The Irish Tree

Overlord: Momento Mori

And, post is up!

As usual, lemme know if something needs doing for anybody...and also, after the next update, Act 1 will end, and Act 2 will begin!

Overlord: Momento Mori

@Xaltwind@Guess Who

The Mountain Village

Rodias was visibly trembling as Kath seemed more and more inclined to go berserk. Admittedly, he could probably take her on, but...he wasn’t quite sure that he was composed enough to handle a dragon screaming bloody murder at him. Not to mention the fact that Rodias, as a partially undead class, was weak to fire. It wasn’t an impossible fight to win given their extreme level gap, but...Dragons were scary.

A wave of relief washed over Rodias as he saw Kath compose herself, his internal voice cheering her on from within his mind. ”Nice, Kath! A few books isn’t worth losing your cool ove-” he would think, just before Kath ran off to seal herself into the vault...and that’s when he did his best to remain composed himself as a certain shade covered his eyes, a pang of guilt ringing through his gut as he silently and ashamedly listened to Kath shake the very foundation of the Chateau, his face entering the palms of his hands as he groaned quietly. He...really...really messed up. And he genuinely felt remorse for it.

When Kath returned, he hurriedly righted his stance, having forgotten that Ashara was right there with him. ”That’s correct…” Rodias stated, feeling bad about pushing the issue off onto Chuunitrixx...but...it was her fault, in the end. Ashara would give her report, the details of which clearly pleased the Sable Lord. He would accept the Amberlyte, and rather hesitantly accept the coins that had been held between Ashara’s...assets. He supposed it was alright, since they were shielded by the leather bag but...wait, shielded from what!? He wasn’t some shut-in loser now...Rodias could touch all the boob-coins he pleased now! Storing that...incredibly strange mental revelation for later, he would inspect the coins intimately, along with the Amberlyte as Ashara caught his attention once more. Freezing and looking at Ashara as she mentioned someone of equal power stalking them, Rodias couldn’t help but bite the nail of his thumb as he considered the consequences of that...so it was true, that here they weren’t anything special in the food chain. Mars was exceptional as she had said, but this figure was on par with a Chapter Keeper...maybe they were another player from YGGDRASIL?

Once Ashara concluded her report, Rodias would remember himself and stand, smiling. ”Do not feel bad, Ashara. Knowing the country’s name matters little, in the grand scheme of things. But, this town does interest me...especially since their lord seems despised. Perhaps...someone ought to take his place. As for the stronger figure...we can’t rule them out as being hostile, but at the same time, it seems unlikely for them to be. Otherwise, they would have tried to attack Kath, or you. Going off of that...I am glad that both of you are safe. Please, let me know if you ever see that person again. I have a feeling they could be useful. This...Mars, was it?” Rodias said, pacing around Kath and Ashara as he spoke, appreciating the coins and ore that had been brought to him. Gingerly tossing the ore piece up and down, Rodias would say: ”He sounds like a person worth keeping track of. If possible, I’d like to bring that village under our control. This ore, regardless of use to us, must be of worth in this world. If we’re going to be stuck here, we need capital...and freeing the people from their negligent, greedy lord sounds like sufficient reason to endear ourselves. But for now, thank you both for your service to Gothika.”

Bowing his head with a satisfied smile, Rodias would begin to take his leave, feeling that he should drop the Amberlyte off for Graft to analyze. If peasant miners and smiths could work it, then its likely that mass-producing goods would be a cinch with such materials. With the newly activated COIN, he could simply assign a drone to take it to Graft’s floor, leaving the Sable Lord to enter his throne room...and promptly begin shivering in terror at the prospect of how close Kath and Ashara may have just come to losing their lives.

The Sable Lord was afraid...not for loss of himself, but for how dangerous he’d realized that this world really was, for someone of equal power to a Chapter Keeper to just...approach without notice and leave just as easily. He would quickly shake his fears however with a cup of coffee...all before Socrates would arrive to ask for his aid.

@DracoLunaris

Hunting for Answers

Zouyu gasped, looking actually a bit afraid of pissing off the trapper team. ”E-Eh? I-I was only...I’m sorry!” he would hurriedly say, bowing fervently, the continual motion making the weretiger dizzy. He also couldn’t help the slight tinge of pink to his cheeks, enjoying being praised by a higher leveled member of the Chateau. He’d exhausted all of his MP with that stunt, which was mostly since he had prepared a Triple Maximize Magic via Silent Spell, wanting to try and make it more impressive, but he was still glad to be praised.

Once the beast was under Kaldorna’s spell, Zouyu would release the cage, and, at the prospect of riding the great woolie beast, Zouyu literally jumped at the opportunity to do so. Climbing atop and situating his legs, which was an easy feat given that he could lie on the flat of the beast’s back without worry of falling off, Zouyu urged it on, lying on his stomach and gently scratching behind the beast’s ears. ”Good biggie~! We’re gonna take you home, settle you into Kaldorna’s Pens, and you’re gonna make Rodias happy!”

Once Kaldorna rode up beside him, Zouyu would grin, excitedly saying: ”It was a lot of fun, Kaldorna! If I didn’t have to tend to the garden so much, I’d ask to stick around as a hunter full time. Ehehe...Rodias is going to be real proud. Your hunters probably rounded up a ton of those Gorgonbulls, and we’ve got this big thing as a trophy! Its too bad that the other Sable Lords aren’t still here...I bet Sun200 would be impressed that you all captured this big thing. I wonder...if...Yaoishi…prou...of’me...” Zouyu’s speech suddenly slowed and quieted, the ever familiar scent of blood filling Kaldorna’s nose as Zouyu’s grip fell slack, the weretiger falling off of the mammoth straight to the earth, blood trickling from his nose, and his entire form appearing limp.

...Something was definitely wrong. He wasn’t dead, but something had clearly gone wrong enough to have ill side-effects upon him.

@Archmage MC@Rockin Strings

Hunting for Inspiration

The whip proved quite effective for Gromgard’s methods, but not quite good enough to give information worthy of being set free. Cries of mercy, of pleas to tell Gromgard everything only to be followed by them questioning him why he was doing it...frankly, it was the standard fare, torturing fools. Thankfully, mortality wasn’t exactly a limitation to torture given the existence of low level healing potions, and basic healing spells. Put simply, Gromgard could have gone for days on end.

And then Light arrived, doing the job of breaking a man over days in the course of a dozen minutes. Pain was effective to break men, but madness itself was always primed to split a man into many facets of himself, myriad reflections of foolishness and genius that each fought tooth and nail to screech out. That and, boobs. She had boobs. Admittedly, while the two not busy getting bosom-smooshed by Light thought that she might be an angel, the eventual shrieking and mad frothing at the mouth their companion convinced them she was the opposite.

They’d tell her any inane detail she’d desire, from explaining that they have three seasons, similar in description to Summer, Fall, and Winter, forty day months that culminated in 14 month years, with minutes and seconds seeming to be roughly the same in terms of measurement. Flavors were sweet, meaty, and ”AHAHAHAHAHAHA”, but that wasn’t a real answer, so that one got another lashing. They could definitely have fun in the same room, so long as Gromgard remembered that the voices in his head begging for him to free the goblins from their skinsuits was just imaginary.

@Lucius Cypher

Song of the Forest

At Bone Daddy’s investigation of the surrounding area for the source of the song, he would come to find that, strangely, a sort of grass was growing near where blood had been spilt upon earth, long, white grass with thin tubes whistling softly in the wind in a way that defied explanation. It was as if a master of a woodwind instrument had blessed the ground beneath him to sing. The plant stretched towards the moonlight overhead, curling a bit as the winds buffeted them.

This new world was full of both mystery and beauty in equal parts, and, perhaps for the first time, Bone Daddy would feel the actual freedom of his newfound existence in the New World. ...Or not. Up to him.

@Xaltwind@Stern Algorithm

Valkyrie Code: V

Were it possible to look more nonplussed, Rodias wouldn’t know as his brow furrowed at the accusation of sexual harassment, his hands hurriedly withdrawing from Isolde on instinct. ”I...Don’t even know how to answer that. But, its as Salem said. Of the Sable Lords, I’m the last one present within the Chateau. The situation is...complicated, to say the least,” Rodias would say as he looked towards the numerous ESPERs, standing and giving Isolde plenty of space with which to exit her casket.

Standing at his full height of almost seven feet, Rodias felt...comically large. Perhaps its because he was. Or Isolde was just...short. Salem was short as well, but he was a child...or at least had the body of one. Dizzyingly considering how nightmarish attempting to enter doors built for ordinary people in this world, Rodias would stand before his two shorter companions and clear his throat. ”I would never stoop so low as to sully a woman’s virginity in her sleep...Despite what you may think, I was just trying to help you out of your casket. After some...difficulty inputting the password, I managed to reactivate you and your floor.”

@Enkryption

Establishing Territory

While Chuunitrixx was occupied with expanding her territory, as well as playing Bachelorette with facsimiles of the Chateau's denizens, her mimics were hard at work expanding. The Epsilon Mimics soon found themselves encountering steep walls that had to be surpassed to realize their master's dream; Armies of men that marched uniformly, well equipped with shining spears and armor. And, judging from the uniformity of their equipment and proximity...the nation to the south had a gargantuan army.

This was far more than fifty mimics could handle. Judging from the "aura" given off by the collective group, it wouldn't be far off to estimate each individual low ranking soldier as being around level 20. While not an unbeatable level, the sheer numbers advantage meant that the mimics attempting to fight would almost certainly die, either during battle or from sustaining injuries. Without reinforcements, it was suicide to fight head on.

Delta and Beta's flattening of their areas was one of diligence and elbow grease, while Gamma would find growing amidst the cold a frightfully difficult task. Seeds planted were quickly eaten by frost-flying birds, and the gargantuan woolly beasts that Kaldorna had successfully managed to best were proving to be troublesome to the mimics, only capable of being felled when they hunted in large numbers. Gamma and Beta would certainly prove the most difficult to expand from...albeit, starting a war down south might draw the Ire of Rodias. In ways that might actually force his hand against Chuunitrixx.

Overlord: Momento Mori

Actual footage of Chuunitrixx and Kath's Berserker form duking it out in the Chateau. Parental Advisory Warning! Brutal Violence!

Overlord: Momento Mori

Update will happen sometime either tonight or tomorrow. Apologies for the wait.

Goblin Slayer: Newblood (CANCELLED)

After sending her meal down her gullet in a flash, Steppe Archer would race after her new roomie as she was dragged by the arm. Just before they entered the room, Steppe Archer would wave to their big lizard friend, smiling as she said: "Good night Big Red!" managing to keep it to a loud whisper, before entering the Druid's room.

Steppe Archer didn't at all mind the lack of decoration about the room. She didn't exactly expect luxury here on the frontier, nor was she exactly snooty enough to turn her nose at the thought of having to sleep on a bed of straw. It was better than a bed of grass in the cold of night, for certain. Steppe Archer would eye the nightgown curiously, tilting her head slightly before realizing that the Druid Girl was stripping down to her birthday suit. There wasn't any shame in her eyes, but rather a hint of acceptance. Among her tribe, to lay oneself bare wasn't just something done between husband and wife, but between friends and close family. It was ritualistic in a way, especially given how cold the Steppe was at night. Put simply, it was a matter of trust and acceptance to lay yourself bare and expose every weakness you had. As such, Steppe Archer would shake her head at the nightgown and leave it on the chair, stripping herself bare as well and lie beside the Druid Girl, draping her large, long dress atop the two of them.

"Good night..." Steppe Archer would murmur after squeezing in with her new friend, her dress feeling warm and soft atop the both of them.

Overlord: Momento Mori

Post up! As usual, lemme know if anybody needs something addressed, collabs, etc.

Overlord: Momento Mori

@Xaltwind @Guess Who

The Mountain Village

Having completed their task and relayed their information to one another, the fox and the dragon librarian would find little to be done left in the village. However, not before Corona ran over to deliver a piece of the Amberlyte to her. A rather sizeable chunk too. Chuckling, Corona said: "Don't tell my dad, okay? It fell off one of the carts. Sooooo...technically, not stealing."

With the gift received, Corona would depart, heading off to do...something. Probably bother Mars.

The journey back to the Chateau would be rather simple, given that now the twosome could easily scale the mountain now that they knew the path. Albeit, avoiding being seen meant taking a more roundabout path, but the twosome's speed and strength afforded by their high levels meant that it was barely more than an hour's walk. They'd be home by lunch.

Rodias would be waiting for them, poised upon his seat within the library. He was without his cloak and Nightmare Troupe armor, giving him a strange casual look to him. Like a nobleman at peace reading books...albeit, a nobleman with a green pallor to his flesh. Smiling nervously at the two of them, he would clear his throat. "Ah, um...welcome back...Kath I know I said that I would guard your books but...the mimics of Enderal sort of...managed to grab a few while I wasn't looking."

It was clear by how terrified he looked that he knew how terrifying a berserk Kath was. And, he figured that at least being honest up front might mean that he wouldn't have to fight a dragon to submission. "Sooo, how was the village?" he asked, wanting to change the subject fast.

@DracoLunaris

The Hunt for Answers

Zouyu was lightly kicking his feet back and forth, gleefully watching the hunters do their thing as he approached while keeping pace with Kaldorna's mount. His ears perked up as he listened to Kaldorna's explanation, eyes shining with amazement at the idea of one person fighting that many high level monsters at once. But then, the heartbreak part came up. He'd never personally been given the privilege to see the fights that had taken place within the Climax Hour, but he had always been assured that it was beautiful to behold. One time, Yaoishisaurus even told him all about the time that a stray magic blast nearly took her head off, before Loss, and Kiss My Axe intercepted. It all sounded so...insanely cool!

"Why is it heartbreaking?" Zouyu would ask, scratching the side of his face as he pondered. Rodias was strong, stronger than anybody in the guild so...why did he still fight like someone on his standing was behind him to help?

Zouyu's peanut sized brain wouldn't have time to consider all the possibilities though as Kaldorna ordered for him to go on the offensive. Well, limited offense. They didn't need the thing dead. Plunging his hands into the earth, Zouyu would cry out: "[Fifth Tier Magic: Wall of Stone!]" before a gargantuan block of rock and mud emerged to corral the mammoth-like beast, just as Nightshade blinded it. But...it seemed that he'd either slipped up, or not counted on the beast charging dead ahead.

A sneer crawled across Zouyu's usual calm and gentle face, teeth gnashing together as he reactively sensed the killing intent of a fellow beast, before he would stand up, hands swirling with arcane winds.

"Know your place, trash," the Gardener would say, lightning swirling around his forehead, and wind swirling around his arms and legs. He seemed especially enraged at the idea of a beast challenging not only himself, but Kaldorna. In an instant, Zouyu's fist would dive into the earth, claw splaying out in the dirt as magic swelled forth. "[Sixth Tier Magic: Bones of the Earth!]" he would cry out, before fifty foot pillars of bones encased the mammoth, as if it were surrounded entirely by ribs, the beast's thrashings and beatings mimicking the sound of a heartbeat thudding against one's chest faster and faster, before Zouyu would return to his gentle expression.

"[First Tier Magic: Entangle! First Tier Magic: Giant's Jump!" he would say, as a tremendous amount of vines started binding the mammoth within the cage, the Giant's Jump spell causing Zouyu to pounce over seventy feet in the air, before he landed on the mammoth's head. Exhausted and blinded, the beast was unable to resist as Zouyu bound leather and vines around its tusks, making it into a makeshift reign as he waved to Kaldorna. "Kaldornaaaaa~! Its ready to be made your pet!" he cried out, adding in: "Good work everyone! You all made it too weak to break the bones!" to make sure that all knew he wasn't trying to steal anybody's thunder.

@Xaltwind @Stern Algorithm

Valkyrie Code: V

As his frustration grew, Rodias eventually would start idly stabbing his own shadow as he typed, taking the keyboard to the ground as he entered a sitting position. It was sort of like playing Five Finger Filet, only with a shadow that was animate and really, really good at evading.

After settling on variations of Salem's name for attempts at a password, Rodias' eyes would alight as he finally saw the screen glow green in approval, a password being accepted after about 700 permutations of Salem. It seemed that he really was Dr. Drd's favorite...albeit the string of numbers coming after the doll's name didn't help Rodias here.

Accessing the administrative console of the advanced COIN, Rodias would begin powering up its primary systems, switching on the golems that ran it, and, finally, reaching the power switch for the Chapter Keeper Isolde. Slowly sliding his finger up, the switch would flick, and the entire room would flicker for just a moment with the enormous power surge needed to power Isolde. The room would settle soon however, and the hiss of the casket that contained her form signaled the opening of the lid.

"Before he vanished, Dr. Drd was working on a side project. Renovation of an abandoned floor, and attempts to improve the intelligence of the beings within along with their efficiency. So, Salem...in a way..." the Sable Lord would say, directing Salem's eyes to follow him as he went to support Isolde's neck as her systems booted up. "Isolde is your step-sister."

@Lucius Cypher@Rockin Strings@Archmage MC

Hunting for Inspiration

Just before Rodias would have been turning in for the night, the knock upon his door was a welcome sound. It was lonely, watching over a library all night and pouring over tomes...he had no idea how Kath did it. And enjoyed it. Then again, he never was a bookish person.

Answering the door, Rodias was glad to receive the Dragon Maid and Goblin Lord into his chambers, pulling up chairs for the both of them to allow them to get comfortable. Listening intently to Mamoru's explanation, Rodias was clearly in thought as he touched his chin, thinking of what to DO with people that were to be tortured. His still relatively rational, normal mind reasoned that torture was bad, and so was murder...and yet, some part of him had an innate curiosity to figure out this information at any cost.

"Ditronius...definitely wasn't a name I remember hearing back in YGGDRASIL. And these resources from description sound new too. Interesting..." Rodias would say, pouring over the scroll as he reviewed Mamoru's words. It was clear that a decision had to be made, as gathering resources would certainly draw attention. Chuunitrixx's scouting parties could send back resources, certainly, but if there was perfectly good material beneath their feet, who could stop them from simply taking it? The options were conflicting, and it showed in Rodias' eyes. "Thank you both for this information. I'll consider the possibilities after we receive Kath and Ashara's reports. It might be easier to find a source of income and pay people to gather it for us than to use our own manpower to do it...but for now, that's only theorizing..." Rodias would say, just before Light barged in.

Some part of him felt he should be reprimanding her, but...Light was difficult to satiate in her desire for human contact, and her request for payment was unusual, but worked to his advantage. Getting up, Rodias would reach into his cloak before producing a sizeable bag of coinage, saying: "Well...perfect timing Light. Sadly Kath and Ashara aren't back yet, but...we have someone that we need to talk. And I can tell that you've been bored. As such...I'll pay you for the information you can extract from the prisoner that Gromgard's goblins have in custody. So long as its something prevalent...even something as small as how many days are in a year here, I'll make sure that you're appropriately compensated. Does that sound like a good deal?"

Realizing that this was about to turn into a Human Resources nightmare, Rodias would produce bags of coinage for Gromgard and Mamoru as well, with much smaller bags being given to the goblins. "And here, for all your hard work. Speaking of work and compensation, Gromgard, I'd like to commission several art pieces from Penn and Shill. Portraits, namely. They're less likely to wander off if they have their hands full with producing artwork, no?"

---

Bone Daddy would quickly come to find that there were numerous bones at the ritual site, either buried, or left bloodied upon the ground. More bones to work with...and more music to make. Whether it was by coincidence or some sort of magic upon the place, Bone Daddy would begin hearing the melody of the woods itself in the whistle of the wind and the chirping of the bugs.

@Enkryption

Establishing Territory

Over the course of the week, the settlements of Gothika would grow at a rapid pace, due to the singularly driven purposes of each. The land itself was a ripe orchard for each settlement, each grower and tender and miner and fisher finding resources in abundance, as well as hardship to follow. One could imagine the reason so few people lived in this area was the savagery of it; Where men feared to tread, beasts pranced bravely.

The first week of establishing the frontier would be hard fought, but soon, the dividends would trickle back to Gothika. Resources that, now with the newly reactivated COIN system, were flowing in abundance to the places they were needed in the Chateau. New ores for creation of items, new plants to experiment with cooking and potion-making, new plants from which cloth could be woven, and, a little bit of information that could only be found from living in the wilds for an extended period of time.

Overlord: Momento Mori

Post will be going up tonight @Rockin Strings.

Goblin Slayer: Newblood (CANCELLED)

Take your time man. We understand.

Overlord: Momento Mori

@The Irish Tree Might need an idea of where Light should go, otherwise I'll just roll a dice and she'll go off in a random direction, possibly causing chaos to whatever event is happening there xD.

@Archmage MC

Hmm...could have her go try and assist the goblins in torturing the cultists? I imagine her help would be appreciated.