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Topic: Crypto Kingdom - 1991 Retro Virtual World(City) - page 48. (Read 632719 times)

legendary
Activity: 1750
Merit: 1036
Facts are more efficient than fud
EVENT continued: part 2 of Admin Game

...The Captain leaves.

Martti notices strange music coming from a pair of leathers ears on the table. He quickly grabs them, looks them over, "Sohn ee."

He translates it as "Put, on me" https://soundcloud.com/mastersofhardcore/official-masters-of-hardcore-podcast-by-angerfist-077

--On 5:38 he skips to the year.

here, let me help you....

https://soundcloud.com/fadermedia/fader-mix-endgame

The ground shifts as Martti is grabbed by the collar "Who the fuck is Dr. D.C. Barker!"

"I am--W-w-where?" Martti catches himself.

The Captain laughs, "You're just now asking that? Kid, you've got to learn about the universe. Dorothy lost her slippers and the Tin-Man looks like Oz. What's really gonna blow your mind is how you didn't notice the lights never flicker and when the ground shifts the table's locked to the ground, and you ain't ever heard music like that before -- so when I tell you won't remember a word of this unless a song triggers it and you wake and realize there's a scar on your back -- it's gonna be DejaVu all over again. Now that you're all caught up. Who is Dr. D.C. Barker?"

Martti tries to remember. But is slapped back to the moment by a blasting sound -- ground shimmying hard left. He grabs the table for support.
Here hears a grunt from outside the door.

The Captain yells out, "I know, I know, but he doesn't-- o we'll have to come back." The guttural yelp from the door seems to agree and the captain closes the laptop. "Sorry, about this."

Martti sees a bright flash, then https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5mnqxwErTk MIN: 04:00

continued...




legendary
Activity: 1750
Merit: 1036
Facts are more efficient than fud
For those interested in the NPC cards, here's a sample:





The Black Dragon will take some time to reach maturity on the UFO (code for it will take my friend a few weeks to draw him). This venerable dragon was created by Selficide-Stock.
legendary
Activity: 1750
Merit: 1036
Facts are more efficient than fud
Hi, all!
I have Well-tended vegetable garden (Tradable) and Equipment for making Mead (Tradable, Commoners only) but there is no producing in my account.. What the reason?
TY for unswer!

Hi proride,

At the moment, consumption and consumable creation is off until we figure out how to keep the economy running while the GM is busy with MK implementation. I realize it's kind of a tease to not have item creation, but we are still beta and working out the kinks is part of the process. Hopefully, the early birds will be rewarded for their insight and patience as we work towards getting the economy in full swing again.

hmc_
sr. member
Activity: 367
Merit: 255
Hi, all!
I have Well-tended vegetable garden (Tradable) and Equipment for making Mead (Tradable, Commoners only) but there is no producing in my account.. What the reason?
TY for unswer!
legendary
Activity: 1750
Merit: 1036
Facts are more efficient than fud
legendary
Activity: 1750
Merit: 1036
Facts are more efficient than fud
So out of story-mode and into rational effects of introducing a Dragon into the game (ignore if you don't want to break character, and click on the link above for some portal magic).

Dragon acts as a pathway to an ADMIN  development chain, which can be expressed as: 100PRE = COUNTY (county for me would have been initial startup costs + dividends - taxes +/- market action) + QUEST (BOUNTY + ADMIN FEE + RESEARCH FEE) and any losses or gains accrued during quest--though with sufficient bounty and marketing interest, you can forgo sending your own NPC or ADMIN candidates.  Dragon will produce CLI that can be used as a ADMIN promotion point or just sell them to those who want to promote their own ADMIN--though likely there will be bottlenecks where further info is preferred (similar to leveling in the current game as outlined in the constitution).

And yes, you will be able to fight Dragons in game through battles or duels Wink The cards figure heavily into this aspect as they create the stats that are used in Battle mode (similar to punch cards).

tldr: Dragon creates CLI which is used to calculate ADMIN privileges (this was the simplest module I could think of, so UFO will be the test-run).
legendary
Activity: 1750
Merit: 1036
Facts are more efficient than fud
Event

The Adventurers march their prize to the gates of OldDuchy, and though tired from their journey, they are on edge: soldiers run about, commanders bark out orders--our adventurers can see that something has changed and it isn't that a Dragon has entered the gates. Mooo hands over the amulet to the King, who grips it in his hand and hands to his most trusted General, "We only have a few minutes, get him to the staging area. The General leads the Dragon towards a large structure that has an open roof and large open gates -- soldiers and cavalry nervously watch the sky.

King to Adventurers, "These men will take you to be debriefed on all that happened in the portal world. You will be rewarded shortly, but we need to get you out of here--"

There is a strange clicking from the Dragon followed by flash in the sky--everyone stops.

Soldiers grab the adventures by the arms and hurry them towards a garrison building on the other side of the grounds--the adventurers try to see what is happening behind them, but are led into a garrison building with windowless rooms.

A Captain assures them that everything will be fine and they are hurried into separate rooms...

....Continued:

The Captain walks into the interrogation room with a glass of water.

"Here drink this."

Martti quickly downs the glass, the rooms hot and sticky with sweat. In the future this will be eye-grabs on your way to work--imagine getting locked in an elevator door on seventh floor to heaven and having the wires get crossed with a drone on its way to nearest asteroid belt to become part of the self-sustaining expansion of our galaxy. I look in Martti's eyes and sea the drug's swimming effect. D.C. Barker told us that the xenotation device swam to the base of the brainstem and sent and impulse that blocked the capacity to lie--he also had skin that sometimes turned goo and made direct contact (if you want to call it that) with some alien firmware.

"When you said you didn't feel like yourself, what did you mean?" I look down and see the great uptick in the impulse-meter on the evade scale --the question bothers him...

"It's complicated,"

The drug shifts gears and starts pleasuring the areas of the brain that encourage truth-telling, but the base of the brain is all singals--tick-tock, tick-tock, tock, tock...

Matti shifts forward in his seat, "It's not that I know anything has changed, but I know something is about to change, and that feeling doesn't feel like me -- it all started with the Dragon....

He was about to trail off into the same stories as the others, so just get to the point, "Martti -- Martti stop, did you see any weird symbols down there?"

Martti looks confused, "The one was sitting on a pyramid, I think, it was pretty dark down there--"

"Symbols like this, did you see anything?" I hand him a sheet of a-code.

(()) () ((())) ((())) (((()))) () ((())) (((((((()))))))))))....

The computer screen goes blank. Fuck.

"Martti, we'll get you out of here in no time--just hang on a second." I go to leave the room, but--

"The skull could talk in clicks -- Zenon's friends! See! I found you something!" This jizz fest would go on until the subject lost the calories needed to create electric impulses to feed the implants--so I just turned them off and rebooted. If you clear the command, you clear the axiomatic linkage...but that's for another time.

"Martti, can remember the clicks he used?" A long shot, but  you have to ask--

"Sure I remember -- they reminded me of crow caws, so I managed to put them to a music, so I could remember them, they were actually inter--"

I wave my hands, "Jus--Just say them--" I grab my tablet as he starts going over an imaginary bar of music in his head. I copy them down and get Ccru...?

Just on a hunch I click search:

http://www.ccru.net/syzygy.htm


legendary
Activity: 1276
Merit: 1001
The date is set to the 19th, on saturday. 5 to 7 GMT sound like a good time, let's see if anyone's interested in playing, and whether they have time preferences. You don't have to "register", you just need to be there on IRC at the time. I'll be there, for one Smiley Anyone else ?

Nobody expressed any time preferences, so I'll go for 6 GMT. Anyone around on IRC at that time is free to join Smiley

See the linked post for the minigame rules.
full member
Activity: 260
Merit: 105
A Lingering Ghost
The following items have been distributed in the after-math of the Dragon Quest:



DQ-1 was given to Crown
DQ-2 was given to Crown
DQ-3 was given to Zenon
DQ-4 was given to Mooo, Erin, Martti, SyksyII and through the death of Boombox, one inherited by Tombot (notice: positive wound/scar/tattoo)
DQ-5 was given to Mooo, Erin, Martti and SyksyII. One instance died with Boombox.

Note to super admins:
Please run the following command: "KILL Boombox 1650"
full member
Activity: 260
Merit: 105
A Lingering Ghost
Quote
--- Private /query with Mooo, the banshee to be! ---
18:48 -!- Irssi: Starting query in Freenode with moneromooo
18:49 Bad news is that the banshee released from the Lady in White entered you... you may not reveal this to others
18:49 The banshee will take partial control of you, you will act as if you were a party member, but there is one aim the banshee is trying to do everything in its power to direct you to
18:49 to become the special guest at the "Great Feast"
18:50 Anything vocal you say in your character must be to make Lady in White like liar or such
18:50 and that you are the most deserving of the Special Guest, e.g. due to your high wisdom
18:50 You will say anything possible so that others would believe that you are better suited to be the Special Guest than Lady in White
18:51 the good thing is that, if people will now do a "secret" check on you, you will deny all allegiations of ever killing anybody
18:51 i.e. you can be identified as possessed because you will lie about the secret
18:51 anything in opposite to that secret is suitable
18:51 however, you may not do this spontaneously yourself
18:54 *ping moneromooo*
19:00 ^^
19:00 Oh
19:00 Smiley
19:00 Sorry Cheesy
19:00 You are currently posseess
19:00 np
19:01 You may not reveal it; idea is that they may inspect/suspect you
19:01 but only once...
19:01 if they ask about the murder you committed; you deny it etc
19:01 OK
19:01 the banshee knows nothing of the secret, that is how others can reveal you
19:01 and when the Great Feast comes, you will do everything in your power to become the Guest
19:02 nothing violent; but verbally you will abuse Lady in White at the occasion, blaming her to be evil or anything lik ethat
19:02 the better RPGing there the better Wink
---
19:45 free to go, no more banshee on you Wink
20:07 For clarity, I don't wear that necklace. In the pocket it goes.
20:08 You find it hard to remove, on the neck it stays ;/
20:08 Oh. Ah. Hmm. OK.
20:08 You have an intuition that it will be useful.
20:08 Well, let's hope!
20:45 Amulet gives you additional votes, revelation
20:46  * moneromooo shivers
20:46 Votes for who gets the gift of dragonness ?
20:47 Votes... Cheesy
20:47 Tongue
20:47 You don't feel very comfortable voting for yourself, bearing the pendant...
20:47 ok -_-
----
full member
Activity: 260
Merit: 105
A Lingering Ghost
Quote
19:10 < Syksy> It is obvious that the "Feast", whatever it is, lies behind her (she is embedded to the wall)
19:10 < Syksy> "To prove you can face the Faceless Messenger, a Trickster of Tricksters, answer me riddles that I may let you through;
19:10 < Syksy> if you cannot answer, I cannot bear walking you to your doom - at least in any case I've tried"
19:10 < Syksy> any questions before we begin?
19:10 < Syksy> (as GM)
19:10 < martti_> is there a penalty for a wrong answer?
19:11 < Syksy> the Widow appears uneager to let you pass; a wrong answer obviously will lead her to believing you are not capable of going further
19:11 < Syksy> how much, it is uncertain
19:11 < Syksy> (note: with the Lady in White, she spoke of five shackles, yet you only solved four, but succeeded)
19:11 < Syksy> use that as a reference
19:12 < moneromooo> We will succeed. Of that, I am sure.
19:12 < moneromooo> We will do better than the shackled lady.
19:12 < Syksy> Widow: "Are you ready, brave adventurers?"
19:12 < martti_> .
19:12 < Syksy> Widow to moneromooo: "Of that, we will see..."
19:12 < Syksy> Widow eyes over boombox_ and rederin for an answer Wink
19:13  * rederin looks around
19:13 < boombox_> ready
19:13 < rederin> Oh, sorry. Ready Smiley
19:13 < Syksy> Widow: "Very well..."
19:13 < Syksy> GM Note: you are free to discuss together, but only one answer is accepted (one try)
19:13 < Syksy> Widow: "What is so delicate, so beautiful and fragile, that even saying its name will break it?"
19:14 < moneromooo> I think: Silence.
19:14 < Syksy> (please don't resort to Google Wink )
19:14 < martti_> (silence)
19:14 < Syksy> GM Note: you may decide through voting or by some other means
19:14 < Syksy> (she will wait until you have reached a consensus)
19:14 < boombox_> go for that, silence sounds good Smiley
19:14 < rederin> Agreed.
19:15 < moneromooo> All OK then ?
19:15 < Syksy> Widow: "Indeed it is, and we broke it, many many times we broke it, when we brought the Nameless Messenger to ourselves..."
19:15 < Syksy> Widow: "You have answered wisely."
19:15 < moneromooo> We already outdid the lady in white. Let us get to the feast, and let me be guest of honor. I proved I am worthy of it now.
19:16 < Syksy> Widow: "But consider this; what is that, which its maker does not want for himself, the one who buys it does not need it for himself, and the one who gets it can't feel, touch it, nor escape it?"
19:16 < Syksy> Widow to moneromooo: "Patience, patience, lest you end up a face on the wall as well..."
19:16 < Syksy> Widow: "The second riddle is before you."
19:16 < moneromooo> I know this riddle... I forgot the answer though...
19:17 < Syksy> the riddle is open for discussion Smiley
19:17 < Syksy> (it's a pretty famous one aye)
19:18 < Syksy> Widow to moneromooo: "Oh you wisest of them all, pour upon me thy bucket of wisdom, let me drink of thy wisdom, refreshen my weary eyes with the glimmer of thy wisdom..."
19:18 < martti_> (....death, a lie..i'm riddle challenged)
19:19 < Syksy> Widow: "If you wish more time, we can proceed to the next one, and leave this one brewing for a while."
19:19 < moneromooo> I may not be as wise as some, but certainly the wisest of those here. I will get to the feast, as the guest of honour.
19:19 < Syksy> Lady in White to moneromooo: "What?"
19:20 < Syksy> Widow: "Concentrate, children. Shh. Answer me or ask for a new one."
19:20 < moneromooo> Oh I know you want this, but this is for the best.
19:20 < martti_> (new, is my vote)
19:20 < moneromooo> Shall we skip to the next one, or does anyone have an idea here ?
19:20 < boombox_> next one
19:21 < Syksy> Widow: "Oh, ... What grows when it eats, but dies if it drinks?"
19:21 < moneromooo> Thirst ?
19:22 < Syksy> (Widow will wait for a consensus answer and gives one try per question)
19:22 < rederin> Thirst is good for the second, but not so much for the first.
19:23 < Syksy> boombox_ martti_ ^
19:24 < martti_> (no clue)
19:24 < boombox_> go for it, with thirst, or ask for a new question
19:24 < Syksy> Thirst it is then?
19:24 < martti_> works for me
19:25 < boombox_> yes
19:25 < moneromooo> Can't think of a better one, though it's true the first bit is a bit meh.
19:25 < Syksy> Widow: "Ah, a clever one. But it was not the answer I sought for, for what burns me inside is... Fire."
19:26 < Syksy> Widow: "But I will accept your answer nevertheless, you were close my children." (I will accept the answer due to the lack of a 5th player)
19:26 < Syksy> (Fire was the correct answer)
19:27 < moneromooo> One step closer to the Feast.
19:27 < Syksy> Widow: "Now my children, show me your wisdom, impress the Lady in White who sought your help and led you here: What can't you keep until you have given it?"
19:28 < boombox_> ("my word" or "promise" or something?)
19:28 < moneromooo> I was thinking "your word", so yes.
19:28 < Syksy> (Widow is waiting for a consensus)
19:29 < rederin> good one, yes Smiley
19:29 < martti_> will go with it
19:29 < Syksy> Widow: "An excellent answer, 'your word' is analogous to 'promise', so you are correct. I applaud your wisdom, children."
19:29 < Syksy> (original answer was "promise")
19:30 < Syksy> Widow: "Would you wish to return to the previous question? Or shall we proceed?"
19:30 < Syksy> GM Note: SyksyII may have a hint, with a good d100 roll
19:30 < Syksy> the zombie can be utilized that he may be thinking of something
19:31 < moneromooo> Let's skip to next I think, unless someone had a bright new idea
19:31 < Syksy> A few slithering snakes drop from the tubes in the sides of the Widow. She moans in a tired manner, and lets out a hint of a smile.
19:31 < Syksy> "Now, finally, you who know so much, have proven able, intelligent enough", she says, "tell me, in the end, in regards to all this knowledge that you possess and will find out... relieve me of my duty, and
19:31 < Syksy> let me go back into my shallow slumber by answering: what is bliss?"
19:31 < moneromooo> ignorance ?
19:32 < martti_> yeppers
19:32 < rederin> Sounds fateful, somehow Smiley
19:32 < boombox_> ok
19:32 < Syksy> "Indeed, for after what you witness you will know of what I speak. Some things are better left buried,
19:32 < Syksy> deeds left undone, memories withering away... Now. Go, your ride awaits you behind me, Be swift, or be dead...
19:32 < Syksy> You're ready to fly from the nest my children... Attend the Feast, and find the Traitor, for it will be of use to thee..."
19:32 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/qHzTeLD.jpg >
19:33 < Syksy> She closes her eyes, and her face withdraws back within the fall, revealing a hidden passageway to an
19:33 < Syksy> ominous steam-filled tunnel.
19:33 -!- Irssi: Pasting 5 lines to ##crypto-kingdom. Press Ctrl-K if you wish to do this or Ctrl-C to cancel.
19:33 < boombox_> forward we go, together and united Smiley
19:33 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/2Nh8oEH.jpg >
19:33 < Syksy> Behind the tunnel, a surprising sight appears; a device capable of transporting personnel, which appears to be destined to the Great Feast.
19:33 < Syksy> The inhabitants make way for adventurers without any facial gestures, silently watching as they board the train that soon walks away.
19:33  * moneromooo goes forth briskly
19:33 < Syksy> The Lady in White shivers notably.
19:34 < moneromooo> You're not ready for this. I will be gyuest of honor at the feast.
19:34 < Syksy> "Are you ready to board the incetroid?"
19:34 < moneromooo> Let us proceed.
19:34 < rederin> Who's speaking there ?
19:35 < Syksy> (The Lady in White, she's been here before apparently)
19:35 < boombox_> Here Lady in white, take my coat, you are shivering.
19:35 < Syksy> The Lady in White to moneromooo: "What are you saying? You gave me your word, I led you to the Widow, I led you to the hidden Widow"
19:35 < Syksy> She shakes off the coat, seemingly agitated as all of you aboard the incetroid
19:35 < moneromooo> I did not give you my word. We saved you.
19:36 < moneromooo> We will succeed where you failed.
19:36 < Syksy> "You gave me your word!"
19:36 < moneromooo> This is a lie.
19:36 < Syksy> The Lady in White smacks moneromooo on the cheek: "How DARE you! You have no idea how I have suffered!"
19:36 < moneromooo> You are trying to snatch this from me, are you not ?
19:36 < martti_> moneromooo, who murdered the son?
19:36 < moneromooo> What son ?
19:36 < martti_> exactly
19:36 < Syksy> The Lady in White: "You gave me your word, I am to be the Special Guest"
19:37 < moneromooo> What is that, exactly ??
19:37 < moneromooo> We need to get to the feast now.
19:37 < moneromooo> Let's board.
19:37 < martti_> lady in white is the guest of homor
19:37 < Syksy> The insectroid arrives at a station, all of you get off board
19:37 < moneromooo> She failed. Do you want us to fail again ? She is not worthy.
19:37 < Syksy> Lady in White starts screaming: "I WILL BE THE GUEST OF HONOR! YOU WILL DOOM ME TO THIS TORMENT ANY MORE!"
19:37 < Syksy> YOU WILL NOT*
19:38 < moneromooo> I found several of the Widow's answers. I'm clearly best place here. This is obvious.
19:38 < moneromooo> You will not take this from us.
19:38 < martti_> you failed to answer who murdered the son
19:38 < Syksy> Lady in White: "I passed the Widow before you, hundreds of years before you you arrogant fool!"
19:38 < moneromooo> And you passed her again with our help.
19:39 < Syksy> Lady in White: "Please, I beg of you", she addresses the rest, "you promised me"
19:39 < moneromooo> She murdered the son! She's a liar.
19:39 < Syksy> Lady in White: "I murdered nobody!"
19:39 < Syksy> Lady in White: "You have no idea how I've suffered, and all I did was my master's bidding!"
19:39 < moneromooo> Look through it. That banshee is walking us into this trap.
19:39 -!- Zechariah [[email protected]] has joined ##crypto-kingdom
19:39 < Syksy> Lady in White: "This can't be true", she starts sobbing uncontrollably
19:40 < Syksy> and falls to the ground, closes her head to her palms.
19:40 < moneromooo> Your master's bidding, alright. This monstrous banshee.
19:40 < Syksy> GM Note: The party will have to do a consensus vote now; obviously Lady in White will vote for herself, and obviously moneromooo will vote for himself.
19:40 < moneromooo> We must not let her to the feast. Let us go. We will attend. I will be the guest of honour in her stead, and we will find the dragon.
19:40 < Syksy> To become the Guest of Honor
19:41 < moneromooo> Martti was right. She can't be trusted.
19:41 < Syksy> martti_ rederin boombox_ ^ your votes
19:41 < martti_> i vote lady in white
19:41 < rederin> Hmm. It was her wish, but...
19:42 < Syksy> martti_ votes for Lady in White
19:42 < Syksy> waiting for rederin and boombox_
19:42 < martti_> don't you remember mooo's confession--if he doesn't know it now, he is lying
19:42 < boombox_> votes for Lady in white
19:42 < moneromooo> Why would you vote for her ? I came with you to find this dragon. We have this chance now. Don't let it go.
19:43 < moneromooo> So three votes for her ? She's a liar!
19:44 < Syksy> Lady in White: "I thank you, I thank you, finally... finally the Feast... finally the Guest of Honor..."
19:44 < Syksy> moneromooo starts shaking uncontrollably
19:44 < Syksy> moneromooo screams and shrieks
19:44 < moneromooo> Aaaaa....
19:44 < Syksy> His mouth and nostrils seep of black mist, which vapor upwards
19:45 < Syksy> Finally, moneromooo falls to his knees, holding his head
19:45 < Syksy> ... and suddenly his opinion is very different ...
19:45 < Syksy> (you are free to discuss if you want)
19:45 < moneromooo> My lady... I beg your forgivenes. I was under a thrall.
19:46 < moneromooo> I will of course not stand between you and your wish.
19:46 < Syksy> Lady in White: "Apology accepted...", she wipes of tears from her face, "Come, let us go. To the Feast, and then you will meet the Great Messenger"
19:46 < moneromooo> Even though a fateful one it seems to be.
19:46 < Syksy> You approach an opening where brightly lit lamps surround a feasting group of ghost-like creatures, that make way for you like a tunnel
19:47 < Syksy> At the end of a tunnel, sits a woman
19:47 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/UPpZ0Dx.jpg >
19:47 < Syksy> She presents herself as 'Matron', who organizes the Feast on behalf of her master
19:47 < Syksy> Matron stands by a grim statue. She introduces her as being called to assist the adventurers before attending the main halls of the Faceless Messenger.
19:47 < Syksy> "You have made it to the Feast! Welcome, welcome my dears!", she laughters with a joy in her voice.
19:48  * rederin feels a bit... watched
19:48 < Syksy> "I welcome your group, welcome! welcome! I believe among you is a guest of honour?"
19:49 < Syksy> "Such a feast does not come without a price", says the Matron
19:49 < Syksy> "Guests ought to entertain the hostess, as the hostess has entertained his guests - and now it is time."
19:49 < Syksy> "Who is the Gift? Who is our Special Guest this fair evening?"
19:49  * moneromooo steps aside for the lady in white to come forward.
19:49 < Syksy> The Lady in White steps forward, "I am the appointed Guest of Honor. I am ready."
19:49 < Syksy> A group of shadow-like creatures grab her by her hands and direct her towards the only building standing next to the festivities
19:50 -!- Irssi: Pasting 7 lines to ##crypto-kingdom. Press Ctrl-K if you wish to do this or Ctrl-C to cancel.
19:50 < Syksy> "While we wait for the Special Guest be suited for our coming dinner, we ought to play a game."
19:50 < Syksy> Among you is a traitor. In his heart he or she may or may not know that he is a traitor. But who is he or she?
19:50 < Syksy> That is now for you to now tell. My rules are as follows; you will have to find out the traitor,
19:50 < Syksy> and I will deliver just judgement upon him or her. But in order to be able to deliver this, there
19:50 < Syksy> must be a majority that has identified the traitor.
19:50 < Syksy> Those who successfully identify the traitor among you will receive a great reward, so think carefully."
19:50 < Syksy> She lets out a cheerful laugh, "Oh, how fun times! Excitement!"
19:51 < Syksy> "I bore of these shadows, it is exciting to have... flesh, among us", and she smiles
19:51 < Syksy> "Apologies, my talk must sound out of your world, pilgrims." She says, "I am just so excited!"
19:51  * rederin carefully looks at everyone for signs of... not quite life...
19:51 < martti_> rederin, what is your secret?
19:52 < rederin> My secret... I killed my child to be. I will forever regret that day.
19:52 < martti_> boombox, what is your secret?
19:52 < Syksy> Etrom, who has been accompanying you, nods in aproval.
19:52 < Syksy> approval*
19:53 < boombox_> I killed my father with my bare hands to save my mother.
19:53 < Syksy> Etrom grins, and again nods.
19:53 < rederin> Ah, Etrom is here... Hmm...
19:53 < martti_> i cannot ask mooo a second time
19:53 < Syksy> (GM note: yep Moo can't be asked a second time)
19:53 < rederin> Does... Etrom look... different from before ? If we can somehow tell ?
19:54 < Syksy> Etrom's been hovering behind and following you loyally the whole time Smiley
19:54 < Syksy> Not that you can tell of
19:54 < martti_> syksy II, what is your secret?
19:54 < Syksy> SyksyII: I am not the only son of my father, for I _had_ an elder brother... who died by my father's hand.
19:54 < Syksy> SyksyII: What is yours, martti_?
19:55 < martti_> i'm a lunatic
19:55 < Syksy> Matron: "OH EXCITEMENT!", she giggles
19:55 < Syksy> Matron: "Oh what great guests you have made, I haven't had this much fun in a thousand years!"
19:56 < Syksy> Matron: "I must admit, I'm a little tease", she giggles again.
19:56 < Syksy> (it is now time for majority vote)
19:56 < rederin> Matron, when you said there is a traitor among us, who do you put in the "us" ?
19:56 < Syksy> Matron: "Do you mean the floating skull? Bah, that old fart's been around for ages. He's not in the game."
19:56 < martti_> lol
19:56 < Syksy> Etrom mimics Matron's speech and grumbles
19:57 < Syksy> Matron: "Shush!", he refers to Etrom, "Don't spoil my fun!"
19:57 < rederin> Well, there's only one left, is there ?
19:57 < rederin> Oh wait.
19:57 < rederin> Traitor doesn't necessarily mean "possessed", does it.
19:58 < Syksy> Etrom recites things as if he was a casette player:
19:58 < rederin> And someone asking all those questions of everyone, knowing we can ask only once...
19:58 < Syksy> Etmor: "Most importantly, remember this; All that glitters, is not gold. Things here are in reverse.
19:58 < Syksy> What was beauty, is abomination here. What was madness, is wisdom. What was living, is now undeath.
19:58 < Syksy> Remember this rule and you might just find your way to the Faceless One, who has the power to fulfill your wish."
19:59 -!- Lloydimiller4 [~Lloydimil@unaffiliated/lloydimiller4] has quit [Ping timeout: 245 seconds]
19:59 < Syksy> Matron shoves Etrom further away, "Psssh! Go away you nuisance!"
19:59 < Syksy> Matron: "Who invited you anyway..."
19:59 < Syksy> (still waiting for a majority vote)
20:00 < Syksy> Matron turns her grim stare that was reserved for Etrom to a happy smile and turns back to the adventurers, "Oh! I so wait your choice! My, my, my..."
20:00 < martti_> mooo's the only one who didn't betray his secret....
20:00 < Syksy> Matron: "Oh, I think the food's ready to be served - we must haste now! I can smell the delicious main dish"
20:01 < rederin> Something makes me think we're going be having lady in white at lunch.
20:01 < martti_> but the lady in white betrayed herself
20:01 < Syksy> The Lady in White is not included in the game either
20:01 < Syksy> (she's not among you)
20:02 < martti_> mooo, then
20:02 < Syksy> Matron, "Please please pleaaaase, pretty please? I must know! Who is it?"
20:02 < Syksy> Matron, "Oooh!!! Oh my, Mooo, are you a dirty traitor you?"
20:02  * moneromooo ponders
20:02 < Syksy> Matron teasily pokes Mooo on the shoulder, she's a beautiful lady and seems playful.
20:02 < Syksy> Matron continues "You wouldn't do that to your friends would you? Noooo... or would you?"
20:03 < Syksy> Matron giggles again.
20:03 < moneromooo> For... what price ?
20:03 < Syksy> Matron: "My my my, we can't let the food go cold! Is the one vote on Moo the only one?!"
20:03 < Syksy> (30sec time for votes)
20:03 < rederin> I'm hesitating between moneromooo and martti_
20:03 < Syksy> ~20s
20:03 < moneromooo> I'll vote for myself Cheesy
20:04 < boombox_> mooo
20:04 < rederin> martti_ then.
20:04 < Syksy> Matron: "OH MOOO!", she laughs louder than before
20:04 < Syksy> Matron claps her hands together in excitement, "Yes yes yessssssss this was a fun game! I wish we could do it again some time!"
20:05 < martti_> (glares at rederin) me, really?
20:05 < Syksy> Matron addresses mooo: "Since you were such a joy and a good game, I will give you this!"
20:05 -!- Zechariah [[email protected]] has quit [Quit: Zechariah]
20:05 < Syksy> Matron hands over to Mooo a necklace made of dark obsidian-like stone
20:05 < rederin> Well... the asking at everyone felt maybe... unneeded...
20:05 < martti_> jk ;P
20:05 < Syksy> She puts it on his neck, "Wear it for me when you meet my master, for my sake, please?", she winks
20:06  * moneromooo graciously accepts the necklace and winks back
20:06 < Syksy> The shadows carry over from the building a huge plate with a dome-like covering
20:07 < Syksy> The Matron: "Now, rejoice my friends! Rejoice and then meet my master! He will not want his guests to appear with empty stomaches"
20:07 < Syksy> Matron walks away, knacks her heels on the way to the building, and then disappears inside the building
20:07 < Syksy> You are seated in rather fancy wooden seating among a large table
20:08 < Syksy> A full table of juicy fruits, berries, and a huge bronze plate with a dome-cover is carried in by several insect-like servants.
20:08 < Syksy> A servant pulls up the dome-cover, revealing a roasted humanoid inside. There is an apple in the mouth, and smaller fruits in the eye sockets and other soft tissue.
20:09 < Syksy> You are seated before the table, but the Matron is no longer there, apparently everybody busy feasting around you... but they're shadows.
20:09 < Syksy> Silver cutlery is before everybody, and apparently this main dish is to fill your stomaches (goes only with a few toppings and extra)
20:10 < Syksy> (and plates etc)
20:10 < Syksy> (open for interaction, you're before the main dish)
20:10 < Syksy> in-character, out-of-character, anything goes :p
20:10 < boombox_> Well, as things here are in reverse, I will not touch any fruit, I will go for the humanoid!
20:11 < Syksy> boombox appears to take a juicy piece of the leg, in my perspective
20:11 < boombox_> The lady in white´s buttocks actually.
20:11 < Syksy> It tastes like chicken, you say
20:11 < Syksy> ... kinda ....
20:12 < Syksy> others?
20:12  * moneromooo studiously watches boombox_
20:12 < martti_> eat the servants or the guests comes to mind
20:12 < martti_> not sure if that's an exact quotation....
20:12 < Syksy> boombox_ appears to be eating happily, filling his stomach after a long day's journey
20:12 < moneromooo> Does he seem to act with any kind of apparent... mindlessness ?
20:13 < Syksy> He appears to digest it just fine
20:13 < Syksy> Not many of you seem to be up for chit-chat over the dinner though
20:13 < boombox_> Question to group: I have a bottle of SW2 with me, would that be ok now for us to share or should I keep it for later?
20:13 < Syksy> SyksyII takes bites, shrugs, and takes a second portion
20:14 < rederin> Well, it was the lady's wish after all.
20:14  * rederin joins
20:14 < Syksy> apparently he also took quite a chunk of the brain-like matter, which had been especially laid out by cutting of the top of the skull of the humanoid
20:14  * moneromooo too, kinda relieved he didn't have to be the guest of honour
20:15 < Syksy> I take it you finish the main dish? There doesn't seem to be any symptoms whatsoever, at least visible opens
20:15 < martti_> wait, weren't we told to bring back everything in the skull?
20:15 < rederin> Oooh...
20:15 < Syksy> a pouch from the Skull (=Etrom)
20:15 < Syksy> Etrom appears to be holding a poach in his teeth, hence why he's been partly so quiet
20:15 < Syksy> you don't seem to recall when it has appeared, maybe the Matron gave it? Lady in White? Nobody seems to remember
20:16 < martti_> takes pouch
20:16 < rederin> A pouch ?
20:16 < martti_> looks inside
20:16 < Syksy> it's pouch / sack
20:16 < rederin> Ah, I was wondering if it was a peach ? Cheesy
20:16 < Syksy> nah, it's a container Tongue
20:16 < rederin> Full of peaches ?
20:16 < Syksy> You grab the sack (let's call it that) from Etrom's teeth, he murmurs but gives it to you, and you peek inside
20:17 < Syksy> several dusty tomes, roots, some vials of strange liquid, some bones, nothing that you'd find out of ordinary from a mailpackage sent to a wizard like Zenon
20:17 < Syksy> Etrom: "Just don't break anything, geez."
20:18 < Syksy> "You coulda just asked. Can I have it back now that you've fed your curiousity? You should be feeding yourself in an another manner."
20:18 < martti_> "gotcha, here you go." gives back pouch
20:19 < martti_> starts to  feast
20:19 < Syksy> Etrom grabs it with his teeth and looks between martti_, the main dish, and martti_, the main dish, and then seems to look elsewhere
20:19 < Syksy> (apparantly you all Feast and the main dish runs out, unless anybody objects)
20:20 < Syksy> great, everybody's got their stomaches filled Cheesy
20:20 < moneromooo> What are the shadows doing now ?
20:20 < Syksy> A shadowy servant grabs plates and all and starts moving your stools and all
20:20 < Syksy> Etrom nods towards the building, or rather besides it, for all to go forward
20:21 < Syksy> They seem to be cleaning up and gathering like servants
20:21 < Syksy> Etrom seems eager to point you to your next destination, I take it you follow him?
20:21 < moneromooo> Yep.
20:22 < boombox_> yes
20:22 < martti_> sure
20:22  * rederin follows along
20:22 < Syksy> You pass the building into the rather plain landscape behind it
20:22 < Syksy> The journey continues with Etmor pointing at a large pyramid-like construction in the horizon.
20:22 < Syksy> "This is where the Faceless Messenger, or the One with the Thousand Faces, lives. He can... sculpt thee a black dragon. But remember, in order to subdue a black dragon, one must become a black dragon."
20:22 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/geJjvDM.jpg >
20:23 < Syksy> Etrom points you toward the structure, and some kind of an altar on top of it with strange lights
20:23 < Syksy> I take it you climb it all the way to the altar?
20:24 < martti_> sure
20:24 < Syksy> On a throne sits a motionless dark Pharaoh with the face of an embalmed skull. When the player characters approach the seemingly still
20:24 < Syksy> skeletal ruler, he stands up. A horrible booming noise pierces through everybody's mind, it is not a voice heard with ears;
20:24 < Syksy> it is a voice heard by the mind, or rather a shriek of a thousand tortured souls in agony, whispering dark secrets of
20:24 < Syksy> passed days and mimicking voices of those close to the hearer, while muttering nonsense and begging for escape.
20:24 < rederin> Maybe take a look around first
20:24 < rederin> Oh, maybe not.
20:24 < Syksy> you're up there already Wink
20:24 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/T5g0gJv.jpg >
20:25 < Syksy> The Pharaoh raises its head, and a schreeching voice like a rusty nail on metal captivates all senses of the hearers.
20:25 < Syksy> "HERE YOU ARE, BEFORE ME."
20:25 < Syksy> "TELL ME; WHAT IS IT THAT YOU SEEK? I ALREADY KNOW, BUT I WANT TO HEAR IT FROM YOU."
20:25 < martti_> the dragon within
20:25 < Syksy> (caps lock = Pharaoh-dude speaking)
20:26 < Syksy> "THE DRAGON... WITHIN."
20:26 < Syksy> "FIRST I WILL ASK YOU A QUESTION."
20:26 < Syksy> "WHO DO YOU ANSWER TO; WHOSE ERRAND IS THIS? WHO SENT YOU?"
20:26 < Syksy> "THINK NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE - FOR YOUR PETTY KIND IS EASILY DECEIVED."
20:27 < Syksy> "I DO NOT GIVE THE TITLE OF A DECEIVER TO PETTY MORTALS."
20:27 < moneromooo> Hrm. Well... could be HM Crichton, Zenon, Etrom, White lady, Matron.
20:27 < Syksy> "TRICKSTER OF TRICKSTERS, A MESSENGER WITH THOUSAND FACES, FACELESS ONE, THE BLACK PHARAOH... BEHOLD, ME."
20:28 < Syksy> you are free to discuss the answer (only one answer accepted)
20:28 < Syksy> he just stands there motionless, waiting for an answer
20:28 < boombox_> I would say the King, he sent us, although I have other reasons to be here too Smiley
20:29 < moneromooo> Could also be "ourselves"
20:29 < martti_> (if you believe in free will, we sent ourselves here)
20:29 < boombox_> yes
20:29 < rederin> Or fate.
20:29 < Syksy> the pharaoh mumbles "PERSON."
20:30 < moneromooo> Trying to trick us, eh ? Smiley
20:30 < martti_> (i'm gonna go with ourselves--unless someone has a better answer)
20:30 < Syksy> "PERSON.", he repeats
20:31 < moneromooo> I would cross the white lady. Matron too.
20:31 -!- Zechariah [[email protected]] has joined ##crypto-kingdom
20:31 < Zechariah> GM UPDATE: PAUSE
20:31 < Zechariah> Please tell me what I missed? Cheesy
20:31 < moneromooo> So HMC or Zenon. Zenon wasn't too keen, so HM. Though Zenon wanted his pouch.
20:31 < moneromooo> Just some dragonny business Cheesy
20:32 < Syksy> Zechariah: we're at the end of Dragon Quest Wink
20:32 < Syksy> will post IRC-log of the whole quest
20:32 < Syksy> (as well as the pre-scripted quest documentation)
20:33 < Syksy> "PERSON. NOW." says the Pharaoh
20:33 < Syksy> (you sense that he grows impatient)
20:33 < moneromooo> Could also be the trickster itself. Tricking us all.
20:33 < boombox_> HMC, Zenon or Etrom? Etrom was a person once..
20:33  * moneromooo looks at the pendant, to see whether it has anything written on it.
20:34 < Syksy> The pendant has a strong magical aura to it, you sense something hidden
20:34 < Syksy> Definitely magical
20:34 < rederin> I'd vote for HMC, but... that seems...
20:35 < moneromooo> Hmm.
20:35 -!- Zechariah is now known as HRH_Prince_Zech
20:35 < HRH_Prince_Zech> Shit. I just got info that my wife had been traitor all along...
20:35 < HRH_Prince_Zech> It is almost too much to bear.
20:36 < HRH_Prince_Zech> What I only wish is to turn back time and have the opportunity to participate in the Quest
20:36 < moneromooo> Don't forget to require extraordinary evidence.
20:36 < HRH_Prince_Zech> Which is not granted Sad
20:36 < Syksy> :/
20:36 < Syksy> (Pharaoh still waits for an answer)
20:36 < moneromooo> Maybe SyksyII can wake up...
20:36 < martti_> that'll probably be good
20:37 < Syksy> SyksyII: He said think not once, but twice; the first obvious answer might not be it, maybe the second that we think of?
20:38 < moneromooo> Hmm. Could be te queen too. she let us pass so we can take her place or something.
20:39 < Syksy> Pharaoh is running out of patience Smiley
20:39 < Syksy> SyksyII: I think we need to go back to basics
20:39 < moneromooo> I'm leaning towards Zenon now. HMC wanted the dragon, Zenon sent us on our way.
20:40 < Syksy> others?
20:40 < rederin> Sir Pharaoh, what would you answer to that question ?
20:40  * rederin hopes the trickster doesn't notice I'm trying to trick him
20:41 < Syksy> "DO NOT BOTHER ME INSECT, GIVE ME THE NAME NOW."
20:41 < boombox_> He said "I DO NOT GIVE THE TITLE OF A DECEIVER TO PETTY MORTALS." any clue in that sentence?
20:42 < moneromooo> We're kinda stuck aren't we.
20:42 < Syksy> tick tock tick tock... Wink
20:42 < Syksy> gotta make a choice
20:42 < martti_> !consume mus 10
20:42 < moneromooo> Well, need to choose, I'll vote Zenon.
20:42 < boombox_> Zenon
20:42 < Syksy> two votes for Zenon, others?
20:43 < HRH_Prince_Zech> who is the contender?
20:43 < Syksy> 20:26 < Syksy> "WHO DO YOU ANSWER TO; WHOSE ERRAND IS THIS? WHO SENT YOU?"
20:43 < Syksy> 20:26 < Syksy> "THINK NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE - FOR YOUR PETTY KIND IS EASILY DECEIVED."
20:43 < Syksy> 20:27 < Syksy> "I DO NOT GIVE THE TITLE OF A DECEIVER TO PETTY MORTALS."
20:43 < Syksy> 20:27 < moneromooo> Hrm. Well... could be HM Crichton, Zenon, Etrom, White lady, Matron.
20:43 < moneromooo> HMC (original idea to get a dragon).
20:43 < Syksy> closing in 30s
20:43 < Syksy> still two votes for Zenon?
20:43 < HRH_Prince_Zech> Zenon is not mortal. I don’t need to vote for him. He’ll survive
20:43 < HRH_Prince_Zech> My father KNEW him
20:44 < Syksy> 20s
20:44 < martti_> zenon....
20:44 < Syksy> it is settled then
20:44 < Syksy> The Pharaoh grins.
20:44 < Syksy> "I WILL GRANT YOU A BLACK DRAGON. BUT FIRST; YOU MUST CHOOSE AMONG YOURSELVES WHO IS WORTHY OF MY BLESSING, THIS EXTRAORDINARY GIFT."
20:45 < Syksy> Voting time!
20:45 < HRH_Prince_Zech> I abstain
20:45  * moneromooo feels like pushing syksyII forward Cheesy
20:45 < moneromooo> Oh wait, he's an actual CK char.
20:45 < Syksy> sure SyksyII is there
20:45 < moneromooo> Hmm, me then. I have that medallion thing.
20:45  * HRH_Prince_Zech going to buy some dragon-related utilities...
20:45 < boombox_> Who wants to become a black dragon Smiley ?
20:46 < Syksy> "my dear only boy, I wonder how he's doing", says Syksy back in the realm of Crypto Kingdom....
20:46 < Syksy> Syksy Sr that is
20:47 < Syksy> "THERE IS NO GREATER GIFT THAN BEING SCULPT BY A MESSENGER OF THE OUTER STARS..."
20:47 < Syksy> (Pharaoh)
20:48 < Syksy> votes people, votes Grin
20:48 < moneromooo> do you want to be a dragon boombox_ ? Your name seems appropriate, somehow Cheesy
20:48 < Syksy> the Pharaoh REALLY doesn't like waiting...
20:48 < Syksy> SyksyII will abstain in this vote
20:48 < Syksy> (obviously)
20:49 < rederin> Shame HMC isn't around. I'm sure he'd WANT to become a dragon Cheesy
20:49 < Syksy> Voting starting, 1min
20:49 < boombox_> well, I can do it, vote for me, why not, lets see what happens to me Smiley
20:49 < martti_> came a s the wrong character ; P
20:50 < Syksy> 45s
20:50 < martti_> boombox you sure about this?
20:50 < boombox_> YES
20:50 < Syksy> 30s
20:50 < martti_> i vote boombox
20:50 < Syksy> 15s
20:50 < rederin> Alright then, boombox_ it is
20:50 < Syksy> 10, 5, 4....
20:51  * moneromooo looks at pendant and votes... boombox_
20:51 < Syksy> 3, 2...
20:51 < Syksy> "AH... THE CHOICE IS MADE. I AM THE SCULPTOR; I AM THE THOUSAND FACES; I AM... AN ARTIST; AND LO, BEHOLD..."
20:51 < Syksy> The Pharaoh before you appears to melt into a dark mist that is thick enough to block vision. From the mist rises thousands of faces, tentacles, spikes, razor-like talons, with a chorus of the thousand faces singing.
20:51 < Syksy> A central figurine appears, but all limbs appear sentient to a degree, as well as the faces embedded all over.
20:51 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/kMAV3r2.jpg >
20:51 < Syksy> "BON APPÉTIT, MON CHÉRI... AND FARE THEE WELL, PAWNS, SHOULD YOU RAISE YOUR BLADE..." whispers the mist.
20:52 < Syksy> The limbs rising from the mist grab hold of Boombox. They raise him up by the neck, and with a quick sharp movement the talons rend open the back of Boombox, revealing the spine beneath. Multiple talons open
20:52 < Syksy> other wounds revealing bone, but not exceeding amounts of blood or other tissues.
20:52 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/RqgOAei.jpg >
20:52 < HRH_Prince_Zech> dear...
20:52 < Syksy> Several other tentacles rise of other form; the spike-like limbs strike inside to the spinal cord and multiple other spots on the persons exposed inner guts. The spiky tentacles are bulging back and forth, and due
20:52 < Syksy> to partial transparency some black liquid can be seen being pumped into poor Boombox as if (s)he was a tube in a twisted alchemy lab. The Boombox's body twists are shakes uncontrollably, but it appears like
20:52 < Syksy> Boombox has lost conciously during the very beginning of this surgical sculpting procedure. Finally the tentacles withdraw, and a half-grown blob of a being drops down to the floor.
20:52 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/h3N4aXT.jpg >
20:52 < Syksy> The blob falls long into the ground, upon which thousand tentacles wrap it up in a egg-like hatching or incubation pool. The tentacles continue to move back and forth, and the mist continues to seep into from between the
20:52 < Syksy> tentacles into the pouch inside.
20:53 -!- Irssi: Pasting 5 lines to ##crypto-kingdom. Press Ctrl-K if you wish to do this or Ctrl-C to cancel.
20:53 < Syksy> After a short while, the tentacles turn into specles of dark dust. The dust surrounds the dragon, and parts of it rise before each adventurer in the form of a skeletal sirene.
20:53 < Syksy> The sirenes blow a kiss, explode into a chaotic mist that drips through adventurers' clothing with a chilling touch. The mist drifts down the pyramid-like structure's whitened stone stairs,
20:53 < Syksy> like a swarm of centipedes fleeting to all directions.
20:53 < Syksy> A figure rises from the remains of the mist, and it grows; and grows; and then it howls...
20:53 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/J7v6InI.jpg >
20:54 < Syksy> The dragon rises to its feet, let's out a semi-human-like puzzled scream. It is engulfed by a seeming maniacal rage upon realizing its lost humanity.
20:54 < Syksy> The roaring cry reeks of desperation - and a hidden anger. The dragon turns its head towards the adventurers and an unclear "W... H... Y..." may be heard from the violent roars; "M... E... ".
20:54 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/esFdo2t.jpg >
20:55 < Syksy> GM Note: The dragon appears to be puzzled, with a residual of human inside. It struggles but appears to possibly attack. What do ye?
20:55 < Syksy> *grabs hold of the WIS-charts...*
20:55 < HRH_Prince_Zech> sphericon: 25*JAD?
20:55 < Syksy> The pendant that Mooo is holding appears to glow suddenly
20:55 < moneromooo> I quickly look at the pendant for... oh
20:56 < moneromooo> I approch the dragon. Not super fast, mind.
20:56 < Syksy> The dragon growls and fixes its eyes on you.
20:56 < moneromooo> And see how it reacts.
20:56 < Syksy> It howls in pain, and you notice acidic drips falling from its scarred wings and scales
20:56 < moneromooo> Oops, bad idea. Let's step back.
20:57 < Syksy> Roll a d100
20:57 < Syksy> does ckBot offer this?
20:57 < moneromooo> I had that on a test bot, let me see
20:57 < Syksy> I guess there are a lot of d100s in the net
20:58 < Syksy> seeds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc
20:58 -!- monero-testnet-t [~monero-te@unaffiliated/moneromooo/bot/monero-tipbot] has joined ##crypto-kingdom
20:58 < moneromooo> !d 4
20:58 < monero-testnet-t> Invalid command, try !help
20:58 < Syksy> > set.seed(1); sample(1:100, 1)
20:58 < Syksy> [1] 27
20:58 < Syksy> first roll, 27
20:58 < Syksy> The dragon appears to lower its head when you approach it peacefully, and it fixes its eyes on the pendant, and its lizard-eyes widen
20:59 < Syksy> (next action)
20:59 < moneromooo> !load raffle
20:59 < monero-testnet-t> An error occured
20:59 < moneromooo> ffs
20:59 < Syksy> Cheesy
20:59 < Syksy> The dragon appears restless
20:59 < Syksy> but it has not made a direct attack (at least not yet)
20:59 < moneromooo> Can I take it off and present it to the dragon ?
21:00 < Syksy> You can't seem to find your hand to be able to take off the pendant, at least not yet
21:00 < Syksy> The dragon starts eyeing the other party members
21:01 < Syksy> It opens its maw and black drool appears to fall to the stony floor
21:01 < Syksy> It takes a step forward
21:01 < martti_> ask it who killed his father
21:02 < Syksy> martti saying to Mooo?
21:02 < martti_> yes
21:02 < Syksy> moneromooo: ^
21:02 < moneromooo> Dragon, who killed your father ?
21:02 < Syksy> It shakes its head, stomps both front legs to the ground, howls "M... E...."
21:03 < martti_> ; )
21:03 < Syksy> > set.seed(2); sample(1:100, 1)
21:03 < Syksy> [1] 19
21:03 < moneromooo> That's twice, though, no ?
21:03 < Syksy> The dragon howls continouusly "H... E... L..." and twists its tail and head in agony
21:03 < Syksy> it turns its eyes back to Mooo and the pendant
21:04 < moneromooo> Let's try to approach a bit again.
21:04 < Syksy> The dragon doesn't appear to react aggressively to approaching it
21:04 < Syksy> It lower its head slightly
21:04 < Syksy> lowers*
21:05 < Syksy> (waiting)
21:05 < moneromooo> I'd try to shake the dragon's hand, biut that might be something you only do twice.
21:05 < Syksy> Cheesy
21:05 < moneromooo> Well, I'll get close and try to touch it.
21:05 < Syksy> > set.seed(3); sample(1:100, 1)
21:05 < Syksy> [1] 17
21:06 < Syksy> The dragon appears to calm down, and it lets you touch it... you can hear a silent "P..."
21:06 < Syksy> It seems attracted to the pendant, eyeing both you and it
21:06 < moneromooo> So... hmm....
21:06 < Syksy> You notice Etrom hovering by a pillar nearby
21:07 < Syksy> He seems to be nodding away from the altar-pillars
21:07 < moneromooo> I step aside a bit, leaving the way free for the dragon towards that direction.
21:07 < moneromooo> And I'll keep up with the dragon, if it goes that way.
21:08 < Syksy> The dragon takes slow steps following you, but you hear it grind its sharp teeth in pain as black pus seeps out of its wounds with acidic blood
21:08 < moneromooo> Any idea how we could help a newly sculpted dragon ?
21:09 < martti_> i think the pendent hurts him
21:09 < moneromooo> I'm not sure whether the pendant is good or bad for it -_-
21:09 < Syksy> It seems to follow you, and Etrom nods more and more eagerly toward an opening near the pillars, down-by
21:09 < moneromooo> Well, let's go then, and see what's where Etrom motions.
21:09 < Syksy> (you are on top of a pyramid-like structure, so you need to start stepping down if you want to head where Etrom is pointing you)
21:09 < moneromooo> Sounds alright. Maybe the dragon will fly. Not sure steps are well adapted.
21:10 < Syksy> Etrom awaits outside the pyramid. In a dark silence, the grand giant walks after Mooo with its head held low.
21:10 < Syksy> Etmor holds a pouch and hands it over to the adventurers.
21:10 < Syksy> The Skull then surges with energy that appears to target several pillars in an opening next to the pyramid.
21:10 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/uhUhprF.jpg >
21:10 < Syksy> Easily, a large open portal rises from the ground - open even capable of letting a dragon through - behind which hopeful sights of a certain city lie
21:10 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/pKY64SF.jpg >
21:11 < martti_> i'm going through
21:11 < moneromooo> Well, hopefully the new world will be nicer to the dragon, right ?
21:11  * moneromooo gets close and looks at the dragon
21:11 < Syksy> the Dragon appears to nod in favor
21:11  * moneromooo steps in
21:11 < Syksy> The adventurers step into the portal one by one
21:12 < Syksy> and that concludes Dragon Quest (pt I of Huh)!
21:12 < Syksy> << Return to city with a subdued dragon; aftermath or preparing for the new session, GM & PC & others discussion; Zenon and King are presumably present to "welcome back" the "heroic adventurers" with their great "loot" >>
21:12 < Syksy> I am sure there will be much to discuss after this Wink
21:12 < moneromooo> Does the dragon seem to be recovering a bit ?
21:12 < martti_> martti needs a drink
21:12 < Syksy> that we will find out in the next episode Smiley
21:13 < Syksy> ps. you managed to get through with minimal damage; at least 1 PC was going to die (=Boombox)
21:13 < Syksy> and a good thing you didn't eat Mooo Cheesy
21:13 < moneromooo> Phew
21:13 < Syksy> well played ladies and gentlemen
---
21:14 < Syksy> there was no fighting, but I hope this was entertaining nevertheless
21:14 < Syksy> I must now go for an hour or so to help kids to bed, I'll post IRC-log and feel free to take a look on the adventure in above link
21:14 < boombox_> How should I treat the boombox account? Dead and gone, can I give all boombo´s belongings (minimal) to tombot?
21:14 < martti_> thank you, Syksy!
21:14 < rederin> Yes. Thanks Syksy Smiley
21:14 < Syksy> there are going to be few items that will be rewarded
21:14 < moneromooo> Yes, it certainly was Smiley A bit... unsettling too Smiley
21:14 < boombox_> thanks Syksy!
21:14 < Syksy> Boombox should be sweeped to tombot aye
21:15 < Syksy> I'd suggest you take a look on the out-lined adventure, funny to compare it to what happened in here Wink
21:15 < Syksy> anyway, afk for an hour or so now! It took quite a while, but now there's a dragon in town
21:15 < Syksy> a good or a bad thing? time will tell...
21:16 < moneromooo> Did you mean to post a link to the writeup ?
21:16 < moneromooo> The last one is the lady's banshee
21:16 < martti_> if his name is boombox, he'll at least have mad beats
21:16 < HRH_Prince_Zech> thanks all
21:16 -!- HRH_Prince_Zech is now known as Zechariah
21:19 -!- martti_ is now known as hmc_
21:21 -!- tombot [b237dd1c@gateway/web/freenode/ip.178.55.221.28] has joined ##crypto-kingdom
21:21 -!- boombox_ [b237dd1c@gateway/web/freenode/ip.178.55.221.28] has quit [Ping timeout: 260 seconds]
21:32 < hmc_> boombox looks beautiful--BTW ; P
21:34 -!- NewLiberty [~NewLibert@2602:306:b8e0:8160:57c:fbd3:b30e:ed88] has quit [Ping timeout: 258 seconds]
21:35 < moneromooo> And hmc_ is going to go wage war with a new weapon Cheesy
21:37 < hmc_> upon delivery to Old Duchy, he would be Old Duchy's protecterate, so hopefully, he keeps CK's enemies leary of a fight
21:37 -!- Zechariah [[email protected]] has quit [Read error: Connection reset by peer]
21:39 -!- Eskorbuto [~ircap@unaffiliated/eskorbuto] has joined ##crypto-kingdom
21:40 -!- Zechariah [[email protected]] has joined ##crypto-kingdom
21:59 < Syksy> moneromooo: how many lines is https://paste.fedoraproject.org/478386/14789629/ for you?
21:59 < Syksy> it's the adventure pre-text, should be 500+
21:59 < Syksy> (lines)
21:59 < moneromooo> 529
21:59 < Syksy> yup
21:59 < Syksy> that's the railway you guys took Wink
22:00 < Syksy> änd gals
22:00  * moneromooo goes read Smiley
22:00 < rederin> Tongue
22:00 < Syksy> I'm sure you'll find it interesting Cheesy
22:01 < moneromooo> Damn. I thought it means morte, but then realized it didn't. Until you fixed the spelling Cheesy But I didn't think it was worth mentioning Cheesy
22:03 < hmc_> should have answered the trickster wrong and got a tat
22:41 -!- CrazyLoaf [uid67551@gateway/web/irccloud.com/x-wmpdoscrqebpmvzm] has joined ##crypto-kingdom
22:44 -!- Zechariah [[email protected]] has quit [Quit: Zechariah]
23:02 < Syksy> you guys got a tat anyway Cheesy
23:02 < Syksy> you got the "good" that
23:02 < Syksy> [Scar-touched by the Dreamworlds]
23:02 < Syksy> DESCRIPTION: The reward-scar of a correct answer before the Great Trickster. It appears to give its bearer the ability to explain seemingly irrational, ominous or seemingly mundane dreams for others in a semi-prophetic manner.
23:02 < Syksy> NOTE: Tattoo/wound, untradeable. May be herited within a bloodline.
23:03 < Syksy> moneromooo: aye I prob shoulda made it more clear that all kinds of "hey, isn't that X from Y" will give extra rewards
23:03 < Syksy> tbh that +1 treasure counter, I didn't keep track of it, but it can of course now be counted from the backlog
23:03 < tombot> what about boombox rewards, are they given to tombot Smiley
23:04 < Syksy> imho everybody did great, you guys basically got the minimal damage
23:04 < Syksy> sure
23:04 < tombot> ok
23:04 < Syksy> rewards must be negotiated with Zechariah as well as the owner of a brand new Black Dragon, His Majesty Wink
23:05 < Syksy> I believe there was a fixed reward announced earlier - they shall announce any additions, and the "treasure" counter may or may not be used, it was pretty artificial but still something that was added to reward if somebody was exceptionally well performing
23:06 < Syksy> the whole Traitor thing was a red herring Smiley
23:06 < Syksy> but Moo coulda ended being served for dinner... luckily he didn't Wink
23:06 < Syksy> and you basically saved the Lady in White by carrying her in your bellies
23:07 < Syksy> there might be post-adventures, there are possibilities... what were Zenon's motives? what was in the pouch? is the Lady in White somehow redeemable, or should she stay as she is (digested)? How will the black dragon fare (obeys the obsidian necklace, but
               is wounded to some degree)?
23:07 < Syksy> etc
23:08 < Syksy> btw, the Pharaoh was a guy in Cthulhu mythos called Nyarlantotep, or at least he was _greatly_ influenced by him
23:08 < Syksy> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyarlathotep
23:08 < tombot> cool
23:08 < Syksy> not a guy you want to bump into in a dark alley... he gives "gifts" occasionally
23:09 < Syksy> the world you visited was, like described, kind-of a cursed undeath world, where he took pleasure of misfortune he had caused and one of his manifestations resided at that altar (that the Widow & his people had built thinking they could gain something
               positive of it)
full member
Activity: 260
Merit: 105
A Lingering Ghost
Quote
16:47  * rederin shows up on a horse who seems to relish the trip
16:47 < rederin> Hello all Smiley
16:54  * rederin finds a CAN on a lot somewhere and smokes it on the way to calm her nerves
16:55 < Syksy> hey all! Wink
16:55 -!- tombot [b237dd1c@gateway/web/freenode/ip.178.55.221.28] has quit [Quit: Page closed]
16:55 < Syksy> pack well, or pack lightly... both suit me...
16:56 < rederin> I have a horse and pistol. Not much else. Good clothes though, in case of inclement weather Smiley
16:56 -!- boombox_ [b237dd1c@gateway/web/freenode/ip.178.55.221.28] has joined ##crypto-kingdom
16:57 < boombox_> * testing Smiley
16:59 < moneromooo> Works Smiley
17:00 < Syksy> ello Smiley
17:00 < Syksy> I think we have 4 present
17:01 < Syksy> I will now post the adventure to a fedora pastebin, which will be openly available to all _after_ the adventure
17:01 < Syksy> (I hope I've remembered to write down all, some were on paper...)
17:01 < Syksy> let's wait for a 5th (volunteers are accepted as well!)
17:02 < boombox_> Do I need to be logged into the ckBot for this adventure? And if yes, how do I login?
17:02 < Syksy> nay
17:03 < Syksy> no need; only stat I need from you is your WIS
17:03 < Syksy> others please report your WIS as well
17:03 < moneromooo> NewLiberty: if your highness can spare the time, we might be about to write CK cryptozoological history!
17:04 < rederin> I have 8. I think that's... not very good Cheesy
17:04 < moneromooo> 11 here
17:05 < Syksy> okidoki Wink
17:05 < boombox_> 4 here Smiley
17:05 < Syksy> hmc_: you there?
17:05 < Syksy> *poke sphericon too*
17:06 < Syksy> I am having a flu (throat ache), so there's no point in me doing any kind of live stream; we'll do this in text mode in IRC, but I compiled a music list in YouTube if you wish immersion
17:06 < Syksy> it's roughly in the order to fit the mood I'd expect in each phase... Wink
17:06 < Syksy> if anybody wants to log the IRC quest that'd be cool too, could paste it in the forums for others to see
17:07 < rederin> Aw, hate those things. Get well soon Syksy Smiley
17:07 < Syksy> or delete it forever if this is a complete mess Cheesy
17:07 < Syksy> naw it's just a little thing, but I don't think I could talk that long Smiley
17:07 < Syksy> if you guys and gals don't mind I could go and make coffee (warm drink would be welcome) while we wait for the 5th
17:07 < Syksy> note: we can do this with 4 as well, but I'd much more prefer 5
17:07 < boombox_> ok!
17:07 < moneromooo> Oh, I'll be bringing some of my WRB-3 for the trip. If we don't get a dragon, we'll at least have some sketches.
17:07 < Syksy> *poof, away for coffee-making ~2min*
17:10 < Syksy> alrighty it's on the way
17:10 < hmc_> cool
17:10 < Syksy> so couple things; I've made a YouTube music list
17:10 < Syksy> oh cool hmc_ here Smiley
17:10 < Syksy> we're missing a 5th still
17:10 < Syksy> the music is not obligatory, but I tried to pick it to immerse you - if you want that kinda thing
17:10 < Syksy> naturally
17:10 < Syksy> the link to the playlist is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU2_mQMZFZw&list=PLA76ZV-sVfqbIwywQ2vANCBL7ZJb5WNL_
17:11 < Syksy> additionally, the quest is accompanied by many pictures, which are put into imgur.com - is everybody capable of seeing imgur-uploaded pics?
17:11 < hmc_> I see NIN ; O
17:11 < Syksy> hmc_: what's your WIS on Martti?
17:11 < Syksy> it's an instrumental song by them Wink
17:11 < Syksy> or well, Trent Reznor
17:11 < boombox_> imgur? need an account or something?
17:12 < Syksy> nah
17:12 < hmc_> let me check his char page (got to close a few things....)
17:12 < Syksy> you'll need to be able to open links that I will paste here in real-time
17:12 < Syksy> lemme upload an example
17:12 < boombox_> ok!
17:12 < Syksy> https://i.imgur.com/fiO58bW.jpg
17:12 < Syksy> does this link work for you?
17:13 < boombox_> yes
17:13 < hmc_> yoshi
17:13 < Syksy> cool, there's a tree
17:13 < Syksy> hmm, let's see who is on the channel and poke a few
17:13 < Syksy> any time strict time restrictions from any of you? just so I know if I need to keep pace
17:13 < hmc_> character opening................
17:14 < Syksy> my kids go to sleep usually in ~3h from now and my wife wants my help, but I can do an exception on the basis that it's fathers' weekend ;p
17:14 < hmc_> I can go till whenever
17:15 < Syksy> *poke luigi1111w sphericon NewLiberty SirJacket Roopatra* one more spot in Dragon Quest, should any of you wish to join the rollercoaster of death ;p
17:15 < Syksy> gonna go grab that coffee now ->
17:15 < hmc_> character page......
17:16 < rederin> I have a few hours free
17:17 < Syksy> alrighty, let's try to make it ~2h or so, depends - hard to estimate
17:17 < Syksy> <3h preferably
17:17 < Syksy> I wouldn't want to split it into two since it's kind of a package
17:17 < Syksy> moneromooo: you here ready as well?
17:17 < moneromooo> I am
17:18 < Syksy> roger, so let us begin
17:18 < Syksy> ok so we'll do it a bit strange, but let's do it so that SyksyII joins you as the 5th char
17:19 < Syksy> he is there as a kind-of semi-mindless zombie
17:19 < Syksy> obviously I can't "play" him
17:19 < Syksy> but when it comes to possibly needing a 5th char, he's available
17:19 < Syksy> lemme check his WIS...
17:19  * moneromooo puts a Zenon mask on SyksyII's face. Very, very wise.
17:20 < Syksy> oh, and the quest will involve private messaging from me to you and from you to me
17:20 < Syksy> make sure to check /query's every once in a while
17:20 < Syksy> or when asked to, /query me a certain task
17:20 < Syksy> ;P
17:20 < boombox_> what pm, how do I do it? sorry newbie..
17:20 < Syksy> you need to type "/query Syksy"
17:20 < boombox_> ok
17:20 < Syksy> that should open a private messaging window that only communicates with me
17:20 < Syksy> you could try it now
17:21 < Syksy> ohh my boy SyksyII is wise, 8
17:21 < rederin> I'm in good company Tongue
17:21 < Syksy> hmc_: any word on Martti's WIS? Wink
17:21 < hmc_> 8how 2 check wis fast?
17:21 < moneromooo> dahsboard page
17:21 < Syksy> My Character
17:21 < moneromooo> Oh wait...
17:21 < Syksy> can't recall any other way
17:22 < hmc_> going through admin page
17:22 < Syksy> here's again the YouTube link for music for anybody interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU2_mQMZFZw&index=1&list=PLA76ZV-sVfqbIwywQ2vANCBL7ZJb5WNL_
17:22 < Syksy> alright, we can continue on without Martti's WIS so far
17:23 < hmc_> i'll update when needed
17:23 < Syksy> what I need next is for you to pick your "number", all players need to have a number from 1,2,3,4,5
17:23 < Syksy> SyksyII will pick the one that remains
17:23 < Syksy> go ahead and claim a number
17:23 < hmc_> 5
17:23 < rederin> I'll pick 4
17:23 < boombox_> 3
17:23 < moneromooo> 2
17:23 < Syksy> aren't you guys and gals tidy Grin
17:24 < Syksy> SyksyII is 1 then
17:24 < Syksy> very well then, let us begin!
17:24 < Syksy> ---------------------------------------------
17:24 < Syksy> <<< DRAGON QUEST - LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER >>>
17:24 < Syksy> ---------------------------------------------
17:24 < Syksy> GM NOTE: Please refrain from Google searches, both for text and images. I have made a YouTube single music channel should you wish to immerse yourself in music suitable for the quest at hand:
17:24 < Syksy> GM NOTE: Playlist in YouTube designed to fit the Quest:
17:24 < Syksy> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU2_mQMZFZw&list=PLA76ZV-sVfqbIwywQ2vANCBL7ZJb5WNL_
17:25 < Syksy> >> Act 0: Prologue by Zenon and the Portal to the Other Side
17:25 < Syksy> It is pouring rain. All of you have gathered at the central square.
17:25 < Syksy> Zenon steps outside from the Royal Palace of Malla.
17:25 < Syksy> While he usually wears clothing that covers his skin, he has revealed his bald head and steps out to the pouring rain.
17:25 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/Pm0WpzQ.jpg >
17:25 < Syksy> GM NOTE: above kind-of image links will be provided through-out the quest
17:26 < Syksy> if anything's unclear, feel free to ask - it's all good Smiley
17:26 < Syksy> Zenon has gathered multiple strange materials, and gathers the brave adventurers beside him for a speech
17:27 < Syksy> all of you are present, with whatever equipment you brought along for such a journye, and you are aware of your basic task
17:27 < Syksy> Zenon continues though:
17:27 < Syksy> "Final words though travelers;
17:27 < Syksy> In order to subdue a vile Black Dragon, one must become a Black Dragon. In time you will learn.
17:27 < Syksy> Should you, grace be, make it out alive - bring me what the Skull has to offer. He is a friend, trust him. It is of utmost importance that you hear his word, for that
17:27 < Syksy> is the only safety I can offer you there. Remember the Skull! It's important, all else will fail if you won't bring me what the Skull has. And... good luck, I hope that... at least some of you will return."
17:27 < Syksy> (time for questions, PC & GM interaction etc)
17:28 < Syksy> I'm Zenon atm, should you wish to ask me anything as your character
17:28 < rederin> Who is the Skull ? Someone you know knows about the dragon(s) ?
17:29 < Syksy> Zenon answers: "The Skull is a friend you will find on the other side soon enough. He does... know of dragons, but the dragon matter is a complex one. In order for one to subdue a dragon, one must become a dragon."
17:29 < Syksy> "You will meet the Skull soon, and he will assist you in any matters or questions, but he is no warrior... consider him like me... an advisor..." *and he sighs slightly*
17:30 < Syksy> any other questions, comments?
17:30 < rederin> And what do you require we bring back ? You said "what the Skull has".
17:30 < Syksy> you can also comment in non-character role if anything related to the RPG'ing is unclear
17:31 < rederin> Or would that person know what it is ?
17:31 < Syksy> Zenon answers: "The Skull knows what it is that I desire of him. It will most likely be a pouch filled with many things, that you will not find interesting. Texts, strange materials... just bring them to me. The Skull knows what has to be there, in the
               container, whatever format it will be in."
17:32 < rederin> Alright. Seems easy to carry on horseback, which is good Smiley
17:32 < hmc_> (martti wis Cool
17:32 < Syksy> Zenon continues: "I know you are seeking for riches and adventures, and to bring back a Dragon; but consider also this, that all else will be in vain if the Skull's delivery doesn't make it to me"
17:32 < Syksy> oki marking down
17:32 < Syksy> anything else, Zenon is a little bit impatient or nervous: "Are you ready to go?"
17:32 < Syksy> "If you know go, there's no turning back."
17:33 < Syksy> (Zenon assumes everybody is ready)
17:33 < hmc_> "there was never ever any turning back"
17:33 < Syksy> "Perhaps, perhaps..."
17:33  * rederin puts cloak overhead to shield the rain
17:33 < Syksy> A lightning blazes the skies as Zenon rips apart a portal to an another plane. His skull radiates blue light through his skin as he stretches open the portal for a passage.
17:33 < Syksy> "GO NOW! I will be able to hold this open for only some seconds!"
17:34 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/6UvpZ8S.jpg >
17:34 < Syksy> Quickly, the prepared travelers jump through the bulging ball-shaped portal with extraordinary visions reflected in a twisted way from the other side.
17:34 < Syksy> The portal sucks in those who step close to it along with any equipment that are being held. From the outside it seems like portal stretches and engulfs those that enter, and
17:34 < Syksy> as the last adventurer jumps in, the portal closes and Zenon falls to the ground exhausted.
17:34 < Syksy> Like in a vacuum, the adventurers are sucked in to an another world; within the tube however, are extraterrestial figurines, visions, and scares. The tube seems covered in
17:34 < Syksy> a thousand faces, all screaming their story, and sometimes the faces form into a humanoid-like shape that collects the faces and then again releases them to the walls.
17:34 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/yYac0KL.jpg >
17:35 < Syksy> >> Act I: Entrance
17:35 < Syksy> Surprisingly, the characters step into an another realm from a well shaped huge gate-like structure, as if such travel was common.
17:35 -!- hmc_ is now known as martti_
17:35 < Syksy> The grand landscape reminds them of a dusty canyon, with very little leafless trees and randomly scattered bones around - some of them of extraordinary size.
17:36 < Syksy> Before the adventurers, floats a skull. With varying first impressions, the characters realize that this must be the Skull that Zenon mentioned.
17:36 < Syksy> The Skull nods and with a clicking voice it is able to produce an understandable speech albeit lacking certain tissues.
17:36 < Syksy> "Greetings travelers, I am the Skull. Or, as many call me in this dying world, Etmor.", it says with a clicky voice.
17:36 < Syksy> "You may call me Etmor, should you wish."
17:37 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/KVy6HQL.jpg >
17:37 < rederin> Hello, Etmor
17:37 < Syksy> "Greetings... Red Erin", it responds
17:37 < martti_> do you know us Etmor?
17:37 < Syksy> (now is time to discuss with Etmor, should you wish)
17:37  * rederin curtseys
17:38 < Syksy> "I know many things, and let's just say... what Zenon knows, I am well aware of as well"
17:38 < Syksy> "You have embarked on a strange journey, and I am here to act as your guide."
17:38 < Syksy> "But as you may very well see of my physical form, I will not be able to assist you besides vocal and possibly a few bites here and there", and it lets out a little clicky laugh
17:39 < Syksy> (GM Note: you may speak in out-of-character, making notes to each other and GM about the situation, characters, challenges, asking questions beyond what happens in the world)
17:39 < rederin> Zenon requested we bring back to him something, maybe a pouch, and said you would know what he was talking about. Could you give us this item, now or after the trip to the dragon ? He said this was of paramount importance.
17:40 < moneromooo> This place looks like a "normal" place ? With ground, grass, etc ? Or something... weird ?
17:40 < Syksy> "Yesss... indeed. It is the history of this world, and it has been gathered by a person by the name of the Widow; the Queen of this world, and she will have it for us. She is... mostly... on our side."
17:40 < Syksy> It is very weird, definitely not "Earth"
17:41 < Syksy> the land is very dusty, and the skeletal remains that surround the entrance portal (that have now closed) remind you of giants
17:41 < rederin> Thank you. Do you know where we might find her ?
17:41 < Syksy> there is no vegetation whatsoever, it is very dusty in this particular place, and everything seems dead (as seems your newly found guide too, pun intended)
17:41 < moneromooo> Giant... dragons ?
17:41 < Syksy> No dragonic features whatsoever, more humanoid like
17:42 < martti_> alien? or home world?
17:42 < Syksy> Etmor to Red Erin, "Yes, I will guide you. We must walk through a Town of Shadows to reach her, but there we will find an another pilgrim who is caught in this world. She will also be of assistance to you - but there is a terrible curse upon her"
17:43 < Syksy> nothing exactly alien, but definitely something that you wouldn't encounter as such in Crypto Kingdom
17:43 < Syksy> Etmor: "The passage is safe in terms of live savage beasts - they are long dead. It is your minds that you should now guard."
17:44 < Syksy> "This place will plague you. It will haunt you. It may even overtake you."
17:44 < Syksy> "This is for your own protection, that I now request you the following:"
17:44 < Syksy> Etmor: "Most importantly, remember this; All that glitters, is not gold. Things here are in reverse.
17:44 < Syksy> What was beauty, is abomination here. What was madness, is wisdom. What was living, is now undeath.
17:44 < Syksy> Remember this rule and you might just find your way to the Faceless One, who has the power to fulfill your wi
17:44 < Syksy> wish*
17:45 < Syksy> he continues:
17:45 -!- Irssi: Pasting 7 lines to ##crypto-kingdom. Press Ctrl-K if you wish to do this or Ctrl-C to cancel.
17:45 < Syksy> "Children, now you must reveal me an unforbidden secret. Everybody has a secret, cherished to the point where it
17:45 < Syksy> may never be revealed to anyone. This I ask for your own safety. You must search your mind, and find a true but
17:45 < Syksy> hideous truth of yourself and reveal it to this group. Do not take this lightly, for this may save your life.
17:45 < Syksy> In this realm, one may lose themself. This hideous secret that you've hidden deep inside of you, is a mark to
17:45 < Syksy> others that you really are still you. When in doubt, hint of this secret - and make it deep, true, scarring,
17:45 < Syksy> or otherwise a broken mind will easily reveal it to outsiders not of this group. By inquiring and finding out
17:45 < Syksy> whether a person is able to repeat his most cherished secret will reveal whether they are still... in control."
17:45 < Syksy> (GM Note: this is a fictional "secret" that brings depth to your character, and you can come up with anything, above criteria are outlines)
17:46 < Syksy> SyksyII may begin, to give a demonstration; think meanwhile...
17:47 < Syksy> SyksyII: "My secret... I... it is very hazy... but... when we were younger, much much younger, and had not yet arrived to CK"
17:47 < Syksy> "My father has us thinking that I am the only son, and my sisters are my only siblings..."
17:47 < Syksy> "But I remember, I had a brother"
17:48 < Syksy> "I had a brother who my father beat to death when he spilled ink or something on something important to my father"
17:48 < Syksy> "Most likely historical documents of our family, something irreplaceable was lost that day"
17:48 < Syksy> "Both in documents, but also, alas... my elder brother"
17:48 < Syksy> "My father thinks I was too young to remember"
17:49 < Syksy> "But as I was still on my mother's breasts, her streaming tears touched my cheeks, I looked deep into her eyes"
17:49 < Syksy> "Something was imprinted inside me that day. I remember. Please don't tell father that I know of this"
17:49 < Syksy> "I have forgiven this, only my mother and father, and me, know..."
17:50 < Syksy> (Etmor nods to SyksyII that he approves such a hidden memory)
17:50 < boombox_> My secret: I killed my father with my bare hands, to protect my mother. Since that day I have been the strong silent type that would do anything to protect women.
17:50 < moneromooo> I was a cowherd before coming to Cryptotown. I spent days travelling the hills with my herd, protecting them from predators.
17:50 < Syksy> Etmor to Boombox: "My condolences. But that act may very well work in your favor today"
17:51 < Syksy> (Etmor is unsure if Mooo wishes to continue, and is still waiting for Martti and Red Erin)
17:51 < moneromooo> One day, I found the son of a nearby minor noble had pulled one of the calves away, and had been beating it up and maiming it.
17:52 < moneromooo> I killed the son here and there, and took the body away and hid it under layers of mud on a wide riverbank.
17:52 < moneromooo> They never found who did this, and never found the body.
17:53 < Syksy> Etmor to moneromooo: "Cruelty answered with cruelty, very well - I approve of this hidden secret"
17:53 < martti_> I have not felt myself in recent time, a strange moon seems to define my life--call me a "lunatic" as I feel I've gone astray and will never find my path again--but hearing these words uttered by my own tongue--seems to grant me the strength to continue
                 and thrive/
17:54 < Syksy> Etmor to martti_: "You feel like you are not yourself? Could you perhaps elaborate still so your companions know what exactly to ask of, should they need to?"
17:54 < Syksy> my apogolies btw. The spelling is "Etrom", not "Etmor"
17:54 < Syksy> (replace all above Etmor with Etrom Cheesy)
17:55 < rederin> I bore a child, very early. Too early. I hid it. I wanted it, but was very scared.
17:55 < rederin> I panicked about what my parents and other villagers would say, and maybe do.
17:56 < rederin> When it started becoming apparent, I went off one night and used herbs.
17:56 < Syksy> Etmor to rederin: "Ah... motherhood... It is... difficult, especially since I believe you rose from very meager beginnings. I understand, and nobody here is to judge you. Perhaps the Widow may even find compassion for you, should you reveal this to the
               her. Who knows..."
17:56 < Syksy> Etrom* damn it Grin
17:56 < rederin> It was awful, and I killed my future child.
17:57 < rederin> I could never approach that place again.
17:58 < Syksy> Etrom to rederin: "My condolences, I am sure... he or she did not suffer. Not much at least... my apologies, I try to maintain manners but it is hard, being a floating skull in a desert. Had you come several hundred years ago, I would still had more
               tissue, which would feel humanhood better"
17:58 < martti_> to Etmor, it's asthough a strange presence has taken my mind and now I wander and wonder where the former me ends and the new me begins--lunacy is what the local doctor called it, so using the word will show you that I am me/
17:59 < rederin> Oh I'm sorry, I realize just now I interrupted.
17:59 < Syksy> Etrom to martti_ "This is most interesting! You feel that a strange presence has taken your mind, and you no longer can distinguish your old and new self... most interesting..."
17:59 < Syksy> naw all is good
18:00 < Syksy> Etrom nods to you all: "Very well. These secrets shall bind you to each other. Remember them. As a gesture, beyond this world, let them be forgotten..."
18:00 < Syksy> Etrom: "Whatever wrong-doings we did or were done to us, whatever strange occurences - let them stay in here"
18:00 < Syksy> (I have huge urge to say "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" but I was trying to maintain immersion lol)
18:00 < martti_> lol, me 2
18:01 < Syksy> Etrom: "Thank you for revealing this, but thank each other. Cover each others' backs. We shall now continue. This is not a long journey, but there are already multiple eyes spying upon us, and I do not know always which have an ill will."
18:01 < Syksy> You pack everything necessary that came through the portal and set out to continue your journey, with Etrom pointing towards a direction in the canyon
18:02 < Syksy> (roll back a bit before setting to go)
18:02 -!- Irssi: Pasting 9 lines to ##crypto-kingdom. Press Ctrl-K if you wish to do this or Ctrl-C to cancel.
18:02 < Syksy> Etmor continues:
18:02 < Syksy> "I am content of these confessions. But this is for your sake, not mine. Remember! This is a key to your mind.
18:02 < Syksy> USE IT! This is a token to verify yourself to others. Use it. Forget it, and you might find yourself in a place far worse
18:02 < Syksy> than mere death. But there is a downside. You may only use it to verify a member once. Since once it is uttered
18:02 < Syksy> and questioned beyond the protective field of this portal, it has been used and has been spread all across the realm.
18:02 < Syksy> Everybody will have then access to it afterwards. So use it wisely. In order to use it, others ought to ask this person of this hideous
18:02 < Syksy> secret, and if they are in disagreement with themselves, they are no longer there. Obey him not and keep him or her
18:02 < Syksy> harnessed. Remember, they are not in control and may be unable to cry for help themselves. Protect each other - and
18:02 < Syksy> more importantly, keep an eye on each other..."
18:03 < Syksy> "Many an eye and an ear is around..."
18:03 < Syksy> "Your path lies ahead of you. We will have to search for a Lady in White in the Town of Shadows, for she holds the keys to Zenon's wish.
18:03 < Syksy> Only then can we properly proceed with your task in hand safely."
18:03 < Syksy> The very land itself seems dead and unlivable, filled with corpses of old and new. However, upon close inspection, one can notice that the
18:03 < Syksy> corpses are still alive. They sometimes open their eyes wearily, only to close them soon or to sigh quietly and continue in their slumber.
18:03 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/P1S7LBg.jpg >
18:03 < Syksy> ... and progressing onward ...
18:03 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/YRXRzL5.jpg >
18:04 < Syksy> At the end of the passage is a small hamlet. While possibly once a thriving city, it is now quiet - but not inhabitated.
18:04 < Syksy> Its people just... appear to have changed.
18:04 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/WsL0SD8.jpg >
18:04 < Syksy> Ghastly figures of its inhabitants walk past the adventurers, fully ignoring their presence. If touched, some of them appear to materialize,
18:04 < Syksy> but quickly pull back as if in utter disgust of being touched by a living being.
18:04 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/HnpnAfH.jpg >
18:04 < Syksy> If spoken to, the shadows of people will not respond in any way. They will just completely ignore the adventurers.
18:05 < Syksy> (GM NOTE: Questions, actions, are now freely available within the "Town of Shadows")
18:05 < Syksy> both in-character and out-of-character speech allowed
18:05 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/e4UZdE7.jpg >
18:06 < Syksy> Etrom: "A Lady in White is shackled here. I suspect she's not hard to find, for she is an outsider to these... shadows."
18:07 < Syksy> The town follows the typical map of a late-medieval hamlet; Church-like building in background, a town square probably in center, inn-like buildings, store signs that are hanging... life continues in the hamlet somehow, but not like among the truly living
18:07 < moneromooo> Do we hear anything that seems different from the noise made by those ethereal people ?
18:07 < Syksy> The only noise that can be heard within the town square, is a quiet sobbing coming from a grocery store.
18:08 < moneromooo> That sounds like something those people wouldn't do. And if we're looking for someone who's shackled, that sounds like a likely one.
18:08 < martti_> follows noise....
18:08  * rederin follows too
18:08 < moneromooo> Let's go Smiley
18:08 < Syksy> You encounter
18:08 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/HsSYc8P.jpg >
18:09 < Syksy> She seems to react to the noise, but doesn't seem to have the power to lift her head
18:09 < moneromooo> Is she chained, wounded, or anything else of note ?
18:10 < Syksy> She is wrapped in white garments of some kind, but they are not simple clothing, they seem to cover her overall; and you do not see beneath, at least not from the store door
18:10 < rederin> If there's any water nearby, I'll bring her some.
18:10 < Syksy> She seems to try lift her head, unable to
18:11 < martti_> speaks to her, "can you speak?
18:11 < Syksy> The town well (in the center) even has the bucket so seldom used, that it has reduced to a piece of dust
18:11 < boombox_> Please try to help her, I keep watching our backs.
18:11 < Syksy> Lady in White: "Ah!" She shakes upon hearing human voices
18:11 < Syksy> Lady in White: "Who are you?"
18:12 < Syksy> Lady in White: "Please no more! I will not cry for help! Please release my head at least!"
18:12 < rederin> We are from another land, and sent here by Etrom. We were looking for your assistance, but may we be of assistance right now, since you seem in dire straits ?
18:12 < Syksy> (She is still staring toward the ground, unable to fully detect who you are)
18:13 < martti_> "I'm martti, who are you? And how did you get here?"
18:14 < Syksy> Lady in White: "Men... and women? Of another land?"
18:15 < Syksy> Lady in White: Her eyes opwn wide open and she gasps for air, "Finally! Finally! People of another world!"
18:15 < rederin> I would not be able to be more precise I'm afraid. I don't really where we are to be honest...
18:15 < moneromooo> Do the "clothes" seem attached to walls, ground, or the like ?
18:15 < Syksy> moneromooo: the clothing do not seem to have anything physical attaching her or the clothing anywhere
18:16 < rederin> I brought spare dry clothing, so I offer a set to her if she wants to get rid of those drapes while we go and look around.
18:16 < Syksy> Lady in White: "You must release me, I have suffered so much! I fell to the trap of the Trickster of Tricksters, the Great Nameless One, the Messenger of Outer Rings, the... " *tears start flowing as she names these*
18:16 < Syksy> Lady in White: "She granted me my will... but... I do not will it! Not anymore! I was a fool!"
18:17 < Syksy> Upon wishing any part of her garments: https://i.imgur.com/MgYvFbA.jpg
18:17 < Syksy> A howling banshee, semi-transparent rises from the white clothing
18:18 < Syksy> it does not seem to attack, but it screams in an awful voice and the Lady in White in accordance
18:18 < Syksy> Upon touching any*
18:18  * rederin tries to calm her, and encourage her to tell us this story. Maybe the change of clothes will help. Wrell, it did.
18:19 < Syksy> The Lady in White continues:
18:19 -!- Irssi: Pasting 6 lines to ##crypto-kingdom. Press Ctrl-K if you wish to do this or Ctrl-C to cancel.
18:19 < Syksy> "I am a pilgrim, trapped in these lands..."
18:19 < Syksy> "I came through a portal, much like you.
18:19 < Syksy> I was sent to retrieve for my master, the glorious untainted taste of wine, grapes and meat; I was sent to seek for
18:19 < Syksy> delicaties so pure that my master would never hunger again - and now I am imprisoned here.
18:19 < Syksy> I do not grow old, nor will a knife harm me. I am bound in shackles, but you must release me!"
18:19 < Syksy> "You do not see the shackles, for they are of spiritual kind...."
18:19 < Syksy> She continues
18:19 < Syksy> "I have four shackles, and you are the five keys, and your answers are the keys to my locks - tell me your answer,
18:19 < Syksy> and these bonds shall be broken, and I shall join you, for you need me in your journey to the Great Feast.
18:19 < Syksy> And I demand that you take me with you as your offering to the Great Feast, for you need one in
18:19 < Syksy> order to enter... you must present me as the special guest. I must have that privilege, for I can bear this realm no more."
18:20 < Syksy> She cries, but collects herself, continuing
18:20 < Syksy> "After you have attended the Great Feast of Coming, you can ask for audience with the Great Faceless Messenger. Whatever it is that you
18:20 < Syksy> seek for - I wish not to hear of it - he can grant. But beware my fate. Whatever you ask of him, he will give - but in what form?"
18:20 < Syksy> "I asked him for a gift... and here I am, blessed..."
18:21 < Syksy> "Fellow pilgrims I beg of thee"
18:21 < martti_> (squints and measures her demeanor)
18:21 < Syksy> "Please release these shackles
18:21 < Syksy> "
18:21 < Syksy> "Now, tell me oh pilgrims o' my kind; One at a time please, and should it prove challenging, then come hither and whisper the answer to my shackles in unison"
18:22 < Syksy> (GM NOTE: A subgame. Each of you will be asked a riddle/question/mystery/whatever. That person should first answer it himself, and if failing to come up with the correct answer, you may discuss and answer in unison)
18:22 < Syksy> (GM NOTE: Now you may not discuss with each other, the first try is always on a single person only!!!"
18:22 < Syksy> )
18:22 < Syksy> (with the exception of the first question, who will be directed at SyksyII (#1) who is the zombie Cheesy
18:23 < Syksy> Player 1: Raven, you perched and sat; what was the word? What did you utter that haunts the man today? Oh, his lost Lenore...
18:23 < Syksy> (you may answer this question together, multiple attempts are allowed, or you may progress to the next question should you not find an answer)
18:23 < martti_> nevermore
18:23 < Syksy> (This was SyksyII's question but he's a mindless zombie)
18:23 < Syksy> correct
18:24 < Syksy> The Lady in White sighs in relief
18:24 < Syksy> (you may make additional remarks etc to each other out of curiousity after the answer is given)
18:24 < Syksy> before we move on to the next question
18:24 < moneromooo> Is this literature ?
18:24 < moneromooo> I feel it must be, somehow.
18:25 < Syksy> martti_: ^
18:25 < martti_> yeah ea Poe
18:25 < Syksy> indeed, Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem Raven
18:25 < Syksy> The Lady in White: "My pilgrims, please; more shackles remain!"
18:25 < Syksy> Player 2: Oh, He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become... a what?
18:26 < Syksy> moneromooo: ^
18:26 < Syksy> Others silent
18:26 < moneromooo> one of them
18:26 < Syksy> if you do not come up with an answer, then others may participate
18:26 < Syksy> a moment
18:26 < Syksy> The Lady in White seems to anguish in pain... "I... need a word"
18:27 < Syksy> "A single word"
18:27 < moneromooo> monstrous ?
18:27 < Syksy> (prefix such as a is allowed)
18:27 < moneromooo> a monster
18:27 < Syksy> Close enough, "A monster" is correct anser
18:27 < Syksy> answer*
18:27 < Syksy> others may comment, should they wish
18:28 < martti_> I always heard it as dragon--"do you have to become a dragon to defeat one..."
18:28 < Syksy> (GM NOTE: Metagaming happens in the background; correct references that are remembered may add to a hidden pool of ... something Smiley )
18:28 < Syksy> Lady in White to moneromooo: ""Indeed. 'And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee.'"
18:28 < Syksy> any comments?
18:28 < Syksy> moving on to 3rd question
18:29 < Syksy> (Above was a quote from Friedrich Nietzche)
18:29 < Syksy> Player 3: My dear, who walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night?
18:29 < moneromooo> I think I heard this before, the quote rings a bell.
18:29 < Syksy> boombox_: ^
18:29 < Syksy> GM hint: "morning/afternoon/night" may not be literal
18:30 < boombox_> man
18:30 < Syksy> indeed (I hope you didn't google Grin)
18:30 < boombox_> nope
18:30 < Syksy> any comments on the source?
18:31 < moneromooo> I knew it anyway, so the second try would have failsafed Tongue
18:31 < Syksy> aye
18:31 < Syksy> sec
18:31 < Syksy> pause for 5min
18:31 < Syksy> feel free to discuss
18:31 < moneromooo> I think it's said to be from a sphinx. Somehow.
18:31 < Syksy> a water glass broke in kitchen, gotta help out
18:31 < martti_> CAN break
18:32  * moneromooo hopes he's not mixing his quotes
18:32 < boombox_> I somehow came up with: baby crawls on all four, grown up walks on his feet, and elderly need a cane (third foot)...
18:36 < rederin> Let's have a thought for Syksy valiantly fighting the rising waters
18:38 < Syksy> I'm back, terribly sorry about that
18:38 < Syksy> my 2½-yo accidentally dropped a glass on the floor in kitchen and apparently it shattered to thousand pieces, we had to vacuum + mop and handle her lil sis to make it kid-safe again
18:38 < Syksy> I'm ready to continue now Smiley
18:39 < Syksy> boombox_: aye that is the answer; it's a riddle from Oedipus (ancient greek)
18:39 < Syksy> *ping martti_ moneromooo boombox_ rederin* ping me when you're ready to continue Smiley
18:39 < rederin> I'm here Smiley
18:39 < martti_> .
18:39 < moneromooo> o/
18:40 < boombox_> ok, nice, I have heard it somewhere sometimes, sometimes my memory works..
18:40 < Syksy> cheers, let's continue!
18:40 < Syksy> The Lady in White: "EXCELLENT" she becomes extatic as more of the bonds break, "but more remain"
18:40 < Syksy> 18:32  * moneromooo hopes he's not mixing his quotes
18:40 < Syksy> huh wrong copy-paste
18:41 < Syksy> Player 4: And you; This thing all things devours; Birds, beasts, trees, flowers; Gnaws iron, bites steel; Grinds hard stones to meal; Slays kings, ruins towns; and beats down mountains. What is it?
18:41 < Syksy> rederin: ^
18:41 < rederin> time ?
18:41 < Syksy> Correct!
18:41 < Syksy> any thoughts on the original source of this particular one?
18:41 < rederin> From the mists of time Cheesy
18:42 < rederin> I do not know, though.
18:42 < Syksy> Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien was where I picked this one up, but it's probably wider than that Smiley
18:42 < Syksy> Lady in White: "Ah! Four of the five shackles unleashed, soon shall I raise my head!"
18:43 < Syksy> "I am afraid this is the hardest one, dear martti_"
18:43 < Syksy> Player 5: Finally. Samson posed to his thirty groomsmen: "Out of the eater came froth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness." What is he speaking of?
18:43 < martti_> (sighs)
18:44 < Syksy> you got the Poe one on the first try, you are free to give it to others as well if you will Wink
18:44 < Syksy> (solo answer is better, but party answer is acceptable as well)
18:45 < martti_> no clue
18:45 < Syksy> Others, any thoughts?
18:45 < boombox_> no clue
18:45 < rederin> me neither
18:45 < Syksy> It has a religious source, GM Hint... but that hint alone will not solve it
18:45 < Syksy> moneromooo: any thoughts?
18:45 < martti_> i know samson, but never heard of this story
18:45 < moneromooo> No...
18:46 < martti_> time to ask the oracle
18:46 < Syksy> > The honey produced by bees nestled in the carcass of the lion he defeated.
18:46 < moneromooo> o_O
18:46 < Syksy> this one was a tough one, I acknowledge
18:46 < Syksy> Lady in White: "My dear pilgrims! Four of the five shackles you released, and that four was the least I needed; you have saved me"
18:47 < Syksy> A crazed howl is heard when she stands up from within the garments that were wrapped around her like cement
18:47  * rederin extends her hand to help the lady step away from the white banshee clothes
18:48 < Syksy> Lady in White: "A terrible banshee took bound of me, whispering me lies of honey and feeding me ichor of morbid despair"
18:48 < Syksy> The Lady in White stands up and lifts her head, and smiles brightly for you all
18:48 < Syksy> (any discussion is open at this point, in-character or out-of-character)
18:48 < boombox_> * boombox steps back and keep an eye on the surrounding shadows.
18:49 < martti_> do we trust her?
18:49 < rederin> Do you stand by your previous request, about the Feast, now that you aren't under this spell ?
18:49 < rederin> I'm sure we could come back more than left.
18:50 < martti_> or less...
18:50 < rederin> Well, we won't let that beat us down will we Smiley
18:51 < martti_> my question is more on the lines of do we trusy her to keep us alive?
18:51 < martti_> y=t
18:52 < moneromooo> She seems to be vouched for by Etrom. Who's vouched for by Zenon.
18:52 < martti_> i'm gonna go with boombox and keep in guard mode
18:52 < Syksy> Lady in White: "I cannot give you any other guarantee but that I was bound, I was shackled, without power, and now you have saved me"
18:52 < Syksy> Lady in White: "However my only salvation can come through the Great Feast, I must become the Honorary Guest"
18:53 < Syksy> "I will lead you to the Widow, who has been expecting you, I am sure she is sympathetic to your cause
18:53 < boombox_> lets give her a chance, but lets "keep her very close"
18:53 < martti_> all right...tread softly
18:53 < Syksy> beware though, she is most likely scared on your half, and will put you to test - she sees your doom, and would rather that you didn't step into it"
18:53 < Syksy> Etrom: "Lady in White was a traveler from an another plane. She is certainly not one of the people in here."
18:54 < Syksy> "Thou hast sought and found the 4 or more of the answers that were in my soul's locked shackles. I am free and I will lead you to the Widow and Feast, but; there will be a price to pay for us all.
18:54 < Syksy> I must attend the Feast organized by the Widow, and you must bring me as the Gift, the Honorary Guest, to this Feast. Only then can you proceed further. I repeat, I must be the Gift.
18:54 < Syksy> She will test you whethe you are worthy of attending the Great Feast that is forever on-going, forever, and forever, and forever..."
18:54 < Syksy> ^ above by Lady in White
18:55 < Syksy> from within the sewers of the town, lead strange labyrith of tunnels, and Lady of White leads you there
18:55 < rederin> That sounds rather bleak.
18:55 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/OtFnkjU.jpg >
18:55 < martti_> not white any more
18:55 < Syksy> Suddenly, upon reaching the end of a largish tunnel, you face a... face.
18:56 < Syksy> < https://i.imgur.com/mBOaCXZ.jpg >
18:56 < Syksy> It is embedded into the wall, with tunnels and pipes and strange machinery surrounding her obviously feminine appearance
18:57 < Syksy> The Lady in White: "My dear Widow, I was saved by these noble adventurers; they bear no harm, I believe, they have some cause that I have no information on, but they saved me."
18:57 < Syksy> The Widow in the Wall: "My dear, I warned you, did I not?"
18:57 < Syksy> The Lady in White: "Yes, but... you fell too."
18:57 < Syksy> The Widow in the Wall: "Yes, we all fell for it."
18:58 < Syksy> The Lady in White: "Turn the heads of these adventurers, lest Trickster of Tricksters gains an another victory - oh, and remind them that I must be the Guest at the Feast! I beg of thee!"
18:58 < Syksy> The Widow in the wall glances over your party
18:59 < Syksy> She sighs without emotion and says: "So, why is it that you are here? Gold? Riches? Beauty? Magic?"
18:59 < martti_> worse, much worse
18:59 < Syksy> (you are free to address both in-character and out-of-character, to Widow or to each other)
19:00 < Syksy> and by the way, remember to check queries in case any of you have sent private messages to each other, or somebody to me, or to somebody by me
19:01 -!- Lloydimiller4 [~Lloydimil@unaffiliated/lloydimiller4] has joined ##crypto-kingdom
19:02 < moneromooo> What is this Great Feast ?
19:02 < martti_> we are here for the dragon
19:02 < Syksy> (last thing the Widow asked was what are you after but she'll continue to this)
19:02 < moneromooo> This lady told us of a Great Feast, and we're here for this, in part.
19:02 < Syksy> Widow: "The Feast is a gathering. It grants us power to meet the Great Messenger. We may otherwise not approach him, for we die."
19:03 < Syksy> Widow: "Indeed, the Feast stands on your way, there is no way to reach the Great Messenger without attending the Feast"
19:03 < martti_> who was your husband?
19:04 < Syksy> Widow: "The Faceless Messenger, or whatever of the names he has, is a... great master to his guests, and should one enter his house with empty stomaches, will he strike dead his servants or those who enter"
19:04 < moneromooo> How may we enter this feast ? We want to get in there.
19:04 < Syksy> Widow to martti_: "That is an... excellent question, which by far reaches beyond the ordinary definition of 'marriage'... for I was married to my people."
19:04 < Syksy> "Our sin was that we sought immortality. We heard of the Faceless One, a great Messenger of immense
19:04 < Syksy> power, and built an altar to approach him. That very altar stands to this day, and He visits us. I
19:04 -!- Irssi: Pasting 5 lines to ##crypto-kingdom. Press Ctrl-K if you wish to do this or Ctrl-C to cancel.
19:04 < Syksy> believe he is aware of your presence as well, and he is very eager to... grant gifts. Such as ours."
19:04 < Syksy> "My name is Widow, for I was the Queen of these lands. I loved my people. I loved them so dearly,
19:04 < Syksy> that I went as far as I wanted to heal them of mortality, and I sought any means possible to achieve
19:04 < Syksy> that. And I got the blessing I wanted - but the blessing made me a widow, for they live now in undeath."
19:05 < Syksy> "I am a widow, for my wish for them killed them."
19:05 < Syksy> "They are not dead, but they are not dead either... as you have seen..."
19:05 < Syksy> but they are not alive*
19:06 < rederin> A poignant fate for a whole people...
19:06 < Syksy> "That is why I mourn as a Widow; a Queen of these lands, where I doomed my people to eternal undeath"
19:06 < Syksy> "This was the blessing I got. And this is why I vowed to stand between my people and the Great Feast, for none to pass to approach the Great Messenger"
19:07 < moneromooo> But we need to do this. We cannot go back now.
19:07 < Syksy> "This lady", she looks at the Lady in White, "proved of intelligence and wit, yet still she was cursed"
19:07 < moneromooo> We may yet suceed where she failed.
19:07 < Syksy> "I let her through, and now you wish to be let through..."
19:07 < Syksy> "What makes you more capable than her? Where lies your strength? You do not understand the challenge you are to face."
19:07 < moneromooo> Let me try, and succeed where she failed.
19:08 < Syksy> "You? What about your friends? Oh, none can go alone, for the Feast requires a party of many."
19:08 < moneromooo> I am the wisest of the people assembled here. If one may succeed, it is I.
19:08 < Syksy> "I will allow thee passage, should you succeeed in... my riddles."
19:08 < moneromooo> I will lead them, and we will go through, and find our bounty.
19:08 < Syksy> GM Note: minigame timeeeeeee! Cheesy
19:08 < martti_> knowledge is a dangerous quest and leads everywhere, but where it's wanted
19:08 < Syksy> Widow: "Very well, I wish you a successful journey... wise one..."
19:09 < Syksy> The Widow addresses you all, "Answer all these, to prove you are capable, that you will not commit mistakes, that you will not meet the same undeath and curses as those before you did"
19:09 < Syksy> GM Note:
19:09 < Syksy> Everybody is free to answer to these questions. But you only have one try per each.
19:09 < Syksy> So better discuss together before answering
-- 19:10 cutoff --
full member
Activity: 260
Merit: 105
A Lingering Ghost


The Dragon's in Town...


The brave adventurers Mooo, Red Erin, Boombox (played by Tombot), Martti (played by hmc_), and (zombie-bot) Syksy II returned from a realm beyond, some with mental scars - and one as a bleeding and bitter black dragon... and in their bellies carrying an extra-planar traveler, who finally managed to escape her curse.

Mooo barely escaped being roasted alive and served as dinner for others, thanks to the alertness of Martti. All players played excellently in all aspects (e.g. see below riddles / literature 'trivia', roleplay) and are well deserving of a great reward. And not every day one gets to save a damsel in distress by having a... peculiar dinner.

The unfortunate thing is that Boombox is... how to describe it... mostly dead (consider his account dead and Tombot his "closest relative"). A remnant of his humanity resides within the Black Dragon, that was 'sculpted' by a malicious entity for its own amusement in the plane where Zenon sent the adventurers. Additionally, Zenon retrieved a pouch of strange items, which nobody in the party could identify, but Zenon's projection as a floating skull seemed to be well aware of.

I thank all the participants of the Dragon Quest - many questions remain open! It was an excellent play-through in ~4h with with some additional space here and there. It remains to be seen if we'll see DQ pt. II. The controller of the Black Dragon is the one who holds the Black Obsidian Pendant, presumably handed over to His Majesty by the most-wise Mooo, who successfully tamed the enraged newly hatched monster.


PS. In worst case scenario, the following could've happened:
1) One player character dead at the Feast
2) Second player dead (-> Dragon)
3) X players dead by the enraged dragon, if not successfully peacefully tamed. Or at least a few limbs here and there could've gone missing.
Given that the minimum "dead" chars was 1 (Boombox in this case), the players performed excellent.

The artificial "Treasure" counter that I added can be traced from the back-log if any wish is presented to weight rewards, but in my opinion all participants are well deserving of their share, whatever that may be. (Here is an open question to HM and GM)




For those interested, please find here my outline-paste of the adventure PRIOR to it happening: https://paste.fedoraproject.org/478386/14789629/
It outlined the raw structure, while much naturally was improvised on the spot. It is a very interesting read, when you compare it to how things unveiled in the actual adventure.


Below is the IRC-log (with all the additional stuff), that describes the journey our heroes took, step by step. Notice also that when Mooo picked #2 player slot, he was destined to be haunted - thus the private /query with him separately in the end. He ended up being also the Traitor (red herring), and being the one with highest wisdom against Boombox's lowest WIS in party his <20 rolls easily tamed the beast.

Private query post with Mooo, who was assigned a special role when he picked the player slot #2:  https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/m.16857852

I hereby declare the Dragon Quest completed! Smiley
newbie
Activity: 41
Merit: 0
Exhausted, Erin stumbled out onto the central square, her shoulders battered by the heavy rain.

Despite the harsh weather, many townspeople were assembled, taking refuge under the narrow edges of roofs, and were looking at... no, not quite her direction. Somehwat higher.

The tall, hulking figure reeled in the rain, sending a few people scurrying. The dragon who stepped out of the... eerie pulsing, throbbing light gate... was a sight to behold, a breathing, seething, mass of sharp scales and talons, towering above the buildings, its smallest convulsion sending people running for safety.

Five left, five returned. It was not lost on anyone that no dragon had left, however. Silence fell over the scene and the stunned populace, the rattling of rain on the ground and the dragon's ragged breathing the only sounds heard.

Zenon was seen on the steps of the palace, slowly nodding. He turned away and disappeared into the building.
legendary
Activity: 1750
Merit: 1036
Facts are more efficient than fud
Early Warning Reports

The guide seems anxious to get under way and has planned an interesting route, but the descent, has the King troubled. The mobilization of such a small force, with reports of dark forces on the prowl, makes him think the wolf is now prey.

He consults his Mystic who says, "Our fires are North, blue-gray, and glisten with the black fires ash, and any lessons learned there, do not take the same shape twice. Mystery breathes through gusty winds and tops off a mountain at its cap--a crown no less a jewel than a bauble spinning on--we compose less..."

Now Generals,

The Mystic bounds energy of test--resets, time, and you, if you are wise, will find a Gray Dragon, capable enough, and keep himself wise and fierce, and properly an ancient order, between air-Land -- proceed.



hmc_

...the Generals leave the room (well, except one). The generals are fine, but the troops? One of them ate his shirt the other day. The madness of this place brings it's own reward in victory and defeat. Sure, you've mastered this gift, but why? I did not ask for this -- or did I --in some forgotten dream like a primal Cthulhu raised from the tempest dreams of myth, then hidden by necessity -- to survive. Hamlet said, "to be in a nut shell and count yourself a king of infinite space..." Was he the Joker or Batman? Did either survive the killing fields of Sparta? We were weighed at birth, picked over, the Men would choose on how well we could fight, or lead, or lend the story to music or spearhead senate and state--between war and peace, there must be an economy to feed the troops, a place to settle (a dispute, or home), an Ally who we defend in times of trouble, but lets each borough flourish untouched.

I can hear my Father, "Rebuff your shield, there's no fear in Sparta."
full member
Activity: 260
Merit: 105
A Lingering Ghost
legendary
Activity: 2198
Merit: 1150
Freedom&Honor
Those are good news  Smiley
Hope to see more growth soon Cheesy
legendary
Activity: 1750
Merit: 1036
Facts are more efficient than fud
Part 6:

Message relayed to King intercepted 11/11

Dragon Quest

Time: Saturday 11/12 03:00pm UTC/GMT

Creator: Syksy

Style: Dark

Players: NewLiberty, Moneromoo, RedErin, BoomBox (Tombot), Martti (hmc_)

IRC: TBA
newbie
Activity: 44
Merit: 0
Storytelling by tombot (215), part 5

IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO THE KING:

Me and my new "two gun" friend went for target shooting in the nearby woods. We strolled around in the Church owned land and headed for the impassable 4-NW-C4 area. Our plan was to be shooting right at the edge of the impassable area. That way no stray bullet would hit any of our neighbors.

When we got to the edge of the impassable land we noticed movement and heard voices. We slowly approached the group of strangers, keeping out of sight. The strangers were on the other side of some big rock boulders so we could not actually see them. But we could hear them. It seems the group was from the Dark Forces and they were talking to one man from our town. He told them about the Dragon Quest. The DF group was very interested in this information and asked a lot of questions about the people taking part in the quest. We slowly crept away and quickly went home.

So two important news for the King and Syksy:

- somebody in town is giving information to the Dark Forces.

- Dark Forces knows about the Dragon Quest. I do not know if they plan to try to ambush the party, or try to catch the Dragon before or after the Quest, or maybe they just want to keep an eye on the party.

We live in interesting times!

to be continued...
legendary
Activity: 1750
Merit: 1036
Facts are more efficient than fud


Strange days in the Kingdom

If we are Noble, we are soldiers, we have seen footprints of men's destinies disappear but for in the legend they are told, Dragons are the living standard of Your Houses and should be met as a wise ally and fierce foe. Our magic is gray, but our lords are not, it is the Dragon that keeps guard your stockpiles, and his wings are free to carry him to where he is needed, but in the battle, a dragon seizes the idea and abides the will of his Land. We are forsaken travelers guiding a founding light, to set the world right.

hmc_
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