... Listen. If we manage to get her in. She gets the basic equipment and maybe a salary.
At the very least trying to get her some armor to protect her was the goal here. Maybe having her be some kind of company mascot?
I was mostly worried about her because she's just flesh and blood and figured they might humor us and get a set of size 200 armor.
She's also probably going to be coming on most of our not super dangerous bounties anyways so.. She is basically another party member.
Besides that from the way you described her after Irene did the scan, even if she's not sapient... Well she still does have feelings, even if she can't have higher though no reason to mistreat the poor girl.
Asking for armor would be more successful than asking for her to actually join. Though even then armor for a creature her size is expensive. The Steel Company is probably going to ask for your to gather materials and maybe something in return.
Asking for armor would be more successful than asking for her to actually join. Though even then armor for a creature her size is expensive. The Steel Company is probably going to ask for your to gather materials and maybe something in return.
Seems like a fair trade. Especially because that's probably at least a dozen gold worth of armor if not closer to the price of a copper tier piece of gear.
Wether it's having to do more Gren missions or a special bounty. Not 100% sure how we'd go about gathering the materials though. (... Well I guess there is Irene's base but that's cheating. Don't forget to tell us when that's done by the way.)
Being able to get Crimson as a well defended front liner is in my eyes worth it.
[X] Plan: Can a puppy be an adventurer? (And collect a salary)
-[X] Train a skill (Marissa) (Do this before bounties!)
--[X] Beast Taming
-[X] Tell Everson you have a massive fluffy girl a friend who fits the criteria of the Steel Company and might want to join up. Slowly hint that they may infact be a 3 ton murder machine (Marissa)
-[X] Train Faster (Irene Only) (X2)
--[X] SPEED
-[X] Take a Job (X2) (Both)
--[X] Pair of common Skulkers
---[X] Pair of common thatchers
Marissa plays with Crimson. Well she calls it training, but there isn't very much difference. She trains Crimson in how to deal with different monsters and how to react to different commands that Marissa calls out. They are simple things that Marissa can easily bark out in the heat of battle. Things like Attack!, Defend!, Fall Back!, Go There!
Crimson picks it all up very quickly. She's a smart wolf and while she doesn't understand language she knows what Marissa wants her to do. Soon the two are working together like a well oiled machine and Marissa is thinking about taking Crimson on a proper bounty.
That's when she gets the notification. A box pops up in the air before her to inform her that she has unlocked the Pet system and bonded her first pet. A level 25 Common Dire Wolf. She can even look at Crimson's stats though the first thing she does is rename the panel from "Common Dire Wolf" to "Crimson".
It seems that the system agrees with her. Crimson is ready.
Beast Taming: (Ordinary) You know the basics of how to train monstrous creatures and how to best command them in battle. You can gauge the power of friendly monsters in order to better understand their strengths and how to use them in battle. Monsters that you've trained will listen to your battles in the heat of combat.
Making her way back into the city Marissa spends some time thinking about whether or not to take Crimson with her. Eventually she decides an in person visit will have more impact and so threads the streets towards the Steel Company headquarters with Crimson trailing behind.
Marissa tries to be quick and deft in order to not cause too much trouble. But even to the jaded residents of the Caravanserai a three ton fluffy killing machine isn't something they see every day. Marissa is stopped several times and has to explain to the guards that no Crimson isn't a threat.
It takes much longer than usual, but eventually she reaches the Steel Company. There she goes straight to Lieutenant Everson who catches sight of Crimson and whistles, "Whew boy I haven't seen a Dire Wolf like that in ages." She seems to have already gathered what Marissa is up to, "Planning to go Beast Master huh. Well I can update your records. Make sure no one goes after your friend here."
Marissa nods, "Well that, and I was hoping to get some armor for her. You know Steel Company standard issue."
Everson laughs, "I'm afraid standard issue is made for recruits not wolves. Nothing we've got is going to fit her. But you've been doing good work so I'll put in a word with the armorers."
Marissa follows Lieutenant Everson to the Steel Company forges, some place she's never been before. It's hot and lit by red glowing furnaces as much as the ever present braziers. Everson introduces her to the grizzled old dwarf who runs the place and after some haggling and grumbling he agrees to make armor for Crimson as long as Marissa brings in the necessary materials.
New Action: Hunt Salamanders 0/4
The Steel Company armorers will need a lot of leather to produce armor from Crimson. And the best place to get it will be from the salamanders in the mountain vents. It's not the best leather around, but it will do the job.
New Action: Get Armor made for Crimson (Locked until Salamanders Done)
The Steel Company is willing to make armor for a dire wolf, and they'll do it at cost. But even so it won't be cheap. Not only will Marissa need to provide the necessary leather, but she'll have to pay for the various metal fitting needed as well as the armorer's time.
Cost: 2 Gold
Meanwhile Irene is going through the Steel Company. She allows herself to get faster and faster. Incrementally improving her time on each run as if she was becoming more and more skilled and her body adapting like the regular recruits do. To be more believable she would have occasionally had a bad day, but Irene's getting a little tired of holding back.
So instead she simply never has a bad day. Every run through the track is faster than before. Soon she's easily passing the other recruits and the training sergeant comments that if she keeps this up she'll be a corporal before she knows it. Speed - Bone Blue (Rank 6) -> Bone Violet (Rank 7 3/7)
The party groups up in the latter half of the month this time and heads out to hunt. Yolko and Eberth already knew about Crimson, but this is their first time seeing her in a while and they are clearly surprised. Yolko gasps and takes a step back looking like she wants to hide behind something. Eberth's reaction is more muted, but his eyes widen and its a few moments before he grunts and says, "She's a beautiful wolf. May I pet her."
After Marissa agrees Yolko works up her nerve to ask as well, and soon enough the party is giving Crimson a good scratch. Then they head out for their job. And frankly it's not a challenge. Between Crimson sniffing out their prey and Marissa charging straight through everything in her path, nothing the party faces gives them any sort of danger. Eberth doesn't have to do much and even Yolko and Irene just barely get shots in before Marissa has sliced the skulkers and thatchers apart.
However despite the ease of the battles Marissa looks more and more concerned and one night she approaches Irene privately. "Hey I think something's up with the system. It's not giving me any xp for killing these monsters. Says they're too low level."
"Hmm," Irene considers, "They are getting easier, but I would have expected the XP to get less not stop entirely. The fact that it didn't is concerning. It implies that the system can make decisions. It's more complicated than I thought."
The two women sit together in silence for a while before Marissa laughs,"Well at least we won't have to worry about me getting too strong anymore."
Irene smiles,"True, that's something at least."
Of course that doesn't answer all the new questions they have, but for now there isn't much they can do but wait and see.
Bounties Changed:
Stone bounties will now be completed automatically, but will no longer reward experience.
Actions
Marissa and Irene can each take four actions each turn. Each turn is a month and each action represents about a week's worth of effort, though that time might be interspersed throughout the month. Marissa will spend one action every turn taking care of the puppy until it's grown.
The Steel Company expects them to take on at least two actions worth of jobs each month. Though they can work together. In exchange the Steel Company will provide a monthly salary of 10 silver to each of them.
DCs: For now all DCs are at the Bone level. Which means Marissa will auto pass any defense checks.
Other Actions: If you want to do something that isn't listed I'd be happy to add an action for it. There's no way I've thought of everything possible.
Survival
Shelter
[ ] Camp in the Woods
Marissa and Irene have been roughing it in the obsidian wastes for over a month now. By comparison the side of the mountain is almost idyllic. Still not exactly comfortable though.
Cost: Free
Shelter: Uncomfortable
Danger: Low
[ ] Find an abandoned Shack
The Caravanserai layer is a bustling place full of merchants and foreigners. There are lots of buildings that get built in one year and abandoned the next when their residents leave or go out of business. Marissa and Irene can take one over. Unfortunately the good spots already have residents.
Cost: Free
Shelter: Adequate
Danger: Medium
[ ] Rent a Room (Default)
For similar reasons renting cheap rooms to travelers is a good business in the Caravanserai. There are plenty of places that can rent out small rooms for low prices. They aren't very nice rooms, but the main benefit is not needing to worry about someone stealing your stuff while you're sleeping.
Cost: 1 Silver
Shelter: Decent
Danger: Low
[ ] Rent a Nice Room
There are plenty of merchants who want somewhere actually decent to stay, and plenty of inn keepers willing to accommodate them. It won't be cheap, but if Marissa and Irene can put together the money they could have somewhere nice to stay.
Cost: 1 Gold
Shelter: Good
Danger: None
Bonus: Includes Decent Meals
Food
[ ] Cook Monster Meat
They did it in the obsidian wastes. They can do it again. Marissa and Irene will live off the meat of the monsters they hunt. Marissa will not be happy.
[ ] Buy Spices and Fruits
If nothing else Marissa wants to augment their meals with some nice things. Bread and some spices at least. Maybe some fruits and vegetables. Eating monster meat all the time can't be healthy after all. This will cost a bit of money, but get the food quality up to acceptable levels.
Cost: 2 Silver
Food Quality: Adequate
[ ] Meals (Default)
There are plenty of people selling actual meals in the Caravanserai. It's more expensive than subsisting on monster meat, but Marissa will breathe a sigh of relief.
Cost: 10 Silver
Food Quality: Decent
Recovery
[ ] Rest
Sometimes things go wrong and people get hurt. There isn't much recourse for this in the caravanserai shanty towns. The priests of Seok at least help with the worst of it, but they won't or can't heal anything beyond that. There are medicines on the market, but they're well outside the duo's price range at the moment. So all that can be done is to keep injuries clean, rest, and let bodies heal themselves.
-[ ] Wounded - Takes 3 Actions to fully recover
-[ ] Injured - Takes 1 Action to fully recover
Adventuring
[ ] Hunt Monsters (Strength vs 12, Defense vs 12)
The local monsters aren't terribly strong. At least not outside the mountain. Caravan guards, the local garrison, and higher level adventurers deal with anything too dangerous. Still there are plenty of monsters that just aren't worth their time. These monsters are too weak to threaten anything major, but they're just right for a pair of new adventurers to practice their skills on. And in a pinch eat.
Gives: XP based on Strength Successes
[ ] Travel to the Pale Woods (Stone: Strength vs 12, Stone: Defense vs 12)
The Pale Woods is far enough out of the way that it'll be more than a day trip to get there. Marissa will have to travel for several days and camp out once she arrives. Once there she'll scout around for some of the local monsters to kill. She's heard they're a lot tougher than the salamanders so she'll have to be careful.
Irene refuses to let Marissa do this alone. She will go as well to help find weaker monsters and fight stronger ones. As such this will cost an action from both of them.
Gives: XP based on Strength Successes
Knowledge
[ ] Train a Skill
- [ ] Write In
Marissa and Irene both have things they are good at and things they need to work on. They can set some time aside to work on their skills.
Increases Skill Proficiency one level up to Ordinary
[ ] Learn more about a specific Organization (Perception vs 14)
-[ ] Target Organization: Write In
With increasing proficiency in the language it might be possible to gather more information about a specific organization.
[ ] Look into something (Perception vs 12)
-[ ] Write In
Check something out in more detail.
The Caravanserai
[ ] Do some Scribe Work (Intelligence vs 12, Intelligence Pay vs 8)
It would be possible to do some scribe work reading and writing letters for people who can't on their own. With some work this could even provide a steady business. Unfortunately Irene can't read and write the local languages at the moment. And Marissa isn't really suited for this kind of work.
Requires: Language Proficiency (Ordinary)
Pay: 1 Silver + Intelligence Successes
[ ] Do Some Accounting (Intelligence vs 14, Intelligence Pay vs 10)
If people who can read are in demand, then people who can read and do reliable math are even more so. The businesses and merchants will pay well for someone to handle this. However it will require a substantial level of trust first.
[ ] Go to the Market
-[ ] (Optional) What are you looking for?
This is the Caravanserai. There are thousands of things being bought and sold all the time. It's quite possible that Marissa and Irene could find things to make their lives easier here.
[ ] Have something made
-[ ] Write In
This is literally the kingdom of dwarves. You can get practically anything made here from pottery to crossbows to masterwork swords. Still you probably aren't going to find the best craftsmanship up here in the Caravanserai. You need to go deeper to find the better smiths. Of course those would be more expensive.
Relationships
[ ] Throw Marissa a birthday party
Costs 10 silver for party supplies. Will massively improve Marissa's morale. Synergizes with Give Marissa her gift.
[ ] Give Marissa her gift
Irene has been hauling around a present for Marissa for a while now. It's sure to raise her mood when Irene finally gives it to her.
(Locked: Until you have an Adequate place to stay. And it will have better results with increased quality of shelter.)
[ ] Deal with the Knives
Apparently the Knives haven't forgotten that several of their members were killed by Marissa and Irene. The threat of their retribution is ever present, and it might be a good idea to deal with them. Unfortunately while Irene has learned about them in general neither of them has much direct experience with who the actual local gangs are. So the first step is to deal with them.
The Steel Company
Current Rank: Privates
Salary: 20 Silver/ Month
[ ] Take a Job
The Steel Company is an institution founded on combating the local monsters and it expects all of its members to do their part. The senior officers will assign Marissa and Irene, and any other party members, a target which they are expected to take down within the month.
Gren, Twoff, and Verdun normally have their own bounties. But if your two parties combine you can take on missions that the Steel Company normally reserves for corporals or even sergeants.
This will be a DC 14 bounty that takes 2 actions and pays out 2 Gold on success.
[ ] Use the Training Facilities
-[ ] Attribute
The Steel Company has extensive training facilities to help with all manner of different kinds of self improvement. Members are encouraged to use them extensively as the Steel Company's main goal is to train a force of powerful warriors.
Applies 1 EP towards training the chosen attribute.
Costs per rank
Bone: 1 EP
Stone: 7 EP
Copper: 56 EP
-[ ] Train Faster (Irene Only)
Irene isn't really improving herself. She's simply putting in the work so it's not suspicious when she uses a larger portion of her full capabilities. She can increase this rate beyond what is normal for the other rookies.
Applies 2 EP towards training the chosen attribute.
Marks Irene as a Prodigy if she continues doing it.
-[ ] Train Even Faster (Irene Only)
There's no real limit to how fast Irene can "improve." But if she learns this fast it's going to draw actual suspicion since it takes something beyond just being naturally talented to learn this fast.
Applies 4 EP towards training the chosen attribute.
30% chance of increasing Black Cloak Suspicion
[ ] Socialize with other members
The senior officers want everyone to remember that they are part of the steel company as a group and not just lone warriors. As such they encourage members to socialize and eventually form long term adventuring parties.
[ ] Form a party
Marissa and Irene can group up with other members of the Steel Company to take on more difficult bounties. However doing so will also result in the senior officers expecting more out of the expanded party.
-[ ] Twoff (Priest)
-[ ] Verdur (Barbarian)
[ ] Visit the Armory
The Steel Company Quartermasters are willing to provide some basic gear to members based on their rank in order to accomplish their bounties. They are also willing to provide additional equipment for a reasonable fee.
[ ] Hunt Salamanders 0/4
The Steel Company armorers will need a lot of leather to produce armor from Crimson. And the best place to get it will be from the salamanders in the mountain vents. It's not the best leather around, but it will do the job.
[ ] Get Armor made for Crimson (Locked until Salamanders Done)
The Steel Company is willing to make armor for a dire wolf, and they'll do it at cost. But even so it won't be cheap. Not only will Marissa need to provide the necessary leather, but she'll have to pay for the various metal fitting needed as well as the armorer's time.
[ ] Submit Scout Report
The Steel Company needs to keep updated on the various goings on around the mountain. What monsters are where. If anything especially dangerous has spawned and so on. They are willing to pay a fee for scout reports based on the danger of the encountered monsters.
[ ] Post Bounty
One of the perks of being part of the Steel Company is the ability to post bounties of your own for things that the Steel Company might not otherwise bother with. This does require a small fee, but less than someone outside the company hiring them for a job would.
Just for reference Marissa is level 28. She's only 3 levels ahead of Crimson and Arcane said their builds are similar, we have basically added another Marissa to the party through just feeding a random direwolf puppy and that's terrifying. Either Irene's special food is good or the world just got a lot more terrifying...
Eitherway, time to get all three of the girls to run the track and hit that stone speed... Time to learn if a direwolf can get EP
[X] Plan: Speeeeeeed
-[X] Use the training facilities X2 (Marissa)
--[X] Speeeeeeed
---[X] See if Crimson can join you and get EP
-[X] Train Faster (Irene Only) (X2)
--[X] SPEED
-[X] Take a Job (Both)
--[X] Group of Common Thatchers
I feel bad for these poor birds.
Also just a note, haven't forgotten about Yolko... That's just... Kind of a wall we've run into with helping her.
[X] Plan: Speeeeeeed
As a wise man once said; "Gotta go fast!"
As for the second Marissa we just added to the team, the best way to make her more terrifying is by pulling a Dark Soul's and giving the doggo a sword. What could go wrong?
Scheduled vote count started by Arcanestomper on Jan 1, 2024 at 12:03 AM, finished with 3 posts and 3 votes.
[X] Plan: Speeeeeeed
-[X] Use the training facilities X2 (Marissa)
--[X] Speeeeeeed
---[X] See if Crimson can join you and get EP
-[X] Train Faster (Irene Only) (X2)
--[X] SPEED
-[X] Take a Job (Both)
--[X] Group of Common Thatchers
[X] Plan: Speeeeeeed
-[X] Use the training facilities X2 (Marissa)
--[X] Speeeeeeed
---[X] See if Crimson can join you and get EP
-[X] Train Faster (Irene Only) (X2)
--[X] SPEED
-[X] Take a Job (Both)
--[X] Group of Common Thatchers
The name of the game this month is speed. Speed training for Marissa. Speed training for Irene. And even speed training for Crimson. Or at least that's what Marissa was hoping for. However it immediately becomes clear that the training ground is too small for Crimson. Not that she dwarfs it or anything, but the equipment and obstacles are meant for humanoids not quadrupedal wolves. She can't make it over the obstacles or deal with the targets. And there isn't enough open space for her to really let loose and run.
Or at least not currently. Marissa has a few inklings on how she could train Crimson to deal with these issues, but they are just wisps of ideas as yet. She'll need to gain more experience with what Crimson can and can't do to put them into practice.
So for now Crimson simply watches from the sidelines as Marissa and Irene race each other through the courses. Despite Marissa's massive system boosts from leveling she hasn't been putting much focus into her speed. And so the two are fairly evenly matched as they dodge swinging mallets and vault over pits.
Neither one makes a significant breakthrough during the training, and so by the end of the month they are tied. 20 races won each, most of them by just a hands width of distance.
Marissa Speed - Bone Violet (Rank 7 4/7) -> Bone Violet (Rank 7 6/7)
Irene Speed - Bone Violet (Rank 7 3/7) -> Stone Red (Rank 1)
Afterwards the party goes out to hunt. This time they decide to hunt a nest of copper thatchers. A fairly powerful group that's been keeping an entire stretch of forest off limits to civilians, or even lesser steel company recruits. The party wouldn't even be allowed to take the bounty if not for Marissa's level.
And perhaps that would have been for the best because the fighting is brutal. These thatchers are nothing like the ones the party dealt with before. They're huge specimens with sleek feathers and bulging muscles. Even the lesser members of the nest have brilliant purple plumage and their leader has feathers that are so dark they seem to drink in the light.
When the party attacks the thatchers fight back, and as it turns out a copper rank monster can in fact hurt a copper rank adventurer. Whether Marissa was a bit too over confident or the thatchers a bit too quick the result is the same as their leader tears past her shield and lacerates her chest.
Fortunately after taking the wound Marissa switches to a more defensive style and is able to keep the thatchers from reaching anyone else, since they would not doubt seriously injure Eberth and downright eviscerate Yolko or Irene.
After the fighting is done Marissa grumbles a bit about monsters being too strong while Irene carefully bandages her up.
There is some good news however. Irene gets a transmission from the construction manifold. It found a vein of minerals that allowed it to accelerate its progress. The base is now complete, and its scanners are studying the anomalous energy source beneath the ruined castle. Of course the base is not intelligent itself. All it can do is collate information for Irene to review. But she now has a base of operations hidden away from everything where she can research vitae.
New Action: [ ] Research Vitae
Irene will spend some time at the Castle Base reviewing the sensor readings and attempting to understand what exactly Vitae is and how to use it.
Actions
Marissa and Irene can each take four actions each turn. Each turn is a month and each action represents about a week's worth of effort, though that time might be interspersed throughout the month.
The Steel Company expects them to take on at least two actions worth of jobs each month. Though they can work together. In exchange the Steel Company will provide a monthly salary of 10 silver to each of them.
DCs: For now all DCs are at the Bone level. Which means Marissa will auto pass any defense checks.
Other Actions: If you want to do something that isn't listed I'd be happy to add an action for it. There's no way I've thought of everything possible.
Survival
Shelter
[ ] Camp in the Woods
Marissa and Irene have been roughing it in the obsidian wastes for over a month now. By comparison the side of the mountain is almost idyllic. Still not exactly comfortable though.
Cost: Free
Shelter: Uncomfortable
Danger: Low
[ ] Find an abandoned Shack
The Caravanserai layer is a bustling place full of merchants and foreigners. There are lots of buildings that get built in one year and abandoned the next when their residents leave or go out of business. Marissa and Irene can take one over. Unfortunately the good spots already have residents.
Cost: Free
Shelter: Adequate
Danger: Medium
[ ] Rent a Room (Default)
For similar reasons renting cheap rooms to travelers is a good business in the Caravanserai. There are plenty of places that can rent out small rooms for low prices. They aren't very nice rooms, but the main benefit is not needing to worry about someone stealing your stuff while you're sleeping.
Cost: 1 Silver
Shelter: Decent
Danger: Low
[ ] Rent a Nice Room
There are plenty of merchants who want somewhere actually decent to stay, and plenty of inn keepers willing to accommodate them. It won't be cheap, but if Marissa and Irene can put together the money they could have somewhere nice to stay.
Cost: 1 Gold
Shelter: Good
Danger: None
Bonus: Includes Decent Meals
Food
[ ] Cook Monster Meat
They did it in the obsidian wastes. They can do it again. Marissa and Irene will live off the meat of the monsters they hunt. Marissa will not be happy.
[ ] Buy Spices and Fruits
If nothing else Marissa wants to augment their meals with some nice things. Bread and some spices at least. Maybe some fruits and vegetables. Eating monster meat all the time can't be healthy after all. This will cost a bit of money, but get the food quality up to acceptable levels.
Cost: 2 Silver
Food Quality: Adequate
[ ] Meals (Default)
There are plenty of people selling actual meals in the Caravanserai. It's more expensive than subsisting on monster meat, but Marissa will breathe a sigh of relief.
Cost: 10 Silver
Food Quality: Decent
Recovery
[ ] Rest
Sometimes things go wrong and people get hurt. There isn't much recourse for this in the caravanserai shanty towns. The priests of Seok at least help with the worst of it, but they won't or can't heal anything beyond that. There are medicines on the market, but they're well outside the duo's price range at the moment. So all that can be done is to keep injuries clean, rest, and let bodies heal themselves.
-[ ] Wounded - Takes 3 Actions to fully recover
-[ ] Injured - Takes 1 Action to fully recover
Adventuring
[ ] Hunt Monsters (Strength vs 12, Defense vs 12)
The local monsters aren't terribly strong. At least not outside the mountain. Caravan guards, the local garrison, and higher level adventurers deal with anything too dangerous. Still there are plenty of monsters that just aren't worth their time. These monsters are too weak to threaten anything major, but they're just right for a pair of new adventurers to practice their skills on. And in a pinch eat.
Gives: XP based on Strength Successes
[ ] Travel to the Pale Woods (Stone: Strength vs 12, Stone: Defense vs 12)
The Pale Woods is far enough out of the way that it'll be more than a day trip to get there. Marissa will have to travel for several days and camp out once she arrives. Once there she'll scout around for some of the local monsters to kill. She's heard they're a lot tougher than the salamanders so she'll have to be careful.
Irene refuses to let Marissa do this alone. She will go as well to help find weaker monsters and fight stronger ones. As such this will cost an action from both of them.
Gives: XP based on Strength Successes
Knowledge
[ ] Train a Skill
- [ ] Write In
Marissa and Irene both have things they are good at and things they need to work on. They can set some time aside to work on their skills.
Increases Skill Proficiency one level up to Ordinary
[ ] Learn more about a specific Organization (Perception vs 14)
-[ ] Target Organization: Write In
With increasing proficiency in the language it might be possible to gather more information about a specific organization.
[ ] Look into something (Perception vs 12)
-[ ] Write In
Check something out in more detail.
The Caravanserai
[ ] Do some Scribe Work (Intelligence vs 12, Intelligence Pay vs 8)
It would be possible to do some scribe work reading and writing letters for people who can't on their own. With some work this could even provide a steady business. Unfortunately Irene can't read and write the local languages at the moment. And Marissa isn't really suited for this kind of work.
Requires: Language Proficiency (Ordinary)
Pay: 1 Silver + Intelligence Successes
[ ] Do Some Accounting (Intelligence vs 14, Intelligence Pay vs 10)
If people who can read are in demand, then people who can read and do reliable math are even more so. The businesses and merchants will pay well for someone to handle this. However it will require a substantial level of trust first.
[ ] Go to the Market
-[ ] (Optional) What are you looking for?
This is the Caravanserai. There are thousands of things being bought and sold all the time. It's quite possible that Marissa and Irene could find things to make their lives easier here.
[ ] Have something made
-[ ] Write In
This is literally the kingdom of dwarves. You can get practically anything made here from pottery to crossbows to masterwork swords. Still you probably aren't going to find the best craftsmanship up here in the Caravanserai. You need to go deeper to find the better smiths. Of course those would be more expensive.
Relationships
[ ] Throw Marissa a birthday party
Costs 10 silver for party supplies. Will massively improve Marissa's morale. Synergizes with Give Marissa her gift.
[ ] Give Marissa her gift
Irene has been hauling around a present for Marissa for a while now. It's sure to raise her mood when Irene finally gives it to her.
(Locked: Until you have an Adequate place to stay. And it will have better results with increased quality of shelter.)
[ ] Deal with the Knives
Apparently the Knives haven't forgotten that several of their members were killed by Marissa and Irene. The threat of their retribution is ever present, and it might be a good idea to deal with them. Unfortunately while Irene has learned about them in general neither of them has much direct experience with who the actual local gangs are. So the first step is to deal with them.
The Steel Company
Current Rank: Privates
Salary: 20 Silver/ Month
[ ] Take a Job
The Steel Company is an institution founded on combating the local monsters and it expects all of its members to do their part. The senior officers will assign Marissa and Irene, and any other party members, a target which they are expected to take down within the month.
Gren, Twoff, and Verdun normally have their own bounties. But if your two parties combine you can take on missions that the Steel Company normally reserves for corporals or even sergeants.
This will be a DC 14 bounty that takes 2 actions and pays out 2 Gold on success.
[ ] Use the Training Facilities
-[ ] Attribute
The Steel Company has extensive training facilities to help with all manner of different kinds of self improvement. Members are encouraged to use them extensively as the Steel Company's main goal is to train a force of powerful warriors.
Applies 1 EP towards training the chosen attribute.
Costs per rank
Bone: 1 EP
Stone: 7 EP
Copper: 56 EP
-[ ] Train Faster (Irene Only)
Irene isn't really improving herself. She's simply putting in the work so it's not suspicious when she uses a larger portion of her full capabilities. She can increase this rate beyond what is normal for the other rookies.
Applies 2 EP towards training the chosen attribute.
Marks Irene as a Prodigy if she continues doing it.
-[ ] Train Even Faster (Irene Only)
There's no real limit to how fast Irene can "improve." But if she learns this fast it's going to draw actual suspicion since it takes something beyond just being naturally talented to learn this fast.
Applies 4 EP towards training the chosen attribute.
30% chance of increasing Black Cloak Suspicion
[ ] Socialize with other members
The senior officers want everyone to remember that they are part of the steel company as a group and not just lone warriors. As such they encourage members to socialize and eventually form long term adventuring parties.
[ ] Form a party
Marissa and Irene can group up with other members of the Steel Company to take on more difficult bounties. However doing so will also result in the senior officers expecting more out of the expanded party.
-[ ] Twoff (Priest)
-[ ] Verdur (Barbarian)
[ ] Visit the Armory
The Steel Company Quartermasters are willing to provide some basic gear to members based on their rank in order to accomplish their bounties. They are also willing to provide additional equipment for a reasonable fee.
[ ] Hunt Salamanders 0/4
The Steel Company armorers will need a lot of leather to produce armor from Crimson. And the best place to get it will be from the salamanders in the mountain vents. It's not the best leather around, but it will do the job.
[ ] Get Armor made for Crimson (Locked until Salamanders Done)
The Steel Company is willing to make armor for a dire wolf, and they'll do it at cost. But even so it won't be cheap. Not only will Marissa need to provide the necessary leather, but she'll have to pay for the various metal fitting needed as well as the armorer's time.
[ ] Submit Scout Report
The Steel Company needs to keep updated on the various goings on around the mountain. What monsters are where. If anything especially dangerous has spawned and so on. They are willing to pay a fee for scout reports based on the danger of the encountered monsters.
[ ] Post Bounty
One of the perks of being part of the Steel Company is the ability to post bounties of your own for things that the Steel Company might not otherwise bother with. This does require a small fee, but less than someone outside the company hiring them for a job would.
Castle Base
[ ] Research Vitae
Irene will spend some time at the Castle Base reviewing the sensor readings and attempting to understand what exactly Vitae is and how to use it.
At last!! The Vitae study! We... Honestly probably should done that a lot sooner to be honest. Well I should have... Since I've done most of the plans so far. Oops?
Thinking for this turn we mission as usual.
Marissa rests (clearly)
FINALLY levels up her speed.
Then Irene goes to research the Vitae and asks if there's some kind of test or something to get promoted.
Same to me.
I wonder how Vitae would be seen by Irene's restriction system? Will it be some sort of loophole or will it be restricted in what she can do with it as well?
[X] Plan: What IS vitae?
[X] Rest (Marissa)
-[X] Use the training facilities X1 (Marissa)
--[X] Speed
-[X] Talk to Everson about Irene and Marrisa getting promotions. And if there's anything that can be done to help Yolko. Admit you're out of ideas. Were not. But we don't want to tell her about pirating a spellbook or going all the way to the desert to learn magic. (Irene)
-[X] Research Vitae
[X] Hunt with Gren's Group (2 Actions)
[X] Level Up
-[X] Defense
CODE RED! Marissa was hurt! Time to get her up to IRON DEFENSE Yes I'm aware that's overkill. Will probably stop for now at peak copper.
[X] Plan: What IS vitae?
Hopefully, this curbs her recklessness for the time being, though we now have the problem of needing to plan for situations where they can get around the tank.
[X] Plan: What IS vitae?
Hopefully, this curbs her recklessness for the time being, though we now have the problem of needing to plan for situations where they can get around the tank.
That's what we have the backup tank and the murder floof for. Meanwhile... If we get swarmed by monsters that can both shred through Marissa AND get around her... We were fucked anyways.
On another not the QM told me the giant salamander is basically a raid boss we'd need 30 or so people to fight.. So I know what I want to do later...
[X] Rest (Marissa)
-[X] Use the training facilities X1 (Marissa)
--[X] Speed
-[X] Talk to Everson about Irene and Marrisa getting promotions. And if there's anything that can be done to help Yolko. Admit you're out of ideas. Were not. But we don't want to tell her about pirating a spellbook or going all the way to the desert to learn magic. (Irene)
-[X] Research Vitae
[X] Plan: What IS vitae?
[X] Rest (Marissa)
-[X] Use the training facilities X1 (Marissa)
--[X] Speed
-[X] Talk to Everson about Irene and Marrisa getting promotions. And if there's anything that can be done to help Yolko. Admit you're out of ideas. Were not. But we don't want to tell her about pirating a spellbook or going all the way to the desert to learn magic. (Irene)
-[X] Research Vitae
[X] Hunt with Gren's Group (2 Actions)
The Promotion
Irene talks with Lieutenant Everson about possibly getting a promotion for herself and Marissa. After a few long minutes of consideration Everson goes to the training yard to watch Marissa run through the speed course, then puts her through an extensive series of tests that push her to her limits. In fact, quite a few of the tests about magic and being able to observe her surroundings are too much for Marissa. Though of course she breezes through the strength ones.
At the end Lieutenant Everson is deep in thought, "Well honestly she needs to work on her fundamentals a bit more. But she's got enough punch that leaving her a private would be a waste. I'll put Marissa in for a promotion, but I want to see her get a bit more solid pretty quick."
"As for you, Irene, I've heard the sergeants talk about your results. You're brilliant, but too weak. And you've got no magic to make up for it. If you want to make corporal you're going to need to put on some muscle." She flexes her arm to demonstrate.
As for Yolko's predicament Lieutenant Everson recommends trying to get one of the caravan mages to spill some secrets. She doesn't think Yolko will have much luck with that, but it'll be easier than trying to access the inner city and seeking out the Dwarven wizard guild.
Speed - Bone Violet (Rank 7 6/7) -> Stone Red (Rank 1)
Marissa: Healed
Marissa Promoted: Corporal
Salary Raised: +5 Silver/Month
New Quest!
A Solid Foundation
Quest Giver:
Lt Everson
Grade:
Stone
Difficulty:
Unknown
Monsters:
None
Actions:
Unknown
Reward:
Increase all your stats to Stone.
The faster your do it the more you'll impress the lieutenant.
Vitae Goggles
The first order of business is to be able to actually sense vitae properly. Irene has been following energy readings that she believes are caused by vitae based on her scans of the Steel Company training grounds, but it's clearly some kind of secondary effect not vitae itself.
So at her new base she proceeds to do an in depth investigation. She tests various different kinds of sensors in various parts of the castle trying to see vitae itself. Dozens of prototype sensors soon become hundreds as she examines and discards idea after idea.
She is starting to wonder if there is something non physical about the process. If the natives have some kind of soul that they are using to sense vitae. But then finally one of her newest prototypes gets a sensor reading that matches what she knows of vitae. A stream of energy flowing up through the ground and dispersing into the sky.
It takes a bit more work to refine the design to something she can integrate into her own eyes, but eventually she is able to see the vitae font herself. She still can't do anything with it, but it's a good first step.
The Salamander Hunt
The party meets up with Gren's group for another dangerous bounty. This time they're after one of the ancient salamanders that lives in the vents on the eastern face of Mount Dreosaston. It's not a long climb, but it is a difficult one. Unlike the shallow western face the eastern side of the mountain is covered in steep cliffs with large expanses of obsidian that splinter and fracture into sharp fragments. They group might as well be climbing a wall of knives, and only Marissa doesn't finish the climb with cuts and abrasions.
The next step is locating the salamander. This involves searching the inside of the steam vents. A hazardous business as the adventurers need to evade gouts of superheated steam and keep their footing on slick obsidian trails. However eventually they manage to find a nest of salamanders. They look universally larger and more dangerous than the ones the group is used too, but the one the bounty calls for is on another level entirely.
It has a row of spikes running down its back and a majestic frill around its neck. Its claws are so sharp they casually cut through the stone it is lazing on, and they can see fire sputtering out of its mouth.
Nevertheless the bounty calls for its extermination so the group prepares. They wait until most of the regular salamanders have left and then Yolko and Irene hit it with icicles and crossbow bolts respectively. The salamander's eyes flash open and it erupts from its rock. In moments it's on the party's position and it's all Marissa can do to intercept it and she's driven back by an immense blow from a foreleg.
But stopping it physically isn't enough and the salamander opens its mouth unleashing a gout of fire then arcs towards the party. Yolk attempts to intercept it with an icicle, but there just isn't enough surface area and the party is hit with enough fire to set their equipment smoldering.
The party hits it with everything they have, but other than a few cuts on its scales they don't accomplish much other than to provoke another blast of fire. Then the salamander abruptly spins and swings its tail like a wrecking ball. Marissa is unprepared for the side blow and is thrown into the cave's wall. Taking advantage of this opening the salamander streaks forward to eat someone, but fortunately Eberth and Verdur are just barely able to stop it by jabbing their swords directly into its mouth.
While it shrieks and tosses its head Marissa pulls herself out of the rubble and charges back into the frey. Rather than hit it with her sword however she grabs one leg and heaves. Her muscles bunch into iron hard cords as she strains for several long moments and then the salamander is tipping upward and then through the air as Marissa tosses it over the vent's ledge.
A few moments later the party hears a massive crash and then an angry cry. Carefully looking over the edge they can see gouts of fire lighting up the darkness far below as the salamander gets its bearings. Then they hear it start to tear into the wall as it works to climb its way back up.
They aren't sure how well it can climb, but they don't stick around to find out. It's a more subdued group that makes it back to the Caravanserai gates, but on the bright side no one was hurt. Gren and Marissa agree to try and find something a little weaker next time.
Bounty Failed
Actions
Marissa and Irene can each take four actions each turn. Each turn is a month and each action represents about a week's worth of effort, though that time might be interspersed throughout the month. Marissa will spend one action every turn taking care of the puppy until it's grown.
The Steel Company expects them to take on at least two actions worth of jobs each month. Though they can work together. In exchange the Steel Company will provide a monthly salary of 10 silver to each of them.
DCs: For now all DCs are at the Bone level. Which means Marissa will auto pass any defense checks.
Other Actions: If you want to do something that isn't listed I'd be happy to add an action for it. There's no way I've thought of everything possible.
Survival
Shelter
[ ] Camp in the Woods
Marissa and Irene have been roughing it in the obsidian wastes for over a month now. By comparison the side of the mountain is almost idyllic. Still not exactly comfortable though.
Cost: Free
Shelter: Uncomfortable
Danger: Low
[ ] Find an abandoned Shack
The Caravanserai layer is a bustling place full of merchants and foreigners. There are lots of buildings that get built in one year and abandoned the next when their residents leave or go out of business. Marissa and Irene can take one over. Unfortunately the good spots already have residents.
Cost: Free
Shelter: Adequate
Danger: Medium
[ ] Rent a Room (Default)
For similar reasons renting cheap rooms to travelers is a good business in the Caravanserai. There are plenty of places that can rent out small rooms for low prices. They aren't very nice rooms, but the main benefit is not needing to worry about someone stealing your stuff while you're sleeping.
Cost: 1 Silver
Shelter: Decent
Danger: Low
[ ] Rent a Nice Room
There are plenty of merchants who want somewhere actually decent to stay, and plenty of inn keepers willing to accommodate them. It won't be cheap, but if Marissa and Irene can put together the money they could have somewhere nice to stay.
Cost: 1 Gold
Shelter: Good
Danger: None
Bonus: Includes Decent Meals
Food
[ ] Cook Monster Meat
They did it in the obsidian wastes. They can do it again. Marissa and Irene will live off the meat of the monsters they hunt. Marissa will not be happy.
[ ] Buy Spices and Fruits
If nothing else Marissa wants to augment their meals with some nice things. Bread and some spices at least. Maybe some fruits and vegetables. Eating monster meat all the time can't be healthy after all. This will cost a bit of money, but get the food quality up to acceptable levels.
Cost: 2 Silver
Food Quality: Adequate
[ ] Meals (Default)
There are plenty of people selling actual meals in the Caravanserai. It's more expensive than subsisting on monster meat, but Marissa will breathe a sigh of relief.
Cost: 10 Silver
Food Quality: Decent
Recovery
[ ] Rest
Sometimes things go wrong and people get hurt. There isn't much recourse for this in the caravanserai shanty towns. The priests of Seok at least help with the worst of it, but they won't or can't heal anything beyond that. There are medicines on the market, but they're well outside the duo's price range at the moment. So all that can be done is to keep injuries clean, rest, and let bodies heal themselves.
-[ ] Wounded - Takes 3 Actions to fully recover
-[ ] Injured - Takes 1 Action to fully recover
Adventuring
[ ] Hunt Monsters (Strength vs 12, Defense vs 12)
The local monsters aren't terribly strong. At least not outside the mountain. Caravan guards, the local garrison, and higher level adventurers deal with anything too dangerous. Still there are plenty of monsters that just aren't worth their time. These monsters are too weak to threaten anything major, but they're just right for a pair of new adventurers to practice their skills on. And in a pinch eat.
Gives: XP based on Strength Successes
[ ] Travel to the Pale Woods (Stone: Strength vs 12, Stone: Defense vs 12)
The Pale Woods is far enough out of the way that it'll be more than a day trip to get there. Marissa will have to travel for several days and camp out once she arrives. Once there she'll scout around for some of the local monsters to kill. She's heard they're a lot tougher than the salamanders so she'll have to be careful.
Irene refuses to let Marissa do this alone. She will go as well to help find weaker monsters and fight stronger ones. As such this will cost an action from both of them.
Gives: XP based on Strength Successes
Knowledge
[ ] Train a Skill
- [ ] Write In
Marissa and Irene both have things they are good at and things they need to work on. They can set some time aside to work on their skills.
Increases Skill Proficiency one level up to Ordinary
[ ] Learn more about a specific Organization (Perception vs 14)
-[ ] Target Organization: Write In
With increasing proficiency in the language it might be possible to gather more information about a specific organization.
[ ] Look into something (Perception vs 12)
-[ ] Write In
Check something out in more detail.
The Caravanserai
[ ] Do some Scribe Work (Intelligence vs 12, Intelligence Pay vs 8)
It would be possible to do some scribe work reading and writing letters for people who can't on their own. With some work this could even provide a steady business. Unfortunately Irene can't read and write the local languages at the moment. And Marissa isn't really suited for this kind of work.
Requires: Language Proficiency (Ordinary)
Pay: 1 Silver + Intelligence Successes
[ ] Do Some Accounting (Intelligence vs 14, Intelligence Pay vs 10)
If people who can read are in demand, then people who can read and do reliable math are even more so. The businesses and merchants will pay well for someone to handle this. However it will require a substantial level of trust first.
[ ] Go to the Market
-[ ] (Optional) What are you looking for?
This is the Caravanserai. There are thousands of things being bought and sold all the time. It's quite possible that Marissa and Irene could find things to make their lives easier here.
[ ] Have something made
-[ ] Write In
This is literally the kingdom of dwarves. You can get practically anything made here from pottery to crossbows to masterwork swords. Still you probably aren't going to find the best craftsmanship up here in the Caravanserai. You need to go deeper to find the better smiths. Of course those would be more expensive.
Relationships
[ ] Throw Marissa a birthday party
Costs 10 silver for party supplies. Will massively improve Marissa's morale. Synergizes with Give Marissa her gift.
[ ] Give Marissa her gift
Irene has been hauling around a present for Marissa for a while now. It's sure to raise her mood when Irene finally gives it to her.
(Locked: Until you have an Adequate place to stay. And it will have better results with increased quality of shelter.)
[ ] Deal with the Knives
Apparently the Knives haven't forgotten that several of their members were killed by Marissa and Irene. The threat of their retribution is ever present, and it might be a good idea to deal with them. Unfortunately while Irene has learned about them in general neither of them has much direct experience with who the actual local gangs are. So the first step is to deal with them.
The Steel Company
Current Rank:
Marissa: Corporal
Irene: Private
Salary: 25 Silver/ Month
[ ] Take a Job
The Steel Company is an institution founded on combating the local monsters and it expects all of its members to do their part. The senior officers will assign Marissa and Irene, and any other party members, a target which they are expected to take down within the month.
Gren, Twoff, and Verdun normally have their own bounties. But if your two parties combine you can take on missions that the Steel Company normally reserves for corporals or even sergeants.
This will be a DC 14 bounty that takes 2 actions and pays out 2 Gold on success.
[ ] Use the Training Facilities
-[ ] Attribute
The Steel Company has extensive training facilities to help with all manner of different kinds of self improvement. Members are encouraged to use them extensively as the Steel Company's main goal is to train a force of powerful warriors.
Applies 1 EP towards training the chosen attribute.
Costs per rank
Bone: 1 EP
Stone: 7 EP
Copper: 56 EP
-[ ] Train Faster (Irene Only)
Irene isn't really improving herself. She's simply putting in the work so it's not suspicious when she uses a larger portion of her full capabilities. She can increase this rate beyond what is normal for the other rookies.
Applies 2 EP towards training the chosen attribute.
Marks Irene as a Prodigy if she continues doing it.
-[ ] Train Even Faster (Irene Only)
There's no real limit to how fast Irene can "improve." But if she learns this fast it's going to draw actual suspicion since it takes something beyond just being naturally talented to learn this fast.
Applies 4 EP towards training the chosen attribute.
30% chance of increasing Black Cloak Suspicion
[ ] Socialize with other members
The senior officers want everyone to remember that they are part of the steel company as a group and not just lone warriors. As such they encourage members to socialize and eventually form long term adventuring parties.
[ ] Form a party
Marissa and Irene can group up with other members of the Steel Company to take on more difficult bounties. However doing so will also result in the senior officers expecting more out of the expanded party.
-[ ] Twoff (Priest)
-[ ] Verdur (Barbarian)
[ ] Visit the Armory
The Steel Company Quartermasters are willing to provide some basic gear to members based on their rank in order to accomplish their bounties. They are also willing to provide additional equipment for a reasonable fee.
[ ] Hunt Salamanders 0/4
The Steel Company armorers will need a lot of leather to produce armor from Crimson. And the best place to get it will be from the salamanders in the mountain vents. It's not the best leather around, but it will do the job.
[ ] Get Armor made for Crimson (Locked until Salamanders Done)
The Steel Company is willing to make armor for a dire wolf, and they'll do it at cost. But even so it won't be cheap. Not only will Marissa need to provide the necessary leather, but she'll have to pay for the various metal fitting needed as well as the armorer's time.
[ ] Submit Scout Report
The Steel Company needs to keep updated on the various goings on around the mountain. What monsters are where. If anything especially dangerous has spawned and so on. They are willing to pay a fee for scout reports based on the danger of the encountered monsters.
[ ] Post Bounty
One of the perks of being part of the Steel Company is the ability to post bounties of your own for things that the Steel Company might not otherwise bother with. This does require a small fee, but less than someone outside the company hiring them for a job would.
Castle Base
[ ] Research Vitae
Irene will spend some time at the Castle Base reviewing the sensor readings and attempting to understand what exactly Vitae is and how to use it.
I recommend checking and editing the post, I noticed several errors, both in the line about salary, since it seemed to have changed this move, and in the "relationships" tab. there may be something else that I haven't noticed.
I recommend checking and editing the post, I noticed several errors, both in the line about salary, since it seemed to have changed this move, and in the "relationships" tab. there may be something else that I haven't noticed.
You're going to have to be more specific. The salary didn't change for this turn's upkeep. And the only thing I see in relationships was that I didn't remove the gift option.
Well that went... Well?
Can we keep doing the Vitae research and I'm guessing that quest is for MARISSA to raise her attributes and not Irene right?
Also um... That's the first time we've outright failed a quest. Concerning.
Well that went... Well?
Can we keep doing the Vitae research and I'm guessing that quest is for MARISSA to raise her attributes and not Irene right?
Also um... That's the first time we've outright failed a quest. Concerning.
So... More Vitae study for Irene and going to "nicely ask" some caravan mages to share with Yolko. And some more training for Marissa? Might want to do one of the harder bounties as well. BTW, what would it cost to have someone else kill the salamanders to get leather for Crimsons armor?
So... More Vitae study for Irene and going to "nicely ask" some caravan mages to share with Yolko. And some more training for Marissa? Might want to do one of the harder bounties as well. BTW, what would it cost to have someone else kill the salamanders to get leather for Crimsons armor?
