You stand across from her for a short while longer as she sobs, gathering your thoughts. You eventually go to sit beside her and put an arm around her shoulder.

“I'm sorry,” you whisper. “I had no idea about all the things I was putting you through.”

“It's not you,” she replies. “I'm used to planning for the worst. My mind just goes there and I can't help it. You've been nothing but good to me.”

“Still, your concerns are valid. I have no idea why or how I got this ability. I use it because it's helpful, but I don't want it coming between the two of us. I hope my personality doesn't change and I'm afraid it might. It's disconcerting.”

“Hey,” she grabs your face and makes you look at her. “I don't want you to feel like a freak, alright?”

(Nobody deserves that.)

“I was called an abomination today,” you remark with a faint smile.

“By a demon. You're not the only one with the weird, personality-altering powers, y'know? I've been having weird . . . thoughts recently. Ever since I saw the Archmage's domain I've had this sinking feeling of dread in my stomach that it's going to be used and mined and raped for resources to fight a war it should not be included in. I was actually livid when I saw Stephen and that succubus of his desecrating that place with their presence."

"And I've been thinking about why I feel that way and I realize that I'm tired of places that should remain untouched being used for what amounts to petty fucking squabbles. I think . . . I think I don't want this Island to be explored, exploited and brought to heel by Ceril any more. Not for a fight happening half a world away. I think it's selfish which I know is silly and hypocritical considering everything I've done but those thoughts are there and they're practically treason and I think this place is responsible for them.”

(Does knowing that make you feel less alone?)

“A little bit,” you reply.

File: Ed.jpg (35 KB, 270x330)

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The two of you sit together in silence for a long while. Breathing and relaxing. Eventually you decide to get the rest of Rowe's personal effects properly placed in her room. You go about placing the weapon racks and the shelves. You set up a space for Sif and before you know it you're setting up one for Pascala as well. The two of you travel downstairs together to your room on the fourth floor to start moving your stuff out, the decision to live together in a more official capacity made without words.

As you're removing the last of your personal belongings Ed looks up from the book he is reading to speak with you.

“So this is it then?” he asks. “We're no longer roommates.”

“I guess not, Ed. I enjoyed living with you though.”

(Awwww.)

“Me too,” Ed says. “You, uh, keeping the key to the room?”

“I guess I was planning on keeping my copy. Why? Do you want it?”

Ed waves his hands dismissing the idea. “No, keep it. You're welcome anytime. Just, uh, well . . . don't barge in, if you can help it. Knock and wait for me to answer the door. Unless I'm not there than you can come on in. But I like . . . privacy.”

Rowe gives you a look before chuckling and heading towards the stairs carrying a box of spare clothes. You follow her.

With your room on the sixth floor of the Circle properly furnished and decorated you feel comfortable drifting off to sleep.

The next morning you . . .

>Start Essentia's management training
>Work on de-Ghoulifying Paul
>Go shopping
>Learn something (what?)
>Accept a new assignment from Blackburn
>Something else? (write-in)

>>86202
>>Work on de-Ghoulifying Paul

>>86202
>>Work on de-Ghoulifying Paul

>>86202
>Start Essentia's management training
Though this is really something for Blackburn and Betsy.

Writing

The next morning you go to Quissonce who is already poring over H. Stephen's spellbook. You wonder if she's grateful that Eve is no longer causing distractions in her room of if she's upset at the new found solitude that Eve's promotion has granted her.

The two of you drink tea while she reads in peace and quiet and only after waiting a good thirty minutes does she finally close the book to talk to you.

“Well,” Quissonce begins, “The delve into some sort of necromantic reversal of Paul's condition has been made plausible by some of the spells and postulations of this tome, however it is quite narrow and advanced. Some supplementary information would be nice, but barring access to whatever Essentia has stashed away on the eighth floor I'm afraid my attempts will be half-baked at best. The only other option I could think of is if we returned to that temple of the Master's and searched it for literature related to the subject. Or maybe you should just give me a week and I'll see what I can do.”

>Half-baked attempt today
>Give Quissonce a week to study
>Search the Master's Temple
>Look over the tome yourself
>Get Quissonce access to the 8th floor
>Something else? (write-in)

>>86888
>>Get Quissonce access to the 8th floor

>>86888
>Give Quissonce a week to study

>>86888
>Get Quissonce access to the 8th floor
This is the fastest thing we can try.

Alright, roll me 1d100, best of 3.

Rolled 61 (1d100)

>>87077

Rolled 32 (1d100)

>>87077

Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>87077

>>87077
can we roll again?

Writing!

>>87217
nvm, third roll came out.

Writer's block hitting hard today. I don't know what it is. I'm still writing, sorry for the slow updates.

>>87727
it happens to the best of us, man.

“I'll get you access to the eighth floor,” you tell your compatriot.

“Really? Only the Archmage is allowed up there and I'm a lowly necromancer. Wouldn't that be against the rules?” she asks sarcastically.

You roll your eyes and set off towards Essentia's domain. You knock on the door to the seventh floor and a few seconds later she sticks her head out, still scantily dressed like yesterday. You don't think she's even really wearing clothes. They're more like repurposed vines. The scent of greenery wafting off of her is much more noticeable.

“Hello Alan. Are we ready to begin?” she asks, hope and determination in her voice.

“Not quite,” you admit, noting how her face deflates. “I was actually wondering if you could grant Quissonce access to the top floor to look for something that might help her cure Paul.”

“Oh yes,” Essentia nods. “I remember. The spellbook wasn't enough?” You nod. “Alright, well, if it's for a good cause.”

She steps out of her room and grabs a hold of your arm. Huh what's that tingly sensa –

Suddenly you're in front of Quissonce's room. With the Archmage. You feel a bit woozy and find yourself leaning against the wall to recover as Essentia knocks on the door. You hear Quissonce open it up but you're still a bit out of it to listen to their conversation. Whatever it ended up being about, you find yourself being grabbed again as that tingly sensation signaling you're about to teleport occurs once more.

The 8th floor would look rather mundane if it wasn't spinning. It simply seems to be rows and rows of unorganized magical crap that would make a detect magic spell fry out a caster's eyeballs. Horribly dangerous but you've come to expect that level of incompetence from this place.

Meanwhile, Quissonce has fallen down as the sense of vertigo hits her. Essentia looks between the two of you confused.

Quissonce manages to rise back to her feet with your help.

>Look for necromantic shit, get out as quickly as possible
>Explore a bit, maybe find something interesting
>Attempt to assimilate some of that teleportation magic Essentia just used
>Something else? (write-in)

>>87778
>>Explore a bit, maybe find something interesting

>>87778
>>Explore a bit, maybe find something interesting
so running on qst from now on?

>>87927
maybe, I decided to give it a shot since it's still around. Last thread got a fair amount of shitposters.

Writing!

>>87969
And by writing I mean roll me 3d100, best of 3

Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>87983

Rolled 30 (1d100)

>>87983

Rolled 88, 44, 9 = 141 (3d100)

>>87983

Rolled 2, 89 = 91 (2d100)

>>87994
whoops, forgot the other two.

Rolled 15, 73, 38 = 126 (3d100)

>>87983
Whoops, rerollin

Rolled 89, 32, 99 = 220 (3d100)

>>87969

File: 8th Floor.jpg (10 KB, 259x194)

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Once Quissonce finally regains her sense of balance, Essentia begins to lead her towards the section of storage where items associated with necromancy are stored.

You, on the other hand, decide to take some time perusing through the shelves and various knick knacks to look for something interesting or useful.

Most of the artifacts you stumble upon you either can't figure out their use or if you do seem to do some useless task that would never be helpful in your current duties.

You do however find a few hidden gems among the trash.

A pair of goggles with a transmutation aura that allow you to see in pitch dark. You quickly place them on your head and take advantage of their ability to make the rest of your search much easier in the dusty hall.

Your next find catches your eye just because of its significance back on the Mainland. A general's coat of a Cerilian military officer. You study it to determine if it's a fake but it seems genuine, shifting the woolen coat over in your hands inspecting it. It has a faint aura of enchantment upon it. When you put it on you feel like your ability to inspire and lead others comes much more naturally to you.

Your last discovery is a belt worked with images of stampeding horses. You can tell without even putting it on that this belt will enhance your equestrian skills.

You meet back up with Essentia and Quissonce, the latter of which is carrying a simple wooden box with the word NECROMANCY scrawled across it.

You ask Essentia if it's alright if you keep some of these magical artifacts. She definitely thinks you deserve a reward for saving her life, but tells you to take only one of them.

So which one do you like the most?

>The belt
>The coat
>The goggles

>>88465
>>The coat

>>88465
>>The coat
Night vision?
Can learn easily.
Equestrian skills?
We're already the best with Tornado.
Leadership can only be learned through time and trust.

>>88465
>The coat

Writing!

File: Resplendent Uniform.jpg (108 KB, 1155x1155)

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You choose the coat.

Not too long ago, getting to put one of these on was your dream in life. A station to aspire to. You make sure to take off the actual patches indicating rank that the wizard who enchanted the coat forgot to remove. You're not going to parade yourself as an actual general. You slip the coat on and feel its magics wash over you. You feel in charge, like you could command man the way you used to. But with none of the desperation or the need to bully and shout your men into position. By pure force of will and charisma people will heed your commands. It's a spiffy-looking coat as well.

You brace yourself for Essentia's teleportation spell and manage to convince Quissonce to let you hold the box of deadly, magical and probably evil necromantic artifacts in case she falls over again.

With one more tingling poof you're back in front of Quisssonce's door. To her credit she merely wobbles instead of falling over this time. Essentia takes her leave and Quissonce promises she'll be able to perform a ritual to undo the process by the end of tonight with your help.

Quissonce gives you a list of ingredients and tools she wants you to acquire to help smooth the process of what she believes will grant Paul his humanity. You find yourself zipping around town to pick up garlic, silver, iron, an onyx gemstone, chicken livers, a few poisons which Kyra happily provides you, a black rose, some grave dirt and a few other odds and ends that end up costing a fair bit more than a mere pittance.

You bring the objects with you to the Research Library where Paul sits dutifully in his cage, hope seemingly animating his posture.

Quissonce and Ed are already there and they begin crushing certain ingredients with a mortar and pestle while heating up a few others.

By the time they have the ritual ingredients properly placed in a circle around Paul, night has fallen over Seaside.

File: Paul.jpg (77 KB, 711x800)

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Quissonce gives Ed a sheet for him to chant along beside her. The chant is in Draconic and while they aren't formatted in the way of actual words and sentences, the sounds utilized are the ones that are associated most closely with death and decay.

Your armor begins to hum. Like it does when it is attempting to stop a burst of negative energy from sucking life out of you. That's what's going on, you soon realize. Ed and Quissonce are slowly changing their stores of magic into negative death energy and channeling it into the ritual circle that surrounds Paul.

As it all seeps into his form you see it begin to crackle a sickly green across his skin. He begins to laugh, almost hysterically.

“It's working,” he tells you all. “It's actually working! I can feel it. I'm growing stronger.”

He gets up and shakes his cage a bit with glee. “The death, it's leaving me.”

The sickly green crackle of energy bounds across his skin once more. You feel your stomach sink. You look to Quissonce and see her grimacing.

She knows it just as well as you. Whatever Quissonce thought this ritual did, it's certainly not bringing him back to life.

“HAHAHAHA, thank you so much!” he shouts, clapping his hands together. “You're fucking miracle workers.”

Ed gives Quissonce a sidelong glance. You watch as Paul's muscles begin to bulge in his arms and his ripped flesh begins to reknit itself.

Seems Paul is getting stronger by this spell. Maybe that's a good thing?

>Stop the ritual
>Let it play out

>>89269
>>Stop the ritual
NOPE.

>>89269
>>Stop the ritual

Writing!

>>89269
>Let it play out
Don't stop something that's only partway done.

>>89278
>>89291
Start thinking up how to explain to Paul that we failed to save him.

>>89909
>She knows it just as well as you. Whatever Quissonce thought this ritual did, it's certainly not bringing him back to life.

Nope. This screams bad to you.

You make your way over to Quissonce. She looks at you via her periphery vision and her eyes are full of panic as you grab her arm and jerk it out of position to stop the gestural component to the spell.

“Quissonce, stop!” you yell.

“No. Don't, what are you doing!” Paul screams. “IT'S WORKING!”

“No it isn't, Quissonce. You need to stop this.”

Ed's chanting becomes much less enthusiastic. Quissonce looks from you and then to Paul. She shuts her eyes and stops chanting. Ed immediately follows suit.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!” Paul's guttural shriek almost distracts you from the loud thrum of your mythral shirt as you taste the built up, backed up negative energy unable to complete its natural flow. You look to Paul and see him start to bulge as if he was a bloated corpse. He grows in size until his already stretched skin starts to tear and you can hear his brittle, undead bones begin cracking inside of him.

Ed rushes over to Quissonce who has already sunk to her knees and begun crying. The explosion nearly knocks you off your feet, but you manage to keep your balance as bits and pieces of Paul burst outwards and chunks of old gore splatter the room and your equipment.

You wipe blood and skin off your face, trying to see again while you attempt to register what has just happened.

Quissonce's sobs turn to apologies as you hope you haven't contracted some disease.

“I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought it would bring him back to life. The spell it said it . . . ambiguous, mentions of bringing an undead out of its sorry state I thought it had to be . . . SHIT!” Quissonce slams her fist on the floor. Ed takes out a handkerchief and tries to wipe some bits of Paul off of her.

You struggle for words. “Why did he –”

“It was too late. With nowhere for it to go the magic of the spell just overwhelmed him.” Quissonce admits.

“He was transforming,” Ed says. “Probably into something much worse. Something he wouldn't want to be.”

“I promised him I would save him! I should have waited. I should have made sure. Tested it on something else. This didn't need to – FUCK!”

>You did your best
>I'm sorry
>It's my fault
>This was probably never going to work
>He deserves a funeral
>Maybe death really is incurable
>Something else? (Write-in)

>>89950
>Maybe death really is incurable
>He deserves a funeral

>>89950
>>It's my fault
>He deserves a funeral

shit, we should have just let Quissonce take a week to study.

>>89950
>It's my fault
Should have waited and made sure of the ritual instead of going off half-cocked in the belief that quick action is better than double-checking.
>Something else?
>He deserves a funeral pyre
His flesh is too charged with necromantic energy. It's safer to make sure that everything is burned.

>>89950
>>Something else? (Write-in)
There's also the business of the cursed necklace. Make sure to isolate that immediately.

Writing!

>>89950
>I'm sorry
>It's my fault
>He deserves a funeral

I hate to say it, but maybe Quissonce really isn't ready for the position of Magister if she's willing to just round up high-powered artifacts and try out a risky ritual on a person without checking more thoroughly that it'll give the intended result.

Also this is a good lesson to the Arch-Mage; don't give in to Alan just because he helped you before. She should have asked what the ritual entailed, and asked for assurances that the ritual would have done as Quissonce thought it would.

>>90133
He should have let the ritual finish. instead of it possibly working by letting it finish, we almost guaranteed its failure by stopping it mid way.

>>90222
We may believe it, but the other voters don't agree.
Unless Trick flat out says it would have worked if we didn't stop it, the only way to get confirmation one way or the other is to research the spell that Quissonce was casting ourselves, or ask the Arch-Mage to look into it.

>>90280
It would have successfully done what it was doing, but that wouldn't have brought Paul back to life. It was transforming him to most likely a different yet stronger form of undead.

>>90309
>different yet stronger form of undead
And still left him with a chance to become a living being again.

Maybe it would have required a couple extra steps involving golems and Magic Jar's and Stone to Flesh spells, but still a chance.

File: Skull Necklace.jpg (30 KB, 600x429)

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“I'm sorry. This is my fault, I shouldn't have pushed you to do this so soon. We should have taken our time.”

Quissonce sits up and tries to smear blood off of her face with her sleeve. “No. I didn't feel pressured. I felt invincible. I was cocky and careless and practically skimmed that book. I decided to implement nasty evil shit as a substitute for taking time to be sure I had everything mastered methodically because how could I possibly fuck up? I'm a genius and an amazing wizard. So I treated trying to save a man's life like it was another chance to show how great I am. Azdor's right.”

“Don't say that,” Ed chides her. “Right now, let's focus on getting this place cleaned up.”

“I can handle that.” The three of you look to the source of the new voice. Gilda. She probably heard the explosion. Her hands are behind her back and she speaks in a solemn, but sympathetic tone. “If you mind lending me your decanter I can deal with the blood. Wouldn't be the first room I've had to clean up. I'm sorry this failed. Paul was a delightful man, despite his condition. I'll miss his company.”

“He deserves a funeral,” you state. “A pyre, a ceremony, a celebration. Something.”

“I'll inform Blackburn of the news. I'm sure he'll arrange something fitting for him,” Gilda assures you.

“What about that?” Quissonce asks, pointing towards where the skull necklace lays.

“I'll dispose of it,” Gilda answers after spotting the cursed object herself. “Pick it up with a tool of some sorts and then store it somewhere it can do no harm.”'

>Go to bed
>Say/do something else (write-in)

AND

For tomorrow

>Start Essentia's management training
>Go shopping
>Learn something (what?)
>Accept a new assignment from Blackburn
>Tactically coordinate with a teammate (Who?)
>Something else? (write-in)

>>90473
>>Go to bed
>Start Essentia's management training
>Tactically coordinate with a teammate (Dolah)
Kind of wanted to talk to her about Paul's death, too.

>>90473
>Say/do something else
Thank Gilda, Quissonce, and Ed for what they've tried.
Then go to the Church and pray for Paul's soul and apologize for failing him.

>Start Essentia's management training
We set her on keeping her position and trying to prevent more incidents like this from happening again. Time to put our money where our mouth took us.

Dinner break.

Not going out to eat.

But this will probably be a long voting period.

Alright, I'm back. Bit of a tie, but I think the next update won't upset anybody.

>>90473
>Go to bed
>>Start Essentia's management training

After cleaning yourselves and the room up, you thank your friends for trying their best to help Paul. Ed and Gilda accept your thanks but Quissonce still seems dejected.

Eventually you take your leave of them and find yourself wandering back towards THE FONT OF THE GREAT WILL'S MERCY. Or the CHURCH OF CALLOWAY as it has been renamed. Even at night there seem to be robed figures standing guard outside the door. They are simply armed and greet you pleasantly as you enter the church.

You make your way to the altar and kneel to pray. You pray that this true death has led Paul's soul somewhere better than the prison of flesh he was trapped in. You apologize for failing him tonight and apologize again for failing Calloway before him. You pray for the wisdom to make the right choices to save people in the future.

“A bit late in the evening to be praying,” a smooth, but cold voice comments from behind you.

You turn a bit to spot a long, white-haired man watching you. He stands rigidly in the middle of the chapel, amored up with a crossbow slung across his back.

“Something came up,” you respond, slight confusion and defensiveness creeping into your voice. “That gave me reason to come tonight.”

“A confession, is it?” he asks.

“None of your business,” you tell him.

“If you're talking to The Great Will then it is my business.”

>You have nothing to hide, tell him
>Tell him to piss off
>Something else? (write-in)

>>90955
>You have nothing to hide, tell him

>>90955
>>You have nothing to hide, tell him

Writing!

“If you must know, I lost a friend tonight,” you explain to the man.

“Did you kill him?” he asks nonchalantly, looking you up and down as he folds his arms. Your eyes narrow a bit. He seems to be studying you.

“No.”

“Then why is there blood on you.” He lazily points with a finger towards you. You look down and notice you missed a single splotch of blood on your nice, new coat. You grimace.

“I failed to save him.”

“Save him from what?”

“A spell.”

“Who casted the spell that killed your friend?”

“It's not the spell that killed him. The spell didn't go as planned.”

“Why didn't the spell go as planned?”

“Because I stopped it.”

“So you did kill your friend,” the man decides.

“I didn't know.”

“Not much of an excuse.”

“He was already dead before the spell was cast.”

“Then how could you fail to save your already dead friend?” The man chortles, like he think he's caught you in an idiotic lie.

“Because he wasn't all dead. If you've been here longer than two weeks you'd know that can happen.”

He frowns. You can tell he's angry about your last comment, like you think he's stupid. He approaches you. No weapons drawn, no combat stance. But you ready yourself all the same.

He points towards your hand. “Take that ring off.”

You look down at your ring. The ring of mental shielding. You instinctively clutch it. “Why?” you ask him.

“Take it off. Now.” The 'now' comes out harsh and through gritted teeth. That's a threat if you've ever heard one.

>Take the ring off
>Don't take the ring off
>Who the fuck are you?
>Call out for Dolah
>Something else? (write-in)

>>91205
>Who the fuck are you?
>Call out for Dolah
>Other
"Oh, is that it? You've got mind-reading powers, and not being able to read me bothers you? You think that because you can rummage through a person's memories, you can pass judgement on them without the need to understand context or the expertise of any of the magics involved?"

>>91205
>>Something else? (write-in)
"Not unless I get a compelling reason for why. Also, who are you and where's Dolah?

Writing!

>>91205
>Don't take the ring off
>Who the fuck are you?
>Call out for Dolah

File: Desden Grimwold.jpg (59 KB, 480x631)

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“Not unless I get a compelling reason for why,” you tell him.

“Because I told you.”

“And who the fuck are you?” You stand to face him. “Where's Dolah? Is she in? Dolah!” you shout towards her room, around him. He steps to the side to continue blocking you off.

“Take off the ring. Last time I'm asking.”

You chuckle. “Why? You've got mind-reading powers?”

“No. Better. Soul reading.”

Soul reading? You hold up your ring finger. “So not being able to read me bothers you? You just have the right to rummage through my 'soul' and pass judgment on whatever it is you find.”

“As the Lord intends.”

“Well I'm not taking it off.”

“I guess I am then.”

“DESDEN!” Dolah shouts as she comes into the room through the front entrance to the church. The man flinches. “What's going on?”

He turns towards Dolah. “This man entered the chapel. I can't read him, he claims a man died tonight and he's covered in blood.”

“I'm not covered in blood,” you say in exasperation.

“You were,” he snaps. “You washed yourself within the last thirty minutes. Face hair and clothes.”

“Desden,” Dolah starts. “Even if Alan had just killed someone in cold blood you're standing next to the man with nothing but a crossbow. If you're going to be an asshole at least don't be a stupid one. He'd gut you before you could react.”

Desden gulps. “Alan. Alan Rodain?”

Dolah sighs. “Calloway's apprentice. Acolyte of the Church. Another conduit of The Great Will's power. Savior of Seaside. Slayer of Devils. Yes, that Alan.”

Desden bows to you, apologizing and then backs away. Dolah cuffs him over the head as he retreats out of the church.

“So, who died?” she asks seriously, folding her arms.

“Paul,” you tell her. It takes her a second to recall who Paul is, but when she does she looks down and sighs.

“What happened?”

“Tried to bring him back to life. Ritual wasn't what we thought it was. I stopped it. He exploded.”

“Oh. I'm . . . sorry to hear that, Alan. Truly. I know how much you and Quissonce cared about saving him.”

>I think you should talk to Quissonce about it
>So who is that little shit?
>You were right
>Was I stupid for trying?
>Good night Dolah
>Something else? (write-in)

>>91547
>>>I think you should talk to Quissonce about it
>>You were right
>>Was I stupid for trying?

>>91547
>>I think you should talk to Quissonce about it
>Was I stupid for trying?

>>91547
>So who is that little shit?
I don't think Quissonce wants religion telling her that Paul couldn't have been saved.

>>91560
supporting.

>>91560
How was Dolah right?
You agree with her that we shouldn't have even attempted to save Paul?
So people with little chance to live should just give up instead of fighting for a small chance of magic being able to provide a means to survive?

Writing!

>>91639
I ask you the same question: you think we should have just killed Paul when he was first infected instead of trying to help him, when he still retained his full self-control and personality?

>>91649
Are we really saying that Dolah was right and we shouldn't have tried to help Paul?
Really?

>>91662
It would have saved us time, effort and grief. But that would be in hindsight.

Yes to saving him, but that would be my answer before shtf with demons and necromancer wizards turning on the town. At that point I would have said no.

>>91705
How is the town being attacked change whether we should help a man who wants to be cured of a magical disease?
Why does demons and evil wizards attacking change our position from helping him to killing him?
Especially since helping him had absolutely no downsides during the attack, and actually had the upside of getting a cursed item away from us and Quissonce?

>>91705
And it only would have saved us time, effort, and grief because we chose to rush headlong into trying dangerous rituals; if we had been more careful, Paul wouldn't have exploded and there would still be a chance to bring him back to life.

Your argument is that because we made a mistake that ended the attempt in failure, we should have never tried in the first place, and going forward we should never try.

>>91791
>Not our position.
It becomes our position because you supported telling Dolah she was right.
The thing she was right about being, we shouldn't have bothered to help out Paul and should have killed him immediately.

We weren't going to be helping him during the attack, that option never came up.
This conversation we're having with Dolah and the options we were given concern our decision to try to help Paul in the first place.

>>91718
>How is the town being attacked change whether we should help a man who wants to be cured of a magical disease?
>Why does demons and evil wizards attacking change our position from helping him to killing him?
>Especially since helping him had absolutely no downsides during the attack, and actually had the upside of getting a cursed item away from us and Quissonce?
I would have went from choosing to not save him, and end it because of the risk and dangers involved became more than what I felt was worth the risk.
Aside from a battle going on in which we played an important part defending the town. Everyone who studied necromancy and demonology got corrupted and turned on us. Not a single wizard or sorcerer stayed good.

>>91729
>Your argument is that because we made a mistake that ended the attempt in failure, we should have never tried in the first place, and going forward we should never try.
Not at all. I was commenting that we should not have stopped the ritual mid way, and seen it to the end. If it made Paul worse and more evil, we could have just put down the threat and end it once and for all

I messed up my first post.

>>91848
>Not a single wizard or sorcerer stayed good.

Some did. They just got horribly murdered.

>>91818
I thought it meant he would say she was right that we shouldn't have tried messing with necromancy evil stuff and trying to bring back things that were beyond us by playing god or interfering with the great wills way or something. I saw it more of a option for self reflection on our actions. I suppose I should have done a write in on that instead of picking that option flat out.

>>91866
Devils in the details huh?
And your in cahoots with them!

>>91868
>I thought it meant he would say she was right that we shouldn't have tried messing with necromancy evil stuff and trying to bring back things that were beyond us by playing god or interfering with the great wills way or something.
Well it didn't, and Dolah wasn't even talking about us playing god, but more that the undead aren't worth saving.
And since our choices affect Alan's character, your vote has made him move towards the view that undead should be destroyed outright instead of making an attempt even if they're still obviously trying to heal themselves of their affliction.

>>91909
>Dolah wasn't even talking about us playing god
No but the sentiment was there, and thats what I was getting at. I should have put it in "quotation marks" for you.

>your vote has made him move towards the view that undead should be destroyed outright instead of making an attempt even if they're still obviously trying to heal themselves of their affliction.
There is no way I can think if to respond to this positively.

“Was I stupid for trying?” you ask Dolah. You guess you're still searching for guidance. She sighs and sits down in one of the pews, folding her hands together and thinking. You sit down across from her.

“Was the ritual necromancy?” she asks, plainly. You nod your head. “Well, I think that was a misstep. But no. I don't think you were stupid for trying to save Paul. I still believe there's no cure for death, no matter what form death takes. But you and Quissonce thought there was chance and maybe you still do. From that point of view, I think what you did was admirable. You were attempting to do right by someone. I'd say that's a good thing.”

The two of you sit together in silence for a few moments. You think about the events of the past two weeks and your times spent with Paul. Your mind races until you eventually have to voice what you're thinking.

“You were right,” you tell Dolah plainly. “We should have put him down right there in the cemetery. All we did was extend how much pain he experienced. He saw his town get raided, experienced his last friend's death and was locked in a cage, starving until he blew up. We made his life worse.”

“I . . . don't know if I'd be so quick to say that. All people suffer more the longer they live. No matter who you save eventually that person will die. To say kindness done for the sake of kindness is worthless because the end result is the same is not a belief I think anyone should hold."

"You were unconscious and dying for the return trip from that temple, but the rest of us were able to see Paul and how he acted. I know I was watching him like a hawk for any sign of treachery or predilections to consume the flesh of his saviors. And beyond the pallid skin and the aura of evil I saw a man who had been granted something at a time when he believed everything good in his life had left him. He had hope. You may see this death as meaningless or worthless, but do you truly believe being cut down in an evil land surrounded by monsters, scared and alone would be preferable?”

“No,” you respond.

“He had a chance to talk to people again. Be with friends. To know that he was cared for and that his life was important to others. I think his life was made immeasurably better by your kindness. Even if this was the only way this could have possibly ended, I believe I was wrong. You and Quissonce were right.”

Silence overwhelms the two of you again. And you reflect on Dolah's words. You laugh to yourself, quite loudly.

“What?” Dolah asks.

“Things turn out exactly the way you say they will and you're the one conceding?”

She shrugs.

You regard her honestly. “I think you should talk to Quissonce about what you've said to me. I know she'd appreciate it. Although, I have a strong suspicion you're just saying these things to make me feel better.”

“Alan!” Dolah replies in an offended tone. “If I was doing that then I would be lying. And if I'm lying, The Great Will can strike me down.” She looks up to the ceiling and raises her hands. You watch her for a moment. She sits absolutely still for a few seconds and then looks back to you, chuckling. “See?”

You frown at her.


“You can't get struck by lightning inside a building, dumbass.”

>End of Thread
I will most likely run this next time on Saturday. https://twitter.com/TrickQM

>>91969
thanks for running, merciful Trick.

>>91958
>“You were right,” you tell Dolah plainly. “We should have put him down right there in the cemetery.
And yet, it is exactly the change in thinking that I said would happen because of the option you chose.

And at the same time your choice gets repudiated by the very person who it referenced.

>>91969
Thanks for making Alan reconsider the position that the undead should just be destroyed rather than attempt to save them.

>>91969
Has Eve picked out a familiar yet?

Now that Dart is back in town , has there been a string of mysterious murders that everyone knows is actually Dart performing some extra-judicial executions?

And how smug is Azdor right now?

>>92006
Holy shit, would you please stop? I picked an option you disliked and don't agree with get over it. The pc doesn't have to be played only to your satisfaction.

>And at the same time your choice gets repudiated by the very person who it referenced.
What that not all the wizards turned out to be evil afterwards? What does that prove if that information was not available beforehand?

Fucking hell

>>92059
>I picked an option you disliked and don't agree with get over it. The pc doesn't have to be played only to your satisfaction.
No, Alan doesn't, but the point is that you picked a choice and you were wrong about what it meant and it's implications. Not that it was a bad choice, but that you didn't know what the choices actually meant.

>What that not all the wizards turned out to be evil afterwards? What does that prove if that information was not available beforehand?
No, that Dolah conceded she was wrong to push for immediately destroying Paul, the position that the option you chose to vote for said was right.
This has nothing to do with the wizards and sorcerers who followed Steven and the ones who refused to serve him.

>>92052
Eve doesn't seem to want a familiar.

Hilariously enough, Dart's only been back in town two and a half days. A little less actually. Thankfully we'll be chewing through much larger chunks of in-game time next thread.

Azdor, when and if he learns of this event, will contract a case of I-told-you-so's. Prognosis: Terminal.

>>92092
>No, Alan doesn't, but the point is that you picked a choice and you were wrong about what it meant and it's implications. Not that it was a bad choice, but that you didn't know what the choices actually meant.
That we should have killed Paul in hindsight? I already said that we should have killed him here >>91705. But not at first when we found him as undead. But when the attack came, when the majority of the wizards at the tower turned on us. When it seemed we were in over our heads messing around with dark magic stuff. It was then that was for killing him, both either when in reflecting on when we ran into him and saw that he wasn't all mindless flesh eatting zombie, and also at that current point forward in the story.
Unless-
You are nitpicking over the ">You were right" part. If so you either misunderstand or your doing this on purpose. It may not have been written or said the way I envisioned it, or thought it would have been phrased but I wanted to picking it. And your saying I'm technically wrong because the options I choose wasn't %100 what you'd expect like in a multi-dialogue game by bioware is just you looking like you want to argue or vent over the choices made.

>No, that Dolah conceded she was wrong to push for immediately destroying Paul, the position that the option you chose to vote for said was right.
So your saying that the players are wrong for picking an option that the npc/qm later backtracked its comment on? Why are you even arguing this part? There is no right or wrong choice at the time, just character and preference. It might make some of the decisions made be seen differently but that's like saying "I told you so!" or "I knew it!" without actually doing anything to argue against it until after it happened. At this point you come off as upset because you didn't entirely get you way and want to be confrontational to anyone who will respond. Actually, you did get your way when you complained about it and trick changed it slightly just for you.

I hope no one thought that I was going back on committing to the option I offered. The
>you were right
was always intended to be a moment of Alan questioning his actions in regards to Paul only to receive Dolah's interpretation.

If anyone did vote for

>you were right

with the intention to truly have Alan change his mind then I apologize for misleading you or making it seem like I'm railroading you.

>>101143
was always intended to be a moment of Alan questioning his actions in regards to Paul only to receive Dolah's interpretation.
That is fine? I'd be worried if it made Alan start praying 3 times a day facing east.

>with the intention to truly have Alan change his mind then I apologize for misleading you or making it seem like I'm railroading you.
never really got that from you. I think we/I just had a harsh disagreement between players. I suppose I should have never responded to him to avoid all this, so sorry about that.

>>101175
Maybe if you didn't bring in making a choice about whether to help Paul or not in the middle of the fight for the town, which had nothing to do with Alan questioning whether he should have helped Paul at all, things would have been better.
Since the original "You were right" was referencing Dolah telling Alan to kill Paul when they first found him, and not about anything afterwards.

But since you did bring in the battle for the town, and we have Dolah conceding that helping Paul was the right choice, if we had come upon someone who was turned into a ghoul during the battle and who retained their memories and personality, helping them instead of outright killing them would have been the right choice, too.

And from a pragmatic view, if they wanted to surrender, it's wasteful of time and stamina to fight them instead of fighting the other belligerents.

>>102108
We should have killed Paul. Deal with it.

>>104086
We didn't, the paladin in the group says we shouldn't have, and Alan's given alignment indicates we won't in similar future situations, so you deal with it.

>>104340
I'm not the one with the problem that I need to shout at other players for making a choice they liked. You can't change what I pick nor will i try to change what you pick. I fine with everything you're not.

>>104362
You're fine with being wrong, choosing options that are different from what you actually intended, and being unable to stick within the constraints of an argument.

I don't need or even care to try to change your mind.
This is simply to illustrate to everyone else the shortcomings of your choices and why they should not agree with your votes.

>>104387
I'm not wrong, you just can't accept that you didn't' get your way and can't stop complaining about it. And call anyone who doesn't agree with why you didn't get your way wrong.

>>104497
But you are wrong, on pretty much everything.

The option "You were right" wasn't referencing Dolah telling us that we shouldn't "play god" but that the undead should be destroyed on sight.

And you want to kill Paul, in the middle of the battle for the town, when he was the one who protected Gilda and defended the Research Library until we arrived?
I think the other players would agree that's pretty asshole behavior.

And of course, the fact that not all wizards who studied necromancy and/or demonology allied with Stephen.

>>104680
You are wrong on everything you read.
I was saying that we should have killed him after the events at the tower and town when we had the chance when we ran into him as a ghoul in HINDSIGHT. It was a reflection on what we should have done instead of what we did. I was not at that point saying kill Paul right now during this battle, or afterwards but reflecting that we should have in the first place.

But since we were already past that point there would be no point in doing so unless the ritual failed, which did because we stopped it instead of seeing it to finish.

You are arguing over your own stupid shit that you started by asking: >>91643
>How was Dolah right?
>You agree with her that we shouldn't have even attempted to save Paul?

Then you asked me here >>91662
I responded here
>>91705
See here how I said initially yes at first, but changed my mind about it later and choose:
>>You were right
>>91547
Which was Alan In the church reflecting and talking about what happened. So saying you were right to Dolah was for him to reflect and think no in hindsight we shouldn't have done all this.

>>91961
>>91969
Even the posts here doesn't show Alan going Oh we should kill paul at the tower or during the battle, even tho the selected options here >>91560 & >>91639 were the winners

Do you not know what the word hindsight means? I've said that like 5 times.

>"play god"
>>91958

Asshole behavior is only from you yelling at players who choose differently from you.

>>104793
Except that even in hindsight we shouldn't have killed Paul in the first place because, as Dolah pointed out, we should have done all this and that not having done it would have been the wrong thing to do.

So your hindsight is considered wrong by the other characters and by the main character.

>You are arguing over your own stupid shit that you started by asking
That's because that is the argument being made, even by your own admission, that we should not have attempted to help Paul when we first met him as a ghoul.
You said so yourself, that we should have killed him then.

>I was saying that we should have killed him after the events at the tower and town when we had the chance when we ran into him as a ghoul in HINDSIGHT.
And nothing in the situation about the town or Paul's condition changed with the attack.

Hmmm, I've sort of lost track of the argument but I hope I can provide some clarification as I'm not sure the options I provided were clear at the time I offered them.

So, back when the group first found Paul, Dolah believed it was too late and the only thing that could be done was to put him out of his misery. A mercy killing.

Quissonce and Alan believed there was a possibility of curing his affliction and thus they should attempt to save him.

>Was I stupid for trying?

is actually the option that is about Alan questioning whether the concept of finding a cure for undeath as a whole was a bad move. Stupid sort of means naive and incorrect in this context. That's the more ideological option and as such Dolah's response was not conclusive. She believes it's a futile endeavor but acknowledges that you did not and maybe still don't.

>You were right

Is more of a hindsight comment about how because of the way things turned out the best action would have been to kill Paul in the graveyard like Dolah wanted. Regardless of whether undeath is curable or not, the way the cards fell made it seem to Alan (if this option was chosen) that in this particular case Dolah made the right call.

Which I intended from the moment I offered it to be rebuked by Dolah. That may seem a bit railroady if you believed she was going to agree with your choice in that moment, but I figured since y'all made the decision earlier on in the quest to save Paul that it was more important to demonstrate the effect that decision had on another character's belief system rather than have an NPC tell you you fucked up.

>>104867
>So your hindsight is considered wrong by the other characters and by the main character.
No only by you. She didn't want us to use necromancy and was against the whole thing in the first place. She says we were not wrong in our intentions for trying to save someone but was still against the whole thing, see:

>“Was I stupid for trying?
>I don't think you were stupid for trying to save Paul.
Saving someone. She felt that, that was a noble intention.

>“Was the ritual necromancy?” she asks, plainly. You nod your head. “Well, I think that was a misstep. But no. I don't think you were stupid for trying to save Paul. I still believe there's no cure for death, no matter what form death takes.
Against the ritual and trying to cure paul since hes dead. (this is in the realm of what the gods handle or deal in, so to go against this is like going against the great wills, will or somemthing, see here>>91868)

>But you and Quissonce thought there was chance and maybe you still do. From that point of view, I think what you did was admirable. You were attempting to do right by someone. I'd say that's a good thing.”
She was not against the principle of trying to save someone, she thought that dispite the fact the she didn't think we should go through with it. We where acting from a good moral place.

>That's because that is the argument being made,
Over nothing at this point. You're not happy with the answer you were given and you won't stop untill you get one that aligns with what you want. There is no argument.

>even by your own admission, that we should not have attempted to help Paul when we first met him as a ghoul.
After later events which changed the situation. What part do you not get?

>You said so yourself, that we should have killed him then.
Yes, after. When my opinion to do so and was changed from helping him, "to this is not worth the trouble or risks". I explained it serveral times already. You're just refuse to take it into account.

>And nothing in the situation about the town or Paul's condition changed with the attack.
It wasn't about Pauls condition. It was what seemed like everyone who tried to learn necromancy, or demonology turned evil and tried to kill us. But keep thinking that, since you don't actually care about why, but only how others are wrong because you can only be right.

You don't even care at this point about >>91643, you just want to keep arguing. I'm done with you.

>>105247
Forgot to click auto-updater before posting....

Hmm, well thanks for clarifying. But I'm fairly sure this isn't about what you said but what I choose and how someone else thinks I shouldn't have chosen it and and wrong for picking it. Even if I went back in time and had a chance to re-vote, I would still pick the same choices.

>>105247
Clarifying isn't going to help, though, because >>105291
still believes that we should have killed Paul, and that we shouldn't help people who don't have much of a chance.

>It was what seemed like everyone who tried to learn necromancy, or demonology turned evil and tried to kill us.
Which wasn't true, which Trick corrected.
Sure, base your decisions on wrong assumptions, but you'll still get called out on them.