Heimurn Chronicles (No, SV, you're a young valkyrie in the middle of a bizarre and dangerous journey)

Teloch · Aug 16, 2017

your team of lunatics so far

Lucifina (aka you, aka Lu, aka Lucy, aka Sparkling, aka Gosling)

Race: the new nameless humanoid species
Gender: Female
Age: biological - around 21 in human years; actual(?) - almost half a year (?).
Background: protege of a natural science scholar, unknown origins
Status: Healthy

Perk(s):
"Follow the white cat" - you have a moody guiding spirit at your side who can boost your spirit aspect advancement should you get on its better side (+1 spirit arcane charge point after passing hard charisma attribute check (18)), expect its occasional interference.

"No one is an island" - you get 1 + n bonus to all social influence skills and CHA rolls when applied to teammates, where n is the number of steps of the target's affection tier beyond neutral (applies to both positive and negative affection dimensions). Additionally, get +3 to the mentioned bonuses if Amalia is around and can provide quick advice. Passive effect: unearth more insights on followers.

"It's in my blood" - you get a permanent +1 bonus to Intelligence and +1 to arcane skill. Actions that train arcane aspects have a 1/6 chance to double the yields unless the base earning equals or exceeds one full level. You are more prone to magic-related actions and thoughts. You might find it harder to resist the allure of magic in some situations.

Attributes	Base value	Modified value	Total value	Dice bonus
Strength	9		9	4
Constitution	16		16	11
Mobility	10	(+2 cond.)	10 (12 cond.)	5 (7 cond.)
Perception	11		11	6
Coordination	14		14	9
Micromotorics	13		13	8
Intellect	18(+1/3)		18	13
Wisdom	17		17	12
Charisma	20		20	15
Luck	4		4	4
Misfortune	2		2	2

Skill	Attribute value	Learned value	Modified value	Dice bonus
Melee combat	1	4		5
Ranged combat	2			2
Arcane skill	7	7	(+1 cnd.day)	14 (15 cnd.day)
Defense	3	4	1 (+2 cnd.w.)	8 (10 cnd.w.)
Objects usage	2			2
Mounted combat	3			3
Willpower	7	1		8
Balance	2		(+2 cnd.w.)	2 (4 cnd.w.)
Sneaking	3			3
Reconnaissance	5	1		6
Persuasion	10	2		12
Intimidation	6			6
Haggle	7			7
Performance	8			8
Seduction	8			8
Geography lore	7	2		9
Nature lore	7	1		8
Arcane lore	7	5		12
Social and cultural lore	9	2		11
Craft lore	7	2		9
Lingual lore	9			9
Daily craft	6	2		8
Pharma and treatment	7	3		10
Weaponsmithing	4			4
Armorsmithing	6			6
Tailoring	7	2		9
Art	7			7
Artificery	6	1		7
Burglary	5			5
Huntsmanship	4			4
Alchemy	7			7
Sorcery	7			7

Flight and wing-related traits

Wings skill level	13
Flight mastery level	advanced
Normal speed	above average, can forcefully accelerate to considerably fast
Maximum range	considerably far, anywhere up to twenty-eight kilometers.
Maximum height	considerably high (up to 250 meters)
Maximum extra lifting weight	low (10 kg)
Balance	above average, withstands weather and can try to regain without landing
Launching surfaces	solid grounds
Air feats	diving, gliding, hovering, thrusting, basic aerial spellcasting
Land feats	dodge extra propulsion, posing, enhanced balance, enhanced surface acceleration, shielding with wings

#1) Thaumaturgy level 7 (6/7 to level 8):

You can sense the activity of the entropic aspects within ~1000 meters radius, and unusual concentration/malfunction of other aspects within ~200 meters radius.
You have gained the permanent +1 bonus to constitution
You have gained the permanent +1 bonus to wisdom
You regain mental strengths a little bit faster during the daytime.
Using thaumaturgy during the daytime requires less mental and physical effort.,
You can allegedly see prophetic dreams
You can temporarily nullify magic in ~30 meters radius or in a 45 meters-long 30' cone a few times a day, or emit an anti-magic field up to ~15 meters radius a few times a day.
you can temporarily amplify the aspects power around you once a day
you can temporarily amplify or suppress the aspects power of a target up to two times a day
You can try to scan surrounding areas for traces of planar breaching with very high odds to succeed and sense the short residue of extraplanar entities.
You can conjure light on the basic level (sparks, flashes, rays)
You can shape light on the basic level (flash explosions, molding into orbs, luminal barriers, luminal domes, wedges of solidified light, sparks strike)
You passively gain +1 to arcane skill when exposed to the sun but also get -1 to arcane skill at night AND in dark places.

#2) Spirit level 7:

You are able of an advanced Nether-realm vision
You can assess the memory traces of objects and entities via nether-realm vision and tactile contact
You can sense soul sparks in ~75 meters radius
You can sense the sparks of the living, undead, minor spiritual beings, bound spirits, phantasms, genius loci, and some other spirits
You can sense concentrations of the Limbus energies, the thickness of the barrier, and traces of spirits from the material plane
You have gained the permanent +1 bonus to perception
You have gained the permanent +1 bonus to wisdom
You can scan the target's soul characteristics and receive advanced-depth results
You can try to smite a spirit
You can try to disperse a spirit
You can try to temporarily bind or scare off a singular lesser spiritual being
You can communicate with discovered spiritual beings

#3) ~Open affinity slot~

Your journal, a comfortable set of clothes, a plain dress, a custom-made set of lightened composite armor, an arming sword ("Holly"), a high-quality rondel ("Mercy"), a decorative blue ribbon, a silver necktie with a bounded spirit, superb leather harness.

Capable of crudely repairing clothes, making basic tailoring items like belts and patches, and producing low-effort/cost items like stuffed toys. Capable of applying first aid to prevent bleeding. Knows how to make and disinfect bandageware.

Ulren Kyres (aka Ren, aka Mountain boy)

Race: Bhiroth
Gender: Male
Age: 68
Background: mercenary, former soldier, outcast
Status: Healthy

Perk(s):
"Not on my watch, not again" - shields Lucy from considerable harm in combat situations at own expense.

"I promise you that" - when in the same group as Lucifina, will make the second set of saving rolls to avoid critical health conditions.

"Odd kind of friendship" - when Ulren and Sephorah are fighting crowd-controllable enemies (not giants, flying creatures, etc.) in the same team, the one who makes the lowest total offensive or defensive score out of two can reroll that offensive or defensive roll set (only the highest score counts).

Attributes	Base value	Modified value	Total value	Dice bonus
Strength	21	+1	22	17
Constitution	21	+1	22	17
Mobility	14	-1	13	8
Perception	12		12	7
Coordination	15		15	10
Micromotorics	13		13	8
Intellect	14		14	9
Wisdom	18		18	13
Charisma	9		9	4
Luck	2		2	2
Misfortune	2		2	2

Skill	Attribute value	Learned value	Modified value	Total value / Dice bonus
Melee combat	9	9		18
Ranged combat	5	5		10
Arcane skill	6			6
Defense	10	10		20
Objects usage	6	3		9
Mounted combat	8			8
Willpower	6		-3	3
Balance	7			7
Sneaking	4		-5	-1
Reconnaissance	5	4		9
Persuasion	4			4
Intimidation	9			9
Haggle	3			3
Performance	3			3
Seduction	5			5
Geography lore	6	5		11
Nature lore	6	3		9
Arcane lore	6			6
Social and cultural lore	5			5
Craft lore	6	6		12
Lingual lore	5			5
Daily craft	6	4		10
Pharma and treatment	5	2		7
Weaponsmithing	6	6		12
Armorsmithing	6	6		12
Tailoring	3			3
Art	4			4
Artificery	5	7		12
Burglary	4			4
Huntsmanship	5	2		7
Alchemy	6			6
Sorcery	6			6

Unknown, but he demonstrated feats of great balance, stability, and hardiness. Perhaps, he might have an undiscovered arcane aspect bound.

A very worn half-plate armor set, worn set of clothes, a glaive, mechanical mace with spare heads, heater shield, hand crossbow, one quiver of bolts, enchanted amulet (+1 STR +1 CON - MOB)

Semi-proficient in the daily craft. Adept in smithing (martial-level weapons and armor). Proficient in artificiery (lesser contraptions). Expert in picking/maintaining war gear, and capable of minor mechanical upgrades of such. Knows the basics of hunting and skinning.

Sephorah of house Terphor (aka Seph, aka Sephie, aka Princess)

Race: Daeva
Gender: Female
Age: Adult
Background: Rosaline's agent, former slave, voluntary expatriate.
Status: Healthy

Perk(s):

"Odd kind of friendship" - when Ulren and Sephorah are fighting crowd-controllable enemies (not giants, flying creatures, etc.) in the same team, the one who makes the lowest total offensive or defensive score out of two can reroll that offensive or defensive roll set (only the highest score counts).

Attributes	Base value	Modified value	Total value	Dice bonus
Strength	15		15	10
Constitution	15		15	10
Mobility	16		16	11
Perception	14		14	9
Coordination	18		18	13
Micromotorics	12		12	7
Intellect	14		14	9
Wisdom	12		12	7
Charisma	18		18	13
Luck	2		2	2
Misfortune	2		2	2

Skill	Attribute value	Learned value	Modified value	Total value / Dice bonus
Melee combat	7	6	1	14
Ranged combat	4			4
Arcane skill	4			4
Defense	6	5	2	13
Objects usage	4	5		9
Mounted combat	7			7
Willpower	4			4
Balance	8	8		16
Sneaking	7	8		15
Reconnaissance	4	4		8
Persuasion	6	5		11
Intimidation	7			7
Haggle	6	2		8
Performance	6	7		13
Seduction	8	7		15
Geography lore	4			4
Nature lore	4			4
Arcane lore	4			4
Social and cultural lore	5	6		11
Craft lore	3			3
Lingual lore	5			5
Daily craft	3	2		5
Pharma and treatment	4			4
Weaponsmithing	4			4
Armorsmithing	4			4
Tailoring	5			5
Art	5			5
Artificery	3			3
Burglary	4	6		10
Huntsmanship	6			6
Alchemy	4			4
Sorcery	4			4

Unknown if any. No signs of her having seeds of arcane aspects bound so far.

A set of clothes and undergarments, a superb set of compositive medium armor (manticore materials), a superb leather harness for bags and tools, a qualitative longsword "Ember", a parrying dagger, a quiver of tossing knives, a kit with burglar's tools.

You suspect she's incapable of legal manual labor aside from the bare basics of daily routines.

Karl Norskov (aka Mage, aka 'that' mage)

Race: Human (unknown heritage)
Gender: Male
Age: appears to be in the late thirties to early forties
Background: elementalist mage, major arcane enthusiast, disowned son of a noble family.
Status: Healthy

Perk(s):

"Old habits die hard" - when making an offensive arcane skill roll in combat and getting less or equal to four, reroll it (only the highest score counts). This perk also applies to combat rounds where Karl makes an arcane skill roll only for the defensive score.

Attributes	Base value	Modified value	Total value	Dice bonus
Strength	11		11	6
Constitution	11		11	6
Mobility	11		11	6
Perception	13		13	8
Coordination	10		10	5
Micromotorics	16		16	11
Intellect	20		20	15
Wisdom	16		16	11
Charisma	14		14	9
Luck	2		2	2
Misfortune	2		2	2

Skill	Attribute value	Learned value	Modified value	Total value / Dice bonus
Melee combat	1			1
Ranged combat	4			4
Arcane skill	8	9		17
Defense	1	2		3
Objects usage	5	5		10
Mounted combat	2			2
Willpower	7	6	-2	11
Balance	1			1
Sneaking	2			2
Reconnaissance	6			6
Persuation	7			7
Intimidation	2			2
Haggle	5	1		6
Performance	6			6
Seduction	3			3
Geography lore	7			7
Nature lore	7			7
Arcane lore	7	9		16
Social and cultural lore	8	5		13
Craft lore	8			8
Lingual lore	8	7		15
Daily craft	8			8
Pharma and treatment	9			9
Weaponsmithing	7			7
Armorsmithing	7			7
Tailorng	8			8
Art	6			6
Artificery	8			8
Burglary	7			7
Huntsmanship	3			3
Alchemy	9			9
Sorcery	8	3		11

#1) Conflagration and radiation level 7:

You have gained the permanent +1 bonus to strength.
You have gained the permanent +1 bonus to intellect.
Your casting in dry weather or nearby fire sources amplifies pyromancy.
You can regain mental strengths faster near the heat sources.
You can sense and read the heat sources in a vast area.
You can channel the arcane powers to temporarily amplify own physical strength.
Your spellcasting uses both mental and physical strengths or the varying proportions of such.
You can temporarily infuse objects (including tools and weapons) with pyromancy powers.
You can conjure heat on the intermediate level (sufficient to melt iron)
You can suppress and channel heat on the intermediate level (rays, waves, charges, orbs, tactile)
You passively gain +1 to arcane skill for every 3 points of STR above 10. This trait also applies -1 penalty to arcane skill for every 2 points of STR below 10. Does not apply in the case of arcane self-empowerment.

A worn set of travel clothes, a backpack, a grimoire (or a diary), an old pocket chornometer with a chain, an intricate smoking pipe

None you know about

Amalia Brant (aka Lia)

Race: Human (Eastlander)
Gender: Female
Age: Young adult
Background: Former maidservant
Status: Healthy

Perk(s):
"Shipper on deck" - +3 To all social skill rolls against the companions with positive affection levels (neutrality affection level excluded). If previously gossiped with about other characters that she knows, can provide a one-time boost of +3 to all types of social interaction skill rolls to the requester.

Attributes	Base value	Modified value	Total value	Dice bonus
Strength	12		12	7
Constitution	15		15	10
Mobility	11		11	6
Perception	16		16	11
Coordination	12		12	7
Micromotorics	18		18	13
Intellect	12		12	7
Wisdom	20		20	15
Charisma	11		11	6
Luck	2		2	2
Misfortune	2		2	2

Skill	Attribute value	Learned value	Modified value	Total value / Dice bonus
Melee combat	2			2
Ranged combat	7	3		10
Arcane skill	5			5
Defense	4	1		5
Objects usage	7	3		10
Mounted combat	4			4
Willpower	8	3		11
Balance	2			2
Sneaking	4			4
Reconnaissance	7			7
Persuasion	5			5
Intimidation	4			4
Haggle	5	4		9
Performance	6			6
Seduction	3			3
Geography lore	8	2		10
Nature lore	8			8
Arcane lore	8			8
Social and cultural lore	6	2		8
Craft lore	8	3		11
Lingual lore	6			6
Daily craft	8	10		18
Pharma and treatment	7			7
Weaponsmithing	6			6
Armorsmithing	6			6
Tailoring	5	9		14
Art	7	3		10
Artificery	8			8
Burglary	7			7
Huntsmanship	7			7
Alchemy	7			7
Sorcery	6			6

Uknown if any

Leather camisole of fair quality, compositive crossbow, a quiver of bolts, a bag of small tools, a rucksack, a set of road clothes, a plain cloak, a knife, a belt water bag.

Master of daily craft and inventory management. Fairly good cook (specializes in fried snacks) and knows how to correctly ration different foods. Good tailor, capable of qualitative repair of clothes and production of professional effort/materials goods like suits and dresses. Her designs lean towards practicality rather than fanciness.

Isaac

Race: Human (unknown heritage)
Gender: Male
Age: Young adult
Background: Healer apprentice
Status: Healthy

Perk(s):
"We are of one blood" - Any non-hostile actions towards animals or beast folk have +4 bonus to attributes or skill rolls. Can use WIS instead of CHA for interactions with animals and beast folk (aka empathetic approach).

Attributes	Base value	Modified value	Total value	Dice bonus
Strength	13		13	8
Constitution	15		15	10
Mobility	12		12	7
Perception	14		14	9
Coordination	10		10	5
Micromotorics	17		17	12
Intellect	15		15	10
Wisdom	14		14	9
Charisma	7		7	2
Luck	2		2	2
Misfortune	2		2	2

Skill	Attribute value	Learned value	Modified value	Total value / Dice bonus
Melee combat	2		-5	-3
Ranged combat	5		-5	0
Arcane skill	6	6		12
Defense	4	1		5
Objects usage	6		-5	1
Mounted combat	3		-7	-4
Willpower	5	7		12
Balance	2			2
Sneaking	2			2
Reconnaissance	5			5
Persuasion	1			1
Intimidation	3			3
Haggle	1			1
Performance	2			2
Seduction	1			1
Geography lore	5			5
Nature lore	5	2		7
Arcane lore	5	5		10
Social and cultural lore	3			3
Craft lore	6			6
Lingual lore	3			3
Daily craft	6	3		9
Pharma and treatment	6	7		13
Weaponsmithing	6			6
Armorsmithing	7			7
Tailoring	5			5
Art	4			4
Artificery	7			7
Burglary	7			7
Huntsmanship	3			3
Alchemy	6			6
Sorcery	5			5

#1) Body level 5:

You can sense breathing and blood pulse of living entities in ~100 meters radius.
You gain the permanent +1 bonus to constitution.
You gain the permanent +1 bonus to charisma
You can scan the detailed physiological state of a target in many details including sicknesses, inflammations, as well as the state of physical integrity.
You can make an attempt for a minuscule boost of the physical performance of oneself or a target at the cost of own mental strengths.
You can accelerate the metabolism (and so, often times, the recovery from ailments or traumas) of living creatures at the cost of own mental and physical strengths.
You can try to numb the minor pain of a target living creature at the cost of both mental and physical strengths or share it with yourself with the low transference loss ratio

A robe with a hood, a bag with bandages and medications, an old iron amulet, a belt with tincures

Good at applying and synthesizing remedies. Capable of providing first and complex medical aid. Has some skills in inventory management.

Jorgen Ostgard (aka Jory, aka Craven)

Race: Human (Lyflander?)
Gender: Male
Age: Young adult
Background: Alchemist assistant
Status: Healthy


Attributes	Base value	Modified value	Total value	Dice bonus
Strength	11		11	6
Constitution	11		11	6
Mobility	12		12	7
Perception	18		18	13
Coordination	12		12	7
Micromotorics	15		15	10
Intellect	16		16	11
Wisdom	13		13	8
Charisma	9		9	4
Luck	2		2	2
Misfortune	2		2	2

Skill	Attribute value	Learned value	Modified value	Total value / Dice bonus
Melee combat	2			2
Ranged combat	6	1		7
Arcane skill	5			5
Defense	2			2
Objects usage	6	4		10
Mounted combat	3			3
Willpower	6			6
Balance	2			2
Sneaking	5	4		9
Reconnaissance	7	5		12
Persuation	2			2
Intimidation	1			1
Haggle	3			3
Performance	2			2
Seduction	1			1
Geography lore	6			6
Nature lore	6	4		10
Arcane lore	6	3		9
Social and cultural lore	4			4
Craft lore	5	6		11
Lingual lore	4			4
Daily craft	5	3		8
Pharma and treatment	6			6
Weaponsmithing	5			5
Armorsmithing	5			5
Tailoring	5			5
Art	3			3
Artificery	6			6
Burglary	7			7
Huntsmanship	6			6
Alchemy	6	6		12
Sorcery	6			6

Unknown if any

A robe with a hood, a traveling cane, a bag with small instruments, a belt with glasses, a rucksack

Good at synthesizing remedies or other compounds from both organic and inorganic ingredients. Fairly good at understanding how chemistry works and has an eye for experimentation. Capable of locating and recognizing substances. Has basic skills in inventory management and knows a thing or two about craftworks.

General condition: High morale, everyone's healthy, two weeks worth of food supplies, sufficiently-budgeted, low on alchemic reagents.
Money: 1081 Talers
Food: 82 food units (9 full days of sustenance on Bloom 28)
Food consumption: 8.5 food units per day

Lucifina - 1
Ulren - 2
Sephorah - 1.5
Karl - 1
Amalia - 1
Isaac -1
Jory - 1
Mount(s) - n/a (pasturing season)

Medication: 5 medicine units
Alchemy stash: 4 reagent units, 5 blank alchemical basis compounds (crafting boosters & subsidizes)

Free stash space: up to 130 kg

1 Incindiary bomb (great)
1 Regeneration potion (superb)
1 Regeneration potion (weak)
1 Stimulator/painkiller potion (weak)
1 Potion of momentum (Temp: +3 STR +3 SPD +3 COOR - 1 INT - 1 WIS - 1 CHA) (standard)

A bundle of books from Dalgaard's library, Yvie's ulchaar (Morinth's parcel)

Mounts: 1 workhorse (Softie)
Team's reputation:
Kheree hunters (Tevon-Talab militia) - CELEBRATED
The Lyf Kingdom (Lyflanders) - WELCOMED
Eastern Freelanders (Baathorians) - CELEBRATED
Central Freelanders (Tevons) - UNKNOWN
Western Freelanders (Ertanghalians) - UNKNOWN
Nyth-Rhathon (Bhiroths) - UNKNOWN?
Olfadir (Westlanders) - UNKNOWN?

Ship-o-meter

Lucifina

Ulren

Sephorah

Karl

Amalia

Isaac

Jorgen

Lucifina

X

Devotion (96)

Comradery (82)

Amiability (12)

Friendship (70)

Sympathy (44)

Neutrality (10)

Ulren

Devotion (96)

X

Friendship (58)

Amiability (13)

Sympathy (38)

Amiability (20)

Neutrality (4)

Sephorah

Comradery (82)

Friendship (58)

X

Suspicion (-11)

Sympathy (34)

Amiability (16)

Neutrality (0)

Karl

Amiability (12)

Amiability (13)

Suspicion (-11)

X

Neutrality (9)

Amiability (13)

Amiability (14)

Amalia

Friendship (70)

Sympathy (38)

Sympathy (34)

Neutrality (9)

X

Sympathy (47)

Sympathy (32)

Isaac

Sympathy (44)

Amiability (20)

Amiability (16)

Amiability (13)

Sympathy (47)

X

Friendship (51)

Jorgen

Neutrality (10)

Neutrality (4)

Neutrality (0)

Amiability (14)

Sympathy (32)

Friendship (51)

X

Tier	Relative numeric scale	Description
Devotion	91 to 100	You would likely self-sacrifice for each other if necessary
Comradery	71 to 90	You are deeply loyal to each other
Friendship	51 to 70	You have each other's trust
Sympathy	31 to 50	You have common interests, views, or simply find each other nice
Amiability	11 to 30	You are polite and good-willing toward each other
Neutrality	-10 to 10	You are strangers or largely indifferent towards each other
Suspicion	-11 to -30	You question each other's views and values
Distaste	-31 to -50	You avoid and distrust each other, but remain rational
Intolerance	-51 to -70	You dislike and disrespect each other
Scorn	-71 to -90	You avert and loathe each other, even if irrationally
Hatred	-91 to -100	You are at each other's throats

quichwe10 · Oct 24, 2018

~~[X] Fight~~
-[X] Mixed style*
--[X] Try to outdo the attackers with your maneuvers to capture some of them (1/2 melee skill check + 1/2 arcane skill check against trivial challenge (11), 1/2 defense check + 1/2 arcane skill check against very easy challenge (14), supernatural exposure)

Goddamnit, I opened the tab before lunch and missed the vote.

Teloch · Oct 24, 2018

@quichwe10 Thanks for the vote, but the dices were cast and I'm planning the next update. The details in the previous post

quichwe10 · Oct 24, 2018

Teloch said:
@quichwe10 Thanks for the vote, but the dices were cast and I'm planning the next update. The details in the previous post

Yeah, unfortunately missed it. Also, how bad or good is it for those rumors about Rosaline hosting a Thaumaturgist to be spreading?

Teloch · Oct 24, 2018

quichwe10 said:
Yeah, unfortunately missed it. Also, how bad or good is it for those rumors about Rosaline hosting a Thaumaturgist to be spreading?

She had to employ a person who knew this secret to prevent the information from spreading. Thaumaturgy is very rare, given that it is available only to a very handful of humans, and thus certain factions likely have an enthusiastic interest about those possessing it. Add to the pile Dalgaard's current uneasy reputation: generally accepted and respected among commoners and tradesfolk, widely controversial among other noble houses, and outright despised by the clergy.

She will have problems. More problems.

quichwe10 · Oct 24, 2018

Teloch said:
She had to employ a person who knew this secret to prevent the information from spreading. Thaumaturgy is very rare, given that it is available only to a very handful of humans, and thus certain factions likely have an enthusiastic interest about those possessing it. Add to the pile Dalgaard's current uneasy reputation: generally accepted and respected among commoners and tradesfolk, widely controversial among other noble houses, and outright despised by the clergy.

She will have problems. More problems.

Well, fuck. Will our PC be knowing about these, and will there be any way for us to help out Rosaline?

Teloch · Nov 4, 2018

You've been through tough situations before but this was the first time you experienced an intense rush of thoughts and emotions charging through your mind in a second's fraction. As startling as this situation seemed due to the blatant surprise, you weren't bogging down in the feral kind of fear that encompassed the first two weeks of life on your memory. If anything, you felt anger filling up your heart and head like molten iron, slopping down into your fists. With almost no back thoughts, you prepared to do what seemed right, hoping that Rosaline would forgive you later for what you were about to do.

A small but bright seed of light escaped your stretched left hand and exploded in a very short but very violent flash, blind-stunning the angry roughneck who was about to batter at Rosaline with all of his weight. Biding a couple of precious moments, you used this surprise maneuver to grab the sword struck out from the hands of the escorting guard. You emerged out of this flash already aiming at the flimsy parody of a cudgel the roughneck was using as a weapon. Given the unfamiliarity of the sword's grip and the lack of time to enter the perfect strike trajectory, it was a surprise even for you when the sword's edge struck right into the weapon, hitting it out off the attacker's grasp.

By the scared and yet infuriated eyes of the ruffian, you understood that you managed to flip the initiative, and so did the guardsmen, with one poking one of the attackers in the knee and bashing another one with the shield, and his disarmed second reached for an offhand mace strapped to his belt. As for the ruffians, it was the last opportunity for a push to them and the signal that things went deadly serious. The attacker whose charge you interrupted took out a long knife and, emboldened or rather mind-numbed by the intense alcoholic fumes that emanated from him, now pushed his luck against you, possibly hoping that what took place a couple of moments earlier was just a lucky strike of a presumably magic-wielding homegrown noble girl. One of his accomplices who did not yet lost the ability to calculate risks disengaged one of the guardsmen and joined the assault on you, hoping to take out the unfamiliar element out of the skirmish equation.

Unfortunately for both of your offenders, in the second round, you dodged the pincer advance of the offenders by back-and-side stepping to take control over the distance, conjured the luminal shield when the less drunk and angry ruffian was already swinging at you with a handaxe, and blew the said shield into numerous piercing particles at the man point-blank right after it absorbed the energy of the strike. Considering the unhumanly-loud howl of the now-scorched man whom you countered, it appears that whenever your conjured barriers absorb force, they add up in heat. But you were unable to study this observation properly due to dealing with the angry drunkard with a knife: despite him charging at you like a rabid animal, unfazed by the observation of what you did to his fellow-lout (that is if he was in the mental condition to register it at all), you were sufficiently quick and controlling to side-dodge the charge while in the active defense stance and, utilizing your poise, the situation of the brute having to recover from unsuccessful fling, and the reach of your current weapon, you landed a swift pierce on the man's left hip. Not feeling hurt enough due to whatever jag acting as a painkiller, the furious drunkard made the last clumsy attempt at pinning you down like a bear with all his mass. That was a bad decision on his part as you - caught at the defensive stance - could only bristle the sword out, which ended up going through the striking arm of the lubber.

The warm blood hit the cold cobles and the angry lummox finally collapsed, making his hand wound even worse due to the shifting of the sword in his flesh. If your memory served you well, you could say that his shriek sounded but a token-less loud than the creature whose roars you heard upon awakening in the forest long-long ago. As you were fighting this one, the guardsmen managed to push out the initials ambushers in time before the second wave of the equally rugged and samely-intended goons arrived to slam the lid of the ambush, only to find the initial ambushers either limping away for their lives or, in one particular case, crawling. Unconfident, they resorted to tossing all kinds of improvised projectiles from knives to cobbles, but none of them rang against the raised shields of the guardsmen: you conjured the shimmering dome, stopping the projectiles, cutting off the only escape route available to the arm-wounded drunkard, and dissuading the second part of the mob not to push their luck. And indeed, the way they hastily left the scene as the sounds of the city guards rushing down the street indicated that despite the surprising degree of organization, the ambush failed due to the faulty judgment regarding the victims-to-be.

As the guards curled up the most unfortunate of the ambushers, you dispelled the luminal dome, just standing there and trying to come in terms with what happened. Rosaline was shocked, the guards were busy, and you felt very odd. The whole encounter took up one minute, but it felt like five times longer. Your emotions were controversial: aghast about being assaulted in what always seemed like a safe environment, but yet happy that no one whom you have a modicum of care did not suffer from the event; there was also that another feeling -- satisfaction mixed with the confidence in own abilities. Was it what people call pride? Possibly, but you didn't have much time to sort out your feelings as soon enough the place was a scene filled with a group of city wardens, arguing with slightly shocked and plentifully angry Rosaline about what happened and who should interrogate the captive. This scene did not persist for long as your patron snapped at the city watch and urged them to follow "the bloody trails" while they are hot or else, an appeal to the district watcher going to be addressed in no time, inducing seizable rectal risks" should the patrolmen let the criminals slip. Predictably, the threat worked like a charm, setting the patrolmen in motion. While watching this scene, you noticed some of the nearby houses' denizens peeking through the windows; mostly at you. Well, truth to be told, you've put quite a spectacle and who knows if it would come back to bite you later. For now, you could only hope that everything would be fine.

But the homecoming of your entourage kick-started the second act the urban drama. Not as much because of the news announced but because of the living evidence provided. For the first time, you've seen Morinth at the point of anger when you thought she'd bite off the head of a scum who dared to raise a hand on her granddaughter, Ulren stuck in an argument with Rosaline, with her trying to dodge his reprimands about not taking the risk seriously and not taking his advice. Claudius had to summon Isaac from the infirmary chamber and to inspect the squirming captive before slipping a single comment saying 'nasty' and dragging him out of the hall. The maidens were losing their temper, partly because of the stress of facing the consequences of violence and partly because of realizing that it will be a royal pain in the rear to wash off the carpets from the drunkard's blood. Before the drama reached its culmination, Rosaline ordered Amalia to take you to your premises, and the next hour you spent in her company. In the original intent, it was her who supposed to calm you down with own company, but in practice, it turned out vice-versa, with you calming her down with the elaboration of the events occurred during the trip.

It was not long until she granted you with the evening's rest solitude in your premises, but yet, you found it hard to doze off immediately. Despite enduring the nocturnal madness of the Limbus and going through the ambush in the main realm with control and perseverance, the thoughts were creeping up your mind, the most prominent of which was the shattered expectation of being safe from harm behind the city walls. This thought irritated you like a nasty splinter that found its way under your skin. Fortunately, you weren't able to brood for too long, because the sleep struck suddenly, even if a bit late.

_______________________

Your rest was deep but shorter than usual, with you waking up before the sun even shown the first rays behind the eastern horizon. Still, you felt properly refreshed and in need to bide some time before tackling the day. Following this decision, you checked up on the observatory where you previously had the most uncommon chatter with the most unexpected interlocutor. Maybe to your astonishment, the observatory tower was no longer locked, having the trails in the dust of at least two people entering it recently and even leaving a gas lamp that ran out of fuel. The characteristic chill was still there, meaning that someone else at least tried to see or otherwise communicate with the source of it.

A few minutes later, you encountered another sporadic early bird - your mentor. If seeing her at such an early hour wasn't odd enough, being invited into her premises (if not almost literally being dragged to her chamber by the ears) seemed utterly exotic. There, on the same cushion you occupied when you rushed to her for the advice about the storm phenomena some time ago, you wondered what might be the reason for such a haste. Rosaline herself looked very tired; the red eyes suggested that she either had a sleepless night or maybe even cried recently, her mimics seemed chaotic, she overall acted neurotically. In your eyes, she has always been impenetrable like a fortress, but now, this fortress seemed to be suffering from dents and cracks. A challenging field for the conversation that was.

"Lady Rosaline? Are you fine?" you began, "You don't look very good".

"I would be a liar should I say that everything is fine, but things been worse. There is something I need to tell you, something that you shouldn't talk about with anyone else".

"Is... Is that related to what happened yesterday?"

Rosaline sighed, "Not directly, but there is a considerable chance that those events are connected"

"Those events? Did something else happen?"

"No, not yet. But what took place yesterday may not be a random event that is so common in trying times".

"I don't understand..." you lowered the gaze, chasing the ever-creeping Copper on the floor, "Who were those people, and why did they assail us? And what happened to the man whom the guards arrested?"

Rosaline massaged the dark sacks under her eyes before answering, "That man was a local craftsman who lost his job at the manufactory when the Lasir began to crumble, slowing down the trade and ridding him from the cart-building and repairing commissions".

"Why do you say 'was'? Did he..."

"No, he's alive. For now," Rosaline replied, "After Ren had a chat with him, we handed this captive to the city justicars, who will organize the trial and arrange the punishment for his crime. I said 'was' because, with the wounds he sustained, he definitely won't be able to rack up a coin with the honest labor anytime soon. He'd be lucky if the court would decide to imprison him, so he'll get a chance to see the next spring by munching on the penitentiary expense".

You did not how to comment on that and just silently watched your patron.

"But more important is his confession that he and the other desperate from his flock were promised to be paid for the assault that took place. In other words, it was not just a group of impoverished locals turning anguished enough to attempt robbery but a coordinated venture orchestrated by the force we know nothing about".

"You mean that there is someone who wants to sabotage us?"

"Exactly, Lucifina," Rosaline replied, hesitating for a couple of seconds before continuing, "It may be even worse: there might be someone within these very walls who supplies this enigmatic force with the information on our movements. Without it, I doubt those bumpkins would know when and where we would be yesterday." She stumbled again making a deep breath in and shaking own head in slight disbelief, "And that dream of yours - the one about the basket with eggs - it may mean that there is a serpent among us".

"But didn't you say that those dreams are just my imagination running wild?"

"I... I found that letter. The one Bartholomew Dalgaard pointed you to. And if that is not a reason good enough to trust your insights and auguries, then I don't know what is". Saying that she let out a single bewildered giggle that sounded more neurotic than anything else, "To know that I would end up putting faith in divinations..."

"But who may it be? And why would anyone want to make such a transgression?" you inquired, trying to fight the encroaching feeling of alertness.

"I don't know, Lucifina. I really don't know. I can only tell that it is definitely not Claudius, grandma, or Ren. As for why... I have no idea. Maybe they have an agenda against me personally or my family. Or maybe it is all about money and influence. It may even be about you. We don't know who hired those goons and what drives them".

You just raised your brow questioningly.

"That being said, I'll ask you to stay vigilant and careful. Mind what you tell others and report to me if anyone behaves strangely. The sooner we sort out this situation out the better. Employ that spirit-sensing power of yours if it can be of any help to determine what's going on. I will be the happiest one if it is just me being paranoid, but we can't afford to be lax right now. Not when the city is dancing on the verge of chaos and this evil seep into our home".

"I will, Lady Rosaline," you replied rather puzzled, to which Rosaline's tense face relaxed a bit.

After this exchange, you chattered a bit longer on less dreadful topics. It felt like Rosaline just wanted a bit of your company, which isn't something unique for a person on whom the world seemed to come crashing down in a single day. Thus, she even gave you a squeeze in the end, which wasn't something you expected from her. But nevertheless, the new week was here, and you now had to decide what and how to do.

___________________________________

You have three major and one minor action. You can convert major actions into two minor. You can concentrate on the investigation of the possible betrayer via aimed socialization options or even trying to read the soul sparks of others. Although, you can ignore investigation if you wish and use the time for self-betterment.

[] (Your custom_name plan)

[] Learn/raise your skills!
-[] Melee combat
-[] Defense
-[] Ranged combat
-[] Arcane skill
-[] Haggling
-[] Persuasion
-[] Armorsmithing
-[] Weaponsmithing
-[] Artificiery
-[] Pharma and treatment
-[] Daily craft
-[] Tailoring
-[] Alchemy

(+1 to a respective skill. Find more people or establish deeper bonds to open more paths of studying)

[] Take the flight session

(+1 to your wings proficiency. Note that your flight secondary traits are also dependent on your attributes such as strength, constitution, mobility, and coordination)

[] Intensive training of attributes
-[] STR
-[] END
-[] MOB
-[] PER
-[] COOR
-[] MICR
-[] INT
-[] WIS
-[] CHA
(each round raises an attribute by 1/2 if the base attribute is X < 14, by 1/3 if the base attribute is 14 =< X =< 17, and by 1/4 if the base attribute is X => 18. Note that the attributes influence the attribute skill bonus and quite often are the subjects of checks)

[] Practice or study your aspects!
-[] Practice thaumaturgy
--[] Bonus 1/2 to melee combat
--[] Bonus 1/2 to defense
-[] Study soul aspect

For thaumaturgy: current level 6 (+5/6), above hard wisdom attribute (18), above hard intelligence attribute (18), hard arcane skill (24) each yields 1/x of the next level + 1/x default for investment. You can pick one of the bonus skills, but the maximum progress per a training session can't exceed 3/x of the next level. For soul aspect: current level 3 (+1/3), normal wisdom attribute (15), normal intelligence attribute (15), easy arcane skill (17) each yields 1/x of the next level + 1/x default for investment.

[] Write-in
In case you want to do something very specific

[] Routine attribute training
-[] STR
-[] END
-[] MOB
-[] PER
-[] COOR
-[] MICR
-[] INT
-[] WIS
-[] CHA
(each round raises an attribute by 1/4 if the base attribute is X < 14, by 1/5 if the base attribute is 14 =< X =< 17, and by 1/6 if the base attribute is X => 18. Note that the attributes influence the attribute skill bonus and quite often are the subjects of checks. You can't pick more than two rounds of the same routine in a half a week)

[] Inspect the place and its inhabitants
-[] The first floor
(one-time-off for each part. Widens the future options and the number of people you know. Can choose multiple in one voting)

[] Socialize with
-[] Rosaline
-[] Morinth
-[] Ulren
-[] Amalia
-[] Claudius
-[] Isaac
-[] Erika
-[] Jory
-[] Karl
-[] Lodric
-[] Gustoff
-[] Andrew
(mention the general attitude, the topics of interest, the discussion, or/and special actions like attempts to study a soul spark in the vote. Construct a special approach and try not to be annoying)

[] Do something / spend your leisure time at the facility (specify the action in the vote)
-[] Bathroom
-[] Kitchen
-[] Salon
-[] Library
-[] Gymnasium
-[] Laboratory
-[] Lecture hall
-[] Greenery
-[] Smithy
-[] Attic
-[] Studio
-[] Your room
-[] The locked observatory

Obviously, specify if necessary.

[] Write-in
In case you want to do something very specific

[] Preset plan: shady brawn
-[] Intensive training of attributes
--[] STR
---[] Take the opportunity to peek into Lodric's spark
-[] Practice or study your aspects!
--[] Practice thaumaturgy
---[] Bonus 1/2 to melee combat
----[] Take the opportunity to peek into Karl's spark
-[] Take the flight session
-[] Socialize with
--[] Amalia
---[] Discuss the events in the city and her opinions about them
----[] peek into her soul spark

[] Preset plan: curious brain
-[] Practice or study your aspects!
--[] Practice thaumaturgy
---[] Bonus 1/2 to defense
----[] Take the opportunity to peek into Karl's spark
-[] Learn/raise your skills!
--[] Arcane skill
-[] Socialize with
--[] Erika
---[] Inquire what does she think about the current state of the city
----[] peek into her soul spark
-[] Socialize with
--[] Amalia
---[] Inquire about mansion habitants state of morale
----[] peek into her soul spark
-[] Socialize with
--[] Morinth
---[] Ask her more about her and the family
----[] Yes, check the grandma's spark for curiosity sake

[] Preset plan: overbearing charm
-[] Learn/raise your skills!
--[] Tailoring
---[] Take this chance to assess Amalia's spark
-[] Learn/raise your skills!
--[] Pharma and treatment
---[] Use the opportunity to ask Claudius about his opinions on the matter. Softly nudge him to tell what burdens his spirit (normal persuasion check (20))
-[] Take the flight session
-[] Socialize with
--[] Jory
---[] Provoke him to share his angst about what's going on in the city and in the manor (very easy persuasion check (14))
----[] Check his soul spark

Teloch · Nov 4, 2018

Too tired to make presets and update sheets a bit x__x. Gonna do that after a nap.

Enthusiast#117 · Nov 4, 2018

[] Take the flight session
[] Socialize with
-[] Morinth
-[] Amalia
-[] Claudius
-[] Isaac
-[] Erika

If we assume neither Rosaline nor Ulren are the spy, then there are 9 potential suspects to investigate, and we have at most 7 minor actions with which to do so. Clearly it can't be done in one turn, so instead we do it with two turns: One spent investigating 5 of them, the other the remaining 4.

This turn should be the one with 5.
The leftover major action goes toward flying sessions, because we should get as much of that we can before this safe-ish period ends, the sooner we can make flying second nature the better, and even if there is a spy they already know about them so continuing practice shouldn't reveal anything.

I picked those 5 because they were first on the list, if someone else has a better 5 to start with, or ideas about how to approach them other than "investigate for spy-ness", that would be helpful.

Teloch · Nov 5, 2018

Okay, the presets included. As always, you can either pick one, modify the one you like the most, or make your own altogether.
The ship-o-meters were updated.
You can add some topics to the codex unveils, since our girls now regained access to the library after the turbulent events.

Martenzo · Nov 5, 2018

Teloch said:
Giving the unfamiliarity

Giving -> Given

[X] Preset plan: overbearing charm

angelofwhim · Nov 5, 2018

[X] Preset plan: overbearing charm

Teloch · Nov 6, 2018

Aw, come on, folks. Throw in some votes!

Zaealix · Nov 6, 2018

[X]Plan Matriarch-in training.
-[X]Take the Flight Session
-[X]Socialize
--[X] Morinith
—-[X] Examine her Soul Spark, preferably before entering the room if you can.
-[X] Haggling
—[X] practice against Morinith (thinking this would be both a roll to see if we get better& a contested roll against the old lady)
-[X] Daily craft

Teloch · Nov 6, 2018

Zaealix said:
[X]Socialize
-[X] Morinith
—[X] Examine her Soul Spark, preferably before entering the room if you can.
I'll need a bit more time to round this out but this is the starting point to my plan.

this thing is included in the second preset.

Martenzo · Nov 6, 2018

Teloch said:
Aw, come on, folks. Throw in some votes!

Eh, the American players have a far more important vote to worry about right now. I guess that might be the cause of low activity here. Either that, or it's the dialogue input stuff that's causing this sudden loss of interest.

VagueZ · Nov 6, 2018

I kinda like this plan:

[X]Plan Matriarch-in training.

Teloch · Nov 7, 2018

Excerpt from "Derivation of species", third edition, commemorative of Lilian Dalgaard, by Rosaline Dalgaard - the associated scholar of the zoology division of the flora and fauna studies department, Lyf Academy.

The term "beasts" is often used by the common populace to objectify each and any wild creature they may have seen, encountered, or ever heard about to reside beyond the borders of the established settlements. It is needless to say that such a classification would be way too simplistic to cover the whole complexity of the biomes' biological chains. For example, the famous case of the Ostburgh's beast that terrified the said region for over seventy years was nothing else but an isolated case of a megafauna specimen that ended up in an alien biome where it had no natural enemies and an abundance of unusual but still procurable prey. Thus, calling it a 'beast' would not be scientifically correct if we uphold the academic version of the term, which is used to classify the individually or locally aberrated specimens. In this chapter, we will review the simplified classification of the fauna that is often referred to as 'bestial' and study each of the provided categories later in the book.

Normal fauna (with or without environmental or individual aberration) - normal boars, bears, wolves, and other creatures are often classified as bestial should their dimensions exceed the normal distribution of the said species. However, normal fauna is shown to be extremely susceptible to the influence of the Gaian floods, producing telepathic wolves of Vustmark also known as wargs, countless paranormal stags, dread mares of the Blugd-Tur, and even swarms of dire rats. An aberrated specimen of the otherwise normal fauna (Gaian metamorphosis phenomenon) may spawn due to one or more of the circumstances such as arcane infusion of the habitat and thus diet of the creature or its progenitors, interbreeding with other aberrated specimens, or random mutation on the early stages of fetus formation. Research and statistics show that the creatures mutated due to the influence of the sustainable intermediate factors are likely to become the new subspecies, able to reproduce, while the aberrations of the individual kind almost always render afflicted creatures sterile.

Megafauna - the species from the previous eras, who managed to survive and adapt to the ever-changing environments since times immemorial. The feral elasmores being a mild example. This category includes such groups of species as chimeras, manticores, gorgons, wyverns, lindwurms, and many many more. What unites this wild variety of creatures is that they are less numerous compared to the normal fauna. Most of them are usually solitary species, and many of their now-extinct progenitors and side branches that weren't able to adapt are now reminding of themselves as fossils. Megafauna is perhaps the most variable and interesting fauna kingdom, as these creatures are bound to their oftentimes narrow niches in the food chains and biomes, thus being very distinctive when compared to other zoological branches. The aberrated versions of megafauna are decisively rare yet not unheard of. It appears that the most common factor that leads to megafauna specimens aberrations is the ambient-induced inheritable mutations, hence why the frequency of aberrated megafauna encounters almost always take place during later phases of the anomaly-rich seasons.

Jotuns - the highly controversial, enigmatic, and nominal classification of the humongous, usually bipedal omnivorous creatures, varying from animalistic trolls and behemoths to semi-sentient giants and cyclops. If we arrange this group of species according to the "assumed sentience" scale, then the mentioned trolls and behemoths would often be confused for megafauna species and considered beasts. However, the extreme scarcity of jotuns on Pheotor complicates the studies of these species. If legends are believed, the relatively advanced primitive tribes of giants were extinguished during the Bhiroths conquest of Eldheitaed region. Currently, the sporadic rumors of these creatures are often spread by the folks from the Pheotor's eastern frontier or from the northern Eucad. As for the jotuns themselves, they remain an enigma, having only two major conflicting theories regarding their origins, with one stating that they are the examples of highly advanced megafauna, while the contrary one believes jotuns to be the heavily-degraded descendants of the assumed proto-races. Alas, due to the scarcity of the specimens, determining their true origins and reaction to the aberrative influence of Gaian floods are nigh-impossible at the time, with the scholars being left only to the oldest folklore tales about sentient, arcane-infused jotuns, who can even exercise speech.

Teloch · Nov 7, 2018

Going to call the vote tomorrow.
@veekie where are thou?

veekie · Nov 7, 2018

Teloch said:
Going to call the vote tomorrow.
@veekie where are thou?

In Japan on vacation!

[X] Preset plan: overbearing charm

Also monstrously carsick.
Sod mountain roads.

Yanez · Nov 7, 2018

[X] Preset plan: overbearing charm

Sorry for not voting often and not coming up with plans

Emanyzal · Nov 7, 2018

[X] Preset plan: overbearing charm

Teloch · Nov 8, 2018

[] Preset plan: overbearing charm
-[] Learn/raise your skills!
--[] Tailoring
---[] Take this chance to assess Amalia's spark
-[] Learn/raise your skills!
--[] Pharma and treatment
---[] Use the opportunity to ask Claudius about his opinions on the matter. Softly nudge him to tell what burdens his spirit (normal persuasion check (20))
-[] Take the flight session
-[] Socialize with
--[] Jory
---[] Provoke him to share his angst about what's going on in the city and in the manor (very easy persuasion check (14))
----[] Check his soul spark

Kden, roll me two d20 for ~~ham~~ persuasion

RideTheWalrus · Nov 8, 2018

Ham persuasion? Glazed or unglazed? Also a roll. Well not great but its not horrible

Martenzo · Nov 8, 2018

And here's the second...

Another flat average. Let's hope it's enough.

Teloch · Nov 8, 2018

10 roll + 8 mod = 18 < 20
Fail
10 roll + 8 mod = 18 > 14
Success

Verdict: the old Doc won't appreciate you poking him where it hurts, and poking the manor's 'clown' gonna make him explode with unrefined angst and paranoia.

Heimurn Chronicles (No, SV, you're a young valkyrie in the middle of a bizarre and dangerous journey)

Who is the bae? (Yes, we know that it's Lucy, but still - who's your favorite character)

Ulren, because he's a big bro I never had

Sephorah, because of the floor-chair-face dance

Karl, because smug

Amalia, because a cinnamon roll determinator

Isaac, because kuudere

Jory, becuase...

Rosaline, because I miss her

Mia (the ghost cat), because smug^2

Dunno - I need more party members

Dunno - I want more character interactions

Dunno - Where are the shipping battles, QM?

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