"Yes, I think that I understand now."
Grapple and restrain the woman, holding my kukri to her neck. Begin the channeler drain.
"What you've done to this man is unjust and I won't take part in it. Call off your 'watchers' or I'll blow your head off with magic."
Name: Zavirius En-Drani Haver, Painter
Appearance: A girl of unknown but apparently foreign decent. She claims to be the last surviving member of a long-dead ancient race, kept preserved in some kind of magical stasis, but this is likely untrue. Though her skin is a strange shade not normally seen on the continent, and her hair is bleached white with a slight green reflective tint. She is not very tall but stout like a dwarf and startlingly strong. The clothing that she wears is very minimal.
Mana: 5
Method: Flesh-Inscribing Channel
Materials: Lightweight, Explosion
Strength: d10
Speed: d6
Endurance: d6
Knowledge: d8
Will: d8
Senses: d6
Ongoing effects: Okay?
Inventory:
Wooden Arm-Guards (d4 armor)
Hemp sack
Paints and brushes
Kukri (d6 weapon)
[7v8]
You launch forward, intent on grabbing the woman mid-sentence, but she slips away from you by a hair's breath and two of her goons are immediately standing between you and her. She smiles and then laughs, her face filled with sadistic amusement.
"Not good at accepting criticism are you, dear? Perhaps you'll be more willing like this."
She presses her hand to your painting and you can feel magic congeal in the room, tingling across your skin. The painting catches fire and burns like flash paper, leaving only the figure of the man in armor. It steps forward from the wall, like a reflection stepping out of a mirror, gaining depth and reality as it does. He sets the helmet on his head and draws his longsword with a flourish. He steps straight up to you and raises the point of his sword so that its level with your nose.
"Now then," The woman says, straightening her dress, "Do it again, as I said. And no funny business unless you want to die most ironically, at the hands of your own creations."
Try it again! d6 gorilla, d4 illusion, hug.
Saeko Hirahara
Japanese girl with a long black braid and a white and red dress with long gloves and stockings.
Invoking Empath
Str d4 -> d6
Speed d8
Endurance d10+1
Knowledge d4
Will d10+1
Senses d8
Items:
6 mana
114 coins (gold)
d6 armour: The outfit, naturally. Weighs as if it were d4
Backpack
100ft Rope
Waterskin
Compass
Hat
Sun Goggles
Materials: d12 Ape, d12 Grow, d12 Strengthen, d12 Expand.
Location: Crocus
Status: Fine. Burn scars on arms.
Notes: Improving physical stats with strengthen, d4->d6 is d6, d6->d8 is d12, d8->d10 is d20 or more.
Mental stats are possible, but harder or more complicated.
[9,7]
You try it again, this time forcing a baboon into existence and then enlarging it. It swells from 4 feet to about 12 feet with fangs easily 8-9 inches long. It stands and screeches, pounding its chest and bouncing up and down, bearing its teeth a making feinting charges forward a few feet before bounding backwards. Its a very threatening and intimidating sort of display, but the insect men circle closer and a spray of what look like barbed hairs, each about 6 inches long and thread thin, at the ape. Most pass straight through, thanks to the fact it is mostly illusion, but a few it and the baboon gets even more angry. Its hard to stop it from charging at them.
"Details, man! The last time I accepted an ambiguous quest like that, I ended being chased underwater by a cult armed with hooks and horrible fish heads."
Inquire further. This time, I want more details that the last mission I had.
Name: Randolf Osborn
Appearance: Ugly as hell. Smells like rotten fish. Very brutish.
Magic path: Channeler Ascetic
Mana: 0
Strength: D6
Speed: D6
Endurance: D12
Knowledge: D4
Will: D12
Senses: D4
Ongoing effects:
Inventory:
Sealer Suit D4
White Robes
Shield
Wooden Club D6
Backpack
Lantern
100 feet of rope
29 gold coins
4 silver coins
Air bladder
Aqua Vitae???
He tells you that so far; 7 women have vanished. They don't appear to have anything in common: differing appearances, different work, different social circles, different ages, etc. Most went missing while walking alone at night, usually in less populated areas, but one seemed to vanish in broad daylight and the other was pulled out through her window some time during the night. None have ever been found, and beyond the one pulled through the window there were never any signs of foul play or a struggle. They don't know who is doing it or why, but the fact that someone got dragged out of an upper story window with some force makes it seem like whatever is doing it isn't a normal human.
There's been no notes, no obvious motive, no bodies found.
"I trust Randolf to make a good decision for the two of us, I have some requests backed up from while I was gone and need to attend to them."
Go check on everyone who was looking for me while I was out, I'll come back when I'm done, or go home if it takes me a long time and meet randolf there.
Name: Nina Morellis
Appearance: A young, red-haired woman, green eyes, somewhat unkempt. She's had Adam for as long as she could remember, and has a bit of a reputation as a harmless nut. The town guard are okay with Nina though, occasionally getting her help keeping a mage secured by having her drain their mana so they can't cast. Since they don't have a proper magehunter available, having a local civilian channeler they can bring in as needed is a big help. And Nina tries to be on her best behavior with them to keep their relations good. Nina herself works as a healer, living out in the poor part of town, and has an erratic schedule based on the needs of those who want her help. so she has a lot of free time, but also gets woken up in the middle of the night a lot. add in Adam's occasional antics and she doesn't get to have a stable sleep schedule.
Magic Path: Channeler, Invoker.
Materials: Sound
Mana: 5
Strength: D4
Speed: D6
Endurance: D10
Knowledge: D8
Will: D10
Senses: D6
Inventory: Backpack, padded cloak (D4 protection, Light armor), Lantern, doctor's bag, waterskin (air), hammer, 2 silver, air bladder, white robes.
Inhabited by a spirit which takes the form of a floating disembodied limb that constantly melts and reforms into other body parts. She calls it "Adam."
Location: Mesothorium
Cabal: None at this time.
Basically all your requests are requests for help with injuries or illness. A few are very minor, broken fingers or a bad cold, and a few are chronic illnesses you're used to dealing with, like the old woman with joint pain. Of the 12 there are 4 that seem serious, two sick children, one pair of broken legs, and a man who seems to have been paralyzed from a fall.
I'll assume you ask someone at the arena before finding a room. Basically, the arena recognizes two levels of participant; amateur and gladiator. Normally a Amateur works their way up to gladiator by winning matches. Gladiators get paid more and have more access to different matches, but they're not bound to service or to stay and fight. Part of the reason they need to refill the ranks is because people leave. Exhibition matches are one on one matches with gear chosen for you. Rules vary but they're non-lethal baring accidents.
Any entrance fee? And is magic allowed in these exhibition matches? Anyways, sign up Ecalir for one of these matches.
Are the prospective gladiators gathered anywhere (like a bar or gym or something)? If yes, go check out the opposition.
The arena has a betting system, but there area also independent bookies. The arena is obviously the more reputable of the two choices, but the bookies might offer different odds.
What kind of betting options are there with the official bookies?
You ask around and find that monsters are generally cut up for parts and sold while gladiators, most being individuals rather than wards of the arena, are taken care of by their patrons, family, or given a modest burial. When you ask about resurrection, you get a wary glance and a warning about the practice of necromancy.
What? Necromancy? Oh no, wouldn't dream of it officer, why, this is merely some hard core healing. You know, the kind that fixes near anything.
So yeah, let's try that again, but don't overly mention necromancy, just ask if 'certain people' wouldn't be in need of a 'very good healer' for those already 'given up on' by the regular doctors.
Name: Darwin Zeppeli
Appearance: An old medicine man.
Magic path: alchemist gut-reader
Strength: d4
Speed: d6
Endurance: d6
Knowledge: d10
Will: d8
Senses: d10
Mana: 32
Ongoing effects: None
Magical materialsVacuum!
Reanimate
Sharpen
Viscera
Diamond
Inventorydissection knife: d4
gun: d8
long sword with glowing runes
6 weapons (2 knives, 2 swords, 1 warpick, 1 halberd), d6 or d8
Thaumic flamethrower (50 thaum tank, d10 str requirement, armored fuel tank) + extra canisters with compressed gas
18 smokebombs
Medium armor: d6
fitted suit of d8 armor (for ecalir)
NOTE: ecalir's armor is now also d8
Sealer Suit: d4 (vs magic)
2 x shield (+1 to protective rolls from armor)
Alchemist’s Gear
250 gold worth of precious gems
sack of jewels worth 315 gold
a crystal skull of some sort of big toothed cat (30 mana)
an ingot of platinum (40 mana)
A glass slab with a topographical map of the kingdom carved into it
a bottle of glowing blue sea water, inside protective box with lock
a glass orb with barely visible lotus inside of it, inside staff assembly.
High quality backpack
donkey for carrying
Zomboraptor head
Lantern
several hundred feet of rope
climbing crampons
a grappling hook
iron stakes
net made of rope
several vials with imp fat
20 vials
good quality book&pen
Five silver is the entrance fee. Magic is not usually allowed outside of some exhibition matches. Mostly because of damage to the arena being a risk. You sign Eclair up.
The gladiator hopefuls are coming from everywhere and all walks of life so you might be able to find a few down by the arena in the taverns or the practice areas, but most won't show up till the day of.
The standard option is to bet per match, but there are also options like betting on one fighter to win a tournament at the start. Depends on the event, but in general there's simple bets per fight and then more complex bets that are harder to predict and thus pay out much better.
You try again, this time with more winks and nods. The man feigns understanding that there was a misunderstanding and asks if you have some contact info for when a client would want to hire you.