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Faewood Quest(Mirrored from SB)[original setting]

Part 25: You Have a Patient to Attend.
-[X] Try to stabilize the river Fae, but keep her restrained. With iron, preferably.

-----------

You watch the Fae silently as he walks around the corner, before motioning to the others to come close. "Can the two of you watch him until he leaves," you murmur, "and then drop the Portcullis and try to raise the drawbridge? We're going to want to check and take other precautions, but I think it was just the two of them who did… all of this."

Cora nods seriously. "What will you be doing?"

You indicate the river Fae, the name of whom you still don't know. "I will be getting this one contained and then fixing her up enough that she won't die. I want to know why they attacked this place, among other things, and then she owes us her life for not killing her when she attacked us unprovoked." The two of them nod again, and turn to trail the fire Fae, and you speak up a bit louder. "Oh, and Sheesi?" She hesitates and looks back at you. You give her a grin and a thumbs up. "Nice hit."

She returns the grin with a slightly shaky one of her own, before hurrying to catch up with Cora. Right, it's probably the first time she has ever used that skill on a living thing, or at least a sapient one.

You turn back to the comatose river Fae, and begin working. You'll need some way to keep her restrained, preferably using iron. Doing it physically and directly might not be the best idea right now though, since it might cause issues with healing her or even finish her off outright. You note the spreading pool of blood and decide that you are going to have to work quickly if you don't want that to happen anyway. The corridor is a bad place for it though, so you drag her as gently as you can into the closest room; fortunately, it seems to be a spacious bedroom empty of bodies. Probably the master bedroom of the castle, in fact.

All things considered, your best bet for restraining her is to use a modified version of the Protect Area ritual, using iron as your anchors; one that will keep things in, instead of keeping them out. It will require that you be in there with her in order to perform any rituals on her, but once she is stabilized you can restrain her with physical iron as well.

When you try to figure out how to do it, you find that it is actually a very easy adjustment to make. In fact, your new Contain Area ritual will be even easier than the original, leaving you room to attune it to a single specific being if you so desire. A quick check of the room and the contents of your pack leaves you with eight small objects containing iron, and so you leave out the one that looks the most unworked so that you have seven; it's a magically powerful number, so it should actually be stronger this way.

You place them evenly in a circle around the Fae, making sure that they won't be moved on accident. Then you begin the ritual, pushing it as far as you think you can go without any risk of failure. You might need as much mana as you can get in the near future.
[difficulty 11; auto-success]

Gained the trait: Perfective Compulsive (rank n/a): Changes the way that the ritual skill modifier functions: rather than being a simple die roll, half of the maximum value is a guaranteed bonus. The remaining half is still calculated by rolling dice. Has no effects outside of rituals.
Ritual Skill Modifier changed to 5+1d5.

Once the ritual is complete, you move inside the circle and work to get the Fae to the point where she at least won't die on her own. You draw out the Heal Wounds ritual, healing her slowly both so as to make sure it gets done right with such a large wound and so that you don't accidentally heal her too much. You still want her to be in no position to reject any contract you offer her.

Even if the fire one had obviously been thinking something disgusting and reprehensible when he said it, his suggestion of making her your slave has stuck in your mind, and you can't help but admit that it makes a lot of sense. She owes you a life-dept for sparing and treating her when she attacked you unprovoked. It would be perfectly just to bind her as a servant to your line for the rest of her days. You'll need to work in something for Sheesi as well, but you somehow doubt that she would have attacked the little sprite the way she did you, had Sheesi been alone. This Fae seemed to have done it out of a grudge against humans in particular, which is also the reason that you cannot let her go free.

You hear the distant rumble of the portcullis, and you know that the others will be coming back as soon as the drawbridge is raised. Assuming that it can be raised by one person at least. If it can't, you expect that they will be back even sooner. You sit down outside the circle to consider how you want to word your contract. It will have to be watertight, no pun intended, and you will need clauses to prevent attempts to break it or get it broken, attempts to kill herself, attempts to kill or harm those she is contracted to protect, contract abuse from your end such as on the part of any of your descendants….

Okay, this is going to take some thought. You get out your blank ritual notes and writing materials; there is no way you are going to be able to remember it all, and you want to have at least a basic idea down before Cora and Sheesi get back, so that you can have something to work with for convincing them this is a good idea.

[] Write In contract.

[] Decide to do something else with her instead.
-[] Write In.


----------

AN: So long as you don't word the contract in a way that is easily abusable, you will probably be able to convince the others of it as it is. Stunts for convincing them may help make it easier though, especially for Sheesi since she is Fae herself.

Here's the enchantment you used to restrain the Fae. You did make it's effects exclusive to her, though I forgot to write it in the chapter.

Contain Area (enchantment):
Difficulty: As high or low as you want to make it. The higher the difficulty, the stronger the protection. Slightly easier than Protect Area.
Reagents: cold iron or another significant material, planted or fastened at the boundaries and/or center of the protected area. If used, removal of the reagent will weaken or destroy the enchantment.
Effect: Prevents things from leaving the area, whether they be creatures or magical effects or other things. Using a reagent massively strengthens and stabilizes the effect of the enchantment, making it last pretty much as long as the reagent is in place. Depending on what reagent is used, the enchantment will be much more effective against certain things. For instance, cold iron makes it very effective against Fae, while silver is highly effective against Fell. May be used to restrain a single, specific being, allowing others to pass through it without any effect at the cost of being equally as difficult as Protect Area. Variations of this enchantment may be layered over the same area multiple times.
 
Part 26: OutFaeing the Fae.
[X] Indenture/slave contract(basic idea locked in, some adjustment still possible).
I hereby swear to obey the following contract, in payment of lifedept and for grievances owed:

I will devote my life to obeying all orders given me by Faust Manus, Cora Manus, or by their heirs, in the spirit in which they are given me. Orders given me by those with greater rightful authority among them will supersede orders given by those with less, even to the point of nullifying them altogether. No order shall supersede any aspect of this contract itself, unless given with that intent by one with the authority and meeting the conditions to alter this contract.

I will not attempt to harm Faust Manus, Cora Manus, or their heirs or cause them to come to harm, whether physically, emotionally, in reputation or in any other way, nor will I do so to any other save it be for their protection or with their approval. I will attempt to prevent such harm from occurring to Faust Manus, Cora Manus, or their heirs if I am able, within only such reasonable limits as they may define, in the spirit in which they are defined. If it is in any way practical, as defined by Faust Manus, Cora Manus, and their heirs, I will attempt to obtain their approval before causing harm for their protection or benefit.

I will not attempt to leave, nullify, cause to be changed, or subvert this contract in any way, nor will I attempt to cause it to be changed, subverted, or nullified by another party or by chance, save by means of voluntary release by Faust Manus, Cora Manus, or their heirs in reward for good behavior as they define it.

This contract may be altered or nullified by those in highest rightful authority among Faust Manus, Cora Manus, and their heirs, but only if they do so of their own free will while neither under any form of duress nor in any form of altered or impaired state of mind. This contract may not be altered or nullified in any other way.

------------

Cora and Sheesi return before you are entirely finished with the contract, but you tell them of your general idea and show them what you have. "I wouldn't normally even suggest something like this," you conclude, "but under the circumstances…"

Cora lets out a sigh of affirmation. "Yeah, I have to agree. First, she killed everyone here while only provoked by one person, for which she deserves either something like this or death. Then, she attacked us without provocation and we actually saved her life from the injuries she got from it, so she owes us everything on a personal basis. If it was just the first I would say to put her down like a rabid animal; if it was just the second I would say to let her go with an oath not to do us harm again, but as it is…"

You nod. "As it is, she both literally owes us her very self, and is fully deserving of it."

Sheesi looks rather conflicted about the whole thing. It obviously bothers her, but at the same time you can tell that she doesn't exactly disagree with you either.

In the end, you agree that you should stay and finish writing up the contract while Cora and Sheesi go to look for some iron manacles for the captured Fae. There are bound to be some in a castle like this; Sheesi will be able to confirm that they are made of iron, while Cora will be able to carry them to the room you have designated as your base of operations.

Also, it will give Cora some more time alone with Sheesi to help her deal with everything, and to come to terms with helping to basically enslave a fellow Fae. You know that the two of them are a lot closer emotionally than Sheesi is with you.

By the time they return, you have finished the contract to your liking. Sheesi seems a little more at ease, thankfully, so you don't see any problem with having both of them go over it for any loopholes you might have missed.
Sheesi gained 0.5 Maturity.
"The one thing that I am annoyed with," you tell them, "is that there isn't anything in there for you, Sheesi. She attacked you too, even if she might not have if we weren't there. Plus, you were the one who took her down in the end. Is there anything that I can add in?"

Sheesi shakes her head. "No, I don't think I want that. I can get why you are doing this, and I get that it is better than killing her and that you aren't the sort of person who will abuse it more than you should, but I don't think that I want to involve myself in it that way. Besides, my own Fae nature could affect it if we do that."

You see the last bit for the lie that it is, but you let it drop.

There isn't much time left to search and salvage in the castle before you want to go to bed, but you do get a couple of things and a modest sum of money. Some people on the coast might look down on you for your pragmatism, but to those raised in the Faewood? Respect for the dead is all well and good; respect for their possessions will just get you killed for lack of supplies. That was where the proverb 'one man's folly is another man's fortune' came from.

[1d4=3, 1d20=7, 1d100=27] = Gained 3 Cedars, 7 Maples, 27 Oaks.
Gained bastard sword, dinnerware, refreshed supplies.


With all the dead people in the castle, most of whom at least tried to die fighting, you have your pick of weapons, and especially swords. For now, you content yourself with taking the one clutched in the dead fingers of the person you suspect to have been the guy in charge. Of the ones you see in the short time you have, it seems to be the only one of at all comparable quality to your rapier.

After that you join Cora and Sheesi in getting fresh food supplies from the castle's kitchens and larder. While you are at it, you grab some of the nicer looking dinnerware. Sure, it probably isn't worth bringing them with you once you leave, but until then you are going to eat off of them because why not? You will probably spend at least another day or two here salvaging what you can, so you may as well make yourselves as comfortable as possible while you are at it.

Before you do go to bed, your mana has replenished more than enough to place a very strong ward on the room you have collectively claimed.
[difficulty 15= auto success]
You push yourself to make it strong, and to execute it perfectly, and you are rewarded by the strongest ward you have set up yet. The fact that it is protecting a stone room instead of a tent may have helped make it a bit stronger as well.

Feeling a bit more secure, and with your prisoner both shackled with iron and contained in an iron-reinforced ward attuned specifically towards herself, you feel quite safe in going to sleep. You and your companions take turns watching throughout the night anyway.

It is during your watch that the Fae prisoner wakes up. She doesn't even try to get you to make a deal with her or anything upon realizing her situation, instead just sitting with a look of hopeless despair on her face. A few tears trickle down from her eyes, and her will appears to be entirely broken for now.

Morning comes, and you have to decide on how you are going to make her accept the contract you have decided upon.

[] Geass her first, with the geass being such that it will make her accept the contract. Cannot fail, but uses a large amount of mana and slightly weakens the lifedept itself, since it would be used as a conceptual reagent.

[] Intimidation is the way to go. Try forcing her at swordpoint. She may just ask you to kill her instead.
-[] If that fails, (geass or write-in).


[] First, try solemnly dictating it to her like a judge and asking if she agrees to follow it as a binding verbal contract. Her will might be broken enough that she will just agree without resistance. WIL check on the part of your prisoner; she is currently under a VERY heavy WIL penalty.
-[] If that fails, (any other option or write-in).

[] Write In.

-----------
AN: So yeah, that phrase from the "Looting Party!" option a few updates ago? That wasn't just a joke. IC it is an actual proverb that people within the Faewood follow.
 
Part 27: Oh, Damn This One Has Issues.
[X] First, try solemnly dictating it to her like a judge and asking if she agrees to follow it as a binding verbal contract. Her will might be broken enough that she will just agree without resistance.
-[X] If that fails, Geass her, with the geass being such that it will make her accept the contract.


-----------

You address the Fae before you, a solemn look on your face. "You have attacked and intentionally caused the deaths of the inhabitants of this castle, despite the fact that most of them had done you no wrong. You have attacked myself and my companions with murderous intent, despite knowing with absolute surety that we had not done you wrong either.

Despite this, when you were mortally wounded in this attempt on our lives, we then saved your life, treating your wounds enough that you will be able to recover fully with time. As such, you owe us your very self. In payment of this, and in punishment for your crimes, we have sentenced you to take the oath of bonded servitude that I shall now dictate to you:"
[river Fae's WIL check: 1d20 =2<(1 WIL*10=10); Haha. No. Critical Fail. Stockholm Syndrome, here she comes!]
You go on to read the document to her. You were planning on asking her "do you accept this oath and contract" or something to that effect once you had finished reading it off, but to your surprise she instead begins to repeat each phrase after you as you say it, an almost dead look in her eyes.

She is… completely hopeless right now, isn't she? You had debated with yourself as to whether or not to add in a clause preventing her from being forced to obey sexual or other repugnant orders, but decided to refrain by reason of it being unnecessary and hard to put in without creating a loophole of some sort. She doesn't even show any sign of objecting to the lack.

When you are finished, she sits for a few moments. Then, as soon as you have removed her iron shackles, she begins undressing mechanically. What?

"Very well my masters. How may I service you?"

"What. I don't… what?"

She pauses and looks at you, and you are once again struck by her sheer, hopeless resignation. Though now it seems to be joined by a sliver of some kind of sick, masochistic eagerness and disappointment at being stopped. "Is my appearance not pleasing to you?" Oh, she's very pleasing to look at, that is true. She literally could not possibly be otherwise as a fully humanoid Fae, and a water-oriented one at that. "You are a human male, and I am helpless before you, am I not?"

The pieces fall together in your mind. Oh. Oh Hell. It certainly in no way justifies what she did to the rest of the castle's occupants, and she still deserves what you have done to her, but perhaps you can understand why she was so utterly enraged. Why she is so hopeless now. 'Pissed off a river Fae,' freaking understatement of the year. Whichever one did that deserved everything he got.

[] Yeah, time to help the traumatized Fae that you've just enslaved with her mental issues. Or at least to show her that you aren't a monster like the last human man she encountered.
-[] Gently cover her back up as best you can without getting anywhere near touching her in a sexual way, and then leave her to Cora.
-[] Gently cover her back up as best you can without getting anywhere near touching her in a sexual way, and then (write-in).
-[] Leave her to Cora.
-[] Write-In.


[] Honestly, you can't find it in you to give her any sympathy after what she's done.
-[] Cold glare "I am not such a monster as that, nor am I one such as that which you have shown yourself to be."
-[] Cold glare (write-in).
-[] Write-In.


----------

AN: So. Time to deal with someone who's riding the Trauma Train. Yes, this was always going to be the nature of the offence that was committed against her. No, there was absolutely no reason or justification for her to go after the settlement as a whole in retaliation; the guy that did it was acting entirely on his own and didn't tell anybody what it was that he had done.

The advantage to not including a clause against sexual orders is that you now immediately have an opportunity to show her through your actions that not all humans are horrible monsters, and that you can continue to do so moving forward just by not giving her any such orders then, either. Big advantage for gaining her goodwill there, whereas if you had put the clause in she would have just seen it as something you had added to make her less objectionable towards the contract itself, and she would not have made the assumption about your intent that she did here so you would not have discovered her issues right away.

I will tell you straight up that the second suboption of the first option has the highest potential rewards in every way, depending on what you write in. Obviously, taking her up on her Stockholm Syndrome-induced offer is not on the table in any way, shape, or form.

Also, I will be leaving on a camping trip with my family in a day or two, and I will be gone for four days. I will update again when I get back.
 
Part 28: Fae Minds Do Not Think Alike.
I'm back everybody! This update you finally get a taste of those "inhuman thought processes" that have been advertised about the Fae.

[X] Yeah, time to help the traumatized Fae that you've just enslaved with her mental issues. Or at least to show her that you aren't a monster like the last human man she encountered.
-[X] Gently cover her back up as best you can without getting anywhere near touching her in a sexual way, and then leave her to Cora.

----------------

You gently reach out and shift her clothing enough that it once again provides her with a level of basic decency. You don't miss the way that she tenses up as you do so, though it isn't entirely the sort of tensing you expected, and you make sure to try to keep your hands well away from anywhere private. You then turn away from her without a word. As you pass Cora, you put your hand on her shoulder and give her a look and a jerk of your head before leaving the room. This is probably something that another woman should deal with, not a man.

You lean back against the wall just outside the door to the room. This was not at all what you had expected, though perhaps you should have.

Sheesi joins you a moment later. After a few seconds, she gives voice to her thoughts. "Knowing what we do now, do you still think it was right to do what you did with her?"

"Yes," you say, marshalling your thoughts. "Yes, it was right. Whatever the reason behind it, she still murdered or got someone to murder an entire settlement full of people innocent of the crime that was done to her. An entire settlement of innocents, except for one guilty.

She has to be punished for that, fully and completely. This makes me especially glad we didn't just kill her though. It means that there was a good reason for her to be as angry and irrational as she was. It doesn't erase the deservedness of the consequences for her actions, but it does mean that she isn't beyond sympathy or redemption."

You look directly at Sheesi. "Does that make sense to you?"

She nods her head hesitantly. "I… I think so. It's all very hard, you know? I feel like I should be helping her because she's a fellow Fae enslaved to humans, and that feels wrong to me. But at the same time, I know that she deserves it and that of all the humans she could have as masters, the two of you are probably the nicest ones possible. It's hard."

"I know," you tell her, "It's hard for Cora and I too."

"I think that's the best reason why I know that you won't ever do anything bad with it. It's because of that… yeah," Sheesi finishes somewhat lamely.
[Sheesi gained 0.5 Maturity]
It is at this point that Cora comes out, looking a little frustrated about something. "I swear, that woman…"

"Is something wrong?" you ask her. "Well, more wrong?"

She rounds on you. "Is something wrong?! Of course it is! It could never be otherwise, because of course the random naiad we've never met before is going to react completely differently from a human girl!" A second later she realizes what she said and the way she said it. "Ah, sorry, sorry. It really isn't your fault. It's just…."

She huffs. "With a human girl, the way you turned things over to me would definitely be the right choice. With her though, it seems like she's just gotten it into her head that you just don't find her attractive enough to…. Aarg! I'm about eighty five percent sure that she's going to try and seduce you by any means possible now. It's like she's completely forgotten that what she was expecting wasn't consensual!"

Sheesi rather timidly raises a hand. "Um, if she's a naiad like you said, that could sort of explain it. They're an awful lot like water sometimes, from what Mother has told me. Sometimes they can either rush at things and try to overturn them completely, or they can just kind of get used to a new way of things really fast. When the first one doesn't work, the second one is often what they go back to."

Cora gives her a bit of a flat look. "I think she still hates us pretty thoroughly. Or me and you at least. I honestly can't tell what she thinks about Faust here."

"Right. That's just what I mean," Sheesi nods. "She has a reason to try and obsess over Faust with something other than hate, so even though she still hates him underneath it all, she has the other thing overriding it now. Out of pride, or… or something like that. Mother's explanation was a little confusing."

"So basically," you interject, "she's got weird thought processes because of her Fae nature. No offense to you Sheesi; sprites and pixies are kind of known for having relatively human thought processes for Fae."

What Now?

[] Go in and try to clear up the thing with your naiad(you can try, right?)…
-[] …then move on to questioning her.
-[] …then move on to salvaging, with her help. She's your slave, after all.
-[] write-in.


[] Leave your naiad for later…
-[] …and go salvaging.
-[] write-in.


[] Write-In.

------------------

AN: Good idea with a human, recipe for… weird stuff with a Fae. You've been a bit spoiled with how Sheesi's thought processes are so humanlike. A naiad(you know what kind of Fae she is now! Yay!) is a bit more alien and confusing. She now both hates your guts and wants you to jump her and have your way with her, the latter more than the former. Even just a brief comment about how not all men are monsters could have changed things a fair bit. Now you are going to have one heck of a time trying to convince her to stop trying to get into your pants.
 
That is the quest thus far. You may now post and vote, if you so desire.
 
Part 29: Q&A Session.
Here, have an update.

[X] Go in and try to clear up the thing with your naiad(you can try, right?)…
-[X] …then move on to questioning her.

------------------

"I suppose I should at least try to clear it up with her then," you tell Cora and Sheesi. "Chances are that I won't manage it, but it is worth trying a little bit. I'm thinking I'll try and get some information out of her after that."

You open the door and enter, leaving it open. Cora and Sheesi watch from behind you, but they don't follow you in.

"Ah," the naiad says, "have you come to ravish me?"

"No." You see her shoulders slump. "While I do find you quite beautiful and desirable," she perks back up a bit, "I am also already married, not looking for a second wife, and not a rapist piece of scum. Not every human is, you know. I have no intention of doing anything of that nature to you, especially not against your will."
[1d20=2: haha, yeah, you fail]
She blinks at you, and you get the distinct impression that she did not comprehend your meaning at all. Either that, or she comprehended it as something much different from what you were actually trying to get across. Well, you tried. You'll just have to clear it up gradually then.

"Anyway, I want to ask you some questions," you tell her. "Answer me truthfully. First, what is your name?"

"Myyrha... ah, what shall I call you, my master?"

"Refer to me as [choose], from here on out."

[] Sir

[] Master

[] whatever you choose, so long as it is not offensive

[] Write-In.

You ask your next question. "The other Fae mentioned a survivor of those who lived here; a girl. What happened to her?"

"He saw that she was young and had the potential to learn magic, so he asked me if he could keep her instead of killing her. I said yes, so no doubt she is long gone." Myyrha looks annoyed. "After he repaid me by leaving me to fight you alone, I wish I hadn't."

Well, damn. Nothing you can do about it now. The next question is one that you need to ask, even if you would rather not. "Why exactly did you attack this settlement? Tell me the full course of events."

Her face twists with rage. "One of their young men pretended to befriend me. After several weeks of meeting and talking with him, he convinced me to meet him again in a clearing; one that happened to be a distance from any water sources. While we were talking he gave me a necklace to put on. It turned out that part of it was made of iron, and as soon as I had it on he restrained me, binding my wrists with a small iron chain. Then he-"

You cut her off. "That is enough. Did you have any specific reason to believe that any other of the residents here was involved or helped him with it?"

"No," she admits reluctantly.

"Was he killed in the attack or beforehand, to your knowledge?"

She dons a look of satisfaction. "Yes. Yes, he most certainly was."

"How did you convince that other Fae to help you attack this place?" you continue.

"He owed me a favor according to a contract I made with him some time ago. I called it in, so he had to help me kill everyone who lived here."

"Do you have any other outstanding contracts that could force you to act in a certain way or do something?"

"No."

Well, that covers the questions you had thought of up to this point. Do you have any other questions?

[] Yes.
-[] Write-In.


[] No.
-[] Time to go lootscavenge.
-[] Write-In other activity.

--------------
AN: So that you aren't confused by the "already married, not looking for a second wife," line: yes, polygamy is hardly unheard of in the Faewood. It would be considered by most to be quite inappropriate to take a second wife only a few days after your first however, and doing so with Myyrha would also cause other issues right now no matter how willing she might act. Give it a while and it might become a possibility though.

Myyrha's bio has been added to the character sheet; unfortunately, I do not have any pictures that match her description as I envision it.

I did tell you when you let the other Fae go without comment that you had lost the chance to act on the girl who survived the attack. Now you know why.
 
I'd like to try to get her point of view a little more.

[X] Yes, why did you decide the entire castle had to die when you had no evidence showing that they helped? Why did you feel it was necessary?
 
Part 30: Looting Party! (1/?)
This chapter was very hard to write. Especially since I didn't think to ask what sort of things you wanted to prioritize looking for in your looting.
QQ only: sorry if it seems like I'm not counting your vote. I am counting it, but pretty much everyone else is still voting over on the SB version of this thread.


[X] Faust
[X] Yes.
-[X] Ask her if she would object to healing. If she does not object then do so.
-[X] Afterwards it's Time to go scavenge.

----------------

"One last question then," you tell Myyrha. "Would you object if I were to use a ritual to finish healing your wounds?"

She seems to be surprised by the question, but gives her answer nonetheless after a moment. "…No, my ma- No, Faust. I would not object."

The ritual doesn't take overlong, and soon she is the perfect picture of health. It does take a decent chunk out of your mana, but you feel that it is worth it. It will be recovered by lunchtime anyway. Her clothing for her upper body is still left in a state that is hardly decent, but you figure you can find her something new in the castle somewhere until it can be repaired.

Speaking of which, it is time to scavenge a bit. As you search, you find that Myyrha tends to keep running into you in her own searching. You figure out soon enough that it is on purpose, and that most of the time she is showing decidedly more skin than even her damaged clothing should otherwise be displaying.

This culminates midmorning, when you have her put on a comfortable, yet somewhat durable looking dress to wear in the short term; one that Cora had found and left by the pile of things you were gathering at some point for that express reason. You tell Myyrha to get ready to change in the other room, intending to hand in the dress through the door once you have confirmed for yourself that it will do the job. Instead of that happening, Myyrha tries to display herself to you fully naked.
[WIL check: WIL=6: pass]
You are able to avert your eyes as you order her to go back inside until she is clothed. You know that the contract is worded in a way that would have prevented her from misinterpreting a command on purpose, and are left wondering exactly what it was that she thought you wanted of her. After a moment's thought you think you have an idea, and decide that you probably don't want to know for certain.
[Loot: 1d20+6 PER=9]
You gather various valuables, useful tools, and useful-looking odds and ends, ranging from a tasteful diamond necklace to a few more swords and other blades, unfortunately a great deal lower quality than the two you have already.
[1d4-1=3, 1d20-5=0, 1d100-25=20] Gained 3 Cedars, 20 Oaks(6,020 Oaks).
You are surprised to find almost as much money this time around as you did the previous night. Perhaps your search at the time was even more abbreviated than you had thought.

All told, it is a moderately profitable few hours of looting. Er, scavenging. By the time you decide to take a break for lunch, there is already far too much in the pile for you to even consider taking with you, and you don't remember most of what all you found. You do remember that none of it seems to be magical or otherwise unusual though. Kind of strange in a way, that a castle like Firkinhold wouldn't have anything like that when Cora her grandfather had been living in the next settlement over and selling their creations for years.

In fact, you would bet that there are magical items to be found, and that you just haven't managed to find them yet. Still, it might be a good idea to sort through what you have so far before you continue to gather more.

Since a large number of things were gathered and I have no intention of creating a list of it all, please ask in thread about anything you want and think you may have found, and I will tell you yes or no about whether or not it is in the pile. Items mentioned in the chapter (diamond necklace, at least a couple of lesser-quality blades) are guaranteed to be there. All items suggested and approved will be added to the "undivided party loot" list in your character profile.

Once you have sorted through your findings and eaten a meal, what do you do next?

[] Keep scavenging.
-[] Look for what, in particular? (Write-In)


[] Do something else.
-[] Write-In. Unless otherwise specified or required, Cora, Sheesi, and Myyrha will continue scavenging.

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It's fine, man. Are they even aware of my vote though? I know a couple cross forum quests end up showing the popular votes from other sites.

The diamond necklace... How are your crystals used? Do they store energy, focus it, or any thing?
 
It's fine, man. Are they even aware of my vote though? I know a couple cross forum quests end up showing the popular votes from other sites.

The diamond necklace... How are your crystals used? Do they store energy, focus it, or any thing?
No, I don't believe they are aware. I'm not planning on posting "vote results" posts for this quest at this point in time, when it is kind of relatively small.

Well, it's a nice necklace. You could enchant it, and depending on the enchantment using it on the diamonds might act as a reagent, but otherwise it is pretty mundane. Makes a nice gift for Cora though.
 
Can we make an enchantment that reflects things? Diamonds are hard and super reflective, like a mirror. That could help protect our wife.
 

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