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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Yeah, and that's super weird to me because like I said, you're the first time I've ever heard anyone use that definition. Wikipedia allows for both definitions, and I can definitely see how the drift happened: initially defined in terms of "hard science" (engineering, math, physics, etc.) and "soft science" (psychology, sociology, etc.), but the former would also tend to have more rigorous / less fuzzy science in the books, so people tended to associate "hard sci fi" with "accurate science" and therefore "soft sci fi" with "inaccurate science". Which amusingly ends up lumping, say, an accurate sociological sci-fi in as "hard sci fi". Hmmmm, interesting. Never read that Wikipedia article, I was going off what my proff said back in the day. He said that it was a misnomer to think of it in the terms of looser science, but maybe he just personally disagrees with it being used like that  Regardless, the use of the term "science fantasy" is not officially used most of the time due to how many people disagree with what qualifies. edit: got curious and dug up my old notes - this is paraphrasing what I had written down. 2 definitions to "soft science fiction" 1. Soft science (psychology, sociology, political science) is either the driving force or a really important background device, science is mostly dead-on. 2. Science is just a background device/excuse for the plot (and generally not very accurate) and the human interaction is more important (like star trek). note - in a roundabout/lateral-thinking sort of way, this is a another way of saying definition 1 as soft sciences generally cover human and social interaction, for the purposes of this class just think of Soft Science fiction as referencing "soft" sciences. So yes, he was simplifying it a bit for the class for purposes of homework and tests, but I see where he was coming from. mauman fucked around with this message at 00:10 on Dec 20, 2016 |
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Dec 19, 2016 22:50
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Especially the hard vs. soft sci-fi thing. I literally have never heard your definition of it before; it's always been a measurement of how plausible the science is. In a 'hard' science fiction story, technology is generally plausible and usually is described to some extent. There might be some invented technology for the plot, but it won't be completely off the wall and will at least be internally self-consistent within the established rules. Whereas in a soft science fiction story, the technology might be completely awry from our 'ordinary' laws of physics, completely unexplained, and/or basically invented from nowhere as needed for the plot. I like mauman's prof's second definition though: A soft sci-fi is generally more concerned about the actual plot than about the technology. Technology exists primarily to make the storyline possible; it's not really an intent in and of itself.
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Dec 20, 2016 01:30
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MagusofStars posted:I like mauman's prof's second definition though: A soft sci-fi is generally more concerned about the actual plot than about the technology. Technology exists primarily to make the storyline possible; it's not really an intent in and of itself. As a fan of classic sci-fi that's mostly towards the "hard" end of the Mohs scale, this makes me wonder if there's anyone who can come up with a counterexample to this definition. I've always stuck to the definition of "hard" being mostly accurate (or at least mostly consistent,) and "soft" being inaccurate (or mostly inconsistent,) but the definition given also seems like it's pretty true.
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Dec 20, 2016 03:29
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Epsilon Moonshade posted:As a fan of classic sci-fi that's mostly towards the "hard" end of the Mohs scale, this makes me wonder if there's anyone who can come up with a counterexample to this definition. Soft Fantasy: Lord of the Rings: magic works because of wizards. Hard Fantasy: Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. The magic system is laid out and has rules and has strong limits.
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Dec 20, 2016 03:34
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Then you've got stuff like The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump, which would fit just fine with Geneforge's attitudes. One can take the "science says this is impossible" stuff too seriously, in my opinion. After writing a few books where he explored the implications of relativity, Charles Stross noted that he was no longer able to deal with Science FIction stories where FTL does not imply time travel the way relativity demands. This has always struck me as a bridge too far, but given that he [i]did[/i[ write the Eschaton books, I'm willing to file it under the old D&D rule "Never argue about hit points with a paramedic."
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Dec 20, 2016 03:49
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I always thought of magic in Vogel's games as being a science. In Avernum games, there are libraries and organizations devoted to the study of magic and experimentation. In the Geneforge games, it's still magic, but the Shapers study it and apply order to it like it is just another natural science. In Avernum, you can take a character with no magical skill and spend some money and skill points and suddenly she has spell points and an array of basic spells. Her INT might be low, so the spells might be weak and her mana pool small, but I think it goes to show that in Vogel's worlds, with some time and study, even a dolt can learn some magic. Another common theme that Vogel loves to revisit is the consequences of unfettered power, on the world and on its wielders. It is a thread through many of his games. In Geneforge, easy access to power literally corrupts - we have seen this in how Solution's temper flares easily now, and how sometimes she spends her time with her head in the clouds, thinking of the serviles around her as tools for her own ends. Our RP choices have left her feeling guilty about how her creations are killed for her sake, but it's really easy to imagine a colder Solution that's less concerned with the wellbeing of her servants.
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Dec 20, 2016 03:51
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I've got two(ish) Lit degrees and I'm a bit of a sci-fi fan, but this is the first time I've heard of "soft sci-fi" referring to "soft sciences". (Alternately, that particular usage was so esoteric that it was completely eclipsed by the more common one)
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Dec 20, 2016 03:58
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I personally prefer to take hard/soft sci-fi as a general indicator of how seriously the author takes their world-building. CJ Cherryh, for example, writes the tightest possible hard sci-fi - she puts details into everything, from the economics of her societies to the cultures, and while it's technically soft given how she handles FTL travel, those worlds still feel like you could move there and live there as a functional world. ...and, honestly, she leads into my favorite divergence between Fantasy and Sci-fi - her book 40k on Gehenna is about a sci-fi colony that settles a planet - and due to Space War, they're cut off from the rest of Space Civilization, and the plot moves from sci-fi (characters have tech, are concerned about more than their immediate lives - although that weighs very heavily on them) - to fantasy as the culture develops (several generations down) into essentially medieval-or-lower tech-wise societies that live in harmony with the local alien lizards, and it feels like fantasy - all of the drama is local, slower (even though the pacing isn't slow!) and there's just a lot of dirt/traveling. Which is to say - it shifts genres without leaving the plot, and it's made me realize that a great deal of fantasy vs sci-fi depends on the feel of a book. It's hard to put in words, but - well - after a lot of reading both genres I just have the sense that it's all magic/tech and strange settings, so the question is: are they riding horses or hovercraft? Ships or starships? What are the themes, what's the atmosphere of the novel? So: hard vs soft: hard means the characters will have dirt or grease under their nails. Soft means they won't.
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Dec 20, 2016 04:00
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On that case, high/heroic/epic and low/dark tend to come into play, at least in terms of fantasy sub genres.
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Dec 20, 2016 06:55
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Don't forget Noble/Grim and Light/Dark (I'm not sure what scale you're referring to with low/dark though)
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Dec 20, 2016 06:59
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CrazySalamander posted:Don't forget Noble/Grim and Light/Dark (I'm not sure what scale you're referring to with low/dark though) Oh, I was pooling them together as similar. Low fantasy tends to be grittier and have less magic, and dark usually fits in with this and adds antihero protagonists and general grim dark unpleasantness.
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Dec 20, 2016 07:11
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Just wanted to chime in to thank the OP for a great thread, your writing meshes seamlessly with the game narrative, and your writing style is really quite good (use of clauses? Varied wordplay?? In an LP???). Enjoying the hell out of this, selfishly hoping you do the whole series!
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Dec 20, 2016 17:17
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Meunkin posted:Just wanted to chime in to thank the OP for a great thread, your writing meshes seamlessly with the game narrative, and your writing style is really quite good (use of clauses? Varied wordplay?? In an LP???). Thanks! I hope to do all the Geneforge games, but I admit I'll be satisfied to finish this first one. Next update should be tomorrow, then, depending on how prepared I manage to be, updates should slow but not stop through New Years. Gonna be traveling a bit so I've got to get all my screenshots and game dialogue prepared.
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Dec 21, 2016 01:05
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How far through the game are we?
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Dec 21, 2016 01:54
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I'd say we are in act 3; the main dilemmas have been laid out, we've met most of the actors and have identified the rest, and now we are headed towards the climax. Still, we have loads of combat, dialogue, and exploration left -- this isn't a short game by any means.
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Dec 21, 2016 02:20
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:Thanks! I hope to do all the Geneforge games, but I admit I'll be satisfied to finish this first one. awwww yeah 
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Dec 21, 2016 03:18
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Everybody Run, It's the Last time, Solution wrapped up the mystery of Stone Circle and headed east, seeking the hidden Obeyer outpost on the southeastern coast of Sucia Island.  The nearby sign indicates that this place is called "Crystal Burrow" and that Kazg is east of here. You're fairly sure Kazg is more north than east. You sense of direction is reasonably strong, but maybe the sign maker’s sense isn't.  You follow the road north. Ornks graze here, keeping the way clear of noxious undergrowth. Perhaps ornks should be used like this everywhere. It's certainly a better use of the creation than having thahds or alphas maintain paths. As you walk, you notice another sign. "Warning! Mines! Turn back!"  Game Text posted:Someone has gone to a huge amount of trouble to render this roadway completely impassable. They have planted mines across the entire pathway. Not small mines either. Huge, misshapen, lethal ones. The mines are arranged in a tight enough formation that you decide it's best not to have Like Clockwork try detonating them. A servile has already fallen in an attempt to skirt around the edge of the minefield. You don't want your creations to join the dead. You could probably use one of your spore batons to detonate the mines, but there was another path through the woods where you came in...  This burrow promises to be a tangle of clawbug trails bored straight through the living rock. Someone has taken the trouble to install crystal lights in this first chamber, but more troublingly, you also come across a pair of strange crystals. The nearest bursts as Like Clockwork passes it, releasing a keening alarm and a flash of light. Seconds later, you hear footsteps and a familiar noise -- the sound of something casting the speed spell. You brace yourself.  Placid saviour and RickVoid destroy the first thahd. A second emerges from the shadows and falls almost as quickly to the combined might of the fyoras and Like Clockwork. As long as the thahds don't catch you by surprise, they are probably not much of a threat.   The tunnel branches east, so you follow. The thahds wait in ambush in small chambers just off of the trapped caves. You edge around the crystal alarms and counter-ambush the rogues.   After fending off another rogue thahd, you find a cold storeroom just beyond its nest. Inside is a wonderful surprise, almost like an apology from the Shapers who left this mess for you to find. The canister improves your ability to create Vlish. Contemplating their Shaping proves to be a delightful distraction while you explore the burrow.    You wind through the tight passages until at last you catch a whiff of pine-y air. Following the draft rewards you with natural sunlight and, at last, an exit to the outside. Just as you're about to cross the threshold, your creations stray too close to the alarm crystal. Its cry summons another lurking thahd, which hastes itself. The effort is futile -- your creations crush the rogue before it can close with you. But it seems that reaching this exit was futile, too. A quick scan reveals a control panel and no way through the tightly packed trees. In case there are more traps in this tiny, dead-end grove, you decide to turn back and clear any other ambushes that might await to the south.  You put down several more lurking thahds before you find another old storeroom. Irritatingly enough, your unlock spell reveals a trap on one of the chests, and you can't figure out how to disarm it. But with the rear secure, it's time to see if that spore box will deactivate the mines blocking the road.  After pulling the lever, you follow the tunnels the rest of the way east and discover another exit. Your creations push out ahead of you, ready for another fight, but mostly seeking warmth. Those tunnels were too chilly even for you, and you're wearing robes. The breeze shifts direction and carries with it a familiar scent that ruins your enjoyment. Game Text posted:This outsider's neck has been neatly snapped. It looks like he was attacked by something very big and muscular, perhaps a thahd. The assailant looted the body, but left behind a small packet of papers in a belt pouch. So Trajkov wanted to clear the way for you through the mines he had placed to begin with, but the person chosen for the mission was killed before it could be completed. The papers also provide confirmation that this second Shaper is real -- Goettsch is out there somewhere. Trajkov is trying to guide you, to manipulate you, into reaching the Geneforge, while at the same time desperately working to keep Goettsch away.   Before you leave, you confirm that the mines have been deactivated by the spore lever. With luck, if you need to flee this way, no one will reactivate them behind you. You suppose you shouldn't count on luck, though...   The land here hasn't been tainted by the poisons leaching through Sucia's soil. You slow your pace and let the sun warm your bones. All the frantic running and fighting since you washed up here is taking its toll even as it makes you stronger. You're tired and sore, and your creations, who've borne the brunt of all the battles, are worn out, too. If you can slow down and enjoy the walk, you can almost pretend that you're here willingly.  Someone defaced this sign.   You find several empty nests before you discover what occupies them. The searing artila your creations spot is the same kind that you found near the High Defense Holding Cells. Your creations draw the rogue artilas out one by one and crush them before they can spit, and soon, the peaceful atmosphere is restored.  The road leads due east, but there are more paths leading south.   The next path you try leads you to rogue nests that you quickly pacify, but the paved path doesn't immediately end with angry artilas.  Game Text posted:This is a small servile outpost. There are several of the creations here, all well-armed. After thanking the guard, you head towards the ruins. The outpost is still standing; you won't have to give Mickall bad news. You meet the leader of this tiny outpost. Like all of the serviles here, he looks like he has been enduring almost constant action for months. He looks like he's on the edge of exhaustion. When you approach, though, he leaps smartly to attention. He clearly doesn't want to look weak or incapable in front of a Shaper. He says, "Greetings. We are greatly honored. We had never dreamed that one of your kind would ever visit us." Interesting. He must have been out of contact with the serviles to the west. "I am Obeyer Doge. I am from the village of Pentil. We have been trying to guard the roads here, at the order of my commander. I put us all at your service." "Had you not yet heard of my arrival?" you ask. "Well, I had started to hear the rumors months ago. I heard more of them more recently, about the Shaper who came to Kazg. But I had dismissed them. I had never dreamed of actually meeting you." Odd. You haven't been on this island for months. Were the rumors about Goettsch or Trajkov? "What else did you hear?" He thinks. "I don't want to tell you anything false. I don't want to waste your time with rumors, especially rumors about you. I met one servile, though. He was fleeing Kazg. He was scared of what was happening there. He said that the Takers were looking for something called the Geneforge. It scared him, so he left." So the Takers haven't been very secretive about what they're up to. "What happened to him?" "Oh, he died. We found his body. He got caught by an artila not far west of here," Doge says. You can't tell if the lack of affect here is because the outpost is so accustomed to deaths due to rogues, or if Doge completely lacks sympathy for any serviles associated with the Takers. "Tell me about your outpost." "It is a humble thing. It used to be one of your people's things. We don't know what it was for. There was an essence pool, we have been feeding it. We think it is still alive." Maintaining essence pools is one of the jobs usually given to serviles, so it is probably still all right. "What are your orders?" you ask. "We are trying to keep the road clear. Those are our orders. Now, though, all we really do is try to stay alive. We get attacked all the time." You saw many more nests on your way here than you saw rogues. Maybe Doge's serviles have killed off more of them than they know... or maybe there's another spawner around here. You haven't encountered any for a while, now that you think of it. "I killed several rogue artila on my way here," you say. "But tell me, what's near this area?" "We are closest to Kazg. That is to the northeast. You should be careful there, though. They are Takers. They hate the Shapers. They may not dare attack you. Then again, they might. They did not used to be completely mad. But that has changed." "What made them change?" Did Trajkov's arrival galvanize them so much? It's hard to imagine what could have spurred serviles to become so violent. "I do not know. The changes only came a few months ago. They became more hostile. Rogues started to appear everywhere. Everything went mad," Doge says. The opportunity the outsiders represented must have been too huge to ignore. Still, it's surprising that the Takers have no feelings of revulsion for outsiders. Even the Awakened don't seem to have any fondness for the Sholai. "Suppose I wanted to sneak into Kazg. How could I do it?" "I... I have never been asked before. Let me think. The northern approach is farmland. The serviles up there seem more sane. They are also more armed, though. If you think you can convince them not to attack you, approach from that direction. The wilder serviles live in the ruins south of Kazg. They are less well armed, but they are also quite mad. You are much more likely to fight if you go in that direction." While Doge's information is fairly comprehensive, it's also nothing new, and nothing that will help you sneak into the settlement if you need to. "Can you assist me? I could use supplies." "Dina is in charge of our supplies. I am sure she would be honored to help you." "Mickall wants to know how you are doing," you say. Doge leans forward and speaks in more urgent tones than he's used til now. "You have met Mickall? Please, tell him we are doing badly. We are low on food and supplies. We are attacked constantly. Half of us are dead. Please get him to help us. He would listen to your Shaper wisdom." You wish you hadn't asked for supplies. This outpost seems likely to give you much more than they can afford, and they'll be glad to do so. "I am allied to the Obeyers." "That will sustain us, I am sure, in the battles ahead. For so many years, we Obeyers have wondered if we have followed the correct path. Now I am sure we are right," Doge says. How will these serviles feel when you follow your own path instead of what they've asked of you? You leave Doge to contemplate the Obeyers' pro-Shaper creed.  The small attached storage area has been converted partly to living space. This outpost is very small, so privacy is non-existent. This servile must be in charge of this settlement's pitiful remaining supplies. Her pouches are full of thorns and other goods, and she is repairing some javelins. She is in awe of you as much as the others, but she also looks very nervous. "I am Dina. Welcome, Shaper. You honor us with your presence." "What do you do here?" you ask. "I am in charge of the supplies. Scavenging. Repairing. Giving them out. I must make sure we are armed enough to withstand the onslaughts," Dina says. "I am in need of supplies. Could I have some of your goods?" She looks down at the ground. This is clearly what she was afraid you would ask. Still, she stays true to her nature and her beliefs. "Of course. Shaper, Take all you want. Anything we have is yours." You don't doubt that Dina would give you all that she has if you asked for it. "That is all right. I am fine now. Do you need any help?" She looks shocked. "Shaper, I was born to assist your kind. I could never ask you for any help." "That doesn't seem fair to you," you say, because it's not. "You are in danger. I should help you if I can." That is, after all, the compact between a Shaper and her creations -- the creations owe you their obedience, but you, likewise, owe them your protection and support. "The Shaper tries to be kind, but I know my true place. Please do not try to steer me from the true path." It's as indirect a scolding as you've ever received.  You leave to check the western area where the guard had indicated rogues. Game Text posted:As you start to leave the outpost, you hear load roaring. It echoes through the woods. Suddenly, there are lots of creatures out there, and they are active.  You start to pull back when a battle alpha charges in. The servile guards leap at it, displaying startling bravado -- or desperation.  Even Dina runs in, passing you and hurtling towards the alpha like a servile-shaped missile. More rogues appear on the outpost path, mostly searing artilas. If you can just get past the serviles, who are so eager to protect you, you'll be able to exterminate these rogues...  Placid saviour and RickVoid finish off the battle alpha. The searing artila doesn't take much more effort. Idhrendur and GreatEvilKing block the approaching rogues and coordinate their fire. Despite your efforts, the serviles surge after the rogues. One takes a direct hit from a searing artila. As you watch, her flesh burns. You run after her, braving a similar fate, but you can't reach her with your curing magic before she succumbs. The rest of the rogues fall before they can inflict more damage on the outpost. If you hadn't been here, more serviles would have died, but you still regret the loss of even one. They've shown you more hospitality than anyone else on the island, even if it was only out of obligation.    The nests to the west are completely infested with artilas. Fortunately, they didn't launch a second attack while the outpost was already under assault. The rogues fall into confusion as your creations raid their territory and burn their nests out.  Interestingly enough, you find another canister tucked behind a rogue nest. If someone placed it out here, they had a very strange idea of how to protect a canister. It doesn't seem like it was in these ruins all this time. You use it, and your command of the terror spell improves. You think you'll have a chance to use it very soon. The game walkthrough indicates that an artila in this area has a chance to drop the Artila Skin Tunic, which is a really nice piece of armor that grants +10 armor and +3 battle magic for a -1 mental magic malus. Excellent for offensively-focused agents. Tunics are usually light armor as well, so the weight penalty and lack of an attack penalty are excellent. Next time: A Certain Nonchalance POOL IS CLOSED fucked around with this message at 22:35 on Aug 20, 2017 |
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Dec 21, 2016 20:28
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An Artila Skin Tunic sounds like a remarkably gross thing. 
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Dec 22, 2016 08:32
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That fight at the Obeyer outpost was my first really hard fight of my playthrough. I think I had to go back to an earlier save and avoid the outpost for awhile. In this playthrough, we might have saved that servile if we treated our creations as tools instead of pets. Then again, we might not have cared if they lived out died if we started looking at the world that way. idhrendur fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Dec 22, 2016 |
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Dec 22, 2016 19:09
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This LP inspired me to nab the saga. It's on sale right now until 2nd Jan.
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Dec 22, 2016 20:13
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PurpleXVI posted:An Artila Skin Tunic sounds like a remarkably gross thing. Think of it as a slightly more fantastic snake skin jacket and you'll be good to go
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Dec 23, 2016 03:29
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I took 1337 screenshots.  M-mods? The next update may come to you courtesy of Let's Play Amtrak: Derails from Here to New Jersey!Ibblebibble posted:This LP inspired me to nab the saga. It's on sale right now until 2nd Jan. Looks like all of the Spiderweb games are on sale for the Steam winter sale! Thanks for the heads up, I added a notice to the 2nd post. idhrendur posted:That fight at the Obeyer outpost was my first really hard fight of my playthrough. I think I had to go back to an earlier save and avoid the outpost for awhile. The timing of that fight is a little weird, which adds to the difficulty in my opinion. You might think that as soon as the dialogue closes is a good time to buff, but it's not! PurpleXVI posted:An Artila Skin Tunic sounds like a remarkably gross thing. It probably feels like an earthworm. A bit damp and bristly. 
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Dec 23, 2016 03:52
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Man, those serviles were pretty well set to die to those rogues, right? Or are there, like, different levels of serviles with more durability?
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Dec 23, 2016 18:10
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Glazius posted:Man, those serviles were pretty well set to die to those rogues, right? Or are there, like, different levels of serviles with more durability? There are. Some serviles are specifically bred for war. It's also mentioned that different jobs affect it - a "warrior servile" will have more health and deal more damage than a farmer.
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Dec 23, 2016 18:43
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Serviles aren't bred for war, that's what Battle Alphas and the like are for. There are Serviles bred for heavy labor who have learned to fight.
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Dec 23, 2016 19:21
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wiegieman posted:Serviles aren't bred for war, that's what Battle Alphas and the like are for. There are Serviles bred for heavy labor who have learned to fight. There are actually serviles called "war bred serviles". Might just be poetic license or a pure naming thing though. MagusofStars fucked around with this message at 05:09 on Dec 24, 2016 |
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Dec 24, 2016 05:07
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We haven't come across those, so let's not get ahead of ourselves.
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Dec 24, 2016 06:55
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A Certain Nonchalance “Practice in everything a certain nonchalance that shall conceal design and show that what is done and said is done without effort and almost without thought,” from The Book of the Courtier, by Baldassare Castiglione.  You stop by Pentil to rest and because Rydell did say you can take whatever you like from the village's storage. Your expectations are low, but when Rydell's key opens the lock, you find yourself pleasantly surprised. The canister within is not only intact, but also spotless. You press your hand against the top; the rush of powerful agents improves your ability to shape roamers and restores to you a sense of well-being and steadiness that you'd lost. No, it was just a temporary slip. Everything is under control. You wipe your hand on the placket of your robe. Something crinkles. You withdraw a battered letter now well-seasoned with your blood and sweat. It's the letter you found at Northbridge with the outsider humans' effects. Game Text posted:It is written in the strange, outsider language. Fortunately, you have learned enough of it to get the basic meaning. It is a set of orders for the scouts outside. They are supposed to watch for the younger Shaper and slay the older Shaper. The letter reminds you that you have far more unfinished business than reading orders to lackeys.  You trek to dusty East Kazg. Surprisingly, the guards at the eastern gateway don't attack you. They pretend to ignore you as you pass. The usual call and response game of "Protect Kazg!" and "Destroy the Shapers!" hasn't changed. The servile cultists hadn't moved from their stations. The Takers have no love for them if what the tinker said is true. You're more interested in the rest of that rumor, though. If serviles have managed to learn magic, well... It's something the Council needs to know about.   The cult's guards watch you with barely concealed bloodlust. They're ready to die if it means taking you down with them. You oblige them -- well, only in the first part. Though one guard jabs Like Clockwork with a javelin, they both fall quickly. The guards don't sound an alarm, but they don't need to. The clash of combat draws in another pair of cultists with their swords bared. They may have expected Gnorrel's Takers, but finding you instead tears war cries from their throats. Your creations are ready with roars of their own.   The layout of the ruin forms a funnel of death for the berserk serviles. They charge straight into the fire and acid of your creations without a care for tactics and they pay the price. None of the cultists even reach your front line fyoras. One dings RickVoid with a lucky throw, but it's only a superficial wound.  The altar room is orderly enough, but you don't have time to take it all in. Another cultist lunges for you, tripping over the chairs in its haste to gut you. So far, you haven't observed any evidence of magic, just regular violence.  When the fight ends, you notice that one of the cultists has a nice ring. He certainly won't need it now.  Your creations are about to scout the doorway for you when you hear a familiar, grating noise -- the sound of someone casting a speed spell. A servile zips around the corner, moving so quickly that it blurs.  The servile hacks at Like Clockwork while the rest of your team struggles to keep up. But the cultist is alone, and your team is well-versed at working in concert by now. Surrounded and isolated, the cultist's defeat is inevitable. You take a deep breath. Somehow, despite all the precautions the Shapers have taken, serviles have managed to teach themselves some magic. Then again, the Shapers of Sucia Isle don't seem to have been particularly cautious.   The kitchen is a dead end. You take a bite of a loaf of bread left on the work table. It's dry and gritty, but you're starving. Eating the food of a cook you probably just slew strikes you as morbid, but what can you do? Even a dreadful Shaper must eat.  You approach the altar warily at first, but it's just a stone slab. Game Text posted:There is nothing on the altar but an old Shaper robe. It is covered with small tears. It looks like it has been ceremonially stabbed. Many, many times. Fortunately the practice didn't prepare these cultists for stabbing the real thing to death. You investigate the book behind the altar in hopes that it might shed some light on what the cultists have done here. Game Text posted:The thick tome describes the beliefs of this cult. They don't center around gods or other omnipotent beings. Instead, they describe an intricate set of rules for meditation and self-denial. You shiver and close the book.  There's one more cultist back among the temple's cells. He goes down so fast that he's barely more than an afterthought. Even with magic, these serviles aren't much of an immediate threat.   The first cramped room is full of sleeping pallets crammed in side by side, leaving just barely enough room to walk between the two rows. The second room is a meditation room of sorts, but with intact posts and a cabinet full of whips and scourges. They look well cared for. You shudder and leave. At least the canisters mean you've never had to go to such extreme lengths. You imagine that most Shaper wizards don't go this far. These methods are barbaric and, you hope, antique.  You circle around to the far side of Kazg to find Hew, the Obeyer spy. Now that you're ostensibly one of them, you hope she'll have more information for you. "There are two Shapers on Sucia Island. Gnorrel has been trying to get a Shaper to be brought to her. But there is another who she is supposed to be trying to kill. That is what the outsider humans want. It seems you are the Shaper they want, not the Shaper they want to kill. Not all of the Takers are so sure," Hew says. "I'm aware. Is there any other information you can give me?" "One other thing I have learned. Inside Kazg, in the southwest corner, there is a tower. It is owned by Toivo, the sage of the Takers. If you went in there, you might be able to learn something about what the Takers know or what they are trying to do. It is guarded, though. I have not been able to slip past the guards. But you might." You sigh. This isn't news anymore. Hew wilts under your obvious disappointment, but what can you say? You continue further east of Kazg. There's still more to do, including locating the boat, Shaper Goettsch, and all the locked up Shaper supplies...  Game Text posted:Here, two roads diverge in a wood. The road to the north is still mostly intact. The path in that direction is very calm and quiet. Oh great, Robert Frost references. A servile walks boldly up to you. This specimen is a savage creature, clothed in a tattered, scavenged robe. Its face is covered with tattoos and scars. Its eyes betray no knowledge of who or what you are. When the feral creature begins to speak, you also find that it has lost most of its capacity for speech. It says, "You! Back! Come our way no more, or we kill!" You notice that its sword is bloody, and there is the head of a roamer hanging from a nearby branch. They must have been fighting a lot of rogues lately. The feral servile watches you closely, waiting for an excuse to stick you with the sword. Your creations hold themselves still, ready for your command to tear it apart. You hold your hands out, palms up. "Peace," you say. "Me pass. No hurt, no fight." The awkward speech makes you feel foolish, but you don't know how to be certain the servile will understand you. Somehow, you managed to make yourself understood to the creature, and your authoritative tone gets through to him. "Yes. You pass." He points to the north, towards his village. "No! No there! You go village, we kill!" Slowly, you reach into your robe and pull out a few pods and a few thorns. You think the servile will understand what they are. "I have good things," you say, showing him the goods. "I trade. Me enter village. Yes?" The servile is paranoid, and with good reason. But he is also greedy, and this poor tribe could clearly use more weaponry. He thinks for a minute, and then he says, "You go in! You enter safe. But you hurt, we kill!" He steps aside. "I want to know more about these woods," you try. The servile shakes its head. It has no idea what you're talking about. You point at the roamer head. "Rogue? Fight rogue?" "Yes! Rogue bad! We hate rogue! Rogue kill us!" Thanks to our leadership score, we were able to convince the tribe's representative to not only let us walk past the village safely, but also to enter it peacefully. Therefore we can now pass this zone freely.   Game Text posted:You enter the servile tribe's humble village. They've carved themselves out a little home inside the ubiquitous Shaper ruins. It looks like they manage a subsistence lifestyle out of fishing and failing to grow crops. Game Text posted:The tribal servile looks at you with curiosity. They have never seen a Shaper. You doubt they've ever even heard of the Shapers. Any issues of who created them or why are completely foreign to them. Somehow, these serviles had become separated from Kazg. You don't know if their exile was purposeful or accidental. But over the generations, these serviles have fallen back to some state of -- you don't know what. Nature? A creation can't be described as natural. The serviles aren't completely barbaric, but they're close enough.  Barbaric or no, the serviles on this island need to trade- This tribe seems to have had quite a bit of luck scavenging. This merchant can barely speak a word of your tongue, but you don't need that to barter. "Tell me about your village." "No talk. Trade? Yes? Trade! Trade!" You have the sneaking suspicion that those are the only four words this creature knows. "Trade?"  After unloading the goods you found in the cult's hideout, you head east to explore the village.  Along the river banks, you find a canister glowing in the lee of tumbled walls. Using it improves your ability to create artilas.  At the other end of the village is a pile of rubbish, including some still mostly intact records. You pick them up for your next trip to Pentil.  The road east is still reasonably intact. If not for the roamer skulls mounted on the dead tree limbs, you'd continue towards the distant shore.   The paths to the south are rotten with clawbugs and those pink, unstable roamers. They're easy enough to put down.  The woods are also full of thorn bushes, so you spend some time harvesting them. Extra coin is always useful, and in a pinch, you might need the thorns to defend yourself and your creations.   After you locate the far edge of the woods, you head towards the center. There are more rogues here, and they're already alert to your presence.   But you're able to whittle their numbers down. The presence of unstable roamers is less of a threat to you than it is to the other rogues. Whenever one of your creations takes out a roamer at range, it explodes, wounding its fellows.  You find the body of a servile just off the beaten path. The rogues chased her and cornered her here not so very long ago. As you examine her body, you catch a whiff of vinegar over the heavy stink of corruption.   Someone stationed four spawners in this field. Their smell is overwhelming, above and beyond the diseased earth and the decayed corpses.  You haste and bless your creations. It won't do to allow the spawners to overwhelm you with their trash rogues.  After the first wave of defenders is eliminated, your creations target the spawners. Acid is the best agent, as it turns time into your weapon, not the spawners'.   One of the spawners spits out an unstable rogue. Before it can strike, GreatEvilKing spews fire at it. The roamer explodes, wounding its creator. You laugh. It's more of a cackle, really. The last spawner goes down before it can summon any more defenders.  You look across the field. You're not the first to bring the battle to the spawners. You might not even be the first to defeat one. It's not outside the realm of possibility for Trajkov to have replacements made. But you probably are the first to slay all four. Anything that costs the outsiders has to be taken as a victory. Three bodies lie to the rear of the clearing. They all died at various times and, from their positions, were dragged back here by the spawners' creations. Game Text posted:This servile had no arms or armor when it died- It just has a bunch of junk it was scavenging when it got ambushed. Most of the trash in its sack is worthless to you. You pick up the weapons and armor left behind by the dead and gone before you head back toward the feral servile village.  This isn't nearly as nice as the Ring of the Eye, which, if you recall, also grants a good mental resistance bonus to our creations. Shapers are best served by equipment which enhances their minions.  This wand works like the ensnare crystals, which deal a little damage but are mostly useful for the Stun ability.   A few more rogues blunder across your path, but the tribe's woods are now much safer than they have been since the outsiders arrived. As you continue your clean-up efforts, you stumble across some ruins in the heart of the woods. The key you took from the dead servile unlocks the lever.  You avail yourself of the surviving essence pools and leave the door unlocked when you go. The tribe might stumble over the pools later, and they're welcome to them.  Your sweep concludes with the destruction of another pair of unstable roamers.  Inside the tiny structure is another reward for your trouble. The canister grants you a new blessing spell that is just beyond your power to use. Mass energize will allow you to bless and haste your creations simultaneously. With these woods pacified, you turn your attention south.   Dead trees give way to greenery. You inhale the clean air and center yourself before continuing on.  Game Text posted:The obelisk at the entrance says, 'Holding Two'. This was probably meant to be a holding facility. Creations which were being transported to and from Sucia Island could be safely secured here. This place hasn't been completely looted by serviles, or so you've been told. If there's anything of interest here, you'll find it. But before you plunge into another knot of tunnels, you check out a little side path.  The bones along the path don't presage good tidings.  Bore is a quest target, but we won't be getting the quest on the canon timeline. Receiving it requires murdering all the Sholai in the Refugee Caves. At the very end of the path is an unusually large fyora. It glares at you hatefully, sizing you and your creations up as a likely meal. Before the rogue can do more than evaluate how meaty you are, you order your creations to attack. They are relentless, and their fire comes so fast and furious that the rogue fyora doesn't even take another step before GreatEvilKing finally takes it down.  In its nest you find a leather shield. The enchantment on it will probably save your skin from future rogue fyoras, so you swap out your battered iron shield for the fyoraskin one. You try not to wonder why that rogue had a fyoraskin shield in its nest.   The wind moans through the tunnels, raising the fine hairs on the back of your neck. You pull your hood down tighter. Ahead, hidden by the curve of the walls, are more of those crystal alarms. This time, though, they're surrounded by twitching mines. You creep forward and manage to disarm one crystal, but the other emits a flash of light and a loud keening sound. You jump back just before two of the mines go off. Past the mines is a small room built into the living stone. Within is another spore box. You twist the knob and hear the familiar hiss.  So when you pass into the Grand Gallery, you're relieved when none of the turrets swing toward you. The spore box was to control them. The outsiders probably placed all these defenses here. The unfinished state of Holding Two's tunnels doesn't give you much hope of finding much of use, but if the outsiders thought this place was worth blocking, then it's worth your attention, too.  Just past the Grand Gallery is a huge storage chamber lined with cabinets. Most of them are full of mundane tools, but some hold swords and pods, which you collect.  The tunnels are blocked by more mines, of course. Your team stumbles over a crystal, triggering it and detonating the mines around it. Somehow none of the wounds are fatal.  You find another control box in a room piled up with ruined pedestals. You try to work the knob, but the controls are more complex than those you've encountered til now. You aren't sure what to do, so you wind up doing nothing for fear of making things worse.  The path leads back to the Grand Gallery. Your creations hiss -- these turrets are tracking you. You pull back and head south instead, seeking an alternative route.  As you explore, you find some of those delicate crystal lattices that store essence. How did they wind up propagating here?   You fail to disarm another crystal trigger and harmlessly detonate it instead. Holding Two is just packed with the things, and sometimes the crystals are tucked out of sight.  This room is full of creation vats not unlike what you saw in East Kazg. Game Text posted:There is a small control panel here. As is typical of Shaper workmanship, it is part stone, part plant, designed to last for a very long time. You haven't learned your lesson yet. You flip the switch. Game Text posted:The switch was the main release for all of the sealed vats in this room. The vats were, unfortunately, very good at keeping their organic components fresh.  The strange creations that pop out crackle with energy. The thahds in particular are strange, almost like the shades from the Tombs. But even though Like Clockwork is beaten nearly to death in the process, these rogues die like any others.  In the end, you have nothing to show for your efforts but a wand you find beneath one of the vats. It was probably lost there two hundred or more years ago.  The Rogue Holding chamber is barely even half finished. None of the usual precautions were here, and the walls weren't even completely built. You patch up your creations in the relative quiet here.  You backtrack to the north end of the Grand Gallery and begin the painful work of destroying the turrets. You don't want the spore-pacified ones to be turned against you, and obviously you must destroy the hostile turrets to get any further into Holding Two.    As awful as turrets are, mines are simply far more dreadful.  After some fumbling attempts to disarm the crystal triggers, you have to patch yourself up with healing pods. And the more pods you use, the fewer you have to sell or trade for other supplies. Lately you've noticed that the pods are no longer as effective on you as they used to be. You don't know if you're building a resistance to them or if it has to do with the canisters changing your body. Even the essence pods no longer refresh you as much as they ought. It's troubling, but what can you do?    Most of the Grand Gallery has been tamed now. You venture into one of the side tunnels. To your surprise, you locate some essence pools. It's unclear whether they're unfinished or if the pools died, but either way, they're useless. The outsider's body near one of the empty pools yields some interesting armor, though. There's another spore box near some hitching posts, but, as expected, it's another one of those strange and difficult control panels. You let it be. Chances are that you've already killed some of the turrets this spore box controls.   The clean air out here invigorates you. The clearing leads to another, detached structure with a wide-open foyer.  You check the ledgers. Game Text posted:Deliveries to and from this complex were to be recorded here. The pages are still all blank.  Game Text posted:Despite its long years of isolation, this servant mind seems to be in excellent condition. You soon see why. It was sent into hibernation before the island was abandoned, and has probably been hibernating for most of its life. "Servant, awake," you say in your most authoritative tone. You're not sure how deeply your command will penetrate the sleeping mind's awareness, but you have to give it your best shot. The mind doesn't respond. "Servant, awake!" It shifts about in its tray restlessly. "Servant, I command you awake! Now!" It slowly opens its eyes. It takes a few minutes for it to return to partial consciousness. Finally, it says, "Shaper, I am active. I await instruction." It takes you a few seconds to shake off your irritation at having to command the servant mind not once, not twice, but thrice to awaken. "Servant, what is your name?" you ask. "I am sorry, Shaper. I have not been named." It must have been sent into hibernation only shortly after it was placed here. "What is this complex?" "It is the complex I was born to control. I was to maintain the lists of its contents and monitor its defenses. But I have not yet been fully instructed." That makes things difficult, but maybe you can wring some sort of advantage from the situation. "What things in this complex can you control?" "I cannot tell you, Shaper. Until I am deemed active, I can only respond to commands of my designated trainer, Veet." You sigh. "I am a Shaper, and I command you. Tell me what you can do." It doesn't respond. This only makes sense. Servants minds always only obey their trainers until they are deemed sufficiently trained to I recognize who they can and can't accept orders from. Since this servant mind has only been minimally trained, it's probably naive enough for you to fool it. "I am Veet. I can understand your confusion. I look much different since these many years have passed." "Oh. I am sorry, master. I will obey you in all things." You do feel just a touch guilty for lying to an innocent, abandoned mind, but it's not like this nameless creature will ever face punishment for aiding you, unwittingly or no. Your crimes and the situation on Sucia Island have long since surpassed that point. You ask the mind once again to tell you what it can do. "I was only given the controls to a few things. My feed case, and one of the vault doors. Perhaps, some time, you can show me how to control more." You ignore the implied question. "Open all of the doors you can." "Yes, Veet. It is done." "What do you know about this island?" "I know little, Shaper. I was told that I was to control the products of the Geneforge before they were exported." "What do you know about the Geneforge?" you ask. "It is north. It makes products. I was to look after them. The products were valuable. That is all I know," the mind replies. The old Shapers anticipated a high demand for the Geneforge's products if they planned out an entire complex with a servant mind to manage the storage of exports. You wonder if anything was exported before the island was Barred. "That is all I need from you for now." "Yes, Shaper. Thank you." Before you go, you check the nearby cabinet that the mind unlocked. Game Text posted:You open the case. Inside, you find a jar of servant mind nutrient fluid. Its thick wax seal is still intact. You take it.  There's another door just south of the one you took into the clearing. It's unlocked, too.   Inside is an untouched storage room. The shelves are empty, but the crystal boxes along the wall yield much needed supplies -- including a reaper baton, fully loaded with reaper thorns. You reverently hook it to your belt.  Your explorations here are not yet complete. There are still many turrets to clear out and mines to disable or detonate.  After clearing this passage, you find a small, dead-end chamber littered with potsherds and one whole canister. It improves your speed spell and washes away your lingering worry for the abandoned servant mind.    Past another screen of turrets and crystal mines is still another canister. This one grants you a deeper understanding of the creation of vlish.  Someone reached this room before you. The three used up canisters were left behind to mock you, you're absolutely certain. And now that you've destroyed the turrets, the control box is useless. Frustrated, you crush the crystal lattices before you leave.    You're fuming so hard that you barely notice the sunlight and pine-fresh air on you way out.  Back at the refugee's cave, you meet with Solyony. He's all too happy to take some of your goods off your hands in exchange for coin. Most of the money he uses is foreign, with Sholai symbols and strangers' faces in profile stamped into them. Solyony possesses only a limited amount of the old Shaper currency. Not many serviles could get past the blockades the Takers and the other outsiders have set around this place.  This isn't bad, but Solution has better belt options. All in all, equipment that gives a Shaper's creations extra stat points is the best choice for regular wear for this class. Once you're done bartering, you meet with Masha. "I've met Astrov. He is doing well." You describe to her your meeting with him, as well as the cavern he has holed up in. Your matter-of-fact recitation impresses Masha. "Marvelous news! I am glad he is able to help you. Trust him and his wisdom. If you want to deal with traitor Trajkov, you should speak with Astrov much. He knows more than me now of the way things are."  Next time: Souls Freed From Vice POOL IS CLOSED fucked around with this message at 22:36 on Aug 20, 2017 |
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Jan 4, 2017 20:31
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Good to have the LP back on line again. I was missing it.
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Jan 4, 2017 21:45
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Glad to see this again! Little worried healing potions are ceasing to work on Solution.
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Jan 4, 2017 22:06
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Also, happy new year!Night10194 posted:Glad to see this again! Hydrocodone doesn't work for Solution anymore. She has to get her fix from fentanyl. 
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Jan 4, 2017 22:14
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How long until Solution shapes herself a little white fyora to carry around and pet while monologuing at the rogue creations her underlings are torturing?
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Jan 4, 2017 22:19
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man, they couldn't have called it fyora-hide shield, could they that was a, uhh, terrible mental image for a moment...
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Jan 4, 2017 22:37
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:How long until Solution shapes herself a little white fyora to carry around and pet while monologuing at the rogue creations her underlings are torturing? As soon as she learns how to shape a feathered version! Deceitful Penguin posted:man, they couldn't have called it fyora-hide shield, could they Geneforge: Can I Interest You in Fyoraskin Pants?
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Jan 4, 2017 23:04
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:Oh great, Robert Frost references. Whose genes these are I think I know, They're on another island, though, They will not see me stuff my brain With things Man was not meant to know. GreatEvilKing huffs flames in vain, We halt with no foes to cause pain, He aches to find a rogue or thief, And murder them with might arcane. Like Clockwork growls and seeks relief, From their now sudden-silent chief, The only other sound's the scrape, Of metal lid on fallen leaf. The secret doors before me gape, But I have need to find escape, And miles to go after I Shape, And miles to go after I Shape.
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Jan 5, 2017 01:37
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Yay, it's back!  Night10194 posted:Little worried healing potions are ceasing to work on Solution. Is that just that they heal a fixed number of HP, so as our HP levels up it takes more to top us off? Game Text posted:It looks like they manage a subsistence lifestyle out of fishing and failing to grow crops. I may have laughed harder than is ethically justifiable.
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Jan 5, 2017 04:38
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idonotlikepeas posted:Whose genes these are I think I know, Holy poo poo. 
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Jan 5, 2017 04:59
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ManxomeBromide posted:Is that just that they heal a fixed number of HP, so as our HP levels up it takes more to top us off?
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Jan 5, 2017 12:13
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idonotlikepeas posted:Whose genes these are I think I know,
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Jan 5, 2017 18:26
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I added idonotlikepeas' masterpiece to the 2nd post. I woke up my partner last night and made him listen to my recitation.
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Jan 5, 2017 18:30
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