Sorry this turn took so longer. They should happen sooner in the future.
"Sounds like someone's experimenting with magic north of here.. we might be able to help you out. Is there anything you could do for us in return?"
Try to negotiate an agreement with the water spirit, see what it can do for us.
After that's done..
"Someone north of here seems to be dicking about with the river a bit. One of the places Vince gave us to check out was just north of here, next to the river so we might be able to get paid for something we were going to do anyway. Lets head there next."
Head north to the third location, 51.53387396 -0.01758724, (a railyard) and check that one out next. Look at the river to see if the residue is still around or if it's coming from here.
"Also, Ben, you're a good guy, and you bring a lot to the team, but we need to bash a few things out. Back there I was planning on distracting the thing while you could take care of it from another angle should it cause trouble, but I didn't have a way to notify you of this. We should make some signals so I can tell you to start kicking ass, and another one so I can tell you to back down because I've got it under control and starting a fight would make things harder. Maybe specific words, or hand signs?"
The water spirit agrees to keep you informed about any developments in the river, and to fish out any witches that fall in. It can't do much more than that.
The next location is a little difficult to access. You walk north along the canal towards it, but are stopped as
you contemplate the fence blocking your view of the nearby power signal.Two grubby men in bright yellow jackets stare you down. One of them carries a small red fence, of the kind used to stop people entering road works or smaller building sites.
"Sorry ma'am, this area's off-limits. We're doing work on regenerating the canalside. I'm afraid you have to go back the way you came."
Ben splays his arms out and responds with exasperation. "I was ready to stop it if it tried anything, but then you had me go find something to kidnap it in! It's good you realized how stupid grabbing that runt would be, but you can't be expecting me to protect you if you have me running errands. Civvies..." He sighs, and shakes his head. "If you want me to start shooting, call me Fred, or just say it. Quick, simple. I used to know a guy named Frederick, who'd fly off the handle if you shortened his name. Got court-martialed after he stabbed an officer in the face over it, the crazy bastard. He was a good soldier though, followed orders well, and fought like a rapid dog. I once saw him bite a man's throat out before spitting blood in the guy's face, not many who can do things like that...."
Ben lapses into storytelling mode, rambling about old war stories while sticking with Nanami. He makes sure to store the trash bags in his duffel with the rest of his inventory, just knowing they'll be useful eventually.
((I agree with Dev, if you're gonna be someone from PS:T, be Morte.))
You continue to escort Nanami until the two men stop you. You aren't sure about either of them: they have a couple of weird bulges in their jacket and you don't like how they're standing. Your hand rests comfortably in your bag, out of sight.
ptw
Also, can I join?
Yes, sure. Sheet should be in the OP, but if you're confused about anything just PM me.
"Why can't i come into your place? what if i need something from around here?"
The golem looks like you have just cast doubt on his entire reality. After recovering from the mental shock, he bends down towards you.
"GO AWAY. NOW. THIS OUR PLACE. OR WE CRUSH YOU. YOU NOT MEANT TO BE HERE. DO NOT TRY TO STEAL THINGS HERE."
These creatures look strong, but not very clever or very fast. They're definitely guarding something, though you have no idea what. In fact, you're not sure if they know what.
I could use a bit more information about runes.
Do they require any puissance to use, or do you just put them on things and have their effects trigger continually?
Is there any restriction on the number of runes a witch can employ at the same time, and does the same one stack if multiple copies are used?
Are runes universal, or are they specific to each individual caster? Individual sounds more interesting, personally.
Is there any variation between specific uses or users of a certain rune, or are all uses of a rune at the same power? Either answer wouldn't prevent runes of varying potency being available.
The latter generally, though some can be used in battle actively, which may require puissance.
No. No, though you could try other stuff like writing it in special materials or whatever.
Specific: but you can write stuff on someone else's equipment. Or skin.
Sometimes runes will require rolls to use successfully, so there can be variation.
"Well, to be honest, I don't know specifically who I'm supposed to talk with. Forgot to ask their name. I was sent by a friend of theirs...Nōhime, I believe, quite a spirited person. She said she had something a-ppealing to offer them, no strings attached, but she's tied up at the moment, so she couldn't meet them in person. Can you just have someone ask around upstairs for them? I can wait a bit, but I don't want to leave either of them waiting".
Tell this to the guard. If he doesn't let me up, look at the windows of apartments of the above floors, and see if I can notice any of the red string. Remember that I have the Isolation rune, so I get a bonus to my rolls.
Explaining to the security guy that you won't know which room it is without seeing it takes a bit of doing, but he eventually lets you through. You follow the string with him, twelve floors up, and find the apartment it enters. You knock, and say Nōhime sent you.
For a minute, nothing happens, and the guard eyes you suspisciously. Then the door is flung open, a moment passes, and someone steps into view from behind it. An asian young man dressed in khakis, he holds a vicious looking katana in two hands. Angry and defiant, he clearly expects conflict.
Your runes flash before your eyes and you realise that you have the psychological upper hand, both other parties at a loss. The guard looks incredibly surprised: he obviously expected the threat to come from the weird and dirty sixteen year old. You reckon you have a few seconds before one of them does something dangerous.
Well, if my inner flame learns about the things that it burns, wouldn't burning my severed leg teach it about me, thus enabling me to temporarily turn into a fire elemental or something like that?
Also, OceanSoul, you wouldn't mind not killing the string guy just yet, would you? Talking to him is fine, but I'd rather like to learn how he bound that banana spirit (if he did it intentionally), and possibly burn down his apartment for more pyromancy skill.
Use Create Flame to form two swords (or daggers) in my hands/palms/whatever, and begin killing the scorpions with fire(y melee attacks). Hopefully, I'll learn how to create flames from a distance or something by burning them.
Toss broom-guy's broom over to him, if I can/he needs it.
Climb to the top, Take some more shots.
3,
[4+1, 4+1, 4+1] vs 6
+3Sir Worthington attempts to attack the scorpion, creating a large tongue of flame in each hand. He manages to duck one blow, but the play of fire over the scorpion's armour does very little, and one swipe from the creature's mighty claw sends him flying into a tree trunk, bleeding and broken-ribbed. Jimmy sends three well-aimed bullets into the scorpion's body from the top of the hill as he runs up, broom grasped in one hand, halting its advance towards his injured comrade. Ichor spouting from its body, the massive insect turns slowly towards Jimmy, while its young scuttle up the hill behind him.
Another set of injuries like that and the scorpion will bleed out if left well alone, he reckons, which would make crushing its young no trouble at all.
Buy some red paint and the most aerodynamic looking broom I can find. Adorn broom with racing stripes and put two clots into it.
Also buy a machete, or if that's not available get a bat and stick nails in it.
People with runic sight usually get runes before their first mission right? I'd like a few o' those.
Right, you get three runes:
Speed lover: +1 to doing anything while moving faster than you need to. Does not prevent (but can negate) maluses from trying to do things while moving faster than is sensible.
Slaughter: enhances speed and efficiency of murder when facing many opponents/victims. Passive boost, but can be written on things.
Broom Dodging: makes you better at dodging things while on a broom.
You buy a telescopic washpole, a light and streamlined metal broom, but one difficult to balance on, and invest two clots into it. You can now fly pretty well. You gain your third rune while zipping dangerously through busy roads on your new vehicle.
The rest of your money you spend on a machete.
Name: Nanami Adachi. (Nanami)
Unnatural beauty granted by demonic contract and the adoration of mortals. Slight charisma/popularity boost.
Power from mortal media.
Conscripted into twenty-nineth legion of Amdukias.
Puissance: 2
Ritual: 0
Runic Sight: 0
Banal Combat: 0
Aim: 1
Melee: 0
Agility: 1
Praticality: 2
Inventory: £315
Backpack, expensive camera + memory cards
Quality sketching paper, art pens+pencils, charcoal, etc.
Sketches of self as main character, Amdukias, the non-mortal world, etc.
[Glass Rod Crystal Wand] - Enhanced slightly through media
Puissance: 9/9
Puissant Clots: 1
Bob Howard
Puissant fettle - 1
Ritual potency - 1
Runic sight - 1
Banal combat - 0
Practicality - 3
Inventory: £50, 1d20
{Certificate from Belial; Valid for one Potent Medium}
Puissance: 5/5
Puissant Clots: 2
Goethe T. Helle
Puissant fettle - 1
Ritual potency - 2
Runic sight - 1
Banal combat - 0
Aim - 1
Melee - 0
Agility - 2
Practicality - 1
Inventory: £20, clockface minus one hand, highlighter pens, two kitchen knives, half-empty cologne bottle
From the beast: one bone,
Italian Dinner suit, stored at Vince's place.
[Dog Collar Pendant][Molasses Clockhand Wand]
[Icecream Beast Blood Fur Chalice][Beast Remains Wand]
Runes:
Isolation: you never had many friends or allies, so are used to poor odds. +1 to rolls when outnumbered and alone.
Stoicism: a rune that calms those dealing with shock, tragedy or injury.
Perseverance: despite all the odds, you managed to kill a huge beast using nothing but hot syrup. Bonus to attack and extra damage to powerful or resistant enemies after several turns of combat or aggression.
Dwarven Weapon Storage: learned from a dwarf carrying a small armoury on his back. Increases load of weapons and tools that can be borne without being hampered or slowed down, or collapsing outright.
Ruination: when written, it makes a bad situation worse, and an irretrievable one more so. Learned after the second mission.
Puissant clots: 1
Puissance: 6/6
Name: Sir Worthington the Fourth
Has a pretty crappy wooden broom for a leg.
Broken-ribbed and bleeding: will have trouble with exertion. Can still use magic perfectly though.
Stats: Ritual Potency: 3
Practicality 3
Agility: -1 (wooden poles and plastic bristles do not a good leg make)
Inventory: £25, Pint of royal blood (stored at Vince's), blood covered knife, Cursed String
Stored at Vince's place: mortal's tendons, skull and leg bones.
[Glass Eye Pendant] [Paintbrush Wand]
[Toad Demon Battery Acid Tupperware Chalice]
Novice's Pyromancy Flame - Heal Burn (1P), Create Flame (1P)
Puissant Clots: 0
Puissance: 2/5
Jimmy "Car bombs" Castanza
Slightly slowed by a heavy load.
Puissant fettle - 0
Ritual potency - 0
Runic sight - 3
Banal combat - 1
Aim - 1
Melee - 0
Agility - 0
Practicality - 3
Inventory: £20, very rusty saw, length of pipe stuck to block of concrete, highlighter pen
[Lightbulb Antenna Wand]
[Broom - TIER 3] - Bike handles for steering.
Glock 17 (6/10)
Runes:
Detonation: volatile stuff explodes or catches fire more when you're around it. You can't help it, it must be genetic. Written rune used to detonate volatile substances.
Dead Man Running: you escaped the wrath of a mafia boss. Higher chance of surviving things that should really be deadly.
Mafioso: a mafia hitman, you preferred not to let your targets know they were hunted until after they were spread over an area of three hundred metres. Bonus to carefully planned unexpected attacks.
Alchemical (definitely idiot) savant: you saw an alchemist's shop when wandering around London, and deluded yourself that you understood something of how it worked. Because of the nature of magic, this belief is now partially true. Use this rune to make substances a bit more useful or volatile when used in alchemy.
Trader: a rune that when signed signifies to people that you'd be a good guy to buy from and sell things to.
Reticence: a rune whispered to you by birds perched on phone lines, you can get information without giving away much about yourself.
Bethel: a rune that enhances and aids summoning performed where it is written.
Degeneration: you saw men turned into animals. This rune turns advanced things like steel bolts into crappy primitive things, like wooden bolts.
Entrance: a god tried to break into our world. You now have a +2 in breaking into magic places you shouldn't be messing about with.
Hiijacking: Sand crashed a summoning-party and inserted herself into the centre of the ritual. Things with this rune written on will be more central to events and will conduct more power and magical energy than they should by rights.
Hassle: a rune that allows you to deal more effectively with multiple threats, distractions and tasks at once.
Scrap-crafting: after making a wand with bicycle horns, you have improved at making stuff out of junk. And you were already great at making stuff out of junk.
Oligarchy: a rune revealed to you the first time you flew over London, spelled out in the twistings of the financial buildings and the houses of millionares. Increases your power according to how much money you have.
Punctuality: You're good at getting things done on time.
Puissant clots: 0
Puissance:5/5
Ben Breeze
Stats:
Puissant fettle - 0
Ritual potency - 0
Runic sight - 0
Banal combat - 4
Aim - 1
Melee - 1
Agility - 2
Practicality - 0
Inventory: knife, taser, handcuffs, police baton, stab vest, torch, incapacitant spray, and a first aid kit. All in sports bag
Also a bag of athames, 2.5 legs War Bacon (Vince's Fridge), a worn face-concealing hooded coat, bin bags.
Two generous Roast Beef and Horseradish Sandwiches
Gunfarmer P90 (44/50) (in bag)
Puissant clots: 3
Puissance:5/5
Steve
Puissant fettle - 0
Ritual potency - 0
Runic sight - 0
Banal combat - 3
Aim - 0
Melee - 0
Agility - 3
Practicality - 0
Inventory: £50
Puissance: 5/5
Clots:3
Name: Bella, the Speed Witch
Runic sight: 2
Banal Combat: 1
Melee 1
Agility 2
Runes:
Inventory: £0, Machete
[Tier Two Racing Broom]
Runes:
Speed lover: +1 to doing anything while moving faster than you need to. Does not prevent (but can negate) maluses from trying to do things while moving faster than is sensible.
Slaughter: enhances speed and efficiency of murder when facing many opponents/victims. Passive boost, but can be written on things.
Broom Dodging: makes you better at dodging things while on a broom.
Puissance: 5/5
Clots:0