Roll 42
"This appears rather ominous. But I do suppose we are to sit at the table, like knights of a sort."
Sit down at the table in front of a crystal and inspect them.
You pick up the crystal and, as soon as you touch it, the crystal turns red-hot and burns your fingertip.
You hear a familiar voice.
Lady of Winter: Zikal, it is good that you are here. There are three others, in addition to yourselves, that have been chosen. One of them will arrive here shortly, while the other two are busy with an errand at the Kaiserin's palace.
I shall explain why I have called you when the third shows up. In the meantime, you are free to ask any other questions.
...
Your whole body is protected by some sort of green glow, visible in the dark (-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 many eyes
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
The room is quite frighteningly dark at the edges. While the center is illuminated by the candle, all you can see in the rest of the room are faint glimmers, of suits of armor tinted gold, perhaps by the candlelight rather than the material itself.
The vilespawn screeches up behind you. It was following you all along.
Be careful, for our hosts are unaware of a certain threat in this chamber. I do not know who sent them, nor what intellectual topography they occupy. But they have set up a phantasm barrier to elude the host you seek. She detects only us.You spot something tangled in the distance, near a suit of armor, black against the floor.
...
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 11 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 wrestling 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
Archae walks along the trail, looking at the eyes with an air of curiosity.
The eyes don't seem harmful, and in fact the silvery tendrils seem to part along the trail to allow you passage. They lead you downstairs, shifting from the ground to the ceiling. Behind you, the eyes have closed and merged back with the floor.
As you approach the stairs, [2][5] your foot catches something and you stumble, but do not fall down the stairs. You catch, at the bottom of your vision, something like a tendril receing into the darkness of the stairs.
...
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 remember many eyes
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
Leonhard pets Klein, his face showing both suspicion and a lack of amusement. "What are you and what would I need help with? It's like I'm being used like a pawn and I'd be okay with it - that's my job - if I was being paid."
Efa: Hmm, so she didn't tell you. Fair enough. You sure you aren't being tracked? Hold on...She stands up and leaves the pile of shredded costumes and loose fibers, revealing a curled spaded tail longer than her robe, which gently uncurls as she moves around. She sidesteps so that she can see the door--although you're not sure she actually looked at it since she keeps her face hidden by that strange cap of hers all the time.
Efa: Mm'kay, so at the moment I am trying to get the Kaiserin to hear my argument on the negative effects of widespread printing. But it seems you'd like to know what's going on. Basically, my Lady wants five random, unrecognized adventurers to stop the Min. I'm not really sure how she expects to do us, but when the Lady told me what the Dao was planning to do to our society... I had to try, at least. But I'm only here for a side project of mine.She adds,
Efa: Say, you look like nobility. Do you by happensance know any of the Kaiserin's advisors? I would like to forward a message to her....
Your head is sunburned (1)
...
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
I wait quietly.
A strange voice fills your mind, the voice of a woman. One that is definitely not Efa.
Strange Voice: Efa, he is the one I sent. He is a mercenary captain unrelated to the Kaiserin. I will give you some time, but please be quick about it; the nova ends soon and I can only operate the depthtrains for another hour.
Traits and Skills:
Secret Powers
>DoOOoobillidabidydappidydap dipigillidydapda!
Current Stat Modifiers:
+2/(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 6th hour after noon. Ash is burning out, still giving +1 to the first die of a Thoughtform roll. This effect will linger on until the start of the 8th hour.
Expected end of Ashstorm: 7th hour. (Next hour: Turn 50)
Author
Topic: Pastblasters - Adventures in Wizardry (Turn 55) (Read 89189 times)