Seeing the tentacled-girl's mighty heave:

"Don't throw it too far : we still need to gather its wood," joked the old man. (She was hella-strong!)
This message was last edited by the player at 01:17, Thu 17 Jan 2019.

Fraksel and Xeno's attack on the tendril cause it to react, loosening its grip on Irinus' tentacles. She is able to apply enough opposing force to slip from its grasp, and the tendril retreats into an opening on the qualseth.

Zijan was clever enough to retreat out of range of another potential tendril reach, carrying the fallen wood with her. The wood is smooth and broad, somewhat flat, and will work well towards completing the slingshot.


The amount of wood dropped amounted to 2 units. One more piece will get you to the requisite 4 units needed.

Zijan drops the wood well out of the reach of the Qualseth, and returns to where Fraksel and Xeno are, lasso at the ready.  If they were able to get Irinus free, and played the next round more carefully, they might actually pull this thing off!

She dips her hands into her beltpouch and comes up with a metallic face mask.  If Irinus wasn't able to free herself, well...  She had a fiery cypher to give the Qualseth something else to think about.

"Once more into the breach, or switch to a pinch hitter, Tentacle-girl?" Fraksel questioned, taking up the same position he had before the kerfuffle.

Ready and willing!
This message was last edited by the player at 21:58, Thu 17 Jan 2019.

Laughing as she makes back to a safe distance, the others see a green light shine through her masque, as she calls upon the void shroud. The heaving and exertion are taking its toll, but she’s trained for this. Made for this. She drops into a low squat, readying herself for the next contest.

“Allow me to try first? At least this time, I’m prepared to the lash!”

Activating Shroud, since I’m fully clothed and armored. With that, I’ll put some effort into the movement task to snatch another piece, provided the aid is still there.


18:34, Today: Irinus rolled 12 using 1d20.

The mutant grinds into the drit, the void energy strengthening her resolve...

"You know," the helmeted nano commented while they eagerly waited for another piece of the right size to fall to them, "looking at it up close I'm thinking that- That what we're looking at here is probably the stockpile algorithm doing its fiery best to store the backlog as close to the broken carbon-organ as it can?"

Aid still here :)
This message was last edited by the player at 23:59, Fri 18 Jan 2019.

After almost 10 minutes waiting another piece cleaves off the qualseth and tumbles downward, Irinus attempting to snatch it from the air with Fraksel directing her as best he can. She is able to get close enough to it to snatch it out of the air with her tendrils, claiming another piece of wood for the contraption awaiting completion at the beanstalk.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:57, Sun 20 Jan 2019.

Zijan gave a cheer of encouragement as Irinus was able to do more deftly than what she had attempted. "Wonderful job, Irinus!  Your strength and speed are quite remarkable.  Fraksel, should we attempt to get another piece or two, in case we need some more for another project that may arise?"

The blade Xeno had launched pulls back on a chain and one of his other appendages had beeb waiting with a strange device in it that looked like a projector of some sort.

"Priority alpha complete. priority beta complete. reestablishing biological control over construct."

Xeno backs away and the light inside changes back to an icy blue around the skeleton.

"Apologies. did I miss something? oh. you gathered the organic compound. and the outer being is safe. I aplogize for not assisting."

"You did assist, X.3.N.0. Or parts of you did anyways. Seems you've got some sort of Reactive Mind on you -- or is that under you? Gonna guess that whoever built your frame didn't trust skeleton-boy to handle the important stuff, like staying alive?"

In reply to Zijan (msg # 200):

"Ha! When has that ever happened, Zijan?" good-naturally grumbled the bearded-one in reply.

He took up position once more, squaring his sallet and gesturing with a smiling palm to Irinus: Come on, girl, let's show them what we've got!


To save time, what say we take what extra we can get in an hour of gathering, so about 6 rolls in a row, Irinus?

"Nobody heard X.3.N.0 song again?" the stripped human questioned somewhere in there, recalling yesterday's events. "What do you suppose that was?"

Over the course of the next hour they spend their energy (especially Irinus) calculating the trajectory of the falling pieces of wood. Getting the gist of guessing and aiming the landing of the cleaving wood they manage to catch four more pieces. It worked out well that they had the cart pulled by the aneen as it would be challenging to carry the wood by hand. And it's still morning, plenty of day ahead for the return trip back to town.


You manage to collect a total of 10 units of wood (I think that's right).

Panting, wheezing, and laughing, Irinus lets her infusion down as she returns to the cart. She pulls her masque off, and allows herself a moment to rest on the cart’s edge.

“Well, this one is beat! Any chance our esteemed nano wizard could whip up breakfast? After all that exertion, this one is famished!”

I take ten minutes to rest, using both recovery rolls.

True to her form, though, she quickly recovers from her expenditure of physical labor, and soon after, is beaming with the positivity of successful.

In reply to Fraksel M'ba (msg # 203):

"You folks aren't much for idle theorizing, are you?" Fraksel complained when this comment too went without reply. Then he went on as if nothing had happened: "I'd put nindan to beru that 'song's some sort of distress call... And directed only at machine minds too apparently! (Or maybe it's broken, doesn't work all the time any more?). What do you say to that, hmm?"


"Breakfast?" pondered that worthy, as if he'd only vaguely heard of the concept before. "I suppose we've got bread and ribbon curds, plus what's left of yesterday's rice stew. Air temperature, of course."

Though, as he went by Irinus to pull those out, he patted her shoulder. "Well done," in a voice pitched only for her.

When the others were ready, Fraksel clacked the reins, Gles snorted and the qualseth quickly disappeared behind the low hills that were its home.

Sad, really...

Xeno had placed the last piece of wood into the cart.

"No I did not hear anymore of this song. or what it was that tried to pull me. maybe at another time I will come and dissect it to find out its cause. but for now we have the manner of the beanstalk to deal with no? the falling rocks?"

Xeno looks at the cart and then back to fraksel

"I do not believe i will fit this time. I shall follow along side."

Irinus wondered, taking a seat on the back of the cart with the wood.

“Well, it seems X.3.N.0. is both mechanical and biological, yes? But two parts of one whole? Maybe something in his machine mind could communicate with other machines? Maybe...less of a true song, but more....data converted to sound?”

"People writing songs that voices never shared," thoughtfully quoted Fraksel from some sort of antique scriptures... "Could be, tentacle-girl, could be... But then, what's so organic about him?" with raised brows and an up-and-down gesture at the towering crystal skeleton.

In typical fashion Fraksel will not slow the aneen down any... Though if they do get too far ahead, he *will* insist Xeno "Get in the random cart, you arrogant machine! Your raging ego will survive a few bumps."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:59, Fri 25 Jan 2019.

The party reaches the outskirts of the Beanstalk in a few hours, a bit longer than the travel out to the qualseth due to the ladened down cart. As they enter the town people quickly scurry out of the way of Xeno and Irinus. No one inquires about their errand as they just as soon not be too close to the strange company traveling with Fraksel and Zijan.

Over the course of the time they were away much work had been done. Many jugs and containers can be seen stacked up along various houses filled with water. People can still be seen traveling to the water collector, and other townfolk are carrying items out of the buildings near it.

Detlun sees the party and intercepts them as they head toward the area where Fraksel had been working on his project. "I see you both made it back with some wood... from the qualseth, I assume? I was sure your hubris would have gotten you in trouble, old man." He stops and looks over Irinus and Xeno, more at Xeno that the other. "Fascinating! Where did you find these remarkable beings? And what in Calaval's name are they? I certainly hope you did not bring trouble to the Beanstalk."

"Good idea that," Fraksel mentionned when he saw those. "Might consider building some sort of bassin away from the impact zone..."

Someone with a head on her shoulders had been thinking. (Probably Etra.)

Speaking of...


"They didn't propose a Cypher Registration initiative," mildly agreed the nano -- referring to one of Deltun's old project which *still*, to this day, stirred up some people.

Detlun snorts derisively. "Just mind whatever these beings are that you brought back. Unless you've gotten to know them so well in the 28 hours you've been gone that you can guarantee they won't do anything untoward."

He looks at the townspeople providing a wide berth between themselves and the party. "Good luck convincing them of that. Well, I suppose you'd better get back to your ambitious project over there. The boulder will not crush the collector in the next couple of days, but I don't want you to not finish it in time with your propensity for overthinking everything, Fraksel." He pulls up the corner of one side of his mouth in a wry smile then tips his head at Zijan while uttering "Ma'am...", then dubiously looks at the two new members of their party before retreating back to his work area.

Silent for the duration of the exchange, Irinus waits until the fellow is gone from earshot before responding in quiet:

“Fraksel, Zijan, that one seems like a shadow on the sun. Is he to be trusted here? The people will take time; I understand. But he seems...shifty. I don’t.....want him around me. Or X.3.N.0.”

Irinus is unquestionably unnerved by the icy reception she perceives; a quick adjustment of her bow and blade help her feel secured...
This message was last edited by the player at 20:52, Mon 28 Jan 2019.

"Ha! You're asking *me* to guarantee somebody else won't do anything untoward?" boggled the white-bearded nano as he lithely disembarked, tossing the reins aside. "My my, When did I climb so high in your esteem, Father?" He seized one of the rotund aeon priest's hand in both of his own. "I'm touched, Deltun. Truly touched. You will not be disappointed."



<Afterwards:
The old man dismissed [Irinus' concerns] with a wave of a dark metal hand: "His heart's in the right place," he contradicted, maybe to the utter surprise of some of the listening beaners, only to ruin it with: "It's the rest of him that's 100% wind and 3/4 blubber... But enough of that."

He too turned to the townspeople: "They look kind of strange, don't they? Big one here's X.3.N.0.; he's just woken up so he's like a little kid, looking at everything with big eyes and lots of questions. You can tell him to go ask m- Zijan - Tell him to go ask Zijan if he gets too bothersome. Uhum. The stringy-tall one with the neat tentacle's called 'Irinus', we got all this fine wood off the qualseth this morning shiny-easy thanks to her help - hu - mostly easy... What are you waiting for? Introduce yourselves to the Base of the Beanstalk!" With a gesture encompassing the people, the scattered aldeia behind, all dwarfed by the seemingly infinite shaft of the Beanstalk and its five floating mountains.

Irinus steps forward, a curt bow to the gathering crowd, and clears her throat.

“Greetings, good folk! This one is known as Irinus, and you have my word that all is safe and well. She was glad to have helped these two, and hopefully, you as well. Irinus is a hunter, a scout, and hopes that my skills will benefit all. Do not hesitate to ask questions; in honor of trust, she will be transparent as glass.”

Afterwards, albeit nervously, she waits, leaning against the cart for any curious soul who approaches her for answers.

If so questioned, I will answer honestly—I recant all. A good story can do wonders.

Zijan let Irinus make the first move - after all, she had proved herself to be personable in a way more humans understood.  Not that Xeno was less trustworthy, just several steps stranger.

As Detlun decided to be stubborn, Zijan spoke up.

"Detlun, I take the safety of the Beanstalk very seriously.  I would not go and risk myself nor Fraksel unless it was for a reasonable chance to serve the community.  Xeno Bio-Ex and Irinus we found on the way, true, but they have proven themselves to be honest.  They risked their own safety for us, for strangers, to obtain wood from the Qualseth, in order to secure the safety of this community.  For that responsibility and dilligence, we owe them a fair and honest welcome.  You will see for yourself, Detlun," Zijan says, drawing herself up straight.

OOC: Activating demeanor of command, which gives her a free level of Effort on persuasion.
09:55, Today: Zijan rolled 7 using 1d20.  Persuasion (S) (1E).