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Myth: A New Age CYOA

asxetos

Augur
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
820
Location
Greece
1. Shopping (Each part A through G is a seperate sub question. Feel free to vote in each.)
A) Uttu's Bowstring: i. Yes (10 WPs)
B) Biliku's Bargain: i. Yes (10 WPs)
C) Lyssa's Aphids: i. Yes, you pay for them (15 WPs)

D) Thaïs' Ring: iii. You let Astrid pay for it.
E) Derryth's Purchase Part 1:
i. A ring of spell storage just like the one Thaïs wants. (25 WPs)

ii. The Book of the Past: An odd little tome that attunes to whoever holds it in their bare hands for more than twenty minutes. Once attuned it begins to fill up with the true and complete life story of its 'owner'. Every time it is picked up by its owner after that it will attempt to update its contents with new information. It can be reset by attuning it to a new owner at which point its contents will be wiped and the process will begin again. (10 WPs)
v. A vial of aphids similar to those Lyssa is considering. (15 WPs)
vi. The Box: A plain, sealed wooden box. The Dietfrieds have no idea what is in it and won't risk damaging it to find out. It is a complete mystery... a mystery box... (5 WPs)
ix. A book titled 'Golems for dummies' but they assure you it is just a novelty item. They have not been able to get the spells in it to work. (1 WP)

F) Derryth's Purchase Part 2:
i. You pay for it yourself. (EXCEPT the ring. we will let Astrid pay for that)

G) General Supplies: Twelve Energon Cubes and Six Mandrake Roots
i. You buy them (10 WPs)


2. The Faceless Man, how do you want to get rid of him? Or do you even want to?
C) Yes, you will let Janine use he proton pack on you. It might suck the Faceless Man out of your bracelets but you are not sure what will happen after that.
> F) You will take the gloves, but you won't wear them constantly. When you need a private moment, or when you sleep, or when you need to execute some plan The Faceless Man does not need to know about, you'll put them on. When you find yourself in a tough combat sitiuation, or when you aren't doing something terribly suspicious, you'll slip out of them.


3. You are at the Royal Academy anyway. You do not have too much time but you can each study a little about a field of enchanting if you want. (Just pick three choices and list who will study what. Neither of them have any real preference so they are fine leaving it up to Derryth.)
A) (Lyssa) The prayers of protection. Used mostly to make armour and other protective items.
D) (Derryth) The riddles of understanding. Used to strengthen the mind. Often found on robes, hood, or circlets.
E) (Thais) The paths of progress. Used to sharpen the mind, often woven together with the riddles of understanding or used in their place.


4. Lyssa's story. Do you want to hear the rest of it? Or would you rather not know?
A) Yes, you do not want there to be any secrets between you.


5. The Arrows and the Oneiroi:
C) You ask for directions and see if any of the Pathfinders want to come. (5 WPs)


-----


1: We pay for everything ourselves except the two rings. We shouldnt have the pathfinders pay for our group because their business is with us. The set of rings goes for 50WP and it is a modest gift. (At that point we dont know that we are also getting the spa tickets).

2: I think in C we might end up with Faceless Man-in-a-jar that we can keep without him being able to spy on us. If you guys think it is too risky then F will do the job until we find a better solution.

3: Semi-random assignments there, nothing much.

4: Well, we asked for it so we should hear it out. We all suspect where this is going anyway.

5: I would like to hire the Arrows but this is where i decide to conserve money. I believe that the pathfinders have pretty good reasons to go after the Oneiroi since they played a major part in the big fire.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Smashing Axe, I don't believe you have voted yet?

For what it's worth, I am flopping to Ci and Gi. If we push the expenses for Derryth's gear on the crown, we'll have enough money to afford a gift to Lyssa and buy supplies. And I want to strengthen our relationship with the witch by any means possible. She is one of the necklace wearers, after all.
 

Jester

Arbiter
Joined
Mar 24, 2013
Messages
1,493
Crown pay for our expenses, we pay for our party expenses. Maximum relationship bonus with our team and it helps us make the end meet. Perfect mage role-playing.
 

Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
Fangshi, can you confirm that we have a pile of spellbooks in our home Tower?

I'm voting to conserve our money. Buying the Spinner just to destroy it is senseless and overly paranoid.

Astrid payments: 46
Derryth Payments: 5

1.
Bowstring
iii.

Sword
iii.

Lyssa Aphids - we have no reason to spend our own coin
ii>iii

Thais Ring
ii>iii- She can afford it

Items for Derryth (It'd be nice to have the option to vote against a purchase. I'm against everything not listed below. Especially the elemental spellbook)
ii. Book of the past
vi. The Box. It's cheap, and could have something useful.
ix. Golems for dummies

We need to save as much money as we can. Not waste it on extravagence.

F) ii. >-- I was originally for paying for it all. But a lot of the voters seem to want to buy a whole heap, and I'd prefer to offload that expense to the crown rather than our own coffers.

G) iv

2. F - We need something to mitigate his influence, but when he plays ball with us, we play ball with him. Find out more of what he wants from a bargaining position.

3.
D (Derryth)
E (Thais)
C>B>A (Lyssa) -
Anything but practicing instead of learning new information.

This is rare knowledge, we should grab what we can. We'll have plenty of time later to spend on practicing what we do know.

4. Yes, I want to hear the rest of the story, it may be important later.

5. C>A
The Pathfinders may be interested in these guys, if not, no biggie. We shouldn't press the point if we ask them.
 
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Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
We need to save as much money as we can. Not waste it on extravagence.
I understand the intent, but with the way the votes are spread so far, these are the items we'll be buying for Derryth:
i. 9 votes (25W)
ii. 5 votes (10WP)

iii.
iv. 6 votes (20WP)
v. 2 votes
vi. 9 votes (5WP)
vii. 6 votes (35WP)

viii. 4 votes
ix. 9 votes (1WP)
x. 3 votes
Total: 96 WP

Are you sure you want to vote for Fi and cover them from your pocket in these circumstances?
 

Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
Oh, that was already edited. I had a look at the list and blanched, so immediately edited my vote to have the Crown pay for it all. I don't mind the relationship hit, we need to save up our coin to buy nobility and start banking. Codex distracted by the shiny as usual.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Well, the ring, the mystery box and the seemingly useless book are obvious picks. The spell tome is a favorite of mine, because it will be a long while before we return to Muirthemne and start sorting through our spellbooks. The book of the Past... I don't know, I can't see an immediate use for it.

The only item of debatable worth on the list in the Spinner, and I can understand this as well, especially when the cost is covered by someone else.

We'll have to work for the money we spent here, but my hope is that we intended to do so anyway.
 

Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
While that's true, I think spending a great deal of money here and now is short-sighted when it comes to the big picture. The money we have now is better spent increasing the reach of our organisation as a whole, in banking, our social standing and the mercenary endeavour, because that effort will pay back the initial investment tenfold. We can then buy all the trinkets we could possibly want with that money.

I just don't think we should be spending any money on this sort of thing if it can be avoided, when we're nowhere near finished expanding and consolidating our organisation.

As for the book, I want it because it'd be useful for interrogating captives, and testing the loyalty of key members of the organisation. We can find out everything they've done, and everything they want to keep secret from us with it. Useful.

Also, if a certain someone screws with our mind and temporarily possesses us, we can find out with the book.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Smashing Axe said:
As for the book, I want it because it'd be useful for interrogating captives, and testing the loyalty of key members of the organisation. We can find out everything they've done, and everything they want to keep secret from us with it. Useful.
You can't do it inconspicuously, though.

The core principle of our organisation (if you are talking about The Circle) is trust, and 'no secrets' is one of the conditions for joining. If you don't trust someone, or if they don't trust you, we have no business together. I don't think we'll need drastic measures to verify their loyalty, since this essentially means you can probe their minds if you really need to, and a mentalist can probably do it faster than a book.

We'll see what the book can do for us. It'll probably do us good when our mercenary company grows enough that we won't be able to personally interview all of the new recruits we hire.

Good point about possession, though. But is such a thing possible? Even a dominated person retains the memories of what happened to them during the spell. I guess it can serve as a countermeasure against fake memories or if/when the integration of our impressions with Thais gets out of hand.

As for the money spent, I want to master the Healing spell and use it in conjunction with the rings. Chances are, with all the risks we take, we won't live long enough to see our business thrive without an insurance of some sort. Money only have worth when you are alive to spend them.
 
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Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Smashing Axe said:
Fangshi, can you confirm that we have a pile of spellbooks in our home Tower?

Yes, you do. It is on the character sheet under the storage/vault section.

Nevill said:
if/when the integration of our impressions with Thais gets out of hand.

An interesting thought. The problem is that those impressions are real memories not false ones. It is why they are able to move you as much as they do, once you integrate one of them you have 'lived' it and it would pass the books checks.


Nevill:
1.Ai Bi Ci Di E(i,iv,vi,vii,viii,ix) Fii Gi 2.F 3.D,E,F)Derryth (Heal) 4.A 5.A

Kz3r0:
1.Ai Bi Cii Dii E(i,ii,iv,vi,vii,ix,x) Fii Giv 2.F 3.C,D,E 4.B 5.A

Zero Credibility:
1. Ai Bi Ci Di E(i,iv,vi,viii,ix) Fi Gi>Giv 2.F 3.F: Heal and Illusions 4.B 5.C>A

Jester:
1. Ai Bi Ci Di E(i,vi,ix,x) Fii Gi 2.A 3.B,E,F)Derryth (Heal) 4.B 5.A

Grimgravy:
1.Aiii>i Biii>i Cii Dii E(i,ii,vi,vii) Fi Giv 2.F 3.A)Lyssa,B)Thais,D)Derryth 4.A 5.A

Azira:
1.Aiii Biii Ciii Di E(i,iv,v,vi,vii,ix) Fi Giv 2.A 3.D,E,F)Derryth (Heal) 4.A 5.A

GreyViper:
1. Ai Bi Ci Di E(i,ii,iv,vii,viii,ix,x)Fii Gi 2.F 3.C (for all three?) 4.A 5.A

Baltika9:
1.Ai Bi Cii Di E(i,iv,vi,vii,viii,ix) Fii Giv 2.F 3.D,E,F)Derryth (Heal) 4.A 5.A also 1 vote to PRAY!

asxetos:
1.Ai Bi Ci Diii E(i,ii,v,vi,ix) Fi (except ring) Gi 2.C>F 3.A)Lyssa,D)Derryth,E)Thais 4.A 5.C

Smashing Axe:
1.Aiii Biii Cii>iii Dii>iii E(ii,vi,ix) Fii Giv 2.F 3.D)Derryth, E)Thais, C>B>A)Lyssa 4.A 5.C>A

1.
A) Uttu:
i. 8 votes
ii.
iii. 2 votes

B) Biliku:
i. 8 votes
ii.
iii. 2 votes

C) Lyssa:
i. 5 votes
ii. 4 votes
iii. 1 vote

D) Thaïs:
i. 6 votes
ii. 3 votes
iii. 1 vote

E) Derryth: To purchase an item will require half of the total voters' votes (rounded down if necessary.)
i. 9 votes
ii. 5 vote

iii.
iv. 6 votes
v. 2 vote
vi. 9 votes
vii. 6 votes

viii. 4 votes
ix. 9 votes
x. 3 votes

F) Derryth Payment Method:
i. 4 votes (3 votes everything, 1 vote everything but ring)
ii. 6 votes

G) Supplies:
i. 5 votes
ii.
iii.
iv. 5 votes

2. The Bracelets:
A) 2 votes
B)
C)
D)
E)
F) 8 votes

3. Training: If a name is not listed next to the vote then it will be taken as a general vote for that field. General votes will add on to the leading mage for that option.
A) 2 vote (2 votes for Lyssa)
B) 2 votes (1 vote for anyone, 1 vote for Thaïs)
C) 3 votes for 1 person (2 votes for anyone, 1 vote for Lyssa), 1 vote for a 2nd person (1 vote for anyone), 1 vote for a third person (1 vote for anyone)
D) 7 votes (4 votes for anyone, 3 vote for Derryth)
E) 7 votes (5 votes for anyone, 2 vote for Thais)

F) Known Spells:
- Healing (Derryth to master, Thaïs and Lyssa to learn): 5 votes (1 vote for anyone, 4 vote for Derryth to master)
- Illusions (Lyssa to master, Derryth and Thaïs to learn): 1 vote (1 vote for anyone)

4. Lyssa's Secret:
A) 7 votes
B) 3 votes

5. The Arrows and the mages:
A) 8 votes
B)
C) 2 votes

And finally, 1 vote to summon the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young, Shub-Niggurath, herself!
PRAY!: 1 vote
 
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Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
How come? What would the book write on us? We can't raid tombs all over the country and live a courtesan's life in Scales simultaneously. We can't be an orphan and grow up with our father. How would the book tell a consistent story in our case if it only works with one's memories?
 

Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Nevill said:
How come? What would the book write on us? We can't raid tombs all over the country and live a courtesan's life in Scales simultaneously. We can't be an orphan and grow up with our father. How would the book tell a consistent story in our case if it only works with one's memories?

Well to answer in reverse order.

It does not use your memories per say, it looks into your rational soul and it records what it finds. It also records only the truth.

So, if someone puts a false memory into your mind the book will know and it will present the false memory as a lie. It will essentially tell you that you have been compromised.

The impressions are different. They are not false, they are real memories. When you integrate them, you live them. Not in a physical sense perhaps but certainly in a psychological and spiritual sense. They become a part of your... mind... soul... the philosophical and spiritual aspect that makes you, you. The book can not detect them, there is no magic at work there, they will pass any test that your original memories would.

The result will be a story that does not make sense. Wildly different scenes will be tucked in throughout 'your' story. From the perspective of the book you will be an orphan and grow up with a loving father. You will wander the country and live as a courtesan in Scales, at the same time. And it would see no problem with that. It would all be true.

Take for example Nine. She has memories and the life experiences of two separate archmages in her head on top of her 'own' memories and experiences. The book will simply look into her and record what is there and what is true which will make for a messy story but it won't care. That is its purpose and it will pursue it.

Now if that is more than you were prepared for I can put forward the option to stop integrating the impressions though it will be much more difficult now that some of them are part of you, and you won't be able to separate the ones you have integrated without letting someone go in your mind and destroy them. If there is sufficient demand I can even add it to the next update.
 
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Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
Nevill said:
How come? What would the book write on us? We can't raid tombs all over the country and live a courtesan's life in Scales simultaneously. We can't be an orphan and grow up with our father. How would the book tell a consistent story in our case if it only works with one's memories?

Well to answer in reverse order.

It does not use your memories per say, it looks into your rational soul and it records what it finds. It also records only the truth.

So, if someone puts a false memory into your mind the book will know and it will present the false memory as a lie. It will essentially tell you that you have been compromised.

The impressions are different. They are not false, they are real memories. When you integrate them, you live them. Not in a physical sense perhaps but certainly in a psychological and spiritual sense. They become a part of your... mind... soul... the philosophical and spiritual aspect that makes you, you. The book can not detect them, there is no magic at work there, they will pass any test that your original memories would.

The result will be a story that does not make sense. Wildly different scenes will be tucked in throughout 'your' story. From the perspective of the book you will be an orphan and grow up with a loving father. You will wander the country and live as a courtesan in Scales, at the same time. And it would see no problem with that. It would all be true.

Take for example Nine. She has memories and the life experiences of two separate archmages in her head on top of her 'own' memories and experiences. The book will simply look into her a record what is there and what is true which will make for a messy story but it won't care. That is its purpose and it will pursue it.

Now if that is more than you were prepared for I can put forward the option to stop integrating the impressions though it will be much more difficult now that some of them are part of you, and you won't be able to separate the ones you have integrated without letting someone go in your mind and destroy them. If the is sufficient demand I can even add it to the next update.
This sounds useful. If someone tries to do the book trick on us, they'll get a bunch of garbled conflicting nonsense and have no choice but to dismiss the information as corrupted.

Maybe this is very circumstantial, but I see some benefit to it.
 

Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
So the winning options so far are:

1.A,B,C,D - i - you will buy everything for your party
1.E i. ii. iv. vi. vii. ix. You will buy the ring, the book, the spinner, the mystery box, the elemental tome, and 'Golems for dummies'
1.F You will let the government cover the bill.
1.G is currently tied between paying yourself and letting the government pay

2.F wins, you will take the gloves but only use them when you want some privacy.

3.D,E and F (healing) win. Now the way I will do this is as follows. Specific votes for a particular mage to learn a field will take precedence over general votes when determining who does what.
- So Derryth with four specific votes to master Heal will focus on that.
- Thaïs with two votes to study E will learn the Int based Paths of Progress.
- Finally Lyssa will attempt to learn the Wis based Riddles of Understanding.

4.A wins, you will encourage Lyssa to finish her story but it will be after you get back from...

5.A ...going with Ceannard and his men to 'visit' the Oneiroi.


Alright, we currently have a tie on whether you want to buy the general supplies yourselves or let Astrid cover it so all the votes will remain open until it is resolved. If it does not get solved today then I get to enjoy a day off I guess. ;)


As soon as that gets resolved I will close up the votes.

Expect an update within 12 hrs of the polls closing.
 

Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
Ugh, we're buying everything for our party? We're like the unlikable kid at school who tries to compensate for it by giving other kids his food.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Our party loves us. As for Lyssa, it's the other way around - I want to make an investment in her so that Derryth didn't have a temptation to drive her away after what she hears. :M

Oh, and I flop to Giv. Sorry, Fangshi, you don't get your day off just because we didn't agree on a technicality. :P
 
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Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
Except our party likes us. And these items are kinda useful.
Thais and Lyssa were both willing to pay for themselves. I don't see why we need to constantly be the font of generosity. Our gold reserves are running low and there's plenty we need to do with them when we return to our tower.
 

Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Nevill said:
Oh, and I flop to Giv. Sorry, Fangshi, you don't get your day off just because we didn't agree on a technicality.
icon_razz.gif

And with that the votes are closed... and my day of rest is gone... gone forever...

:negative:


Astrid will cover the cost of the general supplies and everything else stays as is.

The update will be out sometime within the next twelve hours and I will see about updating the party and organization sheets on the first page with the new information as well.
 

Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Chapter 22: Shattered Sleep

"So ladies how did you want to do this?" the mercenary grins as he pockets a pouch of gemstones, your payment.

You have contracted Ceannard and his Arrows to aid you in extracting the information you seek from the Oneiroi. Ideally you want to get this done with a minimum of danger for all parties involved but from what Ceannard tells you that may not be possible.

You help yourself to his whiskey as you respond, "Don't suppose we could just ask them nicely to tell us what we want to know?"

The Arrow shrugs slightly, "That would depend on what you want to know. Would it not?"

You have not told him about Meletē or the spell that keeps her from waking. You did not believe it necessary to do so and Thaïs agreed. You may be developing a certain respect for the mercenary, hell you may both even like him a little, but he is a mercenary and at the end of the day you simply can not trust the man.

You don't make eye contact though he can see your shoulders tense slightly. His impossibly wide grin gets just a little larger, "See. I have a theory ladies. I am fairly certain you were right at the center of that little debacle outside your inventor friend's house. I also know that the Oneiroi were present, along with every other two bit outfit in the city."

You grow a bit impatient as he lazily circles you. You reply, trying your best to maintain a neutral tone of voice, "So what is your theory?"

He deftly plucks the bottle from your hand and casually fills his own glass, "The Oneiroi hit your friend with one of their capture spells. You want to wake her up. Naturally you come to the one man in the city capable of helping you!" he beams at you both.

"You have a mighty high opinion of yourself Ceannard," you let out a playful laugh.

"Well I am the best!" the mercenary confidently shoots back.

Thaïs gives him a relaxed smile, "The best? The first time we encountered your organization, the two of us invaded your compound and stole your prisoner. The second time we encountered you, you almost lost your eyebrows," she shoots you a smile, you return it as she presses on, "The third time you fled before an obvious illusion-"

Ceannard looks a little deflated, he closes his eyes and scratches the back of his neck, decidedly embarrassed, "Well normally we do better work than that... like with the ghôls for example."

You nod.

You will give him that, he did a wonderful job protecting the girls. As if on cue Uttu howls in triumph from the other room, you are sorely tempted to go check but Lyssa is looking after them and they should not get into too much trouble in the heart of the Arrows compound.

He smiles at the sound, "Anyway, normally we succeed in our contracts and you can be sure if Ullr had not cancelled his contract that we would have found her eventually," you frown at the reminder. He senses his mistake and meekly raises his hand, "Now, now Derryth. I may be a mercenary but I am a professional. You are on my client list now and I will always give you a chance to make a counter offer should some unpleasant business like that ever come up in the future. I may be a hard man," you find that hard to believe, "But I am a fair man as well," that you can agree with. In the short time you have know him Ceannard has always assumed the part of the professional.

"Besides, Ullr was not nearly as gorgeous as you two," he grins again. Alright, he almost always assumes the part of the professional.

You take a nice long sip of your drink, something to clear the mind, "Back to the business at hand. It does not really matter why we want to talk to the Oneiroi right? Can you arrange something?"

He nods, "Sure, at the end of the day it makes no difference to me. I would not recommend trying to negotiate with them, however. They are fanatics, and they have no loyalty at all except to each other. But I can set up a meeting if you want, it will take a few days-"

Thaïs shakes her head, "That is unacceptable I am afraid. We should like to handle this issue today if at all possible."

You nod your agreement, "Yes Ceannard, we live such busy lives you see. We would rather not put this off."

He studies the two of you, trying to discern if you know something he should know. He stares intently but does not spontaneously develop the ability to read minds so after a moment he is forced to concede defeat, "Well, if you want this done today then we will have to get a little forceful I am afraid. Like any mage the Oneiroi are quite paranoid ah... present company excluded of course. If we simply walk up to their compound and request admittance they will naturally refuse. If we push them they will push back. So..."

"So, if we want this taken care of now we will have to attack them and interrogate them after we win," you finish his thought.

"Exactly," he knocks back the last of his drink and motions to the door.

---------------------------------------------

He obeys.

Has always obeyed.

Guarding the compound while his masters work.

It is not his place to question.

As the sun sets before him he thinks.

It is all he can do really.

They came to him in his dreams.

They promised him the hand of that pretty young thing down the street.

The cost was service.

For the rest of his days.

They kept their side of the bargain.

Though they were a bit literal about it.

He still has her hand.

Bundled up in rags by his bunk.

Seemed a shame to throw it away after everything was said and done.

He made his bed.

Now he will lie in it.

Dreaming dreams that are not his own.

It is not so bad really.

This sleeping life.

Though it is quite dull.

Maybe today will be different?

Maybe today will be-

The arrow catches him in the throat.

It is a remarkably quick death.

Probably better than he deserves, he must admit.

For a moment he thinks he will escape.

That elder brother Death shall steal him away from his master Sleep.

Then they come for him.

The Oneiroi.

And he knows.

He will never be free.

--------------------------------------------

"Well that is the last of their guards," Ceannard winks at you, "Now for the main event."

You, Thaïs, Lyssa, Biliku, Uttu and Ceannard observe the attack from an elevated position south of the Oneiroi compound.

The compound is composed of mud bricks, baked white in the sun. A haphazard coat of violet paint has been smeared across the walls but given how faded it is it must have been applied decades ago. The primary entrance to the compound is a set of large wooden doors located at the front of the structure. A high wall surrounds the rest of the compound but does little to shelter the guards that until three minutes ago wandered about the exterior of the compound.

The Arrows have done a wonderful job all things considered.

Twenty guards patrolled the exterior of the compound and not one of them managed to raise an alarm.

Part of you suspects that Ceannard may not be the complete professional he claims to be. For the relative pittance you paid him he mobilized almost all of the Arrows and swept towards the Oneiroi compound. You suspect that he was simply looking for an excuse to finally wipe them out while maintaining his reputation.

Your forces must outnumber theirs at least two to one. Though, numbers might not count for much once you get inside and you know all too well to never underestimate a mage.

"So ladies, here is the plan," he points at the different entrances of the two story compound as he speaks, "My men will hit the upper and main floors at the same time and sweep them of all resistance. Once the compound is secure we can enter at our leisure."

"We need some of them alive Ceannard," you remind him.

"We will do our best ladies," he responds, "We will try to take them alive of course but you know how dangerous mages can be."

You and your friend exchange a glance, she speaks, "We could always go in personally. That way we are sure to get at least one of them alive."

He inclines his head slightly, "Certainly, though if you go in I will have to insist I come with you. It would not reflect well on the Arrows if we lost a client while on a contract."

"I would like to come as well," Lyssa speaks up from behind you, "I owe you both so much and would like to prove my worth."

"Can we come!" Uttu asks, pulling on your sleeve.

"This is not a game kid," you gently chide her, "Are you sure you want to go in there?"

She nods and her sister answers, "We are your protectors! Where you go we go!"

You could probably order any of them to stay out here if you wanted to though they would probably complain. Something to think about at least as you consider your next move.

You consider the compound carefully. Something about it does not feel right though you can not place it. The shadows waver slightly within the walls. The whole place is unsettling in a way that you can not quite pinpoint which only serves to further worry you.

Ceannard, sensing your hesitation, presents one final option, "Should you ladies prefer, I can also have any potential survivors brought out here to you. There is no need for you to enter if you do not wish to..."

He lets the idea hang in the air as you narrow your focus. Contemplating your next move.


1. The Attack I: The Arrows are going to begin their assault on the compound momentarily. Do you wish to join the first wave of attackers.

A) Yes, you want to ensure that at least some of the mages survive.

B) No, you will let the Arrows take the majority of the risks here. It is what they are paid for after all.

C) freeform


2. The Attack II: If you do not join the first wave of attackers, would you prefer to enter with Ceannard and the reserves after the building is secured. If you do not then they will escort any prisoners they find out to you.

A) Yes, join the reserves mopping up.

B) No, wait outside until the prisoners are brought out to you.

C) freeform


3. The Attack, Party Composition: If you do enter who will you take with you?

A) No one, you will go in alone with the Arrows.

B) You will take someone with you. (Vote for as many or as few people as you wish. If B wins then all choices with more than half the voters' votes will be accepted.)

i. Thaïs

ii. Lyssa

iii. Biliku

iv. Uttu

v. Ceannard


4. Energon Cubes: Now that you have some again would you like to distribute them amongst your party:

A) No

B) Yes, list how many each mage should get. (You have twelve)


5. The Spinner: You think it might be an artefact of the Spider Goddess though you can not be sure. Did you immediately destroy it?

A) Yes

B) No

C) freeform


6. The mystery box won't open easily. You could hold off on opening it till you have the time and tools or you could just smash it open and hope that whatever is inside is durable. Which did you do?

A) Smash it open

B) Wait

C) freeform


7. You and Thaïs now each have a spell ring. Did you take the time to store a spell in each. The two of you have no problem collaborating so you have full access to both characters' spell lists. A few limitations though, rituals and spells that have to be maintained won't work properly. (Simply list the spell you would like to store in each.)

Derryth's Ring: ___________

Thaïs' Ring: ____________


8. You are certain that a number of spells are emanating from the center of the compound, they are faint but they are there. You are not sure whether you want to enter while the spells are still active. You think that the three of you should be able to dispel them (you will each have to use an energon cube to avoid being drained though). It will take roughly a half an hour to dispel you think provided you meet no resistance. Do you dispel them?

A) Yes

B) No

C) Yes and you will send the Arrows in immediately while you work on the spells.

D) Dispel them after the Arrows secure the building but before you go inside.

E) freeform


9.Anti-magic grenade: You will be going up against a group of mages and their spells an anti-magic grenade could come in handy but it will use up your last heaven stone. You will throw the grenade at the beginning of the assault to take out as many of the spells in place as possible, you will then proceed as in 8. Do you make one?

A)Yes

B)No
 
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Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
I am going to try something a bit different and list all the changes to your party/organization from now on in posts following the updates. I will still update the front page but hopefully this puts useful information front and centre.

Hopefully that makes it easier to track when you gain and lose things.

Party/Organization Changes:

Organizational Changes:

You lost 100WPs in expenses.

Party Changes:

Derryth:

Gained the following magical items:

1.Gold Ring (Can store one spell for instant use at a later time.)

2.Book of the Past (Attunes to whoever holds it in their bare hands for more than twenty minutes. Once attuned it begins to fill up with the true and complete life story of its 'owner'. Every time it is picked up by its owner after that it will attempt to update its contents with new information. It can be reset by attuning it to a new owner at which point its contents will be wiped and the process will begin again.)

3.The Spinner (If fed plant matter it will produce organic tread of a high quality. If fed metals it will spin thread of that metal. You have not tried to feed it anything else but the same process probably applies to a variety of substances.)

4. 6 mandrake roots (Used to power healing magics.)

5. 12 Energon Cubes (Used as a power source for spellcasting.)

Gained the following misc. items:

1.Mystery Box

2.An Elemental Tome

3.A Worn Book, 'Golems for dummies'

4.Lead Glove

Mastered the following spell:

1. Heal

Thaïs:

Gained the following magical item:

1. Gold Ring (Can store one spell for instant use at a later time.)

Gained the following misc. item:

1. Lead Glove

Learnt the following spells:

1.The Path of Tongues

2.The Path of Memory

3.The Path of Intellect

4.The Path of Clarity

Biliku:

Gained the following armour:

1. Small, Round, Strange Metal Shield (The shield will deflect any blow or projectile that strikes it.)

Gained the following magical item:

1.Worn scabbard (When a blade is placed in the scabbard both the scabbard and the hilt of the blade are rendered invisible.)

Uttu:

Gained the following magical item:

1. Bowstring of the Fairies (Increase the damage of the bow it is attached to. Capable of firing a single flare shot once per day provided it spends sufficient time in sunlight to recharge in between.)

Lyssa:

Gained the following magical item:

1. Vial of Aphids (Magic devouring Aphids. May be used as a power supply for the caster when fully charged or as magical explosives.)

Learnt the following spells:

1. An unknown number of spells from the Riddles of Understanding

Ceannard:

Joins Party as an Ally.
 
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Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
1. B - No, we don't go inside the building of the organisation that has souls of their guards serve them after death. It's not worth it, and there are bound to be survivors when the Arrows are done with them - in fact, I fear more for the Arrows than for Oneiroi.

2. A - Yes, let's join the mop up. Should not be that dangerous then, although waiting it out has its own merits.

3. Bi,ii,v - Everyone but Biliku and Uttu go. This calls for a mage, and if we need warriors, there is a lot of expendables volunteers from the Arrows.

4. B 4/4/4 - Split them evenly. They are easily replaceable, and you don't know who'll need it.

5. B - Not yet.

6. B - Not yet.

Fangshi, can spells that require several mages to cast them be stored in the ring? Say, Greater Energy Bolt?

Can rituals be stored?

There aren't many spells that we can use. Most of the mental ones require maintenance. That leaves elemental spells and Heal.

What is required for a Strengthen Will ritual? What is there to prevent us casting it each time we go on a mission? 2 hours aren't that much of a deterrent.
 
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Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Nevill said:
Fangshi, can spells that require several mages to cast them be stored in the ring? Say, Greater Energy Bolt?

For the most part yes. Spells that are not rituals but require more than one mage to cast are usually a result of a lack of magical ability. For example with Greater Energy Bolt, Thaïs is fairly confident she has the theory down, she just can not draw enough power yet to do it herself. Over time, if she continues to improve, she should eventually be able to cast it by herself. The same principles apply to Derryth and any mage really.

An interesting side effect of this is that Thaïs and Derryth now both know spells that some of your Circle simply can not cast without help. Even if you teach them the spell they simply lack the magical foundation to draw on that kind of power.

Can rituals be stored?

No, they are simply too powerful. You would melt the ring if you tried. If you even want to attempt to store a ritual you will need a more durable container.

What is required for a Strengthen Will ritual? What is there to prevent us casting it each time we go on a mission? 2 hours aren't that much of a deterrent.

Sure if you want the exact details here is how the ritual works.

Each mage that is going to receive the bonus requires a Focus (an object that acts as a conduit) to channel the residual magical energies surrounding them into them. When you did it in the desert Lyssa provided you each with one made from animal tissue (bones, tendons and the like, a bit gross really) but you could also fashion one out of plant tissue, mandrake roots, certain metals if properly prepared, or even gemstones if enchanted correctly. Lyssa knows how to make them but the ones she is familiar with take about a week to construct and are consumed during the ritual.

If you want to construct new ones you would have to provide Lyssa with animal (or human...) carcasses and each would only be good for one casting. The same goes for plant based Foci though she is not really sure how to make those.

If you want Foci that are good for more than one casting you have to look into getting something made from a properly enchanted metal or gemstone and those tend to be very pricey (700+ WPs) or you will have to figure out how to make them on your own.

Aside from the Foci you just need time and skill for that particular ritual.

The material components for every ritual vary however so it might be wise to keep that in mind.
 
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