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Glazius posted:I wonder what the Sholai are thinking of doing. Returning home as god-kings? Living it up here? Going space? MORE CANISTERS. MORRRRRRRE
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# ? Feb 28, 2017 02:05 |
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# ? May 13, 2024 09:01 |
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I think one of the things established in this episode is that they don't actually know for sure, or at least the rank-and-file don't. "What will you write on the scrolls?" "Uh... stuff! The best stuff! It'll be huge."
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# ? Feb 28, 2017 02:12 |
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Glazius posted:I wonder what the Sholai are thinking of doing. Returning home as god-kings? Living it up here? Going space? George Orwell (more accurately, O'Brien in 'Nineteen Eighty-Four') posted:Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. First thing that came to mind. Don't know if it strictly applies to Trajkov, but he did put himself through an Age-of-Sail expedition across an ocean equivalent to the Pacific without really knowing what was out there except 'more land, probably', and there's not a lot of mindsets that deal with that well without an innate affinity for being in charge and having power of life and death over one's subordinates. dont be mean to me fucked around with this message at 02:24 on Feb 28, 2017 |
# ? Feb 28, 2017 02:15 |
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dont be mean to me posted:First thing that came to mind. Don't know if it strictly applies to Trajkov, but he did put himself through an Age-of-Sail expedition across an ocean equivalent to the Pacific without really knowing what was out there except 'more land, probably', and there's not a lot of mindsets that deal with that well without an innate affinity for being in charge and having power of life and death over one's subordinates. Trajkov is a complicated fellow, though such words could be used to describe most of the faction leaders in this series. mauman fucked around with this message at 04:16 on Feb 28, 2017 |
# ? Feb 28, 2017 04:11 |
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Glazius posted:I wonder what the Sholai are thinking of doing. Returning home as god-kings? Living it up here? Going space? I suspect that "living it up here", read as "make more canisters, use more canisters, repeated to infinity", is probably on the mark.
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# ? Feb 28, 2017 18:20 |
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Geneforge Saga is on sale again on gog dot com! Not even 4 dollars.
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# ? Feb 28, 2017 23:47 |
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I wonder how the Sholai are ending up with apparently-directed canister loadouts for people, instead of the utter random spray that Solution's had? I mean, possibly if they own the Geneforge complex they've found labeled stockpiles, I guess?
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# ? Mar 1, 2017 09:32 |
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ArcMage posted:I wonder how the Sholai are ending up with apparently-directed canister loadouts for people, instead of the utter random spray that Solution's had? They haven't: each person has been using canisters as they've been finding them, just in different ways, and a hell of a lot more than Solution. Besides that, they can only use so much essence, so it's better to specialize even if most of them are theoretically jack-of-all-trades. We also don't know how their complete lack of actual knowledge about shaping might be affecting their abilities.
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# ? Mar 1, 2017 20:43 |
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Barring any horrible technological failures, there will be a long awaited meeting and a critical path vote tomorrow!
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# ? Mar 20, 2017 23:47 |
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AFTER TEN THOUSAND YEARS SOLUTION WILL FINALLY BE FREE TIME TO CONQUER THE EARTH Seriously, though, it's good to see you back! Just today I found myself wondering if the Geneforge LP yet lived.
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# ? Mar 21, 2017 00:51 |
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So about that horrible technological failure...
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# ? Mar 28, 2017 03:43 |
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Viking_Helmet posted:So about that horrible technological failure... You mean expected technological failure because POOL IS CLOSED tempted fate by saying it?
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# ? Mar 28, 2017 07:49 |
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Thus is the curse.
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# ? Mar 28, 2017 08:50 |
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thetruegentleman posted:They haven't: each person has been using canisters as they've been finding them, just in different ways, and a hell of a lot more than Solution. Besides that, they can only use so much essence, so it's better to specialize even if most of them are theoretically jack-of-all-trades. We also don't know how their complete lack of actual knowledge about shaping might be affecting their abilities. Possibly I've missed whether or not we can tell what a canister does before using it. If we can, then oh, yes, that makes sense.
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# ? Mar 29, 2017 21:19 |
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This is kind of a footnote at this point, but I really hope we get to shape some drayks. I don't know if they hold up gameplay-wise to their "forbidden" status, but I think it'd to cool to show off for the LP (especially since a lot of people might have missed that canister). There's a good argument to make for its narrative significance too. At this point, what powers hasn't Solution ursurped? Honestly, I'm kind of worried we've hit the point we're unkillable. Not dying and not absorbing means we might be stuck with this arguably effective, if a bit boring loadout. No ornks, no drayks, not even the upgraded artilas to replace rickvoid. I am, however, fully enjoying the Machiavellian tactics at play and genuinely look forward to the big double (triple? Quadruple?) cross before assumably wiping all the other pieces off the board.
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# ? Mar 30, 2017 11:55 |
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There are other ways to get drayks, but they are admittedly pretty rad. I used them to carry me through late-game, as they have enough health to tank even a round of focus-fire from anything that isn't, like, four reaper turrets, they do good accurate ranged damage, and hit like a train on anything dumb enough to close to melee. The big downside is that they cost a ton of essence to shape. Even so, with high Intelligence you can have enough to maintain four-ish drayks by endgame and have a little left over for buffin' purposes. (My guess is that Pool Is Closed has encountered JAIDS, because this LP was going far too smoothly.)
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# ? Mar 30, 2017 18:23 |
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Random_Username posted:Honestly, I'm kind of worried we've hit the point we're unkillable. Not dying and not absorbing means we might be stuck with this arguably effective, if a bit boring loadout. No ornks, no drayks, not even the upgraded artilas to replace rickvoid. That said, I'd guess that PIC will show off the others we missed even if it's in a little bonus montage or something.
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# ? Mar 30, 2017 20:56 |
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I actually got really, really sick the same day I last posted! And now I'm making last minute preparations for an extended overseas trip, so I probably won't be able to update until I return at the end of the month. Basically, PAX plague is real and norovirus sucks, never get them back to back. It was only slightly less awful than a super flu.
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# ? Apr 5, 2017 19:14 |
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Hope you feel better soon. And hope your trip goes well!
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# ? Apr 5, 2017 19:15 |
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I somehow managed to avoid the PAX Pox this year., but I remember how hard I got hit the last couple of times. Not fun.
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# ? Apr 5, 2017 20:13 |
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My bout with norovirus was intensely unpleasant, but I thought maybe it was just me being an enormous baby. At least it was over in a day or so. PAX pox must have been the longer-term one, then?
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# ? Apr 5, 2017 21:47 |
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:I actually got really, really sick the same day I last posted! And now I'm making last minute preparations for an extended overseas trip, so I probably won't be able to update until I return at the end of the month. Yeeeeeeah, con flu is evil. I'm not looking forward to getting it here in a couple of weeks. Hope you're feeling better, and hope you enjoy your trip. I'll look forward to the next update when you're back!
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# ? Apr 6, 2017 00:04 |
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:I actually got really, really sick the same day I last posted! And now I'm making last minute preparations for an extended overseas trip, so I probably won't be able to update until I return at the end of the month.
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# ? Apr 17, 2017 17:19 |
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Is POOL IS CLOSED alive?
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# ? May 7, 2017 14:28 |
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StrixNebulosa posted:Is POOL IS CLOSED alive? They are, I saw a post from them in some other thread. The LP'll be back when they're ready; these narrative-heavy things are not the easiest style to do.
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# ? May 7, 2017 14:47 |
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Just recovering from the fantastic new plague I caught at Sounzan in Hakone, Japan and shitpostin'.
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# ? May 7, 2017 19:15 |
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Come to Europe to catch something and we'll make you a "plagued upon which the sun never sets" t-shirt.
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# ? May 7, 2017 20:17 |
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SIGSEGV posted:Come to Europe to catch something and we'll make you a "plagued upon which the sun never sets" t-shirt. I got bronchitis in Langenselbold, Germany one Christmas if that counts. I've been getting my butt kicked health wise since winter for some reason. Its just been an oddly severe chain of infections and injuries for no clear reason. But now that the weather is warming up here in New England, maybe some time outdoors will help put all that to rest for a while! Anyway I'm not promising an imminent update because each time I do, I catch something hella dire.
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# ? May 7, 2017 20:23 |
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:I got bronchitis in Langenselbold, Germany one Christmas if that counts. To be fair, I think most of us are just happy that you're A: Okay, and B: not abandoning the LP entirely. This has been a wild ride, and I think all of us would love to see the finish you've got in store for us.
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# ? May 8, 2017 00:05 |
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Blitzed the thread over the last few days, shocked as hell that my little Artila is not only the last of the Old Guard, but has somehow managed to not explode into a pile of guts like his fellows. Though to be fair some of that is because Artilas are pretty good at staying back from the front line where things can't punch them to death. Looking forward to you getting back into this, I never did get around to finishing my own playthrough.
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# ? May 10, 2017 15:32 |
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How's your health?
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# ? May 30, 2017 20:10 |
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Xander77 posted:How's your health? I only hit the albuterol inhaler every third day now! And it seems I dodged the tuberculosis bullet. Spring equals bees and trouts and seasonal homeowner woes, but I have an update in draft that's just awaiting a final check and screenshots added in.
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# ? May 30, 2017 20:26 |
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Glad you're feeling better! I know we're all looking forward to your next update!
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# ? May 30, 2017 23:12 |
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Glad to hear you're doing better.
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# ? May 30, 2017 23:36 |
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:I only hit the albuterol inhaler every third day now! MagusofStars fucked around with this message at 23:56 on May 30, 2017 |
# ? May 30, 2017 23:53 |
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As a fellow Spiderweb Software LP'er, I wish you the best of health. These games are dense in many ways, and making a good LP, as you have done, can take a lot out of you. Take breaks when you have to, and you can finish it off, better than before!
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# ? May 31, 2017 00:07 |
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Glad you're feleing better, take all the time you need. This si one of my favorite LP's here, it's worth waiting for.
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# ? May 31, 2017 04:53 |
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Buy Stuff Now Or Kick Yourself Later The moment you step into the old Shaper quarters, you smell a familiar fragrance -- baking bread. But there's no time to enjoy the scent, as there are more outsiders just waiting for an excuse to abuse their powers. You meet another powerful Sholai, improved by enchantments and Shaper magic. He is not rude, but doesn't want to talk with you either. He just nods. "I'd like to know something about this complex," you say. Your knowledge of the Sholai tongue is adequate to pierce his dialect and speed at which he talks. However, he knows little and has no interest in sharing even that with you. The conversation is short and fruitless. At least he didn't ignore you entirely. These corridors are under heavy guard, if the combination of hostility and inattention of the Sholai warriors can really be called a "guard." The warriors are probably meant to ensure that all the records here -- a mix of old Shaper records and new Sholai observations -- don't stray too far away, but you can't imagine how anyone would be able to tell if something has gone missing. It's a mess here. None of the Sholai you cross paths with are willing to entertain questions. The repulsive drayks, however, watch you closely and with animalistic hunger. The Sholai might have had a real plan for how to inhabit the old Shaper living quarters once, but now everything is a jumble -- there's piles of coin forgotten by canister-addled researchers and even bloody knives left behind on tables stained and gouged. They were probably playing the kinds of stupid games only drunks usually try. You even find experimental apparatus leaking noxious fumes in one of the crowded bunkrooms. Game Text posted:The door does not open at your approach. The Sholai mage standing next to it says, "Not yet. First, Shaper, you must pass a test. Come and speak with me." You're a little surprised at being addressed directly when so many other outsiders have done their best to ignore you. You discreetly fiddle with the control rod but the door still does not respond. Like all of the other Sholai mages, she has been highly augmented. She looks normal, except for one detail. Her eyes are glowing. She smiles coldly and says, in your tongue, "Hello, Shaper. I am Varya. I suppose you wish to pass this door. You must get my permission." Her sneer rankles, but you draw on your recent experiences and remain calm. "How can I pass through this door?" "Therein lays a tale. When I and Trajkov and the others arrived in these ruins, they were defended by turrets, minds, and a drayk. The turrets and the minds were easily dispatched. The drayk was different." Drayks again. "How so?" you ask, but you already suspect what you'll hear. This drayk won't be the first intelligent monster you've met on Sucia Isle. "The drayk was Akkat. His lair is just to the west of here. He had long forgotten his duty to your people. He was bored, and eager to assist us. In return, we feed him and provide wealth. And stroke his ego." She smiles unpleasantly. "Now, however, we need him no longer." "And you want from me..." "We are strong enough to slay Akkat. But Akkat is very, very strong. It would likely cause a loss of one or more of our number, and we can afford to lose no more humans. Kill Akkat and I will give you free access to Trajkov." She clearly wants you to fail, but at the same time, has more or less admitted that you are stronger than the Sholai who would otherwise take on this fight. You decide not to point out that if you survive, you've proven your superiority over her and her brethren. After all, it doesn't do to be rude to anyone, not even squatters. Varya is silent. She stares at you with her glowing eyes. You notice that you can't make out the pupil or the whites. It's just one uniform glow. "Where is Trajkov?" you ask. "Beyond this door. But before you can pass, you must be tested." The contemptible mage doesn't stop smiling. You make a bet with yourself that she was told to slay Akkat and your arrival just presented an irresistible opportunity to use you as an errand girl. "You look like you have used a lot of the canisters," you say instead of calling her lazy. "No. Just a few of them. But they were good ones. I was already a mage when I arrived on this island, unlike the simple ones you have met before me. I only needed a small amount of modification to reach my true potential." You can't resist a small snort at that. The canisters have nothing to do with potential. "Why do your eyes glow?" "It is a simple and effective magical affectation designed to engender respect." She's merely deluding herself about possessing more talent than she really had. "You speak my tongue well. Can you teach me some of it?" Varya snorts. She seems amazed that you think it would be worth her time. "Surely Trajkov will be displeased when he learns you have delayed me in reaching him." "Surely you are a fool. You think I would dare test you if I didn't have Trajkov's explicit permission?" The mocking lilt at the end tries your patience to its limit. "Sure I do. But Akkat won't be the first drayk I've disposed of. Come along and watch, or cower here if you're worried about a little blood." You turn and stride eastward with a very satisfying sweep of your robes. Your creations strut around you, buoyed by your surge of confidence. Varya doesn't follow, which leaves you free to pursue your own agenda. Of course it's a dead end with a lever-locked door, but most levers aren't an obstacle to you anymore. Inside the tiny storage room you find more thorns and healing pods, which you add to your already sizeable collection. You're starting to run out of space for all this stuff you've been... liberating. That puts you in mind of the serviles down in the Junkyard. The route to them is safe enough now thanks to you, so you leave Sholai-held lands to find friendly faces willing to trade. Shock is pleased with all the shaping equipment you sell him. While he and Proof are preoccupied, you break into the locked northeastern room. You've never seen either servile go in or out of it, and you're curious. Inside are sleeping quarters, and more importantly, a cache of valuable equipment, including a leaded shield. The heavy old thing isn't that useful to you, though; you leave it and most of the other supplies. You keep a strong healing pod as a souvenir of sorts. With your load significantly lightened, you once again set foot on the road to Trajkov. The corridors reek of drayk. Lesser beasts swarm all over, hissing at you8 and scuttling away when you come too close. These feral creations have little love for or knowledge of Shapers or any humans; you're not sure who is even keeping them in check -- is it Akkat or the Sholai? They live in such squalor that you feel almost sorry for them. If someone had taken the time to teach them, these drayks would have been more than simple animals. Nevertheless, you rifle through their nests when the drayks are out of sight. Game Text posted:This section of the quarters is a ruin, smashed and hollowed out by reptilian fire and massive claws. In the middle of the rubble, you see a massive, ancient drayk, possibly as old as this complex. This drayk is ancient. Its skin is faded and cracked, and its wings are torn. Yet, it has not grown weak with age. Its eyes are alert and its joints are supple. It is easily old enough to have known the Shapers before they left. When it sees you, it nods its head, a gesture of respect. "Ah, a Shaper. Yessss. It hassss been long. Yesss, I am Akkat. I greet you in peace, as long as you do not trifle with my nessst." "What is your job here?" You try to temper your revulsion long enough to speak civilly with this hoary old monster. "I was set by your kind to guard this place. I lossst interesst." You can hardly blame it. The years must have passed slowly here. "I breed at timesss and ssset my sssspawn to find homesss on the isle. And, of late, I trade knowledge with the Sholai." "You have assisted the outsiders?" you ask, though Varya already told you as much. "Sssome, yessss. I wasss bored, and their struggles interesssted me." More like the drayk thirsted for whatever shiny baubles the Sholai offered. "Who created you?" "I was made by Danette herself, master researcher of this island." "I see." Danette may have been one of the last Shapers to legitimately create a drayk. You wonder what she thought of them. "Tell me about this complex." "There is not much you have not ssseen. To the north isss the Geneforge. Wesst of there are holding cellsss, full of rogues. To the wessst, past research, are the vatsss, full of poison." Only one of those things really piques your interest. "What do you know of the Geneforge?" "Little. The Shaperssss, they trusted me little, though they made me from nothing. They told me naught of the Geneforge, for fear I might accessss it in their absence." They were wise to be paranoid; even though Akkat would die if it tried to use the Geneforge, the drayk would have surely traded away everything it knew to the Sholai for a few glittering crystals. Akkat idly picks at a withered scale with its claw. It doesn't seem impressed by you in the least. You look away and pause, as though you're searching for a way to relate something mildly embarrassing. "I think perhaps you should know," you say, scuffing your heel in the dirt. "Varya sent me here to kill you." Akkat shakes its massive head, unimpressed. "No. I still know much, and am too useful to them. They would not betray me. There is no senssse in it." Quite an arrogant creature. "That may be true, but the Sholai are acting against their interests. They don't trust you. They want you dead." You shrug. It is difficult, but you get Akkat to believe you. Appealing to its egotism and vanity help. "What! The ingrates! After my help, betraying me! That Varya! She will pay!" The drayk storms off westward, towards where Varya keeps her stubborn vigil. Akkat must be able to smell her. If you don't have enough leadership, you don't get the opportunity to betray Varya here. Instead, you can initiate hostilities through dialogue or you can simply force a fight by attacking it outside of the dialogue box. You can also open negotiations with, "Greetings, creation. I require your assistance." As you might imagine, Akkat is unimpressed with your attempt to coerce it. Akkat chuckles. You see no traces of obedience in its eyes. "Shaper, your kind lost my respect when you fled this isle. You abandoned me. I see no reason to follow you. I am not one of the pitiful sub-drayks you see here." "What do you mean by pitiful sub-drayks?" "The Sholai, they make drayks. They are around. But I am an original, ancient and learned, made by a master Shaper, with my own will. Do not confuse me with them." Then you're given the choice to ask for Akkat's assistance, or you can say, "Then you are a rogue! I will end your ungrateful existence." If you're nice, Akkat says, "You are polite. For a Shaper. I will give you little help, but I will let you pass in peace." All in all, a lot of characterization for an NPC you don't spend much time with and can slaughter outright. Now let's return to our show! Varya really shouldn't have been so rude. Your creations follow a few paces behind Akkat. You maintain a respectful distance, but that doesn't last for long. Akkat stops short, leaving your glaahks to stumble forward, carried a short distance by their own momentum. You don't know if Varya recognizes them as yours, but she certainly doesn't take any chances and immediately strikes Dmar with a bolt of energy. The drayk is a canny old bastard. His fire breath scorches Varya and ignites her robes. Blinded by pain and smoke, she flails and leaves herself open. The burns are vicious -- you can smell her cooking. She can't even scream. You command your creations to end her suffering quickly; no other Sholai are coming to aid her, and you have no interest in wasting healing on an enemy. When Varya dies, whatever enchantment she had maintained to bar your path finally ends. The door to Trajkov thuds open. But you're not quite done yet. After all, this dangerous rogue just turned on a human. "Greetings, foul rogue," you say, and bow slightly -- you can at least show Akkat some respect and perhaps also acknowledge the irony here. "Now we do battle." Akkat doesn't look the least bit afraid. "Good. Yessss. Now, at lassst, I get to serve humility to an arrogant Shaper." At least you can make one being happy. Your vlish move first, as terrifyingly swift as ever. Their loathsome power proves efficacious against even cunning old Akkat. It attempts to flee, then cowers against the far wall. The glaahk finish it off before it dies of a heart attack. Varya dies and is avenged. If you don't betray Varya and instead just slay Akkat, Varya receives a little more dialogue. "Excellent." She waves her hand. "And now, at last, you may meet my master, Trajkov, keeper of the Geneforge." The door opens at this point. If you ask where Trajkov is now, she says, "Beyond this door. Do not tarry. Trajkov awaits." Like she didn't just waste our time! Slaying Akkat lets you loot his nest; you get a girdle of strength, a jeweled wand, and some vendor trash. Varya doesn't drop anything, if I remember correctly. And murdering her doesn't actually make anyone else in the compound turn hostile, because everyone hates her, I guess! You move Varya's corpse off into the dead end eastern chamber before you finish your explorations of the reclaimed quarters. In one room, you find something interesting. The mage within doesn't seem to notice you, so you investigate the tome. Game Text posted:This is a Sholai journal. However, it's not a diary of past events. It's more of a lab journal, describing your language and that of the Sholai. There's even a small Shaper—Sholai dictionary! Unfortunately this doesn't actually unlock dialogue with the Sholai NPCs. Game Text posted:This door is quite unusual. It doesn't open automatically, and there is no control lever. Instead, you find a small combination wheel. The splendid room inside is guarded by reaper turrets, but they don't turn on you. Apparently knowing the combination is enough to enter safely. You check what you at first think is a closet, but then turns out to be even more luxurious -- an armory all for one man. You wonder what has him exiled to boring guard duty. The pair of canisters within improves your ability to throw fire and create fyoras. New possibilities come to mind, but you doubt you'll be shaping another fyora in the near future. You find more kitchens and another large dining hall before coming upon a carpeted section of the complex. The pile has worn down and still smells somewhat of mildew, but it's even more luxurious (comparatively speaking, that is) than Serabryakov's chambers. You help yourself to the money left in these unguarded rooms, then pause to inspect a gallery guarded by turrets and drayks. The turrets don't seem hostile, so you pass on through to the west. You wish you could have seen this library in better times. But this way leads back the way you came, so you turn back. The drayks don't respond as you walk between them. You find more private rooms here; they're still shared, but with only pairs of beds instead of piles of bedding. The obelisk reads, "MASTER'S CHAMBERS TRAJKOV." It's no surprise that Trajkov has better guards than his flunkies. But a pair of reaper turrets is less troublesome now than a passing summer shower. Four at a time might be a little problematic, though. Dmar and wedgekree suffer for it, but they get the job done. You check the cabinet the turrets were guarding first, before anything else. Game Text posted:The cabinet contains a pair of gloves. They are heavily torn. You are about to close the case again when you realize that the gloves are shaped. Our creations' HP pools long ago outpaced our ability to heal them. A little more healing craft will help keep them alive during protracted engagements, though. You spend a few moments patching up the glaahks before clearing the northern chamber. Game Text posted:This is Trajkov's journal. It is surprisingly short. You open it and begin to read. His large vocabulary, twisted syntax, and bad handwriting make it slow going, but you find one section of great interest. In his cabinet, you find something familiar. Game Text posted:The cabinet contains personal effects, the random debris of a life at sea. At first it looks like there is little of value. Now that you've thoroughly swept through Trajkov's personal belongings, you head north. It's not without trepidation that you pass through Varya's door... Thanks for bearing with me during this longer than expected break! I hope you enjoyed this birthday update. Now it’s back to celebrating in the usual fashion – indolence. POOL IS CLOSED fucked around with this message at 00:25 on Jun 10, 2017 |
# ? Jun 8, 2017 23:37 |
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I am thrilled to see this back! Hope you're feeling better! Time to reread the entire LP.
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# ? Jun 8, 2017 23:40 |
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# ? May 13, 2024 09:01 |
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StrixNebulosa posted:
I was going to say the same thing, but... quote works too.
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# ? Jun 9, 2017 00:52 |