- Location
- Brazil
That works, too.
It's good to be the shaman, eh? "Or, sure I will carry my bow, let me leave this life-saving medicine behind."
Shadows of the Past
- Thread starter Azel
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
It's good to be the shaman, eh? "Or, sure I will carry my bow, let me leave this life-saving medicine behind."
Metrux
Gentle Demon Lord
- Location
- Brasil
He meant to carry OUR bow, not his own :B
Would you actually trust him with our bow?
Metrux
Gentle Demon Lord
- Location
- Brasil
That IS actually a good question... After all, he seemed not that bright and even a little clumsy, so he could be involved in accidents...
Prologue 8: Much To See
- Location
- Germany
It is with great fondness that you return to the ruins on this day. It took a bit of convincing before Mahuizo agreed to your request, especially after the fight with Manauia. Once you had been able to walk under your own power again, he had made you do the less pleasant tasks for a good month, while Atl got his regular lessons. You suspect he also got his introduction into alchemy in that time by how excited he was one morning despite looking as if he hadn't caught a whiff of sleep. Good for him. Despite the rather unflattering first impressions, you couldn't claim that he was incompetent. He took a bit longer for his lessons than you, but he was always trying his best and it showed these days.
It was his appeal that finally got you your masters permission to go into the ruins. "If you forbid it, she will probably do it anyway and we won't know when to pick her up to haul her home." That was not really a flattering way to put it, but it did get you his approval in the end. Manauia—it was still strange to think about her with that name instead of just the generic label of huntress—hadn't said anything on the matter. That kind of amounted to a hearty agreement, since she probably would have objected rather loudly if she thought you were getting in over your head.
Admittedly, your work today was a bit sloppy. You were running the descriptions of the places and directions to them through your head over and over again, imagining all kinds of interesting things to find there. While the shaman had been coming to these ruins for longer than you lived, he always steered away from certain areas. Either because there was nothing in the way of herbs that was interesting for him or because he had seen signs of spirit activity in those places. As you sat on a stone bench next to the other members of your little family and wolfed down half a papaya you had picked on the way and some meat, you carefully thought about all that you had heard.
Where do you wish to go?
[] [Location] The Palace
While immediately visible with the great stone obelisk and the palace proper rising above all the other ruins, neither Mahuizo nor Manauia have ventured there. The spirits of the ancestors are said to haunt these halls in the old legends and neither of them saw any reason to test how true they are.
[] [Location] The Catacombs
All over the city, you can find pits and crevices leading down into collapsed cellars and chambers. Some of them seem to be connected and there is no telling how large the subterranean maze might be. Your master warns about the spirits haunting these forgotten halls.
[] [Location] The Warrior's Compound
No one knows what this building was before the Fall, but the walls are adorned with pictures of men and woman garbed in metal armor fighting each other, so it's usually assumed to be a warriors building. Manauia has often found tracks leading to this estate, but rarely any that have led back again.
[] [Location] The Serpent's Home
A small building by the measure of the other mansions on your list and also probably the most eerie. The building is still largely intact and decorations depicting a great snake encircling it gave it its name. At night, there is always light in one of the upper windows, but of the wrong color to be from a torch. Legends say that the spirits of the ancestors can be heard near this place if one listens closely.
[] [Location] The Temple
A building of steeped design like the main palace, but much smaller. It's thought to have been a temple to the gods in times past. Soot still clings to its warped stone from whatever calamity was its undoing, and while the upper layers have collapsed entirely, the small pile of rubble left behind makes you suspect large catacombs beneath it.
[] [Location] The Granaries
Of the once-great domes that mark this complex, only a single one has not collapsed by now. A decent-sized compound surrounds these large structures and the farmers apparently identified it as a granary when told about the place. Certainly not as interesting as some of the other places, but neither Mahuizoh nor Manauia have any stories to share about it being dangerous.
Do you want to do any last minute preparations?
[] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
[] [Preparations] Write-In
AN: A bit of a filler chapter, but it would have been silly to let you roll on the random table for a location when you've known this place for years.
It was his appeal that finally got you your masters permission to go into the ruins. "If you forbid it, she will probably do it anyway and we won't know when to pick her up to haul her home." That was not really a flattering way to put it, but it did get you his approval in the end. Manauia—it was still strange to think about her with that name instead of just the generic label of huntress—hadn't said anything on the matter. That kind of amounted to a hearty agreement, since she probably would have objected rather loudly if she thought you were getting in over your head.
Admittedly, your work today was a bit sloppy. You were running the descriptions of the places and directions to them through your head over and over again, imagining all kinds of interesting things to find there. While the shaman had been coming to these ruins for longer than you lived, he always steered away from certain areas. Either because there was nothing in the way of herbs that was interesting for him or because he had seen signs of spirit activity in those places. As you sat on a stone bench next to the other members of your little family and wolfed down half a papaya you had picked on the way and some meat, you carefully thought about all that you had heard.
Where do you wish to go?
[] [Location] The Palace
While immediately visible with the great stone obelisk and the palace proper rising above all the other ruins, neither Mahuizo nor Manauia have ventured there. The spirits of the ancestors are said to haunt these halls in the old legends and neither of them saw any reason to test how true they are.
[] [Location] The Catacombs
All over the city, you can find pits and crevices leading down into collapsed cellars and chambers. Some of them seem to be connected and there is no telling how large the subterranean maze might be. Your master warns about the spirits haunting these forgotten halls.
[] [Location] The Warrior's Compound
No one knows what this building was before the Fall, but the walls are adorned with pictures of men and woman garbed in metal armor fighting each other, so it's usually assumed to be a warriors building. Manauia has often found tracks leading to this estate, but rarely any that have led back again.
[] [Location] The Serpent's Home
A small building by the measure of the other mansions on your list and also probably the most eerie. The building is still largely intact and decorations depicting a great snake encircling it gave it its name. At night, there is always light in one of the upper windows, but of the wrong color to be from a torch. Legends say that the spirits of the ancestors can be heard near this place if one listens closely.
[] [Location] The Temple
A building of steeped design like the main palace, but much smaller. It's thought to have been a temple to the gods in times past. Soot still clings to its warped stone from whatever calamity was its undoing, and while the upper layers have collapsed entirely, the small pile of rubble left behind makes you suspect large catacombs beneath it.
[] [Location] The Granaries
Of the once-great domes that mark this complex, only a single one has not collapsed by now. A decent-sized compound surrounds these large structures and the farmers apparently identified it as a granary when told about the place. Certainly not as interesting as some of the other places, but neither Mahuizoh nor Manauia have any stories to share about it being dangerous.
Do you want to do any last minute preparations?
[] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
[] [Preparations] Write-In
AN: A bit of a filler chapter, but it would have been silly to let you roll on the random table for a location when you've known this place for years.
- Location
- United States
@Azel, what kinds of tracks are we talking about here? Human tracks? Animal tracks? Other?
And if we're talking about animal tracks, what kind of animal?
[X] [Location] The Warrior's Compound
It is leaves tracks then it can probably be stabbed and poisoned. On that note:
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
It is leaves tracks then it can probably be stabbed and poisoned. On that note:
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
Metrux
Gentle Demon Lord
- Location
- Brasil
[X] [Location] The Serpent's Home
A small building by the measure of the other mansions on your list and also probably the most eerie. The building is still largely intact and decorations depicting a great snake encircling it gave it its name. At night, there is always light in one of the upper windows, but of the wrong color to be from a torch. Legends say that the spirits of the ancestors can be heard near this place if one listens closely.
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
So, no reason to NOT poison our dagger... About the Serpent's Home, I just feel like it is a good starting point. Not much chance of danger, chance of getting answers or spirit contact, so we could be even better prepared for other parts of the ruins.
A small building by the measure of the other mansions on your list and also probably the most eerie. The building is still largely intact and decorations depicting a great snake encircling it gave it its name. At night, there is always light in one of the upper windows, but of the wrong color to be from a torch. Legends say that the spirits of the ancestors can be heard near this place if one listens closely.
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
So, no reason to NOT poison our dagger... About the Serpent's Home, I just feel like it is a good starting point. Not much chance of danger, chance of getting answers or spirit contact, so we could be even better prepared for other parts of the ruins.
- Location
- United States
Not to mention that we'll almost certainly find some metal in here. But that aside, we have a vial of Jungle's Scent that can mask our approach for a full five hours so we don't immediately alert whatever beast lives down there. I'd say now's a good time to use it.
[X] [Location] The Warrior's Compound
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
-[X] [Preparations] Use Jungle's Scent to help mask your approach into the ruins
- Location
- Germany
Wolves mostly and a few smaller animals. No human tracks.
[X] [Location] The Warrior's Compound
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
-[X] [Preparations] Use Jungle's Scent to help mask your approach into the ruins
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
-[X] [Preparations] Use Jungle's Scent to help mask your approach into the ruins
- Location
- United States
[] [Location] The Palace
While immediately visible with the great stone obelisk and the palace proper rising above all the other ruins, neither Mahuizo nor Manauia have ventured there. The spirits of the ancestors are said to haunt these halls in the old legends and neither of them saw any reason to test how true they are.
Spirits or undead or other things we have no way of fighting. Fantastic loot, but definitely more than we can handle at our level. Basically the "I wish to die today" option.
[] [Location] The Catacombs
All over the city, you can find pits and crevices leading down into collapsed cellars and chambers. Some of them seem to be connected and there is no telling how large the subterranean maze might be. Your master warns about the spirits haunting these forgotten halls.
Explicit warning from our master about spirits, and we know nothing but metal can harm spirits, and we have no metal.
[] [Location] The Warrior's Compound
No one knows what this building was before the Fall, but the walls are adorned with pictures of men and woman garbed in metal armor fighting each other, so it's usually assumed to be a warriors building. Manauia has often found tracks leading to this estate, but rarely any that have led back again.
Animal rather than spirits, which is far more reassuring. Also far greater chance at finding metal of some kind which we can either add to our tool kit or trade off for other things. Definitely my favorite option.
[] [Location] The Serpent's Home
A small building by the measure of the other mansions on your list and also probably the most eerie. The building is still largely intact and decorations depicting a great snake encircling it gave it its name. At night, there is always light in one of the upper windows, but of the wrong color to be from a torch. Legends say that the spirits of the ancestors can be heard near this place if one listens closely.
Spirit activity for sure, I automatically don't like it. Could be great loot there, maybe even ancient magic if we're lucky, but I really hate the idea of facing off against spirits when we have no way of combating them or even fleeing in good order.
[] [Location] The Temple
A building of steeped design like the main palace, but much smaller. It's thought to have been a temple to the gods in times past. Soot still clings to its warped stone from whatever calamity was its undoing, and while the upper layers have collapsed entirely, the small pile of rubble left behind makes you suspect large catacombs beneath it.
Ooh, a genuine temple. Maybe some old writings still survive here. Religious artifacts too, before our people started paying respect to the spirits after they wrecked our empire. I wonder what gods we had. I still want to go after the metal in the Warrior's Compound, but this is a close second.
[] [Location] The Granaries
Of the once-great domes that mark this complex, only a single one has not collapsed by now. A decent-sized compound surrounds these large structures and the farmers apparently identified it as a granary when told about the place. Certainly not as interesting as some of the other places, but neither Mahuizoh nor Manauia have any stories to share about it being dangerous.
Least dangerous of all the options, but also the most "meh". It's basically a waste of our dungeon-delving expedition we've been building up to this entire quest unless we're super lucky with a loot roll or an encounter roll that leads to a loot roll.
While immediately visible with the great stone obelisk and the palace proper rising above all the other ruins, neither Mahuizo nor Manauia have ventured there. The spirits of the ancestors are said to haunt these halls in the old legends and neither of them saw any reason to test how true they are.
Spirits or undead or other things we have no way of fighting. Fantastic loot, but definitely more than we can handle at our level. Basically the "I wish to die today" option.
[] [Location] The Catacombs
All over the city, you can find pits and crevices leading down into collapsed cellars and chambers. Some of them seem to be connected and there is no telling how large the subterranean maze might be. Your master warns about the spirits haunting these forgotten halls.
Explicit warning from our master about spirits, and we know nothing but metal can harm spirits, and we have no metal.
[] [Location] The Warrior's Compound
No one knows what this building was before the Fall, but the walls are adorned with pictures of men and woman garbed in metal armor fighting each other, so it's usually assumed to be a warriors building. Manauia has often found tracks leading to this estate, but rarely any that have led back again.
Animal rather than spirits, which is far more reassuring. Also far greater chance at finding metal of some kind which we can either add to our tool kit or trade off for other things. Definitely my favorite option.
[] [Location] The Serpent's Home
A small building by the measure of the other mansions on your list and also probably the most eerie. The building is still largely intact and decorations depicting a great snake encircling it gave it its name. At night, there is always light in one of the upper windows, but of the wrong color to be from a torch. Legends say that the spirits of the ancestors can be heard near this place if one listens closely.
Spirit activity for sure, I automatically don't like it. Could be great loot there, maybe even ancient magic if we're lucky, but I really hate the idea of facing off against spirits when we have no way of combating them or even fleeing in good order.
[] [Location] The Temple
A building of steeped design like the main palace, but much smaller. It's thought to have been a temple to the gods in times past. Soot still clings to its warped stone from whatever calamity was its undoing, and while the upper layers have collapsed entirely, the small pile of rubble left behind makes you suspect large catacombs beneath it.
Ooh, a genuine temple. Maybe some old writings still survive here. Religious artifacts too, before our people started paying respect to the spirits after they wrecked our empire. I wonder what gods we had. I still want to go after the metal in the Warrior's Compound, but this is a close second.
[] [Location] The Granaries
Of the once-great domes that mark this complex, only a single one has not collapsed by now. A decent-sized compound surrounds these large structures and the farmers apparently identified it as a granary when told about the place. Certainly not as interesting as some of the other places, but neither Mahuizoh nor Manauia have any stories to share about it being dangerous.
Least dangerous of all the options, but also the most "meh". It's basically a waste of our dungeon-delving expedition we've been building up to this entire quest unless we're super lucky with a loot roll or an encounter roll that leads to a loot roll.
Metrux
Gentle Demon Lord
- Location
- Brasil
In reality, we don't know what we'll find there. There are animal tracks going IN some of the time, but never out. Why? I really think it's not something nice that we can fight off, and since NONE of the various animals who entered got out, this danger probably has a way of keeping us inside.
The thing here is there is no danger expressed by neither of our teachers, and yet there are legends, which means tales passed from people to people, that tell of hearing the acestors, which then means people have come here before, and even left without any problem, just "hearing the ancestors". So it seems WAY safer, and we can gain knowledge for the others, the supposedly warrior's place as well (we don't even know if it really IS acompound for warrior's)
- Location
- Brazil
[X] [Location] The Warrior's Compound
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
-[X] [Preparations] Use Jungle's Scent to help mask your approach into the ruins
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
-[X] [Preparations] Use Jungle's Scent to help mask your approach into the ruins
- Location
- Germany
[X] [Location] The Warrior's Compound
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
-[X] [Preparations] Use Jungle's Scent to help mask your approach into the ruins
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
-[X] [Preparations] Use Jungle's Scent to help mask your approach into the ruins
- Location
- United States
Fair, but you're wrong about the "NONE of the various animals who entered got out". It's most, not all. Definitely not a certain death scenario here.
Even if there's no warning from our teachers, there's an IC warning that it's the most eerie of all the options. That in of itself has my hackles raised. If you don't want to go in the Warrior's Compound, fine, but that certainly doesn't make the Serpent House safe. People may have heard the "ancestors" while near the house and walked away, but how many of them explicitly waltzed into the house to search for loot? That seemingly benevolent light could quickly turn hostile.
Either way I still want to go to the Warrior's compound. That metal loot beckons.
- Location
- Russia
- Pronouns
- He
[X] [Location] The Warrior's Compound
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
-[X] [Preparations] Use Jungle's Scent to help mask your approach into the ruins
Probably better to use the masking scent beforehand. During our exit it would be less useful, because if we are fleeing the ruins, we would get spotted not only by the scent.
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
-[X] [Preparations] Use Jungle's Scent to help mask your approach into the ruins
Probably better to use the masking scent beforehand. During our exit it would be less useful, because if we are fleeing the ruins, we would get spotted not only by the scent.
- Location
- Argentina
[X] [Location] The Warrior's Compound
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
-[X] [Preparations] Use Jungle's Scent to help mask your approach into the ruins
@Azel , for what I managed to understand from the system, we auto-succeed in the DC 150 Herbalism check, right?
3 ranks in herbalism: +60
7 Dexterity: +70
5 Intelligence: +50
Total: +180 to herbalism.
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
-[X] [Preparations] Use Jungle's Scent to help mask your approach into the ruins
@Azel , for what I managed to understand from the system, we auto-succeed in the DC 150 Herbalism check, right?
3 ranks in herbalism: +60
7 Dexterity: +70
5 Intelligence: +50
Total: +180 to herbalism.
- Location
- Germany
Yep. The check just changes to quality of the product, which makes it cling to the blade longer and makes it harder to resist.
Edit: And you forgot +15 from the 'Living of the Land' trait.
Edit 2: By the way, you usually don't want to fail checks to make poisons.
Last edited:
Metrux
Gentle Demon Lord
- Location
- Brasil
I seem to have missread, yeah, there are comebacks. This makes it safer, but still a pretty dangerous place, all accounted. To me it seems like the living place of something dangerous, and that the ones that leave haven't found or been found, maybe because of big sleep cicles or something? Just a guess, but my thoughts on what's there.
We are a shaman apprentice, we deal with eerie spirits that people fear will kill them the moment they meet. We already fed spirits, and we know they are mostly animalistic, so one more human-like seems easier to handle. Besides, why must we go there explicitly to loot? My idea is information gathering, I don't even think there are such treasures in the place, just the chance to learn new things, thus why would we anger the spirit instead of just speaking with him?
- Location
- Argentina
Allow me to introduce you to Duesal. We nicknamed him the Magpie Knight in another thread because of his impulsive looting behaviour. You won't make him budge from the possibility of sweet loot.
- Location
- United States
Blasphemy!
Jokes aside, my ultimate goal for this quest is to reclaim every bit of lost knowledge from the old empire and slowly empower our people. To do that we need a combination of lore (which you're after) and the loot to go with it.
And as for there not being loot at all, I'd say there's a fair possibility of there being a few things to be found. Our civilization was shattered by the spirits and ever since then most sensible people have avoided the ruins and the spirits. Are there other dungeon delvers? For sure. But definitely not too many, and they can't have stripped the place completely bare.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] [Location] The Serpent's Home
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)
[X] [Preparations] Poison your dagger with Curare (Herbalism Check, DC 150)