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Diogines posted:Difficult. The minotaurs were south of Ibleam, following the huge trail they left is easy. Trying to find a trail from a populated city to the wilderness is much tougher. If you followed the main trail back and devoted your attention to finding a separate a trail which branched off, your odds are far higher. Is it possible to follow the river until we're near Ibleam, and then head up to try and find the main trail and THEN backtrack to find and follow the smaller trail we noticed earlier? Also: If the river is the quickest and safest route to Zepath, I wonder why the minotaur army didn't follow it?
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Mar 27, 2014 21:10
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Voting for G.
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Mar 27, 2014 21:13
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Cornuto posted:Our strength has waxed and waned even when we've been in the city. Its safe to say we don't really know what causes it to grow and recede. Yeah, you're right. Our only choice at this point in time is to give up and wait until someone tells us.
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Mar 27, 2014 21:17
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B
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Mar 27, 2014 21:19
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Oh fine. If you guys are going to force me to justify the field trip beyond OMG NEW CITY I suppose I can. 1) We already opted not to investigate the trail when it was far fresher for two very good reasons: Billy is an escaped slave from Ibleam, and Ishamal warned us against going there. Additionally, as much as the King of Ibleam hates Tudiya, he presumably hates us too and won't be happy if he catches us snooping in his territory without permission, let alone with Billy. It wasn't a good idea to scope the trail then, and it's not a good idea now. 2) Tudiya is fully intelligent enough to read between the lines of 'A contingent broke off to Ibleam. Strangely, nothing occurred to the city after that.' Unless we somehow find a line of women's footprints leading from Ibleam back to the main camp, there's a serious limit on how much dirt there's left to dig up here. It's just not worth the risk. And even if we did find a crazy smoking gun, do we really want to be responsible for the hell that would break loose as a result? 3) The field trip would be fun as hell, but it would also be great recon. We can find out if they've been having trouble with minotaurs, get some dirt on what's going on inside Ibleam (without actually going there), and cultivate some good will/contacts for us and Tudiya. 4) It is a month or so out of the way, but only as part of a multi-month trip. It wouldn't make us crazy late getting home, especially if we travel back by road (well, by road and around Ibleam). 5) OMG NEW CITY111!!!!! I rest my case. I also resent Task Manager's insinuation there's anything wrong with Wally World.  PS Going further into the mountains is crazy and suicidal at this point. Don't do it, Goons.
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Mar 27, 2014 21:24
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Cornuto posted:Our strength has waxed and waned even when we've been in the city. Its safe to say we don't really know what causes it to grow and recede. One thing for sure is that distance, at this age affects our inherent power. El as a power source negates that, but we didn't act Elfully on the fast and it appears to have made this worse.
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Mar 27, 2014 21:27
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Dio, what sort of penance is typically expected of one who breaks their fast? I think that altar fire going out was a sign the powers that be weren't impressed. Still, we were supernaturally hungry and almost had a complete mental breakdown, so I'm sure as long as we make an honest attempt to atone I think we'll be ok. I also think that Enkidel's power is most likely tied in some manner to our faith. I don't know if it has to be in El, I suspect it might, but it might also be a case where as long as we're all believe in something we grow in strength. Whenever we're at our strongest, as a general trend, voting seems to be petty uniform, and Enkidel's mind is in agreement and focused on one thing. I'm wondering if our current weakness is a reflection on the current inner turmoil going in Enkidel's head. The dudes got some issues at the moment. I'm starting to think he needs therapy.
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Mar 27, 2014 21:30
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FoxTerrier posted:Oh fine. If you guys are going to force me to justify the field trip beyond OMG NEW CITY I suppose I can. No one is saying to go to Ibleam. They are saying to follow a trail that maybe went in that general direction, that began several days out of Ibleam, in the middle of the wilderness. To see where it might lead, if it continues in Ibleam's direction, or turns somewhere, or something. At least that is how I've always interpreted the trail. I highly, highly doubt that Diog will just have us go all the way to Ibleam without at least confirming that's what we want. Following the trail is only for a few days. Also, following that trail seems important and is a clear part of what our mission is about. Going to some other city about a month out isn't, as interesting as it might be. edit: I also feel like if we're so concerned about Ibleam, that going to this other city kind of puts Ibleam right in the middle of our return route, unless we go really loving roundabout. All the "follow the river" votes also probably puts us nearer than following a trail to see if it maintains going in that direction for a day or so. edit2: I personally am not concerned about Ibleam and don't even recall Ishamal warning us to not go there, he said not to enter the mountains. Unless that happened somewhere else. SerSpook fucked around with this message at 21:44 on Mar 27, 2014 |
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Mar 27, 2014 21:37
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Rahul posted:Dio, what sort of penance is typically expected of one who breaks their fast? I think that altar fire going out was a sign the powers that be weren't impressed. I think we did have a mental breakdown. The result of all those actions, which I assume Diog did not ignore or leave unresolved was apparently: 1- we returned to waking consciousness in the created world 2- we were unable to fast How that worked I have no idea. I am assuming that all declared and unresolved actions were taken into account though.
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Mar 27, 2014 21:39
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B Might as well finish this mission.
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Mar 27, 2014 21:42
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SerSpook posted:No one is saying to go to Ibleam. They are saying to follow a trail that maybe went in that general direction, that began several days out of Ibleam, in the middle of the wilderness. To see where it might lead, if it continues in Ibleam's direction, or turns somewhere, or something. At least that is how I've always interpreted the trail. I probably phrased myself badly (I'm exhausted, and fully admit to being pretty drat far from my most eloquent atm). I'm not expecting Diog will throw us into Ibleam city center. But following the trail close enough to get the kind of additional evidence/confirmation people seem to want—at least how I understand things—seems to necessitate entering Ibleams territory and/or zone of influence, at least a little. That would likely put is within range of its Mighty Men (even if they aren't patrolling as much) and other clusterfucks. Field trip aside, I just don't think it's a great idea. If I weren't voting for field trip I'd likely be voting just to head home and let Tudiya parse what we've found out.
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Mar 27, 2014 21:45
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Sogol posted:I think we did have a mental breakdown. The result of all those actions, which I assume Diog did not ignore or leave unresolved was apparently: Seconding this theory. I'm equally parts fascinated and horrified by the mechanics Diog must use to run this game. I'm imagining tons of corkboards, dozens of index cards pinned in place and interconnected with other notecards via a series of multicolored string, somewhere a hamster runs in a cage as part of a Rube Goldbergian calculation device...
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Mar 27, 2014 21:45
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FoxTerrier posted:PS Going further into the mountains is crazy and suicidal at this point. Don't do it, Goons. My thoughts exactly. Enkidel is in no shape to fight right now and he's already done the job Tudiya asked him to do. The trail leading to Ibleam is interesting and certainly worth investigating, but we're going to risk Asahel's safety if we take him near the city. Enkidel is taller than both the kings of Zepath and Tanaach, and has a different skin colour too. He's going to draw attention to himself one way or the other, so if he doesn't want to be accused of being a slave-stealing son of a witch-lover and get Billy put on trial, he should drop him off some place safe first. Like a conveniently placed city maybe a week or two away from Ibleam. Like Acco. Let's go to Disneyland. Even if it's only for a day to drop off his buddy so he won't get his head chopped off for stealing a sword and fleeing from his master.
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Mar 27, 2014 21:47
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FoxTerrier posted:I probably phrased myself badly (I'm exhausted, and fully admit to being pretty drat far from my most eloquent atm). I'm not expecting Diog will throw us into Ibleam city center. But following the trail close enough to get the kind of additional evidence/confirmation people seem to want—at least how I understand things—seems to necessitate entering Ibleams territory and/or zone of influence, at least a little. That would likely put is within range of its Mighty Men (even if they aren't patrolling as much) and other clusterfucks. The thing is, the return trip to Zepath from the other city will probably do that too looking at the map. I feel like not investigating that trail is doing a half-assed job right now. We have no idea that it even goes to Ibleam, it only seemed to go in that general direction. It could curve away at any point. It could also provide evidence to Tudiya that Ibleam has potentially been doing some dirty poo poo, which he really should probably know. Or if he shouldn't, we really should if we ever intend on being in that general area. Which considering how close Ibleam is, we probably will be. Zybourne Clock posted:My thoughts exactly. Enkidel is in no shape to fight right now and he's already done the job Tudiya asked him to do. The trail leading to Ibleam is interesting and certainly worth investigating, but we're going to risk Asahel's safety if we take him near the city. Enkidel is taller than both the kings of Zepath and Tanaach, and has a different skin colour too. He's going to draw attention to himself one way or the other, so if he doesn't want to be accused of being a slave-stealing son of a witch-lover and get Billy put on trial, he should drop him off some place safe first. Like a conveniently placed city maybe a week or two away from Ibleam. Like Acco. The trail starts a good distance from Ibleam. Going up the trail a bit to see if it continues towards Ibleam is not a great risk at all. We are not even really entering the areas with people and, even if we are, the chances of Mighty Men being in the area is negligible. Ibleam's king is apparently stingy with the patrols and Mighty Men themselves are somewhat rare. We also have Snarls to inform us when we are coming upon people, as well as our own eyesight and hearing that is in excess of a normal Mighty Man's in all likelihood. SerSpook fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Mar 27, 2014 |
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Mar 27, 2014 21:52
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Point taken. Changing vote to G
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Mar 27, 2014 21:54
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Link to vote count. There is suppose to be a cute animal here. Votes so far up to the Ralith's post above me: A = 3 B = 5 C = 7 D = 12 G = 9 I = 2 ...1 vote for going camping for up to 3 months to see if our power changes anymore. ...1 vote for "raise a better altar and pray for strength and forgiveness for failing in the fast" Deadly Ham Sandwich fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Mar 27, 2014 |
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Mar 27, 2014 21:58
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I stand by my comparison to Wally World, FoxTerrier Though I honestly wouldnt mind if that won, seeing new places would be cool. I just cant vote for it. About our ongoing weakness - I wonder if the closer we get to the giant object in the northeast (which I assume is Mt. Har), the weaker we get? It doesnt fit with us having never been a superman in Athar (it being even further away), and I do think several of the theories about belief and our Balls being tied to our Might are likely right. I just cant help but wonder if part of it is something desperately trying to keep us from Mt. Har? Pretty much making us getting there while still mortal nearly impossible since the closer we get the more our power wanes? I mean we are at defcon 3 at least here, we had a bowel movement and everything. We don't just feel weak - we seem to feel close to non-blooded at this point, given we can't reliably beat a ManCow right now. We're worse off than average Enkidel it seems right now. Task Manager fucked around with this message at 22:29 on Mar 27, 2014 |
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Mar 27, 2014 22:27
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Tomn posted:Is it possible to follow the river until we're near Ibleam, and then head up to try and find the main trail and THEN backtrack to find and follow the smaller trail we noticed earlier? the_steve posted:Seconding this theory.  Whichever card he poops on first is the update. Sometimes it takes longer for the lettuce to work through his system, which is why we get late night updates some days. When he is constipated (poor guy has a sensitive tummy) we don't update that day. Rahul posted:Dio, what sort of penance is typically expected of one who breaks their fast? Tomn posted:Diog, what are the consequences of failing to fast and not having it approved by a priest, as best we know? Diogines posted:A substantial sacrafice, in monetary terms and a month of fasting during the day but not at night. A large social stigma also attaches.
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Mar 27, 2014 22:31
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Maybe I'm misunderstanding the options, but I just don't see the benefit of any of the others over B, and so I'm voting B. I honestly don't get how C is different than B; both are going by Ibleam, but C saves two days somehow? I can only imagine that means we'd investigate less though, so I pass on that. D takes longer, and I imagine that B would end up accomplishing much the same thing: the trail went towards Ibleam, we're going in the general Ibleam area looking for oddities, surely we'll be keeping an eye out for the result of the trail, even if we don't follow it specifically? G is just crazy, sorry FoxTerrier. Going to another city sounds swell, but we're right in the middle of something here; I think it's really part of the spirit of our mission to find out what's up with the Minotaurs and Ibleam, if anything, and heading to another city now both delays the receipt of possibly important news by Tudiya, and ignores the Ibleam problem. I'd be willing to vote for a trip to another city after we get back though; take our balls to Acco or something, Road Trip! Provided we don't get involved in a Zepath/Ibleam war immediately upon returning. In other news, this weakness stuff is interesting, and distressing (holy poo poo, poop!  Diog, how shocked were we when it happened?).Getting weaker the further we go from our El-central-'home', Zepath, and those who look up to us. What does it mean? Maybe, as others have said, some power is derived from the faith of others in us. There's bound to be some sort of 'biological' component, determining who grows bigger, seems Mightier, and so inspires the faith to begin with. Maybe the blood of Labaras is some genetic/metaphysical predisposition to be receptive to the faith of others, and to draw energy from it. Actually, it makes a lot of sense with the El-Battery theory, as that would just be a massive example of the same principle. Faith=energy, the Melachim inspiring faith in 'El', an artificially manufactured faith-bank, or someone voted into the position, gets a majority in Ur to focus their faith on a single point, creating an enormous bank of energy to work with, yet avoiding empowering any specific one of them. Perhaps an agreement arrived at after the last Heavenly War, with whatever tragedies occured there. It would also explain why Mighty Men seem to congregate in official 'bands', with the King, or maybe a generic leader, at the forefront, and why Tudiya travelled with his band to Athar, rather than just alone. They're taking their power base with them. Only thing is, Ish is clearly massively powerful, yet doesn't travel with a roaming power base. I imagine, then, our weakness might be a symptom of our youth: the El-Battery in us is currently receptive, but it's terrible at retaining charge, it all leaks out quickly. As we age, and the closer we get to Ish's experience, the better it holds, and the longer we can go without topping up. It all keeps consistent with what we saw in Smattas' vision, and the lack of 'El' therein: no faith in El/no living humans left, nothing to power the battery, eventually it wears down and El disappears. Enkindel was left running on his own fumes, which as we saw were depleted a bit more every time he used them. My other alternative is a worrying one though. Maybe we're on the wrong path. We clearly have at least the potential for super-powers, but maybe we're weakening now because whatever we're doing hasn't been developing our own natural strength, but has instead just been piggy-backing off El-energy, a fake, and expendable, resource
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Mar 27, 2014 22:58
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B.
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Mar 27, 2014 23:02
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D At least we didn't eat Snarls.
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Mar 27, 2014 23:26
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Let's Get over to Acco.
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Mar 27, 2014 23:26
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Diogines posted:If you want to, you could. Time spent away from the minotaur trail is time you can't be scanning it's edge for tracks, however. I completely believe all of this.
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Mar 27, 2014 23:27
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Theglavwen posted:I imagine, then, our weakness might be a symptom of our youth: the El-Battery in us is currently receptive, but it's terrible at retaining charge, it all leaks out quickly. As we age, and the closer we get to Ish's experience, the better it holds, and the longer we can go without topping up. This is what I think is happening. It also correlates to what coma Uncle Norah stated by not doing magical shot for X amount of years. It's not that we can't do it but our character hasn't built enough of a reserve yet.
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Mar 27, 2014 23:30
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D
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Mar 27, 2014 23:51
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Go explore! Diog: Do we know anything about Acco?
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Mar 27, 2014 23:59
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HiHo ChiRho posted:This is what I think is happening. It also correlates to what coma Uncle Norah stated by not doing magical shot for X amount of years. It's not that we can't do it but our character hasn't built enough of a reserve yet. Actually, that brings up an interesting point, maybe related to what I was thinking earlier about natural potential. Clearly we can do magic poo poo without proper reserves, it just threatens to kill us, as its drawing on something that isn't the Faith-Battery, some sort of natural potential/reserves, that if we used too early would kill or cripple us. The question is, if the Battery idea is right, why do we have the battery at all? Is it that everything has the potential to work magic, but humans just naturally don't have enough lifeforce to expend to pull poo poo off without hurting themselves, while Demons and the like have no problem, so something was required to put humans on a more even footing, able to fight back? It makes sense, but I also have to wonder if it's not something more sinister. Maybe the Battery was put in place as an easier alternative to natural power: encourage humans to draw on the battery instead of developing their natural potential, eventually people will forget how to use magic save in the appropriate settings, and get weaker the further away they go. The battery can then be slowly turned down, keeping humans at an even level, under control. I'm starting to worry about the possibility that we could be crippling our potential by following the EL path as we have been. We once had Vayahi Or inside us, we can pull magic out of our rear end if we need to, but it takes a lot out of us. Perhaps, though, if we kept practicing at it, we'd grow in natural strength. Instead we're relying on divine gifts, and as a result, when we go too far out of line, as now, we've got nothing left to fall back on. I'm not sure what else we could have really done up 'till now, I mean, there was the real threat of dying apparently. But it's perhaps something to keep in mind. Using the battery lets us handle the emergence of our natural powers without accidentally killing ourself or others, and maybe Ish/the-El-faction have the right intentions, and working with the battery will slowly develop our natural potential. I want to make sure we don't just completely overlook it though, if it's there.
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Mar 28, 2014 00:01
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Theglavwen posted:I want to make sure we don't just completely overlook it though, if it's there. I think one of the more truthful statements Indor said is that there are various ways to use magic. She uses monster bits, we have inherent power with being Blooded, and we get some power boosts if we believe in El.
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Mar 28, 2014 00:05
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paragon1 posted:I completely believe all of this. Ditto, sounds legit to me.
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Mar 28, 2014 00:22
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Diog, how much of the trail can we see from here? Can we see any landmarks near where the trail enters the mountains?
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Mar 28, 2014 00:29
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D. Ok, it came from the mountains. Much as I would like to continue and see a minotaur city and its unholy temple or something, in our current condition it's not a good idea. I sympathise with Fox Terrier, I really do. I just think that we should complete our mission first. As others have said, the orc trail could deviate from the Ibleam path. I'd like some proof or at least more solid circumstantial evidence that they went into the city, or maybe the remains of a campfire outside the city that indicates that secret dealings with the Ibleam aristocracy went on. Something more solid. If we actually meet any citizens of Ibleam, we can pretend to be on business looking for wine suppliers or something. Don't we have merchant friends that we hosted once living there?
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Mar 28, 2014 00:33
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D- Anything else is just doing our mission halfassed (although so is not choosing A, but yea, don't want to end up with the Balls of Faru selling our dick to an Orcish merchant or whatever)
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Mar 28, 2014 00:41
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A Terrible Person posted:Diog, how much of the trail can we see from here? Can we see any landmarks near where the trail enters the mountains? Imperialist Dog posted:If we actually meet any citizens of Ibleam, we can pretend to be on business looking for wine suppliers or something. Don't we have merchant friends that we hosted once living there? Asked by several people: If we follow the trail and it takes us to Ibleam, do we go to Ibleam? Answer: No. If the trails obviously go to Ibleam you won't enter the city unless you vote to do so.
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Mar 28, 2014 00:42
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D. Lets check out that other trail.
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Mar 28, 2014 00:50
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A sounds like the best bet to me, but I ain't gonna complain if we get off-track. (almost a pun) (but not quite)
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Mar 28, 2014 01:10
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I would vote A but I'm theorising a theory so I will go with the majority on this Voting D
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Mar 28, 2014 01:11
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Diogines posted:A substantial sacrafice, in monetary terms and a month of fasting during the day but not at night. A large social stigma also attaches. I am ambivalent to this whole eat on a fast day development. On one hand, Enkidel could potentially embarrass himself more than he ever has before, maybe even broach into the shame territory. This would be a huge win for Team Embarrass Enkidel (me). On the other hand, if we have to pay out a large sum of monies for a sacrifice, then we will not be able to buy a pub for a few more years. I want to be a successful pub owner.
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Mar 28, 2014 01:23
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^^^^ We could just give much more of our kills to Zebanetha D sounds good. *edit* The proper way to honor our penance is to become a vampire. A Terrible Person fucked around with this message at 01:32 on Mar 28, 2014 |
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Mar 28, 2014 01:24
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What will your signature brew be called? Obviously, it'll be a "Deadly Ham" sandwich, but the beer? I'm thinking a nice Red Ale called "Heart's Blood." If we can't ever eat a heart, we can at least drink them
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Mar 28, 2014 01:28
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| # ? Jun 10, 2024 05:59 |
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We could always see if we could pledge ourselves (with or without Balls) to the temple for a task, in lieu of sacrificing something monetary, that could lead to something interesting, like the BoL option we had a while ago.
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Mar 28, 2014 01:50
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