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 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLD +2 || COU +1 || GRA +2 || STR •• | CNG •⚬ | TUF •• | WPN •••• FOOD ••• | BOOZE •• | TRAP ••• | GEAR ••  : Cruel Beast [] || Carpe Jugulum []--------------------------------------------------------------------------- The shrug almost unseats me! I give the hull one more heel-kick for good measure, then I spider-crawl over the mech's broad back and dangle down facefirst above the faceplate. Then I bang on the cockpit glass a bunch more and wave one arm vigorously. Hiiiiii!
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Jun 23, 2020 20:37
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 When Krishga first sees Anastasia, she furrows her brow, but after a few moments, she waves back at her compatriot with equal vigor. Then, in a tone of voice and slowness usually reserved for the drunk, she clearly enunciates for Anastasia. “Are. You. High?” Of course, Anastasia most likely would not be able to hear her clearly, though the half-orc, half-elf may be able to read her lips - through the very thick glass and metal grid of the Maximus’ viewport, all while hanging upside down.
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Jun 23, 2020 20:57
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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BLOOD: 2 || COURAGE: 1 || GRACE: 2 || SENSE: -1 || WISDOM: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I look around for any other signs or markers in the area, and I can’t help but notice Anastasia doing something… unusual. I think I need to ask what she took, and where she got it from. At least a Drylander off the deep end on the surface ain’t skin off my nose. Or a crack in Krishga’s crate. I pull Anastasia off the... minisub... before she does any damage. ping from Konas posted:”What are you doing?” AnAnonymousIdiot fucked around with this message at 21:07 on Jun 23, 2020 |
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Jun 23, 2020 21:00
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Konas Your keen sense expand outwards as you search for any ambient magics. You detect nothing beyond the usual background mana that permeates everything. A relief as it means there is nothing supernatural to worry about in the immediate. Concerning because if this is truly a wyrm's lair, you would expect there to be wards and magical alarms. You do not mark this spell. Krishga As you examine the massive door, you glance at your instrument readouts and something catches your eye. The thing is too massive for your sensors to read past it, but they are detecting extremely faint sounds reverberating from it's other side - as though someone were hitting it with a hammer. It isn't rhythmic; it's more like if someone were tapping on a wall to find the studs. As you continue examining the thing, you also notice that the entire metal structure that this massive door is mounted to is not appreciably larger than what you see. Considering the warning left on it, you'd venture a guess that this was constructed on top of an unrelated structure to keep whatever was inside (an Abyss Wyrm presumably), inside. As for what would happen if you open it? Seems you might be about to find out. Your sensors draw your attention to the smaller sally port where a massive temperature spike is occurring. A furious bubbling of water obscures everyone's sight. What the sensors seem to be telling you is that something akin to an industrial cutting torch is being used on the other side to remove the sally port hatch entirely.
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Jun 25, 2020 02:44
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 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLD +2 || COU +1 || GRA -1 || SEN +0 || WIS +2 Blessings: Strength[ ] || Speed[ ] || Glory[ ] || Power[ ][ ] Gear: Armor[ ] || Fuel[ ][ ][ ] Hilda: Crack Shot[ ] || Quick As A Bullet [ ] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The warm glow of the metal slowly being cut through drew Bran's attention from... Whatever Ana was doing. A hand sign for stop behind her for the others to see and Bran moves next to the hull, and forcefully taps Morse code into it. "Do you need aid".
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Jun 25, 2020 03:20
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BLOOD: 2 || COURAGE: 1 || GRACE: 2 || SENSE: -1 || WISDOM: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Well, I’m stumped. Guess the bunker’s the only thing to check. Have to wonder what could possibly be in there that could make the city vanish. Whatever it is, the ESCO probably have some idea, since they’ve been here and know what’s behind the hatch. I send a message to the others. ”Ping from Konas” posted:Any ideas?
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Jun 25, 2020 17:31
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Krisgha’s eyes go wide and her hands recoil from the Maximus’ control as if they were suddenly hot as the barely discernible singing in her head resolves into Konas’ voice. “What the gently caress? Konas, is-” The Goblin furrows her brow at the strangest sensation - as if her words were suddenly cut off and now she is just shouting into her empty cockpit, when before she wasn’t. “...that you?” With no small amount of confusion, Krishga turns the Mk III’s headlights until they finally find her Triton companion. She gives him a look somewhere between concern for her own sanity and inquiry, though whether he can see that, Krishga does not know.
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Jun 25, 2020 17:46
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BLOOD: 2 || COURAGE: 1 || GRACE: 2 || SENSE: -1 || WISDOM: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Oh right… I guess I should’ve told the others about this song before setting it up. I look at the sub, and try not to let the glare bother me. Another message to the others. ”Ping from Konas” posted:You’ll need to 'speak' succinctly. Figured that would be enough, but it occurred to me that perhaps it would be. One more message. Ping from Konas posted:It's just Triton magic. AnAnonymousIdiot fucked around with this message at 17:59 on Jun 25, 2020 |
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Jun 25, 2020 17:52
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Now either I am going insane, I am having my mind attacked by some sort of undersea siren or Konas really should have mentioned something about what he can do before we left on our trip. Maybe it makes some amount of sense, maybe it’s the most natural thing for Tritons so he never thought of telling us about it? Oh, it’s Triton magic. That… I’ll take it for now. Well! It may be a little disturbing on the one hand, but it is also quite amazing on the other! Let’s see how this works! The Maximus Mk III’s hand moves to gives Konas a thumbs-up to hopefully confirm that Krishga understood her companions message - or reveal that the Triton has no idea what she is doing and thus some sort of invasive underwater mind controlling presence once again seems more likely. “Understood. How succinct?” Krishga once again furrows her brow, this time at the somewhat unwelcome feeling of something inside her head not her own, telling her that Konas is listening. “Bunker. Something trying to escape.”
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Jun 25, 2020 18:07
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BLOOD: 2 || COURAGE: 1 || GRACE: 2 || SENSE: -1 || WISDOM: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ping from Konas posted:"Five words." I pass this along to Olan and the others. ”Ping from Konas” posted:Krishga is detecting movement inside. This may be our only lead for Aqualantis, and it’s something the ESCO sealed off. Of course by the looks of the bunker, they seem content to forget its existence. As much as I’d like to have the CO fill us in on what’s behind the hatch, he’s leagues away from here. And we’re going to have to risk opening it if we’re gonna shed any light to the city. I’m not sure if the Marines are gonna be fine with this, still don’t get why they’re sparing the merpower. It doesn’t look like they’re hearing me, so it ain’t like I could get answers from them directly. Olan’s watching the hatch with a morbid curiosity, for her at least. She wants to open it badly. So do I, and I’m wondering if we’re gonna come to blows with Durrell over this... ”Ping from Konas” posted:Anyone eyeing our escort?
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Jun 25, 2020 18:31
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Five words? I can barely express myself in five words! There are some Goblin dialects with rather impressive compound words, but… I’m a little rusty, and I’d bet everyone didn’t study obscure underground linguistics either. So five words it is. In a way, that’s actually an interesting challenge. Makes me wonder if there’s some sort of Triton poetry discipline based on this - I heard limitations make you more creative. I should know, because the Maximus is just as much art as any poem! Krishga clears her throat, perhaps entirely unnecessarily. “Inside, knocks, burning through door.” The Maximus steps forward and, with confident strides, places herself in front of the great metal door. Krishga makes her battle suit motion for the marine escort to move back behind her, then bumps her metal fists together, as if ready for battle.
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Jun 25, 2020 18:48
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Branwen You tap out your message, and wait a long long moment before a reply comes. You have to press your head against the steel, but the vibrations from the rapid onslaught of reciprocal taps is abundantly clear. The code isn't the Morse you are accustomed to. It seems much more complex, and whatever is communicating with you either has a machine to handle it or is possessed of astoundingly fast and precise hands. There is no hesitation or pauses to recall a particular code and the only breaks are nominal, to separate one word from another.
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Jun 26, 2020 00:52
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLD +2 || COU +1 || GRA -1 || SEN +0 || WIS +2 Blessings: Strength[ ] || Speed[ ] || Glory[ ] || Power[ ][ ] Gear: Armor[ ] || Fuel[ ][ ][ ] Hilda: Crack Shot[ ] || Quick As A Bullet [ ] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bran's brow furrows as she listens to the machine precise return code. Though she doesnt recognize it instantly, it is naggingly familiar, like a word on the tip of your tongue. She should remember what this is... @Branwen McAlister(ArkInBlack): 2d6 Look Closely = (5+1) = 6 choosing What Is Going On Here? What Do My Senses Tell Me? as my one question.
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Jun 26, 2020 03:26
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Branwen You manage to seize hold of the thought before it escapes entirely. It's an elven code. Serenity taught you some of the basics - SOS, cardinal directions, orientations. Enough so that if you had to, you could let an elf know you were hurt or in an emergency situation and navigate them to you. However, whatever this thing is saying is blowing right by you. It is using esoteric codes and at such a rapid pace you simply cannot decipher anything beyond a demand for identification.
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Jun 26, 2020 13:49
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Now here I am in the Maximus Mk III, standing before a giant metal door, trying not to think too hard about why it needs to be so giant, only I know, of course, because the thing it is keeping locked up is also giant, but I look ready to fight… in short, if I were some muscle bound man with a sword and a loincloth, you might mistake me for a hero of legend about to face the dreaded, monstrous abomination lurking just out of sight in the cave before them. Only thing is that there is something wrong with this picture, because while I am ready to fight, there is Branwen right at the door itself, apparently busy with something else entirely. Is she listening to those knocks I detected earlier? They are very interesting, because it means there is something inside that is smart enough to communicate, and also wants to communicate. Well, nothing for it. As long as I’m in the Mk III, I have brain and brawn, but I’d still rather use my brain first. Time to try to help Branwen figure out this little mystery, then. Only, something is definitely burning through that sally port, and Branwen does not seem to mind, but then again she is some sort of divine robot or something and… it looks pretty hot, is what I’m saying. Whatever is burning through the door looks hot, that is. Not Branwen. Branwen too, of course, if you’re so inclined, but, not relevant! Anyway. The Maximus should warn me if the temperatures exceed safe limits, so it should be fine. Krisgna catches up to Branwen at the great metal door in quick, almost jumping strides, the Maximus moving faster than one might assume judging by her size. She raises the battle suit’s barnacled, metal hand to get Branwen’s attention, then mimics a knock, followed by a shrug. Finally, Krishga puts the palm of one of the Mk III’s hands flat against the surface of the door, though a good bit away from the sally port and whatever is making its way through it.
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Jun 26, 2020 16:23
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BLOOD: 2 || COURAGE: 1 || GRACE: 2 || SENSE: -1 || WISDOM: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I look at Branwen who seems oddly quiet compared to the others. Not sure what she’s doing with the hatch. Krishga seems to move closer, as if trying to figure out what the Drylander’s doing. Anastasis still seems to be sobering up. Time to ask what Branwen’s thinking. ”Ping from Konas” posted:"Are you detecting anything?"
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Jun 27, 2020 17:31
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Branwen is giving me a look, that much I can tell, but that’s about it. It’s pretty clear whatever kind of communication we can get going between a giant metal battle suit and a giant muscular red-skinned lady using hand signs while at the bottom of the murky ocean is not going to cut it for figuring out whatever is going on with that tapping. Once we’re once again somewhere where I can work, I really need to look at jury-rigging some sort of communication device for everyone, not being able to talk freely is extremely annoying. Perhaps Konas has some insight, whatever he is doing with that ‘Triton magic’ is amazing - maybe it can be bottled up? Krishga pulls a few levers and at the top of the Maximus, one of the ports to enter the metal juggernaut opens. The goblin motions for Branwen to get inside and, for a moment, wonders whether Anastasia is still riding the Mk III’s back. Branwen moves towards and mounts the Maximus with the confidence of a world-class athlete and, after a few moments, Krishna can hear a rumbling reverberate through the inside of her battle suit telling her that her companion is now inside. With a few button presses, she initiates the repressurization sequence, the excess water shooting out of the Mk III’s top multi-function gunports. In Branwen’s somewhat cramped compartment, a speaker comes to life. “Branwen! Let me tell you, it’s so good to be able to talk! Of course, I could still talk earlier, but then I’d just be talking to myself, and that’s just not the same. This place is something, huh? Not sure if Konas has told you what I told him - did he actually talk with you? With his 'Triton magic’? I’m chattering. Need to focus.” A monitor next to Branwen behind thick, waterproof glass, starts flickering, filling the compartment with green light. “Something is trying to get out of that bunker. Something is also trying to communicate with taps - you heard it too, right? I’ll have the Maximus display all readings I’m getting on the monitor there as well. I need you to tell me if you see anything that makes any kind of sense.” There’s a short pause. “Oh, you can talk back too, by the way. Did you see Anastasia on the way in? Did she take something to… take off the edge before we left?” Krishna shakes her head and once again puts the palm of one of the Maximus’s hands flat against the metal of the great door and cranks up the sensitivity of the sensors inside it. Gently, she taps a short sequence with the other hand, hoping that whoever is on the other side will answer. quote:@Krishga Tazz (nil): 3d6k2+1 Look Closely at Tapping = (5+2+ nil. fucked around with this message at 19:59 on Aug 13, 2022 |
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Jun 27, 2020 21:11
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLD +2 || COU +1 || GRA +2 || STR •• | CNG •⚬ | TUF •• | WPN •••• FOOD ••• | BOOZE •• | TRAP ••• | GEAR •• : Cruel Beast [] || Carpe Jugulum []--------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm confused for a second at first - just long enough to be dangling there like a piece of flotsam while Krishga's words sink in, until Konas yanks me off my handhold and asks me point-blank what's up. My face flushes hot with shame, then the rest of me - suddenly I'm uncomfortably warm under this wetsuit. Just my luck to decide to be the next guinea pig for these eggheads' super-science...real smart, Ana. Konas' wake-up call is still echoing in my inner ear somehow. Instinctively, I try to ping him back - thinking a message back at him as loudly and sharply as I can, and just hoping that somehow he'll get it. ping to Konas posted:"Injection for warmth. Bad idea." * * * The hot flush only lasts a few seconds - when the cutting torch starts up, my blood runs cold with sudden fear. Branwen and Krishga don't seem to be entirely worried, though...in fact, it looks like they think we're better off trying to communicate with whatever's in there. I just really, really hope whoever, or whatever, is in there will be friendly. It'd sure suck if there's some kind of ravenous beast trapped inside there with enough intelligence to know how to use a blowtorch and enough balls to get sealed inside an ancient fortress-structure in the middle of a dead zone...and it really wouldn't be fun if whatever was in there wanted to tear us into scraps and leave our remains for the fingerlings to eat.... Steady, Ana. Steady. Don't let this screw your focus any more than it already has. Just in case, just in case I need to, I ease the diver's knife out of my belt and hook back onto the handgrips on the back of the Maximus with my free hand. I take a couple deep breaths of my air and bang on the back of the hull, just twice. A "here-I-am" sound, just to let her know I'm here. ping to Konas posted:You sure greeting is wise?
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Jun 28, 2020 05:12
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLD +2 || COU +1 || GRA -1 || SEN +0 || WIS +2 Blessings: Strength[ ] || Speed[ ] || Glory[ ] || Power[ ][ ] Gear: Armor[ ] || Fuel[ ][ ][ ] Hilda: Crack Shot[ ] || Quick As A Bullet [ ] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thoughts to Konas posted:Person, attempting communication, elven code. And that's when Krishga opens up part of her battle suit. Bran cocks an eyebrow as the machine gesture at her to get in before acquiescing to the goblin. The slight frown on Bran's face turns to surprise as the tight quarters whirs and clanks and drains of water before Krishga's voice crackles lively over a speaker in her characteristic bombardment of chatter and talk. Shaking the awe out, Branwen responds "Yes. Whoever's in their cutting out tappin' out elven code in response quick and precise. If you're able, tap out somethin' along the lines of aid from Bombarda, or let me back out so I can try to." Branwen frowns at the question about Ana. She had chosen to play guinea pig and now... "Eggheads at Masada have some new data thanks to Ana, apparently, but one problem at a time here."
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Jun 28, 2020 13:46
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"Elven code. Huh!" Normally, I'm pretty sure I'd work through all this in my head first before talking, but it feels great to be able to chat with Branwen directly again. "Hold on, I'll unlock the secondary control over the right arm for you. Under the monitor, little knob and buttons? Just tap the message you want... one second, okay, you should now no longer be able to acciddentally punch the door. Or us." nil. fucked around with this message at 16:50 on Jun 28, 2020 |
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Jun 28, 2020 16:11
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Krishga You have little experience with the strange things one might find beneath the waves, but a goblin doesn't finish growing up without learning to trust their instincts. Whatever is on the other side of this sealed up and forgotten barrier is not a friend. Things associated with elves simply cannot be trusted to have any other people's best interests at heart. The wars between them and humans and the aftermath of those conflicts have proven that thoroughly enough. You time building, modifying, and maintaining the Maximus has instilled in you an innate understanding of what biologicals are capable of and what machines are capable of, and how to differentiate the two. And the sensor readings you get from the Maximus' hand? That is absolutely machine made. No organic life form could be that quick and precise - especially if the other side of that hatch is also underwater. This realization allows you take what precautions you can manage in the few seconds afforded you before the cutting torch finishes its circuit and a circular chunk of the hatch is forcibally shoved outward, where it sinks into the silt. You are able to prepare the Maximus for combat in whatever way is necessary for you - such as getting Branwen out of there - before battle ensues. Please read on: Everyone As the chunk of steel falls to the seabed, the darkened interior of the colossal hatch affords no indication of what lurks within. A final complex tapping issues forth, now audible to everyone, though what the message may be is no more obvious than it was to Branwen. Eyes lock on the gaping hole. Your compatriots from the sub's crew level their rifles, Olan maneuvers to Konas' side, and Hilda brushes back the tail of her longcoat as she waits, unperturbed. Finally, after an agonizing moment, a gunmetal-grey form begins to emerge from the blackness. It is preceded by a massive steel claw that looks fully capable of rending a man in half in a single blow. It is followed by an oddly bulbous metallic body, roughly the size of a person. On the opposing side to the claw is an odd apparatus that you might take for a sensor array. From this apparatus, a narrow red beam of light emanates and washes across your faces. Beyond a faint warmth from the intensity of the beam you feel nothing untoward, but the thing clearly dislikes something about what it sees. A horrific noise begins to emanate from it as the claw hauls back and jets on the posterior end launch it forward. This machine is clearly bent on violence! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hxRoyGv_ag (Shining Force OST - Attack)  Talos A war machine from a forgotten age. Possessed of a rending claw, cutting laser, and an armored shell. Exterminate: A Talos is an unsophisticated but deadly war machine. When a Talos causes damage, it deals a second point of damage. This extra damage can be dealt to either the same target or a different enemy near them. Heavily Armored The first time this threat would be damaged or destroyed, damage this stat instead. What do you do? Shardix fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Apr 18, 2021 |
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Jun 28, 2020 16:45
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These readouts are… they are too fast. Whatever it is that is doing the tapping, it’s not a person - at least not one of flesh and blood. Browny is a person, so… Focus. Oh, this could be bad. Krishga flips a series of switches, not even looking at them. A rumble goes through the inside of the Maximus and a red, pulsing light comes on in Branwen’s compartment at the same time as Krishga’s voice over the speaker, quick but focused. “Branwen. It’s some sort of elven machine, and I don’t think they build giant metal doors to lock up mechanical butlers. War machine, most likely. I’m opening the hatch. Best get out there, and stay behind me when it breaks through. You may have metal skin, but so does the Maximus, and hers is thicker. Go!” The Maximus does a quick sidestep, her agility once again incongruous with her size, and a trail of silt stirred up from the ocean sand follows her. Krishga’s firmly grasp the battle suit’s control, the goggles resting on the top of her head keeping back the sweat forming on her brow. A few silent seconds pass as everyone’s eyes are on the flame burning through the last inches of the sally door. When the former door finally falls down on the seabed, it is almost disappointing, not an explosion, but something incidental, slow. When the grey form of the red-eyed construct emerges from the darkness beyond, Krishga is simply delighted for a moment, all the oppressive threat of the situation forgotten at the sight of mechanical engineering. All that is dispelled when the thing utters its distorted scream and launches itself at the fellowship, with deadly intent. The machine’s jets propel it forward with grace and speed, like a metal bird in a dive - a dive that comes to an abrupt end when the Maximus smashes herself into it, knocking it onto the ocean floor with a flying steel elbow strike delivered onto the thing’s back. A great cloud of sand envelops the eleven war machine and the Maximus, and from the outside, only their outlines can be seen struggling. The thing lifts itself up from the ground with surprising speed, but Krishga grabs its one arm, forcing it down onto the ocean floor again. Suddenly, Krishga can see a second shape move through the cloud of sand, jumping down from the top of the Mk III and striking at the war machine. “Anastasia?” quote:@Krishga Tazz (nil): 3d6k2+2 Keep Them Busy (With Anastasia's help) = ( nil. fucked around with this message at 18:34 on Jun 28, 2020 |
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Jun 28, 2020 18:13
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLD +2 || COU +1 || GRA +2 || STR •• | CNG •⚬ | TUF •• | WPN •••• FOOD ••• | BOOZE •• | TRAP ••• | GEAR •• : Cruel Beast [] || Carpe Jugulum []--------------------------------------------------------------------------- I knew it! I friggin' knew it. Nothing friendly was ever gonna be here. For just a moment, I feel a pang of nostalgia for Mom's old bodyguard...a far more elegant war-machine than this steel carbuncle. Of course, its lack of proper martial aesthetics in no way diminishes its ability to turn us all into sashimi if we give it even a hairsbreadth of a chance. Krishga, you mad motherf--I concentrate on holding on to my breath-mask and knife, and keeping myself anchored to my handhold, while she apparently decides to crunchball tackle the thing. While she's got its claw arm pinned under the Maximus' metallic bulk, I spy my chance. My knife's going to be useless against that armor, but maybe I can force it to choose between freeing its arm and defending that sensitive-looking sensor array on the other side. Here goes nothing! I frog-kick off the mech's back and swim desperately for my target: the bulbous cluster of apparatus on the other side of its body from that rending claw. I grab for handholds wherever I can find them -- with my knife, I saw, chop, and stab at anything fragile-looking that I can reach. I can't tell if I'm doing any damage, but I sure hope I've managed to piss it off. I shout-think at Konas as loud as I can, hoping I don't sound too panicked: ping to Konas posted:"GO FOR THE FINS!!"
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Jun 28, 2020 23:57
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BLOOD: 2 || COURAGE: 1 || GRACE: 2 || SENSE: -1 || WISDOM: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Before I could register anything the others are saying, I catch the hatch opening, and the red glare before the rush of new currents. Something is coming!  I barely notice the machine before Krishga and Anastasia lunge at it with everything they got. Seems to be enough to pin it to the ground, I see the machine’s long arm flail around for leverage. ping from Anastasia posted:”GO FOR THE FINS!!” Thanks for the tip! I charge at the machine, trident forward, screaming! pre:Konas (AnonymousIdiot)Today at 9:57 PM /r 2d6+2 #Finish ??? Xom (dicebot) BOT Today at 9:57 PM @Konas (AnonymousIdiot): 2d6+2 Finish ??? = (4+1)+2 = 7 Konas (AnonymousIdiot)Today at 9:58 PM That'll do. Just have to do it again! AnAnonymousIdiot fucked around with this message at 01:40 on Aug 22, 2020 |
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Jul 1, 2020 05:06
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This team might seem ramshackle and eclectic to putsiders, but you move well together. Krishga slams the machine into the sea floor and Anastasia's followup severs a number of critical connections and servos - allowing Konas to swoop in and peel the better chunk of the thing's armor off in one blow. In spite of this though, it seems whatever mad inventor brought this thing into being knew the value of backups and redundancies. Although the sensitive internals are now exposed, it has not slowed the machine one whit. The thrusters kick in forcing Konas and Anastasia to back off a few meters from the intense heat. Combined with the silt kicked up by the fracas, the situation is now balanced on a knife's edge. It is fairly likely you can win out against this foe, but it is still entirely capable of rendering that victory a costly one. Out from the obscured waters lances the machine's strange scanning beam, flickering and jittering seemingly at random - until it happens to pass across Konas! The beam locks on instantly and the sound of the jets kick up an octave. A few rounds from Lonik and Matra's rifles send it spiraling to evade but it maintains its heading. Konas As you dart away from the telling blow you inflicted on your enemy, your hear a warning cry from Olan. Glancing back, you see the marge shadowy shape of the machine hurtling after you through the silt. Branwen You remain at a remove from the action with Hilda at your side. She watches dispassionately, having few options to intervene with. A gunslinger like her is left at a loss in the water. Anastasia and Krishga Your combo move was telling but this machine soldier is not easily deterred. It jets away in the direction that Konas evaded to, clearly hellbent on returning that harsh favor. What do you all do?
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Jul 4, 2020 01:11
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In the meantime, please answer these at your leisure Anastasia Tell me about your most popular song, where you first sang it in public, and what happened afterwards. Konas Tell me about the day you won your glory during the War and the worthy foe you defeated that day. Branwen Most of the faithful you led into Aqualantis survived. Tell me about what became of some of them. Krishga Tell me about your family. Everyone What are you hoping to get out of all of this?
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Jul 4, 2020 02:17
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Krishga has trouble telling exactly what is going on through all the kicked-up silt and the limited view from the Maximus, but at least the large, asymmetric shape of the fellowship’s opponent can still quite easily be told apart from Krishga’s companions. Though she cannot clearly see who it is that dashes in and falls upon the elven war machine, there is no mistaking the grace and ease with which Konas dashes through the water and has his trident find its mark. “Yes!” Krishga pumps her fist, but immediately puts her hands back on the controls when the bot’s thrusters light up, breaking through the murky silt like a great fire through the smog of a factory district. There is a burst of movement, some shapes jumping back, some dashing away, like some sort of underwater shadow puppetry, but it is clear that the war machine took off after the one member of the fellowship that could move as quick as he did underwater: Konas. For a panicked split second, Krishga tries to figure out which exact direction the machine pursued Konas in, then, having reached a decision, she hammers on a few buttons - perhaps one button too many, as a deep, mechanical voice fills the inside of the Mk III’s cockpit. “JUMP BOOSTERS ENGAGED.” “Ah, drat, I really should not put voice control so close to - no time!” The Maximus goes into a crouch and then, with incredible power, jumps into the air like some sort of giant metal grasshopper. In under a second, the Maximus clears the cloud of silt and, flying through the water, Krishga can once again see clearly. After a second or two of searching, she spots Konas and the metal machine hot in pursuit, its thrusters visible from afar. The goblin leans forward, puts the elven robot into the center of her sights - then flips a switch on her controls and pulls their trigger. “ENERGY CANNONS ENGAGED. MINIMUM POWER.” The gunports on the top of the Maximus fire and for a split second, nothing changes apart from the water distortion screaming towards the metal beast chasing after Konas. Then, with a burst of power, the ground next to the robot shudders and several small explosions of blue fire bloom around it, as if it had just stumbled into a field of underwater mines. With the Maximus now past the apex of its jump, Krishga continues firing, strafing the space where she hopes the war machine still must be. quote:@Krishga Tazz (nil): 2d6+2 Keep Them Busy = (5+4)+2 = 11 The Maximus lands once again on the ocean floor, having finished her jumping strafing run. Inside, Krishga tries to contact Konas, hoping that none of her shots have hit the Triton, even though they were set to minimum power. Ping to Konas posted:Minimum power shot. Distraction. Worked? ...Hello? ...Come on, pick up, Konas. Goddamn underwater magic! nil. fucked around with this message at 09:35 on Jul 12, 2020 |
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Jul 5, 2020 15:20
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BLOOD: 2 || COURAGE: 1 || GRACE: 2 || SENSE: -1 || WISDOM: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I pause a little to check my gills. Felt like a heat vent opened up right in front of me! … They feel sensitive, but I can still breathe. I can make out the machine amidst the kicked-up silt. And the red glare as it darts right for me. Who’da thought this machine had a sense of revenge? Currents were running wild. The machine’s acting erratic. Can’t redirect them. Need a wayward twitch from the machine… pre:Konas (AnonymousIdiot)Today at 7:24 PM /r 2d6+2 #Get Away from ??? Xom (dicebot) BOT Today at 7:24 PM @Konas (AnonymousIdiot): 2d6+2 Get Away from ??? = (3+1)+2 = 6 Konas (AnonymousIdiot)Today at 7:27 PM Tapping Olan for a slight edge. That twitch doesn’t come, and I barely see the claws too late before I can react. My weapon raises to intercept, but the blades catch my shoulder before the prongs. Pierced an old wound. And like that, memories flashed before my eyes. I was in a sub, fighting for control over my own trident against its CO, Jack Dudley, as he called himself. It was in the early days of the War. My crew and I kept a squadron of ships tied up, smashing them into one another. They thought they had the drop on us. They were wrong. Mood among the tritons was jubilant. I went for the flagship in the back, broke in, and slashed my way to the CO. Figured taking that down would break the rest. I also figured someone of Dudley’s size shouldn’t be able to move in so cramped a space. It was at the cockpit that I got merhandled. Got thrown against the walls, but recovered fast enough. Still didn’t keep him from disarming me of my weapon, and using it against me. That point I had to make sure Dudley didn’t press his advantage. Control where the trident’s pointed. The Drylander kept talking poo poo like how we should never have gone to war with them, and how they were going to fix this mess themselves. I shot that back to him, “How!?” I asked. He said nothing. Just kept lunging at me. I pressed for what he meant by a mess, and still said nothing. That point I knew it was bravado. We were the mess, not what Aqualantis had done. That point I yelled at him, for how his people would continue to damage the Ocean, and how delusional his people were for ignoring it. He made one more strike, but this time I didn’t move fast enough. Prongs caught me in the shoulder, pressed me against the wall. Only thing that came out of his mouth was, “We’re handling it.” He got real close as he said it, which gave me an opening. I butted him right between the eyes. He reeled back, the pressure on my shoulder relaxed, and I took my back my trident. Shoulder was bleeding, but I made sure he got the same injuries and more. That point I smashed the cockpit, flooding the sub. Didn’t get the chance to see if Dudley survived, but it’s unlikely a Drylander could down here. Still got shaken by him as the one Drylander who managed to harm me. And now another creation of that city is doing the same drat thing! I push back against the machine, but each time he tries moving his claw around widening the gash he made. Then it feels like another heat vent opened. I back away, but I could feel someone pulling me by my torso out and away from the machine. By instinct a tune escapes my lips and I vanish into the Ocean. Head feels dizzy, Need to take a defensive approach. Make sense of what’s happening.. I see Krishga’s crate, and it looks like it did something, judging by some air and the currents. I look behind me and I see Olan, with a soft enough frown that she looks concerned than frustrated when she looks my way. She saved me. She’s trying to keep some space between her and the machine, as we all wait for its next move. This monstrosity makes me remember why I left. As long as such machinery is in the Ocean, I doubt any triton would be safe. It’d be better if we had all the Great Clans together on this, but the War wounds still haven’t healed yet. But if this mess with Aqualantis can be cleansed, maybe, just maybe, this schism will be mended. Hard part isn’t even gonna be finding it… ”Ping from Krishga” posted:”Minimum power shot. Distraction. Worked?” Krishga snaps me back. While my arm still hurts, I’m eager to return that damage. ”Ping to Krishga” posted:Hurt, but still fighting. pre:tapping Camouflage for free invisibility AnAnonymousIdiot fucked around with this message at 05:58 on Jul 12, 2020 |
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Jul 8, 2020 06:19
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLD +2 || COU +1 || GRA +2 || STR •• | CNG •⚬ | TUF •• | WPN •••• FOOD ••• | BOOZE •• | TRAP ••• | GEAR •• : Cruel Beast [] || Carpe Jugulum []--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shardix posted:Tell me about your most popular song, where you first sang it in public, and what happened afterwards. It was, oh jeez, more'n a decade ago now. My first really big piece, while I was still in school. I'd spent enough time at the academy, thought I'd learned enough to show off - of course, never mind that I'd only just started and the competition had been there since I was an infant. I found some old leitmotifs in the family library, forms that looked like they went out of style a while ago. Church chants or something, I guess. I didn't look too close at anything but the score. I chopped it up and played around with the melody until I had something I liked. Something that felt...resonant. Illustrative of my whole sorry situation, compelled to stay here, never good enough, either an idiot or an unexploded bomb. When I thought I'd gotten something good I put the word out, and the word spread. Folks came from all over. Mostly other students, and a few out-on-their-own types from the towns nearby, old enough not to be institutionalized 24/7 but still too young to be let go of yet. Everyone starved for novelty and willing to indulge a bunch of children - adults by any other peoples' standards, mind you, folks as old as their forties - a few hours of experimentation. My venue was an old bowl-stage cut out of a hillside, big enough to seat three hundred. Been there for seven thousand years. It was a hit. They loved it. I don't think I'd seen my classmates really cut loose ever. Maybe they hadn't, gods - imagine being in school til you're forty and never dancing, not once. *Shudder.* But...at the end, after I was done and the applause had all died away, there was this...see, any public venue in the Dominions, any stage, amphitheater, any worship-hall, all of them, the architect sites so the performer gets backlit by a view out to the oceanside. To High Clarity at the center of the world. I looked behind me out to th' horizon and I swear by any god you wanna name, there was a light shining out one of the high windows of the godstower, a mile or more up from sea level. Shining at me. On me. I swear I heard that light come on somehow, like it was just an echo of what I'd sung coming back to me. It was only there a second or two. Less. I blinked, it was gone. I didn't know what I'd done. The harmonizers came 'n detained me that night, real quiet. They're drat good at doing quiet. On a whole raft of charges, even though in th'end it came to nothing. Family pulled strings, I never knew how many, but Auntie Gen was furious with me. Little miss rod-up-her-butt lost some kind of backing over my "little stunt", she told me, some kinda in with the church she'd been a long time cultivating. Who ever heard of singing being a crime? I still don't know what the hell I did stirred up so much poo poo...but every last one of my friends who'd been there, they all cut me off cold after that night. No goodbyes, nothing. Just thick silence, passing each other in the halls like I wasn't there, like they weren't there, like none of it had ever happened. Scariest drat thing I ever saw.
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Jul 12, 2020 05:20
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Krishga nods to herself when she hears Konas’ response in her head. In the moment, she is just happy to know her companion is more or less safe, which makes it easy to ignore the strangeness of hearing a voice with nobody close enough to speak. The goblin leans forward, aims the Maximus’ cannons at the spot where the elven warmachine still must be and fires another burst - then breaks into a heavy stride, advancing and shooting at the same time. The Maximus’ cockpit vibrates with every burst fired and, in front of Krishga, a bobblehead of Saint Glocko the Eight nods its proportionally oversized goblin head with every pull of the trigger. quote:Tell me about your family. Funny thing, what kind of things come to your mind while you’re fighting a murderous metal war machine inside a marvelous battle suit of your own creation, stuck under a thousand meters of ocean water above you, huh? Because that bobblehead… my sister Galka gave it to me, before I set out on this whole, well, quest. We never really saw eye to eye on the whole ‘Gods’ thing, or at least I never had the same enthusiasm she did, but I’m glad I have this reminder of her. I know she means well, and as far as I know, she hasn't gotten into any of the really weird religious stuff, like burning the heathens and all that. Besides, as far as Saints go, Saint Glocko is alright because, hey, he’s one of ours! Goblin, and a pilot too! The whole thing does make me think of my family, though. I’ve talked about how my big wrench isn’t some sort of mythical heirloom like you usually get in heroic stories. Similarly, my family is… well, just my family! What I mean is that all in all, we’re not really anything absolutely out of the ordinary - no blood feuds between siblings, no fathers driven to murderous madness, no mothers receiving ominous omens when her children were born. I certainly wasn’t the result of some god changing shape into something and banging my mother or my father on the sly, not from what they have told me! No ancient bloodline - personally, I think that whole concept can bugger right off, because that’s how you get idiot kings ruling because their great-great-grandfather bashed someone’s head in and racist assholes rambling on about ‘blood purity’ which always leads to just wonderful things. Oh, and no brutal warlord came into my village, burned it down and killed all of my family either - unless unsafe working conditions, insufficient health care and systemic inequality count, but no, my family is mostly fine. Mostly. Hmm. Well, first, there are my parents, of course, Mishga and Korbul Tazz, my mom and dad. Ohoho, let me tell you, we have a much better relationship nowadays than a few years ago. No way was I going to work in the factories like dad did, and, well, we may both have said some things we may have meant in the moment, like, oh, ‘I hate you’ and ‘You are no daughter of mine’, some doors may have been slammed shut, I may have set some things on fire, not our family’s things, a factory overseer’s warehouse - stuff like that. Normal family things. It was my mother actually that, in the end, shouted the loudest - she was always good at that - and then the matter was settled. She got that from grandfather, I think - he fought alongside Klothra Orc-Friend, if you can believe it! That comes with a bit of attitude. Anyway, a bit later, I built that prosthesis for dad after he got hurt in the factory and the rest is history. Everyone pooled their money to get me to apprentice with Tulgrom Lupp, and he became my mentor and now, here I am. I just wish mom and dad wouldn’t insist on still working in the factory like they were 20 years younger! It worries me sometimes which, let me tell you, is quite a change from the hotheaded opinions I had when the only thing I could see was them holding me back. Oh, of course, there’s all my brothers and sisters too, of course. The weird thing is that some of my older siblings now have children of their own, and when I visited Litram after the whole Zepplintropolis thing, his little kid was looking up to me and asking me all about what I did like I was some sort of big hero! I suppose I was but… Litram was always one of my big brothers, who helped me pull myself up when we ran across the tops of the steam machines, always fast enough for our feet not to get burned or the overseers to catch us. There’s Thrinkal, she’s working at the Goblin Gutter Gazette as a reporter now, which is amazing; Toppok, hope he figured out the problems with his husband he told me of when he last wrote me, I always thought they fit well together; Gullup is… well, Gullup is selling merchandise of Krishga Tazz, Goblin inventor extraordinaire and hero of the skies which I did not agree to. Before, when Gullup came up with his schemes, they usually only involved me as a lookout or distraction and not like that! Tell you what, once we’re back at the XK Masada, I’ll write to him and tell him that either he gets mom and dad on board with this whole enterprise so they will finally stop working at the factory or he can forget using my name to make money! Who else? Oh, Jillan and Klothot, but things are still a bit strained with them, far as I can figure they... resent my success. It might be because they're still doing the same kind of work mom and dad are doing, when me and a few of the others - I'm just gonna say it - were able to do something less back-breaking with our lives. I know what it’s really about, though, because I have felt it too. Poor Hirrashk. My younger brother. He died in a factory accident. Ruptured pipe, and he wasn’t out fast enough before he breathed in too much of the toxic fumes. He was always better at art, his head in the clouds, his eyes on the horizon. He was talented too, but there was only enough money to get one of us a real education - and that was me. I can’t help but wonder how things could have gone differently… He wasn't the only one of my siblings that died before their time, but still. Poor Hirrashk. The shark mouth design on the front of the Maximus? I copied it from the one he painted onto the first diesel-powered soapbox car I built. Fell apart right quick, but it was worth it. nil. fucked around with this message at 11:41 on Nov 19, 2020 |
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Jul 12, 2020 16:34
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLD +2 || COU +1 || GRA +2 || STR •• | CNG •⚬ | TUF •• | WPN •••• FOOD ••• | BOOZE •• | TRAP ••• | GEAR •• : Cruel Beast [] || Carpe Jugulum []--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shardix posted:Your combo move was telling but this machine soldier is not easily deterred. It jets away in the direction that Konas evaded to, clearly hellbent on returning that harsh favor. Ha-ha, a hit! But oh poo poo, Konas didn't get the fins, he got center mass, and it's still got engine power -- the bot takes off like greased poo poo after him, and I lose them both in the swirling silt. Dammit, I can't see anything for all this mess we kicked up! Oh, hell, he'd better be alright.... Last place I wanna be right now is 'thout an anchor in a zero-vision situation. I swim for Krishga's mech, the one clear landmark in all this, latch myself on tight, and try not to freak out. drat drat drat, I could sure use some kinda big explosion right now... While all Krishga's attention's on stomping and shooting, I'm struck with a brilliant idea. At least I hope it's a brilliant idea. I uncoil a length of chain from the Maximus' dorsal mounts and hook it to the anchor bars on one of my bear traps, then unhook the chain and grab hold of the dangly end. If that thing wants to tango with us again, I'm gonna give it a face fulla spring-loaded steel teeth.
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Jul 14, 2020 04:02
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Konas You don't need to roll to Get Away nor utilize Olan, but your writeup does not need to be edited unless you wish to do so. Call it a cosmetic injury that does not actually impact your stats. The choice is yours. You bring your trident to bear, deflecting blow after merciless blow. It is clear this foe is not accustomed to fighting tritons, as it attempts tactics that would be terrifyingly effective against someone not born to the sea. Someone like Anastasia or Hilda would be hard pressed to keep up with its three dimensional maneuvers; overcoming water density is one those skills requiring a lifetime of training to accomplish. As it stands you have the strength and nimbleness to block and evade. Unfortunately, the thing proves unwilling to allow you another opening for a finishing blow. That is, until several bolts of lancing energy hurl themselves through the waters. Krishga Your shots go wild, but it provides all the incentive you could want for the machine to keep its figurative head down. The strobing flashes of your weapon lights up the environment, casting the battle into unsettling shadows. In one such flash you see the machine pivot as one of its metallic claws is hit and sent careering into the blackness. The pulsing red sensors lock into the Maximus and the engines rev up once more, sending the warmech hurtling into the battle suit. Anastasia You quickly haul off a length of tow chain and lash it to the crossbar of one of your traps. While it can't be hurled with any real effect underwater, in open air you could probably seize someone from across a room with it. As it stands now, you can still clamp it onto something and go for a ride. Everyone The steel claw is proving to have a less than amazing AI running it, as it's willing to get ping-ponged between Krishga and Konas. The scanner is locked firmly on the Maximus now, and aside from the side to side boosts to evade in incoming fire, it is doing nothing to protect its flanks. What do you do?
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Jul 16, 2020 03:21
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLD +2 || COU +1 || GRA -1 || SEN +0 || WIS +2 Blessings: Strength[ ] || Speed[ ] || Glory[ ] || Power[ ][ ] Gear: Armor[ ] || Fuel[ ][ ][ ] Hilda: Crack Shot[ ] || Quick As A Bullet [ ] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shardix posted:Branwen Sister Lighterman still works as an envoy of Bombarda. Heard she was acting as liaison out at the undercity Strongoath when the Aqualantis got sealed off. Probably still there doing her job. Brother Bigjob moved home, settled down. Sounds like he's doing well, found out a couple members of the community were Solar worshipers so he's got some folks to swap stories with. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Branwen acts. Her thoughts are faster than her body in the ocean, a message of "Tell Ana It's Her Serve" passing through Konas to Iggy via the triton's spell as Bran's arms rise through the water. Flashes of heat and light as her right and a moment later left forearms rocket out, chasing its sibling through the briny depths. Ana Jr for her part sees the flash of light in the dark, and then delivers as swift a kick she can manage into the bot's chassis, knocking it free of the Maximus and directly into the path of Bran's rocketing right fist, which sends the bot and it's now dented frame reeling back towards a now armed and ready Ana, who once against delivers a blow that sends the machine back into the second punch of Branwen as it desperately attempts and fails to stabilize as the onslaught once more sends it tumbling back into the waiting assault of Ana, this third strike denting the metal plates once again before sending it back towards Branwen once more. Right hand already returned, she reaches out and snatches her returning left fist and then with both fiery thruster and divine strength Branwen slams her left fist into the robot, spiking and embedding it into the metallic 'floor' of the reinforced bulkhead it had sprung out of, before she reattaches the fist to it's arm. Xom (Dice Bot) posted:@Branwen McAlister(ArkInBlack): 3d6k2+2 Dual Tech:Volleybatter (Finish Them) = (
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Jul 19, 2020 15:05
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Krishga dodges the war machine’s attacks with a combination of punches and bursts from the Maximus’ gunports, never giving the murderous machine enough of an opening to truly strike. Then, from out of the darkness of the ocean, Anastasia leaps into the Mk III’s spotlights and delivers a kick into the thing’s metal guts - and Krishga can only look on in amazement at what follows next. A choreographed ballet of savage punches, flying fists and mighty kicks utterly trashes the combat bot, and somehow Krishga imagines for a moment the voice of her grandfather telling her that it is far too flashy and showy a display, but all she can do at the sight of it is pump her fist and cheer. “Yes! Yeeees!” Krishga briefly twists the Maximus’ control and the large metal battle suit quickly mirrors the Goblin’s fist pump. “Look at that! Amazing! Can I get Rocket Fists for the Maximus?! I would have to decouple the wiring for the hands and... hmmm… no. No, it’d compromise the strength of the arms and the precision of the finger actuators... ah, a pity.” The Maximus turns and shines its spotlights on everyone - except Olan, who expectedly is rather hard to spot - and Krishga confirms that everyone seems to be unhurt. The Mk III points at the two marines that came with the fellowship and motions for them to watch what remains of the gate the war machine broke through, from afar. This done, Krishga walks the Mk III over to the metal pile of scrap that just a minute ago was a lethal autonomous weapon. “Yeah, that’s very dead. Or very nonfunctional.” She picks up the remains of the thing’s chassis and holds it close to the Maximus’ viewport for inspection. “Faaaascinating.” quote:Want to analyse. You help? “I sound like some uneducated idiot. Do Tritons just have extremely long words or how can they stand talking like this?” Needlessly, Krishga puts her fingers to her temples, as if it was going to help Konas to hear her. “And the worst part is, I am talking to myself way more than usual. Just terrible.” quote:Need claw. Flew that way. The Maximus points in the direction she saw the machine’s claw fly away into. Krishga had identified it as a marvellous piece of engineering right away, so when the machine lost it, the Goblin had made an immediate mental note, even in the heat of battle.
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Jul 19, 2020 20:50
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLD +2 || COU +1 || GRA +2 || STR •• | CNG •⚬ | TUF •• | WPN •••• FOOD ••• | BOOZE •• | TRAP ••• | GEAR •⚬ : Cruel Beast [] || Carpe Jugulum []--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes! Batter up! I punch the air--well, water--and shout, but all that comes out is a bunch of bubbles and a sad little "mmf!". Leave it to my best girl Bran to know just how to disassemble anyone who looks at us funny! And speaking of disassembly...I think got my eye on that claw. My hands hurt. I'm gonna need some good gauntlets if I'mma give out any more tickets to the gun show. The trap-onna-chain, I carefully disengage the hinges on, and clamp it to the back end of the Maximus. Figure somebody else can find a use for it now nothing's tryina kill us. I flick on a handheld floodlight I nicked out the MWTD's stores while nobody's keeping an eye on me, and follow Krishga's pointy-arm-direction out on an angle. Now the fight's died down it's a little easier to see, easy enough anyway for me to spot that claw just lyin' on the seabed, already startin' to get covered up with sediment. Mine.  Burning one use of something you found over there somewhere for a very useful light source. I think I like what I see. Good strong metal, nice and thick along the spine...no handle, but I can work with that. Now we just gotta see how brittle you are...and sure 'nuff, with a little leverage from Krishga's big metal foot, that big fingerblade's gonna go snap. Cut, and and another cut, and now I got two fingers and a thumb; couple bits of intact hydraulics, hinges and shell-scraps from the corpse of that tin can, and...  Oh now we gonna start getting somewhere. Flex, flex. Anybody need some hedges trimmed? Tazz can have the rest. There's plenty of fingerblades to left to go around...all's I need is this one little piece. Get Equipped With: Orc-made Clawfist. 
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Jul 20, 2020 03:00
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BLOOD: 2 || COURAGE: 1 || GRACE: 2 || SENSE: -1 || WISDOM: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I look at my arm, clench my fist a few times. Still have full movement, despite the blow. Good. Surprised the machine’s turning on Krishga now. Seems like it’s seeing red, no thinking beyond any hit or near-miss, save to strike back at the aggressor. I think we already won! Just a matter of when the killing blow comes. And it turns out Branwen delivers it, and an impressive spike too. Can’t imagine the machine standing back up from this. Seconds pass as the aftermath sinks in and thoughts on what that thing was for. Everyone seems banged up, but no worse for wear. Olan looks unscathed, though I can see she wants to see that machine torn to shreds. Can’t say I blame her, regardless if she’s not a Dolphin in this schism. ”Ping from Krishga” posted:”Want to analyze. You Help?” . Maybe it’ll tell us what kind of mess the ESCO seems to have forgotten. The armor’s scrap. no point collecting the pieces. Ana’s already claimed the claw. Rest of the machine seems intact. Kinda surprised that Branwen doesn’t take it, since it’s her kill, but she hasn’t said anything yet. I take what's left to the minisub for Krishga. pre:Aiding Krishga in Looking Closely at ??? AnAnonymousIdiot fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Jul 22, 2020 |
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Jul 20, 2020 13:01
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Really, Anastasia? You couldn’t wait until I had taken a look at that thing? Fine, fine, I get it. That claw does look very impressive. And honestly, what’s really impressive here is how you built a weapon from scrap just like that! Honorary Goblin! After helping Anastasia remove some parts of the claw with the mighty boot of the Maximus, Krishga raises the Mk III’s hand up for a metal hand to metal claw high five with Anastasia. Just a few moments later, Konas returns with some of the bits of the war machine that had been blown off in the struggle, much to Krishga’s delight at both the promise of studying advanced elven technology and the helpfulness of her favorite Triton assistant. The Goblin studies each part in turn, holding them as close to the Maximus’ viewport as possible. Konas effortlessly floats next to the big metal hand and occasionally turns some of the parts to point out details that might escape the land dwellers' eyes in the less-than-ideal light of the Maximus’ headlights. Finally, after finishing her initial assessment, Krishga motions for Konas to board the Mk III with the most promising pieces for a closer inspection. The hatch on top of the Maximus pops open and, after Konas enters, the repressurization procedure once again drains all water. There is some rumbling behind the metal wall of the passenger compartment and, after a moment, a hatch opens and Krishga’s head pops out of it. “Konas! You bring gifts, you shouldn’t have!” The Goblin quickly scampers out from the goblin-sized passage from the cockpit to the compartment and eagerly takes some of the parts out of Konas’ hands. “Oh, hm, yes, yes, now I see what that is! Let me see that one too, Konas. I think that’s the connection to the, well, what passes for ‘intelligence’ in that thing. Not much to write home about. But did you see it move? Though maybe that’s not as impressive for you, being a Triton and all. Did this part fit into this part, do you remember?” Krishga tries to hold the two parts next to each other, utterly engrossed in the task. “Oh! There’s something else I wanted to ask you, while we’re here. How seriously do I have to take Triton death threats? Is that a cultural thing that’s just a boast, nothing to be concerned about, or an actual death threat? Hand me that jagged part, huh? I think it connects to this one instead.” The Goblin does not look up from her work on what remains of their metal adversary, but her large ears are nevertheless listening quite closely to what Konas might say about the deadly killer that, right now, is far harder for Krishga to figure out than this easily-read pile of metal and cables. Konas’ comainion, Olan. quote:@Krishga Tazz (nil): 3d6k2+1 Look Closely with help from Konas = (4+5+ nil. fucked around with this message at 08:20 on Jul 21, 2020 |
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Jul 20, 2020 18:05
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Krishga The machine's "brain" sits comfortably in your palm, unexpectedly heavy for its size. To touch, it is neither warm nor cool, despite the action it was recently engaged in or the chill of the sea. It simply sits at a steady sixty-something degrees. A bundle of hair-fine translucent tendrils drape across your wrist. The means by which this crystalline mechanism interfaced with the rest of the chassis? Touching your tongue to it, you feel a light zap as though connecting the poles of a flashlight battery. No taste to speak of whatsoever. Tapping it lightly produces no audible sound and tapping it heavily would probably shatter it. Setting the thoughtshard aside, you start poking through the shattered remains of the thing's body. You find nothing suspicious or untoward - no hidden weapons or backup brains that will send it jerking back to life. What you assume to be the sensor array mostly follows conventional logic. Lenses, scanners, all the same sorts of things you have here in the Maximus. Just...sophisticated beyond anything you've encountered. The wiring, hydraulics, armor plates...it all makes sense to you. Except that the level of miniaturization, the armor plates comprised of alloys you do not recognize, and the utterly baffling engine designs are all things you'd expect to be seeing in about a hundred years. Not here, in front of you, after escaping a sunken vessel older than the first manned flight. What you can be certain of is this thing isn't getting up again. Konas, the sisters, and your timely assistance have rendered it utterly inert. Still, it doesn't hurt to take notes in case you run into one of these things again. And probably you will. There are telltale signs your trained eyes can pick out that age cannot wear away: this thing was once mass produced. A certain uniformity of parts and a simplicity in their design. An utter lack of even the smallest embellishment or hint of personality. This was no unique servitor some itinerant mage-hermit assembled in his off hours. A sudden notion takes you and you pick up the thoughtshard once again. You slip on a jewelers loupe and carefully turn it in your hands. Ah ha! You cannot read the language, but hidden in the shadow of one of the shard's facets you spot an impossibly tiny line of script. You'd bet all the spanners in Zepplintropolis Guttlefink that that is a serial number So. Slicing claw. Fast and agile engines. Scanner that seems to be relatively unimpeded by silt and other obstructions - probably capable of burning someone's face off if the machine managed to pin someone down and felt like being a real bastard about it. Thick armor and no subtlety. That's how it could hurt you. As for how it could help you? Any science insititute or military organization would pay a pretty penny to get a hold of something like this, disregarding whatever novel research you yourself could conduct once you found yourself a proper workshop. And if it's combat performance is any indication the onboard AI is very unsophisticated. With time, it might be possible to rig up a means of interfacing with these machines and subverting them.
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Jul 22, 2020 00:21
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BLOOD: 2 || COURAGE: 1 || GRACE: 2 || SENSE: -1 || WISDOM: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I think I should’ve thought through what offering to help Krishga meant. Crouching down in this minisub left me little to do but be talked at over whatever she found. nil. posted:“Oh! There’s something else I wanted to ask you, while we’re here. How seriously do I have to take Triton death threats? Is that a cultural thing that’s just a boast, nothing to be concerned about, or an actual death threat?” Oh…. Time to have this talk it seems. “Whatever she told you is just hot air.” I tell her. “Keep in mind my people don’t like Drylanders on the whole... Then there’s the War against Aqualantis we’re trying to get over. It’s why they sent me.” The less said about the quagmire, the better. Too many deaths out there, and that city’s disappearance didn’t make ‘em worth it.. AnAnonymousIdiot fucked around with this message at 02:29 on Jul 22, 2020 |
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Jul 22, 2020 02:17
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| # ? May 6, 2024 07:59 |
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This is amazing.The level of craftsmanship, skill and technology involved is… mind-boggling. Do elves have stuff like this? I’ll have to ask Anastasia, but whoever built this knows what they’re doing, even though they might be some sort of authoritarian elven rear end in a top hat. I’d like to lie to myself and say that I totally understand how this was even made, but I do not. But that’s not all, is it? Ohohoho, no it isn’t. This thing has a serial number, which means there’s more and that this was built in some sort of factory, or at least according to some standardized process, using standardized tools. I have to find out more. If I had those tools, that knowledge - no, nevermind that, what if everyone had access to stuff like that! It’d be one of the biggest, if not the biggest scientific breakthrough, ever. This could make so many lives better - with technology, and us Goblins know something about that, let me tell you. Amazing. Wait, what kind of idiot uses technology like this for some dumb murder bot? Krishga realizes she has been staring intensely at the parts in her hands, shuffling through them like sacred religious relics with her mouth slightly agape. She blinks and gathers herself and remembers she is here with Konas, very closeby. “Konas! This is… How do I explain it? This is some of the most advanced stuff I have seen, and we need to capture as much of it intact as we possibly can.” The Goblin puts a hand on Konas’ knee and looks up at him, her look and voice far more serious than the Triton likely has ever known it before. “This technology is worth its weight in gold. Diamonds! Do Tritons care about diamonds? But this isn’t about money, it’s about knowledge, knowledge for everyone!” Krishga stops herself, noticing she has begun shouting, and takes a moment to calm down. “Whatever we can find about where those elven war machines came from in the bunker, we need to get. Sure, we need to investigate what caused Aqualantis to vanish too, but… hey, we can do both, right?” She grins. “Excellent work, my faithful assistant.” She once again holds up her hand for a high five, though in the cramped passenger compartment, she stands far below Konas, her hand not even reaching up to his hip. “And excellent moves back there too. Do you do underwater races?” quote:Forging a bond with Konas. She scratches the back of her head, a little sheepish. “Full disclosure, I just had an idea to build a communication device using this… I think it’s a thought-shard. But that’d be a bit like using money instead of toilet paper, and not the small bills. Ohohoho, no, you are going into storage for later.” Krishga reaches into the hatch she had come out of and stores the through-shard and some of the other parts somewhere inside. “Okay, I’ll give you all the data I have on what parts to hit on those things and what parts not to hit. Can you tell the others? Talking with only five words at a time is really annoying. Your Triton magic is very impressive, of course, and you’ll have to tell me all about it when we have some time, but I tend to be a bit more verbose when I really try to express myself.” She pauses, puts her hand onto her chin and grins as she realizes she has indeed been chattering at Konas without pause. She shrugs at the Triton. “Oh, last thing. Does Olan have a problem with all drylanders or Goblins in particular? Even me in particular? Just doesn’t sit right with me. You should deal with things like that, especially when you’re forced to work together in tight spaces, trying to save the world in life-or-death situations and all that.” nil. fucked around with this message at 19:53 on Jul 22, 2020 |
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Jul 22, 2020 19:50
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