Spelltide: Changing Seas

Something went wrong long ago. The exact details are lost, and even the broader strokes are argued to this day. A few things, however, are agreed upon. The Imperial Elven Magocracy fell. The majority of the elves chased either up into the mountains... or under them. The actions of that conflict tore great holes in the landscape, both physical, and mystical. The seas, once wide passages to the riches of distant lands, were closed by wild surges of magic that twisted the path of any ship that might try to pass through them, and twisted the forms of anything that might touch the waters. The once great trade ports of the eastern coast have transformed to battle fortresses, the first guardians against the more dangerous creatures birthed by those waves. The gods, though. All the old gods are dead, or else gone. New gods rose that day. Some of the generals that fell, or leaders that didn't. Others came about later.

All of that is history, though. The present is a more recent story. For now, let's focus on yours. It begins on the coast.

You are a:

[X][RACE] Wilmian: Amphibious folk who resist the transformations imposed by the changing seas with their own mild shapeshifting abilities.
[X][RACE] Weaverling: Spiderlike folk with extra limbs, and a great familial loyalty to the ships they live upon.
[X][RACE] Big Human: A fairly adaptable folk who can make themselves accustomed to any environment.
[X][RACE] Small Human: A lucky and nimble folk, who can find themselves at home wherever they go.

[X][CLASS] Armsman: Warriors who use the strength of their soul to transform objects into weapons.
[X][CLASS] Shapehunter: Combatants who use their arcane presence to supplement their battle abilities.
[X][CLASS] Speerscildan: Guardians who use a divine connection to find and thwart threats to their charges.
[X][CLASS] Librarian: Scholars who use their diverse knowledge to enact mundane miracles.

[X][TRAIT] On a quest to uncover the secrets of the past.
[X][TRAIT] Hired to defend an expedition into the heart of the continent.
[X][TRAIT] Traveling with a group on a journey to find your fortune.
[X][TRAIT] Fleeing an unfortunate childhood in a land where none know you.


Hello all and welcome to Spelltide! Set in a world of my own design, this quest will be loosely run on the Pathfinder system, although I will be abstracting many of the numbers and mechanics for the sake of the story. If you're looking up a race or class you don't immediately recognize, don't bother; they are a creation of my own design. If you have any questions, ask, and I may or may not answer...

Cornix Argentus said:

Question, though: for Wilmians, how 'mild' are we talking? Is it "still look normal human despite seaborne transformation"?

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Wilmians have enlarged eyes, eight head tentacles, fused beaklike teeth, elongated limbs, lengthened fingers with webbing they can pull taut into fins, and at around their shins their legs open up into four bony tentacles each that they can walk on as claws, birdlike, and which can extend similar webbing as their hands to better swim through the water. Although they are only consciously able to use their innate shapeshifting to change the color and texture of their skin, they are saturated with the magics of the changing seas and can resist externally originated transformations with ease. Their language uses these abilities to convey nuance, and they are skilled at camouflage or disguise. Wilmians by Bailey Matutine

You are a Wilmian Armsman on a quest to uncover the secrets of the past. You met Captain Smythe three weeks ago, when she was putting this expedition together. She plans to sail her ship, the Gentle Hand, up the river from the port fortress of Verdanlamp to investigate one of the ancient battlefields, where she believes a cache of tomes may have escaped the various purges of arcane knowledge. Her hope is that something in those pages may provide the abjurists and necromancers who defend Verdanlamp a much needed edge in their never-ending battle against the creatures from the seas. Your role, as a student of the past, is to use your knowledge to help turn up clues that may show where the cache was buried.

In addition to the various crew necessary to the operation of the Gentle Hand, you are joined by a Weaverling Librarian fleeing an unfortunate childhood, a Big Human Shapehunter hired on as a guard, and a Small Human Speerscildan who signed on to find her fortune.

Before you leave, you make sure to:

[X][TRAIT] Find a replacement for your duties as a guard at the spellwell, where copies of all spells known to your village are carved.
[X][TRAIT] Inform the new creche mother that unfortunately you can not serve as her creche guardian.
[X][TRAIT] Say goodbye to your crechemates, who just returned from a salvage patrol, and accept their care package.
[X][TRAIT] Show the new caretaker of the village storeroom how to maintain the books in the air room.

[X][EXPOSURE] Practice with your waveblade.
[X][EXPOSURE] Practice with your khopesh.
[X][EXPOSURE] Practice with your falcata.
[X][EXPOSURE] Practice with your flambard.

[X][GEAR] Pack up your various outfits.
[X][GEAR] Pack up your stash of alchemical items.
[X][GEAR] Pack up your camping supplies.
[X][GEAR] Pack up your writing supplies.