Parsnip blinks as Skylar enters the Quiet Grove before turning around to head towards Chi.

Considering the circumstances, he explains to Chi that Purify might be able to help sort out food and water and considers the usage of Material Transfer in the building of a shelter.

Lentinula goes and picks up the frozen corpse in her ring.

Having done that she buzzes over and investigates the East of Mountain Trailhead. Not too far if it's exceptionally long, but Lentinula can fly which makes scouting a difficult path easier. Interestingly, she seems to be almost completely unbothered by the bitter cold. (basically, looking to see if there's anything there, but not progressing if the warning of the hike is meant to say "don't go this way until you aren't going to freeze to death anymore")


Important corpses count:
Airship crash casualty
Frozen hiker

Sakura rustles through the box, obtaining a mundane item known as A GUN. At least, Sakura thinks it's a gun.

SAKURA: ...Weird-gorilla gun. And what's with the slate? Is it like... an instruction manual?
SAKURA: Pfffft. I don't need directions on how to shoot someone.
SAKURA: Just point, aim, an-

Skylar ambushes(?) Sakura, attempting to seize the gun(?) and use it to scan(?) her. However, in a panic, the princess knees Skylar away, before attempting to "unload" the scanner into them. Sakura ends up scanning Skylar about six times in quick succession.

SAKURA: Damn it. Not a gun.
SAKURA: W-Wait, you're not one of- well, my bad.
SAKURA: Not that it would've mattered if I unloaded six rounds into your head, anyway. We all seem to be somewhat... immortal, for lack of a better way to describe that "respawning" thing the Spherebreakers could do.
SAKURA: T-That's besides the point, t-though! Don't s-sneak up on me like that! O-Or try to steal my gorilla! T-This is mine! I-I found this!
SAKURA: Wonder how much it sells for, hmm...

Sakura doesn't bother to help Skylar up, instead examining the two devices she's earned. Tablet and not-gun. Is there anyone who'd know more about this? Maybe Chi, but... what if Chi confiscated this rare, exotic loot? Something like this could probably give her enough cash to... eat decently for once! Hell if she'd let it slip out of her hands.

Eventually, Sakura settles on who she'll ask about the device. That cute science girl, Bagel. She's pretty sure that's her name. Wandering to wherever Basil might be, Sakura accosts the scientist, likely violating her personal space.

SAKURA: Hey, nerd girl. Bagel, right?
SAKURA: Got any idea what the hell this thing is? Or what this tablet is for?
SAKURA: ...How much do you think I could pawn this off for?

sakura please don't sell these plot essential items

QUOTE (Eris @ May 11 2023, 05:10 PM)

Sakura finds "Bagel" still mulling over the wreckage, asking about how much the scanner would be worth. Basil seems to lack the backbone to correct her. As she observes the device in Sakura's hands, her obvious anxiety becomes matched equally-obvious interest. BASIL: U-Um, if I had to guess, it would seem to be a scanner. BASIL: See, it bears a resemblance to mine? BASIL: But I have never seen one this colour before... She seems to have missed the part where Sakura asked how much it would be worth. This might have been intentional, as she still answers the other question with confidence (at least, confident for Basil). BASIL: Hm... this might be an older version of the scanner we use now, from before the Codex Monstrum. BASIL: It's hard to tell without testing it out, but I would think that scanning something would display the related information on the tablet. BASIL: That way, it would be a self-contained system for lack of a collective database. BASIL: At least, that's the best I can guess without operating it myself. BASIL: U-Um, have you tried it at all? The hope in her voice seems to indicate that she would very much like to do so.

Sakura hesitates in handing the device to the woman she knew as "Bagel". What if she stole it? Then again, with the way she fidgeted and shook... it'd be truly miraculous if Bagel had the nerve to do such a thing. But there was one more issue to cover. To that end, Sakura immediately levelled the scanner at Basil, "barrel" aimed at her head.

SAKURA: Here. Live test.
SAKURA: Bang!~

The scientist looks more confused than scared of the handgun-like device, at least until Sakura makes a gun noise out of nowhere. Basil is promptly scanned. Without another word, Sakura gently lobs the duo of scanner and tablet to the scientist.

SAKURA: So...
SAKURA: Think I can buy lunch with this old fossil?

Sakura finds "Bagel" still mulling over the wreckage, asking about how much the scanner would be worth. Basil seems to lack the backbone to correct her. As she observes the device in Sakura's hands, her obvious anxiety becomes matched with equally-obvious interest.

BASIL: U-Um, if I had to guess, it would seem to be a scanner.
BASIL: See, it bears a resemblance to mine?
BASIL: But I have never seen one this colour before...

She seems to have missed the part where Sakura asked how much it would be worth. This might have been intentional, as she still answers the other question with confidence (at least, confident for Basil).

BASIL: Hm... this might be an older version of the scanner we use now, from before the Codex Monstrum.
BASIL: It's hard to tell without testing it out, but I would think that scanning something would display the related information on the tablet.
BASIL: That way, it would be a self-contained system for lack of a collective database.
BASIL: At least, that's the best I can guess without operating it myself.
BASIL: U-Um, have you tried it at all?

The hope in her voice seems to indicate that she would very much like to do so.

~~~

QUOTE (FlamingFlapjacks @ May 3 2023, 01:50 AM)

After that awkward pause to compare Harmony to a exploding airship and not-exploding princess, Lepidodendron turns to Harmony, adjusting their drawing with the info Harmony gave them as they speak. LEPIDODENDRON: Harmony... That's a good name! I'll remember it. LEPIDODENDRON: Well, I try to remember most names, even if they're bad. LEPIDODENDRON: But still! Good name. Rolls off the tongue. Har.. mo.. nee. LEPIDODENDRON: Lizard tree.. I don't think I'm a lizard. Haven't really checked, but, I'm not really sure what I'd look for. LEPIDODENDRON: I'll keep you updated on that front.. They nod, scribbling down Harmony's drawing advice. LEPIDODENDRON: Chi says you were als- erm, you were with the Rose Cult. Held by them, or part of them..? Sorry, you don't have to answer that if you don't want to. LEPIDODENDRON: Don't want to create assumptions. Make assumptions, I mean. But, well.. They squint up at Harmony, who is a good bit taller then them, even with their boots and hat. LEPIDODENDRON: You do stick out a bit. And I've never heard of someone with your skills, let alone such a unique.. build? No, that's not the right word. What would be the right word.. They flip through their book. LEPIDODENDRON: I've never met someone with, well, four arms. I guess that would be the right word. Or the right two words. Hah. LEPIDODENDRON: Did you get the extras to replace the burnt one, or..

Harmony shakes their head.

HARMONY: I was part of the Rose Cult a long time ago., but not recently..
HARMONY: My sect was less associated with the Butterfly., more with the advancements of the flesh that certain parts of the Cult were known for..
HARMONY: We were fanatics for it..

As if to prove the point, Harmony pushes aside their cloak and raises their four arms. As they had mentioned, the fourth previously-hidden arm was feathered and clawed, but interestingly doesn't seem to originate from an Iti. A look of pride crosses their face.

HARMONY: It would be easy to confuse what we did for reverence of the Chaos Butterfly., but it was for our own curiosity..
HARMONY: How far can the Chairian body go.? How much more can we force it to accept.?
HARMONY: Unfortunately., some of those experiments are the reason why I.'m in chains here..
HARMONY: While I don.'t operate on sentient beings unwillingly., several of my companions had no such code..

They shake their head in disappointment... or perhaps melancholy?

HARMONY: I believe I have earned some level of trust if they allow me to be here..
HARMONY: I hope this information doesn.'t make you wary of me.. For whatever reason., I feel I can trust you not to reveal it to everyone you meet..

Lepido has some questions about Harmony's arms.

HARMONY: Burnt., yes..
HARMONY: My original arms became damaged when I was first experimented on., but that isn.'t a story I am in a hurry to retell..
HARMONY: While they no longer shake when I operate., I am unlikely ever to regain the ability of Woodmancy through them..
HARMONY: As for the new ones., they are more recent than you would think..
HARMONY: I just can.'t seem to settle when it comes to arms..

Zone 1 - the Northern Wilds

"...There certainly is enough fire to go around, yes..."

Blacklight sighs, wandering past a piece of burning debris and using it to ignite a cigarette, then he sits down on a nearby crate to have a brief smoke break. Going by the look in his eyes, he really would appreciate it if the nicotine actually worked on him... But it doesn't, so it's just a way to pass some time.

Once he's ready, he gets back up, extinguishing the cigarette and sparing a glance in Chi's direction as he walks past.

"I'll get to work on building some sort of shelter. Or at least try to, if the design I'm thinking of will work... In the meantime, the water supply should be theoretically solvable if we have any intact containers capable of holding snow."

He wanders off screen, heading up to the large buildup of snow in the... calculating... Western direction from Landfall. There, he gathers up a bunch of the snow through a moderate amount of physical effort, pulling it back closer to Landfall since that's sort of where we're setting up and all that. Then, he gets to work.

...He appears to be compressing the snow into large blocks and constructing an Igloo. It's his first time making one, so it's probably not going to be the best thing ever, but hey. It's a form of shelter that keeps people warm, can keep a fire inside itself without melting, and it makes use of arguably the most or second-most abundant resource in the middle of a snowy forest.

<ROUND 10>

Debbie heads down to (I44), her Yggcrawler following across the ice. The reanimated stilt-walker manages to cross the pond safely, although a few hair-thin cracks form in the ice as it does so, especially near the already cracked sections.

As Debbie heads south, she discovers a shack – surprisingly sturdy-looking and large for its abandoned state, although the cold has begun to seep in through some holes in the walls. Maybe this could be fashioned into a shelter – although with twenty-plus party members, it would be pretty cramped. At least there’s a bed frame.

---

Skylar appears in the Quiet Grove. It nabs the scanner and shoots Sakura in the head… or, attempts to. Sakura manages to evade scanner capture.

Foiled again, Skylar instead takes a look at the strange rock. The rock does not react. There do seem to be some strange radio waves emanating from it, unlike anything Skylar has ever detected before, but the waves aren’t actually affecting anything in any observable way.




Skylar and the rock continue to sit there for several minutes, wasting everyone’s time.

Finally, Keane promises to wrangle Sakura into a life of non-crime. Chi sighs.

CHI: …If you insist.
CHI: To be honest, I think it might be for the best if you stayed away from that girl. For your own sake, not hers.
CHI: But I can see I won’t be able to stop you in any case…
CHI: Wait, you’ve been running around in the wilderness here. Have you observed anything unusual?
CHI: My scouts reported strange Iti activity, but you’d think they’d have told me about a giant whale Eliti!

---

Parser suggests using Purify for food and water, and Material Transfer for shelter-building. Chi rubs her chin in thought.

CHI: I don’t think the “Purify” spell can make food and water out of nothing…
CHI: Maybe it can make sure we don’t get food poisoning as a consequence… Or we could just cast it afterward if we do get sick.
CHI: As for your “Material Transfer” spell, are you sure you can make something large enough with magical needles and thread?
CHI: That seems like it would take an exceptionally long time, and lots of mana… And it probably wouldn’t be very sturdy.

---

Lentinula obtains another corpse. She also goes mountain hiking, but with wings.

Surveying the path from above, Lentinula sees a rough, poorly-maintained trail wind its way up the nearest mountain. Only the lack of trees and the presence of conspicuous log-bridges make it clear that there is a trail at all, in fact; the snows have made everything else uniform. There doesn’t seem to be anything terribly noteworthy along the trail as far as she can see, other than perhaps a few cave entrances. It’ll definitely be a long hike, though.

---

Sakura kills Skylar with a gun. Just kidding. She scans Skylar six times by accident trying, though. The nearby tablet hums as lines of symbols race down its surface, but Sakura ignores it for the time being.

Then, Bagel appears. As Sakura scans Basil and lobs the equipment over, the scientist notices the changes occurring on the reader. Notably, her own combat statistics, written in several scripts (legibly so in Chairian). The entry is fairly sparse, but there appears to be a blinking cursor at the bottom… a field to input a description, maybe? It seems that if this is a local database, it has no information on Basil already stored.

---

Blacklight begins work on a shelter. Specifically, an igloo. I wonder if there will be a zombie villager at the bottom.

---

Exploration continues. Meanwhile, the construction of the great igloo has begun. That being said, sunset is drawing near… Better get moving.

SUPER aidaradendron SIXTY FOUR!!

LEPIDODENDRON: i'm watching disney channel

QUOTE (Eris @ May 12 2023, 01:10 AM)

HARMONY: I was part of the Rose Cult a long time ago., but not recently.. HARMONY: My sect was less associated with the Butterfly., more with the advancements of the flesh that certain parts of the Cult were known for.. HARMONY: We were fanatics for it.. As if to prove the point, Harmony pushes aside their cloak and raises their four arms. As they had mentioned, the fourth previously-hidden arm was feathered and clawed, but interestingly doesn't seem to originate from an Iti. A look of pride crosses their face. HARMONY: It would be easy to confuse what we did for reverence of the Chaos Butterfly., but it was for our own curiosity.. HARMONY: How far can the Chairian body go.? How much more can we force it to accept.? HARMONY: Unfortunately., some of those experiments are the reason why I.'m in chains here.. HARMONY: While I don.'t operate on sentient beings unwillingly., several of my companions had no such code.. They shake their head in disappointment... or perhaps melancholy? HARMONY: I believe I have earned some level of trust if they allow me to be here.. HARMONY: I hope this information doesn.'t make you wary of me.. For whatever reason., I feel I can trust you not to reveal it to everyone you meet.. Lepido has some questions about Harmony's arms. HARMONY: Burnt., yes.. HARMONY: My original arms became damaged when I was first experimented on., but that isn.'t a story I am in a hurry to retell.. HARMONY: While they no longer shake when I operate., I am unlikely ever to regain the ability of Woodmancy through them.. HARMONY: As for the new ones., they are more recent than you would think.. HARMONY: I just can.'t seem to settle when it comes to arms..

Lepidodendron scribbles down information as Harmony speaks- though, they keep looking dead ahead at Harmony as they write. Its surprising they're still writing- and, on inspection, drawing- semi-coherently.

LEPIDODENDRON: Body, flesh, flesh...

Lepidodendron pauses, flipping back through their book, to one of the very first pages- Harmony can likely glimpse a large network of scribbles covering the page, interconnecting lines crisscrossing between them and tiny notes crammed in every part of the page. Lepidodendron traces a finger down the page, tapping it on one passage- seemingly speed rereading it.

LEPIDODENDRON: .. I think I do remember.. know, know about, your sect. Were they the Quicksilvur group? I think I heard about them before- well, I think I've heard about them before, I mean.
LEPIDODENDRON: Er, I mean. Not ur. Quicksilv.. er. Sect. Quicksilver sect.

Lepidodendron flips back rather rapidly to their pages documentation Harmony, letting their eyes drift back up to the Chairian in question.

LEPIDODENDRON: You can trust me not to, uh, breach. Leak. Let slip? Let slip, this stuff.
LEPIDODENDRON: I know what it's like under the Rose. And er, having secrets. Both of those things. Pretty similar.. relatable. Pretty relatable.

Lepidodendron looks down at their own hands- a surgeon like Harmony might notice, depending on their expertise with their own kind, that Lepidodendron's bark looks very.. perfect. Not in a Spark's mindless soldier kinda way. More in that it looks a bit too good to be true- no hints of scars or injuries that one might accumulate, like they maybe used woodmancy to smooth out their own "flesh". Lepidodendron clenches a fist- ethereal red vines much like those they demonstrated reanimating the Iti and on the ship battle twisting out from their bark and around their hand.

LEPIDODENDRON: I can't say I have the same proper, er, illness.. issue.. ailment? Sure. Ailment, with Arbormancy that you do. But I do have my own, uh, faults. In that department.
LEPIDODENDRON: I struggle a lot with er, it. It's funny, I'm pretty quality- decent, decent, at the more esoteric styles of casting.. dirt, thunder, ice, even, er..


They gesture to the few remaining embers on the airship wreckage.

LEPIDODENDRON: You know.
LEPIDODENDRON: Don't tell Chi that I've, tried that.
LEPIDODENDRON: But as for Arbormancy itself, I kinda struggle with anything.. inanimate. Or not formerly animate. Not mortisis- I can do it if I really try, but it makes me so tired, and hurts a lot, and uh, just, generally feels, er, crummy.
LEPIDODENDRON: Trees, roots, planks.. Airship wreckage...
LEPIDODENDRON: I'm not sure if its a mental thing or, ah, more of a.. inbuilt thing. But the further something gets from life, the harder I find to.. manipulate it.


A reanimated Harpy awkwardly flies overhead, carrying bits of rubble.

LEPIDODENDRON: It's how I got into, necromancy, right? Something about corpses is just so easy to control. And then I, uh, realized it could also work on, things that weren't quite..
LEPIDODENDRON: Corpses. Yet.
LPEIPODENDRON: So less "things" and more, animals. Fairies. Plants.
LEPIDODENDRON: ...people.


Lepidodendron winces.

LEPIDODENDRON: It's a neat party trick. I'm not a Morph by birth, but, I can.. pop.

The vines twist into Lepidodendron's own hands- several new fingers forming out of bark, waving at Harmony. The morphing is undone a moment later, though, as Lep shakes their head.

LEPIDODENDRON: Just, er. Stops being much of a party trick and more of a.. illegal, uh, antithetical.. unethical! Unethical kinda thing. When you do it on people.
LEPIDODENDRON: Especially, uh, today. More modern.. common.. new sensibilities and all. Gotta stick to corpses, and all. ...or those Iti. Nobody seemed to really find, er, issue, with me controlling that one on the ship.
LEPIDODENDRON: Maybe because it died afterwards. I did cut off its.. breathing. Afterwards. Heh.

---

Deploy The Big Dice

QUOTE (Urus @ May 4 2023, 11:25 PM)

Des overhears their name mentioned, and steps closer. DES: Unstable, eh? Not wrong. Funnily enough, it seems like this Thymefield's making me a little more consistent than usual, though. DES: It's a weird feeling. Like the only ways my magic can manifest here are within 76 strictly-defined forms. They absentmindedly toss their dice in the air and catch them. DES: I should probably learn how magic works around here, since I guess I'm stuck with the same spells as everyone else for now. DES: Hard to play without knowing the rules.

Lepidodendron blinks in surprise as Des Appears.

LEPIDODENDRON: Oh- hi! You're.. dice.. Des, correct?
LEPIDODENDRON: I can't say I've gotten the same feeling from the Thymefield. But maybe it's because I'm already playing by these.. rules?

They flip through their book, settling on a set of pages dominated by a massive drawing of whats likely the Sphere, surrounded by notes.

LEPIDODENDRON: I wasn't really ever, in the Thymefield, for long. But, I did read it limited Beyonders- Outsiders, Outsiders down to Chairian- our, our level.
LEPIDODENDRON: I don't know if this one will function the same. Then again, I haven't even attempted much magic since our.. departure.. arrival! Arrival. If you could call it that.
LEPIDODENDRON: ...When you say 'this' Thymefield.. were you around for the, uh, first one? Or any.. extra, other, other Thymefields
I haven't heard about yet. Don't mean to pry, but I'm curious.

Silently, they flip to a new page, a sketch of Des slowly taking shape as they speak.

---

chireal

After a while, as the sun begins to set, Lepidodendron's LOYAL MINIONS approach them- having mostly finished their orders to scavenge materials. Lepido winces at their collection- a few half incinerated suitcases, some extremely burnt rations, a miraculously intact singular pillow, a lot of metal and wood, and..

LEPIDODENDRON: ..are they fireproof?

..a completely intact, unburnt, Chaosdog. Lepidodendron stares at the Chaosdog and quietly pockets it, before commanding their summons to follow them over to where Chi and Bass are.

LEPIDODENDRON: Hey! Chi, and, Americ- Bass, Bass, of course. I managed to scavenge as much as I could from the er, whole, y'know.
LEPIDODENDRON: Hopefully some of it is useful.. maybe. I think some of this jerky might still be edible!

They hold up one of the rations- its unclear how much of what they're holding is food and how much of it is ash. The undead Iti mill behind them awkwardly.

LEPIDODENDRON: And there was a Chaosdog, though I'm not sure how much I trust its, consumption- quality- edibility, edibility there, in that department.
LEPIDODENDRON: Is there anything else that could use me and my art's.. assistance?
LEPIDODENDRON: Aside from just clearing more scrap, erm, I think there's not a whole lot left to find, where people aren't already looking.

Will Chi and Bass have any use for the undead's collection of burnt wood, metal, and rations? Find out next time on Our Airships Traumatized.

Northern Wilds

Oh BABY, a run-down shack! It's... not the best of the best in terms of shelter, but it'll at least keep the snow off.

DEBBIE: Paige, can you stay there for a moment?
DEBBIE: I need to let the others know of our findings.

After taking a peek inside and ensuring that nobody's using it, she rushes back to the crash site and (after bumping into Doc) immediately gets to Chi.

DEBBIE: Ah, there you are!
DEBBIE: Ms. Chi, I-I have news, good news.
DEBBIE: Phew...

Debbie points in the direction she just came from.

DEBBIE: We've located a pond frozen over that way. We may be able to fish in it.
DEBBIE: Failing that, there are these furry... u-um, things, with helixical shells? I dunno what you call them...

She points out a drawing of them on her clipboard. It's clearly incredibly hasty, squiggly, and very much... er... "stylized"... but it's decently clear that they're Woolly Mollusks.

DEBBIE: ...we could try and hunt them?
DEBBIE: Further that way is an abandoned cabin or shack. It's a bit small, however, especially with our... twenty-something odd survivors? Some of whom are... not really suited for tight spaces.

She doesn't know if Doc was around, but if he is, she addresses her... admittedly quite back-handed comment there.

DEBBIE: U-um. No offense, Doc. Sorry...

She then spots Blacklight building an Igloo. Huh. That might resolve the space issue.

DEBBIE: Oh, I've heard of those, too! Small-ish domes of ice blocks that are surprisingly warm inside.
DEBBIE: Maybe with a few of those and the cabin we can get everyone under a roof tonight.

She then looks down at Keane. Looks like Chi patched him up. Debbie smiles warmly at him and nods before returning to Chi.

DEBBIE: A-anyway, I'm going to go make sure the area's totally cleared out.
DEBBIE: B-be right back!

Debbie then hastily rushes back to the shack (surprisingly not tripping and smacking her back), returning to Paige in front of the shack. She slides to a halt, accidentally kicking up snow. It might or might not've gotten onto Paige. That's how snow do, sadly. Debbie gasps.

DEBBIE: O-oh goodness, I'm sorry, I was j-just in such a rush and... y-yeah...

An awkward moment of silence. A gust of cold wind blows some snow around. And probably blows some off of Paige.

DEBBIE: U-um, where were we?

They likely both continue walking and talking as they move through (V44).

---

Surprise Author visit! Debbie's a bit taken aback by the sudden question, but just as quickly relaxes, as if... recognizing him. She sheepishly fiddles with her hair as she answers the "quicksand" question.

DEBBIE: O-oh, that...
DEBBIE: Haha, yeah, t-that.
DEBBIE: Funny thing about that...

DEBBIE: I-I don't know how either. N-not while on the ship, anyway.

She exhales.

DEBBIE: Normally, I'd need solid ground to make it...
DEBBIE: Solid ground, combined with my air magic flowing through it, typically results in... for lack of a better term, "controllably destroying" the ground into sand, where it acts like a fluid.
DEBBIE: I-it's not quite "Quicksand", you can't really get stuck in it, but this "Fluidsand", as I call it, does make it hard to move through.
DEBBIE: I... m-maybe this "Thymefield" let me do that on the ship for some reason?
DEBBIE: I mean, I didn't see any damage the Fluidsand could have caused prior to... w-well, being shot down...
DEBBIE: It's a bit weird.
DEBBIE: Though I suppose it's nothing overly strange for you, Author.

Auth's fame travels far, it seems. When told about the mollusks, she nods and scribbles some stuff down in her clipboard.

DEBBIE: Hopefully we won't need to resort to hunting these Mollusks. H-hopefully.

SUPER KEANE MCZUPP SIXTY SEVEN

QUOTE (Adria @ May 16 2023, 12:19 AM)

She then spots Blacklight building an Igloo. Huh. That might resolve the space issue. DEBBIE: Oh, I've heard of those, too! Small-ish domes of ice blocks that are surprisingly warm inside. DEBBIE: Maybe with a few of those and the cabin we can get everyone under a roof tonight. She then looks down at Keane. Looks like Chi patched him up. Debbie smiles warmly at him and nods before returning to Chi.

Keane raises an eyebrow at Debbie, clearly suspicious, but returns the nod.

QUOTE (Dedomeni @ May 12 2023, 11:11 PM)

Finally, Keane promises to wrangle Sakura into a life of non-crime. Chi sighs. CHI: …If you insist. CHI: To be honest, I think it might be for the best if you stayed away from that girl. For your own sake, not hers. CHI: But I can see I won’t be able to stop you in any case… CHI: Wait, you’ve been running around in the wilderness here. Have you observed anything unusual? CHI: My scouts reported strange Iti activity, but you’d think they’d have told me about a giant whale Eliti!

As Chi remarks on Keane's (extremely dubious) employment under Sakura, Keane sighs, oddly despondent-sounding.

KEANE: ...Yeah.... Fair enough.
KEANE: I'll be totally honest, I don't see a way this ends without me getting my chest ripped open again, but, like... better me than someone else, right?
KEANE: Please at least tell me she's mellowed out a bit. Or is it too early to tell...?

The conversation, soon enough, turns to Mystery Iti.

KEANE: What, me?
KEANE: Um... I've been eating Seekers for food, but, like... uh.
KEANE: I'm not totally sure I've been fully functioning, memory-wise, heh.
KEANE: I mean, my memory was bad before but I'm not sure I remember, like...
KEANE: Most of the last year, actually.
KEANE: At least not until the very small teenager with a fucked up flesh arm tackled me and aggravated my very normal and not at all Iti related wound, haha!
KEANE:
KEANE:
KEANE: HA HA BYE.

Keane does not sweat, because he is made of rock. In fact, he is just about the most unsuspicious rock to ever live. Before Chi can ask any more Iti-related questions, Keane bolts towards the igloo, quickly immersing himself in the construction effort and humming a voidship shanty just loud enough that trying to ask a not-igloo-related question would be pretty inconvenient.

---

Skylar

QUOTE (Irecreeper @ May 11 2023, 09:26 PM)

Skylar ambushes(?) Sakura, attempting to seize the gun(?) and use it to scan(?) her. However, in a panic, the princess knees Skylar away, before attempting to "unload" the scanner into them. Sakura ends up scanning Skylar about six times in quick succession. SAKURA: Damn it. Not a gun. SAKURA: W-Wait, you're not one of- well, my bad. SAKURA: Not that it would've mattered if I unloaded six rounds into your head, anyway. We all seem to be somewhat... immortal, for lack of a better way to describe that "respawning" thing the Spherebreakers could do. SAKURA: T-That's besides the point, t-though! Don't s-sneak up on me like that! O-Or try to steal my gorilla! T-This is mine! I-I found this! SAKURA: Wonder how much it sells for, hmm... Sakura doesn't bother to help Skylar up, instead examining the two devices she's earned. Tablet and not-gun. Is there anyone who'd know more about this? Maybe Chi, but... what if Chi confiscated this rare, exotic loot? Something like this could probably give her enough cash to... eat decently for once! Hell if she'd let it slip out of her hands.

Skylar very pointedly does not bwaah as it tumbles a small ways away from Sakura. As it rights itself, an extra camera pops out of its other side to survey the small dent.

SKYLAR: CAREFUL
SKYLAR: I AM FILLED WITH SENSITIVE EQUIPMENT
SKYLAR: RESPAWNING IS REPORTEDLY "NOT FUN"
SKYLAR: NOT THAT THAT TRULY MEANS ANYTHING
SKYLAR: AND SPEAKING OF SENSITIVE EQUIPMENT
SKYLAR: I DO NOT THINK YOU ARE ALLOWED TO CLAIM THAT FOR YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY
SKYLAR: ACCORDING TO [Chapter 59 of the Chancylvanian Military Decorum Handbook: 'Guidelines for Party Requisition of Sweet Loot'] YOU WOULD HAVE TO CLEAR IT WITH A SUPERIOR BEFORE SELLING OR CLAIMING IT FOR PERSONAL USE
SKYLAR: THE CHAIRIAN LEGION IS LIKELY NOT DIFFERENT IN THAT REGARD

After Sakura leaves the Grove to go find Basil, Skylar studies the odd rock further.

SKYLAR: INTRIGUING READINGS

---

Paige

QUOTE (Adria @ May 16 2023, 12:19 AM)

DEBBIE: O-oh goodness, I'm sorry, I was j-just in such a rush and... y-yeah... An awkward moment of silence. A gust of cold wind blows some snow around. And probably blows some off of Paige. DEBBIE: U-um, where were we? They likely both continue walking and talking as they move through (V44).

PAIGE: Hmm?
PAIGE: Oh, no, don't worry, you're fine! :3
PAIGE: We were talking about, uh, the Echo Collective? And how it's a real (not fake) place?

QUOTE (Sp33d0n @ May 21 2023, 03:33 PM)

Auth floats over Debbie and Paige. AUTH: I've been considering what happened on the flight here, where I saw some remarkably odd things. AUTH: I don't quite know how, but there was quicksand on a floating airship. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you? Since Debbie doesn't seem to know what they're called, Auth decides to elucidate. AUTH: Those giant mollusk things are, creatively, just known as mollusks. I'd suggest fishing is probably the safer option here. AUTH: For numerous reasons. I'd avoid the potential angering of deities.

Paige stares up at Auth, clearly nonplussed.

PAIGE: Quicksand on a floating airship? Pssshhht. That's nothin'!
PAIGE: I could do some MUCH more interesting and improbable things. Uh, no offense, Debbie. (￣▽￣*)ゞ
PAIGE: Well. If I had some peckin' service, maybe!
PAIGE: I've got so many cool abilities and I can't use ANY of them... ( ╥ω╥ )

"Hey guys!"

Offtopic begins drawing a stick-figure fight in the snow with his fingers.

my character sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Lyp...#gid=1621537444 (top sheet, ignore the sheet at the bottom)

QUOTE (FlamingFlapjacks @ May 16 2023, 10:13 AM)

LEPIDODENDRON: Body, flesh, flesh... Lepidodendron pauses, flipping back through their book, to one of the very first pages- Harmony can likely glimpse a large network of scribbles covering the page, interconnecting lines crisscrossing between them and tiny notes crammed in every part of the page. Lepidodendron traces a finger down the page, tapping it on one passage- seemingly speed rereading it. LEPIDODENDRON: .. I think I do remember.. know, know about, your sect. Were they the Quicksilvur group? I think I heard about them before- well, I think I've heard about them before, I mean. LEPIDODENDRON: Er, I mean. Not ur. Quicksilv.. er. Sect. Quicksilver sect. Lepidodendron flips back rather rapidly to their pages documentation Harmony, letting their eyes drift back up to the Chairian in question. LEPIDODENDRON: You can trust me not to, uh, breach. Leak. Let slip? Let slip, this stuff. LEPIDODENDRON: I know what it's like under the Rose. And er, having secrets. Both of those things. Pretty similar.. relatable. Pretty relatable. Lepidodendron looks down at their own hands- a surgeon like Harmony might notice, depending on their expertise with their own kind, that Lepidodendron's bark looks very.. perfect. Not in a Spark's mindless soldier kinda way. More in that it looks a bit too good to be true- no hints of scars or injuries that one might accumulate, like they maybe used woodmancy to smooth out their own "flesh". Lepidodendron clenches a fist- ethereal red vines much like those they demonstrated reanimating the Iti and on the ship battle twisting out from their bark and around their hand. LEPIDODENDRON: I can't say I have the same proper, er, illness.. issue.. ailment? Sure. Ailment, with Arbormancy that you do. But I do have my own, uh, faults. In that department. LEPIDODENDRON: I struggle a lot with er, it. It's funny, I'm pretty quality- decent, decent, at the more esoteric styles of casting.. dirt, thunder, ice, even, er.. They gesture to the few remaining embers on the airship wreckage. LEPIDODENDRON: You know. LEPIDODENDRON: Don't tell Chi that I've, tried that. LEPIDODENDRON: But as for Arbormancy itself, I kinda struggle with anything.. inanimate. Or not formerly animate. Not mortisis- I can do it if I really try, but it makes me so tired, and hurts a lot, and uh, just, generally feels, er, crummy. LEPIDODENDRON: Trees, roots, planks.. Airship wreckage... LEPIDODENDRON: I'm not sure if its a mental thing or, ah, more of a.. inbuilt thing. But the further something gets from life, the harder I find to.. manipulate it. A reanimated Harpy awkwardly flies overhead, carrying bits of rubble. LEPIDODENDRON: It's how I got into, necromancy, right? Something about corpses is just so easy to control. And then I, uh, realized it could also work on, things that weren't quite.. LEPIDODENDRON: Corpses. Yet. LPEIPODENDRON: So less "things" and more, animals. Fairies. Plants. LEPIDODENDRON: ...people. Lepidodendron winces. LEPIDODENDRON: It's a neat party trick. I'm not a Morph by birth, but, I can.. pop. The vines twist into Lepidodendron's own hands- several new fingers forming out of bark, waving at Harmony. The morphing is undone a moment later, though, as Lep shakes their head. LEPIDODENDRON: Just, er. Stops being much of a party trick and more of a.. illegal, uh, antithetical.. unethical! Unethical kinda thing. When you do it on people. LEPIDODENDRON: Especially, uh, today. More modern.. common.. new sensibilities and all. Gotta stick to corpses, and all. ...or those Iti. Nobody seemed to really find, er, issue, with me controlling that one on the ship. LEPIDODENDRON: Maybe because it died afterwards. I did cut off its.. breathing. Afterwards. Heh.

Harmony doesn't seem to be bothered by the mention of corpses either, and takes interest in Lepidodendron's version of Woodmancy.

HARMONY: Fascinating..
HARMONY: It truly is amazing how different individual Chairians can be....
HARMONY: I.'ll remember you., Lepidodendron..
HARMONY: Please remember me if you ever desire any additional organs to assist with your tiredness issue..

~~~

QUOTE (Irecreeper @ May 12 2023, 07:26 AM)

Sakura hesitates in handing the device to the woman she knew as "Bagel". What if she stole it? Then again, with the way she fidgeted and shook... it'd be truly miraculous if Bagel had the nerve to do such a thing. But there was one more issue to cover. To that end, Sakura immediately levelled the scanner at Basil, "barrel" aimed at her head. SAKURA: Here. Live test. SAKURA: Bang!~ The scientist looks more confused than scared of the handgun-like device, at least until Sakura makes a gun noise out of nowhere. Basil is promptly scanned. Without another word, Sakura gently lobs the duo of scanner and tablet to the scientist. SAKURA: So... SAKURA: Think I can buy lunch with this old fossil?

Basil looks at the readout on the tablet. She wonders if there would be a way to search it or otherwise access the existing database. Perhaps it's only possible when scanning something? Naturally she wouldn't be on the database, so it would be worth trying out the next time we encounter native Iti.

It then occurs to her that Sakura still wants to sell the device. She looks flabbergasted.

BASIL: You would want to sell it...?
BASIL: ...But this is an incredible discovery!
BASIL: It might be the first evidence of an organised group of sapient beings besides Chairians and Tabletopians! A society!
BASIL: Such a discovery would be priceless to the xenobiological anthropology division!

She sighs with exasperation.

BASIL: Besides, there doesn't even seem to be anyone to sell it to around here...
BASIL: If you really want to sell it, could you at least wait until I can ask a colleague to appraise it...?
BASIL: I am certain you would be compensated handsomely for a find like this, and I anticipate the information it provides will be vital to our survival.

Basil internally hopes that the promise of money later will sate our kleptomaniac noble's desire to sell it off immediately, even if the importance of knowledge and self-preservation doesn't.

She decides to sift through what she could salvage of her luggage for some warmer clothes, eventually finding a vacuum-packed parka. Seeing as it matches her outfit, its probably hers.

QUOTE (Eris @ May 19 2023, 03:00 PM)

Basil looks at the readout on the tablet. She wonders if there would be a way to search it or otherwise access the existing database. Perhaps it's only possible when scanning something? Naturally she wouldn't be on the database, so it would be worth trying out the next time we encounter native Iti. It then occurs to her that Sakura still wants to sell the device. She looks flabbergasted. BASIL: You would want to sell it...? BASIL: ...But this is an incredible discovery! BASIL: It might be the first evidence of an organised group of sapient beings besides Chairians and Tabletopians! A society! BASIL: Such a discovery would be priceless to the xenobiological anthropology division! She sighs with exasperation. BASIL: Besides, there doesn't even seem to be anyone to sell it to around here... BASIL: If you really want to sell it, could you at least wait until I can ask a colleague to appraise it...? BASIL: I am certain you would be compensated handsomely for a find like this, and I anticipate the information it provides will be vital to our survival. Basil internally hopes that the promise of money later will sate our kleptomaniac noble's desire to sell it off immediately, even if the importance of knowledge and self-preservation doesn't.

Later money, huh? While Sakura would most certainly prefer "money now", there's not a strip mall in sight from her current whereabouts. There's not even a Chaosdog stand out here, and those can be found practically everywhere! And... Basil's totally right. There's no pawn shops out here.

SAKURA: Damn.
SAKURA: Well, whatever. Since you care so much, the least you can do for me is hold it, okay?
SAKURA: Maybe IF we get paid after this operation, you can buy it off me. And who knows. Maybe you'll find out something nice that'll increase the sell value if I let you keep it.
SAKURA: Just remember, though. It's still my artifact. My money.
SAKURA: ...If I'm feeling generous, you can have like, maybe 10% of the profits.
SAKURA: And if you lose it... well, I'm sure you wouldn't let that happen. Right?

...Basil obtained the Ancient Scanner, as well as what's most likely a death threat! Hurray!

Anyway, after a conversation that'll likely appear in a later post, Sakura decides to screw off to the Frozen Pond, where there's a... frozen pond. She peers down into the hole in the ice. Are there any fish down there? Fish are edible, right? God, would she love a fish right now.

As for how she might end up fishing... well, she fashions a crude fishing spear using Arbormancy, and stands vigilant near the hole in the ice. Though she's certainly not proficient at all in fishing, let alone spear fishing... perhaps perseverance and hunger are enough to land her a fish or two? It also probably helps that she's going to electrically shock whatever comes into view, too.

Pardon quickly moves out to maybe grab a bucket if Bass can find one and if not, stitch some quickly together to grab some water from the frozen pond…at a a small distance away from Sakura to avoid electric shocks. He then purifies it and gives it to Chi and heads to the shack where he sees about fixing some of the smaller holes with needle and thread. He also tests fixing some of the bigger ones by coaxing it ever so slowly with music blending into the harmony of the world…

Zone 1 - the Northern Wilds

Blacklight continues construction work for a while, since there really isn't much else for him to do. However, he does perk up a bit when he overhears Debbie reacting to the igloo in progress.

"I'm not quite sure where I remember the design from, probably the first iteration of the sequence of entities that lead to myself... But I'm reasonably sure I can make these to a suitable standard. And if it doesn't hold up as well as expected, then we're not exactly short of material to patch it up with."

...Let's just fast forward a bit, shall we? Eventually, Blacklight is done building the igloo. It looks... well... serviceable, if not particularly inviting. Which is to be expected from someone who doesn't even remember where he got the design from, and is also building igloos for the first time. He stands there and inspects it for a moment, then nods and turns away.

"Now what has everybody else been up to..."

Auth floats over Debbie and Paige.

AUTH: I've been considering what happened on the flight here, where I saw some remarkably odd things.
AUTH: I don't quite know how, but there was quicksand on a floating airship. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?

Since Debbie doesn't seem to know what they're called, Auth decides to elucidate.

AUTH: Those giant mollusk things are, creatively, just known as mollusks. I'd suggest fishing is probably the safer option here.
AUTH: For numerous reasons. I'd avoid the potential angering of deities.

---

Meanwhile, Alicia's broken off in the other direction, up to Skylar and Sakura. Alicia crouches over the strange purple rock, tilting her head all curious-like. If they notice, two of them would see her just kind of suddenly appear, despite not having been there before.

ALICIA: Hmm, what is this? What are you, rock?

It's a weird rock. Weird giant purple obelisk that's about person size. Alicia has an idea for what to do with a weird stone purple obelisk... hit it! She backs up, and slams the magic crystals at the bottom of her staff into the rock. It looks too heavy to carry... so this will either react, or break, and she can take some chunks of this purple rock to let other people look at it.

Or she won't. Then she will be sad. Alicia does snap to attention when "loot" is mentioned, appearing behind Skylar suddenly.

ALICIA: People generally don't like it when you take things for yourself without asking! That's why they didn't do it before!
ALICIA: We might be able to use it as a party! As a group! What's this about loot?

She did miss about two thirds of a conversation.

Build Tweak

Maria takes a point out of MHP, MMP and AGI to aquire the Rubbery Arms perk, giving her +1 Upper Range to her Basic Attack and Counter. Nevermind that, turns out that won't work how I thought it would.

Also the special is incorrect-the full editing to it wasn't done. And also 'allies downed/killed' as a fill condition turns out to be plain silly, so that's been removed, and the SP cost of the special slightly reduced.

Updated Stats.

---

Maria Is Not Deadweight

Maria has been gone for a little while from the rest of the group, clearly wandering around on her own in the woods. Not aimlessly, though-Maria has been dutifully searching and scrounging for wood. Not entire trees-just sticks and twigs and such.

"Fire needs fuel, and if we're staying in the shack, we need heat! We'll also probably need materials to patch up all the holes, and the wood will do!"

Maria thus makes herself busy collecting as much loose, dry wood as possible without straying too far from the group. Her sleeves had to be pulled down to keep from the cold-which means she couldn't transform either of her arms without damaging her clothes, which she vaguely registered as bad. Or at least annoying-couldn't she just grow a lot of hair instead? She could-and she could shed it just as quickly! But then her cute clothes would be torn up, which was unacceptable. So instead she just collects whatever wood she can off the forest floor or within reach without overly-struggling for the time being.

"... Was it like this for Venia when she came here the first time? Gee, I didn't even bother to ask!"

QUOTE (FlamingFlapjacks @ May 15 2023, 06:13 PM)

Quote Lepidodendron blinks in surprise as Des Appears. LEPIDODENDRON: Oh- hi! You're.. dice.. Des, correct? LEPIDODENDRON: I can't say I've gotten the same feeling from the Thymefield. But maybe it's because I'm already playing by these.. rules? They flip through their book, settling on a set of pages dominated by a massive drawing of whats likely the Sphere, surrounded by notes. LEPIDODENDRON: I wasn't really ever, in the Thymefield, for long. But, I did read it limited Beyonders- Outsiders, Outsiders down to Chairian- our, our level. LEPIDODENDRON: I don't know if this one will function the same. Then again, I haven't even attempted much magic since our.. departure.. arrival! Arrival. If you could call it that. LEPIDODENDRON: ...When you say 'this' Thymefield.. were you around for the, uh, first one? Or any.. extra, other, other Thymefields I haven't heard about yet. Don't mean to pry, but I'm curious. Silently, they flip to a new page, a sketch of Des slowly taking shape as they speak.

DES: Now that you mention it, it does seem like I'm only rolling magic on about the same power level as everyone else here.
DES: Hell, sometimes the same effects entirely. First one I rolled was "summon a bunch of undead". Didn't go with it, but I bet it would've manifested about the same way as yours.
DES: Wonder if I'm stuck copying spells from other casters around here, or if something weirder is afoot.

DES: I wasn't personally around for the first Thymefield, but I heard plenty about it from Remiel. One of the Spherebreakers, dunno how well-known they are around here.
DES: 'course, they've got their own weirdness when it comes to the Thymefield. And power-binding fields in general. Long story.
DES: Was hoping I'd be able to call 'em in if things got dicey, but seems that's gonna be tricky at the moment.
They gesture to the burnt mantle. Remiel dead :bwaah:

<ROUND 11>

Lepidodendron delivers some food to Chi and Bass. Including some rather ashen jerky and a somehow intact Chaosdog. Chi eyes the food with suspicion.

CHI: I, er… Thank you for the contributions.
CHI: A-are you sure this is–
BASS: dibs

Bass nimbly ducks between Chi and Lepido, grabbing the Chaosdog with two fingers as he does so.
BASS: sweet
BASS: freshly grilled by a giant gorila-off sky laser chaosdog
BASS: i knew coming on this trip was a good idea

Chi sighs.

CHI: Well, at least someone will eat it.
CHI: Could you ask your… creatures… to help Mr. Blacklight with his, igloo… project?
CHI: Most of the tents I brought are pretty badly damaged…

---

Debbie returns to brief Chi on her scouting mission. She suggests hunting the wooly mollusks found nearby, or simply going fishing. Auth then appears to discourage the former idea.

CHI: Well, mollusk is actually a fairly common food here!
CHI: Only the most devoted faithful of Lord Helix refuse to partake. I doubt he finds it sacreligious to eat them.
CHI: Or if he does, I’m due for a smite any day now. H-heh.

Debbie then mentions the abandoned shack.

CHI: Someone was living out here?
CHI: Probably not the man we found, or else he would have just returned to his home…
CHI: It really is impressive what we’re capable of, managing to live in such harsh climes so distant from civilization.
CHI: It must have been terribly lonely, though. I wonder if they had a family out here…
CHI: We can have some of our number fix the walls and hole up in there. It will save Mr. Blacklight some effort on his igloo-building…
CHI: And me on my… whatever this is.

Chi gestures helplessly at the assemblage of poles and sheets before her. R-8 and Bass are currently trying (and failing) to hook the pieces of tent back together.

Finally, Debbie returns to (V44). Poking around, she discovers… a cutscene. See you at the end of the update.

---

Keane escapes to the igloo fields. He will not answer any Iti-related questions. He will never go to jail again.

Meanwhile, Skylar continues to study the odd rock. It continues to not move. It is a rock, after all. Why would a rock move? That’s ridiculous. (Ignore the alcohol-filled rock in the other room.)

---

Offtopic appears. Who is he? I don’t know, but he’s here now. Once I finish his readout, that is.

That custom vest gives way too much MHP, however. He suddenly finds his health pool decreasing somewhat.

---

Sakura investigates the frozen pond. Are there any fish? Yes, actually. A few fish swim sluggishly beneath surface, their shapes barely distinguishable in the dark water. Luckily, Sakura has the eye of a pro fisher.

Did you know that fish can survive in cold ponds (assuming the pond has some access to the open air) because they’re cold-blooded and can lower their metabolism accordingly? Science facts with Children of the Thyme.

---

Pardon retrieves some water from the pond. He then heads down to the shack, starting to fix the holes in the wall with (magical) needle and thread, as well as song. He does seem to be getting somewhere… but this will probably take a while.

And a lot of MP.

---

Doc talks to a lot of people. I don’t have anything to respond to here, but I thought I’d call it out anyway because I think it’s neat.

---

Blacklight finishes Project Igloo.

With Keane’s help (and maybe the retroactive assistance of some undead), the project goes a lot faster. When he finishes, Chi applauds politely. R-8 stares at the igloo in admiration.

R-8733: Wow! Such craftsmanship!
R-8733: You two must be winter survival experts… or else master architects! I’ve never seen such brilliant snow-block-work before.
R-8733: Would you mind much if I… decorated the place?
R-8733: You know, gave it a little pizzazz.

---

Alicia attempts to take a chunk out of the weird rock!

As the crystals on her staff slam into the rock, there’s a light crunch-ing sound, a few tiny specks of crystal flying off the former. The rock, however, appears unharmed, and does not react in any way. If you wanted to break off a piece, some sort of metal implement might be a better idea. Like a pickaxe. :niamine:

---

Maria changes her special! Now it should actually be correct.

She also gathers some firewood for the group. Luckily, there are plenty of dry sticks to be gathered if one is patient, although they need to be cleaned of snow to make sure they don’t suddenly become wet when heated. Who knew adventuring was such hard work?

Unfortunately, as she does so, she hears a sudden and ominous roar. Looks like something’s found her.

---

Debbie’s trek through the snowy forest is suddenly interrupted by the sounds of combat. Peering through the trees, she sees a pack of Grey Seekers scattering before several violet figures. One of them, a Corpsetaker wearing an elaborate ornamental wooden mask, stands over the bodies of three such Seekers. Behind it floats a Cinder, melting the snow as it moves, as well as several other purple Iti.

Nearer to Debbie, hiding between two trees, a Grey Gorged chitters, clutching something in its mouth. Unfortunately for the foreign queen, as soon as it does so, the Corpsetaker’s eyes immediately snap to its location – and over Debbie herself as well. The band of purple Iti promptly raise their assorted claws, hands, and weapons threateningly.

Looks like she isn’t getting out of this one without a fight.

---

Meanwhile, back at the igloo, the rest of the party suddenly hears a roar coming from the snowy forests to the southwest. As you rush to investigate, you discover a gang of Fell Beasts stalking around some further airship debris, looking to corner Maria. Luckily for her, the technology of spawn points allows her to vacate this battle (and switch to the other one) at any time. Unluckily, someone’s still going to need to deal with these Fell Beasts.

Two battles have opened up! Let’s test your mettle once more.

Northern Wilds - Past

Auth continues to talk to Debbie! Debbie tilts her head at her ability to make Fluidsand not being particularly strong.

DEBBIE: I-I suppose it's not the strongest...
DEBBIE: Though I can typically create significantly more in a significantly shorter amount of time...
DEBBIE: ...S-some say I could sink mountains, though I-I'd never dream of even attempting it...

She gets lost in thought for a moment, before Auth mentions how he's surprised that Debbie knew of him. She gives him a warm smile, like everyone else so far.

DEBBIE: O-oh, yes!
DEBBIE: Your deeds, kindness, and ability to restore people to health have spread incredibly far, especially after appearing here on Sussui.
DEBBIE: Not to mention your work as one of the Spherebreakers, resulting in you being around extremely prominent members of outsider civilizations, like Sir Echoss and Dr. Adria.

DEBBIE: P-perhaps unsurprisingly, Dr. Adria had a lot to say about you.
DEBBIE: G-given she was... w-well, you know.

She points to her forehead. Not quite the area Adria was hit, but the message likely got across.

DEBBIE: Speaking of, actually...

Debbie, perhaps surprisingly, briefly bows to Auth.

DEBBIE: T-thank you very much for bringing Adria back from the brink. you have no idea how much it meant to us!
DEBBIE: As Debonair Ward, Queen of Sapphire Skyline, yada yada, just call me Debbie, you have my gratitude!
DEBBIE: I-if there's anything you need, let me know!

Northern Wilds - Present

Figures. Iti were near the Shack. Not unexpected, considering their assailants in the air. They'd undoubtedly be on the ground as well.

And... oh? A Grey Iti/Purple Iti Turf War? Fancy that. Though, the Grey Iti are handily losing. Also not surprising; the Purple Iti were known to use somewhat more advanced tactics, and have more and stringer members.

And then the purples noticed the nearby Gorged with an item and Debbie.

DEBBIE: Well now.

She glances to the reanimated Yggcrawler trailing her and shoves a note onto one of its blades.

DEBBIE: Get the others. And, while you're there, maybe help with the tents.

The Reanimated Yggcrawler leaves Debbie to her own devices.

---

Debbie's Reanimated Yggcrawler strolls over to Chi and hands her the note on its blade. Then, wordlessly, it forces its blades into the ground near the tents to act as tent poles. Part of the Fluidsand composing it solidifies into a pair of hands as long as their blades were, probably making the most cursed Yggcrawler on Sussui.

It then gathers some of the loose debris from the surroundings, fashions one of its hands into a hammer, and starts smacking nails through plates and wood. It's certainly a method.

The resulting sheet is big and flexible enough to be wrapped around a tent pole. Which it does, hammering together both ends as it concludes the tent.

It's not exactly mobile, but it's certainly a place to stay in.

Outlands

DEBBIE: I take it you want us dead.
DEBBIE: Unfortunately for you, you picked the wrong group to mess with.
DEBBIE: Begone.

---

Sakura asks what the peck Debbie just did. Debbie frowns, giving Sakura a cold glance. A bit surprised she bothered to remember her nickname of all things, but nevertheless.

DEBBIE: Oh. It's you.

Her face and tone say it all. The warm exterior Debbie put on for everyone else is completely absent when talking to the fallen royal. A wave of silent judgement is directed at Sakura. Harsh judgement, too.

DEBBIE: To answer your question, absolutely nothing.
DEBBIE: I'm afraid that, while unsurprising, the violet ones wish for our demise.
DEBBIE: Perhaps they followed the sounds of the crash to us. Or were on some sort of patrol.
DEBBIE: Regardless, they are to be neutralized for the camp's safety.

At least her head's still screwed on straight.

ACTION

TURN ORDER: Lepido Spawn -> Skaige -> Eroa Spawn -> Ilex Spawn and Action -> Eroa Action -> Lepidodendron Action -> Debbie -> Kalis

Sussui Traveler: Snow

Debbie spawns in, moves to (G7), picks a Snowy Cinderfruit with her Bonus Action, throws it onto (F5) with her Item Action, and starts casting Greatspire at (N11). This wipes the Corpses off the map, and hits the Corpsetaker, Cinder, and Mysteriti 1. Fluidsand spawns on (H8) and (I9). Debbie retreats to (F7).