The two thick gates to the keep unclasp, and slowly open, as you, Raziel, and Kaliel are waiting there.
"Presenting," The herald said. "Grandmaster of the Adventuerer's Guild."

Grinning, Lewin stepped into the hall, behind him was Treechild, their two companions, and someone. . . different. She was humanoid, for the most part, with scales covering her body, with a long, powerful tail where her legs would be. A strange hood on her head flared out, reminding you of a cobra, albeit with a human-like torso and face, covered in thin scales.
Your majesty!" Lewin called, and waved. "This is Qu'azlath."
"Is this the sorceress you were talking about?" The woman-like snake said, slowly slithering toward you.

Suddenly, scales wrap around you body as she circles you tightly, pinning you up, and she looks down at you, her slitted pupils widening as she grinned. Her teeth were long, bony needles- A predatory smile. "She's so pretty!" She called, and something in her tail started. . .purring.

>Every time I enter /tg/ I see that fucking Sorcerer's quest and the blue and red flame

HOW THE FUCK DO YOU DO THIS

>>20660088
"Hello Qu'azlath. Err..."

>>20660088
Well that's disturbing. Is this acceptable in snake-people culture?
"Er... thanks."

>>20660093
Magic. Duh.

>>20660093
The same way he play's Dark Souls. HE TAKES IT BY THE REINS AND RIDES IT TO HELL GREATSWORD IN HAND AND ARMOR ON BACK

File: 1347213507227.jpg-(9 KB, 200x266, yo mr.white.jpg)

>>20660088
Yo what up bitch?

>>20660115
Exabyte can write decently, so I doubt he owns a console.

>>20660088
"Thank you... I guess? It's a rather unusual greeting, but if it's what they say where you come from. You're so pretty, Qu'azlath."

So I take it nagas are even less known than dwarves.

>>20660115
>It's a GREATAXE nowadays.

"Er, hello, Qu'azlath. Thanks."
"She's polite, too!" She called happily, turning to Lewin. "Unlike Treechild, who did that whole snarling black-eye thing."
". . Please let go of the queen, Quaz." Lewin said, and sighed.
The snake-woman pouted, and her tail tightened. "But she's so warm!"
". . It's impolite."
She pouted even more, and then loosened her grip, slithering away from you. You note that Kaliel had her hand gripped, and Raziel had ahold of her staff.
The woman started looking this way and that, at the castle surrounding. "Does this place have any food?" She asked, slithering past you. It's as if, the moment she let go of you, she ceased to realize you were still there.
Lewin sighed. "They're the 'Children of the great Wyrm'." He said. "That's the. . name of their race, I suppose."

>>20660162
"So why are a bunch of snake people trying to kill me?"

"Er... Thank you. It's nice to meet you, you're also quite beautiful your self.

*try and pry ourself loose from coils without offending her by recoiling or something*

"Hello Qu'azlath, I am Ishelda, queen of New Actures. I don't recognize your species, are you eastern kin of the Lizard men?"

>>20660162
"So why do they want me dead, besides the novelty of killing royalty?"

>>20660162
"We do have food, what would you like? You're our guest, after all." Hug Lewin. "I'm glad you made it back, alive and well."

>>20660162
"Obviously the whole race doesn't want me dead. Is she the rule or the exception?"

By the way, now that we are a queen with a city and a keep, we need a bodyguard. Of redshirts.

>>20660162
"Wh-what? So she's the metaphorical child of the same Great Wyrm that tried to start an international incident through a mind-controlled assassination attempt? But she's perfectly polite and amiable, if a little forward about physical contact and rather talkative. That coil-hug was rather tight. What, exactly, was going on in the East? Is it sorted out, already?"

>>20660215
I think redshirts are very much not ishelda."

>>20660215
Red isn't really Grayson's color.

>>20660231
Have we ever seen Grayson in red? He might look rather dashing.

"We do have food. what would you like? You're our guest, after all."
"Lewin says you guys eat plants. That doesn't even *sound* appetizing. Meat, of course. Little fuzzy things, maybe?"

"Obviously the whole race doesn't want me dead. Is she the rule or the exception?"
"I'm not trying to kill you!" Quaz cried, her tail starting to wrap around Kaliel. Kal leapt back, out of Quaz's coils, and the snake woman pouted.
"We. . don't know." Lewin said. "Our investigation didn't tell us much. There are different. . clans, I suppose, arranged by two dozen priestesses. Some of them were kind and welcoming, and some. . less so. She probably knows more than we do, if you can talk her into paying attention."
"What, exactly, was going on in the east? Is it sorted out, already?"
"No, not at all." Lewin sighed. He turned to Treechild.
"There are three different nations, there. The Dwarves, in the north, who gave us a short tour of their city and then booted us out and told us never to return." Treechild said. "Then the Children, who live in a single, enormous city in the southern edge of the continent, and. . well, the elves far east. From what little we could tell, it looks like the elves and dwarves are at war."

>>20660243
Ishelda should make a mental note of that.

>>20660243
Giant fuzzy bear in red?

Bear santa claus?

>>20660255
Santa Claws.

>>20660246
Sigh. "I suppose that means I'll have to go on another adventure. At least I'll have a few days to sleep in."

>>20660246
"Hey, one continent is at war. I'm not sure if that's the rule or the exception on is world. So, what was the reason the drawves kicked you out for?"
Have some food brought to her. Make sure she knows fuzzy things around here are not for eating.

Although we should arrange a meeting with Dariel for her. Would be hilarious.

Was Christmas celebrated in Arcturus? I mean Life Day or something.

>>20660246
>From what little we could tell, it looks like the elves and dwarves are at war

"Did you learn the cause of this war? Did you hear anything about a mysterious cloaked woman, perhaps baring some resemblance to me?

Yes Qu'azlath, I'm sure we can find something for you. How do you like your food prepared. Cooked, smoked...?"

>>20660246
"Did you discover anything about the dagger?"

>It was known as Knight's Day, every winter. Pictures were of the Knight in his armor, with a red fur cape, as he supposedly gave out gifts to people. Similar holidays were Scholar's Day, every summer, and Rogue's Day, which was either Spring or Fall and nobody ever quite knew which was which.

"Did you learn the cause of this war?" You ask. "Did you hear anything about a mysterious cloaked woman?"
"No, not at all, lady." Lewin said. "The war was started hundreds of years ago, almost as soon as the dwarves arrived in their land."

You turn to Qu'azlath. "I'm sure we can find something for you. How do you like your food prepared. Cooked, smoked. . ?"
"Alive!" She cried, grinning. "I didn't see anything on the way here, so I'm starving."
Kaliel sighed. "I can go 'make' her something." She said.
"Oooh, make me something? Are you pregnant with rodents? Can your people become pregnant with rodents? Can...."
The two of them walked and slithered off, toward the kitchens.
"Did you discover anything about the dagger?"
"Very little." Lewin said. "Apparently, the Goldsteel is what the elves there make their war machines out of, and the symbol on the dagger's hilt is the sign of one of the priestesses. The one that welcomed us with open arms."

>>20660346
"Somebody from that priestesses' faction went rogue?"

>>20660346
"Considering how the symbol was scratched off, I'd guess the ones trying to kill me are an offshoot of that clan. Did you hear anything about a rebellious faction or cult?"

Could it have been someone trying to implicate her?

>>20660346
>Are you pregnant with rodents? Can your people become pregnant with rodents?
Note to self: Impregnate Kaliel with rodents.

"It doesn't make sense that she would send someone to announce she wants me dead and then act friendly. Did she know you were working for me?"

>>20660367
We can't rule out the possibility that the open arms thing was just a facade.

>>20660346
"No squirrels, Kali!"

>>20660346
>I'm starving. Are you pregnant with rodents? Can your people become pregnant with rodents? Can....

It's a good job you had her leave the room because I have no idea how to respond to this.

This was our final waifu option?

"No squirrels, Kali!"
"Of course!" Kali responded back.
You hear Quazlith squee, saying something about how squirrels sound delicious.

"Somebody from that priestesses' faction went rogue? Did you hear anything about a rebellious faction or cult?"
"Perhaps. They didn't tell us anything about that, and we weren't sure if we could risk asking them directly about the dagger." Treechild said. "We spent a few days there, and it seemed like their god, this 'Great Wyrm', was what their entire lives were devoted to sating."
"Considering how the symbol was scratched off. . " You say.
"No, lady, you misunderstand." Lewin said. "The scratch is part of the symbol. It's supposed to mean the destruction of tradition. Innovation, in a way. That's how the handmaidens explained it to us."
"We can't rule out the possibility that the open arms was just a facade, but could it have been someone trying to implicate her?"
"We didn't know."
"It doesn't make sense that she would send someone to announce she wants me dead and then act friendly. Did she know you were working for me?"
"It was too much of a risk." Lewin said. "We put up the facade that we were just curious adventurers, wandering and exploring because of our own curiosity."

>>20660414
"Why did they want to sacrifice her? See seems to have issues with personal space, but other than that Qu'azlath seems alright."

>>20660414
"How did Quaz react when you told her about me and New Actures?

Also, how did she end up joining you here?"

>>20660414
Fair enough. Did this god show any signs of being real? Did the priestesses show any skill with divination? I'm curious how they even know about me.

"Why did they want to sacrifice her? She seems to have issues with personal space, but other than that, Qu'azlath seems alright."
"She wasn't serving under any priestess, and wasn't. . appropriately religious." Treechild said. "People like that are all called 'whelps' and sacrificed. She was the last, by the time we got there."
"Did this god show any signs of being real?"
"They didn't show us, but they had a large building made for him, and from the way they talk. . it's a living creature in there, that they worship." Treechild said. "Most of their kind has seen it, with their own eyes, but they refused to explain what it looked like."
"How did Quaz end up joining you here?"
"That's a . .long story." Lewin said. "And it's his story to tell." He said, jerking his thumb at the thin, short man with the two swords.
"Right, ah, your majesty." The adventurer said. "Everyone else was asleep, and Lewin brought me to be the sneaky guy, so that's what I did. I snuck about. Ran into some white snake lady things while they talked about something in their freaky language. But I have a knack with languages, so I knew they were talking about giving the 'Great Wyrm the whelp's blood'. That piqued my interest, so I snuck around a bit more and found out where they were holding the girl. Convinced her to stay quiet, hid her with the animals those people keep. Told Lewin about it, he decided we'd pick her up on the way out, and came here immediately."

>>20660526
"saving her was the right thing to do, thank you."

She IS a naga. A lot of people here go gaga over them.

I wonder, could them wanting to kill Ishelda be another case of mistaken identity? That does seem to be going around.

One of the things we should ask Qu'azlath about is if she has heard the name Void Queen or Dras'lea

>>20660526
"I see, well done."
"Did you find out anything else?"

"I see. Well done." You say. "Did you find out anything else?"
"We couldn't find much out about the dwarves, because after the tour they booted us out, and we couldn't find much out about the Children, because we had to leave early." Treechild said.
"But the Elves. . they aren't like our fey, and they don't have a weave." Lewin said. "They use golems, and some kind of magic. I got a few new scars."
"The only time we did any real fighting." The burly adventurer said, and grinned. "The elves had all their big stone towers, and threw golems at us But with my greataxe and Lewin's bow, we were able to fight 'em off and come back later."
"We never got the chance to talk to them, either, but they're hostile on seeing us." Lewin said.

>>20660632
"hmm... I've been told that our elves used golems and goldsteel long ago, that is until Eidelon invented orichalchum and the weave."

>>20660632
"Well, this is just grand. We've got a new group of curious dogmatic scaly people to sort out, a bunch of angry butchery-inclined elves, and the reclusive dwarves who I might not even be able to finally broker some sort of diplomacy with- I can't believe I haven't managed to meet Tyr after all this time- because they'll kick me out as soon as the tour is through. The work never ends."

>>20660632
"That's interesting. Do you know if they'd ever seen humans or orcs before?"

File: 1347217974555.png-(20 KB, 800x600, Lewinshittymap.png)

"Hmm... I've been told that our elves used golems and goldsteel long ago. . until Eidolon invented Orichalum and the Weave."
"Perhaps they first came here on the other continent." Raziel said. "And then arrived here, escaping from something. I could try to look back to be certain, with my new mirror, but I'd need to be wherever they disembarked from."
"Well, this is just grand. We've a new group of curious dogmatic scaly people to sort out, a bunch of angry butchery-inclined elves, and the reclusive dwarves who I might not even be able to finally broker some sort of diplomacy with- I can't believe I haven't managed to meet Tyr after all this time- because they'll kick me out as soon as the tour is through. The work never ends."

Lewin shrugged, and then his eyes widened."Oh, right! I have a map for you." He pulled out a large white scroll, and unfolded it- it looked like scribbles, for the most part." It's, uh, not a good map. The northern circle is the dwarven city they showed us, and all of the smaller stars in that mountain range are settlements we saw in the distance. They could be cities too, I suppose. The eastern stars are the elven towers we saw. . and that very southern one- in the middle of the desert- is the Children's city."
"We didn't get everywhere, so there's likely a lot more we missed." Treechild added.

>>20660755
"Thank you. I suppose we should discuss the matter of your payment."

>>20660755
"Still, quite impressive. Well done, Lewin."

"Still, quite impressive." You say. "Well done, Lewin. Thank you."
"You're welcome, lady." He responded.
"I suppose we should discuss the matter of your payment."
"Well. . I can't say we did much." Lewin said. "We just asked a few questions, and didn't get many answers. We were hardly able to tell you anything, Lady. I'm sorry."
"Tch, no, you're supposed to go 'thank you, your majesty' the burly adventurer said, grinning. "Then we let her pay us, and *then* we act humble."
". . It isn't an act." Lewin said.

>>20660846
"Well then, Lewin, what do you think is fair compensation for services rendered?"

>>20660846
"We do know more than we did before, and you saved somebody's life. It looks like a decent success, to me. What's the adventurers' guild's usual rate for one of these?"

>>20660846
"Do you take Fellwinds? I happen to have recently aquired one."

In case they don't have a base of operations already established we could offer them a plot of land and help with building a guild hall in new Arcturus!

Future business planning, ho!

>>20660892
>Pfhahahahaha

"We do know more than we did before, and you saved somebody's life. It looks like a decent success, to me." You say. "What's the adventurers' guld's usual rate?"
"Normally, it's a general commission fee for the group, and then some based on distance traveled for individuals, and some for risk if it involves combat." Lewin said. "The commission fee is twelve gold for people of our rank, and the risk was little, because there was little combat. . . But we're foregoing the distance travelled."
"What?" The wiry adventurer said.
"We'd get hundreds of gold from you if we used our standard rates for distance.. Instead, you spoke of giving us land." Lewin said. There was something strange in his eyes. "So I'd like to request enough land and permission to construct a Guild here, as well as enough to purchase supplies and workers to build it."

>>20660926
"Acceptable. I have more land than I know what to do with. Gehenna can sort out the specifics."

>>20660926
"You don't have a guildhall? Well that just won't do. Deal."

"You don't have a guildhall? Well that just won't do. Deal." You say. "I have more land than I know what to do with. Gehenna can sort out the specifics."
"Lewin." The burly adventurer said- he looked unhappy. "We need to talk."
"Calm down." Lewin said, a strange Tone of Authority in his voice. You'd never heard him like this. "I'll reimburse you what you're owed, out of my own pocket. Ishelda is my friend- I won't take preposterous amounts of money from her just because we can." Lewin said. "I get a guildhall, you three get your gold, everyone's happy. We're *not* mercenaries, hungry for gold."
"Of course. Right." The adventurer said, nodding.

>>20660926
"My, my.. land in New Arcturus is currently at a premium. I think it would be cheaper to simply pay you the gold." Grin. Wait a few moments. "But I think the queen is in a good mood today. Agreed. Oh, and Lewin? Talk to Gehenna, he'll get you started. And tell you how much you owe me in taxes."

>>20660981
Damn, too late. Bummer.

>>20660979
Amused voice through the ring.
<When did you learn how to use the Tone of Authority?>

>>20660979
"So, now that that's done, how about some tea?"

>>20660979

We could without a doubt pay them a bit for their work (I have no idea how much 'hundreds of gold is'), and not force Lewis to pay his own adventuring party.

They don't seem to be shrewd enough to realize that in the long run it should be much more profitable for us than for them to be established in what is currently a wasteland pretty isolated from the rest of the world, and I don't want us to take advantage of Lewis. Starting of on good business relations with a man who will either soon die (possibly returning the land to us), or become very influential seems like a good idea.

The fact that he's a friend is a bonus.

So does Lewin realize that we discovered a CITY OF GOLD bestowed by a whacky Ogre mystic, back when New Arcturus was nothing but a dream? 'Hundreds of gold' would be a pittance. He's either being noble to an absolutely silly degree, or is just plain ignorant.

>>20661103
>by
Or, you know, he might just have principles.

He's asking for land and waived construction costs for a large building. I'd say that's worth at least a few hundred gold, possibly more.

>>20661042
>Currency works in three metals; Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Non-nobles and non-royalty pretty much *never* sees gold coins. A hundred is easily enough for a mansion or a ship- or enough to construct a very extravagant guild hall, complete with weapons and arms for wannabe-adventurers.

<When did you learn how to use the Tone of Authority?>
<It came with the mantle of Guildmaster.> He said, chuckling.
"Now that that's done, how about some tea?" You ask, and Lewin chuckles.
"Of course." He said. "When have I ever said no to tea?"

The group sits down at a table, as one of your servants pour tea for everyone. Quaz and Kaliel enter the room, as Quaz is choking down a crow, her jaw unhinged as she swallowed the thing, despite it's struggles. Kaliel looked. . very disturbed, while Quaz was grinning. "That was good!" She said. "Make me another?"
"I'm, uh, tired." Kaliel lied. "All out of magic. Sorry. No more birds."
"Aww. . ." Quaz said, pouting.

>>20661149
"I'm sure the royal kitchen will be able to provide something you like, later on. Anyway, ever had tea?"

>>20661149
>eating semi-live birds whole
DAT ISSU NOTTU KAWAII

"O-oh. Oh dear. That's a... Curious dietary habit. If you're done with eating mindless husk-animals, Quaz, would you mind telling me about the circumstances of your imprisonment and attempted sacrifice?"

>>20661198
Do snakes drink? I'm fairly certain they subsist on the blood of what they eat for their dose of water.

>>20661225
They do.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21328524.900-snakes-use-sponge-action-to-drink.html

"O-oh. Oh dear. that's a... curious dietary habit. I'm sure the royal kitchen will be able to provide something you like, later on. Anyway, have you ever had tea?" You ask.
". . No?" She asked, and slowly bent down to examine one of the empty teacups. "I used to make wine. Is this like wine? Because wine is supposed to be for the Great Wyrm, but I became a whelp by drinking it. I don't want to become a . . double whelp."
"It's. . tea." Lewin said, and a servant poured her some. Quaz gulped at it. . and then grinned with those unnerving teeth of hers.
"It's warm!" She said, happily.
"Quaz, would you mind telling me about the circumstances of your imprisonment and attempted sacrifice?"
"I just told you. I drank some of the wine meant for the Wyrm, and the handmaidens got angry." She said. "I don't see why I couldn't - I used to make it, after all."

>>20661225
My pet snake drank out of the toilet, even if he was full enough to refuse further food.
Dunno why he always went for the toilet rather than the clean bowl of water I always set out near the box of live mice though.

>>20661279
I'd be cool with a court vintner who was a naga...

>>20661279
"Have you ever seen the Wyrm?"

>>20661279
"Would you like to make wine for the people here? You could have as much of your own as you liked."

>>20661279
"Yes, warmth is one of the advantages tea has over most beverages."

"Have you ever seen the Wyrm?"
"I have!" She said, grinning again. Her hood flared out in excitement "He's really big, with four legs, and enormous wings. . But the wings are all burned up so he can't fly. We keep him safe, chained into this big building, and give him wine and Daryeh meat every day. Once a month, we mix whelp blood into the wine. He really likes that! He just curls up and goes to sleep. But the rest of the time, he's angry, and just roars and snarls at people, even the most devout priestesses."

That sounds like a dragon.

>>20661371
"So, that's it? You drank a small amount of consecrated wine? A bottle, maybe? With the Great Wyrm being such a massive creature- it sounds like he's some kind of demi-dragon- that'd be a literal drop in the bucket."

>>20661371
"What's a Daryeh? And where do you get all the whelps from? I'm sure people would want to avoid becoming one."

"So, that's it? You drank a small amount of consecrated wine? A bottle, maybe? With the Great Wyrm being such a massive creature, that'd be a literal drop in the bucket."
"The handmaidens were *really* mad." She said.

"What's a Daryeh? And where do you get all the whelps from? I'm sure people would want to avoid becoming one."
"Whelps are people who do bad things, like steal, or kill, or say mean things to the priestesses." She said. "Or just make them angry. And Daryeh are these really big yellow adorable things that like digging. They eat grass and thorny things, and they like to shock you with lightning if you surprise them, though. My sister takes care of them. Took care of them, I mean. I don't have family anymore, I guess."

She thought about that for a moment, and then started frowning. Then she sipped at the tea again.

>>20661450
"Are all the priestesses so petty and wrathful? Or is it just a scarce few?"

So, uhh... D-do these monstergirls happen to eat semen...?

I may consider my shipping preference depending on the answer.

>>20661450
"O-oh. I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do to help, just say so. And you can of course stay here, if you want to. Consider yourself a guest of the queen of New Arcturus, for the time being."

>>20661488
Please, lets hold off on waifu warring until later.

"What exactly does being a whelp entail?"

>>20661488
good question

"Are all the priestesses to petty and wrathful? Or is it just a scare few?"
"Well. . some of them are mean, but Velk'Lea was so kind and warm to me after I burned my face and got blinded." She said. "So some are nice, and some aren't."

"If there's anything I can do to help, just say so. And you can, of course, stay here, if you want to. Consider yourself a guest of the queen of New Arcturus, for the time being."
"Hooray!" She cried, pumping an arm into the air.
"What exactly does being a whelp entail?"
"It means you're stuck in a small, dark, cold room, and they only give you dead fuzzies to eat, until it comes time to put your blood into the wine. Then you get to see the Great Wyrm and be warm and bright. . and then you go back to the room, until you get weak from no blood and die."

>>20661533
"That sounds terrible."

>>20661533
"I'm guessing that the priestesses of the Great Wyrm don't have a concept of redemption, save maybe through death?"

>>20661533
"How long have you been kept in such a room before Lewin and his friends found you?"

"That sounds terrible." You say. "How long have you been kept in such a room before Lewin and his friends found you?"
"I was only there for twelve days before I was freed and hid with the daryeh, and then they came and saved me." She said. "But it was terrible."
"I'm guessing that the priestesses of the Great Wyrm don't have a concept of redemption, save maybe through death?"
"The priestesses and handmaidens don't like each other most of the time." She said. "The nicer priestesses hide bad things that people do from the handmaidens, but the meaner ones become tattletails."

>>20661633
"What's the difference between a priestess and a handmaiden?"

>>20661633
"Oh, who freed you? I had assumed Lewin and his group did."

>>20661633
"The way it sounds, the Great Wyrm is a very much unwilling prisoner who the handmaidens are using as an instrument of terror and control, falsely branding him as a divine figure. The priestesses, meanwhile, are the unwitting go-between for the tyrannical handmaidens and the common folk. It's terrible to see faith so abused."

"What's the difference between a priestess and a handmaiden?"
"Well. . ." She said, scratching at the thinner, smoother scales on her belly, as opposed to the thick, layered scales on her back.
"A priestess is like. . a caretaker of their entire clan's problems. When two Children have a kid and want help raising the girl, or when someone gets hurt, the Priestess helps them. The Handmaidens are the ones who control everything, and they make all the decisions about the Great Wyrm and about whelps."
"The way it sounds, the Great Wyrm is a very much unwilling prisoner who the handmaidens are using as an instrument of terror and control, falsely branding him as a divine figure. The priestesses, meanwhile, are the unwitting go-between for the tyrannical handmaidens and the common folk. It's terrible to see faith so abused."

"What? The Great Wyrm isn't terrifying or for controlling!" She called, vehemently. "He's beautiful! He's a little burned but that doesn't make him scary, it makes me feel bad for him."

>>20661732
"I am sorry, I must have misinterpreted his situation."

>>20661732
"The Great Wyrm himself might not be, but he's being used for just that. The handmaidens make sapient sacrifices to feed him, Quaz. I feel bad for him, too."

>>20661732
"So, parents don't get to raise their sons?"

"The Great Wyrm himself might not be, but he's being used for just that. The handmaidens make sapient sacrifices to feed him, Quaz."
"I'm burned too and that makes me feel bad for him because I know how much it hurts." She says, passionately ranting, now. "But he's stupid. If we let him go free he'd try to fly and squash us and then we can't help him anymore and he'll get even more hurt and die, and we don't want that to happen. We feed him blood to make him happy, and he likes it because he goes to sleep. Daryeh blood doesn't work. We chained him up to keep him and us all safe. That's what Velk'Lea said, and I trust what she says. She's not like the handmaidens."
"So.. . parents don't get to raise their children?"
Quaz immediately calmed down.
"They do." She said. "Except when they don't want to."

>>20661829
Make the offer about making wine for New Arcturus.

Why doesn't everyone donate a little blood once a month instead of draining a few dry?

>>20661533
>>after I burned my face and got blinded...

Er, she got better? If so, how and if not ask to fix that

>>20661829
"Why, do you worship him, if you think he's stupid, and most likely going to kill you, if you ever were to let him go?"

"... You got blinded?" You ask, after a moment. She meets your eyes and nods.
"I can't see heat anymore." She said, pouting. "It's just that the fire was so pretty, and I wanted to see it closer, and got too close. Now I have to use my eyes to see and scales to know if things are warm. I was really little when it happened, though."
"Why doesn't everyone donate a little blood once a month instead of draining a few dry?"
"That's what the priestesses always say, but the handmaidens claim that it'd make everyone weak, and that it's better to make the criminals weak. The maidens donate their own blood sometimes, though, and call it 'honor'."

"Why do you worship him, if you think he's stupid and is most likely going to kill you, if you ever were to let him go?"
"Because he's beautiful." She said. ". . Or something like that. Everyone says something different.. but the handmaidens never say anything about him."

>>20661935
"My cousin Marigold might help you, she's very adept at healing injuries."

>>20661935
"The boy said the Great Wyrm wanted my blood. Do you know why he'd want my blood in particular?"

"The boy said the Great Wyrm wanted my blood."
"Boy? What's a boy?" She asked.
"Like a man, but a child." Lewin said. "Sorry, Lady, I forgot to mention- apparently the Children don't have males."
"Then how do they reproduce?" Kaliel asked. She closed her eyes, and the crystal around her neck glowed. . and Kaliel giggled. "Actually, they're both genders in one. They identify as female, I suppose."
"Do you know why he'd want my blood in particular?" You finish.
"Well. . he doesn't want Daryeh blood." Quaz said, eying you. "and he likes Children blood. . maybe you have more of whatever he likes? But I've never heard of the Great Wyrm wanting something. He's too stupid to talk."

>>20662033
"So it's probably just a priestess thinking he wants my blood?"

>>20662047
more likely a handmaiden than a priestess.

>>20662033
"Don't use the crystal to peek at people Kal, it's impolite."

rolled 3 = 3

Rolling to magically see heat in addition to normal range of colors, just too see what it's like

>>20662056
Yeah, I think that's what I meant.

rolled 21 = 21

>>20662067
What did I tell you about rolling to do stupid things impulsively, anon? At least try and roll better for it, sheesh.

"So it's probably just a priestess or handmaiden thinking he wants my blood?"
"Maybe." She said. "Or maybe he's smarter than we thought, and he *did* talk."

You turn to Kaliel. "Don't use the crystal to peek at people, Kal, it's impolite." Kal frowns, but nods. Curious, you close your eyes, and bring forth your magic, trying to see heat itself. .

Magic drains, rapidly from you. . And then the glowing lines on your arms suddenly flash, and the spell cancels itself before it can drain more than half of your energy.
"You okay, Ishelda? Your eyes went dark, like they did in Sosaria." Kaliel said.

>>20662067
>>20662098
You're quite the soliloquist.

>>20662108
"Yeah, I'm alright. Just wasted a lot of my magic on something stupid."

>>20662108
"I'm fine. The spell simply failed."

>>20662108
"I'm fine, it's just my sorcery acting up a bit."

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just wasted a lot of my magic on something stupid." You say.
"Do you need a spark?" Kaliel asked. "I have a little bit left, but Quaz is insatiable when it comes to rodents- I had to make two dozen of them."

>>20662144
"No, no, don't, it's fine. I was trying to see heat. Messing with one's own body like that is apparently unwise when you're unversed in such manipulation."

>>20662144
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I didn't waste quite as much as back on Sosaria."

>>20662144
"Don't worry, I probably have far more left than you do."

"No, no, don't, it's fine. I probably have far more left than you do."
"Okay." She said. "What were you trying to do?"
"I was trying to see heat. Messing with one's own body like that is apparently unwise when you're unversed in such manipulation."
"Well. . we could bring Quaz to Marigold, have her heal her. . whatever it is, and I could examine how she sees it. With your permission, of course, Quaz."
"You made me food!" Quaz said, grinning as her tail wrapped tightly to Kaliel. "I'm yours for *life*... but you're not as warm as the queen."

>>20662223
"Seems like we're head to head when it comes to popularity with our newest guest." Giggle.

>>20662223
"I made a rabbit once. It was a very draining spell. And then it was even more trouble trying to stop the rabbit from conquering the world. Kaliel's definitely good at making creatures."

"Seems like we're head to head when it comes to popularity with our newest guest." You say, and giggle.
"Perhaps." Kaliel said, and grinned- nothing visible but her head, everything else covered in Qu'azlath's coils, as she gives the kalak the biggest hug you've seen.
"I made a rabbit once. It was a very draining spell. And then it was even more trouble trying to stop the rabbit from conquering the world. Kaliel's definitely good at making creatures."
"This is. . not the strangest thing I've seen, surprisingly." Kristoph said, entering the room.

>>20662363
"And what, pray tell, IS the strangest thing, Kristoph?"

>>20662363
"Oh, hello Kristoph. This is Qu'azlath, Lewin and his friends rescued her from being sacrificed to an oversized lizard."

>>20662363
"I'm feeling left out."

"And what, pray tell, *is* the strangest thing, Kristoph?"
"Grayson dancing." Kristoph said.
". . Yeah, I'll have to agree with Kris. Grayson dancing is way more freaky than Qu'azlath giving a girl with pigtails a slithery hug." Lewin said.
". . I'm feeling left out." You say. In response, more tail seems to appear from the coils surrounding Kaliel, and it tugs you toward her. Next thing you know, you're entangled in snaketail, with Kaliel's arms pinned against your body, and yours with hers.
"Group hug!" Quaz said, giggling gleefully as those unnerving, pointed teeth show.

>>20662460
"Quaz, how long is your body, exactly?"

>>20662460
"So, Lewin, any plans as to how you'd like your grandhall looking?"

>>20662460
"...hi Kal."

>>20662460
"I think we should see Marigold about your injury..."

>>20662460
"She likes tea and hugs, no complaints here."

"...Hi, Kal." You say.
". . Hi." She responds. Her face goes red as she realizes exactly where your hand ended up. . and yours goes red as you realize it, as well.
"Quaz, how long is your body, exactly?" You ask.
"It can change!" She said, grinning down at you, bending over at the point where snake tail turns into scaled, humanoid torso. "Based on how much I stretch. At the super longest, I could stretch around that tower, and grab my own tail. But I wouldn't be strong enough to move most of it."

>>20662583
"So.... I guess your society is very big on physical contact?"

That's magic. I bet thats why the Wyrm likes your blood and why it might want mine.

>>20662583
"Wow."

"So... I guess your society is very big on physical contact?"
"No, they dislike touching except for friends. But I can't see heat, so. . "
"I think we should see Marigold about your injury."
"Injury? I'm injured?" She asked, worried. She quickly checked over her own tail. "I don't see anything cracked. . is it on the inside?"
"You just said you can't see heat." Kaliel said, inadvertently groping you as she struggles. "That's, uh, what we meant."
". . . You can fix that?" She asked, grinning again.

>>20662719
"Possibly. If anyone can fix it, it's Marigold."

>>20662719
"Hopefully, yes. She managed to heal a lot of very bad injuries I sustained during my training, so Marigold is our best bet."

>>20662719
"Marigold might be able to. She's good at fixing people. And flowers."

>>20662719
"With the wide variety of spell casters we have, I'd be surprised if someone COULDN'T fix it. If all else fails however, we can try your luck with my sorcery.

"Marigold might be able to. She's good at fixing people. And flowers."
"Really? Hooray!" She said, uncoiling from you and Kaliel. "Where's this Marigold lady? Maybe we could have her fix the Great Wyrm, too? He was burned too."

>>20662807
"Maybe. It's a long way to go."

It's like having an excited little snake puppy.

>>20662807
"Let's focus on you first."

"Let's focus on you, first." You say. "It's a long way to go."
"Aw, okay."
The two of you walk toward Marigold's field, as Quaz follows behind, eying the rooms as you walk by.
"Don't you ever see the sun?" She asked, looking up at the ceiling. "Everything is so closed here."

The two of you reached the gates, and you had the guards there open it.
Quaz climbed out into the sun, and then rolled over onto her back, revealing the thinner, softer scales on the underside of her belly, where she sat there for a few seconds, before rolling back over.

Kaliel raised an eyebrow.
"It's warm!" Qu'az said, grinning. Finally, you reach Marigold, where Kell is standing behind her, his back covered in white flowers. You softly sense life magic emanating from him.
"Ishelda!" Marigold said, grinning. "And. . uhm. . "

She looked up to the snakewoman, who's hood flared out as she grinned again.

rolled 33 = 33

>>20662807
Stick your tongue in her butt.

>>20662883
Marigold meet Qu'azlath. She's our new guest, came from over the sea with Lewin, we can fill you in on the details later. She gives great hugs.

When she was younger she looks too deeply into the fire and can't see heat anymore I was wondering if you or you and Kaliel together could fix it.

>>20662883
"This is Qu'azlath."
<She's probably going to hug you.>

>>20662883
"Marigold, this is Qu'azlath, the girl Lewin rescued. Don't mind the smile, she's so far been harmless to things bigger than a rabbit. We're actually here because she's got an old injury, and we'd like to know if you can do something about it."

>>20662888
>>20662888
What trickery is this?

>I vote for sticking it in Marigold's butt.

>>20662883
"Quaz! The one Leon rescued. We were wondering if you could fix her eyes."

>>20662888
Does she even have a butt? I mean, snakes don't have butts.

"Marigold, meet Qu'azlath. She's our new guest. She came from the east, over the sea, with Lewin. Don't mind the smile, she's so far been harmless to things bigger than a rabbit. We're actually here because she's got an old injury, and we'd like to know if you can do something about it."

Quaz leaned down, close to Marigold's face.
<She's probably going to hug you.> You say.

Quaz's long tongue flicked out for a moment.
"Marigold is the name of a flower." She said, tilting her head. For some reason, her personality was markably different. More. . sinister, somehow.
Marigold took a step back.
"You smell like a flower. Are you a flower?" She asked, slithering closer to Marigold, in jerky, sudden movements.
"Uhm. . no?"
". . Oh, okay." She said.
<What was *that* about?> Marigold asked. "Uhm. . I can try to heal your old injury, if you want."
"Hooray!" She called, grinning again. Slowly, Marigold closed her eyes, and put her hands on Quaz' face. Life magic started streaming out of her. Soon enough, she pulled away, and Quaz opened her own eyes, and grinned.
"It worked! I can see heat!"

>>20662984
Quaz, I assure you that Marigold isn't a flower. She just is named after one and spends a lot of time growing them. Flowers don't usually walk and talk, unless they're trolls. Why were you asking? Do your people do anything to flowers?

>>20662984
"That's great! Why were you acting weird about flowers?"

>>20662984
<Not the slightest clue, sorry.>
"Thanks, Mar." Hug Marigold.

"Quaz, I assure you that Marigold isn't a flower. She just is named after one, and spends a lot of time growing them. Flowers don't usually walk and talk, unless they're trolls. Why were you asking? Do your people do anything to flowers?"
"No . ." she said. "We don't have flowers where I'm from. I asked because it was her name." Quaz said, 'looking' around, with her eyes closed.
<Not the slightest clue, sorry.> You say, and hug your cousin. "Thanks, Mar."

"Oooh, is this a troll?" Quaz asked, slithering toward Kell. Kell grawwed, and Quaz hugged the enormous troll, her tail seeming to stretch longer as she wrapped around the massive beast. It didn't respond.

>>20663050
"Yes, that's Kell. He is a troll but he's a rather unique one. He's a sweetheart.

Are you going to hug everyone here that we meet? Because I probably ought to warn them of incoming snake hugs if that's the case."

>>20663050
"Yes, his name's Kell. He has flowers on his back which you're probably crushing."

>>20663050
"Yes, yes he is. Don't hug him too hard, you might damage the flowers on his back, and he might grow thorns if you do that."

>>Don't question monstergirl anatomy, or the question on whether she should have a ribcage or not. Just stick it in her butt.

Hey Exa, on the anatomy question, if we took the lamia route, how would we have 'girly fun' with her lower extremities?

Am I the only one who's getting the feeling Quaz MIGHT have lied about her tragic backstory? Just maybe? Because she was getting just a wee bit creepy with Marigold. And is manically happy at all times. And eats live creatures. Something isn't right, here.

This may seem silly, but did we ever give kell a comm ring?

>>20663132
>the question on whether she should have a ribcage or not
Huh? Girls have ribcages, snakes have ribcages, why wouldn't snakegirls have ribcages?
>how would we have 'girly fun'
Stick our tongue in her cloaca.

If she wanted us dead she had us literally in her coils. One of the ways snakes kill is be squishing.

>>20663158
<Graww? Grawww graw.>

>>20663132
>When she purrs, she *vibrates*. Take that as you will.
>Also, she has a ribcage, and most of the bones in her lower tail is all cartilage and flexible, held in shape more by long, thin muscles rather than bone.

"Yes, that's Kell. He's a troll, but he's a rather unique one. And he's a sweetheart." You say. "Are you going to hug everyone here that we meet? Because I probably ought to warn them of incoming snake hugs, if that's the case." You say.
"No, just him. He's comfortable." She said, leaning on him. She closed her eyes.
"Don't hug him too hard, you might damage the flowers on his back, and he might grow thorns if you do that." You say.
"I have scales!" She said, laughing, but just in case, she uncoiled from the troll, her tail shortening. The flowers were mangled and crushed, but as you watch, the flowers reform, blooming again. Troll regeneration at work.

>>20663163
From the tail 'purring' I assume she's a rattlesnake. Those don't constrict, they're venomous. And Exabyte does keep mentioning her fangs.

>>20663192
"I'm not sure scales would help. He's most likely poisonous, so all it would take is one scratch."

>>20663192
So Quaz, how often and why do you do that purring thing?

Also I need to introduce you to perhaps my most stalwart companion, Grayson. You'll like him.

>>20663192
Hug Kell, we've spent so little time with him, lately.

"I'm not sure scales would help." You say. "He's most likely poisonous, so all it would take is one scratch."
"Aww." She said, and pouted again.
"So, Quaz, how often and why do you do that purring thing?"
"This?" She asked, and her entire body started purring, the scales on her tail shaking. "I just . . . do it."
You give Kell a hug, and the troll picks you up, hugging you tightly, before grawwing, setting you down, and patting you on the head.
"Also, I need to introduce you to perhaps my most stalwart companion, Grayson. You'll like him." you say.
"Ooh, really?" She asked. "Is he warm?"

>>20663300
"He's extremely warm and fuzzy. I have used him as a pillow and bed more times than I can count."

Once we introduce her to Grayson, we need to teach her to dance.

>>20663300
"Very."

>>20663300
"About average. He's fluffy and huggable though."
>I actually looked up bear body temperature earlier in the thread for this reason and it's the same as humans

>>20663336
But when you add fur and DIRE, it's probably higher.

>>20663300
If she eats fuzzy things... do you think she might try and eat Grayson?

>>20663300
Graww back at Kell.
"He's fluffy, and he helps to keep you warm. But by himself? Not more than anybody else."

"He's extremely huggable and fuzzy." You say. "I've used him as a pillow and bed more times than I can count."
Kaliel mumbles something about having to 'catch up'.
"Oooh, let's meet him." Quaz said, grinning again. The five of you make your way over to the courtyard, where Grayson is lying on his back, snoring.
Quaz stealthily snuck up on the bear. . and her lower jaw stretched outward, almost splitting into two, her tail slowly circling the sleeping bear's form.
"No, that's Grayson!" Kaliel called. "Not food!"
"But he's. . he's fluffy." She said. "Fluffy things are food."
Grayson opened an eye, and harrumphed.

>>20663377
Fuckin' called it over here. "Not all fluffy things are food! Some fluffy things are friends. Plus, Grayson can grow really sharp bone spikes out of his back."

>>20663377
ಠ_ಠ
"Please don't eat anything around here without asking first. It might save us a lot of trouble."

>>20663377
"Not all fluffy things. You should ask if it's food before you try and eat."

>>20663377
>Fluffy things are food.
I don't think we can get along with this girl.

"Grayson isn't food. If you swallowed him he'd tear you apart from the inside. But I'm impressed your mouth goes that big."

>>20663377
Quaz, I would not try to eat Grayson, the experience would be far less pleasant for you than it would be for him.

Not all fluffy things are food. If it is fluffy and can speak or is otherwise of significant intelligence it is off limits. Understood?

"Not all fluffy things are food! Some fluffy things are friends." You say. "Plus, Grayson can grow really sharp bone spikes out of his back."
"I have scales." Quaz said.
". . Not on the inside." Kaliel added, and the snake-like woman pouted.
"Please don't eat anything around here without asking first. It might save us a lot of trouble."
" ...But... " She said. "If I eat him, I won't need to eat again for a month."
Grayson harrumphed, and Quaz sighed.
"Awww. . ." She said, pouting again.

>>20663471
"Now, now. I'm sure the royal kitchen can take care of you just as well. In in the worst case, I'll just have to start importing live sheep for you. Does your food have to be alive, or is it simply a preference of yours?"

>>20663471
"If you try to eat him, you won't need to eat again ever, because you'll be dead. You really need to pick your prey better."

>>20663471
"Quaz, could you even fit him inside you? I mean he's huge and weighs at least 15-20 times as much as you.

But isn't he warm? It must feel good to hug something fuzzy for once.

Grayson, could you heat up a bit for the girl, I think she'd appreciate it."

>>20663518
>She has scales
>She can't feel fluffy
Truly, these Children are a tragic species.

"Now, I'm sure the royal kitchen can take care of you just as well. In the worst case, I'll just have to start importing live sheep for you. Does your food have to be alive, or is it simple a preference of yours."
"It's no fun if they don't struggle on the way down." She said. "But they don't *need* to be alive. I... guess."

She backed away from Grayson, as if hesitant to hug him, and rolled onto her back.
"But for now. . I should sleep. I've moved a lot today."

>>20663550
"Well, you could eat hot food, if you like warmth so much. Anyway, we'll just let you rest, and remember, don't eat anything without asking first. And if your potential food doesn't answer, ask somebody who can."

>>20663550
"You and Grayson have quite a lot in common. Sleep well, Grayson will make sure you aren't disturbed.

Just remember to ask before you eat something, I would hate for there to be any misunderstandings."

Get one last hug from her before she goes to sleep and pet her hood a bit during the hug.

>>20663550
"Ok."
So, we can't do the parent ritual or talk to Azariel until night. What else do we have to do? Is it country-running time?

"Well, you could eat hot food, if you like warmth so much." You say. "Anyway, we'll just let you rest. And remember, don't eat anything without asking first. And if your potential food doesn't answer, ask somebody who can."
"Aw, okay. Unless it's dead. I can just eat it if it's dead, right?"
"Yeah, that should be fine." Kaliel asked. You give Quaz a hug, and she returns with her arms. You pet her hood a bit, and it flares out.
"That's weird. Don't do that.' She said, twitching her head back. You let go, and the snake woman curls into a small pile, hiding her humanoid, scale-covered torso underneath her tail. . .Then she started purring, vibrating in her sleep.

"Well." Kaliel said. "That was strange."

>>20663652
"Indeed."

>>20663652
"Very."

>>20663652
"Quite, yes. And I think she's not really entitled to use the word 'weird' to describe other people or actions."

>>20663652
>"Aw, okay. Unless it's dead. I can just eat it if it's dead, right?"
Don't let her get close to the morgue, if New Arcturus has one.

"Indeed. And I think she's not really entitled to use the word 'weird' to describe other people or actions."
"She's from a different people and a different society." Kaliel said. "It's like, the orcs put a lot of stock in control of your emotions, and losing it is shameful. But here, it's being honest to yourself."
Marigold looked this way and that. Other than you, her, Kell, Kaliel, and the sleeping forms of Quaz and Grayson, you were alone.

Then she grinned. Somehow. . it was much, much more terrifying than Quaz's grin.
"So. Speaking of emotions. . ." She said, laying eyes upon her victim- Kaliel. "You and Ishelda, huh?"

>End of thread!
>Answering questions when I get back.
>My twitter is @futureexabyte .

>>20663734
"Speaking of emotions... Void Queen, I summon you! Save me, please! You know what she's like! I'll do anything!"

>>20663769
We can probably either teleport away, or just make Mar go to sleep.

>>20663789
That would be rude.

>>20663734
"Er... Um... TAXES!"
Sprint towards Gehenna's room while enough spaghetti to feed a small army is spontaneously generated by magic.

>>20663769
Goddamnit, I was writing a Bad End response for this and it turned into VQ x Ishelda smut.

>>20664560
So it's a good end instead of a bad end. Whatever, post it anyway.

>>20664574
I concur. Do it.

"Anything, eh?" Dras'lea said, suddenly appearing behind Marigold. The healer whirled about. . and collapsed, unconscious. Kaliel followed, eyes rolling into the back of her head. You raise your arms, and fling spellfire at her, but it vanishes, some kind of anti-magic snuffing out your magic- exactly how Kristoph does it.
"You should be aware," She said, her voice emotionless," that there is a spell, with wizardry- abjuration, to be exact- that forces someone to do what they say they will. It's a geas, to be specific."

You take a step back, and clasp your hand over Rikar, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.
And then Dras'lea dropped her own sword.
"You said you would do anything, if I were to save you from your cousin asking about your lover. Nod if this is correct."
Completely against your will. . you nod. She smiled.
"Good. The wizardry took." She said. Her voice was no longer empty. Instead it held a ... strange, terrifying pleasure.
"Now." She said. "Kiss me."
Before you could get over the surprise of what she told you to do, she was already moaning into your mouth, as your tongue entwines with hers. She leans into you, her hand in the small of your back, pulling you toward her. You try to pull away, with all of your will, but the geas holds you tight, and your body refuses to obey you.
Finally, she pulls away. You still can't see her eyes, or her face. Just those lips, and the tongue licking them. It's almost ... frustrating, somehow.
"You're struggling." She said, her lips quirking. "We can't have that. Hmm. . For my next order. . I want you to *want* me."

>Deliciously non-canon end!

>>20664711
The Void Queen, Exabyte. Not the fetish queen.

>>20664779
Really? Damn, I keep getting those confused.

>>20664779
A void can be considered to be a very large hole. Women tend to enjoy things filling their holes. Therefore the void queen is a slut.
>My logic is flawless!

>>20664711
Deliciously delicious end.
I'm confused about why she wants Ishelda to do that when she's meant to be emotionless but my dick doesn't seem to care.

We are going to have to put this snake down, calling it now. She's far too annoying to live.

>>20664779
...I actually have a scene written up for Slut Queen.

>>20665749
>We are going to have to waifu this snake up, calling it now. She's for too adorable to let be single.

I completely and totally agree.

>>20665749
Yes.
>>20665880
No.

She's probably good at making wine. That's enough of a reason for Ishelda to keep her around.

>>20666329
But we don't have any vineyards yet, we've been focusing on growing enough basic food. We'll have to import grapes from somewhere, and grapes are bulky, and they'll go off in the travel time, and then we've just got one person making wine by herself in an inefficient little home business.
Seems a lot better to just import the wine.

>>20666576
Dude.

MAGIC.

I can think of a dozen different ways we could obtain grapes for a vineyard with little to no financial cost. And that's assuming we just want regular wine - you can make wine out of just about ANY fruit!

>>20666890
Honey is good for wine making, too. Also molasses. Anything with a sugar content or starch content, really. Corn, Barley, Potatoes, etc.

Also, I'm sure that if we just got some seeds for it Marigold can just make some super orchards or vinyards. A Bee keep could be built to provide honey for tea and mead.

>>20666890
Sure, we could start a vinyard, but we really have better uses for that land and labor right now. And we also have better uses for our magic than grape-summoning. Wine is almost always grape, but we live in a barren wasteland - whatever little fruit we have is for eating. Seriously, what's your objection to buying wine? We can produce our own once we actually have a proper country.

>>20667022
Hops and rice are used also. I'll probably think of more later, but you get the idea.
The only problem I can see is keeping the yeasts alive during shipping, but really MAGIC.

>>20667046
> And we also have better uses for our magic than grape-summoning.
The last few threads give a resounding "NOPE" as an answer to that.

>>20667046
I don't object to importing, I object to not using the talents and skills available to us, especially when the cost of doing so is negligible.

>better use for our magic
You mean like showing off with an orb of light and wasting all our mana? Or wasting half of it trying to see heat? Or maybe using our mana to tuck Marigold into bed from range was a waste?

Seriously, half the spells Ishelda has ever cast have been a thousand times more useless that conjuring some grape seeds.
Also New Arcturus is no longer barren thanks to Marigold. She's not just growing stuff, she's super-charging the dirt itself into nutrient dense soil, and has been at it for years.

>>20667065
Ok, correction:
We can't summon grapes we'll just use up all our magic, collapse, and end up with a cherry.

>>20667096
>not using the talents and skills available to us, especially when the cost of doing so is negligible
The opportunity cost is massive. We need a stable base. We need to grow fucking food to actually feed our people, not get them drunk enough to forget they're hungry. What kind of shitty country are you trying to make? We're using those talents and skills for other things.
>New Arcturus is no longer barren thanks to Marigold. She's super-charging the dirt itself into nutrient dense soil, and has been at it for years.
It's still fucking barren. She's made a few fields fertile over the last couple of years. She just finished making enough land for the kobolds to farm. We do not have spare land. We do not have spare farmers.
>Half the spells Ishelda has ever cast have been a thousand times more useless that conjuring grape seeds.
I don't mean seeds, they're useless. I mean repeated grape summoning, and there are better things we could do even if we're not doing them.

>>20667201
>We need a stable base. We need to grow fucking food to actually feed our people
Agreed, and making a vineyard on the side isn't going to stop us from accomplishing that either. The two things aren't mutually exclusive.
>It's still fucking barren.
I was under the impression there were massive fields of not only farming land, but also of galadriels' light. Not only in the city proper and its farms, but a great deal of the surrounding land within walking distance.

>I don't mean seeds, they're useless. I mean repeated grape summoning,
Why wouldn't we grow our own grapes? What, you thought we were going to summon several tons of grapes from nowhere and just use those to make the wine? That's incredibly silly. The only thing I wanted to do was get the seeds to start up a vineyard, and then have Marigold accelerate the process.

>>20667257
>>20667201
Shouldn't we simply try to waste our next nat 100 on a box that magically refills with fresh grapes every time it's emptied?

>>20667046
Well, certainly grape wine is almost always grape, but there are many other things that can be used to produce alcoholic beverages. Including all those previously stated, there's plums (popular in japan), agave (popular in Mexico), rasberries, pomegranate, apples, blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, need I go on? Many wines also use a mixture of fruits and berries to give the wine more character. Similar to how varying amounts of barley, hops, and rice could be used for beer. incidentally if we had farmers growing these things, it would not have to be used entirely on wine making. most of it could be used to eat (surprise!) and liven up the plates of the people (double surprise!) and with the wide variety of foods and wines available to the citizens, more people could come into the country (triple surprise!) and also, land doesn't need to be SUPER MAGICAL fertile in order to grow food on it (quadruple surprise!). In fact, We here in the real world have found ways to make the land extremely fertile using natural methods (Why can't I hold all these surprises?!?!).

>Grapes, that you know of, is only grown in sosaria- which is why Sosarian wine is a prized commodity. Ogres make and sell honeyed mead, and the provinces can't go wrong with beer. Elves make some sort of tremendously spicy alcohol, and lizardmen make Swamp Brew. Hobgoblins are still experimenting with gardening, so they don't make anything quite yet. Orcs don't make any alcohol because inebriated orcs are untamed orcs.

>>20667201
>Barren
Something notable is that the process of getting rid of the Astral Fire- The modified Galadriel's Light- spawned enough nutrients when they died to make the wastelands able to grow sparse, tough grass, (The seeds were brought inadvertently by mutant-hunting adventurers) so it's already on the road to recovery- It just needs time, but marigold is speeding it up.

>>20667257
>Galadriel's light
You don't have much non-modified Galadriel's light. There is a small patch of it in Marigold's massive flower garden, and on Jormungandr, but the flowers are designed specifically for elven soil- they get different amounts of nutrients, so they don't grow as well as they should unless stuffed full of life magic by Marigold.

rolled 52 = 52

>>20667301
Do you mean THIS nat 100?

>>20667319
Hey Exabyte, are you going to make us listen to the asspie saying that grapes are inedible and can only be used for winemaking? Or whatever food we might decide to use for alcoholic beverages? I don't like the idea of fields just used for alcoholic beverages.

In fact, what foods are being grown here?

>>20667257
>I was under the impression there were massive fields of not only farming land, but also of galadriels' light
I was under the impression that's completely wrong. And you still haven't addressed the lack of farmers.
>What, you thought we were going to summon several tons of grapes from nowhere and just use those to make the wine? That's incredibly silly
Yes, it is. That's what I was saying. We don't need to summon a couple of seeds, that will hardly dent our treasury.

>>20667314
No shit. Maybe once we have enough farms to grow all that shit and aren't relying on imported food to survive we'll do that, huh?
>land doesn't need to be SUPER MAGICAL fertile in order to grow food on it
No, but it does need to have not been on cancerfire for thousands of years and have no nutrients left at all.

>>20667391
>saying that grapes are inedible and can only be used for winemaking
Where the fuck did I say that?

>>20667391
>Grapes
Yep. You can eat 'em. Marigold's never been a fan, but Grayson will certainly like them.
>What foods are being grown here
Nothing. Nothing at all. Except for grass, a few saplings that Marigold is trying to get to take root, and her flower garden, Arcturus is producing exactly no food. Everything is imported from Ursae, Sirius, and Orcish lands. There are the fields that Marigold had set up for the kobolds, but she demanded that they let the fields fallow for a season before they decide what to plant.

>>20667486
What's our old orcish ship crew doing these days, by the way?

>>20667486
Oh god, it's worse than I though. I figured we at least had a couple of basic grain fields set up. What have we been DOING for the past two years? This isn't a country, it's a group of outcasts squatting in some old ruins.

>>20667510
Doing what they did before you arrived- trading between Refuge, Sirius, and rarely going down to Ursae. Grubwort's there too, so you can probably visit him whenever you want.

>>20667522
Getting rid of the MAGICAL CANCERFIRE, stopping sandstorms, terraforming the entire continent from a 'fucking magical-nuclear wasteland' into just a 'slightly barren scrubland', hunting mutants, setting up land-based trading between the elves and the provinces, recieving immigrants, etc.

>>20667597
>Getting rid of the MAGICAL CANCERFIRE
>terraforming the entire continent from a 'fucking magical-nuclear wasteland' into just a 'slightly barren scrubland'
The plants do this automatically. We'd already done all the work before the time skip.
>stopping sandstorms
Zeke's job. He can't do anything else useful anyway so it's not like that cut into our time.
>hunting mutants
We put bounties for the adventurers guild and shit, we didn't go around personally stabbing them all with Rikar.
>recieving immigrants
Not many, and it's kind of obvious why. People were planning out magic monorails and we haven't even got bread yet. It's a group stone huts in an empty tundra.

>>20667671
>Implying adminstration for those things woudn't take for-fucking-ever

>>20667690
You don't need to administer plants and sandstorms.
I am indeed implying it would take less than two years to hand out some bounties and write down the names of the couple of lizardmen who came to live with us.

rolled 64 = 64

>>20667757
Well she was only 14 at the time. She and Marigold were probably hugging and kissing cheeks the whole time.

>All while some random soldier was like "The Questers are going to be pissed about this."
>He was thoroughly ignored.

>>20667757
You do need to administer plants. Otherwise they're, y'know, seeds instead of plants. But anyway, you've just been setting up the infrastructure, setting up non-aggression treaties, repairing the ruins into a proper city. . For the most part you were twiddling your thumbs and setting up political stuff for New Arcturus, waiting for the galadriel's light to do it's job. Only now is it even possible to start growing things that aren't pseudo-radiation-eating plants, unless you wanted to work Marigold to exhaustion.

>>20667853
>unless you wanted to work Marigold to exhaustion
Sure, but not for that.

>>20667853
>You do need to administer plants. Otherwise they're, y'know, seeds instead of plants.
Huh? The first one we planted did just fine without us ever touching it, and got to seed itself.
>unless you wanted to work Marigold to exhaustion
Work that bitch to the bone. Kingdoms > Cousins

>>20667671
>Not many, and it's kind of obvious why. People were planning out magic monorails and we haven't even got bread yet. It's a group stone huts in an empty tundra.

It was assumed that food and farming was a thing that was already taken care of, as Exabyte had already mentioned the existence of farms and farmers, and never mentioned that there was any sort of shortage of food.
Even so, food was also partially addressed that in our "big list of improvements we want to do" which included having Kaliel design flora in addition to fauna. IIRC someone said something like, "Superfood that makes soy beans look unhealthy and wasteful to grow in comparison."