EXUVIAE -
the sloughed skin of an insect; things cast off from a body.
a game about insects on a quest to destroy an ancient evil.
[[start->1]]Your name is (cycling-link: bind $protagonist's name, "Rain", "Thorn", "Ash").
[[[A fine name->character creation 3]]]<smallcaps|{
(if: $protagonist's name is "Rain")[
(set: $protagonist's grounded to it +3)]
(if: $protagonist's name is "Thorn")[
(set: $protagonist's dangerous to it +3)]
(if: $protagonist's name is "Ash")[
(set: $protagonist's adventurous to it +3)]
}Your carapace is (cycling-link: bind $protagonist's colourDesc, "a rich glossy red-brown with an iridescent green glimmer, like a spring floodplain", "pale grey and glittering, stone washed in starlight", "as blue-black and lightless as the abyss above").
[[[Yes, this feels right->character creation 4]]]<smallcaps|{
(if: $protagonist's colourDesc is "a rich glossy red-brown with an iridescent green glimmer, like a spring floodplain")[
(set: $protagonist's colour to "red")
(set: $protagonist's grounded to it +5)]
(if: $protagonist's colourDesc is "pale grey and glittering, stone washed in starlight")[
(set: $protagonist's colour to "silver")
(set: $protagonist's adventurous to it +5)]
(if: $protagonist's colourDesc is "as blue-black and lightless as the abyss above")[
(set: $protagonist's colour to "black")
(set: $protagonist's dangerous to it +5)]
}Your clothing is (cycling-link: bind $protagonist's outfitDesc, "practical and sturdy; a heavy, hooded cape of woven fibres, and many small, useful pouches", "that rare thing, metal from the sky; a coat of scales and a mask of thorns", "light and fluid; many layers of fine diaphanous silkskins that repel water and dust and float like air").
[[[Well-equipped for the journey to come!->character creation 5]]]<smallcaps|{
(if: $protagonist's weaponDesc is "a bow of sinew and shell, equipped with a sight made from a polished drop of amber. Light and true")[
(set: $protagonist's weapon to "bow")
(set: $protagonist's adventurous to it +5)]
(if: $protagonist's weaponDesc is "a stave of heavy dark wood. Sometimes, the best weapons are those that do not look like weapons")[
(set: $protagonist's weapon to "stave")
(set: $protagonist's grounded to it +5)]
(if: $protagonist's weaponDesc is "a sword of skymetal; an alien thing from the deeps in which stars blaze, so sharp that it sings as it moves and parts the very air")[
(set: $protagonist's weapon to "sword")
(set: $protagonist's dangerous to it +5)]
}You are ready.
Today marks the 10th complete cycling of all the moons in the sky since your hatching. Today you leave the hive, perhaps for the last time; today is the beginning of your name quest.
You are nothing if not ambitious. For your name quest, you have decided to kill the Tar, the blight which poisons the water and creeps into living bodies, the blight that whispers ambitions and breaks minds.
Your world has been in its grip for long enough. You want a future.
[[[A small thing, to kill a god->carapan]]]<smallcaps|{
(set: $protagonist to
(datamap:
"name", "",
"colourDesc", "",
"colour", "",
"outfitDesc", "",
"outfit", "",
"weaponDesc", "",
"weapon", "",
"dangerous", 0,
"grounded", 0,
"adventurous", 0))
(set: $party to
(datamap:
"companions", 0,
"fullParty", false,
"exile", false,
"knight", false,
"exileFriendship", 0,
"knightFriendship", 0,
"exileIsFriendly", false,
"knightIsFriendly", false,))
(set: $tarDesc to (array: "Antithesis of life!", "Polluted waters!", "Leviathan!", "Possessed and possessor!", "All the fields lie fallow!", "Moloch!", "Hail plague!", "Desert!", "Once this place was green!", "All the birds are dying!", "Sickness! Hunger!", "Blight star!", "The adversary!", "The endless night!", "All-consuming!", "Incubates in flesh!", "Ourobouros!", "All will be consumed, and it will consume itself!", "All will be one!", "All things decay!"))
}
(live: 2s)[(goto: "character creation 2")]Everyone knows that the Tar came from the north, through mountains and across toxic floodplains. But there is only one road through the desert.
When night falls, you stop. The wing-casings of the carapan unfold, spreading wings of folded silk canvas, and the wagon becomes a spacious tent. You hang lanterns all around its interior, and it glows like a torch in the desert vastness.
[[[When morning comes...->knight intro 2]]]<smallcaps|{(if: $protagonist's outfitDesc is "practical and sturdy; a heavy, hooded cape of woven fibres, and many small, useful pouches")[
(set: $protagonist's outfit to "practical")
(set: $protagonist's grounded to it +7)]
(if: $protagonist's outfitDesc is "that rare thing, metal from the sky; a coat of scales and a mask of thorns")[
(set: $protagonist's outfit to "armour")
(set: $protagonist's dangerous to it +7)]
(if: $protagonist's outfitDesc is "light and fluid; many layers of fine diaphanous silkskins that repel water and dust and float like air")[
(set: $protagonist's outfit to "")
(set: $protagonist's adventurous to it +7)]
}And finally, your weapon: (cycling-link: bind $protagonist's weaponDesc, "a bow of sinew and shell, equipped with a sight made from a polished drop of amber. Light and true", "a stave of heavy dark wood. Sometimes, the best weapons are those that do not look like weapons", "a sword of skymetal; an alien thing from the deeps in which stars blaze, so sharp that it sings as it moves and parts the very air").
[[[A fine thing for killing a god->character creation 6]]]<smallcaps|The morning's travel takes you to an oasis, a green pool surrounded by swaying fronds and trees. The beetles can go for weeks without water, but the sun is hot and the road is long.
As you draw near to the water, you see a small tent tucked into a fold between two roots, on the edge of the pool. The beetles chitter to one another, gentle alarm calls associated with the scent of an unfamiliar hive.
Abruptly, the little tent shivers and folds back on itself, and a tall, bulky figure unfolds itself from the chitin and silk. Unmistakeably, a {<div class="tooltip">knight<span class="tooltiptext">The morph of strength and weaponised psionics, eyes like nails and thoughts that crack like a whip.</span></div>}.
She notices your presence immediately, head snapping towards the carapan where it sits on the sand. Even from this distance, her eyes glitter with menace and bore into the back of your skull.
[[[Approach the oasis regardless->knight intro 3]]
[[Avoid a potentially hostile stranger->exile intro 1]]]<smallcaps|You continue into the desert. (if: $party's companions is 0)[The road is hard, alone.](if: $party's companions is 2)[With one more ally accompanying you, you are beginning to feel more optimistic about your task.]
Two days after your encounter with the knight, a purple line appears on the horizon - according to the map, the border between red dunes and blue mountains.
(if: $party's knight is true)[The knight remains reticent, taking long watch shifts in the evenings and driving the beetles in the mornings. You do learn one thing about her - that her name is Tosk.
]Around midday, the sky grows red and swollen with stormclouds, their underbellies flickering with purplish lightning. (if: $party's knight is true)[Tosk - in brief, brusque words - suggests that the storm smells of the Tar, and that it is an ill omen.]
[[[Into the storm->exile intro 2]]]<smallcaps|As the sun rises the next day, you spread out a map on the floor of the carapan.
There seem to be two routes you could take, heading into the blighted lands of {<div class="tooltip">the Tar<span class="tooltiptext">(either: ...$tarDesc)</span></div>}: directly north, through a red land of winding gorges, barren escarpments, and colossal bones; or east and then north, along a broad road through lowland prairie of umber grass and huge striding animals.
(if: $party's companions is 0)[The open road is intimidating; you have lived so long between hive walls of paper and comb. You almost wish that you had someone to advise you - but this is your quest, to be undertaken alone.
The path to the north seems barren and lonely, but more directly leads to the heartlands of {<div class="tooltip">the Tar<span class="tooltiptext">(either: ...$tarDesc)</span></div>}. The broad road leading east bypasses the mountains and gorges; there will be more people in that direction, and that could prove either blessing or curse.
](if: $party's knight is true)[Tosk grunts. "We should go north. There will be bandits on that road."
(if: $party's exile is true)[Exile makes a small, dismissive noise. "If we can't handle a few bandits, we may as well give up now."
"We should not draw attention to ourselves," Tosk counters, crossing her arms. "I do not recommend listening to the advice of this charlatan, (print: $protagonist's name)."
"Hah!" Exile's laugh is loud and harsh in the small space of the carapan. "A charlatan, hmm? And what's *your* story? A knight without a hive? A royal protector without a king?"
"*You*-" She hisses, and then subsides. "This is not relevant. We need to decide our route."
]](if: $party's exile is true)[A withered claw emerges from shadow and taps the map, hovering over the mountainous country to the north. "We are likely to run across agents of {<div class="tooltip">the Tar<span class="tooltiptext">(either: ...$tarDesc)</span></div>} here," Exile says. "Its slaves, laying down its roots. Make of that what you will; the choice is yours."
][[[Head north->DEAD ANIMAL]]
[[Take the east road->BANDITS]]]<smallcaps|{(set: $party's exileFriendship to it + 10)
(set: $party's knightFriendship to it + 5)
(set: $protagonist's dangerous to it + 3)
}The dust and sparse vegetation gradually begins to give way to exposed rock as you head north into the fells. Clouds billow, red and swollen with dust. It is the biggest sky you have ever seen.
On the second day, winding through a deep gorge, the wind takes on a rotten note and the beetles begin to grow agitated. (if: $party's exile is true)[Exile takes the reins, for a while, and under his cold influence the beetles walk on sedately.]
Some hours later, your path is blocked by the source of the stench - a colossal corpse, blocking the way forward.
(if: $party's knight is true)["A corpse should be left well enough alone," says Tosk. "We find another way around."
](if: $party's exile is true)[Exile's body language is completely unreadable. "We need to go closer," he says. "This is a plains creature; clearly, it did not come here of its own volition. It is likely carrying the Tar. We need to dispose of it." There is a strange note in his voice. You have not known him for long, but this is unfamiliar; unsettling.
][[[Investigate the body->investigate]]
[[Find another way ahead]]]<smallcaps|{(set: $party's knightFriendship to it - 5)
(set: $protagonist's adventurous to it + 3)
}The east road is broad and well-travelled, and the plains are beautiful. As you move further from the desert, the clouds lose their red hue and the sun warms the carapan. (if: $party's companions is not 0)[The atmosphere is one of optimism and good humour.]
Night falls, and you make camp a short distance from the road, in the coil of a broad silver river. (if: $party's knight is true)[Tosk sits on the bank and catches fish with her bare hands.] Sleep, when it comes, is dreamless and pleasant.
[[[Rest->bandits 1]]]<smallcaps|{(set: $party's exileFriendship to it - 5)
(set: $party's knightFriendship to it + 5)
(set: $protagonist's grounded to it + 5)
}Bordering the mountains, you enter a land which is alien to you. It is a scorched plain, filled with strange vapours and vast patterns burnt into the earth, so hot that the earth has fused into glass. There are no plants, and the animals are strange, their forms distorted.
(if: $party's knight is true)["We ought to hurry," says Tosk. "Scouts from my hive who lingered here would grow sick and die. It is cursed, but not because of the Tar."
(if: $party's exile is true)["If it's any consolation," says Exile, "we probably won't survive our encounter with the Tar anyway."
"That is no consolation, and you know it," Tosk snaps.
]]The sky is strange here, the sun dim and cold, and a green veil seems to have settled over the sky. Nevertheless, you can tell well enough that it is midday when you encounter something strange - a group of bugs in strange clothing, walking slowly.
[[[Stop and investigate->refugees 1]]
(link: "Do not linger here")[(set: $party's exileFriendship to it + 3)(set: $party's knightFriendship to it - 5)(goto: "final confrontation")]]<smallcaps|{(if: $party's exile is false)[(set: $exileEnd to true)]
(if: $party's exile is true)[(set: $exileEnd to false)]
(if: $party's knight is false)[(set: $knightEnd to true)]
(if: $party's knight is true)[(set: $knightEnd to false)]
}At last, the heart of darkness. The heart of the Tar. A towering, roiling, incomprehensible mass, fluid geometries and seething organic forms. It is all around you, (if: $party's companions is 0)[alone](if: $party's companions is 1)[two](if: $party's companions is 2)[three](if: $party's companions is 3)[four] against the darkness.
And it speaks, from a chorus of tortured throats.
“Weak little creatures, come so far to die in darkness.”
(link:"♦ Only you will die today")[(set: $dialogueOption to 1)(goto: "end 1")]
[(link:"Stand silent and defiant")[(set: $dialogueOption to 2)(goto: "end 1")]<smallcaps|][[[Choice 1->final confrontation]]]<smallcaps|{(set: $party's exileFriendship to it + 5)
(set: $protagonist's adventurous to it + 5)
}The further north you travel, the more evidence of the Tar you come across - dead trees, dripping black sap. Dessicated bodies of animals, drained of resources. Dry, dark soil which grows no plants. The air is still and sickly.
(if: $party's exile is true)[Exile seems in better spirits, the deeper into the blighted lands you go. Perhaps he is eager for this quest to be at its end.] (if: $party's knight is true)[Tosk is quiet and grim, mourning the ruined land.
]Early one morning, you come across something new. From a distance, it looks like a felled tree, its dark trunk partially obstructing the road. But the beetles are agitated, and again you smell the Tar.
(if: $party's exile is true)["I have seen this before," says Exile. "A root of the Tar, like a great river in which it carries itself across the land."
(if: $party's knight is true)["How can you know these things?" asks Tosk. "It defies belief that you are not an agent of the Tar yourself."
Exile laughs. "So slow to trust, knight-guard. Have I done anything but help?"
]]It is a huge, snaking *thing*, running through the mountain pass. It towers over head height; it is dark, and pulsing, and organic, like spongy tree bark. The ground around it is laced with roots, feeding tar into the soil.
[[[Attempt to destroy it->pipeline 2]]
(link: "Move on")[(set: $protagonist's grounded to it + 5)(goto: "Move on")]]<smallcaps|
[[[Choice 1->final confrontation]]]<smallcaps|It is a short walk from the mouth of your hive to the small hidden oasis that provides your hive with water; here is where large beetles browse among lush, shady vegetation, and where the {<div class="tooltip">carapans<span class="tooltiptext">Wagons made from the iridescent shells of huge predatory insects, drawn by beetles. Slow and reliable.</span></div>} are kept.
Your carapan is already prepared, your possessions transferred from your {<div class="tooltip">nestcomb<span class="tooltiptext">Buttery sunlight seeping through translucent honeycomb walls! Your home, high in the hive, near the orrery and the skywatchers.</span></div>} into the perfumed darkness of its carapace.
[[[The open road awaits...->knight intro 1]]]<smallcaps|The knight crosses her arms as you approach, an immovable pillar in armour of polished leather and metallic chitin. She appraises you with hard, dazzling eyes that blur and make the world grow dim as they pierce your carapace. Knight-morphs like to intimidate and bully with their psionics; (if: $protagonist's dangerous is > $protagonist's grounded and > $protagonist's adventurous)[you are not intimidated. In fact, you find it rather juvenile.](if: $protagonist's grounded is > $protagonist's dangerous and > $protagonist's adventurous)[you bow your head in polite greeting.](if: $protagonist's adventurous is > $protagonist's dangerous and > $protagonist's grounded)[you meet her gaze bravely.]
"I want no conflict with you," she says. Her voice is guttural and accented. "Water your beetles and go in peace."
(link:"♦ Alright, I'll leave")[(set: $dialogueOption to 1)(goto: "knight intro 4")]
(link:"♦ Perhaps you could help me")[(set: $dialogueOption to 2)(goto: "knight intro 4")](if: $dialogueOption is 1)["Wait." She seems reluctant; her tone is brusque, and she is an immovable wall, towering, betraying nothing. "Where are you going? Why are you out here without your swarm or a knight to protect you?"
](if: $dialogueOption is 2)["Help you?" She seems taken aback by the question. "Why would I do such a thing? I know nothing of you. I know nothing of your quest or your swarm."
](link:"♦ I am on a quest to destroy the Tar")[(set: $dialogueOption to 1)(goto: "knight intro 5")]
(link:"♦ My quest is none of your business")[(set: $dialogueOption to 2)(goto: "knight intro 5")](if: $dialogueOption is 1)[Her eyes widen. "You? You are alone. You do not even have your adult morph. It is impossible." She seems almost offended by the idea.
(link:"♦ That is why I want your help")[(set: $dialogueOption to 1)(goto: "knight intro 6")]
(link:"♦ Nothing is impossible")[(set: $dialogueOption to 2)(goto: "knight intro 6")]
](if: $dialogueOption is 2)[She clicks her mandibles in distaste. "Fine. Do not tell me. I have my own quest."
(link:"♦ What is *your* quest?")[(set: $dialogueOption to 3)(goto: "knight intro 6")]
(link:"♦ Perhaps I could help you")[(set: $dialogueOption to 4)(goto: "knight intro 6")]](if: $dialogueOption is 1 or 2)[She inclines her head. "You are not lying. Somehow, you are not lying. Therefore... I will lend you my strength and my sword, if you will have me." She pauses. "I lost my hive to the Tar. You are brave, if foolish. I will help you."
[(link:"Let the knight accompany you")[(set: $party's knight to true)(set: $party's companions to it + 1)(goto: "exile intro 1")]
[[Leave her; this is not her quest->exile intro 1]]]<smallcaps|
](if: $dialogueOption is 3 or 4)[She glares at you. "You are absurd. Nevertheless, I have no reason to hide anything from you, so - I am travelling to the lands of the Tar, to help who I can, and - perhaps - to repair some of the damage it has done.(if: $dialogueOption is 4)[ I doubt you would have any interest in helping me with that.]"
(link:"♦ What a coincidence!")[(set: $dialogueOption to 1)(goto: "knight intro 7")]
(link:"♦ Good luck with that")[(set: $dialogueOption to 2)(goto: "knight intro 7")]](if: $dialogueOption is 1)[Her eyes widen. "You? You alone wish to kill the Tar?" She seems almost offended by the idea. "And yet... you are not lying. Somehow, you are not lying." She shakes her head. "Therefore... I will lend you my strength and my sword, if you will have me." She turns her back and begins packing up her tent. "I lost my hive to the Tar. You are brave, if foolish. If you want my help, I will help."
[(link:"Let the knight accompany you")[(set: $party's knight to true)(set: $party's companions to it + 1)(goto: "exile intro 1")]
[[Leave her; this is not her quest->exile intro 1]]]<smallcaps|
](if: $dialogueOption is 2)[She growls. "Be on your way, stranger. I have no tolerance for these games."
She turns her back and begins to fold her tent. Clearly, the conversation is over.
[[[Take your leave->exile intro 1]]]<smallcaps|](if: $dialogueOption is 1)["Few know anything of value about it; by its nature it defies study. I, however, am something of a scholar of the Tar."
(if: $party's knight is true)[Tosk clicks her mandibles in distaste. "Why would you have an interest in such a thing?"
Exile's penetrating gaze shifts to Tosk. "Why would anyone *not* have an interest? It is the ruin of the world."
]](if: $dialogueOption is 2)["Determination is a fine quality, but it will not kill a god."
]He adjusts his mask, and you catch a glimpse of blindingly bright eyes, brighter even than those of a bullying knight. "Your quest is doomed, regardless of your choices, but today you are fortunate - I enjoy a lost cause."
[(link:"He has not left you much choice; Exile shall accompany you")[(set: $party's exile to true)(set: $party's companions to it + 1)(goto: "options")]
[[You do not trust this strange figure; leave him behind->options]]]<smallcaps|The weather of the desert is called red rain, because there is no water here and the dust falls in blinding sheets. Visibility is almost non-existent, and the carapan trembles under the onslaught.
(if: $party's knight is true)[The beetles are desert creatures and therefore unharmed by the dust, but Tosk ventures out of the carapan and wraps their heads in gauze to protect their soft mouthparts and gemstone eyes.
]You decide that you have two options; either to camp for the night, or to continue.
(if: $party's knight is true)[Tosk crosses her arms, impenetrable. "We have no choice but to continue. The wind is driving towards us; we will pass the storm faster if we keep going until it has passed. Then we can rest for as long as we need."
][[[Make camp->exile intro camp]]
[[Continue until the storm passes->exile intro storm]]]<smallcaps|You unfurl the great wings of the carapan, light the lamps, and settle in.
Hours pass. Drifts of dust build up around the carapan. Your eyes grow tired, and you slip in and out of sleep - until a sharp rap on the shell of the carapan startles you awake.
"Might I impose upon you until this storm passes?" A low, harsh voice, from the exterior of the carapan - someone alive, out there in the choking dust and howling wind.
(link:"♦ Yes, you are most welcome")[(set: $dialogueOption to 1)(goto: "exile intro 4")]
(link:"♦ Absolutely not")[(set: $dialogueOption to 2)(goto: "exile intro 4")]The ropes and sinews holding the carapan together creak under the strain of the wind. The beetles keep their heads down and drive into the storm.
Peering through the translucent silk at the front of the carapan, you think for a moment that you see a figure in the dust, some distance ahead.
(if: $party's knight is true)[Tosk places a hand on her axe.
]The beetles halt unprompted. Between the sheets of windblown dust, the dark figure approaches.
[(link:"Call out to them")[(set: $dialogueOption to 1)(goto: "exile intro 3")]
(link:"Stay silent")[(set: $dialogueOption to 2)(goto: "exile intro 3")]]<smallcaps|(if: $dialogueOption is 1)[The Tar laughs. It sounds like the world coming apart. "*Kill* me? I have my roots all through your world. It would be less ambitions to kill the *sky*."
]“Very well, insect. What will you do?”
{(if: $party's knight is true)[[[♦ Tosk?->end knight]]
](if: $party's exile is true)[[[♦ Exile?->end exile]]
](if: $party's companions is 0)[[[[The final confrontation->protagonistEnd]]]<smallcaps|]}{(set: $knightEnd to true)
}Tosk gives you a grim nod and steps forward, taking her axe from her back.
The Tar bubbles with mirth.
“Ah, the queenless, wandering and lost. Your beloved was gone far before I consumed her body, you know."
Tosk stops where she stands, transfixed by the words.
"I fractured her mind, first, and watched dormant within her body as her paranoia and delusion tore your hive apart. She did a better job of it than I ever could. And then she died, mad and alone, and you did *nothing*.”
(if: $party's knight is true and $party's knightFriendship is > 20)[The knight is unfazed. She steps forwards, raising her torch in one hand and her axe in the other, and the Tar parts like an ocean, flinching from the flame.
And it exposes its crystalline beating heart.
“For my queen,” she says quietly.
And the axe splits the heart, and the Tar writhes and screams.
](if: $party's knight is true and $party's knightFriendship is < 20)[The knight’s head hangs heavy. You can see the Tar's words penetrate her armour.
“My queen,” she murmurs. “I am so sorry.”
She sinks to the floor, and the Tar takes her and writhes and laughs.
]"What next, insect?"
(if: $exileEnd is false)[(if: $party's exile is true)[[[♦ Exile?->end exile]]]]
(if: $knightEnd is true and $exileEnd is true and $wraithEnd is true)[[[[And finally...->protagonistEnd]]]<smallcaps|]{(set: $exileEnd to true)
}“There you are, my oldest ally. Don't be shy.”
The Tar’s voice is close to reverent. “Destroyer king, champion mine. You could have been so much more.”
(if: $party's exileFriendship is > 25)[“You really think to sway me?” Exile tears off his mask, and for the first time you see his face. Scarred and old, missing an eye, but charismatic. Magnetic. “You must not remember me very well.”
Exile turns to you, and his single mandible twitches in a smile. (if: $protagonist's weapon is "sword")[“Can I borrow your blade?"
You offer the hilt of your sword. It hums at a strange resonance.]
](if: $party's exileFriendship is < 25)[Exile's head is bowed, his posture unreadable.
“Champion,” the Tar purrs again. “Your heart is still mine, I can tell.”
“Yes,” Exile murmurs. “Still yours. Still within me.”
“My champion. Kill these interlopers."
]“What next, insect?"
(if: $knightEnd is false)[(if: $party's knight is true)[[[♦ Tosk?->end knight]]]]
(if: $knightEnd is true and $exileEnd is true and $wraithEnd is true)[[[[And finally...->protagonistEnd]]]<smallcaps|]Double-click this passage to edit it.Double-click this passage to edit it.(if: $dialogueOption is 1)[The figure raises a hand in greeting at your call. This close, they are entirely wrapped in a heavy black cloak, and their face is covered by a mask of metal and bone(if: $protagonist's outfit is "armour")[ - not dissimilar to yours].
](if: $dialogueOption is 2)[The figure approaches the carapan without any hesitation and raps sharply on its wing-case.
]"Might I impose upon you until this storm passes?" The voice is low and harsh, distorted by the mask.
(link:"♦ Yes, you are most welcome")[(set: $dialogueOption to 1)(goto: "exile intro 4")]
(link:"♦ Absolutely not")[(set: $dialogueOption to 2)(goto: "exile intro 4")](if: $dialogueOption is 1)["My thanks."
He climbs into the carapan, shaking dust from his cloak. He is almost as tall as Tosk, and while not as broad, he is physically imposing.
"My name is Exile," he says. "It is a rare thing to meet fellow travellers in these dangerous times; those willing to help a stranger are even rarer."
(link:"♦ Don't push it")[(set: $dialogueOption to 1)(goto: "exile intro 5")]
(link:"♦ Perhaps you could return the favour")[(set: $dialogueOption to 2)(goto: "exile intro 5")]
](if: $dialogueOption is 2)["Ah." The figure, while completely covered up, radiates displeasure, and a tangible chill permeates the air. "I will be on my way, then. Go in peace," he adds, with no small measure of sarcasm.
[[[An obvious threat, deftly avoided->options]]]<smallcaps|](if: $dialogueOption is 1)[Exile laughs harshly, amused by your rudeness.
"It would be unwise to push *me*, little traveller."
The carapan suddenly feels small and dark. Exile sits in silence for a while, a brooding shadow, then speaks.
"Where are you going? There is not much to the north besides the blighted lands of the Tar."
](if: $dialogueOption is 2)[Exile's mask hides his eyes, but you can feel the pressure of his gaze. It chills you to the blood.
"How so?"
](link:"♦ I am going to destroy the Tar")[(set: $dialogueOption to 1)(goto: "exile intro 6")]Exile's outline seems to flicker and grow, and all the lamps sputter and dim.
"I see. And how do you plan to do such a thing? What do you know of the Tar?"
(link:"♦ Very little, as it happens")[(set: $dialogueOption to 1)(goto: "exile intro end")]
(link:"♦ I am determined; that is enough")[(set: $dialogueOption to 2)(goto: "exile intro end")]{(set: $party's exileFriendship to it - 3)
(set: $party's knightFriendship to it +3)
(set: $protagonist's grounded to it + 3)
}
[[[Head further into the mountains->PIPELINE]]
[[Go east and leave this cursed place->refugees]]]<smallcaps|{(set: $party's exileFriendship to it + 5)
(set: $party's knightFriendship to it - 7)
}It is a strider, a long-legged beast of the plains. Its grey carapace is dull, and its underbelly undulates softly, as if something is moving under the skin.
(if: $party's knight is true)[Tosk stays back with the carapan, arms crossed, radiating disapproval.
](if: $party's exile is true)[The dead animal seems to respond to Exile's approach, the movements within it becoming more pronounced and regular.
He raises both arms, and the earth begins to tremble. Then the corpse erupts in a black fountain, and you know this to be the Tar.
It is black and shiny and contains within it repeating geometries, planes and wave patterns that are reabsorbed as quickly as they form. The torrent pours down towards Exile but divides before it reaches him, sinking into the earth. The dead animal is dwindling, its body torn apart layer by layer and subsumed into the flood.
(if: $party's knight is true)["He calls himself a scholar of the Tar," says Tosk. "Is this the result of mere *study*?"
"The way is clear," calls Exile.
]](if: $party's exile is not true)[Something strange begins to happen as you approach the creature's flank. It begins to shiver and melt away, viscous black pools spreading and sinking into the soil.
Instinctively, you know this to be the Tar. It is black and shiny and contains within it repeating geometries, planes and wave patterns.
It is gone as quickly as it came, and the way is clear.
][[[Head further into the mountains->PIPELINE]]
[[Go east and leave this cursed place->refugees]]]<smallcaps|You are woken by raised voices around the carapan, and the deep throb of wings beating the air. Bandits?
(if: $party's knight is true)["What did I say?" hisses Tosk. "Bandits."
You are forced to acknowledge that she was, indeed, correct.
](if: $party's exile is true)["Small, scared minds," says Exile. He is sat cross-legged, white light leaking from the gaps in his mask. "Their hive is starving since the Tar reached their grazing lands. They want our food, not to harm us."
(if: $party's knight is true)[Tosk sighs and removes her hand from her axe. "We talk with them, then."
Exile laughs. "You think that absolves them. How quaint."]
]The carapan shakes as something hammers on the carapace.
"Come out and you won't be harmed!"
[[[Leave the carapan and speak with the bandits->talk]]
[[Fight]]]<smallcaps|{(set: $protagonist's grounded to it + 5)
(set: $party's knightFriendship to it + 10)
}You step out of the carapan and lay down your (print: $protagonist's weapon). The dragonflies, wearing saddles and laden with bags, drum their wings and snap at your fingers as you pass.
The bandits are thin, their plating dull with poor nutrition; they seem surprised by your cooperation. Their leader - a warrior-morph with ragged leaf-green plating - shakes their spear at you uncertainly.
"Uh, your food," they say, and it is almost a question. "Give us your food and we'll let you live?"
(if: $party's exile is true)[Behind you, Exile is doing his best not to laugh.
](link:"♦ Oh, very well, take our food")[(set: $dialogueOption to 1)(goto: "talk 2")]
(link:"♦ You can have half")[(set: $dialogueOption to 2)(goto: "talk 2")]
[[♦ Uh, no, fight me->Fight]]{(set: $protagonist's dangerous to it + 5)
(set: $party's exileFriendship to it + 3)
(set: $party's knightFriendship to it - 5)
}(if: $protagonist's dangerous is > 17)[The fight is short and brutal. [You are well-armed and well-practiced with your (print: $protagonist's weapon), and the bandits are thin, their plating dull with poor nutrition. (if: $party's exile is true)[Exile creates shadows that blind and confuse them, and puts visions of fear into their minds.] (if: $party's knight is true)[Tosk takes care not to leave leasting injuries, but she is an imposing figure with her axe.
]]](if: $protagonist's dangerous is < 17)[There are more than them than of you, and they have more to fight for. They knock you down and hold you while they raid the carapan for food and untainted water. (if: $party's knight is true)[Tosk does not fight; she lays down her axe when it becomes clear that you are outnumbered.] (if: $party's exile is true)[Exile, for his part, seems amused by the entire proceeding, and continues to startle the bandits with shadows and visions, even as they pin him to the dirt.]
]The next morning, as you nurse your injuries, you face another choice of ways.
[[[Northwest, through the badlands bordering the mountains->refugees]]
[[Along the river, where there are hives and people->market]]]<smallcaps|(if: $dialogueOption is 1)[(set: $party's exileFriendship to it - 2)(set: $party's knightFriendship to it + 2)They efficiently strip the carapan of food and untainted water before disappearing into the night.
](if: $dialogueOption is 2)[(set: $party's knightFriendship to it + 2)The bandits seem relieved by the opportunity to negotiate over your food stores, and both parties are satisfied by the end of the discussion.
]The next morning, you face another choice of ways.
[[[Northwest, through the badlands bordering the mountains->refugees]]
[[North, where there are hives and people->market]]]<smallcaps|{
}You approach the root, (print: $protagonist's weapon) in hand.
(if: $party's exile is true)["What do you plan to do with that?" asks Exile, with some amusement. "Other than alert every blighted thing within five miles to our presence, of course."
(if: $party's knight is true)["For once, I agree with him," says Tosk flatly. "We will achieve nothing here."
You ignore the complaints of your companions. You have made your choice.]]
Your first attacks bounce off the root, barely marking its surface.(if: $protagonist's dangerous is > 20)[ You expend a lot of energy tearing a large hole in its surface, becoming covered in tar in the process, but you feel better for destroying something, and more optimistic about the fight to come.
](else:)[ With some effort, you manage to make a dent that leaks tar, slow and viscous, but the root does not yield any further. A disappointing result, and one that does not bode well for the fight to come.
][[[You tried->Move on]]]<smallcaps|The root is unpleasant company for the road, but you continue to follow it, into the heartlands of the Tar. (if: $party's companions is 2)[You are all subdued, knowing that the end will come soon.]
[[Onwards, into darkness->final confrontation]] {(set: $party's knightFriendship to it + 5)
(set: $party's exileFriendship to it -3)
}(if: $party's exile is true)[Exile retreats wordlessly into the back of the carapan as you rein in the beetles. You can feel waves of cold rolling off him, and something else which you cannot identify. It is uncharacteristic of him to lose control of his psionics in this way, but now is not the time to investigate.
]There is a small commotion within the group before someone is elected as leader and approaches to speak with you.
The conversation is brief, but you learn that these people are refugees from a hive destroyed by the Tar - an all too common story. However, their story concerns an agent of the Tar, a king who spread its influence in exchange for great power. They describe a dark figure who wears a mask in order to disguise his ravaged face, and the tar dripping from his eyes and mouth.
(if: $party's knight is true)[Tosk remains silent throughout the refugees' story, only speaking to suggest that they might head south and west, to kinder lands with healthy hives who might take them in.
After the refugees have moved on, she gives you a firm look. "We heard the same story, (print: $protagonist's name). You cannot deny the likeness."
(link:"♦ I trust Exile")[(set: $dialogueOption to 1)(goto: "knight intro 6")]
(link:"♦ You're right")[(set: $dialogueOption to 2)(set: $party's knightFriendship to it + 5)(goto: "knight intro 6")]
](else:)[[[[Confront Exile->confront]]
[[Exile is a staunch ally; any similarity is mere coincidence->final confrontation]]]<smallcaps|]
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