A Visiting Princess - Also infodump
Jeboboid
Draconic GM
- Location
- United Kingdom
[X] Have Catherine over, you'll probably be able to learn some stuff about yourself and you can always see the castle later. Laurel favours this plan.
When the head-scratches stop and you finally come to, you find that Laurel has managed to convince Alaina to have Catherine over in exchange for something. You don't know what because you were borderline unconscious when they were discussing it. Regardless, Laurel leads the pair of you down into the living area, where a substantial breakfast has been set out for the two of you.
You both fall upon the food with gusto, Alaina has to focus on eating rather than talking, and as such, allows Laurel to get a word in edgeways. It seems that Catherine had found Laurel after she'd put you and Alaina to bed last night, and at some point during their conversation, she had expressed the desire to meet with you for a longer time today, so that she could help teach Alaina how to look after you.
"But why does Cathy know so much about dragons?" Alaina asks, seemingly voicing your thoughts between mouthfuls of toast. "Wouldn't we be able to find what we need in the castle library?"
You attempt to chirp in agreement, though the noise is somewhat muffled because you've just stuffed your face with bacon. Laurel seems to get your point, however, and once you're both safely chewing again, she continues. "Anything we find in the library will probably be obscure at best. Before Neptune appeared, dragons haven't been sighted in Analain in over two hundred years, there are few who know much about dragons these days. It's seen as something of a hobbyist subject to be honest. It'd be difficult to find much, if any knowledge on the raising of dragons.
"We're actually pretty fortunate that Catherine is so knowledgeable." Laurel continued, Alaina sharing a look with you before you both go back to eating. "Dragons have fascinated her since we were children together, and she knows more of them than anyone I know. Even Court-Magister Gresmore knows less about dragons that Catherine."
As Laurel continues to speak, you see the door to the chamber open, Princess Catherine slipping inside quietly. A sly smile creeps across her features as she sneaks up behind Laurel, who is too busy singing Catherine's praises to notice her approach or Alaina's rapidly deteriorating composure.
Laurel finally notices that she has an unintended audience member when Catherine clears her throat directly behind her. Whirling in her seat, she flushes bright crimson as Catherine's smile grows into a full-on grin. "Oh no, keep going," She says, her eyes twinkling with amusement, "You know how much I love it when you praise me like this."
Trying to compose herself, Laurel couldn't help but retort with a grin. "And let your head explode from over-inflation? I think not, princess."
Before you can become fully engrossed in their verbal sparring match, however, Alaina lifts you into her lap. "They liiiike each other." She whispers with a grin, leaning down to whisper conspiratorially to you. "When they think I'm not looking, they hold hands a lot." Looking between them, you do see something there, though it is quite carefully hidden. "Now Laurel has to do what we want!" Alaina finishes with a soft giggle before sitting back up and waiting for Catherine and Laurel to settle down.
---
A few minutes later, you are on the table, being looked over more closely by Catherine, who has produced a big book from somewhere and is leafing through it while examining what feels like every inch of you. She extends one of your wings out to its fullest extent, humming while she does so.
How do you go along with this examination?
[ ] Full cooperation, the more you know about yourself the better (Longest time, largest possible gain)
[ ] Some cooperation, being handled like some sort of rag-doll is a little bothersome, but you can handle it, for now. (Medium time, Moderate gain)
[ ] Little cooperation, You do not like this, and frankly, you're a little restless. After all, there's all sorts of stuff to see and smell and eat out there in the castle. (Shortest time, smallest gain)
Sorry for the long wait, everyone. My lab-work is picking up pace so I have less time in which to do things like write and sleep. I'll try and get updates out faster in the future though. I should also probably explain the growth system for this quest now.
Growth comes in three categories, the first is Attribute growth, to increase an attribute by one level, you need to gain enough "points" in it equal to the new level multiplied by three. So advancing to level two is 6, level 3 is 9, and so on. The upside of attribute growth, however, is that it facilitates faster skill growth and can be applied across a wide range of checks, saves and skills.
The second is Skill growth, like attributes, you need a certain number of "points" in them to grow to a new level, but you need far less in order to do so. So if you're growing to a level at or below the related attribute, you only need a number of points equal to the new level. However, if you're advancing a skill beyond it's related attribute, you need twice the new level in order to reach it. The downside to this is that skills are much more specialized than attributes, so have more limited use.
Finally, there's Trait growth. Traits are a little more random than skills and attributes, and you'll gain and lose them throughout the quest. Traits can be both positive, like "Brave" which decreases the difficulty of checks which require you to be brave and generally courageous, and may come into effect against fear spells and the like, or negative, like traits gained from being wounded. Traits will never affect the total number of dice you have for any given skill check, only the difficulty of said check.
That said, I would also like to talk a little about checks themselves and successes. I've divided the results of skill checks into several categories. The first is failure. failing to roll a single success in a test will result in a failure, but rolling a failure AND rolling a 1 in the check will result in a critical failure, which would have more drastic effects than an ordinary failure. the second are the tiers of success. 1 success on a test is an ordinary success, you manage the thing you were attempting to do. Three successes is a good success, you've managed to complete your task with style, possibly managing something else as well. Five successes is a great success, which means you've done brilliantly, possibly granting a trait or skill xp depending on the roll. Finally, there is 7+ successes, which is an outstanding success, which will definitely grant a concrete, possibly rather powerful bonus to any following rolls as you blow the opposition away. Succeeding in such a manner will likely grant you a trait, at least for the remainder of the scene, possibly permanently. Rolling a 10 on the dice will always be a success, and will also grant another dice for the test in question.
Finally, I would like to talk a little about omakes and the bonuses granted from them. Omakes are very much welcome, and depending on the quality, you'll be allowed to apply 1-3 xp to whatever skill/attribute the writer wishes, or even, if the omake is really good, gain a permanent trait of your choice.
As always, feedback is welcome, and I hope we can all enjoy this quest well into the future.
When the head-scratches stop and you finally come to, you find that Laurel has managed to convince Alaina to have Catherine over in exchange for something. You don't know what because you were borderline unconscious when they were discussing it. Regardless, Laurel leads the pair of you down into the living area, where a substantial breakfast has been set out for the two of you.
You both fall upon the food with gusto, Alaina has to focus on eating rather than talking, and as such, allows Laurel to get a word in edgeways. It seems that Catherine had found Laurel after she'd put you and Alaina to bed last night, and at some point during their conversation, she had expressed the desire to meet with you for a longer time today, so that she could help teach Alaina how to look after you.
"But why does Cathy know so much about dragons?" Alaina asks, seemingly voicing your thoughts between mouthfuls of toast. "Wouldn't we be able to find what we need in the castle library?"
You attempt to chirp in agreement, though the noise is somewhat muffled because you've just stuffed your face with bacon. Laurel seems to get your point, however, and once you're both safely chewing again, she continues. "Anything we find in the library will probably be obscure at best. Before Neptune appeared, dragons haven't been sighted in Analain in over two hundred years, there are few who know much about dragons these days. It's seen as something of a hobbyist subject to be honest. It'd be difficult to find much, if any knowledge on the raising of dragons.
"We're actually pretty fortunate that Catherine is so knowledgeable." Laurel continued, Alaina sharing a look with you before you both go back to eating. "Dragons have fascinated her since we were children together, and she knows more of them than anyone I know. Even Court-Magister Gresmore knows less about dragons that Catherine."
As Laurel continues to speak, you see the door to the chamber open, Princess Catherine slipping inside quietly. A sly smile creeps across her features as she sneaks up behind Laurel, who is too busy singing Catherine's praises to notice her approach or Alaina's rapidly deteriorating composure.
Laurel finally notices that she has an unintended audience member when Catherine clears her throat directly behind her. Whirling in her seat, she flushes bright crimson as Catherine's smile grows into a full-on grin. "Oh no, keep going," She says, her eyes twinkling with amusement, "You know how much I love it when you praise me like this."
Trying to compose herself, Laurel couldn't help but retort with a grin. "And let your head explode from over-inflation? I think not, princess."
Before you can become fully engrossed in their verbal sparring match, however, Alaina lifts you into her lap. "They liiiike each other." She whispers with a grin, leaning down to whisper conspiratorially to you. "When they think I'm not looking, they hold hands a lot." Looking between them, you do see something there, though it is quite carefully hidden. "Now Laurel has to do what we want!" Alaina finishes with a soft giggle before sitting back up and waiting for Catherine and Laurel to settle down.
---
A few minutes later, you are on the table, being looked over more closely by Catherine, who has produced a big book from somewhere and is leafing through it while examining what feels like every inch of you. She extends one of your wings out to its fullest extent, humming while she does so.
How do you go along with this examination?
[ ] Full cooperation, the more you know about yourself the better (Longest time, largest possible gain)
[ ] Some cooperation, being handled like some sort of rag-doll is a little bothersome, but you can handle it, for now. (Medium time, Moderate gain)
[ ] Little cooperation, You do not like this, and frankly, you're a little restless. After all, there's all sorts of stuff to see and smell and eat out there in the castle. (Shortest time, smallest gain)
Sorry for the long wait, everyone. My lab-work is picking up pace so I have less time in which to do things like write and sleep. I'll try and get updates out faster in the future though. I should also probably explain the growth system for this quest now.
Growth comes in three categories, the first is Attribute growth, to increase an attribute by one level, you need to gain enough "points" in it equal to the new level multiplied by three. So advancing to level two is 6, level 3 is 9, and so on. The upside of attribute growth, however, is that it facilitates faster skill growth and can be applied across a wide range of checks, saves and skills.
The second is Skill growth, like attributes, you need a certain number of "points" in them to grow to a new level, but you need far less in order to do so. So if you're growing to a level at or below the related attribute, you only need a number of points equal to the new level. However, if you're advancing a skill beyond it's related attribute, you need twice the new level in order to reach it. The downside to this is that skills are much more specialized than attributes, so have more limited use.
Finally, there's Trait growth. Traits are a little more random than skills and attributes, and you'll gain and lose them throughout the quest. Traits can be both positive, like "Brave" which decreases the difficulty of checks which require you to be brave and generally courageous, and may come into effect against fear spells and the like, or negative, like traits gained from being wounded. Traits will never affect the total number of dice you have for any given skill check, only the difficulty of said check.
That said, I would also like to talk a little about checks themselves and successes. I've divided the results of skill checks into several categories. The first is failure. failing to roll a single success in a test will result in a failure, but rolling a failure AND rolling a 1 in the check will result in a critical failure, which would have more drastic effects than an ordinary failure. the second are the tiers of success. 1 success on a test is an ordinary success, you manage the thing you were attempting to do. Three successes is a good success, you've managed to complete your task with style, possibly managing something else as well. Five successes is a great success, which means you've done brilliantly, possibly granting a trait or skill xp depending on the roll. Finally, there is 7+ successes, which is an outstanding success, which will definitely grant a concrete, possibly rather powerful bonus to any following rolls as you blow the opposition away. Succeeding in such a manner will likely grant you a trait, at least for the remainder of the scene, possibly permanently. Rolling a 10 on the dice will always be a success, and will also grant another dice for the test in question.
Finally, I would like to talk a little about omakes and the bonuses granted from them. Omakes are very much welcome, and depending on the quality, you'll be allowed to apply 1-3 xp to whatever skill/attribute the writer wishes, or even, if the omake is really good, gain a permanent trait of your choice.
As always, feedback is welcome, and I hope we can all enjoy this quest well into the future.
