The rear portions of the SSRS Kostroma have been cleared. The Boiler room draws near. Still that sound persists. Calling them.
/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal
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>>196051
"What does he know? We should find out before deciding what to do with him. Not that we are judge, jury, or executioner, but I will not be blasé about this.
"What does he know? We should find out before deciding what to do with him. Not that we are judge, jury, or executioner, but I will not be blasé about this.
>>196051
Silver: "Oh, it is not underestimation. Someone who has lost their mind becomes unpredictable, lacks inhibition, and lacks empathy. They can do whatever, whenever, to whoever. They are very dangerous."
Silver: "Oh, it is not underestimation. Someone who has lost their mind becomes unpredictable, lacks inhibition, and lacks empathy. They can do whatever, whenever, to whoever. They are very dangerous."
"That is not an answer. It's better to come to a decision now than fight over what we're going to do when we're in the same room as him."
>>196059
Posey leads the way with her superior vision, stepping carefully and making sure that the coast is clear before ushering the rest of the herd through.
Posey leads the way with her superior vision, stepping carefully and making sure that the coast is clear before ushering the rest of the herd through.
>>196068
Hmmmm...Kira hopes she'll be able to do this. She braces against the floor with her snake tail as she gives the door a firm shove open.
Hmmmm...Kira hopes she'll be able to do this. She braces against the floor with her snake tail as she gives the door a firm shove open.
>>196068
Pardon, I fell asleep right after saying I led the way.
Posey opens the door with her unseen servant, her horn ready to draw her weapon in the event of combat.
Pardon, I fell asleep right after saying I led the way.
Posey opens the door with her unseen servant, her horn ready to draw her weapon in the event of combat.
>>196071
>>196072
The door is in the center, next to a landing made of steel grate. Pull down to unbolt the door. With a strong pull, the lever comes down. The door opens inwards. But it doesn't open.
Blackheel:
"Pull harder. The door may be damaged and stuck in it's threshold."
Perhaps it's Kira who finally pulls hard enough to open the door. All the same, it opens. The door opens above the level of the floor, and one has to pull their hooves up to clear the threshold.
Looking inside, Cavaliere sees.... nothing. It's a completely dark room. Unlike Cargo hold 5, Cargo Hold 4, or the engine room, there are no lights on.
Posey looks into the room to see that it is completely empty. By "empty" I do not mean "empty" in the way that Cargo Hold 5 was. Cargo Hold five held stacks of barrels, some empty, some with residual fuel oil. There were piles of chromium ore, and bricks of refined substance. This room is not like that. There is a floor made of wood, steel walls on every side, and a set of wood in the center that presumably marks the opening to the lower level, and a ceiling of wood with a closed hatch. And that is all. There are no barrels, no corpses of dead ponies, no waiting petrushkas or hell hounds, no piles of ore, no ammunition, no make shift hammocks, no lanterns, no equipment. There is nothing. Genuinely nothing.
Cargo Hold 3 is unique among the cargo holds in that the length of the cargo hold is short. Maybe 40 feet long, it is by far the shortest of the cargo holds. Every other cargo hold is the same length, and this one is maybe 60% or so of that length. It is wider than it is long. It is the smallest of the cargo holds by area and by volume.
>>196072
The door is in the center, next to a landing made of steel grate. Pull down to unbolt the door. With a strong pull, the lever comes down. The door opens inwards. But it doesn't open.
Blackheel:
"Pull harder. The door may be damaged and stuck in it's threshold."
Perhaps it's Kira who finally pulls hard enough to open the door. All the same, it opens. The door opens above the level of the floor, and one has to pull their hooves up to clear the threshold.
Looking inside, Cavaliere sees.... nothing. It's a completely dark room. Unlike Cargo hold 5, Cargo Hold 4, or the engine room, there are no lights on.
Posey looks into the room to see that it is completely empty. By "empty" I do not mean "empty" in the way that Cargo Hold 5 was. Cargo Hold five held stacks of barrels, some empty, some with residual fuel oil. There were piles of chromium ore, and bricks of refined substance. This room is not like that. There is a floor made of wood, steel walls on every side, and a set of wood in the center that presumably marks the opening to the lower level, and a ceiling of wood with a closed hatch. And that is all. There are no barrels, no corpses of dead ponies, no waiting petrushkas or hell hounds, no piles of ore, no ammunition, no make shift hammocks, no lanterns, no equipment. There is nothing. Genuinely nothing.
Cargo Hold 3 is unique among the cargo holds in that the length of the cargo hold is short. Maybe 40 feet long, it is by far the shortest of the cargo holds. Every other cargo hold is the same length, and this one is maybe 60% or so of that length. It is wider than it is long. It is the smallest of the cargo holds by area and by volume.
>>196073
Kira whistles, which makes a strong echo in the completely empty room. "Wow, this is really empty. Even the poorest lamia has at least something in every room of their burrow. Come on, let's get the possessed creatures inside."
Silver nods in response, and gets to work herding the possessed into the room, pulling those that cooperate and pushing those that resist.
Kira whistles, which makes a strong echo in the completely empty room. "Wow, this is really empty. Even the poorest lamia has at least something in every room of their burrow. Come on, let's get the possessed creatures inside."
Silver nods in response, and gets to work herding the possessed into the room, pulling those that cooperate and pushing those that resist.
>>196073
Hmmm, sounds a lot like a boss arena.
Posey enters the room, checks one more time for monsters in the dark, before ushering the herd through.
"Clear." she says
"Let us get this over with..." she says
Posey enters the room.
She levitates a piece of chalk from her spell components pouch and then she floats a piece to her Unseen Servant, which immediately begins to draw a large circular sigil. Posey personally fills in details of the sigil, various runes featuring serpent iconography in Celestial, Draconic and Infernal.
Posey draws the fake prayer beads she looted and carved earlier from the same pouch she kept her cursed tiara in, and as she does so she casts Nystul's Magical Aura on the beads as a Spell-Like-Ability (no components, therefore not obvious that she is using an illusion), changing the trinkets magical aura to that of a powerful kingdom-ending Greater Strand Of Prayer Beads, paying particular attention to the Bead Of Summons. A false aura detectable through several clairesentience and scrying sensors, but also requiring direct contact to disbelieve...
She speaks out loud.
"It was rather lucky that we found these beads in that sunken chest. It is a shame to use them now, we could have sold them for a fortune, but the Gate function might be the only way to solve this." She says, out loud,
Bluff, to convince eavesdroppers that they am holding a powerful magic item and attempting to call a rival demigod into the Intruder's territory.
[1d20+16 = (10+16) = 26]
(Luckily, Wizards don't have sense motive as a class skill)
As the sigil continues to draw itself, she turns to Kira.
>>196074
"Kira, I want you to hold these beads and stand right there in the middle of the circle and pray just like you remember the shaman of your tribe doing. If what you are attempting to do actually works, distance should not matter."
She turns to the group
"Everypony else watch from the corner of the room. I only need one to make this work." she gestures to the unconscious white unicorn on her floating disk
She places a red candle down in the middle of the circle and lights it, a candle that looks ominously similar to a Candle Of Invocation.
She looks at the rest of the herd. Drawing her flashlight
"Everypony else keep your weapons readied and watch. In case hostiles appear, be ready to engage."
Hmmm, sounds a lot like a boss arena.
Posey enters the room, checks one more time for monsters in the dark, before ushering the herd through.
"Clear." she says
"Let us get this over with..." she says
Posey enters the room.
She levitates a piece of chalk from her spell components pouch and then she floats a piece to her Unseen Servant, which immediately begins to draw a large circular sigil. Posey personally fills in details of the sigil, various runes featuring serpent iconography in Celestial, Draconic and Infernal.
Posey draws the fake prayer beads she looted and carved earlier from the same pouch she kept her cursed tiara in, and as she does so she casts Nystul's Magical Aura on the beads as a Spell-Like-Ability (no components, therefore not obvious that she is using an illusion), changing the trinkets magical aura to that of a powerful kingdom-ending Greater Strand Of Prayer Beads, paying particular attention to the Bead Of Summons. A false aura detectable through several clairesentience and scrying sensors, but also requiring direct contact to disbelieve...
She speaks out loud.
"It was rather lucky that we found these beads in that sunken chest. It is a shame to use them now, we could have sold them for a fortune, but the Gate function might be the only way to solve this." She says, out loud,
Bluff, to convince eavesdroppers that they am holding a powerful magic item and attempting to call a rival demigod into the Intruder's territory.
[1d20+16 = (10+16) = 26]
(Luckily, Wizards don't have sense motive as a class skill)
As the sigil continues to draw itself, she turns to Kira.
>>196074
"Kira, I want you to hold these beads and stand right there in the middle of the circle and pray just like you remember the shaman of your tribe doing. If what you are attempting to do actually works, distance should not matter."
She turns to the group
"Everypony else watch from the corner of the room. I only need one to make this work." she gestures to the unconscious white unicorn on her floating disk
She places a red candle down in the middle of the circle and lights it, a candle that looks ominously similar to a Candle Of Invocation.
She looks at the rest of the herd. Drawing her flashlight
"Everypony else keep your weapons readied and watch. In case hostiles appear, be ready to engage."
The room is completely dark. Every creature who is not Posey should see only what little slivers of the floor and surrounding creatures are illuminated by the candle, an area around the door to the engine room that is illuminated by that room's lights, and nothing else. Only Posey would have any ability to know if monsters were entering the room, and she would not know because she must focus her attention on other matters.
I don't recall if any of the NPC allies were or were not let in on the plan
I believe the party has one, lonely, captured Petrushka with them - a white pony captured after the last fight
I don't recall if any of the NPC allies were or were not let in on the plan
I believe the party has one, lonely, captured Petrushka with them - a white pony captured after the last fight
Posey takes out her flashlight and levitates it out to her unseen servant.
>>196078
>>196075
>>196076
Silver nods, and gets his sword at the ready, it glowing faintly in the darkness. Kira seems...uncertain, but she relents. She swallows nervously, taking in a shaky breath and letting it out in a sigh, trying to let go of the nerves now that she's actually going to go through with this. "Okay...wish I had some incense on me, but maybe burning it in here wouldn't be a good idea, you know with it being a confined space and the risk of stale air. Anyways..."
Kira lays her tail along the inside of the chalk sigil, with her pony half and the tip of her snake tail meeting to complete a circle. She has the unconscious unicorn brought within the circle, between her and the red candle. She closes her eyes, and spreads her forelegs to the sky, and begins chanting in her people's native tongue, at first quietly, then gradually increasing in volume. She recalls the words spoken by the shamans, seeking to grow connected with Ouroboros. She opens herself up to Him, feeling Him in the world around her: the air, the metal of the ship, the ocean it floats on, all a part of Him, just like her, just like the unfortunate soul in front of her. At the peak of the intensity of the chanting, Kira switches to Ponish, placing a hoof on the leopard pendant around her neck, and placing the other on the pony's forehead just below the horn.
"Ouroboros, we beseech You, in our hour of greatest need, to render unto us Your aid. This entity, this 'Traveler', has profaned against You and Your realm, plunging Your children into an endless dream and creating a waking nightmare. It seeks to control them, to spread its influence far beyond and infect even more creatures. Please, Ouroboros, Your children need help! Hear me, work through me, and cast this insanity back into the darkness from whence it came, free the minds of these plagued creatures, and return them to Your shining, guiding light!"
>>196075
>>196076
Silver nods, and gets his sword at the ready, it glowing faintly in the darkness. Kira seems...uncertain, but she relents. She swallows nervously, taking in a shaky breath and letting it out in a sigh, trying to let go of the nerves now that she's actually going to go through with this. "Okay...wish I had some incense on me, but maybe burning it in here wouldn't be a good idea, you know with it being a confined space and the risk of stale air. Anyways..."
Kira lays her tail along the inside of the chalk sigil, with her pony half and the tip of her snake tail meeting to complete a circle. She has the unconscious unicorn brought within the circle, between her and the red candle. She closes her eyes, and spreads her forelegs to the sky, and begins chanting in her people's native tongue, at first quietly, then gradually increasing in volume. She recalls the words spoken by the shamans, seeking to grow connected with Ouroboros. She opens herself up to Him, feeling Him in the world around her: the air, the metal of the ship, the ocean it floats on, all a part of Him, just like her, just like the unfortunate soul in front of her. At the peak of the intensity of the chanting, Kira switches to Ponish, placing a hoof on the leopard pendant around her neck, and placing the other on the pony's forehead just below the horn.
"Ouroboros, we beseech You, in our hour of greatest need, to render unto us Your aid. This entity, this 'Traveler', has profaned against You and Your realm, plunging Your children into an endless dream and creating a waking nightmare. It seeks to control them, to spread its influence far beyond and infect even more creatures. Please, Ouroboros, Your children need help! Hear me, work through me, and cast this insanity back into the darkness from whence it came, free the minds of these plagued creatures, and return them to Your shining, guiding light!"
>>196081
I was going to go into more detail for my trap later. Let me get off of work and I will make my checks.
I was going to go into more detail for my trap later. Let me get off of work and I will make my checks.
Posey reaches into her satchel and pulls out her med pack, extracting the smelling salts. She levitates the white unicorn on her floating disk.
"To succeed, the ceremony should take some time. We want the thrall to gain consciousness right at the end of it. I want him to open his eyes and see the sigil."
"To succeed, the ceremony should take some time. We want the thrall to gain consciousness right at the end of it. I want him to open his eyes and see the sigil."
1783721596.png (107.3 KB, 1280x1408, Theosophicalsealfrench.svg.png)
Posey puts herself to work etching her chalkline with increasing complexity. As she etches, she speaks
"There are many names for the Sibilant Beast, Ⲙⲉϩⲉⲛ, ʊərəˈbɒrəs, Jǫrmungandr, Miðgarðsormr, Ahmon-Ilbor, Merrshaulk, Shekinester, Ssharstrune, and names that no occultist who values their life would dare say out loud. An idol of both death and fertility, the serpent represents the perpetual locked cycle of death and birth that all must serve in this world. The Sibilant Beast encircles the firmament of heaven, and it's role is to prevent anything from getting in or out that would subvert the cycle. Good and evil, chaos and order, death and birth, nature and civilization: all must serve the cycle, or so it was decreed by the Demiurge. The Sibilant Beast possesses as many aspects as it has names, for none could ever conceive its true enormity as one of the primordials. To some, it is a campfire myth of a monster that might take you in the night, to some it is an oppressive demon who enforces the suffering wrought by the demiurge, certain monstrous and aberrant tribes like the Nagas even worship it. Alchemists study its sigils to evade the eye of the beast, for the cycle of death and birth is something all alchemists seek to subvert, but since we are dealing with an alien incursion we will be doing the opposite. Tonight, we will be appealing to its aspect I suspect is most likely to reply. Kira will assume the position appealing to the mouth of the serpent, and I will apply my expertise appealing to the tail."
Posey gives a bit of a deranged grin and shudders, all of her fur standing on end, the piece of chalk trembling erratically in the air as she stops just short of dotting the eye of the dragon.
"This is going to be ~fun!
>Theosophical shitpost
"There are many names for the Sibilant Beast, Ⲙⲉϩⲉⲛ, ʊərəˈbɒrəs, Jǫrmungandr, Miðgarðsormr, Ahmon-Ilbor, Merrshaulk, Shekinester, Ssharstrune, and names that no occultist who values their life would dare say out loud. An idol of both death and fertility, the serpent represents the perpetual locked cycle of death and birth that all must serve in this world. The Sibilant Beast encircles the firmament of heaven, and it's role is to prevent anything from getting in or out that would subvert the cycle. Good and evil, chaos and order, death and birth, nature and civilization: all must serve the cycle, or so it was decreed by the Demiurge. The Sibilant Beast possesses as many aspects as it has names, for none could ever conceive its true enormity as one of the primordials. To some, it is a campfire myth of a monster that might take you in the night, to some it is an oppressive demon who enforces the suffering wrought by the demiurge, certain monstrous and aberrant tribes like the Nagas even worship it. Alchemists study its sigils to evade the eye of the beast, for the cycle of death and birth is something all alchemists seek to subvert, but since we are dealing with an alien incursion we will be doing the opposite. Tonight, we will be appealing to its aspect I suspect is most likely to reply. Kira will assume the position appealing to the mouth of the serpent, and I will apply my expertise appealing to the tail."
Posey gives a bit of a deranged grin and shudders, all of her fur standing on end, the piece of chalk trembling erratically in the air as she stops just short of dotting the eye of the dragon.
"This is going to be ~fun!
>Theosophical shitpost
>>196081
Posey turns to Kira
"Very nice Kira. Now, I want you to repeat any part of that prayer as a mantra. Choose whatever phrase fits your faith the most, just do not stop until I tell you to."
She etches a semicircle on one side of the inner serpent.
"Slither here and repeat the mantra while I apply the invocations." she says, moving to her own semicircle on the opposite side of the etching, murmuring an some occult jargon under her breath in an indescribable language.
Posey turns to Kira
"Very nice Kira. Now, I want you to repeat any part of that prayer as a mantra. Choose whatever phrase fits your faith the most, just do not stop until I tell you to."
She etches a semicircle on one side of the inner serpent.
"Slither here and repeat the mantra while I apply the invocations." she says, moving to her own semicircle on the opposite side of the etching, murmuring an some occult jargon under her breath in an indescribable language.
"Everypony else light your torches and be ready for what happens next. Once the Intruder discovers what is happening, it is guaranteed to interfere." she says before going back to her unintelligible murmur.
I will wait for GM's participation before I do my ritual/trap, but it will involve a Forgery check, a Bluff Check, an Intimidate check, and the highest level spell I have available.
Okay, so there is one petrushka, that petrushka is unconscious, and the NPCs were informed? Were not informed?
>>196089
Posey informed Blackheel and Stained Sand with innuendo of her plan to trap the Intruder by baiting it using Kira's prayers. She did not inform any other NPCs because she wants to minimize the chance of telepathic interference. The NPCs being creeped out aids her performance.
Posey informed Blackheel and Stained Sand with innuendo of her plan to trap the Intruder by baiting it using Kira's prayers. She did not inform any other NPCs because she wants to minimize the chance of telepathic interference. The NPCs being creeped out aids her performance.
The hold has no special smell. After the oil and diesel of the previous blessings, the damp wood and chipping paint are blessings. Cargo Hold 3 is not as silent as the previous chambers. Not any more. The knocking sound of hooves on wood has not subsided, not with Rustling Pine, Blackheel, Mala and Stained Sand moving about. The sound of steam running through pipes, and the vibration of reverberating steam pistons has likewise increased, as has the buzzing sound of electrical appliances, even as none are visible. Yet through the noise, that droning noise - that noise of interference - is still audible. It too, has grown in strength, even as all the sounds of the industrial world have returned.
>>196087
Torches what now?
>>196079
There is "nothing in that dark room that was not there when you turned off the lights."
>>196077
Well yeah, on the boat, You can't take a whole train of hostiles with you everywhere.
>>196087
Torches what now?
>>196079
There is "nothing in that dark room that was not there when you turned off the lights."
>>196077
Well yeah, on the boat, You can't take a whole train of hostiles with you everywhere.
Posey waits for Kira to begin her mantra before she intensifies her own.
Posey makes a Forgery check to fake an authentic runic summoning circle, the kind that calls higher beings.
This check is made secretly. Posey rolls with a +13 modifier.
To any viewer, it is opposed by Forgery, but notably it would take several minutes of scrutiny to recognize the inscription as fake.
This check is made secretly. Posey rolls with a +13 modifier.
To any viewer, it is opposed by Forgery, but notably it would take several minutes of scrutiny to recognize the inscription as fake.
Oh wait, it's 2:00 AM in the UK. Nevermind.
>>196086
Kira does so, repeating, "Ouroboros render unto us!" Over and over again. She's thankful for her large lamia lungs, as she'd probably get out of breath pretty quickly from all of this chanting. She thinks she feels a tingle along her spine, hoping that it's a sign that it's working.
>>196091
Awwww. I mean, fair enough, but awww.
Kira does so, repeating, "Ouroboros render unto us!" Over and over again. She's thankful for her large lamia lungs, as she'd probably get out of breath pretty quickly from all of this chanting. She thinks she feels a tingle along her spine, hoping that it's a sign that it's working.
>>196091
Awwww. I mean, fair enough, but awww.
Zara, Starfire, and Partial View remain in the boiler room. They do not like being left alone, but neither are they thrilled to enter a dark room.
Stained Sand, Mala, and Rustling Pine do not wish to stand on the edge of the room, but neither are they fond of... whatever it is that Posey is doing.
As they stand under the light of a flashlight, there is a moment wherein all four can be seen to have their mouths closed, and it is at this point that the sound of hushed talking and whispers becomes more disturbing.
Eventually, they are persuaded to go to corners of the room, though they seem oddly insecure. Blackheel seems to want to keep an eye on Posey and Kira, but he too goes to a corner with Rustling Pine.
The room is fairly warm. Not properly so, but more than most. It must still retain the heat of the daytime and the boiler. No air circulates down from above, and only a small amount of water trickles in in droplets from the wooden ceiling.
Stained Sand, Mala, and Rustling Pine do not wish to stand on the edge of the room, but neither are they fond of... whatever it is that Posey is doing.
As they stand under the light of a flashlight, there is a moment wherein all four can be seen to have their mouths closed, and it is at this point that the sound of hushed talking and whispers becomes more disturbing.
Eventually, they are persuaded to go to corners of the room, though they seem oddly insecure. Blackheel seems to want to keep an eye on Posey and Kira, but he too goes to a corner with Rustling Pine.
The room is fairly warm. Not properly so, but more than most. It must still retain the heat of the daytime and the boiler. No air circulates down from above, and only a small amount of water trickles in in droplets from the wooden ceiling.
Watch me waste spell slots on this retarded plan to trap a creature that may not even be physically capable of getting to this room.
>>196099
>>196098
Posey begins her mantra, chanting in draconic in praise to the all-consuming awe of the Sibilant Beast.
Posey mantra increases to a crescendo, her voice distorting magically. Her horn sparkles and her eyes roll back as she burns two lvl 2 spell slots with Versatile Spellcaster to perform a feat of arcane might, the most powerful spell she has cast yet. As she chants she mixes in the verbal components for Rain Of Terror. The sounds of thunder should be intensifying outside right now.
She takes 10 on Concentration to create two effects.
Rain Of Terror is a Necromancy spell that distorts all forces of nature to bend to Posey's nightmare. Above the Kostroma, the clouds erupt with red lightning before a heavy rain of steaming-hot blood, actual, real blood, not illusionary. In addition to the blood, hundreds of not thousands of tiny live snakes begin to fall from the sky. 50% of the snakes fall to their deaths and splatter on the deck of the ship; the others slither off to find their own destiny as Posey has no control over them (animals created by this spell are considered to be summons, but since this is not a summoning spell they do not disappear when slain).
>That's it? For a lvl 3 spell? Isn't this spell worthless?
Aura farming. More importantly, it telegraphs an incoming snake-based catastrophe in a way that is glaringly obvious to the telepathic hive mind that is the Intruder's flock.
.
From the party's perspective, they are shielded from the heavy rain (depends how DM interpret "100 ft radius centered on you"), as much as I wanted to get showered in blood and snakes. However, the trickle of water from the wooden ceiling should be replaced with fresh hot blood.
As dying snakes hiss above the deck and blood trickles down onto her face, Posey's mantra stops
"Proof of our devotion." she says flatly
Posey then immediately draws the smellingsalts from her medicine pack and takes 10 to administer first aid to the unconscious bound pretrushka, restoring 1d4 HP to the unicorn.
She makes sure to orient the unicorn on the floating disk so that he can see the (fake) magical beads glammered with false aura, on Kira's tail, the forged magical sigils written on the floor, red candle, and can hear Kira's mantra soon as he wakes up.
"It is coming." Posey says, looking at the ceiling
"Little could stop it now."
Bluff
she takes 10 on Bluff for this (I will roll my actual checks after seeing the unicorn's response)
>>196099
>>196098
Posey begins her mantra, chanting in draconic in praise to the all-consuming awe of the Sibilant Beast.
Posey mantra increases to a crescendo, her voice distorting magically. Her horn sparkles and her eyes roll back as she burns two lvl 2 spell slots with Versatile Spellcaster to perform a feat of arcane might, the most powerful spell she has cast yet. As she chants she mixes in the verbal components for Rain Of Terror. The sounds of thunder should be intensifying outside right now.
She takes 10 on Concentration to create two effects.
Rain Of Terror is a Necromancy spell that distorts all forces of nature to bend to Posey's nightmare. Above the Kostroma, the clouds erupt with red lightning before a heavy rain of steaming-hot blood, actual, real blood, not illusionary. In addition to the blood, hundreds of not thousands of tiny live snakes begin to fall from the sky. 50% of the snakes fall to their deaths and splatter on the deck of the ship; the others slither off to find their own destiny as Posey has no control over them (animals created by this spell are considered to be summons, but since this is not a summoning spell they do not disappear when slain).
>That's it? For a lvl 3 spell? Isn't this spell worthless?
Aura farming. More importantly, it telegraphs an incoming snake-based catastrophe in a way that is glaringly obvious to the telepathic hive mind that is the Intruder's flock.
.
From the party's perspective, they are shielded from the heavy rain (depends how DM interpret "100 ft radius centered on you"), as much as I wanted to get showered in blood and snakes. However, the trickle of water from the wooden ceiling should be replaced with fresh hot blood.
As dying snakes hiss above the deck and blood trickles down onto her face, Posey's mantra stops
"Proof of our devotion." she says flatly
Posey then immediately draws the smellingsalts from her medicine pack and takes 10 to administer first aid to the unconscious bound pretrushka, restoring 1d4 HP to the unicorn.
She makes sure to orient the unicorn on the floating disk so that he can see the (fake) magical beads glammered with false aura, on Kira's tail, the forged magical sigils written on the floor, red candle, and can hear Kira's mantra soon as he wakes up.
"It is coming." Posey says, looking at the ceiling
"Little could stop it now."
Bluff
she takes 10 on Bluff for this (I will roll my actual checks after seeing the unicorn's response)
>>196099
Since the others are occupied, Cavaliere takes up position close enough to the door that he can keep an eye on the boiler room. It's bad form to let any party members out of one's sight, especially if they can't handle themselves in combat. He isn't particularly uneasy here even with Posey's performance; it certainly isn't any more dangerous than the other rooms they have been through and this ritual is a welcome break from battle.
Since the others are occupied, Cavaliere takes up position close enough to the door that he can keep an eye on the boiler room. It's bad form to let any party members out of one's sight, especially if they can't handle themselves in combat. He isn't particularly uneasy here even with Posey's performance; it certainly isn't any more dangerous than the other rooms they have been through and this ritual is a welcome break from battle.
>>196102
Posey believes that she has caused snakes to rain from the sky. She "believes" it, because she can see no sign nor confirmation within the dark cargo hold. No creature witness to her casting knows what has happened, or is alleged to have happened. If anyone did witness snakes fall from the sky, they have no way of knowing it was caused by Posey.
The Unicorn opens its eyes, which dart about, and it attempts to stand up. It looks at anything illuminated by the light within the room - very little - and then to the presumably open door, the only other thing its eyes can see besides darkness.
Posey believes that she has caused snakes to rain from the sky. She "believes" it, because she can see no sign nor confirmation within the dark cargo hold. No creature witness to her casting knows what has happened, or is alleged to have happened. If anyone did witness snakes fall from the sky, they have no way of knowing it was caused by Posey.
The Unicorn opens its eyes, which dart about, and it attempts to stand up. It looks at anything illuminated by the light within the room - very little - and then to the presumably open door, the only other thing its eyes can see besides darkness.
>>196106
I lit the candle for a reason, so that he can see the ritual. Does it give any impression that Light Water is responding to my bluff?
I lit the candle for a reason, so that he can see the ritual. Does it give any impression that Light Water is responding to my bluff?
>>196107
No, it looks like when you wake up an animal or a person and they are confused and perhaps frightened as to what is going on.
No, it looks like when you wake up an animal or a person and they are confused and perhaps frightened as to what is going on.
>>196108
Oh, ffs, I thought Light Water could see through his eyes...
Gonna roll my checks anyway. It's do or die. Maybe
"Oh, he woke up." Posey says, her voice dull, dejected, and vaguely sardonic
"Nevermind, it is almost done. None of your writhing beasts can stop its calling. The serpent will take us both to oblivion."
Bluff
[1d20+16 = (13+16) = 29]
"Goodbye, Light Water. You know, fate brought us here as foes are not so different. I, too, shared my soul with a godling from beyond the firmament, my soul sister, and through our contract I promised to conquer and remake this world, to end this cruel and unfair cycle of life and death. I dabbled with monstrosities from beyond the void to give myself the power to control others and summon monstrosities. Perhaps it was because we were so similar that I was so bellicose with you, but in another world perhaps we could have been friends. My sister is a jealous god though, and she would sooner face than let an invader take her dream from her; as per our pact, it is a mandate that I must honor, for she gave me the strength to claw my way back up from the Sheol again when we had both been rejected by our mothers. I have come to terms with this; I should have faced the serpent years ago." As she speaks, the cyst in her chest squirms and the black veins become visible, as the failed godling within laments within its rotten cradle
(not a lie)
"... And to you, 'Traveller', my sister sends her regards." she says, patting her chest
(Not a lie)
Intimidate:
[1d20+25 = (13+25) = 38]
Oh, ffs, I thought Light Water could see through his eyes...
Gonna roll my checks anyway. It's do or die. Maybe
"Oh, he woke up." Posey says, her voice dull, dejected, and vaguely sardonic
"Nevermind, it is almost done. None of your writhing beasts can stop its calling. The serpent will take us both to oblivion."
Bluff
[1d20+16 = (13+16) = 29]
"Goodbye, Light Water. You know, fate brought us here as foes are not so different. I, too, shared my soul with a godling from beyond the firmament, my soul sister, and through our contract I promised to conquer and remake this world, to end this cruel and unfair cycle of life and death. I dabbled with monstrosities from beyond the void to give myself the power to control others and summon monstrosities. Perhaps it was because we were so similar that I was so bellicose with you, but in another world perhaps we could have been friends. My sister is a jealous god though, and she would sooner face than let an invader take her dream from her; as per our pact, it is a mandate that I must honor, for she gave me the strength to claw my way back up from the Sheol again when we had both been rejected by our mothers. I have come to terms with this; I should have faced the serpent years ago." As she speaks, the cyst in her chest squirms and the black veins become visible, as the failed godling within laments within its rotten cradle
(not a lie)
"... And to you, 'Traveller', my sister sends her regards." she says, patting her chest
(Not a lie)
Intimidate:
[1d20+25 = (13+25) = 38]
>>196108
Kira wonders if it's working but doesn't want to break her concentration to check. Wait, is she breaking concentration by thinking this? Ah, whatever, she'll keep going. Wow, how do the shamans keep this up?
Kira wonders if it's working but doesn't want to break her concentration to check. Wait, is she breaking concentration by thinking this? Ah, whatever, she'll keep going. Wow, how do the shamans keep this up?
>>196110
You're doing great, it's me who fucked up.
>>196111
Well, that was disappointing. I typed all that dialogue thinking Light Water would hear it...
Posey winces in humiliation, seeing that her plan failed.
Time for plan B
"Ouroboros, guardian of the great cycle, good and evil, in the name of death I offer you this life so that you shall hear the prayers of that pious serpent."
Posey then immediately draws her sword and decapitates the white unicorn
Sacrifice check
[1d20+20 = (13+20) = 33]
Posey is not praying for any specific reward this time and is therefore not aiming for any specific DC, only making the offering so that Kira's prayers will be heard. The DC for Planar Ally should be 30 though.
You're doing great, it's me who fucked up.
>>196111
Well, that was disappointing. I typed all that dialogue thinking Light Water would hear it...
Posey winces in humiliation, seeing that her plan failed.
Time for plan B
"Ouroboros, guardian of the great cycle, good and evil, in the name of death I offer you this life so that you shall hear the prayers of that pious serpent."
Posey then immediately draws her sword and decapitates the white unicorn
Sacrifice check
[1d20+20 = (13+20) = 33]
Posey is not praying for any specific reward this time and is therefore not aiming for any specific DC, only making the offering so that Kira's prayers will be heard. The DC for Planar Ally should be 30 though.
>>196110
A ranger, no matter how minor, is still a priest, and you are standing directly on a sigil carved of your deity, which means your deity can see you directly. You are standing on the symbol that represents its good half. A sacrifice has been offered to its evil half.
The attention of your God is all but guaranteed. The Sibilant Beast will decide if it cares enough to answer.
It's now or never.
Make a wish.
A ranger, no matter how minor, is still a priest, and you are standing directly on a sigil carved of your deity, which means your deity can see you directly. You are standing on the symbol that represents its good half. A sacrifice has been offered to its evil half.
The attention of your God is all but guaranteed. The Sibilant Beast will decide if it cares enough to answer.
It's now or never.
Make a wish.
>>196112
What Kira was trying to do was to remove the influence of the Traveler from the prisoner. But the prisoner is dead. So....
Stained Sand
"What the fuck? The fuck is this shit?!"
Rustling Pine:
"Что происходит? Она убила одного из наших, и с какой целью? Что эта ведьма творит?"
Blackheel:
"Я знала, что она хитрая. Я знала, что она против нас. У неё всё это время был какой-то другой план. Змея выдала себя!"
Mala:
"Light Water isn't listening. Call him over the radio. He loves to chat over that thing. I think he sits beside it. Like he is waiting for an important call."
What Kira was trying to do was to remove the influence of the Traveler from the prisoner. But the prisoner is dead. So....
Stained Sand
"What the fuck? The fuck is this shit?!"
Rustling Pine:
"Что происходит? Она убила одного из наших, и с какой целью? Что эта ведьма творит?"
Blackheel:
"Я знала, что она хитрая. Я знала, что она против нас. У неё всё это время был какой-то другой план. Змея выдала себя!"
Mala:
"Light Water isn't listening. Call him over the radio. He loves to chat over that thing. I think he sits beside it. Like he is waiting for an important call."
>>196115
What Kira wanted was to break the Traveller's influence on ALL of the thralls by appealing for divine intervention.
Does my Sacrifice check help her with that?
What Kira wanted was to break the Traveller's influence on ALL of the thralls by appealing for divine intervention.
Does my Sacrifice check help her with that?
I was going to try to use that check to call a Glabrezu, but I wanted to give Kira her moment instead because it's her ritual.
Gonna wait for the other players to be around before I try to do anything else.....
>midnight in UK
Oh...
Oh...
>>196120
I could not accept that this ritual thing didn't do anything productive after we spent three irl weeks preparing for it (also we have to go back to arguing whether to kill Light Water or the Intruder first if this doesn't work), so I figured more drastic measures had to be taken to appeal to this higher power. I even spent two of my highest level spell slots just to make it look cool.
I think I fucked up... Am sorry.
I could not accept that this ritual thing didn't do anything productive after we spent three irl weeks preparing for it (also we have to go back to arguing whether to kill Light Water or the Intruder first if this doesn't work), so I figured more drastic measures had to be taken to appeal to this higher power. I even spent two of my highest level spell slots just to make it look cool.
I think I fucked up... Am sorry.
Technically, I can't actually draw my sword and also make a coup de grace in the same turn..., so...
>>196122
In that case, Silver would definitely step in to stop her. "Why is killing always your solution to things?"
In that case, Silver would definitely step in to stop her. "Why is killing always your solution to things?"
I look away two hours....
>>196121
>To make it look cool
You chose the single most boring, lamest concieveable room on the entire ship for the battle. How is blood rain going to be visible inside of an empty cargo hold? It obviously would not. If they had been on the deck, you could see rain, you could see blood rain, you could see snakes, there would be cranes and lights and the front of the ship and it would have actually been a cool location to do cool things.
>To make it look cool
You chose the single most boring, lamest concieveable room on the entire ship for the battle. How is blood rain going to be visible inside of an empty cargo hold? It obviously would not. If they had been on the deck, you could see rain, you could see blood rain, you could see snakes, there would be cranes and lights and the front of the ship and it would have actually been a cool location to do cool things.
>>196128
I wanted to do it on the deck, but the NPCs says they didn't want to go there because it was raining...
Idk. I'm an idiot. I don't know what I'm doing.
I wanted to do it on the deck, but the NPCs says they didn't want to go there because it was raining...
Idk. I'm an idiot. I don't know what I'm doing.
Anyways, you'll get a boss battle when I get back home from Brony Scot.
>>196131
No, they just told Posey that she could not see the moon because of clouds. She can't see the moon from Cargo Hold 3 anyways
>>196131
No, they just told Posey that she could not see the moon because of clouds. She can't see the moon from Cargo Hold 3 anyways
>>196131
It's not even real rain. It's that tepid light rain you get in Ireland and Britain where you don't mind going outside
It's not even real rain. It's that tepid light rain you get in Ireland and Britain where you don't mind going outside
>>196128
I thought the cargo hold where the survivors had been sleeping would have been the most likely spot where Kira would actually succeed in calling upon Ouroboros.
I thought the cargo hold where the survivors had been sleeping would have been the most likely spot where Kira would actually succeed in calling upon Ouroboros.
>>195999
>>196132
>>196006
>>196133
Then I guess this was a major miscalculation and a waste of spell slots on my part. I wanted to do it above deck specifically to get him to fly down from his perch to us.
Ugh, idk why I didn't just teleport into his room to kill him myself. I'm so stupid.
>>196134
Well, it evidently isn't coming. I thought the sacrifice would increase the chance of it actually doing something, but alas.
>>196132
>>196006
>>196133
Then I guess this was a major miscalculation and a waste of spell slots on my part. I wanted to do it above deck specifically to get him to fly down from his perch to us.
Ugh, idk why I didn't just teleport into his room to kill him myself. I'm so stupid.
>>196134
Well, it evidently isn't coming. I thought the sacrifice would increase the chance of it actually doing something, but alas.
>>196131
We could have gone onto the deck. Nopony knew what you're going to do. As is, to the party it looks like nothing has happened at all except for some spooky chanting, which is all well and good. But then you woke up a prisoner and promptly killed him, which nopony was onboard with, least of all Kira. I really should have assumed the worst when you said "sacrifice."
I'm not going to react until we get this sorted out because, well, it's completely indefensible. Not the wasting of spell slots, the illusion doing nothing, etc. I mean killing a pony and forcing Kira to be a part of it. Poor girl.
We could have gone onto the deck. Nopony knew what you're going to do. As is, to the party it looks like nothing has happened at all except for some spooky chanting, which is all well and good. But then you woke up a prisoner and promptly killed him, which nopony was onboard with, least of all Kira. I really should have assumed the worst when you said "sacrifice."
I'm not going to react until we get this sorted out because, well, it's completely indefensible. Not the wasting of spell slots, the illusion doing nothing, etc. I mean killing a pony and forcing Kira to be a part of it. Poor girl.
>>196136
I only killed the prisoner because I believed that it would make Kira's plan work. I believed it because I have done it twice before. It was my last resort in case the plan failed.
I only killed the prisoner because I believed that it would make Kira's plan work. I believed it because I have done it twice before. It was my last resort in case the plan failed.
>>196136
>Nopony knew what you're going to do.
I know I did add the sacrifice thing at the end, but did I not spell out my plan before this?
>Nopony knew what you're going to do.
I know I did add the sacrifice thing at the end, but did I not spell out my plan before this?
>>196134
Technically the one further back would have been a bit better, as what you are looking for is more bulkheads between the Traveler and the petrushka, and also ignots of chromium.
Also the "free the petrushkas" thing was only maybe possible one at a time, maybe batches if you have all of them right there, and not all of them all at once from a distance.
I will say that any of the other cargo holds besides 3 would have 1. been more interesting, 2. provided more cover for a more interesting battle, and 3 would have been far more likely for Light Water to have come to because he could send petrushkas or at the very least, use cover within the cargo hold and not just instantly be gunned down
Technically the one further back would have been a bit better, as what you are looking for is more bulkheads between the Traveler and the petrushka, and also ignots of chromium.
Also the "free the petrushkas" thing was only maybe possible one at a time, maybe batches if you have all of them right there, and not all of them all at once from a distance.
I will say that any of the other cargo holds besides 3 would have 1. been more interesting, 2. provided more cover for a more interesting battle, and 3 would have been far more likely for Light Water to have come to because he could send petrushkas or at the very least, use cover within the cargo hold and not just instantly be gunned down
>>196140
Why didn't you tell us any of that before? We all together (you and us) could have come up with an amazing scene and set piece.
Why didn't you tell us any of that before? We all together (you and us) could have come up with an amazing scene and set piece.
>>196140
Legit, the way you described Cargo Hold 3 made me believe that the room was specifically meant to be an encounter arena. It's the exact size and shape as 90% of dungeon rooms were you fight one giant monster.
>Also the "free the petrushkas" thing was only maybe possible one at a time, maybe batches if you have all of them right there, and not all of them all at once from a distance.
Then I guess we shouldn't have been tried. It was orating for a miracle anyway. I thought the sacrifice would increase chances of that, but alas.
.
All that aside, what do we do now?
Legit, the way you described Cargo Hold 3 made me believe that the room was specifically meant to be an encounter arena. It's the exact size and shape as 90% of dungeon rooms were you fight one giant monster.
>Also the "free the petrushkas" thing was only maybe possible one at a time, maybe batches if you have all of them right there, and not all of them all at once from a distance.
Then I guess we shouldn't have been tried. It was orating for a miracle anyway. I thought the sacrifice would increase chances of that, but alas.
.
All that aside, what do we do now?
>>196142
GM's aren't supposed to tell the party what to do. They are supposed to play out what the party choses. There were four choices. One of them was my plan, one of them wasn't my plan but frankly was better than my plan, one was serviceable, and then there was the one you chose
>>196143
Technically speaking it was. It was where the final battle was supposed to take place where forces would be waiting for the party. This was supposed to be after Light Water. It is not competent to be a replacement for using the rest of the ship.
My intention was to have the party fight two giant monsters, then let you all figure out what to do after that
GM's aren't supposed to tell the party what to do. They are supposed to play out what the party choses. There were four choices. One of them was my plan, one of them wasn't my plan but frankly was better than my plan, one was serviceable, and then there was the one you chose
>>196143
Technically speaking it was. It was where the final battle was supposed to take place where forces would be waiting for the party. This was supposed to be after Light Water. It is not competent to be a replacement for using the rest of the ship.
My intention was to have the party fight two giant monsters, then let you all figure out what to do after that
>>196144
D&D is also an example of collaborative storytelling. You have an image in your mind of how the story is going to go, and we can't see what it is without being told. We don't need to know every detail, that's where the suspense comes from and is where we get to express how our characters act and react to what's going on in the story, but if we can communicate about what we want to see out of the story we're making we can work together to make it the best story we can. Like, I don't know which choice is which that you mentioned. I'd like to know what they are, because I'd love to work with you to make something better than we've got right now. I'd especially like to know now because I was honestly banking a lot on character development for Kira from this plan at least somewhat working, and I'd love to work with you to make something great together rather than throw everything out.
D&D is also an example of collaborative storytelling. You have an image in your mind of how the story is going to go, and we can't see what it is without being told. We don't need to know every detail, that's where the suspense comes from and is where we get to express how our characters act and react to what's going on in the story, but if we can communicate about what we want to see out of the story we're making we can work together to make it the best story we can. Like, I don't know which choice is which that you mentioned. I'd like to know what they are, because I'd love to work with you to make something better than we've got right now. I'd especially like to know now because I was honestly banking a lot on character development for Kira from this plan at least somewhat working, and I'd love to work with you to make something great together rather than throw everything out.
>>196144
>GM's aren't supposed to tell the party what to do.
I mean, that is true, but here we are discussing how the plan was bad after the fact anyway. Nobody's immersion would be threatened if we had some transparent plot hooks. Maybe NPCs could speak up about what they want to do.
...Then again, you did that already, didn't you? You laid plot hooks, hints and dialogue to suggest that we should go above deck and kill Light Water first, but Cavalier's player insisted we go kill the Intruder first, and after arguing about that for two weeks Kira said she wanted to pray for divine intervention (which she seemed to believe would work without any element of human sacrifice, even though she is not a Cleric and has no means to make miracles happen) so we came to Cargo Hold 3 as a """"compromise"""" midway between the two locations and ultimately accomplished nothing.
I guess it's our communication failure then.
>This was supposed to be after Light Water.
This reaffirms my belief that we should have just gone to kill Light Water first.
.
.
.
You know, I don't normally ask for this kind of thing, but could we please just pretend we never came to this empty room? We retconned the Paladin and Cleric out of existence already, can we do it for this too? Please?
>GM's aren't supposed to tell the party what to do.
I mean, that is true, but here we are discussing how the plan was bad after the fact anyway. Nobody's immersion would be threatened if we had some transparent plot hooks. Maybe NPCs could speak up about what they want to do.
...Then again, you did that already, didn't you? You laid plot hooks, hints and dialogue to suggest that we should go above deck and kill Light Water first, but Cavalier's player insisted we go kill the Intruder first, and after arguing about that for two weeks Kira said she wanted to pray for divine intervention (which she seemed to believe would work without any element of human sacrifice, even though she is not a Cleric and has no means to make miracles happen) so we came to Cargo Hold 3 as a """"compromise"""" midway between the two locations and ultimately accomplished nothing.
I guess it's our communication failure then.
>This was supposed to be after Light Water.
This reaffirms my belief that we should have just gone to kill Light Water first.
.
.
.
You know, I don't normally ask for this kind of thing, but could we please just pretend we never came to this empty room? We retconned the Paladin and Cleric out of existence already, can we do it for this too? Please?
A big issue is that we had no idea what Posey was trying to do since being unaware was part of the ruse working. How could we have known that the spell would be seen only above decks, or that Posey was going to kill a prisoner?
>>196144
>Technically speaking it was. It was where the final battle was supposed to take place where forces would be waiting for the party. This was supposed to be after Light Water. It is not competent to be a replacement for using the rest of the ship.
You can't hype up Light Water as this extremely dangerous boss fight hiding behind ambush corridors, then give us an unlocked door on the other side. Of course we're going to take the path of least resistance.
>>196144
>Technically speaking it was. It was where the final battle was supposed to take place where forces would be waiting for the party. This was supposed to be after Light Water. It is not competent to be a replacement for using the rest of the ship.
You can't hype up Light Water as this extremely dangerous boss fight hiding behind ambush corridors, then give us an unlocked door on the other side. Of course we're going to take the path of least resistance.
>>196146
>here we are discussing how the plan was bad after the fact anyway
Well that's true, but what I was going to do and should have actually done was to have two hopefully pretty cool summons battle the party, and eventually the party would have gotten the message that either the Traveler was listening but did not share every detail with Light Water, or Light Water believed Posey when she said "It's too late to stop it now" and decided to not 1 v 8 in the party in a room with no cover, and instead decided to wait with his army of petrushkas in a defensive position for whatever may come.
>here we are discussing how the plan was bad after the fact anyway
Well that's true, but what I was going to do and should have actually done was to have two hopefully pretty cool summons battle the party, and eventually the party would have gotten the message that either the Traveler was listening but did not share every detail with Light Water, or Light Water believed Posey when she said "It's too late to stop it now" and decided to not 1 v 8 in the party in a room with no cover, and instead decided to wait with his army of petrushkas in a defensive position for whatever may come.
There are villain characters that are true warriors, who do not fear death, who love to fight, love to risk their lives, and who will risk their own lives just as surely as they will risk the lives of their subordinates. Light Water is not that. When Light Water plays chess, so long as he has pawns in play, he will send out his pawns to take enemy pieces before he will attack with his king. That's just how he does things. He does not want to 1 v 4/1 v 8 the party. That is not what he wants to do.
I will admit that Posey's plan to bring him out was probably one of the best ways to attempt to bait him into a 1 v 8, but it's still a very difficult task because he does not want to 1 v 8 the party.
You have a radio. You can use the radio to talk to Light Water. You know, like Die Hard? You've seen that movie, right? Where John Mclane talks to Alan Rickman over a Walkie Talkie periodically throughout the movie? You can do that. You can also yell at a Petrushka until it eventually becomes clear that Light Water is in fact listening. And you can also just, you know, do the thing right in full view of Light Water. There are alternatives to doing a thing in private, then letting it be seen by a petrushka after the fact, and then when there is no reason to believe that Light Water has understood what has happened within the first 10 seconds, kill the petrushka
I will admit that Posey's plan to bring him out was probably one of the best ways to attempt to bait him into a 1 v 8, but it's still a very difficult task because he does not want to 1 v 8 the party.
You have a radio. You can use the radio to talk to Light Water. You know, like Die Hard? You've seen that movie, right? Where John Mclane talks to Alan Rickman over a Walkie Talkie periodically throughout the movie? You can do that. You can also yell at a Petrushka until it eventually becomes clear that Light Water is in fact listening. And you can also just, you know, do the thing right in full view of Light Water. There are alternatives to doing a thing in private, then letting it be seen by a petrushka after the fact, and then when there is no reason to believe that Light Water has understood what has happened within the first 10 seconds, kill the petrushka
Okay, we need the other possessed ponies we've captured with us to be able to cleanse them. What would be your preferred location for the ritual, GM pone? Would you like it done on the deck? Is there a room with a good layout for a battle you'd prefer it to be done in instead?
>>196150
Haven't I explained this? For Kira's procedure to have a chance to work, it needs to happen under circumstances where the Traveler's influence is at its weakest. This means as much metal as possible between the Traveler and the Petrushka. That means Cargo Hold 5 and chromium ingots, and also doing it one at a time. And that's absolutely not what was attempted here
Haven't I explained this? For Kira's procedure to have a chance to work, it needs to happen under circumstances where the Traveler's influence is at its weakest. This means as much metal as possible between the Traveler and the Petrushka. That means Cargo Hold 5 and chromium ingots, and also doing it one at a time. And that's absolutely not what was attempted here
>>196147
Only Light Water and the Intruder needed to see the effects of the spell anyway, and they could see it from their perspective (the intruder by proxy through its thralls) because it is pouring down on the entire ship.
>or that Posey was going to kill a prisoner?
Well, I got desperate after my plan failed and doubled down on assisting Kira, but with no miracle manifesting I concluded that the Serpent must have demanded bloodshed because neutral death gods don't give out miracles for free.
>You can't hype up Light Water as this extremely dangerous boss fight hiding behind ambush corridors, then give us an unlocked door on the other side.
Tbh, I only came up with this plan because I heard the "I'll see how many summoned monsters I can fit in the room" comment (now deleted). It made me paranoid that Light Water can just summon more monsters every round as we approach him, and we could be screwed before we even get into attacking range; that's what I would do if I had infinite summons and telepathic awareness. It's why I figured that the best way to defeat him would have been to convince him to teleport himself into a firing squad, so that he would have no summons on the surprise round.
>Of course we're going to take the path of least resistance.
I wouldn't call this that. This was us walking around in circles because nobody knows what we're doing.
>what I was going to do and should have actually done was to have two hopefully pretty cool summons battle the party
GM, I really do appreciate these fun and challenging encounters, but tactically we don't really make any progress fighting summons when from our perspective it seems as though the Intruder can make infinite more of them.
If we got even a hint that the Intruder had a finite amount of summons per day it would feel a lot more rewarding after we defeat them.
>or Light Water believed Posey when she said "It's too late to stop it now"
That's not what she said:
>"Nevermind, it is almost done. None of your writhing beasts can stop its calling. The serpent will take us both to oblivion."
She was implying that summoned monsters would be insufficient to stop it, encouraging the Intruder and/or Light Water (mages who can counterspell) to come and stop it themselves in person.
.
.
.
I am going to reiterate my request to retcon coming here, but if that won't be granted at least be aware that I could not coup de grace and draw a weapon in the same turn, and both actions provoked attacks of opportunity, so maybe let me withdraw decapitating the prisoner.
>>196149
>probably one of the best ways to attempt to bait him into a 1 v 8, but it's still a very difficult task because he does not want to 1 v 8 the party.
That's why I set up all these illusions and spells and bluff checks and intimidate decks to make him panic.
>You have a radio. You can use the radio to talk to Light Water. You know, like Die Hard? You've seen that movie, right? Where John Mclane talks to Alan Rickman over a Walkie Talkie periodically throughout the movie? You can do that. You can also yell at a Petrushka until it eventually becomes clear that Light Water is in fact listening. And you can also just, you know, do the thing right in full view of Light Water. There are alternatives to doing a thing in private, then letting it be seen by a petrushka after the fact, and then when there is no reason to believe that Light Water has understood what has happened within the first 10 seconds, kill the petrushka
Well, the point was to bluff Light Water into believing that he had only witnessed the ritual incidentally when the Petrushka woke up, which was my poetic way of using the enemy's Telepathic omniscience against them. I just didn't understand that Light Water and the Intruder didn't share the same information all of the time.
>>196150
I think we can give up on the ritual. Praying for a few minutes does not give you a free casting of Break Enchantment without a high DC Religion check and a sacrifice, and even then it's only 1/day at most. You are not a Cleric.
And even if it worked, what use do we have for unconscious soldier at 1-4 HP? That's treating a symptom, not the cause.
Let's just go kill the bosses.
Only Light Water and the Intruder needed to see the effects of the spell anyway, and they could see it from their perspective (the intruder by proxy through its thralls) because it is pouring down on the entire ship.
>or that Posey was going to kill a prisoner?
Well, I got desperate after my plan failed and doubled down on assisting Kira, but with no miracle manifesting I concluded that the Serpent must have demanded bloodshed because neutral death gods don't give out miracles for free.
>You can't hype up Light Water as this extremely dangerous boss fight hiding behind ambush corridors, then give us an unlocked door on the other side.
Tbh, I only came up with this plan because I heard the "I'll see how many summoned monsters I can fit in the room" comment (now deleted). It made me paranoid that Light Water can just summon more monsters every round as we approach him, and we could be screwed before we even get into attacking range; that's what I would do if I had infinite summons and telepathic awareness. It's why I figured that the best way to defeat him would have been to convince him to teleport himself into a firing squad, so that he would have no summons on the surprise round.
>Of course we're going to take the path of least resistance.
I wouldn't call this that. This was us walking around in circles because nobody knows what we're doing.
>what I was going to do and should have actually done was to have two hopefully pretty cool summons battle the party
GM, I really do appreciate these fun and challenging encounters, but tactically we don't really make any progress fighting summons when from our perspective it seems as though the Intruder can make infinite more of them.
If we got even a hint that the Intruder had a finite amount of summons per day it would feel a lot more rewarding after we defeat them.
>or Light Water believed Posey when she said "It's too late to stop it now"
That's not what she said:
>"Nevermind, it is almost done. None of your writhing beasts can stop its calling. The serpent will take us both to oblivion."
She was implying that summoned monsters would be insufficient to stop it, encouraging the Intruder and/or Light Water (mages who can counterspell) to come and stop it themselves in person.
.
.
.
I am going to reiterate my request to retcon coming here, but if that won't be granted at least be aware that I could not coup de grace and draw a weapon in the same turn, and both actions provoked attacks of opportunity, so maybe let me withdraw decapitating the prisoner.
>>196149
>probably one of the best ways to attempt to bait him into a 1 v 8, but it's still a very difficult task because he does not want to 1 v 8 the party.
That's why I set up all these illusions and spells and bluff checks and intimidate decks to make him panic.
>You have a radio. You can use the radio to talk to Light Water. You know, like Die Hard? You've seen that movie, right? Where John Mclane talks to Alan Rickman over a Walkie Talkie periodically throughout the movie? You can do that. You can also yell at a Petrushka until it eventually becomes clear that Light Water is in fact listening. And you can also just, you know, do the thing right in full view of Light Water. There are alternatives to doing a thing in private, then letting it be seen by a petrushka after the fact, and then when there is no reason to believe that Light Water has understood what has happened within the first 10 seconds, kill the petrushka
Well, the point was to bluff Light Water into believing that he had only witnessed the ritual incidentally when the Petrushka woke up, which was my poetic way of using the enemy's Telepathic omniscience against them. I just didn't understand that Light Water and the Intruder didn't share the same information all of the time.
>>196150
I think we can give up on the ritual. Praying for a few minutes does not give you a free casting of Break Enchantment without a high DC Religion check and a sacrifice, and even then it's only 1/day at most. You are not a Cleric.
And even if it worked, what use do we have for unconscious soldier at 1-4 HP? That's treating a symptom, not the cause.
Let's just go kill the bosses.
>>196151
>For Kira's procedure to have a chance to work, it needs to happen under circumstances where the Traveler's influence is at its weakest.
Was there any mechanical basis to this in the first place?
I added the sacrifice check at the end because there are rules for that.
>For Kira's procedure to have a chance to work, it needs to happen under circumstances where the Traveler's influence is at its weakest.
Was there any mechanical basis to this in the first place?
I added the sacrifice check at the end because there are rules for that.
>>196153
My mother used to take sodas that I was drinking and did not finish and would put them - open - into the refrigerator. What would happen is that they would quickly go flat and taste absolutely disgusting, much worse than if they had just been allowed to be room temperature. The Cargo Hold 3 plan is basically the plan version of that. There is not a single, solitary detail of the plan that is not outright inferior to the same plan being conducted on the deck of the ship.
The entire plan hinged on assuming that Light Water has god levels of knowledge and is omniscient. If it were done on deck, you wouldn't need to assume that, he could see it with his own eyes.
The entire plan assumed that Light Water had dimension door. Admittedly this is a fair assumption but still, on deck he can just fly down.
The plan assumes that he wants to walk into a firing squad. On deck he could use his petrushkas
The plan mentions blood rain but you can't see that inside
The plan just makes so many assumptions about its enemy, and not a single one of those assumptions would have been necessary if only it took place on the deck of the ship.
And then all of this is besides the fact that I want to make use of the ship and killing Light Water is a way to sidestep going through the ship. I could be okay with that if it were on the deck because that's a location that obviously makes use of the fact that this is a ship. It has the bridge, cranes, a wooden deck, and more. And then I could actually bring the petrushkas into battle instead of... I don't know, having them all ambush the party in the next room at the next battler? What was I supposed to do with them if they physically cannot enter the room? How was that supposed to work?
Okay sure, there are reasons that maybe, maybe Cargo Hold 3 might have, I don't know, merited a dice roll and it would have worked with a roll of 14 or higher? All I could think about was "This is worse than on deck. This is worse than my original plan. This is worse than doing Kira's plan. This is no one's plan and it's the worst possible thing you could have done."
>Teleport to go kill Light Water
Do it. Fucking go do it. Do it. Fucking do it. I've told you 50 fucking times that Light Water will not, is not, and will never 1 v 1 you ever, so long as he can borrow summons and throw four plus petrushkas between you and him, and your attempts to 1 v 1 him will end in your character dying, If you do not believe me, then go do it. Do it and see what happens. I'm tired of explaining this. I'm tired of explaining this every single month.
My mother used to take sodas that I was drinking and did not finish and would put them - open - into the refrigerator. What would happen is that they would quickly go flat and taste absolutely disgusting, much worse than if they had just been allowed to be room temperature. The Cargo Hold 3 plan is basically the plan version of that. There is not a single, solitary detail of the plan that is not outright inferior to the same plan being conducted on the deck of the ship.
The entire plan hinged on assuming that Light Water has god levels of knowledge and is omniscient. If it were done on deck, you wouldn't need to assume that, he could see it with his own eyes.
The entire plan assumed that Light Water had dimension door. Admittedly this is a fair assumption but still, on deck he can just fly down.
The plan assumes that he wants to walk into a firing squad. On deck he could use his petrushkas
The plan mentions blood rain but you can't see that inside
The plan just makes so many assumptions about its enemy, and not a single one of those assumptions would have been necessary if only it took place on the deck of the ship.
And then all of this is besides the fact that I want to make use of the ship and killing Light Water is a way to sidestep going through the ship. I could be okay with that if it were on the deck because that's a location that obviously makes use of the fact that this is a ship. It has the bridge, cranes, a wooden deck, and more. And then I could actually bring the petrushkas into battle instead of... I don't know, having them all ambush the party in the next room at the next battler? What was I supposed to do with them if they physically cannot enter the room? How was that supposed to work?
Okay sure, there are reasons that maybe, maybe Cargo Hold 3 might have, I don't know, merited a dice roll and it would have worked with a roll of 14 or higher? All I could think about was "This is worse than on deck. This is worse than my original plan. This is worse than doing Kira's plan. This is no one's plan and it's the worst possible thing you could have done."
>Teleport to go kill Light Water
Do it. Fucking go do it. Do it. Fucking do it. I've told you 50 fucking times that Light Water will not, is not, and will never 1 v 1 you ever, so long as he can borrow summons and throw four plus petrushkas between you and him, and your attempts to 1 v 1 him will end in your character dying, If you do not believe me, then go do it. Do it and see what happens. I'm tired of explaining this. I'm tired of explaining this every single month.
>>196153
>Well, I got desperate after my plan failed and doubled down on assisting Kira, but with no miracle manifesting I concluded that the Serpent must have demanded bloodshed because neutral death gods don't give out miracles for free.
You did this without asking any of us, including the creature who actually worships the Serpent.
>I wouldn't call this that. This was us walking around in circles because nobody knows what we're doing.
This. I feel that we've been compromising for everyone and nobody is happy at the end of the day.
>Well, I got desperate after my plan failed and doubled down on assisting Kira, but with no miracle manifesting I concluded that the Serpent must have demanded bloodshed because neutral death gods don't give out miracles for free.
You did this without asking any of us, including the creature who actually worships the Serpent.
>I wouldn't call this that. This was us walking around in circles because nobody knows what we're doing.
This. I feel that we've been compromising for everyone and nobody is happy at the end of the day.
>>196155
My plan sucks. This location sucks. The execution sucked. I suck. I get it.
Where do we go from here?
My plan sucks. This location sucks. The execution sucked. I suck. I get it.
Where do we go from here?
>>196155
Well, my original original plan before all of this was to explore the rest of the ship, so we could collect the rest of the petrushkas (and also see what cool stuff you had planned) and then have Kira try to cleanse them in cargo hold 5 with the help of the chromium...
Well, my original original plan before all of this was to explore the rest of the ship, so we could collect the rest of the petrushkas (and also see what cool stuff you had planned) and then have Kira try to cleanse them in cargo hold 5 with the help of the chromium...
>>196159
By "collect" do you mean risk our lives fighting every single one of the hundreds of sailors on this ship, knock them unconscious without using any of our lethal tactics, and then somehow carry all of them with us?
> then have Kira try to cleanse them in cargo hold 5 with the help of the chromium
Whatever made you think this would work?
We should just go kill Light Water.
By "collect" do you mean risk our lives fighting every single one of the hundreds of sailors on this ship, knock them unconscious without using any of our lethal tactics, and then somehow carry all of them with us?
> then have Kira try to cleanse them in cargo hold 5 with the help of the chromium
Whatever made you think this would work?
We should just go kill Light Water.
>>196160
Well, fighting Light Water would mean fighting every petrushka on the ship all at once. I don't think there's hundreds but it would still be more than enough to overwhelm us. This way, not only do we avoid having to kill so many innocent ponies (I know, Posey's not so worried about that part), but it makes the fight against Light Water easier since he'll be outmatched.
Well, fighting Light Water would mean fighting every petrushka on the ship all at once. I don't think there's hundreds but it would still be more than enough to overwhelm us. This way, not only do we avoid having to kill so many innocent ponies (I know, Posey's not so worried about that part), but it makes the fight against Light Water easier since he'll be outmatched.
>>196161
>Well, fighting Light Water would mean fighting every petrushka on the ship all at once.
The room has finite size.
The encounter level has a finite difficulty.
>don't think there's hundreds but it would still be more than enough to overwhelm us.
It's a Soviet Battleship: it's crewed by 1,449 sailors.
>This way, not only do we avoid having to kill so many innocent ponies
You cannot expect us to knock out over a thousand individual ponies for you to do your voodoo nonsense on them.
>>196162
Did GM not just say right now that the intended plot was for us to go kill Light Water first?
We only got in this situation because you didn't want to do that even though every plot hook pointed us in that direction.
>Well, fighting Light Water would mean fighting every petrushka on the ship all at once.
The room has finite size.
The encounter level has a finite difficulty.
>don't think there's hundreds but it would still be more than enough to overwhelm us.
It's a Soviet Battleship: it's crewed by 1,449 sailors.
>This way, not only do we avoid having to kill so many innocent ponies
You cannot expect us to knock out over a thousand individual ponies for you to do your voodoo nonsense on them.
>>196162
Did GM not just say right now that the intended plot was for us to go kill Light Water first?
We only got in this situation because you didn't want to do that even though every plot hook pointed us in that direction.
I am going to bed now before I fuck anything else up.
GM should go to bed too. It's late where you are. Take care of your health and stay safe on your travels. We shouldn't be running while you're out of the country anyway.
GM should go to bed too. It's late where you are. Take care of your health and stay safe on your travels. We shouldn't be running while you're out of the country anyway.
>>196163
>We only got in this situation because you didn't want to do that even though every plot hook pointed us in that direction.
I don't want to do that because it's clear that Posey will not cooperate with any plan to capture Light Water alive, which would be a far better option and achievement compared to killing him. Posey is a loose cannon and we've had no option but to metaphorically tie her down every time the party is together.
Goodnight.
>We only got in this situation because you didn't want to do that even though every plot hook pointed us in that direction.
I don't want to do that because it's clear that Posey will not cooperate with any plan to capture Light Water alive, which would be a far better option and achievement compared to killing him. Posey is a loose cannon and we've had no option but to metaphorically tie her down every time the party is together.
Goodnight.
>>196165
>I don't want to do that because it's clear that Posey will not cooperate with any plan to capture Light Water alive, which would be a far better option and achievement compared to killing him.
The order in which we fight the bosses will have no bearing on that outcome.
>I don't want to do that because it's clear that Posey will not cooperate with any plan to capture Light Water alive, which would be a far better option and achievement compared to killing him.
The order in which we fight the bosses will have no bearing on that outcome.
I think we're all in agreement that we should go back a step, and do something else. I still want to clear the ship because I know GM pone still has some stuff he'd like to show, and I'd like to see it, but I'm only one person here so I don't know what everyone else wants to do.
Cavaliere whispers to Silver, "She's going to be a problem. We need to restrain her when we've weakened the doctor enough. You do want to capture him alive, yes?"
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