Fief Name: Pools of Predilection

Fief Purpose: Feast Hall, Den, Kitchen, Healing Springs

Fief Layout:
Main Floor: Several entrances that surround the wing all direct you to the primary room. The majority of the floor revolves around the feast hall, a massive cylindrical room that rise all the way to the roof of the structure. In the center of this room, sectioned off from the rest, is a large natural stone outcrop. Water gushes from the top of the rock revealing it to be a spring. The water pools at the bottom of the outcropping before it drains into other areas of the building. Surrounding the centerpiece are various tables and chairs where anyone is welcome to sit in and order fresh food. During the day the room is lit with skylights while at night large fireplaces that are located on the outer walls provide warmth. Some claim the food served is magical enchanted to provoke pleasant memories, others just think the food tastes delicious. Aside from the feast hall are various kitchens and storage facilities the servants use to prepare the food.

Bottom Floor: Below the main floor the spring water is collected and used in a variety of rooms. Public baths are available for any guests to clean themselves and relax in the Springwater. More private rooms are available and filled with their own springs that keep the water pleasantly warm. Besides relaxing the waters also have healing properties for the body and mind.

Top Floor: Above the main floor are a series of suites designed for families or honored guests. Each suite has a den for people to gather along with two bedrooms. Most of these suites also have balconies that look out over the feast hall. One of these suites is always reserved for Atilla himself, and another is reserved for Eri.

Fief Servants: Staffing the Pools are human sized ceramic dolls fashioned to look as lifelike as possible. Every doll is slightly different to help distinguish one from the other and to make them seem more real. For every adult doll they are usually accompanied by a smaller child sized doll that assists them in daily tasks. Although incapable of speech they are instructed to act as cheerfully as possible.

Aside from the dolls, Atilla has also stationed several golems at the entrances. Creatures made of stone and metal they were made in Atilla's likeness. They were created as sentries for the Pools. They wait motionless and lifeless until they sense some disturbance inside the building or some intruder attempts to enter.

Where once there was nothing started the beginning of a new fiefdom. walls formed, the spring burst to life, and the dolls started their duties. On top of a balcony overlooking the main hall the man formerly known as Dalton the demilupine also formed as Atilla the Hun Prince of Society. The newly created body observed his new creation, exactly as he had imagined it. The only thing missing from his ideal were people. The feast hall despite it's splendor remained empty aside from the dolls that he periodically saw cross his view.

His divinity had come with a steep cost. He had gained a glimpse of what their situation truly was. They had not only been shifted through space but through time. The specifics still seemed too complex for the wolf-man to understand but he could grasp how difficult returning would be. Not that his goal had changed. One way or another Atilla would break free from this hell and return back to his family.

He walked into his lodgings and noted that everything was satisfactory. He wandered the halls of the upper floor and passed by several dolls. He nodded as he passed and noted that they happily waved before they resumed their duties. The wolf-man noted how loud his footsteps echoed through the large nearly empty building. "You," he pointed to a doll that had been cleaning a table. "Clear some tables for me. It will be a while before we need them all anyway." The Prince of Society did not wait for the task to be completed, instead he wandered towards one of the entrances. He noted the Grimhold woods beyond his borders, he would need to go explore those at a later date. For now he pointed to one of the golems he had imagined. "You. Come with me." He led the guardian statue to the clearing he had requested. "We will now spar."

One day his hall would be the gathering place for many souls, a place to celebrate and unwind. What he needed right now though was a place to train. He could sense that his other self was in a dangerous location. The faster he learned how to wield a weapon the better his odds he could keep the others alive. Atilla starts to train his Weapon, Basic skill.

While one version of Sarolt was deep in conversation with Euphoria, another had padded into the West Wing on four tiny rat feet. It was easier than waddling around on two legs, though running around on all-fours felt more animalistic in a 'bad' way. Like they were giving up on their humanity and had fully submitted to the will of the system.

But there's philosophy, and then there's getting around. The later won.

"I said: 'I'm here to see Atilla.'" Sarlot rolled back onto their haunches while staring up at the guardian golems at the entrance of the feast hall. The massive guardian just starred down at them. Sarlot imagined they were glowering. "Is this, like, one of those things where you've already communicated telepathically with your master, or something? But you can't speak, so now you're just staring at me?" Sarlot crossed their arms. The golem remained stationary. "Blink twice if you're even listening." The golem did not blink. Instead, the wolf-like visage modeled after Atilla just stared down at them. "You remind me of my rat-bots... but like, somehow more stoic. We seriously need real people in here."

The golem did not move.

"Fine. Fine. I'll wait." Sarlot plopped down on the floor and whipped out their sketchpad. "I'm drawing you." They said, glancing up at the golem. "But I'm doing it badly. Just to spite you. Do... whatever it is you do to let them know I'm here."

Pads over quietly seeing Sarlot standing before a big golem like thing.

He sits behind [Sarlot] to wait for his turn.

Lifting up one of his paws to lick.

The prince huffed as he ducked under another swipe. He struck out with his own weapon before the golem could attack again only to have the mace swatted away. Whatever rules that world worked by had given him a crash course in armed combat, but he still felt totally unprepared. He felt a tug on his arm and nearly knocked the head off the doll that had tried to get his attention. "Woah! Sorry about that. Combat done for now." He instructed before his sparring partner blindsided him.

He turned to find several of his servants staring at him. One handed him a towel with a smile while the others pointed towards an entrance. Confused he accepted the cloth and wiped himself down. It was impressive how quickly he had worked up a sweat. "Umm, good job everyone. Take five." His dolls all silently cheered before the wolf-man strolled to investigate.

"Ohhh, hey guys!" He shouted once he recognized [Sarlot] and [Grim]. He noted the awkward way they had stopped at the guards he had created. "Right. The guards. They shouldn't bother you if you just walk past. The intention was more to keep the peace rather than keep you guys out." He understood their hesitation. Dalton had struggled to program his tv remote on Earth and now he had somehow conjured an entire building filled with magic. Even now Atilla didn't fully understand how it all worked, just that it did. "These two and all the other godlings are free to enter and leave at their discretion." He commanded to the guards to put the others at ease.

With that out of the way he ushered the two into his fiefdom. "What can I get you boys? Food? If it works the way I think you should be able to order anything you can think of, within reason. Just ask the servants. Or I can show you to one of the hot spring baths we have. Haven't tried them out myself." He looked down at his armor before he continued. "I'm afraid if I take off the armor the other me will lose theirs. That would be bad, nooottt a happy place." He snapped his fingers as if he just had a realization. "I could also set you up with a room if you wanted. No idea if you guys thought of that but you are always free to stay here."

Looks around for shadows he could speak to [Atilla] through. Waving a paw at their host.

"Hi [Prince of Society, Atilla] or do you prefer a different name or nickname ? We have all been given so many names recently it actually does feel like were royalty. Thank you for the invite, I didn't want to be rude and cut [Prince of Invention, Sarlot] in line he was waiting patiently."

"Food sounds great and I would love a room, I also made sure the hunting lodge in Grimhold has enough rooms for everyone and servants. Your invited to come hunt there if you like. I actually came to see how your doing though."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:35, Thu 08 Sept 2022.

Sarolt's rat-instincts smashed her (them?) right in the face as they turned around to find a cat right behind them! Granted, the cat was the same size as they were. But still: a cat! They rolled a few feet before coming back up onto all fours and trying to catch their breath.
"The second time! The second time today someone snuck up on me!" Sarolt dramatically gasped, meowing it like a cat so to be understood by Grim, before rushing to pick up their sketchpad and pencil. As they followed the other two inside, they cast a dirty look up a the guardian golem and stuck out their tongue. The golem was unmoved.

"Food? Yes! Sure, hmmm... this might sound strange, but I'm definitely in the mood for a hot pocket and some Coke!" But at the mention of a room, they shook their head. "Ah, no thanks. No room needed. Too busy."

Sarolt rushed forward a bit, clutching their sketchpad to their chest. "I don't want to interrupt what anyone is doing, but I'm sort of going around and trying to figure out what everyone needs for gear. Particularly armor upgrades and such." They looked back toward Grim. "I was going to do it in alphabetical order, but seeing as you're here, I suppose we could figure it out for you as well?"

At that moment, Sarolt stopped to take-in the grand feasting hall. From their perspective it was all massive, and massively impressive. "Wow... I really like what you've done with the place." They cleared their throat, and rushed back forward to walk next to Atilla. "So... how do you feel about the color blue?" They handed their sketchpad up to Attila. On it were several renderings of Attila outfitted in two or three radically different designs. One was a full suit of futuristic armor that made him look like an 80s space hero from an old comic book. The next was something more 'modern', making him look like a near-future urban combat soldier with a vague wolf motif. The last one had some sci-fi elements, but leaned hard into the 'Attila' namesake. Furs, cloaks, leathers, plate armor, anachronistic helmet... Sort of 'House Stark' meets 'Iron Man'. All of the designs featured the color blue in one capacity or another. Usually paired with brown and gunmetal gray.

Meows back, "Sorry Josh, uhm [Prince of Invention, Sarlot]. I was just waiting patiently and saw there was a line. You were drawing and I didn't want to disturb you. I didn't mean to sneak up on you. It's these little beans on my paws." Lifts up a paw to show his pads.

"They do kind of make me quiet."



"Forgive me."

Shrugging slightly, "Not sure what would work for me like this. I did find out this is kind of like some of the Final Fantasy games with swords and guns. The other me saw some rifles. When I am in my human form that might be nice. I am slight of form so maybe a rapier too. Though with me like this I can't use much." seemed a little sad at that.

Atilla

Fighting an opponent with same weight and reach and almost the same skill was a pleasure. It was all skill, no handicaps. Something about his new body made him happy doing this. Moving, attacking, blocking, moving. It was the dance he was built for.

[15XP Spent. 300XP Left.]

[Weapon: Basic LVL 3.5] acquired.

Atilla stroked his chin, err muzzle, as he pondered [Grim's] question. "I guess Atilla is fine. I think I got pretty lucky. It's a name most people are somewhat familiar with. Obviously no one needs to refer to me by my title. Way too formal for my liking." With that answered he escorted them into the main feast hall. Aside from the clearing the wolf-man had requested plenty of seating was available. The wolf-man sat himself at a table next to the spring at the center of the room and motioned for the others to join him. 'Might need to think of different tables. Did not account for the various non-humanoids', he thought before he reached down and offered to help them up.

As they had walked through the hall servants had slowly started to follow the group of godlings. By the time they had sat a throng had gathered. They being the only customers for the entire building they had a fair amount of attention. Atilla hadn't even needed to command them. After the rodent's request a servant had quickly shot it's hand in the air as if to claim 'oooh let me' before it had run off. The cat's request had a similar response once the wolf-man repeated it. It wasn't long before other servants had returned with the items requested. The servants had managed to find plates that were more appropriate for the guests, small plates that served a hotpocket and a small plate of gravy smothered chicken.

Once everyone had started their meal Atilla grabbed the sketchbook that [Sarolt] had offered. On instinct he reached for his reading glasses before he realized that he neither had or needed them. "Wow! These are amazing Josh! Were you able to draw like this before or is that a new development?" Atilla had been so preoccupied with idea of combat he hadn't even considered they might be able to learn other abilities.  "Blue huh? That makes sense, seeing as I was given domain over water." The wolf-man perused the drawings, the vintage space hero made him laugh. "Oh man, child me would have loved this one. Not sure about it now. I like the last one the most," he pointed to the 'Atilla' suit Sarlot had drawn, "it feels like a mix of old and new, archaic vs future."

His choice made he passed the notebook back to it's rightful owner. He thought for a second about patting the rat on the back but paused when he considered the difference in size. Instead he merely nodded. "I appreciate you trying to help everyone. This is going to be a huge boon for us. As for me, don't be afraid to put my upgrades to the bottom of your pile. What I have isn't fancy but it's still better than most. I think maybe only 2 or 3 of us have armor right now. Heck, I think a good chunk of us are still unarmed. Better to focus on equipping them first before upgrading my stuff."

[Grim] nodded to Atilla about his preferred moniker.

[Grim] then followed along and hopped up on a chair. He noted all the servants coming and going and wondered if she should try what happened with the fish but this was not his place so he merely watched as they scurried about.

Looking to Atilla with sad eyes, "I know I said we would help you go back home and I certainly will. Though perhaps bringing your family here might be better." His ears flattened slightly.

"I am sure the knowledge of how we came to be here and of our worlds has come to you both by now." He looked from [Atilla to Sarlot]. "The Metacognition we all have, as a cat I was curious and looked into things and I don't know when our worlds will face the fate they do. Whether it was the moment we were shunted here or far in the future from that event. I don't know but our worlds. They didn't survive. When I found that out, I had to come here because I wanted to be supportive."

The wolf-man was silent while he listened to the cat describe what they had all learned. Perhaps the only useful thing that came from having a wolf head was that it was easier to have a poker face. Human expressions did not come easily to his new mouth. A part of him desperately wanted to see his family, but bring them to this world? So far what Atilla had seen did not impress him. "We will see. Right now we are simply fighting to survive. What happened in the past and what we try to do to fix it, those are problems for another day. I find it helps to just focus and take it one day at a time." He looked down and gently petted [Grim] on the head. "You have a big heart Grim. Thank you for coming to check on me. How are you handling things? I am sure we are all struggling with the news in some way."

They had talked for some time when a golem approached. In it's hands it carried the effigy the group had taken from the house before the collapse. "Ah, thank you. I was wondering where that had been sent." He took the doll and seated it in a chair next to the group. "I asked Regina to bring this here from the other world," he explained to his guests. "Apologies Regina. I know you wanted to visit exotic worlds but that was a bit too dangerous for your effigy. For now it will remain here, I'll find some place overlooking the hall to place it."

Once she was settled Atilla sighed before he pushed himself to his feet. "Gentlemen, I am fine continuing this conversation but I also must resume my training. Whatever we face in the jungle is apparently fighting off several competent warriors already. I'll need all the practice I can get if I'm supposed to help." Once in the clearing he gestured for the guard golem to resume their sparring and they continued his training in basic weapons.

[Grim] pushed up into the petting.

"I am trying to process it all. It is a lot to take in. I don't want to believe it. As this is what we have I want to protect it and my new friends. I am not exactly a warrior but I will try as hard as everyone. We all have each other a new family in a way."

"Can I join you in trying to improve my combat skills ?" After eating he bounced over to join [Atilla]

[Grim] Will try to perfect fighting unarmed with his little claws and leaping and pouncing on prey.


He already has Unarmed Combat 1

This message was last edited by the player at 14:43, Sun 11 Sept 2022.

Sarlot nodded and gave Atilla a ratty grin.
"Your humility is definitely appreciated, and maybe I will put your order at the bottom of the list, but I'm making sure to take design notes before starting." The Young dwarf put away their sketch pad and focused on eating their food while Grim and their host spoke. The fact that they could make something as salty, terrible, and delicious as a hot pocket was somehow more remarkable to Sarlot then any number of fantastical constructs or crazy interior spaces. It was a small taste of home.

When the party moved to the training area, Sarlot followed, and watched the others fight from the sidelines, uninterested in combat training for the moment. When there was an opening to speak, he (she?) jumped-in, approaching Atilla with a rolled-up cloth tape-measure. "Is there a statue of you somewhere here that has your exact measurements? Or maybe some of your constructs can help me get your data before I go?"

The rat waited a moment for Atilla's reply, then asked another question. "Also... can I possibly get your permission to use my [Mimicry] power to copy one of your innate talents? I'm sort of working toward a specific evolution, and one of the requirements is that I mimic everyone at least once with their permission."

If the answer is yes, the Sarlot will use [Mimicry] to copy any ability that Atilla allows while they get measurements for the Exo suit.

Atilla

The battle was more closely fought, now. He was getting better, and so were the golems. Did they draw from his own knowledge, linked to him in some deeper way? Mace, sword, axe. It didn't matter. It was footwork and management of momentum. Weapons were just - extensions.

[15XP Spent. 285XP Left.]

[Weapon: Basic LVL 5] acquired.

Grim

It . . . worked, sorta. He was more of an outdoor kitty now, and leaping around indoors wasn't - wasn't the same as it used to be. Still, leaping directly on this opponent worked. As did juking a charge, then leaping on to his opponents back!

[10XP Spent. 290XP Left.]

[Weapon: Brawling LVL 2] acquired.

[Grim] gave a kitten bow to his fighting partner golem.

"Thank you Atilla for letting me train here. I know it will help me to get better. I don't want [Shage] to have to do all the fighting in the burning jungle where we are all in. They are our major warrior there right now."

He then looked to [Sarlot, Josh], "If you need to do that to evolve, I will help you out. I will wait till you are done with [Atilla]."

The kitten sat on his haunches and watched the others. Ever the curious kitten he used his [Prophecy/Curiousity] while watching them.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:08, Mon 12 Sept 2022.

Atilla ducked under another blow and spun in time to smash his mace into the golem's head. "Ha! Landed a hit! That was... ohh," he stopped when he realized he might have cracked one of his golems. Perhaps he needed some non-lethal weapons to use for training. He held a hand up to signal for the guard to mention that he wanted a break. Instead he let [Grim] and the golem continue their mock duel.

While he rested he looked over at [Sarlot] and his measuring tools. Before the wolf-man could respond a nearby servant had approached and offered to take the tape-measure from the large rat. Together a multitude of servants worked together to get measurements. It took only a few moments before a slip of paper was handed to the craftsman with every dimension they could measure. "Ah, well there ya go."

Atilla blinked at the other request but nodded his approval. "Sure if you want. Do I need to do anything?" He stuck his hand out so that [Sarlot] could easily touch him if needed. "You'll most likely get my Familiar talent. It lets you sense surface level emotions, so pretty safe to activate around here. Not like any of us are losing their head right?" The wolf-man laughed at his own joke. He tried to not feel the emotions that his other self was experiencing. Even here it sent shivers down his spine when he dwelled on it.

While the rat conducted his experiment Atilla turned to [Grim]. He flashed a big thumbs up towards the cat. "You're doing great! Lyngel and Prydwen are probably the strongest pair but they could always use backup." He paused as he thought about what he had seen earlier. "Do you fight in your cat form, your huge cat form, or your human form? You have a surprising number of forms. Can you control when you turn back and forth?"

"Well, when it is shadowy I can be my bigger cat form. I am probably a better fighter like that. Just like you I would probably feel better fighting in humanoid form. I lost focus when [Domonokos, Prince of Relics] showed up. He kind of startled me and reminded me of the [Ghost Eater] stabbing me. It's embarrassing but it kind of made me pop back to kitten form."

He was rather happy that Demilupine seemed as nice as he thought the man was.

He looked to [Sarlot, Josh], "I would love to learn your [Mimic] talent, it would be so cool being mini versions of people, does it work on creatures too ?"

Thinks about how he may defend himself and attack better as a kitten.

Uses [Stellar Magic] to create a glowing unicorn like horn that he might fight with if he has too.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:41, Wed 14 Sept 2022.

Sarlot took the slip of paper with Atilla's measurements and nodded.
"Alright. I'm experiencing technical difficulties with Euphoria's kit, but I'll put you on the list. My thanks." At the question about the mimicry ability, Sarlot shook their head. "Nope! I just need permission. Once again, my thanks!" They replied, while folding up their acquired paper and stuffing into their satchel.

The number of questions Grim lobbed was a little overwhelming, but Sarlot did their best to respond to all of them. "Yep! Getting to you was already in the planning. Same for with your gear. Just be patient. As for whether it works on creatures? No idea! And if you could learn it? Also no idea! But you're welcome to try."

That said, Sarlot turned back and concentrated on Atilla, activating [Mimicry] to copy one of their talents. Likely the [Familiar] talent, as he'd suggested.

Atilla nodded as he listened to [Grim] describe his transformation. "Hmm, so you were startled and changed back huh? Maybe your control is tied to your emotions? You are the Prince of Passion right, so I guess that makes some amount of sense." The wolf-man tapped his chin a few times before he shrugged, "well I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually." Atilla barely understood his own abilities and he still hadn't delved into the various magics he had seen. He probably wasn't the best equipped to advise people on their abilities.

When [Sarlot] confirmed he didn't need to do more Atilla pulled back his hand and rested in a nearby seat. His new face wasn't adept at displaying a smirk but Atilla's laugh still came through crystal clear. "Hahaha, no idea indeed. I doubt any of us have a good grasp on what all their abilities do. Experimentation is probably the only thing we can do at this point besides practice. Even in this game like world you still need to practice."

After he spoke he turned towards the golem he had previously dueled. Perhaps it was time to heed his own advice. He let the others concentrate on their actions and walked back into the clearing. Before they started he tossed his mace to the guard who caught it mid-air. "I've practiced offense so now time to work on my defense. Attack me golem!" Atilla had noticed that the guard seemed to improve along with his own skills. He had modeled the guards after himself, was there some connection there he didn't understand? It was something to consider at another time. For now he raised his shield to defend himself as he trained to parry the guard's attacks.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:06, Thu 15 Sept 2022.

Grim

Atilla appeared to be the most narratively important person here. Perhaps affected by this being his fief? Or . . . something grander? Grim saw . . .  a choice, in Atilla's immediate future - within the next ten or twenty minutes, outside of whatever this place was called. A choice between love and defeating a monster.

When he concentrated, he could cause the horn to form, but it dissipated when he left off or ran out out of mana. For a longer-lasting horn, he'd need to craft a spell or a piece of equipment he could carve Stellar runes into.

Sarolt

Sarolt took the form of a small demilupine, rather puppyish, with outsized hands and feet that he would one day 'grow into'. The [Familar] talent let get a read of everyone's emotions. It was comforting to know that the others really did regard him well, and seemed a lot better off than what Eri's [Lone Candle] talent had shown him before.

Atilla

Parrying was done with the shield. It could be done with a sword - perhaps - but a shield was purpose-built for redirecting blows, and using a sword to parry meant he couldn't use that same sword to exploit the opening created by the parry. The shield and the sword, or axe, worked together; the shield guarding and opening the way for the blade, or mace.

[Learned the Melee: Parry skill at LVL 1.]

[Grim] looked to [Atilla], "Atilla, I just got a flash of insight about you. I wish it was more or could help more and I think it might involve the you that is in the jungle. Your going to come to a point where you will make a choice between love and defeating a monster."

"Hmmm seems I need some metal to scribe runes on to make the unicorn horn stick around. Sarlot do you have spare metal ?"

"Sure, just wait and I'll..." The young-dwarf in tiny-wolf form nodded at Grim's request, but didn't finish their sentence, stopping mid-motion. Attila could sense a very, very sudden shift through [Familiar] from contented focus to a feeling of abject terror and loss of control.

"Well... it's all in the Ratworks. But... uh... I'm afraid that..." Sarlot was at a loss for words. They released their wolf-form and returned to their ratty one. "The Ratworks is now under quarantine. So you might want to ask others... for now."

"Quarantine ?" [Grim]'s ears perked up.

"What happened there do you need help ?"

Sarlot shook their head, looking a little bit confused. "You're in the same shared mind-space as the rest of us, aren't you? You know what's happened."

"Yes, just catching up. I am not used to being in three places at once. All I can think of is pyromancy which is supposed to be able to cleanse taint and sickness and kill undead. I am unsure to be honest it's effect on daemons. Wait in the shared mind space Eri is there."

"I'm being called to a different fief. If this all gets resolved, I'll be back... maybe. Eventually." Hesitating on slightly, Sarolt then replied to Grim as they turned to leave. "Honestly? I'd rather purge this, just to be safe. Burning it with fire seems preferable to me then negotiating with it... but hey, what do I know? I'll give Haloise's way a chance."

With that, they left.

[To The Hall of Skye]

"Ha!" Atilla shouted in triumph once he successfully parried the guard's attack. The celebration was perhaps a touch too soon as his next attempt was too late, the weapon instead smashed into the shield. Atilla flinched as he felt a shockwave travel up his arm from the force of the impact. He shuffled back to put more distance between the golem and himself.

From behind him he heard the others talking. What had [Grim] said? He would need to make a choice between love and defeating something? Which of those were the better option? Atilla wanted to inquire more when [Sarlot]'s emotions rapidly spiked. He listened in both this world and another of the plight the large rat faced.

The wolf-man attempted to speak before [Sarlot] left when the golem knocked him square in the jaw. "Jesus, take a break. I'm dealing with something!" He snarled at the guard. He turned back to find he had been too late. "Damnit. I messed up," he grumbled aloud as he stared down at the exit. A part of him wanted to go with the other player, to ensure that [Sarlot] knew they weren't alone. In the back of his mind however, in another body, the constant threat of the god loomed over him. Atilla's [Familiar] talent still bombarded him with jungle god's rage. It never lessened, never wavered, just an unending feeling of malice.

[Grim]'s warning echoed in his head. Was this what the cat had talked about, the important choice he needed to make? To go support Josh or prepare for the conflict? Somehow Atilla was in 3 different places and still managed to not be everywhere he wanted. 'Calm down Dalton, that was in the jungle.' He forced himself to take several deep breaths. "Sarlot is upset but he's not in danger, not immediately at least. I need to make sure I can defend the others."

Atilla finally looked up and noticed that Grim still remained in the room with him. He forced a jovial tone as he addressed the cat. "Well, that was intense. Hopefully Sarlot is able to get help. I need to remain here but I understand if you want to follow." Atilla didn't want [Grim] to feel pressured to stay on his account. He returned to the golem guard and resumed his battle stance. The wolf-man continued to practice his parry skill.

[Grim] looked to [Atilla], "Thank you for letting me practice here. I don't have as much to offer in my realm, but you are invited to visit any time. I am headed back that way to practice my magic and get a better handle on it. The Hunting Lodge is the easiest thing to find for any of my fellow godlings. The servants there will be helpful."

---> Grimhold

The training continued, now with Atilla trying to defend against multiple opponents. Even one additional opponent made parrying significantly more difficult; his shield could only be in one place. Footwork became paramount.

---

15 XP spent. [Parry] has advanced to Level 2.5. 275 XP left.

---

This message was last edited by the GM at 03:31, Mon 19 Sept 2022.

The wolf-man grunted as he dodged another punch from the guard. He was dimly aware of other things happening, conversations and events in his other selves. They proved to be a sufficient distraction to get in the way of Atilla's training. He thrust his shield in time to deflect the latest attack when another nearly bowled him over. A second guard had entered the fray and sided with the first golem. "Where did you come from?" The guard gave no response except to slowly circle around Atilla to strike. For a second he thought that maybe these servants were more complicated than he assumed. The next second he was too busy with his footwork to put too much thought into it. Later he'd interrogate his guards, for now Atilla continued his parry training.

---

15 XP spent. [Parry] has advanced to Level 4. 260 XP left.

---

"We came from the mother-waters," said one of the golems, "that sprang from the echo-well."

This golem was taller than the others, and little thinner. Over the golem's brow were carved three elaborate bind-runes, which read: "Hraiii", "Czek", and "Uruz."  The other golems only had "Czek."

The golem carried a wooden training-axe and a shield. "When mother-waters rushed past the father-rocks, we were struck away, and carved into men. When the waters had passed, the Pools remained. We guard mother-water with our bodies, born of strong father-rock."

He took a neutral stance. "Be the mother-waters, and rush."

"Oh," Atilla muttered as he listened to the golem's answer. The question had been rhetorical so the wolf-man had not been prepared for his supposedly mute golems to not only respond but seemingly give a serious response. His brain buzzed with a hundred different questions about this revelation. Had they always been able to speak? Who was this mother-water? Had the game created some lore to explain his ideas or was this just another part of his domain that he simply hadn't realized?

The guard who answered was different than the others Atilla noted, specifically the words etched in its head. Hadn't Grim mentioned something of that nature, runes? Did that signify that this was some sort of leader? Atilla thought about it, he had specified golems. Back on earth he had been a big nerd so he recalled how the original golem had been brought to life by the "word of god". Perhaps the game had drawn from that when it created his golems.

He was also curious about the "mother-water" and "father-rock". In another version of himself he had seen how a river contained a spirit, it stood to reason that other things might have spirits. The spring itself might very well contain a spirit, hell maybe their castle was teeming with them. It was definitely something he'd need to explore at some point.

A blow to the snout ripped Atilla from his musings on his fief. He shook his head before motioned for the first golem to return the mace. It seemed this leader came equipped with it's own training equipment. "So, do you have a name guardian of the mother-water?" The wolf-man asked before he took a stance and rushed the guard. He continued to hone his parry skill while he dueled the axe wielding golem.

"A given-name is a bond-gift of creator to creation. I have no given-name, but I call myself Guardian."

Atilla was neatly parried, and in the same movement stripped of his weapon; the Golem caught the blow on his shield, but turned with Atilla's strike even as he did so, catching the haft of Atilla's mace and throwing using both points of contact to force the weapon from Atilla's hand and cast it away.

---

[19:06, Today: The Fool, for the NPC Guardian Golem, rolled 134 using 2d100 with rolls of 38,96.  Attack and vs.]

---

One of the other golems returned the mace to Atilla. "I left myself open, there. I captured your weapon, but your shield-arm was free. You could have punched me in the face with the edge of your shield, then used your disarmed hand to grab my axe-arm. A more skilled opponent may underestimate you in this way. To understand the mace, you must understand the fist; to know the fist, you must know the hand. Father-rock is defined by mother-water. Mother-water moves through the path of least resistance, defined by father-rock."

"Now, I will be mother-water. When I rush, decide where I will strike by defining the path of least resistance. If you know where I will strike - then you know where to parry. The rest is timing."

---

[25 XP spent. [Parry] has advanced to Level 6.5. 235 XP left.]

---

This message was last edited by the GM at 02:21, Mon 26 Sept 2022.

Atilla smirked when he heard that the creator could gave him a name. No doubt he could come up with a hilarious name for the golem. Upon further reflection however he realized that might be cruel. A permanent name and gift deserved a bit more thought than the first joke that popped into his head. So instead he nodded. "Pleasure to meet you Guardian."

The wolf-man confidently charged only to have his weapon knocked away. He rubbed his hand as he recovered and listened to the Guardian's lesson. The Guardian wasn't just sentient but it was a very competent teacher. Atilla wondered where that knowledge had come from, it obviously had not come from himself. He grabbed his mace and resumed the ready stance he had been taught.

Atilla forced himself to steady his breath as he waited for the attack. Soon after the Guardian rushed the wolf-man made his move. He intentionally moved his shield high to fake an opening near the bottom of his stance. If his opponent took the bait he slammed his shield down to parry the blow and quickly followed with a shield bash.

Guardian went for the opening and the parry went off without a hitch, but following up with a shield-bash didn't do much. He connected, full strength, but Guardian was unmoved.

"Father-rock endures, mother-water rushes. To strike with father-rock, one must first rush like mother-water. A bash can be effective, but only with the momentum of a charge behind it, or the usage of advanced technique. Force must be guided. You must strike like rapids, not like an upset pond."

---

[25 XP spent. [Parry] has advanced to Level 9. 210 XP left.]

---

"You have nearly mastered deflection. To go further, we must establish other tributaries, or your flow will become weak and slow; without the strength for the greater arts of father-rock and mother-water. What would you learn next? To dodge, or to strike?" Guardian said.

Even though Atilla merely followed the Guardian's direction he was filled with pride when he parried the blow. That excitement quickly faded when his bash seemed to do nothing to the stone golem. Perhaps it was a good thing it happened, the last thing the wolf-man needed was to be humbled on a creature that actually wanted to kill him. He retreated and resumed his fighting stance as he listened to his mentor.

Atilla pondered the question asked but before he could respond he gripped his head. Another version of him fought as a hearth manifested some entity. He had been so close to getting out, Eri had literally offered him an escape. If he could just-

His thought was cut off as something large and heavy was thrown into Atilla. Both he and the object fell together in a heap that left him sprawled out on the floor. The wolf-man groaned as he slowly pulled himself back to his feet. He turned to inspect what had attacked him when he stared at another wolf-man in goliath armor.

"What the-"
"What the-"

Both Atilla's stepped back in confusion as they looked at one another. If he wasn't in the middle of the feast hall he would have assumed a full length mirror had been set up.

"The hearth room that kicked us out, that must be you! No, I was here to start with. You were thrown into me. Okay, this is pointless."
"The hearth room that kicked us out, that must be you! No, I was here to start with. You were thrown into me. Okay, this is pointless."

The Atilla's stopped before they continued to talk over one another. Instead he pondered on what to do next. Clearly something had happened although he had no idea what. It was unfortunately par for the course at this point. He had barely understood the world when it had been a game, now that it was real it seemed one new thing after the next. His priority now was to find Eri and figure out if they were under attack. Once things had settled down he also wanted to talk about sending him home. Hadn't Eri said that she could hear us throughout the kingdom?

"I invoke the name of Regina Damnatorum. Where the hell are you?"
"I invoke the name of Regina Damnatorum. Where the hell are you?"

If nothing happened the two wolf-men rushed to the room he had reserved for their patron and where they had stored her doll. Perhaps she too had been shunted to his fief.