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The palace of the Duke of Alvar was not difficult to find. You had made a note of it when you first entered the city, and gone exploring on your own. You didn't run into any trouble, since you're good at not being noticed when you don't want to be. There were a few interesting moments, but drunken brawls were easily sidestepped, and presumably a normal activity in a healthy society.

The approach to the main gate had been carefully designed to allow for a clear field of view from the palace, and the pair of guards at the entranceway see you in good time to lazily cross their halberds, barring entry to unauthorized personnel.

"If you're looking for the library, go around the east side," the female guard recites. She's probably done this a thousand times for curious tourists.

You gingerly hold out the letter of recommendation that brought you this far. The other guard takes it for a closer inspection; you try not to notice that his lips move as he reads.

"You're not from Wellsbet, I take it?" the female guard says conversationally. A reasonable assumption; your skin colour suggests more tropical climes. Still, not a good idea to volunteer too much information to random guards.

"No, not as such," you say. Technically not a lie.

Before the chatty guard can make further small talk, her partner finally finishes reading the letter, and hands it back to you.

"She's here to apply," he tells her. "The Knight Captain will want to know."

The female guard nods, and the halberds uncross. "At this time in the morning, the Knight Captain should be in conference," she informs you. "Go in, turn left at the fork, follow the path around, and when you reach the Great Hall, look for the second door on the left on the ground floor. Don't wander around."

> Sounds simple enough
> Sounds simple enough; wander around anyway
> Ask for a guide

>>35525113
>Sounds simple enough
Don't screw up.

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>>35525113
fuck it lets do this
> Sounds simple enough

>>35525113
> Sounds simple enough
Brown Girls? Ye ye.

>>35525113
> Sounds simple enough

>>35525113
> Sounds simple enough

Is this the first thread?

>>35525113
>> Sounds simple enough

>>35525302
Well, I mean it's the 500th reiteration of this type of trope, but's probably the first of this exact specific iteration.

>>35525302
This is definitely the first thread.

You give the guards a slightly twitchy nod as you pass them. Neither of them deign to notice, fixing their gazes straight ahead in the approved guarding style.

Wellsbet is not an especially large or powerful kingdom, although it is moderately prosperous. The duchy of Alvar, in the northwestern region of Wellsbet, consists of the palace, the small city around it, and assorted tiny settlements that rarely even show up on maps of the kingdom.

Therefore, the ducal palace became the most imposing structure in the city of Alvar by default, largely through being a converted cathedral, renovated beyond recognition. Hopefully whatever gods were involved with the old cathedral had been propiated sometime in the past fifty years.

Your footsteps echo on the stone floor as you make your way to the conference room. The palace is deserted; the Great Hall, a space built to accomodate hundreds, now contains only a very few servants in the midst of cleaning, most of whom bestow a puzzled stare at you before returning to their duties. From what gossip you heard last evening, the Duke and a sizable portion of the staff were at the kingdom's capital Gracewell, for some grand meeting or other.

In any case, your presence here in the palace is unusual enough to be notable, but not so unusual as to warrant summoning security. It would be a good idea not to linger, but anyone striding purposefully with an important-looking letter in their hands gains an extra aura of unnoticeability you can take advantage of, should you desire.

The conference room is easy enough to locate, since you can hear the sound of voices from within. You hesitate before knocking; one of the voices, belonging to a woman, is raised in high temper. You can't quite make out the other voice, but it sounds male, and much calmer than whoever he is speaking to.

> Knock politely and enter
> Wait outside and eavesdrop

>>35525426
>Wait outside and eavesdrop

>>35525426
>> Wait outside and eavesdrop
Rude to interrupt a conference meeting.

>>35525426
>Knock politely and enter

>>35525426
> Wait outside and eavesdrop

>>35525426
>> Wait outside and eavesdrop

>>35525426
>Wait outside and eavesdrop
Get informed, stay out of the new boss' way, exercise patience. These are all good things! Totally justified.

You can't exactly help eavesdropping, if only because the woman in the room is loud enough to be clearly audible through the door.

"No, I cannot spare anyone to chase after ghost stories! You know as well as I do that we already have our hands full with the problems from just this past month."

A murmured response from the man.

"The elven marauders have hit another village. You should have the report in that pile of papers, along with everything else that has gone wrong with Alvar. Do you not read anything I send you, Anders?"

Murmur, murmur.

"Need I remind you that we have only three knights. William is with His Grace in Gracewell, and they are not due back until the end of the week. Donovan is still stuck babysitting the diggers in Grunmarl. Which leaves me saddled with their duties in the meantime. At least Guard Commander Hendersworth is smart enough to do his job without oversight."

Something catches your attention out of the corner of your eye. A movement, a shadow vanishing into the stairwell at the end of the Great Hall. Normally this would have any number of innocent and normal explanations, but the mysterious shadow was furtive, and you are very familiar with furtive. Someone was watching you.

> [1/2]

Before you can wonder whether to pursue this intriguing minor mystery, a voice from the other side of the Great Hall interrupts your thoughts: "May I... help you?"

The voice belongs to a maid, hovering in that middle social distance familiar to anyone uncertain of their authority, but willing to exercise it anyway. She is clearly intimidated by the important-looking letter in your hands, but still convinced of the Proper Procedure of No Visitors Allowed.

"Are you lost?" the maid asks. You notice the pointed tips of her ears; uncommon to see an elf as a menial servant, but not unheard of. "The library is that way. But you shouldn't be here anyway; the guards should have stopped you."

"I'm not a tourist," you say, waving the letter vaguely. "I'm just waiting for-"

Another outburst from inside the conference room. "Damn it all, I know that! But I cannot simply recruit anyone who walks in from the street, can I?"

> If that isn't a straight line, you don't know what is. Knock and enter.
> Continue explaining yourself to the maid.
> Make an excuse and go investigate that strange shadow.

>>35525959
>> If that isn't a straight line, you don't know what is. Knock and enter.

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>>35525959
>> Make an excuse and go investigate that strange shadow.

bathe in its blood and present its heart to your new master

>>35525959
>If that isn't a straight line, you don't know what is. Knock and enter.

>>35525959
> Make an excuse and go investigate that strange shadow.

>>35525959
>> If that isn't a straight line, you don't know what is. Knock and enter.

>>35525959
>If that isn't a straight line, you don't know what is. Knock and enter.
Excuse ourselves first, at least. We'd have been glad to clear things up, but theatricality waits for no (wo)man.

>>35525959
> If that isn't a straight line, you don't know what is. Knock and enter.

The shadow will be likely be hidden or blended in with a crowd by the time we catch up.

>>35525959
>If that isn't a straight line, you don't know what is. Knock and enter.

File: Who Is This 4chan.gif (1.31 MB, 250x333)

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>>35525959

>If that isn't a straight line, you don't know what is. Knock and enter.

I actually don't know what a "straight line" is referring to here, but I guess this is probably our best bet.

"-a chance to go in without interrupting," you say. "But, uh, thank you for your concern. And your attention to duty."

The maid forms a silent "Oh", and curtsies. "My apologies, ma'am. Are you going in to see the Knight Captain or the seneschal?" Obviously making a mental note of the movements of the provisionally authorized person wandering the premises.

"The Knight Captain." Another vague wave of the letter. "If you'll excuse me..."

The maid curtsies again, and withdraws. You rap smartly on the door.

The conversation within pauses. "Come in," the woman says, not quite keeping her annoyance in check.

>[1/?]

Upon entering, the conference room is mildly disappointing. You had expected a grand, long table in a grand, long chamber, with enough seats for as many visiting dignitaries as Alvar could hold. There would be guards stationed at even intervals, and charts and maps all over the place. You like maps.

There is a map here, but it is almost buried under the pile of documents on the small table in the middle of the room. At least there are several chairs lined up along the walls, put away for the time being. A podium, evidently seldom-used, sits forlorn and alone in the corner.

The two people standing around the table look up at your entrance. The loud woman is a tall human, red-haired, dressed in half-ceremonial armour, sans weapon. She also looks like she hasn't slept properly in days, and is trying quite hard not to blame the world at large for her insomnia. She leans on the table with the weight of the world on her shoulders, or at least the part of it that contains Alvar and the proper running thereof.

The man is another elf, blond, glasses, dressed in the robes of a high-ranking palace functionary. He looks unruffled for someone who had just been yelled at for the past several minutes, and likely longer. A sheaf of even more paperwork is held in his hands, and his long, delicate fingers ruffle the corners of the pages in what might be a subconscious habit.

You raise the letter to full view, shielding yourself from the stares. "I was told to meet the Knight Captain...?"

>[2/?]

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The woman makes a valiant attempt at a welcoming smile, and takes the letter. "We shall continue this discussion later, Anders."

"Of course." Anders, the palace seneschal by process of elimination, makes no move to leave the room. Instead, he continues staring at you coolly, his expression unreadable.

"It says here you wish to apply to be a squire," the Knight Captain says, scanning the letter.

"Knight-apprentice," Anders corrects her.

"Semantics, Anders." The Knight Captain turns back to you. "I recognize Sir Bernhard's seal. I have not had the pleasure of meeting the man myself, but I know he is spending his retirement seeking out promising candidates for Wellsbet's knight orders. It says here he thinks you have the potential to be an excellent knight."

"I hope to be one, Captain," you say. Ander's stare is starting to unnerve you.

"Now, normally I would not be so quick to accept any application without further inspection, but these are exceptional circumstances," the Knight Captain says. "Consider yourself provisionally accepted. I am Clarissa Natalia ain Ridelham, Knight Captain of Alvar. Such as it is." She gestures at Anders. "This is Anders, the seneschal."

"Charmed," Anders says, unrelenting in his gaze.

"I'm Nicole," you say, a shade too quickly. It's the name on the letter, after all.

"Miss Nicole." Clarissa frowned. "Just Nicole?"

> "Just Nicole. I'm not important enough to have a surname."
> "Vivien Nicolette ain Rosentia. I'd rather my title be kept secret."
> "Actually it's Warnicolma Santikariya, but nobody here can remember that, so Nicole it is."

>>35526863
>"Vivien Nicolette ain Rosentia. I'd rather my title be kept secret."

We noble now

>>35526863
>> "Actually it's Warnicolma Santikariya ain Rosentia, but nobody here can remember that and I'd rather my title be kept secret, so Nicole it is."

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>>35526863

>"Just Nicole. I'm not important enough to have a surname."

When it comes to great adventures, nothing beats the humble beginning.

>>35526863
> "Actually it's Warnicolma Santikariya, but nobody here can remember that, so Nicole it is."
We came from somewhere else right

>"Actually it's Warnicolma Santikariya, but nobody remembers that, so Nicole it is"

Seems like it'd be fun.

>>35526922
Way to think outside the box

>>35526863
>"Just Nicole. I'm not important enough to have a surname."

>>35526863
>>35526922
Sure, why not?

>>35526863
> "Actually it's Warnicolma Santikariya, but nobody here can remember that, so Nicole it is."

>>35526922
I like it.

>>35526863
>>35526922
How does it go, por que no los dos?

For
>>35526922
> "Actually it's Warnicolma Santikariya ain Rosentia, but nobody here can remember that and I'd rather my title be kept secret, so Nicole it is."

Roll 1d20, middle of three.

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>35527191
Middle being the median? Or literal middle?

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>35527191

>>35527201
The value that's between the highest and lowest, sorry.

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>35527191

>>35527229
So at best it's a 7. Dang

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>35527191
>>35527229
wow that's actually p. scary

>>35527213
Lucky number 7! Surely this is actually a good sign and not just a really poor roll!

>>35527201
>>35527213
>>35527239
Well, that's not good.

>>35527250
The worst thing is, even if you weren't too late you would have been too late. Such is the median.

>>35527201
Was originally going to ask for lower of two rolls, so it could have been worse.

Writing.

[Warmly waiting]

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>>35527950
I'll join you

tea?

I keep running up against that character limit.

"Actually it's Warnicolma Santikariya ain Rosentia," you say, "but nobody here can remember that and..." You wind down as you realize that nobody else in the room is impressed.

Clarissa gives you a flat glare. "Please do not make my job any more difficult than it already is, apprentice."

... you didn't expect that to work anyway.

"Sorry," you say, with as much contrition as you can muster. "Just Warnicolma Santikariya. Or Nicole."

Clarissa takes a deep breath. "Fine. Nicole it is." She indicates the sack you've been toting around. "Is that all you have?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Leave it here for now. You'll be sharing my room, until that little problem," she shifts her glare to Anders, who merely shrugs, "with the living quarters is cleared up. I will ask someone to bring it there later."

There's nothing particularly valuable in the sack anyway. You don't even have enough money left to tempt a thief; you hadn't planned for very much beyond being accepted as a knight apprentice, and receiving room and board at the palace. "Thank you, Captain."

"Do you have a weapon? You don't seem to be carrying one."

Actually you have a pair of stiletto knives in concealed but easy reach, but that's probably best left unsaid. "No, Captain. The one I had, er, broke. On the way to Alvar. It was pretty old, anyway."

>[1/2]

[Waiting warmly]

Clarissa lets this pass without inquiry. "You should go get set up, then. Anders?"

Anders finally breaks his stare long enough to extract a single piece of paper from the middle of the collection in his hands, passing it over to Clarissa. She shifts the papers on the table around until she locates a quill and inkpot.

"This requisition form is for the quartermaster," she says, scribbling quickly. "You can see the armoury outside the window, over there. Roderick keeps everything in fine condition, so you shouldn't have any complaints."

You venture over to the indicated window, and see that the armoury is, indeed, outside: a squat grey stone building with sturdy gates, across what looks like a training courtyard.

Clarissa finishes signing the requisition form, and hands it to you. "I still need to handle some other matters. Wait for me at the armoury; I will likely be done in a couple of hours."

"I'll escort Miss Nicole there, if you don't mind," Anders volunteers.

Clarissa acknowledges this with a dismissive wave, and Anders glides towards you. "Shall we?"

> No need for an escort, especially someone who keeps staring
> He's just being a gentleman, maybe we can chat on the way

>>35528020
> No need for an escort, especially someone who keeps staring

>>35528020
> He's just being a gentleman, maybe we can chat on the way

>>35528020
>> No need for an escort, especially someone who keeps staring

Eyes to yourself there cowboy.

>>35528020
> He's just being a gentleman, maybe we can chat on the way

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>>35528020
>> He's just being a gentleman, maybe we can chat on the way

power of friendship motherfuckers

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>35528020

>He's just being a gentleman, maybe we can chat on the way

>HE KNOWS

>>35528020
>> He's just being a gentleman, maybe we can chat on the way

>>35528020
>He's just being a gentleman, maybe we can chat on the way

>Ask what's located upstairs across the Great Hall. We thought we saw something skulking around, but if it leads to the servants' quarters or the like it's possible it was just someone taking 'out of sight, out of mind' very seriously. We'd have taken a look ourselves, but we were asked not to wander around unattended.
See if we can get some info, and get it in their heads that we're a fine, upstanding rule-follower.

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>>35528188

Oh no! what does he know?

>>35528243
Knife ears

>>35528256

Oh yeah!

>>35528243
He knows we're a fellow elf, though I do wonder why we're hiding it.

>>35528322
>Because elves are a disgusting race that would be exterminated.

>>35528329
If that were the case then the guy would not be standing here offering to escort us, he'd be dead.

>>35528361
wait we're an elf?

>>35528373
Clearly. Delicious brown elf.

>>35528373
>As far as you can tell, you look just like a normal, regular girl, and (you touch your ears to be certain) most definitely human.
How can you miss that

>>35528408
Clearly it says clearly human. That means we're human. Not an elf. No sir. No elves here. Not at all.

>>35528423
Of course, of course.

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>>35528398
B-brown?!

>>35528445
Well, I assume the pic the QM used in the OP is a fairly accurate representation of what we look like, so yes, we're deliciously brown.

>>35528426
Yes! How about those Humans! So smart and strong! Err.. HAH! I MEAN US HUMANS WHO ARE HUMAN LIKE! YES! WE'RE OFCORUSEHUMANSSTOPLOOKINGATME

>>35528423
Elves aren't a problem at all in this world. At all, nope, sir.

>>35528373
We disguise ourselves with the forgotten art of earigami

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>>35528592

>>35528573
Unless... the huma-We Humans think they are...uh-hehheh? Right? My fellow humans?

"Thank you, seneschal." If you're going to be living in the palace from now on, you should probably get used to the guy who runs the place. Even if he keeps staring at you.

"Please, just call me Anders," he says. "This way, please."

As you step out of the conference room, you indicate the stairwell at the end of the Great Hall. "What's up there, by the way?"

"Hm? Oh, that leads to the classrooms," Anders says, barely giving the stairwell a glance. "For the Duke's son. And above that are the laboratories and storerooms for the court wizard, as well as the wizard's tower."

At least now Anders isn't staring at you quite so much. It's not that he's especially creepy or lecherous; the way he stares at you has little to do with your looks, but more as though he's trying to remember something just out of reach. You suspect it will probably be a good idea not to let him follow that mental train of thought all the way through without diverting it just a little.

"I apologize for Clarissa's behaviour," Anders says. "She has been under quite a lot of stress lately. She's not normally so... spiky."

"No, I understand," you say. "It's partly my fault, anyway."

"What possessed you to claim to be nobility from Rosentia?" Anders asks. Not accusatory, just curious.

"It was a... well, not a very good joke, I admit."

"Indeed. I recommend you avoid humour about nobility around Clarissa. It's a touchy subject."

Based on Clarissa's name, she is at least related to nobility. You try to remember where Ridelham is, but come up blank. Something to look up later, maybe.

"If you'll pardon my asking," Anders says, "have we met before? There's something about you that seems..."

> Straight denial
> Avoid the question entirely, and change the subject

>>35528814
>claim
It was not a mere claim
>> Avoid the question entirely, and change the subject

>>35528814
> Avoid the question entirely, and change the subject

>>35528814
> Straight denial, not to my knowledge no

>>35528902
This

>>35528814
> Avoid the question entirely, and change the subject

>>35528902
thirded

>>35528814
>> Straight denial

>>35528814
>> Avoid the question entirely, and change the subject
No we do not even remotely look like an elf who might or might not be related to you father that is a ridiculous question to even think of asking

>>35528814
>Avoid the question entirely, and change the subject
So what are these troubles that has the knight commander in such a foul mood?

>>35528814
>>35528992
seconded

>>35528963
What.

You guys do realize that suddenly changing the subject is more suspicious than an outriight denial, right?

>>35529028
exactly. completely ridiculous.

>>35529083
Yes.

>>35529083
It's also adorable.

>>35529083
>You guys do realize that suddenly changing the subject is more suspicious than an outriight denial, right?

So, why do you think the commander is so irritated. Perhaps we should ask our escort!

>>35529121
>>35529139
*sigh* whatever lets do this

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"Alvar seems like a nice city," you interrupt. "This is my first time here. Or in Wellsbet, for that matter. I'm originally from Silden." This was safe enough. Silden is the trade capital of the world, and every conceivable race and species eventually pass through there sooner or later. A useful explanation for your semi-exotic appearance.

Anders takes the change in subject in stride, which is suspicious in itself. "Oh? A bit far for Sir Bernhard to travel, but not unheard of. Rumour has it he's even ventured beyond the continent."

"I don't know Sir Bernhard that well," you admit. "But something I did must have impressed him, since he did write that letter for me." And a glowing recommendation it was. Thankfully, the language was flowery enough to cover up for the lack of any real detail or description.

"Still quite a ways to travel to Wellsbet," Anders says. Definitely fishing for information, you decide. "Especially with the tensions between us and Ayrich causing a bit of trouble for travellers. It pains me to say it, but elves are not in the good graces of the public right now, what with the marauder attacks and the sabre-rattling from Ayrich."

Ayrich is the small elf nation to the west of Wellsbet, you recall. Not too far from the duchy of Alvar, in fact. "Is it that serious?"

"You'll have to ask Clarissa for the details," Anders says. "Hopefully she's in a better mood by then."

>[1/?]

>>35529209
Damn he pretty

>>35529182
>*action*

You'll get told off if you do that too often. Lurk more.

By this time, you've reached the training courtyard. Which is as empty as the rest of the palace, with nary a soul in sight between the palace proper and the armoury, save for the quartermaster himself.

Who is, to your surprise, an orc.

The quartermaster spots you from his seat at the doorway, where he's sharpening a blade at a grinding stone. He gives a cheery wave, which Anders returns with a more sedate one of his own.

"I'll take my leave now," Anders says. "I trust you'll not hesitate to call on me should you need any assistance?"

"I'll keep that in mind," you reply politely. And hopefully something else will distract Anders from the mystery of your existence before then, like another mage rebellion or a starstone strike or something.

The orc quartermaster puts away the sword he was sharpening as you approach, requisition form in hand. "You're new here," he notes in a basso rumble.

"I'm Nicole," you say. "I'll be apprenticing as a knight from now on."

"Roderick," the quartermaster says. "And before you ask, no, that's not my original name, and yes, I'm an orc. The old Duke was kind enough to take me in when I was a pup. Long story." From his tone, he's not looking forward to having to tell it again to yet another stranger.

"Knight Captain Clarissa sent me here for a weapon," you say, giving Roderick the requisition form.

"Lost your own, did you?" Roderick says, squinting at the piece of paper.

"In a manner of speaking."

"Well, the paperwork's fine, so take your pick." Roderick opens the door to the armoury, revealing the contents within, along with a blast of the smell of iron, leather, and oil.

>[2/?]

You take your time among the racks of weapons, trying to hide your indecision with the air of a picky shopper.

You're confident in your close-quarters work, especially with something small, sharp, and stabby. You can also pin a fly at twenty paces with a throwing dart, and have indeed done so on occasion due to utter boredom on your journey here.

You get the feeling neither of these are particularly knightly.

Swords are knightly, right? The ones arrayed here are certainly well-maintained, and appear to be of exceptional quality. Very impressive and shiny, and a good replacement for the one you're supposed to have.

Or you could try a bludgeoning weapon like a mace or flail. Probably not the flail; you don't want to brain yourself by accident. But you can't imagine swinging a heavy weight on a stick will be especially complicated.

A polearm might be another option. They train the guards in it, so it should be simple enough to pick up and learn. Or so you hope.

> Choose a sword
> Choose a mace
> Choose a halberd
> Ask if there are any daggers
> Ask about other weapons (specify)

>>35529392
sweet we got a looks like we got a Orc bro

>>35529425
> Ask about other weapons (A push dagger)

>>35529425
>sword

I guess that might be the best choice if we're playing at being a person of lordly caliber, and we already got our stilettos

>>35529425
>> Choose a halberd

>>35529425
> Choose a mace

>>35529425
>> Ask about other weapons (specify)
Chakram
We Totally-Not-Elf-Xena now

>>35529425
> Ask about other weapons (specify)
Warhammer

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>>35529425
>> Choose a sword
>> Choose a halberd
Por que no los dos?

>>35529425
Ask the orc if he has any ideas.

>>35529425
> Choose a mace

>>35529425
Swort swords should be close to our style while being more knightly, let's get those.

sword guy here, changing vote to halberd

>>35529609
*Short

>>35529425
>>35529577 Me changing to
A mace.

>>35529425
>> Choose a halberd
We've Stilettos for CQC

>>35529425
> Choose a sword

MAXIMUM KNIGHT.

>>35529425
>>35529694
We've got no basis on using swords. No skill in them. Mace/halbred is best bet.

>>35529716
Decent basis in blades and short ranges, which is why I'm suggesting short swords.

>>35529716
And where did you get any of that from?

>>35529716
>no basis on using swords
>had a sword
>have stilettos
what

>>35529818
Sword was most likely a lie.

So... stilettos train you how to use a sword? Are you dreaming?

>>35529769
Using a stiletto and using a sword are two totally different things. Knife fighting=/=sword fighting

>>35529793
Different guy.. but I really want a mace. Everyone always wants a friggen sword. Why no love for maces?

>>35529890
Because they are heavy and given that our protag isn't that big she'll have fatigue issues with it?

>>35529925
So she'll have to get stronk! She's a little girl in any case most of these weapons are terrible choices and she should stick with the dirks.

>>35529425
>> Choose a halberd

>see typical silly discussion about inferior weaponry
>intrigued
>only few intelligents have posted the best weapon
Then again, a few is better than none

>>35529963
In short STRONK! GET MACE! GET RIPPED WRECK THINGS!

An elf would never choose a mace. It's.. unelven!

>>35529983
cmon man I chose the halberd to, but there's no need to get people riled up

>>35529425
At the moment we'll likely have to 2 hand any of these to use them well, so go for short sword and shield or halberd. We'd be more effective with them than the arming sword or mace.

>>35530011
Careful he may turn his fedoras gaze towards you.

As far as you can tell, a halberd is essentially a blade on a long stick. There's something about the idea of keeping enemies at a distance that appeals to you.

You pick up the nearest halberd, and almost drop it on your foot, recovering from the fumble at the last moment.

That's... a bit heavier than you expected. Not so heavy as to be unusable, but this might take a while to get used to.

You realize that you have no idea how to use this weapon. Of course, the same could be said for most of the other weapons on display, so it's not as though you have a lot of choice.

Roderick watches you with some amusement. "Having trouble?"

"No, I'm fine," you say quickly. "Just a little, er... just need a little more practice."

"You sure you want that?" Roderick says. "You only get the one pick per requisition form. That's the rules. And, uh, I wouldn't want to waste the Knight Captain's time with fooling around, if I were you."

> Yes, I'm taking this polearm, it'll be fine
> I've been thinking of trying something new anyway
> Distract him by asking about his story

>>35530265
> Yes, I'm taking this polearm, it'll be fine

I have to go now for RL stuff. Will be back tomorrow.

Also I have no idea how to archive to suptg and may have messed it up.

>>35530265
>> Yes, I'm taking this polearm, it'll be fine

persistence and guts

>>35530265
Im not used to heavier weapons as of yet. Anything you'd advise for me?

>>35530265
>> Yes, I'm taking this polearm, it'll be fine

>>35530265
>> Yes, I'm taking this polearm, it'll be fine
Fine, whatever

>>35530337
k thanks for the quest running

>>35530349
>>35530372
Samefag much?

>>35530265
> I've been thinking of trying something new anyway

>>35530265
> Distract him by asking about his story

>>35529862
I'm suggesting fighting with long knives.
Reinforced, considering: >>35530265
Heavy is going to be an issue.

>>35530489
I'd concede for the short sword but halberd has apparently taken over.

>>35530508
We seem to have been given a chance to reconsider.

>>35530265
>A mace, then.

Just ask the orc if we can have a more size appropriate weapon guys.

>>35530337
Guys p. sure thread over for tonight and weapon voting will continue in next thread's op

>>35530337
Only thing you missed was putting your name as a tag

Keep the halberd imo
We will learn to use it and eventually look awesome

>>35530265
HONEST! he is the quartermaster, he can help
>I am an expert with the dagger and the dart, but neither is on offer here and neither is a very knightly weapon. Today is my first day as a squire. I thought the polearm would be a good idea, which do you recommend?

>See a shadowy figure sneaking towards a corridor
>Ask what is down that corridor, be told its where the prince, who is still a little boy, is schooled.
>Don't tell anyone about what we saw
this won't end well

>>35531548
This. Why didn't we just ask for help?

>>35531548
this

>>35531580
>Not thinking it's actually the prince
>Not catching him later and teaching him how to be a rogue

>>35531548
nothing wrong with this, I suppose. Still prefer mace because we would need to drop the halberd if we switch to daggers.

>>35531548
>>I am an expert with the dagger and the dart, but neither is on offer here and neither is a very knightly weapon. Today is my first day as a squire. I thought the polearm would be a good idea, which do you recommend?
This.

>>35531548
I support this course of action for next thread.

>>35531548
I'll also support this.

>>35531548
This is a very good idea.

I still just wanna roll with a halberd

Holy carp the thread is still around after nine hours. I'll continue here, then.

Also, writing for
>>35530348
>>35531548

"I'm actually not used to a heavier weapon," you say. "It's my first day as a squire, and-"

"Knight-apprentice," Roderick says, almost on reflex. Looks like it's something common to Alvar, given Anders' similar reaction.

"Knight-apprentice," you correct yourself, "and I thought the polearm would be a good choice. What would you recommend?"

Roderick scratches his chin. "Shouldn't you have something you're already good at by now? Getting approval to be a knight-apprentice isn't something just anyone can achieve."

"Long story," you say, echoing his own words.

"Fair enough." Roderick gestures to the weapon racks. "Truth to tell, assuming Clarissa doesn't just toss you back out onto the streets, you'll get enough training to handle whatever you pick. How good you'll get depends on your own hard work, of course. Still, it's a good idea to think about what you want to do, once you become a knight."

"I have a choice?"

"The Knight Captain has a choice," Roderick clarifies. "I've noticed a trend in the way she assigns duties, based on what gets issued from my stores. Take the mace, for example; you'll probably be sent out to pacify and patrol the areas around the city, like Sir Donovan and his warhammer. It's a practical weapon for bashing skulls in, but not much of subtlety."

>[1/?]

Roderick points to the line of halberds. "Polearms, like pikes and lances, means guard duty. Lots and lots of guard duty. For all that they're a good choice for warfare, that's not really an issue in this day and age, even with the recent troubles with Ayrich. You need to be out somewhere with enough space to swing that thing around, and it's a good idea to train in a side weapon like a sword for other situations. For example, Clarissa's best at the spear, but she's not bad with a shortsword as well. The advantage of the polearm is you have plenty of options for taking down a foe, often without killing them. The disadvantage is you need to know what you're doing, and from what I can tell, you don't."

Not as though you can deny this, so you remain silent.

"Swords are more about having than using," Roderick continues. "Obviously you'll need to get good at them, or you'll be in heaps of trouble when you do have to use them. But a lot of times I see the guardsmen return their swords for the day unused, since just having one out in plain sight gives a certain unmistakable authority. You'll probably be attached to the Watch, or assigned as a bodyguard to the Duke or his son. In-city work, most of the time, where you're dealing with people who know what a sword means, even if they don't always care."

>[2/3]

You consider your options. "If I pick one, am I stuck with that choice?"

"Of course not. Like I said, it's a good idea to train in more than one weapon, but you still need to start somewhere. You look like you can handle yourself, so you've got the bare basics down. Everything else is a matter of training, which is up to you." Roderick frowns. "And Clarissa's temper. Wish I knew what's the matter with her. Whatever it is that's been bothering her, it hasn't been good for morale." He shakes his head. "Never mind that. What'll it be?"

> I'll stick with the halberd, thanks. Guard duty sounds relaxing.
> The mace could give me a chance to explore the wilderness around Alvar. I might find something interesting out there.
> On second thought, I'm more comfortable in the city, and the sword seems like it has the most options for my potential duties.
> Actually, my experience has mostly been with smaller knives, if you know what I mean.

>>35538920
>I'll stick with the halberd thanks

>>35538920
> On second thought, I'm more comfortable in the city, and the sword seems like it has the most options for my potential duties.

>>35538920

Somewhere between these two
>> On second thought, I'm more comfortable in the city, and the sword seems like it has the most options for my potential duties.
>> Actually, my experience has mostly been with smaller knives, if you know what I mean.


Guard duty sounds booring.

>>35538920
> I'll stick with the halberd, thanks. Guard duty sounds relaxing.

>>35538942
This.

Amazing as halberds are, it doesn't really seem to fit our body type, fighting style, or goals.

The sword jobs seem more likely to get us noticed, and a blade is at least more similar to knives than a pole-arm is. A thrusting sword would be a good fit.

>>35538942
Sounds good.

>>35538920
> On second thought, I'm more comfortable in the city, and the sword seems like it has the most options for my potential duties.

>>35538920
> I'll stick with the halberd, thanks. Guard duty sounds relaxing.
Its a thankless job, but you see and hear alot of things most people don't doing it because we phase into the background.

>>35538920
>On second thought, I'm more comfortable in the city, and the sword seems like it has the most options for my potential duties.

>>35538920
> I'll stick with the halberd, thanks. Guard duty sounds relaxing.
Besides, we can meet up with those nice guards we saw on the way in.

>>35539055
This

Halberd:
>>35538932
>>35538962
>>35539055
>>35539090
>>35539091

Sword:
>>35538934
>>35538942
>>35538971
>>35538978
>>35539026
>>35539079

Really close vote.

I have to get the next part done, though, so closing the vote and writing for sword.

>>35539166
Can't we just do halbard with sword subtraing then?

>>35538920
> On second thought, I'm more comfortable in the city, and the sword seems like it has the most options for my potential duties.

I want a shortsword.

You replace the halberd on the rack. "On second thought, I'm more comfortable working in the city." And picking a sword seems like it would open up more possibilities for your duties, including having an excuse to wander wherever you want.

After some thought, you pick something simple from the collection of swords. Short, well-balanced, and undecorated steel, albeit as shiny as every other sword. It feels as unfamiliar in your hands as the halberd did, which is probably not a good sign, but at least you don't cut yourself with the blade.

"By the way," you say slowly, "do you have anything along the lines of daggers or short knives? I'm more experienced with those, so to speak."

Roderick looks surprised, which is an unsettling expression to see on an orc's face, no matter how friendly. "I don't have as good a selection of those," he admits, "but they're available for any guardsman on patrol, so I've got the quantity, if not the quality."

He's right; the daggers are sharp and functional, but not especially varied. You pick out two at random, which does further interesting things to Roderick's surprised expression. He keeps his opinions to himself, which is probably more worrying than his face.

As you sign out your weapons with a convincingly illegible scribble, Roderick intones a litany of rules and regulations about the proper care and maintenance of swords. The sword is now assigned to you, and Roderick makes a note of that in his ledger, but you'll have to return it to the armoury every night. The daggers, on the other hand, you can keep.

"And once Clarissa confirms your apprentice-ship, come back here to get fitted for your armour," he adds. "The training weapons are out around the back, and free for the taking. Put them back once you're done, though."

While you wait for Clarissa, you take the opportunity to make a few practice swings with your new sword out in the courtyard. Not too bad, but your inexperience is clear.

>[1/2]

File: Quest-Clarissa-spear.png (574 KB, 702x1080)

574 KB PNG

Clarissa finally arrives, a little earlier than scheduled. She nods in greeting. "Nicole. Roderick."

"Captain," you reply, sheathing the sword.

"Is that your weapon?" From the look on her face, she's singularly unimpressed.

"Er, yes." You essay a small bow. "I'm not very good at this, but I hope you'll be patient with me during training."

For the first time, Clarissa quirks a tiny smile. "And I hope you'll pay attention during training. We all have to start somewhere. For today, I want to see what I have to work with."

Roderick, with the wisdom of an old quartermaster, is already waiting with two wooden practice swords in hand. You pass your steel sword to him to hold for the practice.

Clarissa salutes with her wooden sword with the gravitas of a veteran duelist. You attempt to copy the gesture, with some success.

"Try hitting me," she says.

> roll 1d20, best of three

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>35539335

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>35539335
Rollan

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>35539335

>>35539351
That works.

>>35539351
Heheheheheh
>>35539354
Not bad either

>>35539351
Weeeeelll....

>>35539351
That could could also be bad, couldn't it?

>>35539388
What, we're so good with the sword that we're suspiciously too good?

>>35539388
No? Unless we're rolling for our opponent, which is just silly.

>>35539397
>>35539398

I mean, a wooden practice sword can still hurt someone if you hit the right place.

>>35539388
Yeah. She'll think we're amazingly good and give us harder assignments.

>>35539424
Eh, I doubt she'll hold it against us.

>>35539431
No, she'll think it's beginners luck. Which it is.

Though even if we did get harder assignments, that's a good thing. You don't want to deploy your plot armored quest protagonists somewhere easy.

You grip the sword in your hand. A faint niggling sensation itches at the back of your mind, as though you're on the verge of recalling something.

"Any time now," Clarissa calls out, stifling a yawn. Not theatrical, but genuine; the Knight Captain really does seem tired.

An opportunity to exploit.

You circle Clarissa, who easily keeps you in her field of vision. "You're light on your feet," she says approvingly. "But you will have to get used to full armour before-"

She doesn't get to finish her sentence, because you're on her in a flash. She manages to get her sword up to parry your lunge just in time, and you deflect her riposte by sheer reflex.

"Good reflexes," she says, looking slightly more energized. "This might be interesting."

You have no intention of making this last long enough to be interesting for her.

Moving on some instinct you cannot identify, you close in for the attack once more. Time slows, and you slap away Clarissa's sword with your own. She twists to bring her sword back in play, but you move with her, hook your foot with hers, and jerk hard.

Clarissa falls, and your sword is pointed at her throat.

The world comes back into focus for you. Which is a good thing, because you have no idea how you did what you just did.

"I yield," Clarissa says, dropping her sword. She holds out her hand, and you help her back up.

"You fight dirty," she says with a smile. "Your form is nothing like I have ever seen, but it suits you well. I do not think I've been bested so quickly since... well, since ever. Are you certain you need training from me?"

> "Beginner's luck, I'm afraid. I'll need more instruction before I can do that consistently."
> "Well, sometimes I have good days, sometimes I have bad days. This is a good day."
> "I hope this lays to rest any doubts about my qualifications as a knight."

>>35539547
>> "Beginner's luck, I'm afraid. I'll need more instruction before I can do that consistently."

>>35539547
> "Beginner's luck, I'm afraid. I'll need more instruction before I can do that consistently."

>>35539547
>"Beginner's luck, I'm afraid. I'll need more instruction before I can do that consistently."

>>35539547
>> "Beginner's luck, I'm afraid. I'll need more instruction before I can do that consistently."

Something about being better with a dagger. We said as much to ork-dude already.

>>35539547
> "Well, sometimes I have good days, sometimes I have bad days. This is a good day."

"Beginner's luck, I'm afraid," you say with some modesty, and a tinge of desperation. Not getting thrown out of the palace for incompetence is good, but not standing out too much is also desirable. "I'll need more instruction before I can do that consistently."

"There is such a thing as too much humility, Nicole," Clarissa says without rancour. "I can see why you were recommended to be a knight."

Good, she's much friendlier to you now. It would be very awkward to share accomodations with someone who didn't like you very much.

"We'll start you off with something simple for now," Clarissa says. "I shall draw up a training regimen for the week. You already know which end of the sword is which, so we can focus on form and stance. Any more of that beginner's luck, however, and I might be the one asking you for training."

You consider tittering dutifully at the obvious joke, but Clarissa seems strangely serious about that.

"You'll spend your mornings here," she continues, "and afternoons in lessons; being a knight is not merely about martial prowess. After that, depending on what you show aptitude in, I will assign you your duties." She lowers her voice to a mutter. "And after this week, you'll be William's problem, not mine."

William is, you recall from your eavesdropping, the knight accompanying the Duke to that meeting in the kingdom's capital. "What is Sir William like?"

Clarissa hesitates, and you can almost visibly see her choosing her words with care. "Try not to make him angry," she finally says. "And for what it is worth, you have my apologies and sympathies."

Ominous.

"We'll end today's training here," Clarissa says. "It's about time for lunch. Is there anything else you would like to ask? Any other secret skills you'd like to reveal?"

> "Well, there's this thing I like to do with darts..."
> "Not much, sorry. But I was also thinking about training with a polearm like the halberd."
> Pick her pocket. (1d20, best of three)

>>35539766
> "Well, there's this thing I like to do with darts..."
I'm not even sure what this means

>>35539166
huh, not a lot of mace?

>>35539766
>"Not much, sorry. But I was also thinking about training with a polearm like the halberd."
We already have the daggers

>>35539808
making sure we're stocked on throwing weapons.

>>35539766
>> "Well, there's this thing I like to do with darts..."

>>35539808
It means revealing we can hit flies with darts. Cause that is cool and useful.

>>35539825
>We already have the daggers
*so let's not make her any more suspicious of us.

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>35539766
>> Pick her pocket. (1d20, best of three)
>> "Well, there's this thing I like to do with darts..."

We ARE a thief.

>>35539839
>*so let's not make her any more suspicious of us.
I like how people are trying to avoid suspicion because our character was despite having no idea why we're trying to avoid it.

>>35539766
>"Not much, sorry. But I was also thinking about training with a polearm like the halberd."

>>35539851
There's probably quite a few reasons we're trying to avoid suspicion, which seem to include stealing a knight recommendation and being an elf.

>>35539851
of course

Because I plan on being suspicious in other ways, like getting friendly with the prince.No, not that way, get your mind out of the gutter. Royalty has power and connections and stuff.

>>35539766
> "Well, there's this thing I like to do with darts..."

>>35539851
Yeah. I really wish I knew more about the character we're playing.

>>35539766
> "Well, there's this thing I like to do with darts..."

I wonder what it could be, besides throwing them.

>>35539766
>> "Not much, sorry. But I was also thinking about training with a polearm like the halberd."
Seems like a great opportunity to /not/ reveal our hidden talents with darts whilst getting instruction with the halberd

You hesitate for a moment, before deciding. What could it hurt? Besides, it might raise your competence level in the eyes of the Knight Captain.

"Well, there's this thing I like to do with darts," you say, reaching into the pouch at your belt for a few.

Clarissa frowns when she sees the deadly-looking slivers of metal in your hand. "Those aren't game darts."

"No," you confirm, "they're not." They had been once, but endless fiddling and customizations had made them your own. On the downside, each dart took a while to create.

You turn to face the training dummies at the edge of the courtyard. "Roderick, if you would please step aside? A bit further, thanks; I don't want any accidents."

Clarissa folds her arms, waiting expectantly.

At this range, hitting the targets would be easy. You consider making a show of it, but settle for a no-frills demonstration.

After a moment, Clarissa walks to the training dummy, where five darts now sprout: two where the eyes would be, and three in the heart.

"I see," she says mildly, pulling out the darts. She walks back to you, and drops the darts in your hand. "Have you ever done this to any living being?"

> "Only insects. And trees. I just wanted to test my skills."
> "I had to hunt for my food on the way here. I made sure it didn't suffer, though."
> "There was a bandit."
> "I'd rather not talk about it."

>>35540294
>> "I had to hunt for my food on the way here. I made sure it didn't suffer, though."
>"Also insects when I got bored at night"

>>35540294
> "Only insects. And trees. I just wanted to test my skills."

>>35540294
seconding >>35540306

>>35540260
a shame you were too late.

>>35540294
>"Only insects. And trees. I just wanted to test my skills."
I'm totally not an assassin Senpai! I just want you to notice me is all!

>>35540294
> "There was a bandit... I'd rather not talk about it."

>>35540320
Aye, that's what happens when I try to combine thread participation with wandering around outside. Fortunately back home now so I can promote halberd use wherever possible

>>35540306
Thirding

Since we're using a short sword a shield to go with it would be nice.

>>35540461
If we can throw darts with our off-hand, a shield might be more trouble than it's worth. But I suppose whoever is training us knows best.

Hey this is going again?

>>35540306
I'll go with this.

You stow the darts back into the pouch. "I had to hunt for my food on the way to Alvar," you say in as neutral a tone as you can manage. "I made sure they didn't suffer, though. Other than that, just insects. And trees, I suppose; I just wanted to test my skills at first."

Clarissa nods, your answer having passed muster. "It was not what I had been expecting from a candidate for knighthood," she says. "Where did you learn to do that?"

This was getting into territory you'd rather not have anyone else explore just yet, if ever. "It's just something I picked up, Captain. I had a lot of time to practice." Quick, change the subject. "You mentioned lunch?"

"Hm? Oh, you must be hungry," Clarissa says. "I'll show you to the kitchens. Roderick, will you be joining us?"

Roderick grins, giving you a new appreciation for the degrees of scariness that lie in the face of an orc. "I've still got some of that jerky left from this morning. I'll drop by the kitchens later for a snack; got a bit of work to be done. Some of the new guard recruits are hard on their equipment."

"I shall put in a word with them," Clarissa promises.

"And I'll hold onto our new recruit's sword," he adds. "Clean it up a bit. You can't bring a sword into the kitchens, anyway." Surprisingly, he makes no mention of the daggers you had secreted about your person earlier.

"Thank you, Roderick," you say. If he isn't going to say anything, neither are you.

>[1/?]

>>35540660
wait, why NOT give them back?

we still have the OTHER two stiletto knives, right? Rather, is 4 concealed knives a bit too much?

>>35540692
Too many concealed knives? No such thing!

>>35540692
No amount of (concealed) knives is too much for an El- er, a human a human.

>>35540714
Hurray for QM being ambiguous on what and who exactly we are.

>>35540727
we'll get there when we get there, be patient.

Clarissa leads you through the palace to the kitchens, pointing out important locations along the way, such as your new quarters. These are on the second floor of the palace, across the Great Hall from the conference room where it all began.

"The living quarters are all in that wing," Clarissa explains. "Servants on the ground floor, administrative staff on the second floor, and the Duke, his family, and his personal retainers on the third."

"I think I might need a map," you confess.

Clarissa raises an eyebrow. "The library should have a copy. I'll show you there later; you will be spending quite some time there with your studies."

"Who'll be my teachers?"

"I will, for one. I've been tutoring the Duke's son, after all; one more student should not be a burden." Clarissa ticks off names on her fingers. "David, Elise, Sister Simone... you'll meet them soon enough. Only Elise is in the palace at the moment, though."

>[2/?]

>>35540737
I didn't mean that in a negative tone, perhaps I should've put an exclamation mark instead of a full stop.

>>35539883
>>35540727
I think the whole "unknown background, but hell if it doesn't exist" is actually a thing for this quest. And I suspect it's not just going to be "we'z be a thief and have stolen knighthood", despite how heavily it's implied. I'm rooting for elven spy, and maybe even magically sleeping agent (which would explain why we know how to fight, despite not, well, knowing how to fight).

Of course, now that I said that, fate forbid that I'm right, but still.

The palace kitchens are in an annex to the residential wing, and obviously designed under the philosophy that a well-fed staff was a happy staff. Unlike the rest of the palace, the kitchens are bustling with people, and the food was being laid out on the tables next to the cooking area itself. Many of the palace's remaining servants are already here, chatting and eating. Some of them look up and wave at Clarissa before returning their attention to their lunch; Clarissa returns the waves with a fixed smile.

Some of the servants had already finished their food. You catch a glimpse of the elf maid from this morning, scurrying away to wash her dishes. She doesn't appear to have noticed you.

"The Duke isn't big on formalities," Clarissa says. "He likes to have dinner in the proper dining halls, but for lunch and when he's not around, we're free to just eat here in the kitchen."

Lunch is some kind of thick stew, filling and nutritious and making it hard to move after you've eaten. You take a small portion; you're not really that hungry. Clarissa loads her plate high; when the two of you sit at a table, she efficiently begins demolishing the mountain of food in front of her.

She does slow down once half the food is gone. "You intrigue me, Nicole," she says. "It's clear that you are no stranger to fighting, and the letter from Sir Bernhard speaks well of your character. But, and I hope you will forgive me for saying so, you are not from around here. Why come to Wellsbet, to Alvar, to be a knight?"

> Make up a boring story
> Make up a ridiculous story (roll 1d20, lower of two)
> Avoid the question, change the subject

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>35540762
> Make up a ridiculous story (roll 1d20, lower of two)
This could be fun.
Not funny, just fun.

>>35540762
>> Make up a boring story
Yea, we totally spy now.

>>35540762
Do we know Sir Bernhard well? Is he the kinda guy who would send us to help out with their current staffing problem?

>> Make up a ridiculous story (roll 1d20, lower of two)
Or a literal prophecy that we aren't even sure is true?

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>35540771
This.
>"I heard there were dragons in the area. When I was but a wee elfling - I MEAN HUMANCHILD - my family were carried off by a dragon never to be seen again! So I vowed that day to become a knight, for what better occupation to slay dragons? And to come to Wellsbet, where they are rumoured to be... near..."

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>35540762
>> Make up a ridiculous story (roll 1d20, lower of two)

>>35540762

> Make up a boring story

Too many questions for my liking.

>>35540794
Haha fuck.
>>35540795
If only you rolled sooner.

>>35540762
>Make up a boring story

>>35540791
ABORT ABORT

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>35540795
Why weren't you 12 seconds faster? You could have saved us from me! >>35540794

I console myself with the fact I rolled the >>35539351

>>35540762
why isn't tell the truth an option

I want a new protagonist. (not really)

>>35540794
Well, at least she can't think that we're a good liar after that.

>>35540894
"all according to keikaku"

note: keikaku means plan

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>35540920
keikaku doori...

"Well," you say slowly, "it began with the dragon, the wizard, the paladin, and the band of elven pirates that-"

"Stop," Clarissa says. "Just... stop. Never mind. I should have known better than to ask." She eyes you without favour. "That sense of humour of yours is going to be a problem, if you keep this up. Learn to tell better stories, or learn to remain silent."

That didn't go well.

You finish your meal in awkward silence. Despite having several times more stew than you did, Clarissa finishes first.

"I have some more paperwork to deal with," she says, standing and collecting her plate. "You are free to do what you wish for the rest of the day. You remember where our quarters are? Then I will see you tonight."

No escort to the library, it seems. Maybe you can make your way there yourself. It would also be a good opportunity to explore the palace.

> Head for the library
> Wander around the palace until you encounter something or someone interesting
> Go back to the training courtyard and chat with Roderick
> Wasn't there that shadow earlier this morning...?

>>35540751
I'm leaning toward something bigger. From a lot of the careful phrasing and a couple of our answers, I feel like maybe we have been to this area before, but so long ago no one here remembers. Which leads into many wonderful question of what we did before, and what happened between (which seems like there is a time skip between those points), and why we've arranged to return, and how did Bernhard factor in, and what might it have to do with the recent troubles?

>>35540939
> Wander around the palace until you encounter something or someone interesting

EXPLORAN, what shadow, we gotta explore.

>>35540939
>Wasn't there that shadow earlier this morning...?
may as well get it over with.

>>35540939
>> Head for the library
Might as well take a look, seems to be the main point of interest for visitors for some reason.

>>35540939
>Wasn't there that shadow earlier this morning...?

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>35540939
>> Head for the library

>>35540939
>Wasn't there that shadow earlier this morning...?

>>35540943
We'd be timeless ? Maybe. I just hope it's not going to escalate too quickly. I'm a sucker for slow development. Like, MGQ level of slow development.

Your attempt to wash your own plate is intercepted by a fussy matron of a maid, who takes possession of your plate with impressive force. Apparently knights, even apprentices, are not expected to do their own dishes.

Left to your own devices, you decide to satisfy your curiosity into the minor mystery of that furtive shadow this morning.

The stairwell in question is one of four in the Great Hall, located at each of its corners. These provide for easy access to the four quadrants of each floor from the ones above and below, rather than requiring the unfortunate servant to circumnavigate the length of the Great Hall.

This stairwell is one of the newer additions to the palace, judging from the difference in wear in the stonework. Which means it is about fifty years old instead of a few hundred, a difference that may or may not be significant to someone with more architectural knowledge and interest than yourself.

Ascending to the second floor, you see a row of four doorways down the corridor. The corridor itself is fairly wide, and provides a good view of the Great Hall below. A line of benches indicates that this may be a throwback to the ancient days when the palace was a cathedral, complete with sermons for the nobility.

You reason that as an apprentice knight, you are now an official member of the palace staff, and you are therefore allowed to try any doorknobs you encounter on no basis stronger than mere curiosity.

>[1/2]

Disappointingly, three of the four rooms turn out to be empty. The first two are clearly classrooms; one has seen recent use, while another contains little education but quite a bit of dust. The fourth room is well-lit, well-aired, and devoid of furniture except for a couple of chairs. Judging from the myriad scuff marks on the floor, this may be the scene of music and dance lessons.

The third room on this side of the second floor is locked. You strain your senses in front of it, but you don't hear anyone inside. Maybe it's a broom closet.

Up to the third floor, which shows signs of promise: of the four doorways, two are closed and locked, the nearest one is open but contains only crates and sacks, and the furthest doorway is not only ajar, but contains at least one person who likes to hum a quiet tune while they work.

There is also an enclosed stone bridge leading to another stairwell. That must be the wizard's tower Anders had mentioned.

> Check on the humming person
> Climb the wizard's tower
> There's nothing mysterious and shadowy here, let's go back down and head to the library

>>35541295
> Climb the wizard's tower

WIZARDS!

>>35541295
>Climb the wizard's tower

>>35541295
>Check on the humming person
or library, I suppose

> Climb the wizard's tower
Wizards are mysterious

>>35541295
>> Check on the humming person
Introductions!

>>35541295
>Humming person
Do it all stealthily. We ninja nao

>>35541295
> Check on the humming person

So.. we're not entering the wizard's magical realm?

>>35541558
I voted wizard but I realise now that it's probably best to go after hummer first, the wizards tower can be visited whenever (probably) whereas the hummer may well never feature again

>>35541295
>Go to the humming person
>Follow the sweet siren song
>surely OP won't kill us off this early. :D

You don't recognize the tune being hummed, but that's not surprising; you're not familiar with the local music. It's a cheerful song, happy and sweet and slightly off-key.

You slip into the room silently. You're good at not being noticed when you don't want to, and you hardly needed the handicap of the person you're sneaking up on being engrossed in whatever they were doing.

The sole occupant of the room turned out to be a young boy, seated at a desk facing the window, hunched over a book. The rest of the room looked like the sort of space the term "Miscellaneous Items" might be suitably applied to. Whatever efforts to tidy the place had been made in the past, they evidently had not succeeded.

You pad over to the boy. You can't quite make out the pages of the book, but you can see that it contains plenty of complicated-looking illustrations.

The boy still hasn't noticed you.

"Um," you say.

The effect is immediate and gratifying. The boy jumped about a foot into the air with a yelp of alarm, and fell off his chair, sweeping the book off the table in the process. Oddly enough, he seems more concerned with hiding the book and its contents from you than the fact that a strange young woman had effectively materialized out of nowhere behind him.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-"

It looks like he's having trouble breathing out of sheer shock.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-"

"I'm sorry," you say, crouching down. "I didn't mean to startle you." A blatant lie, but probably passable under the circumstances. "Are you all right?"

The boy swallowed hard, finally finding his voice again. "Who are you?"

> "I'm Nicole. I'm a new knight-apprentice. Are you sure you're all right?"
> "I heard the sound of someone humming, and I was curious. Sorry if I interrupted something."
> "I'm the bad witch that eats naughty boys."

>>35541688
> "I'm Nicole. I'm a new knight-apprentice. Are you sure you're all right?"
> "I heard the sound of someone humming, and I was curious. Sorry if I interrupted something."

>>35541688
>turned out to be a young boy
called it, time to make friends with the prince and teach him rogueish stuff.

> "I'm Nicole. I'm a new knight-apprentice. Are you sure you're all right?"

> "I'm Nicole. I'm a new knight-apprentice. Are you sure you're all right?"

>>35541688
> "I'm Nicole. I'm a new knight-apprentice. Are you sure you're all right?"
Our jokes apparently suck shit, so.

>>35541688
>> "I'm Nicole. I'm a new knight-apprentice. Are you sure you're all right?"
>> "I heard the sound of someone humming, and I was curious. Sorry if I interrupted something."
Whatcha reading?

>>35541688
>"I'm Nicole, new squi-ehr...wait, that still came out as squire."

File: Quest-Victor.png (2.1 MB, 1495x3862)

2.1 MB PNG

You help the boy up. He looks like he's about twelve; human, brown hair, and dressed in fancy but comfortable-looking clothes.

"I'm Nicole," you introduce yourself. "I'm a new squire- uh, knight-apprentice. Just joined up today. Are you sure you're all right?"

"Um, y-yes." The boy dusts himself off and takes several deep, calming breaths. He's still holding that book behind his back, though. "I'm Victor Theodor ain Alvar. But, uh, please just call me Victor."

The Duke's son. You're not familiar enough with the tangle of royal lines of Wellsbet and its neighbouring countries to tell how high he is in the social hierarchy, but he has to be pretty important in his own right, especially in the ducal palace of his hereditary domain.

You bow respectfully, which just makes him roll his eyes. "Please, don't do that. It always makes me feel really weird. Look, I hereby order you to call me Victor, and forget about all the bowing and stuff. Okay? Please?"

"As you wish, Victor. I was just passing by, when I heard someone humming. I was curious, so I peeked in." You eye the book Victor is holding. "I apologize if I interrupted something."

His high, boyish voice goes up half an octave. "What, t-this? Oh, it's nothing. Nothing at all. Don't worry about it. I was, er, I wasn't doing anything."

... you're not sure why, but watching Victor squirm is kind of entertaining.

> Ask about the book
> Ask what this room is, and why he's up here
> It's obviously something private, leave him be

> Ask about the book
Gonna have to try harder than that if you don't wanna pique our attention laddy.

>>35541913
> It's obviously something private, leave him be

>>35541913
>> Ask about the book
>> Ask what this room is, and why he's up here
Curiosity, ho!

>>35541913
> Ask about the book
Sure.

>>35541913
>Ask if he always sneaks around like this
>Ask what this room is. Is this is his hideout?

>>35541913
>Ask what this room is, and why he's up here

>>35541913
> Ask about the book
> Ask what this room is, and why he's up here
I also want to be curious

"Could I have a look at that book?" you ask, holding an inviting hand out.

Victor just shrinks away. "I'd... I'd really rather not. Really. It's nothing, it's totally nothing, nothing you need to worry about..."

Hm. "I promise not to tell anyone. On my honour as a knight. Well, knight-apprentice."

This seems to have an effect. Victor stares at you with newfound respect, giving you the impression that you should probably be more careful how you phrase your promises.

"Promise?" he says in a small voice.

Can't back out now. "Promise," you confirm.

Victor looks around quickly, and rushes over to the door. He pokes his head out to make sure that nobody else is around, then shuts the door firmly. He leans against the door for a moment, eyes shut, gathering his courage.

At least you know the mysterious shadow from this morning couldn't have been Victor. The kid cannot tell any lie without arousing even more suspicion, which, come to think of it, might be something you have in common with him, given on your conversations with Clarissa. Unlike yourself, however, Victor is also rubbish at subterfuge.

"Is this room your hideout?" you ask, in a sudden burst of inspiration.

Victor smiles shyly. "Yeah. Nobody ever comes up here. It's nice and breezy in the summer, and cozy in the winter. And the light's good for reading, too." He pauses. "Well, obviously the maids know where I am, or they'd call for the guards to come find me. I learned my lesson after the last time. But they also know not to bother me."

Not much of a secret hideout if everyone knows when you're in it, but you keep that thought to yourself. "And the book?"

Victor hands it to you with obvious reluctance. You crack it open to a random page.

>[1/?]

Given an excess of time and study, you could probably decipher the parts written in the common language, but the terminology and jargon are impenetrable. Judging by the scrawl notes in pencil in the margins, Victor had just as rough a time with it.

But the illustrations and diagrams are very well done indeed. Most of the constructions are unfamiliar, but you recognize the basic building blocks.

You close the book, and give it back to Victor. "You're studying magic very hard, I see."

"I'm not supposed to," Victor says confidentially. "Not outside my lessons. It's all theory and math and boring. But I want to do real magic! So I, er... I stole the book from the old court wizard. He was pretty absent-minded, so I don't think he even noticed."

Something about his tone makes you suspect he has a deeply personal reason for his extracurricular studies. "How far have you gotten?"

Victor deflates. "Not very far. I don't know if I'll ever be able to do it." He straightens. "But I'll keep trying!"

Based on what you can tell from your brief glance at the book, it's highly unlikely that Victor will ever be able to use the book of magic for much more than a paperweight.

And yet... something about the magical symbols you did recognize in the book makes you uneasy. These are not the sort of energies an untrained amateur should handle.

> None of our business, and we did make a promise
> Try to convince Victor to give it up
> Tell someone about Victor's studies later, breaking our promise

also

> Change the subject, chat about something else
> Nothing else to do here, let's excuse ourselves and leave

I like the interactive backstory generation OP. You do good work.

>>35542553
> None of our business, and we did make a promise
> Nothing else to do here, let's excuse ourselves and leave

>Suggest we could help try learning it with him
It's necromancy right? He wants to resurrect his dead mother?

>>35542553
How much do we know about magic?

"You sure? I've...seen some of these symbols, and the results weren't pretty."

Can we perhaps offer to steal one for him? Swap this book out for one based on warding, or healing, or basic rituals?

>>35542553
>Convince him this looks pretty dangerous for him to do alone

We aren't going to tell him to stop or break our promise, but there's a reason amateurs don't practice alone.

>>35542553
> None of our business, and we did make a promise

> Change the subject, chat about something else

The weather? Awkward smallchat, and then leave.

>>35542553
> None of our business, and we did make a promise

>>35542553
> None of our business, and we did make a promise
But warn him to be careful

> Nothing else to do here, let's excuse ourselves and leave

>>35542553
"Victor, you might have your reasons for looking into things like that, but I need you to promise me in turn that you won't do anything reckless, at least not without a suitable guard. Magic like that.. seems dangerous. "

Crossed 300 posts. At least the board shouldn't be moving too fast this time of the week.

>>35542928
Nah, it'll take a few hours before the thread falls off

>>35542553
>> None of our business, and we did make a promise
>> Nothing else to do here, let's excuse ourselves and leave

>>35542965
>>35542928
Dunno, it's already page 5.

>>35543030
/tg/ is a pretty slow board.

You're pretty sure that having anything to do with magic will violate your personal rule of keeping a relatively low profile, which will have all sorts of unpleasant consequences for your well-being, safety, and chances of survival. Even admitting to more than a passing knowledge of magic and magical theory is very, very risky.

On the other hand, you also really don't want to see Victor get hurt dabbling in things twelve-year-old boys were not meant to ken.

Handling this sort of situation is far beyond anything you came here to do, anyway. And even in the absolute worst case scenario, it would still be a few more years before Victor might fall victim to anything more dangerous than a papercut.

"How long have you been studying that book, Victor?" you ask.

Victor tilts his head in recollection. "About a year, I guess?"

"That's impressive dedication for a twelve-year-old."

"I'm thirteen," Victor says with some irritation. "I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet. How about you, Nicole?"

Pick a number, any number. "Nineteen."

"You're not that much older than me," Victor says. "And you're already a knight. Well, knight-apprentice. Close enough!"

You hope so too. "Just, uh, be careful with that book, okay? I hear magic can get very dangerous, very quickly."

"I know." Victor's sober acknowledgement is heartening. "I'm being really careful. I want everything to go right, the first time."

Not much else you can do for now. "It's good to meet you, Victor," you say, as you open the door to leave.

Victor waves cheerily. "You too!"

You close the door behind you, and try to shake off the last vestiges of worry. Time to think happier thoughts.

> Let's go see what's up that wizard's tower.
> We still need to visit the library.
> I'm kind of tired. Let's go to my room and take a break until dinner.

>>35543053
>> We still need to visit the library.

>>35543053
>We still need to visit the library.
Let's do everything proper like.

> Let's go see what's up that wizard's tower.
Wizard time!

That's it for today. I'll be back either tomorrow or the day after, and definitely with a new thread, since this one has auto-saged.

Thanks for joining me with this quest.

Also evidently I am not as human as Nicole, given how many times I fail at captcha.

>>35543053
> We still need to visit the library.
Get a map

>>35543089
>Also evidently I am not as human as Nicole, given how many times I fail at captcha.
H-ha-ha, yeah, Nicole is totally human, haha, yeah, yeah...

>>35543089
>Also evidently I am not as human as Nicole
Of course of course, few can be as human as her. She is the very concept of humanity.

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40 KB JPG

>>35543089
>auto-sage