I greet the white robe, "I'm Cala, Crnhi brought me in.  That said, he gave me a test, it's a weird test though. I don't want to fail it, so I can't stay. I'm sure you're familiar with Crnhi's... methods." I do a short bow and continue towards the entrance.

Projecting my thoughts out..

Any chance of making a small, audible sound directly behind him? Nothing much, but I only need a moment.

As I think that, I imagine a coughing noise right by his ear, behind him.

In reply to Cala (msg # 47):

He looks at you with a deeply skeptical gaze, but says nothing.  Then a coughing noise from behind him gets him to spin, and by the time you're at the front door you hear him say ...

"Hey wait..." But with the lack of enthusiasm that makes you pretty sure he's not going to chase you.  Still, you make several blocks in quick march, veering off on other roads until you feel safe.  Down a short deadend alley, and up on a roof, and across the roofs until you get to your hideaway.

Feeling safe now, you relax a bit.

1@1 Distracting Cough, within twenty feet of caster, Magic

If this were a world of cultivation in a cultivation novel, this would totes be the point where I hole up and focus on cultivating to increase my strength.  Unfortunately, I don't currently have a clear-cut way to methodically increase my.. power? Strength? Ability? I have no clear way to get stronger.

Not that I'm fond of stealing, I may have to wait til after dark to pilfer some food.

My methods were incorrect and too dangerous. I do need to bring down the tower, and weakening the foundations is a good step in that direction, but I need to secure long term survivability to do it.

First step I guess is to see if I can magic up some food, like that one D&D spell, create food and water.

I picture a loaf of bread appearing in my lap, italian bread, as I might order at Subway.

If it doesn't work, I go through a few different variations of it to see if I can get it to work. If, after a while (20-30 minutes - though I have no way of keeping time accurately), I still don't succeed, I'll project my thoughts out to whatever beings are listening, asking if  it is possible to magic up some food and water so I don't starve.

I guess the best way to get stronger, at least on this world is to familiarize myself with magic... wielding, as it might be called.

In reply to Cala (msg # 49):

And in the wind you hear, 'draw on the winds' and like a string you see your attention drawn across the city to a full cart stuffed with many loaves of bread.  And one has fallen free, and is about to hit a mud puddle.  The Voice of the Thunder seems to guide you in this magic.

And then your fingers of wind snatch it up, and carry it flying over the roofs until it lands in your lap.

'Summon Unowned with Fingers of Wind' 1@1 Magic, five minutes, full body involvement, tiring.

You're dripping in sweat again, but a nice, large tan and crusty loaf of bread is in front of you.  Its still fresh.  Eating it fills your stomach, and you still have half left over.

It seems that Wielding is more like being a cleric to a pantheon of varied spirits of differing levels of power.  And First Wielder allows you to do such magic even as the Tower locks the others in the City from this power.

And then two heads, both ragged, almost feral, pop over the roof edge ten feet from you.  One has a short dagger in his hand.

"Why are you on the Thief's Road?"

"Is that a serious question? Do you not see the bread I am eating? Do you think I bought this? Please. ~Who would eat bread they bought on a roof?~"

I look at the two as if they just asked a colossally stupid question.

"It's the 'Thief's Road', and I'm a thief, why else would I be here?  That said, it's hard to find a place without a steady source of income, and I don't know who the local fences are. I figured I'd run into some local compatriots if I hung around here enough."

Not wholly true, but not really a lie either. Adapt to the situation. Running with thieves might give me a place to stay as well as provide some help in dropping the tower.  The chaos would probably provide a nice distraction for an organized band of thieves.  I can work with this.

Looking over the two of them, "So, do you guys have a local leader I could chat with? I'm obviously not from around here. I might be able to provide some timely aid."

In reply to Cala (msg # 51):

They glance at each other, and then the speaker shrugs.  Its a very slight shrug.  They are standing very still.

"There is a fee to talk to Rilson."

"That's obviously false, and easily one of the oldest tricks in the book. Anyone new or faking it would pay. Who doesn't want free money? What's next? Saying that there's no fee, but this here is a toll road? C'mon guys, let's not be cliche here. I'm sure Rilson's curious about the recent commotion, and in a few minutes, things will get a bit more interesting.  I don't need to see him right now, just pass along that Cala is looking for him."

I've played as a rogue or assassin in far too many games to blatantly follow what a pair of random goons says at first contact.

I settle in and relax, but position myself so that I can move if they start a fight. "Let's be real here, you guys didn't come up here just to talk to me. I'm sure you've got business to take care of, and I'm just here to relax a bit. Just pass this off as an interesting story to tell at the pub later."

I casually put a hand if my pocket and grab my keys in such a manner that they can be easily rotated via the keychain to be an impromptu shiv. I wave my other hand in a relaxed and non-threatening manner as I speak, to also draw attention away from my other hand.

---

What's the temperature like where Cala is at?

They study you for a long pause. The leader nods.  They don't vanish, but they move so quick they might as well have.  They are gone.

Its in the high sixties with a five to ten mph breeze and scattered clouds.

I wonder if it is possible to condense the water vapor in the air to serve as liquid to drink? It's not humid, so that just means that the air isn't fully saturated with water, but there should still be water vapor.  If I can condense it into a floating ball to drink out of, that should be safe... safer than whatever is served from the ground or whatever else they get their water from.

Let's science this up with liberal application of magic. Put those college courses to use.

It would be nice if I had a pot, but I'm running out of time.  I'll try the magic at night, for now I'll just lay low.

I stay out of sight and try to avoid what I assume will eventually be chaos stemming from the White Tower. Once it is night, or if the thieves come back, I'll decide what to do then.

---

I have no idea what I initially wanted to do when I asked what the temperature was, so this is mostly a filler post, sorry.

In reply to Cala (msg # 55):

That night, you're able to fill your hands with condensed fog.  You're drinking your third handful when you hear a voice to your left.

"Nice trick. How do you do it?"  There is a cloaked figure sitting ten feet from you.

"I keep a jug of water under my clothes with a tube flowing to my hands. Add in some brief smoke from rocks or incense to cover up what you're doing, and you can 'create water' pretty easily.  Nifty to fool the masses, but also a nice convenience when I want to hide liquids pilfered from other places. Then again, that's the case in other places.  Those folks from the White Tower have some... troubling thoughts regarding magic, so I've been up here instead. Wouldn't want the townsfolk to feel... troubled.  Not yet, at least. Trouble comes later. Or sooner. Walking dead is mighty troubling, at least, it is considered a problem back home."

I raise an eyebrow at the figure.

"Rilson? Or a proxy?"

In reply to Cala (msg # 57):

"Uh hunh. Well, its a problem for the Thieves as well.  Used to be you could make an easy living skinning a dozen working men and a merchant, enough for a week, not taking everything, but lightening their purse, not enough to make someone mad, but....now, the only ones with money are the very rich, and they always move with guards, of at least the dead.  And no deadman ever needed a coin, at least no ways I saw.  And none of the rich have a sense of humor about it.  Its like if you take from them, you prove your better than them and they can't stand that."

He smiles in a mirthless flicker.

"I'm Rilson. More than a few thieves have danced their last for Mistress Rope in the last months.  No mercy any more.  Sure you want to join our company?"

You do remember the jacketed man at the pub who left his deadmen outside.

Ahh, playtimes over, I guess. Much as I enjoy the occasional charade, if I actually want to get anywhere, might be time for some good ol' honesty.

"Sure? Not really. That said, I'm not looking to join. I'm thinking mutually beneficial cooperation would be better.  I have a goal I'm trying to accomplish, and it'd be much easier with the help of you and your company. The completion of this goal would also probably help your company indirectly. So I want us to work together.

Before I get into specifics though, there is one vitally important question I must ask you.  How do you feel about magic? Not the summoning the walking dead variety, but manipulating the elements, like what happened not that long ago. Or magic that can influence a person's luck, people getting distracted at just the right time to not notice someone walking past them, a coincidental cough covering a footfall.

The White Tower obviously hates it and tries to get rid of. That said, what is your opinion?"

In reply to Cala (msg # 59):

"Back in the days before the Uncontrolled Zombies, and the Black Council that released them, when Humans spread across the land, instead of cramped up in the City, well, it was good times.  Not that we knew it.  And Magic was part of it.  You could get healed, hide behind a sudden fog,  sing a guard to sleep.  I wish we could have that time back.  Like when I was but a young child, just starting my thieving ways as a cutpurse and a stallsnatcher, grabbing fruit and running."

He studies you a bit.

"I've never heard of this luck magic, but it might not be a bad thing.  The White Tower says all this uncontrolled magic made it easy for the Black Council to raise the Uncontrolled Dead, but I'm a good liar, and I know one sometimes when I hear it.  They lie."

"Ahh, that's nice to hear. I'd like to bring that back. The elements... the lords and ladies that embody and control the various types of magic, they want to be freed. I plan to accomplish that. I'm hoping to drop the White Tower to the ground and make it look like... an accident. Or perhaps faulty construction.  It'll make clean up afterwards easier, and should remove most of the problematic people without having to confront them directly."

I look at Rilson, and motion to the 'road' around us.

"I've been staying up here as I lack a place to stay, and the money with which to pay for it. I'm fairly certain staying at an inn will result in a poor end for myself.  Luck magic should still work, though I haven't tested it lately. I'll do that, and once I confirm it works in this city, I can teach you all I know about it.

All I'd like is a place to stay that's relatively safe.  I should also be able to lend a hand from time to time if things get..."

I motion with my hands to suggest 'tricky, complicated, up-in-the-air'.

"tricky, for some of your crew."

I shrug.

"Plus if the tower comes down and magic returns, it should make dealing with the zombies easier. Balls of fire to the face tends to end zombies back home."

Though using 'back home' loosely. Zombies weren't really a problem outside of novels and video games, but I stand by what I said. Fireballs to the face drops zombies, and if they can keep going after they are headless, then just burn the rest of them. Can't walk when all they've got left is ash.

I gesture towards him.

"Do you find this agreeable? A place to stay in exchange for occasional help and possibly luck magic if it works in this city? Even if it doesn't work, I'll still try to help from time to time."

"For now. We'll see how it works out. Follow me." He gets up smoothly, and you follow him.  He flows over the roof tops, sticking to shadows even when it should be safe, and leaps lightly over alleys.  Its an education in what the human body can do.

+@1 to Running.

You and he stop in front of a gable window in the middle of a flat roof.  He slips it up, and motions inside.

Inside is a four hundred square foot room.  It has old rugs covering every inch of the floor, and even going up the walls a few inches.  A small table, a few candles, a couple chairs, and some full bags stacked in the corner finish the décor.  He lights the candle, and then draws heavy curtains over the window.

Now you can smell animals.

"An old forgotten room above a large stable.  Keep silent when you hear voices or too much noise from the sheep, and you should be fine." He shows you the emergency back door, and then looks at you questioningly.

Beggars can't be choosers. It's a place in relative safety.

"Looks good, thanks."

This is the point where, if I were watching an anime or other show and the MC gets a place to stay to accomplish 'main quest'... this is the point where a training montage begins to pumped up music. What would I choose for my training montage music? Hmm.  Guile's theme goes with everything, so that'd probably be good.

After he leaves, I make a plan for the future.

Alright, ok, calling this Operation: Training Montage. I'm exhausted after doing magic, most likely because I am not in the best of shapes. The body is like a vessel, and I'm a cracked, barely functioning jar.  I need to forge myself into a sturdy jar that won't break for much less than overwhelming force; I'll also need a suitable lid to control water outflow, but that can come later.

I can run on the rooftops and do strength training in here. Even if I become a better jar, I still need to increase the volume of water I can control and to do that, I need practice. It's probably a magic muscle and much like the rest of my muscles, it needs to be worked, stretched, and otherwise improved to be awesome. So, let's focus on the small tricks, moving the sand or dirt beneath someone's feet as they walk or run to make them trip.  Largely unnoticeable unless someone is specifically paying attention, but immensely useful. Should help tune fine control as well as overall getting thoughts to actions. Can move up to elemental conjuration afterwards. Small balls of light, or balls of dirt. All in preparation for the large projects.

To drop the tower, the best way is probably to dig a tunnel underneath it and convert or otherwise change the foundation to sand. This should make it loose and unsteady, as well as pave the way for dropping the tower. So long as it is only loose sand on a few sides, I should be able to direct the tip. I don't want it dropping directly on the busiest parts of the city.

Once my magic control is better and my body is in better shape, I need to scout and survey the area surrounding the city. I'll need to find a place fairly far away to start digging a tunnel. Can't have it too close or someone may notice it and that would ruin my plan. As for getting  it to tip, a number of factors will come into place but I'm currently hoping luck magic will be the deciding factor.  So I definitely need to confirm if it works or not.

I first start with luck magic. I take my wallet and keys from my pocket.

Ok, if I drop my keys, it is highly unlikely that my car keys will remain on its side, standing up. It's most likely to be flat on front or back, like a quarter. So if I drop it on these carpets, it A, shouldn't make that much noise, and B should prove a decent testing area.  If I can get it to consecutively land on its side, that should prove luck magic works, right? I'll also try it with my wallet, as keys might be too low of a percentage, due to their shape, to see any outcome without seriously harming myself in the process with the amount of unluck necessary to get it to work. Baby steps.


I'll try for a little bit and then sleep, starting my training regimen in the morning with magical practice in the late evening, when people are more tired and less likely to notice my attempts at magic or making them trip.

For the magic, I'll first start on unoccupied dirt to see if I can get it to work reliably, before I attempt to do it on humans or animals.

---

For real though, if you haven't ever looked it up, "Guile's Theme Goes With Everything" on youtube.

Also, putting the training plan here, for reference later as well so I don't have to type it up again.  At least, not again in the near future.

The first time with the keys is nothing but an odd feeling, and then you do it.

After this, you start your training montage.

And after a couple days you start hearing Guile's Theme in your head.  It seems one of the Powers that you are Wielder for approves of the idea.  Magic, theme music, Relative Success divided by five for relevant actions, bonus.

You learn to jump, and to run, and to hide in the shadows, and to walk quietly.  And your magic skill, your Wielding Strength gets greater.

Strength +1
Endurance +2
Jumping goes from normal of 1@5 to 1@8
Theme Music Magic is 1@3
Wielder Magic Skill is now 1@4
Running goes from 1@7 to 1@9
Stealth gains a +@1
Magic Endurance goes from 1@1 to 1@5.
You have a variety of eight low level spells, you choose, at 1@1 to 1@4.  This does not include, blinding dust, summon food, summon water, commune with Powers in your Pantheon which is 1@6, which are 1@4.

You've been a month here.

Rilson comes by and asks if you can fiddle the luck to make a more likely 'not proven' verdict on a thief who will otherwise swing.

I consider it for a moment when Rilson comes in, "I'll try, what's the thief's name?."

I attempt luck magic to swing the verdict in favor of the thief. The thief looks like a friend someone once knew, it's probably someone else that looks similar to him, with different eye color. In exchange, said thief will have less than splendid luck for a month, exchanging a moment's grace for a month's disfavor.

"Luck magic is often give and take, some fortune now at the cost of fortune later. You can be as unlucky as ever but if you remain in isolation for a month, you can ride out the unluckiness and reduce the chance of harsh consequences. Give and take. I'll try to swing the vote so that they don't swing, but it's best they lay low for a month or so afterwards."

---

A variety of eight low level spells. Not sure what powers are involved in the pantheon and what is covered. At present, I'm assuming 5 of the 6 elements (Earth, Fire, Wind/Air, Water, and Light (remaining element not present being Darkness)). But not sure if neutral spells are included? The theme music spell I'm guessing is from a Power of Song/Dance/Music, but I'm ultimately not sure what is covered, and what is qualified as low level.  So, going on what D&D 3.5 terms as 'level 0 and level 1' spells, and keeping within the 5 elements plus possibly misc, I've got a tentative list. These are the spell names, and I'm hoping for a similar effect, I am also including what elements I feel would be the basis, in case it matters.

1. Endure Elements (Water, Fire, Wind).
2. Obscuring Mist (Water, Wind) Though I would prefer Fog Cloud (Water, Wind) if it is available instead.
3. Cure Light Wounds (Light, Water)
4. Purify Food and Drink (Light, Water, Fire)
5. Comprehend Languages (Whatever Power is responsible for music)
6. Feather fall (Wind)
7. Prestidigitation (Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Light, Song, Food, it covers everything.)
8. Mage Armor (Wind)

I don't expect all of those to be possible (especially Cure Light Wounds, Featherfall, Mage Armor, and Comprehend Languages.) So here's other possibilities.

1. Suggestion (Would prefer this over Charm Person (Light, Song)
2. Grease (Wind - in this case, not so much forming a pool of grease, but creating a thin cushion of air on the ground to reduce friction to 0 - achieving a similar effect as if someone was walking on ice.)
3. Charm Person (Light, Song)
4. Darkvision (Light)
5. Sleep (Wind, Water, Song).

Depending on which spells I have available to me, that would also change my action for Rilson's thief (in the event I could do suggestion, for example. Or Charm Person/ Prestidigitation.) Other options exist with magic, but assuming I don't have any of them yet, I'm attempting luck magic in such a fashion as listed.

The associated spells can be found here: http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/spellLists.htm

The magic seems to take.  But you're not sure its enough to swing the vote.

Spells are fine.

"The magic seems to work, but it may not be enough. Have you considered bribing people? Is that an option?  Also, did you want to learn luck magic? I can teach you what I know of it."

I consider the spells I can do at the moment.

"Is it possible to rescue the thief? Do we have time for it?"

---

Which spells?
Obscuring mist or fog cloud? Because if it's fog cloud we could probably just straight rescue the thief.
Cure light wounds, comprehend languages, mage armor, and feather fall are all good too?

Fog cloud for the GE win.  You get the other spells.

"You're ambitious.  Don't be.  A cautious thief lives to enjoy his loot." Still he doesn't leave.

"It's precisely because I'm cautious. Let's go check the situation. I performed luck magic, so there is a better chance of him living through this, but it's not guaranteed. Let's head over and assess the situation. If it looks like we can do something, we will, but if it's absolutely not possible or not safe enough, we won't.

I've picked up a few tricks over the course of the month, and it may be very useful. You don't have to do anything yourself, just show me to the area."

I get up, touch my chest, and try to activate 'Mage armor'.

"Even if nothing works, we should at least be present when he passes along to the other side."

In reply to Cala (msg # 69):

It takes you two tries, but you activate Mage Armor.  Rilson goes with you, and now, with your greater skill, you can see more clearly his even greater skill.  Before, you didn't know enough to realize how little you knew about slipping from shadow to shadow.

The hundred fifty yard square is perfectly square with a fountain to the left middle and a solid stone stand to the right middle for speeches and executions.

The north side of the square is the King's palace, which is smaller than you'd expect.

"The wooden gallows is prefitted, and will be quickly built before the hanging." Rilson says.  He points to little stone caps which can be removed, and timbers dropped into them on the right hand square.

"The square will be full to the brim."

"Oh? Full to the brim? We can work with that. Rilson, if it suddenly became so foggy around the platform that you couldn't see further than your outstretched arms, could you work with that? It wouldn't cover the whole square, but a small centralized area, those on the inside wouldn't be able to see further away.

I've got a spell that might work.  I've been upping my repertoire over the past month. I plan on dropping the tower, but that doesn't help if anyone can see what we do at key moments. I need a way to obscure vision, and I believe I have that now, for a limited time, at least. That is all that is needed though, if we act quick."

I try to judge the distance between our current location and where the stone caps are, and check to see what paths out of the square are nearby.

"I don't like risking my life, I'm cautious by nature, but when I need to act, I NEED TO ACT. Oh, by the way, while I'm thinking of it, are any of your crew injured right now?"