Keep in mind that this is not dead! The status' are simply long and my life is, well... life. I expect it to have some errors in some parts, as my writing-stamina is not the best.
I'm considering writing shorter status'. They will make it easier for me to write them and I can update faster, and you guys might have more freedom of choice. If I do so, though, don't expect to see status' with lengths such as these completely disappearing from the face of the earth. They will still appear, just not as often.
Also, one more thing. Would you guys prefer a skill level-up system with experience points and such? (although you could get XP from other sources than combat), or a Oblivion/The Elder Scrolls level up system?
Alright! Let's get this started!
---Terkiey---
Go visit my mother one last time, then go to the magical academy to learn about where I could find my way to the legendary healing temples of Latviar to learn. Maybe see if I could get some advice and other equipment while I am there too.
Terkiey lingers awkwardly besides the wall of his childhood abode, and then sighs a sigh weighted down with memories as he carefully opens the door to his parents' house. He paces into the small entrance hall, memories flooding into him as he fingers the carved mahogany wall. This was the place of his childhood, and all the hopes, dreams, and experiences it had brought along with it.
His reverie was quite suddenly broken by his mother peeking her head around a corner, and his head snapped around to the sound, before relaxing. She came forward and brought him into a rough hug. Terkiey wondered if this was how bears hugged their cubs. They stepped apart, and Terkiey coughed once.
"You know?"
His mother sighed before responding.
"Yes... I'm... not sure what else to say."
Terkiey could see that there were tears in her eyes. Terkiey decided to cut the awkward moment short.
"Well, goodbye mom. Wish me luck." Terkiey turned to the door, and his mother spoke one last time.
"Make me proud, Terkiey." The words resonated in Terkiey's head as he left.
"Right," Terkiey muttered under his breath, before wondering over what was next on his agenda. Ah, right, the temple of Latviar... The best place to find information about it would be from the Magical Academy, of course. Terkiey sets off with a brisk walk towards his objective, tapping his head thoughtfully.
---
Another one of Terkiey's childhood havens, the Magical Academy, loomed above him. The time he had spent here almost rivaled his time at home; the courses were rigorous. Pacing his way towards his old professor's study, Terkiey took time to examine the shifting paintings on the walls, copious amounts of pictures and scenes appearing in one frame, and just as quickly warping to a separate one. Each scene had a story, and Terkiey sometimes wondered if someone could learn the whole world's history just by looking at one of the paintings long enough. After a few minutes of all looking and no walking, he jerked his gaze away from the paintings and found the rest of the way into the study.
"Professor Kiuur?"
The bearded old man stopped his scribbling and rose his head, interest alighting upon his face as he caught sight of Terkiey.
"Terkiey! What a pleasure to see you here... I assume that you have no left yet?" Kiuur paused for a second. "Heh, well, of course you haven't left yet! What a silly question. Either way, come, come, what may I help you with?"
Terkiey approached and expressed his interest in the Latviar Temples, as well as asking Professor Kiuur for any last advice. The man stared off into the distance for a while, before answering.
"Ah, the fabled Temple... No wonder that you would seek there. I did too, when I was younger. It's hard road, that's for sure." Kiuur cleared off several parchments from his desk, before retrieving the one he sought: a detailed map of the known world.
"The Temples should be in the Northern Mountains, a bit above The Cog, and far northwest from here." Kiuur looked up at Terkiey for a second, before returning back to the map.
"Emphasis on SHOULD, Terkiey. Few have found the Temples, although it is obvious that they are populated. They might even be thriving, for all we know. The mountains are harsh and cold, though, and the enchantments that surround that place are weaved well, and hidden better. One would wonder why the Latviarns settled up there, and someone probably does, but not I. I wish you luck in any endeavor of yours, but I fear I may not be able to offer much more. The people of The Cog are bound to know more, however." Kiuur rolled up his map, and then looked back up at Terkiey.
"As for advice, I fear that I cannot teach you much more than what I have already taught you. You were my best student, Terkiey, so it's no surprise that you are well on your way to surpassing me in skill." Terkiey accepted the praise silently, before motioning towards the door.
"Thank you, Professor Kiuur, for all that you have given me, but if you have nothing left to tell me...?" Kiuur nodded earnestly, before speaking.
"Yes, go. Nothing left for me to say, is there? You'll do fine, I'm sure of it."
Terkiey nodded once more, and left, wondering what else there was to do.
Equipment:
Smooth Staff,
2 Wands of Healing,
4 Food Rations,
Robe,
Wand-crafting Guidebook,
Healers Handbook.
Skills:
Healing Magic,
Staves,
Wands,
Runes,
Acrobatics.
HP: 30
MP: 30
Defense: 1
Stamina: 15
Gold: 50
---Astral Gorgas---
Astral will head towards Dar's tavern and ask the tavern keeper if there was a guild master around. He will then o to the guild master and ask for an odd job to do, if any need to be done.
Astral walked into the tavern. Perhaps glided was more appropriate, he thought to himself, for hours upon hours hunting and moving around in the forest made Astral naturally move as quiet as a shadow. Moving over to the Tavern Keeper, again making not a sound. Even if he had made a sound, it would probably have been drained away by the commotion around him. This tavern always seemed full.
Approaching the bar counter, Astral signaled to the bar-keep. The man hurried quickly enough to his aid, despite having a few drinks to mix. Astral was a fairly frequent visitor in Dar, selling whatever surplus he and his father, and more recently just he, had, which could range between a few eggs to several deer carcases, perfect for a nice roast. This bar-keep happened to be quite a frequent customer... Dontav was his name, was it now?
"Hello! How might I help you? A beer, or an ale? Something a bit stronger, like Dar's Breath, perhaps?" In return, Astral shook his head no, and spoke.
"I was hoping that you might be able to provide me with some information. Not illegal, to be sure." Astral hurriedly added on the last part, seeing the man's suspicious expression.
"I should be more specific... by information, I meant to ask: Do you know of the closest Guilds, and their Guild Masters? I was hoping to start doing a few jobs..."
At that, Dontav laughed. His laugh was hearty and booming, like a continuous drum. Continuous was the right word for it; he didn't stop any time soon. Astral sat quietly, albeit a little awkwardly. Dontav shook his head and answered.
"Well, my boy... what guilds do you mean? You really expect a city with thousands of years of culture and guilds to have a simple answer to those questions? Hell, at least some of the disciples have centralized their guilds into one large guild, instead of having hundreds of people running their so called 'guilds' from their backdoor. At the same time, many of the guilds are still a bit... split, shall we say? But really, in all seriousness, the closest guild I can think of, one that is sure to not waste your time and also to actually have a job for you is..." Dontav clicked his tongue a few times. "The Tinkerer's Guild. They always seem to want some part for their silly inventions. To get to their main guild-house, travel up a few blocks from here, then go right until you find it. You won't miss it, I assure you."
Astral, seeing the need to say little more, said thanks and took his leave, making his way to the Tinkerer's Guild.
---
Well, Dontav was right. The Tinkerer's Guild was definitely easy to notice, what with the giant dragon-shaped, fire-breathing clockwerk contraption that perched on the guild-houses tower. To Astral, it seemed unneeded and more than a bit gimmicky. Would not a simple sign do? Shrugging his shoulders, Astral walked into the building, and was quickly assailed by a clerk, who fired off questions as fast as a CogThrower could fire bolts.
"Hello! How may I help you!? Do you require an apprenticeship? A contract to build something? Perhaps you just want to visit our store and buy one of our patented Dar Sword-Sharpeners? No? Maybe a automatic pe-"
"NO, NO I'M FINE, REALLY." Astral yelled, perhaps a bit louder than was intended. "I'm just... just looking for a job. I've heard you Tinkerers often in need of par-"
"OH, INDEED, SIR, JUST FOLLOW ME! It's really wonderful! We've been having so many volunteers offering to look for parts, we've set up a whole new branch of jobs just to deal with that! Again, follow me!"
Astral rubbed his temples in annoyance and followed the clerk, through a veritable maze of hallways that, while orderly in their own right, were transformed into a labyrinth once put together. After what seemed like hundreds of hallways, Astral and the clerk finally reached their apparent destination: a heavy wooden door.
"Just in there, sir! I hope you'll know the way out! Just follow the arrows!"
Astral ignored him, walking into the room. A shifty-eyed man sat in the desk, looking quite suspicious. Odd, Astral thought to himself. The man gained notice of him and his eyes flicked to Astral's left palm for merely a second before flicking back to Astral's eyes.
"Ah, hello! I assume you want a job, so let's get right down to business... as it were." The man's eyes moved, again, to Astral's left palm before studying him intently. "I need a package delivered, to a man in The Cog. To be specific, just head to the main Tinkerer guild-house and ask for Tantr. I hope you can make the journey, for it isn't long. There's already a Roadwerk half-way there." The man pulled out a cloth-wrapped bundle from underneath his desk and plonked it onto the surface. The object's size was indistinguishable, aside from it's relative narrowness and opposite points at each vertical end.
"Your payment will be 25 gold once the job is complete. Quite a bit, considering the pay of an average part-retrieval mission... but I think you're just... made for it. Now, if you don't mind, please go quickly. It's quite vital that this object gets to it's destination fairly fast..." The man pushed it over to Astral.
"Oh, and do not show it to anybody, nor gaze upon it yourself. The consequences will be quite... severe if you do." The man smiled his disturbing smile, a smile laden with lies and trickery, although Astral did not know where or why...
Equipment:
Wooden Bow,
Leather Armor,
35 Arrows,
4 Food Rations,
3 Animal Lures,
Hunters Handbook.
Skills:
Sneaking,
Archery,
Hunting,
Light Armor,
Perception.
HP: 45
MP: 15
Defense: 4
Stamina: 30
Gold: 50
---Nikalas--
Nikalas pawed his way through many a forgotten book store, dusty library and strange clockwerk hall to learn all he could about combining magic with clockewerk. He also had a passing interests in tales of horror terrors from outside the mortal realm. All the while the whispering of... something told him about how his destiny was to find some ruined temple or something like that. This particular day he looking through a notice board, trying to find somewhere to go for adventure.
Nikalas paced back and forth through the street, closely examining the numerous boards that seemed to be everywhere on the walls of the street. Nikalas was ready for adventure, and he figured the best place to start would be with the boards, so full of opportunity as they were. Examining the board, Nikalas saw an interesting notice. He stopped his constant pacing and read the sign, surprised at what it said.
"ARTIFACT RETRIEVAL: STAFF OF AMAJ-UR. NEED MAGICIAN. TO SIGN UP, GO TO THE MANDRAKE TAVERN AND ASK FOR NITHIRI."
Nikalas grinned. What an exciting opportunity! An artifact, and probably some crazy dungeon... or temple, to hold it. Nikalas nodded as the idea took root. Swiftly searching his memory for the location of the Mandrake Tavern, Nikalas went on his way.
---
Nikalas wrinkled his nose as he walked into the tavern. The Mandrake Tavern was never his preferred spot; it was too grimy and the sort of people who commonly went there were best to be avoided. Still, Nikalas walked in and made his way to the bar, stooping a bit as to avoid the smoke that hung about the room. Quickly making talk with the bar-keep, Nikalas located the Nithiri character, and walked over to her location. At least, Nikalas assumed it was a she; Nithiri was a female name.
Nithiri sat in a corner table, a cloak covering her(his, perhaps) face, and when she spoke, Nikalas knew that it was a she. "I do assume that you have come here for the artifact retrieval?"
Nikalas nodded once.
"Credentials?"
At this one, Nikalas grinned, knowing he would fit her requirements.
"Fear Magic, Enchantments, and Basic Runes."
Nithiri nodded slowly, seeming content.
"Yes, that will work. Be at the Western Gate tomorrow, 9'o'clock sharp. Now, go. I can see how uneasy you are in this place."
Nikalas was unnerved by Nithiri's apparent ability to read emotions, or some form thereof. He breathed a sigh of relief as he walked out of the tavern, finally out of the smog that pervaded the place. Unnerved or not, though, Nikalas would still appear by the gate. This was the chance of a lifetime... or the beginning of a lifetime...
Equipment:
Robe,
Fearmage's Handbook,
Book of Enchanting,
Two Enchanter Scrolls,
4 Food Rations,
20 Simple Clockwerk Parts.
Skills:
Fear Magic,
Enchanting,
Runes,
Clockwerk.
HP: 35
MP:25
Defense:1
Stamina:20
Gold: 50
---Lebuarts---
Today is the day. Lebuarts says goodbye to his friends and family and heads over to his Arrow School to ask his old favorite professor, Yrorigan, for any final advance before he heads out. After a nice long bittersweet goodbye Lebuarts exits the gates to the city. To start his adventure, he takes an arrow into his bow and fires it randomly into the forest. He heads off in search of it, and his destiny.
Lebuarts had a nervous, tingly feeling within him, racing through his bones. This was the day, the day where his life would truly begin, a life of adventures and excitement. What would happen in the next few months, or years, to him continued to be mysterious and unknown. Anything could happen, and anything would. Lebuarts opened the door to his parent's house and peeked his head in. His mother had a somewhat annoying habit of attacking anyone who came into the house with a cane if they weren't familiar, so it paid to check around just to make sure you weren't going to be getting several bruises in the next few minutes. He called out his mother's name, and she quite suddenly appeared out of a side-door Lebuarts hadn't noticed before. They embraced, and Lebuarts' mother studied his face quizzically.
"You will be going soon, yes? Your father wanted you to have something." Lebuarts grunted and put on a befuddled expression. What could his father give him that he didn't already have? That was yet to be seen. He followed his mother to her room, and watched with curiosity as she reached into her wardrobe, apparently flicked some kind of switch, dug around a bit more, and then pulled out a small package, which she handed to him.
"Here, have this. It is a Prophet-Stone. It detects, well, various things depending on it's state. Right now it has been calibrated to detect danger to the holder's life, which is obviously extremely useful. Keep it close, Lebuarts." Lebuarts gazed at the package, realizing how useful it was. He thanked his mother wholeheartedly, and then the time came to leave. Once again thanking her and hugging her, he left their house and started walking to the Arrow School.
---
Yrorigan's classroom always seemed to be extremely trashy and cramped. Papers sat in high stacks on his desk, as well as nearly everywhere else. Yrorigan was practically a tiny, living island in a sea of white paper. Lebuarts approached, stepping around and over the paper, until he stood right at the desk. Only then did Yrorigan look up.
"Ah, Lebuarts my boy! It is good to see you! You have not gone yet, it appears. I wonder, what do you require? Ah, silly me, of course I know! Final goodbyes and all that, but I happen to have a certain manuscript that I'd thought you'd like. Here." Lebuarts studied the rolled-up scroll that Yrorigan had given him. It seemed old, very old. Thankfully, Yrorigan was there to explain.
"It is an ancient scroll, I believe written by some of the Dwarves of old. It details some very advanced fletching and archer tactics, but the language in witch it is written is old and it has only been have deciphered. I'd imagine that you could make some use of it, with all that you plan to do. Adventures and whatnot." Lebuarts only nodded. This interested him much, and he wondered what he could gain from it. Of course, he would have to decipher it first, but after that... who knew? Lebuarts smiled.
"Thank you, Yrorigan. I'm sure I'll make use of it, eventually."
Lebuarts and Yrorigan lingered in companionable silence, before Lebuarts spoke again.
"Well, thank you for all that you've taught me, but... destiny awaits, I suppose." Yrorigan sighed and nodded.
"Yes, yes I suppose so. Just, try hard to not die, Lebuarts? The world can be a dangerous place, full of dangerous people." Lebuarts only nodded once more. He wasn't sure what to say; it was difficult to express years of friendship and feeling with but a few words.
"Goodbye professor. Wish me luck." At this, Yrorigan did not speak, and he and Lebuarts silently shook hands before Lebuarts walked away. He was surprised to see that he was a bit teary-eyed. It was to be expected, of course. At least a bit. Maybe. Change was sad, sometimes, and that is the way it would remain.
---
The edge of the forest was oddly quiet and mysterious. There was nothing but the line of trees, and whatever lurked behind the impenetrable green. Lebuarts studied the tall, graceful trees for a few seconds more before unslinging his bow. Quickly drawing an arrow with the practiced skill of someone who had been doing so for years, Lebuarts notched the arrow to his bow and fired with an echoing twang. The silence broke and reformed within a second, and the arrow arced away into the trees.
"Well then," whispered Lebuarts as he set off walking in the direction of the trees, all of his equipment gathered and tied to his back.
---
After what seemed like minutes walking, although Lebuarts knew it must have been hours, he happened upon an abandoned camp-fire. The coals were still warm, and a few small embers glowed within it's heart. Lebuarts started as he felt an odd vibration from his backpack, and his eyes flicked around nervously. Was that the prophet stone, or something else?
Equipment:
Wooden Bow,
Shabby Leather Armor,
35 Arrows,
4 Food Rations,
6 Well-made Arrows,
The Fletcher's Path,
Book of Enchanting,
Two Enchanter Scrolls.
Skills:
Enchanting,
Archery,
Acrobatics,
Fletching,
Thievery.
HP:40
MP:20
Defense: 2
Stamina: 25
Gold: 50
---
Yeah. Feel free to point out any mistakes to me, and I'll amend them.
Author
Topic: Sun Sign (A roleplaying game) (Read 10800 times)