Fae Mood - A Flying Circus Quest

Witch in a Warplane

Witch in a Warplane

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Hilda made a deal with a nymph to learn to pilot an airplane to escape the abusive coven she was raised. Through many mistakes, near-death experiences, and self-destructive hedonism, she'll learn what she wants for herself, and work for it alongside her new friends.
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0-1 Intro to Flying Circus+All Info In One Place
  • Informational
    • Texas Red

    Texas Red

    Location
    100 Meters From Your Location
    Pronouns
    She/Her
    Hello everyone! This is my first time attempting a Quest, but from what I've seen and what I've heard, it sounds like an absolutely fantastic way to mix collaborative writing with role playing games, so I decided to QM my own! Specifically, using my favorite TTRPG system, Flying Circus, to make a kind of sandbox-y storyline primarily dictated by the players!

    Flying Circus is a ttrpg created by Erika Chappell taking place on the Studio Ghibli themed fantastical post apocalyptic continent of Himmilgard where the ground is so dangerous flight was invented about 1600 years before their equivalent of WWI took place. It's about creating character driven stories about foolish young adults flying early-aircraft in a fantasy world where almost all central empires are long gone, cities are graveyards, blood is fuel, and for whatever reason, you're flying one of these motorized kites with the hope of making enough cash to keep your vices sated and your plane functional.

    To start this tale, we're gonna have to make a character, first by voting on the background we want to use. I left one or two out, just because I don't really feel like writing them in any case. Also, this is my first time using a forum, so if I mess up, please forgive me.

    Who are you?

    [ ]A-You are a Farmer, an incredibly skilled pilot who learned to fly crop-dusting and hauling cargo back home, a bit naive, but eager to become immersed in the world.
    [ ]B-You are a Soldier, a professionally trained, skilled military pilot who will most likely have difficulty being social with those close to them.
    [ ]-You are a Fisher, someone whose ancestors consorted with the powers of the Dark Sea and allowed you a connection to the loving, eldritch deity beneath the waves.
    [ ]C-You are a Skyborn, one previously belonging to a nomadic trade balloon convoy, whose life of living thousands of meters above the ground has granted a fearlessness and love of the air second to none.
    [ ]D-You are a Believer, someone from a commune-like home who believes in some kind of radical ideology, and is hellbent on spreading the truth to everyone possible.
    [ ]E-You are a Scion, a noble with power and responsibility over a town you rule, deep pockets, a radically powerful and advanced aircraft, and a family name to carry on your shoulders.
    [ ]F-You are a Witch, one able to bend reality to your will, to a certain extent, by harnessing the elemental magic inherent to every aspect of the world.

    ______________________________________

    Hilda die Jüngere
    +2-2+2+4+3
    Hard________________Keen____________Calm________________Daring_______________Wild

    Stress
    XXXXX
    Injury: 0
    XP: 1
    Money: 21þ
    Scrip Tally: 8

    Personal Moves:
    Woods Wise: Roll +Wild when you navigate the wilderness. Knows a lot about flora and fauna, can roll +Wild to have questions answered about it.
    Faerie Speak: By showing respect to the fae, you can Press The Issue or Turn On The Charm rather than Parlay With The Strange.
    Out of Mind: If you cover your face or turn off your engine, you can pass unseen if you haven't been seen yet.
    Swashbuckle: Roll +Daring when fighting non-lethal to turn the battle into a G-rated Disney fight.
    As The Crow Flies: Sacrifice an air focus to imbue an object with the power of flight (make a flying broomstick)
    Deep Ones: Call out to your patron for +1 forward.
    Reach Out: You can use your magical focuses as long as you know where they are.
    Ideomotor Response: You have a magic autopilot that can take verbal commands.

    Mastery Progress: 2/5
    Victories: 7
    Mastery Moves:
    Nerves of Steel: Reroll your attack roll if you don't like it at absolute knife range
    Head to Head: Crank a 180 when there's a bandit on your tail and do an absolute knife-range head-on attack.
    Riding The Edge: +5 Handling to your aircraft, lose 1 less speed when you commit to the turn.

    Familiar Vices:
    Drinking
    Hallucinogens
    Cannabis
    Music (Addicted)
    Gambling
    Cigarettes

    Intimacy Move: Of Blood
    When you're intimate with someone, gain a bond of blood with them. If you already have a bond of blood, take +3 forward to use them as a focus, and if it's in the air, negate any injury that would come to them from blood magic.

    The Birds of Prey

    Hilda:     The POV character. Short and impulsive witch with badger ears, a tail, black hair, very pale skin, and freckles. From an all-female coven of misandrists, and is a bird mom for a Perigean Falcon named Gunther. Lent her fiery spirit to a nymph for a necklace that lets her pilot a plane that's definitely not anything weird, that then got crushed against her ribcage and might have someone's soul in her head. Flies a unique prototype recovered from a dead city. 3 Thaler per routine.

    Riya: Tall, lanky Skyborn woman with red hair, brown skin, and magenta eyes who crews an airship by herself and flies a modified Bahadur Escort. Has a parrot named Dipak that can talk and hasn't said anything about her past yet. (Trusts, is trusted) (-1 Hard, +2 Keen, +3 Calm, -2 Daring) 3 Thaler per routine.

    Edgar: Full-time salvager airship escort with red and yellow wartime Thorstad SIM2b he pulled out of an old warehouse. Seems friend-shaped, and Hilda now trusts him after sharing some opium. Fischer with white and black hair, bluish skin, and a muscular build. (Trusts, is not trusted) (+3 Hard, -2 Keen, +3 Calm, -2 Daring) 3 Thaler per routine.

    Employees:

    Alex:     Farmboy gunner from up in the northeast. Brown hair, sun-kissed, spent his childhood chasing off the fae with a rifle on his dairy farm. 1/2þ

    Dr. Elizabeth Becker MD: Dr. House sound-alike that smokes constantly and has terrible bedside manner. Patches the gang up for free though, so she's helpful. 2þ

    Joli: Incredibly blunt 28-year-old Rishonim mechanic with blonde hair. Tall, fit, usually either working on some mechanical problem or having drinks with Alex. 1/2þ

    Hey y'all. If you're here for the first time I just thought I'd make clear that on several occasions this Quest gets very dark. I try not to focus on it too much but sometimes that's how the dice land. This whole tale is supposed to be the life story of a young mercenary pilot, with the extremes of brutal air combat and passionate hedonism being the core themes. On top of that, there are a couple of instances of vague (and kind of explicit) smut. It's hidden behind spoilers if you're not into reading that stuff, and I add incredibly vague summaries so you can understand whatever detail of the story stuff you're missing.

    Also, there should be some TW for y'all. Brief depiction of verbal abuse, implications of physical abuse, brief depiction of victim blaming, depiction of loss of loved ones, brief descriptions of gruesome injury, and a screaming match between friends.

    Alright, with that out of the way, enjoy!
     
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  • Informational
    • [X]You are a Believer, someone from a commune-like home who believes in some kind of radical ideology, and is hellbent on spreading the truth to everyone possible
     
    [X]You are a Witch, one able to bend reality to your will, to a certain extent, by harnessing the elemental magic inherent to every aspect of the world.
     
    A Flying Circus? Never heard of it ;P
    Though, I think it is the first quest I see that plays in the Himmilgard itself.

    [X] You are a Skyborn, one previously belonging to a nomadic trade balloon convoy, whose life of living thousands of meters above the ground has granted a fearlessness and love of the air second to none.
     
    Let's go!
    [X]You are a Witch, one able to bend reality to your will, to a certain extent, by harnessing the elemental magic inherent to every aspect of the world.
     
    I like the open magic, and kinda want to try that.
    [X]You are a Witch, one able to bend reality to your will, to a certain extent, by harnessing the elemental magic inherent to every aspect of the world.
     
    [X]You are a Witch, one able to bend reality to your will, to a certain extent, by harnessing the elemental magic inherent to every aspect of the world.

    I wanna cast a speeeeell
     
    It seems the people want spells. At the turn of the hour I will collect the votes.
     
    B-You are a Soldier, a professionally trained, skilled military pilot who will most likely have difficulty being social with those close to them.

    I'm a sucker for a cold character slowly warming up to the world and finding beauty
     
    [X]You are a Believer, someone from a commune-like home who believes in some kind of radical ideology, and is hellbent on spreading the truth to everyone possible

    Ready to cause problems
     
    I am here to be Extreme!
    [X] You are a Believer, someone from a commune-like home who believes in some kind of radical ideology, and is hellbent on spreading the truth to everyone possible.
     
    0-2 Which Witch?
  • Threadmarks
    • [X]F-You are a Witch, one able to bend reality to your will, to a certain extent, by harnessing the elemental magic inherent to every aspect of the world.

    You were born into a nameless coven of witches deep in the forest. From the time you could read, you rehearsed the practice of magic, first taught to the fae by the earth itself, then to women searching for an escape from the "civilized" world, and now to you, for the purpose of protecting yourself, protecting your home, and protecting the sanctity of nature.

    By some means, you found yourself granted with the knowledge of flight, be it upon the staff of a broomstick of the cockpit of an aeroplane. Who taught you?
    []Your teacher, as regardless of the medium, the act of escaping the ground itself is magic.
    []Yourself, after many moons of fumbling incantations and controls alike.
    []A fellow witch, so that you, someone broadly not conforming to the norms of the coven, could leave the abuse behind you.
    []The winds, the birds, and the fae themselves, guiding your hands and showing how to soar as they did.

    One day you decided you'd leave. You couldn't spend another day in the coven. Why are you leaving?
    []You're far too curious about the world you spent your years so far away from.
    []You're too questioning. The insulting retorts and shaming from your mentor for questioning her are too much to bear. But you'd rather be hit than hood your tongue.
    []You're too queer. Your neighbors never looked at you the same way after your last relationship came to light.
    []You can't be cooped up in this tiny coven anymore. You need to see the world and feel free.
    []You care not for protecting what you are told are "your people", you want to live for yourself. You can't be carefree here.
    []Despite the blatant misandry of your coven, you never conformed to their hatred of men. You're too caring, and can't be your caring self here.

    Why do you fly a warplane?
    []You fly to learn who you really are.
    []You want to see all this world has to offer, and you get to see it and choose your own path by flying.
    []You fly to master magic. Sure you're a skilled pilot, and a great witch, but what if you master both skill sets together?
    []You fly to put some distance between you and those who hurt you, maybe that will let you feel safe.
    []You fly to meet new peoples and see humanity through a much larger lens then the keyhole your coven allowed.
    []You want to learn the secrets of the larger world, and you're not going to do it on the ground.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [x]Yourself, after many moons of fumbling incantations and controls alike.
    [x]You're too questioning. The insulting retorts and shaming from your mentor for questioning her are too much to bear. But you'd rather be hit than hood your tongue.
    [x]You want to learn the secrets of the larger world, and you're not going to do it on the ground.
    Worldview is limited to one town unless you have a way of traveling between them, also a warplane can find a job wherever, so you aren't tied to any locations.​
     
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    The winds, the birds, and the fae themselves, guiding your hands and showing how to soar as they did.
    You're too questioning. The insulting retorts and shaming from your mentor for questioning her are too much to bear. But you'd rather be hit than hood your tongue.
    You fly to meet new peoples and see humanity through a much larger lens then the keyhole your coven allowed.
     
    [X]The winds, the birds, and the fae themselves, guiding your hands and showing how to soar as they did.
    Be like Cinderella, with little birds pulling on the control stick.
    [X]You're too questioning. The insulting retorts and shaming from your mentor for questioning her are too much to bear. But you'd rather be hit than hood your tongue.
    Spent a lot of time in the woods, hiding.
    [X]You want to learn the secrets of the larger world, and you're not going to do it on the ground.
    Torn between this one and "See all the world has to offer", but this is good too.

    Also, @Peanutypowers, If you want your vote to count, you have to copy the voting option but fill in an X in the brackets. The automated vote counter looks for that.
     
    [X]A fellow witch, so that you, someone broadly not conforming to the norms of the coven, could leave the abuse behind you.

    [X]Despite the blatant misandry of your coven, you never conformed to their hatred of men. You're too caring, and can't be your caring self here.

    [X]You fly to put some distance between you and those who hurt you, maybe that will let you feel safe.
     
    [X]Yourself, after many moons of fumbling incantations and controls alike.
    [X]You can't be cooped up in this tiny coven anymore. You need to see the world and feel free.
    [X]You fly to meet new peoples and see humanity through a much larger lens then the keyhole your coven allowed.
     
    [X]The winds, the birds, and the fae themselves, guiding your hands and showing how to soar as they did.
    [X]You're too questioning. The insulting retorts and shaming from your mentor for questioning her are too much to bear. But you'd rather be hit than hood your tongue.
    [X]You want to learn the secrets of the larger world, and you're not going to do it on the ground.
     
    [X]The winds, the birds, and the fae themselves, guiding your hands and showing how to soar as they did.
    [X]You're too queer. Your neighbors never looked at you the same way after your last relationship came to light.
    [X]You fly to meet new peoples and see humanity through a much larger lens then the keyhole your coven allowed.

    Gay bird woman, lets go.
     
    [X]The winds, the birds, and the fae themselves, guiding your hands and showing how to soar as they did.
    [X]You care not for protecting what you are told are "your people", you want to live for yourself. You can't be carefree here.
    [X]You fly to learn who you really are.
     
    [X]The winds, the birds, and the fae themselves, guiding your hands and showing how to soar as they did.
    [X]You're too queer. Your neighbors never looked at you the same way after your last relationship came to light.
    [X]You fly to put some distance between you and those who hurt you, maybe that will let you feel safe.
     
    0-3 Last Resort
  • Threadmarks
    • [X]The winds, the birds, and the fae themselves, guiding your hands and showing how to soar as they did.

    [X]You're too questioning. The insulting retorts and shaming from your mentor for questioning her are too much to bear. But you'd rather be hit than hold your tongue.

    [X]You want to learn the secrets of the larger world, and you're not going to do it on the ground.

    Late one night you left your coven and walked deep into the woods, with nothing to guide you but the distant glowing wisps and the deep cool light of a three-moon night to guide. You know what you're doing is downright stupid, but you had no other option. No one in town would teach you to fly, so you had to look elsewhere. The fae's indifference to humanity shifted to hatred and scorn after the end, even to your coven. The fae were now actively shunned, and it was considered a stupid, dangerous act to attempt a deal with them. Clutching your offerings in each hand, you continue East into the forest, knowing that the nymph only known as Frau Madeline could help you. If she would was a much better question, but honestly, you'd rather take the risk of losing your name, your memory, or whatever they wanted then spend another day "learning" with the bat of an instructor you have.

    You see someone walking in the dark, perpendicular to the direction you're taking, just up a hill. It's terrifying, seeing that in a forest full of fae. You steel yourself. Taking a shaky breath, you go to approach, crunching the leaves beneath your boots. The figure turns their head, revealing a small set of antlers jutting from just above their long, pointed ears. An elf. Their glowing green eyes silently watch you in the dark as you ascend the hill, and in the faint moonlight you can see a toothy grin across their face. You clear your throat. Speak clearly, be courteous, but don't be entertaining. You're here on business.

    "H-Hello there." Fuck, you've already shown weakness.

    "I'm looking for Frau Madeline. Do you know her?" You ask, trying your hardest to sound confident and unafraid despite the ludicrous circumstances. The elf lets out a small laugh.

    "You're from that witch coven west of here, aren't you?" She asks, seemingly ignoring your question. You stay silent for a moment, paranoia about fae trickery making you choose your words carefully.

    "Yes, I am." You respond simply, with as little emotion as possible.

    "Didn't your momma tell you stay out of the woods?" The elf asks next.

    "She did." You respond, getting slightly impatient.

    "Then what on Earth is a…
    [ ]Maiden (Feminine Presentation)
    [ ]Boy (Masculine Presentation)
    [ ]Fool (Ambiguous Presentation)
    …like you doing looking for a forest nymph then?" The elf asks in a condescending manner, giggling slightly. You felt yourself tense at the infantilizing implications, you got enough of that at home.

    "I want to cut a deal with her. She can grant skills as part of a deal, can't she?" You ask, once again finding away to push your bubbling anger down, at least for now. The elf somehow found a way to smile wider.

    "Oh, Madeline's going to love this. Follow me, dear." The elf said, turning around, and starting to walk deeper into the forest once again. You eagerly followed behind. You didn't know what to expect from the fae, but they felt different than you envisioned. Hopefully you'd get to keep your memories.
     
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