In reply to Adrika (msg # 241):

No, because the steel rebar are inside the stone, not outside of it. It's a pretty standard way to create superior construction material than either pure stone blocks or plain metal - the stone is easier to carve into much thicker bricks, while the bars of steel inside of it give it structure and keep it far more solid and resilient, to the point that it takes artillery to actually break through it; on the other hand, being inside the stone protect the steel from corrosion and bending or breaking due to surrounding pressure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinforced_concrete

And, in D&D fantasy land, it stops creatures that can move through pure stone with Earthglide, which is why it's a specialty of dwarven constructions; you were informed the fortress was a dwarven building during the conversation with the engineers that have been called to ameliorate the place, as I recall. What this means is that the bars are too thick for your body to make it through - you'd need pure solid stone for Earthglide to work, and you can't both phase through the stone and grab the steel at the same time, doing one stops you from doing the other.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:27, Wed 06 July 2022.

Had a feeling, still needed to ask :D

Nothing, its your turn

Oh, I wasn't aware we were specifically taking turns. Nothing doesn't really have anything much to add - anything that requires direct interaction with any of the locals is obviously out of the question, so we figured that was down to you guys. There are a lot of names and factions and stuff and I prefer to keep things simpler. I'm more of a support character, really, with all the sneaking and the stealth and stuff.

Support character doesn't mean doing nothing.

Look, I'm sorry, but I'm getting a little tired of this? You're a member of the party. Yes, you can't RP talking with normies, I get that, but we're talking about you sneaking around the Tower--which you have said repeatedly you were looking forward to.

So its kinda expected you'll help plan stuff? Right now you act like an NPC, someone to be controlled by another player, not a *player*. Is that what you want?

I'm sorry this sounds harsh, or is antagonistic, but Nothing, do you even want to be in the game? Or do you just want to spectate?

I'm just not really sure right to do right at this point. It seems like we're planning the specifics of our, well, plan. Lots of NPC names are being thrown about, which you guys are presumably gonna be interacting with if at all. I suggested someting like poisoning the food but I don't have any poison on me, so that was more a suggestion in case anyone else can assist (I mean, i can try and apply poison if someone has any they can pass over...). I can sneak around but I'm not really sure what I would be looking for. Sorry if it seems like I'm not interested but a lot of what we seem to be dealing with in this location is a bunch of factions and a whole ton of different NPCs who have various interactions with each other and stuff...it's kind of gone a bit political and that's not really where my interest lies. I prefer things a bit more straightforward than trying to remember whicih NPC has been gossipping about which other ones and who's fallen out with whom while whomever else has been doing a thing, etc. I'm mostly sticking with "They're all bad guys and we need to avoid attracting their attention while we screw up their fort so badly it fails as a defence against the big army we have coming". Hence the suggestions involving sneaking around and very much not interacting with all the hostile mortals cluttering up the place :D.
And my "I can allow you to teleport through the tiniest cracks" thing would require me to be there if you want me to do it on one of you, since while that ability in itself lasts a few hours once I cast it on someone, it only allows them to teleport through my darkness, not just any darkness. Not yet, anyway. Unless I misread something, I don't think anyone volunteered to go along with that but it's also probably not a good idea for too many of us to be moving around together anyway.
I had actually thought that when Carmen and Carver were impersonating the Iversons, that they would be there by day and then I'd be sneaking in at night to do my own exploration - that was why I got dropped off in the tunnel. Otherwise I could've stayed pretty much anyone else. But from the sounds of it you guy picked me up and we're somewhere else now? I think?

In reply to Nothing (msg # 247):

So, I don't want to interfere in this discussion, as currently I feel like this is something you should solve between yourselves as a group - I'll intervene only if things get heated.

That being said, Nothing, my understanding of the in-game situation is that you're still in the tunnel, just on the other end of it, which is what allows you to have the conversation with the rest of the team; the plan is still for you to go into the tower during the night, you're just currently discussing together what sort of exploration that will be, and what you will be doing there.

Now, I don't want to speak for Carmen, and I'm open to any correction she'll make if I somehow misinterpreted her, but to me, her question was along the lines of "so, where do you think you would want to explore, and what of our different targets would you think best to focus on?", to which your answer was, more or less, "I've no idea because I've not been paying attention to what you all learned from your exploration and I neither know nor care what our objectives are". And I can honestly understand why, when you give that type of answer, somebody might just think that you don't want to participate and help with the group effort; hopefully you can see it as well?

As I said though, this is just my opinion and interpretation of what's been said - I'm open to being corrected if I misunderstood either of you, and I'd really prefer if this was solved by you three as a group, rather than interfering in the situation.

Basically I don't have too much of an idea right now - the fort is packed with guards and all sorts of nasties and I just haven't had any helpful thoughts just yet, so I was just throwing out what vague ideas I had and hoping that between us we could put something together. There have been several suggestions involving interaction with specific NPCs, which isn't going to be something Nothing gets involved in, for obvious reasons. This place has so many defences I haven't yet seen or heard about any obvious feature that I feel I can really do anything about.

I mean--okay the the main issue we ALL have is not enough info. Like its not just the factions (though I can empathize with all the names and rumors being confusing, it is), but right now there's just so much we don't KNOW.

There's no straightforward plan because we're planning blind, that's where I had hoped Nothing could help with. As a entity of darkness, they have way more ability to just poke around and find out shit than Carmen does. Right now there are legit whole swaths of the Tower I *cannot* go into, so unless Nothing scouts it, we're going in blind.


It does feel a lot like you haven't been reading because I've said this many times, and the stuff Carmen has explored is pretty well laid out. But if you're behind, ok, here's a simpler ask?

Can you go everywhere on the map thats currently blacked out? Thats all the unknown areas. Just scout, find info, report back; and in the morning we can work on planning how to sabatogue stuff. Sound ok?

Yup, the whole point of scouting is to fill in the blanks so we can form a more comprehensive plan later that does include clearly defined objectives and how to reach them.

Much like Carmen's exploration and my own time in the spotlight back in the North, what's coming up will be Nothing's scene, a part of the story where the focus is entirely on Nothing by virtue of the rest of us being asleep. This is not something you can get past by being passive, you would need to actively make decisions with limited information available in order to gather information for the rest of us to use, and especially Carmen who will most likely be exploring the Keep again the very next day.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:28, Thu 04 Aug 2022.

Yeah I kind of thought that was the point - for me to go and explore extra stuff. But it seemed like you guys were trying to come up with a plan already so I was trying to provide ideas for that. Once it's dark and at least a few of the squishy mortals* have gone to bed, I can try and have a sneak around the place and look for anything resembling a weakness.




*Okay, I'm an even more squishy immortal, but still ;)

Oh I think there was a misunderstanding there, I was just relating what Carmen found and more shooting down plans than anything XD No earth glide, big shield barrier, etc etc. I was presenting issues I found and we were trying to brainstorm how to deal with that, but no plan is being made yet!


As for timing, it is nighttime and you are right at the Tower, so whenever you wanna start your sneaky bastarding, go right ahead~!

Ah okay, must've just got mixed up. Well, in that case I'd better be a-sneaking. I'm not sure why I thought I wasn't in the tunnel any more - I think I remembered seeing a mention of you "picking up Nothing on the way out" or something, but maybe that was a reference to something else, like talking about how to get me out of the tunnel later or something. Oh well, let's see what I can find, then :D.

In reply to Nothing (msg # 254):

As I told you seven posts ago in this very thread, you are at the other end of the tunnel, the one close to the inn, to have the discussion. The tunnel has two ends, you know?

Yes...but prior to that, I had thought I was elsewhere. Back when I said so.

Id like to point out that the Tower is actually NOT at max capacity yet, they are near full since they've heard rumors of Army Gathering but they're not on high-alert.

This place is just REALLY PARANOID and can you blame them? They're one of three defenses against an entire nation, the place is locked up like fucking Briggs from FMA.

Well, think of it this way: the harder of a nut this is to crack, the more satisfying it will be if you actually manage to do it and win! You can see I'm not pulling punches, so if you succeed, that'll be a true achievement you can all be proud of.

I'm afraid I don't know what "Briggs from FMA" is, so the reference has made a faint whoosing noise as it passed over my head :D. Anyway, yeah, I've been thinking about what to do next for a few days now and still not having any flashes of inspiration. And can't ask IC because while I can't remember the range on my telepathy (it's plain "Telepathy", using the mechanics of the ability/spell or whatever it is in the nrmal Pathfinder mechanics), I'm pretty sure it can't reach all the way over to the town from here :D.

So, last times things were set up, the idea was that you were about to meet. I suppose that's not the actual intention of the team, given nobody posted anything?

Nothing posted waiting for a pickup by Carmen, so i assumed we were waiting on her to post. Given my cover i can't set up a meeting myself.

Oh I was waiting on Nothing! Sorry.

*psst* Carmen?



I think you meant to type darkness there, unless you were asking for a blindfold ;)

rghrlgh right editing

Yeah, I suppose immunity to my darkvision would be, like, invisibility? :D

Just for reference, in case you need to know - Clearsight (the thing that makes you immune to the negative effects of my darkness) currently lasts five hours. Step Through Darkness (use a Move Action toteleport up to 16 squares through my darkness) lasts four. Both cost me 1SP and require me to touch you to cast them on you, but then you have them for the full duration. And since my darkness spreads through the tiniest crack now, you can warp through doors or gaps between bricks or whatever, as long as I'm there to put some darkness down for you to do so. Once we level up again I think I can take an ability that means it will work through any darkness, which is even better, but for now, sorry, it's thus limited.
And I also have Shadow Lurk...ooh, that's an idea...I'll have Nothing suggest it IC...

I can teleport anywhere wthin range, no LoS needed, so save that for the non-warpers XD It'd just be nice to not be eaten by your darkness while murdering shitheads :D