The silence that permeates The Sword and Shield Tavern persists for another long moment, before it is shattered once more by a loud shout in the distance. That singular noise seems to launch the bar patrons into action.

“Shit.” Gabby mutters as she downs her drink and rushes out the doorway Dolah walked in from, Kyra behind her pulling out a small dagger and moving towards a back exit. Quissonce and Eve exchange a look before they get up from their back table, Quissonce wiping her wet hands with the bar rag and tossing it behind her as they rush out after Gabby. Rowe quickly looks around the bar for a weapon of some sort before hearing a sharp whistle from the bartender. He pulls a crossbow out from beneath the counter and tosses it to her.

“Thanks!” she shouts as she grabs it out of the air and moves towards the back exit. “I'll bring it back.”

You yourself seem to be in a bit of a bind. You aren't wearing your armor and your weapons were moved by sailors to whatever sleeping arrangements Blackburn prepared for you. There are a plethora of swords and shields attached to the walls of The Sword and Shield you could use, but you did recently pick up some martial arts moves from Gabby that you might be able to utilize. You also have picked up the ability to sneak well enough that you could try moving out with Kyra and Rowe to get the drop on whoever invaded the city. As you're pondering your options, Bartom comes up to you and puts about ten of those darts you were playing with in your hands. You give him a questioning look before he shrugs.

“You seemed to use them well enough. And they could put a person's eye out if you're lucky. Better than nothing.” He's right, you guess.

WEAPON PROFICIENCY: Throwing Darts

GEAR: 10 throwing darts

>Grab a long sword and a light wooden shield
>Just your fists

Also,

>Go out the Front door (Dolah, Gabby, Quissonce, Eve)
>Sneak out the back (Rowe, Kyra)

>>43857363

>Grab a long sword and a light wooden shield

>Go out the Front door (Dolah, Gabby, Quissonce, Eve)

>>43857363
>Grab a long sword and a light wooden shield
>Go out the Front door (Dolah, Gabby, Quissonce, Eve)

While we are learning a lot, we should probably get more practice with unarmed/ranged combat. In the meantime we can fallback on what we know from our soldiering days.

>>43857363
>>Grab a long sword and a light wooden shield
>Go out the Front door (Dolah, Gabby, Quissonce, Eve)
Glad to see you again OP.

>>43857363
>Grab a pair of knives
>Sneak out the back
Knives combined with kung fu-style fighting make a deadly combination.

Writing!

>>43857421
Glad to see you too.

>>43857363
>Grab whatever cutlery you can find
>Sneak out the back (Rowe, Kyra)

>>43857363
>Grab a long sword and a light wooden shield
>Go out the Front door

You quickly store the darts in a pouch at your side and rush to the wall of the tavern. You grab a sword and shield, quickly strapping the latter to your left arm and getting a practice swing in with the former. You look to the bartender who gives you a thumbs up. You rush out the front door after the spell casters and quickly catch up with the rest of your crew, who seem to be the only people heading up the main street towards the walls of the city. Everyone else on the road is running past you, holding onto personal belongings. Some are screaming, but most are silent. As you make it closer to the walls, seeing the big wooden structure start to loom over you, you notice that the rest of your group has stopped moving forwards.

“The fuck?” you hear Gabby state as you make it up to them and look over her shoulder. You've made it to what looks like had been an open market area, littered with stalls of produce, clothes and jewelry. All of them have been abandoned and some have been knocked over. A couple have obviously been stripped of their products, whether by the owner or thieves you can't tell. This was most likely a busy area mere moments ago as the footprints in the dirt are numerous and recent. At first you think the place has been completely abandoned and devoid of life. That is, until you start to notice the movement coming from the ground and look down.

Huh. Weird giant insects, about the size of big dogs. There's about eight or nine of them crawling about, a couple of them gorging on some eggplants they've found in a knocked over grocery stall. You notice a few of them buzzing their wings every now and again. There seems to be a red glow pulsating from their neck areas. (1/2)

File: Giant Fire Beetle.png (215 KB, 342x294)

215 KB PNG

“Someone called them fire beetles.” Dolah turns her head to the rest of you.

“Huh, wonder why they're –” before Quissonce is able to finish her sentence, you see a man clad in scale mail, holding a bastard sword rush out of a side street towards one of the insects, screaming some sort of battle cry as he does so. The doberman-sized beetle turns towards him and seems to puff up as the pulsing in its neck and rear begins to glow red hot. From its mouth spews forth a wide gout of flame that causes the rest of your group to instinctively flinch. The man is engulfed in fire and begins to scream even louder as he misses his target completely and runs through the middle of the market area, burning to death.

“So you got a plan or something?” Eve asks Dolah. Dolah seems rather quiet. She most likely just leaped into action without knowing or planning much about the situation.

>Well, do you have a plan?

>>43857810
Surround it and attack it. The person that the beetle is focusing should only dodge.

>>43857810
We will, through the usage of these darts, grab their attention. With their backs turned our teammates will flank them. Seeing as they spit fire from their mouth all we have to do is make sure they're not facing the one attacking them.

>>43857810
Those with melee try and stay behind them when attacking. Those with ranged should aim for the glowing necks.

>>43857810
See if Eve's telekinesis has gotten good enough to flip the beetles on their backs.
Does Quissonce know any spells that could be useful in this situation, such as an ice lance or something?

We can try to use our darts to hit the pulsing in the neck of the beetle; it might be a weak spot in its exoskeleton.

Roll me 2d100!

Rolled 12, 87 = 99 (2d100)

>>43857950

>>43857942
>>43857810
>See if Eve's telekinesis has gotten good enough to flip the beetles on their backs.

I'll second that. Its a good idea.

Rolled 28, 74 = 102 (2d100)

>>43857950

Rolled 58, 86 = 144 (2d100)

>>43857950
Nat 1

Rolled 57, 64 = 121 (2d100)

>>43857950

Writing!

>>43857969
What if we combined our telek powers? I think it'd be more effective.

“Alright, Quissonce, you learn some sort of ice lance spell?”

“Well, I call it the Frost Ray and I've never casted it before but maybe –”

“Good. How good's your telekinesis Eve? Could you flip one of these suckers over?”

“Eh, haven't really been able to manage it on anything that big yet. I can distract a few of them though, I think.”

“OK. So I'm guessing the big glowing thing on their necks is probably their weak point. If you've got something ranged, aim at that.” Just as you finish saying this you hear the THUNK of a loosed crossbow bolt pierce the neck of the beetle that roasted that swordsman mere moments ago. Some weird bright-orange goop begins to leak out of the wound. You look up and see Rowe on the roof of the building above you. She waves down to you guys before she loads in a new bolt.

“Got it!” Unfortunately, it seems killing one of them has riled the rest of them up and their wings begin to buzz violently as they notice the group of you. They start to fly towards you as the spots on their necks begin to heat up again with a new salvo prepared for you guys.

“Shit.” Gabby says as she picks up a large chunk of wood on the ground and chucks it at the nearest one. It hits the bug on the head and it begins to veer off course, probably concussed. (1/2)

“Alright. Try to surround and flank them if you get in close quarters with them. If it's facing you, focus on not getting burned alive.” You, Dolah and Gabby rush into the marketplace where you'll have more room to maneuver. The first two in the lead take aim and spray at you and Gabby. Thankfully you're able to roll out of the way as Dolah comes in from the side and crushes one with her hammer. Quissonce says some incantation and a small line of frost shoots from her fingers into the second one, distracting it long enough for Gabby to pick it up from behind and chuck it into a wall. You hear another whoosh of a loosed crossbow bolt and watch another of the bugs drop. The last one approaching you focuses on Dolah. Instead of dodging she turtles up behind her shield and the blast of flame ineffectually hits it, as you rush the beetle from the side and skewer it like a shiskebab.

You look around for the last couple of bugs and see that they're currently investigating some noises that even you can't pinpoint the location of. It takes you a moment to realize this must be some spell of Eve's. As you're about to approach the beetles and take them out from behind, you see Eve leap out from behind the cart she was hiding behind, grow out those claws of hers and stab them into the beetle.

The fire beetle merely looks infuriated by this and proceeds to blast Eve point blank with its spray attack. She is absolutely devoured by the flame. You hear Quissonce gasp from behind you. Shit. You figured she might not be suited for this type of work, but you didn't think she'd go that quickly.

>Focus on killing the beetles, she's gone
>Try and save her

>>43858455
>>Try and save her

>>43858455
>Try and save her
Do gnomes grow claws like that?

>>43858455
>Try and save her

No soldier leaft behind!!

>>43858455
>>Try and save her
inb4 fire resistance thanks to her sorc bloodline.

>>43858511
Apparently its a spell she created.

It's an illusion.

>>43858455
>Try and save her

>>43858511
She's a sorceress she's problably half-dragon or she's the descendent of one.

>>43858455
>Try and save her

>>43858634
We might also have a special bloodline.

Writing! You're a very sharp bunch.

>>43858672
It isn't hard to recognize 3.5 or pathfinder stuff.

>>43858672
Nah, we just play a lot of tabletop games.

>>43858759
/tg/ actually plays traditional games!

You have to at least try to save her life. You rush towards the flailing three-foot flame and shove your left hand around one of her arms to grab her. It hurts like hellfire, but you manage to grit through the pain and chuck her away from the beetles across the ground. You grab the tarp off one of the carts and throw it over her, jumping on top of her and quickly patting out the fire as best you can. While she's covered under the tarp you hear her muffle yells, although . . . it doesn't sound like the horrid screaming of somebody slowly dying from 3rd degree burns. You know what that sounds like. You finally understand one of the things she says as she struggles under the tarp.

“The fuck are you doing!” You pull it off of her head and she looks at you like you're crazy. She looks okay. Her hair's a bit singe and she's got some black marks on her face, but other than that she looks relatively unhurt. “I almost had him!”

“How are you –”

“Behind you!” You turn around and see one of the fire beetles buzzing angrily towards you as it prepares to shower you two with another salvo. You raise your shield to protect yourself, but before the beetle lets loose you watch as Kyra comes up behind it and wraps her arm around its head, holding its jaw shut. Her dagger comes up and across the beetle's neck as a bunch of goopy orange sludge spills out of the struggling, dying beetle. She lets go and backs up, making sure none of the grime or blood gets on her clothing. You look around. Dolah and Gabby seem to have killed the last two beetles. The one that got hit in the head with a chunk of wood is still reeling on the ground.

>Deal with your burnt hand
>Deal with the last fire beetle
>Ask Eve how she survived that
>Go look for a guardsman or Blackburn or something

>>43858901
>>Deal with the last fire beetle
>>Ask Eve how she survived that
>>Deal with your burnt hand
In that order.

>>43858901
>Deal with the last fire beetle

>>43858901
>>Deal with the last fire beetle

>>43858901
>>Deal with the last fire beetle
>>Ask Eve how she survived that

Writing!

>>43858925
>>43858901
This

You get up from the ground and wipe some of the dirt off with one of your hands, keeping your burnt one protected until you find somebody who can bandage it. You walk over towards where the downed fire beetle is. Just as it starts to get back up on its legs, Gabby runs over and kicks it before getting on the ground and wrestling it. It starts to emit some sort of noise and in reaction to this Gabby begins to punch it while shouting “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Kyra walks over to it and quickly wraps a strip of tarp around its jaws, and tightens it, keeping its mouth shut. After Gabby successfully pins it it stops squirming.

Rowe has made it back down to ground level and Eve has gotten up and dusted herself off before walking over towards where the rest of you are gathered, accompanied by Quissonce.

“How the hell are you okay?” You look from the tiny gnome to the dead man still burning on the ground. Dolah walks over to him and puts the flames out as gently as she can before she begins to say some sort of silent prayer for the man. He was at the farther end of the blast radius and he's gone. Is she fire-proof?

“Well, you can thank Quissonce for testing that ability out.” She looks over and glares at the elf. Quissonce again looks sheepish.

“When I was testing out that fire spell, I may have accidentally been aiming at Eve. Only for a second though!” You can imagine the scene already.

You suddenly feel a tugging on your burnt hand. You look over and see Dolah inspecting your wound quickly before she pulls out a flask of water and prepares to pour it over your hand. She looks at you and you nod your assent before she starts to treat it. It hurts, but better to treat it now than later.

Rowe walks up to you, still with that flush on her face. She's still pretty drunk. She stares at the beetle as every time it begins to move, Gabby delivers a quick strike to its side. “So, should we kill it?”


>Kill it
>Don't kill it

>>43859355
>>Kill it

>>43859355
>Don't kill it
Some boffin can study it later

>>43859355
>Kill it
Don't particularly see what keeping one alive does for us, they don't look to be the domesticated sort

>>43859355
>Don't kill it

>inb4 setient bug race in the island.
Besides if we train it imagine how much we will be able to save in oil or in use as weapons.

>>43859367
>>43859355
Never mind then, Don't Kill.

>>43859421
They only attacked once they were confronted. With eve being fire proof she could study it with the elf for a way to domesticate it.

Writing!

Our group lacks a healbot.

“Eh, don't kill it. Maybe someone here will want to study it.” Kyra proceeds to hogtie its legs together and Gabby flips it on its back. For a murderous monster straight from a story of the ancient times that could kill a man in a few seconds, it looks pretty silly and harmless right now.

Dolah finishes applying some sort of ointment to your hands before bandaging it. You thank her as you hear the heavy march of steel boots coming from one of the side streets that bisects the main road.

You see a contingent of six guardsmen walking in formation. All of them wear breastplate and carry halberds save for the one at the front, a female dwarf dressed in full plate mail.They stop as they enter the marketplace and she peers around the area, examining you all and the dead fire beetles. As her eyes drift to the dead man in the middle of the opening she grimaces. (1/2)

“Shit, and just when I thought this little fuck up might be salvageable. I want the commander who was on duty in the eastern quadrant flogged for this. You people, you know this guy?” She gestures to the man. When you all shake your heads she curses once more and sends two of her men to go pick up the body. She pulls a small seashell out of a pouch at her side and begins to talk into it. Before long she notices your live capture and talks into the shell some more. You'd say this looked a bit crazy, but you can swear you hear the faint murmurings of speech from somebody else coming through the shell. After a moment she walks towards your group and pulls out a bag of coins and hands it to Dolah, who happens to be the closest of you all.

“Here, for cleaning up the mess my men were supposed to prevent. And for managing to keep one of them alive. Archiver'll have a field day with this.” Dolah pushes the bag of coins back into the hands of the guardswoman.

“No, please. We don't need to be paid for our services.” You suddenly see Gabby make an exasperated sound and watch her walk forward away from the bug.

“Woah woah woah. What the fuck? You don't get to decide that. We'll take the fucking money.” She walks over towards where Dolah and the guard are. Dolah rolls her eyes.

“Must you really be paid for doing what you should be doing without payment?”

“Hey, she's the one who said it. They fucked up. It's their responsibility and they're paying for it.”

“Your heart is filled with greed.”

“And your heart is filled with bein' a moral high horse cunt. Now fuck off.”

>Dolah, you can't speak for the rest of us
>Gabby, you're being a bit greedy
>Something else (write-in!)

>>43859928
>>Dolah, you can't speak for the rest of us
Money can help us further help them! Plus we need money for mage tower

Dolah is the paladin right?

>>43859928
>>Something else (write-in!)
Maybe get some sort of consensus of who wants to get paid for this.

>>43859928
>Dolah, you can't speak for the rest of us
"Dolah, are you forgetting that we do not have supplies of our own, or an independent source of income to pay for lodgings, food, repair and replacement of weapons and armor, and to pay for additional services such as access to magical texts that Quissonce, Eve, and I require? Not even churches operate without donations and tithes, you know. A priest can evangelize for free, but combat takes money to keep up."

>>43859988
Yeah. It's like she doesn't realize that acquiring things requires paying for them.

>>43860007
>>43859999
This

>>43860035
It's just the typical lawful stupid stuff.

>>43859999
Also nice quads.

Writing!

“Dolah, you can't speak for the rest of us like that.” She looks over to you as you start to speak. “Combat requires upkeep. Supplies, equipment. Eve, Quissonce and I need to scrounge up 3000 gold if we even want to get access to a place to study magic. We're gonna need money if we're going to help these people. Even churches take donations.”

“Do not compare mercenary work to the functions of the Church.” When she sees the rest of the party agrees with you she turns back to the guard and takes the money. She practically hurls it at Gabby. “Fine, take your payment.” She turns around on her heel and storms away.

Gabby laughs and counts out the coins. “Looks like about 300 here. Split six ways, that's 50 a piece.”

The dwarf woman walks up to you and introduces herself. “The name's Betsy. I'm the sergeant of the guard here in Seaside. I noticed your hand there looks pretty bad off. You should go see Father Calloway at some point. One of those Great Will nuts, but he's the only healer in town who does it for free. I still have to root out the rest of this area to make sure there aren't any bugs left, so can I trust some of you to take that thing to the Archiver. Half-elf over in the research library we have going on the west side of town.” She gives your crew some directions before heading out with the rest of her men. Gabby picks up the fire beetle and carries it over her shoulder. Your hand doesn't hurt too badly or seem to bad off, so you could put it off if you wanted to.

+50 gold.

>Go to the Archiver (Gabby, Quissonce, Rowe)
>Go find Dolah
>Go to the Healer (Eve, Kyra)

>>43860393
>Go to the Healer (Eve, Kyra)

>>43860393
>Go to the Healer (Eve, Kyra)

>>43860393
>>Go to the Healer (Eve, Kyra)
We should learn some healing!

>>43860393
>>Go to the Healer (Eve, Kyra)
Top ourselves off then checkout the Archiver.

Writing!

>>43860579
I forget was Rowe a human or an elf.

>>43860623
Rowe is human.
As are Kyra and Gabby.
Dolah's an half-orc.
Quissonce is an elf and Eve's a... half-gnome half-dragon thing? I'm not sure.

You don't want this wound to fest and get infected. Better get on it right away. It seems Eve is also heading there because of her very minor burns. Kyra's going too, although she doesn't look hurt at all. Maybe she doesn't care to meet this Archiver person.

You follow Betsy's directions easily enough and it is quite clear which place is Father Calloway's. A large, stone building with the words FONT OF THE GREAT WILL'S MERCY carved into its front attracts your attention. You walk up the steps into the chapel and find a very soothing place. It has church pews and an altar at the front. The walls are lined with bookshelves filled with an assortment of readings. There is a large fountain in the back of the chapel that has clear, cool water streaming from it.

There are already a number of people that seem to be visiting Father Calloway. Some appear to have bite marks and some have burn scars. At least a couple look like town guards. As you wait in line, you see Kyra stalk over to the bookshelves to peruse them while Eve hums herself a tune.

You finally make it to the front of the line and see an older gentleman with neat, shorn salt and pepper hair sitting on a wooden stool, wearing robes and a crescent moon necklace signifying his status as an official priest of the Church of The Great Will. He beckons you forward and looks at your hand. He places his own hand upon it and begins to pray. You feel a strange energy surge through your body and watch miraculously as your wound heals. As you walk away and Eve comes up to be healed, you notice Dolah has entered the church at some point and seems to be standing in the back. You lock eyes for a moment and she doesn't seem to be angry over your little argument.

>Go talk to Dolah
>Go talk to Kyra
>Go talk to Eve
>Speak with Father Calloway
>Go check out the Archiver's

>>43860834
>Go talk to Dolah

>>43860834
>>Speak with Father Calloway
I want to see if we can learn how to heal.

>>43860834
>Pointedly drop a pair of coins in the church's donation box
>Go check out the Archiver
Like we said before, operations requires money.
The only time something is free is when you ignore reality.

>>43860834
>Go talk to Dolah

>>43860834
>>Speak with Father Calloway
Let's get some healing spells.

If we learn healing i think we will make the paladin fall.

>>43860834
>>Speak with Father Calloway
Supporting the suggestion to leave a coin on donation box.

>>43860983
A few 3.5/PF classes get healing spells. If we get smite evil though....

Writing!

Put money in the donation box?

>Y
>N

>>43861029
Yeah that would shake her faith.

>>43861029
Don't know why but i chuckled.

>>43861042
>Y

>>43861042
Y

>>43861042
Y

You decide to speak with Father Calloway. After all of the current victims he tends to are healed and begin to leave you approach. He smiles at you.

“Hello, my son.”

“That's amazing. You can heal wounds that would take weeks to recover in mere seconds.” He chuckles a bit, like an amused father.

“It is not I who heals you, child. It it The Great Will, using my old hands as a vessel to channel his love for you.”

“Still, I thank you for your kindness.” You pull out two gold pieces and place them in a donation box near the altar. You notice as you do it that Dolah starts to smile. You won points with her, that's for sure.

“And I thank you for your generosity.” Although as he says this, a worried frown graces his face and he looks around his church. “Forgive me for what I'm about to say, my son, but if you wish to donate again please do not do it right after I have healed you. I worry that some may think I'm demanding payment for my services.”

>Why is that a problem?
>Would you be willing to teach me a bit of how to do what you do?
>Go speak with Dolah
>Go to the Archiver's

>>43861257
>Would you be willing to teach me a bit of how to do what you do?
>Other
"Father, I understand that you don't want to seem mercenary, but is it not true that without donations, your church would find it difficult to operate? Whether it be coin, materials, or even just your parishioner's donated time, you require resources to offer what services you have."

>>43861257
>>Would you be willing to teach me a bit of how to do what you do?

>>43861307
seconding.

Writing!

"Father, I understand that you don't want to seem mercenary, but is it not true that without donations, your church would find it difficult to operate? Whether it be coin, materials, or even just your parishioner's donated time, you require resources to offer what services you have." He looks a bit taken back by your speech before sheepishly rubbing his leg.

“I'm afraid my reluctance to accept payment at this time does not spring from a philosophic teaching, but rather from a more practical concern. There are others in this town who possess gifts similar to my own and they charge their clients for their services. Some of them are . . . concerned that offering my own abilities for free is cutting into their profits.” Dolah, who was hanging around the back of the church steps forward at this point.

“And why should you care for the opinions of vultures?” Father Calloway looks around you to see Dolah and greets her.

“Hello, sister. I did not see you there. My competitors, due to their material wealth possess the ability to hire guards to ensure the safety of themselves and their establishments. I do not. If they come to suspect that my intentions are not as pure as I profess they are – if they believe I am undercutting them – they may take action.” Dolah's face becomes stern.

“Are they threatening you?”

“No, not explicitly.” You notice a hint of nervousness in Calloway's body language. He may be in deeper trouble then he's letting on. Still, you are curious about possessing this ability he has.

“Father, would you mind teaching me how you are able to channel The Great Will's power like that?” He looks at you a bit puzzled, before responding.

“Well, its rather simple, I guess. It just came to me when I stepped on the island. It all seemed to come together. I could try to explain part of it, if you wish. Are you a believer in The Great Will?”

>Yes
>No
>Yes (lying)

>>43861257
>Put all your gold into the donation box.
>Say "This is everything I have, Father, now please heal my dying little sister, I beg of you!" as loudly as possible.

File: Not Nervous.png (9 KB, 219x230)

9 KB PNG

>>43861662
FatherCalloway.jpg

>>43861653
>>Yes

>>43861653
How widely practiced is this religion in the Republic Trick?

>>43861653
>No
>In this day and age it is foolish to believe in a higher power without proof
*tips fedora

>>43861737
Didn't we JUST get healed via faith?

>>43861722
Maybe 20%.
Most Elves worship a Gaia-type figure.
Most Dwarves worship their Ancestors who were god-like figures.
Halflings are fedora tipping atheists
Gnomes believe in Chaos as a concept is A sentient being.
About 30% of the human population believes in a God-like figure of some sort but isn't an official member of the church.
The other 50% of humanity are either atheists or believe in something weird and esoteric.

>>43861653
>...sort of. Before I arrived here on this island my faith was wavering, but what I've seen today has made me believe in many things, The Great Will among them.

>>43861784
>>43861653
This

>"I'm trying to keep an open mind."

I feel like now that you're a bit more informed we need a more nuanced re-vote.

>Yes, before arriving
>No
>Yes, after arriving

And we're talking true belief here. Not, you were a member of the church but didn't really believe.

>>43861784
+1

>>43861756
I'm sure it was our overwhelming masculinity and virility, and the priest only tried to steal credit.

>>43861849
>Yes, after arriving
Something did helped us to live all the horrors of the war.

>>43861849
>Yes, after arriving
But pretty much >>43861784 this.

>>43861849
>"Hell, Father, if I wasn't before I sure am now."

Okay, roll me 1d100 +15, best of 3.

Rolled 31 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>43861945
I've been getting lucky today in other quests, let's hope that carries over here.

Rolled 81 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>43861945
Healing!

File: Tsuyu Asui 002.png (17 KB, 216x292)

17 KB PNG

Rolled 30 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>43861945

Writing!

>>43862002
Oh bollock.

>>43861849
>No
Because if there were gods out there, they wouldn't be suppressed like all the other magic.

>>43861998
>96
Noice.

>>43861756
As the other healers on the island show, faith isn't needed for healing ability.
It just means that your power comes from someone else who can take it away if you don't follow their arbitrary rules.

Did we ever have a religious quest protag?

>>43862135
Hey let's steal this god abilitie to heal.

>>43862189
Well, there's the crusader one...

>>43862211
I don't see that happening since you all voted to be a loyal, god-fearing follower of the Great Will.
Better watch out and be careful we don't fall.

>>43862214
True, can't believe I forgot about Crusader Quest. Iovetta a best.

>>43862189
Like 1.75

>>43862189
Holy Sword Quest kinda.

>>43862334
Is he still a reluctant hero?

>>43862029
If we fall we learn to heal by using magic.

>>43862360
Less so. He's more or less accepted the job. Just trying to make the best of a shitty situation.

Wish Sparks could run more but school has been kicking his butt.

I'm glad that we picked the mystery box option in the first thread.

“Sort of. Before I arrived here on this island my faith was wavering, but what I've seen today has made me believe in many things, The Great Will among them.”

You were not an official member of the Church of the Great Will, but you believed there must be a higher power. Until the war. Then, you faith began to waver. How could a benevolent God allow such wanton death and destruction. Maybe there wasn't one. But this island has changed your opinion on a lot of things. Magic is real. Giant, fire-breathing bugs are real. Why not the Great Will?

“"Hell, Father, if I wasn't before I sure am now."

Dolah speaks from behind you. “If one requires proof to believe, then they lack faith. Faith in the Great Will is the bedrock of being his follower.” Ouch. Father Calloway looks over at Dolah and you see a quick silent argument before the two before he turns to you.

“No matter how late in life one comes to his teachings, if he is truly dedicated he may learn. Give me your hand, my son.” You give Father Calloway your hand and he begins to pray. You yourself start to go along with it, reciting some of the old prayers you used to hear from the men before going into battle. You feel the energy flow through your hands, as if he was blessing you with the power of his soul. You focus on this conduit of energy, this feeling of healing, golden light spreading from his form to your own. It links the two of you together, but he is not the power's origin. It comes from somewhere else and flow ephemerally into his mind into his body and into yours. You grasp onto it and think you yourself can channel it. After ten minutes of chanting in silence with Father Calloway, you let go and open your eyes. (1/2)

“I believe I can do it now. Only . . .” something feels wrong. You lack some important component of it. “I don't think my body alone can open itself to his powers.”

“Yes, no matter how devoted one may be the human body is too restricting of a vessel to allow his divinity out without aid. You require a token of your faith. A representation of your belief in The Great Will.” He fiddles with his crescent necklace. “This is mine, a symbol of our church and one that has been in my family for generations. You must discover your own in time to truly channel his love. And one more thing, my son. You must promise not to use The Great Will's powers for ill or profit. I'd also suggest you learn the teachings in detail if you wish to continue this journey.”

>Promise to not use the power for ill
>Promise to not use the power for ill (lying)

Also,

>Speak with Dolah
>Speak with Eve
>Speak with Kyra
>Go to the Archiver

>>43862496
>>Promise to not use the power for ill
>Speak with Dolah

>>43862496
>Promise to not use the power for ill

>Go to the Archiver

>>43862524
Dolah's a stuffy poo poo head

>>43862496
>I cannot promise not to use it to harm another. I am a soldier, we are at war, and I will do what needs be done to protect the Republic
>Go to the Archiver
Seriously? You're going to make a promise that goes against what we've been ordered to do?

>>43862496
>Promise to not use the power for ill
At least not this one.
>Speak with Eve

>>43862582
He said "for ill" not "for harm"

>>43862608
And we're a special operations group under the orders of a lord outside of the normal military chain of command, on a detached duty to an island considered vital to national security with a hostile indigenous population that we may need to remove.
We will have to consider what "for ill" means to the Great Will now, not just to our own personal moral code.

We answer to the Great Will now, since we found our religion again.

>>43862496
>Promise to not use the power for ill
>Go to the Archiver

Writing!

>>43862681
I think you're blowing this out of proportion.

And even if we 'fall' who cares. Ask the ranger for healing spells.

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>>43862716
GreatWill.jpg

>>43862716
this desu

>>43862745
It's just one follower!

>>43862716
Except that we have to stay in-character by keeping with the Great Will.
Or are you just going to break the character you voted for as soon as it's inconvenient?

>>43862849
>Or are you just going to break the character you voted for as soon as it's inconvenient?
>quest
Do you really need to ask?

>>43862812
Tell him that once we reach full power. I still think we are a avatar or demi-god of sort.

>>43862867
Considering how much of a special snowflake our talent is I wouldn't doubt it.

>>43862849
Not quite. We 'believe' in him since proof is right in front of us. We aren't a zealot follower like Dolah. You're assuming alot man.

“I promise to not use these powers for ill.” You're quite honestly relieved to have found your faith again after so long. Since the war you've felt lost in some way and now maybe you can find . . . redemption?

“And I'll make sure he stays true to the vow he's made to you today.” Ouch. You stand up and tell the rest of your group you're heading over to the Archiver's now. Eve and Kyra, while not giving you as bad a death glare as Dolah are looking at you a bit strangely. Eve's definitely not a worshipper of a human God and you really doubt Kyra's a strong believer. If they can handle Dolah they can handle your faith.

The four of you head out and start to walk to the other side of town while Dolah begins to speak to you, well, preach to you about different codes, rules and traditions members of the Church of the Great Will adhere to and which ones apply to which ranks. Simple followers, adherents or disciples, as yourself, have the least strict rules. Monks, priests and clerics have slightly stricter rules. Grand Clerics and High Priests have even stricter rules. And Paladins, like Dolah, have the most strict guidelines for their conduct. She also mentions offhandedly about the requirements of Inquisitors, but they apparently have an odd set of limitations that make them freer in some cases and more restricted in others. (1/2)

When you finally begin to approach the research library you notice its a rather large complex, most likely containing a multitude of different items, books and experiments. Before you through the front door, you hear the conversation of a few of your allies.

“I don't see what your problem with her is.” Rowe says.

“She isn't the problem. Its her being a she that's the fucking problem. What do you call the opposite of a sausage fest, Quissonce?”

“I don't know.”

“You're seriously looking for a boyfriend right now?” Rowe again. Gabby lets out a laugh at that.

“Fuck no. But c'mon, what do you think of when you think of a half-elf. A male half-elf.”

“A man with an elf and a human for parents?”

“Okay, maybe I'm going about this the wrong way. Describe your dream guy.” Rowe begins to make an “um” noise.

>Enter right now to change the subject!
>Hold back and listen to this

>>43863063
>>Hold back and listen to this
Time to use our stealth skills!

>>43862949
You voted to agree to abiding by the Great Will's teachings.
Even if we're not a zealot, we're still beholden to it.

>>43863063
>>Hold back and listen to this

Wait I bet Rowe has high listen and spot skill!

>>43863063
>What do you call the opposite of a sausage fest, Quissonce?
I believe it's called a "Harem".

>Hold back and listen to this

>>43863042
>Enter right now to change the subject!
You know, the others that left the Church with us are with us right now.

Writing!

>>43863179
And we have sneak skills.

>>43863316
Dolah, Eve, or Kyra (if she thinks she can make money off of it) could just tell Rowe later that we were eavesdropping.

You wait a few seconds to hear this before opening the door.

“Ummmmm, I don't know. Somebody reliable enough to watch my back I guess. Someone laid back, who's cool.”

“Yeah, great. But what's he look like?”

“I don't know. Am I supposed to say he looks like a half-elf?”

Dolah catches up to you at this exchange and you quickly open the door to make it seem like you weren't eavesdropping. The rest of your crew acknowledges you as you enter.

“Hey Alan! The Archiver paid us 600 gold for the fire beetle!” Rowe digs around in her satchel and passes out money to you, Eve and Kyra. Dolah looks perturbed about this.

“You accepted payment twice for the same job?” Dolah looks directly at Gabby.

“Last one was for the capture. This was for the delivery.” Gabby smiles smugly at Dolah. The two stare each other down for a bit before you decide to do something else.

+100 gold

>Go meet the Archiver
>Speak with Dolah
>Explore the Research Library

>>43863486
>>Go meet the Archiver
>check how easier it is to make a coin float now

>>43863486
>Go meet the Archiver
We'll probably have a good amount of dealings with her.

>>43863486
>Go meet the Archiver
See what other bounties they may have.
We need a 1000 Gold to get into the Mage Tower.

>>43863042
>Simple followers, adherents or disciples, as yourself, have the least strict rules
Can you explain them QM?

>>43863486
High five Gabby

That's my monk girl


>Go meet the Archiver
>Explore the Research Library

>>43863636
Basically you you can't lie, you can't steal and you can't kill the innocent. You also need to worship The Great Will.

Writing!

>>43863673
I see no problem with that.

>>43863673
All of that so we could heal? I want to fall let's go steal something with Kyra

>>43863673
Would the following scenario count as steal?
>be prisoner
>take key from the guard to escape

>>43863724
That's Pallys for you. Wait til Rowe starts managing it then use her version.

>>43863673
We really should have asked what the consequences are when we break any of those tenets.

>>43863724
Maybe you should have considered the restrictions we'll need to work under when you voted to become a religious follower.

>>43863799
>Wait til Rowe starts managing it
I don't think she said she's a follower. And nothing about her faith being rekindled has been said.

>>43863693
It invalidates a couple of our skills that we trained, and "can't kill the innocent" could be a problem when we have to go deal with the natives.

>>43863826
She's a Ranger. She'll eventually get healing spells. At least assuming this is 3.5 or Pathfinder like I think it is.

>>43863846
What bothers me the most is that "innocent' is a vague concept

>>43863881
What I want to know is if the Great Will is going to start dictating terms and policies to us, and threaten us with not just taking away our divine powers but also inflicting debilitating conditions for being an apostate.

Not to mention, we gave Dolah a reason to be an even greater busybody and overbearing paladin-bitch.

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>>43863881
>>43863916
>>43863846
>>43863811

Welcome to religion!

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>>43863936
>dm is a lawfag
lmao

You decide to go meet the Archiver herself. You walk through some of the corridors, noticing side chambers containing plants, some cages with weird-looking small animals and a few things that look like jail cells. Completely empty. You finally make it to a room at the end of a hallway where you see the back of a woman in a lab coat, scribbling furiously with a pen over a small writing desk in front of a cage containing that trussed up fire beetle you captured.

You enter the room and approach her from behind, waiting for her to finish writing before speaking to her. She feels your presence after a while and turns towards you. Sure enough, she's a half-elf. Her eyes are blue and her black hair is tied up neatly in a bun at the back of her head. She's wearing a pair of glasses and there is a splotch of ink on her face. She looks you up and down quickly before realizing you aren't somebody she met before who she really should remember the name of.

“Oh. Hello, you must be with the rest of those adventurers. Gilda.” She sticks out her hand and shakes yours. “I'm the Archiver. May I just thank you for acquiring one of these species alive. This is a marvelous step forward for my analysis of some of the larger fauna around Seaside. I look forward to working with you in the future.”

>Ask her about ways to earn money working with her
>Ask her about what she knows about the fire beetle
>Ask her about the jail cells
>Explore the Research Library

>>43863936
This is what people voted for, maybe they should have considered that before accepting the divine power of an entity that comes with strings attached.

>>43863975
Again all options!

>>43863975
>Ask her about ways to earn money working with her
>Ask her about the jail cells

>>43863975
>Explore the Research Library

>>43863975
>Ask her about ways to earn money working with her
>Ask her about what she knows about the fire beetle

Well now the quest is ruined because of fags wating to heal.

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>>43864089
I wouldn't say ruined, per se. Maybe you need to have a long discussion with either Dolah or Father Calloway about your doubts about being able to follow your religious duties.


Writing!

>>43864089
It's fine anon. This isn't permanent if we don't want it to be. We can learn to heal from Rowe later if we want. The Great Will isn't going to strike us down for going 'I unfortunately won't be able to follow your teachings to the letter.' We'll lose our Pally abilities and thats that. You don't need to blow this out of proportion.

>>43864089
Stop shadowrunning.

>>43864089
For you, maybe. Feel free to leave.

“Is there a way for my group to earn a wage helping the library?” She seems to get rather perky as you say that.

“Well, I believe Blackburn was going to speak to you about it, but I'm sure he won't mind if I do it now. I'll give you the spiel. We've been here on the island for about three years now. And in that time our scientific progress has been very limited, due to all manner of violent things preventing us from making much headway. Blackburn's foremost goal has been to establish safety and security of this beachhead and to keep this town running. Which, I'll admit, without it we'd all be dead. However, most of the island still isn't mapped, we haven't been able to study some of the more dangerous, rare or . . . sentient species.” That explains the jail cells then. “And I really can't leave the safety of the town without the fear of some cruel fate befalling me. Which is where you will come in! Over the next few months – hopefully years – you'll be aiding me in excursions out into the wilds of this island to discover things about the geography, its history, its culture, its plant life, its wildlife, its natives, and – if you're lucky – maybe you'll discover something about yourselves along the way. The more you help me discover, research and recover, the more you get paid! And its all funded by The Republic, so the coffers will not run dry anytime soon.” Huh. So she's like their head scientist. (1/2)

“What were you able to find out about that fire beetle?” You look over at the thing. Seems she still hasn't let it out of its bindings yet.

“Well, what I know right now is that it has some very strong legs, to support all that weight. It has some sort of gland or sac that mixes together different chemicals to produce a fiery defense mechanism to keep away predators. And from what I've heard from Betsy, they seem to like vegetables. Which brings into question what would stir them up enough to make them attack our settlement!” All interesting information.

>Ask her if there's an expedition soon
>Go explore the Research Library
>Go talk with Dolah about your religious questions

>>43864089
It's not ruined. We get to see them reap what they've sown.
We'll have to come up with a contingency plan, one that doesn't depend on meta-knowledge, and figure out how to have the character spin this change of heart even though he explicitly said that he feels better for having found religion again.

>>43864379
>Ask her if there's an expedition soon

>>43864379
>Ask her if there's an expedition soon
>Go talk with Dolah about your religious questions
We can't be letting religion get in the way of duty, or what needs to be done in the name of duty.

>>43864379
>Which brings into question what would stir them up enough to make them attack our settlement!

A bigger animal.
Food shortage.
migratory behavior.

>>43864379
>>Ask her if there's an expedition soon
>>Go explore the Research Library

>>43864379
>Ask her if there's an expedition soon
>Go talk with Dolah about your religious questions

>>43864440
You're forgetting
>natives that want to see the invaders gone from their beach

>>43864379
>Ask her if the local orcs are natives/speak any known orc dialect
We need to know more about the people we're going to be killing/hunting.

>>43864472
>>natives that want to see the invaders gone from their beach
This is our clay now.

Writing!

“Will there be an expedition soon?”

“Yes! We'll be going on our first outing together tomorrow. There's a ruined temple to the east of the settlement that one of our scouts recently discovered and we're going to delve into it.”

“Are there any orcs holding it?” you ask her. She looks a bit puzzled.

“No. None in that area.”

“Do the local orcs speak a known Orcish dialect.” Her eyes light up as you say that.

“Oh, why what a wonderful question. While their dialect differs from our more classic Cerilian orc, from what those who speak the Cerilian dialect say, they can understand Island orcs if they are given some time to listen to them speak for a bit. Apparently, Island orcs speak a much more archaic dialect. One that supposedly died out in the Ancient Times!” Hmmm, might be good to learn Orcish if it could help.

Speaking of orcs – you thank Gilda for spending some time explaining to you and she waves you off. You head out to the rest of your group who have all congregated in the entrance hall. When you exit the Research Library, you go over to Dolah and ask her if she would be willing to answer some of your theological questions.

“I'd be happy to explain.” That sounds a lot more cheerful than you were expecting.

>What do you want to ask Dolah about following the teachings of The Great Will

>>43864673
How many times per day do we need to pray?
Any restrictions on foods, actions, or things (such as not touching anything "unclean")?
Will these new religious restrictions interfere with our duty as soldiers?
We've cut down fleeing soldiers, probably torched a village or two. Will any of that go against our new divinely mandated restrictions?

In fact, what happens if we break any of these precepts? We may need to steal and kill (the natives) as part of our duty here on this island.

>>43864673
ugh, I'd rather ask the Father, she seems like she'll just tell us the strictest stuff.

>>43864673
What IS the Great Will?
Does it have a goal? What drives it, and what does it drive us to do?
Does the Great Will have a sapience, a personality? Or is it just some force without sentience?
What is it opposed by? Because if the Great Will exists, then so could its Adversaries and their avatars/minions.

>>43864776
Okay, then new vote.

>What do you want to ask either Dolah, or Father Calloway about following the teachings of the Great Will

I'll still answer all questions asked in the previous vote.

>>43864776
She was going to anyway, since we said that our faith has been re-affirmed and she promised that she'd keep watch over us.

>>43864812
Pretty much what our responsibilities are and what we should know about them, to the Father.

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>putting a bunch of arbitrary restrictions on ourselves
You asked for this

>>43864812
I want to ask both Dolah and the Father if our new-found religion is going to interfere with our duty.

We may not be a vocal zealot like Dolah, but it's pretty clear from the vote and what you wrote that our character has re-affirmed his faith and believes strongly in it again.

>>43864914
You can believe in God and not strictly follow all of his tenets to the letter. People do that all the time.

>>43864946
We were asked, are we a true believer and the votes were Yes.
We do now follow all of the Great Will's tenets to the letter.
That's what the vote was for.

How many times per day do we need to pray
At least one hour of dedicated prayer each day. Both Calloway and Dolah agree on this.

Any restrictions on foods, actions, or things (such as not touching anything "unclean")?
Your only restrictions are to not steal, lie or kill the innocent.
Dolah advises not to gorge yourself on food like Gabby.
Father Calloway says help the innocent with your powers and don't charge them money.

Will these new religious restrictions interfere with our duty as soldiers?
Dolah doesn't believe so.
Father Calloway really doesn't know enough about your duty to comment.

I've cut down fleeing soldiers and set fire to sleeping, encamped soldiers before. Will any of that go against our new divinely mandated restrictions?
Both Dolah and Father Calloway agree that your past transgressions can be cleansed if you atone for your actions by living a morally pious life from now on.


In fact, what happens if we break any of these precepts? We may need to steal and kill (the natives) as part of our duty here on this island.
If you break these precepts, The Great Will will strip you of the powers he granted you.
Dolah will not steal or kill natives in any of your excursions and expects you to not do it either. Only if the natives themselves prove to be in culpable is it okay to resort to violence or reappropriate their belongings.

What IS the Great Will?
The Great Will is the creator God that created Mankind and all the sentient races. He watches over us all and wants us to do good.

Does it have a goal? What drives it, and what does it drive us to do?
His goal is for his worshippers to live good lives and spread peace to the rest of the world. He is driven by his unending love for humanity.

Does the Great Will have a sapience, a personality? Or is it just some force without sentience?
Dolah and Father Calloway won't even go into this one. Both believe The Great Will would be classified as sentient. (1/2)

>>43864980
>We do now follow all of the Great Will's tenets to the letter.
Eh I think you are assuming. We recently reconnected, there's a transition there, it's not a switch. Alan has years of soldiering under his belt. He'd break his Gods rules if it meant saving one of his comrades. You can't just turn that off.

What is it opposed by? Because if the Great Will exists, then so could its Adversaries and their avatars/minions.
>It is opposed by any who seek to spread evil, discord or hate in the world.

Dolah also brings up the fact that Renault knew her moral code before recruiting her. If they really thought you were going to be doing evil things here, she doubts they would have brought her. Although, you could ask Blackburn in detail about whether your religious values will conflict with your mission.

Father Calloway says your responsibility is to do as much good as you can.

>Talk to Blackburn about this
>Learn some religious history from Dolah
>You made a terrible mistake

>>43865071
>Fuck it, clerics are OP, let's stick with this.

>>43865069
The vote explicitly stated that this was whether Alan is now a true believer or not.

>>43861849
>And we're talking true belief here. Not, you were a member of the church but didn't really believe.

>>43865071
Hey, Trick, can you confirm if Alan is supposed to be a true believer that, unless we explicitly vote to have him do something that goes against the Great Will's teachings, would be following the tenets like Dolah and the Father, if not as vocally?

>>43865071
>>Learn some religious history from Dolah
then realize
>>You made a terrible mistake
before
>Talk to Blackburn about this

>>43865071
I'm neutral about this whole affair, I'll let other anons decide.

>>43865071
>Talk to Blackburn about this
We need to know if this is going to be a problem.
Having a character be conflicted between their faith and their duty is fine, it's great characterization.
But if we're just going to drop our new-found faith when it becomes inconvenient, then we should be hit with some really hard punches from the entity that's giving out this power.

>>43865165
Yes, when I asked if you truly believed in the Great Will it means you truly believes he exists and is judging your actions.

Now, you could rationalize that you believe some of the teachings that Father Calloway or Dolah are giving you are from books written by man and as such are negotiable/ wrong.

But obviously, if you suddenly lose your powers, you'll know you fucked up and made him mad at you.

>>43865165
He asked if Alan believed in him man. That's it.

There's a huge difference between believing something exists and believing in it so hard that you are devoted to it.

I can say I believe in God. Do I go to church? No.

>>43865208
Well, the QM is saying that you're wrong, right here >>43865206

Writing!

Religion was a mistake - anon

We obviously made a great mistake.
We should talk to Blackburn about this before we declare it was a mistake, so we can understand the full enormity of the mistake, before we get hit with the apostate stick.

You decide its time for some clarification from Blackburn about what you're going to be doing on this island. And your group was supposed to meet up to talk to him tonight anyway. You gather the rest of your crew and you all head to the Overseer's complex. It is built and run exactly to Cerilian Army standards and as such contains a large bulk of the city's soldiers. You are brought in to Blackburn's office where he warmly greets all of you.

“Thank you all for your hard work today. I heard you helped out and took a specimen alive. Already meeting expectations. That's good. I've also heard that one of you already knows your first assignment. I'll just restate it for good measure. Tomorrow you will be accompanying our head researcher, Gilda, on an excursion to a temple to the east of this settlement's location. Your goals are mainly to keep her safe, but auxiliary objectives are to bring back specimens – living, if possible – recover artifacts of power or some other significance and to bring back any relevant information that would aid us in our stay here. Any questions?” Dolah speaks up.

“It has recently come to our attention that certain requirements of this job may conflict with me or my companion here's” she gestures towards you “religious and moral beliefs. Is this true?” Gabby looks at you and then snorts in disgust.

“Didn't take you for a fuckin' Theist, Al.” In response to this Rowe speaks up.

“Actually, no, that's a good question. I may not be a member of the church but I'm not going to slaughter innocent civilians.” Blackburn merely chuckles at your comments.(1/2)

“I assure you that we here at Seaside stick to the beliefs of Ceril as much as we possibly can. You are free to accomplish your goals and your objectives to your own guidelines – whether they be based on morals, safety, or protocol. While I can't say with certainty that the codes of the Church won't limit your income or the wealth of options you may utilize to accomplish your objectives, we don't give out orders to kill civilians. If I could, I'd have talks with every sentient creature on this island and make trade agreements with them to certify our safety. Co-operation would be appreciated greatly and if you can find a way to acquire it from some of the more hostile natives, you will be rewarded immensely. I will say that whether it be the orcs, the goblins or any other sentient creature, we've never been the initiators in any violent conflicts in our stay here.” With that concluded, he tells you all to go to the nearby hostel where your equipment is being stored and get a hot meal and some sleep, free of charge.

>Give up The Great Will
>Stay the course

Also, you may ask Blackburn any more questions if you wish.

>>43865515
>>Give up The Great Will

>>43865515
Before making a decision, I want to ask some questions.
>Has Blackburn seen what happens to any apostates on the island? The gods might not have had the power to punish heretics and apostates outside the island, but now we're where their powers can actually hurt us.
>What other religions have found that their gods now give out powers to their faithful?

I'll abstain from this vote since I'm fine with either way

>>43865582
>Has Blackburn seen what happens to any apostates on the island? The gods might not have had the power to punish heretics and apostates outside the island, but now we're where their powers can actually hurt us.
He has yet to see some powerful deity type entity kill a person or hear about it.
>What other religions have found that their gods now give out powers to their faithful?
He isn't even sure if Dolah or Father Calloway's powers truly come from The Great Will. There was a cleric of a much more sinister, divine being that had powers. But his were much more about killing people than they were about healing and saving people.

>>43865532
Come on, don't you want to see the results of getting whacked with the apostate stick at a critical moment, or when we're deep in the jungle with no supplies and surrounded by dangerous animals?

These anons >>43864153
>>43864160
>>43864175
believe we'll be fine, so it should all work out.
Not like they've completely missed things stated by the QM before, right?

>>43865626
>There was a cleric of a much more sinister, divine being that had powers
Which god was that?
Is that cleric still around and doing sanctioned killings?

>>43865515
>Stay the course

So, um, one last time now that you're all more informed.

1 - Give up Great Will
2 - Don't Give up Great Will

1

>>43865664
2

>>43865659
Which god was that?
>Blackburn didn't know
Is that cleric still around and doing sanctioned killings?
>He and his group died about a year ago.

>>43865664
2

So, is the anon from >>43865208
not going to vote?

>>43865664
1

2

>>43865664
1

Alright, I'm gonna just say its a tie for right now! Writing!

>>43865677
Besides being an apostate and someone unreliable in the eyes of Dolah, what would the Father see us as for turning our back on the Great Will so quickly after saying we had rekindled our faith?

In fact, how are the other members of our party going to see someone who's this unprincipled?

>>43865775
>Besides being an apostate and someone unreliable in the eyes of Dolah, what would the Father see us as for turning our back on the Great Will so quickly after saying we had rekindled our faith?
Honestly, if you did it today Father Calloway would understand. So would Dolah, even if she though you were being kinda stupid for jumping on the bandwagon so quickly only to hop off two minutes later.

>In fact, how are the other members of our party going to see someone who's this unprincipled

Right now you're all going through some weird changes. So they might be a bit forgiving on you thinking you had to become religious only to change your mind later. They all recently had to change their beliefs, if ever so slightly, now that they've discovered their new found powers on the island.

>>43865816
It would make Alan's feelings of relief and reaffirmation of his faith kind of odd, though.

There should be consequences for choices, even if they were made with wrong assumptions.
Especially if things were spelled out and people chose to read them wrong.

>>43865894
Or you know. People could have empathy and realize everyone, Alan included, is going through a big change right now.

>>43865908
The Great Will may not see it that way.

And that still doesn't excuse the players from not listening to the QM's very explicit warning.

>>43865950
A God whose basic rules is 'don't be an asshole' would be that unforgiving?

Not seeing it. I know its called The Great Will but I'm sure it's not YHVH.

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>>43866007
Yes yes, this anon speaks the truth.

You leave the Overseer's complex and start the trek to your hostel. The rest of the group is ahead of you. You fall back and think to yourself as you walk through the town. You've done a lot of bad in your time, by your measurement. That's a lot of debt you owe to The Great Will, some that you don't know you can pay off. And what about your duty to your country? What if that conflicts with your new moral imperative. Can you steal an important document from a known spy? Is a known traitor “innocent” in the eyes of The Great Will. What if you have to lie to save a friend? There's a lot of gray and you aren't sure if the black and white morality of The Church will hold you back at a critical moment.

“Hey.” You look up to see Dolah. Seems she slowed her pace to wait for you to catch up. You see that the rest of your group has already turned a corner and the two of you are alone for the moment. “Are you OK?”

“Conflicted.”

“About your decision today?”

“Yeah. Don't know if it's the right fit for me.” She looks forward and you fall into silence for a moment longer.

“Listen, I know I can sound like a real bitch. And I regret doubting you earlier. It was odd to see someone regain their faith in a moment like that, when I've been believing in it for years. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my doubts. And lying is against the code, right?” She smiles at you as she says that. Was that supposed to be a joke? (1/2)

“In fact, on The Skipping Stone, when I saw those three men go overboard, I had a moment where I doubted myself. I prayed so hard for us to make it through and there was nothing I could do to save them. I told myself that jumping in after them was suicide, but a part of me thought that maybe if I had jumped The Great Will would have protected me and let me save them. Maybe it was a test and I had failed. But then Captain Faraday reached out to me. He thanked me for praying for his men and trying my best. He asked me to hold a vigil for them. And here I am, with powers I never knew I could possibly obtain. All from the Great Will.” She pauses once more.

“The point is, sometimes, we're our own worst critics. You helped out those sailors as best you could when you saw the storm was brewing. You leaped into action against those monsters when they were attacking the town. You burned yourself trying to save Eve's life. From my point of view, I think you're a good person. I don't think you'll fail. And if that's a lie, The Great Will can strike me down.”

She stops and raises her hands to the sky. You wait a moment, watching her. She stands absolutely still and then looks back at you before chuckling.

“See?”

>End of Thread
I'll probably run Tuesday in the day time next. This is my twitter. https://twitter.com/TrickQM

>>43866050
Get out of here Mastema

>>43866068
Thanks boss.

>>43866068
Even if we're feeling a little conflicted now, isn't this still the same effective outcome of staying the course?

>>43866124
so if staying the course had won, it would be irreversible. If leaving had won, you would have left. You're staying the course, but its reversible. So its sort of a middle ground.

I think this is the best outcome.

>>43866153
How long before recanting has more serious consequences?
I want to see the results of someone getting hit upside the head with the apostate stick.

>>43866217
It almost sounds like you want to become one,

>>43866217
Well it would be most serious when someone with a lot of power falls. So I'd say wait until Dolah is a high level paladin, seduce her to the dark side and then we can start Sheev-posting

>>43866251
From my point of view the The Great Will is evil

>>43866241
I want to see anons get what they deserve for the choices they've made, not have the consequences be toned down or get treated with kid gloves.