Jail Quest: a text adventure occasionally illustrated.

A night of drinking and a failed attempt to cheat on cards had landed you the strangest job slash community service sentence you've ever had: ensuring Gongalla Gaol survives the reality storm called Singularity.

Now you travel around with your employer and a handpicked crew to survey the four Reality Anchors. Hey, beats being tarred and feathered, right?

Previous thread:
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6183794/

Gongallaverse:
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Gongalla%20Gaol

You are Rosa Montagni, once again on the road towards the north of North. After that successful raid on the Singularity cultist cave, you've returned back to Pinewatch to tie up loose ends - one of which involves a bit of child actor kidnapping. Hey, he's affiliated with the cultists anyways, luring kids into the hands of the cultists. The other loose end is the 'sleeper' cultists still in town - but you captured them with the assistance of the burlesque theatre girls, whom you worked together to set a trap in a play they've always wanted. Cultists apprehended and delivered to the guildhall, Jed Stuart gives you the reward you seek - directions towards the North's reality anchor. Jed's info is way more detailed than Hammy's vague directions - and so you once again charter Lightning Ling's autowagon services. Which brings you to your current situation...

>>6225500 (OP)
"Ling, they're still chasing us! Can't you go any faster?"

The two froststalkers have been at your heels since you've passed Dolmen and Blackslate. You guess they've tracked your autowagon since the Crystal Forest, but they've broken cover as you approach closer to The Pale. Probably because here, the weather can be deadlier than any local bandit or fauna.

"Faster? Yes, of course, boss! But not in this kind of terrain... we're in a crevasse field!"

Ling's voice sounds strained, seems like she's focusing all her willpower to go as fast as she can while avoiding these souped-up potholes. Craig's holding on to you for dear life, Valencio's on the alert and tracking one of the froststalkers, and Nemo's just calmly observing as the autowagon swerves out of the way of a newly-opened crevasse. Good thing that Millie and Clyde stayed behind in Pinewatch to interrogate and deprogram the cultists - the autowagon can go faster without their extra weight. Well, as fast as Ling can handle it.

But enough reminiscing, you need to shake off that pair of froststalkers. What do you have in mind?

>ROLL 1D20 WITH EACH VOTE

>CHOOSE ONE

>□ Try to bait them into falling down a crevasse, at the risk of personal harm
>□ Get Craig to use magic on them - but you gotta calm him down first
>□ Get Valencio to use tremorsense to open up a crevasse under them, at the risk of opening one under you
>□ Get Ling to floor it, at the risk of hitting an unseen crevasse
>□ Other (fill in) (unknown risk)

>>6225518
Can I vote to consider getting some actual fuckin' bullets for your gun next time?

>>6225522
Nah.

>>6225518
>□ Get Valencio to use tremorsense to open up a crevasse under them, at the risk of opening one under you
Earthquake monk, I choose you!

>>6225545
Why not? She already has a gun. She doesn't need to shoot people with it.

Fine, let's just
>□ Get Craig to use magic on them - but you gotta calm him down first
But we still gotta consider getting some bullets

>>6225546
It's characterful. It fits the conwoman vibe. Plus, how would bullets help in this situation if we aren't going to shoot them?

>>6225689
>It's characterful. It fits the conwoman vibe.
I mean, I guess conning someone into thinking you have bullets when you don't is characterful, but it's also...stupid?

I mean, if we had bullets RIGHT NOW, We could have been shooting the wolves instead of trying to do all this overcomplicated dangerous nonsense.

>>6225518
>□ Get Valencio to use tremorsense to open up a crevasse under them, at the risk of opening one under you

Rolled 18, 12, 1 = 31 (3d20)

No rolls?
Lemme roll for you, then.

Rolled 1 (1d3)

>>6225864
And here's the more exciting thing
>1: Best
>2: Average
>3: Worst

Why do we need a gun at all if we're a conwoman?

We just need to make the wolves believe that we have psychic powers and can blow them up with just our mind.

>>6225518
A risky idea crossed your mind.

"Valencio, can you do your tremor thing to open up a crevasse under us?"

You can't see his face under that mask, but he seems to be staring at you in disbelief.

"Wait, from in here? Through the autowagon??"

"Yeah, couldn't you like, channel the tremor through the wheels or something?"

A slight bump from the outside makes Craig whimper a bit. C'mon, Valencio, you can do this, stop being too cautious, those froststalkers are getting bolder and more desperate.

"I'll try, though I should note that I've never tried anything of this sort before... I hope the autowagon can take it!"

He then crouches inside the cabin, and puts his palm on the floor. Then, you feel the vibrations resonating from under your seat, at the same time a loud, cracking sound ensues outside, one which swallows the surprised and panicked yelps of the froststalkers.

"By the bones!"

Valencio muttered as an entire canyon of a crevasse remained behind you, and the froststalkers are nowhere to be seen.

"Sweet Gongalla, it works!"

You can't believe how lucky you are, as the autowagon still continues on its way smoothly. A bit early and you could plummet with your ex-pursuers.

"Don't celebrate just yet, I see a gust of flashfrost ahead! Huddle up, drink something warm, or tough it out!"

Ling's warning reminded you that indeed, the North's number one danger are its weather. In the cabin, you see that Craig is hugging you from the side even tighter; Valencio opens up a bottle of aquavit - or something even more potent - from his inventory, and Nemo's still just observing. You guess Ling's gonna try and tough it out, but then again, maybe she could dodge the freezing wind?

What would your survival strategy be?

>ROLL 1D20 AS YOU VOTE

>CHOOSE ONE

>□ Tell the crew to huddle up inside the cabin, you've packed thick fabric just for this eventuality

>□ Drink from Valencio's alcoholic inventory stash, that should get your body warm enough

>□ Try and tough it out - if Ling can do it, you can do it too, right?

>□ Have Craig magic something up to protect against the cold, he should have a spell like that

>□ Tell Ling to dodge the flashfrost if she can, you trust her reflexes

>□ Other (fill in)

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>6227381
>□ Tell the crew to huddle up inside the cabin, you've packed thick fabric just for this eventuality
Fun fact, drinking alcohol does not, in fact, make you warmer. It makes you feel warmer because your veins grow so the warmth gets to the skin more easily, but that's actively worse for maintaining your body heat.

>>6227382
Well that can't be good.

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>6227381
>□ Have Craig magic something up to protect against the cold, he should have a spell like that

>>6227394
lol, lmao

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>6227381
>□ Drink from Valencio's alcoholic inventory stash, that should get your body warm enough
FUCK YALLS BAD ROLLS WATCH THIS

Rolled 1 (1d3)

>>6227382
>>6227394
>>6227397
Three-way tie, huh? Let's consult the winds of fate.
And might as well...
>1: Huddle Up, Best
>2: Magic, Average
>3: Drink, Worst

>>6227970
>3 nat 1's
holy shit i think we all just freeze to death

Doomsday cultists and world ending events are nothing compared to our biggest enemy yet: the cold

>>6225864
Woops, forgot!

>>6227382
>>6227394
>>6227397
>>6227970
By the bones indeed.

>>6227381
While aquavit and moonshine makes you feel hot, most of the time it's just the sensation and doesn't actually warm you up. Unless it's Pyrovoran Firewater or Distilled Sunset. Which Craig can't drink since he's too young; his internal organs will literally burn up. And from what you've seen, Craig's magic has nothing to do with temperature... so it just leaves you with one logical option.

"Ling, unbind the thick sheets and hand 'em here! You take one too, everybody bundle up!"

You don't know how she does it while she's driving the autowagon, but she single-handedly distributed the warm, thick sheets. Once you got your sheet, you quickly coordinated with Valencio and Nemo to wrap all four of you together - Craig in the middle of the huddle.

"It's coming! Hold on!"

No sooner did you get the crew swaddled up, the flashfrost hits. You actually feel the forward motion of the autowagon slow down - not only this freezing wind is powerful, it also causes ice to stick to the autowagon, a fact that you've remembered too late. The gust hits your vehicle at an angle - and that is enough to destabilize it. You felt a crash as the autowagon fell sideways - thankfully, nobody inside was injured. Then you worry about Ling.

"Ling! Are you okay-"

Your exclamation died at your throat as you opened the autowagon door to check on her. While the flashfrost gust had passed, what you see coming towards you next made despair bloom in your chest.

"A Dammerlicht?!"

This crawling darkness is the worst, and deadliest, of the North's weather. While there are tales of Dammerlicht survivors, there are very few of them indeed. Still, you've got to survive...

>ROLL 1D20 WITH EACH VOTE

>CHOOSE ONE

>□ Find Ling and get her in the autowagon's cabin before the Dammerlicht sets in

>□ Try to get everyone to get out and run away from the Dammerlicht's path

>□ Bunker down in the cabin ASAP and wait it out

>□ Give in to the despair and let the Dammerlicht wash over you

>□ Other (fill in)

>ALSO CHOOSE ONE

>□ Pray to your goblin ancestors
>□ Pray to the Lady of the Pines
>□ Pray to whoever is the deity of the Northern reality anchor
>□ Don't pray

>>6229457
That storm was way worse than we expected, huh?

The hell is a dammerlicht, anyway?

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>6229457
>>□ Find Ling and get her in the autowagon's cabin before the Dammerlicht sets in
>□ Pray to the Lady of the Pines

>>6229457
We're back!

>□ Bunker down in the cabin ASAP and wait it out
Good luck, Ling... But Rosa's a rogue, not a selfless hero.

>□ Pray to the Lady of the Pines

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>6229680
I'll support this

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>6229457
>□ Find Ling and get her in the autowagon's cabin before the Dammerlicht sets in
>□ Pray to whoever is the deity of the Northern reality anchor

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>6229457
>□ Bunker down in the cabin ASAP and wait it out
>□ Pray to the Lady of the Pines

Rolled 1 (1d6)

1, 2: best
3, 4: average
4, 6: worst

Also tiebreak:
1, 2, 3: save Ling
4, 5, 6: bunker down

>>6230316
Wait, snap, didn't see >>6229682
It's bunker down then. Drawing, writing.

>>6230316
>>6230318
Well, it was about time we did something non-heroic...

>>6229457
That Dammerlicht's moving faster than you expected - it'll fully envelop the autowagon in seconds. There's no time for a rescue, lest you got caught in the full embrace of that deadly darkness.

"Sorry, Ling! We'll come get you later!"

You swiftly slam the cabin door shut as Craig asks in confusion.

"Why don't we hel-"

Then Dammerlicht covers you all. While its severity is dampened by the autowagon's cabin, you can still feel its effects gripping your heart - a depressing kind of fear and hopelessness washes over you, and Gongalla goes greyscale. Then the regrets come in, uninvited. Your mind struggles to avoid caving in from the weight of those memories you'd rather forget. That time after you ran away. Grandma Ko's sigh. Anxiety of getting your mentor's approval. That incident with the gun. That incident with the gun. That incident with the-

No. Snap out of it! You still need to live. There's things to be done. You see Craig, crying silently. You need to protect him. Valencio, muttering 'it should've been me' over and over again like a mantra. He needs help, you at least owed him that. Nemo... doesn't seem to be affected.

"Ah, so this is what despair feels like."

And yet, his expression stays the same. Oh how you wish you can have his unflinching nature right now - the waves of bleak recollections batter upon your psyche. At your wit's end, you let loose an unspoken prayer to the Lady of the Pines.

"If you even exist at all, Lady of the Pines, then please... save us..."

As you grab Craig closer in a sad embrace, you suddenly feel the autowagon shuddering, and then lifted up. Risking a peek outside the window, you are greeted by the sight of a gigantic flaming woman, whose skin and hair glow like wildfire. Who is lifting you and the entire autowagon, as if to inspect it before deciding to cradle it. Amidst the darkness of the Dammerlicht, she stands, an immutable eternal flame.

Still, it seems like she's taking you for a ride to an unknown destination. You hope she found Ling - you're still feeling the Dammerlicht through the cabin, and it's unthinkable for the ones who received the full brunt.

Anyways, you gotta do something to shake the effect off!

>CHOOSE ONE

>□ Just think nothing, talk nothing, do nothing.
>□ Question the giant lady who you think is the Lady of the Pines
>□ Do it for Craig, focus your thoughts on him
>□ Reflect on those resurfaced buried memories
>□ Other (fill in)

>>6231281
>□ Reflect on those resurfaced buried memories
THE GUN INCIDENT

>>6231282
+1
It seems like a good time to follow up on that narrative/character thread.

>>6231281
I'm >>6229680 on mobile.

>□ Reflect on those resurfaced buried memories

>>6231281
As the Dammerlicht clings outside, your thoughts are battered by depressive thoughts after depressive thoughts. You try to think better things, to no avail - so you focus in to a thought.

The incident with the gun.

It was out West, back when you are adventuring with your mentor - she said she's found a clue towards a big payoff. But something went wrong. She'd found herself an artifact, of sorts - some kind of magic bullet. You don't know if the bullet was influencing her, or she had that plan from the start - all you remember from that time were you, being shielded by lawmen and bounty hunters, and your mentor pointing a gun towards her own head.

"Watch closely, Rosa."

The magic bullet, inside the revolver. The hammer cocks back.

"This is how you scam the gods."

With a bang, you startle awake, as the autowagon was placed on the ground. The Lady of the Pines set you down on a flat plain of snow, and in the distance you can see a cabin, with mounds of snow around it. The Dammerlicht seems to avoid the cabin altogether.

「They await you.」

The Lady spoke, words like starfire, pointing at the cabin. Whoever's waiting for you might not matter, they have the shelter you need from this nightmare of a Dammerlicht.

But then again...

>CHOOSE ONE

>□ Ask the Lady who's waiting for you
>□ Ask the Lady where is this place
>□ Ask the Lady to save Ling
>□ Ask the Lady to come with you
>□ Thank the Lady and go inside
>□ Just go inside fast
>□ Check the mounds, they seem man-sized
>□ Other (fill in)

>>6233707
>□ Thank the Lady and go inside
This is why you never play Persona, kids.

>>6233707
>>□ Thank the Lady and go inside

>>6233707
>□ Ask the Lady to save Ling
If it's not too late...

>>6234409
If she dies, she dies.

>>6233707
>□ Ask the Lady to save Ling

>>6235060
..You waited 4 days to vote into a tie?

>>6235062
Didn't took that in consideration. As usual when I'm catching up, read the options and picked what I liked most.
Sorry QM.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Well isn't this a surprise - let us consult the winds of fate.
>1: Thank the Lady
>2: Ask her to save Ling

>>6235242
Yees, finally. I was tired of Rosa being more of a good guy than James himself. Let her be selfish once in a while, y'know. She's supposed to be a conwoman.

>>6233707
There's still some distance from where she puts the autowagon down and the cabin, and you are worried about Craig. The only thought you have is to not piss off the probably-divine gigantic Lady, so you thank her.

「Now get in.」

With her words searing in your ear, you do as she said - along with your team. The four of you trekked - well actually, just three, since you're carrying a shivering Craig - into the cabin, noting that the Dammerlicht doesn't affect you now. The cabin door opens easily; and a woman in white doesn't greet you. She's tending the furnace, and only a slightly annoyed eyebrow meets your eyes. Still, if she's friends with the Lady, it pays to be polite.

"Er, excuse us..."

Before you can say more, however, the door behind you opens with a bang. Another girl, tall and absolutely chipper about it, barges in carrying someone.

"Hey, Yukio! Get this - Astra missed one! How clumsy of her, eh? Haha!"

The cheerful girl gets the same treatment from the seated woman, who you presume to be Yukio - but you can feel that there's a bit of warmth behind Yukio's eyebrow raise than yours. It was then that happy-go-lucky noticed you.

"Oyo? Guests, eh? It's been a while since we had guests!"

Between the cheerful girl's hospitality and Yukio's lack of it, you don't know what to say. Or perhaps, you do?

>CHOOSE ONE

>□ "We won't be here long, we're just taking shelter from the Dammerlicht and we'll be on our way."
>□ "Thank you for the shelter, but our autowagon driver's still out there..."
>□ "What a storm, huh? If it weren't for the Lady of the Pines there, we'd be doomed."
>□ "Please, can you take a look at Craig? I think he's caught a fever!"
>□ Other (fill in)

>>6236293
The cheerful one has someone slung over her shoulder and, from her dialogue, I bet it's Ling. So...
>□ "Please, can you take a look at Craig? I think he's caught a fever!"

>>6236293
>>□ "Please, can you take a look at Craig? I think he's caught a fever!"

>>6236293
>>□ "Thank you for the shelter, but our autowagon driver's still out there..."

>>6236293
>□ "Please, can you take a look at Craig? I think he's caught a fever!"

>>6236293
>>□ "Please, can you take a look at Craig? I think he's caught a fever!"

>>6236303
+1

>>6236293
Of course you have something to say! Especially as you can feel Craig's growing awfully warmer in your hands.

"Please, can uou take a look at Craig? I think he's caught a fever! Did the Dammerlicht get to him?"

The cheerful woman had just set down her cargo on a spare chair - which turned out to be an unconscious Ling, by the way - and turned to you, her face definitely losing some joy at the news.

"Is Craig the kid in your arms? Lemme take a look!"

With concern, you hand him over to the mirthful one, who took one look at him and then handed him to Yukio, the woman near the stove.

"Ah, nothing to worry about! Kid's just seen Astra a bit too long. Just needs rest, eh."

Yukio seems like she's got a second opinion, though.

"待って、もう一つある。"

"Oho, yes, Yukio! I see a fragment of Loki in him!"

Before you could ask her what she meant by that, she already swooped in and took out... something amorphous in her hand. Something that you remember seeing before, outside of Goblinton, against the Masked Men... but smaller, soggier? Is this one of Craig's spirits?

The cheerful one then looks at you inquisitively.

"...So, what were you doing out there, with a kid in tow? Isn't it dangerous to bring a kid up here?"

Somehow, this question got you a bit on edge. True, they saved you and your crew from the weather, but you don't know who they are. They could be cultists! Or they could be locals. Or could they be... both? Maybe something else?

>CHOOSE ONE

>□ Tell them that you're here to check up on the anchor
>□ Tell them you're just a lost traveler
>□ Tell them you're with the Singularity cult
>□ Ask them who they are, first
>□ Don't tell them anything, you don't have to tell them, right?
>□ Other (fill in)

>>6238615
>□ Other
>Ask them who they are, first, then based on how much we trust what they say tell them a little of us.

>>6238650
That sounds like a good plan. +1

Also, they saved Ling. Good for her, I guess? We certainly didn't bother to try. No regrets even if they hadn't lol.

>>6238650
+1

>>6238650
+1

>>6238615
The cheery girl seems to possess powerful magic, or perhaps some sort of spirit handling, to just yank one of Craig's spirits like that. Best exercise a bit of caution, while not compromising yourself... yet.

"That depends, who are you two? Sorry if it sounds rude... I mean, thanks for saving us, but we've had run-ins with bad folk pretending to help."

The cheerful girl smiles in understanding.

"Ah yeah, same! That's why we live here, nowadays. Name's Skadi, by the way - and that's my lovely wife, Yukio! She's cool, eh?"

Nemo uncharacteristically rose in surprise at the mention of Skadi.

"Wait! If you're here, what of the Reality Anchor??"

You look at Nemo in confusion.

"Nemo, what are you saying? You know these two?"

Skadi glows in amusement at your questions.

"Oho! I now remember you, Nemo! Wait wait wait, you didn't tell her who I am? Let her guess, eh?"

Well, you mentally note to ask Nemo to open up a bit more about these Reality Anchors later. For now, what did you deduce about her?

>CHOOSE ONE

>□ She's the caretaker of the anchor
>□ She's the guardian of the anchor
>□ She's the deity in the anchor, like Sierra
>□ She's the anchor itself, personified
>□ She's something like Nemo
>□ Other (fill in)

>>6240805
>□ She's the caretaker of the anchor
That seems like the best thing. If she was like Sierra she'd be the anchor itself, and be holding it up. So it makes more sense to guess that she's just a caretaker.

>>6240805
>□ She's the caretaker of the anchor
Everywhere at the end of Gongalla...

>□ She's the caretaker of the anchor

>>6240805
>□ She's something like Nemo
She does have a weird face, powers, and demeanor.

>□ She's the deity in the anchor, like Sierra
Skadi is a viking goddess.

>>6240805
Hmmm... well, she's practically-fashioned, has some kind of power that lets her carry big loads and shrug off cold like nothing, and Nemo's asking her about the Anchor...

"Hmm, you look like the caretaker of the Anchor, then! Am I right?"

Skadi chuckles in an amused way.

"Ahaa, if Nemo's underling thinks so, then the disguise works!"

Your confidence turn into confusion.

"Wait, if you are not the caretaker, then who are you?"

A sly grin flashes on Skadi's face. In a bluish-white flash similar to light glinting off snow, you are suddenly face-to face with a goddess.

"Let me reintroduce myself; I am Skadi, winter goddess. Nice to meet you, eh."

Her voice, like a gentle blizzard, cool and chilling at the same time, causing you to freeze in your tracks as you process the information. Of course! She's used to the cold and she could carry big game by herself, and that might just be her fashion. The spirit that might be a fragment of Loki quivers in her grip, did she have history with it in the past? Who even is Loki anyways?

In spite of this display of godly power, Nemo's face returned to its usual impassionate look.

"Still, Skadi... how and why are you out here instead of staying in the anchor?"

Huh, yeah, aren't the deities supposed to be inside their Reality Anchors to make it stable? Or is that an assumption you've made after seeing Sierra?

>CHOOSE HOW

>□ "Oh, I'm still inside there, what you see here is just a projection, an avatar"
>□ "Turns out you can remotely share the burden with others, eh"
>□ "What do you mean 'out here'? We're still in the Anchor"
>□ Other (fill in)

>CHOOSE WHY

>□ "I was soooo bored in there, so I took a vacation"
>□ "I miss Yukio so much, I gotta see her"
>□ "There's these cultist dudes messing up my vibes, so I need to move a bit"
>□ Other (fill in)

>>6242866
>□ "Oh, I'm still inside there, what you see here is just a projection, an avatar"
>□ "There's these cultist dudes messing up my vibes, so I need to move a bit"
My logic is that if you could just project an avatar or leave at any time, you'd think Sierra would have made an appearance no? It doesn't really make sense otherwise.

>>6242866
>□ "What do you mean 'out here'? We're still in the Anchor"
>□ Other (fill in)
>"The real question is how did you get 'in here'?"
Gimme my inception mindfuck NOW!

>>6242866
>□ "Oh, I'm still inside there, what you see here is just a projection, an avatar"
>□ "There's these cultist dudes messing up my vibes, so I need to move a bit"

>>6242881
This is very tempting too.

>□ "What do you mean 'out here'? We're still in the Anchor"


>□ "No reason not making the Anchor Comfy."

Rolled 1 (1d2)

A little bit of bonus content! I'll start drawing and writing for the update tomorrow.

Oh and we shall consult the winds of fate
>1: projection much
>2: we inna anchor

>>6242866
Before you can voice any questions, Skadi proudly replies to Nemo.

"Oho, but I am actually still in the anchor! What you see here is a mere projection. Durga and Homusubi taught me how."

Wait, who's Durga and Homusubi? How come Sierra doesn't... project like her? More questions queue on the tip of your tongue. Still, Skadi continues.

"Anyways, some time ago I heard about these Singularity cultists trying to mess with me and Yukio, so to throw off their trail we moved to this cabin in the middle of the Pale. They came, we froze some of them outside, and still they kept coming. That is, until Astra came along."

The Lady of the Pines! By the way she talks about her... did Astra come from outside Gongalla?

"With her help, we fixed a permanent Dammerlicht outside - and it kept the cultists away ever since, eh!"

Now that Skadi's spiel has ended and a silence lingers in the air... you've got some questions.

>CHOOSE THREE

>□ Who is Durga and Homusubi?
>□ How come Sierra doesn't project?
>□ What is Astra, and where did she come from?
>□ Have you heard of the other Anchor deities?
>□ Can we inspect the Anchor now?
>□ If you're a goddess, is Yukio one too?
>□ Other (fill in)

>>6244939
>□ How come Sierra doesn't project?
>□ Have you heard of the other Anchor deities?
>□ Can we inspect the Anchor now?
These seem like the most relevant questions.

>>6244939
>>6244945
+1 to these, yea!

>>6243986
Nice animation IG

>>6244939
>□ Who is Durga and Homusubi?
>□ What is Astra, and where did she come from?
>□ If you're a goddess, is Yukio one too?

>>6245046
+1

Rolled 2 (1d2)

Been some time and it's still tied, let us consult the winds of fate

>1: >>6244945
>2: >>6245046

>>6246164
You deserve better then 4 (you)s for your work.

>>6244939
>□ Who is Durga and Homusubi?
>□ Can we inspect the Anchor now?
>□ Aren't you worried about the Dammerlicht, like, fucking people's brains up forever or killing them?

>>6246165
>>6246164

Sorry, somehow missed that this one updated!

>>6244939
"Uh, who's Durga and Homusubi?"

Upon hearing your question, Skadi pouts and elbows Nemo.

"Sheesh, Nemo! If you want her to help you with the anchors, you gotta tell her the basics!"

"Sorry, I thought she'll learn on the go."

"If you didn't bother to ask or talk with her, she'll never learn!"

Skadi then turns to you.

"Anyways, Durga's the deity of the West Anchor, and Homusubi's the East deity. Last time I heard, Durga got some kind of fight club going on, and Homusubi started some kind of academy."

This talk about deities makes you curious about Skadi's cohorts.

"What about Astra, is she a goddess? And while we're at it, is Yukio one too?"

Skadi smiles, her teeth gleamed like a glacier.

"Ah no, Yukio's more of a nature spirit, eh. As for Astra... dunno, she got here relatively recently. She got powers like a deity, but she's got that underling feel to her too... I'd say she's somewhere between a deity and an angel, I guess?"

Nemo cuts through the conversation before you and Skadi slips into a theological debate.

"While we're grateful for the hospitality, we still have to go check the Reality Anchor."

Skadi nods.

"Oho, yea! The Dammerlicht and all, eh. I'll ask Astra to escort."

Well, time to do the check - which you didn't actually see how in the South, since Sierra wanted a chat. Shall you join Nemo to see how t's done?

>CHOOSE ONE

>□ Sure, just you, Nemo, and Astra
>□ Sure, but also bring Valencio, leave Craig in the cabin
>□ Sure, but also bring Craig, leave Valencio in the cabin
>□ Nah, stay and talk with Skadi about deities
>□ Nah, stay with Craig, ask Skadi to return his Trickster spirit
>□ Nah, stay with Valencio, ask him about what he said under Dammerlicht
>□ Other (fill in)

>ALSO CHOOSE ONE

>□ Anchor is a good walk away
>□ Anchor is a short walk away
>□ Anchor is right behind the cabin
>□ Other (fill in)

>>6246719
>□ Nah, stay with Craig, ask Skadi to return his Trickster spirit
>□ Anchor is a short walk away
We gotta take care of our boy.

>>6246719
>□ Nah, stay with Craig, ask Skadi to return his Trickster spirit
>□ Anchor is a short walk away

>>6246719
>>□ Nah, stay with Craig, ask Skadi to return his Trickster spirit
>□ Anchor is a short walk away

>>6246719
>□ Nah, stay with Craig, ask Skadi to return his Trickster spirit
>□ Anchor is a short walk away
Seems like the nicest options here

>>6246719
>□ Sure, but also bring Valencio, leave Craig in the cabin
>□ Anchor is a short walk away

>>6246719
While you're curious about the checking procedures, you're more concerned about Craig. He's bore the brunt of a Dammerlicht with you, and he's got one of his bonded spirits ripped out by Skadi. You're no shaman, but that's not good, right?

"I'll stay and look after Craig, Nemo."

Nemo nods as he opens the door outside. You haven't seen Astra yet, but Nemo just walks out of the cabin.

"Alright. Maybe next time."

"Yeah, it's just a short walk, eh."

His words lingered as he closes the door, out there facing the Dammerlicht. You figure if there's anything that could, it's Nemo. Then you turn to Skadi, who is still holding to that amorphous, ambiguous thing that might be ome of Craig's spirit.

"Also, whatever that is... could you return it to Craig? I don't think it's healthy..."

Skadi looks at the thing once.

"Yeah, alright. Although if you ask me, it's not healthy either way, eh. But you do you."

With a smooth movement, she stuffs the ambiguousness right into Craig's mouth, who had just woken up moments ago.

"And there! Don't get naughty, now."

You were about to protest her rough handling of Craig, but seems like Craig's doing fine.

"So... do we swap stories while the anchor's being checked?"

You remember that's what you did in the South Reality Anchor.

"Oho, that's just Sierra's method. Here, up North, we actually..."

>CHOOSE ONE

>□ Play cards
>□ Cook a little something up
>□ Take a nap
>□ Have a snowball fight
>□ Other (fill in)

>>6248545
>>□ Cook a little something up
fight the cold and such

>>6248545
>□ Cook a little something up
That would seem right.

>>6248545
>□ Play cards

>>6248545
>□ Cook a little something up
We need some nice hot food after all that horror and cold on the way here

>>6248545
>□ Cook a little something up

>>6248545
>□ Cook a little something up

>>6248545
"...we cook! Make something delicious and scrumptious, and then we eat them together."

Skadi makes a show of licking her lips and rubbing her belly. Guess she likes eating? But you see a detriment to that plan.

"Ah... but we're missing ingredients. There were some supplies we were carrying on our autowagon, but we might have lost them in the crash... and there's only one stove available..."

Apparently those were weak excuses to Skadi, for her eyes started glowing bluish-white.

"Oho, but you forget! I am Skadi, and this is my abode!"

When you were able to look away from her eyes, you find yourself in a well-furnished kitchen. She even got appliances that you've only seen in the East. The existence of the kitchen itself is mindboggling, because you swear you were in a single-room cabin just a moment ago. Not even the wildest Gongallan indoor time/space shenanigans could make another room like this.

"What in Gongalla?!"

Skadi just smiles proudly, gesturing at the entirety of her kitchen.

"Yeah, you can use anything here, the fridge's full of infinite ingredients. Now, let's cook, eh?"

Well, while you're here, let's cook, then. Even though you haven't really cooked before. But what should you make?

>CHOOSE ONE

>□ Some kinda fish dish from the East you've had once, that you remember is delicious
>□ One of Grandma Ko's traditional South recipe, using murderchicken meat
>□ Maybe one of the North's famous cake recipe that you've heard of? Or was it pudding?
>□ Perhaps a hearty soup from the West might be what Skadi likes
>□ Other (fill in)

>ALSO CHOOSE ONE

>□ Use one of your items as an ingredient
>□ Don't use one of your items as an ingredient

>>6249477
>□ One of Grandma Ko's traditional South recipe, using murderchicken meat
>□ Use one of your items as an ingredient
Grandma Food is always Good Food.

>>6249477
>□ One of Grandma Ko's traditional South recipe, using murderchicken meat
>□ Use one of your items as an ingredient
Aw yiss, home cookin

>>6249477
>□ One of Grandma Ko's traditional South recipe, using murderchicken meat
>□ Use one of your items as an ingredient
Stick to what we know best

>>6249477
>□ One of Grandma Ko's traditional South recipe, using murderchicken meat
Go with what you know.

>□ Use one of your items as an ingredient
A good guest brings some food.

>>6249477
>>□ One of Grandma Ko's traditional South recipe, using murderchicken meat
>□ Don't use one of your items as an ingredient

>>6249477
Your mind recalls Grandma Ko's South-style murderchicken recipe, which she always serves during family reunions in Goblinton. She used to make you help her prepare the ingredients when you were a kid, so you kinda remember how to make one.

Let's see... leg of murderchicken (Skadi got plenty), mashed mulch (o hey she got the Gobfoods canned one), chopped piperoots (fresh, but you still remember your knifework), hiver syrup (by the pot), and whatever seasoning you fancy.

Anything you fancy, huh? You've been itching to contribute something into the dish, it doesn't feel right for you to use Skadi's ingredients without at least adding something yourself. A short rummage in your inventory later, and you came across the 'real counterfeit' artifacts you've stashed there. The Wishbone is just too thin to be useful, but you figure the Humerus could add a bit of flavor into the sauce. Surely, nothing would go wrong with this.

After a while, you've finished cooking up the Rosa-style Murderchicken course. After applying the sauce and finishing touches on the dish, you carried it to the main room - which now has a big enough table for all of the people here. Skadi's house magic, you guees.

"I hope y'all are hungry!"

You say, as you survey your would-be diners. Craig looks surprised, Skadi licks her lips expectantly, Yukio smiles while looking at Skadi, and even Ling and Valencio woke up from their Dammerlicht-induced lethargy at the smell of your cooking.

So far so good... but that's about to change.

>CHOOSE ONE

>□ Everybody's shadows becomes shadow clones and starts attacking
>□ Everybody's sins got manifested and separated from the body
>□ Everybody starts having stomach cramps due to the meal
>□ Other (fill in)

>>6250512
>□ Everybody's sins got manifested and separated from the body
Can't think of nuthin' else

>>6250526
+1

>>6250512
>□ Everybody's shadows becomes shadow clones and starts attacking
Classic 'fight your shadow version' that most adventures have.

>>6250512
>□ Everybody's sins got manifested and separated from the body

>>6250512
>□ Everybody's sins got manifested and separated from the body

Have a thing I did for a bluesky drawing thing. Some Gongallan cuisine!

>>6250884
Neat!

>>6250512
Everyone wastes no time in getting the table set up. Plates get arranged, and cutlery was prepared but then put back when you explain it's far more satisfying to just grab the meat with your fingers. Everyone receives their portions, the murderchicken fiting in your plates thanks to the food shrinker in Skadi's kitchen.

"Mm-mm, these ended up crazy good!"

It was when you savored your own cooking (and so does everyone else) that you feel that something is... strange.

"Yeah, you can say that again!"

"What the-?!"

The sound of your own voice startled you, and so you looked to your side - only to find that indeed, there you are.

"Wonder how much we can sell these?"

Beyond your facsimile, you see the doppelgangers of the others - looking similar, but not the same. Other-you seems to have more of a gold-glint in her eyes, Other-Craig a bit more mischievous as he playfully pokes other-you's butt, Other-Valencio seems more haughty, Other-Ling is trying to flirt with her counterpart, and Other-Skadi is wolfing down those murderchicken legs like no tomorrow, just like her counterpart. Only Yukio seem to be spared since she didn't eat the dish. Then other-you spoke up.

"Or, y'know, we can rob 'em while the chaos is at its height? C'mooon, you're thinking of it, don'tcha?"

With how these duplicates are behaving, chaos will surely happen. What would you do now?

>CHOOSE ONE

>□ Set up a plan to trick your duplicate into freezing or Dammerlichting herself
>□ Trick your duplicate into helping you wrangle the other dupes
>□ Beat up your duplicate, doppelgangers get the boot!
>□ Talk with the other duplicates to figure out what's going on
>□ Other (fill in)

>>6252821
>□ Other (fill in)
Agree: Retiring as a cook after a long while of adventuring doesn't sound like a bad idea...
But disagree with robbing. If we all share the same stuff with the copies, then there's really nothing else we need to get from them that we need more of, right?
>□ Trick your duplicate into helping you wrangle the other dupes
The ultimate trickery... self-conning...

>>6252821
>□ Beat up your duplicate, doppelgangers get the boot!
BEAT THEM UP. PUNCH ROSA. KICK CRAIG. HEADBUTT VALENCIO. KICK LING BETWEEN THE LEGS.

>>6252821
>>□ Trick your duplicate into helping you wrangle the other dupes

>>6252821
>>□ Talk with the other duplicates to figure out what's going on

>>6252821
>□ Trick your duplicate into helping you wrangle the other dupes
We're the alpha-conwoman.

>>6252821
You'd follow your own advice if you were still under your mentor's tutelage - but now, you've got a job, and an urgent situation. So you try to divert other-you's objectives so it aligns with yours.

"You know, why rob when I got unlimited scrip? I'll even pay you any amount you want, as long as you help me wrangle these dupes."

Grinning ear to ear at the mention of scrip, other-Rosa chuckles.

"Ah, Nemo's black card, yeah? You scheming scoundrel, you! Count me in, then!"

Great, that's settled now. Next, you need some info.

"So, what are you?"

She shrugs, a cocky smile on her face.

"Ask the Valencios, maybe?"

As if on cue, one of the Valencios stumbled over.

"Rosa, did you use a relic to cook?"

"Uh, I might have? The humerus made good soup stock."

"If that is true, then these duplicates are our sins, personified!"

Ah, so that's why other-you is so greedy.

"So how do you deal with it?"

"Usually the Church of the Eternal End beat them. Literally or figuratively, doesn't matter. Or, you cope, and accept them as part of yourself. But you'll change, then."

Fighting your personal demon, huh?

"I'll deal with mine later, let's deal with the others' sins first."

Other-you seem to agree. You start to wonder how will you deal with her?

"So, which one should we start with? I can handle one pair, you can handle another."

Indeed, there's the Valencios, one haughty, the other sullen; two Craigs, one awkward, the other mischievous; two Skadis, competing to finish off the rest of the murderchicken dish; and the Lings are tangled in a subtle dance of seduction. Maybe because they're both tops, you guess?

>CHOOSE ONE FOR YOU
>CHOOSE ANOTHER FOR OTHER-YOU

>□ Craigs
>□ Valencios
>□ Lings
>□ Skadis

>>6255671
>□ Craigs
We'll handle the boy.
>□ Valencios
She can handle Valencio. I don't really want to get tangled with those other two, and Skadi is just...eating

>>6255671
You:
>□ Craigs

Other you:
>□ Lings

>>6255671
>>6255682
+1 to this. Solid reasoning!

>>6255682
+1

>>6255671
We need to keep Craigs and Valencios to ourself as they are the one we can easily sort out who's who (and not steal our teammate but our real mark).
Let's send fake-Rosa to the Lings. Go for Craigs and then Valencios.

>>6255671
"How about I handle Craig, while you handle Valencio..."

But one of the Valencios (the real one, you guess?) objects.

"No need, I'll handle myself."

The haughtier priest reacted to this statement with a sneer that can be felt from beyond his mask.

"Look at you, a disgrace to my noble lineage. If you didn't enter the clergy, we could've been lording it over the masses. You could've at least gotten us a better station in the Church!"

To his own personal demon, Valencio retorted.

"Ironic words, my pride - for it is because of YOU that he died."

Confronted by a sudden tidbit of a background story yet untold, Valencio's pride started shaking and disintegrating.

"N-no! That is untrue!"

"You know that it should've been me."

With that, the priest's sin of pride dissipates. Valencio does look gloomier afterwards though - is it a side effect?

"Well, that's that on the Valencio side. Good luck with Craig, I'll try with the Lings next!"

And there other-you went, straight towards the Lings - who you think might be on the cusp of snogging each other.
On your end, you find the Craigs - or at least, one of them found you. Did he just squeeze your butt?! Giggled afterwards, too. The real Craig wouldn't be this bold, so you pick the suspisious Craig by his collar. At least, to keep him from going after someone else's butt.

"Alright, which sin of Craig are you?"

>CHOOSE ONE

>□ Pride
>□ Gluttony
>□ Envy
>□ Wrath
>□ Lust
>□ Sloth
>□ Greed
>□ Mischief
>□ Other (fill in)

>ALSO CHOOSE A METHOD

>□ Beat its ass
>□ Get Craig to accept it
>□ Get Craig to defuse it like Valencio
>□ Just let it be, have other-you take care of it
>□ Other (fill in)

>>6257754
Hmm...I guess Mischief is the obvious answer. But then again, he did also poke the other Rosa's butt. You'd think he would do something other than poking butts if he was just mischief, no? Plus, you know, it keeps saying 'mischievous', and that feels a bit obvious to me.

So i'll go with
>□ Lust
And then
>□ Just let it be, have other-you take care of it
It really ain't too much a threat, is it? It seems like all it's done is poke rosa's butt.

>□ Mischief

>>6257754
>□ Lust
He's at that age.

>□ Get Craig to accept it
Time to have that talk about the birds and the bees.

>>6258373
+1

>>6257759
+1

Rolled 2 (1d2)

Alright, we've entered page 10, and so let us consult the winds of fate to close this thread up.

>1: let it be
>2: accept it, Craig

>>6257754
A fearless facsimile this one is, as he tries to purse his lips and kiss you while being suspended by your hand.

"I wanna snu-snu!"

Ah. There we go. You turn to Craig, whose embarassment forces him to cover his face with his hands.

"Craig, look at me. C'mon, I'm not mad. He's your lust, isn't he?"

His face in full-blush and deep in his hands, Craig replies with great effort.

"Y-yeah..."

He's a smart kid, but even smart kids can be led astray once love and lust enters the equation. So you figure he'd best be informed about it, and made him sit side-by-side with his lust.

"Well, Craig, you're at that age, after all - by 'that', I mean puberty. Listen close to what I'm going to tell you. It's fine to be horny sometimes, but there are things to consider... by the way, do you know how goblins mate?"

It seems you've got both of their attention this way. What comes next is an improptu course of purely spoken goblin sex education, starting from the mechanics of goblin intercourse and its function. Then comes the importance of consent and why age matters (even though it can get weird in Gongalla, what with eternal children and mindforms and such), which then segues into the topic of inbreeding and why it's bad for goblins (it causes the kids to become more and more feral), sexuality, and preferences. To his credit, Craig sits in rapt attention, occasionally asking about terms he never heard of before, or technicalities and loopholes. By the end of your lecture, there's only one Craig - you'd think he managed to reassimilate and hopefully control his lust, now.

"...and that's why you need protection and consent to snu-snu. Also why you don't snu-snu with close relatives. Got that?"

A nod and a yeah from Craig sets your mind at ease, hopefully he won't be a sex pest in the future.

"Yes, very interesting. I learned a lot about goblin physiology and mindset."

The sudden appearance of Nemo beside you sends goosebumps up your spine - just how much has he heard? You guess he finished the anchor check.

"Oh what the - Nemo! Uhh, I can explain..."

"Don't worry, I got the gist of it. Consent is important, yes?"

Well if that's what he believed, then so be it! You don't need to clarify the entire deal with the sins -

Oh, right, there's still two left, right? It seems like Ling's uhh... lust is still on a date with her, and Skadi's gluttony... why is she twice as tall, now??

>END OF THREAD

>THANK YOU FOR PLAYING
>WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NORTH ARC?

>JAIL QUEST WILL RETURN SOON, I HOPE YOU'LL BE THERE FOR THE CONTINUATION

>>6259936
Nice thread, I'll look forward to the next one. Not sure what Nemo's deal in the end there was, though.

>WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NORTH ARC?
It's been cool enough, I guess, but I have to confess I don't really care for Ling or Skadi.

>>6259936
>WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NORTH ARC?
I liked it! Soem interesting lore, here. I for one also like Ling. I do think the pacing has stalled a little, though.

>>6259936
I like Ling and would have been sad if she died.
I like the sin thing.

>>6259984
>>6259991
I don't really see what's to like about Ling. She's just a lesbo driver and not much else.

>>6259936
Based Nemo

>WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NORTH ARC?
It was pretty fun.

>>6259993
Same here, not really a fan of her. I mean I get that not all characters need to have some great important thing going on, but I just like Valencio and Craig and Nemo.