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Author Topic: LCM - Dungeonevened - The End  (Read 38141 times)

SQman

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Re: Less Crazy Modpack - Destination: Dungeonevened
« Reply #45 on: May 29, 2018, 01:11:33 pm »

Surprised I haven't seen this until now - the list of neighbors looks really promising.

Can I get drowed? Preferably as someone who'd be a decent or good pic for the militia.

I actually had to tinker a bit with the neighboring civs. We were initially allied with pelagics and swinefolk, but I don't like the idea of drows being friends with demonically possessed pig corpses. Human corpses animated by dark magic are way better, and just think about all those bone jokes.

Scaleskins were originally called Nrus, I'm not sure which mod they are from. I changed their name to avoid this:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

You'll get a drow as soon as migrants arrive. Drows have innate combat skills - males with swords, females with maces, so everyone is a decent pick for militia.

Could you dorf me? Any soldier would do.

You already have a drow, a proficient swordsman in fact. Turns out the stats you give people at embark add up to the natural skills.

Does M&M use dice with more sides than twenty? Otherwise, why are you letting them roll at all if a natural twenty won't let them succeed?

Bonuses from skills and magic items (that they don't have)? I dunno, I haven't played D&D in years, and I'm pretty sure I played it wrong back then.




SQ was still standing on the wagon with her eyes closed, basking in her own glory. Suddenly someone pulled her out of her comfort zone with a precisely timed cough. The expedition leader opened her eyes, and realized everybody, including the rothe, were staring at her, waiting for her to give orders.
"So... are we supposed to be doing something or..." Darkening Kaos said impatiently. Out of all things Kaos hated, idleness was one of those she hated the most.
"Well, n-now... let's... umm... S-Scourge..." SQ couldn't stand the pressure. She began shaking, tears glistening in her eyes.
"Umm... Guys, could you take a look around by yourselves?" Scourge asked awkwardly while helping SQ get off the wagon "we have a... situation, as you can see. Come on, SQ, let's sit down and calm you down.



MottledPetrel wandered along the river for a few minutes. He's always wondered what the waters were like on the surface. Turns out it wasn't much different from the rivers underground, but it was still a nice, calming sight for a stressed drow like him.
The fisherman sat down in a clump of soft dancergrass, breathed in warm spring air, and blissfully watched tiny river dolphins splash around in the water. A family of otters came out of the bushes to accompany MottledPetrel. It looked like life was turning out to be good from ths point.
Suddenly a huge, green tentacle rose up from the river and snatched one of the otters from land, then pulled it under water. "So much for a calm life" MottledPetrel thought to himself. He shuddered from the mere thought of what the tentacle monster could do to him if it caught him. MottledPetrel wasn't into those things.




Lunardog and Fred the Mitey sat down on a large dolomite boulder under a sawwood tree.
"Do you think this girl, SQ, is fit to be a leader?" Fred asked with a serious look on his face "We could easily overthrow her by asking nicely, but with slightly raised voices."
"Don't you dare try it. You're the last person I want in charge here."
"I was just kidding, but you do agree it could work. Do you feel comfortable with someone like this ruling in the outpost?"
"...no, I really don't, but I didn't come here looking for comfort, it's just the opposite actually. I want to live for real, not the way the 'high society' expects me to."
"That's why you followed a homeless girl into the most savage wilderness where you're likely to die a horrible death. The adventurous feeling will soon wear off and you'll be crying for mommy in no time. Remember those words."
"I... I'm not in the mood for talking right now. I think I'll check on the girls."



SQ has calmed down and was ready to play her role as a leader.
"Kaos, you work wood and metal. I can't wait to see your masterworks" SQ put on a fake smile, but Darkening Kaos saw right through it. The mechanic rolled her eyes, which was a good enough sign that she understood. "Fred, you're an administrator, and you mine. If Lunardog needs some help in the farms, go help him."
"I didn't come here to be a dirt farmer!" Fred growled.
"Now, now, Fred." Lunardog said through his teeth "I'm sure you will find some time to give your old buddy a hand. And this time I'm not saying this just for SQ's sake."
"Oooh! So you actually..." Scourge jumped in excitement.
"No! I told you already! Stop bringing this up!"

"I don't know what you guys are talking about" SQ said squiting her eyes at her friends "Lunardog, take care of farming and cooking. I want a farm plot up as soon as Fred digs up a hole for us to hide in. MottledPetrel, go fish I guess?"
"That's what I'm here from" MottledPetrel exclaimed "I can do some other stuff if you want me to. I used to make earring out of fish bones when I was younger."
"Fantastic. Scourge, you and me take care of the animals, that includes spinning, weaving, and tanning leather."
"You and me... that sounds exciting" Scourge said with a mischievous smile "Where are you gonna get a whip from to tan MY leather?" SQ blushed like she's never blushed before, bright purple like a plump helmet "Ha ha ha! You're cute when you're so flustered, SQ. Let's go shear those rothe, once we have a workshop, that is"

"A-anyway. Imic, you're leading the 'military'"
"Thank you, miss SQ, I never thought I will ever..." Imic begun, but he was immediately interrupted by Fred the Mitey.
"And you won't. A militia in an outpost like this has to be lead by a house priestess" the administrator explained.
"That's ridiculous, no one here is a priestess!" Scourge complained loudly "Can't we just ignore this stupid custom"
"It's a law, not a custom. I don't want to go back to jail because someone decided to break the rules"
"Maybe someone can pretend to be a priestess?" Imic suggested "miss Kaos, you have the right attitude, if you don't mind me saying that"
"I do mind" Darkening Kaos grumbled "Don't you think I'm a little bit too big for a priestess? That's what instant mushroom soup does to you. Screw the priestesses anyway"
"You know I would" MottledPetrel sighed. He then closed his eyes and started daydreaming about scantily clad women from the temple of Lolth.
"Kaos is too... big, I'm way too small, that means, Scourge, you have to take one for the team" the expedition leader didn't even wait for Scourge to respond "Now that everyone knows their roles, we can get to work! Fred, I need a hole in the ground right here!" SQ then rushed to inspect the spiders hiding under the wagon.
"Hey, I still don't know what to do!" Imic shouted, running after her.



SQ didn't actually know what about the spiders needed to be inspected, so she picked up a stick and started poking the smallest one on the cephalothorax. The arachnid was incredibly patient, and didn't budge even after Scourge joined the poking.
"*cough* sorry to interrupt your... work, ladies, but I need to get my project approved" Fred the Mitey spoke up. Up to this moment he's been sitting on the wagon drawing something on a piece of parchment.



"Umm... what is this exactly?" SQ couldn't make anything out of the plan, both because she wasn't the most skilled in reading blueprints and because Fred wasn't the best architect.
"It's the entrance corridor, complete with a trade depot, but if you don't like it..." Fred appeared to be legitimately hurt by SQ's reaction. That was the exact moment when he realized why he had been relegated from city planning to accounting all these years ago.
"No, no, when you describe it like that it sounds amazing!" SQ felt the need to console the administrator after hearing his heart shatter into pieces.
"I know you didn't mean it, but thank you, you're a good kid. It will be a shame when someone else takes your place one day"
"What?"
"Nothing, I'm getting back to work"



Imic and Darkening Kaos were standingidly, watching the rattusite chop down an ancient sawwood tree. A surface elf would be appalled at this sight, but the drows didn't think much of it, and were in fact proud that they could fall such an imposing enemy.
"This tree was growing in this very place for thousands of years, and we managed to conquer it to make ourselves chairs..." Imic thought out loud.
"Sawwood is not a chair material" Kaos was more happy to show off her knowledge about carpentry "Unless you like getting splinters everywhere, that is. The tree grows fast, and its wood is dries out fast, so it's good for fueling forges. Speaking of forges, I can't wait to fire up a new forge in this place, maybe the change of environment will get me inspired"
"Umm... miss Kaos, I don't think you'll be forging anything anytime soon" Imic pointed at the wagon "we might have forgotten to bring an anvil"




Fred the Mitey didn't wait for SQ to give him more orders, he knew what had to be done. Under the layer of dry, sandy dirt was a deposit of moist clay loam, ideal for growing mushrooms. Lunardog and his trolls came down the newly created stairs to see how the progress was going. To Lunardog's surprise, there was already a room for a farm plot.
"Woah, I didn't expect you to work that hard" the nobleman-turned-farmer said in a mocking voice.
"I just don't like starving, that's all" replied Fred sarcastically "Can you get someone to help me down here? There's just too much work for a single drow to handle."
"Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for prioritizing that farm plot, even if there isn't that mush room in there"
"It's enough for the eight of us. The trolls only eat meat, right? So what do you say, will you get someone down here to dig with me?"
"I thought you were really digging it when no one bothers you at work."
"Very, VERY funny. Now answer my question."
"We only have one pick and no anvils to make more. Kaos is sulking about it upstairs. Well, you have fun in here, I've got shiitake to plant."




Everyone except for Fred and Lunardog was sitting outside listening to MottledPetrel's wild fishing stories:
"...and then it turned out he gave me a can of cave raisins instead of worms, which attracted elk birds instead of lantern fish. Can't catch an elk bird with a fishing rod. Is it me or is it getting rather windy?"
It was in fact getting rather windy. The hot wind picked up clouds of fine white sand that was covering the parched plains and woods. Curiously, the sand appeared black while in the air.
"Sorry to interrupt your... gripping story, Petrel, but maybe we should get underground?" SQ suggested, looking nervously towards the trees.
"What's the matter, afraid of getting some sand in your...?" Scourge tried to ask, but SQ quickly cut her off:
"...eyes. Yes, it's not a pleasant feeling at all" then she stood up and gestured at everybody to follow her to the entrance corridor.



"Are we gonna leave those mussels to rot?" MottledPetrel asked
"What mussels?" SQ asked back surprised. It was the first time she heard about this.
"Those mussels I caught" the fisherman pointed at a pile of mussels stacked by the river bank. They have already attracted several large swarms of acorn flies in addition to ever-present regular-sized insects "When did you...? Never mind, let's get all food underground! Quickly, the sandstorm is coming our way!"


The sandstorm was getting stronger with every minute. The drows and their slaves and animals were all hidden underground. Almost all of them.
"Where's the giant spider? It was very expensive, it would be a shame to lose it so soon" Lunardog noticed.
"No idea, I'll go check outside. Don't worry, I'll be fine, it's just a peek" Scourge volounteered. She went up to the entrance and looked outside.




The spider was chasing an ostrich with arms, as simple as that. When it cought up to the bird, it bit it on the leg. Instead of continuing the onslaught, the spider decided it wasn't that interested in eating the bird.
Scourge shrugged and returned underground to her friends to look at mushrooms grow.



"Huff... Huff... I can't believe you just sat here doing nothing while I was getting a place for workshops ready!" Fred the Mitey was more disappointed than he was mad. "At least get some tools ready, because from now on you're working for yourselves."



At last everybody was working. Everybody except for Fred who was taking a short break, and Darkening Kaos who was still brooding because of the anvil situation. SQ and Scourge got farmer's workshops up and running in no time, Lunardog was trying to figure out how to build an oven for a kitchen, Imic managed to assemble a makeshift tanning rack, MottledPetrel dropped his fishing tools in the corner and called it a day.
Fred the Mitey had a sudden surge of inspiration. He got a piece of paper and a pencil from his pocket, and started scribbling.



The administrator walked over to SQ and waved the plan in front of her face.
"The wood stockpile! I need you to approve my project!"
SQ has never seen Fred this excited, and on top of that she didn't have a faintest clue why he was acting like this "P-please calm down and stop flailing your arms like that! What's all this about?"
"This is the project that got me into City Planning Department almost a hundred years ago! They never used it, and I was relegated as soon as my mother stopped pressuring them, but I assure you there is simply no better design!"
"This looks fine, I approve. Anything else?"
"Check this out" Fred held the blueprint with his arms extended, then he flipped it upside down "This is the stone stockpile, neat, huh?"
"I...I guess?"
Fred was overjoyed to have both projects approved. If only the City Planning Department overseer could see him now! Then he remembered he had to excavate all those stockpiles by himself. His childlike grin turned into a bitter scowl as he picked up his pickaxe and went down to the lower level.


Some things I noticed while playing even this little:
-drowspiders and giant drowspiders inject "cave drowspider venom". Fixed the name. The venom causes swelling, pain, and loss of consciousness, so as far as spiders go, drowspiders are pusses.
-drowspiders can't be butchered or trained, and they don't even show up on the [z] "animals" screen, but they can be pastured. In Dwarf Therapist they appear as visitors. Could that be because they don't have any [PET] tag? Lore-wise it makes sense - they are sacred animals for drows, so I left it as it was.
-embarking with just one miner was a bad idea
-I'm an idiot for not taking an anvil

Darkening Kaos

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Re: Less Crazy Modpack - Dig, dig, dig your hole gently in the dirt
« Reply #47 on: May 29, 2018, 05:04:21 pm »

     No anvil!?!?!?  Bugger, ah well, plenty of trees to chop down and make into beds, after hauling shit around.
Logged
So! Failed to make peace, war looms, kill the infidels... what are our plans for the weekend?
The Giant Moles in the caverns of my current fort breed like crazy, even while regularly being decimated by other beasts entering them...

Imic

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Re: Less Crazy Modpack - Dig, dig, dig your hole gently in the dirt
« Reply #48 on: May 30, 2018, 01:30:38 am »

I oove the updates!
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Imic's no longer allowed to vote.
Quote from: smyttysmyth
Well aren't you cheery
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Regrets every choice he made and makes, including writing this here.

SQman

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Re: Less Crazy Modpack - Dig, dig, dig your hole gently in the dirt
« Reply #49 on: May 30, 2018, 02:24:14 pm »

This probably won't make it into the story but:



MottledPetrel had a punch-out with a tentacle monster



Dwarves are trying to convince us their garbage is a priceless artifact



An alien wrote a book about himself giving up gelding



And then there is a guy who wrote a manual on breathing

Darkening Kaos

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Re: Less Crazy Modpack - Dig, dig, dig your hole gently in the dirt
« Reply #50 on: May 30, 2018, 08:11:14 pm »

     I've always wanted a manual on breathing, those things are spectacularly interesting if only for the crackpot theories and wildly apocryphal 'medical proof'.
     If possible, I'd like to curate a library and just get tomes of the most outlandish subjects possible.
Logged
So! Failed to make peace, war looms, kill the infidels... what are our plans for the weekend?
The Giant Moles in the caverns of my current fort breed like crazy, even while regularly being decimated by other beasts entering them...

scourge728

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Re: Less Crazy Modpack - Dig, dig, dig your hole gently in the dirt
« Reply #51 on: May 31, 2018, 06:34:31 am »

     I've always wanted a manual on breathing, those things are spectacularly interesting if only for the crackpot theories and wildly apocryphal 'medical proof'.
     If possible, I'd like to curate a library and just get tomes of the most outlandish subjects possible.
+1

Freshcannon

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Re: Less Crazy Modpack - Dig, dig, dig your hole gently in the dirt
« Reply #52 on: May 31, 2018, 04:41:05 pm »

Drow me.
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SQman

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Re: Less Crazy Modpack - Dungeonevened - The flock grows slightly
« Reply #53 on: June 03, 2018, 07:50:34 am »

     I've always wanted a manual on breathing, those things are spectacularly interesting if only for the crackpot theories and wildly apocryphal 'medical proof'.
     If possible, I'd like to curate a library and just get tomes of the most outlandish subjects possible.

Do we have a new quest? Looks like we do.



Fred the Mitey was sitting in a half-finished wood stockpile, smoked cave fish in his hands. He wasn't happy about having to work by himself, but at least he could take breaks whenever he felt like it, and no one bothered him while he was eating his lunch. Or at leat that was the case until now.
"Fred! Freddy boy! I gotta ask you something!" Fred winced upon hearing Scourge's voice. His day was officially ruined.
"Don't ever call me that again" the miner said, putting his fish away.
"Sure, sure. I wanted to ask you if you know what house priestesses actually do. Looks like I've been chosen because I have the nicest legs, and while I'm flattered that SQ noticed that, I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing."
"Now that's a hard question, isn't it? I have to admit I haven't spent a lot of time with priestesses, but I can tell you what I heard from others, hope you'll be satisfied and let me eat my lunch. Priestesses sacrifice prisoners to Lolth, take care of sacred spiders, degrade their manservants for very little reason, have drunken orgies together..."
"I can't do things like that!" Scourge snapped "We have no prisoners, and the spiders take good care for themselves!"
"You can always indulge in sinister plotting against enemies real and imaginary"
"So being a priestess is about being bitter and bullying Imic, I get it now. Thanks Freddy boy!



SQ, Lunardog and Darkening Kaos were standing around a barrel of freshly brewed shiitake wine. Lunardog had a particularly proud look on his face, as the wine was his creation.
"No matter what others may say, shiitake IS a good replacement for plump helmets. What do you think, ladies?" Lunardog assumed a power pose with his hands on his hips, and a triumphant expression on his face.
"I think it stinks and tastes like filthy puddle water" Kaos said bluntly "don't quit your day job."
"This is my day job!" Lunardog almost lost his composure, but he managed to calm down "SQ, why don't you tell me what you think?"
"I... I'd rather not" SQ muttered.
"Go on, there won't be any trouble brewing for you if say you didn't like it"
"I think I prefer filthy puddle water to this, but then I vaguely remember you saying you actually like sewer brew, so I guess it's an acquired taste" the expedition leader admitted, avoiding eye contact with Lunardog.
"A taste I have no intention acquiring" Kaos added.
Lunardog covered the barrel, and shook his head in disappointment "It's been a real barrel o' fun talking with you about personal tastes, ladies. I'm sure Fred, Scourge and Imic will have radically different opinions. I'm NOT taking it personally, in case you wondered." he then went to get more shiitake for brewing.
"He totally took it personally" Kaos sneered.



Darkening Kaos wasn't wasting any more of her time. The space for workshop has already been excavated, so she gathered her tools and assembled an array of workshops, and a sawmill. Fred the Mitey watched with bewilderment as Kaos was building a saw out of wood only. Granted, it was sawwood, but it was still hardly a wood cutting material.



The rattusite put down his hatchet. He was convinced that if he put his heart to it, he could chop down the whole forest in a week, but he liked trees, and SQ wasn't giving him new orders, so he decided to find himself other things to do. He noticed a pile of mussels in the food stockpile, and Petrel's fishing supplies.
"Wow, you're really good at cleaning mussels" Lunardog praised the ratman "although I doubt this is really sanitary"
"Just because he's a rat? I bet his hands are cleaner than mine right now" SQ said, showing Lunardog her dirt-covered hands.
"Listen to the girly, mr. fancypants. You were awfully judge-a-mental right now" the rattusite said while cracking open another mussel.
"I wouldn't let her touch my food either, no offense SQ. How is shearing going anyway?" Lunardog changed the topic.




"This is usually Scourge's job" SQ complained "she did teach me the basics, but the basics include shaving rothe, molecows, and badgerdogs, not trolls."
"I BE CUT! YOU BAD SHEAR! DON'T CUT!" the female troll grumbled.
The male troll looked over from the field and shouted "Calm down, hun! Happens to the best of us! Hey, bwoss, can youse get the other dame to give me a haircut?"
"This much I can do" SQ agreed.

SQ went upstairs to talk to Scourge. The pretend-priestess was relaxing in the wagon, taking advantage of her sunburn-resistant charcoal-black skin. Imic was sitting under a tree nearby, looking at the woman with an absent stare and a slight smile. Neither of them was aware of SQ's presence, even though she wasn't trying to hide at all.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your hard work" SQ said snarkily. The both drows immediately regained their consciousness.
"Oh, SQ! We've just finished our 'training regimen', we were just resting" Scourge made it clear that it was something more than combat training.



"Yeah... I started shearing animals, and the trolls aren't happy with my work. Could you do some actual work instead lounging here?" the expedition leader asked. She felt guilty for bothering the two, but the job needed to be done.
"Let's go, Imic, take that rothe, and I'll show you what to do" Scourge told her 'servant'.
"Wait, there are only two workshops for that! What about me?" SQ protested.
"You can take a break. If I'm to lead the militia, I have to form a bond with my soldiers, and what's a better way to do it than working together?" Scourge winked meaningfully. SQ didn't feel happy for her friend, in fact she felt extremely jealous. On the other hand, she was happy to have some time to rest. Before she managed to process her feelings, Scourge and Imic had already gathered the rothe and went down to the workshops.



A group of tiny creatures was sneaking in the food stockpile.
"Oi! Amxu! They've got summa that shit-take wine in 'ere!"
"Shut ya trap, Dostngosp! Ya dun wan' 'em ta hear ya!"
"Oi, lads, anyone seen Kupmosp?"
"'e's been climmin' tha barrel o' clams last time I saw 'im. 'e was s'posed ta git us sum."
"Wait, can ya 'ear this?"
"S-s-s..."
"Whazzat, lads? What are ya... lookin'... at?"
"SPIDAH!"
The confused goblizard turned around to see a spider multiple times larger than him brandishing its monstrous fangs "OI! Wait fer me!"
A second later the goblizard was laying on the floor wrapped in spider silk, slowly melting from the inside.



SQ was working outside, looking for smaller pieces of wood to carry to the stockpile. She was still feeling down after learning about Scourge's new relationship. Suddenly Imic approached her with a cup in his hand.
"Miss SQ! I had an idea! You gotta see this!"
"What is it, Imic" SQ responded coldly, freezingly even "I don't feel like talking to you right now, so make it quick."
"O-of course, miss SQ. I've noticed we have a lot of shells just laying around, so I thought I could use them to decorate our stuff with them. This is the symbol of our people, I know it's a bit rough, but I'm getting the hang of it."
"That's it, then. Do whatever you like, carve shells, swing your sword, court Scourge" SQ was getting angrier with every second of looking at Imic. Finally she exploded "Get out of here, NOW! I don't wanna see you ever again!"
Imic, despite being twice the size of SQ, got terrified. He backed off slowly, not saying anything, trying to avoid confrontation. This strategy worked on blind cave bears, but this was more like a rabid moleweasel situation.
SQ kicked a nearby tree branch as hard as she could, and screamed in rage. Then she curled into the fetal position and cried while shaking in anger. Normally she would go talk to Scourge for comfort, but she had no desire to see her friend. She didn't even know if they were friends anymore.



Fred the Mitey was in a digging frenzy. He's finished excavating wood and stone stockpiles from soft clay, and felt the need to undertake a more ambitious project. To this moment everyone was sleeping on the ground like animals. Fred quickly scribbled a plan for bedrooms, which he planned to carve out of solid rock. There will be eight rooms - one for each drow, and one extra for an actual house priestess, if someone like that shows up.



Non drows will get small rooms, simillar to those in the capital's slum district. Those rooms will be a level below the drow bedrooms, because some people didn't like to mingle with lesser races.



Coal and porcelain! The discovery only fueled Fred's mining rage. He was tearing through soft dolomite like a madman. If solid stone walls couldn't stop him, nothing could. Suddenly he dropped his pickaxe, ripped his shirt off, flashed extremely brightly with his faerie fire, and yelled: "UNLIMITED POWER!"
"SHUT UP, YOU ASSHOLE!" Lunardog shouted from upstairs. This stopped Fred's momentum completely. He remembered he was an administrator above all, and getting this excited about digging was basically accepting his position as a pitiful lowlife. His magical light has faded completely, leaving him to ponder his fate in darkness.

Meanwhile, everybody on the surface felt an eldritch presence.




The tiny creatures didn't seem hostile, but their alien appearance was unsettling.



Spring ended, making way for summer. The first month passed quickly and uneventfully. First underberries started going ripe for the harvest, and the stockpile for cloth and leather industry were already partially done. That kept both Lunardog and Fred busy.
SQ was wandering around the burrow, doing odd jobs to keep her mind off the issue with Scourge and Imic.
Scourge still wasn't done with spinning the rothe wool. She did notice that something was wrong with her friend, but was reluctant to ask, instead she's been spending whole days by the spinning wheel.
Imic felt extremely uncomfortable, hiding from SQ's sight. He more or less barricaded himself in the craftsman's workshop, carving little stars out of mussel shells.
MottledPetrel didn't care about other people's drama. In fact, he was perfectly content to spend the days collecting mussels just to avoid getting involved.
Finally, Darkening Kaos was too busy to care about anything. She managed to finish the order for beds, now she was working on cabinets. Then she had to construct barrels and bucket for the shroomery, and mechanisms for the silk reel and the spidery. It wasn't much different from what she had been doing in the capital, but this work at least felt meaningful, and no one judged her career choices. The only thing she was missing was her forge, with an anvil, tongs and hammers.



The life almost became monotonous, until one day MottledPetrel came running to SQ shouting: "Migrants! Migrants on the horizon! I think they're from the capital!
"W-what? I thought... I thought we would get some kind of warning to prepare beforehand! We have to assemble a commitee of some sort!" a different expedition leader would have handled the migrant situation on their own, but SQ wasn't particularly fond of meeting new people. "Get everyone here, we have to decide who's on the commitee."
MottledPetrel hurried to fetch everybody. Luckily he managed to do that in a couple of minutes instead of hours, like he often did.
"I'm in charge, so I have to be there, even if I don't want to" SQ began. Everyone nodded in agreement "Fred is the administrator, so he should be a member of the commitee too, to take notes if nothing else" everyone nodded again, no one could disaggree with that "Who else... Lunardog, you know how to deal with snotty high-borns, don't you?"
"I prefer 'arrogant nobility', but yes, you could say that"
"Great, you're in. Next, Kaos, umm... I don't think there is a single profession you haven't dabbled in. Think you could be able to tell a master from an amateur?"
"I don't know, as you said, I've only dabbled in a lot of things" Darkening Kaos hesitated "Not sure if I'm..."
"That's great to hear, you're in!" SQ interrupted "That means we have a full commitee. Now let's wait for..."
"*COUGH* Aren't you forgetting about something?" Scourge cut SQ off.
"I'm not really interested in Petrel's opinion, so..."
"How about me and Imic? Mostly about me, because Imic is, well, Imic"
"And what exactly do you have to say, Scourge? You're not a real priestess, and you're not an expert on anything that I'm not."
"I'm also your best friend, almost a sister in fact"
"But am I your best friend? Or maybe you think I'm just a parasite that stuck to you, and you can't get rid of it. I've been nothing but trouble to you, with my crying and temper tantrums, you can't expect me to believe you think of me as a friend!"
"SQ..." Scourge was shocked. She stared at the expedition leader with disbelief.
"Enough! Commitee, to the wagon, that's where we're welcoming the migrants."

The four drows gathered on the wagon. They were all uneasy because of SQ's recent argument with Scourge, and the fact that a wave of migrants was getting close wasn't making this situation any more pleasant. Lunardog, being the tallest, stood up to look around. He saw two drows making their way through tall savanna grass.
"Umm... How many do you expect, SQ?" he said
"I dunno, maybe twenty? That's reasonable"
"There's two"

The two travellers stopped by the wagon. A male of average build and a sly smile, and a corpulent female, visibly exhausted. SQ recognized the male.



"ZM5?! What are you doing here?" she shouted in surprise.
"Oh, I knew I would be greeted by cute girls, but you, SQ? And who are those other two beautiful ladies?" ZM5 was obviously too distracted to answer SQ's question.
"Oh, let me guess..." Lunardog mumbled grumpily.
"One beautiful lady" the newcomer corrected himself, centering his attention on Darkening Kaos, who didn't know what to say, as she wasn't used to flattery. "You know that gnomes greet each other by kissing? How about we greet each other the gnomish way?"
"I think I asked you a question, ZM5" SQ said sternly. Even after the outlash at Scourge, the rest was surprised to see the girl behave so unlike herself.
"Okay, darling, where to start... Okay, you know about my pottery shop, right? It's been twenty years since I opened it, and I've decided to celebrate it properly. I went to the pub with a bunch of friends. I was hoping to have a good time, drink beer, maybe meet a cute priestess, but then there was this guy, this brute harrassing a defenceless lady. If there's one thing worth fighting for, it's a lady's honor."
"Ah, we might get along well then" Lunardog said, having already forgotten ZM5's recent mistake. "You may be a middler, but you have a noble spirit"
"A noble spirit, huh? Anyway, that bastard knew hehad no chance against me, so he pulled out a dagger, but as you know, SQ, I'm somewhat of a dagger enthusiast myself. Turns out he was a lawman, and the lady was running from the law. I was given a choice - coming here or rotting in jail"
"That's exactly what I expected from you. Is there something you're particularly good at?" SQ inquired.
"Pottery and knife fighting, but you already know this. I also know my way around mechanisms, and I can shoot crossbow, but every man should. Where is Scourge?" ZM5 added out of nowhere.
"Why would she be here?" SQ growled with hostility in her eyes.

ZM5's relaxed expression became completely serious, signifying that he accepted the girl's challenge "you can't lie to me, Weri, you wouldn't come here without her, and there is no way she could let you do it. Something happened between you two" SQ shuddered when he addressed her by her birth name "I know you have... problems, and I know as a fact that you wouldn't get this far without someone who can deal with them."
"I don't have problems any, Lerine" SQ tried to say ZM5's true name in the same hair-raising way, but she failed to achieve the effect "I'm as capable as anyone"
"Someone could just ask you to give up your position, and you would" this time both Fred and Lunardog shuddered, having remembered their conversation from the day they arrived in this place. Did ZM5 know? "Such a filmsy, delicate creature couldn't possibly stay in power on her own. You're just not fit for that, neither physically nor emotionally. Fere spent her life protecting you from your own weakness, you can barely function without someone like her."
"How do you say those names so... powerfully?" Fred butted in, but was ignored.
"I haven't talked to her in a month, I don't need her anymore." SQ replied to ZM5
"Check. She's here, and you can't deny it any more." ZM5's uncaring expression returned on his face. "We'll continue our little discussion later. For now, I gotta find Scourge and thank her properly for keeping you alive. See ya!"

"Is there... anything going on between you and this guy? You seem to know each other pretty well" Lunardog noticed.
"That's a story for another time, right now I... we need to get rid of him" SQ said as if it was something obvious.
"Too bad we're a commitee, and we decide together" Lunardog protested. He felt like he was talking to an impostor, not the real SQ. "He's a decent man, maybe likes women a little too much, but no one is perfect, and that's not the worst negative trait to have."
"I agree with Lunardog" Darkening Kaos joined the discussion "He's a charming... I mean talented man. Twenty years of mastering pottery is nothing to sneeze at"
"Sure, let a troublemaker like him in just because he can talk to women and make useless clay trinkets" the expedition leader did't want to give up. "Count Fred the Mighty, you're the only reasonable one in here, tell them we don't need ZM5 in our settlement"
"Do you really think this will get you anywhere? I don't know what happened to the old you, but I will do everything to oppose the new you. ZM5 stays." Fred and SQ stared at each other with determination in their eyes. Finally, to claim his victory, Fred added lightheartedly "I gotta ask him how he does that thing where he says someone's name and everyone gets goosebumps."

SQ stood up and headed to her bedroom. She was convinced that everybody was working against her. On the way she met Scourge who was trying to talk to her, but SQ just gave her a hateful look. Scourge stood there with her eyes wide open, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Good job, Fred" Lunardog said to his old friend. It was hard to guess if he was serious or not "you did exactly what you were supposed not to do, yet I'm glad you did it. I can't stand watching her turning into a self-centered sociopath. The faster we figure out what's going on the better. Meanwhile, I think we have one more migrant to talk to."



The female drow was still trying to catch her breath. It was apparent that she wasn't in her top shape, in fact she looked barely alive.
"Don't... worry... about... me" she gasped "I'll be... fine"
"I can't say I care about your wellbeing all that much" Lunardog admitted. "Unless you have skills that we might consider useful"
"I've been a shearer... in the slave pits. If you ever wondered... who shaved the 'stray' trolls... it was me" the woman attempted to look proud, but in her state it was near impossible. "I can also take care of insect hives... and burn wood."
"I don't think we need someone like you, miss..."
"Schmendrick"
"Schmendrick" Lunardog finished. He obviously didn't like anything about the woman, her skills, her physical weakness, even her name.
"I don't know, Scourge might appreciate some help, now that SQ doesn't want to talk to her" Kaos noticed "Say, Schmendrick, how do you feel about spinning and weaving?"
"I always had something else do that for me" Schmendrick answered nervously "I've never touched a spinning wheel or a loom. I'm eager to learn, though"
Lunardog shook his head "You won't be once you meet Scourge, but when I think about it, I could use some help with the stills myself."
"Right, we're not exactly in a position to be picky, are we?" Fred the Mitey added "welcome aboard, Schmendrick"



Plot wise: DRAMA
I didn't intend for Imic and Scourge to get together, really. They were the only compatible drows, both being in their 140s. The only other likely couple right now are SQ and ZM5, but they won't be spending much time together once we start training our militia.


Game wise: It didn't go exactly as I planned. There was supposed to be more migrants, including someone who could be a house priestess. A great potter is fine, considering we have kaolinite, but ZM5 wanted to be a soldier, so as soon as we get an anvil, Kaos will forge him a dagger. The female migrant is pathetic, high master in shearing which is instant and doesn't benefit from high skill, plus expert at beekiping which is useless. She probably couldn't lift a dagger, let alone full armor. ZM5 is weak too, but at least his physical attributes are all higher than 20


(the first 6 are physical attributes, 1st is strength)

0 strength everybody. At this point I'm considering keeping Scourge as a house priestess because her stats are really good



Only Imic (67), Lunardog (59), and the male troll (73) are stronger than her, and those guys can't be priestesses for obvious reason.

Also, Fred the Mitey became a legendary +1 miner in a single season, what a champ. He hasn't found us any metal, but it's just a matter of time.

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Re: Less Crazy Modpack - Dungeonevened - The flock grows slightly
« Reply #55 on: June 03, 2018, 11:25:50 am »

Hahaha, I gotta say I like the way my drow is written. Really curious to see what comes of the plot once we get sieges and megabeast attacks, along with the caverns getting opened.

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Re: Less Crazy Modpack - Dungeonevened - The flock grows slightly
« Reply #56 on: June 04, 2018, 04:06:32 pm »

Sorry, a lot of plot and very little gameplay today.




SQ woke up covered in sweat. She couldn't tell if the dream was a work of her slowly going insane, or the mussels she had for dinner the previous day. All she knew was that she needed a drink. She put on her shirt, and left her empty, dark room. That place was unsettling to her - she was used to her cramped two by one urist room in the capital's slum district. Everyone seemed to be asleep at the moment, SQ couldn't even hear anything from the carpenter's workshop where Kaos was usually spending days and nights.

She made her way to the food stockpile, quietly stepping on cold stone and soft clay with her bare feet. She didn't even want to light up her faerie fire, relying completely on her limited darkvision. She finally reached the row of barrels in the stockpile, picked up a wooden cup from the floor, then started searching for a barrel containing marrow wine. Seemed like all that was left was shiitake wine after all. SQ sighed quietly at the thought of drinking the foul brew. As she did that, she started glowing, but it wasn't her magical light.

"Oh, what a coincidence" ZM5 was leaning over a wall just a few feet from SQ. She was surprised she hasn't noticed him up to this point "A bit late for a walk, isn't it, SQ? And in your shirt and panties only."
"I could ask you the same, maybe without the panties part, but I know you were waiting for me here. How did you know I'll come here tonight?"
"First, I sleep here until I get a room made for me. Second, I knew you wouldn't be able to sleep after what happened yesterday "ZM5 moved closer to SQ, but the girl stepped back "Listen, I don't particularly care what you think about me, but you really should..."
"You have no right to tell me what I should be doing. I know the rest accepted you, but those traitors will eventually pay for this mistake " SQ's whispers were bone-chillingly cold. She was completely serious about this, to ZM5's shock.
"This is going too far! I talked to Scourge, she said you're avoiding her for some reason. She doesn't understand why."
"Oh, that's what she told you? Have you talked to her boy toy? Maybe he will tell you?"
"Here we go, now we're making progress" ZM5 clapped, congratulating himself on gaining ground over SQ "The girl is a real eye candy, I'm surprised it took her this long to find a boyfriend. That makes you uncomfortable, doesn't it?"

"That... that's not the point! You're changing the topic!" SQ started panicking, she wanted to continue the battle on her own field, but wasn't able to push ZM5 back.
The man took a step forward, forcing SQ to take another step back "You were the one who mentioned this 'boy toy' person? Say, is it the Imic boy who works in the craftsman's shop?"
"Why are you calling him a boy if he's almost twenty years older than you?"
"Who's changing the topic now? It's probably him, because he's serving in the militia under Scourge, judging by his sword and silly helmet. I think I have you figured out by now. You're jealous, but not because Scourge has found a partner and you haven't, you don't care about those things. You're angry because you think Imic is closer to Scourge than you are. Check." ZM5 nodded and smiled. The battle was over, and he was victorious once again. "Go to bed, baby girl, because you have some apologies to make tomorrow. Oh, and next time if you decide to go on a late night escapade, don't go barefoot. It's sad to see a cute girl like you going down with a cold"
SQ wanted to say something mean, but the words got stuck in her throat. She took a quick swig of shiitake wine, then tossed the cup to the ground. She then went back to her bedroom, completely ignoring ZM5.




The next day the atmosphere was red hot from tension from the very sunrise. It was even getting to MottledPetrel who had nothing to do with anything that was going on. He was the last one to wake up, as usual, and as usual he headed straight to the river to collect mussels. On the way he tripped over something.
"Who the hell dropped their trash in the middle of the field!" He yelled, more because he was expected to rather than because he was legitimately angry.
Schmendrick stumbled towards the fisherman "Oh, that's where I left it! Heh, sorry about that "It's my crossbow and my quiver, I'm no markswoman, but walking through the wilderness without a weapon is dangerous."
"Maybe I should get a crossbow then?" Petrel thought out loud "These tentacle monsters wouldn't know what hit them"
"You can take mine, I don't think I need it anymore. But if you want a quiver, go to the cloth stockpile. The expedition leader wanted everything made of cloth stored in one place."
"That's too much effort, you can take your crossbow to the stockpile"
"We don't have a place to store metal goods, so I'll just leave it here. The bolts too."
MottledPetrel shrugged indifferently. For a minute he wondered if emptying the quiver before hauling them to the storage room was the most ergonomic action, but then he decided this was a silly thing to think about, so he made his way to the river.
(Apparently every migrant will be coming with a crossbow because of their natural skills. Free metal i guess)



Fred the Mitey was showing SQ his new plans for a trash pile and workshops for bone carvers.
"...and this is where the trinkets will be stored" the miner explained "I have an idea for disposing unusable trash, but I'll have to have a word with Kaos first."
"Yeah, whatever "SQ brushed him off. She couldn't think about anything after her encounter with ZM5, especially since the potter was watching her from across the corridor at that very moment. She gave him a cold look, but he smiled warmly.
"Excuse me, Fred, but I have things to do"
"Good, I used to enjoy talking with you back in the day, but now..." the miner didn't know about what happened last night, he wanted to take on the 'new SQ' by himself, but he didn't have ZM5's charisma.


SQ approached ZM5 with her arms crossed defensively "Why won't you leave me alone? I 've never been better, stop pretending there's something wrong with me!"
"If you don't want me watching over you, then maybe go ask Scourge to do it instead? You almost promised you would do that" the man didn't even pretend this confrontation was on equal terms. His unsettlingly sincere smile was not disappearing from his face any time soon. "She's at the spinning wheel just behind the corner, if we spoke up she would be able to hear us."
"I never promised anything. I went to bed without saying anything. Check." SQ replied, imitating ZM5's way of ending conversation.
"What do you mean 'check'? I still have one more move. SCOURGE! SQ wants to have a word with you! Check. You'll thank me for that later." ZM5 nodded, turned around and disappeared downstairs.

Scourge came out of the farmer's workshop. Usually full of energy, today she looked depressed and completely drained.
"SQ? You... you really wanted to talk?" she asked nervously.
"No! Yes... maybe." SQ wasn't ready to confront her friend, especially not in this state.
"Oh, okay. I'll be going back to work"
"No, please!" SQ grabbed Scourge by her scarf "I'm not sure what to say, but can you stay with me for a while?" the expedition leader realized she's been holding back tears. She's decided to let them go, like in the old days. Scourge did the same, but she somehow seemed happy. She was just about to embrace SQ, but was pushed away. SQ's eyes were burning with hatred once again "No, what am I doing?" The expedition leader exclaimed "I just can't let you get away with everything so easily!"
"SQ, what are you talking about? I've got enough! Explain yourself at once!"
"I don't need to listen to you anymore! I finally realized I'm stronger without you! Don't get in my way!" SQ walked away hastily and left Scourge alone, seething with anger.
"This is getting out of hand" Scourge thought "ZM5 knows something he doesn't want to share. I need to have a word with him."


ZM5 was busy bothering Darkening Kaos at work. The woman was surprisingly happy to have company, probably because of ZM5's smooth talking. Suddenly someone pulled the potter by his robe so hard he almost lost his balance. He turned around to see Scourge looking at him with fire in her eyes.
"Okay, sweet cheeks, how about you tell me what's going on?" Scourge growled menacingly.
"No can do, baby, but if you really want to talk so badly, let's go somewhere more... private" ZM5 obviously wasn't taking Scourge's outrage seriously "How about my room? I get lonely out there sometimes"
"Why did I think you had at least some decency? Sure, if that helps me get some answers from you, but don't get any funny ideas"
"Of course, Imic wouldn't be happy if we..." ZM5 made his next carefully planned move.
"What? How do you know? Okay, let's go to your damn room!" Scourge took the bait.


The two drows entered ZM5's room. The man snapped his fingers and lit up the room with faint faerie fire. It's worth saying that casting faerie fire doesn't require snapping one's fingers. Scourge rolled her eyes and activated her own, brighter light.
"Come on, baby girl, you ruined the romantic atmosphere" ZM5 said jokingly.
"Where should I begin?" Scourge refused to acknowledge ZM5's remark "Right, how about you tell me how do you know about me and Imic?"
"Literally anyone could have told me. I learned about it from Imic himself"
"Hmph, I have no way to disprove it right now, but know that I don't believe you a bit"
ZM5 shrugged indifferently "Then why even ask if you're not gonna believe me?"
"Doesn't matter. I know you've talked to SQ at least twice since you arrived here. What were you two talking about?" Scourge assumed the most menacing look she could.
"We haven't seen each other for many years, it's only natural to try to catch up with an old friend."
"Am I not your old friend, ZM? I don't remember you trying so hard to reconnect with me." Scourge raised her eyebrow. ZM5 was obviously lying.
"You know how SQ is, if she noticed I paid more attention to you than to her, she would get offended and wouldn't want to talk to me" ZM5's face suddenly became serious" Come on, Scourge, say it. Like in the old days."

"Check" Scourge said quietly.
ZM5 clapped enthusiastically "You said it! You said it! Now your thoughts, please."
"You learned about me and Imic from SQ, that's obvious"
"Correct, baby"
"You had no reason to hide it from me, you just wanted me to play your stupid little game"
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Or maybe I wanted to check if your mind is still as sharp as it used to be"
Scourge decided not to continue with this topic "It's also obvious that you've talked to SQ about the 'issue'. You called me so I'd talk to her, because you thought she would explain everything to me"
"Yes, and..."
"...and it didn't go so well, but you weren't surprised at all. Your conversations with SQ didn't exactly go well either"
ZM5 frowned in an exaggerated way "Unfortunately it's gone too far already. I couldn't make her do the first move. I want to hear the final answer: why is she mad at you, and by extension, me? I already dropped a hint for you, I'll be disappointed if you get it wrong"

"I got... close to Imic, and SQ didn't like it" Scourge muttered vaguely. ZM5 wasn't satisfied.
"Was she jealous because you got a boyfriend before her? Did she have a crush on you or Imic?" the potter inquired.
"We've been best friends for a hundred years now, she never really opened up to anyone else but me, and to be honest, I've never been closer to anyone else either. I started spending more time with Imic after we... got to know each other better one day. SQ doesn't understand relationship the same way we do, she thought me hanging out with Imic meant that I've abandoned her."
"That's my girl! I knew you could do it! Now that you know what's really going on, you can go fix everything"
"I'll do it tomorrow, I don't want to bother SQ anymore today. Thank you, ZM5, I'm glad you're here with us."
"Checkmate"

SQman

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Re: Less Crazy Modpack - Dungeonevened - Deep Drow Drama
« Reply #57 on: June 06, 2018, 04:56:19 pm »

More PLOT tonight.



Spoiler: ??? (click to show/hide)

SQ woke up covered in sweat again. This dream wasn't as bizarre as the last one, but SQ still needed a drink after that. She put on her shirt and her heavy boots, and left the room. Maybe if Fred approved the order for tables and chairs, the room wouldn't be as creepy? Then again, he didn't have a desk for doing paperwork either.

The expedition leader cursed herself in her head for going out barefoot the previous night. Her throat was sore, and her nose stuffed. She was seeing with her darkvision; only shiitake wine was left, so why would she bother with seeing colors? When she reached the stockpile, she picked up a cup from the ground. It had a very crooked four-armed star made of shell attached to it.
"Hmph! I should have told Imic to stop doing this" SQ thought "He should be training instead of carving shells"
She lifted the lid of a nearby barrel to see that there wasn't much inside. Due to her short stature, she needed to go head down into the barrel, holding on with one had to get a cup of the horrid liquid. Actually, SQ was starting to like shiitake wine for what it was.

"Trouble sleeping again, SQ?" Someone called. SQ lost her balance for a while, which almost made her fall down into the barrel. She lifted herself up to see ZM5 looking at her smugly "In your panties again? At least you're wearing shoes this time."
"Five! I mean..."
"Oh, It's been such a long time since you last called me Five, that's cute" ZM5 smiled, legitimately moved by SQ's slip of the tongue "Those weren't the best days, but everything was so simple back then."
"Why aren't you in your bedroom? Were you sleeping here in dirt just to talk me?" SQ inquired. She wasn't angry, to her own surprise "please don't make it a nightly thing."
"Ha ha, don't worry about it. I just really wanted to apologize to you, that's all"

"A-apologize? Fi... ZM5, I thought..." SQ was expecting everything, but not this.
"I came here to meet you and Scourge... and for that other reason. I expected to see the cute meek girl from the last time we've seen each other, but I wasn't prepared to see that you've changed so much."
"I... I have changed for better. Why am I the only person who realizes this?" SQ stared at her feet, not willing to look into ZM5's eyes.
"I wanted to tell you I'm sorry. Sorry for not helping you out straight away"
"WHAT?!" SQ got angry at herself for not getting angry at ZM5 before "Oh, this is the part where you get all serious and begin your 'game', right? Why is everything a game for you?"
"Ha ha! I've already won this game. I just want you to know I could have won the moment we met" the look at ZM5's face wasn't mocking or triumphant - it was friendly, which infuriated SQ even more.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I wanted Scourge to figure everything out by herself, but it turns out she needed a little help. You'll have two battles ahead of you tomorrow, better be ready."
"I'm... I'm tired of your chattering" SQ sighed "Nothing you say makes any sense"
"I'll tell you something that makes sense: I'm glad you decided to wear boots this time around. I think you caught something already, and I wouldn't want it to get worse for you."
SQ was still angry, but she couldn't help but smile. She downed her cup of shiitake wine, and went back to her bedroom.




Imic was tired of eating only mussels and underberries, and he was certain that others would also appreciate some diversity in their diet. As a self proclaimed vigilante, he decided that bringing real meat to the butcher's was an act of justice - the drows deserved to eat something different. He picked up his sword and a wooden shield decorated with shell stars, and went out to hunt.
A giant louse just happened to be wandering around the woods, looking for fresh blood. A fine target. Imic rushed to slay the monster.



The first blow landed flat - Imic hoped that no one saw that, because that would have been embarrassing. He decided to try stabbing instead, but that failed to do much damage. The insect apparently decided to strike back, because it turned towards the vigilante. Imic panicked, but his reflexes were somewhat unusual, because instead of running away, he jumped at the louse and bit it on the head. The monster changed its mind about attacking its assailant, but before it managed to run away, Imic was already slashing at it furiously.
The louse has collapsed on the ground, but it was still twitching. Imic tried to finish it off with one final stab, but the creature was still twitching, and his sword was stuck. The drow started punching its prey mercilessly until its leathery chitin armor was ripped open in so many places, there was no way it could be alive. Maybe it could? Imic didn't know much about insect anatomy.






Meanwhile, Fred the Mitey was dealing with other giant bugs. The spiders needed to be contained, but neither SQ nor Scourge were in the right mindset to care about them.
"Just keep them in here, I'll tell the new guy, ZM the 5th, or whatever his name is, to get the sawmill going" Fred instructed the rattusite.
"Sure thing, I'll make sure those eight-legged dudes don't skedaddle anywhere"
Fred was satisfied with himself - he was giving orders that were followed, and he was the one pushing the settlement's progress. On the other hand, he didn't feel like he earned this position of power.




SQ and Scourge were both working at the looms. They avoided looking at each other as much as they could, but in reality they were both gathering courage to speak. Scourge knew it had to be done, so she spoke up first.
"SQ, remember our first days working together?"
"Mmm..." SQ tried to appear uninterested, but she raised her head to look at Scourge.
"You seemed really strange to me, I mean, you still do, but back then I thought I'd never get used to it. I'm glad I finally did"
"Hmm..."
"I'm still struggling to understand what's going on in your head sometimes, and I tend to make the biggest mistakes when I think I have everything figured out. The worst part? Sometimes I don't even realize what I do wrong" Scourge smiled in a sad way, hoping that SQ would return the smile, but she didn't.

"Oh, so we're talking about that again. You know what you did, ZM5 must have told you"
"Exactly, I needed his help to understand what's going on. Now tell me why you're mad at me" Scourge replied deadly seriously.
"What's the point? You know already!" SQ was losing her patience.
"Start with 'I think', please"
"Argh, all right! I think you've grown tired of me, I think you value your stupid romance with that meathead Imic more than you value our century long friendship. I think..." SQ stopped.
"You think... Have you wondered what I was thinking? Do you really believe I would want to cut you off like that? I thought you would be happy for me, but instead you decided I didn't want to be your friend anymore!"
"I... I decided? It was you who started spending more time with Imic" SQ started shaking. She was slowly realizing the true nature of the problem, but she was not ready to admit it.
"That happens when you start a relationship with someone. Can't blame you for not knowing that, you've never had anyone besides me and ZM5. Thinking about it now, maybe I should have explained everything to you sooner. Listen, I could never abandon you for somebody else, and I thought it would be obvious to you. Apparently it wasn't, I'm sorry" Scourge found herself at SQ's workshop, with her hands on SQ's shoulders, staring into her eyes intensely. Considering all the awkward positions she had found herself in in the past, this situation wasn't too bad.

Scourge fully expected to be pushed back again, considering she was invading SQ's personal space by an extreme margin. Instead of pushing Scourge back, SQ wrapped her arms around her and squeezed as hard as her skinny arms could.
"I'm so sorry, Scourge! It's not your fault at all!" SQ finally cracked. Her battle with herself was over "You... you couldn't know...! I didn't want... didn't want to listen, I thought I was better wi-without y-you, but I was... I was wrong! Five... ZM5 wanted to help me but..."
"P-please, stop... squeezing...! Can't... breathe!" Scourge managed to whisper. SQ realized she was crushing her friend's ribs, so she quickly let go. Scourge just then noticed her scarf was soaked with SQ's tears "Ugh... It's... it's fine now. You know I can't stay mad at you. Ummm... how about we take a break? You'll get all this wonderful rothe wool wet, heh" Scourge smiled sincerely, and was delighted when SQ returned the smile.

Despite the room being lit with faerie fire, one corner was suspiciously dark. ZM5, hiding in the shroud of his magical darkness, clapped for himself. All players of his game were winners that day.



What I didn't include is that ZM5's drow worships an another drow, a melancholic alchemancer, not a deity, demon or megabeast. I didn't know that was even possible.

ZM5

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Re: Less Crazy Modpack - Dungeonevened - Deep Drow Drama
« Reply #59 on: June 07, 2018, 05:50:33 am »

I'm kind of surprised the weirdest things on this embark so far were those teardrop-shaped floaters. Giant louse seem really mundane compared to a lot of stuff that could be popping up.
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