The four of you were heading roughly south until you hit a road. It seems to go from east to west, but you can't see much of it in this part of the forest.

Laura and Thomas want to take the road, but in opposite directions. Neil advocates bypassing the road entirely. Laura reasons that heading east on the road will pass back towards the school, and any other survivors will likely congregate there. Thomas wants to head west, believing whoever was behind the attack would have thought of the same thing. On the road you'd make better time, and it will head to civilization sooner or later. Neil states simply that if everyone was going to go to the road, the only sensible thing to do would be to keep heading south and to hell with the road. Everyone does seem a bit afraid of leaving behind the only real landmark you've found since leaving. The three of them look to you for your opinion.

>I'll let you talk this one out instead of a roll.

>Hmmm..... You know, it seemed fairly popular the first time around. Did something happen to make people hate this?

>Is it just not a good time? Whenever I try to do it on a weekend something like Stoytiem or Omnipotence Quest happens.

>Alright, I'm going to bump this one last time before I give up. Maybe 4chan's just moving fast and quest players can't see this.

I was wondering when this would show up. Seemed like it had a good enough intro. I'm in.

>>14321952

>Someone.... actually posted? Holy shit.

>Well, your companions all suggested a course of action, so which do you think would be the best? Your vote (In the game) would be the tie-breaker.

>>14320967
To hell with the road!

>>14321979

Everyone seems a bit surprised with your decision, you were never the most.... athletic student.

Neil nods his approval. "If the road's the obvious place to go, then we should avoid the road."

Laura and Thomas seem less than enthusiastic about leaving the trail behind, but clearly dread dividing the party more.

"Are you sure about this Cass?" Laura looks at you almost pleadingly "There could be other survivors! They might need our help..."

Thomas put a hand on her shoulder "If the masters couldn't stand up to whoever the hell that was, I can't see how we could fare any better. It might be best to avoid drawing their eye."

>Alright, if you give me a minute I'll write up the next bit. If opinion changes back to the road I'll go back to it.

West.

If a group travels intellegently on a road, they are harder to track than a group traveling cross country

I'm still not sure what we're running from. An army? Unusually strong raiders/deniable assets? Some sort of creature?

Knowing what we're running from will play into where we run to.

>>14322071

Your small group travels further south, the going is both rough and slow.

Neil seems the only one comfortable walking through the woods, since you and Laura are more adept in the arcane arts than the physical, and Thomas is wearing a good 30-40 pounds of metal.

Last night seems to be catching up to you, the realization that you haven't slept for more than a day coming to mind now that the shock is starting to wear off.

You breifly consider stopping for a rest when Neil signals from the top of the small hill ahead for you to come and see.

You climb to see what has grabbed his attention, to be greeted by the sight of a small bridge, you get a bit closer for a better look. (pic)

You suddenly notice the forest is deathly quiet right around here.

>>14322134
>>14322092

>oops. Should have refreshed before posting. Should we go back and debate this? The story can take RADICALLY different turns from here.

>>14322245

Could just be a bridge, or it could be a troll bridge. The sudden quiet isn't good, the birds either were disturbed by our group, or they avoid this place.

>>14322351

>Trolls may or may not exist in this setting. You don't know, in character.

Neil seems a bit unnerved as well, suggesting that you should either go around or turn back. Thomas and Laura immediately say that the road is looking better and better, but all three of them seem rooted to the spot.

>>14322515
>Where did my name go?

>Dammit, 4chan's still acting buggy so my posts are taking forever to upload.

>I'm going to give this a quick bump and hope somebody who was playing reads it.

>>14322515
Well, i would say if no one is willing to proceed, draw the sabre and advance towards the bridge. Perhaps the appearance of preparation will be enough to ward the lurking whatever away.

Yeah let's go back to the road and parallel it, instead of being on it. We still don't know what happened, really.

>>14322799
>>14322778

>You want to talk out this choice or roll for it?

>Remember, you can always take the initiative and speak to someone to try and open up more choices.

>Uh, guys?

rolled 10 = 10

>>14322830
Ok.

"Does this bridge seem at all familiar? And does the stillness seem ominous to any of you?"

Draw my sabre and advance assuming none of my companions have anything useful to add.

Shouldn't the player character be a healer, to ...
wait.
>Mage
>Defender
>Striker
>player is leader

holy shit it's 4e.

>>14322985

Thomas looks over at you "Cass, other than me I don't think any of you have been outside the academy in YEARS if ever. And as a Nobleman's son I don't exactly have a lot of experience with spookey bridges in the middle of the damned- Cass, what the devil are you doing?" Seeming to notice your advance for the first time.

Neil spots you too "Cass, even if we do cross the creepy bridge shouldn't me or Thomas go first? You're a mage, and besides I've SEEN you on Tybalt's practice fields."

Laura speaks up "Of COURSE! Cass, we're mages, maybe we can scry the area up ahead or divine if somethings..." Her thought trails off as she starts digging in her pack.

>>14323035

>No. No it isn't. At all.

rolled 9 = 9

>>14323039
"Apologies, it is just that sitting idle makes me nervous at the moment. Ok, Laura, if you can give us a general idea of the area that would be ideal. Neil, would there be any value in getting a higher vantage point to survey the bridge?"

Sheath sword and try to remember something about Cass' magic. What school does she specialize in? What is her level of mastery in it?

>>14323101

>Current skill stats for group:

Cass
Mage: 5 (generalist)
Assassin: 3
Warrior: 1

Minor Skills: Forgery, Caligraphy, Medicine, Alchemy, and Animal Handling.

Feats: Uncommen Sense.

Aspects: None chosen.


Thomas:
Warrior: 8 (Swordsman)
Mage: 1 (Healing)

Minor Skills: Unknown.

Aspects and Feats: Unknown.


Neil:
Assassin: 7
Warrior: 3

Minor skills: Unknown.

Aspects and Feats: Unknown.


Laura:
Mage: 5 (thatumerge)
Assassin: 4
Warrior: 1

Minor skills: Cartography, cooking.

Feats: Studious.

Aspects: Unknown.

>Will get to the suggested actions in a minute.

>thatumerge should be thaumaturge

>It's spelled right in Office, why did it change when I pasted it?

>>14323101

Neil looks around "Not sure. Don't think I'll be able to see anything across the way, since the trees are so thick. Perspective never hurts though." He looks around for a moment, and starts to head towards a tree nearby, apparently deeming it suitable.

Laura mumbles something about setting circle and not being able to find any chaulk. Any form of ritual would require a bit of care, and the way things are looking you can understand her caution.

Thomas keeps looking around, as though expecting some manner of beast to attack at any time.

rolled 10 = 10

>>14323250
Well, since we are a generalist, we can help set the circle for the divination.

Also, if there is any way to prevent others from being aware of our scrying or divining, that would be good.

Let Thomas know we are setting to that so he doesn't assume an extra set of eyes.

>>14323345

Thomas nods and shifts slightly, loosening his sword in it's sheath.

Neil slides back down the tree and reports that he can't see anything through that thick knot of bushes across the bridge, but it seems to be the source of the forest's disquiet. however, to the East (a fair distance away) he can see some mountains which he theorizes are the Mistpeaks that Argus would study from his tower. To the east he can see what looks like a cove of some kind, but it seems to be almost a week's travel from here.

Laura finds some chalk and with your help sets up a circle fairly quick. The two of you join hands in the middle of the rather complex looking ritual circle (you're once again reminded of how much more skilled your friend is in such, matters) and begin the short chant.

You've already decided to give control over to her, only acting as a support. You look into her eyes, which have turned from the normal sparkling blue to a soft Amber-Gold. You feel yourself being drawn in, and then just as suddenly, you're no longer there, but seeing through your third eye.

>Want me to describe the next bit in detail, or just give you the results?

rolled 9 = 9

>>14323438
I like your descriptions, so if you are up to it, details please.

>>14323455

>9's and 10's everywhere. I'm not sure I trust you dice.

You seem to be falling, but the sense of vertigo seems to pass quickly. The gentle warmth and pressure on your hands acts as your anchor to reality.

At least, reality as you know it.

You look at the bridge, and then cross it looking at your friends as you pass: Neil seems surrounded by dancing shadows, and almost feels like a coiled snake, ready at any moment to strike. His expression softens slightly when he looks in the direction of the rest of the group. You realize that the three of you might be all that's left of the only world you've ever known, and that what happened seems to have effected him much worse than he's letting on.

Thomas seems to be both his opposite and his reflection: standing seemingly at ease, he's simply ready to lash out at something. you realize that he's as much looking for something to work out his frustrations on as he is standing guard. He earns a small measure of respect from you for staying to help and try to protect the three of you instead of rushing either back to the school or to his father.

Laura looks the same as she always has to your second sight: a simple reflection of her self. Looking more closely you she that her reflection seems a bit more ragged, and only then do you realize that before she always seemed like an idealized form of herself. You wonder if that's because that's who she really is underneath, or if she merely has more control of her Aura than you. You start to wonder what you look like to her.

>Continued...

rolled 7 = 7

>>14323577
>Taking trip to avoid dice fuckery

>>14323577

Returning your attention to the task at hand, you see bridge seems to go on forever. As you cross it it seems to be passing under you much faster than you're capable of moving. With a dawning horror you realize you've been snared by something and are being sucked in.

You're swallowed by the darkness of the shrubbery on the other side and intense visions begin immediately

A lighthouse extinguished, and the world comes ablaze around it - A library where books fly everywhere, some the size of note pads others the size of mountains while men dressed like scribes do battle - A empty church where a lone priest stares sadly at a sermon no-one will hear - Spikes jutting out of the ocean as if in defiance to the storm that rages -

The flashes get briefer, just glimpses of people living, dieing, laughing, crying, a storm of emotion and chaos that threatens to tear your mind asunder.

Then everything seems still, and you look at something you can't comprehend. It looks human shaped, but you can't seem to make out anything other than a presence there.

You can feel it looking at you before you hear something. It seems to be a question, but you don't understand it. You wonder why this all seems familiar, but are too awed by the being before you to question it.

Suddenly the world blurs for a moment before a sharp pain grabs you by the cheek and rips you back into the real world.

You see tree and sky. How did you end up on your back. Feeling around with your power you realize the circle's been broken. You sit up with a rush of dizziness and see Laura trying to stop Neil and Thomas from fighting.

New player here. Just caught up.

If you're waiting for actions, stand up and push them away, yell, "Enough!" in an attempt to stop them.

>>14323727

>Guess I should have stated it. I encourage people to just jump in whenever though.

>So yes, open to suggestions, we deviate between consensus and rolled decisions a lot.

>>14323750
Push them apart, yell "Enough!", and tell them that bridge is fucked up. Talk with our lady friend and see what she saw, then tell them what we saw.

rolled 6 = 6

>>14323704
Try to get bearings before intervening in the tussle.

"Gentlemen, please. This is neither the time nor the place. If one of you could help me up, I would appreciate it."

After getting to my feet, "Laura, what did you see?"

OP, player here. I've got to take my dog out for a walk real fast, but I'll be right back.

>>14323770
>>14323768

They fight stops immediately when they see you're awake, and Neil seems to go to help you up before he checks the motion as Thomas gives him the evil eye before helping you to you're feet. "Sorry about that, Neil decided that interrupting a ritual in progress was a good idea."

Neil gives a look that makes you cringe slightly, even when it's not directed at you. He then turned to you "Laura came out of her trance almost immediately, and said there was something preventing her from scrying across that bridge. Then when she tried to rouse you you wouldn't.... snap out of it. She was trying to be gentle and get you to wake up or something for a few hours now. Then about 30 seconds ago You started to go into shock or something, So ..." He seems a little bit hesitant and looks away "I slapped you. Not too hard, but that's something Argus taught about how pain can break trances and focus the mind."

"In doing so," Thomas starts, picking up where Neil left off "He broke the circle while you were still in the trance, causing the energy to go disperse and dropping you unconscious, though that seems to have only lasted a few seconds. I thought he might have killed you, I've seen rituals like that go to hell before."

Laura stepped in "Actually, disrupting the energy helped as much as the slap is seems." She looks over at you, and you can see equal measures of relief and shame in her eyes "I'm so sorry Cass, I didn't know it would be that dangerous, and we couldn't even learn anything from it."

Your dizzyness fades when that last comment strikes home.

"Couldn't learn anything?"

"Yeah," Laura begins "I've never seen or heard of anything like it. It's almost like the bridge or something past it repels all magic. Scrying out the area seems to be impossible. Whatever is in there we'd be going in blind."

>Tell them about what you saw?

rolled 8 = 8

>>14323922
Yes, describe as best as possible what we saw. Omit no details, offer no speculation. Just see what they make of the lot.

The human-shaped presence is possibly the guardian of the area. It couldn't stop both of you, so it chose the leader of the circle and called it a day. It somehow missed you, and you were able to use the circle to get a look far, far afield. It eventually realized someone was still using the circle, and found you.

This place may have an amplifying effect of some sort. Dangerous, and the guardian here would likely be strong. But it doesn't seem to bear you any ill will.

The rest of the vision is more troubling. There are some universal symbols there, the teeth of the land rising from the sea, the storm raging above, the extinguishing of the beacon light and the world gone to flames, men of the cloth fighting, knowledge great and small lost...

Troubled times are ahead for us all.

>>14323946

"I saw.... I'm not really sure what that was. Visions maybe?"

You slowly recount what you say and experienced. Laura seems more more and more intrigued, Thomas seems more and more bewildered, and Neil... Just stands there and listens.

Finally you finish.

Laura starts immediately "You LEFT your body? Just up and.... That's not possible. It shouldn't be. If nothing else the circle would contain you. Besides, why would that happen to YOU? I was the one doing the scrying."

Thomas shakes his head slowly "These visions don't make any sense to me."

Laura looked at him "There have been enough oracles and seers to explain that one. The visions could be as much metaphor as fact."

Neil suddenly speaks up "You said the.... thing you met at the end. That it seemed familiar?" Everyone is silent when he says that. "How does scrying work anyway? Maybe if you told us we could help figure this out."

Laura seems relieved to be back on familiar ground "It's simple. We make two magic constructs, a window if you will, connected to each other. Then we cast one out and use the other to look. It's easier if you have a crystal ball or something to use as a focus."

"What if you don't?" You don't remember Neil being this interested in magic before.

"Well, it's a bit harder, but I anchored it to me and looked through it."

"To your eyes?"

"Well, yes..."

"Cass said that she felt like she fell into them. Could she have gone through the window?"

"And what, rode the spell?"

Neil looks very thoughtful for a moment. "What does a circle do?"

"Magic circles?"

"Yeah."

>Continued...

>>14324107

"They isolate and help to shape energy."

"So they can act as a barrier?"

"I suppose.... What does these have to do with anything?"

Neil stands up from the circle the four of you were sitting in. "I have a theory. Cass somehow crossed the bridge you made while scrying. She said she couldn't cross it, like she was being pushed away or simply not progressing. Cass, you mentioned feeling Laura anchoring you. Did you feel her when you were... sucked in?" You shake your head, wondering where he's going with this. "That's what I thought. That's when Laura dropped the spell I think, severing the connection between you and the part of you that was over there."

Thomas cut in "Wait, if she was cut off, how did she come back?"

"I disrupted the circle when I crossed it remember? She couldn't feel Laura shaking her, but she felt the slap." He looks at everyone as they stand up. "I think something is over there, and I don't think it's a bad thing."

Laura looks at him almost in awe "You're some kind of a genius."

Neil shakes his head and you see a very faint blush "Nothing like that, just deductive reasoning. You probably couldn't see it just because you know too much about magic to see the little things."

>Neil reveals aspect /It's elementary/

Thomas looks trobled "I don't like this place. We should either go back to the road or around this."

Neil says that he doesn't think anything immediately dangerous is across the bridge, but isn't sure he wants to cross it. Laura wants to see what waits beyond the bridge, but thinks it's more important that everyone stick together.

>Decision time: Across the bridge, through the woods, or back to the road?

>>14324252
Cross that bitch.

Can we make a new character, OP?

A dude with all in martial skills except one in magic.

>>14324267

You signal your desire to continue.

Thomas looks upset at the decision, but goes ahead. You come not far behind reasoning that your evocations can help if there's trouble. Laura is close behind, and Neil seems to be following from a short distance.

Nothing happens when you cross the bridge, and when you walk into the hedge you can see a signpost a short distance ahead. It seems a bit battered a worn.

>Give me a d10 and then a d100 roll. Separate posts please.

>>14324322

>You mean like Thomas, the guy you're traveling with?

>Nope. Character creation was the entire first thread, doing it was an in depth process that we aren't doing again. Maybe if we finish this quest I'll do another one.

rolled 1 = 1

>>14324352

rolled 62 = 62

>>14324384

>>14324369
Yeah, but this character is boring.

>>14324384

Unfortunately, nobody seems to be able to read the sign.

Neil pulls out a lantern and lights it, allowing you to see a bit better.

You notice that the two trails you saw were actually paths, and that the only thing off them is darkness. No, not darkness, empty space. Looking around you realize that it's some sort of three dimensional labyrinth, floating free in the void.

>>14324393

Looking back, you can't see the trail you came in on.

Then Neil says he found something, it looks like writing and smells like blood.

A simple rhyme lies above what looks like a maddened scrawl in blood: 'Courage to strengthen, fire to blind, music to dazzle, iron to bind.'

Below that lies a more sinister message: 'I can't run anymore. I found the passage but I'm trapped. The signs point the way, but i can't read them. It's been hunting me for what feels like days, but the exit isn't here. I can't escape. I have no fire, my lute is broke, my sword is gone, and there is nothing in my heart but the cold certainty that it's going to get me at last. If you're reading this it might be too late for you too, it's far too easy to be lost in the ways. Find a way out before it gets you too. Beware the screaming. If you smell the rot turn back and if you see the glimmer run. The seven guide and protect stranger, may your fate be better than mine.'

Thomas broke the silence after Neil finished reading "Well thank Eva that wasn't ominous or creepy. might've made me doubt the wisdom of coming in here now that our entrance is gone."

>Looks like you can go right or left.

>>14324510
Fuck limits imposed by this maze's reality. We're above them.

Walk straight, right through this bitch.

>>14324510

Humans are marginally more likely to turn left than right when given a choice where all else is equal. So left!

>>14324523

You walk forward, right off the edge.

Fortunately Neil catches you before you fall to.... well, wherever this ends. IF it ends.

Your friends immediately and quietly panic.

>You assume that this is a maze, and that you're above something that can't exist based of traditional knowledge of how the world works.

rolled 62 = 62

>>14324558
Fuck that. Take the dive. Reality ain't shit but hoes and tricks.

Rolling d100 for success.

>>14324543

Deciding that sticking to the trail is a good idea, you go left. Walking along you see what looks like a town square, with a few buildings standing around. A brief inspection tells you that nobody lives here, even though the buildings seem to be in perfect shape.

Thomas points out that everyone is tired and that here might be a good place to rest. Neil points out that someone was hunted down and died horribly here, so rest should wait until we're out. Laura seems to think that what Neil said makes sense, but the note suggested the man was here for weeks.

>Press on or find a place to rest?

>>14324578

>Mmmkay, gonna go ahead and flat out say it: you jump, you die. Unless you're fortunate enough to land on another piece of land in the void, and the fall isn't enough to kill you. Which is clearly not the case where you currently are. I'm not above letting the PCs die, but I'd rather not allow blatant and willful stupidity to bring this to a sudden end.

>>14324586

We've been going all night haven't we? Better to tackle this after a rest. We will set a guard, two people rest and two people watch, and one of the guards is always a mage (on the flimsy theory that a mage may be more likely to spot magic afoot). This place may place with perceptions of time and space. If we're lucky that's the case. Else we're going to need to plan on finding some food eventually.

Since this place has weird geometry it may be a hypercube or another sort of stacked space, in which case normal mapping would not work well. We could represent rooms as connections on a flow-chart though.

Best to try both mapping methods until we're more sure of the geometry of this place.

>>14324707
>This place may *play* with perceptions of time and space.

Effing typos.

>>14324718

>I'm curious as to how you came to the conclusion that that's a good thing.

>>14324707

Rest with a guard seems to be an acceptable compromise. Luckily, Thomas manages to grab some light provisions and Neil had been picking berries and such while he was scouting ahead on the way here, so you all have something of a light meal before retiring. Thomas insists on taking the first watch, while Neil insists that you take up shelter in the priest's chambers in the church. His theory being that it's not obvious, out of the way, has multiple exits and is secluded. If anyone passes through they'd be unlikely to notice you.

>>14324769

>This strikes me as a good place to leave off.

>Questions, comments and complaints after this. Meanwhile I'll go archive this for when we continue, hopefully later this week.

>>14324842

Why does 4cahn keep eating my name?

>>14324842
Just stumble across this thread just now. I was one of the people involved in character creation for this, and while I can't read through it right now I'm a bit curious as to how there aren't even 60 posts but it spanned ~7 hours

>>14324864

The board was going faster, then somebody made a thread about Quest threads.

Someone in said thread asked what happened to this and I told them that I had tried to get it going like six times and there was already a thread dieing.

Then some interest got stirred up. I think we only had like two or three players the whole time though.

And this has just been archived at sup/tg/ when you want to read it.

>>14324769

If this place plays with perception of space, we'll be able to judge by comparing experiences and making a map. That's better than an actual folded space since in a non-Euclidean space we'd encounter lots more (apparently) one-way passages, and passages that are the same but change their destination based on the direction we approach them from. The problem requires exponentially more information to solve.

If it plays with perception of time, then the message from the previously trapped inmate would be unreliable. He may have only wandered for a couple of days instead of weeks. If it was reliable though, then the place is large enough to make mapping it very difficult.