Certain Death Quest

[Nottheunmaker]

In a boxed canyon sits a small village. To either side of the canyon were vast empires on the brink of war. Sightings of wild and powerful monsters were sharply rising. And the gods speak to their followers less and less.

This mattered little to the people of the village. They saw little trade with either empire, monsters had a difficult time reaching the base of their canyon, and the communion with their spirits continued unhindered.

Truly, the only thing they fear is Karrandou Mountain.

The large volcano was perched on the canyon's edge, and was inhabited by a powerful spirit. This spirit had provided for them for as long as any can remember. Fertile ground, wards against demons, and protective guards against magical beasts and berserk machines. Many would dream of such luxuries, but it comes at a price.

Karrandou demands sacrifice, or else promised destruction. Once, every one-hundred years someone, of their own free will, must dive into the lava filled crater and perish.

It has been 99 years, 10 months and 3 days since the last sacrifice, and yet none of the villagers are willing to jump into the volcano. In a move of tired desperation their chief, the Domnah, has issued a request to the mercenary guilds.

To find someone, anyone, who will die for his people.

To that end, they found you. You're are going to die. You have tried many times and many ways to prolong your life, but to no avail. You do not want to die, but the fact is that you are living on borrowed time. The details matter little.

As it stands, you have four months left, if you're lucky. Three of those will be dignified. So, you thought, as the mercenary band departed from your humble abode, if that's how it must be, if you have no paths left, isn't better to die saving someone else?

That's what heroes do, right?

So that's what you'll do. You have lived your life as many do. You will end it as no other will.

You're facing certain death, and you'll go to it a hero.

So what were you before this story begins?

[] Mercenary. A warrior for hire, lacking honor or featly. You have never fought for a higher ideal than your next paycheck, or thought beyond the next battle. Now with the end coming for you clearer than any sword trust or magical fire, you wonder what use your skills are. The road to the mouth of Karrandou is harsh, and fraught with danger. If any have a chance at seeing this quest through to the end, it's you.

[] Spellcaster. Spending your life studying at any one of Boha's many academies was enough for you. You always told yourself that one day you'd take everything you'd learned about magic and change the world. Well time demands you do it now or not at all, and you have not the connections or skill to even begin truly long term plans. This is your chance to do something with what you know, to make a difference, however small.

[] Technician. You have traveled the ruins of the Gavosnu, picking through the remains of its last two great empires before they fell, fixing machines both great and small to provide for yourself. Yet for all your technical skill, it will not save you from your encroaching demise. Rather than fritter away your last days tinkering, you will use the tools of your trade to ascend the mountain. One last trip, one last investigation.

[] Rogue. You have tricked, swindled, stolen and murdered your way through life, the rare selfless act usually only done to gain trust you would soon betray. Now you see death coming for you, and every misdeed feels like wasted effort. It's too late for true redemption, but you won't let it be said your life was nothing but waste.

 

[Nottheunmaker]

You take the last few steps down the winding path that leads to the valley floor, and pause to catch your breath.The trek to this land has been hard, the last leg more so than the rest. You had come with caravans most of the journey, but there are none that come to this canyon.

Understandable perhaps. Simply navigating the narrow crags and edges that make up the so called path was exhausting, you can't imagine doing this with a pack animal or motorized cart. Heaven forbid any try while carrying a heavy load. Your own sparse belongings nearly sent you tumbling down more than once. Free of the pass, you're glad to lean on a scraggy tree for support.

"You are the one they found?" Speaks a large voice.

You spin in surprise, looking for the source of the mystery voice. You find it right next to you, in the form of a large man. Large of stature, large of chest, large of gut. Extremely present, even without speaking. How you missed him is beyond you.

You quickly compose yourself, "Uh, yes! Yes, I'm here to… Well…" You trail off.

"Throw yourself into a volcano and save my village?" He asks, though there is no question in his tone. You nod, and his tired eyes angel up to the sky, judging the position of the sun.

"Midday" he says. "You are early. I expected you in the evening time. Walk with me." He slowly walks on down the path, and you follow. You honestly find the man to be slightly rude, but given his situation you find his behavior forgivable.

"I am the Domnah," he continues. "The chief of these lands." His silence invites your own introduction. "I am…" You start, then pause. "Forgive me, but did you not get my letter? I sent it with the mercenaries you hired."

"I did" he says, "but between the poor penmanship and water damage it was unreadable. All I could make out was that you had magical training."

"Ah, yes. General elemental casting and esoteric rituals. I was a graduate of many schools." You say proudly. Your skill in the academics of magic was gaining you some notoriety back in Boha.

"You have done a great deal work then?" He asks.

You wince. "Not as such, no. I was more studying-"

"So you have never fought with magic." He states matter-of-factly.

Your shoulders slump. "No, I've barely done any casting at all. I would say the trip down here saw more practical use of my skills than my entire career before now."

The man gives a nod. "You are honest. I can appreciate that. Do not be concerned, whatever skill you posses should matter little. Tell me more about yourself."

You shift around a little, feeling awkward. "Not that I mind, but why do you want to know? After all…" you trail off again, giving a meaningful look to Karrandou. The mountain is clearly visible from where you stand, and given the shape of a canyon, you believe there is nowhere in this place you can't see it. It looks much like you imagined it, tall with a cut off lightly smoking top indicating the crater.

"It would be disrespectful at best to not at least try to know the person about to sacrifice themselves for our sakes." He says, not letting the question hang. "You soon go to your death, you should speak to someone of your life. Please, tell me of your homeland."

There's a certain logic to that, and you really don't mind talking about your home. You come from...


[] Gavosnu. You've heard it's cleaned up a great deal since you left, going so far as rebuilding an empire while you were away. What you remember are dirty people in dirty tunnels, working hard for each other, and for the machines that keep them alive.

[] Boha, born and bred. You fondly remember the towering spires and bustling streets. Magic was everywhere, in both premade casting tools anyone can use and in the powerful mages that ruled the nation.

[] The Evnan Protectorate, a small south-eastern free state once part of the original Empire of Gavosnu. They parted ways before it collapsed, and have remained stable since. They retain the Gavousun love of machinery, but have taken to applying enchantments and other magicks to them.

[] Kingdom of Laccice, a small country to the north with an isolationist attitude. Their is a land of magic, though more restrained than Boha. Theirs is a martial culture, a nation of soldiers endlessly fighting against northern giants of fire and ice. They fill out their small army with mechanical drones, and tinkering is something of a national pastime.

[] Vagabond. You and your family traveled many places and met many people. You've seen wonders both magical and technological, as well as a few things you'd rather forget.


Man or Woman?

[] Man

[] Woman

The vote for homeland and gender will be counted separately.

 

[Nottheunmaker]

"In truth, I know nothing of my birth place." you began. "I was raised on the road, never settling down in one place for long."

The Domnah thought only for a moment. "That would have been a hard life, I would say."

"At times, but usually not so difficult. It was the life my parents had chosen, and one they were adept at. And I am glad of it, I would have never seen so many of the world's wonders had they not…"

As you walked down the gently inclined trail, you spoke of everything you had seen in your young life. The great Shield Pikes of Old Gavosnu, The Flowing Towers of Ivela, even the Grave of all Heros. The little wonders as well, the everlamps of Laccice and hovercarts of Evnan. You spoke of long days under dirty skies and cold nights brightly lit. But also of warm inns and bustling markets, full of people more then happy to trade food and goods for news and stories. A life both complex and simple, hard yet easy, completely dependent on where one was.

In a way, you supposed this trip was a way of getting back to that. You had traveled so many places, and beheld many majestic sights. But never here. You had never been to these lands. You'd barely even heard of this place. To you, it was a spot on the map, one that would have been of no interest save for the volcanic mountain to its north. One last wonder to be seen.

You took in the sights as you went, noting how quickly the land changed from rocky slopes to inclined fields. And fields a plenty there were. The first few you passed through were untamed, free to grow as they wished and what they wished, with a smattering of usual sorts of animals around. Deer, goats and so on. You thought you might have spotted something large and repetition, but was only a glimpse before you lost track of it. Seems the monster problem reached even this remote place.

Further on, the fields changed from wild grass and trees to more thoroughly grazed a land, with a river running through them. Some were given away to corn, barley and wheat, but most were being use by a variety of farm animals.

When the village came into view, you were somewhat surprised. You had been expecting huts with straw roofs and a few tents for storage. Instead you were greeted with wooden homes and glass windows, well worn but well cared. Far above it is the volcano, plenty smoking.

You take it all in. The fields, the river, the village. The canyon walls and the mountain of fire. You would not call this canyon beautiful, but it had a certain rugged charm.

You stopped and scratched at the scruff on on your chin. 'Just like the old days' you thought. Back at the universities, they had expected a level of cleanness you had not been accustomed to. You learned quickly enough, but had always felt it was rather fussy. Now that you were back on the road, you don't put in as much care. It felt good, another way of coming back to your roots.

A man approached from the village, and the Domnah put up his hand. You stopped and waited for him, and when he did arrive he spokes quickly to the Cheif. The Domnah nods, and the man leaves. You were about to ask if something was the matter when he spoke.

He said "There are four spirits in this Canyon with Cores. I will need to retrieve one if you wish to see the path up the Karrandou safely."

You're a bit taken aback by that. "What? Why? I do not think a spirit necessary-"

"You do not require a spirit, only it's Core. There is an important task ahead of you, and the world has grown dangerous of late. This Core is necessary for you protection." He says. "They are gentle for their kind, and will know of your journey."

He does not seem to be willing to move on this.


[] The River Spirit. A water sprite that has a good reputation for being arid land to bloom, and a poor one for drowning those that displease it. It's Core is mostly likely to be along the water's edge.

[] The Field Spirit. An easy-going being that has little in the way of awareness, but a remarkable level of endurance. It's mere presence acts to fertilize the land, yet rot and gangrene set in with horrifying speed. It's Core will be among the grasses and trees.

[] The Volcanic Spirit. A fiery thing born of the volcano, they burn everything they touch. But a fire that burns is a fire that is warm. It is mostly likely lost, as these spirits do not enter the Canyon often. It's Core will be in a small gorge that was once a lava tube.

[] The Canyon Spirit. Born of the collective energies of everything in the Canyon, it is of everything within it, the fields and river, people and animals, even the volcano. However, such a being is impure, and it will soon dissipate. This makes more likely to be violent then the other three. It's Core could be anywhere, but the location is likely where all of it's aspects meet.

 

[Nottheunmaker]

You'd been trekking through the valley for about an hour looking for the Spirit's core, or at this point just the spirit. You'd thought as far as a guide could go, something that would know canyon as you know your hand would be perfect.

You were not sure how useful it would be however. Guide was a broad term, and the Domnah failed to mention just what the spirit would do before he left you. Apparently there were matters in the village that needed his attention. So you were on your own in finding the spirit.

Your Academic studies had been of some help. While spirits were of of course a great interest to the magical community, Boha in particular, they were incredibly varied by region, and most had unique quirks that made them difficult to understand. Fortunately they tended to be more generalized wilder lands, such as this canyon, and you were able to knock a few locations off the check list.

One, the village itself. Natural spirits never formed around high concentrations of humanity. They could move into such places, but the one you were seeking was unlikely to do so. Plus the villager would have chased it out if it did. Impure beings like the one you sought were unstable and possibly violent, and could not be predicted. Simply a case of better safe than sorry.

Next off the list was the river. Unless the spirit had been of the its waters, the flowing liquid would greatly weaken it. In the case of your spirit, it could easily be destroyed.

Still water was safe, and seeing as the spirit would be of those waters as much as the rest of the canyon, it could be around the lake the river drained into. But you thought that improbable. As a spirit of everything in the canyon, it would be in a place where the whole of the canyon could be observed.

A room with a view, so to speak. Only there wouldn't be a room.

That was how you found yourself trudging up a rocky slope different to the you came down on. A grand view would require elevation, and that would mean ascending the canyon wall.

You were starting to remember why you had given up the traveling lifestyle, besides wanting to advance yourself academically. The places you'd see were fantastic in every sense of the word, but getting to them was a chore. Academics may have been fussy, but at least your feet were never sore.

Lost in those thoughts, you almost walked straight into the spirit upon turning a corner.

It was large, definitely larger than yourself. A great round sphere of energy of living energy. It's colors would shift through vivid greens and earthen browns, fiery reds and sunny yellows, and finally shimmering blues. Its center however, was distorted. Like an image through a heat haze.

You stood stock still out of sheer surprise. However fascinating this was, it was still an impure spirit. Even now you could see it struggle to maintain itself, little motes of earth or fire breaking off only to be forcefully reabsorbed, spreading ripples across its surface.

But just sure as its instability was its power. Not on the level of a War spirit, and nothing compared the Karrandou if the stories were true. But more then enough to be dangerous if it turned violent.

It occurred to you that you'd been going over this in your head for a good five seconds, and the spirit had yet to react. It simply floated ahead of you. You took a slow and testing step back. It stayed in place. Another step. A continued lack of response.

You slowly slipped back around the corner, but not before noticing the object beneath the Spirit. It was almost a replica of the elemental above it, but solid, with the colors shifting around it slowly. It lacked any shine to it, leaving it a dull sheen.

The Core.

Around the corner, and out of its assumed range of awareness. You needed that Core. And fast. The spirit is clearly unable to maintain itself long, and if it disappears before you get your hands on that Core, its goes with it.

Whatever you do, there's not much time.


[] Grab the Core and run, it clearly isn't aware of it's surroundings. By the time it notices the missing Core, you'll be long gone. But if it's just ignoring you, it'll be a fight, one where it has the first strike.

[] Stun it with a spell. While there is a chance this could destroy the spirit before you get the Core, it also heads off an chance of violence. You may be throwing yourself in a volcano, but you won't die before you can make a meaningful sacrifice.

[] Ask for the Core. Spirits are known to gift items to humans at times, and being close to its own end, it may empathize with you. Of course it may just attack you, but if it doesn't you will both be better off.

[] Leave. This is too risky, you'll find some other spirit. They can't all be this powerful.

 

[Nottheunmaker]

It might become sympathetic if you point out what you have in common, but it also could attack you for those similarities. Or for the little differences. Or for having spoken at all. Impure spirits were predictable that way. You weren't taking chances here, and you wanted that Core. This situation called for force.

You couldn't destroy it outright, that had every chance of breaking the Core as well, especially considering how close it was. Impure spirits could be very… messy, when they died. Your best bet would be to stun it first, acquire the Core, then run off, hopefully before it recovered.

Spells of pure force were not your specialty. Magic of the elements came much more naturally to you, but those spells had a tendency to be temperamental. With the spirits changing nature, you could easily overwhelm it before the Core was safe in your hands, or far worse, hit to lightly.

You concentrated, slowly building the spell in your hands. You thought of throwing a punch, kicking a ball, and swinging a club, the force bending these actions flowing to your hands. You needed to hit it at a distance, and imaged a slingshot being stretched with it's load.

You stepped out from behind the corner, and brought more tension to the imagery weapon. You took aim, pointed to a spot just above the center of the spirit. Remember, you told yourself, it needs to be stunned. A slight bit more tension, draw it back as far as it could go...

The spirit shifted. The distorted space underwent a sudden changed. An image appeared in it's place, a rockslide. There was a rumbling. The ground shifted, and you felt the dirt beneath you start to draw up.

Your aim was being thrown off. You felt the images in your mind fade. The power behind them fade. Your time was up.

You release the tension.

The magic shot from your hands, much faster than you intended. It wound through the air, and struck the spirit dead center of its projected rockslide. The image snapped out of existence, as did the magic it was working as the spirit was thrown backwards into the cliff face.

You did not take the time to think. You rushed forward, diving for the Core and scooped it up in one hand. You think of a rock flying through the air and hurled another bolt of force where you thought the spirit landed, not taking the time to look.

You start to run when the ground once again leapt up in front of you. You spun on your heel, then ducked under the stone aimed right for your head. The spirit is up, and is advancing on you, jets of flame and water spurting out as it begun to break apart.

The spirit didn't have long. You just needed to outlast it. You thought of a barrier, and of rock. You smacked the canyon wall with a hand and a boulder trust out, blocking the spirit from you. You weren't sure if it could climb,

Fortunately, it did not climb. Unfortunately, it simply settled for ripping your makeshift barricade from the wall, the enormous rock tumbling down and away. The spirit dangerously unstable now, the entirety of it swing down into itself, becoming dense and thick.

You tried to ready another spell, something with earth and water, a solid spell that could force it away from.You thought of a river, of rapids, of solid rocks and long stalagmites. You tried to be fast, you didn't need a great deal of control, you just needed-

To late. Spirit, in its dying moments, rush straight at you. You pressed your eyes shut and tried to force the magic, hoping if you wait for the very last moment you could at least deflect it, send the charge off course. You would feel the impact any moment now as the air rushed to you.You would just for that brief moment of contact…

…

You cracked open an eye, and saw nothing. Where the spirit hovered before was empty air, nothing beneath it but the torn up remains of the trail. Checking behind, the dirt wall was intact. There were a few wet spots, a scorch mark or two, but that was it. You looked yourself over and found your condition much the same, though your cloths were considerably disheveled.

What happened? Did the spirit fly by you? Did it dissipate in the midst of its attack?

A moment of fear gripped you, and you quickly checked the Core. The fear turned to relief in short order. It was still in your hand, with the same dull glow it had before. The shine is no longer so dull, it's brightness slightly stronger.

Feeling every reason to get off this trail, you scale the loose dirt wall, the soft earth making for easy purchase. You briefly wondered why before there's another rumbling. At first you thought the spirit returned from wherever it disappeared to, but the vibrations were… muted, somehow.

You looked to Karrandou. It seemed as if more smoke was rising from it's peaked, at first. Then you followed the trail of rising ash down, and found another column rising out of the canyon. From its position, you feared the worst. That the volcano had erupted early and destroyed the village.

You could see the village from here however, and the smoke was not from there. Instead, it seemed to be beyond it, coming from a nearby ravine. A ravine that had a path up to it.


[] Head straight to the ravine. You're sure this started after you got the core. That can't be a coincidence.

[] Stop by the village first. Don't assume anything, find out if anyone knows what's going on.

 

[Nottheunmaker]

It was more than three hours before you reached the village outskirts and you were long out of breath. You knew you were out of shape from cushy university life, but not this badly. You weren't dumb enough to run all the way back, but you tried to jog at least part of it. Which turned out to be more than you could handle after five minutes.

Still, you were here. As you'd seen before, the village was mostly composed of wooden structures. Some were simple home, but going by the large windows and open stands, you'd seemed to have arrived at a sort of market. Much smaller and far less grand then the you'd grown used to back home, but it wasn't poorly by any stretch. Just a little on the small side for the number of people you saw about.

Speaking of, you thought they seemed awfully calm. While it had considerably thinned out, the dark plume of smoke continued to lazily waft out of the ravine. Yet this market was fairly busy. Every storefront was manned, carts full of goods pondered up and down the dirt streets, you even saw a few children running around.

You went over to a stand that was less busy than most, some kind of food stall. It was well past noon, so the lack of customers didn't surprise you.

There was a little bar to sit at with a red and white sunshade overhead. The woman behind it gave you a rough smile and swept her long brown hair out of her face. "Hey there, you want something?" She asked. She sounded fairly nonchalant.

"Are none of you worried about all that smoke? Even a little?" You might have let a bit of exasperation creep into your voice, but you thought it understandable.

She gave a slight shrug. "We live under a smoking volcano, we're used to it. Unless it's coming from the village or fields, there's no reason to get excited."

"But isn't there a danger of that volcano erupting soon? What if that's a flood of lava coming through?"

She locked her suddenly wider eyes on you, some amount of confusion in them. "How do you know about that? Outsiders shouldn't know about…" A light seemed to go off in her mind, and she leaned in very close. Your noses were almost touching even as you backed away.

"You're the Hero!" She nearly shouted. She grabbed you by the shoulders and forced you into a seat. "You must be tired from your journey! Take a load off, rest! Would you like anything? Food, drink?"

"I just-"

"Me?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Ah wait, my husband would end himself in grief, never mind. Still, anything you want?"

You needed to change the subject. Quickly. Preferably to what had you rush back here in the first place. "I just want to know what that smoke is, please! A little space wouldn't hurt either!"

She looked disappointed, then embarrassed. She collected herself before she spoke again. "Sorry sir, I'm just so glad someone came to save us. After all, it's not everyday you find someone willing to throw themselves into a volcano for the sake people they've never met."

She placed a curled hand to her chin, eye searching the air for nothing in particular. "I'm honestly not sure what it is. Could just be a fire, there's plenty of dry brush up in that crag. However, now that you mention the timing…"

Her hand came away from her chin, instead supporting her as she leaned on the bar. "That would explain why the Domnah took a few men to investigate. I don't think Karrandou would erupted early, but…" she let the statement trial off.

The part about the chief caught your attention. "I actually have something for him. He sent me to get a spirit Core and return it to him."

"Huh." she said. "Well I don't think he'll be gone long. I could direct you to his home, wait for him there if you like. Or if you really can't wait, there's a path up to the ravine. It's a little out of the way, but I could show you where it is."

You were a bit surprised. "Don't you need to mind your stall?"

She shook her head. "Business always drys up this time of day, and everyone knows better than to try and steal from me." Her smile had never left her face, but it did grow brighter. "Of course, you could just wait here with me, keep a lady company. Heck, I'll even throw in some free food."

That did sound good. The woman was attractive, if forceful, and you had not eaten anything but road food for weeks now. The smells from behind the counter were unfamiliar, but pleasantly interesting.

"In fact, I say you deserve a free meal no matter what. Have whatever you like, it's on the house. I have some walking around food if you don't stay, soups and stews if you do. What would you like?"


[] "Take me up the ravine, I won't be at ease until I know what's happened."

[] "I'll wait at the Domnah's home. I've had a busy day, I'm tired, and no one else thinks the smoke is worth worrying about."

[] "I'll stay with you. It'll be nice to have a sit down meal with a pretty woman after everything that's happened. I'll even tell you about it."


[] "If you are offering... " Be gracious, have a free meal.

[] "No, I'll be fine." Don't take advantage of her generosity, turn her down.


Votes for what to say and the whether to eat or not will be counted separately.