>>39653747
>C) Try to sleep

>>39653747
>A) Head up to the deck

>>39653747
>A) Head up to the deck

>>39653747
Head up.
Please tell me there will be no smut.

>>39653886
No, this is a smut quest. Obviously.

>>39653747
>A) Head up to the deck

>>39653747
>Smoke and think

File: Bosun.jpg (61 KB, 325x780)

61 KB JPG

>>39653814
>>39653869
>>39653786
[For votes we'll be doing first come first serve, unless there are 3 or more responses, then majority wins.]

You pull your shirt on and button it up, tuck it into your trousers, then put your boiled leather doublet and heavy boots on. A glove on your right hand and goggles on your eyes finish the ensemble.

Once on deck you see a few of the crew sitting against the rails or on the stairs smoking nestleweed from Gaspard. The wind's force is largely reduced by the large blade that soars overhead, directing the current to the sails in the back of the Aeroship. You put your goggles in your coat and and catch the sight of the Bosun reading reports from one of his subordinates. You head over to chat with him.

"Good evening, Bosun. What are you doing up so late?" The young man glances up at you sternly for a moment before recognizing who you are, "Ah, Rugerio, good evening. I couldn't sleep so I came up to review the latest news from Gaspard." You nod and lean against the railing in front of him. "What about you," he asks, "Couldn't sleep?"

A) Just felt like a walk
B) No, I couldn't sleep

>>39653913
We are going to fist a lot of people with our metal arm alright.

>>39653886
>He doesn't want to fuck the OP image.

Come on anon, look at those sensual curves, those hard, proud lines. The dirty little slut even has her gun ports open, she's begging for it.

>>39653990

Yeah you're gonna have to change that voting system real quick if yiu turn out to be any good at QMing.

A) Just felt like a walk

>>39653990
Just felt like a walk

>>39654066

"Nothing like that, just felt like stretching my legs." He grins roguishly at you and shoots back, "Oh? Got a metal one of those as well?" You laugh at his jab, "If I did, I'd put it up your arse with that sort of behavior. You may be a Bosun, but that doesn't mean you can't ask for it just like anyone else."

The man chuckles along with you and puts his papers inside his coat, "We should be in Darrow in a few hours, probably around dawn or so. You heading back to the Guild?" You nod and recite the mission you were given, "Board the 'Rachelle' and ensure the crew is successful on its dispersal of the Red Flag Pirates off the coast. Lethal force is authorized. Upon completion, return to Darrow and submit payment." He watches you with a complex expression, responding to you, "You know, Rugerio, I've never met someone who was quite the consummate Guildsman like you. I'm sure the Captain will want to chat with you before he leaves, probably trying to garner some good favor with the Verducci in hopes of lower prices in the future." He finishes the sentence almost conspiratorially and laughs again. You laugh, not because you found it funny, but because he did. A lot of the finer points of interacting with people were like that, and it was something the Master taught you back at the Guild House.

The two of you spend a few minutes chatting back and forth, trading stories, before he stands up, "Well, I've got some landing preparations to make ready before we arrive over shore, it's been good working with you, Rugerio." You nod your head and he heads below decks.

The number of crewman aboard has been reduced to nearly zero at this point as everyone heads back to sleep. You, however, don't feel tired at all, and in fact feel more active than you have since...well, since you last had your medicine two nights ago. You look up at the blade arcing over head and flex your fingers....

>A) Get some energy out
>B) Keep professional and sleep

>>39654283
>A) Get some energy out

>>39654283
>>A) Get some energy out

>>39654283
B

>>39654340

Without thinking about it another second you extend your arm and stretch your fingers as far as they will go and feel the sensation of the cable shoot out from under your wrist, pressurized by the spring that wound as you moved the arm, the piton at the end biting into the blade as you pull down hard, the mechanism reversing and pulling you up. You kick your legs up into the air and whip the piton loose, whipping it towards one of the rigging around the sails. Once it was wrapped around you soar out, towards the slipstream of the winds.

However, you never pass into it, catching another piece of rigging and throwing yourself towards it, your arm's increased strength giving you the power to drag even your full body-weight as if it weren't there.

As you fly through the air, the cable back in its housing again, you roll your shoulder and flex your arm, tightening the spring down as you aim at the deck, the cable jerking you back down to the wooden deck. You release it one more time and slow your descent, winding the cable around a piece of rigging, and then land with a solid sound, hard boots hitting the deck with a satisfying sound. Your heart is racing from the thrill of it as you retract the cable back into its housing and hear a voice behind you.

"I hope you're planning on buffing out that damage to my deck." You turn and see the grizzled old captain walking towards you. His face seemed fixed in a permanent mean scowl, but you can see the mirth under it. "Forgive me Oersky, I thought you were asleep."

The man laughs, a single loud bark like the discharge of a ship's gun, "Not a bad answer, my boy." He walks over to you and leans over to inspect your arm closer, "I never can stop marveling at what creations industry can bring to us. In my day if you lost that arm, it would have stayed lost." You nod politely, "Well, thank the Mother for technology."

(1/2)

>>39654511

He nods and stands upright, looking at you with his steely eyes, "Thank whoever you like, lad, that thing is a masterpiece. Any maintenance required on it? With all the work I have to put my crew on for this damn Aeroship, it's almost not worth it. How bad is it with your arm?" You shrug ambivalently, "Not as much as you'd think, but more than you'd hope." The Captain laughs and produces a weathered pipe and a tightly rolled cigar. He crams the pipe between his thick teeth and chomps down on it, offering you the cigar, "You smoke the nettleweed, boy? I'm sure a Darrowan na'er do well like you is a nettle-fiend."

You are familiar with it, but not more than you've seen on your past few missions. The weed gives a stinging sensation through the body and then a deep relaxing feeling after the stinging stops. You've also seen people hacking up blood after smoking too much of it.

>A) Take the cigar
>B) Politely refuse

(2/2)

>>39654588
>Politely refuse

>>39654778

"No thanks." You say and he shrugs, putting it in his coat. "So, I haven't seen a more helpful Verducci than you. Most of their Guildsmen are so eager for money they don't let a single cut of gold out from their sight or their pockets. Why did you join?"

You think about it, but your mind can't go much further than waking up in that hospital. "It was a while ago," you resolve on saying, "I can't quite remember." He opens his mouth to presumably ask another question, but as he does the ship rocks suddenly and you hear the sound of a heavy impact. The two of you run over to the other side of the ship where you see a dent on the hull. Looking up you see a much smaller ship, it's balloon deployed to keep in a holding position, and its guns being pulled back to reload.

"We're under attack!" The Captain said with a start as he ran over to the helm, grabbed the speaker device and roared into it, "All hands, awake, enemies upon us!" The sounds of activity filled the underbelly of the ship. "Rugerio, I want you to meet the Gatekeeper with Roux, le Sancre, and Jerre-Jaque, board that ship and let's be rid of those damn pirates."

Without a thought you sprint below deck and call out for the men he named, the three of them appearing, fully armed and ready with their armored leather coats and pistols. The four of you head to a small room and hammer on the door, "Keeper! We're coming in."

The four of you barge in and see the bald man clenching his eyes, sweat pouring down his face as he holds his hands up, the room feeling as if it were pushing in on you from all sides, "I'm trying to hold off their Keeper..they're trying to board us." You raise your voice, "The Captain orders you to send us aboard, do as you are told." He opens his eyes and the pressure ceases as he traces a circle in the air, a shimmering silver line appearing where his finger passed before he completed the circle, the same silver color filling the middle before pushes his hand through it.

(1/2)

>>39654952

The now-five of you are dragged into the silver circle and the Keeper's cabin falls away. The five of you appear on the deck of the other ship. The three Aeromen with you immediately fire their pistols at the nearest few men and draw their swords, lunging at the closest foes.

You scan the area as the Keeper scuttles away, trying to keep himself hidden and safe from harm. The entire deck is full of well armed sailors. They notice you and prepare to attack.

[Combat Basics]
[Roll 1d10 for Initiative. We enjoy a +2 bonus due to our surprise. If we get a 7 or higher, it's a successful Ambush and we may act first, with further bonuses.]

Rolled 55 (1d100)

>>39654983

>>39655023
[Gonna assume that's just a 5, so with the +2 that works]

You are too fast for them, however, since the element of surprise is on your side. With a metallic thud your arm locks into place as you shot your piton at a distant man, the metal puncturing into his chest as you pull him close and smash his face, hard, with your metal fist.

Your right hand draws a pistol as you do this and you shoot another one between the eyes, the steam venting from the gun as the pyrethium cools back down.

"Cease fire, Student." You hear a voice and without even thinking of it return your pistol to its holster, rewind your cord, and stand at attention. The Master, your Master in the Verducci Guild, appears from the crowd and you kneel, touching your fists together. "Greetings, Master." He nods and looks at where the other three sailors are being overpowered by the sailors on this ship.

"Good, I'm glad to see you came on the boarding party. They're always so willing to risk Guildsmen." He looks over his shoulder at a few of his crew who appeared from thin air, holding large chests of goods and gold. "Ah, excellent, the cargo is on board. Now, ground that ship." The ship's guns thunder and steam explodes out of the side of the ship you had been serving on.

"Come, Rugerio." The Master's voice is calm, as if he were just walking through the street, and your feet follow him.

You sit down in his quarters opposite him in the rather grand room. He pours himself a drink slowly, humming as he does so. A hundred questions fill your mind. You decide to voice....

>A) An inquisitive question
>B) An outraged protest
>C) Nothing, let him speak first.

>>39655237
>Nothing, let him speak first.

Cool as a cucumber motherfucker

>>39655237
>C) Nothing, let him speak first.
Sounds about right

>>39655335

"I see you've mastered your temper a great deal more since our last meeting," he comments before taking a sip from his drink. "Don't worry about the men you killed, it's far fewer than they would have lost if they attempted to board directly, and with the upgrades I provided them, at a minor cost of course, we fulfilled two contracts simultaneously." He pours you a glass of wine as well and pushes it over to you. You thank him for his courtesy and take a sip.

"So, Rugerio, it's been a year as of next week that you've worked for us, and I believe that you are ready to move from the position of Student to fully-fledged Guildsman. Normally, prospective members have to wait for nearly a decade to progress, but your track record has been nothing short of excellent. I have been given authority to grant you the choice of which mission you would like to be your qualification contract." The middle-aged man produces a set of documents and lays them in front of you.

You leaf through them fairly quickly, reading the most important parts.

Mission 1:

Assignment: Board the Aeroship 'Gallant', due for the Lost Continent. Assist the Captain in the retrieval of whatever goods are available. Ensure the Captain and the Captain's ship and crew's safety to their point of origin and then return to Darrow with a signed form describing your excellent work.

Mission 2:

Assignment: Head to the Twelve Dagger Islands and find the Black Bishop. Kill him and return his head to Darrow as proof of your excellent work.

Mission 3:

Assignment: Intercept the Aeroship 'Sky Vault' on its way back from the Lost Continent and retrieve the artifact within. Lethal force is authorized. Return the artifact in its case, unopened, to Darrow as proof of your excellent work.


Your Master fixes you with the same neutral expression he's always worn, whether furious or proud of you. "So, what shall it be?"

>A) Mission 1
>B) Mission 2
>C) Mission 3

>>39655507
>>A) Mission 1

>>39655507
>C) Mission 3
Sounds nice and piraty. I like.

>>39655507
Anything but mission 1. Escort missions a shit

>>39655588

Sure

>>39655507
>>B) Mission 2

>>39655630
>>39655588
>>39655572

"I'll take this one," you say, grabbing the contract for the third mission. He opens the drawer and pulls out a seal and presses it into the contract, signs his name and you sign yours next to it. After folding it up and storing it for filing he leans back, "This is the one I had hoped you would take. This is a much more involved mission. After all, how do you hope to get into the air, let alone find the ship?" The question hangs in the air as you smile, "I can find a way." He nods, "I certainly hope so. Your account has your pay added to it from this past mission, minus the damages to this crew."

~A few hours later~

You are back in the Verducci training facility you spent several weeks in after you received your surgery, sitting in your room. A few weapons and suits of clothing lay around the room, well organized and cleaned by the serving staff. You can requisition things from the Guild, albeit at a discount, but the prices are nowhere close to cheap for an aspirant.

[You have 100 gold coins to your name in credit with the guild, which you may liquidate into cash, should you desire it. The Quartermaster is available should you wish to talk about requesting more gear.]

>A) Cash out your account and leave the facility
>B) Visit the Quartermaster
>C) Walk around the facility, to talk to someone.

>>39655752
>>A) Cash out your account and leave the facility
well lets get this show on the road.

>>39655752
>>B) Visit the Quartermaster

>>39655752
>Visit the Quartermaster

>>39655843
>>39655895
>>39655824

Better to check before you head out, you think, and head over to the Quartermaster. The middle-aged woman is sitting behind a counter and writing in a large and heavy book with a quill, the scratching of which is beginning to grate on your nerves.

"Good afternoon, ma'am." You say, bowing your head as she looks up, "Oh, it's you. How can I help you?" Ignoring her rudeness for now, "I want to know what's the guild rate for hiring a guild-allied Aeroship." She doesn't stop scratching on that paper before spitting back out, "That's seventy gold for an initiate like you."

Seventy gold is no small price, that's more than double what a factory worker could hope to make in a year. At that price it may even be cheaper to look outside of the guild. "How about an assistant?" She snorts, "You can't hire help as an initiate." This woman is starting to rub you the wrong way, and you feel your temper flaring up. You clench your left fist tightly, the internal gears grinding as you let go and allow them to resume their normal operation.

"Fine, how about a one way trip to Sanza Serena?" Sanza Serena is the large port city near the training facility, a day's walk, but a few hours on horseback. "That'll be a quarter silver." Finally, a reasonable price. You pay her out and book one to take you there in fifteen minutes.

>A) Write in any requests
>B) Get your gear ready
>C) Reflect on something, write in (discover things about lore/history this way)

>>39655995
>>B) Get your gear ready

>>39655995
>C) Reflect on something, write in (discover things about lore/history this way)
How the fuck do airships work.
Do we remember anything before the hospital? Whats the characters backstory.

>>39656053
>>39656107
[We'll go ahead and do both]

You head back to your chambers and select a fresh pistol, a new cutlass, new clothes, and replace the cable in your arm. After you throw a few changes of clothes and basic supplies into your backpack you head outside and wait for the horseman.

You sit there, thinking about your past, trying hard to remember. You can't remember much, but as the day has worn on your memory seems much clearer, you remember being aboard an aeroship before you worked for the Guild, a big one, and you remember the sounds of conflict, a battle, one with several ships. Images, like a worn photograph, barely peer through the fog in your mind. You, with both arms, at the wheel of a ship, the feeling of the ship's natural sway in the skies as comfortable as walking on your own two feet. You remember pain, a flash of green, and then blinding pain. Then those same memories from your dream, the ring, the doctors, and the feeling of the metal against your skin...

Shaking your head, you instead think on the aeroships, admiring them, and somehow remembering about them, partially from your Master's teachings, but partially from the depths of your past.

The age of the aeroship was made possible thanks to the genius of one man and the discovery of the Lost Continent. South of the Great Nations, for all of recorded history, there was a massive storm, violent lightning and winds made going too far south a death sentence. Suddenly, it stopped, and exploration began. One of the most important things found was pyrethium, a rock-like material that when exposed to moisture would create an incredible amount of steam. Enter Lutras Settre, a Gaspardic man. He theorized that the air over the sea would provide enough air and moisture to keep the pyrethium producing steam, which was then forced through valves and pressurized to turn propellers and fill balloons, allowing flight. But it was far more useful than that.

(1/2)

>>39655995
>>A) Write in any requests
A good quality long knife and a pair of flight goggles.

>>39656277
Damn it, me...

>>39656254

The discovery of this mineral caused a rush from all nations to mine it, but mutual mistrust and threats of war led to a stalemate where they would not mine the Lost Continent with national forces. Enter the Guilds and the Companies, free agents protected from national forces by longstanding treaties, they would do these things, purely as individuals of course, at a cost.

You climb on top of the horse when it arrives, pausing your thoughts to thank the rider for his service as the two of you set off, riding down the rolling Darrowan countryside.

Pyrethium was the biggest factor to the decline of cheymistry, the dangerous art of mixing various solutions, tinctures, and catalysts found from the flora and minerals of the world to create incredible effects. However amazing these effects, they were unreliable and soldiers would often have their muskets fail to fire, as the ingredients failed to mix properly, or worse. Clever engineers in the Clockwork Sons Guild led the way into this modern era, where industrialization is almost totally done by virtue of this extremely vital mineral.

>A) Think more about....(write in)
>B) Enjoy the horse ride (arrive at the port)

(2/2)

>>39656358

Think about the guild and your master. About the arm and the medicine.

Unless that's too much to write, in which case pick the one you like best.

>>39656358
>A) Think more about....(write in)
What we found out from the doctors when our arm was replaced. What we pieced together about what might have happened. The possible leads we have about it.

>>39656416

Your Master is a shadowy figure to be polite, he appears when he feels like it, commands you, and then vanishes. You've never seen him when he hasn't sought you out. However, you know much about your Guild.

The Verducci are famous for their opulent wealth in the Inner Circle, and their greed at all levels. You've had people spit in your face and some even challenge you to duels to the death for your allegiance to this Guild. They put money above lives, but even more than money, they seek the acquisition of artifacts, items with curious powers from the Lost Continent, and it is rumored that they store them in a massive vault somewhere in Darrow. The death-fee that all Companies must pay for having a Guildsman die under their service is exorbitant for Verducci, some have even been forced to sell their Aeroships to cover their debt. And no one wants to keep a debt with any of the Guilds, it means being a pariah from the guilds, and worse, having Red Men coming after you.

You look down at the arm, ready to try to dig more out but as you do so, the horse slows down to a trot and you look around, the outskirts of Sanza Serena already around you. The rider drops you off in the center of town and you look around, hearing the hustle and bustle of the town, breathing in its life and vigor.

A bar is nearby, a place called Toro Robusto, that you know very well from your time before the Guild, a fact you realize as you look at the sign. You've been here before, many a time.

The docks are behind you, where sea-worthy ships are ready to set sail. It would allow you to go to another of the Great Nations, or even one of the rogue nations.

The Aerodrome sits atop the only crest in town, and it is as busy as ever, with aeroships landing and taking off at regular intervals.

>A) Go to the bar
>B) Go to the docks
>C) Go to the Aerodrome
>D) Write in

>>39656594
[I'll answer this once we have a course set.]

>>39655507
>A) Mission 1

Exploring sounds like a ball

>>39656602
>>D) Write in
Go to the marketplace and grab a couple of cheap foodstuffs for later.

>>39656602
>>A) Go to the bar

Try to get an ear to the ground regarding the Aeroship we're trying to intercept

>>39656752

You head down to the market square and look around the various stalls for some good travelling food. A few pounds of dried meat, some vegetables, and some fruit makes a good start for your needs on the air. Another stand, run by an elderly woman, catches your eye and you buy some medical supplies, clean bandages and alcohol, which nearly fills up your pack. You hoist the pack up on your back and thank her for her goods.

>>39656858

The call of Toro Robusto is a bit too loud for you to ignore. As you walk in you see the bartender wave at you, "Ah! My friend, it has been too long, come, come, let me give you the usual." The barman, who you do not recognize, seems so eager to talk to you it's difficult to refuse. You sit down opposite him and he smiles, his ruddy face pulled up into the biggest most honest smile you've seen in a while. "You disappear for a year and then show up like it's just another day at the bar, my friend?" He shakes his head and pats your shoulder, producing a glass of golden-brown drink. "Here, here, it's on the house." You thank him and pull from the glass, appreciating the flavor of the drink with a smile.

Nothing comes to mind as far as his name, but you smile at him as he leans on the bar, his face almost right in yours, "So, aigo, how are things?" Aigo, you remember instantly, is a local corruption of the Darrowan word for friend. "I'm well, thank you."

>A) Try to find out about yourself
>B) Try to find out about the 'Sky Vault'

>>39656673

Anon pls

>>39656969
>>A) Try to find out about yourself

I apologize Aigo. I've run into a spot of amnesia. I came in following a pull from the past I couldn't put a finger on. Can you help me out?

>>39657013

Yeah that is what happens when you try to juggle work and TG at the same time

>>39656969
>yourself

fuck that guild, we come first.

>>39657061
>>39657032

"Forgive me, aigo, but....I must be honest with you, I do not remember much before the past year. I walked past this bar and knew that I had been here many times, but I couldn't remember even one of them. Please, can you help me?"

He looks stunned, then laughs, "Is this a joke, Tullio? You always were a kidder, life of the party." However, his laughter fades as you look at him, straight between the eyes, and his face wavers a moment before he sighs, "Ah, Mother preserve me, you aren't kidding? Alright." He claps his meaty hands together, "Aile, Crezzia." A woman in the main room, a barmaid you presume from her garments, comes over and smiles at you quietly, before facing the bartender. "Watch the bar, I have to talk to Tullio."

The two of you head to the back room of the bar where barrels of spirits are stacked up to nearly the ceiling as he sits down on one and looks at you, "Now, Tullio, let me be honest, if you're kidding me about this I'll beat your rear to the temple." You only nod and keep your gaze with him, showing your severity.

The man sighs before leaning back, "Alright, listen then..."

"Your name is Tullio di Lorenzi. You are the third son of a noble family, and were sent to the National Aerioforce at the age of twenty. You've been a soldier for years, and eventually reached the position of Captain O'er Sky, aboard the 'Mother's Prudence', a Galleon. Last I saw you was after I heard the Prudence was attacked by a Gaspardic vessel, but they reported no casualties, only injuries, so assumed you were in a hospital in the capital."

He pauses and glances at you, "Any of this ringing any bells, aigo?"

More than bells are ringing, your entire head hurts with a blasting blistering pain, the same raking scratching pain from before. The feeling in your metal arm has faded away again. Your medicine is in your pack.

>A) Take the medicine
>B) Keep talking to him and ignore the pain

>>39657223
>B) Keep talking to him and ignore the pain
"So, no overdue bar tabs, right?"

>>39657223

What noble family? Who and where are they?

>>39657223
>>B) Keep talking to him and ignore the pain

We can take the medicine after we get our story

>>39657421
>>39657313

"Yes, but any overdue bar tabs?" He laughs loudly, "That's the Tullio I remember." You grin and nod your head up and down, trying to block out the pain in your head.

He leans back and puts his hands over his large stomach, "So, other than that...I know a bit has happened in this past year. Your older sister passed away in a fight aboard a ship, killed by pirates." He spits on the ground at the mention, "She was a good woman, a nice woman. So, now you're the third oldest, as well as the third son. Your brothers are still alive, as far as I know. One of them, I think, is on board an aerio right now."

"Wait, tell me more about this family." He sighs, "The di Lorenzi, your family owns the town of Lorenzi, it's an industrial town, they make a lot of the parts used on aerios." You recognize the name from your training with the Guild, Lorenzi is the fourth largest city in Darrow. He continues, "Your father, Mother embrace and keep him, is laid in bed and has not moved for a decade. Your mother, Gereilla, runs the family and its goings-ons. I have never met her, but you always talked about her..."

"Sharp as a Islander's dagger..." you mutter the words, almost unwillingly as he laughs, "Yes, that's what you said about her, she's sharp and severe, not unlike your eldest brother. Now, him, him I've met before." He nods, "Andrio is a good man, an excellent Captain, but not so good a pilot as you were, but he is also to wed Crezzia upon his return."

You nod, taking all of this in. The pain has doubled and he leans forward, "Hey, hey, Tullio, are you ok?"

>A) Push for more [write in]
>B) Take that medicine

>>39657524
>>A) Push for more [write in]

Do you know what ships my brothers are posted on?

>>39657548

You nod your head and manage to force out, "My brothers, where are they? What are their ship's names?"

"Your older brother, Gervicio, is not posted anywhere right now. A few months ago he was injured in the Lost Continent and is your home town getting medical attention, but I don't remember the name of Andrio's ship, Soaring something, Flying something, Sky, Air, something like that; all these aerios are named similarly. I have a hard time keeping them apart. Crezzia might know, we can ask her after this." He pauses and puts his hand on your shoulder, "Do I need to take you to a hospital, Tullio?"

You shake your head, "No, I'm fine, I can handle this."

>A) Get Crezzia
>B) Ease that pain
>C) See a doctor
>D) Write in

>>39657628
>>A) Get Crezzia

While she is coming over take the medication and then figure out if he is on the Sky Vault which would lead to tracking them down nicely

>>39657628
>) Write in
See a "discreet" doctor.

Thank him, though. He's been a bro.

>>39657628
>>D) Write in
Write that stuff down for me, would you? I've been getting bad headaches lately, and the medicine makes me a bit... hazy...

>B) Ease that pain

>>39657696
>Write that stuff down

Seconded.

>>39657696

Thirded, let's go Memento up in this bitch

>>39657743
>>39657696
>>39657687
>>39657686

"Friend, please, write this down for me, will you? My headaches are very bad these days after the battle, and I have a hard time remembering." He nods and scrawls down a quick summary of what he talked about, including a helpful family tree for you. "Here, aigo, please, keep it close." You thank him and request to talk to Crezzia. The bartender pats your shoulder one more time and sends his daughter back.

"Ah, Signori Tullio, it's a pleasure to see you again." She bows in her dowdy clothes and politely stands there, "How can I can help you?" You ask about Andrio, making her flush red and smile, "Yes, of course, I can tell you everything about his posting. I saw him off, even though Papa was furious with me for leaving the bar unattended. He's on the Sky Vault, the Skiff." You write down, 'Andrio-on Sky Vault!!'

After you thank her she hustles back out to the bar and you reach for the medicine inside your bag, struggling against the pain in your desire to open it and down the sweet release of the liquid.

>A) Write in
>B) Drink the serum

>>Drink the serum

Better not get our brains fried.

>>39657815
>>B) Drink the serum

Start a journal on what we have experienced and remember, keep it close and safe. Preferably in a breastpocket above our heart. Also might want to work on a cipher for it. The cipher wouldn't be related to our past so we should remember it and then if the Guild does find it they'll at least have to work for half a second on decoding

>>39657815
>>B) Drink the serum

>>39657840
>>39657912

You slam back the serum and breathe out, a peaceful happy sigh as you can feel the sensation coming back to your arm....

You blink and are suddenly standing outside a building. A piece of paper is in your hand, and you put it in your breast pocket without thinking. Ok, you think, that's enough time picking up clues on the Sky Vault, you know it's coming back from the Lost Continent and that it's coming back here. So, you reason, the easy thing to do is just wait for it nearby, jump the ship while it's landing, and get the loot.

As you wander up to the Aeriodrome you feel an impulse suddenly strike you to write down the things you remember. That's a great idea, you think as you rifle through your bag, picking up a notebook and a piece of charcoal to write with. A few scratches in, however, you think it may be wise to make it harder to read for others. You pull out the piece of paper and write down on the back of it a quick cipher, something the Guild trained you in, thankfully, and using it, with a few references, write down what you remember.

"Rugerio's Memories- Served on an Aerio in the past, time unsure, but it was probably for the Guild. They fixed me up after I got injured, and as such, I was given a second-chance at being a valuable Guildsman. I remember a building in Sanza Serena, but I can't remember which one. I'll investigate it later." You close the notebook and start up the stairs, something still bothering you in the back of your head...

[Introduction to Vices and Virtues]
[All characters have Vices and Virtues, elements of their character, history, or physiology that shape who they are. I, as the GM, can invoke a Vice of yours, and if you suffer its effects, you receive a Spirit Point after the ordeal is over. However, you can choose to negate my invocation by spending a Spirit point. You also have Virtues that you can choose to invoke at the cost of 1 Spirit Point.]

(1/2)

>>39658047

[For now, you have 1 Spirit point and the Vice of (Medicine Dependence). You also have the Virtues of (Great Strength of Will) and (Noble Upbringing). Any player may invoke it, and it will be considered done unless 3 or more players vote against it.]

>>39658047

Do we know yet if we would lose all ability to use the mechanical arm if we go too long without medication?

>>39658131

[We've never been more than three days without the medicine. During that one instance moving the arm was nearly impossible, and your entire left half hurt terribly, your heart was in pain each time it beat. It is not something you want to again. You would speculate that you would lose control of your arm, yes.]

You shake off the thought and head up the stairs, asking the Sky Master when the Sky Vault would be returning. The gruff man shakes his head, "That's official state business, sir, I can't just offer that out." You blithely smile and show him your Guild Crest and he nearly falls over himself apologizing, "Oh, my deepest and most sincere apologies, signori, I had no idea. Let me see..." he checks his master log book and reports, "Ah, yes, the Sky Vault is due to return in three days, towards the evening sir." You thank him and offer the vague promise of mentioning his good work to the Guild.

Now, how best to attack this ship....

>A) Wait in ambush in the Aeriodrome and slip aboard before it's unloaded.
>B) Get your own Aerio for the day, find a Gate Keeper, and slip aboard, hoping their Gate Keeper isn't guarding them so close to home.
>C) Attack the ship directly at the shore.
>D) Write in

Not sure what Keepers are. Psykers?
>Wait in ambush in the Aeriodrome and slip aboard before it's unloaded.

>>39658209
>>A) Wait in ambush in the Aeriodrome and slip aboard before it's unloaded.

>>39658209
>>A) Wait in ambush in the Aeriodrome and slip aboard before it's unloaded.

>>39658306
>>39658329

[Magic is non-existent in the world, with a few noted exceptions. The truly faithful in the Mother's Way can receive miracles from her, and the most powerful in her Church can call them pretty reliably. Lumency, the art of generating the "Luster of the Soul", is used in large Aeroships to give a guiding light beam. They sit in reflective chambers and focus their lights to give a spotlight-like advantage to ships. Gate Keeping, however, is the most important. Gate Keepers, formerly called Gatecrashers in times of yore, are able to open portals to locations within a range depending on their ability, as well as block other Gate Keepers. Additionally, they allow intership communication through view-screen type portals, as well as hiding their presence from their kin. All Aeroships of good caliber possess a Gate Keeper, and some have several on staff.]

The Aeriodrome would be a good place to ambush them, you realize as you look around. Just pretend to be another nobleman inspecting his incoming shipments and then slip aboard when they aren't paying attention. The artifact is sure to be of importance, so it's likely kept in a vault or near the Captain. Either way, you can enter a vault by force, and can remove the Captain with the same.

Three days, however, is plenty of time. Your mission being so far out gives you a chance to do what the Guild considers to be the most important thing, other than the acquisition of wealth; build contacts. You haven't been to Sanza Serena before now, after all.

You know of a Fencing School that is famous throughout Darrow, and while you are no Gran Maestro, you are certainly quite handy with a rapier. The Lectora Pugilistia has a branch here as well, the school of proper fisticuffs. Though, they may object to your arm. Outside of the purely combative, there is a Cheymist's Laboratory not too far, in poor financial states to be sure.

>A) Fencing School
>B) Pugilist School
>C) Cheymist's
>D) Write in

>>39658455
>>D) Write in
Look for the scuzziest disreputable tavern in the city and learn some dirty fighting from watching all the cutthroats and rakes.

>>39658455
>>C) Cheymist's

The best place for a rich Guild to go looking for contacts and talent. Even if they aren't a good investment we can pick and choose the cream of the crop when they go under.

Do we have any religious affiliation?

>>39658576

I believe we already know how to fight, we're looking for contacts instead. Not to say that the scuzziest tavern in the city wouldn't have interesting people to meet. We've got three days though it should certainly go on the list

>>39658455
>Cheymist

Mystery medicine dependency, guys. Play smart.

>>39658625
Is it really so wrong for me to want this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPXHI2h-K-M

>>39658697
>>39658625
>>39658590
>>39658576

[We, like the majority of Darrow's citizens, are good honest Mother-worshiping people.]

The first thing you want to do is something you should have done a while ago, you want this medicine looked at. For starters, the Guild charges you through the nose for replacements, secondly, you want to know what's in it.

After asking around for a few minutes you find the local Cheymist's Lab, and sure enough it's clearly seen better days. What were probably once roiling globes of mysterious solutions in the windows are now completely still and have turned a disgusting pale-yellow. You enter and the bored looking woman behind the counter waves, "If you're here for the Longshoresman pick up it's in the back." The young woman's attention clearly drifts away from you at this point, her eyes dropping down to the book on the counter.

"Actually, I'm not here for that, but thank you for the offer." She looks up and takes in your polished appearance. She cleans up any stray hair in her face and puts on her best selling smile, "Ah! Forgive me, signori, it's been a slow day. Welcome to Mistress Minerva's Mystical Mixtures!" She spreads her hands over her head and a thick purple cloud fills the room, smelling strongly of lilacs and brimstone. She coughs a bit from within the cloud and waves it away. From her pale skin and strange-to-your-ears accent she's probably from Aresse or Gaspard.

"Anyway, how can I assist you today?" You cough a few times and wave off some of the lingering cloud. "I have a medicine that I take, and I want it examined. Then, if you can, I want more of it made." She nods and takes the vial you offer her. "No problem, signori, I can do that for you, it'll be just a few minutes, maybe an hour. If you'd like, you can wait over there, and have a look around." She gestures to the dust covered showroom and then heads into the back.

>A) Take a look around the showroom.
>B) Leave and come back in an hour
>C) Talk to her

>>39658816
>>C) Talk to her
Flirt like a poor poet to a rich merchant's hot daughter.

>>39658455

Just wanted to say I love the writing and setting and you have a good handle on pacing as well. I have to go but I hope to see this quest come back around. Thanks QM

>>39658816
>>B) Leave and come back in an hour

>>39658816
>A) Take a look around the showroom.

>>39658816
>>C) Talk to her
Fuck it, new contact.

>>39658816
>>C) Talk to her

>>39659016
[Thanks a lot mate. Check back later in the archives, gonna be posting something you may be interested in, then.]

>>39658925
>>39659067
>>39659106
>>39659021

You head to the back and she jumps, surprised at your appearance. "Oh! Signori, I'm surprised to see you back here. Are you interested in seeing the the process?" You smile with your most handsome smile, "Of course, of course, Cheymistry is a fascination of mine, you know, what with my condition." You remove the glove from your left hand and tighten the metal fist. She glances at it with a slow whistle, "Wow, that's quite a design. I can't believe it's attached to you. How far up does it go?" She asks and then flushes before bowing her head, "Forgive me, Signori, that was a rude question." You chuckle and unbutton your vest and shirt then slide it down your left side, showing the connection point between the metal arm and your shoulder. A spur of metal runs down your side, going into your body and touching your heart.

"The accident that caused this nearly took my heart, the doctors said." You button yourself back up and look to the table, "So, what are you doing to my medicine?" She looks back at the table, her eyes growing wide from an interest rekindled,

"Ah, well, just the standard tests to find the agents at work. I assume it's to help your body accept the metal graft and so you can move it? Even wires and gears can only move so much, but the pain must be excruciating, what with it all wrapped around bare bone." You chuckle at her insightful comments and lean against the wall, watching her.

"So, Minerva..." you start and she pipes up, "Minerva the Second, my mother, Madame Minerva, is the original, I'm just following in her footsteps." She takes a few droplets and lets them drop to waiting sample plates. A few change colors and she scrawls down the colors and then confers quickly to a book.

You don't want to interrupt her too much before she speaks, "Ok! I have a definitive answer."

(1/2)

>>39659284

She looks down at the notes she has scrawled and begins to read at a very quick pace, which, with her accent, makes you strain to understand.

"Viperwood, that's the primary painkiller in the medicine. Sepsum, a powdered form of a nestleweed's root that accelerates the speed of body reaction to the viperwood. Kalthris, a ground mineral found in one of the Iyakoan States that allows the mind to operate specific muscle groups with extreme levels of control, meaning you can move the arm with precision. Albrecht's Bane, a poison that in low doses suppresses memory and can cause short-term memory loss, probably to help you forget the trauma. And....Gaspardic Mistleweed Extract, a very dangerous poison that causes the heart to increase its beating suddenly, probably to help regulate your heartbeat. It also serves to make the potion drinkable, it's very sweet, just dangerous."

She puts the notes down and puts her hand on your metal arm, feeling the design of it in awe before putting her hands back in her apron, "Anyway, is there anything else I can do for you, signori?"

>A) Write in

>>39659388
Can she make us a version without the Albrecht's Bane?

>>39659388

Tell her to make the serum without that Albrecht's Bane BS

>>39659388
Well, unfortunately, the Albrecht's Bane has been causing me to lose memories from before I had the accident. Is there a way to alter the concentration without the memory loss side effect?

>>39659388

Perhaps lower the dosage of that mistleweed extract, too. Might taste shitty, but we're a man, we can take it.

>>39659477

Consider sharing less with strangers.

>>39659477
>>39659427
>>39659417

"Could you maybe make me one without Albrecht's Bane?" She nods her head, "Sure, the ingredients are fairly common, except for Kalthris, but I have a little bit left, and can order more, if you'd be willing to come back, of course." You smile and assure her that if it works, you'll be glad to come back.

She immediately sets to work, vials and beakers emerging from seemingly nowhere as she chops and measures ingredients and throws them in. "Now, be warned, I'm not completely certain about the amounts, but I can make a fairly educated guess." A few minutes later and she holds up the new vial, now a ruby red color. "This should be good, but since it's an experiment, and I can't assure it's quality, I'll give you this one for free."

You thank her and then make one last request, "I'll be glad to pay you for this one, but can you make it again with something to....offset the memory loss? And maybe lessen up the Mistleweed extract?" She pauses and snaps her fingers, "Yes! Of course, Crone's Blood." Your face twists into a vulgar expression you can't hide, making her laugh and shake her hands, "No, no, it's not actual blood, it's the salve from a crushed flower, it increases memory retention and can even help recover lost memories. It's sometimes given to the elderly to help with the dementia."

She sets to work and twenty minutes later produces a silver vial, though clearer than the one you usually take, with green flecks floating in it. "Here, that'll be one eighth." You write her a promissory note from the Guild, making her pale a bit more and bow deeply, "Thank you, thank you Sign..."

You cut her off with an extended hand...

The thought arises, you were about to say Rugerio, but something chews at the back of your head, you can't get rid of the thought, but it's faint and hidden in the murk of your mind....

>A) I'm Rugerio
>B) Fight through the haze (1 Spirit)

>>39659584
>I'm Rugerio

>>39659584
>>A) I'm Rugerio

>>39659714
>>39659760

Must be nothing.

"I'm Rugerio. It's nice to meet you." You shake her hand and she eagerly shakes yours back. The two of you exchange some small talk and you head out of her little shop, remembering where it was. As you do so, you quickly pull out your book and jot down the following:

"The medicine makes you forget. See Magnificent Minerva the Second, she can (maybe) make you one that doesn't. Also, met Minerva the Second, she's a strange one, but I like her."

You put the notebook back in your coat and put the vials in their armored case, ready for the next time you need to take your medicine. Sighing with contentment you see the sun setting across the sea, a sight that makes you think of that feeling of the wheel in your hands and the wind at your back. You miss that, and you will have it back, you promise yourself as you head back to the town center to get a ride back home.

[And that's where we're gonna stop for tonight. Thanks so much for playing guys, I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please come back on Sunday, I will be starting up in the afternoon around 2 PM EST.]

[If you really enjoyed it, please send an email to captainoersky@gmail.com if you would like to join a playtesting group for the tabletop I'm building for this setting!]

[I'll archive the thread and probably make a Twitter after the next thread to keep news updates current and to chat if y'all want. See you all on Sunday, and thanks!]

OP twitter?

>>39659933

Question 1: did you imply we'd be controlling multiple characters?

Question 2: why not make the twitter now instead?

>>39659991
>>39659969

[Fair point. I'll make the Twitter.
https://twitter.com/CaptainOerSky]

[In regards to your Question 1, did I imply that? Eventually, should we control or own our own Aeroship, we will lead, build, and command a crew, so in a way, yes.]

>>39660040

Kinda when you said something about vices and virtues. Might've failed my reading comprehension check. Thanks for the twitter.