The mandate is lost, those are the words that spread like wildfire, even before people truly knew what they meant. Those words, uttered en mass, were consuming the natural order and leaving only ashes in their wake. It is up to you to survive the chaos in a land without order, without rule, but one rife with opportunity. Will you find a worthy lord to serve, or carve your own path. Lead unstoppable armies or craft schemes that will unravel nations. Forge bonds that will last a lifetime and earn the ire of warlords everywhere. Your legacy is yours to craft, in the Folly of the Five Kingdoms!
Folly of the Five Kingdoms
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Chapter 1 Post 1: Hope's Folly
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The mandate is lost, those are the words that spread like wildfire, even before people truly knew what they meant. Those words, uttered in mass, were consuming the natural order and leaving only ashes in their wake. The words first arrived on a merchant caravan, claiming that the capitol had been burned to the ground, with no sign of the emperor since. At the time everyone dismissed them, the prince missing? Well then he'd be found soon, we all thought, if for no other reason than he had to be.
When the tax collectors failed to come, leaving our offerings in the town square, it began to sink in that maybe something of note really had happened. Still the mayor and militia captain assured us the collectors would be here soon and that everything would be fine, they would watch over our harvest in the meantime
It was only a couple days later that the rumors of bandits, sacking the surrounding countryside came to be. "There is nothing to worry about." said the mayor of your village, addressing the crowd you were now a part of. "The imperial army will soon come restore the peace." The thought should have put your mind at ease, but those words 'The mandate is lost' still echoed through the air.
"Then tell us," a voice belonging to a young woman, dressed in ornate robes, erupted from the crowd. "Why would they send an army of men, when they can not spare a dozen to collect our taxes?"
Her words seem to hit the mark and you briefly spot a brief glimpse of panic on the mayors face, as murmurs break out amongst the crowd. "We should run, run to the capitol." shouts a voice from the crowd, gathering quite a bit of agreement from the onlookers.
"Don't be stupid!" yells a man, with a Dao on his back and a warriors build. "Surely you've heard the rumors, the capitol is ashes. All you'd be doing is trading sturdy walls for dense forest or empty fields, neither of which are good against bandits. We should prepare to fight!" this too earns rumbles of agreement along with dissent.
You can't help, but notice the satisfied smirk on the face of the woman from earlier, before the argument is once again broken through, this time from a rather portly gentlemen you recognize as the local wine merchant. "Couldn't we try paying them off? We still have our taxes right? A full tiger doesn't hunt after all. I'll even throw in my entire harvest of wine if it will help." The man sounds surprisingly eager to have his plan adopted, despite the inordinate amount of cost to him.
As all this was going on the thing that was most notable was the mayor's reaction, the man was becoming more and more panicked as time went on. Sensing that the mayor was about to lose control, the militia captain steps in. "People, people, listen I've served this post for ten years and despite all the attempts, there has never been a successful bandit attack on our humble little town. Look around you, you see those brave men in uniform, your friends and neighbors, why they're all the defense you'll ever need. Right sir?" The captain say, elbowing the mayor in the ribs.
It takes a second for the mayor to react, as if he needed time to find his own body, but once he did an easy smile spread across his face. "Of course, of course, please forgive me for not reassuring you all sooner. My friend here is right of course, as a matter of fact I'd like to buy him, no wait all of you, I'd like to buy all of you a drink or ten. Let it be known that all drinks at the inn tonight will be on my tab, bottoms up!" With that the mayor swiftly turns toward the inn and leads the procession there, leaving no more room for argument.
At first the unease was palpable, but after the first couple of drinks you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a festival. Even the militia captain had given in after constant badgering from the mayor. You however stayed sober, after all you really wanted to talk to...
[ ] The militia captain
- You'd like to learn more about the militia's plans should the worst happen and maybe see about joining in on the drills.
[ ] The young man with the Dao
- You'd never seen him around here before, what stake did he have in whether or not your village fought?
[ ] The mysterious woman
- She'd seemed to have some sort of agenda when calling out the mayor.
[ ] The wine merchant
- He's constantly scanning the crowd, but for what you're not sure. He's intentionally made eye contact a few times.
[ ] The mayor
- He's really gone all out for this impromptu party and yet you haven't seen him drink a drop.
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While we're here, lets get a name and gender vote going. Note this setting is not free of sexism, it might be harder to earn people's respect as a woman, but notoriety gain will increase as a result. Also I'm going to have to juggle a lot of Chinese names, forgive me in advance for putting two first or last names or names of the wrong gender. I don't speak the language and am armed only with basic knowledge of google.
[ ] Jun Tao, Male
[ ] Chun Hao, Male
[ ] Jia An, Female
[ ] Bao Ling, Female
[ ] Write In
I'll be dumping the rules in a pdf below, but reading it is not required. Things will be introduced, hopefully organically, when they matter and I'll have preset builds for characters next update. That being said if you want to get started on creating a character, you can absolutely do that.
When the tax collectors failed to come, leaving our offerings in the town square, it began to sink in that maybe something of note really had happened. Still the mayor and militia captain assured us the collectors would be here soon and that everything would be fine, they would watch over our harvest in the meantime
It was only a couple days later that the rumors of bandits, sacking the surrounding countryside came to be. "There is nothing to worry about." said the mayor of your village, addressing the crowd you were now a part of. "The imperial army will soon come restore the peace." The thought should have put your mind at ease, but those words 'The mandate is lost' still echoed through the air.
"Then tell us," a voice belonging to a young woman, dressed in ornate robes, erupted from the crowd. "Why would they send an army of men, when they can not spare a dozen to collect our taxes?"
Her words seem to hit the mark and you briefly spot a brief glimpse of panic on the mayors face, as murmurs break out amongst the crowd. "We should run, run to the capitol." shouts a voice from the crowd, gathering quite a bit of agreement from the onlookers.
"Don't be stupid!" yells a man, with a Dao on his back and a warriors build. "Surely you've heard the rumors, the capitol is ashes. All you'd be doing is trading sturdy walls for dense forest or empty fields, neither of which are good against bandits. We should prepare to fight!" this too earns rumbles of agreement along with dissent.
You can't help, but notice the satisfied smirk on the face of the woman from earlier, before the argument is once again broken through, this time from a rather portly gentlemen you recognize as the local wine merchant. "Couldn't we try paying them off? We still have our taxes right? A full tiger doesn't hunt after all. I'll even throw in my entire harvest of wine if it will help." The man sounds surprisingly eager to have his plan adopted, despite the inordinate amount of cost to him.
As all this was going on the thing that was most notable was the mayor's reaction, the man was becoming more and more panicked as time went on. Sensing that the mayor was about to lose control, the militia captain steps in. "People, people, listen I've served this post for ten years and despite all the attempts, there has never been a successful bandit attack on our humble little town. Look around you, you see those brave men in uniform, your friends and neighbors, why they're all the defense you'll ever need. Right sir?" The captain say, elbowing the mayor in the ribs.
It takes a second for the mayor to react, as if he needed time to find his own body, but once he did an easy smile spread across his face. "Of course, of course, please forgive me for not reassuring you all sooner. My friend here is right of course, as a matter of fact I'd like to buy him, no wait all of you, I'd like to buy all of you a drink or ten. Let it be known that all drinks at the inn tonight will be on my tab, bottoms up!" With that the mayor swiftly turns toward the inn and leads the procession there, leaving no more room for argument.
At first the unease was palpable, but after the first couple of drinks you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a festival. Even the militia captain had given in after constant badgering from the mayor. You however stayed sober, after all you really wanted to talk to...
[ ] The militia captain
- You'd like to learn more about the militia's plans should the worst happen and maybe see about joining in on the drills.
[ ] The young man with the Dao
- You'd never seen him around here before, what stake did he have in whether or not your village fought?
[ ] The mysterious woman
- She'd seemed to have some sort of agenda when calling out the mayor.
[ ] The wine merchant
- He's constantly scanning the crowd, but for what you're not sure. He's intentionally made eye contact a few times.
[ ] The mayor
- He's really gone all out for this impromptu party and yet you haven't seen him drink a drop.
-------------------------------------------------------
While we're here, lets get a name and gender vote going. Note this setting is not free of sexism, it might be harder to earn people's respect as a woman, but notoriety gain will increase as a result. Also I'm going to have to juggle a lot of Chinese names, forgive me in advance for putting two first or last names or names of the wrong gender. I don't speak the language and am armed only with basic knowledge of google.
[ ] Jun Tao, Male
[ ] Chun Hao, Male
[ ] Jia An, Female
[ ] Bao Ling, Female
[ ] Write In
I'll be dumping the rules in a pdf below, but reading it is not required. Things will be introduced, hopefully organically, when they matter and I'll have preset builds for characters next update. That being said if you want to get started on creating a character, you can absolutely do that.
Rules and Setting Details
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Rules below in pdf form. If there is a better format to share it please let me know.
acrobat.adobe.com
Adobe Acrobat
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Character Sheet and Known Associates
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This post reserved for character sheet and known associates.
Meng Yun
Zeal 4
Intuition 7
Guile 8
Might 5
Total: 109
Styles
Mist Walker: Rank 3
Concealing Mist: There are many tales of those using the Mist Walker style overcoming incredible odds and they all start the same way. You gain two dice every round unless your opponent pays four stamina to counter it for the entire bout at the beginning of the bout.
Shadows in the Mist: With so many shadows stalking the mist its hard to tell whose friend or foe. You can pay four stamina to cancel all the enemies supports and add them to yourself for a round.
Command Abilities:
Hidden Mist: This unit, get 2 attack dice, against Archers and Mages. Skirmisher and Mage.
Healing Mists: This and all, friendly, adjacent units heal 1 at the end of each round. You count as having lost 1 less unit every Morale phase. Mage.
Tempest: Rank 5
Whip like Crack: That's all most hear before the blood starts flowing. All enemies gain weakness ranged. Enemies that already had weakness ranged take one more damage from a lost round.
Wide Slash: For the experienced practitioner it is a trivial task to increase radius without reducing sharpness. Whenever you win a round while outnumbered hit two additional targets.
Razor Torrent: A torrent of razor sharp wind cuts at your foe. For the cost of four stamina you cancel one round of combat and force your enemy to take an R4 Guile test or be hit with three damage
Command Abilities
Cutting Vortex: This unit takes 1 less damage, to a minimum of 2 from archers. Cavalry, Mages.
Tempestuous Engagement: This unit does 1 damage upon engaging or being engaged, by an opponent. Cavalry, Mage.
Ice Shard: Rank 3
Frostbite: Each round enemies engaged with you must take an R3 Guile test or become chilled.
Numbing Cold: The cold can numb the senses making it harder to function. The test chilled test from Frostbite increases to R5.
Command Abilities
Reactive Hail: Once per round, this unit can attack a reinforcing unit of their choice. Mage.
Numbing Cold: At the beginning of the round choose one enemy unit of your choice. It activates last this turn. Mage.
Total: 32
Skills:
Intuition
Scouting 3
-The ability to read the terrain and enemy forces. When scouting gain one dice per two levels in scouting and an additional dice per three ranks in Intuition.
Guile
Stealth 3
-The ability to hide your presence or your martial ability.
Strategy 4
-The ability to shape the battlefield through Stratagems. When using stratagems, gain a dice every 3 ranks in Guile, starting at rank 4 adding one dice and every other rank in Strategy giving you an additional dice.
Might
Command 3
-The ability to utilize command abilities. You gain on Command Ability slot ranks 3, 6 and 10 of Command. You also gain an additional command slot for ranks 4 and 7 of Might. Command also decides how many activations in a row you get when commanding with 6 and 10 Might granting an activation Meanwhile ranks 4, 7 and 10 of the Command skill gain 1 additional activation each
Total: 39
Grand Total: 180
Zeal 4
Intuition 7
Guile 8
Might 5
Total: 109
Styles
Mist Walker: Rank 3
Concealing Mist: There are many tales of those using the Mist Walker style overcoming incredible odds and they all start the same way. You gain two dice every round unless your opponent pays four stamina to counter it for the entire bout at the beginning of the bout.
Shadows in the Mist: With so many shadows stalking the mist its hard to tell whose friend or foe. You can pay four stamina to cancel all the enemies supports and add them to yourself for a round.
Command Abilities:
Hidden Mist: This unit, get 2 attack dice, against Archers and Mages. Skirmisher and Mage.
Healing Mists: This and all, friendly, adjacent units heal 1 at the end of each round. You count as having lost 1 less unit every Morale phase. Mage.
Tempest: Rank 5
Whip like Crack: That's all most hear before the blood starts flowing. All enemies gain weakness ranged. Enemies that already had weakness ranged take one more damage from a lost round.
Wide Slash: For the experienced practitioner it is a trivial task to increase radius without reducing sharpness. Whenever you win a round while outnumbered hit two additional targets.
Razor Torrent: A torrent of razor sharp wind cuts at your foe. For the cost of four stamina you cancel one round of combat and force your enemy to take an R4 Guile test or be hit with three damage
Command Abilities
Cutting Vortex: This unit takes 1 less damage, to a minimum of 2 from archers. Cavalry, Mages.
Tempestuous Engagement: This unit does 1 damage upon engaging or being engaged, by an opponent. Cavalry, Mage.
Ice Shard: Rank 3
Frostbite: Each round enemies engaged with you must take an R3 Guile test or become chilled.
Numbing Cold: The cold can numb the senses making it harder to function. The test chilled test from Frostbite increases to R5.
Command Abilities
Reactive Hail: Once per round, this unit can attack a reinforcing unit of their choice. Mage.
Numbing Cold: At the beginning of the round choose one enemy unit of your choice. It activates last this turn. Mage.
Total: 32
Skills:
Intuition
Scouting 3
-The ability to read the terrain and enemy forces. When scouting gain one dice per two levels in scouting and an additional dice per three ranks in Intuition.
Guile
Stealth 3
-The ability to hide your presence or your martial ability.
Strategy 4
-The ability to shape the battlefield through Stratagems. When using stratagems, gain a dice every 3 ranks in Guile, starting at rank 4 adding one dice and every other rank in Strategy giving you an additional dice.
Might
Command 3
-The ability to utilize command abilities. You gain on Command Ability slot ranks 3, 6 and 10 of Command. You also gain an additional command slot for ranks 4 and 7 of Might. Command also decides how many activations in a row you get when commanding with 6 and 10 Might granting an activation Meanwhile ranks 4, 7 and 10 of the Command skill gain 1 additional activation each
Total: 39
Grand Total: 180
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Chapter 1 Post 1.5: Stats n stuff.
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Okay vote closed, male wins! As mentioned above, I decided to push the name vote back until after the gender vote. So if you don't mind vote among the following.
[ ] Jun Tao
[ ] Ma Feima
[ ] Meng Yun
As for the results of who to talk to, its a tie between mysterious woman and militia captain, therefore I will make sure you get to talk to both. As for how those conversations go however that depends on how they see you. Without further ado its time to vote on your character's stats and abilities.
So the choices I've laid out are mighty general, strategist and for those bold enough to entire the pdf in the second post, write in! If you do choose write in you have 180 points to go nuts with.
[ ] Mighty General
[ ] Strategist
[ ] Write in
Of course there's also the question of how you acquired such skills. What is your background?
[ ] Heir to a local noble.
- As the heir to a local noble house, you've grown up with tutors and other mentors, sculpting you into the man you are today. Moderate ties with the mayor.
[ ] Member of the militia.
- Hard work and dedication have gotten you where you are today, that is the place of an unknown guard. Still your skills are almost prodigious for your station. You have some ties to the militia captain, who has taken note of your skill, even if you've never really interacted. Moderate ties to the militia captain.
[ ] Disciple of a Hermit.
- Your roots are that of a simple farm boy, but that's not all you are. When your family took in the penniless stranger, they didn't expect that he'd be a hermit studied in the art of war. They also didn't expect him to train you into a fine young warrior. Moderate ties ????
Please vote in plan form. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
[ ] Jun Tao
[ ] Ma Feima
[ ] Meng Yun
As for the results of who to talk to, its a tie between mysterious woman and militia captain, therefore I will make sure you get to talk to both. As for how those conversations go however that depends on how they see you. Without further ado its time to vote on your character's stats and abilities.
So the choices I've laid out are mighty general, strategist and for those bold enough to entire the pdf in the second post, write in! If you do choose write in you have 180 points to go nuts with.
[ ] Mighty General
[ ] Strategist
[ ] Write in
Of course there's also the question of how you acquired such skills. What is your background?
[ ] Heir to a local noble.
- As the heir to a local noble house, you've grown up with tutors and other mentors, sculpting you into the man you are today. Moderate ties with the mayor.
[ ] Member of the militia.
- Hard work and dedication have gotten you where you are today, that is the place of an unknown guard. Still your skills are almost prodigious for your station. You have some ties to the militia captain, who has taken note of your skill, even if you've never really interacted. Moderate ties to the militia captain.
[ ] Disciple of a Hermit.
- Your roots are that of a simple farm boy, but that's not all you are. When your family took in the penniless stranger, they didn't expect that he'd be a hermit studied in the art of war. They also didn't expect him to train you into a fine young warrior. Moderate ties ????
Please vote in plan form. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
Chapter 1 Post 2: Suspicions Aroused
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Master Sun always said you were too fretful for your own good. In his words you were "Always plotting a course to the future or examining the past for faults." He'd often lament how the present was forever lost to one such as you. You have to admit part of you was tempted to join the crowd and indulge in the free wine, but another part of you had found too much fault in the events that lead here. Of the figures of note tonight, you felt it only appropriate to start by examining the one who lit the spark.
Fortunately for you the woman in question is not hard to find, her fine red robes giving her away in an instant. Once again she appears to be in the center of the crowd, this time leading the chorus to a song about heroes of old and battles long past. You take a moment to ponder her motives. Those robes she wears, they're not the type the average villager would just happen to be wearing, did she intend to stand out so much tonight? What of the choice of song? She sings of battle, and glory, uplifting the spirits of those who hear them, while at the same time bringing their blood to a boil.
Of course your noticing of her hadn't gone unnoticed and in an instant your eyes are locked. For a second her smile grows even wider and she gives you a playful wink. Taken off guard you avert your gaze momentarily and by the time you look back she is gone. Fearing your opportunity lost you scan the crowd, for those fiery red robes, but she has somehow managed to blend in.
Just as you're about to give up and move on you feeling a tapping on your left shoulder, coming from behind you. You turn around to find the woman you were looking for, once more with a playful smile on her face. "Who might you be and why would you be looking for me?" She says in a sing song voice, before a brief look of shock etches itself on her face before she covers her mouth with her hand. "Don't tell me I have such a handsome admirer!"
How do you respond...
[ ] She's clearly trying to throw you off by flirting, stay calm and be direct.
[ ] She's clearly trying to throw you off by flirting, go along with it and maybe she'll let something slip.
[ ] She's clearly trying to throw you off by flirting, unfortunately its working.
[ ] She's clearly trying to throw you off by flirting, inform her she's barking up the wrong tree.
Fortunately for you the woman in question is not hard to find, her fine red robes giving her away in an instant. Once again she appears to be in the center of the crowd, this time leading the chorus to a song about heroes of old and battles long past. You take a moment to ponder her motives. Those robes she wears, they're not the type the average villager would just happen to be wearing, did she intend to stand out so much tonight? What of the choice of song? She sings of battle, and glory, uplifting the spirits of those who hear them, while at the same time bringing their blood to a boil.
Of course your noticing of her hadn't gone unnoticed and in an instant your eyes are locked. For a second her smile grows even wider and she gives you a playful wink. Taken off guard you avert your gaze momentarily and by the time you look back she is gone. Fearing your opportunity lost you scan the crowd, for those fiery red robes, but she has somehow managed to blend in.
Just as you're about to give up and move on you feeling a tapping on your left shoulder, coming from behind you. You turn around to find the woman you were looking for, once more with a playful smile on her face. "Who might you be and why would you be looking for me?" She says in a sing song voice, before a brief look of shock etches itself on her face before she covers her mouth with her hand. "Don't tell me I have such a handsome admirer!"
How do you respond...
[ ] She's clearly trying to throw you off by flirting, stay calm and be direct.
[ ] She's clearly trying to throw you off by flirting, go along with it and maybe she'll let something slip.
[ ] She's clearly trying to throw you off by flirting, unfortunately its working.
[ ] She's clearly trying to throw you off by flirting, inform her she's barking up the wrong tree.
Chapter 1 Post 3: Coulda Been Worse
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"As a man with working eyes and a heart that beats, you had my admiration from the moment I first saw you. To hear your voice however, that is a delight beyond compare." You say hoping to gain control of the conversation.
Her eyes seem to sparkle at your words and you'd almost think her taken in by your comments, but you manage to recognize that look for what it is. It is the look of a hunter who has found truly interesting prey. "My goodness, to have fallen so hard so fast." The woman says with mirth clear in her voice. "In my experience however a heart so frivolous tends to find many homes. How can a girl trust a man such as that?"
Just like that you're on the back foot again "There is much wisdom in your words, but please give me the chance to lay my heart bare, lest it stop beating out of sorrow." As you finish you motion to a nearby, empty table. Oh how you wish you'd followed master Sun's advice and lived more in the moment. Maybe then you would have a clue how to flirt.
"Well, I would not wish you harm through my inaction, very well, I shall allow you your chance to prove your heart true." She says, accepting your invitation. You both sit down and she continues "First though I would like to know the name of my admirer."
"My name is Meng Yun, though it may not be a storied name, it is one that speaks of honor and duty, even as its bearer toils in the fields." You say giving as much of a bow as the table will let you.
"Honor and duty, while toiling in the fields? Some one takes his work seriously, though I can't say it is an unattractive trait." As she speaks the woman tilts her head from left to right, as if letting the thought tumble around in her head will bring some measure of clarity. "Well you told me your name, it is only polite I tell you mine. I am Liulang Sangyin, a humble storyteller."
"I doubt any one over there would call you just a humble story teller." You say, motioning to the group she was singing with before, still continuing in song despite an obvious lack of harmony. "If not for you and your song I think this gathering would be much more dour. Where did you learn such a song anyway? It is not one anyone native to here would know."
At that Sangyin perks up, it looks like you hit a point of conversation that excites her. "My father taught it to me and my brothers. He lived in the capitol in his younger years, before being posted in a near-bye town."
"Oh you have brothers, are they in town with you? Maybe I could meet them." This could be important, if she has any accomplices, for whatever she's scheming you need to know.
Sangyin opens her mouth to answer before some form of realization seems to strike her, leaving her to deflate. "My brothers were drafted, they were stationed elsewhere." You seem to have struck a nerve.
"I'm sorry, forget I said anything." You say, part out of genuine sympathy and part trying to salvage the situation.
"It's okay." Says Sangyin, voice now barely more than a whisper. "I just, I just want to be alone for a while if you don't mind." Feeling there's nothing more to gain here, you turn away and begin to leave and as you do you hear a broken voice say "Stay safe Meng Yun."
You don't get far before your thoughts are broken by another voice. "Not your night, eh lad?"
You turn and see the militia captain, as the source of the voice, before responding. "No not really." You expected that to be the end of it, but the captain continues to stare at you expectantly. "Is there anything I can be of help with, sir?"
"Yeah," He says gruffly "You see something seemed off tonight and when I went to investigate the source, some one was already talking to my first lead. Hell, he damn near made her cry in the process it seems. So now I have no one to talk to, except you and I'm really curious what you're after."
Well you wanted to talk to the captain, although you'd rather have started on a better foot. How do you proceed?
[ ] I was actually doing a little investigation of my own.
- Share what you know, which admittedly isn't much.
[ ] Believe it or not, I was just about to go looking for you.
- Talk about village safety and see if there's any way you can help.
[ ] I'm just really bad at flirting, sir.
- A little self deprecation can help build up a rapport.
-----------------------------
I just want to stress that the rules pdf can still change at any time, but if it does I will give at least partial respecs. I realized I didn't actually lay out the numbers for social skills and how they work in the pdf, so I'll do that later today. For now we'll just go with pillars giving a dice in their governed social stack at ranks 4, 7 and 10. This means you effectively have 2 dice in observation and knowledge. You also have 1 in charm and logic.
Her eyes seem to sparkle at your words and you'd almost think her taken in by your comments, but you manage to recognize that look for what it is. It is the look of a hunter who has found truly interesting prey. "My goodness, to have fallen so hard so fast." The woman says with mirth clear in her voice. "In my experience however a heart so frivolous tends to find many homes. How can a girl trust a man such as that?"
Just like that you're on the back foot again "There is much wisdom in your words, but please give me the chance to lay my heart bare, lest it stop beating out of sorrow." As you finish you motion to a nearby, empty table. Oh how you wish you'd followed master Sun's advice and lived more in the moment. Maybe then you would have a clue how to flirt.
"Well, I would not wish you harm through my inaction, very well, I shall allow you your chance to prove your heart true." She says, accepting your invitation. You both sit down and she continues "First though I would like to know the name of my admirer."
"My name is Meng Yun, though it may not be a storied name, it is one that speaks of honor and duty, even as its bearer toils in the fields." You say giving as much of a bow as the table will let you.
"Honor and duty, while toiling in the fields? Some one takes his work seriously, though I can't say it is an unattractive trait." As she speaks the woman tilts her head from left to right, as if letting the thought tumble around in her head will bring some measure of clarity. "Well you told me your name, it is only polite I tell you mine. I am Liulang Sangyin, a humble storyteller."
"I doubt any one over there would call you just a humble story teller." You say, motioning to the group she was singing with before, still continuing in song despite an obvious lack of harmony. "If not for you and your song I think this gathering would be much more dour. Where did you learn such a song anyway? It is not one anyone native to here would know."
At that Sangyin perks up, it looks like you hit a point of conversation that excites her. "My father taught it to me and my brothers. He lived in the capitol in his younger years, before being posted in a near-bye town."
"Oh you have brothers, are they in town with you? Maybe I could meet them." This could be important, if she has any accomplices, for whatever she's scheming you need to know.
Sangyin opens her mouth to answer before some form of realization seems to strike her, leaving her to deflate. "My brothers were drafted, they were stationed elsewhere." You seem to have struck a nerve.
"I'm sorry, forget I said anything." You say, part out of genuine sympathy and part trying to salvage the situation.
"It's okay." Says Sangyin, voice now barely more than a whisper. "I just, I just want to be alone for a while if you don't mind." Feeling there's nothing more to gain here, you turn away and begin to leave and as you do you hear a broken voice say "Stay safe Meng Yun."
You don't get far before your thoughts are broken by another voice. "Not your night, eh lad?"
You turn and see the militia captain, as the source of the voice, before responding. "No not really." You expected that to be the end of it, but the captain continues to stare at you expectantly. "Is there anything I can be of help with, sir?"
"Yeah," He says gruffly "You see something seemed off tonight and when I went to investigate the source, some one was already talking to my first lead. Hell, he damn near made her cry in the process it seems. So now I have no one to talk to, except you and I'm really curious what you're after."
Well you wanted to talk to the captain, although you'd rather have started on a better foot. How do you proceed?
[ ] I was actually doing a little investigation of my own.
- Share what you know, which admittedly isn't much.
[ ] Believe it or not, I was just about to go looking for you.
- Talk about village safety and see if there's any way you can help.
[ ] I'm just really bad at flirting, sir.
- A little self deprecation can help build up a rapport.
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I just want to stress that the rules pdf can still change at any time, but if it does I will give at least partial respecs. I realized I didn't actually lay out the numbers for social skills and how they work in the pdf, so I'll do that later today. For now we'll just go with pillars giving a dice in their governed social stack at ranks 4, 7 and 10. This means you effectively have 2 dice in observation and knowledge. You also have 1 in charm and logic.
Chapter 1 Post 4: Just smile and go with it.
New
- Location
- A.Z.
"I'm just really bad at flirting sir." you say, trying to hide your nervousness. His gaze hardens as your eyes meet and but you school your reactions. The stare down goes on for an uncomfortably long time, before the captain breaks out laughing.
"My gods lad any stiffer and you'd turn to stone! Relax, I'm not gonna arrest you for a lack of social graces. If anything I could use your help. That darn mayor insisted I have a few drinks, so I'm not as confident in my judgement as I normally am, you however I've got a good feeling about and you're sober to boot! So what do you say to helping me track down some of the rabble rousers from before?"
[ ] Of course, I think we should start with the warrior.
- He seemed raring for a fight earlier, better make sure he's not picking one now.
[ ] Of course, I think we should start with the merchant
- He seems shifty, constantly scanning the room.
[ ] Of course, I think we should start with the mayor.
- Why was he so eager to see the militia captain, drunk at a time like this?
[ ] Actually there was something I'd like to talk to you about. Write in.
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Sorry for the late and short update. I have some rules to re-write, so expect the pdf to update before the next post. I'm standardizing most skills to gain dice at ranks 1 and every even rank for a total of 6 with an additional 4 coming from the governing pillar at ranks 1, 4, 7 and 10 for a total of 10. I'm also replacing the knowledge skill with misdirection and giving 6 points of xp to you all to compensate.
Roll Stealth, since I somehow overlooked having a skill for misdirection, I'll use stealth for now. So anyway 2 dice for stealth ranks 1&2 and three dice for Guile 1, 4 and 7 so 5 dice total. Roll 5, 1, 5, 5 and 5 for four successes.
"My gods lad any stiffer and you'd turn to stone! Relax, I'm not gonna arrest you for a lack of social graces. If anything I could use your help. That darn mayor insisted I have a few drinks, so I'm not as confident in my judgement as I normally am, you however I've got a good feeling about and you're sober to boot! So what do you say to helping me track down some of the rabble rousers from before?"
[ ] Of course, I think we should start with the warrior.
- He seemed raring for a fight earlier, better make sure he's not picking one now.
[ ] Of course, I think we should start with the merchant
- He seems shifty, constantly scanning the room.
[ ] Of course, I think we should start with the mayor.
- Why was he so eager to see the militia captain, drunk at a time like this?
[ ] Actually there was something I'd like to talk to you about. Write in.
---------------------------------
Sorry for the late and short update. I have some rules to re-write, so expect the pdf to update before the next post. I'm standardizing most skills to gain dice at ranks 1 and every even rank for a total of 6 with an additional 4 coming from the governing pillar at ranks 1, 4, 7 and 10 for a total of 10. I'm also replacing the knowledge skill with misdirection and giving 6 points of xp to you all to compensate.