Min/Max Boards

I am very satisfied with the results of the PM.

In other news which has suddenly become important: Matsu!  I've been under the assumption that your psicrystal has recalled once the rats broke up and Drossel went into commune with his god.  But did it actually return to you or is it still there?  Depending where it is there are different results.

Are you mindlinked to your crystal?

"It's crazy right?  And tha' Baron was always a bit shifty and quiet, you gotta wonder what the Lady saw in him.  Cours' that's some of the believable rumors.  I also know the drunkin' rumors which probably ain't a bit true, but still fun to hear."

He'll ramble a bit, if you care to listen.  Some of the ideas are pretty silly though, as he says there is rumors that there was some kind of immortal goddess riding around in a battle tank, or a story about strange lights in the sky making people super smart, a lady who runs a medical facility somewhere taking in Accursed and looking for a cure (though it never works, and usually ends with worse results), or the story that the Jingu nobility was actually in control and the God Emperess was actually a figurehead, and the legendary martial artist Goku Satsu found out and was exiled for it.  Actually that last one might sound plausible, but there isn't actually any way for this driver to know any of this so he's clearly talking out of his butt.

"If you see the Pathfinders out there, they're people who are trying to help the pilgrims and travelers who are moving in.  Or out.  Most traffic goes in.  You go too deep and you just... never come back.

You'll be careful out there, aye?"

Bianca and company were surprisingly not relieved by the sudden disbanding of the approaching raptors.  You'd think that would be a wonderful thing.  It's less of a wonderful thing when the raptors are instead replaced by an even bigger raptor.  They could probably see that thing a billion miles away, figuratively speaking, on this flat beach terrain and already the thing was way too large even at it's current distance.

Bianca and Key were running.  Could you blame them?  That thing looks like it could eat both of them by accident, and not even notice.

Leon seemed somewhat relieved by Elizabeth's explaination of their opponent.  Cannibals.  Lunatics.  Murders.  Now this... this was something he understood.

"Well when you put it tha' way, it doesn't sound too bad."

Idly he wondered if their prisoner was one of them.  The way he seemed eager for random uncooked flesh was just the kind of debased madness he'd expect from a cannibal.  Right now, Liz had a good idea and he was going to follow through with it.  Bells were rung, people were rounded up, guards were at the ready.  And Leon was off helping.  It was his turn off the watch and he used it to sharpen and fiddle with his various tools, when there was word of an outsider approaching.  By the time he gets there this new person, one Tom Corbin, was talking to Elizabeth.

"What do you know about our prisoner?" he said, stepping in just in time to hear Tom mention if the prisoner was still locked away.  "And who might you be?"

The wagon is ready, two horses strapped to it prepared to go.  Wittershins would be waiting for you, a vaguely piggish man with upturned nose and portly form, dressed in comfortable brown leathers and newsboy cap, and matching pipe for which he was known for smoking like a smokestack with.  He may have been human, but you swore he had the proportions of a dwarf.

"Aye boy, the wagon is ready to go then.  Will be a days journey, not very long all thin's considered.  No need to carry extra supplies and rations for this part.  Still, aye know you're going on further and my trip ends at Marlowe, so make sure you carry something extra for your latta half ov yer journey.  Here, on th' house."

Received 1x Rations.  It's some kind of beef jerky and some bread.  Commoner food, but not too bad.  It'll last you a day.

"Mind if we chat on the road?  It helps make the trip shorter.  Where are you headed to anyway?"

Quick question for the doctor: do you say this in front of Chim?

I forgot that Matsu had this ability (from his Sadist Archetype):
Exquisite Agony (Su)
When a member of the sadist's collective dies, instead of needing to make a save to avoid taking damage, the sadist gains a number of temporary power points equal to the Hit Die of the creature killed. These power points last a number of rounds equal to the sadist's Wisdom modifier and do not stack with each other or other temporary power points.

This would have saved him a few power points on that last Vigor he used. How many HD did those arm things have, anyway?

Cool.  The arms are 3 HD monsters. 

That's strange.  I don't see anything special about being groundbound.  I wonder what their reasoning is.  I suspect it's a RAW argument, something like "it's higher ground, emphasis on ground."

Matsu's psicrystal slips away unnoticed as Chim lead the party out of the basement.  The way back up the winding broken staircase seems somehow different than when you went down, but it leads out all the same.

But below, things are occurring out of your sight.

Drosselmeyer sighed deeply, and the previous silence of the rats, which now swarmed downward back to ground level, returned.  This time it was noises of distress and confusion, a few voices managing to speak up louder than the rest.

"What did you do?!"

"They're leaving..."

"You promised us!"

"I don't understand."

"Please, silence." Drosselmeyer demanded.  His face was one of distress himself.  Among the rats, a partily large and burly one almost as big as Drosselmeyer himself stepped out, one eye covered by a tumorous lump and a crude Viking helmet forged out of scrap. 

"Drossel, have you forgotten the plan?  When all is said and done, we were to gnaw the ropes on the cages above trapping the human prey.  Why did you stop us?"

"The situation has changed Gorn.  I admit, I too expected the humans to fail.  It is the devil, it is powerful and terrifying.  As I had told them directly, were they to fail we would eat them.  And though I sought to take advantage of their weakened states, I could not.  Simply put, I have not yet fulfilled my end of the bargain.  I will not betray them while I am still contract-bound.

My ears can still hear the howl of the cosmic wind Gorn.  The barrier.  It is still up!"

"And why should we care?  They were right under the cages then!"

The swarm grew into a confused frenzy.  Drosselmeyer continued unabated.  "I am not certain yet what is wrong.  It is certain that the devil trapped us within here.  It must be.  Yet its death has not unlocked the path as I have predicted.  There must be a missing element we have overlooked.  I intend to commune to our god and discover why.  But understand that we are better served keeping these... very strong... humans alive.  We must eat, it is true, but after we have eaten them what then?  Who do we eat then?  We will starve, go mad, and lose our sense of self like the others.  I will not condemn my family to this fate.  We need to breach the barrier no matter what, where prey exists in greater number and we can spread."

"We're dying Drosselmeyer, damn you.  Three of our kind turned back into normal mindless beasts yesterday, and the numbers are growing.  You know as well as I do we need the nerves of sentient creatures to endure and keep ourselves whole.  We had an opportunity there, and lost it.  We're not like you, decaying slower than the rest of us... the humans will escape and we will be unable to do anything again!"

"They aren't going anywhere.  And I do not want them to harbor feelings of revenge when they discover that the barrier remains steady.  We are not the alpha predators here Gorn, it would do you well to remember that.

We won't have long until they find out.  There is no time to celebrate.  I need everyone to spread and search the outer walls for a weak point.  We must find it out.  And I..."  Drosselmeyer stepped up to the fallen mono-eyed helmet that had fallen from Magana's hands earlier.  "...must commune.  That blasted woman before has no idea what she was doing.  I must ensure it is unhampered.

The angel is nearby, lurking in the walls.  I do not know what it is doing, but I saw it watching us.  It has retreated back into the endless space.  I hope it speaks to me.  Gorn, please give it a little more time.  Our family has need of your guidance.  Bring them through the manor, and hurry."

"This will be resolved later.  We can take on the humans in their sleep if we must.  Until then, very well.... we will search." Gorn grumbled, pulling back to the swarm.  "This way.  We will earn our meal yet."

Drosselmeyer frowned, placing the helmet upon his head and becoming lost in the dark.

---

Meanwhile, the trip back seemed to be significantly longer.  Even your guide seemed confused at times, and appeared nervous.  But at long last, the double doors opened to the lush and comforting expanse of the master bedroom.  It was still adorned with beautiful tapestries, fine mahogany chairs, and other expenses but curiously the mattress and bedsheets seemed to be missing.  Along the wall were several large portraits of a noble man and woman, presumably the Baron and Countess respectively.  The Baron was a weasely looking fellow, ill fitting for the far more beautiful Countess in her ravishing pale faced glory and delicate hands.  In spite of the appearances of a proper lady, she was painted with a rapier at her side.  This was unusual that a lady was trained in swordsmanship, but those with the proper Knowledge Nobility checks might be able to glean more.

Also here, one of the paintings was ajar as if it had been jostled.  The appearance of a hidden safe was behind it.  Unfortunately it seems to be very well locked with a strange combination system and no keyhole in sight.

"Here, yes, here.  The last humans to be here took things.  I think they took the bed, for some reason.  But there are spare cloths in the closet, very soft.  Can be used for bedding.  Stay here for a bit, I watch door and make sure is ok, yes." Chim said, motioning to the glamour ahead of you.  "Chim is very thanks, very thanks, no more devil.  Soon freedom.  Brother Drosselmeyer right to trust you, saved everyone, good choice.

No wander far ok?  Home is changing again, weird event, work of angels."

Matsu, your research indicates that the marks on their bodies have grown significantly and violently.  It has reached a major nerve, and the line has buried into the body, working up into the spine.  It is likely that your allies may be losing it and are effectively are in walking comas.

There is no known cure.

If they wake, they won't be the same.  They will likely be mad.  It is uncertain when they will stir, but at the moment they are in a strange hibernation where they will persist until their bodies wither away of malnutrition.  If you are lucky, they will die from this.  If they aren't, well... there is talk of the cursed living in states which are physically impossible.

What shall you do in here?

Sounds good.  I'll take that to mean that my sheet looks fine and I need to buy gear.

It begins then.

Time to update the main plot as well.