[C2S3] Kai and the Temple of Patience

[15:54] <Strategist14> === BEGIN ===
[15:54] <Strategist14> You stepped out.
[15:54] <Strategist14> And arrived at the Dark Side. A vast open plain of black rock stretched out to the horizon before you, intercepted only by a series of curved bones emerging from the ground, each spearing several meters into the air before reaching a jagged, bloodstained point. The nearest was roughly 30 feet away.
[15:54] <Strategist14> The temple guardian speaks.
[15:54] <Strategist14> SS: Gentlemen.
[15:55] <Kai_River> "Guardian."
[15:55] <Kai_River> "We're here to solve your temple."
[15:55] <Strategist14> SS: Please.  Call me Slick.
[15:56] <Kai_River> "Alright then, Slick."
[15:56] <Kai_River> "We're here to solve your temple."
[15:56] <Strategist14> SS: Do you have the tool you'll need?
[15:56] <Kai_River> "Depends on what you think it is."
[15:56] == aa [[email protected]] has joined #RPGStuck_EmptyRoom
[15:57] <Strategist14> SS: LV's orb.
[15:57] <Kai_River> "Then no, the answer is that I don't."
[15:57] == alpaca_audience [[email protected]] has joined #RPGStuck_EmptyRoom
[15:57] <Strategist14> SS: Then I'm afraid you aren't going to enjoy this very much.
[15:58] <Kai_River> "Doesn't matter."
[15:58] <Strategist14> SS: Shall we begin?
[15:58] <Kai_River> "We shall."
[15:59] <Strategist14> SS: Enter one ring of claws.  Both of you.
[16:00]  * Kai_River nods, and takes the elder's hand as he leads him to the nearest bone pillars.
[16:00] <Strategist14> Taking another look at the curved bones arching out of the ground, you see that there are in fact two distinct rings, each of them formed by five spires.
[16:00] <Strategist14> The elder holds on tight as you step into the ring.
[16:01] <Strategist14> SS: How old are you, Mr. River?
[16:01] <Kai_River> "Thirteen years."
[16:03] <Strategist14> The claws begin... changing.  Turning from pale white bone to being yellowed, and then beginning to grow small bits of meat.  Behind you, the forest maze sways in a breeze that doesn't exist.
[16:03] <Strategist14> SS: Shall we add a few digits onto that?
[16:04]  * Kai_River grips the elder's hand a bit tighter.
[16:04] <Kai_River> "And why would you do that?"
[16:04] <Strategist14> SS: Because that is what I am here to do.
[16:05] <Kai_River> "Then do what you have to."
[16:06] <Strategist14> At this point, the claws are covered in meat, which thickens and then begins to grow thin green scales.  The nearest of the trees begin... shrinking.
[16:06] <Strategist14> SS: Now is your last chance to say no, Mr. River.
[16:07] <Kai_River> "And what if I do say no?"
[16:07] <Kai_River> "I turn, walk away, and fail my quest?"
[16:07] <Strategist14> SS: You also stay thirteen.
[16:08] <Strategist14> SS: You also stay sane, even without LV's orb.
[16:09]  * Kai_River turns to face the elder, and pulls out the air bladder he got from the temple of kindness.
[16:09] <Kai_River> "If anything goes horribly wrong, I need you to make me breathe from this."
[16:09] <Kai_River> "Can you do it?"
[16:10] <Strategist14> The elder, who is looking pretty freaked out by all this, nods.  Several times.  He takes the Lung of Perpetuity.
[16:10]  * Kai_River nods.
[16:10] <Kai_River> "Thank you."
[16:10] <Kai_River> With the landmark in one hand, and the elder in the other, Kai turns back to face the voice of Slick.
[16:10] <Kai_River> "Do it."
[16:13] == alpaca_audience [[email protected]] has quit [Quit: http://www.kiwiirc.com/ - A hand crafted IRC client]
[16:13] <Strategist14> Thin membranes stretch from one claw to the other, encircling you and growing thicker by the second, with a single gap open between two of them to see through, as the other ring goes through a similar process.  The ground under your feet starts to rise, black earth crumbling out through that same opening.  You can't see the trees anymore, but you have a feeling that even if you could, they wouldn't still be there.
[16:14] == alpaca_audience [[email protected]] has joined #RPGStuck_EmptyRoom
[16:14] <Strategist14> SS: Five hundred years before the first player entry.
[16:14] == alpaca_audience [[email protected]] has quit [Client Quit]
[16:16] <Strategist14> The webbed claw - the webbed HAND - holding you up rises further.  A transparent membrane appears across the one open area, as well as stretching over the top, sealing you in as you rise high, higher, and still higher.
[16:16]  * Kai_River looks to see how the elder is doing.
[16:17] <Strategist14> The elder is trying not to hyperventilate.  It's going poorly.
[16:17]  * Kai_River rests a hand on his shoulder.
[16:17] <Kai_River> "It's okay."
[16:17] <Kai_River> "We're fine."
[16:17] <Strategist14> He stiffens, and nods.  He trusts you.  He's terrified but he trusts you.
[16:18] <Strategist14> SS: Correct.  Nothing in my temple will physically harm you.
[16:18] <Kai_River> "Then what? I just be patient and wait for everything to catch up?"
[16:19] <Strategist14> SS: Yes.  Mr. River, if you stand by until we finish travelling back, and then make it forward the long way - we are currently at four thousand years, by the way - then you clearly deserve any reward I have for you.
[16:20] <Kai_River> "And the alternative?"
[16:21] <Strategist14> SS: You will be completely insane and likely be killed the moment we return.
[16:21] <Strategist14> Roll Perception.
[16:22] <Kai_River> 1d20(8)+23=31, 1 damage back.
[16:24] <Strategist14> In the other claw-hand-platform-THING, you can see a shadow moving on the other side of the membranous wall.
[16:24] <Strategist14> As well, far far below you, the dark side... lightens.
[16:25] <Strategist14> A shining ball of light is on the ground, but it stays the same size no matter how far you rise.  It almost feels like it's watching you.
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[16:26] <Kai_River> "Can I ask what this is?"
[16:26] <Strategist14> SS: That is an angel.
[16:27] <Kai_River> "One that serves Quetzalcoatl?"
[16:27] <Strategist14> SS: Correct.
[16:27] <Kai_River> "And what's it doing here?"
[16:28] <Strategist14> SS: Waiting for you.  And waiting for me.
[16:28] <Kai_River> "And then what?"
[16:29] <Strategist14> SS: And then it will instruct me in the purpose of this temple, and then it will die.
[16:29] <Kai_River> "Why's that?"
[16:29] <Strategist14> SS: Because that is what the Prince will Choose to do.
[16:30] <Strategist14> Whatever colossal creature is holding you begins moving forward.  You can't see it, with your only vantage point being forward and away from it, but considering how high you are, it must be truly massive.  The angel will only be in sight for a few moments longer.
[16:30] == aa [[email protected]] has quit [Quit: http://www.kiwiirc.com/ - A hand crafted IRC client]
[16:30]  * Kai_River scowls.
[16:31]  * Kai_River tries to see what exactly the creature holding him is.
[16:33] <Strategist14> The angle is difficult, but you see a feathered, reptillian head.  Some sort of monster - reminiscent of Quetzalcoatl, almost, in theme if not in form.  It stares ahead blankly as it begins to ferry you, the elder, and the mysterious third passenger.
[16:33]  * Kai_River tries to get a better look at the shadow in the other hand.
[16:34] <Strategist14> There is a thick wall of flesh in the way.  Even the landmark won't help you here.  But... it's a small shadow.
[16:35] <Strategist14> Far below, rivers and trees spring up.  The ground grows lighter still, the darkness receding.
[16:35]  * Kai_River nods, and looks forwards again.
[16:36] <Strategist14> The colossus makes its way forward, and you recognize Quetzalcoatl's chamber, built of resplendant white marble rather than the damaged black earth from the present.
[16:36] <Strategist14> The elder seems to be trying to remember the path so that you can get back if it drops you off elsewhere.
[16:37] <Strategist14> SS: Fifteen thousand years.
[16:38] <Kai_River> "What's the point with all of this?"
[16:39] <Kai_River> "If I wanted a history lesson, I could have stayed back home."
[16:40] <Strategist14> SS: This is not exactly a lesson, Mr. River.  This is more... hands-on.
[16:40] <Kai_River> "Because there's so much I can do right now."
[16:40]  * Kai_River gestures to the hand that surrounds him.
[16:41] <Strategist14> SS: Patience, Mr. River.  Your time will come.
[16:41] <Strategist14> The giant keeps walking, stepping into a lush jungle that in a few centuries will be split into desert and dark side.
[16:42] <Kai_River> "Then please, continue."
[16:43] <Strategist14> You are raised higher still, and even more of the planet becomes visible to you.  Across it are two shining balls, angels, just as visible as the first even though they must be miles upon miles away.
[16:44] <Strategist14> SS: A fractal is a pattern that contains itself, Mr. River.  A perfectly self-replicating pattern.
[16:46] <Kai_River> "I'm familiar with fractals."
[16:46] <Kai_River> "So, is this part of the pattern?"
[16:49] <Strategist14> SS: It is.  Everything is.  This entire land is a fractal, divided over time rather than across space.  Powers from the future destroying powers from the past.  Always.
[16:49]  * Kai_River nods.
[16:50] <Kai_River> "So, all of this has happened before?"
[16:50] <Kai_River> "The world being erased and all that?"
[16:50] <Strategist14> SS: And will again.  And again.  And again.
[16:50] <Kai_River> "Then how does it come back?"
[16:51] <Strategist14> SS: The same way a fractal grows after it shrinks.  By reversing it.
[16:51] <Strategist14> SS: And it can grow forever, for that is what a fractal is.  An endless scale.
[16:52] <Kai_River> "And if I don't?"
[16:53] <Strategist14> SS: If you do not, then nothing will change.  If all the world steps down the scale, moves down the perfect equal distance so that everything in the fractal is identical, then there will have been no change at all.
[16:54] <Kai_River> "And then it stops?"
[16:55] <Strategist14> SS: It will never stop while the fractal is intact.
[16:55] <Strategist14> The giant stops moving, standing somewhere vaguely familiar.
[16:56]  * Kai_River looks at where they are.
[16:56] <Strategist14> Roll Investigation.  It's not very similar to how it looked back in the present.
[16:57] <Kai_River> 1d20(14)+35=49, 19 damage back.
[16:57] <Strategist14> This is where your house would one day stand.
[16:58] <Kai_River> Is there anything there now?
[16:58] <Strategist14> A few trees, a few cave entrances, but nothing more.
[16:59] <Kai_River> "And if we never bring the universe back, is the fractal still intact?"
[17:00] <Strategist14> SS: It is.  The new universe will be indistinguishable from the old.  The fractal persists until it is broken.
[17:02] <Strategist14> The giant shifts, and you can see one more angel.  This one floats at the bottom of a steep cliff, and you can easily picture the landmark that will one day replace it at the Temple of Temperence.
[17:02] <Kai_River> That's four guardians.
[17:02] <Kai_River> "Keep going."
[17:03] <Strategist14> SS: There's only one way to break the circle and make things begin anew.
[17:04] <Strategist14> The giant starts walking again.
[17:04] <Kai_River> "To finish the game?"
[17:05] <Strategist14> SS: That is still within the fractal.  Complete, create, erase, repeat.
[17:06] <Kai_River> "Then what breaks the circle?"
[17:08] <Strategist14> The giant stops in front of a vast field of grass.  An angel floats high above it, yet still far below you.  In the distance, the same angel you started at.
[17:08] <Strategist14> SS: Revolution.
[17:09] <Kai_River> The Murky Four.
[17:09] <Kai_River> "What can you tell me about revolution?"
[17:09] <Strategist14> SS: Everything.
[17:10] <Strategist14> SS: Revolution got me exiled from Derse.  The most ruinous sort of decision, to rebel during a stalemate and attempt to turn the tide and break the cycle.
[17:11] <Strategist14> SS: Revolution made this world ready for you.  Destroying the angels, destroying the very embodiment of Mind, and giving you a Murk to Gouge.
[17:12] <Strategist14> SS: Revolution is that which breaks fractals.  Mr. River, revolution is me.
[17:13] <Kai_River> "And what do you intend to do now that the circle is broken?"
[17:14] <Strategist14> SS: I'm doing it.
[17:14] <Strategist14> The giant starts walking back towards the point where it started.
[17:16] <Kai_River> "What? Showing me this?"
[17:17] <Strategist14> SS: Yes.  We are currently about one point five million years before the first player arrives in this game.
[17:18] <Kai_River> "And what do you hope to accomplish by showing me this?"
[17:19] <Strategist14> SS: My job.  Be patient, Mr. River.  Break the fractal.
[17:20] <Strategist14> The giant stops.  In its other claw-hand-platform-THING, you can see a shadow moving on the other side of the membranous wall.
[17:20] <Strategist14> The same shining ball of light is on the ground, but it stays the same size even though you've risen.  It almost feels like it's watching you.
[17:21] <Strategist14> SS: That is an angel.
[17:22]  * Kai_River grits his teeth.
[17:22] <Kai_River> "So what do you want me to do? Go along with the fractal, or break it?"
[17:22] <Strategist14> SS: Correct.
[17:23] <Kai_River> "That's what I was afraid of."
[17:23] <Strategist14> SS: Waiting for you.  And waiting for me.
[17:23] <Strategist14> The elder frowns.  More than usual.
[17:23]  * Kai_River decide he may as well go through one of the options while he can.
[17:23] <Kai_River> "And then what?"
[17:24] <Strategist14> SS: And then it will instruct me in the purpose of this temple, and then it will die.
[17:24] <Kai_River> "Why's that?"
[17:24] <Strategist14> SS: Because that is what the Prince will Choose to do.
[17:25] <Strategist14> The colossal creature that's holding you begins moving forward.  You can't see it anymore, with your only vantage point being forward and away from it, but it's still truly massive.  The angel will only be in sight for a few moments longer.
[17:25]  * Kai_River scowls
[17:26]  * Kai_River tries to see what exactly the creature holding him is.
[17:26] <Strategist14> The angle is difficult, but you see that same feathered, reptillian head.  Some sort of monster - reminiscent of Quetzalcoatl, almost, in theme if not in form.  It stares ahead blankly as it begins to ferry you, the elder, and the mysterious third passenger.
[17:26]  * Kai_River tries to get a better look at the shadow in the other hand.
[17:27] <Strategist14> There is a thick wall of flesh in the way.  Even the landmark won't help you here.  But... it's a small shadow.
[17:27] <Strategist14> Far below, rivers and trees spring up.  The ground grows lighter still, the darkness receding.
[17:27]  * Kai_River nods, and looks forwards again.
[17:28] <Strategist14> The colossus makes its way forward, and you recognize Quetzalcoatl's chamber, built of resplendant white marble rather than the damaged black earth from the present.
[17:28] <Strategist14> SS: One point five million years.
[17:32] <Kai_River> Okay, so following the fractal won't solve anything. Next option.
[17:33]  * Kai_River steps forwards, draws his weapon, and attacks the hand of the giant carrying him.
[17:33] <Strategist14> Roll damage to slightly injure the massive giant.
[17:34] <Kai_River> !Roll 2d6+10
[17:34] <Kai_River> Right.
[17:34] <Kai_River> 2d6(11)+10=21.
[17:34] <Strategist14> You barely make a bruise.  But on the other hand, you do in fact make a bruise.
[17:35] <Kai_River> And that's what matters.
[17:35] <Kai_River> It's the same giant.
[17:35]  * Kai_River swings again.
[17:35] <Strategist14> Roll again.
[17:35] <Kai_River> 2d6(7)+10=17 damage.
[17:36] <Strategist14> Nothing.  The scales are unaffected by that strike.
[17:36] <Strategist14> SS: This is not exactly a lesson, Mr. River.  This is more... hands-on.
[17:36] <Kai_River> Again. Same spot as the bruise.
[17:36] <Strategist14> Roll.
[17:36] <Kai_River> 2d6(7)+10=17.
[17:36] <Strategist14> Nothing.
[17:36] <Strategist14> SS: Patience, Mr. River.  Your time will come.
[17:36] <Strategist14> The giant keeps walking, stepping into a lush jungle that in a few centuries will be split into desert and dark side.
[17:37] <Kai_River> "You're darn right it will."
[17:37] <Kai_River> Again.
[17:37] <Kai_River> 2d6(6)+10=16.
[17:37] <Strategist14> Nothing.  You are raised higher still, and even more of the planet becomes visible to you.  Across it are two shining balls, angels, just as visible as the first even though they must be miles upon miles away.
[17:37] <Strategist14> SS: A fractal is a pattern that contains itself, Mr. River.  A perfectly self-replicating pattern.
[17:37] <Kai_River> And again.
[17:37] <Kai_River> 2d6(4)+10=14.
[17:37] <Strategist14> Nothing.
[17:37] <Strategist14> SS: It is.  Everything is.  This entire land is a fractal, divided over time rather than across space.  Powers from the future destroying powers from the past.  Always.
[17:38] <Kai_River> Again.
[17:38] <Kai_River> 2d6(8)+10=18.
[17:38] <Strategist14> Still no reaction on par with your first strike.
[17:38] <Strategist14> SS: And will again.  And again.  And again.
[17:38] <Kai_River> "And again."
[17:39] <Kai_River> 2d6(11)+10=21.
[17:39] <Strategist14> A scale cracks.  Now you're in business.  Sorta.
[17:39] <Strategist14> SS: The same way a fractal grows after it shrinks.  By reversing it.
[17:39] <Strategist14> SS: And it can grow forever, for that is what a fractal is.  An endless scale.
[17:39] <Kai_River> "AND AGAIN."
[17:39] <Kai_River> 2d6(9)+10=19.
[17:40] <Strategist14> Nothing.  The elder tries to help, but stuffed lions are notoriously bad at cracking scales.
[17:40] <Strategist14> SS: If you do not, then nothing will change.  If all the world steps down the scale, moves down the perfect equal distance so that everything in the fractal is identical, then there will have been no change at all.
[17:40] <Kai_River> "AND AGAIN!"
[17:40] <Strategist14> Elder: "Again!"
[17:40] <Kai_River> 2d6(11)+10=21.
[17:40] <Strategist14> Damage!
[17:40] <Strategist14> SS: It will never stop while the fractal is intact.
[17:40] <Kai_River> "AND AGAIN!"
[17:40] <Kai_River> 2d6(8)+10=18.
[17:41] <Strategist14> Nothing.
[17:41] <Strategist14> Elder: "Again!"  Nothing.
[17:41] <Strategist14> The giant stops moving where your house will one day stand.
[17:41] <Kai_River> "AND AGAIN!"
[17:41] <Kai_River> 2d6(4)+10=14.
[17:41] <Strategist14> "Again!"
[17:42] <Strategist14> Nothing on both counts.
[17:42] <Strategist14> SS: It is.  The new universe will be indistinguishable from the old.  The fractal persists until it is broken.
[17:42] <Kai_River> "THEN LET'S BREAK IT!"
[17:42] <Kai_River> 2d6(2)+10=12.
[17:42] <Kai_River> Ouch.
[17:42] <Strategist14> The giant shifts to show you the Angel of Temperance.
[17:42] <Kai_River> "AGAIN!"
[17:43] <Kai_River> 2d6(10)+10=20.
[17:43] <Strategist14> "We can do this!" the elder cries, his faith fully in you.  He strikes too, and together you do a tiny bit of damage.
[17:43] <Strategist14> SS: There's only one way to break the circle and make things begin anew.
[17:43] <Strategist14> The giant starts walking again.
[17:43] <Kai_River> "REVOLUTION!"
[17:43] <Kai_River> 2d6(8)+10=18.
[17:43] <Strategist14> "Revolution!"
[17:43] <Strategist14> SS: That is still within the fractal.  Complete, create, erase, repeat.
[17:44] <Kai_River> "AND AGAIN!"
[17:44] <Kai_River> 2d6(12)+10=22.
[17:44] <Strategist14> THAT gets a reaction.  The giant makes a noise not entirely dissimilar to a groan of pain.
[17:44] <Strategist14> It stops in front of a vast field of grass.  An angel floats high above it, yet still far below you.  In the distance, the same angel you started at.
[17:45] <Strategist14> SS: Revolution.
[17:45] <Kai_River> "REVOLUTION!"
[17:45] <Strategist14> "Revolution!"
[17:45] <Kai_River> 2d6(3)+10=13.
[17:45] <Strategist14> SS: Everything.
[17:45] <Strategist14> SS: Revolution got me exiled from Derse.  The most ruinous sort of decision, to rebel during a stalemate and attempt to turn the tide and break the cycle.
[17:45] <Kai_River> "AND REVOLUTION'S GOING TO BREAK THE CYCLE AGAIN!"
[17:46] <Kai_River> 2d6(6)+10=16.
[17:46] <Strategist14> "We can do this!"
[17:46] <Strategist14> SS: Revolution made this world ready for you.  Destroying the angels, destroying the very embodiment of Mind, and giving you a Murk to Gouge.
[17:46] <Strategist14> SS: Revolution is that which breaks fractals.  Mr. River, revolution is me.
[17:46] <Kai_River> "YOU'RE DARN RIGHT REVOLUTION BREAKS FRACTALS!"
[17:46] <Kai_River> 2d6(5)+10=15.
[17:46] <Strategist14> "YEAH!"
[17:46] <Strategist14> SS: I'm doing it.
[17:46] <Strategist14> The giant starts walking back towards the point where it started.
[17:46] <Kai_River> "AND SO ARE WE!"
[17:47] <Kai_River> 2d6(9)+10=19.
[17:47] <Strategist14> SS: Yes.  We are currently about one point five million years before the first player arrives in this game.
[17:47] <Kai_River> "AND WE'LL BE HERE A FEW MILLION MORE!"
[17:47] <Kai_River> 2d6(5)+10=15.
[17:48] <Strategist14> SS: My job.  Be patient, Mr. River.  Break the fractal.
[17:48]  * Kai_River smiles.
[17:48] <Strategist14> The giant stops, the fractal restarts once more.
[17:48] <Kai_River> "Oh, we'll be patient alright."
[17:48] <Strategist14> The angel gazes up at you.
[17:48] <Kai_River> 2d6(7)+10=17.
[17:48] <Strategist14> SS resumes his speech, the giant resumes its journey.
[17:49] <Strategist14> The fractal repeats.
[17:51] <Kai_River> And so does the beatdown.
[17:52] <Strategist14> Speak, walk, strike, repeat.
[17:52] <Strategist14> Speak, walk, strike, repeat.
[17:52] <Strategist14> For you, strike, repeat.
[17:52] <Strategist14> Strike, repeat.
[17:52] <Strategist14> Strike, repeat.
[17:52] <Strategist14> For how long?  Roll Endurance and Sanity.
[17:53] <Kai_River> 1d20(10)+19=29 for endurance.
[17:54] <Kai_River> 1d20(17)+23=40 for sanity, 10 damage back.
[17:56] <Strategist14> Unstoppable.  You can't swing forever - soon enough you and the elder both have to sleep.  But when you rise again, you do so with renewed vigour, renewed fervor at escaping your scaled, fractalled prison.
[17:56] <Strategist14> One week in.  Make an attack roll.
[17:57] <Kai_River> 1d20(5)+25=30 to hit.
[17:57] <Strategist14> And for damage.  You've gotten past the thick scales.
[17:57] <Kai_River> 2d6(5)+10=15 damage.
[17:58] <Strategist14> The giant bleeds.
[17:59]  * Kai_River takes a deep breath.
[17:59] <Kai_River> And he's going to bleed a lot more.
[17:59]  * Kai_River swings again.
[18:00] <Kai_River> 2d6(5)+10=15 damage.
[18:00] <Strategist14> The elder cheers.
[18:00] <Strategist14> Your escape is renewed.
[18:00] <Strategist14> Again, Endurance and Sanity.
[18:01] <Kai_River> 1d20(18)+19=37 for endurance, 7 damage back.
[18:01] <Kai_River> 1d20(12)+23=35 for sanity, 5 damage back.
[18:02] <Strategist14> You are unrelenting.  The giant bleeds, the giant falters...
[18:02] <Strategist14> One more attack roll.  Rip through the wall.
[18:02] <Kai_River> 1d20(9)+25=34 to hit, 4 damage back.
[18:03] <Strategist14> And it is done.  You have access to open air once more.
[18:03] <Strategist14> Freedom.
[18:03]  * Kai_River stops, and looks to the elder, a small smile forming on his face.
[18:04] <Strategist14> The elder beams back at you, matching your triumph.
[18:04] <Strategist14> Gain 50,000 XP.
[18:05]  * Kai_River ascends to Rung 22: "One Eternity Later."
[18:06] <Kai_River> "Let's go home."
[18:06] <Strategist14> ((Translator's note:  One Eternity = 2 weeks))
[18:06] <Strategist14> "Please."
[18:06] <Strategist14> As you take flight, roll Perception one last time for me.
[18:07] <Kai_River> 1d20(6)+23=29.
[18:07] <Strategist14> There's still someone in the other hand.
[18:07] <Kai_River> Can he see who it is?
[18:08] <Strategist14> By flying around to look through the transparent stretch, indeed you can.
[18:08] <Strategist14> A lone LOSAFSS agent is curled up on the floor, comatose.
[18:09]  * Kai_River turns to the elder, questioningly.
[18:09] <Strategist14> "Save him," he says immediately.
[18:10]  * Kai_River nods, and attempts to break the barrier.
[18:10] <Strategist14> And so rebegins that same struggle you just went through.
[18:11] <Strategist14> Roll damage.
[18:11] <Kai_River> 2d6(5)+10=15.
[18:11] <Strategist14> No damage done, but the agent twitches one ear.
[18:11] <Kai_River> Again.
[18:11] <Kai_River> 2d6(6)+10=16.
[18:12] <Strategist14> He rouses, sees you through his darkened sunglasses.
[18:12] <Strategist14> Frowns.
[18:12] <Kai_River> Again.
[18:13] <Kai_River> 2d6(10)+10=20.
[18:13] <Strategist14> Some real damage is done this time.  The agent is taken aback, and scrambles through his uniform for a weapon to help you with.
[18:14] <Kai_River> "Wanna help save your people?" he asks the elder.
[18:14] <Strategist14> "More than anything."
[18:14] <Strategist14> He wields his stuffed lion, harmless though it is.
[18:14]  * Kai_River puts him down, and continues the assault.
[18:14] <Kai_River> 2d6(4)+10=14.
[18:17] <Strategist14> The elder joins in, and the agent does just the same once he finds a club of his.  The three of you get to work freeing him.
[18:18] <Kai_River> Again.
[18:18] <Kai_River> 2d6(9)+10=19.
[18:19] <Strategist14> Again.
[18:19] <Strategist14> 1d4(3)+1=4.
[18:19] <Strategist14> Again.
[18:19] <Strategist14> 1d6(2)+3=5.
[18:19] <Kai_River> And again.
[18:20] <Kai_River> 2d6(7)+10=17.
[18:20] <Strategist14> And again.
[18:20] <Strategist14> 1d4(1)+1=2.
[18:20] <Strategist14> And again.
[18:20] <Strategist14> 1d6(3)+3=6.
[18:20] <Kai_River> And again.
[18:20] <Kai_River> 2d6(6)+10=16.
[18:21] <Strategist14> And again.
[18:21] <Strategist14> 1d4(4)+1=5.
[18:21] <Strategist14> And again.
[18:21] <Strategist14> 1d6(6)+3=9.
[18:21] <Kai_River> And again.
[18:21] <Kai_River> 2d6(8)+10=18.
[18:22] <Strategist14> And again.
[18:22] <Strategist14> 1d4(2)+1=3.
[18:22] <Strategist14> And again.
[18:22] <Strategist14> 1d6(2)+3=5.
[18:23] <Kai_River> And again.
[18:23] <Kai_River> 2d6(10)+10=20.
[18:24] <Strategist14> And the membrane cracks.
[18:24] <Strategist14> Again and again and again and again and again and again.
[18:25] <Kai_River> And again.
[18:25] <Kai_River> 2d6(8)+10=18.
[18:25] <Strategist14> And again.
[18:25] <Strategist14> 1d4(3)+1=4
[18:25] <Strategist14> And again.
[18:25] <Strategist14> 1d6(5)+3=8.
[18:25] <Kai_River> And again.
[18:25] <Kai_River> 2d6(6)+10=16.
[18:26] <Strategist14> And again.
[18:26] <Strategist14> 1d4(2)+1=3.
[18:26] <Strategist14> And again.
[18:26] <Strategist14> 1d6(3)+3=6.
[18:26] <Kai_River> And again.
[18:26] <Kai_River> 2d6(10)+10=20.
[18:26] <Strategist14> Another crack.  Faster this time, stronger.
[18:27] <Strategist14> The giant is incredibly durable, but you don't falter.  None of you.
[18:28] <Kai_River> And. Again.
[18:28] <Kai_River> 2d6(10)+10=20.
[18:28] <Strategist14> And the cage breaks.
[18:31] <Kai_River> "Hi there."
[18:31] <Strategist14> The LOSAFSS agent bursts into tears.
[18:32] <Kai_River> Is Kai able to get into the cage?
[18:32] <Strategist14> You are.
[18:32]  * Kai_River descends into the cage, bringing the elder with him.
[18:32]  * Kai_River puts the elder on the ground.
[18:33] <Kai_River> "It's your people."
[18:33] <Strategist14> The elder looks at you awkwardly while the agent finally catches up to weeks of being imprisoned and hearing the same half-conversation over and over.
[18:33] <Strategist14> "Uh."
[18:34] <Strategist14> "I mean yeah, but, uh..."
[18:35] <Kai_River> "Do you want me to?"
[18:35] <Strategist14> The elder nods, ashamed.
[18:36] <Kai_River> "Alright."
[18:36]  * Kai_River approaches the agent, and rests a hand on his shoulder.
[18:36] <Kai_River> "You're okay now. We're here to get you out."
[18:36] <Strategist14> The agent latches onto you in a hug, still sobbing.
[18:37] <Kai_River> "It's okay."
[18:37] <Kai_River> "You're safe."
[18:37] <Kai_River> "We're all safe."
[18:38] <Strategist14> "... Yeah," the elder adds, helpfully.
[18:38]  * Kai_River smiles and nods to the elder.
[18:39] <Strategist14> The agent, a blubbering mess, nods.
[18:40] <Kai_River> "Cmon, let's go."
[18:40] <Strategist14> The two bunnies both nod.
[18:40]  * Kai_River puts away the landmark and his weapon, and picks up the elder and the agent, before carrying them out of the cage, landing back on the ground.
[18:41]  * Kai_River turns back to face the voice of Slick.
[18:41] <Kai_River> "How's that for patience?"
[18:41] <Strategist14> SS: You still have one point five million years to go.
[18:42]  * Kai_River frowns, and looks back to the entrance he came in through
[18:54] <Strategist14> There doesn't seem to be one, only a vast grassy field with an angel high above it.
[18:55] <Strategist14> The forest hasn't yet grown.
[18:55]  * Kai_River sighs.
[18:55] <Kai_River> "So now we wait?"
[18:55] <Strategist14> SS: Now you wait.
[18:55] <Strategist14> The agent wails.
[18:55]  * Kai_River nods slowly.
[18:56] <Kai_River> "Elder, you said time doesn't seem to pass in my sylladex, right?"
[18:56] <Strategist14> His eyes flash in understanding.  "[Right."
[18:56] <Kai_River> "Alright, here's what I'm thinking."
[18:57] <Kai_River> "I captchalogue you and the agent, and I wait for one point five million years, then I take you out."
[18:57] <Strategist14> He blinks.  "You what."
[18:57] <Kai_River> "I can make it work."
[18:58] <Strategist14> "Um.  Are you sure?"
[18:58] <Kai_River> "If I have the thing I gave you, then yes."
[18:58] <Kai_River> "It lets me fall asleep for as long as I want."
[18:58] <Strategist14> He gasps.  "Right!"
[18:58] <Strategist14> The elder gives you the Lung of Perpetuity.
[18:59]  * Kai_River smiles.
[18:59] <Kai_River> "But, I think we might need to wait a bit."
[18:59] <Kai_River> "For your friend to be ready."
[18:59]  * Kai_River looks to the agent, and hugs him.
[19:00] <Strategist14> The LOSAFSS agent hugs you back.
[19:00] <Strategist14> "Are you sure this will work?" he says.
[19:01] <Kai_River> "To be honest, not entirely."
[19:01] <Kai_River> "But, I don't think there's another way to last for a million years."
[19:02] <Strategist14> He whimpers.  The elder offers him a consoling paw on the back.
[19:02] <Strategist14> "Kai hasn't been wrong yet."
[19:02]  * Kai_River smiles.
[19:03] <Strategist14> Roll Persuasion.
[19:04] <Kai_River> 1d20(11)+0=11. No landmark.
[19:04] <Strategist14> ... The agent accepts.
[19:04] <Strategist14> "Please," he begs.  "I just want to go home."
[19:04]  * Kai_River nods.
[19:05] <Kai_River> "We all do."
[19:05] <Strategist14> The elder and the agent await being captchalogued.
[19:17] == Kai_River [[email protected]] has quit [Quit: http://www.kiwiirc.com/ - A hand crafted IRC client]
[19:26] == Kai_River [[email protected]] has joined #RPGStuck_EmptyRoom
[19:26] <Kai_River> ok am back
[19:26] <Strategist14> The elder and the agent await being captchalogued.
[19:27] <Kai_River> ok am not back
[19:30] <Kai_River> ok am back
[19:30] <Strategist14> The elder and the agent await being captchalogued.
[19:31]  * Kai_River captchalogues his two consorts, giving each of them a knowing nod.
[19:31] <Kai_River> "See you both in a million years."
[19:31] <Strategist14> And now you're alone with Slick.
[19:32] <Kai_River> "Now, what about the flower?"
[19:32] <Strategist14> SS: Excuse me?
[19:32] <Kai_River> "What do I have to do to get the flower from you?"
[19:32] <Strategist14> SS: Find it.
[19:32] <Kai_River> "Where is it?"
[19:32] <Kai_River> "Here?"
[19:32] <Kai_River> "Or somewhere else along the journey?"
[19:33] <Strategist14> SS: I am under no obligation to tell you where or when such a flower does or will exist.
[19:33] <Kai_River> "Then why are you a guardian?"
[19:34] <Strategist14> SS: Because I joined the Murk.
[19:34] <Kai_River> "And why'd you do that?"
[19:35] <Strategist14> SS: Because the alternative was dying alone on Earth.  UH had a way out, I took it.
[19:35]  * Kai_River nods slowly.
[19:35] <Kai_River> "And what'd you give up?"
[19:36] <Strategist14> SS: What didn't I?
[19:36] <Strategist14> SS: I do not have a body anymore, Mr. River.
[19:36] <Strategist14> SS: I am a voice and nothing else.
[19:36] <Kai_River> "And you can't use that voice to be helpful?"
[19:36] <Strategist14> SS: I cannot travel.  I cannot meet people.  I cannot fight.
[19:37] <Strategist14> SS: Because the only thing I can do is guard this temple, and watch the fractal continue.
[19:37] <Kai_River> "Then why not help me?"
[19:38] <Strategist14> SS: Why help you?
[19:38] <Kai_River> "So there's a fractal at all."
[19:38] <Kai_River> "If I can use the flower to finish the session, it'll loop back, and continue."
[19:38] <Kai_River> "Otherwise, it ends."
[19:39] <Strategist14> SS: Then end it.  Revolution.
[19:39] <Kai_River> "Part of the loop is to complete the game."
[19:39] <Kai_River> "If I revolt against it, we never finish, and we die here alone."
[19:40] <Strategist14> SS: And then the fractal is finally broken.
[19:40] <Kai_River> "And then what happens to you?"
[19:41] <Strategist14> SS: I die.
[19:41] <Kai_River> "Do you want that?"
[19:41] <Kai_River> "Because you could have never taken UH's offer."
[19:42] <Strategist14> SS: I could have.  I was not ready to die then.  I am now.
[19:43] <Kai_River> "Then why'd you tell me what to do in the temple at all?"
[19:43] <Strategist14> SS: Because that is my job.
[19:44] <Kai_River> "Why do you care about your job if you want to die?"
[19:44] <Strategist14> SS: I am ready to die.  That does not mean I want to, or that I care nothing about anything else.
[19:45] <Kai_River> "Then help me find the flower, and you won't have to."
[19:45]  * Kai_River pulls out the landmark, in case it helps him be persuasive.
[19:46] <Strategist14> SS: But I do not want to live either.
[19:46] <Strategist14> SS: I have a job to do.  I will do it.
[19:46] <Strategist14> SS: That job does not require telling you where and when to pick a certain flower.
[19:47]  * Kai_River nods.
[19:47] <Kai_River> "Fine."
[19:48] <Kai_River> "Then, thanks for doing your job."
[19:49] <Strategist14> SS: Yes.
[19:49]  * Kai_River sighs, pulls out the Lung, and takes a breath.
[19:50] <Strategist14> You switch to your dream self... who won't exist for another 1.5 million years.
[19:50] <Strategist14> How long do you want to sleep for?
[19:51] <Kai_River> Until the day Slick arrived to take over for the previous guardian.
[19:52] <Strategist14> In time.
[19:56] <Kai_River> Alright, well if that's not going to work, just 1.5 million years then
[19:58] <Strategist14> Are you sure?
[19:59] <Kai_River> Not even a little.
[19:59] <Strategist14> Then?
[20:00] <Kai_River> Screw it, just one year.
[20:00] <Strategist14> You drift to sleep, and wake up in what feels like seconds.
[20:01]  * Kai_River checks around him to see if everything is alright.
[20:01] <Strategist14> Seems like.
[20:01] <Strategist14> There's not much of a difference.
[20:01] <Kai_River> "Morning."
[20:01] <Strategist14> SS: Morning.
[20:02] <Kai_River> "Anything important I missed?"
[20:03] <Strategist14> SS: Nothing.
[20:03] <Kai_River> "Alright then, thanks."
[20:03]  * Kai_River takes another breath from the Lung.
[20:03] <Strategist14> How long?
[20:05] <Kai_River> A thousand years.
[20:06] <Strategist14> As before, it feels like seconds.  Things are a bit different, but hardly noticeable.
[20:06] <Kai_River> "Anything new?"
[20:07] <Strategist14> SS: The fractal continues.
[20:07] <Kai_River> "Any chance you'll tell me what point in the fractal you replaced the old guardian?"
[20:09] <Strategist14> SS: Three thousand eight hundred twenty two years, six months, and one day before you arrived.
[20:09] <Kai_River> "Do you know what day that was?"
[20:09] <Strategist14> SS: Wednesday.
[20:10] <Kai_River> "The date."
[20:10] <Strategist14> SS: Dates do not mean much here.
[20:11] <Kai_River> "They mean much to me."
[20:11] <Strategist14> SS: It is one million four hundred eighty one thousand ten years, two months, and nineteen days from today.
[20:11]  * Kai_River nods.
[20:11] <Kai_River> "Thank you."
[20:11] <Kai_River> "I appreciate it."
[20:12] <Strategist14> SS doesn't respond.
[20:12]  * Kai_River takes another breath from the lung.
[20:13] <Strategist14> How long?
[20:13] <Kai_River> One million four hundred eighty one thousand ten years, two months, and eighteen days.
[20:14] <Strategist14> You wake up.
[20:15] <Kai_River> "Morning."
[20:15] <Strategist14> SS: Just in time.
[20:15] <Kai_River> "How are you?"
[20:15] <Strategist14> SS: Tired.
[20:15] <Kai_River> "That's understandable."
[20:16] <Kai_River> "Can you explain to me what happens tomorrow?"
[20:16] <Strategist14> SS: It has been a long one point five million years.
[20:16] <Strategist14> SS: Tomorrow the angel will go out, and I will arrive.
[20:17] <Kai_River> "Will it be a different you?"
[20:17] <Strategist14> SS: Yes.  That me has not yet met you.  He will not for another three thousand eight hundred twenty two years.
[20:18]  * Kai_River nods.
[20:18] <Kai_River> "And what happens to you?"
[20:18] <Strategist14> SS: The same.  I continue to watch history catch up to the present.
[20:19] <Kai_River> "What happens to the you that takes over for the angel?"
[20:19] <Strategist14> SS: He will also watch history up to the present, and then he will go back with you as I did, and then he will become me.
[20:20]  * Kai_River nods slowly.
[20:21] <Strategist14> SS: He will not be permitted to rest.  Ever.
[20:21] <Strategist14> SS: That will be the price of replacing an angel.
[20:21] <Kai_River> "I'm sorry."
[20:22] <Strategist14> SS: I am tired.
[20:22] <Kai_River> "Is there anything I can do to help you, that won't ensure the failure of the session?"
[20:23] <Strategist14> SS: Gouge the Murk.
[20:23] <Kai_River> "Do I just solve the temples?"
[20:23] <Kai_River> "Because I've just about done that."
[20:24] <Strategist14> SS: Solve is a gentler word than I would use.
[20:24] <Kai_River> "I'm not about to destroy any temples."
[20:24] <Strategist14> SS: I am ready to die, Mr. River.
[20:25]  * Kai_River sighs.
[20:25] <Kai_River> "What happens to your temple if I do?"
[20:26] <Strategist14> SS: With nobody poised to replace me as I replaced the Angel of Patience, it will collapse.  Its power, fade.  The fractal will be broken.
[20:26] <Kai_River> "And what happens to the session?"
[20:27] <Strategist14> SS: The session?
[20:27] <Kai_River> "My session."
[20:27] <Strategist14> SS: What about it?
[20:27] <Kai_River> "If the fractal breaks, how do things change?"
[20:28] <Strategist14> SS: Your land will be that much closer to being finished.  You will be that much more ready to face Quetzalcoatl.
[20:29] <Kai_River> "What do you mean, 'finished'?"
[20:29] <Strategist14> SS: Every player has a quest.  Yours is to Gouge the Murk.  This is necessary to release the Grist Hoard from the denizen and complete the Ultimate Alchemy to win the game.
[20:31] <Kai_River> "What's the Ultimate Alchemy?"
[20:31] <Strategist14> SS: A frog.
[20:31] <Kai_River> "..."
[20:31] <Kai_River> "A frog?"
[20:32] <Strategist14> SS: I am not happy about it either, but yes.
[20:32] <Kai_River> "I don't... Why?"
[20:32] <Strategist14> SS: Do not ask me.
[20:33] <Kai_River> "I just... Do I have to destroy all of the temples?"
[20:33] <Strategist14> SS: Yes.
[20:33] <Strategist14> SS: The Murk must be Gouged.
[20:33] <Strategist14> SS: All six must die.
[20:33] <Kai_River> "..."
[20:34] <Kai_River> "Who are the six?"
[20:35] <Strategist14> SS: Myself - Spades Slick - Usurious Haggler, Dark Lord, Lonely Viewer, Gentle Soul, and Mind Sage.
[20:36] <Kai_River> "And will they be as willing as you are to die?"
[20:36] <Strategist14> SS: Perhaps some will.
[20:37] <Kai_River> "And if they aren't?"
[20:37] <Strategist14> SS: Then your work will be made more difficult.
[20:39] <Kai_River> "I don't want to kill them."
[20:39] <Strategist14> SS: That would be the difficulty.  Yes.
[20:40] <Kai_River> "Why do I have to kill them to get grist?"
[20:40] <Kai_River> "There's better ways to get it."
[20:40] <Strategist14> SS: Not from the grist hoard.
[20:41] <Kai_River> "Can't I just ask Quetzalcoatl?"
[20:41] <Strategist14> SS: He would decline.
[20:41] <Kai_River> "It's for the sake of the session, why would he do that?"
[20:41] <Strategist14> SS: Your objectives are not everyone's objectives, Mr. River.
[20:42] <Kai_River> "Then what are Quetzalcoatl's objectives?"
[20:42] <Strategist14> SS: Gouge the Murk.
[20:43] <Strategist14> SS: Avenge his angels.
[20:43]  * Kai_River takes a deep breath.
[20:43] <Kai_River> "Why'd you all take over the temples anyways?"
[20:44] <Strategist14> SS: Power.
[20:44] <Kai_River> "All of you?"
[20:45] <Strategist14> SS: Different forms of power.  Yes.
[20:45] <Strategist14> SS: Power to learn for Mind Sage.  Power to heal for Gentle Soul.  Power to matter for Usurious Haggler.
[20:46] <Strategist14> SS: Power to rule for Dark Lord, and power to befriend for Lonely Viewer.  For me, power to destroy those enemies I could not kill.
[20:47] <Kai_River> "And did you?"
[20:47] <Strategist14> SS: I can.
[20:47] <Kai_River> "Who are your enemies?"
[20:48] <Strategist14> SS: The Black Queen.  The Black King.  The White Queen and the White King.  The Prospitian archagents.
[20:48] <Kai_River> "The White Queen's dead, at least."
[20:48] <Strategist14> SS: Good.
[20:49]  * Kai_River sighs.
[20:49] <Kai_River> "I don't have a choice, do I?"
[20:49] <Strategist14> SS: Does anyone ever?
[20:49] <Kai_River> "Sometimes, yeah."
[20:50] <Kai_River> "I've had more than a few times when I had more of a choice than I wanted."
[20:50] <Strategist14> SS: And?
[20:52] <Kai_River> "And I ended up cheating my answer."
[20:52] <Kai_River> "Question."
[20:52] <Kai_River> "If I kill your enemies, will you be happy?"
[20:53] <Strategist14> SS: I don't know.
[20:54] <Kai_River> "How about this:"
[20:54] <Kai_River> "If you help me with the flower, I'll come back."
[20:54] <Kai_River> "Apparently, I can't finish the session without destroying the temples."
[20:55] <Kai_River> "But, maybe I can do the same thing, and cheat a different answer."
[20:55] <Kai_River> "Choose something else, something different to make you happy."
[20:56] <Kai_River> "If I succeed, I don't have to destroy the temple, and you get to be happy."
[20:56] <Kai_River> "If I don't, then I can't finish without coming back to give you what you want."
[20:57] <Strategist14> SS: I do not know what I want.  I am just tired.
[20:57] <Kai_River> "What if there's a way to get you free?"
[20:57] <Strategist14> SS doesn't say anything to that.
[20:58] <Kai_River> "Please, Slick."
[20:58] <Kai_River> "I don't want to destroy this temple, but I don't want to leave you unhappy."
[20:59] <Strategist14> SS: The flower dies the moment you enter the game.  It grows only in one place, for only one day, and then is crushed by your house.
[20:59] <Strategist14> SS: Please get me out of here.
[20:59]  * Kai_River smiles.
[20:59] <Kai_River> "I will. I promise."
[20:59] <Kai_River> "Thank you, Slick."
[20:59] <Strategist14> SS: Thank you, Mr. River.
[21:00] <Strategist14> SS: And in case it comes to this.
[21:00] <Strategist14> SS: The queens' rings and the kings' scepters are their weak points.  Take them away and they lose all prototypings.
[21:00]  * Kai_River nods.
[21:01] <Kai_River> "Got it. Thank you."
[21:01] <Strategist14> SS: Go.
[21:01]  * Kai_River dons his halo, and flies along the path the giant took to eventually arrive to where his house will grow.
[21:02] <Kai_River> No, no he doesn't do that.
[21:02] <Kai_River> That's stupid and dumb.
[21:02]  * Kai_River takes another breath from the Lung.
[21:03] <Strategist14> How long?
[21:03] <Kai_River> One day.
[21:04] <Strategist14> The world fades to black one more time.  You sleep...
[21:04] <Strategist14> === END ===
[21:04] <Kai_River> WEW