>>18442508
“Putting together her sudden departure and your silence upon hearing, as well as recalling her behavior at the time, I have reached the conclusion her intent was to leave our residence permanently. Furthermore, as I recall our discussions from Wroat to Sharn, she provided a unusual answer- 'good at escaping'. Therefore, her goal was to leave us and disappear. Sharn is an exceptionally good place to do so, as the amouny of people here works toward her anonymity.

You remained silent as Warf talked, because it's been the most loqacious you've ever seen him. Content to watch him continue his train of thought, you gaze on, letting him continue.

“Forgive my impudence, but I have a suggestion to make, Master Yohn.”

You glance up. This is the first time he has ever asked for forgiveness.

He chooses his words solemnly and carefully.

“perhaps it would be best for you to honor her intentions, and leave her be,”

>>18442514
You take this in, pondering the situation.

“That is all, Master Yohn.”

As Warf sets down your plate in front of you, and departs with a short bow, You are left alone with your own thoughts. Finally, you pick up a fork and start eating. You decide to-

{Op here. I realize that I have a different schedule then most of you, and I would like to start earlier, but schedule conflicts. Seeing as the story rightt now naturally leads to a timeskip, we will have one. So, given 6 months here is a chance to develop what Yohn does on more normal days. Here are the guidelines.

Tell what Yohn's average schedule is. You don't need to plot out every hour, but a sentence or two would be nice. Here's an example (Unrelated, so you guys can be creative and not limited to options I put out.)

>>18442524
Jekka the thief heads out everyday for a morning of picking pockets and cutting purses with the gang. Midday, they count their earnings, and aside from eating, watch bards perform on the stret, sometimes pausing at a particularly nice view(women included). They might decide to visit the theater district when coins allow or distracted guards allow, but return at night to picking pockets, ending with a run with the gang across the towers of Sharn, fooling around, or training abilites by working with each other.

As an added incentive, what you say will result in Yohn gaining skills/abilites according to what he naturally does, and a few random items depending on what you pick.

>>18442533
Also, list anything specific that is undertaken, such as building a certain magic item or investigating. This has a limit of 10 different things. And result is specific items or pieces of info gained

The difference between general and specific is like this. Just plain working with artificing will boost your skills, but creating say, a magic weapon is something specific. Or going to the library is general, but researching certain topics like your dragonmark or the assassin called crow is specific.

When I get back, i'll look over the thread, and we'll continue. Feel free to ask any questions or make any comments/criticism.

I hope you guys can enjoy this and it will buy some time until I return. If not, we can skip everything when I return at 530pm EST. Also, this is a good spot to join the quest if interested. You have quite some time before I return, so you can read up previous threads (Only 3) to see what has happened.

carry on with classes like normal
continue to see the thief and learn to be as agile
did we ever have weapon training? if not, drill with warf, if we can.
i guess if we're not doing all that, then yohn paints in his free time.
and paints little figurines while in class and bored. I guess he likes watching action plays too.

for the 10 things
work on enchanting axe with magic (not good at this, so give me a good enchantment to put on it)
instigate this dragon prophecy or whatever
look into joining that house for people with marks like us. More contacts needed.

thats all i have. anyone have any other suggestions?

Oh? This is still going on?

>>18442896
You forgot about our potential training with the Kingfisher, which, at this point, I think may be wise to continue.

We were going to make sending stones for us and Sylls, but I guess that's over now.

Kingfisher could potentially get some use out of them, though, so I'd like to make a pair for him, and whoever he wants to hand the other end to (although maybe he'll just refuse them like the fabulous bastard he is).

Consider making tiny constructs through which one can scry (little figurines that we can use as cameras, they don't have to move).

Continue studies, obviously.

Since we live in the apartment and not the dorm, try to see if there's anything on the streets that could be solved by proper application of artificing. Basically, look around for business opportunities or opportunities to improve people's lives. Perhaps a more intelligent purse... maybe one that is tied to a bank account, but only works if it can prove the identify of the user.

CREATE A CROSSBOW NAMED BOOMSTICK. IT ALSO FIRES LAZERBEAMS. PIC RELATED.

>>18443289
But we use a dagger and an axe...

>>18442896
>>18443151
>>18443289

6 months have passed since Sylls left. Since then, you've attended classes like normal, worked and painted like normal, with varying degrees of success in one area or another, playing with your creativity, as any artist should do.

You've also spent many nights as a shadow of the night.

Training with Kingfisher, you've become considerably more athletic then when you first entered Sharn. Sure, you took a couple of bruises, and even flat out fell, but all in all, the rooftops have become less of a challenge and more of an alternate route. You've even taken to the rooftiles more then once when late for school. Kingfisher has also taught you how to pick pockets, though there was an incident where your hands slipped, and an irate butcher chased you through the streets. After that, Kingfisher taught you how to move in less obtrusively, blending with the crowd. He even taught you a bit of combat, though that was pulled off after another one of his riskier plans backfired, and the two of you were chased by nimble rogues across the streets. Because of that, you've learned how to deal with groups and how to sidestep, and how to disarm. You've also learned that Kingfisher is prone to taking risks, and has no concern for his safety, but the ultimate regard to others. Throughout those months, you've never seen Kingfisher kill someone. But he has left you suddenly, and usually after his bird delivers messages which he never lets you see.

>>18444177
But no matter. On those days, and there are a fair bit of those days, you train with Warf. It seems when your parents ordered a manservant, combat capabilities were a requirement. Warf taught a rough, brawling style, which revolved around using fists in addition to your weapons, getting inside their range. He's proven suprisngly adept, and you've suffered a few blows that left you out. He's also talked a lot more, and is making more suggestions, often wandering on his own-though he always returns in time to cook your meals.

Dero Steerbrow proves to be an eccentric teacher, his poetry speak changing to strange accents or improper syntax, but he is a capable one, and you've learned more than you've thought you would in a short timespan. You finished your speaking stones, and Kingfisher accepted them with glee, using them to issue commands to you from afar and suddenly, citing how “justice must never rest!”

>>18444177
>>18444185
Your trip fell off, OP.

>>18444185

You've also wandered the streets by yourself, looking for ways to improve the place around you. Your attempts at stopping theivery with magical purses, while unsuccessful, did result in a purse that recognizes its owner, and emits a loud blare if anyone else opens it up. You've also handled more mundane concerns, such as fixing loose cartwheel and everbright lanterns, and as thus, you are seen in a slightly positive light around the district, though not evryone there recognizes your name. Still, the fruit vendor will slip in an extra apple every now and then, and others will wave when you pass by.

On your own, you've also researched some things. The Draconic Prophecy apparently, is a series of marks left across Eberron that tell the future, and research managed to dig up a few that were studied and resulted in foretelling of the hundred years' war and a riddle that refered to the creation of warforged. Whatever it is, it's definetely real.

Investigating your dragonmark and the House Deneith, you've found out that aside from their usual mercenary business, combat skills are highly valued, and each recruit must adhere to certain standards. After sitting in on a few recruitment drives, it seems that Dragonmark ensure entry, though due to the amount of fake entrants, it seems it would be easier for a noble to see it and sponsor you into the House, as opposed to the lengthy process which they go through to find and weed out fakers. You've made some inquiries, but most, if not all nobles are busy, or in places where you cannot enter, so you have yet to actually join House Deneith.

>>18444202
You've also improved your weapons (how?) and briefly considered making a crossbow to agument your lack of ranged attacks. Did you go through with it?

Either way, it's been 6 months. You wake up and head to class, carrying your normal supplies. Today, you are working on elemental binding. You enter Morgrave University and sit in the lab. Classmates enter with you, and as Steerbrow enters, the class hushens.

“today, we will be binding-binding the forces of nature, by utilizing-utilizing the theorums...” as Steerbrow drones on, repeating verbs twice, a slight knock makes itself known on the door. Steerbrow continues, and only after the knocking gets louder, does Steerbrow turn. A courier stands in the doorway, and he gives Steerbrow a letter. Opening it, he reads it, then calls your name.

“Yohn, will you get-get here, please? It seems a Gottin d'Deneith wants to meet-meet you immediately.”

>>18444206
You pack up your bag, and head off. As you do, Steerbrow stuffs a crystal into your hands, mumbling something about homework. He hands you the letter, and ou head off towards the address.

It takes you the richer part of town, and surrounded by richly-dressed people, you feel a little out of place. The mansions look good, each one with large windows and carefully shaped curves. Eventually, you reach Gottin's townhouse, and it looks out of place amongst all the others. Made of stone, and slightly smaller, it looks more like a miniature fortress then a house and there are no pleasing curves and no windows. The Deneith crest carved in the stone door is the only decoration, and a guard is eyeing you. What do you do? How do you present yourself?

>>18444225
Make ourselves as presentable as possible. Dust (prestigititate?) off our clothes, fix up the hair, and walk up to the guard and present the letter.

Be polite, courteous, and confident. Treat this as an honor and an opportunity.

Have we been keeping in touch with that one mage that got us hooked up?

>>18444296
You step in taking care to make yourself look presentable. Inside, a cold grey of stone meets you. Grim and devoid of decoration, the house feels empty, somehow. You wonder how Gottin can live with it. Acending the sole staircase up, a solitary torch lights your way, glowing dimly. Reaching the second floor, you open the doorway.

An iron dog glowers at you, before a voice barks from the back. “Down, boy!” The dog growls again, and paces off into a corner. You glance around the room. Weapons are stacked on every wall, and a parivularl vicious-looking spear hangs over the fireplace. The room has several tables, one with what appears to be a miniature replica of a battlefield, one that has various bottles on it, and another that has paper all over it, each one marked with tactical plans. Here, you can see a robed figure picking papers up and scratching at them with a quill, making additions. A spear is next to his hand. You stand politely, and after a bit of silence, the man speaks again.

>>18444519
“Are you going to sit?”

He motions to a chair, and you take it.

The man looks up, and you can see a weathered face with a salt-and pepper beard neatly trimmed clinging to it. His eyes are a cold grey, like the stone, and the man has a serious look on his face that looks like it's been there for the past century.

“So you are the one who has been making inquiries. You look scrawny, boy. I expected a more muscular figure. Can you even hold a sword?” He sets down his quill.

“Pass me your hand.” You hold it up, and he takes it, prodding your calluses and palm, before he takes your other one as well. He finally lets go, and you take your hands back.

“You fight with dagger a dagger and ax. Decently proficent, as well.” he picks up his quill, and makes a vew marks on paper. He mutters something about “advance scout.”

“So, boy, what are your thoughts on possibly joining House Deneith? Is it something you look forward to?”

You begin with a confident, but polite speech that is inoffensive. “i think it's a great oppurtunity, sir. I'm proud to-”

>>18444529
oh wow we gon' get slapped

>>18444529
the man raises his hand to your face, and you stop talking.

“Enough. You look like a boy who likes to make speeches of a particularly heroic sort, and i'm in no mood to listen. Come with me.”

the man picks up his spear, and you head to another area of the house. It's completely empty, save for lanterns which light up the room. The man takes off his robe, and underneath, you can see a well-muscled body dressed in a light shirt and pants. Scars adorn his muscles, and he strides into the middle of the room. Then he turns, and speaks.

“Fight me.”

You take your weapons out, and step toward the man. He thrusts with his spear, and you sidestep.

How do you fight this man? he looks dangerous.

>>18444206

No, you didn't go through with the crossbow but recognizing the importance of non-close range combat, you've taken to carrying and training with throwing axes.

you've magically improved your close range axe to weigh almost nothing and your dagger to be near invisible.

present yourself cold, unintrested and neutral.
hand the letter over and go see whoever called you.

hope it's not someone trying to get you into that mercenary house.
so bandage girl left us, with us respecting her wishes and it's been six months sence then? that sucks!

>>18444553
Nimbly?

Try to use the CQC Warf taught us, and use possibly superior speed to beat out the raw power of the muscled man.

>>18444553
Try to disarm him.

>>18444572
keep it. we can use it against this dude. it's pretty much free, and we still have 6 things left on things to claim.

fight carefully, don't take chances.

pop out bow and shoot him when he is unaware. artemis is that thing in that pic could hide in his jacket from dmc3.

>>18444572
Thinking back to it, a crossbow would be very very useful.

We can use it to launch all sorts of alchemical or artificer things.

oh man, this should be easy.

when he thrusts his spear at you try to cut it up or away with your axe and then when he's unguarded move in to stab his shoulder with your dagger and keep the axe up and ready for a kick or punch.

>>18444587
>>18444598
>>18444621
>>18444637

You try all the moves you've been taught, dancing around him to create openings, and rushing in to stab and punch him. Your dagger catches him off guard, and it draws blood from from a scratch on his shoulder. He draws back, and you do too, pacing and circling one another. The man thrusts with his spear, and you sidestep and swing, catching the spearshaft with your axehead and thrusting your dagger at his open shoulder.

The spearshaft doesn't cut the entire way, but the force of it knocks it out of his hands. Your dagger pierces his shirt, and as he leaps backward, you deploy the crossbow, dropping the axe as you do so. The man nods once at the crossbow pointed at his face. His hands go into his pockets, and he throws a handful of sand at your eyes. You step back, knowing his trick, but the man moves fast. He kicks the dagger out of your hand, and pins your crossbow arm to the wall with his arm. Pulling a dagger from his belt, he thrusts it to your stomach. You feel a slight pain and wince, then look down. He hit with the hilt, but it still hurts. The man steps back.

“Killing blow.”

>>18444825

You nod to confirm, then he offers his hand to pull you up. You take it.

“Very good, boy. That crossbow was sneaky. However, you should expect your opponents to do the same. That dust caught you off guard.”

He lets go, and strides back to the original room.

You follow him, and he sits down.

“you are acceptable. I, Gottin d'Deneith, hereby...” he waves his hand, as if dissmissing the rest of the words. “do this and that and so on and so forth.”

“In essence, I sponsor you as a member, boy. Don't let me down. And don't lose that craftiness. Now... What is your name, boy? And do you have any questions?”

>>18444825
>>18444832
my computer is on the fritz. my tripcode fell off again.

Fuck, so we HAVE to join the house now?
if no, lets try to very politely and tactfully get out of joining the house.

can't think of any questions lets just get as much info as we can and just get the hell out of there and move on

tell him our name, then ask what we have to do. why do we have all these responsibilities, now? i want to stay in Sharn and find the scarred girl or other love interests. WHY DON'T YOU HAVE ANY LI'S FOR US, OP?

>>18445038

i want to find bandage girl to!
can we do that after leaving this place?

>>18445012
>>18445038

“Normally, we'd ship you off to fight on some battlefield or another. Especially with this war, mercenaries are in demand more then ever. But your talents would be wasted on a battlefield, and you aren't the type to fight line-to-line. It would be pointless. However, I have a proposal. Another field for you to fight in, so to speak. Of course, it would mean giving up a public connection to House Deneith. You could talk to me of course, and I'd arrange everything for you. But you wouldn't be considered a member.”
the man turns, and paces to the table with the battlefield. Troops are here and there on a grid of varied squares, each one painted with grey and white. A red solider stands out on the grid and you take a closer look. It looks a bit like Gottin.

“There are wars fought in shadows. Wars won in discussions. Wars lost in armory. Wars exist everywhere.” the man turns to you, and stares at you with a piercing gaze.

“Can I trust you to work for me, and give up everything that your dragonmarked brothers have achieved? Or shall we end this dance, and sign you off to your death? Or shall we forget this ever happened, and have you disappear from our records? this is a serious question posed upon you all too quickly, but time demands it. What do you have to say?”

hmm, so we we'd fight solo? i kind of like that but what exactly would we be giving up exactly if we aren't officially part of the house?

>>18445236
and if we can just quit anytime we want from doing the solo clock and dagger stuff for the house and go back to doing our own thing then i'd say lets go that way

>>18445236
"our name, our reputation, our amenities are all unavailable. Being a dragonmarked member means you have some considerable pull inside the house, and could live a comfortable life of adventure and battle. You would be well equipped and well fed, able to see the world on the purse of another. I have no idea what your past is, but most agree that it is a better life in a dragonmarked house. But if you took my proposal, you'd lack that pull, that safety net. I could help you out with acquiring Deneith resources, but my pull is only so limited, and a majority of my efforts are dedicated to stopping what I fight against. most of your efforts will be your own, on your own. a very solitary fighter."

>>18445317
"Quit? Perhaps. I have lighter things that need to be done, things that wouldn't exactly endanger a person. but politics is a sticky net. the further you go, the more you are caught. After a certain point. I cannot ensure your safety if you quit, save for moving you to a land with no friends and unfamiliar faces."

fuck that, lets get the hell out of here

>>18445419
but this looks fun. I say we help him fight this stuff. besides, we could use more contacts. he's not going to send us into the depths of gang territory, or something.

well, i guess we could for a while but tell the old man when we're getting near that point of no return so we can get the fuck out

>>18445419
You decline the man's offer. This is getting too heavy and serious for you, and you convey this to the man. He nods his head.

“Understandable. Were I in your shoes, I would likely make the same descison as well. But think about it. You may change you mind later.” he sits down, looking tired.

“That is all. Go. And do not speak of this to anyone.”

You quickly depart from the fortress-house and head to lower levels to lose yourself in the crowd. You browse, looking over your shoulder to see if anyone is following you. No one is. You look at the stands, but nothing catches your interest. A spot of white hair appears in the crowd.

Then disappears. Your rub eyes. Did you catch a glance of Sylls? It could have been an illusion. Or someone else. Some Cyrans also white hair. What do you do?

>>18445626
{Why does my computer keep on doing this? it's annoying. Why can't it remeber what i put in name field? i can't remember to input it every time.}

check if it's her.

if it's her, give her a smile and ask what she's been up to.
if it's not, apologize and head home.

>>18445751
is it worth checking out if she runs away [I meant that she disappeared, so you have to chase after her. or not. I really need to communicate more.]

of coarse it is, we should at least get an explanation from her.

if she's adamant about it, lets squash it and leave, maybe tell her she can see us whenever she wants.

but yeah, we might wanna use our new thief tricks to tail her and talk to her when she's alone and can't run away

Sneak up on her and slip a note into her pocket telling her to visit your house anytime she wants.
This will express concern for her and respect her and warfs wishes to leave her alone

>>18445773
>You probably want to take after her using those freerunning skills

You take off after her. You lost her for 6 months, and this might be her.

there's no way you're letting this go.

You take off like a train,but somehow, she's always one step ahead, or around the next corner. Your chase takes you lower and lower into the depths of Sharn, but you don't care.

She turns one last corner, and you switch to the ground, for there are no rooftops here.

You turn the corner.

and see a refugee camp. You've heard about them, about the King of Breland offering refuge for those whose homes were destroyed in the Mourning, as it is now called, but you've never actually been here, having no reason. You spot the white-haired person in the crowd and you tail her, keeping out of sight as you do so.making your way to the heart of the camp, you are surrounded by Cyrans. some look homeless, others look normal, and there are those with disfigurements, scars and weird limbs that were a result of that magic that took the nation. And all look tired. You take off after the girl again, as she has stopped near some children. She pulls some food out from under her robe and hands it to them. looking at her arm, it's clear it's not Sylls. Sylls had bandages all around her face and left arm. You came down here for nothing.

>>18446085
You turn away in disgust.

And bump right into a bandaged girl. a girl with a familiar blue eye.
A girl who disappeared for 6 months.

She takes initative, speaking before you can.

"Yohn."

You ask her what she is doing here, and she heads off. You take after her, making sure not to lose sight.

you head through the camp, passing weary people and poor tent houses.

she tells you that she left. She could see her people wasting away at the bottom of Sharn, and she had to make up for it. she came down here to assist. as it turns out, there wasn't too much to do. She could help here and there, but beyond that, she became just another refugee. While here, she met an old lady who took her in. As it turns out, the lady was a minor seer. she helped Sylls control her curse. but even then, Sylls kept he bandages on, and tried to remain as unobtrusive as possible, trying to avoid any discussion of her injuries, or her face. As she mentions this, you notice that her head ducks dwon every time someone passes by, hiding itself in the shade of the hood. Finally, you stop in a more deserted area of town. she turns her head looking for anyone, then pulls her hood off, and stares at you with her eye.

"but Yohn, I could sense you came down here for another reason. and it's not any prophecy telling me this. What is it?"

>>18446107
what do you say?

can't think of anything at all, drawing a big blank here.

suggestions qm?

>>18446267

She thinks there's a little more to you coming down here then you asking her how has she been. The last time you talked to her was right after you told her everything was going to be all right on top of citadel hall, so there might be something there.

ok lets start off lightly

"what do you mean?"

>>18446433
"I know you would be here, Yohn, but i have no idea why. just that you would be here. So, what is it?"

>>18446446

"we wanted to know if you would come back with us. you are always welcome." (We found her, yay! though this was not how I expected it to be.)

>>18446510
'Yohn, i'm sorry. It's nice, but-” She looks up at the stars starting to form overhead.

“in the end, the prophecy is still there, and I'm tied to it. I couldn't stop Cyre from being destroyed, I couldn't stop that witch unt, and there are a thousand things each day that I cannot stop. But can I at least let my people go out quietly. I'm not you. I...” She looks down at her feet.

“I'm not you, Yohn.” her voice is pained, and sad. “Fate is impossible to change. What you did was a once in a lifetime thing. But in the end, we are all binded by fate. Even you, Yohn. I knew you were coming. I wanted to tell you this. Tell you my decision. But somehow, it doesn't make it any easier. I have to stay here. This is where my fate is tied.”

You move to speak, but a voice interrupts from behind.

“What's going on he- Oh, Sylls. It's you. But who are you?”

You turn around. It's the girl you mistook for Sylls earlier. Wait. As you look closer, you're not sure whether it's male or female. Something's off. It takes you a moment, but you realize- (S)he's missing that white hair. Now, (s)he has a bandana tied over medium curly black hair, which nearly hides long pointy ears.

It's an elf. Now, it's face makes more sense. As it speaks with a more masculine tone, it's a male elf. You assume.

>>18446726
In any case, he lifts his robe slightly, revealing a dagger underneath.

“It's alright, Jekka! This is Yohn. He's the one who helped the train I was on escape Cyre. Remember when I told that story at the campfire? He's no harm.”

Sylls speaks on your behalf.

Jekka eyes you warily, before sheathing the dagger underneath his robes and spitting on the ground.

“Fine. But I still don't like his face.” Jekka thrusts a hand forward, and you shake it. He lets go after the first shake, and stalks off angrily. A shout of 'What're you lookin' at' tells you his location, and the ensuing sounds of a commotion tells you his current activity.

Sylls shakes her head. “She always was too angry. Runs in her blood,” she says.

“But Yohn, it was nice seeing you, one last ti-” She yanks her head in another direction, and stares off into the distance.

“We have to head that way, Yohn! We're going to get attacked!” she takes off into the camp and you take off after her. As you do, you notice her calling to Jekka who apeears to have gotten himself tangled in a fight with a portly drunkard. As he swiftly kicks the man's shin and stomach, the man collapses. Jekka spits on his body, and joins you.

>>18446746
“What is it, Sylls?”
He asks as you run through the camp, she tells him about the camp being attacked, and Sounds of a larger commotion erupt nearby.

as you tip onto the scene you can see it. Men and goblins have gotten into a brawl, and you can see tents being raided by goblinfolk. Jekka launches himself immediately at a goblin, and sylls launches herself into the fray, picking off goblins on the sideline. What do you do?

Don't know what's going on but bandage girl is making it obvious the goblins are the bad guys here.

throw out a usefull artifice item and fuck up some goblins

>>18446833

you throw out a thunderstone, and charge in, like your mentors have taught you. you dispatch them quickly and efficiently. Compared to those rogues, and Warf's furious hail of attacks with the broom, this is easy. You don't even have to kill them, knocking them out or disabling them.

Then a hobgoblin makes himself known. Swinging a rusty scimitar, it's clear he knows what he's doing, despite his lack of care for his weapons. Directing the goblins over to you, he charges at Jekka.

You don't have time for this. You launch at thunder stone at the goblin's feet, catching a majority of the group in the blast, and switch focus to the Hobgoblin. Jekka is taking his blows, and responding in kind with a flurry of dagger strikes. the hobgoblin falls over, and Jekka spits, and turns around.

"Look out!" Sylls' voice pitches through the battlefield, and you see it too late. the Hobgoblin has risen up again, and swings his sword at Jekka. Jekka turns, but it is to late. the blade bites into his shoulder, and he staggers. You fire a crossbow into the hobgoblin's face and rush over. As the hobgoblin falls you can see the goblins run away as well. You rush over to Jekka, but he pushes you away.

>>18447063
"I'm fine! I'm fine! Where's my sister? She was in this area!" he gets up frantically, and runs around trying to spot her. As he does so, you see men shake their heads. And look down.

Jekka freezes. then collapses to his knees.
Sylls whispers the obvious. "She was taken."
Jekka bends over, and screams. You can't tell what they are. Yells of anger, of anguish of sadness. but they all sound painful.

He then pulls himself to his feet, and bandages up his shoulder using shreds from his cloak.

"I'm going after their leader." he pulls the bandage tight with his teeth, then spits. 'He made this personal."

as he walks off, you hear people tell him that it's foolish, or that he'll get killed.

he ignores them all, and keeps walking.

What do you do?

follow after him and rescue the sister but seeing as he's acting like a punk try not to let her notice you which shouldn't be too hard seeing as she's really angry. then when she's fighting the first group of goblins sneak up behind them and decimate them

also, is it a boy or a girl?
when bandage girl talked about her she said "she" not "he"

>>18447254
You follow after Jekka, trying to remain undetected. it's an easy feat, considering the fact that he has his eyes straight forward, focusing on a small tower in the distance. As you cover a half a mile, following a swearing, angry person, you are not seen once by anyone who would want to notice you. This is a good thing. Jekka's still going strong even with that shoulder wound, which you can see leaking blood onto his cloak. finally, you reach the Tower. compared to the regular towers, this one is more like a tall inn slightly taller then surrounding buildings, but you have no time to debate semantics of a word, as Jekka has just kicked the door in.

You sneak around back through a window, taking care not to be seen by him, and you take out two goblins with the hilt of your weapons. peeking in the door window, you see Jekka doesn't need any help. Using his long legs and a curved dagger in both hands, he dispatches them with swift kicks, using the daggers to disarm and injure the goblins, as well. In a few seconds the bottom floor, packed with 5 goblins, has been taken care of.

Then the hobgoblins come. You can hear Jekka swearing under his breath. Two of them barge down the stairs. Jekka throws his dagger at one, impaling it through the chest, but the other one rushes in during the throw, and knocks Jekka to the ground with a shield. Jekka stumbles backward, then falls over. The Hobgoblin's sword thrusts out, knocking away his other dagger. He raises his sword, and swings it at Jekka's form, struggling to get up off the ground. You-

What do you do? Help him? Let him learn his lesson?

>>18447433
[out of character, Jekka is indeed, female. However, only Sylls knows this and by the way Jekka acts, many believe he is a male. they just assume his elven heritage makes him look a bit girly, but no one will say it to his face. Yohn at this point probably believes he is female as well.]

help him.

shoot some arrows as you run at the hobgoblin and when you get in reach slide to the side and take your axe to his head if the arrows didn't drop him

>>18447555
the hobgoblin swings his sword.

You ready your crossbow, and fire. it hits him slightly above the wrist, between wrist and palm. The hobgoblin lets out a scream of agony, and drops his sword, clutching his wrist you pull your axe out and swing it at his face. it connects, and your hear a crunch and a muffled yell. it hit him straight in the jaw, taking his mouth off. he staggers backwards and a dagger pops out of his chest. You look behind him. Jekka, while unable to get up, lifted his dagger with her feet, and thrust it at him while he staggered backwards. as the hobgoblin collapses to the ground. Jekka staggers up, clutching his dagger in one hand, cradling his shoulder with the other. As he finds his footing, he glares at you.

"I didn't need your help! i could have taken him on my own!" he spits this out angrily.
"I don't-" his protest cuts short as he falls back down, clutching his arm.
"Dammit." He pulls himself up again.
"Fine. help if you want. But don't get in my way. Their boss is upstairs. He's been ordering attacks on us if we don't pay his damn protection fees. this time though, he's overextended, and I aim to take his head. if you got a problem with that, leave right now. In the meantime, we have his bodyguard and him to deal with on the upper floor. It's a tight hallway, so If we both rush through, we're going to get crushed. how do you want to handle this?"
>>18447437
>thinks he's female
I meant male.

alright, hand over your crossbow to him and stand him in your side of the hallway. duck very low when you want her to shoot at some hobgoblins, one arrow per duck while you crush the goblins up something fierce when you stand back up.

take as many goblins out as you can till you reach the other side of the hallway and keep her hidden incase they try to hold his sister hostage for a surprise attack

>>18447739
>how do you want to handle this?

Carefully.

>>18447950
Sounds reasonable, go in first, being less injured, and let Jekka provide cover with the crossbow.

See if we can use some magical things to turn the tide as well.

He grumbles for a bit, but takes the crossbow out of your hand and loads it. Nodding once, the two of you proceed up the stairway, Jekka in tow. You look in. It's like Jekka said, a tight hallway, with several doors concealing who knows what behind them. You advance, and in an obvious attempt to spring an ambush, goblins rush out the door behind you. Stuck between the fire of crossbow bolts and an axe and dagger, they get mowed down quickly. You check the room they came from. Empty. You continue down the hallway, but it seems all the goblins decided to pile into the first room.

“Hold on.” Jekka calls from behind you. He's standing above the pile of unconcious goblins, looking a them moaning. He draws his dagger.

“You didn't kill any of them.” Of course you didn't. Kingfisher and Warf taught you a variety of nonlethal attacks that function just as well as lethal ones. You've tried to avoid it when possible, and learned to kill only those who pose a threat to others. That was a dark day when you learned that from Kingfisher after a bout with particularly vicious thugs. He consoled you after that first kill, and since then, you've strived to avoid taking lives.

“let's finish this lot off. We've got their boss on the floor right above us, and we can't have any distractions from this floor.”

What do you do? And what is your plan for the two on the top floor?

>>18448265
"Their lives are not mine to take."

Don't stop him, but don't approve. If possible, reassure him that they won't be getting up soon (if that's in fact true). "Nor are they yours."

For the last room, if possible, use artificer or alchemical magics in tandem with mundane weapons. Maybe try to lure them into the corridor.

I'm imagining something like
>throw open the door
>they look out
>nobody is there
>they get curious
>gank them

or
>open door a crack
>throw in a thunderstone or something
>move in

>empty quest thread

Being eberron denizen is suffering.

can you use an artifice item to keep them incapacitaded or bind them?

well, if not, keep her to the side of the door and alert to look both in the other room and at the goblins in the highway.

ignore her after what she said and keep walking while you tell her where you want her to stand ready. let her kill them if she really wants, they're not raiding our home.

walk calmly into the room and take out the orcs as they come to you and use some artifice items when start ganging up on you.

by the way, did we get the near weightless magic for the axe and invisibility for our knife/dagger?

>>18448361
>"Their lives are not mine to take."

"Neither were the Cyrans, but they took their lives all the same! they took my sister! How can you let them live?"

You tell him that they won't be getting up anytime soon, and that he should save his strength for the next room. you inform him of your new plan, and he nods. Reloading the crossbow, you move to the second floor. A wall divides the room, and a single door awaits. Jekka moves to the side, and readies his dagger. You throw the door open. and wait. No ones coming out. jekka shakes his head, and you decide to toss a thunderstone in. Looking away, a deafening crack and bright flash fill the room. You hear someone tumble to the ground, dragging a table with him, and you move in.

Jekka rushes in, and stomps on the sole bodyguard's stomach. You look around the room. There's a nice looking desk and furniture, but not much else.

Except for an open window. Jekka curses, and runs to it. Outside, you can see a man dragging a screaming, crying girl along with him. Jekka yells. "Lia!" he drops your crossbow, and pulls himself over the windowsill deftly. He takes after the man, his legs covering the distance with ease. You join him, picking up your crossbow on the way, and head along the roofs. as you continue, the man runs up a steep roof, and shoves the girl to the edge.

"move, elf, and she dies!"

Jekka stops in his pace.

What do you do?

>>18448533
{yes, you did. You also have a collapsible crossbow that deals a generic form of nonlethal damage that can be refluffed any way you wish.)

>>18448551
Are we concealed from the boss?

If so, try to take him out with a crossbow stun-bolt. The nonlethal bolts are just coated with a type of magical energy that disrupts the nervous system. I made that up just now.

>>18448761
If we're not concealed, do the same thing, and keep moving to catch the girl.

If possible, use the dragonmark to whisk the girl away.

What? We're no elf.

>>18448781
I agree. Though I know how the mark works mechanically, we've seen it protect us from short falls/bumps before. If we can see how far it is down, maybe take a shot at the man and try to tumble down with her, as he will definitely push her when he gets struck.

hmmm, yeah, shooting him with non lethal bolts is prolly best. unless we have some artifice items that'd work out better. shout at the the girl to run after her sister after the shot and run after the goblin

>>18448761
>>18448781

Jekka rails at the man. “Don't you dare drop her, you bastard! Come over here and face me like a man!”

the man screams back. “not a chance in Nine Hells, you damn pointy-eared freak! Here's how it's going to go. You let me go, and maybe I won't decide to drop her once I reach the end of this roof! Your choice!”

It seems the man hasn't spotted you. You whisper to Jekka to keep him busy, and tackle him when you fire. You move along the lower ledge you are on, hoping that the man doesn't spot you. You try to maneuver into a position where you you have a good angle, and can catch the girl once she falls.

“You monster! You'll harm a girl to save your skin?”

“I'll do anything, daggerears! Now back off!”

“Not a chance! You throw her off, and I'll beat you into the ground and feed you to the pigs!”

“I'm warning you-” as the man steps slightly forward to Jekka, and slightly away from the girl, you see your chance. You pop up, and fire the crossbow. As you do so, Jekka, bolts forward to a man who just realizes he made the mistake of his life. As he attempts to escape, Jekka changes angles, and his flying tackle takes the two to the roof nearby. You run up, and ensure the girl's safety. She stop crying, and grabs the corner of your jacket, making you look her in the eyes.

>>18448978
“where's Jekka, mister?”

“Right here.”

You look over. A bloody hand grasps the roof, and Jekka pulls himself up. He winces with pain, but pulls himself up.

“I'm glad you're okay, Lia.”

Lia rushes into his arms, and he cradles her tight. They stay in that position for a while, and Jekka promises Lia he will never let her go.

finally, he pulls back.

“I'm a bit messy right now, so will you accompany this nice man back to town? Jekka needs to rest.”

You look at him again. He looks like he's running on a last burst of energy,and you see blood running down his clothes. He glares at you as Lia is turned around.

“You'll escort her, won't you? She doesn't need to see me rest.”

He looks like he's bleeding out. You might make it back in time, but without any healing abilites, you don't know.

What do you do?

>>18448978
"Am I Kawaii, uguu~?"

>>18448989
Sending stone. Alert kingfisher somehow to our location. Take the girl. Leave Jekka with some peice of info to identify him as friendly to our wonderful pal.

>>18448989
>without any healing abilities
Goddammit.

Not even any potions or anything?

Look around in the street or wherever we are, and yell out for help for the man.

(Or alerting Kingfisher might be OK, but probably not in broad daylight)

well, if she's trying to look good in front of her sister i guess we should oblige.

agree and tell her she better come back soon. tell her you'll come back for her if she dosent return to camp in an hour or whatever amount of time she needs to rest.

>>18448989
"What, no, that's bullshit. I'm not leaving you here."

Girls' out of trouble she can stand around a bit.

Fuck looking tough.

>>18449037
>>18449027

You pull out your sending stone and tell Kingfisher what's happening, but even for him, descending from Dura to here will be impossible. He'll try his best, though.

You groan inwardly, but move to the roof in an attempt to call for help. Jekka grabs your collar, and pulls you down as she collapses. He whispers into your ear.

"take her. She can't see this."

You step back. Jekka's resting against the roof, clutching his stomach.
>>18449126

"What, no, that's bullshit. I'm not leaving you here."

He groans. "I'm fine. Just need to rest. Take her. Please."

You are at an impasse here. he's refusing to budge.

>>18449157
Check if his wounds are fatal, and if there is even a point in getting him help.

I'm not sure what constitutes a fatal wound in the setting, though, if you've got all kinds of healing magic.

>>18449191
this and then, assuming there's still time for him,
"You promised you'd never let go! Giving up here is no good, and I'm not letting you!"

Also, OP, don't take my suggestions literally if they obviously don't work out.

>>18449191
His wounds look painful, and on closer inspection it looks like a dagger is lodged in his gut. The blood is leaking. He should be able to survive an hour, but with his shoulder wound also bleeding, that time may be shortened drastically. It's a mile to camp and back. if you run fast you might make it. With lia in tow, however, it becomes more difficult to ensure her safety in this part of town.
>>18449214
""You promised you'd never let go! Giving up here is no good, and I'm not letting you!"
He grabs your shirt again, and yanks you close. "Who said i'm giving up? I'm not going to let some blasted metal stop-" He winces in pain, then collapses back down." His wound is bleeding even more profusely.

He gestures to the way you came. "Go. I'll be waiting here, just to prove you wrong."

Do you trust his tenacity?

>>18449253
"Then let's see how stubborn you really are."

Take off, running, and then,

"You better not be lying, pointy-ears!"

hmmm, yeah, run back to the camp with the sister, carry her if you have to. then grab a healing item or a healer or whatever and blaze the trail back to the wounded elf

>>18449326
>>18449342

“doubting me? I've got a punch for when I see you again!” Jekka laughs slightly, then coughs, Blood pours out, and her face turns grave.

“Go!”

He pushes Lia towards you, and you take her hand, escorting her back to town. Despite those recent events, she's happy again, and her enthusiam only makes it more difficult to get to the ground. You had an easier time when you were chasing that man. Nevertheless, you descend back the way you came, and rush back to make the trip as soon as possible. You pass underneath the roof where the girl was dangling and you look up.

You see nothing. Then a figure slowly rises, struggling to make it's way up.
It's Jekka. He nods once at you, then despite the distance, you can see him look at his sister, happily skipping alongside you. He smiles. It's a sad one. Then, he goes slack.

And falls. You have a split second to act. What do you do?

>>18449385
Wait, we're back with the sister? Or did we not actually get far?

Pic related. Be distraught that we don't have a mark of healing.

Or, wait, is Jekka falling?

That might be dragonmark time, right there, then.

>>18449424
{the rooftops run along the way you came when walking. So, it's like you made a u turn with a small curve.}

damn it jekka
catch him and run to a hospitalish building while you carry her and the sister's beside you beside you

can you use your dragon mark somehow?

shout out bandage girls name!
maybe she'll see you in a vision and bring some doctors or potions or something

>>18449432
>>18449448
>>18449523

You rush forward, letting go of Lia's hand. You focus your energy in the dragonmark, and it roars in response. A surge of energy passes through you and towards Jekka. As it happens, you dash under him, bracing with your arms and flexing you legs so that she doesn't hit the ground.

His body hits you like a sack of bricks. You brace your legs and stiffen your arms, catching her as gently as you can, under the circumstances. As you pull up against the force, he comes up remarkably light. You adjust your grip, then take off towards camp. Your legs pound the ground, and while your lungs burn and your feet feel like they are bound by steel wire, you continue regardless. Lia tags along, and you make an odd sight, bounding into camp. Nevertheless, Sylls is waiting with a healer's kit. Seeing you she runs towards a neary tent, and holds open the flap. You eneter and see a single clean cot. As you place Jekka down, you take a good look at his face.

Without that smouldering look and that volatile energy exposed to the outer world, Jekka looks remarkably...feminine. As Sylls moves to take off his shirt, she pauses, and turns back to you, and without a word, pushes you out of the tent.

>>18449601
You obey, and step out. The tent flap closes. You look around. Lia is playing with other children, telling the story of a dashing thief and a helpful crossbowman saving a princess.

“It seems you already have bards to tell your tale, my friend.” You turn around, and Kingfisher is there, a grin on his face.

“unfortunately, you seem to be taking a minor role.” he guestures to Lia, and in her story, it appears your only role is to take potshots at helpful moments.

You sit back, and look turn to Kingfisher, but he's disappeared. You look around, and he's exiting the tent Jekka and Sylls are in.

“Healing potions. Closest thing to a cleric around these parts.” He sits down next to you. “Hold on, looks like the story's getting interesting.” You listen to Lia's story again. Apparently, the princess has just been rescued, but the thief has been injured by the dragon. The crossbowman rushes back to save his friend, and romantically catches him in his arms. Except for the thief is male, so it's not romantic. But if he was a girl it would be. In any case, the thief and crossbowman continue their adventure, and the princes gets to ride a dragon and be a queen without a king because boys are icky. As the story dwindles into an argument about the ikiness of boys, Kingfisher laughs.
“It seems you make quite the dramatic exit, my dear apprentice! Tell me, what do you feel about this tale of yours, o helpful crossbowman?"

What do you think? And what do you do after you finish talking with Kingfisher?

>>18449617
"I think... there's a lesson in humility, here.

And another in stubbornness.

What do you think of House Deneith?"

tell him you think the story is cute

ask bandage girl how the "guy" is doing

>>18449683
with the question I'm trying to get a feel for what he thinks about us joining that house, or of house politics in general.

but don't outright go and say that we went to see anyone, that should just be unspoken.

>>18449683
He tilts his head, then responds. “They are mercenaries, though some of them are better then others. A heart of gold is what I value over a strong arm. One can be gained, the other must be earned. Though, as a House, they are all simple. No sense of adventure, or exploration, or creativity. They stick to orders. If you could find one who was more then a general, I might care. Until then, let them squabble. You are not meant for such lowly battles. I say, stay out. This war does not need to claim your life, as it has of so many others.” He stops and looks at you, processing his opinion. He slaps your arm, exactly where the dragonmark is, and smiles.

“it's only natural for you to question such a big descision. After all, it would change many things. Keep m opinion in mind and decide for yourself. If you can find a cause better then gold to serve, then, take it, my friend. There is no greater reward then serving others.” He spreads his arms, as if indicating all of Sharn as people to help, then lowers them.

>>18449684

You change subjects, and he grins broadly. 'very well, very well indeed. HE is recovering after that drink I gave HIM. It shouldn't be too long before HE is standing again, alive and well.”
A kingfisher lands on his arm, and he takes a letter off of it. “I must see you later, my friend! And remember, never let your opponent know you know which cards he holds! Farewell!”

You feel Kingfisher couldn't have been more obvious. Well, what do you do now?

>>18449837
I guess that settles that.

Make a note to look up healing salves and potions, and resolve never to be caught in a situation where we have to make a decision between two lives again. (4e artificers are healers, but I don't know how you want to decide this, QM.)

Tell Sylls to not be a stranger, and that we should be off. Also tell Jekka (or Sylls to pass on to 'him') that the only thing to be stubborn about is to live.

Remark that we'll stop by soon.

we should plan to give a speaking stone to bandage girl and maybe to jekka in case we ever need party member for something big or so we can help again if goblins pull this shit again. warf to while we're at it.

i like kingfisher, he's right about staying out of the houses.

say bye to everyone and tell sylls she should visit you and warf more often. plan to later paint on the roof of your apartment. maybe of your battle with the goblins and hang that up as a trophy.

>>18449905
You enter the tent. Sylls is wrapping up some bandages, and Jekka is lying there, with only her head not covered by a blanket. Sylls looks at you for a moment, then packs up her bag, and leaves. “I need to get some things. I'll be right back.” Jekka makes a sound of protest, but it is cut off as Sylls exits without looking back.
“We can talk later, Yohn.” You nod at her and she finally exits the tent once and for all.

You look at Jekka, and she looks back. You stare at each other. After a moment of awkward silence, you move to speak.

Then her fist flies through the air, and hits you square in the jaw.

“I told you you had that coming, you bastard! Doubting me!” She punches you, and her face makes an attempt at angry, but quickly fades to a grin.

>>18450003
You remark on her stubborness, and she smiles widely

“I guess you're right. You know, you're not too bad to work with, pal. Of course, I could beat you senseless were I not in bed and owing you a favor. So you're safe, for now. She pats you on the back roughly.

“I gotta sleep. We'll have guy talk later. She pulls the blankets up, and you sense your cue to leave.

“Come by later, okay?” Her voice rings out as you exit the tents, and for once, it's not roughened by a stubborn attitude or attempt at toughness. It's soft, and gentle.

It sounds nice.

You promise to come back, and she shoos you away with a rough “get out of here.” her voice is back to normal.

>>18450011
Sylls is outside. You tell her what's on your mind. She nods once, then replies.

“I will, Yohn, thanks for stopping by. You've helped out many of us today. Quite a few things will shift today. I can see a better future. Not wildly better, but still, an improvement before you came. Thank you. Let's hope that future stays with us.

You go home, and make plans to create a few more speaking stones. You decide to paint your battle, and as your brushes move, recreating the past events, you draw a scene depicting a crossbowman fighting off goblins to protect an elf as she reaches for a girl. While not entirel ture, it represents the core of the event at the least. You hang it up, and go to bed.

Today's been an impressive day.

{Quest End.}

next time?

Archived here:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/18442508/

comments, criticism?

>>18450020
>{Quest End.}

Aww...

Oh well, QM, it was fun while it lasted.

Don't know what to say as far as improving, I guess it just didn't capture /tg/'s imagination.

3pm est. I have an open day tomorrow.

looking forward to it!

this is one of my favorite quests, don't ever stop.
the fight with that old lord was pretty fun, love battling against polearms with axes.

>>18450041
Oh, I thought you were throwing in the towel.

As far as criticism:

Writing style is pretty good, could be a bit more clear in some parts.

Choices are... somewhat lacking. Still wondering where we're going with all this. Maybe we've just ignored the meaty plot hooks. That said, I don't mind some railroading. Maybe consider what "choice" we can reasonably provide over /tg/, and make situations more favorable to those kinds of choices. Maybe it's just that I'm at a loss for what options we have at certain points. Perhaps what I'm trying to say is that this quest is a bit too open-ended.

You're going for a pretty narrative-heavy quest, so aim for situations where we can lay out a longer course of action. Maybe it's a style choice, but maybe you should reconsider taking all responses at face-value. Perhaps getting the gist of a suggestion is good enough.

Characters are pretty good, with the exception of the PC. Don't be afraid to take reigns of what Yohn says, because there's only so much we can convey over posts. It's not strange for you to give the PC character some goals, or backgrounds, or motivations, or some quirks, I think /tg/ is pretty good at playing a character someone hands them. Asking /tg/ if we have family in the city is folly. Not only was that never actually answered, it makes more sense for you to answer those questions.

>>18450116
forgot my picture

I really like the how open ended this is, hell i was thinking of we could rob a nobles house later or something but yeah, i wouldn't mind a few qm suggestions sometimes. as long as we don't HAVE to do them. like when bandage girl asked why we were there, i was stumped and couldn't come up with anything. thank goodness someone always seems to shows up at those times and gives a great response