The Way Forward v2: Guiding your descendant to glory.
- Thread starter KNakamura
- Start date
- Original
Eternal_0bserver
(Unverified Bookworm)
- Location
- Earth, Northern Europe
[X]Plan: April's growth.
Vote closed
Oh wow those were some GREAT training dice....
Also hi it's Caney from the Discord. Sorry for missing the vote.
But probably here to discuss things as that tends to make QM's feel fuzzy... And I kind of like this quest so far!
Also hi it's Caney from the Discord. Sorry for missing the vote.
But probably here to discuss things as that tends to make QM's feel fuzzy... And I kind of like this quest so far!
Spells
1.3 The Trials
Thanks for your patience!
Form Neutral Mana: 225/140 (bonus effect)
Starting Path: 89/80
Kitsune: Alter Self 52/60 (will complete next turn)
April spent the week working on training. That and learning here and there from watching other people. While a few hid their powers – a very tactical way of working on it, as long as you could find a training ground not taken at late night or early morning. In essence, she was more curious in how they were used. And she was learning that many seemed to have to center themselves with a moments meditation to cast, and she wondered if her channel was forced open at the end of the Battle of the Twilight Pass.
Out of curiosity, she tried it one morning to see how that might work, and the rather turbulent flow of mana from her core was less rapids and more mountain brooke – much less difficult. But while April resolved then and there to work on this, she knew she was an active meditator – having learnt a few martial arts just to meditate via the practice of various katas. Suiting action to thought, she began practicing a simple full-contact kata. At the edges of her vision, and in front of her, she saw odd colored wisps here and there, as she got deeper into the kata, before noting the colors. On an impulse, she looked at the training dummy she had been using to experiment with the Magic Missile spell and her eyes lit up in recognition. They matched the mana she had been using. But she had to clear it before she blinded herself looking at the highly warded buildings with magic casting everywhere. It was clear she would need to work on it, to make it a useful skill. And she added it to her early morning exercises, noting idly that many weren't out at that time. It followed, as she noted many people weren't very slender, and only the mages focusing on combat skills were doing exercises. She supposed it made sense. No one was grossly overweight, after all, but you would naturally fall out of conditioning with the use of inborn power.
While she had drawn down her exercises with the spear and sword, she maintained a bare level of proficiency and focused more on her agility and core strength. A lot of it was also just self-derived exercises in trying to emit mana and control it, which meant she was trying to alter her barrier to work properly in this space. She had hit the books to look at how barriers worked, and some of the descriptions of the sorcerer's warping mana and the description of the wizard spell made her think she was taught wrong on purpose. And, risking a headache, she was also using the meditation technique to see the mana warp.
The morning of the third day, she had been unable to sleep. So, she had been experimenting with the shield-spell. Mostly, she was flailing at it. A voice interrupted her after the thirty-seventh time.
"You must be the Seeker from Tokiya." An older bunnywoman came out from the building into the dawn light, wearing a "simple" but expensive dark-tiger and what was often called 'Celestial Silk', as it was made by mana infused spiders. Cultivators from northern Teyerali and the cultivators and magi of the vast desert of the southeastern continent favored it, as it channeled Qi and Mana extremely efficiently, and didn't require inlay for spells and enchantments. It was also hilariously expensive to make. April was unsurprised to see the golden eyes.
"Tokiya often teaches you a completely incorrect way so you cannot improve the spell – although I see you have learnt how to oscillate it to let it serve as a weatherbreak. I am Abbess Eoliwyath, Seeker Smithidottir. I was going to let you experiment further – you show a remarkable gift for pushing your power in intriguing ways, but you were about to go in a particularly dangerous direction." The woman pauses.
'Dangerous direction?' April asked herself, nonplussed as she was thinking about how it was explained to disperse the emotion into a safe dimension to avoid corruption of the world.
"I would recommend a Defense class if the Council accepts you. But your issue is that you do not need to bleed the extra energy, and not to that dimension. You can just dissipate it back to the world. Think of how water vapor and spray fades out in the air, the feeling of fog."
'…' The more she learnt, the more April had darker suspicions about her home.
April frowned, and mentally pictured the fog you could get further uphill towards the mountains and then taking a deep breath to re-center herself and recreated the shield, but stopped halfway through, a sudden idea forming, and the Abbess leaned forward as she felt the mana pattern form in a peculiar pattern. April took a deep breath and commanded the test dummy to emit a constant stream of increasing-mana ice arrows. She had to admit even that control to alter her spells for other aspected mana was beyond her, and if she hadn't been concentrating on the shield, she'd have liked to explore the ripple and oscillation of the mana the test dummy emitted.
The shield didn't flare at all, the attack disappearing, but as it grew stronger, the violet-silver of earth aspected fire mana began to emerge, and April nodded, noting the shield spell begin to fluctuate. By now she was fighting near-Adept levels of Icy Arrows, and she focused, her Qi beginning to shape around the shield as she saw the first arrow that would shatter the shield. But she was pretty sure if she did it first it'd dissipate the arrow – and she detonated part of the shield, the icy arrow losing coherence and dissipating in a burst of mana, caught in the backlash of the mana wave. She winced at the feeling and was beat to the command to stop by the Abbess.
"That is an interesting way to deal with it." She commented with a bit of a smile. "A unique way I don't think would occur to many who haven't seen combat or dealt with having to utilize Qi to combat mana. It is flawed, but I would recommend keeping it up, Seeker. It has a lot of potential. I look forward to your exam."
The abbess walked off, and April stared, considering her words. After a quick rest, she started her normal routine, getting the feeling that she didn't want to reveal that just yet, and wanting more practice with meditation before her usual morning exercises. On this day, she had a goal in mind. The Alley looked like it dated from soon after the collapse – some eight hundred and fifty years. Starting at the gate house, she made a broad sunwise pattern, being careful to stay out of any private or class areas. There were clearly lovingly maintained murals and decorations, but she noted at the four and ten hour cardinals, there were oddly unmaintained buildings. Looking at one, she saw very faded writing, with a curious inlay of mana. She could channel some into it, in the same process you imbue things, but.
While she hadn't hit the library very heavily, she had read the theory books as well as a few of the adventurer journals. One, very interesting journal by an ancestor of hers, covered an adventure who explored the Necropolis of Remilia, located in the core of the continent and mostly inaccessible unless they dare cross through the Via Mors. Most didn't. The few that did never returned from the expedition, and reading this journal explained why – traps, some obvious, some subtle, and what seemed to be beasts and ghosts endlessly. It was the lessons in the journal that made her think carefully about the mana inlay. She hadn't noticed the older elf watching her carefully.
What she needed was a way to read magic without it executing. She contemplated the normal method of imbuement, which was to push magic into the object, and the traps that were clearly looking for ambient mana, or mana imbuement, or ambient noise. Now, she didn't think it was the case here, but generally when a building is unmaintained, it is for a reason. There weren't any barriers, so it could have just been forgotten, but who knew?
She focused and holding her fingers a safe distance away from the inscription, she briefly created a tiny bubble that seemed to draw the mana in and away, a tiny oscillating flare of multi-colored magic. A very pale echo of the mana's.. light appeared in the bubble. Signature? Spectrun? April couldn't directly remember. Some sweat dropped down her brow. Reading in this way felt far more draining than pushing her mana into objects.
The watcher noted with approval that April was gathering a reading somewhere else, then comparing it to the inlay.
"Hmm." April dismissed it and shook her head. "Enough intent to mean I don't want to casually mess with it.." she muttered, unaware she was speaking out loud and already contemplating what she'd need to study next.
"I don't recognize the lattice work either. I'll need to read up on more theory.." She turned around to leave, and the elf coughed politely once they were out of the building.
"I would start of the Treatise of Mana by Celitk. It's a good basis." April jumped, earning a smile from the elf, her orange eyes showing amusement.
"You did good, Seeker, by being cautious around unknown mana. From what I can tell, you were worried about passive traps, and I can assure you there wasn't one, but it was similarly unsafe to channel any active mana into it at your mana level. If you are lucky, you will never learn about these buildings." The elf said, looking at them with the faint hint of memory. April thought to ask, but before she could, the other changed subject
"I would develop that spell. You could make it more, better, and those who are curious need tools if they are to indulge. I am Elder Earchia, a Master of the Star Seeker, and my door is open if you want to consult." The elf smiles, putting the hood of her plain red robe on. "I like to encourage those who experiment with their powers. Where did you get the idea?"
"I was reading a journal of a distant ancestor who travelled to the Necropolis of Remilia, and the section on traps she had encountered made me consider how I might deal with them. I was going to look around for an imbued object later to test on the grounds."
Earchia shakes her head. "We have classes to test that. If you are chosen, you should have time. Still, while your power is strictly inferior to Manasight, should you ever develop the skill, I think your power is extendable and refinable." April just nodded, and with a bow, she headed to the training grounds. Since she arrived, she also had been doing her nightly prayers to the Goddess of Night, Fairioni. It was probably her imagination, but she felt Her influence much closer, this far up. It had been something she was only occasionally able to do until now, but she had made a shrine and even managed to sanctify it. It had been too long since she was able to do more than a murmured prayer at night, as Tokiya's patron deity was the Divine Cult of Queen Sayika, and other deities were grudgingly tolerated in as much that not tolerating them would offend the merchants who came to Tokiya.
[Learnt: Analyze Dweomer, a spell that can analyze magic and conditions without activating active and some passive traps.]
Mostly she was working on her mediation, her powers, and being limber. After her, several parties had shown up, and she rather suspected there was an open period for enrollment. A few clearly had used the aid of servants – she had heard the furor from the training grounds, and some had just been teleported there. The storm was still raging outside, but April shrugged. It was the way of the world, after all, and she had made a few cautious friendships, with the understanding being that the exam would be an important factor if she could remain without having complications.
Her days passed like this, studying for an hour, practicing, working out with her spells, exploring the alley, until the fifth day, the day of the exam. The first exam was correspondingly easy from just her reading the murals and her general knowledge. The second was more difficult, as it asked how you could apply basic powers to situations, but she had prioritized a lot of the simpler diaries for a reason. The third turned out to be a tournament, and April read the rules carefully. There were steps against death, and if you could force someone out of the circle you won regardless, but healing was only at the end of the day. So, she would need to be decisive in her battles, and carefully meter out of her power.
She nodded, coming up with an impromptu plan – keep her more powerful spells and shield capabilities until she had to use them. It was an extension of what she had been doing all week. There were enough applicants for 3 days of battles, and the first day for her was surprisingly easy, albeit due to her knowledge of the battlefield and careful use of the magic missile spell. The goal was to hide a hole card for the later battles, as she was fairly aware of what the other seekers thought of her – too old, and too provincial. The Kingdom of Tokiya did not enjoy a good reputation, and she gathered the Queendom of Gariafry enjoyed a slight better one. That was probably because at least seven of the seekers were from the Kingdom of Teyerali, if she was honest. And they had good reason to dislike Tokiya. Even more, they had good reasons to dislike her, and she knew two outright hated her.
And April couldn't blame them, but she wasn't going to move backwards here. Instead, she thought that night about the use of anchors. They were down to the last three matches on the next day, and if she could pull off a trick she saw once, it might be the difference between victory and defeat.
That next day, the weather was cold with a cold but gentle snow outside. April took a deep breath, and after a brief exercise and meditation run, stood in the small area used for challengers to wait. She was ignoring the looks others were giving her, as she was focusing on using manasight carefully and avoiding blinding herself. While it was a time-honored tradition to trash-talk and, April reflected wryly, she was tired of being called a Tokiyan butcher, she had focused on silently withstanding the jeers without response. As always, it proved more unnerving, and the trash-talk soon trailed off.
She was going to have to be careful with Fire mana today. Earth not so much, and if she knew a way to use the metal mana the way she wanted to, this would be easier on her. Still nothing for it. She wanted a good showing to ensure she got in, as they only took so many applicants – the going rumor is that it was only three this time, and everyone believed that the combat section was the best way to put their foot forward. Personally, April suspected they looked for different things, as the Alley did more than simply combat demons. But and April admitted to herself, standing alone as no one had really wanted to get near her, that wasn't what would draw people from Teryalli, as the passes to the Deiwaikathi were not for the faint of heart. On the other hand, to tend to the multitude with unselfish concern would require self-sacrifice. And she wanted to do more than be a mere soldier.
She was participating in the first fight, and if she won, the third fight. The opponent in this fight was Elin Tacehi, who didn't like her, but she gauged on the balance if she was careful, he'd refrain from being excessive. Probably. From observations, Elin favored a very attack-at-all-cost pace, with a focus on the immobility of the earth and rapid but weak spells.
The best tactic for her was simple, then. Attack first and keep a constant pressure. And it worked. One of the important bits anyone learns in battle – nothing is immobile, and the best way to take a hit was to not be there.
The final fight, though, was against Getian Jacidottir and April was already wary of that. She wasn't a fool, she had noticed the killer intent that Getian occasionally emitted, and her tactics were more flexible. It was for this that she held back.
And… well, it was probably not kind, but April knew of a way to make him exhaust the intent of inevitability his use of mana had. And it was, very strictly, that sorceresses and cultivators had a very similar thing about them. In many ways, they cultivated themselves, but the key difference is that a Sorceress was not striving to oppose heaven, they were chosen by heaven to either follow or defy. She didn't need to develop her intent - every use of mana, every power, carried her intent. An intent that said 'You shall fail. You are not inevitable. All things return to return again.' The question was whether her intent was stronger than the other womans? She would find out in this battle.
An older dark elf mage sat in the areas reserved for the alley's staff. A lot of staff were watching the last trial, as many were sensing the upcoming tribulations and wanting initiates who were ready for combat.
'There is more to what we do than just defeating the demons' he mentally thought, shaking his head. The trial had already started, with the two's mana clashing and producing faint sparks as they unleashed what little mana they could channel and recover. The ring, already saturated in mana began to grow hot with the excess of fire mana in the air, wet with the ice mana being used, and rough with the earth mana being channeled into it. The two were exchanging a sudden burst of spells, but he looked forward in surprise as the seeker from Tokiya was throwing out weak but present farsight beacons. What use did farsight have in the –
He remembered then, that Teyerali mages could use them as anchors for spells. The Tokiyan seeker had been in the military for 10 years, and it was likely she had heard of the use of them. It was conceivable she had even run across them, and while Tokiya intentionally trained them wrong in mana, he had spotted yesterday she used mana and Qi interchangeably when possible. It was also a wise choice, as their intents were clashing. The seeker from Teyerali clearly wanted to kill her, and it was only the singleminded intent of a solider that kept the Tokiyan seeker from taking a lot of damage as she finally unleashed a surprise – chains made of death mana to empower an Entangle spell, then a follow up with a brace of fire-aspected mana arrows. Weak, but it did claim a hit.
'That use of death mana..' He had thought her mana was a bit corrupted, and the pieces fell into place. She was the one who killed the summoners and summoned at the Massacre at Crimson Pass, and probably had repressed the memory. Someone would have to explain to her the penalty for killing, and not purifying, a demon.
It also turned out to be the wrong move, as the Teyerali seeker went berserk, summoning shadow lances and blowing straight through her flawed shield. The kitsune was hit, and her mana began to fluculate wildly, with minor fires and earth spikes hitting her in the warning signs of mana detonation. The proctors started to act, but a barrier spun around it, with death and demonic energy.
"I swore on my soul I'd kill you, Butcher of Crimson!" A scream came out from the catgirl. "And I don't care how!"
The kitsune stood up, with an inner fire as she detonated her shield with a burst of Qi to stop the next lances, sending the two apart. She then used every farsight anchor to send a barrage of fire arrows, moving for her life. The demon encasing the catgirl laughed at her, as the masters battled against the barrier. They would have it down in a minute, but that may be too long. No, he grimly realized, it would be too long, barring a miracle.
The crazed catgirl was sending wild waves of earth from the ring to try and drown the kitsune who was disrupting it as best she could with earth-aspected mana sent on waves of Qi, a clear twist of a standard martial art. But it wasn't enough, and she was buried under molten earth.
[Talonis Conduit: Success]
April struggled to burst through it with her control of earth mana, but she couldn't over power the demon. She couldn't fall here. She had so far to go to atone for what she had done. She had not yet redeemed her parents. She had failed her ancestor. She couldn't.
Within her, something broke, and she felt power flow again.
'Believe in yourself, my daughter, and fight.' Talonis said. 'Renew the compact with our Goddess, and prove once again that we are worthy of Her.'
Her eyes filled with white-gold, as she felt the touch of her Goddess once more, both power and faith in that she could overcome.
[April Overchannel: Success]
From the outside, this occurred for two silent seconds, before an aura of red-silver-black-purple-white-gold burst out of her, the burning flame of life, the sign of transcending the limits by fueling it with your very life, a sight unique to sorcerers. The necklace around her neck was gleaming bright, and it was the symbol of the Daughters of the Night, those who revered the goddess Faironi and her dead sister of the moon, Tsukahami.
The kitsune's clothing and fur was burnt in places, and she clearly had been bleeding before the heat had cauterized the wounds, but she stood again, and she drew a focus out of her burnt coat, glowing with the violet-grey of fire-metal mana.
"I may not be able to banish you." April coughed up some blood. "But I can kill you. And if you come back again, I will kill you again." Her voice was steely. "I will never forgive you, demon, for what you did at Twilight Pass. For the people and the Night!" Her voice roared the battlecry of the faithful as the beacons launched a hail of steel darts at the catgirl, glowing with the white-gold of divine energy. The demon recoiled, drawing deep on her hosts mana and shrouding them, only for the darts to explode and wear down the shield, giving April time to focus.
Divine magic was carried by song, and she began to sing as a ball of mana, Qi, and divine energy formed in front of her. An array formed around the grounds, and while the barrier was now down, the demon couldn't escape.
"Since tomorrow is filled with the light of our dreams." The ending of the hymn of the Death of Tsukahami, to her sister, the climax of the Calamity of the Old World. The ball gathered all of the free-floating mana and Qi from the battles and surroundings, a ring of ancient runics forming around it. The next words were ones said by many sorcerers and clerics over the centuries, a signature of the Compact made by the first Smithidottir with their patron goddess Faironi and taught to those who would defend the many and guide them. A Compact of guilt and hope formed in the murder of the Moon, and the final death of the Sun, and the first time any living had seen it renewed in such a manner.
The old elf smiled at the sight. April was a true descendant after all.
"Starlight Purifier" A beam of all the colors of the rainbow blasted the demon, and in its light, it could not remain.
In the silence, the light of the sky returned.
[April can now practice 'Hail of Blessed Darts' to learn the spell. (80 pts)]
[April has gained Aspect 'Follower of the Compact' and can learn to channel divine magic at higher cost and with only a few spells possible.]
Self Actions (pick one)
April Choices
- "to continue why I served. It is important to serve the many, with unselfish concern." April smiles a bit wryly. "And if I can no longer serve the Kingdom of Tokiya, I can still seek to serve where I can. The battle has opened my eyes that merely being a commander in a militia unit, while important, is not the limits of what I can give." (Sage path. April will focus on being a great sage, which is a focus on magic and skills that aid all. It has no particular focus, but her mentor will push her to grow faster in the foundation. As this is her destiny, she will progress faster down this path. Second Tier Classes: Sage (expert and focus on magic more useful for assisting the people), Archon (expert and focus on magic more useful for combating threats that would threaten the people))
- Spend time on the training halls to learn to experiment and understand your power. You may never have so much free time to just experiment, after all, with people who would be willing to help you. (All rolls this turn for both Talonis and April's actions that are not skill based are double dice. One power (pick) gains some progress in understanding it.)
-- Spell gained by spark
- Investigate the Star Seeker Alley's history and buildings. (May build social connections, but will have a fortunate encounter. )
- Kitsune: Alter Self - You may need to disguise yourself. Your fur color is very obvious, and while kitsune can assume a more human form, you never had to, and with your parents dead, could not learn from them. As an inborn power, you think you can at least get some practice, even if you won't be able to maintain a form until your Third Tail. (Progress: 60, is easier to learn now than later even if you will not be able to maintain it.)
Talonis Actions
- April is a new sorceress, and lacks, intentionally, many of the starting skills a normal citizen of the Osteria would have. But she has been exposed to a lot of fire and death mana and Qi. You could increase the available fire mana to her and move it in a way that would lead her to experiment with unsuspecting mana. (Progress towards unlocking the Mana Skill: Form Neutral Mana. Progress points required: 78/ 140)
- April needs a way to detect at much wider ranges monsters – whether of the beastial, or human kind- to survive. She has the baseline perception, but you could send obvious eddies to teach her Manasight or Farsight. (Progress required: 80 points.) (The character will learn either/or.) (Farsight leads to the Diviniation tree. Manasight leads to Advanced Mana Concepts.)
[49/80]
- Spark of Inspiration – Give her an insight into an ongoing issue that will lead to a spell. (Random choice, but one that will matter in turn 3.)
- You cannot teach her the grand secrets, but you can ensure that she finds the right books, of course. (Increase April's luck for a turn. More likely to learn a power from observation, increase a skill, of course.)
- "to continue why I served. It is important to serve the many, with unselfish concern." April smiles a bit wryly. "And if I can no longer serve the Kingdom of Tokiya, I can still seek to serve where I can. The battle has opened my eyes that merely being a commander in a militia unit, while important, is not the limits of what I can give." (Sage path. April will focus on being a great sage, which is a focus on magic and skills that aid all. It has no particular focus, but her mentor will push her to grow faster in the foundation. As this is her destiny, she will progress faster down this path. Second Tier Classes: Sage (expert and focus on magic more useful for assisting the people), Archon (expert and focus on magic more useful for combating threats that would threaten the people))
- Spend time on the training halls to learn to experiment and understand your power. You may never have so much free time to just experiment, after all, with people who would be willing to help you. (All rolls this turn for both Talonis and April's actions that are not skill based are double dice. One power (pick) gains some progress in understanding it.)
-- Spell gained by spark
- Investigate the Star Seeker Alley's history and buildings. (May build social connections, but will have a fortunate encounter. )
- Kitsune: Alter Self - You may need to disguise yourself. Your fur color is very obvious, and while kitsune can assume a more human form, you never had to, and with your parents dead, could not learn from them. As an inborn power, you think you can at least get some practice, even if you won't be able to maintain a form until your Third Tail. (Progress: 60, is easier to learn now than later even if you will not be able to maintain it.)
Talonis Actions
- April is a new sorceress, and lacks, intentionally, many of the starting skills a normal citizen of the Osteria would have. But she has been exposed to a lot of fire and death mana and Qi. You could increase the available fire mana to her and move it in a way that would lead her to experiment with unsuspecting mana. (Progress towards unlocking the Mana Skill: Form Neutral Mana. Progress points required: 78/ 140)
- April needs a way to detect at much wider ranges monsters – whether of the beastial, or human kind- to survive. She has the baseline perception, but you could send obvious eddies to teach her Manasight or Farsight. (Progress required: 80 points.) (The character will learn either/or.) (Farsight leads to the Diviniation tree. Manasight leads to Advanced Mana Concepts.)
[49/80]
- Spark of Inspiration – Give her an insight into an ongoing issue that will lead to a spell. (Random choice, but one that will matter in turn 3.)
- You cannot teach her the grand secrets, but you can ensure that she finds the right books, of course. (Increase April's luck for a turn. More likely to learn a power from observation, increase a skill, of course.)
Form Neutral Mana: 225/140 (bonus effect)
Starting Path: 89/80
Kitsune: Alter Self 52/60 (will complete next turn)
April spent the week working on training. That and learning here and there from watching other people. While a few hid their powers – a very tactical way of working on it, as long as you could find a training ground not taken at late night or early morning. In essence, she was more curious in how they were used. And she was learning that many seemed to have to center themselves with a moments meditation to cast, and she wondered if her channel was forced open at the end of the Battle of the Twilight Pass.
Out of curiosity, she tried it one morning to see how that might work, and the rather turbulent flow of mana from her core was less rapids and more mountain brooke – much less difficult. But while April resolved then and there to work on this, she knew she was an active meditator – having learnt a few martial arts just to meditate via the practice of various katas. Suiting action to thought, she began practicing a simple full-contact kata. At the edges of her vision, and in front of her, she saw odd colored wisps here and there, as she got deeper into the kata, before noting the colors. On an impulse, she looked at the training dummy she had been using to experiment with the Magic Missile spell and her eyes lit up in recognition. They matched the mana she had been using. But she had to clear it before she blinded herself looking at the highly warded buildings with magic casting everywhere. It was clear she would need to work on it, to make it a useful skill. And she added it to her early morning exercises, noting idly that many weren't out at that time. It followed, as she noted many people weren't very slender, and only the mages focusing on combat skills were doing exercises. She supposed it made sense. No one was grossly overweight, after all, but you would naturally fall out of conditioning with the use of inborn power.
While she had drawn down her exercises with the spear and sword, she maintained a bare level of proficiency and focused more on her agility and core strength. A lot of it was also just self-derived exercises in trying to emit mana and control it, which meant she was trying to alter her barrier to work properly in this space. She had hit the books to look at how barriers worked, and some of the descriptions of the sorcerer's warping mana and the description of the wizard spell made her think she was taught wrong on purpose. And, risking a headache, she was also using the meditation technique to see the mana warp.
The morning of the third day, she had been unable to sleep. So, she had been experimenting with the shield-spell. Mostly, she was flailing at it. A voice interrupted her after the thirty-seventh time.
"You must be the Seeker from Tokiya." An older bunnywoman came out from the building into the dawn light, wearing a "simple" but expensive dark-tiger and what was often called 'Celestial Silk', as it was made by mana infused spiders. Cultivators from northern Teyerali and the cultivators and magi of the vast desert of the southeastern continent favored it, as it channeled Qi and Mana extremely efficiently, and didn't require inlay for spells and enchantments. It was also hilariously expensive to make. April was unsurprised to see the golden eyes.
"Tokiya often teaches you a completely incorrect way so you cannot improve the spell – although I see you have learnt how to oscillate it to let it serve as a weatherbreak. I am Abbess Eoliwyath, Seeker Smithidottir. I was going to let you experiment further – you show a remarkable gift for pushing your power in intriguing ways, but you were about to go in a particularly dangerous direction." The woman pauses.
'Dangerous direction?' April asked herself, nonplussed as she was thinking about how it was explained to disperse the emotion into a safe dimension to avoid corruption of the world.
"I would recommend a Defense class if the Council accepts you. But your issue is that you do not need to bleed the extra energy, and not to that dimension. You can just dissipate it back to the world. Think of how water vapor and spray fades out in the air, the feeling of fog."
'…' The more she learnt, the more April had darker suspicions about her home.
April frowned, and mentally pictured the fog you could get further uphill towards the mountains and then taking a deep breath to re-center herself and recreated the shield, but stopped halfway through, a sudden idea forming, and the Abbess leaned forward as she felt the mana pattern form in a peculiar pattern. April took a deep breath and commanded the test dummy to emit a constant stream of increasing-mana ice arrows. She had to admit even that control to alter her spells for other aspected mana was beyond her, and if she hadn't been concentrating on the shield, she'd have liked to explore the ripple and oscillation of the mana the test dummy emitted.
The shield didn't flare at all, the attack disappearing, but as it grew stronger, the violet-silver of earth aspected fire mana began to emerge, and April nodded, noting the shield spell begin to fluctuate. By now she was fighting near-Adept levels of Icy Arrows, and she focused, her Qi beginning to shape around the shield as she saw the first arrow that would shatter the shield. But she was pretty sure if she did it first it'd dissipate the arrow – and she detonated part of the shield, the icy arrow losing coherence and dissipating in a burst of mana, caught in the backlash of the mana wave. She winced at the feeling and was beat to the command to stop by the Abbess.
"That is an interesting way to deal with it." She commented with a bit of a smile. "A unique way I don't think would occur to many who haven't seen combat or dealt with having to utilize Qi to combat mana. It is flawed, but I would recommend keeping it up, Seeker. It has a lot of potential. I look forward to your exam."
The abbess walked off, and April stared, considering her words. After a quick rest, she started her normal routine, getting the feeling that she didn't want to reveal that just yet, and wanting more practice with meditation before her usual morning exercises. On this day, she had a goal in mind. The Alley looked like it dated from soon after the collapse – some eight hundred and fifty years. Starting at the gate house, she made a broad sunwise pattern, being careful to stay out of any private or class areas. There were clearly lovingly maintained murals and decorations, but she noted at the four and ten hour cardinals, there were oddly unmaintained buildings. Looking at one, she saw very faded writing, with a curious inlay of mana. She could channel some into it, in the same process you imbue things, but.
While she hadn't hit the library very heavily, she had read the theory books as well as a few of the adventurer journals. One, very interesting journal by an ancestor of hers, covered an adventure who explored the Necropolis of Remilia, located in the core of the continent and mostly inaccessible unless they dare cross through the Via Mors. Most didn't. The few that did never returned from the expedition, and reading this journal explained why – traps, some obvious, some subtle, and what seemed to be beasts and ghosts endlessly. It was the lessons in the journal that made her think carefully about the mana inlay. She hadn't noticed the older elf watching her carefully.
What she needed was a way to read magic without it executing. She contemplated the normal method of imbuement, which was to push magic into the object, and the traps that were clearly looking for ambient mana, or mana imbuement, or ambient noise. Now, she didn't think it was the case here, but generally when a building is unmaintained, it is for a reason. There weren't any barriers, so it could have just been forgotten, but who knew?
She focused and holding her fingers a safe distance away from the inscription, she briefly created a tiny bubble that seemed to draw the mana in and away, a tiny oscillating flare of multi-colored magic. A very pale echo of the mana's.. light appeared in the bubble. Signature? Spectrun? April couldn't directly remember. Some sweat dropped down her brow. Reading in this way felt far more draining than pushing her mana into objects.
The watcher noted with approval that April was gathering a reading somewhere else, then comparing it to the inlay.
"Hmm." April dismissed it and shook her head. "Enough intent to mean I don't want to casually mess with it.." she muttered, unaware she was speaking out loud and already contemplating what she'd need to study next.
"I don't recognize the lattice work either. I'll need to read up on more theory.." She turned around to leave, and the elf coughed politely once they were out of the building.
"I would start of the Treatise of Mana by Celitk. It's a good basis." April jumped, earning a smile from the elf, her orange eyes showing amusement.
"You did good, Seeker, by being cautious around unknown mana. From what I can tell, you were worried about passive traps, and I can assure you there wasn't one, but it was similarly unsafe to channel any active mana into it at your mana level. If you are lucky, you will never learn about these buildings." The elf said, looking at them with the faint hint of memory. April thought to ask, but before she could, the other changed subject
"I would develop that spell. You could make it more, better, and those who are curious need tools if they are to indulge. I am Elder Earchia, a Master of the Star Seeker, and my door is open if you want to consult." The elf smiles, putting the hood of her plain red robe on. "I like to encourage those who experiment with their powers. Where did you get the idea?"
"I was reading a journal of a distant ancestor who travelled to the Necropolis of Remilia, and the section on traps she had encountered made me consider how I might deal with them. I was going to look around for an imbued object later to test on the grounds."
Earchia shakes her head. "We have classes to test that. If you are chosen, you should have time. Still, while your power is strictly inferior to Manasight, should you ever develop the skill, I think your power is extendable and refinable." April just nodded, and with a bow, she headed to the training grounds. Since she arrived, she also had been doing her nightly prayers to the Goddess of Night, Fairioni. It was probably her imagination, but she felt Her influence much closer, this far up. It had been something she was only occasionally able to do until now, but she had made a shrine and even managed to sanctify it. It had been too long since she was able to do more than a murmured prayer at night, as Tokiya's patron deity was the Divine Cult of Queen Sayika, and other deities were grudgingly tolerated in as much that not tolerating them would offend the merchants who came to Tokiya.
[Learnt: Analyze Dweomer, a spell that can analyze magic and conditions without activating active and some passive traps.]
Mostly she was working on her mediation, her powers, and being limber. After her, several parties had shown up, and she rather suspected there was an open period for enrollment. A few clearly had used the aid of servants – she had heard the furor from the training grounds, and some had just been teleported there. The storm was still raging outside, but April shrugged. It was the way of the world, after all, and she had made a few cautious friendships, with the understanding being that the exam would be an important factor if she could remain without having complications.
Her days passed like this, studying for an hour, practicing, working out with her spells, exploring the alley, until the fifth day, the day of the exam. The first exam was correspondingly easy from just her reading the murals and her general knowledge. The second was more difficult, as it asked how you could apply basic powers to situations, but she had prioritized a lot of the simpler diaries for a reason. The third turned out to be a tournament, and April read the rules carefully. There were steps against death, and if you could force someone out of the circle you won regardless, but healing was only at the end of the day. So, she would need to be decisive in her battles, and carefully meter out of her power.
She nodded, coming up with an impromptu plan – keep her more powerful spells and shield capabilities until she had to use them. It was an extension of what she had been doing all week. There were enough applicants for 3 days of battles, and the first day for her was surprisingly easy, albeit due to her knowledge of the battlefield and careful use of the magic missile spell. The goal was to hide a hole card for the later battles, as she was fairly aware of what the other seekers thought of her – too old, and too provincial. The Kingdom of Tokiya did not enjoy a good reputation, and she gathered the Queendom of Gariafry enjoyed a slight better one. That was probably because at least seven of the seekers were from the Kingdom of Teyerali, if she was honest. And they had good reason to dislike Tokiya. Even more, they had good reasons to dislike her, and she knew two outright hated her.
And April couldn't blame them, but she wasn't going to move backwards here. Instead, she thought that night about the use of anchors. They were down to the last three matches on the next day, and if she could pull off a trick she saw once, it might be the difference between victory and defeat.
That next day, the weather was cold with a cold but gentle snow outside. April took a deep breath, and after a brief exercise and meditation run, stood in the small area used for challengers to wait. She was ignoring the looks others were giving her, as she was focusing on using manasight carefully and avoiding blinding herself. While it was a time-honored tradition to trash-talk and, April reflected wryly, she was tired of being called a Tokiyan butcher, she had focused on silently withstanding the jeers without response. As always, it proved more unnerving, and the trash-talk soon trailed off.
She was going to have to be careful with Fire mana today. Earth not so much, and if she knew a way to use the metal mana the way she wanted to, this would be easier on her. Still nothing for it. She wanted a good showing to ensure she got in, as they only took so many applicants – the going rumor is that it was only three this time, and everyone believed that the combat section was the best way to put their foot forward. Personally, April suspected they looked for different things, as the Alley did more than simply combat demons. But and April admitted to herself, standing alone as no one had really wanted to get near her, that wasn't what would draw people from Teryalli, as the passes to the Deiwaikathi were not for the faint of heart. On the other hand, to tend to the multitude with unselfish concern would require self-sacrifice. And she wanted to do more than be a mere soldier.
She was participating in the first fight, and if she won, the third fight. The opponent in this fight was Elin Tacehi, who didn't like her, but she gauged on the balance if she was careful, he'd refrain from being excessive. Probably. From observations, Elin favored a very attack-at-all-cost pace, with a focus on the immobility of the earth and rapid but weak spells.
The best tactic for her was simple, then. Attack first and keep a constant pressure. And it worked. One of the important bits anyone learns in battle – nothing is immobile, and the best way to take a hit was to not be there.
The final fight, though, was against Getian Jacidottir and April was already wary of that. She wasn't a fool, she had noticed the killer intent that Getian occasionally emitted, and her tactics were more flexible. It was for this that she held back.
And… well, it was probably not kind, but April knew of a way to make him exhaust the intent of inevitability his use of mana had. And it was, very strictly, that sorceresses and cultivators had a very similar thing about them. In many ways, they cultivated themselves, but the key difference is that a Sorceress was not striving to oppose heaven, they were chosen by heaven to either follow or defy. She didn't need to develop her intent - every use of mana, every power, carried her intent. An intent that said 'You shall fail. You are not inevitable. All things return to return again.' The question was whether her intent was stronger than the other womans? She would find out in this battle.
An older dark elf mage sat in the areas reserved for the alley's staff. A lot of staff were watching the last trial, as many were sensing the upcoming tribulations and wanting initiates who were ready for combat.
'There is more to what we do than just defeating the demons' he mentally thought, shaking his head. The trial had already started, with the two's mana clashing and producing faint sparks as they unleashed what little mana they could channel and recover. The ring, already saturated in mana began to grow hot with the excess of fire mana in the air, wet with the ice mana being used, and rough with the earth mana being channeled into it. The two were exchanging a sudden burst of spells, but he looked forward in surprise as the seeker from Tokiya was throwing out weak but present farsight beacons. What use did farsight have in the –
He remembered then, that Teyerali mages could use them as anchors for spells. The Tokiyan seeker had been in the military for 10 years, and it was likely she had heard of the use of them. It was conceivable she had even run across them, and while Tokiya intentionally trained them wrong in mana, he had spotted yesterday she used mana and Qi interchangeably when possible. It was also a wise choice, as their intents were clashing. The seeker from Teyerali clearly wanted to kill her, and it was only the singleminded intent of a solider that kept the Tokiyan seeker from taking a lot of damage as she finally unleashed a surprise – chains made of death mana to empower an Entangle spell, then a follow up with a brace of fire-aspected mana arrows. Weak, but it did claim a hit.
'That use of death mana..' He had thought her mana was a bit corrupted, and the pieces fell into place. She was the one who killed the summoners and summoned at the Massacre at Crimson Pass, and probably had repressed the memory. Someone would have to explain to her the penalty for killing, and not purifying, a demon.
It also turned out to be the wrong move, as the Teyerali seeker went berserk, summoning shadow lances and blowing straight through her flawed shield. The kitsune was hit, and her mana began to fluculate wildly, with minor fires and earth spikes hitting her in the warning signs of mana detonation. The proctors started to act, but a barrier spun around it, with death and demonic energy.
"I swore on my soul I'd kill you, Butcher of Crimson!" A scream came out from the catgirl. "And I don't care how!"
The kitsune stood up, with an inner fire as she detonated her shield with a burst of Qi to stop the next lances, sending the two apart. She then used every farsight anchor to send a barrage of fire arrows, moving for her life. The demon encasing the catgirl laughed at her, as the masters battled against the barrier. They would have it down in a minute, but that may be too long. No, he grimly realized, it would be too long, barring a miracle.
The crazed catgirl was sending wild waves of earth from the ring to try and drown the kitsune who was disrupting it as best she could with earth-aspected mana sent on waves of Qi, a clear twist of a standard martial art. But it wasn't enough, and she was buried under molten earth.
[Talonis Conduit: Success]
April struggled to burst through it with her control of earth mana, but she couldn't over power the demon. She couldn't fall here. She had so far to go to atone for what she had done. She had not yet redeemed her parents. She had failed her ancestor. She couldn't.
Within her, something broke, and she felt power flow again.
'Believe in yourself, my daughter, and fight.' Talonis said. 'Renew the compact with our Goddess, and prove once again that we are worthy of Her.'
Her eyes filled with white-gold, as she felt the touch of her Goddess once more, both power and faith in that she could overcome.
[April Overchannel: Success]
From the outside, this occurred for two silent seconds, before an aura of red-silver-black-purple-white-gold burst out of her, the burning flame of life, the sign of transcending the limits by fueling it with your very life, a sight unique to sorcerers. The necklace around her neck was gleaming bright, and it was the symbol of the Daughters of the Night, those who revered the goddess Faironi and her dead sister of the moon, Tsukahami.
The kitsune's clothing and fur was burnt in places, and she clearly had been bleeding before the heat had cauterized the wounds, but she stood again, and she drew a focus out of her burnt coat, glowing with the violet-grey of fire-metal mana.
"I may not be able to banish you." April coughed up some blood. "But I can kill you. And if you come back again, I will kill you again." Her voice was steely. "I will never forgive you, demon, for what you did at Twilight Pass. For the people and the Night!" Her voice roared the battlecry of the faithful as the beacons launched a hail of steel darts at the catgirl, glowing with the white-gold of divine energy. The demon recoiled, drawing deep on her hosts mana and shrouding them, only for the darts to explode and wear down the shield, giving April time to focus.
Divine magic was carried by song, and she began to sing as a ball of mana, Qi, and divine energy formed in front of her. An array formed around the grounds, and while the barrier was now down, the demon couldn't escape.
"Since tomorrow is filled with the light of our dreams." The ending of the hymn of the Death of Tsukahami, to her sister, the climax of the Calamity of the Old World. The ball gathered all of the free-floating mana and Qi from the battles and surroundings, a ring of ancient runics forming around it. The next words were ones said by many sorcerers and clerics over the centuries, a signature of the Compact made by the first Smithidottir with their patron goddess Faironi and taught to those who would defend the many and guide them. A Compact of guilt and hope formed in the murder of the Moon, and the final death of the Sun, and the first time any living had seen it renewed in such a manner.
The old elf smiled at the sight. April was a true descendant after all.
"Starlight Purifier" A beam of all the colors of the rainbow blasted the demon, and in its light, it could not remain.
In the silence, the light of the sky returned.
[April can now practice 'Hail of Blessed Darts' to learn the spell. (80 pts)]
[April has gained Aspect 'Follower of the Compact' and can learn to channel divine magic at higher cost and with only a few spells possible.]
Talonis Actions
Conduit Actions (pick two.)- [] Mana Boost - Boost her mana power in general by 25%.
- [] Magic Shroud - Channel magic to lead her enemies astray. (Less chance of hostile encounters)
- [] Spark of Inspiration – Give her an insight into an ongoing issue that will lead to a spell. (Random choice, but one that will matter in turn 3.)
- [] Death Magic Purification - April, unknowingly, is cursed with Death Mana. You could work on purifying it from her before she gains Infernal traits. However, it must be a slow and spread out process. (Ongoing, has 33% Curse Progress. Each turn stops progress and decreases it by 5%.)(Possible side effects and complications if you take this every turn. Current Progress per turn: 3%)(Taken 2 turns ago)
- [] Luck of the Goddess - You cannot teach her the grand secrets, but you can ensure that she finds the right books, of course. (Increase April's luck for a turn. More likely to learn a power from observation, increase a skill, of course.)
Self Actions (pick one)
- [] Mana I - You've just ascended, and feel sluggish. You cannot remanifest or even communicate. Your spells fizzle from lack of mana and you feel you will need to unlock them all over again. You will need to increase your mana to do so. (2/?)
- [] Work on Manifesting - You can send an short image of either yourself or the Goddess to send an important message to April, or simply to teach her a lesson of your past. (100) (Write-In: what to send.)
- [] Send Dreams of the Compact - April should have been taught this, but wasn't. (200 pts)(Effects: Reveal the past, will assist in learning divine magic.)
April Actions
Training (pick two)- []The Training Yards - Spell Practice: Spend time on the training halls to learn to experiment and understand your power. You'd need to balance it with your other obligations, but it's always good to practice and get a gauge what you can do. (Pick three non skill rolls to get double dice)
- []Hit the Books - The library beckons. While sorcerers are far more in touch with their own power, every initiate is encouraged to write a journal about their journey with magic – like you. And on top of that, there's a lot you are expected to know. (Pick 3 Rolls for skill growth to get double-dice. Gain Common 4 in one random skill.)
- []Aspectless Channeling - April would probably want to, or need to, channel her energies either to powers that take mana she normally doesn't use, or to assist others, who are using different types of mana for effects (150pts)
- []Aspected Channeling - April is working on redoing powers she has learnt for her type of mana - a healing that is a purification of injury via flame mana. A way to make magic missle a flaming orb, or an orb of force. (170pts)
- []Mana Cultivation - The Alley has dedicated places to meditate for you to get in touch with your mana and cultivate the inner fire. This gives you more available mana and can eventually make powers less straining to invoke. (DC scales, so more dice here are always better.)
- []Attend a Class: Defense - The Abbot has recommended you attend this class as a bare minimum, as the power you were taught is flawed, and only good against low magic projectiles. Even your inventive way of weaponizing it would be insufficient against many opponents.
- []Attend a Class: Utility - Any sorceress needs to have a good understanding of the utilitarian powers they can turn their magic to.
- []Attend a Class: Knowledge - Take a class on some bit of knowledge. Write in the type of knowledge.
- []Attend a Class: The Wilderness - Take a class on survival, recognizing where you are, moving stealthily, etc.
- []Attend a Class: Society and Religion - You may have to move in society. Being able to do so without gaining (more) enemies might go well. This also covers dealing with other religions.
- []Attend a Class: The Path of a Sage - You did pick a specialty. All of them have some classes, although some are tricker than others.
- []Device Research - You could research those devices to understand them better. It might be a very long term thing, but you can't help but feel it's peculiar a magic hating country such as the Kingdom of Tokiya has them. (????)
- []Hang Out With Other Initiates and Acolytes - Learn a bit of social chatter, as the Alley sorcerers seem to be very well connected to the gossip of this continent.
- []Talk to your Master - Your assigned master has a standing office timeslot for you, you could go take advantage of it. (Random benefit.)
- [] Investigate the Star Seeker Alley's history and buildings. (May build social connections, but will have a fortunate encounter. )
- []Learn Divine Magic - It might be helpful to learn to channel this when you aren't in risk of immediate death, but it will take time.
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As a note: the blessed darts spell is *intentionally* missing this turn, because April has no idea how she did any of this.
Intent is a powerful thing, but intent+knowledge is better for most powers. Compact based spells are a bit of an exception, as that's just raw power+intent+devotion, and she will almost never be able to use most of them at will.
Voting open til Sunday.
Intent is a powerful thing, but intent+knowledge is better for most powers. Compact based spells are a bit of an exception, as that's just raw power+intent+devotion, and she will almost never be able to use most of them at will.
Voting open til Sunday.
Okay that was sick as heck. I have no idea why more people aren't talking in the thread, but I'm enjoying reading this quest immensely. Good job. I'd love to give her more buffs, but I'm really interested in expanding capabilities at this point. I'm unsure what options are skills, what options are powers, and what options are neither though.
[X] Plan: I can't think of a plan name.
-[X] Death Magic Purification - April, unknowingly, is cursed with Death Mana. You could work on purifying it from her before she gains Infernal traits. However, it must be a slow and spread out process. (Ongoing, has 33% Curse Progress. Each turn stops progress and decreases it by 5%.)(Possible side effects and complications if you take this every turn. Current Progress per turn: 3%)(Taken 2 turns ago)
-[X] Luck of the Goddess - You cannot teach her the grand secrets, but you can ensure that she finds the right books, of course. (Increase April's luck for a turn. More likely to learn a power from observation, increase a skill, of course.)
-[X] Mana I - You've just ascended, and feel sluggish. You cannot remanifest or even communicate. Your spells fizzle from lack of mana and you feel you will need to unlock them all over again. You will need to increase your mana to do so. (2/?)
-[X]The Training Yards - Spell Practice: Spend time on the training halls to learn to experiment and understand your power. You'd need to balance it with your other obligations, but it's always good to practice and get a gauge what you can do. (Pick three non skill rolls to get double dice)
-[X]Aspected Channeling - April is working on redoing powers she has learnt for her type of mana - a healing that is a purification of injury via flame mana. A way to make magic missle a flaming orb, or an orb of force. (170pts)
-[X]Attend a Class: Defense - The Abbot has recommended you attend this class as a bare minimum, as the power you were taught is flawed, and only good against low magic projectiles. Even your inventive way of weaponizing it would be insufficient against many opponents.
-[X]Attend a Class: Society and Religion - You may have to move in society. Being able to do so without gaining (more) enemies might go well. This also covers dealing with other religions.
-[X]Attend a Class: The Path of a Sage - You did pick a specialty. All of them have some classes, although some are tricker than others.
-[X] Investigate the Star Seeker Alley's history and buildings. (May build social connections, but will have a fortunate encounter. )
-[X]Learn Divine Magic - It might be helpful to learn to channel this when you aren't in risk of immediate death, but it will take time.
[X] Plan: I can't think of a plan name.
-[X] Death Magic Purification - April, unknowingly, is cursed with Death Mana. You could work on purifying it from her before she gains Infernal traits. However, it must be a slow and spread out process. (Ongoing, has 33% Curse Progress. Each turn stops progress and decreases it by 5%.)(Possible side effects and complications if you take this every turn. Current Progress per turn: 3%)(Taken 2 turns ago)
-[X] Luck of the Goddess - You cannot teach her the grand secrets, but you can ensure that she finds the right books, of course. (Increase April's luck for a turn. More likely to learn a power from observation, increase a skill, of course.)
-[X] Mana I - You've just ascended, and feel sluggish. You cannot remanifest or even communicate. Your spells fizzle from lack of mana and you feel you will need to unlock them all over again. You will need to increase your mana to do so. (2/?)
-[X]The Training Yards - Spell Practice: Spend time on the training halls to learn to experiment and understand your power. You'd need to balance it with your other obligations, but it's always good to practice and get a gauge what you can do. (Pick three non skill rolls to get double dice)
-[X]Aspected Channeling - April is working on redoing powers she has learnt for her type of mana - a healing that is a purification of injury via flame mana. A way to make magic missle a flaming orb, or an orb of force. (170pts)
-[X]Attend a Class: Defense - The Abbot has recommended you attend this class as a bare minimum, as the power you were taught is flawed, and only good against low magic projectiles. Even your inventive way of weaponizing it would be insufficient against many opponents.
-[X]Attend a Class: Society and Religion - You may have to move in society. Being able to do so without gaining (more) enemies might go well. This also covers dealing with other religions.
-[X]Attend a Class: The Path of a Sage - You did pick a specialty. All of them have some classes, although some are tricker than others.
-[X] Investigate the Star Seeker Alley's history and buildings. (May build social connections, but will have a fortunate encounter. )
-[X]Learn Divine Magic - It might be helpful to learn to channel this when you aren't in risk of immediate death, but it will take time.
[X] Plan: magic boot camp
-[X] Death Magic Purification - April, unknowingly, is cursed with Death Mana. You could work on purifying it from her before she gains Infernal traits. However, it must be a slow and spread out process. (Ongoing, has 33% Curse Progress. Each turn stops progress and decreases it by 5%.)(Possible side effects and complications if you take this every turn. Current Progress per turn: 3%)(Taken 2 turns ago)
-[X] Luck of the Goddess - You cannot teach her the grand secrets, but you can ensure that she finds the right books, of course. (Increase April's luck for a turn. More likely to learn a power from observation, increase a skill, of course.)
-[X] Mana I - You've just ascended, and feel sluggish. You cannot remanifest or even communicate. Your spells fizzle from lack of mana and you feel you will need to unlock them all over again. You will need to increase your mana to do so. (2/?)
-[X]The Training Yards - Spell Practice: Spend time on the training halls to learn to experiment and understand your power. You'd need to balance it with your other obligations, but it's always good to practice and get a gauge what you can do. (Pick three non skill rolls to get double dice)
-[X][]Aspectless Channeling - April would probably want to, or need to, channel her energies either to powers that take mana she normally doesn't use, or to assist others, who are using different types of mana for effects (150pts)
[X]Attend a Class: Defense - The Abbot has recommended you attend this class as a bare minimum, as the power you were taught is flawed, and only good against low magic projectiles. Even your inventive way of weaponizing it would be insufficient against many opponents.
--[X]training yards
-[X]Attend a Class: Utility - Any sorceress needs to have a good understanding of the utilitarian powers they can turn their magic to.
--[X]training yards
-[X]Attend a Class: Society and Religion - You may have to move in society. Being able to do so without gaining (more) enemies might go well. This also covers dealing with other religions.
-[X]Talk to your Master - Your assigned master has a standing office timeslot for you, you could go take advantage of it. (Random benefit.)
-[X]Learn Divine Magic - It might be helpful to learn to channel this when you aren't in risk of immediate death, but it will take time.
--[X]training yards
@KNakamura can you clarify which action count as skill roll and which don't?
-[X] Death Magic Purification - April, unknowingly, is cursed with Death Mana. You could work on purifying it from her before she gains Infernal traits. However, it must be a slow and spread out process. (Ongoing, has 33% Curse Progress. Each turn stops progress and decreases it by 5%.)(Possible side effects and complications if you take this every turn. Current Progress per turn: 3%)(Taken 2 turns ago)
-[X] Luck of the Goddess - You cannot teach her the grand secrets, but you can ensure that she finds the right books, of course. (Increase April's luck for a turn. More likely to learn a power from observation, increase a skill, of course.)
-[X] Mana I - You've just ascended, and feel sluggish. You cannot remanifest or even communicate. Your spells fizzle from lack of mana and you feel you will need to unlock them all over again. You will need to increase your mana to do so. (2/?)
-[X]The Training Yards - Spell Practice: Spend time on the training halls to learn to experiment and understand your power. You'd need to balance it with your other obligations, but it's always good to practice and get a gauge what you can do. (Pick three non skill rolls to get double dice)
-[X][]Aspectless Channeling - April would probably want to, or need to, channel her energies either to powers that take mana she normally doesn't use, or to assist others, who are using different types of mana for effects (150pts)
[X]Attend a Class: Defense - The Abbot has recommended you attend this class as a bare minimum, as the power you were taught is flawed, and only good against low magic projectiles. Even your inventive way of weaponizing it would be insufficient against many opponents.
--[X]training yards
-[X]Attend a Class: Utility - Any sorceress needs to have a good understanding of the utilitarian powers they can turn their magic to.
--[X]training yards
-[X]Attend a Class: Society and Religion - You may have to move in society. Being able to do so without gaining (more) enemies might go well. This also covers dealing with other religions.
-[X]Talk to your Master - Your assigned master has a standing office timeslot for you, you could go take advantage of it. (Random benefit.)
-[X]Learn Divine Magic - It might be helpful to learn to channel this when you aren't in risk of immediate death, but it will take time.
--[X]training yards
@KNakamura can you clarify which action count as skill roll and which don't?
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^^^ Yeah I didn't specify because I don't know which rolls count.
Training actions are basically "actions you choose to take" that have a threshold or certain amount of rolls you need to do. For example, you can specify it applies to Mana I, Aspected Channeling, and (starting next turn) a focus on a particular Power.
You cannot have it apply to her practice of Mana Control, or say, if she wants to spend a turn on Manasight, as those are skills. (You will get a lot better returns studying how others have used those than praticing, hence why that's tied to the library.) Nor can you use it on classes because classes teach one random thing, which might be a power (and right now is extremely likely to be), or a skill. It also can't apply to "take a task" because that's basically either her running an errand, performing basic monster suppression, investigating a mystery, or solving a problem.
Which, starting next turn, there will be options to have her focus on particular powers or skills.
You cannot have it apply to her practice of Mana Control, or say, if she wants to spend a turn on Manasight, as those are skills. (You will get a lot better returns studying how others have used those than praticing, hence why that's tied to the library.) Nor can you use it on classes because classes teach one random thing, which might be a power (and right now is extremely likely to be), or a skill. It also can't apply to "take a task" because that's basically either her running an errand, performing basic monster suppression, investigating a mystery, or solving a problem.
Which, starting next turn, there will be options to have her focus on particular powers or skills.
what about the classes? are they skills? training? depending on the class?
I assume divine magic is training?
Classes are teaching you something. They are their own actions, and you can't use training actions on them. As you take classes, other classes open up which is basically training. You also unlock seminars, which are also a form of more direct training.
ICly, you have less time to train advancing as more is expected of you in service to the Alley, so classes exist to make sure that an acolyte of the Alley of the Star Seeker brings no shame to the name.
( For example the class on the wilderness opens up "Wilderness Survival Exercises" after you take it once which.. as you can imagine is a dedicated training in "how do you survive without using magic and using magic.")
Divine Magic would be training in the sense you are doing meditation and struggling to draw out the connection, yes.
ICly, you have less time to train advancing as more is expected of you in service to the Alley, so classes exist to make sure that an acolyte of the Alley of the Star Seeker brings no shame to the name.
( For example the class on the wilderness opens up "Wilderness Survival Exercises" after you take it once which.. as you can imagine is a dedicated training in "how do you survive without using magic and using magic.")
Divine Magic would be training in the sense you are doing meditation and struggling to draw out the connection, yes.
Eternal_0bserver
(Unverified Bookworm)
- Location
- Earth, Northern Europe
[X] Plan: magic boot camp.
I added aspectl3ss channeling, can we apply training to that?
Yes, that would work.
Vote closed