Roll 49
As Zikal took in the sights of the Royal City, he noticed the mishmash of nobles who walked the streets. There must have been some sort of ball or fair held recently, and all the nobility looks to have been invited.
His musings about nobility brought reminded him of his old castle home. Plenty of courtiers around Saltar gossiped about the wonders of the Capital, and both father and Rolf held regular trips to here... if there was a party for nobles recently, then perhaps someone from Saltar might still here.
Anyway, that comes later. First, I need to see what the poster is about. Any poster with the word 'dangerous' needs a closer inspection.
Inspect the wanted poster more thoroughly, then follow after Wilhelm to his destination. Keep an eye out for any Saltar nobles I may recognize.
The guard near the poster sees you inspecting the photo.
Guard: She's a dangerous one. Rides this animal she names "Karlo." It'll tear out your spine if you're not careful.
You then accompany Willhelm, passing by a nun handing out candies to children in front of the church.
...
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
If I know the way from a previous visit, go right there. If not, ask directions to the Right Ward from the nearest guardsman/beggar, then go there.
You don't remember if you've been here before. Not in recent times, at least.
[4][4] You are able to find ample directions though. The church is visible once you pass the wooden gate separating the Right Ward from the Entry Ward. Its tallest spire is topped with an arrow reaching to the skies, surrounded by a teal Juniper groomed to coil around the entire building and wrap the spire in a helical fashion.
The Juniper's smooth, brown bark reminds you of the lush swamp back in the forest, where many of the lesser bushes found themselves protected by the canopy. There plants grew free and green. Many wonder why it doesn't burn up in the Ashstorm like all protected do. The Church does not cover it during bright weather.
You walk past a nun near the entrance who is currently giving candy to children. A rare substance from the Sylvan lands called "chocolate," worth quite a lot especially this far inland.
Inside the church the Ashlight service has just ended, and commoners are bustling through the halls. The bishop, standing in the midst of the crowd, sees you at the entrance and signals for you to come over.
...
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)
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
Maryam looks at the situation folding in front of her, and purses her lips. She then takes a deep breath, and attempts to hoist herself up, and hang onto the walls.
[5][6][4] The walls are ridged and simple enough to grab onto. They are warm and slightly wet with gel ooze from the Ashstorm that just occured. The lesser sun, for the past few hours, has been blazing with brightness, burning all left in the open, except that which is protected by natural leaves or a special coating procured from the Universities, who hold a strict monopoly on ooze production.
The wetness makes the walls difficult to climb. Instead you move the cart over, rest the barrels on the handles, and climb up. From here the voices are just barely audible.
Voice 1: {in Ontic} I say, this is some jolly good tea. You should have some!
Voice 2: {in Ost} Cut the crap! And I am not interested in any of your daughters or contacts. I just want a package shipped.
Voice 1: {in Ost} I see. What brings you to my residence, then? Surely the merchants can handle the job much better than a simpleton such as myself.
Voice 2: The package won't pass customs.
There is a short pause.
Voice 2: Good. Here's the details.
You hear the crumpling of papers. The individuals are fairly silent from now on.
...
You have seventy-five Hours
You have an iron dagger
Traits and Skills:
Informant
>You can easily locate opportunities for shady deals. +1 positive dice to persuasion.
The Savant from Savant
>+1 positive dice to deceptive actions, such as tricking people or stalking.
Stumbling Block
>Running away is difficult, both figuratively and literally. You get +2 negative defense dice from a target that discovers your covert actions
"Guess what's next, Klein." Leonhard said as he rubbed behind the black-furred cat's ears.
Go find an specialist to check one of the coins and tell me their value. In case they are valuable, go to an inn with mercenary population to check for possible hirelings.
You stumble into a local merchant district and come across faces of all colors: blue, orange, and even ash-gray. A dwarfish man named Emril from Yohan (all the way across the Empire) is widely regarded here as an expert in foreign mintage. In fact, he is the local banker, and routinely sells gold, silver, and aluminium to those looking for financial security.
Emril: These coins are completely authentic. If I may ask, what brought you to think they could be false?
...
Where there are merchants of goods, there are also merchants offering more violent services. The Tarca Rifle Corp. is here with its representatives, offering a battalion of troops to any nobles willing to pay the price of victory.
Riding along their coattails are hedge knights and bounty hunters of all stripes, who hope to woo more price-conscious individuals with a more humble offering.
-The Knights of Riverford are an Ontic group of four travelers. They offer their swords, but are lacking much in the way of gunnery, or ranged combat in general.
-An elf crossbowman named Johor is offering an escort to travellers for the price of an Hour per hour, discounting sleep. He warns you that he is a heavy sleeper.
-A pair of elf sisters who call themselves the Night Witches are here. They say they are tracking Kari, who is a traitor to their circle, but are willing to accompany travellers for a negotiable down payment.
-An Adept called Bach is offering his services as a spellscript, writing tomes for profit. He is also looking to accompany a pixie hunting band to acquire new book material, free of charge.
You also hear Efa's voice, somehow. It doesn't sound like it's coming from any particular direction, but it's there.
"I found a merchant who has a boat, and is heading to Berlina where the delta is. He could potentially be our ride for half the trip.
The problem is that he thinks I'm a criminal or something, I don't know why."...
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 sixty 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
Hidden action successful!
(5)(2)(2) Venturing further around the woods and near the farmer's fields, Efa narrows her search down to a single merchant, one of the Ranj merchants, whom she pesters with questions and comments in an attempt to figure out where he is going. The poor old man doesn't get a break.
He soon snaps and answers that he is going to Berlina, and that troublemakers aren't welcome aboard his boat. He whips his mule and continues on.
She talks by mind, not by voice. You hear her.
"I found a merchant who has a boat, and is heading to Berlina where the delta is. He could potentially be our ride for half the trip.
The problem is that he thinks I'm a criminal or something, I don't know why."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 7th hour after noon. The skies are cloudy and it is starting to hail.
(Next hour: Turn 58)
Author
Topic: Pastblasters - Adventures in Wizardry (Turn 55) (Read 91113 times)