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[brewer bob]

1

[Enemy post]

We attempt discreet healing.

The boy seems to be alone, taking a shortcut through an alley to get home. You take a look around to see whether anyone is paying attention, then follow him.

"Jerem," you call out to get his attention, and he turns. "I can fix up your arm for real if you let me."

Jerem hesitates, but seems to be taken in by your friendly demeanor. He nods and holds out his arm for you.

You place your hands on his arm and draw power from the assorted living things around the alley. Your hands glow, and you can hear Jerem's sharp intake of breath. "Vim vitae, emendare brachium!"

The glow fades, and Jerem flexes his arm in wonder. "Whoa!" He picks up an old rotted crate lying in the alley, and tosses it part of the way down the block, where it breaks apart on impact. "Whoa!"

You seem to have given Jerem abnormal strength in his healed arm. You suspect he's not going to be very discreet about it.

"Whoa whoa whoa, bye, I gotta go play fightball, thanks, bye!" Jerem says, and he runs off.

"Hey, take it easy on them," you begin, but the boy rounds the corner without giving any indication he's heard you.

Well, helping a boy win at fightball was not exactly how you planned to blow your cover, but he seemed pretty happy, anyway. (Increased Empathy.)

That evening, you get a knock at your apartment door. You're surprised to see that it's Blessed Sam alone, without his companion, Blessed Jacob. He is holding a birdcage with a tiny green dragon in it.

"I saw Jerem after that line died down," Sam says. "He told me a stranger of your description healed his arm entirely." (Increased Sam Relationship.) "May I come in?"

"Of course," you say, gesturing inside your apartment.

Without his partner around, Blessed Sam looks at your food-themed furniture with undisguised curiosity.

The inquisitor sets the birdcage with the dragon down on the floor. The tiny beast sniffs at the dust. "This is my pet, Thomas," Sam says.

"The saint who cured the blind, then declared the hierophant was the blindest of all," you say, intrigued by the choice of name. "Hung by that hierophant, but the next hierophant celebrated him as a martyr."

"Yes," Sam says, surprised. (Increased Sam Relationship.) "Anyway, Thomas—my dragon, that is—has long had an injured wing that prohibits him from hunting, so I have to feed him dead mice from the pet store in Edra."

1."Poor dragon!"
2."Poor mice!"
3."Could you perhaps get to the point?"

Spoiler: Stats (click to show/hide)

Scribe Foo

Appearance

A bookish, spectacled man wearing a shimmering cloak and tight black clothing fit for a thief or an assassin

Magic
  Negation:7
  Automation:6
  Glamor:1
  Divination:1
  Vivomancy:9

Skills
Ancient History: 3 (Decent)
Fighting: 1 (Bad)
Subtlety: 5 (Good)
Charisma: 2 (Decent)

Personality
Optimism:58%/Caution:42%   
Humor:54%/Solemnity:46%   
Empathy:43%/Calculation:57%   

Relationships
Romances (Interested romantically, but not sexually, in men and women)
Tal

Tal: 56 (Good)
Cos: 46 (Bad)
Sam: 58 (Good)
Church: 40 (Bad)
Undiscovered relationships: 2

Kingdom
Adoration: 52%/Vilification: 48%

Inventory
Gold: 610 gold
Sword
Alchemy Set
Torc of Life and Death
Clutch of Dragon Eggs
History Book, True Life of Abraxas
Golem Manual

Students
None

Pets
None

The Dead
The Academy Inquisitor

Plot Points

Chapter 1

You and Tal stumbled on an ancient magic academy.
You discovered a book of vivomancy, and an inquisitor chased you.
You found an ancient dueling ground.
You killed the inquisitor with negation magic.
You explored the academy library.
A divination revealed a potential ally in the form of a golem, so you took a manual on the operation of golems from the library.
You animated a serving tray to retrieve an alchemy set, but in the process, you released some dangerous chemicals.
You found a laboratory with a trapped specter.
You destroyed the specter.
You obtained a clutch of dragon eggs from the crow's nest of an ancient airship.
It became clear that the spilled chemicals were going to consume the whole academy.

Chapter 2


You flew up the coast of the Negative Sea back to Akriton.
You created two horses and freed them in the woods.
You made your parents think your finds in the academy were purely of historical interest.
You read in True Life of Abraxas that those who follow orders regularly are more likely to be glamored.
You learned the location of the Magisterian capital from True Life of Abraxas.
You met a hat seller but bought nothing from her.
You allowed a thief to steal from Fruitseller Fran.
You agreed to hunt a dodecapede with Tal.
You kissed Tal.
You restarted the automated mine that was the dodecapede's lair.
You restarted Akriton's giant fans after the death cloud passed.
Cos and you agreed that you would secretly work for Akriton.
Though you thought you kept a low profile, you heard inquisitors are coming to town anyway.

Chapter 3

Two inquisitors came to your door: the more aggressive Blessed Jacob, and the kinder Blessed Sam.
An old man intervened, claiming you weren't home.
You waited until the inquisitors left.
The old man revealed himself to be Mayor Cos, who is a shapeshifter.
You went to a House of Sun service, led by Blessed Sam.
In the middle, your vivomancy disguise wore off, but Blessed Sam did not take any action to pursue you.

[brewer bob]

1

[Maximum Spin]

1

[Yellow Pixel]

1

[Glass]

Huh, I expected “discrete healing” to mean doing it in such a way as to not be apparent it was our doing. Oh well.

I’ll abstain from this vote unless the count changes dramatically.

[Enemy post]

Poor dragon.

Sam nods in appreciation of your sympathy. (Increased Sam Relationship.) (Increased Empathy.) "Anyway, I was hoping you could heal Thomas here. Seeing as how you used healing magic earlier today."

Noting your skeptical reaction, Sam says with open palms, "This isn't a trap—I'm not going to suddenly turn you in. Blessed Jacob is not going to spring out from behind that door. This is me coming to you after hours as a private citizen. I just want my pet to be happy, even if it means he'll fly away." He gives you a wistful smile.

Do you heal Blessed Sam's dragon?

1.Yes, out of the kindness of my heart.
2.Yes, but the inquisitors must leave Akriton and never come back.
3.Yes, but I want to know more first about where captured wizards go.
4.Yes, but first I want Sam's help hatching my dragon egg.
5.I'll charge a fee: three hundred gold.

4.Yes, but first I want Sam's help hatching my dragon egg.

Spoiler: Stats (click to show/hide)

Scribe Foo

Appearance

A bookish, spectacled man wearing a shimmering cloak and tight black clothing fit for a thief or an assassin

Magic
  Negation:7
  Automation:6
  Glamor:1
  Divination:1
  Vivomancy:9

Skills
Ancient History: 3 (Decent)
Fighting: 1 (Bad)
Subtlety: 5 (Good)
Charisma: 2 (Decent)

Personality
Optimism:58%/Caution:42%   
Humor:54%/Solemnity:46%   
Empathy:45%/Calculation:55%   

Relationships
Romances (Interested romantically, but not sexually, in men and women)
Tal

Tal: 56 (Good)
Cos: 46 (Bad)
Sam: 60 (Good)
Church: 40 (Bad)
Undiscovered relationships: 2

Kingdom
Adoration: 52%/Vilification: 48%

Inventory
Gold: 610 gold
Sword
Alchemy Set
Torc of Life and Death
Clutch of Dragon Eggs
History Book, True Life of Abraxas
Golem Manual

Students
None

Pets
None

The Dead
The Academy Inquisitor

Plot Points

Chapter 1

You and Tal stumbled on an ancient magic academy.
You discovered a book of vivomancy, and an inquisitor chased you.
You found an ancient dueling ground.
You killed the inquisitor with negation magic.
You explored the academy library.
A divination revealed a potential ally in the form of a golem, so you took a manual on the operation of golems from the library.
You animated a serving tray to retrieve an alchemy set, but in the process, you released some dangerous chemicals.
You found a laboratory with a trapped specter.
You destroyed the specter.
You obtained a clutch of dragon eggs from the crow's nest of an ancient airship.
It became clear that the spilled chemicals were going to consume the whole academy.

Chapter 2


You flew up the coast of the Negative Sea back to Akriton.
You created two horses and freed them in the woods.
You made your parents think your finds in the academy were purely of historical interest.
You read in True Life of Abraxas that those who follow orders regularly are more likely to be glamored.
You learned the location of the Magisterian capital from True Life of Abraxas.
You met a hat seller but bought nothing from her.
You allowed a thief to steal from Fruitseller Fran.
You agreed to hunt a dodecapede with Tal.
You kissed Tal.
You restarted the automated mine that was the dodecapede's lair.
You restarted Akriton's giant fans after the death cloud passed.
Cos and you agreed that you would secretly work for Akriton.
Though you thought you kept a low profile, you heard inquisitors are coming to town anyway.

Chapter 3

Two inquisitors came to your door: the more aggressive Blessed Jacob, and the kinder Blessed Sam.
An old man intervened, claiming you weren't home.
You waited until the inquisitors left.
The old man revealed himself to be Mayor Cos, who is a shapeshifter.
You went to a House of Sun service, led by Blessed Sam.
In the middle, your vivomancy disguise wore off, but Blessed Sam did not take any action to pursue you.
Blessed Sam asked you to heal his pet dragon, Thomas.

[Maximum Spin]

1 c'mon, don't be a dick, everyone knows favors come afterward.

That said, I'd've wished there was an option to say "I want to make sure you know this could go wrong in weird ways".
(I like how there's no "no" option, haha)

[brewer bob]

1

[Glass]

1 sounds good enough.

[FiveBalesOfHay]

1

[Enemy post]

We help for free.

"Brilliant!" Sam says. (Increased Sam Relationship.)

Sam opens the dragon's cage and makes little tk-tk-tk sounds. The dragon, continually sniffing the ground, slowly emerges from his cage. His tail flicks like a cat's.

You gently place a hand on the dragon's wing, and he flinches. But Sam makes a soothing noise, and he calms down.

You think about how to modify your healing spell for a dragon. Settling on a solution, you draw life energy from the ground beneath your apartment, until you can smell moss and grass and the faint hint of flowers.

"Energeia, therapefsei. Dracos alae, volabant." Your hand glows, and you feel the energy flowing into the dragon's wing. Where the five bones of the wing have set strangely, you use the vivomantic energy to fuse these parts and make them right. You feel a sympathetic rumble in your stomach as you use your own energy to heal the dragon.

When you let go, the dragon Thomas takes wing, fluttering about your apartment. Blessed Sam gives a delighted laugh. (Increased Sam Relationship.) "You did it! Oh, I was so excited once I knew you could really heal people."

"You aren't upset that I used magic?" you ask skeptically. You refrain from pointing out that vivomancy especially can have unintended consequences.

"I believe that the fundamental commandment of Abraxas is to be kind," Blessed Sam says. "That is the message I enjoy spreading as I travel from town to town. Everything else is…well, surely you've worked for an employer before where you don't agree with all the policies."

Not having a lot of experience with the world of work, you nod to be polite.

"And you didn't even ask for anything in return," Blessed Sam murmurs thoughtfully. (Increased Sam Relationship.)

Sam heaves a heavy sigh. "I honestly wonder whether we've done the right thing, all these years."

"Oh?" you say noncommittally.

"What is the point of our prohibition against magic, anyway?" Sam says. "Magic seems as if it's a tool like any other. And of course, the ancients saw what happened when it was used to excess. But I can't help but feel magic in the hands of everyone could accomplish great good, as long as the Church decided to shape that future instead of suppress it."

1.Offer Sam my introductory tome on vivomancy.
2.This may be a trap. Condemn the general use of magic.
3.Ask Sam if he feels sorry for mages imprisoned by the Church.

Spoiler: Stats (click to show/hide)

Scribe Foo

Appearance

A bookish, spectacled man wearing a shimmering cloak and tight black clothing fit for a thief or an assassin

Magic
  Negation:7
  Automation:6
  Glamor:1
  Divination:1
  Vivomancy:9

Skills
Ancient History: 3 (Decent)
Fighting: 1 (Bad)
Subtlety: 5 (Good)
Charisma: 2 (Decent)

Personality
Optimism:58%/Caution:42%   
Humor:54%/Solemnity:46%   
Empathy:45%/Calculation:55%   

Relationships
Romances (Interested romantically, but not sexually, in men and women)
Tal

Tal: 56 (Good)
Cos: 46 (Bad)
Sam: 73 (Great)
Church: 40 (Bad)
Undiscovered relationships: 2

Kingdom
Adoration: 52%/Vilification: 48%

Inventory
Gold: 610 gold
Sword
Alchemy Set
Torc of Life and Death
Clutch of Dragon Eggs
History Book, True Life of Abraxas
Golem Manual

Students
None

Pets
None

The Dead
The Academy Inquisitor

Plot Points

Chapter 1

You and Tal stumbled on an ancient magic academy.
You discovered a book of vivomancy, and an inquisitor chased you.
You found an ancient dueling ground.
You killed the inquisitor with negation magic.
You explored the academy library.
A divination revealed a potential ally in the form of a golem, so you took a manual on the operation of golems from the library.
You animated a serving tray to retrieve an alchemy set, but in the process, you released some dangerous chemicals.
You found a laboratory with a trapped specter.
You destroyed the specter.
You obtained a clutch of dragon eggs from the crow's nest of an ancient airship.
It became clear that the spilled chemicals were going to consume the whole academy.

Chapter 2


You flew up the coast of the Negative Sea back to Akriton.
You created two horses and freed them in the woods.
You made your parents think your finds in the academy were purely of historical interest.
You read in True Life of Abraxas that those who follow orders regularly are more likely to be glamored.
You learned the location of the Magisterian capital from True Life of Abraxas.
You met a hat seller but bought nothing from her.
You allowed a thief to steal from Fruitseller Fran.
You agreed to hunt a dodecapede with Tal.
You kissed Tal.
You restarted the automated mine that was the dodecapede's lair.
You restarted Akriton's giant fans after the death cloud passed.
Cos and you agreed that you would secretly work for Akriton.
Though you thought you kept a low profile, you heard inquisitors are coming to town anyway.

Chapter 3

Two inquisitors came to your door: the more aggressive Blessed Jacob, and the kinder Blessed Sam.
An old man intervened, claiming you weren't home.
You waited until the inquisitors left.
The old man revealed himself to be Mayor Cos, who is a shapeshifter.
You went to a House of Sun service, led by Blessed Sam.
In the middle, your vivomancy disguise wore off, but Blessed Sam did not take any action to pursue you.
Blessed Sam asked you to heal his pet dragon, Thomas.
You agreed and healed Sam's dragon.

[Glass]

While I feel like 2 is the correct answer - we've seen what magic did to the world, stuff like Automation can thoroughly fuck up the environment despite being useful, and then there's the spells that just fuck up yourself and everybody around you - I somehow doubt that that's actually what the choice is about expressing.
Frankly, my opinion is that Vivomancy and Divination are the only "safe" schools to use en mass, with Divination being made dangerous purely because of the risks involved in people knowing you can do magic.

But anyway, Sam specifically wants to heal people. I think that's a worthy aim. 1

[King Zultan]

1

[brewer bob]

1