Xaltwind

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

Update is update. Since everybody had posted, there was no need to wait for the usual deadline-time.

Please enjoy.

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

Treasure in the Tower, the Ruin Palae

Those who tried to touch or even just accidentally came into contact with the now far more numerous, and densely populated, crystals that shimmered in green and pink, would find themselves experiencing deja vu. As brittle as ever, the small snow cone-sized crystals would shatter and dissolve like as if they were amde of sand whenever physical contact was made with them, regardless of how gently or forcefully one touched them. They could offer no support, no ground to stand on, and no grip to use as leverage... Nor could they be taken as treasure or loot. Beautiful as they were, they were only ephemeral, brittle and passing decorations it would seem.

Those who had climbed up into the tower and entered the cavity would find themselves surprised. For while the wall of the tower had been smashed open, the interior floor still remained standing, allowing one to walk about as if the tower was in fact not a ruined piece of ancient ruin at all. Although, the entire interior, ceiling, walls and floor, were absolutely covered in the small crystals - though some, as it were, were much larger in this area when compared to those outside. However, apart from the glittering crystals, there wasn't anything remotely interesting around - for as with the rest of the Forgotten Ruins, this palace had been picked clean long ago. No furniture, tapestries, carpets or anything else of that sort remained. An empty room, full of otherworldly crystalline shapes and constructs...

Well, not entirely empty. For you see, over by the west-most part of the room, hard-pressed against the wall there, there was something. A crystal, like the others, of considerably greater size. In fact, it was as big as two or three wheelbarrows, and unlike the other smaller cousin-crystals, this one was light blue, rather than pink and green in color. It also emitted a faint, azure glow that clashed with the even lighter glow of the many smaller crystals around it. Those who would approach this larger crystal would feel the intense magical power radiating from the thing, even if they weren't magically inclined or savvy themselves. Such was its power. Capable of sending a tingling, almost harrowing, sensation through the body of whoever approached, it was both awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time.

But that was not the main draw. No, for you see, those who got even closer would be privvy to something remarkable. The closer you got, the more easily you would be able to make out a shape or form within the large, blue crystal. Getting even closer, the shape would become more and more clear and less blurry. And those brave enough to stand only a few feet away, would be able to see in throguh the blue-tinted crystal's shell, and see clearly what was trapped inside.

...

...

...

It was! .... A girl?

To be more accurate, a young, voluptuous girl, with purple hair and a pair of horns protruding from her head. Her bangs covered one eye, and the one that could be seen was closed. Her head was slightly bent downwards, and it looked as if she was asleep - though considering there was no movement whatsoever from her, she was either not breathing and very much dead in there, or the crystal had somehow completely frozen her in place. The clothes she wore, while exposing and a bit evocative for certain, were still lavish and exquisite. She looked to be a young lady as well, no way past her mid teen years. In fact, with her slightly below average height and overall appearance, she almost looked like a doll inside that crystal prison, perfect, flawless, silent, unmoving.

But, something was strange. For she was stuck in a pose that seemed to be... Strange... She was holding both of her arms infront of her face, crossed across each other like an 'x', as if she was shielding herself from something. Or knees were also bent and touching each other, as if she was trying to trying to either make herself smaller or perhaps exert more weight in one spot, for whatever reason. All in all, it looked as if she was frozen in a pose which seemed to indicate that she was trying to defend herself from... Something or someone. Though, given her current situation, that seemed to have ultimately failed.

But what would those who dared get close do next? What were their thoughts and feelings now that they had found this fallen star? And if they intended to haul it back to Palagria for a reward... How the heck were they going to make that happen?

Meanwhile, those that had chosen to remain outside would find themselves with little to do. It did not appear that Hawklin and his group were sneakily hiding anywhere, as they made no attempt to reappear. Nor did any new groups or individuals pop up to make matters more interesting, or complicated, either... At least not for the immediate present.

Alleyway of Dust, Ruin's Royal District

While Kaze and Yinha had suffered very little in the way of falling debris, much thanks to both the lizardman's speed and the high elf's minor, but timely, protetive spell. They could rest easy with nothing more than a couple of small bruises and sores from the collapsing building. Vani, and his ward, on the other hand, had faired a bit less well.

Not only was Vani bleeding from the back of the head from the chunk of masonry that had fallen on him while trying to dig Atua out of her makeshift grave, he also suffered far more serious bruises and cuts. Thankfully, his armor had taken the worst of the damage and had protected him from the absolute worse, though that being said, he would need to get it repaired at some point. Atua, on the other hand, had suffered many more bruises and injuries. Even with Yinha's restroative magic from earlier, once she had become buried in the heap of debris, the healing spell had not been able to mitigate the accumulating damage.

The archer's body was littered with cuts, scrapes and bruises, as well as discolored blotches from internal bleeding. Her face was an absolute mess and it looked like one of her hands had been crushed, or at least dislocated somehow, since all her fingers were bent and pointing in very odd, very unnatural directions. Still, as if her condition was not enough, the four survivors did not have much time to celebrate their miraculous escape.

As the church began to fall apart, it became painfully clear that standing in a narrow alleyway, when a huge structure of stone was collapsing and falling apar, there was bound to be fallout. Clouds of dust began to fill the narrow passage they found themselves in, and more debris and chunks of stone came raining down. Once the entire building crumbled under its own weight, there was sure to be a proverbial storm of dust and detritus that would fill the entire area... And standing around for that didn't seem like the smarest of ideas. Since the alleyway was a dead-end, leading from the Royal Plaza to the back of the large church, there was only one way to run, and no detours or side-paths to take.

If the four wanted to avoid being buried in dust and rock, they'd need to hurry and get their asses out into the open plaza further ahead.

Overlord: Momento Mori

Post-discussion home-coming

Ashara offered no input to the conversation that had gone on back at the Climax Hour. She merely listened to what the others had said, and it seemed only three of their allies had spoken up - and none of them had done anything to improve the situation. Criticism, berating, off-handed insults, I-can-do-better suggestions... It was the first meeting since they came to the world, in repeat, but with less participants voicing their opinions. The fox merely closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Once Rodias called the meeting to a close and dismissed everyone, Ashra turned to look at Gromgard.

"I believe our mission is done, sir Gromgard. We should return home." She said, a certain melancholic ring to her otherwise pleasant voice.

She did not like this. Not one bit. Their lord was in pain and had become upset, both from the suffering his subordinates had suffered, and because of his own inability to carry out his role as he wished. Yet none of the others seemed to be able to see this, none of them were even trying to emphatize or understand him. Instead they hurled their hurtful words and selfish ideas at him, when he so graciously gave them permission to speak freely and without fear of reprimand, they all just took advantage of it.

It was not often Ashara felt outright disdain for others - not even her enemies. But in this instance, at this moment, she felt incredibly disappointed. Not in her Master, no, but in the Chapter Keepers and other members of the Chateau. That included herself of course. She had not spoken up to defend or encourage her Lord, even though he must've been in so much pain. She was angry, a rare thing indeed - but more so at herself than anything or anyone else. Perhaps if she hbeen able to deal with the cutlists faster, she could've returned to aid her Master? Or if someone else had been sent instead of her, she could've defended the Castle?

Shaking her head, her white hair flowed gently. Regret was pointless. You could agonize over mistakes and what you hadn't done for an eternity, and it would change nothing. For now, all she could do was return to the Chateau and do her best to help the others recover from the aftermath of this whole ordeal. Not that she could offer or do much, but surely there was something she could do, for someone.

---

Meanwhile, at the Climax Hour...

Mikoto and the other priestesses had stood silent and immobile during the entire meeting. They had said nothing. Done nothing. Merely observed and listened. When Rodias dismissed the entirety of the present individuals, the golden-haired three-tailed fox turned to her peers and clapped her hands twice to garner their attention.

"Alright,y ou hear our Lord. Himiko, Kyoko, Akiko and Reiko, help carry the little ones back to the Shrine. The rest of you, hurry back ahead of us and prepare the grounds and beds." She ordered, all of her fellow miko responding with a firm 'Yes!', in almost perfect unison.

As the four oldest shrine maidens scooped up and gave the yuongset ones piggy-back rides, Mikoto stayed behind to watch all of her fellow maidens leave. Once they were all out of the Climax Hour, she cast a glance first at Salem - her ruby-red eyes showing a great deal of contempt as she gazed the doll's way.

"I don't know how your Creator treated you, Lord Salem." She said. "But our lady treasured and treated each and everyone of us with love and care. So please don't try and find skeletons in a closet that's empty, simply because your own maker didn't cherish you." She closed her eyes and sighed, her expression softening slightly, though remained stern and serious still. "It's rather rude to make assumptions about those you never deigned to interact with." She finished.

She then threw a judgemental look at both Graft and Kaldorna, but said nothing to either of them. Instead, she merely bowed, as was customary, and excused herself. Unlike Ashara, who could keep her composure and thoughts clean and serene, Mikoto was a far more open and expressive person. Unlike the head priestess, Mikoto had a sense of pride and love for both her family, her creator and the Chateau as a whole, and did not appreciate when ill things were said about any of them. Still, as the second-in-command of the Shadowtower Shrine, she still managed to maintain her cool and probably hadn't said everything, or what she actually meant, she meant to say.

Meanwhile, the eight ESPER Wings still present in the room hovered silently above the ground, their magiaclly ccreated wings humming softly like fluorescent lights. Once it became clear that nobody else was going to do or say anything of importance, one of them turned its head to the others.

"Unit Mjolnir will now assume command. All units return to the Chamber of Imaginary Numbers to resume regular operations."

The other seven merely nodded, and then they were off. Like a stream of azure light, they zoomed out of the Climax Hour's open window and returned to their own Chapter without any further interactions with the others.

The one ESPER who had been gravely wounded by Morgan's attack much earlier was now, with the help of one of the Cleric-leveled ESPERs, making their way back to the Chateau. Of course, further repairs would be necessary to fully restore it, but for now, it had miraculously survived, thanks in no small part to its sister-automaton.

I sat, I listened, I pondered

Charme let out a jet of white smoke from between her lips, drumming her fingers of the other free hand against the rough surface of the shoddy nightstand in their crummy inn-room. She stared at the night sky outside, with eyes that seemed to be drifting off and looking into space, not focusing on anything in particular. However, even if her gaze seemed distant and aloof, the fact that she was drumming her fingers in a fixed rhytmic fashion, and the fact that a scowl as well as a small, pulsing vein on her left temple, seemed to indicate that she was very much still present in the current world.

Crapyy-ass doll.. I should melt it and that whole junkyard down with some acid once I get back... And Kaldrona, you foolish girl, what good would a council do? If you children can't play nice with one another as is, what good would giving you all figure-head positions of power do? You can't even follow orders and instructions, you go about doing whatever you please and you plot and scheme for yourselves... Morons.

These were the kind of thoughts that occupied Charme's mind for the most part, after Rodias had dismissed the collect-call and meeting. Of course, the homunculus was a sharp one, and she had picked up both on Ashara's subtle voicing of her opinion, as well as Graft's grumbling, self-gratifying sulking about his own pivotal importance. Had she been a lesser woman, the alchemist would likely have thrown a fit and thrashed this shitty excuse for a room in a violent outburst. Luckily, she wasn't the kind to do so, not to mention Kath was here with her... For all the great help that one was... You'd think with all the books and tomes she had poured over for years on end, she'd be a bit more capable and brainy than she actually was. Charme shot her roommate a discontent glance, before returning to stare out the window.

Now, there were two paths she could take. The smart option was to ignore Rodias' orders about exploring the city, learning about it and finding a way to make money, and return home to the Chateau. Charme could easily surmise that, given how the meeting had gone, the ones staying at home were not going to take the situation all too well. In fact, now more than any other time, they were likely to make stupid decisions and get foolish ideas in their heads. They would perhaps lash out or begin trying to spin webs and ploys for themselves. It was the natural course, after all, since they were all imbecilles who wouldn't see the bigger picture.

Her other choice was to honor Rodias' orders, and remain in the city with Kath and do her assigned duties. This task was the less bright option, as it would serve no further purpose than to satisfy Rodias' curiosity. However, it did hold one, superior merit that defying her Master's orders did not. It would serve to reinforce her loyalty to Rodias, and the Chateau. If she took action and did as she pleased, even if it was the objectively better option, she wouldn't be any better than the groaning, moaning and selfish children back home.

It was a shame really. Had she had access to more resources and materials before she left on this stupid errand, she could've set up counter-measures or some kind of preventive measures to keep the others in check while she was absent. Alas, she had neither had the resources nor the time to prepare any such matters, and she certainly hadn't expected the Chateau to come under attack so soon and so suddenly. Now everythign was a mess and those idiots back home were just going to make matters worse. She sighed and tapped her pipe against the window-sill.

"Kath." She said suddenly, her voice dry and serious. "What'll you do now, dear?" She asked. "Will you rush back to the Chateau tomorrow? Or will you carry out Rodias' orders, despite the situation at home?" She asked, slowly turning her head to look at the dragonoid librarian.

Unlike her usual appearance, Charme's face was looking rather strict and perhaps even a bit intimidating - although that could just be attributed to the poor lighting and overall mood of the situation.

"... Think about that, will you? I'm going to sleep I believe." She said, a sour tinge to her voice, ashe closed the window after putting out her pipe. She then proceeded to lay down on one of the itchy, prickly hay-lined beds with shoddy, burlap-like sheets. Yep, this was a bad night that was just getting worse. Likelihood of getting any sleep tonight? Close to zero.

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

Why would the Plaza-party care to let the Church-party get to the prize they fought so hard for? If I were you, I'd pull that rope up off the ground as soon as everybody had made their way up, to ensure that anyone else who tried to get at the mysterious fallen star could easily be pelted with rocks from the elevated position. :P

But that's just me. And I'm greedy.

Goblin Slayer: Newblood (CANCELLED)

"Huh? Wha' for?" The farmer asked, as Steppe Archer urged him to stop his wagon. It seemed, however, that once he looked a bit further ahead - and caught a glimpse of the ruined cart - the man was more than willing to comply. The rickety wagon came to a stop, and as the nomad tapped the druid on her shoulder, Druid Girl turned with a look of surprise on her face.

Once the caramel-skinned girl saw the ruined hand-cart, and the tracks and trodded foliage, she seemed to catch on immediately. With a swift hop, she leapt out of the wagaon's backside and rounded it. When asked for spells that could flush things out from afar, she merely shook her head though.

"No, I haven't learned anything like that yet... Although..." She trailed off, gently tapping her own chin with a single finger, before taking a deep breath.
"
Lend me your glow, tiny fey, summon pixie!"

Holding one palm outstretched, a golden glow began to gather within it. Soon, it burst, like a minitaure balloon and firework, revealing a tiny creature. It was a fairy, a small, luminious being that glowed with golden light all over its body. Cupping her hand, the little fey landed gently in in Druid Girl's palm, and looked up at its summoner curiously.

"Hello little friend." The druid said with a gentle smile. "Could you please take a look over there for us?" She asked, pointing with her free hand towards the distrubed vegetation. The little pixir merely nodded, then sped off, with a sound like that of a very small, jingling bell, as it flew off - a trail of glittery dust that quickly disipated behind it. It first headed for the southern side of the road, darting in and out of bushes, behind trees and through the grass, before then quickly flying over to the north side and doing the same. Inbefore long, it came flying back and landed on Druid Girl's shoulder.

"Mm? There's someone on the noirth side? A bit into the woods?" She asked, as the tiny pixir nodded vigorously. With this information, Druid Girl looked at each of her companions, and their employer, in sequential order, before speaking.

"My little friend here says she saw someone a bit further into the woods, on the northern side of the path here.... Maybe it's the owner of that cart?" She said, stepping a bit forward as so to get a better look. However, the druid didn't go to the north side, but rather investigated the back of the broken cart, as well as the strange tracks and marks around the area.
"Strange..." She said. "It looks like a bunch of people or creatures have gone back and forth here a lot... And something's been dragged along the ground as well. Something heavy." She said, having used her knowledge of tracks and wilderness lore to investigate the scene. She also noted something else. "... Where's the other wheel of the hand-cart though? It's not stuck under there, and there's no signs of it or any splinters, so it likely hasn't broken or fallen off... Did someone take it?"

"Wha' the hell would anyone want with a cart wheel?" The farmer asked, raising an eyebrow. "'Sides, shouldn't you all be, y'know, headin' in them woods and m-makin' sure it's safe, yeah?" He stuttered slightly, clearly showing the situation had made him unnerved. It was odd though, since if this was an ambush, surely someone would have leapt out, or at least taken a pot-shot at one of them by now? But nothing and nobody seemed to be in any hurry to engage them. Was this just the remains of a previous, unfavorable encunter? Druid Girl returned to the wagon with a mix of confused seriousness on her face.

"Big Red, you mind poking into the north treeline? I'll be right behind you, ready to help, and our arche-friend-" She craned her head to look at Steppe Archer "-can stay here and keep us covered from afar, if we need to fall back." She half asked, half suggested. The little pixie on her shoulder took off, flying over to the northern side's trees and doing a series of figure eights, as if signalling that it was 'this way' that who, or whatever, it had disocvered was located.

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

Most likely not, since metamagic is used to augment spells and is rather advanced spellcraft. Plus, what would be the point of dividing something like Magic Missile or other low-tier spells? Even if you Maxmimize a tier 2 spell, a tier 3 spell would generally still be more powerful on average, which would make it a waste of Mana to even use it. :P

I mean, if you really want to use it, I suppose you could, but it won't really be of any great use or benefit until your character's level is higher and they can use more powerful spells. ^^;

So many elves...

Also, good news: Got my hands on an AC before the summer's here, so no more sweltering suffering for this dood. Gonna be nice and cool when the sunny season hits this year, aw yeah~

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

Copyright infringement? Do you guys want to get us sued? o_o
Guess there's nothing to do b but head home and eat my favorite cereal...

@Crusader Lord
Any mage or wizard-type class can learn to use metamagic. Of course, metamagic doesn't work on summon-type spells, for obvious reasons. You can't divide a being in two, nor can you use it to bypass restrictions on the type of creature you can summon or its strength. If you could use Maximize on your angel-summoning spell, and called forth something like a Seraph, well, that'd just be balance-breaking, not to mention, why would a creature stronger than your character obey her?

As such, metamagic only works on purely offensive or defensive spells. And as I said, any mage-type or wizard-like class can learn to use it.

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

Did I miss that? I don't recall seeing any questions that I haven't answered... Feel free to ask it again though. :o

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

I swear to whatever god you worship, if you let those fun-bags go to waste by getting our hooter-elf killed, I'm gonna curse whatever new characters you make with a permanent penalty to luck! D<

Also, unrelated but, I did some editing to Serafaye's character sheet. I didn't change anything, just cleaned up some spelling and grammar-mistakes so it looks a bit more polished.

From Oubliette to Oublioth [R.I.P]

How our party is going to end up sounding and working: