This thread is for Out of Character posts.

Greetings and salutations to all!  I am Zalbane, a Hideous Jack who Possesses a Shard of the Sun.  I am one ugly person, but I've got the sunniest of personalities.  ;)  I believe I would likely be associated with the Order of Truth or the League, as she believes in bringing light to other people and sharing light/effort with all.  Because she is a survivor of a brush with the iron wind, she might be of interest to the Order of Truth as to why she survived when most of her town did not.

I'll be advertising for any openings on Tuesday morning.  That's a week since I posted The Void Repository in the Game Interest thread, so that should be plenty of time to apply.

Hello, hello! Kase Alenna, Passionate Glaive who Rides the Lightning checking in. Former thug turned Marine turned adventurer looking to get rich and maybe help some people along the way. I'm not too picky about which org we end up working for, honestly. I do think it would be kind of funny if it was the Order of Truth, since Kase totally believes her powers are magic, and that runs a bit counter to their philosophy.

And for a third, Listran Onieda a Forward Thinking Wright whoAugments Flesh With Grafts.  Hello to all.

Oooh... a cyborg. Neat. Sounds like we have a fun and interesting group coming together so far.

Ok, I set the game to accepting new players [not like that stopped any of you :) ].  I'll Post in Wanted - Players tomorrow morning if there isn't sufficient interest.

In the next 24-48 hours, please start discussing which organization you'd like to be working for.  Once that's decided, I'll open a thread to start IC play.  This will likely have an impact on the type and amount of help available to you.  It could also affect who might be your adversaries.

There will be some other bits and pieces coming soon, also.

Thanks for your enthusiasm.  Happy to have you here!

I'm leaning more towards the Order of Truth, as Zalbane learned how to use/salvage numenera from someone and they're the most wide-spread organization for that kind of thing.  Does anyone have a case for a different organization?

Listran could get behind either the order of truth or the Amber Gleaners.  That said I’m totally up for order of truth.

I'm down for Order of Truth. Like I said, there's some potential for fun interplay between their core philosophy and Kase's beliefs about her own abilities.

Order of Truth it is.  I'll work on figuring out the details of that in the coming days.

You people and your good portraits. I just cannot find one I like for Kase. :(

What's Kase supposed to look like?  Maybe we can find something pretty close if we put our noggins together.  :)

Order of Truth works for me.  Are we able to be Aeon Priests, or are we just followers?

If you are looking for portrait options that emphasize a being of lightning try these. nfs011, nsa185, ffs183
This message was last edited by the player at 22:02, Wed 11 Sept 2019.

Also, question, could we have obtained some more stuff, in terms of regular gear?

Well, Kase is a person, not an energy being, so anything that pushes the lightning too hard won't work if it's meant to actually look like her. She's a lightning themed fighter, more leaning on Speed than Might, her primary weapon is a polearm, she wears armor, and I'm not interested in anime pictures. She grew up in the rough side of the City of Bridges and joined the fleet as a marine basically as soon as she was old enough. She's the kind of fighter that gets in bar fights and buys the other person a drink at the end. Also, I'd rather avoid using yet another skinny white woman.

If you want more polearm fighter try ffw020 and ffr072 or for human + lightning ffs183

You each start with an extra 25 shins to have or spend on equipment, another benefit of the time you've spent getting to Tier 3.

Also, if you have not already done so, roll for your artifact level.

Kase, not a skinny white girl, wearing armor, emphasizing electricity, non-anime is a very narrow slot to fill.  Perhaps ffw078, ffw169, or ffw191 might hit some of those?

Even given the profusion of portraits available, I still find it hard to get good ones now and then.

I'm hoping to start the intro IC thread tonight.  Remaining details can be wrapped up as we play and additional PCs will be added as appropriate to the story.

If you've got any additional questions before we start, now's the time to ask!

I think the only thing I need are some cyphers.  I’m feeling pretty good otherwise.

I was wondering if you plan to make any use of the community building side of the new book?

I may.  It depends on how big the "installation" you all found becomes.  It will not be of immediate concern, regardless.

1) Yes, I still need to assign cyphers.  It's on my list.

2) In relation to your characters being Aeon Priests:  none of you are considered Aeon Priests yet.  You can each decide if you are within the order proper and working to become a priest some day or simply a capable hired "gun" who the Order can rely on.  You could mark your character sheets as "Order" or "Independent" as appropriate.  You can always decide to change your minds later, although that transition would be played out IC.

Update, please mark your character sheet as Order or Independent (beside your Descriptor/Type/Focus or by your name would be fine).

This will help inform how NPCs treat you and potentially other impacts.

In general, please just make sure your character sheets are up to date with eq, shins, abilities, etc.

Thanks!

In the GM menu you can change the word 'player' to anything you like, indicating which characters go where, but we can't change that entry on our end, some of the biography lines won't fit more information.

I just meant your character sheets, not the little bios.

You can continue a conversation with the Prelate if you need to.

Does anyone want to continue the conversation in the inn or would it be better to fast forward some?

I'd say fast-forward, please.  :)

In reply to Zalbane (msg # 30):

Yes likely it won’t get us anywhere other than RP fun...  but adventure rp fun is better.

Ok, we'll skip forward a bit.

Are there any purchases anyone would like to make before leaving Yenth?  You can PM those to me or post them here, if you want to coordinate.

Sorry for going quite there for a bit. Things got kind of busy here. Catching up now.

I am very sorry for the disappearance. I'm really enjoying this game, but I can't promise I'll be able to keep up in the near future. I don't know if things are going to be back to normal soon or not.

Just let us know.  We'll figure it out.  Hope things get better for you.

Those still with the caravan, feel free to continue for the time being.

And hey, not ignoring Celeste (hi there!), I'm just at the head of the caravan and you're running after the back!  :)

Random amusing thought about the wooly creatures - since Zalbane's illuminating touch lasts until she touches an item again, if she were to imbue a fleece or thread or yarn with light and then we were to using it as embroidery or something, we could set whole new fashions with our everbright trim!  :D

Quite true.

Who all is still here besides Zalbane?

I think people are probably waiting for something to happen.  Travel posts are not usually a thing most people do more than one of.

Ok, just checking.

There's an awful lot of holidays happening this time of year, so I'll join in the celebration and give you all 1 XP, so feel free to update your character sheet accordingly.

Thanks!  :)

Hey everyone,

I will be joining you as Tacita, an Acrobatic Delve who Crafts Illusions.

I'll be taking the spot of Celeste, the sleepy late comer, hence my presence at the expedition.

Now, Tacita is mute, and given her focus, she'll be communicating with illusions. This is a bit of an experiment however, so any input is welcome.

Yes, we're retconning Tacita into the "fell asleep on the wagon after catching the caravan" slot that Celeste had fallen into.

Hello all I'll be joining you as Joat the rugged delve who controls beasts.

Hello Tacita, Joat, glad to have you aboard!  :)

Hello! I will also be joining you as Alberic the Half-Consumed - a Mechanical Wright that Fuses Flesh with Steel. I'm looking forward to getting stuck in!

Hey there Alberic!  :)

Welcome Alberic.

Heya Alberic and Joat,
welcome to the party!

Trust me, I have a plan!

Last post in The Gorge updated for clarity.

As Zalbane is watching Tacita try all the different things with the black synth pad, can she think of another way to interact with it?


00:37, Today: Zalbane rolled 14 using 1d20.  Understanding Numenera (S) 1E.

Ooo, clever trick Tacita!

Thanks :).
We'll get there eventually, with a little help from our Immortal Eye, and a good amount of luck...

*looks at energized spear and anxious explorers*

*looks at "cyborg" that hasn't really talked to another human in six months or more*

*readies the popcorn*

Would that be the cyborg who hasn't spoken to anyone in six months or more *and* has an unnerving manner that hinders all of his social interactions? :D

What could possibly go wrong?

OOC, I hope Alberic's manner isn't too irritating - I'll dial it down once he's less nervous!

Sorry for my lack of posts, we have been playing stomach flu tag with the family, so I was a bit pre-occupied. I will try to make a post later today.

No worries.  Hope your household feels better.

We've been doing well now, only the little one (13 months) is still a bit ill but at least he holding most of his food to himself now ;).

Yeah, it's nice to share food, but not the partially digested kind.

Sorry to hear that, Tacita - I hope you're all back to full health soon. Family illnesses are never fun...

Hello everyone. Figured I would stop in and say Hi since I just got approved to join.

So *waves* hi.

I have to do some things to get worked out before I get involved, including entanglements, but if anyone has any questions or wants to help me brainstorm, I am around and about!

Hello! And welcome!

Lyel will be starting out in his own thread, similar to what Alberic did (although no pocket dimension this time).  No need to wait for him at the gorge.  I'll introduce him in-story when needed.

Ok, looks like things are settling down a bit.  Lyel is almost ready to join the main group.  We'll play through a bit of the preparation for his arrival, then I would like to work on a transition to the following:

1 month of long term actions (not RP'd, just a descriptive post once we're agreed on what happens)

followed by the next significant event at the camp.

Does this work for everyone?

For the long term actions, you can choose two things that can be accomplished in a month.  One of these things needs to be work directly related to the construction/well being/maintenance of the clave you are founding.  The other can be a personal long term action, or additional work for the clave (doubling down on one task or two separate tasks).

If Nalla already has a list of building priorities, we can work from that or I can come up with something.  Player suggestions are also welcome.

For personal long term actions, there are some anyone can do and some that are type-specific.  Not all are possible in a month.  If you want me to post a list, I can do that.

I have in mind creating a thread which is basically just a list of plans for the clave and community stats, to be updated periodically, including actions taken by the PCs.  I'd like to title that thread with the name of the clave.  I will leave it up to you all to pick a name for it, although I reserve the right to veto "Clavy McClaveface" or similar iterations.

It sounds like I will likely be in transit for some of that month, unless I am to be introduced to the group briefly before then. Arguably my prep thread could have taken place before current events if convenient, but I do not know how easily that factors into the timeline.

I have some plans, but I will wait to see how things go before I start with my own ideas, since I am new. I may need to table some ideas until they are more appropriate to cultivate.

Nalla has already organized all the building priorities into the perfect pattern such that the first ones help out later ones either in construction or defense, but I the player couldn't care less how that actually turns out, anyone who has a preference is welcome to assume that preference was taken into account on the IC list and just roll with it.

If you do make a list then you should have everything on it indicate both actions required to complete, and actions already invested.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:52, Mon 02 Mar 2020.

Lyel's transit should only take about a day.  He will be on-site for enough of the month to count.

Thoughts for things to build (in a vague semblance of importance):

Workshop
Habitation cabins
Food storage and preparation
Water purification and storage (And perhaps piping from the stream to the clave?)
Sanitation facilities
Equipment and materials storage and preparation
Planning/meeting space (Great hall)
Palisade between buildings and otherwise around the perimeter.  (Does this wall off the entrance to the gorge or enclose/protect it?)
Clear (and fence?) area in the forest for livestock (immediately adjacent to the clave or a bit farther off?)
Level and secure the ledge in the gorge, perhaps with a handrail of some sort?
Lookout points (in trees?  Atop buildings?)

Tentatively the list and order seems pretty good.  I'm definitely voting for piping the water from the stream to the clave, as a water wagon could get old after a time.  Fencing around or fencing off the gorge might need to wait until we have a better grasp on what is going on down there (which would be a job for us adventurer types).  We might end up doing both: fencing the gorge off from outside interference and then also fencing it off from interfering with us!

Lookout towers, whether in trees or atop buildings, could also be combined with defenses, even if it's something as simple as a spotlight and a basic ballista/giant crossbow.

ICly I have no idea what things look like from a terrain vantage. Nor do I really know from an OOC perspective, as I just joined recently and I am loathe to rummage through the older posts until I am more involved in the game (I do not want to spoil things for myself or create a scenario where I am using Meta knowledge accidentally). So I do not have much input or insight to give, and to be honest as much as the Destiny book really seems cool I haven't delved too deep into it because I am kinda getting my feet wet. So community building seems quite complicated to me at this point.

Hopefully that will change. Just based on some general knowledge, I think the workshop is a priority as it will allow virtually everything else to be expedited. The GM list actually ticks off the way I would go about doing everything, save that water purification and food storage are both a bit more urgent than individual cabins.

My only insight is that lookout points should be visible to one another, and we should have one in the town itself in most likely a central location, probably where the greathall hall will be built in order to allow any strategy to be quickly devised based on visual reports from above. Hence you create a chain of information that can warn the main community from where-ever these lookout points will be. That is, of course, if this expense can be afforded. I am not sure how cost or Iota or other resources factors in here.

I *may* also be able to help with the lookout stuff, if I can find (or have crafted) either an artifact or a method by which to extend my telepathy to long or very long range with at least the main lookout post. But I have to explore that option as it arises.

I also am a bit interested in the personal actions that are permissible. I assumed that it was a "Hey, can I do this?" but rereading the GM's message apparently there may be a more formal idea of what can be done.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:28, Tue 03 Mar 2020.

I agree Lyel, as long as the weather is fine and we don't get excursions from predatory or brutishly curious fauna, we can hold off on permanent cabins in favor of tents whilst we get workshops, water, sanitary facilities, and lookouts up.  If we have a sense of impending danger, we may need to revise defense upwards.

We also have multiple builders, so we can probably get the pipes started while I build the workshop, then keep at least two projects going simultaneously as that should be faster over all.

Personal actions of non builders are probably going to be defense and supplies at least until we get a bit more stable.

Zalbane's versatile, so I can assist with searching out supplies or checking out the gorge for potential dangers.  I'm more inclined to check the gorge, as that is our assigned wildcard, and maybe we'll find some numenera or iotum down there to use or repurpose.

My personal action will likely be less "defense and supply" as it will be "understanding what is going on" or "facilitate community rapport," since that is my wheelhouse. Lyel can be "defense" to a limited capacity, but I didn't design him to be a strong combatant. We would need a glaive for that methinks, though Zalbane would be good in that role just from the description I have gathered :P

A good summary of what Lyel can do amounts to scouting and exploration without having to physically be in a space, and doing community networking and communications. A lot of what he can do would do well in say a murder mystery, but there are certain things that can come in really handy here as well.

Communication is the most important part of defense.  And we don't want to be prodding anything in the gorge until we have at least some stable presence.

I was less thinking of prodding and more like, "Weird force field room here, bones down there, path goes down X amount of feet, explored 500 yards in either direction, didn't touch any levers, saw no monsters or weird energies, will not poke anything else until recommended."

Zalbane is pretty strong, and while no glaive, can certainly assist in defense. Because I'm a jack, I can also add a +1 to the community health or infrastructure (probably by assisting in lighting homes, growing areas, perimeter, etc.).

Long term task list updated to Notice: Game Information thread.

Also, any thoughts on what the signal/target for Lyel will be and how you'll set that up?

Any thoughts on the name of the clave? (It can be updated later, if necessary.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:24, Tue 03 Mar 2020.

Given that list (very useful!) I can do one of two things:

a) Entertain the Community (+1 Health Permanent) as the community task (hopefully inspiring the NPC's to work harder to get some of the needed stuff set up), and Focusing on an Ability as the personal task (never hurts to improve oneself for the exploratory mode).

b) Operate Workshop for both tasks. First, we need a workshop anyway, so doubling down on it is vital to get it established and I imagine this task works to get that accomplished. Additionally, since Lyel has an interest in what Numenera there are around, the added bonus of oddities, cyphers, or artifacts can be useful both for gameplay as well as for personal character development. Win win win.

But I will cede which of these two options makes the most sense to someone more familiar with the community system. It also makes a lot more sense for one of our wrights to get involved more in the construction of a workshop, for obvious reasons.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:15, Tue 03 Mar 2020.

I think the "run a workshop" option is more for larger communities (100+ people) and is less successful with a community of 8.  At this point in the community's development, I just don't see there being enough broken stuff to tinker with for a month.

I think your option A would be more beneficial in the long run, especially if the group wants one or more of the carpenters to stay long term by bringing their family here.

I had considered that the current size of the community is a prohibitor. In that case I will just go with option A, at least until a more established community pops up. Since my character isn't as buildy, we can imagine he is keeping morale up among the workers building the stuff by doing various entertainment things during breaks, story telling, rudimentery music (poetry is similar enough to accomplish song) etc.

Under normal circumstances Health and Infrastructure work well when balanced, and start that way, but we have at least two Wrights in this community so we have a +6 or more infrastructure automatically, meaning health catching up is a good idea as it will actually help.

We also have at least one Instant Workshop, which can be permanently deployed but once we do so becomes immobile.

Choosing to work on one of the structures/projects I listed (or another project of that kind) would count as one of the long term tasks for the community.  You also have 3 carpenters to work with you on all this.

We have an instant workshop?

Well that should alleviate our list a bit. I will stick to my list as I need to catch up a hair everyone in terms of personal growth too (and even though I will do better in the more peaceful scenarios I do need to have some competence on the combat portion, hence my choice), so health to boost the community helps there, and my focus helps to equalize my competence a little to the group.

I say we drop our workshop to get that set up ASAP, then we can move on to the other areas, and the workshop boosts our capabilities in expediting the rest.

Ok, so for long term we have (so far):

Alberic: 1) sanitation 2) food stores (?)

Lyel: 1) entertain 2) train in a special ability

Nalla: 1) workshop w/ cypher help 2) building lumbermill automaton

Tacita:

Zalbane: 1) Watchtowers 2) lighting

And ye carpenters ...

Mustane: 1) Workshop 2) Sanitation

Artane: 1) Food storage and preparation 2) Watchtowers

Pik: 1) Water conveyance and storage 2) Sanitation
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:36, Thu 05 Mar 2020.

Zalbane's going to work on lighting/defense. She's got good eyes, so she wants to work on watchtowers for easy survey of the surrounding area. We don't have enough people yet for a full perimeter guard, but a few lookouts atop a building or in a tower should serve for now. And finding things to aid in lighting against the unknown dark should help in community health.

Lighting within the buildings or in the open spaces?

Will the lighting be a beacon for Lyel if he arrives at night?

Put Nalla down for using the Instant Workshop, that will let us build the normal workshop and the water purification system right away.

Alberic's not averse to dirty work - he'll set to work on the Sanitation. It seems pretty important.

How are we for supplies? Does someone need to forage?

I have plans for a few things that may be helpful for exploration (Datasphere Siphon; Infiltrator; Remote Viewer) and for things that might be helpful generally (Rejuvenator, Repair Unit), but we'd probably need to scavenge up some iotum to build those, while the Workshop is being built.

It just depends whether food or cyphers are the

I have a can of construction foam, in case that comes in handy for a quick build of basic structures.

Ok, the list above has been updated to reflect your ideas.  There are a few more things to iron out and some assignments for the carpenters to nail down.

Please let me know if I've made any errors, oversights, or similar screw ups.

Ooh!  Things I forgot!

Prelate Mez provided a plan seed for an automaton with a strong urging to turn it into a mobile lumber mill.  Anyone want to work on that?

Clearing trees for more open land at the clave (and grazing grounds) would also be helpful actions.

...AND an Automaton?!

I may need to read all the posts even though I didn't want to spoil story stuff for myself. But even with all this info I do not think Lyel would be able to contribute in a serious capacity until getting more accommodated to the circumstances. But hey, we have two wrights, so the building stuff will definitely be easier to sort.

I can make the automation, lumber mill works fine for me unless someone else has any cool ideas.

Hmm... Zalbane is debating about lighting the open spaces or the buildings... I mean, I'd like to be able to have light outside when it's dark just to be able to see approaching foes and work beyond the sun's light. But having it inside might be nicer for morale. But I expect we only have the resources for one or the other at present, unless I can find some more stuff (or one of our delves finds more stuff).

We're pretty obvious anyway, so perhaps some outside lights for now, and then more as we get a defensive perimeter established.

If you want to use the construction foam, Alberic, it would be, effectively, one additional building completed.  It would just need a good foundation/anchor to the ground (or whatever other surface you're attaching it to.

Zalbane, are you building lights, or just using your focus to create lights?

Ye olde fires can work inside for now, especially if we have lumber coming in anyway. Plus heating. Do things the way they did when drit was old and a Jack had to do things the old fashioned way, starting a green flame stove to keep the space warm, humming on his Threll Hum Bar and watching the nano clusters fuse spark in the evening below the Watchers in the Sky.

Just like them pioneers who went out into the beyond. 'Course, they never came back. I hear that some were flayed alive and made into an organic fuel system feeding a lumbering, synth fused abhuman juggernaut worshipped by a tribe of former nanos driven mad by a rogue datasphere downsurge.

Times was different then...

Creating lights, though she can spare one made of her own abilities for a central light/crow's nest light. I'm not skilled at creating numenera, this I know, but I can overcome some of that by tapping into collective knowledge (Jack's daily skill, which can change) and working with those of the party with more talent in that direction than I.

Ok, creating lights it is.

For reference, the construction foam creates enough foam for four 10' cubes.  If you used this to build a wall 10' high and 6 inches thick, it would be 800' of wall or half that at a foot thick.  The foam hardens to the strength of steel.  So a very solid 100' perimeter square or 200' of somewhat lesser durability.  It's lvl 3 foam.  If you had large hinges and other hardware preconstructed, you could insert them into the foam before it hardens and build one or more gates as you go.  This would require a difficulty 6:18 roll to be successful as you really need to get that right for it to work well and as intended (skills and assets yet to be applied, of course).

I would still like the plan for the signal that Lyel is supposed to find as he travels to you.

6" of steel is nothing to sniff at, but 1'of steel would in fact be better given how... weird Numenera can be. Four panels of the stuff would be a pretty large chunk of perimeter. I do not know the layout of the encampment... whether we have any natural boundaries that can be protective (a cliff face on one side, river, or anything of that like) which reduces the needed perimeter.

We can use it to make several buildings as well instead of a perimeter wall, which may be more dangerous, but since we have 8 people currently, one or two large bunkhouses (to be converted later for something else) is easier to defend and keep stable than an entire village. Then again it does leave us vulnerable to being holed in and trapped. Challenges in either scenario.

I am currently just kinda planning on going by general directions given, which given my source of info is likely to be inaccurate at best. I know *where* you guys are, but will need to canvas an entire forest to find you without a beacon of some sort.

Are we expecting support? If so, it makes sense to get something together so we're easy to find. Alberic's happy to put some time into this before starting on Sanitation. The only question is, are we worried about attracting attention? Or happy to advertise our presence? It determines whether we build some sort of radio beacon people could home in on, or a big bat signal type thing.

From post #123 of the Gorge thread:

"In the meantime, you are reduced in skills and labor.  I've made arrangements for another to join your party.  He goes by the name of Lyel Veric and will be coming from Thriest using a travel bubble.  Create some kind of signal that can be seen day or night, so that he can reach you safely by dawn the day after tomorrow."
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:20, Sat 07 Mar 2020.

Chances are the only place with buildings and lights within a hundred miles should be fairly easy to find unless we end up on a particularly bad weather day.

It does depend somewhat on what time of day I arrive. If it is evening, then it will be easier, yes. But in daytime? There would need to be something I could see to guide me.

What about smoke?  Colored smoke or just thick smoke?  That might be a good daytime signal, and we can use it to smoke-preserve meat or other foodstuffs if it's non-toxic wood.

Smoke would work.

And this being Numenera, there could be wood that produces colored smoke that's non-toxic and tasty.  :D

You can give me an intellect roll to find some.

19:44, Today: Zalbane rolled 14 using 1d20.  Intellect roll, 1E.

Sure, you've found a species of tree that gives off a light blue smoke when burned slowly in chips.  The smoke adds great savory flavor and durability to fruits.  They'll probably last a few months once smoked and packed properly.

This message was deleted by the player at 15:07, Sun 08 Mar 2020.

I have a pipe that does that! :D

Probably not enough to give any kind of signal!

Edit:  Sorry, there seemed to be a double post.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:08, Sun 08 Mar 2020.

Ok, so the wall ... roughly four 100' long segments of one foot thickness.  You can have the hardware to form two gates.  One on the gorge side (east) and one on the opposite side?  Toward Yenth (south side)?

Interesting Oddity, but perhaps it is useful in this case for identifying the exact wood used to produce the effect, or inspiring Zalbane with such an idea?

Not quite sure where Tacita is, but we'll update her tasks as needed.

I'll start a new thread tomorrow or the day after, beginning from roughly a month out.  It will include a quick recap of the work done at the clave.

Woot! I am guessing I will be assumed to have joined the group by then? It will be a bit of a rush to get things smoothed out RP since I joined at an odd transitional stage, but we'll work it out I'm sure.

Ok, so the work will be as follows (I'm spit balling for Tacita, here).  In addition, there is a 100' long 10' high, 1' thick wall around the buildings of the clave at this time, with two gates (east and south walls).  You'll have one housing cabin fully built, and the foundation of the second laid down.

Alberic: 1) sanitation 2) food stores

Lyel: 1) entertain 2) train in a special ability

Nalla: 1) workshop w/ cypher help 2) building lumbermill automaton

Tacita: 1) Water conveyance and storage 2) clear marking of the trail out of the woods

Zalbane: 1) Watchtowers 2) lighting

And ye carpenters ...

Mustane: 1) Workshop 2) Sanitation

Artane: 1) Food storage and preparation 2) Watchtowers

Pik: 1) Water conveyance and storage 2) Housing

The Young Clave thread is up and running.  Feel free to join.  It is now approximately 6 weeks after you first arrived.

Is it possible to install the instant workshop into the mobile lumber mill?

The automaton, as I imagine it, climbs a tree, sheering off the branches on the way up.  It then cuts out boards to pre-programmed dimensions on the way back down.  This takes about 24-48 hours, depending on the size of the tree.

Do you have a preferred configuration for the automaton?

I imagined the Instant Workshop would just be installed in the workshop.

For purposes of personal growth, I have some options. Mind Reading makes the most sense in terms of usage (It has thus far been the primary ability I have used). However, Onslaught is a good mainstay for combat ability, as is Psychic Suggestion (which also has outside combat uses). Any input on which of these three I put my focus into to enhance my capacities? I want to make sure I hone in on the utility that will function for us more as a group, and I am sure Lyel would have had enough input from people during the 4 weeks of my stay to get an idea of what would be considered most useful (even if finding out was done sereptitiously without anyone's awareness... well, save Alberic, who is immune to my mind reading).

Just in case anyone was worried, there is plenty of toilet paper at the new clave.

good to know. Side note, I hope everyone is coping well. This whole situation is really stressful for a lot of people. Take care of yourselves!

Things are stressful where I am, but no local cases.  Lots of events cancelled.  Hopefully social distancing can keep it contained.

At least RPOL should function as normally, so I can keep playing here.  My regular group is on hiatus for at least three weeks.

Yeah, hardly any in my area, but the schools are shut, as are all sporting events, live theater, and others.  Most of my face-to-face group is actually quite far away, so that hasn't changed our gaming too much (go go gadget google hangouts!)

Yeah, things have just ramped up here in the UK, though at the moment schools are open, and people are just "encouraged" to work from home. It feels a bit liminal, though - like it  might ramp up at any moment!

It is rather surreal, the whole thing. Over the weekend things went from "OK, COVID cases are in one city," to "Everyone should stay at home, and schools and businesses are closed or heavily reduced in traffic." I guess we will just have to do our best to get by.

Hey! Haven't heard from everyone in a couple days. Just wanting to check in on everyone to see if everyone is ok. The concerns over COVID-19 are pretty severe, so hopefully everyone is well and taking care of themselves, no matter where we are in the world!

Still breathing at this end.  A few cases in neighboring counties, but testing is sparse, so likely here, too.  Work has us telecommuting, now.  I start that Monday.  Stressful days.

I realize that things are weird and chaotic and such in the real world, right now.  Just want you all to know I'm still here and planning to keep this game running.  I enjoy playing with you all, and I hope this little adventure is a fun diversion when you need it.

Hang in there.  We'll make it.

it has definitely evolved from an extra hobby/gaming opportunity to being pretty crucial to stave off boredom, but of course people trying to cope and deal with life can make posting difficult even now when so many are stuck at home on quarantine. No urgency from me, even if I am essentially eager to post more at this time.

I'm still at work.  I work heavy industry, and my company's been deemed Critical Infrastructure.  Everyone in my immediate circle is still healthy, but we're all taking strong steps to stay that way.  My parents are in their late 60s, so they're self-isolating (thank goodness) and my husband is still working but his company has distanced all their desks in the data center to limit everything they can (they process stuff for the city, so they can't shut down either).

I work in mental health as a case manager.  We're all now working remotely, calling people instead of meeting in person, and contacting people at least weekly.  We've temporarily suspended any new admissions.  Only our nurses will be seeing people directly, and even then with massive precautions and distancing when possible.  The state is fast-tracking rules changes to make more activity billable under these circumstances.

I live in a rural area of the state.  As of yesterday, we have no confirmed cases in our county and only one in a neighboring county.  We're doing what we can to be safe.

It is strange and disorienting and sad, but necessary.  People are doing a lot to try to connect, adapt, and keep each others' spirits up.  That is good to see.

Game-related: The group had chosen an installation to set up at the new clave site, but this was not mentioned in the set up planning later.  Is this now installed and activated?  Are you waiting until a certain thing/building has been made first?

Yeah, I've never been so glad for Skype and Zoom. Both my and my wife's parents are self-isolating, so it's the only chance they get to see the grandkids at the moment.

I'm working remotely, but with the Schools closed, I have two kids to looks after, which is going to make work a bit challenging.

Just thought I'd check in to see how folks were folks doing? I hope you're all OK!

I'm still here and about as safe as I was last week.  Telecommuting is not my preference, though.  I want my office back.

Still here, still checking in.  Hope you are all well.

Hi! Still here as well. I did not think anyone was waiting on me, but I will check in the thread to make sure, but given how hectic things are I expected a lot of people to be more relaxed on posts. Hope everything is going good for everyone.

Yup - I'm still here. I think most people have checked in today, so I've gone ahead and posted. Might as well get the ball rolling again! I have the standard three spikes and 15m of rope in my pack - will that be enough to get down (and still be able to climb back up)? Or will we need to pool resources?

Equally if anyone is a better climber than Alberic (who has no useful skills or Edge in that area!), then feel free to go first!

From the ledge to the "bottom" of the gorge is 80ish feet, so you'd need at least two ropes to manage it.

I've got a rope, and I'm pretty sure Alberic has one too, so that should be enough ropes. And I have extra spikes too.

I have indeed! Let's do this! Shall I roll Speed for the climb?

Yup.  Feel free to apply the skill if you have it.

Hmm... not my best roll! Let's hope it's an easy climb...

And we are now past 500 posts, and that is just awesome!  Thank you for playing!

My pleasure! I'm enjoying the set up and getting to try the settlement rules.

On another note - I just realised on writing my post that Alberic would need rope to.lash his clock hand to him (as he did on first climbing into the gorge). Can I retcon that Alberic has taken the time to fashion a harness for his clock hand (perhaps at the cost of 2m rope?). Otherwise, the rope used in the climb might have to be Zalbane and Nalla's if they're happy with this.

Or just attach the clock hand to the rope temporarily when you lower it into the gorge so you don't have to change much of anything.

Yeah, that's not a big deal.

Thanks - either way, it's down with me!

Got a bit busy the past two days. Anyway, considering Alberic's roll, I am pretty sure mine would make it, but Lyel wasn't so sure he would, so I spent effort anyway even though the roll target difficulty seemed pretty low.

The gorge follows east-west roughly, although not in a straight line, with the clave being just beyond the western terminus, and the eastern expanse unexplored (not even from above beyond the point of the cave along the ledge above).

Gonna be quite busy over Easter weekend, so may struggle to post. Will do what I can, but feel free to NPC Alberic (or have him step aside) if I'm holding things up!

Marching order (which is very hard to change in this narrow spot) is, east to west: Lyel, Alberic, Nalla, Zalbane

Yes?  Perhaps Nalla could have chosen to bring up the rear.  The group is heading west to east, away from the clave and toward the cave (but much below it).

Lyel is scanning ahead, and everyone is content to move until they're close to below the cave mouth or something interesting turns up.

If I have any of that wrong, let me know.

Seems about right, Nalla doesn't really have any preference for marching order.

Yup, fine with me. Zalbane's pretty tough covering the front or the rear, so I'm good either way.

Works for me!

I approve as well.

Anyone reacting to the body?

There we go!

Out of interest, how deep was the body found? Was it under a few inches of ground, or a few feet? I assume the presence of connective tissue suggests that the skeleton is not from a bygone age?

Just trying to work out whether this was someone who was buried here deliberately, or who died in a rockfall. At least, Alberic is inferring that the body has been buried because no animals have interfered with it. The other option is that there just aren't any animals in the area. If that's clearly obvious, then he might rethink his first conclusion!

Buried under a few inches of debris.  You'd need to make an intellect roll to figure out the rest.

Edit: Heh!  You did.  Should have read that post, too, before I replied.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:07, Thu 30 Apr 2020.

So you're all heading back out of the bottom of the gorge, yes?  Are you returning to the walled part of the clave or straight to ledge/cave?

Or some other option?

I assume we want to test out this crystal with the machine that Zalbane, Nalla and Tacita found.  I think that was near where Alberic first met them?

I don't think there's much need to head to the Clave first, unless we had the means there to analyse the crystal prior to testing it?

I mean, we're down here already, so I'm all for giving it a whirl in the cave first, just to see what happens!

Works for me.

OK - just trying to get my head around the geography here. There is a doorway beyond the barrier that leads into the room that Tacita explored? Is there anything obvious on this side that might allow us to turn the force field off? Anything I could interface with, or obvious source of the force field that I could use scramble machine on long enough to step through?
This message was last edited by the player at 11:25, Tue 09 June 2020.

The force field is in a doorway.  On your side, it just looks like stone.  Beyond the force field you see a large, well-lit, well-constructed room with nothing in it.  The control panel for the force field (that the crystal would operate) is on the other side of the wall you're at, right next to the force field.

Sorry for the confusion.

No problem - I was struggling to get my head around the original description! If I can get to the control panel, I could attempt Interface to better understand the system and control it. Just got to get past the force field first! I guess I can't see the machinery enough to attempt Scramble Machinery on it?

If it requires visual contact, no, not at this point.

Previously, Nalla was using her Focus to slowly bore through the stone to try to get to the wall enclosing the space opposite the force field.  You could try to access the terminal that way.

It's unclear about whether visual contact is required: it only specifies within Short Range. But I think, given that it's an ability rather than an esotery, you'd have to have ready access to the machine and a good idea of where it was. It might be one thing to scramble machine on the other side of a curtain whose position you knew: trying to do it through a rock wall just seems way beyond the scope of the power.

Maybe burrowing is the only way!

I have PMs out to Lyel and Tacita, but neither has checked in for a while.

Well, I'm happy to press on as soon as everyone else is, I just don't want to start acting unilaterally!

*shrug* Nalla and Zalbane have checked in during June.  I know Zalbane is busy IRL.

Strange days in the world.

I'm still here and content to be patient for now.

I did change the flag to accepting applications.  If necessary, I can skip a bit if we get new people.

Thanks for hanging in there, Alberic.

No problem. TBH I prefer a relaxed pace, rather than having to catch up on several posts per day!

Alberic is suggesting using Trigger Iotum Ray to help blast the hole - would that work? It does 3 points of damage.

He could also try to rustle up a new cypher with his "Always Tinkering" ability, but it would be random!

Iotum ray would work, if used over and over.  Nalla wore the wall down over a period of many minutes.

The only thing to be careful about is damaging the constructed wall on the other side of the stone wall.  I'd need a roll to see how well you do that.

Sounds fair. I don't have any assets to help with that (I'm guessing Repair won't count for skilfully blasting chunks out of a wall!).

How about you Zalbane, do you want to try the light lance first, and if that doesn't work, I can try the Iotum Ray?

Either one, over time, would be effective (just bizzaro-tech mining, in miniature).

Yeah, Repair wouldn't be super handy for the mining roll.

You can always apply effort, help each other, perpare, etc.  Think of this as a multi-hour task you want to do and proceed accordingly.


Unrelated: I started advertising again and we've got one application already.  I have a way to transition new applicants into the story.  It will likely involve a bit of a time jump, but not a major one.

So we have one new player ready to go.  I'd like to propose the following transition:

Alberic, Zalbane, et al have been able to mine through the rock to the metal(?) structure within at a few points, but have not opened that structure up yet.  This process took several days (since you were being careful) and you've cleared to the metal in three spots, including opposite the "activation panel" that Tacita used.

Lyel and Tacita went into Yenth to deliver a report and request some supplies.  A day later, the person delivering the response is Volk, who has come to join the clave.

Any objections to this plan?  Anyone want to make sure they were able to do something before this starts?

Hi there; I'm a mutant nano that howls at the moon.

Hi Volk! Good to have you aboard!

Unless there are any pointed objections in the meantime, I plan to start the new scene tomorrow.

Sorry about that, I got a bit absorbed by the dreaded real life for a while there.  If we are going to move on to something interesting I will try to check in more often.

Ya, that plan sounds good GM.

We are all so weird and I love it. :D

Are we waiting on me?

I think so - Nalla had identified which installations are our top two (I have no objections to those, and Alberic would defer to Nalla, since he's a latecomer to the Clave), and asked if Mez had specified how we should get that information to her.

OK.

Nalla's our organizer, and carting the water all the way to the clave will get real old, real fast, so I'm good with those selections.

You are heading overland to the woods above the cave in the gorge, yes?  Please correct me if I've misunderstood.

That's my current plan!  I've got a lot of light, I can see in the dark, and I'm loaded for ravage bear.  :D

The noise direction may not have any bearing on Alberic's question.  I just wanted to be clear.

Thanks - Alberic is working on the assumption that Boujrez's arrival is separate from the noise, but wants to be sure before rushing off to investigate!

Buojrez is more of a follower than not. Right now, she doesn't really understand the situation or why everyone is out exploring/investigating at night.

That's fine.  Just waiting on one or two more posts to get things moving.

Any ideas on the party's next steps?

Off to sunny Cornwall on my hols for the next week - will try to post as best I can, but am likely to be much slower than normal!

Are you going straight to the gorge, i.e. looking over the top edge into it?  Or are you going to the ledge leading to the cave?

Sorry about that, I got distracted by other non RPOL things for a while.

No worries.  Glad to have you back.

I think I'd be inclined to go and see if the cave is doing anything. That's where we know that at least some Numenera are, so it makes sense to head there first, I think?

And good to have you back, Nalla!

Yes, but what route are you taking to the cave?  The ledge, starting near the clave (the long, slow way) or straight to the crevasse and look down over the edge hoping you see something?

Let's take a gander over the edge first and see what jumps out to eat our faces.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:44, Tue 21 July 2020.

The router in our holiday pad is in the blink - and my mobile signal isn't great, so it may be difficult to post!

Got a 9 on my Perception roll, and I'm specialized.

I got 18. No assets or skills, but my Intellect Edge is 3, so I'll claim 1 level of Effort if it's an Intellect task.

Literally, ditto to Alberic; roll of 18, neither training or inefficiency, and 3 Intellect edge.

For future reference (as it won't matter much this time) if you are using Effort, please include that in the roll description.  Otherwise, I assume you aren't (even if you'd got the Edge for free Effort).

Thanks!

10:52, Yesterday: Alberic rolled 18 using 1d20.  perception. 1 effort (intellect).

I did! :D

Those climbing along the ledge to reach Zalbane and the cave will need to make a climbing check, difficulty 3(9).  It's dark and you're rushing.  Also, no improvements to this path have been made as part of the long term actions.

I am adding effort

19:44, Today: Buojrez rolled 9 using 1d20 ((9)).

<Orange>09:50, Today: Alberic rolled 11 using 1d20.  Climbing Ledge. 1 effort.
</Orange
Phew!

Minor announcement:  I have gotten the Extreme Cyphers document (in pdf) and had a chance to go over it.  I will be adding them to the game in a very limited way.  The mechanism will work like this:

If you are Salvaging Numenera and get a Major Effect (roll an natural 20 in most cases), in addition to your regular Major effect, you will roll an additional d20.  If that result is also a natural 20, you will have discovered 1 Extreme cypher among your treasures.  Rolling a 1d40 will yield which extreme cypher you get.  So, you've got a 1:400 chance of getting one each time you Salvage.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Sounds good!

Work has been kicking my butt, so I hope to post by Monday or Tuesday.

It's not clear if this chap's sinking into the rock because of the something about the rock, or because of something about him. I have 50' of rope - I assume he's near enough for me to throw it to him? GM, is that a Speed roll?

Yup.  But unless you're trying to do something really fancy, you can just throw it to him until he would catch it.  You're not really dealing with time constraints on the level at the moment.

Yeah, that makes sense!

I was pondering grabbing him. Once out I have a way to levitate him, maybe,

We also have a fair amount of rope in between us, if necessary, but levitate works!  I can also make a short ladder or rope or something of the sort out of light to get him over rougher spots, but I can't make it much bigger than me.

Hi; dealing with some IRL curve-balls.  Should be back to normal in another week all being well.

Ok.  Good luck.

Here's the news.

I just had, and passed, possibly the single most important exam in my current career path until the license exam.  I also just pressed through a grueling eleven hours of a particularly sociable Corona patient's contact tracing survey.  I will probably wake up tomorrow and be cogent for the first time in.....when did it become August?

Congrats!  Thanks for the work you're doing to help with the pandemic.

August began about four years ago.  I think.  Time is fuzzy lately.

Ay ay ay! Good work! And have a good rest!

Nice!

Wonderful to hear!

(Also, I am back after weather-related shenanigans, vacation, and family coming to town.)

How many of us can my gravity nullifying spray cover/affect?

It affects one object and it is permanent.  You could spray one of his backpacks or a big branch for him to hold on to.  The object then essentially levitates 1d20 feet above the surface.  If you use the affected object to hold stuff up, that's fine, until the weight breaks the object.

Well that ain't gonna work. I suggest we wait until <gasp> sunlight!

IRL recap: I swear it's not corona....

Tonight I'm catching up after a solid week of post-stress-recoil flu.

In reply to Buojrez (msg # 232):

*stares at Zalbane*

I am literally walking sunlight.  I've got a shiny crystal that is doubly-bright hanging off my back to illuminate y'all below.  I can see in any level of light, even darkness.  :D

And if I'm not mistaken, you could make a ladder of light to help illuminate the way up/along the ledge.

It's about 20-25 feet from the ledge (that leads to the cave) straight up to the forest above.  If Volk uses hover, it's possible, and would be a Might action to carry D'bee.  It won't be easy though, and you don't have the strength to carry more than one person at a time.

I can make a ladder, but it wouldn't be much bigger than me, according to the description of sculpt light.  But I could make a grappling hook or something so we could use our various coils of rope to make an easier ascent.

Sounds harsh! Glad to see you back in action, and I hope you're keeping well!

Float lasts 10 minutes per use, and Volk has good enough Intellect edge to use it on repeat if needed.  He also has two assets on checks involving grappling, so my logic is gripping someone without trying to squeeze the life out of them should count.

Yeah, that would be enough to get everyone else up one by one.  The grappling will keep you from not dropping them.  Lifting their weight is what keeps it to one at a time.  Methinks none of the clave members is light (weight).

Off on me hols for the whole of next week - not sure what internet coverage will be like, so apologies if I go dark. Feel free to NPC Alberic as needed!

Did I miss a line?

Volk can hover up Alberic first, if you like (since he can't object and is likely the heaviest).

Alberic is happy to volunteer for that.

Give me a Speed roll to successfully catch him and maintain balance, Buojrez.  Difficulty 4.

19:22, Today: Buojrez rolled 3 using 1d20.  Speed check.

Brahaha! It would seem that Fate does not favor our newfound friend!

18:52, Today: Buojrez rolled 12 using 1d20.  Grab my maul D'Bee! Grab my maul or take a big fall!

I'll wait for Zalbane to act before resolving D'Bee's fall.  Volk can still do something, potentially, too.

Carry on!

Hi Folks!

Mhari will be making an entrance shortly.  They're taking the place of the PC who was supposed to be arriving with Buojrez, but was left back with the cart.

Howdy Mhari!  What's your schick?  I'm a Hideous Jack who Bears a Shard of Light, so I'm ugly enough to frighten the colors off a Colour Beyond Space but I've got control of some very pretty lights.  ;)

Oh... I'm just an Idealist, wandering adventurer.

Hello! Welcome Aboard! I'm playign Alberic the Half-Consumed, a Mechanical Wright who Fuses Flesh with Steel. Strong tech skills, weak social skills are Alberic's schtick!

Hello Alberic... I'm not familiar with what a Wright is must be new.  I saw that there was once a Tacita in the game... Mhari would know her.. she was also a character in the original Numenara Game I played Mhari in.. but he was only Tier 1 there same as Tacita.

Does Tacita still play?
This message was last edited by the player at 11:53, Sat 03 Oct 2020.

Tacita last posted in March, although it shows they checked in a couple days ago.  The character isn't dead here, just on an extended trip to town at the moment.

Wrights come from the Numenera Destiny book (along with the Arkus and the Delve). They're basically inventors who spend their time repairing and adapting Numenera.

I imported Alberic from another game where he was a Jack, but I had started that game before the Discovery and Destiny books came out, and the Wright seemed to fit better what I had in mind for Alberic originally!

I'm fairly certain that Zalbane's call was a fake-out in case there was a mass of people planning to attack the party in the woods.  There was literally no one in the clave walls at that time and the group in the woods wasn't particularly close to the structures at the time she called out.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

...sorry, I thought there were still workers within the walls, which was who I was calling to!

In reply to Zalbane (msg # 258):

Well someone answered... AND is waiting a reply.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:16, Mon 05 Oct 2020.

Pause, please!

Let me catch up.

I'm glad of the enthusiasm, though.

No, really.

Stop posting IC until I post, please.  I will try to get something there later today.

*makes vrooming noise like a small child imitating a jet*  :D

Ha Ha! High five to Zalbane!

In reply to Buojrez (msg # 263):

You ever going to put a character description up for your character?

00:08, Today: Mhari 'Stormbolt' rolled 14 using 1d20.  Mhari Initiative Roll, 1 lvl Effort [1spd]. – 14
This message was last edited by the player at 12:07, Tue 13 Oct 2020.

17:16, Today: Alberic rolled 19 using 1d20.  initiative.

11:20, Today: Zalbane rolled 6 using 1d20.  Initiative.

We are heading into some combat (in case the Initiative roll didn't give it away).  I will try to be patient with posting rates, but I also don't want to hold things up too much if possible.  That *may end up with me rolling for a player or possibly narrating a draw for that round.  We'll see how things go.

Combat order (so far) will be:

Alberic

Enemies

Zalbane/Mhari



We'll adjust as needed when Buojrez rolls.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks!

Wow.  These are Tier 6 opponents!  Three tiers higher than us.  Be careful everyone.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 20:29, Sat 10 Oct 2020.

Unfortunately I'm going to have to bow out.  By the time I get home from work I can't be bothered to switch to English, and it's only going to get worse.

Thanks for the heads up.  Glad you were able to join us while you had time.  Good luck!

17:33, Today: Buojrez rolled 16 using 1d20.  Initiative.

Ok, so after Alberic's defense roll (during? It won't effect the action), those going after the snakey-folk (Mjari, Zalbane) can act.  After they're done, Alberic and Buojrez can go.

Let me know if you need a summary of the situation.

The serpent constricting Volk is at least 20 feet away from the rest of the group now, so stomping on it while you attack another isn't really an option for Mhari.

Alberic, yes, it was 5 damage, minus armor, so 2 points each strike so far.

Buojrez and Alberic can now act.

Duly noted! Thank goodness for armour, eh? :D

Okay, politicized out for the night.

Can I use my cold detonation device to hit two of the enemy?

At this time, the north and east creatures are within 20 feet of each other, but just barely.  You could hit them both simultaneously, but this would reduce the damage by 1 (due to extreme edge of range) and likely hit Alberic and Mhari in the blast.

If you want to somehow change that circumstance ...

15:46, Today: Buojrez rolled 13 using 1d20.  Speed Defense with one effort, I didn't adjust, just rolled the d20

You did not get hit by the attacker.  Please make the second, lower target roll to avoid the goo.  (3:9)

20:40, Today: Buojrez rolled 14 using 1d20.  Avoid the goo.....

Safe!

Ok, just waiting on Zalbane's action, then Alberic and Buojrez can do their thing.

Boujrez and Alberic are up!

After/during Alberic's Speed Defense roll, Mhari and Zalbane can act.

I've offered a GM intrusion.  Please wait until I hear back to post.

Ok, intrusion accepted.  Carry on!
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:09, Wed 28 Oct 2020.

To be clear, Zalbane has not left the game.  She's just dealing with her intrusion privately.  She'll resume in the public thread when that is done.

If we've got some space, then  I'll take as much rest as I can manage to try and top up my Pools. I'll also need to make some repairs to get all my Might back (downside to Fuses Fesh with Steel). I also want to use my Always Tinkering ability to fill up on unstable Cyphers because... well, cyphers are cool.

Going to be on vacation through the 9th of November, should able to resume on the 10th. Possibly could post before then, but no promises! NPC me if necessary!

I think D'Bee would be having a better time if Zalbane were present - she's got much better social skills than Alberic! xD

Are you saying the language translator no longer is working?

The Language Translator works, but is not 100% capable of translating D'Bee's language.

Sounds like it may not be geared up for swearing... but that's OK. I think we go the gist... xD

Mr. Cooper seems seriously bummed about his lost money!

Thank you!  I was wondering if anyone would catch that.  Formal reveal coming soon.

Maybe I'm just that old!

Once he introduced himself as DB I thought.....naaah, can't be.

But when you threw out the Simple Plan reference, that clinched it. Good movie, for those who haven't seen it.

Chuckle. I missed the reference completely! I wouldn't mind but I'd been trying to work out what D'Bee would be in modern American names, and I'd got about as far as some weird rap pseudonym. I never thought about initials.

I like "D'Bee... don't know where that came from...". xD

And I can't say I've seen A Simple Plan. Will have to check it out...

The only "A Simple Plan" movie I know does not involve D.B. Cooper, so that was an inadvertent reference.

Not to spoil "Simple Plan," but three guys find a crashed plane with a large sack of money in it. Complications soon follow.....

Yes, that's one I know.  The reference was accidental, regardless.

Ok!  I would like to do the following, unless there are any objections:

1) Wrap up the scene with D.B. Cooper in the next couple days, week tops (no pressure!).

2) Start planning for some long term actions.


I am currently working with someone to bring a new Nano to the clave (since Volk got kidnapped).  That person will arrive during or right after the long term actions resolve.

It will be a month (give or take) of "downtime" between this scene and the next active scene.  You'll each get to pick two long term actions, although at least one of those needs to be something for the betterment of the clave directly.  I can provide a list of ideas/suggestions, if you need it.  At least one thing that needs to be done is prepare for the shepherds that are coming with the animals.

You'll also be able to pick one additional installation device from a prepared list to add to the Language Translator.  You can debate the choice in or out of character as you see fit.

If you need more direction on long term actions, I can provide that, too.

Please feel free to ask questions as we get ready for this.

Ok.  First of all.. I'm not posting again until a few others post.. I don't really want Mhari to dominate the dialogue with Mr. Cooper.. but we may just be downtiming that.

As for long term actions, are you meaning like - Contact, Artifacts and Familiarities?

If so.. my first is this...
Mhari will use Bolt Rider to go find his Contact Companion - the Z Drake.. you already know of that in PMs.

Second Mhari wants to train a contingent of the Clave denizens to be a militia. I'm thinking 10 men-at-arms. Not full on Glaives but at least familiar with armor and medium weapons.  Plus equip them in light armor  with a medium melee weapon and a light ranged weapon for the defense of the Clave.

I'd also like to do the Aeon priest thing of cataloguing as much of Mr. Cooper's language as possible and get written examples of his language as well.. assuming he can read and write.  Yes Mhari is actively working toward joining the "Order of Truth".

Got a question about Bolt Rider..can I take a passenger with me if I pay more in Intellect?  It does not really say.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:59, Fri 06 Nov 2020.

Alberic will spend both tasks working on buildings in the Clave. What needs to be done for the Shepherds? Do we need to fence off some land for pasture?

Also, given our recent run-in with those Snake People, I wonder if we should focus on strengthening our lookouts and defensive wall?
This message was last edited by the player at 07:57, Fri 06 Nov 2020.

Buojrez will train any interested clave members in the manufacture of bows and arrows.

She will also help with shepherd preparation, be it fencing, prepping food and water, etc.

I'll try to get a post of tasks, etc. out later tonight or tomorrow morning.

The following are the installations you can choose from that the Order of Truth will provide to the clave by the end of the "down time":

Everflowing Fountain, Farspeaking Pylon, Library Obelisk, Improved Luminous Dynamo, Pabulum Extruder (modified), Sustenance Synthesizer (modified), Mechanized Turret

You can discuss your preferences in character if you like, as the list came with the delivery Mhari and Buojrez brought.  Please ask if you need more details on the devices.

I'd also like PC input on what will happen to Dan Cooper.  Better to keep him at the clave?  Better to send him to Yenth, and then perhaps to Qi or some other large collection of Aeon Priests?  Let him make his own way?


Other things to know about the clave at this point in its development:

This clave has only existed for a couple of months at best.  The walls exist because Alberic happened to roll a Construction Foam cypher during character creation.  There are only a few buildings.  Besides the PCs, there is currently only one family living here, that of one of the carpenters who helped build the other existing structures.  So that's him, his wife, three kids.  There really isn't anyone to train at this point.  The current delivery drivers will be returning to Yenth after they've unloaded, slept, and collected information to take to Prelate Mez.

There will be shepherds/animal handlers (and their family/families) coming with Dossi (bovine herd animals raised for meat and skrips, a type of writing material made from their scales, shed frequently) and Yol (smaller, long-haired creatures raised for wool, meat, and milk).  The idea is for the clave to grow slowly so that it can sustain itself.  There is currently a programmable automaton that acts as a mobile sawmill.  It takes about a day to turn an average tree into rough cut lumber.

Ideas for long-term tasks to aid the clave are:

Clear land for grazing for the herds
Build fences/pens to contain the herds (at least at night)
Build additional housing within or outside the walls
Build a barn or other large, indoor storage/work space for the animals
Upgrade the ledge path (or cliff path) from the cave so it is safer to travel
Work on learning Dan's language and/or teaching him Truth

There may be other things that could work, also.

I'm going to post the long term tasks in a separate notice post, visible only to players.

Ok.  My thoughts...

Everflowing Fountain - We need a reliable water source.

My remaining Down time action - Work on Learning Dan's Language and/or Teach him Truth
- Catalogue what I learn from him however long it takes.  Then I will either Fly him back to Yenth on Z'DAKK... or Bolt Rider him with me there.  Turn that Language lore and Dan Cooper over to Prelate Mez and the Aeon Priests of the Order of Truth.

That will likely fill my time.

But other actions we need done - with At least two other players currently {not sure what happened to Zalebane}
1) Clear Land for Grazing herds
2) Build a barn or other large, indoor storage/work space for the animals
- Use the programmable automaton that acts as a mobile sawmill, to cut down old trees to stockpile some building materials in the barn with the herd animals.
* Also we need to be responsible and use planned conservation not to deforest the area by planting new saplings when we cut down old trees

The two things above give us sustaining herd stock with fresh water supply and a place to protect them inside the walls during the night when not grazing.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:11, Sat 07 Nov 2020.

Zalbane is on vacation.  Should be back soon.  Completely coincidental that the GM intrusion took her out of the scene at the same time.

Who doesn't want a mechanized turret?

I also like the Sustenance Synthesizer.

Given that the clave is small, instead of making bows and arrows I would just have the carpenter sort better pieces of wood for Buojrez to use.

Buojrez would spend her time making pens for the incoming animals and then, based on the wonderful departure from the cave, start to make a better and safer path down to it.

Would this be a ladder up along the cliff face, railing along the long ledge leading to the cave, or something else?  Right now, the "entrance" to the ledge is quite near the clave and thus easily observable.  The cave site and forest above it cannot be seen from the clave at this time.

In reply to Buojrez (msg # 309):

Oh..Don't get me wrong.. I SOOOO Wanted the Mechanized Turret!!! lols!

But we need water to live at all... can't go days without water.

The clave does have a fairly reliable water source right now.  There is a stream nearby and the last round of long term actions created a piping system to bring that to the structures.  I should have specified that in the Clave of Strangers Notice.

I will update that, and again after this round of work.

WELL then.. didn't know the Clave had a reliable source of water already!

In that case I WILL take the Mechanized Turret instead!

We have walls and now with the Turret not having a self-defense militia right away is not so important.

That's fine - if Buojrez is sorting out the pens and the path to the Cave, I'll look after these two actions.

I'll also take a couple of hours to use my "Always Tinkering" ability to make two temperamental cyphers - shall I just role to see what they are?

Yup, you can roll d700 for them and remember level determination has a negative too it.

Mhari, getting Dan to Yenth safely won't take long.  I'm not going to charge an action for it.  Seeing as there are cyphers that can impart Truth (Comprehension Graft), it's more useful if you try to learn his language, which you can do.

That would still leave you with 1 more action.  If you help Alberic with the barn or Buojrez with the cave path, those efforts would be more successful.  Or you could choose a different action.


Alberic, I'm guessing that the sawmill automaton is the primary space clearer for the larger trees, and that you are leaving some larger, widely spaced ones for shade, reforestation, nut production, etc.  Clearing saplings, smaller trees, brush is where your labor in that area will be spent.

Which leaves us with the following summary, so far:

Alberic is clearing land for grazing and building a barn/storage building
Buojerez is building animal pens/fencing and making a safer path to the cave (details tbd)
Mhari is learning Dan's language and ...

Installation being ordered is the Mechanized Turret.


Did I miss anything?

Also, I was curious if anyone had thoughts other than escorting Dan to Yenth?

My other Long Term downtime Action is retrieving my Contact: Companion - Z'Dakk {Z- Drake}.

As per long term benefits {Discovery, p. 126 to 128}, which is what I was asking in my msg#302 if you were talking about that.
- Contact, Home, Title or Job, Wealth, or Artifact

One of my actions is Contact.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:38, Sun 08 Nov 2020.

I will work on a railing. Ladders don't make a lot of sense tactically or if carrying loads.

Alberic is keen to hear everything he can from Dan about what happened before he turned up here, which we can deal with in character, but after that, he's happy for Dan to go to Yenth. Since he doesn't seem to know anything about the weird snake people (who I assume are linked to the appearances in the area...) Alberic will soon lose interest him, and if the snakes are still after him, then having him here makes him more of a risk to us, so Yenth makes sense.

And yeah make no mistake Mhari is VERY interested in Dan Cooper's story of his world and the circumstances of his arrival here.  Mhari will very much detail that story and get a first hand accounting of everything Dan Cooper is willing to to tell him!

Mhiari is very sad that it will take some time if ever to figure out how he came to be in our current era and will promise to stay in contact with letters and occasional visits to keep him well informed of our investigations or any progress on finin a way home for him.  Mhari will encourage Dan to not be idea in his time in Yenth..but to learn ALL he can!

So I'm assuming Mhari will pick up Familiarity w/{Ancient English Language} which I believe is more of a Short & Medium Term Benefits {Discovery, p.126}?

Before I forget, and assuming no one stops her, Buojrez will skin the snake person and perform rudimentary tanning - stretch the hide and alt in and leave it out in the sun. She will sugges t to Alberic that they put the organs in jars for someone to study. Depending on the state of the skeleton and local cultural norms she may propose placing it between the cave and the clave as a warning.

Right-oh! I rolled a Salvage Graft and a Deception Filter. I already have a Salvage Graft, and I guess I can't give it to someone else (if I can, then I guess I'd just use it on the other person and make a third temperamental cypher), so I rolled again and got a Gravity Changer. I've rolled the levels, applying the -2 to the level rolls in the dice roller. They came out Level 1 and Level 5 for the Deception Filter and the Gravity Changer respectively. I've marked both as temperamental on my character sheet.

Ok.

Zalbane should be catching up soon, and then we can start up again.  I'm not sure what happened to my Nano, though.

Also, technically Nalla is still around for the time being.  Perhaps she's having anxiety attacks with all the new people coming and going, and spending her time organizing things.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:48, Tue 10 Nov 2020.

I'm back, and maybe eventually someone will find me!  :D

For clarity, our new Nano, Nizq, will be arriving (in-game) mid-long term action.

The turret will be arriving as we start the "live" play again.  So you will be able to figure out where it goes, setting it up, etc.

Great - can we chat with Dan before he goes to Yenth?

Boy, going to Yenth really sounds like some kind of mafioso euphemism!

Yes, talking with Dan is fine.

Hi Everyone! Thanks for having me. I am looking forward to playing again. I'm just finalising my character sheet and description and I'll be posting in game shortly. Cheers!

Welcome to the game! I'm sure you'll fit right in!

Iadece Nizq!

Hi Nizq! Good to have you aboard!

For clarification, the Turret is not arriving until the end of the long-action period.

Smart of the Order to us a visitor before sending the means to have them gunned down. Prelate Mez knows us well! xD

I mean, we could be getting paranoid, out here all alone...  :D

Ok, I will try to summarize the down-time work in one or more posts in the coming days, just for reference.

I would just like one thing clarified before we start the next scene (or as we start the next scene): Are the members of the clave making an active attempt to keep Dan at the clave (via trying to convince him and/or trying to convince Prelate Mez) or will Mr. Cooper be headed to Yenth, and then further afield by the end of the long term actions?

Well as for Dan Cooper... HERE is much closer to his arrival.. if he is planning on seeking a way hone Yenth is far away from that potentiality... doubtful there he will find much to lead him home.  So staying here would be ideal.. but it would be up to him.  Mhari is neutral in the matter though currently I'm the only one that can converse with him in his own tongue so here would be ideal.

But again... totally up to him... Mhari will not push him one way or the other.

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 335):

@Zalbane, what is your intended long term action? I need to decide if I'm going to help you or something else.

I am developing a communications array between here and Yenth, and then exploring the surrounding area for ruins/people.

Alberic is indifferent to what happens with Dan: he's had Dan's story which is the interesting bit, so after that he's happy for Dan to go to Yenth or stick around.

In reply to Zalbane (msg # 338):

I'm 100% down to help with that

Nazq, I'm glad to have help.

Re:Dan, I'd like to have him around in case anyone else from his world comes through. I'd worry about him either being a test subject or easy prey before he gets his power under control.

We have heard Dan's story and he is a liability in combat with no observable skills. If he is going to contribute he can stay, otherwise off to Yenth he goes.

I'm currently thinking that the area cleared and build up for the animals is off to the east of the clave by about a hundred yards or so.

Where did you want to position the turret (which you can discuss in-character during the unloading process)?

Just a thought (and I realise this is probably too much work, so no worries if you say "no") - but could we get a sketch of the Clave and its immediate surroundings in the Clave of Strangers thread?

I drew a rough sketch of the clave the other day while my daughters were drawing.

Immortal Eye and anyone else that wants to provide me a description of the clave as it exists including cardinal directions, I would gladly sketch it up.

Disclaimer - I am not an artist, but I do love maps and cartography and I would do my best

So... we kinda need a real description or details of the automated turret what book is it in and page number?

UPDATE: Nevermind I found it's stats.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:04, Tue 24 Nov 2020.

Hey, GM - I'm assuming given the length of time that's passed that we can reset our pools without needing to make recovery rolls, and that I don't need to make a roll to Repair myself for the first 5 damage?

I thought I better check before I arbitrarily restore 30 points! :D

And I'm guessing that if we want to make some sort of tracks for the gun turret, this would be some further downtime activities to design and construct?

Yes, you can all start off at full pools.  Plenty of time for that.

Tracks for the turret will have to be something you work on moving forward (in future downtime is fine).  You didn't have the information to create them until the turret arrived.

In reply to Alberic (msg # 347):

Oh yeah the track system is something for future down time actions or a work in progress its not ready right now we need to design and build it.. and couldn't design it until the turret arrived to know what needed to be designed to fit the turret size and weight.

Ok, the clave info and stats are updated in that thread.  Please let me know if I've forgotten anything.

In celebration of 1,000 posts (and American Thanksgiving), you each get 1 XP.  Thank you for continuing to play the game!

Sweet!

I want to see how Alberic, Alyssa, and Zalbane react to the animal chaos before I post again.

Everyone doing ok?

I'm doing fine.. working.  Waiting for posts.

I'm doing well thanks, though we're in the busy part of term ATM, so I'm a bit swamped with teaching and marking.

I, for one, could not be better.

Still alive, knocked out much organization that was long overdue this past week.

I have 4 units of responsive Synth. Also 4 of Iotum, but I'd like to keep at least two of that handy since my ability to armour and create a damage 3 Iotum Ray depend on it.

How much would Alberic need to craft some sort of containers? I mean, we're just talking containers rather than refrigeration here, aren't we?

If you're just constructing mundane things like barrels or jugs, you wouldn't need any iotum.  If you wanted them to be a little bit sturdier or "more functional" you could add 2 units of responsive synth to the project.

Nalla can supply the parts needed.

Silly me. That's 4 Points of Responsive Synth, and 4 Points of Io.

But if mundane containers will do, Alberic can have a go with what's at hand. But, I'm not sure if the girl is asking for something to milk an animal into - we must have cups or something handy?

Signing off for the next few days for Christmas. All the best for the festive season, folks! Stay safe, and Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year!

1 XP for each of you.

Yay! Happy New Year, everyone!

Excellent, thanks all and I hope all had a good New Year!

You guys can work out what you want to take, etc. and start heading out whenever.

Take like a week, 10 days' ration, some trail markers (to make more obvious blazes than I did, just in case of... stuff), camping shelters, water containers, etc, tools, plus ways to make smoke signals/light signals?  Think that should be about everything?

Sounds good.

GM, I'm guessing that Hedge Magic or Impressive Display wouldn't be enough to create a light strong enough to be seen back at camp?

That would depend on how far away you are.  Within a few miles, maybe.  At the exploration site, probably not.

I'm not sure what happened to Nizq's player.  They abruptly and inexplicably went dark here and the other place I see them.  For now, the plan will be that they remain at the clave with Buojrez to help defend it.

I was also contacted by a former player (that none of you have interacted with in-game) who has returned to RPoL after a long absence and is interested in rejoining.  If I can figure out how to make that work, they'll pop up along the way somehow.

Good good.  Well, we are going exploring, and bringing back strays seems to be our thing, so... easy enough!

"You look trustworthy, would you like to join us in our noble quest?"

:D

Wouldn't be the first time.

When you all leave, is Mhari walking or flying?

Mhari will be flying.  But he will do it only in 1 hour flight, then 2 hours walking with party... and maintain that schedule.. in synch with our signal schedule as well to give Z'Dakk time to forage and ...be Z'Dakk.

Remember, Z'Dakk is as smart as a human.. just not as articulate ~ he's not a pet.. he's a friend and companion So Mhari does not like to hog/demand all his time.

Ok, so Alberic, Zalbane, and Mhari are heading out to explore.  This group will move to the thread The Forest when they leave the clave.

Buojrez and Nizq (and Nalla) are staying at the clave.

I'm going to fast forward a bit then, to the point you are all packed and ready to head out the gates.