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

Martenzo · Jan 25, 2019

Alright then...

EDIT: Hmm... Bare pass from Lucy, maybe? Can't remember if success is equal-or- greater or only greater-than. (And if I'm reading the sheet correctly, we do get +4)

Teloch · Jan 25, 2019

Martenzo said:
EDIT: Hmm... Bare pass from Lucy, maybe? Can't remember if success is equal-or- greater or only greater-than. (And if I'm reading the sheet correctly, we do get +4)

That's a pass, so no need for Karl's roll.

Edit: no luck influence this time around

veekie · Jan 27, 2019

So another d20 and d40?
E: Misread. Fortunately it wasn't needed lol

Teloch · Jan 27, 2019

veekie said:
So another d20 and d40?
E: Misread. Fortunately it wasn't needed lol

It won't affect anything, but imma gonna play it out

Teloch · Jan 30, 2019

ETA: ~24 hours from this post. 60% or so done

Teloch · Jan 31, 2019

The doors closed behind you a moment after the first yells and bangs of the freshly-brewed tavern brawl reached your ears. You were heftily disappointed about people's tendency to create problems for themselves and others, and slightly confused about what to do now.

"Well then, do you, per any chance, have any plans for the afternoon? Some pastime, while our mister fighter has his fun, would be only fair", Karl injected with a snark.

"What do you mean by 'pastime'? Isn't our friend is shoveling out someone else's trouble and we ought to help him out somehow? Not even mentioning that fights in public places are something the local guards should be dealing with and something we must report to them?!" the man's irony was starting to anger you, to which he replied with even more snark.

"So young and pure..." the mage sighed amused, "Don't worry about our dear Sir Ulren - he's safer and better off interacting with the likes of him in their pugilistic way than journeying with us. If anything, I am quite surprised about a bog-cliched pub brawl taking place only now, given the nature of the establishment, as well as the degree of concern our bhiroth harbors for you. Now, isn't it touching?"

The only response Karl got from you was an iron-cold glare.

"Alright, young lady, if you wish to pay an educational visit to the nearest guards gatehouse, then I'll accompany you".

"Do you remember where is one?" you asked, lowering one's shoulders in frustration.

"I believe I've seen one a few minutes from here. Now, shall we take a tour?"

You just nodded, sparing no needless words and starting to follow your companion. Contrary to your doubts in affected by beverage Karl's navigational abilities, both of you approached a gatehouse near a warehouse, with two guardsmen 'toiling' through their shift over a play of cards. One of them was rather lank and slightly older than his companion, while the most prominent feature of his mate was an unkempt short beard of light brown color.

"Something to report, madam?" the thin man asked, not raising his gaze to you for the second time after briefly scanning you.

"There's a heated brawl in the nearest tavern! Two groups picked on each other and now the whole mess hall is... well... a mess, and my friend stuck in the middle of it!"

"You mean the Raider's Halt?" the older guardsman clarified, turning to his mate, "And here I was, starting to worry that old Gunther was slowly going out of business".

"How many people?" the bearded guardsman asked you.

"Eleven to thirteen, I think. But it sounded like the entire hall went rampant when we were leaving" you answered with unconfident voice.

Instead of answering to you, the younger guard looked to his more seasoned companion, "Three?".

"Two," replied the man, shortly adding, "you deal the first deck".

Whatever reaction you might have expected from the local law enforcement, determining the number of card parties to play from the approximate number of people involved in the incident wasn't one of them.

"Excuse, me?" you voiced your concern, "Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Both guardsmen simultaneously looked at you like on an annoying fly, with the older one softening in his expression.

"Since you and your," the thing guard briefly looked at Karl, "whoever he is to you, are certainly not from here, I'll explain the details. First: Narvic is a transit settlement that lives off the trading caravans that move from Eastern Kingdoms up to Karadan and back. Second: Raider's Halt is the place where mercenaries, hunters, jagers, and other roughnecks are congregating and vying for contractors. Third: fights in that place are their normal way of socializing and competing for fatty employers such as yourselves. Four: for as long as the chaos happens within the building and not on the streets, it isn't exactly the problem of Narvic. Five: basing on your word of the participants' count, we will call for a cart to gather and ship those who won't be able to move for different reasons to the local temple shortly. If your friend is as clueless as you are, the chances are you would like to see him at the church".

While the older guard gave you a fake smile, the younger one squeezed in his comment, "We've had a mate who was like you - tryin' to act all responsible n mighty. He ended up broken in one of these brawls, lost his guard's tabard, as a result, abandoned by his wench later, and left to the company of bedbugs and his miserable pension. One does not stand against the flow," he concluded philosophically.

You were not that worried about Ren, but the guardsmen response was disheartening. Maybe as a part of non-verbal mockery, or maybe as a sincere sympathy, Karl briefly touched your shoulder, which you recognized as him saying "Told you".

"Can... Can I ask you something else, then?" you spoke out defeated, to which both of the guards glanced at you as if they were about to give you some charity for the appearance's sake.

"Where can we find the local gear and general shops?"

The older guard had vaguely waved his hand in the approximate direction before diving down into the card game he was playing with his buddy. From the ensued atmosphere, you could read that this gesture was their "goodbye" to you and that further interactions between you aren't quite anticipated.

If you were to ask what irritated you more back then, you would probably struggle to decide wether it was the uselessness of the local law enforcers or the fact that the "humble village called Narvic" - as you described it in your journal - wasn't exactly that humble (or humble at all... or even what constitutes as a village). Your search for Sephorah took you about five additional minutes of frantic questioning of the locals and no-less frantic running through the streets. Finally, with the edge of your supernatural senses, you recognized Sephorah's spark in one of the stores.

"Karl, I think I found her!" you yelled back, hearing no response coming back. You turned around, seeing nothing but the snowy landscape of Narvic's main street and a few sporadic locals looking at you like on some sort of idiot who talks to imaginary entities. Whether Karl was very poor with navigation or just lacking any motivation in helping you calling some aid for Ulren was an open question - the one you had neither time nor desire seeking an answer for.

"...that is the product of the caterpillars that dwell only by the shores of the Alkhad river - the very heartlands of Kathor. It is very delicate and smooth to the touch, but I doubt it could be of much help against the local weather and cold. But still, compared to it, all the northern textiles are very rough..."

Before your eyes, there was the scene of your dusky acquaintance having a chatter over some crumpets right on the counter with the wide-eyed, youngish lyflander damsel, who was apparently the trader and who was certainly excited by the exotic visitor.

"I know it may be a bit too much to ask, but, if you would be going back through Narvic, can you procure a bolt or two of this silk? Or, if that isn't feasible, maybe you can put me in touch with someone who can import some?" The woman said, obviously trying the field for lucrative opportunities.

"Since you mentioned it, our caravan is supposed to get as far as to the Ars Ocean's coastline, so there is a chance I might find an importer or a dealer. But, as you can imagine, the journey will be long and grueling, so... can you, perhaps, help me to help you? With a decile discount on that pouch and belt, maybe?" Your grin from having to see Sephorah in a social action began to fade with the resurfacing of the memory about your destination: it wasn't exactly by the coastline. However, you did not have enough time to foil your friend's scheme as the shopkeeper finally noticed you.

"Oh, my! I beg your pardon," the woman said with a shy smile, "I've got carried away there. Now, how can I help you?"

"She's with me!" Sephorah stood up and approached you, wrapping her hand around you in a demonstration of just how much of a friend you are, "Likely came by to check up on me and to utter why am I taking so long. Can you, please, pack and hold over the merchandise we've talked about?". The shopkeeper grinned widely and waved her hand to no one in particular, apparently mentally agreeing on granting that discount Sephorah asked her for.

When the impressionable woman disappeared in the adjusted room, your daeva companion leaned down to you and whispered: "What happened, Lucy?"

Recovering from your unwilling part in this play, you quietly muttered: "there's a big brawl at the tavern, and Ulren is trying to put it down"

After rolling her eyes from the mentioning of Ulren, her face tried on the intense calculative expression for a couple of seconds. "How many participants?" she whispered.

"It was a dozen, I think" you muttered back unsure.

Hearing that, Sephorah's lips curved in a vicious grin, and you could swear that her eyes sparkled. "Can you also put out that leather vest, an extra belt poach, and a pair of long socks while we quickly dash for money?" she cried out to the shopkeeper behind the wall, to which she merrily replied with "Sure thing. Just try to get back today!"

"Now, leg it, Lucy," Sehporah almost hissed while almost dragging you out of the shop by the hand, "we gotta get back before our brute gonna start killing the goofs".

At her quick pace, Sephorah dragged you back to the inn, almost uncloaking you along the way and not even giving you a breath to vocalize your protests against her calling Ulren a brute and lying to that merchant that we will be visiting port cities. She released you only in the yard of the inn, which, by now, was littered with two unfamiliar people trying to crawl out beyond its borders. Seph hopped inside the building through the main doors while you approached one of the windows, listening to the sounds of uncontrolled commotion and prying from the outside.

And, to be precise, the situation inside the inn had the clues of boiling down to the culmination: the third part of patrons was engaged in chaotic up-and downer, with fists, wooden cups, and even chairs flying left and right while the remainder was either scattered around the interiors unconscious or hiding from the rolling fight. From all the initial participants, there were only one of the hunters still standing on his feet, Ulren flaying with a chair at the most rampant combatants, and the mouthy briarite deciding that the time has come to unsheathe the sword and paint the walls red...

In an instant, everyone seemed to understand that the situation went out of control, and a few people Including Ulren reached out for their lethal weapons. But, due to either a miracle, your indirect involvement, or both, the surprise defusion came from the direction least expected by all the participants: Sephorah snuck inside the brawl and performed a remarkable series of manuevers. First, she gracefully dodged a couple of blows and rolled under a flying jar, grabbing the last standing stool upon recovery. Then, she round-kicked one of the heated fighters on her way, who didn't seem to care whom to beat, through the window behind which you were standing, causing you to step over the knocked-out man with an awkward apology and stride to another (and still intact) window. Then, she received a couple of knives some douchebag threw at her on the said chair, made a couple of waltz-like spins as if the stool was her metaphorical partner, and then, from this series of accelerating spins, she crashed it against the Briarite instigator of this entire mess with such force, that the unfortunate piece of furniture shattered with the loudest crack you ever heard, sending the cocky douchebag two meters flying, causing him to drop his sword, and letting him to make one single twitch on the ground before losing consciousness.

The entire struggle stopped to fathom this performance and Sephora's mocking, ballroom-style curtsey by its end. But then, utilizing the flashy distraction, those of the patrons who wanted just to put down the hotheads, they made a singular push to pin and trample down the troublemakers, putting an end to the commotion in less than a minute.

_________________________

By the end of that unfortunate encounter, there were no lethal casualties, eleven people unconscious or battered to immobility, two tables cracked, one window shattered, and a dozen and a half of chairs broken. Strangely enough, the cart which the guards promised to send arrived about two minutes later from the moment of conflict's resolution. However, the owner of the cart wasn't all that eager to collect the bodies, making it the Innkeeper's problem. Speaking of which, the man was strangely content.

"Thank ya for yer hand, Kyres, and to that daeva you run with. If not for you, this would've been the end of the thirteen-months-without-corpses streak - the establishment's growing record, none the less!".

"It's nothing," Ren grumbled impassionately, "I am a regular. Sort of".

"Ay, glad you've returned from Ebongale alive and brought by this co-runner of yours. The way she breaks jaws is bloody poetry on itself. Can't remember seeing such a scene in years".

"I aim to please", Sephorah replied smugly, to which the innkeeper grinned widely and brushed his beard.

"Wish I could return a favor somehow, but with all the furniture damage I won't be able to carry any additional expences in a while". A sudden idea graced the man before he even finished his last sentence, "If ye folks waiting to head to Baathor, which I'm sure you are, you can seek for the Moon Steed Inn. Adgun - its owner - owes me a hefty sum for a couple of years now, and I don't see him willing to pay it back. Seek him out, tell him that I want it handed to you, or shake him if you must, and keep it; I just want that wretch and everyone else know that Gunther of the Raider's Halt ain't no hick when it comes to giving and taking promises!".

Ulren gave a blank stare while Sephorah raised an eyebrow and commented with: "Thank you, we'll consider our options when the time comes".

The innkeeper stroke his beard again, clearly satisfied, adding shortly: "Oi, would you lend me a hand once more? There's the carriage outside waiting to harvest all these convulsing cretins. Pile them on, and the dinner for you is charge-free!"

"Won't hurt," Ulren shrugged and proceeded to take a couple of the still-breathing bodies from the floor in a manner one would drag the sacks with junk and to drag them out.

"With pleasure," said Sephorah, starting to fiddle with the bodies by the corners of the hall shortly after, checking their pulse, their pockets, and catching Ulren's grumpy gaze in the process.

In the meanwhile, the rest of your patchy group gathered at the two still-intact tables in the nigh-empty hall, observing the mess, the cheery innkeeper, and the turbulent duo of your group members cleaning out the evidence of the occurred event. Everyone was sitting silent, including Karl, who finally found his way back from the streets.

"Care to elaborate what happened in here?" Amalia was the first one to break the verbal paralysis that seemed to befall on everyone.

"I'm not sure you need to know the details," you answered, regretting that there was no tea at hand to calm down your nerves and cheer you up.

_________________________

Regardless of your expectations and thoughts, nothing lasts forever and, in less than a week after the unfortunate event at the Raider's Halt, the snows began to melt. The first nomadic birds harbingered the coming of spring and nature sank into the melancholic, dirt-filled, rainy weeks of the winter-to-spring interim. With the roads' liberation from the snow drifts, the time has come for your motley team to embark toward Baathor - the second largest settlement of Blugd-Tur plains.

There was a logistical challenge ahead of you, however, and it took the form of Tzuh-Aran river, which, judging by Ulren's words, was a mighty barrier in the dry years, let alone now when it was feeding on the rarely high volumes of mellowing snow. The decision of which one of the two nearest river fords must be used to traverse the Tzuh-Aran, each of the choices having their pros and cons.

Vote 1:
Chose where to. The navigational system is WIP, which is why I ask you to take part in the poll attached to the thread before I commit to anything. Some events will take place regardless of the path you choose.

[] Path decision
-[] North-west: the shorter road used by traders that crosses the conflux point of two mountain rivers. (nine to fourteen days depending on the possible encounters, a moderately-forestry area with plenty of natural covers, high risk of running at bandits, moderate risk of running at hostile fauna, lower odds of finding places of interest, two to four time points for the character development)
-[] West: the further western path that leads to an old crossing point used by the natives of the plains. (fifteen to twenty-three days depending on the possible encounters, a predominately exposed area with occasional woods, low risk of running at bandits, high risk of running at hostile fauna, moderate odds of finding places of interest, four to six points for the character development)

Vote 2:
Chose what you wish to do with your spare time journeying. You can queue up to ten actions, but keep in mind that the upper ones will be the first to carry out within the time quota of the path chosen, with the unattended ones either being transferred to the next development vote or being discarded for a new plan.

[] Development plan
-[] write-in

[] Raise an attribute by 1 (-2 points, repeatable)
-[] STR
-[] CON
-[] MOB
-[] PER
-[] COOR
-[] MICR
-[] INT
-[] WIS
-[] CHA

[] Raise a skill by 1 (-1 points, repeatable)
-[] Melee combat
-[] Ranged combat
-[] Arcane skill
-[] Defense
-[] Objects usage
-[] Willpower
-[] Balance
-[] Sneaking
-[] Persuasion
-[] Performance
-[] Seduction
-[] Arcane lore
-[] Lingual lore
-[] Daily craft
-[] Weaponsmithing
-[] Armorsmithing
-[] Tailoring

[] Raise flight mastery by 1 (-2 points, repeatable)

[] Raise arcane aspect mastery by 1 (repeatable)
-[] Thaumaturgy (-6 points)
-[] Spirit (-4 points)

[] Try to bond with someone (-1 points, cumulative, you can write in clues for me to flesh out in the next update)
-[] Ulren
-[] Sephorah
-[] Karl
-[] Amalia
-[] Isaac (Easy CHA check (13))
-[] Jory (Hard CHA check (18))

[] Try to act as an intermediary between someone (-2 points, cumulative, you can write in clues for me to flesh out in the next update)
-[] (specify person A) and (specify person B)

Vote 3 (optional)
You do like extra content, don't you?

[] Chose up to five topics for codex unveil from here
-[] write-in

Teloch · Jan 31, 2019

Sheets updated, some extra stuff is WIP, the votes are open, and the new poll is at the top.

Mother Nyx · Jan 31, 2019

[X] Path decision
-[X] West: the further western path that leads to an old crossing point used by the natives of the plains. (fifteen to twenty-three days depending on the possible encounters, a predominately exposed area with occasional woods, low risk of running at bandits, high risk of running at hostile fauna, moderate odds of finding places of interest, four to six points for the character development)

[X] Plan Girl Night In
[X] Raise arcane aspect mastery by 1 (repeatable)
-[X] Spirit (-4 points)
[X] Try to bond with someone (-1 points, cumulative, you can write in clues for me to flesh out in the next update)
-[X] Sephorah
-[X] Amalia
[X] Raise a skill by 1 (-1 points, repeatable)
-[X] Arcane skill
-[X] Arcane skill
-[X] Persuasion
-[X] Persuasion
-[X] Willpower

Hello hi, this is the first time I've voted here in a while, lmao.

Raptor580 · Jan 31, 2019

[X] Plan Girl Night In

veekie · Jan 31, 2019

[X] Path decision
-[X] West: the further western path that leads to an old crossing point used by the natives of the plains. (fifteen to twenty-three days depending on the possible encounters, a predominately exposed area with occasional woods, low risk of running at bandits, high risk of running at hostile fauna, moderate odds of finding places of interest, four to six points for the character development)

[X] Development plan Tweety
-[X] Raise a skill by 1 (-1 points, repeatable)
--[X] Arcane skill
--[X] Persuasion
-[X] Raise flight mastery by 1 (-2 points, repeatable)
-[X] Try to bond with someone (-1 points, cumulative, you can write in clues for me to flesh out in the next update)
--[X] Sephorah
--[X] Isaac (Easy CHA check (13))

[X] Alchemy
[X] The core metaphysics
[X] Spectral beings overview
[X] Precursor races
[X] Blugd-Tur plains

wingstrike96 · Jan 31, 2019

[X] Path decision
-[X] West: the further western path that leads to an old crossing point used by the natives of the plains. (fifteen to twenty-three days depending on the possible encounters, a predominately exposed area with occasional woods, low risk of running at bandits, high risk of running at hostile fauna, moderate odds of finding places of interest, four to six points for the character development)

[X] Development plan Tweety
-[X] Raise a skill by 1 (-1 points, repeatable)
--[X] Arcane skill
--[X] Persuasion
-[X] Raise flight mastery by 1 (-2 points, repeatable)
-[X] Try to bond with someone (-1 points, cumulative, you can write in clues for me to flesh out in the next update)
--[X] Sephorah
--[X] Isaac (Easy CHA check (13))

[X] Alchemy
[X] The core metaphysics
[X] Spectral beings overview
[X] Precursor races
[X] Blugd-Tur plains

Martenzo · Jan 31, 2019

[X] Path decision
-[X] West: the further western path that leads to an old crossing point used by the natives of the plains. (fifteen to twenty-three days depending on the possible encounters, a predominately exposed area with occasional woods, low risk of running at bandits, high risk of running at hostile fauna, moderate odds of finding places of interest, four to six points for the character development)

[X] Plan Girl Night In

[X] Alchemy
[X] The core metaphysics
[X] Spectral beings overview
[X] Precursor races
[X] Blugd-Tur plains

Teloch · Feb 1, 2019

*Fixes the missing threadmark*
*looks at the votes and sees every and each one of them featuring attempts at bonding with the group's 'rogue'*

Is she the fans' favorite or are you pursuing some practical reason or, even, an agenda?

Mother Nyx · Feb 1, 2019

Teloch · Feb 1, 2019

*Tries to process the logical TRUE argument that came without a flag string value*
*Tries to apply the TRUE argument to random combinations of the three question strings*

veekie · Feb 1, 2019

Teloch said:
Is she the fans' favorite or are you pursuing some practical reason or, even, an agenda?

Well

Teloch said:
Sephorah snuck inside the brawl and performed a remarkable series of manuevers. First, she gracefully dodged a couple of blows and rolled under a flying jar, grabbing the last standing stool upon recovery. Then, she round-kicked one of the heated fighters on her way, who didn't seem to care whom to beat, through the window behind which you were standing, causing you to step over the knocked-out man with an awkward apology and stride to another (and still intact) window. Then, she received a couple of knives some douchebag threw at her on the said chair, made a couple of waltz-like spins as if the stool was her metaphorical partner, and then, from this series of accelerating spins, she crashed it against the Briarite instigator of this entire mess with such force, that the unfortunate piece of furniture shattered with the loudest crack you ever heard, sending the cocky douchebag two meters flying, causing him to drop his sword, and letting him to make one single twitch on the ground before losing consciousness.

The entire struggle stopped to fathom this performance and Sephora's mocking, ballroom-style curtsey by its end.

Teloch · Feb 3, 2019

Evening. Winter sun is painting the horizon red. You are standing outside the Raider's Halt, waiting for a certain someone, blankly following the setting sun with your gaze and organizing your thoughts. The rowdy events of this day mentally brought you back to the times when you were just given your sentence after the chain of events of the Strasford's incident. Oddly enough, this tavern became your gateway to the mercenary life and the occasional headquarters. You have changed since then, and a lot of things changed as well, but the ever-persisting pile of problems, which miraculously replenishes itself as fast as you manage to straighten things out.

This raid of yours is one of those many problems: the group seems to be well-rounded in what it can do, but it lacks the brawn needed to traverse Blugd-Tur safely. It might have been less of an issue should there be trust and coordination within it, but the ensemble of a downer, sheltered kids, a criminal and yourself is just too unreliable to retain optimism. If nothing else, it seems like this whole band is loosely holding on Lucy.

You subconsciously lower your gaze. Lucifina... she changed so much from that unaware and clumsy larva of a person she was when you found her. By now, she became more mature, responsible, resourceful, and always willing to help, but she still lacks the life experience and awareness required to survive on her own. You had hoped that bringing her to Rosie would give her a safe and comfortable life, but the circumstances far beyond your reach robbed her of such opportunity. Now, you feel bad for the failure of your original plan, and you can't comprehend how exactly are you going to convey to her that the realm she is threading now is nothing like the safe and comfy Kirhol, that her being a woman (and a very pretty one) will absolutely cause her problems and put her in danger from other people. And if that wasn't enough, there still was the possibility that it was she the goal of that attack on the Dalgaards mansion. You sigh out and palm your face for a moment, thinking about her risking to fall under the pestilent influence of the daeva rogue which should have never travelled with you, and that the course of events in the world suggests there's a sizeable risk of the realm sinking into a new war. You managed to keep her safe until now, but it is growing increasingly difficult.

Your body unconsciously makes a single shiver from thinking about the possible war between Nyth-Rhathon and Olfadir. People say that war is an odd phenomenon that has the higher odds of happening the least people expect it, but your youth memories and the actual soldier experience state otherwise. There is a set of signs that encompass the brewing of future conflicts and, judging by Rosie's reply highlighting the events that took place in Lyf after your departure, Westlanders went for a standard provocation near the potential adverarie's border, assessing the time and style of response to their influence and causing the opposite side to stretch their resources away from other fronts. Additional factors that state on the possibility of the new war is the demographic gap between humans and roths: the prior have already produced two generations after the War of the First Star, while your kin, due to the reasons physiological, have only begotten the first post-war generation, which won't be combat-ready for at least ten years since now.

Once again, you catch yourself on thinking in a way as if Nyth-Rhathon was still your nation and its inhabitants did not expel you. Sadly, you shake this notion off. After all, the threat of conflict between your former homeland and Olfadir concerns you for another, more practical reason: the majority of battles would take place in Blugd-Tur, the same way it was during three of the westlanders' so-called 'holy campaigns' against the 'heathen rhoth ilk', who contributed to the fall of the Pherinian empire - their fabeled state, the might of which they still seek to regain. Should the worst happen, Lucy and yourself will end up in the midsts of the new-old battleground. You see the reddish top of the Sun's outline off behind the western horizon and mentally reaffirm the plan of reaching the remote Oinur-Nyr as quickly as possible before deciding if the situation would allow safe return to Lyf kingdom; losing anyone in this expedition or having Lucy see the real war is not in your plans.

As your thoughts begin to shift towards all the numerous logistical issues and the need to find a combat-competent guide for the deeper regions of Blugd-Tur, you see the daeva rogue whom you chased half the continent. She returns to the inn holding to handfuls of new gear and yet you don't recall any expedition funds taken by her. To you, however, the origin of the money she just spent (and you dearly hope that she didn't just steal the gear) was not a question. Just from looking at her you start to lose your cool, not even mentioning the resentment of her methods.

"Rich sellswords nowadays, no?" you try to be as diplomatic as possible and not show any anger.

She visually evaluates the situation and responds in a second with some merriment in her voice (or is it hidden snark?) "Don't you worry about the local nuns and nurses so much: they would've pocketed them anyway and wasted it all on whoopeeing and new rags".

"So that is how we became petty thieves?" you spat out, restraining the growing anger.

"They owe me some for not letting you kill them, so it is square and fair in my book," she replies, "and I am a survivor, not a thief," she adds shortly with the more serious voice. Apparently, she does not want to talk to you seriously if at all.

Seeing her approaching the doorway, you suddenly bar the door with your hand, preventing her from opening it. "Does this book of yours say that these mercs and hunters will head to the same region we're going, which means there is a real chance we would cross again, with them having an extra reason to cause us troubles or to exact the grudge with steel?" you say as she grows immediately serious.

"What's your issue?" she snaps.

"It is not my issue and even not yours alone: whether we like it or not, we are in the same group now, and your actions have consequences for us all. I can't warranty that you would report back to Rosaline if you continue to leave the same trail of havoc that you left in Eastern Kingdoms".

"Well, Drumkad smite me: a bhiroth kick booted by his own and who worked for slavers is preaching to me about integrity!" her eyes fire up with orange light and her words pierce through your social shell.

"Says the runaway murderer who would've been either skinned alive by westlanders or whoring herself for pottage in Rabenia if not for this bhiroth," you fire back.

You are fairly bad at reading people - and especially of other races - but your extemporaneous ripost clearly made her physically recoil, with the fire behind her eyes rampaging; you made her hurt too. Breathing angry, she replied nothing, unsuccessfully trying to force the door open from under your push. Before she pulled again, you released it. She didn't look at you when she hopped inside, leaving you to the late winter dampness and the cacophony of village sounds. You sigh heavy, still feeling hurt and tired from the exchange. You don't know what you did for the higher forces (if they exist) to bring you with this insufferable daeva, but you sure know that this will be one damnably long journey.

Wanna me to write the bonus POV side story from Sephorah's perspective too?

veekie · Feb 3, 2019

Teloch said:
Wanna me to write the bonus POV side story from Sephorah's perspective too?

Heck yes

wingstrike96 · Feb 4, 2019

Our group needs an adult and its going to be the youngest of them all

Teloch · Feb 11, 2019

You are pacing down the village's tidy street while humming a jolly tune and carrying to all the gear that you procured by a whim of chance. Even though the events of today could turn for the worst, you pulled it out with a benefit. Good thing Sparkling ran by to alert you about what was going on. As you casually ponder about Lucy and what she did, you catch yourself on a random notion that you like her in general and certainly you like her most compared to others from your odd current group. She may be very naive and idealistic, but she always wants to help and make things right, which you don't often come across in people. She is like a stereotypical good-tempered but sheltered young sister which you never had; this particular vibe makes you grin faintly but also regret that you didn't buy anything for her. Oh well, maybe some goodie at the inn would do the trick? You noticed that Sparkling has a particularly sweet tooth, after all, which makes her even sweeter in your eyes.

However, your somewhat-merry musings about the sudden improvement of the journey conditions as well as mental evaluation of your companions come to an abrupt end as you approach the Raider's Halt and see him - the bhiroth who chased you half the continent north, who somehow happened to have ties to establishment from which you benefited, and who at least appeared to abandon the bounty on your head when Sparkling entered the scene. You can characterize yourself as an individual with developed emotional intelligence - the trait that allowed you to come through the times you would not wish to anyone, but this particular individual almost always makes you superficially agitated when in sight. What's worse, you can't put your finger on what about him makes you wanna kick or bite him (or both): the grudge for him chasing you, the mysterious change of heart that he experienced near Beilford, the way he talks to everyone as if he's a judge or just knows it better, his poor sociality, or that disgusting stick-up-his-arse attitude that is common to his race in general. Whenever it is because of one, a few, all of the mentioned factors or even none of them, you almost always want to kick him, and today is not an exception, given that he managed to stick into someone else's problem just because he felt "morally obliged" to bring order.

"Rich sellswords nowadays, no?" he speaks to you with the painfully-obvious fake humor. You have a foul taste in your mouth from having to hear that.

"Don't you worry about the local nuns and nurses so much: they would've pocketed them anyway and wasted it all on whoopeeing and new rags" your response kicks in after a short moment of evaluation and guesstimation of what is it he wants from you. Despite trying to fake outgoingness, you grin to your own snark, knowing all too well about the things people in cloth do when no one can see them.

"So that is how we became petty thieves?" he replies. But of course, he could not resist throwing in the morality card into play, how would he even sleep at night knowing that he missed an opportunity to reprimand you and to loudly clang with his Balls of Virtue; it's not like you deserved a "good job" line for not letting the brawl go lethal or anything.

"They owe me some for not letting you kill them, so it is square and fair in my book," you say, "and I am a survivor, not a thief,". You doubt that this would push the brute's thought process in the right direction, but it's not like you can't try to unplug his head from his arse. Hoping that what you said would occupy his thought for the moments you need to slip inside, rendering the conversation irrelevant by others being able to overhear it.

But suddenly, the brute slams and hold the door right under your nose, saying: "Does this book of yours say that these mercs and hunters will head to the same region we're going, which means there is a real chance we would cross again, with them having an extra reason to cause us troubles or to exact the grudge with steel?".

That's it: the glove has been thrown. "What is your issue?" you fire back, dropping the nonsense.

"It is not my issue and even not yours alone: whether we like it or not, we are in the same group now, and your actions have consequences for us all. I can't warranty that you would report back to Rosaline if you continue to leave the same trail of havoc that you left in Eastern Kingdoms" he replies straight into your ear, at way closer distance you'd like to see him from.

The day was good up until now, so to keep it that way, which makes you opt to fight fire with fire and to slam this churl against his own gargantuan hypocrisy: "Well, Ramkud smite me: a bhiroth kick booted by his own and who worked for slavers is preaching to me about integrity!"

"Says the runaway murderer who would've been either skinned alive by westlanders or whoring herself for pottage in Rabenia if not for this bhiroth," comes the somewhat twitchy and uneven counter-attack... but it hits you. For a moment, your mind fills with recollections - the ones you were desperate to forget for some years. Then, the uncomfortable questions kick in: how much does he know about you to be so pointed and whether or not he said that to deliberately hurt you? Anger rises swiftly, and the flames of it even reach past his thick skull, which you can read from his eyes. Not willing to give him the joy of unsaddling you from your composure, you irritatingly pull the door handle for two times, getting inside only after the second one - when the overgrown douchebag leaned off the door.

Despite your initial plans to return and be merry with the rest of the group, you storm up the stairway, gathering the gazes of your already bewildered party members in the mess hall. Just before disappearing from their line of sight, you hear Amalia - that eastlander chambermaid girl - disappointedly saying something akin to "... at it again...". You storm inside the lodging, barring the door with your frame's weight from the inside, and begin to breathe methodically to calm down.

In about six minutes, you are calm again. Disappointed, weary, saddened, but also calm. As your mind regains its rational functions and you return to what had just transpired, you come to three conclusions. First: it is likely that the brute has just landed a lucky strike on you without even knowing it. You are more prone to believe in his luck than in the possibility of him understanding others emotions and thoughts to the degree of weaponizing them. Second: despite you disliking this particular individual, this expedition and Lucy's safety is what ties you to the isle of at least some stability that is work for Rosaline. Third: this will be one damnably long journey.

You bite your lip and think again about descending to the mess hall, trying to draw away the thought that this rhoth wasn't entirely wrong, and that the wide-eyed and naive version of you that snuck into the ship at Ussar going north in search for a better life would have never guessed where, after what, and as whom you would wind up. You close your eyes and brush your horns with the left hand's big and middle fingers; you're in no mood for a company right now.

Teloch · Feb 11, 2019

Alrighty folks, calling the vote in one day. Vote now if you missed the bandwagoning, and don't forget to state your opinion on the question highlighted in the poll above.

EDIT: oh, and roll me 1d5, please

Mother Nyx · Feb 11, 2019

Yayyy!

Teloch · Feb 11, 2019

Lazy Minx said:
Yayyy!

Oh ffff...
Seems like you'll have to find a Team Mom or become one sooner than I expected. The dice gods seem to like it the hard way.

Mother Nyx · Feb 11, 2019

We'll just need to become the team mom it seems.

veekie · Feb 11, 2019

We need an adult

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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Mother of Elpis

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