Roll 2 Dodge: Prismpunk

Ideally, you'd be able to find your way to any place without the help of signs or other tools of guidance. The symbols are not inherently magical; it is the identification that matters.

Come on, where are you trying to go by arguing this point a month or so after we established it? Not to mention you sound like you have grievances with the way the game's being run.

And also yes Tiven did get co-ownership of the tower, though chances are he's not going to do much with it. Insofar as gameplay goes the tower will create some strategy-game factors as well.

Just an FYI, we're ready to roll.

Spoiler:

After mulling over the fact, the six of you consult with the militia and get a scope of the resources available to the tower.


You're definitely going to have to do some renovations once you get back from your trip into the Capital.

Jackbarber:
Some runes on Ice, Rock, Healing, Plant/Vines and Explosiveness might also be good to have...

6

Your previous rune search yielded you some interesting runes; one rune, when inscribed on footwear or gloves, seems to give you the ability to affix your feet to a stone surface, making the two effectively one object. Might be useful for climbing, or maybe for blocking attacks with major knockback potential. The only other rune still undamaged was one designed to inflict damage with a direct kinetic burst- an explosion without fire or sound.

Jackbarber:
Find some pairs of gloves and engrave them with my battle runes on the Right, Utility and Healing kind of Runes on the Left, using the extra pairs if I mess up.

9

After going through a pair of gloves, you successfully engrave a glove with tiny versions of the Fire, Water, Lightning, and Explosion runes on each finger. On the other hand, you inscribe the runes of Slowing and Stonegrasp onto your thumb and forefinger, respectively.

You expect your new runed gloves will be quite useful to you in the future.

Jackbarber:
And if there is time, search through the broken weapons in the armory for components.

15

You sift through the various weapon stocks, noting with dismay how the freezing damaged the more complicated components that contained electrofluid. You still manage to recover a good stock of components, though- and all military-grade supplies to boost. You don't have enough pocket space to take everything with you, so you just pick what looks to be worth the most and pocket those prisms.

Johnratchet: Work on completing the shield, + (sub-action), learn about the components themselves.

20

Artifact Created!

After hours and hours of toiling work, trying piece after piece- because it's actually rather difficult to build a machine from another base that you can hardly recognize-

You complete the shield, and in the process recognize it for exactly what it is.

It's an amalgamated item- a machine designed to absorb other machines and other sources of metal, a weapon that in time could become something incredibly great- not that you have any idea what it's supposed to develop into, though. That bit's still unclear, but you're sure it'll be awesome. Everything involving you is awesome, right?

As you stare at your new creation, you ponder what to name it- before you notice that the metal railings you leaned it against are fusing into the shield. You pull your shield off quickly- don't want the shield fusing with the entire tower or something, that'd be rather... crazy.

Not that it'd be bad or anything. Maybe you'll have to ask everybody else about trying just that in the future.

Shadowkiller: I would like to have learned the concept of Fytevomancy from Matilbeth.

18

Your night was spent practicing the art of Fytevomancy with Matilbeth. The practice was quite useful- one of your more useful skills acquired, beyond basic plant manipulation, was the ability to produce seeds with the same weight, shape, and balance as your Bullet Bolts. These seeds instantly grow into cloying vines to entangle enemy movement, and can be easily produced when normal explosive ammunition is lacking.

After thanking the old mother, you retired to your room, where you spent quite a few hours growing beautiful flowers in practically every corner. A girl's got to have some style, right?

Wesfreak: If i'm aloud a hoverboard of some sort, I'll take that.

20

Unbeknownst to the other members of your group, in the very back of the armory, covered in a pile of frozen armors, laid a pearl-white, enamel board ten feet long, its edges streamlined and smooth with elegant fins streaming from the back, like a splashing wave from the ocean converted to a soaring bird. The bottom of the board, inscribed with barytiamantic runes, provided an antigravity ability-

And when you tested it out in the night, where none else could see, you found that, thankfully, the drain on your magic did not exceed your total strength. Your magic is slightly hindered when using the board, true, but you think the utility provided far outweighs the cost.

Wesfreak: Also, I give my prism sword to shadowkiller.

In the morning, you hand your blade to Allene- who seems slightly more pleasant than usual. You notice that she has what seems to be an orchid in her hair- Orchids don't even grow here, do they? Nevertheless, she accepts the prism sword with a polite nod.

8680: Upgrade Reaper's Run.

After training for hours in the night, leaping attacks and strikes, spinning into and out of combat with the utmost alacrity and vigilance, you find that your body seems to respond to you better even through the rapid, striking bursts of speed that you tend to apply.

You have to train harder, still. You tell yourself that you must ever strive for excellence, lest you be surpassed by your enemies.

8680: Try to persuade Tiven to teach me some Chronomantic runes.

13

After half an hour of rest from training, you find Tiven, busy discussing something with Alchione. You awkwardly wait in the hallway for another ten minutes before Tiven exits the room-

"Tiven. I would make of you a request."

"What is it, Kal?"

"Perhaps you could educate me on your usage of the Chronomantic magics? I profess that I find an interest in the matters of eternities and beyond. Time magic seems to be an acceptable starting point."

"Uh... Well, it's not that I don't want to- but do you think you can handle it?"

"Excuse me?"

"Chronomancy is one of the most magic-intensive spell types, and even with two powerful souls grafted to me I still can barely keep a hold on it for more than a few seconds. It's incredibly exhausting, even then- and I'm not sure you could handle it without, I dunno, falling over unconscious... or worse. And even at that- Chronomancy is, well, I mean- playing with time itself?"

"...I see your point. I would still prefer that you taught me something even if I could not use it nevertheless."

"Alright, Kal. I guess I can teach you a minor time-freeze spell- but remember what I said! This is difficult stuff, and your magical power may not be robust enough to handle it."

"We shall see."

And so you find yourself learning the secrets of time from someone half as old as you. Quite ironic.

8680: Search the tower for some clothes suitable for meeting the Immortal Lord Tiamat Venthor, Trusted of the Dimensions, Dictator of Vosalsvrax, and whatever other titles he might have..

At noon, a member of the militia delivers a package onto you. Opening it, you find seven sets of stately robes, one set obviously trimmed for a woman, each fit to your measurements perfectly.

You wondered whether they were magically fit, but scrutiny reveals a lack of any enchantment. Perhaps the Immortal Lord literally knows everything without hyperbole?

8680: Combine my Reflective Mantis Shell Shield and my Steel Cuirass in the — no, our — Alchemy Forge.

15

You acquire a Reflective Metal Cuirass!

The glossy chromatic surface of an insect's carapace has combined with the gray sheen of steel; the armor retains the physical resilience of metal but now also includes its capacity for reflection. Definitely the best of both worlds.

Bigkahuna: I would like to learn Detection. I would also like to make a technique by combining the Movement and Detection concept to make a primitive Motion-Sensor.

20

You successfully weld the two concepts together, finding it much easier than expected. The motion sensors, upon testing, are quite effective- and not too distracting when activated. The only issue is the continual cost in maintenance, as the sensors continually require magical energy as input. Seems like you can't place too many of these, not to mention that you can't quite differentiate between allies and enemies yet.

------

Bigkahuna: Put on my bowler hat and tuxedo, and suggest that we head out to meet the emperor immediately. We risk much dawdling when involved with one so powerful. Instruct the militia to continue rebuilding the tower with promises of (future) payment, and presumably head out with the group to meet the emperor.


With all myriad preparations completed and the militia placed under the temporary watch of Netiatono and Matilbeth, the six of you along with Tiven and Alchione prepare to depart. You hired two carts from the nearby village, which cost you only 80 clips- out of the tower treasury, of course.

Before you depart, you think you have some things to say, as you brush through your similarly-robed friends to find Tiven and Alchione.

Bigkahuna: Suggest to Tiven that he join the army and fight alongside us. Then he can still retain a feeling of normalcy while still being able to sate his unnatural hunger. Talk to Alchione about recent events... Ask Netatiano about new ways I can utilize my concepts.

"Tiven."

He seems rather lost in thought, with his head down and his silvery patch pulsing as is almost usual for him now.

"Tiven!"

"Whu-"

"Tiven, have you thought about what you're going to do from now on?"

"...I've been thinking and I think I have a few ideas."

"Well, you could always stay with us at the tower. The world is yet at war- and you can join the side we're all on now, right? Vosalsvrax has the highest standard of living out of any of the mainland nations, you know."

"Yes, I know that. Still, fighting doesn't seem to me to be a... resolution. Just getting further in the struggle."

"But if you fight, you can... Sate your hunger. You could take souls and placate your contract-"

"But that's repulsive! I mean- The contract doesn't specifically state that I must consume souls, only that I can. I think it's a test of character- and I intend on passing it. The Gravekeeper thinks he can tempt me into falling- I will not oblige him!"

Tiven seems rather enthused with his tirade, almost as if he's rehearsed this over and over. He must have been thinking about the problem all this time. You turn to Alchione instead, wondering if another opinion might yield new facets on the issue-

"Alchione, what do you think?"

"Me? I, uh. Well, I..."

Alchione seems slightly hesitant, but finally she speaks.

"I've been wondering if there's not a way to find the best of both worlds? If we could, perhaps, create a separate partition of souls, so that we can both preserve them and acquire power from them- some sort of alternate heaven? Being condemned to consumption and eternal obliteration for power is monstrous, whether performed by an eldritch god from the afterlife or a normal mortal in our world."

Tiven shrugs. "Alchione's been going on and on about her new idea. I personally don't see how it's possible-"

"Hey, you don't get to say that, Tiven! It's your responsibility, after all!"

"My responsibility?"

"You're the only one in our world with the power to collect souls, as far as I know! Every time you collect a soul, the Gravekeeper is deprived of the soul- if we could, somehow, divert the soul from your internal soul-furnace as well so that they could be preserved, we'd all be happy, right? You're the key to all this, and it's your responsibility to harvest as many souls as you can so that the Gravekeeper doesn't get to destroy them-"

You're not sure you like where this is going.

"Alchione, are you suggesting Tiven go on a murdering spree to keep souls away from the Gravekeeper?"

"Wh- No! I just... I mean- People are dying everywhere already, and their eternal souls are being destroyed! I think if we can preserve them somehow while finding a way to extract the ambient power from them rather than breaking them down-"

"That's enough, Alchione." Tiven frowned. "I've told you, I'm not doing it. I'm not going to go around harvesting souls like a power-crazed maniac."

Alchione didn't give up, slowly sliding into a pout. "But is it possible? It has to be possible! Perhaps if we can get the Emperor himself to help, then we'll surely have abundant power-"

"The Immortal Lord? Ha. What're the chances that he'll want to help with this kind of crazy scheme? He doesn't even get anything out of it anyways."

"I wouldn't count on him, true, but I would also say that what Alchione suggests is possible." Netiatono shrugs. "I've heard of preservation of souls before, ancestral jars, guiding spirits, imbued family weapons- but they're always highly resource intensive. A massively-scaled operation would be... Well, not impossible, but approaching such on any realistic scale."

"Ah, Master Vie. On that note- you are a master of Concept Magic. Do you have any suggestions for applications of my newer magics?"

"Well, you've done quite a bit with them already. Perhaps you could try, for example, telekinesis. I think you've improved in your magical prowess, so you should be able to achieve it now, whereas you could not before."

"...Telekinesis. I'll be sure to try it after we're done with the Immortal Lord. Not sure why I didn't think of that earlier."

"You are welcome, Jonathan. I believe you should depart now, lest you fail to arrive at an inn before nightfall."

Alchione quickly gives Tiven a hug before he jumps onto the cart with everyone else-

And with that, your party departs on the two carts, stocked with provisions for eating and sleeping, traveling to the City of Nirvana, Capital of Vosalsvrax.

------

It is three days before you arrive in the city of Nirvana. To be sure, the name is not... Well-placed.

Black, imposing spires jut into the sky, like consuming fingers reaching towards the sun with an intent to rip it from its throne in the sky. All around you, shining steel surfaces, passionlessly sterilized, reflect the myriad chromatic colors of a thousand holographically projected signs, advertising myriad services. The people of the streets, though, are just as lively as any city- and the vendors just as many. Occasionally, a vendor actually disappears into the street, some sort of paneling underneath allowing them to retract their stall into the ground- only to pop up a block away to hawk wares at a different market.

In this way, you watch as vendors make their circular rounds around the city. Each foot-lane seems to have an equivalent air-lane, as hovercrafts of all forms ride in the air ten meters above the ground, following the laws of traffic with great order.

It's very imposing, to be sure- and over the horizon is a great mountain. The great mountain- the Vertiplex, atop which exists both the Circle Tower and the Immortal Lord's mansion. And it is in that direction that you head, the city guards recognizing your signed forms to allow you through.

Above you, a fleet of darting fighters patrols the city- real aerial combat golems! You've never seen them before, and you all look up to watch the squadron perform their daily exercises.

Not long after, you arrive at the gate to a great wall around the main upward slope to the Vertiplex. You depart the carts, and pay the drivers their fee before turning back to the monumentally imposing gates forged of twisting ebony wood-

"Hey, you guys here to see the Emperor? Bugger off, he's not seeing civilians today. Got some special guests or something coming soon."

"Would that be us?" And with that, you hand over your special invitation forms.

"...Well, I'll be damned. Haven't seen anyone come here on foot for ages- they always do something magic-fancy, like teleportation or flying or other shit like that. You're allowed in, I guess. The usual policy applies- if you're beggars, go away, if you're petitioners, go to the other government sector, if you're assassins, go ahead and have loads of fun trying to kill the Immortal Lord, et cetera."

"...We're not assassins. Really."

"Doesn't matter if you are, really. No man on earth can kill the Immortal Lord."

And with that, the gates close behind you-

"...Are we expected to climb this mountain?"

The guard yells back at you. "What the dark are ye going to see the Emperor for if you can't even climb a little mountain? If it's too hot, get out of the kitchen, ye dig?"

You look at each other and groan- well, everyone except Steven.

"What the dark is that, Steven?"

"A hoverboard. Don't ask where I found it and I won't tell. Everyone, get on!"

------

A regal man looking only fourty, garbed in black robes reflecting the light of galaxies, sits atop a simple iron throne with an iron circlet being twiddled in his hands. Beneath him, the floor is but simple porcelain tiles with a single red carpet draped over the steps up to the throne. To his side is a table with some papers- but no writing utensils. You figure the man can probably write with the power of his mind or something.

The seven of you fall to one knee and deliver a polite bow before standing up stiffly, waiting for him to gesture or speak or do anything-

"So you're all here! Excellent, excellent! I hadn't thought you'd arrive so fast- I was anticipating a week's wait at least."

The Immortal Lord stands up off his throne- and with one bound leaps all the way over to your group, crossing at least a hundred feet in the movement- and before you can react he shakes each of your hands with lightning speed.

Your arms all feel a bit sore, but none of you are going to say that in front of Tiamat Venthor, the Immortal Lord of Vosalsvrax himself.

Kal speaks first. "My Lord. Your graciousness in accepting our persons into the empire is great. I dare to ask of you what you require of us? We will perform your will to the best of our ability as your citizens and soldiers."

"Oh come on, don't get polite with me." Venthor laughs. "You have no idea how many years I've been waiting for you guys?"

Tiven looks questioningly at Kal. Is this guy crazy or what?

"Anyhow," continues Venthor, "You're all here- Tiven, Jonathan, Steven, James, Mark, Allene, and Kal... And Oranen is missing, isn't he?"

"My lord- how do you know so much?" Allene's confusion was obvious. "How do you even know about Oranen's incident?"

"I know everything! Come on, you should be able to tell by now." Venthor grins. "Don't worry about Oranen- his problems will resolve themselves. We have our own issues to discuss- namely, the fact that Sanja has transmitted information of your defection to the Vosalsvrax Empire to one of the holders of the Triple Chair of Raitala. And that guy's paranoid enough to suspect some conspiracy or something between you guys and me, especially since I gave you all citizenship approximately six hundred percent faster than the process would normally take. In other words, we now have the General Sholo Nabite on our backs, demanding that I cede you guys right over back into Raitala-"

Everyone blanched at those words.

"-But I'm certainly not giving into that youngster's bullshit, right? So that just leaves me with the problem of giving Nabite enough of a beating until he backs down. Which is where you come in. You are going to give that upstart the worst defeat of his life! Well, you're going to. Later."

"Uhm."

"What? Don't tell me you're not confident?"

"Yeah! We can do i-MMMPH!" Mark was quickly choked back by Tiven.

"Well, the fact is.. Not really." Steven shook his head. "My lord, I don't see why you picked us. Why not just conduct this battle like any other?"

"Because I believe in pulling your own weight." Venthor smiled. "Don't worry- he's not attacking for a while due to the two-week ceasefire. And until then, you'll be participating in the Grand Golem Tournament!"

"The what, my lord?"

"Eh, once-every-two-years golem competition held in Nirvana with the cooperation of most other nations. There's a two-week ceasefire while the best golem pilots compete in the tournament in teams of six- cash prize is pretty good too. The ceasefire begins tomorrow, in fact! You guys should probably sign up."

"...We don't know how to pilot golems, my lord." Tiven shrugged. "Where will we get golems to pilot anyways?"

"No problem! You'll learn on the fly. That's the way I've done it for two hundred years! And I'm funding you guys, golems are on the house. You don't get to keep them unless you win, though!"

"But, again- why us?" Jonathan's confusion was deepening itself even further.

"Because-" and his voice lowered in pitch. "Because you'll need to know how to pilot golems in the future. Trust me here."

"But-" Jonathan still looked confused.

"Jonathan shut up do not contradict the Lord he will roast your atoms and then flip the polarity of your electrons and protons around just for kicks if you get him mad so shut up." James was whispering furiously- "Just go with it we'll get golems out of the deal so shut up."

"I've only done that once, and that was against the Primal Bane Zaegmal Nildail himself! Unfortunately, he came back from the dead after that. I was rather surprised." Venthor shrugged. "The golem tournament begins tomorrow, so you should probably prepare yourself, get a sense of how your golem works and all that. You can stay in the palace for the night- the tournament will be held in the back arena, so you might meet some other competitors here as well."

"Thank you, my lord." James elbowed Jonathan again, for good measure.

"Well, that's all. You guys're dismissed- you'll find your golems in your rooms."

And with that, the seven of you bowed and turned around-

The large door was gone, and in its place were six different doors, each labeled with a name.

Tiven's name was conspicuously absent.

"Oh, yes. Tiven, you'll have to stay here for a second, there's some things I'd like to discuss with you regarding the Gravekeeper."

Despite how some of you wanted to listen, common sense overrode your curiosity and you departed hastily down each of the newly formed doors.

------

"So these are our golems? They all look the same." Mark shrugged. "Kinda boring if you ask me."

Before you stand six dull gray humanoid shapes, slightly geometric in design, each with a hollow, black hole where its heart should be.

"Honored guests, the golems are protean constructs. They will conform themselves around an item to embody the concepts that item embodies, and once the golem is bound to an ownership the golem will acquire similar powers as the owner."

"So what, we just... Shove something in that fragile-looking magic cage thing and then bind the golem to ourselves."

"That is exactly correct. The golem tournament begins tomorrow- please enjoy your afternoon."

With that, the waiter departs.

"...You know what? This is absurdly stupid. I thought the Emperor would be someone respectable, not a... a buffoon!" Allene sighed. "Pointless. Utterly pointless."

"Well, he's been alive for almost three hundred years now hasn't he? One would expect anyone to get a little weird after all that time."

"Whatever. Say, where's Tiven?"

"...I don't think he'll be coming back this afternoon."

And so you are left with a set of unbound golems before you and an afternoon to spend. The training field looks somewhat alluring- but so does the prospect of checking up on other possible teams, in the hallways or gardens or dining halls.

What shall you do?

Player Status:

Spoiler:

Zerovirus wrote:(Without a specification for the base item, I'm taking the Shield as the design. In other words, you'll get a differently designed shield out of the forge.)

I wanted the cuirass as the base... is it too late to change that?

Does training or spying take up a whole action?

I have a strange feeling that johnratchet's golem will wield a shield to assimilate other golems and spit out the pilot.

Alright, golem practice. We'll be able to get our items out, right?

1. Enter a golem without putting an item in, if it's possible. Find out if the golem can fly on it's own, or if it can just walk. See what weapons the golem normally has, on it's own.
2. If the golem can't normally fly, put in my hoverboard. Practice aerial maneuvers, especially diving. If it can fly on it's own, practice arial maneuvers and proceed to next step.
3. Put in my ice sword instead of my hoverboard.. See if I can fire a freeze blast or something.
4. After Ice mode practice, remove the ice sword and put in my sharp mantis claw. See what I get in terms of melee combat.
After practicing, see what my specific vulnerabilities are in each golem mode. Stay and watch the others for a while to get a general sense of the vulnerabilities of their golems.

After golem practice, go hit the shops. See if I can find a long spool of rope or, preferable, chain. See if I can get a backpack with the concept of storage to carry all my stuff in. (And to let me carry stuff heavier than what I could normally lift, if possible.)

After I'm done shopping, find Tiven, if he's done talking to the Emporer. Ask him what the Emporer said. Tell him:
"I understand how you must feel about destroying others souls, and I agree with you. Destroying someone else's immortal soul is reprehensible, and for the well being of your own soul if nothing else, you should avoid it when you can. But don't ignore the ability altogether: Even with only the powers you have now, you have the potential to do much good in just the thirty years you have left. If devouring a soul is the only thing that can stop you from being killed again, then you have to use your power to save yourself. And, if you find yourself in a position where that is the only option, then it wouldn't hurt to give Alchione's idea a try, and preserve the soul instead of devouring it.

Zero, what did you mean by poorly equipped? Are the soldiers bad at using their weapons, or do they not have many weapons?

Just a little thing... what happened with that "Look for components/weapons" action thing?
Oh, and should those gloves with the runes be added to my inventory or anything? (And any extra pairs I might have picked up.)

Also, what exactly CAN I use for the heart of the golem, and if I do put something in, will I be able to retrieve it later...?

@8680: It's more like where you decide to go to look for other teams after you finish training.

@wesfreak: These golems are not like powered armors yet. If you imbue them with like an entire set of armor they might turn into something similar, but the default is voice command. Again, imbuing different items might result in different methods of control. And yes, if you so desire you can remove your item, at the same point rendering your golem immobile. The item effectively becomes your car keys, so to speak.

@Jack: Aw shit I knew I forgot to finish writing SOMETHING. My updates have been slipping, haven't they? I blame you guys for giving me so much stuff to handle at once

You may use any inventory item you possess on the golem. The inside is similar to a bag of holding, in DnD terms.

So... too late to change the base item to the cuirass?

Zerovirus wrote:"Alright, Kal. I guess I can teach you a minor time-freeze spell- but remember what I said! This is difficult stuff, and your magical power may not be robust enough to handle it."

There's nothing in my status....

Zerovirus wrote:The inside is similar to a bag of holding, in DnD terms.

Does that mean we can put multiple items in?

Zerovirus wrote:@wesfreak: These golems are not like powered armors yet. If you imbue them with like an entire set of armor they might turn into something similar, but the default is voice command. Again, imbuing different items might result in different methods of control. And yes, if you so desire you can remove your item, at the same point rendering your golem immobile. The item effectively becomes your car keys, so to speak.

So does this mean that once I put one object in, I can't replace it with a different object?

@8680: I'll fix it right now, but I don't expect the difference will prove crucial in the near future. And about the golem- No, not yet.
@Wesfreak: Yes, that's exactly right.

Also wow that update had leaks ALL over the place apparently. Hang on, fixing stuff now.

You could also go and train in the back, or look around to get intel on the other golem pilot teams. Up to you..

Interesting update. The meeting with the emperor was rather unpredictable That comment about killing the Primal guy and then him coming back to life seems interesting.

If I see the emperor at all during my stay, since he seems rather jovial, ask him why he has been waiting for us for so long - what are we going to do that will be so important?

Check my room and my formal robes for imbued spells or traps using my Detection concept. If there are any, identify the hazard(s) and alert the others. Try to attune my motion-detectors to the mental signatures of our party. Place a motion detector at the door to my room, and if someone sets it off return to my room to confront them.

New Technique: Telekinesis. Moving items around using the power of my mind and the concept of movement.

Bind my golem with my master-node of teleportation. This *should* give my golem the ability to teleport, correct? If not, try using my returning knife. Name him Paul (some real-life significance, there).

Train my golem's teleportation skills in the back to get the hang of using the golem and such. After training, investigate the other teams for tips on how to use the golems.

Along with Steven, ask Tiven about his meeting with the emperor. Tell Tiven to just stick with us and lay low. We have so many powerful friends and enemies now that a solution is going to appear soon enough. Suggest that he work on our new tower defenses

I can't think of anything better to do with a golem than to make a powered armour, since then i'll be able to use all my weapons, the hoverboard and heal myself. So...
Put my sharp mantis claw into the item slot in the golem and bind it to myself. Then, practice commanding it

After golem practice, go hit the shops. See if I can find a long spool of rope or, preferable, chain. See if I can get a backpack with the concept of storage to carry all my stuff in. (And to let me carry stuff heavier than what I could normally lift, if possible.) Also, see if I can buy a book on the mechanics of golem combat or a book about the history of the grand golem tournament. Anything that can give me some idea of what I'm going to be up against in the fight.

After I'm done shopping, find Tiven, if he's done talking to the Emporer. Ask him what the Emporer said. Tell him:
"I understand how you must feel about destroying others souls, and I agree with you. Destroying someone else's immortal soul is reprehensible, and for the well being of your own soul if nothing else, you should avoid it when you can. But don't ignore the ability altogether: Even with only the powers you have now, you have the potential to do much good in just the thirty years you have left. If devouring a soul is the only thing that can stop you from being killed again, then you have to use your power to save yourself. And, if you find yourself in a position where that is the only option, then it wouldn't hurt to give Alchione's idea a try, and preserve the soul instead of devouring it. "

After talking to Tiven, make an even mix of runes of healing surge and runes of focused healing, as many as I can reasonable make before the contest/ as many as I can reasonable make and still get a good night's sleep.

Made some changes.

Ummm... confused about the appearance and mechanics of golems, mainly that I don't know if in the contest I'll be inside the golem, running around at it's heel, sitting on its shoulder, or calling commands from the side line. However, assuming I can actually reclaim the heart piece item for non-golem combat, then I will...

Stride up to the golem, deliberate the matter carefully, and then firmly plant my hammer into the golem's heart. Watch the awakening with a grin, christen my golem Garen, and promptly challenge it to an arm wrestle.

Provided I'm not killed, practice combat with Garen. Encourage it to practice striking dummy targets, and attempt to pass on my knowledge of multiple-enemy combat. Strongly encourage an arm-wrestle competition between the group's golems .

Sorry to go against the grain, but the hammer has more (numerous combat) properties than my shield, better reflects my style, and I'm a tad worried that I might lose the shield in combat, and losing an artifact would be a colossal durp. Speaking of said shield;

Name the artifact shield AegisAbsorber, and provide its first meal; my crysknife. Enjoy the results. After the golem training is done, accompany Wesfreak to the shops and try to pick up a book on golem combat mechanics with him. Split the cost if we find one .

Make a copy of my Runed Gloves with my Normal Leather Gloves, making sure to at the least get Stone Grasp and the Kinetic burst if I fail any others, and Fortify them, slowly place them into the belly of the Beast, watching as it takes it's new form.

Practice a bit, trying to find out all the capabilities of my golem, making sure not to over-work it before the competition.

Head to the shop with Mark, and Steven, picking up any supplies or manuals which might be useful on our stay here.

(Sure hope that's Golem turns out alright...)

HEY, that's MY crysknife! GIVE IT BACK

I have a question before I feed an item to my golem, what happens to said item after I use it? Will it be usable while the golem operational or does it have to stay inside the "heart"?

Just a comment- You know your game's really freaking complex when each player's posted action is longer than the actual rolls in some other R2D games. I'll be reading all this- though you guys are hitting the barrier of 'Way Too Much Stuff Per Turn' now.

please please actually let me finish an update without having to spend multiple days on it >.>

edits below:

New policy: I do not have enough time to write big exposits on new techniques and feats and stuff. From now on, new abilities will be added to the list without fanfare. It's your job to keep up with your supah powarz!

About action length- Wesfreak and Bigkahuna are really the biggest offenders here but I think I can deal with the stuff. Maybe.

Wesfreak, just a tip- once you get the golem-tournament encyclopedia you'll learn that no outside magic can interfere with the ring at cost of disqualification, and furthermore your healing spells are designed for human forms, not golems. You'll be sitting on the sidelines yelling out commands, not in the ring- so if you think you still need the spells, go ahead, but otherwise you could save me a LOT of time writing pointless filler here. Even if you're piloting a golem from the inside, you're still banned from using your own skills to interfere with the battle.

Shadowkiller, yes you can retrieve your item at the cost of making your golem shut down. Car keys, basically. You won't be able to change your item in the future though. You -probably- can't remove the item and operate the golem at the same time, unless you have something slightly interesting going on, like a magical sword with accompanying scabbard or something like that, to give an example.

Huh. I got the impression that golems were vehicles, mainly due to the word "pilot" being used. Edited my action.

Sorry about the length though: most of that is my conversation with Tiven.

I blame Wesfreak for the long actions Mine are *mostly* always necessary or at least add to the general plot. Shame on you, Wesfreak, for making our lives more difficult.

On a more serious note... How do you suppose we regulate action length? If you restrict all the possible things we can do, it wouldn't truly be a freeform R2D. Even now there are pretty much only a few paths we can take with anything.

EDIT: I have to say so far that my favorite moments in the game have been when I can make a disproportionately epic battle strategy using my techniques and complex maneuvers and see them carried out the way I imagined, even better, or see them fail with a decidedly exaggerated but awesome flair.

Zero, would the magic still work if it was kinda of PART of a golem, such as what my action is? with runes on the object put into it?

Like say...
Could my golem use stonegrasp on the arms of another golem and then blast the rest of it away tearing it apart with the kinetic explosion thing?

If an item is keyed to a golem, then inserted, then removed, then modified, then inserted again, will the golem still recognize it as its key? If the key is destroyed or lost, will the golem accept a new key? If the golem is destroyed or lost, will the key accept a new golem? If the key is destroyed or lost, will the golem be destroyed? If the golem is destroyed or lost, will the key be destroyed? Can an item be keyed to multiple golems?

@Bigkahuna: Yeah, one of the things about freeform is that there's so much stuff going on all at once. The model I based my DMing off of effectively only has one protagonist. I'm actually dealing with six times the complexity as that guy, apparently. Combat is actually easier, because most of the fighting moves chain into one another anyways.

I don't suppose you could, uh, just do less things as a sort of voluntary thing? I won't try to inhibit you guys in any way but the longer your actions are the longer my update will take.

@Jack: Magic works in strange and unpredictable ways. I don't quite know what will happen until different magics interact with each other- that's where rolls come in, after all. Your suggestion is definitely viable, though. An enemy golem made out of stone would be susceptible to the Stonegrasp barring bad rolls that cause Ownership displacement of magic.

@8680: Wow, we have a turing-complete machine here don't we? All sorts of logic gates and the like.

Depends on how you modify the key. See above statement on magic's inherent unpredictability. If the golem is destroyed, the key loses its golem-related traits but otherwise remains the same. If the key is destroyed, the golem shuts down and if not professionally repaired by a combination of skilled luxtechnicians and mages of both brands of magic will eventually break down and effectively ossify into a golem-shaped statue. Yes you could key multiple golems to one key- there are bonuses and drawbacks from this that I think you guys will see later.

Ask one of the servants (there are servants, right?) if I'm supposed to wear my formal robes during golem training; dress in accordance with the answer received (or, if there was no answer or nobody to get one from, dress normally — Venthor did tell us not to be polite); bind my golem to Shadefang; go train with my golem (if there are multiple training areas, use the least crowded one); go to the dining hall, in addition to eating, listen to our competitors' conversations (does Heightened Awareness apply here?).

Is that too much?

Zerovirus wrote:@8680: Wow, we have a turing-complete machine here don't we? All sorts of logic gates and the like.

That's so not what Turing-complete means, but it sounds like a compliment, so thanks anyway.

Zerovirus wrote:I don't suppose you could, uh, just do less things as a sort of voluntary thing? I won't try to inhibit you guys in any way but the longer your actions are the longer my update will take.

The point is, we're all trying to get our characters as souped up as possible while trying to go along with the general plot. Including this, we're all trying to fit as many intermediate actions (buy stuff, train, etc.) because we don't know how many turns it will be until we're in a combat situation.

Not sure how to solve this problem. Everyone is trying to cram as much character/power-boosting things into one action before we get to the next combat/perspective shift scene. I believe this is why majors and minors were implemented in the first place

I wanted to shove the crysknife inside bu then I realized SOMEONE stole it >.> *LOOKING AT YOU MR. SOMEONE*

> Place a regular bolt into the golem, then try to figure out how to control it. Try not to explode entire room into tiny bits.
> Put on my awesome new dress, a girl can't go on with her life without pretty clothes no?

Hehe, it's been a long time since I RP'd a girl. Though I'm not planning on being a trap this time

It's just a knife. You could probably buy them in packs of a dozen, and there's a huge market here.