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[brewer bob]

3

[Enemy post]

We want to turn her into a shapeshifter.

Tal frowns at this. "I don't like the way you're talking about shapeshifting as if it were some kind of curse." (Decreased Tal Relationship.)

"I just want to show her the error of her ways," you say. "Hopefully she'll see it's not a curse. Like you're not really different."

"Look, please don't," Tal says. "I don't like the idea of who I am being a magical curse you can drop on people, even if you can. There must be something else you can do."

1."We should go to the mayor with this information. Maybe she'll be captured."
2."We should kill her. The Band will be in disarray without her."
3."I want to turn her into a tortoise. You know, for fun."

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:8
  Automation:11
  Glamor:1
  Divination:4
  Vivomancy:10

Skills
Ancient History: 8 (Fantastic)
Fighting: 1 (Bad)
Subtlety: 5 (Good)
Charisma: 4 (Good)

Personality
Optimism:60%/Caution:40%   
Humor:49%/Solemnity:51%   
Empathy:45%/Calculation:55%   

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

Tal: 52 (Fine)
Cos: 46 (Bad)
Sam: 75 (Great)
Vera: 54 (Fine)
Church: 32 (Bad)
Undiscovered relationships: 1

Kingdom
Adoration: 52%/Vilification: 48%

Inventory
Gold: 377 gold
Sword
Alchemy Set
Torc of Life and Death
Clutch of Dragon Eggs
History Book, True Life of Abraxas
Golem Manual

Students
Blessed Sam

Pets
Verdigris the Baby Dragon

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.
You offered to teach Sam vivomancy, and he agreed.

Chapter 4

You rode to the capital in a wagon with Sam and Jacob.
While Sam and Jacob fought, you sneaked into the basement.
You found a university student held in the Cathedral dungeon—the last mage left there.
You decided to leave the student in the cell.
You found a secret passage that avoided a somewhat terrifying room.
You found a room that looked similar to a vision of a pleasant afterlife.
You found the Cathedral's library.
You found an old statue of Abraxas that promised to answer questions about the Church.
You learned that an item called the Great Oracle lies in the Magisterian palace, and that it could be used to join all minds into one.
You learned some designs that may help scour the sky from True Life of Abraxas.
You read in True Life of Abraxas that Abraxas became an immortal specter, and that you might become one yourself given enough negative energy.
The hierophant came to make an offer of sainthood to you.
Inquisitors and Church guards pursued you out of the capital.
You escaped the Cathedral and headed home.

Chapter 5

You blasted all but one of the guards pursuing you, leaving the lone survivor to report that you are not to be trifled with.
You headed back to Akriton.
On returning to the market, you discovered it had burned down due to a lightning strike.
Tal's house was marked for destruction by the Twilight Band, a group of shapeshifter haters.

[Glass]

Aw.

Oh well, let's do 1.


I still think we should be able to turn ourself into a shapeshifter. The church would have a hell of a time finding us again if we did that.

[brewer bob]

Really no other option than 1 for me.

[King Zultan]

1

[Enemy post]

We report her.

It's worth a shot," Tal agrees.

You go to Mayor Cos with your tip about the identity of the leader of the Twilight Band.

"I've been meaning to deal with them for a long time," Cos says. "Don't worry, I've got this covered."

You soon find out that a massive raid of Banker Sara's house turned up the indigo robes that are used for Twilight Band meetings, along with a ledger containing the names of other members. Nearly fifteen people are arrested, a huge operation for tiny Akriton.

Tal's house is not burned down, and she tells you that the shapeshifters of Akriton are grateful for your divination and actions on their behalf.

"Not my favorite kind of 'adventure' to be sure," Tal murmurs as Mayor Cos locks the last of the Twilight Band in a prison cell.

"This was a pretty good dragon to slay, though," you say.

"Yeah. It was," Tal agrees. (Increased Tal Relationship.)

You continue to wonder whether the hierophant will send another party after you to reclaim you, but this never happens. Perhaps she doesn't wish to risk more catastrophic losses

After a few months of animals breeding under the influence of your vivomancy, you begin to see the prices of animals fall across Akriton, even those animals that were unaffected by your magic. It begins to seem as if everybody owns a pet or steed.

One fall day, when the weather has begun to turn cold, you receive a knock on your door from a messenger dressed in the queen's livery—a gold crown above a gold lion rampant on navy blue.

"The queen has received word that there is a town wizard here in Akriton," the messenger says.

Your heart plummets. "And?"

"And she wishes to extend a better offer than your current one, as it is not seemly for a mayor to have access to a staff that she does not."

Oh. That's very different from what you were expecting. "She's offering me a position at her court?"

The messenger nods. "Her Majesty offers you a special position as her counsel," he says. "You may have your choice of titles and a stipend of ten thousand gold a year."

"And I can freely perform magic?" you inquire hesitantly.

"Just so," the messenger says, frowning as if he's unsure of the wisdom of this stipulation.

The choice is easy.

"I accept," you tell him.

Chapter 6:The Queen's Court

You await Queen Thecla in her great throne room, a large hall festooned with banners of various important noble houses and busy with gossiping courtiers. The courtiers' main topic of conversation at the moment appears to be you, as you catch darting glances from around the room. But they are subtle; you never quite catch a direct stare.

Since you're still relatively unknown in the capital, you suppose it's your clothing that is drawing their attention.

What have you decided to wear to court?

1.My scholar's garb.
2.My duelist uniform. (+Charisma)
3.My black robes. (+Subtlety, +Negation)
4.My stealthy black outfit. (++Subtlety)
5.I quickly purchased some fancy clothing on the way to court. (-300 gold)

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:8
  Automation:11
  Glamor:1
  Divination:4
  Vivomancy:10

Skills
Ancient History: 8 (Fantastic)
Fighting: 1 (Bad)
Subtlety: 5 (Good)
Charisma: 4 (Good)

Personality
Optimism:60%/Caution:40%   
Humor:49%/Solemnity:51%   
Empathy:45%/Calculation:55%   

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

Tal: 56 (Good)
Cos: 46 (Bad)
Sam: 75 (Great)
Vera: 54 (Fine)
Thecla: 50 (Fine)
Church: 32 (Bad)

Kingdom

Kingdom Power: 2 (Decent)
Adoration: 52%/Vilification: 48%

Inventory
Gold: 377 gold
Sword
Alchemy Set
Torc of Life and Death
Clutch of Dragon Eggs
History Book, True Life of Abraxas
Golem Manual

Students
Blessed Sam

Pets
Verdigris the Baby Dragon

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.
You offered to teach Sam vivomancy, and he agreed.

Chapter 4

You rode to the capital in a wagon with Sam and Jacob.
While Sam and Jacob fought, you sneaked into the basement.
You found a university student held in the Cathedral dungeon—the last mage left there.
You decided to leave the student in the cell.
You found a secret passage that avoided a somewhat terrifying room.
You found a room that looked similar to a vision of a pleasant afterlife.
You found the Cathedral's library.
You found an old statue of Abraxas that promised to answer questions about the Church.
You learned that an item called the Great Oracle lies in the Magisterian palace, and that it could be used to join all minds into one.
You learned some designs that may help scour the sky from True Life of Abraxas.
You read in True Life of Abraxas that Abraxas became an immortal specter, and that you might become one yourself given enough negative energy.
The hierophant came to make an offer of sainthood to you.
Inquisitors and Church guards pursued you out of the capital.
You escaped the Cathedral and headed home.

Chapter 5

You blasted all but one of the guards pursuing you, leaving the lone survivor to report that you are not to be trifled with.
You headed back to Akriton.
On returning to the market, you discovered it had burned down due to a lightning strike.
Tal's house was marked for destruction by the Twilight Band, a group of shapeshifter haters.
The queen offered you a position as an advisor, which you accepted.

Chapter 6

You returned to the capital, summoned by the queen for an interview.

[Glass]

...5. We're at court now. Sneaking around, while potentially still quite useful, simply isn't going to be as useful as before, and likely comes with more hazardous repercussions. Better charisma, however, is likely to be essential.

[brewer bob]

Uh, so we get no choice whether we want to go to the court or not? Would've refused the offer.

Oh well, since that's beyond our control, I'll choose the scholar's garb.

So, 1.

[King Zultan]

2

[Yellow Pixel]

2

[BlackPaladin99]

3

[Enemy post]

The duelist uniform.

You decide to wear your duelist uniform. (Gained Charisma.) The courtiers recognize your outfit as that of an amateur duelist, and they seem to appreciate the implication that you have come to duel honorably. You've managed to accumulate respect in the capital from your sartorial choices alone. (Increased Adoration.)

The courtiers' own outfits are highly exaggerated, with long pointed shoes that curl at the tips, and giant feathered hats that must make it a challenge to navigate a crowded room. You suppose they're advertising the fact that they are too important to ever do anything menial.

You perform a visual scan of the room to identify who can see and hear what. Balconies afford courtiers on the second level a view of most of the proceedings, but there are areas under these overhangs where individuals would not be able to see. The courtiers standing and sitting all along the sides of the throne room look inward, meaning those who wish to be seen by others stand along the sides, while those who wish only to observe take their places in the back. The crowd is thickest and never silent in the back, so you would take your place there if you wished to have a public but quiet conversation. Such observations may help you make your way through the capital's political scene. (Gained Charisma.) (Increased Adoration.)

The throne, a large gilded seat flaking at the edges but still commanding, is accompanied by a second seat made of what appears to be pure alabaster. The back of the chair is engraved with a flame, an eye, and a sun. This must be the seat for the queen's Blessed Advisor. You briefly wonder whether you will get a chair as well.

A servant in the queen's navy-blue-and-gold livery emerges from the back door behind the throne and beckons to you. You follow him through the back door and into a passage that seems not to be intended for the public, judging from the old stone walls that appear dusted but unadorned. Burning torches provide the light; there are no windows.

The servant knocks on a plain-looking wooden door.

"Come in," commands an alto from within.

The servant opens the door, and you're surprised to find yourself being led into the queen's bedchamber.

The queen herself sits at a cluttered writing desk. She wears a puffy white dress that sparkles in the light from the barred skylight above. She looks younger than you expect; you knew she was thirty-three, eight years older than you, but somehow you had expected her to look more middle-aged. Her smooth skin and lustrous long hair admit no ravages of time, but her eyes bespeak hard-earned wisdom and a touch of amusement.

You wonder at first where you're supposed to sit—the canopied four-post bed? The queen pushes her chair away from the desk slightly, and the servant drags a cushioned chair out from behind the veiled bed and into position across from the queen.

"Have a seat," Queen Thecla says. "Unless you plan to conjure a better one." Her attitude is pleasant but slightly sardonic.

You have the strange sensation of being watched from elsewhere, and you notice tiny embrasures on three of the walls where arrows could pass. Protection from assassination seems to have trumped aesthetic concerns at nearly every stage of the palace's design, and you have no doubt you would be full of arrows in a moment if you made any sudden moves. You slowly and deliberately take the seat opposite the queen.

"You must be Mayor Cos's secret wizard," Queen Thecla says.

"Indeed," you affirm.

"I understand you're willing to be my advisor, but the deal is not yet final on my end," Queen Thecla says. "I'd just like you to answer some questions for me first."

She pauses, and you stifle a "go ahead" because it would be presumptuous to give the queen permission to do anything.

"Are the magics of the saints and the magics of the ancients one and the same?" Queen Thecla asks you.

1."Yes. The Church is engaged in a grand deception."
2."Yes, but for the good of humanity, this must not become widely known."
3."No, the magic of the ancients is more powerful."

I figure that we automatically accepted the offer because the subtext was "Work for me and get a bunch of money and the freedom to do all the magic you want, or die/go to prison."

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Scribe Foo

Appearance

A bookish, spectacled man wearing a shimmering cloak and a noble duelist's uniform

Magic
  Negation:8
  Automation:11
  Glamor:1
  Divination:4
  Vivomancy:10

Skills
Ancient History: 8 (Fantastic)
Fighting: 1 (Bad)
Subtlety: 3 (Decent)
Charisma: 6 (Excellent)

Personality
Optimism:60%/Caution:40%   
Humor:49%/Solemnity:51%   
Empathy:45%/Calculation:55%   

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

Tal: 56 (Good)
Cos: 46 (Bad)
Sam: 75 (Great)
Vera: 54 (Fine)
Thecla: 50 (Fine)
Church: 32 (Bad)

Kingdom

Kingdom Power: 2 (Decent)
Adoration: 56%/Vilification: 44%

Inventory
Gold: 377 gold
Sword
Alchemy Set
Torc of Life and Death
Clutch of Dragon Eggs
History Book, True Life of Abraxas
Golem Manual

Students
Blessed Sam

Pets
Verdigris the Baby Dragon

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.
You offered to teach Sam vivomancy, and he agreed.

Chapter 4

You rode to the capital in a wagon with Sam and Jacob.
While Sam and Jacob fought, you sneaked into the basement.
You found a university student held in the Cathedral dungeon—the last mage left there.
You decided to leave the student in the cell.
You found a secret passage that avoided a somewhat terrifying room.
You found a room that looked similar to a vision of a pleasant afterlife.
You found the Cathedral's library.
You found an old statue of Abraxas that promised to answer questions about the Church.
You learned that an item called the Great Oracle lies in the Magisterian palace, and that it could be used to join all minds into one.
You learned some designs that may help scour the sky from True Life of Abraxas.
You read in True Life of Abraxas that Abraxas became an immortal specter, and that you might become one yourself given enough negative energy.
The hierophant came to make an offer of sainthood to you.
Inquisitors and Church guards pursued you out of the capital.
You escaped the Cathedral and headed home.

Chapter 5

You blasted all but one of the guards pursuing you, leaving the lone survivor to report that you are not to be trifled with.
You headed back to Akriton.
On returning to the market, you discovered it had burned down due to a lightning strike.
Tal's house was marked for destruction by the Twilight Band, a group of shapeshifter haters.
The queen offered you a position as an advisor, which you accepted.

Chapter 6

You returned to the capital, summoned by the queen for an interview.

[Glass]

2

A. I want to be honest.
B. I don't like the Church, but I still think they're broadly doing their best.
C. I don't think the Saints deserve to get lynched, which will happen if word of this gets out prior to broad societal change.

[Yellow Pixel]

2

[Maximum Spin]

1
While I understand the Church's basic reasoning here, I don't actually agree that this is necessary for the good of humanity.