Roll 31
Quicksand? I thought it's ubiquitous presence in swamps was fictitious as best. It is a surprise to see it now, of all times. It can't possibly be less dense then water, can it?
Lie still on my back to float on the quicksand. Try to reach Wilhelm.
[6][3] Lying on your back, you float effortlessly. Although you hear the rumbling from the vibrations in the earth below you, the quicksand absorbs macroscopic low-frequency vibrations. In other words, you hear it, but the sand does not shake around you, although a small bubble of matter does erupt from the sand about a meter to your right. As it enters the atmosphere, it catches fire and produces a small fireball with the diameter of your forearm.
As Wilhelm approaches, you see a large skeletal tail pierce the surface of the sand in front of him.
...
Your whole body is burned (1)
...
You have 3 black empty tomes (black tomes must be written in red ink, and gain +2 positive dice if inscribed with an illusionary spell)
Silent Wind of Night: Dispells all nearby items and detatched effects, regardless of origin. Shapeshifts, summons, and polymorphs are unaffected.
Phantom Lake Essence: Dark tendrils emerge from the book, ensnaring enemies that fail to dodge.
Unending Phantasmagoria: Dissolves a dead body to create a reanimated ghost in place of this tome. The ghost can use Shadow Blink and drops a black spell tome upon death.
You have a stack of spell tome pages and a black cover
You have a bloodied ceremonial dagger (Attack power: 3) (attaches to target and Drains it, suppressing it) (remembering a memory teleports this weapon to your hand)
You have a Beech Javelin (Attack power: 3 (thrown), 1 (stab))
You have 10 Javelin memories (lucid)
You have about thirty Hours
You have a royal goblet, a golden watch, and some jewelry
You remember the Lady of Winter
You remember a giant eye
You remember many pixies
You remember a band of Arinthian soldiers and some bandits
You remember a bandit sinking into the ground
Traits and Skills:
Forest Ranger
>Gain +2 positive dice when navigating and moving through the wilderness, as well as performing stealthy actions
Javelineer
>Your targets get +2 negative dice when you target them with a javelin
Noble's Education
>Gain +1 positive dice when learning from writing or conversing about literature
Shapeshifter
>You have unlimited strong memories of forest animals
Cynical
>Others will press any advantage...
Xenophobe
>Foreigners always disappoint
Stay off of the quicksand, try to reach out to Zikal. Use the mace to extend my reach of necessary.
A giant skeletal tail appears in front of you and obstructs your path. The tail is composed of bones ranging from a tenth to half a meter in length, and towers two meters above the ground, curling at the tip (and so much longer in length). Its curl does not tend toward either your direction or Zikal's, although given the sudden reaction to Zikal slipping and falling the creature is sure to target him first.
[5][5] Your mace is nowhere near long enough to help, and the trail in the way does not help. However, the Vile Spawn of Darkness comes to the rescue with... a
tree. Having torn a birch from its roots, the villanous shadow-being extends the plant across the quicksand using shadowy tendrils that appear to be part of the ground, but move the tree just over the surface of the sand. Zikal is able to grab on, although a second tail appears behind him and starts moving toward him much faster.
...
Your whole body is burned (1)
Your left arm is bruised (1)
...
You have a schematic of an iron arrow trap
You have a steel axe (Attack power: 1) (Deals piercing damage if the attack connects but fails to pierce)
You have an iron mace (Attack power: 2) (If the target has less than 2 damage, deals piercing damage)
You have a charged large greatbow (Attack power: 3 (charged), 1 (uncharged)) (charging takes one turn of preparation)
You have an uncharged Quickbow (Attack power: 1. Can fire twice per turn. Charging it allows you to fire two arrows per attack, four in one turn)
You have 13 arrows in your quiver (Attack power: 1)
There is one recoverable arrow near the Old Fortress Mound
You have an important scroll in a copper cylinder
You have about one hundred Hours
Traits and Skills:
Man of Steel
>Gain +1 positive dice when using melee weapons, as well as lifting and strength-related actions
>Your opponents get +1 negative dice when attacking you
Fists like Hammers
>Gain an additional +1 positive dice while unarmed
Bow Mastery
>Your targets get +2 negative dice when you target them with a bow
Illiterate
>What's a book?
Amnesia
>You have forgotten many things
"Sure." Leonhard's answer was short and direct as always as he made sure Klein was safely perched upon his shoulder like a furred, quadruped crow. "We should take our friend murderer too. Checking on the innkeeper is of his interest an' all." he added after accepting the offer.
Accept offer, and to the inn we go.
You set out as a trio, one professional astrologer in headlock, the other wearing a giant telescope filter on his head. Together, you approach the inn and make your way up the stairs. Apparently, a guard has already been informed, and stands watch over the doorway.
City Guard: Access denied. Until authorities are available.Marco asks him to clarify when the authorities are likely to be available.
City Guard: After the Ashstorm. The crime scene mustn't be disturbed or I'll be fired....
You have a black Cloak of Ash (protects against Ashlight and fire)
You have a Zweihänder slung on your shoulder (Attack power: 4) (can only be used offensively every other turn)
You have a Katzbalger (Attack power: 2)
You have an arquebus (Attack power: 3) (Your opponent gets an extra positive die to dodge)
You are wearing light plate armor (incoming attacks lose 1 attack power if over 1)
You have about one hundred and fifty Hours
Traits and Skills:
Charisma
>Gain +1 positive dice when speaking with others and persuading them
Veteran
>Gain +1 positive dice to defense rolls, and your enemies gain +1 negative dice to their defense rolls
Swordmaster
>Gain +1 positive dice to attack rolls with long, bladed weapons
Sharpshooter
>Your targets get +1 negative dice to their defense rolls
Noisy
>You get +1 negatice die to stealth, and an additional +1 negative die if you are wearing armor
Old Pains
>In cold weather, without thick clothing, you get +1 negative dice to all actions
Archae spends the next turn formulating the spell, cautious to make no mistakes. He is well aware of the risks.
[1+1][2+1] You map out a design for a temporary body in your head, although you have a hard time visualizing the aerodynamic properties of bird-like wings when scaled up. Desert windrunners, after all, can only glide when they run and there is sufficient wind. Sand mantas like the one in the town cannot even fly, but only . Only Rocs demonstrate an ability to fly efficiently, but the difference is that Rocs nest high in the mountains, and can only fly at high speeds. They cannot take off without diving off the cliff face.
This means that your spell will give you wings, and you will be able to glide, but you will not be able to take off without a flying start. The trees might be able to give you one, but it will take some effort to climb higher than the treetops.
You do spot a high launching point deeper in the forest which towers even above the rest. A Crimsonhulk. These are not technically trees, but massive colonies of termites situated around a sandy aquifer rich in ashes from ancient forest fires. They often house the nests of birds, in addition to the insects huddled inside. The base of the crimsonhulk is strewn with winding "roots" that cement the structure to nearby trees. These roots are also coincidentally easy to climb, if you can get there.
The structure is located just about thirty meters into the forest. If you can drag yourself through the thinner outer vines, it might be worth it so long as you don't hurt yourself too badly.
...
Your wing spell is ready
You have a black Cloak of Ash (protects against Ashlight and fire)
You have a green poison slime with Paralysis
You remember a red, blue, and a green spell-slime (weak)
You have a red resonance crystal.
You have a spiny walking stick (Attack power: (attacking head) 2, (attacking other parts) 1)
You have a silversteel falchion (Attack power: (on odd swings) 3, (on even swings) 2)
You remember your time in the wilderness well
You have some sandwiches and citrus
You have a Sprite Trap, labelled with the words "Samantha Magdelene, professor at U.T"
You have seventy-five Hours
Traits and Skills:
Mystical Learning
>Your Aganis spells are reduced in complexity by 1. Spell complexity determines the number of turns it takes to prepare a spell. You can cast early, but each turn you skip incurs a negative die. Complexity rules:
+1 if range is longer than 1-2 yards
+1 if multi-target
+1 if effect lasts more than a single turn, or if a creature is created
+1 if created creature is more complex than a slime
Animal Handler
>Gain +2 positive dice whenever animals are involved, unless you are hunting them
Wilderness Survival
>Gain +2 positive dice for actions involving gathering natural resources, starting fires, tracking, and other survival skills
Photographic Memory
>Weak memories become strong if you successfully cast them the first time
Cannot Speak
>Silence is golden
One-Eyed
>Your targets gain +2 positive dice if you attack them from a distance
"I know my origin, but I don't want to tell it. People not understanding me protects me... still, you did come to my aid... I'll truthfully answer five yes or no questions."
"yessssss... guesssss..."
Efa proceeds to ask 5 questions.
1)I am curious to know, are you a being of nature or were you created by a human?((if created))
2a)Is it still possible to speak to your creator?((if natural))
2b)Do you know the geography of this world like some spirits? I would like to travel to some of the more interesting locales, such as the Lake of Dreams. Legend has it that some ancient thoughform has overtaken the region.3)You said people not understanding you protects you. Does that make you a Nightmare like my own? Nightmares lose their strength if their interpretation become widespread. Hence the lack of books on the subject--at least until the printing press was introduced.Efa grins, and holds off on asking any more questions.
I will save the other two questions for later. Now, I need to restore my cap. Some organic material will be required...She eyes the unconscious thieves with a silent, sinister eye.
Of course, I too am a human. Our flesh is one and the same, though our appearances are not. I wonder if these people are aware of the... different ways the soul can express itself....
Efa's cap is destroyed (no longer absorbs damage) and her head is bruised (1)
Efa has a long rifle and 8 bullets (4 attack power)
The former-sentinel is knocked out with (2) damage to his head
Knife Bandit B's torso would have 2 damage by now
Traits and Skills:
Secret Powers
>DoOOoobillidabidydappidydap dipigillidydapda!
Current Stat Modifiers:
+1/(max 2) positive dice to attack rolls
+0/(max 0) negative dice to enemy attack rolls
+1/(max 1) positive dice to defense rolls
+0/(max 0) negative dice to enemy defense rolls
It is the 4th hour after noon. Ash is blazing bright in the azure sky, burning all exposed objects and adding +1 to all die in a thoughtform roll.
Expected end of Ashstorm: 7th hour. (Next hour: Turn 32)
Author
Topic: Pastblasters - Adventures in Wizardry (Turn 55) (Read 90974 times)