The wind howls past the city of Venerable Refuge, bringing with it, cold, and an ill omen.Your name is Ishelda, and you're staring at a strange, avian creature that is looking up at you, arms bandaged, and wings completely wrecked beyond all reason."I cannot cast when my hands are bound like this, Uriel." The spellcaster murmured. "Remove my gloves, if you can."
>>19315512Do so, I suppose. Maybe not...I'll let others decide. No! Do it!
rolled 28 = 28>>19315560No.>>19315512Trap it in a magical cage.
You simply stare at him- And then you remove his gloves, and he twitches his talons."Also, Cassiel is dead." He said. "He faced off against the orcs on the boat, and he chose that moment to shapeshift into some kind of large beast, and was slain. A fool; he didn't seem to realize that you must have some plan for being here. . You do, don't you?"
>>19315577"Yes, I do. I am attempting to infiltrate, please do not contact me again, I will contact you when I need you.""
"Yes, I do." You say. "Do not contact me again, I will contact you when I need you."He looked at you carefully. "You're not Uriel in this form, are you? I'm sorry, that was impolite of me. What is your new form's name?"
>>19315612"I am called Ishelda">>19315615trying to get better roll for this
rolled 91 = 91>>19315659derp
>>19315612We shouldn't use our real name here just in case, but still something that we would naturally respond to.
rolled 99 = 99>>19315612"My new form is named Ishelda. We have done some interesting discoveries and need to investigate further before reporting back. Let me leave a trace on your mind so i can contact your later"Touch his head, read his mind and leave a tracker we and only we can follow.
>>19315687soooooooooooooo close to 100!
"I am called Ishelda." You say, appropriating a stern look. "Let me leave a mark on your mind so that I can contact you later.He nods. "Yes, I understand, Ishelda." He said, and you place your palm against his head, just above his eyes, and you focus... <After this I should heal my wings and return to the tower and talk to the coven elders about his new position. The coven will likely decide that I should join him now that Cassiel got himself killed. Or her? Is Ishelda called a her now in his new form? I'll just call him a her because that's simpler.> You read, and leave a small tracer in his mind- even if he shapeshifts, the tracer should stay."I will return to the tower, then, and tell them of your new position. The coven will likely decide that I should join you, so if I return, I shall bear the name Ezekiel." He says as you pull your hand off of him.
>>19315744After he leaves; can we practice shape shifting?And what types can we do? I'm assuming we can turn into something else entirely; like an orc or something. But can we modify aspects of our body? Turn skin into something that's tougher? Gain muscle so we could wield weapons?
>>19315744We should ask someone if there are any other notable towers in this world.
>>19315809>There are two types of shapeshifting; Active shapeshifting, and permanent shapeshifting. Active shapeshifting is 'perfect', but temporary, while permanent shapeshifting is much harder to get right, and if you screw up you can end up killing yourself.>Turning into a different species is much easier with active shapeshifting, while small changes like more muscle mass or thicker skin, would be better if it were permanent."I'll stop bothering you, then, Uri- Ishelda." He said, and bowed low, then he started chanting a spell.
>>19315878See if we can remember the word he speaks. It would be nice to see if our spellcasting becomes stronger when we use words.
>>19315902>speaksi meant chants*
You listen closely to his words. You know, from the aged wizard's teachings back at Arcturus, that using the words of magic don't help. . but it may be useful."Aniki.... Daeraeth....Viearikkiji...." He chants, and then with the completion of the spell, hisbefore his mangled wings burst into their healed form, and he took off, nigh-silently. You close your eyes, and focus on the tracker you placed upon him. You can sense that he's travelling swiftly southward. You lay there, focusing on the tracker for some time, and finally, you fall asleep.You awaken to a bang, and you see someone tall, muscular, and with dark olive skin. "Men, I have completed the bow." Treechild says, after kicking open the door.
rolled 75 = 75>>19315975How delightful! I am sure Lewin will be very pleased.Inspect the bow with magic.
"How delightful." You say, already awake. You close your eyes, and brush your hand over the bow.It's not made of wood, not completely. Long strips of some kind of horn lie within the bow's core, and you think you can read ogrish runes carved into the core. Revenge, wrath, fire, burn, burn, burn. . The runes don't paint a pretty picture."The trolls destroyed my home." Treechild said, looking down at you. "So I built a weapon to bring vengeance toward them."You don't sense any magic coming from the bow, none at all, but still. . it thrums against your hand, as if it were a living, breathing being.
>>19316106"That is an impressive weapon."
rolled 11 = 11>>19316106It is an Impressive weapon, let me try and help it bring forth an expression of your emotions.
>>19316134Damn, someone reroll for me.
rolled 16 = 16>>19316134>>19316142Why not reroll yourself?
rolled 30 = 30>>19316142>>19316134put the dice down and walk away.
rolled 51 = 51>>19316134>>19316167>>19316168nopenope nope nope
rolled 26 = 26Let's go awesome roll!>>19316134Hopefully.....
>>19316182Hahaha, guess this is our roll.
rolled 36 = 36>>19316134Am I the only one that thinks this is a bad idea? And why am I rolling?
"That is an impressive weapon." You say."I require no payment." She said, and her eyes start to get bloodshot. "Just. . use it. Burn them."You nod, and she leaves, clenching her fists.The four of you find yourselves at a table, eating, while Lewin examines the bow. "It's a recurve, and I'm used to using a longbow, but. . I could get used to this." He's saying.Scribe walked into the room."Are you prepared?" He asked, looking to the four of you.
>>19316232"We are as prepared as we can be"Check up on where our little shapeshifter is.
"We are as prepared as we can be." you say, and seek out Ezekiel. Somewhere to the southeast, but not nearly far enough to be at the blasted lands. But it's strange- it seems that's exactly where he's going."Good." Scribe said. "I will lead you to the village of Second Woodcutter, and then the soldiers there should be able to give you help where you need it." He says, and produces some thick fur clothing, handing it out to the three of you. "This should keep you warm as you walk." He says. "It gets colder the higher one gets."Grayson didn't care about the cold. He simply harrumphed as the five of you walked through the forest outside of Venerable Refuge, taking game trails through the forest.You hear a howl in the distance. "That was made by an orcish tongue." Scribe said. "They must be in battle."
rolled 5 = 5If we can find the time, we should see if we can turn the trollish sap/venom against them, using our existing sample as a source for sympathy.That's not quite how I want to put it, but I hope it's good enough.
rolled 56 = 56>>19316401Trolls are magical beings right? Can we magically ping for them?
rolled 24 = 24Cast Haste on the whole party and make our way there quickly.
You close your eyes, and expand your arcane senses as far as you can. . .You sense large clusters of roughly humanoid fields of life energy. Trolls, no doubt. You climb atop Grayson. "This way." You say, and urge Grayson onwards.The clearing was a battlefield. You saw dozens of orcs in full plate armor, weilding greatswords and . . chanting?The trolls rampaged forth, tackling orcs, and in the distance, you saw something large, but slow and lumbering, covered in bark.
rolled 87 = 87>>19316515Dry rot the bark on that troll.
rolled 34 = 34>>19316555Nice idea!Temporary enchant a number of the attacking orcs swords with fire.
You raise your hands, and Grayson charges forth, getting you as close as you can get to the massive, ancient troll. It looks down at you, and suddenly there's a strong, sweet smell. . but you disregard it, and, stoke the fires of the magic inside of you. You slam your magic into the troll's bark armor, and you feel it start to crumble and fall apart. . Flaming arrows slash through the bark, Lewin's arrow enchantment still active, even after all of this time. His new bow creaks back, and he strains, holding it. . and then the arrow slams directly through the bark. The ancient troll makes a strange whining noise, and then a large chunk of the bark. . cracks, and falls off.The troll looks to Lewin, and makes another whining noise, giving off that sweet smell once again. A large portion of the trolls turn toward your group, and start charging.Fellwind unsheathes his sword, and the diamond blade shimmers. . before bursting into white flame, and he becomes a whirling dervish, twisting this way and that as he slashes the troll attackers into ribbons.
rolled 38 = 38Build fire illusions to corral the trolls into easily manageable corridors.
rolled 61 = 61>>19316660If the Ancient Troll is still around have Grayson rip the closest thing it has to an Achilles Tendon open. Use our magic to help him with this.Also bury our nose in Grayson's fur, I don't trust this smell.
You raise your arms, and with intense focus, you visualize great raging fires, designed to bottleneck the trolls in such a way that it would be simple to slay them as they go through. But when you release your power, the fires are transparent, and don't even seem . .remotely real. The trolls pass through them as if they were just air, and then you release the spell, not wanting to waste energy on something useless.A large portion of orcs bolster Fellwind, protecting Lewin, you, and Grayson from the talons and thorns of the young trolls. The ancient one is still there, his bark still rotted. . but the rot is slowly fading, and soon the weak point in his shoulder will patch up.You breathe deeply, and your lungs ache, a telltale sign of expending your magic too quickly.
rolled 36 = 36>>19316724Screw it, I'mma try again.Using the sample of troll venom we already have, turn their own venom against them, via the sympathetic principle.
rolled 85 = 85>>19316763Goddamnit, dice.
rolled 24 = 24>>19316724Cause the insides of the ancient troll to dry up and die. Making them much more flammable.
rolled 5 = 5>>19316724Focus on the Big Guy, rot something important in it's legs, somewhere that it needs to stand up so people can hack it down and render it a non-threat while they kill it.
rolled 97 = 97>>19316555Affect the entire battlefield. Rise the temperature and make the air drier.
You draw out the vial of black, inky venom, and you look at it closely. The other trolls should have venom, so all you need to do is . . make a ritual on the spot, and use this venom to change the troll's venom into something else. Not the easiest thing, for a normal wizard.But you, you're no normal wizard.You kneel down, sliding off of Grayson, and pour the vial out into the air, where it coalesced into a sphere. You focused. . and then with a twist of thought, you alchemize it, and all venom like it in a radius around you.From venom into lantern oil.Your entire body is weak, and your muscles ache. . and then you pass out.
rolled 91 = 91>>19316724Summon an army of tiny "fire" ants. As in not regular fire ants, but ants that attack with fire. Make them crawl over the trolls and inside the bark of the ancient troll.
>>19316826BURN, BABY, BURN!
You come to, and you're slung over someone's shoulder. You faintly hear Grayson growling in the background."Hurry." Fellwind panted. "We need to get the lady out of here.""But they're flammable now!" Lewin said. "Whatever she did, we can take that old one down. I just need to get an arrow into the right spot. . .""Lewin, we have to get out.""Rikar, listen to me!" Lewin said. "This is my chance! This is *our* chance!"There's suddenly a tense silence."I'm not Rikar anymore." Fellwind said. "Do what you want."And then whoever was carrying you started running.
>>19316910That doesn't sound so good.
>>19316910Murmur! Something! Anything! We are not losing this chance!...>>19316878
You mumble something."Lady?" Fellwind asks, and stops running."My jaw hurts." You say- you can hardly move, as whatever power rampaged through you seemed to paralyze you You grit your teeth in determination, which causes you to involuntarily whimper in pain."Lady?!" He asks again.
>>19316951"What... What's going on? Are the trolls finished?"
"What's going on?" You ask."We're retreating. Lewin is. . staying there to try and kill the ancient troll." He said. "He's probably going to die."
>>19316978No! Why are we retreating? We made them flammable!
>>19316978Its blood is lantern oil now, go help him finish it off.
"No." You growl. "Why are we retreating?"". . Ishelda.""They're flammable now.""But-""Go help him finish it off." You bring a strict, commanding tone into your voice."Yes, lady." He says, setting you down. You tremble as you try to pull yourself to your feet, and in the distance, you can see the trolls rush toward Lewin. . who's kneeling, bow pulled back. . Magic springs forth, and it's not from you.It's from Lewin. . .and his bow. A great blast of flame shoots from his bow, as the trolls leap toward him, dogpiling him-The ground shakes, and there's a truly horrendous, keening scream that deafens you, coming from the ancient. There's a sour, pungent smell suddenly, as Fellwind leaps into the pile of trolls, slashing at them with his shining blade.The ancient troll falls to it's knees, the bark charring from within, small hisses of smoke exiting through various holes, and great gouts of flame bursting out of the bark as it cracks.
>>19317065Where is Grayson?
>>19317065Ask them both to not stand their ground but retreat slowly, each inch costing the trolls much.
Grayson trudges over to you, and sniffs you, making sure you're okay. Then he nudges you with his nose- he has a really, really cold nose.When you can hear again, you notice that the orcs stopped chanting, and started cheering, watching the burning behemoth fall."No!" Fellwind cried. You look to him, and see that he's cradling Lewin, despite the pile of troll parts around him.
rolled 43 = 43>>19317109Get over to Lewin, find what is wrong and FIX IT.
rolled 40 = 40>>19317117For srs.
rolled 17 = 17>>19317109HEAL! NOW! I dont care if we go unconscious again!
rolled 83 = 83>>19317117
rolled 46 = 46>>19317109HEEEAALLLLLLL
You push yourself to your feet again, and determined, you walk onwards, leaning on Grayson, despite the burning, burning pain in all of your limbs. God, even your heartbeat hurts.Lewin's lying there, covered in scratches. "Lady." He says, a serene smile on his face. "I did it. I got a bit stabbed by hundreds of thousands of poisonous thorns, but I did it."
rolled 3 = 3>>19317117Step 1. Identify the problem.Step2. FIX IT
rolled 37 = 37>>19317146Remove the poison, if we still have any left use sympathetic magic to change it into something not poison otherwise just take it out.
rolled 78 = 78>>19317146They are not fucking poisonous! IT IS LAMP OIL! NOT POISON!WE CAN HEAL THIS
rolled 46 = 46>>19317146so it was only the ancient troll that had its poison turned into lantern oil?
rolled 44 = 44.....All their poison was turned into lantern oil.Bop him on the head to heal him.
You sigh."You're not poisoned." You say. "I turned all of the troll venom into oil. You're scratched, but you'll live."Lewin and Fellwind look one another in the eye."Then what am I doing lying here?" He asked, and Fellwind pulled him to his feet. Lewin hissed. "It still hurts like hell, though. Good thing we have enough troll flesh to bandage up the worst scratches."
rolled 95 = 95>>19317183>troll flesh to bandage up the worst scratches.""Wait, what?"
>>19317200Arent they much plants?
rolled 93 = 93>>19317183We might want to burn everything just to be safe.
>>19317183"How was the sword?" We need to find some sort of saddle for Grayson. Since Grayson is a bear and we are a little girl we could probably have a pretty large area to sit on, turning us into a mobile ritual platform.
>>19317200Goddamn, what a waste of a 95.>>19317211Sure, doesn't mean we're familiar in the use of troll bits as bandaging.
>>19317200>>19317211>>19317217Guys, dont you remember? Trolls flesh have regenerating abilities. We are sitting on a fortune in bandages here.
"Wait, what? Troll flesh?" You ask."It's not exactly flesh, but. . trolls are full of life magic. It's why the heal so fast.. Good for sealing up wounds if prepared properly." Lewin says.The orcs go through and start burning wounded trolls, making sure they don't get up again."Lady Ishelda. Ser Lewin." One of the heavily armored orcs say, and bow deeply to you. "We. . thank you for your assistance. We could not have slain that ancient beast ourselves.""Sir!" One of the other orcs say, skidding by. "The soldiers we thought poisoned and lost. . they're alive!" He said, with a wide smile. "I don't know what happened, but they aren't as ill as they were."
>>19317265It was Magic, make sure to clean the wounds properly though, it isn't poison anymore but it isn't good for you. Now if you excuse me I'm going to take a nap on Grayson.
>>19317265"As long as they aren't allergic to lantern oil they should be fine."
>>19317265Oh hey, we've made up for our failure to save that one guy we took the poison out of with this use.
>>19317265Bueno.>>19317280I was gonna add something, but that covers it. Maybe a small smile, and "You're welcome"
>>19317265"You should still detoxify them, and keep them away from flame of any form. The troll poison is lantern oil. An improvement, but still nothing you want in your veins."
"It was magic." You say. "Make sure to clean their wounds properly, though. It isn't poison anymore, but it isn't good for you." You say, and give the orc a small smile. "You're welcome."Then you fall into Grayson's soft, brown fur, and stop forcing yourself to stay awake- you fall asleep almost instantly.When you wake up, you're in the tavern once again, lying in bed. Lewin's scratching on a notebook, writing something, and you see that he's almost completely bound in bandages and green trollflesh, the bow at his side. You sense magic coming from the bow, as if it were enchanted. . But you didn't do it, did you?
>>19317359"Lewin. Who enchanted your bow, when we were fighting the trolls?"
"Lewin." You say. "Who enchanted your bow, when we were fighting the trolls?" You ask.He looks to you. "You mean it wasn't you, lady?"
>>19317382Not this time no, I'm guessing that the runes Treechild inscribed had something to do with it.Also when I was passing out you called Fellwind by another name, care to explain?
"The runes, then. Are you alright?"
>>19317382"No. Was it you? Or Ri.. Fellwind?"
>>19317382No, though this is only speculation, the feelings put into carving the runes onto that bow may have caught some of the magic I put out to change all the poison to oil.
>>19317382>>19317401I like this one. let's use it.>>19317392>>19317394It would seem Fellwind gave his sword his old name. Perhaps we should let it be for now.
>>19317393It has probably something to do with being used against trolls. Since that was what it was made for.
Yes let's ignore Fellwind being called Riker.
The enchantment on his arrows probably got moved over and was empowered by the magic we put out.
"Not this time, no. I'm guessing that the runes Treechild inscribed had something to do with it." You say. "Or was it you? Or Fellwind?""If I enchanted it, I . . didn't mean to." He said, shrugging. "Definitely not intentionally, anyway.""Speaking of Fellwind. . when I was passing out, you called him by another name. Care to explain?" You ask. He frowns."You'll have to ask him about that, Lady." Lewin said. "It's his story to tell."
So, Fellwind is a self-proclaimed adventurer who has bad experiences with HobGoblins and named his awesome to be legendary sword after his real name.....
>>19317474"My apologies. How are you, and where are we?"
>>19317474Lets not bugger him about that. If he wants to tell us he can do so in his own time.
rolled 9 = 9I've been thinking; and if we are interested in permanent body modification; I think there's a way to test how good we are at it in a way that doesn't end up with us dying.We should try to modify a portion of our skin like a tattoo. Maybe our family crest on our shoulder or something? If it goes wrong; we'll burn our skin with a scar; but that's the least of our worries when it comes to stuff like this.Anyone want to give some input on this?
>>19317559Forgot to turn dice off; I was not rolling to do that. Just putting the concept out there.
>>19317219>mobile ritual platformAnyone up for this?
"My apologies." you say. "How are you?""Well, it turns out that troll bandages also numb my sense of pain, so the deepest scratches don't hurt at all." He said. "But I've been taking it easy all day. Also, Grubwort came by while you were asleep, and wanted you to know that the strange, birdlike spellcaster escaped."
>>19317554Definitely.>>19317559It's an interesting thought, certainly. The problem seems to be in the erratic nature of our magic based on rolling. We could succeed amazingly in the smaller trial, only to completely botch the larger-scale attempt.
>>19317583"Actually, I rather need to talk to Sir Greyskin about that. He's surely knowledgeable on what they are and I gleaned some information from the creature."
>>19317585That's true. But I was thinking maybe a little practice on the small scale will lower our DC; or whatever number Exabyte needs us to roll above or below.
"Actually, I rather need to talk to sir Greyskin about that." You say. "He's surely knowledgeable on what they are, and I cleaned some information from the creature.""Oh? Are we going to head back to Sirius?" Lewin asked. "I heard a rumor that the . .Venerable King and Queen, they're apparently called, are coming to this city soon to congratulate you on assisting the knights."
>>19317622"Well, I suppose it would be rude to leave before they do so. There is still so much to see of the city, as well."
Gonna have to be careful, what with the queen being involved in some way with the coven and them thinking we're uriel.
>>19317622"What a great honor!"We can use this opportunity to question the queen about "The Coven". But we would have to be careful about it, maybe we can do it telepathically?
>>19317622"R-really? The king and queen themselves, of all the Orcish nation? I don't know what to say. We have to prepare! I need to find the finest tailor, to prepare the finest traditional Orcish dress; I have to look my best for their appearance, and I have to look proper, to show respect! Oh, bother, there's so much, too much to do! MAKE HASTE, LEWIN!"
>>19317663THIS SO MUCH! We need to look like the princess we are.
We need to go ask Greyskin what the proper etiquette is. We don't know what is considered rude to the Orc monarchs.
"R-really?" You ask. "The king and queen themselves, of all the orcish nation? I don't know what to say. We have to prepare! I need to find the finest tailor, to prepare the finest traditional Orcish dress; I have to look my best for their appearance, and I have to look proper, and I have to show respect." You say, pushing yourself up, despite your aching limbs. "Oh, bother, there's so much, so much to do. Make haste, Lewin!"Lewin recoiled as you pointed at him. "Er. . haste with what?""We also need to find out what the proper etiquette is, and I don't know what's considered rude to orc monarchs." You cry, pacing back and forth.You hear Grubwort chuckling from outside of the room.
>>19317707PanicPanicPanic
>>19317707AH GRUBWORT! Grab that orc with you as you leave and get shopping!
>>19317707"THIS IS NOT FUNNY JOVIALITY TIME, GRUBWORT! THIS IS A SERIOUS TIME, FOR SERIOUS REFINEDNESS AND GRACE! HELP!"
>>19317707Grubwort, stop laughing this instant. You ought to ashamed, laughing at the plight of a poor girl. Come in here and help me with this, on second though don't. I can't trust you with this. Go and find someone who knows this sort of thing.
"Grubwort!" You say, and open the door. "This is not funny joviality time! This is a serious time, for serious refinedness and grace! Help!"Grubwort keels over, laughing and wheezing.Behind him were two orcs. . Pale lime orcs, one male, one female. Ones you recognize from when you accessed the tower's history."Uhm, hello." The Venerable King said, somewhat awkwardly. "Don't panic on our account."
>>19317786PANIC MODE OFFCOURTLY MODE ON
>>19317814TOO LATE TO NOT PANIC. So, let's be courtly while panicking.
GaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaspClose door"LEWIN! PANIC! THE KING AND QUEEN ARE HERE! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!? I'M NOT DRESSED PROPERLY! I LOOK AWFUL!"
>>19317786It is lovely to meet your Royal Highnesses, I am dreadfully sorry for being inadequately prepared to receive you. I beg your forgiveness.
>>19317786"Y-your highnesses! I, oh, ah, err... Oh dear. Oh no. A lady isn't supposed to show herself in a fit like this. A thousand apologies, your graces, I... Oh, bother."
"It's lovely to meet you." You say, giving them a bright smile and a curtsy."Wow, she can just turn that off and on, can't she?" Grubwort sniggers to Lewin."There's no need to act so formally." The king says. "That's why we're here in such a . . low key affair. Relax.""Why men and elves are so obsessed with formality is above my head." The queen added. "We're here to thank you, not to make you worry."
>>19317879If your highness insists I will throw centuries of etiquette and decorum out the window.It's nice to meet you two.
>>19317879"Oh." Nervous smile/chuckle "My ap- I'm sorry. How formal is too formal?"
>>19317879I'm so used to always being formal that it is strange to not worry about such things.
When they're gone, have a formality crash. "I wasn't dressed properly, what if they hate me, what if they're going to banish me, or lock me in a dungeon, or lock me in a dungeon in the place they banish me to!?"
>>19317879"I apologize, I was raised in a noble court. It's what I know; I'm not used to nobles not being regal and imposing, being this, this, muted, unimposing, low-key, like you said. I'm sorry, that must sound so rude, but... It is an honor to meet you, in any case. To what do I owe the occasion? I wouldn't think dealing with an overgrown troll would draw such attention."
"I apologize, I was raised in a noble court. I'm not used to nobles not being regal and imposing, and I'm not used to being this. . muted, or low-key, like you said." You say. "I'm sorry, that must sound so rude, but .. it is an honor to meet you, in any case. To what do I owe the occasion? I wouldn't think dealing with an overgrown troll would draw such attention."The two royals looked one another in the eye for a moment. "You are so incredibly rude!" The king called, in a rage."I can't believe she said that! Off with her head!" The queen adds, with a fierce frown- she grips her staff, and you can see it's covered in ogrish runes.There's a beat, and then the three orcs in the room start laughing. Are they making fun of you?"Normally, no, a normal overgrown troll wouldn't call such attention." The king said. "But an ancient troll is very different than just a normal troll. That, and. . in that kind of battle, we normally lose dozens of knights, to beasthood and to venom. But this time, we lost nobody. Some people are ill, but there will be no casualties. That kind of event does not happen naturally."
>>19318003Laugh a little at our foolishness."Just what is the difference? Aside from a little bark here and there, and an odd syrupy aroma, it seemed to act like all of the trolls I've seen so far, which admittedly isn't many; big, dumb, and obsessively defending whatever patch of nature they have taken root in."
"Yes, magic tends to be UNnatural, it's part of why it is called magic and not science. Or fishing, for that matter. I don't believe I've ever fished, actually. But yes, lantern oil tends to be less lethal than troll venom, though still quite unhealthy, I would guess."
>>19318003You two are very much unlike any other kings I've seen before, it's interesting.I thank you for your kind words, though your thanks should not go entirely to me, my companions were vital to the success.I also learned that trolls don't like it when their poison becomes lantern oil, who knew.
also apologies for offending and belittling the hundreds of knights who've died in similar battles.
>>19318003What does the ogre runes say?
>>19318078We learnt to read ogre last thread, right?
"Just what is the difference?" You ask, eying the staff. The runes on it are constantly shifting- it's impossible to read more than a rune here or there, and it's useless without context. "Aside from a little bark here and there, and an odd syrupy aroma, it seemed to act like all of the trolls I've seen so far.""It isn't." The queen says. "A troll doesn't get to be four to five hundred years old by being dumb. Ancient trolls have to be clever to get that old. The 'little bark' is almost impenetrable, and that smell? That's the troll ordering about its children. And the troll had to be undetectable somehow while it was slumbering, or I would have sensed it in the years past. . ""I thank you for your kind words. .though your thanks should not go entirely to me. My companions were vital to the success."The king widened his eyebrows slightly, then grinned. "It's always the greatest leaders who prefer to give the glory to their retainers." He said.
>>19318123"Well, what is a king without his lords? And his lords, their vassals? And his vassals their serfs? Though I'd hardly call my companions any of these things; they're my friends, first and foremost. So, these trolls, they aren't always just savages, then? I thought they were monsters walking as men. Big, leafy men."
>>19318123All I did was rot some wood and change poison to oil. It was my companions who did the damage and kept me from harm. I was wondering, my friend was given a bow with ogrish runes on it, when fired at the ancient troll unleashed a torrent of flame. Your staff also has runes on it, it appears to be a school of magic that I am unfamiliar with.
>>19318175We should thank Treechild for the work on the bow. It's what made the critical difference in the fight.
"I'd hardly call my companions any of these things; they're my friends, first and foremost. So, these trolls, they aren't always just savages, then? I thought they were monsters walking as men. Big, leafy men.""Well. . they are monsters walking as men. . at least until they get older. The older they get, the smarter they get. But. . if it had help to get that old. . " The queen said."Also, I was wondering." You say. "My friend was given a bow with ogrish runes on it, and when he fired it at the ancient troll, it unleashed a torrent of flame. Your staff also has runes on it, so it appears to be a school of magic that I'm unfamiliar with." You say."Oh? Can I see the bow?" The queen asked, and Lewin handed it to her. She said a few words in a thick, gutteral language, and you feel the tell-tale pulse of magic as her eyes shimmered pure white. So this is what orcish spellcasting looks like. . "This is. .very interesting." She says. "Treechild has a Talent with bows, that's something we always knew. . but your friend has a Talent as well.""Wait, what?" Lewin asked."A talent, as far as I've learned, manifests when one has magic power, but not enough to become a spellcaster. Yours is something to do with sharp senses, I can tell that just by looking at you. But when you used this bow, it served as a channel of some kind." The queen said, and handed it back. "It will be a powerful weapon, Lewin. But only in your hands."
>>19318265Could you tell me more about Talents? I know Greyskin has one about discerning the truth but I know little else about them.Also how do these runes work, I didn't sense any magic on the bow so do they simply act as a conduit?
>>19318265Is there any other sightings of ancient ones, or better yet information concerning people who might be trying to help troll ages?
>>19318265"Do they continue their malicious streak in old age? Or does it take impressions from those who help them age to give them a start on any kind of personality?"
>>19318265We could go troll hunting. It did not seems very hard to track them down with magic. Or do they have a sort of anti magic detection spell when they pose as trees?
"Could you tell me more about Talents? I know Greyskin has one about discerning the truth, but I know little else about them.""Talents aren't an art or a science, they're... they have to do with who you are, at your basest nature." The queen said, and you saw the king roll his eyes, as if he were saying 'here we go again'. She hit his arm. "Stop that. Anyway, talents are rather rare for men, elves, and ogres, but common for our kind. A talent could be broad in scope, like your friend's, or very simple, like Grubwort. It takes something that one is naturally good at, and then. . amplifies it, beyond their physical capabilities. So one who is naturally strong, will be Talented with greater strength, for example. There are subversions, but those are rare.""Can you tell me about how the runes work?""They're Ogrish." She said. "That's. . about it, really. There's no intrinsic power about the runes, they're just used as an. . archaic version of font. Our young learn it, and our knights write their poetry exclusively in ogrish. We subscribe more meaning to ogrish text over orcish. Perhaps that carries a power of it's own, but I've never sensed it."
>>19318389Tell us about how trolls survive. Do they pose as trees? Do they have any anti magic detection magic?Also before they leave we should ask veeeeery carefully about the coven. But it should be the last thing we ask about as it might trigger a series of events and stop the question asking.
>>19318389Is Grubwort's talent a odd sense of humor or sailing a ship?By the way, the historian's tower is quite interesting.
So I'm guessing that Talents are a natural part of this planes reality and Ishelda coming here gave her a magic talent?
>>19318438>The CovenMy only question is, do we try to talk to queen alone, or not?
>>19318486Ishelda already had magic before coming here. I would guess that talents were in her old world and she never encountered/recognized one before.
>Arcturus had much less latent magic power in the air, so there was never enough left over for non-spellcasters to gain talents."Are there any other sightings of ancient ones, or any kind of information concerning people who might be trying to help the trolls?" You ask."This is the first I'd heard of an ancient one in years.""Do they continue their malicious streak in old age?""Certainly." She says. "They use their intelligence for two things, namely. Hiding when they're slumbering, and commanding their children in battle.""How do they survive when they're slumbering? Do they pose as trees, or have anti-detection magic?""Yes, they do. They pose as trees, and they slow down their regeneration ability. It keeps them from giving off any spare magic power. So unless you have some flesh from their ancestors for thaumaturgy, they can't be found." She said."And is Grubwort's talent his sense of humor?"Grubwort chuckles. ". . Close, but not quite. He never quite had to tame himself." She said."I sail a ship because the knights keep going berserk when I make fun of them." Grubwort says. "They really don't like me."
>>19318486She was already a sorceress, before coming to this world.
>>19318511"Oh. So it's a side effect, and he's fueling his comedic derisiveness from a well of smugness? Er, no offense intended, Grubwort. I suppose his talent is levelheadedness, even in the face of a berserking orc youngling. Or pigheadedness, depending on how you look at it, possibly both. Again, no offense intended."
rolled 46 = 46>>19318511I wouldn't have figured...(to grubwort)(to the royalty)I saw the impressions you left i the stones of the tower. betwixt then and now you haven't changed even a little. I was told of that but seeing it now is still a bit of a shock...on our travels over we were accosted by a pair of shape shifters; I happen to know that they come from the the south.one of them said that they are part of a group called "the coven" do you know anything of such a group?
"Oh. So it's a side effect, and he's fueling his comedic derisiveness from a well of smugness?""Yes, that's exactly it." Grubwort said."On our travels over, we were accosted by a pair of shapeshifters. I happen to know that they come from the south." You say. "One of them said that. . they were part of a group called 'The Coven'." The queen raised her staff toward you, and her eyes blazed white."What do you know of the coven?" She asks, in a cold, cold voice. The king took a look at her, and drew his own blade.>>End of thread 4!>>My twitter is @futureexabyte, and I'll stick around to answer questions.
rolled 72 = 72>>19318637absolutely nothing, why what do you know of them?((jackpot))
>>19318637With thousands of years of experience in social interaction behind them, one would really think that they would be able to tell right off that we don't know shit about the Coven from our tone of voice and the way we framed the question alone.No telling with some people, I suppose.
>>19318701If the memories we saw when we were at the tower were the early ones, that could be that "The Coven" is an ancient enemy. The queen have had thousands of years of building up emotion towards them, and seeing as they are shapeshifters you can never be to careful.
>>19318637A suggestion for next time, as I suspect I'll miss the opening:"Almost nothing, I swear! I know that they make extensive use of shapeshifting magics, they seem to use an avian form normally, and that one had infiltrated High Lord Sirius' court as a mage. Assisting Ambassador Greyskin, and the city's mage Romulus, we revealed his ruse as he was trying to drug the High Lord. Uriel, he is called. Now, his fellows seem to believe that I am him. I am not quite certain how, but it may be related to when I stopped Uriel's casting in the court, I think I may have... absorbed a measure of his magics. Perhaps, as shapeshifters, they recognize each other through their magic itself? That is only my guess."I'm not sure about sharing that we helped the captured one escape somewhat. It could be just me, but we may want to go so far as to tell them that we are from another world, "as far fetched as it sounds."
