You stand within a colossal chamber, the sloping walls and roof covered in thousands, tens of thousands of gears, all twisting and clanking against one another, you see the white dragon, laying on it's side, the dragon's belly split open and the heart hanging out, held in place by brass bracing, as strange pipes raise from the floor and pierce the heart, keeping it beating. You can't seem to find the chute you just fell from, and you don't smell the stench of death, though, and the dragon doesn't seem to be rotting...

You eye the panel set into the heart again. Seven slots, with four crystals set into them.
<Well, well, well. I've been repaired, it seems! Cosmic knowledge is at your beck and call, scion of sorcery!> A tinny voice came from the panel, sounding something like an eccentric tinkerer, like the old watchmaker back in Arcturus.
<Now come on, don't just stand there! You're no bull, and this is no china shop!>

>>21069829
"…What?"

>>21069845
I think that sums it up nicely.

>>21069829
"Umm...hi?"

>>21069829
whoa is that you grandpa

"...what?" You ask.
<Just an anachronism, don't you worry.> It chimed. <Come closer, come closer.>

You take a few hesitant steps toward the beating, ticking heart.
"Umm... hi?"
<You're probably quite confused, aren't you. This... is the Gearworks! I am, at least. The Gearworks, I mean. That's me.> It said. <Sorry, sorry, I'm rambling. I haven't spoken to a living being before. Hello!>

>>21069892
"Er, ok... What do you do?"

>>21069892
"So, uh... What is it that you do?"

"So, uh... " You say, and clear your throat. "What do you do?"
<I am a weapon!> It responded. <First and foremost, actually, and all of my other abilities are... side-effects, I suppose. I am an engine fueled by the heart of a sorcerer, made to refine the raw energies of the void! It is, of course, horribly destructive to the fabric of reality, but I just can't stop myself, you know? It's force of habit.>

"A pleasure to meet you, Gearworks. I am Ishelda. Umm...are you - were you, the dragon there? Solu'nox?"

>>21069953
"Is there a way to stop that effect?"

>>21069953
"Um, I don't really want the fabric of reality destroyed."

"Umm... are you- were you, the dragon there? Solu'nox?"
<Solu'nox? Preposterous!> It responded. <That's Anu'ba, Solu's father. There was quite a fight here, millennia ago. Father against son, you know, always nasty. Anu lost, and so I never wrote ogres out of existence!>
"... I don't really want the fabric of reality destroyed. Is there any way to stop that effect?"
<Indeed there is! Just pierce the heart with your artifact sword, and then I will die, and the gearworks will be destroyed.>

>>21070005
"Why would anyone need such a powerful weapon?"

>>21070005
"You seem awfully cheerful about that. There is one thing I would like to do before that, however. Would it be possible to restore a person's emotions using the gearworks?"

>>21070005
"I think that perhaps Solu'nox and Anu'ba were my distant ancestors.
Tell me about some of these side effects you perform."

>>21070005
"What's that panel for? Are the three missing gems the ones in the Bracer?"

>>21070056
It's The Mind

>>21070056
The Mind. not The Bracer.

"Why would anyone need such a powerful weapon?" You ask.
<Because they were losing, of course!> The tinny voice said. <Dragonkind was being defeated by the ogres, so I was made to destroy them and tear them out of reality! However, only a scant few centuries later, Anu was killed, and the last surviving sorcerer decided not to use such a horrific weapon such as myself, sadly.>
"You seem awfully cheerful about that."
<Do I? Perhaps I am. Mmm.>
"There is one thing I would like to do before that, however. Would it be possible to restore a person's emotions using the gearworks?"
<To undo something done? Easily! But only once. I'm still quite unfinished, you know, and most of my parts were never completed.>
"What's that panel for? Are the three missing gems the one in The Mind?"
<Indeed! though those parts were never part of me. They were left in the ruins on what you know of as Crescent Island! And then an elven king found them!>

>>21070063
Yeah, that thing. I was trying to spell arcewhateveritwas and then gave up.

>>21070088
"Would having those three gems 'complete' you?

>>21070088
Voting to repeat
>>21070039

>>21070088
"Right, but what do they do? What would happen if I put the other three into that panel, or put those four into the Mind?"

>>21070088
"What would the immediate effects be of using you?"

>>21070088
"Do you think you could you be fixed, and could be something other than a weapon? Rending the cosmos asunder to rearrange the natural order gets terribly boring after the first half dozen or so times, as we both know. Would you like to be used constructively for the good of the multiverse, rather than as a glorified cosmic blunt object? It seems a waste to use such a complicated mechanism as yourself for doom and destruction, then abandoned, when you could be so much more."

"Would having those three gems... 'complete' you?"
<Yes! Well, theoretically. There's likely been too much contamination from that time travel tome, and from being part of the Archaeoteca. The personality, too! We'd both go hilariously mad, and with that much power, I'd probably be able to turn reality inside out!>
"Right, but what do they do?" You ask. "What would happen if I put the other three into that panel, or put those four into the Mind?"
<Other than the aforementioned madness... well, that's a good question, isn't it. I don't quite understand the crystals, myself, but they're used in fateweaving! Protowizardy, fateweaving is. To change reality on a whim! Much more difficult, of course, but everything worthwhile is.>

"I think that perhaps Solu'nox and Anu'ba were my distant ancestors."
<Oh, they are, don't worry. Solu'nox turned human when he left this world, and changed his name to Dave!>
"Tell me about some of these side effects you perform."
<I can undo what's been done, but only once, I can give you as much magic power as you demand, even if I only had a single gem, and I can write cosmic wrongs, and erase things from reality!>
"What would be the immediate effects be of using you?"
<Well, I only have a certain amount of refined voidstuff, so I can only do so much before I can recharge! and if I use all of it, I die. Splendid, isn't it?>

>>21070191
"Refined voidstuff? What is that? Where do you get it?"

Also

"Who is Dras'lea?"

>>21070191
"When I activated you, there was a serious magic drain. Was that you recharging?"

>>21070191
"Why are you so chipper? Haven't the ages left you even a little down?"

Updated.

File: 1349893847841.png-(24 KB, 575x600, geneology.png)

>>21070244
Small correction that Exabyte pointed out in the IRC.

"When I activated you, there was a serious magic drain. Was that you recharging?"
<Indeed! I've given off quite a lot of magic, because I don't quite need it when I'm asleep. But then you woke me up by repairing me, so I needed a little bit of that energy back!>
"... Refined voidstuff? What is that? Where do you get it?"
<I get it from the Void, of course! All that raw magic carries voidstuff within it. Voidstuff is a ghost, broken down after they forget themselves! It's supposed to turn into magic and then astral fire and back into magic, eventually, but instead I refine it!>
"... Who is Dras'lea?"
<Dras'lea is nobody!> He cried, still chipper. <She arrived from nowhere, some few hundred centuries ago. She isn't quite from here, so I can't say. She's outside of my purview- which is all of reality. She's an Outsider. She has sorcery and wizardry, like you, though for some strange reason, I don't view her as a sorcerer, so she can't control me like you can.>

>>21070286
"Did you make the demons? Is Tyr correct?"

>>21070286
"How would I go about fixing her memories?"

>>21070286
"What are the long term effects of using you? Does the taking of magic from the void starve other worlds of magic and did it cause the demons to exist?"

>>21070286
"Can I disconnect you from this hellish techno-arcana without killing you? Hook you up to an alternative powersource? It's too ramshackle and too dedicated to destruction and perverting the laws of magic in harmful ways to leave standing as is. I could study it and try to make something better, and more finished, if you'd like."

>>21070337
He IS the 'hellish techno-arcana.'

>>21070286
"Can you tell me about the afterlife?"

>>21070359
He's the central part of it, yes, but the rest of the worky bits may not be necessary for his continued existence. Hence why I ask, as we do not know.

"What are the long term effects of using you? Does taking of magic from the void starve other worlds of magic, and did it cause the demons to exist?"
<Yes, yes, yes, and yes. The long term effects of using me is first the loss of all magic power that isn't sorcery, and then even that. First the magic drains from other worlds- like the Arakoatoan one, which turned most of them into demons- and then this world! Finally, I predict that the four gods will fight against me, but then I will defeat them, and take their voidstuff for myself. Then I would be able to have unlimited power, and since I'm supposed to serve sorcerers, all sorcerers would become gods themselves!>

Rolled 100

>>21070286
"Will destroying you distroy wizardry as we know it?"
Stop throwing away my posts 4chan.

>>21070386
"Have events like that happened before?"

>>21070393
...Damn it. Take your dice off if you're not rolling for a spell.

>>21070386
"Well, I don't want to destroy wizardry, and I certainly don't want to create more demons."

>>21070386
"If you can undo a thing that was done, can you turn the demons back?"

"Gods? Tell me about these gods."

>>21070386
"Right. Evil plan to take over time and space got it.

So what would if I were to simply destroy Gearworks or you?"

>>21070428
>what would happen..
>forgetting words

"Will destroying you destroy wizardry as we know it?"
<Not at all.> It responded.
"Have events like that happened before?"
<Never, but I'm awfully good at predicting things like this.>
"Can you tell me about the afterlife?"
<The afterlife is the domain of the gods! Powerful spirits who harbor a Concept. Spirits in the afterlife are supposed to forget themselves and fall apart, into voidstuff, but the gods retained their memories and claimed power for themselves! The most powerful there is the Farmer, or as the ghosts call him, the Lord or Reaper, but recently the Knight and some strange kalak have been fighting him!"
"... If you can undo a thing that was done, can you turn the demons back?"
<Not at all. That would mean I would have to unwrite myself from history, but that means I could never unwrite myself, which means I do exist... paradox isn't possible, I'm afraid.>
"So what if I were to simply destroy Gearworks? Destroy you?"
<Then I would stop existing.> He said. <And my voidstuff would go back where it should, and magic would bloom within realities once more. This world would lose magic, but that's alright because it would restore balance.>

>>21070455
"Is it possible to create a balance so this world will keep its magical energy without draining other worlds?"

>>21070455
"Can't you refine your process of taking in starstuff to make magic? Make it a little more natural, making it blossom in life first instead of transmitting directly from the void to you? Would that be less dangerous for the multiverse?"

>>21070455
"Lose magic entirely, or simply lower the overall level of magic?"

>>21070455
"Can you just fix the demons now, no time stuff? Or destroy them?"

>>21070455
"Lose magic? Just how much are you talking about? Enough to have adverse effect on the this world or no real notable difference."

>>21070455
"So Azariel is fighting with the Farmer. Could you tell me more about the Knight, and if they exist the Scholar and the Rogue?"

"Lose magic entirely, or simply lower the overall level of magic?"
<Lower it, of course, not remove it.> It said. <Back to normal level. No more arcane auroras, and we'd stop things before the portal storms start!>
"Is it possible to create a balance so this world will keep its magical energy without draining other worlds?"
<Yes! But only before you kill me.> He said. <I can write more stars into the sky for you. Would you like any specific constellations?>
"Can you just fix the demons now, no time stuff? Or destroy them?"
<I don't quite have enough energy to erase or destroy them quite yet. Come back in another decade and I should be fine!>
"So, Azariel is fighting with the Farmer. Could you tell me more about the Knight, and if they exist, the Scholar and the Rogue?"
<I can! The Knight carries the same concept your armor has. Honor, value in sacrifice, fairness... the scholar's concept is about individuality, personal choice, learning the answers to one's questions... The Rogue, well, nobody's quite sure, not even I! But that's part of his concept, I believe.>

>>21070549
"Thing is, I don't want to kill you. I don't like killing anyone, and you were a product of another's machinations, a slave. You didn't have the ability to say 'no,' even if you're taking it in stride. But I can't leave the Gearworks as they are, they're fundamentally broken and harm reality as we know it. So where does that leave us?"

>>21070549
"Was the man I met in Sosaria the Scholar, or just somebody calling himself that?

>>21070549
"What are the portal storms?"

"if I end up destroying the gear works would it be possible for your personality to migrate to something else so you could survive?"

>>21070549
"Would there be any negative consequences to putting new stars in the sky like that?"

>>21070549
"Could you give me a basic timeline in years of the effects you will have on other worlds' magic and this world's magic? Like what will happen in 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 years should I simply leave you as you are, and should I use you."

>>21070455
"So, if you can undo anything, could you restore my mother?"

"Was the man I met in Sosaria the Scholar, or just somebody calling himself that?"
<Oh, that was Triune!> He said. <And the scholar, yes. One and the same! I think he was buttering you up, to be honest.>
"... Would there be any negative consequences to putting new stars in the sky like that?"
<A bit of unbalance in magic here and there, but not nearly as bad as there is now, and it would eventually stabilize in a few hundred years.>
"What are the portal storms?"
<Exactly what it sounds like. Storms with portals! Except the other end of the portal has no destination so anything that goes inside ends up Outside! I can't rightly say what's there, for the most part, because that's not my purview!>
"If I end up destroying the gearworks, would it be possible for your personality to migrate to something else so you could survive?"
<Yes! And no!> He said. <It would be like chopping off your arms and legs. You can live and talk, yes, but it would be hell!>
"So... if you can undo anything, could you restore my mother?"
<Yes, I can! Her spirit went into the void, because of her species, but I can undo that and hold her into stasis until now! But I can only undo one thing, because I'm fundamentally incomplete.>

>>21070652
"What effect would that have on her?"

>>21070675
"What effect would that have on her?"
<Her death would be undone, and in it's place, her life at that point would appear here and now! Well, outside of the gearworks, in that tunnel with the dwarf and the abomination!>

>>21070652
Okay, I think Exabyte has made the point that this is a one-wish genie. Then we need to kill it. I don't want to shove bubble into the plate, for fear of destroying the world. So how about instead we just wish for more stars in the sky, and then kill him, yeah?

>>21070652
"Can you show me how you were made, what is incomplete- besides the missing stones- and how I can complete it? When you're complete, you could theoretically restore balance without dying, correct?"

>>21070692
I think he can do the star thing AND undo one thing.

>>21070652
Restoring Ishelda's mother would be nice, on a personal level, but I'm not certain her mother would appreciate it.

Also, cascade effects could prove interesting.

Personally, I think our best course of action would be to put some extra stars in the sky and then destroy the Gearworks. Prefferably without killing ourself.

>>21070687
"The abomination? Kal?"
"What are Passions?"

>>21070692
It can UNDO one thing. It can DO lots of things.

Here's what we should do.
1. Put more stars in the sky.
2. Undo something (I vote fixing Dras)
3. ???? (Or destroy it)
4. Profit

>>21070687
"Can you change your energy collection method to something more sustainable? It does not matter if it is weaker"

>>21070652
Personally I think stars in the sky and restore mother. I do have one more question for the gearworks.

Is there a way to restore the emotions of Dras'lea without using you.

"The abombination? Kal?" You ask.
<Indeed! Her Passion is for a magic never made in this world! Her Passion is for a magic from Outside.>
"What are Passions?"
"Passions are talents!" He said. "Talents based on how close you are to the Concept that allows you to see the concept, and be inspired by it!"

"Can you show me how you were made, what is incomplete- besides the missing stones- and how I can complete it?"
<I can, indeed, but you will need to live an extra hundred years working on me, without all of dragonkind assisting you like they did Anu.>
"When you're complete, you could theoretically restore balance without dying, correct?"
<Not at all! Complete, I would be even worse on the balance. But I would be very, very powerful, and I would be able to affect Outside, more than just the Lost One.>

"Is there a way to restore the emotions of Dras'lea without using you?"
<No, not at all. Life can be restored, but not an integral part of one's spirit when it's willingly destroyed! I can undo it, though!>

>>21070752
"How long would it take to fix you enough to undo two things? How long do we have until the portal storms start?"

>>21070752
"You die, and the world loses a great magical wonder the likes of which it might never see again. You live, and the multiverse suffers as you inefficiently burn away its magic. Quite the dilemma. What do you think, and want?"

>>21070752
"So as far as I can remember the Talent for Sorcery was passed down from father to son in the Arcturan family, at least until I showed up. What makes me different? Is it because of my mother being Arakatoa?"

>>21070752
Maybe undoing her loss of emotions would be a bad thing, if it undoes the sacrifice she made. Or might have made. Need to be careful here.

>>21070752
"Do you know why Dras'lea removed her emotions?"

>>21070752
Opposite question then, is it possible to restore my mother without using you?

>>21070786
A sacrifice she made in another universe. Which is probably destroyed now anyway because she broke the World Key.

>>21070799
We should still ask, just in case.

>>21070752
"What lock does the World Key fit?"

>>21070805
...
So ask, instead of just saying 'be careful'.

>>21070824
I already did. >>21070792

"So as far as I can remember, the Talent for Sorcery was passed down from father to son in the Arcturan family, at least until I showed up. What makes me different? Is it because of my mother being Arakoatoa?"
<Oh, the only thing your mother's heritage did was contribute to your incredible magical stamina. The prequisite for sorcery's activation is... get this, the crown! Only being direct royalty will allow the talent to blossom, and the few daughters your kingdom had before you were married off to other people, and the talent didn't quite like that, no. Your father decided to make you the next ruler, and so your talent awoke. However, your talent has evolved quite a bit since you've owned it, so I can't say what your descendants will be like.>
"Opposite question, then. Is it possible to restore my mother without using you?"
<Impossible. I've already refined the voidstuff that made up her soul, and so she doesn't exist in any form. A powerful enchanter could most likely make a construct based off of people's memories of her...>
"Do you know why Dras'lea removed her emotions?"
<I'm afraid not. I can tell that she burned it away on purpose, and not part of a sacrifice, so I suppose she just didn't want to Feel anymore.>
"What lock does the World Key fit?"
<This right here is the problem with the Gift of Tongues.> It said. <The words are right, but the context is wrong! The word 'key' is adjective, as in 'of incredible importance'. It's the pillar upon all reality stands.>

>>21070855
"Ah. So what would happen if it was destroyed?"

>>21070855
"Can you change your energy collection method to something more sustainable? Use the natural astral fire from the sun maybe? It does not matter if it is weaker"

>>21070855
"How long would it take you to write the new stars?"

"Ah." You say. "So what would happen if it was destroyed?"
<Everything would cease to exist, and all rules of reality, space, time, and everything ever would negate itself. You could spend magic to gain twice that magic again, as the laws of arcanodynamics would vanish. And then reality would end in less than a day, and the stars would wink out, as the wheel falls into individual spokes, and then each one would be beset upon by horrors from Outside. Quite an invigorating concept.>
"... Can you change your energy collection method to something more sustainable? Use the natural astral fire from the sun maybe?"
<I'm afraid not. I'm made to use raw voidstuff, and you can't just get that stuff without reversing the way the order works.>
"How long would it take you to write the new stars?"
<No time at all! Time doesn't exist here- well, to be more clear, the rest of the world is in stasis, compared to inside of here.>

>>21070902
"Let's hold off on the star thing, I can't think of any real reason to do it.

Let's say I wanted to wipe the demons from existence, you said that would take 10 years to get enough energy to erase them.

What would happen in those 10 years, magically speaking?"

>>21070902
"Could you open one-way portals between this world and all of the worlds that are being starved of magic to allow the excess magic from this world to leak back out into them creating a stable system?"

Alright guys, I suggest we have the gearworks write the new stars into the sky, take the crystals to install into a new body, and then destroy what remains.
How does everyone else feel about this course of action?

>>21070931
>I can't think of any real reason to do it.
You haven't been reading the entirety of the posts have you?

>>21070902
Compiling our options.
One time only:
[]Fix Dras'lea
[]Revive mother
[]Kill all demons

Misc:
[]More stars
[]other stuff

>>21070933
What's the point of making new stars?

>>21070902
"Would writing stars cause an outright catastrophe that would have to level out, or just make magic a little wild for a while? Would you retain your sanity when disconnected from the Gearworks, even if being cut off from the phenomenal cosmic power is unpleasant?"

>>21070936
This world retains it's magical saturation without unbalancing other worlds.

>>21070935
I say we fix Dras'lea and then get more stars.

>>21070933
He's already said he doesn't want to go into a different body, and we should undo something before we destroy it.

Okay, since apparently EVERYONE missed it:
Creating new stars would allow the balance of magic to be fixed slowly over time (a few centuries) and still retain the amount of magic in this world.

>>21070902
"Could you make me a book, with all of your magical knowledge? This arcanodynamics and stuff."

>>21070940
He already answered this. It would slightly destabilize the world for a hundred years, just slightly, and then everything would even out.

>>21070950
Just to put this in perspective, this is as opposed to the massive destabilization we've got going right now.

maybe wait 10 years so it can kill the demons if the damage isn't going to be very bad for the next 10 years. if the damage is to serous have it do as much damage to the demons as it can before we destroy it, say killing all the arch demons or sealing them in there own world.

I say we add the stars and fix Dras.

>>21070935
I'm voting restore mother and get stars, followed by destroy gearworks.

The only real question is Dras or mother. Dras lied to us to get to the gearworks for her own reasons (which we only think is to restore herself). Mother doesn't exist right now so she isn't going to feel one way or the other about it, although father might not be able to forgive us if we give up this opportunity.

So, be selfish or be selfless?

"Could you make me a book, with all of your magical knowledge? This arcanodynamics and stuff."
<I'm afraid that Arcturian and the Gift don't quite have enough words to explain everything I know, and the book would have to be as large as most of a city!>

"Let's say I wanted to wipe the demons from existence, you said that would take 10 years to get enough energy to erase them. What would happen in those 10 years, magically speaking?"
<The other worlds would starve for magic, and more and more magical races would go insane, like the demons! Approximately a hundred and twelve worlds with spellcasting races.>

>>21070989
On the other hand, Elizabeth is completely gone , but Dras would be left emotionless (And probably petrified, since there's no point releasing her if we aren't going to fix her) forever.

>>21070989
If we restore mother we have to kill Dras. She'll be completely unstable with no way of fixing her. We want mother back but we're not the type to kill for it.

>>21071001
"That would be something I'd like to avoid."

Okay, so we're not destroying the demons either. We'll just have to do that the old fashioned way.

>>21071001
"Okay, it's kinda a waste to take out the demons like that if we're just putting 112 races in the same situation that made demons.

Question about my mother, you said you had her voidstuff in you, does she exist in enough of a form that I could talk to her without burning up a significant chunk of your magic?"

>>21071001
"If I destroyed you and the magic balance returned, would the demons stop with no more reason to conquer worlds? Is there a way to fix them? Or are they just irreversibly insane?"

>>21071008
And we don't even know if she has awareness or not in that petrified state. Leaving her there might be a And I Must Scream choice.

>>21071001
"Well, that's counterproductive."

"Is there a way to destroy you - actually or functionally - without killing myself in the process?"

>>21071001
"What would my mother remember?"

"Can I talk with my father?"

>>21071009
A little selfishness and greed never hurt anyone. Well, okay in this case one person.

But personally, I think be wroth it.

So we've all met the conclusion of restoring Dras as the right thing to do then?

>>21071050
Maybe

>>21071027
>Voidstuff is made of spirits that forget themselves
>It's all churned around in a big magical engine
It's like asking if we can pet that tree because it got nutrients from Fido. There's nothing left of her. It's just raw magical energy. He's offering to get her back by retconning time, not rebuilding her out of her stuff.

>>21071050
No, we've not. Though it's certainly a better option than killing the demons.

>>21071050
Not really.

>>21070932
bumping this.

>>21071050
I think so, but obviously we're going to debate some more.
However, we can all agree that getting rid of the demons is a no go, right?

>>21071001
Since we've taken some time deliberating and asking, over and over again, and seem to be recursing into the same questions, stalling the inevitable choice, I submit this, should consensus be towards this general course of action.

"In other words, trying to eliminate demonkind is a futile effort, because scores more will pop up in their place. I can't let the Gearworks stand, and since you don't want to live as less than you are now, I don't think I have any other option than to... To end you. I'd like you to put a few more stars in the sky, first. Perhaps a constellation to commend your sacrifice. A cog, maybe? A symbol of science, its wonders and its dangers, like the old clockmaker talked about. You're a clear result of both. And fix Dras'Lea, if you wouldn't mind. I'll ask no more. It just feels like cheating to ask so much of the innermost secrets of the cosmos, when I could seek them out myself."

>>21071074
Obviously. Nobody would go for destroying demons and creating 112 more races of them.

"If I destroyed you and the magic balance returned, would the demons stop with no more reason to conquer worlds? Is there a way to fix them? Or are they just irreversably insane?"
<Yes and no and yes!> He said. <To all of those questions! Demonkind is mostly made up of constructs, with only the archdemons being true arakoatoans! Most of them would regain their sanity, and try to make amends, more would kill themselves at horror at what they've done, but a few will continue doing what they're doing!>
"What would my mother remember?"
<She would remember everything up to the last few moments before her death, and then I would stasis her soul as her body dies. Then, in the now, I would create her form out of magic and place her soul within it once more.>
"Could you open one-way portals between this world and all of the worlds that are being starved of magic, to allow the excess magic from this world to leak back out into them, creating a stable system?"
<I'm afraid not. Interworld portals are rather unstable, and they have a bad habit of leaking magic Outside.> He said. <But... whatever you decide, may I tell you about something? Something that has puzzled me ever since I was first created?>

>>21071076
I agree with this and support it. Perhaps adding,
"Though if you can think of a reduced body you would be amiable to living with, let me know."

>>21071084
"Certainly."

Still thinking that Dras doesn't just want the gearworks to restore herself, she probably wants it to attempt to restore her universe by bringing it up to full power or something.

>>21071076
>And fix Dras'Lea, if you wouldn't mind.

I disagree with this.

Personally, stupid woman can stay as tone forever.

Otherwise rest of the post I agree with.

>>21071084
"Of course."

>>21071099
>stone even

>>21071084
>Yes they're irreversibly insane
>Most of them would regain their sanity
Ok...
"Go on then."

>>21071096
Who cares, she can't use it and we're not giving it to her.

>>21071096
She can't operate it. If we fix her now, she'll still be petrified until we release her. We'll destroy the gearworks before releasing her. It's a non-issue.

"Certainly.
<There is... a person.> The voice said, much less cheerful suddenly. <Lost. Outside. Frozen in stasis and in all of times. The Lost one. A girl inside some sort of machine, a moment before her own death. I wish to... undo it. Undo the lost one, the moment before she is lost. She has been there... for longer than my endless milennia. She haunts me. I would like to save her, but I cannot undo anything that is not ordered by a sorcerer.>

>>21071116
"Do you know what would happen if she were to be released?"

>>21071116
"Wouldn't that kill her? Can't you just bring her here?"

>>21071116
"Do you have anymore information about her? Who she is? Why she's frozen in stasis? Do she did it to herself or was she put into by others?"

>>21071116
>fuckdamn crossover gittery, exabutt

"Do you know anything more about her? Are there any more things you wish to undo? Because I would allow you to undo all of them, were the cause just, and were you only to ask."

>>21071132
He can only undo one thing. Ever.

>>21071132
>fuck I didn't notice it before you said that.

AZUREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

>>21071132
WE CAN ONLY UNDO ONE THING DAMNIT.

>>21071084
"Sure"

One final question from me after his stuff though
"What was my mother doing when she was unmade?"

>>21071132
Sounds like an Ishelda in a Gearworks, to me.

"Wouldn't that kill her? Do you know what would happen if she were to be released?"
<She would not die. She's... what you would recognize as a golem. And I would bring her here.> It said, much more tame now.
"Do you have any more information about her? Who she is? Why she's frozen in stasis? Do she did it to herself or was she put into by others?"
<I do not, I'm afraid.> He said. <It is outside of my purview...>

"What was my mother doing when she was unmade?"
<Fighting her father.> He responded. <Her father won, destroyed her, and damaged her Guardian.>

>>21071157
"Who's her father?"

>>21071165
We met him. Poked his eye out too.

>>21071165
The archdemon on Arcturus, obviously. The one that called us "Granddaughter"

>>21071170
Yes, I know. Both eyes. I'm just making sure.

>>21071170
Both of 'em, in point of fact.

>>21071138
>>21071140
>>21071142
>>21071152
Oy! The stasis IS. Not WAS, but IS. Chronology is important. Dras'Lea's emotions were rent apart in the past, mum is dead in the past, but Azure is frozen in the now. Different form of undoing, I'd think, because of chronology, and unrelated to the one impossible cosmic fuckery undoing. No? It groks like that in my mind, sue me. Exabyte, clarify.

"Who's her father?" You ask.
<Your grandfather.> He added. <The archdemon you blinded. He conquered Arcturus, in your mother's absence.>

>>21071157
I'm...kind of torn. Between reviving Mom and recovering the Lost One. (and anyone who played NFC will peg her as Azure)

Honestly...I vote for Azure. Mom lived and died. Azure never got that chance.

>>21071182
>I wish to... undo it. Undo the lost one, the moment before she is lost.
>BEFORE SHE IS LOST
>THE PAST

>>21071182
She's in stasis in an existence completely outside the concept of time. Time is not irrelevant to her, it simply is /not./

>[x] Save Azure.
If for no other reason, do it to grant The Gearwork's last request. He has resigned himself to whatever fate we decide, and has only requested ONE thing, one thing that he cares about.

>>21071182
He can't reach outside of the universe. He's not powerful enough. He has to grab her before she goes out.

>>21071185
"Oh, right. He called me 'granddaughter' once."

>>21071192
I'm still for restoring Dras'lea's emotions. Just about everything has gone wrong for her now, and I want something to go right.

Azure was content with her ending, and still lives on.

>>21071217
This.

You know what, why the fuck not? I don't even know who the fuck this is.
[Azure]
also stars

I'd rather save Dras. IC we don't know anything at all about Azure.

What about Dareshla's emotions?
Do we have to chose between her emotions and Azure?

File: 1349900051282.jpg-(Spoiler Image, 31 KB, 400x400)

>>21071235
You. I like the cut of your jib.

"Oh, right." You say. "He called me granddaughter once."
<... Have you decided?> It asked.

>>You can only choose one!
> [] Restore Dras'lea
> [] Bring Mother to life.
> [] Free the Lost one.

>>21071253
>Gearworks' first and last request
>The Lost One

>>21071253
[X] Restore Dras'lea

>>21071253
>[X] Free the Lost one.

>>21071217
Ok. Save Azure, destroy Dras'lea (at least she won't suffer any more, killing her means she has to go through the afterlife), make a cool star formation.

>>21071253
Dras'lea

>>21071253
>[]Stars
>[] Free the Lost one.

Why not.

>>21071217 <- is me
>>21071253
Udz convinced me to change my vote. I feel sorry for The Forgotten Queen.

>>21071253
Azure, also stars, stars works, I'm assuming

Didn't that one guy say that he could help Dras'lea by building up her emotions from scratch?

>>21071273
>>21071279
Pretty sure stars are a given. Or at least not limited to a one time choice.

>>21071253
>Don't restore Dras
>Dras gets mad, destroys world key, goes back in time again.
>everyone dies

All for the lost one though.

>>21071276
wait, which one are you referring to when you say forgotten queen?

>>21071290
He thought he might be able to. The Gearworks says it's impossibly and it knows everything.

>>21071299
I'd guess he means Dras, since Azure certainly isn't a queen.

>>21071299
Dras'lea

>>21071299
Since he's saying I convinced him to change his vote, I'm pretty sure he means Dras'lea.

>>21071296
Wait, not mad, fuck I don't even know.

for clarification [Lost One]

lost one

Dras

>>21071314
That's what I was confused by, I'm still gunning for the lost one, I would agree with his previous reasoning in >>21071217 dunno what changed his mind, but if Ishelda is like Dave in anyway, which I'm sure she is, she feels that if we simply use the gearworks and then kill it, without even trying to work with it for something it might want, it would weigh hard on her morally, as well as the fact that she is going to be killing it anyways

>>21071253
I can't decide this. Poor VQ really needs fixing, but Azure's all alone for ever...
Ugh, she's in stasis she can't feel it. Sorry Azure.
[x] Dras'lea

Rolled 67

>>21071253

"What would the lost one do if freed?"

I dont know who azure is.

Dras'lea

>>21071357
He knows nothing about her either

>>21071357
A character from Exabyte's other quest, Near Future Cyborg Q and Space Cyborg Quest. She sacrificed herself to send us a message in the past. But she's not really dead.

>Voting complete!
>Now let me tally this and write the post.

>>21071357
The Gearworks doesn't know.

My vote is for the Lost One.

In the end, both IC and out, Dras'lea is just as much of a mystery as the Lost One.

>>21071357
Azure is a sapient AI that came into being by herself by being created by other AI's to resemble what they would consider human aspects. She got locked in the void when a rival company in NFCQ created a copy of the original and she deemed that she would sacrifice herself in some very convoluted sci-fi time travel stuff to restore balance and finish the loop that was created. It was sad, she was the most well developed character in that quest and we all miss her.

>>21071376
She's also seriously hurt as opposed to stuck in stasis.

>>21071357
She's an AI from Exabyte's other quest. She fell into a black hole and somehow didn't get torn apart and is now all alone outside the universe because nothing else has ever fallen into a black hole... Fuck it, I don't know. She's there.

>>21071382
Which is why you're all meta-ing it up by choosing her.

>>21071402
We don't know anything about her other than her situation is potentially worse than Dras's who we also know jack squat about. And resurrecting mother is too selfish to even be an option.

>>21071431
Her situation is stasis. She's not aware of anything. Dras is quite aware of her lack of emotion.

You think about it, for a few moments, and then turn to the beating heart.
"The Lost one..." You say. "It was your first and last request..."
You clear your throat. "But Dras'lea..."
<You wish to bring back Dras'lea's emotions.>
You nod.
<Very well!> He said. <I just need to....>

The heart suddenly sped up, alongside the ticking... and the crystals went dark. something swirling started appearing around the room, red, blazing light, swirling inward... and there was a small, translucent, heart, warm to the touch, but it wasn't beating.

<There.> It said, the crystals still dark. <It is done. Bring that heart to Dras'lea. It is her emotions, kept in stasis retroactively. Bring it to her chest, and her emotions will return to her. Do you have any other requests?>

>>21071402
Not if the provided reason is a true IC reasoning. Ishelda considers her actions and tries not to hurt anyone because she sees how reckless actions can lead to hurting others. If she does have to hurt someone, she tries to lessen it unless she goes into angry teen mode against demons. She has the base for recreating Dras's emotions, considering it is hers until the point where we assume Lewin was killed, and can help Sadriel imprint those emotions. The Lost One is the request of the gearbox, that we are going to destroy, it would be considered sapient under our eyes because it is a living, breathing, feeling, and speaking being. It has wants and it has needs, but in order to stabilize and pick the best solution, we shouldn't just outright kill it without giving it it's last request. The only request that it has made, even knowing we will most likely destroy it.

So undoing Azure's sacrifice brings her back here, where the Gearworks can reach her. We saw Sleipnir that one time. NFCQ is in this universe. When we destroy the Gearworks, magic will return to Dave's world. Next Exabyte project: Near Future Space Cyborg Wizard Quest?

>>21071402
Not necessarily. The only difference is that Exabyte gave us less IC information about Lost One than he would have otherwise because he knew we already had OOC information about her.

What we do know In-Character is that there is a person of some kind who is trapped in a timeless forever who undoubtedly desires to be free.
We also know that Dras'lea is a person who destroyed something precious of her own and that she is trying to get it back - potentially at the cost of destroying entire worlds.

It seems that the only real question is, which one is more deserving? In my mind, it's the Lost One. It has to be.
And not just because Dras'lea made her own bed, and not because of the means she's used to try to achieve her ends - not at all. I believe that forgiveness is a thing that should always be given freely when it is genuinely asked for.
It's because of what I believe each one would do with their respective gift should we give it. Dras'lea I imagine would wind up much like the demons. Most would try to make amends, some would try to kill themselves at the atrocities that they have committed, and some few would go right on doing what they've been doing.

Dras'lea would try to make amends at first, to right the wrongs she'd done. Then she would find herself caring less and less once more, and question whether she's been irreversibly changed by her experience and if she can ever truly recover. She would eventually become overwhelmed, and destroy herself permanently.

>>21071485
I guess if voting is done then....I will say though, we could have easily done it ourselves. The Gearbox said there is no way to restore emotions besides him, we would be restoring, we would be imprinting our own from when we were younger on her since we assume she is us........but I guess that could go wrong if she isn't us, but it's pretty much confirmed it is us.

>>21071485
"Add more stars, please."

>>21071485
"A new star formation, design it how you like, provided that it does not endanger anyone."

"Gearworks, I will free her, if I can."

>>21071498
We also have this, unless we can even consider our authority reaching into her mind and tearing her memories out willingly of what she had done, and letting her redevelop from there.....it just seems wrong, and has the most downsides by using it......I know it's already done exabyte.....but meh

>>21071498
IC how do you know the lost one isn't some kind of genocidal maniac who was banished from reality for their crimes or something? And it was already said that she's in stasis. Which means she doesn't want anything since she can't move or feel or think or do anything at all.

>>21071485
"Um, some stars please. An Arcturan 'A' directly above Sanctuary. And spell that opens a portal to the Arakoatoa world."

>>21071536
I disagree with both parts of this suggestion. Patriotism and a portal to demon-land are unneeded.

>Implying Azure, the person whose entire concept of personhood is emotion, wouldn't want us to help someone get their emotions back.

>>21071523
I agree with us not knowing anything about the person, but does that stop us from considering them as such. It is a life, and Ishelda values that, we display this many a time when we try to befriend or appease our enemies into not being evil or bad, mind you, when we already know they are bad/evil.

>>21071543
It's not a portal to demon land, it's a piece of paper with spell that lets us go and meet our ancestors. Talk to the people who have been so mysterious all this time. It's not like there's any downside to getting it.

>>21071523
We don't, but we know we could attempt to redeem the Lost One. Whereas with Dras'lea there's nothing left to redeem without completely rebooting her personality.

>>21071544
THIS however is the best argument I've heard all day.

"Um, some stars, please." You say.
<Done!>
"And... a spell that opens a portal to the Arakoatoa world."
<Done as well.> He said, and a paper materialized on the ground- one almost identical to the portal to Arcturus. <and... if I may offer...>
A second piece of paper materialized, with another, similar rune.
<One to the kalak world. The race still lives, hidden far underground. It is a gift, for speaking to a mad old artifact like myself.>

>>21071560
It's a piece of paper with a spell that creates a portal to demonland. Come on. Ishelda hates demons with an unmatched passion.

>>21071569
"Thank you, Gearworks. Goodbye."
Gather up our new things and leave.

>>21071572
It's not demon land it's arakoatoa land. The good guys. The demons left to conquer the universe.

>>21071569
"I know where the three crystals you once had are and at one point they were inside of a golem controlling it.
Would you like something similar?
So we can destroy the Gearworks but you can still live."

>>21071569
"Now then, two last questions for you.
Is there any lesser body that you would be amiable to inhabit in place of this?"

and if he says no, which I expect that he will,
"Is there anything you'd like me to tell Bubbles?"

and if he says yes,
"Would you please create it here?"

>>21071569
"You're too kind. Could I perhaps have a book on basic arcanodynamics?"

>>21071569
"Thank you. And... I'm sorry."
>>21071601
He knows. He said thanks but no thanks.

>>21071601
I believe he said earlier that that would be maddening to him.

>>21071569
"Thank you. Can you see any way I could get enough power to go an rescue the Lost on my own?"

>>21071616
This, perhaps, give us a way to contact someone that can or a device specifically made to do this and nothing else.

"I know where the three crystals you once had are, and at one point they were inside of a golem controlling it."
<Yes, The Mind. I know of it.>
"Would you like something similar? So we can destroy the gearworks, but you can still live."
<... No thank you.> He said. <This is me. This is what and who I am. I will do what I was made for or I will do nothing. I decided this.>
"Can you see any way I could get enough power to go and rescue the Lost on my own?"
<She lies Outside.> He said. <Not even magic can take you outside. But Outside, time doesn't exist, and everything is infinite. She will be free eventually. My duty is complete.>
"Thank you." You say. "And... I'm sorry."
<Ah, at least I was some use before I went mad.> The voice said. <I'm presuming you wish for me to let you leave, and then destroy myself.>

>>21071680
"Before I do, is there anything you'd like me to pass along to Bubbles?"

>>21071680
"Yes. Goodbye, Gearworks."

>>21071680
"Unless you'd rather wait a few centuries more to go completely cogwheel over conduit."

>>21071680
"...yes, please. I can't let you destroy everything. Sorry."

>>21071609
This.

>>21071696
And then this

"Yes." You say. "Goodbye, Gearworks."
<Goodbye, Queen Ishelda, of Arcturus, new and old. Sorceress. You're my only real friend, you know that, and we've only been talking for a short while. Isn't that funny? Hahaha.>

Suddenly, the entire room started laughing, and there was a flash of light, and you were in the tunnel again, The heart in one hand, the papers in the other. The gearworks, a sphere in front of you, continued laughing... and then stopped ticking, and fell to the ground, the gears falling apart, and glass shattering.

"... What was that?" Tyr asked, his hand still around his hammer.
"You destroyed it?" Kaliel asked.

>>21071767
>destroying it
>not asking for a book on arcanudynamics or message for bubbles
what

attempt to choke back tears like proper queen. fail. "He..*sniff* he couldn't help how he was made.. He didn't even care what happened to himself anymore. He just wanted to help *sniffle*"

>>21071767
"It's destroyed. Magic might be a tiny bit unstable for the next few centuries, but everything should turn out fine."

>>21071767
"Tyr was right, it's continued existence would destroy the entire universe culminating with the destruction of the gods and the afterlife." "Furthermore its destruction will not effect magic, as we added a few stars to counterbalance that effect, also we can fix Dras, and have a spell to portal to your homeworld where some of the Kalak still exist."

>>21071767
"I had to. It wanted to suck up all the magic in all the worlds and make me into a god. Isn't that ridiculous?"

Small voice: "Poor thing..."

>>21071782
Seconded.

>>21071782
It doesn't actually KNOW Bubbles, and the book would have been too damn big to use.

>>21071767
"It... destroyed itself, technically."

>>21071831
Basics.

>>21071820
Yeah Exa, there was definitely enough time for you to have caught that. What's the butt?

>>21071767
"No... No, he granted me a few boons, and I his last request. He wanted to be used as intended, or not at all. Since I couldn't justify using him in his current state- indeed, he would eventually set the entire order of the cosmos topsy turvy, and sorcerors would replace the gods after cataclysmic destruction through all creation- he chose to cease functioning, rather than be modified, which would be torturous. It's sad. I'll never know the true breadth of his knowledge, his character... His very being. Back to the stardust from whence it came, and I knew him for mere minutes."

>>21071767
"Tyr, you were right.

Let's go back to the ship Kal. We have much to talk about it."

All Tyr really needs to know he's right and the gearworks is gone. Everything else is between Ishy and who came with her.

>>21071839
Only a few dozen feet thick!

>>21071839
Mm. Missed that.

>>21071859
Meh. Aeriel can teleport it onto the Jormungandr, we don't have to carry it. Not much of a drawback in return for invaluable magical knowledge.

>>21071842
>>21071820
>>21071782
>Neither language you know has the words to *understand* even the basics, and he didn't know bubbles.

"It's destroyed." You say. "Magic might be a tiny bit unstable for the next few centuries, but everything should turn out fine. You were right."
"Right." Tyr said. "I'm sorry we had this conflict, then."
He bowed, and made his way down the tunnel, back toward his kingdom.

"... Something's wrong, isn't it?" Kaliel asked.
"He..." You close your eyes for a moment. "He couldn't help how he was made. He didn't even care what happened to himself anymore. He just... just wanted to help."
Kaliel sighed, and gave you a hug.
"Let's get back to the ship, shall we?" She asked.

>>21071886
"Yeah."

>>21071886
"He...offered me my mother back, Kal. Did I...did I do the wrong thing?"

>>21071886
Sob, break into crying, "he had a last request, you know? And I... I..." more crying and sobbing

>>21071886
Well, we also know Ogrish, but it's doubtful the guttural tongue would be on par with the no doubt ludicrously complex draconic.

>>21071918
this.

>>21071886
"I... I can cry later. Who knows what's going on with the snakes now their god's dead. More Queen business to take care of, as usual."

>>21071934
I'll second this. Really don't need the water works right now. Work to be done, sadly.

>>21071886
First things first we NEED to secure the crystal the Gearworks gave us.

Oh, and put the heart in our dimensional pocket where the gear was. We chose that over our mother, it is NOT getting broken or lost or anything.

>>21071918
Save the sobbing, we can break down later. In general, let's just save this one for later, in private.

"He had a last request, you know?" You ask, your voice going thick. You pull her tighter, and start crying. "And I... I..."
"Shh, shh." She said, and she pulled you tightly against her, taking your hand- the hand that Dras'lea's heart was in. Her hand went right through it, and she didn't seem to notice it. You slide it into your inventory.
Your vision blurs, and you close your eyes, tears welling up.

A few minutes later, you and Kaliel leave the tunnel, back into the chamber, where Kristoph and Grayson stood, speaking with Velk'lea, as she and the
"Ishelda." Velk'lea said, not noticing that you had just been crying. "I'm glad to say that the more... political handmaidens were killed by the dwarves, so now the rest of us Children are free."
"You can't really be the Children of the Great Wyrm if there is no Great Wyrm, can you?"
"... that is a good point." The priestess said.

>>21071886
Stow loot in inventory.

>>21072002
A demon. It was a demon. Just so you know.

Rolled 33

>>21072002
Make a proper noble dragon statue, so there can be a Great Wyrm still. Then animate it.

>>21072002
>as she and the other naga examined the Wyrm.
>"You can't really be the Children of the Great Wyrm if there is no Great Wyrm, can you?" Kristoph asked, with a nod to you.

>>21072023
Why...? Just why?

>>21072023
I don't think they want another one.

>>21072002
>as she and the
She and the what, Exabyte?

"So, that's sorted?"

>>21072030
Because.

>>21072035
Regardless, it didn't work.

Rolled 49

>>21072023
Dude what the fuck.
If anything, form the broken gears into a monument for the Gearworks. Something's got to use this space.

Udz you silly bitch, they both want and need to be self governing. Not beholden to some dragon.

>>21072002
Use the dragon crystal.
"I am your Great Wyrm now! Bow before me, puny mortals!"

"So, that's sorted?" You ask.
"That is." She said. "The other priestesses are moving as we speak."
She gave you a smile.
"Now that the laws against magic will be repealed, I'd be glad to accept that gift, from earlier."

>>21072062
They wouldn't be beholden to it! It's a statue! To commemorate the past.

>>21072071
"Wonderful." Give it to her.

>>21072045
There was a point in destroying the wyrm, they didn't want to worship it, and making a new one is counter productive to their goals.
>>21072055
He's got stars as his monument

>>21072071
"Gladly. Also, I'd suggest looking into setting up a port at some point so that our nations can trade. I'd love to be able to make enough of these for all your people one day."

>>21072088
Yes, because killing a living god and then immediately replacing it with an animate statue totally won't result in everyone worshiping the statue as if nothing had changed.

Rolled 92

>>21072088
Also a ring, so she can talk to Qu'az. I suppose it would need a signal booster because of range, wouldn't it?

Rolled 50

>>21072071
Give it to her, then let's go name some constellations.

One should be called the gearworks, and another we can name after Kal.

If it's daytime, make it nighttime.

>>21072071
"Here.
Can we talk later? I need to think about some stuff."

Give her a ring of communication as well.

Rolled 52

>>21072055
>>21072023
Heh 33s
Anyway, we should make a memoriam for Gearworks in New Arcturus.
At some point.
When we get there.
And it has an inscription with the "Story of the Gearworks and the Stars"
Also naming a constellation after Gearworks of course.

>>21072107
Perhaps we need a relay, since the elf has a ring as well (even if it is a 100 ring) and we might give one to tyr.

"Wonderful." You say, and give her the heat gem, careful not to give her Dras'lea's heart on accident. "Also, I'd suggest looking into setting up a port at some point, so that our nations can trade. I'd love to be able to make enough of these for all your people one day."
"Gladly." She said. "May I..."

She got a bit closer, and gave you and Kaliel another hug, pushing the two of you together for a moment- it was oddly reminiscent of the time Qu'az did the same thing.

"Can we talk later? I need to think about some stuff." You say, and give her a ring. "This is a communication ring, so you and Quaz can speek.
"Certainly!" She said. "Today is a glorious day. I need to do my best to downplay the dwarves' involvement- We don't need a war, especially not now."

>>21072138
I think they were only here for what the worm was guarding, you should be fine.

>>21072138
>Speak, even. Damn it, I keep messing up today.