[Turn 7: Saving Lives of Rats and Renegades]Just up and haul everybody off to the Port district.
You tell your companions to follow you and leave the nest for someplace seedier and
way more fun. [Tavern Quality: 5][Tavern Safety: 1] A while later, you arrive at the Drunken Grue tavern in the Port District, which, according to rumors you've heard as an apprentice, is only a 'tavern' in a very broad meaning of the word.
Sure, it started out as a mere gambling den that served strong drinks, but then the Grue's owner bought out a whorehouse nearby and gave the working girls a 'perfect opportunity' to work for their own customers. Now, the drinks and playing cards are served by half-dressed ladies who will always try to get the customer turned on enough to, shall we say, give them an unusually generous 'tip' somewhere intimate.
The Grue is one of those dens of vices where you can find adventure behind every corner; said adventure usually carries a very sharp, very stabby knife on them and seeks out those who can't defend themselves. That's exactly why the Grue is mainly visited by bandits, bounty hunters and adventurers of the shadier sort - people who are eager to spend their money and bash in some skulls. If you want to find a rogue or a particularly thuggish fighter, this place is where you'll need to look.
You are standing in the Drunken Grue's crowded foyer. There are a couple of free tables, but most of them are standing in dark, suspicious corners where no one will pay attention to your screams if anything happens.
Many tables are taken by gamblers playing dice and card games, some of which are already fighting for each other's money. Many more are occupied either by people drinking themselves into oblivion or by those who have already done so. [Quest: 2] Out of these, the most notable one is a man in a fancy grey suit lying face-down on a table; there is no pouch to be seen anywhere on his body.
[Rogue: 1] When you look closer at one of the occupied chairs in the tavern's darker parts, you see someone dressed in leather armor. His skin is white as snow, and there's blood coming from two punctures in the side of his neck. His pouch is still hanging on his belt, and there is a dagger lying on the floor under his left hand.
[Fighter: 6; 6; 4] Next to the bar tap, a dwarf in heavy armor is downing whiskey like it was water. There is a pile of empty bottles slowly accumulating at his side, and a crowd of amazed onlookers cheering him on.
Name: Derm
Color: GreenHP: 120/120
Gender: Male
Bio: A new wizard, he scoffs at the human form and desires to surpass its current limitations. He took to jogging during his apprenticeship. and is a little faster and healthier than his comrades.
Suppressed Desire: Wants to ascend to a higher state of existence. (EX: Become genetically perfect, and probably ageless in the process.)
Skills: Apprentice Flesh Mage
Novice Water Mage
Known Spells:Dog SpiceEmergency DetoxWet CleaningR.M.'s Chromosomal MergingTraits:-2 to fisticuffs
+1 to movement
+20 health.
Inventory: Robes of Swag +5Necklace of Bling +1Rings of Bitch-Slapping +2Hat of SwagA book titled 'Guide to the alteration of chromosomes'. Author: R. M.
Ancestral dagger made of magically sensitive metal
100 gp
Familiar:Name: Nidlle, the Amazing Cat-Cactus Hybrid
HP: 30/40
Needled Skin: +2 to Wound Level against targets the size of a big dog or smaller.
Born Killer: Roll to inflict extra Wound Levels when attacking.
"Oh snap i got the ZAPPY HIT STAFF!"
Follow my new friend to the pub wait for night fall.
You follow Derm to the pub... which turned out to be the legendary Drunken Grue, the No. 1 den of vices in the City... and try to wait there until the nightfall.
Three minutes later, you stop waiting. There are ladies here! Lightly-dressed ladies! And booze! And gambling! And a dwarf drinking booze! And a mysteriously dead person! And booze!
Despite the fact that you've graded above-average on your willpower tests in the Academy, you can't ignore so many distractions at once. You have to do
something.
Name: Bruce Grothinime
Color: OrangeHP: 80/100
Gender: Male
Bio: Wears glasses, younger than he looks, lost his love when pushed towards magic though he does love magic too.
Suppressed Desire: his lost true love.
Status: Lv1 Bite Wound
Skills:Apprentice Fire Mage
Novice Air Mage
Known Spells:Fiery LashTraits:-1 to speech
+1 to stealth
-1 with the ladies
+1 to agility rolls
-1 to intuitionish rolls
+1 to intellectish rolls
Inventory:Robes
Glasses
House keys
Unkown address
Frying pan
Cattle Rod0 gp
Murkal will head to any local fighter's guild or something similar, and ask around for any stories about these tentacle demons. Warn people that there might be more of the beasts lurking around...But, mostly try to garner information. Adventurers should know what these monsters are!
Also: WOO-HOO! Wizards again! Magic! Mystique! Enchanted daggers of +3 stabbing!
It's back!
Your mind turns red for a moment! You probably shouldn't have thought any red thoughts. Black thoughts work just as well.You hear a violin playing from inside the hotel, and think it's a sign that you have to get the hell outta here. You jump from the tree and run for the Fighter's Guild: it should be somewhere near, on the neighboring street.
[Fighter's Guild: 5] The lobby of the Fighter's Guild looks pretty empty this early in the morning, but you can see a couple of heavily-armored people discussing something near the Guild's fireplace. You approach them and ask if they've heard anything about demons with huge tentacles who mask themselves as pretty women with hypnotic voices.
[Disposition: 6, 5] The youngest one of them - a tall man in his early twenties, wearing chainmail and wielding a spear - enthusiastically nods:
Youngster:
"I don't know about any demons, but lots of renegade shapeshifters have been causing trouble lately. The Order of the Labris has even put a dead-or-alive bounty on people with illegal Flesh augmentations. What, did you see someone grow tentacles? Where did it happen?"[Raven vs Murkal: 3 vs 3] You're about to tell them everything you know, but then consider whether it'd be wise to tell them the truth. After all, the basement you saw her in was a crime scene, and you broke into it to steal some nice booze. Maybe a small white lie would be in order?
Name: Murkal
Color: RedHP: 90/100
Gender: Male
Bio: Murkal has the attire and attitude of a beggar. He wears raggedy clothes, and is more than willing to do a dirty deed for a quick coin.
Suppressed Desire: The ability to control the rules of the universe. He wishes to bend things to his will, do the impossible and tear down any barriers in his way.
Status: Liquid Fire Covering on CoatSkills:Apprentice Air Mage
Novice Soul Mage
Known Spells:Lesser BuoyancySphere of LightTraits:+2 to Enchanting
Golems May Go Rogue
Inventory:Well-made, raggedy clothing
A book labelled "Advanced Golemistry for the Apprentice Wizard."
GlassesAn empty bottleA stuffed nightingaleA bottle of Aqua Vitae0 gp
Del was tired of this fool. Not brave enough to fight, not smart enough to hide.
He put bow to violin, intent on playing a glacially slow dancing song he liked to call the 'Leaden Bolero'-it snagged the targets feet, turning them in place uselessly. He knew where the man was standing-that was enough.
And hopefully Lady Raven would hear the call, and finish this.
And maybe he'll get away, another part of Del says
Action: Cast an Earthgrabbing spell, pinning and spinning him in place, while calling out to Lady Raven in my mind.
[Spellcrafting, Earth Lv2: 2] Unfortunately, you... can't really remember how to play the Leaden Bolero, let alone the details of the spell keeping the target in one place.
[Spellcasting, Earth Lv2: 1] You can, however, remember how to play that nameless song that causes all rocks in the vicinity to batter the target, and start playing it. And guess what? You, in your haste, have managed to designate the wrong target for the rocks: yourself. [Luck: 3] Fortunately, the only objects of stone that could fly at you are tables, and they've been fused to the tavern's floor.
[Raven, Flesh Lv2: 1] You hear Raven's voice saying something in a language you don't know and a jolt of ghostly pain shoots through your back. A scream comes from the basement; it sounds like Raven's.
Name: Del Vundi
Color: Light GreenHP: 100/100
Gender: Male
Bio: Del looks to be a medium height male, with bushy brown hair and blue eyes. He seems fairly well travelled-a heavy green cloak and hood covers his fit body, and he carries a roughly mended wooden hilt sword hung on his left hip, and a fiddle on his back. Has all the looks of a vagabond traveler.
Personality-wise, He seems to enjoy debate and wordplay-one could say he has a problem with talking too much, and not noticing his surroundings. Del is also something of a charmer-he always seem to have a flower and a song for a pretty lady.
Suppressed Desire: Love
Skills:Apprentice Earth Mage
Novice Fiddler
Known Spells:StompRock BarrageTraits:+1 Diplomacy
-1 Perception
Inventory:Heavy cloak with a green hood
Open-throated white shirt
Thick leather pants
High boots with wooden buckles
Tri-corner hat
Old sword
Hip-mounted sword sheath
Rucksack
Full waterskin
Runed fiddle and bowCursed Engagement RingOrnate Green Gloves2 Bottles of Reedflow, Summer 489 A.G.D100 gp
"Oh god. This guy with lightning?"
Follow Derm. Take the two surviving rats, see if they can be healed w/flesh magic.
[Is It Aliiive?: 3] You perform a quick diagnostic spell on the rats to see if their vital organs are still salvageable. The one zapped by Bruce is undeniably, irreparably dead and it's probably no good for anything but a soup, but the other one seems to have its brain intact and functioning.
[Spellcrafting, Flesh Lv1: 3][Spellcasting, Flesh Lv0: 4] You put together a quick life-support spell that should keep the rat's lungs and heart pumping oxygen to the brain. The rat itself will remain comatose until further treatment, though.
After a while of walking with Derm, you arrive at the Drunken Grue. There are three things worth of note here: a heavily drinking dwarf in plate armor surrounded by worshipful audience, a noble in a fancy-looking suit who passed out from drinking too much, and a dead guy in the corner with bite marks on his neck.
And, of course, there are always the Grue's prostitute-barmaids serving drinks, if you're in the mood for a drink and some company.
Name: Mehrik
Color: BlueHP: 100/100
Gender: Male
Bio: Narrow, brown eyes, one of which is obscured by a bad-ass eyepatch. He doesn't need it, he wears it for intimidation purposes. He prefers tighter clothes that allow freedom of movement. He has a generic dark past, and acts generically witty because of it.
Suppressed Desire: Generic vengeance
Skills:Apprentice Fire Mage(1 Lv3 Success)
Novice Flesh Mage(1 Lv3 Success)
Known Spells:Fiery LashFiendish ConflagrationSandman's PillowCardiopulmonary StimulationTraits:Dedicated: +1 will
Bull-Headed: -1 negotiations
Stealthy: +1 sneaking
Slender: -1 wrestling
Inventory:Shortsword
Robes
Tight trousers
Flesh spellbook
Badass eyepatch
Cleaver
Fried rat
Rat on life support
230 gp
"Let purifying flame burn your souls of sin!"
Continue the attack! Another fireball at the water mage! He can't last much longer!
[Ardimis, Fire Lv2: 4] vs. [Cohen, Water Lv4: 3] The mage, healed by that witch accompanying him, rises and magically throws the cauldron's contents all over you and a little over his captives, disrupting your concentration and cutting off your current source of flames. Your fireball explodes, but the explosion is confined by water.
Judging by the look on the mage's face, he expected you to be boiled alive rather than just get soaking wet. Even so, his expression is oddly smug.
Before you can retaliate, the wall opens and some hunched figure drags the mage and his companion outside. A few moments later, the newly-opened tunnel mysteriously collapses, filling the room with dust.
Now the only enemy left is that tentacled... thing... that's blocking your only way out.
Name: Ardimis Maximus
Color: GoldHP: 60/100
Gender: Male
Bio: Ardimis had always wanted to be a hero. The guy who slays the dragon, frees the town, and has his statue erected in the town plaza. The guy who drinks alcohol all night in the town bar, forms a party that morning, and slays ultimate evil by afternoon, while still under a buzz. He wanted to be that guy.
Unfortunately, he's a little...off. He doesn't always think things through. Old lady's cat in the tree? Burn the tree down. Rat problem? Burn the house down. Insect problem? Burn the field down.
Suppressed Desire: Ardimis wants to be the greatest hero of all, to be admired by all the peasant folk in the land. He wants to slay the biggest dragons, meet with the greatest kings, and overall be known throughout the world for his exploits.
Status: Lv2 Fire Wound
Skills:Apprentice Fire Mage(1 Lv3 Success)
Novice Earth Mage
Known Spells:FireballSparkTraits:+1 to physical rolls when below 50 HP
-1 to interaction with other people
Inventory:
Blue cape
ClothingA bag of charcoal50 gp
Heal Cohen!
[Spellcrafting, Lv2: 2] You try to remember a healing spell fitting the occasion, but the only thing that comes to your mind is the intuitive, spell-less healing, which could easily kill the target if done improperly. That said, Cohen is about to die anyway, so...
[Spellcasting, Lv2: 5] You heal Cohen better than you expected to. His burns recede, and he finds himself strong enough to cast some spell of incredible power.
Suddenly, the wall behind you opens and a long, muscular arm snatches you by the waist; you hear a gruff voice whispering into your ear:
Morul:
"It's me, Morul. We're leaving. Don't wiggle around: I gotta do this one fast."He then grabs Cohen and retreats deeper into the tunnel, whispering something; as soon as the whispering stops, the entire section collapses before your eyes. When the dust settles, Morul puts both you and Cohen on the ground and dusts himself off. Morul's red eyes glisten with a hint of a smile as he casts some spell at you and gives you a grandfatherly pat on the back. [Perception: 4] His breath smells strongly of wine - by which you mean actual wine fresh from the bottle, not the smell that people get after drinking it.
Morul:
"Good job keeping Cohen alive, Vira; didn't think I'd see that boy alive again, not after he soaked up so much damage. You might have the affinity to be a good healer one day! Speaking of healing, did my spell get all of the burns?"Checking yourself, you find nothing out of the ordinary: it's almost as if you didn't get hit by a fireball just now. The dwarf nods in contentment; he then turns to Cohen and starts whispering to him. Eventually, Cohen's eyes glaze over and he slumps down; Morul puts the mage over his shoulder and gestures for you to follow him deeper into the tunnels.
Morul:
"The boy's a good Water mage, but lacks talent when it comes to tactics and battle. Plus, he's still hungover after last night, so I can't really judge him. He's going to walk around with no beard until he's applied those brains of his, though!"Morul:
"Now, Vira, I've seen that you don't know any good combat spells in Flesh or Soul schools. I can give you a couple if you want, but we'll need to establish a Soul-Link for that. You ready?"Name: Vira
Color: PurpleHP: 140/140
Gender: Female
Bio: A young witch leaning more towards outright necromancy. She's ambitious but cautious, good traits to have given Soul Magic's limitless potential for both weal and woe.
Suppressed Desire: Servants
Skills:Apprentice Soul Mage
Apprentice Flesh Mage, 1 Lv3 Success
Known Spells:Conjure WispPower Phrase: Soul-LinkWillpower BurstShurale's TouchTraits:+40 HP
-2 Grappling
Notorious DrunkardInventory:Witch Dress
Witch Hat
Gnarled Staff
Black Grimoire of Unpleasant Things
Medical Supplies
Soul-Linked Golden BraceletEmpty Clear Glass Vial
100 gp
Stone Shape to make my club easier to wield. In other words, shape a hilt on it.
[Talarion, Stone Shape Lv1: 1] You morph a new hilt onto the club. It's... not at all the hilt you intended to make.
Good news is, this club will now break at least a few bones even if your hit glances off the target. Bad news is, these bones will probably be
yours.
Name: Nathair Siliar
Color: GrayHP: 100/100
Gender: Male
Status: Duck Skin Lv1Bio: Nathair is a young-ish wizard, with dark-coloured hair, with a calm personality. He is the typical picture of a whoring, alcoholic wizard, though his does try to keep control of himself and keep a suave front up. He has always had a fascination with golems and Soul Magic, and thus has made it in his interests to study the two things.
Suppressed Desire: Power, Wealth, Social Standing.
Skills:Apprentice Earth Mage(1 Lv3 Success)
Novice Water Mage
Known Spells:Shape StoneDuck SkinTraits: +1 to social interaction rolls
-1 to movement rolls
+2 to crafting rolls
-2 to grappling rolls
Auditory Comprehension.Inventory:Dark gray robes with green highlights
A toolkit
An empty bottle
Rough stone club20 gp
Keep these tentacles away!
Burly:
"Ardimis! Catch!"[Give Healing Potion: 6, 1] Burly throws a healing potion to burning Ardimis, but the heat of battle makes his throw unsteady: instead of landing in Ardimis's hands, it smacks into the wall and shatters.
[Flesh Golem, Lv1 Grappling: 1] vs. [Burly, Axe Lv2: 4] The warrior chops off the new portion of tentacles about to wrap around his neck, and the creature that launched them staggers into the room.
The creature in question is a hairless, earless, eyeless humanoid, each of its arms replaced with eight long tentacles. Its skin is covered in black scales, and the long tongue hanging from its mouth is covered in black, shiny, pointy-looking crystals.
It's still wearing leather armor, a quiver with ten arrows still in it and tattered remains of a pilgrim's robe. Those allow you to identify the creature as Lanky, the fourth member of your little group.
Name: Burly
Color: RedHP: 90/120
Skills:Competent Axe Fighter (1 Lv4 Success)
Competent Hammer Fighter
Inventory:Leather armorSteel axeSteel war hammerBelt of potions
Boil the Fire mage alive! And extinguish all possible sources of flames in the vicinity, while I'm at it.
[Cohen, Water Lv4: 3] vs. [Ardimis, Fire Lv2: 4] Healed by Vira, you find it in your power to rise and cast one more spell. This time, you'll have to make sure the thrice-damned pyromaniac will be completely unable to throw fireballs again.
You take all the water you can out of the cauldron and fling it at the mage and the burning prisoners next to him: they'll be extinguished, of course, but they'll also cease giving hot plasma for the bastard to collect into abnormally hot fireballs to fling at you and Vira. You take extra care to fill the mage's bag with water: you think you saw coal in there, and you don't want him to have any fuel.
Oh, wait, somebody cooled the water while you were rolling around burning: it's now merely unpleasant to touch rather than scalding. Well,
that's a disappointment.
Moments later, the wall behind you opens and Morul's hands drag you into the tunnels. He collapses the tunnels behind him and puts both of you down on the ground. He then addresses Vira with... something you could call a grandfatherly smile if it wasn't placed on a face as monstrous as his own.
Morul:
"Good job keeping Cohen alive, Vira; didn't think I'd see that boy alive again, not after he soaked up so much damage. You might have the affinity to be a good healer one day!"He then turns to you, and a tone of displeasure enters his voice as he starts whispering:
Morul:
"As for you, boy, you could have used the golem a lot better than that. You had control over it even before the transformation was complete, and it didn't need tentacles in order to distract the mages. And... what should you do right now?"What should you... oh, right. You focus your mind on the blue wisp circling around your neck, your connection with the golem:
Cohen:
"Kill them all."Morul:
"Well, at least you remember that much. Not going to give you your beard back until you show a better grasp of tactics, though. Keep an eye on our captives until we get to the safehouse, will you? Make sure the golem doesn't try to kill them as well because of your poor phrasing."You nod and concentrate on one of your bracelets. The captive you're trying to possess, a bandit, is too distracted by the nightmarish creature before him to resist; you enter his body with no effort at all and start watching the battle.
Name: Cohen
Color: BlueHP: 100/100
Status: Watching From The Sidelines
Skills:Expert Water Mage
Apprentice Soul Mage
Novice Air Mage
Known Spells:Water BulletWater SquirtSteam JetInventory:Grey robes
Slightly melted glasses in a rim of blackened bone
Burnt remains of a goatee
A bottle of beerShot glass
Belt of potions4 Soul-Linked golden bracelets
Bright blue wispGolem:Name: Flesh Golem
HP: 60/80
Status: Lv1 Axe Wound
Blind: Incapable of attacking and counterattacking unless already grappling the target.
Tendril Hands: Grappling is a free action. Can counterattack with a +2 to hit.
Emery Tongue: Can perform Lv1 to Lv4 Unarmed attacks, with a -1 to hit and +1 to Wound Level.
Scales and Leather Armor: Can block up to 2 Levels worth of Wounds, 2 Levels each turn.
@Orb: Last turn, I forgot to roll your Roll Against Wounds for being on fire. This mistake has been fixed, and you got a 1.
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Topic: Staggering Wizards RTD: Turn 7: Saving Lives of Rats and Renegades (Read 21055 times)