You open the book. Normally, you wouldn't be allowed to touch something valuable like this, but...
The Lighthouses and the Pit (Fantasy Mage Quest)
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The Beginning
- Location
- Straya
You open the book. Normally, you wouldn't be allowed to touch something valuable like this, but today is different. Father Matthias is away, teaching the other children, and you finally have a chance to sate your curiosity. You mean, you know about the Lighthouses in theory. You've heard of The Final Emperor and his creation of the Eternal Pit, and Queen Amelgynn, who sought to rectify his mistake, stepping into the Lighthouse of Indigo, and destroying it, alongside her once-proud city of Orothia.
You open it, running your hands along the soft vellum of the pages and the hardened, cracked leather of the cover.
The first thing you see is a simple map of the continent, carefully drawn in an uneasy hand. You have never seen a map before, and this raises more questions than it answers. You turn the page, hoping to see more.
First, a brief history. All who read this should know what has transpired, but what else might humanity lose in these fading days? I will sketch out a brief history, for there is always the chance we have lost even more. First came the Seven Lighthouses of Colour, magical and glorious. In the days when the land separated from the sea, the Darkling creatures of the sea savaged at the land, tearing at humanity. The Empress of Light wrought seven Lighthouses to surround the land and keep back the Darkling Hordes. In the centre of the land was the Great Lighthouse, focusing the seven beams of colour into a great white light. Or so it is said, in any case. No records of these days truly remain, but this is what little we know and can readily believe. In this state humanity lived happily for thousands of years.
Then came the Last Emperor, and the Pit. I have heard no true accounts, only stories. One story states that the Last Emperor wished to ascend above the Empress of Light, and tried to seize the magics of the Great Lighthouse himself. The purity of the magics burned him, though, and the corruption in his soul darkened them. The powers of light and dark fought one another, and dark triumphed. Where once stood the Eternal City under the light of the Great Lighthouse, now there was only the Pit, foreboding and endless. It goes down further than any have ever travelled, and while riches can be found, the Darklings sit there as well, waiting. They clambered out of the pit, and the Age of Light came to an end.
Then came the Age of Shadow. Despite the loss, humanity turned the seven lighthouses in their favour. The Darklings rose from the Pit, ravaging cities and towns. Any city that grew too great was cast down, any region that grew too prosperous was savaged. The many cities of humanity became four, those furthest from the Pit. Madalgia, Everett, Rosolin, and Orothia. In time, the cities managed to build their defenses, and the Flame Walls were built around the Pit, confining the Darklings there. The Four Cities grew, and chief among them was Orothia.
Queen of Orothia was Amelgynn, greatest Queen of the Age of Shadow. Under her guidance and magics the Flames Walls were built and maintained, and the other cities paid homage to her. She grew in hubris, and sought to do something that no other had done since the Age of Light. In the Age of Light, mages of the Third and even Fourth Ascension were common, but in the Age of Shadow, none had passed beyond the Second. Amelgynn sought to ascend to the Third Ascension, and use that power to seal the Pit and rebuild the glories of the past age.
She entered the Indigo Lighthouse, seeking to join her command of Earth and Fire to another magic, that of the Indigo Lighthouse. What happened in the Lighthouse, none know, bar this: when Amelgynn left, the light in the Lighthouse went out. She returned to Orothia, and with earth and fire consumed the city and the land, killing every man and woman, every beast and child in the city. When finally there was no more death to be had, she turned her powers on herself and the land, lava welling up from the bones of the earth. Orothia was utterly consumed.
Thus ended the Age of Shadow. Finally, comes the present age. Named by some the Age of Despair, I do not find this label wanting. The Indigo Lighthouse once protected humanity against the Darklings of the sea and the Darklings of the Pit, but darkened as it is, those beasts roam the land there with impunity. Now named the Shadowlands, none can travel there and survive. Villages and towns recede, and the Three Cities stand, but only just. Perhaps it is an ending. I hope not, but I cannot see from where such hope might stem.
You hastily put the book down as you hear footsteps. You might be able to read it again later, but for now...
Where are you from?
[ ] You are an orphan of one of the Three Cities. Brought up in an fearful environment where many were kicked out of the city on their majority, sent to seek the nearest Lighthouse or die in the attempt. Your people have faced sieges by the Darkling Hordes in the past, and likely will again. As an orphan, you will gain few useful skills, but the Three Cities are the world's greatest concentration of mages, so you will know more about them. Unlocks city choice in the next post. Some basic knowledge about mages gained (lore only, no actual magic ability). Low combat knowledge.
[ ] You are a child raised in a village, a little place bordering the Shadowlands. You were brought up to learn a trade, as well as how to stand in your village militia. Next to the Shadowlands you do not dare to travel, however, and so know little of the wilds. Unlocks choice of trade in next post. Combat knowledge with spear and shield gained. Low survival knowledge.
[ ] Your parents are Pit Scavengers, descending into the Pit to find lost artifacts of the Age of Light to sell. You know well how to hide, to hunt with a bow, and you can identify Darklings of various sorts with ease. Your parents gifted you with a useful Artifact as a child, as well. However, your mother descended into the Pit when she was first pregnant with you, and the dark magics within suffused your body in the womb, weakening you greatly. Unlocks choice of Artifact (Age of Light) in next post. Survival knowledge, Darkling knowledge, combat knowledge with bow gained. You suffer from corruption, weakening your body and any future magics you acquire.
You open it, running your hands along the soft vellum of the pages and the hardened, cracked leather of the cover.
The first thing you see is a simple map of the continent, carefully drawn in an uneasy hand. You have never seen a map before, and this raises more questions than it answers. You turn the page, hoping to see more.
First, a brief history. All who read this should know what has transpired, but what else might humanity lose in these fading days? I will sketch out a brief history, for there is always the chance we have lost even more. First came the Seven Lighthouses of Colour, magical and glorious. In the days when the land separated from the sea, the Darkling creatures of the sea savaged at the land, tearing at humanity. The Empress of Light wrought seven Lighthouses to surround the land and keep back the Darkling Hordes. In the centre of the land was the Great Lighthouse, focusing the seven beams of colour into a great white light. Or so it is said, in any case. No records of these days truly remain, but this is what little we know and can readily believe. In this state humanity lived happily for thousands of years.
Then came the Last Emperor, and the Pit. I have heard no true accounts, only stories. One story states that the Last Emperor wished to ascend above the Empress of Light, and tried to seize the magics of the Great Lighthouse himself. The purity of the magics burned him, though, and the corruption in his soul darkened them. The powers of light and dark fought one another, and dark triumphed. Where once stood the Eternal City under the light of the Great Lighthouse, now there was only the Pit, foreboding and endless. It goes down further than any have ever travelled, and while riches can be found, the Darklings sit there as well, waiting. They clambered out of the pit, and the Age of Light came to an end.
Then came the Age of Shadow. Despite the loss, humanity turned the seven lighthouses in their favour. The Darklings rose from the Pit, ravaging cities and towns. Any city that grew too great was cast down, any region that grew too prosperous was savaged. The many cities of humanity became four, those furthest from the Pit. Madalgia, Everett, Rosolin, and Orothia. In time, the cities managed to build their defenses, and the Flame Walls were built around the Pit, confining the Darklings there. The Four Cities grew, and chief among them was Orothia.
Queen of Orothia was Amelgynn, greatest Queen of the Age of Shadow. Under her guidance and magics the Flames Walls were built and maintained, and the other cities paid homage to her. She grew in hubris, and sought to do something that no other had done since the Age of Light. In the Age of Light, mages of the Third and even Fourth Ascension were common, but in the Age of Shadow, none had passed beyond the Second. Amelgynn sought to ascend to the Third Ascension, and use that power to seal the Pit and rebuild the glories of the past age.
She entered the Indigo Lighthouse, seeking to join her command of Earth and Fire to another magic, that of the Indigo Lighthouse. What happened in the Lighthouse, none know, bar this: when Amelgynn left, the light in the Lighthouse went out. She returned to Orothia, and with earth and fire consumed the city and the land, killing every man and woman, every beast and child in the city. When finally there was no more death to be had, she turned her powers on herself and the land, lava welling up from the bones of the earth. Orothia was utterly consumed.
Thus ended the Age of Shadow. Finally, comes the present age. Named by some the Age of Despair, I do not find this label wanting. The Indigo Lighthouse once protected humanity against the Darklings of the sea and the Darklings of the Pit, but darkened as it is, those beasts roam the land there with impunity. Now named the Shadowlands, none can travel there and survive. Villages and towns recede, and the Three Cities stand, but only just. Perhaps it is an ending. I hope not, but I cannot see from where such hope might stem.
You hastily put the book down as you hear footsteps. You might be able to read it again later, but for now...
Where are you from?
[ ] You are an orphan of one of the Three Cities. Brought up in an fearful environment where many were kicked out of the city on their majority, sent to seek the nearest Lighthouse or die in the attempt. Your people have faced sieges by the Darkling Hordes in the past, and likely will again. As an orphan, you will gain few useful skills, but the Three Cities are the world's greatest concentration of mages, so you will know more about them. Unlocks city choice in the next post. Some basic knowledge about mages gained (lore only, no actual magic ability). Low combat knowledge.
[ ] You are a child raised in a village, a little place bordering the Shadowlands. You were brought up to learn a trade, as well as how to stand in your village militia. Next to the Shadowlands you do not dare to travel, however, and so know little of the wilds. Unlocks choice of trade in next post. Combat knowledge with spear and shield gained. Low survival knowledge.
[ ] Your parents are Pit Scavengers, descending into the Pit to find lost artifacts of the Age of Light to sell. You know well how to hide, to hunt with a bow, and you can identify Darklings of various sorts with ease. Your parents gifted you with a useful Artifact as a child, as well. However, your mother descended into the Pit when she was first pregnant with you, and the dark magics within suffused your body in the womb, weakening you greatly. Unlocks choice of Artifact (Age of Light) in next post. Survival knowledge, Darkling knowledge, combat knowledge with bow gained. You suffer from corruption, weakening your body and any future magics you acquire.
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The Lighthouses
- Location
- Straya
Before we move on to the next choice, I'll talk a little bit about the magical system.
The footsteps move away, and you sigh. You reopen the book, flipping through to another chapter. Magic. Yes, you've heard about it, but perhaps one in a hundred gains the skill for magic, and you've never met a mage in anything more than passing. They don't exactly hobnob with your kind.
There are six Lighthouses still lit, where there were once seven. We know little about how they were made, but we know what they do. Anyone may enter a Lighthouse. Something happens inside. No preparation seems to make the difference, though childless women succeed much more often than men, though women who have born children succeed less often for each child they have born. Those who enter a Lighthouse invariably leave in one of three ways. A little over half simply die, their headless corpses flung from the top of the Lighthouse. One in three leave, missing a limb of one kind or another, and without magic. The lucky, one in ten, leave as mages. None remember anything that transpires within the Lighthouse itself.
It is this cold calculus that sees the poor and indigent of the Three Cities swept up and sent to the Lighthouses - if the Cities grow too much, the Darklings descend upon them, and so the population must be endlessly pruned. Most die, but some return as mages to serve their city. Among the country folk, mages are fewer, for if a village grows too large it may split off, or send some people to marry into a nearby village that may have suffered Darkling attacks.
Each Lighthouse grants different magics. For instance, the Blue Lighthouse gives to us Watersingers who can manipulate water in great amounts, reshaping rivers and sweeping away Darklings, Stormchasers who use their mastery of lightning to fight the Darklings outside the Cities and even descend into the Pit, and the Runesmiths, who forge useful items with various minor powers that they alone can use. The power an aspirant gains seems linked to their personality - it is not mere gossip to say that Runesmiths are patient and careful, while Stormchasers are easily angered and mercurial.
If an aspirant succeeds, this is what we call Ascension. In the Age of Light, it is said mages of the Fifth and Sixth Ascension existed, gaining powers from each Lighthouse in turn, their minor workings eclipsing the greatest magics of the modern day. Today, mages of the Second Ascension are vanishingly rare, and none of the Third Ascension exist.
The footsteps move away, and you sigh. You reopen the book, flipping through to another chapter. Magic. Yes, you've heard about it, but perhaps one in a hundred gains the skill for magic, and you've never met a mage in anything more than passing. They don't exactly hobnob with your kind.
There are six Lighthouses still lit, where there were once seven. We know little about how they were made, but we know what they do. Anyone may enter a Lighthouse. Something happens inside. No preparation seems to make the difference, though childless women succeed much more often than men, though women who have born children succeed less often for each child they have born. Those who enter a Lighthouse invariably leave in one of three ways. A little over half simply die, their headless corpses flung from the top of the Lighthouse. One in three leave, missing a limb of one kind or another, and without magic. The lucky, one in ten, leave as mages. None remember anything that transpires within the Lighthouse itself.
It is this cold calculus that sees the poor and indigent of the Three Cities swept up and sent to the Lighthouses - if the Cities grow too much, the Darklings descend upon them, and so the population must be endlessly pruned. Most die, but some return as mages to serve their city. Among the country folk, mages are fewer, for if a village grows too large it may split off, or send some people to marry into a nearby village that may have suffered Darkling attacks.
Each Lighthouse grants different magics. For instance, the Blue Lighthouse gives to us Watersingers who can manipulate water in great amounts, reshaping rivers and sweeping away Darklings, Stormchasers who use their mastery of lightning to fight the Darklings outside the Cities and even descend into the Pit, and the Runesmiths, who forge useful items with various minor powers that they alone can use. The power an aspirant gains seems linked to their personality - it is not mere gossip to say that Runesmiths are patient and careful, while Stormchasers are easily angered and mercurial.
If an aspirant succeeds, this is what we call Ascension. In the Age of Light, it is said mages of the Fifth and Sixth Ascension existed, gaining powers from each Lighthouse in turn, their minor workings eclipsing the greatest magics of the modern day. Today, mages of the Second Ascension are vanishingly rare, and none of the Third Ascension exist.
Character Creation - City Choice
- Location
- Straya
It does look like Orphan is the winning option.
Please note that the cities guard their Lighthouses, and have a general compact not to allow orphans from other cities into their own. While you can enter your own City's Lighthouse, or travel to an unclaimed one, picking Rosolin will lock out out of the Yellow and Green Lighthouses, picking Everett will lock you out of the Red and Yellow Lighthouses, and picking Madalgia will lock you out of the Red and Green Lighthouses. This will not effect you if you happen to somehow enter a second Lighthouse as a mage.
This is to pare down the choices a little before you pick a first school of magic, rather than simply presenting eighteen overly complex choices.
The footsteps came back, and you quickly hid the book away once more as the door swung open. Father Matthias stood there, shaking his head.
"I know you like to read, but come out! Listen to the sermon, speak to your fellows. After all, this is the greatest city in the world! This is..."
[ ] Rosolin, City of Ten Thousand Bows
Rosolin is the smallest of the Three Cities, boasting a population of a mere thirty thousand. When the population rises much above this, the Darkling raids intensify, and if it were to hit as many as thirty-five, the city would face a siege of tremendous power. As such, the young in the city who do not earn a place to stay are sent to the nearest Lighthouse, where most die. On occasion, one travels across the Shadowlands to the Violet Lighthouse, and returns with other powers.
Being so distant from the other two Cities, and so close to the Shadowlands means Rosolin is poor and small, but the Longshots and Breathtakers who defend its walls are without peer, and it is rare a raid does any real damage.
Living in Rosolin gains you magical knowledge regarding Longshots, Breathtakers, and Mindscours. Archery magic, air magic, and mind magic, respectively. This will enable you to better combat these mages, and you will be able to learn some useful spells if you happen to join one of these schools of magic. You will not be able to enter the Green or Yellow Lighthouses at first.
[ ] Everett, City of Eternal Green
Everett is the most defensible of the three cities. The Green Lighthouse brings Alchemists, who concoct explosives, healing flasks and the like, trading with the other Cities and with the surrounding countryside. The Vineweavers of Everett grow great plant walls, and fruits fall from the many trees grown within its gentle embrace. If the explosives and plants fail, then the Coldhands of Everett create great spears and blades of ice, driving the Darklings back as the last line of defense.
Safer than Roslin, Everett supports a population of forty-five thousand, though it faces many more raids as a result. At fifty thousand, it faces sieges and the like, and sends its orphans and unneeded youngsters to the Green Lighthouse, though some choose to strike off on their own, and enter the Blue.
Living in Rosolin gains you magical knowledge regarding Alchemists, Vineweavers, and Coldhands. Concoction magic, plant magic, and ice magic respectively. This will enable you to better combat these mages, and you will be able to learn some useful spells if you happen to join one of these schools of magic. You will not be able to enter the Red or Yellow Lighthouses at first.
[ ] Madalgia, City of the Three Trade Walls
Truly the largest of the Three Cities, Madalgia has a population of seventy thousand. Its distance from the Shadowlands allows it to support this, and its position between the other two Cities sees it trade with the other two, as well as send expeditions into the Pit for Artifacts. By far the richest, Madalgia often suffers from raids and even sieges.
However, it has perhaps the most useful magics. The Shaderunners do not defend the city, but slip between villagers and cities, carrying messages and useful Artifacts, trading in things the cities need from one another. The Spellthieves travel with them, able to steal (though more often pay for) useful magical effects that they can bring to bear for the city's defense later on, and the Glimpses peer into the immediate future, ensuring any attack is deflected by the city's mundane forces. However, with the stealth of the Shaderunners, Madalgia is able to better enter the Pit than any other city, and uses Artifacts to defend their walls, as well as sneaking groups of aspirants to the Orange Lighthousee.
Living in Madalgia gains you magical knowledge regarding Shaderunners, Spellthieves, and Glimpses. Stealth magic, effect-appropriating magic (a Spellthief can absorb and store a magical effect and use it later, though this requires another mage to cast for them), and precognition magic (certainly not Worm-level though) respectively. This will enable you to better combat these mages, and you will be able to learn some useful spells if you happen to join one of these schools of magic. You will not be able to enter the Green or Red Lighthouses at first.
Please note that the cities guard their Lighthouses, and have a general compact not to allow orphans from other cities into their own. While you can enter your own City's Lighthouse, or travel to an unclaimed one, picking Rosolin will lock out out of the Yellow and Green Lighthouses, picking Everett will lock you out of the Red and Yellow Lighthouses, and picking Madalgia will lock you out of the Red and Green Lighthouses. This will not effect you if you happen to somehow enter a second Lighthouse as a mage.
This is to pare down the choices a little before you pick a first school of magic, rather than simply presenting eighteen overly complex choices.
The footsteps came back, and you quickly hid the book away once more as the door swung open. Father Matthias stood there, shaking his head.
"I know you like to read, but come out! Listen to the sermon, speak to your fellows. After all, this is the greatest city in the world! This is..."
[ ] Rosolin, City of Ten Thousand Bows
Rosolin is the smallest of the Three Cities, boasting a population of a mere thirty thousand. When the population rises much above this, the Darkling raids intensify, and if it were to hit as many as thirty-five, the city would face a siege of tremendous power. As such, the young in the city who do not earn a place to stay are sent to the nearest Lighthouse, where most die. On occasion, one travels across the Shadowlands to the Violet Lighthouse, and returns with other powers.
Being so distant from the other two Cities, and so close to the Shadowlands means Rosolin is poor and small, but the Longshots and Breathtakers who defend its walls are without peer, and it is rare a raid does any real damage.
Living in Rosolin gains you magical knowledge regarding Longshots, Breathtakers, and Mindscours. Archery magic, air magic, and mind magic, respectively. This will enable you to better combat these mages, and you will be able to learn some useful spells if you happen to join one of these schools of magic. You will not be able to enter the Green or Yellow Lighthouses at first.
[ ] Everett, City of Eternal Green
Everett is the most defensible of the three cities. The Green Lighthouse brings Alchemists, who concoct explosives, healing flasks and the like, trading with the other Cities and with the surrounding countryside. The Vineweavers of Everett grow great plant walls, and fruits fall from the many trees grown within its gentle embrace. If the explosives and plants fail, then the Coldhands of Everett create great spears and blades of ice, driving the Darklings back as the last line of defense.
Safer than Roslin, Everett supports a population of forty-five thousand, though it faces many more raids as a result. At fifty thousand, it faces sieges and the like, and sends its orphans and unneeded youngsters to the Green Lighthouse, though some choose to strike off on their own, and enter the Blue.
Living in Rosolin gains you magical knowledge regarding Alchemists, Vineweavers, and Coldhands. Concoction magic, plant magic, and ice magic respectively. This will enable you to better combat these mages, and you will be able to learn some useful spells if you happen to join one of these schools of magic. You will not be able to enter the Red or Yellow Lighthouses at first.
[ ] Madalgia, City of the Three Trade Walls
Truly the largest of the Three Cities, Madalgia has a population of seventy thousand. Its distance from the Shadowlands allows it to support this, and its position between the other two Cities sees it trade with the other two, as well as send expeditions into the Pit for Artifacts. By far the richest, Madalgia often suffers from raids and even sieges.
However, it has perhaps the most useful magics. The Shaderunners do not defend the city, but slip between villagers and cities, carrying messages and useful Artifacts, trading in things the cities need from one another. The Spellthieves travel with them, able to steal (though more often pay for) useful magical effects that they can bring to bear for the city's defense later on, and the Glimpses peer into the immediate future, ensuring any attack is deflected by the city's mundane forces. However, with the stealth of the Shaderunners, Madalgia is able to better enter the Pit than any other city, and uses Artifacts to defend their walls, as well as sneaking groups of aspirants to the Orange Lighthousee.
Living in Madalgia gains you magical knowledge regarding Shaderunners, Spellthieves, and Glimpses. Stealth magic, effect-appropriating magic (a Spellthief can absorb and store a magical effect and use it later, though this requires another mage to cast for them), and precognition magic (certainly not Worm-level though) respectively. This will enable you to better combat these mages, and you will be able to learn some useful spells if you happen to join one of these schools of magic. You will not be able to enter the Green or Red Lighthouses at first.
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Madalgia - The Walls and your History
- Location
- Straya
Father Matthias clapped his hand on your back.
"Now, I know you like reading, and I approve, but there's a reason we spend time together. For it is in fellowship..."
His voice trails off expectantly, and you speak sullenly.
"For is in in fellowship we find salvation."
He smiles at you, hands the size of your head sprouting from arms like tree trunks. After a moment, the smile dims.
"You know, I never get a chance to speak with most of you one on one. Not for long - the city wants you educated, but there's only so much learning to go around. Can you tell me why? List the Three Rings, and why you're unfortunate enough to be in the third."
Father Matthias never stopped trying to make everything a lesson. You would've rolled your eyes, but he was looking right at you. Even when asking painful questions he always seemed so earnest. You speak.
"The inner ring is the High Ring, where the mages, governors, and full citizens of the city live. They live there as they are too important to risk against the Darklings in all but the worst need. The middle ring is the Trade Ring, where goods are bought and sold, and traders come from the other cities and the villages around. Those who produce valuable goods, like blacksmiths, live there. The outer ring is the Dead Ring-"
"The Shield Ring."
Father Matthias's voice cuts you off, calm and pleasant. You know better, though. They call it the Dead Ring, because the people who live there are either dead, or not that far from dying. You've seen Darklings before, huge leathery bat-things clambering over the walls in the night. Never close enough to die, but Volstead Street was burned down two years ago to root out some Darklings that had gotten into the Ring, and it still hadn't been rebuilt.
"The Shield Ring. The orphans, the beggars, the soldiery who need to be called to arms. Anyone who can't get into a better Ring."
His voice is still kind, but the next words are merciless.
"And why are you here?"
"My parents... my parents-"
[ ] Were Killed by Darklings A Few Years Ago
Madalgia maintains a large militia, but they are not well-armed. The population grows ceaselessly, and ways and means must be found to cull it. One of the simplest (beyond exiling those who are too many to a Lighthouse), is ensuring anyone without a trade serves as a militiaman, and given the number of them, they are not well-armed. Lives are cheap, and good equipment is not. Your parents were members of the militia, fighting against monsters with ten times their strength and speed with simple spears and shields. Eventually it overcame them. You hate the city for what it did to them, and your anger at the situation burns in you every day. If you go to a Lighthouse, it will be on your terms, somewhere the city doesn't control.
Become more Angry. Will not go to the Yellow Lighthouse, reducing the list of available Lighthouses to Orange, Blue, and Purple.
[ ] Tossed Me Out At Birth
Families grow large, in expectation of deaths. Some families are lucky though, if it can be called that. The seventh child of two blacksmiths, they could not even feed six. You were sent to the orphanage as a baby. You could not be fed by your family, and that was the end of the matter. You learned their names a few years back, but your attempts to enter the Trade Ring were met with beatings by the guards. You grew up scrawny but clever, scavenging for food and things to trade, trying to fend off the death you could always see coming. Fear defines your life, and you know the fear churning your stomach as not only a foe, but a valued protector, saving you from beatings and Darklings alike.
Become more Fearful. You will be weaker and scrawnier, but will gain better Survival Skills. Will not travel to the Purple Lighthouse (due to the danger), reducing the list of available Lighthouses to Yellow, Orange and Blue.
[ ] Sold me to a Trader
Slavery isn't legal as such, as human flesh isn't worth all that much, but your parents were villagers who had too many children. A passing trader had lost his only son, and took you in to raise you as his own for a pair of fine iron pots. Five years ago, Spinewolves attacked your cart, killing your adoptive father. In the light of the orange Lighthouse, they tore him apart as you watched, saved by a pair of passing Shaderunners escorting orphans to the Lighthouse to attempt Ascension. You'll always remember the orange light shining down on his lifeless body. You can't ever go back there. No, not ever. Still, when you think about what he taught you, he taught you to trade well, talk with all and sundry, and always, always find the best bargain. Every copper was counted, every item stored away, and your father was never against pilfering a thing or two if he didn't think he'd be coming back to that village in a hurry.
Become more Greedy. Will not travel to the Orange Lighthouse, reducing the list of available Lighthouses to Yellow, Blue, and Purple.
[ ] Attempted Ascension
They were only children, really. Ascension is usually attempted at sixteen, as that age seems to bring the most successes. Your mother was fourteen and your father fifteen, two orphans who fell in love. A year later, your father attempted to Ascend at the Blue Lighthouse, and never returned. Your mother attempted the year after, and returned maimed, missing her left arm. She was permitted to stay, having made her attempt, but the old wound was often infected, and she died a year ago. She sang to you, and loved you, and told you the stories of the old Age of Light, when there was peace and plenty, weaving words of happiness and hope throughout your childhood. She also asked you never to enter the Blue Lighthouse. She knew it would have to be one, but she could not bear sending her only child to the doom that took her arm and husband.
Become more Hopeful. Will not travel to the Blue Lighthouse, reducing the list of available Lighthouses to Yellow, Orange and Purple.
"Now, I know you like reading, and I approve, but there's a reason we spend time together. For it is in fellowship..."
His voice trails off expectantly, and you speak sullenly.
"For is in in fellowship we find salvation."
He smiles at you, hands the size of your head sprouting from arms like tree trunks. After a moment, the smile dims.
"You know, I never get a chance to speak with most of you one on one. Not for long - the city wants you educated, but there's only so much learning to go around. Can you tell me why? List the Three Rings, and why you're unfortunate enough to be in the third."
Father Matthias never stopped trying to make everything a lesson. You would've rolled your eyes, but he was looking right at you. Even when asking painful questions he always seemed so earnest. You speak.
"The inner ring is the High Ring, where the mages, governors, and full citizens of the city live. They live there as they are too important to risk against the Darklings in all but the worst need. The middle ring is the Trade Ring, where goods are bought and sold, and traders come from the other cities and the villages around. Those who produce valuable goods, like blacksmiths, live there. The outer ring is the Dead Ring-"
"The Shield Ring."
Father Matthias's voice cuts you off, calm and pleasant. You know better, though. They call it the Dead Ring, because the people who live there are either dead, or not that far from dying. You've seen Darklings before, huge leathery bat-things clambering over the walls in the night. Never close enough to die, but Volstead Street was burned down two years ago to root out some Darklings that had gotten into the Ring, and it still hadn't been rebuilt.
"The Shield Ring. The orphans, the beggars, the soldiery who need to be called to arms. Anyone who can't get into a better Ring."
His voice is still kind, but the next words are merciless.
"And why are you here?"
"My parents... my parents-"
[ ] Were Killed by Darklings A Few Years Ago
Madalgia maintains a large militia, but they are not well-armed. The population grows ceaselessly, and ways and means must be found to cull it. One of the simplest (beyond exiling those who are too many to a Lighthouse), is ensuring anyone without a trade serves as a militiaman, and given the number of them, they are not well-armed. Lives are cheap, and good equipment is not. Your parents were members of the militia, fighting against monsters with ten times their strength and speed with simple spears and shields. Eventually it overcame them. You hate the city for what it did to them, and your anger at the situation burns in you every day. If you go to a Lighthouse, it will be on your terms, somewhere the city doesn't control.
Become more Angry. Will not go to the Yellow Lighthouse, reducing the list of available Lighthouses to Orange, Blue, and Purple.
[ ] Tossed Me Out At Birth
Families grow large, in expectation of deaths. Some families are lucky though, if it can be called that. The seventh child of two blacksmiths, they could not even feed six. You were sent to the orphanage as a baby. You could not be fed by your family, and that was the end of the matter. You learned their names a few years back, but your attempts to enter the Trade Ring were met with beatings by the guards. You grew up scrawny but clever, scavenging for food and things to trade, trying to fend off the death you could always see coming. Fear defines your life, and you know the fear churning your stomach as not only a foe, but a valued protector, saving you from beatings and Darklings alike.
Become more Fearful. You will be weaker and scrawnier, but will gain better Survival Skills. Will not travel to the Purple Lighthouse (due to the danger), reducing the list of available Lighthouses to Yellow, Orange and Blue.
[ ] Sold me to a Trader
Slavery isn't legal as such, as human flesh isn't worth all that much, but your parents were villagers who had too many children. A passing trader had lost his only son, and took you in to raise you as his own for a pair of fine iron pots. Five years ago, Spinewolves attacked your cart, killing your adoptive father. In the light of the orange Lighthouse, they tore him apart as you watched, saved by a pair of passing Shaderunners escorting orphans to the Lighthouse to attempt Ascension. You'll always remember the orange light shining down on his lifeless body. You can't ever go back there. No, not ever. Still, when you think about what he taught you, he taught you to trade well, talk with all and sundry, and always, always find the best bargain. Every copper was counted, every item stored away, and your father was never against pilfering a thing or two if he didn't think he'd be coming back to that village in a hurry.
Become more Greedy. Will not travel to the Orange Lighthouse, reducing the list of available Lighthouses to Yellow, Blue, and Purple.
[ ] Attempted Ascension
They were only children, really. Ascension is usually attempted at sixteen, as that age seems to bring the most successes. Your mother was fourteen and your father fifteen, two orphans who fell in love. A year later, your father attempted to Ascend at the Blue Lighthouse, and never returned. Your mother attempted the year after, and returned maimed, missing her left arm. She was permitted to stay, having made her attempt, but the old wound was often infected, and she died a year ago. She sang to you, and loved you, and told you the stories of the old Age of Light, when there was peace and plenty, weaving words of happiness and hope throughout your childhood. She also asked you never to enter the Blue Lighthouse. She knew it would have to be one, but she could not bear sending her only child to the doom that took her arm and husband.
Become more Hopeful. Will not travel to the Blue Lighthouse, reducing the list of available Lighthouses to Yellow, Orange and Purple.
The First Crisis
- Location
- Straya
"Of course, of course.", he mutters.
He looks to say something more, but a voice rings out.
"Father Matthias! Where are you?"
He turns around, smiling.
"Come on. Come enjoy the food."
The two of you walk out, and you eat better than you have in weeks. You feel grateful to him, coming to find you even though you very well might die in a few years. You shake your head. No, others might die. You'll push through and survive, and you'll defend the city against the Darklings as well! When you scraped your knee or got hit by the butt of a spear by an angry guardsman as a child, you'd come to your mother crying. She'd hold you in her arms, and once you'd finished crying remind you that you were still alive, and that as long as you lived, you could always do better. Even when you were hungry, digging through garbage for scraps, she'd smile at you, telling you gaily not to give up as she passed you the only crust of bread she'd found for the day. The orphanage was only for orphans, after all, and for as long as she lived with her useless arm, the city would not feed her or her child.
Eventually, though, disease took her. Infections found her more easily since she entered the Lighthouse, and medicine - let alone a Fleshcrafter - was well beyond your capacity to pay. You remember when she died, her corpse thrown onto a burning pile of them, and afterwards - smouldering skeletons sold to the Fleshcrafters for the use of apprentices to practice. It was a horrible sight, but you didn't give up. You cried for days, but eventually you found your way to the orphanage. It wasn't inner strength, but the idea that things could be better. No matter how horrible things were, you somehow knew you could do better, even if only a little bit, day by day. Holding onto this centered you, allowed you to deal with the jabs from the other orphans, the hunger when you didn't make it downstairs fast enough. Even the others remarked on it, though often in a cruel way - you were a Hopeful child, untouched by the despair of those around you.
After Father Matthias left, you lived in relative peace, until the Siege. On your fourteenth birthday (you think, though your knowledge was hardly perfect), the Darklings came. At first, great crows of black with pulsing veins of red blood wrapped around the outside of their bodies, swooping at the militia on the walls. Behind them, thousands of Spinewolves, doglike things covered in spikes and hooks of hardened, blackened bone, eyes glittering from every direction on their misshaped bodies. They spat out poisoned spines from inside their mouths, and lastly stood the Greatspiders, spiders eight feet tall and twice as long, glimmering rainbow colours as they scuttled up the walls and butchered the defenders in their hundreds.
In this time of great danger, you...
[ ] Helped the Wounded
You saw men dying of poison, women with great chunks of flesh torn off them. Boiling rags gathered from the bodies of the slain, you wrapped those you could in makeshift bandages, and used fire where you could to burn the blackened flesh touched by the Spinewolves. The cries of the wounded echo with you still, and you cannot bring yourself to face the results of the Darklings again. Not easily, at least.Maybe in the future as a mage, but not immedaitely.
Become more Compassionate. Your fear of what you faced means you will not cross the Shadowlands to enter the Violet Lighthouse.
[ ] Armed Yourself and Fought
You knew the odds, but you didn't care. You'd fought against life, struggled this much so far, and you'd be damned if something like a horde of deadly beasts was going to stop you. You found a spear and shield on a corpse, and went to fight. To be honest, you accomplished very little. You jabbed at a Spinewolf, which tripped you and was about to kill you, if another militiaman hadn't charged it at the last second. You were on the wall for a day, before the Tremorfeet finished their trap, consuming two-thirds of the Darklings in the earth. You saw men die around you, and only at the end did the cowards appear - the Shaderunners and Spellthieves turned up to finish the fight, when so many had died to hold the wall for them. Despite their power of magery, you felt contempt growing for them. If you were to become a mage, you would not be one of those sorts, who left good men and women to die.
Become more Stubborn. Gain a bias against Shaderunners and Spellthieves - as such, you will not enter the Yellow Lighthouse.
[ ] Scavenged From the Fallen
Others fought, but you knew the truth. If you had money, if you had things, you might survive. Fighting would be foolish - getting enough to leave the city would be fine. You stole from the dead, skulking around and hiding as you could. You were caught, at the end by a Shaderunner, who drew his blade on you and threatened to kill you if he ever saw you again, forcing you to give up most of your ill-gotten gains. You managed to squirrel some away, though, hiding them in the rubble of abandoned buildings.
Become more Greedy. Gain a purse of 100 silvers and a shortbow. Due to the Shaderunners spending a great deal of time at the Orange Lighthouse, you will not risk death going there.
He looks to say something more, but a voice rings out.
"Father Matthias! Where are you?"
He turns around, smiling.
"Come on. Come enjoy the food."
The two of you walk out, and you eat better than you have in weeks. You feel grateful to him, coming to find you even though you very well might die in a few years. You shake your head. No, others might die. You'll push through and survive, and you'll defend the city against the Darklings as well! When you scraped your knee or got hit by the butt of a spear by an angry guardsman as a child, you'd come to your mother crying. She'd hold you in her arms, and once you'd finished crying remind you that you were still alive, and that as long as you lived, you could always do better. Even when you were hungry, digging through garbage for scraps, she'd smile at you, telling you gaily not to give up as she passed you the only crust of bread she'd found for the day. The orphanage was only for orphans, after all, and for as long as she lived with her useless arm, the city would not feed her or her child.
Eventually, though, disease took her. Infections found her more easily since she entered the Lighthouse, and medicine - let alone a Fleshcrafter - was well beyond your capacity to pay. You remember when she died, her corpse thrown onto a burning pile of them, and afterwards - smouldering skeletons sold to the Fleshcrafters for the use of apprentices to practice. It was a horrible sight, but you didn't give up. You cried for days, but eventually you found your way to the orphanage. It wasn't inner strength, but the idea that things could be better. No matter how horrible things were, you somehow knew you could do better, even if only a little bit, day by day. Holding onto this centered you, allowed you to deal with the jabs from the other orphans, the hunger when you didn't make it downstairs fast enough. Even the others remarked on it, though often in a cruel way - you were a Hopeful child, untouched by the despair of those around you.
After Father Matthias left, you lived in relative peace, until the Siege. On your fourteenth birthday (you think, though your knowledge was hardly perfect), the Darklings came. At first, great crows of black with pulsing veins of red blood wrapped around the outside of their bodies, swooping at the militia on the walls. Behind them, thousands of Spinewolves, doglike things covered in spikes and hooks of hardened, blackened bone, eyes glittering from every direction on their misshaped bodies. They spat out poisoned spines from inside their mouths, and lastly stood the Greatspiders, spiders eight feet tall and twice as long, glimmering rainbow colours as they scuttled up the walls and butchered the defenders in their hundreds.
In this time of great danger, you...
[ ] Helped the Wounded
You saw men dying of poison, women with great chunks of flesh torn off them. Boiling rags gathered from the bodies of the slain, you wrapped those you could in makeshift bandages, and used fire where you could to burn the blackened flesh touched by the Spinewolves. The cries of the wounded echo with you still, and you cannot bring yourself to face the results of the Darklings again. Not easily, at least.Maybe in the future as a mage, but not immedaitely.
Become more Compassionate. Your fear of what you faced means you will not cross the Shadowlands to enter the Violet Lighthouse.
[ ] Armed Yourself and Fought
You knew the odds, but you didn't care. You'd fought against life, struggled this much so far, and you'd be damned if something like a horde of deadly beasts was going to stop you. You found a spear and shield on a corpse, and went to fight. To be honest, you accomplished very little. You jabbed at a Spinewolf, which tripped you and was about to kill you, if another militiaman hadn't charged it at the last second. You were on the wall for a day, before the Tremorfeet finished their trap, consuming two-thirds of the Darklings in the earth. You saw men die around you, and only at the end did the cowards appear - the Shaderunners and Spellthieves turned up to finish the fight, when so many had died to hold the wall for them. Despite their power of magery, you felt contempt growing for them. If you were to become a mage, you would not be one of those sorts, who left good men and women to die.
Become more Stubborn. Gain a bias against Shaderunners and Spellthieves - as such, you will not enter the Yellow Lighthouse.
[ ] Scavenged From the Fallen
Others fought, but you knew the truth. If you had money, if you had things, you might survive. Fighting would be foolish - getting enough to leave the city would be fine. You stole from the dead, skulking around and hiding as you could. You were caught, at the end by a Shaderunner, who drew his blade on you and threatened to kill you if he ever saw you again, forcing you to give up most of your ill-gotten gains. You managed to squirrel some away, though, hiding them in the rubble of abandoned buildings.
Become more Greedy. Gain a purse of 100 silvers and a shortbow. Due to the Shaderunners spending a great deal of time at the Orange Lighthouse, you will not risk death going there.
Choice of Lighthouse
- Location
- Straya
On your fifteenth birthday, you were not expected to choose your fate, as such. That being said, making it to another Lighthouse beyond the Yellow was difficult, and you only had one choice beyond it. The Purple and Blue Lighthouses you had already decided against, and the others belonged to the other cities. As it stood, you were determined to choose either Orange or Yellow.
To make it across the continent to the Orange Lighthouse, however, required you to be dedicated to the notion, willing to ask and ask again at the orphanage, to sign up for a trip that was effectively a death sentence if you failed. The Shaderunners would not help you return home if you came out of the Lighthouse maimed and powerless.
[ ] You Aimed for the Orange Lighthouse
To travel this far would require bravery, as well as impressing a Shaderunner with your conviction in the matter. You would need to work hard at convincing a Shaderunner to take you, or at least make you part of the group that was spirited to the Orange Lighthouse. To do so meant giving up other things that you could be spending your time on, trying merely to stand out in your willingness to die. In your willingness to do this, you would find your stubbornness growing as well.
Become more Stubborn. You will enter the Orange Lighthouse on your next turn, gaining the powers of a Bladebound, Fleshcrafter, or Tremorfoot. (The quest will choose the powerset, alongside the associated emotional trait).
[ ] You Aimed for the Yellow Lighthouse
After helping others in the Darkling siege, you felt something go out of you. An anger you didn't know you had, your compassion overwhelming your frustration at the situation that existed. Most orphans carried anger within them, but seeing the horrible deaths of so many didn't fill you with rage, but instead drained it from you, making you calmer, more dispassionate. It was peculiar, and people remarked upon it. You spent the year simply understanding what had happened, and while hopeful you could succeed, you spent your time understanding yourself, coming to terms with the possibility of death.
Become less Angry. You will enter the Yellow Lighthouse on your next turn, gaining the powers of a Shaderunner, Glimpse, or Spellthief. (The quest will choose the powerset, alongside the associated emotional trait).
To make it across the continent to the Orange Lighthouse, however, required you to be dedicated to the notion, willing to ask and ask again at the orphanage, to sign up for a trip that was effectively a death sentence if you failed. The Shaderunners would not help you return home if you came out of the Lighthouse maimed and powerless.
[ ] You Aimed for the Orange Lighthouse
To travel this far would require bravery, as well as impressing a Shaderunner with your conviction in the matter. You would need to work hard at convincing a Shaderunner to take you, or at least make you part of the group that was spirited to the Orange Lighthouse. To do so meant giving up other things that you could be spending your time on, trying merely to stand out in your willingness to die. In your willingness to do this, you would find your stubbornness growing as well.
Become more Stubborn. You will enter the Orange Lighthouse on your next turn, gaining the powers of a Bladebound, Fleshcrafter, or Tremorfoot. (The quest will choose the powerset, alongside the associated emotional trait).
[ ] You Aimed for the Yellow Lighthouse
After helping others in the Darkling siege, you felt something go out of you. An anger you didn't know you had, your compassion overwhelming your frustration at the situation that existed. Most orphans carried anger within them, but seeing the horrible deaths of so many didn't fill you with rage, but instead drained it from you, making you calmer, more dispassionate. It was peculiar, and people remarked upon it. You spent the year simply understanding what had happened, and while hopeful you could succeed, you spent your time understanding yourself, coming to terms with the possibility of death.
Become less Angry. You will enter the Yellow Lighthouse on your next turn, gaining the powers of a Shaderunner, Glimpse, or Spellthief. (The quest will choose the powerset, alongside the associated emotional trait).
The Orange Lighthouse
- Location
- Straya
The Orange Lighthouse. You had set your mind upon it. There were many who went to the Yellow Lighthouse, but the Orange was something different. Something you'd decided upon. Each year those who wished to go were to put their names down, and upon doing so you trained vigorously, making sure you strengthened your legs, made sure you could run from danger when told to. You worked hard, and as you gained strength you found yourself more Stubborn. The other children who looked down on you for your hopefulness and compassion often found that once you began a course, you were rarely dissuaded.
At the last, you were brought. Names were barked out, though (of course) you can no longer remember yours. Six Shaderunners, with names that were cloaked like their bodies, danced through the shadows, in and out of sight, calling you to come with them. Memories of your old life are hard to come across now, so much blotted out by the incandescent blaze of the Lighthouse.
You remember little pieces. The travels there, the Spinewolf slavering not ten feet away from you as you stood absolutely still until a Bladebound carved it into pieces with contemptuous ease, bisecting it once and then twice, the creature falling into four quarters nearby.
Then the Lighthouse.
Yes, you remember the Lighthouse.
The great orange beacon, shining out in all directions. The light bathing you, making you feel more then you were, as though previously you had merely operated a marionette on strings, and now you truly inhabited a human body, with sensations and awareness far greater than you had ever had before. Soon after, the Shaderunner leading the expedition spoke, his voice going from silent to all-encompassing in a single moment, a sensual whisper that slid into your ear and accepted nothing more than your complete attention.
"I am the Evening Masque. This is the Orange Lighthouse. Those who die, you are lucky. For those who do not -"
He gestured to a small chest nearby.
"We have enough vials of poison for half of you, if it should come to that. We will not return you to the City, and you cannot hope to survive so pained. Poison is available for those who wish to die painlessly. For those who Ascend..."
His eyes took on a reverent light.
"There will be further information forthcoming. For now, aspirants, go forth. Claim power, or taste death."
Nobody, it is said, remembers what transpires in a Lighthouse. You were no different. Still, you knew the truth. The power of the Orange Lighthouse was linked to avarice, and it was the breadth of your greed that truly set you on the path for the power you claimed. For you were...
[ ] Greedy Enough to Desire All the Wealth of the Earth
Greed pulses through your veins and arteries, and it always truly has. You desire endless wealth, endless power. You would use it for good, of course, with compassion and with hope, but you must accumulate. Your desires are tremendous and your hunger enough to consume all the stores of treasure on the earth. You want to construct great palaces filled with servants, wealth, and Artifacts, great hoards of power stored within massive dungeons. You desire above all things else, and your wants are your masters, and you their faithful servant.
You become a Tremorfoot. Become EXTRAORDINARILY more Greedy. Tremorfeet are powerful elemental manipulators who can move earth en masse, at the cost of accuracy and speed. Tremendous at putting up fortifications and building cities, moderate at setting up traps, and poor in direct combat.
[ ] Not Owned By Avarice, Not Fool Enough to Disdain Wealth
Others desire much, or are willing to give away all their own. You are not a fool, but you are not some miser accumulating wealth on wealth. You spend as you will, accumulating things you desire in the service of your thoughts and dreams, but mere accumulation is not enough for you. You have no objection to wealth, but no particular desire to accumulate wealth and power, merely the knowledge that these things can be useful.
You become a Bladebound. No change to Greed. Bladebound are sword mages of the highest order. They are weak on the walls of a city or ruling a village, but are extraordinarily one-versus-one combatants, making them some of the best explorers and Pit-diving, as well as solid traders.
[ ] Untouched by Desire, Detached From Greed
The truth is this: you are a soul with few desires for yourself. Others might want wealth piled up upon wealth, but you see wealth merely as a lever to be used as it can be. Accumulating things does not strike you as desirable, and while you have desires, they are hardly for yourself. The things you want are for others to use, for others to do and become. If you are to gain power, let it be in the service of others, not in your own service. You have no especial desire to serve others, of course, merely that you do not desire things for yourself.
You become a Fleshcrafter. Become EXTRAORDINARILY less Greedy. Fleshcrafters change the flesh of others, both healing and enhancing. They are valued tremendously when it comes to defending cities, they may rule villages with relative ease, and may even explore or trade once they have built up a retinue of empowered retainers. They are, however, very weak at Pit-diving.
Notes.
Firstly, all your Emotions will determine what you can and can't do as a character to a large degree. Our current Stubborn, Compassionate, Hopeful character is more likely to engage in helping others (Compassionate) even when the odds may not be ideal (Hopeful) and is unlikely to deviate from that course (Stubborn). These stats are quite changeable in the course of the game, as they're comparatively minor Emotions compared to the Greed you might gain or lose here. This isn't game-long (you can change your Greed over time), but it'd take a lot of concerted effort over a lot of time by the thread to reduce (or increase) Greed to neutral - in-game years without major life-changing events.
As a non-Greedy character, you will find it very difficult to accept rewards unless you have an immediate use for them (or they're replicable, like knowledge), and accumulating wealth is very, very difficult indeed. Even if you can make decisions to get wealth (or powerful Artifacts) occasionally, you'll often be finding yourself giving them up.
Conversely, as a Greedy character, turning down a reward even from poor villagers might be tough (even with Compassionate to balance it out), and you're likely to be pushed towards options of accumulation and the like.
At the last, you were brought. Names were barked out, though (of course) you can no longer remember yours. Six Shaderunners, with names that were cloaked like their bodies, danced through the shadows, in and out of sight, calling you to come with them. Memories of your old life are hard to come across now, so much blotted out by the incandescent blaze of the Lighthouse.
You remember little pieces. The travels there, the Spinewolf slavering not ten feet away from you as you stood absolutely still until a Bladebound carved it into pieces with contemptuous ease, bisecting it once and then twice, the creature falling into four quarters nearby.
Then the Lighthouse.
Yes, you remember the Lighthouse.
The great orange beacon, shining out in all directions. The light bathing you, making you feel more then you were, as though previously you had merely operated a marionette on strings, and now you truly inhabited a human body, with sensations and awareness far greater than you had ever had before. Soon after, the Shaderunner leading the expedition spoke, his voice going from silent to all-encompassing in a single moment, a sensual whisper that slid into your ear and accepted nothing more than your complete attention.
"I am the Evening Masque. This is the Orange Lighthouse. Those who die, you are lucky. For those who do not -"
He gestured to a small chest nearby.
"We have enough vials of poison for half of you, if it should come to that. We will not return you to the City, and you cannot hope to survive so pained. Poison is available for those who wish to die painlessly. For those who Ascend..."
His eyes took on a reverent light.
"There will be further information forthcoming. For now, aspirants, go forth. Claim power, or taste death."
Nobody, it is said, remembers what transpires in a Lighthouse. You were no different. Still, you knew the truth. The power of the Orange Lighthouse was linked to avarice, and it was the breadth of your greed that truly set you on the path for the power you claimed. For you were...
[ ] Greedy Enough to Desire All the Wealth of the Earth
Greed pulses through your veins and arteries, and it always truly has. You desire endless wealth, endless power. You would use it for good, of course, with compassion and with hope, but you must accumulate. Your desires are tremendous and your hunger enough to consume all the stores of treasure on the earth. You want to construct great palaces filled with servants, wealth, and Artifacts, great hoards of power stored within massive dungeons. You desire above all things else, and your wants are your masters, and you their faithful servant.
You become a Tremorfoot. Become EXTRAORDINARILY more Greedy. Tremorfeet are powerful elemental manipulators who can move earth en masse, at the cost of accuracy and speed. Tremendous at putting up fortifications and building cities, moderate at setting up traps, and poor in direct combat.
[ ] Not Owned By Avarice, Not Fool Enough to Disdain Wealth
Others desire much, or are willing to give away all their own. You are not a fool, but you are not some miser accumulating wealth on wealth. You spend as you will, accumulating things you desire in the service of your thoughts and dreams, but mere accumulation is not enough for you. You have no objection to wealth, but no particular desire to accumulate wealth and power, merely the knowledge that these things can be useful.
You become a Bladebound. No change to Greed. Bladebound are sword mages of the highest order. They are weak on the walls of a city or ruling a village, but are extraordinarily one-versus-one combatants, making them some of the best explorers and Pit-diving, as well as solid traders.
[ ] Untouched by Desire, Detached From Greed
The truth is this: you are a soul with few desires for yourself. Others might want wealth piled up upon wealth, but you see wealth merely as a lever to be used as it can be. Accumulating things does not strike you as desirable, and while you have desires, they are hardly for yourself. The things you want are for others to use, for others to do and become. If you are to gain power, let it be in the service of others, not in your own service. You have no especial desire to serve others, of course, merely that you do not desire things for yourself.
You become a Fleshcrafter. Become EXTRAORDINARILY less Greedy. Fleshcrafters change the flesh of others, both healing and enhancing. They are valued tremendously when it comes to defending cities, they may rule villages with relative ease, and may even explore or trade once they have built up a retinue of empowered retainers. They are, however, very weak at Pit-diving.
Notes.
Firstly, all your Emotions will determine what you can and can't do as a character to a large degree. Our current Stubborn, Compassionate, Hopeful character is more likely to engage in helping others (Compassionate) even when the odds may not be ideal (Hopeful) and is unlikely to deviate from that course (Stubborn). These stats are quite changeable in the course of the game, as they're comparatively minor Emotions compared to the Greed you might gain or lose here. This isn't game-long (you can change your Greed over time), but it'd take a lot of concerted effort over a lot of time by the thread to reduce (or increase) Greed to neutral - in-game years without major life-changing events.
As a non-Greedy character, you will find it very difficult to accept rewards unless you have an immediate use for them (or they're replicable, like knowledge), and accumulating wealth is very, very difficult indeed. Even if you can make decisions to get wealth (or powerful Artifacts) occasionally, you'll often be finding yourself giving them up.
Conversely, as a Greedy character, turning down a reward even from poor villagers might be tough (even with Compassionate to balance it out), and you're likely to be pushed towards options of accumulation and the like.
Binding the Blade
- Location
- Straya
The first thing you remember as you wake up is Father Matthias's face smiling at you. You take a second, and suddenly feel rough hands grasping you, running down your limbs and up your back. Your eyes spring open, and you see a tall woman standing in front of you, checking each finger on each hand. You feel weak, weaker than you ever remember feeling. Your limbs struggle vainly to move, and she grunts.
"No deformities. How do you feel?"
You open your mouth, and speak.
"I feel-"
"Weaker than a newborn kitten?"
You nod painfully.
She smiles.
"It happens. If I'd had to guess, I'd say you're Bladebound. Fleshcrafters wake up angry, Tremorfeet tend to use their powers unconsciously right away. Not always, of course, but that's the usual. Name?"
You open your mouth to reply, and-
You can't remember. Where your name was, your mind grasps at threads of memory simply cut, and you realise in a moment of sudden horror, far, far more than your name alone is gone. Your father's name. You know you lived at the orphanage, but you can't remember what it looked like. Who was there, who your friends were, what you did there. You start to breath quickly, panic overtaking you.
She shakes her head, and places a calming hand on your shoulder.
"Losing your name is tough. Better than life or limb, though. I'm Dancing Dagger, Bladebound. Don't worry about the name. We'll get you a new name soon enough."
She hauls you upright, and places you on your feet. You waver for a moment, almost falling over, and then steady yourself. Your legs are still weak, but you can stand.
She looks you up and down.
"Scrawny, but that's true for most orphans. We'll feed you up. Come on, we'll get you onto the horses."
The mages who had come out had ridden on horses, taking extras to serve as spare mounts, allowing them to move faster and scout more effectively around the twenty who had come to the Orange Lighthouse. You look around you, and see corpses being piled up a few hundred metres away, alongside a few people, missing arms and legs, sitting next to the pile.
"Are they...?"
Dagger frowns. You focus enough to see she has sharp black eyes, though looking at her, you realise her hair is shaved off entirely, with only a little stubble atop it.
"Better you don't watch. I've done enough of these to not worry myself, but for you? No, you're the only survivor today. Be grateful for that - it's only chance that you're here and not there."
As you walk with her, you see the mages already atop their horses, prepared to go. One speaks, a shorter man with a thin-lipped smile.
"Dagger? He's a mage?"
She speaks, suddenly polished and poised.
"Yes. Shows all the signs, no maiming. Want to be sure?"
His smile widens.
"Yes, why not?"
His arm whips up, and a dagger is hurled towards you. Weakened as you are, you don't have time to dodge or move, and yet your arm moves up of its own accord, snatching it out of the air. You look at it in disbelief.
"Satisfied, Slysmoker?"
He nods.
"He's got the gift. Let's move out."
The long journey back is a blur, and you do not recover from the weakness for days. You eat little and the mages there decline to speak to you for some reason, only Dancing Dagger bringing you food and water on occasion. Nothing all that interesting happens, and no Darklings show up - the excitement and apprehension you felt coming towards the Lighthouse is gone entirely, and only a sense of extraordinary tiredness remains, making it difficult to care about what is coming, despite your newfound magic.
Soon enough you are beneath the outer wall of Madalgia, and the gates open up easily. You pass through the Dead Ring, hungry, dirty faces staring at you from ruined buildings and from windows, but you pass through on the wide, central road where orphans would not tread in daylight for fear of a beating. The guards nod respectfully to your party, and the gates open.
You have never been in the Trade Ring before, and you're somewhat impressed. Houses in the Dead Ring are old rundown barriers raised by Tremorfeet, or shacks built up by those who live there. Houses aren't really permanent, as they're torn down to support fortifications if necessary, or destroyed by the Darklings. The Trade Ring has houses. You're not entirely sure what else to call them, but they're buildings made of stone and wood, windows fitted with glass or with curtains, lanterns hanging above the front doors. They are small, but they look like works of art to your eyes. Rather than the fearful silence of the Dead Ring punctuated by the occasional bout of violence or drunkenness, the Trade Ring has noise, stalls down the main streets where people stop to haggle for goods, the ringing of hammer on anvil where a blacksmith works on shoes for horses.
Before too long has passed, though, you reach the third set of gates. These guards do not merely bow, but stare down the mages, and it is not until Dagger opens her bag and shows them some identification they show any deference.
The gates open, and you enter the High Ring.
If the Trade Ring sat at the edge of your imagination, the High Ring is beyond it. Rather than houses dotting the area, the High Ring is divided into massive, squat buildings that sit barely below the high walls, each built in a distinctly different style. Painted different colours, in front of the first building you see are painted the words "GOVERNANCE", and the second merely states "TREASURY". You continue riding down, and reach a building labelled "GUILD OF BLADES". It is much smaller than the other buildings, and the doors swing open on your arrival, nobody bothering to touch them.
Here, the remainder of your party leaves you, only two mages remaining. They swing down off their horses, and Dagger helps you down from yours. You feel weak, but stronger than you did leaving the Lighthouse. She smiles at you, and runs her hand over her shaven head.
"So. Don't worry too much. Bladebound stick together, you know. We're not Tremorfeet who are all too damn greedy to work together, or Glimpses who are so scared they hide from everyone and everything. You'll be introduced to the Guild, and we'll give you the rundown on how everything works."
Another woman is next to her, and she nods, but doesn't speak.
You walk in. The halls are cold, and seem to be carved from one piece of seamless stone, though you suspect it is the work of a Tremorfoot. You notice little, as they are quite dark, and at the end of the first hall, Dagger pushes open a door. Inside sit five people, two women, two men, and one person cowled from head to foot.
"The Aspirant has Ascended. From nothing to everything, from everything to nothing.", one speaks.
Another speaks.
"The Name has been taken. The life that has gone before has been taken. The price has been paid."
A third speaks.
"For price freely paid, much is given and more. For these losses, your life shall be bound to the blade."
A fourth.
"Your mind shall be bound to the blade. Your body shall be bound to the blade. Your soul shall be bound to the blade."
Finally, the cowled figure speaks.
"You are bound to the blade, through your own choices and own losses. Welcome, Bladebound."
Moments later, the cowl is thrown off, revealing a one-eyed woman with a massive mass of scar tissue on the right side of her face.
She speaks.
"You must have questions. Let them wait for the moment. Dagger, how much sickness are we seeing?"
She frowns.
"Still not recovered after a week. Much worse than usual."
"Ah. Well, seat our young new mage down, and we shall begin the explanation."
This is, strictly speaking, halfway through the chapter, but I thought I'd open the vote for this now.
Are we a:
[ ] Man
Or
[ ] Woman
This is a cosmetic choice that does not impact gameplay unless you feel a driving need to establish a biological family.
If you vote for one gender or another, feel free to write in a physical description for the person - if there's a vague consensus around both gender and description I'll use both. Keep in mind the Three Cities have a lot of people from various backgrounds - there are no restrictions on skin, eye & hair colour (as long as they appear on Earth), likewise with height/weight/etc. If someone on Earth looks like that (naturally), it can be written in.
The remainder of the chapter will follow after with another vote, which will run concurrently with this one.
"No deformities. How do you feel?"
You open your mouth, and speak.
"I feel-"
"Weaker than a newborn kitten?"
You nod painfully.
She smiles.
"It happens. If I'd had to guess, I'd say you're Bladebound. Fleshcrafters wake up angry, Tremorfeet tend to use their powers unconsciously right away. Not always, of course, but that's the usual. Name?"
You open your mouth to reply, and-
You can't remember. Where your name was, your mind grasps at threads of memory simply cut, and you realise in a moment of sudden horror, far, far more than your name alone is gone. Your father's name. You know you lived at the orphanage, but you can't remember what it looked like. Who was there, who your friends were, what you did there. You start to breath quickly, panic overtaking you.
She shakes her head, and places a calming hand on your shoulder.
"Losing your name is tough. Better than life or limb, though. I'm Dancing Dagger, Bladebound. Don't worry about the name. We'll get you a new name soon enough."
She hauls you upright, and places you on your feet. You waver for a moment, almost falling over, and then steady yourself. Your legs are still weak, but you can stand.
She looks you up and down.
"Scrawny, but that's true for most orphans. We'll feed you up. Come on, we'll get you onto the horses."
The mages who had come out had ridden on horses, taking extras to serve as spare mounts, allowing them to move faster and scout more effectively around the twenty who had come to the Orange Lighthouse. You look around you, and see corpses being piled up a few hundred metres away, alongside a few people, missing arms and legs, sitting next to the pile.
"Are they...?"
Dagger frowns. You focus enough to see she has sharp black eyes, though looking at her, you realise her hair is shaved off entirely, with only a little stubble atop it.
"Better you don't watch. I've done enough of these to not worry myself, but for you? No, you're the only survivor today. Be grateful for that - it's only chance that you're here and not there."
As you walk with her, you see the mages already atop their horses, prepared to go. One speaks, a shorter man with a thin-lipped smile.
"Dagger? He's a mage?"
She speaks, suddenly polished and poised.
"Yes. Shows all the signs, no maiming. Want to be sure?"
His smile widens.
"Yes, why not?"
His arm whips up, and a dagger is hurled towards you. Weakened as you are, you don't have time to dodge or move, and yet your arm moves up of its own accord, snatching it out of the air. You look at it in disbelief.
"Satisfied, Slysmoker?"
He nods.
"He's got the gift. Let's move out."
The long journey back is a blur, and you do not recover from the weakness for days. You eat little and the mages there decline to speak to you for some reason, only Dancing Dagger bringing you food and water on occasion. Nothing all that interesting happens, and no Darklings show up - the excitement and apprehension you felt coming towards the Lighthouse is gone entirely, and only a sense of extraordinary tiredness remains, making it difficult to care about what is coming, despite your newfound magic.
Soon enough you are beneath the outer wall of Madalgia, and the gates open up easily. You pass through the Dead Ring, hungry, dirty faces staring at you from ruined buildings and from windows, but you pass through on the wide, central road where orphans would not tread in daylight for fear of a beating. The guards nod respectfully to your party, and the gates open.
You have never been in the Trade Ring before, and you're somewhat impressed. Houses in the Dead Ring are old rundown barriers raised by Tremorfeet, or shacks built up by those who live there. Houses aren't really permanent, as they're torn down to support fortifications if necessary, or destroyed by the Darklings. The Trade Ring has houses. You're not entirely sure what else to call them, but they're buildings made of stone and wood, windows fitted with glass or with curtains, lanterns hanging above the front doors. They are small, but they look like works of art to your eyes. Rather than the fearful silence of the Dead Ring punctuated by the occasional bout of violence or drunkenness, the Trade Ring has noise, stalls down the main streets where people stop to haggle for goods, the ringing of hammer on anvil where a blacksmith works on shoes for horses.
Before too long has passed, though, you reach the third set of gates. These guards do not merely bow, but stare down the mages, and it is not until Dagger opens her bag and shows them some identification they show any deference.
The gates open, and you enter the High Ring.
If the Trade Ring sat at the edge of your imagination, the High Ring is beyond it. Rather than houses dotting the area, the High Ring is divided into massive, squat buildings that sit barely below the high walls, each built in a distinctly different style. Painted different colours, in front of the first building you see are painted the words "GOVERNANCE", and the second merely states "TREASURY". You continue riding down, and reach a building labelled "GUILD OF BLADES". It is much smaller than the other buildings, and the doors swing open on your arrival, nobody bothering to touch them.
Here, the remainder of your party leaves you, only two mages remaining. They swing down off their horses, and Dagger helps you down from yours. You feel weak, but stronger than you did leaving the Lighthouse. She smiles at you, and runs her hand over her shaven head.
"So. Don't worry too much. Bladebound stick together, you know. We're not Tremorfeet who are all too damn greedy to work together, or Glimpses who are so scared they hide from everyone and everything. You'll be introduced to the Guild, and we'll give you the rundown on how everything works."
Another woman is next to her, and she nods, but doesn't speak.
You walk in. The halls are cold, and seem to be carved from one piece of seamless stone, though you suspect it is the work of a Tremorfoot. You notice little, as they are quite dark, and at the end of the first hall, Dagger pushes open a door. Inside sit five people, two women, two men, and one person cowled from head to foot.
"The Aspirant has Ascended. From nothing to everything, from everything to nothing.", one speaks.
Another speaks.
"The Name has been taken. The life that has gone before has been taken. The price has been paid."
A third speaks.
"For price freely paid, much is given and more. For these losses, your life shall be bound to the blade."
A fourth.
"Your mind shall be bound to the blade. Your body shall be bound to the blade. Your soul shall be bound to the blade."
Finally, the cowled figure speaks.
"You are bound to the blade, through your own choices and own losses. Welcome, Bladebound."
Moments later, the cowl is thrown off, revealing a one-eyed woman with a massive mass of scar tissue on the right side of her face.
She speaks.
"You must have questions. Let them wait for the moment. Dagger, how much sickness are we seeing?"
She frowns.
"Still not recovered after a week. Much worse than usual."
"Ah. Well, seat our young new mage down, and we shall begin the explanation."
This is, strictly speaking, halfway through the chapter, but I thought I'd open the vote for this now.
Are we a:
[ ] Man
Or
[ ] Woman
This is a cosmetic choice that does not impact gameplay unless you feel a driving need to establish a biological family.
If you vote for one gender or another, feel free to write in a physical description for the person - if there's a vague consensus around both gender and description I'll use both. Keep in mind the Three Cities have a lot of people from various backgrounds - there are no restrictions on skin, eye & hair colour (as long as they appear on Earth), likewise with height/weight/etc. If someone on Earth looks like that (naturally), it can be written in.
The remainder of the chapter will follow after with another vote, which will run concurrently with this one.
Bound to the Blade
- Location
- Straya
"Explanation?"
This is the first word you've said in awhile.
The scarred woman nods.
"I am Biting Blade, currently elected Guildmaster of the Guild of Blades. And yes, dear Dancing Dagger and I picked our names together, I'm sure you can tell. There's no need for you to try alliteration, though. Not if you don't want to."
Dagger coughs loudly.
"However, there are a few things we need to explain to you. Other orders of mages do this differently. I know the Tremorfeet charge their new members for the privilege of learning the Three Secrets, and they don't explain the guild books at all, and the Shaderunners make tests out of it for some fool reason. We're the Bladebound, and I think it's fair to say we're a little more practical than that. I know most of this doesn't make any sense right now, but just listen to what I have to say, and remember it as best you can. It's all important."
She draws a breath.
"Firstly, the Three Secrets. The First Secret is the Hidden Name. We don't understand it, really. When you leave the Lighthouse, your name is taken from the world. Not just from you. You forget it, but so does everyone else who remembers it. Even if it's written down, doesn't matter. Gone. You can get it back, though, and it does... something. The records aren't really clear, to be honest, but it's something good. I don't know anyone who has, but some mages spend time chasing after it."
"Secondly, Consuming the Dark. Kill a Darkling, and a fragment of whatever powers it goes to you. The amount depends on where you are. Near a Lighthouse, not much. In the Pit, you'll get growth you can feel. Catch is, has to be killed with a sword. I assume the same is true for other mages - Tremorfeet need to kill with earth, and so on. While you're aware of it, don't try and make a habit of it. Darklings are very dangerous."
"Thirdly, the Traitor's Price. Kill a mage, and quite a large portion of her powers go to you. We tell you this because we want to let you know we know. Killing another mage, no matter the reason, carries the death penalty unless you can prove quite strongly you were defending yourself or the City. Another mage decides to kill and eat fifty villagers from the plains and you kill her to stop it? The City will bring death on you."
Something in your eyes betrays the horror you feel, and she shakes her head gently.
"Not saying I agree, necessarily. But you strike down another mage for anything beyond self-defense or treason to the City and you die. Simple as that. Wounding and maiming are settled at Council, but we don't tolerate the use of the Traitor's Price."
At that, she reaches down and tosses you a book.
You fumble, dropping it on the floor.
"Right. Sorry, the whole weakness thing. Normally it's not so bad."
You lean down to pick it up, and she continued speaking.
"This is a Guild Book. Basically, any agreements or contracts you enter into with another mage need to be witnesses - if you make an agreement alone, it's worth nothing. If it's witnessed and signed by one other mage, they enter it in their Guild Book, and you all write down each other's names. One witness is enough for minor things, like a thousand coins or something - something you could do in a day. Two is required for favors that would take more than a week of your time to fulfill, three for those that take more than a month, and five for those that take more than a year. We have an Artifact that makes them, and once written in, the ink is indelible. Can't be removed, pages can't be torn out."
Biting Blade yawns.
"That's everything. Normally I'd be less circumspect, but... well, things have happened and they need our attention. Barely had time to throw together the ceremony. Dagger, can you take the mageling down to the armory and get started?"
Dancing Dagger nods.
You blink. It had all been very.. perfunctory. You had expected gravitas and power, and you had gotten a tired middle-aged woman reading through some rules to you as though you had begun school.
You follow Dagger down a corridor, and a few turns, and finally reach a small room, the door screeching as it opens.
"So. I know this is a lot to take in. Biter didn't want to tell you, but we just lost a lot of people, so she hasn't been sleeping, trying to organize a rescue expedition into the Pit so we can-. Well, enough on that. Normally she'd go through the deal with you, but I'll outline it to you now. Join the Guild of Blades. We'll train you, equip and arm you for a year. In return, you owe us a month of service. Alternatively, we'll give you a month's worth of instruction and a weapon for free."
She leans over to you and faux-whispers.
"Trust me, the training is worth it. I can cut my hair with my sword now. Not that you have to decide now, the month is free either way."
She gestures to the inside of the room.
Inside are all sorts of bladed weapons - halberds, daggers, swords and even a bladed whip, all hanging from the wall.
"I'd tell you to choose a weapon, but that's not really the easiest thing. Let me tell you about some of the tricks you could learn in the next month, and pick a weapon based on that..."
This is our first Approval Vote. Vote for as many options as you'd like or think are cool, as it helps increase the viability of all options throughout a vote.
[ ] Blade Projection
The edge of the blade projects outwards, cutting beyond where it strikes. At first you might have a range of a two or three metres, but in time you can fight at ranges of fifty or sixty metres, and a master of Blade Projection might find themselves able to engage at five or six hundred metres. One of the most common tricks for a Bladebound to learn, Dancing Dagger tells you, but also one of the most useful - you are not naturally tougher or faster than a normal human, so being able to fight at distance can prevent you from engaging powerful Darklings up close. She also notes it is one of the hardest tricks to integrate with others - you cannot use Blade Projection and Infinite Sharpness together without massively reducing the power of both.
Best used with a weapon with more blade like a bastard sword to reduce the effects of low accuracy - Primary Weapon becomes Bastard Sword.
[ ] Infinite Sharpness
Not infinite, as such, but for a few crucial moments the blade of your weapon can cut through almost anything. As you gain skill with this spell you can sustain the period for longer - a high-levelled Infinite Sharpness can cut through an enemy's blade, armour, and body. While more dangerous to use in melee, it is also quite powerful even against the most powerful enemies. Dancing Dagger advises you want range for this - using a bill or naginata means you don't have to get so close to use your technique.
Primary Weapon becomes Naginata.
[ ] Cutting the Strings
Other techniques allow you to cut your enemies flesh with the blade, this allows you to cut other things. You will perceive your foes differently, seeing weakpoints you can use with this technique to cut away their ability to fight, or their speed, or their strength without harming them directly. Dagger warns you this technique is sub-par against Darklings - you want to kill them, not disable them (though being able to weaken powerful regenerating Darklings that shrug off most harms is certainly an option), but against other mages this is tremendously powerful. Since these conceptual 'strings' do not always appear directly on the opponent's body (sometimes above or nearby), a longer weapon with more ability to target various places is ideal. Dagger advises this is a very niche option, and few Bladebound take it.
Primary Weapon becomes Urumi (Bladed Whip).
[ ] Severing Distance
This is more difficult to learn, but has tremendous applicability in combat. Where other techniques cut the enemy, your blade can for a moment cut away the distance that lies between two points, allow you to step back twenty metres or forward fifty, dodging in and out of combat with impossible speed. The primary difficulty, Dagger advises, is that you must cut in the distance you intend to travel - retreating from combat requires turning your blade from the enemy, and that at first you will be moving half a metre or so. In the long term, though, you can move in and out of combat with tremendous speed. She also advises it's best to be able to cut away with one blade and defend with the other - different blades give different distances, so it's best to have two identical ones to make your 'steps' easier to time and use.
Primary Weapon becomes Twin Shortswords.
This is the first word you've said in awhile.
The scarred woman nods.
"I am Biting Blade, currently elected Guildmaster of the Guild of Blades. And yes, dear Dancing Dagger and I picked our names together, I'm sure you can tell. There's no need for you to try alliteration, though. Not if you don't want to."
Dagger coughs loudly.
"However, there are a few things we need to explain to you. Other orders of mages do this differently. I know the Tremorfeet charge their new members for the privilege of learning the Three Secrets, and they don't explain the guild books at all, and the Shaderunners make tests out of it for some fool reason. We're the Bladebound, and I think it's fair to say we're a little more practical than that. I know most of this doesn't make any sense right now, but just listen to what I have to say, and remember it as best you can. It's all important."
She draws a breath.
"Firstly, the Three Secrets. The First Secret is the Hidden Name. We don't understand it, really. When you leave the Lighthouse, your name is taken from the world. Not just from you. You forget it, but so does everyone else who remembers it. Even if it's written down, doesn't matter. Gone. You can get it back, though, and it does... something. The records aren't really clear, to be honest, but it's something good. I don't know anyone who has, but some mages spend time chasing after it."
"Secondly, Consuming the Dark. Kill a Darkling, and a fragment of whatever powers it goes to you. The amount depends on where you are. Near a Lighthouse, not much. In the Pit, you'll get growth you can feel. Catch is, has to be killed with a sword. I assume the same is true for other mages - Tremorfeet need to kill with earth, and so on. While you're aware of it, don't try and make a habit of it. Darklings are very dangerous."
"Thirdly, the Traitor's Price. Kill a mage, and quite a large portion of her powers go to you. We tell you this because we want to let you know we know. Killing another mage, no matter the reason, carries the death penalty unless you can prove quite strongly you were defending yourself or the City. Another mage decides to kill and eat fifty villagers from the plains and you kill her to stop it? The City will bring death on you."
Something in your eyes betrays the horror you feel, and she shakes her head gently.
"Not saying I agree, necessarily. But you strike down another mage for anything beyond self-defense or treason to the City and you die. Simple as that. Wounding and maiming are settled at Council, but we don't tolerate the use of the Traitor's Price."
At that, she reaches down and tosses you a book.
You fumble, dropping it on the floor.
"Right. Sorry, the whole weakness thing. Normally it's not so bad."
You lean down to pick it up, and she continued speaking.
"This is a Guild Book. Basically, any agreements or contracts you enter into with another mage need to be witnesses - if you make an agreement alone, it's worth nothing. If it's witnessed and signed by one other mage, they enter it in their Guild Book, and you all write down each other's names. One witness is enough for minor things, like a thousand coins or something - something you could do in a day. Two is required for favors that would take more than a week of your time to fulfill, three for those that take more than a month, and five for those that take more than a year. We have an Artifact that makes them, and once written in, the ink is indelible. Can't be removed, pages can't be torn out."
Biting Blade yawns.
"That's everything. Normally I'd be less circumspect, but... well, things have happened and they need our attention. Barely had time to throw together the ceremony. Dagger, can you take the mageling down to the armory and get started?"
Dancing Dagger nods.
You blink. It had all been very.. perfunctory. You had expected gravitas and power, and you had gotten a tired middle-aged woman reading through some rules to you as though you had begun school.
You follow Dagger down a corridor, and a few turns, and finally reach a small room, the door screeching as it opens.
"So. I know this is a lot to take in. Biter didn't want to tell you, but we just lost a lot of people, so she hasn't been sleeping, trying to organize a rescue expedition into the Pit so we can-. Well, enough on that. Normally she'd go through the deal with you, but I'll outline it to you now. Join the Guild of Blades. We'll train you, equip and arm you for a year. In return, you owe us a month of service. Alternatively, we'll give you a month's worth of instruction and a weapon for free."
She leans over to you and faux-whispers.
"Trust me, the training is worth it. I can cut my hair with my sword now. Not that you have to decide now, the month is free either way."
She gestures to the inside of the room.
Inside are all sorts of bladed weapons - halberds, daggers, swords and even a bladed whip, all hanging from the wall.
"I'd tell you to choose a weapon, but that's not really the easiest thing. Let me tell you about some of the tricks you could learn in the next month, and pick a weapon based on that..."
This is our first Approval Vote. Vote for as many options as you'd like or think are cool, as it helps increase the viability of all options throughout a vote.
[ ] Blade Projection
The edge of the blade projects outwards, cutting beyond where it strikes. At first you might have a range of a two or three metres, but in time you can fight at ranges of fifty or sixty metres, and a master of Blade Projection might find themselves able to engage at five or six hundred metres. One of the most common tricks for a Bladebound to learn, Dancing Dagger tells you, but also one of the most useful - you are not naturally tougher or faster than a normal human, so being able to fight at distance can prevent you from engaging powerful Darklings up close. She also notes it is one of the hardest tricks to integrate with others - you cannot use Blade Projection and Infinite Sharpness together without massively reducing the power of both.
Best used with a weapon with more blade like a bastard sword to reduce the effects of low accuracy - Primary Weapon becomes Bastard Sword.
[ ] Infinite Sharpness
Not infinite, as such, but for a few crucial moments the blade of your weapon can cut through almost anything. As you gain skill with this spell you can sustain the period for longer - a high-levelled Infinite Sharpness can cut through an enemy's blade, armour, and body. While more dangerous to use in melee, it is also quite powerful even against the most powerful enemies. Dancing Dagger advises you want range for this - using a bill or naginata means you don't have to get so close to use your technique.
Primary Weapon becomes Naginata.
[ ] Cutting the Strings
Other techniques allow you to cut your enemies flesh with the blade, this allows you to cut other things. You will perceive your foes differently, seeing weakpoints you can use with this technique to cut away their ability to fight, or their speed, or their strength without harming them directly. Dagger warns you this technique is sub-par against Darklings - you want to kill them, not disable them (though being able to weaken powerful regenerating Darklings that shrug off most harms is certainly an option), but against other mages this is tremendously powerful. Since these conceptual 'strings' do not always appear directly on the opponent's body (sometimes above or nearby), a longer weapon with more ability to target various places is ideal. Dagger advises this is a very niche option, and few Bladebound take it.
Primary Weapon becomes Urumi (Bladed Whip).
[ ] Severing Distance
This is more difficult to learn, but has tremendous applicability in combat. Where other techniques cut the enemy, your blade can for a moment cut away the distance that lies between two points, allow you to step back twenty metres or forward fifty, dodging in and out of combat with impossible speed. The primary difficulty, Dagger advises, is that you must cut in the distance you intend to travel - retreating from combat requires turning your blade from the enemy, and that at first you will be moving half a metre or so. In the long term, though, you can move in and out of combat with tremendous speed. She also advises it's best to be able to cut away with one blade and defend with the other - different blades give different distances, so it's best to have two identical ones to make your 'steps' easier to time and use.
Primary Weapon becomes Twin Shortswords.
Learning the Basics
- Location
- Straya
"Distance."
Dagger raises an eyebrow.
"Unusual. Any reason?"
You think for a moment.
"Being strong is fine, but being able to choose where you go and where you stand is better. Mobility is important, right?"
Dagger shrugs.
"Projection is more common, as is sharpness. But distance is nice as well. Useful in the right circumstances."
She roots around in the armory for a minute, and gives you a pair of steel shortswords, with worn, old handles wrapped in leather cord.
"Here. This'll start you off. Now, I think it's time you were in bed. Come with me."
She leads you down to another room, where you see a plush set of beds with huge pillows and soft quilts. She leaves you, and you quickly fall asleep.
You awake bone-tired, light pouring in through the window. Dancing Dagger is already there, sitting on the bed next to your and looking out. With so many beds in the room, you have to admit its a little odd that nobody else is there.
"Dagger?"
"Yes?"
"Where is everyone?"
She winces.
"Later. I'll tell you, but let's get you started first."
She takes you down, out another door into a large hall, where the floor is stone and the roof is high, torches around the walls lighting it up.
"Here's basically how it works. Other mages have a 'pool' of magic, best way to put it. They use it, it empties, and recharges over time. It gets bigger over the longtime, and through the Traitor's Price and killing Darklings. They can learn as many spells as they want, but their pool is limited in how much they can do. A beginner mage can cast the same power of spells as an expert, just not as often."
She smiles.
"We Bladebound are different. We have a 'pool' of magic which we can put in our spells. You can't take it out, though. Today we're going to learn to meditate, to feel the pool, learn Cutting Distance, and how to put that pool in your spells. Then we'll practice using it, alongside some swordplay. Pretty basic, yeah?"
You nod.
"One thing, though. Before we really get into it, think of a name. Most of us use something related to blades or swords, one or two words. You can do something different, but usually the blade name is the way to go. Often people pick based on their weapons and the first spell they learn, but not always. Any thoughts?"
Choose a name:
[ ] Write-in
(This is short as my hand is still playing up somewhat. Further posts this week might be likewise short until it recovers fully.)
Dagger raises an eyebrow.
"Unusual. Any reason?"
You think for a moment.
"Being strong is fine, but being able to choose where you go and where you stand is better. Mobility is important, right?"
Dagger shrugs.
"Projection is more common, as is sharpness. But distance is nice as well. Useful in the right circumstances."
She roots around in the armory for a minute, and gives you a pair of steel shortswords, with worn, old handles wrapped in leather cord.
"Here. This'll start you off. Now, I think it's time you were in bed. Come with me."
She leads you down to another room, where you see a plush set of beds with huge pillows and soft quilts. She leaves you, and you quickly fall asleep.
You awake bone-tired, light pouring in through the window. Dancing Dagger is already there, sitting on the bed next to your and looking out. With so many beds in the room, you have to admit its a little odd that nobody else is there.
"Dagger?"
"Yes?"
"Where is everyone?"
She winces.
"Later. I'll tell you, but let's get you started first."
She takes you down, out another door into a large hall, where the floor is stone and the roof is high, torches around the walls lighting it up.
"Here's basically how it works. Other mages have a 'pool' of magic, best way to put it. They use it, it empties, and recharges over time. It gets bigger over the longtime, and through the Traitor's Price and killing Darklings. They can learn as many spells as they want, but their pool is limited in how much they can do. A beginner mage can cast the same power of spells as an expert, just not as often."
She smiles.
"We Bladebound are different. We have a 'pool' of magic which we can put in our spells. You can't take it out, though. Today we're going to learn to meditate, to feel the pool, learn Cutting Distance, and how to put that pool in your spells. Then we'll practice using it, alongside some swordplay. Pretty basic, yeah?"
You nod.
"One thing, though. Before we really get into it, think of a name. Most of us use something related to blades or swords, one or two words. You can do something different, but usually the blade name is the way to go. Often people pick based on their weapons and the first spell they learn, but not always. Any thoughts?"
Choose a name:
[ ] Write-in
(This is short as my hand is still playing up somewhat. Further posts this week might be likewise short until it recovers fully.)