Game Thread

[Riftwalker]

The game will start sometime in the next few days. In the meantime, here's a link to the teaser video. Clicking this link should open up the movie in another tab/window. (Let me know if it does not!)

Teaser Video:

http://www.crystalcognition.com/riftwalker/teaser.html

[Riftwalker]

Introductory Video:

http://www.crystalcognition.com/riftwalker/intro.html

You've arrived in Ebernath, the closest city to your hometown, Brier Patch. The journey was uneventful and took four days, but though you didn't hustle, you didn't dally either.

Ambient Music: http://www.crystalcognition.com/riftwalker/ebernath.html

Ebernath is one of the Seven Cities founded by Druids of the Panthic Order in Anderland. Originally a barren landscape not unlike that of Brier Patch, the Druids transformed it into a lush area ripe with vegetation.

The city itself is laid out in a circular fashion. In the center of Ebernath is a park from which the major streets intersect and extend outward like the spokes of a wheel. The city is generally clean and well-groomed, tall trees and grasses interspersed among the pathways, roads, and buildings. The air is generally clean, containing a myriad of smells: the soft smell of baking bread, the feint metallic odor of molten iron and smoke from a nearby blacksmith, and the hint of sea-breeze upon the air, though it is faint and mixes in with the other smells.

You see all manner of folks walking by. Most are human, though some are clearly not. Many are dressed in outfits that look exotic and out of place. You recognize the features of some from your time spent buried in the books in the library back home. A seemingly well-to-do night elf walks by, dressed in deep purple formal robes heavily embroidered at the edges in what appears to be some sort of writing, though at this distance you cannot discern what the writing says. Two other night elves--clearly subordinates by their dress and behavior--follow him. In the other direction, you see a small group of halflings closing down their shop for the evening, closing and locking the storefront of their wagon. One pats the other on the back and says something, there's a pause, and then they both throw their heads back in laughter. There also seem to be quite a few sailors walking around.

You now stand at the center of the city, holding the following note in your hand that you received in the Brier Patch library:

http://www.crystalcognition.com/riftwalker/notice.jpeg

It is two days before Midsummer, though it is late in the day. The sun will set in less than an hour.

Do you: find your way to the address on the note? Decide that it is late and find someplace to sleep for the evening? Or do you have other plans?

DM Note: I could not find the Death's Call spell. Can you point me to the sourcebook where it resides? Also, be sure to choose your spell selection for the day.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

The blue haired boy thinks about what would be the best way to go about things. He has plenty of money so there was no need to try and trick anyone out of it other than the thrill of doing so. What he really needed to do was find out how to sabotage the other people who came for the job. So, he needed some way to find them. He quickly casts prestidigitation and uses it to flavor a marble that he then pops into his mouth and enjoys sucking on while he thinks. The idea of going to the address to insure that he could find it when needed and schedule accordingly when the time came seemed the best course of action. He might even meet up with another person who was out for the job. That would give him an opening to attract the others and insure the downfall of all of them over the next two days. It was not much time, but it was what he had to work with. Knowing better than to walk up to his future employer's home smelling of the road he uses some of the magical energy from prestidigitation to clean himself up. While the night elf strikes his interest and he knows it might be another candidate for the job he also knows that it is unlikely that it would take well to some one following it and he did not need to make that kind of impression this soon. The first place to start to find his way to the address would be to look for street signs and that is exactly what he does.


((OOC: Death's call is from complete mage. Page number 101 at the bottom. It is another necromancy spell. Spells for the day are fumble (x2), trip (x2), light, prestidigitation, social invisibility (x3), necrotic cyst. He used prestidigitation in the post so it is no longer available, but will last for the next hour. How well lit is the city? Will, he be able to see at all when night falls? I figure that is something he could figure out without too much trouble and could plan accordingly.))

[Riftwalker]

Ebernath is home to about 30,000 people (predominantly Lowlander humans) and so isn't so large that you couldn't travel between any two points in the city relatively quickly. A reasonable pace should get you between any two places in the city in less than an hour and a half.

Due to the constant influx of visitors to the city (it is a major trade center for this part of the world) there are street signs for all the major streets. The area seems to be relatively safe--at least on the major streets, which are well-lit via small luminous orbs that function effectively as immobile Everburning torches, though slightly more pleasing to look at. The street signs are not difficult to find, and locating Panthic Way is easy as it is one of the main streets through Ebernath that crosses the center park.

The signpost at the city's center you reason to effectively have the address "0 Panthic Way" indicating that Semndon's address is not too far away.

DM Note: (Ok, Death's Call is fine.)

[Fuzzy alchemist]

((OOC: I assume that since he is at the center that the roads extend both directions and there is either negative numbers or different name going one direction since I did not notice a magnetic direction component to the address. If I am wrong and there are two feasible paths to the address I guess we decided which one he takes at random.))

Looking at the street signs he begins walking through the appropriate street keeping with the flow of traffic as would be sensible since the path of least resistance is best for the time being. He keeps sucking on his flavored marble making sure to keep it toward the front of his mouth and away from his teeth so as to avoid breaking it or swallowing it. His tongue moves over the glassy orb of low quality obsidian insuring that its taste had a chance to hit all the taste buds. Its nutritional value was nonexistent, but it did much to keep him happy. He keeps and eye out to make sure that he does not pass up the house and can keep track of how many people seem to be dressed in a manner fitting to learned people like himself as they were the ones likely to be applying for the position he was. A though also come across him that he might need to keep an eye out for rats or other small animals that he could use to demonstrate his abilities on. The cyst might kill its victim when shown and that might disqualify him for the position, but an animal that no one cared for would be suitable. The number of sailors around indicated ships that would love magical help getting rid of rats. That would be something he would have to look into for tomorrow. Tonight he was going to find the address and depending on his feelings afterward either lodging or information that might help him prepare for the interview that was coming up.

[Riftwalker]

Panthic Way ends at the center of the park in the center of the city, so you have no trouble following the road. After only a few minutes of walking, you arrive at 101 Panthic Way.

Before you stands a small tower, four floors in height, each floor slightly smaller than the previous. All floors above the ground floor are round, however the ground floor is rectangular in shape and is significantly larger than the floors above ground. The tower is made with a combination of stone and wood and is simultaneously elegant and unassuming. There is a small pathway (perhaps 20 feet) to the door with two large maples at each side that render the front yard fairly shaded.

Above the door is a wooden engraving of the same stylized 'S' that appears at the bottom of the note. Underneath the 'S' is the following:

DE WHEDAUS VUR VEDITOA CONFNA FRONEEL

You instantly recognize the language to be Draconic, and you translate it as: "From darkness and cold comes everything."

The tower is dark except for illumination from the room at the very top.

Though you realize you may not know another candidate apprentice if you saw one, no one in particular along the walk seems to arise your suspicion.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Having found the location rather quickly and no one who aroused his sense for candidates he decided the best course of action would be to find a place that would have plenty of people to chat up for information on the person he was going to be working with and possibly information on the other candidates. While knocking and asking would likely provide information coming uninvited to someone's house was rude and he would likely be busy with his own preparations for the interviews. No, the best option was to chat up others about him and the candidates. He wished he had prepared soothsaying and brought the components with him, but it did not seem likely to help him while walking and he was not sure how late he would get into town. It helped to get people to talk to him and gave him a friendly ear to whisper in so that others would trust him. He would just have to do this the old fashioned way.

((OOC: If he happened to see a place with an open admission policy where people would gather he heads there otherwise he looks for someone to direct him to such a place. At which point we can role play through the questioning or simply make a gather information check for the night of work. Or some combination there of. I assume based on the amount of time it took that there would still be people on the streets who could be questioned about a place to go.))

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: I'm totally fine roleplaying interactions to the extent that you wish to and am also ok with glossing over some of the more mundane things like this. I'm trying not to force any particular action on you; rather I'm trying to let you approach the world in a "sandbox" kind of way, doing what you please with your time/resources.

If you want to play the evening's work as a Gather Information check, roll the check for the scenario below. (I assume you'd rather make your character's rolls, and I'll make the rolls for the rest of the universe.)

(End DM Note)

Two blocks further down Panthic Way and two streets over (to the left), you come upon an establishment named Happy Harvester. As you approach, the noise grows into a cacophony of talking, groups of people cheering, and rattling. You realize that the Happy Harvester is part tavern, part gambling establishment, and the rattling is actually one of the games based on a spinning wheel. Virtually everyone inside is human, and you surmise that most everyone here is an actual resident of Ebernath (rather than a visitor), of the working class, and that this must be a favorite after-work haunt of many of them.

You largely ignore the details of the games, focusing on patrons at the bar or at players returning from gaming tables. You spend 3 hours and 2 sp on a few mugs of ale while chatting up a few people at the bar, asking about Semndon, his past, his call for apprentices, any other candidate apprentices that may be applying, information about them and their abilities, and so on.

DM Note: Roll a Gather Information check, unless you'd prefer to roleplay it all out.

Details:Time: 1d4 + 1 = 3 hours
Drinks: 4 cp * 5 = 2 sp

[Fuzzy alchemist]

OOC: Because this is not a stressful situation-no threats or distractions other than the noise of the other people talking- and the information I am looking for should not be hard to obtain I would like to take ten giving me a total of 17. Just in case you were not going to allow this I rolled and got a total of 13. I figured it was a better use of our time to simply use gather information when I am chatting up a whole lot of people instead of just a few. It would take a while to role play out several hours of talking to people. Sorry there are no actions on his part in this post. until I know what he learns I do not know what he would do.

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: No sweat. For some reason it never occurred to me that taking 10 was an option. My apologies. I'll use the 17 result.

Over the course of the few hours you engage several people regarding Semndon. While some clearly know more than others, you're able to determine the following information:
Semndon has lived in Ebernath for the past several years.
He served in the Griffin Company, but has since retired.
Many people mentioned that he's a member of the Panthic Order (which you already knew).
He has grown more and more reclusive over the past few years.
One fellow mentioned seeing a young dwarf enter Semndon's tower two days ago. Another saw a young dwarf wearing blue robes leave Semndon's tower and head towards the center of Ebernath. You assume that they're talking about the same dwarf, but you're not 100% sure. (You haven't seen many dwarves in general while walking around the city and the ones that you have seen were not wearing robes, so it seems likely.)
A few people had mentioned that they'd heard that Alenair Luchen, daughter of the prince of Stormhaven, was applying to be Semndon's apprentice. Her father, Baris Luchen, is rumored to have bribed Semndon to accept Alenair over any other apprentices, but no one has been able to confirm such a thing, nor would anyone publicly make that accusation. A husband and wife couple seemed to think that if she were going to be staying anywhere, it would be at Ruby Debonaire, one of the ritzier inns in Ebernath located in the south-western part of town.
A man in white robes was also seen in this part of the city yesterday, though it is unconfirmed whether or not he entered Semndon's tower. He looked slightly out of place--taller than average and with strikingly golden-hued shoulder-length hair. Someone reported seeing him enter the Spells and Slumber, an inn in the north-eastern area of the town. Spells and Slumber is apparently an inn catering specifically to wizards.
Two members of the Panthic Order were also seen escorting a cloaked figure into Semndon's tower around dusk three evenings before.
Several people heard a low-rumbling boom emanate from Semndon's tower during the day about a week ago.People generally seemed taken aback at first while talking with you due to your eye and hair color, and weren't surprised when you mentioned that you were a mage. However, the more you talked to any specific person, the more they were able to overcome their apprehension due to your amiability and charm.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Many ideas went through his head. He wanted to assassinate the person who might have bribed her way into the position, but it was almost a guaranteed that she would have her own guards and a hotel of the quality that they seemed to think she would be in would have attendants capable of resisting the magics he had prepared to get past such people. It would be foolish to try anything cloak and dagger with her. He would just have to make sure that misfortune befell her at the time of their interviews. Plus, even with a potential bribe on the table it seemed unlikely that if she was not at least mostly worthy of the training she would not be taken. So, it was unlikely she would be defenseless and if he proved vastly superior he could still get the position without putting himself in danger. He was not overly worried about the dwarf as it was unlikely it was quite as skilled as him and there was no evidence that he had skills uncommon to the rest of its kind. This lowered his priority rating to be worthy of investigation only if there was extra time. The man in white was definitely of interest and since he needed lodging anyway taking up residence in the same inn would be quite convenient. It was getting to be late and it was likely he would have to check in somewhere soon if he wanted to be assured of getting a room. So, after making sure to look over the games to see which ones had the highest pay outs he left to go to the Spells and Slumber. He would keep and eye out for the others that he had an idea of the appearance of, now that he knew what he was looking for.

[Riftwalker]

Most casinos, you reason, are going to only feature games that give the house an advantage, even if it's only a slight one. The games you see at the Happy Harvester lead you to confirm your generalization. Not only do they all give the house an advantage, but they also all use an element of random chance (cards, dice, a spinning wheel) rather than anything based on player's skill. The wagers for the games range from 1 cp to 5 gp.

DM Note: Unless you're interested in doing some gambling in the casino, I'll forgo descriptions for the individual games. If you are, let me know and we can get into that.

Based on the directions you received during the Sense Motive process, you're able to find the Spell and Slumber without any problem. It is now 10:00 PM. You come to a building made primarily of wood with a painted sign that reads "Spell and Slumber" beside an image of what appears to be a wizard that has fallen asleep at his desk atop an open book.

As you walk inside, the blue-eyed woman at the desk tells you about the Spell and Slumber: The Spell and Slumber is an inn catering specifically to wizards. It emphasizes quiet, allowing wizards to study in peace free from noisy distractions. Each room and the common-area has a permanent silence effect on it. Meals are included in the price of 4.5 gp per day. She goes on: "It's a bit more expensive than a normal inn, but our clientèle appreciate their privacy, peace, and quiet. Are you interested in booking a room?"

[Fuzzy alchemist]

((OOC: I was considering finding a game with a high pay out and using the cheat spell and possibly some other magical trickery to get one big win and quickly leave with my winnings. Like putting everything on a single number color combination in roulette and magically rigging the wheel for one spin so that I won and get paid 24 times my bet. Or if there was a game that I could naturally slant my advantage in I could do that as well. Like I used to count cards for 21 when playing. I would make sure to lose every once in a while, but always bet big on what was likely to be a winning hand and small or not at all on losing hands. But the prizes are not big enough to risk getting caught for even if they are not already protected against such things. The fact that they know he is a mage would likely make them concerned about such things if they saw him do it. Also, I try my best to word his speech in a manner that a intelligent smooth talker would, but I do not have a charisma score nearly as high as he does and might not come off as smooth.))

He smiles and says, "Yes. I will be needing a room for two days at least if I like the deal I get here. If you do not mind I would like to know when the meals are served and what the upcoming ones will be before I make my decision." His tone was polite and cheerful and his body posture remained neutral. He pulled out his bag of marbles which he was also using to hold his money and fished out 9 gold pieces. This was a measured move to insure that it was known that he could pay for information, but would not have to come out and bribe her directly. It also showed that while he was curious he was not handing over his money quite yet and she might be able to screw up the booking if she managed to anger the client. He continued, "I was also going to ask for information on another guest, but if you feel that that would be an invasion of their privacy I would of course refrain. I would not want you to jeopardize yourself unnecessarily." He left his statements open to interpretation so that there was no threat obviously implied, but also a wide open area for her mind to worry and wonder. No mater how she took it he had given himself plenty of room to wiggle out of it before she got too awfully suspicious.

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: Takuzei thinks he could pull off some trickery at the casino, though its effectiveness would depend on how-well put-together the plan was. He obviously couldn't waltz in there barking verbal components and making somatic gestures for spells and expect to pull off the subtlety required to get away with it, charisma or not. He also wonders to what extent people have tried schemes like that before and what safeguards are in place to prevent that from happening... As a DM I'm not saying it's impossible to do, but it probably will require some effort, time, and scheming to get away with it.

The slightly plump woman politely answers your question: "Yes, of course, dear. Meals are served at sunrise and sunset in the rooms. When you book your stay you receive two of these tokens for each day of your stay." She holds up a wooden card with Spell and Slumber lightly engraved and painted on one side. "Outside of each room is a slot. If you place a meal-card in the slot then a meal will be left at your door in exchange for the card the next time meals are served. We find that this system fits our guests' needs, as it ensures they are not unduly disturbed. Most of our guests are mages from all over the world, having come to study with the Panthic Order just down the street. Anyway, I digress... evening meals are usually wonderful!" Her eyes twinkle a bit. "Let's see... tonight we had beefsteak, potatoes and carrots, cabbage, some bread, and some of our lovely spiced tea we import from the Dreaming Isles. It's too bad you've arriving when you are--I'm afraid you've missed it for today. The morning meal also features the tea, usually along with fruit and pastries."

In response to your inquiry about information on other guests, she frowns a bit. "Who were you interested in, dear?" Before you can answer she leans forward across the table, her voice hushed. "Is it those demon-spawned tieflings? I know the Panthic Order caters to mages from all over, but I just don't trust tieflings..." Her eyes widen a bit, conveying a seriousness and gaging your response.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Takuzei flashes a smile and says, "Well, they are not the ones I was looking for, but I do understand your mistrust in them. If I come across any suspicious behavior by them I would of course report it to you all so that you might deal with it however you saw fit, but I would greatly helped in my attempts to assist you in this matter if you could tell me about the group you speak of. Their actions and locations would be the most helpful information." He did his best to seem calm and level headed about the situation and to avoid either agreeing that they were not to be trusted or taking up their defense. He attempted to word it so that it could be taken as an attempt to allay the concerns of a worried attendant or as an attempt to insure that if they were up to anything mischievous that they would be caught. His natural charm would assist in making sure that it would be taken in the most favorable way instead of the least. Information had always been his greatest asset and if these people were willing to give it up easily he was happy to have it.

[Riftwalker]

"Oh they're staying here at the inn! Two of them--twin brothers I think. I've left them alone, and so far they haven't tried anything, but I'm keeping my eye on them. I just don't trust them. Why -- are you looking for them? Did they do something?"

[Fuzzy alchemist]

He suppresses a laugh and says, "Sorry. I did not make myself clear. I meant room locations. And I was simply offering my assistance to keep an eye on them. I do not currently know of any misdeeds on their part. But now that I know who I am looking for I will be glad to make note of anything I see and possibly embed myself into their conversations so that I can learn more." He kept his tone hushed so that it was not easily overheard, but also not quite hushed enough to draw the attention that whispering would.

[Riftwalker]

She pauses, thinking. "Hmm. I suppose that couldn't hurt. How about I show you which rooms are theirs while I show you to yours. That is, if you're still interested in booking a room?"

[Fuzzy alchemist]

He smiled and said, "Oh, of course. This should pay for the two nights. If things do not go as planned I will pay for more while I make my preparations to move on." He sets down the gold pieces and puts away his bag of money and marbles. He wait till after this concern was out of the way before he tried to bring the conversation back to his concerns. He was not even completely sure the person he was looking for was here. He would keep an eye out for the man in white though.

[Riftwalker]

The plump woman takes the gold pieces and puts them into a pouch under the counter. She then counts three of the wooden "meal cards" and turns to walk out from behind the counter to show you your room when she stops. "Oh, I almost forgot!" She reaches down behind the counter and produces a medium-sized book, vial of ink, and pen. "I need you to sign the guest book, Mr., um? I don't believe I caught your name..."

[Fuzzy alchemist]

((OOC: medium size for a book or a book in the medium size category? I figure it is medium for a book, but just want to make sure. Also, with pen I assume we are talking the gnomish equivalent of the fountain pen. Or are we refering to a quill? The post assumes the former, but can be edited to be suited to the latter.))

He smiles and says, "Takuzei". He picked up the pen with his left hand, lightly dipping it in the ink and filling the bladder inside. He then penned the name down with light deliberate strokes giving everything an angular look instead of the more fluid strokes of most script. The ink would be come heavy around curves where it paused for a moment as he changed directions. Even the curves looked more like boxes than circles. He even managed to avoid the thinning and widening the the script that normally came with using such pens as he never made curves but instead quick stable turns that had a momentary stop. It had come from originally doing his writing on walls where it was hard to carve curves. He quickly set the pen back at the spot and position it had been when he had taken it up and waited for whatever was next.

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: "Medium sized" for the book just meant it wasn't overly large (like a tome) or small (like a handbook). The pen was a quill pen. (It doesn't really matter as far as I'm concerned.)

"Terrific, Takuzei. Nice to meet you. I'm Vera, one of the proprietors of this inn. Let me show you to your room." She steps out from behind the counter and motions to the common area (see the floor plan below). It looks cozy and comfortable, with arrangements of sofas, chairs, tables that look like comfortable spots to read or hold a small conversation between a few people. The decor is not overly posh, but it's clearly well-maintained and not of lower-quality. Plants and assorted knickknacks decorate the room, and one in particular catches your eye: a miniature ship resting on a table. Near the center of the room is a large four-sided fireplace that looks like it would keep the room comfortable during the colder months.
"This is our common area. You'll notice that now you can hear me." She takes a step into the room, turns around, and looks back at you. Her eyebrows raise and her lips mouth the words "and now you cannot" slowly and clearly enough for you to read her lips without any trouble. She steps back towards you.
"We have some enchantments in place around the inn to help keep the place quiet so as to not disturb our guests unnecessarily. The common room is surrounded by such a screen, as are the walls of all the guests' rooms upstairs, as you'll see momentarily."
She leads you upstairs (via the staircase nearest the entrance.) At the top of the stairs, she lowers her voice (which you think is amusing since she just explained how the rooms were sound-proof.) "These two rooms are the tieflings'" she whispers, pointing at both simultaneously with her index and middle finger. She then turns left and right until she arrives at your room. She inserts a key into the keyhole and pushes the door open.
"We've found that a two-door system is best when it comes to the privacy of our guests. The door I just opened into this small area is outside the sound enchantment screen of the room. You leave your meal cards in this slot here." She shows you the small card-shaped slot where a meal card can be placed. "Then, then our cook, Sann, will leave meals here on this small tray during meal times and take the card. Now if the second door is opened, he will politely reach threw it (and the enchantment) to knock on the opened door to alert you to the fact that your food has arrived. If your door is closed, he won't do anything, and you'll just have to remember to check at meal times. That way, you're not disturbed should you wish not to be." She inserts the key into the second door and pushes it open, holding it open for you so you can enter the room.
The room is decorated similarly to the common area downstairs. In the far corner of the room is a fireplace without a bottom. You correctly assume that it is the same fireplace as the one downstairs. There is a mechanism to close the fireplace (to prevent its heat and light from entering the room) and another lever next to it. Vera notices you looking at it. "That controls whether the heat/cold from the fireplace heats or cools the floor in the room. Pushing it to the left vents air from the fireplace underneath the floorboards, and pushing it to the left closes the vent. Since it's fairly warm outside now, we have cool air coming into the system from below ground to help keep the inn comfortably cool."
She hands you the key. "Alright, there you are! Have a terrific evening! I'll be downstairs for another hour or so balancing the books if you need anything." You hear her steps until she reaches the inner door, and nothing after she passes through the invisible wall of silence.

First floor:

http://www.crystalcognition.com/riftwalker/spell-slumber-first-floor.gif

Second floor:

http://www.crystalcognition.com/riftwalker/spell-slumber-second-floor.gif

[Fuzzy alchemist]

He sets his sacks down next to the bed considering whether it would be better to sleep now and start his day good and early, or to keep to the night. He decided that since it was easier to conduct business during the day he would work on their schedule. Knowing he might not wake up in time to do so in the morning he places his meal card in the appropriate slot now. He quickly disrobed and got into his bed. Feeling the fabrics of the higher quality inns was nice after spending so long living in a cave and then camping in the wild while he traveled. He focused on the questions of the day hoping that his mind would create answers while he slept. One thing he was definitely going to miss about the cave was the natural hot water spring that he bathed in. It not only kept him smelling better than the average person, but was quite relaxing.

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: It's just a little past 10:00 PM now. The morning meal should arrive in about 8 hours, and you can prepare spells for an hour and eat at the same time, being ready for the day with all spells at 7:00 AM.

You fall asleep fairly quickly, the events of the day running through your mind. Just before you slip completely into slumber, your mother cyst lurches inside of you, reminding you of its presence and briefly disrupting your descent into unconsciousness.

You wake up to a light knocking on your opened inner door from one you assume to be Sann the cook. He bids you good morning and leaves a platter on the table just outside the inner door. On it you find a generous bunch of grapes, two pastries, and a cup of tea. The tea gives off an herbal and spicy complex aroma that you have never experienced before.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

He gives Sann a nod and once he leaves gets up to get his food, pulling his spellbook out of his bag. He brings the food to the desk sipping the tea as he walks. He breathes in the fumes making sure to enjoy the scent. He eats the food as he works on clearing it of all other thoughts. Not only did this help him ready his mind for the spells, but it also allowed him to enjoy the food more as it was the only stimulus he was getting. Because of his plans for the day he knew what kind of spells he was going to prepare. He wiped his mind clean of the used magical energies and the spells that were not going to carry over to his new list of prepared spells. He too another sip of his tea before he began preparing the energies. He continued eating as he completed each spell so as to avoid distracting himself. By the time he was finish he only had about half a cup of tea left. He took up his bags and and dressed. Then set the tray down where he picked it up. He finished the tea and set it down as well. Then he went out making sure to walk past the Tieflings' rooms and checked to see if there was any evidence that they were out yet. He would also look around for the man in white when he got the chance.

((spells for the day Acid splash (6), spirit worm, deaths call (2), necrotic cyst))

[Riftwalker]

As you walk past the tieflings' rooms you see nothing to indicate that they are either there or not. Both doors are closed and you can hear nothing (though you wouldn't be able to anyway you remind yourself, due to the silence barriers.) You walk down the northeast set of stairs to walk through the common area on your way out the door. Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase, you glance into the common area to see it unoccupied save for someone sitting on a couch (at N9) facing the fireplace, though you can only see the back of the person's head. Their hair color is striking golden/platinum color you have never seen before. You hear a page turn from that direction and conclude that they must be reading something.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Remembering that the man in white's hair was supposed to be of a golden color but not wanting to interrupt him without need Takuzei looked for Vera. He wanted to allay some of her concerns and see if she could give him information on the man in the common room. Since he had already formed a report with her it seemed he was more likely to get information out of her.

[Riftwalker]

Instead of Vera, an older man sits at the desk near the entrance. Once you pass the invisible barrier between the common area and the lobby, he hears your footsteps and looks up at you smiling. "Good morning!" he greets you. "I trust you slept well. Takuzei, I take it? Vera mentioned we had a late arrival last night. I haven't seen your face around here and so I can only conclude that you are our newest guest. I'm Babbage, Vera's husband."

[Fuzzy alchemist]

((OOC: a wizard is never late. He arrives precisely when he means to. :) Sorry, just had to say it. Oh, also on a completely unrelated note. You had previously mentioned me rolling my own skills, but I think you should be in charge of things like sense motive because it give away the fact that their might be something suspicious if you call for them from me. I would avoid having my character act on such information, but still it kind of spoils things for me if I know when I might be being lied to.))

He nods and says, "Good morning. Yes, I am the late arrival. But your wife did a lovely job of getting me set up with a room. You are quite fortunate to have someone who deals so well with customers and puts off such a wonderful aura with you." Flattery was always handy when dealing with people. He continued, "I am sorry to bother you but what do you know of the man in the common room? I think we might be going out for the same job and I would love a chance to speak with the others so that I can see judge the competition." He kept a polite smile on his face as he asked and made sure to tone it so that it seemed nothing more than a moderate interest.

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: LOL. By "late" I meant arriving at a late hour, not tardy. :) Regarding rolling on things, we can do that. I'll also roll passive spot, listen, search checks, etc. Also - what provides your +3 to Bluff on your character sheet?

"Oh thanks," Babbage says and smiles. You almost detect a blush as he averts his gaze. "She's something, she sure is."
Babbage looks around the corner and into the common area. "That's Auril. He's been here at the Spell and Slumber for a couple of weeks now. From Kingsmarch--said he came to Ebernath to study as a wizard, since there's not a lot of arcane magic where he comes from in the west, there's no one to teach him out there. I don't think he's employed or studying with anyone in particular yet, so he may be going after whatever job you are, but I wouldn't really know. He seems nice enough--very polite, though quiet. Most of our guests keep to themselves, and we don't try to pry."
He scratches his head. "I'm actually hoping he either leaves or returns to his room shortly..." He leans forward. "His people and Valhedar have long been at war with each other...if Auril realizes that we have two tieflings also staying at the inn, then we might lose a paying customer or--worse--have a fight on our hands. So far, I don't think they've run into each other, but with him in the common area, there's a chance--well... let's just say I'd feel more comfortable if he weren't over there. Here in Ebernath, people from all over visit and most can keep themselves under control in situations like this, but I'd still hate it if something were to happen."

[Fuzzy alchemist]

((OOC: It was something I failed to edit from when I switched from having a viper familiar. I have fixed it now and will also fix the gold as of this post. Sorry about that.))

Takuzei nods and says, "Well, I would offer my help if a fight did breakout, but I am afraid today I would do more harm than good. Most days my magics would not cause any long term damage, but today I had plans that required more aggressive spells. All, I can really offer is to talk to him and hope that he will travel with me through the city getting him out and away from the possible confrontation, but it would also risk me being a bother to one of your guests." He was sincere in his offer to attempt to get Auril out and about, though it was in part for more selfish reasons. He wanted to talk to him and see what information they could share. A person bribing their potential mentor would be a threat to both and if this person was enough of a concern to take up a fight against people based solely on race, it was likely truer threats would evoke the same reaction. Even if he was not going for the same job he might be willing to join in the hope of gaining a shot at it.

[Riftwalker]

Babbage sits back in his chair. "Oh it wouldn't bother me at all if you talked with him. He's in the common area (not his room) after all. I'll have Sann--he's our cook--send you up something extra with your next meal."

[Fuzzy alchemist]

He gave a small bow and walked toward the common room. He took as seat on the couch as well making sure to not sit uncomfortably near to the man. He looked over at the book to see if he recognize the tittle. He also looked over the man to get a better impression of him. He was not going to say anything just yet because while asking "How much does a polar bear weigh?" was enough to break the ice not everyone would respond well to it. If he could stick to something that was relatively on topic he was much more likely to be received well. He would find some way to strike up a conversation even if he had to resort to pick up lines.

[Riftwalker]

"Auril" is dressed in white robe trimmed with blue, the cuts and folds of which are noticeably different from the current style in Ebernath. His face is angular with prominent cheekbones, and his blue eyes are surprisingly deep. Propped against the armrest of the sofa is a simple wooden quarterstaff.

He appears to be reading from a spellbook, though the glyphs appear unfamiliar to you. He notices you but ignores you for several seconds while he reaches the end of a paragraph. Then he closes the book with his left hand and extends his right to you.

"Good day, I'm Auril."

His accent betrays the distance he's traveled.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Takuzei smiles and says, "Good day. I am Takuzei." returning his greeting and taking the mans hand. It occurred to him for a moment that this would be a perfect opportunity to infect him with a necrotic cyst making him a more viable target for his spells in the future. He then continued, "I was informed that you have been around for quite a while. Presumably looking to be formally trained. I have ventured here for similar reasons." This was a decent start and stopped him from having to resort to more irritating ways of doing it.

[Riftwalker]

As you grasp Auril's hand, you feel your cyst quiver violently inside you. Once you let go of Auril's hand it continues to shake, though at a reduced rate.

"I am--how you say--pleasured to meet you. You are correct in your information. I am looking for magic education in Ebernath and have been here for two weeks already. Where are you seeking magic education? I had an interview with a famous mage Semndon two days ago but he is interviewing several mages and announcing results tomorrow. If I am not selected I may try to find job and take lessons from the Panthic Order when I can or find another mentor. How about you?"

Auril seems intelligent despite some small grammatical issues with the Anderlar language.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

((OOC; I would like to make a spellcraft check to see if I can recognize what spell he cast, if any. I am deferring to you so that if I do not figure something out I will not know if it was due to a bad roll or because there was nothing to see.))

He forced a smile despite the cyst unsettling him and said, "I am going to have an interview with the same person." He laughed a little and said, "So, how did your interview go? I mean, what were your general feelings about it? I would not expect you to give away any information that might give me the upper hand when I go, but I would love hearing how the other candidates are performing. Heck, if you do not mind sharing I would be interested in hearing the details of what you did." He tried to push the fact that this man's touch had unsettled his cyst to the back of his mind but something had to be wrong. Unless this man was spewing healing energies there was no reason it should have been unsettled like that.

[Riftwalker]

Based on your Knowledge (Arcana) and Spellcraft skills, your best guess as to what Auril was doing when you showed up was preparing his spells for the day, not casting anything.

Auril responds: "I thought it went alright. He asked me about my background and goals, about what sort of spells I have experience with--just some background stuff. He told me about his current research goals and some of the stuff he's working on, to see if there was anything of particular interest to me. He quizzed me a bit on magic and had me demonstrate a couple spells to ensure I actually had some talents in magic. Semndon seems like he would be good mentor. He knows much about magic and takes a bit of a different approach with it than what I'm used to. It would be eye-opening to work with him.
I do not know about any other possible apprentices--I have not met any of them. He said he would have decided and posted who he chose to be his apprentice on his door during Midsummer."

DM Note: At this point, I'm planning on playing the presence of Takuzei's Necrotic Cyst as something that has a "mind of its own" and something that Takuzei doesn't fully understand at this point. If you'd prefer to play it as something he fully understands, controls, and simply uses as a tool, we can do that, too, though I thought this may a fun way to play it as well.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

((OOC: I am fine with playing it as having a mind of its own and being something he does not fully understand. I still think it would unnerve him to have it react with violent motion to something. I would also assume that he would develop an understanding of its reactions over time based simply on trial and error. His assumption that healing energies would make the cyst react poorly could simply be based on the fact that it is connected to the undead who also react poorly to those energies. His understanding might extend further than that, but I figure at the very least he knows all the effects of the spells it currently grants him and therefore its connection to the undead. Also his belief that there was no other reason evident might speak to how little he knows.))

He nods not really sure what to say in response. His current plan seemed best. He had plenty of research to support him and more spells than most other wizards he knew. His age would also give him an advantage as being capable of such feats at his age would speak of greater talents. He decided the best place to go since he would likely be asked different questions was to simply find out more about Auril and see if he could enlist his help in quickly capturing a rat so that he could sleep and prepare his spells again in time to get an interview. To that end his said, "So, what kind of spells do you favor and what are your plans for today?" It was not the most subtle way to go about it, but it would get them moving in the right direction.

[Riftwalker]

"I have learned almost all my magic from a book that was my great-grandfather's. No one else in my family has been interested in magic, and all the magic from my homeland is not the kind one learns from books. My great-grandfather's book focuses on magics to aid others on battlefields and other defensive spells. So, I suppose these are the spells I favor but I am also open to other types as well, however my experience with these is limited and that's one of the reasons I made the journey to Ebernath.

I do not have much on my agenda today. I am awaiting the decision on Semndon's apprenticeship before I apply elsewhere."

As Auril speaks you notice a man in crimson robes embroidered with gold and black descending the north-eastern staircase. His build is slight, and he wears his black hair tied behind him in a ponytail. From atop his head, two small horns protrude from his skull just below his hairline. He carries a rectangular case under his left arm, and pays you no attention as he walks towards the front of the inn, presumably to leave.

You have one round before he will be within Auril's view should you care to do anything to affect the situation such as distract him.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

((I figure this is all I could say within 6 seconds and speaking is a free action. Retreiving an item is a move action and I guess I am going to waste my other action.))

Takuzei smiles and says, "Well, at the very least I could offer allow you to look over my spellbook and see if there is anything there that would be of interest to you." While he speaks he pulls out his spell book. It was a plain book covered in white fur from the sheep that they used for everything as its cover was hide. The pages were stained parchment but did not compromise any of the writing inside. It was flimsy like a trade paperback, but it worked. He hoped by keeping his nose buried in a book his attention would be drawn away from the man coming down.

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: Your Bluff (22) beats Auril's Sense Motive (15).

"That is very kind of you." He takes the book and thumbs through it for several seconds while the tiefling exits the inn. "What sort of magic do you study, anyway?" he asks, holding the book open to the Spirit Worm spell but looking at you, not having read it.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

((I am assuming that while they do not have schools of magic, using aspects instead, that that does not necessarily mean that they do not have the words to describe particular styles of magic. So, when I use a word that would normally be attributed to a school it is likely I am just using it as a descriptor. Like, necromancy is the assortment of spells that deals with the dead. Oddly not healing, but that is a completely different conversation and as it does not much matter in this setting should not be problematic. Also, I am figuring that while one might not be able to cast a particular spell it does not mean that it is not part of their on going research. So, while he does not currently know how to animate the dead he could have worked on the spell some.))

He thinks for a moment trying to decide how to spin it to sound better, "I study necromancy and curses. I ply the animating energies of the universe to weaken my opponents or empower the dead to seek vengeance upon those who harmed them. I prefer not to kill those who work against me, instead using magics to insure they learn their lessons. This is also why I pioneered a new way of cursing people. So that they remain physically unharmed, but suffer for their misdeeds. They teach others by their presence and it makes the world a better place." He knew that most considered his crafts evil, but they were justified and for the greater good. He was completely shocked that people could somehow construe one form of bringing the dead back as evil and another as good, but that was the way of things. His way, once he learned it fully, would even make them stronger.

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: Your understanding of the relationship between bonded aspects and traditional D&D schools of magic is correct. Magic is too new for anyone to have made sense of it well enough to divide it into the eight schools of magic. The normal eight schools of magic exist only mechanically and are not necessarily part of the world of Eadar (or at least not yet.) A bonded aspect exists more like a philosophy (or school of thought) for how magic works, how it is powered, and what purpose it serves.

At your description, Auril's expression sours. "I am afraid I am not interested in your sort of magic," he says as he pushes the book towards you. "It is corrupt, and your view of the punishment of others and your "mercy" upon them is horribly skewed. I will take my leave." He rises and begins to walk towards the staircase at A1.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

He shook his head thinking to himself that even while one might not like one sort of magic not learning about it was only to ones own detriment. But since he had remained decently polite about it he assumed that Auril was not disturbed enough to consider leaving. And let's face it if one reacted that poorly to the presence of mages that did not appeal to you then he would have left long before now. There had to be other people staying here that had equally odd points of view. He rose as well and said, "I am sorry I could not be of more help to you. I bid you good luck in finding a teacher even if it means I end up having to look for a new one. I hope to see you again someday. Maybe once we have both learned some more we can sit around debating the good and bad of our styles." He kept his tone polite and avoided indicating that he was moderately bothered by his form of magic being called "corrupt".

[Riftwalker]

"For your sake I should hope that you abandon your current course and seek a beneficent line of magic. Farewell, Takuzei," he says as he crosses the silence barrier around the common area and walks upstairs.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

On that happy note (can't you just feel the sarcasm) he takes a moment to say mean horrible things in infernal taking advantage of the barrier so that no one would hear him even though it was unlikely anyone understood. He makes irritated gestures while he does so, but nothing that would be easily confused for somatic spell gestures. Then he leaves the common room looking to Babbage saying, "Well, I wish I could say that went well, but at least there was no fight. Could you point me towards the docks?" His tone was polite, but carried a mild amount of resentment at Auril judging him so.

[Riftwalker]

Babbage looks pleased. "Well, I appreciate your effort. I'm just glad he didn't see our tiefling guest that walked out of here. The docks are straight to the east from here, about a 30 minute walk. Can't miss 'em--if you do, you'd be standing in the water." Babbage smiles at his own joke, trying to lighten the mood.

XP so far:

Use of Gather Information at the Happy Harvester: 50 XP
Finding a rival apprentice (Auril): 50 XP
Gaining information about Semndon and his interview process: 50 XP
Preventing Auril from noticing the tiefling at the Spell and Slumber: 50 XP

[Fuzzy alchemist]

He smiles and give a small chortle in response to Babbage's joke. Then says, "Thank you. Both for your appreciation and the directions." He then leaves putting his spellbook back into his bag. He would have to rush his attempts to capture a rat hopefully of unusual size. R.O.U.S.es were normally better for dissection than normal ones, but if all he could find was a small one that is what he would take.

[Riftwalker]

You arrive at the docks at the eastern side of the city. Ebernath's docks are located in a small harbor rather than directly adjacent to the sea, and the harbor itself is lined with trees similarly to the rest of the city that prevents it from being visible from the water.

It is now 8:00 AM, and as you gaze out onto the harbor you see several teams of sailors and dockworkers unloading and loading ships with crates and other cargo. Ebernath may have been founded by Druids, but its current success is due to it being a trade center.

You focus your attention on finding rats, and you see several scurrying into and out of ships at the pier via the ropes that keep the vessels next to the pier. The dockworkers seem to be ambivalent regarding the rodents, ignoring them without a second thought. You see rats of various sizes--some as small as six inches from head to tail, and others are large as a foot. One rat on the larger end of the spectrum is climbing down the rope nearest to you and doesn't seem to take notice of you--at least so far.

DM Note: I'm leaving the approach for how you catch the rat (or a rat--if you don't like this opportunity) up to you.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

OOC: How close is it? I figure I only have a standard action on the surprise round and it would scurry away if it got to react first on the full round. If it is in range I would like to cast acid splash (Roll(1d20)+0: 8,+0 Total:8) If it is not in range I will attempt to draw and load my crossbow without scaring it off. That takes longer, but I need to do it even if it does run off so my actions up to that point would not change. Also, if it does not recognize the threat the surprise round would not start until it did.

[Riftwalker]

Ok, here's a better description of the situation with a diagram:

http://www.crystalcognition.com/riftwalker/ship-rat.gif

The view is a top-down view. The beige area is the dock, the black area is the ship's hull, the blue area is the water between the dock and the ship. The rat is climbing down the rope (the brown line) towards the dock. The rope is tied to one of the posts on the dock (the brown circle) intended for this purpose. The top of the post is just above waist-height for you. The red line is a circular ring/disk (6 inches in radius) around the rope intended to keep rats off the ship (though as you can see it is not entirely effective.) It is difficult for rats to climb around the ring, but the one climbing down managed to overcome it due to its size. From the post on the dock to the hull of the ship, the rope is sloped upwards at about a 30 degree angle. You are the white dot.

Some notes:
The rat either doesn't notice you or doesn't think you're a threat.
Right now it is climbing over the ring/disk. In another round it will be on the rope but over the water. (It's taking its time.) The round after that it will be on the rope but above the pier.

Hopefully that helps to clarify the situation some.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Takuzei draws and loads his crossbow waiting for the rat to get above the pier so that it is not lost when it falls. He steadies his crossbow of bone and tendon and tries to control his breathing so as to not screw up the shot. For some reason it had not occurred to him to get blunted arrows until now and he was using simple bone arrows with obsidian tips since they were the easiest materials to come by at home.

((OOC: It is all just flowery description for saying that he is readying an action to shoot the rat as soon as it gets over the pier. I just figured I would paint a mental picture while I was at it. Also, your rat in the drawing is cute.))

[Riftwalker]

You wait several seconds until the rat is now over the pier instead of the water. (It is now in the square adjacent to you and before the post on the dock.) You may take your readied action to fire.

(Roll to hit and for damage, assuming you hit.)

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Roll(1d20)+0: 19,+0 Total:19 threatens critical Roll(1d20)+0: 1,+0 Total:1 Screws up critical. Damage Roll(1d10)+0: 5,+0 Total:5 It figures. I nearly critical something I am trying to knock out with a weapon that could take down a human. I leave the description to you in case it is super rat and a 19 does not hit.

[Riftwalker]

The (non-super) rat gives off a tiny squeak as the bolt flies cleanly through it, and falls dead off the rope onto the dock lying in a heap.

You see another rat--this one smaller than the first--on the same rope, however it is running down the rope towards the post (the noise from the crossbow firing startled it) and will be there in one round.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Seeing as the first one was killed by the arrow he decides to use his better controlled magics and casts deaths call once the rat is within range. He had hoped that he could save it in case he hit a swarm of them, but it seemed as though he had overestimated the heartiness of a rat.

((OOC: Ready action to cast deaths call once it is within 10 feet. If it already is then he casts immediately. Also, dead? Do the rats not behave as other living things? I am not questioning your judgment, just seeing if I had misread something along the way.))

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: Rats have 1 or 2 HP tops (1/4 d8). The rat you killed had 2 HP. I considered 5 points of damage (more than twice its hit points) to be massive/mortal enough damage to kill it, especially when it was a dead-on hit.
The equivalent damage to a human being would be like shooting a telephone pole through his stomach.

You scream a horrifying scream during which the color fades from your vision momentarily.

The rat takes 1 point of damage and is fatigued. (d20 + 2 = 10 vs. save DC of 13). It is also unconscious, and it falls off the rope onto the dock.

Two dockworkers run up, looking concerned. "Are you ok?" the first says.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Takuzei smiles saying, "Oh, I am quite fine, I thank you for inquiring. Some of my spells do odd things to me. I was simply hunting rats for my experiments and am having to settle for these instead of the ones the size of a human child. The bigger ones are easier to hunt." He looks over at his two victims and says, speaking to the sailors not the two rats whose lives he has destroyed, "I do not suppose either of you would have any idea where I could find the bigger ones or give the bloody one a proper disposal." While looking at them he looks to see if he can salvage the bolt or not.

((OOC: Not that it matters, but would the DC not be 18. 10+1 (spell level)+5 (ability modifier)+2 (spell focus necromancy increased because of bonded aspect) Either way it fails, but I just wanted to make sure that my calculations were correct.))

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: You are correct about the DC of the spell. Apologies. Please feel free to correct me anytime I goof something like that up.

DM Note: Roll a d% to see if you regain the bolt. Let's say any roll from 01 to 50 means you get it back.

The two dockworkers give you a puzzled look once they find out the situation is all due to rats. They scoff at your idea of giving rats proper disposals and don't seem to take you very seriously. "Rats are rats... biggest rats I ever saw were in Kor."

"Let's leave this one be," the second says to the first, shooting him a look like he must be stupid for talking to you about rats. They turn and walk off.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

((OOC: Roll(1d100)+0:32,+0 Total:32 Yippee. I get it back.))

Takuzei shrugged. He figured that people would not appreciate other leaving dead bodies around or tossing dead matter into their water supply and so he asked. If these people did not care it mattered naught to him. He collects his bolt and knocks the body of the dead rat into the water. The then takes the opportunity to deal some non lethal damage to the unconscious rat. He did not want it waking up while he traveled. Once he was sufficiently pleased with the fact that the rat would remain asleep he went to find someone who would sell him a cage for it. This meant heading back towards shops.

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: I'm fine with skipping over the RPing of buying a cage. Baskets cost 4 sp, so let's say a cage costs 8 sp. It allows air to pass into the cage (preventing suffocation), though not being made out of metal, the rat will chew out in 1d4 +1 days.

You find a shop that sells the above-mentioned cages on your way back to the center of the city. You purchase such a cage and place the unconscious rat inside it. You are now standing at the center of the city, and it is now 9:00.

DM Note: Should you want to do something else before walking back towards the center of the city, or not buy the cage, let me know and we can retcon it.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

After obtaining the cage and putting the rat in it all that was left to do was prepare a spell list for his interview. So, he headed back to the inn so that he could rest and prepare spells again. When he interviewed he wanted to show off his necromancy and his current selection did not allow for it. It was still early enough in the day that he might be able to interview before tomorrow.

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: It was two days before Midsummer on the night you arrived. Today is the day before Midsummer, and the last day to interview. Semndon announces which apprentice he's selected on Midsummer (tomorrow).

It's 9:00 AM now. 8 hours of resting and 1 hour of preparing spells means you'd be ready at 6:00 PM and that doesn't include travel time (let's say an hour total to get from the center of the city to the Spell and Slumber and from there to Semndon's tower.) The earliest you'd be able to arrive is 7:00 PM. Is that what you want to do?

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Player note: I figured that mid summer was the summer solstice. Placing sunset at the latest time it would be all year. The day before would also place sunset very late. Also, the trains have yet to come (making standardization unlikely) and time is not likely closely measured as devices for doing so are inaccurate. They still likely use sunset, midday, and sunrise as measuring points. So, 7 pm would still be rather close to sunset, when people still would be awake, but would normally be packing up for the day. Since this man is looking for apprentices, only needs 8 hours of sleep, is involved in a field with a lot of studying (including independent research if I remember correctly), and is not in a field where day light matters quite so much I also figure that he would keep longer hours using candle light to continue his studies. This is further indicated by the fact that when he went to visit the tower the day before he saw a light in the tower. If I am wrong on any of this in a way that my character would be aware of please tell me so that I might better make a choice that my character would make. Also, when doing your estimates did you consider the fact that he might hustle instead of walk? I kind of figure you did but just in case it would shave a little bit of time off of his trip. Also, my character is charismatic enough to make an effort to make a good go at spinning his efforts as persistence and not irritation if he gets turned away at night and has to keep showing up at his door and killing those who get the job ahead of him until he is given an interview. All that being said, I am going to continue to give it thought to see if it makes the most sense.

[Riftwalker]

Let's say that the sun sets at 7:30 tonight, and by hustling you can be there with freshly prepared spells at 6:30.

Reasoning:
Yesterday you started the Sense Motive check at 7:00 PM. (It took 3 hours and when you were done it was 10:00 PM).
In the first post, I mention that the sun will set in less than an hour. In between then and the Sense Motive check you walked a few blocks by Semndon's tower and ended up a few more blocks away at the Happy Harvester, and that didn't take a lot of time.

The main point of my previous post was that it appeared that you were under the impression that Semndon was still interviewing apprentices tomorrow, and I wanted to ensure that you knew that that wasn't the case. (I promise I'm not intentionally trying to give you a difficult time. :))

[Fuzzy alchemist]

I was only talking about doing it tomorrow as a last resort. Basically break in at the announcement and challenge for the position or try to show up just before and change his mind. So, it shall be done tonight. To the inn to sleep and prepare spells. I am still thinking about the list though.

[Riftwalker]

You make it back to the inn and up to your room. Babbage greets on your way by but otherwise you make it up to your room without incident. You notice that this morning's breakfast tray is gone, but other than that your room is as you left it.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Takuzei quickly places the meal card into its appropriate slot so as to avoid missing out on dinner and figuring he would have enough time to sleep before dinner showed up left the inner door open so that if all else failed Sann would wake him for dinner so that he did not over sleep. He was going to cutting it close, but he had to make a good impression. He sets the rat (in the cage) down on the desk then hops in bed to get some sleep so that he will be refreshed enough to regain his magical energies.

((Spell list I am currently considering Necrotic assimilation (x3), warding (x3), parching touch, deaths call, ray of enfeeblement, necrotic cyst. In case you need more time to look them up and you can verify that I am not denied warding because it is abjuration.))

[Riftwalker]

I parse the rules regarding bonded aspects and cantrips in the following way:

You start off with all cantrips from the schools in your bonded aspect. You can also know any cantrip from the other schools, however it costs 12.5 XP per cantrip and requires a spellcraft check to learn the spell at a +5 DC.

Reining in cantrips from outside your bonded aspect serves to keep the flavor of the bonded aspect. It's not impossible to learn spells outside your bonded aspect, just more difficult/costly to do so.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

OOC: Ok. I thought that that might be the case, but it did not occur until now to ask. Also, does that mean I have to pay 12.5 xp because I used prestidigitation? I had not thought about it at the time, but depending on your interpretation of things one could say that universal spells are considered to be everyones or they could be a loss to anyone bonded as they belong to no school. Because no one aspect specifically gets the school and no one can specialize in it or prohibit it. I figured it was basically just a catch all for what did not fall into any school and this is supported by the specialization side bar in the player's handbook. Because you are the DM it is your call, but I feel that they belong to everyone. Moving on. I will find something to replace warding with in the spell selection.

[Riftwalker]

Let's consider spells from the universal "school" to be in all bonded aspects.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

((OOC:Ok new spell list for the day when he finally gets around to preparing it. Caltrops, acid splash, prestidigitation, necrotic assimilation (x3), parching touch, deaths call, ray of enfeeblement, necrotic cyst. Also, is curse brew considered brewing a necromantic potion and would I therefore get my bonuses on the saving throw DC for them?))

Takuzei sleeps and dreams about his interview and getting to prove his magics superior to Auril's. Apparently he was still a little irritated by it but still not enough to do anything about it.

[Riftwalker]

There's really two parts to cursebrewing. The first is brewing the cursebrew by expending spells (as per the writeup). The second part is using the cursebrew (essentially as a material component) in order to effectively cast one of the three curse spells. Casting the curse is like casting a necromancy spell, so your Spell Focus feat and other bonuses would apply just as if you were casting the spell.

Let's say it's now 6:00 PM and you've prepared your spells.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Takuzei rushes out of the room making sure to take the rat with him and heads towards the address on the paper. He uses prestidigitation to clean himself up before he gets there. He would enjoy his meal when he returned but right now he had bigger concerns.

[Riftwalker]

You arrive at Semndon's tower without incident. Your rat is conscious and gnawing on part of the cage, but it is not doing any damage. Despite all its rage, your "prisoner" is still a rat in a cage.

No other apprentices are in sight. It is approximately 6:30, and you look your best due to your prestidigitation spell.

Music: http://www.crystalcognition.com/riftwalker/tower.html

You glance up, noticing again the Draconic phrase engraved above the door. A warm summer breeze blows by, rustling the two maple trees behind you gently. For a moment you think you can hear two people talking in the tower, but you can't make out what they were saying.

DM Note: You rolled poorly on your Listen check. :)

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Well, there was nothing left to do but knock. He walks towards the door and upon reaching it knocks on it looking around to see if there are other devices to be used to summon people to the door.

[Riftwalker]

At your rapping you hear a pause in the conversation, followed by the click of the door's lock opening. The door swings open, and a middle-aged man you assume to be Semndon stands in the doorway, one hand on the door and another out of sight. He is dressed in blue and white robes, and stands a little more than half a foot taller than you.

Semndon: "Good evening. How may I be of service?"

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Takuzei smiles and says, "I am here to interview for the position as your apprentice. I am sorry for the late arrival, but I had a ways to walk and had to prepare for the meeting. I am sufficiently ready now if you are still willing to evaluate me as a candidate and should you need to finish your conversation I can either wait out here elsewhere. I promise I will not ease drop." He tries his best to hide how nervous he is about the meeting.

[Riftwalker]

"Do not worry, you are not too late. Come in. I am indeed Semndon and I am looking for an apprentice. What is your name, young sir?"

He holds the door open, allowing you to enter, and you reply with your name as you enter the tower. You immediately notice a temperature change as you step through the door--despite it being summer outside it is comfortably cool inside the tower. You also notice that the hidden hand was carrying a long-sword. He closes the door behind you.

The decor inside the tower is simple but not spartan. The floor and walls are stone, the furniture and doors primarily made of wood. The seats look comfortable but not decadent. To your right is a set of bookcases mostly filled with books, but also an item or two mixed in. A table and two chairs sits near them. Directly in front of you are three sofas that surround a coffee table. All four pieces of furniture sit atop a green rug, and to the left of the coffee table is a fireplace, though no fire currently burns within.

You spot a figure sitting on the closest sofa twisting around to get a look at you. The figure appears to be a dwarf, though due to his height you are unable to see more than its head.

After Semndon closes the door he leads you to the sofas surrounding the fireplace and directs you to the sofa sitting opposite of the fireplace. He seats himself in the unoccupied sofa facing the door, slightly reclining into the sofa. He looks at the dwarf. "Kuromath, this is Takuzei; Takuzei, Kuromath," he introduces you.

"Nice teh meet yeh," the dwarf replies, though you can sense that he's not particularly pleased at your presence.

"It appears that I have another apprentice interested in an interview today. Would you mind if we combined the final part of your interview with this young man's in the interest of time?" he asks the dwarf.

You look at the dwarf. He is clearly young (for a dwarf), dressed in red and golden robes. Propped up against the sofa he sits on is the handle of an odd looking axe, and behind that, a large wooden shield. Sitting beside him is a small sack. "'Tis fine wit' me." He looks over his competition.

Semndon returns to you. "Terrific. Kuromath here is studying magics involved in the creation of magical weapons and armor. Takuzei, why don't you take a moment to describe your interests in magic and also to provide some background information about yourself. Where are you from?"

DM Note: I'm giving you leeway to disclose whatever you want here, but don't feel obligated to type out your entire history in a monologue. Unless you want to, which is also fine. It's ok to just list the facts you want to disclose, embellish, or lie about.


http://www.crystalcognition.com/riftwalker/tower-legend.jpeg

http://www.crystalcognition.com/riftwalker/tower-floor1.jpeg

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Takuzei gives a quick bow to the dwarf to be polite then gets that used car salesman smile. He begins, "I am from a small village of ranchers. I lacked the skill for that and took up magic instead. In the short time I have been alive I have learned how to warp the bodies and souls of all manner of creature, brew substances both magical and mundane that can bestow boons and blessings of differing sorts, pioneered a new way to punish those who harm me, and have learned how to plant the seeds of unlife into people." His voice held quite a bit of pride and excitement ans he went through his list He sighs as he considers how to spin the next part finally deciding on saying, "I wish I could give some grand and noble reason why I study magic, but I can not. I study because I want to learn and for that reason I will not be distracted. In the past I have used my magics to empower those who had been harmed and punish those who sought to do harm, but only because it served my interests. In my studies of the energies that fueled my sort of magic I learned much about the undead and look forward to learning more about them and their power." His tone had changed for this portion and his smile had faded. He was serious (which given his actions up till now is remarkable) and did not seem quite as content with his lack of goals as he was with his past. But he felt that he did a good job spinning it to sound better than it was. He had also managed to emphasize the fact that he could also create items and that he had done it in far less time than it had likely taken the dwarf. He hoped that the honesty would work in his favor instead of trying to give some lofty goals he had likely gotten from hordes of other applicants.

[Riftwalker]

The dwarf remains silent during your introduction, knowing it is not his place to ask questions of you.

Semndon: "Quite a host of talents for one so young as yourself. We'll discuss them later, but for now I wish to conclude Kuromath's interview and simultaneously begin yours with some questions to ascertain your current levels of magical education.

As you both are aware, magic is a mystic force that has been tamed in many different ways. Power flows from many sources, for many reasons, and is affected by myriad circumstances. Mages from all over the world have thus mastered different facets, though no such approach has been shown to be complete or to completely supersede others. One of the benefits of living in Ebernath is that the mages of many varieties and disciplines congregate here, allowing all of us some exposure to unfamiliar approaches of magic. (Kuromath, your willingness to travel here underscores that fact.) Such exposure facilitates greater understanding of the mystical force we call magic.

In line with this, the apprentice I select should have a basic understanding of magic that does not directly parallel my own. As the apprentice learns from the master, the master, too, learns from the apprentice."

Semndon directs the question at Kuromath first. "Kuromath, what can you tell me of your approach to magic. I am aware of your emphasis on magically augmented weaponry, but describe if you could--as if I were totally unfamiliar with magic--how your variety of magic works."

"Certainleh. I would 'ave teh say tha' magic permeates everehthing in the universe, providing it wit' eh latent power. The trick is teh tap into tha' power'n ordeh teh shape part've the universe teh make it differen' somehow. Fer example, if yeh had a fire in the fireplace, it would beh possible t' tap inteh the fire teh change some've its propertehs, possibleh making it hotter, larger, er even teh turn its magic against itself and extinguish it."

Semndon looks at you. "And you, Takuzei?"

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Takuzei nods and says, "To describe my type of magic to someone who does not understand magic I would have to liken it to the worms you find in the various animals slaughtered for meat. It works its way into you disrupting the functions of your body and soul. As for a more general description of magic like what Mister Kuromath gave I would have to say that in my view magic is a sea of energy and each object is merely a sponge soaked in the energy like those in the sea. Those who work with it have learned how to change it from just being a medium in which to be suspended and infused with into a useful form like a prism changing the color of light. For instance, the fire spoken of before does not get its energy from magic in may opinion but instead from the light the plant used to grow. That light might have gotten its power from magic but I think it goes even deeper than that. Now one could pull some of the surrounding energy to create more heat boosting the fire or even causing one to exist where none was before. Or conversely they could pull energy from that sea and counteract the energies provided by the wood to extinguish it." He spoke slowly making sure that he did not go too fast for them to keep up with the changing analogies. He smiles and adds, "I do not know if my theory is any better than his, or anyone else's for that matter, but that is the reason we talk. So that we can hear other peoples' ideas and improve our understanding of things."

((OOC: Mister was the best way I could find to insure that it was obvious he was meaning to show respect for him. "Kuromath-sama" would have been more accurate, but would likely have been out of place. Because I do not know the exact nature of the language and it could easily have ways to do that I thought I would give further explanation here.))

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: As someone largely ignorant of the nuances of the Japanese language, I'm not sure I fully appreciate the difference between the "sama" suffix and the "Mr." honorific.

"Very good then," Semndon responds. "Do either of you know Draconic?"

Kuromath responds, "I duh not."

Both pairs of eyes look towards you, waiting for your answer.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

((OOC: "sama" is normally used for a superior who is not so far above you to use "ono". Mr can be used for someone of equal or greater status and sama is normally only used for people of higher status to the best of my knowledge. I am not fluent, but what I know of the language this is true. Not that it matters too awfully much as long as it is understood that I was being respectful.))

Takuzei responds speaking in draconic, "I have indeed learned the language. A few of the books were written in it and it was required to insure that nothing was lost in translation." It seemed most appropriate and would insure that they were talking the same form in case one of them spoke an older dialect.

[Riftwalker]

"Impressive," Semndon replies (in Anderlar). "Which books are you referring to?"

[Fuzzy alchemist]

He smiles as he replies, "One of the few things my village had, besides sheep, was a library. We knew that our population would not be able to sustain its growth without sending members away and for that reason a library was built. It was hoped that someone would either find a way to allow the land to sustain more people or that we would learn enough to leave safely. I was one of the ones that left safely. The books were collected from all over including the hordes of dragons and other libraries. So, one could never be sure of what any given book would be written in. One of particular interest was written by a black dragon and was on the undead." He had returned to speaking Anderlar following suite with Semndon.

[Riftwalker]

"I know not where or how a small farming village could have obtained such a tome--or tomes for that matter. You shall have to tell me more about these books later.

Above the door to this very tower is a sentence in Draconic." He looks at Kuromath. "Translated it means, 'From darkness and cold comes everything.'" He now is addressing both of you. "What do each of you think this means?"

Kuromath takes a moment to think, allowing you to interject your answer should you wish to do so.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

He decides to venture a theory saying, "Well the first thing to come to mind is the idea of a conjurer. It would make a decent motto for what they do. Pulling things seemingly from nothing." He is by no means confident in his answer, but suggesting something that made sense seemed better than trying to over think it and end up with some convoluted explanation of what it might mean. Language was designed to express ideas and obscuring the meaning seemed rather silly to him.

[Riftwalker]

Semndon moves forward to sit at the edge of his seat.

"A good answer--and a close one. Though let me expand on it a bit," Semndon replies. "The statement is my personal, abridged answer to the previous question about approaches to magic. Before the universe existed, there was only nothing. Only cold and darkness. And from that cold and darkness came everything that now exists. I study these forces, both for their obvious destructive properties and their powers of creation. I hold true that if one wants to understand magic as a whole, they must start at its source.

As you both know there are many sources of power for magic--inherent energy that permeates everything, disruption of the energy that maintains life, and many others--but the ones I study were the first, and they will also be the last. They are eternal, and from them all other sources were created.

Now all of that is well and good but do not misunderstand me: I am not claiming my approach to be superior to your own. On the contrary I am claiming that it is less refined because it is not a derivative source."

Semndon sits back in his chair. As he does so you notice* the blade of the long-sword in his hand has a small layer of frost upon it.

"Alright, let me ask each of you some basic questions about magic."

Roll 5 Knowledge (Arcana) checks, to simulate Takuzei knowing the answers to Semndon's questions.

* DM Note: You made the spot check. The frost is like you would find on a frosted glass you'd put in the freezer for beer or something.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Knowledge arcana checks are as follows
Roll(1d20)+9:
1,+9
Total:10

Roll(1d20)+9:
8,+9
Total:17

Roll(1d20)+9:
17,+9
Total:26

Roll(1d20)+9:
17,+9
Total:26

Roll(1d20)+9:
19,+9
Total:28

Now for in character stuff.

Takuzei listened intently while he explained what the phrase meant and was glad to have at least gotten close to the correct answer. While he did notice the ice on the blade he did not think it right to bring up until later. He was not even completely sure of why he felt the need for a sword, but he seemed to be the only one not openly carrying a weapon.

[Riftwalker]

You were able to answer all of Semndon's questions correctly, and not only that, but (for all but the first question) you were able to go above and beyond the question asked and give a detailed answer framed in a context that shows your mastery of the subject of the question.

Kuromath also knew his material, and attempted to also show Semndon this by providing details and contexts above the question asked, though the thoroughness of his answers was a notch below yours.

"Well then. It seems both of you clearly have the requisite mental aptitude. I assume that both of you are prepared for a small demonstration of your spellcasting abilities? Kuromath, please go ahead."

"Yessir masteh Semndon, sir. Well, as ye alreadeh know, bringin out teh inheren' forces wit'ten objects teh enhance their function is kindeh meh thing." Kuromath stands up, taking his shield and axe with him, and moves behind the couch. "Wit'ten meh axe lies teh power of eh more powerful axe."

Kuromath's voice lowers to a faint whisper, and he speaks the language of magic as he brings the head of the axe up to his face. The volume of his voice grows and he thrusts the axe out in front of him while his other hand gestures, appearing to trace out a small set of glyphs in the air. The axe emits a dim orange glow for an instant before the light fades. The axe has taken on a sharper, deadlier appearance.

"And meh shield would beh more useful ef et did et's thing wit'tou' needen teh beh held! Here yeh go." He takes an apple out of his pack and tosses it to Semndon. "Go ahead an' lob tha' at meh," he says to Semndon as he traces out another two glyphs with his left hand. He chants in the same language as before, and picks up his shield with his left hand.

Semndon looks a bit taken aback at first at being asked to throw fruit at the dwarf, but overcomes his shock quickly and throws the apple at Kuromath in an underhanded way. Once the apple is in the air, Kuromath lets go of the shield, and it floats in mid air beside him. The shield moves to block the apple without Kuromath's intervention.

"Did yeh see 'at?" he asks.

Semndon smiles. "Very interesting Kuroma--" He is interrupted by the sound of the shield falling and hitting the floor. Apparently the spell doesn't last very long.

"I'm still tryin' teh get the spell teh last just eh bet longeh," Kuromath confesses. He recovers his shield and the apple and returns to his position on the couch.

"Your chosen specialty of magic would have wide military applications, particularly if you're able to find a way to make them last a bit longer. Very impressive indeed."

"Thank yeh, sir," Kuromath replies.

Semndon turns to you. "Terrific. How about you?"


Details:

Kuromath's Answers: 18, 12, 24, 23, 19

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Takuzei smiles and says, "Well, I have two types of demonstrations. There is a group of spells that cause more permanent harm than I would prefer doing to someone just to prove that I can use them. That is why I brought a rat. I will warn you that they may seem underwhelming when used on it but they are also quite effective on other targets." He sighs and says, "Also, at the end we are going to need to dissect the rat to give you a better look at the affects of the spell so that you might better appreciate it." He sets the cage down feeling that that part can wait till later since it would be more time consuming with the dissection and all. He then continues, "The other set I feel would be best proved in a duel of magical skill. They would leave no lasting damage and would be best understood if felt and it would also prove how insidious my magics can be. So, if either of you would like to humor me with a friendly duel for that portion that would be great." He waits for one of them to either consent to a duel or suggest another way to proceed.

[Riftwalker]

Kuromath looks uncomfortable at the suggestion. The look on Semndon's face when asked to throw fruit at Kuromath returns as you suggest a duel. "I do not believe Kuromath has prepared for a duel and it would be unfair to ask him to participate. And, I learned long ago not to unnecessarily subject myself to magics if I can help it. If you cannot demonstrate upon the rat, we will have to make other arrangements.
I do not need to actually *see* the spell to understand that you can cast it. It would be sufficient to have you cast it in my presence while another counterspells it. Though counterspelling is not something I would consider my forte, I have a friend in the Order that's quite skilled at it. Perhaps after we are done here we can arrange for a friend of mine to aid us.
In the meantime, what's in store for your rat?"

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Takuzei give a quick nod and says, "I shall use my magics to create a cyst of undead flesh inside of the rat. This cyst draws in the types of energies associated with my magic and the undead. Once the cyst has taken hold the very touch of the undead causes damage to the host and it becomes even more difficult to resist my magics." He then picks up the cage and casts his spell, touching the rats abdomen. He intended to keep the cyst visable so he was not aiming to bury it too deep.

((OOC: I basically just assumed I hit the caged rat. There are not many places for it to go to avoid me. If you want me to do it in the normal way I will roll the attack.))

[Riftwalker]

As you touch the rat, your mother cyst quivers. The moment the spell is completed it ceases.

Kuromath looks aghast, looking up at you and then to Semndon to gauge his reaction. You can tell that he's not comfortable with your sort of magic, but he's not willing to speak ill of it in Semndon's presence.

Semndon watches with curiosity. After the spell is cast, the rat begins to take on a sicker look. Whereas before it would pace around the cage, now it looks almost sick. A bulge the size of gold piece as formed on the right side of the rat's abdomen where you touched it.

"Interesting. Where did you learn that?" Semndon asks.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Takuzei was not sure how to explain it. It had come partially from study but there was always a part of it that he did not understand because he had never been able to replicate it in others. He decided to tell the truth, "Well, I had come across it in my study of the undead and necromantic energies. I was experimenting with zombie flesh to attempt to extract this power and after several magical treatments it suddenly animated and mingled with my own. I bear a similar cyst in me that grants me the ability to make them in others. It carries none of the downsides of the other cysts and grants me several spells no one else has. Sadly, I must have missed some part of the process that happened because I have not been able to replicate the experiment. But with the one I carry I can make the ones inside of others take parts of the flesh and soul surrounding it and incorporate it into its form." To prove his point he cast necrotic assimilation to expand the cyst.

[Riftwalker]

"Where did you get zombie flesh? Where is your cyst?" Semndon asks as you cast necrotic assimilation. The rat's cyst appears to have jerked, and the rat shakes from the pain and then falls unconscious. Semndon leans forward in his chair, watching the rat intently. The look on Kuromath's face worsens; he now looks disgusted.

(You did 1 point of damage to the rat, though the damage was not vile, and the rat is now at 0 HP.)

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Takuzei tries to keep a strait face and not show his excitement too much at the fact that Semndon was showing quite a bit of interest in his work. He did not want Kuromath to mistake it as glee over the rat's pain. He answers the question as such, "My cyst is located here in my abdomen." He points to a spot just above his left kidney. He continues, "As to where I got the zombie flesh, I used some of my cursing ability to attach a curse to a disciple that came too near to the village for my liking. I originally did it to insure that she would show what horrible things happened to those who went to that area, but she pressed on and found me. By that time the curse had already taken a great toll on her and she was willing to do anything to get it broken. So, I had her bring back zombies for me to examine." He was not going to elaborate on what happened to her before he left just yet as he did not want to push things. Nor was he going to mention that the only reason he had managed to do it to her in the first place was that she was weak and tired from dehydration and starvation and asleep at the time. In a fair fight she could have killed him easily, but he made sure never to fight fair. He still could not figure out why people seemed to think his magic was so bad, but they did. Maybe if he kept it up Kuromath would attack and he would get to show his other spells off after all. Though if he thought Takuzei could still create more cysts it was unlikely that he would put himself in that kind of danger.

[Riftwalker]

Semndon turns to Kuromath. "Kuromath, I do not wish to protract your stay here today unnecessarily. I have many questions for Takuzei--as his interview has just begun--but before I get into a prolonged conversation with him, would like to give you the opportunity to conclude your interview. You are welcome, of course, to remain until Takuzei's demonstration has been completed--just as he was present for the entirety of yours, but by no means obligated to."

Kuromath takes a look at the rat and then you, and then moves to pick up his axe, shield, and bag. "Thank yeh sir fer teh opportuniteh to interview wit' yeh. I shall take meh leave and check back wit' yeh tomorrow when teh results're posted."

Semndon rises, leaving his sword propped up against the sofa he was sitting upon and shows Kuromath out ("It has been a pleasure meeting with you today, Kuromath.") before returning to the sofa and resuming the conversation.

"Tell me more about this disciple. Is she still alive? Disciple of what immortal? What area were you trying to protect and dissuade trespassers from?"

[Fuzzy alchemist]

He laughs slightly and says, "I really do not remember what immortal. I am not even sure I ever asked. All that mattered to me was the power she had. But she is still alive. The place I was trying to avoid people finding was my home. One of our main defenses from those around us was that few knew we existed or that anything of value would be there. Even though the town is worthless besides its books to most, those who feel the need to control everything would value it as something to be controlled. So, I really can not tell you where the area is." He hoped that this answer would suffice as he was afraid to tell the details of what had happened to the lady. She was technically alive, but she had no life and was considered by most to be dead.


((OOC: I may need to roll a bluff check on this one. While not technically lying he is definitely concealing the truth.))

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: Ok, knowing that Semndon doesn't necessarily know this unless he figures it out or sees through whatever bluffing conceals it, what do you mean by "she was technically alive, but she had no life and was considered by most to be dead"? In a coma? I'd prefer to know the backstory behind this, since it might tie in with some other story arcs I have planned.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Player note: What I was thinking was he used the cyst to hit her with enough vile damage that she got to -1 hit points and stabilized her before -10 making it impossible for her to heal back up to even barely conscious without holy ground, which if there was a malign influence that was helping him along (something you suggested for the cyst) I doubt the ground is going to become holy anytime soon. He then hid and bound her in a section that would be free of rats and insects so that no further harm could come to her. Unless I have misread the starvation and thirst rules I do not think it deals lethal damage, so she will not die in that state. This prevents her from ever being brought back to life because her soul is still trapped in a living body, but without healing she can never be roused and without food and water being forced down her throat she can never begin to heal the nonlethal damage from the starvation and dehydration which can not be magically healed. If I am wrong about the thirst and starvation he could have asked one of the people who was loyal to him to feed her and give her water so that she would be trapped. I figure that is something he would know to do and they would want the village to remain hidden as much as he would and would not mind keeping the body alive. They would not tell anyone about it and many people had died exploring up there before, so most people just assumed she died like the others when she did not return.

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: Clever. :) Though I was under the impression that Takuzei was more of a loner--even from everyone in the village except possibly a librarian or two. Why would they have helped him with such an act like killing a visitor to the area?

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Well a few reasons. They do not want others finding them and if she died and had friends it is possible that she could tell them after she died. She would also provide a great deal of motivation for revenge as he basically kept her enslaved through the curse and towards the end the cyst. They are afraid of him. I mean he did ruin quite a number of them and the rest were not quite sure what it took to get on his bad side. A sense of mercy might also make them unwilling to just let her die. I mean there are plenty of people who think indefinite life support is fine in our world, why would there be no one like that on their end? Also, the people who got the land after he ruined the others might owe him a favor or two for expanding their estates by so much and he would have no qualms about calling in said favors. So, in summery, self interest in not wanting to be invaded, self interest in not wanting to be harmed by those seeking vengeance on her part, self interest in not wanting to be harmed for disobeying Takuzei, and a desire to extend quantity of life even if there is not quality. Also, thank you for thinking my idea was clever. I have worked on how to stop enemies from continuously coming back and part of that was to insure they could not be raised. Not that I mind reoccurring villains. Actually I quite enjoy them. It is just that if I have defeated the same person 5 times and killed them twice it cuts into my sense of accomplishment when they come back again trying to get in my way.

[Riftwalker]

Ok. Can you give a name and quick description of the specific person or persons that are keeping the disciple alive and their specific motivations for doing so? (You gave several general, possible motivations above, but if there are any specific ones, I'd like to know about them.)

If you want, I can make them up, but since it's part of your character's background I want to give you the freedom to flesh that out as you see fit first.

[Fuzzy alchemist]

Ok. One is named Toma. She is from the library and she is doing it out of slight loyalty to Takuzei as he is one of their better patrons. She also is afraid of the trouble that would be brought upon them if the disciple was ever able to give up her information, but she has power of her own (psychoportation if psionics is allowed) and has every intention of escaping with the books at the first sign of trouble. She was an adventure before she settled with them and has all manner of magical storage that she has kept hidden. No one knows of her abilities or her past. Harru is also taking care of her. He is doing it because his family's ranch was tinny, the smallest of all of them, but thanks to Takuzei making sure that when one of the larger ranches was falling on hard times everyone else was not in a position to buy the land and they could, they are one of the larger land holders in the village and he feels that he owes it to Takuzei to keep this problem of Takuzei's under control. No special abilities to speak of. Just a normal rancher might make a good paladin if he ever got the chance. The third is the local vet. He is named Sam. He does it because he can not bear to let her die never mind be the one responsible for killing her. Should they ever wish to stop they put it to a vote and are bound by the majority. One would hope that they have not voted to release her from her mortal coil just yet as it could be catastrophic for Takuzei if they decided to seek vengeance against him immediately. I think this is a good way to work it. It puts enough people in place that Takuzei could feel secure in knowing that she will not die too soon, but leaves a loophole for you to have her die and become a problem for him when he is ready to face such problems.

[Riftwalker]

Alright. Sounds good. Unless you object, I'm going to modify some details slightly:

- Harru and Toma are husband and wife, and Sam is their son (14 years old). (That way it's not just an assorted group of villagers.)

- Sam is not the local vet yet but is fairly good with animals.

- Despite the family helping Takuzei, he is still always kept "at a distance." For example, he is not invited over for dinner, and he is not privy to their private conversations and decision-making processes surrounding the fate of the disciple.

- Takuzei is glad that Harru, Toma, and Sam maintain the body of the disciple, and also realizes that he is lucky to have the three to do this--many others would not have helped in this matter in such a subtle way.

And now back to the story...

Semndon: "What do you mean you cannot say where the area is? Where are you from, anyway? I know that you're not from too remote a distance, judging from the lack of accent in your Anderlar..."

[Fuzzy alchemist]

((OOC: Ok. but still no one knows about her abilities or the stockpile of storage items, right? Also, it should have occurred to me to try and copy Auril's accent. He would have been from far enough away that it would have been unlikely that anyone would be able to extrapolate the location. Or even if he failed it would provide enough of a disguise that it would make it indeterminable. Oh, well. Slow thinking on my part.))

He smiles a forced smile and says, "I have killed people in the defense of my home. One of their advantages is the fact that few know the village exists. So, telling you where it is would add one person to that list and put the entire village at risk. I am not going to go so far as to say I would have to kill you if I told you, but I will tell you that I am not going to tell people without something of great importance relying on said information. As to your assertion that it is nearby based on my vocal abilities. I know several languages and speak them all well, but I doubt the dragons would think me native because of the way I speak theirs. One can learn or unlearn an accent with decent ease." He was unsure of why his home was becoming such a big issue in this interview. He understood the books were interesting, but this was getting into information that it should be obvious is being protected for a reason. He had even explained the reason once before and it did not seem an unreasonable thing to wish to protect his home by not revealing its location. He continues his smile no longer forced as his humor was improving as he decided to try to be funny, "The location makes no difference to the conversation. So, for the sake of the conversation let us say it is located in a pocket dimension under the Parthian Sea. It was surrounded by a mass of urchins."

[Riftwalker]

DM Note: Correct. Toma's abilities/items are not known outside of her family except for Takuzei. I'm assuming that:
Takuzei knows that Toma has some "magical powers."
Takuzei knows that Toma's powers are different from his own, but does not know that they are psionics. (He has never read any books on psionics or heard of them otherwise, because they wouldn't exist in the Brier Patch library at this point.) For all he knows she could be a sorceress skilled in another aspect of magic.
Takuzei does not know about any specific items of Toma's, but he has seen her stuff more books than could possibly fit into a bag and then carry it as if unburdened with the weight of the books, and this observation was made while she thought she wasn't being watched. Takuzei has never had a chance to take a close look at that particular bag, but assumes that she can use it or similar items to aid with the task of keeping the disciple alive."Hmph." Semndon chuckles. "All right, I won't force it out of you. As you undoubtedly know I have some interest in those sorts of magic and I merely wished to investigate, not take control of the village or anything like that. A dragonscribed tome of necromantic magic could contain lost secrets that would add to the world's arcane knowledge. I wonder if it is the tome that is protected or the knowledge within?

Regardless, let us change the subject. Is there anything else you would like to show me with the rat or is it time to put it out of its misery?"

[Fuzzy alchemist]

He nods and says, "Well, I could demonstrate another spell in the process of putting it out of its misery." He c