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Post by Spwack on Nov 18, 2021 7:08:34 GMT
Minecarts then south past the spiralizing lichen, cut west through the magical barrier using the anti magic goo from the trumpet, south past the throne room and I would like to make a quick visit to the dungeon anemone and feed it a piece of my intelligence boosting fungus to try and talk with it. If it can converse with me after having it’s intelligence boosted I would like to find out how it is doing, what it likes to be called, if it needs anything. What it likes to eat. And I would like to try and hire it to join me. It could see the sights and get new foods as a defense mechanism for the mech. Then for the tank which is next door I am going to stick a wire down through the drilled hole in the top to feel around for any scorpions attacking it or trying to escape using it. They were pretty feisty but I will wait a while trying to feel them. Then if they don’t I can break open the tank and scoop up the treasure and some dead scorpions in my urns.
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Post by Spwack on Nov 18, 2021 7:14:00 GMT
The anemone grabs the fungus and devours it. Then, it's blue body starts to light up in strange fractal patterns. A voice issues forth, not from the anemone itself, but from beneath the floor.
"Where... what... this is so strange... I can feel... so much..."
The anemone, or whatever it is, listens to you talk. "I... have no name... but I know what a name is... somehow... what have you done to me?"
((Do you remember where the fungus came from?))
The wire is not attacked by the scorpions, you're pretty sure you've bumped into them a few times and they don't seem to me moving at all. The tank opens up and the smell, by god. Phykalla is an excellent cook, with a highly developed sense of smell. Forgotten yoghurt, mixed with dead things, full of potent magic scorpion poison? You feel a bit light headed as you scoop you gunk and gems and critters into the urns. How many urns do you have exactly?
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 18, 2021 12:20:10 GMT
I believe the fungus came from the demon assassin and then was identified by the kobolds (they grow lots of fungus) it gives temporary intelligence.
Would the anemone like to be moved anywhere? I could put it near the river if it wants to be near a good source of food, otherwise it can ride on the mech as a defense mechanism and I will feed it for it’s trouble.
I have three urns, and if stuff is cleaned off well enough (I can use dirt from the area by the blood turnips) the walking chest can hold treasure.
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Post by Spwack on Nov 19, 2021 10:40:35 GMT
((Ah ha, now I recall))
"I... new places... good... new food... good... such strangeness... these thoughts fill me with... will take this deal..."
The anemone seems to draw into itself a bit, then glows brighter towards one edge. Eventually, you see it split off a segment of itself, a curled up sprout that is pushed away from the main body.
"More... of these thoughts... I crave this... sensation"
If you give it the rest of the mushrooms, it will give you two more sprouts.
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 19, 2021 11:11:00 GMT
Yeah I will give it the mushrooms. I didn’t have a good plan for them anyways.
“Perhaps you may grow some as a garden.”
What sort of treasure was in the tank? If everything looks good then we will head back to cell block zero
Urn full of scorpions I want to make sure is secured, and in a safer spot and that I have supplies to wash them a bit better. I am worried about the scorpions coming back to life. (They really shouldn’t but hey why risk it)
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Post by Spwack on Nov 20, 2021 5:58:35 GMT
The anemone consumes the mushrooms and gives you two more sprouts. It is happy to talk if you have any questions, but otherwise it seems quite happy to just revel in it's newfound sentience, letting it's brand-new inner monologue bounce around all over the place.
In the tank, gemstones! Huge red and blue ones that you aren't quite sure are sapphires and rubies, and a selection of smaller green ones that are almost certainly not emeralds. They do all look valuable though, they aren't glass or anything like that.
Are the scorpions in the urns still covered in blue goop, or have you wiped most of that off? And as you look at the stingers on these things, you're pretty sure any amount of security is a good idea.
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 20, 2021 12:18:56 GMT
Perhaps I will leave them blue gooed for now then I will bring supplies to clean them and head back to cell block zero to go up river using the ghost ship. Up the waterfall and over to the one taken one improved machine.
In one slot I will put cleaned off terrible scorpions and some greater quetzal worm feathers in the other I will put my mildly poisonous blow darts from the demon assassin.
For hauling gems and scorpions I forgot but I have metal garbage cans with latches and locks.
How is alchfrith de ventral and the incunabula? He made an oath to give me power so I am curious how that is going along. How does he feel about hell fire? (We both found out recently that the wall of fire by the throne room is due to a portal to hell) oh yeah and he had me absorb those five massive fire spirits from one of the lower floors.
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 20, 2021 12:44:37 GMT
How long has the anemone been here? Does it recall anything unusual passing through? How does it work with its hunting? Does it have any junk (loot) it wants to get rid of from stuff it has eaten in the past?
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Post by Spwack on Nov 22, 2021 0:22:03 GMT
Anemone: It doesn't recall. It didn't have any real mind until those mushrooms kicked in, if that makes sense. Since you've been such a good customer, it spits out a selection of weird dark-red bones, small fingerbones by the look of it, and one grey ring set with a pearl. Mostly it hunts just by things falling in.
The ghost ship sets a fine spread of sail as it sends you hurtling upriver and up-waterfall. Hopping off and heading to the Merchant Machine, it closes over the offerings, and returns to you three darts. They look bigger and heavier, and have been fletched with the quetzal worm feathers by the looks of it. Each of them has a reservoir of some kind of fluid, by the smell of it, scorpion venom. Normally the Machine seems to improve from scratch, but it seems to have just crafted you a new and brutal weapon from the materials given.
((I'll sort Alchfrith shortly))
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 22, 2021 4:48:02 GMT
Blowdarts and poison going to blerble for sure. (Who has his own errand to run) next up is back to cell block zero to drop off some stuff and have the magic vending machine identify the odd loot I picked up from the anemone then heading out to the crying demon
Which is east of cell block 0, south to the bridge room, using the password “password” south to the junction then east to the crying caged demon.
I’m going to free the crying demon using my overengineered pickaxe (now named the firing pin) and offer it dungeon toast with jam. (Jam from kobold queen, toast from my sourdough)
Has the butler turned up yet?
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Post by Spwack on Nov 22, 2021 15:31:11 GMT
Prof. Spell-o-Matic: "Cursed. Boring. Those bones are red from wearing that ring too long. Obviously they couldn't give up the ring once they tried it out, the effect must have been too much to their liking."
"Good evening, Ms. Phykalla" says the Bridge after you've given the password. "Long time no see. How have you been?"
The Firing Pin goes like the absolute blazes. The wails of the demon fade away as your precision tool of destruction goes to work. The rods of white metal neither mar nor chip as you hack away, but the stone they are set in is a different matter. It's loud and frustrating work, but it feels good to get your muscles going after so long cooped up in that - well, whatever it was you were trapped in.
The demon seems completely astonished, gently taking the toast and munching on it with tiny, delicate bites. It doesn't seem to know what to say.
The butler has not returned (yet).
Exodus Empowers Righteousness has returned slowly as you've gone about your errands across the floors of the dungeon, and lets you know what has happened to Alchfrith. While Phykalla has been trapped in dreamless suspended animation, EER and Alchfrith have been stuck in a liminal state, nothing to do but wait until she regained consciousness. EER was more suited to it, given that they had started out as a door-trap, but Alchfrith had never had to deal with this state of being. When he was an Incunable, he was only ever conscious while someone was writing to him. The long time being stuck in the darkness of Phykalla's mind seems to have had a malignant effect on an already tenuous psyche.
Alchfrith is still in there, he might just take some coaxing to get back out.
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 22, 2021 23:16:10 GMT
Oh alchfrith used the time to leave his book and stick to my mind huh?
I will talk with the bridge password guy for a bit about this and that. Weather, kids, if they eat or how they pass the time. Also I will inquire about who has been using them lately.
Using exodus empowers righteousness I will examine the seal/bars and see how they can be used. Perhaps as bow bolts for phykalla or a cage to be hauled by the mech.
I think I will just enjoy the demons company for a bit. If the butler was here we could offer them a white handkerchief. I will examine the demons cell as well I believe some people tossed bits and bobs inside trying to converse with them.
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 23, 2021 10:12:15 GMT
Oh yeah I forgot but could I have the professor identify the stuff from inside the walking chest please?
a snapped wand, a silvery locket with black inlay, and a bright red feather
Bloody robes with ancient magic
Perhaps some other stuff under the robes
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Post by Spwack on Nov 23, 2021 14:44:47 GMT
... seemingly he did ((I thought that had already occurred))
The Bridge is quite happy to chat. It is content with how "life" is going, but it does confide in you that it isn't a fan of it's current passsword. The last creature to pass through didn't use a password, it was some kind of crystalline critter that instead climbed all the way down to the bottom of the pit the bridge covers, then back up the other side some time later.
The metal bars could be used as a blunt indestructible club. The issue would be fixing them together to form a cage, since the strength of the cage was only due to the stone the rods were sunk into. ((What does EER do again in regards to identifying?))
The butler absolutely would offer a handkerchief, where could he have gotten to??
((I don't recall what exactly has been thrown in here))
"... hello?" says the demon. It seems quite lost and bewildered at this sudden change in it's circumstances.
Sadly the robes and the contents were all tossed away by Jax in the face of an oncoming tidal wave. It would have all been washed into the lake most likely.
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 23, 2021 15:26:35 GMT
Oh I thought I was talking to the demon. “Are you doing ok? I’m phykalla, what’s your name? Do you need anything? How did you get stuck in such a predicament? More jam?”
To the bridge “how would someone give you a new password? What would you prefer your password to be? That crystal fellow sounds pretty odd, which way did they go?”
Blerble tossed the stuff back in using Terrance while he was ferrying people inside. (Page 11 of down the box)
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 23, 2021 15:35:02 GMT
EER can read/write any known language and just kinda has good eyesight
I believed the bars were some sort of sealing magic instead of being indestructible.
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Post by Spwack on Nov 24, 2021 4:35:46 GMT
Demon: "I am not sure. I think I shouldn't tell you my name, but I can't quite remember why." the demon is very soft spoken, but due to it's huge size the room still rumbles a bit. "But for now you can call me... Desmond. Hello Phykalla. It is nice to meet you. Yes please, that jam is very n-nice."
Bridge: "My owner would have to do it. Just anything other than what it is right now. It's just embarrassing being a guardian bridge and left with the default password, you know? It came from the south and went north from here. It seemed to be on quite the mission."
Oh whoops, I misinterpreted that instruction to Terrance, I thought you were referring to all the stuff inside the hole with you. Jax was pretty particular in trying to toss away all that stuff as far as possible in case it was cursed.
((Plus, those things had an impact later on when they were swept into the lake))
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 24, 2021 6:36:40 GMT
Demon: *munch munch munch. We can eat up the rest of the jam and that will give me one empty canister from the bandolier. I will be silent for a while Try to give them time.
Bridge: “who is your owner?”
Magic items: ah beans, I have been trying to open that chest for years. Ah well. Can’t really miss what you don’t know.
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Post by Spwack on Nov 25, 2021 6:56:12 GMT
EER looks over the metal rod, writing delicately on your vision as it does so. As far as it can tell, this isn't adamantine or anything like that. Even though it is physically indestructible, certain types of magic might go right through it, or make it possible to work with.
Desmond the Demon: "Thank you for the jam. It was very nice. I haven't had anything nice in a long time. This is nice. I think - I think I'm supposed - to try and eat your soul now? Or something? Is that right? Oh oh, I just can't remember!"
Bridge: "Overseer 46. Well, technically, and I probably shouldn't tell you this, but whoever holds the identity sigil of Overseer 46 counts as my owner, get it? Naturally, nobody except Overseer 46 would ever be in possession of the sigil, so that bit of trivia will never actually matter."
((Magic items: Don't worry! Very mild spoilers, with your current trajectory you'll be able to find out what was in that walking luggage very soon))
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 25, 2021 8:13:46 GMT
Demon: “have you lost your memories? I would prefer if you didn’t eat my soul.”
Bridge: “sigil? What does it look like?”
Magic items: current trajectory? I am having jam with a demon.
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Post by Spwack on Nov 26, 2021 4:02:25 GMT
Desmond: "I think I might have, but I don't know how to tell. Really? Are you sure? I've just got this strong feeling I'm supposed to devour it. Unless I'm wrong?"
Bridge: "It's a short rod of metal, marked with runes and with a small control greeble on the top."
Magic items: As in, considering the plans you've been discussing so far, I'm pretty sure you'll see them again.
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 26, 2021 5:46:46 GMT
Demon: “hmmmmm I don’t know much about you I am afraid. Maybe you are supposed to make some sort of an agreement with mortals giving them power or wishes or something in exchange for their soul, or I heard something about binding with names and colors? I don’t know. I know of a portal to hell you could use if you are looking to go home.”
Bridge: “where is the overseer these days? What have they been working on?”
Trajectory: next up is using the ghost ship to go to the magic extractor for some spell beads, then cell block zero to free the great sword (because I don’t think they are a spell so they don’t need to be extracted)
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Post by Spwack on Nov 27, 2021 5:52:34 GMT
Demon: "Maybe? That sounds... familiar. A little bit. So long as you're sure you don't want to eat your soul, I guess I can do something else. And I don't know what Hell is like."
Bridge: "As far as I can tell from their last schedule, they are in a meeting. This meeting must have been going for several dozen years now, so I have a feeling the schedule may be a little inaccurate."
((Maybe you're slightly longer-term trajectory then. Either way, I wouldn't despair too badly))
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 27, 2021 11:31:11 GMT
Demon: “well what do you want?”
(If they don’t know what they want I will say “you are welcome to explore the dungeon with me until you decide.”
What does the demon look like?
Bridge: “where is this meeting supposed to be? Do you have some sort of map available of the area or know where I can find one?”
Next up: seems like we can be moving soon. After that it is back to the ghost ship for me. Oh and I want to bring those bars from the seal, head to the bridge where I found the incunabula which is by the coffin with the magical vampire and the magic extraction machine. (not sure where it is on the river exactly but it should be close)
Magic extractor: I would like to extract the magic from the cursed ring I received from the anemone and the bars from the seal around the imprisoned demon
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Post by Spwack on Nov 28, 2021 5:59:33 GMT
Desmond isn't exactly sure if it wants to go exploring with you. "Is that going to be... dangerous?"
The demon is about three times Phykalla's height, incredibly broad and muscular, with a comparatively tiny head on the top with spiralling rams horns. Their eyes are huge red orbs with no pupil at all.
Bridge: "I don't know the exact location, but I believe his offices were located on what is now Floor +2, to the North-East. I wish I did have such a map, it would be most helpful in the execution of my duties."
((We've been bouncing back and forth with these two conversations since they are close together, once you're done with both we can go to the magic extractor))
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 28, 2021 11:44:35 GMT
Desmond: “sometimes dangerous sometimes not, but always full of amazement.”
Bridge: “ohh by the revolving elevator and the chainsaw wires. Thanks a bunch.”
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 30, 2021 4:00:25 GMT
ah and so I don't forget I have some cooling fans for the magic extractor and a reverse intake plasmo quasilator
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Post by Spwack on Nov 30, 2021 11:28:21 GMT
Desmond: "Hmm... I might just stay here for a little while, and go for a walk later. Yes, I'll go for a walk and that should help me clear my head. Thanks for freeing me Miss Phykalla! You are very kindhearted."
Bridge: "That seems quite likely. Overseer 46 was not particularly known for his... restraint."
Presuming you are heading to the Magic Extractor now, with the ghost ship you can easily hop up onto the bridge and wander over to it. It's still in as good a nick as it was the last time you left it. Are you planning upgrading it?
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Post by wingilbear on Nov 30, 2021 13:30:22 GMT
Yeah I will offer it the parts and see if it wants them, either way extracting the stuff I said, the ring and the bars of the seal on the demon.
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Post by Spwack on Dec 1, 2021 16:01:49 GMT
The cooling fans slot nicely into place where the broken gems were before, but you can't find as convenient a spot for the quasilator. Make a CHA check, we will see how it went just putting it in somewhere.
The machine fires up, streamers of light prying open the ring and sucking away at the cloud of corruption that bubbles out. Bits of corrosion froth up across the metal base plate beneath the lasers, but the procedure is a success! The marble rolls down into the side slot, containing the word: "Curs#e". It's slightly unstable, hence the "#".
((I actually don't recall how this machine worked, but this is close enough))
When you try again using the metal rod, the first laser to touch white surface goes pinging off at an angle, shears through a loose wire, and sends down a puff of dissolving rock from above. There's a "bwah-bwahh" error noise, and the extractor shuts off, newly placed fans working hard.
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