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>>2229871
"Do we have a plan?" Vickie calls from ahead.

"Not fighting a Stranger in the Hedge sounds like a good first step," you answer back. "I'm stronger on Earth! I need glass!"

"Works for me!"

The sky pours, turning the hard-packed dirt of the paths into star-slick mud. The patter of the bleeding sky has become a thick, cloying rain that clings to your hair and face and soaks into your clothes.

Behind, you can hear the foundering steed of the dullahan, the lash of his whip as he tries to drive it.

And the cold, cruel voice of the Lady: "That is twice you have failed me. There will not be a third."

There is a sound, a pouring and a draining all at once. You steal a look over your shoulder and see a wall of water racing at you, sloshing and frothing, with the Lady's slim face suspended inside of it. She laughs, sure in her triumph -

She recoils at the crack of a gunshot. You've entered the sightline of the Hollow.

"Iron shot!" you call. "Iron, use iron!"

"Coward!" the Fae screeches. "Stand and fight, false Knight! I demand that you stand and fight!"

The guards posted in the Hollow come back to the murder holes cut in the outside wall. The Lady of the Lake screams in impotent fury and retreats, pouring herself back up the path. The third opens the door, long enough for all of you to go pouring in.

The Rook resumes his usual form the moment the door shuts. He falls to his knees in agony, hacking and coughing. Soon the Wizened is clutching his stomach. Vickie reaches for him and manages to pull his hair away from his face before he vomits onto the clean floor of the Hollow and collapses, unconscious.

You can hear a gentle singing coming from somewhere nearby. On your person, maybe?

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>>2229921
Vickie is kneeling down near the Rook, checking his vitals, turning him into his side and dragging him away from the vomit on the floor. Forum shakes in the corner, eyes on the door, the looming Troll looking smaller and more vulnerable than most Wizened you know.

Where is that singing coming from?

You hold up your gloved hand, slathered in a thick layer of pinkish, syrupy blood, and realize that's where the song is from. The hot liquid that's coated your body, thick with glimmering light, is emitting a faint choral music, ethereal and pleasant. It almost reminds you of a hymn.

A thick dollop of the starry substance drips from the tip of your finger.

> Taste the blood
> Do not

>>2229930
> Do not
Do not put strange hedge substances of unknown provenance in your mouth.

>>2229930
>> Do not

>>2229930
>Do not
Why was eating it your first idea Colours? What the fuck?
We could probably bottle some though.

>>2229930
> Taste the FUCK NO.

Bottling some sounds reasonable though.

Also bring it up with our Coterie so they know this blood is fucky

>>2229930
>Taste the Blood

It's the Blood of a Constellation.

>>2230508
Starry Starry Knight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dipFMJckZOM

>>2230288
> Why was eating it your first idea Colours? What the fuck?
Who knows what lurks in the minds of elementals.

>>2230560
> Who know what lurks in the minds of Changelings

Fixed that one for ya.

Update should in theory happen after work, if what happened last night doesn't happen again (to wit, suddenly working a 12 hour shift because two people called off).

>>2229930
>Bottle it

>>2230673
With what bottle?

>>2230709
I'm sure that we have something- a water skin or something

> Taste the blood

Why not? Tell us what the stars tell you, Colors.

Looks like our winner is DO NOT. Writing.

>>2229930
>> Taste the blood

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>>2229930
The singing isn't reassuring, and it isn't threatening. It comes out from the blood like the sparkling light does, all glittering attraction and sparkles in your ears. For a moment, you wonder what it might taste like, what the flesh of the star-beasts might be like.

Then your sanity comes back from its coffee break. You fling the blood off of your hands and onto the floor, then rush over to the Rook's side.

"He's alive," Vickie says in a low voice. "Help me get him up on that table."

"Someone needs to get Knuckles and backup," one of the sentries says. Forum immediately gets up and leaves while the leaving is good. You take the upper part of the Rook while Vickie picks up his legs.

It's like picking up a child. He weighs almost nothing. When you set him on the table he groans in unconscious fear and curls up on his side to huddle in a small ball.

"He better not die." The look you get from Vickie isn't angry, exactly, but it's hard.

"He's tough. He's been through worse."

"Are you fuckin' sure about that one?"

The Rook coughs and hacks; his eye flutters open, showing a garbled feed that slowly resolves into him looking at you. He sets his palm against the table to try and get up, only to have his wrist twisted by Vickie.

"Stay down," the Darkling murmurs. "Just...stay down for once, alright?"

Reinforcements race past the three of you. Forum slips into the room again, more composed but staying far away from the door.

"Do you have the hooves?" the Rook croaks.

"I do," you answer.

"I'll can explain later," the onetime Prince of Autumn manages. "...Good job. It could have been worse."

The Rook closes his eye and falls into an easier sleep; his ragged breathing is, if not okay, at least regular. Vickie sighs in relief.

"You two are gonna be the death of me," your Darkling friend says. "I want my tombstone to say 'Vickie Reeds: died of heart complications unlike any other Lost ever'."

"Get in line," Forum says from his spot near the door. "I can see a long tunnel, with a bright light at the end."

"I need to work," you say after a dazed moment. "I need...I need to finish this before we leave the Hedge."

Hedgespinning isn't exactly like making something. It's more work and less work all at the same time. You have sand and matches, the hooves of the kelpies and a certain unavoidable amount of starry blood, along with a very carefully acquired email, sent from a starstruck young man to what he thought was his online girlfriend. Forum had been helpful for that one.

On the one hand, you're putting most of these things in a pile and squeezing them together. On the other hand, you're flexing your Wyrd, drawing them together, trying to persuade the Hedge to hold up its end of pacts that make the impossible possible.

It's a bitch, but it gets done. You are left with a small glass jewel, suspended in a delicate, airy web of silver. You turn it over in your hand and slump against the table.

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>>2233094
"We waiting for reinforcements from Summer?" Vickie asks after a long while.

"Oh yeah," Forum says from his spot in the corner; he sits propped against the wall. "The Lady, out here? If she hasn't run already she's about to have some serious regrets."

It's dawn by the time you're done waiting, giving your reports, and permitted to leave the Hollow. The Rook is ambulatory, though he leans heavily on you. He insists that the two of you go find the Magpie now and turn over her prize.

"You shouldn't be alone tonight," the Wizened rasps. "Or today, for that matter. I have a futon, and...something to offer. If you are willing to rest under my roof."

"Does it have to do with what just happened?" you ask.

"It has to do with Raven's belief about me and the throne," the Rook corrects. He coughs and spits, with a harsh grimace. "...I have suspicions about how that conversation went."

"You don't have to prove anything to me," you begin, only to stop when the Rook shakes his head.

"Don't lie to yourself, Colors. I have everything to prove. Why should I suddenly expect you to believe in me when no one else does? Why should you?" The Rook stops in the fog and hacks a deep cough. "...Something feels stuck. It's going to be like this all day," he manages, his voice bitter. "...Please. Accept my hospitality."

> Take the Rook up on his offer
> Go home to rest after you talk to Maggie instead
> Go elsewhere after you talk to Maggie (where?)

>>2233106
>> Take the Rook up on his offer

>>2233106
>> Take the Rook up on his offer

>>2233106
> Go elsewhere after you talk to Maggie (where?)
Our house! Also, let's just remember that the rook is by nature a liar and manipulator.

>>2233106
>> Take the Rook up on his offer
Denying an offer of hospitality wouldn't exactly be the height of conduct.
Besides, we can keep an eye on him - seems like he might need it, and we're kinda responsible for that.

Oh, this is unrelated but are you gonna post the npc compendium?

>>2233106
> Take the Rook up on his offer
This is totally some sort of trap/plot/manipulation/whatever, but lets do it anyway.

>>2233417
The still half-assed compendium in question is on Colors' sheet if you scroll down, along with a partial glossary of some slang terms. One of these days I'll sit down with a shitload of caffeine and finish it out.

> Take the Rook up on his offer

>>2233421
What if it's not? The Rook might have learned from his mistake.

>>2234599
> The Rook might have learned from his mistake.
So far he hasn't inspired a lot of confidence in that regard.

Either way, I still say accept. If it's not a scheme, then I'll be pleasantly surprised. And if it is, well then it's just what was expected.

>>2233106

>Take the Rook up on his offer

>>2233106
> Take the Rook up on his offer

> Why should I suddenly expect you to believe in me when no one else does? Why should you?

Just because you don't believe in yourself doesn't mean we don't. Maybe trust us at our word when we say personal things.

>>2233106
> Take the Rook up on his offer

I mean. It's not like we're "suddenly" believing in him. His been pretty solid and consistent about his goals and position on things.

Honestly it sounds more like he's trying to prove something to himself than anyone else.

Aight, so: will update tonight after work. It'll technically be tomorrow morning.

>>2235688
Pushing this back to after I've had some actual sleep, but I've got two days off in a row so there should be some actual semi-frequent posting.

Fuckin' kill me.

>>2237327
>Fuckin' kill me.
And here I (and probably we all) thought you were doing a perfectly adequately job of that all by yourself.

Called, writing.

>>2237327
>>2237974
Don't forget, you're here forever.

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>>2233106
You sigh, after a moment. "Alright. But we gotta talk about this whole...being down on yourself thing."

"That what you did with Vickie?" the Wizened asks, his tone biting.

"Yeah."

"...I walked into that one." The Rook rumbles a cough on purpose, hacking his breath around the lump in his throat. "I hate this fog so much," he complains, his voice scratchy.

"Yeah, I can see why you might," you agree. "...C'mon, let's find Maggie. Think she'll be at that bar from before?"

She is indeed at that bar from before. The Magpie nurses a glass of clear liquid you can smell from here. There's a dour expression on her face, but she brightens when she sees the two of you. "Warlock Knight! To what does old Maggie owe the dubious honor of your presence?"

You produce your handiwork, holding it out for the Magpie of the Old Docks to see. She sucks in an interested breath, her green eyes flickering pearly white. You approach, offering the jewel out, and the old Satrap takes it with a delicate touch.

"It is very pretty," the Magpie murmurs. "I am willing to hold your oath fulfilled, Warlock Knight."

"It has been my honor," you agree, formally. The two of you shake hands, Maggie's eyes still on her glimmering treasure. "I'm afraid that I must take my leave now..."

"Hold." Maggie sets the jewel down, next to her glass, and takes a long drink of the clear liquid. "I've Satrap business with you, Warlock Knight. Tell me about Erin Peters. Why did she break with the Satrapy?"

"Why not ask her yourself?" the Rook rasps.

"I'm asking the Warlock Knight, fallen prince. Buzz off." Maggie swirls her glass and looks expectantly at you. "I can pays for the information. You know I can."

> Defend Erin's decision
> Condemn it
> Refuse to say; it's not your place
> Write-in?

>>2238495
I notice that none of the options are just to give her the facts

>>2238590
That's certainly a write-in option. It's also a rather Summer approach to the problem.

And I'm fishing for opinions I can use to further characterize your damn MC FFS

>>2238495
>> Defend Erin's decision

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>>2238495
I guess I'm somewhere between
> Defend Erin's decision
and
> Refuse to say; it's not your place
It was her call, she thought about it (apparently for a while given that she had that blindfold ready to go), made it, and is rolling with it. And really she's the only one who gets to make that kind of call about her life. This is her new beginning, and Colors can respect that desire. If Maggie wants to gossip about that herself, fine, nothing we can do about that, but I don't think Colors should second guess Erin's reasons in front of just anyone.

It wouldn't be the knightly thing to do.

>>2238495
> Write-in?
Negotiate a deal before saying anything.

>>2238495
> Refuse to say; it's not your place

Eric is no longer a Satrap, so she doesn't have to sell that information even if you can buy it. It's not mine to sell in her place after she sacrificed so much to have the choice about it

>>2239014
>>2238599
Combine with this. Tell Maggie that if she wants to pay for it we can give her our opinion on it, then tell her >>2238691.

>>2238495
>> Defend Erin's decision

>>2239025
Even better version of the original, I love it. "Lets haggle for MY HONEST OPINION."
... and then give her HONEST OPINION.

>>2238691
This pic kills me every fucking time.

Gonna call at 10 PM EST.

Okay, called. IF I am reading this right, the general vote is to haggle, then say something along these lines here >>2238691

I'm gonna go make some coffee. Y'all have until the coffee is done to correct me if this impression is incorrect.

>>2239306
I'm not sure
>>2238691
is what we want to say
i thought if we haggle for the honest opinion we would tell her what we really thought, not couched in support or criticism

>>2239377
There's a difference between "just the facts" and "your opinion". Which is sorta the point of the vote. Y'all chose a Spring Courtier, someone asked and expected to live passionately. If it's your feeling that you don't wanna get involved, then say that, but this "which one's the neutral option" thing is fucking baffling to me, gonna be straight up.

>>2239404
Well does she want the facts or our opinion? because it doesn't seem like she asked for our opinion

>>2239404
>>2239414
if it helps, i would go with defend over what was written in >>2238691
since it has the most votes

>>2239404
>>2239414

Well our opinion is what is for sale, and what she's gonna get is that Erin is our friend and we don't talk behind our friends back.

So yes.

>>2238495
Do this >>2239025

>>2238691
>>2239025
>>2239060

And me >>2239419


So it looks like the majority vote is to haggle for our honest opinion then give her our opinion that we support Erin and it's her personal business that we aren't going to be dragging it out for gossip.

Forsworn Bros 4 LYFE.

>>2239419
>>2239424
c'mon guys, the gm just asked "ARE YOU REALLY SURE YOU WANT TO DO THAT?"

we should write a different response, the current one is

>Pay me to give you my opinion
>My opinion is fuck you for asking me

>>2239404
I support playing the game. Haggling with her for our opinion then giving it is both a fair trade and a funny one. I don't think Maeve will even be upset, because instead of learning about Erin she'll learn about us.

So I support this.

>>2239439
WELCOME TO THE FAE MOTHERFUCKER.

Seriously this is a character development thing. It's not like we're going to overcharge her.

It'll be fun.

>>2239439
More "ARE YOU SURE YOU DON'T WANNA LIVE A LITTLE" than anything. It's Spring. If you want to be Winter, lemme know.

Writing.

>>2239424
>>2239419
>>2239440

Fuck it, I'll write up a different haggling response because the one you guys are all voting for doesn't make any sense given the context

>I feel like Erin made what she thinks is the right decision for herself. She's paid her debt to the community, so to speak, and no longer wants to defined by it, or her life as a member of the satrapy of pearls.
> Her desire for freedom outweighs even a fairly crippling self inflicted injury. In my opinion? I think she gave up a lot to get a little. Unless of course there were certain things about her pledge that I'm not privy too.

>>2239452
Just chill dude.

>>2239450
Is that an option? Because I could go for that.

>>2239461
As I said at the start of the quest, nothing is locked in. You don't HAVE to stay in Spring. Colors has a strong connection (embodied in her Mantle), but as you've noticed she struggles with the culture of Spring and with confronting her roots in Summer. It's not unheard of for Lost of changing hearts to try different Courts in the hopes that they can become someone who feels safe, or happy, or even just okay.

It's not something I'd suggest you take lightly, but it's on the table. Quite a bit is on the table. It's just...

Here, and before in the trial, with opportunities to help define what Colors believes or thinks, you folks have bent in a "why do I have to choose" direction. And aside from not being very Spring-y, it's honestly not just very dynamic. You're the main character of this quest. I'm honestly confused as to why you run up to these moments and then chicken out.

And now I have no idea how to make sense of this fucking vote any more, so, ONE MORE TIME

WITH HAGGLING LOCKED IN

> Defend Erin's decision
> "It's Erin's personal business"
> Condemn Erin's decision

I'ma leave this on the table until midnight. My apologies for my confusion and frustration here, I'm still recovering from Fucking December.

>>2239534
>> Defend Erin's decision

>>2239534
>> Defend Erin's decision

I hate it when we get caught up on dumb stuff. Just vote with your heart anons, be spring

>>2239534
> Defend Erin's decision
After Color's experiences in the Hound Tribunal, I think she'd know full well that there are some things in your life that you should reject because they're straight up poison. Something that made sense at the time might be a stupid thing now, or it might just never have been the right call to begin with.

A group for whom being a privateer is a-okay isn't a group that you should stay with if you want to turn your life around and leave privateering behind. The fact that Erin's old profession wasn't a dealbreaker for the Satrapy is a huge mark against them.

>>2239534
> "It's Erin's personal business"

>>2239494
> "It's Erin's personal business"

>>2239585
>The fact that Erin's old profession wasn't a dealbreaker for the Satrapy is a huge mark against them.

Orange and Blue morality, Anon. They literally
CANNOT refuse a deal.

Also maybe we shouldn't reveal our ignorance of how the Satrap works, and offend the person we're talking to.

>>2239494
I'm choosing. I'm choosing to value Erin choosing us to be involved as a personal relationship that's more important than using it as a payday.

IMO, it's more Winter to sell and deal information, and more Spring to value personal relationships than business transactions, no?

>>2239619
That's broadly true, yes. It's also true that the Magpie has a personal/professional stake in Erin's status as a member, or former member, of her Order. Not saying your logic is wrong, just noting that there's non-callous reasons on the Magpie's side of the table.

>>2239623
She shouldn't have offered to buy it then, but asked as a concerned member/friend.

Why not do both? Haggle and give her our personal opinion, then defend Erin's decision to Maggie as a concerned party.

>>2239623

Also see

>>2239014
>>2239022

I mean you're pretty much throwing these two votes out if they don't make it back for the (re)-vote on what to do.

>>2239638
That's not how the Satrapy operates. If they want something, they purchase it. Full-stop. They don't ask, steal, threaten, borrow. They buy.

>>2239639
>>2239060

Sorry, this was where he supported "HONEST OPINION"tm

>>2239649
Then the fact that we don't sell it to her should say something, hey?

If she really wants to have personal relationships and not transactional ones, she has to figure out if that's even possible as part of the Satrapy.

Alright, called, writing. Narrow margin winner is

> Defend Erin's decision

>>2239605
> Orange and Blue morality, Anon. They literally
CANNOT refuse a deal.
I know, and that makes them not a useful part of Erin's life if her goal is reforming in a way that conforms to more conventional morality. If you want to shape up, it's not a good idea to stick around with people who not only aren't interested in helping you shape up, but can't even comprehend WHY you might want to shape up.

>>2239660
> Working late

> check quest on phone. "OH COOL UPDATED" I'll wait until I get home to post though because single post votes bother me

> Vox has another vote to invalidate the vote he didn't like earlier. Not calling until midnight, though, can barely make it.

Extra salty because I'm >>2239025 and got excited when buddy liked my write in idea.

Thanks Vox. Next time we vote the way you don't want us too how about you just put on your old conductor hat and strap us to a train.

I really am kind of offended. Like it's been over a day since the first vote and you re-do it and it excludes my original vote. Not cool. Not cool. Even now it would just be a tie so I doubt it fucking matters any more.

>>2239674
> Samefag outs himself.

Well. I can't complain about the vote now.

>>2239674
I don't really like being in this situation either anon. It happened every now and again in DLQ where I lost the thread of what people were actually voting for in the first place. There's not a lot I can say to prove my good faith. For what they're worth, you have my apologies.

>>2239676
It would be a lot easier to believe that if you didn't complain about how the vote went, and then have it over again.

>>2239675
You would be right I'd I voted twice OH WAIT I DID. But that was because the vote was held twice so that it would be lost. I wonder if >>2239452 is one of Vox's oh so important IRL friends that come here.

Yes. I'm pretty salty, especially since this was built up as a "define the character" vote.

There's really nothing you can do to fix it Vox. Because I also despise QMs retconning mistakes. But I hope you're happy now that you got the vote you want instead of the one you originally held.

Just . . . Keep going and I'll maybe come back when I'm not so pissed off about this.

This is actually the same reason I dropped DLQ. Like. Get all excited for something and then have it taken away. Really ruins the immersion.

>>2239676
You could still mix the votes. Just because the Satrapy deals that way doesn't mean Colours has to.

If Maggie really can't accept anything anything for free then she can just owe us for it.

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Hey guys what's going on . . . .

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>>2238495
You fold your arms. "What are you paying?"

"Money?" the Satrap proposes, a huge grin on her face.

"You know better," you echo back at her, unable to keep a smile from your own. "I'm almost more interested in what you think you can pay me than I am in the actual conversation."

"We takes that as a compliment, you know," Maggie downs the rest of what is either very cheap vodka or just straight rubbing alcohol. "I don't suppose I could tempt you with membership?"

"Not in this conversation." You point a thumb towards the Rook. "Could you get him a new working arm?"

"Excuse me?" the Rook asks, sharply.

"I might be able to gets him an eye," the Magpie muses. "But not for this bargain."

"You can what," the Rook asks, before he descends into a coughing fit. You thump him on the back; the Magpie thrusts her empty glass in front of his face just in time to catch a thick clot of blood that comes out of his mouth. She provides him with a handkerchief before setting the glass on her table and dropping a match into it. It goes up in an instant.

The staff of the bar aren't looking your way. The few other patrons at this time of morning have stopped giving a shit too.

"Give me your support," you propose. "Cherry Kinkaid has it out for me. Back me up and defend my good name."

"You has no good name," the Magpie points out, but there's a gleam in her green eyes.

"I do with you. I delivered on my promise. I've done a service to the Freehold at great personal risk. And you've got evidence right there that I'm good for more than just hitting things until they die."

The Magpie of the Old Docks rubs her chin. "You're not wrong. Not wrong at all...you've sold me! Now, why did Erin Peters break with the Satrapy?"

"I don't know."

Every person in that bar that isn't you lets out some variant on 'are you fucking kidding me'.

"But," you hold up a hand. "I can say that she wanted to leave. She didn't...she didn't exactly ask me to help. Erin Peters led me to the conclusion that purchasing her exit would help my cause. And to be honest...I support it. She's looking for her Spring still, and the Satrapy didn't help her find it. It maybe even brought out the worst in her."

"She said that?" Maggie presses.

"No. She didn't say much at all about it," you confess. "I was there when she renounced her oath, on the basis that she'd been stripped of the emblems of her Title and the status due her."

"So that's how she did it," the Magpie muses. "Alright Warlock Knight. Begone, and rest easy knowing that Maggie the Ragpicker will defend you from the imprecations of fox-eared sluts."

The Rook nearly chokes to death for most of the rest of the walk back to his home. Every time he stops laughing it just starts back up again.

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>>2239797
The Rook keeps a first-floor apartment. Somehow, you expected it to be messy, but when he lets you in the place is clean and well-organized. Several TVs dominate the front room, each hung on the wall and with multiple devices attached to them. A PC on one side of the room has some kind of war map on it, depicting a strange country (in Arcadia?). The one next to it has drifting Autumn leaves as its screen saver.

The gentle hum of the fans is almost soothing.

"Welcome to my home," the Rook rasps, locking the door behind the two of you. "Let me know if you'd like to play something, though I imagine you'd probably like to rest."

"...It's been a hell of a night," you admit.

"One moment." The Rook heads down a short hallway. He walks past the tiny kitchen, opens the door on his right on the way past (revealing a small bathroom), and enters the room at the end of the hall. You catch a glimpse of darkness, cut through by whatever light slips in past the blinds, but he's gone for only a moment before he returns with a small wooden doll, barely an inch high, decorated with cloth to look like the Rook himself before he lost his arm and eye.

"You know what Doc Ripples does?" the Rook asks.

"He creates dream prisons that contain dreams and anything living in them," you answer. "In addition to being an expert oneiromancer."

The Rook nods. "This is my dream. I asked him to contain it, hoping that it would leave my life. He told me it would not. My studies told me it would not. I was younger, and desperate, and I was wrong. I have kept this, since I paid for it, unsure of why. I would like you to dream this dream."

"Why?" you ask, looking at the tiny doll.

"I do not believe you can understand why I lust for the throne without seeing what this dream contains," the Rook answers. He pauses to cough wetly into his sleeve. "...And because I have been told that it is only trust between two people if you could get hurt, but choose to trust anyway. I have few friends, Colors. I...I would like to be able to call you one of them. I had thought to show Vickie, but...she is upset with me, I think."

"She was the first one to go to you," you point out.

"Still." The Rook stands there, doll in his hand, television-screen eye looking at you.

> Accept; rest now
> Accept; talk to the Rook about what happened in the Hedge first
> Refuse (why?)
> Write-in?

I gotta hit bed. Tomorrow I need to grab my check, Prevent Homelessness, and then I'm more or less free.

My apologies again for earlier.

Votes will of course remain open.

>>2239817
> Accept; talk to the Rook about what happened in the Hedge first

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>>2239825
> Votes will of course remain open.

But not necessarily valid.

>>2239817
>> Accept; talk to the Rook about what happened in the Hedge first

>>2239827
>>2239825
I feel I should point out that this is meant to be gentle ribbing. Tone is difficult online.

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>>2239827

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>>2239849

>>2239674
The way I took it is that there wasn't anything invalidated by explicit design, it's 'popular support for part 1 (haggle) so lets use that but keep part 2 (post haggle response) open becuase all the anons are confusing'
Which means the peeps who put up the haggling vote stuff won extra-hard, w/o losing anything per-se for part 2 of post-haggling.

>>2239797
>"You can what," the Rook asks,
He's as surprised as me! Geez, those satrapy sales are insane.

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>>2239987
Undecided vote here >>2238691 that hedged the bets and only specified here >>2239585 after the re-vote, so we'll ignore that.


> If Maggie wants to gossip about that herself, fine, nothing we can do about that, but I don't think Colors should second guess Erin's reasons in front of just anyone.

Haggle vote here >>2239014 that supports combining haggle and refuse to say >>2239025

> Tell Maggie that if she wants to pay for it we can give her our opinion on it, then tell her >>2238691.

and my vote to not say anything here >>2239424

So yeah it was a clusterfuck.This is the problem with leaving votes up for too long. Just close the vote and come back with a write-up later.

Personally? I'm happy with how Vox hedged the response too,

It does feel more like "Defend" just kind of bitched (well, mostly this guy >>2239439) his way into it.

Even at best, it was 3 to 3 overall, with the initial haggle dude supporting the "Give her the bare minimum/letter of the contract" style response.

You'll note that the "Defend Erin's Position" votes had nothing to do with haggling.

Vox building it up to be "Le Big Character Defining Moment" as a reason and then calling it with 5 votes after a revote called late at night randomly without warning is MAYBE not the greatest way to handle something built up like that either. Like leave that vote for the end of a thread or set a time to vote on it and stick to it or get a Twitter account or something.

And once again, with the way too much downtime, it's just going to turn into pointless bitching if people keep bringing it up.

It happened. It's over. Move along, nothing to see here folk.

>>2239987
I was mostly just tired after work and kind of bitchy.

I could post a bunch of reasons and shit and my views about it, but that can come at a later date. Let's just have this be over.

>>2239817
> Accept; talk to the Rook about what happened in the Hedge first

And for what it's worth Vox, I'm totally fine with how this turned out.

>>2240054
Your vote ended up winning. Of course you're fine with it. I don't know if you meant it to come off this way, but it feels to me like you're rubbing it in.

But yeah, I do appreciate Vox doing his best with it to make everyone happy. Might as well vote too I guess

>>2239817
> Accept; rest now

I feel like what happened in the Hedge will be easier to contextualize after his dream.

>>2239817
>Accept; rest now

>>2240057
> Your vote ended up winning. Of course you're fine with it.
I had no interest in the haggling and as mentioned the whole thing struck me as unknightly. I'm fine with it not because I got what I wanted but because it's one vote and I'm not going to get worked up over one vote unless the result is mind-numbingly stupid. And in this case the only option that would actually qualify as stupid got zero votes in both rounds.

>>2239817
> Accept; talk to the Rook about what happened in the Hedge first

Homelessness successfully prevented, but IRL Stuff is happening. Update still gonna happen tonight.

Called, writing. Sorry for the delay. Looks like our overall winner is:

> Accept; talk to the Rook about what happened in the Hedge first

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>>2239817
After a moment, you take the small worry doll and set it on the little table next to the couch (its reflection is visible in the polished wood).

"I'll do this thing for you, but we need to talk first," you tell him. "About what happened back there in the Hedge."

The fallen prince stares at you in silence for a long moment, and then he pulls up a chair with a resigned expression. He sits, heavily, in the plush office chair, and cradles his head in his hand. You have never seen him look so tired.

"Ask," he rasps, his voice a breathy whisper. "Though I expect you want to know how She had power over me."

"It's the question of the hour," you agree in a soft voice. "...You do your best to bear it, but I know whatever this is pains you day in and day out. You can't hide that, or how angry it makes you all the time. What happened, between you and Rachael Reeds?"

The Rook laughs, or tries to; his nose is trailing blood by the time he manages to make himself stop, which he wipes away onto his white sleeve. "Zippo Morris saved my life. I think I might hate her for it. Rachael was set to rend me limb from limb, to scatter my ruin in every waterway of New Avalon." The Rook lets out a weak cough and takes a shuddering breath. "Zoe Morris told her to stay her hand. That only Raven could order my death. So Reeds ripped my eye out with her bare hand, then tore my arm from its socket. She sustained my life with goblin fruits, making me swallow in my shock, keeping me bound so that I would not thrash or struggle. Autumn calls her Baba Reeds. Do you understand the significance?"

You shake your head. The urge to reach out, to touch his shoulder or attempt to comfort the Rook, is strong, but something tells you he'd only resent it.

"It means 'Grandmother'. An allusion to the infamous Baba Yaga." The Rook takes a steadying breath, holds it, and lets it out slowly. "...I need something to drink. You?"

"Ginger ale?"

The Wizened snorts and nods. He goes into the small kitchen, laboring with his one arm. You get up to help, and praise be to Bragi & to Odin, he doesn't pick a fight about it. The two of you sit back down with fizzing cups.

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>>2241702

"Rachael Reeds is the premier sorceress of this Freehold. In terms of raw strength and the breadth of her knowledge, her pacts, her Contracts, she has no contest except perhaps Raven. Her title reflects this." The Rook takes a small sip of his drink, wincing as bubbles pop in his eye. It'd be funnier if every sip of your own wasn't doing the same shit. "There's so much that she's capable of that Rachael Reeds hardly needs to keep any of it secret. But even I was not expecting her to cut a deal with a tumbler of water. Not much, a few ounces perhaps. She whispered an oath to it in a language I do not know, and poured it down my nostrils. It lives inside of me now, keeping me weak, choking me from the inside, scourging my sleep and my dreams with pain and discomfort. I do not know how long it will keep at its task. It's been more than a year now."

"And the Lady just reached out and controlled it," you murmur. "Wait. Does that mean -"

"Yes," the Rook interrupts. "It does. Rachael Reeds can kill me any time she chooses, whenever she chooses to do so. She need merely invoke the Contract she maintains with water and end me. I can run, perhaps, if I know she is coming. I can be the Autumn leaves and flee from her presence. But I must rest sometime. Sleep sometime. Stop, sometime. And then if she wants me, she will have me. My power is gone, and with it my title. She owns me."

> What do you say?

>>2241706
> She betrayed the Freehold to the Lady then? Because if so, then she has to die.

>>2241714
Can I ask you to expand on what you're going for with this?

>>2241731
Supporting the Rook in his goal of killing Rachel Reeds.

I mean.

The whole argument before was that she was too valuable an asset for the stability of the Freehold. But if she's treating with the Lady then fuck it she's gone too far.

>>2241744
Mm. Do keep in mind that Rachael Reeds has power over water all on her own. It might just be an unfortunate case of shared Contracts.

Thank you for clarifying though. I'ma crawl into bed and die. Gotta work earlier than usual tomorrow.

>>2241706
>How powerful would someone have to be to remove or break the contract she's bound that water with?
I'm okay with the obvious question.

>>2241714
I think it's more Rachel fucked over Rook pretty hard, and the way she did so left Rook vulnerable to the Lady, rather than any active cahoots.

>>2241706
>> What do you say?
>Two dummy questions. Why did she do this, and what counters - however difficult, involved, or whatever - do you see?
>Also a case can be made that this particular thing with the water makes you vulnerable to the Lady, one of the Freeholds known enemies, and should be removed or remedied despite her personal feelings.

>>2242013
To elaborate a bit more.
If the Lady of the Lake is a known, major enemy of the Freehold, and Rachel has left a member of the freehold vulnerable to said enemy, there's a political or survival angle of saying 'hey undo that'
As a bonus - if Rachel resists, you can always... sorta imply that Rachel is on the Lady's side if she'd rather choose the Lady over the Freehold.
Is this more Spring or Winter?

>>2242524
It's sorta in that space where the two get along.

Gonna leave this open either until tomorrow morning (if I get some actual sleep) or tomorrow just after 9:30 PM or so (if I don't). In the meantime, I'm fielding questions.

In unrelated news, have what happens when you befriend Spring courtiers and don't know WTF you're in for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_uM8bUnlGQ

>>2243864
I left online clans bc of drama. Certainly would never want to be a Spring Courtier, even if the buffs and healing this Court provides are so good.

Called, writing. Sorry about the delay, had some things to take care of.

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>>2241706
You let that hang in the air for a while. It's a hell of a thing to hear; no wonder he can't abide the thought of Rachael Reeds. You can't imagine living in someone's power like that.

Well...not again, anyway.

"I guess...I guess the thing to ask how this can be fixed," you say at last. "Is it a matter of raw power, of Wyrd?"

The Rook shakes his head. "Few things of the Wyrd are. Not even for the most dedicated of sorcerers." He coughs into his sleeve. "Let me ask you: how do you detect a shapeshifter?"

"...Notice their wrong behavior?" you reason. "Or...scent, maybe," you add, remembering your work with Misery Monroe.

The Rook nods. "Those are two ways. Or you can prick them with an iron needle and watch their shape whip back to their true flesh, with absolutely nothing they can possibly do about it."

You blink. "That's...direct."

Your Wizened host nods, shrugging his hunched shoulders. "Sometimes, it is. Often, even. Even in Autumn, so many plans come down to the oldest of human strategies: leap out from hiding and club someone to death. The water could be extracted from me by anyone with the appropriate Contract. It might be sucked from my lungs by a machine, I don't know enough about medicine to say. Or you could break the Pledge that binds it to my lungs. I'm reluctant to simply suck down hand-forced iron shavings, but murdering Rachael would work. The devil," he stops to take a deep, shuddering breath. "The devil is in the details of it. 'Kill Rachael' is not simple."

"...And you don't trust a doctor or another sorcerer with your lungs," you hazard.

"Yes."

You blow a long breath out. "...If I keep asking obvious questions, are you gonna slap me upside my head?"

"I can hold this cup or slap you, not both."

You choke on your ginger ale, sending bubbles out of your nose. It takes you a minute to get your head back together and your nose still hurts after. "Anyway." You clear your throat. "Why not...have someone make her lift the curse? Especially in light of the Stranger still haunting this Freehold?"

Surely this has a simple answer that you've just managed to miss. The Rook is a schemer at heart, there's a got to be a motivation for this action.

"I don't know," the Rook answers.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

The Rook closes his eye and droops. "I cannot bring myself to face Zippo over this, Colors. I cannot. I won't. Arthur could perhaps leverage the politics to do it, but will he? I attempted to have Rachael murdered. Surely I've reaped what I've sown. And then there is the question of if Rachael would actually lift her curse from me, or simply kill me out of hand. Who, then, do I turn to? Ramona and her Princess, who press me to leave Autumn and embrace the Emerald Court? Misery Monroe, who could not possibly care less? Do I go to the Sheriff and pray that he can persuade Arthur? Beg some neophyte Freeholder to save my life? Who? For what payment? The debt I take on might be as onerous as the curse."

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>>2247846
"You sound like you're giving up already," you accuse. The Rook scoffs.

"You are party to my plots of violence and destruction against my enemy, Warlock Knight. I'm simply being cautious."

"If Vickie knew, she'd want to drag your mother out into the street and kill her where she stands," you point out. "...I almost want to."

"I can't ask you to do that. Rachael Reeds is a dangerous opponent, and she is never alone. You won't let Vickie fight her, because of your faith and because neither of us think she would ever recover from being the one to strike her mother down. Who would you bring with you? Forum?" The Rook looks up at you, then away. He coughs, weakly. "...I need to sleep this off, Colors."

> Yeah, me too.
> ...I could bring Erin Peters, Rook. If we can find a way to not be executed for treason.
> Why me, Rook? Why am I the one you've chosen to confess to?
> Write-in?

>>2247846
> The debt I take on might be as onerous as the curse.
Or maybe it might not be as bad as "Rachael Reeds can kill you on a whim"?

Anyway
> Yeah, me too.

Though going forward, I think looking into who might help him and at what cost might be more of an option than Rook thinks.

If nothing else, Rook is still a potentially useful asset to the Freehold. His involvement in finding and taking down Rainbow Jack showed that. However, he is an asset that is made less useful to the Freehold if he has a vulnerability that the Lady can easily exploit. The Lady who represents a very real threat to the Freehold and, incidentally, also has more than a little history with Arthur.

A thing we should investigate before jumping straight to murder, at least. It's worth remembering that us just killing Virgo didn't exactly please the monarchs, and that was a case where no one was taking issue with her being dead, just how the whole thing was conducted. We should at least try to not just default to murder as a solution, if only to show that we're not going to continue sliding back into old habits.

>>2247859
So, to make this clear: The water isn't regular water (anymore), correct?
That is to say, getting it from the lungs into the general blood circulation wouldn't stop Reeds from controlling it?

>>2247915
>If nothing else, Rook is still a potentially useful asset to the Freehold. His involvement in finding and taking down Rainbow Jack showed that. However, he is an asset that is made less useful to the Freehold if he has a vulnerability that the Lady can easily exploit. The Lady who represents a very real threat to the Freehold and, incidentally, also has more than a little history with Arthur.

This. go to Arthur or another monarch and plead the case for Rook. Arthur in particular won't like what the Lady can do with Rook's weakness.

>>2247859
>> ...I could bring Erin Peters, Rook. If we can find a way to not be executed for treason.

Forgot my vote, sorry. Do we get Shipmate Sally for free with Erin ?

>>2247859
>Why me, Rook? Why am I the one you've chosen to confess to?
We ARE being obvious here, but this is a curious thing. A cause to be championed does need a champion....

>>2247951
It's contracted water, so it has to remain water to be under contract. If it could be absorved into his body like blood that would be something else, and nearly impossible - transmutation of water to blood would break the contract though.

Incidentally, it is a terribly painful and horrific thing, water in the lungs. He's lucky to be alive at all.

>>2248252
Well, yes. Pulmonary edema are an ugly thing, and it's easy to die from.
But treating them with regular diuretics - which aren't exactly hard to get, even if you need stronger stuff than caffeine - is fairly straightforward and can't really go wrong, iirc. At best it won't work.
But assuming that getting the water into the blood breaks the contract, it might be worth a shot.

And while I'm not quite sure how much Colors' two points of medicine translate into, that's something every medic should be able to tell you, so she might actually know that.

>>2248252
>He's lucky to be alive at all.
Reeds intended so and used her powerful Wyrd to make it thus. Incidentally, which court has the most Mastery over water ?

>>2247951
> So, to make this clear: The water isn't regular water (anymore), correct?

Today in reasons being a Changeling sorcerer is bad for your sanity: define "regular water".

No, really. Is water manipulated by Elements (Water) "regular" water? What about Communion (Water)? Rain, sleet, hail, or snow summoned by various Eternal (Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter) Contracts?

To an extent is has to be. If it wasn't water, it wouldn't obey the call of the Contract. Even just being a different form of water (snow, ice, steam) is arguably enough to invalidate the agreement. The thing to keep in mind is that Arcadia is the land where a coconut is a mammal; its laws are those of pact & pledge, of Contract, of agreement. All parties must in some way consent to the thing for it to be true, and otherwise it's just not true, or even just selectively true - say, at the whim of the party in question.

The water inside of the Rook is being encouraged to behave in this manner through a Pledge; it's water with an agreement. It doesn't stop being water any more than you stop being you after you sign a contract to work for a company. If you could get it to be something else - have him digest it, blend it into a drink, even somehow turn it into blood plasma - then it's not water any more, but that gets back into the twin questions of "how do you do that" and "who do you trust to do it without purposefully or accidentally killing the Rook".

>>2247959
> Forgot my vote, sorry. Do we get Shipmate Sally for free with Erin ?

In theory, yes; she's Erin's handler, there to ensure that Peters doesn't return to her old ways and also to ensure that the Freehold doesn't just up and murder her for walking around and existing.

In practice, maybe. You don't know Sally very well, and all Colors has to judge on is how Sally and Erin have behaved since this Quest started.

>>2248275
> But treating them with regular diuretics

Forgive my personal ignorance but don't these usually imply or require that the water went in through the digestive tract & not the respiratory one?

>>2248294
Well, water/fluids you drink go into through the digestive tract, yes. But most of that is resorbed and goes throught the kidneys.
The thing is, however, that edema are obviously a thing without magic, generally being the result of a pressure gradient (ie. pulmonary edema are generally the result of high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries); the treatment is to give the patient diuretics. With a lower amount of water in circulation the blood pressure drops, and water is again resorbed into the bloodstream.

That is my rough understanding as a medic. I might be wrong, however, so I shan't argue if a doctor disagrees.

I'm less saying that this has to work and more wondering if it's been though of

>>2248306
This was not a thing I knew so...it's gonna get thought about NOW. Thanks for the info, anon!

Though honestly this likely falls prey to the same reasons the Rook isn't just dead: the water in question's been compelled to behave in a certain way that keeps him alive and suffering. It's still in there where it was poured.

>>2248311
As I said, I just thought it might be worth a shot.
Dropping some 30 bucks at the pharmacy and getting him mild medical supervision for a day (because we don't know how the water will react) before getting out the big guns and some serious debt.

>>2248306
>>2248311
As a person with some personal experience with these type of lung issues....if it is water that is in his lungs, what is happening is that the water is causing his capillaries to burst as it passes by the alveolae, leeching the blood out of them and tearing them apart when doing so (this is what happens when you drown). It's actively moving around in his lungs, so when one area has healed it damages another, keeping his lungs swollen, injured, and bleeding from damaged alveolae. Inhaled steroids would reduce the swelling in his lungs from the multiple injuries and scarring, but it's a stopgap measure - the injuries are recurring, who while it will lessen his overall pain, it won't be a cure. Diuretics won't work because it's still a singular mass of water, not actually in his blood stream; liquids don't pass through the alveolar walls without encouragement (diuretics being one thing which will force the passage of that, but slowly). Edema would be the tissues being saturated, and diuretics work very well for that, but that's not what's happening here; he's basically in a perpetual state of drowning, like pneumonia except worse.

>>2248306
I love the idea of totally mundane solutions to crazy magical problems.

>>2248367
>he's basically in a perpetual state of drowning
That kind of cruelty makes Reeds dangerously close to a Other in mindset.

>>2247859
> Why me, Rook? Why am I the one you've chosen to confess to?

Though I think I can guess. We're the steadfast moral one of our group. The conscience. If he can convince us to help him, then it makes persuading Rook and even other non-motley members to help us easier than if Rook approached directly

>>2248367
You make some fair points there - thank you for that.
I'm a bit rusty on all of that and I do tend to think in stopgap methods.

I'd maintain trying a more conservative therapy, though - if we can convince the Rook of that. I mean, magic is nice and good, but making life easier and lowering the chance for complications until proper healing can be achieved would seem to me to be worth some effort.

>>2247859
> ...I could bring Erin Peters, Rook. If we can find a way to not be executed for treason.

Even if it's just for ideas, Erin is both smart and sneaky. She also has a lot of experience and the advantage of a very different lense to view the problem through.

After all, killing Rachael Reeds is a complex issue. Anyone ever hear the term "Mission Kill"?

Maybe there's a way to neutralize RR, or make her need something from the Rook so she has to bargain with him. Maybe there's something she wants, really wants, that Vicky can help Erin figure out.

Then we can get it.

Erin is most likely to help the greatest amount while being the least risky or likely to ask "why" too much. It's like how she had to free herself from the Satrapy.

>>2248367
Why don't they just intubate him then jeeze.

>>2248501
Nah, I'd say it makes her all too human. After all, it doesn't make him drown in air and have to actually breathe water even though that still feels like drowning, and essentially be waterboarded 24/7 just to live but with an ironic twist.

>>2250812
>>2250812
won't help - the water is moving around of it's own accord, and would avoid suction.

Besides, I cannot adequately describe how painful that process is. I doubt the Rook would let them put him under general anesthetic - especially with the veils and shrouds down as they are.

>>2251116
>I doubt the Rook would let them put him under general anesthetic -
Maaaaybe Valkyrie has a competent surgeon on staff. And you're telling me there is no Changeling doctor in the city ?

The latter can be made to sworn an oath to help Rook to the best of his ability -or else.

>>2251116
> won't help - the water is moving around of it's own accord, and would avoid suction.


Sez you, and there's no real way it could avoid suction.

Maybe if we could get a little of it even, sympathetic magic could get the rest out, or affect it.

Regardless, we should see a Doctor who agrees to have their memory eaten if they can't help go over modern medical techniques and what might be applicable.

As for enduring the pain, I think the Rook has some experience there no?

>>2251116
Let's talk to a doctor. Besides magic exists and such. So you know there's options like >>2251274 and >>2252221 put out.

>>2252382
Rook has a withering spell that sucks nearly all your moisture out but it would maybe just kill him if he used it on himself.

>>2247859
>> Yeah, me too.
Lots of reveals and new info, but nothing actionable right now, and the Rook had a dream thing he wanted to talk about before we derailed it with Important Questions.

>>2252540
Sounds pretty indiscriminate mate, that could be the issue.

>>2254273
Removing the water of Death from Rook will require harsh measures in any solution. Maybe put him on a IV drip ?

>>2247859
>> Yeah, me too.

Hey, I caught up again! Good to see you back running actively, Vox.

I'm a little unclear on one aspect of what Rachel did to the Rook: he said she made a contract with a tumbler of water. Is this something more-or-less "normal" (for the Lost) that was possible because of a Contract with Water, or is it something much stronger, forging a Contract /specifically/ with this tumbler-full of water?

And does that make the difference between
- just needing to find someone a) who holds a Contract with Water, b) who has a great deal of finesse, and c) whom the Rook can trust completely, and
- needing to do something really esoteric to get the water out of there?

>>2247859
> Yeah, me too.
We really should just be getting to bed

Called, writing. At last..

Prolly gonna just write a new thread at this point.

NEW THREAD

>>2256505
>>2256505
>>2256505
>>2256505