LuckyKobold has confirmed his character's action with me via PM, so buckle up and hang on, because things are about to get rolling. Pun intended. Roll results are indicated like this:
{}. Just hover your mouse cursor over the {} symbol to see them. Enjoy! Some people got VERY lucky right in the first turn. Others... not so much.
Turn 1
Vil approaches the man with a blank expression. "Oi. Person." Vil also attempts to remember how to do illusion magic. And failing that, attempts to trigger the racial instincts that most Kitsune have that provide the affinity for Illusion and Foxfire.
It takes two tries to get the elf to turn around in response to your attempts at conversation. In the process of exchanging names you find out that his name is Averus, and that like you, he is not native to the town, though he doesn't seem to know when he came here or how long he's been. He also seems to notice the fog visually in the same way you do, which is surprising; you thought perhaps that you could perceive it due to your race's natural sensitivity for illusions like this... which gives you an idea!
{} You face the fog across the river just as the elf did, trying to visualize in your mind's eye the inner workings of an illusion spell. Your brow furrows in concentration; it feels like something is... pressing down on you, harder and harder as you try to wring consistency from your thoughts.
{} It proves to be too much, as you feel as though you're trying to wade through a muddy swamp while wearing a sixty-pound backpack. You did manage to remember the elemental basics of illusion magic, however, so it wasn't a total loss at all. (Rudimentary Illusion Magic obtained. Able to cast cantrip- and low-level illusion spells, but must make a roll to avoid them fizzling out in addition to an effect roll. A 5 on an effect roll will grant a skill increase.)
"Something's very wrong with this place." Davros mumbled.
Davros heads off towards the moving shapes, trying to get closer without being noticed.
{} You slip off from the town's edge and move to get closer, though your aching muscles protest the action. You were fortunate enough to have chosen an old logging stand for your perch before, as there are plenty of small tree stumps and other cover you can use without too much trouble. When you crawl up a small embankment of rough ground near some fallen branches, you notice that you are only about twenty-five meters away from the figures you were eying.
{} There appears to be about five of them walking in an uneven line, though you can't see all of them at any one time. They look about normal in size for the plain-old bigfoots that live in town, and you can even see hands peeking out from the sleeves of their clothes. You can't see many more details beyond that, though, because each of them is wrapped up in a full-body cloak complete with a hood to cover their head. The cloaks themselves are a variety of earth-tones ranging from green to brown to red, though they all bear a unifying feature: a light silver trim around the rim of their hoods, bottom of their cloaks, and virtually everywhere else you can see the fabric ending.
{} When the group is only a stone's throw away from the edge of the wilderness, they suddenly come to a stop. You look on in fascination as the middle figure reaches up, places both hands on his head, and throws back his hood.
{} A
crushing, black pressure unlike anything you've ever felt bears down on your mind. You gasp out loud, seize up, and tumble down the embankment into a pile of dead leaves, making quite a bit of noise in the process. The crippling sensation on your psyche relents and drains away quickly, but your attempts to get up and move away are met with a leg-fell-asleep feeling that seems to disseminate from your head all throughout your body. (Dazed. -1 to all actions until next action is resolved.)
Remember my appearance, and study the man's features.
{} In lieu of a mirror, and without even needing to look down at yourself, you suddenly remember your image as though you were your own observer. Your eyes are deep pools of jade green, and above them lies a forest of curly auburn hair that reaches almost to your shoulders. You're wearing what looks to be a regular shirt and pair of trousers, but also a rather large off-white tie-back apron that covers your entire torso and part of your upper legs, which is stained with many brownish spots that you immediately identify as ale. You smile;
now you remember! You're the senior serving girl at the common room of the Adventurer's Guild! You always did love that job, especially since it got you up close and personal with all kinds of interesting new faces from outside town. Speaking of new faces, your reverie is broken by the voice of the dwarf, who seems to be asking something. You turn your gaze upward.
"Hey Lady, You know where the nearest Bar is?"(Move to the bar.)
{} The curly-haired human helpfully responds that you should look in the Adventurer's Guild. When you ask where that is, she points down the road that leads into town and gives you some general directions. You thank her quickly and trod off, not even paying attention to anything else going on around you as you have one single goal in mind: Booze. You locate the Guild not long after that; a sprawling three-story structure with a stone foundation and hardwood double-doors, marked with a hanging sign indicating the name of the building in arched letters wrapped around a large globe in the middle marked with forests and other world features. You open the doors with a creak and step inside, and are immediately greeted with the welcome, wholesome smell of freshly cooked stew, and the sight of several frothing tankards sitting on the bar at the far end of the room, being tended by about half a dozen humans in work clothes.
{} You blink. Something about their clothes seems... odd, for some reason. Like they're a bit
full in their color.
"Huh."
Look out the window and try to remember what I did last night.
Oh, and finish the carrot while I'm at it, provided it's not spoiled. Need that morning energy, y'know.
Shrugging, you lean with one hand on the windowsill, nibbling on the carrot as you look outward. Everything looks perfectly normal outside; from your vantage point, you can see the market district of Harker's Ford right below you, with about twoscore people milling about the plaza from shop-to-shop, or stopping by the well for a drink.
{} You try to remember just what the heck you were doing before, but strangely, your mind seems to keep hitting a wall, as if something cold and firm is pushing back against you. Frustrated, your facial muscles tense as you throw more and more mental effort against the barrier, determined to break through. Sweat begins to condense on your brow, but you push on, feeling the resistance begin to give way. At last, in one last mighty heave, you shove through, and feel the doors of knowledge swing open!
You immediately wish they'd stayed shut.
{} All at once, you feel as though the world has dropped out from underneath you and you are being sucked into a dark, deep cavern. The transition takes you completely off guard, and you can't even begin to comprehend the nature of the space you're in. All your attention is focused at the end of the tunnel, where a single pair of glowing red feline eyes is looking right at you. And then two pairs. And then twelve. And then over a hundred. The eyes are then joined by matching toothy mouths, each lined with rows of vicious, demonic teeth and fangs. A scream tears its way from your throat, and suddenly you feel yourself rocketing back up the tunnel, pursued by the snapping mouths and vicious eyes all the way. And then, everything comes to a screeching halt, and you find yourself back in your room. You fall to your knees, breathing heavily. The remnants of the carrot tumble from your shaking grasp. (Phobia discovered. Effects may vary depending on situation.)
"Good day. Is it just me, or is something unusual happening?"
Re-read the note that is clutched in my hand. Try to remember the day I came into the town. Then walk back to the Adventurers Guild.
He continues to look at the river, but with a troubled expression.
(As these are two mutually exclusive actions, I'm gonna go with the first one.)
You lift the note up to your eyes once more. It says: "
If you read this and don't recognize it, then I/you were correct -- it's a recurring memory lapse. I/you have yet to discover just how far it reaches, but it is clear that it affects short-term memories, at least. ~ You, Averus"
So that's why you couldn't remember what you were even doing in town. If the note is correct, however, then you know you should move quickly before it happens again.
{} Unfortunately, no matter how hard you try, the exact time and circumstances of your arrival in this town seem so close and yet so far away, like a bottle in a river floating away from your eager hands. Thinking of the river does, however, help you come to the decision that you could probably do well with some distance from this place. You can at least remember that you've been staying at a popular inn called the Adventurer's Guild lately. However, you can't for the life of you remember where
that is.
Sighing, you trudge away up the riverbank and into the town.
{} The first thing you notice are the streets, which are immaculately well-paved and kept; either someone in government really cares about the condition of their infrastructure, or this place is just that new. The walk through town is rather pleasant, especially since that thick blue fog you noticed on the river seems to avoid the two larger market plazas you pass through on your way. You have no trouble at all finding the Adventurer's Guild on the opposite end of town after several minutes of walking, as it's both one of the larger structures in Harker's Ford and located not far from the edge. You step up to open the door, but suddenly stop and stare at your hand.
{} You find yourself holding what looks to be some sort of metallic cube about the size of your fist. Upon closer inspection, you see that the entire surface of the cube is marked with tiny sliding plates and levers on all sides, like some sort of intricate locking mechanism. You can only assume that you bought this from someone in the marketplace, because you don't remember ever taking it out of your pockets. Especially since said pockets feel a little bit light, right now...
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Time/Environment: It is a temperate, partly-cloudy afternoon. The strange fog seeping into town seems to be avoiding places where many people frequent, such as the market square.
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Character Status:Location: Kneeling on the floor of own apartment house in the middle of town, overlooking the market district.
Memories/Phobias: Fear of cats.
Location: Standing on the western side of the river, outside the eastern edge of town.
Memories/Abilities: Rudimentary Illusion magic.
Location: Standing outside the entrance to the Adventurer's Guild.
Items: Strange puzzle box.
Location: Outside the northern edge of town, near the wilderness. Lying in a pile of dead leaves at the bottom of an embankment.
Effects: Dazed. -1 to all actions until next action is resolved.
Location: On the main road, outside the southern edge of town.
Memories: Remembers exactly where the Adventurer's Guild is in town, well enough to give directions.
Items: Cloth shirt, trousers, and off-white tie-back apron stained with spots of ale.
Location: Inside the Adventurer's Guild common room.
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Locations:Harker’s Ford: A quaint but rapidly-growing medieval hamlet that lies astride a small river and the new land trade route connecting... actually, you can't remember the name of the nation. What you do know is that close to 600 people currently live here, and that number has steadily been growing as its prime location makes it a popular stop for travelers. The river lies on its east side, the road on the south, whilst the west and north are mostly covered by forest. Goldy and Yvette live here.
1) The Adventurer's Guild: A large boarding house/inn for travelers coming along the main road, located between it and the bulk of town. The front door leads into a common room where ale and food are served. Averus, Vil, Gunther, and Davros live here.
2) Market: A pair of major squares along the main street through town, lined with stalls and permanent shops alike. It is also one of the few places in town where the fog seems to be less prevalent.
The Wilderness: This is a region of old growth forest about a hundred meters off from the edge of town. You can’t even remember its name, if it ever had one to begin with. When viewed from the town’s edge, it looks as though the fog that’s been steadily creeping in around and through Harker’s Ford is particularly thick beneath the tree canopy.
The River: A fair-sized body of slowly running water which covers much of the town’s eastern edge. A large wooden bridge almost straight into town marks the quickest and most direct way over, but you could probably swim across without too much trouble. The river snakes north and disappears behind the wall of trees marking the Wilderness' edge.
The Road: All you can really remember of this particularly large cobblestone thoroughfare running along the south edge of Harker’s Ford is that it was designed as a trade route, though you have no idea where to or from. The road is fairly busy; you can typically see at least three traveling parties of some description heading along it every day, though lately, most of them seem to divert off the road and wind up in town.
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GM notes: I had to roll twice for Goldy because he rolled a 1 on his Memory check. He's lucky he didn't get another 1 in that situation... Averus was a bit more fortunate, here.
Author
Topic: The Veil of Memories [dead] (Read 14891 times)