Glass of Water Quest

[ExposedBrainMatter]

Most votes at 4 for Golden Boy, 6 for B. Activation of Golden Boy pending arrival at a populated location.

Grizgul peeks into the manmade tunnel. The source of the moaning is not far in, and the hair on your neck stands up when you see it lying on the floor: a Reaver. You draw the fancy sword. The Reaver speaks in the strange barklike cadence of his people, granted to them by necklaces worn after a special adulthood ceremony as they lack vocal cords for humanoid speech.

"Stop, polemistís! I am a scholar and not your adversary. Gamóto, I was cataloging ancient Karthwinite sculptures on the surface when I heard someone utter a curse, then I fell down a hole in the ground." He rubs his furry noggin.

"That might have been me."

"Truly? Ekpliktikós. Could it be a feature of the underground complex's many lethal devices? Please do stay and answer a few questions for me..."

The old cur bears a frame on his shoulders that carries the many little vessels and gadgets of his trade. You spy some field cookware, and none of seems to have been damaged.

"Are any of those cups on your back made out of glass?"

"All clay I'm afraid. I find these to be more suitable for roughing it, as it were, and they keep specimens away from heat and sunlight."

INVENTORY:
x1 Unidentified but fancy-looking small sword
x1 Never oiled hauberk in terrible condition
x1 Soiled worsted wool skirt
x1 Pot helmet
x1 Sling
x20 River stones for the sling
x7 Horse meat & blackberry pemmican rations
x2 Pouches of snarlweed
x28 Gold

THIRST GAUGE:
[X---------]

The cynocephalus ("Oh no my boy, sígoura óchi, I am not a 'Reaver' as you call those brigands.") explains that he is one Master of Arts Elias P. Lykaios, operating out of Frenzia. Specifically, he is researching ancient Karthwinite customs related to goddess Karnalht, who he believes to be the same goddess of the cynocephali named Urti. The scholar conspicuously avoids going into detail.

Master Elias lights a torch with a sealed rope lighter from his pack and gives you one. x1 (lit) torch obtained. His wet fur smells kinda like piss to be honest. Thanks river water. The Master of Arts suggests that you two delve only a little further before establishing an exit.

A. Kill him and leave. Doddering savant or not, this un-man is your mortal enemy. Plus free stuff is free stuff. Archaeological gear could fetch a nice price in town, and you've been meaning to head there anyway. Choose a city:

• Hamtropolis - Central city of cities, here is where the commerce in the world percolates. Any kind of service or delight can be had for a fee, and jobs for urbanite worms abound. But the city is heavily stratified and non-humans are practically absent. They also look down on not-so-humble country folk such as Grizgul. (Cost: 2 days, 2 rations, 2 thirst.)

• Frenzia, the Sandy City of Friends. - Near the dangerous coast, Frenzia nonetheless boasts a vibrant and bustling prosperity from its shipping industry, and the international nature of that business means many call Frenzia home from humans to draconese to cynocephali. Hence the nickname. (Cost: 3 days, 3 rations, 3 thirst.)

B. Into the breach with a dog man! What has barbarism come to?! Oh well, bonking this mangy mutt over the dome wouldn't be much of a fight, and you can always slaughter him later. For now two heads are better than one. As you stride past the intricate reliefs and stonework of the walls, Elias halts to take bits of this and that. So he must know what's valuable. Perhaps he can identify your sword.

C. The same is option B but you have two pouches of snarlweed left. You know what that means! Time to see what happens when you get a dog person wired up. There's a good boy. Hopefully it doesn't kill him like chocolate because that would be your cheapest victory to date.




Master Elias's rope lighter.



Cynocephali, or Reavers if you like, illustrated in the 1397 Kiev Psalter.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

FrenziA

 

[vazha]

No killing of educated doggos! Explore the cave with him.

 

[Azira]

Drug him up! This is going the be FUN!

C

 

[oscar]

C

 

[hello friend]

C

 

[Nevill]

C.

 

[baud]

C

 

[ExposedBrainMatter]

Option C is chosen with a total of 5 votes. Activation of Golden Boy pending arrival at a populated location.

Wandering deeper into a maze of carved obsidian and dog-headed goddess reliefs. Hours pass and much of what Elias mentions is Draconese to you, but you feel something important must be at hand. His words become quicker and his canine eyes swivel wildly with conjecture. Time to kick this into overdrive. You casually empty an entire pouch of snarlweed in one pinch and slide it into your jaw. x1 Snarlweed lost. Thirst gauge increased by 1. You are now wired.

"Want one?"

Elias looks at you sideways.

"And what is that?"

"Slashbane. Snarlweed. Hooky Ooky. Call it the moon if you want, it's just a little pick-me-up."

"When in Rome..." says Elias, having zero idea as to the whereabouts of Rome or the origin of that expression.

x1 Snarlweed lost. The effects are immediate and amusing. The canid wags his tale nonstop now, and his tongue hangs out as his body heat nears dangerous levels. Woops. Furry adornment with clothing on top makes this among the less healthy whims the scholar has recently humored. You are suddenly aware of a massive stone arch above your head, and lo! Just before you towers a monolith inscribed with entire texts of Karthwinite scripture. At the very top you spot some sort of platform holding a diadem or other shiny object, though it's too dark up there to tell.

INVENTORY:
x1 Unidentified but fancy-looking small sword
x1 Ratty hauberk
x1 Soiled worsted wool skirt
x1 Pot helmet
x1 Sling
x20 River stones for the sling
x7 Horse meat & blackberry pemmican rations
x28 Gold

THIRST GAUGE:
[-X--------]

Right now would be a good time for vittles but snarlweed kills your appetite. The monolith stands about 15 cubits. Elias lets out an inhuman cackle, then grabs something from his bag.

"I throw, you run around and catch, easy! We've come too far to be stopped now!" he says.

Before you understand what's happening, the dog man readies his sling and releases a white bullet at the treasure on the tower. You sprint to the other side and... it bounces off your forearm, tumbling across the stone floor before shattering like glass. Son of a bitch that hurt, stupid dog! Forearm injured. Glass. You run to the fallen object and see that it indeed some kind of ceremonial drinking vessel.

"Well at least we got it. I simply chucked a tinder cartridge at it, wouldn't have broken if..." mutters Elias.

"Shit my arm! Watch what you're doing!" Grizgul says, but it's hard to be mad after witnessing that tweaked out feat of warrior ingenuity. So this meek "Master of Arts" is more capable than his facade. And a sling expert, which takes years to even become competent. You're not sure you could pull that off yourself.

Elias says what he thinks will calm down a raving axeman then stoops to study the inscriptions. After a half hour, he reports.

"Directly below us lies the corpse of the four thousand year old Karthwinite king, Burundy the Elder. This is quite the find, I can assure you, and in my writings I will be careful to credit my most astute assistant who led me to it in the first place. But there is the matter of the artifact..."

"Yes, the cup. Consider it my payment as your assistant, scholar, and do not bring it up again. You've got your king, that's good enough. Can it be fixed?"

Elias knows better than to argue.

"Hmmm. According to these carvings, that is the beer stein of Burundy the Elder. The inscriptions are charitable as to his drinking habits, but it's safe to say he was quite the alcoholic. No, I do not know how it can be restored, but I suspect your journey will take you east, where I am indisposed to accompany you."

"East?"

"The Burgeoning Kingdom of the Dragon. The Draconese are master glass blowers and artisans at large. They may know of a way to repair obsidian like this, but it's a long shot. Now we must depart, as I will be returning with an excavation crew posthaste."

You search the tomb for an exit (plundering a chest with x52 gold and x1 unidentified bluish gem) and sure enough, you find a strange formation not unlike those on the surface, which opens to a crisp spring morning when you utter OPEN SESAME.

A. Offer to become a guard during the excavation. Not your usual gig and your arm still hurts like the dickens, but there may be more to this burial mound. The king could have some good stuff on him, and maybe you'll even find an intact glass artifact. You'll stay here and look for anything else while he's gone. (Cost: x5 days, x5 rations, x5 thirst.)

B. Elias offers to take you to a doctor at the University of Frenzia while he's preparing his excavation. From there you could catch a boat to the eastern kingdoms, and if you're lucky you'll get to face the draconese. While they are a nation of bean counters and sycophantic officials, an empire as vast as the dragon's has got to have some disenfranchised souls. (Cost: x3 days, x3 rations, x3 thirst)

C. Skip Frenzia and go kill some Reavers. Damn your arm, you'll just walk it off. Those pirates have plenty of ships in their command, all of them stolen because the Reavers have no shipwrights. What kind of barbarian takes the bus? (Cost: 3 days, 3 rations, 3 thirst)



A glass beer mug currently on my table lole

 

[ERYFKRAD]

C

 

[oscar]

B

 

[vazha]

A. No not-china thingies please, keep it Conan-esque.

 

[hello friend]

C

 

[Azira]

Yeah. I think it's proper that we loot this place good before leaving.

A

 

[baud]

A. Let's continue the looting

 

[Ranselknulf]

B.

Looting long dead corpses is not as fun as looting recently dead corpse.

Just sayin'

 

[Nevill]

C. Skip Frenzia and go kill some Reavers. Damn your arm, you'll just walk it off. Those pirates have plenty of ships in their command, all of them stolen because the Reavers have no shipwrights. What kind of barbarian takes the bus? (Cost: 3 days, 3 rations, 3 thirst)

Can we return to the obsidian cave to refill the thirst gauge? For now the biggest factor against looting for me is the cost in Thirst which we are not guaranteed to replenish in time.

 

[ExposedBrainMatter]

C. Skip Frenzia and go kill some Reavers. Damn your arm, you'll just walk it off. Those pirates have plenty of ships in their command, all of them stolen because the Reavers have no shipwrights. What kind of barbarian takes the bus? (Cost: 3 days, 3 rations, 3 thirst)

Can we return to the obsidian cave to refill the thirst gauge? For now the biggest factor against looting for me is the cost in Thirst which we are not guaranteed to replenish in time.

Yep. As long as Grizgul is at Roly Poly Hill or near any other suitable water source his thirst can be replenished as required etc.

 

[Nevill]

Ok. Switching then.

A. Offer to become a guard during the excavation. Not your usual gig and your arm still hurts like the dickens, but there may be more to this burial mound. The king could have some good stuff on him, and maybe you'll even find an intact glass artifact. You'll stay here and look for anything else while he's gone. (Cost: x5 days, x5 rations, x5 thirst.)

Looting is an important part of barbarian culture!

 

[ExposedBrainMatter]

A is selected with 4 votes. Activation of Golden Boy pending arrival at a populated location. Your left forearm is injured.

You stop Elias and offer to work security at the site, staying the five days until his return and beyond as necessary.

"Very well polemistís, the wages are five gold per day plus provisions. Until we can gain approval from the college for a proper outfit, we will have to rely on such mercenaries. Let's agree to thirty five days including my trip to Frenzia, and you will receive your pay at the end of each shift."

"And I can take anything else I find just lying around?"

"No, please do not disturb the tomb any further. In fact I would ask that you stay outside."

Before you can object, Elias approaches one of the openings in Roly Poly Hill and mutters something under his breathe while holding a clump of knotted yarn. He repeats the words you used to make your escape, "OPEN SESAME." Nothing. The Hill is now sealed.

"A warrior AND a magician, is there anything else to know about the great Master of Arts?"

"Only that you should know by now it is a bad idea to betray me, polemistís. I can see your heart, and it is mostly honorable. But I can see a great many things, and so does the University, and any that becomes an enemy of the school may find themselves highly inconvenienced."

Whatever, Grizgul isn't scared. 175 gold for a month's work, not great but the risk is low. Normie toil. Typically you'd pass, but there's still a chance you could filch something from the site once excavations begin...

INVENTORY:
x1 Broken beer stein of Burundy the Elder
x1 Unidentified but fancy-looking small sword
x1 Ratty hauberk
x1 Soiled worsted wool skirt
x1 Pot helmet
x1 Sling
x20 River stones for the sling
x7 Horse meat & blackberry pemmican rations
x1 Unidentified bluish gem
x80 Gold

THIRST GAUGE:
[------X---]

You attempt to break back into the tomb but no dice, that old dog has sealed the doors good somehow. Figures you'd run into an expert on Karthwinite ruins as soon as you found the place. The third day without water is excruciating and it only gets worse, but Elias's team arrives on time and you're able to replenish your thirst at the obsidian river. Thirst completely quenched, gauge set to zero.

Then you see the mercenaries: they are all fellow tribesmen from Greenmarsh! There is Torri the Drunk of Badron Bend, and Veddumspeidl of Redwine who you absolutely robbed in a game of dice some years ago. And there she is, Loxna the Brash. An old flame, best not to think about it too mcuh. She bears the scars of chastisement on her face now, and her sobriquet "The Brash" from when she killed a ransomee after receiving payment and got three of her kin clipped by bounty hunters over it. But the payout stayed her exile.

"Loxna! Where...?"

"Grizgul, you snarlbrain!"

The ensuing hug is bittersweet considering it was you who dumped her after the ransom fiasco. Anyway, more of the tribe assemble in front of the hill as Elias has opened the caverns and called everyone to a briefing. You ignore most of what's said as a plan begins to develop in your "snarlbrain", as Loxna calls it. Damn, speaking of which, you're out of snarlweed now.

A. Slip away from the briefing and into one of the open caverns. You're really gunning for a new weapon; an axe would be nice and these old lords are always buried with their war panoply. Plus you'll need to buy rations and snarlweed and identification for your sword and gem, and the added 175 gold still ain't gonna cut it. (Cost: ???)

B. Fuck it, your whole extended family is practically here! Try to convince some of your brethren to form a rebellion. These types just need a slight nudge. It will be tricky to avoid internecine bickering, but with a little charm this whole site could be yours. So what about the dog man's idle threats? You've faced these mutts before and if Frenzia wants a barbarian siege, they can have one too. (Cost: ???)

C. Uphold your word and do the job properly. But since you're heading east, might as well build your own team after the month is done. You could take a squad with you east to repair the obsidian stein, and maybe even Loxna will come along? (Cost: ???, heartbreak?)



Steamed river mussels are served by staff at the excavation site.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

C

 

[vazha]

A. Axe is a priority, us being barbarians and so on. Then proceed with B. No going East.

 

[Nevill]

A. Slip away from the briefing and into one of the open caverns. You're really gunning for a new weapon; an axe would be nice and these old lords are always buried with their war panoply. Plus you'll need to buy rations and snarlweed and identification for your sword and gem, and the added 175 gold still ain't gonna cut it. (Cost: ???)

We are not sharing.

Edit:

Before you can object, Elias approaches one of the openings in Roly Poly Hill and mutters something under his breathe while holding a clump of knotted yarn.

"breath"

 

[Azira]

Yeah, I'm leaning towards A as well. We agreed to stand watch until he returned. We've done just that. Upheld our part of the bargain.
Let's loot a nice axe and then be off.

 

[oscar]

A