Pulpatoon wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 2:34 pm“Hello, One-Who-Shares-Without-Touching. Gratitude for allowing us to share like this. I am Athru Sea People’s Bane. With me are Kahai Long Rider and Thurad Sandy Back. We are of the Ul-Mor, the People Who Share. We know you are friends, for you have protected these sacred Loper young, even though you do not need them to cross the sands.
“You are new and strange to our eyes, but a tribes-member has shared with me an encounter with a similar being. You say you came from the sky, like the air whales. But now you walk the sands. Can you no longer fly? Can you return to the sky no longer?”
Assuming the party enters into an open conversation about your plight via Bertie, Athru tells you that it is contrary to the laws of the tribe to take water and food away from the tribe to give to non-tribe members. This includes not allowing you to take from their well. However, seeing as you have bonded with lopers and have the ability to share, you might, technically, fulfill the definition of an Ul-Mor. As such, you could request to become members of the tribe, and they could share resources with you on a provisional basis, until such time as they can take you back to the full tribe-meet and determine your status.
Bertie
"Greetings Athru Sea People’s Bane, I am called Bertie. We fly on creatures bigger than a sky whale. Sadly, ours is no more, it was killed by a tribe of others like us who wish to do us harm. That is why we must walk. We are honoured that you would consider to have us join the tribe. We are looking for others of our tribe who we think are near the equator." she gestures towards where she guesses the equator to be "Most of my people cannot share-without-touching, they cannot even share-with-touching. My kind normally communicate with sound, by speech" she gestures towards the polyvox "This box is special, it can listen to your words and learn them, when we then talk to it in our speech it will turn it into your speech. That way we can talk without touching. Would that be acceptable?"
Goran and Jeeves keep watch as the others commune with the Ul-Mor.
Kallina shares with Kahai Long Rider, whom she senses is uncomfortable with this encounter, and at least a little repulsed by having to touch a non-nonopoid. "What are you? What do you do? What do you want? Why are you here?" it asks with undertones of suspicion.
Bertie detects confusion from Athru when she shares the concept of "equator," which brings with it an image of the planet Volturnus. He shares back at you images of various landscapes: desert, mountains, grassy plains, rainforests. Bertie gets the sense that it is gently correcting you, as if to say: We don't live on some weird ball, we live here.
Athru is amused by the idea of the polyvox. "Speaking with sounds is good, for we cannot share when riding, or out or reach. It would be wise to have each other's languages. But you want me to put words in this box?" She picks up with the sharing a certain indulgent amusement, as though it had just been invited to play some nonsensical children's game. "What would you like me to say to the box?"
Pulpatoon wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 6:28 pmKallina shares with Kahai Long Rider, whom she senses is uncomfortable with this encounter, and at least a little repulsed by having to touch a non-nonopoid. "What are you? What do you do? What do you want? Why are you here?" it asks with undertones of suspicion.
"I am a peace keeper, among my people I help to protect others."
"I want to survive, our transport has crashed and is destroyed, we must find a source of food and water that is safe for us long term or we will die."
"We were on a great sky ship and a mutiny on board caused it to be destroyed and we fled it to the closest place, here."
Pulpatoon wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 2:17 pm
Thurad Sandy Back scoots over to Skur Vonn and makes connection.
cybersavant wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 8:26 am
- some like us are not friendly and are actively hunting us
"Are they many? Are they strong?" "How do you live if water harms you?" "Yes, we will cross through the mountains to meet the tribe." "What do you hunt?"
summary North: The direction the party came from, and also the jetcopter. A long stretch of nothing between yourselves and the crash site. Speaking of which, did the jetcopter find the site? What must have happened to the ones who stayed behind? South: Inhospitable salt flats, with the promise of an equatorial ocean on the other side. West: Mountains, some distance away. East: Empty, open desert.
sensorpack to test the water. She discovers it is laced with arsenic. She knows that arsenic needs to build up in the body and that one could potentially drink from this water for a while before feeling any ill effects from it. She is confident that there would be no symptoms from a first drink. But the chance of poisoning would increase with every draught.
Skur Vonn answers, talking out loud and thinking at the same time, "There are many enemies, and they has tools that make them strong. Water in general doesn't hut us, but there is something in this water that does. We have a tool that analyzes, and it told us that arsenic is present. I don't know if you have words for the directions, but we came from that direction and are following a signal that says someone with tools like us is in that direction. We headed for the mountains seeking shelter and water. The bad people flew away from us in that direction, but we don't know if they have shelter that way." He points to each direction as he talks/thinks.
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"Your land is very beautiful." she smiles at the response to the poly-vox "It must seem a strange request, I understand. You don't have to do anything, just talk to your other tribesmen as normal and it will listen and learn. Do you know where your tribes-member met another of our kind?"
The Ul-Mor continue conversing via tentacle-telepathy with the party. Not every question is answered, and a lot of what is discussed clearly doesn’t make sense to one participant in the conversation or another. But the two groups get a sense for each other.
The party learns that these Ul-Mor are members of a nomadic tribe that spends most of the year on the far side of the mountains, but during this, the cool season, they venture into the desert round up wild lopers and hunt certain animals native to the region. Their lives involve a lot of ritual, and they seem deeply animistic in their understanding of the world. They consider every natural object to have a spirit, and that they have obligations to these spirits. They are amused by talking to the polyvox, not because of talking to an inanimate object (which they do regularly), but because it is a crafted object, which they don’t consider as having souls. In fact, they consider crafting items to be a necessary evil, to be done with solemnity and a deep reverence for the spirit-bearing natural objects that you are destroying to make a lifeless, crafted thing.
Since your method of conveyance has been described in terms of both an object and an animal, and you have asked them to speak to a polyvox, they begin to formulate the idea that you have the secret to crafting objects that retain their spirits. Once Jeeves begins actively tending to his duties, serving tea and fixing Bertie’s hair, they become convinced of this. This produces both excitement and fear—it is a radical concept, and they aren’t sure if it is good or bad.
They don’t have any concrete information about other space-travellers in the area, but Athru knows where to find the Ul-Mor who passed on the impression of a bipedal entity.
After the confab has wrapped up, the Ul-Mor disengage with the party and briefly share with each other. They make a conscientious point of talking to each other, casting glances at Goran’s polyvox. Two of them depart the well’s dome to converse with the other’s waiting outside.
Thanks for summarizing the revelant info, cybersavant!
Do you want to travel as provisional tribes members with the Ul-Mor, or stick it out on your own?
Do you want to reclaim the baby lopers, or leave them in the company of the adult lopers?
Would someone like to put a spin on the whole crafted-objects-with-spirits apostasy before it gets chatted about more broadly among the Ul-Mor? If so, please provide a roll, to see how it goes.
Ongoing Tallies
Offend the Ul-Mor: OOOOO
Succumb to the Desert: OOOO
Discovered by the Pirates: OOO
PCs
Kallina: 4 of 5 Hits.
Bertie: 4 of 4 Hits.
Skur Vonn: 4 of 4 Hits.
Skur Vonn"I say we travel with the Ul-Mor for now, but warn them that doing so may put them in danger if the pirates return. We know where we need to go, they they know the land and where to find food."
Last edited by cybersavant on Fri Dec 09, 2022 6:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
gaming since 1980 cybersavant.proboards.com
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"I agree, but we should make the danger to them clear and make sure they are OK with that. I also think the lopers should stay with them, it's for the best. I'm not really trained in first contact procedures, but we must be careful not to damage their way of life."
The party agrees to travel with the Ul-Mor as provisional tribes members. It is explained that they cannot travel with the group or loper-riders, but must follow behind. As they head to the West, the Ul-Mor keep a leisurely pace on their animals, making sure to keep the party in sight. Ul-Mor riders, singly or in pairs, frequently fall back to visit with the party as they travel, with Athru being the most common visitor. The baby lopers sprint back and forth between the two camps until they wear themselves out and whine at Kallina and Goran to be picked up and carried.
The party responsibly presses the point with the Ul-Mor that they are being hunted by a powerful and dangerous enemy. The Ul-Mor take this point with a mix of resolve and consternation.
The party chooses not to intervene in the speculation among the Ul-Mor about the nature of their ability to imbue inanimate objects with spirit. The party notices that Jeeves is a subject a fascination to the Ul-Mor, and not all of it is positive. Further, while Athru and several others make a point of talking in the presence of the polyvox, most of the Ul-Mor actively avoid it. (No one rolled to prevent a negative outcome, so I’m counting that as a failure and adding one tally mark to the “Offend the Ul-Mor” clock. They are still much more positively inclined towards you than otherwise.)
The polyvox sits quietly, listening.
The party travels for the rest of the afternoon. You notice that you are not headed directly West, but Northwest. The Ul-Mor are clearly checking landmarks and proceeding with intention.
As the sky reddens overhead and the party makes camp, Athru indicates a desire to share with one or more members of the party. It explains that mountains, the Burning Spine, are very dangerous. These thoughts are accompanied by mental images of gas fissures and magma eruptions. Bertie recognizes the signs of phosphorus, magnesium, and other mineral salts. Athru explains that they know a safe passage through the Burning Spine, and are headed towards it.
Jeeves prepares dinner using rations and loper meat. Water is low, however, and there is only a mouthful or two for each of you of clean water. (If you would prefer to refrain from drinking the arsenic-laced well water, please give me a flat 2d6 roll. Otherwise, I’ll assume you are drinking the well water.)Ongoing Tallies
Offend the Ul-Mor: XOOOO
Succumb to the Desert: OOOO
Discovered by the Pirates: OOO
:: Day 007 since planetfall. ::
As the party continues to trail the Ul-Mor, they take shifts with the macrobinoculars, scanning for dangers. The air grows noticeably harsh and acrid. Bertie registers increased toxins in the air, including carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide, but not enough to pose a health risk, just enough to make the going unpleasant. She is able to make some simple masks out of scraps while the party is walking. They’re little more than nosegays, offering no real protection, but they make the environs less odious. Bertie promises everyone that she’ll make proper filtration masks when they make evening camp.
In response to Skur Vonn’s questions, Athru Sea People’s Bane and Thurad Sandy Back provide some answers, both via sharing and speech. He learns that the creatures that live on the mountain are too horrible to contemplate, and that the air and land are both filled with wicked spirits. The Ul-Mor’s passage is through an ancient network of tunnels through the mountain. It will take several days, depending on the state of the tunnels, and the difficulties one might encounter. There are beasts and perils below the mountain as well as above, but as long as you follow the Ul-Mor's path, all will be well. There will be water sources, some of which are more wholesome than others. They think it is unlikely to encounter another tribe here in the desert, but that could be more likely on the other side of the mountains.
This band of Ul-Mor have been travelling for several weeks since they left the larger tribe. They had planned on being away on a much longer tour of the desert, but are calling their trip short to take you to the tribe.
The polyvox is chipping in more and more, at this point, although it is not close to the stage where it can seamlessly facilitate conversation in real time. Instead, it is a constant source of interruption. “Sundown… riding at a canter… twelfth rock formation… cloud wall…”
Goran is delighted by this progress. He is full of stories about people who made it rich off the license to language translations. “There was this gas giant, and they had these creatures with a primitive language, barely even a language, more like birdsong, right? But it became the basis for hauler-bot clearance signalling. The guy whose polyvox caught that bought a moon!”
That evening, as Jeeves begins to prepare dinner from your rapidly dwindling supplies, the Ul-Mor bring some portion of their rations to share. The food consists of dried sheets of plant pulp like fruit leather, but thick with seeds and a salty, musty taste, and brittle shards of smoked meat. They bring water, which analysis reveals also contains arsenic.
Skur Vonn notes that the Ul-Mor erect four large, asymmetrical tents made of hide. The asymmetry is adapted to the desert winds. They circle the tents around a fire, and bring their lopers in to share the shelter with them.
Bertie starts working on filtration masks. She pulls out some spare lining from the skeinsuits, and begins working on them to create an osmotic ruffle-coil when she notices that Skur Vonn has a proper air filter mask with fresh seals. If he was willing, she could cannibalize it to make the masks. The question is whether it is better to have four decent-but-jury-rigged filtration masks, or one really great air filter mask and three janky, homemade masks.
After dinner, a group of about twelve Ul-Mor come and ask to hear stories of your people, your lands, and your hunts.
Please everyone share a short story with the Ul-Mor, and give me roll to see how well it goes over. I’ll award Advantage to stories I think the Ul-Mor would respond well to.
Since no one rolled to see how they were doing by forgoing water, I’m assuming everyone was drinking the arsenic-tainted water, yesterday. With your second day, you now need to roll to see if you avoid arsenic poisoning.
Ongoing Tallies
Offend the Ul-Mor: XOOOO
Succumb to the Desert: OOOO
Discovered by the Pirates: OOO
This band of Ul-Mor have been travelling for several weeks since they left the larger tribe. They had planned on being away on a much longer tour of the desert, but are calling their trip short to take you to the tribe.
Skur Vonn replies, "What were you looking for? We have inconvenienced you. Is it possible for you to show us the tunnels, and then you can return to your duties?"
And regarding the filtration mask, he lets the group decide.
poisoning roll
gaming since 1980 cybersavant.proboards.com
- = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - Andreas Larson; Law of the Gun <Boot Hill 3e> Nah Olos; Earthquakes in the Jotens <AD&D 1e> Rorexsth; Wayfarers <Doctor Who>
cybersavant wrote: ↑Tue Dec 13, 2022 7:38 amSkur Vonn replies, "What were you looking for? We have inconvenienced you. Is it possible for you to show us the tunnels, and then you can return to your duties?"
Thurad replies through sharing: "Not at all! The desert is a place of discovery, revealing its gifts to those smart and strong enough to survive it. We venture into the desert to find that which cannot be found elsewhere—and what stranger, more providential thing is there to be found than you? You, who are formed so strangely, and yet have raised lopers, and who can share without touching, and who craft... prodigies? It is an honor to have found you, and to bring you back to join our tribe.
"And besides, the tunnels are perilous, and path is winding. You will need our guidance."
