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Shadows of the Past

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What, exactly, is stopping us from a) foraging in the jungle above, and b) waiting until our companion is healed a little more before we go exploring? These ruins held for the last few hundred years; don't see why they should vanish in the next few days.
 
[X] Explore the rest of the cave not inhabited by Fire Sprites. Take a good look at the murals to see if they provide any insight first though.
-[X] Afterwards, explore and forage in the surrounding area around your new base camp. Try to find out just where you are.

Yeah, I'm with MTB. This thing has been here for centuries, so there should be zero need to push things while Xochi is still wounded. There's still plenty of things left to explore that could be done safely from the cave itself, to the structure we're going to be based in, to what I assume must be other urban structures surrounding it, to the jungle as well. Plus if we want to do this properly and to understand this thing, it would presumably be best to come back after we've learned how to read so we don't fuck things up and so we can learn more things. There are signs above the door for a reason, so we may as well try and use them and there's no need for a lack of patience.

I've not gone with the other vote as "take detailed engravings" seems strange, engrave with what? We don't have any skill there either, and it'll take loads of time.
 
Neptune said:
[X] Explore the rest of the cave not inhabited by Fire Sprites. Take a good look at the murals to see if they provide any insight first though.
-[X] Afterwards, explore and forage in the surrounding area around your new base camp. Try to find out just where you are.

Yeah, I'm with MTB. This thing has been here for centuries, so there should be zero need to push things while Xochi is still wounded. There's still plenty of things left to explore that could be done safely from the cave itself, to the structure we're going to be based in, to what I assume must be other urban structures surrounding it, to the jungle as well. Plus if we want to do this properly and to understand this thing, it would presumably be best to come back after we've learned how to read so we don't fuck things up and so we can learn more things. There are signs above the door for a reason, so we may as well try and use them and there's no need for a lack of patience.

I've not gone with the other vote as "take detailed engravings" seems strange, engrave with what? We don't have any skill there either, and it'll take loads of time.
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The knife and bark that the QM specifically said we could use?

Nevill said:
We have a dagger, and if we get a wooden surface or bark, we could carve it in.

If there are no planks in the tower, there is an entire forest above us.
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Azel said:
That would take a day, but is perfectly workable. The inscriptions are in High Cualli and you know the alphabet well enough to copy it down.
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Deliste said:
The knife and bark that the QM specifically said we could use?
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Ah thank you. Still, what the QM mentioned was copying the writing itself and was highly specific. I was thinking of something much more elaborate though given the vote says "take detailed engravings of everything you see"; that is very different from just carving the writing into some wood.
 
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I took Deliste's wording. I assumed it was never meant to be more than text.

I suppose it could be clarified that we only mean the inscriptions.
 
[X] Take detailed engravings of all the inscriptions we can see from a safe distance and a more generalised layout for reference.
-[X] Explore the rest of the cave not inhabited by Fire Sprites.

Because more than the inscriptions actually does seem like a good idea.
 
There is actually nothing else to explore. The cave has only this one entrance and all paths in the ruins, except the one you stand in, have collapsed.
 
Azel said:
DC 150 (Base) + 30 (Recent Fire Experience) = 180
vs.
1d100 + 50 (Intelligence) + 50 (Charisma) + 60 (Spirit Talking) = 1d100 + 160
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This also says to me it'd be wise to just be patient. There's no need to risk failing something, if we can come back and not have the DC be increased by +30 and thus auto pass it.
 
Note that the area is currently pacified because the area has not yet adjusted to the loss of an apex predator. Other stuff will move in soon after we leave.
 
[X] Take detailed engravings of all the inscriptions we can see from a safe distance and a more generalised layout for reference.
-[X] Explore the ruins further (Spirit Talking to walk among the Fire Sprites unharmed)
--[X] Xochi
---[X] Go alone.
--[X] Direction
---[X] Take the left door.

I think we should still do what we can before we maybe have to run for our lives, taking one of the side doors seems safer, less vulnerable on the other side as we can tell our left will be blocked by terrain so at a minimum not surrounded/encircled.
 
[X] Take detailed engravings of all the inscriptions we can see from a safe distance and a more generalised layout for reference.
-[X] Explore the rest of the cave not inhabited by Fire Sprites.
 
[X] Take detailed engravings of all the inscriptions we can see from a safe distance and a more generalised layout for reference.
-[X] Explore the rest of the cave not inhabited by Fire Sprites.
 
Tomcost said:
LOLNOPE

Can we not go suicidal? Please?
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Nevill said:
[X] Take detailed engravings of all the inscriptions we can see from a safe distance and a more generalised layout for reference.
-[X] Explore the rest of the cave not inhabited by Fire Sprites.

Every time I try to warn that spirits aren't something to toy with, every time we are a die roll away from Bad End, we are getting away with it with a slap on the wrist. A few encounters like that, and I may be swayed to the YOLOpath, but for now I will postpone experimenting with spirits and our luck until we get a proper training in these matters.
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You are taking these spirits more seriouslythan the fleshweaver, althought Fleshy (yey!) was a violent killer and these guys will only attack if spooked. They can even be touched without problem! So, since we only need to overcome fear to loose this 30 in difficulty and auto succeed, @Azel is it possible for us to spend some time near the door, just interacting with these spirits to overcome fear?
 
Nevill said:
You must have confused me with someone else.

I am taking spirits as spirits, extremely dangerous and unpredictable beings that should not be toyed with if you can help it.
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Well, isn't this the demons that have been told before? Spirits are more alike "supernatural" animals. Take these sprites now, they are mostly like fireflies, only they burn harder, so not that dangerous. I agree that we shouldn't mess with unknown spirits or dangerous ones, but we have IC knowledge that people have touched these ones without any problem, and our chances of angering them are null after we surpass our temporary fear of fire.
 
MTB said:
So, how does a shaman learn?
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Through oral tradition, I imagine, as well as experience, since they get the dubious honor of 'you deal with this, you are the shaman here!' If they live, they get to pass the knowledge down.

I've noticed that Mahuizo had precious few interactions with the spirits besides giving them offerings... an act for which he wasn't even present. The other one we know he had had claimed the life of his apprentice.
Metrux said:
Take these sprites now, they are mostly like fireflies, only they burn harder, so not that dangerous.
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I've not heard of anyone burned to death by fireflies. These guys have it in their description.

We seem to have different definitions of what counts as 'dangerous'.
 
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