Fae Mood - A Flying Circus Quest

[Texas Red]

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.

______________________________________

Spoiler: Character Info

Hilda die Jüngere

+2

-2

+2

+4

+3

Hard________________Keen____________Calm________________Daring_______________Wild

Stress

X

Injury: 0
XP: 8
Money: 25þ
Scrip Tally: 1

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: 3/5
Victories: 9
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.
Belly Scrape: Flying at ground level gives +10 Handling and +1 to Evade Danger

Equipment:
Sword: 2 Hits, 3 Damage, AP 1
Sawed-Off Shotgun: 1 Hit, 1d5 Damage, Knife Range
Polarized Goggles: +2 To eyeball during the day
Magic Broomstick: Can fly on
Foci: Seashell (Water), Amber Amulet (Fire), Bag of Dirt (Earth), Riya's Scarf (Must use Eyeball to use) (Air)

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

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!

 

[Texas Red]

[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.

 

[Texas Red]

[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.

 

[Texas Red]

[X]Maiden (Feminine Presentation)
[X]Fool (Ambiguous Presentation)

(Ambiguously feminine it is!)

You're unsure how much time passes, walking through the woods in the dark. Your elven guide says nothing to you on the journey, and still fearing fae mischief, you don't either. Eventually you start to see a faint glow in this distance, the color of sunlight, brighter than the fireflies or wisps that dot your path. The glow gets brighter as you approach, and eventually you find yourself standing in front of a wall of leaves, like an unkept hedge wall, blocking your path. The elf guiding you takes her finger, and traces a semicircle over the wall of leaves, the path it takes leaving a glowing trail like the outline of a door handle. She reaches her hand into the leaves and pulls, opening that section of wall like a door and revealing a brightly lit grove, like something out of a book of fables, with a spring in the middle just beyond. You find yourself staring in astonishment, before the elf rudely gestures you inside, and taking the hint, you cross the threshold into the grove.

The clearing is even more impressive on the inside than just staring in. You seem to be completely alone in the grove, other than the sound of footsteps from the guide behind you. Even the sounds of crickets and wind left you at the doorway. As your ears adjust to the newfound silence, you can hear murmuring to your right. You turn your head, and are greeted with an olive skinned, black haired woman with her back to you, dressed in what appears to be a robe of thousands of colorful flowers, and appearing like not one was of the same species as any other. She stood staring at a polished stone wall, up a short set of carved stone steps, with an ornate crystal glass in one hand, and drawing in glowing trails with the fingers of her other. She doesn't seem to notice you and the elf.

The elf clears her throat, finally snapping the woman out of her artistic trance and making her turn her head around. She was just about the most beautiful woman you'd ever seen. It took you a moment to realize, as you observe her more fully, that she's wearing nothing other than that open flower robe. It's not like you hadn't seen someone naked before, but the casual nudity was unnerving, entrancing, and shocking at the same time. You felt your face flush as you make sure to keep your eyes above her shoulders.

"Sorry to interrupt, Mistress, but I think you'll be pleased." The elf said, sounding almost nervous to be speaking to her. After a moment you feel your voice return to you, and the desire to explain why you're here in the first place.

"Are you Frau Madeline?" You ask, and almost immediately feeling like you've spoken out of line. The woman's eyes snap to you, looking almost shocked at your vocalization. Anxiety began creeping up from your stomach. She smiles.

"Yes, I am. Well, that's what you witches west of here call me, isn't it?" The nymph responds, stepping down the stone stairs towards you and your elven guide. She's tall. Taller than you.

"May I have your name, Fräulein?" She asks. Your lip momentarily forms a sneer out of the distain. You stay silent, and give her a knowing look.

"I jest. May I know your name?" She says, grinning and rolling her eyes. It didn't sound like a trick to you.

"Yes, ma'am, my name is…
[ ]…Hilda Juner" (0 Hard, -2 Keen, +1 Calm, +4 Daring)
[ ]…Alice Schäfer" (-1 Hard, +2 Keen, +4 Calm, -2 Daring)
[ ]…Amalia Amsel" (+3 Hard, +2 Keen, -2 Calm, 0 Daring)
[ ]…Mia Adler" (-2 Hard, +3 Keen, +4 Calm, -2 Daring)

(Regardless of what you choose, you also start with +2 Wild, which you add to rolls to cast spells.)

(For those unfamiliar with Flying Circus, these are the four stats used normally, plus Wild, which is semi-exclusive to witches. Hard is for hurting other people, Keen is for defense and perception, Calm is for social rolls, and Daring is for doing, well, daring things.)

 

[Texas Red]

"Yes, ma'am, my name is Hilda die Jüngere." You say while feigning fearlessness and smiling, extending your hand for a handshake. Madeline looks at your hand for a moment, before taking it and awkwardly shaking.

"They do this now?" She asks the elf. Your guide shrugs.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Frau Hilda." Madeline says, before pulling her hand away and taking a sip of the swirling golden liquid in her glass.

"I'm here to make a deal. I brought offerings! I know you're supposed to bring two, but I decided to come prepared, so I brought a bit more." You say, pulling your napsack around from your back. It's possible that not everything you brought with you is in there, however. You've brought to offer…
(Vote on 3 for both sections)
[ ]A curved sword that glows in the moonlight,
[ ]An amulet of amber, gifted to you by your mother (fire element focus
[ ]A wooden box containing soil from the base of a dryad tree, (earth element focus)
[ ]A vial of sacred spring water, possibly from here, (water element focus)
[ ]A huge feather from the wing of a great falcon, (air element focus)

[ ]The name of your long lost father,
[ ]A rare portable radio,
[ ]Your familiar's, a kobold locked in animal form, service, perfectly willing if asked,
[ ]A dubiously real map to the home of a mythically immortal woman,
[ ]Your love of your partner, waiting for you in the airfield,
[ ]A broom you thought one day you could use to fly,

(This is basically your equipment selection. Pick to shape the character, Hilda wouldn't have intentionally brought everything listed here)

 

[Texas Red]

[X]A curved sword that glows in the moonlight
[X]An amulet of amber, gifted to you by your mother (fire element focus)
[X]A huge feather from the wing of a great falcon, (air element focus)

[X]Your familiar's, a kobold locked in animal form, service, perfectly willing if asked,
[X]A dubiously real map to the home of a mythically immortal woman,
[X]A broom you thought one day you could use to fly,

First, you remove the sheathed sword from your bag, which you'd stolen from above your home's mantle before you left. Your mother would never tell you where she got it, just that it would always keep you and her safe. You hoped she was right when you took it.

"I don't know how long my family has owned this sword, but I know it's important to our line. I'm willing to give it to you if you want it." You explain, setting it on the ground.

Next, you take out the enormous feather of a most likely enormous bird you always keep with you, that drifted into your lap years ago, and allowed you to begin your practice of air magic. It was one of your most cherished possessions. You hesitated, and then held it out to speak.

"This is the feather of a great bird. I'm… not sure what kind, but it holds power in the element of air." You set it down next to the sword, and reach into your bag to pull out the amber amulet from inside your shirt. Your mother gave it to you as your first focus when you were 12, she told you to pour your anger into it, rather than the world around you. You can feel the familiar seared dents from when you spent your nights clutching it as hard as you could, and spontaneously causing the glow of fire to burn its durable surface. You use it more than any other focus in your possession.

"This is the amber amulet I use for fire magic. It glows in the dark most nights, I think it's been imbued with fire, from how much I… use it." You kept the amulet in front of your shirt, presented and on display. You didn't need it anyway. You could summon fire without it, with some difficulty.

You pull out the small map tube you had packed. Another relic of the family. It was a map that your mother claimed was real, and you didn't exactly have the ability to dispute it, as you'd never left town, so you decided to believe it too. It was simple, and old enough that you feared taking it out on a humid day might reduce it to a sludge.

"My mother tells me this map leads to the oldest woman in the world, someone who's been around since before there was writing. I don't have any other maps for reference, but she says she isn't far from our coven." You set the map tube down as well, and take out your final inanimate offering, your broomstick, tied to the side of the bag.

You had no use for it. They'd never teach you to fly on it, and you didn't know how to make it do what you wanted. You'd given up months ago. Maybe the dream of your flight would be enough payment.

"I dreamt of flying away on this. I don't have a use for it anymore if you trade me for what I wish for." You're surprised you haven't broken it over your knee in a fit of rage anyway. You pushed those thoughts aside and gripped your broomstick tighter.

"Is that all?" Madeline asks with a slight giggle.

"Well, I have one more, but he's outside. Could you open the wall for a moment?" You ask, nervous of offending your host somehow from that. Madeline nodded, and gestured with a hand towards the greenery beside her. A large section of the wall retracts like vines growing in reverse, revealing the moonlit, hilly forest outside. You put your fingers to your lips, and blow hard, whistling for you familiar Gunther.

You position your broomstick over your shoulders, with the handle side hanging off to the side of your body. Within thirty seconds, your hawk soars into the opening, circles the grove, and lands onto your broomstick, throwing you off balance for a moment. He scoots across the stick over to your head, nuzzling your badger ears and making that shrill cooing he made when he knows you're anxious.

"We agreed that should it come to it, Gunther would be willing to enter your service in exchange for what I'm asking for." You explain, keeping your voice from wavering from the thought of leaving your best friend behind while you live it large in the broader world.

"Well then spit it out, what do you want me to give you?" Madeline asks, eyes flowing over all the options presented to her.

"I want to fly. Well, I want to know how to fly a plane." You explain, thinking maybe you should have led with that.

"Quite an ask… I don't usually deal in skills." Madeline says, putting a finger to her lips and appearing to think. She walks over to the wall of green surrounding her grove, and puts her hand into it, sinking her arm deep into the greenery like she was trying to reach the other side. After a moment, she pulls out what appeared to be slightly curved glass, in an irregular oval shape, on a looped string, like a necklace. It looks like a glass from a pilot's goggles.

"I think you'll find this will help you, Frau Hilda." She says with a smile, walking back over and putting the necklace over your head and around your neck, standing with her neck and chest so close to your face you can feel the warmth of her skin. Being so close to her made your body hair stand on end, from subconscious attraction, fear, or a natural instinct against the supernatural you weren't sure. She smelled floral, fittingly enough. After that, she takes a step back, and looks over your offerings to her. Her eyes seem to lock on your amulet. She steps forward again, and takes the orange crystal into her hand, looking it over.

"You have certainly made use out of this…" Madeline says, running her fingers over it.

"You have something else I'd like to borrow." She says, pushing the amulet aside with her hand and pressing a finger into your chest, pointing at your heart.

"You have quite the fiery spirit, don't you?" She asks almost teasingly, grinning.

"U-…um…" You attempted. Butterflies flooded your system as you started to wonder if this deal was going quite a different direction than you expected.

"I can feel flame coursing through that amulet, but you're steeped in it, aren't you?" She asks, pulling her finger away and looking you over.

"Tell you what. You give me your fiery spirit for… let's say, three nights, and I'll let you keep that necklace. You'll get it back, you have my word, but that… wrath you have inside you, that's the most useful thing you've brought me." Madeline said, extending her hand again for a shake.

"Wrath? I'm not wrathful!" You said in defense, offended.

"You don't seem like the type that sits by and lets insolence pass. You came all the way out here to cut a deal with a nymph you knew nothing about, and were willing to give me everything you have to leave your coven." Madeline says, reading you like a book. You stare at her extended hand.

"Keep what you brought. You'll need it." She said, pointing at the rest of the items on the ground. You grab her hand and shake it. It's soft, warm, and you don't want to let go. She keeps her grip on you, and you start to feel tired. You look up at her, and she's smiling like she just won a prize. The growing weakness compounds with you nearly falling, but catching yourself, Gunther loudly squawking thinking something is wrong. Your hand feels hot, scorching, with a burning sensation passing from your hand into Madeline's. After a few more seconds, she releases your hand, and you gasp, not realizing you'd been holding your breath.

"There we go… have a safe trip home, and as for flying that plane, just sit in a cockpit and you'll know what to do." Madeline says, finishing her drink and turning around to walk back to her stone wall. After a moment of catching your breath, you got down and put your belongings back into your napsack, rushing to make sure you got out before sunup. You didn't really know how long you'd been in the forest for, but you were nervous you'd get home after everyone woke up.

"Th-thank you!" Is all you could really think to say as you stood back up and put your sack on your shoulders, looking back towards the open doorway out into the woods.

"You're very welcome. Goodbye, Frau Hilda." Madeline shot back as she continued to draw on her stone wall, drawing on what looked like a map of glowing lines. The elf that had guided you here leads you out of the grove, and points to your left.

"It's a straight shot that way back to the coven. The beasts of the woods will give you no trouble." She said, before walking off in the opposite direction.

You run most of the way home, through the woods, and by the time you're within sight of the clearing you know as the coven's village, the sky is just beginning to glow. It won't be long before dawn. Upon exiting the wild, you're in the airfield. Just a field like any other, but with three planes covered by tarps next to an uninhabited shake full of mechanical supplies. You'd been planning this, so you knew which one you were taking. You hurriedly sprint over to the machine that would take you away, into the skies, to start your new life, and yank the tarp off the…

[ ]New Theler Drachen (Unarmed Observer, light, but bad at most things)
[ ]Used Rathenau-7k (Fast and Agile, Fragile and Low Firepower)
[ ]Used Living Grove (High Firepower, and Visibility, but Flammable. Made from shaping growing trees into the shape of a plane)
[ ]Used Braun Model VJ (FAST and Two Seater, Unarmed and Clumsy)

 

[Texas Red]

[X]Rathenau-7k

You yank the tarp off of the old, beat up Rathenau-7k painted in a camouflaged green your coven restored from a crash during the war, apparently. It was an outdated piece of shit, and with how that canvas and wood was damages it was a miracle it wasn't falling apart by now. Wait, how do you know that? You'd never even read how plane maintenance worked, but you somehow know now that this fragile plane is even more paper-like just by looking at the angle the wings droop under their own weight.

You jump up and grab onto the edge of the cockpit, hoisting yourself over into the seat. Gunther grabbed the back of the cockpit for support, bobbing his head up and down in excitement. Your boots found themselves to the pedals in a moment, and your finger immediately flew to the magneto switch to flip it. You hesitate. You look back at your coven's wooden cabins. It's quiet. No one's awake. You raise your right hand and flip off the only home you've ever known, and flip the switch.

"Switch on." You instinctively mumble. You climb out of the cockpit onto the ground again, kicking the blocks away from the wheels. It's stuck in the grass, it wasn't going anywhere. You step back and clutch the propeller, taking a deep breath in.

"CON-TACT!" You scream, yanking the prop with all of your strength, and hearing the burst of the first ignition of your new plane's engine, making the propeller spin again, cause another ignition, then another spin, another ignition, until they blend together in a roar of mechanical fury as the beast starts to roll towards you. You immediately back up and step to the side as the plane began to accelerate. You jog to the side of the plane and leap to catch the side of the cockpit again, clambering in and grabbing the throttle. Laughing like a madwoman, you hit the throttle and feel your body lurch back into your seat, and in a couple seconds, the bumpy ride of the airfield beneath the wheels was replaced by a smoothness of the air under your wings, as your horizon rose over the trees. You climb, and climb, and climb, further in the sky while feeling your ears popping, a sensation you'd never experienced before but inexplicably knew was all part of the experience. A ice cold bullet of adrenaline shoots through you as you realize just what you were doing. YOU WERE FLYING AN AEROPLANE! A FUCKING PLANE! Your eyes go wide and you turn your head around, looking back at your coven you just left behind, behind Gunther who had his wings tucked in to keep stable while snuggled against the back of your jacket. The lights had come on down there, you guess they heard the engine.

Panting, you look down at the glass on a string around your neck. Madeline certainly delivered.

Then you have the realization you had no clue where you were going. Your coven doesn't trade, but you heard offhandedly that the nearest villages were some farming village called Bernbroich to the north, past the forest and out in a field, and a metalworking town called Gregor to the east, towards the mountains.

Where are you going?

[ ]Bernbroich
[ ]Gregor

 

[Texas Red]

[X]Gregor

(By a hair!)

East it was. You turned your plane to the right and pulled a 180 without even thinking, soaring back over you coven towards the rising sun. The sun took a bit to rise over your village, being in the distant shadow of a mountain range. Within an hour you could see smoke rising from distant buildings unlike any you'd seen before. Soon after, you came within sight of the paved runway on the outcropped plateau of the town, hanging above a drop of presumably hundreds of meters. You flew to the right and back around left again, gliding down onto the airstrip and slowly rolling to a stop on the smooth pavement with the engine off and softly crackling. A squad of mechanics, some carrying boxes and others carrying large tools, jogged from a nearby hangar up to your plane while you grabbed your bag and stepped over the cockpit, sliding down to the ground. They were a team of only men, most dirty from oil and engine grease, and all dressed in similar denim overalls and rolled up dress shirts. A muscular middle aged man with a handlebar mustache led the charge, reaching you first and greeting you with a smile.

"Welcome to Gregor! Maintenance and storage in our airfield are a one time fee of one Thaler, upfront." He said, extending his hand like he was immediately expecting payment. It was a good thing you swiped three Thaler before you left.

"Yes! Of course, one moment!" You say, pulling your bag around and putting your broomstick over your shoulders again, prompting Gunther to casually hop onto the handle and sit there while you paid. You could hear a few shocked whispers as your familiar flew into view. Digging through your bag, you pulled out a Thaler, an enormous gold trade coin, and handed it to the mechanic.

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Gregor's streets were unfathomably noisy. Hundreds of men and women strolled about the busy stone streets, in anywhere from plain dull work clothes to vibrantly stitched dresses, laughing, talking, and occasionally catching a glimpse of you and staring. You most likely were a bit out of place, no one else was carrying familiars, and you hadn't seen a single bird since you landed. It was pure chaos. So many new sounds, smells, sights, kinds of people. It may have been madness, but it was incredible to experience. How did this many people work together? They couldn't all know each other, could they? If this was the rest of the world, you were never going home. When you attempted to buy a kebab with another one of your two remaining Thaler, the old woman manning the food stand kindly informed you that you could trade a Thaler for actual smaller money you could use in Gregor at the estate bank, so you did just that, fumbling through a messy conversation with a banker and receiving a stack of paper money in exchange. It made absolutely no sense to you why eighty slips of printed, colored paper could equal a huge puck of gold, but whatever, new world, new rules.

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"So you've never been outside your hometown?" Esha the kebab merchant asked, continuing to cook her food even while speaking to you, sitting on a bench next to her stand and wholeheartedly enjoying the intense flavors of the spiced vegetables and meat of your breakfast.

"That'th righ'." You said with your mouth full, too enamored by the food to stop eating.

"And you left on a whim?" She asks next, as you finally swallow.

"Yes." You respond, before going in for another bite.

"Just cause you wanted to see the world?"

"Bashiclly." You respond, muffled again. Esha let out a small laugh.

"I did just that when I was about your age! Well, I wanted to cook for new audiences. Close enough." She said, flipping what she was cooking and causing a loud sizzling to momentarily drown out her voice.

"That was before Circuses. Most folk your age join up with those types though, safety in numbers, camaraderie and all that." She continued, sprinkling some kind of seasoning onto what she was making.

"If your plane's got guns, I recommend it, it's just about the only way you can stay afloat with a plane like that." She finished, finally turning to look at you.

(End of the first segment! Right now I just need the final decisions about the character made.)

Pick three of these to be the abilities you start out

[ ]Reach Out: If you know where a focus is, you can still use it without touching it.
[ ]Teacher: You can teach others how to use magic.
[ ]Technophobe: If you destroy a valuable piece of technology, you gain +3 on your next spell roll.
[ ]As The Crow Flies: Learn how to make a flying broomstick.
[ ]Will of Iron: You can create an iron element focus, but it only works for one spell.
[ ]Faerie Speak: You're much better at consorting with fae and can choose the move used with them.
[ ]Out of Mind: If you cover your face or turn off your engine, you can pass unseen if you haven't been seen yet.
[ ]Woods Wise: Roll Wild when you navigate the wilderness.

In addition, choose two things Hilda does already to relieve stress to unhealthy excess.

[ ]Drinking
[ ]Casual Sex
[ ]Hallucinagens
[ ]Research
[ ]Cannabis
[ ]Bickering
[ ]Stunt Flying
[ ]Violence

 

[Texas Red]

[X] Plan Ooh Shiny
- [X] Go stare at the other airplanes. So many fancy new planes.
- [X] Is that Jewelry being made? So shiny, isn't it Gunther?
- [X] Don't stare at the Skyborn, even if their clothing is so very pretty
- [X] Oh, my shinies... That paper is going away fast, I probably need a job...

You took Tetra's advice to heart, you knew you needed to look for work, but you decided that a day out would be good to help you adjust to your new living situation out in broader Himmelgard. First you returned to the airstrip to watch the planes. The only planes you'd seen before now were barely visibly shapes in the sky, trailing deep purrs like a cat at their cruising altitudes. But up close, they were LOUD. You watched squadrons of cargo planes, colorful warplanes, and skyborn balloons cycle through the airfield, some for fuel and some to stay for longer. A small skyborn balloon with a wooden plane covered in blue and purple tapestries hanging from it caught your eye, manned by a single woman who lowered a pallet of crates onto the ground for offloading. She wore vibrant, evocative clothing, even more so than the colorful dresses of wealthy groundpounders. You caught yourself staring when she met your eyes, quickly turning your head in embarrassment and trying to look like you were just looking around.

Back in the retail district of the estate later that day, a jewelers shop completely stole your attention from the rest of the world, immediately enrapturing you with more shiny, vibrant precious metals, colorful gemstones embedded within them, and the fantasy of wearing at least half of them at once. To the point where you didn't see anything outside your tunnel vision into someone accidentally walked into you, making you tumble to the ground with a loud squawk from Gunther and a higher pitched yelp from another bird. You sat up, wincing at the dull pain of a hard landing on cobblestone, before turning to the person right beside you who was shoveling Thaler back into a velvet bag they must have spilled when they fell while petting a red parrot who had fallen to the ground as well. On closer examination, she was the same skyborn you'd made eye contact with at the airfield. Her hair was blonde, skin tanned, and eyes a piercing shade of magenta that demanded attention. You sat enamored for a moment, before realizing you should help her up. You grabbed your broom and picked Gunther up first, before extending you hand to her on the ground.

"Entschuldigung! Are you ok?!" You asked, feeling an uncharacteristic amount of guilt for what was most likely not even your fault. The skyborn turned over, smiled, and grabbed your hand with her own tough and calloused one, letting you hoist her up with her bird and coin purse in the other hand.

"Thank you! I'm fine, don't worry." She said with a small laugh, turning to her parrot.

"How about you?" She asked it, and to your surprise, it responded.

"Alles Klar! Alles Klar!" It croaked in a scratchy voice. She gave it a pet.

"You don't see many bird owners in Gregor, what's their name?" She asked, gesturing to the falcon on you broom.

"Gunther!" You responded, starting to smile. Finally, a kindred spirit.

"Who's this?" You ask, pointing at the parrot on her shoulder.

"DIPAK!" The bird croaked.

"He's more polite than me, I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Riya." The skyborn said taking your hand and shaking it.

"Nice to meet you Riya! I'm Hilda!" You introduce yourself, hearing yourself mispronounce Riya's name, noticing a hint of disappointment on her face at that.

"That's a nice name. You're not from around here, are you?" Riya immediately questions, you can tell she feels the presence of a kindred spirit as well.

"No, no I'm not. This is actually my first day out of my hometown." You say with a slight laugh.

"Do you fly too?" She asks.

"I do. I've got an old factory issue Rathenau-7k I fly." Saying that felt weirdly natural.

"Do the guns work?" She asks, smiling a little more. You nod.

"Wait a second… cheap plane, surprisingly loyal falcon, carrying a broom like a rifle, you're a witch, aren't you?" Your stomach dropped. You'd heard cautionary tales about why you witches stuck to the woods. Hangings, burnings, drownings even to innocent women suspected of witchcraft. Riya didn't look like she wanted to kill you though.

"What if I was?" You ask cautiously.

"Well, I'd ask if you had any jobs lined up." Riya responded.

"I need an escort. I can't fly a balloon and defend it at the same time, and I'm heading through territory that might have trouble waiting. Think you could help?" She asked.

"And… me being a witch would make that better?" You asked, confused.

"If you can throw fireballs or knock enemy aircraft out of the sky with a gust of wind, you'd be a hell of an escort." She says, as you contemplate your confusion with the fact that your magic made you more valuable.

"Well you're in luck, cause that's the exact kind of magic Im best at!" You say excitedly.

"How does five Thaler sound for a five hour flight north?" Riya says, extending her hand for a shake.

[X]"Sounds like a deal!" (Accept Job)
[X]"I have terms." (Negotiate, write in what you're after: Pay raise, half up front, paid expenses, other)
[X]"I'll keep you in mind!" (Decline Contract, can take later)

 

[Texas Red]

"I have terms. Expenses for my plane. Maintenance, repairs, ammo refills, and medical bills if something happens to me. Call it an investment." You explain, extending your own hand for a shake, ready to close the deal. Riya thinks for a moment, before taking your hand and shaking it firmly.

"Sounds like a deal, Frau Hilda. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, where are you staying tonight?" Riya asks while taking Dipak off her shoulder and starting to pet him. You realized you didn't actually have a place to sleep.

"I… uh… Well, I was planning on getting a room at an inn tonight. There's lots of those around here, right?" You ask, already knowing you sound dumb. You let out a sigh.

"I have an extra hammock on my balloon, if you want to save the scrip." Riya offers, pointing back towards the airstrip. From the elevated street the both of you were on, you could see the red balloon of Riya's airship peaking over the public hangers. Believing she was simply being kind, you saw no reason to not accept her hospitality.

"Dankeschön! See you tonight then!" You say, smiling at the realization that people out here were far nicer than you originally thought.

"See you soon, Frau Hilda." Riya responds with a smile and small wave, before turning back and walking down the street, back towards the airfield.

Was there anything else you wanted to buy before you turned in for the night?

[X]Save your scrip (No added costs to the tab)
[X]Write in what you want to frivolously spend your Gs on!!

The way I'll be doing this is if most people decide you should save your cash, you buy nothing, but if more people want to buy things, I will be taking every listed thing you want to buy with scrip.

And remember, this is an impulsive young woman in a very new world we're telling the story of.