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

Varano · Feb 23, 2019

[X] Burn it

Teloch · Feb 23, 2019

Just reminding you that there's a new poll above.

wingstrike96 · Feb 23, 2019

[X] Take it

Science!

Bladesguy · Feb 23, 2019

[X] Burn it

x0Nothing0x · Feb 23, 2019

[X] Burn it

Teloch · Feb 24, 2019

Calling votes in a day.

veekie · Feb 24, 2019

[X] Burn it

Martenzo · Feb 24, 2019

[X] Burn it

Teloch · Feb 25, 2019

After the occurred skirmish and the transpired story, deciding what to do with the last remnant of the Merigold's legend fell onto you, which quickly and undoubtedly led to you asking Karl to burn the cursed blanket. You had some odd reservation about how your expedition mates would react, but none of objected against your decision to rid the world from at least some pain that seemed to be so common. The "ceremony" was silent, with no unforeseen extraordinal events taking place, with no one commenting, and only a few wild birds eyeing the small fire curiously from the tips of the trees, occasionally filling the ambiance with their croaking and hootings.

That day - Hearthwind 4 - you did not get far from your previous stop, even though with the perishing of the legendary wraith no longer you were trapped in the perpetual misty woods. You'd say that the travel progress that you made that afternoon was a compromise between everyone's desire to leave the scene of the unfortunate event and the need to catch a breath and give others - especially the non-combatants and your pack animal - some time to shed the shock. Eventually, you found your new stop for the evening in the long-dry branch of Tzuh-Aran river, hidden behind plentiful shrubs and woods. The rest of the day you spent trying to figure out the group's morale changes with sporadic small talks. Oddly enough, Ulren became slightly less tense after the violent event as if some metaphorical equation that he tried to calculate recently lost one of its unknown variables. You spotted Amalia giving you an approving look after asking her for her thoughts on how your incursion ended the local legend. Uncommonly enough, Karl proved to be relatively talkative, jokingly teasing you with the lost opportunity to study a rare - if cursed - artifact, and then toasting to the fittingly bittersweet ends for wicked fates. You not quite expected him to turn poetic, but it might have been the wine talking. Unlike the others, Sephorah turned aloof for the rest of the day. Whether the Merigold's story and its conclusion touched her, or if it was because of something that shaken her at the time of her less-than-stellar combat performance, she refrained from giving any clues. The boys were happy to forget the event sooner, so you didn't even bother pestering them.

The peaceful evening fell, with you sliding into the tent where Amalia was already watching her dreams about the lands she only read about, and with Sephorandh - your another tent-mate - starting her night shift at the campfire, blankly staring at the dance of the flame while waiting for Ulren to change her up closer to the new dawn.

_________________________

Hearthwind 5 was cardinally different from the day before, as there was no surprise events or potentially hostile entities lying in an ambush they made for you. If nothing else, yesterday's gloom faded with the quality nap (or as qualitative as it only can be in the wilds), and you felt invigorated from the early morning. You've had another one of the weird dreams that night. However, it wasn't from the kind that made you wake in cold sweat: it was about a couple of wolves hunting a wild stallion and turning at each other when their prey was broken and bleeding, with lush vegetation spouting wildly from the pools of its blood, and adding verdancy to the austere landscape.

After rubbing away the remnants of sleep, you settled on continuing your individual practice with the spirit arcane. Perhaps, your decision to pursue the type of magic you were told to be one of the most dangerous for the practitioner was carried out of the practical evidence of how often it can make a difference, or maybe it was the desire to balance out the arcane talents of yours that made you return to trying to sense Limbus from the realm of the living, testing the depth and the limits of the concentration-induced trance. Practicing manipulations on the spiritual level might have been more productive, but you could not digest the idea of manipulating with the souls of your groupmates. Regardless, you attempted to study what was safe, also spending time before the marching hours trying to structurize the interactions between soul sparks, their memory trails, and the object charged with the memory residue (aka, the conduits). You felt it considerably more difficult to make sense out of the life circle aspect without Claudius's guidance and answers to your ever-growing pile of questions.

The late morning and afternoon flew by, perhaps, even better than usual, with Sephorah and Ren not finding a reason to lash at each other, Karl finally showing some curiosity about our route and not just sticking around because his employer ordered him to, and the day itself proving to be distinctly sunny and relatively warm. Spreading wings and getting up in the sky to check the surroundings was a pleasure, permitting you to burst out your excessive physical vigor in a refreshing setting.

Alas, any kind of joy is fleeting, and the perfect lukewarm day began to lose its charm in the late afternoon, when the winds rose up, losing any notion of gentleness, and the sky became a scene of the advancing front of dark clouds. At first, you did not understand what was going to happen, as such weather was frequent in springtime. It was at the moment when Ren and Amalia got annoyed by the need to call the day's march short in favor of finding a cover from the weather when you began to feel strange. The thundering heartbeat, the uneven breath, and the guttural feeling of agitation ensued. You harbored hopes that you won't have to go through it, but when did this world cater to your whims? Previously annoyed, Ren and Amalia, in particular, became alerted when you told them that this was not just some storm - it was the Gaian storm, which means that you are up for some hard time.

Thanks to your earlier aerial scouting, the decision where to hide from weather was made quickly - it happened to be a cavity in one of the nearby riverside woodland's hills. By the time your agitation gained some hues of panic, your team reached the scene, breaking the camp under the rocky curtain. Your motions became wobbly in the wake of approaching phenomenon, but you still could stand your ground. Ulren could not let his eyes from you, preparing to help you endure the seizure he knew was coming, while Amalia and Sephorah were plain scared about what was going on with you. Karl gestured Isaac to get close and ready to assist if necessary. As for you, your mind was starting to get foggy, so you decided on

[] Clutching to someone
-[] Ulren
-[] Sephorah
-[] Amalia
-[] Karl
-[] Isaac
-[] Jory

[] Stoically standing your ground (or at least trying to)

Teloch · Feb 25, 2019

Sheets updated and the votes are up.

PS: the good thing about predictable votes (aka bandwagoning) is that one may start writing the next update before the votes are called.
PPS: the poll is still up, but it won't be for too long, now.

Martenzo · Feb 25, 2019

[X] Stoically standing your ground (or at least trying to)

VagueZ · Feb 25, 2019

[x] Clutching to someone
-[x] Ulren

Old habits die hard.

Varano · Feb 25, 2019

[x] Clutching to someone
-[x] Ulren

veekie · Feb 25, 2019

[x] Clutching to someone
-[x] Ulren

Mother Nyx · Feb 25, 2019

[X] Stoically standing your ground (or at least trying to)

Emanyzal · Feb 25, 2019

[X] Stoically standing your ground (or at least trying to)

Bladesguy · Feb 25, 2019

[X] Clutching to someone
-[X] Sephorah

uiopion · Feb 25, 2019

[X] Stoically standing your ground (or at least trying to)

Time to get better at this.

EternalObserver · Feb 25, 2019

[X] Stoically standing your ground (or at least trying to)

Teloch · Feb 26, 2019

Kden, voting time is up. Seems like our girl gonna show some temper. Making a 'sauce' roll to determine how much of it.

In the meanwhile, check this!

Teloch · Mar 2, 2019

Maybe it was pride or any other display of your temper emerging, but as your ability of rational thinking was getting hampered by the sensation of the storm, you decided on bracing and standing your ground instead of using the help some of your groupmates were ready and willing to provide. Even though your posture began to shake, and the senses began to leave you, the idea of needing to learn to withstand ordeals on your own was searing in your eyes, and it helped you not to lose your head in this flux of sensations.

With your back facing the avalanching winds carrying the storm and the emerging rain, once again you sunk into the depths of sensory chaos. Your heart felt like on the verge of bursting or being vomited out because of its frantic drumming, your hands and legs began to shiver before the elements, and your normal senses began to malfunction. Instead of hearing your group mates' troubled comments and attempts to get you to respond, once again you were stunned by what felt like the roar of the universe storming from the east. It felt like a roar of thousands of the animals unseen or the cry of entire races not yet emerged. The intensity of it made you feel like a tiny grain of sand caught under the tidal wave. You dropped on your knees and leaned forward, with only your stretched hands preventing you from falling flat on the ground. You could not breathe nor move, trying to preserve consciousness in defiance to the phenomenon. You could not hear what your comrades were saying, but at some moment you felt them attempting to clutch to your unfolded wings in an attempt for any response from you at all. And then, after a couple of dozens of moments of feeling the breath of the realm echoing in your innards, the sensation began to recede gradually.

In a few more moments, when the haze in your head began to clear out, you folded back your wings and straightened your torso, assuming a sitting position with your palms on your knees, which were pressed together before you.

"I'm fine! I think..." you spoke out first, seeing the questions and concern on the faces of Ulren, Amalia, and Sephorah. After you said that, you caught the scent of blood in your nose; you wiped it with your sleeve, seeing no signs of serious bleeding, so it was not something serious.

You noticed that this time around, you were recovering much faster from the Gaian storm's impact compared to the last time, or did not sustain that much of a shock at the first place. Oddly enough, it seemed like your thaumaturgic powers weren't muted, allowing you to conjure a flicker of light from your twitching fingers.

"See? Much better than the last time," you smiled awkwardly, partly because you felt proud for enduring this ordeal on your own and partially because you thought it would reassure others. Your overall looks and the aftershock symptoms were not very effective at convincing others, though.

"And just how frequent does this happen to it?" Jory was the first one to break the awkward silence of your companions, which in an instant chiseled out Amalia's scandalized gasp, Sephorah's resentful glare, and Ulren's annoyed grunt - all aimed at the lad.

"What?" he inquired, making it harder for himself.

As the evening slowly began to return to normal, featuring the cold downpour and your group's grumblings about how this change of weather can slow down your progress and how they are most certainly going to catch a cold. The act of going through the third Gaian storm relatively gracefully also brought a whole heap of new discoveries and observations. First of all, you noticed that these storms always come from the east and go westwards. While munching on the recollections of sensations during your after-shock recovery, you made a theory that the inhuman roar which you hear at the time of these storms may very well be the confluxes of arcane aspects. That's the closest you can get to justify the "overload" of your thaumaturgistic senses.

Even more discoveries were unearthed when you shifted your perspective and tried studying the fallout of the phenomena using your soul aspect capacities. Once again you could hear the incoherent murmurs and whispers of what you can only assume as short-lasting ambient forms of spiritual existence, and once again the storm made the memory traces of your companions' items temporarily readable (with the Morinth's blanket she asked to deliver to Yvie being arguably the biggest), you also sensed that the veil between the normal realm and Limbus was thinned by the storm. You could almost guarantee that these storms take place in both realms simultaneously, which made you curious what are they like on the other side. But regardless, Karl was quite entertained from listening to your observation and theories while Isaac was briefly checking up on you. You can tell that the mute lad was intrigued to a degree, too.

Some time after, when your group has properly unpacked and broke out a camp for an evening, the paranormal residue of the Gaian storm began to fade. It is was exactly in those minutes where the eerie murmurs were no longer audible and the memory traces shrunk down to nigh-illegibility when you found that something was odd. Deeper in the cave, there was a faint sense of trail. Sensing nothing alive or undead that would pose a threat, you decided to investigate that particular spot of the natural shelter, conjuring a light orb to illuminate the dark corner. Seeing you departing from the center of the camp wherein Amalia was raising a fire on whatever dry fuel you had left, Ulren followed, presumably uncomfortable with the thought of you stalking the cavern alone. During those moments, you were venturing deeper, seeing no signs of animal nesting or other clues that this cave might have been inhabited. It was right when you approached the mysterious spot when the light of the orb touched the cavern's floor, revealing skeletal fragments of a humanoid's body scattered on the muddy floor of the cave.

"Seems like you have a dower for locating dead" Ulren spoke while placing his arm on your shoulder, aiming to calm you with this gesture.

"Hardly a talent in light of how dangerous the wilds are to travelers and certainly not a talent to be proud of" you responded without turning to him, focusing on the long-decayed corpse instead.

"Can you... investigate it?" asked Ulren, most likely referring your talent with the spirit aspect.

"Long dead and anywhere but attached to the remains," you answered after a routine effort to determine ethereal presences, "but there's something nearby that resonated. An object, I think"

In about ten seconds, Ulren bent down to procure something from the dirt - a dark, circular object reminding a coin or a medal with its shape and which was lying near the arm bones of the dead. Judging by the positioning of the bones, he or she spent the last moment of their life leaning against the cold rocks of the cavern, presumably wounded or too sick to move any further. It is very likely that this nameless victim was holding to the recovered metallic object in their last moments, before the predators and decay scattered around the lifeless remains.

"Can it be this thing?" the man asked you, handing you the finding.

You took it in your hands (albeit a bit hesitantly), trying to assess what might it be and why did it perk your attention in the first place. Under the conjured light, you quickly determined that the object is silver - old and considerably tarnished. It appeared to be a sort of a medallion or a chocker centerpiece, with the ear above suggesting that it must have been worn on a string or ribbon. After brushing this object against cloth, it revealed a fragment of a short word on one of its sides, with only the last and partially the second letters still discernable: "IA" from the new Pherinian alphabet. Most notoriously, the item still emitted a very faint memory trail awoken by the storm, which was about to disappear in a matter of a minute or two. Not waiting for the disappearance of the opportunity, you locked your senses on the object, trying to read whatever marks were left on it.

To your greater surprise, the reading was complicated and very impartial. Maybe it was your lack of skill, the memories attached to this item faded with time, or the effects of the Gaian storm fading, but you managed to recover only tiny clues. First of all - there were two entities attached to this object, with one of them most likely being the deceased whose bones were at your feet. This person's last thought was of failure, guilt, and most of all - about their friend. You suspected that the rest of the traces were left by this friend, but you were amazed to acknowledge that you failed to decipher the marks left by them. All that you managed to read was the faint vibes of the "friend" person being rather wayward and whimsical, with nothing more concrete than this.

"Have I ever told you that these daydream attacks of yours are starting to look concerning?" Ren's voice pulled you out from the self-induced light trance.

"Sorry, I was just considering this knick-knack. It is likely safe. Weird but safe".

Instead of replying, Ren gave you a strange eye, to which you blinked and shook your head. "Can we give them the last rites? Bury them outside after the rain stops or tomorrow before departing?"

Ulren sighed, "Given how little remained, I see no reason why not. Just try not to scare others if you decide to mention what kind of a "neighbor" we've got in here", he then shrugged and added, "or do give them some scare so I won't have to be the one awake and carrying out the night shift today".

You tried to smirk out of politeness: humor wasn't among Ulren's virtues.

As your friendly giant began to pace back to the camp, you found yourself standing alone with the odd medallion in your hands.

[] Put it down
The idea of stealing from dead (even if they are long dead) is unsettling. You just feel that it would be the right thing to do to bury this item.

[] Take it
Perhaps, you think that there's a tiny chance that this silver piece may find its other owner with your help. Maybe, you just want to solve the secret it seems to hide. Or it would just be a good studying material for you to sharpen your spirit magic talent with.

Martenzo · Mar 2, 2019

[X] Put it down

Sirapthy · Mar 2, 2019

[X] Take it

EternalObserver · Mar 2, 2019

[X] Put it down

Bladesguy · Mar 2, 2019

[X] Take it

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?

ಠ_ಠ

ಠ_ಠ

ಠ_ಠ

ಠ_ಠ

ಠ_ಠ

Mother of Elpis

eYe Gaze baCk

ಠ_ಠ

ಠ_ಠ

eYe Gaze baCk