[X] Ignore it. You are worrying about nothing.
-[X] Stay with the merchant.
--[X] Maybe we can buy a Tome or two? Just make sure we have enough money left for the grocery list.
[X] Ignore it. You are worrying about nothing.
-[X] Stay with the merchant.
--[X] Maybe we can buy a Tome or two? Just make sure we have enough money left for the grocery list.
Our misadventures will begin one way or another. Let's grab some shinies before things go to hell first.
Vote tally: ##### 3.21 -[X] Report the brown-robed man to your mother immediately. He seems suspicious.
No. of votes: 1 Shiranui Night_stalker
[X] Ignore it. You are worrying about nothing.
-[X] Stay with the merchant.
--[X] Maybe we can buy a Tome or two? Just make sure we have enough money left for the grocery list.
No. of votes: 5 Hannz veekie BetaM Nevill Theoneandonlyz
And it has been decided that the brown-robed man is not someone to worry about, especially in the face of sweet, sweet magic! Let's see if we can buy anything next update!
Main Plaza, Peninsula Town, Holy Land
12th day of the harvest season, 9th hour
Lillete shook off the nervous feeling in her stomach. The man couldn't have been nothing more than a traveler, she thought to herself. She turned her attention to the merchant. "I would be more interested in any of those tomes that you have," she said, "what are the other schools of magic like, exactly?"
"Well," the merchant said, "earth magic can manipulate and revitalize the earth, obviously. You live near the kingdom. I'm sure you saw an earth mage or two use their magic at least once. Water magic controls any form of liquid, and you can freeze water and produce ice as well. Fire magic is just use to produce flames and fireballs, but if you go the Fire Lands, then you can learn magma bending. I wouldn't recommend it for you, though: you wouldn't last five seconds in the Lands."
Lillete's patience with the merchant began to thin one more. "Honestly," she said, "did no one teach you how rude it is to insult someone?"
"Pardon me." The merchant said. "To make it up to you, I'll make a deal. These tomes normally cost 15 silver each, but I'll give you all three books of a set for one gold piece. Three for the price of two. How's that sound?"
Lillete admitted to herself that the deal sounded good, but then realized something else important. "Oh," she said out loud, "I nearly forgot! I still need to get the potatoes, and I only have enough money left for those!"
The merchant scratched the back of his head. "Alright," he said, "I need to meet you mother anyway, so how about I give you a ride? I'll take you to the market and your home, and then we can talk business."
"Truly?" Lillete asked. "You would be willing to do that?"
"Of course!" The merchant said with a big grin. "It's always good business to help a potential customer. Besides, what kind of man would I be to not help the local lady of the town?"
Lillete smiled. The merchant was kinder than she originally thought. "I will gladly take you up on that offer. But first, if I may have your name?"
The merchant laughed. "Of course, of course," he said, "where are my manners? Murdock, traveling merchant of Medea! It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Delacroix."
"Please," Lillete said, "Lillete is fine."
Murdock smiled. "Humble," he said, "I like that. You don't see that in most of the nobles, whether they're mages or magicless. Well then, Lillete, allow me to help you up."
With Murdock's help, Lillete got onto the side seat of the merchant cart. With a strike of the reins, Murdock's horses galloped towards the market.
Delacroix Mansion, Peninsula Town, Holy Land
12th day of the harvest season, 10th hour
Murdock parked his cart outside the gates. He got off of it and helped Lillete get down. "So this is the Delacroix manor. Looks nice enough."
"It is suitable." Lillete said. "Although the mansions in the capital of Luce are far grander in comparison."
"I noticed," Murdock said. "Seems like a waste of money for a space that only occupies a few people. At least your place isn't made of anything fancy." Murdock walked up to the gates. "Well then," he said, "when your mother's ready, I'll head into the mansion and ask permission to set up shop. How long do you think it's going to take to meet her?"
"If you wish," Lillete said, "you may come in with me."
"Miss Lillete! Miss Lillete!" The panicked voice of Joshua could be heard from behind the gate. He ran up to it, startling Lillete and Murdock.
"Woah!" Murdock said. "Who's this?"
"Joshua, what is the matter?" Lillete asked.
"I saw something!" Joshua said, "Someone sneaking into the mansion!"
"What?" Lillete asked. "Did you tell mother?"
"I can't." Joshua said. "I'm not allowed inside the mansion."
"Joshua," Lillete said, "this is something that mother would make an exception to-" Lillete shook her head. "Never mind that. Did you see what this man looked like?"
"I couldn't tell," Joshua said. "The person was covered in brown robes."
The description caused Lillete to recall the man from earlier. Was he the same person who snuck into the mansion? Lillete tried not to berate herself over her previous decision; there were more pressing issues at hand. "Murdock," she said, "we need to-" Lillete saw Murdock return from his cart carrying two staves -one made of oak, the other metal – an axe with a rune on it, and an empty crossbow. "What are you doing, Murdock?"
"Preparing." Murdock said. "Some stranger just snuck into your mansion, and we don't know why. Best to assume the worst." Murdock's whole demeanor changed. He looked serious, ready for combat at a moment's notice. "I got two staves: one can cast spells while consuming less mana, and the other can reduce the casting time for magic." Murdock turned to face Joshua. "Name's Murdock. Now then, can you use magic?"
Joshua hesitated. "I-I can't…" he said.
"Alright," Murdock said, "say no more." Murdock gave Joshua the axe. "Turn that rune on, and the blade will ignite. Good for chopping through debris, or for seriously injuring someone." Murdock turned to face Lillete, "As for you, I don't know if you can fight, but you can heal, which will come in handy if someone gets hurt." Murdock grabbed both staves and placed them in front of Lillete. "So," he said, "which are you going to choose?"
Pick a staff
-[] Oak staff (Reduces casting time by 1 second)
-[] Metal staff (Reduces mana cost by 5)
----
Oh yeah, did I mention that I added a casting time mechanic? Because I did (sorta). Like with the mana cost, I always planned to have it there: I just finally implemented it onto the character sheet. I also separated magic from skills for easier reading. Take a look:
Joshua
Health: Normal
Mana: 0/0
Skills:
Basic ax skill: can use an ax with basic proficiency.
Basic lifestyle: capable of surviving in less than ideal conditions and with minimal nutrition.
Duality barrier (flawed): casts a barrier that protects from all attacks. (can only project a small barrier for five seconds). Holy magic. 10 MP (22 upon completion). Casting time: 2 seconds.
Magical barrier: can generate a barrier that repels magical attacks. Only works on spells that attack with magical energy and not environmental manipulation. Holy magic. 12 MP. Casting time: 1 second.
Physical barrier: can generate a barrier that blocks physical blows. Holy magic. 12 MP. Casting time: 1 second.
Remove illness (near complete): can ward off disease and cure a sick person. (only the ward works fully at this point). Holy magic. 16 MP (20 upon completion). Casting time: 3 seconds.
Spirit repel: generates a light that wards off spirits. Holy magic. 15 MP. Casting time: 5 seconds.
Items:
Pearl robe: a noble's robe that offers no protection at all.
Wooden staff: a staff used as a conduit for magic. Reduces casting time by a small amount.
This quest looks pretty cool. Watched
For the vote, I think Oak staff is best so we can insta-cast physical barrier and magical barrier. We have 1000MP, so we shouldn't run out soon.
This quest looks pretty cool. Watched
For the vote, I think Oak staff is best so we can insta-cast physical barrier and magical barrier. We have 1000MP, so we shouldn't run out soon.
Glad you like it, The Meddler (Is Meddler okay?). MP can regenerate overtime, but the speed depends on how much physical activity the mage is preforming. When preforming a strenuous activity such as being in a fight, MP regeneration slows to a crawl. When doing little to no physical activity, the regeneration moves at a decent speed. When resting, MP refills quickly.
Also, I just need you to do me a tiny favor. I'm using one of the vote tallying programs to keep track of votes. If you could directly copy the vote into your original post and place an X in the checkbox, that would be great. I might miss your vote otherwise.
Glad you like it, The Meddler (Is Meddler okay?). MP can regenerate overtime, but the speed depends on how much physical activity the mage is preforming. When preforming a strenuous activity such as being in a fight, MP regeneration slows to a crawl. When doing little to no physical activity, the regeneration moves at a decent speed. When resting, MP refills quickly.
Also, I just need you to do me a tiny favor. I'm using one of the vote tallying programs to keep track of votes. If you could directly copy the vote into your original post and place an X in the checkbox, that would be great. I might miss your vote otherwise.
...I don't think 'traveling salesmen' barge armed in the noble houses to save the lady of the town on a mere suspicion. Then again, I don't think they travel armored from head to toe with a mountain of artifacts and seemingly no guards either.
Okay, I'm closing the current poll tonight around 11 pm. If no one wants to pull a decisive victory for the metal staff, then we're going full oak. And I'm not talking about Samuel or Samson.
So, bad news. Between some mutated form of writers block (I know what I want to write next, I just don't know how to write it so it's good), and the ever increasing chaos of preparing for Christmas day, I have had made little progress on the next update. In order to compensate, lets delve into...
The World of Medea #2
Relations Between the Mages and the Magicless
Calling the relationship between mages and the magicless bad displays ignorance of the
problem at hand. Indeed, "bad" is too weak of a word to describe the vitriol, whether it's created by pride of the mages or the fear of the magicless, between the two groups. That isn't to say that every individual encounter between a mage and magicless is filled with hate and fear, or that both groups had a history of unity in individual colonies and kingdoms, but those cases tend to be exceptions to the rule.
For the mages, the difference between them and the magicless is like shining steel and a
piece of rusted metal. Of course one of them is going to be more useful than the other. For the mages, those born with the power of mana, they see themselves as having an innate advantage over the magicless, and with that view comes a superiority complex. The kingdoms give the best of everything to their mages: the best homes, the best food, the best living conditions, the best jobs, while the magicless are confined to the slums. The more brutal mages, those who see the magicless as a blight because of their inferiority, have been known to practice and experiment with more dangerous magic in the slums. No one is going to miss the magicless vermin, right? There are even rumors that kingdoms have been known to kidnap magicless and use them in these twisted experiments. Of course, they are still rumors with no evidence to support them.
Between the mage's general attitude, as well as the dawning realization that mages
are that powerful, it comes as no surprise that the magicless fear them. The magicless that could afford to travel out of the kingdoms flee them, seeking peace in uncharted territory. Most magicless have established independent colonies that trade and interact with one another. They're very friendly to outsiders – so long as they are magicless. If they're mages, on the other hand, the reactions are not pretty. At best, the magicless will allow the mage into their town for a few days, but overstaying their welcome will result in bloodshed. Sometimes the magicless try to shoo away the mage. If the mage tries to protest, then heads start to roll. And in some villages, the magicless just skip straight to violence, killing any mage as soon as they are spotted. The magicless are not stupid, either. Every traveler that tries to enter a colony is required to touch a mage's staff upon entry, proving the presence of mana in their bodies, or lack thereof. Add in a town guard that's ready to attack a mage at the slightest twitch, and you have a defense against mages. Granted, it doesn't work every time, and colonies have been destroyed by mages, but the magicless see it as being better than nothing.
But how did such tensions come about? When did the two groups start hating each other?
It is not as long ago as one would guess. But that's a story for another time…
Also, guess who figured out how to indents!? Woohoo!!!
Hello! I hope everyone had a good Christmas (If you don't celebrate the birthday of the big J, then I at least hope your Sunday was pleasant).
Good news everyone: it's time for an update! I apologize for how long this took. Between all the preparation I had to do for the holidays and the fact that I went through three rewrites for this next part, this project took longer than it should had. Regardless, I have an update for yall', so lets get this show on the road again!
---
Delacroix Mansion, Peninsula Town, Holy Land
12th day of the harvest season, 10th hour
"Well, which staff?"
"I…" Lillete was thrown off by the change in personality. The casual demeanor that
Murdock displayed earlier was gone. His tone of voice, his posture, his judgment: everything about him gave the air of an experienced fighter. "Who are you?" Those were the only words that came out of Lillete's mouth.
"That's not important right now." Murdock said. "Someone just snuck into your family's
mansion. In the amount of time it would take to alert a city guard, the infiltrator can do anything to endanger the people in there. Are you going to sit around and ignore it, or assume the worst and take action?"
As much as she wanted her questions answered, Lillete knew that Murdock was right.
"Okay," she said, "I'll take the oak staff."
Murdock tossed the staff to Lillete. She wrapped her hands on the staff, feeling her mana
flow fluidly through the wood.
*New item: Rune Axe (flame) – Joshua: An axe with a rune for fire on it. Activating the rune will enchant the head with flame.*
*New item: Oak Staff – Lillete: A staff made of oak wood. Reduces the casting time for all spells by 1 second.*
"Alright," Murdock turned to Joshua, "where did this infiltrator sneak into?"
"Into an open hatch, near the library hall."
Lillete made a map in her head. "If they entered the house through there, then they would
be near mother's chambers!" Lillete said. "We need to go inside now!"
"Alright," Murdock screamed, "Let's go, both of you!"
"But I can't," Joshua said, "I'm not allowed inside the mansion."
Murdock grabbed Joshua and quite literally dragged him along. "You got to break the rules
once in a while." He said. The three of them went ran into the mansion, throwing the front doors open.
The only person at the front entrance was a maid that jumped at the sudden arrival. "Miss
Lillete?" She asked. "What's going on? Who's that man, and why is he dragging the stable boy around!?"
"Where is mother?" Lillete asked. "There may be an intruder in the mansion."
The sounds of battle came from the second floor. The twang of a rapier strike echoed out
from a hallway. "That's mother!" Lillete shouted, running up the stair way. Murdock and Joshua followed her up the stairs.
Lillete reached the hallway that led to the library. Down in the opposite direction was her
mother, thrusting her rapier at something. While Lillete couldn't see past her, she was able to make out a brown cloak. There was no doubt in her mind: it was the man from the plaza. With a swift kick, he knocked Lady Penelope down. Lillete could see the man now. His robe was missing, and now all he had was a brown cloak. In his hand was a dual-headed wooden club with an unknown marking on it. The cloaked man raised his club in the air, ready to strike down on Penelope.
"No!" Lillete shouted. She sent mana into her staff. The energy moved freely. What should
have taken a second instead occurred instantly. A barrier formed around Penelope, meant to shield her from the attack.
*Lillete -> Physical barrier (12 Mana). 988/1000 mana remaining*
"Lillete!?" Penelope shouted. "Go! Run away and get help!"
The cloaked man turned his attention to Lillete. "Hmph. Useless." He said. He spun his club
around and tried to strike Penelope. She managed to dodge to the right with a quick roll, grabbing her rapier in the process. Penelope blocked the second attack, which destroyed a small chunk of the barrier, with a quick swipe.
"Anti-magic."
Lillete noticed Murdock and Joshua standing next to her. Joshua looked nervous, and
Murdock was lining up his crossbow at the cloaked man.
"What?"
"His club." Murdock said. "There's a rune on it. Judging by the fact that he was able to
break a part of the barrier, it's likely an anti-magic rune. Any magical energy that club touches just dissipates."
"What do we do then?" Lillete asked.
"Hope that your mother can keep his attention." Murdock pulled back the string on his
crossbow, using a small plate attached in the center. The air around the crossbow began to freeze, and an icicle formed on the plate. Taking aim at the cloaked man, Murdock fired the crossbow.
It wasn't a direct hit. Only the man's cloak was pierced. His attention turned to Lillete's
group, and Penelope used the opportunity to try and strike the man. He barely noticed and dodged the blow, only suffering a slight cut to a leg. "Damn it!" He shouted. He threw a rock on the ground which was crackling with energy.
"Son of a… everyone get away! He's overloading a rune!"
With Murdock's warning, everyone ran away from the rune. Penelope darted away as fast
as she could, nearly getting caught in the resulting blast. A large chunk of the floor and wall were turned into splinters. Lillete caught a glimpse of the cloaked man jumping through the new hole. She ran forward, trying to see if she could still spot the man, and saw him running away on the ground. "He's getting away!" She shouted.
"Stay here." Murdock said. "If he has any more of those explosives, then the guards
will have trouble." Murdock dashed off without waiting for a response.
"Lillete! Are you alright?" Penelope ran up to her daughter and checked to see if she was
injured. Lillete hugged her in response.
"Mother, I am glad you are safe. When Joshua said an intruder snuck into the mansion, I-"
"What!?" Penelope asked, noticing Joshua. "Why is he here!?"
"Mother, please," Lillete pleaded, "he was trying to help you!"
Penelope marched over to Joshua, her face red with fury. "Why did you not try to warn a
guard first? You should not have come in here, you piece of filth! Especially if all you did was stand here whimpering like the dog you are!"
What will you do?
-[] Intervene in the argument. This isn't right.
-[] Stand by and do nothing.
-[] Go after Murdock. You're worried.
--[] Take Joshua. Get him away from mother.
--[] Leave him behind. You can handle this on your own.
-[] Other (Write in).
Lillete Delacroix
Health: Normal
Mana: 988/1,000
Skills:
Advanced magical knowledge (Holy): possesses magical skills and knowledge on par with the average holy mage.
Magical ability: possesses the ability to use magic.
Minor regality: possesses the manners and demeanor of a minor noble.
Spells:
Advanced healing: can heal gashes and broken bones. Holy magic. 22 MP. Casting time: 5 seconds. (requires Magical ability)
Duality barrier (flawed): casts a barrier that protects from all attacks. (can only project a small barrier for five seconds). Holy magic. 10 MP (22 upon completion). Casting time: 2 seconds.
Magical barrier: can generate a barrier that repels magical attacks. Only works on spells that attack with magical energy and not environmental manipulation. Holy magic. 12 MP. Casting time: 1 second.
Physical barrier: can generate a barrier that blocks physical blows. Holy magic. 12 MP. Casting time: 1 second.
Remove illness (near complete): can ward off disease and cure a sick person. (only the ward works fully at this point). Holy magic. 16 MP (20 upon completion). Casting time: 3 seconds.
Spirit repel: generates a light that wards off spirits. Holy magic. 15 MP. Casting time: 5 seconds.
Items:
Pearl robe: a noble's robe that offers no protection at all.
Wooden staff: a staff used as a conduit for magic. Reduces casting time by a small amount.
Oak Staff: A staff made of oak wood. Reduces the casting time for all spells by 1 second
Joshua
Health: Normal
Mana: 0/0
Skills:
Basic ax skill: can use an ax with basic proficiency.
Basic lifestyle: capable of surviving in less than ideal conditions and with minimal nutrition.