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Mare Internum: An Exalted Quest

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Thor's Twin said:
We should find that tree, or its remains, and use it for the camp's furnaces. Let it be a reminder to all other trees of the price of untrustworthiness and being traitorous.
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Let us not be hasty. Can poison not spread through smoke?
No, clearly we should find the remains and dispose of them quickly, before their treachery poisons the rest of the camp.
 
Calling this noble substance a poison and not a drug feels like slander! The tree just helped us get high, we should be thanking it.
 
[X] I think she was trying to help.

Implying that Fincher can do wrong? That's not scientifically possible. Just ask Sagacity.
 
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For A Better World 61
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    • Vocalend said:
    [X] I think she was trying to help.
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    "I think she was trying to help."

    REFLECTION: "By poisoning you?"

    "Yeah."

    With your conversation concluded, you finish up in the bath and remove yourself from it.

    You dry yourself as best you can with the bundle of cotton cloth left beside the tub. You note that the whole left side of your torso is a pale, unhealthy purple from where you were struck with a burning log during your fight. You're lucky your ribs weren't crushed by the impact. Maybe you have the jade bone inserts Fincher mentioned to thank for that.

    The bundle of clothes Iris provided includes your britches, gambeson and swordbelt, plus a lightweight knee-length linen tunic and a pair of heavy wooden sandals. You dress yourself as best you can; the swelling in your left hand has gone down so you can use it more or less as well as before. However, the sleeve of your gambeson will not fit over the forearm cast. You'll have to carry it. It's pretty heavy and cumbersome when its weight isn't properly distributed as intended.

    You pass the monks on your way out. The patient is pale, with a bluish tint, and his breathing is shallow and rapid. The monks appear to have finished their work and are offering prayers.

    SAGACITY: VERY DIFFICULT
    6 2
    CHECK PASSED

    SAGACITY: The perforation is not significant enough to cause heart failure but the blood pooling in the chest has already collapsed his lung. He will die soon. There is nothing you can do. Even if you had administered to him immediately during the battle, it's unlikely you could have saved him.

    INTEGRITY: It's not exactly an encouraging beginning to your new duties, but the knowledge that you couldn't have done anything differently makes it a little easier, somehow.

    "What's his name?"

    MONK: "It's Stone. It won't be long now."

    Better luck next time, Stone.

    With nothing more to do here, you leave the tent.

    Your first thought is that night has somehow fallen since you enterered the tent mid-morning. But no, it is only Rooster, blocking your light.

    ROOSTER: "Hello!"

    He looks a little rough, though nowhere near as bad as the reflection. He sports a black eye and has a bandage around his forehead. He's wearing an enormous steel breastplate that looks like it could double as a temple bell. It's got a few dents in it.

    "Hi Rooster. What happened to you?"

    ROOSTER: "I got into a fight with a, uh, a zombie, I guess? It was real strong. What happened to you?"

    "Yeah, that happened to me as well."

    ROOSTER: "I heard! That's why I'm here. Dragonlord Mei said I have you to thank for the backup arriving."

    "She said that?"

    ROOSTER: "Well, she said "that fucking end table" but I think she was talking about you, no offense."

    "I don't even know how to take offense to that."

    ROOSTER: "Anyway, I wanted to come and say thank you and check you were doing okay! The dragonlord said you were naked so I thought I should wait outside."

    "Well, you're welcome. Thank you for the finger." you hold it up to show him.

    ROOSTER: "I'm glad you like it!" he beams.

    "So you're allowed to talk to me now?"

    ROOSTER: "Well, the dragonlord didn't object when she met me just now, so I guess it's fine?"

    "She seems to be in a good mood."

    ROOSTER: "Do you think so?" he thinks about this. "Yeah, I guess, maybe."

    "So what are you doing now?"

    ROOSTER: "Oh, the dragonlord gave me the morning off to recover. It's just a little bruising, but she insisted. I think she gets a bit protective about me."

    [ ] You want to hang out? I've got a couple of hours.
    [ ] Good to see you're okay, I'll talk to you later.
     
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    • Orbmorb said:
    This feels like a reference I'm not getting, but it's a great insult regardless
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    It's not a reference, I just have a low-key running gag of Mei using nonsensical insults when she gets angry. So far she has called you an end table, a candlestick, said you have "a moron's face" and said she wouldn't help you even if you had a magic coat with sleeves that could shoot truffles.

    (That last one was a reference but I think it stands on its own)
     
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    For A Better World 62
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    • Krecart said:
    [X] You want to hang out? I've got a couple of hours.
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    "You want to hang out? I've got a couple of hours."

    Rooster breaks into a grin.

    ROOSTER: "Sure I do! Oh, let me carry that for you."

    He reaches down to hold a platter-sized hand in front of you. You pass the heavy gambeson to him. He holds it up to examine it.

    PHYSIQUE: SO BIG

    ROOSTER: "Hey, this is pretty good work! Where did you get it?"

    "It was in a box of my stuff. I don't know how it got there."

    CRAFT: Speaking of which, we should probably look through the rest of that stuff at some point.

    ROOSTER: "Oh, right, the memory thing. Hmm." He looks it over from various angles. "You know, I could probably make you some heavier armour to fit over and around this, if you wanted."

    "Do I need more armour?"

    ROOSTER: "Well..." he gestures down at you. "You probably wouldn't have taken that leg wound if you had a decent pair of greaves. What's that, a spear?"

    "Arrow."

    He nods.

    ROOSTER: "Never hurts to have some decent protection. Better the armour gets dinged than you do."

    "I'll keep that in mind."

    ROOSTER: "So where do you want to go?"

    PHYSIQUE: ASK FOR HELP GETTING BIG

    [ ] Want to help me look through my stuff?
    [ ] Can you help me exercise?
    [ ] Maybe we could go for a walk somewhere.
    [ ] I don't know, what do you want to do?
     
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    • For A Better World 63
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    • Walker said:
    [X] Want to help me look through my stuff?
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    "Want to help me look through my stuff?"

    ROOSTER: "Sure! Where is it?"

    "I left it in Logris' tent."

    ROOSTER: "Oh, the navy lady? I know where that is."

    He sets off northwards past the rows of tents. He's not walking particularly fast, but he has very long legs, so you have to jog to keep up.

    ROOSTER: "Say, did you get into some sort of trouble last night? You were sleeping awfully late in there."

    "Did nobody tell you?"

    ROOSTER: "Tell me what?"

    "I blew up a tree and got cut up pretty bad."

    ROOSTER: "What? Why did you do something like that?"

    "Uh..."

    [ ] Fincher drugged me.
    [ ] I was training.
    [ ] I can't remember why.
    [ ] That tree had it coming.
     
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    • For A Better World 64
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    • dpara said:
    [X] That tree had it coming.
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    "That tree had it coming."

    ROOSTER: "Oh. I'm sure you know what you're doing."

    "I'm glad you think so."

    ROOSTER: "Well, I'm glad you're okay now." he glances down at you. "I mean, relatively."

    You arrive at Logris' tent.

    "Hello?" you call into the covered entrance. "Anyone home?"

    There is a scuffling sound from inside. After a moment's silence, Cinnamon pulls back the cover.

    CINNAMON: "Oh, it's uhhhh-"

    She diverts her attention from you to look up at Rooster, wide eyed.

    "Cinnamon, this is Rooster, Rooster, Cinnamon."

    ROOSTER: "Hi! We already met, but I forgot to introduce myself, sorry."

    CINNAMON: "It's okay!" she squeaks. "Uh, how can I help you?"

    "Is Logris back yet?"

    Cinnamon shakes her head.

    "Can we come in? I want to take a look through my chest."

    Cinnamon is looking at Rooster's chest, apparently dazed.

    CINNAMON: "Your chest?"

    "The chest I left here? A couple of hours ago?"

    Cinnamon blushes.

    "Oh, yes, of course, please come in."

    She holds the tent cover open for you. You enter, and Rooster carefully squeezes himself through after you. It's a fairly spacious tent, but he takes up quite a lot of the interior space.

    CINNAMON: "Please, take a seat. Oh, but are you alright? You weren't that wounded when you left, were you?"

    "No, I got some new ones. I'm fine though."

    You head to the covered section of the tent and find your chest, just where you left it. Cinnamon has done some tidying up and changed the cover on the pallet you were sleeping on. With a little effort, you lift the chest by one of its end handles and drag it into the living area.

    ROOSTER: "Oh, that's a nice one. Varangian, maybe? They have an ebony wood like this down there, and they do a lot of fine mechanical stuff."

    Rooster is sitting cross legged near the entrance. You note with a sliver of satisfaction that you're a little taller than him when he's sitting down.

    CINNAMON: "Would you, uh, like some tea?"

    ROOSTER: "Oh, yes please!"

    "Sure, thanks. Hey Cinnamon, didn't you say Logris was going to be back soon?"

    She nods, busying herself with the tea preparation.

    CINNAMON: "She, uh, doesn't really tell me where she goes, so that was just a guess. I don't know when she's going to get back."

    [ ] Maybe we should look for her.
    [ ] I'll keep an eye out later, we've got stuff to look through.
     
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    • [X] I'll keep an eye out later, we've got stuff to look through.

    STUFF, THINGS, BIBBLES AND BOBBITS.
     
    [X] I'll keep an eye out later, we've got stuff to look through.

    Loot first.

    Bless Cinnamon, crushing on Rooster
     
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