💾 Archived View for tilde.town › ~dozens › corollaries › 2022-07-09.gmi captured on 2024-06-16 at 12:30:26. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2024-02-05)
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I arrived in Lisergia at the Scribe's underwater library.
The Knight has gone missing, leaving the Squire unprotected.
The Driven Swan has arrived via the Singing Rainbow to destroy Lisergia. Only the Squire stands in its way. The Squire is unprepared for this fight.
My job is to witness and document. I only have so long. Once I collect 36 corollaries, I will be forced to leave Lisergia.
I met the Magpie, another agent of the Flock who arrived via the Singing Rainbow. They asked me to retrieve the Wand of Wind, which was stolen from them by Phamid, the one-armed priest of The Elder. I recovered the wand and, with the help of Nomal, champion of The Elder, subdued the Magpie. I kept the wand.
A badger addicted to dream cream agreed to help me find the Squire if I fetched the Sands of Rage from the cursed Capybara. I defeated the Capybara, quelling its rage, and cure the badger of its cravings. I must now find the survivor of the sweet run of the goblin. Allegedly they know the location of the squire.
I'm swapping out v0.4 of the Abenteuerspiel rules for v1.5.
We'll see how that goes!
We're going to (Womb LOCATION [436]) to seek The Survivor of the Sweet Run of the Goblin.
Scene #6: no interuptions/alterations
gonna need something at this location: the careless barrier
The survivor resides at the Careless Barrier...
a mostly abandoned, derelict outpost, barrier between Lisergia and the goblin army? both sides lazy and careless because of a truce generations long. the war was so long ago.
maybe the 'sweet run' is the name of the goblin king's final retreat through this mountain pass.
the last survivor of the goblin's sweet run still stands here generations later.. maybe some kind of automaton or magical after effect.
automaton? Yes but, it is acting erratically. it was never meant to be left running this long.
I arrive at an outpost in a narrow mountain pass. The Sweet Run of the Goblin King. Lisergia has been free from his threat ever since, but now lives under the threat of the Guardian of the Pass. The final enduring of the Sweet Run, now driven mad by the ravages of time. It sees enemies in every shadow. Paranoia and violence are its whole world.
I climb up the steep rock a ways until I have a view of the canyon floor, and wait and survey.
I don't have to wait long. The Survivor is not quiet, subtle, or stealthy. Branches snap and tress shake as it approaches.
It pushes through the trees out into the open. It resembles a bear of terrifying proportions. No bear made by god ever stood even up to its shoulders. Its body is encased almost entirely in metal plating, dull and pocked with dents and dings. The flesh of its face, and also of the bits of organic body that show through its armor, is without fur and as dried leather, and pulled taught over its muscles and bones. Its eyes are gone, long since pecked out by the crows.
Any sign of natural vitality has taken its leave of the creature long ago. It is kept alive, as it were, by machinery, the logic circuits in its brain, and single-minded furious will.
The knowledge I seek, the location of the Squire (possibly of the knight?) is somewhere in that brain.
I must consider my approach. I will likely not survive a fight one-on-one.
I recorded this next scene on the tilde whirl podcast:
https://tube.tchncs.de/w/8TKN5hgU6VLVKf14NBtNPa?start=1h24m32s
I will try to pacify the creature so that we can palaver. Hopefully there's enough 'animal' left to it for me to compell.
I take my time, wait for the opportune moment.
And then I call out, "Lord Shardik! Guardian of the pass! I seek only your wisdom and wish no harm to you nor anything you protect!"
Shardik roars and bears down on me like an avalanche. I dive out of the way as a claw bigger than my head falls, narrowly missing me and gouging deeply into the earth. I twist my ankle and fall heavily on my hip and cry out.
Shardik reels around as I roll out of the way and redouble my efforts, "Shardik, I implore you to hear me! Hear me and listen!"
This time my words seem to cut through its rage and penetrate the part of it still capable of reason. It lowers its razor sharp claws and sits back on its haunches, teeth still bared, a growl deep in its throat, but listening.
"Shardik, the Knight is missing. And his Squire alone stands between Lisergia and the Driven Swan. Tell me, what do you know? Where is the squire? Where is the Knight for that matter? What does the Flock want?"
Does he know where the Knight is? No.
Does he know where the Squire is? Yes.
Does he know about the Flock? No.
I feel like I need to roll another Risky Action to get him to actually trust me and answer my questions. His paranoia is strong. I feel like I can only roll stressed and skilled (trickery). I'll take a Devil's Bargain: if I fail, he'll lose his composure and attack and run me off. 2 6 6 = critical success!
..he knows where the squire is, and the squire is nearby?
"And why should I trust you, little goblin?" the bear rumbles.
"The Knight is gone, Shardik. He is as much a guardian of this land as you are. Lisergia is vulnerable without him. Exposed. Can you afford not to?"
The bear sits impassive.
"I have the blessing of the Priest of the Elder, Shardik. I have fought at the side of the Elder's Champion."
"Nomal? You fought with Nomal?"
"He entrusted me with this." I pull out the wand and show him. Make a little dust devil with a flourish.
The bear grunts.
"We shall see. I will confer with Nomal. If you are telling you the truth, I will send the Squire to you. If you are lying... you had best be gone when I get back."
The bear leaves. After it is out of sight, it is still some time before it cannot be heard crashing through the undergrowth.
I am alone, and the sun is starting to set. I make a small fire to keep warm.
I feel a breeze and hear a twig snap. I look up and startle to see a boy in a cloth tunic and boiled leather armor. The sides of his head are shaved, but his blonde hair on the top and back of his head are long and pulled back and tied behind him.
"Hello, stranger," he greets me.
"You are..."
"Hedhens. Squire to the Knight. I hear you are looking for me."