Huh, yeah, OK, I am theoretically up for trying to extract a promise from a god, some kinda binding oath maybe to help solve our own or our team mates problems? I know someone who has a dad in dire need of being mauled to death.
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School of Sorcery
- Thread starter Chandagnac
- Start date
- Original
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
My thanks to everyone who has wished me a happy birthday. 
Despite my best efforts, Philander is the only one of Dorian's teammates you have seen in any depth. I have plans for sidequests and hidden depths for Isolia and Venta, but they will take time to reveal. Oh well, what else can I do? I'll keep chipping away at this, little by little.
I think your teammates' replies would be different from how you have portrayed them, but that's mainly because I have a version of them in my head which is probably quite different from how other people see them.
Despite my best efforts, Philander is the only one of Dorian's teammates you have seen in any depth. I have plans for sidequests and hidden depths for Isolia and Venta, but they will take time to reveal. Oh well, what else can I do? I'll keep chipping away at this, little by little.
You can do that if you want. Would you rather flee the tomb for now and come back later? Or ask Garanhedd some questions but not firmly commit to doing anything for him? Please let me know.
Heh. If I didn't want you to use out-of-character knowledge, I shouldn't have provided so much of it, lol.
How are you going to make sure that Garanhedd keeps his promise? If you get him to swear an oath, how can you make sure that oath will be binding?
I'd have figured this stuff was common knowledge XD
- Location
- Earth
I suppose I'm not super opposed to asking questions, but I don't see the point.
Any answers will have to be checked. Is rather jump straight to the checking of the available information in some library than getting a set of answers we already know we can't act on because they're untrustworthy.
Any answers will have to be checked. Is rather jump straight to the checking of the available information in some library than getting a set of answers we already know we can't act on because they're untrustworthy.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Pretty sure some of it was mentioned in character. The giant just told us about his association with the Pestilence Crew; Teryn is banned in the Empire because of his stance on soul mutilation and slavery, something that we seem to share as of the last update; and the Forgotten God was mentioned in the prior update as the god of reincarnation and renewal, not just a god of death. We are also in possession of Lissa's warding amulet, so we know and sympathize with at least some of the Seasons.Heh. If I didn't want you to use out-of-character knowledge, I shouldn't have provided so much of it, lol.
If the Seasons strike down your posse, the poster child for Responsible Necromancy (TM) assigns you eternal guard to keep you imprisoned, and the god of reincarnation doesn't want you around, you are probably at least a little south on the alignment scale.
I think the whole deal about being struck after getting drunk is this universe's take on a story about a plucky hero outwitting an ogre. In this sense, the giant's complaints are akin to Marquis of Carabas blaming Puss in Boots for tricking him into shapeshifting into a mouse.
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Kai Merah
Hound Hearted Hedonist
- Location
- Somewhere in the corners of my imagination
Nothing can be trusted now, but it's important to see what he says about himself so we can double check it. If what he tells us later turns out to be blatant lies, we know he's completely untrustworthy. If there's at least some truth, then there may be some room for negotiation, depending on what else we find out about him.
- Location
- Earth
I assumed he'd say something like "The information in books is half-truths, and from a certain point of view. I was just defending myself, as justified by blah blah blah weasel words." I guess it's possible he could say something readily refuted by publically available information, but that's not what I expect.
Either we can actually free him, or not. If we can, then he's not going to say much that we can use to prove to ourselves why we shouldn't, unless he's an idiot. He could be an idiot. I don't think that is the case, because then he wouldn't have been a threat back when he was alive. Therefore, I hypothesize that he's trying to talk because he thinks he can pull one over on us. I don't see a point to such a risk.
All that said, I don't think I'll change my current vote but if you want to make a vote for researching this in the library, remind me of this and I'll back you if I haven't already.
The explorer's guild is definitely gravely indifferent to the safety of its potential members. Everything we know about wizards, and especially these student wizards suggests so. if this was a gardening or astrology club quest I'd feel different.
[X] Agree to aid Garanhedd the giant in his resurrection. Assist your teammates in putting his (fake?) skeleton back together. Wait until his bones are "once more clothed in flesh" and then ask him for a reward.
I expect this to go badly. Possibly even for us since I can't think of a solid way to bind a Giant to a promise. However, there aren't many people in the area I care about, and there are a lot of people I'd be happy to see bad things happen to.
If the giant cheats us, we can ring the bell.
- Location
- Lost!
...Actually, now that I think of it: Can we go back and ring the bell instead of just running away? Or even just attach the bell to the incomplete skeleton/while we're rebuilding it? It might give us more bargaining space if we can give an actual threat to balance out not getting the boon/betrayal...
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
All right, I'll accept that. Very persuasive and well-reasoned.Pretty sure some of it was mentioned in character. The giant just told us about his association with the Pestilence Crew; Teryn is banned in the Empire because of his stance on soul mutilation and slavery, something that we seem to share as of the last update; and the Forgotten God was mentioned in the prior update as the god of reincarnation and renewal, not just a god of death. We are also in possession of Lissa's warding amulet, so we know and sympathize with at least some of the Seasons.
If the Seasons strike down your posse, the poster child for Responsible Necromancy (TM) assigns you eternal guard to keep you imprisoned, and the god of reincarnation doesn't want you around, you are probably at least a little south on the alignment scale.
I think the whole deal about being struck after getting drunk is this universe's take on a story about a plucky hero outwitting an ogre. In this sense, the giant's complaints are akin to Marquis of Carabas blaming Puss in Boots for tricking him into shapeshifting into a mouse.
Basically, yeah. I imagine that the Explorers and Archaeologists Society quests will be exciting and dangerous. Whereas the Gardening Club quests will be safe but relatively tedious.
I can add 'Ring the bell' to the list of vote options if you want. Moving the bell and/or attaching it to the skeleton will be a lot more difficult (the bell is fixed to the wall in a way that makes it extremely difficult to remove it).
Also, here's the vote tally so far.
EDIT: Vote closed. It looks like you're going to be asking Garanhedd some questions...
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Waking the Dead (Part Five)
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
Waking the Dead (Part Five)
'I want to ask you some more questions,' you say, folding your arms, glancing slightly upwards, and looking contemplative.
'By all means,' the dead giant replies.
'Are you familiar with demons?' you ask.
'In the early days, when the world was still under construction, I fought demons who sneaked into Creation and sought to tear it down from inside,' says Garanhedd. 'Or were you asking, "Do I know any demons personally?" The answer to that is no. Demons have e'er been my enemies: the enemies of everything that exists.'
'Um, right. Well… what about the previous intruders who broke into this tomb? Did you speak to them?'
'Ah, the archaeologists and explorers, or so they called themselves? An amusing bunch. Some of them seemed tempted by what I had to offer, but thought it a better use of their time to turn this sacred burial site into their personal playground.'
'How long ago was that?' you ask. 'And… would you mind telling me how many intruders you have seen over the years?'
'No, I don't mind. However…' There is a pause. 'I find it difficult to keep track of time. Perhaps they found this tomb a few years ago. Perhaps it was only yesterday. Whenever it was, it wasn't a long time ago. They were the first living people to visit me since the Forgotten God's priests interred me in this tomb with my eternal jailors.'
'By the way, we met some of your kobold friends. The Explorers and Archaeologists' Club brought them here to be part of their obstacle course.'
'Did they indeed? Was that an act of deliberate cruelty or just ignorance?' He sighs. The air shifts as though a hot breath of wind is gusting through the tomb. 'Nevertheless, I doubt they were any kobolds I knew. Kobolds are the spirits of little rocks and stones. There are plenty of stones. And how long does a stone last? They erode, they crack – their lives and hopes are dashed! – and they crumble to dust. They don't last forever. But there are always plenty more of them.'
You turn to glance at your teammates. 'What do you want to do?'
Venta purses her lips and maintains a carefully neutral expression. 'Can we discuss this outside, please?'
'Might be a good idea,' says Phil, raising an apprehensive eyebrow. 'What do you think, Dory?'
'All right, we'll discuss this outside.' Squinting at Garanhedd's skull, you ask, 'It's not like we need to give you an answer right now, is it?'
'I'm not going anywhere,' he replies.
Before you go, you grab the sextant-shaped cloak pin from where it sits on top of the king's sarcophagus. Leaving the main burial chamber, you return to the room where a flimsy wooden plank is a bridge over a murky pool, in which sickly tentacle monsters sluggishly swim.
'What do you want to say, Venta?' you ask her.
'I suspect that this is another test. The Explorers and Archaeologists' Club deliberately left Garanhedd where he was, as a test for new members, to see what we would do with him,' she says.
'Why do you think they did that?' asks Phil.
'Because they're cruel and selfish and they'd think it was funny if we revived an ancient evil with a grudge against humanity?' she guesses. 'I don't know, what do you think?'
'Is Garanhedd an "ancient evil"?' you ask, frowning. 'He seems friendly enough.'
'Yes, I noticed that. He was polite, friendly, and relatively soft-spoken; he had a sob story to tell and he offered a wonderful reward to each of us if only we would free him.' Venta takes a deep breath. 'However, none of that makes him a good person. Perhaps the Wranni coveted his land, perhaps they had another reason to want to kill him, but there must have been a reason why some of the noblest and kindest gods in Creation – the Forgotten God, Lissa, Strashan, and so on – took against him. They wouldn't have sealed him in an underground prison for thousands of years unless there was some reason for it. What was that? What isn't he telling us? What would his guards say if we asked them about him?'
'Well, there's a way we can find out,' you say, with a meaningful glance into the next room, where the corroded brass bell is hanging from the wall.
'What do you think, Isolia?' asks Phil. 'You've been very quiet.'
'I… um, I don't really have an opinion. I'm feeling overwhelmed by all this,' she admits. 'I mean… gods, demons, ancient tombs where the undead lie sleeping… I never expected to have deal with any of this stuff. At least not yet. Whatever next?'
'And you, Phil?' you ask, turning to him. 'Do you have an opinion on this?'
His smile is edged with malice. 'Oh, I would love to revive Garanhedd and ask him to kill my old man. But I understand why it might not be a good idea. What if he decides that he wants his ancient kingdom back? What would that mean for the people of Tyrepheum and surrounding lands? And what if he's lying to us to convince us to do his bidding? We've only got his word for it that anything he has said is true.'
'So, we're agreed,' you say with a nod. 'We need more information."
What do you decide to do next? (Choose one)
[] Ring the bell. Rouse Garanhedd's undead guardians. Ask them for their side of the story.
[] Leave the tomb. Confront Simony Bidwell and demand an explanation.
[] Do something else (write in).
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- Location
- Earth
Hmm
Might as well get the other side of things.
[] Ring the bell. Rouse Garanhedd's undead guardians. Ask them for their side of the story.
On the paranoid side of things, could we actually tell if this is all faked up? Some kind of magical special effects? The explorer's guild found an old tomb that was empty and set this up?
Edit
I changed my mind
[X] Leave the tomb. Confront Simony Bidwell and demand an explanation.
Might as well get the other side of things.
[] Ring the bell. Rouse Garanhedd's undead guardians. Ask them for their side of the story.
On the paranoid side of things, could we actually tell if this is all faked up? Some kind of magical special effects? The explorer's guild found an old tomb that was empty and set this up?
Edit
I changed my mind
[X] Leave the tomb. Confront Simony Bidwell and demand an explanation.
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ImperatorV
The Laughing One
- Location
- The Voyaging Realm
[X] Ring the bell. Rouse Garanhedd's undead guardians. Ask them for their side of the story.
This seems like a sensible option. We can compare the two stories and perhaps figure out what the truth is.
This seems like a sensible option. We can compare the two stories and perhaps figure out what the truth is.
Kai Merah
Hound Hearted Hedonist
- Location
- Somewhere in the corners of my imagination
[X] Leave the tomb. Confront Simony Bidwell and demand an explanation.
There is no way I want to summon an army of undead and suggest to them I might in any way be swayed by their ancient enemy. They'll kill us rather than let us leave on the off chance we might let their prisoner escape.
There is no way I want to summon an army of undead and suggest to them I might in any way be swayed by their ancient enemy. They'll kill us rather than let us leave on the off chance we might let their prisoner escape.
[X] Leave the tomb. Confront Simony Bidwell and demand an explanation.
I don't trust the ghost warriors with the children's safety.
I don't trust the ghost warriors with the children's safety.
- Location
- Lost!
[X] Ring the bell. Rouse Garanhedd's undead guardians. Ask them for their side of the story.
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
It's a possibility.
Elys Allardyne*: "Weird. It's always worked out for me."
*From my older quest, Tinpot Princess.
Anyway, I'm glad that the current dilemma has sparked some interesting discussion among voters. I was afraid that it wouldn't. Looking at the vote tally, it seems that this option is currently in the lead: "Ring the bell. Rouse Garanhedd's undead guardians. Ask them for their side of the story."
I'm going to leave the vote open for a while longer, just to give people a chance to vote if they haven't already.
Kai Merah
Hound Hearted Hedonist
- Location
- Somewhere in the corners of my imagination
I really don't understand why people are so gung ho about summoning undead who might murder us. Really, just why wouldn't they try to murder us? Can we offer even a single reason for them not to? It's not like they'd need our help to keep the guy more imprisoned.
