>>26752019
> [] Scholar: In Kystara freely of his own choice, the eccentric scholar is an incredibly large man, nearly seven feet tall with long arms and legs. His spectacles the only thing on him not splattered with ink. He carries no weapons and doesn't know how to fight, but his keen mind can translate foriegn languages easily, and his eyes miss nothing. In a pinch, though, he does have his natural strength to bring to bear, despite his lack of training.
>Special Skill: Exposition. Ask a setting question, you get an explanation of how something works!

> [] Urchin: A young teenager, his body small due to a lack of nutrition when he was young. He's slim and agile, able to climb sheer walls as if they were ladders, but he has problems getting people to listen to him. He carries two knives, which he can use to deadly effect. He's in Kystara for one reason- he's been exiled from Lelwind for his crimes. At least they didn't take his hand like the law normally dictates. He has a peculiar way with animals, and those he can't befriend, he's sneaky enough to escape, and competant enough with his knives to keep himself safe.
>Special Skill: Survival. The Urchin has been through a hard life, but he's gained quite the recompense. Hunger, infection, and finding places to sleep in the wilderness, urban or natural, is no issue for him, almost a collection of subconscious habits.

>Still two more!

>>26752034
> [] Wanderer: A middle-aged, scarred man, he's half kystaran on his mother's side, causing people to mistrust him, as the war against his people was only twenty years ago. He's been all over the world, wandering for years and taking odd jobs where he could, giving him a broad array of skills. He carries a short polearm and a steamsling, a silent weapon that fires bolts, but is slow to reload. Due to his meandering lifestyle, he has no particular strengths of any kind- but at least he has no glaring weaknesses.
>Special Skill: Affinity. Magical artifacts and items will recognize the Wanderer as kystaran, will be easier to use, and he gets additional uses of a Rune before it degrades.

> [] Prodigy: A young, patriotic guardsman who's nearly two decades old. He's spent nearly his entire life training to fight for his country, and shows it through his grace and incredible skills in combat. He's here due to his orders from above, and has no clue if any more guardsmen will come to support him. He's very charismatic, but he has problems doing anything that isn't quite related to combat, due to his lack of experience. His fiance remains in the capital, waiting for him, and he's determined on returning home intact- If he can. He carries a firearm and a push-blade, as all guardsmen do.
>Special Skill: Prodigy. The has two Action Points, which allows him to instantly succeed any roll for a physical action, or prevent dying. Additional points can be earned, but not often.

>>26752042
Wanderer.
FEMALE.

>>26752019
Prodigy

>>26752115
He's already using male pronouns. Get rekt.

>>26752042
wanderer.

>>26752115
seconded

>>26752019
> [] Wanderer: A middle-aged, scarred man, he's half kystaran on his mother's side, causing people to mistrust him, as the war against his people was only twenty years ago. He's been all over the world, wandering for years and taking odd jobs where he could, giving him a broad array of skills. He carries a short polearm and a steamsling, a silent weapon that fires bolts, but is slow to reload. Due to his meandering lifestyle, he has no particular strengths of any kind- but at least he has no glaring weaknesses.
>>Special Skill: Affinity. Magical artifacts and items will recognize the Wanderer as kystaran, will be easier to use, and he gets additional uses of a Rune before it degrades.

pretty solid choice for unknown lands.

>>26752019
> [] Wanderer: A middle-aged, scarred man, he's half kystaran on his mother's side, causing people to mistrust him, as the war against his people was only twenty years ago. He's been all over the world, wandering for years and taking odd jobs where he could, giving him a broad array of skills. He carries a short polearm and a steamsling, a silent weapon that fires bolts, but is slow to reload. Due to his meandering lifestyle, he has no particular strengths of any kind- but at least he has no glaring weaknesses.
>Special Skill: Affinity. Magical artifacts and items will recognize the Wanderer as kystaran, will be easier to use, and he gets additional uses of a Rune before it degrades.

Like this archetype.

>>26752019
> [x] Scholar

This feels very The Elder Scrolls to me.

>>26752019
wanderer

>>26752115
This.

[x] Urchin

>>26752042
Wanderer, please. Do we have kids of our own?

>>26752019
> [] Wanderer: A middle-aged, scarred man, he's half kystaran on his mother's side, causing people to mistrust him, as the war against his people was only twenty years ago.

Always like playing as the outsider. We'll be a cool guy.

>>26752115
gay.
>>26752042
Scholar

>>26752258
I don't want to play gay scholar.

Wanderer.

I think it's pretty safe to say that we have consensus already, should we start?

> [X] WANDERER: LOCKED IN.

>>26752174
>Do we have kids of our own?
>If you do, you aren't aware of them.

You grab your satchel, and take a look at your sling- it looked like the weapon's pressure was fine, but with all the shaking, the gears could come loose. Noting that you should probably take a look at it later, you peer out of the window again, playing with the bound book in your hands.

The village got closer. It wasn't much, made mostly of wood. As far as you remember, there was something about mass emigration back when the wall fell. People looking for new lives, or to forget their old ones.

You look down to the paper. This was your newest job- a simple one. Find the magic artifacts your Employers wanted, and deliver them. You flip through the worn pages. They were mostly research notes, scrawled in some backward hand by some eccentric scholar, about where these things can be found. Ruins, cities, caves...

"Sir?" The carriage driver asked, looking back to you. "We're here."
You take a look at the village proper. A smithy, some kind of old temple, lots of farms, and a tavern. The place was too small for a proper general store, but that shouldn't matter. The ruins of the old city weren't far away, and it wouldn't be hard to loot what you needed. At least, in theory. The people in the village were mostly moving on, but a homely woman gave a package to the carriage driver, and shot you a wide smile.
"Hello, stranger. What's your name?"

>>26752328
P.J. DALTON.

>>26752328
"Aethan, just, Aethan."

>>26752328
Vinegar Tom

>>26752328

Nickolas Wolfwood.

>>26752328
"I'm just a stranger, I didn't need a name, so I threw it away."

Wait, sorry OP, just to clarify;
>Kystara is some sort of magic-rich country
>Kystara and another country went to war
>Kystara walled itself off to avoid the enemy?
>When the walls fell down due to disrepair years later, all of Kystara's inhabitants had vanished
>We've arrived at a little village set up by people taking advantage of the now abandoned country?

>>26752367
the Old Vinegar Tom.
>>26752328
How did the wall fall? Was it by our side or someone else?

>>26752328
Baron Zap Ladykiller

>>26752328
Charls Carson

>>26752328
Petrus Albafi

>>26752396
>Yep, that's exactly what's going on.

>>26752328
"David Trenton, at your service."

>>26752328
Kyran Nanook

>>26752328
Obin Patroclus

>>26752328
I don't vote for any specific name
Only that we use a fake name that we make up whenever we arrive somewhere new.

>>26752328
"Simon Rohart"

>>26752461
This is a good idea.

>>26752363
This.

Letting /tg/ choose name is huge mistake.

>>26752485
What do you mean, Dickburly Manmeats is a perfectly good name for an adventurer.

>>26752328
Adahn

>>26752461
Heh, sounds pretty cool and in-character, so why not?

>>26752461
This sounds like a good idea.

>>26752485
This is also true

so the consensus on choosing a name is to not to choose a name? meh sure I'll lend my support.

Just 'Thomas'

>>26752485
That's why I suggested >>26752461
It trivializes the naming, which means it isn't such a point of contention
As well as being a perfectly reasonable practice for a wanderer such as ourself.

We could always go with the Fallout thing and go by Wanderer.

>>26752461
I vote for this.

>>26752542
No, the consensus is to pick a new fake name every time.

>>26752552
Putting in my vote for Thomas

"I'm just a stranger. I didn't need a name, so I threw it away." You say, trying to play up your 'mysterious' angle. You do change your name whenever you go somewhere new, after all.
"Oh, really?" She asked. "Because I was given instructions to give free room and board to a particular Aethan Wolfwood."
"That's me." You say, almost immediately. It wasn't your real name, but your Employers did say you'd be provided for... "So that would make you Miriam?"
She nodded, so you you grab your belongings, spear in hand, and climb out of the carriage, glad to stretch your legs. Behind you, the driver let the pressure out of his steamwheel, and stoked the fires in the engine, letting it heat up again, before he turned the entire carriage around, driving it away again.

"This is Dirstarn Village." She said. "It's a simple place, but we're so far from Lelwind that we don't get many visitors. We should be glad to have a blacksmith and artificer. I run the tavern. How do you feel about a meal? I can whip something up for you, if you want. Or you could explore the village, get used to the place."

> [] Explore the village
> [] Mealtime!
> [] Other?

> [] Mealtime!
eat when you can.

>>26752591
>Lelwind
L e fucking l.

>>26752591
>[] Mealtime!

we can't explore on an empty stomach.

>>26752591
"I'm just a stranger. I didn't need a name, so I threw it away." You say, trying to play up your 'mysterious' angle.

Our PC is a failed comedian.
> [] Mealtime!

>>26752591
>picking the worst name
fuckin dropped

>>26752591
Mealtime. Ask about local history. How did the Wall fell?

>>26752591
> [x] Mealtime!

I bet it's poisoned like that one time four years ago.

>>26752591
>please retcon Aethan to be just misspelled Nathan in the Employer's letter

>>26752591
'Lelwind?'
[x] Mealtime

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>>26752591
>QM managing to incorporate lots of player choices
Well this looks like it'll go well

Let's have a quick meal (sausages and eggs maybe?) and look around the village while its cooking.

>>26752655
>You do change your name whenever you go somewhere new, after all.

>>26752631
Seconding local history - why the village is built here if it's so far away from anywhere? What's the valuable thing?

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>>26752591
>Lelwind

"Well, I'll get something to eat before anything." You say. "Eat when you can, after all."
Miriam nodded, and started to walk.

You pick at your eggs, before looking up to the tavern woman. "I have a few questions." You say.
"Hm?" She asked, and put a few sausages on your plate.
"Why is the village here if it's so far away from anywhere?" You asked, trying to discern if any of the food was poisoned. You quickly decide it's not, by virtue of wishful thinking, and start to eat.
"Because of treasure, of course. At first, at least." Miriam said. "Back east, when the wall fell, word came out that there was magic artifacts and treasure across the country. The capital has most of it by now, but since this place is so far away, there aren't nearly as many treasure hunters going over the same plot of land, like closer to the border."

>>26752778
"Were there some Kystaran settlements around here, then?"

>>26752778
Is this STALKER in a magical setting? Oh my.

>>26752864
>... Yes, it is, now that I think about it. Welp, guess I get to change my plot.

"Were there some Kystaran settlements around here, then?" You asked, looking around. The tavern was rather new. It didn't even look like it's settled yet- couldn't be older than a few months.
"There's a port city not far north from here. It's less than a day's walk, but... Dalton- he's the smith- his father used to explore the city, and he talked about all sorts of traps and monsters. It's not a very safe place, I don't think. There's also some more populated villages back east, and an old overgrown mansion to the west. Near the sea."
"What do you think happened to the wall?" You ask, trying to make conversation.
"I wouldn't know. You'd have to talk to someone who knows more about magic than I do." She said.

>Just a note, but when I don't prompt you, or any time I *don't* write '>Continued', you're free to add any actions you want to do, or words you want to say. You're a lot freer than you might think.

>>26752907
Ask about Dalton. Maybe he can take a look at our bolt-gun. He also might have some useful info.

>>26752930
Yeah, it would be a good idea to have our gun checked out by a professional, it's a good way to bond with him and gives a legit reason to hang around while he fiddles with it.

We should take a short hike to the port city, just to check it out. There's no day like today.

>>26752907
About how many people live around here?

>>26752907
"Monsters? I made sure to not read documents pertaining to the hazards of this land, so you'll have to tell me, what monsters are we going to be facing?"

>>26752907

compliment the food she's given us, ask about dangerous animals and bandits, how often do they appear, how daring are they?

>>26752907
No, don't change it now. Fantasy artifact hunting is going to be great.

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>Exabyte

>>26753007
Fantasy artifact hunting is basically Stalker.

>>26753038
But we all know what happens when plots get changed in an Exa quest.

>>26753074
Uh, what?

"Monsters?" You ask. "I made sure not to read too much about the hazards of this land, so you'll have to tell me. What kind of monsters are we going to be facing?"
"It isn't too much of a problem in the wilderness, except for wyvern flocks and the rare jackalope. But in the cities there are what Dalton calls Remnants. They look a lot like people, but they, uh, aren't." She finished, a bit lamely. "I haven't seen any of those up close."
"How many people live around here?" You ask.
"Only a dozen or so." Miriam said. She seemed to count to herself, and nodded. "Not that many. Dalton, his daughter, Leroy, that weird artificer, a few farmers, and a few children. There can be some treasure hunters coming in and leaving, but the last one left to that mansion on the coast a month ago and never came back."
"And bandits? How often do they appear? How daring are they?"
"Bandits? I don't think there's been a bandit since I've come here." She said.
You nod, and finish up your food.
"Can you tell me about Dalton?"
"He's a big man. Real gentle, too. He has a daughter, but I don't know who her mother is. He's basically the... uh, core of the village. Mayor, I guess you could say, but it's not like we hold votes."

>>26753141
"Dalton named his daughter Leroy? Weird man."

Go check out Dalton next, he'll know more about the remnants.

>>26753141

I think we should go say hi to Mr. Dalton.

>>26753170

Leroy is the weird artificer, I think?

>>26753141
Are our employers looking for anything in particular? I'm assuming we were given a dossier of some sort before being sent off.

"What else do you do here Miriam? What's your last name, by the way?"

>>26753170
>>26753186
No no, it's
>Dalton and his daughter
>Leroy
>That weird artificer
>A few farmers
>A few children

>>26753186
I was just making a punctuation joke...

"Dalton named is daughter Leroy?" You ask, and get to your feet. "Weird man."
"Wait, what?" She asked. She didn't look like the most alert woman. "Oh! No, her name is Ann."
"What do you do here, Miriam?" You ask.
"I was a doctor, back in the capital." She said. "And then, uh, things happened. So I'm the one who takes care of everyone when they're ill!"
"I'll go say hi to Mr. Dalton." You say.
"He's probably in the smithy." She said, and you made your way out of the tavern.

The village was quiet, and the sun was high in the sky. The buildings weren't too close together, and you could easily see the smithy, complete with a steam engine out back. Good place to get more pressure for your sling if you needed to.

As you walk, you pull open that journal. Artifacts you need...
No matter how much you flip through, you can't find anything like that. What your Employer said, back in the capital, was that they wanted clues on how magic artifacts were made, and they wanted rare artifacts There were examples of the common ones they didn't need, so there was that - They didn't Elemental runes, Shaping runes, or golem sources-

"Ho!" Someone said. There was a big, big man in front of you. He had likely the darkest, thickest beard you've ever seen, and swarthy skin. He definitely looked the part of a blacksmith, that's for sure.
"You're that new mysterious wanderer from this morning, weren't you? The one who came with the carriage?" He asked, squinting at you. He seemed wary.

>>26753377
"Yes, that'd be me. Pleased to meet you. I just thought I'd drop by and see how everyone is doing."

>>26753377

"Yes sir, that would be me, pleasure to meet you"

>>26753377
"Yes. I heard you were a smith. Do you know anything about guns?"

>>26753480
>>26753484
Mix these.

"Yes, that'd be me." You say, slipping the book into your satchel. "A pleasure to meet you."
"My name is Dalton." He said, and held out his hand. You shook it.
"I heard you were a smith. Do you know anything about guns?"
"A little." He said, and you held up your steamsling.
"That's not a gun, that's a sling. Is it broken?"
"I think the gears might have come loose." You say.
"Let me take a look." He said, pried the casing open, and poked around. Eventually, he put the casing back on and handed it back to you. "No, it looks fine. Go ahead and try it out. That way, now. I don't want you hitting my engine."

You held up the steamsling, slid in a bolt, and pulled the trigger. With a loud hiss, the bolt slammed downrange. Your old, beloved weapon looked like it was still perfectly intact.
"So anyways." He said. "What are you in town for? You another one of those treasure hunters?"

>>26753574
"It's exciting work. Makes a man feel alive."

>>26753574

"Basically, though I'm after a little more than just working devices."

>>26753574
"Why else would anyone come all the way here? I heard that you have some experience of the port city ruins?"

>>26753630
Let's not be so rude.

>>26753609
>>26753620
These. We can also talk about the port city ruins.

>>26753574
"Treasure hunter? I'm simply a man in search of items that my employers require."

>>26753574
I don't trust this Dalton, I simply say "yes" and leave, saying nothing about the contract.

>>26753574
"Sort of. My employer wants to find the secret of how to create artifacts. So any clues to that end that I can find, or rarer artifacts, I'm getting paid for."

>>26753696
Unnecessary level of detail.

I don't think we should tell him about our employer. We're just a treasure hunter looking for exotic artifacts.

"It's exciting work." You say, putting the sling on your belt. "Makes a man feel alive."
"Hmm." He said, using a very broad definition of 'said'.
"Though I'm after a little more than just working artifacts. I'm looking for the more exotic stuff." You say. "I heard that you have some experience of the port city ruins?"
"When I was younger and stupider, yeah." He said. "I found my fair share of magical things, but the walking stone and the remnants are the worst parts. The first chase after you, and try to smash you to paste. I think that old madman up the hill calls 'em golems. The Remnants are worse. They're all different, never the same, and some of 'em seem like they have minds. Back in the days just after the wall fell, the capital thought they were what was left after the Kystarans vanished. That's why they have that name. They're smart and fast. Some are stronger, some roam around in packs... They're never good news."

He took a deep breath. "I never got very far in, but my da' got farther."

You noticed something out of the corner of your eye. Someone poking their head out of the smithy's window; a young, flaxen-haired girl. You met eyes for a single moment before she vanished again. She reminded you of a skittish animal for a moment.

>>26753752
>>26753728
Miriam knows about our employers, so she's probably told everyone already. It's a small place after all.

>>26753785
waifu locked in.

"Do you have a map of the surrounding areas?"

>>26753785
Call her out, give her a cool looking trinket. Maybe that way her dad likes us better.

>>26753785
What else he can tell about remnants? How to avoid them, do they have weaknesses etc.

>>26753785

"I'll remember to avoid those, how well are their senses?"
"That was your daughter, I take it?"

>>26753785
Don't mention her. He won't like strangers taken an interest in his daughter.

Can we walk around town now? I want to get on with the adventure.

>>26753877
We'd better check the old man about golems before venturing to the port city.

>>26753785
As obviously this is /tg/, she will be the main focus of a group of the people in this thread, therefor we should do everything we can to get Dalton to like us.

"After you're done with the smith for the day, I'll take you and your family out for a drink and bite to eat, we can talk then.

I then exit the building

>>26753930
I don't think so, she's still a kid.

>>26753930
You don't invite people you've just met to dinner. Are you socially inept?

"Do you have a map of the surrounding areas?"
"I don't." He said. "I know a lot about the place, but we don't have a cartographer."
You nod, and put a hand on your chin. "What else can you tell me about Remnants? How do you avoid them? Do they have weaknesses?"
"Their senses are about as sharp as a person's, I think." He said. "And the only weakness- other than fighting 'em proper- is fire. They burn like paper."

You turn to where the girl once was. "And that was your daughter, I take it?"
"Probably." He said, and his expression seemed to soften as much as it could behind his preposterously blacksmithish beard. "She'll probably hide from you for at least a few days. That is, unless you die in the city like I think you will by then.

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>>26753935
Still a kid you say?

>>26753975
"Eh, I was a shy kid too and I turned out just fine."
Thank him for his time and go to the hills in search of the old man.

>>26753975
Quick question so we can put this to rest: About how old did the girl look, and about how old are we?

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>>26753930
I'm going to fight the Waifu with every fiber of my being. I won't let this quest be corrupted by your foul disease.

>>26753975
"I don't die easily."

Then head off. Search the town.

>>26753975

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." with a grin.

>>26754038
> Implying that 'love interest' isn't a part of most every adventure story, and that it's a foul disease.
I would say 'please don't breed' but I think you'll take care of that yourself.

>>26753975
"It's not in my plans."

>>26754036
>The little girl looked around ten years old, and you're, say, above thirty or so. You were a teenager when the war between the Lelwind Republic and Kystara started.

"Eh, I was a shy kid too, and I turned out just fine."
"If you say so."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." You say, with a grin. He chuckled, and you made your way off into the village.

The village itself was still wildly designed, but it wasn't hard to find the 'old madman'. His house was the tallest building on the highest hill in the area. After walking up the road, you gave his home a proper examination- it looked like a tower, more than anything, with quite a lot of windows. From the outside, you could see strange gearwork and esoteric tools, complete with machines of dubious purpose. You knocked on the door, and it swung open immediately.

The man on the other side was tall. Taller than you, even, and taller than the blacksmith. He had to crouch, almost, to look through the doorway, and he was splattered with ink. He didn't look nearly as old as the blacksmith had implied. In fact, if he didn't have grey hair, you'd be assuming he was younger than you.
"Yes?" He asked, his voice high pitched.

>>26754141
Oh, alright. Never the fuck mind then about the kid.

>>26754141
"Hello, I'm new in these parts. Thought I'd come and introduce myself to the residents."

>>26754141
Wait a second... A smithy named Dalton, a 10 year old girl... Is your name Brandon?

>>26754141
>tfw the MC is described as 'middle-aged'
>tfw realize that you're 34
I'm still a young man!

>>26754201
>Sorry to say it's not. I took Dalton's name from the list of suggested names earlier in the thread. Because I'm shit at names.

"Hello. I'm new in these parts." You say. "Thought I'd come and introduce myself to the residents."
"Alright!" He said, and pulled the door open wider, before walking inside.

After a moment, you took that as an invitation, and came in after him. Inside was a mess- almost a madhouse of whatever junk you could think of. He brushed a pile of gears off of a chair, and brandished his hand to it. "You can sit there." He said. His voice was really rather unnerving, such a soft, light voice coming from such a lanky, tall person. "I'm the artificer here. My name is Corwell. Or Cromwell. Something like that, anyway."
He gave you a wide smile, and sat in his own chair. His teeth were much, much too white. "Anything you want in particular? Or are you just here to say hi?"

>>26754295
"What do you mean, 'something like that'? Do you not know your name?"

>>26754295
"Mainly to say hello! But do you mind if I ask what it is you do? What kind of things do you make?"

>>26754072
>what is sherlock holmes

>>26754295
Hello. I have a gift for you: http://www.behindthename.com/random/

>>26754320
I don't think that we're one to give people grief over their names...

>>26754295
Marvel at the stuff in his house.

>>26754335
A love interest?

>>26754335
I...what?

>>26754346
>Thanks!

"What do you mean, 'something like that'?" You ask, "Do you not know your name?"
"Uh, give me a second." He said, and leaned over a nearby table to grab a scrap of paper. "Yeah, it's Cromwell. Jean Cromwell."
"I'm here mainly to say hello." You say. "But do you mind if I ask what it is you do? What kind of things do you make?"
"I make repairs." He said. "Mostly. Pay me if you have something broken- the more delicate the better- and I fix it. Like that blacksmith's steam engine." He waved his arm over the table, where amongst the gears and tools, there were strange stone objects, symbols carved into them. "I'm also here to study magic. From what I can figure of these runes, they can only be used a few times before crumbling. There seems to be a language of sorts. Use the right collection of them in the right arrangement, and you can change the world itself."
You nod. That's precisely what the book your Employers gave you said.

>>26754072
A love interest and the foul Waifu are two different things. On /tg/, they are inextricably intertwined. The only way to prevent that foul cancer from taking over is to avoid all romance.

>>26754410
"Interesting! I'm set to head further inland soon anyway, so is there any particular items you want?"

>>26754449
make note of all the windows that can be seen, and the type of lock on the door.

>>26754457
You're kinda retarded, you know that, right?

>>26754457
holy shit bro its the first thread of this quest and you're already ranting about people showing the tiniest amount of affection to a female. are you autistic?

>>26754410
"Do you have any examples of runes and such? Made any cool items recently?"

>>26754488
>>26754515
Just ignore the troll and carry on.

>>26754410
"Where were these runes retrieved?"

"Interesting!" You say. "I'm set to head further inland soon anyway, so is there any particular items you want?"
"Golem cores." He said. "The walking elementals have enchanted hearts. The more of those you bring me, I'll give you ...money or whatever."

You look around, and make notes of the windows. They were glass, but didn't look like they could open. The door itself was sturdy, and had a simple, thick bolt to hold it shut.
"But be careful!" He yelled suddenly. "Golems are dangerous. They seek out anything except those horrid remnant creatures and smash them. If you're going to work for me, you have to be careful."

"Do you have any examples of runes and such?" You ask.
"Certainly." He responded, and grabbed two of the stones. "This one means Light. You simply focus on the word... You need the rune on your person for this... And say the rune's name."

He said a strange, alien word- 'Galaz'- and the rune started glowing.

"Now, alone, runes are almost useless. A fire rune would simply light a candle or two, or you get a weak glow, like this. But if you use a second rune, one that specifies a shape. Like this one, which means blast. Or explosion."

He said a second word- and suddenly there was a flash, and you were blind. You rubbed at your eyes, waiting for them to recover.
"Where were these runes retrieved?"
"I purchased them." The scholar said. "On my way here. Several of these were purchased from that blacksmith down the hill, and one of them were brought to me by children. But I gave that one back."

>>26754618
Ask about golem vulnerabilities.

>>26754618
"I've heard that Golems are weak to fire, is this true, and does killing them this way still keep its core intact?"

>>26754618
"Impressive. I'll keep that in mind."

"Impressive. I'll keep that in mind." You say, and keep rubbing your eyes. Eventually, you could see again. "I've heard that golems are weak to fire. Is this true?"
"Wrong! The remnants are weak to fire. Golems are not. They are nearly immune to heat and cold."
"What are they vulnerable to?"
"While they're made of stone and armored with iron, their backs are open." He said. "If you can somehow reach inside without being smashed, you can simply pluck the heart out of it, and it will die. Or stop moving, at least. Very handy."
The two of you sat in silence for a while. Eventually, you looked out the window and saw the sun making its lazy way across the sky. You scratched your chin, not sure where to go next.
You've just arrived here, so you could wander and try to find someone else to meet, or you could go right into the action and go north, to the city. Miriam also mentioned that mansion near the coast... Or, since you've been riding in a carriage for a few days, you could spend the rest of the day to rest back at Miriam's tavern.


> Prompt! Where do you wish to go or do? Or do you have more questions for Cromwell?

>>26754829
Check out the port city, don't go deep yet but just do some preliminary scouting.

>>26754829
should we go to the temple

>>26754829
Let's do what we're used to.

Wandering.

>>26754829
Wander/Temple

>Woo, all this consensus! When there's a lack of consensus like this, I'll just end up fusing as much together as I can, or choosing a particular choice.

Without even a goodbye, you get to your feet and make your way out of the artificer's tower. Hands behind your head, you walk, keeping an eye out for anything you find interesting. The temple looked abandoned; it was the only building that was actually Kystaran, come to think of it, covered in vines. You examined the door for a while, and after shaking the handle, you discerned it was locked. You could try to pick it, but you weren't very good at it, and you'd have to


Time passed as you wandered northward, away from the farms and the rest of the village, relaxed. Wild grass sprung up around the sides of the road, until the road itself dwindled into nothingness. The rolling hills had sparse trees, and quite a lot of grass. The trees there were are enormous things, complete with plenty of shade. It almost seemed like this whole area was the perfect picnic area. You toyed with the thought, as you wandered over a bridge and a river.

And that's when a flash of red leaping out of the grass surprised you. Growling and purring, a creature rammed its head into you. Smaller than a proper dog, Red scales, vestigial wings, clumsy paws and a large horned head... It was a dragon, alright.
You looked down at the creature, and it rolled onto it's back. You remember a little about dragons- but mostly that they're useless things. They love people, but they're stupid and skittish. Almost impossible to train.

>>26755072
How good do they taste?

>>26755072
"Want to travel with me, little fella?"

>>26755072
Just because we can't train it doesn't mean it can't be our companion

>>26755072
Pet dragon with leaf.

>>26755117
Thist.

>>26755072
Aww, rub his belly! "Who's a good boy, who is? You are, yes you are!"

>>26755072
>Whoops, got cut off.
>-but you weren't very good at it, and you'd have to get new picks if you broke them- and didn't accidentally jam the lock.

>>26755178
Check if he has a collar at the same time, he might be someone's pet.

>>26755181
Make a mental note to ask around if someone has keys to the temple, you might want to take a look around.

You grab a leaf and start tickling under the dragon's chin, and it squirmed, squeaking. Eventually, you started rubbing his belly.
"Who's a good boy, who is? You are, yes, you are!" You say. The dragon started squeaking. "Want to travel with me, little fella?" You ask, checking his neck. His scales would probably chew away at a collar over time, so you weren't surprised when there wasn't anything there. Judging on how clumsy and pudgy it is, someone was feeding it. Eventually, when you stop petting him, he hopped to his feet and started following you. Apparently he did want to travel with you.

"The dragon with no name..." You say, and supress a snicker. It was impossible to think of dragons- small, clumsy critters- as anything mysterious or badass.

You continue walking, and the city itself got closer. The sun continued on its way across the sky, slowly lowering. The dragon that had spent all day stumbling on the rocks (And once, getting tangled in the grass and squeaking for help) padded along, still happy.

Ahead of you was the city- and already, in the distance, you saw your first danger since you'd arrived. A tall humanoid made of stone, wearing ornamented, rusted armor. It didn't have hands, but in place of its hands were enormous stone clubs. It was rather far off, and you couldn't see much detail. This was a golem, according to Cromwell's explanation.
You'd need to be careful... Or would you?

>>26755278
Observe it for a few minutes then attempt to sneak by.

>>26755278
>The dragon with no name
Quit it, we're not on a desert.

>>26755278
Let's try to sneak behind it and steal its heart.

>>26755278
Let's not get in trouble yet, we're just scouting and it's getting late. Besides, we don't have our gear with us. Return to village and ask Miriam if she knows whose dragon this is. (it's the little girl's, right?)

>>26755278
"Think we can take him, dragon-sama?"

"Think we can take him, dragon?" You ask.

The dragon looked around, as if looking for what you're talking about- and when he noticed the golem, he squeaked and dove into the grass, hiding.
"What a thrilling vote of confidence." You said to yourself, and crept down into the grass, creeping closer. If you got this heart, you'd at least be bringing *something* back, and you won't have to deal with it next time you get here...
Carefully, you crept forward.

>Rolling time! The way dice are going to work is that I'll be counting the first three 1d100 rolls. Based on what you're doing, I'll take either the highest (If you're good at what you're doing,) , average of the two highest (If you're kinda sorta skilled), median, or lowest (If you're terrible). However, crits will always be counted. Natural 100s are automatic wins, natural 1s are automatic losses, and a 100 and 1 counteract one another.
>Roll sneak! (Mediocre, easy difficulty.) 1d100.

Rolled 80

>>26755469

Rolled 75

>>26755469

Rolled 46

>>26755469
Time to earn our keep!

Rolled 53

>>26755469
Do the thing where you yank out the heart and replace it with a bag of sand, it never fails.

>>26755469

Rolled 76

>>26755469

>DC: 40! Passed!

You crept forward, trying to stay away from it until you could get behind it. Closer, the golem's armor was almost more vine than rust, surprisingly, and it looked rather weathered. It was huge, nearly ten feet tall, made of muscled brown stone, and what looked like a vein of some kind of ore around the head. The creature had glowing lights for eyes, and it kept looking back and forth- almost in a pattern. At a guess, you figured that the lit-up areas were what it was seeing, so it wasn't hard to get around it when it wasn't looking.

Eventually, you got behind it, and right there, in its back, was a shimmering, pulsing crystal, strange symbols carved around it... And with a jerk, you yanked it out.
The golem sputtered, and collapsed, the stones falling apart. The dragon seemed to appear out of the grass next to you, and started sniffing the fallen elemental.

You take a deep breath, and look back, at the city proper. It was all Kystaran, with pale beige stone, vines and weeds crawling over everything, and clay rooftops. It wasn't like any of the lellwind designs you knew and loved- it seemed Kystarans liked more simple shapes than the eloquent gothic designs around the capital.

Ahead were the city gates, and from here you think you can see a strange black shape in the streets. The sun was still heading toward sunset, so if you did much more, you probably wouldn't have enough time to get back to the tavern before nightfall.

>>26755636
shall we investigate the strange shape?

>>26755636
Let's not go to the dangerous ruins after sunset. Return to town, return the dragon to its owner.

>>26755664
Haha fuck that.

I get the feeling we don't want to be near the city at night. Let's come back tomorrow and start charting things out proper.

>>26755664
Well, we're not in a hurry so it's better to come back tomorrow morning when we're properly equipped and rested.

>>26755636
Head back. Bad things happen at night I bet.
Such is life in the zone.

>>26755636
What we need is a late dinner and good pipeweed. The next thing tomorrow we'll get Bruno the Dragon a proper name tag, then we'll plan our next move.

>>26755685
>If it helps, you are currently equipped. You currently have both your spear and steamsling (Think of it as a pressure-based crossbow), some food, a bedroll, and various helpful tools (Like lockpick, skinning knife, compass, etc). And of course, pipeweed.

"Well." You tell the dragon. "It's time to head home for now."

It squeaked in response. You put the golem core in your satchel, and headed homeward.

The sky was lit up by violet and orange light by the time you returned, the tired dragon clinging to your shoulder as best he could. He was really a pudgy, slow thing. Quite out of shape.
"Hah, there's that little bugger." Miriam said, sweeping the tavern porch. "You find anything good except that little guy?" she asked, nodding to the dragon.

>>26755761
I captured the heart of a golem

>>26755761
Golem heart, figure I'd sell it to the scholer, Cromwell. He said he was in the market for them.

>>26755761
"A few things. Do you have some parchment and writing tools for sale? I think I'd best make a map on my travels."

>>26755761
"Shouldn't you keep him leashed if he wanders off on his own like this? I'm not a professional dragon hunter you know."

"Golem heart. Figure I'd sell it to the artificer, Cromwell. He said he was in the market for them."
"That's probably a good idea." She responded. "I'll make you and that guy something real quick."
"Shouldn't you keep him leashed if he wanders off on his own like this?" You ask. "I'm not a professional dragon hunter, you know."
"Who'd take care of him if someone kept him leashed?" She asked, and tossed him some greens. The dragon started chomping on it. "He mostly just waddles around the village looking for people to feed him. Nobody really owns him. I don't even think he has a name."

>>26755857
Dragon needs name.

Hellstench Hatecast

>>26755857
Name is Toadscream

>>26755857
Him being nameless suits me fine.

>>26755890
>>26755904
Bruno is clearly the superior name.

>>26755857
"Lucky little bugger."
Get some dinner, try to make smalltalk with Miriam. Why did she have to leave the city?

>>26755932
Compromise. Bruno Toadscream.

"Lucky little bugger." You say, and take a seat inside the tavern. It wasn't a very big building, but it was the biggest in the village. You waited patiently, watching the dragon eat his fill (and taking a bite; dragonmeal wasn't very good, you quickly judged), and eventually Miriam returned, with bread and stew.
"It's not much, but it's free." She said, "And your room is the one upstairs."

"Why did you have to leave the capital?" You ask, eating.
"Uh... Problems." She said, suddenly very interested in the dragon- Bruno Toadscream, you decided- instead of you. "Your employers were the ones to take care of me after, well, things went wrong. That's what this is all about, is them cashing in that favor."

>>26756034
"Huh, I don't want to cause any trouble for you. I can pay for my lodging if needs be."
"What people do for fun around these parts?"

File: 1377123564071.jpg-(11 KB, 300x329, no.jpg)

11 KB JPG

>>26756034
>>26756111
"I don't want no trabbu!"

"Huh. I don't want to cause any trouble for you. I can pay for my lodging if needs be."
"It's not that much of a problem." She said. "And I'm already getting paid."

You nod, and quietly finish your meal. "What do people do for fun around these parts?"
"For fun? Gossip with eachother, the occasional mead-filled night, and hard work." She said. "I think Dalton carves figurines, and nobody knows what that madman on the hill does. Why do you ask?"

You look out the window, where the night was getting darker, and shrug.

That's the moment when Bruno Toadscream, the dragon, darted off of the table and slammed into the door. He whined, looking back to Miriam, and scraped against the door again.
"... Think he wants out." She said.

>>26756287
"Is it safe? I mean, I saw some stuff moving out in the city. Does it ever get dangerous in town?"

>>26756287
Let's head out and give the madman the heart.

>>26756287
To Bruno: "What is it little guy? Do you want out? Do you?"
To Miriam: "Seems like you know a thing about dragons. I think I am gonna keep him. Do you have any helpful tips?"

>>26756287
alright, let the poor scamp out.

>>26756287
Let's go out with him, go see the old artificer fella.

>>26756287
Walk the dragon, go give the old guy the golem heart.

"Is it safe?" You ask. "I mean, I saw some stuff moving out in the city. Does it ever get dangerous in town?"
"Not usually." She said. "Whan a jackalope comes by, some farmers usually come running down the road to warn us, but that's rare enough. And that little bugger is a coward, so it's safe to say that wherever he is, is somewhere safe."
You nod, and open the door. He went leaping out, and started running; though it would be closer to say he was waddling off, toward the largest tree in the village, to scrabble at the trunk.
"Come on, little guy! You can do it!" Someone said. You peer up, and at the top of the tree, on one of the branches, was the girl from before. Bruno started scrabbling upward, his teensy wings flapping, as he tried to climb.

You chuckle at the sight, and turn to make your way to the artificer. You had a feeling that the dragon was in good hands.

The very second you knocked on the door, it swung open, and the artificer was there. His spectacles were the only think not covered in ink, and he was giving you that eerie, much-too-wide smile. His teeth seemed to glow in the dark.
"Do you have one?" He asked, immediately.

>>26756488
Yes.

>>26756488
"Yes, I ran into a golem, luckily."

>>26756488
"Yes I do. I hope I am not disturbing you from anything important."

>>26756488
"No, I just thought I'd come by and ask some questions. I saw some things moving out in the city at dark. Know what they were?"

>>26756488
Do you actually have any money to buy it with?

>>26756488
Exchange the golem heart for some useful runes and info. Return to the tree and impress Ann with your dragon trainer skills.

"Yes, I do." You say. "I hope I'm not disturbing you from anything important."
"No, no, nothing important." Cromwell said. "I was sleeping. But sleep is for the weak!"
"I also thought I'd come by and ask questions. I saw some things moving out in the city at dark. Know what they were?"
"Remnants, most likely. I doubt there's anything worse than those." He said, and unscrewed a flask. He took a long drink from it; you had a feeling it wasn't water. "Gimme the core. Do you want money, or runes for it? I have too many runes, and most of them don't even help me with my research."
"Do you actually have any money to buy it with?" You ask.
He paused, and tilted his head. "... Okay, which runes do you want for it?"

>Choose two from this list!
>Fire, Earth, Light,
>Blast, Lance, Surround

>>26756657
LIGHTO RANCAAAA

>>26756657
Fire and Lance

>how many? In order of want.
Light
Lance
Surround
Fire
Blast

>>26756657
Blast lance surround

"Mind if I ask what you're researching?"

>>26756657
Light Lance = Searchlight?
Maybe Earth Blast, so we can knock down walls.

I'll vote for Earth Blast, because they might combo better with later runes.

>>26756695
Earth Blast is fine by me too.

>>26756657
earth + surround to trap golems, or fire+something to take care of remnants

>>26756657
"How rare are the different runes? Is it easier to find the element ones or the shape ones?"

>>26756657
could you provide a run down on what each rune's effects are?

>>26756657
Fire and Lance

Okay, Ex, you got me. I'm a sucker for rune based magic systems.

>>26756657
How about Earth Surround? It would work as a shield from a devastating attack. And remember we hunt golems

"I'll take the blast and the earth runes." You say.
"Here!" He said, and scribbled a few things down. He slid you a few notes- it was how to pronounce the words, apparently, alongside various uses. Earth Blast, it looked, would cause some kind of destabilization of the area around the user, blah blah blah...

"Why don't you just write down that this causes an earthquake?" You asked.
"Because that's too lazy." He responded, and sighed. "Fine, fine, If you want to know what anything else does, just ask."
"What would light and lance do?"
"Now, that's actually special." He said. "It... focuses the light, quite a lot. It seems to heat things up from a long distance."
"Fire and lance?"
"A long spear of fire. Lance tends to create objects and send them far from you, to where you point at."
"Earth surround?"
"Surround tends to bring a dome around you. Fire Surround would be dangerous, but Earth would give you a shield, of sorts. I suspect the Kystaran Barrier was created by Earth and Wall runes. Perhaps some kind of amplification rune..."

Fire Lance

>>26756836
Well, might just as well try these runes on some empty field before going to sleep.

>>26756836
>Also, forgot to mention, it'd be shitty to lock in any choices without any explanation of the runes. So you can all re-vote.

>Fire: Burns stuff
>Earth: Either creates rock, or manipulates existing rock
>Light: Shiny! Or laser, if used with Lance
>Blast: Shape rune, generic area of effect.
>Lance: Shape rune, long distance and focused
>Surround: Shape rune, hollow dome/sphere around you.

>>26756836
That sounds like something to search for.

Would you be interested in seeing the more complicated runes I find? I could trade with you for ones that aren't as useful off searching.

>>26756836
We should at least ask how many times we can use a rune before it breaks.

>>26756890
Lock in Earth Blast!

Uh so i don't think i will follow this quest either Exabyte. Sorry. The reason is mostly because your writing seems sort of awkward. You sort of mix up the tenses and the dialog doesn't seem to flow that well. I am mentioning this before i leave the quest because you might find my advice useful.

The quest is not horrible or anything, but it just can't get as immersed as i would like.

>>26756836
Is that what we're searching for by the way? How the runes were made?

>>26756890
How about that Earth Surround?

>>26756890
>Light
>Lance
I'mma in your garden, firing my LAZARS!

>>26756922
I'll change my vote from Earth Blast to this, it might save our skin in a tricky situation.

>>26756890
Fire Lance

>>26756918
>It's more that your Employers want to know everything they can- it's just that they already have the more common artifacts and runes, so you're looking for the uncommon ones.

>>26756914
>Mixing tenses is a thing that I do, but I'll work on fixing it. That's probably one of my most ingrained habits, to be honest.

"That sounds like something to search for." you say, "Would you be interested in seeing the more complicated runes I find? I could trade with you for ones that aren't as useful off searching."
"Certainly! This should help." He said. He pulled out a page, and handed it to you- it had images of the runes' symbols themselves, what they meant, and what they do.
"And how many times can you use a rune before it breaks?"
"They can last about a dozen uses, but most of the ones I have might only have half that left." He said. You looked over the runes, adding the artificer's notes to your booklet.
"I'll take Earth and Surround." You say.

"The Earth rune is one of the least degraded runes I have. Surround could crumble at any time, so be careful."

You took the two runes in hand, and... There was a burn, in your palms. Something quivered inside of you, and something... broke free.

>Affinity!
>Earth: 7+3 uses.
>Surround: 4+2 uses.

"Now, that's all you wanted, right?" He asked, taking the core in hand.

>>26757107
"For today. I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow with more questions, or things that need fixing."

How late is it? Time to test our budget bedding?

>>26757107
"Mind if I ask what you're going to use the core for?"

>>26757107
"I'll probably be back in a day with more questions and such. Goodbye!"

"Mind if I ask what you're going to use the core for?"
"Figure out how they work, make my own." He says, mumbling.

"Anyway, I'm done now. For today." You say, giving him a grin. He takes another chug of his flask, not quite paying any attention to you. "I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow with more questions, or things that need fixing. Goodbye!"
"Good luck."

You make your way outside; it was past sundown, but not long past. It looks like the girl isn't in her tree anymore, and Bruno is nowhere to be found.

Tired from your walking, you finally make your way back into the tavern. With a goodnight to Miriam, you go up to the second floor, drop your belongings on one side, and collapse into bed.

===

This dream again.
Everything is cold, quiet, and the ground beneath you was sand, perfectly flat. It's exactly the same, perfect, in every direction. The sky is howling, coal grey... And not far in the distance, crooked pillars sit. The woman sits there, pale, dark haired, and beautiful. Just like she always does. Just like she always did.

Just like always, she opened her mouth and says something to you.

But this time, something's different.
This time, you heard her.

This time, she said your name.

===

You snap awake. It's dark, still sometime before dawn, and the windows are shut, rattling in their frames as the rain pours.

And that's when you hear it.

Someone was screaming.


>End of thread!
>Here's where I do the usual stuff, like give you my twitter and the IRC and such.
>The twitter is @futureexabyte, and it's mostly fun facts about the setting I won't be able to reveal during play, and links to when I'm running and not running.
>The IRC is #Exabyte on Rizon, but conversation is almost never quest-related there. It's mostly just people babbling about whatever's on their minds, or running RPGs.
>Post-thread, feel free to ask questions. I tend to hang around post-thread and ride it to board end.

exa style ending.

>>26757421
So, our railroad spike gun, how's it fueled? Runes or somesuch?

>>26757479
The steamsling is fueled by bullshit steampunk fuel called 'pressure'. Refuel pressure from Engines or such, or you can personally handcrank the sling to recharge it. Bolts themselves are rather accurate, but because I'm abstracting the count, you'll have unlimited bolts. It's a purely mundane thing, no magic involved.

>>26757421
How is the quest proper going to work? Wilderness survival? Avoiding traps? Fighting off bandits?

Will you provide a map or will it be narrative navigation?

>>26757564
Cool.

Golem cores, what are they actually good for?

>>26757570
>How is the quest proper going to work? Wilderness survival? Avoiding traps? Fighting off bandits?
This is actually why I added the entire character choice. When I said 'This'll also tell me what kind of quest you guys want to play.', I meant that if you'd chosen the Prodigy, you guys were looking for a combat heavy quest, with plenty of bandits but very little puzzles.. If you'd chosen the Scholar, you'd be solving puzzles, researching history, and inventing new magic artifacts out of old ones. If you'd chosen the Urchin, you might be exploring the wilderness and taming monsters. But as you chose the Wanderer, you'll get a fusion of all of it. I don't forsee the quest being very character driven, but it could likely turn out that way.

I most likely won't provide a map of much quality, if at all.

>>26757622
Animating and controlling golems! Of course.

>>26757655
But do they give off heat? Energy?

These are things which I must know.

>>26757655
Next thread when?

>>26757674
They glow! They're very shiny, you see. They're lukewarm to the touch, when they should honestly be cold and damp, but that's it.

>>26757679
Every other day or so. I might just end up running daily, or I might end up running less often than that. I do always run at the same starting time, though.

>>26757730
I was going to ask something else but I forgot, so,

Thanks for running!

I had fun OP. I hope to be able to follow this for aslong as it goes on.

Did you do the picture i nthe first post or did you find it somewhere?

>>26757835
I found the picture on the /tg/ booru, and modified it heavily. It had a flying island, and I made the flying island stop flying.

>>26757857
Monsterous. Think of all the skybirds you crushed.

>Drawquest

FUCK YES

>>26762279
Sorry to say, this isn't actually a drawquest. I'm shit at drawing.