...pat...pat as your shifting feet slip across the floor.

You find the skeleton.

It's huddled in the shadows of the last pillar, eying the pedestal and its apparently guardian. It has its back turned to you.

You unleash your shadows.

Your attack strikes the skeleton's leg, shattering it to pieces! The skeleton skitters across the stone toward the golem, then, recovering from the surprise, begins to desperately push itself forward with its other limbs, in an attempt to reach the pedestal.

You feel a very strong need to stop it before it gets there.

Roll 1d100

Rolled 93

>>24247947
consume

Rolled 42

>>24247947

no skelly jelly you mine

>>24247959
Awww yeah.

Rolled 68

>>24247947
FUCK YOU SKELETON

GIVE OUR LOOT BACK

Rolled 92

>>24247959
no, no consuming.
Let's hit this damn skeleton before it's too late.

Rolled 27

>>24247947
CONSUME skelly, acquire loot stealing power.

Rolled 33

generally eating something stops it.

>>24247973
I redeem myself for my terrible roll here!>>24247860

>>24247959
Wow that skele is now powdered bone dust. Nice job!

>>24247947

You shadows fly up, then unnaturally bend and change direction at a right angle, piercing into the skeleton's body like so many dark stalactites. Its head is smashed to pieces. Half its ribs are gone. You break both its arms several times.

The orange light of its eyes dies, and it stops moving.

You whisk the trinket up and away from the body. It's a key, but unlike the one you already have, it has both an image of a sun and a moon in a sort of etched drawing. It's exquisitely detailed, showing a small landscape. Half of it is lovely farmland in the sun; another, the shore of a peaceful ocean with the reflection of the moon.

You wonder what, exactly, is in that steel box that justifies such a key? ...if it's even the key to the box at all.

You bound back toward Flint and Joey and signal them forward. Joey takes a few choice stomps onto the remains of the skeleton, then spits on it.

"...here." Flint points. Some characters are etched into the front of the platform. "I can't read this language, but it's got to be something important. Like how to pick this thing up without fighting a golem."

Joey looks up at the looming statue. "...how strong do you think it is?"

"I don't know, boy. How strong do you think a boulder smashing into you might be?"

Joey swallows hard.

"It's familiar..." Flint sights and sits down. "Old Elvish? Let me see if I can't figure something out."

You glance at the stone.

You feel something within you...and a Translation seems to come to mind even as you read it. The characters don't change, but their meaning resounds within you as if you've spoken the language every day of your life:

I can convey emotion without a word;
I can bring forth swords or still men's hearts.
I am without silence, but always bounded by time.

Guess me, and the night is yours.

Answer wrongly thrice, and know magic's wrath.

-----------
-----------

Taking an hour or so break! Plenty of time for you to come up with answers to the riddle.

>>24248188
Hmm... Well, I'm thinking music. It doesn't have to have words to convey emotion (Requiem), can bring forth swords or still men's hearts (BARDS), without silence but always bounded by time (requires sound, time signature, etc.)

Just my first guess, I don't wanna use this as a legitimate answer unless we agree on it.

Maybe a woman?

>>24248265
Music does sound right... could be something like paintings or sculptures since we have a big ass golem protecting the treasure here...

Rolled 46

>>24248188

music or a melody something of the sort.

it fits all the categories being timed

>>24248301
Art. Holy shit, art in general. Propaganda counts as art, and can bring forth swords.

>>24248337
Cant be too general tho, might be something to do with the sun and moon since that seems to be the theme of this area thing

>>24248356
You're right, that seems likely. Though maybe we could use Music as a guess anyway, since it seems to be pretty solid? We can figure out a couple more answers in the hour.

Almost certainly music. Music keeps time, by definition cannot exist simultaneously with silence (fuck you John Cage), can easily inspire emotion when it has no music, and there's like national anthems and stuff (which can be played and recognized with no lyrics). 90% sure it's music.

>>24248500
>>24248356
You guys still watching? Polite sage for offtopic, as I'm rather sure at least someone is.

>>24249032
I'm always watching. Always.

>>24249032
I'm still here.

>>24249075
>>24249088
Alright good. Anyone got any other ideas besides music or art? You know, just in case we are somehow wrong.

>>24249115
It does seem rather like music to me.

I'm back.

First guess seems to be music?

Us? We convey emotion without words and we brought back a sword?

Rolled 77

>>24249182

hes gonna pull some Kubo shit and have it beTHE HEART

ya, its the most likely. Music can be wordless, it has a rhythm (bound by time) And it can inspire emotions.

>>24249218

But who was sword?

>>24249215
Could be. We use the Impression ability for conveying emotions, brought back a literal sword, and scared the piss out of Joey. And then we're not total ninja mode yet. The only thing I dunno about is the last bit "but always bounded by time" for using ourselves as an answer. But hey, it's possible.

>>24249240

Anzien of course but then again you thought you were reading a manga and not actually in it

mayhap it could be some kind of monster......
a Gibbering Mouther, perhaps?

>>24249261

Since when were you under the impression

that you were under the impression

>>24249290

KUBO!!!

>>24249261
>>24249290
I still feel like a moron not knowing how to spoiler text... Might as well ask now, seeing as we're doing this.

Also to stay on topic, another possible answer is the sun and moon themselves. They have inspired art in their own right, and then there's the whole thing we know about Solaire and the Sun and all that, and they're fuckhuge balls of whatever, definitely not silent. On top of that, the time bit is that they're physical entities, and bound by time as such.

>>24249356
its easy just [(nospace)spoiler(nospace)] text here[/ spoiler]

>>24249356

Just post [spoiler.] text here [/spoiler.]

But without the periods.

-----------------
-----------------

You gesture a murky arm at the stone, then point at yourself. You give send Flint and Joey a great sense of curiosity.

"What?" Flint asks. "Can you read the words?"

You nod vigorously, then send him more curiosity. He frowns. "I don't get it. What do you mean?"

"Hey, I know," Joey says. "What if it's a riddle? Like in a story."

"Boy, I believe I told you earlier that - "

He's interrupted by you practically forming a halo of shadows around Joey.

"...it's a riddle?" Flint nods and folds his arms. "Well. Alright then. What's it say?"

You send him an image of a violin. Then a trumpet. Then chimes, and drums.

"Musical instruments?" Flint asks. "Or do you mean music in general?"

You send Flint the image of many people playing instruments.

"Music. The answer is music?"

You nod vigorously.

Flint turns toward the statue and pedestal. "...ah..." He clears his throat, and enunciates the word directly at the Moon Key. "Music."

The core of the golem glows bright orange...

>>24249356

or, if your using 4chanX, ctrl+S

picked that one up off someone mentioning learning of it via their cat stepping on the keyboard...

>>24249426
ok so bright glowy orb glows a bit brighter good or bad?

>>24249426
>>24249416
Thanks guys.

>>24249426
Dis 'bout to get gœd.

>>24249426

>and here I was wondering if the riddle was too hard

The core of the golem falls lose from the statue. It's a orange, smoky orb, clearly imbued with strong spirit magic. Flint picks it up, then ends up juggling it from hand to hand before dropping it. "Dammit! That fucking hurts!"

It clunks to the ground, but it seems made of stronger stuff than glass. You pick it up and feel a numbing sensation in your arm, even stronger than the enchantment of the sword. The orb is almost crackling with power...

>CONSUME
>deposit it in Flint's pack

>>24249460

And Lo, Keyboard Cat taught many Anons a Helpful tip that day...

Rolled 80

>>24249542
CONSUME

Think of it as a good deed, not leaving a clearly powerful artifact laying around to fall into the wrong hands...

>>24249542

if this is anything like dark souls we should keep it to make fisty cuff weapons

>>24249542
oooo shiny upgrades ahoy!

>CONSUME!

>>24249542

Ask Flint if he knows Spirit's relation to Shadow.
Is it closer to Light than to us?

>>24249542
Deposit in Flint's pack. We can give this to Abby later on, since she's gonna be the Spirit part of our 8 person party.

Now if only we could unlock Joey's potential.

>>24249581
This poster suggests that Joey might be able to part of our party.

Clearly his opinion are invalid and his posts are not to be listened to.

>>24249542
CONSUME

ALL CAPS!

i say consume. we could use the power boost.

>>24249575

You affix your grip to the sphere a bit harder to keep it there. The numbness stops before reaching your body...but it is clearly something NOT you. Something that exists strongly, but draws that existence from another place.

You send Flint an image of the eight elements. You then send him a picture of a bubble of murky darkness and a bubble of orange light, rotating, and then a sense of curiosity.

Flint makes a big show of treating you like Joey thinks you are. "What's that Shadow? Yes, the Spirit and Shadow elements are very close. I thought you knew that already." He pats your head in a very condescending way. You resist the urge to hit him.

"Shadow, Spirit, Water, Earth."

"Wind, Fire, Lightning, Light."

"The two elements have always been grouped like that...each four have more harmony with each other than the others," he explains. "Though they don't always get along."

>>24249581
Joey's only purpose is to heroically sacrifice himself, possibly unwillingly. I mean, you never know when you might need a human shield.

>>24249658

>CONSUME

Seems popular. Should I assume this explanation positively confirms your choice?

>>24249686
Yes. Especially since Flint is being a condescending ass like that.

CONSUME it! The power will be ours!

>>24249686
Yes. If it is close to us, then it should be easier to digest right?

>>24249686
Yep gotta get our brothers in elements together for a good ole time!

>>24249622
Hey, if he winds up being a total shit, then I'll submit to being wrong. But in things like this, you never know what you could make happen.

Also I'm getting used to using the spoiler tag now. Enough practice.

>>24249658
So the elemental groupings are why the Spirit sword and orb don't like Flint, but we're able to deal with them, hence the vibrating sensation. I'm a bit anxious to see what happens if Joey tries to hold one, but we know Abby's Spirit aligned, so I think we should save them for her.

give the sword to Abby? I like it!

Besides she needs something point in case more zombies go after her.

>>24249726
>>24249716
>>24249712

>>24249731

Strategize? Plan? Think? Why do that when you can

CONSUME

Actually, Leaf, I doubt other people have considered that, so I'll leave discussion open for a moment.

>>24249807
Everybody wins, then. LET'S EAT SOME BALL.

>>24249731
>>24249813

We can maybe give the sword to Abby to see how it reacts, but the orb we CONSUME.

Besides, we don't want any of them becoming too powerful anyway. It is good if they have to rely on us at least a little...

>>24249823

leafheart no. please don't say that again like that.

>>24249846
>>24249843
>>24249823

Sword for Abby, Ball for Shadow.

writing...

>>24249846
Exactly the reaction I wanted.

You suck the ball into your midsection and let your instinct take over...

...you hunger...
...you must CONSUME!

The orb cracks. The power shoots out, sparking, snapping, orange energy bleeding into the nether. You snap up as much of it as you can - not an insignificant portion.

The tide settles, and you feel a surge of untapped power sitting within you like a reservoir, greater than any thus far.

>You have gained 6 EXP

"I suppose that takes care of that problem," Flint says. "Good work Shadow."

Joey nods. "With Shadow helping, we can do anything!"

If you had eyes, you'd roll them.

Flint stretches his arms, then reaches a hand for the key. He grasps it and lifts it off the pedestal.

Nothing happens.

He and Joey heave a sigh of relief. You feel a bit relieved yourself.

Inventory:
Sun Key
Moon Key
Fancy Key
Magical Sword

What do you do now?

>proceed to Mausoleum
>check out the steel container back in the keep
>something else

>>24249962
We should get communicate and save the rest of exp for later

>>24249962
>check out the steel container back in the keep
Depending on how things go in the mausoleum, we may need to make a run for it.

Wouldn't want to miss the chance to see what's in the box.

>>24249962

Buy communicate and head back to the steel container in the keep

>check out the steel container back in the keep

Also Lightning Shadow and Marathon Monster

>>24249962
Steel Container, as well as buy Communicate, Mimic, and Fog. Costs all 6 XP but gives us the edges of being able to talk, and if we get discovered to not be a human, we can Fog up and get the hell outta dodge.

oops, never mind about Maratho, need 1 more xp

>>24250011
Seconding

>>24249962
oh wow thats a lot of xp now what to buy...

Should check out that chest maybe something useful for the mausoleum thing

I don't really see the need for communication. I'd rather continue to use our images

>>24250020

Fog is passive. It takes effect in appropriate situations (stealth out of combat/dodge in combat)

Writing for steel container.

oh hey, we should get parasite if we are going to continue to eat things.

>>24250020

seconded

>>24250020
Seconding this

>>24249962
Ok, Shadow dont know what he is, but he have already found out that no matter what he is, he really like to consume and this one was one of the most pleasures thing that ever happened to him. With this in mind, i think we should buy Shadow sense.
Will improve our ability to find the other element things, that seems to be the only living thing that look like mr. shadow

Let's get communicate, as well as Iron Stomach so that we can slow down that fucking corruption, as well as deal with other nasty things we may CONSUME.
Also let's check out that steel chest.

>>24250040

There will be situations in which images will not be enough to get your point across, which is why it's a skill in the first place.

>>24250040
also, this

Do not buy communicate, I like using images and emotion.

>>24250083
I agree with this course of action.

>>24250083
Second

Buy Communicate, Shadow Walk, and Quiet.
We shouldn't forget our stealth tree!

iron stomach does not effect corruption. Its more for eating things that have bad status effects.

>>24250085
I remember reading womewhere thare was some kinf of combo with ink and comunication

>>24250085
is there anyway to know if the same person is posting as a diferent person? As to decide where to spend points?

>>24250146
This is correct.

>>24250083
>>24250118
>>24250143
Samefag

>>24250145
I think this is where it's at.

>>24250151
Yeah, actual talking.

>>24250214

but with pictures YAY

>>24250198
Actually, no, being that I was one of three of those posters, but if that let's you sleep at night, then that's [spoilers]fine by me[/spoilers].