[X] Your group should split up. Some should fight while the rest go.
-[X] Sage, Vini, and Calico go ahead
-[X] Taffy, Cotton, and Britt stay to fight
We need to get to Ultramarinus before he kills the original Vini. I wish more of our friends had survived, but Taffy, Cotton, and Britt will need to hold on until Lily and Daisy's backup arrive.
Winning vote: [X] Your group should split up. Some should fight while the rest go.
-[X] Sage, Vini, and Calico go ahead
-[X] Taffy, Cotton, and Britt stay to fight
[Week 18: Towards the Woods...]
"Should we all stay and fight?" you ask.
Calico shakes her head. "No. We need to get moving. We don't have time to deal with these two!"
Britt steps forward. "I'll stay and fight. Y'all should get going."
"What!? No way! We're not letting you stay here by yourself!" you exclaim.
"That's right," Taffy adds. "I'm staying here with you."
"As shall I!" adds Cotton.
"..."
Vini turns to you.
"Sage, Calico, do you want me to go with you or to stay here?"
You and Calico talk it over and decide you'd rather have Vini accompany you, just in case Ultramarinus left any other nasty surprises lying in wait. You give Cotton, Taffy, and Britt – yes, even her – hugs before departing. You notice Taffy launch a beam attack at the two demons as you retreat and lose sight of the action temporarily. There's another way to get to the car that the distracted demons now won't see you all going down.
As you pile in and drive out, you all see that Taffy has cleared open a path for Britt and Cotton to get in close. You wish the three of them good luck as you drive off.
"You're not actually going to try and drive this car into the Lost Woods, are you?" asks Calico as you exit the city. "It's not accessible that way."
"No. We just need to get up to the ruins of the Mansion, and we can walk the rest of the way from there," you state.
"...wait, Calico, did you walk all the way to the city?" Vini asks. "You don't have a car or a horse."
"Yes? It's not that far. Besides, I can heal myself."
"...huh."
"You must be serious about this whole revenge thing," you note.
"Of course! Sage, you've been in that Mansion for weeks! You know how valuable it was, spiritually and magically speaking... or, at least, you can guess. And now it's a wreck! ...Back then, when I said was going to let you all continue your work in peace, I meant it. Sure, I did want that power and knowledge for myself, but I didn't mean any harm to any of you."
"Uh huh, sure. And why exactly did you want said power and knowledge?" you ask.
"Hm? They're valuable for their own sake. The only way I'll become an ultimately wise Witch is if I have an ultimate understanding."
"...wait, then how are you any different from Ultramarinus?"
If looks could kill, then the glare Calico is giving you from the back seat would have dropped you dead instantly. Even Vini is surprised! Though you're unfazed since you're focused on your mission.
"Excuse you!? I'm nothing like him! He just goes around and uses people and then throws them away!"
"Isn't that what you were doing with Rocandi?"
"No! That's totally different! I'm not... you... you just don't get it, you stupid human!"
She then clams up and refuses to speak. You must have really hit a nerve... well, you'll be spending a lot of time together after this, so there's time to bridge the gap later. For now, you need to stay focused.
When you all get to the ruins of the Mansion, you find that there's already some crews there going through the ruins. A still angry Calico waves her wand and disguises your presences once again, so the workers mostly ignore you. As you walk past it all, however, you suddenly start to hear barking. Did someone bring their dog to work? As you investigate it, what you find is instead the artefact that Glaz got from his contract with you – dirty and damaged, but still intact. Vini asks you what it is, and you explain the contract that you and Glaz made.
"...hm. Sage, do you mind using your Shining Power on it?" Calico asks.
"What, are you talking to me again?" you ask back.
She glares at you, but it's a bit weaker, and then sighs. "Just do it, please."
You look at Vini and the both of you shrug, so you decide to go for it. You make your eyes shine... and the eyes of the stuffed wolf shine as well, in response. A glowing light comes out of it, which forms into an arrow, pointing in the direction of the woods. The light has a familiar warmth... it feels like Glaz himself is here!
"Amazing! Glaz left us a tracker!" Vini exclaims.
"Not only that, the tracker is a part of his soul... which means that the rest of him should be wherever it leads us," Calico adds.
"Great, then let's follow his trail! Lead the way!" you exclaim, putting down the stuffed wolf and letting it walk off. Even when you turn off your Shining Power, the arrow is still prominent. The three of you follow the stuffed wolf into the forest and then into the Lost Woods...
"...oh no."
...where it becomes immediately obvious that Ultramarinus is already here and has been on a rampage. Lots of trees have been felled and many are on fire. Scattered spirits lay on the ground, dead. It takes a while of walking before you find one just alive enough to speak.
"...Bubo?" you ask.
"Surprised to see you here, Sage," says the owl-man, bleeding out but not yet dead. "What, have you come to try and stop this?"
"That's right."
"Heh. Good luck. His destructive power is immense, as you can see."
"So, what, he can set things on fire and knock down trees?" you ask.
"Not only that, he made copies of himself that feel solid and true, but are just fakes. But despite that, their attacks are just as deadly as those of the real thing. We were just wasting our time."
He coughs up blood, which is when he notices the arrow.
"Then again, maybe you have a chance. Now get out of here. There's nothing I can do for you."
"I, on the other hand, can offer you something," rings out another voice.
You, Vini, and Calico turn to the source of the voice, and see one of the butterfly spirits. You think their name is Eurytheme? You notice that their wings are burned in places.
"...of course, I'll want something in return... but it's something you can easily handle. What do you say?"
[] Listen to Eurytheme's offer.
[] Not interested. Get moving.
Sage's Insanity: 15 n/a -Cancer Moon is active (-3 for empathy, -2 for exploration)
-Inventory: Towel, Wand, Sword of Starlight, Peltate Amulet, Glaz's Stuffed Wolf
Violet's Insanity: 22 n/a
Sorry, these updates slipped past me somehow. I hope it isn't too late?
The Butterfly spirit is unreliable and untrustworthy, but no more so than Bubo, and we would have worked with him were the opportunity there. I wonder why they are alive when everyone else is dead.
Or rather, why did other spirits choose to fight Ultramarinus? I can get Vini because of her connection, or those who had kin at the mansion, but his plan does not seem to concern "wild" spirits, only the gods.
Sorry, these updates slipped past me somehow. I hope it isn't too late?
The Butterfly spirit is unreliable and untrustworthy, but no more so than Bubo, and we would have worked with him were the opportunity there. I wonder why they are alive when everyone else is dead.
Or rather, why did other spirits choose to fight Ultramarinus? I can get Vini because of her connection, or those who had kin at the mansion, but his plan does not seem to concern "wild" spirits, only the gods.
vote's still open, i'm going to cover the battle tomorrow and the next proper update will be the week after (unless a lot of votes suddenly come in, in which ill prioritize the regular update)
as for your question, some of the wild spirits are allied with vini, some just got caught up in the fighting, etc.
Taffy noticed out of the corner of her eye as the car with Sage, Vini, and Calico in it had departed for parts elsewhere. She kept that news to herself however – no need to alert these two Suited Demons that their target was elsewhere. Using the power of the Sun, she fired off sunbeams at the Wind Demon who was flying in the sky, keeping its distance from Cotton. It dodged the attack and then decided... to fly straight at her!
"Ahhh!"
Panicking, she ran for cover. The demon's feet had grown talons, now aiming at her.
"Taffy! I've got you!"
That was Cotton. She fired off several sticky threads at the Wind Demon, who avoided some of them... but not enough. She was able to arrest its advance, forcing it to let out another gust of air to free itself, and giving Taffy the opportunity to fire another sunbeam at it, this time catching it in the chest. It was distracted by suddenly being on fire, and thus unable to stop Cotton from using more threads to ensnare it and slam it down into the street. For a moment, it was immobile.
Taffy breathed out a sigh of relief. "One down, hopefully."
Cotton looked around. "Where have Britt and the other one gone? I can hear them but I can't see them..."
Sure enough, Britt's yells were about all that could be heard, given how people were now avoiding the area they were all fighting in. But since they could still hear Britt, that meant she had to be fine, right?
In any case, they weren't in a position to actually go and check on her, since the Wind Demon had awoken and used its razor winds to escape from Cotton's threads. It then blasted them both with heavy gusts, sending them both flying away. Taffy was able to use her moonshields to break her fall, but Cotton had no such luck and crashed into a wall. Taffy ran over to her as fast as she could.
"Cotton! Are you okay!? Wake up, Cotton!"
"Ugh... oww my head... Taffy, look out!"
"Huh!?"
But it was too late.
The Wind Demon had snuck up silently behind Taffy and grabbed her in its talons, dragging her into the sky.
"Taffy!"
"AHHHHH!!!"
Panic was overwhelming her. What was she supposed to do now!?
Well, at least she could actually see Britt's fight with the Rock Demon and notice that she was holding her own. Not that it helped her right now...
Come on, Taffy, think! What would Sage do? ...okay, after panicking, what would Sage do?
She tried to force herself to calm down... only for the Wind Demon to then throw her. She flew up, higher and higher, uncontrolled, her train of thought broken. On instinct, she tried using the moonshields to slow her momentum and let her land on a building, only for winds to buffet her and send her somewhere else. There had to be something she could do!
...wait. There was one thing...
...she had to do this right, though. Otherwise, she'd end up flat on the pavement.
She gulped, hoping her stomach wouldn't give out before she could pull it off.
She then used her moonshields to change her momentum so that she was riding with the winds, not against them, and doing so with subtlety. For the Wind Demon was getting closer and closer, trying to keep away from a Cotton who was chasing down of both of you. Close enough to be in range for a sunbeam.
When she got a perfect angle, she let loose. She fired one beam at the Wind Demon's face. It opened its mouth in surprise. She fired a second one down its throat.
Sure enough, it went down in pain, and the winds died down around her, leaving Taffy flying in the air... and heading straight for a building! She summoned as many moonshields as she could to slow herself down, bracing herself for impact... only to land in a giant spider's web. A fully spider-shaped Cotton then scooted over to grab her, and deliver her to safety.
"It'll be okay, Taffy. I'm here," Cotton said as a frightened Taffy clinged to her tightly. The Wind Demon looked like it was down for the count this time, thankfully. As soon as they reached the ground, Taffy detached herself from Cotton, headed into an alleyway, and from there Cotton heard sounds of her throwing up. Minutes later, Taffy re-emerged, shaky but still standing.
"Ugh... glad that's over..."
Taffy waddled her way over to Cotton and collapsed onto her, her legs weak.
"Now then, where's... ahh!"
Cotton's train of thought was interrupted by winds suddenly rising. They turned around and watched as the Wind Demon was trying to pick itself up off the ground. It was weakened, to be sure, but not out just yet. Taffy prepared another sunbeam... but it turned out not to be necessary.
Out of nowhere, a column of water descended from the sky, crashing into the Wind Demon and knocking it out. The water then solidified into ice, thoroughly encasing it.
"Are you two okay!?"
"Looks like we got here just in time."
Taffy and Cotton had been saved by two girls in long flowing robes, carrying wands. One of them resembled Lily and the other resembled Glaz, and they introduced themselves as Mary and Fros, respectively. Fros then asked where the other one was, and was answered by it crashing into the ground not far from them. And in the distance, they could see Britt, accompanied by Rufflo and another girl, approaching.
The Rock Demon then got up, realized the position it was in... and attacked! The barrage of rocks caught Fros unawares and knocked her away, but Mary and Cotton/Taffy managed to evade it and used their attacks to knock it out. When Britt arrived, she ignored the Demons entirely and went over to check up on Fros, while Rufflo and the other woman – who introduced herself as Margaret – went over to Mary, Cotton, and Taffy.
"Never a dull moment, even without the Mansion around, huh?" commented Margaret with a smile. She was carrying around a bow and had an arrow holster on her leg, and was likewise outfitted for combat. This contrasted greatly with Rufflo just being in a T-shirt and jeans.
Rufflo sighed. "Looks like it." He then turned to Cotton and Taffy. "So, where's Sage now?"
"She went off to go deal with their boss," answered Britt, returning with Fros in tow. "I'm gonna go follow her."
"Oh no, you don't!" replied Rufflo. "Not in your condition, and not by yourself."
"Tch. What are ya talkin bout? I'll be fine," she said while covered in bruises and with a left arm that was dangling around uselessly.
"He's right. I'm not letting you go unless I can go with you," replied Fros.
"No way!" countered Britt. "After what happened with your brother, I'm not letting you get anywhere near this."
"Great, so we're in agreement that you're both sitting this out," added Rufflo.
"But-!"
"Not buts, Britt. I don't think it'll be safe for you to go any further, no?" said Cotton.
"Fros and I can heal her, if that's what you're worried about," replied Mary. "But really, we've done enough just getting rid of these two."
"Even so, I want to be there to help Sage," said Taffy. Cotton agreed with her, and so did Britt, even if she was reluctant to admit that she actually cared about that woman.
"Hmmm... well, Fros, if you can ice this Rock Demon over here, then Rufflo and I can handle the rest and you all can go," said Margaret. Rufflo gave her an annoyed look but grudgingly agreed to those terms. And with a quick flick of her wand and chanting a spell, Fros was able to do so.
The five of them then departed in short order, leaving Rufflo and Margaret alone to prepare an Exorcism for these Demons.
QM Note: Vote remains open, main update will be next week
I keep having this strange hope that Glaz is alive somewhere in some capacity. His artefact from Britt made him transform into a wolf, so maybe he escaped the explosion somehow. I forgot he had a sister, so when I saw "a girl who resembled Glaz" I immediately thought back to Calico's shenanigans. Oh well.
Come to think of it, there was a plot thread about us having siblings, but I don't recall it leading anywhere. I wonder what that was about...
You glance over to Vini and Calico. Vini seems suspicious, and Calico seems apathetic. The three of you talk it over briefly and decide to listen to the butterfly spirit's offer. Even if you end up rejecting it, it's better to hear her out. Afte all, maybe she means well since there's a bigger threat at play?
"We'll hear you out," you say. "But we need to get moving."
"Of course!" Eurytheme replies. "I'll follow your lead."
You all then let Glaz's stuffed wolf continue to lead you along, and she compliments whoever made it on their fine craftsmanship. You mention that you got it in a contract with one of the people you're trying to save, and ask her to get to the point with her offer.
"Oooh, you're pushy all of a sudden~. But you're right, we should stay focused. So, I'll make you a simple offer. Our goal is the butterfly spirits is to put all the land in this area under our control, and we'd like your help with that. In exchange, we will help you freely with any problems you may encounter until that point, starting with this one."
"That... doesn't sound that bad," you note. "So, there's definitely some catch or some nuance I'm missing."
"Come on! You don't really think I would do that to you, would I?"
"I do, actually."
She frowns. "That's harsh... you're right to be suspicious, of course, but still..."
Vini then pipes up, asking why the butterfly spirits want all the land here in the first place. Eurytheme attempts to evade answering, but with pushing from you and Vini, you manage to get an answer from her. By "control of the land" they also mean "control over all that sits on it", which includes the spirits and humans who live here. In short, their goal is to become lords of their own domain. While she does explain further that butterfly spirit society – or rather fairy society – generally runs on this logic and that she's not unique in this regard, it's still not something you want to take part in.
"Hmph... well, then. I will still help you today, but you'll owe me exactly one favor later. How about that?"
"Only if I get to pick the favor. I'm not helping you harass that Elcaro girl, for example."
Her eyes widen in shock. "How do you...!?"
You smirk at her, but don't answer. Besides, you can see one of the fake clones of Ultramarinus up ahead, so you all need to be quiet for a bit and sneak your way around it. It's surrounded by swan's wings made of light, which are not so bright as to blind but are also covered in deep blue flames. The ground it stands on is covered in shadows with many eyes, so you all keep a very wide berth so that it doesn't notice your group. You end having to do this a few more times before you get to the real one. You can tell it's him not only from Glaz's stuffed wolf but from the fact that he's shining the brightest of them all and his shadows extend the furthest.
He also notices you all pretty much immediately, and you feel his deep blue eyes upon you more than you see them.
"Well, hello there. Come to witness my moment of triumph?"
"No," you calmly state. "We're here to stop you.
He laughs raucously.
"Not happening. Die!"
He then unleashes a wave of flames that you all barely avoid by ducking behind some trees. You see Vini and Eurytheme go out to attack him, so you head over to Calico, who... seems afraid?
"Calico! Snap out of it!" you shout.
"Huh!?"
She looks right at you, and then straightens herself up.
"R-right. Yes. Okay."
She takes a deep breath.
"Sage, here's what you need to do. Use your Shining Power to connect to his oversoul. Break your way in! Once inside, you'll be able to find and extract Violet."
"How... oh, you mean with the soul projection ability, or whatever it's called?"
She nods. "You know how to do it, right?"
You nod. "It's been a while since I've last used it, but yes."
"That's not an issue. The soul only forgets if it's been made to forget. Now go!"
"...will you be okay here?" you ask.
"...are you concerned about me?"
"...yes? Why, are you saying I shouldn't be?"
She grumbles to you about how she's the great and powerful Calico and doesn't need the concern of some human... but thanks you for it anyway. She then pulls out the maid uniform contract artefact and says that it'll probably do something to help her protect your body. As she walks behind a tree and slips into it, you start to meditate, breathing deeply, making your soul shine...
...and your soul slips from your body, and you feel yourself being drawn into the shadows...
...and you emerge in a whirling and writhing vortex of souls. Is this what the Dark Half truly is? Violet and your friends are in here somewhere... you have to find them.
In your mind's eye, you will a perfect replica of the Sword of Starlight to your hands and activate it. It glows brightly, brighter than ever before, and harms you not. The souls in the whirling mass notice you at last, but take no hostile actions. Perhaps they remember you.
You can, however, notice two pinpricks of light in the distance coming closer and closer... that can't be good.
"Sage!"
That, however, is.
"Glaz!"
Sure enough, it's the man himself, prying himself out of the black mass.
"You're here! Oh, I'm so glad that worked! Violet's at the bottom, holding this whole thing together."
You look down, and it seems like it goes on forever... but that has to be an illusion, you suppose.
"We'll cover for you. Go!"
Before you can ask what he means by we, he grabs you by the shoulder and shoves you downwards sending you deeper and deeper... you can barely see what looks to be Pena and Rocandi joining him before you lose sight of them all. And start to sense her.
Violet.
You can finally see her once you're near the bottom. She's unconscious and tangled up in threads of light and dark, enmeshed into the mass. Many souls surround her, and they're entangled in each other and with her.
[][Talk] Wake her up and talk to her now.
-[] (write-in)
[][Talk] Leave her asleep, you need to hurry!
[][Tool] Use the towel to free her.
[][Tool] Use the sword to free her.
[][Tool] Use the wand to free her.
[][Tool] Combine tools. (write-in)
[][Tangle] Free those other souls too.
[][Tangle] Focus on Violet right now.
Sage's Insanity: 15 n/a -Cancer Moon is active (-3 for empathy, -2 for exploration)
-Inventory: Towel, Wand, Sword of Starlight, Peltate Amulet, Glaz's Stuffed Wolf
Violet's Insanity: 22 n/a
"Oooh, you're pushy all of a sudden~. But you're right, we should stay focused. So, I'll make you a simple offer. Our goal is the butterfly spirits is to put all the land in this area under our control, and we'd like your help with that. In exchange, we will help you freely with any problems you may encounter until that point, starting with this one."
What kind of help? The land isn't ours to give, so why are you even asking?
One favor it is, then.
I don't know what taking Violet's soul would do... will it return to her body, even though they are separated by several kilometers? What about the rest of them?
[x][Talk] Wake her up and talk to her now.
-[x] Wake up, sleepyhead! We are getting you out of here!
-[x] Do you think you could talk other souls into following you out?
-[x] Tell me if something doesn't seem right, ok?
It might be easier for them to break away if they do it as a group. Stength in numbers and everything.
But we may want to untangle them afterwards. It's a delicate work, so no cutting.
[x][Tool] Use the wand to free her.
-[x] Use towel to untangle the souls.
The wand was something we got from our contract that specified freeing Violet and "anyone else who can be saved".
"W-well, if you must know... it's you. Well, more specifically your powers. I'd like to study them, as well as your soul. I've never encountered a living person with the Shining Power before. Furthermore, I'm fairly confident that I know who did this, and I would like to exact punishment on them, as well as study whatever remains of them when we're done. In exchange, you get my free and full cooperation from this point on, and I'll fix up Violet for you with no strings attached. How about that?"
When your glare doesn't subside, she throws in an offer to save anyone else they come across who can be saved.
Even though it comes from Calico, I hope that the terms of the contract give it some properties that would be useful here. We can attempt to use the towel to dispel individual undesireable effects that are otherwise not related to freeing the trapped souls.
[x][Tangle] Free those other souls too.
And of course we are freeing Glaz everyone else who is willing to come.
Dear Diary:
Yesterday, Sage started her new job.
I know I should be excited but... it's just... with all the rumors floating around, and with what happened to Mr. Gein...
...it's okay to be a little scared, right?
But I know that Sage won't give up just because of some rumors.
She's stubborn like that.
I like that about her, but it's hard not to worry about her.
I just have to hope that nothing bad happens to her.
Rocandi seems reliable.
I hope I can trust Sage with her.
No... I'll believe in her.
Violet
Dear Diary:
We visited Sage last week and...
...look. I don't want to panic, but...
...I think Sage might be in trouble.
She's not telling me everything, that I know for sure.
But I don't know why, and she won't talk to me about it.
I'm hoping that if she writes it down in letter, maybe she'll be more open to talking.
Or maybe this is all for nothing and I'm overthinking things...?
I just wish I had some answers!
Sage wouldn't give up, so I won't either!
Violet
Dear Diary:
Okay.
Let's not panic.
Good news: I got a letter from Sage.
Bad news: She's definitely deep in something.
Something about a mirror...?
Her and another worker – Cotton I think her name was – ran into something terrible.
How do I know?
Well, she didn't say it outright...
...but I can tell!
I know how she writes, so I can tell that something's off!
So, maybe that's it.
If so... well, she's escaped once.
I just have to hope that she can do it again and again.
Violet
Dear Diary:
And now there's something worse!
Some kind of evil angel...?
Sage is being haunted by visions of a light spirit.
This was after encountering some kind of dark creature.
I don't know what to do...
I haven't told Lily or Daisy about this.
Maybe I should go to the temple and ask them?
It'll be the first time I've gone in years.
Hah.
I guess I believe in the gods now.
Maybe they can help us with this problem...?
Only one way to find out!
Violet
Dear Diary:
ROCANDI IS GONE
SHE'S GONE SHE'S GONE SHE'S GONE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Okay
Okay
Deep breaths
Let's not panic
Sage said she and the others are going to go find her
It'll be okay
It'll be okay
It'll be okay
...
I have to do something.
I don't know what.
But... I can't... I can't just watch things happen anymore.
My boss will understand.
And even if he doesn't, who cares?
This is more important!
I just need a plan... and a miracle.
Violet
Dear Diary:
Good news!
I ran into Mr. Kentucky, the man who gave Sage the job offer in the first place.
He was able to offer me a position too!
I'll be there soon, Sage!
Violet
Dear Diary:
I really should apologize to Sage's friends for what I said to them.
I know I was scared.
But it wasn't right to take it out on them.
This place... it's messing with me.
This must have happened to Sage too.
Maybe it's happened to everyone?
I wish I knew more about it...
Maybe I should explore a bit?
Violet
Dear Diary:
SAGE IS GONE
SHE'S GONE SHE'S GONE SHE'S GONE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AND SOME FOUL DEMON IS WEARING HER FACE
AND I CAN'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT IT BECAUSE SHE DID SOMETHING TO ME AND I CAN'T EVEN SAY HER NAME
...
I CAN'T WRITE IT EITHER
HOW
WHY
NONE OF THIS MAKES ANY SENSE
Okay
Okay
Deep breaths, Violet
Let's calm down a bit
And try to think...
Just a little bit...
There has to be some way out of this
I know Vini can do... something, they have some powers
If I can just hint to them that something is wrong...
And Cotton already knows what's up, though she's cursed like I am
So if they can work together, maybe they can overpower her
I just have to hope that this is enough
I'm sorry, Sage...
I wish I could do more to help you
Violet
Dear Diary:
Vini, Sage, and some others are in the basement right now.
I did what I could, and I have to hope that Vini can take of the rest.
In the meantime, Mr. Kentucky wanted to know how things were going, so I may as well give him a call.
Even though it comes from Calico, I hope that the terms of the contract give it some properties that would be useful here. We can attempt to use the towel to dispel individual undesireable effects that are otherwise not related to freeing the trapped souls.
I don't know what taking Violet's soul would do... will it return to her body, even though they are separated by several kilometers? What about the rest of them?
her soul will not immediately return to her body, since the connection was severed. but calico will know how to fix that part once everything else is resolved. ditto for everyone else.
SAGE IS GONE
SHE'S GONE SHE'S GONE SHE'S GONE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AND SOME FOUL DEMON IS WEARING HER FACE
AND I CAN'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT IT BECAUSE SHE DID SOMETHING TO ME AND I CAN'T EVEN SAY HER NAME
...
I CAN'T WRITE IT EITHER
...where does this overprotectiveness even come from? Sage is Violet's age! I mean, she's had a streak of bad luck - that's how the quest started - but she had most things under control... until she didn't, but by then she had magical allies way better equipped to deal with whatever the Mansion could thrown at them than a baseline human.
...where does this overprotectiveness even come from? Sage is Violet's age! I mean, she's had a streak of bad luck - that's how the quest started - but she had most things under control... until she didn't, but by then she had magical allies way better equipped to deal with whatever the Mansion could thrown at them than a baseline human.
part of it is from stuff that's already been mentioned (see week 10 as an example, where sage mentions that she was teased as a kid and that violet stuck up for her)
part of it is from stuff that wasn't mentioned (continued teasing of sage and weird incidents in town)
Adhoc vote count started by R2Walker on Jun 26, 2021 at 3:05 PM, finished with 5 posts and 1 votes.
[x][Talk] Wake her up and talk to her now. -[x] Wake up, sleepyhead! We are getting you out of here! -[x] Do you think you could talk other souls into following you out? -[x] Tell me if something doesn't seem right, ok?
Winning vote: [x][Talk] Wake her up and talk to her now.
-[x] Wake up, sleepyhead! We are getting you out of here!
-[x] Do you think you could talk other souls into following you out?
-[x] Tell me if something doesn't seem right, ok?
[x][Tool] Use the wand to free her.
-[x] Use towel to untangle the souls.
[x][Tangle] Free those other souls too.
[Sage and Violet]
Week 18
"Violet!" you exclaim, as you get near your trapped friend. However, she doesn't respond... looks like she's out of it.
You look at the threads and souls she's enmeshed in and look at your sword. You could just cut her out... but that might damage those souls. You'd like to get them out too if you can. Thankfully, the threads provide enough light for you to see even without the sword, so you feel comfortable leaving it off.
You then pull out the wand (left hand) and towel (right hand).
Okay.
You got the wand from a contract that involved freeing people, so you think you should be able to use it here... you wave it and nothing happens, so you decide to make your eyes shine and...
"Whoa!"
...power suddenly starts flowing out of it, bright shining power. You focus on it and pour all your efforts into pushing that power out, and while you can't quite see it, you can feel that those threads are dissolving. And not only that, the threads chaining all those other souls together are dissolving as well. The souls are now able to jostle apart from each other, and the sudden chatter is deafening.
After a few more moments, you stop and observe your work. Violet is most of the way out and starting to stir.
You get up close and bring your towel up to her... at which point she falls out and you have to catch her.
No. It's more like... she was pushed out?
And suddenly you feel a familiar presence all around you.
"HUMAN SAGE."
"Spirit!"
It congeals into a small blob of living shadows with a single unblinking red eye.
"THIS ONE IS SORRY THEY COULD NOT STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING. THIS ONE WAS OVERPOWERED."
You nudge Violet and tell her to wake up... and it looks like she's actually waking up now.
"It's fine," you reply to the spirit. "I don't blame you. There's only one man here I blame... and I'm going to put a stop to him. ...but what about you? When we free these souls..."
"THIS ONE WILL BECOME SMALL, BUT WILL STILL ENDURE. WORRY NOT. NOW GO."
"Thank you. I won't forget this!"
"Mmmm... Sage? Sage!"
Violet tackle-hugs you, and immediately launches into a rant about how sorry she is about all of this and how it's all her fault and how can you ever forgive her and...
Silly.
Of course you forgive her.
Sure, she has her problems... but she's still your friend, and you're going to stick by her. You say as much and hold her tight for a moment before you bid her to stand. You ask her if she can use what little connection she has with the other souls to lead them out... the two spirits are balanced, so weakening the shadows also weakens the light.
"..."
She gives you a determined look.
"...I'll do my best."
She turns to the blob and starts asking it for help. While the two of them start discussing how to use Violet's newfound ability to free everyone, you start going around and using your towel to finish up the work your wand started. But not long after you do so...
"WHAT IS HAPPENENING DOWN THERE!?"
...there's a sudden booming voice. And you see a light above you suddenly grow brighter and brighter... it's got to be him! A stream of fire suddenly descends upon you all... but since it's probably magic, you get the idea to try and use your towel on it. It works, expanding to a massive size to cover you all, giving Violet enough cover to hide amongst the shadows and start doing her work.
When Ultramarinus finally reaches you, you notice that he's already gotten a lot less bright, so you can finally see his face... yep, that's the so-called 'Mr. Kentucky' alright. He looks a bit younger than he did back then, but not majorly so... and you can see that he's slowly aging as well.
"YOU... of course, it'd be you. You were supposed to be the conduit, you know."
"I figured. But it's all over for you now."
"As if! I still have enough power to kill you right here and now, human."
You pull out your sword and bluff a fighting stance. You don't actually know how to sword-fight... but he may be too enraged to think clearly and realize it. Besides, you're just a distraction.
"Why don't you try it?"
He then does something you don't expect, and lunges in close. His wings, despite being made of light, are heavy and powerful... and also on fire. You're stuck dodging them, never able to get in a hit... but that's fine. After all, you're just a distraction.
And not too long later, the shadows explode all around you. As he screams in rage, you take this as your cue to exit...
...and you re-emerge in your body, sheltered behind a tree, only moments later. There's a brightness all around you that's rapidly fading. Once it's dissipated and your eyes have adjusted, you peak out behind you to see what's been happening in the Lost Woods.
Well, the scorched ruins of this part of the Lost Woods. The man really did some damage... but the others are still alive, though it looks like they're all injured. Eurytheme's wings are torn in places, Vini's right arm is broken, and Calico is limping as she walks and sends all the freed souls away. You briefly glimpse Violet among them, holding onto the core of the Dark Half, and flying over towards the hospital, accompanied by many others. And Ultramarinus...
...is about to attack her while her back is turned!
Sure, he's critically weakened, but he's standing while Vini and Eurytheme aren't and he's got a knife made of candlelight.
"I'll kill you... I'll kill you all..."
"NO!" you shout, suddenly emerging onto the scene, sword in hand.
He then makes the mistake of turning to face you... it's over in moments as you slice his right hand off and he falls over to the ground, screaming in pain.
"Sage!" Calico shouts, still intent on her work. "You need to Exorcise him!"
"How do I...?"
"There's no time to teach you how to do it properly! Just stab him and pour all your power into it! That should be good enough for now!"
"I won't let you!" he shouts as he grabs a clump of dirt with his good arm and throws it at you. While he misses your eyes, it gives him enough space for him to try and run off...
...only to get hit by a pillar of ice, impaling him in the chest.
"What!?"
He falls over, dead.
"Sage!" familiar voices shout.
"Cotton! Taffy! Britt!"
Sure enough, it's the three of them accompanied by two girls you don't recognize. They're in long flowing robes, carrying wands, and introduce themselves as Fros and Mary. Fros... Glaz's sister!
Ah, right!
You turn to Calico, who now is working with a much smaller cloud of souls. "Are you gonna be able to save them all?"
"Hmm... no, some of them no longer have a body to return too, but can't pass on... it'll take more work to settle things with them. Oh, your friends should all be okay though."
Calico waves her wand, chants a long phrase, and draws all those remaining souls into herself, stating that it's a temporary measure. You note that she's back in her usual attire. She then heals her own leg and walks over to Ultramarinus.
"Normally, he'd just regenerate, he's weak enough now that he shouldn't be able to resist. I'll handle things from here and catch up with you later."
"I will also... catch up with you later..." mutters Eurytheme as she finally gets up and hobbles away. "I won't forget... that favor you owe me... urghhhh... owwww..."
You let her go, and help Vini up, letting them lean on your side, as the rest of you depart the Lost Woods, leaving Calico alone with Ultramarinus' body. As you depart, both your sides exchange stories of what happened... oh, and you also grabbed that knife made of light. It became a small candlelight and seemed to be the core of the Light Half. Can't have it wandering off and causing more problems.
When you get near the hospital, it's clear that there's some big commotion. Once you all enter, it's clear what it is – a sudden miraculous healing of everyone. You let the others get checked up, and then you head right to a specific room... and when you enter, there she is, wide awake, accompanied by an ecstatic Lily and Daisy.
Violet.
"Hey, Sage. It's good to see you again."
You run over to her and hug her.
"You too, Violet. You too."
Week 19
It takes a while, but everyone is eventually cleared to leave the hospital. Calico, Mary, and Fros secretly sneaking in and healing everyone will do that... speaking of Calico, she's now back in the woods with Ilex and Rocandi, but you expect that she'll be back soon enough. She was serious when she said that she wanted to study you after all...
The Pralissons (along with an apologetic Hevel) have moved back into the Moonlight Mansion, which is still under repair and not open to the public yet. A lot of the staff have gone back... but not you.
No, you're going somewhere else.
Spellman School.
With everything that's happened, you're convinced that you're better off there for now... and after talking to the staff there, you got offered a position there that will also let you learn about magic in your spare time. Violet is, of course, joining you, now that she's bonded with the Dark Half. The Light Half is still giving you the silent treatment, but you figure it'll come around... or it won't, but that's not really your problem since it can't break out from under your thumb. Also joining you as staff are Taffy and Vini, while Almo is a regular student. Cotton, however, has finally opened up her own clothing store, with generous support from you all.
Though on the note of you and Almo, Shelley got back in contact with you... it seems that her boss's appetite for the esoteric has only increased after hearing about recent events. You'll have to be careful or she'll turn into a danger as well...
The cult has also all but disappeared, despite the efforts of Cara-Cara, Vini, and others to find clues leading to them. While the ghost of Vini's old boyfriend was found in the Forgotten Ice Room, he knew nothing of where they might have gone. So that's another thing to watch out for...
But, that's fine.
You and Violet will watch out for them together from now on.
You wake up in the apartment you share with your old friends (Violet, Lily, Daisy) and your new friends (Vini, Cotton), eager to face a new day.
THE END
QM Note: Like I said previously, this is the last main update. Thanks for reading everyone! I may do an epilogue or some final thoughts, but those won't be posted until next week at the earliest.
You turn to Calico, who now is working with a much smaller cloud of souls. "Are you gonna be able to save them all?"
"Hmm... no, some of them no longer have a body to return too, but can't pass on... it'll take more work to settle things with them. Oh, your friends should all be okay though."
As in, even the ones confirmed dead last week? I am not sure how much time passed from the explosion, but haven't there been burials, and how much is left from the ones that were on the top floor, anyway?
I thought we may get Glaz back in some capacity (though not the body), and maybe Rocandi (due to her being artificial in the first place), but everyone else was a goner. Although maybe the circumstances of their deaths left them open for a convenient resurrection.
When you get near the hospital, it's clear that there's some big commotion. Once you all enter, it's clear what it is – a sudden miraculous healing of everyone.
What was the plotline about Dark and Light halves? We got a somewhat rushed exposition towards the end. How was it connected to the "spirit" in the Heavenly Tapestry Chamber? The orb and the knife are new; I don't recall them being mentioned before.
How does the Moonlit Mansion fit into this? Just a convenient place to seal the Ancient Evil (TM)?
Is there a significance behind two people being attuned to these halves, rather than one? For that matter, what does Violet's attunement offer her, power-wise?
As in, even the ones confirmed dead last week? I am not sure how much time passed from the explosion, but haven't there been burials, and how much is left from the ones that were on the top floor, anyway?
I thought we may get Glaz back in some capacity (though not the body), and maybe Rocandi (due to her being artificial in the first place), but everyone else was a goner. Although maybe the circumstances of their deaths left them open for a convenient resurrection.
What was the plotline about Dark and Light halves? We got a somewhat rushed exposition towards the end. How was it connected to the "spirit" in the Heavenly Tapestry Chamber? The orb and the knife are new; I don't recall them being mentioned before.
How does the Moonlit Mansion fit into this? Just a convenient place to seal the Ancient Evil (TM)?
Is there a significance behind two people being attuned to these halves, rather than one? For that matter, what does Violet's attunement offer her, power-wise?
What did we do to get the ending we got?
I'd be interested in reading final thoughts, and about what you thought worked well in the quest and what didn't.
pre-week 1
'Mr. Kentucky' being the final boss was a possibility, though not a guarantee, from the very start
funnily enough, the original concept for this quest would have been set in something like valentine's vineyard & vacation villa... which no one voted for
the "best friends forever" trait was never used, and i'm not sure why tbh
as for the insanity mechanic itself... i do like it, though i think i'll tweak it a bit when i decide to use it again
the first few housekeepers (rocandi, britt, glaz, rufflo, and vini) were made up on the spot as opposed to planned out in advance, which is why they sometimes have inconsistent descriptions (glaz and rufflo sizes, vini's eyes and hair, britt's accent, etc.)
some of the rooms are lifted from various board games (castles of mad king ludwig, betryal at house on the hill) while others are typical rooms and/or are original creations ... and there's of course the submitted ones, which i'm grateful for
day 1 / week 1
there was a special incident created for getting rid of your fear of the statues that never came up
(i also started to plan them out and decided how to handle them around here - i made a large batch and then rolled to see which one comes up each week ... this mechanic is something i could seem myself re-using without any modifications, i rather like it)
"You giggle a bit, thinking about how your friends might react to working here. Not that it's likely." - epic foreshadowing or pure coincidence? you decide
the pralissons and their past were supposed to be a bigger part of the plot, but ended up getting neglected over time
all of the 'Books!' votes are references to other media - some obvious, some maybe less so
"...a book bound in crimson, ordained with images of fangs and eyes." - as this is the only book from this set that was never even glanced at again, let me present what i wrote down for it in my notes:
"A book written by "Shadow Biohazard", a member of a death cult. The apocalyptic ravings and calculations of a madman. Something interesting will happen if it makes its way to Glaz's sister."
week 2
this was written while i was still under the mistaken assumption that i could make each week correspond to a week irl... glad a i dropped that
week 3
here's where i start writing notes for each week to keep better track of what's going on / what i want to convey
the ghosts in the manson were also supposed to be a bigger deal, but they got dropped
week 4
the pine cone mark was meant to be a one time "exceed the Insanity limit without a quest end" bonus that never got used
during britt's incident - fleeing would have led to vini intervening and fighting britt, while fainting would have led to britt capturing sage and forcing her into an unequal contract
week 5
sage and vini becoming a couple was actually not planned from the start... it just kinda happened
this is when i started writing notes for each update, not just one set for the whole week
week 6
in this week, i decided that one of the long-term consequences of the letters would be violet coming back to the mansion
the eyes who keep themselves hidden were supposed to be other wolves as well as faeries... but they ended up being limited to minor roles in the end
finalized rocandi's backstory, including her being killed by mr. gein and calico bringing her back from the dead
the cult was always meant to be a mostly background group that only appeared every few weeks, and i mostly stuck to that
originally the hidden chambers in the tapestry rooms were the 'celestial chamber' and the 'infernal chamber' and were unrelated to each other ... at some point before / during week 6, i changed them to what they are now since they work better this way
week 7
this was when i decided that the shadow and light spirits would be more important for the plot, including the end
week 8
sage's nat 20 here was the end of bubo being relevant
i wanted to have the hut appear more often but couldn't make opportunities for it... oh well
week 9
as for the other objects, here's what's in my notes:
diamond amulet... adds spiritual protection
feathered conch-shell... plays soothing music
small hand-mirror... use to see the invisible
fros was investigating mr. kentucky, but found no leads
i think the small bonuses from training also worked well
week 10
here's what all the work incident options meant:
[] ...in the small and plain room, but it's just the two of you. ... Sage is convinced that Cotton is under mind control and is attacking her, but in truth both of them are being led around by their own fears. Sage activates her Shining Power and "kills" Cotton, not realizing the truth until it's too late...
[] ...within an endless white expanse of light, seemingly alone. ... Sage is attacked by the light spirit who is sealed inside the room above the Heavenly Tapestry Chamber, who takes over control of the dream and also Sage's body. The spirit knocks out Cotton and kicks Sage out of her body. Sage possesses Cotton and is guided by the Sheep Demon to fix things.
[] ...deep in the dark woods, no sign of Cotton or the Mansion. ... Sage wanders around the woods aimlessly until she notices a menacing presence coming upon her... a set of wicked vines and ensnaring branches... the evil side of Vini that Sage hopes isn't real takes hold of her. She wakes up and everything is fine... so why is she still so ill at ease?
[] ...staring down an endless expanse of mirrors, Cotton missing. ... Sage's reflections come alive once more, and she is unable to confront them. They degrade her and eventually tear her soul apart, leaving her body comatose. Her soul fragments are in the Mirror World. Change of POV.
[] ...with Cotton, apparently inside a familiar crystalline cavern. ... Sage is not the only one who has realized what's going on, as the real Calico takes advantage of the dream to gain more control over the situation. Not limited by her real body, she can hold her own in a fight and defeats them both, taking Cotton as another hostage and demanding that Sage 'stay out of affairs she doesn't understand'.
sage's siblings, as well as her parents, were thoroughly absent from the narrative other than for this brief mention, and i blame poor planning on my part for their absence
almo's special incident was decided by a d4
1 = Almo is possessed by a space jellyfish, gotta deal with that now too (+1 Insanity)
2 = Almo is investigating that magic black book, you ask her to hold off [Winner!]
3 = nothing of note happens, you just spend time with her (-1 Insanity)
4 = You notice that she also collects stuffed animals, so you two play (-3 Insanity)
week 11
dr. luxworx would have become a more significant threat if the quest had gone on long enough
bridge is actually a pretty neat card game
this is when mr. kentucky's possession of sage was formalized and given an explicit quest end mechanic:
an imp pretending to be a dead god controlling mr. kentucky has possessed sage, which vini noticed and placed a pine cone mark to seal it
hitting 20+ for longer than 1 week or 30+ ever makes you lose the mark... the imp gets once chance to take over sage early w/ a high DC (16+ on a d20)
hitting that mark again allows the imp to take over sage for free... at which point your friends have one chance to save you
week 12
ilex is, in fact, a clone of rocandi
the corpse in question was mr. gein
this is when it was decided that violet would become a housekeeper and also have an insanity gauge, though she would not have the same protections as sage
week 13
i am personally of the opinion that no one decision led to the ending we got - it was mix of various choices and rolls throughout the quest... for example, violet starting at +6 insanity with no way to reduce it on her own was an accelerating event
vini was trying to get in touch with their wilder side, which is something that never really came up again
i am planning on re-using these astrology-themed spells for a different quest
week 14
i had a note to have something special planned if you had even been able to return to the wine cellar
week 16
again, your surrendering was not what ended the quest ... various die rolls did, including the one for violet's insanity. even if you had rolled a nat 20 and broken out the literal next week, the likely only major difference would be that sage is also in the basement when ultramarinus makes his move.
week 17
hevel used sage's magical knowledge to prevent violet and cotton from telling anyone what happened, meaning that the two of them could only give vague hints
also, mr. pralisson died that week (that was the special event that was rolled)
week 18
the expedition into the basement was this week's special incident, which ultramarinus knew about thanks to violet and could plan around
hevel's new bodies were obtained from within the locked room
calico isn't redeemed but is on the path towards being a better person... eventually. might take a while
i don't have anything else in particular to say about the fateful day, other than i enjoyed writing about it
the relationship between sage and violet was not so important at the start, but became more and more prominent over time and was a major influence on the plot ever since week 12
week 19
rocandi is also keeping an eye on calico even though she wasn't party to the contract
What was the plotline about Dark and Light halves? We got a somewhat rushed exposition towards the end. How was it connected to the "spirit" in the Heavenly Tapestry Chamber? The orb and the knife are new; I don't recall them being mentioned before.
How does the Moonlit Mansion fit into this? Just a convenient place to seal the Ancient Evil (TM)?
Is there a significance behind two people being attuned to these halves, rather than one? For that matter, what does Violet's attunement offer her, power-wise?
In short the Dark and Light Halves were part of a singular entity who also tried to become a god long ago. They did this by sacrificing spirits and humans and using their raw energy as power. After obtaining godhood, the other gods cast that being down and split them in half – the two halves that were encountered in the quest. The Light Half was the main soul and the Dark Half was the other souls. The memories of what had happened had also been removed from them, so they developed their own personalities. The knife was just something that Ultramarinus could pull out while weakened. The orb and the candlelight are what remain of the two now that the trapped souls are free.
The Mansion was a convenient sealing spot. The Pralissons ran into trouble with the Light Half long ago, which would have come up had they been investigated more once the Light Half was revealed.
It's better for them to be in two bodies for safety reasons. As for powers... she doesn't have much right now but will eventually be able to do things like move through shadows and absorb energy
Which adjustments do you consider, if it isn't much of a secret? Basically, where do you think the mechanic worked as intended, and where it wasn't sufficient (and why?)
I think the limiters on destressing worked well, as well as "secret exploration" rewards where we randomly got -1/-2 Insanity from certain actions. Later on, active week spells added a nice touch.
this is when mr. kentucky's possession of sage was formalized and given an explicit quest end mechanic:
an imp pretending to be a dead god controlling mr. kentucky has possessed sage, which vini noticed and placed a pine cone mark to seal it
hitting 20+ for longer than 1 week or 30+ ever makes you lose the mark... the imp gets once chance to take over sage early w/ a high DC (16+ on a d20)
hitting that mark again allows the imp to take over sage for free... at which point your friends have one chance to save you
Did this in any way play a part in the quest? We hit 20+ earlier (Week 5), but by then the mechanic wasn't in place. We didn't lose the cone retroactively either.
So none of these effects activated, right?
(I also think Vini said something about a pine cone being placed there as a protection from Bubo, not anything else?)
I believe developing a hidden mechanic with game-ending properties without having it communicated is bad for a quest, because we hit +20 Insanity earlier without lasting ill effects, and that formed certain expectations. Some reframing of safety margins was probably necessary... but it's moot since it didn't come into play.
Wait, possession? Were there any prior indications?
i am personally of the opinion that no one decision led to the ending we got - it was mix of various choices and rolls throughout the quest... for example, violet starting at +6 insanity with no way to reduce it on her own was an accelerating event
Ultramarinus possessed Violet... and then what? What was that about the Rainbow Serpent? Why was the expedition important to Ultramarinus' plan? I don't believe we ever got the full story and the sequence of events.
Sanity of companions is yet another undisclosed mechanic with uncertain consequences, and to top it off, it worked differently from the PC mechanic! What do you mean Violet had no way of reducing Insanity? Sage had two hobbies and one sauna to work with. Did Violet have no hobbies of her own?
Not sure what to say about Violet's possession since I didn't even know about Sage's (other than by the Light Spirit, but I assume that's completely different), but if Violet's Insanity needed to hit 20+ for it to work (as it did for Sage) then the quest couldn't have lasted for much longer... could it? Unless someone rolled really well to notice and prevent it.
week 10
[] ...staring down an endless expanse of mirrors, Cotton missing. ... Sage's reflections come alive once more, and she is unable to confront them. They degrade her and eventually tear her soul apart, leaving her body comatose. Her soul fragments are in the Mirror World. Change of POV.
Would it be similar to what happened to us on Week 18 when the mirror got shattered?
What was the plotline regarding "the Illumination Theory"? What could we find if we kept reading/investigating the book?
Overall, things I liked: the background plots, the Insanity mechanic, the overall quest structure (weekly turns, incidents, unwinding - especially when things got more dangerous and complex), Britt's accent
Things I didn't like: undisclosed mechanics, hidden rolls and plots becoming a deciding factor in the quest ending (that came out of a left field for many), voyeur statues
Yeah, I loved this quest, but there were some things that came out of nowhere.
My biggest memory of the experience was from week 2 or 3 when we almost maxed out our insanity and still hadn't really done anything yet but either that was fixed or we got good at managing it because that was really the last time I worried about sanity issues. Well, until Violet appeared. I was starting to be worried about her insanity... but then the quest ended.
You wrote it really well, I really liked all the scenes and all the characters. Honestly, the characters were my favourite part of the quest. I had some problems keeping track of some of the more minor characters, but that's probably my fault since everything seemed to fit nicely together.
You certainly made good use of hiding details in plain sight, I'll note, but we never really put any of the clues together (or discovered enough of them to finish the puzzle) in time to actually stop or prevent what was going on in the background. Perhaps try using a heavier hand when dishing out the clues? I don't know. One of the harder decisions we had to make was Sage surrendering, and that resulting in the end of the quest just made it feel like it was the wrong decision, even if it would have happened anyways.
So yeah. Wait, no: Calico. I still have no idea what her deal is, and only the vaguest understanding of what motivates her. To me, it almost felt like she was going to be the main antagonist. That she wasn't was mildly confusing for me, but this might just be a me problem again.
Which adjustments do you consider, if it isn't much of a secret? Basically, where do you think the mechanic worked as intended, and where it wasn't sufficient (and why?)
I think the limiters on destressing worked well, as well as "secret exploration" rewards where we randomly got -1/-2 Insanity from certain actions. Later on, active week spells added a nice touch.
the next quest will have a different plot structure, so i want the mechanics to reflect it. basically, i want constantly increasing terror at predictable rates rather than the more random bursts of insanity shown here.
i think for what i had in mind here (each room tells its own separate story and causes different levels of fright) the listed mechanics worked very well ... i would maybe have fewer spooky rooms and visit them more often rather than trying to go through a larger number of spooky rooms if i were to do this again
Did this in any way play a part in the quest? We hit 20+ earlier (Week 5), but by then the mechanic wasn't in place. We didn't lose the cone retroactively either.
So none of these effects activated, right?
Ultramarinus possessed Violet... and then what? What was that about the Rainbow Serpent? Why was the expedition important to Ultramarinus' plan? I don't believe we ever got the full story and the sequence of events.
here's my best guess:
1. Starting in the Moonlight Mansion (trivial, but does need to be mentioned)
2. Choosing to give Violet an edited version of the truth in Week 4
3. Failing several rolls of The Letters
4. Failing the roll to convince Violet in Week 12
5. Violet starting with +6 Insanity and few ways to lower it
6. Sage hitting 20 Insanity in Week 15, causing ya'll to laser focus on healing her
7. Violet gaining a total of +12 Insanity in Week 16 from two high rolls, landing her at 21
8. Violet staying above 20+ Insanity for a full week (Week 17)
9. The Expedition getting rolled for Week 18
the expedition and the rainbow serpent themselves were not a part of his plan. however, he was able to take advantage of the fact that many of the people who could stop him (including sage via the mirrors, though she would have been on the expedition too, so...) were otherwise occupied, and so made his move at that time. while they were busy, he possessed violet, called in his demons, reclaimed his power from sage, and absorbed the twin spirits... and a bunch of other souls.
it was honestly very close to not being a disaster, and those rolls near the end meant a lot. for example, violet ending week at 19 Insanity instead of 21 means that ultramarinus has to attack after the expedition ends and sage is rescued, and he'll have a much harder time of it. alternatively, the expedition getting rolled later means that he's dealt with offscreen during week 18, though his influence on sage remains until that gets resolved much later.
edit - the effects of both good and bad luck can't be understated, though there was always a bias towards bad luck being worse for you than good luck was good for you
edit edit - perhaps being more aggressive in dealing with the light spirit and heavenly haunting also would have helped... but again, i didn't give you much indication that this was urgent
Sanity of companions is yet another undisclosed mechanic with uncertain consequences, and to top it off, it worked differently from the PC mechanic! What do you mean Violet had no way of reducing Insanity? Sage had two hobbies and one sauna to work with. Did Violet have no hobbies of her own?
Not sure what to say about Violet's possession since I didn't even know about Sage's (other than by the Light Spirit, but I assume that's completely different), but if Violet's Insanity needed to hit 20+ for it to work (as it did for Sage) then the quest couldn't have lasted for much longer... could it? Unless someone rolled really well to notice and prevent it.
i had in mind a connection between the writers of the text and the Pralisson family, but never wrote down any details. as for investigating it more, there were texts on various subjects, including lycanthropy, the true nature of magic, nature spirits vs urban spirits, and so on... only a few of them ever got more detail beyond just the title
So yeah. Wait, no: Calico. I still have no idea what her deal is, and only the vaguest understanding of what motivates her. To me, it almost felt like she was going to be the main antagonist. That she wasn't was mildly confusing for me, but this might just be a me problem again.
no, it's fair that you're confused - things were certainly heading in the direction of calico and the cult being the main issues, and had things turned out differently this would have remained the case.
i also did not write out a detailed backstory for her, which is probably what you're noticing.
