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The Crown of Neverwinter [Ranma 1/2 x DnD Forgotten Realms]

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Grounders10 said:
Nodoka leaned back and Blackburn continued writing. After a few minutes, he sighed and paused in his notetaking. "This, I've never seen anything like this." He said with a tone that was at once frustrated and excited. "Most curses I've seen are one and done deals. Even those that have ongoing effects are no more complicated than conjuring fire at the end of it. This though…" He shook his head before flipping back through the pages.

"Let's start from the top. There are three parts to this curse. Most only have one. There's the transmutation itself. Very standard from what I can tell, though rather potent. It's the other two parts which I find interesting. From what I can tell the transmutation part, in your case shifting you into a girl, is intended to be permanent. Someone, at some point, decided to change that and tacked on two additional bits somehow. The bindings between these spells are incredibly complex. It'll take me weeks, maybe months to figure them all out."

He pointed to a page covered in what appeared to be equations. "The second spell is intended to suppress the first, but it is by itself too weak to do so consistently. That's where the third spell comes in. It ties the second spell, which unless I miss my guess was never intended to be used to 'suppress' merely instead it was meant to permanently counter weaker spells. Anyway, it ties the second spell to an external source of power. I can't say what that source is, however. I would need more time. However, that third spell is the issue."

Ranma stared at him for a long moment. That was the most thorough explanation of her curse she had ever received, and it had taken him maybe ten minutes to do it.

"And what is the issue?" Her mother asked before she could get her thoughts in order.

"It's tied to nothing right now," Blackburn said bluntly.

Formond scowled from his seat. "So it's got nothing powering it then?" He asked as he stood, taking his bowl over to the pot of soup.

"Exactly." Blackburn sighed. "As far as I can guess the back and forth change of the curse must be caused by turning the power of the suppression spell on and off. This curse is complex, however, and I can't say for certain I'm not missing a part of it. Right now even if you expose it to the right trigger it has no power. I've read of spells like this before and what happens when they lose their source of power."

Ranma closed her eyes and sighed. "Whatever it was is probably back home." She said with a scowl.

"More than likely." The wizard nodded. "In my readings about spell forms of this nature I discovered that it is not uncommon for them to break when crossing from one world to the next. Especially if the portal you used closes and severs the path of least resistance." He frowned. "This is entirely my fault."

Nodoka looked away from Ranma, who she had been staring at. "Master Blackburn, you didn't know there could be complications. Neither of us could." She said.

He shook his head. "I should have examined Ranma's curse the moment you brought it up." He paused, then amended his words. "Well, once we had been given lodging anyway. As a servant of the Crown, it is my responsibility to account for the strange arcane events that may occur. I failed to consider that Ranma's curse would be any more complex than any other curse I've encountered in the past." He flipped through his notes before running a hand over Ranma's forehead again.

"It's like two different sources were responsible for the curse." He said, "The first feels divine in nature. Like something, a god may have done while the other… Non-divine, more like my own skills." His frown was puzzled as he flipped through the pages of notes.

Ranma rubbed her brow with one hand. "Can you do something about it?" She asked.

"Possibly." He said, "Not get rid of it I don't think. I am a skilled Wizard, however, this magic is of a level beyond even my own skills. Fixing it, however…" He tapped the recapped pen to his chin. "It would take time to study it and I believe I would need to get some assistance from some colleagues… assuming they are alive. I could try and tie it into the weave itself for power. That connect may make it impossible for the spell to function back in your homeland, however. It is entirely possible that all you have to do is go home and the spells will begin functioning as intended once more."

"So just go home, transform, and come back?" Ranma asked. That wouldn't be too bad if it worked.

Her mother sighed and shook her head. "No." She said, "Even if it does reconnect back on earth it would still disconnect when you arrive back here and that would stop the suppression effect immediately." She scowled.

Ranma winced. "Which would lead to me turning into a girl right away." She said.

"Exactly." Nodoka scowled. "I had hoped to introduce you as my son rather than my daughter…" She sighed, "Well, I suppose I'll simply have to explain the situation then." She glanced at Blackburn who winced.

"My knowledge is at your command, your highness." He said, bowing at the waist. She nodded a stiff acceptance.

"So what now?" Ranma asked as she slid off the log to sit on the ground. This mess was draining her energy quicker than their five-hour walk.

"We wait." Blackburn said, "I cannot open a portal tonight, and even tomorrow we may need it later so opening one to test your curse would be… unwise in my opinion. Fixing it would require, as I said, weeks or months of study just to ensure I don't make the situation worse. And it may even be entirely pointless since the spells may well work when you go home."

"So, I'm stuck," Ranma said.

"For the moment." Blackburn agreed grimly.

Ranma sighed and leaned her head against the log. Some days she really hated her curse. This was one of them. Her eyes had closed again as the exhaustion from this mess took hold.

"Well…" Nodoka paused as Ranma opened a tired eye. "At least something can be done about this." She sighed, "I suppose I will just have to settle for a daughter for the moment."

Ranma blinked at her mother who seemed almost… amused? Yes, that was a very mischievous smile her mother was sending her way. Why was she smiling like that? And why did it make her so nervous?
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And this is where I point out Jusenkyo is complicated, foreign, and of Divine origin?
 
If I recall correctly foreign magic, magic of divine nature and ancient magic rules can be unpredictable to dangerous to mess with even when they aren't mixed with each other even for a arch-mage.
 
Grounders10 said:
"Let's start from the top. There are three parts to this curse. Most only have one. There's the transmutation itself. Very standard from what I can tell, though rather potent. It's the other two parts which I find interesting. From what I can tell the transmutation part, in your case shifting you into a girl, is intended to be permanent. Someone, at some point, decided to change that and tacked on two additional bits somehow. The bindings between these spells are incredibly complex. It'll take me weeks, maybe months to figure them all out."

He pointed to a page covered in what appeared to be equations. "The second spell is intended to suppress the first, but it is by itself too weak to do so consistently. That's where the third spell comes in. It ties the second spell, which unless I miss my guess was never intended to be used to 'suppress' merely instead it was meant to permanently counter weaker spells. Anyway, it ties the second spell to an external source of power. I can't say what that source is, however. I would need more time. However, that third spell is the issue."
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Very interesting interpretation of the curse.

I agree that the curse appears divine in origin. The death required to create a template (Akane is an exception) put it in the Necromancy type, so probable evil deity, or at least chaotic.

The rest points towards arcane users trying to mitigate it.

Grounders10 said:
Ranma frowned and leaned back. "Well… I'm Shinto. We don't really pray to one Kami above others. Though I was accidentally certified as a Miko at an Inari Temple. When I pray it's usually to them."
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CERTIFIED!? INARI!?

… okay… So Inari could find an opening from the Realms, if AO approves. And Ranma converts people.

Hmm…

Inari Ōkami (稲荷大神, also Ō-Inari 大稲荷) is the Japanese Kami of foxes, of fertility (ouch, poor Ranma), rice (rather difficult in the North, perhaps with greenhouses?), tea and sake, of agriculture and industry, of general prosperity and worldly success, and one of the principal kami of Shinto (may open the door for the entire pantheon). In earlier Japan, Inari was also the patron of swordsmiths (good for the setting) and merchants.

Inari's foxes, or kitsune, are pure white and act as their messengers.
 
Well with the revelation that she is a certificated Miko of Inari the image from the start of the thread makes a lot more sense and it really opens a lot more possible implications of divine interactions.
 
overpalada said:
Well with the revelation that she is a certificated Miko of Inari the image from the start of the thread makes a lot more sense and it really opens a lot more possible implications of divine interactions.
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Really, what were we thinking, we'd get a Forgotten Realms crossover where the varied divines kept their hands to themselves?

Not exactly what the setting's known for, that.
 
Koolaid said:
Is not the forgotten realms already divided to different pantheons by the gods. Like, they are not allowed to proselytize in certain geographic areas.
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No.

Certainly, pantheons (and single deities) try to impose their supremacy over one or more kingdoms.

However the gods are ALL dependant on the faith of their followers.

Also, the average person in the FR setting can and will pray to several deities while only one is truly in his heart.
 
As I recall a number of the settings gods seem to have been taken from Norse, Roman, Sumerian, Meszo-American, Arabic, Egyptian pantheons and other pantheons as well as deities of local origins, racial deities and so forth.

A Japanese Kami showing up isn't going to that strange given the gods already running around.

As for rice as I recall the city of Neverwinter and the immediate region around it has a unnaturally and permanently warm climate for its location because of the heat given off by the Neverwinter river that which is apparently magically warmed by fire elementals.

Edit:That being said rice in Japan is grown even in the most northern most regions of the country of japan, even in Hokkaido which apparently has rather cool summers and icy/snowy winters and unlike most of the other Japanese islands apparently doesn't have a rainy season.
 
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@Grounders10 Nice characterization, especially Nodoka's reactions and I liked the explanation for the curse and Nabiki being allowed to continue with them. However:
1)We have another battle, and again Ranma is completely passive.
2)Given the explanation of Kubolds the characters genocidal behavior is completely unjustifiable and outright evil and yet Ranma has no problem accepting not just killing people actually attacking them (which while not evil and something I think Ranma should accept is also very much outside his experience so far and should take a some adjustment) but killing every kubold they encounter, including shattering eggs.

Also the people supposedly on watch looking into the fire is a stupid mistake, and you highlighting the stupidity makes the characters seem like morons.
 
Koolaid said:
Is not the forgotten realms already divided to different pantheons by the gods. Like, they are not allowed to proselytize in certain geographic areas.
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It's more that it's common sense not to allow certain gods 'legally' into your geography. If you're a evil git god, for instance Bane, you obviously don't want the competition. If you're good-ish to 'neutral' associated polity, you don't want the murdering gods anywhere but in monster strongholds you can't obliterate yet.
 
Grounders10 said:
"That is… I can't imagine a world where my lord wouldn't respond to my prayers."
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It's a lot more peaceful. What with the Weave equivalent not exploding every few generations due to somebody killing the goddess of magic, mortals not being dragged into divine **** measuring contests and/or outright wars, etc etc etc.
overpalada said:
Well with the revelation that she is a certificated Miko of Inari the image from the start of the thread makes a lot more sense and it really opens a lot more possible implications of divine interactions.
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It's Grounders10. If there is the option for foxes, fluffy tails and/or full-blown Kitsune popping up, it's going to happen. :p
 
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Oh, no, there are many very good plot reasons why the Wizard wouldn't know the spell - enough to not break SOD at all.

It's just... Polymorph Other is like Fireball. It might not be the best or most efficient tool, but it's so satisfying that it's hard for me to imagine a wizard who didn't pick it up. Also, it's not nearly as situational as one would expect. With a bit of creativity it can be extremely useful. Mosquito-to-cow is excellent for on-the-go fresh rations, flavored with the taste of satisfying vengeance.

Now, for day-to-day 5th level spell murderdeathkill Animate Object and a handful of copper coins is definitely the way to go. Sure, it's not as viscerally satisfying as "annoyance to toad" but the fact that you can wipe out entire groups of irritants with pocket change has its own joys.
 
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KafkaExMachina said:
It's just... Polymorph Other is like Fireball. It might not be the best or most efficient tool, but it's so satisfying that it's hard for me to imagine a wizard who didn't pick it up.
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You are assuming the wizard has free choice in which spell he will pick up. Between the time needed to learn new spells, and needing to find a spell book with the right spell in it I wouldn't find it breaking SoD to discover a particular wizard has no 5th level spells despite being able to cast them.
 
TheUnicorn said:
You are assuming the wizard has free choice in which spell he will pick up. Between the time needed to learn new spells, and needing to find a spell book with the right spell in it I wouldn't find it breaking SoD to discover a particular wizard has no 5th level spells despite being able to cast them.
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Especially when there's no societal obligation to share one's spells beyond one's immediate circle. A wizard might teach their apprentices the spells in their own spellbook, but given how focused many wizards are on their own interests they are probably not going to share the contents of their spellbooks without a good reason. Not least of which because the size and contents of one's own spellbook is in many ways their biggest source of income.
 
Hazard said:
Especially when there's no societal obligation to share one's spells beyond one's immediate circle. A wizard might teach their apprentices the spells in their own spellbook, but given how focused many wizards are on their own interests they are probably not going to share the contents of their spellbooks without a good reason. Not least of which because the size and contents of one's own spellbook is in many ways their biggest source of income.
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Not so sure about that, and even if so you'd have wizards trading spells, and a court wizard would be very well positioned to trade for new spells. It's just that he'd trade for spells he'd find useful as a court wizard, not what would be "coolest" or what an adventurer wizardwould trade for.
 
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TheUnicorn said:
Not so sure about that, and even if so you'd have wizards trading spells, and a court wizard would be very well positioned to trade for new spells. It's just that he'd trade for spells he'd find useful as a court wizard, not what would be "coolest" or what an adventurer wizardwould trade for.
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He'd trade for spells for himself to use. He'd trade for spells for his apprentices to use. He'd trade for spells to complete collections. He'd trade for spells to pluck apart to understand how they work. He'd trade for spells he can trade for other spells later on. He'd trade for curious and unusual spells. He'd trade for spells to give to adventurers he's sending out and indebt them to him.
 
One thing that must happen is Ranma learning new martial arts and ki techniques from the monks(and other classes) even as he/she develops as a priest(cleric) of Inari.
 
Cool.

Inari is an interesting goddess; if you had to pick one thing theys seem to be about, it is a functional society, where there food and craft and business and order (but not too much order), a type of place that's safe enough, but that you can still have a good time in.

When you read about where their shrines are (on top of businesses, in forests, in workshops and farm feilds, outside of brothels), you get the sense Inari is not your typical Green Stuff And Good Vibes agriculture godess.


Less peaceifizum and love, more let the good times roll.
 
Though if Inari does show up/start making a play, I can't see him/her/they getting along well with the majority of the FR gods.

Inari's all about prosperity, industry and advancement. While I haven't kept up with FR most of the gods (aside from those like Helm who focus on thier jobs) are more interested in getting more followers, taking potshots at the opposition and/or maintain the status quo so the mortals still need them.
 
A major deity of agriculture, foxes, Industry, of general prosperity and worldly success, rice, tea, sake, fertility, worldly success, a patron of swordsmiths, blacksmiths and merchants and a protector of warriors.

Inari certainly does have a nicely broad range of associations and given what Neverwinter was known for as a city a deity like that likely would fit right in.
 
Alane1 said:
A major deity of agriculture, foxes, Industry, of general prosperity and worldly success, rice, tea, sake, fertility, worldly success, a patron of swordsmiths, blacksmiths and merchants and a protector of warriors.

Inari certainly does have a nicely broad range of associations and given what Neverwinter was known for as a city a deity like that likely would fit right in.
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Though said domains probably encroach on a lot of the local gods.
 
From what I recall the major gods openly worshiped around Neverwinter were Torm, Tyr, Oghma, Bahamut, Selune, Asmodeus, Kelemvor and Helm.
 
Gond the Wonderworker would be -highly interested- in all this newfangled tech his Gnomes are reporting to him. He doesn't care what hand crafts the next Wonder, just that it is realized. While primarily a god of gnomes, I like the interpretations of him that evoke the master artificer, so lost in his INVENTING! that he doesn't notice prayers too much, just randomly fires off a boilerplate-email granting spells as requested, yes, yes, all the forms are filled out, good.

^^ Also: Sharess & Inari would get along either like littermates, or like cats and dogs. I have no idea which, and I wanna find out! ^.^
 
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