Nue Quest Vth Vanguard: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Kilgamayan]

> "Will it? You espouse the beauty of exchange but resort to stealing just to get to this point. And what's even better is that you're about to buy your way into a new economic system. I guess the beauty of the exchange must operate under the morals of convenience."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Will it? You espouse the beauty of exchange but resort to stealing just to get to this point. And what's even better is that you're about to buy your way into a new economic system. I guess the beauty of the exchange must operate under the morals of convenience."

>"It's a necessary sacrifice," he says. "I have made peace with it."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Of course, of course. I wouldn't expect any less from a power-grabbing hypocrite."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Of course, of course. I wouldn't expect any less from a power-grabbing hypocrite."

>"If you say so," he says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Anyway, I'll go off spreading the news now, so people have a chance to prepare. You keep on doing whatever it is you're doing."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Anyway, I'll go off spreading the news now, so people have a chance to prepare. You keep on doing whatever it is you're doing."

>"You may do as you like, but understand that spreading the news will cause more trouble than it would save. The choice is yours, whether you wish to cause additional strife to fulfill your spite."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "It's a necessary sacrifice. I've made peace with it."
> Turn around and walk back up the stairs.

[Hello Purvis]

> "It's a necessary sacrifice. I've made peace with it."
> Turn around and walk back up the stairs.

>"As you wish," says Rinnosuke.
>You turn around and ascend the stairs. You are rather relieved to find he was not lying, and does strike at your back.
>As you ascend, you find the empty room on the ground floor to still be empty.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Make our way back to the entrance and leave the store, but don't close the door behind us.

[Kilgamayan]

UK, if you're around, can you post our log from when I first started considering the alternate idea to when I left? Just so people can discuss it,

[UncertainJakutten]

<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> I'm wondering if we really want to leave...
<UKCookanLikeAGoodMeido> Well, what do we plan to do in the long run?
<UKCookanLikeAGoodMeido> Admittedly I'm half expecting "And now it's time for your end of the exchange. I gave you my time, you'll give me some of yours"
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> Be a jerk to those that would try to claim and exercise claim undeserved power.
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> If he keeps us, all the better.
<UKCookanLikeAGoodMeido> Yeah
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> My immediate goal is to stop this from happening. Disrupt whatever he's doing.
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> Telling everyone could work, but we might run out of time.
<UKCookanLikeAGoodMeido> Yeah...
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> But if he keeps us here, he keeps us near all his stuff.
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> And would be such a shame if something happened to that stuff, wouldn't it?
<UKCookanLikeAGoodMeido> Heehee
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> Actually, what do you think? Should we go warn others, or should we start, ah, "protecting" his assets?
<UncertainKitten> Well, he's right that warning others will cause chaos
<UncertainKitten> But more importantly it'll cause people after his head...if we're believed
<UncertainKitten> So, getting the word out might be better short term
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> The other thing is that Byakuren is on her way - if things turn south, we could send her (or Ichirin) back out as a messenger.
<UncertainKitten> Yeah. The main thing is "protecting" his assets could lock us in a fight
<UncertainKitten> Further, I'm fairly sure he has magical control of his store
<UncertainKitten> Fighting him in there gives him a huge advantage
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> It could, granted. But as bad a situation as fighting him on his own turf would be, it would also distract him from the task at hand.
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> So it's a question of whether we think we could hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
<UncertainKitten> Yeah...
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> Do you think he could freeze us completely?
<UncertainKitten> No. But I think he could manipulate the store enough so we're effectively stopped
<UncertainKitten> Like, we'd be able to move
<UncertainKitten> But we'd get nowhere
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> Mmm.
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> I gotta admit, though, I'm bothered by the fact that he's made no more than a token effort to stop us from leaving and spreading the word.
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> Lemme test something out.
<UncertainKitten> All right
----
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> If we are able to leave the store without issue, and the door doesn't slam shut behind us
<UncertainKitten> Yeah
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> Then I'm changing my vote to destroying things.
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> Because he clearly isn't worried about warning people.
<UncertainKitten> Yeah
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> And I suspect that will be because he's close to done.
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> If we're stopped from leaving the store, then, well.
<Reisen-Udongein-Inaba> If we leave the store and the door DOES slam shut behind us, then we bolt for the nearest big name and start getting the news out.

[Hello Purvis]

> Make our way back to the entrance and leave the store, but don't close the door behind us.

>You leave the store, leaving the door open.
>Looking ahead, you think you see someone approaching from the north.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Let them approach.

[Hello Purvis]

> Let them approach.

>You let the oncoming figure approach. It does not take you very long to see that it is Byakuren. She lands not too far away from the store, and approaches the rest of the way on foot. "Are you alright?" she says, frowning slightly at you.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Grin.
> "Never better."
> Gesture back to the door.
> "I found someone new to harass for trying to grab at power they don't deserve and forcing the rest of the countryside to live as they dictate people should."

[Hello Purvis]

> Grin.
> "Never better."
> Gesture back to the door.
> "I found someone new to harass for trying to grab at power they don't deserve and forcing the rest of the countryside to live as they dictate people should."

>"Really, now?" says Byakuren, stooping down a little to peer through the door.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Yeah. Long story short, Rinnosuke took everyone's money, and plans to use the entire existing Gensokyo economy in some sort of bizarre conceptual alchemy project to change it into a completely new economy, one with no currency where literally anything one possesses can be exchanged. You could exchange material goods, or physical traits, or even emotions. We could exchange my shapeshifting for your physical size, or your spirituality for my ingenuity, or any other of a huge list of possible combinations."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Yeah. Long story short, Rinnosuke took everyone's money, and plans to use the entire existing Gensokyo economy in some sort of bizarre conceptual alchemy project to change it into a completely new economy, one with no currency where literally anything one possesses can be exchanged. You could exchange material goods, or physical traits, or even emotions. We could exchange my shapeshifting for your physical size, or your spirituality for my ingenuity, or any other of a huge list of possible combinations."

>Byakuren blinks, then frowns. After a moment of digesting that, she says, "How in the world did he do that?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "You know how Tewi nicked my cards? He's using the shapeshifter essence I infused in them. He also apparently has always been in possession of a lot of books, which would explain what we discussed last night. Beyond that, though, I have no bloody clue. He also managed to prevent me from moving toward the table he's sitting at somehow. I'd float over and not move anywhere. No idea how he did that either."

[Hello Purvis]

> "You know how Tewi nicked my cards? He's using the shapeshifter essence I infused in them. He also apparently has always been in possession of a lot of books, which would explain what we discussed last night. Beyond that, though, I have no bloody clue. He also managed to prevent me from moving toward the table he's sitting at somehow. I'd float over and not move anywhere. No idea how he did that either."

>"That's is extraordinarily unusual," says Byakuren, glancing toward the shop again. "While I would not want to disparage your spellcards, they most certainly aren't enough to do anything you just described..."

>_

[UncertainJakutten]

Hmm...not sure I like where this is going. This could be a ploy to discredit us in some way, and that was the REAL shapeshifter trick. And Rinno is covering for a bigger culprit. Maybe I'm being paranoid though.

[Kilgamayan]

> "I'm sure there's more to it than that. Apparently he just needed the essence of a shapeshifter, and nicking my cards was easier than nicking something like my hair. But I can't say the cards were all he needed with any certainty. You wanna go down there and ask him yourself?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "I'm sure there's more to it than that. Apparently he just needed the essence of a shapeshifter, and nicking my cards was easier than nicking something like my hair. But I can't say the cards were all he needed with any certainty. You wanna go down there and ask him yourself?"

>Byakuren considers for a moment. "Do you think he's likely to answer me?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "He gave me more answers than I expected him to. He even let me leave just now, after I told him I was going to warn everyone."

[Hello Purvis]

> "He gave me more answers than I expected him to. He even let me leave just now, after I told him I was going to warn everyone."

>"I may, then..." says Byakuren. "Did you find much else?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Apparently he's doing this for the art and beauty of the exchange. Never mind that he had to have my cards stolen in order to steal everyone's money, and is about to buy his way into a new economy. Oh, no, it's all about the exchange."
> "It's also pretty noteworthy that he wants to turn Gensokyo's economy into one entirely based around barter, when he's the one that's had the most time to think out how to abuse such a system, and when he's the best barterer in Gensokyo, and is going to start anew with a huge economic advantage over everyone else in Gensokyo as a result. Yeah, this really has 'benevolent' written all over it."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Apparently he's doing this for the art and beauty of the exchange. Never mind that he had to have my cards stolen in order to steal everyone's money, and is about to buy his way into a new economy. Oh, no, it's all about the exchange."
> "It's also pretty noteworthy that he wants to turn Gensokyo's economy into one entirely based around barter, when he's the one that's had the most time to think out how to abuse such a system, and when he's the best barterer in Gensokyo, and is going to start anew with a huge economic advantage over everyone else in Gensokyo as a result. Yeah, this really has 'benevolent' written all over it."

>Byakuren nods. "Cynicism aside, that does seem accurate. Did he really not try to do anything to you?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I'm standing here now, ain't I? But I know what you mean. Even I'm a little surprised."
> Frown.
> "Honestly, I'm thinking he let me go because he thinks I can't stop him, or because I wouldn't be able to tell people in time before he pulled his little trick off. Which makes me glad you're here. He knows a good deal, but I don't think he knows you were on your way."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I'm standing here now, ain't I? But I know what you mean. Even I'm a little surprised."
> Frown.
> "Honestly, I'm thinking he let me go because he thinks I can't stop him, or because I wouldn't be able to tell people in time before he pulled his little trick off. Which makes me glad you're here. He knows a good deal, but I don't think he knows you were on your way."

>Byakuren nods. "That's possible. It might be that he's unable to stop you. Or, perhaps, he's not really worried about you telling everyone? What are you going to do?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Not sure. Did Ichirin stay behind?"