Roll 27
"Uhh, are you all right?"
Find out the peasants condition.
[2][4] The peasant says nothing, so you move closer to investigate his condition. He stands as you near him, so you take some caution in case he turns out to be hostile. It's always best to be cynical.
Wilhelm follows behind you as you investigate. As Wilhelm approaches, the peasant turns around and speaks in a raspy voice toward him. The peasant's mouth and eyes are replaced with some black void, and the peasant himself seems to be accusing Wilhelm of something. He drops his hat, revealing a huge black splotch on his head. The hat lands upside-down in the grass, with the inside replaced by a black void.
While you mostly pay attention to the affair with the peasant, you notice out of the corner of your eye that the hat is producing loose hairlike strands of some dark substance from inside. They droop down over the edges of the hat.
...
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
Willhelm steps a little closer to the peasant
"And lo, though despair and loneliness is all they felt, His gaze was always on them. And He felt pity, for He could not help them. But His faithful could, and help they did."
approach guy, figure out what's bothering him
[5][6] You take one more step forward. As soon as you take that last step, the peasant turns around. His eyes are black, as is his mouth. He then walks toward you, pointing his gloved finger.
Peasant/Thing: You made me like this! You do not remember men by their soul, but by their superficial appearance. You have created a wretched mess because you did not know me, only what I looked like. I am but a hollow shell with no reality, so do not refer to me as such!With that, the peasant drops to one knee and starts coughing up a black substance against the wet grass.
Lily blurts out.
Lily: Wilhelm... you have amnesia!? This is very bad... dreams are but a type of memory. Humans have many dreams which they do not remember, but that does not mean they are gone from the psyche, only repressed and hidden away. Over time, these hidden memories decay beyond recognition. I know this because I am an ancient being, and have seen many travellers eat the mushrooms and reveal what's become of their forgotten dreams. I do not know what causes this decay, only that it occurs.
You ate the mushroom, Wilhelm. Don't eat the mushroom....
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
>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
((Okay.))
Archae spreads his arms and mutters a spell quickly. Drop the air pressure near the fire to snuff it out.
[2+1][4+1] You form an expanding circle of null pressure, turning the flames first to embers, then finally snuffing them out. It's the same effect as the candle inside the glass cup--fire too, like man, needs to breath.
Releasing the pressure, you feel a flow of wind back into the region, but it causes no damage to anything nearby.
You have four more cloaks to hand out. The Inn is intact.
...
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 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
>You can create and cast simple (complexity of 1 or less) Aganis spells on the same turn. Spell complexity:
+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
Leonhard stares quite intently at Archae. "Can you please fix what you have just done?" he asks, his apparently polite and calm tone not matching his narrowing eyes and the expression of someone who isn't quite happy with what he's watching.
Archae masterfully puts out the flame with a spellcast, although there remain obvious scorch marks on the side of the Inn. He created enough ashes in the process to form five ashcloaks, one for you, one for the astrologer, one for the Adept, and two for other purposes.
Astrologer: Splendid work! Now we can make our way to the Office!The Office of Astrologos is close to the inner city, near the University and the Arcane Library.
Should you make your way there, you will encounter a lobby full of suited ladies and gentlemen passing the time while waiting for the ashstorm to end. A clerk at the front desk is currently filling out rosters to make sure everyone is accounted for. Also, a team of astrologers is present carring a large cylinder up the flight of stairs behind the clerk's desk.
((I didn't get your action when I wrote this roll. I only just now noticed it))
The mercenary then turns his eyes to the Astrologer by his side. "And if ya aren't going to help him fix the damages he caused, can we go somewhere safe? Really, shouldn't we just go somewhere and have the materials used in these cloaks returned to their original place? Because if that's the case, can't ya just help him?" he inquires, hiding Klein inside of his cloak and not seeming very pleased. Life really could be a bit easier.
Head to a safe place, questions about repairing the damages caused.
Astrologer: Well, he did assist a guild member and potentially save a couple of lives. I could commandeer some pawns to help patch up the burns on your building there....
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
As I singsong my response I move to a gap between the shelves and bolt through it and then down towards where the one is hiding in the back, but when I pull alongside the knifers I suddenly shift direction and slam myself against the shelf to knock it over on to them. once it is falling I don't wait to stand around watching the results, but instead resume my charge towards the one trying to stay out of combat.
If I make it to him, then I'm going to tackle him.
As you dash back, Efa stops you.
Efa: No need for tactics. I've got something that can deal with this... as long as I hit them that is.[6][5] As you take cover, she reacts negatively to your presence, as if your being here messes with whatever power she is about to use.
Efa: Wait, are you interfering--no, I see now. You're a curious creature, aren't you?*turns toward thieves*
There are memories deep inside the ego that are not meant to see the light of day. The human psyche is corrupt and frail, burying these thoughts and hiding from them rather than confronting them. But my kind remember all. We do not forget, and so these thoughts torment us hour after hour. Nonetheless, we press on despite our nightmares, twisting ancient dreams into weapons of our intellect. They no longer serve chaos, but order.She removes her mitten to reveal pale skin beneath. Her fingers slide out of their joints temporarily to produce what looks like a bone dagger shaped like a corkscrew. She then thrusts the dagger into the nearest thief.
Note: Ashstorms affect ALL thoughtform, even indoors. (5+1)(2+1) The thief shrieks and falls to the floor. The other thieves hold back their assault for two seconds, before one of the knifers appears to say something and charges at Efa, who gasps audibly at the incoming attack. (you can hear Efa, but not the thieves).
The downed thief's body sprouts a red tentacle with white spots from its chest, wrapping itself around the charging bandit's foot.
Efa: Ah, I see. This one is a sentinel. It only guards. But they're the dreamers now, and I am their nightmare. Let's see if they can conquer their fears.The corpse-tentacle pulls on the thief's leg with tremendous force, throwing him back into the crowd and knocking most of the bandits over. The only ones left standing are the one in the back and the one on the shelf.
The hooded thief in the back appears to be pulling out a black tome. The gunman is ready to shoot soon.
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
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 91187 times)