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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Fane of the Heresiarch: OOC

Crusaders,

Feel free to talk freely here about anything out of character.

110 comments:

  1. Tell me what you think of the audio narration I'm trying. Does it add or subtract from the experience? Thanks.

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  2. It's a nice touch! I was a bit tired and playing the audio whilst reading the text helped me soak up the minutiae.

    I expect we'll all warm up to the facets of the blog medium over the next few posts, too.

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  3. Adds a lot of atmosphere, yes. Unfortunately I can't hear it at work.

    To everyone: my highest investigative skills are Insight and Perception, both at a paltry +7. So someone else find the traps and whatnot, and I can disarm them with a +14 (+16 with tools) Thievery. :)

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  4. Even without the rumour, that tile in the first room is tantalising. Clever. I also have Knock, Magic Circle and Speak With Dead for later on...plus surprises.

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  5. Question: I haven't followed this blog recently, but is it normal to not make known one's own knowledge check rolls?

    And, yeah, don't go anywhere without 'em. :)

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    1. We as players don't roll any dice. Joe takes care of all of that!

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    2. Well I know that, but was wondering if we get to see the rolls anyway.

      Makes no difference to me either way; just asking out of curiosity. :)

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    3. It does enable the kind of metagaming which fourthcore endorses. Did I roll badly, or is the dweomer indiscernable by design?

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    4. I will not reveal rolls, unless I want to. Too much bookkeeping to do.

      Yes, it puts you at a disadvantage compared to table-top, but you get other advantages over table-top that far outweigh it... like being able to take your time on puzzles and whatnot.

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  6. We've got bigger problems. In my first post, I was so sleepy I confused East and West.

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    1. Now I realise. Perception and Insight only +3. Anyone want to start a death pool? My son says my character will die before the fourth room.

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  7. I'm not playing my usual Thri-kreen Scout for once, so I have no idea what my life expectancy is this time around...

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  8. Hey, Joe: Are there eyeballs in the faces? If not, I'm not seeing anything else that might fit in the star chart, and might need to throw myself on the landmine tile...

    :)

    Anyone in the party speak Abyssal, or similar?

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    1. The eyes on the statues are normal stone, not "pluckable".

      Also, there is the spiral stairs leading down around the tower. Nobody's investigated that yet.

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    2. Ah... Failed to notice that, I thought the pavillion was a more or less solid structure with only open gaps into the Underworld. Thanks for the heads up!

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    3. Are the stairs plainly accessible? We can just walk out onto them?

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    4. Yes, you can simply descend the stairs starting at F11 and proceeding clockwise downward around the tower.

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  9. Sorry, Bjorn. I didn't expect that. I hope it's not for nothing, and that the vision bears a clue or two. Maybe we should look for spheres in the rooms below.

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  10. Haha, it's no problem. It's knowledge that came at a price. I was going to do it anyways. :P

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  11. Hey guys, just noticed... I think we have a rumor about this:

    Reliable: The stepping disk in the Watchtower leads to a second entrance to the Fane of the Heresiarch.


    Darn, should've have bought me some henchmen... ;)

    ETA: Is it me or are the captchas on this site getting more and more illegible?

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    1. Sorry about the captchas... not sure how to make that better. At least we don't get any spam though!

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  12. Hey, did we find out what happened to Turen's acorn when it hit the tile?

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  13. 1) We have an unreliable rumor about this place: A switch that drains the dracolisk bile from the Death Wyverns' Crucible is hidden somewhere in the Bleak Seminary.

    2) Someone needs to come check out this bookcase with So-tin. If it needs to be moved or something, he only has +3 Athletics

    3) If someone else doesn't go for it, So-tin will want to investigate the catechism (noting this here because of my weird posting schedule, I want to make sure it's known this should happen as a reminder)

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  14. RITUAL BOOKS: Just remember that I already have Knock and Speak with Dead, and that Remove Affliction would help any blighters further down the track.

    I can imagine Wish or Detect Object could eb useful, but what is the nature of the locks/traps on the pedestals, I wonder?

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  15. I thought this was in the character packet, but I see that it isn't.

    Supernal: All creatures in the Fane, including the crusaders, can read and speak Supernal.

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  16. Does anyone think I should prod the frame of the shelf with my wand, or shall we just get out of here? I am pretty sure it's hiding something, even if it's just the secondary trap.

    I am also happy to carry the catechism if no-one else wants to touch it.

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  17. Hey, just FYI, I’m trying to get into Turen’s character, not poking at anyone’s actions, just how an infuriated and shaken druid would react in the same situation.

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    1. Thanks for the heads up. I'm digging it. :)

      Let Palim's deep telepathic voice soothe Turen's mind...

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  18. Be calm.... be at ease... your eyelids are getting heavy.... Now,

    SLEEEEEPPPP!!!

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    1. http://satelliteoflove.tripod.com/mst3k/sleep.wav

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  19. Just out of curiosity, nobody here has Mage Hand?!?

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  20. Feeling pretty confident the bookcase is doom. Is there any reason we should disarm it, or shall we just walk away?

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    1. I don't see anything to disarm yet, and I do believe there's something behind there for us to see... So if we can move it we should, and be very careful of what's behind it when we see it.

      I'm still wondering where the keys to all these locks are. :P

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  21. I'm really enjoying the RP that you're pulling into this dungeon run. Keep up the good work, I may even throw you some +1 to your rolls on good posts!

    I'm eager to see what you do next. There's a lot of loose threads going on... the succubus mural/lips/trap, the brazier/statue, various doors with interesting clues...

    See you in the dungeon!

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  22. Woo, sneaking in a few minutes here before leaving for work!

    First off, the Vitals page isn't working for me.

    Anyone else but me think a key is hiding at the bottom of the brazier? With my Firedeath temp HP and fire resistance, I could just dive my hands into the bottom of the brazier and search around, if anyone else thinks it would be worth it and doesn't have a better way. If only someone had a way to remove the coals without taking damage

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  23. That's why I was asking about Mage Hand... :)

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  24. Woops, didn't see these before I posted the unseen servant. It's not wasted though, since it sticks around pretty much all game.

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  25. Well done, everyone!
    (Except me, who did nothing)
    Now, which door?

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  26. A key for a key...maybe this can be used to unlock and grant us a ritual? I agree avoiding Wish, sounds too good to be true. And if the key grants us one or more of these rituals, I would like to point out my Heretic card grants me double use of rituals :)

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    1. It seems to me that we can use this iron key on one of the locks on the ritual books. The rituals are

      * Hand of Fate
      * Knock
      * Speak with Dead
      * Remove Affliction
      * Detect Object
      * Wish

      Wish seems like a trap. I like remove affliction for its ability to remove blight, but what do you guys think?

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    2. Just took a look through everyone's rituals. We have plenty of speak with dead and knock, so I'm going to make a cleric-in-chief decision to unlock the Remove Affliction ritual. Blightgoawayplz.

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  27. Does anyone think I should use Speak with Dead on the angel?

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  28. Okay. If I do get 10 mins outside the combat which may ensue, I will ask the angel about the chain and door.

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  29. In the latest post (the emergence of the hydra ghoul), if there's something I missed, be sure to point it out. This time, no Firedeath for you... So-tin was not a target!

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  30. I would hazard that all cages are plunge-able, or at least the ones without skulls. We need to swim out of the "safety" of this cage and start testing those teleportiles before one of the three deaths takes us. Oh, and I'm concerned about Shazi.

    :(

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    1. I have many ideas about what I'm going to do this turn, but I'm waiting to ask Joe a few questions before I post. The general hope is nerf the hydra, buff our defenses, and heal a lot, but I need to make sure I can do that first. So I would hold off on attacks for the moment!

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    2. Also, I think we need those teeth...

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  31. So although we are doomed, here's my thinking: The tiles are probably chained to each other and the grid position is the clue. The cage doors completely screw us but I am guessing either smashing or throwing a skull will disable a hydra head. Get me out of here.

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  32. I have a daily that lets me phase shift 10 squares. Which skull should I smash? If only we knew which tile heads out of this trap...

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    1. Hmm, I'm actually interpreting it that we need the teeth from the mouths to do something to the skulls. Depending on how big the teeth are, either destroy the skulls with the teeth or put them in the skull.

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    2. The teeth are removable, says Joe:

      "An adjacent crusader can attempt to pry one of the fangs free with a successful melee basic attack or DC 19 Thievery check (standard action). On a miss or failure, the hydra ghoul makes an opportunity attack against the triggering crusader."

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    3. Note: As DM, I often withhold certain information until asked. You can ask me via messages here, or hit me up on gmail chat, joenehmer777 blahblahblah gmail.com.

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    4. May I suggest the general plan of not trying to kill the hydra (they regrow more heads, etc.) and instead trying to obtain those teeth?

      I think those are the way out.

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    5. Regarding the hydra: I'm probably the only one that can get those teeth out while it's still alive (+14 Thievery), but with an Athletics of only +3 there's no way I can safely move through the bile.

      I can make it to the roof of the cage pretty easily (Levitation and Ghost of the Rooftops), but once I'm there I'm a sitting duck.

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    6. True. What about if we're all in/on the cage so the hydra has many targets? Looks like we're headed that way. And I've got another big nerf on the hydra if we need it and strong protection for us, not to mention more healing.

      I doubt we'll be able to drop the thing fast...you could ready an action to go for those teeth when it gets near! If you AP, you could even get two. :)

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    7. Once it is adjacent to us, I'm happy to try getting a tooth, and phasing to the appropriate skull to burn it (if that's how you think it works).

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  33. I need to get into the habit of setting posting deadlines. You have until Monday night to post. On Tuesday, the monsters attack once again!

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  34. Team, I woke today with a sudden fear that the cages themselves might teleport into different configurations based on the relative position of each tile, like a sliding puzzle. If this is the case, the positions are the clue to aligning the doors and NOT teleporting yourself into the bile. Keep this in mind.

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  35. I technically have the option to get back on the top of the cages; I have Levitation, which allows me to move 4 squares up and 1 square horizontally; I can pull on the rope to just outside the cage and then use it as a move action to get on top of the cage.

    Of course, that means I won't get an attack this turn and will be horribly exposed. I'm not all that worried about the hydra; I can't take another fireball like those, much less two.

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    1. I don't think the cages offer any protection, really. The wyverns have ranged burst effects, it looks like. And the ghoul hydra can ignore the bars.

      I think we should do all we can to ensure we can get a tooth or two when the thing approaches on its turn.

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  36. Shall I attack the wyvern again, if it's not too obscured? Before they go for us again?

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  37. FYI - I will be traveling on business, Monday, 9/24/2012, and might not have internet for the day.

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  38. I think I have everyone in the right spots, right hp, right conditions, etc. I had to move So-tin as Kallista called space E9 first.

    Note, the hydra is currently prone.

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  39. Anyone got an AoE to get rid of the zombies? Feels like a waste attacking a minion one-on-one... :)

    Really did screw up a few things on my character. Next time I won't do it so rushed.

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  40. I just plowed past one, hopefully I can beat its strength and push it into the muck at least.

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  41. My two AoE's target all creatures, and I don't want to hurt you lot...damnit...

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  42. Get some teeth people! I'm looking at you, rogue! And anyone else who has a decent melee basic attack.

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    1. Honestly, when the druid and the priest are getting all the actions you've got to wonder what happened to the striker squad. :P

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    2. Striker here, but I've unfortunately optimized myself for melee and not ranged. Which means I ave to be right next the thing, and that's kinds difficult if I can't move through the bile and there's all these zombies in my way. :(

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  43. I must apologize. I'm on a business trip, and you know how you always forget something? I forgot the power cord to my laptop, and it requires a 240-watt adapter, while universal replacement adapters only go to 90-watt >.< I'm currently trying to fix this situation, but the only times I have for this site right now are when I can sneak away from the secure work areas to an unclassified area. I don't want to drop out of here, but worst case scenario is my posting ability becomes even less than it already is, and the non-tech portion of my posting doesn't happen.

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    1. Tell you what, if you don't post before the monsters go, I will have you do something, make an attack, heal, somehow help.

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  44. Open computer during lunch break! Booyah!

    Anyways, if the minions are cleared out, So-tin could place his Aegis on the hydra, move up, and Standard and AP MBA on the hydra, try to get two teeth. Ready Firedeath as always, and if the hydra draws an attack due to the Aegis, MBA for another tooth, if possible. This is OOC so not official, but if no one has a better idea, I quite like it.

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    1. Sounds awesome to me. I vote someone dances around in front of the hydra and gets bitten so So-Tin can knock out another tooth. ;)

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  45. Still waiting to hear the results from Turen's actions. If I've got the minions blown out and two of the Hydra heads immobilized we've got a good chance of snatching out a whole mouthful of teeth.

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  46. Today I'm slammed with work and having to take a kid to school (lost my lunch hour). No updates until tomorrow.

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  47. Next week will be unusual for me. I'm business traveling Monday (Oct 1) -Wednesday (Oct 3), will try to post Monday/Tuesday night from the hotel.

    Thursday (Oct 4) is a normal day, back in the Milwaukee office. I will post at lunch.

    Friday (Oct 5) through Monday (Oct 8) is vacation time in Door County, WI. I will not be posting during that time.

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  48. Alright, I'm thinking we should do our best to swipe two more teeth this round, get them in someone's hands and have them run around to the skulls and do whatever needs to be done. While the rest of us (So-Tin and Palim and either Kallista or Shazi) stay and attempt to hold them off.

    What do you guys think?

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  49. I'm happy to either blast everything while others run, or I can phase to the blue skull right now with a daily. I am at your service.

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  50. Actually, I am invisible until the end of my next turn, so if I use my minor to drink the potion again, I can spend two standards to get the remaining teeth and my move to get away...anyone agree? If I don't hear any objections, I will go ahead.

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  51. My trip to Ohio, on business, is a bit more intense than I thought it would be. I might not get a post out until Thursday. Thanks for your patience!

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  52. My weekend getaway to Door County (WI) has been great so far. Got my pumpkin lager beer and will start some afternoon Doombuilding!

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  53. Once we have all the teeth, what's our next move? Should a person NOT holding teeth try the teleportile? What's safest? Still happy to use my daily to phase to a skull...

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  54. I was thinking I would have So-tin take a teleportile, even though he has two teeth. It'll either draw the Hydra away from everyone else or it'll have a -2 to attacks.

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  55. I am back from vacation and am aiming to post today, but there's always the factor of, "Oh, you're back to work from vacation huh? Here's a ton of work nobody did while you were gone! Have fun!"

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  56. I hope my latest gambit works out alright. If only I could use a minor action to hop on the spot at P15 (if that's where I end up) to see if it takes me onward or backward...

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  57. When you watch a boxing match, it's often prudent for the ref to stop the fight when it's clear that one side is going to win.

    In a D&D game, I sometimes do the same. I hate the "clean up" stage of a fight, and I'm feeling that vibe going on in this battle, right now.

    Tell me the trick to this chamber. If you are correct, I will concede the battle in your favor. I suspect you already know what it is.

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    1. Alright, well I think we're supposed to put the gemfangs into the corresponding skulls. Presumably, like in Crucible of the Gods, this will cause a way out to open. Because there doesn't appear to be one otherwise.

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    2. Very good. Posting the Action Fast Forward in a moment.

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  58. The achievement's page has been updated.

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  59. Kallista, your Religion roll is enough to ask but a single question. Make it count!

    *****
    You ask the corpse of an intelligent creature questions and receive answers. The corpse knows what the creature knew in life, what has occurred near the corpse, and no more; the spirit has (usually) moved on to another plane and is not present in the body.
    Your Religion check result determines the number of questions you can ask.
    *****

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    1. What would everyone like to know most? How to safely open that door, based on the angel seeing itself be built into the mechanism?

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    2. Yeah, something like "How can we safely open the secret door behind your body?" works for me.

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  60. Players - At the pace you are going, you're not going to make it to the final encounter before the game ends.

    Reminder: The Heresiarch ascends to godhood on November 21, 2012. That's less than five weeks away. Reference Link

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  61. While it did not help that I was out on business travel and vacation, it was one of my reasons to "speed things up" and concede victory to you in the Death Wyverns' Crucible. My hands are clean. :)

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  62. Since the angel said it was safe to pull his spine, you guys should do that. Then, depending on what is revealed, we should go back to join you or you should join us in the pleasure crypts. But we should act quickly, I imagine there's lots of dungeon left to go.

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  63. Also, it's worth noting we have an unreliable rumor about the pleasure crypts.

    Unreliable: The half-angel succubus blackguard in the Pleasure Crypts wields a Rod of Wonder and a Cubic Gate.

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  64. I don't know why I'm not getting all the notifications from this site, and it doesn't help that I'm blocked from accessing this pretty much every other day. :(

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  65. David, any way I can help with the posts?

    There are now two open posts, Prison of Frozen Gods ...and... Pleasure Crypts. Whichever you post to is where you go.

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    1. Holy crap the prison of the frozen gods looks awesome. Paul/Gardain, what say we head in there, since it looks like it's not a combat room? And there may be a succubus blackguard in the pleasure crypts?

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  66. FYI, You guys will be hitting the Blogger limit of number of Comments sooner or later. Our group just switched to email to avoid the anti-spam hassle, but I'd definitely suggest you get ready to make OOC #2 at the least.

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  67. You guys are hosed, just give up and worship the Heresiarch already

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  68. The OOC action continues in this thread: OOC 2

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