|
Hmm, that crumbs comment is worrying. Maybe we ought to eat a cupcake, we don't have to go anywhere... edit: sorted v Nettle Soup fucked around with this message at 23:11 on Mar 6, 2016 |
#
?
Mar 6, 2016 23:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 23, 2024 15:53 |
|
|
The Mine, Level 2 - The Mid-night Snack. Month 2, week three, day six Night? “Yeah, do that, go ahead.” “If that doesn't work, lets see what we can dig out of our spare equipment and Kobold junk. Maybe regular torches will do if we have enough. Might be an idea to sort it too, but focus on getting that lake lit up for now.” You give out your orders, a chorus of affirmative replies returns. Together with your cousin and Abigail, you carefully enter the now much darkened cavern with one of the unlit torches, hoping to light it and subsequently enough others that a dire fate can be averted. --- You still have trouble seeing, but the others presence stabilize your footing on the somewhat slippery slopes of the cave floor. Idle curiosity makes you look down. Why is it slippery? The cave isn't especially damp and the lake is probably a slime, there shouldn't be grass all, especially without natural sunlight.  Strange tendrils jut out from beneath the rock, serpentining in unknowable patterns, finding root somewhere in the basin at your side. If you look closely, you can see them sway in the windless wind. Perhaps you had better hurry up. ---  “Right then, 'ere we are. Hand me the torch lass, let's get ta' work!” You instinctively shield your eyes as you approach one of the remaining Ultra-Brights, and decide to turn around entirely when Kvelar with all the grace of an avalanche forces aphotic and radiant together.  After everybody picks themselves of off the ground (having been thrown there by the intensity of the reaction) you breath a sigh of relief as it seems the flame is indeed hot enough to carry over. You excuse yourself from the expeditionary team and leave Kvelar to light the rest, taking Abigail with you to meet up with the others. --- “Right.” you say. “We've got that little dilemma sorted, as long as the torches hold, at least.” "I should probably save this for later, but I'm amazed at the unique capabilities each one of you has brought to this team. It's an honor to fight alongside you. “ People look to each other a bit awkwardly, back to you. A murmur of a cheer. You turn to Abigail, ignoring for a moment the tense atmosphere of the recently bloodied. "I'd like to address Abigail in particular. It was risky and irresponsible of me to take you along just because you insisted. But if you hadn't come along I'd have bleed to death. Thank you.”  “No problem sir! Glad to be aboard!” You continue. "You're quick on your feet. I'll be glad to have you in my company. Now, If you do decide to join us we'll all be invested in you becoming a highly skilled member of the team. But in the meantime you'll do less front-line fighting and more grunt work than the others..” “Hah! I'm through mopping floors, if that’s what your after! Mopping Kobolds is more my thing! Besides, you where the one taking the dirtnap just now, perhaps you should be the one in the back!” She says with a wink and a nudge. Konnie smirks. Kvelar, who just re-joined the group, coming in from the now day-lit cavern area shakes his head bemusedly. You cough authoritatively. “Right. Well. We'll talk about your role in the team after we complete this mission." More laughter. You turn to face Skvababt, whom is standing of to the side as to minimize her exposure to the new light.  --- “Uhm.” You begin. “This uh... place seems.. “ her usually moist skin has taken on somewhat the texture of bark, or old dusty tomes, “seems to be... I'm glad, that is to say.. " You remember your old notebook, your first. “I am so sorry for...” Your very own. With pre-printed tables for putting in numbers neatly in columns. “I'm ever so... so grateful...” the soft crackling of the parchment as page turned to page, “vital even..” the scratch of the quill, the flow of ink. “your presence..” The smell of summers gone by, with numbers your only companion. “to the team.” Endless arrays of things to calculate. “I hope.” you sigh, “that distressing you this place I am not.” “This place isn't....' The memory fades and leaves you at peace. 'Thank you.” Skvababt gives you a warm smile  “Why Mr. Thorgrim, I bet you say that to all the women in your life.” “Humhum.” She laughs. “I'll be fine, you worry about those little Kobolds instead, yes? There's bound to be more of them heading our way now. Such adventure to be had. Mhm.” Right. Battle. Yes. “Right then everyone.” You say, absent-mindedly wiping sweat from your brow, probably just the heat of battle getting to you. “From here on out we split into two teams; Base-camp and Away-Team. Khami, you and Abigail stay here with Skvababt. See if you can find anything of use in the loot; but otherwise just try to secure an area for us up here. Behind the pit-trap should be good, it'd offer us some advantage at least.” “The rest of you, on me. But first, we should eat. No telling how much further down we have to go, and we've been fighting for what feels like hours now.” There is a general nod of agreement, and you dig in. --- Crisis averted, for now, you hold light conversation with ITEC and keep a close eye on the mineshaft, as well as the lake at your backs. In moments you will begin the final descent to kill what Kobolds remain and perhaps even valiantly rescue a prisoner, if you can survive. In your minds eye you have already started counting your profit. You might even afford to pay everyone this month! And between this mission and the Yetis, who knows what you could afford? 1: You have ten or so minutes to rest and relax, and the company of friends in which to do it in. Whose snack-time-anecdote interested you the most? This takes the place of Party Thoughts for this round! Write-in: Any team member. --- 2: Currently you are set to perform plan RandomPaul, taking yourself, your cousin and the three brothers into the deep mines to clear our the Kobold Warren that must be the source of these living vermin, yet all is not set in stone. If you have any other ideas or add-ons, now is the time to voice them. A: Plan Abigail Keep people behind? Ludicrous! CHARGE! B: Plan Khami Khami respectfully interjects that he is most useful when in support of other meleé fighters, and would probably do little good as the lone and front-line fighter with Abigail and Skvababt as his backup at base-camp, even though he believes in their skill. He urges you to take him with you, that he might be more useful. (Plan RandomPaul except Khami wants to come along too.) C: Something else? Write-in. --- [ITEC Battle Summary] Overall morale is Good, the mood is relaxed. You are unhurt? You have eaten your share, but your stomach feels off. You fight with Axe and Shield. [01 kills] [Your shoulder smarts.] [You feel weird.] [You are inconvenienced by a bright light.] Kvelar: Is Healthy, well fed and rested. Fights with Axe and Shield, but has a short-range hand crossbow as well. [05 kills] [01 assist] Tommy: Is Slightly Hurt, Well fed and rested. Fights with a Greatclub. [04 kills] [01 assist] Khami: Is Somewhat Hurt, Well fed and rested. Fights with an iron chain. [Has a few minor cuts and bruises, but should be able to fight non detrimentally] [2 assists] Konnie: Is Healthy, Well fed and rested. Fights with daggers. [06 kills] Abigail: Is Hurt. Well fed and somewhat rested. Fights with an iron quarterstaff. [01 kills] [02 assists] [Has one of her arms in a splint.] Johakim: Is Healthy, well fed and rested. Avoids fighting, tends to wounds. [01 assist] Skvababt: Is Healthy, stuffed and well rested. She is looking parched. Fights with a longbow. [03 kills] [02 assists] All in all, you have defeated [020] out of [024] Kobolds you have seen thus far. [Bonus Tactical Information] You suspect Skvababt suffers from some sort of phobia or condition that limits her ranged acumen in tight quarters / underground. Kobolds are individually weak and seem to prefer weapons that give them range or reach to make up for this fact, as well as utilizing traps or ambushes. You are aware of a “sticky door trap”. You have access to [016] piles of Kobold Equipment, which you may salvage for plausible parts for your hearts desire. You know a group of four kobolds are fleeing further down the mine. They where last seen at level 3. You have [-02] crumbs remaining. code:
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2016 23:10
|
|
|
B. Lets take him along Lets also talk to Skvababt during the break
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2016 17:44
|
|
|
1. I want to hear Konnie's story 2. Stick with the plan, I don't want to leave the females on their own with Skvababt's effectiveness compromised and Abigail already hurt and so very inexperienced
|
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2016 18:23
|
|
|
Pour some water over the frog. Obviously. Stuff we probably don't know: Frogs are indicator species. When they get sick it means the environment is sick. There's probably bad fumes down here.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2016 19:29
|
|
|
I forgot, is our cousin a melee fighter? Edit: doh it's in the update. Lets ask him to stay behind. Our rational being that we want Svks eyes watching out for threats to rear or from slime but we also want a melee fighter to have her back. Ideally Abigail would stay behind, learning valuable things while providing additional protection to the rear. But, you know, broken arm. RandomPauI fucked around with this message at 11:36 on Mar 8, 2016 |
|
#
?
Mar 8, 2016 11:28
|
|
|
The Mine, Level 2 -> 3 Month 2, week three, day six Night Short rest finished, you head down further into the dark corridors of the mine, trusting in the man and women you left behind to protect your potential retreat from fleeing Kobolds and threatening slime-lakes. Wary of potential ambuscades of traps, you, Kvelar, Tommy and Konnie walk in a tight-knit semi-circle, pushing a kobold corpse in front of you with a looted spear. The further down you get, the more you start noticing signs of actual mining activity. You reason the higher levels have either been cleaned out or where simply bereft of ore to begin with, but here and there in the walls around you are the chippings of pickaxes, the beginnings of side-paths with the gleam of ore. In one such alcove stands a door. You immediately stop and bring torches to all sides of the thing, as if the door itself was a monster, checking for hidden danger. Familiar markings, scratches in the dirt by claw or dagger indicate... you don't know what exactly, beyond that once-presence of Kobolds. Rather than open it using the prominent handle, (which in the torchlight gleams menacingly) you instruct Tommy to simply lift it of off its hinges. On the other side is not the Kobolds which you had perhaps expected, merely another corridor leading to what appears to be severely looted a storage area. Dozens of crates, similar to the ones you saw upstairs but mostly destroyed or opened, are no longer stacked orderly inside. Of the Kobold gang that went before you, you find no trace. You take your leave of that rather disappointing detour to head further down. --- The next level starts to show clear signs of Kobold habitation. Here and there, in the midst of broken minecarts and boxes lay strange implements and half-finished traps as well as all manner of tools and junk. You spot a few Kobolds who seem to be on the lookout but they bolt further down the moment they hear you coming. Your slow, meticulous advance protects you from the more obvious traps in the area, at the expense of stealth and speed. You are now very deep indeed inside the mountain, and although you have long since lost track of time you can tell by what's left of your torch that at least two hours have passed since you entered. How much of that was fighting, Laughter and strange rythm, beaten upon metal. However, so far you are unaccosted. The side-path at level four is the most curious yet. It leads not to a storage room or something excavated for ore alone, but to what must have once (weeks ago!) have been an underground temple. You can see the telltale signs of the worship of Toil and the Emperor; the groves cut into the hard stone walls where idols used to sit, uncomfortable pews that have been cut into more manageable size by Kobold diligence or what you suspect are explosives. The usual torch-scones, empty. Judging by the holes in the ceiling this room might have held a chandelier as well, its absence a local tragedy of aesthetics. All over the floor you find more junk than you even know what to do with. Bits of string, piles of ash, metal wrought into dangerous shapes. Countless tools, used for mining and maintenance. Ropes hang from the ceiling, leading every which way. You even see a broken suit of armour, in the distance. Canals have been dug for lack of better word through the hoard, leading to seats, pews and tables that where either here to begin with or casually improvised from barrels and knick-knacks. All around you the debris of civilisation arranged to unclear purpose, alien mind. At the very end of the hallroom stands a podium. Beside it; held up by precious wood is a large slate of chalk. The writing upon it an ominous foreshadowing.  What do you do? Write-in. [Bonus Tactical Information] Kobolds are individually weak and seem to prefer weapons that give them range or reach to make up for this fact, as well as utilizing traps or ambushes. You have access to [016] piles of Kobold Equipment, which you may salvage for plausible parts for your hearts desire. There are at least [08] additional piles of Kobold Equipment strewn about outside, which you have yet to pick up as you had other things to do. You have immediate access to a room full of useful and useless junk. What you do with that is up to you. You know a group of four Kobolds are fleeing further down the mine. They where last seen somewhere between level 3 and 4 and are presumably ahead of you. You have [-02] crumbs remaining. code:Overall morale is Good, the mood is unnerved. You are unhurt? You have eaten your share, but your stomach feels off. You fight with Axe and Shield. [01 kills] [Your shoulder smarts.] [You feel weird.] [You are inconvenienced by a bright light.] Kvelar: Is Healthy, well fed and rested. Fights with Axe and Shield, but has a short-range hand crossbow as well. [05 kills] [01 assist] Tommy: Is Slightly Hurt, Well fed and rested. Fights with a Greatclub. [04 kills] [01 assist] Konnie: Is Healthy, Well fed and rested. Fights with daggers. [06 kills] All in all, you have defeated [020] out of [024] Kobolds you have seen thus far. Party Thoughts: Kvelar: “Tis place be defiled with Kobold rubbish! It’ll take days ta sort through it all.” Tommy: "What could they be doin' with all this junk? It's not here by accident." Konnie: “I don't like that sign. I don't like any of this. We should get back to the others, fight full force.”
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2016 17:12
|
|
|
Is there any obvious reason why we should not just ignore this side passage for now and move on?
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2016 17:23
|
|
|
To Ignore a RoomThere Bias Two posted:Is there any obvious reason why we should not just ignore this side passage for now and move on? There is nothing keeping you from leaving, yet the room is large and full of stuff. You may leave or stay as you desire. As to the why, you know there are Kobolds further down (you have seen some and can hear others), and this room is at the very least a chokepoint filled to the brim with junk. Perhaps you'd like to search the room for treasure, or more useful equipment. Thus far you have but given it a casual glance. Perhaps you'd like to stay and fortify, hoping to bag some curious Kobolds and be the ones ambushing for a change. Or another reason entirely, like trying to re-establish it's temple-ness. Swedish Thaumocracy fucked around with this message at 17:58 on Mar 13, 2016 |
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2016 17:41
|
|
|
I forget the precise details of the setting, but do the gods smile favorably upon those who restore temples for them?
There Bias Two fucked around with this message at 18:00 on Mar 13, 2016 |
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2016 17:54
|
|
|
Re: The Gods.There Bias Two posted:I forget the precise details of the setting, but do the gods smile favorably upon those who restore temples for them? The Gods intervene daily and directly in the lives of ordinary mortals. You yourself have been direct witness to this in previous missions. At least one of your party members has had deliberating injuries healed miraculously after a short stay in a temple, and you have felt the blessings of ritual ceremony just earlier this week. It certainly couldn't hurt. That said, restoring it might take time as you'd need to find the missing idols and clear some of the area out around the important ritual places.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2016 18:06
|
|
|
Oh. Well then. There certainly is a possible advantage here.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2016 18:07
|
|
|
##Vote 1) Outrail Outrail: say "This is a mess, we're going to deal with these kobolds and then clean up this shrine that they've defiled. Work before pleasure."
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2016 18:43
|
|
|
Outrail posted:##Vote Be sure to say a prayer to the Gods to let them know that we're clearing out the Kobalds first because we don't want them to interrupt the process of restoring the temple. They'd be able to figure that out of course, this is just a courtesy thing.
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2016 09:46
|
|
|
Outrail posted:##Vote +1
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2016 12:44
|
|
|
Outrail posted:##Vote
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2016 13:40
|
|
|
The Mine, Level 4, The Ruined Temple of Toil and Beyond Month 2, week three, day six Night Kvelar posted:“This place be defiled with Kobold rubbish! It’ll take days ta sort through it all.” "This is a mess.” You say. “We're going to deal with these kobolds and then clean up this shrine that they've defiled. Work before pleasure." Just as Toil would want it. Toil is the most serious of all the gods of Rim, being the personification of hard work and self sacrifice for the greater good (okay, greater neural). His worship is the quiet satisfaction of labour, his holy water the sweat on a farmers brow come harvest. Its no wonder there exists a temple to his glory in a place such as this. He tends to be more direct than the other gods in his dealings with mortals, but his presence if less often felt. This is because he exists by the ancient motto: "if you want something done you better do it yourself." Which somewhat paradoxically means he is less likely to help those that ask for it than those that specifically do not. When he does interfere it is never dramatic, but it is always very efficient. Just the way the Empire wants things done. --- You give the discarded piles of equipment, refuse, ore and boxes a last casual glance before you leave, having decided to press on to the very end. Descending through the dark corridors your mind wanders back to your Owlbear Cubs, in safe keeping far away in the city of Grüw. How are they doing? Do they miss you? You've only been gone a day but its starting to feel like months, what with all the fighting, adventure and astral projection? you have been doing as of late. The thought of them comforts you, but you are soon shaken from your reverie by Konnie elbowing you in the ribs.  “Hey Bossman, Check this out.” You have been following the minecarttracks for some time now (not that the narrow tunnel gives you much choice) and have long since stopped paying attention to all the junk and scrap on the soil beneath your feet, aside from being wary of tripwires or other devious floortraps which so far your group has handled admirably, only loosing three long sticks to various flavour of bear trap. In front of you is a precarious pillar, no thicker than a quarterstaff, that seems to be holding a trapdoor in the ceiling closed. The trapdoor is wide enough to stretch the corridor entirely. Whatever it is it is easily bypassable, simply stepping around the pillar is enough, but you might consider activating it or attempting to disarm it in some other way if you so desire. However you deal or do not deal with it, you continue forwards and not before too long your nose informs you of the presence of oil. It doesn't take too much poking around to figure out that most of this area has been covered in the stuff, however it all seems very haphazard. You also find piles of ash and gray and reddish dust. Although you cannot tell of what this dust is made of (being an accountant, not a metallurgist or alchemist), you know it at least to be metallic in nature. With all this oil about you switch your lighting options over to lanterns which seems slightly safer and continue forward. At last you come around a bend in the tunnel work, the miners having followed the trace of a seam deep underground. Before you lies the Deep Mines proper, a large cavern exploded and dug into the mountain by years of dwarven labour. Pathways stretch every witch way, like the matrix of a spiderweb, capturing juicy ore-flies for it's silverproccessing maw.  It shows every sign of Kobold inhabitation, although you can't see the critters themselves at the moment. As always the floor is littered with refuse and trash, but more and more you begin to see what could be called nests or perhaps, if you are very generous, hoards. Every which way you look, bits of broken crate have been pulled together to jealously guard a shiny object or half-finished trap. Spear-tips, thick nails and more of the strange powders surround them like the palisades of ancient city-states before the Emperor united the world. So where are the guardians? Well, judging by the sounds of Kobold laughter and metallic drumming they are probably all over, waiting to pounce. There is light coming from the west (entrance being from the east, as well as you can figure without a compass) but the sounds are well and truly all over. With no way to tell how many or exactly the source, you look around to your companions who seem to have all come to the same conclusion; looking to you to decide how you wish to deal with things. ---  (Open for huge.) 1: The area you are in houses four large and thick solid-stone-pillars, supporting the weight of the mountain above you. Breaching them is something you doubt a bottle of FOOF could handle, as they have been carved out of the bedrock itself. From your current position there are many ways to take and ultimately, the decision of where to go is up to you. A: Stay here, let them come to you. This is a very large and open area, with plenty of cover and also housing the only known exit to the rest of the mine. Holding the “nesthall” for lack of better name is crucial if you don't want your retreat cut off, yet the Kobolds probably know this place better than any other, if they do indeed stash their precious valuables here. B: Go towards the light. The light comes from the deepest part of the mine, coincidentally also where the largest volume of sound appears to be emanating from. You would be heading into unfamiliar territory and probably the bulk of Kobold forces, striking at presumably the brain of their operations (if where you are in now counts as the heart). However you would leave yourself open to counter charges from behind if you went here first. C: Southern Side passage. The unexplored area closest to you and the exit, you think you can hear something from within but again, there is no telling what that might be. D: Southeastern Side passage. On the far end of the cavern lies another side-passage, this one with a fork (the first one you've seen so far) of the minecart tracks running into it. E: Northern Side passage. Light shines from within, what could lay in store? F: Go back to some-place earlier in the mines and fortify your position there instead. Hope the Kobolds come to you. They have too, eventually, right? But there is no telling how long that would take and it would give them all the time in the world to prepare. --- 2: You passed a bunch of obvious and not so obvious traps on the way down here. What, if anything did you do with them? Note that disarming them or even activating them will take (will have taken) time. The more time you spend doing that, the more time the Kobolds will have to do whatever it is they are doing. G: Plan Konnie. (Take Ten) Try to disarm all the traps using your own and Konnies Guile. This will take a very long time, perhaps an hour or more, but at least you can count on your retreat being relatively safer. H: Plan Do It Hastily. Poke the traps or throw rocks at them and see if they disarm themselves without killing you. Won't take too long, perhaps ten to twenty minutes? Less if you ignore the oil, but it carries with it the danger of being caught in a trap that was perhaps more clever than it appeared. I: Plan Ignore It. Who cares about traps you have already passed? You have Kobolds to fight, their tricks can wait. --- 3: There are a plethora of nests about the area, containing all matter of baubles and junk, however getting to them in the midst of what might soon be combat is not recommended. Still, if you where curious you could attempt to loot one and see what it contains. Without digging into one, from what you can see from your current position it seems to be mostly More Junk with some shiny bit of ore thrown in for good measure. But who knows what else the Kobolds have collected? K: Take some time to properly loot a nest. Searching through all the junk will take at least two minutes, which might not seem like much but there are quiet a lot of nests around you and the sounds of Kobold activity are growing ever stronger. L: Leave it for later. Fight first, loot after. --- [Bonus Tactical Information] Kobolds are individually weak and seem to prefer weapons that give them range or reach to make up for this fact, as well as utilizing traps or ambushes. You have access to [016] piles of Kobold Equipment, which you may salvage for plausible parts for your hearts desire. There are at least [08] additional piles of Kobold Equipment strewn about the passages you have already gone through which you have yet to pick up as you had other things to do. You know there are at least four Kobolds left. You fear there are probably a lot more. You have [-02] crumbs remaining. [ITEC Battle Summary] Overall morale is Good, the mood is unnerved. You are unhurt? You have eaten your share, but your stomach feels off. You fight with Axe and Shield. [01 kills] [Your shoulder smarts.] [You feel weird.] [You are inconvenienced by a bright light.] [You feel the weight of responsibility on your shoulders.] Kvelar: Is Healthy, well fed and rested. Fights with Axe and Shield, but has a short-range hand crossbow as well. [05 kills] [01 assist] Tommy: Is Slightly Hurt, Well fed and rested. Fights with a Greatclub. [04 kills] [01 assist] Konnie: Is Healthy, Well fed and rested. Fights with daggers. [06 kills] All in all, you have defeated [020] out of [024] Kobolds you have seen thus far. Party Thoughts: Kvelar: “Ach, the sweet smell of fresh silver, mixed with the toxic stench of Kobold refuse! We must be close to the end here, but what are they up ta? “ Tommy: “This is getting tiresome. Why aren't they attacking?” Konnie: “Take it slow mate, traps everywhere.”
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2016 17:55
|
|
|
1. C. We should clear out all the side passages before continuing west, and it makes sense to start with the closest one so there's less chance of being surrounded. 2. G. The strange sounds seem ominous so we better clear the path to the exit in case a full-sprint retreat is in order. 3. L. To do it right we'd need longer than two minutes, we should operate on the assumption that the nests are all trapped.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2016 18:37
|
|
|
1. C I feel like this might be our prisoner friend 2. G slow and steady wins the race and taking the time to disarm them may win us more of Toil's favor 3. L to be honest I don't like our odds against unknown numbers of kobolds 
|
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2016 18:48
|
|
|
HBar posted:1. C. We should clear out all the side passages before continuing west, and it makes sense to start with the closest one so there's less chance of being surrounded. Sure, let's go with this. Acting without more exact knowledge on our opposition is risky, but I'm unwilling to retreat at this juncture.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2016 22:03
|
|
|
1C 2G 3L works for me
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2016 03:34
|
|
|
Bandwagoning on C G L Keep the updates comin'
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2016 05:04
|
|
|
F Long toss a torch into the oil area to start a fire to smoke out the goblin and we ambush them at the entrance, I L
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2016 14:41
|
|
|
Friends in Low Places Ignoring the nests for now, you decide to clear out the traps that lined the way to this place should you need to perform an emergency evacuation or tactical withdrawal. However, halfway back to the caverns entrance you hesitate and stop, a funny feeling in your gut. “Hold.” You say to the few members of ITEC you brought with you into these dark hallways. “Over there, that passage. We should check it out.” Though the tunnel of the southern passage is semi collapsed, you are able with some difficulty to gain entry to what proves to be the storage room beyond. Long since looted of valuables, it does still house something of significance. Through rocks and other debris (the contents of which you'd rather not think about) you push your way forward until you reach the point where the room is split in twain. Built to store dangerous substances or things that should not be rustled when not in use, the Secure Storage Area doubles as a makeshift cell. Something which perhaps surprisingly the Kobolds seem to have capitalized on. "Oh hello!" a loud and manly voice with a thick northern accent yells as you approach his calcified and iron prison. Through gaps in the barred wall you see a large man dressed in ++Imperial Censorship Bureau Approved Prisoner Loincloth-Rags.++  "You must be Mr. Projection! Here to save me as you said you would! - A big smile crosses the man's face - And here I thought I was going rather mad, being chained up as I am in the bowels of the earth with nothing but Kobolds for company! Ahahaha! I see you brought some friends as well, but so few against an army? You must be strong or crazy, unless your forces full await in chambers yonder. "No casualties I am glad to report, beyond some cuts and bruises." You reply. "You must be Ragnar?" You continue, promptly. "Indeed! Ragnar the Lucky! Pleased to make your acquaintance! From the sounds of things the Scalies are getting a bit uppity, so if you could get me out of here that would be much appreciated. I'm afraid I don't have the key, being a prisoner and all. Hahahaha." You take another look at construction which separates the pair of you. It might not be a vault but the gate itself will take more than a hit from Tommy's Greatclub to smash through. It looks built to withstand small explosions, so digging probably isn't an option either. Konnie catches your calculating look and offers some input. "That's a tough lock they got there, bossman. Luckily for us eh, amateur lockpicking is a bit of a hobby of mine, yeah thats it. Got myself a pair of 'picks a little while ago, fer emergencies and suchlike, you understand? Yeah. Emergencies. From a pal of mine over in Braav. "He runs "Totes' Legit Business Practices and other Assorted Ventures into Experteering." Calls it Totes' for short. A friendlier fellow than him you'll be hard pressed to find. Why don't you let me have a gander at that lock of yours, and, eh, I'll see what I can do? --- 1: Well! Looks like you found the prisoner. He seems not much the worse for wear although you can hear his stomach rumbling from out here. Judging from the state of the rest of room you suspect the Kobolds have mostly forgotten about this place. You are free to ask him any questions you desire. Normal question rules apply. Is there anything you'd like to ask him? --- 2: Do you want to get him out? If so, how and perhaps more importantly, when? A: Plan Konnie Konnie will try to pick the lock. Hard to say if or how well it will work, but Konnie estimates ten minutes of tinkering including getting all his tools ready and such. Konnie will be occupied during this time. B: Plan Not Now Later Go back, disarm traps and explore the rest of the cavern. Come back to Ragnar after you finished clearing up the last of the Kobolds. C: Something else? You left the rest of the FOOF at home (and using it down here would probably be suicidal in any case), but the miners must have left some explosives somewhere? Maybe the Ultra-Bright torches burn hot enough to melt through, maybe a Kobold left the key somewhere or perhaps there is another way entierly to get inside? Off the wall ideas and other solutions go here. Voting on the questions in the previous update is closed.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2016 20:37
|
|
|
A We want this guy, he is probably pretty good at fighting. Also, C would most likely take at least 10 minutes, most likely longer.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2016 20:42
|
|
|
How long has it been since I contacted you by your reckoning? (Does this agree with our estimate?) Have you seen/heard anything since we last talked that we might need to know about? 2A
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2016 20:42
|
|
|
We all know torches can't melt mine steel. 2A How many do you estimate are down here? Any idea why they didn't eat you already?
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2016 20:59
|
|
|
An army? How many have you seen? Do you know what that noise is? Any advice for battling the kobolds? What weapon do you use? Think you can be of aid in the coming battle? Do you want us to rescue now or after we finish killing the kobolds? A
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2016 21:28
|
|
|
What do we get for letting you out?
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2016 21:30
|
|
|
Toss the man a canteen or skin of water and something to eat first off. He's not gonna' be any help at all if he's half starved and dehydrated.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2016 22:57
|
|
|
Questions For RagnarThere Bias Two posted:How long has it been since I contacted you by your reckoning? (Does this agree with our estimate?) "It's a bit hard to estimate what with the lack of sun and all and there is not that much to do around here except sleep, of which I've done plenty! You appeared in my dream a few days ago? Maybe less? And now here you are, very strange indeed!" Outrail posted:How many do you estimate are down here? Any idea why they didn't eat you already? Mr. Nemo posted:An army? How many have you seen? "Oh a few dozen at least, our group killed a fair number when we entered but I haven't seen that many since they put me here. New ones seem to be popping up all the time though, judging by the character of my more regular visitors." "As for why they haven't eaten me? Well the tunnel partly collapsed a little while ago, I think one of the Scalies got a little over-excited about something. I guess they plain forgot about me after that? They brought me here after the battle, I had uh, accidentally fallen on what appeared to be their leader and without one they didn't really know what to do with me. From what I can tell they've been fighting a bunch ever since that happened. Occasionally a youngling comes in, you can tell caus' they don't have any scars of burn marks and whatnot and are usually armourless. They try to scavenge something from here and run away when they hear me snore! Haha." Mr. Nemo posted:Do you know what that noise is? Any advice for battling the kobolds? "Sounds like drums to me, they haven't been at it for very long though! Hard to sleep with that constant banging!" Mr. Nemo posted:What weapon do you use? Think you can be of aid in the coming battle? "I was trained in the Imperial Army before setting our as a mercenary in my own right. Put something in my hands and I can probably kill someone else with it! Honestly I could probably do it even without a weapon, but it's pretty hard when I'm chained up like this." "As for the battle, well this is pretty embarrassing but you see - he says in a conspirational tone - but I've been taken prisoner and that includes my jailers having taken all of my stuff. So unless you want to see running around half naked beating scalies to death with their own severed arms for all of ten seconds before one of them decides to just shoot me, I'm not going to be much help without at least some armour." Mr. Nemo posted:Do you want us to rescue now or after we finish killing the kobolds? "Now don't get me wrong, this cell is pretty comfortable what with the featureless barren walls and all of this plentiful red sand that you see all around me (very luxurious) but truth be told I am getting rather bored of it! I would rather like to get out as quickly as possible, if you could, I haven't really had a good stretch for a few days now." Hot Dog Day 80 posted:What do we get for letting you out? "I will be outside of this cell instead of inside it." There Bias Two posted:Have you seen/heard anything since we last talked that we might need to know about? "I've heard less in-fighting but as I said they don't really come up here any more. Aside from traps the most I've heard them talk about is Big Kate and Egg, they seem very excited about all of those however." Tran posted:Toss the man a canteen or skin of water and something to eat first off. He's not gonna' be any help at all if he's half starved and dehydrated. "Thank you kindly Mr. Projection, I've only had a small piece of jerky to chew on for these last few days, It'll be good to have something else in my stomach for once! Haha."
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2016 23:33
|
|
|
2: A + "We've set up a base camp a few floors up. They're keeping watch to make sure a slime monster doesn't wake up. There are also a few unsorted piles of arms and armor there. How about you head up on there and kit yourself with what you can find while we start disarming traps?"
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2016 00:37
|
|
|
RandomPauI posted:2: A + "We've set up a base camp a few floors up. They're keeping watch to make sure a slime monster doesn't wake up. There are also a few unsorted piles of arms and armor there. How about you head up on there and kit yourself with what you can find while we start disarming traps?" We'd probably have to guide him back up. We can't just send a naked, abused man off to wander through the mines all on his own.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2016 00:41
|
|
|
The drums are the kobolds getting ready to crown/hatch/something a new leader. Ragnar squished the old one, their new leader is Egg. We should get him out, equip him as best we can (loot some nests) and crash the coronation to get the majority of the remaining kobolds.  So I guess A+ toss him some food and water while the lock is being picked.
|
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2016 00:42
|
|
|
Yeah, use the kobold piles and scavenge to get him some arms and armor. Then we need to deal with the drummers. A
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2016 01:13
|
|
|
c. Rescue him and go back to town. Update the quest-giver (the duke?) about the *major* goblin infestation and wait for him to offer a higher price. Hire more one-mission mercenaries to go against this army of goblins.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2016 15:57
|
|
|
More QuestionsNyaa posted:c. Rescue him and go back to town. Update the quest-giver (the duke?) about the *major* goblin infestation and wait for him to offer a higher price. Hire more one-mission mercenaries to go against this army of goblins. If the Chamberlain had any people to spare he would have sent them. With the Imperial Army busy elsewhere, there simply isn't anyone left in the area willing to brave the dangers of the mine. There Bias Two posted:We'd probably have to guide him back up. We can't just send a naked, abused man off to wander through the mines all on his own. The way up is pretty straightforward, there being only one major tunnel and a few side passages all of which have already been cleared of danger by ITEC. Judging from Ragnars cheery demeanour, he would have little trouble getting up to your basecamp after he is finished with the rations you have already thrown his way.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2016 16:22
|
|
|
The Eager Locksmith Konnie works whilst you talk with the prisoner. The Expert Daggerteers hands seemingly agile and deft, not at all amateurish in their handling of the lock as your somewhat shifty companion earlier implied. You learn or atleast reaffirm that Ragnar has been here a few days now and that the Kobolds have been leaderless for about the same amount of time due to happy 'coincidence.' Perhaps that luck is why you've been fighting small isolated groups instead of an endless swarm of coordinated lizardmonkeys? Well, whatever the reason it seems the remaining Kobolds have holed up at the very end of the mine, drumming a strange beat to unknown purpose. Time, you fear, is ticking. Alone in his cell, Ragnar continues chowing down on the rations you granted, chatting away happily with you as if he hadn't just spent several days in a partially collapsed dungeon. Aside from his rags, rations and mostly eaten jerky, he sports a small satchel, the universal contract bag that all citizens of the empire must carry. Divine blessings make them all but impossible to remove from someone whilst they yet live and so the Kobolds, by way of laziness or ineptitude ignored it.  Like all other satchels of its kind it contains both the certificate of birth and death as well as his most important documents or specific contracts as decided by his fancy. One such document grants him authority to slaughter for coin in the name of the Emperor and for the good of his realm. Like your own contract in many ways, but granting a higher degree of independence in exchange for less personal security. Only a new moments manage to pass until a voice interrupts your friendly interrogation. Your mind races, fearing Kobolds, but their drumming has yet to cease and soon Abigail's dulcet quacking echoes louder still. You leave Konnie to his work with Tommy as his guardian and take Kvelar to meet up with your young protogé.  Hey boss! Boss! Where are you? It's important! Oh hello there! I don't mean to alarm you but - wow this cavern is pretty big and loud, are those nests? I thought Kobolds where lizards not birds? Where are the other guys? Did you start fighting without us? Did you find the prisoner you where talking about? Wow, what's he like? Can I see him? Is he alright? They didn't rough him up did they? I could go get Johakim if you want? Maybe some supplies? Do you need us all down here? What's with all the oil back there? When will the real fight start? She looks expectantly at you, her beak finally slowing down enough for you to get a word in edgewise. --- 1: Well? What do you want Abigail to do? Orders or questions go here! --- 2: Speaking of which, Ragnar will hopefully be out of his cell soon. What do you want to do with him when he is out? A: Convince him to fight for you. This probably won't be very hard, but he will need equipment. -Ab: Send Abigail to get whatever she can find whilst konnie is working. Together with what you brought with you you can probably make some sort of crude armour and armaments for him. Won't waste much time, either. -Ac: Send Ragnar up to basecamp after he gets out. Ragnar should know best what he needs for himself, but sending him to get it will waste precious time as Konnie slowly unlocks the cell, not to mention the time it will take for him to scavenge the right materials from your piles. B send him to basecamp with orders to stay put. Though he is under no obligation to do so, he will probably agree? Maybe. You have no real authority over him except for the illegal threat of arms, and he does seem eager to get back into the fray.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2016 18:17
|
|
|
##Vote Ab No time to gently caress around, if he lives and does his part he gets an equal share (since he gave us the Intel to come down here). If he dies his death certificate will state he tripped and impaled himself on a dull sword.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2016 18:30
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 23, 2024 15:53 |
|
|
2: Speaking of which, Ragnar will hopefully be out of his cell soon. -Ab: Send Abigail to get whatever she can find whilst konnie is working.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2016 18:49
|
|