String fullTitle = 'Valen Quest 86';
int postNumber = 5967274;
String image = '1712003129601938.png';
String date = '04/01/24(Mon)16:25:29';
String comment = 'Pale light dawned gently in the furthest reach of the sky. Solid black blades of charred grass crunched lifelessly beneath the shoes of uniformed men and women as they worked to secure what remained of a natural disaster that perhaps only the Shrine could explain.
Shards of shattered hulling wedged into the carved furrows of Lake Resuri, but the rays of sunlight beginning to skip across the now placid lake's surface betrayed the fact that they were only a fragment of the wreckage still finding its way to shore. Where the earth was not crumbling char, evidence of having been scoured by a flame the guards had to assume were Adept related, it was upturned or flooded, and in some cases, both.
"I don't even know where to begin looking for what caused this." A guard scowled, "This stuff isn't normally our purview is it? Seems like Shrine business."
"They're saying they won't be getting involved with it." Another groused, running her hand back through her hair as she looked out across the ruin with a heavy heart. "Usually they're the ones telling us to fuck off, but now when we actually want them to step in they're refusing to budge."
"At least there don't... Appear to be any casualties. Small miracle, that."
"No casualties on shore, anyway." The woman corrected darkly, "No telling if they just got washed out. Or buried."
"Really wish you hadn't said that." The first guard sighed, raising his foot uncomfortably from the upchurned mud. His peer's laughter was cut-short when a sudden shout from one of the other guards made the morbid joke into a prophecy. "Wisp preserve, there really was one buried!"
"Should've kept my damn mouth shut..." The woman grumbled as the two of them jogged to the source of the commotion. An arm had been found sticking out of the ground. At a glance, despite being caked in mud, it seemed feminine. There was already an effort rallying to begin digging the rest of the body out when... The supposed corpse's digits twitched.
It flailed awkwardly for a moment, sinking back into the earth as if embarrassed it had been spotted at all, before grasping a handful of the moistened earth and clenching. A second arm erupted from the earth, sending the surrounding guards back a step before the owner of the limbs finally burst free of her earthen tomb and gasped for air.';
'"Dear me, I need a bath." the woman muttered, her nude body rising shamelessly from the earth. "Honestly, I should have just parted the earth and gotten it over with... Oh." Almost as a second thought, she seemed to finally take notice of her audience. She blinked owlishly, turning from face to startled face with a curious, searching expression. "None of you are..." She began, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, was there someone else here? Rather short? Long hair?"
"...No." The answer was slow in coming as the guards looked between one another. "Are you alright? Are there more casualties you might know about? Do you have any idea what happened here?"
The woman clicked her tongue. "Still a better first date than Caylen." She muttered to herself, "Playing hard to get? Fine, fine. Run all you want, Irue. If you're here for Artemis, you have to come back to me eventually."
"Ma'am-"
The woman spared a second glance at the crowd of guards surrounding her as one made a renewed effort to grab her attention. Belatedly, as if etiquette only sluggishly occurred to her, she covered herself with her arms. She cast a furtive glance at what remained of the conflict from last night, then towards the guards a third time, and seemed to mull something over before clearing her throat.
"All of this was my fault, I apologize. May I have something to cover myself with before I explain?"';
'Far from the mutilated shore of Lake Resuri, another blonde took shelter in the claustrophobic alleys of the city. This close to dawn the streets, never truly emptied, were growing lively with the morning throng moving to seize the day. Their commotion echoed down the narrow alleys. It was relentless, the blonde spared a fleeting and stressed moment to grouse, as if Resuri held something deeply personal against peace and quiet.
It wasn't the environment they were comfortable in. Wasn't the world they grew up in. Wasn't the forest, or the plains, or the river, or the silent libraries, or the walled yards. It was a novel place, an exciting place, a place filled with wonder and curiosity waiting to be sated if circumstances weren't what they were.
But their heart hammered violently in their chest, an acidic hate thick in the back of their throat that wouldn't subside. In an act of desperation, they'd buried the object of their ire and fled with every fiber of their being. Fled for safety, for time, for space. There was no mistaking what they did to have killed that woman; Even now the notion that her hand might simply explode from the ground and drag the rest of her loathesome body back up to begin round two in this remote alleyway was a real enough threat that the blonde considered repositioning for a third or fourth time.
A hard breath filled their lungs, their mount stamping its mark nervously into the ground as it shifted in the dark. Hidden in the shadows of the alley, darker now moments before dawn than the night just prior, but there was no telling how long such cover would last. No promise that the cover would matter at all, given what had happened last night.
Not for the first time they nudged the silent tiara - mask, they would insist - resting on their crown. The manifestation of normally cheerful Dryad apparition. One whose continued lack of response only served to heighten the blonde's anxiety as dawn crawled on. Crimson eyes flickered rapidly between the alley's entrances, seeking, searching, constantly on alert for something to intrude. For her.
And that anxiety wasn't for nothing. In the space of a moment, a body stood silhouetted against the morning rays cast beyond the buildings. It stood in the threshold, head inclined as it scrutinized the narrow walkway. A single step carried the intruder from the light, their attention trained unerringly on the blonde and their mount despite the Nightmare's shaded camouflage.
The blonde's grip on their mount's ivy reigns tightened.
Round two.';
'"Irue."
A voice which almost didn't register in the blonde's hyper-focused state. Soft-spoken and calm. Its owner extended her hand coaxingly in the blonde's direction. The mount's lips peeled back in an inadvertent mirror of its rider's, both baring their fangs warningly. It brought the intruder to a stop.
The intruder's extended hand closed slowly, clasping against their chest with an almost inaudible sigh. She shook her head, sea-green eyes staring unblinklingly into the blonde's wide-eyed scarlet. She said nothing further, neither advancing or retreating, until a hint of recognition flashed behind the blonde's anxious, leery stare.
"...Asche?" Disbelief painted their weakly croaking voice. The Intruder's passive expression shifted. The slightest of smiles gracing their face as they nodded.
"You're safe, Irue."
Regardless of whether it was true, or how she would even know if such a thing were true or not, the statement jarred the blonde from the deeply entrenched state they were in.
It jarred you.
Right. You are Irue Valen. You were safe. For now. The intrusive hate that thickly coated your throat receded alongside your panic, clearing a weight from your body and mind that you hadn't noticed gripping you. You heaved a breath with deliberate purpose and felt yourself begin to physically decompress as you exhaled.
"What... What are you doing here?"
Asche kept you in her sight, sea-green eyes unblinking, for several moments. Answers formed and passed without a word. Struggling to find one she felt appropriate, the maid uncharacteristically averted her eyes. "I was worried."
"..." Hidden away in this claustrophobically narrow alley, you felt your faculties piecing themselves back into place now that the panic had started to pass. It left in a wretched way, leaving behind the half-assembled cogs of your plans, now seemingly misaligned and misshapen to the point that you wondered what enacting them could accomplish in the first place.
"I ran into Maran." You murmured, partially for Asche's benefit. Mostly for your own. To vocalize the mess that meeting had left you with and try to make sense of your options. "She may as well have been invincible. Scar couldn't hurt her, she didn't drown, she didn't burn. It didn't matter what Mana I called, she treated me like a child and walked through it unscathed."
Asche frowned minutely, saying nothing.
"I don't... Understand. The only reason I can call on the Mana is this bracelet-" You traced the contours of the relic on your wrist as you spoke. The action soothed you. "She didn't have a single relic on her, it doesn't make sense. What am I supposed to do about that?!"
Across from you, the small maid lowered her head.
"She did something to Lily, I can't get her to respond since." Your grip tightened once more around Lily's ivy woven reigns. "She might be hurt. I don't know." You spat the words as frustration crept through your frame.';
'You had plans. Isaac was getting you an entry into the merchant's gala, and subsequently its slave auction. Getting you closer to the Teranford refugees. He was gathering information on Priat's whereabouts.
Maran, for whatever reason, had freely given you information regarding Artemis' local hierarchy. Specifically, the name of its operations director in Resuri - A merchant going by 'Gulla'. She'd also told you Caylen would arrive in Resuri soon, if not sometime today at the earliest. Whether any of that information was something you could trust was another matter.
The Shrine had agreed to turn a willfully blind eye to your actions here already. Probably the only reason your conflict with Maran last night didn't attract any curious adepts... And you had somewhat of a rapport with the local mayor, owing to your initial groundwork upon reaching Resuri.
So, at the very least, you had little to worry about from the official authority in the area.
The same couldn't be said of the merchant's mercenaries, whom had already grown a presence strong enough as to place said official authorities into a delicate position long before you arrived.
You had considered that, in the worst case scenario, you may have been able to leverage the bracelet and Dryad siblings to simply break the mercenary forces through sheer power... But with Maran arrayed behind them, any force you brought to bare was just as liable to be met with the same in return.
Dawn rose on your second day in Resuri and found you in a stalemate you didn't fully understand. You felt fine, stamina wise... But your misadventures last night had killed whatever hope for rest you may have had. Your Shadescar would keep you from feeling the fatigue that cost you, but it wouldn't stop you from hitting a wall eventually... And that stop would assuredly be abrupt and immediate. The same could be said for your mount.
>Tend to Lily, making sure she was okay was your top priority.
>Check back with Isaac Lupre to learn about Priat.
>Rest until evening. You couldn't afford an unexpected stop.
>Other? (write-in)';
'Previous Threads:om/qstarchive.html?tags=Valen+Quest
jxLjSbvr-xcxqX9M_ysKaBV1zkUmu5/view?usp=sharingL1fIYb22IqQ51wWUp3-IMZa2nV5TY8/view?usp=sharing
;
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.c
Where things are said: https://twitter.com/Riz_QM
Where things are asked: http://ask.fm/RizQM
Assorted Supplemental:
Irue Things (up to 74) - https://pastebin.com/PchcdWpw
A List of Forgotten Things (up to 74) - http://pastebin.com/kPEscJ3h
Irue's Memoirs (Scares the QM to update) - http://pastebin.com/sWnicrK7
Arc I - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DM
Arc II - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cX
"Really I'd say anybody catching up should read threads instead of this because of what goes on in them, so this is more for looking back I'd say." - Ebook anon
Write-ups:
Kara's Day Out - http://pastebin.com/8ZbiSKLs
Adventures with Asche - http://pastebin.com/RNviCBJu
The Reclaimed Doll - http://pastebin.com/n6miP1qT
In Your Shadow - http://pastebin.com/EfeeHFAE
Friends Forever - http://pastebin.com/Yn0QaTVB
The Woman Beneath Steel - http://pastebin.com/pMGgiHC3
Paper Flowers - https://pastebin.com/Pk0W7rEm
Merciless Compass - https://pastebin.com/8Hy0krxv
Better Strangers - https://pastebin.com/mvShXpCt
Misc notes:
Living outside of time is difficult. I blink and a month has passed. I blink and summer is here. It's too hot. It's too bright.Memo:
1. Work through dying before it causes issues with the Shade scar.
2. Return and investigate the Dryad Shrine
3. Investigate the Valen catacombs
Itinerary:
1. Discern knights with an affinity for Mana worth polishing.
2. Contact the Crown
3. Track down Asche, who left to find the descendant of the Ice Queen's bloodline.
4. Track down the Tier siblings, currently located in Resuri.
5. Expedition for resources to the north.
6. Unfinished business at the Ruined Shrine.
7. Meditate to Shade today with bracelet removed to try and deal with the claws
Current Goal:
What's On Your Mind:'
'>>5967281
Holy Jesus FUCK I never thought this Quest would still be going. Almost 9 years now? Christ.
I remember when this started to run around the same time I discovered Questing and ran my first Quest too back on /tg/.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck';
'>>5967318
We edge perilously close to an ending! Though not necessarily the ending I circumstances I expected.';
'>>5967279
>Other? (write-in)
Head back to the Mayor's office so we can coordinate and prepare to kick in doors (as needed) and preempt Caylen's arrival. once we get that up and running we can see if Lily will wake up.
Also be petty and fuck with Maran';'>>5967279
>Hug Asche with our good arm
>Tend to Lily
Welcome back Riz!';
'>>5967318
Me too man, me too.
>>5967274
Dude, I think this thing qualifies as a novel by now.
Chad shadow clone Valen ftw.';'>>5967776
Goddammit, I thought I cleared the name field.
>Write-ups:
Fuck off with that shit, binge reading Homestuck was easier to swallow than reading all of this shit on archived back on suptg.
Still love it way more than Homosuck on any day of the week tho>Memo:
>Itinerary:
I pretty much forgot all details of the magical bullshit shadowruns and I ain't about to backtrack on that!';
'>>5967279
>Rest until evening. You couldn't afford an unexpected stop.
Poor gal's overwhelmed, she needs to recharge before unholstering her autism onto whatever zainy mind games befall her, or else face the horrors of a QM induced timeout, probably in the form of a blackout.
>Asche
>Lily
>Maran
Okay so, which one of these is the closeted lesbian sexually tensed waifu bodyguard servant, creepy yandere autistic dryad clone of Valen and the dommy mommy aristocrat magician that wants to see our girl dead or at least out of action?';
'>>5967384
+1
If possible, I'd like for Valen to gaslight Maran (whoever she is) into having a complex about her appearance, like subtly commenting on her weight even if her weight is enviously fine.>>5967776
>>5967783
>>5967788
>Current Goal:
Same as always, SURVIVE
>What's On Your Mind:
Frankly, if it weren't for all of the sorcerous juju keeping Irue tied up, I would suggest for her to just peace out under a new identity, timeskip for a couple of years if not decades, only to momentously reappear Count of Monte Cristo-style.
>>5967279
>A merchant going by 'Gulla'.
That name literally stands for 'gluttony' in Latin, either the writer had a lapse of judgement in fantasy naming conventions but that merchant is obviously bad news. This is obviously all part of a setup that the author has placed hints over the course of the story that I simply couldn't catch until some autist big brained anon or the QM if not both lay it all out in a series of massive text wall, as is usually case.';
'>>5967279
>Tend to Lily, making sure she was okay was your top priority.';
'>>5967279
>Tend to Lilly
So much time has passed I had
forgottenthe mess we are in';'>>5967384
>>5967805
To the mayor to preempt Caylen!
>>5967788
Resting!
>>5967701
Welcoming Asche!
>>5967701
>>5968021
>>5968124
Tending to Lily!
Will try and update a bit later tonight!
---
>>5967701
>welcome back
Honestly pissed off. I've been juggling a bunch of different things the past couple months and finally got so fed up that I swept the table and just said "fuck it, thread". And then to add insult to injury I got distracted and thread landed on april 1st anyway.';
'Fellas, NGL, feels like we don't have more than 3 threads of Valen left at this point. If even that, with the shit we're in.
But maybe that's a good thing? Riz will finally be free from slaving for us to do whatever Riz do. Maybe Riz will run a new quest. Dear god imagine. A new, fresh setting. New blood joining our bloodied ranks. Got dam';
'>>5968660
>Maybe Riz will run a new quest.
Return to the Fox Fire run?';
'>>5968661
>foxfire
I wouldn't actually mind though lol';
'For now, your priority was Lily. The youngest Dryad apparition's unresponsiveness drove a frigid tremor through you that was difficult to shake. It was a stark and wholely unwelcome hint at how invested you had become in her wellbeing in the short time you'd known her.
You reached out through the bracelet in the same familiar way you always had, but other than confirming your connection to her remained unbroken, your attempts to draw some sort of response from Lily gave you nothing. She was there, though. And you didn't think she was injured. She-
"Sleeping." Asche's calm voice interceded. You paused to look at her, meeting her impassive stare with mild confusion. Scar trampled back unnerved when the maid took a step forward, her neck craning back just that little bit further to address you.
She held her hand out in silent request.
Lily. She was asking for Lily, you realized after a moment. You didn't hesitate to hand over the mask that housed the young apparition's core to the small maid... And upon grasping it, her eyes closed in contemplative silence.
Asche nodded to herself, freeing you of a breath you hadn't realized you were holding. "Sleeping?" You echoed, receiving a shallow nod in confirmation. "Nothing else? She's not hurt?" This time a shake of her head, and you felt your shoulders sag tiredly. Before you had thought twice you'd dismounted Scar and crossed the distance between you, sweeping the small maid into a grateful hug that elicited a startled hiss of breath from her as she stiffened awkwardly in your arms.
"Thank you." A simple, heartfelt thing slipped from your lips... But having an answer only raised more questions. "How can you tell? How do we wake her up?" - Even more questions beyond that swirled on the tip of your tongue, but these were the most important.
"..."
You broke the embrace, holding Asche by the shoulder at arm's length. "Asche?"
Contentment. Disappointment. Traces of two at-odds expressions fled her carefully neutral face before she belatedly restarted. "She will wake up." Asche answered, pausing to further consider your questions. "...I can wake her instead?"
>Let Lily sleep, she deserves a rest.
>Wake up Lily, you got a city to burn.
"...Something else about the bracelet you kept quiet about." You surmised irritably. Asche held your accusatory gaze for several awkward moments, a small, visible frown anxiously tugging at her lips as she nodded. You'd gone rounds over this already... but whatever words you would have had for her were preempted when a splash of red surfaced in her sea-green eyes like a mirage.';
'The small maid stepped across the arm's length between you and wrapped her arms around your waist, burying her face tight against your chest before you could be certain of what you'd seen. "I made a mistake."
"Ah?" You fell back a quarter-step, catching your balance on your backfoot as you shifted your non-Shadewreathed hand to pat her awkwardly on the back. "Asche?"
"I belong here. With you."
"...?"
>?';
'>>5968682
>Let Lily sleep, she deserves a rest.
She tried her best, Aegis is probably needed where we're going.
>?
? So then why did she leave, instead of explaining things. She obviously knows more relevant information. See what she knows of anything that could cause what we saw with Maran.
We need to head to the Mayor's office to spin things up.
Asche would be very useful to send to intercept Caylen, but I don't think she is mentally up to being sent away again at so soon.';'>>5968683
>And I need you with me!
All quest she's been off doing god knows what. That changes, now.';
'>>5968683
>Let Lily sleep
>?
>Try to coax more information from Ashe, how did she know?
>Use the bracelet to call Luna and ask what the nightgaunts are and how to unfuck the situation
Might be cool to know what's going on, and between Maran and the siblings we won't have a chance to do it later.';
'>>5968689
>>5969273
Lily deserves a nap.
>>5968718
Asche is staying right by your side for a while!
>>5968689
>>5969273
assorted Asche questions!
>>5969273
Tap Luna for nightgaunt information while the Dryad siblings are indisposed.
Will get started tonight but dunno if I'll get an update out before I fall asleep.
Also for >>5968689 's sake, I have slotted in a visit to the mayor as your next course of action after resolving things with Asche in this alley!';
'>>5968661
Fox Fire run? What's that? I only know Riz's Valen Quest.';
'>>5969374
I assume that once you make these collection posts, the voting is already called off ye? It's been a while mmmkay?
Anyway, in case that isn't the case:
>Let Lily sleep, she deserves a rest.
>"...Something else about the bracelet you kept quiet about."
Oh gawd, the bracelet is attached to us in a visceral way like those torcs of the Black Tongues from Unsounded! Oh well.
>The small maid stepped across the arm's length between you and wrapped her arms around your waist, burying her face tight against your chest before you could be certain of what you'd seen.
Lewd
>?
Pull her away, silently look deep into those shifty eyes of hers, pick her chin up to make her look at Valen for added effect, then get really really close her face before saying:
"No, you belong to me."
Damn, I wish we had sunglasses to pull at this moment.Then anticlimactically pull away at the last second before the lips to connect, hopefully turning Asche into a clamjammed blushing mess, serves her right for keeping secrets like that from us.';
'>>5970389
It's an old side quest Riz ran at the start of Valen. It fell off.
It was about a magic fox (real fox up to some real shit) in some sort dystopian fantasy setting. We hardly got to explore the world much';
'>>5970397
>I assume that once you make these collection posts, the voting is already called off ye?
This is more or less the case, however until the update is posted I'm in a perpetual state of editing and revision/restructuring, so if there's something that you want to add which isn't too incompatible with what I've already put together, I generally don't mind making adjustments!
Anyhow, update in a bit. I was afflicted with sleepy bitch syndrome most of yesterday.';
'You allowed the maid to cling to you for a few, awkward seconds. You'd sought solace in each other on a regular basis after your sister's death, so the sudden contact wasn't unusual... Just unexpected. As the years passed and the two of you had worked to try and move past the gaping hole left in your lives, moments of emotional instability had come less and less.
With a sigh, you forced yourself to relax and rubbed a small, comforting circle along the maid's back with your uninjured hand. "Of course you belong, Asche. You're mine." The grip around your waist tightened minutely, leaving you with the increasingly dissonant struggle between trying to address the impending disaster in Resuri and addressing your childhood friend's impending breakdown.
Whether it was the correct choice or not, the scale tipped towards Asche.
"This is the second time you've said you made a mistake." You prodded gently. She'd said as much during your first confrontation back in Carona, when she'd begun opening up regarding the nature of the bracelet, and her own nature beyond that. The implications you'd been given a glimpse of didn't make sense- Not knowing what to do with them, you had packed them away and resolved simply to accept Asche as Asche. The same Asche you grew up with. The same one who had chosen to ignore memories of her own past in favor of preserving your present relationship.
...Well, that wasn't entirely true. You wanted to pursue more of her knowledge about the bracelet, but things rarely went your way. Events were set in motion almost immediately that kept you busy and eventually saw Asche absent from your side all over again.
Until she'd wandered her way back to your side today. Now, of all times, and across the territory from where you'd last heard her being.
You had as many questions as you did concerns.
You knelt slowly, easing Asche's possessive embrace away until you were on eye level with her. Familiar sea-green and nothing else. A trick of the morning light earlier, maybe...? "The first time, I sent you away. You got captured and it was my fault." You started, "The second time you left on your own."
"I had to." She replied flatly, then shook her head as if to deny the words immediately. "...I did not have to. It was beneficial."
"So much so you didn't even consult me?" Her eyes dipped. A silent, wordless little admission of shame. "What was so important that it meant more than having you with me? Especially with how concerned you are over my use of the bracelet?"
"An Aeon would consume Carona." Not the scale of answer you expected, admittedly. "...Or more."
"More?"
"All of this territory."
...Rather than continue kneeling, you opted to sit. "What Aeon? Why?"
"The Ice Queen." Asche's soft voice came unbothered. "In search of kin."';
'"The Ice Queen is still around?"
Asche shook her head before you could begin thinking too deeply on your experience in solving the Ice Queen's Atelier for something you had missed. "The Aeon is gone. Its will remains."
"Since you said it was beneficial, I'm assuming that won't be a problem anymore?" You asked, breathing a sigh of relief at the maid's simple nod. "What did you do to stop it?"
"Found kin in its place."
You wanted to chastise her over having made the decision to leave unilaterally, but an Aeon's will threatening to destroy Carona and the rest of your territory as collateral damage to some other goal was a problem you had the sinking suspicion you would have felt compelled to handle yourself if it had been brought to your attention. If not because you couldn't trust others to handle something so important, then because your utilization of the bracelet seemed like one of the few things capable of adequately confronting such a problem. Maybe the Shrine, if you could have gotten them onboard.
Knowing now what you did about the circumstances in Resuri, any time you had spent on that would have seen you arriving here far too late.
...Which didn't mean you weren't still somewhat cross over her disappearing the way she had, but the oppressive theme of your life lately was an overwhelming degree of tasks for which you had stressfully few competent hands. That she'd shouldered this was something you couldn't help be grateful for.
"What happened after you found the Ice Queen's Kin?"
"I delivered him."
"...Then what?"
Asche stared blankly. "The Atlach-Nacha took him."
"..." You suspect your maid may have consigned someone to a horrific fate in her absence. "Alright. The first time you left it was my fault. The second time it was yours." Ignoring the fate in question for the moment, you sought Asche's hand with your own and squeezed it firmly. "From now on, we stay together. Alright?"
"Yes." Asche nodded, her unblinking eyes resolved in that affirmation.
"How did you get here, anyway? How did you find me?" What she had been doing aside, the timing of her appearance was uncanny. And to have found you, specifically, in this remote alley in all of Resuri?
"Privilege." The small maid answered matter-of-factly. "'Home is where the heart is'."';
'You blinked, taken aback. Had she earned a privilege by aiding the Ice Queen's Atelier? You recognized it as part of the privileges you had acquired from your time Solving it, but you'd never heard of being able to acquire them any other way... You'd never heard of aiding them, either. There was a great deal regarding the nature of Aeons and Ateliers that few, if any, people could realistically be privvy too... Excluding Artemis, maybe.
"I was never certain what that would do, so I never used it..." You murmured. "It just takes you to someone?"
"It takes you home." Asche corrected.
"...It took you to me." You note flatly, receiving her impassive gaze in turn.
"Home is where the heart is."
Not the most helpful explanation, but at the very least you understood that home wasn't necessarily a place. If it brought Asche to you, it could be a person as well? The heart? ...If you had to guess, maybe it was weighing the imoportance you placed on something to determine where you would go.
That explained how she got to you, at least. "Alright. Listen, before you got here I got into a fight with Maran. Somehow, she was able to match every Mana I called to try and deal with her using the bracelet, and even Scar trampling on her didn't seem to bother her." Your voice lowered as you swiftly went over a summary of what had happened hours earlier. It was a ridiculous feeling, but just talking about the damned woman felt like it ran the risk of summoning her.
The longer your summary went on however, the more Asche's expression turned. She listened diligently at first, but upon the mention of the Mana her features grew downcast, and her face only darkened from there.
It didn't inspire hope in you, even if it did imply Asche had some idea what you were dealing with. "As far as I could tell she didn't have a single Relic on her, and the only Relic I know that could have done what she did is my sister's bracelet." You breathed in trepidation, locking eyes with the small maid as she scowled. "You know something."
"...I do not know the answer."
"But you know something." You reiterated forcefully. "What is it?"
Silence. Her small body shook as she drew in a deep breath. "It is broken." She answered softly, placing her hands gently around the bracelet on your wrist as she spoke. "It was broken. And then broken again. The first time, what was broken was lost."
"...And the second?"
"What was broken remained. It... Changed."
You shook your head. "What does this have to do with Maran?"
Asche hesitated, trying to find a form for her thoughts. Her suspicions. "...What remained-" She began with a slow, deliberate choice of words. "-Is in possession of another."';
'"Are you telling me Maran actually has something like the bracelet?" The question was rhetorical, partially because you hadn't truly believed there could have been another answer, but also in the sense that you didn't want to hear the answer. "I saw her, she had nothing on her." Your head shook again, "No... Did they plant it inside of her? Like aunt Clara and the Nymph's Wood...?"
Asche was being cooperative with your questions, but she was still clearly reticent over something. You could pry for more information now... Though if you did, the questions would need to be specific. Even working with you, it had always been difficult to coax full explanations from her regarding anything.
...But you didn't have all day, either. You needed to get moving soon in order to get a headstart on Caylen's arrival.
>You have something else you want to know... (What's on your mind?)
>You think you understand now... (Present a theory to Asche for potential feedback.)
>You needed to get moving, grab Asche and go.
>Other? (write-in)
As with most things concerning Asche, the more detailed and specific you are, the better. She will try to respond in full faith, but she struggles to communicate in general. The less burdened she is in structuring her responses, the more direct your answers are liable to be.';'>>5971437
>You have something else you want to know... (What's on your mind?)
In her opinion is Maran likely to obstruct our plans relating to maintaining Dryad. Or at least if convinced by Caylen to do so is she able to?
Is Ache able to prevent Maran from interfering if asked?
Would she be able to locate Caylen / Alouette
by following the Jinn-phone's signal, or otherwise locate them in short order?
If she can't communicate complex answers easily, ask binary questions, when have we ever needed details.';
'>>5971437
I kind of want to go, but I guess we can talk to Asche for a while.
>>5971492
Supporting this.
I guess I'll just add that we should thank Asche for saving Valen Territory from being consumed by an Aeon.
Good girl!';
'>>5971659
>I kind of want to go, but I guess we can talk to Asche for a while.
That was part of my concern, it would probably take a significant amount of time to come up with a workable thesis, that obeys everything we know about the use of mana and have observed or otherwise inferred Maran to have done.
and would likely retread a significant amount of what was confirmed via "word of god" last thread, from an inherently less informed sourceand so waste time, that we need to spend getting out of things and reducing the scale; of things once they go to shit as they will in short order though any one of the potential about to occur happenings.So the actual answers effectively no longer matter, which of course will end up fucking us, since we're effectively being expected to defeat as far as we know an omnipotent opponent that hard counters any and all of our viable options, and even then probably could successfully "bullshit" their way out of a 1v1 against Dryad with ease.
I have a feeling we're going to need to kill Caylen';'>>5971672
Hmmmm, in that case...
>>5971659
I'll be changing my vote to
>You needed to get moving, grab Asche and go.
We can talk and move maybe, but if we can't do that just move.
Better to have the initiative and get ahead of things as much as we can.
We probably need to find Aegis and meet up with Ari. Then go meet up with the Mayor.
I actually forget if Ari has any fighting capability when she's not with Aegis.
I don't think so, so we probably need to borrow some of the Mayor's body guards to accompany Isaac later. Hope he has some good ones. Maybe we can find some good mercs looking for work?
If not, we could probably go with him ourselves. Gulla could be their at the party.
Actually, maybe we should go ourselves with Ari and Asche. Protect our contact, possibly confront another Artemis agent, and maybe even get more intel on the political layout of Resuri.';
'>>5971710
>We probably need to find Aegis and meet up with Ari. Then go meet up with the Mayor.
I was planning on getting the Mayor to inform the gate to allow passage for Ari into Resuri, and let her know to go looking for Aegis then find us so she knows whenever she turns up, Assuming we can't use the Jinn-phone for two way communication and tell her directly.
>I actually forget if Ari has any fighting capability when she's not with Aegis.
She probably does at this point via attuning to, and requesting things of Dryad.
>I don't think so, so we probably need to borrow some of the Mayor's body guards to accompany Isaac later. Hope he has some good ones. Maybe we can find some good mercs looking for work?
Certainly all good options, though we may well have Alouette for that if the timelines work out well, or we just tell Isaac that things are going down and to bail, I don't think he would be dumb enough to ignore a direct warning of shit going down.
>Actually, maybe we should go ourselves with Ari and Asche.
There is also the potential to kick things of early using Ageis and Ari to cause a controlled "scene" to provide cover for waiting guards to bust up the event and then divide and concur while any mercenary forces are distracted and recover the Tiers and assorted slaves.';
'>>5971437
>You have something else you want to know... (What's on your mind?)
Maran is invincible. Do you know a way to stop her?';
'>>5971966
>Maran is invincible.
I'm not sure she is and it isn't just her being perfectly fluent with mana, no idea how exactly she supposedly predicted our attunement to Luna. As practically everting else could be done by a "sufficiently well attuned Adept", Though her use of Dryad to put Lily to sleep since Atermis should have killed them all, is incredibly questionable and so lost their institutional knowledge.
It would be against the rules to ask Asche to attune to Luna and transcribe what she knows for us, right? since we can use the bracelet in slow time to learn, or otherwise review what we saw.I still think Irue came worse off during the conversation with her';'>>5971437
Aw shit, almost missed this
>You think you understand now... (Present a theory to Asche for potential feedback.)
The braceler is literally Asche's heart, Asche is what was broken, Naran is the other broken thing, or is formed around it like an apparition around a core
I can't believe you didn't hug Asche back, anons.';
'>>5971492
>>5971966
Asche questions!
>>5971710
time to go!
>>5972850
Theories?
alright! I'll try and get an update out later tonight!';
'>>5971437
She’s autistic, got it.';
'alright, so thread has started off cursed. Tomorrow seems clear at least.';
'>>5974223
What do you mean? This whole quest was cursed from the beginning!';
'"Let's assume you're right," you began, already disliking the idea. "Do you think Maran is likely to interfere with Dryad's seal?"
Asche shook her head slowly. "I do not know."
"...Different question then, would she be able to interfere if she were inclined?"
"Not directly. Provocation of Dryad is possible..." The maid shook her head, "Dryad's rage would hasten its own escape. Only to that extent."
Dryad's seal only held so long as Dryad itself did not actively strain against it, is the understanding you had. It was why your family's role of keeping it pacified and lulled safely into slumber through the generations had been so crucial - So that the fallen Mana would never rouse enough to truly test the chains which bound it. At the very least it was reassuring that Maran, and, you suppose, you couldn't just outright set Dryad free on the world on a whim... But if your experience was anything to go by, it was significantly easier to infuriate someone than calm them down.
"Since you know more about how this bracelet works than I do, could you stop her from interfering if it came down to it?"
Asche looked up at you calmly and nodded. "I am confident."
You blinked, slightly taken aback. "...Could you neutralize her in a fight?"
She tilted her head to one side. "Probably."
"...Probably?"
"Probably." The little maid nodded assertively.
"Probably." You echoed dubiously. You did not want to hedge your bets, and Asche's safety, around a 'probably'. A second question, arguably far more relevant however, was- "What do you mean probably?"
"..." Her sea-green eyes slid away from your own, shoulders tensing as she considered her answer. "If I am correct..." She murmured with reluctance, "Then we are not... Not..." A deep breath filled her small frame. She stopped herself, eyes darting to and fro uncharacteristically. It was like she was seeking anything to focus on but you; struggling to even bring herself to look at you as she spoke. "I am... Asche." She intoned quietly. "Just Asche." Forcefully. Her eyes rose to meet yours, a faint pleading in her impassive gaze. "Your Asche."
You slipped your hand behind the maid's head and tucked her against your chest. She made no move to resist, allowing herself to hang limply in your embrace.
Neither of you spoke beyond that. Whatever she had been building towards was set aside, while you weren't sure what could be said at all. If she'd stayed by your side, maybe this would have come sooner. If circumstances had been different, maybe it wouldn't have been so hard on her. Maybe you wouldn't even be in a position where you needed the answer in the first place.
It was too late for any of that to matter though, and you both knew it.
"We've been over this already, Asche. Back in Carona."
"Yes."
"You can't keep hiding things from me."';
'"I am scared." She admitted plainly. "You will see me differently."
"It won't-"
Her hands closed around your shirt harshly, accusation bleeding beneath her neutral voice. "You do not look at me the way you used to. I am already different to you. We-" Her steady tone adopted a harsh, almost guttural whisper that scratched some long buried memory you couldn't place. "-Are no longer the same!"
"..." Your idle stroking of the maid's hair slowed to a stop. "We aren't." You allowed. "We couldn't be. I've changed too much."
"...I am Asche." She repeated her name as if it were a mantra. Something to center herself, to ground her. It made you uncomfortable hearing the tremble in her voice. "There were terms used to describe me. Poetic epitaphs which refer to me. They are too complicated. I am content to forget them. They hold no meaning to me." Her words sped up, the small maid speaking with an almost rehearsed familiarity at a length you'd rarely, if ever, heard from her before.
You'd had this question for some time now, starting from her casual knowledge of the bracelet's function, but asking it- Putting it to words- risked exactly the change that frightened her so badly. The possibility that the answer you got would irrevocably alter things between you.
"Asche, who are you?"
"I am Asche." She repeated.
You sighed, letting your eyes clench shut. "What are you?"
You felt her stiffen in your arms. "I was broken." She responded weakly, hurrying to gather her fragmented security. "What I was... Is not what I am now. I am Asche. Your Asche." She repeated her name, a simple, miserable desperation in every syllable. "I do not want to be anything else."
She was broken. She had said that the bracelet had been broken as well. Given her familiarity with it... "Are you connected to this bracelet?"
"Yes."
A rhetorical question. One you barely needed an answer to. "What you were trying to say earlier, that if you were correct, then you and maran... You meant to say that two of you weren't dissimilar, didn't you?" Your expression twisted. If the implications you were treading through weren't bitter enough, you knew full well that you may as well have been stabbing Asche for every question you posed.
"...Yes."
And you drove a new knife into her despite knowing that.
"Maran is what was broken from this Relic. Is that it?"
"Yes." An answer that fit within a single breath. One sunken into despondence with every reiteration.
"...And if she's like you, then that means you were broken from it as well."
"..."';
'You don't really know how to internalize something like this. Conceptually you had to assume it was similar to an Apparition, but even framing in a way you could pretend to understand, it only left further questions.
"No." Her answer pulled you roughly from your thoughts. You wish it had been because of curiosity, but the hollowness in her voice was what had wrenched your attention back to the still form of your childhood friend. "I was not broken from it." She corrected, "I am it."
>?
Your relationship could not survive the path Irue walked.';'>>5975029
>Asche, did I hurt you with my incorrect use of the bracelet?
My hope is that calling her by name and mentioning the bracelet as something separate reassures her.
If she says yes, ask her how to avoid it. Ask her whether she resents our use of the bracelet for other reasons, like imposing our will on her.
Tell her she is Asche, our closest friend, and that did not change.
Ask whether she feels like her current personality is unstable and dependent on her self-perception.
Oh boy, if this is another Jill, I will cry. If it's another Dopplerue, I don't even know.Additionally, I guess this confirms Irue is the doll? Unless "it" is the doll and the bracelet is just a terminal.';
'>>5975027
>Forcefully. Her eyes rose to meet yours, a faint pleading in her impassive gaze. "Your Asche."
https://youtu.be/K2N1KmcYELo
Man, I'm still broken up about losing Kara. If we lose Asche somehow, I'm gonna lose it.';
'>>5975029
>?
We need to get moving, we're on the clock after all, Asche can have her "Pity Party" while we're fixing things.
I came up with a bunch more questions, makes things difficult since they may only be addressed if we get more downtime with Asche at some pointDoes she know what the Valen Expedition found that was so important.
';If the Founder was given the Bracelet by Artemis during Dryad's sealing, was her / Maran's separation a recent thing.
Was Prias and / or Mother / most recent Warden aware of the connection between her and the bracelet.
When / Why was it given to Ariel, if the most recent Warden still needed it?
Was she given instruction in its use?
Did she ever use it and if so how / why?
What actually happened the Day the rest of the Main familiy died, we know that Artemis orchestrated it (for a verity of reasons).
I guess i also need to remember to ask similar things to Caylen & Maran if we're ever on speaking terms, again.
'>>5975181
Most of these questions won't have satisfying answers
from Asche, however I can comment on this one since you technically already know the answer:>When / Why was it given to Ariel, if the most recent Warden still needed it?
As a sort of plot point, the bracelet has never been referred to as a "family heirloom". You know that Artemis presented it to the Founder due to Dryad's Atelier, but it essentially vanished from history after that. The next mention of it was when Ariel came into possession of it. It is safe to assume it was never involved in Dryad's pacification, or the Valen family in general, beyond the Founder's initial possession of it up until the point Ariel reacquired it.
>"Well how did Ariel get it, then?"
This is a more pertinent question to pose. As far as you know, she just found it, and as far as you can remember, it was never treated with any particular sort of importance or reverence befitting a Relic. Until sometime past the quest's starting point, you only ever knew it as a memento of your now dead sister, after all.';
'>>5975029
>>5975181
Supporting.
We need to go!';
'>>5975029
>Your relationship could not survive the path Irue walked.
Why merely settle for survive when it could thrive in this world of horror?
>”Asche, the only constant in life is change (not really true, it’s actually death but whatever), trying to defy that is a fool’s errand. What matters is whether or not it’s a change for better or worse, and believe in me who believes in you when I say that the more you reveal yourself to me, the better you look in my eyes. So please, don’t keep any more secrets from me so that I can truly see the beauty that my Asche has to offer in person.”';
'>>5975808
I realize that this kind of honeyed flowery language is totally out of character for Irue but I imagine her kinda entering into a dissociative state without even realizing it when blurting this out to Asche, after all, from what little I coherently remember Irue has some sort of bad juju on her that transforms her into a living magic pacifier for some eldritch deity. I don’t have a clue what Asche’s deal is or how Valen’s bloodline juju works but I reckon being a supernatural pacifier ought to overlap somehow with pacifying our magical girl maido.';
'Good job anon, you figured it out.
>>5975029
>Will something bad happen to you if we kill Maran?
So it sounds like Ashe specifically is the relic in it's broken form and if we were to fix it (if such a thing is possible) then Ashe wouldn't be Ashe anymore?
>>5975040
Seconding this';
'>>5975040
>>5975950
Concern!
>>5975808
...?
>>5975181
>>5975225
This can wait, you gotta get going.
Alright, will try to get an update out tonight or tomorrow!';
'>>5976188
Feel free to take your sweet time.';
'"Oh." You murmured a blank response. The full implications of what Asche'd said hadn't quite sunken in... and having thought that, you had to wonder if they ever really would. "Have I... Hurt you?"
Asche observed you with a quizzical tilt to her head before shaking it. "No."
"Oh." The sound from before repeated, its meaning no further defined than before. "Do you- I mean, when I..." You were going to be overwhelmed trying to unpack what this actually meant, so you retreated for the time being to a frame of reference you hoped was comparable. "So you're like an apparition of the bracelet?"
"..." Her expression grew complicated. Consternated. "Is that how you think of me?"
"I think of you as my childhood friend." You return, "I'm just... Trying to understand. Are you aware of when I've used the bracelet? Do you resent me for using it?"
"I am. And... I do not." She answered, hesitating. "A tool is meant to be used."
Ah, that- That wasn't what you wanted to hear. Or it was, but not like that. Uncomfortable questions about how Asche even thought of herself were being raised that you weren't sure how to address, much less if doing so wouldn't make things worse.
"...No." Her voice was soft and tentative. Shaking her head slowly with a small, faint frown, she continued. "Resentment. Or something similar. I have felt it."
You realized you had begun fiddling with the bracelet. It had become a nervous habit of yours for some time, but now you weren't sure if you should feel guilty about it or not. "I didn't know." You explained weakly, only for the small maid to shake her head again.
"When you hurt yourself using it." Anger colored her words almost imperceptibly, something sunken deep beneath stirring with her terse reply. "I was the cause. My hands left your scars."
She held no say in how she was used, but remained aware of her usage. A knife fully aware of what it meant to carve, and of who and what she was thrusting into, yet unable to do anything but rip and tear at the will of her wielder.
She had seized the bracelet from you not long after, you remember.
"Resentment..." Her sea-green eyes closed in thought. You thought you might have caught something scarlet swimming just beneath the surface before she did so, but when she looked at you again it had gone. "The only thing I have ever resented is myself."';
'You wanted to reassure her. Reaching out to her would cost you nothing- it would be trivial! In moments your hand could rest on her shoulder, pull her effortlessly into an embrace you knew she wouldn't resist. The second, maybe third, in the short period of time since she'd shown up.
The only thing I have ever resented is myself.
Your outstretched hand... Ran back through your hair as you sighed, roughly tucking the golden blonde strands back.
"Yeah." You agreed with a dull, exhausted posture. You met the maid's impassive expression and smiled. A pitiful, difficult little expression that just barely clung to your lips and couldn't reach your eyes.
But you understood. You couldn't not.
"I never learned how to not do that." You confessed under her silent watch. "But you know that."
"..." Silence. She kept you in her sight with little discernible emotion. A chill crept into your skin with the morning sun; The same creeping sensation brought the slow, dawning realization that the person across from you felt less like your childhood friend and more like someone you used to know.
When had that started to become the case? The absences. The frustration with the secrets she kept. You never stopped caring about Asche, but just as she'd feared, the way you looked at her had changed - But that change began long before today.
You'd both changed over the past year. Who you were now was incomparable to the noble and maid who only had each other, secreted away in the deep woodland of the Valen territory... Whether those changes were for the better or not?
For you, even withstanding the things you regretted so bitterly, you had fought long and hard to become who you were now. To shed what you had, to polish what remained. Thoughts of how you used to be just brought a bittersweet smile to your face. You weren't sure if you would say you were proud of who you had become, but you had gained confidence in yourself that was incomparable to your immature bluster.
But even at a glance, you knew the same couldn't be said of Asche. She'd said it herself: She was Asche. Your Asche. The Asche of the Irue who had never left their manor. The Irue you used to be. The Irue you couldn't return to now even if you wanted to.
...And as you stood across from one another, the careful impassiveness of her body language belied the anxiety which clasped her ankles like a stone and dragged her with gradual, unerring force towards that same conclusion.
The place at your side that she had so cherished wasn't there anymore.';
'Reassuring her that you still cared about her was pointless. The relationship between you was such that you didn't know if you could ever truly not care for one another.
Asche's softly spoken prompt broke the burgeoning silence. "Plans?"
"...Plans." You echoed, taking the implicit request to simply move on for what it was. "We need to move quickly. Caylen should be arriving soon, and if we're lucky, I might be able to isolate him before he even meets with Maran." Asche's sea-green eyes followed you as you moved to remount Scar. If the nightmare held an opinion regarding the little maid, it hadn't yet made it known.
You trotted the nightmare around to face her, extending your hand to help her clamber up. "If we're unlucky..." Asche had seemed confident she could at least counter Maran's presence. Given the understanding of what she was, and in turn what Maran likely was as well, you had no reason to doubt that... But- "If we kill Maran, what happens to you?"
"Nothing. Probably." The answer wasn't particularly inspiring. "We are already broken."
"...Sounds like there's something else on your mind." You note, already catching the tell-tale tendencies of the maid when something else had occurred to her.
"We cannot be killed." Asche explained, wrapping her arms around your waist as the Nightmare took to the morning streets. "Only broken."
"You said you were already broken. What happens if you're broken again?"
You felt a shrug against your back. "Similar to death. But not." She murmured unhelpfully... Though you imagine pursuing that line of questions would require a more detailed understanding of what 'death' was, exactly.
"What would I need to do in order to break her?"
"..."
...No answer came as you galloped through the slowly busying morning streets of Resuri. After a while, you simply assumed she didn't have an answer and had turned your attention towards trying to navigate towards where you remember dropping the mayor off the night before.
So when the answer finally did arrive, you almost missed it.
"Use me."
"How?" If it were that simple you wouldn't have struggled so much with her last night. "Is there something specific you'll need to teach me?"
"No. Do not use the bracelet. Use me."
Fortunately, or unfortunately, you didn't have time to keep asking questions. You'd arrived.';
'>What are your plans?
Due to prior choices, the mayor is fully cooperative with you. You may make preparations here assuming full control of Resuri's guard. This abstracted planning phase will probably last through the morning until midday, and once preparations are made, they will proceed without your oversight or input where appropriate.A list of some relevant details:
>1. Ari is in route to Resuri, and she will probably arrive soon. You are unsure how she will arrive.
>2. Isaac is due to provide information on Priat's where-abouts. Having the Salamander Representative organized into your plans would be useful.
>3. Caylen is in route to Resuri, and he will probably arrive soon. You suspect he will arrive via the road.
>4. The balance of power in Resuri is delicate. While the guard is on your side, they are held somewhat in check by the merchantry's extensive mercenary forces and vice-versa.
>5. You may assume Aegis will arrive in time for you to deploy her for your preparations.
>6. You have chosen not to rest. Your Shadescar will allow you to function without fatigue or strain until your stamina is exhausted, at which point you will stop abruptly, regardless of what is going on.
>7. Rinnier's advice on the situation was to think of a way to turn the merchantry or mercenary forces on one another to reduce the problems you needed to confront yourself.';
'>>5977458
Oof, this is hard';
'>>5977458
I gonna do sum thinking about this and get back to you later.';
'>>5977458
>What are your plans?
Here's some ideasInform the main gatehouse and any other controlled / known port of entry to search literally everything & inform everyone incoming that the That Irue would like to meet with Caylen or Alouette, until further notice.
>If they are located(via self identification or persons matching a provided description) have them informed of our intent to talk and escorted to they Mayor's office.
>Have someone watching the River for incoming rafts / water craft, and trafic form Lisp family associated jetty's just in case either of them also used the same methods as we did, its not a secret anymore or tried to bypass regular ports of entry.
>Ari can be told to locate either Aegis or Priat and to head to the Mayor's office for retasking.
>Contact Caylen via Jinn-Phone to asses his willingness to meet and discuss plans for the Tier's retrieval, implicate the existence of the Goliath below Carona as the reason why we need them, since the rest of the Tier household is dead and we don't have any other option.
Increase the Guard's standing readiness as we are expecting "things" to happen over the next few days.
>Reduce the quantity of Guard's manning the Wall, in order to free up bodies to form the core of a response force, separate to the existing patrols, they should be able to use the collapsible barricade walls.(Thread #82 post >>5459810, assuming that they are portable) to set up and defend a cordon if we need them to, that we can then have the those assigned to patrol step off from to search if we need to allow us to control entry / process an area and allow for the "noose" to be tightened.
>Have Guards be made aware of potential subsurface entry / exit locations based on patrols have cobbled together over time and what documentation we can find for a two tiered system, with the outer ring manned ring to be set up in advance so we can forward deploy the inner ring around the Gala's location quickly to reduce options and allow for attendants to be processed should they need to be.
starting a fire should be an easy way to provide a cover reason for the guards, to excuse the creation of the inner ring>Officially ask the Shrine for support for a squad to seize, evict and destroy Maran's (we can later handle the Lisp Family if we we see actual resistance) Holdings in the city, to ensure that their destruction doesn't spread to surrounding properties and so that things go smoothly since we know there is a good chance that Adepts (Maran) will be involved.
>Similarly make the Shrine aware that things may come to a head soon between factions and request that they assist us in ensuring that any potential deployment of Adepts does not get out of hand or harm those uninvolved, be clear that we don't expect them to directly assist in operations only facilitate them and arbitrate as needed and handle civilians to allow us to conclude operations quickly and cleanly.
Tbc.
[1/?]';
'>>5977603
>If the Shrine needs to see Warrants before providing support call Rinner to have the Estate arrange that via Carona, also if we are speaking to her see what she knows about the Shrine's mission that has probably tuned up by now.
>Suggest Sending Alouette with Isacc to the Gala if we get a positive response from Caylen.
>If it becomes obvious that they aren't interested in meeting, Send Asche to retrieve(can she locate Alouette's Favor) them make it clear that we were not asking, not after what they have done, allowed to happen and intend to do.
>Ari can take a look at Lilly once she turns up, to see if we can get a second opinion if she hasn't woken yet, theory crafting about what happened could be useful to minimizing the impact of it happening again or coming up with a counter.
>Ageis can be used to sow panic and disturb the interior cordons to ensure the Mercenaries can not meaningfully organize or use the subsurface, also recovering Priat if Ari can't will be nice.
Also arranging for whatever bodies that were touched by Dryad to escape into the forest, either for a later counter force deployment to Sylv, or retreat to the fragment / conversion into oakenbear(s) is worth considering.';'>>5977616
Oh also,
>Have Asche provide oversight to / replace the Mayor's assistant to ensure they only poison people on our direction, and otherwise assist around the place to prepare for the meeting with Caylen.
Are Interiors in Resuri light with candles right? They may serve us well as a backup source of Salamander that we can use should we need to set a certain specific someone on fire.';'>>5977458
>What are your plans?
Go to Witch Queen Mazela for her help';
'>>5977458
First of all, what even are our goals? We came here to save the Tiers, now we also have to save Priat and ruin whatever plans Artemis has for Caylen. We know they're using the Tiers to manipulate him, but not whatexactly they want him to do. My guess would be they want him to kick the doors in and attack the slavers, starting chaos that kicks off the civil war. So, my plan would probably be to
>Intercept Caylen and talk him into following our lead in the operation.
>Contact some of the merchants (consult the mayor as to who) and tell them Gulla (the Artemis man here) has displeased us and that they can curry our favor by helping with this matter
The merchants and their mercs aren't actually hostile to us or opposed to our goals per se.
>Involve Caylen in saving Priat as well
>Give Ari command of Aegis and use them as a secret reserve force in case things get violent.
Whoever is accompanying Caylen shouldn't know about Aegis, and Lily too.
If we manage to bring Caylen to our side we also deal with Maran, since she's obsessed with him.
Also I'm now pretty sure Maran is the Prophet.';
'>>5977711
>and tell them Gulla (the Artemis man here) has displeased us
Caylen may have been instructed / advised to make contact with someone specifically, he may well be able to point fingers if he is cooperative, or at least identify who to bring in for the first round of questioning to take apart the network.
>Also I'm now pretty sure Maran is the Prophet.
Caylen knows, lets ask him.';
'>>5977603
>Officially ask the Shrine for support for a squad to seize
The Shrine will not be helping you. They do not get involved in political affairs and your cooperation with them has extended to informing them that any unusual Mana readings that crop up in the following days are likely related to that explicitly and to turn a blind eye to them.
They will act independently as a shelter for citizens regardless of whether you want them too or not, and will act in the interest of self-defense, but you should not expect them to provide you assistance in any operations.
>Are Interiors in Resuri light with candles right?
It is safe to assume interiors are lit with flame, yes. Wisp cores are an alternative lighting source but they are prohibitively expensive compared to just lighting something flammable, and so they generally only see use in specific circumstances or in the homes of the particularly wealthy.
>>5977633
w...who?';
'>>5977747
>w...who?
It's a troll invading multiple quests';
'>>5977458
I forgot a thing:
>Ask Asche about any prophetic abilities or information about the future she or the bracelet have or can theoretically have. Predictive simulations count too.
>Ask her why Maran might be so stuck on Caylen and why was she completely oblivious to our existence';
'>>5977458
More questions
>Will using Asche to neutralise Naran harm Asche or cause her to stop being Asche?
>Is it even safe to let Asche and Maran meet? Will it cause any effects on its own?';
'>>5977747
>The Shrine will not be helping you.
That's fine, the point is to notify them that an event is occurring that they should be interested in so we can cover our ass in the fallout by making the point that they weren't there when things went sideways even though we told them in not so uncertain terms that relevant things were afoot.
Does Resuri even have a professional public / private fire department?
>>5977751
>Ask her why Maran might be so stuck on Caylen.
We know that Byrn was "selected" by Artermis, and assisted in targeting Clara which then happened to produce Caylen as a result, if Maran happened to be the Prophet that would make things a "Closed loop" in a sense.';
'>>5977747
>w...who?
Has this quest finally gotten so big that not even you can keep track of all of your characters? The Witch Queen made an quick appearance during the Irue clone arc several dozen threads ago.';
'Damn, it feels like I have a good plan in mind but to make sure it works, I need time to archive dive and I aint got time right now. Shiet
I will support this
>>5977711';
'I don't have time to contribute anything either except to say that we should make plans for lighting before the sun goes down and also do the luna thing to figure out wtf Maran's nightgaunts are and how to stop them from murdering the entire city come dark.
Another note was that we discovered that before we left our manor we discovered in some paperwork that the mayor has some kind of security thing in storage. Some kind of acme inflatable wall or something, I dunno where we should put it but we should remember to make use of that somehow.
Also we used fire to summon Priatt last time and it's likely to work again.';
'>>5977603
>>5977711
>>5978310
Identify Caylen and Alouette. We need to filter them to us directly.
>>5977603
Keep an eye on the riverway and anything associated with the Lisp family.
>>5977603
We need to save the Tiers because of the behemoth!
No one can prove it's dead, don't worry about it.>>5977603
Redistribute guards from the wallwatch in preparation for internal strife.
>>5977603
Lockdown underground exits and prepare an encirclement for the merchant gala.
>>5977616
IF Alouette is cooperative, send her with Isaac as his bodyguard. (original bodyguard choice: Aegis)
>>5977616
Hand off Lily to Ari once she arrives if she hasn't woken up, just to be sure.
>>5977616
Release Aegis as a vanguard into the encirclement. Full bloodshed; no mercy.
>>5977620
Immediately assign Asche to go somewhere else!
>>5977751
Asche can you prophecize?
>>5977751
Asche why is Maran so obsessed with Caylen but utterly oblivious to me?
>>5977754
Hey will using you to stop Maran cause problems?
>>5978377
Luna based route of figuring out what a Nightgaunt is + nightgaunt defenses!
There's also been a couple mentions of the acme inflatable wall!
---
That's a lot to sort through and make something of, so I'll see what I can do. If more people come trickling with slightly late additions, don't feel discouraged about posting them. I'll probably be a bit preoccupied over the next day or two anyway.';
'Hey don't just take every idea that guy dumped. I sont think theyre all smart';
'>>5978978
Yeah, like releasing Aegis to murder indiscriminately.
I'm pretty sure this is the anon who wanted to preventively destroy Resuri too.';
'>>5978978
So what would you suggest we do? we were asked for "ideas".
>>5978994
Aegis is kind of "already" free under the city to do what she wants, its mostly to prevent the Mercs from bypassing the cordon, and that the subsurface doesn't need to be manned and so denies them the use of what is likely much of their prepared contingencies.
I guess Ari and / or Irue could be utilized to provide oversight, but i don't know how much that would actually change things, if any.';
'>>5978978
>>5978994
you all are free to bicker between yourselves to narrow down or refine and polish what you think would be acceptable ideas. If there's no disagreement then I just take things in broadstrokes and see what I can fit together, unless it's just completely not applicable.';
'>>5979150
I just vote against all his proposals. Too many whack decisions';
'>>5979171
So what would you suggest we do, or any amendments that should be made?
It's hard to create a consensus without input, or at least putting forward what you actually take issue with.';
'>>5979171
I don't mind strict votes against things you find utterly unviable, but if possible I would prefer limits, amendments or compromises!
If you guys feel you need more time to look over things, I don't mind extending the window for a bit. This is going to be a vote that encompasses a lot of things, after all.';
'>>5979181
I would like to vote against this bit:
>Release Aegis as a vanguard into the encirclement. Full bloodshed; no mercy.
Especially since even that anon didn't actually say that.';
'Sorry I just got no time for debates. I guess I shouldn't do this anyway, not fair since I have no time to contribute. Do whatever';
'>>5979199
I'd partially expected that there always would be casualties should Aegis be employed, which would be almost certain to occur is she was borrowed by Isacc, just instead of nameless mercs and civilians, it could be "important" merchants, Artemis plants or slaves.
Also I don't really have a concrete idea for what Irue or Ari would actually be doing later in the day, but i was intending to leave that open just in case Caylen actually raised a good point or otherwise something came up to deal with.
We could always have one of the two escort Aegis, but then that risks injury so that that was why at least its probably better for us overall if she is allowed to do as she wants, within reason, and we pick up the pieces.
I don't really expect for us to remain in Resuri for very long after this either, for a number of reasons';
'>>5979181
I want Irue and her groupies to have a nice day off and just be a cute girl doing cute things for once, is that too much to ask? I don’t think that there’s ever been a time in her life or in this quest where she’s not just stressing out about her imminent demise or her next move. But then again, maybe there’s simply no rest for the wicked.';
'>>5979330
Riz gave us a breather one time and we spent it stressing out.';
'>>5977458
Okay here's my ideas for who goes where.
>Ari on bodyguard duty at the merchant's party, informed of the general situation and instructed to act on Rinnier's advice and turn the nobility or their mercenary forces against eachother somehow while keeping Isaac out of the firing line.
I have no idea how we'd accomplish this so lets just leave it to Ari, for better or worse Ari is a sneaky bitch now and I think she'll do well here. I think it's probably best to leave Aegis with Ari too, neither of the siblings have a comprehension of the world sufficient to follow complicated orders without supervision.
>Find Priat, quick visit to Isaac I suppose. Try to speedrun it with Scar, unless we can sequence break by sending out a pulse like how we did with Lily and Aegis or shooting a big fireball into the sky. Involve him in Nightgaunt preparation if possible.
Leave him with the Mayor's men? He'd be a powerful bolster to the town guard forces who lack a heavy hitter, I think he used to be a royal bodyguard or something so assigning him to what martial forces we have feels like a natural fit.
>Ask if the guards have some means to communicate over long distance.
Mounted on Scar, Irue's team will be the most mobile force on the field, so it'd pay off to have some way of keeping in contact with our main force or letting them indicate things to us such as one of our allies showing up or whatever. If they have cool whistles or the coloured flares from attack on titan then I wanna know about it.
Once things are set up I guess that leaves us, Ashe and Lily to meet with our cousin and play things by ear from there, right? I'm sure I'm missing a lot of things but to me the primary concern is the ticking clock of Maran's nightgaunts of which we know next to nothing about and thus can't plan for beyond meekly lighting fires and hoping for the best unless and until we cheat using Luna.
Apologies for the late post.';
'>>5978629
>>5979422
Alright, so taking some of the back and forth into account, I'll round this out to something like...
>Full Agreement
1. Identifying Caylen and Alouette so you can intercept them.
>Caylen Business
1. If they are cooperative, Alouette can bodyguard Isaac.
2. Try to convince them to help you free the Tiers.
>Resuri Guard Arrangements
1. Keep an eye on the riverway.
2. Redistribute guards from the wallwatch in preparation.
3. Encircle the merchant gala
4. Determine if they have long distance communication
5. Plan for anti-nightgaunt measures.
>Dryad Sibling Management
1. Aegis is best left with Ari once she arrives, then entrust Ari to either bodyguarding Isaac with Aegis, or handling the underground to cut off escape from the gala (to be decided later).
2. Hand Lily off to Ari once she arrives.
>In Regards to Asche
1. Can Asche prophecize?
2. Is Asche going to be okay conflicting with Maran?
3. Why might Maran be so obsessed with Caylen? Why is she oblivious to me?
4. Immediately assign Asche somewhere else!
Alright, with that I'll officially close the window and start trying to make something out of all this.';
'>>5979342
That's no excuse for not trying to relax ever again!';
'Last couple days have been rough. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that the thread's not abandoned; I've just been exhausted or mentally spent.';
'Thats cool Rizzy. Its all part of Valen's new direction as an easygoing relaxation qst';
'While Riz is recovering, have this AI slop that I made while waiting for this thread.';
'Post more
We might not get many more chances with where the thread is heading';
'>>5984854
How have you achieved your AI wizardry?
>>5984683
Hopefully and with luck, this will allow Riz to add greater depths and realism to Irue's suffering by the next time he delivers.';
'>>5984854
The site is app.prodia.com, the model Counterfeit V3.0, default settings and a lot of tries.';
}