OP
tora
Demon Girl
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2011
- Messages
- 58
- Reputation score
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- Thread Starter
- #401
Re: Tentacle Lair Evolution!
E – Side: Necromancer
Current Status:
–side note: Chameon’s option A–
Unacceptable! Uppity mortals, do they think themselves your equal? Perhaps another would be more receptive.
Seeking to avoid detection by purple, you channel your thoughts to the Necromancer with foxlike subtlety. “I have an offer for you.”
“Why would I listen?” rasps a dry voice. You can feel his precision – you’re not sure if even Asabi is aware of his words. Such a fine mind, a pity he has it warded.
“I think you should see this,” you broadcast, following it with your full remembrance of purple, a litany of betrayal and loathing. The answer is brief: “Speak your will.” You feel purple start for the runestone, communicating something inaudible to the death-talker. Without waiting for it to finish you begin your pitch. “Purple is a worthless threat, it will only seek to destroy you in the end,” you tell the necromancer, “You’ll find me a far more profitable partner.” Calling up an image of the mana stones handed over to him beneath the runic seal, you continue, “I can offer the power and knowledge of centuries.”.
It’s almost impossible to read the necromancer as he deadpans, “Greater power than if the other ancient has the runestone?”
“He is nothing before me!” you shout, freezing purple with the Overlord’s bane.
“Impressive. Why not finish the job? Or perhaps the blood oath this one said you had prevents you just as mine? Tell me. Perhaps we can forge a deal?”
The question is almost impossible to make out through a spike in his wards. You’d bet good money purple is none the wiser despite it’s frantic probes. The necromancer’s complete dam on emotional clues is troubling, however. You decide to both assuage and test him.
“Like yourself I value the arcane. I have two specimens of interest. An alraune who is my ward. A succubus who is my follower.” You punctuate each sentence with vivid images of its subject – Hul’jet’s wards, Ket studying before the necromancer, and the most alluring picture of Asabi you can recall, her perfect breasts dangling inches from his face. “Join me and I’ll share this and more. I ask only that you show me a similar token of goodwill, unlike the treasonous ‘allies’ hindering me now.”
You add a hint of urgency to your last request - purple is stirring again, and Cambor has been slowly dragging Ket from the hole! To stall for time you call your acceptance to Zelari, willing Asabi to feign caution. As she creeps towards the barrier you loosen the soul bind and approve her plan. She slits her arm and opens telepathy, stalling for as long as she can.
The necromancer’s answer arrives “You honor me. I have unlocked the wards.” He sends you an image of the runestone, a glowing pinkish-green crystal haloed by mana flowing in two bands of runes. “Your inferior has this,” he says, showing a whirling sequence of call disabling one, “I have the other.” The caster must have solved this while you dealt with the harpy!
The image’s exquisite detail would allow you to break the ward sight unseen, but not faster than purple.
“I offer a fair deal: I swear on a blood oath to give you the answer and two thirds of the runestone’s power. I will also swear on the oath to remove your wayward allies. If the other ancient told the truth about your oath, I will also assume responsibility for the mandragoran as your proxy. You’d still suffer if I fail, but no more than I.
“In return I ask only one thing: grant the Soul Amethyst to me. Give me its location if it is within your power, and do not interfere in my quest for it.
“I will reciprocate twofold: I will not oppose your conquest of this kingdom. I will also tell all I find on your own keystone, the Black Diamond.”
This is what you wanted. Certainly he is presumptuous to seek a tentacle keystone, but if you kill purple now the leverage it would grant is meaningless. The violet jewel does have power over souls, no doubt the source of the necromancer’s interest, but the diamond is both stronger and a greater threat to you.
The one drawback is getting the oath. You have to go down in front of his forces and purple to exchange blood, a near-perfect ambush if he’s lying. Worse, Zelari shows no indication of leaving the barrier, and Asabi’s almost there.
Do you do it?
A.) Yes! Rush through the barrier, beeline your new ally, and seal the deal!
B.) Yes, but also take Zelari’s deal. She’ll be bound to fight purple while you get the stone, you avoid some painful wards, then she's the necro's problem. To avoid the penalty you’ll need to alter the deal so that the necromancer opposes you somehow to balance his aid – perhaps a competition for the blue and green stones?
C.) No deal! Stall a bit longer to solve the second ward, then rush. Fake Zelari out if you can, else just force your way through. Suck as much energy as you can, and unleash the grand melee!
Notes:
1.) This vote ends negotiation, period
2.) If option A worries you, you might be able to scrounge enough energy to stun purple a bit longer, but you'll need Shrike in on it.
3.) For Ket, note the Necro's wording 'If' - he's offering a choice. If you want to keep Ket close, you know what that entails.
E – Side: Necromancer
Current Status:
Small Young Black Tentacle
Health: 50/50
Energy: 350/1500
Overlord Energy 25
Abilities: Stealth I, Infest I, Symbiosis I, Aura Sense I, Perception, Influence, Ovipositor, Soul Bind, Telepathy, Magic Resistance
Status: Normal, Aid Tattoo
Host: Asabi – Greater Succubus, low energy, illusion, (soul bind, symbiosis active, egged)
DATA:
Time: Noon
Allies: Hul’jet (Floor 1 Sigil Crypt), Yorin Image (Floor 2 Astral Prison), Zelari, Cambor, & Ket (F2 North, all egged), Orc (F2 North, egged)
Known Entities: Runestone (F3 North), Purple and Necromancer (F3 North), Green & Blue (???))
Health: 50/50
Energy: 350/1500
Overlord Energy 25
Abilities: Stealth I, Infest I, Symbiosis I, Aura Sense I, Perception, Influence, Ovipositor, Soul Bind, Telepathy, Magic Resistance
Status: Normal, Aid Tattoo
Host: Asabi – Greater Succubus, low energy, illusion, (soul bind, symbiosis active, egged)
DATA:
Time: Noon
Allies: Hul’jet (Floor 1 Sigil Crypt), Yorin Image (Floor 2 Astral Prison), Zelari, Cambor, & Ket (F2 North, all egged), Orc (F2 North, egged)
Known Entities: Runestone (F3 North), Purple and Necromancer (F3 North), Green & Blue (???))
There are two reasons I am not accepting this. First, as much fun as Bartimaeus is in the book, legal wrangling just isn’t fun as a game (lawyers excepted). Second, it would fuck you hard. Your ‘ignore’ clause “And if you do it’s to kill,” is a full sentence with verb ‘to do’. Do what? You can argue nothing, but they could argue *anything*, and then you’re hosed.
I added a more legalistic twist in option B for you since you obviously put a lot of thought into this. If that's not your thing, A's probably closer.
I added a more legalistic twist in option B for you since you obviously put a lot of thought into this. If that's not your thing, A's probably closer.
Seeking to avoid detection by purple, you channel your thoughts to the Necromancer with foxlike subtlety. “I have an offer for you.”
“Why would I listen?” rasps a dry voice. You can feel his precision – you’re not sure if even Asabi is aware of his words. Such a fine mind, a pity he has it warded.
“I think you should see this,” you broadcast, following it with your full remembrance of purple, a litany of betrayal and loathing. The answer is brief: “Speak your will.” You feel purple start for the runestone, communicating something inaudible to the death-talker. Without waiting for it to finish you begin your pitch. “Purple is a worthless threat, it will only seek to destroy you in the end,” you tell the necromancer, “You’ll find me a far more profitable partner.” Calling up an image of the mana stones handed over to him beneath the runic seal, you continue, “I can offer the power and knowledge of centuries.”.
It’s almost impossible to read the necromancer as he deadpans, “Greater power than if the other ancient has the runestone?”
“He is nothing before me!” you shout, freezing purple with the Overlord’s bane.
“Impressive. Why not finish the job? Or perhaps the blood oath this one said you had prevents you just as mine? Tell me. Perhaps we can forge a deal?”
The question is almost impossible to make out through a spike in his wards. You’d bet good money purple is none the wiser despite it’s frantic probes. The necromancer’s complete dam on emotional clues is troubling, however. You decide to both assuage and test him.
“Like yourself I value the arcane. I have two specimens of interest. An alraune who is my ward. A succubus who is my follower.” You punctuate each sentence with vivid images of its subject – Hul’jet’s wards, Ket studying before the necromancer, and the most alluring picture of Asabi you can recall, her perfect breasts dangling inches from his face. “Join me and I’ll share this and more. I ask only that you show me a similar token of goodwill, unlike the treasonous ‘allies’ hindering me now.”
You add a hint of urgency to your last request - purple is stirring again, and Cambor has been slowly dragging Ket from the hole! To stall for time you call your acceptance to Zelari, willing Asabi to feign caution. As she creeps towards the barrier you loosen the soul bind and approve her plan. She slits her arm and opens telepathy, stalling for as long as she can.
The necromancer’s answer arrives “You honor me. I have unlocked the wards.” He sends you an image of the runestone, a glowing pinkish-green crystal haloed by mana flowing in two bands of runes. “Your inferior has this,” he says, showing a whirling sequence of call disabling one, “I have the other.” The caster must have solved this while you dealt with the harpy!
The image’s exquisite detail would allow you to break the ward sight unseen, but not faster than purple.
“I offer a fair deal: I swear on a blood oath to give you the answer and two thirds of the runestone’s power. I will also swear on the oath to remove your wayward allies. If the other ancient told the truth about your oath, I will also assume responsibility for the mandragoran as your proxy. You’d still suffer if I fail, but no more than I.
“In return I ask only one thing: grant the Soul Amethyst to me. Give me its location if it is within your power, and do not interfere in my quest for it.
“I will reciprocate twofold: I will not oppose your conquest of this kingdom. I will also tell all I find on your own keystone, the Black Diamond.”
This is what you wanted. Certainly he is presumptuous to seek a tentacle keystone, but if you kill purple now the leverage it would grant is meaningless. The violet jewel does have power over souls, no doubt the source of the necromancer’s interest, but the diamond is both stronger and a greater threat to you.
The one drawback is getting the oath. You have to go down in front of his forces and purple to exchange blood, a near-perfect ambush if he’s lying. Worse, Zelari shows no indication of leaving the barrier, and Asabi’s almost there.
Do you do it?
A.) Yes! Rush through the barrier, beeline your new ally, and seal the deal!
B.) Yes, but also take Zelari’s deal. She’ll be bound to fight purple while you get the stone, you avoid some painful wards, then she's the necro's problem. To avoid the penalty you’ll need to alter the deal so that the necromancer opposes you somehow to balance his aid – perhaps a competition for the blue and green stones?
C.) No deal! Stall a bit longer to solve the second ward, then rush. Fake Zelari out if you can, else just force your way through. Suck as much energy as you can, and unleash the grand melee!
Notes:
1.) This vote ends negotiation, period
2.) If option A worries you, you might be able to scrounge enough energy to stun purple a bit longer, but you'll need Shrike in on it.
3.) For Ket, note the Necro's wording 'If' - he's offering a choice. If you want to keep Ket close, you know what that entails.
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