|
I'm sold. The Parasite is alive and also an item we have.
|
#
?
Mar 27, 2024 12:05
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 29, 2024 19:41 |
|
|
I feel like suitifying Smiercia would not stop her from killing us, or provide us with particularly good equipment for that matter.
|
|
#
?
Mar 27, 2024 12:17
|
|
|
Well, it would probably make it harder for her to kill us. I mean, I can't imagine it being easy to wield a scythe when you're just cloth. Maybe fold her up and put her in a suitcase with a few bricks before dropping it into the deepest part of the lake. With a few more bricks on top for good measure. Then we can just hang out with our chicken and Blue and the backup for a few years until she works her way out of the case. Sure, she'll make us suffer for that, but that's a far-future us problem.
|
|
#
?
Mar 27, 2024 13:30
|
|
|
I guess I'm not personally convinced that Death's Apprentice or whatever needs, like, physical hands or arms to Reap people?
|
|
#
?
Mar 27, 2024 23:26
|
|
|
Nah she's got one of them hella scythe minmax builds from Pathfinder get her flapping in a garment bag and it's smoooooth sailing
|
|
#
?
Mar 27, 2024 23:38
|
|
|
Listen, you don't spend as much time flashing around your scythe if that isn't your whole gimmick. "Oh look at me, I'm the big, scary reaper lady. Look! I have a scythe! Swish swish swish! I'll even scar you seven times with it! Poke poke poke!' Ya don't be like that if you had something else going for you. And just watch her next appearance be without the scythe and she calmly pimpslaps our rear end across a wide open field. With her off-hand.
|
|
#
?
Mar 27, 2024 23:48
|
|
|
 Hnnh...   : [ X ][20%]Hmn? I look around.  Huh. I sniff, and then cough a little from my nose being gunked up. I clear it and sit up. I'm sitting on soft damp grasses. There's a warm wind. I'm in some kind of dark quiet pond-cove. Dark waters expand before me, dotted with strange tourmaline luminants. I sniff, and blow my nose again, my head feeling so airy light that I get dizzy just from rolling on my side. I exist for a bit. When I feel ready, I stand up and take stock. It's very dark and overgrown here. Lots of dew dripping off the dense leaves. I wander around a moment, and then listen more carefully. I hear the wind... water... bugs making sounds... many birds... surf! I can hear ocean surf. Somewhere beyond the dense trees. I spend a while picking my way over the damp grounds, wading shin-high in waters that make me feel cooled and relaxed. There's so much magic bleeding from it; an abundance of a strange color of Mana. I use my gilded sword to step over a bunch of large trees, and then realize I'm puddling around in some sort of inlet area for what sounds like ocean. I take a second to slow and rest, not thinking. Oh. A peek of sunlight through the dense trees, bounding off the still waters. Is it morning, then? Feels like it. The airs are so easy to breathe, clearing my head out with a microfiber swipe. I pick at my body for a bit, and realize that I don't have a suit on. Well, I do, but it's complete rags and ash now. I pluck most of it off, wearing my warm blanket, which remains dry even in the water, refusing absorbency. Liking the idea, I sink into a pond whose transparent-pinkish bottom seems to be nothing but grass and flower. I sink to my neck and just float, feeling my blanket warm the waters up like a small jacuzzi. I relax, sleepy and worn.  I nap for a little bit. It's not true sleep, but it does feel nice to be able to drift in heated waters. My biology slows down and normalizes, and let my head go under, bubbling my lungs so I can spin and twirl in my carbonated grass puddle. I spend a long time doing this, not thinking, just feeling the motions and sensations. My solitude is broken when I smell something strong and pleasant, and then realize that someone is walking nearby. I peek out of my puddle, and blink. Huh. It's a plant woman. She's tall, with a mass of palm leaf hair, face lovely with her bark-shade color. She's wearing a big blue tropical shirt and some yellow surfer shorts. She notices me, and waves with calm. I wave back, and say hello. Cool shirt. The dryad blinks a few times while she makes out my words, while she leans on a tree and listens to it intently. "It's my favorite shirt. I like your poncho." I swirl again and look at my blanket's lovely dark colors and strange fiery tracings. I like it, too. "Hey, are you from around here?" I stop staring at her shirt pattern and look around. No. I don't think... no, not from here. "Oh. Neither am I." I see her get distracted as she listens to the wet tree she's holding, and it makes me want to ask; So, who're you? The tall dryad looks at me, with her colors of emerald, topaz, and sapphire.  "I'm Melinda."
|
|
#
?
Mar 28, 2024 04:11
|
|
|
Melinda’s picture is awesome
|
|
#
?
Mar 28, 2024 04:15
|
|
|
Hi Melinda! Why does that feel like a name that's come up before and that we should be running very fast away from?
|
|
#
?
Mar 28, 2024 04:17
|
|
|
Oh snap, check out page 127! If we can get past the no suit thing this could be big!
|
|
#
?
Mar 28, 2024 09:12
|
|
|
That just raises even more questions! ...quote is not edit.
|
|
#
?
Mar 28, 2024 11:25
|
|
|
Randalor posted:Hi Melinda! That is a name we've heard before, and the load screen on page 127 says she's the one who Lorded the Lords, which as i understand, also means she is partially or completely behind the harrowing of the Island. So encountering her, naked, is Not Ideal to say the least.
|
|
#
?
Mar 28, 2024 22:43
|
|
|
taiyoko posted:That is a name we've heard before, and the load screen on page 127 says she's the one who Lorded the Lords, which as i understand, also means she is partially or completely behind the harrowing of the Island. So encountering her, naked, is Not Ideal to say the least.
|
|
#
?
Mar 28, 2024 23:15
|
|
|
For what it's worth, multiple people can have the same name, and in particular it's not super rare for people to name their kids after important people? It's a bit of a cope, though. We should definitely move with caution.
|
|
#
?
Mar 28, 2024 23:29
|
|
|
pumpinglemma posted:I read that as Melinda being Burner’s name from before The Island. my first thought was 100% 'ay Red wut up' even before people mentioned the melinda thing
|
|
#
?
Mar 28, 2024 23:35
|
|
|
Black August posted:VOTING CLOSED - All That's To Come Under The Sun Just going to quote it to make it a bit easier to find. I'm honestly not sure if it's supposed to be "Melinda is Burner, and saw something on the island that made her break her vow" or "Melinda is the one that made them all Lords, and Burner betrayed her". Plus we know Burner had a different name before being Lorded, and this would make the THIRD version of Burner, I think?
|
|
#
?
Mar 28, 2024 23:37
|
|
|
For clarity, Red revealed that Burner's/her name is 'Eirica'. EDIT: And the name 'Melinda' has been mentioned in a few other places as well. Black August fucked around with this message at 23:43 on Mar 28, 2024 |
|
#
?
Mar 28, 2024 23:38
|
|
|
One thing that also worries me about Melinda: she is the one who Lorded the Lords....and with us being naked, there's no way to hide the proof of our Lordslay. I don't think she'll take that very well. Also, I kind of wonder...I know somewhere further back, the Holy End version of the Blue Book mentions the gravekeeper's death being inevitable. And it has been shown that the gravekeeper has some connection to our character. So what if the reason the gravekeeper has always died in the Holy End has been because their Hell End counterpart keeps getting erased by Smercia? As if each Holy End universe's disk has its match in the universe where the game is Hell End. Though with some of the out-of-game universe crossover/meshing, it makes me worry somewhat for the player even.
|
|
#
?
Mar 29, 2024 06:11
|
|
|
Hi, Melinda. I wade out of the tourmaline pool and slug-slouch onto the lip. My blanket shrouds me covered and warms me right to drying, and I bundle up the collected suit scraps and set them in my pack. Melinda offers me a hand. It's bark strong but palm soft, revealing a casually hidden strength well beyond my own. She takes me to standing, and we both look around with two different colors of thoughtless calm. She turns suddenly and looks over her shoulder, the mass of palm hair fronds smacking my face with all the menace of silk. "Oh. The sea is back this way." She walks, and I follow, taking time to wing my hair. Glints of gemstone flicker over my sight from the many stones poking from the mossy wet floor, casting flecks of color over our faces. Melinda walks through the forest with the total assurance of her kine, but she does keep stopping to listen to certain plants with a look of confusion. I ask her; is she visiting? My words make her confused until she seems to realize I still exist. "Oh. In a way. I was expecting something, but it didn't happen." More silence as we walk, wading often through the warm tourmaline inlets. A flock of crows with excessive iridescence flit by, a handful stopping to look at me weirdly before carrying on. Eventually, sand grunches underfoot, and Melinda pauses to stare at some bioluminant flowers. "I was supposed to be welcomed by my friends, but something has gone wrong. Something is going on. I'm not sure what to do." I smirk in my thoughtless wander. I can identify with that feeling. I want to be helpful though, so I tell her maybe taking a long walk would be a good idea. That helps me when I don't know what to do next. The island-shirted dryad look back and then at the ground, nodding. "I think I need to. A long one. Over here." Over where? Oh. She stands and uses her height to part a thick curtain of flowers for me, and I walk out to stare in wonder. I look to the west, blinking against the intense light.  The Sun. OST: The Domain Holy It's gentle and warm. Maybe even sullen and soft, despite its tropic might. I spend a while looking, Melinda at my side. We both remain thoughtless for a long while, and then she starts to move to the west. "I'm going this way for my walk. Thank you. If you go northeast of here into the jungle, you can see an amazing structure up in the hills." Oh? Okay. I keep that in mind, and watch Melinda wander off. I decide to sit with my feet in the warm ocean waters, watching them come and go while she takes the long time to fade from sight into the dawning light. I almost nap again, relaxed... and I keep daydreaming about chickens hiding in the sands, poking their heads out to cluck at me. When I come to, I'm truly alone, and feel an urge to keep moving. Not sure where... so I guess eastward on the beach and then north, until I see this gemstone hill. 
Black August fucked around with this message at 07:06 on Mar 29, 2024 |
|
#
?
Mar 29, 2024 07:00
|
|
|
Vibe: are we in Holy End??
|
|
#
?
Mar 29, 2024 09:44
|
|
|
It sure looks nice
|
|
#
?
Mar 29, 2024 12:54
|
|
|
Aabcehmu posted:Vibe: are we in Holy End?? i don't think so you can see that Red's lands aren't covered in smoke anymore also the sun, dawg. the sun's back
|
|
#
?
Mar 29, 2024 23:11
|
|
|
The cancer mass is... uh... either gone, or has turned gangrene.
|
|
#
?
Mar 30, 2024 00:29
|
|
|
I was wondering about that and the gangrene possibility hadn't occurred to me So.... Literally everywhere we've gone we've spread fungus like, a lot. Hotel up north, now maybe the chorus or whatever the damned souls bleeder corralled were called, just recently at the top of Solar Maybe mushrooms have been in charge this whole time 
|
|
#
?
Mar 30, 2024 12:09
|
|
|
Or comfortably sitting in the back seat until needed.
|
|
#
?
Mar 30, 2024 14:04
|
|
|
 [...] A beach. Dead and dark. Stretching farlong into the rainsoaked distance. The ocean spoke only in roars. Lumes was the first to break the silence. "What is this shitshow?" They all turned around and looked, more confused than anything. All four were trying to piece together the last thing they knew, and were coming up with a frustrating blank. Rienne sniffed around with a frown, while Levity dry-swallowed capsules to balance out the incredible headache she was plagued with. Gandiva remained silent, looking down the shoreline, then inland. Lumes coughed on the rough ocean airs, her own sense of smell painting a worrying idea. Without a word the Wanderers began to walk down the beach, from west to east. Often they passed the remnants of some ship, small chunks and slivers washed ashore. It was all pulverized. Rienne then stopped and stared, freezing the others with a raised hand while she pointed. There, distant down the shore, they could barely make out a distinct white spot vanishing into the far-off treelines. The two werewolves walked more predatory now, while Gandiva loosely held his bow. Each minute of their walk raised their hackles higher. Shapes were clicking into place, slidelocks of dread snapping shut as all four began to separately infer. The Emperor of Heaven was the one to name it, when she stops before a flooded inlet in the cold gray sands. She looks down at her face in the puddling rains. "This is where the ratlings made landfall when they traded with us. Right here." Nobody commented, simply staring at one another in the waters. Gandiva walked on first, followed by the other three, an even-paced anxiety welling up. When they reached where the white spot had vanished, they found nothing... save for a line in the sands, where something thin, heavy, and sharp had dragged. So they followed, far deep into the dead forests they knew and knew not, steeped in mists and chillydamp rot. 
Black August fucked around with this message at 02:34 on Apr 1, 2024 |
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2024 02:30
|
|
|
Oh poo poo, this is the same-map-but-not as we're on... Did the wanderes fall into hell while we slipped into heaven? Cayver mentioned that they were going Back, if both sides traversed the Back simultaneously, maybe things got mixed up on where to pop them back out?
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2024 04:40
|
|
|
... if they find our safe house, they better not hurt our chicken or touch our stuff.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2024 07:18
|
|
|
Randalor posted:... if they find our safe house, they better not hurt our chicken or touch our stuff. Who knows, maybe they'll manage to piss off Śmiercią before that happens.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2024 11:34
|
|
|
I thought this has always been the map for the other End? Like, way more water, the tourmaline whatever it was didn't happen in the river to get out into the sea, etc?
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2024 13:19
|
|
|
Here's the "original" map of the valley, I THINK the new map is just darker, but I'm not sure how to interpret that. I'm way too lazy to go dig for a more recent map.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2024 13:57
|
|
|
Randalor posted:Here's the "original" map of the valley, I THINK the new map is just darker, but I'm not sure how to interpret that. I'm way too lazy to go dig for a more recent map. The new map is also considerably more underwater than the original, and missing a lot of forest.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2024 09:48
|
|
|
 I stop and look up. The air is reeking with florals and unknowns, but it's still clean in a way that makes breathing effortless. I spit some bubbles and clear myself out, then move on. I haven't thought of anything since walking off the beach, and up into the thick warm rainforest. I find trails blazed and evidence of transport, so I swing the uphill routes and note the turns. There's plenty of markers and signs, though I don't get their meaning. Most are stacked colors of wirelink gemstones, or studs of pyrite on polls, if not just an arrow and some simple picture of a mine. I stand around a bit to pick at my missing finger, something nagging at the back of my head. It passes, and I don't think, and keep walking. The leaves sometimes shiver and rain down a mist of dawn dew. Fossilized opal gleams in the canopied dark, running veins through the countless titan trees. It gives way to hillside slopes eventually, the brush thinning out to copses of flowers. The soil is a dark adamantine color, coppery warm and gleaming with a gross overabundance of mineral and gemflake. I bet the cats would love rolling in this. I find a bronze-marble jutting boulder to sit on, a ways above the treetops. I sit and warm in the Sun, watching the mists dance over the dense green ocean. It's only broken up by the view of a large plateau to the west. It's shrouded and hidden in a thick cloud of glittering black ashes and steaming mists. Hard to see much else from where I am. I decide to get to the highest parts of the hill, and then follow it around north until I find what Melinda was talking about. While I note the rising Sun in the warm-hue sky, I wonder; what day is it today again?   Right. I rub my head upon realizing that, feeling something strangely silver creeping over my neurons. I stop thinking and relax back into my walk. Every stone is stained exotic with color and shine, the hills living in a storm of natural art. While I walk I manage to weave around enough to discover more trails, with signs of there having been feet on the ground to pick at and collect among the many loose gem-veined stones in the dirt. They eventually take me to what Melinda must have been talking about. A cave that's been set up as some kind of mine. But not quite an operation anymore, since it appears to be complete: the wide entrance is decorated with a load of hanging silks and weird airy metals that reveal it's quite cold inside. Comfortably so, after the immense tropic warmth. I wander in and stare around at the glitter of the mined-out rock, supported well by dryad-woven woods. It smooths out once inside, with occasional carpets made from giant spider silk. It's very cool inside. I keep wandering and marveling at the glittering dark, ignoring the side-carved passes and delving further down the main tunnel. Out of nowhere, something welcome greets me with audacity: there's a bathroom stall. Has to be. This one is salvaged and redone, mostly plastic with repairing metals and woods; clicking open the door reveals that yeah, it's what I hoped. I climb in and pull on my old suit, a welcome feeling. It's nice that the waters cleaned the horrible chemical stains off of my skin. I finish my business and step back out, the blanket redone from poncho to cape. As soon as I finish fiddling with my tie, I feel a hand tugging at my blanket in the deep cool dark. I look around confused, and then down. Oh, wow. Very small kobold. Juvenile. They're dressed in a little dress uniform, durable and drab. Their scales are off, maybe albino in lean, glassy grays and shiny. They're staring up at me with unblinking eyes.  ...hi. You are kobold. The little one remembers that speech is possible. "You are different." I look down at myself, and I nod in vague agreement. Yeah, I am. I don't know what they mean by that, but I agree. Without a word, the kobold goes and scratches at my pack, while pulling at my shield and other stuff. I get confused again; wait, are they part of the escaped kobolds? Is this a trading thing? For lack of any better solution, I sit down and take my pack off, and let the very little dragon rife through all of my things. I stretch on the cold smooth floor, shivering comfortably with the blanket setting me at a perfect temperature. "This is Diamond-Sky." What? They look at me. Diamond-Sky? "Yes. This name was found." I struggle to follow, but something clicks in the silver and I ask; you have a name, and it's Diamond-Sky? "Yes. You are different. So this is new telling." Oh? I stop thinking again and remain comfortable, loving the feeling of the cold cave and warm shroud. It's such a great feeling to meet a little dragon. That's probably a foolish thought, but I like it anyways and watch Diamond-Sky take out all of my stuff slowly, sniffing and doing strange multi-angle stares, lizard-snapping to different poses in a weird motion, almost like trying to trick 3D eyes into seeing a 4D construct. They stop and crawl-enwrap around the packaged My First Uplink. The toy box shudders while the dragon enclaws it and stares at me for a while. About a minute. I come out of my doze and startle up, which makes them speak. "This was found." I sit across from them and wait a beat. Huh. Oh, maybe they don't get how to work trade yet? I'm foggy enough to struggle with a lot of concepts, but so relaxed I just stop thinking and go with it. I nod. Yeah, and you can keep it. Go for it. Diamond-Sky carefully back-holds the box. I'm happy to get rid of it, if only because its box is really nice to look at, but its shape makes the pack a pain to position, and I'd rather it just become credit or something. Diamond-Sky then starts to put my stuff back away, neat and fast enough to make me just watch instead of doing it myself. Wow. The tiny dragon looks at me and then does the same almost bird-like lean-dance while peeping at my stone sword and passive face. They blink a lot, eyes a-gleam under the constant sparkle of the cave's gorgeous stone. "Will you be different again?" I smile, because tiniest kobolds make me smile. I nod my head with assurance. Yeah, I'll be different again. Diamond-Sky picks up the box, and does a ridiculous walk to take it further down the tunnel. [Gave up 'My First Uplink'] I get up after a second, still curious. They're well gone, but I follow anyways. The tunnel grow̷̋ŝ̶ ͦ͏d̈́͏arker. I sniff the air, noting how cold and clean it is. I cough out a little more bad stuff still stuck in my craw, and bubble some spit to feel cleaned. The tunnel is slop̨i̛n͟g͢ ͘d̕o͞wn. I walk a little less steady, feeling off. It's so beautiful, but it'ͬs͛ ́ḋa̐r͆k̽.ͤ ͮI̐ ̔a͗cͩt̉u͛aͧl̑lͤý ͪhͪa̓v͆e a hard time seeing far ahead. I almost call out, but hold my air in as I keep pursuing where the tiny kobold went. The tunnel is so uniform now, just dim rough discolored rock going even steeper down. I'm skidding sometimes, annoyed and breathing deep.̕ ͏Í ̧c͡a͟n͝ ͞b̀a̶r̡e̴l̶y̴ ̸s̀e͞e҉,̶ ̸for all my excellent night sight, and my feet are dancing so hard that my tie is bouncing. I grunt and try to stop my momentum, knowing that any steeper will send me rolling. I just need a few more hard skiddy steps, ͡a̶n҉d̨ ͘ ̸ ̷ ̕͟ ̧͘͢ ͢҉ ̢͟ ̶̕͜ ̧̀͡ ̷̵̷̕ ̢҉̷̡̛ ́҉̨ ͝͝͏̢͝ ̴̷͝͝ ̴́͞͡҉̢ ҉̷̢ ҉̷̢̢̛  I'm falling. My foot caught on something hard, tripped, dragged it along, stuck to my shoe. Pit. It went into a straight open pit. I'm falling unsure if I should scream or pass out. But then I grab at my foot spinning, feeling what I tripped on. Hard. Iron. Soft. Beard. My skull rattles with reveberation. (Child. Remember it, before the Back breaks you upon its infinite. Remember your crown.) My crown! I gasp and feel the stupendous urge to vomit, but I hold it down as I build up terminal velocity through air without temperature, into blackness unmapable. I have to remember my crown's intent! It's here for me, a new mastery at last! 
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2024 23:03
|
|
|
Are we going to survive a terminal velocity fall by headbutting the ground?
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2024 23:28
|
|
|
New Tyrant skill unlocked 'Headbutt loving Everything'
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2024 00:25
|
|
|
 Congratulations! You've survived the conquest of your Second Megalith. A glitch and a crisis is forcing a slightly early maturation, so you will grow in intent and reach the third class level, EXPERT. This includes the Tyrant power of Gravity, and the Psychic power of γ, which will have a vote for what form it takes from the choices outlined below. In addition, Vehemence has evolved, as well as Dark Wave. GRAVITY posted:The Expert Tyrant power is Gravity, proof of their right to claim a throne. What once took sorcery and deep-seated instinct to wrench out can now be done as simply as thinking about it; controlling the force of gravity in relation to all other bodies of mass and drive. Like weights in water, the Tyrant can feel and forcibly alter the density of themselves or other things, bounding off of the planet with clawing might. In the lesser this can be shelves knocked over and spoons bent, while at extremes of blood-sacrifice, entire structures can be convinced to ignore mass and ascend with speed. The real benefit is a much stronger reflex against death from a fall, and swimflight feats. VEHEMENCE II posted:As promised before, Vehemence has evolved, and there are two paths it can take; either adopting a second element to empower with, or evolving the enhancement already cultivated. As before, the elemental powers are fire for ST and damage; wind for DX, to-hit, and Defense; water for IQ and magic powers; or earth for HT, DR, and FP. At base level, the HP costs are: DARK WAVE III posted:Increased power over gravity means increased destruction with the gravity blast. Dark Wave now does x2 the HP spent in Dark-Element damage. The power of Molten Gold Blood will make it tremendously more potent. It also saturates an area more thoroughly, almost guaranteeing to hit all targets in sight. PSI posted:Something has happened to place a grand shine on the Silver Mind, as it links stronger than ever to the Psychic, with a warm rainbow patina from the Emperor of Hell and the mushrooms. PSI ESP is now γ level, and you can learn a new PSI ability stemming from your psychic experiences. PSI Clouding will graduate to the β level as well. Although you have one Level, you can't spend it until you next meet up with Śmiercią... Voting will end in the AM.
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2024 00:27
|
|
|
People, we absolutely can't skip gym day again! Vote for ST+damage!
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2024 01:25
|
|
|
Finally, a way to buff our IQ. Also holy poo poo those are some nice upgrades. I'd personally go for being able to use PK Fire, but I get the feeling the consensus will be for maximum chaos.
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2024 01:27
|
|
|
I went with earth/health for vehemence, being able to spend HP for FP looks huge and being able to spend HP for DR at a 1:2 rate is a massive cut to a lot of incoming damage. Also, for clarity, we already have the ability to trade HP for IQ with our current vehemence! Going with water improves the conversion rate significantly and lets us do it for psychic powers as well, which is really tempting, but for me health edges it out. For psychic I went silver flash, we’ve been lucky so far but this looks like a solid way of putting any hostile Backup down without killing them.
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2024 01:43
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 29, 2024 19:41 |
|
|
I went with making Enhanced IQ Vehemence because we do lean heavily on our magic and psi, and we're already freakishly strong. I also went with Psi Hellfire, but that's I'm a fan of the song from Hunchback of Notre Dame. Edit: Actually, just reading the description, I could also see Hellfire being a hearty "gently caress you" to Śmiercią, just erase one of the 7 Lordly souls, preferably in front of her.
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2024 01:56
|
|