((Updated my post to be more appropriate after I got the time to do some more reading and edit it to be better. Strangely I still feel less invested here than when playing Russano. Maybe it's because I was too used and fond of the deadly, gambling diplomat.))
I don't blame you. It might be because of the contrast: Russano was a calm and collected individual in a world where magic twisted problems upside down. Perhaps I just haven't been giving you opportunities to make enough interesting choices.
Roll 28
Vile Spawn of Darkness: You say that the lady appeared to you? If she does not appear to us now then it is only natural she will not appear to tell the greater horrors in the forest to spare thee. There are two ways to the Lake from here. One is the Blighted Pass, a bridge over a ravine filled with spore-monsters that devour all forms of flesh. The other is the Bony Way, where mountains corpses find themselves animated whenever disturbed. I do not expect you to fight these alone.
You could also hike through the brush, but the thorns in the forest are thick and only get thicker as you near the lake. It will exhaust you sawing them apart....
Your whole body is burned (1)
...
You have 3 black empty tomes (black tomes must be written in red ink, and gain +2 positive dice if inscribed with an illusionary spell)
Silent Wind of Night: Dispells all nearby items and detatched effects, regardless of origin. Shapeshifts, summons, and polymorphs are unaffected.
Phantom Lake Essence: Dark tendrils emerge from the book, ensnaring enemies that fail to dodge.
Unending Phantasmagoria: Dissolves a dead body to create a reanimated ghost in place of this tome. The ghost can use Shadow Blink and drops a black spell tome upon death.
You have a stack of spell tome pages and a black cover
You have a bloodied ceremonial dagger (Attack power: 3) (attaches to target and Drains it, suppressing it) (remembering a memory teleports this weapon to your hand)
You have a Beech Javelin (Attack power: 3 (thrown), 1 (stab))
You have 10 Javelin memories (lucid)
You have about thirty Hours
You have a royal goblet, a golden watch, and some jewelry
You remember the Lady of Winter
You remember a giant eye
You remember many pixies
You remember a band of Arinthian soldiers and some bandits
You remember a bandit sinking into the ground
Traits and Skills:
Forest Ranger
>Gain +2 positive dice when navigating and moving through the wilderness, as well as performing stealthy actions
Javelineer
>Your targets get +2 negative dice when you target them with a javelin
Noble's Education
>Gain +1 positive dice when learning from writing or conversing about literature
Shapeshifter
>You have unlimited strong memories of forest animals
Cynical
>Others will press any advantage...
Xenophobe
>Foreigners always disappoint
Lily: I don't know if you two will trust me anymore after saying this...She speaks you you and Zikal.
Lily: But the monster is right. It's your deepest desire. If you truly desire good, then that is all the monster is allowed to do. They feel no pleasure or motivation in doing anything but that task....
Your whole body is burned (1)
Your left arm is bruised (1)
...
You have a schematic of an iron arrow trap
You have a steel axe (Attack power: 1) (Deals piercing damage if the attack connects but fails to pierce)
You have an iron mace (Attack power: 2) (If the target has less than 2 damage, deals piercing damage)
You have a charged large greatbow (Attack power: 3 (charged), 1 (uncharged)) (charging takes one turn of preparation)
You have an uncharged Quickbow (Attack power: 1. Can fire twice per turn. Charging it allows you to fire two arrows per attack, four in one turn)
You have 13 arrows in your quiver (Attack power: 1)
There is one recoverable arrow near the Old Fortress Mound
You have an important scroll in a copper cylinder
You have about one hundred Hours
Traits and Skills:
Man of Steel
>Gain +1 positive dice when using melee weapons
>Your opponents get +1 negative dice when attacking you
Fists like Hammers
>Gain an additional +1 positive dice while unarmed
Bow Mastery
>Your targets get +2 negative dice when you target them with a bow
Illiterate
>What's a book?
Amnesia
>You have forgotten many things
Archae dons his cloak, making sure to cover his supplies with it, and starts travelling to the Lake of Dreams.
You leave the city, your mission is done here. The old Adept gives you a small crystal as a token of his appreciation. He said he doesn't know how to use it anymore.
The forest is much easier to navigate while the Ashlight bleeds through the canopy. The thorns are also filing off as the ashlight burns through the hardened coating that builds up on the plants of this world. Still, the thorns act as a natural barrier to stop the passage of intruders, and so it's mostly impassable by conventional means (walking under the canopy). To get to the Lake of Dreams you will have to be creative.
...
You have a black Cloak of Ash (protects against Ashlight and fire)
You have a green poison slime with Paralysis
You remember a red, blue, and a green spell-slime (weak)
You have a red resonance crystal.
You have a spiny walking stick (Attack power: (attacking head) 2, (attacking other parts) 1)
You have a silversteel falchion (Attack power: (on odd swings) 3, (on even swings) 2)
You remember your time in the wilderness well
You have some sandwiches and citrus
You have a Sprite Trap, labelled with the words "Samantha Magdelene, professor at U.T"
You have seventy-five Hours
Traits and Skills:
Mystical Learning
>You can create and cast simple (complexity of 1 or less) Aganis spells on the same turn. Spell complexity:
+1 if range is longer than 1-2 yards
+1 if multi-target
+1 if effect lasts more than a single turn, or if a creature is created
+1 if created creature is more complex than a slime
Animal Handler
>Gain +2 positive dice whenever animals are involved, unless you are hunting them
Wilderness Survival
>Gain +2 positive dice for actions involving gathering natural resources, starting fires, tracking, and other survival skills
Photographic Memory
>Weak memories become strong if you successfully cast them the first time
Cannot Speak
>Silence is golden
One-Eyed
>Your targets gain +2 positive dice if you attack them from a distance
((Thought I had posted.))
"Yes, do call someone to fix the damages. And let's head to the office." Leonhard replies to the Astrologer as he tries to make sure Klein wouldn't fall or wander off. "Too bad the strange fellow isn't coming with us. He was talking about some lake of dreams, do ya know anything about it?" he inquires right after, wondering what exactly is so important about that location.
Upon arriving at the office, the mercenary's eyes quickly caught the large cylinder being carried by a team of people. "What's that? Anything important?" he asks.
Question.
The Astrologer replies to your question about the Lake.
Astrologer: Hmm, the lake'o'dreams? I do have some mild recollections of people talking about it, but I think most of the claims surrounding it are myths. Banshees aren't scientifically tested entities, and while sprites have been observed by some of the top researchers, there's no reason for them to be involved in somse sort of mass conspirascy to guard a rundown castle. There's no way for the castle to have gotten there if the myths are to be believed.The cylinder haulers do not respond to your queries, although understandably. Their faces look strained--the device must be very heavy.
Instead another astrologer--apparently a friend of the one you're hauling around, points out that it's a telescope, planned to be installed on the roof. This new astrologer styles himself as Marco, while the one you brought here is known as Angstrom.
Marco: The Office is planning to make the most detailed maps of the moon in history. We're looking for evidence of life, to see if we can validate the old myth. There were (supposedly) once two satellites orbiting each other, Orthos and Dinos. Dinos was barren and empty, while Orthos thrived with lush forests and clean rivers. Dinos, jealous of his brother's vibrance, lost the will to live and fell away, becoming a star. Orthos, resenting what his forests and rivers had done to his brother, turned himself into a barren desert and killed himself, becoming the moon as we see it today.
By the way, I owe you our guild's deepest gratitude for helping Angstrom get here safely.Angstrom: Hey Marco, this guy brought me here because he's accusing me of murder.Marco: Murder? That can't be had. What is the case?Angstrom: I punched a guy after he took my gun. Appparently it killed him, even though I didn't mean to kill him.Marco: ...so you accidentally hit him so hard it pasted his brains? Sorry, friend, but I don't find that believable. And why did you end up fighting the lad anyway?Marco turns to you.
Marco: Are you with the police? I will provide any records you wish....
You have a black Cloak of Ash (protects against Ashlight and fire)
You have a Zweihänder slung on your shoulder (Attack power: 4) (can only be used offensively every other turn)
You have a Katzbalger (Attack power: 2)
You have an arquebus (Attack power: 3) (Your opponent gets an extra positive die to dodge)
You are wearing light plate armor (incoming attacks lose 1 attack power if over 1)
You have about one hundred and fifty Hours
Traits and Skills:
Charisma
>Gain +1 positive dice when speaking with others and persuading them
Veteran
>Gain +1 positive dice to defense rolls, and your enemies gain +1 negative dice to their defense rolls
Swordmaster
>Gain +1 positive dice to attack rolls with long, bladed weapons
Sharpshooter
>Your targets get +1 negative dice to their defense rolls
Noisy
>You get +1 negatice die to stealth, and an additional +1 negative die if you are wearing armor
Old Pains
>In cold weather, without thick clothing, you get +1 negative dice to all actions
The fight continues.
(4+1)(5+1) The tentacle horror holds off the other knifers, going so far as to throw one across the hall so quickly that the foot pops right off and remains in the horror's grip.
When the rifleman shoots,
(2+1)(3+1)/
(5+1) the tentacle horror displays an obscene reaction time by grabbing the bullet mid-air, preventing it from reaching you. It then pulls the rifleman down and snares him, leaving him open for attack. It does not try to kill the rifleman, however.
The thief in the back with the black tome summons a black, shadowy spear which extends rapidly in your direction. The tentacle horror tries to grab it but the attack cannot be deflected. (1)(3) Efa is hit, (4)(1) but the attack snares only her robe and she tears it to get free, revealing... another robe underneath, this one purple and covered in ridges.
The thief with the book drops the now-empty tome and starts running for his life.
Efa speaks to you.
Efa: I suggest you make your move. My summon will provide cover, but it's not aggressive. I can't choose what I summon, so we'll have to make do with what we have....
One bandit is missing a foot and bleeding in his leg (4) (+1 damage/turn)
Traits and Skills:
Secret Powers
>DoOOoobillidabidydappidydap dipigillidydapda!
Current Stat Modifiers:
+0/0 positive dice to attack rolls
+0/0 negative dice to enemy attack rolls
+0/0 positive dice to defense rolls
+0/0 negative dice to enemy defense rolls
It is the 4th hour after noon. Ash is blazing bright in the azure sky, burning all exposed objects and adding +1 to all die in a thoughtform roll.
Expected end of Ashstorm: 7th hour. (Next hour: Turn 32)
Author
Topic: Pastblasters - Adventures in Wizardry (Turn 55) (Read 84832 times)