You check the box one more time.

All eight glass jars are packed carefully inside.  Time to go to the stream.

Coscrach has started to let you into the room at the back of the shack he calls his "laboratory".  It's a large room, filled with books, bottles, jars, boxes, the pelt of a blue stag, four swords (all but one of them broken), eight arrows (you've been told to never touch those), a board with the oddest shaped insects pinned to it (Coscrach says they're called dragonflys), and a lantern that burns no oil and never goes out.

Your job is to try to keep this place clean.  And certain items you are having to clean.  Again and again and again.

Take these jars.

Once every two weeks, you need to pack them up, walk them to the stream which is on the other side of the island from the covenant, and wash them clean.  They always seem to get covered with various sticky or smelly substances.  This time the substances are the color of honey but have the odor of old man sweat.

Collin will go with you. But he can't today.  So another guard, a tall fellow named Conrad, is going with you.

Coscrach has told you that you need to work on being able to give orders to people.  So you should boss Conrad around.

He waits for you outside, giving you a sideways glare when you come out.

Looking away quickly, Conrad mutters, "Ready?"

“Yes.  Let’s go.” Tristan takes the lead, walking carefully but briskly toward the stream.  “Keep an eye on our surroundings as we go there.  Tell me if something doesn’t look right.”

In reply to Tristan (msg # 2):

Conrad nods and off the two of you go.

There's two ways to get to the stream.

The long way is to climb up a hill and then down the other side.

There's a short cut, but you've been told not to take it.  It's going around the side of the hill.

The short cut is a lot less work and a lot quicker.

Never mind the short cut.  One day he would take it, but not today.  Not until he was confident he could handle a nasty surprise.

Master was fond enough of throwing him into things prematurely.

Tristan orders his flunky up the hill.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:31, Mon 08 May 2023.

In reply to Tristan (msg # 4):

Conrad shrugs and hikes up the hill.  He's another one of the soldiers.  A hike means nothing to him.

The stream is a pleasant place.  Supposedly it bubbles out of a spring at one end of the island and washes down into the ocean. But you've not had a chance to trace it back to it's source.

While it isn't wide...you can leap across it in most spots.  If you take a running start...it is deep in most places.  You can bathe in it in some spots.  Others you'd have to dog paddle to stay afloat.

Conrad sets the box down for you by the water and steps back.  The washing is something you have to do yourself.  Coscrach is very particular about this.  And he knows.  He always knows.

You're starting to work on the first bottle when there's a splash to your right.  Something jumped into the stream.  But what it was...you can't see.

“Conrad, did you see what that was?  Try to find out, will you?”

Meanwhile, he gathers up the bottles and cautiously backs away from the stream.

In reply to Tristan (msg # 6):

Conrad glances at the stream than at you.

"What are you talking about?  I don't see anything."

iseesomethingshiny

Conrad goes over to the stream, hand on the sword at his hip.

"I think it's a frog.  Hold up Young Master.  Lemme see..."

You don't have a chance to yell out as another frog leaps up from a nearby bush and slaps him on the back.

Conrad is pushed into the stream.  There's a Conrad-sized splash...

And then you can't see him.

The frog who pushed him turns and croaks at you.

OOC: Do I know any offensive magic spells at all?  If not, I don't see much choice but to retreat.

In reply to Tristan (msg # 8):

You have not been taught any spells.

You can try for a Turbulance if you like

Are you taking the glass jars with you?

For now, Tristan stands his ground. “Who are you?” he demands of the frog, guessing it will understand him.  “I’m an important person and what I’m doing is eqally important.  Interfere, and my master will be extremely angry.”

In reply to Tristan (msg # 10):

The frog croaks at you.  Then sits on a rock and crosses it's legs.

"We need big people.  Ones who can fight.  Can you fight?"

"No, but Conrad can.  You know... the one you put under the water.  What did you do with him?"

In reply to Tristan (msg # 12):

"He'll be fighting now."

The frog points at the box of jars.

"Yours?"

“No.  My master’s.  They are quite important, and he is a powerful man who is not to be trifled with.”

Although Tristan knows perfectly well that his master may be the one who is trifling with him at this very moment.  He has learned in his brief year of apprenticeship that it is wise to assume that everything is a test.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:58, Wed 17 May 2023.

In reply to Tristan (msg # 14):

The frog croaks at you a moment, and then makes a vague looking gesture.

"The jars for your man.  Trade you"

“Absolutely not.” What would his master think of him if he agreed to such a trade?  He would probably conclude that he was far too weak and sentimental to ever be trusted with responsibility again.

In reply to Tristan (msg # 16):

"Then we'll just have to take them."

You hear a sudden, veritable wall of croaking.  From behind you.

The path back is filled with frogs.  Dozens of them.

In reply to The Founder's Ghost (msg # 17):

What are your Art scores like?  Sorry.  Can't recall.

I'm asking because, as I think it through, you might be able to get off a spontaneous spell.  It won't do you much.  But if you want to try for it.

You could also try for a turbulence as per in the Apprentice rules supplement.

If not, you can either make a run for it, try to negotiate, trick them, etc.  Your call

Although it goes against his instincts, Tristan feels he is duty bound to defend those bottles to the best of his still very limited ability.  So he tries to create a turbulence, and then seeks to control it.

So far as I know, I have no art scores as of yet.  You did say I still haven’t learned any spells.

In reply to Tristan (msg # 19):

That's right.  Sorry.  Thought you had gotten a 1 in one of the Arts.  No, you just had them all opened to you.

Okay.  Here's how Turbulences work.

They are triggered by events related to magic.  I am judging that this situation qualifies as one.

Tristan is 6 now, right?

In order to get one brewing, you have to beat my roll.  I rolled a 6.  You need to roll a stress die (remember 0's count as botches.  1's allow you reroll and double the result)  To that add your Int score + 4 (this particular area's aura modifier).  If I have Tristan's age incorrect and he is 7, then the target you have to beat is 7.

If you beat my roll of 6 (or Tristan's age, whichever is higher), you can attempt to control the turbulence.  You need to make another stress roll + your Stamania vs. a 2.  Pretty good chance you'll win that one.

Make the trigger roll and (if you make the trigger roll) the control roll.  Let's see what happens.

Thanks

OOC: Looks like I succeeded.  (Tristan is indeed 6, btw.)

21:00, Today: Tristan rolled 7 using 1d10-2.  Control turbulence.
20:59, Today: Tristan rolled 11 using 1d10+2.  Brew turbulence.