Your eyes flutter open as you awaken. Lying on a stone slab in the middle of a dome shaped room...
Nascent Goddess Quest
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Jhin Lemon
Lawful Cute
- Location
- Trapped in the interwebs, please send help
Your eyes flutter open as you awaken. Lying on a stone slab in the middle of a dome shaped room with your arms crossed over your chest. As you get up various joints pop from disuse. Inspecting what you can of your body you determine that you are female and wearing pale robes...You'd rather not inspect much further though. Where are you? Who are you?
With no one around to answer those burning questions and the many, many more surging through your mind, you decide to look for a way out of the room. The roof is fairly solid looking, though parts of it have fallen away (thank god none fell on you while you slept), beams of light radiate into the room through the holes in the roof. The walls are covered in damp moss, with vines entangled and reaching up the walls to the sunlight. One end of the room is bathed in sunlight and more kinds of plant life than a botanist could easily name are overgrowing.There is even what seems to be a small tree growing in the center. Opposite the horde of plants lies a section of the wall that is completely barren of colour.
You wander around the room looking for some way to escape your stone prison. There are no doors or secret passages that you can find and the barren wall, strange as it is, provides no secrets. You contemplate climbing, but the domed shape coupled with the damp moss makes that effectively impossible, and you'd rather not risk breaking your neck if you slip from high up. All of the plans you came up with exhausted, you turn to your only backup plan...screaming at the top of your lungs, "HEY, IS ANYONE THERE!? LET ME OUT!"
Surprisingly you hear some hurried shuffling on the other side of the wall, along with a click. The room begins shaking slightly and the barren wall recedes into the ground, revealing an old man. He seems like a child on their birthday, barely able to contain his excitement as he enters the room and sweeps his eyes over the it, stopping on you. His previously giddy grin turns into a beaming smile so bright you could swear it rivalled the beams of sunlight filtering through the roof. Despite the smile though, he's a rather unkempt man; messy hair sticking out in all directions, a long scraggly beard and a dirty cloak that only a beggar would wear. "My Lady! You've awoken!" the grimy man shouts in delight, were you royalty of some sort?
"I'm...sorry, who are you?" you inquire.
"Oh, oh my," the man mutters to himself for a few seconds, "they told me you might have forgotten, but...do you remember anything about your past?" You shake your head.
"Hmm, well, I'll have to try and remind you." He scratches the back of his head while pacing in a circle, after doing this for some time he speaks up, "You know of the Gods and Goddesses, correct?"
"I know they exist, the specifics are fuzzy though."
"Very well, I shall not delay such an important announcement. You are a Goddess, more specifically you are…"
[] Write-in name
"the Goddess of…"
[] Health
[] Fortune
[] Justice
[] Nature
[] Water
[] Write-in (may be subject to veto. Yes, you can be the Goddess of Cookies if you want. Note that a more general domain means less power over individual things. One domain only.)
"...I am your most loyal worshipper," he looks guilty for a moment, "I am also...your only remaining follower... that I know of at least." He gives you a sheepish smile as he attempts to regain his pace, "Your other followers...gave up since you fell into sleep, but my family never gave up hope! We were tasked with defending you until the moment you woke up because of our intense devotion!" he declared with extreme pride.
"How-how long have I been asleep? Where am I?" you ask, only just following along with what this potentially crazed man was saying, "And, if what you say is true, how will I get my powers back?"
"You have slept for a great many generations My Lady. In the central temple of your followers. As for your abilities and memories I have an idea, I shall raise you as a follower and pray that in doing so your memories will return."
With no one around to answer those burning questions and the many, many more surging through your mind, you decide to look for a way out of the room. The roof is fairly solid looking, though parts of it have fallen away (thank god none fell on you while you slept), beams of light radiate into the room through the holes in the roof. The walls are covered in damp moss, with vines entangled and reaching up the walls to the sunlight. One end of the room is bathed in sunlight and more kinds of plant life than a botanist could easily name are overgrowing.There is even what seems to be a small tree growing in the center. Opposite the horde of plants lies a section of the wall that is completely barren of colour.
You wander around the room looking for some way to escape your stone prison. There are no doors or secret passages that you can find and the barren wall, strange as it is, provides no secrets. You contemplate climbing, but the domed shape coupled with the damp moss makes that effectively impossible, and you'd rather not risk breaking your neck if you slip from high up. All of the plans you came up with exhausted, you turn to your only backup plan...screaming at the top of your lungs, "HEY, IS ANYONE THERE!? LET ME OUT!"
Surprisingly you hear some hurried shuffling on the other side of the wall, along with a click. The room begins shaking slightly and the barren wall recedes into the ground, revealing an old man. He seems like a child on their birthday, barely able to contain his excitement as he enters the room and sweeps his eyes over the it, stopping on you. His previously giddy grin turns into a beaming smile so bright you could swear it rivalled the beams of sunlight filtering through the roof. Despite the smile though, he's a rather unkempt man; messy hair sticking out in all directions, a long scraggly beard and a dirty cloak that only a beggar would wear. "My Lady! You've awoken!" the grimy man shouts in delight, were you royalty of some sort?
"I'm...sorry, who are you?" you inquire.
"Oh, oh my," the man mutters to himself for a few seconds, "they told me you might have forgotten, but...do you remember anything about your past?" You shake your head.
"Hmm, well, I'll have to try and remind you." He scratches the back of his head while pacing in a circle, after doing this for some time he speaks up, "You know of the Gods and Goddesses, correct?"
"I know they exist, the specifics are fuzzy though."
"Very well, I shall not delay such an important announcement. You are a Goddess, more specifically you are…"
[] Write-in name
"the Goddess of…"
[] Health
[] Fortune
[] Justice
[] Nature
[] Water
[] Write-in (may be subject to veto. Yes, you can be the Goddess of Cookies if you want. Note that a more general domain means less power over individual things. One domain only.)
"...I am your most loyal worshipper," he looks guilty for a moment, "I am also...your only remaining follower... that I know of at least." He gives you a sheepish smile as he attempts to regain his pace, "Your other followers...gave up since you fell into sleep, but my family never gave up hope! We were tasked with defending you until the moment you woke up because of our intense devotion!" he declared with extreme pride.
"How-how long have I been asleep? Where am I?" you ask, only just following along with what this potentially crazed man was saying, "And, if what you say is true, how will I get my powers back?"
"You have slept for a great many generations My Lady. In the central temple of your followers. As for your abilities and memories I have an idea, I shall raise you as a follower and pray that in doing so your memories will return."
2 (AKA: Infodump; The Update)
Jhin Lemon
Lawful Cute
- Location
- Trapped in the interwebs, please send help
Winning Votes:
[w] Eshani, She Who Soars Above
[w] Ambition
"Eshani, huh," you murmur as you are lead out of the chamber. The rest of the church isn't in much better shape than the room you were held in, broken columns, walls covered in ivy and...is that a hole in the roof? It seemed keeping the place in shape wasn't at the top of the old man's priority list.
You were taken to a room that was much more well kept than the rest of the church, it was fairly simple; not much more than a bed, a window and desk with some candles scattered around.
"Well, I'll leave you to settle in for today, tomorrow we can begin your training," the man says as he turns to leave.
"Wait," you call out, he turns around, "what do I call you?"
"Ah, how foolish of me, I am Tobias Emilie," the now named Tobias replies.
"Well, thank you for your assistance Tobias," you give him a kind smile as he leaves. Even if he was a crazed man, it would be better to stay on his good side.
You lie back on your bed, rubbing at your face and considering your options. Asking to leave probably wouldn't be taken well, especially considering you know next to nothing about where you are, maybe you should ask for some maps later.
Sticking around wouldn't be too bad, he's giving you shelter and probably food, and if he was going to sell you into slavery or something he could have done it while you slept, plus Tobias could teach you about the world you've forgotten about.The only other option you can think of would be leaving with someone who has it together more than Tobias, but you don't know anyone else so that's risky. It seemed that the safest option was to stick around for now.
Future plans decided on, you turn to the window, it's now completely dark outside, seems like night falls quickly around here. Well, the dark outside allowed the window to be used as a makeshift mirror at the very least. Looking at your face you notice that your expression defaults into one of determination, not the cold type, your face elicits a feeling of reliability. The next thing you notice is your fiery orange hair, having been kept in a short ponytail while you slept, the tip of it had the appearance of an arrow. The final thing about your appearance that caught your attention was your deep emerald coloured eyes.
With little else to do and the outside clouded by darkness, drowsiness began to be felt, despite the fact that you'd just recently awoken. You change into some cotton pyjamas that Tobias had likely set up for you and slip into bed. As soon as you slip under the covers a thought runs through your mind: 'I forgot to extinguish the candles', yet, no sooner does this cross your mind that the candlelight vanishes and you are plunged into darkness. Blaming it on magic candles, you go to sleep.
oOo
The warmth of sunlight on your face wakes you from your dreamless slumber. Rising from the bed you change back into your robes and head out of the room. Tobias is in the main room, waiting for you.
"Good morning My Lady," he greets you, "once you have eaten I thought it would be prudent to teach you of the world before we move on." Tobias gestures over to a table that has been set up behind him. Despite the worn supplies and lack of resources, Tobias has done his best to make it look fancy, the table is covered with a red curtain, acting as a tablecloth, and the small amount of meat and vegetables on the plates has been arranged in a surprisingly nice looking way. As if sensing your question he answers, "I've taken up cooking and gardening to pass the time while you slumbered." You quickly eat the meal, speeding up after the first bite proves to be more delicious than you'd anticipated.
Seeing that you've finished your breakfast Tobias waves you over to where he is sitting on the ground and pulls out a book. As soon as you sit he begins his lecture.
"The first thing you should know is the lay of the land." Tobias pulls out a centerfold from the book and opens it on the floor. "Now, in the center we have the central temples, one for each god," he points to the middle of the map, where a cluster of small circles lie. "This area also acts as a neutral zone between the kingdoms, so most negotiations take place in this area."
He moves his finger to the bottom left, "Now here we have the Rutopian Empire, they're usually seen as the 'good guys' of the territories, they started the adventurers' guilds and have a reputation for helping the other kingdoms."
The digit travels upwards, to about halfway up the map, "Next we have the Atruonan territories, lots of little areas each owned by different nobles, Atruona was blessed with plentiful lands, so they've never needed supplies, unlike the Rutopians though, they don't share, they're happy to live in their isolated bubble of decadence." His tone shifts, becoming more harsh, "They also have a rule that if you kill a noble you get their territory, but no one really bothers because that just puts a target on your back."
The next area is the one on the right, "This is Asoa, they've got all this land," With a sweeping gesture, he motions to the entire right side of the map, "but it's worth nothing, they've got something along the lines of a permanent winter over their land so almost nothing grows there. They've turned to fishing to survive, it's basically their only export."
"Now one last territory before we move on to the worst. All these islands around the map that aren't part of the continent? They've formed a coalition and become their own territory: Kolania. They're smaller than the others, but they have easy access to every part of the continent." Tobias pulls out a flask and takes a sip before sighing,
"And now we get to the Valcians, 'purists' who have rejected worshiping the gods to 'better focus on progress' ignoring Pyjor the God of Progress himself!" He slams a fist down onto the ground, causing you to jump, "And of course they get put at the top of the map." His jaw clenched and a scowl on his face, he takes another sip from his flask to cool his sudden anger. "My apologies, I let my passion overwhelm me," he takes a short break to calm down.
"Now then, there are also bandits that roam around, but you should watch out for the Elder Cults, they worship the Abominations that oppose the creations of the Gods and seek to destroy everything, I know not why anyone would worship them. The Blackfire Assassins I must especially warn you against, they have managed to kill two reincarnating Gods thus far and have somehow evaded the wrath of the others, worse still, they have members in every territory." He pauses for one more sip of the liquid in his flask. "I know I've given you a lot of information, is there anything you need clarification on?"
Up to 3 subvotes
[] Yes, I'd like to ask about
-[] The Ruptorians
-[] The Atruonans
-[] The Asoans
-[] The Kolanians
-[] The Valcians
-[] The Elder Cultists
-[] The Blackfire Assassins
-[] Other Gods
[] No questions
[w] Eshani, She Who Soars Above
[w] Ambition
"Eshani, huh," you murmur as you are lead out of the chamber. The rest of the church isn't in much better shape than the room you were held in, broken columns, walls covered in ivy and...is that a hole in the roof? It seemed keeping the place in shape wasn't at the top of the old man's priority list.
You were taken to a room that was much more well kept than the rest of the church, it was fairly simple; not much more than a bed, a window and desk with some candles scattered around.
"Well, I'll leave you to settle in for today, tomorrow we can begin your training," the man says as he turns to leave.
"Wait," you call out, he turns around, "what do I call you?"
"Ah, how foolish of me, I am Tobias Emilie," the now named Tobias replies.
"Well, thank you for your assistance Tobias," you give him a kind smile as he leaves. Even if he was a crazed man, it would be better to stay on his good side.
You lie back on your bed, rubbing at your face and considering your options. Asking to leave probably wouldn't be taken well, especially considering you know next to nothing about where you are, maybe you should ask for some maps later.
Sticking around wouldn't be too bad, he's giving you shelter and probably food, and if he was going to sell you into slavery or something he could have done it while you slept, plus Tobias could teach you about the world you've forgotten about.The only other option you can think of would be leaving with someone who has it together more than Tobias, but you don't know anyone else so that's risky. It seemed that the safest option was to stick around for now.
Future plans decided on, you turn to the window, it's now completely dark outside, seems like night falls quickly around here. Well, the dark outside allowed the window to be used as a makeshift mirror at the very least. Looking at your face you notice that your expression defaults into one of determination, not the cold type, your face elicits a feeling of reliability. The next thing you notice is your fiery orange hair, having been kept in a short ponytail while you slept, the tip of it had the appearance of an arrow. The final thing about your appearance that caught your attention was your deep emerald coloured eyes.
With little else to do and the outside clouded by darkness, drowsiness began to be felt, despite the fact that you'd just recently awoken. You change into some cotton pyjamas that Tobias had likely set up for you and slip into bed. As soon as you slip under the covers a thought runs through your mind: 'I forgot to extinguish the candles', yet, no sooner does this cross your mind that the candlelight vanishes and you are plunged into darkness. Blaming it on magic candles, you go to sleep.
oOo
The warmth of sunlight on your face wakes you from your dreamless slumber. Rising from the bed you change back into your robes and head out of the room. Tobias is in the main room, waiting for you.
"Good morning My Lady," he greets you, "once you have eaten I thought it would be prudent to teach you of the world before we move on." Tobias gestures over to a table that has been set up behind him. Despite the worn supplies and lack of resources, Tobias has done his best to make it look fancy, the table is covered with a red curtain, acting as a tablecloth, and the small amount of meat and vegetables on the plates has been arranged in a surprisingly nice looking way. As if sensing your question he answers, "I've taken up cooking and gardening to pass the time while you slumbered." You quickly eat the meal, speeding up after the first bite proves to be more delicious than you'd anticipated.
Seeing that you've finished your breakfast Tobias waves you over to where he is sitting on the ground and pulls out a book. As soon as you sit he begins his lecture.
"The first thing you should know is the lay of the land." Tobias pulls out a centerfold from the book and opens it on the floor. "Now, in the center we have the central temples, one for each god," he points to the middle of the map, where a cluster of small circles lie. "This area also acts as a neutral zone between the kingdoms, so most negotiations take place in this area."
He moves his finger to the bottom left, "Now here we have the Rutopian Empire, they're usually seen as the 'good guys' of the territories, they started the adventurers' guilds and have a reputation for helping the other kingdoms."
The digit travels upwards, to about halfway up the map, "Next we have the Atruonan territories, lots of little areas each owned by different nobles, Atruona was blessed with plentiful lands, so they've never needed supplies, unlike the Rutopians though, they don't share, they're happy to live in their isolated bubble of decadence." His tone shifts, becoming more harsh, "They also have a rule that if you kill a noble you get their territory, but no one really bothers because that just puts a target on your back."
The next area is the one on the right, "This is Asoa, they've got all this land," With a sweeping gesture, he motions to the entire right side of the map, "but it's worth nothing, they've got something along the lines of a permanent winter over their land so almost nothing grows there. They've turned to fishing to survive, it's basically their only export."
"Now one last territory before we move on to the worst. All these islands around the map that aren't part of the continent? They've formed a coalition and become their own territory: Kolania. They're smaller than the others, but they have easy access to every part of the continent." Tobias pulls out a flask and takes a sip before sighing,
"And now we get to the Valcians, 'purists' who have rejected worshiping the gods to 'better focus on progress' ignoring Pyjor the God of Progress himself!" He slams a fist down onto the ground, causing you to jump, "And of course they get put at the top of the map." His jaw clenched and a scowl on his face, he takes another sip from his flask to cool his sudden anger. "My apologies, I let my passion overwhelm me," he takes a short break to calm down.
"Now then, there are also bandits that roam around, but you should watch out for the Elder Cults, they worship the Abominations that oppose the creations of the Gods and seek to destroy everything, I know not why anyone would worship them. The Blackfire Assassins I must especially warn you against, they have managed to kill two reincarnating Gods thus far and have somehow evaded the wrath of the others, worse still, they have members in every territory." He pauses for one more sip of the liquid in his flask. "I know I've given you a lot of information, is there anything you need clarification on?"
Up to 3 subvotes
[] Yes, I'd like to ask about
-[] The Ruptorians
-[] The Atruonans
-[] The Asoans
-[] The Kolanians
-[] The Valcians
-[] The Elder Cultists
-[] The Blackfire Assassins
-[] Other Gods
[] No questions
Last edited:
Jhin Lemon
Lawful Cute
- Location
- Trapped in the interwebs, please send help
Winning votes:
[w] Yes, I'd like to ask about
-[w] The Elder Cultists
-[w] The Blackfire Assassins
-[w] Other Gods
Tobias lets out a long sigh as you ask your questions. "Well, I suppose it makes sense that you would want to know about the more dangerous individuals around. The Elder Cultists are a broad group, with a sect for each Abomination that has been heard of. No one knows how many Abominations exists, but it is theorised that there is one to oppose each God, though that doesn't address the fact that there have been multiple Abominations with the same powers; there are three known Abominations of Fire for example. The principles of each cult differs depending on the Abomination they choose to worship, but the core idea remains the same: Spread ruin and chaos throughout the world, for that is the inevitable conclusion and there is no reason to prolong it." Tobias lets out a dismissive hiss, "As for why they choose not to worship Etorr, the God of Chaos or Xena the Goddess of Destruction, it is likely because they teach that Chaos and Destruction can be used to progress, while the cultists want society to collapse!" Tabias rears back a fist to slam it down one more, but glances at you and stops, instead continuing his lecture with a little embarrassment, "Despite this some sects have managed to convince the authorities in some territories that their worship is not illegal, though this usually happens in Atruona, where enough money would let you publicly execute someone. I have no doubts however that these so called 'legal' cults would jump to crime and attempt to harm you if they learn of your true nature"
"As for the Blackfire Assassins, there are more rumours than fact, so I do not know how much is true. What I do know about them is that they are an organisation of murderers that stretches across all the territories, if you want someone dead and have enough money, they'll get in touch. Their members all carry what is called an Ash Dagger, no one outside the Blackfire Assassins has been able to make one, the dagger leaves a trail of hot ash along its path, limiting the movement of their target as well has causing immense pain to anyone cut by it, some have been reported to even cut off a God's natural healing abilities. The ash does not sear nerves as it burns the flesh, ensuring constant pain. There has never been a chance to study one of these daggers in great depth because they explode when their wielder dies, and these assassins are very much willing to die rather than expose their secrets. The daggers are said to be made only by those at the highest level of the organisation, a widely spread rumour is that the Blackfire Assassins have captured an Abomination somehow and use the ashes of its flesh in their daggers. There have been attempts to infiltrate the Assassins, but by the time anyone reached a position powerful enough to do anything, they had been indoctrinated. The Blackfire Assassins scar both their victims and their members, the more scars a member has, the more powerful he is. Despite the rumours of them having an Abomination, the Assassins do not worship one, though they have the same goal as the cultists: make society collapse. The organisation's ranks are filled with sadists, arsonists, anarchists and other scum, they are equally likely to ask you to join them as they are to kill you if they meet you, but if they knew of your nature and situation? You would be hunted down and killed in one of the most painful ways known to mortals."
"As for the other Gods, there are too many for me to list, but there is thought to be a God for each aspect of the world. The most important god to know of is Galtar the God of Divinity, the first God and thought to be the creator of the other Gods, his worshippers are by far the most powerful and influential religious figures. As I have said there are Gods with domain that are considered destructive, but all Gods works towards, and teach their followers to, seek the betterment of society. This is not to say the Gods are perfect, some Gods have been known to become corrupt and paranoid over time, but they usually return to their normal mannerisms quickly. There are several Gods that you should know of, though you should be able to remember them all when your memories return. First, the Cultivation Trio; Aiden, the God of the Sun, Morgan, the god of the Sea and Petra, Goddess of the Land. These three Gods provide us with all we need to survive: warmth, water and food; as such they have many worshippers. There are also several Gods your domain opposes that you should know of; Nistos the God of Apathy, Pavel the God of Humility and Ashlyn the Goddess of Relaxation. Those are the important Gods you need to know about." Having answered your questions Tobias rises from the ground and folds up the map.
"So, what are we doing next?" you ask.
"Next," he says, while leading you through a new corridor, "we are going to teach you how to fight." After walking for a short while you arrive at what appears to be an arena of some sort. Seeing your look of confusion Tobias explains, "Every God has a weapon they favour, all their followers are taught to fight with this weapon." He pauses to walk over to a glittering box, pulling out a thin blade. "This is your weapon: a rapier. Light enough to maneuver past an opponent's guard yet sturdy enough to deflect an attack if you have the right finesse. Much like how an ambitious person must be able to evade and deflect obstacle in their path while striving towards their goal."
As Tobias hands you the sword, you notice that the blade and handle have been engraved with various patterns, carefully done as to not upset the balance nor weaken the integrity of the weapon. You glance away from the marvelous looking instrument and up at your caretaker, Tobias stands in the center of the arena and beckons you. Stepping in you note that he also holds a similar blade in his hand, though much less fancy.
"Let us begin."
oOo
Of course Tobias beats you again and again, but you improve at an incredible pace, getting the upper hand several times in your most recent bout. You are taught that a rapier should not be used for directly blocking, but for deflecting a blow to the side and then stabbing through the opponent's open guard and that only the thicker bottom of the blade should be used for this. The rapier feels like another part of yourself, you can feel exactly how long it is and precisely how to turn it to deflect a blow. {Got the 'Rapier Training' Perk}. By the end of the day you feel confident that you might be able to beat Tobias.
"My Lady, the sun is beginning to set, we should have time for one last match."
[] Skip the fight (outcome will be decided by a single roll)
[] Do not skip the fight
If 'Do not skip the fight' is chosen, vote for combat as well.
Weapon
[] Fists (-20 to rolls) melee against a guy with a sword?
[] Rapier (no bonus)
Styles
[] Full Offence: +30 to hit, increased damage, no defence roll
[] Offence: +20 to hit, increased damage, -40 to defence roll
[] Balance: no bonus/penalty
[] Defence: +26 to defence roll, -26 to hit
[] Full Defence: +40 to defence roll, no attack
Parry?
[] Yes
[] No
[w] Yes, I'd like to ask about
-[w] The Elder Cultists
-[w] The Blackfire Assassins
-[w] Other Gods
Tobias lets out a long sigh as you ask your questions. "Well, I suppose it makes sense that you would want to know about the more dangerous individuals around. The Elder Cultists are a broad group, with a sect for each Abomination that has been heard of. No one knows how many Abominations exists, but it is theorised that there is one to oppose each God, though that doesn't address the fact that there have been multiple Abominations with the same powers; there are three known Abominations of Fire for example. The principles of each cult differs depending on the Abomination they choose to worship, but the core idea remains the same: Spread ruin and chaos throughout the world, for that is the inevitable conclusion and there is no reason to prolong it." Tobias lets out a dismissive hiss, "As for why they choose not to worship Etorr, the God of Chaos or Xena the Goddess of Destruction, it is likely because they teach that Chaos and Destruction can be used to progress, while the cultists want society to collapse!" Tabias rears back a fist to slam it down one more, but glances at you and stops, instead continuing his lecture with a little embarrassment, "Despite this some sects have managed to convince the authorities in some territories that their worship is not illegal, though this usually happens in Atruona, where enough money would let you publicly execute someone. I have no doubts however that these so called 'legal' cults would jump to crime and attempt to harm you if they learn of your true nature"
"As for the Blackfire Assassins, there are more rumours than fact, so I do not know how much is true. What I do know about them is that they are an organisation of murderers that stretches across all the territories, if you want someone dead and have enough money, they'll get in touch. Their members all carry what is called an Ash Dagger, no one outside the Blackfire Assassins has been able to make one, the dagger leaves a trail of hot ash along its path, limiting the movement of their target as well has causing immense pain to anyone cut by it, some have been reported to even cut off a God's natural healing abilities. The ash does not sear nerves as it burns the flesh, ensuring constant pain. There has never been a chance to study one of these daggers in great depth because they explode when their wielder dies, and these assassins are very much willing to die rather than expose their secrets. The daggers are said to be made only by those at the highest level of the organisation, a widely spread rumour is that the Blackfire Assassins have captured an Abomination somehow and use the ashes of its flesh in their daggers. There have been attempts to infiltrate the Assassins, but by the time anyone reached a position powerful enough to do anything, they had been indoctrinated. The Blackfire Assassins scar both their victims and their members, the more scars a member has, the more powerful he is. Despite the rumours of them having an Abomination, the Assassins do not worship one, though they have the same goal as the cultists: make society collapse. The organisation's ranks are filled with sadists, arsonists, anarchists and other scum, they are equally likely to ask you to join them as they are to kill you if they meet you, but if they knew of your nature and situation? You would be hunted down and killed in one of the most painful ways known to mortals."
"As for the other Gods, there are too many for me to list, but there is thought to be a God for each aspect of the world. The most important god to know of is Galtar the God of Divinity, the first God and thought to be the creator of the other Gods, his worshippers are by far the most powerful and influential religious figures. As I have said there are Gods with domain that are considered destructive, but all Gods works towards, and teach their followers to, seek the betterment of society. This is not to say the Gods are perfect, some Gods have been known to become corrupt and paranoid over time, but they usually return to their normal mannerisms quickly. There are several Gods that you should know of, though you should be able to remember them all when your memories return. First, the Cultivation Trio; Aiden, the God of the Sun, Morgan, the god of the Sea and Petra, Goddess of the Land. These three Gods provide us with all we need to survive: warmth, water and food; as such they have many worshippers. There are also several Gods your domain opposes that you should know of; Nistos the God of Apathy, Pavel the God of Humility and Ashlyn the Goddess of Relaxation. Those are the important Gods you need to know about." Having answered your questions Tobias rises from the ground and folds up the map.
"So, what are we doing next?" you ask.
"Next," he says, while leading you through a new corridor, "we are going to teach you how to fight." After walking for a short while you arrive at what appears to be an arena of some sort. Seeing your look of confusion Tobias explains, "Every God has a weapon they favour, all their followers are taught to fight with this weapon." He pauses to walk over to a glittering box, pulling out a thin blade. "This is your weapon: a rapier. Light enough to maneuver past an opponent's guard yet sturdy enough to deflect an attack if you have the right finesse. Much like how an ambitious person must be able to evade and deflect obstacle in their path while striving towards their goal."
As Tobias hands you the sword, you notice that the blade and handle have been engraved with various patterns, carefully done as to not upset the balance nor weaken the integrity of the weapon. You glance away from the marvelous looking instrument and up at your caretaker, Tobias stands in the center of the arena and beckons you. Stepping in you note that he also holds a similar blade in his hand, though much less fancy.
"Let us begin."
oOo
Of course Tobias beats you again and again, but you improve at an incredible pace, getting the upper hand several times in your most recent bout. You are taught that a rapier should not be used for directly blocking, but for deflecting a blow to the side and then stabbing through the opponent's open guard and that only the thicker bottom of the blade should be used for this. The rapier feels like another part of yourself, you can feel exactly how long it is and precisely how to turn it to deflect a blow. {Got the 'Rapier Training' Perk}. By the end of the day you feel confident that you might be able to beat Tobias.
"My Lady, the sun is beginning to set, we should have time for one last match."
[] Skip the fight (outcome will be decided by a single roll)
[] Do not skip the fight
If 'Do not skip the fight' is chosen, vote for combat as well.
Weapon
[] Fists (-20 to rolls) melee against a guy with a sword?
[] Rapier (no bonus)
Styles
[] Full Offence: +30 to hit, increased damage, no defence roll
[] Offence: +20 to hit, increased damage, -40 to defence roll
[] Balance: no bonus/penalty
[] Defence: +26 to defence roll, -26 to hit
[] Full Defence: +40 to defence roll, no attack
Parry?
[] Yes
[] No
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4 - Practice fight round 1
Jhin Lemon
Lawful Cute
- Location
- Trapped in the interwebs, please send help
Winning votes:
[w] Rapier (no bonus)
[w] Do not skip the fight
[w] Balance: no bonus/penalty
[w] Yes
You and Tobias raise your blades for the final bout of the day. You both circle around the arena with your blades pointed at one another, waiting for the other to make the first move; with the sun setting soon you dash forward, thrusting the blade towards Tobias' midsection, only for it to be deflected to the side. You twist your body to avoid Tobias' downward slash as he counterattacks, before swinging your rapier at him again. He blocked the swing with the crossguard of his sword before shoving you away, taking this moment to recover you back off.
Tobias charges forward, thrusting at your right shoulder, only for you to push the thrust to the right. He doesn't let you counter though as he moves with your deflection by spinning and slashing at your exposed left side. The maneuver takes long enough for him to pull off that you have plenty of time to move your sword to block the slash. As his blade met yours however he thrust out his other arm to grab your sword hand before pulling back his own to stab at you, you twisted around in his grab and brought up a leg to kick him away from you.
You clash once more, this time slashing at one another and blocking block after blow, both focusing more on not being hit than hitting the other. A blocked high swipe that flows into a horizontal slash forces Tobias to jump back, unable to bring his rapier down in time to block the second attack. Pressing your advantage you thrust forward, forcing him back again. He seemed to recover his wits as you thrust forward once more, knocking your blade to the side and slicing at your arm, You spin with the force of his blade against yours, using the momentum to copy his earlier spinning maneuver to avoid the cut and slash again, only to cut through air as you noticed he had moved back during your spin, out of reach.
He dashed towards you once more with a slash, you moved your sword to parry, hoping to counterattack the blow. You deflect his slash with ease but as you put your weight behind a thrust to claim victory you stumble. Tobias had leapt back and to the side to avoid the thrust, leaving you off balance and struggling to recover from being in such a disadvantageous situation before Tobias could end the fight.
Weapon
[] Fists (-20 to rolls) You aren't trained either
[] Rapier (no bonus)
Styles
[] Full Offence: +30 to hit, increased damage, no defence roll
[] Offence: +20 to hit, increased damage, -40 to defence roll
[] Balance: no bonus/penalty
[] Defence: +26 to defence roll, -26 to hit
[] Full Defence: +40 to defence roll, no attack
Parry?
[] Yes
[] No
You have a -10 to rolls next round
[w] Rapier (no bonus)
[w] Do not skip the fight
[w] Balance: no bonus/penalty
[w] Yes
Done on the Discord, so the people there can confirm these if you're suspicious for some reason
Your attack = (23) = 23
Your defense = (100) = 100 (A/N: well, dang, nat 100 on the second roll of the quest...)
His attack = (7) = 7
His defense = (86) = 86
Your attack = (23) = 23
Your defense = (100) = 100 (A/N: well, dang, nat 100 on the second roll of the quest...)
His attack = (7) = 7
His defense = (86) = 86
You and Tobias raise your blades for the final bout of the day. You both circle around the arena with your blades pointed at one another, waiting for the other to make the first move; with the sun setting soon you dash forward, thrusting the blade towards Tobias' midsection, only for it to be deflected to the side. You twist your body to avoid Tobias' downward slash as he counterattacks, before swinging your rapier at him again. He blocked the swing with the crossguard of his sword before shoving you away, taking this moment to recover you back off.
Tobias charges forward, thrusting at your right shoulder, only for you to push the thrust to the right. He doesn't let you counter though as he moves with your deflection by spinning and slashing at your exposed left side. The maneuver takes long enough for him to pull off that you have plenty of time to move your sword to block the slash. As his blade met yours however he thrust out his other arm to grab your sword hand before pulling back his own to stab at you, you twisted around in his grab and brought up a leg to kick him away from you.
You clash once more, this time slashing at one another and blocking block after blow, both focusing more on not being hit than hitting the other. A blocked high swipe that flows into a horizontal slash forces Tobias to jump back, unable to bring his rapier down in time to block the second attack. Pressing your advantage you thrust forward, forcing him back again. He seemed to recover his wits as you thrust forward once more, knocking your blade to the side and slicing at your arm, You spin with the force of his blade against yours, using the momentum to copy his earlier spinning maneuver to avoid the cut and slash again, only to cut through air as you noticed he had moved back during your spin, out of reach.
He dashed towards you once more with a slash, you moved your sword to parry, hoping to counterattack the blow. You deflect his slash with ease but as you put your weight behind a thrust to claim victory you stumble. Tobias had leapt back and to the side to avoid the thrust, leaving you off balance and struggling to recover from being in such a disadvantageous situation before Tobias could end the fight.
Weapon
[] Fists (-20 to rolls) You aren't trained either
[] Rapier (no bonus)
Styles
[] Full Offence: +30 to hit, increased damage, no defence roll
[] Offence: +20 to hit, increased damage, -40 to defence roll
[] Balance: no bonus/penalty
[] Defence: +26 to defence roll, -26 to hit
[] Full Defence: +40 to defence roll, no attack
[] Yes
[] No
You have a -10 to rolls next round
5 - Practice Fight round 2
Jhin Lemon
Lawful Cute
- Location
- Trapped in the interwebs, please send help
Winning votes:
[w] Rapier (no bonus)
[w] Defence: +26 to defence roll, -26 to hit
With almost expert precision you dodge away from a clumsy stab Tobias sends towards you, before raising your sword to him. He does the same as you go back to circling each other for a few seconds before Tobias jumps forward with a stab at your right shoulder. You bat aside his obvious strike and move to the side to avoid being tackled to the ground. Tobias fails to keep his balance and falls to the ground, trying to take advantage of his fall you stab at him, only for him to roll out of the way and jump to his feet.
You stay back and wait for him to make the first move. He sends two slashes your way, the first of which you jump back to avoid and the second you parry. As his sword slides across yours you notice his leg kicking out to trip you. Jumping over his leg and to the side you attempt to hit him with the hilt of your blade, only for him to bend backwards to avoid it and bring his arm back in for a stab at you while you left yourself vulnerable. Jumping to the side again you avoid the stab and bring your sword close to your body again.
You bat away a trio of blows Tobias throws at you before stabbing forward twice to push him back and get some space. Tobias doesn't let up though as he blocks your second strike and starts to put on the heat again...or at least he tries to, he ends up tripping over whilst attempting a jumping stab and just lands on the ground in front of you. Before you can recover from your shock at his terrible maneuver he's back on his feet and swiping at you again, you return to your senses quickly enough to block the swipe, but Tobias pushes against your blade, locking the two of you in a battle of strength, one you would surely lose. Instead you turn your rapier to the side and plant an elbow against his chest, shoving him away.
You two go back at it; deflecting each other's swords away before they get close to hitting you, neither of you giving up an inch but neither of you trying too hard to hit one another, both focused more on protecting yourselves. After several minutes of the back and forth you notice that the sun is beginning to set, a tie is better than being beaten again, but you want to win. The way this is going you'll be out of time before you succeed in that goal.
Weapon
[] Fists (-20 to rolls) You aren't trained either
[] Rapier (no bonus)
Styles
[] Full Offence: +30 to hit, increased damage, no defence roll
[] Offence: +20 to hit, increased damage, -40 to defence roll
[] Balance: no bonus/penalty
[] Defence: +26 to defence roll, -26 to hit
[] Full Defence: +40 to defence roll, no attack
Parry?
[] Yes
[] No
Fight will end in 3 round or less
[w] Rapier (no bonus)
[w] Defence: +26 to defence roll, -26 to hit
Done on the Discord, so the people there can confirm these
Your attack = (50)-10-26 = 14
Your defense = (93)-10+26 = 109
His attack = (3) = 3
His defense = (29) = 29
Your attack = (50)-10-26 = 14
Your defense = (93)-10+26 = 109
His attack = (3) = 3
His defense = (29) = 29
With almost expert precision you dodge away from a clumsy stab Tobias sends towards you, before raising your sword to him. He does the same as you go back to circling each other for a few seconds before Tobias jumps forward with a stab at your right shoulder. You bat aside his obvious strike and move to the side to avoid being tackled to the ground. Tobias fails to keep his balance and falls to the ground, trying to take advantage of his fall you stab at him, only for him to roll out of the way and jump to his feet.
You stay back and wait for him to make the first move. He sends two slashes your way, the first of which you jump back to avoid and the second you parry. As his sword slides across yours you notice his leg kicking out to trip you. Jumping over his leg and to the side you attempt to hit him with the hilt of your blade, only for him to bend backwards to avoid it and bring his arm back in for a stab at you while you left yourself vulnerable. Jumping to the side again you avoid the stab and bring your sword close to your body again.
You bat away a trio of blows Tobias throws at you before stabbing forward twice to push him back and get some space. Tobias doesn't let up though as he blocks your second strike and starts to put on the heat again...or at least he tries to, he ends up tripping over whilst attempting a jumping stab and just lands on the ground in front of you. Before you can recover from your shock at his terrible maneuver he's back on his feet and swiping at you again, you return to your senses quickly enough to block the swipe, but Tobias pushes against your blade, locking the two of you in a battle of strength, one you would surely lose. Instead you turn your rapier to the side and plant an elbow against his chest, shoving him away.
You two go back at it; deflecting each other's swords away before they get close to hitting you, neither of you giving up an inch but neither of you trying too hard to hit one another, both focused more on protecting yourselves. After several minutes of the back and forth you notice that the sun is beginning to set, a tie is better than being beaten again, but you want to win. The way this is going you'll be out of time before you succeed in that goal.
Weapon
[] Fists (-20 to rolls) You aren't trained either
[] Rapier (no bonus)
Styles
[] Full Offence: +30 to hit, increased damage, no defence roll
[] Offence: +20 to hit, increased damage, -40 to defence roll
[] Balance: no bonus/penalty
[] Defence: +26 to defence roll, -26 to hit
[] Full Defence: +40 to defence roll, no attack
Parry?
[] Yes
[] No
Fight will end in 3 round or less
6 - Practice Fight Victory
Jhin Lemon
Lawful Cute
- Location
- Trapped in the interwebs, please send help
Winning votes:
[w] Rapier (no bonus)
[w] Offence: +20 to hit, increased damage, -40 to defence roll
[w] No
Switching tactics, you decide that to win this before your time's up you'll need to take a more aggressive approach. Your thrusts and slashes get faster and more frequent as you begin to push him back. The constant pressure forces him to switch to defending himself. Your seemingly endless barrage slowly wears Tobias down as he grows more sluggish, eventually you manage to land a blow or two on him, however it seems his robes are heavier than yours as a direct pair of quick slashes do nothing. With you having been left open by what you thought were blows that would end the fight Tobias places his boot against you and pushes you away.
Stumbling from being shoved back you find it difficult to get back into your rhythm. Tobias regains his lost ground as he batted your sword aside each time you tried to get a good footing and forced you back. Eventually he stopped his forward charge and tried to hit you while your defences were down. You dodged to the right, but he stuck out a leg to trip you. You turned your ungraceful fall into a roll before turning back to face Tobias as you rose to your feet. You bring the rapier to your face and point it at Tobias.
You jump forward, he anticipates you jumping into him with a stab and moves to dodge, but instead you land right in front of him and stab at his new position. Unable to dodge or block in time Tobias does the only thing he can to win: draw blood first, so he slashes at your side. Several seconds pass as you stare at his rapier, a mere inch away from your side and completely still. You look back at your own blade, a small amount of blood trickles down its length from the wound in Tobias' left shoulder, your thrust having pierced straight through his thick robes. Tobias grins at you, wincing slightly as you withdraw you sword before returning to a his beaming smile.
"I knew you had it in you," Tobias comments before pulling out a small arrow shaped figurine, he'd done this after each bout, so you weren't surprised by what happened when he quietly muttered, "May the power of my ambitions return my health." As he said those words his shoulder was bathed a glowing light for a second, as the light faded both his robe and shoulder were in pristine condition. With the sun setting Tobias decided you were done for the day. Before you leave the arena he walks over to the table that held your rapier and picked up a sheath, "Keep the rapier with you whenever you can" He advised before walking you back to your own room.
Changing into your pyjamas again you place your now sheathed sword on the desk and get into bed. Or, you would have if something didn't come to mind at the last moment, the candles. Licking two fingers you attempt to snuff out a candle, on you fingers pass right through the flame, not even feeling any heat. Despite your best efforts the candles remained firmly unsnuffed. Shrugging you give up on the endeavour and get into bed, the candle flames extinguishing several seconds later. You sleep.
You dream about:
[] The power held within all beings
[] A giant being with a floating crown made of boundless energy
[] A murky river with a rapid current, though you feel strength emanate from the bottom
[] Nothing, you sleep like a rock
[w] Rapier (no bonus)
[w] Offence: +20 to hit, increased damage, -40 to defence roll
[w] No
Done on the Discord, so the people there can confirm these
Your attack = (67)+20 = 87
Your defense = (62)-40 = 22 (A/N: Yeah, Offence Style needs to be reworked)
His attack = (53) = 53
His defense = (58) = 48
Your attack = (67)+20 = 87
Your defense = (62)-40 = 22 (A/N: Yeah, Offence Style needs to be reworked)
His attack = (53) = 53
His defense = (58) = 48
Switching tactics, you decide that to win this before your time's up you'll need to take a more aggressive approach. Your thrusts and slashes get faster and more frequent as you begin to push him back. The constant pressure forces him to switch to defending himself. Your seemingly endless barrage slowly wears Tobias down as he grows more sluggish, eventually you manage to land a blow or two on him, however it seems his robes are heavier than yours as a direct pair of quick slashes do nothing. With you having been left open by what you thought were blows that would end the fight Tobias places his boot against you and pushes you away.
Stumbling from being shoved back you find it difficult to get back into your rhythm. Tobias regains his lost ground as he batted your sword aside each time you tried to get a good footing and forced you back. Eventually he stopped his forward charge and tried to hit you while your defences were down. You dodged to the right, but he stuck out a leg to trip you. You turned your ungraceful fall into a roll before turning back to face Tobias as you rose to your feet. You bring the rapier to your face and point it at Tobias.
You jump forward, he anticipates you jumping into him with a stab and moves to dodge, but instead you land right in front of him and stab at his new position. Unable to dodge or block in time Tobias does the only thing he can to win: draw blood first, so he slashes at your side. Several seconds pass as you stare at his rapier, a mere inch away from your side and completely still. You look back at your own blade, a small amount of blood trickles down its length from the wound in Tobias' left shoulder, your thrust having pierced straight through his thick robes. Tobias grins at you, wincing slightly as you withdraw you sword before returning to a his beaming smile.
"I knew you had it in you," Tobias comments before pulling out a small arrow shaped figurine, he'd done this after each bout, so you weren't surprised by what happened when he quietly muttered, "May the power of my ambitions return my health." As he said those words his shoulder was bathed a glowing light for a second, as the light faded both his robe and shoulder were in pristine condition. With the sun setting Tobias decided you were done for the day. Before you leave the arena he walks over to the table that held your rapier and picked up a sheath, "Keep the rapier with you whenever you can" He advised before walking you back to your own room.
Changing into your pyjamas again you place your now sheathed sword on the desk and get into bed. Or, you would have if something didn't come to mind at the last moment, the candles. Licking two fingers you attempt to snuff out a candle, on you fingers pass right through the flame, not even feeling any heat. Despite your best efforts the candles remained firmly unsnuffed. Shrugging you give up on the endeavour and get into bed, the candle flames extinguishing several seconds later. You sleep.
You dream about:
[] The power held within all beings
[] A giant being with a floating crown made of boundless energy
[] A murky river with a rapid current, though you feel strength emanate from the bottom
[] Nothing, you sleep like a rock
Last edited:
Jhin Lemon
Lawful Cute
- Location
- Trapped in the interwebs, please send help
Winning votes:
[X] The power held within all beings
As you slept your mind wandered... Wandered away from the typical dreams to something much more real. You dreamt of a street, filled with blank silhouettes bustling through it, but something seemed to emanate from the silhouettes, you just couldn't see it. There! A small spark of light shone from one of the figures. You concentrated on the feeling of the spark and as you did, you noticed that every silhouette began to glow, some much more than others. Basking in the glow you felt powerful.
*Yawn*
You moved outward, from a street to a city, more lights appeared, more power. Outward again, to a territory. There were small pockets of light through it, with more moving between them. Once more and you can see the entire continent, filled with little pockets of glowing lights all across it. You spend a moment simply basking in the power you feel before trying to move outward once more. You feel like you just ran into a glass door, it seems you can't move further out, not yet at least.
Feels nice...I want more
Moving back down to the street level again you find a silhouette that glows much more than the others. Concentrating on it specifically you try to draw it out. You watch in amazement as it flows out of the silhouette and into you, it feels like some forgotten power has been unlocked, it feels exhilarating!
I want more, more!
Looking back at the silhouette, there's no glow left in it. It just stands there, all the other glowing figures moving around it while it just...does nothing. Eventually all the other silhouettes leave the street, while the drained one remains where it is, as though it has nothing to do with itself, no plans, no goals, nothing.
It feels so good though, why do you care?
oOo
You wake from your dream, it felt familiar. But now you don't feel the power, you can't sense any glow.
Mmm, that felt nice
Tobias knocks on your door, signaling you to get ready for breakfast. You dress yourself quickly and head down, making sure to take your rapier with you, remembering Tobias' advice from yesterday. The meal is more or less what you had yesterday for breakfast, but it tastes even better this time around. You wolf down your food as your caretaker nervously paces back and forth.
"My Lady, toda-" he begins to speak but is interrupted by the sounds of people wandering into the church, "Go to your room and stay there until I come get you," he orders. Complying you head back to your room as quickly and quietly as you can while Tobias goes to deal with the visitors. Before they're out of earshot you hear the start of their conversation,
"What are you two doing back here? I told you I don't need your help and I don't have any jobs for you! Even if I did I don't have the money to pay you!"
"We were going to explain earlier before you..."
It seems Tobias has had previous experience with these people, and that experience was less than pleasant. Still, he could deal with it, and you'd probably only get in the way with your lack of experience. Hidden away in your room you wonder what to do. The room is too small for sword practice, and other than the totally magical candles, there isn't much to play with.
Y'know, those lights felt really nice, didn't they?
Your mind wanders back to your dream, was it possibly related to the powers Tobias thinks you have? It could just be a regular dream brought on by all his talk, but you have nothing to do and nothing to lose. Sitting in the middle of the bed, you relax your body as you begin to meditate. Clearing your mind of all thoughts other than the dream proves to be much harder than you thought, but after some time you manage it, it seems Tobias is taking a while with those people. It begins to feel like you're drifting, however there are no lights, just an empty world. Trying to focus like you had in the dream once again you detect a faint glimmer from just outside your room. As you try to concentrate on it a knock comes on your door and you lose it. Just like that you return to reality. Was that real or just your imagination?
Damn, now I'm just hungry, so close too.
With a quick sigh you head out again. Tobias sits at the table with his flask in his hands again.
"What happened?" you ask.
"Bah, adventurers asking for jobs to do," he spat before taking a swig from his flask. "They just want to take what little money I have left to buy some nicer looking swords. I even put up a sign telling them to go away"
"But, why do they keep coming then?" you ask.
"They're adventurers! They think the world revolves around them, they don't care about the 'little people' as they call them. They think they can wander in wherever they want without a care in the world for anyone else. A shame what's happened to Adventuring Guilds, they used to be for people to get help, now they're more so people can get rich and famous," Tobias grumbles.
"Oh..." you respond awkwardly before trying to change the subject, "You were going to say something before you were interrupted?"
He brightens up a little as you say that and puts his flask away, "My Lady, today I shall begin instructing you in the ways of your followers, it is the best chance for you to regain your memories and powers."
How do you respond?
[] "Yes, that sounds like our best chance"
[] "No, I believe I can rediscover my power myself"
[] "I think I know what I need to do, I just need some tips"
[X] The power held within all beings
As you slept your mind wandered... Wandered away from the typical dreams to something much more real. You dreamt of a street, filled with blank silhouettes bustling through it, but something seemed to emanate from the silhouettes, you just couldn't see it. There! A small spark of light shone from one of the figures. You concentrated on the feeling of the spark and as you did, you noticed that every silhouette began to glow, some much more than others. Basking in the glow you felt powerful.
*Yawn*
You moved outward, from a street to a city, more lights appeared, more power. Outward again, to a territory. There were small pockets of light through it, with more moving between them. Once more and you can see the entire continent, filled with little pockets of glowing lights all across it. You spend a moment simply basking in the power you feel before trying to move outward once more. You feel like you just ran into a glass door, it seems you can't move further out, not yet at least.
Feels nice...I want more
Moving back down to the street level again you find a silhouette that glows much more than the others. Concentrating on it specifically you try to draw it out. You watch in amazement as it flows out of the silhouette and into you, it feels like some forgotten power has been unlocked, it feels exhilarating!
I want more, more!
Looking back at the silhouette, there's no glow left in it. It just stands there, all the other glowing figures moving around it while it just...does nothing. Eventually all the other silhouettes leave the street, while the drained one remains where it is, as though it has nothing to do with itself, no plans, no goals, nothing.
It feels so good though, why do you care?
oOo
You wake from your dream, it felt familiar. But now you don't feel the power, you can't sense any glow.
Mmm, that felt nice
Tobias knocks on your door, signaling you to get ready for breakfast. You dress yourself quickly and head down, making sure to take your rapier with you, remembering Tobias' advice from yesterday. The meal is more or less what you had yesterday for breakfast, but it tastes even better this time around. You wolf down your food as your caretaker nervously paces back and forth.
"My Lady, toda-" he begins to speak but is interrupted by the sounds of people wandering into the church, "Go to your room and stay there until I come get you," he orders. Complying you head back to your room as quickly and quietly as you can while Tobias goes to deal with the visitors. Before they're out of earshot you hear the start of their conversation,
"What are you two doing back here? I told you I don't need your help and I don't have any jobs for you! Even if I did I don't have the money to pay you!"
"We were going to explain earlier before you..."
It seems Tobias has had previous experience with these people, and that experience was less than pleasant. Still, he could deal with it, and you'd probably only get in the way with your lack of experience. Hidden away in your room you wonder what to do. The room is too small for sword practice, and other than the totally magical candles, there isn't much to play with.
Y'know, those lights felt really nice, didn't they?
Your mind wanders back to your dream, was it possibly related to the powers Tobias thinks you have? It could just be a regular dream brought on by all his talk, but you have nothing to do and nothing to lose. Sitting in the middle of the bed, you relax your body as you begin to meditate. Clearing your mind of all thoughts other than the dream proves to be much harder than you thought, but after some time you manage it, it seems Tobias is taking a while with those people. It begins to feel like you're drifting, however there are no lights, just an empty world. Trying to focus like you had in the dream once again you detect a faint glimmer from just outside your room. As you try to concentrate on it a knock comes on your door and you lose it. Just like that you return to reality. Was that real or just your imagination?
Damn, now I'm just hungry, so close too.
With a quick sigh you head out again. Tobias sits at the table with his flask in his hands again.
"What happened?" you ask.
"Bah, adventurers asking for jobs to do," he spat before taking a swig from his flask. "They just want to take what little money I have left to buy some nicer looking swords. I even put up a sign telling them to go away"
"But, why do they keep coming then?" you ask.
"They're adventurers! They think the world revolves around them, they don't care about the 'little people' as they call them. They think they can wander in wherever they want without a care in the world for anyone else. A shame what's happened to Adventuring Guilds, they used to be for people to get help, now they're more so people can get rich and famous," Tobias grumbles.
"Oh..." you respond awkwardly before trying to change the subject, "You were going to say something before you were interrupted?"
He brightens up a little as you say that and puts his flask away, "My Lady, today I shall begin instructing you in the ways of your followers, it is the best chance for you to regain your memories and powers."
How do you respond?
[] "Yes, that sounds like our best chance"
[] "No, I believe I can rediscover my power myself"
[] "I think I know what I need to do, I just need some tips"
Jhin Lemon
Lawful Cute
- Location
- Trapped in the interwebs, please send help
Winning votes:
[x] "Yes, that sounds like our best chance"
A smile spreads across Tobias' face as you give your response. "Very well, know that it will take time to train you," he informs you. You nod in response as Tobias takes you to begin your training.
I'm just going to sleep, you're no fun
oOo
Tobias worked you hard. He never had someone to teach before and you were trying to learn everything he could teach as fast as possible. This lead to a painful combination that left you incredibly tired at the end of each day. On the other hand you were learning a ton. Tobias explained to you what those glowing lights inside people were, apparently all creatures had Ambition within them. Someone's Ambition was a precious resource for without it they would be left with nothing they wanted to do in life. That explained what happened to the silhouette in your dream...but that was just a dream, right? Regardless you were also informed that Ambition could be used to fuel magic. However this practice was extremely dangerous because most cannot tell how much Ambition they have. People can regain their Ambition by completing goals they set for themselves, though it usually takes extraordinary goals to grain a significant amount of ambition.
Other than telling you about Ambition, you were also trained as a priestess, waking up at the crack of dawn to perform the daily rituals to Eshani...which you found very strange to do.
Getting to the ritual chamber was made a challenge, "to teach you to overcome any obstacles on the way to achieving your goal," Tobias had said. For the first few days he left you alone, but he didn't tell you where the chamber was either! It had been a challenge finding it on the first few days, but eventually you managed to get there pretty quickly, that's when he started to put in traps. At first they were simple jack-in-the-boxes, with you having to avoid them or start over, as soon as you managed to work out the position of each he'd already have added traps that would douse you in water or cover the floor in small stones that made you trip. They were harmless pranks of course, "to prepare you for the real world," as you were told.
While getting to the chamber was a challenge, once there the ritual was fairly simple: pour a bucket of water down what looked like a small aqueduct while saying a prayer. The aqueduct split into several paths that crossed, intersected and swapped around many times before unifying once more at the bottom.
After your daily rituals you spent each day learning various things from Tobias; more sword-fighting skills, various minor rituals and prayers in your name, several meditation techniques and some random trivia about the world. None of this felt like it really helped you get better prepared though, it felt like your caretaker had taught you everything important that he could.
Several times while Tobias taught you those people from the adventuring guild came around, and every time they came Tobias sent you to your room and talked with them, and every time he called you back he was always sitting at the table drinking from that mysterious flask of his. You were really starting to wonder what was in that flask.
oOo
On another day of training Tobias left to get food, the supplies from the makeshift garden in the church weren't enough to sustain you, thankfully the church got small donations from the government, barely enough to live with because of the lack of worshippers, but it was enough.
After some time while you were alone you decide to try your meditations again, you were close before and now you had some time to try it out with the techniques you had learnt and knowledge you had gained. Slowing your breathing you cleared your mind, a much easier task this time around. Slowly you focus on the glowing brilliance of Ambition, a small glow wanders around, through the rooms, you focus on it as it came closer when suddenly you are disrupted by a small fuzzy object hitting your face.
"Meow~!"
You are shocked out of your meditation when the cat that the glow belonged to jumps on your face. Somehow you can still see the glow, it's faint, but it's there. Seemingly proud of itself, the cat lies down in your lap and begins purring. As it does this you feel a connection, as though you can control the Ambition of the cat.
Food!
Do you:
[] Take most of it, more power is something you'll need
[] Take nothing, you don't want to potentially harm the kitten
[] Just take a bit, you're sure you can stop...right?
[x] "Yes, that sounds like our best chance"
A smile spreads across Tobias' face as you give your response. "Very well, know that it will take time to train you," he informs you. You nod in response as Tobias takes you to begin your training.
I'm just going to sleep, you're no fun
oOo
Tobias worked you hard. He never had someone to teach before and you were trying to learn everything he could teach as fast as possible. This lead to a painful combination that left you incredibly tired at the end of each day. On the other hand you were learning a ton. Tobias explained to you what those glowing lights inside people were, apparently all creatures had Ambition within them. Someone's Ambition was a precious resource for without it they would be left with nothing they wanted to do in life. That explained what happened to the silhouette in your dream...but that was just a dream, right? Regardless you were also informed that Ambition could be used to fuel magic. However this practice was extremely dangerous because most cannot tell how much Ambition they have. People can regain their Ambition by completing goals they set for themselves, though it usually takes extraordinary goals to grain a significant amount of ambition.
Other than telling you about Ambition, you were also trained as a priestess, waking up at the crack of dawn to perform the daily rituals to Eshani...which you found very strange to do.
Getting to the ritual chamber was made a challenge, "to teach you to overcome any obstacles on the way to achieving your goal," Tobias had said. For the first few days he left you alone, but he didn't tell you where the chamber was either! It had been a challenge finding it on the first few days, but eventually you managed to get there pretty quickly, that's when he started to put in traps. At first they were simple jack-in-the-boxes, with you having to avoid them or start over, as soon as you managed to work out the position of each he'd already have added traps that would douse you in water or cover the floor in small stones that made you trip. They were harmless pranks of course, "to prepare you for the real world," as you were told.
While getting to the chamber was a challenge, once there the ritual was fairly simple: pour a bucket of water down what looked like a small aqueduct while saying a prayer. The aqueduct split into several paths that crossed, intersected and swapped around many times before unifying once more at the bottom.
After your daily rituals you spent each day learning various things from Tobias; more sword-fighting skills, various minor rituals and prayers in your name, several meditation techniques and some random trivia about the world. None of this felt like it really helped you get better prepared though, it felt like your caretaker had taught you everything important that he could.
Several times while Tobias taught you those people from the adventuring guild came around, and every time they came Tobias sent you to your room and talked with them, and every time he called you back he was always sitting at the table drinking from that mysterious flask of his. You were really starting to wonder what was in that flask.
oOo
On another day of training Tobias left to get food, the supplies from the makeshift garden in the church weren't enough to sustain you, thankfully the church got small donations from the government, barely enough to live with because of the lack of worshippers, but it was enough.
After some time while you were alone you decide to try your meditations again, you were close before and now you had some time to try it out with the techniques you had learnt and knowledge you had gained. Slowing your breathing you cleared your mind, a much easier task this time around. Slowly you focus on the glowing brilliance of Ambition, a small glow wanders around, through the rooms, you focus on it as it came closer when suddenly you are disrupted by a small fuzzy object hitting your face.
"Meow~!"
You are shocked out of your meditation when the cat that the glow belonged to jumps on your face. Somehow you can still see the glow, it's faint, but it's there. Seemingly proud of itself, the cat lies down in your lap and begins purring. As it does this you feel a connection, as though you can control the Ambition of the cat.
Food!
Do you:
[] Take most of it, more power is something you'll need
[] Take nothing, you don't want to potentially harm the kitten
[] Just take a bit, you're sure you can stop...right?
Jhin Lemon
Lawful Cute
- Location
- Trapped in the interwebs, please send help
Winning votes:
[w] Take nothing, you don't want to potentially harm the kitten
The cat looked up at you as you sat there.
"Meow!" it seemed to order you to pet it.
C'mon, you want Ambition, right?
And so you began to rub its head, judging by the increase volume of its purrs, you were doing a good job of it too. As you petted and scratched the ball of fluff you still felt the connection between the two of you, the Ambition was certainly enticing. You shook your head. No! You weren't about to take Ambition from a cat!.
Killjoy. I'll give you some stuff though, just make sure I get a meal later
All of a sudden your connection ended. However you didn't really notice in light of the shadowy darkness that washed over your mind. The darkness passed as quickly as it came, and in it's place you felt…power.
{Basic Spells Unlocked, check the character sheet for information!}
This freebie is a one time deal though
You sat there with the cat a little longer, then you heard the door open. You were about to call out to Tobias, and maybe ask if you could adopt the little cat. The words died in your throat however, as you heard two familiar voices, the adventurers. The first was a man with short brown hair and a 5 o'clock shadow, he wore some light armour, along with a helmet, at his side was a longsword and on his back was a shield with two interlocked hands as a design on its front. The second was a woman wore a body length blue cloak that hid most of her outfit and a hood that covered most of her face in darkness, from what you could see she was quite beautiful and had a pair of thin spectacles on her face.
Normally you'd run to your room and hide out until Tobias dealt with them, but you couldn't do that this time around. You were frozen in place, both from indecision and the weight of the cat in your lap, it would seem the lack of circulation had killed your legs.
"Oh, hello there!" said one of the adventurers as he saw you. His gaze drifted down to the cat in your lap and he spoke to his companion, "Hey Mira, that's your pet cat right?"
Mira sighed, "He's not my pet, he's my Familiar. Here Shade." Surprisingly, the cat disappeared in a cloud, the color of his namesake, before reappearing on Mira's shoulder with a similar puff.
"Oh how rude!" the man exclaimed, "We have yet to introduce ourselves. I am Liam, a knight, and this is Mira, a mage. We work as adventurers. And who might you be?"
"U-um," you stutter, "I'm Tobias' apprentice." It seems not having spoken to anyone but Tobias since you had woken had really hurt your social skills.
Mira speaks up, "Look kid, I'll give you some advice: leave while you still can. Tobias... isn't the most stable guy around, and he's kinda obsessive about 'His Lady'. We've both offered to help him guard her numerous times, even for almost nothing in exchange. And every time we do he gets mad, borderline violent even. We can't just leave him here though, not in good conscience. So we leave him alone for a few weeks and then come back...it doesn't work, but we can't help it, the guy needs someone to help him out. And no offence, but you don't seem strong enough to help."
Mildly offended, you open your mouth to retort, but hear the door creaking open.
"My Lady! I've return-" Tobias stops as he hurries into the room and sees the adventurers, "You two." Tobias drops the various foods he's carrying and lowers his voice to a growl, "Get out. I've told you before and I'll tell you again: I don't need anyone's help in guarding her."
"Please priest, listen to reason!" Liam cries, "surely you do not expect to be able to defend a goddess from the Blackfire Assassins alone?!"
"I don't have to you fool. She's right here." Tobias says as he gestures to you. You freeze. "Feel free to check her power Mage." Mira says a few words you don't catch and makes a few hand gestures. You still can't believe how willing he was to oust you as a goddess once you had been seen. Wait...is that alcohol you smell?
Having apparently finished her analysis Mira lowers her gaze at Tobias, "She's barely powerful enough to be a mage, definitely not a goddess by any standards. She does have something murky blocking her power though, but she can't possibly be a goddess."
"Perhaps you should come with us?" Liam suggests, "There are many powerful mages at the guild who may be able to help with your mental block."
Tobias slams his hand down on a nearby table, his face contorted in rage, "I will not allow you to take her from me!"
Oh boy, it's become a full on argument, if you speak up you could probably convince them of where you want to go. What do you say?
[] Go with the Adventurers, you've learnt what you can from Tobias
[] Stay with Tobias, at least you know he'll keep you safe
[] Try to reach a compromise: Sign up at the Adventurers Guild with Tobias
[] Leave both parties behind and go out into the world alone
[w] Take nothing, you don't want to potentially harm the kitten
Done on the Discord, so the people there can confirm these
Willpower = (63) = 63
DC: 40
Willpower = (63) = 63
DC: 40
"Meow!" it seemed to order you to pet it.
C'mon, you want Ambition, right?
And so you began to rub its head, judging by the increase volume of its purrs, you were doing a good job of it too. As you petted and scratched the ball of fluff you still felt the connection between the two of you, the Ambition was certainly enticing. You shook your head. No! You weren't about to take Ambition from a cat!.
Killjoy. I'll give you some stuff though, just make sure I get a meal later
All of a sudden your connection ended. However you didn't really notice in light of the shadowy darkness that washed over your mind. The darkness passed as quickly as it came, and in it's place you felt…power.
{Basic Spells Unlocked, check the character sheet for information!}
This freebie is a one time deal though
You sat there with the cat a little longer, then you heard the door open. You were about to call out to Tobias, and maybe ask if you could adopt the little cat. The words died in your throat however, as you heard two familiar voices, the adventurers. The first was a man with short brown hair and a 5 o'clock shadow, he wore some light armour, along with a helmet, at his side was a longsword and on his back was a shield with two interlocked hands as a design on its front. The second was a woman wore a body length blue cloak that hid most of her outfit and a hood that covered most of her face in darkness, from what you could see she was quite beautiful and had a pair of thin spectacles on her face.
Normally you'd run to your room and hide out until Tobias dealt with them, but you couldn't do that this time around. You were frozen in place, both from indecision and the weight of the cat in your lap, it would seem the lack of circulation had killed your legs.
"Oh, hello there!" said one of the adventurers as he saw you. His gaze drifted down to the cat in your lap and he spoke to his companion, "Hey Mira, that's your pet cat right?"
Mira sighed, "He's not my pet, he's my Familiar. Here Shade." Surprisingly, the cat disappeared in a cloud, the color of his namesake, before reappearing on Mira's shoulder with a similar puff.
"Oh how rude!" the man exclaimed, "We have yet to introduce ourselves. I am Liam, a knight, and this is Mira, a mage. We work as adventurers. And who might you be?"
"U-um," you stutter, "I'm Tobias' apprentice." It seems not having spoken to anyone but Tobias since you had woken had really hurt your social skills.
Mira speaks up, "Look kid, I'll give you some advice: leave while you still can. Tobias... isn't the most stable guy around, and he's kinda obsessive about 'His Lady'. We've both offered to help him guard her numerous times, even for almost nothing in exchange. And every time we do he gets mad, borderline violent even. We can't just leave him here though, not in good conscience. So we leave him alone for a few weeks and then come back...it doesn't work, but we can't help it, the guy needs someone to help him out. And no offence, but you don't seem strong enough to help."
Mildly offended, you open your mouth to retort, but hear the door creaking open.
"My Lady! I've return-" Tobias stops as he hurries into the room and sees the adventurers, "You two." Tobias drops the various foods he's carrying and lowers his voice to a growl, "Get out. I've told you before and I'll tell you again: I don't need anyone's help in guarding her."
"Please priest, listen to reason!" Liam cries, "surely you do not expect to be able to defend a goddess from the Blackfire Assassins alone?!"
"I don't have to you fool. She's right here." Tobias says as he gestures to you. You freeze. "Feel free to check her power Mage." Mira says a few words you don't catch and makes a few hand gestures. You still can't believe how willing he was to oust you as a goddess once you had been seen. Wait...is that alcohol you smell?
Having apparently finished her analysis Mira lowers her gaze at Tobias, "She's barely powerful enough to be a mage, definitely not a goddess by any standards. She does have something murky blocking her power though, but she can't possibly be a goddess."
"Perhaps you should come with us?" Liam suggests, "There are many powerful mages at the guild who may be able to help with your mental block."
Tobias slams his hand down on a nearby table, his face contorted in rage, "I will not allow you to take her from me!"
Oh boy, it's become a full on argument, if you speak up you could probably convince them of where you want to go. What do you say?
[] Go with the Adventurers, you've learnt what you can from Tobias
[] Stay with Tobias, at least you know he'll keep you safe
[] Try to reach a compromise: Sign up at the Adventurers Guild with Tobias
[] Leave both parties behind and go out into the world alone
10
Jhin Lemon
Lawful Cute
- Location
- Trapped in the interwebs, please send help
Winning votes:
[w] Try to reach a compromise: Sign up at the Adventurers Guild with Tobias
Within a few sentences the argument had turned into a shouting match between Tobias and Mira, with Liam's more soft spoken words being drowned out. A simple and obvious solution entered your mind...the only problem was announcing it amidst the loudness. You walk into the kitchen that Tobias usually kept off limits (curious as you were you had looked around while he'd been out a few times though) and quickly found the items you were looking for: two pans. Returning to the main room it seemed neither Tobias nor Mira had noticed your absence, though Liam covered his ears as he saw the pans in your hands.
CLANG!!!~
The sound echoed across the room and stopped Tobias mid-shout as the two clutched their ears. "Eshani! What are you doing?!" Tobias demanded, authority in his voice.
"I needed you two to stop shouting. I'm the one you're arguing over so it should be my choice."
"Does this mean you've come to a decision?" asks Liam.
"Yes. I've decided that I want to join the Adventurer's Guild," you announce. Mira silently fistpumps to herself while Tobias' face begins to turn red. You quickly continue, "But I don't want to abandon Tobias either," turning to face him you ask, "So can you come with me?"
Conflict is written all over his face. "My lady, why can you not just remain here with me?"
"I can only grow so much kept locked up in a church away from the world. I need to go out and experience things if I want to return to my full power. And this way you'll be there to keep me safe too," you retort.
"You're asking me to join an organization I've already explained to you that I hate," he counters, deadpan and with hurt in his eyes.
"Then you can teach them how it should be done, you can be one of the true adventurers who isn't obsessed with glory." Tobias considers your words, gnawing not so gently on his lower lip. In a moment when he isn't looking at you, you give Mira and Liam an apologetic glance.
Several long minutes pass in which Tobias seems to be fighting an internal battle, with each side just a hair's breadth from winning. His face contorts and rage threatens to erupt from his visage more than once, but there are an equal number of times he looks hopeful. What his decision is going to be is a complete mystery.
"Alright, I've made my decision," he announces, "I will accompany you to the Guild and assist you, but later on I will decide whether or not I want to continue and if you are ready."
It's clear he isn't happy with the arrangement and that he's only going along with it for your sake, but pointing that out would be stupid, so instead you just nod at him. "Sounds like a plan."
oOo
Liam leads all four of you on the path to the Guild, while Mira stays in the back in case something sneaks up on you as you move. You'd made sure to grab your sword before you left, but they insisted that you should leave the fighting to them. You grumbled slightly but Mira let you cuddle with Shade as you went along. Tobias had glanced at the cat disapprovingly when he thought you weren't looking. You ignored him and hugged the vibrating ball of fur in your arms instead.
It wasn't much of a trip though, just walking along a beaten path for a few minutes, it seemed these two took their job seriously. As you enter the Guild's recruitment and questing office a bell rings over your head, alerting the recruiter to your presence. "I'll handle the talking," Tobias tells you as you both head over. The building looked fairly rickety from the outside but was positively vibrant on the inside, you couldn't believe the contrast. Banners of various famous local heroes, bright green carpets winding around the place, the walls were pristine to the point where you could see your reflection in the shiny wooden walls if you stood close enough.
Up close the recruiter was every bit as boring as you assumed from afar: short brown curly hair, droopy eyes, thin framed glasses and a slightly obese figure the resulted from a desk job and no exercise; there was nothing interesting about him. The signup is fairly simple, information like name, age, gender, abilities, etc. Tobias ends up being marked down as a 'healer' while you are a 'support mage', it took a while for Tobias to work out how to describe your spells though. You're pretty sure he actually made your spells seem weaker than they actually were by accident.
After handing you cards with your designations on them the recruiter spoke up, "You're both new so you can only take Rank F and E missions, though we don't recommend starting with E. Since you're both support classes it's also recommended that you find some others to join up with before attempting missions." It sounded like he was reading off a script…
...and he probably was…
"The Adventuring Guild is not responsible for any injuries and/or damaged goods that result from our quests."
With the legalities out of the way he points to a notice board of quests. Liam and Mira intercept you as you walk over. Liam speaks up, "Might we accompany you on whatever quest you take? Surely it's better us than some strangers." You give him a nod and the four of you walk over to the board. Skipping over some of the ones out of your league you focus on the ones you can do, though one catches your eye.
What do you take?
[] Blackfire Assassins member spotted in city. - A Rank (possible S Rank)
[] Mage looking for brave souls for spell trials - E Rank
[] Bandits preparing to invade. - E Rank
[] Escort for trip through cave. - F Rank
[] Lost dog in dangerous forest. Help! - F Rank
[] Ruffians breaking into homes and stealing. - F Rank
[w] Try to reach a compromise: Sign up at the Adventurers Guild with Tobias
Within a few sentences the argument had turned into a shouting match between Tobias and Mira, with Liam's more soft spoken words being drowned out. A simple and obvious solution entered your mind...the only problem was announcing it amidst the loudness. You walk into the kitchen that Tobias usually kept off limits (curious as you were you had looked around while he'd been out a few times though) and quickly found the items you were looking for: two pans. Returning to the main room it seemed neither Tobias nor Mira had noticed your absence, though Liam covered his ears as he saw the pans in your hands.
CLANG!!!~
The sound echoed across the room and stopped Tobias mid-shout as the two clutched their ears. "Eshani! What are you doing?!" Tobias demanded, authority in his voice.
"I needed you two to stop shouting. I'm the one you're arguing over so it should be my choice."
"Does this mean you've come to a decision?" asks Liam.
"Yes. I've decided that I want to join the Adventurer's Guild," you announce. Mira silently fistpumps to herself while Tobias' face begins to turn red. You quickly continue, "But I don't want to abandon Tobias either," turning to face him you ask, "So can you come with me?"
Conflict is written all over his face. "My lady, why can you not just remain here with me?"
"I can only grow so much kept locked up in a church away from the world. I need to go out and experience things if I want to return to my full power. And this way you'll be there to keep me safe too," you retort.
"You're asking me to join an organization I've already explained to you that I hate," he counters, deadpan and with hurt in his eyes.
"Then you can teach them how it should be done, you can be one of the true adventurers who isn't obsessed with glory." Tobias considers your words, gnawing not so gently on his lower lip. In a moment when he isn't looking at you, you give Mira and Liam an apologetic glance.
Several long minutes pass in which Tobias seems to be fighting an internal battle, with each side just a hair's breadth from winning. His face contorts and rage threatens to erupt from his visage more than once, but there are an equal number of times he looks hopeful. What his decision is going to be is a complete mystery.
"Alright, I've made my decision," he announces, "I will accompany you to the Guild and assist you, but later on I will decide whether or not I want to continue and if you are ready."
It's clear he isn't happy with the arrangement and that he's only going along with it for your sake, but pointing that out would be stupid, so instead you just nod at him. "Sounds like a plan."
oOo
Liam leads all four of you on the path to the Guild, while Mira stays in the back in case something sneaks up on you as you move. You'd made sure to grab your sword before you left, but they insisted that you should leave the fighting to them. You grumbled slightly but Mira let you cuddle with Shade as you went along. Tobias had glanced at the cat disapprovingly when he thought you weren't looking. You ignored him and hugged the vibrating ball of fur in your arms instead.
It wasn't much of a trip though, just walking along a beaten path for a few minutes, it seemed these two took their job seriously. As you enter the Guild's recruitment and questing office a bell rings over your head, alerting the recruiter to your presence. "I'll handle the talking," Tobias tells you as you both head over. The building looked fairly rickety from the outside but was positively vibrant on the inside, you couldn't believe the contrast. Banners of various famous local heroes, bright green carpets winding around the place, the walls were pristine to the point where you could see your reflection in the shiny wooden walls if you stood close enough.
Up close the recruiter was every bit as boring as you assumed from afar: short brown curly hair, droopy eyes, thin framed glasses and a slightly obese figure the resulted from a desk job and no exercise; there was nothing interesting about him. The signup is fairly simple, information like name, age, gender, abilities, etc. Tobias ends up being marked down as a 'healer' while you are a 'support mage', it took a while for Tobias to work out how to describe your spells though. You're pretty sure he actually made your spells seem weaker than they actually were by accident.
After handing you cards with your designations on them the recruiter spoke up, "You're both new so you can only take Rank F and E missions, though we don't recommend starting with E. Since you're both support classes it's also recommended that you find some others to join up with before attempting missions." It sounded like he was reading off a script…
...and he probably was…
"The Adventuring Guild is not responsible for any injuries and/or damaged goods that result from our quests."
With the legalities out of the way he points to a notice board of quests. Liam and Mira intercept you as you walk over. Liam speaks up, "Might we accompany you on whatever quest you take? Surely it's better us than some strangers." You give him a nod and the four of you walk over to the board. Skipping over some of the ones out of your league you focus on the ones you can do, though one catches your eye.
What do you take?
[] Mage looking for brave souls for spell trials - E Rank
[] Bandits preparing to invade. - E Rank
[] Escort for trip through cave. - F Rank
[] Lost dog in dangerous forest. Help! - F Rank
[] Ruffians breaking into homes and stealing. - F Rank