««« 38
»»»Oh, hey. It's Mouser!
Last time you saw them was at the Professor's alchemy stall, in the Market District.
It's only been a few hours... and yet it feels so long ago.
You give a wave, as they step in from the open window.
I nearly forgot why that cat-kitty was familiar, and there it is! In your avatar and on the window! 
Hmm? Avatar?
No no no, "Familiar". Just a play on words.
On account of the fact that this Cat happens to be one.
Ah yes... the ancient and noble Familiar.
The Wizard's fabled animal helper, in times of yore.
Smarter than a wild beast ought to be.
And far more Dangerous.
They were the mythic creatures, from ancient folklore.
Fugitive Eidolons, escaped from The Astral.
Given form, through a pact with their creature-host.
A Second Soul. An intrinsic well of Magic to draw on.
Never mind the side effects...
Sometimes, they became a wise guardian, standing watch over the wilds.
Other times, a sadistic monster, who toyed with lost travelers.
Before killing them for sport.
...
This one does deliveries, and steals socks.
Very well-secured socks.
Basically, Mouser is a Magic Cat.
They are illegal by their very nature. But it's not their fault.
It's just how they are.
Kinda like you.
Mail time! Then, unless mail is urgent, we should go back to see Selly.
...anyway, the Professor sent Mouser to you with a message.
Best not leave the cat waiting, or they may get
dangerously bored.
You open the envelope and start to read...
 |
M, be advised. |
|
Flind Courier returned, made
change of plans.
Picking up explosives delivery
for Stonebreaker Quarry.
Compound prepared, in lab;
Please bring upstairs.
Celise requested spare Lab Key;
If locked, see her or Torrence.
Tidy up the usual odds and ends
before our guest arrives.
You know how the others are.
-G. |
One step ahead of you, old man.
You pat the books in your inventory with a flourish.
But, what's this about the dog with the dumb hat?
Didn't he have some prior engagement? Why the change of plans?
And, what happens if he catches wind of what's going on?
He might run to the militia. Sure, they might help.
And they might also smash up the lab, looking for contraband.
Depends how bad they want to prove their "virtue" to The State.
Quite the potential headache. But the letter's not done.
In cramped writing at the bottom, like an afterthought, it continues.
|
P.S. Apologies for the sass earlier. Didn't mean to embarrass you.
You're my most gifted student, and a reliable assistant.
The school is very lucky to have you. So am I.
With your talents and work-ethic, you could do anything,
go anywhere you wanted to go, and succeed there.
I'm sure you will, some day.
Put your best foot forward this afternoon.
I'll see you at tonight's lecture! 
|
Ugh, disgusting. You hate it when Grenfeldon gets sentimental.
He's such a Grandpa, sometimes.
Folding up the letter, and stowing it in a pocket, you head down the stairs.
Time to get to work.
Maybe check that closet one more time for good measure?
But first...
You don't know why, but it feels like you missed something.
unless mail is urgent, we should go back to see Selly.
This seems reasonable!
That's a silly thought, though. You've looked around plenty in the last hour.
Maybe you can poke around later, once things have settled down.
You decide it's best to hurry and check on the girls.
You head through the open mudbrick arch, and into the hallway.
Mouser follows, close behind.
Looks like Yrma and Torrence are talking.
They don't seem to have noticed you yet.
>?
Woof, long update.
Also, OP is mostly updated with the new rules system. Check it out, if you're so inclined!
Some things to note:- Tryhard Bonus: You can spend 1 Willpower to make an Exceptional Effort on a Skill Test, getting +2 Bonus Dice. When suggesting an important action, make sure to specify that you want to use it!
- Skill Tests and Dice: We roll 1d10 for every Skill Rank (star) in the 2 most related Skills, plus bonuses and penalties for the situation and available tools. 8 and up (teal) is a Success. 10 (purple) grants a bonus roll. 7 and below is a Failure (orange). If half or more dice are 1 (red), test is a Critical Failure. If 5 or more are Successes, test is a Critical Success. Difficulty (Stars) are the number of Successes needed to pass the test.
- Traits and Special Abilities: Traits grant special abilities. Some are Passive, and some are Willpower-Activated. Details in each Trait's alt-text, and in the OP. Using Invocations (Magic) drains Willpower, and sometimes deals damage too.
- Health/Willpower Recovery: You can take an hours break to recover from 1 Bashing Damage. A night's rest recovers all Bashing Damage, and some Willpower. After a night's rest, heal 1 Lethal Damage. 1 Critical Damage heals in a week. Medical care and magic can speed this up significantly.
Oh shit, I used to lurk in this thread before I had an account. Now just let me hop on the bandwagon...
Oh hey, it's good to have you!
Maybe check that closet one more time for good measure?
Boo, no cheesing dice rolls
Sometimes, we can try a Skill Test again, particularly when the Character recognizes that they failed.
In this case, Melody was looking around. She didn't see anything, so she has no reason to poke around in the closet a third time.
For future reference, if she had a good reason to check again, that'd be fine.
Also for future reference, if folks are investigating a false lead, we might still roll a Skill Test.
I'll try not to be an ass about it, though. >_o
Author
Topic: [ISG] Blunderbuss: Nuts to the fuzz, let's go all Nancy Drew on this Biz! (Read 140908 times)