Remember. Always ask the DM for a spot/knowledge/wisdom/sensory check when beginning an encounter :P
I will happily resolve in either in the IC or the OOC for us.
I will happily resolve in either in the IC or the OOC for us.
The Grey Dust
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A scantron exam, but the answer is always C. Just C. Always C. Not a single A, B, D, or E. All answers are C. The statistical improbability is diabolical!
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A scantron exam, but the answer is always C. Just C. Always C. Not a single A, B, D, or E. All answers are C. The statistical improbability is diabolical!
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6 days ago
By default the Jimmy Buffet Bard is on a quest for a Salt Shaker after losing it after a black-out night of booze, sponge cake, carousing, and women with his only hint tattooed on his chest...
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I'm not a doctor but I do play one in RP. Got an itch to scratch? Try Hyrdocortisone 1% with aloe, vitamin E, and medicated Zinc oxide plus calamine cream..
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Where else would you keep a diamond-powered tactical ASSAULT super suit?
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Arnold Schwarzenegger stores his Mr. Freeze power suit in a salt mine so youll never catch him asking: "Honey, where is my super suit?"
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Most Recent Posts
So, there are souls, and then there are physical things. The souls are incorporeal, the corporeal things are physically there. If you are attempting to wrap your spirit weapons around the soul, you will have to treat them as a physical object with your weapon. If you treat them as a physical object with your weapon, they can treat your weapon as an physical object as well and pull back. Then as such, you will find resistance a possibility ergo, you may attempt to do this, yet since it isn't an assured way to render the souls out since it gives them a fighting change, you cannot say they are ripped out of the body in one post.
Hence not everything in hell is just a soul, those in the first layer are rendered without their bodies as their punishment, so their souls are without anything interact with the physical world. Hence, your weapons generally cannot affected them, nor they you as they are fighting on two very different states of being. Similarly, in such a line of logic, I question how your weapons at one point phased through the river of souls, and now at this point you claim they can wrap around the soul as if they were physically present...
The snake did get pulled out of the river however, which is good as it distracted it from attacking the boat since it was the only thing pretty much reacting to save your traveling vessel. Hence not all is lost. However expending souls doesn't give you a free pass to completely brush aside all obstacles. While there is indeed the brute force route, the easier route is to strike the weak points or analyze what's wrong with the scenario given.
Since this is the first battle, I'm going to reveal the design of this challenge and leave it you folks to see if your characters can logically deduce this 'key' to solving the snake:
1. As mentioned, the spirits cannot directly interact with the physical world, save for speaking their thoughts and attempt to sway your minds.
2. The snake is dead, yet somehow the spirits are able to possess the corpse and use it.
3. Something is animating the snake, which is how the spirits can control and manipulate the snake through their will, as such exists some form of spiritual conduit they are stored in.
4. Snake shed its old skin for a new hide, becoming more difficult to penetrate its hide due to the scales which become more resistant to what strikes it with each molt, Uxzan's arrow however manage to slip by scales from its small size and penetrate it, embedding it within the snake.
5. The old skin of the snake is not animating itself, hence it cannot be the part which harbors the spirits.
6. The snake is dead, yet someone in the past has managed to kill it, and not only this, but cut it into three parts which should be impossible due to the nature of the beast's scaly hide.
7. Stabbing the brain did nothing to stop them, the blood is rotting itself so the heart is probably also useless.
8. The snake speaks, but speech is not a function intrinsic to the snake (usually snakes don't speak, particularly dead ones), however that being said it is not the snake speaking but rather the voice of the spirits.
9. The internal organs of the beast are well protected from attack by its skins defense, although none of them really would matter. However some organs are not as well protected such as the eyes or tongue. But these are not usually attack targets, as what good is piercing the eyes of something without vision?
10. Hence how can the snake see? The spirits have to be possessing something which allows them to detect the movements of everything else, since the brain isn't integrating anything.
11. Tongue. The sensory organ which allows the snake to detect chemical changes and more importantly, speak.
12. The spirits are controlling the snake by channeling themselves within the beast's tongue. Sever it to silence them.
13. Alternatively, if you can tear the corpse to ribbons by attacking where the skin is weakest, from the inside. As the original hero did, by letting the beast consume them as they cut their way out of the snake since its scales cannot protect it from internal damage.
Hence not everything in hell is just a soul, those in the first layer are rendered without their bodies as their punishment, so their souls are without anything interact with the physical world. Hence, your weapons generally cannot affected them, nor they you as they are fighting on two very different states of being. Similarly, in such a line of logic, I question how your weapons at one point phased through the river of souls, and now at this point you claim they can wrap around the soul as if they were physically present...
The snake did get pulled out of the river however, which is good as it distracted it from attacking the boat since it was the only thing pretty much reacting to save your traveling vessel. Hence not all is lost. However expending souls doesn't give you a free pass to completely brush aside all obstacles. While there is indeed the brute force route, the easier route is to strike the weak points or analyze what's wrong with the scenario given.
Since this is the first battle, I'm going to reveal the design of this challenge and leave it you folks to see if your characters can logically deduce this 'key' to solving the snake:
1. As mentioned, the spirits cannot directly interact with the physical world, save for speaking their thoughts and attempt to sway your minds.
2. The snake is dead, yet somehow the spirits are able to possess the corpse and use it.
3. Something is animating the snake, which is how the spirits can control and manipulate the snake through their will, as such exists some form of spiritual conduit they are stored in.
4. Snake shed its old skin for a new hide, becoming more difficult to penetrate its hide due to the scales which become more resistant to what strikes it with each molt, Uxzan's arrow however manage to slip by scales from its small size and penetrate it, embedding it within the snake.
5. The old skin of the snake is not animating itself, hence it cannot be the part which harbors the spirits.
6. The snake is dead, yet someone in the past has managed to kill it, and not only this, but cut it into three parts which should be impossible due to the nature of the beast's scaly hide.
7. Stabbing the brain did nothing to stop them, the blood is rotting itself so the heart is probably also useless.
8. The snake speaks, but speech is not a function intrinsic to the snake (usually snakes don't speak, particularly dead ones), however that being said it is not the snake speaking but rather the voice of the spirits.
9. The internal organs of the beast are well protected from attack by its skins defense, although none of them really would matter. However some organs are not as well protected such as the eyes or tongue. But these are not usually attack targets, as what good is piercing the eyes of something without vision?
10. Hence how can the snake see? The spirits have to be possessing something which allows them to detect the movements of everything else, since the brain isn't integrating anything.
11. Tongue. The sensory organ which allows the snake to detect chemical changes and more importantly, speak.
12. The spirits are controlling the snake by channeling themselves within the beast's tongue. Sever it to silence them.
13. Alternatively, if you can tear the corpse to ribbons by attacking where the skin is weakest, from the inside. As the original hero did, by letting the beast consume them as they cut their way out of the snake since its scales cannot protect it from internal damage.
yeah, I was planning on infusing my wires with souls so it connects straight to the souls inside the creature, than I would tie other wires to my "living knifes" shoot them straight through the serpentine beasts body, wrap the physical wires around its body, and pull the soul away with my soul infused wires while pulling the body the other way with my physical wires.
Edit:The knife's would do a part of the pulling(still more than enough strength)
Assuming your wires could penetrate the beast's scales in the first place, its a form of exorcism I suppose.
That being said, remember your wires have no effect on the Souls in Hell, per our agreement. Hence you cannot have your wires pull their souls away from the vessel. Unless of course you wish to renege on the agreement that you can bring your souls to Hell, and Hell cannot touch your souls brought in yet your powers cannot affect or harvest new souls from Hell just as well. At which doing so would trip up Eternity, Void, and Equilibrium, Order if he's not busy schmoozing with the Gods, to rip the souls out of the collector's collection, kill him, and damn him to the next layer of hell respectively within moments of attempting to cheat/usurp the rules of this realm.
There are five possible operations in war: if you can fight, fight; if you cannot fight, defend; if you cannot defend, flee; if you cannot flee, surrender; if you cannot surrender, die.
@weird tales Per the rules, I have Godmodded your character as you have not posted IC in over 21 days. Should you not have a sufficient IC post within 9 Days from this point, you will unfortunately be considered inactive and the RP will continue on without you. This generally means I will have to kill off your character, but rest assured I will give it a glorious character death. As of now, perhaps being crushed to death by a giant snake's coils until your innards become outards and they will have to scrape you off the snow-frosted pines. The Man in white will come to harvest your soul and you will become trapped in this layer of Hell for all eternity as a ghost, a memory of a fallen mortal who tried his hand at obtaining godhood. This allows you to, since you are not yet corrupted by the layer, to at least serve as a guide or warning to any one doing the same trial he was doing.
@tyki See the Above. Although as of today it as been exactly 21 days since you have last posted an IC post. Hence I cannot yet Godmod your character until Tomorrow, or the next GM post depending on how fast or slow the others take to respond.
@tyki See the Above. Although as of today it as been exactly 21 days since you have last posted an IC post. Hence I cannot yet Godmod your character until Tomorrow, or the next GM post depending on how fast or slow the others take to respond.
Well done, soul chains and golden lance, but this was a thick hide accustomed to the weapons of the gods. Even now in death as its husk withers and writhes, dragged out of the river in chains like an enslaved captive, the beast had tricks which made it the guardian of this layer, to prevent mere mortals from somehow breaking the seals and entering in. Or perhaps more so to prevent the souls from escaping their proper place. Even in death did its mere presence serve as a tether and keep these souls bound, although a few did escape due to its death. Often it was from this realm did the dead find their way back into the world of the living. Reborn anew in an incarnation, just as the serpent slumbers biting its own tail.
the beast hissed, or rather the souls which infested its remains did, as lance pierced the rotten brain and iron hide, as chains tore into scales. Did they forget that it was not the snake itself which controlled it, but rather the spirits inside, the strings which controlled the puppet. Thus perhaps destroying or damaging the puppet would limit their ability, yet this tactic would be for naught. This great hell serpent was no hydra, but certainly just as tricky to face. Behold now, great warriors as the spirits pulled the snake back, wriggling from the chains and pulling the one on the other end back as the pull of the thousands of angry souls fought this tug of war with the collectors hundred. Even now, wounded and bleeding a foul ichor of semi-congealed blood from the new wound upon its head, smelling of ammonia and rotten sulfur, the snake resisted. Its scales peeling off, molting, shed anew, and all damage done seemed to disappear, slipping off the old husk's husk as the remains were cast off.
More so, however was the new sheen of its hide, no longer riddled by the weapons, but certainly looking as if the snake was indeed still alive. It was not the regeneration which made this foe so great, but rather what happens as it shed its skin. Try again, Collector or Cavalier your weapons will be turned away, your lance shall not pierce its scaly hide twice, nor shall your chains dig into its flesh. This was the hide which evolved, ever increasing its potency against whatever dared to injure it before. Try it once more, and you shall find your weapons fail you, as none shall prevail as they found. The old skin defeating countless of ordinary blades and more, this one that it wore now shall defy even the lance of nigh a god. Which is to say the old serpent hide would be indeed, quite a treasured relic should anyone be crafty enough to find a method to fashion it into armor. Yet how shall one cut such thing?
"Foolsssss! You ssssshall not sssslice ussss, our new sssssskin sssshall sssstop you..." The spirits hissed, driving their centuries old rage within the beast, it shall not be.
Yet, there was one amongst them who smiled, as he hopped off the longboat, the hunter who marks his quarry well. Dress in the wraps of furs and wool, his weapons place well upon his back. A totem hung from up a belt loop and other strange spiritual fetishes of wood, stone, or animal parts. A bow drawn back, a whispered prayer for a bountiful hunt. An arrow unleashed, the fingers let fly, the wrath of the hunter as the howling wolf came to life. Imbued with the spirit of the hunt, a slaying arrow empowered to kill the prey, to pierce the hide of this monstrous beast miraculously as it hissed again, the arrow penetrating the hide, not deep but still an irritant to anger the spirits further into motion as they rear the serpent's head to strike at them once more, lunging at Eclipse, and the others left on the boat.
But it was already dead. Wasn't it? There was no giant snake, here, physical damage to the puppet was fine, but they had all missed to sever the strings that made it dance. Come now adventurers, surely there must be enough brains amongst you to make a brain salad. The great guardian died certainly, but how it was killed is the mystery. With an nigh impenetrable hide, though it was no mystical lion perhaps it was crushed or suffocated to death? And yet clearly it was cut into pieces, with some blade no less, a blade which must have been beyond godly to bypass its defense.
Or perhaps the warrior was simply clever, knowing just where to strike. A weakness so obvious, and yet it lies at the heart of the issue. To kill what was already dead, something similar should be done, else perhaps the puppet shall continue to dance its maddening dance. Its forked tongue flicking out of its gaping maw, jaw broken but still held by the force of will, the unbroken broken spirits holding the corpse together in this act of punitive vengeance against the champions of the gods.
"Die and Join ussssss!"
the beast hissed, or rather the souls which infested its remains did, as lance pierced the rotten brain and iron hide, as chains tore into scales. Did they forget that it was not the snake itself which controlled it, but rather the spirits inside, the strings which controlled the puppet. Thus perhaps destroying or damaging the puppet would limit their ability, yet this tactic would be for naught. This great hell serpent was no hydra, but certainly just as tricky to face. Behold now, great warriors as the spirits pulled the snake back, wriggling from the chains and pulling the one on the other end back as the pull of the thousands of angry souls fought this tug of war with the collectors hundred. Even now, wounded and bleeding a foul ichor of semi-congealed blood from the new wound upon its head, smelling of ammonia and rotten sulfur, the snake resisted. Its scales peeling off, molting, shed anew, and all damage done seemed to disappear, slipping off the old husk's husk as the remains were cast off.
More so, however was the new sheen of its hide, no longer riddled by the weapons, but certainly looking as if the snake was indeed still alive. It was not the regeneration which made this foe so great, but rather what happens as it shed its skin. Try again, Collector or Cavalier your weapons will be turned away, your lance shall not pierce its scaly hide twice, nor shall your chains dig into its flesh. This was the hide which evolved, ever increasing its potency against whatever dared to injure it before. Try it once more, and you shall find your weapons fail you, as none shall prevail as they found. The old skin defeating countless of ordinary blades and more, this one that it wore now shall defy even the lance of nigh a god. Which is to say the old serpent hide would be indeed, quite a treasured relic should anyone be crafty enough to find a method to fashion it into armor. Yet how shall one cut such thing?
"Foolsssss! You ssssshall not sssslice ussss, our new sssssskin sssshall sssstop you..." The spirits hissed, driving their centuries old rage within the beast, it shall not be.
Yet, there was one amongst them who smiled, as he hopped off the longboat, the hunter who marks his quarry well. Dress in the wraps of furs and wool, his weapons place well upon his back. A totem hung from up a belt loop and other strange spiritual fetishes of wood, stone, or animal parts. A bow drawn back, a whispered prayer for a bountiful hunt. An arrow unleashed, the fingers let fly, the wrath of the hunter as the howling wolf came to life. Imbued with the spirit of the hunt, a slaying arrow empowered to kill the prey, to pierce the hide of this monstrous beast miraculously as it hissed again, the arrow penetrating the hide, not deep but still an irritant to anger the spirits further into motion as they rear the serpent's head to strike at them once more, lunging at Eclipse, and the others left on the boat.
But it was already dead. Wasn't it? There was no giant snake, here, physical damage to the puppet was fine, but they had all missed to sever the strings that made it dance. Come now adventurers, surely there must be enough brains amongst you to make a brain salad. The great guardian died certainly, but how it was killed is the mystery. With an nigh impenetrable hide, though it was no mystical lion perhaps it was crushed or suffocated to death? And yet clearly it was cut into pieces, with some blade no less, a blade which must have been beyond godly to bypass its defense.
Or perhaps the warrior was simply clever, knowing just where to strike. A weakness so obvious, and yet it lies at the heart of the issue. To kill what was already dead, something similar should be done, else perhaps the puppet shall continue to dance its maddening dance. Its forked tongue flicking out of its gaping maw, jaw broken but still held by the force of will, the unbroken broken spirits holding the corpse together in this act of punitive vengeance against the champions of the gods.
"Die and Join ussssss!"
It appears we are left with 3.
very well then.
very well then.
We can do a head count. If the other three are still around, I can proceed forward tonight with a post. If not, do we want a greater volume of people to rp or are we fine with this threesome?
I may have to play a character myself depending on if party size gets too small to do the large scale battles. The next layer's got a small army scene to it for the boss fight. Hence you will be fighting 4 Daimyo Lords and their 10 Elite Vanguards, with 2 Twin Royal guards. Fortunately you don't have to fight the Duke, unlike this layer.
I may have to play a character myself depending on if party size gets too small to do the large scale battles. The next layer's got a small army scene to it for the boss fight. Hence you will be fighting 4 Daimyo Lords and their 10 Elite Vanguards, with 2 Twin Royal guards. Fortunately you don't have to fight the Duke, unlike this layer.
<Snipped quote by Bishop>
Yeah we know each other, and Grey is a goddamn pleasant-weather friend who has informed me of my value to him. Sorry, but I am not going to be happy trying to roleplay with a someone I expected more from. I'm out.
Completely unprofessional. Having your hissyfit and announcing it in public like this.
My tbaletop logic and courtesy holds me back from attacking that snake again.
Thank you. I simply await our other 3 remaining players to post.
Don't make me have to start enforcing those rules :C
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