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Encounter Conditions
South side of lake
Initial Text
There seem to be ruins scattered through the lake bed here, but beneath the oil slick, you can see the ruins of a vast city. As sunlight streams down around the edges of the slick, parts of the city vanish like a mirage.
In the distance, beneath the center of the slick, you can see a massive building like a palace. No one seems intent on blocking your path from here to there, but there is a lot of to explore.
Summary of Choices
- Head towards the palace
- Find a gift
- Bone Scepter (Only with the bone scepter) - Placate the guards
- Buried Crown (Only with a buried crown) - Placate the guards
- Black Crystal Orb (Only with black crystal orb) - Placate the guards
- Carved Crystal Orb (Only with carved crystal orb) - Nothing
- Ghoulish Crown (Only with ghoulish crown) - Placate the guards
- Regal Crown (Only with regal crown) - Placate the guards
- Sea Lord's Crown (Only with Sea Lord's crown) - Placate the guards
- Try to communicate Gain 4 XP in Will
- Charge them - Fight 2, then 3, then 4 Palace Guards
- Back off - Walk away
- Find a gift
- Head towards the palace (After presenting a gift)
- Ask David's question - Gain sloshing urn or complete the quest
- Talk to it - Nothing
- Charge him - Fight 2 Palace Guards and the Ocean King
- Hand over the urn (Only with a ringing urn) - Gain Blessed of the Seas skill if caught the King of the Fae
- Leave this madness - Walk away
- Wander the streets - Gain 3 XP in Perception and Will or Fight a Ruins Octopus
- Look for urns after being told to destroy urns by the Fae - Destroy urns or Gain 4 XP in Perception
- Leave the city - Walk away
Choice Text and Results
Head towards the palace (before presenting a gift)
The gaping hole in the palace you assume was once the front gate opens into a vast courtyard filled with sea weed, ruins, and what are almost certainly guards. The guards look you up and down through archaic helmets, but don't seem inclined to run you through.
The few markings that remain on the walls are murals showing individuals, some human and some of stranger races, presenting gifts to an empty throne.
Find a gift
The guards don't seem to be particularly talkative, even if you did speak their language. You go over the murals instead. It looks like the supplicants are handing over crowns, mostly, with a few giving scepters or orbs.
If their leader's kept them all, there must be quite an impressive collection somewhere. The guards wait patiently for you to decide on a gift.
Bone Scepter
You hand over the scepter, feeling a strange tug at your mind as it leaves your possession. The guard nods in what you imagine is approval, then turns to leave as the others usher you out.
You think that went well.
(You lose: the bone scepter)
Buried Crown
You hand the crown over respectfully. The guard turns it over in his fins a few times, poking at the gems and the mollusks.
He eventually nods curtly, like you've seen Midgard Security officers do a hundred times, and turns to leave. The others escort you out… apparently while you await their ruler's decision.
(You lose: buried crown)
Black Crystal Orb
The guard takes the orb from your hands, inspecting it carefully. As it looks down into the orb, you can see faint crystalline lights sparkling in its depths.
The guard nods and backs away, letting the others show you out. You think that went well.
(You lose: black crystal orb)
Carved Crystal Orb
You hand the orb to the guard. It flares with a brilliant light and the guard drops it into the sand.
They seem less than pleased, to say the least, but let you take the orb and leave, so that's at least something. Hopefully you haven't done them some irreparable insult.
Ghoulish Crown
The guard takes the crown from you, running its fins along the sinew and teeth. It takes the crown back towards what you assume is the throne room.
After waiting for several minutes with the guards staring at you, you get the impression you're supposed to come back later.
(You lose: ghoulish crown)
Regal Crown
The guard takes the crown from your hands and nods in approval. They just wait and stare at you, so apparently you should come back later for the audience.
(You lose: regal crown)
Sea Lord's Crown
The guard takes the crown from your hands almost reverently. He pauses for a moment, holding the crown above his head for the other guards to see. They bang their spears on the pillars in a show of… approval, you guess.
They gently show you out, but you're confident that went well.
(You lose: Sea Lord's Crown)
Try to communicate
They don't seem interested in talking, even in the strange song-like language you've heard others of their kind use. You put up a good attempt but learn only lessons in patience.
You've earned 4 XP in Will
Charge them
You charge forward and the guards meet you halfway. The sounds of battle are strangely muffled underwater, but they pain is still just as real.
(Fight 2 Palace Guards)
After the fight, if you win:
You have just enough time to back out before the next wave of guards arrives.
Or, after beating the guards twice:
Security seems to have wised up, adding another guard waiting behind one of the piles of rubble.
(Fight 3 Palace Guards)
After the fight, if you win (sometimes?):
You're able to snatch something and leave before anyone else notices your presence. Score!
Get one of the guard drops?
Back off
(text)
See Walk Away
Head towards the palace (after presenting a gift, or beating four waves of guards)
You make your way into the throne room at the center of the ruins. The decaying stone doors open easily enough, revealing a scaled mound of flesh that faintly resembles the other fish people you've seen.
Its two guards stand well away, just far enough out of the shadows to make their presence obvious. The thing opens its mouth and begins to sing in a deep rumbling voice.
After a few moments, your bones begin to hum along, until you can hear words. "Welcome. Why do you petition us?"
Ask David's question
The creature continues humming, strange words crackling from your bones. "I thought you might. There are creatures, tiny lights with no true form, that seek to bind both our peoples into servitude."
"You have met them before and proven your worth. But this… truth you ask for requires more than just worth, it requires courage. Go north, then into their lair, bring me back proof of your conquest."
Its eyes move slightly, glancing next to you. When you follow its gaze, you find a strange urn there that you're certain wasn't there before.
The creature nods, apparently satisfied with the transaction.
You found: sloshing urn
Or, returning without a ringing urn:
The creature shakes its head slowly and hums, causing your bones to hum in an unpleasant sensation that nevertheless creates understandable speech.
"All is in good time. Prove yourself a warrior and I will tell you."
Or, after giving him a ringing urn:
The creature hums again and you can feel sounds vibrate out of your bones. You're not sure you'll ever get used to that.
"Your elder, this David… he is a fool who cannot See. If he cannot know the reason why we live and die, why we hate him and others love him… perhaps there is no hope for you."
It stares at you with its unblinking eyes for what seems like hours, but is probably only a moment. "I have promised an answer, though your David can give you more."
"The ones who call themselves the Eldest," it lifts the urn you brought, as though to illustrate the point, "they are not the eldest, but they are older than us. They speak of a time when our Mother walked the blighted sands, how the slime poisoned her and begat us."
"But their story is not much different and it begins with your friend David. Since then, we have both seen races come and go. It is always the same: a human that can See and, by seeing, create."
The creature twists its lips in a strange caricature of a smile. "If I do not make sense, you should ask your elder David. What I know from without, he knows from within."
Talk to it
Whatever other things this creature may be, a master of small talk is not one of them. Despite the way your bones rattle with an eerily human voice, you don't seem to have enough common ground to even begin a communication.
Eventually you give up, the flesh around your bones tickling strangely.
Charge him
The leader's strange hum ends and its guards gather around it. You can't read their emotions well, but they seem almost resigned to it, like this is a manner of course before you can have a polite conversation.
Fight 2 Palace Guards and Ocean King
Hand over the urn
(If your ringing urn contains the King of the Fae:)
The thing's song resonates through your body. "Their king? The Elders… all their arrogance… contained by clay and ill wishes."
The voice continues to rumble through you. "You have proven yourself a warrior worthy of the sea's blessings."
You've learned a new Skill: Blessed of the Seas
(If your ringing urn contains the King of the Fae and you give the unused sea lord's crown or the bone scepter (without having received Ghoultouched) to the guards:)
The thing's song resonates through your body. "Their king? The Elders… all their arrogance… contained by clay and ill wishes."
The voice continues to rumble through you. "You have proven yourself a great warrior and a worthy vassal."
A strange warmth spreads through your body to match the rattle of the words.
You've learned a new Skill: Vassal of the Seas
(Otherwise:)
The thing's voice resonates within your body. "You have proven yourself. Perhaps… your kind is not so dangerous as we thought."
A strange throbbing presses out from your bones, possibly a nauseating attempt at replicating laughter. "No. You are dangerous. But dangerous for us. And for now, that will do."
Leave this madness
Something happens, but mostly it's just
See Walk Away
Look for urns
With less than 3 Diving ability:
It takes some time, but you search the ruins for urns. You find a few and smash them, but honestly spend more time fighting the strange currents than smashing anything.
With 3 Diving ability:
You search through the city for the urns. Eventually you find a small shrine in a distant part of the ruins.
You search the room diligently, rounding up as many urns as you can and smashing them. They shatter easily against the masonry.
After smashing enough urns (I still had 3 Diving ability for this):
You spend a while searching and can't find any more of the urns. Well, it seems your work here is done.
You've earned 4 XP in Perception
Wander the streets
You wander through the ancient, ruined streets and examine the crumbling walls. It's like walking through a thousand years and seeing everything strange twist of thought that went through that time.
If this weren't at the bottom of a lake, and apparently inside some sort of hallucination, it'd be an amazing place to bring some archeologists. Even tourists might appreciate it.
You've earned 3 XP in Perception
You've earned 3 XP in Will
or
During your search, you find a particularly marvelous piece of wall that suddenly detaches itself. By the time you realize it's an octopus, its tentacles are almost around you.
(Fight Ruins Octopus)
*This fight awards an additional 2 XP in Perception. It will still be awarded in the event you flee combat.
Leave the city
Something happens, but mostly it's just
See Walk Away