[Turn 1: First Time For Everything]Get the hell out of dodge!
[Rincewinding: 5+1; 6; 3] Yelling in horror, you dart out of the doghouse and into the rain. [Chase: 2] The dogs wake up and try to follow you, but soon lose your track in the heavy rain - they, if the barking is any indication, have diverted from their road about two minutes after you started running, and even by then, you were so far away you could barely hear them.
The buildings around you are made of some extremely cheap stone and very, very old - some of them show signs of wear and tear, some have crumbled apart over the years and some have been taken apart for stone, leaving only an ugly, water-filled pit in their places. The only buildings that don't look dismal are built like small forts - and probably
are small forts, seeing as there are scorch marks, blood spatters and arrow dents covering their walls.
Overall, it looks like you've somehow wandered into and survived a whole night in one of the older slums, the ones all normal people were driven out of by gangsters. Surviving a whole night in here was a superhuman achievement by itself; you would have darted out of here the moment you found out which direction leads into the city's more civilized parts and not, say, into some gang lord's heavily fortified territory.
All of a sudden, the silence of this early hour is broken: you hear an abnormally loud crack of a whip and a series of blood-curdling screams; you think both of these sounds have originated two or three blocks directly to your left.
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 SpiceTraits:-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
Murkal will search the room, and gently wake the fine lady up.
[Intentions: 1] You gather your items and get dressed while the fine lady is asleep, and get to plundering her room. [Searching: 1] You hastily rifle through her wardrobe, leaving it in disarray, but there are only women's dresses there; nothing you would find worth stealing. [Searching: 4] The candleholders are pure gold, though. You twist them out of their slots on the walls and put them into your pockets.
[Waking Up: 3] [Perception: 3-1] The fine lady yawns, but doesn't open her eyes just yet. You and your deeds remain unnoticed... for now.
Name: Murkal
Color: RedHP: 100/100
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.
Skills:Apprentice Air Mage
Novice Soul Mage
Known Spells:Lesser BuoyancyTraits:+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 nightingale0 gp
Bruce groaned as he got up, then grumbled as he realised it was the same life as allways, troubled poverty.
He didn't have time to complain though he had to act now!
Bruce attepts to shoot a stream of fire out of his hands, caring not for collaterol damage.
[Spellcrafting: 2] You know that fireballs and streams of fire can be made with a plasma containment field, but can't remember how to actually create the fields in question. Maybe it'll come to you later.
Nevertheless, you examine the windows of the mansion studiously and notice three things:
First, the thing that threw you outside is nowhere to be found; it must have retreated back to the mansion once you were no longer an issue.
Second, the mansion is two stories high; the first story was melted smooth and has no windows in it, so you won't be able to get back inside without some heavy-duty Earth magic or a ladder.
Third, this place is clearly located deep in the slums; the houses around you are not only cheap and poorly maintained - they've all been abandoned for years, which means that something either killed or drove out the people who built this district. Which, of course, means that this place is now crawling with swashbucklers, bandits and cutthroats - by no means a pleasant company, and definitely not a safe one. You need to get out out of here, and quick. Too bad you don't know which way leads into the richer districts, as the rain is so heavy you can't even see Archmage's Tower from here.
A sound like a whipcrack snaps through the air, and a rough voice starts bellowing about an extremely violent way in which he'll make his assailant 'regret ever doing that'. You're pretty sure that what you just heard was the sound of a particularly large instantaneous combustion, and that, therefore, the assailant is a skilled Fire mage.
Do you want to investigate the noises? You're pretty sure the Fire mage and his screaming opponent aren't too far - just a hundred or so steps away.
Name: Bruce Grothinime
Color: OrangeGender: 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.
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
0 gp
Vira giggled, the room swaying slightly around her.
"You're on!" she said, the man swaying towards her and then away with the room. She felt like saying something clever afterwards, but settled for giggling again.
[First Impression: 4] You answer the stranger's challenge quite articulately, albeit with ominous cackling instead of giggling. He looks at you, obviously doubting his own decision, but then signals to the serving girl and hands her a pile of coins:
Stranger: "
Bring us eighteen shots of whiskey. Pronto!"
Twelve shots in total makes... er... six shots each? Oh, wait, the serving girl isn't drinking. Nine shots, then. You bet you can handle them anyway!
Soon, the shots are on the table, each of them filled with yellow, slightly foul-smelling liquid. Hmph. Doesn't smell like beer at all. Nevertheless, a challenge is a challenge, and the first fourteen shots go down without any trouble. The stranger starts to sway on his chair and blink rapidly, and you feel a need to lie down yourself.
[Stra/Fortitude: 1] The stranger downs his drink in one gulp... and falls of the chair with a thud, dropping his shot glass to the floor and hitting his head in the process.
[Vira/Fortitude: 5+1; 2] You take your time to finish the victory drink, but eventually you're done with it too. Whoa, you're so
drunk! You gently put your shot glass on the table... and decide it is time to finally get some sleep. The last thing you hear is the whole tavern chanting your name.
You have lost consciousness, but won the challenge. Isn't that nice?
Vira: Unconscious.
Trait added: Notorious Drunkard.Name: Vira
Color: PurpleHP: 140/140
Status: Unconscious.
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
Novice Flesh Mage
Known Spells:Conjure WispTraits:+40 HP
-2 Grappling
Notorious DrunkardInventory:Witch Dress
Witch Hat
Gnarled Staff
Black Grimoire of Unpleasant Things
Medical Supplies
100 gp
Ardimis attempts to create a simple spell. 'Spark', it does what its name implies, creates a spark, for lighting candles or small fires. He uses the spell to light a near by candle on fire, showing his specialty to the adventurers. He approaches them, whether or not the spell creation succeeds.
"So. I take it you have a need for me?", Ardimis asks, barely containing his excitement.
[Spellcrafting: 3] Such a spell takes no time to compose, and soon you emerge with a candle-lighting cantrip. It won't really work on anything that can't be set on fire with a burning wick, but at least it won't incinerate anything in an unsafe manner. [Casting: 5] With a snap of your fingers, you ignite all the candles you see. The adventurers look at each other and the burly one calls you to the table.
Ardimis: "
So. I take it you have a need for me?"
Burly: "
Aye. We've got a contract on some filth in the sewers, an' we need a mage to back us up. The pay is one hundred gold each, plus we split the loot. More info when we're on our way. You in?"
Seeing no reason to refuse, you say that you're in, and the three of you walk out into the rain.
After a short walk and a descent into the sewers - this particular section looks like it hadn't been maintained in years - the burly man motions you to stop, listens carefully for a while and turns to you, whispering:
Burly: "
Alright, here's the deal. Some scumbag kidnapped our client's daughter from her own room at night. No ransom notes, no leads, no nothing: she just disappeared, and there were dirty footprints all over the room. So our client, being a rich-ass noble and all, went to a scryer and paid a lump sum for her location. The scryer pointed right here, but the Guard refused to raid this place - they 'don't work on a fortune-teller's word', the lazy bastards. So he went and hired me to get her back as fast as possible; I, in turn, hired you two as backup. Any questions before we start?"
The lanky guy raises a finger:
Lanky: "
Only one. How many kidnappers?"
Burly: "
I figure it's two, maybe three of these scumbags, one of them a mage. No witnesses, no dead bodies, nothing stolen aside from the girl, only one set of footprints in the room... a job this smooth can't involve more than two people. And no, it couldn't be a gang work - gangs don't kidnap nobles' daughters without a ransom in mind. Anything else?"
Name: Ardimis Maximus
Color: GoldHP: 100/100
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.
Skills:Apprentice Fire Mage
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
Use Stone Shape on the grate to make it passable before shaping it back.
Then, spellcraft a water spell in attempts to avoid the negatives of traversing the sewers.
[Spellcrafting: 3] You throw together a water-repulsion spell in case you have to wade through the City's refuse, though you shouldn't exactly be worried about anything like that: most of the sewers' sections have stone walkways adorning the sides, although the City's officials prefer to ignore such weird architecture. This is mostly because a major part of the Sewers is in constant use by criminals, so the whole sewer system is about as chaotic as a place can get within centuries upon centuries of innumerable Earth mages making shortcuts, digging smuggling passages leading outside the city, fortifying their respective bosses' lairs and trying to outwit each other in an occasional gang war.
[Stone Shaping: 4] The landing-in-fetid-water issue taken care of, you can have no fear jumping into the sewers now. You bend the grate into a short ladder downwards, descend with its help and put it back together. Hmm... it seems you haven't reconstructed the grate perfectly - an expert would recognize the signs of tampering - but it's good enough to hold off anyone who's not a mage.
You are now in the sewers. You are standing on a stone border framing the stream of liquid refuse that flows down to join forces with a primary channel - an entire river of rotting matter flowing into one of the City's sewage recyclers. Judging by the state of this particular branch of sewers, you've woken up somewhere in the City's slums - only the poor districts' sections could fall into such disrepair as to have chunks of stone fall out of the walls.
In front of you, about two dozen steps away, a turn to the right can be seen. The only other thing of note is a pretty big hole some rats dug out in a wall directly to your left; however, you can't see nor hear anything coming from the hole.
Name: Nathair Siliar
Color: GrayHP: 100/100
Gender: Male
Bio: 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
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
Inventory:Dark gray robes with green highlights
A toolkit
An empty bottle
20 gp
"Tax collector, huh? Let's see your license."
If he doesn't show a license, or tries to kill me, lash then stab.
[Persuasion: 6; 2]
'Tax Collector': "
I offer a service of not chopping you into pieces - there's no license for that, the last time I checked. You pissed me off, though, so you'll die extra painf- AAUGH!"
[Mehr/Spellcasting, Lv2: 5] You cut him short with a Lash. The spell lands squarely upon his cheek, blowing up most of the scar tissue and a bit from his nose as well. A loud sound like a whipcrack snaps through the air and echoes from the buildings: that's a tell-tale sign of an instantaneous combustion, the easiest and most potent form of combat magic in the school of Fire. The 'tax collector' falls down, hollering obscenities and death threats at you, and you move in for a killing blow.
[Mehr/Coup de Grace: 1] You, however, have to forget all about finishing the bastard when he grabs your sword hand, pulls you on the ground and tries to plunge his knife into your ribs.
[TaxC/Counterattack, Lv1: 1] His sudden movement, however, seems to have upset the wound and, instead of finishing the strike, his hand drops to the ground limply with another scream. This time, the scream has no obscenities in it - it's just pure, unadulterated agony now.
Speaking of agony, you feel it too. Your head is bursting with pain now, and you feel like you're going to vomit again. Something tells you to lie still in the cold, cold rain and wait until that damned headache gets weaker.
Tax Collector: Level 3 Wound Inflicted. Will Die In Three Turns. Unconscious.
Mehrik: The Hangover has come. -1 to doing anything fast, requires a succesful Level 2 or higher Natural Regeneration roll to heal.Name: Mehrik
Color: BlueHP: 100/100
Status: Hungover. -1 to all physical actions. Need succesful Level 2+ Regeneration roll to heal.
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
Known Spells:Fiery LashTraits:Dedicated: +1 will
Bull-Headed: -1 negotiations
Stealthy: +1 sneaking
Slender: -1 wrestling
Inventory:Shortsword
Robes
Tight trousers
Flesh spellbook
Badass eyepatch
200 gp
"Forgive me my dear Lady Raven, I did not wish to disturb your angelic rest-such a radiant sight, I would surely find myself cursed by the Gods for ruining purposefully.
Tell me, my Lady, what of our last night do you recall? I scarce remember much else but your eyes of most brilliant Emerald, beguiling me with their Siren Song." He said, chancing another look into them.
Lady Raven: "
I recall the night perfectly, dear Songbird. I wasn't the drunken one, after all. Now, get closer and you can ask me all about it..."
You lie onto the bed and embrace her by her beautifully slender waist, bringing your lips to her ear. Before you can even think of your first question, you hear yourself whispering:
Del Vundi: "
Tell me... who are you?"
Your whisper sounded slightly alien to yourself, but your Lady's smile widens, showing her pearl-white, perfect teeth:
Lady Raven: "
Oh, my dear Songbird, there are many answers to that question. If only you knew some of the names your kind gave me - 'warlock', 'renegade', 'dirty witch', 'slut'... But the name you gave me is one that I like the most. Know me as Raven, a black-haired, ever-living mistress of forbidden wisdom. But don't you want to know about this ring on your hand?"
You feel a compulsion to talk before you think again; your mouth opens and another silky whisper finds its way out:
Del Vundi: "
What of the ring, my Lady?"
Lady Raven: "
This engagement ring is your cage, like it is for all men; however, my dear Songbird, in your case it's a little more literal than the tradition dictates. Look..."
She takes her right hand from under the pillow. It looks just like her left hand, the skin every bit as beautifully white and clean, but there is a little detail: her ring finger bears on it a stack of five thin golden rings.
Lady Raven: "
...At these rings. Each of them gives me the power over those who wear their twins; and that ring on your finger is the twin of the newest one on my hand. Allow me to demonstrate. Stand up. Now on your knees! Search your sack! Take the box and bring it to my bed."
Your body does all these things and you cannot think of resisting them. It's almost as if a daze took over your mind and you did these things automatically, without even considering whether you want to. What an unpleasant sensation.
You don't know how the box got into your rucksack in the first place, but you're willing to bet Raven put it there. Within the box are a pair of tight green gloves and a black leather bundle, resembling in shape a book, gift-wrapped with a red silk ribbon. On the bottom of the box, covered by the bundle, is an approximate map of the City with three red dots on it, each marked with numbers 1 to 3.
Lady Raven: "
Your first task is to bring a gift to a certain Marie Linnens, an old friend of mine studying the magic of Far East. You will bring the bundle directly to her; do not allow anyone else carry it, for the book contained within is a fickle one and does not tolerate unrefined people. If Marie asks who the gift is from, say that the Duchess sends her regards. Once you're done, return here for your reward."
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:StompTraits:+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 RingBlack Leather BundleOrnate Green Gloves100 gp
MINOR NOTES: 1) Tweaked a few spells. Tweaks are mostly beneficial.
2) The turn is, despite large amounts of polishing, still pretty raw. There's probably a ton of minor plot holes, snips of text missing and crimes against literary standards spread across the text.
Author
Topic: Staggering Wizards RTD: Turn 7: Saving Lives of Rats and Renegades (Read 21141 times)