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>>73746
It was supposed to be simple. A quick visit to the castle up the hill, discuss a job offer, maybe stay up a bit talking to Cuckoo. She (well - sort of) gets lonely at night, considering the bit where she doesn't sleep. What you got instead of all of that was a trapdoor leading to a long chute, which dumped you and Cuckoo down into this fucking maze. Thankfully, you landed on soft cushions. Unfortunately, it's blind dark down here.

"We got a plan, Jack?" Cuckoo asks. You hear her gears working while she picks herself up. "Room's mostly empty. Three doors, north, south, west. No enchantment."

"Give me a minute," you groan. You pick yourself up and root through your pack. Potion equipment still good, nothing broken. You've got rope, rations, flint & steel, some torches, and the letter that brought you here, promising work.

You also have...

> Your father's old blade (gain RIPPLE and PARRY)
> Dragonhide armor (gain ARMORED and FIRE IMMUNITY)
> A suspicion (unlock a NEW ENDING)

"Jack?" Cuckoo asks.

"Right, I'm on it." You light a torch and hold it high. The stone is well-worked and the air down here is cool but not unpleasant. As Cuckoo said, there are three doors. South is towards where the castle's front gate rests, though you doubt that's an exit. North is towards the face of the mountain, maybe there's an escape tunnel that way. Or you could head west.

> North
> South
> West

>>73812
>Dragonhide armor (gain ARMORED and FIRE IMMUNITY)
>West

>>73812
>> Dragonhide armor (gain ARMORED and FIRE IMMUNITY)
>> West


fuck /qst/

>>73812
> Dragonhide armor (gain ARMORED and FIRE IMMUNITY)

>>73812
> A suspicion (unlock a NEW ENDING)

Guile Hero, all day erry day.

> West
Only way out is forward.

>>73812
>> A suspicion (unlock a NEW ENDING)
This is a must!

>>73812
> A suspicion (unlock a NEW ENDING)

> West

>>73812
>> A suspicion (unlock a NEW ENDING)
>>West

Votes called, writing shortly.

You are ARMED (+1, fights only), WELL-RESTED (+0), and CONFIDENT (+1). You are wearing chain armor (+0) and have Cuckoo on hand to help (+1). You have a SUSPICION (NEW ENDING unlocked).

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>>73812
You give Cuckoo a look. The geargrinder weathered her (well, sort of) fall rather well. Glass eyes meet yours, expectantly. Cuckoo's all lines and angles; she looms almost half a foot over you, with long limbs and custom plate armor bolted to her frame to protect her delicate gears. She, like you, favors hatchets and carries a stiletto - when you fight in cramped corridors as often as the two of you do, the press weapons are greatly appreciated.

"We're heading west," you tell her. "I didn't just come here for the job. I think it's here."

"The -"

"Shh. Yes, though."

"Keeping secrets, Jack?" the sorceress shrieks, validating your need for secrecy. "Why must you reject my love?"

"That was my father, you crazy fucking tinker!" you snap. "When I get up there I'm going to drop kick you through your lab equipment."

"You'll never make it out alive," the witch snarls. "I will have my revenge, Jack!"

"Hellfire, you'd think her kid died instead of starting a successful caravan company," Cuckoo mutters.

"I fucking know, right?"

Torch held high, you approach the west door and listen at it. Aside from the general hum of the building - common in old structures with long histories of magical experimentation - you don't hear anything particularly threatening. Cautiously, you open the door, revealing a short hall with a door to the north and one at the end of the hall.

"Cuckoo?" you ask.

The geargrinder steps past you and taps the ground with her foot. She repeats the motion before digging in a belt pouch and tossing one stone each on three particular flagstones.

"Pressure plates, probably connected to the murder holes," she tells you. "Concealed with painted paper, professionally done. Don't step on them."

"What would I do without you?" you ask, fondly.

"Die a horrific death," she points out, not incorrectly.

You move forward, stepping around the pressure plates, and open the dor on the north side of the hall. Inside is a work room for making geargrinders - people like Cuckoo. Metal-and-wood frames hang, skeletal, from construction racks, and you can see parts and gears organized through the room. None of them are finished or functional - they all lack hearts, for one thing. The half-open chambers that will contain them are absent.

There's a door on the other side of the room.

> Search the room
> Leave it alone

AND

> Keep going west
> Go north

>>74163
> Leave it alone
In a hurry here
> Go north

>>74163
> Leave it alone

> Keep going west

>>74163
> Search the room
> Go north

>>74163
>> Search the room
>>Keep going west
I demand more lore on the geargrinders

>>74163
>Search the room
>Keep going west

>>74163
>> Search the room

>AND
>> Keep going west

Called, writing.

>>74410
That feel when I forgot my roll.

Difficulty 4. Additional success thresholds at 7, 10, & 12 (critical success)

Rolled 1 + 2 (1d10 + 2)

>>74426
One more time. I need more fucking coffee.

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>>74442
Nice roll there Vox

>>74442
I'm going to need alcohol for this one aren't I?

>>74442
Alright. Now i know this is probably a bad time to voice this opinion, because I'm just going to look like I'm salty over the low roll. But Vox, I'd suggest letting players roll in the future. You only do one roll, which limits player interaction, but I still think it's preferable to the GM rolling.

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>>74163
"If I said I wanted to check the room, would that be creepy?" you ask, a little concerned.

"...A little," Cuckoo admits. "But let's go through it anyway. Just...if we end up trapped in a giant womb later on and I tell you I want to check through it for useful items, don't complain at me."

"That's disgusting," you note. You and Cuckoo go peeling through the room. "Is that really how you see this place?"

"Am I supposed to see it another way?" the geargrinder asks. "I was...'born', in a room a lot like this one. You've been to my father's workshop. Here is where the months of work go in to make a thinking, feeling being - the sweat, the toil, the love." She shrugs her narrow shoulders. "I look at these and see children waiting to be born. Maybe you don't, but..."

"No, I get it," you murmur. "Well. As much as I /can/ get it, considering that my job mainly involves turning large creatures and objects into multiple smaller objects. Plus, y'know, defending the weak, protecting caravans, wooing noble's daughters..."

"Jack," Cuckoo warns.

"I know, I know," you relent. "My point being, I don't really make things with my hands."

"Your play's still doing well."

"It is, at that." You sigh and set down the box you're peeling through. "There's nothing here of use to us. Maybe we can bring your father and his apprentices into here after we turn that witch into a decorative axe holder."

Off in the distance, you hear massive sounds. You know those noises from bitter experiences; those are more trapdoors opening.

"Party's here," you sigh. "Probably more constructs."

"Likely armed with alchemical weapons," Cuckoo adds. "You saw her lab. Which way?"

"West."

Cuckoo opens the western door and holds a hand out to stop you from rushing in. The room has a narrow balcony on this side, and one on the far side.

The rest is a raging whirlpool, twenty feet deep, surrounding a singular dry spot about five feet down with a brass-bound, locked chest resting atop the column.

"You've got to be kidding me," you and Cuckoo say at the same time.

> Try to jump to the chest, then the far side
> See if Cuckoo can use your grappling hook to make a safer crossing
> Try another door (which?)

>>74592
> See if Cuckoo can use your grappling hook to make a safer crossing

>>74554
Noted, and your feedback is appreciated. I may experiment with player rolling at a future time (side shots like this are good for trying out new shit, which I'm still needing to do while I learn the QM skillset), but I'ma stick with this mechanic for the duration of this run.

That in mind, I've been doing the rolls here, and during Part VI of DLQ, in the interest of simplifying resolution.

>>74592
>> Try another door (which?)
> North

No point in /actively/ seeking death just yet.

>>74592
>> See if Cuckoo can use your grappling hook to make a safer crossing

>>74657
Would that be the workshop north door, or the first room's north door?

>>74592
>> See if Cuckoo can use your grappling hook to make a safer crossing

Rolled 9 + 2 (1d10 + 2)

Called, writing.

Difficulty 4. Thresholds at 8 & 12 (Critical)

>>74926
Is cuckoo a genuine cuck?

Can we fuck her robot boyfriend?

>>75030
Geargrinders are not for sexual. Any way even if we did want to do something like that anything we stick in them is going to be turned into hamburger meat, by the sound of things.

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>>74592
You take out your rope, tie it to your grappling hook, and offer it to Cuckoo. "You got this?"

"Of course," the geargrinder answers, confidently. She whirls the rope and tosses it; the grappling hook flies and snags the handle of the far door. She tugs it, firmly, to ensure that the door won't open and kill you both, then ties it off to the handle of the door on this side.

You throw your torch to the far side so you don't lose it, then get on the rope and begin climbing across. This isn't your first time doing this - hell, you've done this enough that you had the rope enchanted to untie itself when you're done - and it comes naturally to you. You get off on the other side and turn to see Cuckoo dangling from the middle of the rope, her legs still grasping it, while she picks the lock on the chest upside-down.

"Girl, you're going to drive me to an early grave," you complain.

In response, Cuckoo opens the chest and pulls out three small vials and a knife. The construct finishes crossing and contemplates the items while you retrieve your rope and coil it back up at your belt.

"Three vials of alchemic acid, weapons-grade," Cuckoo tells you, handing you two of them. "Knife's a clockstopper. Freezes us up something bad."

"Bad for you to use?" you ask.

"Definitely. If I'm holding it when it goes off, it'll get me too." She hands you the knife, and you hold it in your free hand; no point in wasting an axe when you've got something that freezes these constructs up.

You open the door, gingerly, and pad into the short hall. Cuckoo checks it for booby traps, but there's nothing thus far. In theory, anyway.

The hall splits into a T-section. From the left you can hear the sounds of running water and the crank of what is likely a waterwheel. The right terminates in a thick, beaded curtain.

> Left
> Right

>>75118
>> Left

>>75118
>> Right

>>75118
>>> Right

This is clearly the right direction.

>>75118
>> Left

I like waterwheels.

Aight, if we don't have a tiebreak by the time I wrap up with this IRL thing, I'ma throw a die for it.

>>75770
>Left
At least we have a clue

Called, writing.

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>>75118
You decide to head left. If nothing else, running water might be an escape.

Then you open the door. The running water is the barest cutout of the floor, just large enough to run the waterwheel with its torrent; it moves with enough speed and force that the river - if that's what it even is - foams white.

"Why would nice things happen to me," you mutter. "That would be fair."

Cuckoo pats your shoulder while the two of you step further into the room. The waterwheel is connected to a series of gears and shafts that extend up, past the cieling of the room.

You can hear pipes running. This is probably related to the castle's water supply, somehow...

"Don't you dare touch that, traitor," the witch's voice snarls.

"Oh. My. Gods. Can you give it a rest, lady?" you shout back. "Why would I break your plumbing?"

"Could encourage her to come down here to kill us," Cuckoo mutters.

Part of the device unfolds and steps forward. What you mistook for a complex series of gears was, it turns out, a towering clockwork golem in disguise.

"Die, Jack!"

"Remind me, if I survive this, to kill myself," you sigh.

"Get in line, Jack," Cuckoo answers.

> Split up to flank it (gain FLANKING)
> Meet it head-on (gain VALOR, risk INJURY)
> Nope.stainedglass
> Throw a vial of acid at it (cause BREAKDOWN, potential CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE)

You are have chain armor (+0) and Cuckoo on hand to help (+1). You are ARMED (+1), WELL-RESTED (+0) and CONFIDENT (+1). Offensive actions against the golem are difficulty 5.

>>76298
> Split up to flank it (gain FLANKING)
Do not test the dice gods

>>76298
>> Split up to flank it (gain FLANKING)

>>76298
>Split up to flank it (gain FLANKING).
Aaand we have a shanker just for this asshole. BRILLIANT!

Vote extended while I acquire booze.

>>76298
>> Split up to flank it (gain FLANKING)
Hit it like a stuck pig from behind with our fancy knife!

Called, writing.

Rolled 5 + 3 (1d10 + 3)

>>77224
God damn it I forgot my roll AGAIN.

You gain FLANKING (+1). You Base difficulty of 5, thresholds at 8 & 11+ (critical)

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>>76298
You and Cuckoo split up on unspoken signal. The golem turns in your direction, right until the geargrinder nails it with an open-palmed slam that makes it stagger.

You couldn't ask for a better opening. You jam the clockstopper dagger into the creature's spine and feel it pulse beneath your hand. The gears of the golem shriek as they grind backwards, rotating in the direction of the knife with sudden force. Metal and wood snap and bend, driving the thing to its knees.

You nod at Cuckoo, and the two of you kick the golem into the river, pulling the knife free as you do. The current washes it away without a trace.

"Smash it or no?" Cuckoo asks.

> Destroy the waterwheel
> Jam the clockstopper in it to freeze it up (this will make it easier to repair later)
> Leave it be

>>77320
>> Destroy the waterwheel
fuck this bitches shit up!

>>77320
>Jam the Clockstopper into it to make it freeze

>>77320
> Leave it be

>>77320
Hmmm, there are other Gears like Cuckoo right? How tough are they, aside from the sentient metal men thing?

>>77504
Depends on how they're built. Cuckoo was upgraded for combat shortly before setting off with Jack. In general, though, geargrinders hit harder than humans because they don't feel conventional pain and thus have no fear response associated with attacking. At the same time, they /also/ tend to damage themselves when going full force. An unarmored, or incorrectly armored, geargrinder is vulnerable in their gears.

Removing a greargrinder's "heart" renders it inoperable until it's put back, or replaced.

>>77320
>> Leave it be
don't give her fuel to hate "Jack"

>>77320
>Leave it be.
Jack's /technically/ supposed to be a Hero. Wrecking stuff just to provoke the 'villain' (she might not actually be evil, just very /very/ crazy) is not the way of the goody two-shoes.

>>77520
Does removing the "heart" equate to removing the soul? Can a Geargrinder be revived by placing this core piece in a different body? Do the even have souls, considering their origin as artificial creations? I NEED TO KNOW MORE, DAMNIT!

>>77582
She's already a psychotic bitch projecting her obsession with the MC's dad onto us. We don't have to worry about adding fuel to the fire, its already a blaze.

>>77750
umm, my reason is basically the same as yours.

>>77750
> Does removing the "heart" equate to removing the soul? Can a Geargrinder be revived by placing this core piece in a different body? Do the even have souls, considering their origin as artificial creations? I NEED TO KNOW MORE, DAMNIT!

Sounds like something I could do a doc about.

Called, writing.

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>>77320
"Leave it," you decide. "No point making her angrier."

"That's right, Jack!"

"Bitch, keep talking and I'll smash it just to spite you!"

You cough and put a hand on Cuckoo's shoulder. "Calm down, Cuckoo. It's fine."

"She's starting to piss me off," the geargrinder mutters.

"Cuckoo, women who flirt with me piss you off."

"...Not the time."

"It's never the time," you tell her. "It's the time the moment after we're done with this. It's not been the time for months. So we put an axe in this idiot, and then it's the time."

"Fine, whatever! Can we go?" Cuckoo can't actually sigh, as she doesn't breathe, but her mechanical voice has the function installed, as it were. You roll your eyes and head for the beaded curtain.

You step into what you can only describe as a harem. Demons - you hope they're demons because this is like, at least twice as fucked up otherwise - lounge nude on cushions, tails flicking and wings spread. Two are male, two are female, and all four are succubi, or incubi, or maybe even both.

You have their undivided attention. There is a door on the far side of the room.

"I hate you so much right now, Jack," Cuckoo says flatly.

> Fight
> Nope.holytext
> Try to sprint through the room and out the far door

>>78576
>acid.holytext
they don't have clothes to dissolve, so this might be EXTREMELY unpleasant. Hopefully enough to drop any potential boners instead of backfiring.

>>78576
>Try to sprint through the room and out the far door.
>NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE
>"Sorry to interrupt your fun, just passing through, bye!!"

>>78576
>> Nope.holytext

>>78576
> Nope.holytext

>>78798
Um. What?

>>78848
IGNORE HIM

>>77750
>Does removing the "heart" equate to removing the soul?

So if we pulled that off would she die?

>>78576
>Sprint
Sprint! Sprint like you're a Wendigo that's being chased by a Skinwalker! (dragging victim not included, batteries sold separately)

Aaaand we have a tie. So I'm gonna leave the vote open for five more minutes and if the tie ain't broken by then, I'm throwin' the dice.

>>78576
>> Try to sprint through the room and out the far door
Does Jack have anything at all that might distract them?

>>79720
>Sprint
"Sorrysorrysorrysorry..."

Rolled 2 + 2 (1d10 + 2)

>>79754
Rogueish good looks and a way with iron weaponry.

Called, writing. Base of 5 (outnumbered, distracted)

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>>78576
You start sprinting full-tilt for the door, somehow muttering and shouting at the same time. Cuckoo takes off after you, and -

You're pulled into a warm, soft embrace. Hot lips nip your ear and tug.

"Leaving so soon, Hero?" the demoness purrs.

There's a door on the other side of the room. It'd been important a second or two ago, but now there's a tail working the front of your belt and you're not sure why leaving had seemed so imperative.

Someone's shouting your name, in the distance.

"You've upset the mistress," the voice in your ear purrs. "I like that, in a man. I bet she'd be really, truly furious if you stayed awhile. I haven't had one of the Firstborn in some three decades..."

Your pants - and belt, with weapons and equipment - go sliding to the floor.

"Jack," someone is yelling. "Gods damn you, Jack, think with the head on your neck!"

Why does that -

Cuckoo.

Fuck.

You whirl, lashing out with the Clockstopper in your hand, and get rewarded with a kick to the chest that slams you back against the wall and drives the wind out of your lungs. Cuckoo, an axe in one hand and a knife in the other, is desperately fending off the two male demons.

The women snap their tails and regard you hungrily.

You're not leaving this part in when you tell the minstrels about the castle. Definitely. Fucking. Not.

> Lunge for your equipment
> Fight them as you are
> Feint, then go try to free up Cuckoo

>>79957
>> Fight them as you are

>>79957
> Feint, then go try to free up Cuckoo

>>79957
>> Feint, then go try to free up Cuckoo
I think it's pretty obvious whose the most important person here.

>>79957
> Feint, then go try to free up Cuckoo
I'd imagine it's better not to split up when facing multiple opponents.

>>79957
>> Feint, then go try to free up Cuckoo
send them packing, then go brake the plumbing in petty vengeance

>>79957
>Acid.holytext
on the female ones. That'll keep them busy.

>>79957
>Feint, then go try to free up Cuckoo
Safety in numbers and all that.

>>80034
I'ma jot this down as 'lunge for your equipment', since the flasks are on your belt.

OP, is it possible to fugg Cuckoo

>>79957
>>Acid.holytext

Well, it definitely beats dropping the base.

Rolled 9 + 2 (1d10 + 2)

Called, writing.

Modifiers haven't changed much in all this time but what can I say?

Base difficulty 4. Thresholds at 7, 10, & 12 (crit)

>>80215
The amount of sheer inadvisability in this idea cannot be expressed in simple terms.

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>>80400

>>80400
you can't give a love interest without being able to fuck it

>>80474
You most assuredly can anon.

>>80498
no you can't

what else am i going to furiously masturbate to?

>>80511
handholding

>>80551
how about we give the girl a mechanical auto-Lubing vagoo. the gears would massage ur dick nigga

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>>79957
Two thresholds. You gain VALOR (+1, +2 when protecting allies).

You wish you could say this is the first time you've been separated from Cuckoo because of one or more of mind control, thinking with your dick, drugged wine, and/or scantily clad demons, but the fact of the matter is that both of you stopped counting awhile back. On the one hand, the fact that you're alive is a testament to the sort of luck that normally causes people to get sainted.

On the other hand, you've developed plans for this.

"Glad you could join the rest of us," Cuckoo snaps, dancing away from a flame-wreathed strike. That one'll be a succubus. The one going full force is likely the incubus.

Cuckoo can handle physical threats just fine, though.

"What can I say," you answer, twitching towards the females. They move to block but aren't expecting you to be light on your feet - you lunge sideways and bury the clockstopper in the back of the male succubus's neck. It cries out in pain, then screams when you use the knife as a handle to slam it to the floor.

Cuckoo kicks her other opponent to get some space and tosses you an iron knife. You bury it in your victim's skull before standing in all your pantsless glory.

Cuckoo follows up by throwing her acid flask in the face of the incubus, sending it reeling and smoking towards the corner of the room.

"I've had a bad day," you growl. "You did not make it better."

The two look at each other before vanishing in clouds of foul-smelling smoke. You immediately seize the incubus by the neck.

> "Talk!"
> Finish him

>>80568
>> Finish him
gottagofast

>>80622
I might suggest voting with regards to the problem at hand.

>>80640
fine. finish him

>>80568
>> Finish him

I will say Vox, you have TOO many either one-sided or double-sided romantic relationships. Like it's fine to have some of those, but god, you really know how to keep that stereotype about bisexuals and wanting to fuck everything alive via your writing.

I'd like, y'know, some sort of friendship relationship. The closest we got is River and Bri and I think that's just because incest is icky even when you're not actually related in La Croix culture.

We need some goddamn just straight up friendships going on. No weird, I'm an android girl and I want to fuck you but lol we can't because i'm made out of gears shit.

Or pixies wanting to fuck regular sized people.

oh and,

>Finish Him

Or more instances of DEATH having a FUCKING CRUSH on somebody. Like holy shit I think that plotline is stupid and its exacerbated by the fact that

Lark and

>>80707
I think part of your post got eaten, friend.

Oddly Popular Writein Anon, is that you my friend?

Called, writing. No roll; incubus isn't really in a position to defend himself.

>>80742
I dunno Vox, I thought the pixie thing was cute. But hey I'm just some dude with an opinion.

>>80568

> "Talk!"

always take the time to gather info

>>80742
I don't think that's me.

I think I was going to say something about Lark and River, but that's actually been pretty funny and rather normal but it does add to the pile of shipping.

No one of these things is completely grating, even the one about Death. But there's so many and just fucking and being attracted to somebody is what a lot of shit seems to boil down to and it seems the norm.

I need more platonic. Two dudes, two girls, one dude one girl, three people. Whatever, just more friends that have a deep relationship. Because anything that seems to break the surface level of a relationship seems to immediately dive to some place about romantic feelings and shit.

But like this guy >>80752
, I'm just some dude with an opinion

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>>80568
You drive the iron knife through the incubus's temple and drop it before the body can start burning up; it'll go back to Hell on its own.

This won't be the first time you spend awhile worrying about demons plotting revenge on you either.

You're starting to remember why you don't take jobs like this any more.

"I'm hearing constructs back in the first room, Jack," Cuckoo says worriedly. "We need to move, and we don't even know if we're heading the right direction."

"Doubling back won't make us less lost," you point out, while you retrieve your pants. "But we know there has to be a passage up nearby."

"How?" Cuckoo asks, curiosity winning over her need to snark at you. Watching you try to gut that demoness probably helped her mood too, now that you think about it.

"That mechanism, in the other room? That'll need maintaining. And if you want to keep your engineers, you don't make them deal with dozens of death traps just to make your toilet run. There's been less traps in this section and this room, here? This has 'employment perks' written all over it." You tighten your belt, cinch it, make sure the acid flasks aren't leaking, and flash Cuckoo a grin. "Thanks. For, y'know, having my back."

"I do like you," she points out. "Plus I'm told death by seducer demon is actually pretty damn unpleasant. I read a book. There were pictures."

"...I'm going to pretend that I never heard you say that," you answer, before opening the far door. You're in luck; there's a covered ladder heading up.

You're also not in luck. It's likely locked.

> Eat through it with acid (use both flasks)
> Ask Cuckoo to break through it (make noise, risk damaging Cuckoo)
> Maybe there's another way up?

>>80820
>Eat through it with acid (use both flasks)

>>80707
>>80783
No worries anon. I do appreciate the feedback. I can work harder to flesh out the friendships I thought of immediately - my first thought was to go on about them, and my second thought was "I haven't shown that shit on screen." Hell, now that I'm thinking about it about the closest I've shown on that is Bri & Silence, Bri & Lark, and Brooks & Isoldt.

Something for me to keep in mind goin' forward, and to watch in whatever quest I run next.

>>80820
>> Eat through it with acid (use both flasks)

>>80843
Well, the Pixie thing is excusable in my mind because they were likely friends for years.

As far as the rest go? The only thing I think the dude has a "right" to criticize is the Lora thing. But honestly, dude has brought it up in several threads how he doesn't like it, it's gone beyond criticism to whining.

Sorry dude, not trying to be an ass but you need to cut it out.

>>80843
give Cuckoo vagoo

>>80820
> Eat through it with acid (use both flasks)
Y'know, after double-checking it really is locked.

>>80820
>Maybe there's another way up?
We should check around the room. Maybe they left a key or there's a switch around.

Rolled 2 (1d10)

Called, writing. Straight luck roll.

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>>80820
You climb the ladder and push, gently, on the trapdoor. It's /definitely/ locked.

"We burn through," you decide. "Cuckoo, move the ladder so we don't melt it, yeah?" You climb back down while your companion carefully unbolts the ladder from the floor - what jackass didn't just sink it into the stone? - and scrapes it away from the trapdoor.

You fling a flask and wait while the acrid smoke sizzles through the room.

"You know, this place is going to be full of rampaging constructs when we're done with the witch," Cuckoo points out.

"We'll handle that later. Or possibly never, depending."

"You really think it's here?" she asks, her voice all quiet hope.

You hurl the other flask. "I really think it's here," you tell her. "We'll check her library when we're done."

"You'll finally leave your father's shadow," the geargrinder murmurs.

"Yeah," you mutter. "Sure."

When the smoke clears, Cuckoo sets the ladder back up and goes up first, so she can move what's left of the trapdoor by reaching through the hole in the middle and breaking off the lock on the other side. She pushes her way through, then signals you to come up.

You emerge into an alchemy lab. It is currently devoid of staff or assitants, but chock /full/ of dangerous substances.

"We could just get the hell out," Cuckoo points out. "Job went south, no real payment here. And what happens if we check the library and it's not there?"

"What happens if we check the library and it is? Witch'll be somewhere with sympathetic resonance, probably a scrying chamber. She'll know we escaped, let's call it ten minutes to get here. We could avoid the fight entirely."

"We could start a fire to buy some time."

"Why is it always fire with you?"

> Start a fire
> Don't

AND

> Find the witch
> Try to get to the library first
> Just get the hell out

>>80929
>Start a fire.
>Look for the witch first.

>>80929
>> Don't
>AND
>> Find the witch
we could taunt her that "she doesn't know anything about father" to get her to divulge what she knows about what we're looking for.

>>80929
>> Don't

> Find the witch

Incidentally, archived the thread in case sleep gets the better of me. I'm trying to wrap this up tonight, though. I'd...honestly expected to be done sooner than this.

Archive's here, in any event: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Dungeon%20Life%20Quest

Called, writing.

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>>80929
"It is not always fire with me," Cuckoo protests.

"Mmhm. That necromancer coven?"

"I had to destroy the zombies!"

"The diabolists up at Hagen's Reach?" you press.

"They started it!"

"Madame Silk's brothel on Shimmer Isle?"

Cuckoo crosses her arms over her chest. "I needed a distraction."

"Cuckoo, it's always fire with you. Not this time. We find the witch, and we end it. Come on."

"Where are we going?" Cuckoo asks, trailing behind you. You take a moment to snuff your torch and put a knife in that hand instead.

"Crazy sorceress builds a maze of death traps beneath her castle, complete with trapdoors to drop killer constructs into it? The Dining Hall. She'll have entertained her guests with it."

"Your father had a kid with this woman?"

"Don't remind me," you snarl.

The two of you move as fast as you dare. You remember the Dining Hall from your initial, somewhat promising visit. You're uncomfortably aware that the witch is probably watching you right now.

You really need to take a side trip to punch your old man right in the fuckin' face.

Cuckoo kicks in the door to the long hall. The table has been laid out with knives, all gleaming and polished to a shine.

Dog-like constructs, massive and clockwork, flank the witch. She's gotten on in years, just like your father has, but there is still beauty there - a rose that has only started to wilt. Unfortunately, it's been swallowed in madness. You can see her cheeks bleed where she clawed at her own face in fury, catch the tears in her clothes.

"We could have been together forever, Jack," she whispers, her throat tight.

> "I know I look like him, but I'm not my father. Focus. Would Jack the Dragonslayer be this young?"
> "Cuckoo, kill the dogs. She's mine."

>>81157
>"I know I look like him, but I'm not my father. Focus. Would Jack the Dragonslayer be this young?"

>>81157
>> "I know I look like him, but I'm not my father. Focus. Would Jack the Dragonslayer be this young?"

>>81157
>> "I know I look like him, but I'm not my father. Focus. Would Jack the Dragonslayer be this young?"

Alright folks. I need to pass the hell out. This...went slower than I was expecting it to. I'll wrap this up tomorrow evening, though I may make a post in the morning before 10 or so. Votes remain open in the meantime.

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

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>81212
give cuckoo vagoo

>>81157
>"I know I look like him, but I'm not my father. Focus. Would Jack the Dragonslayer be this young?"

>>81157
>>"I know I look like him, but I'm not my father. Focus. Would Jack the Dragonslayer be this young?"

>>81212
I assume this character we're so adamant about killing is not our mother so, we have a half sibling? Do we know about this half sibling?

>>81342
>"Hellfire, you'd think her kid died instead of starting a successful caravan company," Cuckoo mutters.

We know of him.

>>81157
>"I know I look like him, but I'm not my father. Focus. Would Jack the Dragonslayer be this young?"
It's tough being the good guy.

Overslept my alarm like a jackass and now I'm late for work. I'll update when I get home; meanwhile I'm on deck to answer questions.

Jack the lesser was my original choice of protagonist in the first thread. As much as I've loved bri, I get a sick satisfaction from having my initial choice verified as awesome.

>>83251
I know right?!

Also a Jack the lesser voter, do you think he might make another appearance latter on?

>>83313

I think that kinda depends on us not getting him killed here...

>>83251
Why should it be sick? I understand the feeling.

>>83313
Jack won't appear in the main story but I may use him for more one shots while I'm figuring out how I like the dice to work.

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>>73824
>that ID

>>83549
Because I was getting ready for gainful employment and didn't have time to think I a better adjective.

>>83716
Fair enough, my friend.

About four and a half hours and change to call. Still open for questions, feedback, and the like.

>>83908
Quick question: About how durable is Cuckoo? What materials is she made from? Also if she is damaged how difficult would it be to fix her?

In-line with certain anons, is it possible to create a courtesan/sex-bot geargrinders?

>>85809
Cuckoo is mainly steel, oak, and yew, with some glass, silver, and quicksilver elements. Her heart is a music box; Jack has never heard it play.

Repairs are difficult in the sense of requiring specialized training. Cuckoo can largely fix herself if her hands and arms are working, and keeps some spare parts for common breakages.

>>85918
It hasn't been successfully done. Geargrinders lack a lot of what would make such a creation successful, including a conventional sense of touch, soft fleshy areas, and, often, empathy. They're new technology, and lots of kinks are not yet worked out. The designs are largely not standardized either.

>>86187
What kind of emotional range is Cuckoo capable of? Does she have any kinks?

>>86557
Cuckoo is not for lewds

>>86557
Cuckoo tends to both overexpress and, at times, to brood. She tends to sing when happy. Jack's personal theory is that her humanlike emotions are rooted in her heart but he's never asked. It's felt too personal, too invasive.

>>86618
Whoops, when I said kinks I meant like a quirk or something, not like a sexual thing

>>86764
She does have that ongoing fascination with fire, which she developed traveling with Jack. She always knows the precise time of day. And the girl reads voraciously.

Plus the stuff above.

>>86641
>>86805
Maybe somewhere inside she feels like fire replaces something that she lacks. The warmth of true life. And her music box could be related to the passions, thus making her more human.

Is Cuckoo the next step in Gear 'evolution'? The first steps towards a thinking and feeling machine, capable of both emotion and higher thought?

>>87187
That first part is the right line of thinking.

As for the second, technological development is a process. Cuckoo was and is very well-made, and what her father and his apprentices learned from her made the next project better, but she's not a revolution - just a step forward.

>>87328
Can she be 'upgraded'? She might take offense to the idea that she's not great the way she is, or she could absolutely love the idea of improving herself.

Also, would she react to external body upgrades and customization like some women react to pricey shoes and jewelry?

>>87392
She's been upgraded once already; Cuckoo wasn't built for battle. Jack hasn't broached the subject since, though she sometimes talks distantly about swapping her eyes or getting painted.

Her greatest desire is to be human. She told Jack once, thinking he was too drunk to remember. He wasn't.

>>87464
Do you have any images or pictures of what she may look like? If not can you give a general description, or at least describe how her head looks like?

Rolled 3 + 3 (1d10 + 3)

>>88233
I have no such images; sadly all attempt to google "clockwork person", "clockwork face", "windup person", and "wooden face" don't quite capture it.

Cuckoo is tall - just a hair over 6'7" - and lean in a dense kinda way, with all of her gears and mechanisms packed into very small amounts of space. The length of her arms & legs is somewhat pronounced - the latter makes up most of her height - and she often stoops, both to fit inside buildings with low cielings and to more easily launch into springing attacks. Cuckoo has been upgraded with armor plating, though it's lighter and less comprehensive than real plate armor would be due to weight constraints. Her face, such as it is, is primarily smooth wood with a pair of glass eyes to admit light; her voice actually emanates from her chest, near her heart, and is both mechanical and slightly muffled by her armor.

Cuckoo does not wear clothes for the most part, though she dons a belt and coat when working to hold useful items and weapons.

Called, writing. Base difficulty 6, thresholds at 10 & 13 (critical)

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>>81157
You sigh. Despite your earlier anger, it's not hard to feel pity for this mad thing in front of you.

And you think you know what did it.

"I know I look like him," you begin, gently, "but I'm not my father. Focus. Would Jack the Dragonslayer be this young?"

The witch sways, trying to focus. Her eyes sharpen, and she looks closely at you. "...He had a scar. Just across his chin. A knife scar..."

"Got it rescuing a prince," you agree. "When the prince thought he was an assassin sent to kill him in his cell."

"Yes. You - you are Jack's son?"

"Aye," you agree softly. "If it makes you feel any better, Dad married a duke's daughter for her looks and figured out fast enough that judging on that was a mistake."

"She is cruel to him?"

"I wouldn't say that," you hedge, with a shrug. "More that Mom wasn't about to put up with his hobbies and he doesn't know what to do with his life if he's not wenching, womanizing, or killing horrible shit for money."

The witch laughs, bitterly. "I have wronged you. But you've still seen too much."

"It doesn't have to be like this," you warn. "Don't make us do this."

"Of course it does. You'll blab, and then where will I be?"

"Just tell me one thing. It's here, isn't it? Heart's Ease. It's here. You read it. You read it, thinking it was something it's not."

"...Yes," the witch confirms. "It is here, in the library. I thought it would bring your father back to me. It...was not as I thought it was."

"Playing with the gods' toys usually ends that way," you agree. You let out a low whistle, and Cuckoo whips her vial of acid, her arm blurring.

The witch goes to duck, but the vial was thrown low. It catches her full in the chest, wringing a shriek of agony from her.

Your enemy is CONFUSED (difficulties lowered by 1)

> Run for the library
> Kill the dogs while the witch is distracted
> Go for the witch; Cuckoo can handle the dogs

>>88618
searching for construct or doll/marionette might pop up with something closer perhaps

>>88966
> Go for the witch; Cuckoo can handle the dogs
FINISH HER!

>>88966
>> Go for the witch; Cuckoo can handle the dogs

>>88966
>Go for the witch; Cuckoo can handle the dogs.

'Jack the Dragonslayer' is a real fucking dick, isn't he?

>>89897
Not everyone who does adventuring mercenary work is a Hero. Jack the Dragonslayer earned every last accolade he was given, and he lived the high life for it.

And then he went and married someone who was smarter and stronger-willed than he was and lost all his hobbies.

>>88966
> Go for the witch; Cuckoo can handle the dogs

> Kill her if you have to, but give her one last chance.

Rolled 10 + 4 (1d10 + 4)

>>88966
Called, writing. Base difficulty 6 (lowered from 7 due to your opponent being CONFUSED). Thresholds at 10 & 14 (critical)

>>91071
okay then... Sorry Aunty Crazy-Witch.

>>91071
AHAHAHA.

HAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA

>>91104
well this should be interesting.

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>>91071
>mfw

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>>88966
"Cuckoo, get the dogs," you order. Normally there'd be a little more nuance but you can't let the witch get back up or everyone is going to have a bad time. The mechanical hounds go charging for you; you vault up onto the table, sprinting for the maddened witch while Cuckoo grabs one of the constructs and slams it bodily into the other one.

The witch manages to raise her hand, shrieking wordlessly as she tries to move your armor, but between her pain, madness, and the wards on your armor, all she really manages to do is make you jingle a lot.

You leap and come down on her leg like a falling piano. Bones break with loud, greasy snapping sounds.

Your weapons are, unfortunately, not similarly warded. She blows them from your hands in a burst of kinesis, but the wild attack sends her dogs and Cuckoo flying against the walls. The unarmored hounds crunch, wood splintering and gears flying loose from their moorings. Cuckoo swears loudly.

You crash a fist into the witch's face, sending her to the sudden embrace of unconsciousness.

"Cuckoo, you okay?" you ask.

"I'll be fine. Lemme put the dogs out of their misery."

"Can they even feel pain?" you ask.

"I'd rather handle it without having needed to, than need to and not have done it."

"I suppose that's fair," you murmur.

> Finish the witch
> Leave her
> Take her with you; you'll turn her in to the law later

>>91425
I'd say kill her, but she is our mother (right?) and the gods do not look kindly on kin killing, so:
> Leave her

>>91425
>Leave her with medical care
She's basically been crazied by an outsider god thing right? She's not evil

I mean if she wanted us dead she could have just dropped us into a pit of spike right off the bat

>>91446
No, she had a child with our father but Jack was not that child. That child, Jack's half-brother, runs a caravan business.

>>91425
> Finish the witch
I cannot honestly thing of a reason not to; she's crazy, and she can still probably do terrible terrible things if we give her a chance to recover.

>>91425
>> Finish the witch

>>91425
>Finish the witch
I don't like it. She's one foot and several toes into insanity, is willing to kill to silence people, and didn't give us an honorable advantage/duel or at least a gesture of apology.

Probably dangerous research, definitely dangerous constructs, and then there are the demons.

>>91425
>> Leave her

>>91425
>> Finish the witch

>>91469
oh, in that case I change mine to
>Finish the witch

>>91425
>Finish the witch
I'm really sad it had to come to this, but who knows what dangerous knowledge she possesses. Damn it Dad.

Called, writing. We are now heading rather swiftly into epilogue territory; be ye warned.

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>>91425
You consider the witch for a moment. On the one hand, her condition is not strictly her fault.

On the other hand, you're not sure leaving her alive is actually going to be a mercy, to say nothing of justice for the people she hurt. Hearing Cuckoo attend to the dogs behind you helps you make up your mind. You hold her head up and drive your knife through her temple and twist.

It's a quick, clean death, without shame. It's the best you've got to offer.

"Don't worry," you murmur. "Once I'm done with the book, I'm going straight home to kick the old man's ass."

"You okay, Jack?" Cuckoo asks, worry in her mechanical voice. You pull your knife free and wipe the blade with a small cloth.

"Fine," you answer. "I'm saving this anger for later. Come on, let's hit the library. Hopefully without any other surprises."

You know there are other people in the castle, and you can hear them scrambling to stay the hell out of your way. When you enter the library, it's all its keeper can do to not have a heart attack.

"Wh-what do you want?" the old man asks, trembling.

"You know what we want," you murmur. "That book is a curse. Do you really want to keep it?"

Heart's Ease is in your hands inside of five minutes, and you and Cuckoo set off from the castle. You don't own the horses you ride out but, then, you doubt their owner is in a position to complain.

"It's so small," Cuckoo murmurs, looking at the book. It's true; Heart's Ease has less than a hundred pages. You tied it shut with a silk ribbon to ensure that it didn't open on its own.

"Wren the Rhymer wrote it," you tell her. "The Goddess of Language herself. She'd fallen in love with a mortal, you see, and wanted to express herself fully to him."

"What happened?" Cuckoo asked.

"He went mad, ravaged his own nation, and killed himself. After, Wren swore to never curse the Firstborn with such a thing ever again, but the book went missing. The thing about gods...the thing about gods is they're a lot like you, Cuckoo. Sometimes, without meaning to, they hurt people because they don't know their own strength."

"How sad," the geargrinder whispers. "You've said this will get you the glory you've always wanted. How?"

"There's a bounty on the book," you explain, with a broad grin. "Set by Wren herself. One miracle, to whomever returns it to her. We're heading for the Speaking Stone in Highfalls to do exactly that."

"Gods," Cuckoo breathes (well - sort of).

"Exactly," you answer.

Despite your earlier insistence, you decide that now is not the time to have that talk with Cuckoo. You have. You have other matters, to think about.

It really us such a small book.

* * * * * *

The Speaking Stone is an altar that is a stage, a lecture hall, and, in a sense, a library. It is ancient, and carved with glyphs and runes from dozens of tribes. Here, Wren's ancient Chosen formed the disparate peoples of Highfalls into the nation they've become.

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>>91839
Reverently, you set the book on the black rock of the Stone.

<It comes home> comes a voice in your head, musical and rich - female, yes, but more like a song than words, with faint echoes of instruments and laughter hiding in its edges. <My thanks, and my sympathies, Jack.>

"It should have been returned long ago," you murmur, under your breath. "I dearly hope that whoever spread the lies about it containing power and sorcery suffered, Lady Wren."

<They meant nothing by it, Jack. They didn't know.> The goddess's attention is still on you, curious and full. It feels oddly...heavy. It doesn't help that you're keenly aware of her status as the one who shaped humankind. You have the odd need to impress her.

<I believe I made a promise, Jack> Wren adds, thoughtfully. <A miracle. Name it.>

> Ask for fame and glory
> Ask for wealth and power
> Give it to Cuckoo
> Pass it up

>Give it to Cuckoo

>>91870
>Maybe I should have that talk with Cuckoo first. You know. Kinda important if I ever felt like giving the miracle to her.

>>91870
>Give it to Cuckoo
We don't need anything, as stated earlier we have a rich dad and a reputation as a minor hero already.
Cuckoo, on the other hand....

>>91870
>> Give it to Cuckoo

>>91884
Oh yea, and this>>91882

>>91882
>>91897
Not as an objection, but what is it you're seeking to find out in talking to Cuckoo about it? Is it a worry that she'll use it against you? Something else?

>>91870
>Give it to Cuckoo
>>91900
It's probably to find out if she even wants to have the miracle in the first place.

>>91900
Its not that we think that she would use it agains us, far from it! Its just that we want to know if this is what she wants, or something like that. Not really sure how to put it into words, perhaps she would not like it for some reason we gave her the miracle?
but really I just want to extend this quest cause I really like it :)

>>91900
hashing out the relationship thing before we get her indebted to us.

>>91870
> Give it to Cuckoo
Let's put a sword in this thing. sadly, good things always end. Let us remember them with joy.

>>91870
>Give it to Cuckoo

>>92060

For the watch!

Called, writing.

I'll admit that I'm surprised at the unanimous vote.

>>92145
the first two were too vague, earlier it sounded more like Jack had something specific in mind, possibly related to ending any further dealings with his dad.

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>>91870
"I don't want it," you tell the goddess. "Give it to Cuckoo."

<Why?> the goddess asks, her musical voice all fascination and curiosity.

"Because I can earn the things I dream about," you murmur. "But Cuckoo can't. What she wants most could never happen, no matter how she struggles and strives. So if you owe me, I'm gonna give it to her."

<Beautiful> the goddess breathes. You feel her attention slide away from you, see Cuckoo stiffen in sudden surprise.

You expected something immediately, but after a few minutes it becomes clear that Cuckoo will be talking to Wren the Rhymer for some time. You sit down to watch her, resting your elbow on your knee.

After all the shit you've put that girl through, she deserves a shot at what she wants most. It's not every day you can ask a goddess for your heart's desire.

Hours pass, and the sun sinks beneath the horizon. You start a small fire, meeting Cuckoo's curious look with a small nod, and continue to watch.

Is that...music?

The voice you hear on the wind echoes with power, with meaning. You catch snatches of words that you do not understand, but do comprehend. The grass around Cuckoo flattens in a phantom breeze, and your friend looks up to the sky.

"I'm ready," you hear her whisper.

Song and light envelop the geargrinder, lighting up the hills and forests. The voice continues in a rush of words and song, describing, constraining, changing, shaping.

There is a shock of light, exploding in a ring from Cuckoo, and she hits her hands and knees.

Your friend picks herself up and looks at her new hands. Flame-red hair frames her face, a little wild and frizzy from her ordeal, and you can see a smattering of freckles on her cheeks, beneath wide green eyes.

She gives you a crooked grin, and it looks like you always imagined it would, when she joked with you.

"You did it," Cuckoo says, gratefully.

"And now we have to move," you tell her. "Every predator and monster for miles saw that, and you're naked."

"...That was the first thing you noticed, wasn't it?"

"Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies."

* * * * *

"Jack!" your mother greets, wrapping you in a warm hug. "What brings you home?"

"I need to kick Dad so hard in the balls that he sweats seed," you growl. Behind you, Cuckoo - clothed, armored, and amused - waves shyly to your mother.

"Jack, you can't -"

"Son, you're home!" your father calls from deeper in the house. "...And who is that lovely young thing with you?"

Your mother steps aside. "He's all yours."

You crack your knuckles and start walking in. "That's Cuckoo, Dad..."

END SIDE STORY: JACK'S LIFE QUEST

>>92257
Ha, that was great, we have to visit them (or another potential protagonist) another time.

>>92257
And that's our side story, folks. Took longer than I'd expected when I set out, esp. considering today's, ah...interruptions. Still, I feel good about it.

At this point I'd like to open the thread up to questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms. Of particular interest to me is feedback on the dice mechanics and how they can be improved. I'm also a massive undead slut for characterization feedback so if folks have thoughts or feelings on that, I'm eager to hear 'em.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>92269
Thanks for the story Vox.

>>92269
Wait, Cuckoo is still like, 6'7'' right?

>>92278
She shortened slightly in her transformation, but yes. Cuckoo's still a bit taller than Jack - 6'4" to his 6'1"

>>92269
In terms of dice mechanics, I'd say use a system that let's the players roll.

Also, I'm slightly unclear about certain elements of the last post. Like straight up confused.

>"You did it," Cuckoo says, gratefully.

Is that to Jack?

Is that to Wren?

Does Jack want to beat up his dad for fucking that witch?

Does he want to beat up his dad for thinking Cuckoo is an attractive woman or planning to sleep with her or something?


Why did Cuckoo's wish take so long? Just, coming to terms with being human or was it something else?

>>92282
Coolio, how pissed is her dad going to be?

>>92269
What ending did having a suspicion grant us?

>>92350
this one, we had the suspicion that the book was in the castle. The real question you should ask his what were the other endings we could have gotten?

after reading from start to finish, id say let players make rolls and do a "best of x" sort of thing, to make them feel a little more involved. You can adjust difficulties of checks/ go to a 1d20 setup to accommodate.

As far as the characters themselves, this being the first thread i've read from you, id say you did quite well.

The conversations and small quips thrown back and forth between jack and cuck feel natural and give that sense of a long history, with enough subtleties to establish the two have a good connection.
They both also stayed quite consistent throughout the thread and nothing really stood out besides the lack of details during the wish segment, but thats largely unimportant with this just being a side story imo.

Pretty enjoyable all around.

>>92283
Jacks dad seems to be a degenarate that fucks anything in a skirt so to speak, it apparently causes alot of problems for jack

I really don't like that we killed the witch

>>93157
It was meant as a mercy. She'd read from the book, and been driven mad. She was obsessed with a man who could never love her, and she'd hurt many innocent people in the search for vengeance. Justice isn't a nice thing.

Now just imagine the beating Jack Jr. has in store for Jack Sr.

SIDE BAR:
Vox are you the vox from the shadowrun podcast I love?

>>93267
I am not.

I'll address the rest of the questions and feedback once I'm actually at my PC.

>>92268
>>92277
Thanks for the read, my friends!

>>92283
> In terms of dice mechanics, I'd say use a system that let's the players roll.

I believe I'm going to try this next one-shot; this is not the first time I've had this particular bit of feedback. The first time I tried this it was essentially the same system but with a D6 and I wanted to see how it would swing out with a bigger die and public DCs.

Which, incidentally - what were the thoughts and feelings about public DCs? Would you have preferred to know them before rolling?

> Is that to Jack?

Yes. Cuckoo is many things, but stupid is none of them. In giving her the miracle she understood that Jack had heard & remembered her confession.

> Does Jack want to beat up his dad for fucking that witch?

Yes and also at the same time no? Like many boys did, Jack used to see his father as his hero. Growing up and finding out that Jack the Dragonslayer had all the morals of a cat in heat and disregarded the lives he ruined - or created - during his by-blows felt like a betrayal. Before, Jack could sorta let that go. The witch was the straw that broke the camel's back.

> Why did Cuckoo's wish take so long? Just, coming to terms with being human or was it something else?

It's a bit of a long explanation, but the short version is that Wren talked to Cuckoo for a long time about why she wanted to be human and what sort of human she wanted to be, and then had to describe a complex process in an extremely precise manner in the Divine Tongue, the language the gods use to shape creation at its most fundamental level. It's difficult, dangerous, and can have side effects if not used with absolute precision.

> Coolio, how pissed is her dad going to be?

Gonna be kinda like -

> "Dad!"
> "...Cuckoo?"
> "I CAN SWEAT AND FALL ASLEEP, DAD!"
> "Uh...huuuuuuuh."

>>92350
The opportunity to earn the wish instead of merely escaping or getting revenge.

>>92441
My thanks for the read. I've had 'best of three' suggested to me before and I believe I'll try that next time.

Further feedback & discussion is, of course, welcome and appreciated.

>>92269
Couple things, first I feel you need to describe some aspects a little more at least when first appearing so we have 'a' reference to go from when you describe later events/actions and whatnot. It gets a little disconnecting when something is interpreted one way and then later on stuff happens that doesn't match up and now the flow is ruined while you try to figure out what is actually going on.

Second, like the others have stated a player rolled dice gives a better feeling of involvement. Even if we roll exactly as you did it was still 'us' who did it as opposed to gm 'railroading' I'm not accusing you of this fyi. Some options I've seen from other quests are; Best of X generally 3 or 5, best roll in a minute after called, Average of X, and Roll with your vote and best of. They each have different feels and functions but are just ones I've seen.

Otherwise not at all a bad 'first' time with dice rolls Vox.

>>94083
I enjoyed public dcs. Unless someone more experienced then me(read: everyone) says so, I think keeping them till after is good. It lets us know by how much we passed or failed.
Characterization was lovely. I definitely want to see more of cuck and jack again, which is a sign of good story and fleshed out characters.
I also like wren from what little we've seen of her. As seems to be the standard, the gods of your world continue to be based. Flawed, but based.
Returning to dice mechanics, I think doing it in 2 posts, one to say the dc and one for the roll itself, or posting the dc and bonuses when you ask us to roll, is something to think about. Both hidden and revealed dcs evoke certain emotions and tensions when rolling. You'll have to try things out and decide what you prefer.
Either way, we shouldn't know about the rolls before making our choice. I like the story driven feel of the quests and breaking immersion to worry about rng while making a choice doesn't sound appealing.
Loved the side quest, thanks for the entertainment, Vox.

Please tell me you plan on doing more of jack and cuckoo, because this was a nice change. Instead of saving lives and making hard choices, we just had a little adventure that didn't make some giant impact. Very refreshing vox

>>95258
Oh, but it /did/ have an impact. We just used a god-bestowed wish to turn a sentient machine into a living, breathing person.

>>95258
This could have been your future, but you just HAD TO provide me with one of the most unexpectedly enjoyable experiences of my life, thank you anons.

Given their popularity - their unexpected popularity, if I'm honest - I'll be using Jack & Cuckoo as I continue to experiment with quest mechanics. They suit themselves well to these sorts of adventures.

Aight, I need to go engage in Gainful Employment. I'll address feedback and questions as best I can from work.

>>95490
I looked up the other quest and I'm reading it from the beginning now, it's very fun and you're a good storyteller and writer. I have no criticisms so far

>>95385
Do you think you could make your next adventure about these two be about how they met? Really enjoying this so far!

>>95600
Them meeting wasn't really much of an adventure, but I'm pondering setting it in Cuckoo's home city.

>>95619
How much material do you have behind the scenes? I find it hard to believe that have written all this without a properly drawn up setting and notes piling up the ceiling.

>>95385
Woot

>>95639
That's something that I'll be more comfortable talking about closer to the end of DLQ, or even after the fact.

>>96408
Y'know, I've been with DLQ since the beginning, and I kinda don't want the story to end. Obviously, there's going to be /big/ ramifications because of what Necrofowl Inc. has accomplished, but I would like to see another quest in the same world. Maybe jump forward ten or fifteen years?

>>96533
I'll confess to having had similar thoughts, though at a longer distance from the present. At the same time, I kinda really want to run that Changeling quest I've been mulling over.

>>96569
Why not run it in the same world?

>>96815
Changeling: the Lost is already its own setting, with particular conceits and assumptions that make it what it is. The two are not compatible.

For the folks still looking in, I'll be doing a doc on geargrinders tonight or tomorrow and posting it in both threads.

>>99810
what other thread is there from this one?

>>99927
the not side story

>>99927
The active main thread on /tg/.

>>99927
More helpfully: >>>/tg/47151481

Archive link's at the top of this thread as well.

>>100415
Good thread.

Would love to talk about it.

>>100415
I plan on running a similar game. Do you have any tips for this format?

>>100932
How similar are we talking here? Actiony knight dashes about the save the day? Talk to me anon, what's your plan for a quest?

>>100932
define "this format"

>>100929
I'm on deck. Anything in particular stand out as good? Bad? Any suggestions as a fellow QM?

Testing. 4chan seems to have eaten my other post.

>>100932
As >>100956 said, define 'this format'. Quests? Boards? The genre? Details can help me advise ya, as best I can. You have to remember, I'm still new at this myself.

>>100957
As a quest driven by fast paced action and adventure, it does a good job of being efficient. It reads like a well oiled machine, one that knows how its pieces function together and can coherently produce an enjoyable product.

The dialogue does a good job of establishing the relationship between the the two characters and reacting organically to that is going on in the setting. For anyone who is looking to improve their dialogue writing and ability to write separate characters, I would definitely point them towards any of Vox's writings. That is the strongest point in this quest, though I will have to admit that the dialogue in DLQ proper is just a tad more engaging and entertaining.

Then again, that comes with the territory of this being a sideshot and an experiment to boot. So that is really of no fault to Vox, but simply an aspect of this particular bit of writing. If it were to be continued, the small kinks would most likely iron themselves out just fine.

As for the action of this action adventure quest, while it is successfully fast paced, I think it may have been just a tad too fast. Where there could have been more detail describing what exactly was being done, instead there would be a quip of dialogue or a small snippet of narrative. Again, this is not necessarily a mistake, but with /qst/ being a place with larger character limits, there really isn't any reason to not utilize it and draw the audience even further into the action.

Dialogue, while it can definitely carry a story, is only heightened when it is well paired with a detailed description of the actual action. I think next time around, perhaps a little extra could be added so to give the story as a whole more depth rather than simply the highlights reel of the fights, if you will.

Good work over all. The mechanics seem a little opaque and hard to access, especially with anon not being able to roll, but that's already been addressed.

Don't be afraid to experiment with less dialogue!