Willhelm looks at the pixies and squints his eyes.
"And in their darkest hour, the light cast by the deceivers will attempt to lead the faithful astray. But the faithful need not have fear, because for their loyalty, His light will always shine brightest."
He motions towards the fairies, indicating the other person to lead.
Follow not-puppy
[3][6] You walk with this strange not-puppy, and can't help but notice that he seems a peculiar fellow, unkempt and dirty yet posessing a level of dignity in the way he walks and speaks.
A pixie lands on your shoulder, as you walk, and you begin to wonder how they can do that with no legs. Or how they can see with no eyes. Well, it's probably best not to think about it. You come to a frozen pond, at which point the pixie flies off and joins a gathering above a patch of snow.
After some time, you near the castle ruins, and spot smoke in the air from the base of a turret on the side opposite to you. Looking around, you notice that the ruins have been "remodeled"... barrels of rum and wine lay scattered about, some leaking and empty, others still filled. You notice a bloodstain on the ground, and near it a squirrel staring at you and the stranger. Its claws and legs appear smeared with something red, which can be either blood or wine. Or both.
You also stumble upon a chest about a meter wide with a lock on the front, set in an alcove in the ruined wall segment. This particular region was part of a church, as you can recognize by a still-standing granite statue of the Living Arrow, a common piece of symbolism found in writings of the Church. It is based on a quote from the ancient philosopher Aristolius:
"When a man plants an arrow, he gets not an archer but an oak."Most of the other items in the old church were gone, either looted or taken away when the castle was abandoned.
...
You have a large greatbow (Attack power: 3 (charged), 1 (uncharged)) (charging takes one turn of preparation)
You have 14 arrows in your quiver (Attack power: 1)
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
>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
Injuries:
none
"Uh, I guess so." Zikal believed that perhaps he should tailor his approach to the kind of person he is dealing with. "Hey, you see those pixies over there?" He points to the pixies near the castle, "You want to go catch them?"
You lead the man outward, starting to realize what the dream woman meant by "he is a servant." While he is physically imposing, he is not exactly befit of a position of power. Oh, the memories... you remember one case where an assassin tried to kill your beloved father. The assassin had hired a band of unlawfuls to lie in wait and ambush your father in the streets, before he could reach the safety of the palace guards. Well, there happened to be a royal patrol just by when they attacked. You remember the scenes vividly.
[2][5] As you follow the pixies, threading through the snow, you pass by an icy puddle, smooth enough to see your reflection. It must have frozen recently, as the snow around it was cleared. You see your reflection when you are near, as well as a familiar face behind your shoulder! It's the lady!
You turn around to see a clustering of pixies, which scatter immediately. Mischievous critters, they are.
After some time, you pass by the ruined castle you saw from afar. It seems to have become a smuggler's den, as you can see containers of liquor and food strewn about the place. A rising column of smoke floats up from the remains of a turret on the far side of the castle. Scores of desolate buildings have failed the test of time, now consumed by nature. A winter owl whistles from a tree, staring right at you with its three eyes, pupils shaped like arrowheads.
...
You had a Beech Javelin (Attack power: 3 (thrown), 1 (stab)) (thrown attacks must be recovered)
You had 10 Javelin memories (strong)
You had about thirty Hours
You remember the Lady of Winter (strong)
You remember a giant eye (weak)
You remember many pixies (strong)
You remember a band of Arinthian soldiers (strong) and some bandits (weak)
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
Injuries:
none
Darek helps the ma down, and attempts to ask how he got up there.
You try to communicate, but before you can get anything across a man styling himself as Derek appears from behind you and starts to move crates and barrels to try and help the dangling man, whom you look at again and realize he is wearing quite a nice black-white suit, torn by a nail jutting out from the windowsill. Your foot brushes against a hat on the ground, which you assume belonged to the hanging man, not Derek.
Derek seems to be having trouble pushing the crates, them being filled with salted meat and preserved food, most likely.
There seems to be a person up in the bedroom from which the suited man had tried to jump from. Or was thrown out of.
This particular alley, consisting of a square "U" shape around the inn set into surrounding buildings, seems to be used mostly for storage. A few backdoors to nearby structures are within reach, but only one of them hasd a sign: "MEDICUS."
...
You have a spiny walking stick (Attack power: (attacking head) 2, (attacking other parts) 1)
You have a silverseel 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 about seventy Hours
Traits and Skills:
Mystical Learning
>You can create and cast simple Aganis spells on the same turn
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
>Magical memories and thoughts last longer.
Cannot Speak
>Silence is golden
One-Eyed
>Your targets gain +2 positive dice if you attack them from a distance
Injuries:
none
Leonhard gets into the room to help the man. "Sure. I'd like to be informed of what just happened here, though. How 'bout the gunshot?"
Help Astrologer, require explanation as to what happened and caused his situation.
The astrologer seems to have directed his words toward a person outside, a young, fit man who is currently just out of view as he moves creates and barrels around to use as stepping blocks.
Near the corner where the alley turns, there is another man holding a branch taken from one of the snow pines, covered in sharp glassy spines as most trees are. He holds it with a tarp wrapped around the "handle."
So it comes as no surprise when the astrologer is startled, shaking visibly when he hears your voice. His voice quavers when he responds:
Astrologer: "Oh! I've been attacked by the innkeeper! He grabbed my gun when I wasn't looking... th'moment before we got into an argument about the profitability of his business, which really worked him up. I gave him a good quick thump on the head and he collapsed, so I decided to get out of here and avoid the drunks down there. You know how accusatory they get!"
...
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
Injuries:
none
"You aren't a nice man"
The noble is taken aback at the presence of another person, certainly not his close friend and scholar Heroditus.
Noble: Who goes there?
[2][4] The nobleman draws his sword, and seems to be ready for a confrontation.
Traits and Skills:
Secret Powers
>DoOOoobillidabidydappidydap dipigillidydapda!
Current Stat Modifiers:
+0/0 positive dice to attack rolls
+0/0 negative dice to enemy attack rolls
+0/0 positive dice to defense rolls
+0/0 negative dice to enemy defense rolls
Injuries:
none
It is the 2nd hour after noon, and the Twin Suns are obscured by a cloudy blanket.
Author
Topic: Pastblasters - Adventures in Wizardry (Turn 55) (Read 91199 times)