You step out onto a path on the edge of a low hill. The grass is a wild mess of a dozen different types; the air is startlingly clean and bracing; and everything feels right.

Its not something you notice right away, even as a verser, but you know you've come to a place that is very much like Earth.  The gravity, the oxygen, the plants all speak of home to you.

Suddenly you're in shade.

You look up and see hovering above you a red thing like a 747. A gentle breeze, touched with cinnammon, and snake, and methane rushes past you as the wings of the dragon flex.

*Welcome to my Hunting Grounds, Magician. I am Terracuyl, queen of all the land you can ssssee. I would stay and chat about the spell you just used, but the Lancastrian Duke has a jeweled bracelet he desires to give my magnificence. He wishes to have me attend his tournameant, and I am agreeable. So come when you wish to my mountain, you have my permission."

To any other creatue saying 'my magnificence' would be arrogance, but to this creature, its simply stating the truth.

Tom is quite glad he isn't going insane from the Symbiot.  Then again, its functions might have been suspended by the door.  It might not even work here.  He will need to test that out later, but not here.

Obviously, this is a world where magic works.  There is a part of him that must wonder if the entire thing is a simulation of some kind, but on some level Tom is fairly sure that this place is as real as any other.

Tom wasn't sure if Terracuyl was offering him a ride, but since he had no other bearings or immediate destination and was being a gracious host he said, "I would be honored to be your guest.  This tournament, I must admit, sounds quite intruiging.  I do not possess a spell of flight that can match the speed of a dragon, so if you would be so gracious as to take me with you along the way, perhaps we could engage in polite conversation of myriad interesting subjects?"

Terracuyl's outer eyelids blink once over the gold-streaked orbs, and then she smiles with teeth that are nearly as large as you.

"Best you be interesting then, Magician."

She scoops you up, and thunders skyward.  The ground drops away much faster than a freight elevator.

"I shall go no higher else you would pass out. We shall descend in a talon of minutes."

Below you is a giant forrest of rippling green that spreads unbroken to the north until it reaches a line of black mountains that spike the air. To your right, you see small villages and farmsteads carved out of the forrest. In front of you, at the horizon is a glimmer of silver.

"This is my Dragonhunt. Perhaps it is the natural love of home, but I think it is the best one in the world. Below us is the Elves. Rather insolent for all their feigned respect. I prefer Humans, and not to eat, Magician. A Human is a very small morsel, not really worth the trouble to chase one down. And one always runs the risk of getting a bit of metal stuck in the teeth."

PT

Tom is awed by the flight.  He had flown in a hot air balloon once, and of course, he had flown with Cool and he had flown in a plane, but nothing compared to flight by dragon.

He ponders what to say, but finally decides to start with simple yet truthful.  It wasn't so much that he wanted to lie, but by starting with one subject and expanding slowly upon it, he could gain insight into the world and hopefully avoid minefields, "I must be frank great Terracuyl, I am not from this world.  So while our story books contain descriptions of the might of elves and dragons, I am gloried to see that mere words or paintings do not compare.  Being human, I must by default agree with your opinion that humans make poor meals.  Not so much from an informed perspective but by self interest.  I must admit to absolute ignorance of virtually everything of this world."

"Another world without dragon or elves, but with Humans sounds most intriguing. Are there other creatures of spirit and flesh in your world? Do you stand above them, if so?"

A panic stricken flock of wyverns dives out of the way of Terracuyl.

"Mindless beasts, and a plague upon the land as some foolish mage made them several centuries ago, and they have no natural predators except for me, and frankly they taste terrible. Nothing like a good kraken, fresh pulled from the Pirate Gulf. I've instructed the mages that the next one that makes such a nuisance will have his home city burnt to ash."

Terracuyl pauses.

"Some philosphers theorize that the spirit is in another realm. Could this realm be connected to your world, and that is how information of elves and dragons passed to your world which has none?"

And then she stoops like a falcon would except a thousand times larger. About half way to the ground, she lets go of you with a toothy grin.

PT

"

"Spirit and Flesh? Every creature in every world to which I have traveled has had both flesh and spirit.  As I understand the definition, there are stories of spirit in a more physical form, but if that is what you mean then I have not hithertonow encountered one.  Humanity has been the most powerful species in all of the worlds I have traveled to, save one, in which there were more species than there were stars in the heavens, and humanity itself was being tested for its worth.  Indeed, this was the last world I came from.  How many different kind of beings are there in this world that are sentient?"



Tom thanks her and ponders a moment, "It is my belief that it is.  I would say that my experience in the realm of the theoretical, that is to say, worlds that COULD be, and that my travels are slowly showing to in some ways actually exist, is quite extensive.  From that perspective it would be important to cite the differences between universes, planes and dimensions.  A dimension would be a tangental reality not visible to three dimensional human senses, like unto a ball near a flat square on a piece of paper.  A plane would be like a dimension but potentially include a physical or metaphysical element to it, such as the spirit, where the flesh of most physical things could not go.  A universe would be something entirely different wherein the very physical laws were sufficiently different that there might be no connection between the spirit and flesh at all.    I am fairly certain I have been traveling between universe, but I do know that there is a common element called 'Scriff' which connects them all.  I am personally fairly certain that is in some way connected to Spirit, though I admit I don't know that."

He ponders a moment, "You know, I did encounter a being who helped give me great insight into the nature of humanity and its existence in the last world to which I traveled.  His species exists only for a short time as a collection of crystals before it shatters again and slowly builds up to the next question it asks of itself.  I promised him that I would take his child and plant it in the next world.  I have yet to fulfill this promise, but if you care to wait a bit and let me plant it here, it might prove enlightening.  Then again, he might just sit there and do nothing."

"I do not mean immaterial spirits such as ghosts, banshees, or the Crystal Sidhe. Of the last, I am uncertain of their exact nature. One must enter the Oneway Door to find the answer to that riddle, I suspect." Terracuyl pauses, and then grudgingly speaks. "I am uncertain. It is above several dozen. In my Hunt, the principal ones are the Elves who inhabit the Greenwood, and the Cloud Mountain, and the Thornroot; the Humans who live in the Rebel Duchies such as the one we go to now, and points further south; the lizardfolk of the lands where the Great Khan, a merciless demon once ruled, to the northwest, and oh yes, some Small Folk live up there too. Then the dwarves of Underseaandstone, and the Cunning Folk who populate the Pirate Gulf with their hydroplaning sailboats." Terracuyl catches you after you've dropped a thousand feet in free fall. "I do not know whether you would include the undead in their desolate city. This is only the broadest of introductions, but truthfully, I do not take a census of my lands. It is enough that they bow, and gift me with treasure I request."

The dragon's wings flare, and you jolt to a stop, or so it seems, but its only a braking. Then you rocket over a large village of Tudor homes, and a castle, and alight on a green hillside on the opposite side of town.

A shepherd with his sheep is standing there.

"Human. Tell your lord, I require this hillside for an experiment of mine that is not to be disturbed."

The shepherd nods speechlessly, and then throws himself down on the ground in a full prosykinesis bow.

"Take your sheep, but leave five for me. Go."  The shepherd leaves, and Terracuyl turns her head. "Will this hillside do for 'the child'?" Then Terracuyl snaps her fingers, and a giant book appears in her hand. She murmurs something, and the book flips open.

"Ah, scriff. Its a magical component sometimes found in the wake of someone using a sunstrike spell...which means its pretty rare."

PT

Tom is rather jolted by the drop, but he certainly isn't going to complain to a dragon.  The shadowrun saying, "Never Deal with a Dragon" is only partially true.  It is better said, "You'd better know what you're getting into when you're dealing with a dragon"....

And Tom does...kind of.  Primarily, one had better treat them with respect.  And a lot of it.  Beyond that, the rules break down a lot.



"That is quite a list.  It certainly sounds like this is a world worthy of exploration.  What you say makes me think of many things.  These 'cunning folk' imply that they are the cutting edge of technology here.  If so, some of my more potentially impressive tricks may not work here.  Other Versers have told me that technology does not work in some worlds just as magic does not work in others.  The texts from my world describing other worlds certainly make it possible.  I should try a few to see what does or does not work.  The One Way Door sounds interesting in that it is similar to the method I traveled here.  Normally I travel from world to world by dying, but in the last world there was an artifact called the Unknown Door which brought me here instead.  Are there many dragons in this world?"



Tom smiles wistfully, "It seems your style of magic is significantly different than my own.  It would be quite useful.  My own uses devices, such as those of the Cunning Folk (I suspect), alterations to my being, or channeling the forces of the Universe as described by my Lord, which isn't really my own power at all.  This 'sunstrike spell' sounds quite potent indeed.  I am most curious if it creates a Verser. Barring objection, I shall plant the Child."

Unless there is an objection, he does so.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:53, Thu 08 May 2008.

"Yes, the Cunning Folk, with their hydrofoil sailboats, their hot air balloons, their giant trebuchet are the greatest master craftsmen of my Hunt. I accept tribute from them of cunning little toys that amuse the eye, and bother the brain.

Perhaps, the presence of so many humans is inimical to magic? In the last century, I've seen humans begin to turn from paying magicians to bless tehir fields,  to aqueducts to water their fields.

The One Way Door leads you to the Crystal Sidhe. Some say they are the avatars of the gods. Some come back, but they are changed. And none can describe what happened.

Just like a Magician. Full of questions, always wanting to know facts. The world has under a hundred full grown adult dragons. Many of these are what we call 'sea dragons' who rule over a few pitiful islands, and must take all their meat from the sea. But on this sub-continent, there are five. The one northward of me is a sea dragon even though he scorns the name for he rules over tundra, and snow people and ice worms. Without the sea, he would starve. Which is not to say that at least half my food comes from the sea, but I can spice my diet with sheep."

So saying, she speaks a word. The sheep fall over dead. She chews them up, wool and bone and meat.

"Dragons are Power. At times, we describe a spell to make it clear in our mind what we attempt, but this is simply a framework for the Power of the Stars to flow through us. Magicians of this world take long study, and deep memorizations, and the magical resonances in objects rare and potent to work their Art. Dragons use no art. We simply Will What Is To Be."

You plant the child. The ground shifts slightly, and an achingly beautiful, and terribly complex musical refrain plays for a few seconds, a minute, an hour...

"Fascinating. Such great knowledge."

The dragon scratches a symbol into the soil with its claw.

"Now, anyone who disturbs this unkindly knows they face my wrath."

Tom is instinctively drawn to the One Way door.  If there is a task here, it is the place he is to go when he is finished.  And there is always a task.  You merely have to look hard enough.

Tom thanks her,"He was my friend, to the extent that such a brief period of time can yield a friendship.  I greatly appreciate your ward, not that my opinion matters in such things" he smiles.

He sighs, "Well, being a Dragon does sound magnificent.  Such power would be  useful and helpful.  Then again, I think it is wise that humans have to learn it rather than simply have it at a whim.  We need more understanding than most about when to use it properly.  I do not have much to give in tribute Great One, but I do possess some measure of Scriff, if it is indeed something you find desirable.  But I warn you that it is a curse as well, for if it enters your blood, Death shall forever be denied you.  If my devices work here, I might also be able to present you with music from other worlds, though nothing that compares to what we just heard."

Terracuyl shakes her head lightly.

"You interested me, Magician, and gave me much to think about. That is enough for me."

The dragon leaps, and then glides over the town to land in a clear pasture land on the far side of town where brilliantly colored tents are being raised around the edges of a common space. You're left alone staring down at Tudor houses, and a small castle with a moat. Nearer you see a knight riding on a track, merchants selling in town, and children playing with a dog.

To the north, you see trees which seem uninviting. To the south and east, you see fields.

PT

Tom looks out about him and below him and says, "Then, if you will deign listen one more time Terracuyl, let me compart one more potentially useful bit of information.  One of the most influential books of my world, the world I was originally from, was called 'The Wealth of Nations' which established the idea that that the true wealth of a nation lay in its people.  Wealth is generated through trade, which means that the fewer barriers in the form of insecurity, tarrifs and other restrictions.  This, I am sure, varies from world to world.  There must be worlds out there where this is not true according to the base world laws, but the closer it is to my world, the more I am sure that this is the case.  The primary reason for this is the simple understanding that competition naturally breeds efficiency.  It applies to ideas, wealth, or the fitness of an individual species.  Controlled competition will, over time, yield tremendous results.  My technological 'wonders' might not work here, but that simple idea almost assuredly does."

"I will consider your words, Magician, but I do not see my duty as to prosper this Hunt. I am their overlord, not their queen. They exist to please me, and if they can do this while pleasing themselves, I have no bicker with them. But I am first and last, their overlord.

 And I am uncertain that I really wish the world to change. I like it fine the way it is. Well, perhaps if the Elves were less insolent that would be well, but other than that there is little I desire to have changed."

The dragon is gone with these words, and you realize Terracuyl is charming, intelligent, and more than a bit selfish.  In her view 'Its all about me' is a perfectly reasonable statement of fact, although she is smart enough to realize other creatures have their own view on things.  But as she would no doubt say 'Its good to be the overlord'.

PT

The irony being....the core of the statement, 'The wealth of a nation is in its people' being that if her people are more wealthy, they can give greater tribute.  But, hey...she didn't ask tribute from him so he shouldn't be complaining.

Right, so now that he is alone, the first thing he is going to do is conduct a complete physical, mental and spiritual inventory.  By now, he has gotten a little used to this; a regular ritual on every world where he can assess his current physical capacities, how in tune with the divine he feels, and most importantly, ensure that he has a proper inventory of his possessions and which ones work or not.  (He is not at all going to try the time jumper, primarily because it will cost him a day, and also because it is beyond a doubt the most advanced piece of technology that he has.)

He is particularly interested to see if the Symbiont has done anything or if somehow going through the door has temporarily arrested its development and/or effect.  He is also interested in the 'magic' sword that was forced to deal with a demon to see if it feels....'stronger' here at all.  Tom is not at all ignorant of the fact that there were more miracles at certain key points in human history, thus where magic appears overtly, so to do open manifestations of the divine.  He personally sees no problem in learning both.  'Magic' means an awful lot of things, since by the definitions of a crazy person thousands of years ago, a Bic Lighter would be sorcery.

Since he flew in here on a dragon, he isn't really going to 'blend in' but donning something at least remotely like native garb will help him blend in, so he'll get out an industrial diamond (Since it seems I forgot to pick up the @#$@# gold coins....) and head for a merchant stalls.  He isn't isn't showing anything where he can easily show it, and he'll have the 'magic' sword and his zero G factory sword sheathed on his back where he can easily reach them, as well as whatever weapon the Rejj cooked up for him when he asked them to make him one in one pistol holster, with his baretta in the other.  Gunpowder is more primitive.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:58, Tue 13 May 2008.

Indeed. And you realize that the mighty and wise dragon has limits on her mental horizon which could be useful if you ever have to go against her, although the mere thought of crossing Terracuyl is enough to raise the hairs on the back of your neck with fear.

The sword very easily to your hand. Your mind and heart, when you turn to pray, feel as if they leap within you at the ease, and you feel a warmth of contact that you've only felt but a few times in your life.

The Reji hand weapon does not work. Nor can you remove the energy cell.

You try to consider some advanced computers, and just how you would build them, and as you try to make a simple model with sticks, you find yourself stuck...with a pile of sticks.

The airfield does not work either.

You are able to review mentally all the math and biology that you know.

You can touch your toes, and do jumping jacks.  You pull out your gladius, and run through Morning Warm-up as taught by Luke.

The symbiont is connected to you, but it seems torpid. You have not felt anything from it since you entered the door.

You walk into town, and find pleasantly spaced huts and stores mixed together. Most stand independently of each other, and the road in front goes from ten to fifteen feet wide.

You are accosted in the street by merchants and beggars and young boys eager to carry your baggage for a coin.  They come right up to you and make their plea.  Those merchants who don't walk in the path make up for it by yelling out their wares.

"Fresh killed chicken, just a day old. Good stuff! Fresh killed chicken!"
"Ladies, get yer scarf for yer favrite knight!"

You see a knight in armor, and horses in a stable.  A samurai stands by the horses, and listens as his servant dickers with the horseseller.

PT

The fact that there is an increased divine presence here is indeed a good one.  The fact that the symbiot is torpid is kind of bad, but then again since he knows biology it is possible some of his enhancements are working.  Hard to say.  After all there might be a subtle but important difference between genetic upgrade and an enhancing symbiont.  And he can't fly on his own.

He needs to find some place where he can do some meditation and potential experimentation, but first thing is first.

He is friendly with the beggars and children and merchants but cautious as well.  A child is often innocent but can be a pick pocket just as easily as a grizzled one handed criminal.

He will ask one of children that seems a bit more trustworthy and intelligent where he can find the nearest money changer.  He then says, "What's your name son?"

(Answer if any)

"Come with me.  I will have use of your services for the day at least."

Once he finds the money changer (if there is one) he'll carefully take out the industrial diamond and find out what he'll be given for it.

"My name is Rickard, if it please m'lord." The young fellow says with a small bow.  He takes you down the 'street' to a tent, and speaks to the guard at the entrance who lets the both of you enter.

The money changer is of another race than most of the fairgoers.  His hair is dark, curly, and cut short.  He has a tighly pointed beard on his chubby face, and keen eyes dominate the rest of his appearance.

He waves you to a seat on a pillow, but lets the boy stand. Upon taking the diamond, he nods.

"A good, solid stone, Adventurer.  Did you take anyother treasure from the dungeons?"

He offers you two gold coins for the diamond.

PT

Tom thinks a moment, and realizes that he should have asked Rickard a few questions first.  Ah well, obviously being a Verser is a learned skill.

The fact that they have adventurers here is interesting.  Tom had honestly never considered a lot of a 'dungeons and dragons' economy believable in the slightest, but the way he casually mentioned it, as the 'dungeons' indicates...something potentially sinister.

To the...dwarf...?  he says, "I have one or two pieces, not much.  It was quite challenging. If you will excuse me a moment, I will return forthwith, terribly sorry for the inconvenience. I'll be right back."

Assuming this guy doesn't become riotously angry at my desire to do so (which quite frankly wouldn't make me want to do business with him anyway), he quietly says,

"Alright Rickard....Time to fess up.  I'm from far far away.  Farther than the boundaries of the hunt.  Which means I'm going to ask what might seem a stupid question.  If you answer me honestly, and prove that you are worthy of my trust, there is a very good chance I can make you very rich.  So the question you have to ask yourself is, if you want a short term gain or to take a chance for something more...

I need to know the basic monetary system here.  I need to know, for example, what kind of coin you wanted for the day...a copper, a silver, a bronze? How many coins make each other kind of coin?"  Tom will gauge his answers to try and figure out of Rickard is being honest with him.  Honestly, regardless, losing one diamond here isn't going to kill him and he WILL find out the truth soon enough anyway, but he could use a native guide, so this is the chance for Rickard to make something of himself if he chooses right.

"How much would it cost you to feed yourself for a day? How much for a good pair of boots? How much to feed a whole family for a month? And how much to buy all of the sword and armor that one of those knights have? I need to have a sense of how much a gold is worth to compare it to the value of the stone."

Once these questions are answered, he thanks Rickard (even if he thinks Rickard has totally cheated him but he is quite grateful if he thinks Rickard has answered honestly) and then goes back into the Dwarf.  He's pretty sure he's going to have to haggle, but two gold coins in Middle Earth is a good and honest amount for a jewel, even if it is probably worth more....saying, "10" might make more sense than, "10,000" which would make more sense in a D&D world, but then again, they don't have dungeons in Middle Earth.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:46, Thu 15 May 2008.

Dwarf seems to fit.

The dwarf shrugs, and says, "You'll be back."  You get up and leave with a courteous nod.

Outside the tent, about three dozen yards from the tent, Rickard thinks quickly, and then blurts out..."But how do I know you aren't seeking to rook me? Me maw told me about scoundrels who would claim they can take your coin, and make it grow, if only you plant it in their garden."

He thinks about your question.

"A generous master would give me a silver. A stingy man would give me one copper, and I would spit on him as I ran away."  He counts on his fingers. "Um, ten copper for a silver, and such like for gold. Of course, some coins are worth more than other coins. Lancastrian coins, " His chest swells with pride, and then he continues. "They are the best, well except for Auriador, and the stinky elves." He pauses, and then adds doubtfully,  "Um, I never heard tell of a bronze coin."

He thinks further, his pug-nosed face scrunching up.

"You can get pot scrapings and beer and bread for a day for a copper. A good pair of boots will be at least two silver, maybe more." He shrugs helplessly at your further questions. He has no idea how much his parents spend for food, and he doesn't hang out with knights all that much.

"I think you could get five gold for your diamond, myself, master."

Tom ponders this.  First, while he does need a native guide, Rickard is neither literate nor traveled.  He could probably easily find someone more qualified, and if he simply picks up the first person he comes across on any world, he's doing both himself, and the world, a diservice.  On the other hand, Rickard has a quality 'from which heroes are made'.  He told the truth, and an honest answer is worth ten times the most learned man in the kingdom.

The dwarf's attitude clearly indicates that he is almost assuredly the best, if not the only, money lender in town.  Two silver for a boot indicates things are closer to Middle Earth prices instead of D&D prices, but on the other hand, two gold isn't a lot.  But it is 'moving around' money.  Which means he's merely going to sell the first diamond here.

And clearly a silver is pretty outrageous, but Rickard didn't say, 'That's what I'm worth' he said 'a generous master'....and Tom wants someone he can trust (besides the dragon, who he can trust to be a dragon).

Tom looks at Rickard and says, "Alright Rickard.  You're right of course.  I'll be honest with you. I can't guarantee you wealth.  But what I can tell you is that I'm a very ambitious man, and that I have a lot ideas and knowledges that can potentially reap great rewards.  But there are no guarantees in life.  Moreover, I need someone I can trust, and I see honesty in your answers.  So here is what we're going to do....you work for me for the day, whilst I do some investigating about the local traditions and situation.  After that, if it looks like some of my ideas have potential here then we can look at making a longer term arrangement.  To show you I'm serious, we're going to haggle up the price a bit on the diamond and then I'll pay you two silver.

I'm doing this for two reasons...the first, is because your answer is worth a lot to me, and you should be paid for it, not just your other services, and the second is because I want to see what you do with it.  I also want to see if you can keep a secret, because a man who can keep a secret AND be honest is worth his weight in gold.  You can tell your parents if you like, but no one else.  A wise man doesn't go blabbing to the world how much gold he has or he soon won't have any."

He takes out a second diamond, the ugliest of the lot and then goes back inside and sits down, "Twelve gold for both diamonds."

He will then try to get the best deal he can for both.  There is still a part of him that thinks that they're worth more than that, but the dwarf COULD be a useful contact as well if things go well.

He will go absolutely no lower than 6 gold for both diamonds and will try to get 8.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:34, Thu 15 May 2008.

"Well, master, I was but a toddler when I found that if you got a sweet stuffed roll, you'd better  hide it and eat it quicklike fore some bigger boy came by to steal it. Course, he got whipped, but I still didn't have my sweet roll." Rickard shares a bit of his life with a rueful smile.

You nod, and he leads you back into the tent.

You make your announcement, and the dwarf smiles derisively.

"Care for a drink?" He offers you some liquor.

And then you two start to haggle. Its clear from the start that he has a lot of experience at this.

You end up with seven Lancastrian gold.

At the last second, as he's counting out the gold, Rickard insists on 'no Perimar gold, only Lancastrian.'  The dwarf chuckles.

"Ah well, I had to try didn't I? The petty king in Perimar keeps paying tribute to the horse raiders, and so he has to keep adding copper to his gold in order to make up the lack. He'd be better off hiring a company of dwarven axemen."

PT

Tom does not begrudge the dwarf.  The dwarf probably thought he was trying to get a better price, or surely it was worth more than that etc etc.  Regardless of what he thought, he almost assuredly didn't guess he didn't even know how the coins broke down.

Tom, for one, is more than willing to hold on to the diamonds for a world in which it is more opportune to exploit them, but he's not attached to wealth either. It is a tool, like any other.

Tom thanks the dwarf for the coins.  He makes sure one of the coins is in change of silver and copper in case gold is pretty rare in these parts (he suspects that it isn't.)

There are three things that are at the top of his agenda:

A)Get a room.  He asks Rickard for a cheap (but relatively safe) inn.  Once there, he will change into the armored outfit he picked up from Captain Cool etc.  Its the closest to actual armor that he has, and since they have actual adventurers around here, they're probably used to flashy.  Plus who knows, the cape might stop a fireball or something (of course, it didn't do much to stop the heat lasers that killed him but its something to wear for now.)

B)He pays Rickard his first silver with the promise of the second at the end of the day.  He'll then quiz him on the basics of the realm.  He's a kid, so he's doing to know some stuff, but obviously he's no expert (probably).  Simple but important questions

1)Who rules?

2)Who REALLY rules?

3)What's the human political situation?

4)What are the basic big no no's around here? ('Standard medieval fantasy') is fine as an answer, I'm mainly making sure that something like wearing a certain color won't get me killed etc.

5)Are there guilds?

6)If so, how prominent are they?

7)Printing Press? If so, local?

8)Who around here has books that I can buy, or failing that, pay some cash to to borrow?

9)Local church situation?

10)What's up with the woods?

11)What are the stakes on the tourney? It must be a big deal to bring the dragon to it.

12)What's up with the dungeons? Why would anyone sane ever REALLY go crawling through a deathtrap for cash?

C)Generally wander around town and observe things, what's there, what isn't, where he can buy stuff, what the prices of things are.  He'll be low key about it if he can, but ask for prices otherwise.

Basically, he wants to feel out the situation and the area.

Tom does not begrudge the dwarf.  The dwarf probably thought he was trying to get a better price, or surely it was worth more than that etc etc.  Regardless of what he thought, he almost assuredly didn't guess he didn't even know how the coins broke down.

Tom, for one, is more than willing to hold on to the diamonds for a world in which it is more opportune to exploit them, but he's not attached to wealth either. It is a tool, like any other.

Tom thanks the dwarf for the coins.  He makes sure one of the coins is in change of silver and copper in case gold is pretty rare in these parts (he suspects that it isn't.)

There are three things that are at the top of his agenda:

A)Get a room.  He asks Rickard for a cheap (but relatively safe) inn.  Once there, he will change into the armored outfit he picked up from Captain Cool etc.  Its the closest to actual armor that he has, and since they have actual adventurers around here, they're probably used to flashy.  Plus who knows, the cape might stop a fireball or something (of course, it didn't do much to stop the heat lasers that killed him but its something to wear for now.)

====You stop at the Happy Tankard. Its clean enough, with no obvious bugs crawling around. You do see a couple others in the main room that are dressed 'flashy'. One is in a dark hood, and cloak. The other wears white and purple, with a scabbard dotted with amethysts.

B)He pays Rickard his first silver with the promise of the second at the end of the day.  He'll then quiz him on the basics of the realm.  He's a kid, so he's doing to know some stuff, but obviously he's no expert (probably).  Simple but important questions

1)Who rules?

The Duke of Lancaster, Gregor the Second of House Lancaster.

2)Who REALLY rules?

Same answer.  'But the temples have some influence, and of course Terracuyl is overlord'.

3)What's the human political situation?

He describes a fairly honorable feudalism with a rebellion a while back against the Elves of the Greenwood.  If you don't like your station in life...adventuring is the typical response.

4)What are the basic big no no's around here? ('Standard medieval fantasy') is fine as an answer, I'm mainly making sure that something like wearing a certain color won't get me killed etc.

A. Standard medieval fantasy.
B. Don't step on the shadow of a samurai's sword.
C. Bow to those of higher rank than you ('which for you, milord, is probably most everyone who's not a journeyman.'')
D. Don't be too friendly to an elf. It makes you look suspicious.

5)Are there guilds?

Yes.

6)If so, how prominent are they?

Most craftsmen are guilded. Merchants are not. Farmers are not. Soldiers are not.

7)Printing Press? If so, local?

Whazzat?

8)Who around here has books that I can buy, or failing that, pay some cash to to borrow?

There are a few sages, and private tutors, and, oh yeah, if you want to be a wizard's apprentice, there's that. And if you're really wealthy, you can go to the castleyard, and buy from The Bookseller.

9)Local church situation?

Each race has their own god or gods, plus often a city has one. There are also gods of major forces such as the Cloud Knight or the Old Man or the Two-faced Beggar.

10)What's up with the woods?

Elves really like the woods. besides, chopping trees down once they become a certain size is really hard.

11)What are the stakes on the tourney? It must be a big deal to bring the dragon to it.

Winner gets a castle. Runner-up gets a ruined castle. You also get a chance to meet most of the nicer ladies in the duchy and neighbouring duchies.

12)What's up with the dungeons? Why would anyone sane ever REALLY go crawling through a deathtrap for cash?

Things got buried in the past, sometimes on purpose. There are a lot of races that live underground. Once upon a time, this was all part of the Grey Elven Empire until it fell apart because the gods judged their wickedness.

Are you kidding? Its quick and easy money, if your survive.  And I'm really quick on my feet.

C)Generally wander around town and observe things, what's there, what isn't, where he can buy stuff, what the prices of things are.  He'll be low key about it if he can, but ask for prices otherwise.

Its a good bit more expensive than true medieval, but a lot less than D20. You also realize there is some sort of social custom where the cheapest items are priced lower than they might be.  There is little 'welfare' as such, but you can buy a threadbare tunic for very little indeed, and the same applies to a cheap felt hat.

Basically, he wants to feel out the situation and the area.
</quote

PT

Tom pays Rickard the other silver piece he promised.  Starting up here is definitely possible, but the inflation is a problem.  The crafts guilds are also going to be a problem in certain cases, but there are possibilities.  The primary questions for him are, what can he most learn here that will help him help others and, how can he best help make this world a better place?

The obvious and long term solution to that might be the implementation of paper currency, banking and the printing press but there are secondary considerations.  The most obvious benefit to him is probably learning magic which potentially means finding a mage to apprentice to, but the problem there is....is it necessary? All of the Earth based magic that Tom studied (but did not practice) honestly seemed more like ritualized prayer....not that hard to do, which was why he was almost tempted to try experimenting with it himself or at least seeing what he could do.

Of course that might just as well get him killed.  The larger problem was that if there was indeed a link between Divine Power and the ability to perform magic, would it not make more sense to Invoke Miracles instead? After all, if this was a 'standard' fantasy world, they would surely have clerics...but then the problem was....what were the theological repercussions of such? He worshiped Christ...was he supposed to start missionary work here?  Something inside him told him that wasn't a good idea...that it wasn't necessary, but if that was the case, what was the true theological connotation of Versing?

He retired to his room and entered a meditative state, silently praying and pondering upon the nature of his Worship and how it related to whatever gods might be int his world.

Rickard is now very enthused about helping you. Two silver coins is clearly more money than he's even had at one time in his life. He mentions a thing or two he wants to buy for his family.

You're praying, meditating, and then suddenly before you spreads a mountain of flame.

On the lower heights, you see someone you recognize (although you don't know how) as Gaia, and another as Athena by her grey eyes and her bow. And at the peak, you see a man with calm eyes that you know.

Its a happy mountain, and dotted all over it are figures of power. Thor, and Odin stand near the top, but still below the One.

And then you're gone, and standing on a small hill.

"In the end, all will bow, some willingly, some not. You know me, and are known of me. But these others may know my servants until the Last Day. Also 'ware poison."

The words are engraved on a rock next to you.

Suddenly with a jolt your eyes open. The door of your room is open, and a man with a hankerchief on his face, a leather vest, and stealthy moves is stepping oh-so-quietly toward your gear.

PT

If the Lord says beware poison then this guy obviously has a poisoned weapon.  He has just had the most holy experience of his life, save ...one other which was not a vision but was a life altering event...and here is this person trying to take the tools by which he will fulfill this mission.

Tom has done this once before, so (even though he has a lot more to learn) he says in as bold and loud a voice as he has ever used, "If you value your life and your soul you will leave here now, or by God you will be Cursed for profaning this place.  Thy name shall be a hiss and a byword and thy every action shall be a cause of shame and humiliation upon thee.  Thou shalt fail at every endeavor.  Thou shalt feel the hand of God upon thee at every turn.  Now, even now interlocutor, dost thou not feel His presence? Canst thou not feel the fires building up to smite thee where thou stand? Save your soul and leave or stay and die."

He shrieks in terror, and dives out of the room.  You hear him scrambling, half-falling down the staircase, and then  you hear a murmur of rising conversation from the tavern room that then falls.

A minute later you hear a cautious woman's voice from the hallway. She's not showing herself.

"Um, sir, its the mistress of the house. You all right?"

PT

Tom tries very hard not to smile, and he succeeds.  He remembers a verse about not taking pleasure in the pain and suffering of another, and, let's be frank here...while Tom can be scary at times, this guy was no doubt a hardened criminal not some minor bureaucrat.  This wasn't his action to feel smug about (not that that was ever a good idea in general, but particularly not when one invokes a miracle.)

That, and ironically, a part of him feels sorry for the fellow, despite the fact that he carried a poisoned blade.  That doesn't mean he won't be on his guard more in the future.

He says, "Yes mi'lady.  Thanks to the Lord, I am quite fine.  Though if you have a chair or some other heavy object I can put up in front of the door? While I am fairly confident that the Lord will back me up again if I need it, especially given that this is now, for me at least, kind of a holy place, but I'd rather not really tempt him; slothful servant and all that.  God helps those who help themselves."

The other thought that occurs to him is that if the guy was using a handkerchief over his face he might have gassed the room or something.  He looks around to make sure there aren't any fumes or the like around, and if so he picks up his gear and gets out.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:46, Tue 20 May 2008.

There is no sign of gas.

The housemistress fetches a heavy wooden chair for you. It has scar marks on its top bar which match what a door handle would do.

"We've had difficulties before, but we don't put in bars because some customers would not pay, and lock themselves in. You, well, I don't see that happening. The shadows like to target adventurers who've just came back from the dungeons. most adventurers have fun, get drunk, sleep soundly, and have a fair bit of portable wealth. If that's not bad enough, they carry poisened blades because they're not that good in a fight. I mean, not against an adventurer. They might be okay in a dark alley, againts a craftsman."

PT

Tom thanks her and pays her up front for the cost of the room, just to put her mind at ease, in fact, just in case he gets robbed again, he pays her out for the whole week.  He then (assuming it is night) retires for the evening after an hour or two of meditative thanks.  He also examines his room one more time just to be sure it is more or less secure, barring the door and using some of his chalk on the window to leave a few generically cryptic but ominous looking marks in case someone tries to sneak out that way.

The next morning, if Rickard returns Tom takes him on as his 'advisor' for the day though he asks who he might have told about what he spent.  He doesn't think the guy found out from Rickard but wants to be sure.  He's also curious what he bought with it.

Tom decides that even though he hasn't got a chance in hell of winning, he'll sign up for the tournament. If he wins and gets that castle, it makes things much easier.

Finally, he decides to head to the temple he thinks is most likely aligned with Christ (since they seem to be allied with him or something like that.)  He'll then see if he can find a cleric to teach him some 'Deep Magic' spells.  He's done a few miracles in his time, healed by the laying on of hands, the gift of tounges (The long version not the short version) and even cast out a devil, but nothing like 'clerical magic' and if in the old testament they had a 'school of the prophets' then its probably applicable here as well.

Rickard is finishing his second plate of cornbread, and chewing on a bit of fried pig rind.  He looks like he's been waiting at least an hour for you.  And when you show up, he pops out of his chair enthusiastically to come over, and help you carry anything.

"I did mention that I had a 'good master' at the blanket shoppe where I bought a new blanket big enough for my whole family. I smiled real big when I said it too. I'm sorry, Master, if I was indiscreet."  He pauses. "It could also be one of the servants at the money-changer, or simply someone who saw you walk into visit him."

Rickard takes you up to the castle, and the guards at the lowered drawbridge inquire of your business. They are satisfied with 'signing up for the tourney'.

Inside, you see a short line of mostly guys who are in front of an open-sided tent with a couple men sitting behind a table. You take your place in line, and gather information. There are tests of skill against targets (magic, arrows, spears, sword, and dagger.)  There is also wrestling (although this is more for the commoners.) There is jousting. And there is the Grand Melee' which is Last Man Standing and anyone who wants to join in may. Each event you're in, and place at gives you points.  But the bulk of the points goes to jousting and to the Grand Melee'.  There are nice prizes for the number one in the lesser categories...So whoever magic zaps a target the best might not enter the Melee' at all.

You can pay to enter, and receive various benefits.  Or you can simply 'enter of the duke's kindness'.

You walk into the Temple of the Maker, and immediately feel displeasure.  A priest is walking toward you.  He seems to be a sturdy sort, and he has a calm smile on his face that would ordinarily seem not at all frightening.

PT

The whole thing takes three days.  Preliminaries start today.

Well it meant that the kid was basically a good kid.  Not a ninja or paranoid like Tom is but not untrustworthy.  "You did fine Rickard.  These guys might just as well have a crystal ball or something.   However, in the interest of expenses, for now we'll pay you a silver today.  When I have a fixed or reliable income, we can talk about longer term arrangements."



Tom will enter them all except the jousting.  He's not a knight and he doesn't know how to ride a horse.  While its tempting, he isn't even going to try.  The sword and dagger he can probably do.  Magic...er....well...that brings up an interesting question....

A)Does the Air Rifle work?

B)Are there alchemical concoctions in this world that he can put into small glass beads? And if so, how much can he get for a bead?

If Rickard doesn't know (And I imagine he won't) Tom will have him go to the Alchemist's shop with a note explaining his desire for technical specifications and the nature of the tourney (ie the size of the ammo the gun can use with a desired breakable substance.) He obviously mentions nothing about the air gun itself but wants the sphere to be able to go fairly fast but break on impact.  He asks Rickard to pay the man a silver for his time and bring back a written record of what potions or substances he can fill said beads with, if any, and how much each bead would cost.  Bearing in mind that if they're too expensive, he probably won't be buying any.

Otherwise, he'll examine the potential advantages vs. cost for all of the tourney's.  He'll also ask Rickard if he knows anyone who is VERY good at Haggling that isn't a liar who might be willing to work on commission.



Tom doesn't know what he has done that caused the displeasure, but if it is from the Lord, he does an immediate U-turn.  He'll carefully ping two or three more temples to see if the Lord is simply telling him he doesn't want him learning anything from these lesser gods (which would make sense) or if there was something particular about that temple that was ubercreepy.

If it was displeasure at attempting to learn from a lesser god, he penently prays back at his room (with the door secured).  If the temple is merely creepy, he keeps a spiritual ear out for counsel on what to do about it (Burn it to the ground, avoid it, do something later or nothing etc.).  If there was displeasure at attempting to learn, then he'll ask (after penetince) if this is a place appropriate to perform miracles in His name, and if so, should he simple state the Lord's will or attempt to learn such?



Barring anything else he'll be there when those preliminaries start.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:19, Fri 23 May 2008.

Tom will enter them all except the jousting.  He's not a knight and he doesn't know how to ride a horse.  While its tempting, he isn't even going to try.  The sword and dagger he can probably do.  Magic...er....well...that brings up an interesting question....

A)Does the Air Rifle work?

Yes, it does. If this is a pump up the pressure, and then use that presssure to shoot a pellet device.

B)Are there alchemical concoctions in this world that he can put into small glass beads? And if so, how much can he get for a bead?

Yes. A penny a bead. Glass is expensive here.

If Rickard doesn't know (And I imagine he won't) Tom will have him go to the Alchemist's shop with a note explaining his desire for technical specifications and the nature of the tourney (ie the size of the ammo the gun can use with a desired breakable substance.) He obviously mentions nothing about the air gun itself but wants the sphere to be able to go fairly fast but break on impact.  He asks Rickard to pay the man a silver for his time and bring back a written record of what potions or substances he can fill said beads with, if any, and how much each bead would cost.  Bearing in mind that if they're too expensive, he probably won't be buying any.

===Acids, burning substances, explosive substances....they range from five coppers to a gold piece in all the categories.

Otherwise, he'll examine the potential advantages vs. cost for all of the tourney's.  He'll also ask Rickard if he knows anyone who is VERY good at Haggling that isn't a liar who might be willing to work on commission.

===Rickard mentions that he has a great-aunt who's famously contrary, and cheap.



Tom doesn't know what he has done that caused the displeasure, but if it is from the Lord, he does an immediate U-turn.  He'll carefully ping two or three more temples to see if the Lord is simply telling him he doesn't want him learning anything from these lesser gods (which would make sense) or if there was something particular about that temple that was ubercreepy.

===At your third temple, you're met at the gate by a priest. "You are the servant of a jealous God. Go from this place."

If it was displeasure at attempting to learn from a lesser god, he penently prays back at his room (with the door secured).

==Your penitence is received and accepted. Its very easy to pray here. You barely begin, and you feel like you've made contact.

 If the temple is merely creepy, he keeps a spiritual ear out for counsel on what to do about it (Burn it to the ground, avoid it, do something later or nothing etc.).  If there was displeasure at attempting to learn, then he'll ask (after penetince) if this is a place appropriate to perform miracles in His name, and if so, should he simple state the Lord's will or attempt to learn such?

==It occurs to you that if the forces of evil have magic powers, then it might be fair for the forces of good to have miracles. You're not entirely sure if this was your thought, or one that was planted in your brain.



Barring anything else he'll be there when those preliminaries start.
</quote>

====Are you taking the 'Duke's kindness' or paying? If you pay, you get to go in the order you wish, get a chair, get properly announced by the Herald...etc..

The sword and dagger competitions are first. You're given wooden 'swords' and 'daggers', and instructions (no stabbing the other guy in the eye, stop when you hear 'hold' or 'mercy', give the people a good show. Victory is when the judges think you've done enough damage to have 'killed' an armored opponent.)

You're not armored, neither is your opponent who looks like a sly farmer with a clever grin.

This is going to hurt. You're going to get whaled by wooden sticks on unarmored ribs.

You and him are set in the middle of a ten yard circle of sand.

PT

Alright, a lot to do and little time to do it in.

Tom is going to ask Rickard to ask his aunt to help him negotiate a better return on his diamonds.  Of course, the problem is, she's going to ask him for a larger share, so he'll put it this way to her, "I have some long term plans in mind and I'm willing to offer a share of those." He WILL NOT go higher than giving her 20% of the extra income she can haggle, but he'll try for 10% (and probably fail) but if she is willing, he'll try for 10% plus a third in the printing press if he can get enough capital to create it, plus the promise to involve Rickard in future business prospects.  It might work, it might not.

===You get roundly abused, and feel somewhat guilty at only leaving 20% to such a hard-working, hard done by old woman. She takes everything you offer, and insults it as a pittance, and suggests that in a month's time, she'll renegotiate and 'mayhap you won't be so inclined to starve someone trying to do an ungrateful lout a kindness, but then again, ingratitude goes all the way to the bone, and ....'

Afterwards, Rickard sympathizes with you, and points out that he had to grow up next door to her.

"She's so mean that even the city guards don't cross her."

He will sell all of the diamonds but one.

==It takes nearly two hours of shouting, screaming, hystrionics, death threats, and faked heart attacks....but you get about eighty percent more gold than you would have gotten by yourself. After the dwarf's and the old aunt's performance, your ears are ringing, and you've received a definite lesson in How to Haggle Like a Cold-blooded Shark. (OOC: 1@2 Haggling.)

Tom realizes his mistake with the farmer, so he wants to win but plays it somewhat safe, searching out the Farmer's capacity and making it seem like he is somewhat incompotent, and then using his enhanced capacity (he hopes that still works here, he did fight Jay after all) to beat him in a surprise series of maneuvers to hopefully beat him as quickly as possible.

===The farmer hangs back too until he suddenly pitches the 'dagger' at your face, and then comes in to clock you across the ribs while you're dodging the face shot. He didn't count on  your readiness, and on your speed.

You duck the first, and as he comes in for the swing, you step forward to be inside his swing, and slap him across the back with your 'blade'. You are already moving into the next attack when the judges yell 'hold. Victory to Master Thomas.'

As he gets back up, he grunts ruefully.

"You're fast, boy, real fast. You fight like an elflord. But I'd a gotten you otherwise."

Tom pays to enter, primarily so he can choose the order and try to strategically match opponents as best he can.  First, he'll get someone to help him pick (through Rickard if he can help) as a 'consultant' as it were, indeed preferably someone who can help him find Armor and a shield, because this clearly isn't going to work well.

==No armor is allowed. Rickard gives you some advice on dirty tricks to watch out for, and you make it through the third round this day. There is still 32 combatants left in the single-elimination tournameant, and you've only been hit once on the thigh. You're getting a rep as 'very fast.'

You've chosen easy targets after the farmer, but the easy targets are rapidly going away. Most of the thrirty-two left look tough, and some look scary.

Furthermore, Tom has given a lot of thought to divine theory and has realized certain things.  When Christ said, "Anything you have seen me do, you can do also" meant to him that, if the circumstances were right that a person with sufficient faith could do literally anything.  But the miracles in the old and early new testament meant to him that there was a time for such things and a time against it.  Further, the woman who touched the hem of his garment drained energy which implied that there was energy to be channeled....which sounded an awful lot like some ideas of magic.  He has a lot of theological and personal spiritual experiences to draw from but he was no Elijah...but if there was no one to teach him then he had to teach himself.

Since Christ used mud to heal the man's eye to increase his faith, it seems reasonable that symbolic acts can add in the creation of a ritual.  Therefore Tom is going to buy some leather armor with a small steel plate attached to it and focus his mental energy as much as possible for at least 10 minutes, praying.  Once he has achieved this effect, he will first pray to the Lord explaining what it is that he is trying to do, in terms of the creation of the armor, thanking him for the spiritual gifts and experiences that he has received and why he needs this miracle (specifically because by winning he can get a castle to get land and do good by creating certain basic improvements.  How he is not better in terms of worth than his spiritual brothers, but has knowledges that none of them do that can improve many lives and that with the Lord's aid he can do great things, thus he asks that the Lord provide him spiritual armor based upon his faith.)

====You feel a fire lance through your hand, and look up to see an imp in front of you.  He's got a pitchfork held in his tiny hand, and a wicked grin on his face.

"You know, Tom, I've messed with you time and again back on Earth, but here, here I can take physical form, and rip your head off. I have to admit, I'd lost track of you, and then I heard your feeble prayer, and I said to myself, why that sounds like Tom. I wonder how he's doing. Now, I propose a deal...you agree to stop this useless praying, and I won't carve my initials in your carcass."

He'll try to order engagements such that there is time between them for him to pray between each match for Spiritual Armor.

He'll by 10 glass beads worth of Explosive Stuff and 10 worth of a stunning irritant that he can use in the Grand Melee.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:09, Thu 29 May 2008.

The beads are ordered.

OOC: The prayer was a botch as you no doubt guessed.

PT

Tom understands why he was supposed to come here now.  This entire world has helped him understand True Cosmology significantly better.  It is one thing to make guesses, it is another thing to experience it first hand.  While God is clearly aware of all things and at all times, mechanically, He does really use a field like magic through granting power to his servants.  And that field can be disrupted, distracted or interfered with, which meant that the reversal of the prayer in which he was asking for the wind to change might not have revealed displeasure from the Lord at all but could have simply been divine hacking.

As for the imp, Tom deliberately did not allow himself to feel feelings of amusement or contempt.  He certainly did not fear it.  He very calmly extended his hand, focusing his faith and his spiritual lens and said, in a loud but firm voice, "In the name of Jesus Christ, depart this place."

If it does not immediately depart, then Tom will draw Demonslayer and slice into the Imp.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:34, Thu 29 May 2008.

You begin to speak, and the imp throws a bit of walnut down your throat.  So you draw Demonslayer, and you feel insane....no very sane, but completely unmerciful hatred crash through you.

The sword seems to strike of its own accord, and the imp wails as it dissappears into some place very cold and very far away.  It is a place so cold and lonely that electrons don't even dance anymore. Your glimpse of it is enough to make you shudder, but the warmth of your hatred makes that go away.

And then you spit out the nasty tasting piece of walnut. You're pretty sure your banishment could have worked, but it does look like Forces of Evil, Inc. has more than a few tricks of their own.

Then you realize you can't hear the fair.

"That is a nice blade you have there." You hear from your left. Standing about three feet away is a man with red hair and friendly, if cautious blue eyes.  Behind him is a woman dressed in what looks like early nineteenth century dress complete with a bonnet.

"Christophe and Annie. We're versers, and we have a small problem. I have a little project I need help with, and once its done, I'll return you to this point in space/time. That is, if you're willing."

Beyond them, near a tent, you see a bird frozen in mid-launch. A juggler with three balls in the air, and unmoving.  A whole street filled with people, and not one is moving.

"I've pulled you partially out of your current reality to the edge of Heaven where time is more flexible. My apolgies for the inconvenience."

PT

Tom is a bit...surprised at what happens when he draws the sword, but he shouldn't be.  Given that everything is more 'mystical' here, the sword will also be more present.  Though it seems sentient, which is fine but that might mean a bit more refinement while he is here, such as the ability to speak (ergo the ability to reason under the right circumstances)...then again it might be able to speak now.

As time freezes he looks about.

Tom nods, "I'd be more than willing to help.  Though I want to learn how you did this time stop thing at some point, if you're willing to teach it."

He grins.

"Spoken like a true verser. I can give you my notes on it, but I warn you, its very high level magic. Can you teleport? Disintegrate matter? Throw up a forcefield?" He pauses. "Can you call fire from the sky?" He speaks as if throwing fireballs or calling fire from Heaven was very basic.

He pauses.

"Okay." And he hands you a rolled up sheaf of paper after scrounging in his backpack a bit. "I give this to you because I said I would. Right now, you're in the position of someone who can't start a campfire, and I've given you nuke bomb plans. In other words, you gotta work up to it. But hey, you're immortal."

He holds out his hand,and you take it, and the world wavers around you....

"Hey, you're back. I dropped off the other guy, and now you get returned. I appreciate your helping me out. I'd made a promise not to use my sword against them some time ago...guess they didn't think I could recruit help." Captain Charles says with easy charm, and a chuckle.

"For me, its been about thirty seconds since I saw you, but I expect longer for you. Hows it going?"

The world wavers around you.

You're standing in the market. Birds are still frozen in mid-flight. He looks as if he's about to say goodbye, but he wants to hear your answer.

PT

Tom laughs a bit, "As well as can be expected.  I'm not entirely sure that this kind of life style is wise, but I'm still stupid enough to keep helping people.  But if you need help again, let me know.  Of course, if your question is; how are things going back there? Well that's hard to say.  We finally figured out what was going on and it looks like one of the angels is going to be assembled.  They seem to be in somewhat good hands.  I think they'll do fine."

He shrugs.

"I'm a troubleshooter. I look for trouble and shoot it. Most people aren't as tough as we are, and it gives you a chance to try out new things. And really, who wouldn't want to be a Jedi Knight slash Arch Mage slash Monster Killer of Doom?"

He snaps up his light saber into a salute....click-hiss, and gives you a crooked grin. He steps back, and fadesssss...

The birds start flying.

Right, well Tom is right back where he started.  His priorities have changed.  He NEEDS to learn magic and he needs to learn it in a serious way, but simply walking away from the tourney at this point seems....Wasteful.

So he'll try it again and pray, trying to be a lot less arrogant this time, asking for Spiritual armor of some sort as protection in the battles to come. If the Lord does not see fit to do so then so mote his will be.

He also instructs his body to stop processing pain during the bouts.  He'll also try altering his strategy a little since quite frankly doing the same thing over and over paints a big target on himself.

If he's right, his endurance is a lot harder than these guys and he doesn't want to look too elf like, so he's just going to be mainly defensive on the next guy with a few really strong strikes at random, and basically just wear the guy out instead of relying on superior reflexes all the time.

You pray, and the armor disintegrates under your hands. For a long moment you fear something else has happened to block you, perhaps like the demon that blocked the answer to Daniel's prayer for fourteen days, and then you say...

"Blessed be the name of the Lord." As you accept God's will.

And you feel a weight on your shoulders as if the armor was there.

You attempt to alter your pain threshold, but are not sure this works.

You fight the next guy, and take a hit on the forearm which stings like fire (so much for pain modification!), and a 'slice' along the ribs which you don't hardly feel. And then you riposte by slamming your opponent in the chest.

"Hold. Victory for Thomas Day."

There are fifteen other competitors, and the size of the crowd is growing. There is a drawing of lots, and one of the others gets to sit out on the next round and be listed as 'winning'. You don't get that lucky. You have half an hour to wait until the next duel...

You are facing off against a bear of a man with a rough, black beard; keen eyes, and brawny arms practically down to his kneecaps.

"I'm a lumberjack. M'prefer axes, but a knife will do. I won three years ago."  He grins at you with yellow teeth clearly trying to unnerve you, and having fun at the same time.

PT
OOC: I'm putting in the modification that this miracle uses up an armor because otherwise its a Make Magic Armor which is pretty high level. And also, you can't use physical armor in the duels.

 The effect of the miracle is to reduce damage levels from one to three levels (thus a Dangerous weapon like a sword, in the hands of an amateur swordsman would do no damage at the armor's best) in the area covered by the armor. I'm allowing any type of armor to be used. The effect lasts from 10 minutes to an hour.  The chance of this miracle working is quite high since it has a fair amount of limits, and I've added the 'destroy armor' to it as well.

Does this seem fair?

Well it made sense, when asking for miracles, one should generally accept the will of God.  While he wasn't stupid enough to ignore the will of God before, sometimes arrogance and pride are difficult to notice when one has them in excess.



Apparently advanced biological lifeforms didn't work here.  That made sense.  It also explained why the Symbiont didn't work here.



Tom is about to turn this guy's intimidation right back around at him.  It might be a character flaw, but he has no problem messing with the minds of evil things...but this guy isn't evil.  He just wants to win.

As such, he does not sing the Monty Python song, "I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK."

Tom simply says, "A lot can happen to a man in three years. Fight well sir Lumberjack."  Wow.  Not even being sarcastic? Well, he wasn't going to change THAT much, but he was going to avoid being a jerk needless.

Probably.

His strategy with this guy is....try to get him mad.  Not verbally, but this guy is blustering, so he's lacking confidence.  Part of it is obviously because Tom is an unknown but Tom thinks there is more to it than that.  Of course, if this guy won three years ago, he is not a push over, so Tom does not assume a simple taunt is going to do here, but a complex one might.  This guy is looking to make him intimidated, so at some point Tom will appear intimidated, and appear to be losing.  At that point he'll pull the rapid strike again.  Or at least try to.

PT


Perfectly fair.  He'll buy one, but just so long as he isn't using the super suit he got from Day Deorbits.  That has sentimental value.  He'll buy a suit of armor for each match if he has to.  He doesn't want to chince the Lord, but if the Lord accepts the cheaper leather stuff he'll use that.  He'll go with what he feels is right.

If he has 30 minutes between bouts, he'll perform the miracle a second time (if he can).

If the effect of the miracle is to cover that which the armor covers he'll definitely go for the leather but the full leather outfit.

Oh, one other thing, I know costs are inflated, so bear in mind that under no circumstance is Tom spending more than 50 gold on the whole tournament.  20ish would be more ideal.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:10, Sun 10 Aug 2008.

Its too easy to appear to be losing to the lumberjack. He's got very long arms, and every time his knife crosses yours you feel a jolt up to your elbow. Plus he tries to fake rush you several times to get you to step out of the ring. On the second time, he has you standing on the very edge of the ring, and only some very quick scrambling saves you.

You try to use that as your time to rapid attack, but he is able to fend you off with his long arms as he goes wholly on the defensive.

"Eh, hiding a trick or too up your sleeve. Well played." He puffs as he focuses on your flickering blade and on your chest muscles to decide where you're going next with his keen eyes. You can see now that bluster, just like the way he hits your blade to try to twist it from your weary hand, or his bum rushes is just another trick.  He's focused on winning. Whether he would cheat or not is a question, but he might.  Of course, with a marshall judge but four feet away it would be hard to manage.

Right.  Well then two can play at that game....

They probably didn't think to add this into the rules, since aside from the Samurai, they probably didn't think to include this....

Tom would know the rules very well, and if it is not forbidden in the letter of the rules and not greatly opposed to the spirit, Tom is going to Ninjitsu our Lumberjack friend.

Using martial arts on an opponent that is armed is difficult, but there are certain holds and throws that one can use that can render such weapons inaccurate.

Primarily, Tom is going to attempt to do a Martial Sweep to undercut his legs.

If that doesn't work, then Tom is going to start attacking the dude's arms, focusing elusively on one arm until it gets weaker, and THEN try to bypass his arm.

You block, block, and use that to get in close, and then drop into a leg sweep.  He has sturdy legs, and decent balance. For a fraction of a second, nothing seems to happen.

He topples slightly, and tries to put his feet down, but he's not fast enough on his feet to get them back up under him.  So fighting it all the way, and with a startled look on his face he topples.

You're up, and diving at his chest for the finishing blow almost before he hits the ground.

"Victory. Thom..."

The lumberjack puffs out a breath.

"Nice move."

Later, you've prayed for another miracle, and received a 'yes'.

You walk out, and see a short, skinny man who walks like he's on springs.  He gives you a snaggle-toothed grin from below his luxuriant mustache as he flips the blade back and forth between his hands.

The match is on, and he's startled. The blade flies from his hand, and he doesn't catch it...your eyes are drawn to his right as his our, and then you realize he's rushing straight at you with his blade in his left hand.

Tom bows politely to Sir Lumberjack, "Well played yourself sir.  It was an honor to fight you."

Tom realizes that this guy is potentially quicker than he is, moreover if he's gotten this far he has studied Tom well so he's expecting some unexpected move.  That and he probably has a slightly higher skill than Tom does; for while Tom has been trained generally, he's been trained as a legionnaire, not as a warrior.

Having said that, Tom has two advantages this guy doesn't have.  He has seen Death and come out on the other side.....and there is unexpected and then totally @#$@#$ unexpected.

Tom tightly turns his blade inward and charges the guy as well.  He places his shield so that if the guy tries to knock his blade out of the way he will be blocked.

Tom does an all out offensive manuever, knowing full well that this guy is going to get a good strike on him but counting on trying to get the 'killing blow' in first and then, if they both do, immediately turning around and whacking his 'dead' body in an even more decisive way unless the judges call the match.

With your feet digging in to the thin dust, and a feeling like time has slowed down, and nightmarishly you're never going to be fast enough, you charge him. He speeds up desperately as you try to bring your blade on point.

You tag him across the forearm he raises to block you; he jabs you in your left shoulder numbing it. He's past you, and you're whipping around.

For some reason his blade is flipping through the air to your right, a blur in the corner of your vision as it retreats.  You try to knife him, but he's diving into a forward roll, and your strike clears his backbone by two inches.

Gasping for breath, you....

PT

OOC: He botched. He tried to flip his left hand held blade to his right reversed, and stab you in the back without him turning around (and thus being faster), but he didn't catch the blade.

Tom performs an immediate leap forward with a strike lung from behind.  He knew his opportunities were narrow with this guy, so he had to move whilst he still could.  He uses the rapid zen strike that Arroyo taught him so that he strikes rapidly, quickly and without conscious thought.

Afterward, he leaps back quickly because this guy is agile and dangerous.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:34, Fri 15 Aug 2008.

You dive forward without thinking about it, and slam him directly in the back of his left lung.  He's hammered into the ground, and gasping for breath as you roll off him.

"Hold." The marshall says a bit startled. "Victory. Thomas Day."

They tote your opponent off the field to a chair on the side as he gathers his breath again. He looks at you ruefully, and forms words with his mouth as he no air to spare.

"Next time."

You have several visitors to your awning tent this time. They are fans.

Also, you see some more richly dressed people arriving now that the duel is down to four people. Some of them are also wandering about, talking with the remaining duellists.

PT

Tom bows respectfully to his opponent but indicates with his expression that if the guy isn't paying proper respect that he's returning, he's not afraid and more than willing to return the favor under honorable or less than honorable circumstances.  Some people understand one language...and Tom speaks that language.

Respect him and he'll respect you...be a jerk and he'll happily use the local equivalent of a Fuel Air Bomb from 20000 feet away.

Tom spots the rich guys talking with the others and gathers that this now involves wagers, which involves a considerable amount of money.  These guys want to know the other candidates.  Tom sends Rickard to listen to what kinds of questions they ask; he's to watch and listen not ask.

As for his fans....he arranges to have several strips of leather imprinted with a T and gives it to them.  He tells them it is an "Autograph" and thanks them for their support and enthusiasm.  He'll also ask his fans what they know about his opponents.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:21, Sun 17 Aug 2008.

Rickard reports back.

"Sirrah, they are as you thought, or those several are." He points to a few of the plumper ones. "Those others with that group are with the Captain of the Guard and they wish to see new techniques, and perhaps to see if some person might be suited to inducting into the Guard. It is a great honor to be offered a chance to be a man-at-arms." He then points to a last group. "Those wish to hire adventurers like your previous combatant. He entered many a dungeon with his knives."

Your fans appreciate the idea, and think it quite clever. Here are their comments...

"Oh, Lord Taupman is lightning quick. He won last year, and four years ago. He gives schools on how to fight with the knife and the sword. He's the local favorite."

"Duxworth is from the Greenwood of the Elves and so he's fought Elves in sparring matches all his life. They say he's a Captain of an Elven Bodyguard which is about as high as a human can get in the Greenwood."

"Jeremy Bonejarrer is so handsome, I wish..."

"Bonejarrer is right on his name. He fights in an odd fashion. And he's mean. Break your bones."

Tom tries to find out from the fans if they seemed to have trouble with anyone.  Who was it that they were fighting that seemed to give them the most problems and why?

He also tries to get explicit descriptions about Bonejarrer that is so odd...as in HOW does he break bones?

"Taupman had trouble with George of Rochester. George is a blacksmith, a mountain of a man, near seven foot if he's an inch..."

"Ah, hmmm, ah, well I don't recall Duxworth having trouble with anyone now that you mention it. He always was just enough better to beat everyone although most came close."

"Bonejarrer gets his free hand on you. On your hand, or wrist, or shoulderbones, and just squeezes."

"Yeah, and there was that guy, um Stefan the Sailor, he just threw him on to the ground somehow, hard enough to crack Stefan's skull. I don't know how he did that. I mean I saw it, but I still don't know how he did it."

Your personal fan club scatters and a richly dressed man escorted by two teenage daughters approaches. There is a strong family resemblance with all of them having a prominent straight nose.

"Thomas Day, I am the Chamberlain, and it is my duty for these last two duels to have you request who you shall challenge first. We then compare the votes, and decide who goes against who. So...Lord Taupman, Journeyman Jeremy Bonejarrer, or Captain Duxworth of the Elves." His face curls in disdain at the last name.

They all sound like formidable opponents.  Tactically, it sounds like Bonecrusher is best to fight first, but quite frankly at this skill level, his odds of losing go up astronomically.  As such, he might as well gain as much by losing as he can.

He's about to say Captain Duxworth and stops....while Tom doesn't like Elves...in fact, he is actually racist TOWARD elves and not any other thing in all creation; he hates Krynn elves above all other things....BUT....not elves are going to be like Krynn elves.  Some elves are actually better than humans.

And he's not going to perpetuate crap if they are.

"Bonecrusher, my Lord." He bows politely.

"An interesting choice, sirrah. May Those Who Count the Books weigh in your favor." He nods, and you get smiles from the daughters. He walks on.

A few minutes later the tallies are compared, the hush of the crowd spreads as the Chamberlain milks the moment for drama, and then he turns to the Herald and speaks two names.

"Lord Taupman vs. Captain Duxworth" The Herald blares out.

The two begin their. Taupman is elegant until he takes off his cloak, and then you can see he is a rack of bones with very little meat on him. However, he moves like sudden whiplash even as he walks.

He takes a professional stance, and your stomach churns as you realize he knows more about knives than you do.

Duxworth is shorter, and stouter, and slower. In fact, he seems laggard and sleepy.

He lets Taupman attack, and attack, and always evades. He never seems worried, or over-exerted. The knife is always perfectly placed.

The fight goes on, and Taupman is running low on endurance as beads of sweat fly from his noble forehead.  His precise cuts and his breathtaking speed begin to wobble.

And then Duxworth moves and ripostes with a sudden lurch, and 'stabs' Taupman in the chest.

The Herald then cries out "Bonejarrer vs. Day"

Your opponent comes out from his tent. His arms are very long, and corded with muscle. His hands are huge and bulge.

He looks a dire combination of whipcord tough and solidly muscled.

His wavy, rust-brown hair and light green eyes, and roguish smile explain his effect on the ladies. In fact, you notice a lot more female observers in the crowd for this fight.  However, you're pleasantly surprised to hear a number of them shouting for 'Day!' even tho' 'Bonejarrer!' shouts outnumber them.

What concerns you most though is the private words he whispers to you as he steps close before the Marshall hustles him back.

"I'm going to break every bone in your body, pretty boy. And my hands are cursed so you won't heal."

Tom simply smiles at him.

Tom actually realizes he chose well by not fighting Duxworth.  As he suspected, Duxworth is the best here.  He's got something to prove and that is probably that uppity humans don't know everything they think they know...which means if he can beat Mrs. Butterworth, he gets to lose in the last round instead of the second to last round.

Despite his internal disdain at Butterworth's mind, he takes the fighting style very seriously.  He knows that a conventional fight against this guy is going to fail.

So instead of a sword and a shield or two swords, Tom takes two shields.  His weapons are his feet, and he's going to kick the crap out of this guy, including all of those lethal kicks that he was shown and told only to use in life threatening situations.  The shields are to keep the guy's hands at bay.  He also keeps himself very mobile since a grip is a really bad thing.  Of course, shields can be used as offensive weapons too.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:50, Tue 19 Aug 2008.

Bonejarrer looks startled when you come out, and he turns to protest to the Marshall who coldly tells him.

"Its legal. Duel on."

Bonejarrer protests again, and is warned that failure to fight is automatic default with some pleasure by the marshall.

You spend the next couple minutes chasing him around the ring as he rebuilds his confidence...and makes plans. You can see you're seriously ticking him off.

PT

Right.  Anybody who fights with cursed fists doesn't really deserve the honorable treatment.

Sung to a children's nursery rhymy tune.

"Bonecrusher, BoneCrusher,
Such a handsome fellow
BoneCrusher, BoneCrusher
So sad your back is Yellow.

Bonecrusher, Bonecrusher,
Such big hands I see has thee
BoneCrusher, Bonecrusher
Big hands but tiny instrument of pee.

Bonecrusher, Bonecrusher
His hands are cursed to harm
Bonecrusher, Bonecrusher
But intelligence has no magic charm.

A head so small
I lost its sight
With a brain that's even smaller.
He's so stupid
I have to yell
IN FACT I HAVE TO HOLLER

Bonecrusher, Bonecrusher
Who runs around
Such a sight
On a battle ground
With a coward's cry
And a coward's way
I think he'll reap
A coward's pay
To-Day."

And if Bonecrusher hasn't mindlessly attacked Tom at this point, Tom does a flying kick to his face.  If he does loose it, then Tom is going to side step him and try to trip him out of the ring.

If none of the above works (and he's not dead) he gets the audience to join in the same song and start singing along.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:41, Wed 20 Aug 2008.

Furious, he stalks toward you, and reaches out. He grabs a shield,top and bottom and twists it, trying to force you to your knees. You hammer him with your free shield, and he blocks with his left forearm while not letting go, grunting in pain as you slam him.

You can see your shield bending under his hands, and smell his fetid breath in your face.

"I'm going to twist until I break your arm, and make you kneel."

Of course, you can loose your arm, but to do so you'd have to let go of one of your shields.

You can see murderous fury in his red face. He has it savagely under control, but you've no doubt what he will do to you if he gets half a chance. However, you can tell from his rage that he wants to humiliate you first, and then win.  He wants to wipe out the insult to his reputation from your song by making such a mess of you that people will forget all about the song.

PT

His order of battle in priority:

1) If an opportunity for a rapid martial strike to the eyes, wind pipe or kidney present themselves, he takes it.

2) If this guy is grabbing the shield, Tom is going to attempt to sommersault backwards, using this guys grip on his shield whilst Tom grips with the other hand to throw this guy backwards and hopefully out of the ring.

3) Keep bashing the crap out of this guy whilst he breaks Tom's shield.

4) Let go of the shield if he must and kick the crap out of this guy.

If it looks absolutely hopeless, he'll leave the ring before he lets this guy make a total fool of him.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:23, Thu 21 Aug 2008.

With your arm being twisted to the left near to the point of breaking, there is little chance for you to get in a nerve strike. You fall backwards, and try to flip him over you, but he sags to his knees, and takes the kick to his chest with a wince.

He then uses the edge of the shield to slam you in the face as he lays on top of you.  You hammer him in the side of the head.

You try to break free, and he's surprised as you dump your shield and wiggle loose before darting out of the ring.

With a pang of regret you see his triumphantly snarling face, and gingerly touch your broken nose. Still, fourth out of more than a one-twenty contestants is pretty good, and you can tell that people still remember your poem even as they cheer him faintheartedly.

Various people clap you on the shoulder in commiseration, and a marshall escorts you to the Healer's Tent.

PT

Tom is mildly depressed.  The bad guys seem to be triumphing a lot lately.  First the goons with guns and then mere hours later this jerk.  He hadn't expected to win but losing to *THIS* jerk was just...humiliating.  He is very glad he didn't mock the lumberjack and the knife nerd.  This guy did deserve to mocked though.  It would have been better if he'd won.  Hopefully he does indeed choke on the poem.

He will go to the Healer's tent.

He'll tell the healer of his natural healing abilities if that somehow matters.  He's assuming the curse did not apply since he bashed with the shield rather than his actual hands.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:20, Fri 22 Aug 2008.

The healer studies your nose for a second, and then sings a tune of reverential respect.

Your nose heals.

"Good as new. I accept tips, but the Duke's already paid for my services."

Feeling a bit cheered, you wander out in time to see Duxworth clean Bonejarrer's clock.  He's not very nice about it either for it seems that Duxworth shares the view of many of the other fighting men in not liking Bonejarrer.

You receive, as fourth, along with fifth through tenth, a dagger as an award. The others either receive a free meal (if they placed lower) or bags of copper, silver, and gold respectively if they placed higher.

The guy you pounded in the back with the strike lung attack edges up to you, and casually points out what you've already noticed. Bonejarrer is giving you an occasion Look. He looks unhappy, but there is a calmness when he looks at you.

"That my friend, is a man who's made a decision about you. If you're interested in getting out of town and sacking a monster cave my company can always use a man good with steel. And it might be healthier than staying around here."

PT

Tom is not going to run from this guy.

Given what he knows about BoneJarrer, a "Look" is tantamount to a declaration of war.  But since it nominally involves premeditively blowing the guy's head off, he'll be sure by confirming with the Lord by asking if he is wrong about his beliefs that BoneJarrer intends to kill him or not.

If he doesn't get an answer, or the answer is no, then Tom tests the pistol to make sure it works, and then waits for Bonejarrer to give him another threatening look and then calmly blows his head off.

If the pistol doesn't work, he'll test an explosive alchemical bead for the air rifle, and so long as the resulting fireball won't kill all the surrounding people, do the same thing.

If neither the pistol nor the air rifle explosive bead work (safely), or if the Lord confirms that Bonejarrer doesn't have designs on Tom's life, then he will go and talk with tricky guy, asking his name and details about his company.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:42, Mon 25 Aug 2008.

You pray, and images flood your mind...King Saul planning on doing in David, Herod planning the Slaughter of the Innocents, and Joseph's brothers talking about selling him into slavery.

You test your pistol. It seems to work.

The first shot is a clean miss. You settle down.

You shoot again.

It hits Bonejarrer high in the chest.

Other people are beginning to connect the sound, and your pointing your strange talisman.

The Marshall's insist most severely that you put the talisman on the ground, and stand very still making no sound that might be magic.

Bonejarrer is gasping out his breath.

Healers are sent for, arrive, pray, and turn away.

One bends down to Bonejarrer.

"I cannot heal those sworn to Metrossia. Renounce her, and live."

Bonejarrer says something, and the Healer jerks back, and with a stony face walks away.

Bonejarrer dies.

The Duke comes and takes your parole.  He then walks aside with you. He seems calm. No one has yelled at you after the initial panicked reaction of the Marshalls.

"Well, you've made a ruckus in my town in one day. What am I to do with you? What have you to say for yourself?"

OOC: 1@2 Open the Intent of Mind; +1 to pistol skill.

"I swear on my honor by My God and My Soul, though no man is fit to swear upon His Name, that I was instructed By His Divine Will upon the ill intent of a man who worships a dark god.  I am entirely understanding of the fact that you would find this evidence difficult on my word alone, and as such I am willing to face death for it, but I would not run nor would I cower in the shadows with the threatening looks he gave me.

Understand though your Grace that I do not fear Death for I have been cursed and blessed to die and be reborn again in many worlds.  If you truly wish justice then I would ask your Grace to allow me to do what I would have done had I won the tourney and won the castle.  I do not desire wealth, though I am willing to use it for power, nor do I desire power, though I am more than willing to acquire it for the greater good.  Nor do I desire status though I will use that as well.

I possess knowledges Your Grace such that, if given sufficient leverage, could greatly increase your crop yields, financial welfare, and potentially even the military and magical prowess of your lands and assets.  I admit, your grace, that I do not know much in the way of magic as you might define it, but I have a vast knowledge of advanced mathematics and philosophical tools that may be of use when consigned with one of magical knowledge.

I will also say, your grace, that my arrival on your world took sufficient notice from Teracule herself.  It was she that brought me to the tourney whilst I told her a bit of my travels."

Tom nods and bows to the Duke.  Well that went much better than he expected.  Now he just has to survive a week.  Of course, first things first.

This guy didn't fear dying to worship an evil God, so unless the Marshals prevent him, Tom is going to pray over BoneJarrer's corps, "Dear Lord, though the soul that inhabited this flesh is in the judgment of whatever power thou deemest fit, this flesh is Mortal Man and thus created in Thy Image.  That which is in Thy Image Lord is Holy, and therefore, let this flesh be blessed with graceful rest, barred from returning from the dead in some foul or necromatic construct.  Thy will be done in all things, in the Name of Jesus Christ Amen."

While he does this, he has a frag grenade ready to toss down at the body in case it animates.

Regardless, if he's not fighting for his life or being locked up/yelled at again for trying that, then he'll meet with Tricky and learn his name.  He'll buy him a round of drinks and hear about or meet the rest of the company.  If they're willing to listen, he'll say:

"Thing is, there are three small tales I want to tell you if you're up for it.  The first involves the fact that I've got access to other lives I've touched...almost lived in a fashion, for they say that everything thing is true somewhere, and while I don't have all the skills I've had in these lives, I have a lot skills of my own, and these other lives have been dungeon crawling before ...hundreds of times.  I've learned a lot from that, but truth be told, I'm kind of retired from it.  You see, most of these crawls had insane strictures about the kind of weapon you could use, or the kind of magic you could have.  It was sickening, but that, plus a general distaste (not fear mind you) of caves in general leaves me disinclined toward the art, but I'm a stubborn cuss and I'd love to help some other fellows do the job right.

The second tale I want to tell you is about the land of my birth.  Round about a hundred fifty years ago, they found gold.  Literal mountains of it, and people came from thousands of miles around to mine for it.  They sold everything they had to find it in mines and streams and everywhere else they could find. Some men made it rich, most ended up with nothing but broken dreams.  See the thing of it was, with all that gold there, so far from civilization, they worked so hard all week that when they finally got a break they spent their gold like there was no tomorrow, buying simple things for very high prices.  Now, the secret from this wasn't that mining for gold was bad, per se, though you want to be careful how you spend it, no the secret to me is that if you REALLY want to get rich, you don't mine for gold, you sell to the guys that go mining for gold.  I've got some very concrete ideas about how to do that if you're interested.

The third tale is from the land of my birth and it is about a group of soldiers called S.E.A.Ls.  They can use any weapon that you can think of, and they have skills that most sages here could barely comprehend.  They can swim or dive out of a flying magically levitated barge from thousands of feet in the air.  They can hold their breath for fifteen minutes at a time and they're tough, tough as nails.  They are the elite of the elite of the elite.  But one of the keys to their success is that they train like no one else, and they work in tight teams where everyone has a skill that compliments everyone else.  I can't train you to be a S.E.A.L, but if you're willing to work with me, I can give you some of the teamwork secrets that could probably make any other company pale by comparison."

Tom shakes his head, "No, honestly I'm not actually wanting to directly charge you for anything.  See here is what I have in mind.  We work together and come up with new ideas, new equipment and new ways of Adventuring.  There is this thing called Branding, which basically means if you guys get really good and really famous, then people are going to want to be like you, so you make arrangements with the right guilds to sell your stuff and people are going to want to buy it.  You get a share of all the stuff they make because it'll have the brand of the Company of the Golden Needle.

What do I get out of this? Well a couple of things.  First, I'm not asking for any money front.  But if this works, and I'm not saying it will but if we do it right I think it has a good shot, then I get to put together a book that tells people what to do and what not to do as an adventurer, and I get you guys as co authors.  I get all the money from the book.

But honestly, the main thing I get out of it is the personal satisfaction at seeing dungeon crawling done right.  Its about the loot and getting rid of the monsters, not the style of it all.  And if you need style, you can do it in a way that's a heck of a lot less risky than most.  You guys sound quite cohesive, which is a good start, but there might be a few angles that you haven't thought of.  We'd have to get really granular.

Worst case scenario, I teach you a few things, you teach me a few things, we come out of this a bit wiser.  Best case scenario, we all get rich."

They look at each other, glances passing back and forth around the table, bouncing this way and that as unspoken questions and doubts get asked, answered, and dealt with.

"Truth to tell, we do have some techniques, but we know some of the top-notch adventuring teams like the Company of the Black Goose and the Company of the Broken Axe have it a lot more together than we do." Tricky Ricky says. "So..., in addition, one of the problems of being an adventurer is retirement and ransom problems and ressurections. Typically, you buy a castle, clear it out of monsters, attract villagers....in a word...boring. Besides, I'm good at finding traps and cutting orc throats from behind, but I don't know zip about running a castle."

He looks around to see if there are any objections, and receives supporting nods.

"You help train us to not only be decent, but great. You join the Company as a non-adventuring member. You be the Companies business manager."  He looks at you to see if you're objecting. "In turn, we've got your back. You get this..."

He hands you a silver arm bracelet with the needles symbols on it.

"Your ransom bracelet. And we give you treasure chest..."

"B." Says Flamethrower. Tricky nods. "B it is. Its about two thousand doubloons of gold, a handful of jewels, and a couple talismans we're not sure of their nature. That'll get you started once we go and dig it up."

PT

Tom says, "Save for my duties to my God and by my parole to his Grace the Duke, I accept your generous terms gladly.  And I don't honestly picture either of those being a problem.  I have no problem administering your general affairs.  I can help with a lot of things, but there is a lot I have to learn, but it so happens that I have learned a great deal as well."

He puts on the bracer.  "Now to do this right, we're going to have to take a really boring inventory of what all of your skills are, and what you've done in your adventuring career thus far.  It out to take us about a day, but it will help give me insight into what you've done and what needs to be done still.  But if I'm right, by the time we're done, you won't only be the best company in the duchy, you'll be the best in the World.  But we'll save that stuff for tomorrow...I say tonight we celibrate!"

And Tom will celebrate, with more release than he has since he died.  Of course, he won't drink TOO much because he's still worried about Bone Jarrer returning from the dead.  He'll break out the guitar and sing several of the better songs he knows from Earth (which seem appropriate for whatever they sing here; he's probably thinking hard core rock is more to their taste along with folk music of the more glorious variety.  He'll spontaneously adjust the lyrics to local circumstance when he can as long as he doesn't think it will suck.)

That night, he sleep with the company and (I presume) make sure they're setting a watch.  If no one else does, he keeps watch himself until we can hire security guards later.  Someone ALWAYS is on watch.  No more thieves in the night.

They take you to an inn named The Poor Adventurer.  The bread trenchers filled with stew are huge, the waitresses carry wooden spoons to swack any too friendly hands, the stories are loud and tend to start with 'there I was as a hundred things with sharp teeth...', the dart boards are used for bets and have many skillful players, there is one board used for throwing knives and you repeatedly through the night hear 'thwock, thwock' as the knifethrowers compete, the beer is watered which seems to be expected so no one gets really drunk but everyone is filled with a happy glow, there are no dark corners for hooden men to hide in as plentiful candles dominate the room, lots of feats of strength and grace are attempted on top  of tables all over the room, and a couple food fights break out.

Your table gets bombarded by small carrots.

You are introduced around to several other companies, and one man, a clerkly looking sort asks if you've been registered at the Adventurer's Guild.

Your food comes, and so does the beer.

You are wound up enough by the gaiety to take first watch with Young Clay.

"We should be fine, sir." Young Clay says. "Its when an adventurer sleeps by himself that he gets in trouble. Flamethrower got rolled last year. He got too big for his britches, and wanted a private room where Robard didn't snore."

Listening to Robard snore, you have some sympathy for Flamethrower.

Tom finds out all relevant details involved with registering with the Adventer's guild.  As long as it doesn't involve something like swallowing a flaming sword, he'll pay the fee and do the paperwork.

Once things are over, Tom smiles and understands. He is glad that they have a sense of urgency when it comes to this kind of thing.  Not setting watch is just so....basic...that quite frankly he wouldn't have been able to do much with them if they didn't see the point of that.

When his watch is over, he will sleep, but with his sword close at hand just in case.  It isn't thieve's he's really worried about.  But even Bonejarrer in an undead form is unlikely to attack an inn FULL of Adventurers.

Assuming he isn't mauled or attacked during the night, he awakes the next morning to begin a detailed account of their past histories and basic skills.  I hate to put it this way, but quite frankly, he's looking to create a character sheet for each of them; a basic idea of their attributes, skills and natural talents.  He needs to know what they can do before he can make suggestions.

I can ask all of the questions I'd normally ask if you like, but I think you can imagine his skill at this kind of thing is high enough that getting a thorough inventory of what they can do, even for things that they might have taken for granted, is something I can get a complete and total inventory of.

He'll also compare this world's experience with say 'dungeons and dragons' and how dungeon crawling differs.  Obviously it is substantial since this is 'real' but he'll feel it out anyway.  He'll also get an idea of the basic gear that they carry with them and how they use it and problems they have encountered in the past, and how (if at all) they adjusted their techniques based on those items.

A few things he looks for right off the bat:

1)How many of them can read?

2)What is their general attitude toward learning? What skills do they most want to learn and what skills are they willing to teach? (this is on an individual level though I don't need a detailed report for each character, I'm just saying I'm doing so)

3)What are the more subtle dynamics of the group.

4)How to do they feel about recruiting other members to round things out, and if they are ok with it, what is the general consensus about just how many that can be?

5)How do they feel about hirelings in general and how do they feel about having them on an adventure or at a base camp near the 'dungeon' site?

6)What are the strong points of the group compared to other companies and what are the weak points?  It sure looks to me like they don't have much skill in the recon area (save Ricky) tech or much in the way of magic.

Are mages few and hard to come by?

7)How honorably do they feel about fighting the monsters? Would they be opposed to, for example, dumping a few thousand gallons of chlorine gas into the thing to kill all the living stuff so they can only deal with the constructs and the undead?

8)What, if any, preferences do they have on a working HQ, particularly with regards to existing funds? What are local land policies towards obtaining grants etc?

9)Do they have a charter? How well put together is it? Is it missing vitally important elements?

10) He'll try to get a rough guestimate as to their financial situation so he can gauge income vs expenditures (for example he imagines Resurrections are EXPENSIVE!)

As an aside, he will give Rickard a gold and get him to go around and listen, and potentially ask the right people to get him a good idea how many of each type of craftsmen there are in the city.  Tom has a LOT of ideas in mind, but he needs an understanding of the logistical situation.  He takes the political element into account as well, for example he wants to know how many of those craftsmen are ACTUALLY available to work vs tied up in contracts to churches, the duke etc.  The LAST thing he wants to do is piss off the local powers...at least until he is in rather good with the Duke.

I don't need an actual count as a player (cause that would be a pain to type up) but I'm explaining that Tom would begin to compile it.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:56, Thu 28 Aug 2008.

OOC: Believe me, I understand.  I find the idea fascinating though and am more than willing to take the time to do it right.  I also understand that, though Tom is going to be gathering and coordinating an enormous amount of information, asking you to type, define or convey that information is a bit much. :) And Tom is essentially making the character sheets in the game, not asking me the player for the sheets.

Five questions.

1)What's the deal with Wizards and Arcane magic? Thus far I've only seen clerics or the dragon use magic, so I want to confirm that they exist.  If they do, the group needs one.  Badly.

2)Tom understands the "Too many people get in the way" phenomena, he's just trying to fine tune the parts that they're comfortable with 'too many people on'.  They're mostly obviously live free or die types, which is why they're fine with him running the non adventuring side of things as 'boring' but a lot depends on where his side begins and theirs ends.  For example, is that in the dungeon, on the way to the dungeon or just when they get back?  He wouldn't WANT to send more people into the dungeon, its the 'there and back again' angle that has him a bit gray.

3)How functional are these adventurer's symbols? How many are there?  Is there a written dictionary of them somewhere?

4)Does the concept of Banking exist...at all? What about Interest? Are there religious or societal proscriptions against it?

5)This last he approaches with some concern and caution.....and thus uses diplomacy...how do they feel about other races?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:40, Thu 28 Aug 2008.

You've gathered in a practise field with the rest of the adventuring company. Its a place where people can train, just back of the Adventurer's Guildhall.

1. Flamethrower smiles and speaks a short phrase in some odd language.  A sprig of fire appears on his fingertip. He flings it, and it smashes into a pile of stone thats evidently used as a target.

"The magic of wizards is present, but it does not touch common life in the villages as much as do the clerics. Indeed, sometimes, it can be difficult to find adventuring clerics like Cassie...but the urge to confront evil drives her. For wizards, they seek knowledge and we like wealth as much as the next man. But there would likely be less wizards in caves if it was not required to get the ancient knowledges."

2. They're okay with you coming with them, and if you want to establish a kind of base camp that would be fine too. Or if you just want to stay in town, and wait for them to show up with the loot, that's fine too.

3. There's about thirty generally recognized symbols. They are directions, danger warnings, certain specific symbols relevant (trap, trigger, secret door...).  Each registered Company has their own sigil, of course. For yours, its 'four needles pointing right in a vertical column.'

There is no written dictionary.

4. The dwarves do some banking, but you have to travel to one of their cities. Also, they won't bank for less than say ten thousand doubloons.

"Interest...well there's the reward for money." He describes something that sounds like an IRA--deposit 10k, for at least a  year, and get back 10k plus five hundred. Tricky Ricky continues. "I hear Auriador has something, but thats so far south. I've never been there. Always wanted to. Richest city in the world."

It sounds like primitive banking exists. There are no proscriptions against it in the Duchy of Lancaster.

5. There are literally several dozen races. Most have their own niches, and hardly bother the wide world. They claim not to be prejudgices against goblins and orcs...its only that they follow evil gods who command them to cruelty which they're inclined to by nature anyways.

Dwarves are okay if a lot greedy, but tough, honorable folk who will  help a fellow out if he's worthy.

Elves...well...elves are snotty, arrogant, cowardly and just plain stupid. It seems that the Duchy used to be part of the Elven Frontier, and they rebelled against the Overlords of the Greenwood about a hundred fifty years ago. Some humans, such as Captain Duxworth, are the descendants of the humans who fought for the Elves in the Secession War.

But they agree that the Elves have no mercy toward evil beings, and that any orc tribe foolish enough to enter the Greenwood is soon to cease to be a problem for goodly folk.

He will give Rickard a gold and get him to go around and listen, and potentially ask the right people to get him a good idea how many of each type of craftsmen there are in the city.  Tom has a LOT of ideas in mind, but he needs an understanding of the logistical situation.  He takes the political element into account as well, for example he wants to know how many of those craftsmen are ACTUALLY available to work vs tied up in contracts to churches, the duke etc.  The LAST thing he wants to do is piss off the local powers...at least until he is in rather good with the Duke.

Alright, once Tom gathers all of what their skills are (and he especially learns what spells that they know.  That could matter later.)  He also finds out if they have an objection to having hirelings at a base camp if Tom establishes it.

Finally, once he does a complete inventory of their skills, what they want to learn and what Tom thinks they should learn, he will come up with a mathematical average and attempt to find the highest in the formula regarding interest in learning and where he puts that they should all know it.

The idea is that for a few days we start off teaching each other skills that we already know that Tom thinks everyone should have at least some skill in.

If this does not go over well, Tom is somewhat flexible.  However, the first 'official' idea Tom proposes is that they ALL learn the Adventuring Sigils and they also come up with non verbal queues that they can use to silently communicate to each other.  He also has each of them 'invent' 5 words to add to the vocabulary that they think they should know that only the company will know.  When it comes to making the knowledge practical, Tom will explain that it is invaluable in tactical situations when you have to talk to each other whilst being silent or not letting the others know what you're talking about.  If each contributes a word, that should be about 60 sigils and signs that we all learn that can do a lot.

Is there any kind of magical mail service?

Rickard returns with a scroll.

"I went to the census taker, and asked him for the information. For a silver, he made a copy in a basic hand. He said, this was information that much concerned the Duke as well, his post was important, but in a way that simple sword wielders would not understand."

Rickard grins.

"I agreed with him, of course."

The scroll is a list of twenty-five occupations, and the numbers of masters, journeyman, and apprentices in each as of last year's Harvest Festival. Its not pretty, but it is clear enough to read.

"I also went to several guild halls, but all of them affirmed that they had plenty of ability to spare, adn could handle any problem. Soon, I wondered. I can go around and talk to individual craftsmen, but thats going to take longer."

Your Company tells you of some of their skills and spells, but led by the wizard, they all seem to feel like there are 'trade secrets' to their particular skill they don't want to reveal.

The Company is more enthused about everyone learning your list of basic skills. They fall to with a will, and in a few days the Adventuring Sigils learning is accomplished. They do turn it into a drinking game...each person is quizzed. When he fails, he has to take a large gulp.

There are wizards who will send messages but its a thing that is negotiated on a one-time basis.

Great.  If that's the way they want to do it, then extremely workable.  However, Tom is himself extremely interested in learning Magic.  If none of them are willing to teach him, he'll find out what the protocols are for hiring a tutor.  Since he's fairly certain they ARE willing to teach him spells etc, then he will take what they're offering.

As to what he is going to teach them:

1)Unit Communications (they're learning that already).
2)20th Century 1rst Aid (with the tools at hand etc).
3)Proper Camp Maintenance (including Sanitation, Alarms etc).
4)Martial Arts (Ninjitsu)
5)Stealth (Tom knows some things about this, but even if they know stealth, he wants them practicing AS A UNIT, because that's a whole different ball game)
6)The basic concepts of structure and demolitions (specifically the concepts of cavemines etc)
7)Monster Lore (they already know a lot I'm sure, but they all know things that the others don't and he might know things that they don't.)
8)How not to be a @#$@#$@# Moron.  This includes pragmatic paranoia and preparation, looking out for each other etc.  They already have a lot of this so this should probably be a short course, but quite frankly one should cover everything.
9)Small Unit Tactics.  (See Below)
10)Handling the Unexpected (I'll deal with this last after we deal with the others, I'm merely putting it on the list because they'll see where it goes).

He'll also list his own skills (thoroughly) as he collected information about theirs to see if there is something else they're interested in.  Obviously his main function with the team will be handling the non adventuring stuff.

He'll also slowly begin collecting information during this process about exactly what THEY think is great and what makes these other teams tick.

He will also find out what, if any, kind of a headquarters or the like they might be interested in.

(OOC: I'm presuming the gold they're giving him is to make the company better, or are they just flat out giving it to him because he's part of the company now?  I say this OOC because he'd know far better than I would)

Tom does two other things:

He picks a Journeyman blacksmith of skill but who is eager to prove himself.  He'll also hire a carpenter and begin to put together a basic printing press.  Since paper probably isn't in huge supply, he'll hire a guide to seek out a good place property and location wise for a paper mill.  It should have a source of water power and it should also be close enough to the town that I can take advantage of the security there.

He meets with the Duke's alchemist.  He'll show him the gun ("Well beyond my ability to construct personally but I can impart some useful principles in its construction) and show him the Air Rifle ("With the proper alchemical beads, these could be quite deadly.")

They start practising Small Unit Comms and learning First Aid.

OOC: What skills do you have to teach these? Do you have teaching skill?

You have several pages of skills. Did you write it up yourself with a quill pen, or hire a moderately expensive scribe?

Flameflinger hands you a dozen sheets of paper which are replete with an arcane mathematics describing how one amplifies the internal light of life to make oneself glow.  How is your calculus and algebra?

The gold is to improve the company. You are now responsible for ressurections, etc.. OOC.

There is a small sheep farm about a half mile north of town. It has a four-foot waterfall, a small house, a shed, and seventy sheep, twenty chickens, a pig, and a 'water house' (cooling pit dug by the river).  The owner is a second noble off to find adventure and glory...he received this from an aunt as a gift.

The blacksmith and the carpenter begin working on your projects. You have some difficulty as they lack the concepts you're trying to get across, and because you're not used to dealing with such primitive things as hand-shaved logs.

The alchemist asks if he can lend the gun to a gnome friend of his on the Pirate Sea. He offers in return to lend you "Haxtor's Generale Alchemica" which is a rather impressive looking ten pound leather covered manual.

I have some of the skills involved.

If it works, he'll use my own paper and a ball point pen.   Unless circumstances drastically prevent it otherwise there are three things Tom will never EVER be without from long and painful real life and rpg experience; a knife (preferably swiss army), a pen and something to write on (preferably a note pad), and a light source (preferably a lighter).

If this proves a logistical nightmare (and I don't see how since he writes really fast albiet not shorthand) then he'll hire a scribe.




OK at it.  He begins to study it.



Understood.  If that is the case Tom sets up a ledger of accounts as well as making inquiries with local merchants on goods and services about prices.  He inquires about the possibility of bulk rates or strategic partnerships (cautiously).  He only learns information at this point.



Tom gets a price to buy and a price to lease.



He explains it to them in more concrete terms.  He puts some of that Jr. High school drafting class to use by drawing up individual components and plans.  If he does nothing else here, it is the most useful contribution he can make to the world.  He will keep at it.



Tom agrees to this, but only after taking a minor precaution.  He will then pray to the Lord to protect the gun from being used as a link to sympathetic magic against him so that while he might still own the thing, that it will not be useful to those who would do him harm by having something he owns in their possession.  He spends an hour in total meditation and thankful prayer before beginning the actual prayer to bless and shield the gun.  He does not stop this process until the Gun is protected, the gun is melted by botch, or he is disabled or fried by a botch.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:23, Wed 03 Sept 2008.

You're able to use your own pen even if it seems just slightly more difficult to use than you remember.

About two hours later....you cast the light spell, and it twists sideways for some reason. Your bones are glowing through your skin.

 OOC: 1@1 Glowing Bones Magic skill. This is a beneficial botch.

When talking with the local merchants you're reminded that they are good at haggling. However, you do find several merchants who would be glad to deal with you.

The young noble is not interested in leasing. He asks for five hundred.

The carpenter and blacksmith are intrigued as they study your blueprints.

"This is a very good idea."

You're able to channel a Sympathy Cleaning miracle on your second try with a 1@1 skill level.

Tom finds the fact that the pen is harder to use fascinating.  The principles behind the device are so simple (to him) that the idea that a universe would fight against it technologically is the weirdest thing he's encountered in his travels.  That, actually, has more of a profound effect then the Duke's reaction to vows.

Tom's new daily schedule consists of roughly the following:

5-6 hours of working with the Adventuring group (4 Hours on training + 1-2 hours on administrative items)
3 Hours Studying Magic
3 Hours Studying Alchemy
2 Hours working with the carpenter and the blacksmith on the Printing Press and Paper Mill.
1 Hour teaching Rickard how to read if he is interested in it.

Tom consults with the adventuring company to find out if they are interested in investing in land.  He also gets a broader idea of his role.  What do they want to be consulted on and what do they trust entirely to his hands?

Regarding the merchants...here's a question....does the concept of competitive bidding here seem viable?  If he can get the Merchants to haggle with each other, he doesn't HAVE to have the best haggling skill.

Tom lends the gun to the Alchemist.

As a side note he sends Rickard on most of his messenger errands to help increase the amount of time he has.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:52, Fri 05 Sept 2008.

The principles of the pen are clear in your brain, but at the same time they don't come to mind with quite the same ease as you'd expect. Yes, this weirds you out a bit even as it makes sense. After all, you're physically bound to this universe by the presence of your brain, so...

The training goes well for the month, and you can see the Company of the Gold Needle turning into a visibly more formidable, and smoothly functioning unit.

People on the street stop calling you 'sirrah' and start calling you 'sage'.

Flameflinger shows you the problem with the Light spell. Its a matter of mis-translation. You see '>' as 'greater than', and he sees it as +1. Two days later, you're casting a ten foot sphere of light after reviewing in your mind the math, and then pronouncing the Old Grey Elven phrase for 'let it be so'. Light, 10 ft. sphere, one minute, speak foreign language 1@2 level.

He has you practise this over and over again and at the end of the month you're at 1@4.

You spend much time reading your Alchemical book. It uses a number of odd concepts and strange turns of phrase so its difficult to learn. Also, it seems there are a number of riddles in the book, and that the pictures relate to the text in odd ways. Finding a badger hidden in the decoration next to a text is a sign that you're supposed to read this material as the opposite of what it says.

As to experiments...well, Alchemy is very expensive except for some of the most basic things and those are merely costly. What experiments are you interested in trying?

You have a printing press. It could be better made, but it does the job, and the carpenter and the blacksmith are willing to make another one which they think would be better.

Rickard eagerly absorbs the lessons, and enjoys being the messenger. Its improved his status in town by quite a bit. He's already reading at a first grade level, and writing as well.

Tricky Ricky comes to you.

"Sage, we plan to leave to delve into the Dungeon at Cair Lamack. I got a map sold to me by a shepherd up there that shows a previously unknown side entrance he stumbled upon. I think we can surprise the orcs and get ourselves some gold as well."

PT

Rickard is obviously not just smart but wicked smart.  Tom will begin training him in sword craft as well.

Tom is more than willing to continue working with them to develop a better printing press.  If paper exists, Tom is going to put together the world's first news paper with a small circulation of around 100.

For now, Tom continues learning the light spell.  He's betting it might help him learn more complex spells as time goes on.

As far as the Alchemy, he continues learning theory for now but with an eye out for things that are particularly useful to a Verser to know, learning new languages, protections and the like.  He'll also begin taking a series of notes to see if he can construct a more rational underlying theorum based on the principles without all of the cloaked mumbo jumbo.

If the Company does not object, then he buys the property in the name of the company as a retirement property and possibly way of generating money on the side besides investing.  He will draw up plans for a paper mill, water mill, wind mill and saw mill.  And while we're at it, unless he's going to piss off the local guild....a mill mill (the thing that crushes grain).

If they aren't willing to do it, he has a backup plan but since he only has around 500, he isn't investing it all without negotiation.

Regarding the dungeon, "We haven't reached the phase where we begin reworking your equipment, but" he smiles, "An adventuring company exists to adventure so I understand.  Can you show me the map?  And what can you impart to me that you already know of the dungeon? A new entrance implies that there was an old entrance."

Tom wants to know:

1)Habits and tactics of the orcs.  Just how organized do they have a reputation for being?

2)The finer details of the story involving the sharpard.  He'll listen to it and discern whether this sounds like a setup or not.

3)The nature of the entrance relative to the rest of the group.

Rickard has a natural gift for reading and writing. He enjoys greatly the sword practise.

Unfortunately, he has a young boys enthusiasm for sword work and when he playfully ambushes Robard, the trained fighter reacts as he has been trained.  He runs through the leaping figure before he realizes its not a springing goblin in a cave.

Weeping, he yells for Cassie, but you know she's not here. She's at the market.

=============

They have paper, and you start putting together the paper. One problem you run into is that most people who pay for written material are used to illuminated manuscripts, or calligraphy. Plain block lettering doesn't seem to impress them.

============

Flameflinger teaches you Remove Fatigue. He teaches you how to calculate how much you're tired, and how many 'sleep energies' you need to absorb from a 'sunstick' which is a wand laid out in the sun all day that will hold its charge for a week. However, the sunstick is not a spell, but a component. Its more math, but you surmount that easily, and soon are able to reduce your sleep down to an hour a day if you cast the spell appropriately and with the requisite 'flair'.

1@2 Remove Fatigue.
================

For Alchemy, you pick up a potion that involves a bottle of the breath of the speaker, and your breath mixed together with rose water and then heated until the cork is forced to pop out with a screech, and then you breathe in this steamy scent and you're able to speak a foreign language for twelve hours.  Rose water is very expensive.

1@1 Speak Foreign Tongue.

================

The property is bought. The grain mill would tick off the local guild, but the others are acceptable as there is no competition.

===============

The old entrance was raided by an adventuring company that made a bundle, but since then an organized band of orcs has moved in, and claimed it for themselves and repulsed all comers.

He shows you the very sketchy map.

===============

1. Orcs vary from a loose rabble to trained professionals. If they have charismatic and tough leaders with a vision of discipline they can be trained into formidable soldiers.  But such Orc War Chiefs are rare.

2.Its sounds like a setup to you.

3. I don't understand. Do you mean the physical size of the entrance as compared to the size of the adventurers?

OOC: GE roll for Rickard's sword training was '28' which is extremely bad.

Tom has no choice.  He has healed the sick before many times though he has never healed so visible a wound.  Then again, he has never been a field where the nature of magic was this high.  He obtains some olive oil (and if there isn't any he'll use any kind of oil he can get his hands on) annoint Rickard's head and heal him in the Name of Jesus Christ.  He has Romard use the first aid he has been trained on whilst Tom heals him.  He is to bind Rickard's wounds.  Tom will take a full minute to invoke the healing.  He will explain that this boy is but a child and can do a great deal of good for his community if he is allowed to live, but accepts the Lord's will in the instance.  In this case, it really is totally in His hands.

=============



Ah, but that's what Wood Cuts are for.  Tom finds someone who has a skill for whittling properly.  Also there are many fine fonts that can be used in a printing press including Helvetica.  Better still, he'll work with an artist to create something that looks like a combination between Block Type and Caligraphy, with a special font for the big letter that looks like a work of art of some kind.  He's going for a Book of Kell's look here.

============




Oh this thing SO rocks.  He'll thank Flamefinger.  He doubles his magical training study.  He also adds an hour to train for Guitar and an hour to train for his Ninjitsu.
================



Who says he didn't get anything useful from the gather world? Tom got a metric fudge ton of Seeds, including among them Japanese Roses and several other kinds of roses.  Tom has these planted.  It will just take some time to get the roses harvested.  This is where his time with the Rejj comes in handy...however quite frankly he has better things to do than farm so he'll (if he's not dead) find out someone who is trustworthy to act as foreman on the fields, and tend then for an hour or two once or twice a week to keep them tended properly.

And if we're setting up a farm, Tom also makes sure to use 20th century Irrigation and Fertilizing techniques.

The CrossTime Engineer is a wonderful book.

================



Understood.  He'll mention that he might have one or two ideas that they might not have in a sage capacity, and find out if anyone in the guild is interested in working with him.

===============



Yeah, I figured that. :/  I like Rickard, hopefully he won't die.  But Tom is going to see a lot of that as the years roll on.

Tom talks to Ricky and says that he thinks this is a total setup, "BUT, if you're willing, I say we work out an attack plan where you guys make your own entrance and turn their surprise back on them."

I meant the size of the complex.

Robard applies pressure, and prepares a bandage while talking to Rickard encouragingly even as tears streak down his leathered cheeks.

"Come lad, a little hole like that, barely a scrape. You'll be up pestering us in no time."

You see that Robard is doing a good job of it after he got reminded of what he should be doing.

You pull out the olive oil from the kitchen, and anoint Rickard. You start to pray.

"Don't you have a holy symbol of your deity to use?" Robard murmurs in your ear.

Distracted you start over.

Nothing happens, but you don't get the sense of 'no' either.

===================

The wood cuts start breaking into the market with the special calligraphic letters. Its a fair bit of money to invest on the carvings, but you're able to print up your newspaper for a tenth of the cost of something hand-scribed.

The Duke hires you to create a public announcement sheet to tell people of a scheduled Great Hunt north of the city in pursuit of manticore and giant wild hog.

====

Flameflinger smiles proudly.

"Its not often I have a student with such a natural gift for math."

He teaches you a Remove Paralysis spell which is about as complicated as your Remove Fatigue spell. In fact, many elements are similar like a truck is similar to a car.

====================

The farmer you hire is openly skeptical of your plans, but as he says "I get paid either way so its no skin off my nose."

The roses get planted and the farmer's wife is glad to take this job on.

And the rest....

The grain mill is taking a watch and see attitude about your other products.

The adventurers come up with several plans to attack the buried castle of Sir Stavran which got covered by a volcano centuries ago. It is not thought to be that large of a complex as the knight was stingy.

Cassie shows a bloodthirsty edge by asking if you can create Fire Jelly to toss down in the tunnels with your alchemy.

PT

Tom reaches into his pack and pulls out a Bible.  A proper longer term holy symbol (he's partial towards a Celtic Cross with a Gold Circle around it) should be made, but he doesn't have it right now.  To Tom, quite frankly, the whole of creation (that isn't evil) is a holy symbol but he knows that Magic isn't just based on his own belief's but the inherent symbolism of the ritual involved.  He tries again, but this time praying by singing the 25th Psalm.



Excellent.  Tom does so. He'll make sure a draft is shown to the Duke for his approval (just in case.)

If this goes well, he'll talk to the Alchemist, explain the idea of a scientific journal and find out if he thinks the other Alchemists would be interested in such a thing.  Naturally the alchemist himself would be the head of the editorial panel.  Peer review etc.

If he is leery of being secret, Tom explains that of course some things remain secret, but there is something to be said for prestige amongst one's peers and the ability to verify one's claims by experimentation.



Tom is fascinated by this.  He wouldn't have put this spell at the top of his list to learn, but when it comes to magic theory, he's very interested to learn.  It appears Flameflinger is a good teacher too.

====================



Noted.  Tom periodically inspects this to make sure it isn't going entirely awry.

He will find out if any of the craftsmen or others in the town are willing to trade labor for the teaching of their sons (reading) in exchange for working on the Paper Mill.



Important question here about what I recommend and how I handle this.  Is this the same dungeon that they bought the map for or something different entirely?

It SOUNDS significantly different.

In answer to Cassie's question, "There are two fundamental types of alchemy.  Alchemy proper, which requires a dose of magic to function, and Chemistry, which is simply an exceedingly advanced understanding of the natural principles of elements.  Both are expensive, and it is entirely possible that some of the finer chemical elements might not work here.

When it comes to Alchemy, I am just learning.  I am willing to attempt such experimentation but that will require patience on your part as I get the receipe right and then scale up full production to make it more economically viable.  I am far more skilled and competent at Chemistry, and I do not believe I am boastful in saying that I am one of the most skilled, if not THE most skilled master in this world; but either will require gathering components.  I can create explosives or caustic gas or something similar Fire Jelly, but all will require the raw ingredients."

Tom will discuss the natural state of oil, tar, Naptha, Sulphur and Salt Peter and see if they know where these might be found and retrieved.  There are other considerations but without those, there's no point in even starting.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:23, Fri 12 Sept 2008.

Tom thanks the Lord and then prays, "Lord, in this world where magic is more prominent, I have the opportunity to learn more of thy ways; and this might seem like a stupid question, but I have always been leery of vain repetitions, but I feel that practice might help me improve the ability to wield Thy granted power to help my fellow man.  May I have thy permission to pray for practice only instead of direct aid to myself or another?"

He will also pay to have a holy symbol made with a chain around his neck.  He wants a Silver Celtic Cross with a Gold Ring around the edge.  So there are two circles, one around the axis of the cross and another around the entire cross itself.



"I understand more than you might imagine sire.  Whilst I have never been a noble, I was the Head of State in a previous life.  I am honored by your patronage.."



I wonder if he would consider a nuke a magical artifact? Almost tempted to make one.

Right, here is what we're going to do.

Magic, at its fundamental core, is about belief, skill, practice and symbols.  Doing everything from scratch is going to take a lot of time.  But as it stands it is time consuming, expensive and not prone to progress.  So instead Tom is going to invent Alchemistry, taking the principles of Alchemy and Chemistry and merge them together, but he is going to use symbolic properties from cheaper and local ingredients; consulting with herbalists for local plants that he can use.

He's then going to look for simpler alchemical formulas in the book and begin experimenting with replicating them on his own.

So half of the time he WAS spending learning Alchemy, he will be inventing Alchemistry, and the other half is spent reading the book so he can learn the underlying principles and simplify them; and incorporate them into Alchemistry.



He hits the math hardcore and focuses on that for now.  The main lesson he has learned about math is that to learn it you have to do it over and over again until you have it mastered.  Even when it sucks.



Given that he could keep up with Walker, this guy is REALLY impressive to Tom.  Tom treats him with respect but not awe.



Right.  Any coal near by?  Gas light might be nice.  And if not then he focuses all his Alchemistry efforts into making a source of light that is cheap and lasts.



Tom says, "The choice is yours about how to handle this.  I council you to wait until you are properly equipped trained and prepared, since this place sounds like a set up.  I understand that you want to go out adventuring, and I think that's a good idea, but I would council you to start out someplace else first.  I will make you fire jelly if you want me to pay for the supplies, though I will train someone else for the actual construction.  I don't desire to blow myself to smitherines.  If you want long term success, then that will take time to build up.  If you want immediate results, I am more than willing to facilitate you.

In my homeland, we have the most powerful military in the world.  One of the reasons that we have this is because of logistics.  For every fighting man, there are 9 that support him in terms of moving supplies and things like that.  This is true here as well though many might not realize it.  The knight on horseback must eat food and train.  It takes a certain number of peasants to support each knight, and in war there are two kinds of victories; the long slow course of economics and the tide of heroes.

Heroes matter, but they are not always successful.  Even the elite teams in my homeland follow this rule of logistics.   To reach your maximum potential, I truly feel you want two teams scouting for ingredients for things like Salt Peter and Naphtha so you can make it cheaper than anyone else and gain the advantages of your opponents.  I'd also advocate a series of camp guards so that while you travel to your destination, you are not attacked by pointless wandering monsters in the wilderness.  All of this will take time, but ultimately will help you do what you want to do better without annoying distractions.

You got into the business of adventuring, I understand that.  Believe me I do.  So adventure in other places until you're ready for this place.  Keep your skills sharp, but my gut tells me that this place is going to be a hard nut to crack.  In the end, its the man who is prepared that makes the victory.  To much preparation can be bad, but I don't feel we've reached that point.

But if you want me to, we can buy the materials for the fire jelly and I will oversee someone to make it for you."

Tom is a sage here, which means wandering into a monster filled wilderness for salt peter is not high on his list.  The wise general might understand that it is not heroic to lead troops at the head of his armies...but it means that it makes him less likely to get killed and leave the less trained idiotic major in charge.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:25, Fri 12 Sept 2008.

They're not happy, but they follow your advice and leave that dungeon alone. Instead, they go to another one which is regarded as a second-rate looting site.

They're willing to wait on the Fire Jelly.

HOLY Mafrolies!  Well, Tom is of two minds in this....Solomon had only the finest materials go into the temple because it was a symbol for the Lord...on the other hand, Christ didn't use a holy symbol at all.  So since the purpose isn't for Tom's faith but others, the question is really....which is the proper way to go...Tom prays on what material the Lord finds more acceptable.  He's willing to spend the money easily (when he gets it) but there is a part of him that finds it potentially wasteful.

If there is no answer, Tom is inclined to pay it....but where the money is going to come from is something else entirely.  He'd trade knowledge for it, but what are a bunch of goldsmiths going to want that he has knowledge of?

He knows how to make steel...but he'd never thought he was going to need information to trade with a goldsmith.  And they're not going to want to work in alloys anyway.

Unless an immediate answer makes itself apparent, he'll ponder this further.





"Gladly my leige."

If he gets a fixed time, Tom will take the really good poem (if you'll recall its the one that the psychotic wench made about him that made him the "It" boy for a while) about his journeys and commit it to song, tamping down the parts that will make him sound like a boastful fool if he's singing it about himself and add in a few more verses about the war in the other world and taking the Unknown Door here to seek for answers.

He'll see how this goes down.



Yeah, inventing a new science, even if derived from two other sciences, takes time.  Hopefully, eventually, there will be a cascade effect as patterns emerge.  He continues.



Useful and interesting stuff....and for the record, Tom does not practice spells on irreplaceable weapons prone to misfire if one plays with the barrel and the spell does not go right ;)



"I take that as a compliment sir, you are quite skilled at this."



Well, for now, Coal is still cheaper than candles.  Tom works with a blacksmith and makes a gas light.

And Tom has Rickard begin looking for an agent who I can hire who can find the original source of these things.  People are selling to Alchemists, and I want to buy in bulk.  I need to start collecting data on where the original source is to be found.



Yeah this brings up a couple of things.

First off, Tom is worried about Callie's radical change of behavior and sees if he can find out why she suddenly turned 'blood thirsty'.

He's going to work very hard to keep the group happy whilst their home.  He's going to do that in three ways.  First, he's going to try 'dungeon training simulations' which is basically dungeons and dragons but where he's going to subtly tilt things in such a way that they do well; but more importantly up the epic scope of things and give them a chance to 'explore other worlds'.  The actual idea is to train them in the unexpected.  We'll see if that works.  Second, he'll see if he can whet their appetite for the major dungeon by having groups of kids work against them in a fake dungeon so that they can come with ideas to get the adventurers and things that the adventures can do back...ie...Larping...again might not work, but we'll see.  No ACTUAL weapons are to be used.  Third, he'll hire bards (out of his own money) to make flattering songs of the adventurers and their mighty preparations.

Finally, since the world seems awash in people looking for opportunities, in the most recent version of the Paper...he'll include want ads for:

1)An apprentice Chemist.  Will be highly rewarding but highly risky.  He'll interview candidates and choose the best 1 (maybe two if there are really stellar candidates). He's looking for someone smart, with no family ties, dexterity, the understanding that they're basically going to be doing all the risky stuff but in return learning the requisite skills when making explosives.

2)Resource acquisition teams.  They will receive adventurer training but be sent to obtain materials in exotic locations.  They will learn to make fortified camps to obtain these resources and receive a share of the profits in their acquisition.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:57, Fri 12 Sept 2008.

You get no answer on the silver cross, and so you pay the money to the goldsmith.  They promise to have it for you in a week to ten days. You get it in time for the party.

Its truly a masterwork of art, like something that belongs in a museum.

"I am a servant of the Lady of Crafts, she gives to me visions." Grandmaster Rosewood says as he hands you the gold and silver cross with the tiny rubies at the nail points.

That night, you have a chance to wear it for the party.  The response to your poem is utter silence that continues for nearly a minute, and then the Duke speaks.

"Should we then raise an army to go to rescue our fellow humans and their goodly intentioned allies against these wicked-doers?"

=============

You talk to an adventurer who brings things for the Alchemists.  He's willing to help you in exchange for a position in your new organization.

=============

Cassie seems moody and short-tempered. You're not sure why.

============

The Larping goes over well, and it plus the bards makes your team very popular with the kids.

=============

You get one very good candidate for chemist, Alred the Hand. He's worked as a juggler so he's excellent with his hands, and he has a superlative memory for detail. He's not very good at reading, but he can easily quote half a page of chemical names in a row from a simple glance.

"Its a mind game I play in my head." He explains modestly.

Tom is rather surprised by this turn of events.  He blinks and after a few moments then says, "Your grace, as honored as I am by this, I must admit, I do not know how to summon the unknown door to command it to open, nor could I be sure that any who return with me would be able to return to thy realm.  This moment, if it is as others before, is between the beats of a drum as far as that world is concerned.  Time flows differently with the door.  I felt the Lord pull me here; and though I know not why, I believe now that I have spent some time here it was to help me heal, for I had never been trained as a leader of men, and seeing your good folk has helped me reconnect deeper roots to that of my God and the ideals He represents.

If you do desire to raise an army, I can pray to see if such control of the door is possible; it would do great good, but....it was not my intent to ask for aid your grace."

=============



Does he need teams? Can we do this without pissing off all of the alchemists in creation? What is his general character?

(And if he's not a jerk and talented, hell yes I'd like to include him.)

Speaking of which, old expert haggling lady...I need someone to negotiate with merchants and someone I can trust.  Tom will ask if she is willing to be the groups accountant.  He'll explain what that is if necessary.

In a perfect world she'd work with the new guy.

=============



Hmm....Tom will ask the others if they know what's going on.  This concerns him.  He'll talk to her directly if need be.

============



If it keeps the team happy, then it works well for me.

=============



Great! Tom will begin carefully training him in how to make Gunpowder, Fire Jelly, and Gaslight Material.  We'll do really really small batches at first until we're able to scale up to full spec.

Tom is rather surprised by this turn of events.  He blinks and after a few moments then says, "Your grace, as honored as I am by this, I must admit, I do not know how to summon the unknown door to command it to open, nor could I be sure that any who return with me would be able to return to thy realm.  This moment, if it is as others before, is between the beats of a drum as far as that world is concerned.  Time flows differently with the door.  I felt the Lord pull me here; and though I know not why, I believe now that I have spent some time here it was to help me heal, for I had never been trained as a leader of men, and seeing your good folk has helped me reconnect deeper roots to that of my God and the ideals He represents.

If you do desire to raise an army, I can pray to see if such control of the door is possible; it would do great good, but....it was not my intent to ask for aid your grace."

=="Seek to control this door, and then to teach a mage or cleric of my land how to control it. I will spread the word of a possible Great Quest, and as a matter of security, I would have this Door under my control so that an enemy may not have free passage into my duchy." He then smiles. "Sage, I am not angered by your tale. Be at peace in my hall."

With that, the party begins to get a bit noisy.

=============



Does he need teams? Can we do this without pissing off all of the alchemists in creation? What is his general character?

==He could certainly use them, but need..no.  They might be a bit irritated, but he does not owe them service.  He seems inclined to want to run a smoothly functioning job or organization to keep his own stress level down.

(And if he's not a jerk and talented, hell yes I'd like to include him.)

==He agrees to work for you.

Speaking of which, old expert haggling lady...I need someone to negotiate with merchants and someone I can trust.  Tom will ask if she is willing to be the groups accountant.  He'll explain what that is if necessary.

==She can't do math on paper.

In a perfect world she'd work with the new guy.

==She has no problem working with the new guy.

=============



Hmm....Tom will ask the others if they know what's going on.  This concerns him.  He'll talk to her directly if need be.

==She avoids talking to you.

============



If it keeps the team happy, then it works well for me.

=============



Great! Tom will begin carefully training him in how to make Gunpowder, Fire Jelly, and Gaslight Material.  We'll do really really small batches at first until we're able to scale up to full spec.
</quote>

He picks up things quickly, and seems unusually fascinated. You catch him with a strange look on his face a few times as he delves into the chemistry.

==You hear from a herald that the Company of the Silver Sword raided the dungeon your group passed on. They had a stiff fight, but they caught their enemy unaware and were able to make off with a great deal of loot.  You see them walking into town, and being feted to an impromptu parade.

OOC: Yup, that was an informational botch when you had a bad feeling about this dungeon.

PT

Tom will celebrate with them.  He isn't sure how succesful this is going to be, but the truth of the matter is; if he can return to the Republic with an army of humans...even humans with swords it will be good for Morale.

He will pray for guideance as to whether or not it is possible to use the Door to travel back with others and for them to return in kind.

He also rents the room in which he originally had the vision of God and His Mountain when he arrived.  He plans a ritual (but that will have to be delayed for the moment given what happened below).  He'll want the room in three day's time.

=============



That makes perfect sense.  Tom will work with him to recruit a first team to begin recruiting resources.



Tom prays on the matter.  If it is something he did, he will directly confront her.  If she was raped, then the soft approach is better.



Tom is curious about this look and sees what it might involve.



"Gentlemen and Lady, I was wrong.  I am sorry and I fully admit it.  It was a risk when we took this strategy.  The only counterpoint I can offer is that I have recently gained in grace with the duke and that what was lost has allowed us more time to gain the fire jelly in great bulk.  Give me 48 hours, if you are willing, to try to convince the Duke to give me access to his library, and I will see if I can find the secret of a place that will offer more loot than this place ever would.  If you are willing.  I offered my services to your need and desire.  I will leave the company if that is also your wish."

He says this all rather respectfully.  Granted, the paper mill at this point is on their property, but as long as he keeps the Printing Press (which was his) he'll restart his operations with another company if he has to.

If they accept his offer; he will request access to the Duke's library.  If he can then, he will pray and meditate and pour over the tomes in the library seeking a dungeon that the group might gain wealth beyond their wildest dreams from.

PT
</quote>

</quote>
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:07, Tue 16 Sept 2008.

Tom asks Ricky to tell the others that he's on Probationary Status.  He shows him what he found with regard to the Demon Lair and says, "Given more time I can find something more dangerous, but to be honest I'm more worried about Callie.  There is something distinctly unnatural to me about her behavior.  If she was mad because I was healing people, why did she start becoming more blood thirsty as soon we started talking about what to do about the dungeon?  I want you to make her think I'm basically out of the group at this point and see what she does.  I am pretty sure you'll still see a change in behavior.  Worst case scenario, I'll just pay rent to the group for the property that the mill is on and then we part ways while you do your thing and I do mine.  I understand you're willing to keep me on board, but if Callie isn't possessed or something, then I don't want to cause discord in the group.  With the kinds of things I can do to improve things, I can't do it if half the group doesn't want me there.  I'm going to prepare for three or four days and we'll see if anything happens."

Tom then goes to the hotel room he rented and fasts and meditates for a day.  He relaxes, and doesn't take things strenuously.  He simply gets in touch with God and the vision he has.

On the second day he spends 8 hours in prayer, asking for nothing, just thanking God for multiple things.  He does this a little systemicly so he doesn't repeat himself but mainly this isn't hard because one should be grateful for everything.  At the end, he will Dedicate this piece of creation (the Holy Symbol) as his personal symbol for the Lord and thank the Lord for the inspiration that went into it.

On the third day, he'll begin preparing a day long prayer for a stored prayer inside of the holy symbol that when activated by a keyword will cause all evil distrupting influences, including possessions or hostile enchantments to be banished.

On the fourth day he'll begin preparing a day long stored prayer inside of the holy symbol for healing calm and holy renewal for anyone in an area that is activated by a stored key word.

At the end of the fourth day he confronts Cally and activates both spells with the rapid keywords.

Tricky Ricky is disturbed by your suggestion, but as shown by his name, he's a man well used to considering various angles and keeping secrets.  He accepts your proposal and promises to be discrete as necessary.

1@1 Dedicate Holy Symbol

1@1 Banish Evil Aligned Enchantments on a Person, or Magical Possessions in a ten foot sphere, affects everyone.

1@2 Restore Calm, 10 ft. sphere. +Effect (this means its more powerful).

Filled with surety, and sadness you walk up to Callie and speak.  Suddenly she screams at you and you see Bonejarrer's face superimposes over her.

"You can't have her." He snarls, but his rage leaks away and he seems to recede into the distance until he is far enough away to realize what is happening to him.

"No, Metrossia, you promised." There is a soundless pop in the ether that slaps the whole area, and he's gone.  Cassie sways and would have fallen, but you catch her.

Tricky Ricky slides out from behind a parked wagon, and strolls over to you and her.

"Come on, let's carry her back to bed, she'll need to sleep, and lets have some priests hold vigil around her until she wakes and builds her defenses back up."

PT

Tom helps Tricky Ricky get her back to bed.  He hopes Bonecrusher can't do that a second time.  Given his disappointment, he is mildly hopeful that this is the case.

New Schedule:

Cast rejuvenation spell every day.

4 Hours studying stuff Rolibard (magic) that he is teaching me.

2 Hours developing the fundamentals of Alchemistry.

1 Hour in Medidation praying about insight into how to operate and control the unknown door.  (Really....where else am I going to get this information)

1 Hour teaching Reading to Students (including Rickard)

1 Hour practicing Guitar (for sanity)

1 Hour practicing Ninjitsu (for sanity)

2 Hours instructing and overseeing Alred the Hand's effort to create Gas light, Fire Jelly and Gunpowder.  I will attempt to find out what he had hoped to learn, and if it looks like he was hoping for more conventional Alchemy, include him in on my 2 hour developmental session with Alchemistry.

1 Hour teaching Rickard sword play and general fighting skills.

1 Hour administering general Company business and various construction projects.

For 6 Days a week every alternating day:

Day 1: 3 Hours working with the company to train them.

3 Hours in the Duke's library looking up dungeons and nominally information on how to control the unknown door.  (Hey, maybe I'll find something.)

Day 2: 3 Hours working on the Printing Press.  Tom will take private commissions for various things but also work on the news paper.  He will pay scribes a freelance rate for interesting stories to go in the news paper.

3 Hours healing the sick.

On the 7th day, he'll only do the following:

1 Hour Practice the Guitar
5 hours of healing the sick
5 hours meditating on general miraculous theory and whatever 'miracles' or insights the Lord might care to give him on things he doesn't know or already knows.
5 Hours with the company relaxing and 'bonding'
5 Hours doing absolutely nothing except reading for his own pleasure.

Tom is rather convinced that learning a few spells rather well is better than learning lots of spells poorly, but the spells he'd prefer to learn well are more advanced than what he is currently learning so he'll go for the harder spells.



Tom will begin researching this in the Duke's Library.  Presumably this is the name of an artifact that can be useful in this area.



Tom gives him access (lends but does not give) his own personal collection of books, but makes sure he only takes one or two at a time and returns it when they are done.



Well it appears that he MAY be sorry for this.  Tom will arrange for a known situation (with Ricky and Callie's help) where Alfred has the chance to steal money and to see whether he actually goes through with it or not.  If caught, he is confronted just after the act, if not, he is confronted just after the fact.  Tom gives him a chance to 'confess' first.  Tom is inclined to keep him and keep teaching him but he sure doesn't want someone who actually WILL embezzle even after confronted with the fact.



Right.  Time to take it to the next level.  Working through the 'materials acquisition' people he's worked with, he comes up with a moderate to good reward in the form of prizes for people who can think up the best 'insert the blank' peice of equipment here to suit needs of the adventurers.  He's been working with them enough at this point to have specific ideas in mind but wants to see what the locals can come up with and then compare it to his own ideas.  The equipment is the final phase in his 'reformation' of the company.

He keeps looking for good sites that others might not find out about.



Well right away Tom puts a Printer's mark subtly on every page of his document so everyone knows its his.  He'll meet with the other gentleman and find out if he's merely out for friendly competition or a psychotic loon.  Regardless, he will quietly find out what is needed to create a Printer's Guild...if the other guy with the press is not a jerk, he'll also consult with him on this.  The idea is not to suppress competition....if Tom has a choice the ability to get into this will be moderately easy, but certain standards must be maintained.

Tom does not even try this spell for a while.  He focuses on the math here.  He focuses on the math exclusively for that time block and nothing else.  He focuses on it to the point that he can do one of these problems as quickly as he can answer what is 5 x 5.  He will create random permutations of the math forwards and backwards, and solve them.  He will verbally memorize the entire math section.



Tom will begin using the prayer ritual to find the right book each time he enters the library.  He will begin researching the ultimate fate of the key and begin going deeper into the history between the elves and the duchy.  He will tell no one, but he will try to reverse engineer the elven perspective from what he reads as well as get a better understanding of the humans.



Tom looks at Tricky Ricky and then at Alred and says, "Well, I mean, that largely depends on WHY you stole it.  See in my homeland, there is this story about a priest who catches a man stealing his silver.  Rather than turning this man in to the authorities, he gives him the silver.  The man does not understand this.  It confuses him.  Eventually he returns to ask the priest what has happened and the priest explained that he has bought his soul for God.  The man then proceeded to make the world a better place, because he understood that he had been given a second chance.  So when I shot Bone Jarrer with a .22 caliber pistol exactly like the one I have in my hand right now (which coincidentally travels faster than the speed of sound itself) I explained to the Duke that I had prayed to the Lord in order to know the true intent of my enemy, and he accepted my word that it was so.  Now, I'm not asking you to lie Alred.  What I am going to say is; on the one hand you COULD have been stealing that gold because you had made a bad deal and felt you had to follow through with it; or on the other hand you could have been stealing that gold because you secretly knew that Callie here was possessed by Bonejarrer and needed proof that she was going to try to frame me for it.  Now, if you're willing to swear to me that you'll never steal from the company again, why of course I will be inclined to believe the latter explanation."



Tom VERY carefully finds some place safe to put it and then RUNS AWAY, making sure that this guy comes with him.  If the guy doesn't come with him, he still runs away.

He'll then pay the guy a gold for the secret of the special liquid.

He then removes the ad from the paper.



Tom suggests the idea of a printer's mark.  He'll also offer to rent this guy the first block type face that they came up with that no one else liked but might be neater for this guy (and that he would prefer that they use anyway).  If he won't rent it, Tom gives it to him anyway if he uses the printer's mark.

Tom says that if Alfred is willing to swear on temple grounds that he bears only honorable intent towards the company at this point, then he is more than welcome to continue employment with the company (assuming Tricky Ricky and Callie are game for this, but given that he told them that this was more or less his intention ahead of time I'd be reasonably certain they are).

Tom almost knows what needs to be done at this point, but he begins to research the details of the elven and human perspectives of the war; lore and laws of the elven lands (like...are humans shot on sight?) and more details on the dragon and how she rules (like...does she do anything besides randomly eat food) just because it might become important.

Alred is taken to a temple, and swears before the altar, the chief priest, and the Company of the Gold Needle his honorable intent.  He then pays the temple a doubloon.

After that, he seems a bit uneasy at first, but it soon becomes clear that if he's willing to work, he's willing to be accepted. And he's willing to work. You see a new happiness and peace spread through his life.  He's still occasionally troubled, but Cassie is counselling him, and he is listening thoughtfully and slowly changing.

He starts wearing a small stone horse about his neck, in similar fashion to Cassie's holy symbol.

==========

Humans not born in the Greenwood are required to enter by the main roads, and establish a large monetary bond for their good behavior. The elves are overlords of the Greenwood, and run it as a mixture of democracy on major issues, and a republic on minor issues.

Humans born in the Greenwood have the option of joining an Elflord's retinue and being one of 'The Fifty Bodyguards' each elflord goes to war with. Captain Duxworth was the chief officer of one of these bodyguard units which is what 'Captain' means to the elves.

Elves feel that humans outside the Greenwood are sulking, and will 'get over this childishness one of these decades'.

Terracuyl is known to sleep for years at a time. She lives in her lair high in the Thornhill Mountains. She is known to crave tribute, and to show a propensity for dropping out of the sky and demanding that something pretty be given to her....this is why the exterior of buildings are not overly decorated  in her Hunt. She also enjoys conversation with interesting people.

Its generally considered an honor, a dangerous one, but an honor to receive a visit from her.

She does seem to demonstrate some basic political tact by not demanding the beautiful crown of the Duchess of Coventry (and the duchess demonstrated good sense by ordering a copy made as soon as possible, and sending it to Terracuyl.)

She's known to occasionally help people for whimsical reasons, or engage in mysterious projects (questioning her on these projects is NOT reccommended.)

Its thought that if the Greenwood rebelled, the Elven Nation could take her, but at a great cost. So the Elves bow politely, and she doesn't demand much from them.

Her primary diet is kraken from the Pirate Gulf, but she eats cows and sheep as well.  Its the responsibility of the local lord to repay the peasant who's cow she just ate.

There is a charming tale, not known to be true, that she ate a cat, and that a human toddler reproached her in tears, and Terracuyl was moved enough to vomit it back up, and restore the cat back to life.

There is another tale, known to be true, that a pirate tried to trick Terracuyl with a fake gem, and she cursed him and his crew to circle around an island never getting closer, never getting farther away. On this island was an obvious fountain of water...which the crew died of thirst a few hundred feet away from.

Well, the stakes couldn't be higher here.  Since there is no clue inside of the Duke's library, short of a powerful divination spell, the next logical place to search for the key is inside of the Elven realm, including approaching the archmage himself.

Tom informs the Duke that he needs his leave to go to the elven lands to search for Wayreth's Key.  He gave his parole to the duke, so that's why he's asking.

If the duke say's its OK then:

The party seems to have its head on its shoulders, but then again this is a personal mission for Tom, which means they aren't going to be really getting rich off of it.  Tom informs them that he intends to take a trip to the Elven lands.  They are welcome to come but this is a mission of the utmost diplomacy.  He mainly wondered if they might watch his back, but the bond will be expensive and there won't really probably be loot to be found, though Tom can probably make a profitable trading venture out of it if they're interested.

If they are: Tom finds out what Elves want that the Duchy currently has.  That will mean taking a wagon with trading goods along with the party.  He'll also have to find competent people to continue his projects whilst he is gone.  He'll leave study materials for Rickard and have him teach the class whilst Alred continues the production and acquisition of materials.  He'll have the others oversee the paper mill and the printing press.

If so, he'll begin heading towards the Greenwood.

One of the primary trade items is wheat, but this is not the right season for that. However, there are herb packets which are a high-value trade item you can fill up a 'sukey' wagon (a rather small wagon) with. Primarily, you live in lands which get a lot more sun than the shadowed forrests of the Elves, and so some things grow better down here.

You head north, taking the Duke's highway with his permission, for one day, and stop at a conveniently located fortified tavern/inn all by itself.  There are a dozen wagons, about half of them sukeys tied up outside.

Inside, its a mix of traders, farmers from the local area, and two adventuring companies.

The place is designed to resist attack, and has rules accordingly, but peace reigns, and no one expects anything.

The next morning over your hearty breakfast of oatmeal, stewed peaches and apples, a thick slice of ham, and a mug of fresh unpasteurized milk you receive offers to go in caravan, to buy local farmer's goods for use (an apple pie) or trade, to buy weapons, to hire guards from the adventurer's, and to stay the day and get a new set of clothes made for you to 'make the right impression on them hoity-toity Elves'.

PT

Tom goes with the caravan.  He hires an archer and a brick.  He casts the rejuvination spell to keep studying the math and Alchemistry while the caravan is resting.  He'll buy good food for himself and his guards but he isn't trading in it.  If the guards have craptacular weapons, he'll get them moderate quality ones.  He makes sure a guard is keeping watch at all times.  The rule is that the cart is never left alone and one is watching while the other sleeps.

The guards have decent weapons and you can tell they are glad to have you check theirs. The two of them nod to each other.

"Its good to travel with another adventurer." The archer says as everyone mounts up.

The trip is a simple drive north, and for a while you're with several other wagons. Past noon, you get separated, and your guards turn more alert.

About two, the brick motions everyone to stop, and he checks out a copse of trees ahead, and comes back with the all clear adventurer's sigil that he spins with his hands.  That night you sleep in the Border Inn which is the edge of the Duke's domain.

Its much like the inn you slept in before and you realize these are the product of the Duke's planning.

The country grows even wilder now with infrequent sitings of people, and no pastureland or sheepherds dotting the hills.

"This used to be goat country. But monster raids in the space between the two powers, and each jealous of the other." The archer says as he rides beside you. Then he holds out a hand to halt even as you see the brick up ahead hold out a hand.

The brick rides back.

"I see talyntal tracks. Maybe ten or twenty. They're heading across the road to the east, but they could circle back. Could be a day or less old, more than an hour though as one left dried evidence of his passage."

PT

Are my two guards the only ones for the whole caravan?!  If that is the case I'd have hired two more and tried to get the others to join in and if they did hire a total of four bricks and four archers.

Tom finds out all relevant details on what a Talyntal is.

There an no official caravans on a regular basis. Most people travel in single or at most three wagons in a group. You're travelling by yourself was what I assumed.

Talyntal are primitive tribal humanoids who live in shallow caves and forage for fruits, and tend to be scavengers for meat.  They are capable of astonishing jumps, and they have talons on the sides of their feet which they can use to make a passing strike. They are not overly bold, but they can be roused to anger. They will not attack any party which seems evenly matched or close to it. They speak a mix of Lancastrian and Goblin.

PT

In reply to Playtester (msg #119):

I understand the confusion.  I'm still not entirely sure how many people I have with me so I'll clarify.

If it is JUST me going to the elven lands in my cart = 2 guards (because we can be small and stealthy)

If it is ME + Other carts then it is at the least 4 guards (2 bricks + 2 archers)

Tom will suggest to the others to hire guards, but if they're stupid enough not to do that then that's their fault.  The other guards would be hired simply because of the fact that they're a big target with no protection and Tom + 2 guards could never hope to protect that much.

*****

Right, well Tom is expecting an ambush from these guys.  I need to know how many people I'm traveling with + how many guards there are to mandate strategy.

Its just you and the two guards.

Order of Battle:

1) Try to sneak by these guys.  The problem is probably that there is no easy path to do this so they're going to have an ambush but if there is a way to do it and keep the cart try that way.

2) They are probably too stupid to understand the gun, but two fragmentation grenades will seem like fireballs to them.  They'll be tossed right away with two flash bang grenades.

3) Keep an eye out for likely ambush spots.  If there is a spot we cannot get by with the leaping then Tom will use one of the alchemical explosive air rifle beads to flush them out (again if stealth off the road is not an option)

4) The brick is to attempt to stand between the Archer and I.  Tom will start out using his pistol and then switch to his sword.  The sword is to be at the ready so he doesn't have to draw it again.

Tom also prepares the one minute gunshot prayer for the first shot.

There is a road that is fairly level through rough goat country with small denuded hills dotted with brush and patches of grass. You head up the road as quietly as you can.

The archer retrieves some goose fat from the back of the wagon under the seat, and smears it liberally on the wheel wells. He slips a bag of food over each horses head. Sighing, the brick pulls out a set of bags, and ties them over the shoes of his horse and does the same for your horse.

"This will make us slower." The brick warns in a low voice as he drapes a hot and stuffy cloak over his shiny armor.

You and the two guards continue onward...

You come to a spot three miles down the road where the hillside slightly overhangs the road on the right, and a small copse of trees and brush crowns the hill.  The brick wants to scout it out, you were talking about using alchemical beads to drive out any ambushers that might be present....

PT

Day thinks a moment, and while he has the air rifle bead ready, motions for the Brick to go ahead and check out the hill silently.

The copse is empty although it has some week old campfires.

"Whoever was up there was probably up to no good, but they're gone now."

There are another few places to check on the way, but nothing comes of it. The slower pace means you arrive at the fortified inn well past sunset. After being carefully scrutinized, and forced to hold up mirrors to reflect your faces to the door guard, you're let in.

There are fewer people here, although it is still well filled, and everyone has a nervous edge. Unlike other places on the trail, there is an interior barn which you roll your wagon inside of to protect it from night raiders.

The room and food costs are twice as much as well.

You get up the next morning, and see a more cheerful and relaxed door guard removing an arrow from the front door.

"One more day, and we'll reach the Elven border." The Archer says softly from behind you. In front of you, the Brick just grunts as he's not very talkative before coffee.

PT

Tom decides that this time they're going for speed.  He wants as much of a push as they think they can make to get there with daylight.  The risk here is obviously much greater, but the increased nervousness here makes him decide that night is the bigger problem than ambush, though he has weapon at the ready.

You and your guards rush through the day, eating lunch on the move, and pausing very seldom.  Thus you make it to the Elven border a full hour and a half before sundown.

A wicker gate bars the road, and the Brick opens it, and statues ten feet high of lions rampant are spaced every twenty feet on each side of the road for the last quarter-mile.

Both of your guards relax.

"Now we are in Elven lands. By opening the gate and entering we accept their rules. The next gate is more serious. But we are safe here for it is said these lions only sleep, and danger will awaken them."

Up ahead several hundred yards, you see a replica of the wicker gate, but in silver, and with human guards in heavy armor behind it.

"Sage, did you want us to accompany you into the Greenwood, or shall we turn about in the morning with another merchant in need of protection?" The Archer asks you.

OOC: +@1 to your wagoneering skill due to the fast riding.

PT

Tom considers his options.  Finally he says, "I'm planning a return journey.  However, I have absolutely no idea how long I shall be in the Greenwood.  While I am not naive enough to assume that there is no danger from mortal peril therein, my quest could be an easy and short one or a dire and perilously long one.  I thank you for your aid on this journey, but I believe from here I shall go on alone." He'll tip them an extra 10% of what was the agreed price for their excellent service.

He then goes to the gate and seeks entrance.

They're pleased by your decision as they really specialize in border travel, and doubly happy with the tip. They make a point of requesting you hire them again if you see them.

You roll the wagon forward with their good wishes ringing behind you and you feel an ancient stillness reaching out to wrap you in its timelost folds. The trees in front of you tower gracefully like redwoods.

The human guards behind the gate are uniform and still faced as you arrive.

"If you would enter, human merchant, open the gate." A voice like melody says, and a tall, and well-muscled, but very pretty man...no elf steps up from behind the small gate cottage. Everyone is watching you closely as you stand before the chest high, and delicately wrought silver gate.

PT

Tom says, "I come for two reasons; to sell my wares and to seek the wizard Wayreth.  I am informed that to open the gate is to be subject unto thy law, but I am largely ignorant of your culture and would thus know the finer points of the standards I would be expected to adhere to beyond what any civilized culture would otherwise encourage.  Please, if you will, enlighten me.  I come from far beyond the Duchylands and have learned of the Elves of Greenwood only by proxy."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:44, Fri 03 Oct 2008.

"You are mistaken, visitor from far away, the wicker gate is our border. You now stand in our power." The elf says. "We have simple rules. Respect the forrest, its trees, and its inhabitants. If an elf gives you a writ of authority, you are bound to do what he says until you can appeal to a magister. Do not fear, we will treat you kindly, just as you would treat a child of a friend of yours who ws visiting your house. As long as you do not mistake that kindness for weakness, you should find the blessing of the Greenwood."

He pauses, and thinks.

"The silver gate, I do not usually say this, but others would have rumors to aid them, so to be fair to you, let me suggest that you don't harbor evil intentions in your heart against the Elves or the Greenwood when you touch it."

He bows and gestures for you to open the gate.

PT

"Those rules are reasonable for any man who has a choice of entrance or departure to live by.  One should be able to have respect and honor in one's own house."

Tom doesn't have hostile intent toward the greenwood, but he understands now why the humans back in the Duchy don't have advanced tree cutting tech.  He might have to rethink the lumbermill for the paper mill.  Then again, chopping trees down is not a harm if you replant them.

That does not mean he will be chopping trees inside of Elven lands.  He has no ill intentions to any elves (who do not serve Evil) or the Greenwood.

He opens the gate.

If all goes well, he will go until he can sell the herbs, and if possible learn details of where to find Wayreth.

The gate swings open in your hand easily, and you feel a sense of welcome. The path beyond turns sweet and manicured, but inobviously. It winds through the trees just wide enough for your wagon, and sometimes you think you see branches moving out of the way for you.

An hour further on, you come to a collection of four, no ten, no twenty, you're not really sure, how many little houses tucked around the roots of the trees, dangling from branches, tucked in little ripples of ground. A tiny little man with dark blue breeches, bright green shirt, pointed ears, and pointed hair sticking out all over opens the nearest door and walks up to you.

"Well met, trader. I'm Stefan of the Brownies, and since the road led you to us, it must mean you have herbs for sale. I assume you're Human from your looks. If you're not I apologize. We have some very good root we make into a tasty drink here, and some medicinal fungi and mushroom. And of course, the best crocheting this side of Auriador. Come share some cheese and strawberry juice with me."


PT

Tom says, "I would be delighted to share some juice and cheese with you."

He will trade the herbs for 80% medicinal fungi (provided he is convinced it can be preserved) and 20% of the root that makes a good drink.  He will pray to know if he can trust the fellow or not.

When the trading is done, he will spend some time chatting with the brownies, learning their ways and their culture.  He may also be willing to swap tales and songs with them, since one can always learn more of those.

He will try to glean a bit more about the Elves, and what obstacles, if any, there might be in terms of meeting with Wayreth, and what the best way to approach him might be.

You pray, and receive guidance. He's not human, and he's not of your culture, but by his lights he's quite honorable.

Their trade items are dried, and if you want to spend more, you can buy it in vacuum-packed glass containers made by the gnomes, and overlain with brownie preservative spells.

The brownies enjoy working with soft items such as leather and rope and wood, and are very ingenious with such items. They don't work 'loud', but do work 'swift'.  They revere masters of skill, and are scornful of klutzes and well-meaning idiots, although if you add generous to idiot they will tend to protect you the same way they protect simpletons.

Life is about finding your vocation, and doing it, but maintaining your sense of humor and balance. The overly ambitious meet their scorn as well.

They have an instinctive need to be helpful, but they don't like thanks or gratitude expressed.

"Well, Warreth, ah, the Archmage. He has many who want to talk to him. And he has hardly any time to think, or so he said ten years ago when he wandered through here. I think the roads will conspire against you as will other elves for if you talk to Warreth that means others don't who will naturally find their own problems to be more compelling than yours."

PT

Tom will purchase the containers.  It might make the trip unprofitable at this point, but it gives him the option of potentially giving the business to someone else for the long haul.  (No pun intended).

Tom will show them Demonslayer and idly ask them if they might be able to make a scabbard for it.  Something that might enhance it or the simply protect it well.

Tom asks about the Roads and find out if there are people who Wayreth regularly consults who might be more accessible than he via the Roads.

They shrug, and a couple start working leather while another works wood.  Their fingers flash, and occasionally they glance at the sword, and go back working while others sing with you of great Brownie heroes of the past (who mostly specialized in stealing and trapping their enemies).

"The Lady Morrigan is said to be friends with Warreth.  And the Storm Twins are too." One of them offers after some thought on your question.

The scabbard is done.

You belt it on, and it looks fine.  You reach for the sword, and suddenly its in your hand. You almost drop it in sheer surprise, but save the day with a quick reflex grab.

PT

Tom will try to pay them back even though he knows they like to serve.  He is large, so he might be able to do some 'giant' work for them, or compose a poem about them and their community or convey knowledge.  It somehow seems crude to pay gold for such a gift though he is willing to pay it.  Regardless, he gives them a great deal of thanks.

Tom will ask about Captain (?) the guy who came to the human lands and wrote the book.  He'll find out what they know about the elf he works for, and how he fits politically with regards to Wayreth and the Duchy.

They do mention that there is some stones they need moving for a small dam in a river.  Its large stones, and about a dozen of them that need shifting about twenty feet to a five foot wide stream.

They don't know Captain Duxworth or his elvish patron, but from the description they think it likely that he's in the nearby area, and since they don't know him, he must be newly rotated to a border guard position. They're not sure though. He could possibly be from the other side of the Greenwood.

Do you thank them as in "Wow, this is great. Thank you so much!" or something similar?

PT
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:27, Fri 10 Oct 2008.

No.  They don't like thanks expressed.  Rather Tom will say matter of factually, "This hilt is the finest craftsmanship that I have ever seen.  The speed at which you performed it is rather impressive.  Be assured that I have seen machines with such precision that no human could ever match them, and the work you have done here exceeds their actions."

He will move the rocks.

He bids them fond farewell and unless it seems they want more payment (which is both understandable to Tom but also potentially understanding that from their perspective it might be 'no big deal') he begins to head toward Lady Morrigan.  He isn't sure how to do that, but since the Roads seem to reflect the desire of the individual compared to others, Tom will simply focus on the needs of not himself but several thousand people on the other side of the Door who can use the aid the duke presents.

That should help, but on top of that Tom shall be relentless.  If the road is not so much about travel as it is about mental state, then Tom will take one step for every ten thoughts he thinks about finding the Lady Morrigan.  Magic is a state of mind, and his state of mind is to find the Lady Morrigan.

An hour later, you enter a gate just off the road.

A lady with long dark hair is digging in what appears to be a garden.Behind her a house blends in with the trees and grasses.

"You are relentless." She says. "I could hear the Road whispering of your coming for the last hour." She straightens up with a spade in her hand. "Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to help you get to Warreth."

PT

Tom smiles, "My apologies my Lady, I did not mean to disturb your activities.  I would not do so if the matter were not urgent.  My name is Tom Day.  May I help you with your garden as we speak?"

She nods.

You step on to the garden, and feel a shock run up through the soles of your feet, and along the bones of your body. There is kinship here.

She stares at  you in surprise even as her hands move quickly.  The garden's soil is disturbed by the skulls and fingerbones of skeletons rising from the dirt.

"You've had close contact with the Lady of Sorrows." She pauses. "Many times too. What are you? And do not lie to me, human, for the dead and those that have died are mine to command."

PT

Tom thinks a moment, "I am afraid I honestly don't know what you mean by the Lady of Sorrows.  That could mean of two things....if she is death, then yes, I have died many times, and will die many more, though I am functionally immortal in any realm in which I am not violently killed.  If you mean Metrossia, then I slew one of her worshipers that meant to murder me, probably in my sleep.  I no doubt upset her further by banishing his malicious spirit from the body of one of my compatriots.  I am what is known as a "Verser", one cursed by the being known as Scriff to sail the currents of all creation for all eternity.  My arrival here brought the attention of Teracule.  She is the one who took me to the duchy.  Though my arrival in this world is no accident, for unlike most of the times I have traveled by death, I came to this world by direction of the Lord Almighty through a powerful door.  On the other side of that door, thousands are in need of aid against a treacherous foe.  It is Wayrath's Key that will unlock the door and allow aid to come back to them.....hence, you can understand the source of my relentlessness."

The skeletons rise from the dirt around her as a protective wall. She murmurs a phrase, then another, more demanding one.

She sniffs.

"Ah, I have been a dreadful host. Sleep, my friends."  The dead begin to bury themselves again, and she aids them with her hoe. "I do smell Terracuyl's peculiar perfume upon you. I hear the truth in your words, and in them I hear a story suited for a Quest of Ancient Elflords."

She speaks authoritatively, and a silver chair appears for you and for her. She sits.

"Metrossia is a poor copy, a spirit of envy and a seeker of malicious pain, who saw my mistress' glory and coveted it for her own. Still, I would be careful as she holds a grudge."  She waves a hand regally. "The true Lady of Sorrows is the one who comes to take good spirits to their rest, and to comfort those who remain."

She stops, and waits for what you know not.

"Still, in the end, the same problem remains. I am a necromancer, bound by law to only take those who give themselves to me in life, but still, not popular. In fact, much suspected. If someone were to miss a piece of silver in the Royal Courts, their first thought is that Lady Morgana took it.  Warreth comes to me often, it is true, but he comes to me to make sure I have not broken my pledged word. He comes armed with his arcane might and the authority of the King to demand entrance to my labs and my gardens. Now that he will know you came from here, he will distrust you."

Her face grows disquieted, and she pulls two rings off her fingers.

"One for the Quest, and to repay you for the insult and injury I have done you. And one, you will know when you stand amidst the blaze of light, and approach the pit of darkness."

The rings are made of bones, and she holds them out to you.

Tom bows, "I am honored Lady.  Death is seldom understood by most.  Indeed, the question is that few but perhaps Lover and Poets understand life as it is.  I was one, but now even more so.  One does not understand the proper place of death until it is denied them.  There is a natural cycle that is best not broken except under the most extraorinary of circumstances.

But there is an honorable path in all things, and I can tell you are a woman of honor.  I take no offense, but I also learned long ago that it is as important to receive gracious attempts at reconcilation even when offense was not taken, therefore I shall call them gifts and take them and be honored.

What do you mean by the blaze of light and pit of darkness?  Or is it the nature of the prophesy to avoid too much foreknowledge?

As for Warreth...well....he will either trust me, or he won't.  An archmage of his power cannot be forced to give me his aid.  If you will believe me, perhaps he might.  I am sorry that you are mistrusted.  I imagine you do not have much company.  If it is within the bounds of your will, let us dine, and I shall tell you my tale before I depart.

After all, if I am to be mistrusted for associating with you, why not make it worth the time?"

Tom will spin the same song he spun for the Duke and learn of her and her past.  Necromancy might be creepy but this lady is pretty cool and it sounds like she's gotten a raw deal.

She laughs like a creek burbling down a hillside.

"Well said. I see why Terracuyl chose you to visit." She seems gently amused.  She speaks two more words, and a silver table appears, and then hot food. It is all vegetarian.

"The Elves have glimpses of the future, in bright searing moments beyond our control. Liken it to the sight you see on a dark night when you look up at a hill, and there is a flash of lightning. I only know that when you stand in that bright place, you will use that ring, or you will be broken and torn in mind before such is done to your body. So guard that ring well." Her face is sombre, and you suspect she knows more, but it is not a pleasant tale. Still she says nothing.

You tell her the poem, and she laughs and claps at points.  She makes you repeat the whole thing even as she mutters it under her breath.

"There, I have it memorized."

You and her talk the evening away, and she is a bright and lively companion. It does not hurt that like all elves she is lovely and graceful.

Finally she rises.

"I must attend to my gardens. It is near midnight. Sleep well and at peace."  The chair under you lengthens, and you find yourself nodding off.

Bird song wakes you.  A table of food and juice is by your chaise lounge chair. There is also a small note.

"Dear Thomas, it would please me greatly if the Road brought you back to my door in the future. Until then, I shall talk to the dead who are not as charming, although they have many secrets. May the Road speed you well."

PT

Tom isn't sure if the road will bring him back here, but he takes the note and writes on the back, "It was an honor to meet you Lady Morrigan. May the road indeed take me back here at some point in the future."

He'll then head to the gate.  This time, however, he prays for an hour ahead of time.  He thinks specifically of the time Elisha showed the youth that those that are with Us are more than those that are with them.  He will ask for an unseen host to march with him as he approaches Warreth and that the Road may take him without guile or error toward his destination.

And he moves forward yet again, more determined than ever to reach the arch mage.

You feel a the presence of many around you, an unseen host as an honor guard.  So fortified, you step out onto the road, and soon find that Warreth's command or perhaps his casual intent is powerful. You find that you've walked past the same stand of trees thrice.

Somehow, you've been caught in a loop.

PT
OOC: I'm not sure of what you wanted from the Unseen Host, but if its a whole army of fighters, well you lack the ability, and would likely botch. So, I went with

Morale Boost/Divine Blessing Noticeable by the Perceptive 1@3. It raises your Morale, and lets the wise know that you're about a deity's business (which is enough to make most wise either helpful or wary).

Perhaps you can clarify more.

As to the other prayer the answer was 'not at this moment.'

Tom keeps going.

The loop doesn't matter.  Spacial position doesn't matter.  It is a state of mind.  He will outlast those who oppose him.  He will not give up.  Ever.

OOC: Morale works just fine.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:51, Thu 16 Oct 2008.

You walk, and walk, and ...well you get the idea. Lunch comes, and you take a rest?

Later, you see others on the road. They too are trying to reach Warreth. There are humans, and a pixie, and an elf.

The humans grimly laugh in the companionships of misery when they see you, and invite you to join them.  The pixie flutters and speaks to you, but in a language you don't know.  The elf bows his head gracefully.

"You walk with many swords of fire, Human. But I sense no evil in you."

You keep walking, and come back up on them again.

PT

OOC: It seems we have a minor continuity error or misstatement on my part.

A Surrey filled with containers which preserve medicinal root has gone poof. :)

If I have animals, I'd stop to feed them.

If I don't, I won't.

I am fine with having left them with the brownies or Lady Morrigan, esp since the latter offers a chance to return and visit; but I'm fine either way.

IC:

Tom politely speaks to the others and learns more about them; and how long they've been looking.

He will mix up an alchemic potion of Languages; from which he learned from the Duke's Alchemist book and try to speak to the Pixie.  If for some reason he does not have the requisite ingredients, he'll try Alchemistry instead, though if he uses the latter, he'll be very careful lest the potion make him say something stupid or offensive.

To the elf, he returns the bow and says, "Swords of fire?" He isn't sure if he means the angels he prayed for or something else.

As he walks, Tom begins to see that this may be like a telephone operator's queue.  If that is the case, then the archmage almost assuredly has ways of bypassing it.

If their causes seem worthy, he offers to take the message for them if he gets ahead though he does so in a very low key fashion so as not to offend those who might not be so worthy.

There are probably command words; or exceptions like the King or someone representing the king.

But on the off hand chance....

Arch mages are mages...and if there is one thing that mages value, it is knowledge.

Given that Elven magic involves mathematics, he will try chanting the Sky Equations in a low voice in Spanish as he continues to mentally focus as he has been.

You left the surrey with Lady Morrigan.

The elflord nods.

"Yes, you are accompanied by an honor guard piping music and carrying swords of fire in the realm of spirits. They are strange beings, not known to these woods, but they have a goodly face and a wholesome manner."

One human wishes to become an apprentice, and another has a claim of injustice against an elflord and he figures on going to the highest 'easily' accessed authority and getting things fixed!!

The pixie speaks in a fluting tongue that even with your potion is hard to understand (@1 bonus to this skill for new use).

"Human, I require a gem of a certain peculiar nature. Pixies are highly magical, and without this gem, I may not wed my dearest heart. However, our mines are played out, and so the only source we have is the Archmage."

You mutter the Sky Equations, and leave the others behind. Now you see a chasm before you and across it is a rope bridge coated with ice.

PT

Tom informs the Elf, "They are messengers from my God.  I asked Him to send aid to increase my morale and resolve."

Right....well an apprentice needs to prove himself.

Justice is not his call unless the guy has been ridiculously slammed.

The Pixie has a worthy cause but will probably require something traded?  Tom will do what he can.

When he gets to the ice bridge....

Well.  Obviously his reasoning was correct.

Of course generally, the guy who knows equations ten times more advanced than anything else that he knows would be able to get over this bridge easily, like levitate or teleport or all kinds of things that Tom can't do.

Right.

Well, Tom can't do a ton himself, but he has a hell of a back up team...but it might take a while.

"Lord, Thy Aid would be most appreciated in this endevor."

He takes out his grappling hook and rope and looks for a way to secure himself while he tries to cross the bridge.  He will briefly try the air fan and if it looks to work reliably (which it probably doesn't) he'll wear it while crossing the bridge as a backup.

The key thing here is, he's going to take his time very carefully crossing this thing.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:31, Tue 21 Oct 2008.

You crawl out on to the ice, your nerves calm, and your hands steady. Time passes, and you drift into a trance.  A hand moves forward, tests its grip, a foot inches forward, and finds another hold, the rope is release with utmost caution, and tossed.
Time seems to fade and you exist in a moment of eternal Now.

And then your hand cramps, and you slide free, and before you realize it you're dangling over several hundred feet from your rope.  Your right arm is spasming.

PT

Tom immediately throws up his Mind Shield and Prays for Healing.  He's going for the same healing ritual that's he's been practicing for quite a while now, but takes no chances.  He grabs the robe with his left hand and clings for dear life until his right is done.

The pain is blocked, and then blessed healing rushes through your arm.  You pull yourself back up with difficulty, panting slightly. Once you're on the bridge, your above natural vitality reasserts itself, and you feel better with a minor wait.

You continue on down the bridge, this time taking care to not drift into a trance. The effort is both boring, and extremely taxing even to your superb stamina.  But, with frequent breaks to catch your breath you reach the end where a man is standing.

He shakes his head as he helps you to your feet. You're shaking from exhaustion as he steps backwards, and you find yourself in a pleasant garden.

"You, sir, are extremely persistent. I designed that bridge so that it would exhaust any will, drive any man into weakness, and make them face death. If they chose to continue despite certain death, I would talk to them.  Others, I rescued and sent back. You are the first to simply bull your way through."

You look down on your body, and you can see the bones in your arms stand out quite clearly.

"Yes, you lost about fifteen pounds of water, and seven pounds of regular body mass. Now what do you want? I'm impressed, I grant you, but I'm also an extremely busy elf."

PT

Tom knows that he has to eat a lot and drink a lot soon, but he came here for a reason.

"While my mind, will and flesh have been enhanced, I cannot take credit for the endurance in this case.  I come on a mission from my God.  I have come through a Door from another world at His direction.  There are, on the other end of that Door, thousands who are in a war that will cost them dearly.  I did not know why I was directed to come here, but then the Duke of the Duchy offered to send men through the door to aid them.  Understand that the fate of these thousands could affect billions.  I did not know how to control the Door, until I prayed and was only told that Wayreth's Key was the answer.  Thus, I came to ask you for that Key.  You have seen my determination.  Name any price in my power to grant for that Key and I will give it."

"Admirably succinct." He sighs and reaches down to his neck and pulls out from underneath his layered silk robes, richly embroidered with gold thread, a simple key on a chain about his neck.  He spins it, and you see it Here, There, Then, Past, Present, Sideways...

Barriers of perception seem to collapse around you.

He stops it with one finger and you're anchored again in Here and Now.

"My most powerful item. With it an army of demons could open the gate to Paradise. I do not mean to brag, but I do not know any lock that can withstand it. I even wonder if it can open the heart of a woman, but I have not dared try. Terracuyl greatly covets it, but she knows to demand it as her tribute would mean the Elven Nation would rebel against her. To hold it is to glimpse Eternity. To use it...well...I mean no offense Human but I am not sure you could carry it ten feet before it unmade you.  Which is to say little of what thieves would strive to do to you for its sake."

PT

"I was unsure of the nature of the key itself.  I thought you might not have possession of it.  Since the key is in your possession and control, then I do not technically need the key.  What I would ask instead would be two things. The first would be to simply arrive at a time and place in the future and use the key to open the Door to the other world in say....a month and a half, during which time the Duke could assemble a force that would come with me to aid those on the other side of the door.  The second, and I am sure more costly proposition would be to convince you to come with us to the other side of the door, and open it to allow them to return.  The second is not as necessary as the first, but would be helpful.

As one who is forever cut off from his world of origin, I would leave no one trapped away from their own world.

I have some things to trade; knowledge, skills or items, though with that key....I would imagine there is little that I have that you could not ultimately find on your own if you truly desired it.  Indeed, only the Sky Equations seem to me to be something you could place immediate value upon, though I am hardly an archmage so I could only guess at what you might find valuable."

"I would require a quest from you, not that it would be worth what I have, but merely to maintain my reputation as a terrible and dangerous wizard not to be sought lightly, but the truth is, the problem is steeper than that. I dare not leave this garden." He sighs. "Thomas Day, I am old, very old, even for an elflord, and my magics at times have been less than prudent as I drew on my lifeforce. I would last a day outside this garden. In here, I have another hundred perhaps two hundred, and then I go to my gods."

He smiles.

"And before you say it....the Lady Morrigan thinks I come to her, but in truth, I bring her plot of land to me. And you'll pardon the pride, but deftly enough that Morrigan, who's not a bad enchanter herself, doesn't suspect it."

PT

Tom smiles back, "If you bring us to you or you to us, even a one way trip will be helpful.  Quite frankly, it sounds like it is best then to do a one way trip, since I can imagine you bringing a small group of men to you, but cannot fathom how you could bring a chunk of another WORLD to you.  Best make it a one way trip then.

And I am sorry you are trapped in the garden.  If there is anything I can do to help besides the quest, let me know.

What is the quest that you would require?  If you just generically have a quest requirement, if you're open to suggestion, I'd prefer to do some good with it, with the risk not staggeringly high.  I only ask that because it does little good to go on it if I end up dead and back where I started from.   And do you desire the Sky Equations? I understand that mathematics is a fundamental aspect of elven magic....."

"If you can find a City in a Gem, you will aid myself and yourself." The archmage says. "Very well, I will do this."

He scribbles a note on a piece of paper.

"Burn this, when you're ready to be transported. I have a list of various quests. I'll have my secretary send you the information on one. And no, you can't help me, but thanks for the thought. And I will take the Sky Equations."

PT

Tom hands him the written book that he'd copied the information to ahead of time.  He has questions like, "What's a city in a gem?" But the Archmage obviously IS busy, so Tom doesn't waste any more of his time.  He'll get that information somewhere else. He wants to help the Pixie, but he'll take that up with the Secretary (if he meets them) not the Archmage himself.

"Thank you for your help."

He'll leave.  If he 'pops out' near the Secretary, he asks them about the City in a Gem, but otherwise he will find an inn where he can eat a VERY hearty meal.  He's got a lot of weight to regain.

Then he heads back to Morrigan.

You pop out on the Road, and staggering increasingly find an inn.  You eat and drink enough to make the other patrons stare at you in astonishment, and you're really planning to go meet the Lady Morrigan, but sleep catches you unawares.

You wake the next morning on a rug by the fireplace.

You're extremely hungry, and thirsty.

PT

If he can, he'll get a private room and do the inventory there.

He'll take four days to recover, eating, drinking and sleeping until he is ready once again for the road.  If he recovers quicker than that, he'll peacefully meditate, giving thanks for the Lord's aid in reaching the Arch mage.

Once he has accomplished this (besides paying for his room), he will head to Lady Morrigan's.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:45, Fri 31 Oct 2008.

The private room is neat, clean, and elegant in line, if spare in decoration.  It makes for an excellent setting for the three days of meditation you engage in.

After that, you take a few hours to arrive at the Lady Morrigan's garden.

She greets you at the gate with a glass of frosted juices mixed together.

"I felt you coming, but this time you don't have a fire burning in your brain. I take it you succeeded in your quest."

PT

"Yes and no.  I have been told I will be given a quest to complete.  If I succeed, I will be given what I want.  Is one of the rings you gave me a ring of sustenance?  If so, it was incredibly helpful."

He sips the juice.

"Have you ever heard of the City in a Gem?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:46, Fri 31 Oct 2008.

"Indeed. I know some little about the way Warreth thinks, and how to outface him in his games." A cunning smile flickers on her face showing satisfaction at her own guesswork.

She summons a tray of fruit, and begins to peel them herself with her silver knife.

"Every child from around here knows the tale. In the time of the Grey Elven Empire, before the Great Khan sought dominion, and before Terracuyl came to make her hunting grounds was the time of their greatness. On occasion they had need to transport armies, or courts from one part of their empire to another.  It was simpler to create a city inside a gem by twisting space, and then have the gem be carried by one person who would then release the army at its destination point. In the fall of the Empire, perhaps aided by Terracuyl, records are uncertain, many were destroyed, and others lost.  But in the few centuries after, they were much prized by petty warlords in those chaotic days. Now, well, I am uncertain. I suspect that the Elfking might have some, and doubtless the Red Queen of the Thornhills, Terracuyl would have some for she has an eye for strange interesting things. I am sure some humans and other races possess them as well, but none were used to my knowledge in the Human Rebellion of a hundred fifty years past. So...."

She raises her hands helplessly, and then drops them to hand you a plate of dissected fruit.

PT

Tom eats the food and then says, "If that is the case then some of them must have been lost.  That tells me that there may be one somewhere that is not claimed by a greater power.  Is there some kind of an oracle or seer that knows the location of such things I could consult?  And if not.....who is the Red Queen of the Thornhills?"

"The Crystal Sidhe are said to know all secrets. They live in a cave overlooking the Pirate Gulf and touching the Greenwood."  She smiles. "Ah, well that's Terracuyl. Her lair is in the Thornhill Mountains."

PT

Tom thanks her and thinks a great deal.  He might be able to convince Terracuyl to give him a gem, but Dragons seldom gave anything from their hoard.  And stealing one seemed....foolish...at best.

That left the Crystal Sidhe.

"Does the Road go to the Crystal Sidhe?"

"What can you tell me about them?  What are they like? Do they typically demand a price for their aid, and if so, what?"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:50, Tue 04 Nov 2008.

"They are said to be dreadful. Their tests are of legendary difficulty, and yet no one who has been to their caves will speak in any helpful detail."  She pulls a face. "Some of their visitors have been tortured without telling."

She shrugs her shoulders.

"Some who seek them never return, and others converse with them, and come back disdaining challenge to live quiet lives. There are no tales of them requiring gifts of wealth or art."

PT

Tom thinks, "They sound less difficult than trying to get the gem from the dragon.  And the Elf King?  I gather you do not think highly of him, which makes me hesitant to ask, but do you think if he heard the tale I had told you and the Duke he might consent to lend one of the gems for our use when he understood the stakes?"

"He's a good elf. My relationship, my views, are...complicated. He's good at many things, and he means well. At the same time, he thinks humans are sulking after a hundred fifty years, and they should return to the fold any decade now."

She turns to you with a smile that curves her lips like a bow.

"I don't see a child before me. But his Mightiness, the Lord of Greenwood would find you to be really cute and charming and have to restrain himself from patting you on the head."

She turns away.

"If you got through to him, he might make a decision in half a year. After all 'hastiness is the vice of the younger races. We of Elvenkind practise the long view.'"

PT

Tom heads to the Crystal Elves.

He thanks Morrigan for her help.

Two days later you leave the forrest to walk along a beach facing a salty gulf. You've been warned to be careful as its not called the Pirate Gulf for nothing. You walk north on normal sand, without the benefit of a magic Road, and its surprising how difficult it is compared to the ease  and speed of the Road.

About two miles later, you see a small hillock rising above the beach, and a cleft in it. This is the cave of the Crystal Sidhe.

You walk up the path to the hill, and words are engraved in marble into the path.

"Be warned adventurer, you will not walk this path again."

Shrugging, you push it aside and advance to the mouth of the cave. Inside, it is completely dark, and you enter.

A silvery pool faces you and on the far side a luminous shape, elven, but seeming made of glowing crystal waits.

It chuckles.

"Well met, worldwalker, our cave holds no terrors for you for you have already passed through the siege perilous."

PT

"I am pleased to meet you as well.  You obviously know what I am, but I would consider it rude to presume you know who I am.   Therefore, allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Tom Day, and I am seeking the location of a City in a Gem that might be used to transport myself and others to aid another world.  I have also heard tell that you have a Door here which leads to other worlds.   Is this related to the Unknown Door which transported me to this world in the first place?"

"The Unknown Door is one of ours. But your life is a series of Unknown Doors as well, Tom Day. A worldwalker faces challenges he is not ready for. So you have passed our test before enlightening our doorway. And indeed, I do know of a place where you might obtain this City in a Gem you seek. A number of places, but the closest is here."

It waves a hand at the silver pool, and the room blazes with light. And in the light you can see a small logging village by a river.

"They need help. Help them, and you'll help yourself."

The village waits in the middle of the pool like a patch of darkness, some hideous danger is reaching out toward the village, and its moral stain is on the world.

PT

Tom nods, "Then help them I shall.  It is a pleasure to meet you and I am fascinated by the whole reason behind them.  What is the purpose of the Unknown doors? Are they normally doors you use from this end to test others?"

"Can you show me the way to this village?"

"Should I bring the Company of the Golden Needle with me or go immediately?"

"What, if anything, can you tell me about the danger?"

"Thank you for your information."

If appropriate, Tom returns to the Duchy to convince the Company to help him (ie if this looks like its in a huge dungeon.)  Otherwise, he will go to the Village via the route shown him.

"Yes, from this end, although we have done it otherwise. It is a test. Of courage. Of faith. Of character. We wish to find good men, and turn them into great men or shatter them. We are the refining fire. Gawain went to the Green Knight knowing it was his death, but honor forbad him otherwise. Men have charged machine guns for love of country and their soldiers in their platoon. Some few survive. A man walked to the frozen pole of his planet, and as he and his men faced death, they did not waver or whimper but rejoiced that they had taken the risk even though they had lost, but in truth they had not lost. A man held by his enemies jerks off his mask, and says "This is how an Italian dies." We are the Siege Perilous."

It points at the pool.

"Step through the pool. The Company would go with you, but they would not survive. Forget not the wisdom others have offered you."

PT

Tom steps through the pool.  Unless he arrives in a grand fireball or flash of light, he will be fairly surreptitious on arrival, attempting to take in his surroundings.  He will start as a simple traveler moving his way through the village.  If the social situation feels that this is not appropriate, then he'll ask for who is in charge instead.

You enter on the other side of a low hill south of the village.  A small motte and bailey fort is above you, but its not guarded except for a dog who sniffs in your direction, and then lays back down.

The field is full of green beans and some stumps.

You step over to the path, and enter the village by the stream.  Its a small place with perhaps fifty huts, and some more substantial buildings like the local tavern, Soa's which has a nodding seal on the wooden sign out front.

There is one single manor on the other hill north of town, and a small temple to the Lord of Justice and the Lady of Crafts.

In the midst of the village is a small statue of a dwarf named 'Polinax Magnus'.

A river and log slides and piers and a ferry make up the riverside. There is also a drinking shanty near the river, but it looks as if a good breeze would knock it over.

A girl walks up to you.

"Milord, are you the advance scout of a party of adventurers? We do hope so for we are being driven from our fields. My mother's inn is clean, and free of bugs, and we could offer a good deal to a party of adventurers who wish to have comfort rather than sleep in rainy tents."

PT

Tom looks around the town calmly.  The last thing he wants to do is come in all swagger and polish.  The 'moral decay' that the Crystal Sidhe mentioned really makes him think that someone here is responsible for whatever horrific thing is afflicting the village.

He'll silently pray again as he did with Bone Jarrer, asking the Lord if He might divine the intent and demeanor of those around him that he may know who to trust and who not to trust.

To the girl he answers, "Well I am a part of an adventuring company, but I am alas but a minor sage.  However, mayhap I can be of some limited help."

He will proceed to begin to go with her to the inn and ask questions of any who will answer about what they're facing, what it is called, what it is capable of, where it is and what it has done so far.

Anything he eats or drinks will be prayed over first to know if it is safe or not.  He'll be timely, so that if it is early enough in the day he will keep his questions short enough so that they don't have to go another night of this and so he doesn't have to sleep in the village.

You feel a keeness of insight settle over you. The villagers are worried and unsure. They are not sure what to worry about first...the economic strain or simple survival.

You do see one guy who looks clearly like 'antisocial punk', and one women who looks like 'causes trouble just to stir the pot' but no out and out evil. They mostly seem to be decent, if a bit greedy. And the greed is an elightened kind that knows its better to trade than steal.

The inn is run by a halfling but owned by the young girl's mother. The halfling is the only one in the community.  The tavern is filled with brightly polished brasswork, and marble checkerboarded floors, and on the bar is a wooden seal (animal) who blocks passage to the upper part of the bar.

The food is plain, and a bit skimpy.

"I'm sorry, sir, for the food. Right sorry. Its just we haven't been getting much here since the wild animal attacks. Wolves gone mad, y'see. Hard to farm when you might get eaten any minute, isn't it?" The halfling walks up to your table with your food. Its not as bad as he makes it out to be.

"He's a sage, Billy. Maybe he can help us." the girl says as she gets you a mug of well water.

"Eh, well, any help you can offer would be good. Lord Dalton sent out a letter for adventurers. He's pulling out his hair and talking to his ancestors every night."

You pray over the food and its wholesome.

PT

"One of the reasons I am here is an obscure prophesy talking about pillars of light and a pit of darkness.  Is there anything like that here? Some kind of dungeon that might be active again?  How long has this been going on for?"

Tom is definitely sure there is more than wolves here.  The company of the golden needle is pretty tough, so if they couldn't fight it, it had to be pretty powerful.  He is also very careful not to overestimate his strength.  Frankly, he's rather amazed that these people and the Crystal Sidhe think he can single handedly defeat this...whatever it is.  He's counting on the ring and more importantly a little divine aid.

Still, he does not take the Lord for granted.  God helps those who help themselves, so he intends to learn everything he reasonably can ahead of time.

"Well, in the woods, there are two pillars, I guess you could call them that. Two statues. Huge things. They're next to what we call the Mound of Ancient Days. However, my friend, you don't need to be peeking there. Its clear whats the problem. The Druidess in the wood, she don't like milord none. He spurned her, and we chopped her precious trees. Its not as if there aren't more trees around here than people by ten to one anyways."

Someone else snorts at a table nearby.

"Hundred to one maybe. We're deep in the woods here. You can walk three hundred miles to the Pirate Gulf and without reaching a clearing."

"Its five hundred."

"No, its three hundred, and thats a fact, Jimjoe."

"Quit embarrassing yourself...."

Billy laughs as the two others continue to snipe at each other.

"Oh, most of the year."

"It is said that in nature there is a balance to all things, but what people often forget is that people are a part of nature.  Intelligent life has just as much right to exist within that sphere as trees or wolves or owls.  There are multiple fulcrums of balance, but for a druid to turn the force of nature on people because a few trees have been chopped down is truly abrogation of her duties."

The moral stain seems a little clearer now.  Still, Tom is not entirely blind here. It could just as easily somehow be the Lord, pretending to be a druid and framing the druidess...though the odds are considerably less than likely at this point.

Regardless of who is actually behind it, the way forward is clear.

He obtains directions to this place.  If they're psychotically obsessed with it, he explains it is for his adventuring company.  He'll get as much details about the place as he can.

If it is close enough to reach in day light, once he has the details, he'll go.  If it isn't, then he'll stay the night, though he'll only sleep the one hour and pray for protection whilst he sleeps.  He wants to approach this place by day.

"Well, we know you're a sage now." Billy says. "I only wish the Druidess of Dirt would listen to you."  He then takes a few beans off his plate and uses them to make a map.

"Oh, no, sir, you wouldn't make it today. Won't make it tommorrow either. Its a good two days away." The young girl waitress says. They don't have much details about it as none have been to it.

The Halfling has been to it, but it was a long time ago, and he tells you this once he comes back into the room, and hears the conversation.

"Oh, aye, two huge menfolk statues. A man with a sword, a woman in a dress, and beyond them this great huge hill barren of trees, like a bowl turned upside down. And the two menfolk statues have their hands out blocking the way to the front door....I didn't like the look of the place. It felt...unwholesome."

PT

Tom prays silently to determine if the need is immediate or merely timely to set out for the mound.  If it is not immediate, he spends a few more hours talking with them, getting to know them, mainly trying to cheer them up and give them some form of hope, though giving no indication that he's the one who will take care of the threat.

He will retire early for the evening and get a room, seeking not to be disturbed.

He then begins to pray, creating 'hung' prayers in the Holy Symbol like he did with Caly.

He'll do the following:

1) Three prayers of calm (exactly like he did with Caly)

2) Three prayers of Healing (like the quicker cure but a little more comprehensive and thorough)

He'll rest for an hour, cast the rejuvination spell and then resume praying.

3) Three prayers of Armor (except taking longer to pray for it instead of using existing armor as a material component)

4) Three prayers of increased damage, like the prayer he said against Mengle when he shot him, but taking an hour instead.

Each of these prayers will take an hour and request that the Lord invoke them and store them in the Holy Symbol if he is willing.

Come the morning, Tom will make a similar prayer to the one he made when he started on the Road, as well as a general blessing of favor...

And go to fight the dark thing in the mound after he has 'moved on' from the town.

You feel significantly fortified, and the air around you is thick with potency and awareness.  You pray for a general blessing, and the day dawns bright and just a little cool...perfect travelling weather.

You make your way out of town, and along the track to the east, and see many fields with uncared for plants and stumps  of trees in the midst of fields. You do see one hut where a man is working, and when he sees you, he runs back inside to get his crossbow. You can tell because he comes out with it pointing in your general direction.

But he's the  last man you see. Instead, you see huts which are empty, in far scattered bits. Its clear that the land was logged, and then it was being turned into farmland, but the people were chased back to town.

You near the edge of the woods as the day wends it way to a close, and you hear up ahead the the howl of wolves, but somehow it seems discordant and out of tune.

PT

Tom will stay put for about an hour.  This is primarily because at this point he'd rather fight the wolves out in the open than in the woods, but if they stay where they are beyond that, he'll go ahead and go into the woods.

He'll test his night vision.  If he's got good night vision then he'll use that, otherwise he'll invoke a light spell.

He invokes one of the armor prayers.

If the wolves appear, he'll try one of the calming prayers.  He doesn't want to have to kill animals corrupted by her influence but if that doesn't work, he'll blow them away with the pistol, sword as secondary defense.

Night falls as you wait, and so you cast night vision and proceed into the woods.  The wolves close in, and you try to calm them, but the jagged pain and anger in their howls resists your efforts.

They attack.

One lunges out at you from behind a tree, and you get a quick snap shot at him, but his teeth rip into your left shoulder despite the armor. Without it, you'd probably have a broken shoulder. With it, he got a mouthful of blood and punched a half-dozen small holes in your hide.

Another wolf lunges, but is less clever and you're able to shoot it in the brain pan. It collapses at your feet. There are others around you about twenty feet away, but they dart from tree trunk to tree trunk as cover with unnatural cunning as they circle you.

PT

Tom immediately prays asking that the Lord heal the damage that the wolf did with the small holes.  He then invokes the prayers he made to the Lord earlier to increase his proficiency with the pistol, shooting at the wolves as they move from tree to tree.

He keeps moving forward as they try and surround him, attacking the ones between him and the Mound.  He keeps his awareness up at all times though.

If the armor runs out, he invokes the second armor prayer.

Healed, you press on, and kill one with a snap shot. They swarm you, and you beat back the attack.

You notice that the wolves have painful blisters with acrid smells rising from them on their shoulders and haunches. It looks patterned.

You beat off another ambush three miles later when a wolf leaps down at you from a pine tree.

The second armor spell goes up, and you hear wolves nearby, but no one confronts you.

And then you see twigs racing across the ground in front of you, and trees leaning down to block your path. Looking down you see roots lacing over your feet.

"Murderer!" You hear a female voice ring out through the trees, but where it came from you're not sure. Its like its echoed and re-echoed around you.

PT

Tom had not thought the very trees themselves would attack him, though why he thought this he does not know.  He immediately draws his sword and cuts through the roots, though he then immediately brandishes his holy symbol and 'turns' the trees and other things blocking his path.

"In the Name of the Lord God of Israel, Thou Shalt Not Block my path!"  And with that he begins to march forward.  He does so quickly and diligently, praying for the Lord to guide his footsteps whilst he presses forward further.

You chop at the roots, and step quickly.  A wave of energy flares about  you, but the oppressive greenness in the air buries it and you feel very alone.

"The trees and their Lady listen to me better than your god listens to you, priest." You see a woman standing in front of you, trees almost obscuring her with their branches.  But what you can see looks remarkably dirty.

She has bones in her hair, dust all over her, and her fingernails are cracked.

"And now I think your fate for venturing into my woods is to become fertilizer."

She begins to sing, and it sounds like spring.

A shuffling is heard all around you.

PT

Tom immediately throws up his mind shield and invokes the prayer of accuracy and armor.  He unleashes a load of lead in her general direction.  This does not feel like the pit of darkness beyond the pillars of light, so he does not yet invoke the ring, though he metaphysically pings with the Lord just to be sure.

What he does not do is waste witty banter with the woman.  At least he isn't going to, when, on a whim of inspiration, he begins to sing Onward Christian Soldiers.  Its his favorite hymn.  He shoots her while moving forward.

He is aware that the trees themselves are potentially hostile at this point and will have several explosive alchemical beads ready to toss at them if they get in the way...but his main and primary target is the singer.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:17, Wed 26 Nov 2008.

With your mind shield up, the Green Oppressiveness is pushed back, and you feel the core of peace inside you calm you a bit.  Your quick prayer gets back a 'no.', and your random hail of lead wings her.

Her singing falters, and the spell she is casting halts.

You find your steps firm and quick as you bellow out the song.

A tree branch comes down and smacks you hard across the face. Your teeth feel loose in your head, you reflect as you spin through the air. Another tree clots you in passing,a nd you tumble to the ground.

The woman starts singing again.

PT
+@1 for Guidance to Questions (you've done that before, but this is a quick use, so new use.). 1@2 for Improved Skill with Song "Onward Christian Soldiers".  I'm going to call this will benefit all on your side who are Christians and are fighting and can hear you.  At the moment, thats you.

That's it.  She's pissed him off now.  Tom tosses an explosive grenade in her general direction.  If that doesn't work, he'll toss a second and a third.  He immediately unleashes into the trees with his sword.

I would say that thick tree branches are actually quite good protection against grenades. And worse, they might be able to batt them back at you. On the plus side, they don't know what they are.

You throw the first grenade on target, and beat up the trees shielding her.  The next toss almost slips from your fingers as blood from your face drips on your fingers.  Its a feeble toss, and a tree brushes it back your way with the tips of its bending down branch.

It explodes between the two of you, doing no damage to either.

A tree branch slams you, and you chop it off. It reels back in pain.

The third grenade is launched, and lands a few feet from her.

She hits the ground, and doesn't move.

The trees are disturbed, and moving, but without direction. All about you in the middle distance is a sense of movment.

You're pretty sure you've got a broken nose.

PT

Tom briefly sets the nose back in place and invokes one of the healing prayers.  Not so much for the nose but for the damage done by the trees.   He has no time to waste.  He's got an entire #@$@$@# forest trying to kill him.  He'll start singing this time out loud.  Stealth is rather pointless here so he might as well improve his own morale, and boldly sings, dodging around the loony trees.  He does not automatically blow up the motion he senses, much as he wants to (cause the odds of something good being in the forest are virtually nil) but he will wait to shoot it until he sees what it is.

Above all, he moves fast.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:33, Wed 26 Nov 2008.

The trees, without a focal point to direct their attention, stay out of your way. Behind you, you see a huge giantish mass rise above the trees. It looks like an enormous thornpatch was woken and given human form by the druidess. Its at least twenty stories tall, but you can also see the sky through parts of it.

However, it casts about, and then settles back down as you leave the area.

The forrest quiets, and you continue to make very good time with the forrest seeming to smooth your path.

Until you arrive in a clearing with a fifty foot mound of grass. In front of it are two pillars. One is of a towering female with a kindly look on her face and a tear tracing down her cheek.  The other is of a male with the scales of justice in his right hand and a stern look of devotion to justice on his face.

Your stomach flips as you look at the mound.

PT

And so here he is.  Before the pit of darkness in the place of light.  He remembers the council well, which explicitly told him to invoke the strange ring before he approached the pit.

And so he does, with will and spoken prayer.

The ring deconstructs you. Clothes and skin go first, but part by part you vanish into the earth, and then you reappear in a number of other worlds at the very same time from your perspective.

PT
OOC: I'm going with +@1 to your Biology knowledge for this one. And you can visit the other player's threads starting with Oak and Hadrian if you like, or let me handle it.