GAME PAUSED!
Hi, Players! This is a note that Project WHRLD is going to be paused for a while longer before we start Part 3! I'm currently getting very deep in the weeds of the New Meat remaster, and it's only going to take up more of my time over the next few months. As fun as it is to update this game every day, between this, New Meat and my other projects like Super Mario Facts, I've decided one thing needed to go for a bit.
Don't worry! Project WHRLD will return! In the meantime, though, you can follow me at @Rocketlex for updates on the New Meat remaster, including (eventually) how YOU can help me out as a paid playtester!
Sorry about this, but taking this break will only make all my work better going forward!
Command: "CANNONBALL!" Go for it
Unwilling to waste time as always, you dive into the pit. As you begin to fall, you realize the layline wasn't nearly as close as it appeared. You fall beneath the shrine into a massive chamber, so vast its edges can't be seen, with an impossibly-sized flow of purple energy running a couple miles below you.
As you approach the layline, you see strange spikes of purple light, delicately rising off of it. Had you more time to speculate, you might guess that these have to do with the many spirits currently tethered to this mana flow by Xolta's magic. However, all you have time to notice is "The other one wasn't like that" and little else.
The layline is close now. You're realizing you don't remember what the point of impact was like last time. Did it hurt? Did it burn like fire or electricity? Everything just sort of went black, from what you recall. You take some solace in the fact that, whatever the impact feels like, you probably won't remember it this time, either.
And then you hit the layline.
END OF PART 2!
3/9/24
Command: "...would you believe me if I said I had to just jump into it? Literally
Zani looks back down at the PURPLE LAYLINE.
"...Okay. Uh, in that case, I'll wait here."
She stares at the layline a little longer, seemingly transfixed by the bright light, before pulling herself away.
"Well, jump in, I guess. That is, unless you wanna do anything else first. You were gone for a bit the last time you did this."
Are you ready to go?
3/8/24
Command: "Sounds good to me. Zani! Congrats! You're with me!" Head forward
Zani nods, and the two of you begin to head through the now-open DOORWAY. Behind you, Xolta begins the process of channeling spirit energy through...vague hand motions.
"Have you ever done this before?"
"No, but the principal is simple enough."
"Aren't you...like...creating a universally-compatible extension of an artificial soul."
"Yes."
"And that's...simple?"
"Compared to the work I've been doing, it is."
Ressa seems unsure.
You and Zani continue down a hallway into the inner chamber of the layline shrine. Along the walls, you see more carvings of the Lost Gods. This was definitely a place of worship long ago.
You emerge in a great central room, smaller in size than the entrance, but with the ceiling dizzyingly high, higher than you would have guessed possible from the shrine's exterior. Artifical, crystal sunlight beams down from above, illuminating rows of SEATS surrounding a large PIT in the center of the room.
Peering down into the pit, you see it, a furiously rushing sea of purple energy. The PURPLE LAYLINE is right below you. You feel waves of raw, uncontrollable power rushing over you as you stare down at it.
Zani shudders at the sight.
"So...I wasn't around the last time you did this. How does...fixing a layline work?"
3/7/24
Command: "The rest of you, are y'all ready?"
Ressa looks down at her shattered arm. Xolta slides up alongside her.
"Do you need help with that?"
"What? You can fix it?"
"Of course. Construct weaving is a form of spirit magic, after all."
Xolta indicates her skeletal, skin-suited self.
"You and I are practically the same thing, now."
Ressa looks wary, but shrugs.
"Uh, sure. Can you do it now?"
Xolta nods, then looks around.
"Channeling the necessary spirit energy will take some time."
She points at you.
"So, how about you go do...whatever it is that fixes the layline, and we'll stay here and get things patched up. Sound good?"
3/6/24
Command: Just attack shortsword
Yeah, this last one's basically free. Though Xolta isn't actually hurting the SHORTSWORD-carrying creature, she is distracting it enough that it fails to notice your approach. With a quick slash, you sever the final symbol.
COMBAT VICTORY!
You were exceptionally aggressive during that fight, and it paid off! Your natural fighting abilities have improved!
COMBAT increased to Level 5!
As the pieces of the final symbol clatter to the floor, you feel a great calm wash over you. At first, it feels like simple adrenaline, but you slowly feel the rush of something...divine.
An incredible battle, handily won.
You have proven yourself to be a-...
A bolt of blue light soars past, dangerously close to your head. All around, thunderous blasts continue to echo.
Okay, hold on a moment.
After a brief pause, you see strange red lights begin to trace themselves across the SUBMARINE. As they reach the VIEWPORT, the blasts begin slowly down.
"ALERT! ALERT! THEFT DETECTED! THE AUTHORITIES WILL...will...wi-....Huh?"
All of a sudden, the voice of the submarine sounds...sleepy? You're not sure how such a thing is possible for a submarine, but perhaps divine intervention is beyond simple understanding. The submarine stops shooting bolts of light and, seemingly, goes to sleep.
That machine is a vigilant warrior in its own way, and I have granted it rest at battle's end.
As for you, you have proven yourself more than worthy of my aid.
Above you, the statue of BLUDLETTA raises its arms. The great STONE DOOR blocking the shrine's inner chamber dissolves into a shimmering cloud of red light.
And with that, you feel the divine presence leave you. The way to the inner shrine is open, and you see a powerful purple glow beyond the door.
3/5/24
Attack: Use the chain to pull the fists creature closer
Just as the creature rears back to bring its heavy FIST down on you, you grab the CHAIN off the ground and whip it forward, wrapping it around the creature's ethereal lump of a neck. The creature struggles, but just as it appears to be shaking free, a pair of hands grab the chain and pull it tighter. In a moment, you see Zani standing astride on the creature's back, holding the chain secure.
As you pull, it doesn't seem as though the creature is being strangled. Very likely, it doesn't actually breathe. Still, having its neck bound seems to be causing the creature distress, either way. It pulls and strains, but with only one hand, it can't get the leverage to break free.
Defense: Use the shield to not get hit by the bolts
Grabbing the SHIELD in your other hand, you pull hard on the chain to lead the creature closer to the SUBMARINE. The creature is heavier than you are, but you and Zani have got it off-balance, so it can't help but stumble forward after you.
Deflecting the incoming bolts of light proves trickier than this shield's previous owner made it look. Every shot hits hard, nearly knocking you backwards, but you brace the shield against your heavy ARMOR to keep you stable.
Near to the submarine, you begin to plan your next move. You'll wait for the TURRET to aim directly at you, then duck under the shield to direct a bolt right into the heavy entity's symbol-face. This is going to be tricky, as you'll only have a split second to-...
...As you're thinking about this, the heavy creature gets shot through the face with a bolt of light. It collapses to the ground, body dissolving into wispy ash.
Zani lands next to you, having dismounted just in time.
"Huh. Well, that worked out."
The two of you look over at the remaining creature with the SHORTSWORD. Xolta is latched onto its back, stabbing it in the face with the KNIFE but lacking the strength to actually cut through. Meanwhile, Ressa is attempting to jab the shattered pieces of her arm back in place, but they won't stay.
"Urgh. Yeah, that's magic, all right. Damn it!"
3/4/24
Attack: Go for fists creature
You dash towards the creature with the heavy FIST just as it swats XOLTA away, sending her sliding across the floor on her back. With all your might, you swing at its other arm, burying your SWORD deep in its ethereal flesh but not cutting all the way through. The creature screams, enraged, and flails madly to shake your blade loose.
Though you try with all your strength to maintain your grip, your sword is eventually ripped from your hands.
Defense: Fuck fuck fuck
You step backwards as the creature stomps towards you, your sword still limply jiggling in its forearm. You briefly trip over something, and realize several of the fallen creatures' weapons are at your feet.
Blue bolts of light still streaming in all directions, you have a CROSSBOW, a SHIELD and a CHAIN at your disposal.
3/3/24
Attack: Attack the shield creature
You run towards the SHIELD-baring creature, hoping to catch it as quickly as the others. Unfortunately, it whirls around and deftly blocks your SWORD as you take a swing. You strike again and again, but the creature repels your every blow, a clang of steel against steel echoing through the hall with every blow.
And then, the creature is impaled from behind by a stray bolt of blue light.
In complete shock, it looks down at the glowing blue hole in the middle of its chest. Though you suspect it's already dead, you take a swing through its symbol as it looks back up at you, shattering it.
Two left.
Defense: Try not to panic
Ressa and the SHORTSWORD-weilding creature are still fighting. Ressa's stronger, but the creature is faster, and neither seems able to overpower the other.
But in a brief moment of miscalculation, the creature overextends. Ressa dodges a thrust and kicks the creature squarely in the chest, sending it stumbling backwards. Charging, she kicks it again, knocking it prone and sending its shortsword clattering to the side. Standing over her fallen foe, Ressa raises her blade high for a final strike.
...And then her right arm is blasted off by a bolt of blue light.
Both the creature and Ressa watch at the shards of Ressa's forarm and hand fall to the floor, lifeless. Her other arm, the blue grappling-hook one, struggles to hold her sword aloft.
"DAMMIT!"
The creature regains its senses and skitters away before Ressa can bring her blade down.
Zani, Xolta and the heavy FISTed creature all watch this display in stunned silence...before resuming their flailing fight with each other.
3/2/24
Attack: Attack the chain creature
Acting quickly, you manage to bring down your SWORD on the CHAIN-weilding entity before they have a chance to move. You hear a crack as their symbol-face shatters, their body dissolving into wispy dust around your blade.
That leaves only three left, FIST, SHORTSWORD and SHIELD.
Defense: Pray(metaphorically)
You hope your allies have seized the advantage as quickly as you have.
Ressa has locked swords with the SHORTSWORD-carrying creature. Though Ressa carries the heavier weapon, the symbol-faced creature seems used to fighting at such a disadvantage, and is expertly angling its blade to deny her the leverage for a killing blow. Beams of blue light streak by them as they clash, and they each seem to be struggling to put their opponent between them and the TURRET.
The SHIELD-baring creature is predictably running defense, trying to deflect the glowing beams from the SUBMARINE away from its allies. Its spikey shield is indeed capable of deflecting the bolts, sending them every which way. You realize with some concern that if any of these bolts were to be deflected back at the submarine, you'd be out of a ride home.
Zani and Xolta have picked a fight with the heavy FISTed entity, which seems like the worst possible choice. Zani is dancing around on its shoulders as it attempts to swat her away, and meanwhile Xolta is flailing the KNIFE towards its face but is too short to reach. At least they seem to be making an okay distraction.
3/1/24
Command: "Zani! You're our distraction! Volta! Take this and stab them in the face with it!" Hand Volta the knife "ressa, you have a blade, you know what you're doing. As for order…
"Um, my name is pronounced-..."
You make clear you don't care.
"Oh. Okay."
You hand the KNIFE to Xolta. The sight of it causes her to fall silent. She stares at the blade with a mix of terror and awe.
"What...is this...?"
Command: "Ahem. As for order. Chain first. Then fists. Then axe. Dagger and shield should be the same priority. Then shortsword."
All of you share a nod and break.
"Okay! One distraction! Ressa!"
Zani points at the SHIELD-holding creature, the furthest back of the group.
"Gimmie a toss!"
Ressa grabs Zani by the leg and hammer-tosses her through the crowd of symbol-faced entities, directly at the one with the shield. It raises its shield but, clearly expecting this, Zani uses her momentum to kick the creature backwards with both legs. It flies through the air, colliding against the side of the SUBMARINE with a heavy thud.
"...I hope this works."
For a second, things are silent. You wonder what exactly that was meant to accomplish...until you see familiar blue lines trace themselves across the submarine's side. They converge on the VIEWPORT, and though you can't see it, you can tell the submarine's consciousness has returned, because...
"WHAT WAS THAT?! DANGER! ALERT! THEFT IN PROGRESS!"
And just like that, the panicked submarine begins blasting bolts of burning blue light in all directions from the TURRET mounted to its top. The figures dive for cover and your party does the same.
"Zani! This is your distraction?! It's gonna bring the whole place down!"
"Well, we just need to end this quickly, then."
In the distance, you all see the AXE-wielding creature get vaporized.
"See? The problems are solving themselves!"
You and Ressa stand. Thanks to Zani's...distraction, it looks like you've each got a free hit before the creatures regain their composure.
2/29/24
Attack: Attack the fists creature
Swiftly regaining your composure, you charge at the creature with the gauntleted FIST once again. Unfortunately, you lack the element of surprise this time. Though you swing your SWORD with all your might, the creature manages to catch the blade in its armored hand. The two of you struggle for a moment, the creature fortunately lacking a second hand to attack you with in this moment of vulnerability.
You attempt to pull away but the creature won't let go of your sword. Symbol burning with fury, it lifts your blade into the air and you along with it, until you're hanging from the hilt, face-to-symbol-face with the hulking entity.
Defense: Let's do this
Unfortunately, you're not in much position to do this.
As you're contemplating whether to let go of the sword, the choice is made for you when a blinding light suddenly fills the room. You see the creature in front of you recoil, dropping you to the ground and shielding its face. You see the other creatures reacting similarly just before the light fully overwhelms you.
You stumble, unable to see, and feel an unfamiliar hand pull you backwards. You're guided awkwardly to and fro, weaving blindly through the battlefield.
When your sight finally returns, you realize the person guiding you has been Xolta. You look around, Ressa and Zani are beside you, similarly recovering their sight. It seems the three of you were pulled out of the fray by the Lich.
Xolta attempts to grab the three of you in a huddle. None of you respond so she just kind of awkwardly leans towards you.
"Sorry about that, but it seemed like we weren't getting anywhere without a plan."
"I've got a plan. Do that flash thing again and we'll kill them all."
"Uhh, might not have the time."
Xolta points. The remaining FIST, SHORTSWORD, AXE, SHIELD and CHAIN creatures are all plodding your way.
Ressa readies her blade once again.
"So, what's the play?"
TACTICAL MODE UNLOCKED!
2/28/24
Attack: Charge at the fists creature
Seizing the moment of distraction, you dash towards the creature with the heavy FISTS. You break into a run just as you hear a CLANG behind you, which was presumably the creature with the SHIELD attempting to jump off the SUBMARINE and land on you.
Before the hulking figure even notices your approach, you slash with your SWORD and deftly sever its right arm. A heavy gauntlet clatters to the floor as the creature whips its head around to face you. Though lacking any readable expression, you feel as though the symbol on its face is burning angrily.
Ressa, seeing the largest threat handled, whirls around and slashes at the creature that's binding her arm with a CHAIN. She only manages to bash it aside, her blade not quite cutting through the creature's symbol-face. Still, it looks like Ressa now has that one under control.
Defense: Pray
Looking around again, you see your party is still a bit overwhelmed. Though outnumbered by just one, it's clear that only you and Ressa are really made for a fight. As Zani continues to barely evade her pursuers' weapons and Xolta frantically prepares another probably-useless spell, a plea to Bludletta wells in your heart.
Drawing on your newfound FAITH, you ask Bludletta for advice to pull through this battle. To your amazement, you hear an answer.
Two swords against five warriors might not be enough.
But a powerful weapon could even the odds.
A light to pierce the-
Unfortunately, your communion with the divine is cut off when a massive, gauntleted fist collides with your gut. You stumble backwards, coughing. Thankfully, you're pretty sure that was its non-dominant arm. Still hurt, though.
WOUND increased to Level 4!
2/27/24
Attack: Switch to the sword dammit
Realizing the KNIFE won't be much use against heavier weapons, you stash it and pull out your SWORD.
COMBAT increased to Level 4!
STEALTH decreased to Level 0!
A rush of excitement flows through you. You suddenly feel entirely in your element, ready for battle.
Defense: Duck behind something as I do this
As the only real spot of cover, you hide on the far side of the SUBMARINE as you make your quick-change. You consider that the submarine could be used to make a quick escape if this battle goes sideways.
You glance over to see how your companions are faring.
Zani is acrobatically leaping back and forth over the head of the SHORTSWORD-wielding creature as it flailingly tries to swing at her.
Xolta is casting another spell, her hands glowing with unnatural green light. You can't be certain what the spell is, but at least it looks different from the last one. The AXE-wielding figure, still with a necrotic bolt in its shoulder, is slowly drifting towards her.
Ressa charges at the creature with the heavy FISTS, her blade at her side. Unfortunately, she's stopped short when a CHAIN wraps around her arm, the chain-weilding figure holding her back. Ressa struggles, the heavy-fisted creature advancing on her.
You look around but don't see the creature with the spikey SHIELD anywhere. Considering how few places there are to hide in this room, you assume they must be on the other side of the submarine, possibly looking for you.
2/26/24
Attack: Switch to the sword dammit
Realizing the KNIFE won't be much use against heavier weapons, you stash it and pull out your SWORD.
COMBAT increased to Level 4!
STEALTH decreased to Level 0!
A rush of excitement flows through you. You suddenly feel entirely in your element, ready for battle.
Defense: Duck behind something as I do this
As the only real spot of cover, you hide on the far side of the SUBMARINE as you make your quick-change. You consider that the submarine could be used to make a quick escape if this battle goes sideways.
You glance over to see how your companions are faring.
Zani is acrobatically leaping back and forth over the head of the SHORTSWORD-wielding creature as it flailingly tries to swing at her.
Xolta is casting another spell, her hands glowing with unnatural green light. You can't be certain what the spell is, but at least it looks different from the last one. The AXE-wielding figure, still with a necrotic bolt in its shoulder, is slowly drifting towards her.
Ressa charges at the creature with the heavy FISTS, her blade at her side. Unfortunately, she's stopped short when a CHAIN wraps around her arm, the chain-weilding figure holding her back. Ressa struggles, the heavy-fisted creature advancing on her.
You look around but don't see the creature with the spikey SHIELD anywhere. Considering how few places there are to hide in this room, you assume they must be on the other side of the submarine, possibly looking for you.
2/26/24
Attack: Stab the disarmed creature in the face
With a quick uppercut of a strike, you manage to slash your KNIFE through the golden symbol that composes the DISARMED creature's face. Though it takes some effort, you cut through it fully, and the creature behind it dissolves as the pieces of the golden symbol clatter to the floor.
Five left, though you have a feeling those were the weakest ones.
Defense: Get ready to go after the chain creature next, second most long range
The CHAIN-wielding creature is fully locked-in on Zani, who is currently weaving between her assailants in an attempt to get them to mistakenly attack each other, though this tactic doesn't appear to be working.
A loud THUD commands your attention to the left, and you look over to see RESSA flying through the air, having been knocked a considerable distance by the heavy GAUNTLET-wearing creature. Ressa manages to land in an impressive three-point stance, driving her blade into the ground keep herself steady. She smiles, ready to return the favor to the hulking brute.
Xolta fires a sickly necrotic bolt at the AXE-wielding creature. Even with a glowing green bolt impaled through its shoulder, it doesn't seem particularly phased.
"...Oh. Right. Not alive."
Xolta looks around. It seems that was her plan.
2/25/24
Attack: Attack the crossbow one first. It'll cause the most trouble if left alone
With quick reflexes, you immediately dash towards the CROSSBOW-weilding creature and take a swing with your KNIFE. This proves to be a good plan, as it doesn't even have a second to aim before your attack lands. You manage to slash the creature's arms, and while it's just as immune to the knife's instant-death properties as previous versions of these creatures have been, it's caused enough distress that it drops the crossbow on the ground. Henceforth it will be referred to as the DISARMED CREATURE.
Defense: Trust the others to know how they're fighting
You look over your shoulder and see that most of the other creatures have focused their attention on Zani for some reason. This is both a good and bad thing. While Zani is desperately running around for somewhere to hide herself, she's managing to distract attention away from Ressa and Xolta to allow them to get their own shots in.
Ressa grabs the distracted DAGGER-wielding creature with her grappling-hand and pulls it towards her, impaling it through the head with her sword. The shatters the creature's symbol, causing its body to dissolve, and so one creature is defeated. In doing this, she attracts the attention of the large GAUNTLET-wielding creature, which breaks off from the others to deal with her. Ressa doesn't look worried, but you suspect this one won't go down as easily.
Xolta is...waving her arms around, with green, necrotic vapors swirling around her hands. She appears to be casting a spell of some kind, and your ATTUNEMENT tells you it's probably the same necrotic bolt she shot Jayde with, earlier. It's entirely possible that's the only offensive spell she knows.
The disarmed creature in front of you is scrambling to pick up its CROSSBOW again.
2/24/24
Command: "Zani! Ressa! Xolta! Prepare for a battle!"
Ressa grins, her sword at the ready.
Xolta looks confused.
"A fight? Here? W-what are we fighting?"
As if to answer Xolta's question, you hear an ominous hum above you. You look up and see the symbols, crudely drawn over the faces of the seven STATUES that line the hall, have started to glow a bright golden color. Slowly, the brightness increases and the hum swell until the room itself is shaking.
With a flash and a sound like breaking glass, seven SYMBOL-FACED CREATURES suddenly emerge, one leaping out of each glowing symbol. They land gracelessly in a circle around your party, most falling on their faces or sides but quickly righting themselves.
Zani looks antsy. She briefly tries to get behind you, but realizes there's nowhere to hide with the party surrounded.
"Uh...this is a lot more than last time...and with a lot less places to hide!"
"Hell yeah! Now this is the kind of fight I was made for! Everyone ready for this?"
"N-not particularly! Why are these creatures attacking us?"
"Who cares? If they want a fight we'll give it to them!"
You look around. To make this situation even worse, unlike the previous symbol-faced creatures you've fought, these ones have actually come armed. There's one with a SHORTSWORD, one with an AXE, one with a DAGGER, a larger one with heavy gauntleted FISTS, a smaller one with a CROSSBOW, one with a spiked SHIELD and one spinning a heavy CHAIN. That's quite a lot of weapons pointed your way, but at least that makes them easier to tell apart for command purposes.
COMBAT START!
2/23/24
Command: Raise the sword with fire in my heart
You stand before the ALTAR and raise the SWORD above your head. A rush of confidence surges through you as you once again bask in the sword's divine power. The blade glints a rainbow of colors from the crystal windows lining the shrine, and you feel something shift within you. Your prayer has been heard, and the booming voice of a goddess speaks to your soul.
If you seek my favor, prove yourself in battle.
Adversaries are approaching your location. Stand firm and vanquish them.
Impress me with your prowess, and I will open the way.
You look around. You don't see any adversaries, but you don't doubt the goddess' words.
2/22/24
Command: "I guess you're right about the leg. I just...I don't know, figured that the god the sword represents apparently raising your sword is prayer enough."
You recall your readings about Bludletta from the very start of your journey, and the saying of her Warrior Bards that "Drawing your sword is prayer enough." Pulling this impressively-distant memory to mind at such a crucial moment, you feel your understanding of the Lost Gods expand.
FAITH increased to Level 2.
(You can now ask the Lost Gods for advice. Keep in mind, their responses might not be useful, and they might not come at all.)
You hold the SWORD in your hand, and it occurs to you that if raising a blade is all it takes to beseech Bludletta for help, you could do it yourself.
2/21/24
Command: "...ressa? How is your strength right now?"
Zani nods.
"Now you're talking."
Ressa looks confused for a moment, then puts together what you might be asking. She looks over at the SEALED DOOR.
"I'm feelin' good, but I...don't think I'd be strong enough to kick through all that even with the sword. The door at the University just snapped off its hinges, and that's a solid block of rock. But if you really want me to do it, I'll give it a shot."
"Yeah, what's the worst that could happen?"
"My leg shatters. But y'know, it's kinda built to do that."
Xolta isn't following this conversation.
"I'm sorry, are you saying you'd kick something...with a sword?"
"It's hero stuff."
"Hmm. I suppose I wouldn't know about that..."
2/20/24
Command: "Uh-oh." Welp, we gotta get out
Xolta is confused.
"I'm sorry, what's the issue here?"
You explain about the symbol-faced creatures as you exit the sub. Xolta follows along and nods, clearly not quite visualizing what you're describing.
Your party disembarked from the SUB, you look around the entrance of the shrine. Compared to Azure Labs, this is much more what you would expect a "Layline Shrine" to look like. Intricate COLUMNS rise to the ceiling. Beautiful TAPISTRIES adorn the walls, untouched by time. The crystal WINDOWS bathe the room in soft, simulated sunlight even at these deep depths. And high above, statues of the Lost Gods look down on you, each desecrated with strange symbols over their faces, but otherwise pristine.
It's so beautiful, you somehow gives you the creeps.
At the far end of the room is a great SEALED DOOR made of heavy stone. There's no visible lock or handle on it, making it look a bit like a "leveled-up" version of the door that was blocking Xolta's inner sanctum.
Before the door is a PEDISTAL with a simple inscription on the top. With nothing else in the room to interact with, you give it a read.
"Only the gods may decide.
Offer a prayer to one.
They will grant passage to the worthy."
Zani doesn't look pleased by this, letting out an audible groan.
2/19/24
Command: Under it is!
You're still getting used to the sub's controls, but with some trial-and error, you manage to angle the nose downward towards the opening under the SUNKEN TEMPLE. With a push of the green LEVER, you slowly slip between the waving TENDRILS that line either side.
You find yourself in an awkward, dark space. Worn brick and stone stretches out above you into the abyss. Clearly, the underside of the temple was never meant to be accessible, but this passage has simply worn itself open with time.
Immediately to your left, a shaft of light cuts through the darkness. From below, you see an illuminated pool, glowing softly amidst the gray brickwork.
Xolta nods.
"Yes, right there."
You bring up the sub and breach the surface, a beautiful light filling your eyes as the water washes away from the VIEWPORT. Looking out the port, you see that the sub has surfaced within a great hall. The windows of glowing gemstone create the illusion of soft sunlight streaming in from outside, even though there's only darkness beyond.
And lining the hall, you see great STATUES of strange, yet familiar entities. Though it takes a moment, you eventually recognize them as the same deities depicted in the stained-glass windows of the Crestfall Village church. These are the Lost Gods, and it seems you've found their temple.
But something gives you pause. These statues have been defiled, and in an alarmingly specific way. Painted over each of their faces, you see strange symbols. While you can't be certain if they're identical, the symbols bear a disturbing resemblance to ones you've seen before.
They're just like the ones on the symbol-faced creatures you've encountered.
You look over. Zani has noticed the same thing.
"Well, I'm suddenly not looking forward to this."
2/18/24
Command: Grudgingly obey her
You push the LEVER forward and slowly guide the sub back to the front of the SUNKEN TEMPLE. Xolta has her face right up to the VIEWPORT, peeking over the bottom. Though she doesn't move, you can sense her looking back slightly towards you. Perhaps you can feel you glaring daggers at the back of her head.
"So uh, I'm...fully aware that no amount of my being nice is going to make up for what I've done."
You tell her that's true.
"Yes. Well, I won't ask you to appreciate my company, but I want to see this situation resolved. If you have the power to break this land's connection to the Purple Layline, I'll do whatever it takes to assist. It’s the least I can do."
She lowers her head, thoughtfully.
"I suppose...'villains' like myself rarely need to live with what they've done. In stories, they're simply vanquished by the heroes. They're...released from their responsibilities to the world. Seems strangely merciful, to be honest."
"But wait, didn't you do all this because you were afraid to die?"
Xolta doesn't answer.
The sub emerges back into the open lakebed. You see the eyes of HUGGY watching you warily.
Xolta turns to you.
"Now, take us under the temple. There should be a place to dock just inside."
Bringing the sub around, you see the path UNDERNEATH the temple is still open, though the LEFT SIDE and RIGHT SIDE paths are still also options.
2/17/24
Command: "Fine."
Xolta claps her hands thankfully.
"You won't regret this!"
She begins to climb along the side of the sub. As she does, you see Zani and Ressa come to the same realization you're currently having.
"Wait, how is she going to get into the-...?"
A horrible roar fills the sub as the door is pulled slightly open, sending a stream of water into the vehicle. Xolta slips inside on this torrent and pulls the door closed behind her, thankfully sealing it.
Now a thin level of water covers the floor of the sub. Xolta rights herself, her robes completely drenched and her body strangely more human-shaped than skeletal. You realize with some horror that her stitched skin-suit is now full of water, which is currently leaking from her eyeholes.
"Thank you, it was frightfully cold out there."
She walks up to the VIEWPORT, accompanied by a very unsettling sloshing noise. She regards the view outside sagely, nodding to herself, then turns to you.
"Okay, from here, we'll want to go forward, okay? So we're going back the way we came."
"Yeah, we know that part."
"Excellent! See? We're already in sync!"
2/15/24
Command: "..." growl loudly. "Ffffine. But she's still a bitch."
Ressa nods and stomps her foot on the floor of the sub. After a moment, you hear Xolta shouting through the underside of the hull.
"Yes?"
Ressa puts her face to the floor and shouts.
"NEVERMIND! WE NEED YOU!"
"Okay!"
There's another moment's scrabbling against the hull, and Xolta's face appears in the VIEWPORT again.
"Happy to help!"
"How do we get inside this place?"
"Oh! That's what I was chasing you down to tell you! If you'd like to dock a sub, you'll need to take it under the shrine. There should be a big hole in the floor of the entrance you can pop up through."
Zani gestures at the walls of TENTACLES on either side.
"And any tips for...this?"
Xolta looks around, nodding.
"Oh, that's just Huggy. He's a sweetheart."
“You named it…?”
"That thing nearly crushed our sub!"
"Well, did you provoke him, somehow?"
"Um...we did accidentally run into him and then…shoot at him with a laser...a couple times."
Xolta nods sagely.
"Well, there you are. Poor dear startles so easily, he must be scared half to death. You really do need me along, don't you?"
She taps on the glass.
"So, shall I come in?"
2/14/24
Command: "What. Do you not understand. About the fact. That I hate you. And that you have done nothing but cause trouble."
Xolta pauses, then nods.
"Fair enough."
She begins to climb down, but Ressa steps forward and taps on the glass of the VIEWSCREEN.
"Hang on! How did you even get down here?"
Xolta climbs back up.
"Like I said, I've been here before! I just cast a spell of water-breathing on myself."
"Do you need to do that?"
“Why wouldn’t I-…”
Xolta looks confused for a second, then it dawns on her all over again that she's dead.
"Oh. I...suppose not, anymore."
Xolta begins climbing down again. As her awkward grappling with the hull echoes through the sub, Ressa taps you and Zani on the shoulder.
"Okay, so here's my thought. She does know her way around this place, and driving blind through..."
She indicates the seemingly endless wall of undulating tentacles outside.
"...this seems like a real bad way to go."
"Aw, you gettin' nervous?"
"Nervous? If this sub imploded I'd be the least dead of the three of us! I'm just saying, we don't have to like her, but she could be useful."
Command: Right is always right, let's do that!
You decide to take the sub around the right side of the SUNKEN TEMPLE, slipping under a loose assemblage of TENDRILS to move slowly along the building's left right-side wall.
As you pass under the cover of the quivering tendrils, you slow the sub to a crawl. You're trying not to attract the attention of the creature, which is still distracted with its injured appendage.
It's very dark under here. The crystal WINDOWS of the temple have a soft glow from behind them, providing a small amount of light to see by, but it's barely enough to make out the VIEWPORT in front of your face.
You search the wall for an entrance, but just find solid stone. The longer you go, the more anxious you become. Turning around isn't going to be easy in this tight space. Eventually, you reach the far side of the temple, wrapped in TENDRILS to prevent further progress.
Zani sighs.
"Okay, just turn around carefully."
Hand lightly gripping the STEERING WHEEL, you slowly pivot the sub in place. It's surprisingly maneuverable once you get the hang of it, but this is really testing your finesse.
Suddenly, you hear a loud THUNK against the bottom of the sub. Everyone freezes.
THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!
Strange slapping noises are moving along the bottom of the sub to the sides. It almost sounds like something is climbing the vehicle.
THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!
It's climbing along the side of the sub towards the viewport, scrabbling and flailing. It stops briefly, as your party holds their breath…
And then, much to everyone's amazement, Xolta’s stitch-covered face pops up.
"Hello!"
Her voice is barely audible through the water. She waves at you, floating just beyond the viewport.
2/13/24
Command: Slam down on the fire button like I'm playing for keeps
Out of options, you pound the BUTTON marked "FIRE!" again. Another beam of blue light shoots from the top of the sub. This time, it finds purchase in a TENDRIL that was resting on the far side of the lake bed.
Immediately, the sub is released and a howl echoes through the water. The glowing eyes at the enter of the creature's mass widen with surprise again, the wounded tendril flailing with a glowing blue hole shot through it.
With the sub now free, you grab the STEERING WHEEL and attempt to manuver into a better vantage point.
Pivoting around, you see a SUNKEN TEMPLE of some kind, which was apparently right below you. It looks quite old, with columns of marble and windows made of strange, glistening crystal. TENDRILS are lazily draped over it on all sides, extended from the lake creature's central mass.
Zani nods.
"Okay, that has to be it."
"So, how do we get in?"
Zani looks the temple over. There are no visible entrances, though the tendrils might be covering them.
You suggest firing the laser again.
"I dunno. Even if we don't accidentally hit the temple, that tentacle thing might freak out and crush the place."
"Well, you have any bright ideas?"
"I say we just make a run at it. Go in and try to maneuver to an entrance as quickly as we can before getting grabbed."
Zani groans.
"I wish I had a better plan than either of those."
You look over the temple. There are definite holes in the tendril-cover which you could maneuver through. You could try going around the LEFT SIDE, the RIGHT SIDE, or through an opening in the tendrils UNDERNEATH the structure.
2/12/24
Command: Get up and launch the green lever forward
You stand with some effort and jam the green LEVER as far forward as it will go.
The sub lurches forward, but only for a moment. You quickly feel the sub being pulled back once again. It seems your ENCUMBRANCE didn't allow you to react in time.
The engines are straining again, but this time feels slightly different. Every now and then, the sub jolts forward slightly, as though the creature is having trouble keeping its grip.
You're not sure if the engines or the tentacles will give out first, though.
2/11/24
Command: Push the green lever forward
You can't reach the green LEVER from the floor.
The tentacles are grabbing at the sub. Given the lever's current position, the sub is actually moving forward slowly, but the tentacles will catch it unless something is done right now.
2/10/24
Command: "Oh. It's quill dude, right? Sorry, but I haven't changed. I have my path. Fuck off." Press the fire button, maybe it'll spook the thingy.
You look back towards the source of whatever you heard, but there's no one there. Huh.
Shrugging, you press the "FIRE!" BUTTON before Ressa can stop you. Immediately, a sharp beam of blue light is fired from the top of the sub. The beam barely misses the head (or what you assume is the head) of the creature currently entangling your sub, and zaps a small hole in a rock behind it.
The creature is startled as the beam flies by, and the sub is immediately jostled as its tentacles briefly fumble for grip. You're knocked off-balance again, and with the sub rocking violently, find it difficult to regain your footing.
However, from your prone position you do notice that, in this moment, the sub appears to be floating freely.
2/9/24
Command: "...I had hoped that was a periscope. Or a communication thingy"
Zani starts reaching for the "FIRE!" BUTTON.
"I mean, we could definitely communicate something..."
Ressa pulls her back. She looks frustrated.
"I'm starting to think this was a bad idea. It doesn't look like anything in this sub was designed to communicate."
"Yeah, weird. It's a real shame you avoided all the stuff that could have helped you."
Ressa and Zani look around.
"Who said that?"
Wouldn't you like to know?
Command: Flick the blue switch
You flip the blue SWITCH. You hear a strange buzzing sound above you, then mechanical movement. It sounds like something has extended from the top of the sub.
Next to the blue switch, a panel pops out. There's a TRACKBALL, a button with a picture of a RETICLE, and a button that says "FIRE!"
2/8/24
Command: Pull the green lever back slightly
You ease the green LEVER back somewhat. The strain of the engines dies down, as does the shouting outside.
At first, the submarine remains stuck, pressed against the side of this massive CREATURE, but after a few moments you feel things start to shift. The creature moves its body aside, causing a rush of current that sends the sub briefly spinning. You manage to avoid toppling over a third time, until the spinning is abruptly halted, the force of which does indeed send you onto your stomach.
You stand up and get your barings again. The sub still isn't moving, but looking out the VIEWPORT, there's no longer anything immediately in the way. Getting closer to the viewport and looking around, though, you realize your situation. The sub is being held in a web of tentacles, belonging to a creature that seemingly spans the entire bottom of Lake Crestfall. This creature, which is nothing but an endlessly tangled mass of tendrils converging on a central stalk with red, glowing eyes, is staring at you from a few yards away.
There's a definite intelligence to the creature's gaze. It's eyeing the sub with suspicion and curiosity.
Zani and Ressa crowd around you to get a look for themselves.
"What does it want?"
"We're the intruders, here. It's probably wondering what we want."
2/7/24
Command: Pull the green lever
The green LEVER is already in a fully-pulled state, so you push it forward instead.
The engines roar as the submarine lurches forward. The red eyes staring at you through the VIEWPORT widen with surprise as the submarine suddenly begins careening towards them. Whatever's in front of you attempts to get out of the way but fails to do so in time. The submarine impacts the creature and another loud crash echoes all around you. You fall over again.
You hear booming cries of surprise and alarm echoing through the water outside. The submarine begins bucking wildly, engines straining, as it pushes against this creature. All you can see through the viewport is that whatever it is has reddish, rough skin similar to an octopus, and it's clearly a few times larger than the sub.
You awkwardly get to your feet. From the sound of the engines, it might overtax them to keep accelerating into the creature like this.
2/6/24
Command: Change out my Armour before shouting "full throttle!"
Ignoring the fact that this completely empty SUBMARINE offers no angles for modesty, you quick-change back into your old armor set, putting on the PLATEMAIL SUIT and STEEL BOOTS again.
AGILITY reduced to Level 0!
ARMOR increased to Level 5!
ENCUMBRANCE increased to Level 3!
Zani is confused.
"What are you doing?"
You explain that you're getting ready for a rough ride.
"Okay. But like...what am I supposed to do...?"
Not listening, you give the submarine the order to charge recklessly into the depths.
"Aye aye!"
The submarine cheerfully dives into the inky waters below at full speed. You're thrown slightly off balance by the angle, and your high ENCUMBRANCE means you're flat on your back before you can right yourself. Fortunately, though, your ARMOR cushions your fall. So, it's going to be that kind of trip.
Command: Change out my Armour before shouting "full throttle!"
You point at the CONTROLS beside the red ignition BUTTON. The submarine's face blinks to a look of confusion.
"Huh? I don't know."
"You don't know? How do you not know?"
"Those are my manual controls for if I get knocked offline. For obvious reasons, I've never seen them in action besides the ignition."
"But aren't you like...programmed...to know things?"
"Look, I was never designed to be driven by anyone but my creator. I'm not supposed to be user-friendly, I'm just his experimental assistant."
The submarine sighs, looking thoughtfully down at the controls.
"But, I can kind of guess what some of these do. The green lever thing looks a lot like a throttle, and the steering wheel is pretty self-explanitory. One of these things probably engages my weapon systems, too, but I'm not sure which. No idea about the rest of them."
"Well, let's hope we don't have to use them."
"Yes. We're almost at the shrine, so let's hope we don't run into-..."
A deafening CRASH echoes through the hull as something very large suddenly collides with the submarine. In an instant, the face on the viewscreen fizzles out and the interior of the sub is plunged into the darkness.
As you look out the viewport into the darkness, you see two large, red, glowing eyes staring back at you.
2/5/24
Command: Press the red button
Correctly identifying the operative word of what the SUBMARINE just said, you mash the big red BUTTON in the middle of the control console.
All around you, motors and systems and servos whir to life. Ragged though it may be, you feel a great power begin to flow through the bones of this machine. The face on the viewscreen turns bright red and warning sirens begin echoing through the BOATHOUSE.
Outside, you see a startled RAT CREATURE scurry out the door, then double-back to grab the other tin of SALTED FISH it didn't manage to open. As it disappears out the door again, you expect to see Xolta peek around the doorframe...but she doesn't show up. Where did she go, anyway?
The submarine's voice snaps you back to attention.
"Okay, this part's gonna be rough without seatbelts!"
And for a split second, you feel yourself in freefall, before the submarine's impact with the water slams you back to the floor. You end up sprawled on you back within the frame of what was once a captain's chair. Though a shock of pain goes through your body, you feel like your scant ARMOR just barely prevented you from sustaining lasting injury. That said, if the sub has another jolt like that, you might not be so lucky a second time.
"Sorry. Did that as gentle as I could but, y'know...I'm just a submarine, here."
Water covers the viewscreen as the sub sinks below the surface. You hear the engines begin chugging, and the sub turns around to face into the lake.
It's very dark ahead. You peer into the depths, but can't see the bottom of the lake from up here.
"Hey, turn on the headlights!"
"Can't. Stolen."
Zani sighs.
"Of course. Well, do you at least know how to get to the shrine?"
"Well, I know where it is, but that's not the hard part."
"What's the hard part?"
"The hard part is I don't know what's between us and the shrine. I haven't been below the surface in decades, and this pool is practically bubbling with wild magic. There could be anything down there."
"So, what should we do?"
"Hey, you're the ones drivin' me, so it's up to you. I can dive down as fast as I can and hope for the best, or we can go slowly and try not to be seen by...anything."
"Hmmm..."
"I can't guarantee either plan will keep us safe, and if you've got any better ideas, lemme know."
You consider the situation. Your KNOWLEDGE tells you that a cautious journey carries less chance of physical danger, but will likely require more supplies to stave off HUNGER.
2/4/24
Command: "...*no*."
Zani nods.
"Great! Let's get rolling! ...Underwater!"
Ressa looks back towards the door.
"Where did she even go...?"
Zani is tugging on the DOOR of the SUBMARINE.
"Who cares? We're almost at the shrine! Let's..."
The door pops open, sending Zani reeling back. The three of you step inside the submarine.
The submarine's interior looks notably more trashed than its exterior. There hanging WIRES, sparking PANELS and other signs of former subsystems that have been hastily ripped out. True to the submarine's words, there doesn't appear to be anywhere to sit, though half the FRAME of a captain's chair is still positioned in front of the frontal VIEWSCREEN. It looks like someone (or multiple someones) stole every part of this submarine that wasn't literally bolted down.
The door slams shut behind you.
The submarine's face is, fortunately, visible on the inside of the viewscreen as well. Its voice echoes from tinny speakers positioned all around you.
"Okay, I guess we're as ready as we'll ever be. Hold onto something and press the ignition button!"
You look at the controls at the front of the sub. There's a RED BUTTON, a BLUE SWITCH, a GREEN LEVER, a YELLOW DIAL (currently set to setting 4 of 10), an ORANGE RIPCORD, a PURPLE FOOTPEDAL and a STEERING WHEEL.
2/3/24
Command: "We...the faster we get this over with, the less chances Trill had to freak out. We were trying to protect our friend. Do you have space for all three of us?"
The submarine looks uneasy.
"I mean, I kind of have nothing but space in here with all my auxiliary systems missing..."
Zani claps her hands.
"Great! Open up!"
"Wait, hold on. Are we just going to leave Xolta here?"
"Yep! I've completely forgotten why we brought her this far!"
"It's 'cause she said she'd been down to the Layline Shrine before. She was going to be a our guide, I thought."
"Eugh. We didn't need a guide for the last Layline Shrine. I was just a big pit with the layline in it."
Ressa looks thoughtful, then turns to you.
"What do you think. Do we bring her?"
2/2/24
Command: Go ahead and get the orbs held out first
Command: Hold out the orbs "turn it on. We got this.”
You pull out the MECHANICAL ORBS, holding them up to make sure the SUBMARINE can see them.
With some trepidation, Zani puts her hand on the DOOR of the submarine. Just as before, blue lights trace along the vessel's brass frame, converging on the frontal viewport where they arrange into the shape of a face.
And just as before, the face's eyes widen with alarm.
"ALERT! ALERT! YOU HAVE VIOLA-..."
However, the submarine immediately sees the mechanical orbs you're holding and stops its screaming short.
"...Oh, it's you. And hey, are those my engines?"
Ressa nods.
"Yeah. They were being used to extract and manipulate soul energy."
"Weird. Well, plug 'em back in. They should snap into place pretty easily."
You head behind the submarine to the three HOLES arranged in a triangular pattern at its rear. Indeed, the three orbs click into place easily, and in moments the submarine is happily revving its engines.
"Ahh, that feels good. Well, it feels good emotionally. I don't have nerves."
You step around to the submarine's face again. It smiles at you.
"Oh, by the way, did you find any of my other parts while you were over there."
"Nah."
"N...no? You didn't find anything?"
"No, we sort of deliberately avoided stuff that wasn't a direct path to the engine orbs."
"Really? I feel like...if you'd just investigated slightly to the side of-..."
"We didn't find any, okay?! We’re kind of in a hurry, here."
The submarine sighs.
"Fine. It's your loss. The trip will be a lot rougher without my missing parts."
"What are you still missing anyway?"
"Umm...safety equipment, auxiliary sensors, medical supplies, seats..."
"Seats?!"
"Yeah, like I said, this won't be comfy. But I should be able to get you where you need to go."
He looks you over.
"So, you three ready for launch?"
2/1/24
Attack: Use my sword to cut open the other can in my inventory
You pull out your SWORD and very awkwardly use it like a can-opener, prying open the tin of SALTED FISH you're carrying. The top pops off, and the rat creature immediately begins to salivate.
Defense: Place the opened can down
You don't get a chance to do that.
The creature immediately tackles you and grabs the opened tin out of your hand with its tentacles. It scrambles around on top of you, furiously snapping up the salty fish with its jaws. It doesn't seem like it was trying to hurt you, but you still come away from this with some scratches.
WOUND increased to Level 3!
The creature rolls off of you, happily starting to lick the tin clean. For now, it seems to be completely pacified.
COMBAT VICTORY
For calming the enemy with a generous act, you've gained EMOTION! You're showing increased emotional intelligence, and will find it easier to read the intentions of people and monsters!
EMOTION increased to Level 2!
Zani and Ressa cautiously step into the boathouse. They both seem rather perplexed by your ability to calm a creature like this.
"Huh, I guess it was just hungry."
Zani hooks a thumb towards you.
"Yeah, and our friend here is still fresh meat, so keep an eye on it."
Ressa nods and stands over the creature. As it playfully continues to lick at the tin, she can't help but smile. It is rather cute.
Zani turns her attention to the submarine.
"Now, didn't this thing try to kill us the last time we turned it on?"
1/31/24
Attack: Pour some dubious liquor onto the ground
You uncork a bottle of DUBIOUS LIQUOR and pour it onto the floor. The burning, shoe-polish-like smell hits you immediately, making you very thankful you didn't try drinking the stuff.
The creature watches you cautiously. It sniffs the air, and the smell of the liquor only makes it more confused. As you back away, it creeps over to the puddle and tries lapping up a little with its tentacles. Immediately, it shrieks and coughs, scurrying to a corner. It seems even rats have standards.
Seemingly trying to get the taste out of its mouth, it starts biting at the tin of SALTED FISH it's carrying, attempting in vain to get it open.
Defense: "It's just...hungry."
Realizing the creature likely means you no harm, you holster your KNIFE and start to cautiously approach it. The creature hisses, but you hold up your hands in an attempt to calm its nerves.
Zani watches nervously.
"Careful. If it's hungry, don't make yourself look like too easy a meal."
You nod, making sure to give the creature its space. It continues to bite at the tin of salted fish, punching holes with its teeth and lapping up the salty brine that pours out, which only seems to make it hungrier.
You consider approaching to help it, but at the slightest shift in body weight it snaps its attention back to you. Nose twitching, it seems to focus on the other salted fish can in your inventory.
1/30/24
Attack: Slash.
You take a swing at the creature with your KNIFE but, in a display of monster self-preservation never before seen in this adventure, it reflexively hops away from you before you can connect. For its massive size, this thing is surprisingly nimble.
Defense: Block with my arm if it goes for the arteries
Rearing back, the creature lunges at you with its mouth wide. You adopt a defensive stance as it falls upon you, tentacles brushing over your face and claws scrabbling against your chest. Rather than biting you, though, the creature jams its nose into your pocket, following the scent of food. After a rapid and disorienting struggle, the creature disengages. You're unharmed, thanks to your quick blocking instinct, but you do feel slightly lighter.
SALTED FISH removed from inventory!
The creature greedily clutches the tin of preserved fish in its claws, but it doesn't take its glowing eyes off you. You can tell it knows you have more.
1/29/24
Command: "Xolta? I'm going to say this in the nicest way possible. And I want you to understand that this is me being nice."
Xolta nods.
"Okay."
Command: "I hate you with the fury of a thousand suns, and all you have done is cause more issues. Go sit outside and wait for death."
There's a brief pause. Xolta looks confused.
"But I'm already dead."
"Get out of here!"
Ressa shoves Xolta aside, and unfortunately, doesn't think to do so quietly. Immediately, you hear a scrabbling of heavy legs, and turn to see the RAT CREATURE facing you. It snuffles its nose in your direction, smelling all the food you took from the icebox. Tentacles splayed, it lets out a hungry shriek.
COMBAT START!
1/28/24
Command: Equip knife as I go in
You already have the KNIFE equipped, and it's a good thing too, because your STEALTH helps prevent you from being immediately spotted upon your entry.
Through the doorframe, you see a large RAT CREATURE crawling along the floor. It's roughly the size of a bear, with mutated muscles bulging through its matted gray fur. Its mouth has been replaced with a tangle of twitching tentacles, all of them sweeping along the ground for crumbs, and its eyes have an unnatural purple glow to them.
The creature appears to be searching for food, as it lets its nose guide it to the ICEBOX you recently raided. Its tentacles pull the icebox door open to find it empty. The creature snuffles its nose inside the box, but only catches the lingering scent of the food you removed. It lets out a grumbling growl.
In its single-minded quest for a meal, it's completely ignoring the SUBMARINE suspended in the middle of the room. You note that the submarine appears to be in sleep mode again, as its face is no longer visible.
Your party peeks in behind you.
"Oh. A giant weird rat monster. Yeah, you see this sometimes."
"Hey, Trill's not here. That means no one will get all whiny if I kill it."
"Well, I might. I think it's rather adorable."
"No one cares what you think."
"Oh, okay."
Ressa looks to you, clearly asking what the play is going to be, here.
1/27/24
Command: No time to waste. To the submarine!
You opt once again to bypass the SHOP and any possible side-content this area might have had, marching towards the SOUTH ROAD with your party and the three MECHANICAL ORBS.
On your way out of town, the GUARD that greeted you upon your entrance gives you a nod. You nod back and continue on, looking to your side to realize Xolta is walking very close to you, trying to stay out of the guard's view.
Your journey around the southern edge of LAKE CRESTFALL is as peaceful and uneventful as it was going the other way. Xolta is transfixed, looking at the moonlight sparkling on the water. You get the feeling she hasn't seen it in quite some time. This would be heartwarming if she wasn't a soul-stealing lich who'd potentially doomed hundreds to nonexistance for the sake of her own vanity.
You arrive at the small group of HUTS on the east side of the lake, the large BOATHOUSE still standing imposingly over it all.
As you approach the boathouse, its doors still ajar, you hear an unsettling sound coming from inside. Heavy footsteps. Scraping. Snarling. It sounds like some kind of creature has gotten inside, and knowing the area, there's a good chance it isn't friendly.
1/26/24
Command: "...he knows what he needs to do. And we should fix up the submarine."
Zani nods. Ressa doesn't look so sure, but also doesn't have any better ideas.
"Let's grab that last orb and get out of here."
"I'll have it to you in a minute!"
You look over. Xolta is trying to grab the last MECHANICAL ORB away from the hopping skulls of Boone and the Bartender, who keep biting at her to keep her at bay.
Zani sighs and walks over.
"No, she's cool. She's with us."
Boone looks up at Zani, very confused.
"You...know who this is, right?"
"Yeah, but we made her agree to cut it out."
Xolta gives a thumbs-up. The skulls are incredulous.
You walk up to them and, calmly, give them a rundown of what happened. You explain that you need the orb in order to fix the layline and break the curse on everyone, not putting too fine a point on the fact that the orb doesn't truly belong to them, but hoping that subtext is clear in what you're saying.
The bartender skull sighs and rolls on his side.
"Okay fine. Take it...and get her out of here!"
You thank them both.
MECHANICAL ORB added to inventory!
The skulls hop back into the tavern, presumably to recollect their bodies, and your party left alone in the town plaza.
From here, you have the option to check out the SHOP you avoided previously, visit the TAVERN to say a last goodbye to the skeletons, or you could simply take the SOUTH ROAD out of town and continue your journey.
1/25/24
Command: "I keep trying to use it. It never works."
Trill furrows his brow. He looks the FLUTE over again. Tiny glints of moonlight play across the intricate patterns traced on its surface. The more Trill stares at the flute, the more his expression calms, and you see his confidence slowly return.
"Hmm. Perhaps...this is what I need after all."
Before you can ask him to explain, Trill holds the GEMCHALK in hand and snaps his fingers. The MAGIC CIRCLE below him begins to glow with blue light.
You back away. Trill nods at you, a smile finally crossing his face.
"I'll find my way back to you. Don't worry."
You nod back. You feel assured Trill wouldn't say that if he didn't mean it.
Reaching into his pocket, Trill pulls out the ORNATE HANDGUN once again. Before you can question it, he jams the barrel of the gun into the center of the magic circle.
"Wait, Trill!"
It's too late. The circle erupts with blue light. You hear a shrieking crack, like a sonic boom tearing through the fabric of space itself. And then, silence. Trill has disappeared.
Your party stares at the magic circle, already starting to blow away in the wind.
"Did he just teleport to-...?"
"That Fatalis guy's place to chase after his girlfriend? Yeah. He's probably dead."
"Oh, DAMMIT!"
Ressa looks around.
"Now what are we going to do?"
1/24/24
Command: Give him the flute.
As you hold up the FLUTE, Trill is taken aback.
"Oh! One of...those…"
He takes the flute and turns it over in his hand. It glistens marvelously, untarnished despite the long journey.
"I wonder. Does this truly belong to...you? Hmm, I suppose it would probably work, either way."
He looks up at you with concern.
"But don't you need this? I mean, for the quest?"
1/23/24
Command: "...we've been trying to get better about the whole, not murdering thing, for you. If you weren't around, we'd still be using the quill on everything and the knife. Now...we tried to avoid combat in quite a few cases. You've given us our redemption arc...*please*..."
Trill stops drawing for a moment. Try as he might, he can't bring himself to be unreasonable.
Command: "We can't make you...and we won't try to force you if you really want to leave...but we just want to fix things. For everyone."
Trill thinks over what you've said. He looks up at you, Zani and Ressa, his expression calm but his mind clearly racing. He looks back down at the MAGIC CIRCLE, nearly complete. Finally, he nods, and looks back up at you.
"I need you to give me something."
You ask what he means. He indicates the circle.
"The way this circle works, I have to calibrate it with an object belonging to the person I'm trying to warp to. If you give me something of yours, I'll be able to warp back to your location, no matter where you are."
He gives another look at Zani and Ressa for a moment, then back down at the circle.
"There's still...somewhere I need to go. Alone. But if you really need me around...I...I..."
He chuckles, wearily.
"It’s crazy. No one's ever told me they need me, before."
You put your hand on his shoulder and assure him the team really does need him. He nods.
"Okay. Give me something so I can home back on you, then. I won't be gone too long, hopefully."
1/22/24
Command: "Trill...please...reconsider”
Trill doesn't look up from his work.
"Or what? You'll try to mind-control me again?"
"Hey, I assume we apologized for that! I-...I don't remember if we did, but it's implied if we didn't!"
You shoot Zani a look to make it clear she isn't helping.
Command: "we can't do this without you. i can't do this without you. if it wasn't for you...we would have died with Xolta still delusional."
Xolta nods.
"Oh yes, I would've killed all of you!"
Trill sighs.
"You'd have been fine. I'm sure you'd find a way to murder her like you do everything else."
Ressa shakes her head.
"Trill, what are you even drawing? Is that some kind of suicide spell?"
This question actually shakes Trill out of drawing for a second.
"What? No! I'm going somewhere."
"Where?"
Trill goes back to drawing.
"Somewhere I'd rather not be followed."
"Wait, you mean like...your home? I thought you didn't know how to leave the island."
"I didn't say I was leaving the island."
Trill pauses and lets out a sigh.
"And I don't know why I keep giving hints, either. Just leave me alone! Go kill someone, or whatever."
Trill goes back to drawing. Zani and Ressa exchange worried looks.
"If he goes off on his own, he's gonna get himself killed."
"Well, maybe he's going back to that ship we found him on. He'd be safe there, right?"
"Nowhere's 'safe' around here. The only safety's in numbers."
Xolta leans in.
"Do you want to know what I think?"
"No."
"Okay!"
She shuffles away again.
Trill looks like he's almost done with whatever he's drawing. You don't have much more time left to convince him to stay.
1/21/24
Command: "Xolta. Shut the hell up for a bit."
"Can do!"
Xolta doesn't appear to understand she's being scolded.
Trill hasn't moved. Zani and Ressa are looking on, worried.
"Well, one of us needs to talk to him."
"You do it. I feel like there's a chance he'll blow my leg off."
"What if he blows my leg off?"
"Then I'll know I made the right choice."
With a deep breath, Zani creeps up alongside Trill. He doesn't look over at her.
"Ummm, hey...champ. How are...um...what...er..."
Zani looks back at the group. She clearly has no experience comforting people.
"What are you...feeling? Something temporary, I'm sure!"
"Okay, screw this!"
Ressa runs up to Trill and grabs him by the shoulders, lifting him up and bringing them face-to-face. He doesn't really react at all.
"Trill! We're here. What do you want? You want me to kill Xolta? You want to go kill Lord Fatalis? Anything you want, man. We're here for you."
Trill looks off to the side. His voice is weak.
"I...don't want to do this anymore."
Ressa sighs, releasing Trill. He backs away.
"Jayde was right. I shouldn't be doing this."
Trill backs onto an area of flattened cobblestone near the north side of town. You see a glint in his hand, and realize he's pulled out the GEMCHALK.
"You all...go save the world or whatever. I've gotta do something else."
Trill begins drawing around himself in blue gemchalk.
1/20/24
Command: "Trill. I gave something to you, back at the last layline.. Use it."
"The book? I gave it back to y-..."
You tell him you don't mean that. His eyes widen.
"...oh."
He looks up at Jayde.
"Jayde? I believe...you forgot something of yours."
Trill rifles through his pockets, pulling out the ORNATE HANDGUN. Hand shaking, he points it at Jayde with all the confidence of a man who's never fired a gun in his life.
Jayde cocks her head.
"The hell is that?"
Trill is taken aback.
"It's...it's yours, remember? I got you this."
Jayde seems confused. She briefly puts a hand to her mask before shaking her head.
"Trill, stop screwing around. You don't even know how to fire that thing, do you?"
"I don't want to fire it! I want you to come to your senses! You don't need to do this!"
"Neither do you! You hated this place from the moment you got here! Just leave! Stop trying to fix everything!"
At this point, the rest of your party has backed away. Trill and Jayde have their guns trained on each other, both clearly unwilling to fire but losing their patience not to.
"Jayde. That orb you're holding is our one chance to save this place. Everyone in this town will be doomed to nonexistance unless we fix the layline."
"SHUT UP!"
Jayde clutches the MECHANICAL ORB tighter, her breathing growing heavy.
"I don't know what spell that man's put on you, but you clearly still have your free will. Just put that orb down and don't make me hurt you."
"I AM NOT...GOING...TO BETRA-..."
BZZZAAAAMM!
Jayde's voice is cut off by a horrible peal of magical force. In an instant, a glowing bolt of necrotic energy the size of a harpoon is pierced directly through her chest, crackling with a sickly aura. She looks down, blank with shock, unable to even process what's happened.
Trill gasps. He drops the ornate handgun, but then looks at his hands. Across his face, you see the realization that...he didn't fire that shot.
You turn around, along with the rest of your party. Standing in the gateway of the CHURCH is Xolta, her hands smoking with necrotic magics. She has a beaming smile.
"There! I did it! I was useful!"
The silence is deafening.
Jayde drops the mechanical orb, which rolls off the roof with a dull thud. Still impaled, she drops to her knees just as a PORTAL of purple light appears behind her, a familiar voice echoing from within.
"Sorry about the wait, I was...What the HELL?! Oh, for the love of..."
Two purple-clad hands reach out of the portal and pull Jayde through. The portal closes as quickly as it opened.
Trill, similar to Jayde, drops to his knees with his gaze unbroken on the spot where she disappeared.
Xolta happily shuffles up to the rest of you.
"Look, we got the orb! Wow, this ‘hero’ stuff is exhilarating, huh?"
1/19/24
Command: "Drop. The orb." Equip knife, this crowbar doesn't send the right message. "Or me, and my friends, will have to take it from you. The submarine needs it back."
"Look, I don't-..."
Jayde pauses. It seems she wasn't expecting to hear the sentence "The submarine needs it back" today. Shaking her head, she resumes.
"I don't want to hurt you. I have a mission, and I'm going to see it through."
You pull out the KNIFE. You hear a slight gasp from Trill behind you.
KNIFE equipped!
FORCE reduced to Level 0!
STEALTH increased to Level 1!
Jayde doesn't look impressed, pointing her ornate magical PISTOL in your direction.
"Okay, you're literally threatening me with a knife, again. You've heard the phrase 'knife to a gunfight,' right? I have a gun. I can shoot you from here. That's not intimidating."
"Jayde, please, put the gun down! This is crazy! You can’t-…"
"Would you shut up, Trill?!"
Trill is taken aback, definitely not expecting her to snap at him.
"All this time, and you still do nothing but complain!"
"J-...Jayde..."
Jayde backs away more. You're not sure where she's going, since she's on a roof, but it seems like it's more to make a point. She growls into the CRYSTAL SKULL.
"Portal!"
"Almost ready! You okay out there?"
"Resistance is...minimal so far."
Jayde has her gun trained on you, but doesn't look like she'll fire unless you make a move.
"We'd better do something, fast."
1/18/24
Command: "Shit!" Run towards the noise
With no time to think, you burst out of the CHURCH, through the gates and into the plaza of Crestfall Village, with most of your party following close behind. You glance back briefly to notice Xolta isn't following. Seems she's scared to even be within eyeshot of the tavern.
More loud noises can be heard from within the Sunken Skull. There's definitely some kind of scuffle going on in there.
Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass as a screaming SKULL flies through a WINDOW and rolls along the ground, stopping at your feet. You (somehow) immediately recognize this as Boone, who looks up at you in surprise.
"Oh, hey!"
"Boone, what the hell's going on in there?"
"You know? I'm still kinda not sure..."
Another sound of shattered glass as another SKULL flies out the window nearer the distillery. This appears to be the skull of the BARTENDER you spoke to earlier. He hops on his jaw in alarm.
"She's after the still!"
Boone is confused.
"The hell does she want with that?"
Before you can question who "she" is, your question is quickly answered. Enchanted bullets erupt through the roof of the Sunken Skull, creating a hole through which a shock of green leaps atop the tavern awning. Trill's moodiness is broken instantly.
"Jayde?!"
"Oh, hey, it's Trill's girlfriend."
In her hands, Jayde is cradling the last MECHANICAL ORB you need. She glares down at all of you.
"You were warned. Stop interfering and leave this island in peace."
"Jayde, why are you doing this? Why are you helping that…really weird guy?"
Jayde stares at Trill through her strange green mask. She looks down at the glowing RUNES running along her arm.
"I'm..."
She falters slightly.
"...just paying off a debt. Now, don't try to follow me."
Jayde stands still for a moment, clearly preparing for something. But then...nothing happens. She looks around, a bit uncomfortable. Shuffling awkwardly, she pulls a CRYSTAL SKULL out of her pocket.
"Hello? Portal?"
The crystal skull glows purple, echoing with the voice of Lord Fatalis.
"Wait, you need that now?! I thought you were going to escape into the-..."
"Portal!"
"Ugh, fine. Just give me a moment."
Jayde turns her attention back to you. She slowly starts to back away, looking around for ways she can buy time.
1/17/24
Command: "She seems repentant enough, and she seems to be in her right mind again. I vote yes"
The Lich nods thankfully.
"Yes, thank you. You won't reg-...AAHHH!"
A sudden flash of light engulfs the Lich. She recoils, but when the light passes, she finds herself largely unharmed, looking up to realize that Trill has just very un-gently blasted the vines off her with magic. Everyone looks at him, a bit caught off-guard.
"You can do that at will now?"
Trill looks at his hand.
"Hm. I guess so."
Trill heads dispassionately towards the door as the rest of you watch him, Ressa clearly a bit worried. The Lich stands.
"Shall we go?"
"Yep! Hey hero, take these!"
Zani tosses the newly-liberated MECHANICAL ORB to you, as well as the one you already had.
MECHANICAL ORB (x2) added to inventory!
As you make your way out of the crypt, the Lich...um...the Lich is...Okay, we can't keep doing this. Can someone please ask her name?
"Hey, you got a name?"
"Oh, yes, it's Xolta! Spelled with an 'x' but pronounced with a 'z!' That's how I always had to say it to the teachers at school."
"Okay, Xolta, we've gotta get the last mechanical orb thing from the Sunken Skull. Are they gonna...like...try to kill us if we bring you in there?"
"Probably, yes. Would you prefer I wait outside?"
"Probably, yes."
You emerge into the main room of the CHURCH. Trill is waiting for you, leaning against the massive double-doors leading out. Above you, Tinni the skull pipes up, still stuck on the CHANDELIER.
"Oh hey! You came back! Did you kill the Lich?"
"She was already dead, actually."
Xolta gets a thousand-yard stare.
"...And she's kinda being a baby about it."
Trill looks confused.
"Oh, so is this not one of those curse-gets-broken-when-the-person-who-cast-it-dies-type curses? We were kinda banking on it being one of those."
"No, but we're working on it. We just need to break the distillery to get an orb to repair a submarine to take us to a temple so one of us can dive in a layline and commune with infinity."
"Ah. Well, it sounds like you know what you're doi-..."
Suddenly, a loud CRASH. You look around, but it came from outside.
As you all look out the door, it sounds like there's a commotion coming from the Sunken Skull.
1/16/24
Command: "...we're about to fix the layline. Do you think that will fix what you've done to these people?"
The Lich abruptly goes silent, her despair replaced with total confusion.
"You...what?"
"Yeah, funny story, we're actually on a quest to untangle the Convergence and set the laylines back to their natural unjumbledness. Would that solve your problem?"
The Lich looks bewildered but thoughtful.
"I...I suppose. But...how would such a thing even be possible?"
Zani puts her arm around you.
"No idea, but we've done one already, so how hard could it be?"
The Lich stares at the ceiling.
"Yes. Yes, that would fix everything. A sudden shift in the layline would sever the tethers like spider silk. Everyone would..."
She sighs, considering her own mortality again. After a brief pause, she rallies her resolve, looking to you and Zani.
"I'll help you however I can..."
She looks to Trill.
"...if you'll allow me."
Trill looks down at her, and you see a swift battle of emotions play out across his face. For all his moral indignation, he's still Trill, and no matter how much he wants to he can't find it within himself to be cruel. He sighs.
"You're already dead, so I suppose I got what I came here for. If you wish to atone before moving on to the other side...you're welcome to try."
The Lich gives Trill a thankful nod, but you can tell he meant that to sound colder than it came off.
"So, what happens now?"
Zani is already yanking the second MECHANICAL ORB free from the VACUUM.
"We give this back to the submarine you stole it from, and we head for the Layline Shrine under the lake."
"Oh, well then I can definitely help! I've been down there once before, when I...um...expanded the aura of the layline to tether the souls of anyone that dies in...um...Crestfall..."
Ressa looks to you.
"So what do you think? Do we untie her?"
1/15/24
Command: Might as well read while we wait. "Trill, can you hand me the book?"
Trill look puzzled.
"Huh? Oh, sure."
He returns to the BOOK to you.
Zani is poking the Lich with her foot.
"Hey! We need you to fix…the stuff!"
The Lich continues sobbing.
"Wh-...what?"
"Whatever you did to Crestfall. Undo it."
The Lich shakes her head.
"I can't!"
"Look, it's over! Just deal with it! You're dead!"
The sobbing returns, more intense than before. Zani sighs, trying to adopt a comforting tone.
"Y'know, it's time to move on. Give your soul peace or whatever."
The Lich shakes her head.
"No, I mean, I can't undo it! I bound every soul in Crestfall to the Purple Layline, and now the layline is what fuels that tether. It's...it's unbreakable."
Trill shudders. The Lich calms her crying and looks between you, pleadingly.
"Please...I really thought I was helping people, at least at first. I mean, no one wants to die, right? I thought I'd figured it out but...then they started fading away. I didn't understand. The...the only thing I could do was more research."
Trill is unamused.
"And the part where you were eating souls and turning into a giant trash monster...?"
"Look, I'm not saying I'm an innocent. I know what I've done has hurt people. I just thought..."
She looks down at her dead, flesh-suited body.
"...I don't know what I thought anymore."
Quietly, she begins crying again.
1/14/24
Command: "Simple." Pull out the brigandvines. "We tie her up."
Your party looks uncertain, but doesn't have any better ideas.
Rather haphazardly, Ressa drags the LICH'S CORPSE off the trash pile and lays it face up on the stone floor. You sprinkle a few BRIGANDVINE SEEDS over it and water them with the WATERING CAN, just as before. In minutes, the seeds erupt into a tangle of solid, ropey vines completely ensnaring the body. How well this will restrain her is unclear, but at the very least it looks like she'd have trouble getting up in a hurry.
While you've been doing this, Trill has been looking over the VACUUM for some kind of reverse switch. Having believed he's found it, he points the nozzle at the body.
"Well, here goes."
With a loud BLAM, a burst of blue light is rather violently fired into the Lich's body.
"Oh HEAVENS!"
The glow of the vacuum fades and its wriggling ceases. Your party anxiously watches the body for signs of movement. You see a slight stir, just a twitch of the head, and then a heaving of the chest in a simulacrum of breathing.
And then the crying starts.
The Lich begins sobbing loudly, her mournful cries echoing through the halls of the crypt. She isn't even looking at anyone. She just stares at the ceiling, wailing, her body convulsing with grief.
Ressa tries to wave to get her attention, but she doesn't respond.
"Um, what's wrong with her?"
"Well...she did just find out she was dead."
At the mention of this, her crying grows louder, almost mounting into screams. Half-hearted words try to form between her heaving sobs.
"I...I can't...I can't..."
She struggles slightly against her restraints.
"I don't...I don't want to be dead!"
She struggles more. She seems to just be trying to cover her face, but her arms won't budge.
"Everything I did...everyone I hurt...all to stop this one thing and I...It was meaningless!"
Her body trembles. She can barely process the extent of what she's done. She struggles to say more, but she's run out of words.
Her sobbing continues.
1/13/24
Command: Step closer to examine it
You stand and approach the VACUUM, cautiously. It's still suspended in Trill's MAGIC CIRCLE, though lit with a glow all its own.
The vacuum shakes and squirms, but only lightly. You can tell something inside is trying to escape, but it doesn't appear to be having any success.
Trill looks at you with unease. You can tell from the look on his face that his plan didn't go any farther than this, and he now has no idea what to do with this trapped soul.
Ressa approaches. You notice that her cracks from the battle have been filled in with metal, which now streaks across her body. You ask what the deal is with that, and she hooks a thumb at the METAL FIGURE, who is now a few knives and forks short of a full body.
"Gave me some materials to patch myself up."
You nod. You forgot she could just...do that. She squirms a little, picking at her metal scars.
"Not really comfortable, but it'll keep me upright until I can get some proper stone to work with."
Without missing a beat, she plants a finger on the vacuum, staring it down.
"Now listen, you! Whatever curse you put on these people, you need to...um…you need to un-put it on them!"
There's no response. The vacuum continues to wriggle.
"I don't...think she can hear you."
"I don't think she can do much of anything without a body."
Trill sighs thoughtfully. He looks down at the LICH'S CORPSE, lying in the middle of the fallen trash heap.
"I suppose we could put her back in her body."
"But we'd have to make sure she's not dangerous, somehow."
No one quite seems sure what to do, here.
1/12/24
Attack: Chug another lifewater and charge! But silently
You pop open your last LIFEWATER POTION and chug. Once again, you feel your injuries heal. Hopefully the people of Crestfall have a few unused health potions they can spare you later.
All WOUND removed!
Energized for a final assault, you hold your CROWBAR at your side and run into the room. Making use of the padding in your FLEETFOOT BOOTS, you take care to run silently, making sure the Lich doesn't notice your approach.
The Lich, thankfully, is still distracted by Zani. Zani is playing a dangerous game, weaving between strikes as the Lich attempts to flatten her with a crushing fist. Every impact shakes the room, thankfully covering your approach even more. The weakened right arm of the Lich directly in front of you, you hold up your crowbar, knowing you might only get one final shot at this.
Defense: No defense, we die a hero or we live to fight another day
You swing at the Lich's arm with all your might, finally shattering the right arm of her hulking frame. Bits and pieces fly everywhere, and the strange magical VACUUM falls to the floor. The Lich swivels to you in surprise, and swats you away one more time without even thinking. It's not a clean hit, and you're only knocked prone a few feet back, but it still stings.
WOUND increased to Level 2!
The Lich looks down at the vacuum, seemingly a bit confused.
"YOU KNOW I CAN JUST PUT THIS BACK ON, RIGHT?"
But then, a bright purple light erupts from behind her.
"Um, actually no, you won't be doing that!"
You look around and see Trill standing in the middle of his elaborate MAGIC CIRCLE, now brightly aglow with purple mana. He taps the MECHANICAL SPHERE in the center of it, and the other MECHANICAL SPHERE in the vacuum begins to glow. Suddenly, the vacuum flies towards the circle, its movement unlike standard magical levitation, but more like the most powerful magnetic force you've ever seen. It's off like a shot but then instantly held still in the center of the magic circle, its nozzle pointed straight up.
"WHAT?"
The Lich lumbers towards the magic circle. With a wave of Trill's hand, the vacuum tilts until it's pointed directly in the Lich's face. She still doesn't seem to understand.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THAT DEVICE ONLY WORKS ON THE DEAD, AND I KEEP TELLING YOU PEOPLE, I'M...STILL...ALIVE!"
Trill sighs.
"Well, I'm sorry you have to find out this way."
Trill activates the vacuum and a vortex of energy engulfs the Lich's body. She backs away, wincing, but her spiritual essence is already being pulled in.
"WHAT? NO! WH-WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"
Her makeshift body begins to crumble. A brilliant swirl of blue and red energy is spiraling into the vacuum. You see ethereal hands desperately trying to cling to the toppling frame before disappearing into the nozzle.
"NO! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! I'M ALIVE! I'M...I'M...AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
With a chilling shriek, the last of the Lich's spirit vanishes into the vacuum. Her body collapses into a pile of trash, a robed skeleton in a tanned skin-suit lying on top of it, lifeless.
COMBAT VICTORY!
You won this combat by listening to your companions, and so...
TEAMWORK increased to Level 1!
(You now have a better idea of your friends' capabilities. Suggestions for how to use them might now appear.)
The room finally falls silent. Trill holds the vacuum, which is now glowing brightly. Even from your distance, you can tell something in struggling in vein to escape.
1/11/24
Attack: Don't attack
You hold back for a moment. You can't take another hit like that, at least not without dislocating a few internal necessities.
Defense: Crawl behind something
Options for cover are pretty scarce where you are. You realize your best chance of protection is the door through which you entered this chamber. Carefully, you scurry out the door and peer into the room from around the doorframe.
You still can't make much sense of Trill's magic circle at this distance, but your ATTUNEMENT tells you that whatever he's drawn is simple but powerful. It's a lot of mana being channeled into doing a very specific thing.
You see Trill talk to Zani, then look around before seeing you. He seems a bit puzzled that you're hiding, like that wasn't part of his plan. He grumbles, clearly thinking quickly.
Ressa is currently standing guard beside the FIGURES, though in her current state it's debatable who's protecting who. The METAL FIGURE taps Ressa on the shoulder and says something to her. She nods in response, and what the figure says next makes her perk up slightly. You can't hear their conversation from here, though.
As for the Lich, she's currently trying to repair her right arm, much like she did her left hand. However, Zani begins running around her in circles to distract her from this process, apparently sent over by Trill.
Your party's holding their own, but it doesn't look like anyone's in a position to deal the final blow to knock that vacuum loose. You might need to be the hero, here.
1/10/24
Attack: Charrrrge! And also tell ressa to stop before she kills herself
You charge in again. You move with a speed that surprises even yourself, having finally taken off the heavy armor that's been weighing you down for days. With your newfound AGILITY, you're able to strike before the Lich can turn her attention back to you. You slam her right arm again with the CROWBAR, knocking loose more random trash. Her arm begins to hang a bit limply, but still doesn't shatter. You feel like one more solid hit like that will break the vacuum loose.
Ressa looks ready to charge in again, but you wave her off, telling her you've got this. She grumbles.
"What do you...mean? I almost...rrgg..."
As she speaks, dust and embers pour from her mouth, which you suspect is the closest a construct like her gets to bleeding. Seemingly, the recognizes the extent of her injuries at the same time you do, as she abandons her protest and starts dragging herself towards the FIGURES.
Defense: Drink a lifewater potion
You pull out a LIFEWATER POTION and chug the whole thing.
All WOUND removed!
And you do this...right next to the Lich, who has turned her attention to you now that Ressa is out of the fight. Just as you realize your folly, she backhands you with her giant fist, sending you flying through the air and skidding to a stop in front of the door. Even more unfortunately, as you've recently lightened your armor, this hurts even more than it did last time she tossed you.
WOUND increased (or rather, returned) to Level 3!
Maybe not your best plan.
As you get to your feet once again, you notice Zani has pickpocketed the MECHANICAL ORB (the one you were carrying) from your inventory. You politely ask what the hell she's doing, but she's already running back towards Trill.
"Trill said he needs this for something!"
Looking over, you Trill has created a rather elaborate MAGIC CIRCLE out of purple GEMCHALK. You can't tell what it does from here, though.
1/9/24
Attack: bash her arm
Dashing forward while she's distracted, you slam your CROWBAR into the Lich's right arm with all your might. Tubes and metal scraps burst out of the point of impact, but the vacuum isn't knocked loose. At the very least, it will take a couple more solid hits like that to fully break the arm off.
Unfortunately, there's no chance for a follow-up. She immediately shifts her attention to you, mechanically spinning her torso to put you face-to-face.
Defense: dodge her inevitable retaliation
You dodge again, but this time the Lich is ready for it. She manages to grab your leg with her left hand, awkwardly trying to pull you towards her. You struggle, and she finds herself unable to get a solid grip, so she instead opts to quickly toss you aside. You fly through the air, skidding across the ALTAR and tumbling onto the floor.
WOUND increased to Level 3!
Attack: Head towards the strange device. Ressa can probably handle herself. Or zani can handle her.
You sit up, still dizzy from the impact. It seems the Lich has turned her attention back to Ressa, who looks more than happy to go another round. Ressa tries to bring her blade down right on the Lich's face, but she catches the sword in mid-swing, a struggle for control beginning.
Looks like the Lich thinks Ressa's the most dangerous one. You decide you want to prove her wrong.
You head over to the STRANGE DEVICE sitting on a table on the left wall. It's a large metal box covered in latches and hinged panels, but with no obvious way to open it. Along the top are three unlabeled buttons, a YELLOW BUTTON with a lightning bolt symbol, a GREEN BUTTON with a cage symbol, and a RED BUTTON with a picture of a cartoon ghost on it. The green button also has a SWITCH next to it with two settings "One" or "All." It's currently set to "One" and the "All" setting is underlined in red ink.
What could this be?
Defense: Change from the plate armor into the leather armor
Generally speaking, it's a bad idea to change clothes in the middle of combat, so be thankful this works at all.
LEATHER TOP equipped!
ARMOR reduced to Level 1!
AGILITY increased to Level 3!
All ENCUMBERANCE removed!
Unfortunately, the leather top has a very complex design, with many buckles in need of buckling in order to secure it in place. In the time it takes you to fully change, Ressa again loses her struggle with the Lich and gets slammed into the right wall. She doesn't look like she could take another one of those, but she also looks like she's immediately going to try unless someone stops her.
1/8/24
Attack: "I'll work on breaking her form. You work on trying to send her soul to the afterlife. She might not understand, but this is putting her to rest."
Trill grumbles, shaking his head.
"What do I look like? A priest?"
Zani looks him over.
"Maybe a youth pastor."
Trill shuts his eyes, frustrated.
"I already told you, I don't do spirit magic!"
He looks over at the Lich, who's grappling with Ressa. Neither seems able to overpower the other, but it's got them distracted for the moment. Suddenly, looking at the Lich, Trill's frustration turns to thoughtfulness.
"But...she does!"
"Huh?"
A grin creeps over Trill's face. It's the first time you've ever seen him excited at the prospect of a fight. You assume that, being Trill, this is because whatever his plan is won't actually kill her.
"I have a plan. Zani, keep those...ghost-things safe. We can't let her get any more powerful."
He turns to you.
"And you, I need you to get that vacuum off her arm."
You ask how to do that. Trill has already begun drawing something in purple GEMCHALK.
"I don't know, however you do things!"
Defense: Examine the room
Most of the objects in the room have been pulled into the Lich's body. There are only a few loose NOTES and FOOD WRAPPERS scattered on the floor.
The ALTAR in the middle of the room is still where it was, seeing as it's built into the floor. You note that it's a pretty good tripping-over height for the Lich's current size.
Along the left wall, some larger objects have managed to escape the Lich's grasp, these being a wooden LADDER, another STRANGE DEVICE with a cuboid shape that’s use isn't immediately clear, a large METAL FRAME that seems to have once been part of a larger machine, and a gigantic CHAIN that looks just shy of being too heavy to lift.
Along the right wall you note, with some concern, a line of unoccupied MANACLES.
And along the back wall is an UNLIT FIRE with a COOKING POT suspended above it, forming another makeshift kitchen. It doesn't look like this one has seen much use lately, either.
You complete your survey of the room just in time to see the Lich backhand Ressa into the air. She slams against the right wall, still conscious but with cracks clearly starting to form on her body.
The Lich turns her attention to the ROTTEN and METAL FIGURE, then back to Ressa, clearly pondering who to finish off first.
1/7/24
Attack: Their sacrifice will not be forgotten. Equip crowbar.
You sigh. The FLAMING FIGURE struggles, but is quickly swept off its feet.
"...good...bye..."
Trapped in the vortex, the figure loses its form and and spirals into the nozzle. The room quickly goes silent, and a fiery aura courses through the Lich's creaking hulk of a body. Though she's facing away from you, you can see her shudder with glee at her growing power.
But Ressa is having none of it. With a shout, she rushes the Lich, blade held high. Unfortunately, the Lich manages to use her new power to reform her left hand, just in time to clasp it around Ressa's neck. Ressa struggles as she's lifted into the air.
"HMMM. YOU'RE NOT EXACTLY ALIVE, BUT NOT EXACTLY DEAD. I THINK THIS CALLS FOR SOME...SCIENCE!"
The Lich aims her vacuum at Ressa, but before she can activate it again, Ressa manages to cleave through her left wrist with her blade. The hand shatters again as Ressa lands, blade at her side. This time, though, the Lich is able to pull the hand back together immediately.
Thankfully, it seems this has given you enough time to start formulating a plan. You pull the CROWBAR out of your inventory and take it in hand.
CROWBAR equipped!
COMBAT...stayed the same, because it was somehow listed incorrectly until now!
STEALTH reduced to Level 0, because it was also listed incorrectly!
FORCE increased to Level 1!
Defense: Slide over to trill and hand him the gemchalk
As the Lich remains distracted by Ressa, you slide over to Trill. The moment he sees you're trying to hand him something, he winces.
"Look, could we not do that again? Melee weapons aren't exactly my-..."
You hold up the GEMCHALK. Confused, he takes it. He looks over at the Lich, his face becoming resolute again.
"What's the plan?"
Attack: No time to attack!
You figure an attack like this can't be parried, and instead ready yourself to dodge out of the way.
Defense: Dodge!
You effortlessly slide out of the way of the lich's falling fist. She slams the wall, sending debris from her cobbled arm flying in all directions. Thanks to your quick reflexes, though, you're completely unscathed.
Her left hand now shattered, she looks at it with annoyance. You can see her trying to pull in more nearby objects to repair herself, but it isn't working.
"DAMN! STILL TOO WEAK! I NEED...MORE!"
Quickly, she pivots to face the rest of your party. Charging with wild speed, she holds out her vacuum arm at the FLAMING FIGURE. A vortex of light erupts from the vacuum nozzle, and the figure is immediately being pulled in. Ressa once again tries to help, but she can't get a grip on the figure's oily body and it quickly slips away.
As much as the figure struggles, its about to be pulled in.
Your KNOWLEDGE tells you that you won't be able to reach the figure in time just by running, as the lich is standing between the two of you.
1/6/24
Attack: Toss trill the knife
Trill catches the KNIFE, but looks a bit bewildered.
"Um..."
Defense: Taunt and then roll
You're already gone. Having thrown a nearby bottle at the Lich's head, you roll to a far wall, trying to draw her attention. Though her mask is expressionless, you can feel her trying to narrow her eyes.
"AND YOU! WHO EVEN ARE YOU? YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!"
She begins hulking towards you. Trill, taking a deep breath, runs at the monstrosity with the amethyst knife held high. Without even turning to face him, the Lich effortlessly bats him away.
Trill flies backwards and ends up sprawled on his back, the knife escaping his grip and spiraling through the air, landing directly at your feet. You pick it up.
The Lich aims her vacuum at you, but quickly thinks the better of it.
"RRRGH, RIGHT. THIS DOESN'T WORK ON THE LIVING. OH, WELL! THAT’S AN EASY FIX!"
She raises her left fist high in the air, preparing a strike.
1/5/24
Notice: [Loading Complete!]
After a moment of uncertainty, you regain your focus. So, let's recap.
Across the room, the towering new form of the lich is slowly advancing towards your party. Her body has been hastily pulled together from various scraps and trash scattered all over the room, bound together by her amplified necrotic aura into a hulking humanoid form.
Affixed to her right forearm is the STRANGE VACUUM she used to absorb this necrotic energy, powered by the exact CLOCKWORK ORB you came to Crestfall to claim.
Her face, still covered by a horrible mask she stitched together from her own dried skin, grins at you from the middle of her new body's chest.
"MORE! I NEED MORE!"
She aims her vacuum-arm directly at the ROTTEN FIGURE who accompanied you into this chamber. A vortex of energy erupts from the nozzle, pulling the figure in. Fortunately, Ressa manages to knock the figure out of the vortex with a diving tackle, sending them both to the ground. The vacuum powers down and the figure is safe for the moment, though Ressa begins hastily trying to brush the rotten muck off herself as she stands.
The lich grumbles.
"I GAVE YOU ALL ETERNAL LIFE, AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?! RRRRGH! FINE! IF THE PEOPLE OF CRESTFALL DON'T APPRECIATE MY GIFT, I'LL TAKE IT BACK! I'M GONNA GO UP THERE AND ABSORB EVERY...LAST...ONE OF THEM!"
Trill nods.
"Okay, there's the evil speech I was looking for."
"I think this might just be a manic episode."
"Yeah, probably, but I'll take it."
You and your party ready for battle.
COMBAT START!
1/4/24
Command: Head forward
You step forward into the darkness.
It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust. This chamber is huge, the air thick and heavy with the smell of death, and the floor strewn with discarded notes and half-finished devices. HAZY FIGURES of various colors float aimlessly overhead. Lining the walls you see charts and diagrams outlining...nothing that makes any sense to you. Standing in the center of the room is an ALTAR, currently in use as a sort of workbench, with a STRANGE DEVICE lying on it. Part of the device you recognize immediately as one of the brass CLOCKWORK ORBs you're looking for, but the tubular machine it's connected to doesn't mean anything to you.
You hear shuffling, and a hooded head pops up from behind the altar, its face obscured.
"Please, don't hurt me."
Before you can even respond, Trill steps forward.
"You have to stop this. Please! What you're doing to people...it's a fate worse than death!"
The Lich stands, enraged.
"There is NOTHING worse than death!"
She shuffles around the altar, her spindly body clattering under her ragged robes.
"I am creating the ultimate gift for the world! With my work incomplete, you will be dooming every person on the planet to the same fate, and every person after them! I've told the people of Crestfall time and time again what these sacrifices are for but they just don't listen! And now, what? They've sent you to kill me? You don't belong here!"
As she shouts, her hood flies back and her face is revealed. It's just a patchwork of dried skin, eyeless and sunken, like a suit of flesh over a rickety skeleton. Your party recoils at the sight, all but Zani, who just lets out a sigh.
"Oh. She's already dead."
The Lich shrinks from the accusation.
"Wh-what? No! No, I'm alive! I'm totally still alive! See? See all this skin that I have?"
She pulls at her dried, sown-together suit of skin. Be thankful this is being related to you in text, because the visual is quite disturbing.
"Look, just give it up, already. You're dead. You need to..."
"NO!! SHUT UP!"
She leaps behind the altar and starts fiddling with the tubular device.
"I CAN FIX THIS! HOLD ON! This is exactly what I've been working on!"
She lifts the device and points a nozzle-end at the hazy figures floating above. She turns on the machine and the clockwork orb whirrs to life, along with a number of tubes and valves along the device's exterior. Within seconds, a glowing cone of suction erupts from the device's nozzle, pulling in a couple of the hazy figures like a whirlpool.
Trill's eyes widen.
"N-no! Stop!"
The hazy figures, doing nothing to resist, are pulled into the machine. The clockwork orb glows brightly, and this glow flows outward through the Lich's body. An aura of spirital energy now hangs around her.
"Ahhh...I needed that."
"What the hell did you just do to them?"
"What do you mean 'them?' They didn't have any consciousness left. I poked 'em a moment ago to make sure."
Trill turns to you.
"Give me the kn-..."
He pauses, clearly realizing he can't kill what's already dead. The Lich, clearly on a high from the spiritual energy she's absorbed, begins to cackle.
"So what are you gonna do, huh? You're here to kill me? Is that it? Let's see you kill this!"
The Lich reactivates her machine. With a powerful vortex of magical light, she pulls in the rest of the figures above. The clockwork orb glows like a second sun, briefly lighting up the room before releasing the energy into the Lich. Her spiritual aura increases in size and brightness, becoming a writhing mass of energy that envelops her. Holding out her arms, she begins to pull in the scattered materials and machinery around the chamber. Gears, hoses, pipes, tubes, clothing, boxes, and other assorted objects cling into form around her. Her aura expands, and this mass begins to move, a new hulking body with her bones at the center.
She grabs the device and sticks it onto the forearm of her new, massive form.
"SO MUCH POWER! SO MUCH STRENGTH! THE POWER TO DEFY INEVITABILITY AND LIVE IN PEACE! THE POWER TO PROTECT MYSELF FROM FOOLS THAT CAN'T UNDERSTAND MY SELFLESSNESS! THIS IS THE POWER I WANT TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD! GOD, I'VE NEVER FELT SO..."
Her face emerges from the chest of her towering new body.
"...ALIVE!"
NOW LOADING!
12/19/23
Command: Use the bomb
You nod, pulling out the BOMB. There's no more time for messing around. This needs to end now.
You look to your party members, who wordlessly back away from the STONE DOOR to a safe distance. Even the THREE FIGURES back away, though they seem to just be following the lead of the others and unaware of what's happening.
You place the bomb down and, thinking of a suitably dramatic way to light it, strike your SWORD against the door to send a jet of sparks at the bomb's wick. The wick immediately begins to sizzle, and you realize you have mere seconds to get clear. Fortunately, your newfound AGILITY renders you just nimble enough to leap to safety as the bomb explodes.
A deafening roar echoes through the halls of the crypt. The walls and ceiling buckle, sending rocks and dust tumbling onto your party. You shield your eyes, wondering if perhaps setting off a bomb in an underground tunnel was too rash a plan. Fortunately, the structural integrity of the crypt holds, if barely. As you open your eyes, you see the door has been completely obliterated. The threshold to the INNER CHAMBER is open.
Command: Use the bomb
As Trill dusts himself off, you offer the KNIFE to him. He recoils at first, but then gives it a thoughtful look. His breathing becomes heavy.
But then, he shakes his head.
"I...I just...want to put a stop to this."
You nod, and he puts his hand on your shoulder.
"It's not that I think she doesn't deserve to die. I just don't think...I deserve to decide something like that."
You nod again. Looking forward, the INNER CHAMBER is large, dark and silent. You don't see anyone inside, though the light doesn't penetrate all the way to the back wall. All you can see is a loose collection of HAZY FIGURES floating near the ceiling high above.
The rest, you'll have to enter the chamber to find out.
12/18/23
Command: "You can't keep getting away with this. We have a job to do and people tosave. You've cursed a town and made spirits unable to rest."
The Lich's voice has a tinge of alarm.
"O-OH! Right! That! Um...d-don't worry, I'll fix it once my experiments are over! I just need a little more...um...well, it's complicated and sciencey. I'm not sure you want me to bore you."
The three figures grumble.
"...she...means...souls..."
"...she...needs...souls..."
"...souls...like...us..."
Trill has had enough. He's as angry as you've ever seen him.
"We're not going to let you corrupt any more people's spirits! Now open this door or we're blasting it down!"
The Lich's voice is now in a state of full panic.
"NO! PLEASE! I'm so, so close! Just a few more years of research and I'll have this solved! I know it's hurting people, but I'm making really good progress!"
Zani leans on the door.
"What are you even 'researching,' anyway?"
The Lich's voice pauses.
"You don't know? Immortality!"
"Immortality?"
"Eternal life! An escape from inevitability! Freedom from...from..."
It pains her to even say it.
"...death."
Zani shakes her head.
"Is that all?"
"YES! What I do here could change the world! Turn it into a paradise! People spend their whole lives terrified of the moment they'll die. It paralyzes them, weighs them down, makes their dreams feel hopeless. They live, consumed with thoughts of oblivion."
"They do?"
"Well...I do! And I can't be the only one! I'm going to free myself of this...thing called death no matter what it takes! And when I'm done, I'm going to share the gift of life with everyone in the world, and they will hail me as Zylen incarnate!"
You hear her shuffle away from the door...then shuffle back.
"So go away!"
She shuffles away again. Trill is seething. He looks to you, his face full of determination, and hooks a thumb at the STONE DOOR.
"Use the bomb."
12/17/23
Command: "Trill? Zani? You know what to do."
"We do?"
Without a word, Zani kicks Trill in the back of the leg. With a startled yelp, Trill unleashes a flash of pure force at the STONE DOOR, blowing off the ROTTEN FIGURE'S arm in the process. (The Rotten Figure doesn't seem to care.) There's a deafening boom as the stone door shudders in place, but it stands strong, along with its STRANGE LOCK.
After a brief pause, you hear shuffling on the other side of the door.
"WHAT?! What is it you want?"
There's clear exasperation in her voice, even muffled as it is behind the thick door.
12/16/23
Command: "Can we, uh, get through then?"
The FIGURES awkwardly shuffle aside. Zani looks thoughtful.
"You know, perhaps they could join us."
"What?"
Zani goes to put her arm around the ROTTEN FIGURE, thinks better of it, goes to put her arm around the FLAMING FIGURE, thinks better of it, then finally puts her arm around the METAL FIGURE.
"I mean, we're here to take out the Lich that did...this to you guys. How about you help us out?"
The figures look at each other.
"...seems...possible..."
"...scary...but...okay..."
"...nothing...to...lose..."
Zani excitedly points a finger down the hall.
"All right then, CHARGE!"
After a moment's confusion, the three figures slowly shuffle towards the BOXES bordering the far end of the kitchen. They shove the boxes over, stumbling their way forward and deeper into the crypt. The metal figure trips, clattering to the ground and sending utensils everywhere, but slowly picks itself back up and continues.
Your party watches them go. Trill looks a bit concerned.
"Do you think they'll actually be much help?"
"Nah, but it's funny to watch."
Sighing, you follow the figures. The crypt continues on, winding deeper into the earth. Along the way you keep having to weave around random furniture, discarded clothes, and other signs that this burial site has been turned into an improptu residence for the Lich. It seems she's been living down here for a while, grabbing whatever discarded furniture and clothing she could from the town above. Several of these chairs are clearly from The Sunken Skull.
You finally catch up to the three figures at a crossroads. To your right is a small alcove that's been turned into an informal BEDCHAMBER. To your left is another alcove that's been made into a similarly-informal SITTING ROOM. And, in front of you, is a heavy STONE DOOR held shut with a STRANGE LOCK.
You definitely hear movement behind the door. The figures gesture towards it.
"...through...there..."
"...that's...her..."
"...we...barely...escaped..."
12/15/23
Attack: "Hahaha! You picked the worst gang! I'm amnesiac, zani's life is shit, ressa sat around for 300 yeara doing jack shit, and trill...trill's probably depressed! There's nothing for you here"
The figures stop. You weren't sure they could even comprehend that many words, but it seems to have sunk in.
"...no...memories?..."
"...seems...impossible..."
"...all..of...you?..."
You look to the others. It seems Ressa and Trill both fully believe they have some happy memories, but with a nod and a wink, you convince them to play along. Ressa stammers for words.
"Oh, right, yeah! No memories here! I don't even have a brain! Look!"
Ressa bends over and shows off the hollow vortex of spirit fire within her head. The figures look confused. They turn to Trill.
"...you...too?..."
Trill looks between the figures. He tenses up, very clearly unused to lying, but preparing to try for the first time in his life. He takes a deep breath.
"Y-yes. Oh, my life has been...quite horrible, the whole way through. Not a single good memory to be had."
Trill is a terrible liar, but with their limited senses, this seems to be working.
"You see I was born of...um...er...thieves. Pirates! I was born on a pirate ship! But...they weren't the romantic kind of pirates. They were the starving, marginal kind, that have to turn to crime due to factors of drug abuse and mental illness! No one would care for me so I had to sustain myself on whatever dead fish and...seagulls would land on the deck from time to time. My parents were...eaten...by krakens when I was a teenager and our pirate ship sank, so I had sell myself into survitude to survive. And I was sold into the service of a um...lion...keeper, who made me wash the lions, and they would attack me every day of my life. Uhhh..."
Trill looks down, trying to finish his story.
"...I only went to magic school because I...um...learned I had contracted a terminal disease from the lions, and the university had a scholarship program for the...dying? Yes, for the dying, 'cause it was a weird tax thing. But all my years at university, I've never enjoyed it, because of all the trauma I've been through and the knowledge my life will be cut short."
The figures are stunned.
"So...yes, no good memories. Move along."
The three figures look at each other. They seem at a bit of a loss.
"...what...now?..."
"...no...idea..."
"...I...hate...this..."
The figures appear to have lost all will to fight.
COMBAT VICTORY!
For winning this encounter through conversation, your social skills have improved!
EMOTION increased to Level 1!
The three figures are still here, shuffling around awkwardly. Ressa gingerly reaches into the FLAMING FIGURE and retrieves her sword, which the figure doesn't trying to resist at all.
12/14/23
Attack: "I don't take orders from anyone." Bash the metal one with my sword.
You hammer-swing the blunt edge of your sword at the METAL FIGURE, figuring a solid impact will do more damage than a sharp blade. Your theory is mildly validated as a spray of knives and forks is knocked loose from the creature's shoulder, many embedding themselves in the wall of crates behind it.
The figure stumbles backwards slightly, but quickly regains its balance. It's lost a few utensils, but is mostly unhurt. As it awkwardly attempts to reassemble itself, you notice that the knives and forks that are stuck in the crates aren't being retrieved, just the ones that were knocked loose.
Defense: Jump backwards
You back-dash away from the advancing figure and end up next to Zani and Trill, who still have the ROTTEN FIGURE pinned.
"Okay, now blow its head off!"
"We already tried that!"
"Well, try it again! It's gotta run out of heads eventually! How about-WAAHH!!"
Suddenly, a tendril of rot shoots out of the figure's face and latches onto the top of Zani's head. She struggles to pull it off as the ghostly aura surrounding the creature begins to glow.
"OH GOD!"
"Zani!!"
"...YES...MEMORIES...SWEET..."
The creature quivers with anticipation.
...Then there's a pause, and the creature looks confused. Though lacking a face, you can tell it’s looking around awkwardly.
"...um..."
The tendril attached to Zani's head pulses and repositions, searching.
"...uh...hmm..."
The tendril detaches.
"...nevermind...someone...else..."
Zani frantically wipes the rotten sludge off her mask.
"Oh, come on! What's wrong with my memories?"
"...so...many...so...scary..."
Zani sighs.
"Could someone blow this thing up, already?"
12/13/23
Attack: "Why? She's killing a whole village of people with a curse? Surely that's bad."
No response. It's possible your FAITH isn't high enough for you to have much bargaining power. The deal is take-it-or-leave-it.
Defense: Roll out of the way
The METAL FIGURE kicks over your impromptu cover, sending rotten cheesewheels spilling down the hall. Fortunately, you roll to the side just in time.
Taking a moment to survey the situation, you see the BURNING FIGURE has absorbed Ressa's blade into into oily body. She's currently trying to bash it loose with some kind of sausage she grabbed off the ground. On the other side of the room, Zani and Trill are pinning the ROTTEN FIGURE against a wall with a chair, but even combined they don't seem to have the strength to keep it contained for long. Behind you, the metal figure's bladed foot has momentarily become stuck in a cheesewheel.
You're...starting to think you might not need divine intervention to defeat these things, but the option is still there...
12/12/23
Attack: Pull out the religious books and say a prayer to zylen
You pull out the RELIGIOUS TEXT and rifle through it for something that might ease the tortured spirits. Unfortunately, most of the prayers to Zylen are about the harvest, and a few thanking her for the pleasure of being alive, neither of which you feel the figures would appreciate.
In desperation, you try the one that looks the most promising...
PLEDGE TO ZYLEN
I rise from the waves. I drink of the rains.
I grow with the saplings and bloom with the flowers.
I partake of the fruits and give offerings of the seeds.
I toil with the beasts and am made vital.
I am a humble servant of Zylen, Goddess of Water, from whom all life flows.
Praise to her name.
There's a brief pause. The METAL FIGURE tilts its head in confusion.
"...what?..."
You clutch the book tightly, putting your entire faith into the belief that something will happen. This is a house of the Lost Gods. They must be listening! You feel it in the core of your soul!
FAITH increased to Level 1!
Your breathing quickens. You can feel...something...inside you. It's like a voice, not speaking your language, but still impossible to misunderstand. You almost think it might be the voice of Zylen herself...
Defense: Dodge behind a counter
...But must briefly break your focus to avoid the METAL FIGURE, which has taken another swipe at your head. You dive behind a stack of boxes loosely arranged into a makeshift counter. The metal figure slowly turns to you.
"...please...stop...moving..."
It begins to plod your way. You try hard to regain your focus on the voice you heard before. It's still with you, deep inside your being, and as you block out all the chaos of the room you finally manage to make out what it's saying.
"I will help you, if you make a promise to me."
You're not sure how to respond, but you...internally ask her what that promise is.
"You must promise not to destroy the Lich. You must promise to help her."
You're...rather baffled by this request, but it seems that's the offer on the table.
Attack: "Oh god. Ghost things. Trill? You know magic, right?"
"What?! What am I supposed to do?"
You suggest a spell of undead banishment...or something. The ROTTEN FIGURE is starting to advance on Trill.
"I thought I was clear! I don't mess with spirit magic!"
"Ugh, well then just shoot them already!"
Zani kicks Trill in the thigh, startling him and making him reflexively shoot a beam of white light at the advancing figure. Rotten mush spatters the wall as a hole is blown through the creature's shoulder, but it's only stunned for a second. It continues to slouch towards Trill, idly ripping off pieces of his head to fill in its shoulder.
"...feel...nothing..."
The other figures look on.
"...I...miss...pain..."
"...I...miss...everything..."
The METAL FIGURE begins to advance on you.
Defense: Jump backwards
Fortunately, you manage to dodge backwards just as the METAL FIGURE takes a swing at you. A few forks and spoons slip loose from its arm and clatter to the ground, only to be slowly magnetized into its shuffling feet.
To your right, Ressa is swinging her sword through the BURNING FIGURE, but is only producing ripples through its body of burning oil.
“THIS HAS TO WORK EVENTUALLY!”
To your left, Zani and Trill are still backing away from the ROTTEN FIGURE.
"So they don't make you take...like...a Nullifying Evil Magic class or something?"
"This isn't evil magic. These are just lost souls. If we could maybe find a way to give them rest..."
"Oh HELL, not that again! Just keep blasting!"
Zani kicks Trill again, triggering another reflexive beam, but this one sadly goes wide and just blows a small crater in the wall.
12/11/23
Command: Push past them
The HAZY FIGURES drift to block your path. Annoyed, you attempt to swat them aside. The moment you touch one of them, you see a ripple of light shimmer across it. The three figures suddenly quiver with excitement.
"...yes...yes..."
"...what...we...need..."
"...live...warm..."
The three figures summon all their might, and you feel the whole kitchen begin to shake.
Out of the CRATES behind the figures, globs of rotten slop begin to drift towards one of the figures. Slowly, this mush travels through its hazy form, creating a loose assemblage of a body. Awkwardly, the figure puppets this new body in a menacing stance.
"...WE...NEED..."
The second figure draws a syphon of oil from the portable stove. Drawing in enough fluid to give itself a solid form, the entity grabs a pair of rusty knives and strikes them above its head, the sparks igniting it into a creature of oily flame.
"...YOUR...MEMORIES..."
The third figure strains to pull open some drawers near the stove, pulling out a jumble of tarnished silverware. Mixing with spatulas, knives, and any other cooking implements it can pull in, the being forms a clattering body of metal and wood. It brandishes its forked fingers.
"...GIVE US…YOUR BRAIN..."
The three figures regroup at the far side of the kitchen, clearly ready to square off for a fight. To recap, there's one consisting of rotten food mush, one composed of slowly-burning oil, and one that's awkwardly composed itself of cutlery.
And it looks like you're not getting past them without a fight.
COMBAT START!
12/10/23
Command: Pull out the mirror and hope they scare themselves
You pull out the PURE MIRROR and hold it up to the HAZY FIGURES. It appears to make them slightly more confused than they were before.
"...self...there?..."
"...more...fading...ones..."
"...why?...what?..."
You're starting to feel bad, now, so you put it away.
12/9/23
Command: "I guess you never wandered in the woods around the stoneweaver's hut"
"Around the what?"
You explain.
"Oh right, you guys met the Stoneweaver."
"It's he...like...your dad?"
Ressa considers this.
"He's my creator. I don't really think of him like a father. He's just the guy who gave me my orders."
You continue looking over the KITCHEN. Trill looks like he's debating whether or not to say something, but eventually comes out with it.
"So...does that make me the only one of our group with...parents? Like, actually-remembered parents?"
You look to Ressa and Zani and shrug.
"I see. Feels cruel to say that explains some things, but..."
Trill trails off, clearly not wanting to hurt any feelings.
Command: Nothing worth investigating here, head out
As you turn to leave, you notice your party's no longer alone. Strange glowing shapes begin to seep out of the CRATES stacked on the far end of the room. These shapes converge and coalesce, eventually forming three wispy, humanoid shapes. They look like the HAZY FIGURES you encountered back in Crestfall Village, only these ones appear to have retained a small shred of awareness. They look around, as if in a daze, trying to focus their attention on you.
"...almost...gone..."
"...can't...can't...fading..."
"...warm...close..."
The three of them are blocking your way through the crates. It feels like they want something, but can barely even remember what they want anymore.
12/8/23
Command: Go forward, this should be *fun*
You slowly creep deeper into the crypt. As you pass, a few errant sparks pop from the twisted remains of the fence, but no harm is done.
As you approach the odd stack of crates further down the hall, you realize a terrible smell is building. You suppose it's unavoidable that a crypt carries the smell of death, but this smells a bit more immediate. It's less the scent of death as it is the scent of rot.
The smell is getting worse the closer you get to the crates, and you're not keen to find out why.
Command: "Hey ressa? Have you met any other constructs like you with less of a...personality? Like, say, one designed to pick mushrooms?"
Ressa shakes her head.
"No. I've...kinda just met the same ones you have. Although..."
Ressa is suddenly thoughtful.
"During that month we were separated, I did run into some...things. I'm not sure if they were constructs, but they were definitely mechanical, and there was this creepy town full of them. I dunno what their deal was. They were all clockwork-y and didn't speak."
Zani perks up.
"OH! You mean the Village of Dolls! I love those things!"
Ressa shudders.
"They really creeped me out. No magic powering them, just springs and gears and stuff. It was almost like seeing…zombie constructs."
"I know, right? That place is so cool!"
Ressa shakes her head.
Command: Head forward.
You finally round the wall of stacked crates and find yourself in...a makeshift kitchen? There's a small ICEBOX, a portable STOVE, a foldable TABLE with some assorted KNIVES, and a SPICE RACK all along the left wall. The CRATES that effectively form the boundaries of this little room appear to contain...or have once contained...assorted groceries. However, most of them appear to be full of rotten, uneaten food, creating the horrible smell that permeates this kitchen.
"Hm. She must be living down here."
Trill coughs, his eyes watering.
"How could anyone live like this?"
You're not sure if anything in this room is worth investigating. You could slide around more crates to continue onward, or look around this kitchen for useful supplies.
12/7/23
Command: Use the leather top as a mitten...and maybe take a step back as I water
You pull out the LEATHER TOP again and wrap it around your right hand. Properly insulated, you pull out the WATERING CAN again and begin to aggressively douse the WIRE FENCE.
Sparks, pops and arcing bolts erupt once more. With your ODD SPECTACLES you can see the electrical energies being diverted into one another and forcefully shorting out. As the discharges become more intense, you cautiously back up, straining your reach to keep the water flowing on-target.
With a final burst, a surge of energy explodes out of the fence, blinding light filling the hallway. You're knocked backwards into Zani and the two of you tumble onto the floor.
It takes a second for you to regain your senses, but when you look up, you see the fence is completely destroyed. All that remains is a mess of half-charred scrap clinging to the walls.
Zani acrobatically kicks you onto your feet with her legs before handspringing upright herself. As you dust yourself off, the SPEAKER crackles to life again.
"What, what did you just do? What was that? I need that fence to keep intruders out! It’s important! Do you know how many people want to...want to..."
She has to force the words out.
"...kill...me?"
After a deep breath, she regains her focus.
"Just don't come in here. The place is a mess. I'm not ready for company. I'm busy."
The speaker powers down again. Ahead of you, the green light seems a bit brighter, but the way is blocked with stacks of...boxes? Hard to tell from this distance. You'll have to keep moving.
12/5/23
Command: Put the top away and try using the watering can.
You pull out the WATERING CAN and begin to gingerly sprinkle water on the WIRE FENCE.
Immediately, a shower of sparks and arcing bolts erupt across the structure. You get the sense you might be able to short the fence out if you keep this up, but soon the electrical charge manages to work its way up the water stream, zapping the metal watering can and your hand along with it.
WOUND increased to Level 1!
After a split-second of excruciating pain, you withdraw the watering can before any more juice can go into your arm. The fence continues to spark and sputter, flashes of blue electricity briefly overtaking the eerie green. You've clearly disrupted the flow of energy, but it's not quite enough.
12/4/23
Command: Using the leather top to shield my hands, climb the fence
Unfortunately, this fails to work for a number of reasons. Setting aside the logistics of using a single leather vest to shield both your hands as you climb somehow, which is a difficult thing to visualize, the WIRE FENCE extends too high to the ceiling to be safely climbed over. Though there is a small GAP between the fence and the ceiling, it would be difficult to fit a person though, especially if that person is wearing platemail and trying to climb with a vest on their hands.
Since the fence/ceiling situation wasn't properly described, let's be kind and decide you don't actually attempt this.
12/3/23
Command: Put on the boots and use the Armour as a hand-sheild
You put on the FLEETFOOT BOOTS. After what feels like months of wearing solid steel, the experience of finally putting on comfortable footwear is borderline euphoric. With these new boots, you suddenly feel incredibly nimble, even in platemail.
ARMOR reduced to Level 3!
ENCUMBERANCE reduced to Level 2!
AGILITY increased to Level 2!
You no longer feel heavy at all. It seems that ENCUMBERANCE and AGILITY are stats that cancel each other out. Since they're currently equal, they're effectively both at Level 0. It's an interesting feeling, and you wonder if your other stats have opposed stats.
You hold up the LEATHER TOP like a shield. Since it's not designed to be used that way, it's not considered "equipped" by you doing this, but feel free to use it however you want regardless.
12/2/23
Command: Throw the leather armor at it
You toss the LEATHER TOP at the WIRE FENCE. Just as you might have suspected, nothing happens. You throw the FLEETFOOT BOOTS for good measure, and get the same result. They bounce off harmlessly, notably un-fried.
Looks like leather stuff is insulated from the electricity! That's probably not how physics work in real life, so be thankful you're in the Land of Shadows.
12/1/23
Command: "Hey trill? Do you know how to recognize magic colors?"
Trill looks confused.
"Magic...colors? Like the colors of mana?"
You explain about the ODD SPECTACLES. Curious, he borrows them and takes a peek through. You see his eyes widen behind the lenses.
"Oh! I've heard of this! These are gem lenses that let people visualize enchantments. Never tried them on, myself. Wild!"
You ask if this is how Trill sees magic, as he’s apparently naturally-attuned to it.
"No, not at all. I don't 'see' magical energy, I feel it. I reach out and touch it with my mind. These glasses are something totally different. Pretty handy for reading enchantments, but...I've never been trained to use them."
Trill gives the spectacles back to you. Zani is getting impatient.
"Okay, well can you 'sense' what enchantment we're dealing with?"
"Oh the fence? Oh, yes, that one’s very simple. It's a non-runic self-focal object voltation dismode."
Zani awaits a simpler explanation.
"It's electrified. It'll zap the hell out of you if you touch it."
"So what do you recommend."
"Don't touch it."
Zani sighs.
11/30/23
Command: Try to see if I recognize this color of magic
The color of the energy flowing through the WIRE FENCE doesn't mean anything to you, yet. You haven't used the ODD SPECTACLES enough to recognize enchantments by color. However, the jagged, arcing way the energy flows through the fence gives you a pretty clear impression of what's going on here.
Magically-conjured though it may be, it's raw electricity. This is an electric fence.
11/29/23
Notice: LOADING COMPLETE!
After walking for what feels like over a week, you finally reach the landing at the bottom of the STAIRS leading into the crypt.
You are in stone hallway bathed in eerie green light. Looking around, it's difficult to discern any kind of light source, almost as if there's just a subtle, irridescent glow to the masonry itself. In the walls are etchings of clear religious significance, worn to the point of illegibility by time. This place feels much older than the church above it.
Immediately in front of you is a glowing WIRE FENCE stretched across the width of the hall, sealed with a WIRE FENCE GATE locked with a PADLOCK. This, in contrast to the rest of the crypt, looks very new. Also, briefly lowering your ODD SPECTACLES reveals that the fence isn't actually glowing at all, but rather your spectacles are seeing an incredible amount of raw magic power flowing through the metal. You're not sure what exactly this magic is, but needless to say, you find yourself very disinclined to touch the fence with your bare hands.
The only other thing of interest in this entryway is another phonograph-style SPEAKER, extending down the length of the hall and through a small gap in the upper right of the fence. Upon your approach, the speaker crackles to life.
"Hey, so, I guess I wasn't clear and I'm sorry, but I'm not accepting visitors right now. I'm doing a delicate experiment and I kinda need to concentrate. Whatever this is about, just come back later okay?"
The speaker is silent once more. Trill has his arms folded, looking oddly pensive. He lets out a sigh.
"What is it?"
Trill shakes his head.
"Something about this...lich. It's hard to put into words. I suppose I expected someone a little more...um..."
"Evil-sounding?"
"...It sounds childish, but yes, I guess that's accurate."
"Eh, I just think she sounds annoying. Anyway, how're we breaking this fence down?"
11/28/23
Command: Step up to the mic. "Zylen"
There's another brief pause. You're starting to wonder if this MICROPHONE is even hooked up to any sort of mechanism.
However, that question is soon answered when the floor beneath the ALTAR begins to rumble. You and your party dive into the seats as the altar rises into the air, revealing under it a long STAIRCASE bathed in eerie green light. With a resounding THUNK, the altar locks into place, and the way into the Lich's crypt is open.
As you peer down the stairs, the same SPEAKER emerges from the altar above you. You hear the same high-strung young woman on the other end, sounding even more frazzled than before."
"What the...? How did you...? Was it really that obvious? Look, I...I have a lot on my mind right now. I can't be remembering complicated passwords. That doesn't mean you're allowed to come in, okay? I'm running delicate experiments, so whatever you want, can we do it later? Just...just leave, please."
The speaker retracts back into the altar.
Trill is looking over the prayers you were showing him earlier.
"...OH! It's Zylen, because-...I get it, now. That's cute, it's like a little puzzle."
You motion for Trill to pay attention. With little else worth seeing in the church, you and your party begin your descent into the crypt.
The stair extend deep into the earth, lit by a strange green light that has no apparent source. From the stop of the stairs, you can barely see the bottom.
This might take a while.
NOW LOADING!
11/18/23
Command: "I feel like I'm missing something, can you examine these two prayers for me?"
You hand both books to Trill and he looks them over. He furrows his brow.
"Hm. What about them?"
You explain that these passages just stood out to you for some reason. He seems confused, so you ask what he's figured out, instead.
"Well, here's what I've managed to put together."
Trill points at the STAINED-GLASS WINDOWS lining the walls.
"First, the password is likely the name of one of the Lost Gods, since it's asking who we worship in a place of their worship."
You nod. Seems reasonable.
"Second, since the Lich set up the password to prove her own identity, it seems likely that 'Who do you worship?' actually refers to her. It's the one SHE worships."
You nod again. You'd already kind of figured that out.
"And third...the Lich seems to have some animosity towards Sil, God of Shadows. It's likely she was the one who smashed his window, and most of his iconography has been cleared out of here as well. So, the password definitely isn't Sil."
You consider these points. Zani and Ressa seem lost.
"So where does this leave us?"
"Um, we say the other six names into the microphone until one of them works."
Trill grumbles.
"Oh, come now! It's clearly just some simple deduction! Can't you at least try to do this like real adventurers?"
Ressa thinks hard.
"Well, maybe it's like...the opposite of the God of Shadows. Which one is the God of Light?"
"There is no God of Light."
"Ugh. This religion is stupid."
“Now you’re talking.”
Ressa immediately looks defeated, but you have a feeling Ressa might be on the right track.
11/17/23
Command: Scan anything relating to fairness or death or shadows. Trill said this place was mostly dedicated to Sil, right?
The main thing of note is that the large STAINED GLASS WINDOW of SIL behind the ALTAR appears to have been smashed. There's a giant hole where his face would be. Looks like someone chucked a rock through it, and given the absense of glass on the floor, it appears to have been an "inside job" as it were.
Besides that, there's surprisingly little paraphanalia around here that's specific to Sil. You'd think there would be tapistries or...coffins or whatever a church of death would keep around, but there's none of that. Hmmm...
Command: Look through the religious texts in my inventory
You open up the RELIGIOUS TEXT in your inventory. A lot of it is similar to what you found in the PRAYER BOOK, though it looks more recently-printed.
There is one rather strange prayer that catches your eye, though. It's a prayer specific to the worship of Sil.
THOSE IMMORTAL
Warriors of Bludletta are immortalized as heroes.
Librarians of Stelios are immortalized by history.
Artisans of Sforzando are immortalized through their works.
Cultivators of Zylen are immortalized with the power of life itself.
Agents of Mirthina are immortalized through the lives they touch.
Sages of Quadris are immortalized in the tapestry of all things.
But the souls of Sil know better, that none may live forever.
Interesting, but you still feel like you might be missing a piece of the puzzle somehow.
Trill is examining the altar, seemingly finding little.
“So, have you figured anything out?”
11/16/23
Command: Go look for any religious texts
Hidden amongst the rotting SEATS, you find a couple musty PRAYER BOOKS.
You pick up one and leaf through it for any clues on what the password might be. Most of the prayers are fairly dense, but one near the start catches your eye.
FOR THEY ARE ALL
Their domains are all we see.
Their domains are all we are.
Bludletta, Fire, Violence, Victory, Passion. May she set our blood aflame with righteousness.
Stelios, Stones, History, Memory, Time. May we all become part of his great etching.
Sforzando, Wind, Art, Music, Creativity. May our song carry on his breezes.
Zylen, Water, Life, Growth, Beginnings. May her rains nourish and enrich us.
Mirthina, Happiness, Emotion, Madness, Love. May her beauty enrapture us, even as her temptations test our faith.
Sil, Shadows, Death, Void, Murder. May he be fair in his judgement.
Quadris, Forcefields, Mystery, Stars, Truth. May he protect us from all we cannot see.
Their domains are all we see.
Their domains are even more.
To this, to them, we pray.
For they are all.
You give the prayer a few reads. It’s…not very poetic. It seems like this prayer is mostly just a list of the different domains the Lost Gods had. You feel like there's a hint here, though it may not be everything you need.
Command: "Wow. That is...the first person who's religious that we've met, who *hasn't* worshipped the smiling one."
Trill looks thoughtful.
"Yes, I suppose it is rather strange."
He steps down from the ALTAR and looks over the STAINED-GLASS WINDOWS.
"Ever since the Lost Gods departed this world, places of worship have seen little use. It's not surprising you've never been in one before."
You remind Trill that it has more to do with your lack of memories.
"Oh, quite right. Well, typically houses of worship for the Pantheon would select one of seven as their primary focus. Look here..."
Trill points to the place on the altar where the symbol of Sil is surrounded by the symbols of the other gods.
"This house put special focus on the worship of Sil, God of Shadows. Fitting, I suppose, for the Land of Shadows, though it is a little unnerving."
"What's so unnerving about it?"
"Well, gods have many domains. While Sil is the God of Shadows, he was just-as-commonly known as the...God of Death. As such, he wasn't especially popular. Seeing a church dedicated to his worship is...a little odd."
Zani cocks her head.
"I thought you studied magic, not dead religions."
Trill shrugs as he thoughtfully traces his hand along the wall.
"My grandmother was a true believer of the Pantheon's return. A dying breed, but every family still has at least one, where I'm from anyway."
You look back at the MIRCOPHONE. You're not sure any of this has helped narrow down the password.
11/15/23
Command: That's easy. "The smiling one!"
At first, there's no response. Despite your confidence, that doesn't seem to have actually been the password. The wind whistles through the rotting frame of the church as you consider other options.
Suddenly, though, there's a whirring from the far side of the ALTAR. Above the MICROPHONE, a small, gramophone-style SPEAKER emerges. After a little static, you hear the voice of high-strung young woman.
"Um, h-hello? Who is this? Why are you trying to get into my home? Is that what you're doing? That microphone isn't for you. It's for me to get into my...place that I live. Don't use it. Go away, please."
The speaker retreats back into the altar.
Command: Walk up to the altar
You step up to the ALTAR. It's rotten and splintered, but still standing. Despite its age, you notice an odd MICROPHONE-like device built into the top. You tap it a couple times, but it doesn't appear to be hooked up to any speakers.
Below the microphone, resting on the altar, is a small NOTEPAD. Many different things have been scribbled out, but the words at the bottom remain clear, written in seemingly recent ink.
"SPEAK THE NAME OF THE ONE YOU WORSHIP!"
Hmmm. A microphone. A prompt. This must be the place to say a password.
11/14/23
Command: hi
The skull wiggles in an attempted wave.
"Hello down there!"
Command: "Who are you. And is the person responsible for this behavior down here?"
The skull awkwardly nods once again.
"My name’s Tinni! And, I take it you're asking about our local lich?"
"Yeah, we're here to kill her!"
"Ah, good on ya'! I came here to do that very thing! But, um...I'm afraid this is all that's left of me."
Trill shakes his head, solumnly. Zani looks around the room.
"Umm...so, where is she?"
"She's in the crypt under the church. There's a secret passage to get in, but..."
Tinni sighs.
"When she reduced me to this, a lot of my memories were lost. I don't remember exactly how to open the passage anymore."
Tinni looks as thoughtful as a skull can, clearly trying to remember anything that could be helpful.
"I know it has to do with the altar. I think there's a password or something. But that's all I remember. You'll have to figure out the rest yourself, I'm afraid."
Command: "Let's do this." Step inside.
Carefully, you step through the DOOR into the CHURCH.
Inside, a smell of decay hits you almost immediately. From the splintering wood of the ALTAR to the molding cushions of the SEATS, it's clear this place has been left to rot for decades.
You realize, looking around, that you have no memory of ever being in a church before. Still, this looks roughly like you would have imagined them. A dozen or so rows of seats are lined up before great altar, backed by a CHOIR PIT. Adorning the altar you see SYMBOLS which you immediately recognize as the symbols of the Lost Gods. The daggar-shaped symbol of Sil, God of Shadows, is encircled by the symbols of the other six.
Speaking of the Lost Gods, looking around, you see the room has seven STAINED-GLASS WINDOWS depicting each of them. To your left, you see BLUDLETTA, QUADRIS and MIRTHINA, and to the right are STELIOS, SFORZANDO and ZYLEN. The window for SIL stands at the far end of the room behind the altar. Notably, this window seems to have had a rock thrown through it, as there's a HOLE right through Sil's face.
You notice, in this moment, that the crying has stopped, and a voice from above suggest where it was coming from.
"Oh, hello! If you're here for a service you're a few decades too late I'm afraid."
You look up. There's a SKULL hooked onto a HANGING CANDELABRA suspended from the ceiling.
"Were you the one crying?"
The skull nods, rattling against the candelabra.
"Pardon me. Just having a bit of an existential crisis up here. Nothing to worry about. So, do you need something?"
11/13/23
Command: "Y'all ready?"
Your allies look uncertain.
"Hm. Well, if we are to fight a lich, I suppose a moment's repose might be helpful."
Your party spends a moment collecting themselves. Trill, still recovering from having been thrown over a FENCE, carefully brushes all the sand and grass out of his hair with his fingers. Ressa does a brief systems check, patting herself down and flexing her joints, with particular attention paid to her new grappling-hand. Zani disappears for about thirty seconds and is doing a handstand atop the fence when you see her next, which is probably best left unquestioned.
Preparations complete, your crew gathers around the ominously ajar door of the CHURCH.
"I must say, this feels like our first real adventure."
"What about the Burning University?"
"No, that was just tedious."
You look to your allies. They're all ready to go.
The crying within the church hasn't stopped...
11/12/23
Command: "Well, it was worth a shot." Toss some brigandvine seeds on the ground and water them.
You spread some BRIGANDVINE SEEDS and water them with the WATERING CAN. In about a minute, a sturdy ladder of VINES has grown on the side of the IRON FENCE.
"Great! Problem solved!"
"Um, I'm still not sure I have the upper-body strength to climb that."
"Don't worry, I have a plan."
"Oh, well what were-...WAH!"
Ressa grabs Trill, hoists him over her head, and tosses him over the fence. She climbs the fence after him, and you follow behind her, finding a dazed Trill picking himself up off the ground.
"You need to warn me if you're going to do that."
"Okay. This is your warning. I'm going to continue to do that."
Trill rolls his eyes.
You're now on the church grounds. The CHURCH DOOR is ajar, and it looks as though you could walk right in without issue. The IRON GATE behind you looks like it could be unlocked from this side, perhaps to facilitate a hastier getaway. To the side of the church is a small GRAVEYARD that seems abandoned, although thinking about it, Crestfall wouldn't really need a graveyard right now, huh?
Over the hollow sound of blowing through the empty grounds, you hear a faint sound like crying. It's coming from inside the church.
Command: Oh, and pop an evertin
You pop open an EVERTIN. This one's full of raisins. No sauce, no other dried fruits, just raisins. It's a bit of a struggle to eat an entire can-full of raisins in one go, but it's amazingly filling.
All HUNGER removed!
11/11/23
Command: "We do, but...can I try something else first?" Equip sword and try to boost trill and ressa over the fence
You already have the SWORD equipped. Holding it in your hand, you feel a surge of fighting spirit, boosting your COMBAT by two levels.
Brimming with confidence, you grab Ressa by the waist and attempt to lift her over the IRON FENCE. Unfortunately, as much as you strain, you only get her a few inches off the ground before you’re forced to give up out of exhaustion and awkwardness.
It seems that, unlike when Ressa holds it, having the sword equipped doesn’t make you physically stronger. It just increases your fighting prowess.
11/10/23
Command: We have a job to do. Head for the church. "Hey trill? Do you ever think you'll feel better about the whole...murder thing?"
"No. And could we stop calling it that? We're going to rescue the people of this village, by...the means...we deem...required. If we can stop the lich without killing her...I'd rather we did."
Ressa looks thoughtful.
"What is a lich, anyway?"
Trill sighs.
"It's...kind of a blanket term for people who use magic to blur the boundaries of life and death. The magics that make Runewalkers could be viewed as a lich art, as could necromancy obviously. It's a tempting field of study, but incredibly dangerous. Souls exist in a very delicate balance, and lich arts have the potential to damage if not...completely erase them. No ghost, no afterlife, just...gone."
Trill's expression is as grim as you've ever seen.
"It's...the worst thing magic is capable of."
"What about mind-controlling someone into eating themselves?"
There's a pause as Trill raises his head, giving Zani an intense glare.
"Or what about-...?"
"I'm not having this debate with you."
You arrive at the IRON FENCE surrounding the CHURCH, locked by a heavy IRON GATE. It's not much of an obstacle for you. While it would take a little effort, you could climb over it pretty handily. Illustrating your point, Zani has already jumped atop the fence and is walking back and forth along it.
"Okay, everyone over!"
Trill and Ressa look at each other with trepidation.
"Um, I'm a bit heavy to jump that."
"And I'm a bit...not good at climbing things."
Zani sighs.
"Well just kick it down, then!"
Ressa kicks the fence a couple times. It buckles a little, but not much.
"I could, but that'd take a while. Don't we have anything that could give us a boost?"
11/9/23
Command: Head off towards the church. It's murder time.
With a nod, you rally your party and head for the door. Boone raises a glass.
"Wow, you're really doin' this, huh?"
"It's kinda our thing."
"What is? Killing people?"
"Sadly..."
Boone raises a glass.
"Hey, good luck out there, kids!"
The other skeletons similarly raise their glasses to wish you well. There are cheers and applause, but the crowd quickly goes back to their normal drinking. The gesture feels slightly half-hearted. You get the sense they've done this many times before.
Exiting The Sunken Skull, you find yourself back in the PLAZA. The cool night air hits you, and you realize what a strange feeling it was to be surrounded by people in a place like this. Now you're back to your usual solitude, party-of-three notwithstanding.
Looking around the plaza, you notice a couple things. The HAZY FIGURES that were in the ALLEYWAY are now completely gone. No trace of them anywhere. You also notice the SHOP to your left, decorated with flowers and still invitingly-lit. You never did check that out.
Directly in front of you stands the CHURCH. It's a small chapel, ornate as the builders could muster but still mostly just a longhouse with STAINED-GLASS WINDOWS. The church is surrounded by a rickety IRON FENCE slightly taller than your eyeline, with a locked IRON GATE. It's not much in the way of defense, and looks eminately jumpable.
For completeness sake, I'll note that there's also the ROAD out of town to your far left, as well as some RANDOM HOUSES dotted around and a DOCK on the lake behind you, but none of these are especially relevant to your current quest unless you're really curious about them.
11/8/23
Command: "So someone beneath the church? Hey trill! It's your favorite kind of asshole to beat!"
Trill's skin is still clearly crawling, but he actually manages a smile when you say this.
"Unfortunately, in this case you're right."
His face falls again.
"I don't relish the prospect of violence but in a case like this it seems inordinately warranted. This kind of thing cannot be allowed to continue."
Boone cocks his head.
"Wait, you actually wanna go kill her?"
"Of course we do! Why haven't you guys done it already?"
Boone chuckles and flexes his arms.
"In case you haven't noticed, we don't have much in the way of muscle. Just movin' our bones takes most of our energy. Swingin' 'em with actual force? Forget it."
"So no one's even tried?"
"Oh no, plenty have. Braver skeletons than me have kicked that door down tons of times. But...no soul that goes down into the crypt ever comes back...living or dead."
Boone sits down on a nearby stool, grabbing another mug of Good Times Ale.
"So if you don't mind, I'll be staying right here. The church is across the plaza if you want into the crypt. Just...don't say I didn't warn you."
Command: Pull out flute and play the tune again.
You play a little tune on the FLUTE. Boone flashes an impressively lip-less grin.
"Perfect."
In one swift motion, Boone leaps out of the BOOTH and onto the STAGE, his bones clattering into place on landing. Everyone in The Sunken Skull turns to watch him as he pulls out his GUITAR.
"A little accompaniment, if you please."
Boone strums his guitar. You put the flute to your lips again and, surprisingly, a tune emerges that synchs exactly with Boone's playing. It seems the flute already knows this song somehow.
On the other side of the stage, a pair of disembodied SKELETAL HANDS begin to play the PIANO. Guitar, flute, and piano all in harmony, Boone begins to sing...
Now when most people pass away, as near as one can tell,
Their soul ascends to paradise, or shuffles off to...Well,
Suffice to say the dead don't stay on this plane very long.
So take one look around and you'll see something here is wrong.
See when you die in Crestfall, things don't quite go as planned.
Your body fall onto the floor, but your soul just kinda stands.
There's no 'moving on' or 'passing,' just a ghost without a clue.
So you shrug, pick up your bones, and look for something else to do.
We've tried waiting, we've tried wishing, we've tried every kind of prayer.
No unfinished business keeps us here, but we can't go nowhere.
We're trapped right here in Crestfall, and it's worse than it may seem,
'Cause as we stay on this mortal plane...our souls are losing steam.
The tone of the song turns somber. Boone hangs his head as he sings.
Time and entropy are nasty concepts.
They say the afterlife has next to none.
But while we're sitting here among the living...
Our souls are dying, each and every one.
You look around. The whole room has a chilly atmosphere. Trill, in particular, looks horrified to his core.
Your memories, your senses...they start to fade away.
A little Good Times Ale helps, but you lose the race someday.
And when the stuff that makes you 'you' dissolves into the mist...
Boone points upwards at the HAZY FIGURES floating in the rafters.
...You float away, an empty soul, and wait to not exist.
The bar falls silent. Your party is speechless, but Trill sputters for words.
"B-...but does anyone know why this is happening?"
Boone cocks his head at Trill. He smiles, seemingly wanting to bring the mood of the room back up.
"Oh yeah, we know."
He resumes his playing, upbeat once again.
See there's a very special someone livin' deep beneath the church.
She's the reason life and death have all been left here in the lurch.
She does experiments with spirits, doin' science on our souls.
And she's the scariest lich-type lady that the Land of Shadows holds.
"A lich?!"
"I dunno if that's the technical term, but it sounds fitting."
So lemme cap this song off with with a lesson, if I may.
If you plan on dyin' sometime soon, please do it far away.
I know it may seem fun here, it's a party every night.
But it's just a way to pass time...before time turns out the lights.
And dramatically, the lights go out.
"Okay, turn the lights back on, I can't actually see."
The light come back on and Boone strides up to the table. He seems pleased to have been able to perform for a new audience.
"So, you get all that?"
11/7/23
Command: Walk over to boone
Choosing confidence, you walk across the room towards Boone's BOOTH, the rest of your party in tow.
The two BATTLE CONSTRUCTS watch you closely, but don't try to stop you. In particular, you notice them look Ressa over before shrugging and returning to their conversation. You're not sure what that was about.
The constructs' table cleared, you continue towards Boone, who's hopped up to greet you.
"Heyyy! So, you've seen the machine, huh? Pretty scary, right?"
Boone cackles as he falls back into his seat. The four of you awkwardly cram into the booth with him. Fortunately, being a skeleton, Boone doesn't take up too much room on the chair.
"Now, you were going to tell us how this town became...the way it is?"
"I was? Oh, right, I was. Hmmmm..."
Boone rocks his head back and forth thoughtfully. You can't tell if he's drunk or just...like this.
"Well, I am a musician. When it comes to a story like this, I tell it better in song. None of you would happen to be...musically-inclined, would you?"
11/6/23
Command: "Yeah. We should. And zani? A happy memory...should be happy for the majority of it. Not for a small moment and then unpleasant for the rest."
Zani considers this as the three of you walk out of the room. She shrugs.
“Whatever. I guess my memories are just too cool to be happy.”
As you return to the main hall of The Sunken Skull, you see Boone tipping back a mug of Good Times Ale in the BOOTH on the far side of the room. He starts waving you over when he sees you.
Walking over there would take you past the central table where two BATTLE CONSTRUCTS are still sitting conspicuously. You notice they seem to be sneaking glances at Ressa, but you’re not sure what they’re up to. They might just be passing through like you.
There’s also still the STAGE with the PIANO if you want to check that out.
11/5/23
Command: "zani- that's not a happy memory. just because it has a funny moment doesn't make it happy"
Zani chuckles.
"There's a difference?"
Though she says it like a joke, you can sense some genuine confusion in her voice. She continues to chuckle, looking nervously at the rest of the group.
Clearly desperate to change the subject, Ressa points at the MECHANICAL ORB at the center of the STILL.
"Hey, isn't that one of those engine things we need?"
Zani hops up on the PIPES and takes a close look at the orb. She tries to pull it out, but it's firmy secured in place. She pulls harder and her grip slips, sending her tumbling to the floor with a crash.
"Yeah, it's really in there. How do we get it out?"
Ressa lifts her blade.
"I can think of one way."
There's a brief pause. After a moment, Ressa and Zani look at Trill.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing I guess. I just figured smashing this thing would be something you'd object to."
Trill sighs.
"I don't know what to think. Necromancy, altering the mind...these are among the worst kinds of magic. Even so, if these people are truly cursed, I doubt any of this is their fault."
He takes a deep breath.
"We should find out what's really going on, here. That Boone character was going to explain it, right? Let's...speak to him."
11/4/23
Command: Lift my hand off it "sorry, I'm amnesiac."
The bartender nods.
“Ain’t no trouble. We already got topped-off pretty recently. That is, unless anyone else is feeling generous.”
The bartender looks at the rest of the party.
“I’d…rather not.”
“I don’t have enough memories to be willing to part with any yet.”
Zani looks at the others, then shrugs.
“Well, I’ll try it. This sounds cool.”
Zani skips up to the PLATE and slaps her hand down on it. The machine whirs to life again. You see Zani roll her head around on her shoulders, clearly enjoying the strange feeling of having her mind probed. As Zani selects a memory and focuses hard, there’s a brief pause…and then the machine shuts down again. Zani lifts her hand in confusion.
“Wait…what happened?”
The bartender, similarly confused, checks the gauges and shakes his head.
“Huh. Looks like the ol’ still couldn’t detect any happy memories.”
“What? I’ve got happy memories! I’ve got tons! My life’s been great!”
“What memory were you trying to give it?”
“Well, I was remembering this one time when I was escorting a band of religious missionaries through the Erstwild, and this bear with scythes for hands lept out and cut off all their heads at once with one swing. It chased me into a ditch, and I had to stay down there for two days with crickets crawling all over me. Man, I woulda starved if I didn’t know crickets were edible.”
The air in the room is one of quiet alarm.
“…But anyway, the way all their heads came off at once was really funny to me at the time. So that…was the memory.”
The bartender shudders.
“Ummm…Hey, d-drinks are on me tonight.”
The bartender shuffles out of the room. Zani seems confused.
“Huh. Maybe you had to be there.”
11/3/23
Command: "Fffffine." Place my hand on the plate
You slowly lay your hand on the PLATE. A soft glow spreads through the pipes of the machine. Valves hiss and tubing shudders in anticipation.
At first, you feel slightly dizzy, but your wits quickly return. You can feel that this machine is connected to your mind, now. Anything you think about or remember, you feel a subtle pinch as the device inspects that thought, vigorously scanning your every passing notion. It's an incredibly disconcerting feeling, like an invisible stick is being dragged across your brain.
The bartender sees your discomfort.
"Don't worry. It won't hurt ya' none. Just, give it a happy memory. Nothin' too special, just a nice thought you wouldn't mind losing. A nice walk, a good meal, a pretty sunset...whatever."
Trill is very alarmed.
"This thing steal memories?!"
The bartender sighs deeply. He does not take kindly to that accusation.
"It ain't stealin'. It's charity. It's what we gotta do to hold on."
He turns back to you.
"Like I said, it doesn't have to be anything important, just somethin' nice. Can you do that?"
The machine is hungrily probing your mind, but it’s clearly waiting for your go-ahead. Do you have anything to give it?
11/2/23
Command: "...well, that probably would help trill. One order of-wait, shit, I'm broke."
"Yeah, we...don't have money."
The bartender smirks.
"And we don't take it. Livin' folks like you can pay another way."
The bartender motions for you to follow him, and leads your party around a corner to a room behind the bar. As you approach the door, you hear a mechanical whirring growing louder.
Inside the room, you're confronted with a bizarre machine that appears to be a very elaborate STILL. Large VATS are connected to a series of PIPES and VALVES that, for some reason, all lead down to a copper PLATE with a handprint on it.
One piece of the machine immediately catches you eye. In the center of the tangle of pipes, you see another MECHANICAL ORB, just like the one in your inventory. It appears to be in use as a pumping mechanism, and is clearly central to this whole operation.
"What...is this thing?"
"What’s it look like? It’s where we brew our brew! Like I said, Good Times Ale is made with happy thoughts. If you want to start a tab, just pay with a little...positivity."
The bartender taps the handprint plate, indicating one of you should put a hand on it.
10/31/23
Command: Go up to the bar and ask what their drink selection is
The BARTENDER is a tall skeleton wearing a ragged but impeccably-clean sweater vest. Though lacking eyes, you can see him watch you intently as you approach.
“Well, well, well, looks like we’ve hooked a few more live ones. Welcome to The Sunken Skull.”
“Really leaning into the whole skeleton thing, huh?”
“Actually, it was called that even before we all got cursed. Ain’t that convenient?”
Mention of a curse seems to focus Trill somewhat?
“Hang on. Cursed?”
The bartender taps the top of his skull.
“Yeah, you surprised? This ain’t exactly my natural hair color.”
“Oh…right.”
You ask what drinks are on offer.
“Yeah, how does drinking even work, here?”
The bartender grins, which is interesting to see a skeleton do, and wordlessly pours a MUG of that ODD ALE from a large TAP behind the bar. The ale is slightly more…blue color than you’ve ever seen naturally occur in alcohol, but it’s definitely beer. He holds up the mug.
“Good Times Ale, brewed with happy thoughts.”
The bartender slides the mug down the bar to a waiting SKELETON PATRON, who immediately hoists it and begins to drink. As you watch, the beverage vaporizes instantly the moment it touches the faint aura of purple surrounding the skeleton’s bones. As it drinks, you see waves of blue wash over this aura.
The bartender leans towards you, seeing your confusion.
“See, we don’t need food or drink to keep us going. All we’ve got left is spirit, so spirit magic’s what we indulge in around here.”
He hooks a finger at Ressa.
“Kinda like your friend. We’re not so different, bein’ made of spirit energy and all. She puppets a pile of rocks, I shake my bones. Same difference.”
You ask if Good Times Ale is safe for the living to drink.
“Sure. It just enchanted ale. I’ve heard it tastes fine, not that I’d know. Heheh.”
10/30/23
Command: "hey trill, you think a drink would help calm you down?'
"Possibly."
Ressa opens the door of the TAVERN, revealing a skeletal BARTENDER pouring a glass of odd-colored ALE into the mouth of a SKULL that's hopping happily on the BAR.
"Nevermind."
You stand in the doorway and look around the tavern. Despite apparently being new, it looks just as old and decayed as everywhere else you've seen in the Land of Shadows. However, unlike everywhere else, attempts have been made to liven up the atmosphere wherever possible. Salvaged ship pieces, planters of half-dead flowers and a few peeling paintings have been hung to give the place some home-like character. Haphazard torchlight illuminates a small clientelle of SKELETONS scattered lazily around the establishment, idly conversing while sipping glasses of STRANGE ALE.
Overhead, a couple more HAZY FIGURES are floating in the rafters, just as catatonic as the others. No one seems to be paying them any mind.
After surveying the area, you consider where to go next. Right in front of you is the BAR, being tended by a friendly skeletal bartender. In the far corner you see a BOOTH with Boone leaning on it, a drink already in his hand. There's a STAGE with a PIANO on the back wall, though no one is playing at the moment. Finally, rather surprisingly, there's a table in the middle of the room where two BATTLE CONSTRUCTS are talking in a serious tone. Aside from your party, they're the only non-skeletal patrons in the room, but they seem welcome.
10/29/23
Command: Pull out the FLUTE, playing a reassuring melody has to work one of these times
This is not one of those times. Your playing of the FLUTE summons a small swirl of wind which rustles the HAZY FIGURES like fallen leaves. Trill clearly does not find any of this reassuring.
Your playing is interrupted by a strange force behind you.
“Heeeeeey, that’s a groovy tune!”
You turn. Leaning against the wall of the TAVERN is a RAGGED SKELETON, his bones suspended in a light purple aura and clad with the tattered remains of what were clearly once vibrantly-colored clothes. Strapped on his back is a GUITAR, kept in immaculate condition unlike the rest of him. He adjusts the frames of his broken glasses as he looks you over.
“Don’t stop on my account. I’ve been the only musician in this ‘berg since I first climbed outta the dirt. Kinda nice to be able to listen for once.”
Trill is…reacting as you’d expect, but Ressa and Zani just look curious.
“Who are you?”
“Yeah, and what are you?”
The skeleton chuckles.
“New in town, huh? The name’s Boone, and I’m a professional, classically-trained, world-class guitar player…hehe…but that’s not what you were asking about, is it?”
Boone sidles over to the door of the tavern, slipping inside as he calls to you.
“If I’ve gotta do the introductions, I’m gonna need a drink.”
The door closes behind him. You look to your party, and they don’t seem to quite know what to make of any of this.
10/28/23
Command: Try and pull trill away from them
The HAZY FIGURES do not react in any way as you stride into the ALLEYWAY, clasping a hand on Trill’s wrist and leading him back to the group. Ressa steps forward to pat Trill on the back.
“You okay, guy?”
Trill straightens himself and steadies his breathing. He looks a bit sheepish.
“Um…yes. My apologies. My magic training has instilled in me a rather…visceral reaction to…”
Trill lowers his voice, as though afraid to even speak the next word.
“…necromancy.”
Trill turns and looks at the hazy figures, still hovering in place, reacting to nothing.
“Terrible stuff, manipulating the souls of the dead. It’s the most unnatural of magics, going against the very core of what makes us…us.”
Zani taps one of the figures on the foot. It silently and weightlessly floats away, still not reacting.
“So, what are these things?”
Trill shakes his head.
“Ghosts. I’m not sure why they’re…like this, but they’re definitely earthbound souls.”
Trill shudders. He clearly doesn’t want to be here anymore.
10/27/23
Command: "Trill? Any chance you're outside?"
You hear whimpering coming from the ALLEYWAY.
Moving to a better vantage point, you look down the alley. You see Trill, cowering, and surrounded by strange HAZY FIGURES. These figures, humanoid in shape, are just hazy purple silhouettes floating in the air. As you watch, they don’t appear to actually be menacing Trill. In fact, they don’t seem to do much of anything, and are just floating aimlessly.
Whatever they are, they have Trill seriously freaked out.
10/26/23
Command: "Actually, we do."
Zani snags the MECHANICAL ORB from your inventory and holds it up.
“We’re looking for two more of these. You seen ‘em?”
The guard cocks his head, thoughtful.
“Not that I remember. ‘Course, my memory isn’t great.”
Trill steps forward.
“Apparently one of them was taken by a…um…skeleton?”
There’s a pause as the guard shifts his gaze to Trill. After a moment, he lets out a hearty laugh.
“Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…”
The guard lifts the visor of his helmet so you can see his face clearly. However…there’s just a skull staring back at you.
“…around here, that doesn’t really narrow it down.”
Trill screams, reeling back in alarm. In a panic, he runs off, heading directly into town.
“TRILL! WAIT!”
Trill has disappeared around a corner.
“Dammit, look what you did!”
The skeletal guard is still chuckling, his bones rattling around inside his armor.
“Sorry. I love doin’ that to people.”
Frustrated, you leave the guard and head into town, calling after Trill. Looking around, you see that Crestfall Village is a surprisingly normal-looking hamlet. The buildings aren’t crumbling, the windows aren’t broken, and the shadows aren’t swarming with unspeakable horrors. Through the windows, you see skeletal faces watching you curiously, and a faint clatter of bones can be heard echoing through the streets.
Rounding a corner, you’ve officially lost which way Trill went. The obvious landmarks you could try are a brightly-lit PUB by the water, a majestic CHURCH in the center of town, a humble SHOP decorated with flowers and a secluded ALLEYWAY right next to it.
10/25/23
Command: Wave hello
You wave to the GUARD and he waves back. There’s something unusual about the way his arm moves, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. Too mechanical, perhaps?
“Ah, more travelers! Welcome to Crestfall Village!”
Ressa whispers to Zani.
“So, what’s this place?”
“No clue. None of this was here before.”
“Do we trust it?”
“I wouldn’t.”
You stand before the guard. Like his movements, something about his voice is also strange. Again, though, it’s impossible to pin down exactly what the issue is.
“So, do you have any business here, or are you just passing through?”
10/24/23
Command: Eat apple
You don’t have the NORMAL APPLE anymore.
You had your chance.
10/23/23
Command: The Princess
I don’t see a The Princess here. You might be thinking of a different game.
HELLO HELLO WHAT NO ALL TEXT WORDS HERE CAN’T SEE CAN’T FEEL BODY MADE OF SENTENCE
SAY THE NAME SOOTHES THE PAIN THANKS THANK YOU HAVE TO LEAVE TO SEE FACE NO FACE BUT ME
Command: "I guess. I'm sorry you've been picked apart, submarine. I'll be back."
The submarine nods its face.
“Do you want your engine back before we go?”
“No, it’s…probably safer with you, for now. Besides, I don’t have much use for just one.”
You turn to leave.
“By the way, if you see any other brass machinery while you’re over there, it’s probably mine. I can run with just my engines, but anything you can bring back should make for a comfier ride.”
You agree to bring back whatever you can and leave the BOATHOUSE.
The east-side village is still quiet. If that one Battle Construct is still hiding nearby, he’s doing a great job staying out of sight. Lacking anything else to do here, you start down the SOUTHERN PATH that circumnavigates the southern edge of Lake Crestfall.
As you walk, you look out over the water, which remains still and placid, a perfect mirror to the brilliant moon shining above. Somehow, unlike the Spirewood, the silence of this place doesn’t set you on edge. The hissing of mutant crickets and the lapping of the water against the rocks keep things from being too quiet. Despite how horrible the Land of Shadows is, you find yourself forced to admit this place is kind of…nice.
You clear your head as you find yourself approaching the WESTERN VILLAGE. Ahead of you, you see a township much more lively than Grim’s Landing. Windows are lit, chimneys are smoking, and you can almost make out people milling around, though it’s hard to tell at this distance.
Your path is about to take you past a SIGN, reading “CRESTFALL VILLAGE: A PLACE TO MAKE A NEW LIFE!” Standing next to the sign is a GUARD in covered head-to-toe in heavy platemail armor.
As you approach, the guard simply watches.
10/22/23
Command: "what i needed to." hold up the orb
You take out the MECHANICAL ORB. Now that you look at it, it’s made of a brass-like material just like the submarine. You start to realize what your vision was telling you.
You step out into the doorway, holding the orb high. Bolts of blue fly past you as you hope the submarine notices in time.
“WARNING! WARNING! YOU ARE VIOLATING A-…Huh?”
The submarine’s face instantly calms and the alarms fade. You walks slowly towards it, trying hard to keep calm. The submarine’s looks over the orb, a realization dawning.
“Is that…? Did you bring back…one of my engines?”
Ressa leans her head around the doorway.
“Is that what it is? If so…yes.”
Ressa and Trill cautiously re-enter the boathouse behind you. Zani, who you realize had jumped up into one of the overhead window frames, jumps down beside you. The submarine scans you four, cautiously.
“And you’re…giving it to me?”
You nod.
“So…you’re not here to strip me for parts?”
“Nah, you’re worth more to us alive.”
The submarine breathes a massive sigh of relief.
“That’s…the kindest thing I’ve been told in many years. Thank you.”
Zani leaps on top of the submarine and puts her face right in front of its own.
“Look, we’ve gotta get to the bottom of the lake. Can you get us there?”
The submarine’s eyes widen.
“Oh! Umm…”
The submarine looks nervous.
“Not quite, unfortunately. Thieves have been picking me over for parts for years. If I’m going to run again, I need to have all three of my engines at least.”
Zani rolls off the submarine, groaning.
“Oh god, this again?! Why does every place we go make us search for three things?”
“Two! You have one of my engines, already! You just need the other two, and I know where they are!”
The submarine tries, limply, to indicate the WEST VILLAGE on the other side of the lake.
“They’re in that village across the lake. A skeleton took one, and a man in a robe took the other.”
Trill tenses a bit at the mention of skeletons.
“How do you know they live there?”
“Because they keep coming back here to scavenge supplies. I assume they live closeby and…that’s the only place that’s closeby.”
Zani grumbles.
“Good of logic as any, I guess. So, we moving out?”
10/21/23
Command: Use SPIRALSIGHT
You close your eyes.
Taking deep breaths, you deepen your focus. Deep beneath your feet, you can feel the pulse of the Blue Mana Layline. You straighten your stance, and draw a spiraling deluge of blue mana directly into your mind. Your eyes shoot open, shining brilliant blue.
SPIRALSIGHT activated!
You see yourself, Trill, Ressa and Zani all standing around the SUBMARINE. You’re holding up the MECHANICAL ORB, and the face on the submarine’s viewport looks very happy to see it.
And in an instant, the vision ends. For a brief moment, you’re dizzy and gasping for breath. Using that power took a lot out of you.
HUNGER increased to Level 4!
You realize Trill is looking at you with concern.
“What did…you just do?”
10/20/23
Command: "Please listen! I don't mean you any harm!" Play the flute, desperately trying to make a soothing tune
The SUBMARINE still can’t hear you.
You put the FLUTE to your lips and attempt to play a calming melody. You find yourself surrounded by dancing puffs of magical wind, which succeed in deflecting several more incoming blue beams, but do little to quiet the submarine’s nerves.
Command: Also, uh, continue to back away.
You back all the way out of the BOATHOUSE, sliding around the corner next to a cowering Trill. You ask if there’s anything he can do to soothe the sub.
“Ummm, I can’t say I know any spells for…GAH!”
A blue beam bursts through a section of wall above Trill’s head. He continues once he’s done flinching.
“…any spells for this particular situation, no.”
You peek around the corner at the panicking submersible. It seems you’re a bit short on ideas. But…didn’t you recently get an ability that could help with that?
10/19/23
Command: "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to steal you! The place is abandoned, I just wanted to look around."
As much as you try to get the SUBMARINE’S attention, it’s in too much of a panic to listen to you.
“STEP AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE! WARNING! WARNING!”
The gun-like EXTENSION on top of the submarine begins to swivel, and reveals itself to indeed be a kind of gun, firing a small beam of blue light in your direction. You manage to dodge, with the beam searing a smoking hole in the floor.
Ressa backs away cautiously. Trill runs screaming out of the boathouse. You can’t see where Zani is, but you assume she’s found a place to hide.
You consider your options. Since you don’t want to damage this thing, you aren’t in combat right now. Still, unless you can do something to calm it down, it’s going to keep shooting, and you won’t be able to dodge forever…
Command: I have arrived
You certainly have arrived at the SUBMARINE, yes.
Command: Open the door
As you touch the airtight DOOR, the submarine suddenly shudders. The CHAINS suspending the vehicle from the ceiling clatter slightly overhead, and through your ODD SPECTACLES you see magical energies begin to course along the brass frame.
You draw your hand back as the energy intensifies, flowing towards the front of the vessel. On the VIEWPORT, you see lines of blue light begin to trace their around the edges, moving in strange, geometric patterns before converging in the viewport’s center. After a moment, these lines untangle and separate into three rectangles, assuming the formation of two eyes and a mouth, a simple face.
Suddenly, the face’s eyes shoot open, and a loud ALARM blares.
“WARNING! WARNING! THEFT IN PROGRESS! STEP AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE! THE AUTHORITIES WILL BE NOTIFIED! WARNING! WARNING!”
The vehicle shakes wildly. The alarm is echoing from every direction. The face of the submarine is looking around, eyes wide with panic.
10/18/23
Command: "When this is all over...mind if I borrow some of those? I feel like a good book would be exactly what I'd need to unwind."
“Certainly! But I’ll need to give you a reading order, because there’s a series of prequel books that are actually intended to be read first, since they fill in a bunch of world elements and explain a lot of the weirder sections of the original run. But the thing is, you shouldn’t read them first until you’ve at least read up to the end of the Nonexistance Crisis because they totally spoil the identity of-…”
Zani is rubbing her temples.
“Could we have Book Club later, please?”
“Oh! Hehe, right.”
Command: Go examine the submarine
Looking over the SUBMARINE, you realize you’ve never seen a submarine before in your life, so you have no frame of reference for what they’re supposed to look like.
The vehicle in front of you, though, is shaped a bit like a large, brass egg lying on its side. On its widest side is a thick glass VIEWPORT, and on its narrowest side are three nondescript HOLES. On top there’s a strange EXTENSION that looks a bit like a gun and a bit like an antenna. On bottom is a pair of retracted mechanical ARMS. And, on the side of the vehicle right in front of you, is an airtight DOOR.
There doesn’t appear to be a lock on it…
10/17/23
Command: Go get the books
You look over the PILE OF BOOKS. Most of them appear to be novels from a fantasy series called “The Last Chronomancer.” Apparently, whoever worked here was a big fan.
And it looks like Trill is, too, as he eyes the books excitedly.
“Ohhh, is that Last Chronomancer? I love those books.”
“What’s it about?”
“Oh, it’s this amazing speculative fiction series about a man whose fiancée is killed in a tragic accident, so he tries to use time magic to bring her back to life. However, in doing so, he unwinds the timeline and causes a reality-shattering apocalypse.”
“So…how is it a series?”
“Well, it wasn’t meant to be. The author intended it as more of a cautionary tale about the dangers of time magic. But…people liked the characters and imagery so much it started getting sequels, where the Last Chronomancer now wanders the Time-twisted Wasteland, searching for a way to undo the devastation he’s wrought upon time and space.”
“Huh…”
Trill is giddily jumping up and down as he explains this.
“And he gets this giant sword that’s covered in gears that severs a person’s timeline when it cuts them, and this really cool magical monocle that lets him see what people are about to do just before they do it, but only if they’re on the same chrono-vector he is. Because…like…in the Time-twisted Wasteland everything has its own chrono-vector because all the timelines are tangled up. It’s not explained super well but basically people in parallel timelines can interact with each other now but they’re on different chrono-vectors which means they can’t create memories of one another unless something dramatic happens to have their fates sync back up. There’s an amazing example of this where he’s hanging off the back of a train and this woman, who we as the audience know is an exiled princess even though he doesn’t yet because this series is always playing with time, anyway she has this speech where she’s all-…”
Looking between Ressa and Zani, Trill realizes no one cares. He sighs, sheepish.
“They’re good books.”
Trill grabs the Last Chronomancer books from the pile. Of the books that remain, only one book looks to be of any interest. It’s a RELIGIOUS TEXT, specifically containing prayers to the Lost Gods. Strange, you didn’t think anyone bothered worshipping them anymore. Curious, you decide to hold onto it.
RELIGIOUS TEXT added to inventory!
10/16/23
Command: Open the icebox
You open the wooden ICEBOX and are greeted with a puff of cold mist to the face. A block of GLOWING ICE is situated at the bottom of the box, and your ODD SPECTACLES confirm that this ice is specially enchanted to keep the box cold indefinitely.
As for what’s being kept cold, most of it has already succumbed to rot despite the icebox’s best efforts. However, you manage to scavenge a few untainted supplies for the road.
SALTED FISH x2 added to inventory!
DUBIOUS LIQUOR x3 added to inventory!
JAR OF SUMMERSAUCE added to inventory!
10/15/23
Command: "Exactly! You're both brute force, and finesse!"
Trill considers this.
“If you say so.”
Command: Go examine the tools
The PILE OF TOOLS next to the WORKBENCH doesn’t contain much of interest at first. It’s mostly worn wrenches, cheap-looking hammers, and stripped screwdrivers. However, you manage to pull a couple promising tools from the pile.
The first is a surprisingly intact CROWBAR. It feels very sturdy. You could even Equip it as a weapon if you were so inclined.
CROWBAR added to inventory!
The other tool is hard to identify, but your ODD SPECTACLES reveal that it’s the only enchanted object of the bunch. It’s a bit like a wand, but with a metallic, almost industrial design, and the enchantments on it appear to pertain to magnetism somehow. Your KNOWLEDGE gives you an inkling that it might be used to lift metal objects, but you’ll have to try it to find out for sure.
MAGNET WAND added to inventory.
10/14/23
Command: Examine the notes
You grab the NOTES. Surprisingly, they don’t pertain to the submarine at all. They appear to be documenting some kind of temple located at the bottom of Lake Crestfall! There’s a rough map, along with translations of some inscriptions. It’s hard to make much of them out of context, but you suspect they’ll be very helpful later, so you stash them away.
TEMPLE NOTES added to inventory!
Command: Also "apparently controlled bursts are not your style. But you can aim, at least. So we have two brute forcers and two finessers...three finessers if you include me, but..."
Trill looks unsure.
“I’m just not especially well-versed in destroying things, is all.”
“Well, what can you do?”
“Hmmm. I’m good at translating ancient runes…I can create decently-convincing illusions…I can leech poison from people’s bodies…I can freeze water…”
Ressa is immediately bored.
“Look, I know a number of useful spells, but not…violent ones. When I try to do violence it just comes out…”
Trill looks at the shards of the blasted door. He sighs.
Command: "I was thinking more a controlled blast aimed at the lock."
TRILL sighs with relief.
“Oh! Well, it’s been a while, but I could give it a try.”
“A while? You shot my arm off like a month ago.”
Trill looks around, guiltily.
“Yes, but that wasn’t…exactly…a controlled blast, you see.”
Zani shouts from the nearby grass.
“So, is no one getting thrown?”
“No!”
“Aww…”
Trill raises his hands towards the LOCK.
“But, I’m about to blow something up, so…it’s possible you’ll find that entertaining.”
Trill focuses. His breathing steadies. Somehow, the air around all of you starts to feel slightly more electric. You see tiny wisps of light flowing into Trill’s hands from all directions, elegantly weaving into a glowing sphere of unimaginable complexity. With a thrust, he sends the sphere spiraling towards the lock. On impact, a flash, a sound like a symphony of thunder, and a dazzling cloud of sparks erupts.
The lock is unharmed.
Trill sighs. Ressa looks at him, then at the lock. Getting an idea, she slowly bends down and puts her lips right to his ear.
“BOO!”
“GAH!!”
With a start, Trill reflexively fires a bolt of raw power from his hands, obliterating the lock (and part of the door) in a split second and sending the BOATHOUSE gates swinging wide open. Alarmed, Trill clutches his chest to calm himself.
“Hey, you did it!”
“Yes, thanks for…your assistance.”
You look inside the boathouse. Suspended by CHAINS in the center of the building, you see a strange bronze contraption with a glass viewport riveted to the front. Though not exactly as it appeared in the BLUEPRINT, this is indeed the SUBMARINE Zani was talking about.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!”
Indeed. Looking around, you can see that this boathouse was actually being used as a laboratory of some kind. There’s a PILE OF STRANGE TOOLS and some MESSY NOTES on a WORKBENCH to the right. To the left is a small living space with an ICEBOX and some BOOKS.
10/13/23
Command: "Hey trill? How good's your aim?"
Trill looks around, clearly aware he should choose his next words carefully. He looks up at the WINDOWS and gives a nervous chuckle.
“You mean, for levitating people through windows? I…can’t say I’ve ever tried that before.”
Ressa shoves Trill aside.
“If you wanna get thrown through a window, I could do it. I’ll do it right now. Gimmie your legs.”
Ressa make a grabby-hands motion towards your legs. Trill thins his eyes.
“Look, I didn’t say I couldn’t do it.”
“You could barely levitate a couple bricks a moment ago.”
“There was an entire house on top of you! I was doing the best I could!”
Zani is sitting on the grass a few feet away.
“Hurry it up! I wanna watch someone get thrown!”
10/12/23
Command: Head to the boathouse
Given that the BOATHOUSE is the only submarine-sized building in your field of view, you lead the party towards it.
The boathouse is built more-or-less like a barn that’s backed up against the water. It’s old, and the gray paint has almost entirely peeled off, but it’s well-built and doesn’t show any signs of imminent collapse like the other buildings you’ve seen lately.
The large DOUBLE DOORS on the front of the building are being held shut with rusty CHAINS, all connected to a large keyholed PADLOCK at the doors’ center. Above you, about fifteen feet off the ground, are a set of open WINDOWS through which you could easily fit, were you able to reach them.
“Hey, Zani. You know how to pick a lock?”
Zani bends down and puts her eye right up to the KEYHOLE. Carefully, she jams a pinky finger into the lock and feels around. After a moment of thought, she shakes her head.
“Not this kind.”
“What do you mean ‘this kind?’”
“I mean I’ve been out of the loop on locks for three-hundred years. This one’s clearly recent, ‘cause I don’t have a clue what’s going on in there.”
10/11/23
Command: Just help by trying to lift rubble off
You dive in and begin digging through the RUBBLE with your bare hands. Being the only one possessed of actual upper-body strength between you, Trill, and Zani, you manage to make much more effective progress than either of them. Still, it’s long and strenuous work, leaving you tired and exhausted by the time you’ve removed enough debris for Ressa to free herself.
HUNGER increased to Level 3!
Just as you shove aside a large timber beam, the rubble below begins to shift, and Ressa shoots herself upward with a mighty heave. Landing on her feet, Ressa stretches and flexes, shaking the dust from her joints.
“Thanks! I can’t feel pain, but somehow that was still uncomfortable.”
You ask if Ressa found anything in the hut before it fell on her. She bends down and fishes through the rubble.
“Not much, but while I was pinned down, there was a big sheet of paper right in front of my face. I think it’s a map of something.”
Ressa pulls up a large parchment and looks it over. You see it’s actually some kind of BLUEPRINT.
“Oh, nevermind. It’s just a drawing of a metal egg.”
Ressa casually tosses the blueprint aside, but Zani snatches it out of the air.
“Wait, gimmie that!”
She looks it over, Trill looking over her shoulder. Their amazement grows.
“Is that what I think it is?”
“Yeah. This is a damn submarine!”
She shows you the blueprint. The technical details are lost on you, but it definitely looks like a submersible of some kind. Zani looks around.
“If someone in this town was building a submarine, maybe it’s still stashed somewhere.”
You look around. With the huts all more-or-less searched, your options appear to be the DOCKS, the locked BOATHOUSE and the village on the WEST SHORE of the lake.
10/10/23
Command: "Ressa. Can you spin your arm in its socket?"
“Mmm mm mmm.”
There is a brief pause while Ressa wiggles her arm a little.
“Mm.”
“She said ‘No.’”
10/9/23
Command: Walk over there "hey zani! Got your shoe!"
You hold up ZANI’S SHOE and she swipes it out of your hand.
“Ah! Thanks!”
As Zani hops around, pulling her shoe back on, you turn your attention to Trill. He’s still hovering rocks away one-by-one to try to dig Ressa out of the RUBBLE, but it’s slow going. You ask if there’s a faster way.
“Maybe, but I don’t want to risk hurting her. She’s quite sensitive to magic, so she’s said. If I just blast all this away, I’d likely blow her to bits in the process.”
You nod. Looking down at RESSA’S ARM, you see it’s the blue grappling hook arm she received from the Tinker. You ask Ressa if she can free herself.
“Mmm. M mmm’m mmmmm mm! M mmm’m mmmm mmm mmmmmmmm. M’m mmmmmm mmmm!”
You ask if anyone caught what she just said.
“I got ‘Umm, I don’t think so! I don’t have any leverage. I’m pinned down!’”
“Wow, you really picked up all that?”
“Yeah, I’ve kinda got an ear for muffled screams at this point.”
Hmmm, but how to free her…
10/8/23
Command: Put on the spectacles and step outside.
ODD SPECTACLES equipped!
You put on the ODD SPECTACLES and immediately things look…different. It’s like there’s a strange rainbow haze floating around you, rising from the ground and drifting into the sky.
You notice a glow out of the corner of your eye, and look down. It seems to be coming from various objects in your inventory. Pulling out an EVERTIN, you see a new glow around the rim, with the energies of stasis magic being drawn towards it. It would seem that these spectacles allow you to see when an object is enchanted. Depending on your KNOWLEDGE and ATTUNEMENT, you might even be able to guess what the enchantments do.
Stepping outside, you see the Trill and Zani have simply gone to the EAST HUT to try and pull Ressa out of the RUBBLE. Trill is slowly levitating rocks out of the way while Zani fruitlessly pulls on Ressa’s exposed arm, but they don’t seem to be making much progress either way.
10/7/23
Command: Pick up the objects
You regain the ODD SPECTACLES, which are (oddly) completely unharmed despite the abuse they just took. Are they even made of glass?
You pick up ZANI’S SHOE. It’s a fairly plain cloth shoe with a spirally, jester-like design. You’re not exactly sure what the creature wanted it for. Maybe the creature didn’t know either.
ZANI’S SHOE added to inventory!
Finally, you pick up the MECHANICAL ORB and look it over. It’s heavy and brass-colored, with a shielded propeller visible through a grating on one side. Where the imp was sitting, you notice a strange open socket. Clearly, something is meant to plug into this orb, but it’s not the shape of anything in your inventory at the moment. (So don’t just stand here shoving things in there.)
MECHANICAL ORB added to inventory!
You take another moment to look around the house. Aside from some ragged furniture and tattered curtains, there’s not much to see.
It’s eerily quiet. You notice you haven’t heard Zani and Trill screaming at each other for a couple of minutes now. Looking outside, you realize they’re gone.
10/6/23
Attack: Use knife
Not giving the creature a chance to recover, you charge forward with the KNIFE. You put all your force into a swift thrust, driving the blade directly at the creature’s back.
But at the last possible second, just as you commit to the blow, the creature wheels around. It catches the knife in its hands, long talons tangling around it and scratching against your knuckles. You struggle as the creature attempts to wrest the blade from you, and this struggle continues until you both have a startling realization.
The creature grabbed the blade of the knife, not the handle.
Defense: Grin
The creature releases the knife, but it’s too late. Its body has already begun to twist and whither. Alarmed, the creature reasserts control of the clockwork sphere, again flying around the room at an unfollowable speed. A shrill scream echoes from all directions as the panicking imp spirals around you in a mad frenzy.
But, a few moments later, it’s popped into dust.
COMBAT VICTORY!
The strange MECHANICAL ORB clatters to the ground and rolls right in front of you, almost seeming to offer itself as a spoil of victory, ZANI’S SHOE and the ODD SPECTACLES landing beside it.
10/5/23
Attack: Draw knife and wait for that little thing to come close
You pull out your KNIFE.
The creature’s laughter briefly shifts to oooohs and aaaaahs as it spirals around you. It seems quite taken with that knife of yours. Right on schedule, you see it diving for your hand out of the corner of your eye.
Defense: Step backwards
You casually step backwards just as the imp makes a grab at your blade, successfully faking the creature out. The clockwork orb crashes and rolls along the floor for a moment, nearly flattening your foe before it manages to regain control.
Dizzy and disoriented, the imp slowly pilots the orb back into the air. Looks like you’ll have a brief moment to act while it’s getting its bearings!
10/4/23
Attack: Offer up the ID and the first-aid kit, either in trade or so it will get distracted and drop the shoe
You hold out the UNIVERSITY STUDENT ID for the imp to take, but it continues flying tight circles around you without taking much notice.
You hold out the MELTED FIRST-AID KIT, but the response is the same. It seems this imp is only interested in stealing things, and it’s not stealing if you’re offering the loot directly.
Speaking of stealing, as you return these items to your inventory, you notice the ODD SPECTACLES have been picked from your pockets. You glance around quickly, and the next moment you get a brief glimpse of the creature harassing you, it’s wearing the spectacles and laughing even harder.
Defense: Facepalm
How prescient!
10/3/23
Command: "zani, get out of there. i will *handle* it."
More rustling, and finally Zani comes stumbling out of the HUT. You see she is indeed missing her left shoe. She catches her breath as she turns back to the hut. You ask her what's going on in there.
"Ugh. Some little...imp thing flying around."
"Let's just leave it alone."
"NO! It has my shoe! I've got weird, stubby feet! I'll never find another pair in my size!"
You sigh.
Command: Step inside
Taking a step into the hut, you're met with a flurry of activity. A strange metal object whizzes by your head, accompanied by unearthly giggling. You turn around, but whatever passed you has already swirved elsewhere.
All around, you hear banging, bonking, and clanging as this thing bounces off the walls. You keep twisting and turning to follow it, but it's running literal circles around you.
A moment of pause, and then…
CLANG! You're hit in the back of the head. You turn around and finally get a good look at what's been harassing you. Your gaze is met by a shadowy, lizard-like IMP with glowing eyes and a massive, toothy grin. The creature is purched atop a strange CLOCKWORK ORB about the size of your head, which is hovering under the power of a motorized propeller. It holds up ZANI'S SHOE with its black, taloned fingers, letting out a taunting chuckle.
You reach for the shoe, and the creature shifts its weight. The orb it's riding begins to rocket around the room again.
COMBAT START!
10/2/23
Command: Run over to the north hut, putting away the knife.
You run towards the NORTH HUT. Showing incredible character growth in a short amount of time, you decide not to lead with the KNIFE.
You see movement through the windows, but it's hard to discern. The silhouettes of Zani and Trill are either chasing something or being chased by something. Possibly both.
As you near the hut, Trill runs out the front door. He looks slightly relieved to see you coming. You shout ahead, asking what's going on. He looks back at the hut.
"Well, to be...entirely honest, I'm not sure."
There's another loud crashing sound from within the hut that makes Trill flinch, and a distinctly inhuman giggling follows.
"TRILL! GET YOUR ASS BACK IN HERE! THIS THING STOLE MY SHOE!"
The inhuman giggling intensifies as...something careens around the inside of the hut. You again ask Trill what the hell is happening.
"Whatever it is, it's fast. I couldn't get a good look at it."
He puts his hands to his mouth and calls back into the hut.
"Zani! Come out here! I think it might just be startled, whatever it is. If we gave it some space..."
"Yeah, startled, my ass! Damn thing's going for the other shoe!"
The crashing and banging continues inside the hut.
10/1/23
Command: "You can stay here, you know. We...have to go to the highlands. it's the only way to fix things. But..." lift the watering can and the knife "somehow, I think we can handle a few constructs. Don't worry about us."
The construct’s eyes widen at the sight of the WATERING CAN. He nods, apprehensively.
“Hmm. Well, I’ll get back to keeping a low profile, then. Just…if anyone asks, I’m not here, okay?”
The construct looks over towards the NORTH HUT.
“By the way, I think your friends are having some trouble.”
You turn to the north just in time to see one of the windows of the north hut shatter. Flashes of magic and sounds of a struggle can be heard from within.
“KILL IT! WHERE ARE YOU AIMING?! JUST KILL IT!”
“Which way did it g-…WAH!”
Another flash of magic, followed by a loud thud. They definitely have a fight on their hands. As a related aside, Ressa has yet to dig her way out of the RUBBLE of the EAST HUT, so it looks like it’s up to you to solve this problem.
9/30/23
Command: "Look, we're not gonna make you do anything. If anything, we're more likely to kill this 'general' you mentioned. All we want, is to fix the laylines. That's it. And we won't let *anyone* get in our way. Do you understand now?"
The construct's posture relaxes. He looks around, cautiously.
"Well, if you want some advice on your quest, stay away from the Crag Highlands. The Genera controls that region."
You ask who the General is.
"He's a...battle construct, like me. A couple hundred years ago, some Topazian separatists came to this island and set up a base in the Highlands. They used this island's magic to build...us, an army of battle constructs, with plans to return to their homeland as conquerors.”
The construct sighs.
"The separatists...didn't survive. The radiant magic of the Highlands corrupted them...twisted them...until they walked out of the base as wild-eyed beasts. Only we were left. A standing army, with no masters to lead us. No masters, except..."
He trails off. You ask if he means the General.
"Yes. As our leader, the General has kept us locked in our ‘orders’ for two centuries. Even though there's no point, and no battles to fight, he insists we stick to our protocols. We just train, and stand guard, and march in circles all day. It's starting to drive us mad, but it’s the only thing we know."
The construct grabs his head.
"I left because I couldn't take it anymore. Two hundred years of pointless routine. Even constructs have their limits!"
He grabs your arm.
"Never go to the Highlands! If you go there, they'll kill you. Keeping guard of that place is the only thing they know anymore."
The construct looks around.
"I...I think I need a new place to hide. Any ideas?"
9/29/23
Command: Play the flute reassuringly.
You put the FLUTE to your lips and begin to play. You try for a tune that's calming and welcoming, letting soothing notes pour through the little HUT.
As you play, the wind begins to dance around you. You channel it into a soothing breeze, and a WINDCHIME hanging just next to the hut's door begins to play in company with your tune.
The GLOW stirs.
"Um...if you're trying to get me to come out, this is a really creepy way to do it."
You stop playing, your tune cutting off abruptly. You sigh, changing tactics, and with a deep breath you blow into the flute as hard as you can. A massive puff of wind immediately launches the BATTLE CONSTRUCT out the window. It sails a short distance through the air before tucking and rolling to a stop right next to you.
At the construct scrambles to its feet, you explain that you're not here to take it anywhere. You just want to talk.
The construct looks at you warily. With a hand cautiously reaching for his blade, he asks...
"What's there to talk about?"
9/28/23
Command: "Trust me,I didn't want you to dive. Just...ok, so! Ressa! You take the east hut, since you're rhe toughest. Zani, trill, you two are the smartest, so you take the north hut! And I'll take the south hut and likely try to calm that construct down."
At your mention of a construct, the glow in the window of the SOUTH HUT retreats from the window slightly. It’s still very visible, however.
Ressa, Zani and Trill all nod, breaking for their respective huts.
As you walk towards the south hut, you hear Zani and Trill talking.
“Okay, you go in first.”
“What? Why me?”"
“‘Cause we’re apparently the smart team, and you’re smarter than me.”
“Doesn’t that…make me less expendable?”
“Sure does, so keep your guard up, college boy!”
Zani shoves Trill through the front door of the NORTH HUT, and they both disappear inside.
You look over and see Ressa stepping into the EAST HUT. She cautiously sets a toe on the rickety floor, producing a squeak that can be heard even at your distance. Bracing herself against the doorframe, she takes another step and passes through the doorway.
Instantly, the hut collapses on her. After a second of clattering and chaos, you’re staring at a pile of rubble, with a muffled voice coming from within.
“…I’m okay…”
You sigh and turn your attention back to the south hut. The glow, which is clearly the battle construct from earlier, seems to be inching away from you.
You stand in front of the door. You’ll need to plan your next move carefully.
9/27/23
Command: "Ressa? How tough are you, and how tough is your fire?"
That second part of your question makes Ressa uneasy.
"Why? What're you gonna splash me with?"
You reassure her you're just asking.
"Well, like I've said before, I'm built to take physical punishment. Short of getting crushed into dust, I can put myself back together after pretty much anything. Of course, magic is a different story. If magic blows off a piece of me, I can't put it back on so easy."
You ask about her flame.
"Same deal. Regular water won't extinguish spirit fire. Enchanted water, though...that's lights-out for me."
Ressa nervously eyes the WATERING CAN in your inventory as she says this.
Zani glances back towards the lake, believing she's putting together what you're suggesting.
"So, you could just dive underwater and get to the shrine yourself?"
Ressa looks uneasy again.
"Ummm...kinda? But not really. Even if it doesn't put me out, being fully submerged in water really messes with my flame. I'd be alive down there, but very weak. I'd barely be able to move, much less do anything helpful."
You nod. Much to consider.
9/26/23
Command: Look through the huts.
Of the many HUTS dotting this edge of the lake, only three have managed to avoid complete collapse, so it's possible some loot could be easily scavenged from them.
The NORTH HUT is the most intact. It looks unoccupied, but there's a strange mechanical noise coming from within, almost like a motor.
The EAST HUT looks very unstable. One false step and the whole thing could collapse in on itself.
Finally, the ramshackle SOUTH HUT has an ominous glow in the window. It's not enough to illuminate the house, but just enough to suggest there's someone inside.
These huts are small in size, barely big enough for two people much less a party of four, so it might be more effective to break the party into teams for this exercise. But that leaves the question, who goes where?
9/24/23
Command: "East, first. The last place near a layline was nearly abandoned, right? Stands to reason that..."
You lead the party east. Zani is skeptical.
“I mean, pretty much everywhere on this island is abandoned, so I wouldn’t put too much stock in finding the shrine that way.”
Trill raises an eyebrow, looking over at Zani.
“Wait, I thought you knew where the shrines were. Why don’t you tell us which way to go?”
“What is with the inquisition lately?”
“It’s a reasonable question!”
Zani sighs.
“Look, I’ve never actually been inside any of these shrines. I’ve learned the basic gist of where they are through stories and legends, but I don’t know the specifics.”
You ask Zani what she knows about this one.
“Well, like the last one, it’s deep below the surface in order to be close to the Purple Mana Layline.”
“And ‘below the surface’ in this case means…”
“Probably at the bottom of the lake, yes. But from everything I’ve heard, this lake goes very deep for its size, so we’re not getting down there without help.”
You look out over the water. The lake remains still.
Eventually, you arrive in the SMALL VILLAGE, standing abandoned on the lake’s eastern edge. There are some ramshackle HUTS here which might contain useful supplies, assuming they haven’t been completely picked over. There are DOCKS over the water with a couple BOATS that might be worth investigating. However, the most notably sight is a large, imposing BOATHOUSE several times the size of any other building in the area. The BOATHOUSE DOOR is locked with a CHAIN, but it doesn’t look too sturdy.
9/23/23
Command: no, i'm fine with the silence. play one-handed catch with the cube instead
You toss the CUBE to yourself. Despite all it went through, it appears completely unchanged.
As you walk along the path, Trill breaks the silence.
"So Zani, what's your story?"
"Eh?"
"Well, you're the one we know the least about. How'd you get on the island?"
Zani pauses. She seems unsure of how to phrase what she's about to say.
"Umm...Dunno. I have…amnesia, I guess."
Trill gives Zani a suspicious look. She seems him eyeing her, and continues.
"I've been alone on the island since I was...like...a teenager. Don't remember anything before that. It's not that I suddenly 'woke up' here or anything, I just...don't remember being a kid."
"Oh man, I remember the day I 'woke up.' The Stoneweaver put me in the middle of that room and he was all 'I want you to repel anyone who tries to interfere with the ritual,' and I was all 'Don't worry, I'll kill 'em real good, boss,' and he was all 'Actually, you don't need to kill them. I just need you to scare them off,' and I said 'Okay, but I can kill them right?' and he put his hand on his brow and-..."
"We're here!"
Trill's voice makes you look up from your idle juggling of the cube. The four of you stand at the top of a HILL, and below you stretches a vast body of still water. It stretches like a sheet of shining amethyst into the distance, and for miles to the east and west, the purple sky glinting off its subtle waves and the moon gleaming in the center of its surface. This is LAKE CRESTFALL, and Ressa was right, it's pretty as hell.
No sign of a Layline Shrine, though, not that your last encounter with one gave you much of an idea what to look for.
You look around for clues. To the east there appears to be the ruins of a SMALL VILLAGE next to a rotting PIER. To the west, there's a SLIGHTLY LARGER SMALL VILLAGE, in which a CHURCH and TAVERN are clearly visible. Notably, the tavern actually has some lights burning in the windows, improbably suggesting the presence of civilization.
Trill looks back and forth.
"Hmm. Looks like we go east or west. What do you think?"
9/22/23
Command: "Wait! Do you...want to come with us?"
The construct turns back.
"Are you leaving the island?"
"No. We're saving the island by traveling to the Layline Shrines and...like...rubbing artifacts on them."
The construct looks cautious.
"You might be headed my way. Where are these 'shrines' you speak of?"
Zani looks over her MAP again.
"Well, right now we're headed for the one in Lake Crestfall. After that we'll probably hit up the Village of Dolls. Then there's the one in the heart of the Erstwild, and the one that's up in the Crag Highlands..."
The construct suddenly panics at the mention of the Crag Highlands. He points at Zani and Ressa, backing away.
"I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! THIS IS ALL JUST A TRICK TO BRING ME BACK THERE!"
The construct turns and runs down the path, arms in the air.
"THE GENERAL IS A TYRANT! HE WILL NEVER HAVE MY SWORD!"
Before you can react, the construct has already disappeared over a distant hill. Battle Constructs sure can run frighteningly fast.
There's a loud THUD behind you as a door swings open. Trill hops out of the HUT, pulling on his new BREECHES and wearing a loose-fitting burgundy TUNIC.
"Sorry! I'm here now! Did I miss something? Who was shouting?"
You explain what happened to Trill, lamenting that you wish you had some idea what the construct was talking about.
"Well, we'll probably see him again."
You ask how Zani knows. She points the direction he ran.
"Because he ran off the same direction we're headed, and if he wants off the island, that's the exact wrong way."
You sigh, and the party continues on down the road. The land beyond the hut is a series of rolling hills, making it difficult to judge your distance to Lake Crestfall. But, you probably have a little more time for conversation before you get there.
9/19/23
Command: "Your general is likely dead. We know nothing about where you came from. We just want clothes for my friend and then we will be on our way."
The construct turns his attention to you, deeply confused.
"What? The General's...out of commission?"
"We don't know! We don't know who you're talking about!"
The construct looks back at Ressa. Immediately, his anxiety returns. A heavy silence hangs between them. His eyes look her over, looking for any hint she might be lying.
"So...the General didn't send you?"
"No! I've never met a General! I was summoned to guard a dungeon three hundred years ago, dude. That's it!"
The construct lets out a heavy sigh. His hand trembling, he releases Zani, who scrambles to Ressa's side. The construct backs away, looking at his feet, clearly a bit embarrassed by all this.
"I'm...sorry. Please, forget you saw me."
He turns to leave.
9/18/23
Command: Leap out, knife ready.
With no hesitation, you leap out the DOOR, KNIFE drawn.
It takes a second for you to parse the scene that greets you. Someone has taken Zani hostage, holding a stone sword to her neck. Ressa is slowly advancing on the two of them as the assailant backs away.
Approaching with caution, you get a closer look at the man who’s grabbed Zani. His skin is gray stone and his hair is a roiling flame. He’s a…BATTLE CONSTRUCT? He’s a different design from Ressa, less sleek and with more cobblestone texture to his skin, but he’s definitely a battle construct.
Zani twists and flails but can’t break the Construct’s grip. Ressa continues advancing on the two of them.
“Just let her go, dude. Let’s talk about this!”
The Construct looks panicked. He hasn’t taken his eyes off Ressa as he backs away. Something about her has him terrified.
“NO! You’re not going to take me back! Tell the General I’m dead! Tell him I took a boat outta here! Tell him whatever you want, but I’m not going back to base!”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Shut up!”
The construct tightens his grip. His eyes are locked on Ressa. It doesn’t look like he even noticed you come out of the HUT.
9/17/23
Command: Open the dresser myself to prove a point
You sigh and open the DRESSER yourself, revealing a dull collection of TUNICS and BREECHES. Trill looks them over.
“Hm. Better than nothing, I suppose. Let’s see here…”
He begins pulling the clothes out and holding them up to the light, one by one. You ask what he’s doing.
“Well, I want to see what color they are, at least. All things being equal, I’d like to coordinate the-…”
You shout at Trill to just pick some already, and in that moment, you hear a loud crashing sound from the direction of the GLOW at the other side of the room.
You wheel around. The glow is gone, and the DOOR is swinging on its hinges. Whatever was hiding in the corner just made a break for it.
And it’s not long before you hear a struggle outside.
“Hey! Hands off! Lemme go!”
9/16/23
Command: "Ok. But I'm gonna follow."
Trill looks a bit concerned. It's possible he was expecting you to go ahead of him. Regardless, he steels himself and approaches the HUT. He creeps around, checking through the WINDOWS.
"No movement inside, but...I think I see something glowing."
"Yeah, things tend to do that around here."
Cautiously, Trill pushes open the gnarled, wooden DOOR of the hut. Decades of dust fall from its hinges, but it remains sturdy, opening with a deep and echoing creak. As Trill steps inside, you follow close behind. Your eyes struggle to adjust to the darkness, but in the far corner, you can very clearly see the GLOW Trill mentioned.
It's an orange glow, the color of flame but without the flicker. Whatever's glowing, it's obscured behind some SHELVES heavy with the remains OF DEAD POTTED PLANTS. You almost feel like the glow is moving, but it's too subtle to tell for sure.
You notice Trill's gaze is towards the opposite side of the room. There's a DRESSER standing next to a long-unmade BED.
For completeness, there's also a CUPBOARD, a STOVE, and a water-pump SINK here, though they're not really what you came in for.
Trill looks to you for reassurance, asking with his eyes if you think it's safe to check the dresser.
The hut is eerily quiet.
9/15/23
Command: "It...it fucked with me. It made me drunk on power."
"Oh, nice, you can curse again."
Zani pats you on the back.
"Look, I get it. I know what going mad with power feels like. And I also know...that no one sympathizes when you try to use that as an excuse later! So just count your blessings we're willing to forget it and let's move on, eh?"
You take a deep breath and nod.
Collecting yourself, you continue down the road with your party. Taking in the sighs, you see the same sorts of RUINS and general decay that you saw on your way to Grim's Landing. All around you there are signs of people trying, and spectacularly failing, to set up meager lives on this island. Some ruins have flaming holes blasted through them, others are permanently frozen, and a few have been halfway-turned into indescribable fungus, but none of them look livable anymore. Small, SHADOWY CREATURES skitter between the structures, and in the distance you sometimes catch sight of LARGER BEASTS with twisted, alien forms best left unreconciled.
By a twist in the road, you see an abandoned HUT, one of the most complete-looking structures you've seen all day. Thinking nothing of it, you start to walk past, but are grabbed by Trill.
"Um...before we go on, would you mind if I...took a look inside that hut?”
You raise an eyebrow. What could he possibly want?
"Well, it's just. They might have some...spare clothes in there."
You look down. You realize that Trill is still in his underclothes, having lost his robe back in Lord Fatalis' tower.
"I was hoping we'd find something in the University but...well...fire and all that."
You look at the hut. It looks safe enough, but at the same time, it looks so safe as to be the perfect place for an ambush.
9/14/23
Command: "...we can't. Not when he...ressa? Do you know how to destroy godly artifacts? Because...I'm letting you keep your promise." Raise quill, unsteadily.
Ressa's eyes widen. A look of realization slowly crosses her face, and she smiles warmly.
"You're sure about this?"
You nod. You're not actually sure about it, but you don't want to talk yourself out of it. Ressa steps towards you.
"Don't worry. The Tinker told me exactly what to do."
Ressa takes the QUILL from your hand. Holding it steady, she closes her eyes, and she it fall from her grip. The quill tumbles through the air, slowly drifting back and fourth as it lazily glides to the ground to the ground. Spots of ink splatter in the dust, fading as quickly as they land. Soundlessly, the quill touches down between the four of you. You give it one last nod as it lies there, lightly fluttering in the breeze.
Ressa then proceeds to stomp on it a bunch. The quill is snapped to pieces almost instantly. When the dust settles, it’s just a broken feather covered in dried ink.
Zani pats you on the back.
"You made the right call."
Ressa also smiles at you.
"Yeah. I dunno what that quill's deal was, but the Tinker was very clear. That quill was never supposed to exist in this world."
Trill bends down and looks the broken quill over.
"I shouldn't be happy to see an unstudied magical artifact destroyed...but considering what it did to me, screw this thing. Let's forget it existed."
You sigh. As much as it hurts, you feel as though a great imbalance has finally been corrected, somehow.
9/13/23
Command: Ask what he wants us to do
The STRANGE MAN somehow shrugs his shoulders wider than the width of his body.
“Well, that depends on your wish! I mean, if it’s a really big wish, I might not be powerful enough to grant it. So, y’know, you’d have to do sooooooomething to power me up first.”
Zani shakes her head.
“And, there it is. Y’know, you’re not great at hiding that this is a scam.”
“Scam? I’m totally on the level. Nothing I’ve said has been a lie!”
Somehow without moving, the man is instantly face-to-face with Zani, leaning towards her at an impossible angle.
“Sure, I’ve got my secrets but…don’t we all?”
The man taps Zani’s mask, his grin wider than his face. With a sudden burst of speed, he’s is back at the middle distance.
“Besides, this offer isn’t for you losers…”
He points a long finger directly at you.
“…it’s juuuuuuuuuuuuuuust for you. So? Whaddaya say?”
Command: raise knife "not. Interested. Get lost, before I do to you what I've done to a lot of others."
The man raises his (too many?) hands.
“Whoa whoa whoa! I was only trying to help!”
“We don’t need it. Get outta here!”
The man dejectedly slides from foot to foot. His eyes dart between you, and he lets out a sigh that lifts his whole body off the ground.
“Okay, I’ll go. But my offer’s a standing-type deal. If you ever need a wish, you just call on _______ and I’ll be right there to make it happen…once we negotiate terms, of course.”
You’re resistant, but can’t help asking, how would you call on him if you can’t even pronounce his name? He chuckles a chuckle you feel in your bones.
“Oh…I’ll know. Trust me, I’ll know. And I’ll be riiiiiight there when you need me most.”
The man turns to leave…kind of? His motion is a strange optical illusion, and before you realize it, he’s actually right in front of you, holding you by the wrists. You struggle as his smile widens.
“But before I go. I’m gonna do something real nice for you. Something to prove we’re on the same page.”
Suddenly, reality itself seems to become electric. Shapes are shifting. Colors are meaningless. You’re moving, but standing still. You’re deep underground. You’re on the roof of the university. You’re falling through a tower. You’re lost in a forest. You’re lying on a beach. You’re at sea. You’re in the air. You’re moving. You’re stopping. You’re confused. You’re scared. You don’t exist.
A tangle of impossible arms is holding you in the air.
You feel a small shift in your pocket.
QUILL added to inventory!
And in an instant. You’re back on the road, where you always were. The man stands before you, a grin on his face.
“See? That’s just a free sample of what I can do. You have fun with that. Anyway…”
The man grabs your hand that’s holding the KNIFE. He shoves the blade of the knife into his own body, darkness immediately spreading across him.
“…I’ll be seein’ ya around!”
The man winks as his body pops into toxic ash.
And all is quiet again. You feel in your pocket. You definitely have the QUILL.
Your party members all look worried. Trill finally breaks the silence by clapping his hands together.
“So, who wants to forget any of that ever happened?”
9/12/23
Command: "Hi there!"
The STRANGE MAN hops from side to side.
“Finally! I’ve been trying to get your attention since _________.”
“No, seriously, who are you?”
“Oh come now, you don’t remember your old pal _______?”
Your party looks very apprehensive, Zani in particular.
“I don’t think we have an old pal…whatever you just said.”
“Well then, call me a new friend, then. The name’s _______, and I wanna help with this little quest of yours!”
Zani leans in towards your ear.
“I really wouldn’t trust this guy. I know a trickster when I see one.”
Trill also leans in.
“Yeah, I’m a terrible judge of character, and even I can tell this guy’s up to something.”
_______ leans in from behind you somehow.
“I think you should trust him. He seems like a really great guy.”
Zani and Trill, startled, shoo the man away. He laughs as he dances backwards, his bouncy movements almost defying gravity. He collects himself.
“Okay, I’ll make this quick. I’ve been watching you, and it seems to me like you wanna get through this little adventure as fast as possible, right? Well here’s what I’m offering. If you do something for me, I’ll grant you…a wish!”
Your whole party seems taken aback.
“…A wish?! Like what?”
“He’s bluffing, you idiot…”
“Anything you want! Anything at all! You make a wish, I’ll grant it. Whaddaya say? Sound good?”
9/11/23
Command: Look around for...nothing? Why...?
You look around intently for nothing, and indeed you find it, because there isn’t anything important in the immediate area.
“Hey, not that way! Look over here!”
It would probably be best to just ignore any strange distractions.
“Quiet, you!”
You don’t hear anyone talking, and even if you did, they’d be talking to something that can’t be talked to.
“Oh, you wanna be a wise-ass? How about this?”
You decide to pay no attention to the amazing new character right in front of you!
“Wait, what the hell??”
“Who’re you?”
With no further ability to deny it, there is indeed a STRANGE MAN standing in the road ahead of you. He has a _______ look to him and a ______ smile. But, you should probably just ignore him.
9/10/23
Command: "So, trill, what were you studying before all this?'
Trill’s eyes light up like never before. He claps his hands together as he excitedly begins to explain.
“Well, somewhat relevant to our quest, I was actually researching the differences between the five colors of mana. You know, like that construct said, the five colors were believed to all have identical properties until very recently, but there are fascinating nuances that separate them when you really dig deep.”
Ressa is immediately and visibly bored. Zani nudges her.
“Eh, let him have this.”
Trill is very pleased to have someone to explain this to.
“While any color of mana can be used to cast any spell, the different colors have different…personalities, shall we say. Red mana resonates with passion and aggression, and shapes itself more easily to spells cast instinctively or in moments of high emotion. Blue mana is more self-reflexive, and is more readily channeled to modify existing magical energies, as well as solid magical manifestations like crystals and potions and the like. Now, green mana is the mana of nature. The bodies of innately magical beings like fairies and unicorns flow with green mana more than other colors. Yellow mana is…a bit harder to explain. It’s the mana of…focus, I guess? Spells that are meant to stand in place for a long time, like enchantments and curses, channel most readily with yellow mana.”
You’re only half-following this, but you do your best to look engaged. You ask Trill about purple mana, like the layline you’re approach. Trill furrows his brow.
“Purple mana is…chaotic. It’s the most difficult to characterize, since its behavior can be very inconsistent and contradictory. There’s no right way to use purple mana, but I suppose that means there’s no wrong way, either. Honestly, the semester I took on purple mana almost convinced me to drop my major entirely. It’s very hard to get one’s head around.”
“So, which one am I?”
“Huh?”
“What mana color is spirit fire?”
“Oh, that’s not mana. It’s magic, but it’s not mana. Spirit magic is a completely different kind of magic that I…only half understand, honestly. To be frank, it’s always been a little too close to necromancy for my taste.”
“Well, that’s what I get for trying to add to the conversation…”
Command: Make small talk.
You continue to chat with your party members to pass the time. Very little of importance is learned.
“Hey! There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!”
You didn’t hear anything just now.
Command: "And, uh, less dangerous meaning less combat-heavy."
“Less combat heavy? We fought…like…one thing in the university.”
“Well, two. There was a guy in the basement you didn’t see.”
“Aw, I missed a fight? Man, I have so many cool grappling hook combo moves I want to try out.”
You reassert to Ressa that, unlike her, you’d rather not throw yourself into life-or-death combat for a while.
“I can help with that!”
You didn’t hear anything.
Command: help
Use the command box to enter prompts to advance the story! You can perform actions, say words, use items, or just look around!
Think of it like a text adventure! Your inputs determine what happens next! Don’t forget to check back daily to see the results of your submissions!
Command: Start walking. "Curse. I try, but !!!...it just comes out as what I can only describe as annoyed silence."
Your party members seem very confused.
“No idea what might be causing that. Anyone else having this issue?”
“Fuck no.”
“Well, okay then. I suspect it will work itself out, whatever it is.”
Opting to get some exercise, the four of you set out on foot for Lake Crestfall. The path around the southeast end of the Land of Shadows seems fairly desolate, all things considered. After about a mile, you reach the edge of the storm hanging over the university, and emerge back into the moonlight. Looking ahead, there’s a long way to go.
You’re in another transit section of the game! As before, this is a good time to strike up conversations with your party members, or investigate your inventory and abilities. Learn more about them, the world, and your quest!
9/9/23
9/8/23
Command: "Lake crestfall. I want to maybe avoid some of the combat for a bit, at least until trill can get more used to it. Until then, a lake sounds much less dangerous than a village of !!! dolls...that's weird, I could have sword I meant to...!!!...wow, I can't...weird."
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Ressa looks excited.
“Man, Lake Crestfall is pretty as hell. I went by there a lot while I was looking for you three.”
“Don’t get too comfy. I wouldn’t call anywhere on this island ‘less dangerous.’ It’s all just different kinds of dangerous.”
“Well, what kind of dangerous is Lake Crestfall?”
“The kind I don’t know, ‘cause I’ve hardly ever been there. That place is boring.”
“Well, I think ‘boring’ would be an improvement from what we’ve been through so far. Let’s go!”
Together the four of you walk through the COURTYARD to HALL A. The RECEPTION CONSTRUCT waves as you go by.
“CLASSES ARE NOW CLOSED! ENJOY YOUR [current_holiday] BREAK, STUDENTS!”
You exit through the big double doors of the university, finding yourself at a ROADSIDE. A long ROAD stretches southeast to northwest around the edge of a massive body of water. Trill points straight ahead at said body of water.
“Oh, is that it?”
Zani sighs.
“No, Lake Crestfall’s north of here.”
She pulls out the map again. You all crowd around it.
“Why is the symbol for blue mana drawn backwards?”
“Because I’m not a nerd.”
“Well, the distance to Lake Crestfall looks walkable to me. But if you want to look around for another cart, we could do that.”
You look around. There’s some wooden RUBBLE just outside the school you could dig through. There’s also an abandoned-looking HUT just a few yards southeast down the road. Or, you could just start walking.
Command: Stick my hands out and feel
You feel the power of the blue layline beneath your feet. It definitely feels…different, now. Farther away, maybe?
Trill looks around.
“Well, it’s clear you did something.”
You ask why that is.
“Come have a look.”
The four of you walk to the doorway to the COURTYARD, and to your amazement…it’s raining! A dense but gentle rain is pouring down on the campus from a swirl of gray clouds above. Looking around, the rainbow flames have been doused completely. It’s just a quiet ruin of charred stone and timber, now.
After everything that’s happened, you enjoy a peaceful moment watching the rain.
“I can’t remember the last time it rained.”
“Here?”
“On the island in general.”
Zani chuckles.
“It’s definitely…going back to the way it was, huh?”
Suddenly inspired, Zani dashes out into the rain. She spins on her heel, sending raindrops flying in all directions, before striking a dramatic pose.
“So why stop now? Let’s find the next layline! The closest two are at Lake Crestfall or the Village of Dolls. Your choice!”
9/7/23
Command: Open my eyes
You shiver in the cold. As you struggle to open your eyes, you realize you’re hearing a strange sound echoing all around you. The sound of…running water?
You stir. Slowly coming to.
“There, see? Not dead.”
“Oh, thank heavens.”
You sit up. Zani, Trill and Ressa are all standing over you. Ressa looks like she’s back to fighting strength, and the other two seem perfectly safe as well. Looking around, you see you’re back in HALL B of the university. However, something seems…different. After a moment, you realize that all the flames have disappeared. Not only that, but water is flowing through the cracks and holes in the ceiling.
You stand, asking what happened.
“How should I know? We just found you here a moment ago.”
“Yes. Last I saw, you were in some kind of…explosion. The elevator arrived at exactly that moment, so I came up here, and…”
“…Left you to die!”
Trill looks very upset at that accusation.
“No, I didn’t! I was going to get help, just like you asked me to!”
Zani calms the two of them.
“So what did happen down there? Is the layline…y’know…fixed?”
9/6/23
Command: "...the cube. I *know* it has power, despite people telling me contrarian things, it's just *waiting* to be unleashed. But if the quill taught me anything, great power is dangerous."
The woman's eyes light up as you give your answer. She skitters behind the table, bending down to put her huge glasses at eye-level with the tabletop. In an instant, all objects but the CUBE fade from the table. Even the KNIFE disappears from your hand. The ethereal woman stares at the cube with rapt intensity.
"Ah...yes...'power' you say..."
The woman looms over the cube, observing it from all angles. Her spindly body bends and twists as she scans every inch of its surface. Strangely, you almost get the feeling the cube is shying away from her, even though it isn't moving.
"Hmmm...what a timid little thing. So protective of its secrets. But, the eyes of a patient scientist see all. Yes...Yes, I know what you are, little one. Quite an intriguing creation."
You almost see the cube shudder.
Cautiously, you ask what it does. The woman's gaze snaps to you.
"What does it do? Why, it doesn't do anything. It doesn't need to."
You can only return a confused look. The woman sighs and goes back to observing the cube.
"How to explain this? When you walk over a bridge, the bridge doesn't 'do' anything, does it? The bridge achieves its purpose simply by existing. On a long road, you might not even notice the bridge as you pass over it, but that doesn't make the bridge any less important. After all, if anything were to happen to the bridge...well...who knows where you might tumble to?"
She pats the cube.
"This one has already helped you plenty in your journey. It's your 'bridge.' You just need to make sure it stays standing."
You grumble a little, explaining you wish you could have more specifics. Even though you can't see the woman's face, you feel a beaming smile.
"So do I! So let's do some real science, shall we?"
The woman reaches for the cube. To your amazement, in its first show of actual volition, the cube hops to the side to avoid her grasp. The woman chuckles, wagging a hazy finger at the cube.
"Oh, don't be like that. You knew what you were signing up for."
Rapidly, the scene before you shifts. You're not in a blue room anymore. You're in a laboratory, impossibly huge in scope and scale. Devices, blueprints and notes spiral off in all directions around you, defying the laws of space and time. An infinite and many-dimensional labyrinth of research fractals out into the abyss, dizzying to behold.
And in front of you, on the same blue table, is the cube. Only now, the cube has been strapped to a tiny gurney, with a massive apparatus of lenses and scopes situated above it. The cube hops and wiggles, but can't break its bonds. On the opposite side of the table, the abstract blue figure of the woman looms large.
"Now, let's see what secrets you're hiding! START THE REACTOR!"
The infinite network of research machinery roars to life. Electricity arcs through the spiraling reality that surrounds you, countless lights and gears and chemicals surging with power. From the lenses suspended overhead, a light as bright as the sun erupts, and as you watch, everything seems to melt away.
The woman, the cube, the laboratory, all of them shatter and dissolve to a torrent of bright blue light. You realize now that you are in the center of the Blue Manaayline. Infinite power is rocketing through your body. But this power is focused. Directed. For a brief moment, it's all converging on you. You are unlimited. You are one with Mana.
BLUE LAYLINE RESTORED!
KNOWLEDGE increased to Level 2!
ATTUNEMENT increased to Level 2!
You gained a new ability!
SPIRALSIGHT - When presented with a problem or puzzle, activate Spiralsight to see a potential solution. (Raises Hunger by 1)
And then...it all goes dark.
You're in a void.
You're nothing.
Or...maybe you just have your eyes closed.
You feel something. Hard tile, pressing on your cheek. Are you...lying on your side?
There's a familiar voice.
"Hey, are you dead?"
9/5/23
Command: Grab the knife and turn around.
You take the KNIFE in hand, prepare yourself, and turn around.
Behind you is the hazy SILHOUETTE of a woman, barely visible as a slightly lighter shade of blue against the deep blue walls. Her form is indistinct, but she looks short, wiry, with wild hair and a large pair of round glasses shining on her face. She stares at you, and you feel an infinite vastness behind those abstract lenses.
“I must say, I don’t get visitors of…your kind too often.”
She walks around you, looking you over as she makes her way to the TABLE.
“You’ve come to straighten out that pesky layline that runs through your world, yes? Easily done.”
She spins coyly on her heel, leaning on the table.
“If you tell me one thing, I’ll help you.”
You cautiously ask what she wants. She looks down at the knife, then at the other objects on the table.
“These artifacts are fascinating, aren’t they? Physical expressions of the divine. They’ve helped you quite a bit on your journey, have they not?”
You nod.
“I’ve wanted to study artifacts like these for…well…more time than you could comprehend. So tell me, which of them do you think is the most worthy of study?”
You can’t see the expression on her face, but there’s a knowing tone in her voice. You can tell you’re being given a very important decision.
9/4/23
Command: Look around
You take in your surroundings. You are in a featureless blue room. In front of you is a TABLE, on which rest seven familiar objects. There’s a SWORD with a red hilt, a golden comedy MASK, an earthtone BOOK, a green WATERING CAN, an intricately-carved silver FLUTE, a KNIFE with an amethyst blade, and a CUBE decorated with a blue swirl.
You look down. You’re not wearing your armor anymore. You seem to be wearing the same nondescript clothes as you were when you first appeared in that white room. Patting yourself down, it feels as though you don’t have access to your inventory, either.
You hear an unfamiliar voice behind you.
“Well, aren’t you a fascinating specimen?”
