The Tales of Jack Chitin

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Luna runs towards Jack, grabs his arm, puts it around her shoulders and tries to drag him to the nearest building.

Luna Bellus
"Great, Sanctus is a fine cherry on top of this disaster cake."

Jack Chitin
"He sent Gat flying like it was nothing. Granted we softened him up, but still. I think I know where he flew off to, we need to grab Gat and get the hell out of here... assuming he survived that light show."

Luna puts you down behind a building wall, she takes a peek and sees Sanctus approaching your position. He hasn't found you yet, but he's looking around.

Luna Bellus
"We can't fight him..."


Possible actions
>Sneak around and look for Gat
>Try to hide in a building
>Cause some sort of diversion
>Sit tight and peek behind the wall to look where Sanctus is heading
>Write-in (Explain your own custom action)

>>181868
>Cause some sort of diversion

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>>181872

Luna sits down next to you.

Luna Bellus
"Jack, we need to cause a diversion to get Sanctus off our back. I'll go and distract him while you go get..."

Jack cuts Luna off mid sentence.

Jack Chitin
"What?! No way, are you crazy?!"

Luna Bellus
"I can make it Jack, I just need to..."

Jack grabs Luna's shoulders and look her in the eyes.

Jack Chitin
"Listen to me, Gat be damned, I'm not going to lose you... I won't..."

You stop talking and look at Luna's eyes, for a moment you felt like your heart skipped a few beats. You don't even want to think of losing her. You both sit there looking at each other for a few seconds in an awkward silence. The moment is interrupted by some rustling near the house.

Nell
Jack, Luna! Thank Lua you are alive. I didn't have the heart to go to Gat's execution again, but after hearing an explosion, I immediately ran towards the town square.

Luna Bellus
"Nell! We tried to save Gat, but things got out of hand. There were explosions and tentacles and now a Solar knight is after us!"

Nell looks at you both in confusion.

Jack Chitin
"It's a long story. The knight knocked out Gat, but I know where he landed. We can pick him up, but we have a little problem on our hand."

Nell peeks behind the building wall and notices Sanctus.

Nell
"Leave it to me. I'll shake the guy off your back. When he gets distracted, you both make a run for it and get Gat. My house is a few blocks down the road, meet me there later. I have a plan to get you out of town."


Possible actions
>Agree with the plan
>Jack: "Nell, it's too dangerous, we can't let you risk your life like that."
>Write-in (Explain your own custom action)

>>181983
>Agree with the plan
However, I don't want to just let her go without any assistance. Is there any chance we can give her that swiftness scroll? It might help her if she's going to be a distraction.

>>182028

Seconding this. That guy is clearly insanely powerful and she will need all the swiftness she can muster to dodge his solar crosses

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>>182028
>>182042

Luna Bellus
"Here this might help you with the diversion."

Luna takes out the swiftness scroll and reads the incantation while pointing at Nell. After a few seconds small lighting arcs start to periodically crack around Nell.

Luna Bellus
"There, you should feel more agile now."

Nell
"Thank you Luna, we Yuni have exceptional agility, but this will tilt the odds in our favour even more."

Jack Chitin
"Nice thinking Luna."

Luna smiles and winks in your direction.

Luna Bellus
"Alright Jack, lead the way."

Luna helps you up and puts your arm around her shoulders and you start running towards the trajectory where Gat landed. With lightning speed, Nell climbs the building and shouts at Sanctus.

Nell
"Hey! Over here, you glowing tin can!"

Sanctus looks towards the top of the building. Thanks to the veil of night, Sanctus mistakes Nell for Gat.

Sanctus
"Gat?! How did you survive?! Die you filth!", said Sanctus while shooting multiple glowing crosses at the building

Again with lightning speed, Nell manages to evade and jump on the other building's roof. She continues to taunt him giving enough time for Jack and Luna to get away from the scene. A few moments later they find Gat unconscious under a nearby tree. He looks disfigured with additional severe burns from the glowing cross. Most of his fur was vaporized, leaving behind the scorched skin.

Jack Chitin
"Bloody hell, you look like a roasted mole rat."

Luna presses her fingers near his neck.

Luna Bellus
"Thank Lua, he still has a pulse, but his breathing is slowing down, this isn't good."

Luna spends her last charge to to boost her healing abilities, trying to heal Gat to a stable condition. Luna places her hands on Gat's chest. After a few seconds, a portion of his fur rapidly regrows.

Luna Bellus
"There, this should keep him alive until we get to Nell's house. Once there I will be able to heal him some more in peace at least."


Possible actions
>Jack: "Luna, you carry Gat while I scout the road ahead"
>Luna: "Jack, you carry Gat while I scout the road ahead"
>Write-in (Explain your own custom action)


>>182028
>>182042
Also, that was a nice creative solution. Just a reminder that you are free to add your own twist to an existing action like you guys did with the scroll. Creativity is highly encouraged.

>>182120
>Luna: "Jack, you carry Gat while I scout the road ahead"
This might seem like an odd choice but we gotta remember that Jack just got pretty beat up.
Luna should take point and use the magic potion to recharge mana. She'll probably get more out of it than Jack would anyway.

>>182120
>Luna: "Jack, you carry Gat while I scout the road ahead"

>>182120
>>Luna: "Jack, you carry Gat while I scout the road ahead"
She is smaller and lighter than us, so she should do the job better.

>>182120
>>Luna: "Jack, you carry Gat while I scout the road ahead"

Jack's pretty much running on adrenaline after the beating and stabbing he got, he's in no condition to do delicate stuff like scouting.

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>>182160
>>182199
>>182245
>>182278

Luna Bellus
"Jack, you carry Gat while I scout the road ahead", said Luna while chugging down the mana boosting potion

You pick up Gat and fold him over your shoulder. Luna scouts out the road ahead. So far there the coast is clear. You both start walking.

Suddenly, Gat starts to murmur. Jack pulls him closer to hear the words more clearly.

Gat
"No... I can't save... you all... forgive me..."

You catch up to Luna.

Jack Chitin
"Hey Luna, what happened after he stabbed me? Why didn't he kill you?"

Luna Bellus
"I don't know, he started to scream, something about saving me and other people."

Jack Chitin
"When we were at the barracks, you said that he was like me. What did you mean?"

Luna Bellus
"As unbelievable as it sounds, I felt warmth in Gat's soul, his heart is in the right place. However, he is haunted by something... Just like you, Jack.", Luna said with sad but warm smile while looking at you

You both continue to walk. After a while you notice a small hut.

Jack Chitin
"Hmm, this could be it."

You peek through the window, only to see Nell waiting inside. You enter the hut.

Nell
"Gat! Oh thank Lua, you saved him, thank you!", Nell bursts into tears, signalling Jack to hand him over

Nell kneels and places Gat in her lap

Nell
"Oh Gat, my sweet little Gat...", Nell continues to cry while petting his head

Jack sits in a chair and sighs.

Jack Chitin
"Man, what a night."

Nell
"Luna, what's wrong with him?"

Luna Bellus
"I did what you told me and it worked. I took a peek into Gat's soul. He's haunted by something. It seems that the thing inside him is trying to tighten it's grip on his soul."

Nell tries to wipe away her tears with her little paw.

Luna Bellus
"Luna, child, you have done more for me than most people I met in my life. Thank y..."

Luna Bellus
"I will fix him Nell. I promise you that. Don't worry, you'll have your chance to tell him how you feel.", Luna kneels in front of Nell and helps her wipe away the tears

Nell looks at Luna's warm smile and she can't help but to let the tears out even more.

Nell
"Thank you! Thank you sweet child!", she said while hugging Luna

After the situation calmed a bit, Jack speaks up.

Jack Chitin
"Ahem, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but that tin can might come looking for us."

Nell
"My hut was built under old Lunar catacombs. Follow the tunnels, and you will arrive at an ancient Lunar shrine a few miles from here.", she said while pointing at the trap door


Possible actions
>Jack: "I'll continue carrying Gat, you watch my back, Luna."
>Luna: "You're pretty tired Jack, I'll carry Gat."
>Write-in (Explain your own custom action)

>>182358
>Jack: "I'll continue carrying Gat, you watch my back, Luna."
2 eyes>>>1 eye

>>182358
>Luna: "You're pretty tired Jack, I'll carry Gat."
Also check inventory i think Luna's dress got torn during the fight

>>182358
>Luna: "You're pretty tired Jack, I'll carry Gat."
I think we're out of immediate danger, so let Jack rest a bit.

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>>182372
>>182381
>>182388

Luna slowly takes Gat from Nell's embrace.

Luna Bellus
"Come here, little one.", said Luna as she pickes him up and carries him like a little baby in her arms

Luna thinks to herself.

Luna Bellus
[Even though you're a little hairball of murder, you are still SO CUTE!], she thought with stars in her eyes

Jack Chitin
"Maybe we should wrap him into something, in case he tries to resist."

Jack looks around, and notices an empty potato sack. He picks it up, and shows it to Nell and Luna.

Jack Chitin
"Hmm, you could say that we're putting the cat in the bag? Eh, eh?.", Jack looks for approval

Suddenly a swift slap hits the back of his head. The messenger? Luna.

Jack Chitin
"Oh come on, I'm just trying to lighten the mood, jeez.", said Jack with a whimper while rubbing the bump on his head

Nell actually giggles a bit, and approaches Jack.

Nell
"Haha, you both look like a married couple. Are you?"

Jack almost chokes on his spit and his face turns bright red like a tomato. But indeed the scene might imply that, with Luna cradling Gat in her arms. You look at Luna, she's still in her zone with Gat's cuteness. Thank god she didn't hear Nell, you think to yourself. Your heart couldn't handle the scene.

Jack Chitin
"Haha, yeah, we get that a lot, haha.", you try to keep your cool, but Nell sees right through it and giggles

You try to shift the subject and clear your throat.

Jack Chitin
"Ahem, let's get going Luna. Sanctus is probably looking for us as we speak, and we shouldn't cause any more trouble for Nell."

Nell
"Luna, before you go, could you lower Gat a bit towards me?"

Luna kneels down. Nell approaches her, and kisses Gat on the forehead.

Nell
"Come back to me, my little Gat.", she said while letting out a tear.

You both gather your stuff, and head down the trap door. Luna descends first, then Jack. Before he closes the door, Nell grabs the handle.

Nell
"Jack, remember what I told you, yearn for her embrace. It will save you. And thank you for everything.", she said with a warm smile.

You nod and smile back. You descent into the darkness.


The adventure continues tomorrow! Stick around for the recap post, there is a interesting announcement you guys might like

>>182381
>Also check inventory
I'm out of time for today, I'll post the inventory first thing in tomorrows session

>that spoiler content
How dare you, mister! Luna is pure, PURE!
There will be censored scenes in the future, I guarantee you this. WITNESS ME!

Also recap post in a moment

So, I'm sorry for the shorter session today, I arrived home a bit late today. But to make it up for a shorter session today, we'll have an extra long session tomorrow, just like last time.

Also to top it all off, I have a little surprise I want to test out in tomorrow's session. If you guys like it and it turns out to work well, I might make it a recurring thing. I don't want to hype it too much, just think of it as a neat feature to look forward to for tomorrows session.

Also, I always leave 10-15 minutes of the session time to reply to any questions, or if you guys want to send some feedback my way about today's session, or in general.

>>182659
Brilliant as always, but I do have one question, how did we not go full murderbug on Gat? We were at 85% at the beginning of the Gat encounter, and seeing him rough Luna up a bit should have triggered it, right? Or have I got the murderbug mechanics wrong?

>>182718
The power of Luna compelled us
>>182610
>Censored
Mildly disappointed at that

>>182718
>We were at 85% at the beginning of the Gat encounter, and seeing him rough Luna up a bit should have triggered it, right?
That's a good question. I'm partially to blame due to making some stuff ambiguous without giving further explanation. For example, the party screen has some stuff that might be confusing at first glance. I'm thinking of making a quick tutorial infograph to explain all the confusing parts.

But to answer your question, Jack's murderbug stat rose to 90% when he saw Luna running out of the barracks. When they had their hug scene, the stat lowered to 45% due to Luna's calming embrace. That might have been confusing since I didn't post the updates party screen image in the next post. For future sessions, I'm thinking of adding a "update section" in the posts where I just post stuff like:

Updates
Murderbug stat lowered by 50%, current value is 25%
Luna's cast some spells, her Lunar stat dropped by 15%, current value is 50%.

Or something along those lines.

>>182805
>The power of Luna compelled us
In short, yes

>>182805
>Censored
>Mildly disappointed at that
Sadly due to the boards rules, I can't depict or write really explicit scenes, even though I would like to since it's a more serious dark fantasy setting. I'll have to work around it and leave it to censor bars, subtext and implications. We'll find a way, damn it all!

>>182887
Thanks for clearing that up for me! The update system sounds handy, and I can't wait to see what gets thrown at us next!
And as for the lewd problem, you could always make a pastebin account and write up anything that might go against the rules there.

The adventure continues in 30~ minutes.

TRIGGER WARNING
Things might get a bit spooky today

>>185833
Aww yis, bugboy time.Let's see what you were hyping us up for!

On an unrelated note, we made front page!

>>185862
>Aww yis, bugboy time
It isn't bugboy this time, that's the spooky part

>Let's see what you were hyping us up for!
I hope I didn't glorify it too much, I don't want to disappoint. It's just a new twist to a portion of the quest we were already doing a few times

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After the crew descended down the ladders, they're greeted by a long tunnel filled with coffins. You find a torch nearby and light it. The damp air mixed with the scent of moss indicate the catacombs might have an underground water source nearby, this could come in useful for Luna since she doesn't have access to moonlight in the catacombs. She could shoot the sharp crystals as a last resort nonetheless. After a few minutes of walking, you notice the crescent moon insignia on the walls.

Jack Chitin
"Nell said that these were Lunar catacombs. Do you know more about them by chance?"

Luna Bellus
"I've read that the Lunar Priesthood had conflicts with the Solar Knights since the dawn of civilization. Considering that the Solar Cult has a tight hold on Casius, the priesthood probably went into hiding since they don't have enough influence in Casius to avoid conflict."

You think of Nell's hut.

Jack Chitin
"Yeah, looks like Nell lives in a pretty rural area of Cassius to avoid problems, since Yuni cats worship the Lunar Goddess as well. Hmm, could it be that the Yuni cats predate the humans? If so, how come the humans chose to worship gods of difference species, instead of finding their own?"

Luna Bellus
"Our world is host to various powerful deities, but a lot of them faded out of existences for one reason or another. Maybe humans admired both the Lunar and Solar deities since they have been around for millennia and even to this day, their power is unmeasurable."

Jack grabs his bandages.

Jack Chitin
"Hey Luna, do you... do you think that the voice in me might be some sort of deity as well?", Jack said in a worrying tone

Luna Bellus
"Hmm, I'm not quite sure. Like I said back in Urno, I need to run some diagnostics on you to be sure. But for that to work, I need a place with a high concentration of Lunar energies. Nell mentioned there was an ancient Lunar shrine on the other end of the catacombs. Once we get there, I should be able to run a check on you and Gat."

You notice a light in the distance.

Jack Chitin
"Damn, it looks like we might run into some company. Nell did say that this place was abandoned, but the light says otherwise. Be on your toes, who knows what lives down here."

You arrive at the entrance of a small cavern. Jack takes a quick peek and notices a short cloaked figure placing bottles on a table. At this distance it's hard to tell who or what the cloaked figure is.


Possible actions
>Sneak up to take a closer look, stay near the cavern rocks for cover
>Shoot first, ask questions later
>Write-in (Explain your own custom action)

>>185962
>>Sneak up to take a closer look, stay near the cavern rocks for cover
Let's keep the torch out of sight too, don't want to get spotted before we see who or what they are.

>>185962
>Sneak up to take a closer look, stay near the cavern rocks for cover

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>>185976
>>185977

You signal Luna to wait behind the entrance. You sneak by the first few rocks and take cover behind a huge boulder. After a while you take a peek. The small figure is mixing some potions and reading from a book. At one point it turned around. You got a good look, but luckily it didn't notice you and as he continued to shake the potions.

Jack thinks to himself

Jack Chitin
[What the hell?! That looks like a naked mole rat, but in humanoid form. I've never seen anything like it.]


Possible actions
>Try to greet the Mole Rat
>Sneak up behind it and knock it out
>Attack the Mole Rat

>>186115
>>Sneak up behind it and knock it out

Fuck Mole rats

>>186115
>>Try to greet the Mole Rat
No, Mole rats are cool, besides, it could be helpful. Let's see if the Mole rat is an asshole or not before we go around knocking them out.

>>186115
>>Try to greet the Mole Rat

Maybe its just a misunderstood creature. But first, make Luna apply at least the smallest dose of healing magic on Jack's stab injury just in case shit gets real

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>>186138
>>186161

You slowly approach the mole rat, but keep your hunting knife behind your back. The plan is to ask a few questions, give him a false sense of security and then knock him out.

Jack Chitin
"Greetings."

The mole rat jumps a bit at first, but then notices your cloak and bandages. He lowers his guard and places the staff on the table, then approaches you.

Mole Rat
"Ah, you must be looking to join the cult, yes?", he said while clasping his hands and taking a small bow


Possible actions
>"Uh, yeah, that's right, we came to join the cult", bluff your way into more info
>"Yeah, I'm here to renew my cultist license. Take a look!", harden your fist with chitin and sucker punch him
>Write-in (Explain your own custom action)

>>186214
>>"Uh, yeah, that's right, we came to join the cult", bluff your way into more info

Ask him what the cult is about because a friend of the cousin of the daughter of the butcher told you about it and they weren't very clear about what it was about

>>186214
>>"Uh, yeah, that's right, we came to join the cult", bluff your way into more info
Pretty much this >>186221

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>>186221
>>186241

Jack Chitin
"Uh, yeah, that's right, we came to join the cult. I've head a lot of about your powerful cult from a friend of the cousin of the daughter of the butcher in my town."

Mole Rat
"Ahh, I see that our agents are sticking the shady communications. Good good, we don't want any Solar Knights to catch on."

Jack thinks to himself.

Jack Chitin
[I can't believe that worked...]

Mole Rat
"So, are you ready?"

You start to sweat.

Jack Chitin
"Uh yeah, can you please update me on the current plan? I had to lay low for a while and cut communications, some Solar Knights have been doing an investigation in my town. I gave them false info to lead them in a dead end."

Mole Rat
"Well done, I see you have great potential. I'm sorry, where are my manners, what is your name human?"

Jack Chitin
"Jack, it's Jack."

Mole Rat
"Well Jack, all the preparations have been done. We are going to summon the mighty lord of the shadows, the Shadow Jester!", the mole rat got exited while explaining the plan

Mole Rat
"Also, you mentioned "we" a moment ago. If you have a friend that is as good as yourself, well, the more the merrier I say!"

You signal Luna to come out of hiding. The mole rat starts jumping in excitement. However, he suddenly stops in shock as he notices Gat on Luna's head.

Mole Rat
"Gat?! So, you are Gat's spies! Oh no you don't, we are the ones that will have the Shadow Jester's favor!"

The mole rat quickly grabs his staff and points it at you while hissing!


You have entered combat! Sit tight, posting the battle map momentarily!

And now for the new feature I've been working on

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>>186334
So I just want to take a moment to explain what I've been working on. Sorry for breaking the story flow for a moment, but I'll be very short. I wanted to try out combat in a tabletop style. I feel that it will be easier to visualize combat, and it can lead to very interesting combat scenarios.

The picture is a short tutorial explain the key stuff. It shouldn't take longer than 5-10 minutes to read. I know that at first look it seems complicated, but believe me it's very simple once you wrap your head around it.

Also don't worry, you don't have to memorize stuff at all, it will be very clear once we get into a few turns. For starters I'll guide you guys with some basic prompt actions. Once you get a hang of it, feel free to make up your own combat manoeuvres.

I'll leave 10-15 minutes for everybody to read the tutorial, then I'll post the first combat turn image.

>>186370
>Have you tried slapping them with a rock hard dried cod?

As a connoisseur of dried cod, I can assure you it would be a very bad idea, since it is both very brittle due to the flaky flesh and will easily lose its hardness if kept in dank environments such as catacombs for some time. However, it is very nutritious and tastes excellent with some butter on top.

>>186370
That's great OP
torn dress desu

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>>186370

The mole rat hisses at you both and starts swinging his staff. It seems like he is trying to cast a spell.

You are controlling Jack and Luna. Each player can assign two actions. One for Luna and one for Jack, per combat turn. Once the players post their actions, I will combine the posts in an unique action for both.

Here are some prompt actions to start:

Jack Chitin
>Slash the Mole Rat with your hunting knife
>Throw your throwing knives at the Mole Rat
>Use your powers to spray him with corrosive acid
>Write-in (Explain your own custom action)

Luna Bellus
>Blast the Mole Rat with a water torrent
>Form some sharp crystals and shot them at the Mole Rat
>Write-in (Explain your own custom action)


Combat turn results

Party

Jack Chitin
None yet, it's the first turn

Luna Bellus
None yet, it's the first turn

Enemies

Mole Rat
None yet, it's the first turn


>>186422
I always though it would hurt like hell. Today I learned!

>>186436
Jack Chitin
>Slash the Mole Rat with your hunting knife

Luna Bellus
>Blast the Mole Rat with a water torrent

Also, it should be noted that I am referring rto the Atlantic cod, but I believe the pacific cod is much the same in terms of flesh texture.

>>186436

Jack Chitin
>Slash the Mole Rat with your hunting knife
Luna Bellus
>Blast the Mole Rat with a water torrent

Luna first, then Jack. Distraction, then damage hit Gat hard, so surely it should mess some mole rat dude up pretty bad.

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>>186469
>>186476

Luna blasts the Mole Rat with with a water torrent. It didn't do much damage, but it made the Mole Rat lose his balance. Jack noticed the opening and swings his hunting knife. You mange to draw some blood, but the Mole Rat jumps and rolls to the side.

The Mole Rat continues to hiss at you.

Mole Rat
"Pesky humans! Soon you will be food for the Lord of Shadows!"

The Mole Rat looks at the coffins and slams his staff into the ground and yells!

Mole Rat
"RISE!"

The torches start to flicker and a blood-curdling howl echoes through the cavern. Suddenly a skeleton rises from the coffin and hisses at Jack.


Jack Chitin
>Slash the Skeleton 1 with your hunting knife
>Throw your throwing knives at the Mole Rat
>Use your powers to spray the Mole Rat with corrosive acid
>Write-in (Explain your own custom action)

Luna Bellus
>Blast the Skeleton 1 with a water torrent
>Form some sharp crystals and shot them at the Mole Rat
>Write-in (Explain your own custom action)


Combat turn results

Party

Jack Chitin
Slashed the Mole Rat, -5% Stamina

Luna Bellus
Cast "Water Blast", -10% Mana

Enemies

Mole Rat
Cast "Summon Skeleton"
-10% Health from Jack's Slash

>>186543
>Jack Chitin
>>Throw your throwing knives at the Mole Rat

>Luna Bellus
>>Blast the Skeleton 1 with a water torrent

Divide and conquer!

>>186543
Luna
>Form some sharp crystals and shot them at the Mole Rat

Jack
>Use your powers to spray skeleton 1 with corrosive acid

I doubt Crystals or knives are effective against bones

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>>186557
>>186637

Skeleton 1 charges at Jack, but Luna blasts him with another water torrent. The skeleton falls to the ground stunned. Jack throws two daggers at the Mole Rat, one missing and one hitting him in the arm.

Luna got a boost of confidence! She shoots a few crystals at the Mole Rat, due to the distance only a few hit.

The Mole Rat hisses in pain and start channelling a spell for the next turn.

Jack Chitin
>Slash the Skeleton 1 with your hunting knife
>Throw your throwing knives at the Mole Rat
>Use your powers to spray the Mole Rat with corrosive acid
>Write-in (Explain your own custom action)

Luna Bellus
>Form some sharp crystals and shot them at the Skeleton 1
>Form some sharp crystals and shot them at the Mole Rat
>Write-in (Explain your own custom action)


Combat turn results

Party

Jack Chitin
Throws throwing knives at Mole Rat, - 5% Stamina

Luna Bellus
Cast "Water Blast", - 10% Mana
Cast "Flying Crystals", - 10% Mana


Enemies

Mole Rat
Channelling spell for next turn, try to interrupt him!
-15% Health from Jack's throwing knives
-10% Health from Luna's Flying Crystals

Skeleton 1
-50% Health form Luna's Water Blast
Stunned for one turn

>>186657
Jack
>Use your powers to spray the Mole Rat with corrosive acid
Luna
>Form some sharp crystals and shot them at the Mole Rat

The skeleton can wait, it can´t summon more skellys as far as we know

>>186657
Second this >>186680

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>>186680
>>186686

Jack comes close and blasts the Mole Rat with acid point blank, stopping his channelling. The Mole Rat screams in pain, having nothing but bare skin to protect him, the acid does maximum damage. Luna takes a quick look at the skeleton, it's slowly starting to get up. She ignores it and tries to finish off the Mole Rat. She forms some more crystals and shoots them at the Mole Rat.

The Mole Rat is at very low health and panics. He squeezes his hand and shatters the skeleton, draining dark energies from it. The Mole Rat yells.

Mole Rat
"Darkness, FALL!"

Suddenly a cloud of dark mist engulfs the cavern, Jack and Luna take cover. After the mist has settled, the Mole Rat vanished!


Combat has ended! Posting next scene momentarily!


Combat turn results

Party

Jack Chitin
Cast "Corrosive Acid", +10% Murderbug

Luna Bellus
Cast "Flying Crystals", -10% Mana


Enemies

Mole Rat
Cast "Shadow Mist" to escape

Skeleton 1
Destroyed by Mole Rat

Taking a 20 minute break. I'll be right back!

File: Catacombs 5.png (7KB, 960x489px) Image search: [Google]

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You quickly look around, checking if the Mole Rat is planning a sneak attack, but it seems that he really escaped.

Jack Chitin
"Looks like the necromancer really did escape. Anyway, are you ok, Luna?"

Luna Bellus
"Yeah, I'm ok."

Jack looks at Gat who's still safe on top of Luna's head.

Jack Chitin
"Even unconscious, you cause trouble. He really is a chaotic little fleabag. Anyway, how did you manage to fight with him sleeping on your head?"

Luna gets into one of her cuteness trances again.

Luna Bellus
"Jack, you have no idea how cute he is. During the whole fight, he was softly purring on my head. It was music to my ears.", she said in an excited tone

Jack lets out a confused sigh, you can't believe that after all that commotion he's still sleeping like a log.

Jack Chitin
"So, the rat guy was telling me about summing some dark lord of shadows character. The Jester or something like that."

Luna notices the floating crystals on the podium next to the table.

Luna Bellus
"Wait a second, I've seen one of these before. They are used in Lunar rituals. If this place is abandoned a long time ago, how can it still function? I can't believe that mole rat guy knows how to channel Lunar energies..."

Jack Chitin
"Judging from the fact that he's part of a cult, there could be more guys like him lurking down here."


Possible actions
>Tell Luna to examine the equipment
>Talk about Gat
>Write-in (Explain your own custom action)

>>187007
>>Tell Luna to examine the equipment
We need more mana and a better understanding of what's been going on down here.

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>>187022

Jack Chitin
"Hey Luna, could you check out this equipment the necromancer left behind? Maybe there are some clues on what's going on here?"

Luna Bellus
"Sure thing", she said while approaching the table and crystals

Luna opens the books and scrolls and tries to find some clues. After a few minutes of rummaging through the equipment, Luna sighs.

Luna Bellus
"I can't understand a word of this mole rat writing. I can understand some of the depictions of Lunar equipment in these scrolls, but I can't figure out what they say."

Suddenly Gat lets out a whimper when Luna got close to the crystals.

Luna Bellus
"Gat?! Are you awake? Speak to me Gat!", she said in a worried tone

Jack Chitin
"Wait, do that again. Get closer to the crystals."

As soon as Luna got close to the crystals, Gat started to whimper again.

Luna Bellus
"Jack, do you know what this means?! Gat is reacting to these Lunar energies. I could try to wake him up out of his trance."

Jack Chitin
"I imagine you will need some time to prepare. I'm pretty tired myself, also I'm still a bit spent from the battle with Gat. Since we'll be down here for a while, might as well make camp here."

Luna Bellus
"Yeah that sounds like a good plan. I will have some time to meditate and recharge my mana. Also I'll tend to your wounds when I store some water charges."

Jack breaks down the coffins and the table, then uses the spare wood to barricade the entrances. He notices a cold breeze running through the barricaded passages. Jack concludes that it's safe to light a fire due to the good ventilation, also some warmth in this damp tomb would be nice.

Jack Chitin
"Hey Luna, would you mind looking out for a bit? I'd like to get some shut-eye. I haven't had a good night's sleep in days...",

Luna Bellus
"Yeah, sure, I think I can reuse some of this equipment to prepare the healing for Gat. You go on ahead, you deserve some sleep."

With that, Jack finally rests... for now.


Continuation tomorrow! Recap post momentarily!

>>187166

So, today was also a productive day. We had 6 scenes and 4 combat rounds, with time and practice I'll try to fill a daily quota.

Anyway, today we tested the new combat system. I though it went pretty well. Tell me what you guys think, if you found it fun and enjoyable, I'll be more than happy to make it a recurring event for combat. Also I could work on refining and fine-tuning some stuff.

For example, I think that the "Combat turn results" text in the post might be a bit redundant considering that I update the values on the "combat screen image" itself. Dropping that would shave off some time between combat posts.

Also, thank you everybody for participating and helping to test out the new feature. Like always, feel free to give feedback on the current session or the quest in general. I'll be here for 10-20 minutes if someone has any questions or something.

There will be a session tomorrow. For any changes of plans and info:
https://twitter.com/grubadventures

>>187223
Thanks for running, Grub! The new combat system is much better than the old one, and though I will miss the detailed dioramas, the new system is better tactically and is much easier to digest. I'd say we should keep the new system.

>>187266
>and though I will miss the detailed dioramas
I'm still thinking of adding one or two if a critical thing happens plot wise or something like that. But the main reason I want to make the switch is, like you said:

>the new system is better tactically and is much easier to digest
Especially the digest part, even though the old system had detailed visual scenes and all, I myself felt lost at times when it came to following the combat action by action.

With some time and practice, the new system would have a lot more combat turns than before. Also it will make a nice contrast, switching from "story mode" to "combat mode" from time to time to mix things up. So I think that with some tweaking the new system might turn out pretty good.

Anyway, thanks for playing, and I'm glad you find the quest entertaining.

The adventure will continue momentarily!

File: Catacombs 7.png (58KB, 960x512px) Image search: [Google]

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You find yourself in a red mist. Nothing around you, nobody around you, silent like a graveyard. A familiar voice speaks up.

???
Well, well, trying to get some sleep, are we larvae?

Jack Chitin
"You... why won't you let me get some respite? We share the same body..."

???
I see you still address me as if I were something different, something that is separate from yourself.

Jack Chitin
"I know how this game works, you want something from me. Just spill it out so I can get some rest.", Jack said in an annoyed tone

???
Nothing... for now. Soon we will meet again, and maybe at that time you will have a different tone.

Jack Chitin
"Enough of these games! Leave me to rest, you parasite!"

???
Ohhh, strong words, larvae. Even stronger will your hand be towards the girl.

Jack blood starts to boil, clenching his fist.

Jack Chitin
"Don't even think about it. I can play your games, but I swear, once you cross THAT line..."

The voice cuts him off.

???
I'm not going to do anything. If you want her to live a happy life, or live at all, you will do the right thing and part ways. At the end of the line, she will fall by your hand.

The voice stops. Suddenly you hear a loud female scream. You wake up in a cold sweat and out of breath, trying to defend yourself as if you're being attacked. You notice Luna grabbing your shoulder.

Luna Bellus
"Calm down, Jack! It's just a dream, you've been dreaming.", she said in a reassuring tone.

You lower your guard and try to calm down, letting out a worried sigh.


Possible actions
>Tell her about the dream
>Don't upset her, let her focus on waking up Gat
>Write-in

>>190013
>Don't upset her, let her focus on waking up Gat

File: Catacombs 8.png (187KB, 960x515px) Image search: [Google]

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>>190140

Jack Chitin
"Yeah... it's was just a bad dream."

Deep down you know that it wasn't a dream. You've had these trances a lot of times during stressful situations.

Luna Bellus
"What was it about?"

You make an audible gulp.

Jack Chitin
"Nothing... it was nothing. I can't even remember what I was dreaming about. Anyway, how are the preparations with Gat going along?"

Luna Bellus
"I've figured out some of those depictions in the end. I will be able to harvest the energy from this small shrine and try to use it on the thing inside Gat so it loosens it's grip on him. I'm ready to start."

Jack Chitin
"Should I evacuate the building?", you try to lighten the mood

Luna Bellus
"Just take a few steps back from the shrine and you should be fine. This shouldn't take longer than a few minutes."

Luna clasps her hands and recites some Lunar prayers. After a few moments, the torches in the cavern go out. The room is engulfed in darkness. Suddenly a bright blue light illuminates the area around Luna. A continuous gust of wind emanates from her, making her hair dance in all directions.

After a few moments, she ends the process and the room falls into darkness once again. You light a torch.

Jack Chitin
"So? Did it work?"

Luna Bellus
"We'll have to wait a while for the effect to kick in."

After a few moments, Gat starts to stretch and purr, like he's waking up from a cat nap.


Possible actions
>Quickly restrain Gat, who knows what he'll try to pull once he sees your lovely faces
>Let him wake up, restraining could only agitate him more
>Write-in

>>190266
>Let him wake up, restraining could only agitate him more

If he's purring, he can't be dangerous....

File: Catacombs 9.png (11KB, 960x512px) Image search: [Google]

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>>190421

Gat slowly stands up and looks around.

Gat
"Where the fuck did I end up this time? Man, I got to stop drinking..."

Luna Bellus
"Hey little one, are you alright?", Luna said in a sweet and caring voice

Gat notices your faces. He instantly grabs his dagger and points it at you, switching between Luna and Jack, while slowly backing up. Annoyed cat noises radiate from Gat.

Gat
"I remember you two fuckheads. So, you came to finish the job, eh?!"

Luna Bellus
"Gat, please calm down, we were only trying to..."

Gat cuts off Luna mid sentence.

Gat
"Did I say that you can talk?!", he said while twirling the dagger in his paw.

Jack Chitin
"Alright, that's it you little shit!", said Jack in an annoyed tone while drawing his hunting knife and pointing it at Gat

Jack Chitin
"We've risked our necks trying to save you! If you'd ask me, I would have let you die there at the hands of Sanctus. She was the one that insisted we save your ungrateful ass!"

Luna Bellus
"Gat, please listen, I know that you have something inside you that's haunting you. Please, let me help you."

Gat
"Look, I don't know who you two jerkoffs are, nor do I care. I don't need your help, so you stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours."

Jack Chitin
"Pfft, you ungrateful little shit. Whatever, come on Luna, let's get out of here. Unless we want to find out what those mole rats are cooking down here. I don't know about you, but I sure am not in the mood to meet that jester character they are trying to summon.", said Jack while placing his hand on Luna's shoulder

Suddenly Gat ears twitch towards Jack's direction.

Gat
"Wait, what did you just say, bugboy?"

PART 1/2

>>190601

PART 2/2

Jack Chitin
"What did you call me you little fleabag?!", he said while trying to lunge towards Gat

Luna pulls your arm.

Luna Bellus
"Wait Jack, please don't.", she said with a sigh

Luna Bellus
"The Shadow Jester. Some mole rat cultists are trying to summon the Shadow Jester, whatever that means."

Suddenly Gat pupils contract in shock. He's wobbling like he's going to faint, but grabs the table leg to keep balance. Then he start pointing like he wants to say something, but words won't leave his mouth.

Luna Bellus
"Gat, are you ok?!"

Jack Chitin
"What's the matter fleabag, cat got your tongue?", he said in a smug tone

Luna slaps Jack on the back of the head, and looks at him with a frown, then shifts her gaze towards Gat.

Luna Bellus
"Gat, please tell us what's wrong, maybe we can help you..."

Gat speaks up in a concerned tone.

Gat
"Those idiots can't summon the Shadow Jester. They will probably fuck up and summon something else, and from the looks of this dump, I don't want to find out what. Alright toots, I'll play along for now, but once we get out of this tomb, we part ways."

Luna Bellus
"Deal.", Luna shakes his paw

Gat puts away his dagger and starts rummaging through his inventory. Meanwhile Jack approaches Luna and whispers to her.

Jack Chitin
"So wait, you're really going to let go of him, just like that?", he said in confusion

Luna Bellus
"Of course not, but at least he's cooperating so far and that's good. Also, he might help us with the dangers down here, it seems like he knows what he's talking about.", she whispers back

Gat
"Alright I'm all set. You chucklefucks ready to get out of here?"


New party member acquired. Gat, The Shadow Bandit!


Possible actions
>Go back to the last corridor you came from and try looking for another way out
>Continue down the path you originally planned to go
>Write-in

>>190642
>Continue down the path you originally planned to go

Sadly I'll have to cut the session short for today, some business is getting in the way.

I'm not sure if I'm going to run a session tomorrow, maybe I'll take a break for a day, I still need to fix up an archive with all the previous scenes and player input. I imagine that potential players that are lurking are probably confused as to what is happening in the quest.

So a day off might be good to get that done, also to think in retrospect of where the quest has gone so far and where it is going in the future story wise.

The number one thing that I have an issue with is the lack of players. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I feel like I'm doing something wrong or off-putting. I mean, the quest is pretty decent I think, it has custom art, decent story and humor bits here and there.

I don't know, if you guys feel like the quest is lacking something, then please don't hesitate to say so. I respect the recurring players and I'm grateful that you took your time to get invested in the quest. However, I feel like having 2-3 players might be a bit lonely, not only for me as the QM, but also for you guys as the players.

In any case, thank you guys for participating and sticking with the quest so far. For news on the next session:
https://twitter.com/grubadventures

>>190930

It's all cool man. Personally, I think the problem is that people favors those wacky random shit randomly happens quests while better thought quests tends to have a small bunch of faithful followers

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>>190980
>I think the problem is that people favors those wacky random shit randomly happens quests
Most likely, but there might be some other factors. I'll make the archive for new players that want to know all the details. However I think that a lot of people would like to join but don't want to read a lot of dialogue text to catch up.

So I will make a "summary picture". I have a neat little idea, I'm thinking of making it in the style of those old medieval wood carvings or stained glass, know what I mean? Capturing the key moments in the quest, and adding a sentence or two for each picture, picture related.

That way in 10 minutes, the new players can catch up on all the important stuff that happened so far.

If we manage to get 10~ recurring players that would be great. Not all would be present every session obviously, but if we could get around 5 or so people for each session, that would be a pretty good goal to achieve for the future.

>>191088

That would be cool, and getting 4-5 people on would be the ideal amount. We also have to take into account that /qst/ is still a young and small board, and with such a huge amount of quests there, the already thin number of potential players are spreaded all over the place. I for one am following 13 quests, and I don't really get to participate in all of them due reasons like timezone differences that makes me sleep while the game master is active, or being a passive reader who simply reads because the other players have better/more hilarious ideas (I'm too guilty of following wacky random adventures)

So I think that yeah, making it more accesible to know the story in a super resumed state (and optionally linking to an archive with older threads) and having the image that explained combat mechanic hosted in another site and liked in the first post would help to make the quest more accesible for newcomers

>>190930
Sorry, about not being here too often. My schedule is kinda shit, so I'm usually only here for the end of each session.

I am really enjoying your quest though. It's got an interesting story, interesting characters, appropriately timed humor that doesn't derail the story or resort to lolrandom, and you reward interesting player ideas to encourage unique solutions.

I don't think there's anything wrong with your quest specifically, most threads on /qst/ don't get much attention unless the OP is already well known, or if the quest has been around long enough to build up a following. Or if there's tits in the OP image. I bet Luna would look great in a bikini.

>>190980
Those kinds of quests can get a lot of posters but they also tend to die out really quickly, with a few exceptions.

>>191292
>We also have to take into account that /qst/ is still a young and small board
Yeah, I don't think many people are even aware that it exists. Hopefully with the coming months it catches on and more people discover /qst/. Especially with summer coming along, with a lot of people having break from education/work

>and I don't really get to participate in all of them due reasons like timezone difference
Yeah, I have a weird schedule myself, I follow 4-5 quests myself, but due to timezones I have trouble catching them live

>I'm too guilty of following wacky random adventures
It's alright, I follow some myself. When I was brainstorming my own quest I was thinking of doing something more light-hearted, but decided to have something more serious instead. I wanted to offer a bit more variety with a darker themed quest. Personally I really love the horror genre in entertainment.

>making it more accessible to know the story in a super resumed state
>having the image that explained combat mechanic hosted in another site
Yeah, thanks for the idea!

>>191320
>Sorry, about not being here too often
It's alright, the fact that you show interest in the quest makes me glad. I also have a shitty schedule, wish I could run the quest in a more accessible time frame.

Also thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it!

>most threads on /qst/ don't get much attention unless the OP is already well known, or if the quest has been around long enough to build up a following.
Yeah, I think that after a few more sessions, people might slowly start to notice it like: "I've been seeing this quest popping up on the catalog for weeks now, might be cool to check it out."

>I bet Luna would look great in a bikini
Funny you should mention that because it crossed my mind a few times.

Once we get out of this "intro sequence" of the story and the crew gets to know each other, things could get a lot more dangerous, and lewd in a scene or two. Also more horror. Maybe even some lewd horror.

>>194669
This is a minor thing, but maybe including the thread number in the title, like "Part 5" or "Chapter 5" or even just "#5"? A lot of quests don't last beyond the first thread before the OP disappears, so seeing that the quest has already lasted for a while might draw some people to check it out.

Of course, I'm basing this entirely on my own browsing habits, and don't really have any evidence to support whether or not it actually does make a difference.

>Maybe even some lewd horror
Lewd horror is both my favorite kind of lewd and my favorite kind of horror.

>>194793
You're absolutely right, that's a pretty good point, I will do that. It makes sense, these small details really do affect how people view things. Just like a present with a nice ribbon, good presentation will appeal to more people.

Thanks for these ideas, if you have any other suggestions or things that I might forget, don't hesitate to say so, you're doing me a great favor.

On the topic of archiving, considering that I have pictures, text and some webm/video stuff, I think that the best place to archive would be tumblr. I can post a wide variety of media, also I can organize the content in chapters and other characteristics by using tags.

I don't have much experience with tumblr myself, so I don't know any good tagging techniques, but what do you think of something like this:

#Chapter 1 #Forest of Urno #Quest #Comic

The last two tags are there to try to hook some new people that might looking for a new quest/comic to follow.

>>194823
Keep in mind that tumblr resizes any image that's larger than 1280 pixels. It won't affect most of your images, but some of your larger strips will get squished unless you separate the panels and do it as a multi-image post instead.

>Tags
Only the first few tags are used when searching. I think it's the first five, but I'm not 100% certain on that. That would mean that if somebody searches Quest, but #Quest is your 6th tag or later, the post won't show up in their search results. Anything after the first few tags are pretty much only to organize your posts.

Basically, if you have a bunch of tags, you want your first tags to be the ones you expect people to search for and stumble upon your quest from. After that you can put whatever tags you think would be useful for the people who are already at your tumblr.

>Chapters
Since you're tagging the chapters, it might be good to have a list of links to the tags in your sidebar. That way you have an index so that people can easily find which chapter they want to read. And to make it a bit better and easier to read, another useful thing is displaying your posts in chronological order, instead of from newest to oldest.
To do that, you take your link to the tag
>http://BLOGNAME.tumblr.com/tagged/Chapter-1
and add /chrono to the end of the address.
>http://BLOGNAME.tumblr.com/tagged/Chapter-1/chrono
And then when they click the link, it'll show the chapter from beginning to end, instead of end to beginning.

>>195078
Much appreciated man, that's some good info! I've been using tumblr for some time, but I haven't known about the chrono feature when searching for tagged content. Thanks a bunch! I'll be sure to hook up a chapter list page with links to each chapter with the chrono addition.

Even if I go full retard and mess up the tags, you can change them all with the mass post editor, right?

Once again, thanks for the info!

>>190642
>Go back to the last corridor you came from and try looking for another way out

Like I mentioned yesterday, I won't be doing a session today. Working on the archive, making a short summary image for new players, brainstorming new ideas and working on future world building. The adventure will continue tomorrow.

If someone has any questions about any topic or suggestions and feedback, I'll be more than happy to chat about it.

So, here is a rough look at the archives:

http://grubadventures.tumblr.com/

It probably needs some polishing, maybe another page for character sheets/info and stuff like that to keep notes and track of some key stuff regarding that characters.

If you have any suggestions, feel free to say so.

Unfortunately due to an emergency I won't have time for a session today. I was all set but some business came up and I had to leave the house for a few hours. I apologize for this inconvenience. I will announce a schedule tomorrow.

>>200136

That's too bad. Good luck with your stuff

>>200644
It wasn't that bad, I finished the errands and should have more free time in the next couple of days. In the meantime I've finished a lot of the side stuff regarding the quest, so now I can get back in the routine of focusing on the quest itself. I've planned out a lot of future details and ideas, and should be good for the next couple of sessions.

The upcoming scenes will be interesting and will set the playing field for the future. The story will deviate in various paths depending on the upcoming choices. These will range from the path to a good resolution to a nightmare. And the fun part is that to some characters the good path will be a nightmare and vice versa.

All things considered, I'm pretty excited for the future of the quest and can't wait to run the next few sessions with you guys.

Fleabag has joined the team! Can the crew escape the catacombs? Find out in 2~ hours! Extra long session today! A lot of cool ideas and stuff for the future, buckle up, the following sessions this week might be one helluva ride!

New thread here:

>>204627