I just had a brilliant idea! We can gift the remaining houndsgall to Rabas! As a botanist, he is sure to be delight at receiving a very rare plant. We just have to make sure we can trust him first, as we are giving him what is essentially super poison for our boss(also make sure he isn't a volto himself.)

Muschio 2024/04/27(Sat)20:40 No. 1089890 ID: 46e818
File 171427560603.png - (8.83KB , 800x600 , 2166.png )

Yes, you raise good points. A guest room and some aesthetic renovations to the Vault would be a welcome change. With the Odds empowered as they are, it should be simple enough to manage within a few days.

To think, we're prestigious and recognize enough to be attracting guests. This in the wake of our success in the Timore Woodlands, the exorcism of Mr. Khaneh... Not to mention a broad alliance of force and a promise of our own loyal troops! We'll have to hire more officers soon.

After so much hard work, it'll be nice to recoup for a while, get some well deserved rest, and calm down.
For the first time in a while, I have a good feeling about the days to come.

Oh sure.
We've already had a demon, so why not the undead now, too.
I wonder what Muschio thinks about ghosts.

>>1089890
Optimism has never been your calling card Boss, Readiness will win us the day.

>>1089890
Yes, yes, calm down...now pay some attention to the lady, will ya?

Muschio 2024/04/28(Sun)19:14 No. 1089946 ID: 46e818
File 171435689034.png - (10.98KB , 800x600 , 2168.png )

"It seems a good priority would be to reorganize the base, introduce a new room or two, perhaps some halls."

>"Oh, don't forget about the y-axis."
"The what?"
>"What I mean is, the world is not a flat field. You could always build extra floors above and below."
"Ah, good point. Though there are certainly some areas I would like to avoid stairs where possible -- anything that would see frequent hauling and freight might as well be on the same floor, to avoid accidents, as well as probably not wanting stairs out of the baths, for slips."

Muschio 2024/04/28(Sun)19:36 No. 1089949 ID: 46e818
File 171435816290.png - (11.29KB , 800x600 , 2169.png )

Here... I believe this is a somewhat abstracted approximation of the Vault's current floorplan.

Bear in mind: The empowered nature of this mountain has allowed us to shuffle rooms about as through magic. Simply moving one room to another spot, or redrawing the passages between them, would only take a day or two, and not require re-carving the entire shape of it. Truly convenient.
I believe this is what happened when Ms. N'poa... took the initiative to build new indoor baths, now wedged between two other rooms. We'll want a better location for those at some point, as well as a guest room.

A basement level or second floor would be easily feasible too.


I was thinking some kind of antechamber might be nice, so we don't have the front door open up straight into our dining hall for anyone coming in. Especially as we don't have a war room yet and have to do most of our strategic planning in that room, too.

I also feel the current layout is perhaps too much about adjacent rooms with joining doors. There are almost no hallways to speak of! Very un-fortress-like. It might be easier to get around if you didn't have to pass through every single room to get to the next.

Well, if anyone has any ideas or experience designing fortresses, I would love to hear it. I feel this is a bit outside my proverbial wheelhouse at this scale.

>>1089949
Besides guest bedrooms for the upcoming visitor, make a connection between the Communal Barracks to the New Baths, a kitchen next to the Dining Hall for convenience and storing foods, also an emergency exit would be a great idea in case of attacks, a basement to store cursed and magic items, and finally a Training Room for the muscles of the Vault (Dompag and Ashedel)

Suggestion 2024/04/28(Sun)21:01 No. 1089959 ID: fe12b4
File 171436331207.png - (13.23KB , 800x600 , new layout.png )

here's my suggestion for a reorganization and some minor additions. The big thing I wanna do is add some security, so the throne room and barracks both now have some extra gating.

Orange denotes "second floor" structures, I've removed the connection between the forge and dining hall in favor of a direct raised-hall that connects to the barracks. This is because freight can be just as easily be moved through the workshops, and I suspect we'll want to have a storage area connected to both eventually. I don't know how much more space we're gonna need yet, our needs aren't... fully clear? It's been a while. It also limits us to just one doorway to guard if someone tries to rob us of important tools or materials.

Of note: I've added a balcony to the dining hall, mostly for security but it WILL also add a nice sense of opulence. If we have any important guests, it'll be nice to have some high-ground, both for their sense of security and our own.

Similarly, I've added second-floor guest rooms to the barracks area, requiring them to pass through the entire barracks main while also having them up a staircase from everyone.

Also, a larder/food storage area connected directly to the dining hall. Sieges happen, we should be at least somewhat prepared for that.

I've also added a direct hallway to the baths since requiring everyone with some stink on 'em to pass through Ash's room seems somewhat silly, unless there was a reason for that I'm forgetting

Muschio, we've seen things. You had memory problems at times, usually because the magical overloads caused your brain to shut down. But we saw, and we learned.

First up: Second floor as a maintenance area. You'll want to carve out the whole thing, and then we can place pipes and light machinery in the future. But it can be used for so much more. See, there's this branch of science that we discovered - we'll call it The Wired. Long story short, it can make or break empires - but that's a problem for your far-future descendants. What they will need, however, is a giant, well-ventilated, moisture-controlled room to put all their medium-weight 'artifacts' in. For now, you can use the maintenance area as a means of transporting water and air into rooms as needed; carve out evenly-spaced holes in a hexagonal format, and place grates on top. we can then place pipelines at will, or get the drop on anyone invading our fortress from the front gates. You can also place small, easily-managed turrets for archer defenses in the future. Have the staircase placed in the dining room for now, and we can work on building a proper Lobby later to act as the central hub of our operations.

You need to space out your sectors. The West Wing should be further left to prepare for future recruitment. You also need to swap the cells with your room, as it doesn't really make sense right now.

Lastly, add a Science/Arcana room. This will solidify the east wing as your R&D sector.

>>1089946
Remember the rule with stairs big m.
Spiral for aesthetics and defense.
Clockwise if youre defending vs ascenders
Counter clockwise if vs descenders.
Really fucks with right handed fighters.
Limits their ability to swing.
Unless your defenders are lefties then, well. Shit.

Suggestion 2024/04/28(Sun)22:30 No. 1089968 ID: ce619a
File 171436860933.png - (77.14KB , 3200x1120 , many vault ideas.png )

>>1089947
Well, first off, all your officers deserve their own private quarters should they desire so. The guest quarters can be a follow up; Our people should take priority after all. And at least 3 guest rooms for now in case our impending guest brings an entourage.
While we're at it, try to relocated Ona's sigil to the throne room. Might make a nice backdrop for the throne.

After that, we need a dedicated infirmary. Perhaps had we had one before Pendle wouldn't be in such rough shape. Best futureproof the base and make one now. Especially with a guest in route in case the worst happens.

After that everything else can wait, but it would be good to plan some other rooms we don't have: Like a kitchen, armory, treasury, library, rec room, corridors for future expansion, etc.
Another consideration is that some stairs could be substituted or supplemented with freight elevators to ease the burden of carrying supplies between floors.
(Also toilets? I don't know how far you want the logistics of the base to be planned out, but I'll throw those in here as well)

I think I got carried away lol

Consider the following: a large central lift.
If it’s made primarily with rope, then we can put the non-defending personnel’s rooms, their workshops and valuable warehouses up on the highest floor and they may cut the lift to block off invaders reaching them too fast or even fire down on the lift as invaders come up.
Not saying to avoid stairs entirely, just that it would be a convenient infrastructure and defensive option.

it looks like all th' other voices have got structure covered perfectly well, so i'm here t' pipe in about those aesthetic changes!

might i recommend something more on the gothic side, to show off our grace yet dark and threatening nature? perhaps something similar to a cathedral- underground places of worship are not uncommon, i'm sure we can find a reference or two -t' fit with our theme of power and that whole "becoming th' devil" thing. maybe we wanna look at tall curved ceilings- as much as our mountain can contain, at least -with a surplus of columns, and some decorative carvings in the wall and fixtures? we don't really have an opportunity for grand windows or th' likes, so we've gotta make do.

we've gotta be wary of cave-ins too, hence my suggestion of pillars, and maybe reinforce th' ceilings?

we could also do with a theme colour- i'm thinkin' wine red, t' match with your coat and the regality thing, plus any blood that is shed would blend in pretty easily.

can't help but agree with th' others, particularly in terms of a proper infirmary and arcana room- maybe th' latter in a basement, to hopefully avoid any dangerous magic spills from getting t' the busy areas?

on a separate note, we haven't heard from wes in a while- how's our favourite leg-breaker faring?

it looks like all th' other voices have got structure covered perfectly well, so i'm here t' pipe in about those aesthetic changes!

might i recommend something more on the gothic side, to show off our grace yet dark and threatening nature? perhaps something similar to a cathedral- underground places of worship are not uncommon, i'm sure we can find a reference or two -t' fit with our theme of power and that whole "becoming th' devil" thing. maybe we wanna look at tall curved ceilings- as much as our mountain can contain, at least -with a surplus of columns, and some decorative carvings in the wall and fixtures? we don't really have an opportunity for grand windows or th' likes, so we've gotta make do.

we've gotta be wary of cave-ins too, hence my suggestion of pillars, and maybe reinforce th' ceilings?

we could also do with a theme colour- i'm thinkin' wine red, t' match with your coat and the regality thing, plus any blood that is shed would blend in pretty easily.

can't help but agree with th' others, particularly in terms of a proper infirmary and arcana room- maybe th' latter in a basement, to hopefully avoid any dangerous magic spills from getting t' the busy areas?

on a separate note, we haven't heard from wes in a while- how's our favourite leg-breaker faring?

Suggestion 2024/04/29(Mon)10:19 No. 1090006 ID: 5d083d
File 171441118674.png - (81.16KB , 800x600 , layout.png )

>>1089949
All in all I think it's nicer to preserve the communal layout of the rooms and such. It makes for cozier living. But here are my two cents.

Above, in red.
A room above the gate and guardhouses with a few murder holes you can drop nasty things from. A chimney in the ceiling of the grand entrance so you can vent smoke if you decide to burn something in there to drive off attackers. And from there, a long corridor that runs parallel with the outer face of the mountain with some discreet peepholes so you're not blind in there.

Main floor, in black.
Some storage for the workshops with a separate access hallway so you don't have to barge past Babrakus, Tislomer or Wes to load it up.
A kitchen and larder.
No idea what those things on the left are.

Below, in blue.
A secret exit to get out of dodge if you have. Hide the hatch under a rug and put something that will make a loud, distinct noise if toppled on top of that rug so you'll hear and know if someone tries to sneak in using it

>>1089968
+1 but don't forget a sub-level for ventilation shafts

>>1090007
Ensure ventilation shafts are designed in a way to prevent people using them as a secret passage around the base.

We need a trap door that leads to the torture chamber….we’re also going to need a torture chamber.

>>1089946
We really must take advantage of our location. It's a mountain, after all. Lets built that lift to the top!

>>1089968
Excellent lay out, We really need to consider our *ahem* future honored guests.

We need to consider building a hangar in order to build large vehicles, maybe our own zeppelin/airship.

>>1089968
Sounds good, but maybe make it so that the officer or barracks rooms are between your room & the entrance or guest rooms. Or at the very least, have them closer than the entrance or quest rooms.

>>1090006
I think the hallway with peep-holes, & murder-hole & chimney on the entrance hall make sense. Make sure the peep-holes aren't too easy for people to turn into entrances, or smoke you out with.
Also, the secret exit is a great idea. In addition to hiding/trapping the near end of it, you also wanna hide the far end of it so people can't lay an ambush.

>>1090050
>but maybe make it so that the officer or barracks rooms are between your room & the entrance or guest rooms.
It's not a great idea to have sleeping areas as a shield as that will mean unnecessary losses if we get suddenly invaded again. Sleeping minions are not great guards.
Once we get an influx of troops we can have some stationed in/around the entrance. The barracks are also close enough for the bulk of our forces to quickly respond to threats.

>>1090006
As hilarious as the idea of this is, I think I'm gonna do a veto on putting one of the peepholes in the baths.

Dungeons downstairs to make it harder to escape, places you want to be defensible upstairs so it's harder for invaders to go up. Bedrooms and such. You probably want to add some proper kitchens and a supply room both to have food for staff and guests close to hand and take advantage of the cool conditions inside, and to have a reserve in case of siege. Think about where you want your water to be stored and where it flows, for a basic form of plumbing. Maybe think of making one really tall spiral staircase somewhere to come out somewhere high on the mountain, as a viewing spot and/or secret escape passage? Would also help as ventilation.

>>1090050
We have a magic-saturated mountain. Let's pre-program the Vault to automatically set the secret exit to a random location every week! Disguised exit will be about two feet of solid dirt that has to be manually removed via shovels in the exit room.

It just occurred to me that this whole discussion might have been more suited for the discussion thread.

We should see if Ashe is up for another round.

>>1090158
I'd be fine with another round, but more than that, i'm still of the belief we just need some aftercare skinship. See if she wants to cuddle, that is.

Forget the bird, it's architecture time. Add an aviary if you're that worked up over bussy (bird pussy)

>>1090166
Architecture will still be there in a day, but the girl will have left the bed by then.

>>1090164
One thing can lead to another.

Muschio 2024/05/06(Mon)16:09 No. 1090445 ID: 46e818
File 171503698289.png - (15.35KB , 800x600 , 2170.png )

Hello, yes!

After a well-deserved (and, for a change, uninterrupted) night of rest for the whole Vault and hours of planning, I present the current floorplan!

Areas in gray are planned, but not yet built. Red goes to a lower floor, blue to a higher floor.

There are stairwells up around the grand entrance leading to an indoor battlement -- not pictured here -- which will help in potential defense.

My own room has been moved to be adjacent to the throne room, on a lower level, which should give me space for any future enrichments I may require.

Muschio 2024/05/06(Mon)16:12 No. 1090446 ID: 46e818
File 171503713148.png - (18.29KB , 800x600 , 2171.png )

The biggest change is perhaps the division of the base through a number of hallways, making travel easier without walking through someone's sleeping or working space.

In this area, up here, you'll see the rooms for my officers have been slightly shuffled and rearranged. A few have been rotated, and the baths have been moved to the end of the hall for a bit of privacy. Ashedel and Finesse now have their doors open to the hall rather than exiting directly into the communal barracks.

Muschio 2024/05/06(Mon)16:13 No. 1090447 ID: 46e818
File 171503720683.png - (7.35KB , 800x600 , 2172.png )

This is the brand new guard post! It's still under development and so it's quite empty. It connects the barracks to the meeting hall, offering both quick access and security to the areas where guests and residents will most often find themselves.

Muschio 2024/05/06(Mon)16:16 No. 1090448 ID: 46e818
File 171503739590.png - (7.40KB , 800x600 , 2173.png )

And this is the unfinished Great Hall, which you may have noticed is now the first room visitors will enter into. A grand first impression! I expect to decorate this lavishly, and let it serve as both a place to meet and socialize, as well as a central hub to the main arteries of thoroughfare.

It connects to hallways leading into the East and West wing of the Vault, as well as to the Dining Hall, which used to occupy this space and has been bumped Northward.

To the West you will notice excavation has also begun on a passage down to what will be the lower floor, where the Dungeon cells will be relocated and expanded.

A much more organized future awaits us!

>>1090445
Is the red room with a down arrow the stairway to the cells?

>>1090448
Well, guess we're never finding out what he did with the birdgirl after that.

>>1090448
You know you need to pose for an enormous, intimidating statue now, right?

Looks great, boss. I'm especially looking forward to decorating the great hall. Showing off your wealth and taste in decor is always the best part. Get some feng shui going on, maybe a nice statue-

>>1090452
Heck yeah! We'll put it right in the middle, so everyone can see right as they walk in.

...

Anyway, about that guest room... I assume they're going to be on one of the other floors, now? That's a good call. I think it'd be good if they had to walk a bit before actually being able to leave. For... reasons.

>>1090448
So how does your room go down? Is the junction between the two rooms a stairwell, or is it a ramp/staircase down?

Also, nice idea with the north/south hallway along the barracks to lessen traffic through it.
We could still use a dedicated infirmary, though. After everything Ona's been through letting her have her own workspace would be a nice reward, too.

>>1090450
Rest assured that many feathers were ruffled

So, find anything neat while you were clearing out all the space, or just more ore and magic crystals and whatnot?

Also I'm a little concerned about the roof caving in and/or running out of space but these are problems with relatively easy solutions should we run into them.

Muschio 2024/05/07(Tue)13:40 No. 1090502 ID: 46e818
File 171511444545.png - (7.42KB , 800x600 , 2174.png )

>"Master Muschio, please come quickly. We've discovered something on the lower level."

"Oh no, what now?"

Muschio 2024/05/07(Tue)13:42 No. 1090503 ID: 46e818
File 171511456704.png - (9.84KB , 800x600 , 2175.png )

>"We noticed this almost immediately -- the Odds have breached an existing chamber while excavating. It doesn't appear natural.
>We've already tested the air, first with a torch. It seems breathable, but the space beyond is too deep to see much through without entering. All we can really make out is black pillars of some kind."

Ah, it seems we've found the reason why this mountain amplifies magic. Or evidence of someone else who utilized that aspect. Let's make a bigger hole so we can send an expedition through.

...or should we wait until after the visit?

>Black Pillars
Uh oh.
We don't have any drones. Set up a doorway, but rig it to blow.

Also, for future reference: ore does not 'replenish' itself, you either dig for more or you let the natural processes of the cave dig for you. Once you run out, you need to recycle what you have.

>>1090503
The realistic option would be to seal that shit up, nix the plans of having lower levels to the base and forget about tunneling any deeper...

but we all know we're going to explore that shit.
le sigh
Be prepared for more demons, invaders, ghosts, etc with whatever seals/sigils/spells we need to protect ourselves from those kinds of things.
Check if we can ward a denling from that kind of crap, do it we can, then send it down. Attached to a rope if possible.

On that topic, we need more mannikins in general. We should check with the tribes or red mesa if they have any we could trade for.

>>1090503
Prepare an expedition!

Any idea on how big the room is? I guess it's gotta be big to have pillars in it.

If it's small enough to conceivably scout out, would it possible to send someone in as a single scout, maybe with some invisibility potions from Tislomer? She can still brew something like that up right?

Alternatively if it's a huge cavern I say wait until you can get some sort of expeditionary force to investigate.

Either way we shouldn't just leave it alone.

fuck danger, EXPLORE THE CAVERN!
...with the proper safety equipment first at least.

Better take a look. Carefully. Be prepared to close it back up again solidly, and in a hurry.

>>1090503
No one goes in alone, big M.
No one goes in without two people posted guarding the hole.

This is a magic mountain as you well know.
Any nastiness that could be lurking will be amplified.

Ask pendle for advice as hes got experience in archeological endevours though dont ask him to go in.
Light duties for the man. He had a rough time.

>>1090503
Hey look The Fire Exit, I was wondering where it was.

Muschio 2024/05/08(Wed)11:53 No. 1090579 ID: 46e818
File 171519443614.png - (9.25KB , 800x600 , 2176.png )

There is certainly something ominous about a black, sealed room surrounded on all sides by solid stone.

I have opted to send one of my two Denlings, Logos, in with a light to scout the area.
"Do what you can, but if there is danger, retreat. There's no reason to risk your life over this."
>"Sir! I will report back on my findings within three minutes!"

Muschio 2024/05/08(Wed)11:54 No. 1090580 ID: 46e818
File 171519446139.png - (7.52KB , 800x600 , 2177.png )

A long silence passes, and all I can see is the faint glint of dancing light on smooth stone.

Muschio 2024/05/08(Wed)11:57 No. 1090582 ID: 46e818
File 171519464280.png - (8.99KB , 800x600 , 2178.png )

Finally, Logos returns, seemingly unbothered.

>"Sir! The chamber is smaller than assumed. I would estimate it to be the size of one of the currently excavated bedrooms.
>No living beings or other dangers I could find are inside.
>The room is mostly bare except for seven pedestals of black stone, each bearing a distinct figure which I believe are statuettes. I am no expert on the matter but I it may be some kind of religious site. Sir!"

>>1090582
Let's investigate and catalogue what we find, it may be a forgotten chamber that Red Fang used for his corrupted worship of Mr. Lollipop. If it is I say we destroy it.

Alright, widen up the door if you can and get in there with Pendle. Also maybe bring Ash just in case you set off some bizarre magical trap.

Get Ona, Pendle and Erisol over here for spirits, religion and magic knowledge.
Don't go barging in before you get a good feel for this room.

Okay whatever
Block it up and let's excavate in other directions for even more treasures!

>>1090582
Ah.
It's Redfang's old prayer altar. I believe the Seer showed us a glimpse of it before.
https://questden.org/kusaba/questarch/res/1082380.html#1083066
Did the denling find any other doors or portals that could explain how Redfang could get in and out of this place?

Either way, excavate a proper entrance and let's have Ona, Erisol and Pendle carefully check it for lingering magic/runes/bad juju.
AND WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T DAMAGE THE IDOLS

Also, hey-
Are the denlings alright?
Previously, the odds gave the impression that the mannikin monsters were semi-mindless automatons, but that's obviously not the case with how lively Embraddeus has been.
So, are these little guys doing good? They lost one of their number awhile back and this guy doesn't look quite as "focused" as the denlings normally do.
Do they ever get any time off or rest? Are we working them too hard?

Muschio 2024/05/09(Thu)12:37 No. 1090638 ID: 46e818
File 171528345969.png - (17.91KB , 800x600 , 2179.png )

Very well. I order the Odds to expand the entrance to comfortably enter without crawling, and seek out Pendle.

"Good morning."
>"Ah, good morning, Prince."
"How are you feeling?"
>"The pain is quite unlike anything I have felt, and it will be some time before I am adjusted to my damaged body, but the residents have been encouraging and patient, especially for all I have put them through.
>For want of distraction, I am eager to return to my work. Have you come about the research you assigned? I have found a few things in my readings you may wish to know already, if you have a few minutes."

>>1090638
Sign the blackboard while you talk

Hear out what's he's found then inform him of the newfound room and our need of his expertise identifying the objects in it.
Again, it would be wise to have some kind of magic expert along as well to check the place for lingering magic.

And do we have any trap experts? Someone that can spot and disarm traps better than average? Because that might be a good thing to look out for. I could see Redfang being an even bigger dick and trapping his prayer room.

Get the lowdown downlow from P-diddy

also mark your territory on the blackboard

Does he want more pain meds? Can't get him addicted, but surely there's some reasonable regimen.

>>1090639
There's a spot right under Ashedel. Make sure to make it flowery, boss! It shows that you put effort in.

>>1090638
Hes a trooper.
Pick his brain on the research then invite his company or expert opinion on the new excavation.
>>1090639
Sign that board.
You have to do this.
Its the very least you can do

Work on inventing the 'camera'.
[Insert description of camera, from chemical flash to light reflecting off object to the lens where it is analog-captured on a slab of chemical paper that changes color if it comes into contact with extreme light.]

>>1090582
Need our scholar and witch doctor to check this out ASAP

Muschio 2024/05/10(Fri)13:42 No. 1090696 ID: 46e818
File 171537373965.png - (17.23KB , 800x600 , 2180.png )

I sign my name grandly. Pendle deserves a bit of appreciation after all he's been through, of course.

>"First, if I may, I should cover the basics of totem gods."
"Go on."
>"Well, a god, technically speaking, is simply a very powerful being, typically but not necessarily immortal -- one whose abilities so far exceed that of mortals that they seem to break our understanding of natural laws. They exist, make themselves known to mortals, and are worshipped for protection, mercy, boons, and so on. Very simple stuff so far."

Muschio 2024/05/10(Fri)13:42 No. 1090697 ID: 46e818
File 171537376469.png - (14.32KB , 800x600 , 2181.png )

>"However, while a typical god exists, and is then worshipped, a totem god is a being that is worshipped, and then exists. As we understand it, the power of mass worship essentially creates a new entity.
>That thing being worshipped could be an idea, an imagined creature or person, a local ancestor, a memory, a place, even an emotion. For example, a tribe which discovers a very large old tree that looks particularly ominous might revere it as being inhabited by a spirit. Even if the tree is completely mundane, generations of veneration could imbue it with such tangible power that it becomes what they believe it to be, and so a totem god is born.

>Now, as their existence is fueled by belief, their power grows and wanes based on that belief. A god who receives ever-growing worship may become extremely powerful indeed. Whereas a god whose influence has waned or whose followers have been conquered may shrivel, and even disappear.

>There is some debate among religious scholars, of what exactly happens to a totem god who disappears this way. Do they "die"? Can such a being truly die? Do they simply lie dormant, waiting for the day they might once again be revered? If such a god were to re-emerge, would it really be the same being, reawakened? Or would it just be a new entity that believes it is the old one? It's not exactly a field easily studied."

Muschio 2024/05/10(Fri)13:42 No. 1090698 ID: 46e818
File 171537377239.png - (19.30KB , 800x600 , 2182.png )

>"Which brings me to the amulet, that source of much mystery.
>The name "Algotsfilvris" yielded nothing much, but there is essentially no written kobold language. The "Shield of Comose", however, was quite a lead. I found a loose trail of similar designs with no attribution. I'm working on early theories, but I believe all these sigils are simply local or generational variants on the same entity.

>The being we're dealing with was once called "Odu Rumux" in an old goblin tongue I'm not so familiar with, which I can only translate as "a speaking body", or perhaps "the body that speaks".
>There's very little hard record here, but I see evidence of worship across goblins, kobolds, ogres, orcs, all manner of species. Nothing recent though, nothing I can find, at least."

>>1090698
This was apparently a god of "protection of the ugly", so all those races worshiping it tracks.
Might explain why the czar turned a whole city of people into sprites; an "ugly," easily influenced people that could be convinced to worship this totem. Either so the czar can be it's right hand man or perhaps claim to be this god himself and let the worship empower him.

Ask Pendle if that's even possible.

Well, with a name we can start asking questions. You should probably ask Moira if any of her people know anything about Odu Rumux, and also ask the local goblins. Maybe one of them is old enough to recognize the name.

But first, you should grab Pendle and your other magically inclined friends and check out the cave.

>>1090700
I was wondering a related thing - what happens to the king of a large enough group of people? Is he affected by their beliefs? If he does a good job (or good PR) and his people believe him kind, wise, strong, infallible, does he become unnaturally moreso?

>>1090697
Is such a being technically sapient or are they the aggregate sentience of a generalized algorithmic average?

Mmmoving on!

>>1090698
Hm. What if we simply made our own interpretation?
I don't like rewriting scripture, but it doesn't stop the fact that such gods require updates. Especially after what we saw among the Orcish elite.
Let's make this an open-source discussion among our lands. If this kingdom is going to be ruled by a god, it had better be the kingdom's god, not yours, not ours, and not any one faction's.

>>1090697
Shaped by belief, but it sounds glacially slow.
Measured in generational faith.

This trait, if it is indeed a thing you wish to control, doesnt strike me as something you will live long enough to see.

If you choose to enact a plan to shape a god, you'll metaphorically be planting trees that even your grandchildren will be waiting to see fruit.

A truly long lived species may have a perspective on this.
Perhaps itll be a good topic for pillow talk with the magnificent sadie.

>>1090702
Most likely not...

not without the use of some kind of item of power that could allow such a thing to happen. Something like a physical totem or idol, like maybe that amulet.

All assumptions, but it's something to go off as we move forward.

>>1090702
Well, it would depend on the number of followers and the rate of worship required to turn a mortal into a god.
However, turning a royal lineage literally part-divine over generations? That's... scary.
Can we... not do that? Please?

>>1090698

Would it be possible to widen the entrance to the mysterious pillar-chamber and let Pendle here have a look?

I'm thinking it might prove enlightening; either to our current search regarding the amulet, or perhaps our new benefactor in Mr. Lollypop.

>>1090698
old goblin tongue?
Better ask Finnie about that. Maybe make an evening out of it Boss.

Some fine wine, cold cuts and cheese. Ideal for a long conversation.

>>1090712
I would say "visit the goblin village and make use of their collected knowledge", but they might need some time to rest after their mass hysteria/orgy thing.
Besides, Finnie seems like the nerdiest of them all, so asking just her might be enough.

>>1090698
What I'm wondering, though: Pendle, do any of those worshippers trace back to Czar Bomba's region? As in, did he dig it up from a local area, or did he come into possession of this relic during an expedition, a journey or a conquest?

Is this run by the original Weaver from /tg/? I'm a tourist, sorry for the ignorance.

If so, I wanted to drop a line that Ruby and Tom from Rubyquest were nominated for /qst/'s King and Queen of /qst/ contest. Ruby lost out in the highly competitive qualification round, but Tom made it through qualifiers and is about to compete in the official King Contest as soon as that gets posted (complete with commissioned art from one of our drawfags).

It's been a long time since you ran on 4chan, but the questing community there still has a lot of respect and admiration for you, and new quests visibly inspired by Rubyquest still pop up fairly often. Thanks for everything.

>>1090791
>As in, did he dig it up from a local area, or did he come into possession of this relic during an expedition, a journey or a conquest?

The Czar never had it. He wanted to kill us for it. We found it in Redfang's possession, who was probably randomly worshiping it like all the other gods.

New plan. Become a god. Dragons are attracted to power, and gods are powerful, ergo a dragon would be attracted to a god.

>>1090798
https://questden.org/kusaba/questdis/res/4059.html
>Discussion board

>>1090791
Gotta take into account that she may be older than anyone in the village (Or the village itself).

Muschio 2024/05/14(Tue)09:38 No. 1090944 ID: 46e818
File 171570469713.png - (10.16KB , 800x600 , 2183.png )

"I could ask Finesse for her insight."
>"If you like. It's an archaic old tongue, so I doubt she'd know, but it couldn't hurt to ask."

"Well, I've come to tell you we've excavated what may be an old chamber of worship. I'd like your expertise."
>"Ah, well! I was not expecting such an opportunity right at home. Very well, give me a moment to collect myself."

Muschio 2024/05/14(Tue)09:39 No. 1090945 ID: 46e818
File 171570476509.png - (7.93KB , 800x600 , 2184.png )

"One more thought on totem gods -- would it be possible for a widely respected mortal, like a king, to be deified in this way?"
>"No, I don't believe so. A totem god is created to fill a void, to create a new entity where worship is being directed. If there's already someone there, I don't think anything in particular would happen.
>Besides, even if something similar were possible, it would likely take generations. A long-term plan, to say the least. The only way--

>...hm."

"What is it?"
>"No, I just-- this discussion has given me a strange inkling. I-- it may need more time to percolate."

Uh oh.
UHHH.
Wait a minute. If the amulet is capable of turning mortals into totemtic gods and we currently possess it...

>We've been protecting, helping and saving peoples who would be regarded as "ugly"
>The seer saying "We've met before, haven't we?"
>The demon saying "Now I see what you are. Only now, at the end, do I recognize you."
>Then tearing it apart with your mind

Congrats, you're a fledgling god.

Test this theory out by going outside and trying your fire knack at the maximum power you can muster. Make sure you don't point it at anything you don't want to lose.

...Wait.
>Voltos are going extinct
>Rebels are angry over lack of overrepresentation of Voltos
>Finesse is really @#$%ing old and has worshipped your family for generations
Crap.
I think this is a species-wide conspiracy.
They... know that representing other races is more profitable in the long run. They saw that King Muschio was popular and that produced more yield. They saw their fortunes rise more than if they took over themselves... and the new royals didn't care. Because your father was on the verge of dissolving the divinity that was in their grasp - and of course, they wanted that divinity for themselves.
I think this would explain a lot about society's obsession with absolute power over more power.

Please ask Babrakus to make taller bunk beds. Pendle has to hunch down just to fit on the lower bed. The guy's got enough mental reasons to hunch over as it is, no need to encourage it.

>>1090949
He was possessed at the time when he asked for his own quarters, but might as well ask now that's he's demon-free if he still wants his own room.

>>1090946
This theory might actually hold some water, and it would make sense as to why the Czar wanted it.

No, it's not Muschio. It's us.

We should probably find out from Finnie how long goblins usually live. Just in case.

>>1090955
We are supposed to be the result of a curse.
Boss, what can you recall of the events that brought us into being?

>>1090951
Agreed, though i wouldnt be surprised if he prefers the billets.
The last thing he may want right now is to be left alone with his thoughts.
Company, even background white noise of the presence of others, may be a balm right now.