Quests & Challenges

2816

January 15, 2020 16:05:51

@GrinningWolf24

it would be smart to wait until the gaolers age up before i put the next generation of the fodderlocke into motion. it would be smart, but i'm not patient enough to do that.

and since i'm in a fodder training mood while i catch up on GDQ, i'm doing batches of 10 instead of 4 like before. so i'll go until i get at least 4 cronies; it might exceed four, depending on how rng decides to favor the newcomers. (gonna update this post a few times so i don't lose the army of images, so don't be alarmed if/when the post changes. i'll add the ping when it's finalized.)

after that wall of interns, we have our new lineup! the sisters will be aided by:

Mizar,

Ginan,

Fuyue,

Edval, and

Recital

the first three came from the first batch; the second entire batch was a bust, and the third gave us the guards. actually i rolled two more sixes from the third batch, but decided that five cronies was sufficient and yeeted the others anyway.

as for the gaoler sisters, i haven't completely decided. one potential path is to roll a d100 for each of them every day; the roll will start out at something easy like 10 and increase by a small increment, 5 or 10, each time it's rolled. might set a cap for that roll at like 75 or 80 so there's a high chance the roll will get through, but there's also a possibility it won't and they'll keep their cohesion. if i do that, i might also add a condition where the roll increases if something significant happens within their crew as a whole - a heist going wrong, etc. to represent mounting tension. or something of the sort! i'll keep thinking about it.

other housekeeping type things; i removed the wall of failures from the obituaries post. they were taking up space for no real reason. from here on, only named characters will get a spot on the obituaries.

Last edited on Jan 15, 2020 18:00:22 by peanutbutterjar

@Nelson

Oh my goodness! I step away for the day, and suddenly they are all gone! o.O

It is going to be interesting to see how the sisters lead the crew going forward, though. I am excited to see this joint leadership! Best of luck!

GrinningWolf24

3441

January 15, 2020 20:01:32

@Nelson

Oh my goodness! I step away for the day, and suddenly they are all gone! o.O

It is going to be interesting to see how the sisters lead the crew going forward, though. I am excited to see this joint leadership! Best of luck!

_

@GrinningWolf24

all right, time for a slightly irregular update. since the gaoler sisters haven't grown up and, despite my impatience, i don't feel right moving on with the new generation before they're ready, this will be mostly housekeeping and some bonus content.

the housekeeping is that i've pretty much decided on how to handle the gaoler sisters. once they age up and i train them to level 8, every time i roll for a task i will also roll a d100 for each of the sisters. initially, the roll to beat will be 10, and it will increase by 10 each time i roll. this roll will cap at 80. if one of the sisters dies, either in a group task or by their own internal machinations, the remaining sisters will get 10 added to their roll, which will also increase the cap by that much. (assuming there's two left ofc)

if/when just one of them breaks, i'll flip a coin to determine whether the renegade or the two still together win. if two of them happen to hit the cohesion roll simultaneously, all bets are off. i'll rng a number to see which one of them wins the battle royale.

also, for the task rolls that specify "the leader," i'll randomly select one of them for it.

with that out of the way, have some bonus content.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They needed to get out of the lair. None of the gaoler sisters felt safe there; Betelgeuse had made it clear the gang was squatting, and as soon as anybody in the lair figured it out, there would be trouble. So the sisters began moving things, mostly food, to the secondary hideout Alnair's crew had found. As the skydancer's notes indicated, the place wasn't fully restored; the unstable sections were closed off, but Larch hadn't had time to restore the electrical workings. The network of tunnels was dark and stuffy; the few places with natural light and ventilation were also abuzz with the constant roar of thunder.

Two strangers met them on the way back to the main lair one afternoon. Both guardians, gaunt, flinching with each lightning strike. They were either young or undersized; maybe both, for one of the guardians was not much bigger than the sisters. The larger one stepped closer. "Which way to the nearest lair who might give shelter to travelers?"

The sisters exchanged a look. It was Scorpio who answered. "It depends, I guess. There's a lair not too far from here. Big one. But we... don't live there, so we can't say whether they'd take you in."

The guardian opened his mouth to speak again, but paused when a lightning strike hit the spire over the new hideout. Not only did thunder boom out overhead, but the spire rang like a great bell, making all of them flinch. "That sounded bad," Lilwen said to the other two. "The - they're not supposed to make that noise, are they?" The main lair's interior was so well insulated from the noise outside that the gaolers honestly did not know.

"Probably not. Let's -" Scorpio cut herself off before she finished the sentence, glancing at the guardians. The smaller one had shrank in on themself and looked as though they wished to disappear.

Ferrilata looked from the two newcomers to her sisters. "Are we gonna make them fend for themselves, or are we gonna give them a roof for the night?" What she thought they should do was very clear in her tone.

"If we head back to get more supplies while they're around, it'll make things awkward," Scorpio retorted. "I just told them we don't live there."

"What else do we really need, anyway? More food? Weren't you just saying we had enough to get by, and the more trips we make, the more likely we are to get caught?" Ferri roused her mane.

"We have enough to get by, but not if we go giving it away," Lilwen said. Though she, too, glanced at the wary guardians. "I don't feel right not doing anything. They look like they're practically our age."

Scorpio shook her head. "They're better off begging for charity from the big lair anyway."

Edval put a wing over Recital's hunched back. "Where do you three live, if not the place you just mentioned?" He was suspicious of their whispering - rather, normal speech, but under the drone of thunder it might as well be whispering - but what could he do about it, really?

Scorpio glared at Ferrilata before turning back to the strangers. "Not far." She glanced at Recital, then back up to Edval's wary face. "The big lair I just mentioned is under that spire." She pointed to the larger Lightning Farm spire in the near distance that, even from their vantage, glowed with the storm's fury like a beacon. "Can't miss it. But... if you don't want to take your chances there, you can. Come with us." She shrugged. "We don't have much, but we'll give you a meal and a roof for the night."

Recital glanced up at their companion. "They are younger than us. I wonder why they live alone?"

Edval considered the adolescent gaolers for a moment. "If this other lair might help, why aren't you there? Would they turn us down? Drive us away?"

Scorpio's tail lashed. "Why do you think we're out here and not in there?"

Edval nodded slowly. "That's something we have seen before." He didn't look at Recital again, but his head tilted a little in their direction. "I appreciate your offer of shelter. We won't eat any of your food if you don't have much; we can hunt for ourselves."

Lilwen immediately brightened. She tugged on Scorpio's wing. The sisters huddled together for another brief conference, then Lilwen stepped forward. "How about a deal, then. If you want or need to stay for more than one night, you can help us hunt. It'll feed all of us."

At that, Recital straightened, shooting a significant look at Edval. The larger guardian nodded. "We accept."

peanutbutterjar

2816

January 16, 2020 14:06:44

@GrinningWolf24

all right, time for a slightly irregular update. since the gaoler sisters haven't grown up and, despite my impatience, i don't feel right moving on with the new generation before they're ready, this will be mostly housekeeping and some bonus content.

the housekeeping is that i've pretty much decided on how to handle the gaoler sisters. once they age up and i train them to level 8, every time i roll for a task i will also roll a d100 for each of the sisters. initially, the roll to beat will be 10, and it will increase by 10 each time i roll. this roll will cap at 80. if one of the sisters dies, either in a group task or by their own internal machinations, the remaining sisters will get 10 added to their roll, which will also increase the cap by that much. (assuming there's two left ofc)

if/when just one of them breaks, i'll flip a coin to determine whether the renegade or the two still together win. if two of them happen to hit the cohesion roll simultaneously, all bets are off. i'll rng a number to see which one of them wins the battle royale.

also, for the task rolls that specify "the leader," i'll randomly select one of them for it.

with that out of the way, have some bonus content.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They needed to get out of the lair. None of the gaoler sisters felt safe there; Betelgeuse had made it clear the gang was squatting, and as soon as anybody in the lair figured it out, there would be trouble. So the sisters began moving things, mostly food, to the secondary hideout Alnair's crew had found. As the skydancer's notes indicated, the place wasn't fully restored; the unstable sections were closed off, but Larch hadn't had time to restore the electrical workings. The network of tunnels was dark and stuffy; the few places with natural light and ventilation were also abuzz with the constant roar of thunder.

Two strangers met them on the way back to the main lair one afternoon. Both guardians, gaunt, flinching with each lightning strike. They were either young or undersized; maybe both, for one of the guardians was not much bigger than the sisters. The larger one stepped closer. "Which way to the nearest lair who might give shelter to travelers?"

The sisters exchanged a look. It was Scorpio who answered. "It depends, I guess. There's a lair not too far from here. Big one. But we... don't live there, so we can't say whether they'd take you in."

The guardian opened his mouth to speak again, but paused when a lightning strike hit the spire over the new hideout. Not only did thunder boom out overhead, but the spire rang like a great bell, making all of them flinch. "That sounded bad," Lilwen said to the other two. "The - they're not supposed to make that noise, are they?" The main lair's interior was so well insulated from the noise outside that the gaolers honestly did not know.

"Probably not. Let's -" Scorpio cut herself off before she finished the sentence, glancing at the guardians. The smaller one had shrank in on themself and looked as though they wished to disappear.

Ferrilata looked from the two newcomers to her sisters. "Are we gonna make them fend for themselves, or are we gonna give them a roof for the night?" What she thought they should do was very clear in her tone.

"If we head back to get more supplies while they're around, it'll make things awkward," Scorpio retorted. "I just told them we don't live there."

"What else do we really need, anyway? More food? Weren't you just saying we had enough to get by, and the more trips we make, the more likely we are to get caught?" Ferri roused her mane.

"We have enough to get by, but not if we go giving it away," Lilwen said. Though she, too, glanced at the wary guardians. "I don't feel right not doing anything. They look like they're practically our age."

Scorpio shook her head. "They're better off begging for charity from the big lair anyway."

Edval put a wing over Recital's hunched back. "Where do you three live, if not the place you just mentioned?" He was suspicious of their whispering - rather, normal speech, but under the drone of thunder it might as well be whispering - but what could he do about it, really?

Scorpio glared at Ferrilata before turning back to the strangers. "Not far." She glanced at Recital, then back up to Edval's wary face. "The big lair I just mentioned is under that spire." She pointed to the larger Lightning Farm spire in the near distance that, even from their vantage, glowed with the storm's fury like a beacon. "Can't miss it. But... if you don't want to take your chances there, you can. Come with us." She shrugged. "We don't have much, but we'll give you a meal and a roof for the night."

Recital glanced up at their companion. "They are younger than us. I wonder why they live alone?"

Edval considered the adolescent gaolers for a moment. "If this other lair might help, why aren't you there? Would they turn us down? Drive us away?"

Scorpio's tail lashed. "Why do you think we're out here and not in there?"

Edval nodded slowly. "That's something we have seen before." He didn't look at Recital again, but his head tilted a little in their direction. "I appreciate your offer of shelter. We won't eat any of your food if you don't have much; we can hunt for ourselves."

Lilwen immediately brightened. She tugged on Scorpio's wing. The sisters huddled together for another brief conference, then Lilwen stepped forward. "How about a deal, then. If you want or need to stay for more than one night, you can help us hunt. It'll feed all of us."

At that, Recital straightened, shooting a significant look at Edval. The larger guardian nodded. "We accept."

Last edited on Jan 16, 2020 14:38:47 by peanutbutterjar

Yay! The sisters have more friends! \o/
I am both excited and anxious to see how quickly the sisters break apart, though. I hope they get a little joimt leadership time, but I suppose it is all up to the dice. ;^^

GrinningWolf24

3441

January 16, 2020 15:01:36

Yay! The sisters have more friends! \o/
I am both excited and anxious to see how quickly the sisters break apart, though. I hope they get a little joimt leadership time, but I suppose it is all up to the dice. ;^^

_

@GrinningWolf24 the gaoler sisters are [i]finally[/i] grown up! the first order of business is to train them up to 8. during the process a swirl eye vial dropped. considering using it on one of them, potentially. also got a twilight cape? too bad they can't wear apparel. our daily roll is 10: recruiting! for some reason. this is a very crowded cast. getting five potentials this time just because i'm also training the gaolers at the same time. [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58235506][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/582356/58235506.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58283095][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/582831/58283095.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58297954][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/582980/58297954.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58322961][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/583230/58322961.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=26131232][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/261313/26131232.png[/img][/url] of course that clutch was a bust. more fodder! ah, but only after i roll for the sisters. can't forget to do the thing i spent like three days dithering on. here are the rolls, which are assigned to them in lair order as per custom. again, the roll is a d100 and this time, the roll will succeed if it's 10 or less. we get: 80, 58, 45 as expected, they make it through this roll. it'll take another few of these before i figure they're in much danger of losing cohesion. the next roll will proc if they hit 20 or less. now back to recruiting! [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58392751][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/583928/58392751.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58392753][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/583928/58392753.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=54837052][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/548371/54837052.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=56577534][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/565776/56577534.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=56674867][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/566749/56674867.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=57865004][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/578651/57865004.png[/img][/url] that batch was also a bust. next! [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=40526415][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/405265/40526415.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=56379975][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/563800/56379975.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58337320][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/583374/58337320.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58337321][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/583374/58337321.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58337322][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/583374/58337322.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58337326][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/583374/58337326.png[/img][/url] another bust, dang. not that i object to all this dragon cash~ [s]tho i am slightly disappointed i couldn't keep that triple radio snop gal[/s] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58331966][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/583320/58331966.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58331221][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/583313/58331221.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58333352][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/583334/58333352.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58333353][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/583334/58333353.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58333354][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/583334/58333354.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=58333355][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/583334/58333355.png[/img][/url] after it took forever to get a survivor, guess how many sixes i rolled for this batch? three. half of them hit the roll. however, that's absurd, so i randomly picked which one to keep and yeeted the other two anyway. so say hi to Clythia! [center]~ ~ ~ ~ ~[/center] The guardians quickly realized that "helping hunt" really meant "teaching the gaolers [i]how[/i] to hunt." Something that Edval was not loath to do. He and Recital had learned the hard way; he was glad to spare his new friends that trial. By the time the gaoler sisters reached full growth, they had become quite proficient. They also acquired three more additions to their odd little group - two spirals and a skydancer, who had been lost much like the guardians, but were uninclined to beg for charity from the big lair. When Mizar found Alnair's notes and asked the gaoler sisters about it, they finally spilled the full story. "No one told you where you came from or why you were there?" Recital asked, their fins held flat to their body in dismay. Lilwen shook her head. "Nope. I remember Betelgeuse mentioning our mother, but I don't remember her. Or anything else from before." "The hideout is the first thing I remember," Ferrilata confirmed. "Betelgeuse acted like he knew more than he wanted to say. But he did that a lot. He liked to keep everyone guessing." "Hard to say what, if anything, he took seriously." Scorpio shrugged. "But it doesn't matter now. He's probably dead, like the others. And here we are." She looked at the notebook still held by Mizar. "Since we have all the notes and stuff, we could try again on that heist. Or at least scout around to see if they're actually dead or just imprisoned." Fuyue looked at the gaolers. "Do you want to?" She couldn't tell if they did, perhaps because they couldn't, either. Ferrilata scratched her chin, eyes averted. "Well, it would be nice to know. If he's dead, then we can just move on." Though Scorpio's tone had been flat and toneless, Ferri's wobbled a bit with emotion she could not suppress. Lilwen stepped closer wordlessly and leaned her shoulder against her sister. "Do you intend to look for them, or steal from the Stormcatcher?" Edval asked. His voice was carefully neutral. A sudden, toothy grin spread across Scorpio's face. "Why not both? It's not like there's much else here for us. Besides, if they are dead, which I bet is the case, then they'd want us to finish the job they started." "And that'd be one in their eye," Ferrilata added. The spiral siblings exchanged a look. Fuyue said, "Then we're with you." Mizar nodded his agreement. When, however, he saw the guardians turn toward each other, he focused his attention on them. "Are you in?" Edval kept his eyes on Recital. The slim guardian let their gaze drift from their companion to the others in the room. Seeing the light in all their eyes, that drive to strike out against a world that had wronged them, they nodded. "I am." They looked back to Edval. He, too, nodded. "Where you go, I go." He turned that solemn gaze on the others. "I don't like the idea of risking our lives on petty theft. But if this is important to you, then I'm with you." [center]~ ~ ~[/center] It wasn't that easy, of course. It would be foolish to make the same mistakes that had done in Alnair's crew, so the group who came to call themselves the Stormscourge - a name Edval thought was melodramatic, but it appealed to the siblings, so he kept his peace - opted to prepare themselves as much as possible. That involved recruiting more hands to their cause. So, one day while Scorpio took the spirals out to scout and Lilwen and the guardians hunted, Ferrilata and Mizar went recruiting. They found only one suitable candidate that day. "This is Clythia," Ferri said, gesturing to the mirror who stood just behind her. "You can call me Thia," she said, bobbing her head. "These two filled me in on the plan. I'm good at logistics, so to speak." She grinned slyly. "I can help get merchandise into and out of places." A chorus of welcome and appreciation greeted that introduction until Scorpio stepped forward. "Glad to have you. I wonder, do you know anyone who can help us fix this place up? The engineer our predecessors had didn't finish rewiring this place." She waved a wing to indicate the derelict overhead lights. Thia looked up at them, eyes narrowing. "Hm, I'll ask around. I might know someone who'd enjoy tinkering around with a defunct Lightning Farm spire." "Well, until we pull off some sort of job, we won't have anything else to pay them with besides the fun of tinkering," Fuyue pointed out. At that, Thia chuckled. "Oh, don't you worry. I know of a few targets easier than the Tempest Spire that could use some cleaning out." The gaoler sisters exchanged a satisfied look. Already, things were looking up. [right][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2806872#post_41896533]back to table of contents[/url][/right]

peanutbutterjar

2816

January 17, 2020 16:14:39

@GrinningWolf24

the gaoler sisters are finally grown up! the first order of business is to train them up to 8. during the process a swirl eye vial dropped. considering using it on one of them, potentially.

also got a twilight cape? too bad they can't wear apparel.

our daily roll is 10: recruiting! for some reason. this is a very crowded cast. getting five potentials this time just because i'm also training the gaolers at the same time.

of course that clutch was a bust. more fodder!

ah, but only after i roll for the sisters. can't forget to do the thing i spent like three days dithering on. here are the rolls, which are assigned to them in lair order as per custom. again, the roll is a d100 and this time, the roll will succeed if it's 10 or less.

we get: 80, 58, 45
as expected, they make it through this roll. it'll take another few of these before i figure they're in much danger of losing cohesion. the next roll will proc if they hit 20 or less. now back to recruiting!

that batch was also a bust. next!

another bust, dang. not that i object to all this dragon cash~
~~tho i am slightly disappointed i couldn't keep that triple radio snop gal~~

after it took forever to get a survivor, guess how many sixes i rolled for this batch? three. half of them hit the roll. however, that's absurd, so i randomly picked which one to keep and yeeted the other two anyway. so say hi to Clythia!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The guardians quickly realized that "helping hunt" really meant "teaching the gaolers how to hunt." Something that Edval was not loath to do. He and Recital had learned the hard way; he was glad to spare his new friends that trial.

By the time the gaoler sisters reached full growth, they had become quite proficient. They also acquired three more additions to their odd little group - two spirals and a skydancer, who had been lost much like the guardians, but were uninclined to beg for charity from the big lair.

When Mizar found Alnair's notes and asked the gaoler sisters about it, they finally spilled the full story.

"No one told you where you came from or why you were there?" Recital asked, their fins held flat to their body in dismay.

Lilwen shook her head. "Nope. I remember Betelgeuse mentioning our mother, but I don't remember her. Or anything else from before."

"The hideout is the first thing I remember," Ferrilata confirmed. "Betelgeuse acted like he knew more than he wanted to say. But he did that a lot. He liked to keep everyone guessing."

"Hard to say what, if anything, he took seriously." Scorpio shrugged. "But it doesn't matter now. He's probably dead, like the others. And here we are." She looked at the notebook still held by Mizar. "Since we have all the notes and stuff, we could try again on that heist. Or at least scout around to see if they're actually dead or just imprisoned."

Fuyue looked at the gaolers. "Do you want to?" She couldn't tell if they did, perhaps because they couldn't, either.

Ferrilata scratched her chin, eyes averted. "Well, it would be nice to know. If he's dead, then we can just move on." Though Scorpio's tone had been flat and toneless, Ferri's wobbled a bit with emotion she could not suppress. Lilwen stepped closer wordlessly and leaned her shoulder against her sister.

"Do you intend to look for them, or steal from the Stormcatcher?" Edval asked. His voice was carefully neutral.

A sudden, toothy grin spread across Scorpio's face. "Why not both? It's not like there's much else here for us. Besides, if they are dead, which I bet is the case, then they'd want us to finish the job they started."

"And that'd be one in their eye," Ferrilata added.

The spiral siblings exchanged a look. Fuyue said, "Then we're with you."

Mizar nodded his agreement. When, however, he saw the guardians turn toward each other, he focused his attention on them. "Are you in?"

Edval kept his eyes on Recital. The slim guardian let their gaze drift from their companion to the others in the room. Seeing the light in all their eyes, that drive to strike out against a world that had wronged them, they nodded. "I am." They looked back to Edval.

He, too, nodded. "Where you go, I go." He turned that solemn gaze on the others. "I don't like the idea of risking our lives on petty theft. But if this is important to you, then I'm with you."

~ ~ ~

It wasn't that easy, of course. It would be foolish to make the same mistakes that had done in Alnair's crew, so the group who came to call themselves the Stormscourge - a name Edval thought was melodramatic, but it appealed to the siblings, so he kept his peace - opted to prepare themselves as much as possible.

That involved recruiting more hands to their cause. So, one day while Scorpio took the spirals out to scout and Lilwen and the guardians hunted, Ferrilata and Mizar went recruiting. They found only one suitable candidate that day.

"This is Clythia," Ferri said, gesturing to the mirror who stood just behind her.

"You can call me Thia," she said, bobbing her head. "These two filled me in on the plan. I'm good at logistics, so to speak." She grinned slyly. "I can help get merchandise into and out of places."

A chorus of welcome and appreciation greeted that introduction until Scorpio stepped forward. "Glad to have you. I wonder, do you know anyone who can help us fix this place up? The engineer our predecessors had didn't finish rewiring this place." She waved a wing to indicate the derelict overhead lights.

Thia looked up at them, eyes narrowing. "Hm, I'll ask around. I might know someone who'd enjoy tinkering around with a defunct Lightning Farm spire."

"Well, until we pull off some sort of job, we won't have anything else to pay them with besides the fun of tinkering," Fuyue pointed out.

At that, Thia chuckled. "Oh, don't you worry. I know of a few targets easier than the Tempest Spire that could use some cleaning out."

The gaoler sisters exchanged a satisfied look. Already, things were looking up.

Last edited on Jan 17, 2020 18:16:17 by peanutbutterjar

@GrinningWolf24 all right, new day, new roll! our task for the team is another 4: Pinkerlocke flashback! and the roll for the gaolers: 94, 52, 65. we're still safe. next roll will proc at 30 or less. [item=snakeskin cloth] is our item. that means i roll a d4 to see how long our streak is! we get: 3, for a 30 battle streak. for the coli team, we've got Lilwen, Mizar, and Thia. last time it took less than 20 tasks for somebody to kick it, so let's see how it goes this time. i caved and stuck a scratch on Lilwen on remembering that gaolers come with anticipate. a scratch that went to waste, because Lilwen was the first to fall on battle 27. the enemies looked determined to take out the other two, but then she got critted. they all actually straggled along at low health for several turns; when the killing blow fell, it could've taken out any of them. it just happened to fall on her. and near the end, too, just like last time. r i p so the cohesion roll for the other two is now up to 40 and a max of 90. unfortunately, it's late af and i'm sleepy, so a prose update will have to wait until tomorrow. [right][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2806872#post_41896533]back to table of contents[/url][/right]

peanutbutterjar

2816

January 18, 2020 19:53:14

@GrinningWolf24

all right, new day, new roll! our task for the team is another 4: Pinkerlocke flashback!

and the roll for the gaolers:
94, 52, 65. we're still safe. next roll will proc at 30 or less.

is our item. that means i roll a d4 to see how long our streak is! we get: 3, for a 30 battle streak. for the coli team, we've got Lilwen, Mizar, and Thia. last time it took less than 20 tasks for somebody to kick it, so let's see how it goes this time.

i caved and stuck a scratch on Lilwen on remembering that gaolers come with anticipate.

a scratch that went to waste, because Lilwen was the first to fall on battle 27. the enemies looked determined to take out the other two, but then she got critted. they all actually straggled along at low health for several turns; when the killing blow fell, it could've taken out any of them. it just happened to fall on her. and near the end, too, just like last time. r i p

so the cohesion roll for the other two is now up to 40 and a max of 90.

unfortunately, it's late ** and i'm sleepy, so a prose update will have to wait until tomorrow.

Last edited on Jan 20, 2020 12:27:44 by peanutbutterjar

Oh no, Lilwen!! ;;_;; Rest easy, young one.

GrinningWolf24

3441

January 18, 2020 21:19:29

Oh no, Lilwen!! ;;_;; Rest easy, young one.

_

@GrinningWolf24

oops, life happened. rather than procrastinate on doing a new task out of guilt bc i told myself i wouldn't do a new one until i'd done a prose post for the last one, i'll just take the path of least resistance and combine them. rolled once and got a 2, but since no one really has coli loot - i gave Scorpio the swift lumen Innocence got, but reconsidered and took it off - that's a dead roll for now.

new roll is: 17, major heist!

WELP this'll be interesting. especially on top of the sisters roll, for which we get: 64 and 92. so at least that won't add to the carnage. the next roll would proc at 50; i'm considering adding another flat 10 for this heist event, depending on how it goes.

speaking of that, here's the rolls for the heist. again, it's a d16 they have to beat.

8, 4, 14, 5, 10, 9, 1, 5

so unlike with Alnair's crew, more of them survive than fall! the only ones to die are Mizar, Fuyue, and Edval.

i'm gonna go give the survivors their level and fix the cast post, then start on the prose update. the ping will get added on when that's done!

okay, training done and cast post updated. in the process, Recital found a harpy friend. it's a cold consolation.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The depleted Stormscourge gathered to lick their wounds in their repurposed spire. Though whether they could even count Recital as a member of the crew anymore was anyone's guess; the guardian had been - merely "withdrawn" was an egregious understatement - since returning from their mark without Edval. Only finding a broken-winged harpy on the way back had seemed to pull any of Recital's attention outward.

Scorpio paced the length of the largest functioning room of the spire; it had been a cafeteria or something of the sort, they thought. Though Ferrilata sat, she did so with her tail flopping like a landed fish. Ginan... the spiral was eerily still. He found a lamp fixture in the wall and tied himself around it until he looked like some gaudy decoration, as red as Fuyue's scarf he now wore. Even the effervescent Cythia sat subdued, looking from one teammate to the next through sad golden eyes.

Finally, when Recital slumped into the room with their harpy riding on their back, Scorpio stopped pacing. She sat next to her sister to regard their remaining crewmembers. "So. We don't need to mince words. That heist... went badly. It was only an outpost; we didn't expect the amount of security we met."

"That was a mistake we won't make again," Ferrilata said, her voice almost toneless.

"Whose idea was it to hit that place, anyway?" muttered Ginan. "I mean, when you went with - with Mizar and Lilwen to scout," his head stuck out to glare at Thia. "Didn't you see all that mess?"

The mirror barely had time to shake her head guiltily before Scorpio stood up, facing the spiral. "Come on. Let's not start throwing blame. That won't help anybody."

Ginan withdrew back into his tangle of coils and red fabric. "Neither will sitting here talking about how we're gonna do better next time." He intoned the last in a mocking imitation of Ferrilata's voice.

Recital raised their head. Though the guardian's dark eyes were haunted, they still fixed an intent gaze on Ginan. "Our friends did not die so we could fight and blame each other, either. You saw it. Mizar stayed to help Fuyue, and Edval and Lilwen tried to hold the passage for them. They all fell trying to help each other, and us, get away. Do you think they would want us to bicker and snap forever?"

Ferrilata nodded and rumbled her agreement. "Right. They wouldn't."

A beat of silence reigned while Ginan held his resentment to him; to break it, Thia cleared her throat. "So, I asked around about that outpost. Wondered if that's how all the Tempest Spire outposts are guarded, since I've never seen anything like that before. One of my contacts told me there's a new supply line - some kind of mineral or other the engineers are getting from mines in Dragonhome - that makes a stop at that outpost. So they just recently started increasing security there to protect whatever rare mineral they're buying in bulk from Earth."

"So that was a fluke?" Scorpio asked.

"Sort of? My contact will get back to me soon with an updated list of what outposts are supposed to have what."

"What's this mineral supposed to be, anyway?" Ginan asked, sticking his head out once more. His eyes were fever-bright.

Thia scratched her headfin. "Blighted if I know. Something they need for their R&D, according to my contact. They're paying a wing and a tail for it, too, if the outgoing caravans are any indication."

Ferrilata looked intrigued, but when she intercepted a quelling look from her sister, she sighed. "Well, I bet that stuff would fetch a pretty penny on the black market. But it, and whatever tech they're developing with it, are out of our league as targets for right now."

"Way out of our league." Scorpio shook her head. "Still, I look forward to anything your contact can tell us, Thia. It's been made clear that what we need most is intel on our targets."

"And an army," Ginan muttered.

"We can work on both those things. And we will," Ferri said firmly. "We'll recruit more to our side and keep our eyes peeled. We can make a comeback from this."

peanutbutterjar

2816

January 20, 2020 12:15:22

@GrinningWolf24

oops, life happened. rather than procrastinate on doing a new task out of guilt bc i told myself i wouldn't do a new one until i'd done a prose post for the last one, i'll just take the path of least resistance and combine them. rolled once and got a 2, but since no one really has coli loot - i gave Scorpio the swift lumen Innocence got, but reconsidered and took it off - that's a dead roll for now.

new roll is: 17, major heist!

WELP this'll be interesting. especially on top of the sisters roll, for which we get: 64 and 92. so at least that won't add to the carnage. the next roll would proc at 50; i'm considering adding another flat 10 for this heist event, depending on how it goes.

speaking of that, here's the rolls for the heist. again, it's a d16 they have to beat.

8, 4, 14, 5, 10, 9, 1, 5

so unlike with Alnair's crew, more of them survive than fall! the only ones to die are Mizar, Fuyue, and Edval.

i'm gonna go give the survivors their level and fix the cast post, then start on the prose update. the ping will get added on when that's done!

okay, training done and cast post updated. in the process, Recital found a harpy friend. it's a cold consolation.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The depleted Stormscourge gathered to lick their wounds in their repurposed spire. Though whether they could even count Recital as a member of the crew anymore was anyone's guess; the guardian had been - merely "withdrawn" was an egregious understatement - since returning from their mark without Edval. Only finding a broken-winged harpy on the way back had seemed to pull any of Recital's attention outward.

Scorpio paced the length of the largest functioning room of the spire; it had been a cafeteria or something of the sort, they thought. Though Ferrilata sat, she did so with her tail flopping like a landed fish. Ginan... the spiral was eerily still. He found a lamp fixture in the wall and tied himself around it until he looked like some gaudy decoration, as red as Fuyue's scarf he now wore. Even the effervescent Cythia sat subdued, looking from one teammate to the next through sad golden eyes.

Finally, when Recital slumped into the room with their harpy riding on their back, Scorpio stopped pacing. She sat next to her sister to regard their remaining crewmembers. "So. We don't need to mince words. That heist... went badly. It was only an outpost; we didn't expect the amount of security we met."

"That was a mistake we won't make again," Ferrilata said, her voice almost toneless.

"Whose idea was it to hit that place, anyway?" muttered Ginan. "I mean, when you went with - with Mizar and Lilwen to scout," his head stuck out to glare at Thia. "Didn't you see all that mess?"

The mirror barely had time to shake her head guiltily before Scorpio stood up, facing the spiral. "Come on. Let's not start throwing blame. That won't help anybody."

Ginan withdrew back into his tangle of coils and red fabric. "Neither will sitting here talking about how we're gonna do better next time." He intoned the last in a mocking imitation of Ferrilata's voice.

Recital raised their head. Though the guardian's dark eyes were haunted, they still fixed an intent gaze on Ginan. "Our friends did not die so we could fight and blame each other, either. You saw it. Mizar stayed to help Fuyue, and Edval and Lilwen tried to hold the passage for them. They all fell trying to help each other, and us, get away. Do you think they would want us to bicker and snap forever?"

Ferrilata nodded and rumbled her agreement. "Right. They wouldn't."

A beat of silence reigned while Ginan held his resentment to him; to break it, Thia cleared her throat. "So, I asked around about that outpost. Wondered if that's how all the Tempest Spire outposts are guarded, since I've never seen anything like that before. One of my contacts told me there's a new supply line - some kind of mineral or other the engineers are getting from mines in Dragonhome - that makes a stop at that outpost. So they just recently started increasing security there to protect whatever rare mineral they're buying in bulk from Earth."

"So that was a fluke?" Scorpio asked.

"Sort of? My contact will get back to me soon with an updated list of what outposts are supposed to have what."

"What's this mineral supposed to be, anyway?" Ginan asked, sticking his head out once more. His eyes were fever-bright.

Thia scratched her headfin. "Blighted if I know. Something they need for their R&D, according to my contact. They're paying a wing and a tail for it, too, if the outgoing caravans are any indication."

Ferrilata looked intrigued, but when she intercepted a quelling look from her sister, she sighed. "Well, I bet that stuff would fetch a pretty penny on the black market. But it, and whatever tech they're developing with it, are out of our league as targets for right now."

"Way out of our league." Scorpio shook her head. "Still, I look forward to anything your contact can tell us, Thia. It's been made clear that what we need most is intel on our targets."

"And an army," Ginan muttered.

"We can work on both those things. And we will," Ferri said firmly. "We'll recruit more to our side and keep our eyes peeled. We can make a comeback from this."

Last edited on Jan 20, 2020 15:14:27 by peanutbutterjar

@GrinningWolf24 all right, new roll time! we get another 7: recruiting! this run is living up to the title. have a wall of fodder while we search for a recruit: [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=57439662][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/574397/57439662.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=57676078][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/576761/57676078.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=57677959][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/576780/57677959.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=57677967][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/576780/57677967.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=57750956][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/577510/57750956.png[/img][/url] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=57890523][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/coliseum/portraits/578906/57890523.png[/img][/url] our survivor is Windstrike, the gaoler. and as the only one who's past first cooldown, Strike's fully grown and like twice the size of everyone else, lol [center]~ ~ ~ ~ ~[/center] The first fruits of the Stormscourge's renewed recruiting efforts arrived quite soon. Ferrilata led in another gaoler, this one dark and imposing, much bigger than the young sisters. Xe gave little response when Ferri introduced xim around, other than to bend xir big, shaggy head in greeting. "Strike has trouble talking. But xe's got a letter of recommendation from one of Thia's contacts, so we can be sure xe'll do good work," Ferrilata said to the others. Behind her, Windstrike withdrew a pouch that looked comically tiny in xir talons and opened it to withdraw a packet of paper. Xe handed it off to Ferri, who offered it to Scorpio. "We've got plenty of paper and ink for you to write with," Thia reassured the silent gaoler. "And soon we should be able to hire an engineer who can come fix up this place. Once we've got power, the computers will be working again." Ginan spent just long enough in the room to satisfy the others that he'd acknowledged the new arrival, then left the gathering. Recital, though clearly intimidated by the giant gaoler, did their best to greet xim politely. Strike reached into xir pouch to withdraw a pad of paper and a crudely made pencil, both of which looked barely big enough for xim. Thia made a mental note to get xim supplies sized properly. It wasn't like the sisters weren't swiftly outgrowing the things that the rest of them used comfortably, either. The note Strike scratched out hastily read, [i]'Thank you all. The letter will show you my credentials, but I do want you to know I am quite happy to also act as a fence. That is how Cythia and I met, though there is not much overlap in our respective circles.'[/i] Once she read that, Thia nodded. "That's true enough. You have better access to Shadow and Plague's markets than I do." "Trained by the Order of the Seekers... does that mean what I think it means?" Scorpio asked, looking sharply up into Strike's face. Xe nodded slowly, scratched down something else, and showed her the note. [i]'Yes. My parents were both Seekers trained in the Fortress of Ends. They took up residence in the Tangled Wood as part of their duties and trained all of their offspring in their ways.'[/i] "Well, it will be nice to have someone around with official combat training." Scorpio handed xim back the letter. "Welcome aboard, Windstrike." The big gaoler rocked back on xir haunches and slapped xir chest with a big claw in a salute. [right][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2806872#post_41896533]back to table of contents[/url][/right]

peanutbutterjar

2816

January 21, 2020 14:43:24

@GrinningWolf24

all right, new roll time! we get another 7: recruiting! this run is living up to the title. have a wall of fodder while we search for a recruit:

our survivor is Windstrike, the gaoler. and as the only one who's past first cooldown, Strike's fully grown and like twice the size of everyone else, lol

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The first fruits of the Stormscourge's renewed recruiting efforts arrived quite soon. Ferrilata led in another gaoler, this one dark and imposing, much bigger than the young sisters. Xe gave little response when Ferri introduced xim around, other than to bend xir big, shaggy head in greeting.

"Strike has trouble talking. But xe's got a letter of recommendation from one of Thia's contacts, so we can be sure xe'll do good work," Ferrilata said to the others. Behind her, Windstrike withdrew a pouch that looked comically tiny in xir talons and opened it to withdraw a packet of paper. Xe handed it off to Ferri, who offered it to Scorpio.

"We've got plenty of paper and ink for you to write with," Thia reassured the silent gaoler. "And soon we should be able to hire an engineer who can come fix up this place. Once we've got power, the computers will be working again."

Ginan spent just long enough in the room to satisfy the others that he'd acknowledged the new arrival, then left the gathering. Recital, though clearly intimidated by the giant gaoler, did their best to greet xim politely.

Strike reached into xir pouch to withdraw a pad of paper and a crudely made pencil, both of which looked barely big enough for xim. Thia made a mental note to get xim supplies sized properly. It wasn't like the sisters weren't swiftly outgrowing the things that the rest of them used comfortably, either.

The note Strike scratched out hastily read, 'Thank you all. The letter will show you my credentials, but I do want you to know I am quite happy to also act as a fence. That is how Cythia and I met, though there is not much overlap in our respective circles.'

Once she read that, Thia nodded. "That's true enough. You have better access to Shadow and Plague's markets than I do."

"Trained by the Order of the Seekers... does that mean what I think it means?" Scorpio asked, looking sharply up into Strike's face.

Xe nodded slowly, scratched down something else, and showed her the note. 'Yes. My parents were both Seekers trained in the Fortress of Ends. They took up residence in the Tangled Wood as part of their duties and trained all of their offspring in their ways.'

"Well, it will be nice to have someone around with official combat training." Scorpio handed xim back the letter. "Welcome aboard, Windstrike."

The big gaoler rocked back on xir haunches and slapped xir chest with a big claw in a salute.

Last edited on Jan 21, 2020 15:41:56 by peanutbutterjar

Oooh, Windstrike is a cool dragon~ I am interested to see how they acclimate into the group!

GrinningWolf24