For generations the The Council of Overmages and the Grenalt Imperial Dynasty have fought tooth and nail, sometimes on the battlefield, and sometimes in the political arenas and courts, for control over the civilized people of the world. All this changed when the Deep Forces emerged from the caverns, carved up a large portion of the surface for themselves, and forced the Council and the Empire into an uneasy alliance in the name of all that is good and sane.
That was roughly 20 years ago, and only now is progress being made against the drow, drugar, and their beastly allies. Although the foe still has plenty of fight left, and is still operating on several offensive fronts, the people of the surface are starting to win battles and reclaim some lost land...---
You can understand why the four Archmages ahead of you on the waitlist have passed on this opportunity. Westward tower stands close to a major and poorly guarded entrance to the caverns; there is no guarantee the Forces of the Deep will not try to take it and the surrounding lands back. Furthermore, the old imperial general ruling the area is old enough to remember the Mage Wars; He is no fan of your lot, so relations with local imperials will be tense. To top it all off, even in its heyday before the fall, Westward was renowned for mediocrity and magely excess; It was the sort of place where washed up Archmages went to live out their remaining days, not the sort of real estate where one would likely find a young up and comer such as yourself.
Still, you cannot believe your luck in getting the post. Some Archmages apply for towers as soon as they pass the trials, and live out their whole lives without having their number called. No other office an Archmage can hold offers as much freedom and prestige as dean of a tower, and even though Westward's remote location will make participating in Magely politics a bit of a bother, the title does come with the right to representation in the lower chamber. You can understand why the four ahead of you refused the post, but you are also sure they are fools nonetheless. You will not let this one slip by.
---
Character Creation:You stare at the document in annoyance. General Frevious, the mage hater ruling over and protecting the area which includes Westwind, has just sent word that he wants full profiles on you and all the Journeymen Mages that will be serving under you. The packet of paperwork he sent is huge, but luckily you are only needed for signatures and a few key bits of information; The Council of Overmages has given you a temporary office, to use as a staging area for your trip, fully staffed with young apprentices eager to do your paperwork.
You sigh, and put aside the documents relating to your journeymen, as you do not have any quite yet. You then spend a few minutes filling out the most vital of the forms that you cannot just pass off to your mooks.
Personal Data:Identity:
Name:
Magely Title: (EX: The Grey, The Wise, Destroyer of Worlds)
Race: (Can be any fairly well known fantasy race. Will likely have mechanical or RP significance)
Magical Skills:
(Choose any 4. Must include at least one Application Skill, and one Flavor Skill)
Application Skills:
Conjuration - Quickly and easily call energy or highly energized matter from another realm. Great for fights and direct damage!
Summoning - Call solid matter or low energy liquids and gasses from another realm. Somewhat slower than conjuration, but still usable in the heat of battle!
Ritualism - Invest vast amounts of time and resources into a single mighty piece of magic!
Alchemy - Combine inorganic materials and magic to make rare and/or magical raw materials!
Brewing - Combine organic materials and magic to make potions, salves, magical food, and other consumables!
Enchantment - Magically improve functional items.
Magical Theory - Invent and plan spells, recipes, and rituals of any sort. You still need somebody with the applicable magical skill, be it yourself or a friend, to perform the planned magic.
Flavor Skills:
Heat Magic - Usually this equates to magic involving fire, but can can harness even more extreme exothermic reactions!
Entropy Magic - Magic that harnesses cold and nothingness!
Essential Magic - Harness the liquids and gasses that life needs to survive!
Tectonic Magic - Harness stone, metal, and other unforgiving elements!
Bio Magic - Harness and even modify living bodies!
Ego Magic - Harness, modify, and even control minds!
Omega Magic - Harness, modify, and even animate corpses and disembodied souls!
Mundane Skills:
(Pick any 5 non-magical skills. These can be anything from combat skills, to social skills, to crafting skills, to knowledge skills.)
Overmage Logem Tonks bursts into your office with a hurried and excited look on his face.
"Three," He declares,
"we can set you up with three!"Every year, a large number of Journeyman ranked mages pledge service directly to the council, and the council, in turn, passes them off to established Acrchmages who have lost Journeymen serving under them to the trials through a draft. Undrafted Journeymen are typically shipped off to the front lines or put on a similarly dangerous assignment. But Logem, who has made the reclamation of Westward Tower a pet project, has promised to funnel a few of the undrafted ones your way.
You are handed a folder full of names and brief bios, and after a quick readthrough, you find the contents to be underwhelming. You suppose all the best ones would have been drafted. Aside from basic tower maintenance and security, The purpose of a Journeyman Mage living at a tower is to aid his Archmage and fellow Journeymen on their projects and spells, train apprentices so that they might someday become journeymen, and prepare his or her self for the trials so that he or she might one day become an Archmage. Most of the candidates you have to pick from could do one or more of these things with some success, but most have some flaw or defect.
"Hurry up and pick," Overmage Tonks urges,
"we need to get the paperwork filed before Commander Juiles shows up this evening to escort everybody who hasn't been drafted to the warzone."Pick 3 Journeymen Mages from the following list to accompany you:Torogop, The Spleen Smasher: Like many Ogres Torogop has a natural talent for conjurations, which when coupled with his massive maul makes him great in a fight. Sadly, the low intelligence of his species is likely to get him into trouble, and also means he is unlikely to be of much use off the battlefield.
Janice Bailey, Wildcaller: At eighteen, Janice is the youngest living human journeyman. Her skill as a summoner is much higher than one would expect from somebody her age, but sadly the same cannot be said about her maturity.
Nurgel Swiftmushrooms, Dreadweaver: This very talented drow ritualist recently defected from the Deep Forces. His trustworthiness is still up in the air, and even if he isn't some sort of double agent, his presence will not be well received by local imperial citizens.
Vinestel Windriver, Explorer of Souls: An elf alchemist of some talent and renown. She likes to wander far and wide in search of regents for her alchemy, so it will likely be fairly difficult to get her to hold still and attend to her duties at the tower.
Stivzie Littlefang, Night Stupor: A skilled Kobold Brewer. Also an impulsive kleptomaniac and very talented thief. You and your neighbors will have to keep a close eye on your valuables with Stivzie around...
Rivialia Unclank, The Steel of Steel: The spirit of a powerful dwarven enchanter sealed in a living suit of armor. Although nearly invincible, Rivialia's 'body' makes her slow, plodding, and clumsy.
Gorn Frostknife, Terror of the Unenlightened: A goblin master of magical theory. His racial predisposition towards kidnapping, torture, demon worship, and other evils will not make him popular with whatever neighbors you might have.
Kroakin, Torch of the Swamps: A frogwoman with a natural talent for heat magic. Sadly her damp and sensitive skin means she often hurts herself with her own spells.
Roman Berg, The Inevitable Fist: A skilled human practitioner of entropy magic, who happens to be fanatical supporter of several benevolent gods. He will likely spend tower resources in pursuit of his worship, and object to any morally questionable plans and actions you may come up with.
Bevitha Ironbelly, The Crowned River: The half dwarven daughter of an imperial governor. Bevitha claims to practice essential magic, but her skill level is questionable at best; It is likely some Archmage was bribed into bestowing the title of journeyman on her well before she was ready. Keeping her around, however, should help you court imperial favor.
Archer Wargeater, Erector of Walls: An Orcish Practitioner of Tectonic Magic who was banished from his tribe for cowardice. He has a bad habit of freaking out when confronted with combat or any sort of other dangerous situation.
Wiskers Chewnibbles, The Padded Sage: A venerable ratling biomage who sadly must spend much of her time and effort magically maintaining his body, which is well past its natural expiration date.
Jorgen Pails, Pelvis of Truth: As half incubus born to a human mother, Jorgen is a natural Egomancer. Locals, however, are unlikely to trust a mind controler, particularly one of demonic descent.
Naz Tinkrin, Dead Whisperer: A frost elf practitioner of Omega Magic from the northern reaches of the world. Her strange physiology makes it dangerous for her to venture outside during a warm day.
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Topic: (TSG) Reclaim a Wizard's Tower! (Read 23100 times)