Nightshade & Gasoline, a write-in urban fantasy quest
- Thread starter Mourning Dove
- Start date
- Original Fantasy Modern
- Location
- Switzerland
Ah. Nope, no reason. I just goofed up. Thanks for pointing that out!
Edit: Ah yeah, and I should have another update ready within the next few hours. I'll just wait for one or two more people to vote.
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lavanderjasmine
Master of decoration
- Location
- R'lyeh
[X] Lay a line of salt down in front of the bathroom door.
[X] Carefully open the bathroom door.
[x] Switch the lights on before you open the door. It has sensitive eyes, yes? Blind it!
[X] Carefully open the bathroom door.
[x] Switch the lights on before you open the door. It has sensitive eyes, yes? Blind it!
Prologue - 5
- Location
- Switzerland
>lay a line of salt down in front of the bathroom door.
Right, salt. You think you've seen this in horror movies.
It takes some digging, but you find a bag of cheap cooking salt in the back of one of your cupboards and set to work. Once you're done, you set the now nearly empty bag down next to you and take a step back to survey your handiwork. It's a thick, nearly even line of salt going from one end to the door to the other.
Ah. That'll be a real pain to clean up later.
>switch the lights on before you open the door. It has sensitive eyes, yes? Blind it!
You stare at the wall net to the bathroom door. It's off-white with a few old marks and scratches and its very, very empty.
The light switch to the bathroom light is inside the bathroom, so there's no way to press it as long as the door is closed. It is right next to the door, so maybe you can reach in real quick and press it once you've opened the door. Then again, maybe it's best to keep your fingers far far away from that imp thing.
You wonder if there's some kind of Light rune. God, you really wish you had magic at your disposal. It sounds so nice to be able to just conjure up whatever.
>carefully open the bathroom door.
You clutch the stool tighter and take a last glance down at the line of salt before your feet, hoping it'll actually do something. Maeve knew what she was writing, right? She was really good at this, after all.
Yeah, this'll be fine. Your hand is shaking a little bit as you grab the door handle. Treacherous thing.
"Here goes nothing", you murmur and push.
The imp is staring at you from under the sink, its blazing, lifeless eyes tightened to slits as the light from your room streams in through the door. Its small, bony body is covered in black fur, and that's about all you can make out before the thing lets out a low, unnatural gargle and comes running at you.
You lift your stool reflexively, bracing for impact, but it never comes.
You hear a pained hiss instead. The thing has stopped at your line of salt, drawing it's deformed claw back in pain. You see it retract a step, and for a moment, you want to let out a sigh of relief.
Then it looks up, its eyes burning and hungry. You see its muscles tighten. It's getting ready to jump.
[]input command
Right, salt. You think you've seen this in horror movies.
It takes some digging, but you find a bag of cheap cooking salt in the back of one of your cupboards and set to work. Once you're done, you set the now nearly empty bag down next to you and take a step back to survey your handiwork. It's a thick, nearly even line of salt going from one end to the door to the other.
Ah. That'll be a real pain to clean up later.
>switch the lights on before you open the door. It has sensitive eyes, yes? Blind it!
You stare at the wall net to the bathroom door. It's off-white with a few old marks and scratches and its very, very empty.
The light switch to the bathroom light is inside the bathroom, so there's no way to press it as long as the door is closed. It is right next to the door, so maybe you can reach in real quick and press it once you've opened the door. Then again, maybe it's best to keep your fingers far far away from that imp thing.
You wonder if there's some kind of Light rune. God, you really wish you had magic at your disposal. It sounds so nice to be able to just conjure up whatever.
>carefully open the bathroom door.
You clutch the stool tighter and take a last glance down at the line of salt before your feet, hoping it'll actually do something. Maeve knew what she was writing, right? She was really good at this, after all.
Yeah, this'll be fine. Your hand is shaking a little bit as you grab the door handle. Treacherous thing.
"Here goes nothing", you murmur and push.
The imp is staring at you from under the sink, its blazing, lifeless eyes tightened to slits as the light from your room streams in through the door. Its small, bony body is covered in black fur, and that's about all you can make out before the thing lets out a low, unnatural gargle and comes running at you.
You lift your stool reflexively, bracing for impact, but it never comes.
You hear a pained hiss instead. The thing has stopped at your line of salt, drawing it's deformed claw back in pain. You see it retract a step, and for a moment, you want to let out a sigh of relief.
Then it looks up, its eyes burning and hungry. You see its muscles tighten. It's getting ready to jump.
[]input command
Status:
no injuries
slightly hungry
kind of freaking out
Inventory (no bag):
left hand: Improvised stool shield
Objective:
get rid of the imp
no injuries
slightly hungry
kind of freaking out
Inventory (no bag):
left hand: Improvised stool shield
Objective:
get rid of the imp
Magic power:
very low
Runes known:
"Heat" (you do not know how to write this rune)
very low
Runes known:
"Heat" (you do not know how to write this rune)
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- Location
- Leeds
How about a torch? Magic is not needed yet.
[X] Shut the door.
[X] Get more salt.
[X] Throw the salt at the imp until it stops moving.
Prologue - 6
- Location
- Switzerland
Huhh this one's a tricky one. Slamming/shutting the door got two votes, so that one's in for sure. Since Nevill's last two commands are an either/or situation, only one of them makes it (>pound on it with the stool). Which leaves a spot for one of Silver's commands. I kinda mushed your last two together, since there's still some salt left in the bag we previously used. Let me know if that's ok with you two. It's the best solution I could come up with and works pretty well encounter-wise.
Warning for (somewhat) graphic depictions of violence. I wouldn't say they're graphic enough to warrant a spoiler tag, but feel free to correct me on that one.
>slam it with the door as it jumps at you. You literally can't miss!
You grab for the handle in panic and slam the door shut with all your might just as the imp pounces. You can feel the impact in your fingertips as the creature crashes into the wood at full force. It lets out a high-pitched screech.
Then, Silence.
Shit, that was cool.
>grab more salt and throw it at the imp until it stops moving.
You snatch the bag of salt you used earlier off the floor. There's only about a fistful left, but you can't risk giving the imp any time to recuperate while you go back to the kitchen and search for more.
You don't really want to open the door again, but you know you have to, and you know you've got to be quick.
The smell of rot hits you as soon as you've pulled it open. The imp is there on the ground, leaving a trail of black, tarry liquid as it drags itself towards the back of the room. It snaps around the moment you open the door and lets out another screech, its eves quavering with ire. It seems ready to throw itself at you again, whether its bruised body will let it or not.
You don't hesitate. You dump the remains of salt over it, watching as it hisses in pain and curls inward.
>if you manage to stun it, pound on it with the stool.
You bring your stool down on it's head.
You don't like to admit it, but you find yourself pressing your eyes shut at the last moment. You know you hit though. There's a series of sounds you can't really find the words to describe as the stool connects with the creature's skull.
It's chilling, but...
But there's also a sense of satisfaction to it. You remember the nights turning restlessly in your bed, kept awake by sounds only you could hear. You remember your classmates laughing at you when you flinched in the middle of the street, snapping around only to find nothing there. You remember their stares, your parent's looks of worry when you told them about the "invisible monsters" as a little kid, long before you learned to just shut up and ignore.
You're done ignoring. You're done thinking you are crazy. You can see them now. You can-
You still, stopping the stool in mid-air as you're about to bring it down again. The creature on the ground is well beyond the point of moving.
You set the stool down, slowly, as you watch the imp's body disintegrate.
It's almost a beautiful sight. You watch it come undone at the seams, thousands of little particles of light breaking loose just shortly before they're pulled inwards. Before long, there's nothing but a ball of clear, bright white light left.
You watch the soul drift up, coming to rest right at eye-level. This used to be a person once, you think. You're not sure what happened to twist it onto becoming that miserable thing. Maeve wouldn't tell. But you get the sense that whatever it was, it's all gone now, evaporated with the rest of the creature's body.
This isn't a being anymore. This is nothing but pure, unfiltered magic energy.
The exact magic energy you lack.
You wonder if you could...
[]input command
No need for three commands this time. One or two will do. Just decide what you want to try doing/don't want to do with the light.
We reached a point where the information you have as a player is pretty much on par with the information our protagonist has, by the way.
Status:
no injuries
slightly hungry
out of breath
Inventory (no bag):
empty
Objective:
decide what to do with the soul.
no injuries
slightly hungry
out of breath
Inventory (no bag):
empty
Objective:
decide what to do with the soul.
Magic power:
very low
Runes known:
"Heat" (you do not know how to write this rune)
very low
Runes known:
"Heat" (you do not know how to write this rune)
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- Location
- Leeds
Well this is such an obvious lead in that it worries me its a trap.
[X] Capture the magic in the salt bag. Remember the old saying: Never eat an energy field larger than your own head.
- Location
- Switzerland
Me? Traps? Never. I don't lay traps, I offer choices which, ideally, have no clear right or wrong answer... exept when they do and the wrong answer gets you killed...or when they're a trap.
Hmm anyone else want to vote? I'm gonna update in a few hours, but you still have some time left.
We're almost done with our little prologue tutorial, btw.
- Location
- Leeds
We might be facing a problem with America vs European time. Would you give them until morning?
@Nevill @lavanderjasmine @Scify care to chime in? Eating people souls in exchange for magic power or not? Also important moral decisions about if its acceptable to keep a soul in a plastic bag.
For the sake of simplicitiy for voters let me offer some options.
[ ] Let the soul pass away.
[ ] Eat it, you've always wanted this.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
People, what people? All I see is a ball of yummy magic. Delicious!
[x] Eat it, you've always wanted this.
lavanderjasmine
Master of decoration
- Location
- R'lyeh
[x] Eat it, you've always wanted this.
[x] Be ready to use your willpower. There is litte chance that imp will try to possess you, but better safe than sorry.
@Mourning Dove What will happen if we die? Will you end this quest?
[x] Be ready to use your willpower. There is litte chance that imp will try to possess you, but better safe than sorry.
@Mourning Dove What will happen if we die? Will you end this quest?
- Location
- Switzerland
Oh, you might be right. I was trying to keep up the pace and, um, was kind of using this to procrastinate working on an important project, but I'd much rather give people enough time to vote (and a bunch of people have voted, look at that. Great!)... And I really should work on that project. I'll post that update tomorrow morning then.
Ummm, let's answer that when we get to it, shall we. Considering people in this universe don't necessarily just disappear when they die...well.
It would definitely have grave (wink) consequences though.
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- Location
- Leeds
It might have also been that it just dropped down to the second or third pages and people couldn't see.
Who knows.
- Location
- um how about i don't
[x] Think back to Maeve - did she ever say anything about this? What would she think of me... consuming.. a soul? Mentally curse her for throwing me into the deep end.
[x] See if there's anything in our book about this... If I'm going to to start eating spirits I should see if there are any side effects.
and finally:
[x] Eat it, you've always wanted this.
[x] See if there's anything in our book about this... If I'm going to to start eating spirits I should see if there are any side effects.
and finally:
[x] Eat it, you've always wanted this.
- Location
- Canada
"Um excuse me Mr. Glowy -spirit-thing, can you just hold tight while I flip through this bad boy to see if I'm gonna get food poisoning if I eat you? Thanks."
- Location
- um how about i don't
we can always try to look it up after eating it in order to figure out how much hot water we're in for. "Actions happen in the order that makes narrative sense."
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Prologue - 7 Character Creation
- Location
- Switzerland
>think back to Maeve - did she ever say anything about this? What would she think of you... consuming.. a soul? Mentally curse her for throwing you into the deep end.
You decide to start off with the cursing Maeve bit. It's become one of your favorite pastimes in these last few days. You know she means well, probably, but God what was she thinking. You're in way over your head.
She hasn't told you anything about this, that's for sure. Maeve's approach to teaching you has been very...hands-off. After she made you break into her old apartment and get all those books and the cauldron (an absolutely terrifying experience, by the way), she's only dropped in a couple times.
You kind of figured she'd be here today though - with it being the day of your big meeting with the Coven and all that. Isn't she going to check up on you?
>see if there's anything in our book about this... If you're going to start eating spirits, you should see if there are any side effects.
You're pretty sure there isn't. At least not in the ones you've read. That kind of thing would be hard to forget about.
You briefly contemplate checking anyway, but...
Doesn't it seem like the light is getting just a little bit dimmer around the edges?
You make a mental note to go consult your books later, should the opportunity present itself.
>eat it, you've always wanted this.
You bring your attention back to the light. It's about the size of your fist and it's pulsing lightly, still incredibly beautiful.
...It's too early to get your hopes up. This might not even work.
You reach for it, half expecting your hand to just faze through. It doesn't. Instead, you find yourself with a handful of soul.
This definitely ranks among the Weirdest Experiences You've Had in Your Life. And that bar has become pretty high recently. The feeling the soul inside your grasp is almost unreal. This intense, vibrating energy; tangible, but just barely. Your fingertips tingle with arcane power.
It kind of tickles, actually.
What now? You tentatively move your hand. The light stays firmly in your grasp. You bring it up to your chest, right where your heart is, and press. Nothing happens.
Figures. You think you know where this is going. Might as well get it over with before you can chicken out.
You bring the soul up to your mouth, and swallow.
>...
You look down at your hand. It's empty. The soul is gone.
You don't feel any different.
Did it not work?
You drag yourself over to the sink and splash your face with cold water. The feeling is oddly intense. You realize you're probably still high on adrenaline from that fight.
The fight, right. You actually did it. You won. Who even cares about souls. You destroyed that imp. Looks like you're not such a failure after all.
You look up to find your reflection staring back at you, a smile slowly spreading across their face. Heh, you look like a mess.
>CHARACTER CREATION
>what do you look like?
Hit me up with some descriptors. As many as you'd like. Feel free to second other people's suggestions. Once the voting period is over, I'll try to incorporate as many of them as possible into our protagonist's description, favoring the ones with a high count of votes.
>what is your name?
[]Arden
[]Avery
[]Moriah
[]write-in
Pick a name, or suggest one yourself. Since our protagonist is non-binary, I'd prefer if it was an unisex one.
>what are your strenghts?
Pick two traits. These aren't going to break or make the game for you, but they'll definitely influence how certain situations play out and how I write the character. Maybe you can even use them to your advantage?
Magic Sense and Magically Dense cancel each other out and can not both be picked, of course.
You decide to start off with the cursing Maeve bit. It's become one of your favorite pastimes in these last few days. You know she means well, probably, but God what was she thinking. You're in way over your head.
She hasn't told you anything about this, that's for sure. Maeve's approach to teaching you has been very...hands-off. After she made you break into her old apartment and get all those books and the cauldron (an absolutely terrifying experience, by the way), she's only dropped in a couple times.
You kind of figured she'd be here today though - with it being the day of your big meeting with the Coven and all that. Isn't she going to check up on you?
>see if there's anything in our book about this... If you're going to start eating spirits, you should see if there are any side effects.
You're pretty sure there isn't. At least not in the ones you've read. That kind of thing would be hard to forget about.
You briefly contemplate checking anyway, but...
Doesn't it seem like the light is getting just a little bit dimmer around the edges?
You make a mental note to go consult your books later, should the opportunity present itself.
>eat it, you've always wanted this.
>be ready to use your willpower. There is little chance that imp will try to possess you, but better safe than sorry.
You bring your attention back to the light. It's about the size of your fist and it's pulsing lightly, still incredibly beautiful.
...It's too early to get your hopes up. This might not even work.
You reach for it, half expecting your hand to just faze through. It doesn't. Instead, you find yourself with a handful of soul.
This definitely ranks among the Weirdest Experiences You've Had in Your Life. And that bar has become pretty high recently. The feeling the soul inside your grasp is almost unreal. This intense, vibrating energy; tangible, but just barely. Your fingertips tingle with arcane power.
It kind of tickles, actually.
What now? You tentatively move your hand. The light stays firmly in your grasp. You bring it up to your chest, right where your heart is, and press. Nothing happens.
Figures. You think you know where this is going. Might as well get it over with before you can chicken out.
You bring the soul up to your mouth, and swallow.
>...
You look down at your hand. It's empty. The soul is gone.
You don't feel any different.
Did it not work?
You drag yourself over to the sink and splash your face with cold water. The feeling is oddly intense. You realize you're probably still high on adrenaline from that fight.
The fight, right. You actually did it. You won. Who even cares about souls. You destroyed that imp. Looks like you're not such a failure after all.
You look up to find your reflection staring back at you, a smile slowly spreading across their face. Heh, you look like a mess.
>CHARACTER CREATION
>what do you look like?
Hit me up with some descriptors. As many as you'd like. Feel free to second other people's suggestions. Once the voting period is over, I'll try to incorporate as many of them as possible into our protagonist's description, favoring the ones with a high count of votes.
>what is your name?
[]Arden
[]Avery
[]Moriah
[]write-in
Pick a name, or suggest one yourself. Since our protagonist is non-binary, I'd prefer if it was an unisex one.
>what are your strenghts?
Pick two traits. These aren't going to break or make the game for you, but they'll definitely influence how certain situations play out and how I write the character. Maybe you can even use them to your advantage?
[]Magic Sense
Yeah, you can see spirits and magic energy now, but there's something more to it.
If you concentrate enough, you can sense magic in your immediate surroundings - if its bearer isn't trying to conceal it, that is.
However, magic also affects you more.
[]Magically Dense
Magic aura? What magic aura?
Your magic nose is perpetually stuffy, but it turns out that actually makes you pretty resilient towards spells and other types of magic energy directed at you. Resilient, not immune.
[]Light on your Feet
You used to be on the track team.
You're a fast runner and pretty agile. Your reflexes are nothing to scoff at, either.
[]Sturdy
You can take a hit or two. If you're knocked down, you get back up again.
[]Combat Enthusiast
You were pretty handy with that stool, right?
You've always been into martial arts. You never stuck with one thing long enough to actually master it, but you can throw a decent punch and you know how to handle a basic weapon.
[]Good Visual Memory
It's not exactly photographic memory, but you're surprisingly quick to remember images, symbols, and movements you see, especially if you pay close attention to them.
[]Cool Head
Ok, that imp encounter got you kind of riled up, but once you've actually gotten used to the thought of fighting magic demons, you should be pretty good at keeping your cool. That also applies to other stressful situations, of course.
Yeah, you can see spirits and magic energy now, but there's something more to it.
If you concentrate enough, you can sense magic in your immediate surroundings - if its bearer isn't trying to conceal it, that is.
However, magic also affects you more.
[]Magically Dense
Magic aura? What magic aura?
Your magic nose is perpetually stuffy, but it turns out that actually makes you pretty resilient towards spells and other types of magic energy directed at you. Resilient, not immune.
[]Light on your Feet
You used to be on the track team.
You're a fast runner and pretty agile. Your reflexes are nothing to scoff at, either.
[]Sturdy
You can take a hit or two. If you're knocked down, you get back up again.
[]Combat Enthusiast
You were pretty handy with that stool, right?
You've always been into martial arts. You never stuck with one thing long enough to actually master it, but you can throw a decent punch and you know how to handle a basic weapon.
[]Good Visual Memory
It's not exactly photographic memory, but you're surprisingly quick to remember images, symbols, and movements you see, especially if you pay close attention to them.
[]Cool Head
Ok, that imp encounter got you kind of riled up, but once you've actually gotten used to the thought of fighting magic demons, you should be pretty good at keeping your cool. That also applies to other stressful situations, of course.
Magic Sense and Magically Dense cancel each other out and can not both be picked, of course.
Status:
no injuries
slightly hungry
Inventory (no bag):
empty
Objective:
Character creation!
no injuries
slightly hungry
Inventory (no bag):
empty
Objective:
Character creation!
Magic power:
average
Runes known:
"Heat" (you do not know how to write this rune)
average
Runes known:
"Heat" (you do not know how to write this rune)
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- Location
- Canada
Let's take a good long look in the mirror and see what you're working with.
[x] ... You're a few good inches shorter than most people. Better hope that stool is still intact.
[x] Perpetually messy hair. Do you even own a comb?
[x] Sure you're still in pyjamas, but your clothes definitely prioritize comfort over fashion. Soft, loose, and warm is about as far as your criteria goes.
[x] Your mom is (was? I dunno) Cherokee and that's reflected in your features.
Now let's give you a name!
[x] Campbell
As far as traits go I'm liking:
[x] Magic Sense
[x] Good Visual Memory
[x] ... You're a few good inches shorter than most people. Better hope that stool is still intact.
[x] Perpetually messy hair. Do you even own a comb?
[x] Sure you're still in pyjamas, but your clothes definitely prioritize comfort over fashion. Soft, loose, and warm is about as far as your criteria goes.
[x] Your mom is (was? I dunno) Cherokee and that's reflected in your features.
Now let's give you a name!
[x] Campbell
As far as traits go I'm liking:
[x] Magic Sense
[x] Good Visual Memory
- Location
- um how about i don't
a e s t h e t i c s:
[x] some aesthetic keywords: pretty/symmetric face, quick eyes, constant bedhed, average build, hoodie+basic pants fashion aka stressed college fashion
Name:
[x] Campbell
Traits:
[x] Magical Sense - Information is power and getting wrecked by magic sounds fun. Hopefully we won't get magic nosebleeds.
[x] Good Visual Memory - How else are you going to learn runes?
[x] some aesthetic keywords: pretty/symmetric face, quick eyes, constant bedhed, average build, hoodie+basic pants fashion aka stressed college fashion
Name:
[x] Campbell
Traits:
[x] Magical Sense - Information is power and getting wrecked by magic sounds fun. Hopefully we won't get magic nosebleeds.
[x] Good Visual Memory - How else are you going to learn runes?
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