Which part of the country? Back when I lived in the SF Bay Area suburb area around a year ago, I rented a 2 bed/2 bath with a roomate with the rent roughly that much a month per person. It was a nice place with pools and shit though. In some of the Midwest I wouldn't be surprised if the monthly mortgage for a 3+ bed house was that much. It varies a lot.

Pretty much unspecified. That's what they are announcing as part of the program, that can go to a lot of different places in the US.
 
Horde Thief Chapter XIV
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Horde Thief
Chapter 14​

Marcone was true to his word, though a touch surprised by the skill with which you assessed the first contract draft that he handed you. It wasn't an unfair one, but there'd been a few points where the language was insufficiently precise for your tastes. You'd pushed for a few concessions from the original suggestions, small things really, but very specific. From Marcone's reaction, the one he hadn't wanted you to see, you could have asked for more. But alone in the world as you were, it was wiser to make him like you instead of being greedy. You knew what you were worth in breaking the siege of the Fomor, even if he didn't. Surprisingly, he didn't seek any further information on you beyond the basics, apparently content to let you prove your capabilities in the field. What he did do, though, was immediately hold to his final word on explaining how he'd known about your singular encounter with the Fomor.

That explanation took time, and even with your understanding of what magic could do, the sheer utility of this realm's technology was staggering. The watcher that had seen you hadn't been a person, but a camera. Your first thought had been that it had been a construct of some sort, but as Marcone had explained more, you'd realised that was wrong. They were like the system of magically connected mirrors that you'd been starting to build up across the Imperium as viewpoints for the Inquisition, to keep any eye on trouble spots. Except that these cameras could record what they saw, not just transmit it. It was hard to hold back the desire for devices like that, given how powerful a tool they could be for the safety of your citizens. Odd how you were still thinking about them sometimes, but things like this were technical, without connected emotion.

After that explanation, conducted by Marcone himself in an impressive piece of dedication to his word, he'd handed you off to someone dressed as a clerk who wasn't just that, citing other matters drawing his attention. Truthfully too, as far as you could tell, but overseeing the underworld of a city couldn't be an easy task, especially with the complications of supernatural forces for which there was no real law enforcement. That rankled, and you'd recognised a similar exasperation on his part. How could you get anything done with monsters and mages creeping out of the dark to meddle and nothing to keep order? Marcone had mentioned Dresden in that conversation, with an honest but strained compliment. They might not get along, but at least the resident Wizard of Chicago had finally started to do the job that 'other factors' had kept him from for almost a year and a half. But he didn't have Marcone's resources, and that had limited his effects.

Still, things had moved swiftly from that point. A week later, you'd been the somewhat bemused owner of a full set of precisely forged papers, a set of plastic cards that were the primary means of monetary transfer in this realm linked to a healthy account balance, and an elegant manor house by the large, local body of water by the name of Lake Michigan. You'd politely declined a driving license, lacking the faintest clue where to start in the use of the chattering mechanical contraptions. They were more efficient than relying on your magic to ferry you around, though, so you'd invested in a few functional vehicles and a driver. Marcone had given you everything he'd promised, and as each piece slotted into place, you'd reciprocated in kind. The Fomor hadn't known what hit them.

You'd started on the fifth night, targeting locations that Marcone's intelligence network had identified as logistical strongpoints for the Fomor. After confirming the veracity of that information with your own magic, you'd executed a relentless series of lightning-quick attacks against them. Three buildings had suffered unexplained fires that night, with another collapsing and the final target exploding in a major gas leak. The plan had been for it to be another collapse, but the location had also been one of the main storage points for Fomor 'chattel' and it had been hard to control yourself once you'd seen how the Fomor treated those they captured in person. Plundered memories could only prepare you so much.

Those had been a key weapon as you moved forward the next night, though, giving you precise information on more areas that the Fomor had set their abhorrent gaze on. That night you'd gone in more conventionally, or more obviously that way from the Fomor's point of view, and with support from Marcone's organisation a time or two. You'd not been sure what to expect when you'd asked for it, but warriors wielding automatic weapons as easily as the swords they carried and dressed in studded leathers, hadn't been it. You weren't quite sure what they were, but a proper look at them when you'd been observing the last target of the night with a deeper sight had told you a few things. They weren't human, not exactly, and they were old by even draconic standards. In that attack you'd faced true Fomorian magic for the first time, what you'd had explained to you as entropy magic. It had been frustrating to have spells torn asunder by the froglike sorcerer, but a twist of time's threads behind a wall of Marcone's soldiers had removed it from the board.

This was the ninth night, and if all went right, it would also be the last one. The Fomor had pulled in their foul tendrils since the second night of attacks, aware that they were facing something that their chaff couldn't fight, but unwilling to give up what they'd taken in their siege so far. More 'chattel', the word igniting a smouldering rage in your stomach, and other resources. They were retreating, that was clear, but if they were able to escape then they'd just be back in a few months' time. Marcone had asked you to destroy their presence, but after seeing more of them, the foulness they inflicted on their captives not out of malice but superior certainty, you wanted more than that. You could have just left things as they were, it would have upheld your side of the bargain, but you weren't the type of man to leave a task half done.

The final stronghold was a concealed fortress, one that Marcone had never found. It was well guarded and warded, too. But wards in this world weren't made of overlapping parts, they were singular constructs. And no matter the number layered across an area, they were still singular constructs. You'd realised that early on in your offensive, and it had informed your strategy tonight. Which led you here, crouched under a glamour in the cold, spring night. Around you, the soft clicks of final weapons checks were trailing off, and you smiled fiercely.

"Are we ready?" You murmured into the odd pin fixed below the collar of your robes.

"All of the groups you requested have reported readiness," the clipped voice of Marcone sounded in your ear, crisp through the earpiece Gard had given you. You couldn't express how much you wanted this technology. The uses for the Inquisition alone. "We are ready, Mr Targaryen."

"On my signal, then." You replied, and withdrew your grimoire. You couldn't use your more destructive magic here safely, not until the Fomor's prisoners had been secured, but you didn't need to. The tome of wrought metal pages had grown a great deal since you'd first held it, and you flipped to the last page, careful not to make a sound. On the page, there was the shape of a spell, and on seeing it something in your draconic nature rebelled. It was an unravelling of unparalleled strength, that could shatter the most powerful enchantments without pause. Lya, the thought of her no longer so sharp now, certainly not in this moment, had told you that it would destroy any magical creations it touched, and could do the same to even artefacts, though the cost of such transgression could be devastating. You'd just have to hope that there weren't any of those in the empty strip of land that was your target. Energy poured into the page, investing the shape with the might of a spell of the Ninth Circle, and then your voice set it free.

"Break!" You snarled, and a ray of arcane unlight speared from the page, invisible in the darkness. It hit the edge of the wards at the limits of the spell's range, and bloomed into a space that wasn't just devoid of magic, but actively hostile to it. The wards around the property on the lakeshore wavered as a section of them were ripped bodily away, and then came crashing down without a sound. You had no time to marvel at the lethal power of the magic, though. You flipped the book closed, a flurry of gold from your cloak consuming it, and clenched your hand to activate the mic again.

"Now." Lights flickered to life in the property, the Fomor reacting to the sudden annihilation of their magical protections. And under a sky shrouded by dark clouds, men that weren't quite mortal rushed forward beside soldiers of Valhalla. With them came a dragon, lost so very far from home, and with righteous fire blazing in your heart.
 
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I hope you'll forgive the timeskip, but most of the Fomor groups in Chicago didn't even bear mentioning. There was a single one that had a sorcerer, but Viserys went through their entire presence in the city proper like a woodchipper. There's blatant worldbuilding going on in this chapter, with where the battle is taking place, but given that we know Lake Michigan has a portal to the Fomor lands in it, I'm content with where everything is going to throw down. It's also far enough from the city itself that Viserys will be able to actually use a lot of his flashier magic, although obviously not anything that will start making major fires to start with. There are civilians to counter-kidnap, after all.

I also hope that people will allow me to take the liberty of Viserys having a Page of Spell Knowledge of Disjunction, as due to narrative reasons I want him to have the magical equivalent of a tactical nuke in his pocket. Next chapter we get into the battle proper, and what happens when a Fomor Lord goes up against a level 18 Viserys who has absolutely no reason to hold back beyond not being able to just set the entire mansion on fire. It's going to be fun. @Goldfish, I'll probably be poking you for some help for that combat.
 
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So, a random question for those of you guys living on the US. How much does it cost to live there?

I ask because I've been seeing some trainee programs where you go there and work for something like 1200 bucks a month or so, but I don't know if that is actually enough for anything.

Cheapest around here is around 700~ for a 2 bedroom.

In the Midwest it does vary a bit. Closer to a major city might be more expensive. There's bound to be somewhere in the general metropolitan area where rent is cheaper overall, meaning only a little longer in your daily commutes.

I would say generally speaking if you're pulling in above 1,000 a month and going half on rent with a roommate for around that price, you're at least getting by. Money may be a little tight sometimes, but you don't want for much.

Now if you're looking to get by in California for that much, you'll be living hand to mouth guaranteed. It's definitely possible, but you want a good income to live super comfortably. And give up on SF Bay area on 1,200. Not even with roommates, you'll be stressed out and unhappy working a paid internship and worrying if you'll be able to make ends meet every month.
 
I hope you'll forgive the timeskip, but most of the Fomor groups in Chicago didn't even bear mentioning. There was a single one that had a sorcerer, but Viserys went through their entire presence in the city proper like a woodchipper. There's blatant worldbuilding going on in this chapter, with where the battle is taking place, but given that we know Lake Michigan has a portal to the Fomor lands in it, I'm content with where everything is going to throw down. It's also far enough from the city itself that Viserys will be able to actually use a lot of his flashier magic, although obviously not anything that will start making major fires to start with. There are civilians to counter-kidnap, after all.

I also hope that people will allow me to take the liberty of Viserys having a Page of Spell Knowledge of Disjunction, as due to narrative reasons I want him to have the magical equivalent of a tactical nuke in his pocket. Next chapter we get into the battle proper, and what happens when a Fomor Lord goes up against a level 18 Viserys who has absolutely no reason to hold back beyond not being able to just set the entire mansion on fire. It's going to be fun. @Goldfish, I'll probably be poking you with some help for that combat.

@Snowfire, this and this.

Thought you'd want to go "BULLSHIT!" and then abuse the hell out of it anyway.
 
@Goldfish You know that one Mythic Tier ability that allows you to grant spells as if you were a spell caster's deity, with access to two domains.

Which two domains would you choose for Viserys? I think one for sure would be Magic. Maybe the other Knowledge?

I know Law might be more thematic, but well... Knowledge is cooler. And the suggestion of Moment of Omniscience and basically being the epitome of a Wise Philosopher King greatly appeals to me.

Plus that would basically make Viserys Lya's personal encyclopedic archive of obscure facts and lore. :V
 
@Goldfish You know that one Mythic Tier ability that allows you to grant spells as if you were a spell caster's deity, with access to two domains.

Which two domains would you choose for Viserys? I think one for sure would be Magic. Maybe the other Knowledge?

I know Law might be more thematic, but well... Knowledge is cooler. And the suggestion of Moment of Omniscience and basically being the epitome of a Wise Philosopher King greatly appeals to me.

Plus that would basically make Viserys Lya's personal encyclopedic archive of obscure facts and lore. :V
Fire is baked into our magic. Spells. Feats. Class features. Ect...

Next up is law.

Specifically loyalty because nothing says Viserys like we stand together or die apart.

Also. Fluffed as an inspirational speech matching Viserys style.
 
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@Goldfish You know that one Mythic Tier ability that allows you to grant spells as if you were a spell caster's deity, with access to two domains.

Which two domains would you choose for Viserys? I think one for sure would be Magic. Maybe the other Knowledge?

I know Law might be more thematic, but well... Knowledge is cooler. And the suggestion of Moment of Omniscience and basically being the epitome of a Wise Philosopher King greatly appeals to me.

Plus that would basically make Viserys Lya's personal encyclopedic archive of obscure facts and lore. :V

I wouldn't actually select those Mythic abilities if it were up to me, not because they don't have the potential to be awesome, but because I doubt we'll ever have enough Mythic Tiers (6+) to really get the most out of it.

If we did, though, I would also probably choose Knowledge and Magic.
 
@Azel @Crake Removing the two Interplanar Whispering Braziers from the crafting schedule and adding two regular Whispering Braziers (for Lorath and Ibben) opened up a good chunk of crafting time.

We now have 10 Greater False Ravens and 100 Lesser False Ravens scheduled for next month.
 
Can we cast divination to get a riddle for "someone in the clans Dalla can order that has the skills and temperment best fitted to carrying out the plan"?
 
Sorry for double post, but tags and all.
@Snowfire please replace 9th with ninth in your omake. Using one number just jumps out and glares at you, well, me that is.
 
BTW, ya'll, @Crake, @Duesal, we need to assign the Greater Truedeath Crystal and Lesser Fire Assault Crystal we purchased in Armun Kelisk at the beginning of the turn.

I believe @TotallyNotEvil wanted us to research them in order to duplicate the effects, but that's a backburner project, IMO. We can have the crystals in use in the meantime.

Maybe Garin for the Greater Truedeath Crystal and Richard for the Lesser Fire Assault Crystal?
 
Can I say I'm kinda surprised we haven't had our ascension yet? I mean in the fluff mythic heroes are those that affect entire regions with their power, and we do that everytime we head outside our door. Not to mention i would have thought killing the avatar of a god and an archduke of hell would at least count as a trial.
 
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