[OOC] Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

[King Cosmos]

Update is go! As always, let me know if anything was missed, concerns, clarity etc!

Also, in the interest of bolstering more activity, does anyone have anything they think has maybe not quite been up to par they'd like to suggest fixes for? I know most of you are basically ambush hunting/tracking and thus literally have to kinda wait for stuff passively to happen, but I don't want to run into some of the same stagnation problems I had last time when I ran "I, the Demon King, Will Summon My Own Damned Heroes!" (also known by the fan name for its anime adaptation, KusoYuusha!) The fact that the System gives you quest and exploration prompts is an effort towards that, but if there's anything else that could be done I'd love to hear your takes!

@Zeroth

Yeah, I figured the "kill and eat to gain skills" thing was a response to us playing around with magic in the forest and never actually doing anything to explore or advance the plot.

I don't know. Personally I don't like it when the groups get too big in this as it makes responding to everyone harder, but you've been consistently pushing us together; I get why you do it, but I personally find it makes things harder and I end up ignoring peoples posts.

But I think a lot of the slowness is just us still being little baby orcs with not a lot of options; not really sure how to fix that but hopefully we can wrap this first quest up soon and get back to camp to have some options. I'm also hoping for some more personal interactions this time around. I want to write a character, not a power gamer this time; but that's on me to do, and whoever else wants that, not you.

Also, holy shit, is that a Flak Beetle! Someone that isn't me should totally throw fire at that thing.

[Crusader Lord]

Also, holy shit, is that a Flak Beetle! Someone that isn't me should totally throw fire at that thing.

@King Cosmos

Lazash, dripping with sarcasm: "Before or after we get eaten by mushrooms?"

XD

[Zeroth]

@King Cosmos
It's not that the way you guys did things was bad---it's always on the GM to introduce plot, I could've easily sent something at you guys at any time! I didn't intend to make the statement feel like a barb or anything, sorry!

Yeah I understand the difficulty in having groups, especially in a game like this where everyone's consistently holding to a pretty high level of posting. But, thanks for mentioning that I might be pushing players together too much---I mostly intended to just lay out opportunities to interact, and leave whether or not any interaction actually occurred up to players. Like when you guys passed Agar on the way to the caves and he chose not to join, and no one chose to pursue him, and so forth. If it feels too forced, I'll try not to be so overt with it! The intention was just to allow people to be aware of different things happening around them.

Character interaction will definitely be a bigger focus this time, both for PCs and NPCs! That's why I had you guys all start as basically already "walking and talking" and part of the Orc tribe, whereas last time because everyone was a different kind of monster, it didn't make as much sense for "mixed packs" to form. The Head Warrior, Shaman, Warchief, all those folks will definitely present opportunities for more cerebral activities instead of a constant cycle of fighting, skill grinding, and survival crafting!

Now why in the world would you say that? Do you know something about the Flak Beetle that others don't? 😉

[King Cosmos]

It's not that the way you guys did things was bad---it's always on the GM to introduce plot, I could've easily sent something at you guys at any time! I didn't intend to make the statement feel like a barb or anything, sorry!

@Zeroth

Nah, our group did just post up in one location and grind skills for several pages; you gave us a whole goblin tribe war to stick our noses into and we didn't bite. Everyone else had stuff going on, but I kind of regret not doing more with the setting.

The skill system was so cool though.

Now why in the world would you say that? Do you know something about the Flak Beetle that others don't? 😉

@Zeroth

Of course not. I just think throwing a fireball at that beetle would be a very cool, brave and heroic thing for someone not me and standing very far away from me to do.

[Timemaster]

@Zeroth Didn't see Steel's message, apologies. Posted up now :)

[Rune_Alchemist]

a bit late but there be a post

Hope scared gobbo doesn't get even more terrified by what Svarok's gonna do if she kills this clearly violent and insolent creature.

[Crusader Lord]

Of course not. I just think throwing a fireball at that beetle would be a very cool, brave and heroic thing for someone not me and standing very far away from me to do.

@King Cosmos

Sounds like we should put a Flak Beetle and a totally-not-just-a-fire-chicken in the same pen and run far away from the location to a safe distance to observe what happens. For science. Yup. :P

---

@Zeroth Also finally posted with Lazash!

[King Cosmos]

I think I need to wait and see what happens to the slime before I can post anything.

[Zeroth]

I think I need to wait and see what happens to the slime before I can post anything.

@King Cosmos

Can do! Mini Mid-Week Update!

@Rune_Alchemist@Timemaster

Svarok, Gobbos, Carmina

Carmina would feel a strange vibration flowing through her voice as energy seemed to drain from her. Both the slime and the jackalope would jerk their heads up in surprise when she began to sing, but they were still wary of one another as much as they were this new being in their midst. A soft, translucent orange glow suffused both monsters as Carmina's spell seemed to take effect.

But when she turned to head towards the screaming, neither beast followed her. Instead they went back to their previous staredown---yet that didn't last long either. Surprisingly, the docile jackalope was the first to make a move, leaping at the slime, and the gooey, spherical monster responded in kind!

As another fight broke out behind her, though, Carmina would come upon another Orc runt---Svarok---in the middle of being attacked by goblins!

---

As Svarok dodged the charging goblin's spear and smacked it over the head, she would hear a loud crack from the wooden stick in her hands. It wasn't broken, but its durability was certainly in question. That said, a nice welt was already showing on the goblin's stringy-haired scalp as it reeled back in a daze.

"Gank up on da orcling!" The scream came from the very same goblin who, moments ago, had been begging for his life. His companion shook its head and snarled at Svarok, holding its spear ready for another attempt. The first goblin tried to flank her, and swung its stone hatchet at one of her legs!

But over the goblins' shorter heads, she'd be able to see another Orc runt---Carmina---emerge from the bushes!

@Crusader Lord@Unkown58@Lucius Cypher@King Cosmos@Kazemitsu

Caves and Slimes

The rolling slime would've gone past the group, but Grunthor stepped into its path and swung for the greens! As his spiked club impacted the stony-scaled jello-ball hard enough to rattle his wrists, the slime let out a scream and arced back up the slopes. It narrowly missed the trunk of a tree, but instead crashed into a bundle of bushes near the leaning trunk. After a beat of silence, the branches parted once more and the slime emerged with what might've passed for an angry wrinkle above its eyespots. As it slithered back towards Grunthor it stopped about thirty feet away from him, and oozed over a pile of gravel.

Then, as the rocks beneath it were sucked up into its mass, it stretched itself up higher and formed a sort of funnel shape beneath its eyes.

One rock started to glow with a metallic yellow sheen---and then shot towards Grunthor not like a spitball, but a pro-baseball pitch!

---

Meanwhile, inside the cave, the Flak Beetle hadn't yet reacted to the mushrooms beneath it suddenly shooting their spores all over the place. When Lazash unleashed her Fire Bolt, however, it scuttled backwards further along the ceiling, into the narrow tunnel. It rustled the shell plates over its wings aggressively---but still, it did not attack yet.

Lazash would take a stroke from the lashing tendrils over her shoulder, drawing blood and leaving a stinging welt. Two other tendrils struck the spots where the spores had coated the stones, and immediately withdrew back into the mushrooms that had spawned them.

The Fire Bolt hit the mushrooms---and a leftover cloud of spores. In a phenomenon known as a "dust explosion," the fine-grains of fungal matter went up in a great "whoosh," though thankfully it wasn't exactly a "bomb." Nonetheless, Lazash and Vola were nearly blinded by the instant flash and felt their bodies come close to singing as the heat washed over them. The mushrooms, on the other hand, actually shrieked as they burned---not because they had vocal chords, but because of some property of air escaping their formerly swollen spore pods and tendril "mouths" as the flames consumed them.

Within seconds only blacked, shriveled husks were left. The Flak Beetle, having withdrawn even further from the flames, chose this moment to expand its wings and point its mandibles at the two Runts with a hiss.

They saw its glowing thorax expand as the light within it intensified. And then as the beetle released that pressure through its mouth, a second bolt of flame lit up the cave, racing towards them!

[Rune_Alchemist]

@Zeroth

Woops

I keep forgetting there was a mini-update in the OOC lol

So not used to that I'll get something up today hopefully

[Timemaster]

@Zeroth Shoot. Me too. I'll get something up tomorrow.

[Unkown58]

Gah, sorry my update is taking so long!!! I'll try to have it up tomorrow!!!

[ReusableSword]

@Zeroth life is weird for me right now but ill try to keep getting posts out when i can.

[Timemaster]

Post is up, finally. Apologies!

[Crusader Lord]

A post for Lazash will be coming either Sunday or Monday.

[Crusader Lord]

Post was made! And whoever wanted a fire bolt to be used against a Flak Beetle, depending on how things go as Zeroth determines events go down for the next update, might be potentially getting their wish.

Is it a wise idea? No. But maybe 'fight fire with fire' will somehow prove sane in this situation. Or not. XD

[Zeroth]

Late update (for me anyway)! @Crusader Lord and @Unkown58, good job surviving--the last time someone threw fire at a Flak Beetle, it didn't go nearly this well.

@ReusableSword Not trying to force Agar to group up or anything, just mentioning the environmental effects since the Runts are certainly raising a ruckus in the area.

@Timemaster Just so you'll know OOC, Carmina's "Encourage" affect DID work...but "Encourage-ing" something through a spell, doesn't exactly mean the same as convincing them to follow her words. She essentially buffed the two monsters that were already about to fight one another, lol.

[ReusableSword]

@Zeroth no worries he probably wont investigate the sounds other than listening to them for a bit.

whats the condition of the dead thing the harpy was eating? like are its eyes kind of milky (if there at all)? or is it or parts of it look edible?

[Zeroth]

whats the condition of the dead thing the harpy was eating? like are its eyes kind of milky (if there at all)? or is it or parts of it look edible?

@ReusableSword

It's clearly carrion at this point, fur falling out, skin/viscera dried on the exposed bones, got that sour roadkill smell, etc.

[Unkown58]