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The voting phase has ended! It appears that this room serves multiple purposes, it's a kitchen, pantry, slave- and animal pen in one (winning option: 1E). Staring us down is a large chimerical meat golem (winning option: 2C), ready to kill and eat us. Our next GM is e X!
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Mar 2, 2018 08:06
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 11:24 |
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Room of Sustenance and Slavery --- With a loud *CRACK* the door's lock shatters under the heel of your boot. Splinters and shrapnell fly off in every direction as you make your entrance. Always on the lookout for threats and traps, you quickly look around you to take in the room. You find yourself in a large, two-floor chamber. In one corner of the room you see a large stovetop. In another corner, meat and large slabs of meat dangle from large hooks affixed to the ceiling. Much to your surprise you also see human beings; some chained to the walls, many locked up in small cages or dirty cells. A few seemingly walk around freely, but they wear manacles on their hands and feet, and have a vacant expression. All of them look underfed, are dirty, and wear burlap sacks instead of clothes. Curiously, none of these people seem to react to your presence at all. They don't break out in cheers at your arrival or beg you to unchain them. Their pupils don't even so much as dilate as you walk past them. An unnatural silence fills the place. One woman carrying a large iron cooking pot simply walks past you, hangs the pot over an open fire and begins to slowly stir its contents. Even if you weren't schooled in the magical arts, it wouldn't be difficult to see that these people are mindless thralls controlled by magical means. What you see next makes you stomach squirm. Another woman carrying a large butcher's knife approaches a fresh corpse strapped to a table, and begins to debone it. She makes quick cuts with great speed and precision, then pries the bones from the corpse and throws them all on a large pile in the center of the room. Seeing all this cruely underlines just how much contempt Dracula has for humans and life in general. Not even the cruellest warden would keep his prisoners in cells so cramped. No farmer would think to keep his pigs in pens this dirty. For how long have people lived and died in this place of horror where dignity does not exist? Is this the fate that awaits the world, should you fail your quest? You feel the metaphorical weight on your shoulders grow heavier. Perhaps you wish to leave now and try to forget the things you've just witnessed before your mind is permanently scarred. Perhaps you wish to stay and somehow break their enthrallment. Your desires become irrelevant when you see all of the shadows present in this room coalesce into a vaguely human-shaped mist that begins to hover over the pile of bones in the center of the room. As two red eyes appear in the center of the mist, it begins to take on a familiar shape. "You've survived far longer than I expected you to, Whitegraves. It's been some time since I last had a toy this sturdy." The shadowy apparition roars with laughter. "But this is where it ends for you. Be a good toy and join the pile!" The shadowy figure dives into the bone pile. Seconds later the bones begin to float into the air, and then start to fly everywhere. With a sickening snap you hear a humerus break itself into two. A ribcage contorts, what used to be ribs taking on the form of teeth. In the blink of an eye, an abomination stands in front of you.  You can see that it has no lungs, yet the thing somehow screeches -- a symphony of the voices of the damned. Two burning specters blink into existence as you recite the words of the incantation The Remembered Flame Avenges.  Being spirits, they show no fear as they draw weapons made of fire charge the undead dragon. One spirit attempts to jump on its back, while the other circles it looking for an opportunity to strike. The undead dragon slams it tail into the latter, which flickers twice and then blinks out of existence almost as fast as you summoned it. A feeling of dread wells up within you. This thing is powerful and dangerous. You do not have much time to dwell on that thought, as the undead dragon attempts to bite you in half. It misses, but knocks you to the ground with its powerful wings. It places one of its talons on your chest and tries to squeeze the life out of you. It takes both of your hands and all of your strength to keep its talons from skewering you. 1. What do you do? A. This isn't a time for sophisticated plans. I try to force my way out of its grip. Keep pushing! If I can't escape the undead dragon's hold I better hope the spirit I summoned can defeat it, or I'm toast. B. I reach for my knife and start hacking away at its ankle joint. The creature is mostly made of bone and I suspect it feels no pain, so if I don't break off the talon in one attempt I'm probably going to die. C.. I cast The Ember Ignites a Thousand Flames, and greatly empower my one remaining spirit. I will have to both focus on casting the spell and not getting crushed, which increases the chances of either action failing. D. Despite the chaos in the room, all of Dracula's thralls continue their duties. I cast The Ember Ignites a Thousand Flames on the enchantment that binds them, putting them under my control instead... and which also sets them on fire. I will then instruct them to attack the undead dragon. This idea really doesn't sit well with me, but I imagine it's a E. With all of my strength I plummet my dagger into the dragon's ankle joint, and then cast The Ember Ignites a Thousand Flames on it. My dagger is balanced, perhaps supernaturally so. If it is indeed enchanted, then I can pin the dragon's foot in place. Like driving a red hot nail through a wooden plank. This plan will fail if it turns out my dagger isn't actually enchanted. And if it does work, I'm probably going to lose that weapon for good. F. Something else. Fill in. --- Current map of the castle 
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Mar 4, 2018 18:51
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C! Beef up that Spirit
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Mar 5, 2018 00:55
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D- They were dead already
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Mar 5, 2018 01:15
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D
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Mar 5, 2018 08:35
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F. Be a good toy
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Mar 5, 2018 16:15
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D yeah that's pretty cool
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Mar 5, 2018 17:01
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Nyaa posted:F. Be a good toy F
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Mar 5, 2018 19:39
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The voting phase has ended. Light the thralls on fire with our mind and order them to swarm the undead dragon (1D) has won. Our next GM is MinutePirateBug!
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Mar 5, 2018 22:35
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Room of Sustenance and Slavery --- You utter your enchantment while your lungs strain for enough air. That you are able to utter anything is no mean feat with the dragon attempting to squeeze the life out of you. You feel nauseous and faint, with your strength and skill you barely keep the dragon’s talons from tearing into your throat, but you cannot keep its weight from crushing you as it uses its massive body to keep you prone upon the ground. Spotted shapes whose forms and colors you can’t quite identify begin popping into your vision. You feel your strength ebbing as your consciousness fades - and then suddenly there is relief. You breathe and there is no longer a terrible weight upon your chest, nor the feeling of the dragon’s bony talons upon your hands. With nerveless hands pressing upon the cold dirty tile-stone you raise yourself upright. You are greeted with the horrific and wretched sight of perhaps two dozen or more thralls who in their burning and screaming mob have manage to shove the dragon off you. The luckier thralls, if they could be called that, came under your spell were unbound and performing routine tasks in the kitchen. Most of the thralls though were bound to the walls with manacles or caged. Their hands and arms are torn and dangle in unnatural ways - dislocated or broken - having been compelled to obey your order to attack without thought to their own safety, they have ripped themselves free of their manacles or squeezed themselves through cage bars.  The thralls are burning and making terrible noises, whatever spells were used to dull their senses or orders which they were compelled to follow were overridden by your spell. Most of the screams are indistinct but one voice comes across clearly to you “MAMA! IT HURTS SO BAD! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!” Some of the thralls have kitchen knives, others improvised weapons such as stools or pots, most have no weapons at all and simply smash their emaciated and shattered limbs into the bones of the dragon with a surprising degree of violence. The dragon retaliates smashing individuals away with its tail or rending entrails with its talons and jaws, but the dragon has already collapsed onto its side due to the number of people swarming it. Besides the thralls the dragon has killed and the ones that tore themselves to pieces attempting to escape their confines, some of the thralls have already collapsed due to smoke inhalation and are smoldering on the ground. It is difficult to say whether the thralls will be able to destroy the dragon before succumbing to the smoke. Also, large swaths of the room are on fire from where the shed flaming burlap and straw have encountered grease and fat soaked furniture and rugs. --- Current map of the castle  1. Pick One A. Oh god what have I done? B. It had to be done it was the only way C. They were dead already at least this way they’ll do some damage to the one who enslaved them. D. Better them than me L. Ooooh pretty they are like roman candles! N. Thems is good eats! E. Write in. 2. Pick One F. Stop the spell! There may still be some way to save these people G. Finish off the dragon as quickly as possible before ending the spell H. The room is burning let the thralls deal with the dragon while you get the hell out of there I. Let the thralls deal with the dragon while you loot the room J. Alter the orders given by the spell so the thralls feel no pain M. Start making novelty hats out of the flesh of the fallen thralls, I want a cool cowboy hat! O . Om nom nom nom mmm burnt human flesh is the best K. Write in MinutePirateBug fucked around with this message at 22:49 on Mar 8, 2018 |
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Mar 7, 2018 11:59
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quote:A. Oh god what have I done?
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Mar 7, 2018 19:36
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CG
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Mar 7, 2018 19:47
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1A. It's us. We're the real monster. 2G.
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Mar 7, 2018 20:06
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C. G.
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Mar 7, 2018 20:36
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Bee Bonk posted:Chaotic
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Mar 7, 2018 20:37
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You can call me A or you can call me J
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Mar 7, 2018 20:40
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LO! The tragedy of war is never ending
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Mar 8, 2018 02:06
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The voting phase has ended. It appears that we feel more than a bit guilty (1A) about setting innocent people on fire, but not guilty enough to end our spell before the undead dragon is dead (2G). Our next GM is Slaan!
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Mar 8, 2018 20:49
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Embrace HUNGER .... 
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Mar 10, 2018 02:47
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Whoops, just saw I'm GM. I'll get it out tonight or maybe in the morning
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Mar 10, 2018 02:58
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If it makes a difference to your writing/inspiration, Slaan, I would have voted CJ, which would have put C & A in a tie.
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Mar 10, 2018 04:11
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Gah! The spell went so wrong so quickly. You hadn't expected the thralls to still be thinking, feeling beings. Their emaciated, diseased forms seemed like those of long-dead corpses, not of living flesh. Then again, you never expected this draconic beast to be a living thinking being either. Who knows, given the sheer evil depravity of the castle's Master, perhaps even this dragon "lived" in torment, even if one no human could understand. You steeled yourself to the necessity of continuing the spell, compelling the thralls to continue slaying the beast. For though the situation had changed, it had not changed enough. They were surely soon to be dead anyways, food for the carrion beasts, jailors, Dracula himself, or, worst of all, each other. Only defeating this dragon would let you get to Dracula and end his foul reign. You felt for these pitiful creatures, but they were useful. Surely the Saints would bless their souls in the afterlife; they would receive their reward. You redoubled your channeling of the spell and smiled as the beast's thrashing become slower and weaker. With every roar, every roll, every pouce a new thrall was killed, but so too was the fiend's strength. Soon, all was still except for the most pitiful of whimperss from the dragon. The thralls were all crushed and scattered around the room, the dragon victorious. But it was a pyrrhic victory indeed. It could not summon the strength to more than mumble a few pitiful words. "Slay me or save me, fool. My master will kill me, and you, either way. I care now what you do, just end my torment." The beast huffed in amusement. "I can see you are capable of terrible things, just like Him. Hopefully you are not yet completely devoid of sanity and humanity, yet?" 1. Do you kill the dragon? A. Smash its skull and scatter its remains B. Behead the beast and toss its skull into the roaring firepit C.Attempt to save the beast, out of pity and shame D. Attempt to save the beast, but only in exchange for a reward Da. If you choose D- What are you trying to get? Money? Items? Information? Spells? E. Keep the beast alive and in torment for your own inscrutable goals ******* The dragon dealt with, you look around the room. You doubt there is anything of value remaining here. A curious sight compels you to examine one corner of the room in particular though. One of the thralls seems to have crawled here after being disemboweled by the dragon. It looked to be reaching for a sconce on the wall. You grab the sconce and notice that it turns clockwise easily. You do so and a portion of the wall slides open. A tunnel! A faint draft can be felt coming from the darkness. Given it's in the castle's kitchen-dungeon, you guess that it either leads to a dining room elsewhere in the noble's quarters so that food could be brought swiftly to the Master and his guests, or out into the forest-grounds surrounding the Chateau, so that the human cattle could be shepherded inside more easily and more hidden from the nearby villages. Before you go into the tunnel to check it out, you also notice that the battle had collapsed a portion of wall on one side of the room. The rubble seems like it would be easy to climb up. You know that an artifact listed within the castle's library is supposed to be deposited above, though the entry was blacked out. Perhaps it would be a better choice to continue upwards, instead of through the hidden tunnel? Of course, there is more in the central staircase to be found. One could leave this room entirely and explore further. You recall that a human prisoner/guest is in the clocktower suite at the top of the stairway. A visit may be in order. 2. Where you do go? A. Continue to search this room for more clues or equipment. Perhaps you missed something? B. Into the tunnel to see what you can find. Servant's passages can be quite useful indeed. C. Out into the staircase, to continue the climb D. Back into the Rat King's room. There were unexplored passages there, as well E. Suicide is the only way out F. This is too much, use the tunnel to flee the castle onto the grounds! G. Elsewhere, "Vampire Slayer?"
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Mar 10, 2018 05:17
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BB
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Mar 10, 2018 05:32
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1. D; ideally for information or tools (spells/items; don't know if money will be much use), but if it can leave I can at least live with that. Sorry if this is tough to parse. 2. B. Never don't secret passages.
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Mar 10, 2018 05:34
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1. D "What you find at home but don't expect" 2. E this is just an excuse to post a gone with the blastwave comic 
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Mar 10, 2018 05:53
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B Finish it off! B Search onward!
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Mar 10, 2018 07:14
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1. B 2. C
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Mar 10, 2018 11:02
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C E
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Mar 10, 2018 12:59
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BB
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Mar 10, 2018 14:33
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The voting phase has ended. We'll deal with our defeated foe by cutting off its head and throwing it in the firepit (1B). Then we'll enter the secret servant's passage (2B). Our next GM is WereGoat!
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Mar 11, 2018 11:48
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You approach the dragon. It moves it's claw to swipe at you, but it is too weak. You place your hand on its head, gently. Comforting. "So you think mercy will absolve you o-" Your knife flashes, into its neck bone, severing the connection. As it's head is cut, the un-life leaks out of its body, suffusing the room with a black oily smoke, extinguishing all but one fire. The pit. The head moves, still animated with necrotic energy. "Jjjjusssst likkke hhhhimmm..." You throw the skull heavily into the pit, pulling yourself back before you fall in yourself.  "Hrssss" With a snap, you raise the flames up. Consuming it utterly. The room around you is a mess. Charred remnants of the dead thralls, broken tools, no you had to get out. Get away. Into the servants passage. It's dark, it winds up and away. And here, where they could bring the "food". It didn't lead outside so you expected some kind of dining room or something. You push the passageway open, and see a pillar blocking your way, to hide the servants' entrance into... Add map- u9-w10 The Ballroom  Masked faces swirl ahead of you as hundreds of well dressed, dancing... Nobility? Yes it seemed so. But their pale faces give away their secret, these are the elite of society who traded all they had for eternal life in Dracula's castle. Servants from below shuttle back and forth with trays of "treats" and glasses of... Not wine. They are well stocked and it will be some time before they will notice what happened below. "Madam" a white clad servant appears behind you. As you go for your knife, he raises his hand in supplication. "The master had ordered us to tend to your needs. Please. We cannot tell you anything more, but can promise that we will not harm you."  As you sheath your dagger warily, his face is unmoved. "Very good madam. Now, of you would be so kind, you are not dressed for the ball. It is necessary." You are swarmed by servants. They pull at your clothes, your dagger they surround you. You call up a spell to... Oh. In a blink of an eye, they have dressed you in "suitable clothing". You can feel your other clothes underneath, but your jacket and dagger are- "in the cloakroom, Madam". The servant points to the other side of the ballroom, bows, then disperses. Well, that was bizarre. They have decked you out in: A) A puffy Princess ballgown. B) A "top and tails" suit. C) A flowing fishtail dress. D) A scandalously short cocktail dress. Made less scandalous by the visible trousers you are wearing underneath. Regardless, your outfit now leaves your neck exposed, which, hah, sucks.  You are left to navigate the ballroom. Looking around at its splendour, you remember the gore and suffering below that made this possible. You steel yourself and call flames forward to- A clown fire eater on a unicycle sucks your flames and breathes them into the air. Calls and cheers erupt from the ballroom floor. The room is edged with these entertainers, spell sinks. Well then, a more direct approach, you charge into the whirling mass and Colours. Laughing. Dancing. Screaming. You are back where your entered the dance, exhausted. How long were you dancing? Some kind of spell? "A drink, Madame?" The white clad servant offers you a glass of red liquid. E) decline, politely F) decline, forcefully G) decline, violently H) accept, gracefully Well you need to get past, get your things back, progress onwards, but how to get past the dance. And wasn't there something hidden in here? You stand on a chair to get a better look, there, in the eye of the storm. A calm. If something special of here, that's where it will be hidden. Perhaps something to do with the mind control going on here? So, should you try for the hidden thing before you leave? Y/N And more to the point, how should you proceed?  I) don't, instead go back down to the "kitchen" J) there's a balcony overhang with a second level up there. Maybe you could climb up? You can see a stairway beyond the dance, presumably it would get you there. K) back into the dance. Burn the sorcery from your mind, anticipate the spell, push past it. You are in control. L) FIREHORSE N) there are some nobles at the edge not participating, maybe they know something? You could talk to them. WereGoat fucked around with this message at 17:58 on Mar 12, 2018 |
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Mar 11, 2018 22:00
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"I give you.... VAN HALEN!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_RV5u02SpI&t=48s A E Yes N
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Mar 11, 2018 22:20
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1. B It is astounding, time is fleeting, madness takes its toll 2. H never pass on booze. or blood. or booze blood 3. Yes 4. L
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Mar 11, 2018 22:52
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C E Y N
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Mar 12, 2018 04:04
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B E Y J
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Mar 12, 2018 05:01
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1A 2E 3Y 4N Also, I updated the map for you. I added the balcony entrance to square U-9. Is that OK? 
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Mar 12, 2018 19:48
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A lovely taffeta prom dress Belmont is canon. F Is it a whole chicken we found in a wall? Then get that poo poo out of here. Y Always be secreting. J Getting a good view from above will help us both find the thing, and survive to get it.
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Mar 12, 2018 19:59
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The voting phase had ended. By a very narrow lead, it appears they've stuffed us into a puffy princess ballgown (1A). We'll politely decline a drink (2E), and we're going to talk to a few nobles who don't seem that fond of partying (4N). Earlier on in the story we discovered that there are interesting items hidden in the castle. According to an ancient ledger, one of those items is hiding in this very room. We don't know what it is, but we're going to look for it (3Y). Our next GM is Bee Bonk!
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Mar 12, 2018 22:34
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We doing 17 hr now ? 
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Mar 12, 2018 22:42
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 11:24 |
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Thanks for updating map :-)
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Mar 12, 2018 23:37
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