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"If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you". We are the abyss, and they blinked. Also... so am I reading the italicized parts right, and MC&D is Hell End's version of the Settlement from Heaven End?
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Dec 16, 2023 14:44
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| # ? Jun 1, 2024 10:01 |
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Randalor posted:"If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you". We are the abyss, and they blinked. ya i picked up on that too. not sure if it's everyone or just a bunch of the Hell End versions of the wanderers are in MC&D
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Dec 16, 2023 14:59
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taiyoko posted:
Keirye did not fully die in this case, despite having been injured well past the instant-death threshold of -5xHP, having been saved by one of Lumes' powers. The character went as hard as they did with their attack since they believe they've discovered Burner, because they've discovered Burner. Bloody Pom posted:BLACK. CROWS. GONNA. WIN. Thank you for reading and glad you like it so far! I apologize to other people who have come in and I've forgotten to say hi and thank you to. I did a small update to the character sheet to reflect some of the recent changes.
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Dec 16, 2023 17:25
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Keirye, but drat if the Tyrant Child doesn't look badass in that image. Kind of surprised that we used the molten gold on that dark wave attack, though. Would have thought it would be too risky.
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quote:★ []
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Dec 16, 2023 17:31
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I'm sorry her right rear end was gulped???
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Dec 16, 2023 17:58
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we don't kinkshame here
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Dec 16, 2023 18:55
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Regallion posted:I'm sorry her right rear end was gulped??? Hah, no. Arm. And ‘pulped’.
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Dec 16, 2023 19:08
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Regallion posted:I'm sorry her right rear end was gulped??? Oh like you don't gulp rear end. Eat the rear end, Regallion!
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Dec 17, 2023 00:28
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Here i thought our character wouldn't be that kind of thirsty 😜
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Dec 17, 2023 01:04
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I'm really glad that I listened to the OST for this post. It really gave just the right amount of 'listening to the bomb sirens scream before a nuke detonates' vibe.
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Dec 17, 2023 13:27
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Just got back in the saddle after 95 posts and daaaamn
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Dec 17, 2023 17:53
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 The Blue Book posted:
Black August fucked around with this message at 19:56 on Dec 17, 2023 |
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Dec 17, 2023 18:31
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So I haven't seen anyone else comment on it, but it looks like the Moloch Buster is unsealed now according to our inventory? Did I miss when that happened?
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Dec 17, 2023 22:15
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Bloody Pom posted:So I haven't seen anyone else comment on it, but it looks like the Moloch Buster is unsealed now according to our inventory? Did I miss when that happened? If I'm understanding right, there was a magical seal from Burner that only she and the Sunburners could unseal, and then there's the MC&D case that it's still stuck inside. So it's now unsealed with the rest of the petals, but we still can't actually use it until we can figure out how to get it out of the MC&D case.
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Dec 17, 2023 22:46
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taiyoko posted:If I'm understanding right, there was a magical seal from Burner that only she and the Sunburners could unseal, and then there's the MC&D case that it's still stuck inside. So it's now unsealed with the rest of the petals, but we still can't actually use it until we can figure out how to get it out of the MC&D case.
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Dec 17, 2023 23:00
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The Moloch Buster was always unsealed from the start, since Burner had it out and then dropped it at the apartments, leaving it unsealed for anyone to just grab and use. It’s still TRAPPED in the MC&D case, but is ready to go once it’s out of that.
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Dec 17, 2023 23:37
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Instantaneous. No between. Only before, and after. Sands sizzling blood. Bodies thrown up by gravity. The wave opening the earth like a great hand. Flesh flying, then crashing. The Miner, clutching at her heart as it struggles to not stop under the weight of its guardian link bearing so much sudden death. Now she was hosed up fierce, near a heart attack of her own. All around them the beach was a torn up sinkhole, lava and water gushing in hissing streams from the wounded sands. Panic. The Miner, grabbing 5th Lord out of her stupor and limp-running her away. The Ranger, screaming to her guard trio and Kaigen's kin to save the wounded before the ground ate them for true death. The Valkyrie, dropping her bottle pack to them while she throws runes with bloodied hands to blow the clouded mess away. The Superhero, the Magi, the Knight; all well alive if terrified as they struggle to act on the order. The Archer. 8th Lord. He's standing directly across from it. The Shadow. He could see their dim through the dust of the wake.  Rainy dawn eyes. He didn't understand what it was, but he knew it wanted Burner dead, and they were in the way. So he provoked the being, using his dryadics to cast a spray of solar light at the eyes. The Ranger and Valkyrie saw his guided retreat to the end of the beach, and went to follow Burner and the Miner. Wanderers four and Lord lured the killing dark away while the three ogres and three superheroes scrambled to save the lives of those who were supposed to have died. Burner was hoarse-screaming something as she held Lumes' shaking hand- a tunnel, one of the accesses to the dock to her Megalith, stable beeline. They went inside. Those left behind watched helpless as the Shadow pursued; Cayver Cauvay was furrowed with thought.  Burner took the Wanderers to walk the magma-river tunnel, starry obsidian walkways carved into either side of the gold-flecked grandeur. The Ranger was cursing, understanding that while nobody died, the Miner had been stressed to the point that she wouldn't be able to bear the strain of another heart-stop. No more second chances without time to regroup. The Archer explained it for them; whatever it was, it wanted Burner and it was sapient with true killing intent. The Valkyrie was looking at the lava and tracing the air as they ran, practicing an idea quickly. They all paused for one beat when they saw it on the other side; there in the radiance of the burning stone and gold-glitter darkness. Relentless. Walking steady. The five slowed as they went to a strong walk in match, taking time to let their eyes resolve out the shadow-shape at the center of the single-point disturbance. It moved like them. Held a blade-like black. The Shadow. The Ranger was pissed. She swept to full height with a fist clenched; in the power of an Emperor, even a Holy one, there was still the darkness of the royal decree and its overpowering command to obey. She invokes it. Make it kneel, back down. She- (Rienne - WL - Imperial) 18 - [5]+[3]+[4] = 12 - Success [By 6]. vs (WL - I. AM. TYRANT.) 20 - [1]+[6]+[5] = 12 - Success [By 8]. -she could feel it, mold it, weave it like a soft dryness. It strangled her before she let go and backed away, nearly stepping into a lava flow. She remained angry, but had clarity; this thing was disgusting with an intent to overcome. She looks to see the Valkyrie making her choice. Symbols bright in the wavy airs. Both hands moving in trace-tandem; the dare of four runes into one great demand. (Levity - Fire Rune - Magma.) 14 [3]+[5]+[4] = 12 - Success... (Levity - Motion Rune - Move to my will.) 14 [3]+[1]+[5] = 9 - Success. (Levity - Curse Rune - Move with Hell's relentless eternal.) 14 [5]+[5]+[2] = 12 - Success! (Levity - Sovereign Rune - Do this with the power of your Emperor.) 14 [5]+[5]+[4] = 14 - Exact Success!!!  Oh Valkyr; does her will to punish sing mighty. The Shadow jerks away from the wall and shifts aside: the magma has gathered up and gone gold with the power of Hellfire, and starts to surge with a terrible semi-elemental animation. It lashes at the Shadow; not seeking so much to burn it to death, but to instead encase and drown it, and apply crushing force for a hopeful kill. The dark deformation started a retreat ahead, prompting the Wanderers to give wolf-like chase. Burner took time to blend in safe by lagging back to near the wounded Miner, allowing the other three to keep the pressure up. The Miner didn't seem right. She was bothered. Staring at the deadly thing retreating from the hell-magma. Something felt wrong to her about how it moved. It's not right. The Archer was now left to act, watching the Shadow slow down to wait out a magma burst from their walkway. There was little choice; this was too dangerous an entity to allow to persist. It had to back down, or dash itself upon their rocks. But the 8th Lord wanted it to back down- and so he faced the thing from across the river red, bow held down as his other hand raised up. He meant it. He could only make sense of the thing's murderous intent; so he would tell it with all sincerity that there could be a stand-down. The 8th Lord bent his hand, and he showed to the Shadow what he had come into existence already knowing. What made a  possible.
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Dec 18, 2023 02:20
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I'm unsure how this will work against the Tyrant, but i know our tyrant child feels the need for forgiveness...
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Dec 18, 2023 03:10
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Dec 18, 2023 03:47
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So is this our sign, the glitch technique that can only be used if you truly mean it? The one thing truly anathema to Hell is the act of forgiveness.
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Dec 18, 2023 03:57
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How exactly do we parse 6dx1000? I'm assuming it's 6d6 x 1000? Though I kind of hope it's just six d1000s, because the idea of the Moloch Buster rolling a seven delights me to no end.
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Dec 18, 2023 07:55
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Looking at the petals for the flower of ruin, I'm curious in the fire root now. Would it make a good friend for our other parasites? The fungi are just doing their own things, but the Bloody Parasite seems very lonely.Mechtroid posted:How exactly do we parse 6dx1000? I'm assuming it's 6d6 x 1000? I think that's a d6 x 1000?
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Dec 18, 2023 16:05
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Marluxia posted:Looking at the petals for the flower of ruin, I'm curious in the fire root now. Would it make a good friend for our other parasites? The fungi are just doing their own things, but the Bloody Parasite seems very lonely. I'm concerned about the "Can not drink" part of it though, and just how easily it would be to detach after using it. If it just infests us, fine, but if it infects the Vampire parasite as well, does that mean we're cut off from its buffs because it won't be able to drink blood? Or does it JUST infest the arms and lungs, and completely bypasses the heart so it doesn't interact at all with the vampire? Not gonna lie, I'm kind of curious just how "infested" someone could get, and how well that character's one-run went. I don't think it's come up in the previous run logs.
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Dec 18, 2023 16:17
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The Moloch Buster does 6d6(x1000) damage. 6000 - 36,000 damage range. This is accurate to the system. A lowest-yield nuke of 0.1 kilotons does 6d6x900. The Moloch Buster can essentially aim and laser-fire such a yield across a mass distance, up to three times before it needs recharge.
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Dec 18, 2023 17:23
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It's bad. I've lost control. I'm going to die here. HP: [ -60 / 30 ] [Dying!] FP: [ 4 / 15.▒ ] [Exhausted!] TYRANNY: [ X ][ X ][ X ][ X ][ X ][ X ][ X ][80%] [Disquiet] Too much too fast. The rotten hot sting of gold gone molten in my marrow. The high of such absolute power is gone. I chased after Burner and her guardian shades, and they knew they could kill me if I'm in here. I should have picked off the others, kept my distance, but I was too starved for the quick kill. Now look at me. The magma's heat can't harm me, but the liquid stone and its Hellfires could; reactor shield or not, it'd wear it down and simply crush and suffocate me. All while my tattering will fights mad with the powerful demands of the green shade, who insists I kneel while the magma folds me into the screaming fire-tomb. I refuse, ragged, blade cast around as I leap sluggishly from stone to stone, watching the glowing gold doom slowly catch up. I look back and realize I can't even see Burner anymore, having lost her to the shimmering darkness and the violent presence of the three shades across the river. I can't THINK. I can't inhale right, choking on hellfumes, unable to bubble my lungs in holding. I keep almost slipping into the death below, my hand scrambling to keep the mirror-shield up in warding from any spells cast at me. The shades- I have to do it! Again, the golden heat in my veins, making my darkness dense with unholy power- I have to! Even if it collapses the tunnel on me, I wave to twist back and throw the wave. I have to- Too slow, my body thundering in the quiet of Hell. My eyes unable to look away, seeing the red shade walking calmly. It's holding up... it has a hand, held up, the shade resolving it into a shape I know by heart of hearts. Like a dream. Can't run. Just sluggish empty movements, barely ahead of the threat. My body gone neither hot nor cold, temperatureless. I understand everything that I'm being shown, promised, on the shade's heart of hearts. When you see it, you understand immediately, regardless of your nature. That's the Hell it brings. You understand what it's saying, and you can't lie to yourself about it. Clarity is absolute. Simple, gentle, world-ending. You can't say "This is mind control" and you can't say "This is an illusion" and you can't say "You'll renege on your promise" and you can't say "This is a trick to kill me" because I say all of those things and I know it's simply not true. The shade means it. It MEANS IT. Its hand forms a symbol, from once upon a time. I know it means it, but I know something it doesn't. That I have no choice. So, I do something unforgivable. Something me and the shade don't think possible.  I reject the Sign.
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Dec 18, 2023 19:04
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uh-oh.
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Dec 18, 2023 19:30
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Okay, I'm sorry, I know this is supposed to be a major, serious moment, but all I can imagine is a D&D game where two players argue about resisting an unresistable attack, and this 8-bit Theater comics.
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Dec 18, 2023 19:48
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SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED and i don't know what but it's going to be cataclysmic (again)
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Dec 19, 2023 00:04
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Its a bit funny. A bit tragic. The 8th Lord ought to know what we would need, who we would need to see to learn to take the color of a soul without the whole. But our protagonist doesn't know that. They wouldn't even know to ask. But they can't back down either to chance talking, because they need a soul and if they don't get one here they'll have to do something unthinkable. Perhaps if the little shade loses and lives, there might be a chance. But it would be horribly risky. For once, the Tyrant would have to back down, bend a knee. Let's see what happens.
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Dec 19, 2023 00:28
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Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me, we get two lords' souls for the price of one.
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Dec 19, 2023 04:22
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 Gandiva kept his hand raised with confusion in the deep redlight. He was sure he was seeing it right; the Shadow did have a hand, and it had raised it to make the same Sign, showing that it already knew it! But it wasn't showing it back with its intention: it was being turned inward, denying, almost mocking the absolute promise. He sighed and followed the unseen current; it was going to kill Burner no matter what, even beyond the promise of the Sign. So he had to deny it; the 8th Lord slung his simple bow and began to walk, as wisemen do. He looks up; Rienne was pushing her imperial will still, while Levity sought another pattern to cast to cinch the victory. He looks down; Burner and Lumes catching up. Lumes gold against the black; she had a frown. Burner, looking at the Shadow, her dryadic body language strange to his own. No matter. He had to act, and some part of him was compelled by more than necessity, his sights fixated on the denial of the Sign. "Arjuna held my namesake. Now I hold it - myself - the wood, the string, and my own will..." (Gandiva - Zen Archery - The True Aim) 20(-2)(-8) - [5]+[1]+[2] = 8 - Success. [The intent of the 8th Lord surpasses the magics of the 5th Lord's shield.]  There are many things the Shadow can dodge. But arrows aren't bullets. And an arrow shot by the 8th Lord at the peak of his necessary displeasure is especially true and Lordly. The simple tropic missile does not seek to kill, nor to do the drastic to ensure the Shadow's end. It's only an answer to what has to happen if they truly refuse the meaning of the Sign. The arrow hits the breaking obsidian behind the Shadow; their raised Sign-finger was severed, then lost to the magma below. The distortion doesn't seem to react beyond adopting a slow stumble, its vague form slumping away from the hellish lavas about to overcome it. He wasn't sure how he felt, but he knew it was proven powerful enough to threaten them all with immediate death. Levity decided to take her chance, and, (Levity - Motion Rune - Move to my will.) 14 [1]+[3]+[6] = 10 - Success. (Levity - Body Rune - Move yourself right into dying, thank you.) 14 [5]+[3]+[6] = 14 - Exact Success!  -effortlessly shoved the Shadow towards the killing lava wave, feeling something wreath over her fingers as her curse-strength surges with real determination. This thing wasn't just proverbially doomed, it really was damned to death. She forced the issue with a witch's scowl, abandoning her usual relaxation. Rienne was already scouting ahead; "Hurry! I can see the way out ahead; I can radio Cass there!" Gandiva had caught up, still looking with hope to see if the perishing being would change its mind. That left only Burner and Lumes. The 5th Lord was running ahead to join up, while the Miner lagged back until she was across from where the Shadow's walkway was crumbling. The tunnel was going to collapse. The hellfire magma had enclosed all escapes, and the wall was starting to break behind it. Nothing left but the promise of drowning alive on soul-burning molten stone. That's when she realizes she can hear something. 
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Dec 19, 2023 21:21
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 I think we might have bit off more than we could handle.
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Dec 19, 2023 21:32
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Oh boy, once names from the Mahabharata start getting dropped you know we're hosed.
Bloody Pom fucked around with this message at 21:40 on Dec 19, 2023 |
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Dec 19, 2023 21:37
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Next update has the thread name changed to "@ -ZEN- [Heaven End]" and Black August had changed all the past updates to reflect the Heaven End story to this point, thread melts down in confusion.
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Dec 19, 2023 23:06
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Dec 20, 2023 15:18
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Dec 20, 2023 18:05
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It sounds like maybe the Tyrant is no longer in control, and the 8th Lord has achieved his goal...
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Dec 20, 2023 19:55
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Huh, who knew that flipping the bird at someone with a bow could result in our hand being shot with an arrow.
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Dec 20, 2023 20:10
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Current mood:
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Dec 21, 2023 07:10
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I'm excited to see what Smiercia thinks of this.
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Dec 21, 2023 07:35
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