past the blood and bruise

Noe

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail
Strategy sets the scene for the tale

Of all the gods, Noe might not have chosen to seek out Ludo, except for the fact that her mother had been loyal to the spoopy bundle of rags. Despite not having been as close to her mother as she was to her father, this was a small way that she could maintain a link to her lost family.

The Boneyard shrine was small and open, roughly the size of a market stall and shaped in a similar fashion - except it was made from bones. The structure was haphazard at best, and Noe found herself wondering how an errant wind hadn't blown it down yet. But, if it was a favored place of the gods, she supposed that maybe there was divine intervention at play.

Kneeling in the sand before the shrine, Noe set her offering - a small, cat-themed puzzle box that involved several moving parts and pieces in a variety of colors. Once solved, it would open to reveal a second puzzle box, and then a third, until the last box would open to reveal a tiny, bone carving of a cat curled in a little ball - onto the altar of the shrine. And then she began to speak. "Hi, Ludo," she said. "I heard you like puzzles, so I brought you one. I hope you like it.

"I've gotten into trouble a few times lately, so I was hoping you could help me out. Here's what I'm thinking..."

---

Noe is requesting a quest for the following from Ludo:

Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic 
Kaeru Throwing Stars | Three unbreakable throwing stars capable of being used as projectiles. Razor sharp.

Accepted receive +20 and roll with advantage at all shrines. Include this at the bottom of all shrine posts.

I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails
And the liquor in our cocktails

ludo Braved the forests, braved the stone Braved the icy winds and fire Braved and beat them on my own "THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WILL FIT IN MY MOUTH." Title of your... sex... tape...? The skulls clack their irritation in unison - evidently Ludo has grown accustomed to being fed sweets at this particular location, but that isn't to say Noe's offering is sub-par. If anything, there's something akin to curiosity in the hollow depths of the skulls' eyes, and they chatter wordlessly to themselves as if holding some sort of council. "VERY WELL. WE WILL HELP YOU TO GET INTO TROUBLE." No, it doesn't matter what Noe actually said. This is what has been decreed by the mighty Skull Council of Ludo, and so it shall be. Noe has received a quest! She must: 1. Complete a thread playing with knives. 2. Complete a thread procuring the metal for the throwing stars - whether she trades, steals, begs or mines for it is up to her! 3. Complete a thread throwing something sharp at someone she likes. 4. Complete a thread throwing something sharp at someone she dislikes.

Noe

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail
Strategy sets the scene for the tale

Ludo's voice took the girl by surprise, and she jumped as she looked up from her offering to find the skulls clattering. "No," she said, amused, as their eyes gleamed with curiosity. "It won't. I'm sorry. I'll bring something that will next time." Had she known that Ludo would manifest this way? Would it have changed her choice if she had?

No, probably not. She'd still have come here - just maybe armed with something tasty to offer.

In any case, she accepted her quest with a smile and a nod. "Thank you," she told the skulls politely. "I will do as you say." Preferably sooner than later, and before she moved officially to the desert. And only when she was sure that Ludo's presence had faded did she depart the shrine, off to do just that.

fin

I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails
And the liquor in our cocktails