My, my, a were-bear corpse. Just a moment, lads, I need to take some samples.
Retrieve some samples (blood, brain, heart, etc.) from the bear. Imagine the spells I could base off of this!
Sinimis: The others head off towards the hopeful direction of the port, but you aren't one to pass up a rare academic opportunity like this! Using the simple quill-cutting knife from your writing kit, you carefully cut out the creature's heart and (after a bit of skull bashing) the brain and eyes. You don't have any seal-able containers, so you'll have to make do with the heart's blood. You quickly examine all four organs and then stuff them in your writing satchel.
[Arcane: 12!+3] Your education to date has been in mental magic, you left on your sabbatical before the rest of your 12-year program in magical theory was complete, including the sections on blood magic. However, you are well versed in the general principles of theoretical magic as well, and examination of the bear is
very fruitful.
Firstly, a simple matter of recognition. The unusual purple colouration of the eyes is actually kyrite! The sheen is unmistakeable. You can't tell for sure without cutting the eye open, but you estimate that despite the clear colouring there is probably only a single grain's worth of kyrite in each eye.
You have a good sense of magical flow, although it is primarily instinctual - you don't have any devices here for measuring it in detail. You can tell that whatever forces the transformation is definitely magical (as if there were any doubt) and that the eyes and brain are involved to a great degree. The kyrite channels or focuses the effect, but you don't have enough of a grounding in any type of blood magic to detect what it is. The majority of the effect feels like a complex mess of magics, primarily blood-based, but you can't really get a sense for the ancillary spells.
With your grounding in mentalism, though, you can identify one spell in the morass clearly enough. There is a magical effect either triggering or triggered by
rage, and it appears to be integral to kicking off the whole transformation process. The spell is rooted in the bear's brain, and with it on hand you should be able to replicate part of the effect - given time, effort and study.
You may spend 1 XP in future to research a version of the Rage spell/effect.Unfortunately, your passion for magic has gotten away with you a bit. After all the messy business of extracting the organs and studying them, a good twenty minutes has passed! The snows are picking up, and you can only just see the party ahead in the distance. You think. Maybe?
[Survival: 4] Ten minutes later and you are hopelessly lost in the snow. You think you can make out distant peaks? You honestly have no idea.
Everyone Else: You head off in what you reckon is the right direction, since Sinimis expects to be right behind you.
[Survival: 9+1, 6, 3, 6+1] Twenty five minutes later and the snow has gone from a light fall to a fog-like blanket of white. The wind isn't helping, either. Sonja trudges through the snow, her sense of direction iron-straight. If anything, her attention is more focused on the agonising pain in her chest. Tadisill follows, trusting to instinct and Sonja's guidance. Talmyr is less fortunate, tripping and falling repeatedly in the snow and beginning to slow and stumble, but Sonja catches her and guides her on. In the distance you think you can see a muffled light up ahead.
It is only when you look back that you realise you can't see Egil.
Egil: Curse this blasted snow! You were following behind Sonja and the others when the pain in your chest spasmed and you called for a brief rest. Apparently they missed that amidst the wind and went on ahead, and when you tried to run to catch up with them you tripped and fell into the snow. By the time you got back up they were out of sight.
What will you do now?
Sonja Cadmilsious, an Eldanic woman subject to House Chan.
Skills: Smith I, Canny I, Survival I.
Equipment: Claymore (2d8 damage, 2H),
Leather Armor (2AR, 0EN),
5 ducats
Status: 2/6HP.
To-Hit: 7 (soak 2 damage).
Talmyr Siriss, a Hatcuri female subject to House Chan.
Skills: Arcane II, Archer I.
Magic: Force (No spells)
Equipment: Longbow (2d6+1 damage to long range, 2H) [23 arrows],
Leather Armor (2AR, 0EN)
Status: 6/6HP.
To-Hit: 7 (soak 2 damage).
Egil, a Weylander man subject to House Ival.
Skills: Melee II, Parry I.
Equipment: Battleaxe (2d6+2 damage),
Spear (1d6+2 damage, free attack vs charger, attack to short range),
Leather Armor (2AR, 0EN),
1 Shield (3/3hp),
Sling (1d6 damage to medium range) [25 bullets]
Status: 4/6HP.
To-Hit: 8 (soak 2 damage, up to 3 on shield).
Sinimis Valentibus, a Hatcuri male subject to the CTC.
Skills: Arcane III.
Magic: Mentalism (No spells)
Equipment: Robes (Clothing),
Writing Kit (charcoal and paper in satchel)
Werebear heart, brain and eyes.
Status: 6/6HP.
To-Hit: 7.
Tadisill Coerpus, a Korlanese man subject to House Ival.
Skills: Archer I, Stealth I, Survival I.
Equipment: Longbow (2d6+1 damage to long range, 2H) [23 arrows],
Leather Armor (2AR, 0EN)
Status: 6/6HP.
To-Hit: 7 (soak 2 damage).
Author
Topic: Hopeless: Port Hope (Read 8348 times)