"Guh. Still alive? Ow. Still alive. We still have adventures to come, my friends."
Check the Ghost Charm. also, are there other paths in this building? We've explored three rooms so far. Also, these plants are both alive and relatively controlled. It seems as if this ruin is either somehow magically governed, or has been recently tended. Do I detect either of those things? Also, are there lights down here? I know I have been using the orb for illumination, but what have these plants been using?
The Ascetic Ghost Shepherd
A thin, wiry guy. Hazel eyes. Black hair. Long fingers.
current status: fine
Stats
6 str
6 spd
10 End
8 Know
10 Will
4 sense
Mana: 12
Materials: Porcelain, Black Flux, Force, Toxin
Inventory:
Inhabited by a Spirit - a little shepherdess girl. Likes dolls. Adventurous. (Current request: cute and furry)
Currently hosting a Scarab ghost in muh brains. (Currently wants a religious relic that has been buried with the dead for some time)
One catamaran sailboat
Ghost Charm
Doctor's Kit
Lantern, Rope, Backpack
(1) rolling horse toy
shiny orb from the ruins on the lake (light blue glow. 1 mana invested.)
haunted obsidian and wood knife (with cold, light metal box)
0 gold
You check the ghost charm. Nothing nearby.
There is another path; in this room even. Its not easy to see, but at the end of this "V" shaped room is another doorway seemingly identical to the one you entered through.
If you had to guess, you'd say that this stuff is magically maintained. Specifically probably enchanted mechanisms that have just been autonomously operating.
In terms of illumination the plants are producing some light themselves but otherwise the room is dark and has no light sources. Maybe these plants don't need light? Its true they aren't the standard green color that plants on the surface are.
Fast forward to departure.
Name: Robert Grant
Appearance: A stocky, tall man with black hair.
Magic path: Hunter Sculptor
Strength: d10+1
Speed: d6
Endurance: d8
Knowledge: d8
Will: d8
Senses: d4
Ongoing effects: Cut palm (treated), deep gash in the side (treated)
Mana: 3
Materials:
Shrink
Inventory:
War axe d8
Doctor's Bag
Leather armor d6
Bandages
Backpack
Lantern
223 gold
76 silver
Shield
Sword d6
Crossbow d6
20 crossbow bolts
Helmet d4
Leather gloves
Crowbar
Rope
Iron thread
8 lead weights (in storage)
Rifle d8 4/5
28 rifle rounds
2 single shot pistols d6
8 pistol rounds
Harness
200 feet of rope
3 wyrm scales
About a day and a half later you're back on the ship and shoving off, a new cargo loaded onto the beetles and the merchants grumbling bitterly about profits lost because of the attack in the desert. The passage this time goes much more quietly, round about until the 75% mark at which point the barge grinds to a halt. You join everyone else in looking around and asking what is going on. You are informed that the barge seems to have run aground or caught on something just below the flux and they're going to need to get someone down there to figure out what it is and how to get off it without tearing a big hole in the ship.
Just stand there and try to look like I understand what's being said. Let Nina do the whole thinking for now, since I'm not very good at that.
Name: Randolf Osborn
Appearance: Ugly as hell. Smells like rotten fish. Very brutish.
Magic path: Channeler Ascetic
Mana: 0
Strength: D6+1
Speed: D6
Endurance: D12
Knowledge: D4
Will: D12
Senses: D4
Ongoing effects:
Inventory:
(Current:)
red gambleson, gray pants, metal bracers, shin guards and a sallet helm (D6 armor)
Kite Shield (D6)
Long Sword (D6)
Catch Pole
3 Small Bombs
Manacles
(In Storage:)
Sealer Suit D4
White Robes
Shield
Wooden Club D6
Backpack
Lantern
100 feet of rope
29 gold coins
2 silver coins
Air bladder
Ferry ticket
Recruitment Leaflet
"Okay. How did we find out about this happening? Who reported it? Can I speak with them further? Since they cared enough to report it they might have done some investigating on their own and might be a good contact for the local slums, since they likely won't want to talk to outsiders. Um, also... that stuff you issued me... How do I use it?"
followup questions and request for basic weapons orientation since ive never used this stuff before and probably dont even know how to wear or hold it right.
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: 3
Strength: D4
Speed: D6
Endurance: D10
Knowledge: D8
Will: D10
Senses: D6
(Locked up) Inventory: Backpack, padded cloak (D4 protection, Light armor), Lantern, doctor's bag, waterskin (air), hammer, 2 silver, air bladder, white robes, aqua vitae.
(current) Inventory: a red gambleson, gray pants, metal bracers, shin guards and a sallet helm (d6 armor). Other than that there is a kite shield (d6), a long sword (d6) and a catch pole, along with 3 small bombs and a pair of manacles.
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."
Cabal: None at this time.
"Family members or the people themselves reported it and we saw a pattern. You can talk to anyone willing to talk to you. I'll give you a list of the victims and you can expand your questioning from there."
"Well, thats a sword. You hit people with the sharp parts to make them stop bugging you. The shield is something you put in front of someone who is bugging you as a preventative measure to potentially lethal levels of harassment. The bombs are on a 3 second fuse, light and throw. Standard fragmentation type. Manacles are magic dispersion type; slap them on a wizard and they'll have a real hard time making new spells. Catch pole is for catching without injuring. Use it like a spear, but pin limbs to walls or the ground on the inside of it."
(Google "Mancatcher" if you're not sure what I'm talking about with the catch pole. Its fairly self evident via the design)
Randolf nods and strokes his chin, knowingly...or at least seemingly knowingly.
You search about, heading deeper and deeper into the structure. Its hard to say where the ground floor is; there are no windows after you get far enough down so you might be under the cave floor. However, you cannot find any thing that you would characterize as a big support beam or similar. You come to the conclusion that this thing is probably kept together largely though the strength of its outer wall and inner structures, much like a termite mound. In that case it might be more effective to go outside and collapse thing thing like cutting down a tree, weakening the "Casing" on one side and letting the weight take care of the rest.
Go back outside via the ropes and search for where our bomb could do the most damage.
If we collapse the tower, does it seem likely that the mind-altering effects will cease (aka it's an active effect that would probably be interrupted by the whole bloody tower coming down) or does that seem unlikely?
I did. In fact I may have gone way too far and transformed it into something else~
And now I suddenly dread opening up discord on my laptop at home. Strange, that. 
Name: Darwin Zeppeli
Appearance: An old medicine man.
Magic path: alchemist gut-reader
Strength: d4
Speed: d6->d8
Endurance: d6->d8
Knowledge: d10
Will: d8
Senses: d10
Mana: 31 (15 to ecalir)
10 thaum in bottle
Ongoing effects: None
Magical materialsVacuum!
Reanimate
Sharpen
Viscera
Diamond
Rope
Inventory1 sedated bugman
6 mercenaries (currently at edge of cavern)
1 ranged and 1 melee merc, stay with Ecalir and watch his back
3 melee mercs and 1 ranged merc stay with Darwin, 2 of the melee mercs stick close to him at all times and act as bodyguards
dissection knife: d4
Springy metal knive: d6
Springy metal sword: d6
Springy metal halberd: d8
Curved blade: d6
Icepick: d4
gun: d8 [50 rounds left]
9 smokebombs
Thaumic bomb (currently empty)
Ecalir's old armor: d8 (in use)
shield (+1 to protective rolls from armor)
Sealer Suit: d4 (vs magic)
Alchemist’s Gear
39 gold
5 silver
Octopus core
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.
magic coin
Small book
magic compass + map
book on normal plants and animals
book on magical plants and animals/creatures
handbook on making weapons&armor, including a list of known types
a detailed account of the Artifacter war
map of the old world
good quality book&pen
good history book
Paradox snail (inside jar) and things to keep them happy and fed
Doctor's bag
set of ingredients (plants, chemicals and the like) for making poisons or antidotes (23 uses left)
High quality backpack
donkey named Yvonne 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
2x Collapsible rod
20 oil flasks
300 feet of really big, thick, strong rope
100 feet of metal chain
box of metal spikes
pair of binoculars
5 boxes of rags
Medium armor: d6 (not in use)
(Do not avert your gaze)
[4v5]
You get outside and search around the exterior for a weak point. However, to your eyes, the exterior is nothing but one big slab with no chink or seam to exploit. You think that, in the absence of that, it might be best to simply pick a point and start blowing stuff up. Probably not the most efficient but also inevitably effective with enough force.
Hard to say. A lot of the infrastructure here is gonna fall apart if the tower goes; like the devices that seem to be draining energy in these little slums. But whether or not EVERYTHING will vanish when the tower does, that's unknown. Still, blowing it up will definitely help.
Land and proceed with the cleanup phase. Triage the wounded, and spend a few spells saving the lives of anyone critically injured with my Ape word. Use Strengthen Ape if it seems necessary. As always try to make any limb replacements or such as human as possible.
Evacuate anyone significantly wounded, too. Use judgement.. if someone has an ape arm now but is fine, that guy can continue. People who have serious wounds but didn't need magic to save their lives should leave the cavern and head back.
As for other people, drop the bundles for the fire barricade, although don't light it yet. Have the magebreaker assault team leave. Get two groups of people organized to rescue the wounded prisoners, each group with one machinegunner, and send them off. Give each group one of the magic necklaces to help them stabilize someone who needs it.
As for personal orders, I'll be hanging back with the main group, along with Benedict. If possible (assuming not too many people critically wounded, keep at least one crippled bug thing alive for examination. (I want to know if it's a pure summon or a created animal species or transformed person or something else.)
Japanese girl with a long black braid and a white and red fitted robe with long gloves. Eyes currently shimmering with energy. Clothing is slightly dull in colour and made of metallic thread. Pointy, somewhat elfish ears. Burnt off eyebrows from spell failure. Missing fingernails on right hand.
Invoking Empath
Str d6
Speed d8
Endurance d10+1
Knowledge d6+1
Will d10+1
Senses d10, temporary. d8 base
Materials: d12 Ape, d12 Grow, d12 Strengthen, d12 Expand, d8 View, d10 Steel, and d10 Speed.
Location: Lunare
Status: Fine. Burn scars on arms. Missing fingernails on right hand. Slightly enhanced hearing.
Temporary Effects: Buff pill. (Will, Awakeness) (Super-eyes, d10 senses, 1hr)
Items:
Carried:
28 mana
33 gold
d8+1 armour: The outfit, naturally, and a shield. Weighs as if it were d6
Shield.
Backpack
Waterskin
Compass
Goggles
Surgical tools
100 feet of rope
Two amulets with week-long d6 endurance-boosting effects. Intended to help heal maltreatment, exhaustion, and restore some health to abused, dying people, to make them more likely to survive.
Jade tablets with d8 View, d10 Steel, and d10 Speed.
Left Behind:
Black metal scrap
Steel scraps
Cable-wrapped metal box of happiness.
Box of painting-golem
Familiar. "Benedict" Cougar/red-tailed hawk, adequate flyer, elephant-sized with 60+ foot wingspan.
Natural weapons d6, d8 with swooooop.
Buffed with buff pill, d8 Strengthen Ape mind bouncer.
Steel Helmet. 1d4 armour?
Str D12
Spd D8
End D12
Kno D4
Will D8
Sen D6
[Fanciful]
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.
Name: Eve
Appearance: 4 ft tall female human with long hear that constantly changes color. She always wears a long sleeve shirt and jeans. She has slightly tan skin and green eyes. most of her right arm is made of aluminum, from her hand to her forearm.
Magic path: Servant Sculptor
Mana: 0
Strength: d4
Speed: d8
Endurance: d6
Knowledge: d10
Will: d8
Senses: d8
Ongoing effects: None
Items needed for current Sculpture
1. A smooth river rock: Acquired
2. A block of Ice: Not Acquired
3. About a half liter of mercury: Not Acquired
4. Silver Wire: Acquired
Spirit: None
Spirit Task: None
Inventory: Doctor's bag, Thick fur shirt D4, Thick fur leggings d4, ghost charm, Smooth river rock, 100 ft of string, a pry-bar, a spool of silver wire, 50 gold
Materials: lightsilver
((It's Ekrov, Dev. Ekrov.))
Help with the triage efforts, start treating anyone who has serious wounds but isn't getting aped. Ekrov has d12 know and medical supplies, so I think he should be pretty good at stabilizing people? Emphasis on stabilizing, serious treatment can come later.
...Maybe help with the bug capture too, if all the seriously injured people get treatment. If nothing else, there's prolly a few crippled and dying bugs that Ekrov can stabilize.
Name: Ekrov Trenian Vyachilad
Description: A noble's son, Ekrov is a boy on the cusp of adulthood, and barely looks it. His hands are soft, his appearance taken care of, and his bones slightly visible under his unmarred skin. He's scrawny, clearly having never done manual labor in his life, and somewhat short--though it's hard to tell whether that's due to age or genetics. His eyes are wide and constantly look around in absentminded wonderment; he's clearly out of his element in this, and gives off a tourist-y impression. He wears a clearly high-quality outfit, but to his credit it looks unusually practical for a noble, subdued brown in color and light aside from thin pieces of light leather in strategic locations, clearly intended more as protection than a fashion statement. He carries a small backpack, and wears a light cloak that's had an absurd number of little pockets clumsily sewn into it.
Magic Path: Alchemist Sculptor
Mana: 6
Magic Words: "Animate"
Stats:
Strength: d4
Speed: d6
Endurance: d4
Knowledge: d12
Will: d6 (Buffed to d8)
Senses: d12
Ongoing Effects: None...?
Current Sculpture Materials:
1. Human skull
2. 10 lbs of pure iron
3. a piece of complex machinery; clockwork or similar.
4. a bottle of water collected directly from the a cloud.
5. The blood of someone who has fought off a possession with their own will
Inventory:
Backpack
Lightly armored traveling outfit (enchanted to d6, from d4)
Wooden shield (+1 to armor rolls, most of the time)
Steel stilleto (d4 melee)
Ornamental spring pistol (d6 ranged) [6/6] (30 spare shots)
Alchemist gear
24 gold, 8 silver (Saeko owes him 400 gold)
Paints, a dish, sands, glitter, water, general scrying supplies.
Pencil + Paper.
Expensive medical supplies.
Sketches of:
Gyrotourbillon's workings
Benedict the Griffon
Saeko lands and hops off Benedict, jogging over to meet up with Ekrov while Eve continues beating on the few remaining insects. Things are looking good and Saeko and Ekrov are moving to start helping the injured and draw the forces back together when something happens.
A note, a single note sung by a woman, echoes through the cavern. Everyone turns to look for the source, though that is hard to say due to the echo. Another note, this time louder and more easy to localize. It seems to be coming from the direction of the tower. A moment of silence, then the rush of air being pulled in followed by a third note. This one is different.
The other two had been simple tones, operatic but simple. Almost like a singer warming up their voice. This one is so loud it shakes the cavern, causing dust and small fragments of stone to be shaken from the ceiling and rain down. It is no simple tone either. That tone is still there, overlayed on a dozen other voices and a blood chilling scream. The air near the top of the tower seems to writhe and churn, as though being stirred up by an unimaginably great force.
Eve, Saeko, and Ekrov cover their ears against the noise but still they feel it pass through them. They feel their emotions and desires twist and contort. Anger, sadness, fear, uncertainty, apathy, they all pass through them in a way that is both exhausting and disorienting. As it passes they feel like they have lived through a year's worth of emotions within a few seconds. The others around them seem to be faring similarly and are in varying states of standing, sitting, kneeling and bowled over.
The singing from the tower continues, this time in a language no one understands, and spheres of churning purple light are gathering near the tower in flowing lines and formations.
Author
Topic: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game (Read 365807 times)