New OOTS products from CafePress
New OOTS t-shirts, ornaments, mugs, bags, and more
Page 10 of 50 FirstFirst 123456789101112131415161718192035 ... LastLast
Results 271 to 300 of 1476
  1. - Top - End - #271
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Rebonack's Avatar

    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    The King's Grave

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Geneva's Lab]

    Geneva's left eye twitches.

    Just a little.

    ~I'm trying to be diplomatic. Telling them that what they're wanting to do is reprehensibly vile would put them on the defensive and we would get nowhere. They would probably just look for an ACTUAL necromancer to do the job since I don't think they grasp the gravity of what they're asking.~

    Which would be terrible, as far as Geneva's concerned.

    "There's always a temptation to use weapons. And make no mistake, a device like this would be a weapon," Geneva says to Two. "You came to me for an expert opinion, and I'm happy to give it. Trapping the soul isn't even a real solution. You're just creating a time-bomb. If containment ever fails for any reason then the ghost is free and likely wise to the trick. And possibly even more psychologically unstable thanks to the imprisonment."

    She sits up a little straighter, spreading her wings and lifting her chin in an attempt to look regal.

    Hey. She's a hippogriff. She pulls it off decently.

    "My expert option is no, trapping the soul is a poor plan. Get me some real data to work with and I can come up with a solution that doesn't require any murky ethics. Let's start with capabilities. What, exactly, are we dealing with?"
    Warning! Random Encounter™ detected!
    The Eternal Game Nightmære Stuff
    It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, just how awesome you look doing it.

  2. - Top - End - #272
    Orc in the Playground
     
    Darkcomet's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Geneva's Lab]

    "Very well. First, the part most relevant to containment: A Class A Anomaly is an individual empowered by a fractured divine entity and soul-bonded to a fragment thereof. Conventional death leads to this entity's reclamation of that power and potential upheaval deemed unacceptable. This fragment is believed to bestow the ability to bond to others bearing similar fragments, such as myself, A-2. The target, designated A-1, desires to absorb the three others known, A-2 through A-4. None of us be allowed to fully die, but neither can he be allowed to remain free. The situation will not be fully rectified until all of us are either immortal or contained. You are welcome to suggest alternative methods of containment, but my commanders' official position on this matter is that the sanctity of three souls outweighs that of one, especially his." Two pauses. This repetition will go nowhere, but she supposes she did ask about One's capabilities. So she'll elaborate.

    "A-1's unique core ability is to create and manipulate hardlight constructs. It is through this that he focuses enough to remain 'alive,' his constructs forming a body that anchors him to this plane after I shot him fatally over three decades ago. Favored techniques include grappling tendrils, barrages of small constructs akin to shattered glass, simple barriers, all of them capable of splitting, amalgamating, and shifting at his command as much as any biological shapeshifter. He is not a subtle combatant, attacking with overwhelming force until his enemies are dead or his physical form is sufficiently disrupted. Psychologically, A-1 is obsessed with power, and ever since his original death, he has made it his goal to reclaim his title as the most powerful being of our known universe by absorbing every other Class A in existence. In life, he was nearly unstoppable, but death robbed him of the focus required to generate his constructs inside a victim's body. However, should his hardlight constructs pierce the body, he is capable of what you would expect of a shapeshifter, whether with his substitute body or an external construct."

    Messy.

    "Recommended conventional counters include missiles, bombs, high-caliber firearms from outside the target's effective range, surprise attacks from long range, et cetera."
    Avatar by Ashen Lilies.
    Spoiler
    Show

    by Happyturtle and Ashen Lilies

    FFR Links:

  3. - Top - End - #273
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Rebonack's Avatar

    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    The King's Grave

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Lower Village – The Lakeshore]

    There's a hippogriff by the edge of the lake.

    A hippogriff wearing a jumpsuit and an old flight jacket.

    A hippogriff wearing clothing and fiddling with a rather improvisational looking device with none of the sleek finishing one would expect from a mass produced model.

    "Time is eleven hundred thirty six, eighth of January twenty nineteen by local reckoning. Testing the area-sequestering array mark three, fifth test iteration," she speaks aloud. Her tone suggests she's recording her voice. "Test commencing in three, two, one, mark."

    There's a low hum.

    The lake water near the testing site vibrates slightly.

    The hippogriff checks the readout on a nearby set of slightly less improvised looking equipment thoughtfully. "Seven percent decrease in space-time stability compared to mark three point four's mean result. Further testing will be required to rule out Nexus background noise."

    It doesn't look like she's noticed Iamar.

    [Belated Welcome Wagon]


    "Sounds like a mess," Zee says in response to the talk of divinely ordained casts. She's pretty sure that's just an excuse to control people.

    Or maybe not?

    Gods are pretty hard to figure out sometimes.

    "I think I remember that," she says with a nod. "You had some demonic blood, right?"

    Though exactly what that means varies pretty widely. Seems like many cosmologies have very different ideas about what 'demon' means.
    Last edited by Rebonack; 2019-01-08 at 03:15 PM.
    Warning! Random Encounter™ detected!
    The Eternal Game Nightmære Stuff
    It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, just how awesome you look doing it.

  4. - Top - End - #274
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Devixer's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    I go places

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    Lower Village - The Lakeshore

    Iamar could hear the chatter from the hippogriff, but the vast majority of it flew right by her head. This was a woman from the twelfth century, and while she had gotten more used to modern English communication, much of it was still very new to her, even after her time in the Nexus.

    "What is so strange about the water?" she asks, not really looking to grab the hippogriff's attention, but loud enough to do just that.

  5. - Top - End - #275
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Morty's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Poland
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Geneva's Lab]

    "I used to know another 'Anomaly', as she put it," Wenomir says. "He was one of our founding members, DC. He's dead now, but his soul is still present, in some form. And if 'One' absorbs it, the effects will be catastrophic. DC was powerful enough in his own right." He suspects this might not be enough, though. Their request clearly shook Geneva to her core.

    [Belated Welcome Wagon]

    "I did. They pumped it into me and I was one of the few who survived the treatment," Wenomir says. "I managed to get rid of it eventually. It gave me power in the superficial sense, but in reality it held me back." He shakes his head. "But I got to the Nexus after they had me slaughter a whole village. I still don't know why. But that was when I snapped out of my brainwashing and fled."
    My FFRP characters. Avatar by Ashen Lilies. Sigatars by Ashen Lilies, Gullara and Purple Eagle.
    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? See our Discord server.

  6. - Top - End - #276
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Beholder

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    The Windy City
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Geneva's Lab]

    There it is. Information.
    The key components to forming any concrete plan, any definitive solution.

    Thus far she isn't a big fan of what the picture this information is painting.
    Purple can see why they were leaping for the easy "trap the soul" solution, unfortunately. In the face of great challenge, most seek the quickest and simplest resolution to get them away from it. It's a short-term sort of view, but that's just the way most life works.

    Hmm.
    Thankfully for Geneva, the ranting about the general inappropriateness of all of this is dying down.
    Even if she's really, really tempted to say "told you so", in the face of what is clearly the consequences of someone's prior soul tampering. What were they thinking?
    Why is it so unacceptable for the 'bonded fragments' to go back where they belong? That sounds important.

    There's a little chalkboard being whisked into mental existence, in the back of Geneva's head. Notes are being taken.
    A flickering image of some hulking, semi-holographic beast surrounded by floating shards of glass springs into being nearby.
    1. Empowered by foreign divine element
    2. Foreign divine element freed by death (unacceptable? why?)
    3. Seeks bonding to other similar fragments, A2-A4
    4. Highly martially adept, manipulates 'hard-light'
    It sounds like if we can negate any of these particular points, the problem would be solved. Right? If he has no divine power, he isn't a threat. If loosing the fragment isn't a problem, then we can just do that. If he gives up on the others, that ascension won't be a risk. If his combat proficiencies are nullified, he can't kill anyone to absorb them.
    "Fear and creativity are conjoined twins."
    Absentee Spirit

  7. - Top - End - #277
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Rebonack's Avatar

    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    The King's Grave

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Geneva's Lab]

    Geneva hums at the information that's being set before her. It paints a pretty bleak picture, doesn't it? But not one without solutions. Solutions contingent on mechanics with unknown interactions. Understanding, however, would be the key to success.

    She's going to need some clarification first.

    "When you say 'hard light' do you mean in the colloquial sense, like a psychokinetic construct, or in the literal sense like causing photons to interact with the Higgs field thus giving them mass? Countermeasures are heavily contingent on the nature of the threat," Geneva begins. She's beginning to relax now, and her mannerisms are likewise beginning to relax. To those paying attention, her body language and accent will gradually shift toward how they were when Wenomir and Two initially entered the room.

    "Have attempts been made to reason with this A-1 entity? If it can be convinced to abandon its quest for ultimate power then the crisis would be averted. And if conventional methods of rhetoric aren't viable then unconventional methods might be possible. Is it known how resilient A-1 is against direct psychic manipulation? Would it be possible to target specific memories to cause them to forget that there are other fragments for it to collect?" Geneva inquires.

    "Concerning the soul-bond effect, is there a way to divest the abilities granted by the fragment without it returning to its rightful place? And for that matter, why is it so important that the soul fragments don't return to their rightful place?" she continues. "Is there a way to free the fragments in a way that would be acceptable?"

    She feels like they have a good start, here. And she has a few tentative ideas already forming. But she's still going to need more information.

    "You mentioned another person who was subjected to this soul bond, DC?" she asks of Wenomir. "What kind of abilities did he display? And for that matter, what are yours Miss Two? If these are all technically the abilities of a single organism then knowing what the cohesive whole would have looked like might be important."

    [Lower Village - The Lakeshore]

    Geneva's ears perk up at the question wondered aloud, causing her to peer back at Iamar.

    "Oh, sorry, I didn't notice you there," she begins somewhat awkwardly. "The water's humming because I'm testing a magical resonance field generator designed to cause the exclusion of-"

    She blinks in a very bird-like way as she realizes what she's doing.

    "Ah, hehe, I get carried away sometimes. Reign in the jargon, Geneva. I'm working on a machine that stops teleportation for VIGIL. It'll be really handy in case those demons that blew up the last base try showing up again," she amends. Then switches off the generator, allowing the rippling hum running through the water to die down. She trots over toward Iamar, sits back on her haunches and offers a set of talons to shake. "I'm Geneva Richards, I don't believe we've met yet miss...?"

    [Belated Welcome Wagon]

    They...

    They forced him to kill his whole village?

    Why?

    There's a brief flash of something on Zee's face, somewhere between sorrow and fury.

    "I'm sorry to hear that. But if any good came out of that trial, it's that it brought you here."
    Warning! Random Encounter™ detected!
    The Eternal Game Nightmære Stuff
    It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, just how awesome you look doing it.

  8. - Top - End - #278
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Morty's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Poland
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Belated Welcome Wagon]

    "I suppose so," Wenomir says, distantly. "I've certainly accomplished more here than I ever could back home. Not just because of being a peasant... after getting rid of demon blood, I've become stronger than ever. I'd pin it on the Nexus being the Nexus, but it doesn't feel this way. It's more like it took some limitations away."

    [Outside the Base]

    Calm Reed almost does fall down as the ground under her feat churns and rebels. Then she crosses her arms over her chest and then lowers them, pointing them diagonally downwards. Centring herself this way, earth Essence flows through her as she assumes a stance of the Earth Dragon style and gains sure footing. She continues stoically waiting for the hydra to arrive, her feet always managing to remain firmly on the unsteady ground.
    My FFRP characters. Avatar by Ashen Lilies. Sigatars by Ashen Lilies, Gullara and Purple Eagle.
    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? See our Discord server.

  9. - Top - End - #279
    Orc in the Playground
     
    Darkcomet's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Geneva's Lab]

    "It is difficult to speak to or scientifically study an individual usually seen when actively trying to kill everyone around them in an attempt to reach me. That data is not available. Psychic attack would hypothetically depend on if the method is rooted in neurology or not, as A-1 currently lacks a physical nervous system. Based on the consistency of his taunting and the fact this continues after over thirty years, probability of a diplomatic solution is..." Two pauses. Best not to go too far with this act, not like the numbers will mean anything to one of the people present. "Low. However, I can elaborate on the rest, beginning with myself." She doesn't wait for Wenomir to answer about DC. Why would she not, if she's some robotic goon?

    "My own abilities relate to knowledge and prediction. Barring exceptional cases such as the divinely marked or protected, which includes other Anomalies, I am capable of finding and immediately knowing information about everything around me. For example, Commander Wenomir's history and profile would be readily available to me were I interested in them, as would any knowledge stored in a computer system, or even simply the chemical composition of this floor. Predictions are made based on information in the area around me, rather than a matter of truly knowing the future, and if I have a sufficient psychological profile, I may include an otherwise immune target in the prediction. This also works in combat, allowing humanly-impossible accuracy with firearms, among other things. That is how I killed A-1. Unlike the others, I do not possess directly destructive powers."

    Two is the odd one out in that way.

    "The one of whom he speaks, designated A-3-1, demonstrated abilities usually termed psychic. Telepathy, tele- and psychokinesis, mind control, and assorted applications thereof, though he favored kinetics in battle thanks to encountering disproportionate amounts of resistance to mental attacks. Recent information points to a different origin for some of his abilities, however, as he awakened his fragment, designated A-3-2, prior to his death. So yes, it could be possible to do that. However, A-3-2 has claimed to possess the ability to manipulate souls, informing a great deal of our world's history. Our theorized divine presence is believed to be a usurper who stole powers from those the originals had empowered. If Anomalous powers were soul-bound in nature then as they are now, it would explain a great deal. While I cannot speak of this individual's motives, that they were already dealing in extremism before implies poor results should they regain their full power, and of awakening any fragments. Further study of A-3-2 is required before we can consider further options." So that's why she considers that a bad idea. "This profile would hold the best chance at your suggested alternatives for A-1, but A-3-2 is not considered trustworthy at this time."

    "A-4 is a biomass-absorbing and manipulating shapeshifter whose threat level varies depending on the environment he finds himself in. Based on what little we know, his ability to manipulate still-living organisms appears to suffer the same limitations as my direct abilities, but he can only do that at a shorter range to begin with. A-4 is difficult to pin down thanks to the inability to predict what he will do, or who he will be at any given time. He appears unable to maintain consistency of character thanks to constant changes in his biological and specifically neurological configuration, rendering my abilities effectively worthless. A-4 is potentially the most dangerous of all of us directly if he is encountered in a heavily forested area or similar, as he would subsequently begin absorbing everything into himself in order to annihilate any actual threat. However, all encounters with him have been with him initially in humanoid form." No wonder they're not talking about him.

    "Other, conventional Anomalies do display different powers not necessarily related to these four, but it is to be expected that the full entity still commands different capabilities. Others gain their powers through direct but extremely weak links to this entity, which appears to be unable to influence them outside of initial bursts. Part of the reason we cannot risk one of us fully dying is the chance that this might change as their powers grow, particularly in the case A-3-2."
    Avatar by Ashen Lilies.
    Spoiler
    Show

    by Happyturtle and Ashen Lilies

    FFR Links:

  10. - Top - End - #280
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Devixer's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    I go places

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    Lower Village - The Lakeshore

    Iamar blinks, then grasps Geneva's talons with her hand to shake them. "Iamar ibnat Hasna al Shaloub. You can call me Iamar."

    "Teleportation..." Iamar goes over the word in her head for a second. "That is traveling in an instant, isn't it? It does seem something we shouldn't allow to go unfettered here."

  11. - Top - End - #281
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Morty's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Poland
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Geneva's Lab]

    Wenomir is silent. While the two people who know more than he does speak, he listens. Geneva is speaking with more than one voice here, that much is clear. But why and how? Two is as inscrutable as ever. It's rare that he encounters someone he can't read and it doesn't bode well.
    My FFRP characters. Avatar by Ashen Lilies. Sigatars by Ashen Lilies, Gullara and Purple Eagle.
    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? See our Discord server.

  12. - Top - End - #282
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowcaller View Post

    Arriving

    "You can't die? That's useful." The sorceress raises an eyebrow. "Though I rather not want to test that claim right this moment. Therefore, you should probably demonstrate your other skill first. However, unlike MERC and GloG, we don't actually have a great deal of animals living here. The only one I can think of is our druid who only is an animal part-time. Though perhaps some other of members have a pet you could try out your talents on?"
    Arriving

    "It is probably safe to test however you wish, but I understand."
    Fleece admits before frowning in through, reaching up to stroke her chin. "I've never tried to talk to a druid before, but would that be a fair test? I'd be up for trying if nothing else but I think druids would be some sort of grey area unless the one you have in mind actually goes feral when they transform. A pet would likely be better."

  13. - Top - End - #283
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Shadowcaller's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Avatar by Gullara

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    Arriving

    "I imagine it would be, I'm not too familiar with our druids shapeshifting capabilities but I do know that she can turn into a hawk and a bear at least. A pet would likely be easier, but depending on the pet, it might not prove that much." Most people just had dogs or cats after all.
    Cessie considers a moment. "Could you call on any nearby animals?" She suggests. "Making animals you never met come to you would prove something."

  14. - Top - End - #284
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Beholder

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    The Windy City
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Geneva's Lab]

    There is a great deal of incredulousness being stifled as "Two" describes the various capabilities of everyone, Purple dutifully recording new columns on the chalk board for the other A#s.
    General headings go for "Knowledge", "Psionics", "Shapeshifting/Biomass Absorption".

    Convenient for their enemy that this range-limited omniscience fails against the individuals it would be most useful against.
    She is rather annoyed with that fact.
    Annoyance is not constructive though, so she stifles that as well.

    Sounds like this A-3-2 could be an option, if we can reach them and ensure their goodwill. Not sure how immediately useful A-4 is, but seems like they may be the easiest to keep safe, if left in a highly organic region?
    A-2...A-2...

    There has to be a way to abuse limited omniscience. So many ways to abuse it.
    Sure she can't read their target...
    If given the appropriate physical finesse and neural speed, I think she could still effectively read her target by simply reading all of its effects on the immediately surrounding environment. Changes in air-flow, temperature, vibrations, et cetera. This doesn't involve any direct knowledge of the individual itself, just the ability to act swiftly enough on the knowledge gained around it.
    This doesn't solve their neutralization process, but it should keep A-2 safe in event of a fight and maybe be useful when they do have a solution.

    Chalk is tapped contemplatively, a few times.
    A cautious thought.
    I remember reading some mythology, of someone who could devour the power from whomever he chose, even the gods. There could be something there.
    "Fear and creativity are conjoined twins."
    Absentee Spirit

  15. - Top - End - #285
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Rebonack's Avatar

    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    The King's Grave

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Geneva's Lab]

    'Hard Light' manipulation, limited omniscience, generalized 'psychic' powers, and some form of biokinesis.

    Not... really a whole lot in common there. Unless you take a really broad category like 'controlling things with your mind' as the basis.

    Not much to go on, there.

    But!

    That's somewhere to start.

    "Ideally I would want to run tests on this hard light ability to build counter-measures, but I doubt A-1 would be willing to submit to testing," Geneva reasons. "Barring that, I think the most effective avenue of research would be to find a way to disrupt the connection between the host soul and the fragment. If there's no way to interface, then there's no way to manifest the abilities. Rather than contain, we disrupt. But-"

    Geneva frowns.

    "Without the ability to manifest the hard light constructs, I take it A-1 would pass on to whatever afterlife is reserved for brutal murderers? And the fragment would return to... wherever it goes?"

    She can see why this is such a nettley problem.

    She can also see why messing with souls is a terrible plan in the first place.

    Maybe some way to siphon the power off? That would be welcome, but that sort of magic is typically foul to say the least. ~Do you remember any details on that creature? It sounds like the sort of thing that would be cast into chains of darkness in the depths of Tartarus forever.~

    [Lower Village - The Lakeshore]

    "It's nice to meet you, Iamar," Geneva replies with her best smile. Given that she has a beak, only the corners turn up a little bit. The expression is mostly in her eyes. "And yes! Well, no. Mostly? Teleportation often still has some degree of transit time, depending on the type. But for all effects and purposes, it may as well be instant. Non-Newtonian motion, moving between locations without crossing the intervening space. It's a subject I've studied intensively. And it's good to know about, since VIGIL's enemies have used it before to dump gaggles of monsters into our base."

    Which is why the old one exploded.

    "So the goal is to have hardware in place to prevent that from happening again. Or at least something we can switch on after the first few pop in to prevent them from getting any reinforcements,"
    Geneva explains. "So! What about you? What do you do here at VIGIL, miss Iamar?"

    She glances briefly at the sword.

    Probably has something to do with that, she would bet.

    [Belated Welcome Wagon]

    "That's pretty fortunate," Zee replies as she follows Wenomir through the grounds. "If you don't mind the comment, I can tell that you're operating right at the edge of what's bio-mechanically possible for a human. I wouldn't be able to say what the cause is, though."

    Probably not Captain America super soldier serum.

    "When it comes to the sorts of threats that pop up here, though, people need whatever advantages they can get. Some of the things the Nexus has had to endure over the years have been... well. You know. You've been here to see most of the worst of them."
    Warning! Random Encounter™ detected!
    The Eternal Game Nightmære Stuff
    It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, just how awesome you look doing it.

  16. - Top - End - #286
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Devixer's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    I go places

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    Lower Village - The Lakeshore

    Iamar tries her best to parse what Geneva's saying, and to her credit, she mostly manages to get it. She wasn't here for the demonic invasion of Vigil's old base, but she's of course heard stories. "Where I am from, such things are spoken of as powers granted to the divine. But then, a great many things that are commonplace here would have people of my home in a panic."

    She follow's Geneva's gaze to the hilt of her sword. "I fight. It isn't much, but it's what I can do." The tone of her voice was already far from jovial, but at those last few words, she sounded downright cold.

  17. - Top - End - #287
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Arkhosia's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    Quote Originally Posted by UncleWolf View Post
    Barracks

    "Huh?" Renee asks, momentarily perplexed before shaking her head. "Oh, no. Don't worry, I actually appreciate a challenge. Typically for a handgun or the like, I would have it be able to link into your body to be able to replenish its ammo and regenerate from any stresses firing it would impose. For something that large, I would have to change it up which would be welcome. I'll still put in some link to you, but it would be for a different purpose." She explains, reaching up to pet Junior. "The guns I make are living, so they would need to be cared for appropriately. I would include a guide to raising and caring for it though. If that's alright, I can head on out, go home, and I can probably have something for you within the month."
    Blanche briefly looks relieved, a flash of recognition in her eyes at the challenge part. She wasn't much of a craftswoman herself, but she had a firm appreciation of mechanics and an idle fascination with how firearms worked. It was always interesting to see how someone got around a design flaw or how they managed to incorporate a certain feature; the catgirl could imagine how rewarding it felt to figure out these solutions, rather than just admire them.

    "I think I can handle it." She replies with a smile, more in an attempt to reassure herself than Renee. Blanche hadn't owned a pet before, but it didn't sound too hard to take care of one... right?
    "Are we living a life that is safe from harm? Of course not, we never are. But that's not the right question. The question is: are we living a life that is worth the harm?"
    ~Welcome to Night Vale

    Spoiler: Quotes from Friends <3
    Show
    Quote Originally Posted by SliiArhem
    Arkh I may be slightly delirious but I don't think that would make sense even if I was coherent.

    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? Try joining our Discord server!

  18. - Top - End - #288
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Lord Magtok's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2006

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    Outside the Base

    Spoiler
    Show
    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowcaller View Post
    [Outside the Base]

    The third elemental's face is punched in and it collapses on the ground into a big pile of ash which quickly simply fades out of existence.
    But as she is stabbing the second elemental the fourth one is closing in.

    Yet before in can reach the ribbon, the ground underneath them all suddenly shakes violently, throwing the elemental, and potentially Saint Laz, to the ground as the area they're in seem to be experiencing a limited earthquake.

    The cause of said strangely limited earthquake is coming straight towards Calm Reed. The monk can't miss it as the hydra's footsteps are literary causing a earthquake underneath it as it roars. She can feel it coming towards her, she can feel it so strongly that she might fall over as the ground shakes violently.
    Quote Originally Posted by Morty View Post
    [Outside the Base]

    Calm Reed almost does fall down as the ground under her feat churns and rebels. Then she crosses her arms over her chest and then lowers them, pointing them diagonally downwards. Centring herself this way, earth Essence flows through her as she assumes a stance of the Earth Dragon style and gains sure footing. She continues stoically waiting for the hydra to arrive, her feet always managing to remain firmly on the unsteady ground.


    Saint Lazarus rolls along the ground, trying to put some distance between herself and the elemental, even if the ground is too unstable for her to get up and run right now. In between the more tumultuous quakes, she'll try to at least get her knees up and underneath her, to have something at least vaguely resembling secure footing when the elementals go on the attack again. Maybe she can even find a way to use these quakes to her advantage, if these elementals are having as much trouble standing upright as she is.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  19. - Top - End - #289
    Orc in the Playground
     
    Darkcomet's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Geneva's Lab]

    "Correct. Based on A-3-1's testimony, A-1 cannot exist as a simple free-floating ghost for long. It is for this reason that we have been cautious regarding my deployments, as I do not possess an ability that would be applicable in the same manner. A-4 is the safest by far in that regard, as his powers may simply allow him to automatically revive himself while in the vicinity of sufficient biomass, seizing onto nearby vulnerable life in order to effectively reconstitute himself in full." Two pauses.

    "The remaining three fragments outside A-3-2 are not awakened, active individuals, and A-3-2 likely only functions thanks to A-3-1's unique, deliberate action. Leaving A-1's unaccounted for after splitting it from him would create a second A-1 at some point in the future, and such emergence events can be traumatic and violent. However, two alternatives to this exist: Bond it to a new, prepared individual deliberately, or seal it as originally planned. The fragments, save A-3-2, are effectively an equivalent to brain-dead. Do the same ethical concerns about soul traps apply to them, as unfeeling, unthinking, yet extremely powerful spiritual cadavers? Or is it a matter of the power to do it or the methods required to obtain said power?" She doesn't actually know what to expect the answer to that ethical conundrum to be.

    It's a strange question to have to ask.
    Last edited by Darkcomet; 2019-01-10 at 05:50 AM.
    Avatar by Ashen Lilies.
    Spoiler
    Show

    by Happyturtle and Ashen Lilies

    FFR Links:

  20. - Top - End - #290
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Rebonack's Avatar

    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    The King's Grave

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Lower Village - The Lakeshore]

    "I know what you mean about people back home panicking," Geneva replies with a small laugh. "Everything here is so different. Though, most of my home world was in explicitly unpleasant shape, so comparatively speaking the majority of the differences are a huge step up. There had been a war to end all wars centuries ago and we're still picking up the pieces of a poisoned world. That's why I'm hoping to build a bridge between the Nexus and my home. The free flow of resources and ideas will help my people heal, I'm sure."

    Geneva has a very rosy outlook on things.

    She trots over to her experimental device and begins checking it for any lose components.

    Then she glances back, catching Iamar's tone.

    "It sounds like you don't like conflict,"
    Geneva observes. "I think that's good; people shouldn't enjoy violence."

    A statement directed inward as much as outward.

    "Do you think you might feel better if you learn to help in other ways?"
    Warning! Random Encounter™ detected!
    The Eternal Game Nightmære Stuff
    It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, just how awesome you look doing it.

  21. - Top - End - #291
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Morty's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Poland
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Belated Welcome Wagon]

    "I don't concern myself overmuch with what's possible for a human," Wenomir says. "Maybe that's why I can do it. But as far as I can tell, I've surpassed what humans should be capable of in many ways. I can move faster than a human has any right to, for one thing. I don't know why, either. Maybe it's the Riddle of Steel."

    [Geneva's Lab]

    Wenomir can be skipped for the time being.
    My FFRP characters. Avatar by Ashen Lilies. Sigatars by Ashen Lilies, Gullara and Purple Eagle.
    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? See our Discord server.

  22. - Top - End - #292
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Beholder

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    The Windy City
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Geneva's Lab]

    Well that put a slightly different spin on things.
    Sealing away power is different than sealing away a soul.

    Though, there's still a few unknowns tied to that.
    Restricting raw 'power' into a receptacle of some sort isn't terribly difficult. It's the general principle behind most enchantments. I question whether or not the fragments qualify as that, or simply dormant states of proper souls.
    It's a concerning, additional unknown as it has the potential to drastically simplify this entire problem, or...not.
    Can we risk taking her at her word on this?
    Purple can't weight definitely on that, they don't know Two well enough.

    Just as reluctant is she to dive deeper into this mythology she's recalled.
    But it might be important, at some point.
    It's been centuries since I've thought on it. The details are a little fuzzy. I believe he was a centaur, who picked up some unknown arcana in foreign lands. Supposedly a betrayal of some sort had him sealed away in Tartarus, yes.
    "Fear and creativity are conjoined twins."
    Absentee Spirit

  23. - Top - End - #293
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Rebonack's Avatar

    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    The King's Grave

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Geneva's Lab]

    More information.

    More useful information.

    For now, Geneva just stores all these facts away, taking note of what would be useful and what wouldn't be.

    For now?

    For now she needs a question answered.

    And depending on the reply, she might have an elegant solution for their conundrum.

    "This bonding process," she begins slowly. "Can any living organism be bound to a fragment? Or does it specifically have to be something that's sapient?"

    Wonder what she's thinking?

    [Belated Welcome Wagon]

    That seems to be how quite a few people operate in the Nexus.

    Not very concerned with what should be possible.

    BUT!

    Wenomir's answer raises a very valid question.

    "The Riddle of Steel?" Zee asks curiously. She's never heard of such a thing! "Like from Conan the Barbarian?"

    Okay, maybe she has. Probably a different one, though.
    Last edited by Rebonack; 2019-01-12 at 11:54 AM.
    Warning! Random Encounter™ detected!
    The Eternal Game Nightmære Stuff
    It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, just how awesome you look doing it.

  24. - Top - End - #294
    Orc in the Playground
     
    Darkcomet's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Geneva's Lab]

    "All known cases have bonded to a human soul, with the caveat that no nonhuman sapient species are known in that world for anything else to happen, and the metaphysics involved are poorly understood. The information on soul-bonds comes from A-3-1 aiding research into the matter here, and extrapolation that these powers come from a metaphysical source based on A-1 and A-3's postmortem states. No further data available, save the likelihood that the fragments may also bond to each other. However, the fragments had to have been somewhere before we obtained them, so I cannot say for sure. Some archeologists reported Anomalous relics, but said relics have a pattern of either disappearing or being destroyed outright very quickly, and their claims could never be proven, nor could I study these relics in much detail if I were to encounter them." Two would shrug here if she were emoting in any way, shape, or form.

    That would about summarize everything she just said.

    "Why?"

    At least she's being relatively polite about not abusing casual omniscience.
    Avatar by Ashen Lilies.
    Spoiler
    Show

    by Happyturtle and Ashen Lilies

    FFR Links:

  25. - Top - End - #295
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Morty's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Poland
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Geneva's Lab]

    "That's an awfully unfortunate coincidence for all of them to have been destroyed or vanished," Wenomir notices. He's focusing on something he actually has input on. "Getting our hands on one might make this a lot easier."
    My FFRP characters. Avatar by Ashen Lilies. Sigatars by Ashen Lilies, Gullara and Purple Eagle.
    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? See our Discord server.

  26. - Top - End - #296
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    Arrived

    Fleece frowns in thought for a moment. "Yeah, I should be able to Call whatever is here, but it won't be anything specific." She figures. The ram-girl takes a moment to look around and take in a deep breath before letting out a piercing whistle. Whatever animals or beasts or insects are around, they'll find themselves drawn to her.

    Barracks

    "In that case, I think it is all decided."
    Renee declares, setting her cup into the sink before smiling at Blanche. "Until next time then. I'll bring the gun when it is done." She promises. Her coat readjusts itself and the moment she steps out of the Barracks, Blanche will see the back open up into two pairs of insect wings to allow Renee to fly away.

  27. - Top - End - #297
    Orc in the Playground
     
    Earl of Purple's Avatar

    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    With folk in the North
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    Arriving

    A bird is the first to appear. A yellow-feathered hoopoe, with a crest of black-tipped feathers rising from its head. It tilts its head as it lands nearby, not getting too close even though other, more normal animals are probably less skittish. "Hoo poo." It stares, curiously at Fleece and, to a lesser extent, Cessie.
    Terrowin Avatar by HappyTurtle. Much thanks!

  28. - Top - End - #298
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Morty's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Poland
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Belated Welcome Wagon]

    "...I don't know what a Conan has to do with it," Wenomir says, slowly and carefully. "It's a martial philosophy I follow. I used to doubt its being real, but not anymore. The weapon I carry is its physical expression. I will never find the answer to the Riddle, but a life spend searching for it will be well-spent."
    My FFRP characters. Avatar by Ashen Lilies. Sigatars by Ashen Lilies, Gullara and Purple Eagle.
    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? See our Discord server.

  29. - Top - End - #299
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Devixer's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    I go places

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    Lower Village - The Lakeshore

    Iamar looks at the ground, and grimaces. "Truth be told, I have seen more than enough of violence and war. Whether home or here, I am finished with it - and yet it continues."

    "Other ways? And what would you suggest? I cannot use the strange magics of this world, and I do not have the knowledge for technology like yours."

  30. - Top - End - #300
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Rebonack's Avatar

    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    The King's Grave

    Default Re: VVVVVigil: Valorous Veterans Vanquishing Venal Vermin

    [Belated Welcome Wagon]

    "Conan was a fictional warrior," Zee says, ever the genre savvy one. "Who largely set the stage for the sword and sorcery literary theme. The riddle of steel factored into it, though I'm not sure if it's the same idea. If I've learned anything from the Nexus, it's that you don't dismiss these things as coincidences when they pop up."

    Also?

    She peers briefly at the weapon in question.

    How, exactly, would one describe such a thing?

    "Your dedication has certainly attracted more than a few like minded people."

    [Lower Village - The Lakeshore]

    "There are always ways to help," Geneva insists as she draws a pair of three foot rods out of one of her machines and begins screwing them together. This, she offers Iamar. "Would you mind holding this up by that rock outcrop over there? Keep it perpendicular to the ground. It'll beep if it isn't level."

    There.

    See?

    Helping.

    "There are always new things to learn and new ways to help. All it takes is some dedication and persistence."
    Warning! Random Encounter™ detected!
    The Eternal Game Nightmære Stuff
    It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, just how awesome you look doing it.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •