Turn 1 Results: January and February 10100
The dice were interesting. Voting will close in 12 hours, let me know if the accents are too much, or if you have any lore questions that Cassandra would know.
Diagnose Halftown Artifacts: 24 + 16 (Cassandra) = 40. Success.
With all the time Cassandra spent hanging around Halftown, it was easy enough to justify this operation- Her ship needed funds to operate, and it wouldn't be too hard to document these artifacts. It would even be a good deed, helping those who might never get the opportunity to analyze their family's heirloom in a big city. And if this would also get Cassandra close to the townsfolk, and learn of new artifacts for purchase- Well, that was just a nice benefit.
With a sign posted on the town common and the friendlier members of the Devious Sisterhood acting as hawkers, word spread quickly of her business. People came to Halftown all the time, but very few stayed long enough to offer these kinds of services.
On the first day, no one showed up. Cassandra simply sat on her stool atop the deck and read until sundown. A disappointing turnout, but unsurprising. The next day, she was shaken out of her journal with a gruff shout on the docks.
"Hey, I heard youse were figuring out how our artifacts work?" A slovenly figure asked, stepping up to the gangplank. He continued, not even pausing for a response, with a quick "I've got a really doozy here, and I think it is worth the gems to figure out."
As it turned out, Franco was a quite lovely man- The solitary grave keeper, he kept a dusty collection of relics taken from the estates of deceased residents. Most were simple knicknacks, but one unobtrusive stick turned out to be far more-
New known artifact, Sizzling Rod: This artifact grows extremely hot at one end, enough to melt thin metal. It is too fragile to use as a weapon more than once, but it would be a fantastic welder.
Franco was delighted at his good fortunes, and left promising to spread the word to other townsfolk. The day after that, six people showed up looking for Cassandra's help. A little bit harder, she had to space out the work between multiple days, and as the months continued many more orders flowed in. Franco even showed up again, another bundle of estate surplus to be cataloged. Much to her surprise, the quantity was almost too much for her to handle! While some artifacts were too obscure to be understood, the good Doctor managed to do an efficient job analyzing the rest. With the satisfaction of money in her pocket, she also made sure to write down any artifacts with potential.
New known artifact, The Pronged Shocker: This artifact is a spear, ideal for water combat- Upon hitting a victim, it will let out a nonlethal shock.
New known artifact, Exuberant Mourner: An ashen dress, the fabric is so frayed that it would be scandalous anywhere in the south. It provides the wearer with supernatural charisma, as well as an additional effect you could not quite pin down.
New known artifact, The Box: You were not able to figure out what is going on with the box, but it is unlike the others that left you stumped- You can't quite take your mind off it, and you know that there is a worthy prize if you can get inside.
10 Funds gained.
Train with the Devious Sisterhood: 1 + 10 (Cassandra) = 11. Critical Failure. DC revealed: 30.
While the air was frigid and clouds hung perpetually overhead, Cassandra knew she had to begin training- It was not wise to neglect self defense. Technically, there were written regiments found within manuals that she could use for instruction, but it was usually best to train with those who had experience in such matters.
As a result, she made her way onto the deck during one of the sisterhood's training mornings. They didn't really believe in proper organization, but they had all apparently agreed that coordination and fitness were important.
"Ah, Doc Charity!" Vallie was the first to notice Cassandra's arrival, springing up from her stretches to usher the woman closer. "Finally getting out of that musty cabin?"
With a slight frown, Cassandra opened her mouth, only for a new voice to enter the fray-
"Finally. Doctor, you are still too weak." Passively regarding the academic in front of her, Delma shook her head. "I will teach you. Only when you can run for more than thirty minutes."
With a wry expression, Cassandra turned to face the others, complaining "And do any of you have something to say about this?"
Sitting in the corner were Somers and Taylor, the two lifting weights and whispering animatedly. "Naht a wurd mahm," Somers quipped, "We figuh that you won't need ta hear this, you gaht it!"
With one last look at their smiling faces, Cassandra turned back to Vallie. "Well, I've got to start somewhere. What stretches should I do?"
As the season passed, Cassandra grew more comfortable in her abilities. Not every member of the sisterhood was there every time, and she noticed that Anastasia only bothered to show up every few weeks, but it wasn't anything too bad. At least, until Vallie moved on to punishing endurance tests.
One day, as Cassandra sprinted across the deck, her foot hit a patch of black ice. Normally, it would be recoverable, but she was exhausted and her ankle buckled, sending her sliding across the deck.
At first, this sight drew a few laughs from the crew, until they saw the odd angle of the limb and the expression on her face.
"Doctor Charity, can you feel your foot"-"Doc, what happened!?"-"Dahk, are you ok?"-"Captain, stop moving"
With a pained grin, Cassandra said, "Everything is fine ladies, just a simple fall. See"- With a stumble, she attempted to stand up and nearly fell back down. She quickly waves them off, hobbling towards her collection of bandages, only to be stopped by Anastasia who had come to investigate the noise.
"Looks like you're still pretty weak Doctor", she teased, before she got a wolfish look in her eyes- "You aren't too old to live this swashbuckling life, right?"
With a burning self of indignity, you counter. "Of course not…"
[ ] "I'm only 23! I'm probably younger than a lot of you!"
[ ] "I'm only 26! I'm around the same age as all of you!"
[ ] "I'm only 30! I might be a little older than most of you, but it's not that bad!"
[ ] "I'm only 35! And before you say anything stupid, that isn't old!"
You have a Minor Injury: -5 to martial checks, and are unable to take the martial training action next turn.
Explore the Algae Flats: 92 + 30 (Devious Sisterhood) = 122. Critical Success.
The Algae Flats were a dangerous section of sandbars, sugary seafoam, and shallows- But most importantly, it was home to algae. The little plants loved the excess sugar in the water, and this area was a prime breeding ground. The dense 'foliage' of this area completely covered the water, making everywhere look the same and causing ships to go aground regularly. That combined with the soupy fog that the algae gave off meant that the main ship had to remain behind on this expedition.
The Devious Sisterhood embarked on several expeditions, usually not staying overnight- It was a lot safer to simply return to the boat and move to a different section of coastline, since the fog would hamper their lookouts.
As the seasons passed, the sisterhood found a few interesting things; A warchest with a hidden bottom that had not already been looted, a Homarid den that they obliterated without any injuries, and several mutant squatters that attempted to bar their travel.
8 Funds gained.
However, none of those would be the real treasure of this journey. A few days before Frog Day, an extra day that takes years to land after each jump, Delma stumbled across a strange obtrusion in the green mush. Squarish and solid, it appears to have shifted to the surface somewhat recently, because a family of Turtlebacks had moved inside. One vicious combat later, and the Devious Sisterhood found themselves in a quite unusual structure.
The main body of the vessel appeared to be deep below, and an intact map on the wall showed it as a multipronged shape, like a wagon wheel without a rim- Clearly, some had broken off to get it to the current state.
The structure seems to have been used to carry cargo, but the sisterhood did not venture too far before they came back for your professional opinion- While the central hallway was easy to navigate, it was protected by tough mechanical guards. And much to the warriors' dismay, the side passages were all locked by some mysterious mechanism. Before they left the structure, they cut off one of these locks from an exterior ruined door to bring back and analyze.
New Artifact, Broken Sealing Lock: This lock is used in the Spoked Vessel, and is extremely durable.
New Archeology Site Unlocked: The Spoked Vessel. New actions unlocked.
