Fantasy Steamhaven: Land of the Lost

[Cartoonicat]

"Does–" He cut his words short, attention straight again. With a shake of his head, Patrick brushed off the rest of their conversation, picking up the pace.

He didn't seem eager to talk anymore, and refrained from running commentary the whole way back to the Hub. Should Lianna try, he'd just nod or grunt in petty response.

---

The first thing Lianna noticed upon arriving inside the Hub was not the tell-tale scent of garlic, gunpowder, and too many bodies crammed into a space, nor the yet-to-be replaced shredded draperies and furniture from the Blood Moon, rather... the first since she noticed was her cousin making a bee-line straight towards her, looking pale as Ymara.

If Lianna so chose, she could slip into the crowd of Hunters and hope to avoid yet another confrontation.

- Avoid him
- Face Clem
- Run
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"uh oh," Lianna muttered under her breath, trying to hide behind Patrick, "Let's pick up the pace, please." She hoped to slip away, explaining things to Clem as well was not something she had the strength to do.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Hiding behind Patrick proved easy; it seemed Clem hadn't noticed him come in prior to Lianna and, once she slipped his line of sight, her cousin wandered just a bit too far to the right to see her.

"C'mon," Patrick ushered her to the stairs.

On the second floor they entered the blacksmith, which seemed to be well under repair from the Blood Moon fiasco. It was technically liveable now, though not exactly comfortable. Patrick didn't comment on the development, however. Simply lifted a heavy crate off of an only slightly scuffed barrel and plopped it on the nearest countertop. Inside, amber bullets and regular bullets tipped with amber glinted in the morning light that streamed through ripped curtains.

"The tips don't jam but usually pop off in rotation, so when that happens they're pretty useless. The full amber bullets either get the gun stuck or just don't go off," he explained. "Take as many as you want. Been trying get rid of 'em."

Though he offered her all the supplies he had, Patrick still sounded sour. While she sorted through bullets, he disappeared into the workshop.

On her own, Lianna could carry two bandoliers of 40 shells each, for a total of 80 shells.

- Take one type
- Take both types
- Take none
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

She nodded at the explanation and took all she could carry, one bandolier of each type. When she was done packing she looked around and followed Patrick further inside.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked pouting, "I don't want you to be."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Patrick lifted a small stack of boxes and turned towards her, setting them on the floor with a huff—while small, they hit the ground with a heavy thunk. "What do you expect? You're taking off to Gods know where to fight a demon, of all things, all by yourself. I might never see you again," he said. "Does last night–" Patrick bit his lip, "Do I mean anything to you?"

- Yes
- No
- Recruit Patrick
- Apologize
- Justify your reasons
- Change the subject
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna opened her mouth to say something, then faltered. She opened and closed her mouth again. Then shook her head and closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his torso. Face burrowed, she whispered, "You do. Of course you do. That us why I cannot ask you to come."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Patrick held her, the heat of his metal prosthetic sinking through the fabric of her shirt, almost burning. He rested his chin atop her head. "If you aren't back in..." he fell into a calculating silence. "If you aren't back in a week. Two weeks? If you don't come back, I'm coming to find you. I'll refuse to believe you're gone." He tightened the embrace. "Got it?"

- Understood
- Tell him not to
- Say nothing
- Leave
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Sir, yes, sir," Lianna chuckled. She had made a lot of promises in the past couple of days, but she hoped to keep all of them.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Releasing her, Patrick met her eyes with a truly trying smile. "Alright, then," he said. "The box has an assortment of amber jewelry. Rings, bracelets, necklaces. Take whatever you need and–"

Someone popped their head in the door. An unfamiliar face, but most definitely a Hunter. "Ah, hey! I have an order if you–"

"Gods, seriously, right now?" Patrick grumbled, startling the man at the door. He looked to Lianna. "Jewelry. Stock up." Pressed a final kiss to her forehead. "I'll see you... soon."

"I really don't have much time, so if you could–"

"I'm coming!" Patrick barked. "And stay out of my workshop, orders are taken in the front room."

- Stock up and leave
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Soon." Lianna nodded, watching Patrick go. When he left she search through the boxes for jewellery that would not be too robust and hinder her movements. When she was packed, she left the shop and Patrick and headed towards the town to find a cloak.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Procuring a cloak was easy and affordable. For just 10 coins, Lianna managed to find in the racks of a nearby tailor shop a reasonably priced cloak of dark fabric.

She could, of course, upgrade for 10 more coins to one with hidden pockets on the inside.

- Regular cloak (10 coins)
- Cloak with pockets (20 coins)
- Don't buy a cloak

 

[ArcticFox]

Money will he of no use to her soon. Or at least she doubted that demons used the same currency as the human world. So she decided to splurge this time and spend what little savings she had on a coat that could come in handy.

 

[Cartoonicat]

With eight coins left to her name, Lianna left the shop donning a brand new cloak, complete with pockets to hide a few surprises, should she need them. So far, she'd prepped an array of supplies and accumulated a decent amount of information on the demons she was set to face. Currently, her equipment bag held:

Inventory
One (1) coin
Monster Hunter journal
Science books (5)
Anti-vampire perfume bottle
Silver-tipped sword
Wooden stake
Shotgun
A handful of silver bullets
Amber-tipped bullets (20)
Full amber bullets (20)
Jar of sticky amber
Witch Tracker
Amber jewelry (earrings, necklace, bracelet, ring)
Cloak with pockets
Set of clothes
House keys
Truffles (3)
Bag of nuts (2)
Bag of dried fruit (1)
​

She could head home and summon Ymara, provided she picked up some offerings on the way, or she could keep prepping for her journey.

- Return home
- Continue preparations
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

It was time. No use in delaying it any further. A demon needed to be killed and she has done all she could to prepare. She picked up what sweets she could on her way home to summon a demon.

 

[Cartoonicat]

With her last 8 coins, Lianna swung by the bakery from before and picked up 3 truffles, still on sale. As an afterthought, halfway home, she perused a small selection of produce and travel foods.

"Huh, must like nuts and fruit..." the one manning the stall noted as he counted two bags of nuts and one bag of dried fruit. With this purchase, Lianna had one coin left to her name.

- Go summon Ymara
- Haggle for another pouch of food
- Do something else

 

[ArcticFox]

"Thank you." Lianna responded, choosing to ignore the comment. She was all packed and ready and off home to proceed with her quest.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Back home, with all her things packed and the ritual set up, she set forth summoning Ymara. A couple of chants and a half-eaten truffle later, the demon rose through the floor looking like something out of a nightmare. Again.

"Mm, more truffles," Ymara popped one between gangly, curling teeth. Bits of chocolate remained around the demon's mouth after the offerings had been devoured. "Now... do you have any last questions for me, or are you ready to leave?" It passed the bell to Lianna; the artifact felt light as air in her hand. "Once you ring the bell, the summoning circle will accept you." The demon gestured to the circle hovered above, whisps swaying in a nonexistent wind. Offered Lianna a pale, human hand with sharp nails. "Simply take my hand."

- Ask a question
- Enter the Demon Plane

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna curbed her revulsion at the demon, taking the offered hand. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." She said. All her goodbyes have been said, except with Clem, he would not understand. But he didn't need to, she will be back soon. "Let's do this."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Ymara's Domain
​

Upon ringing the bell, an eery chill swept across Lianna's spine. The floor within the circle grew transparent until it completely disappeared. On the other side were dark clouds cast in sunset rays from a dim, hole-pocked moon. Holding the hand without an amber ring, Ymara pulled Lianna along.

While the demon remained unphased by the void—Ymara could fly, after all—Lianna's arm grew heavy with a gravity that shouldn't be there, considering the many floating cabins and connecting staircases. Her arm went taut with weight as Ymara, by one hand, prevented Lianna from falling into the cloudy abyss.

- Scream
- Look around
- Talk to Ymara
- Close your eyes
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna quickly brought up her other hand to grab Ymara's arm with both, not wanting to fall into the endless abyss.

"A little warning would have been nice." She complained, looking around to see if there was any firm ground to stand on.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Ah!" Ymara didn't seem to expect her to grab on; the demon startled with a yelp, eyes wide and round as ever. It looked down at her as they floated through the clouds. "I apologize. I meant to, but... I was hoping the cat would be with you. My mind was elsewhere."

Lianna did not see anything to stand on as Ymara carried her further and further away from the expanse of floating cabins.

- Comment on the landscape
- Ask about the cabins
- Demand be put down
- Get to know Ymara
- Say nothing
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Oh, I'm sorry. I left the cat with Trevor, he seemed to like it." Lianna said. Well, this was one thing she thought she would never do - fly through the skies of an unknown realm with a grotesque looking demon chitchatting. But, she supposed it would be easier to embrace it, "Who lives in all these cabins?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Ah," Ymara nodded, "I understand." Without looking back at the cabins, the demon answered: "The souls of my followers. Those who make a pact do so in exchange of their soul. When they die, they become residents of their demon's domain." Ymara might have smiled just a little bit softer. "Unlike you, the souls can fly... but they always find it a bit off-putting at first. I created stairs to help them adjust. However..."

As they broke through a particularly dark cloud and approached a massive floating island that crumbled into Ymara's abyss, the demon continued: "Not all domains are created with their souls in mind," it said. From high in the air, Lianna could see details of the floating island: An amalgam of woodland out of some fantasy setting, with mushrooms for trees and lava as water, and technological constructs that moved. In the blink of an eye, Lianna saw several mushroom trees change color or completely disappear, replaced with oddities she couldn't identify from so far away. "Be mindful of Mox's domain."

- Ask for advice
- Get to know Ymara
- Recruit Ymara
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"I thought that Mox was one of the nicer ones?" She asked, "What is there to be careful of in particular?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

"He is," Ymara nodded. "Mox has shielded me from Kelaelin for centuries. His domain is an ever-changing maze, full of puzzles and fatal traps that not even Kelaelin can get through." They descended on the island, Lianna's feet coming to brush against red blades of grass. "Though, that is not out of love for me; Mox disapproves of my choices, like the rest of my peers. SImply, he is unwilling to curb his lust for altering things that should not be altered," Ymara gestured towards the discolored grass, "even if it means Kelaelin is stuck on the other side."

A loud rumble sounded in the near distance. Ymara hummed, eyes searching that direction. "Be careful of everything," the demon warned. "Nothing is what it seems in this domain. The island could be never-ending in the morning and the size of a throneroom by night."

- Thank Ymara and leave
- Ask about the rumble
- Say something else
- Other