- Location
- Bretonnia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Sounds good to me.
NorseQuest (A Norse Xianxia)
- Thread starter I.F. Ister
- Start date
- Original Fantasy Action
-
- Tags
- norse mythology (mythology) original xianxia cultivation western cultivation ask sirihand did your mother tell you anything? discussion pleases yggdrasil farming gloating gets people killed granary management hubris is a coward's word you will die norsemen do not die when they are killed the qm has a bad memory the qm is bad at math viking courtroom drama (legal drama) vikings
Sounds good to me.
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
- Pronouns
- He/They
I'm going to say not really, as that would quickly get confusing and I doubt my ability to remember that. However, if you make a point to say that you're using in EWC in tandem with another move, then it would come out faster (with the additional cost, of course)
- Location
- France
[X] Accept the aid of the svartalfar and Cathki joins your party, for a short while at least
- Location
- Space between realms
- Pronouns
- He
[X] Accept the aid of the svartalfar and Cathki joins your party, for a short while at least
Is there anyone who objects to accepting? We did well on the check so why not?
Is there anyone who objects to accepting? We did well on the check so why not?
DangerKitty
shoddy writter
- Location
- lala land
[X] Accept the aid of the svartalfar and Cathki joins your party, for a short while at least
Omegahugger
Inattentive Idiot
[X] Accept the aid of the svartalfar and Cathki joins your party, for a short while at least
Not saying no to hot elf-bugs.
Not saying no to hot elf-bugs.
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
- Pronouns
- He/They
alright, voting is now closed
[X] Accept the aid of the svartalfar and Cathki joins your party, for a short while at least
Svartalfar huscarl questline progress: 1/??
This should be fun!
The pacing has been fine so far, I've really been enjoying it. This quest's combat system and approach to adventuring benefits from a slightly more zoomed in approach where players can decide how to approach encounters, I think.
The only constructive criticism I'd give is that sometimes there have been votes which have felt a bit like foregone conclusions? Like this one, or the vote over whether we'd go for the selfish/legacy boons, or a few others which escape me right now. In those instances I'd recommend either changing up the options, or speeding ahead until you reach another decision point.
Obviously this is complicated because of how often QMs will be surprised by votes they expected to be quite contentious having players all landslide in one direction (@Cetashwayo has some funny stories about this from Magna Graecia), but as a general principle I think it helps.
Svartalfar huscarl questline progress: 1/??
This should be fun!
The pacing has been fine so far, I've really been enjoying it. This quest's combat system and approach to adventuring benefits from a slightly more zoomed in approach where players can decide how to approach encounters, I think.
The only constructive criticism I'd give is that sometimes there have been votes which have felt a bit like foregone conclusions? Like this one, or the vote over whether we'd go for the selfish/legacy boons, or a few others which escape me right now. In those instances I'd recommend either changing up the options, or speeding ahead until you reach another decision point.
Obviously this is complicated because of how often QMs will be surprised by votes they expected to be quite contentious having players all landslide in one direction (@Cetashwayo has some funny stories about this from Magna Graecia), but as a general principle I think it helps.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
I think that it's worth having votes on really important build decisions ("selfish/legacy" being an example), even if everyone's likely to agree on them.
But for things like "you attempt to negotiate a truce or alliance with the guys, do you accept the truce and the offer of one of the guys as a guide..." Well, that's borderline. I suppose we could want a truce but not want to risk betrayal, but it just doesn't seem likely that we'd reverse course so abruptly.
But for things like "you attempt to negotiate a truce or alliance with the guys, do you accept the truce and the offer of one of the guys as a guide..." Well, that's borderline. I suppose we could want a truce but not want to risk betrayal, but it just doesn't seem likely that we'd reverse course so abruptly.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I personally think the votes have been basically fine. A few have seemed a bit one-sided, but sometimes that just happens.
And this one, sure we voted to talk to them, but that wasn't actually super one sided, wanting to walk away instead had almost as many votes. Giving us a second chance to walk away rather than accept a guide seems legit to me.
And this one, sure we voted to talk to them, but that wasn't actually super one sided, wanting to walk away instead had almost as many votes. Giving us a second chance to walk away rather than accept a guide seems legit to me.
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
- Pronouns
- He/They
Yeah, that's a problem I've noticed too (as concrit so often tends to be) and the reason I do the 'foregone conclusion' votes is so that I avoid any people getting upset with me over potential railroading/any other reason.
Now, this last vote was one that took me by surprise. I remembered there being some chatter about not wanting to bring the svartalfar along so I figured that it was going to be a bit split, but it was not.
- Location
- Bretonnia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Eh, I mainly didn't want to engage the svartalfar to begin with just to be safe, but if we can actually create positive relations with these guys, I don't see why we shouldn't try to. It'd stop them from working for the Enemy willingly, at least, although that still leaves them open to manipulation. Well, I imagine if we befriend them, we can probably prevent/limit said manipulation.
Whilst I don't entirely disagree, I think in that situation sort of situation, if possible you try and design options which will split people a bit more. Like to take that vote as an example, if the selfishness option had been pitched as IDK, being better at making Wonders so Halla could enhance her own legend, it might have been more contentious. That being said, I agree, sometimes a vote which is fairly foregone can still be useful if the act of voting for it is a way to make it feel more like an intentional or meaningful choice on the players' part.
Yeah, that definitely happens.
It can be very difficult to predict what players will think about something honestly. I remember a game @Academia Nut ran ages ago, Into the Amber Age, with a fantasy setting where gods were powered by belief; we played as fledgling god living in not! Sumeria. One of the local features was a nearby desert which kept having powerful sandstorms blow in; the entire voterbase were convinced there was an Evil Desert God who was sending them, and made increasingly elaborate plans for our eventual epic showdown.
...They were just desert storms. 😅
- Location
- Space between realms
- Pronouns
- He
I think it's a matter of we rolled well and didn't fuck up the interaction. Now that we 'know' they're all right (for now) we can bond with the great 'dwarven' past-time...GOB STOMPIN
Your Pound of Troll-men Flesh 5
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
- Pronouns
- He/They
Accept the aid of the svartalfar and Cathki joins your party, for a short while at least
The addition of Cathki to the formation is slightly awkward. As the guide, and also because the torchlight hurts his eyes, Cathki is up in front leading the way. However, bathing in the glow of the bottled sunlight is physically painful for him, so you cover it and conjure up a palmful of flames instead. Sure, it's not quite as potent a light source, but forcing Cathki to suffer that agony just doesn't seem like the kind of thing a drengr would do.
Unfortunately, Cathki doesn't speak Norse nor does he really want to — if you're reading his body language right, which you probably aren't — so you can only trust that he's leading you the right way.
(Hamingja: Autopass thanks to Cathki)
A six-fingered hand shoots up, stopping the train in its tracks. Cathki raises a finger to his mandibles and a near-silent hiss leaves his mouth, putting a stop to any comments from irate companions before they have a chance to start. Not everyone is happy that Cathki's here — Stigmar definitely isn't and Gabriel just looks vaguely uncomfortable.
A mandible flicks to the side, towards a shadow-swallowed offshoot in the wall. Even with your ears straining to their utter limits, you can only barely pick up the slightest hint of soft, patient breathing.
Cathki takes a step and you move to follow, only for him to freeze. A six-fingered hand darts to your chest, stopping you mid-step with your foot raised in the air. A mandible points down and you follow it to where an insectile foot draws a circle on the stone — right where he stepped.
It doesn't look any different to any other patch of rock, but you reckon that it's probably a good idea to follow his lead on this one.
The hand draws back and you set your foot down on the rock to find it just a little bit sturdier than you might have otherwise expected. Relaying this information to the rest of the party — through a complex series of charades and pantomimes — you carefully follow Cathki's lead deeper into the ancient tunnels and cave systems linking the depths of the world.
After... you don't know how long — your sense of time has long since left you — you eventually come to a cliffside overlooking a truly gargantuan chamber. You pause, eyes snapping wide open as you nearly stumble in shock. Even though it's easily half-a-mile in diameter, that's not what has you stunned.
'I was wondering where all the creatures had gotten off to. I suppose this does answer that particular question of mine.'
Laying sprawled over the entire floor of the cavern is... too many troll-men to count, as they're all stacked in a pile of sleeping monsters. A thousand troll-men? Maybe more? Maybe less? Probably more, all things considered.
Either way, this might be too many for you and the others to handle on your own. Well, at least without suffering some serious injuries or even potential deaths. Gabriel would eventually win against the horde... as long they didn't manage to exhaust him over the course of hours.
Actually... if you shapeshifted up some stronger skin, the troll-men won't be able to get through your skin... which would allow you to just keep attacking, just like Gabriel.
"How much shapeshifting can everyone manage?" You whisper to the group, most of which answers with two different shapeshifts at once. Gabriel doesn't understand what you mean and Stigr...
Stigr has his eyes locked to the ground. "I, uh, I haven't unlocked shapeshifting yet. Sorry."
Damn.
You turn back to the chamber and eye its size. Well, if that's not an option then there's more than enough room for Abjorn and the twins to battle in. It might be a bit of a pain getting them here, but that won't stay a problem. However, the troll-men might wake up and move in the time that travelling all the way home and back will take.
Cathki stands off to the side, near to the entrance. He's probably not going to participate in any fighting, as he needs to be able to warn his father and family if things go horribly wrong. Unfortunate, but understandable.
Hmm...
What do you do?
[ ] Attack now, with the element of surprise!
-[ ] Write in any preparations you would like to do
[ ] Hold off on attacking, go home and grab Abjorn and the twins.
-[ ] Write in any alterations or other details
[ ] Call it a day and go home to prepare for next time
0~0~0
(Hugr (Tactics): 6x2, 5x2, 4x1, 3x4, 2x2, 1x1)10+4(Frenzy)=14 Successes
The chamber has a rounded bottom and curls in a large, bread loaf-like shape. There are at least 800 troll-men here, but there could easily be thrice number that buried underneath other sleeping troll-men. This is a large amount of troll-men.
It will be a massive slog to kill all of them by hand, but it is a worthy task. Even a single troll-man, if given unfettered access to meat, can swiftly produce one-hundred more troll-men in only a week's time.
Fortunately, they are very, very easy to kill. And you've got the element of surprise!
Any strategy that they use will consist of rushing you and what essentially amounts to trying to drown you in their blood.
Stigmar is fine.
Stigr is fine.
Gabriel is fine.
Eric is fine.
They look to you for direction.
Endurance: (10/10) | Frenzy: (4/4) (+4 to all Combat Rolls) | Armor Health: (9/17) (+4 to Defense) | 4/4 Shield Layers
Orthstirr: (381/449) | Odr: (13)
( ) Frami: 150 | ( ) Virthing: 150 | ( ) Saemd: 149
Sagaseeker has 35 orthstirr in its reservoir.
Your Armor has 13 orthstirr in its reservoir.
Shapeshifting is granting you (+1 Damage and +1 Attack-Speed)
Your combat pool is 60d6.
You currently have these on your person:
x1 Bottled Sunlight
x7 Exploding Charms
x1 Set of Digging Tools
x4 Torches
Plenty of Rope (Enough for any given scenario)
What do you do? (Only necessary if deciding to attack)
[ ] (Plan Name)
-[ ] (Dice) Attack
-[ ] (Dice) Defense
-[ ] (Dice) Intercept
-[ ] (Dice) (Trick) (Orthstirr)
-[ ] Tactics Write in
0~0~0
AN: Well, you've found your way to the troll-men's nest. Now what do you do?
25-minute moratorium, to give you folks time to think and discuss.
The addition of Cathki to the formation is slightly awkward. As the guide, and also because the torchlight hurts his eyes, Cathki is up in front leading the way. However, bathing in the glow of the bottled sunlight is physically painful for him, so you cover it and conjure up a palmful of flames instead. Sure, it's not quite as potent a light source, but forcing Cathki to suffer that agony just doesn't seem like the kind of thing a drengr would do.
Unfortunately, Cathki doesn't speak Norse nor does he really want to — if you're reading his body language right, which you probably aren't — so you can only trust that he's leading you the right way.
(Hamingja: Autopass thanks to Cathki)
A six-fingered hand shoots up, stopping the train in its tracks. Cathki raises a finger to his mandibles and a near-silent hiss leaves his mouth, putting a stop to any comments from irate companions before they have a chance to start. Not everyone is happy that Cathki's here — Stigmar definitely isn't and Gabriel just looks vaguely uncomfortable.
A mandible flicks to the side, towards a shadow-swallowed offshoot in the wall. Even with your ears straining to their utter limits, you can only barely pick up the slightest hint of soft, patient breathing.
Cathki takes a step and you move to follow, only for him to freeze. A six-fingered hand darts to your chest, stopping you mid-step with your foot raised in the air. A mandible points down and you follow it to where an insectile foot draws a circle on the stone — right where he stepped.
It doesn't look any different to any other patch of rock, but you reckon that it's probably a good idea to follow his lead on this one.
The hand draws back and you set your foot down on the rock to find it just a little bit sturdier than you might have otherwise expected. Relaying this information to the rest of the party — through a complex series of charades and pantomimes — you carefully follow Cathki's lead deeper into the ancient tunnels and cave systems linking the depths of the world.
After... you don't know how long — your sense of time has long since left you — you eventually come to a cliffside overlooking a truly gargantuan chamber. You pause, eyes snapping wide open as you nearly stumble in shock. Even though it's easily half-a-mile in diameter, that's not what has you stunned.
'I was wondering where all the creatures had gotten off to. I suppose this does answer that particular question of mine.'
Laying sprawled over the entire floor of the cavern is... too many troll-men to count, as they're all stacked in a pile of sleeping monsters. A thousand troll-men? Maybe more? Maybe less? Probably more, all things considered.
Either way, this might be too many for you and the others to handle on your own. Well, at least without suffering some serious injuries or even potential deaths. Gabriel would eventually win against the horde... as long they didn't manage to exhaust him over the course of hours.
Actually... if you shapeshifted up some stronger skin, the troll-men won't be able to get through your skin... which would allow you to just keep attacking, just like Gabriel.
"How much shapeshifting can everyone manage?" You whisper to the group, most of which answers with two different shapeshifts at once. Gabriel doesn't understand what you mean and Stigr...
Stigr has his eyes locked to the ground. "I, uh, I haven't unlocked shapeshifting yet. Sorry."
Damn.
You turn back to the chamber and eye its size. Well, if that's not an option then there's more than enough room for Abjorn and the twins to battle in. It might be a bit of a pain getting them here, but that won't stay a problem. However, the troll-men might wake up and move in the time that travelling all the way home and back will take.
Cathki stands off to the side, near to the entrance. He's probably not going to participate in any fighting, as he needs to be able to warn his father and family if things go horribly wrong. Unfortunate, but understandable.
Hmm...
What do you do?
[ ] Attack now, with the element of surprise!
-[ ] Write in any preparations you would like to do
[ ] Hold off on attacking, go home and grab Abjorn and the twins.
-[ ] Write in any alterations or other details
[ ] Call it a day and go home to prepare for next time
0~0~0
(Hugr (Tactics): 6x2, 5x2, 4x1, 3x4, 2x2, 1x1)10+4(Frenzy)=14 Successes
The chamber has a rounded bottom and curls in a large, bread loaf-like shape. There are at least 800 troll-men here, but there could easily be thrice number that buried underneath other sleeping troll-men. This is a large amount of troll-men.
It will be a massive slog to kill all of them by hand, but it is a worthy task. Even a single troll-man, if given unfettered access to meat, can swiftly produce one-hundred more troll-men in only a week's time.
Fortunately, they are very, very easy to kill. And you've got the element of surprise!
Any strategy that they use will consist of rushing you and what essentially amounts to trying to drown you in their blood.
Stigmar is fine.
Stigr is fine.
Gabriel is fine.
Eric is fine.
They look to you for direction.
Endurance: (10/10) | Frenzy: (4/4) (+4 to all Combat Rolls) | Armor Health: (9/17) (+4 to Defense) | 4/4 Shield Layers
Orthstirr: (381/449) | Odr: (13)
( ) Frami: 150 | ( ) Virthing: 150 | ( ) Saemd: 149
Sagaseeker has 35 orthstirr in its reservoir.
Your Armor has 13 orthstirr in its reservoir.
Shapeshifting is granting you (+1 Damage and +1 Attack-Speed)
Your combat pool is 60d6.
You currently have these on your person:
x1 Bottled Sunlight
x7 Exploding Charms
x1 Set of Digging Tools
x4 Torches
Plenty of Rope (Enough for any given scenario)
What do you do? (Only necessary if deciding to attack)
[ ] (Plan Name)
-[ ] (Dice) Attack
-[ ] (Dice) Defense
-[ ] (Dice) Intercept
-[ ] (Dice) (Trick) (Orthstirr)
-[ ] Tactics Write in
0~0~0
AN: Well, you've found your way to the troll-men's nest. Now what do you do?
25-minute moratorium, to give you folks time to think and discuss.
- Location
- Bretonnia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Would it be possible to collapse the cavern? Also, if we wanted to bring Abjorn and the twins, would Halla go and do it herself, and can we send one of the others to bring them?
...How wide an area can we apply a Mire Ward to?
I.F. Ister
Fortifying The Thread
- Pronouns
- He/They
Yes, but it may have unintended effects. The default is Halla going and doing it herself, but you can specify someone to do it instead.
Roughly arm's reach+the reach of Sagaseeker. So, oh, a few yards I guess
- Location
- Space between realms
- Pronouns
- He
We don't know if the svartalfar need this cavern. Also they can excavate it. We need to (*Insert War Crime) these fuckers. Vlad the impaler them. Make them so scared they won't come back.
Also are we deep enough to where this won't destroy our (or someone elses) land?
Strategically placing all our explosive runes at key places in and supporting the roof, maybe? We have Cathki to help, and as a Svartalf, he seems to know a lot about rocks and caves, maybe he could identify weak points?
If the Troll-Men become aware of us halfway through, then we may need to use Ember Wing Cloak to place the last charges whilst our compatriots hold the line, which would be suitably epic and dramatic.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
They're too stupid to scare. Like, literally, they are animals with no strong sense of self preservation, not people.
Sunlight would be very useful here, but of course we have a guide who is equally vulnerable to it and we can't speak the language to warn him.
Does Gabriel have the Christian gift of tongues?
Does Gabriel have the Christian gift of tongues?