MT 179 - The Void King’s Houseplant
Guar was alive, just Paralyzed and missing two-thirds of his health. A quick tap from Pio cleansed the debuff as she went past on her way to Baltae, picking her way carefully between the spikes.
Baltae was trapped beneath the rubble of the pillar and wall he’d smashed into. Guar had to move several stone blocks to reach him, some larger than the stout Littan’s torso. I was surprised by the mage’s survivability, but he’d had Shie...
2024-09-22 02:49:04 +0000 UTC
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MT 178 - Nottagator Rematch
The Littans spent the hour recovering and I chatted with Grotto about the upcoming political quagmire our party was about to become involved with.
[The Diplomacy intrinsic would give you a natural advantage. You will not be able to rely entirely on Etja to carry the weight of public relations. As the party leader, you will be subject to significant scrutiny and forced to respond to inquiries of all manner.]
“Right, but I’m ...
2024-09-21 01:08:11 +0000 UTC
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MT 177 - Delicious in Delve
Guar had an entire kitchen in his inventory. Not just a camp cookout kitchen, either. The man pulled out an entire wood-fired stove, a six-foot length of stainless steel cabinets topped with a prep counter, a wall covered in hooks and hanging cooking implements, a water cistern with a rotary pump, and a three-stage commercial sink for cleanup. He also laid out a lovely handwoven rug made of natural, stain-resistant fibers and placed a cozy kitchen tabl...
2024-09-18 23:58:31 +0000 UTC
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MT 176 - Strategy Meeting, but Dressed
Grotto’s Delve had been pretty informative. Although I’d done plenty of research into Delving and had opportunities to train and speak with other Delvers through the Ravvenblaqs, I’d never seen how another group handled Delving firsthand.
In fact, seeing another group in action at all was extremely rare, barring tournaments and exhibitions. Even then, one never got a real look at a team’s capabilities. Just ...
2024-09-17 04:30:32 +0000 UTC
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MT 175 - Planar or Spatial? The Subtle Nuance of Portal Magic
All is not lost for the Littan party! Nottagator’s merciless combo may have looked ruinous, but Sgt. Guar had Shielding granted to him by Captain Pio. On top of a health pool that I have judged to be close to 2000 and liberal use of his defensive buffs, Guar is not yet relieved of his living role in this mortal combat! The tank still has a lot of space before Nottagator hands the Void King Sgt. Guar’s head on a pla...
2024-09-13 00:58:55 +0000 UTC
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MT 174 - The Raaaaage Caaaaage!
The Abyssal Atrocidile Titan was four times the size of the Atrocidile I’d fought during my Creation Delve. The creature’s pale flesh was covered in rows of translucent scales with the texture of poorly maintained fingernails. Two humanoid arms reached out from the water and dug thick fingers into the cavern’s stone floor as though it were made of loose sand. Dark liquid dripped from its widely stretched mouth, filled with an ocean-blue tongu...
2024-09-12 18:56:36 +0000 UTC
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MT 172 - Surprise Mimicry
The next section of the Delve was a dimensional maze. The hallway ended at a T-junction, each side of which led to a crossroad with 3 more potential paths to choose from.
[There are 40 potential junctions. When a path is chosen it will lead to 1 of 3 additional junctions, with 1 junction having a 66 percent chance of being selected, the second having a 23 percent chance, and the last having 11 percent. The goal of the maze is to follow the junc...
2024-09-08 00:21:58 +0000 UTC
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MT 172 - Littan Excellence
“Has the valiant sacrifice of Alfalfa’s pack earned us anything?” I thought to my familiar.
[I assume that is your designation for the Alpha, but yes. Aside from determining that this group possesses skills more advanced than an average gold party, it has also resulted in the acquisition of additional mana to use how we wish.]
“How? Didn’t you spend a lot of mana raising the hounds?”
[The...
2024-09-06 19:04:43 +0000 UTC
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MT 171 - Gold Standard Delving
I didn’t think too hard about Grotto’s request for me to join him in watching randos invading my dimensional space. I simply grumbled my acceptance and was teleported to a part of the Closet I’d never seen.
It was a tight space, about the size of a small bedroom, with a miniature Delve obelisk atop a pedestal at its center. There were no doors or other entrances, and the only light in the room came from glowing text crawling across dozen...
2024-09-03 14:30:47 +0000 UTC
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MT 170 - Reality Anchor
By the time we reluctantly left the hot spring, it was still early enough that a vampire would have only just begun to think about climbing into their coffin for the day. Given that Hiward was far to the west of us, it was even earlier in the kingdom. We didn’t feel enough time pressure to interrupt anyone’s rest to make our reappearance, which gave us a few hours to kill.
Xim spent the time in the sensory deprivation chamber communing with Sam...
2024-08-31 23:39:53 +0000 UTC
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MT 169 - Strategy Meeting, but Naked
We splished, we splashed, and soon enough the world's obligations swam back around. We had critical information to pass on about Brae’ach and the avatars, an upcoming meeting with one of the world’s superpowers, and urgent appointments to make with our barbers and cosmetologists.
However, first and foremost were a pair of family reunions. Delvers were generally presumed dead if they did not return from a Delve after a week or t...
2024-08-29 17:09:52 +0000 UTC
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MT 168 - Pool Party Farewell
My knowledge of Japanese hot springs was assuredly lacking, as my understanding primarily came from anime and a couple of late-night internet rabbit holes. I’d done my best to make it as authentic as possible, although it was impossible for the ‘spring’ to be naturally sourced since it had been artificially constructed in a pocket dimension.
There were two entrances to the spring through rooms constructed of light-colored wood similar to U...
2024-08-27 05:29:28 +0000 UTC
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MT 167 - Breakfast Invitations
When we’d approached the portal we were knives out and ready for a fight. We had several strategies mapped out depending on what we found on the other side, ranging from a full dump of our most aggressive skills to a heroic version of run the fuck away.
We appeared in a room of rough-hewn stone and mortar, the ceiling supported by pillars ascending into archways. About 20 feet in front of us was a 5-person team of level 15 Littan Delvers, fu...
2024-08-25 13:47:00 +0000 UTC
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Howdy!
Here are the level 12 character sheets for the core party up through the end of the Descent.
If you're someone who's read the level 6 sheets with a keen eye, you may notice one or two abilities were replaced. These are things that were never used or mentioned in text, so they got altered to something useful/more in line with the characters.
The only significant change to something that has been referenced is Etja's Staff of Archon's Maker. The truthseeing ability had ...
2024-08-24 18:57:14 +0000 UTC
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MT 166.5 - Everyone Else’s Skills and Evos
Hey, let me take you aside for one moment. I know, I know, that’s a hell of a cliffhanger to take a step back from, but I thought you might be curious about what everyone else picked for their skills and evolutions at the end of Deijin’s Descent.
Now, maybe you’re saying “Arlo, you’re the big MCE (Main Character Extraordinaire) and everyone else is at best an ASC (Awesome Supporting Character). I don’t ...
2024-08-23 04:20:08 +0000 UTC
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MT 166 - Escape
“Arcane Geometry is good,” said Varrin. “Gaining a library of mana shapes usually takes years, and shapes are often limited to specific skills.”
“The secret Ravvenblaq knowledge emerges,” said Xim. “Are we being inducted into your dark family cabal? Do we need to take oaths of silence, or be branded with a mana-woven tattoo?” She cocked her hip and thought for a moment. “I’m prepared for us to have matching tattoos.”
“I was not ...
2024-08-20 17:00:10 +0000 UTC
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MT 165 - The Good, The Bad, and The Arousing
Having chosen my skills, I took the time everyone else was spending looking over their options to review my evolution choices. First up was Speed 20.
Speed! Chooseanevolutionbutdon’tthinkaboutittrustyourgut!
1) Bolt: Your sprinting speed is doubled, which also applies to flight. Whenever you move, you immediately begin moving at your full sprinting speed unless you choose otherwise.
2024-08-20 15:09:52 +0000 UTC
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MT 164 - Hickory-Smoked Skills
Three minutes passed wherein we were treated to increasingly unhinged solicitations for outdoor grills. The first was a simple affair that used a ruby chip and a fire weave to generate flames that “ruined raw meat precisely how humans liked it ruined.” This went on until we were being offered a grill the size of a small city which was “perfect for cooking large game or enemy civilizations.”
The prices were in chips, and out of curiosit...
2024-08-18 05:02:58 +0000 UTC
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MT 163 - Phase Two
GLOBAL SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT
The wording of this announcement has been modified to adopt the predominant terminology in use by the current generation. Please see your index for additional information on terms of art.
This notification is being delivered to all Delvers in World Region 001. This notification will be delivered continuously to cause minimum disruption to Delver actions. Please ignore ...
2024-08-16 01:07:39 +0000 UTC
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MT 162 - Brae’ach the Unifier, Part II
Three of the hands in Avarice’s shadow danced, their fingers shifting into complex hand puppets. Images shifted before us, showing Brae’ach in Unity’s cavern, standing before the gleaming monolith. There was no outward sign that he’d been affected by the avatar. The man simply stood there, bronze skin melding into the tenebrous hollow.
Time passed, the weight of it pressed into our minds more than it was shown, and Brae’ach...
2024-08-12 16:29:26 +0000 UTC
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Hello all.
I've been on the backfoot this whole last week. Rather than continuing to push everything out a day late while I scramble to get back on track, I'm going to reset and have the next chapter out for Monday to get everything on its 'normal' schedule. The chapter's ready to go and will be up in the morning.
I'm going to try and get out a 'make-up' chapter some time in the near future, since this means Saturday's chapter was missed, but I can't make any promises as to when ...
2024-08-11 23:41:38 +0000 UTC
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MT 161 - Brae’ach the Unifier, Part I
Who was Brae’ach? Why was he rampaging across Timagrin? Why did Avarice believe he threatened the entire world? To answer these questions, we had to understand the natural conditions in Davah, its history, and the culture of its people.
Avarice’s version of the story was long, providing a lot of context for Brae’ach and his home nation of Davah. She talked for hours, narrating an entire novel’s worth of informati...
2024-08-10 03:39:17 +0000 UTC
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MT 160 - Dread Star II
Levels. The ultimate goal of most Delvers and a significant source of their power. Levels granted stats, stats made you stronger, and everybody loved getting strong.
“Do we care that much about the levels?” I asked, which evoked a number of different responses from my party members.
Nuralie looked dumbfounded, Etja furrowed her brow in confusion, Xim shrugged, and Varrin nodded like he agreed with the sentiment. Avarice dropped her fin...
2024-08-06 17:37:36 +0000 UTC
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MT 159 - Arbitrage
A flash of lightning pulsed within the clouds over Timagrin. It was timed to perfectly accent the end of Avarice’s claim that she could give us information on a world-ending threat. The view above was an illusion, so the entire display might have been orchestrated. Even if it was, I appreciate the effort on Avarice’s part. I wouldn’t begrudge anyone some flair.
“The man who will destroy the world,” I said. “Not the avatar
2024-08-03 22:08:47 +0000 UTC
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MT 158 - System Addendum #4 has had 2 versions released today simultaneously.
One version (Unrated) contains highly graphic descriptions of violence, going beyond what has been seen so far in the series.
The other version (Theatrical) contains descriptions of violence that are more in line with what has appeared in the series.
There are notes at the top of each post with additional details.
Please let us know which version you prefer or think is more appropriate.
2024-08-01 17:00:11 +0000 UTC
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NOTE: There are 2 versions of this chapter that I am publishing today at the same time. This version (Theatrical) contains the typical depictions of violence that has been present in the series so far. The other version (Unrated) contains graphic descriptions that are more explicit and potentially disturbing compared to what has appeared so far in the series.
I am also releasing a poll, which will ask Patrons which version they prefer or think is more appropriate. Pleas...
2024-08-01 17:00:11 +0000 UTC
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Warning: Graphic depictions of violence
NOTE: There are 2 versions of this chapter that I am publishing today at the same time. This version (Unrated) contains graphic depictions of violence that are more explicit and detailed than what has been seen in the series so far. The other version (Theatrical) contains descriptions of violence that are more in line with what has appeared so far in the series.
I am also releasing a poll, which will ask Pat...
2024-08-01 17:00:11 +0000 UTC
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MT 157 - An Offer You Can't Refuse
“Monkey bread!” said Etja.
The woman called Avarice raised an immaculate eyebrow at the outburst and looked over at our resident mage. My focus was fully fixed on our host, but I understood the seemingly nonsensical phrase. Multiple party members were mentally compromised, myself included.
Being made aware of a mental debuff wouldn’t end the effect, but it allowed us to execute some safety measures. Etja’s code phrase indicat...
2024-07-29 14:26:36 +0000 UTC
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MT 156 - Need Before Greed
This is the part of the story where I try to make Varrin’s recovery a nail-biting tale of the big guy riding the razor’s edge of life and death while the rest of the team combined our skills to save him moments before he slipped away.
I’ll save some time and admit that it wasn’t that exciting.
We were worried, true, but Varrin’s state of spiritual disruption wasn’t getting any worse as time went on. After a few minu...
2024-07-27 23:03:26 +0000 UTC
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MT 155 - Splitting Souls
“Oh, is this a riddle?” asked Etja. “I’m not very good with riddles.”
“It is not a riddle,” said the Icon.
I waited for the Icon to keep talking, but it didn’t say anything else.
“Hi,” I said. “I’m Arlo, and from left to right–your left to right–this is Shog, Varrin, Xim, Etja, and Grotto.” I couldn’t find Nuralie as I gave introductions.
“And the Guelon hidin...
2024-07-25 12:09:49 +0000 UTC
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