Ekoka gets a new spell, Lyu gets a new skill, Felice gets spherical and Thuun gets a headache.
- Turn 38: Shas Ria, the City of Summer -
You have just arrived in Shas Ria, the city of Summer. You decide to find a place to stay and then go your separate ways…Day 1: MorningAt some point, have attempted to bring life back into the old nag with magic.
Continue study at various convenient points. Say...the Mysterious Brown Book.
Locate a place for us to stay. Inn, tavern, barn, whatever.
Follow Ekoka around and help negotiation of proper living quarters if I can. Also, read his book over his shoulder stealthily.
Swear like the sailor I am and get my light magic book back. Help the guys looking for a place to stay, read the page with the kidzuku symbol again if I get the time, using kidzuku:comprehension.
Baldur rolls his eyes as his companions squabble over the books. He helps Ekoka find lodgings (+1 to barter!). Afterwards he finds a convenient tavern to sit in, quaff booze and listen to rumours.
Give Warrior's Sword to Felice before leaving for the UNIVERSITY.
Go to the University with the magic books (borrow books from Felice and Ekoka) then READ ALL DA BOOKS BRO. ALL DEM. MOSTLY THE FORCE ONE.
After that is done look around and talk to the scholars there, discuss magic and also the monsters from Cnoc Adh that I encountered and how the others described "The Hundred Deaths"[/b]
"Ah, Shas Ria! What a town! Definitely the least pestilent excuse for a hole in the ground I've been to this week, that much is certain!" Lyu Brak exclaims extravagantly, waving his hands melodramatically at the soaring golden walls that surround the city. The sandstone walls, more delicate and decorative than fortress-like, show no signs of damage from the Ten Day Night. More importantly, the gates are wide open and manned by two of the Guard in sturdy forest green clothing beneath leather armour. Bronze spears gleam in the morning sunlight as the four of you walk through the Eastern gate, eyes a-wander as you behold the city known as the ‘Jewel of Cylenia’.
Far in the distance, in the exact centre of the town, can be seen Ria’Manc. The tower is made of curious reddish blocks and even from this distance of more than a mile, the capstone can be seen. The capstone is as tall as a person and more than two feet wide; a piece of ria carved into the shape of a flame, the work of nearly a decade at the hand of a master gemcutter. The jewel is a deep amber colour and sparkles brilliantly in the morning sun, a fair indicator of why ria is also known as summer diamond and is the main export of Cylenia.
The five of you wander along the main eastern boulevarde, aiming for the centre of town. The city is slowly coming alive around you. Tall lamp-posts are spaced along the boulevarde; as the sun creeps higher, the light emanating from the small crystals within fades. And everywhere, people can be seen going about their daily routines. Mothers are shooing children out of the house before taking up their brooms; fathers wearing simple workman’s smocks are ambling along in small groups towards their various places of business. All in all, there seems to be a refreshing lack of craziness present. Which is rather pleasant.
Everywhere, rumours are running through the crowds. Although the creatures of the dark have not yet apparently reached the city, news of them has; judging from the rumours, messengers between all cities have been targeted - not just Shas Ria and Shas Isa. Which is mildly creepy. However, the four of you feel slightly smug in knowing that messengers can now get through from Shas Isa. In fact, by the sounds of it one did; that madman who galloped past on a horse while you were all frolicking in a tiny village buying stuff must have been a messenger from the Baron of Waterstone. The townspeople are all talking about a messenger in red livery who arrived in the dead of night and was allowed through the gates, even though by ancient tradition the gates are barred shut at sunset.
In time, the five of you find yourselves in the central square of Shas Ria. The square is easily a quarter of a mile long; much of the centre is dominated by the massive base of the tower. The base of the tower has a door set in it, but the door is barred shut. The rest of the square is made up of a large set of gardens that wrap around the tower; normally the gardens are green and overflowing with flowers, but they are still currently dead and brown following the Ten Day Night.
It is here, looking onto the gardens, that you find a series of inns, taverns and restaurants. Nicely centred within the city, any one of them will provide an ample base of operations for your stay within the city.The four of you wander into an inn at random - and then immediately wander back out, given the activities taking place within.
Picking another inn, this one with a nice tasteful banner of a fern branch painted in silver, the five of you make your ways inside. Immediately in front of you is a desk, unmanned given the early hours. The taproom through a door on your right seems to contain a fair amount of noise; given the number of people who choose to drink their breakfast, this doesn’t surprise you. There is a little brass dingbell sitting on the desk; Lyu rings it a couple of times.
A rather tubby Yagalian sticks his head out of the taproom door. “Oh, customers? This early?” he bustles on through, dodges around the four of you and steps behind the desk. Then he stops and looks closer at you four. “A priest, a shaman, a sailor, a healer and a mercenary. Are you setting me up for a joke?” He shrugs; the motion makes disturbingly distracting little ripples pass down his rotund figure. “So, you wish to stay the night. Just the five of you?”
Ekoka coughs. “We’re not sure how long we’ll be staying.”
“Ah, you are adventurers then. Far too mixed a group for anything else. We get your kind through here every now and then. There’s always some world-shattering evil to fight.” The innkeeper mutters under his breath; you suspect it’s swear words. “Well. Don’t be expecting any saviour specials. We have two rooms, a three-bed and a two-bed. That will be fifty gold per night.”
Baldur nudges Ekoka aside with his shoulder. “Fifty gold to stay in this dump?” he growls. (5+1) “You have rats in the taproom and I can smell your food is burning from here. The dust tells me you’ve got about five tenants. I wouldn’t pay a tenth of that to stay here.” The innkeeper looks tremendously upset. “Besides. After the Ten Day Night, how many tenants are you even going to have? Everyone except us is too scared to travel. So we’re each paying one gold a night and that’s final.”
The innkeeper is now extremely upset, but the gruff mercenary has cowed him into acceptance. (5+1) “Don’t mind my burly friend here,” Lyu proclaims cheerfully, patting his kinsman on the shoulder. “Look at it this way. You’ll barely have to do anything to look after us and we’ll almost certainly be gone before trade picks up. Where’s the harm in collecting a few coins a day for doing nothing? Why, it’s basically charity what you’re doing, isn’t it?”
The innkeeper looks much happier and so is far less likely to rob and murder you in your sleep. “It is charity, isn’t it?” he smiles at the four of you. “Well then, allow me to extend the charity of the rooms for a mere five gold a night. Here are your keys.” He slides two brass keys across the counter. “Here you go. One floor up, last two doors on the left. Baths are in the cellar, cold water only unfortunately. We had a mage employed here, but he got stoned to death about a week ago.”
Ekoka and Thuun decide to just not mention their magical ability. The wisdom of the ages right there. The five of you split up and head in different directions.
- Ekoka -
You let yourself into the small room, pleased at how clean it is. You had privately expected rats at the very least, but the room is rat-free and in rather good condition. A small window looks out onto the Manc Gardens outside; a plush armchair positioned nearby. A tiny stove and kettle feature in another corner of the room. You set the water to boiling, prepare yourself a cup of tea and sit down to read through the leatherbound brown book. Lyu sits down on the windowseat behind you. He’s ostensibly just watching the world go by, but you catch him reading over your shoulder every now and then.
The embossed triangle on the front catches your eye. A simple equilateral triangle, the base extends out beyond the corner. You assume it’s meant to represent a mountain. The book turns out to be a primer in Earth magic, as you had expected. The layman’s guide to Earth magic lays out the basic guiding principles of the art, centred largely around the idea of being in command at all times. Unlike the Wind magic with which you are more familiar, which espouses the need for guidance and a certain willingness to just go with the flow, Earth magic is far more obdurate.
Most of it is stuff you’ve pretty much worked out for yourself through - sometimes rather painful - trial and error. You eye your rockhand in amusement. The book, however, appears to contain some rather good ideas for spells. The book specifically describes a technique for treating any rock like clay. By passing magic into your hands, you could theoretically reshape any rock that you desired as though it were clay.
New spell learned: Clayform! The spell charges through your hands and allows you to simply reshape rock into whatever form you see fit. You need your hands to do this with.When you look up, the sun has passed to almost directly overhead. The pink and orange clouds of dust of a newborn star can still be seen around the sun and undoubtedly will for several decades more. You idly wonder just where it could have come from. The spirits of Maska have no idea and less advice for you. Well, they’ve never been known for their understanding of anything beyond their realms.
Nevertheless, it’s now midday.
- Lyu Brak -
You follow Ekoka up into the small room looking out onto the gardens. It would probably be quite pretty at literally any other time, but for now the only view is of depressingly dead flowers. You ensconce yourself in the window-seat, giving yourself a rather nice view of Ekoka’s treatise on Earth magic.
One page in particular - the centre page - catches your eye. it appears to be another
mind-map type drawing of an angel. Rampel, this time, one you recognise from several drawings and passages in the various holy texts you’ve studied over the years. It would appear that Rampel has governance over the sphere of Earth magic.
The mage flips through the book, barely giving you time to read the pages. (5) Nevertheless, you manage to catch enough of the book to get an understanding of what’s going on. The book talks about the proper methods for casting Earth magic; setting yourself right, standing your ground and being extremely forceful and stern. You wonder if the techniques couldn’t be applied to your staff techniques? Setting yourself properly could avoid a lot of pain.
New passive ability gained: Obdurate! Upon taking a critical hit, a coin is flipped. On heads the hit is no longer treated as a critical hit.Eventually Ekoka finishes the book and glances out of the window; you do too and notice that it’s already midday.
- Felice Nasib -
You ferociously beat Thuun away from the Light magic book that he seems so intent on borrowing from you. He finally relents and returns the broadsword to you as well, which was nice of him. You shrug.
You wander up to one of the rooms and open the door, slipping inside. The curtains are drawn; a breeze reveals a view of the brown and dead gardens. You sigh and long for the simple sight of ocean once more. Ah well, maybe one day.
You pick up the book on Light magic, wondering exactly why you decided to read this book. Hmm, maybe there’ll be something interesting in here? You open your mind through Kidzuku and gently open the cover...
(1+1) Even with Kidzuku enhancing your perceptive powers, much of the book goes straight over your head. The book rapidly descends into in-depth discussions on the nature of light and frequently refers to something called a photon, a word you’re about eighty percent sure doesn’t actually exist. You struggle and push harder at the bracelet, hoping to expand your mind even further.
You fight with the book until burning pain lances through your mind like fire. Just like that, the pain vanishes and your mind is empty of thought. Of emotion. Left in its place is a void. Gradually, bits and pieces fall into the void. Shards of a broken mirror, tiny glimpses of who you are caught in them.
A fragment falls with nothing but two words. Felice Nasib.
A shard shows a ship, your life’s work, your dreams and your livelihood.
You see a bow, arrows, islands. A jumble of shards of your family, of friends.
The shards fall. As they fall they begin to coalesce into… (3+1) a ball. Each piece simply falls into place, a glass orb forming in the middle of that vast emptiness that’s subsumed your mind.
The last piece falls into place and rays of intense, blue-white light pour forth within your mind.
The startling image makes your eyes snap open; pale blue light pours out from them, lighting up the room around you. You collapse to the floor as your brain shorts out from the overload.
In time, the light fades. You slowly sit up and roll your neck from side to side, wincing as the joints let out a crack. You look down at your bracelet, only marginally surprised to see the copper dulled and cracked, the rune for Kidzuku faded into nothingness. The bracelet apparently burned out, but before doing so clawed your mind wide open to the world around you.
You shakily climb to your feet and collapse into a chair. Your nerves are absolutely buzzing now and you feel incredibly weird. You take a deep breath and calm yourself. That icy, glowing ball is still there within your mind’s eye. What secrets could it hold? You mentally prod at it, but nothing happens. You wonder what’s inside and how to open it.
You’re shocked to see that it’s nearly midday. Where did the day go?
Kidzuku was destroyed! Comprehension is now a permanent, passive ability for you. With time and practice your powers will grow… once you find the right key.
- Baldur Bergfalk -
You slip out of the door and amble along the street, aiming for a tavern you passed earlier. The sign out the front is a bird of prey of some kind with a bandaged wing. You push the door open with a creak and step inside.
(2) You while away a few hours, but nobody else in the tavern seems to be talkative. You catch a couple of bits of idle conversation; news is beginning to trickle in from down south, harvests are terrible and odd monstrous sightings. Ultimately, nothing you didn’t know already.
(5) As you are ready to give up and just start drinking properly, the door tinkles. You glance over your shoulder to see a man in red livery step through, the familiar crest of Baron Waterstone on his breast. “Good God, I need a drink!” he bawls as he slumps down at the bar. “The strongest thing you have.”
The bartender cocks an eyebrow but nevertheless pulls out a yagalian import, something that you’ve heard is brewed from potatoes. “Whatcha tryin’ to forget?” he asks the messenger in a casual voice, clearly expecting to hear a tale of illicit love or something similar.
“The Baron of Waterstone is dead,” the messenger replies in the deadpan, haunted voice of a man who’s seen something truly terrible. “He just suddenly grabbed me and threw me through that bloody great window of his. Saved me life. His last words to me were to grab a horse and ride to the Duke. As I was leaving, I saw a creature just tear him in half.” The messenger shudders. “You ever seen a person get torn in half? I ain’t never going to forget it.”
The bartender is quite pale. “That’s… That’s impossible!” he whispers, sliding a rather full glass of vodka across the bar.
“You don’t know the half of it…” the messenger grumbles. He swigs back nearly half of the glass in one go. “The whole city of Shas Isa is going nuts. There were
five witch-burnings going as I rode through on my way north. And they had another twenty to go that day!” He polishes off the rest of the glass. “I ain’t
never going back there.”
Your eyebrows are now thoroughly lodged in your hairline. You remember Shas Isa as being rather unfriendly to mages when you were leaving, but burnings? That was new.
Outside, the shadows have nearly vanished, telling you that it’s nearly midday.
- Lao Thuun -
(2) You try and gather up all of the books, but fail miserably. You only manage to spirit away the Force magic book, which you will hopefully get a chance to study soon.
You sit in a quiet corner and pull out the Force book. (1) Given your heavy ineptitude with Force magic, you find you can’t make hide nor hair of the book. It makes no sense! Force projection? Kinetic energy? Statics? Moments? Words just sort of blur together. Finally you shut the book and just curl up in a ball, your head thumping.
Yeah, your head hurts waaaay too much to do much anything else magical.
Lyu Brak (Harry Baldman)Profession: Priest
Status: Travelling
Inventory:Staff (Bronze-Capped)Gnarled Old Staff
Skull Covered in Rude Words
Religious Necklace
Warm Priestly Robes and Pants
Warm Priestly Shoes
Inscribed Leather Cuirass and Greaves35 gold
10 Jimsonweed Fruit
Many bits of Thuun’s legs
Jagged shard of bone
Curious dagger
Wounds/Status: You’re all good!
Abilities: [Boundlessly Cheerful] [The Good Priest] [Life Channels: Head, Chest, Left Arm] [Obdurate] [Not that faithful] [Righteous Litany ]Baldur Bergfalk (USEC_OFFICER)Profession: Mercenary
Status: Listening
Inventory:Reforged, Really Sharp GreatswordWorn leather jerkin (and normal clothes)
Worn leather boots
Booze
Bear fur cloak300 gold
Wounds/Status: You’re all good!
Abilities: [Skilled Bargainer] [Guileless] [I'm Not Right Handed] Lao Thuun (BFEL)Profession: Warrior Mage
Status: Failing
Inventory: Blunted bronze sword
Warrior’s Broadsword
Leather armour
Acolyte's SuncloakReligious Necklace
210 gold
Wounds/Status: [Painful Headache]Abilities:[Enduring] [Dragon Aspect: 1] [Slow Cast] [Atoner] [Spellsword ]Spells:[Life Spell: Wisp] [Flame Cloak] Magical Experience:[Ea: 1] [Wi: 0] [Fi: 1] [Wa: 0] [Li: 2] [Fo: -1] [Lt: 0] [Sh: 0] Felice Nasib (Pancaek)Profession: Seaman
Status: Travelling
Inventory: Repaired Shortbow
Fifteen Arrows
Five Explosive Arrows
Sharp DirkWater Magic Book
Fire Magic Book
Light Magic Book
Warrior’s Broadsword
Silken Underwear
Nautical Longcoat
Leather Armour Set63 gold
Wounds/Status: You’re all good!
Abilities: [Fearless] [Comprehension] [Mysterious Orb in your Mind’s Eye] [Not a Landlubber] [Trick Shot] Ekoka (GreatWyrmGold)Profession: Wanderer
Status: Learning new tricks
Inventory: Cracked shillelagh
Wanderer's Cloak
Sturdy Clothes and Boots
Length of Rope
Flint and Tinder
380 gold
Light Magic Book
Earth Magic Book
Wounds/Status: You’re all good!
Abilities: [Survivalist] [Dual Focus] [Slow Cast] [Rock Hand] [Maladjusted to heat] [Guiding Spirit] Spells:[Wind Spell: Alacrity] [Clayform]Magical Experience:[Ea: 1] [Wi: 1] [Fi: 0] [Wa: 0] [Li: 1] [Fo: 0] [Lt: 1] [Sh: 0] 
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Topic: Roll to Go Mad: Turn 44 - The Markets (Read 142723 times)