A Tunnels and Trolls® play-by-post adventure run by khara_khang
"Right. We all go see Madame whats-her-face, then we can split up to go to the Library, the Tavern, the Mercenaries' Guild and the City Building Of Magical Urban Development," Jax summarizes. "So where's our fortune-teller, Shipy?"
Standing near the Orc brothers (Larry & Moe... heh), I look at Desuma, eyeing her tight fitting leather, deciding not to respond. My thoughts being very imaginative. "Here is the fortune-teller's alley," I motion, breaking my train of thought concerning Desuma. "Oh Jax, here, take this. It's a present from Lilac." I hand Jax the small pouch with the all-new barbecued sun-dried lizard [a reference to Lilac's interlude --ed.].
At the mouth of the alley the bare-chested green-skinned Gremlin named Grimsteel stops in front of your group, wearing nothing but a simple cloth. "Cum, cum, with wee quickly. Wee show youss' fortune teller!" Taran instantly notes the sense of déjà vu again. You see nothing down the darkened alley except the green-skinned Gremlin and stacked crates here and there. "Ya wants to knows abuut' Ralathorsss, great indeeeds, wee cum wiff uss."
The Gremlin leads your group down the alley and around the corner. Following the gremlin's path you turn the corner in the alley and see the Gremlin pointing into a darkened archway. "Yee go in there, me go far away, you bad adventurers!" Do you grab the Gremlin and question it, or do you let it run as it is about to? (Taran, you also realize the Gremlin repeated almost verbatim what she said to you before. Even a smart Gremlin probably couldn't do that.)
Jax tears into the pouch hungrily. His brain doesn't register the fact that he'd already orked out on some lizards a few minutes ago. "What, Lilac? Awww, geeze, she didn't have to---" But the tail end of his sentence gets mangled by the tail end of a scrumptious 7-spice specially-barbecued sun-dried Lilac special.
A few swallows later, he manages to get a few words out. "Say, T, izzat the Gremlin you were talking about?"
Going on his instincts, which tell him that this is more than just a bad case of déjà vu, Taran acts quickly. Not being an expert in temporal mechanics, the Orc doesn't realize the ramifications his actions might have on the future timeline, if indeed he'd somehow already played out the events surreally that were possibly about to happen again.
Undaunted by his ignorance, the SniperOrc raises his crossbow and fires before the gremlin has a chance to escape again. (L0SR vs Dex to hit with enchanted seek-missile: 3,3,4,1. Success!) His aim true, Taran's bolt races toward its target, namely the right knee of the poor little gremlin. "I want you to stick around this time, little bubba," he says quietly, lowering his crossbow.
The small green-skinned Gremlin falls over squealing in pain, with a crossbow bolt protruding from her knee. Tears instantly appear in her large eyes, surprised that you would even do such a thing.
I punch Taran in the side. "Are you crazy, you didn't have to shoot her! She would have willingly told us anything. Gremlins don't keep secrets!" Deciding to leave the group I turn to leave, but notice Desuma blocking my path. I look up at her with a nervous expression.
Taran flinches at Shipy's punch but stays the course he has chosen. He crosses to the alley entrance where the gremlin lays wounded, dragging his feet deep into the dirt of the street as he approaches her. The rest of the group hears him mutter something about reinforcements.
"Forgive me, but my actions are not my own. I owe you an explanation, but in the meantime, I need you to stay put," Taran whispers to the gremlin. He turns to the group who is standing in shock at Taran's actions. "Minister to her, guys. I want her not only with us, but with us alive." Taran holsters his crossbow, and puts his hand on his sword at his side. He asks Shipy to shadow him as he heads to the alleyway. After all, he explains, he is the only one the gremlin wanted to follow.
Jax is confused at this last part. Clearly, the gremlin wanted them all to come. This time, anyway. Taran's brother steps forward to go with him, but Taran holds out his hand. "I've disrupted the cycle already, shooting Grimsteel. But I feel it must continue if we're to get answers to this," he says, suddenly holding up the golden coin in front of his face.
Taran's face blurs as the camera shifts its focus to the coin.
Follow me, but I must go in there alone, first. If all is as I expect, you'll hear quite a ruckus in a few minutes. That's when I need you to break the cycle again, and capture the lizard man murderer.
"Lizard man murderer, uh, right. Ok, T," Jax offers sincerely, trying desperately to have faith in such a crazy plan.
The SniperOrc, brow furled with confusion, yet also with determination, walks into the alley, alone, and steels himself for the battle he expects to come.
With the other characters following (bringing the wounded Gremlin with them) you continue down the alley ahead of the group you (Taran) enter darkened archway first.
Experiencing déjà vu in the worse possible sense, this is what happens to you again:
Weaving skillfully between two moving horses and several other people a bare-chested green-skinned Gremlin stops in front of you (Taran), wearing nothing but a simple cloth. "Cum, cum, with wee quickly. Wee show Taran, only Taran somethin!" Crossing the street in a trot the Gremlin pauses at the mouth of an alley and motions to you. You don't see the troll or the human guards who had been giving you and your companions the curious stares anywhere. What do you do Taran?
Tosal takes the purchases, "My thanks. It is pleasing to know that the name of Tosal Thoth still carries its effect, though the owner of the name might be rendered powerless. Whenever the rest of you are ready, I'd suggest we be off in short order."
"Thanks dude! Mmmf. Lilac's special recipie! Dukin'!" Jax munches on a lizard. With the special herbs and spices tingling his tastebuds, he remembers another item he'd always wanted. "Say, there is, my jolly Mr. Toad. You got a pair of bich'was and some new calf-high boots to hide 'em in? These guys are starting to crack from all the water they took on in the sewers." Jax lifts up a leg and slams a crusted, peeling boot on the counter in demonstration.
"You are never forgotten Mr. Tosal Thoth." The storekeeper bows to you. Taking his measuring tape Toad checks the size of Jax's boot and then pushes it off his clean counter top. A minute later he returns with a new pair of leather boots and a pair of bich'was. "There you go Mr. Jax Dracon. Anything else?" He looks toward the other party members.
All of you are suddenly aware of the events repeating themselves from the moment Taran met the Gremlin. No one else but the party members seem to realize this.
Okay, for those of you players who do not have a clue as to what the frell is going on, thinking we (meaning the GM and the players) are just wasting time in this adventure. If you read the past posts (hopefully) you will see and understand the characters are currently stuck in a nasty time loop.
The TV show Xena did such a show about it once (although I can't remember it exact name) and it worked beautifully. Basically, whatever the players do, their entire hour or less repeats itself. Sometimes just a hair different than the last. To get out of the time puzzle the players need to solve it, which might not be easy!
The players know of at least two repeats, but they could have repeated the same event hundreds of times already.
Jax scratches his head through his leather helm. He feels a wash of prescience wafting over his thoughts, like his brain was laying memory tracks in the same grooves. He had to be sure. "Uh, yes there is. Have we met before, Mr. Toad?"
Taran looks at the gremlin, curious. Why does this female gremlin not wear a shirt? Then, he wonders how he knew Grimsteel was a female of her kindred. "Oh yes, Shipy told me," he remembers. "But wait, that was after she ran off!" But she hadn't run off yet, and Shipy was nowhere in sight. He realizes that there was a big piece of his memory just out of his reach, that is from events that haven't happened yet.
His orcish brain reels with confusion. Another piece of future history dislodges itself from a hidden precipice and falls into his consciousness: the gold coin. A ferocious lizard gave it to him, or was looking for it...
GM reports offline that Taran indeed has the coin in his possession.
Taran opens his belt pouch as Grimsteel waits patiently at the alley way. There it was, the coin, a double-lizard golden coin unlike any he'd seen before.
Taran doesn't quite realize the role he's destined to play, but he does know he needs to head back into the alley again. He drags his feet across the street's dirt to mark his trail for his comrades to follow, and puts away his crossbow in favor of his bastard sword.
Then, Taran remembers the blood, and the dead fortune teller. Undaunted by the gruesome memory, he steps into the alleyway, just as a hobbit named Shipy approaches him from behind.
Just as he remembered.
Unless someone actually does something specifically special, Tosal Thoth, Jax Dracon, Taran Dracon, Jack de Crampon, Desuma Malevois, Domina, and Shipy continue reliving the same events in infinity. The event starts at the supply store (and with Taran outside) and ends with Taran at the archway. Simply walking in a different direction will still bring you to the same point. Killing someone, like Mr. Toad or Grimsteel doesn't seem to make a difference either. They reappear as normal in the next loop. By the 30th repeat (think of the movie Groundhog Day), it becomes very tiresome. No one else is aware of this "time loop" except the 7 of you. So far the only clue you have found is that the non-magical coin Taran has with a picture of lizardman on it shifts with you on each repeat.
What?! You mean "Xena" actually had a PLOT?!! Here I was too busy watching her boo-uhh backflips (yeah, that's the ticket) to notice <g>!
At the start of the next "time loop" Desuma will ask Taran for the lizardman coin in his pocket. If he gives it to her, then when she is at Mr. Toad's she will ask him if he has anything that will end a time loop (after all, he's got EVERYTHING), and offer the coin as payment.
True enough, time loops can become exceedingly tedious, unless of course you find something you really don't mind doing over and over again. Jack starts poking around for a nice tavern where his now infinitely replenishable coin purse will get him an infinitely recurring round of the finest whiskey they've got. He also keeps his eyes peeled for any sweet looking lady skeletons with whom to make (infinite) time...
This occurs in a time loop different from the one in which Desuma takes the coin from Taran. Before or after is up to the GM.
"Yeah, yeah, Desuma, I know, get the bagh nakhs. I had an inkling you'd say that," Jax winks.
"It's the coin, I'm telling you. The coin!" Desuma says with exasperation. And that gives Jax an idea.
He runs out of the store, follows Taran's tracks, and catches his brother before he reaches the archway to start the loop again.
Just had a thought: does Taran get skewered in each loop? Man, that's gotta suck! :)
"Dude," Jax huffs, "gimme your coin. It may not be magical, as you and I know from Desuma's spell, but frak, it's got something to do with all this! I'm gonna slice it like it was a blood sausage." Jax draws his EverSharp™ blade and prepares to make 2 bits out of 1.
Taran will offer the coin to Desuma, and also willingly lets Jax slice it in two, in whichever order the Almighty GM wishes. Of course, if one of those ideas breaks the loop, then the other idea might not be implemented, GM's discretion, of course. As for his own ideas, did Taran ever re-enact the battle? Did the lizard man react to Taran showing him the coin?
It occurs to me that the coin may only be the start of our removal from this loop. Since small changes may occur from one iteration to another, maybe the way out is to consciously make small changes which, by themselves, won't significantly change the scenario from one time to another, but will radically alter it when taken as a whole.
Oh well, I guess we'll see.
Catching Taran before his next of many alley runs, he reluctantly gives up his gold Lizardman coin which, to his horror, you quickly slice into 2 bits with your blade. The time loop continues. Your plan fails. Repeat to next loop.
Entering a seedy bar someone steals your coin purse, a waitress slaps your skeletal face, and a troll bouncer named Morg tosses you out into the street like a bag of bones... ad nauseam repeat.
Racing across the street you catch Taran at the beginning of the next time loop. Reluctantly giving up his coin, you return with it to Toad's Supply Store. Giving Mr. Toad the coin, you ask him if he has anything that will end a time loop. Taking the coin, Mr. Toad looks up at you with a sparkle in his eye and he says, "Of course Miss Desuma, I have everything!" As he bites the coin, all of you disappear and reappear together in some swamp.
Jax had just stuffed his bagh nakhs in his pack when Desuma had approached Mr. Toad with her hunch and Taran's coin. No sooner did the dour Dwarf bite the coin than did Jax find himself looking at a swamp lapping up against his boots.
"Aw fewmets, I just got these!" Jax exclaims, lifting a boot out of the mire with a <schloop>. Desuma's hunch was dead on! The time loop is broken! Jax looks at his new surroundings and checks to see that everyone was transported with him.
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