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>>685134
The Reverend comes to retrieve you when he deems Ash ready to talk. The scarred elf still looks pale and drawn, but his eyes have focused and he holds cup of coffee, clutching it in both hands for the warmth. You accept a cup from him and sit down on the floor, in front of the niche in which your fellow necromancer sits.

There is a long silence between the two of you, during which you slowly add more and more sugar to the coffee before finally taking a sip.

"We're terrible at this, aren't we?" Ash finally says at last. "Talking to our peers. I never got on well with Lucas, Master's other student. Master doesn't get on well with just about anyone, but..."

"I've never really had peers to talk to," you admit. "There was my Grandmother, who taught me, and my Aunt Carol, likewise. Now there's River, who's junior to me, and...well, that's it. I suppose you could say I'm the Caretaker's student now. We're not really a sociable profession a lot of the time. Comes from being assholes with an axe to grind."

"Yeah," Ash says softly. "I suppose it does. They say you're going to fight Master."

"I did promise him. But I don't want to kill him."

"Then why the duel?"

> To get him to stop with the fucking draugs.
> Because...shit, because I've got something to prove
> Because he insulted the family name
> Write-in?

>>685216
>> To get him to stop with the fucking draugs.

>>685216
>> To get him to stop with the fucking draugs.

really we don't like the guy, but he's not so far gone we want him dead, but he's really insistent that one of us kill the other.

>>685216
>> To get him to stop with the fucking draugs.

>>685216

> To get him to stop with the fucking draugs.

> I'd be happy to call it all off so long as he walks and promises to change his ways.

>>685216
> To get him to stop with the fucking draugs.
No offense to Ash, who seems to be a pretty decent guy, but his Master is a cunt.

If Lora can get him to stand down? Great! If she can't, and he won't listen to his own student, then he get's the fucking axe. We can't save everyone.

Next update may not be until tomorrow morning/afternoon; I'm taking some time out of the house to clear my head.

>>685531
Meh. He should be stunned enough when we reveal we're Azreals heritor.

We should probably get her Chosen to come along too.

Let him know that Lora, as she would prefer to be called, doesn't forbid him his duel for revenge buy she also doesn't think highly of it.

And that it's damned stupid to pray for absolution for previous failures and fuck ups while insisting on making one big final one. Death doesn't pay for shit, if he wants to make up for whatever he feels he needs to, he'll have to keep living and actually put the work in.

>>685608
Eh, you're cool. I was going to say that this new thread could have waited. Y'know, just take a day, come back fresh later.

You're still a goddamn madman, but we love you for it.

>>685636
I wouldn't be surprised if the old man has actually used up so much of his life that he only has a couple years left. He probably imagined Lucas and Ash as his legacy, carrying on after he dies. But now, after his colossal fuck-ups, all he has is petty revenge.

I wouldn't risk Emily on something like this though. She's too important.

I wonder if Emily, as the new Chosen of Death, could undo the ancient curse that keeps the Pallbearer and its crew trapped in the Ironlands?

>>685722
Emily could a) add some much needed authority to our claim, and b) provide an escort chaperone slash guard for the Necromancer that he would be inclined to obey and also protect who could c) perform a role much the same as Robert's for River and give her some insight both into the nature of death and life and how to use her powers practically.

We just need to find someone heroic and noble to slap into her parry and we're good to go. Maybe Brigettes lover wossername.

>>686041
Eh, I wouldn't assign the guy to be Emily's mentor, considering he's the stereotypical zombie-army necromancer.

If anything, I would pair Emily with River. It would give them both opportunities to learn and grow.

>>686199
Robert was just as, if not much worse, than this necromancer dude.

That's why I said she needed to have another person with her.

But she's the Chosen of the dudes god of choice, and she would be watching over him as much as learning from him. It would be a nice introduction to her duties as a Chosen as well in a way that isn't you know, being forced to fight and kill and die and shit. Having to argue against his ideas as well is also healthy, especially since he himself seems regretful. And also that he's clearly been an asshole up til now and I doubt she's likely to lend much weight to his moral judgement, and it's not like he'd be bound to her soul and constantly in her head like a certain ghost.

Mixing in River might actually be a really good choice though. In a way, helping this asshole necromancer get the chance for redemption that Robert never got while alive could be cathartic.

Still, pretty sure Emily didn't want to be a warrior, so I'm not sure River bring with her would be the best idea. Maybe having her set up with the Lady of Ravens acolyte on the surface would be better.

>>686199
On the Surface where she would be safe from Dick, I might add.

Maybe get a Rose cult representative to go up as well. Then the Asshole necromancer can also be proof that we can reform and keep in line other necromancers and start working on that licensed necromancer idea. I want to see his face if that happens, since his belief it couldn't was part of his misanthropy from his rant.

With a Chosen of his Goddess and a Rose Cultist watching him he should be fairly useful and safe. And Emily can listen to both sides of their inevitable I'm sure arguments.

>>685216
>> To get him to stop with the fucking draugs.

Let's face it, it was grasping at straws to stop the Lush as soon as possible. We didn't want to fight an undead army, and we can certainly deal with people talking shit about us. He views us as a self-righteous asshole, that's fine. We tend to think the same about the Rose la Croix anyway, even if we do get along better these days. If he's looking for an honorable death, because he's only got a couple of good spells in him before he kicks the bucket, and we're a convenient target that's destroyed half his legacy?

Well, we can try and talk it out. The revelation that the angel pinned down there is Azrael and that he's been aiding the people who bound her probably won't go over well, but I think we owe it to the man in a way. He wants to go make peace with his death, the slavery to stop, and for an to end up in our skull. The revelation that we came /back/ will probably put a damper on things for him because death is an /inconvenience/ to us, or so it appears anyway since we came back this time and we're not sure if we'll be coming back.

If he dies though, that's it. That's all he gets. End of the line. He has one good apprentice left, and maybe a few more years to shape and teach them. We don't want him to waste that.

>>685531
This.

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Thought this was relevant

>>686513

Yeah, guarantee Caretaker went into Vox's preparation for this thread.

>>685216
> To get him to stop with the fucking draugs.

>>686041
We haven't talked to emily since we got her out of the sunless sea. The only 'proof' she has of being Chosen is her part of the sword (her hair could be a magical accident), but who's going to recognize it for what it is? She hasn't learned any powers related to being Chosen unless she's stumbled across them. She's not a necromancer, she doesn't need a necro mentor. If she's going to take a mentor, she needs another Chosen.

>>686624
It's a good thing that Two Chosen are chillin' together, Death and War, for jolly cooperation.

>>686444
>The revelation that the angel pinned down there is Azrael

The weird problem with talking to this guy is that we don't have any actual proof that we are the heritor, or that we're working for the angel in charge of this place. We've never needed it. Everyone else we've fought have been chainbearers, and thus know about Lora. Everyone we've fought alongside has done so because they wanted the level cleared or some other smaller reason. This guy though, he isn't going to want to believe us, and we have no definite evidence. It's doubtful he even knows we died - he wouldn't still be up on that tower otherwise.
Remember, to most people, the Dungeon's reason for existence is a mystery. They don't know who made it, or why.

Gentle reminder: Emily, Catherine, Flitter, and Scribbles are still in the Sunless Sea. You haven't gone down to get them for a few reasons, one of them being that you just haven't gone back down that far yet, but the big one is the /Pallbearer/ detected you last time and butt lusts for your Captainship.

>>686883
so we should send someone to go see them? Didn't they have a bell to check in?

>>686883
>butt lusts for your Captainship.
Like you do with Coffee?

>>686888
They do, which they thus far have not used under the impression that they might disturb your operations. Sending someone down could be good, but the current battle plan is to link back up with them in Port Atrium when you're ready to tackle the Sunless Sea.

Would anon like to change this battle plan?

>>686897
Maybe get an update on the current situation, I hope it's favorable, but I guess we'll have to wait and sea.

>>686897
Could we contact them without raising attention via the bell?

>>686901
The bells ring when used. This is not avoidable.

>>686901
We could try sending someone to check on them. Kat, maybe?

>>686513
I am at work and I did not need a feel to the guts, cmon son.

>>686897
All I can think of is the possibility of the Pallbearer going rogue and attacking the Port.

Can we ask Lawrence if he can erect some stone fortifications? Don't know if he could do something like that in short notice. Maybe ask him if he could do that while we go on the offensive. That way, if we have to fall back and regroup again, Port Atrium is locked down behind sturdy walls.

>>686764
The feather.

>>686624
Actually I see it as being less important that he's a necromancer and more important that he's a worshipper of her patron Goddess. Part of why I said it might be better for her to chill with the priestess of the Lady of Ravens.

And honestly Catherine seems kind of fucking retarded. Like just because she's a chosen doesn't mean she or Troth put any thought into it beyond her loving battle. God fucking knows we didn't beyond a promise to her lover to protect her as best Lora could.

And why do you think the Chosen of Death wouldn't need to know about necromancy, even if she isn't a necromancer? That's like saying a doctor doesn't need to know about childbirth unless she's a woman.

I'm just saying, he's one of the very rare worshippers death has, has intimate knowledge of death and the use of power, and if he's going to be running around I would want him under supervision as well as being useful.

>>686923
how would they meet up though? WE have no idea where they are on that level of the dungeon

I say we take a risk and ring the bell, what do you guys think?

>>686764
Knowing the intimate details of his private prayers to Lora will probably help, along with resurrection. Something explicitly stated to usually be impossible.

I wonder how he missed out on "The Lush is having rape parties with your goddess" part also.

Anyways, we could send him on a pilgrimage to find her chosen and help her as part of his atonement

>>686883
Would another, different but still strong Necromancer do the trick?

>>687175
The only other necromancer who is on our side is Ash, and we barely know him.

>>685216
> To get him to stop with the fucking draugs.

>>687218
Well, I mean River is also a Necromancer and on our side.

But I meant selling the Asshole Necromancer to the ship.

Not like Captaining it would be anything BUT a punishment.

>>687175
>Knowing the intimate details of his private prayers to Lora
This is the sort of thing that: Lora doesn't want to give us, and that we have no right to know. Prayers are a conversation with yourself, and whoever you're praying to. No one else.

We have no proof remaining of the resurrection. We gave away or used up everything we rezzed with.

Praying to =/= worships (though it is often the case)

I'd wager he knew the type of party, but not who was the victim of it. Who would expect the leader of the Death Choir to be chained up in a hole in the ground?

>Catherine seems kind of fucking retarded
Catherine is straightforward, not unintelligent, and she's been at this for a while.

>And why do you think the Chosen of Death wouldn't need to know about necromancy.All I said was that a necromancer isn't what she needs as a mentor. There's more to death than just necromancy. We kind kind of have a "when all you got is a hammer" issue with necromancy sometimes.

>we could send him on a pilgrimage to find her chosen and help her as part of his atonement
>selling the Asshole Necromancer to the ship.
Jeeze dude, I don't like him either, but that doesn't make him a bad person. Also, the Pallbearer wanted Bri specifically to be captain, not any random person.

I'm taking folks' advice and getting some gaming in - friend of mine is running some Pathfinder - before I call and write. 's good discussion thus far in any event.

>>687451
> Pathfinder
Your system a shit.
A SHIIIIT.

>>687469
All systems are shit, Anon, but some systems are more shit than others.

>>687435
Hey remember that time last thread when she told us he was praying about his mistakes and regrets and shit?

And Catherine fought for Dick and Natalia for years without questioning shit like being unable to talk to her God or massive fucking war crimes and atrocities and was specifically taken to task for being retarded about that shit.

The Pallbearer thing might be a little much yes.

>>687932
Pathfinder is one of those systems, for sure. Explains Vox's aversion to dice though.

>>688266
Wait, do we know how long Catherine has been in the dungeon?

>>689461
I think there was mention of around three years during her Interlude.

Called, writing.

how do i play

>>690442
Vote or write in ideas for what to do. There's no dice rolling and we're on rails so don't worry about success or failure but instead flavour.

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>>685216
You don't even consider the question. "To get him to put the fucking draugs back in the dirt," you tell Ash, frankly. "Nothing more or less complex than that. You wanted him alive, I wanted the draugs gone, he said he'd get rid of them for a duel. Worked out fucking great right up until now when I have to actually pay up."

"Meaning you will?" Ash says skeptically.

"If he makes me," you murmur. "But I'd rather not. Not least because I'd like to live and he has almost nothing left to lose in his own mind, but because I believe you when you say he's a worthy man. I don't like wasting good people. I don't like killing either, while we're at it." You sigh and finish your coffee, setting the cup aside. "...There's been enough killing."

"There will only be more," Ash warns.

"I know. But not today. Please?"

The scarred elf is quiet for a long moment, sipping at his coffee. He's lost in thought, which you respect. You've known this feeling in your life before, when Aunt Carol told you that she was going to seek her revenge.

It's a terrible thing, to be in conflict with someone you love and admire.

"Alright. Get your lovers, and your sister," the elf says at last. "Sooner will be better."

"I can do sooner," you agree.

* * * *

In an odd way, the lightning scars suit Amy. They give her a dashing air, which you hope Jewel can grow into later if only for the sake of her dating life. In the meantime, your lover walks alongside you, with Nate on the other side, Ash a little bit ahead, and River a bit behind, looking thoughtful. No one's in a hurry; of the five people present, you're the only one who doesn't feel like pounded dog shit.

"Natalia needs to see me in the Broken Jaw soon," Nathan admits, as you take the road towards the bell tower. The Cornucopia is coming alive again, as people take stock of the damage and get back on with, well, living.

"Then you should probably see her," you murmur.

The buildings surrounding the bell tower are in the process of being repaired. The old man's shadow is assisting with the rebuilding of the forge, alongside a grateful blacksmith.

Hellfire, you still need to do something with the guy that shot you. Maybe. Do you?

Later.

"Welcome back, Cross girl," the necromancer calls from the top of the tower. His staff sits across his lap, and he rests his elbows on it. "I see you brought my apprentice, in essentially once piece."

"Master, I wanted to -"

"I saw you die, Cross girl," the necromancer interrupts, his eyes fixed on you. "And now you return, and you have returned to /me/, alive and hale and hearty. In a hurry to die again?"

"Not exactly," you answer. The citizenry are edging away from what they suspect is about to be an explosion of violence.

> I need to talk to you about Azrael
> I don't want to do this. Ash doesn't want me to do this. Do we /have/ to do this?
> What wergild can I offer for the death of your student, Dread Master?
> Write-in?

>>690527
>> I need to talk to you about Azrael
Let's mind freak this guy

>>690527
>Write-in?
>"Why do you seem to care so much for one apprentice and completely disregard the other?"

This shit has been eating at me since he betrayed Ash.

>>690527
>>Do you know who Lush was working for, what his boss has done? Do you know who built the Dungeon and what my title as the Heritor means? We need to have a looong talk about Azrael, who by the way now has a Chosen.

>>690527
> I need to talk to you about Azrael

>>690527
>> I need to talk to you about Azrael

>>690527
> I need to talk to you about Azrael.
This. A lot of this can be solved by an explanation of who we are and why we're here.

I'm also supporting this; >>690556
Just because that is some really dicky behavior, and he has literally no excuse for it. The lad was right there, ready to help him, and he pushed him away. And from what I can tell, Ash doesn't want anything to do with zombie armies.

>>690639
A thought, maybe he is intentionally pushing him away as part is some grand scheme to suicide by La Croix?

>>690527
>> I need to talk to you about Azrael

>>690527
>> I don't want to do this. Ash doesn't want me to do this. Do we /have/ to do this?
Bringing up Lora isn't cool. We don't have specifics, and someone could have eavesdropped on his praying anyway.

>>690527
> I don't want to do this. Ash doesn't want me to do this. Do we /have/ to do this?

>>690518
hey trainfag, its been awhile.

>>690527
> What wergild can I offer for the death of your student, Dread Master?
He said himself this was a personal grudge, we should try to solve this the usual way grudges are solved before trying the self-righteous rant, we already did that.

>>690527
>> I don't want to do this. Ash doesn't want me to do this. Do we /have/ to do this?

>>690527
> What wergild can I offer for the death of your student, Dread Master?

>>690527
>I don't want to do this. Ash doesn't want me to do this. Do we /have/ to do this?
Failing that
> What wergild can I offer for the death of your student, Dread Master?
Failing that
> I need to talk to you about Azrael

Sorry for an all the things answer.

Called, tallying, writing.

Thank you for your patience.

>>691514
you're welcome

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>>690527
Fuck it. You might as well play it straight. "Sir, we need to talk. About Azrael."

You get the raised eyebrow and twitch a bit at the unspoken condescension. "And what is it you think you know about Azrael?"

"Her favorite tobacco, among other things," you tell him. "We serve the same person. You've spent these last days in prayer in anticipation of, what, your death? Has the thought never occurred to you that you might serve her better alive?"

"How do you -"

"/Because she tells me/," you interrupt. "That angel the Lush was abusing wasn't some random Death Choir, you stubborn jackass. That was /the/ Death Choir, the Arcadian, the Shadow of Creation. Your /goddess/. She brought me here in the first place to get her out of those chains!"

The old man stands, slowly, and whistles for his shadow. The creature flits up and picks the necromancer up beneath his arms; it guides him to the ground, where he walks towards you with an unreadable expression.

"And I suppose this is the part where you say she's ordered me to ally with you, Cross girl?" he says coldly, leaning on the black oak staff.

"No," you admit, flatly. "I tried that, she was rather reluctant to go for it. You've never asked anything of her, have you? She's not about to take your revenge away."

"Master, /please/," Ash pleads. "Why are you -"

"Boy, I hope sincerely that you never have to understand what might drive a man to value revenge above his own life," the older necromancer says coldly. "I am talking to the Cross girl. I gave you everything I have to give, Ash. I saved you, I taught you as best I could, I gave you a peer to share your sorrows with, and in the end I betrayed my principles to keep you safe. Don't you dare ask another thing of me."

Ash closes his mouth, looking hurt, and folds his arms.

> Azrael's fight is yours, Dread Lord. She wants slavery ended in the Cornucopia. I can't stop to attend to that right now. /You/ could.
> What about what he's given up for /you/, you bitter old fuck? He loves you and you just spat it in his fucking face.
> I have nothing to prove here. Nothing I want out of hurting you. What is it you think you're getting?
> Write-in?

>>692351
Question do we still got that feather?

We never did show it to the rose cultists after all so we should still have it

>>692351
>> Write-in?

I offer you a wergild, a wergild of support. You want to finish righting the last of the wrongs here with the slavery, and I've got allies who will stand for me, and, if I say, for you, in that cause.
You also shall have a boon of me that I can grant.

I also understand you want revenge. A duel. You've seen me come back from the dead, I've been trained by the Le Croix, the Caretaker, and /Azreal/ in such arts. If you want your duel I will not deny you, but eve if you win, I do not think you will get what it is you think you want.

I put it on you. A wergild of support and an open favor, or a fight which probably won't go your way.

>>692415
I believe you do. There's not a lot of way to prove it came from Lora specifically but it's definitely an angel feather.

>>692351
>all of the above, plus (assuming Lora can still reply to prayers and manifest on the upper levels like before and Dick hasn't blocked it):
>"If you want proof, pray to her by the name Lora. Or you come upstairs and ask her in person next time she's free."

>>692436
Just having an angel feather shores up our case that we're sent by Lora though, right?

>>692460
Certainly makes it more plausible, yes.

>>692443
> All of the above

Please do not do this.

>>692483
>Write in:
>Show the angel feather to the old man
>Plus
>Before we proceed, you have me at a disadvantage. You know my name but I don't know yours. If we're to have words can you at least give me something to call you?
>What do you think you'll get from fighting me? You've been in this business as long as I have. You know that death is a tool, not a means to an end. What will you gain from my death? I know for certain that without me around it will be that much harder to free Azrael, who will remain imprisoned by the forces of the Lush's allies.
>And I know if you die, all I would do is help make healing this place just a little bit harder.
>Either way, will it make what happened better? Will our duel make any of the wrongs right?

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>>692510
You can't stop me! I'm going to vote for everything, everywhere! All the time!
But if I had to pick one, it'd be #3 with a smattering "show him the feather"

>>692351
>> I have nothing to prove here. Nothing I want out of hurting you. What is it you think you're getting?

I'm gonna leave this one open for a bit, not least because I can't focus enough to write.

>>692351
>> Write-in?(modified 3rd option)
>> I have nothing to prove here from killing you. I'm just here to try and right the wrongs of the people in this place, living, dead, or otherwise. That's why I'm standing right here with you. What is it you think you're getting?

>>692351
> The fuck is wrong with you. You're going to die for one apprentice that can't be saved, and abandon the one who can despite having already done SOOOOOO much for him. Do you fucking care for Ash or not? Because if you're going to treat him like this now, you might as well not have done any of that shit for him in the past.

> Love isn't a goddamn transaction, you don't bank it against future withdrawals.

> This is the note you want to end your life on? You can't think of anything actually good you can do before your death? You want to face Azrael and see just how *dissapointed* an angel can be in a mortal man before going on to the sunless lands?

>>692351
>What about what he's given up for /you/?

>>692351
I want to address how he just blithely insulted his apprentice (and, in Ash's mind, adopted son), but they'll have time to hash it out if we can just get this old shit to drop the grudge.
> "Remember how you saved this poor boy from a lifetime of servitude? Yeah..Lora - because she actually hates the old names - heard about slavery in the Dungeon and she's /pissed/.
> "SOooo, you can either try to duke it out with me, or you can help me fix this mess. I guarantee that the second option has a much happier ending."

Also;
> "I gave you everything I have to give, Ash. I saved you, I taught you as best I could, I gave you a peer to share your sorrows with, and in the end I betrayed my principles to keep you safe."
This makes me think that the Baron and the Lush used Lucas and Ash as hostages for the old man's 'good behavior'. He couldn't actually lash out without risking the lives of his kids (because that's honestly what they are, aren't they - maybe not by blood, but in spirit).

Also, I support the idea of presenting the feather as concrete evidence.

>>692351
>> "Remember how you saved this poor boy from a lifetime of servitude? Yeah..Lora - because she actually hates the old names - heard about slavery in the Dungeon and she's /pissed/.
>> "SOooo, you can either try to duke it out with me, or you can help me fix this mess. I guarantee that the second option has a much happier ending."
Seconding

>>692426
need the brackets to count buddy.

>>692943
This.

>>693102
Oh, and an addendum;
> "We don't have to like each other. You can continue to hate my guts for the rest of eternity, and if you'd like, we can finally settle things when Lora is no longer some slimy Dick's /slave/. But this? This here? This needs to end, simply for the sake of these people, who have already seen enough horror and death."

Vox can probably do a better job of phrasing all of this and with it taking up less space, but folks should get the gist.

>>692426
I have to say; he probably does not give a single fuck right now about what we can give him, and trying to intimidate him by mentioning Brianna's former teachers isn't going to work. Hell, River would do a better job in that scenario, simply because she's armed with Balefire and Death-in-Steel. Shit's no joke.

>>692943
> Love isn't a goddamn transaction, you don't bank it against future withdrawals.
I kind of want to include this line, because we /just/ got done talking about getting hitched and that's serious business. And family is important to Bri, no matter what. It's how she can still deal with Mark, that fucking asshole.

>>693172
Just want to point out,

> Bitch ain't even dying in order to get revenge on us, he's planning on dying to run the fuck away from his mistakes. Dude can't even tell Ash that he loves him, much less work on actually making things better.

>>692801
Hey, also, is this a USED feather? Or one that can restore all the "life" he's spent up until now?

Also, since we died and came back, if we have to spend a big chunk of our life again, can we get it feathered back since we were restored to a pre-feather time?

>>693224
No, the lifespan restore was a separate act from Lora, and she says it's a one-time deal. Feather was used to heal regular wounds, but it's all used up as well now.

>>693224
The lifespan restoration thing was when Lora kissed Bri on the head (literally first thread), and gave her back the odd decade or two that she had used in order to survive her travels/still do her job.

The Feather was used to heal Amy after we rescued her from the cage (like, holy shit so long ago, I think it was the second thread). The 'leftovers', if that's what you'd call unspent Angelic essence, was used to help Lawrence (Best Bird's wizard dad) recover from being a 'guest' of the Baron.

Still can be used to make a point. Or spiffy up Bri's hat, because that's totally something I would do. FASHION STATEMENTS AND UNUSUAL ACCESSORIES, HO!

I do wonder, however, if the Butterfly effects from Brianna's resurrection could have negative impacts on other characters; for example, if Nathan could suffer a relapse of the cancer that was killing him when Brianna first found him.

>>693262
I would say killing someone and then resurrecting him counts as a somewhat major impact on someone's life. Likewise, healing best bird would count as such.

Cancer always comes back.

>>693312
>>693262

The dungeon and all in it are protected from the reset. Shielded, by Lora's power.

>>692943
Supporting this.

>>693262
And seeing if we could convince Lora to do this for the Necromancer if he stops being such a cunt.

>>692943
I don't think being angry at him will help talk him down off the ledge

>>693407
This. I'm not sure shaming him is going to help much either.

>>693407
>>693444
is it possible for us to anti-support an option? Like any one but this one?

>>693172
>But this? This here? This needs to end, simply for the sake of these people, who have already seen enough horror and death."
"Let's take this somewhere else then."

>>692426
>and /Azreal/ in such arts.
This is incorrect. Even if we show the feather, Having an angel's feather doesn't prove it's from her, or that we've even spoken to her.
> fight which probably won't go your way.
This is just use useless posturing. He's been around a lot longer than us.

>>692545
>What do you think you'll get from fighting me?
>"Boy, I hope sincerely that you never have to understand what might drive a man to value revenge above his own life,"

>>692943
>Because if you're going to treat him like this now, you might as well not have done any of that shit for him in the past.
Really? Several years (At least) of teaching
and care are worth nothing by choosing to die via duel? Was all your Aunt's training worthless because of her choice of death?
>> Love isn't a goddamn transaction, you don't bank it against future withdrawals.
Maybe you can't bank it, but you can drain your account.

>>693102
>Yeah..Lora - because she actually hates the old names
We have one piece of shaky evidence. /One/. Against someone who doesn't want to believe us. And I'm sure being condescending will help things.

>>693464
I wish, but people get salty when you tell them their idea is wrongBad.

>>692351
>Are you certain that there'ss no other way of settling this? Look, from my perspective he was helping my enemies by making them almost immortal and redirecting their injuries to their slaves. From your perspective he was your student and simply doing his job. I honestly regret that I couldn't avoid killiing him, and want tto make it up to his friends and family as best as I can. I also have a job, though, and can't risk dying just yet. Ask Azrael (she actually prefers to be called Lora) what that job is.

>Actually, hang on, we're NECROMANCERS. Why don't we ask your dead apprentice to help settle this?

>Also tell him where his apprentice's grave is. He deserves to know this.

Is this multi-voting? If so, sorry Vox.

Guys? I just remembered that we can literally /talk to the dead/. We can ask the apprentice we killed about what he thinks should be done. /Really/ hope that people are still reading the write-in votes.

>>693601
this>>693606
yup

>>693606
I thought that was family or undead of some strip only, though I'm not certain.

>>693617
I thought that it had to do with the grave? The LaCroix were buried in family graveyards, and I don't think we could contact anyone from the Blind Marsh or anywhere other than the lichyard. We know where the apprentice's grave is.

I'm alive. Will call and write Shortly(tm).

>>693752
what's looking like the winner atm?

>>693756
Most of the write-ins were variants on 'I have nothing to prove here', so I'm gonna be combining a few of them with respect to their tone and ideas.

Called, writing.

>>693628
I actually thought that the Call the Ancestors thing was because the La Croix family was fucking huge and founded modern necromancy? Like, it was some kind of sympathetic blood-bond magic that any of the family with training could use.

>>694012
I didn't mean the thing where we make a deal with dead family members to help us fight in exchange for something. I meant the thing where we can go to the family grave in the lichyard to talk with the dead.

>>693628
Not at all. Remember that the spirit we summoned back in the Basement was one Bri had dealt with before coming to the Dungeon in the first place.

Further,Aunty is buried and bound far away from the dungeon, but we managed to get her here anyway.

>>694039
Hold on. I'm not entirely sure what we're talking about anymore. I thought that we could speak with the dead if we were where they were buried? Like how in the family grave we could talk with family members who were buried there. I didn't mean the thing where we cut ourselves and offer something to a dead family member to summon them and convince them to fight for us.

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>>692351
"Look," you say softly. "I have nothing to prove here. But to be honest, this whole thing is a little fucked? You wanna talk about everything you've done for Ash while you're trying to abandon him? Hellfire, man, that's ruthless even by our standards."

The older man raises an eyebrow.

"Are you /certain/ there's no other way of settling this?" you press. "From my perspective, your apprentice was making my enemies awkwardly immortal and forcing slaves to die in their place. From your perspective, he was just doing his job. I'm not sorry, but I do regret it. I've got a job of my own to do down here, and you could too if you weren't bent on dying in front of the last person in this forsaken hole in the ground that still loves you."

"Awfully confident in your chances, Cross girl," the old necromancer says softly.

"Why do you keep calling her that?" Kat asks from down at your feet.

"...Comprehension flows through me," the older man mutters in a deadpan voice.

"Look, we're necromancers, to state the obvious," you say gently. "Why don't we ask Lucas what he'd like out of all of this? I can take you to his admittedly unmarked grave."

"How will you find it?" Ash asks, puzzled.

"I'll burn in Hell before I forget a single person I've buried," comes your quiet answer. "Dread Lord, please. If we fight, one of us has to die, and it's going to be an awful waste. Don't do this."

"Take me to him," the older man decides at last. "Bring me to my student."

Unable to help herself, Amy picks up Ash and sets him down next to the old man. "Done."

"Ames, don't provoke the master necromancer."

"Sorry Bri."

* * * *

Digging up the grave in the Mine takes some time, but you have plenty of that. On the journey there you learned the older man's name - Zachary - but no one really feels like talking much. Ash stays near his Master; you can taste the guilt and hurt between the two of them.

"Died quickly," Zachary murmurs, examining the corpse in its grave. "Minimum of suffering. Most of the sorrow I'm feeling here is yours, la Croix."

You carefully do not comment. Zachary places a shard of silver in the corpse's mouth and patiently carves its forehead with the appropriate designs. You've seen this before, with Grandmother, though you haven't done it much.

The older necromancer murmurs his incantation, then closes his eyes. "We need to talk."

The corpse rattles and lets out a long, echoing breath. "Master..."

"Lucas," Zachary agrees. "Do you remember how you died?"

"Attacked the Company Store. Trying to kill the la Croix and put down the rebellion. For the Baron."

Zachary closes his eyes and sighs. "How did you die?"

"Beaten, Master."

"That seems unhelpful," Amy comments.

"This isn't exactly the best way to talk to the dead," you admit. "You have to ask the right questions."

"What was the series of events, starting at the beginning of the battle, which led to your death?" Zachary asks, carefully.

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>>694073
The corpse tells the tale; the fight with Fetch and Diving Shadow, the trap you'd sprung for him, and the conversation - such as it was - that followed. He repeats the prayer you said for him verbatim before describing Kat's attack; the shadow wilts, a little guiltily.

"That spell should have been impossible," Zachary says; his voice shakes, with something you're sure is anger. "How did you do it?"

The corpse starts to describe the process, and the old necromancer stops it. "What agency made it possible for you to weave that spell?"

"The angel," comes the whispered words.

"The same angel held in the Cornucopia?" the old man presses.

"Yes..."

"What is the name of that angel?"

You close your eyes; you don't need to intrude on Zachary's grief when his student's body gives him the name he does not want to hear.

After a long moment, you feel the spell wink out.

"What is her will?" Zachary asks, at last.

"Slavery is to be ended in the Cornucopia, and wherever else in the Dungeon it breeds," you answer, solemnly.

"Consider it done, la Croix. I would like to be alone now."

You put a hand on his shoulder and take your leave. There's nothing more you can do here.

* * * *

> You are Nathan Bookchild, visiting the Broken Jaw
> You are Brianna la Croix, proposing to Amy

>>694120
Vox please, the vote is impossible!

>>694120
> You are Brianna la Croix, proposing to Amy

>>694120
>You are Nathan Bookchild, visiting the Broken Jaw
Because it is more important but I will be really sad if we miss the proposing.

>>694120
> You are Brianna la Croix, proposing to Amy

>>694141
You won't miss it, I just need to know what to gear up for while being Gainfully Employed.

>>694120
>> You are Brianna la Croix, proposing to Amy

>>694120
>> You are Brianna la Croix, proposing to Amy

>>694120
> You are Nathan Bookchild, visiting the Broken Jaw

>>694120
> You are Nathan Bookchild, visiting the Broken Jaw

>>694120
> You are Nathan Bookchild, visiting the Broken Jaw

Damn it Zach. You don't think of Ash at all. "I want to be alone" shit nigga you aren't the only one missing Lucas.

>>694120
>> You are Nathan Bookchild, visiting the Broken Jaw
Sisters ahoy!

>>694217
Y'think that maybe he wants to be alone with his shame?

>>694227
Pushing away family in your time of grief is still a shitty thing to do in their time of grief as well. Instead of reaching out and reconciling he's just continuing to perpetuate the cycle that led him to this point.

Especially when you're the "dad". You ever see what happens to a family where the single parent falls apart from grief? Don't do that shit to your kids, man the fuck up and be the adult and be there for them.

>>694120
> You are Nathan Bookchild, visiting the Broken Jaw

>>694217
>>694254
What? Is he not allowed to need time to himself? Grieving alone is incredibly common. Not everyone needs to constantly be around others.

> family where the single parent falls apart from grief
That's only an issue if they get stuck in grief and sorrow for an extended period, months or years. Also, not a family in the typical sense. Ash is his own person, they just have teacher/student relationship.

>>694120
>> You are Nathan Bookchild, visiting the Broken Jaw
BROTHER(S)

>>694120
>> You are Nathan Bookchild, visiting the Broken Jaw

>>694120
>> You are Brianna la Croix, proposing to Amy
If you're voting differently, you're voting wrong

>>694865
Pretty sure we'll do both of these scenes.
>>694146

>>694865
More concerned about Scribs than a proposal. If theres not a Scribs, who's gonna document the wedding?

>>694276
> Ash is his own person, they just have teacher/student relationship.

I mean, I might have been reading more into it as Zach failing Ash one more time in a small way, but clearly they have more than a teacher/student relationship.

Zach just talked about saving Ash and giving up a bunch of shit for him Noland whatnot. Would you say Bri and River have just a teacher student relationship?

>>695508
>Zach failing Ash one more time
Not sure where you're getting this sentiment from. My impression was that this cold-hearted streak was recent. If they had a relationship built on little failures they wouldn't be willing to do much for each other.

I suppose "student/teacher only" was more of a reaction to the fact that Ash doesn't rely on Zach the same way a father might a son, materially at least.

Called, tallying, writing.

>>694327
> Nathan steps into Cannot Hold.
> Three hundred muffled voices shout "Brother!" simultaneously.
> Initiate face-palm.

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>>694120
You are Nathan Bookchild, fairly soon to be Nathan la Croix, and you're going to visit your mother for a bit. In part this is to tell her the news; complicated feelings aside, it only took about an hour and two drinks of soul searching to decide she should probably be there for your wedding. Mostly this is to give Brianna the chance to propose to Amy.

"Why me and not both of us?" she'd asked, curiously.

"Well, I kinda cheated you out of your chance to be proposed /to/," you point out. "I thought you might like to do the proposing. Am I wrong?"

"...You're not wrong," Brianna had conceded.

And that had been that.

Things are not as they should be when you enter the Broken Jaw. For one thing, it's loud down here. For another, you can feel fresh, sharp death - done in surprise and pain - further in, towards Cannot Hold.

Someone's working in the villages. You can see smoke, hear the sound of picks against ice and the call of oddly muffled voices.

No. She /didn't/.

But she did. You're barely a mile into the Broken Jaw when a patrol of geargrinders on ice skates comes up, three in all, armed with ice axes. They pull up sharply, and you notice that they're dressed in furs and gloves. To insulate the mechanisms from the cold, maybe? Where'd they get -

"Is it -" one asks, interrupting your train of thought.

"It is," a second answers, in eager awe.

"Brother!" the third finishes, in boyish glee.

"Mother said we should bring you to her straight away," the first tells you. "Chip, inform the Hatchet Man, take Crack with you."

The other two snap smart salutes and then skate off.

"Brother?" you ask, slowly.

"Indeed! My name is Metronome, brother, and I am honored to meet you. Please permit me to convey you to mother."

"Did she just name you whatever came to mind?" you ask dubiously.

"Most of us chose our own names, being in a position to do so," Metronome answers, /still happily/.

"One day, you will be grateful for that. Okay, I - just - let's go."

Climbing onto the geargrinder's back is a little awkward, but you have to admit, the guy (well, sort of) moves at a serious clip. Not having to breathe or get tired will do that to a body.

/What do they mean, 'brother'?/

Amazingly enough, you're not heading for Cannot Hold. Metronome takes you what looks like it would have been a fishing village, once. The geargrinders are busy here, building sleds, mining ice, and preparing a forge. A large stockpile of wood is present, in various stages from 'log' to 'plank'.

Natalia looks up from where she is discussing something over a large paper plan with another geargrinder, whose eyes are swirls of colored glass like marbles. She motions to the geargrinder and goes to meet you, looking nervous.

"Thank you, Metronome," she greets, with a nervous smile. "Welcome to the Broken Jaw, Nathan. This is Kaleidoscope. She...appointed herself...my factotum."

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>>696196
"Brother," the rainbow-eyed geargrinder greets, with an almost playful bow. Metronome salutes - Natalia returns it, crisply, and your - sibling? Escort? - skates off in the direction of Cannot Hold.

Natalia puts her hands behind her back and bites her lip.

> Why. Would you. /AWAKEN THEM/?
> Natalia, who died and why?
> Where'd you get all this /stuff/?
> Let her work out what to say for herself.

>>696201

> Let her work out what to say for herself.

>>696196
Since when could Nate sense death?

> Natalia, who died and why?

>>696243
Woundseeker. Makes him tougher, gives him a sense of it. The months of fighting and adventuring have been plenty of time to practice too.

I gotta hit bed. Votes remain open.

>>696201
>> Let her work out what to say for herself

>>696201
> Natalia, who died and why?

>>696201
>Mom, who died and why? Also kinda curious as to how I got siblings.

>>696201
> Let her work out what to say for herself.
Give her a vote of confidence; if there was even the slightest possibility of her sliding back towards her former self, the Traitor, then she wouldn't have gone to help Silence defend the Roost.

Though I /do/ want to know where these names are coming from, and what they might mean. If I remember right, don't Geargrinders take part of their personality from the objects that serve as their 'heart'?

Also, is it possible for Geargrinders to use magic? I don't remember if that was ever answered in the side quest with Jack and Cuckoo, but it'd be interesting if they could.

Also, I wonder just what the hell the Fae must think of the Thirdborn. Probably a mix of curiosity (because they're walking, talking machine people) and fear (since plenty of them seem to incorporate iron in their bodies, anathema to the Fae Folk).

>>696201
>> Let her work out what to say for herself.

I want to bukakke Nat, just so I can ask "did you see that coming?"

>>696201
>Let her work out what to say for herself.
There's a lot to be said, it'll be good practice for her to figure out which goes first.

>>696201
>Let her work out what to say for herself.

>>696201
> Let her work out what to say for herself.

>>696490
You say this like it has not, at certain unusual and admittedly drunk times, been her life.

Getting coffee, then will call and write.

>>696692
Man, she had a very interesting life before going psycho.

>>696945
She was good at knowing what she wanted. Not so good at knowing when to stop.

I'd misremembered my schedule earlier. The bad news is I've been at work this whole time and will be until seven. The good news is I'm then off until 10 AM Saturday.

>>696993
How tiring were the sex seer jokes? After a while the same puns probably get old.

>>696255
Vox, is it possible to have changes of that sort be worked into either the narrative or the change over briefing? I remember the woundseeker bit, but do not recall the death perception thing.

>>697031
The real challenge was learning not to laugh at jokes before they got made.

>>697052
That's old hat, friend. It's come up more than once.

>>697221
Ha, yeah, I can kinda see seers being either super hedonistic or super depressed all the time.

That's a rough power

>>696201
As long as all these questions get answered to some extent,
> Let her work out what to say for herself.

>>697244
I think he meant how Nate's the one doing it now. Bri's been doing it forever, but I don't remember Nate picking up that skill. I thought Bri still had to dole out that buff like the Ghost breath one.

Jesus fucking Christ where does my time go.

Called, writing.

>>698180
I think Father Time is actually a greedy banker with a grudge against the undead, since they are technically immortal. He just steals all of your time when you aren't paying attention.
> "Gaaaahah..that was a nice nap. Really needed that."
> "Hey, what happened to the shed? And my lovely rose garden? The neighbors fields? My house!"
> "What the hell?! When the fuck did someone build a castle on top of my favorite bar?!"
> Muffled laughter in the distance.

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>>696201
You let Natalia find her thoughts. You've seen that look before, on people, when they've been agonizing over what to say to someone important to them and now that the person is there it's almost too scary to say /anything/.

"There was an attack," Natalia explains, feeling her way through it. "They were coming for the geargrinders. I didn't have a lot of options, so I woke them up. Almost all of them pulled through. We only lost eleven, six of those to friendly fire..."

"It was a good plan, mother," Kaleidoscope says softly. "We knew the risks."

"I still gave that order," Natalia whispers, harshly. "I didn't want them to wake up as warriors, as, as /killers/. So I used plans, paintings, sketches, tools, and...well, we've decided that the Broken Jaw is going to be home. Hatchet is overseeing expeditions to introduce wildlife back into the area. In the meantime we're converting the villages and, and mining ice. The Sunless Sea hasn't had fresh ice in years now and they're paying top coin for it, so -"

"So you have materials through trade," you finish, thoughtfully.

"Even so," Natalia agrees, relieved. "I didn't know how to tell Brianna what happened. I. I was hoping you could help me there, especially considering the..."

"Brother situation?" you finish.

"Do you not like it?" Kaleidoscope asks. She steps forward, next to Natalia, almost protectively. "You are her son. We are her children. That makes you our brother."

"I didn't make you," Natalia protests.

"You gave us life," Kaleidoscope says firmly. There's a note of something, like challenge, in her voice. "...You don't like mother much. It makes her sad. Why do you have to make her sad?"

> I'm not having this conversation with /you/.
> It's...complicated
> What exactly has Natalia told you about me, geargrinder?
> Actually, I came down here to make her happy. In theory
> Write-in?

>>699034
> "It's...complicated."
> "What has Natalia told you about me, Kalie?"
I think you can segue from one to the other pretty easily.

Kalie means well, but there's a lot of work to go before Natalia and Nathan can have any sort of mother-son relationship. That's not even taking into account the things she did as the Traitor, the lives lost to her madness. She has to /earn/ trust, respect, love. She's getting there, but it'll still take time.

>>699034
> It's...complicated
Seems like it always is in the dungeon.

>>699034
>> It's...complicated
>> What exactly has Natalia told you about me, Kaleidoscope?

>>699034
> How do you feel about your father?

>>699034
>>> It's...complicated
>>> What exactly has Natalia told you about me, Kaleidoscope?

>>699034
> Actually, I came down here to make her happy. In theory
With a bit of
> It's...complicated

There was a lot of shit and we're working through it.

>>699034
>Write-in?
>"It's best you keep your judgement to yourself until you learn both sides of the same story."
>Actually, I came down here to make her happy. In theory

>>699221
Eh, that just seems kinda snappy. I mean, Natalia isn't Nathan's favorite person, but Kaleidoscope hasn't really done anything to warrant that kind of reaction.

>>699251
I didn't mean it as a barb or anything like that, Kaleidoscope does only have Nat's side of things.

If these newborn Geargrinders conduct themselves honorably I have no qualms to call them our brothers.

>>698951
That...that makes to much sense.

>>699061
>>699067
This. We address them by their names.

>>699331
That is indeed a good idea.

>>699331
Might want to have a list handy though.

>>699331
> Thirding

>>699034
> It's...complicated
> What exactly has Natalia told you about me, Kaleidoscope?

Called, tallying, writing.

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>>699034
"Kaleidoscope -" you begin.

"Kal is fine," she grants.

"Kal, it's complicated," you answer, patiently. "And the fact that I'm not sure myself how to really talk about it is part of the problem."

"She loves you," the geargrinder says, almost accusingly.

"I can speak for myself," Natalia says, not sharply, but firmly. Kaleidoscope bows her head in recognition of the rebuke. "Kal...love is not enough."

"Yes, mother," the geargrinder answers.

"No, don't 'yes, mother' me. I need you to really understand that. Don't just accept it, think about it. Okay? And you and I can speak more on it later." Natalia puts a hand on her - well, her daughter's shoulder, evidently, for certain definitions of 'daughter'.

"How much has Natalia told you about me?" you ask. You put your hands in your pockets, mostly because it's freezing down here. Natalia grimaces in realization and beckons you over to a fire, currently keeping a small cauldron of what you'd bet is Eternal Soup going. You've read about Eternal Soup, a famine survival technique about as old as writing, and you're pretty sure Natalia's gone for it because it's cheap and she can't be assed to cook for just two people.

The fire's warm, though.

"I...know...some things," Kaleidoscope admits. "I've asked about you. Mother says you're a good person. A fierce warrior. Kind, cunning, devoted. She is very proud of you."

You and Natalia wince at the same time.

"I had to grow up without a mother, Kal," you tell her, as gently as you can.

"She regrets that."

"Regrets don't give me my childhood back," you answer. "And they don't make the reason I didn't have a mother any better." A motion catches the corner of your eye; Natalia's head is bowed, and a tear runs down her cheek. She takes in a quiet breath, trying to steady herself.

Her shadow flickers and shakes, barely in her control.

> What do you do?

>>700902
"However. I do have her now. And we're fighting for the future to share as family."

>>700902
> Silently offer a hand to hold.
> "We can't undo the mistakes of the past, but we can change the future."
I've had some bitter arguments that end up like this; we know where we were wrong, and still care about each other. Natalia's trying, and that's all we can ask.

>>700902
>"But, for all the things I never had, I do not hate her, I had people around me who cared for me, loved me. I grew up with stories about heroes and acts of bravery, most of these were about /her/, I don't hate her, I care, I really truly do and the fact that we are sitting here discussing this should all the proof you need."
>"What I want, is for both of us to have a chance."

Though getting used to suddenly having such a large amount of, uh, siblings, will take a while.

Feedback is welcome.

>>700902
Kal is asking about why we don't show ...affection? Not sure how to answer that without being cruel to Natalia. Ideally, we could mention her history and mistakes(overview, Kal is still young) , and that it's difficult to really forgive someone, but we're working on it.

>>701020
Basically, yeah. In Kal's world this is simple. They love Natalia, Natalia loves Nate - why can't Nate love Natalia? She has a vague and distant awareness of some pain that divides the two but no real understanding of it.

>>697052
>>697635
>"You're like her," the sentry whispers, in terror. You whirl on him, feeling the icy shards of your eyes shift. The world looks so different like this; you can see the bands of pain that float from him, staining the air with the little deaths that leak from his body. The misery, the terror, it's /energizing/.

Maybe I misunderstood when I first read this, but I was under the impression that meant he could sense death. I will admit it took some digging and that this was the only reference I found searching "sense" or "death" going back to thread 50.

>>700902
>"I know she loves me, but I can't forget or forgive that easily. I can try, I am trying, but... these things take time."

I think we should say something to Natalia too, but I don't know what.

>>701172
That's only when his shadow is loose, and if I remember correctly extends only to the fear and pain of the /living/.

On an unrelated note: Vox, do you have a backup contact location somewhere now that both 4chan and Twitter are struggling? I'm getting increasingly paranoid about both going down near enough to each other that I lose contact with the quests I follow, and this shit is literally about a quarter of all the fun bits in my life right now.

>>701769
All right, thank you for clarifying that for me.

Called, writing.

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>>700902
Quietly, you take Natalia's hand and pull her gently in. The resulting hug isn't exactly tight, but you can feel her grateful squeeze.

"Kal, I don't hate our mother," you murmur. "I'm frustrated. Maybe even a little angry, but...I don't hate her. I never hated her. It's just...I grew up my whole life with stories. Stories of heroism and glory and valor in battle, and they were all about you, Natalia. I wanted to /be/ you. Even when I was mad at you for leaving me behind."

"I'm sorry," Natalia whispers.

"I know," you tell her. "...Why do you hold your shadow in like that? I used to do that..."

That does it. Natalia starts to cry, and her shadow curls in on itself, clutching at its head and wailing silently. Yours does its best to comfort her.

"Mother -" Kaleidoscope starts.

"Let it happen, Kal," you advise. "...This is one of the things the Firstborn just need to do sometimes."

* * * *

There's soup, after. It's pleasantly warm which, right now, is all you want out of it.

"You'll explain to Brianna?" Natalia asks, her voice hoarse from crying.

"I will. I, uh. I actually came down to give you some good news. I'm getting married."

"That would explain all those years of seeing you with a feather-haired daughter," Natalia says sagely.

"Very funny."

"I was joking?" your mother asks, blinking in total innocence.

* * * *

You are Brianna la Croix and ye gods your heart is going a thousand miles an hour. This can't be that hard, can it? She loves you and Nate, you know she does, she knows you two love her, what's the worst that could -

/Thank you brain you did not actually need an answer to that question please die/.

Amy is with her parents at the moment, helping them with the hatchlings. Broken Tooth has been there as well, being a mother to hers; Diving Shadow had let the three young harpies go back to their mother with a certain amount of wary reluctance, but thus far Broken Tooth hadn't strayed far from either her mate /or/ the rest of the children, and had been a welcome aid in managing them all. Even with the older ones to help, it's a lot of hatchlings.

You're getting sidetracked. Because of course you're getting sidetracked. You can do this!

> Pull Amy aside
> Propose here

You are proposing with...

> A stone ring, set with some of Amy's eggshell
> An iron ring, inscribed with the family motto
> The angel's feather
> No visible symbol

>>702903
> Pull Amy aside
> An iron ring, inscribed with the family motto
Also, I take it Nate will be bring back the evidence for Bri?

>>702943
Yes. Whether or not she wants to see it now is on you guys though.

>>702903
> Pull Amy aside
> The angel's feather

>>702903
> Pull Amy aside
> An iron ring, inscribed with the family motto

>>702903
> Propose here
> An iron ring, inscribed with the family motto

>>702903
> Propose here
> An iron ring, inscribed with the family motto

>>702903
>> Propose here
> An iron ring, inscribed with the family motto

>>702903
> Propose here.
All the hatchlings are going to be kids and respond with an EWWWWW that's only going to make it cuter.

> An iron ring, inscribed with the family motto.
What /is/ the family motto again? It's not 'Life is for the Living', that came from Grandpa.

>>702903
>>> Propose here
>> An iron ring, inscribed with the family motto

>>702903
> Propose here
> An iron ring, inscribed with the family motto

>>703781
You've caught some of it in things Bri's said, including the prayer for the necromancer. It's, 'They, too, are victims of life'. It was set down during the reformation of the family, to remind them that others also have sorrows and mistakes which can haunt them. What started as a gentle reminder that the la Croix are not alone turned into a way of life and looking at the world, in which the first question asked is, "How can I help?"

I gotta hit work until around 2 PM or so, then do some chores. I may update at that point but I'm fucked up on exhaustion here, so I may not.

>>702903
"That would explain all those years of seeing you with a feather-haired daughter," Natalia says sagely.

EEEEEEEEEEEEE FEATHER KIDS! WOOOOOOOOO!

>>702903
>Propose here
>An iron ring, inscribed with the family motto

Fuck yes, romance!

>>702903
> Pull Amy aside
> An iron ring, inscribed with the family motto

>>704268

Shit, I meant that to be
> Propose here

>>704007
Part of me wants to call bullshit, since we gave that whole spiel about 'Fate is a load of crap', but THE FLUFFY CUTENESS! SQUEE!!

Can you imagine? Itty bitty quarter-harpies and lil' milk chocolate kiddies.

>>704646
Nate and Amy will just have to try until they get one~

>>704653
Or two, or three, maybe 5.

Made it home, mowing lawn now. Will either pop caffeine or take a nap thereafter.

>>704829
Just light your lawn on fire and take a nap.

>>704829
Ha! As if this were a question.

Put the cup down - don't even look at the damn thing. Consider this an intervention. Go lay down, relax, and let the worries of reality disappear for an hour or so.

Vox is kill?

>>707479
Yup

>>707479
That's what happens to liches.

>>707479

Requiescat in pasta

>>707479
Death cannot stop him.

>>707479
It's just some pesky adventurers attempting to botch his plans of covering the world in darkness.Y'know, just another Saturday night.

I'm alive, just kinda woke up throwin' up. Called, writing.

>>708028
Sounds like you might not be for long
Feel free to take a day off

>>708028
You have my sympathy.

>>708028
Vox, I think you may have a problem...

That's not healthy

>>708028
Vox is pregnant.

>>708326
I can see the head lines now!
> Caffeine-addicted Lich-prostitute discovers he is pregnant with the Anti-Christ!

File: No1Necro_2.png (279 KB, 1000x904)

279 KB PNG

>>702903
Amy looks up as you approach and smiles, happy to see you. She ruffles the hair of the boy she was playing with - he chirps in pleased surprise - and walks over to meet you. Soaring Song ripples happily while the two of you hug.

"Nate go down to the Jaw?" your lover asks.

"Yeah," you confirm. You tuck your hand in your pocket, heart going a million miles an hour. C'mon Bri, get a grip. Yes, on the box, but also in general.

"You okay?" Amy asks, tilting her head.

"Fine! I mean, fine. Amy, I need to ask you something." You take your hand out of your pocket and offer the small box with the ring; you thumb it open, and Amy blinks in confusion for a long moment until you see the light of comprehension dawning in her eyes.

"Amy," you begin, "what we all - what you and Nate and I - have together has been amazing. I don't know where I'd be today without your positivity, and your loyalty, and your love. Even from the very start you always accepted Nate and me for who we are, even when you didn't understand it, and..." you take a breath. "And we couldn't have ever done this without you, Amy," you murmur. "I love you, and Nate loves you. Will you do us the honor of being our wife?"

"Yes!" Amy exclaims. She takes the ring from the box and looks at it, her eyes bright; the polished iron has been chased with lines of gold, engraved with spells helpfully provided by Larry to keep it from rusting and degrading. She sees the inscription on the inside and blushes, high in her cheeks, before she slips it onto her finger.

"What's a wife?" a hatchling asks, looking up at Diving Shadow.

"Later," Amy's mother answers, her eyes wide and bright. She ruffles the boy's hair.

"Wait right here," Amy insists. "Right here, don't move, don't go anywhere!" She takes off, leaving you blinking and clutching at your hat from the backblast of air; Amy climbs up past the Perch and settles against the rock face. She puts her arm in up to the shoulder and then dives back down, looking eager.

In her hands are torcs, three in all, of silver-chased steel. She grins. "I was gonna ask you two," Amy admits. "You beat me to it, but..."

> Take the torc
> Tell Amy to surprise Nate with it when he gets back

AND

> Ask to see the evidence when Nate comes back with it
> Stash it somewhere safe

* * * *

You still have the innocent soul

> Give it to Fetch (Fetch ceases to be your familiar)
> Ask Kat how she feels about it and if she wants it
> Save it for later
> Give it to someone else (who?)

>>708736
> Take the torc
> Stash it somewhere safe
> Ask Kat how she feels about it and if she wants it

File: WTFsATorc.jpg (46 KB, 505x360)

46 KB JPG

>>708736
> Take the torc

> Ask to see the evidence when Nate comes back with it

> Ask Kat how she feels about it and if she wants it

Also pic related for those who were as confused as I was about what a torc is.

>>708736
> Take the torc.
Pretty bling for a pretty girl.

> Ask to see the evidence when Nate comes back with it.
This is about the people who are supposedly responsible for the dam break and subsequent flood that killed of Brianna's home town? We need to get a good look at it. If possible, I would ask Henrietta to discreetly look into it, because part of me suspects them of being connected to Dick. How else would they have that kind of information?

> Ask Kat how she feels about it and if she wants it.
While I definitely hope she becomes fully independent and a whole person, I'm not sure if she's ready to accept it. I mean, its only been about a week in-universe that she's possessed higher intelligence - I'd give her a bit more time. It's a pretty big change, and one we won't simply force on her.

>>708736
> Tell Amy to surprise Nate with it when he gets back
> Ask to see the evidence when Nate comes back with it
> Save it for later

>>708736
>> Take the torc
> Ask to see the evidence when Nate comes back with it
> Save it for later

>>708736
> Tell Amy to surprise Nate with it when he gets back

That's an interesting bit, I'd nearly forgotten about the torcs. Usually the guy had to provide the ring... Wait a minute, did Nate actually prepare a ring/equivalent?

Anyway, the evidence. I'm kind of conflicted. On the one hand, I actually argued pretty significantly to take the deal, but I'm not sure if I want to spoil the wedding arc with what's probably not going to be a very pleasant moment. Because forming a thorough and well informed opinion is going to take a long time and be pretty uncomfortable. On the other hand, stashing it somewhere safe is pretty much just shelving the issue to deal with it later. Personally, I'd like to just ship the stuff up to the surface and have Henrietta up there take a look at it with some professionals.

> Ask to see the evidence when Nate comes back with it.

Innocent Soul's more complicated. It's essentially a fundamental change that's very hard to quantify and effectively creates a whole new person on the spot. I'm not sure using it on Fetch is all that wise, and with Kat I'm not sure if she's really ready for it. Or if she even really needs it. She's our shadow, but she stayed alive when we died. Part of that was resurrection shenanigans, but if we keep on upgrading and helping her, I'm not entirely sure she won't be able to stand on her own with the right equipment.

> Save it for later

>>709195
> That's an interesting bit, I'd nearly forgotten about the torcs. Usually the guy had to provide the ring... Wait a minute, did Nate actually prepare a ring/equivalent?

Nate has one, from Bri. He'd actually intended on leaving it there; Nate's very conscious of the fact that both he and Amy are joining the family. As you can see, Amy's a bit more conscious of the idea that you can have more than one family.

As far as usually the guy or usually the girl, recall that things aren't necessarily the same here as on Earth (and, for that matter, that the ring is an English custom and so are the things that surround it).

Okay, so, two things:

1. Thread's archived, and I'm crawling into bed. Votes remain open and I'll update in the morning.

2. I'm going to run a quest one-shot to test some stuff for my upcoming Changeling: the Lost quest. I'm going to use the setting I intend to use for said quest - the semi-fictional city of New Avalon, what Baltimore was meant to be by its architect and never became. Y'all are, obviously, invited, but if you do choose to participate expect questions about how the mechanics are working out for you, how well I'm communicating the setting, and significant amounts of sheer unvarnished terror from me over working with an established property.

Questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>708736
>Tell Amy to surprise Nate with it when he gets back.
>Ask to see the evidence when Nate comes back with it.
Because knowing who did it doesn't have to be a bad thing, It may just give us the conviction to clean up the dungeon thoroughly and then finding them to ask "Why?"
>Save it for later
Giving it to fetch without his input seems kinda wrong and Kat has barely had the chance to acclimatize to her new situation.

>>709335
What kind of changeling are we talking here? Regular DnD, PF, what?

>>709335
Actually, I should imagine that working with some pre-existing material might actually make things easier. Being allowed to focus more on the characters, plot, side-plots, etc. Plus, I'm pretty sure we can trust your judgement concerning pieces of the crunch that just don't seem to fit. It wouldn't be a fun quest if we got hung up on a shitty dice roll or weird rule.

I'm not actually familiar with the Changeling or Mage settings, powers, and such. I know about Vampire: the Masquerade, but I've never played (table-top or PC game).

>>709428
Just as an example, if I ever QM or DM something about Warhammer, I would probably change events or overhaul some of the plot-line. Just because some of that shit makes no sense.

>>709421
"Changeling: the Lost" is a World of Darkness splat, not a dnd race. Aside from the particulars of wtf is the changeling itself, it means being set in modern world rather than generic fantasy.

>>709444
man I just got a huge feeling of ehhh after that explanation.

I'm sure it will be quality because Vox, but I don't think it'll be interesting for me.

>>708736
>> Take the torc
>> Ask to see the evidence when Nate comes back with it
>> Ask Kat how she feels about it and if she wants it

>>709447
Likewise. Vox is good enough that he can salvage that mess and turn it into something fun.

>>708736
> Take the torc
> Ask to see the evidence when Nate comes back with it
> Ask Kat how she feels about it and if she wants it
>>709335
Neat. When are you planning to run this?

>>709932
Now.

>>710213

Called, tallying, writing.

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57 KB JPG

>>710302
Vox you madman, you cant handle 2 threads!

Alright, our winners are:

> Take the torc
> Ask to see the evidence
> Offer the soul to Kat

I'm going to write once I get back from this trip to the store.

NEW THREAD

>>711143
>>711143
>>711143
>>711143