>>41630317
>Ask a question
"So where are we going?"
If he responds with "my house", ask for some details. The smartass.

>>41630317
>>Remain silent the whole ride

>Other
Don't we have a favorite song?
Humm it.

>>41630317
>>Ask a question
How quickly should I expect to get thrown to the wolves?

>>41630317
I'm moving to the approval of the fellow players the following:
Well Connected for the second perk.

>>41630622
For those that don't know Well Connected does this

Your character has friends that can get anything, 2 free galleons are spent for you to reduce the
time cost of any research or studying you do.

Basically, any studying takes 20 fewer hours.

>>41630622
>>41630678
Do it.

>>41630622
I'll support it.

“Where are we going?” You ask.

“My home. A safehouse for the Order. You'll be safe there until it is time for you to return to school.”

“And then I'm what? Just on my own? You're throwing me to the wolves.”

Mr. Byrne looks away from the road completely to look back at you. “The Order is not in the habit of sending children to die.” He turns back to the road. “Part of your summer will be spent learning spells to help keep you safe.”

“But I thought I couldn't cast spells outside of school?”

“You will find that there are very few rules that do not bend under the weight of money.”

The car ride is otherwise silent as you drive out of the city and into the country. After a few hours you pull up to a set of large metal gates painted bright white. The gates open onto a property that would make the royal family blush for over lasciviousness. For acres and acres, every hedge is perfectly trimmed and flowerbeds are kept in meticulous rows.

The house itself is massive, and a few minutes later, when you actually arrive at the top of the drive, you are led inside.

The front hall is clearly well used and a stack of boots already adorn the floor.

“Oblio will show you to your room. Remain there until he or I fetch you.” Mr. Byrne says.

>Who is Oblio?
>Who are all these people?
>Other

>>41630717
>>41630729
>>41630622
Well Connected is now your second perk.

>>41630835
>Who is Oblio?
>Who are all these people?

>>41630835
>Other
Do you have a library? I'd rather spend my time there.

>>41630835
>>Who is Oblio?
>>Who are all these people?

>>41630835
>library / other
wanna read up on whatever this pansy flower guildie has, would prove useful

>>41630949
Disobedient little shit aren't you.

“Who is Oblio?”

“My house-elf. Oblio!”

With a sickening crack an incredibly tiny, imp-looking man appears wearing a pillowcase as a toga.

“Yes master?” It pipes up in an almost falsetto voice.

“Take Shane to his room and see that he is comfortable.”

“Yes master.”

“Wait.” You say. “Who are all those people?” You indicate the shoes.

“Leading members of the Order. Speaking of which I have to go.” He starts off toward a hall of the first floor.

“Do you have a library I can visit instead of my room?” You yell after him.

“No.” He says back dismissively. And with that he is gone.

You look strangely at Oblio, who while you were looking away did something to make your luggage disappear.

“If young master would follow Oblio.” He says.

You follow him up to a very nicely appointed room on the third floor with a wonderful view of the garden, and after a few minutes of him checking on you, you are finally left alone.

>Wait
>Go exploring
>Other

>>41631246
>Go exploring

>>41631246
>Go exploring
there's literally no reason not to.
We don't really need to be great friends with this guy and there might actually be a library somewhere in this massive mansion. Might even have forbidden knowledge.

>>41631246
>Go exploring

>>41631246
>Other
Start going over any books we brought with us.

>>41631285
>there's literally no reason not to.
We were told to stay in this room, and given what we know of Wizard households, that could be because there are dangerous monsters on the loose inside the house that escaped from its labs.

As soon as you're sure that Oblio isn't coming back you slip out of the your room. You prowl the halls peeking into rooms. The building gives you an almost Hogwarts vibe, in that most of the rooms are entirely disused and uninteresting. This guy must have like 50 bedrooms in his house and you're having trouble figuring out why. That is, until you find an occupied one.

On a bed in a room, at the end of the hall you were placed in you find a man. He is battered, bruised, and has some nasty scaring on his face. He looks asleep at first. But as you close the door, he starts.

“Huh? Oh, who are you?”

>Shane Morris
>Who are you?
>Other

>>41631482
>Shane Morris
>Who are you?

>>41631482
>Other
nope.
back to exploring.

>>41631482
>Other
"Just another occupant."
Leave. We don't know whether this guy is an Order member or a prisoner inside a room with magical wards.

>>41631482
>>Who are you?

>>41631482
>Shane Morris
>>Who are you?

>>41631482
>>Shane Morris

>>41631569
seconded.

>>41631482
I'm room service.

>>41631569

Seconding

“Shane Morris. Who are you?” You ask a bit tensely.

“Aleski Donovan.” He says it with a noticeable accent.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was brought here by some very kind people who found me on the Polish border a few months ago. I had just barely escaped Belarus with my wife.”

“Why were you escaping?”

“I had married a muggle woman in secret. When they found out, they ordered my execution, and hers of course. But we got away.”

“Where is she now?”

“Downstairs I imagine. Helping Oblio most likely. Muggles have the strangest ideas about house-elves, don't you think?”

>What do you mean?
>Yeah, totally
>Other

>>41631958
>What do you mean?
Muggleborn kid here, just freshly taken from my parents. Never met a elf before him.

>>41631958
>What do you mean?
Cause, I'm a Muggle too. Well, Muggleborn, but same difference.

>>41631958
>What do you mean?

“I'm a muggleborn. Oblio's the first elf I've ever met. What do you mean?”

“Elves have lived with wizards for thousands of years, serving us to the best of their abilities. They are completely servile, and many without wizarding homes die. They love the work they do. But most muggles and muggleborns think we work them too hard, or that we should pay them.”

“Why don't you? Pay them I mean.”

“They don't want the money. It pains them to impose like that.”

“Huh.”

“And you still haven't answered my question.”

“What?”

“Who are you?”

“Shane Morris. I said that.”

“Yes, but why are you here? Mr. Byrne doesn't have a son that I'm aware of. And the other members wouldn't bring their children here.”

>I'm a captive
>I'm his new adopted son
>Other

>>41631958
>>What do you mean?

>>41632277
>Other
complicated and possibly something that could end up with you in azkaban.

>>41632277
>I'm his new adopted son
But said in a tone that says we are not totally okay with this.

>>41632481
oh yeah that'll totally end well. why not just tell him we're not really sure about this secret society and that we're an assassination target.

>>41632277
>>Other
"A charity case, like yourself. I am a muggleborn student who found more than I should have at school"

“It's complicated. I'm his new adopted son, but, like, mostly for Order reasons.”

“That does sound complicated. But you should do fine. Mr. Byrne is a very good man. He has a done a lot for me, and it is unlikely I will ever be able to do anything for him. If you can help him, you'll be treated like the prince in this castle he has.”

“But... I don't know if I want to be here, or his prince or whatever.”

“But you are, so make the best of it. You're a muggleborn, you must have seen what is at stake. Mr. Byrne may have a soft heart, but he is smart, if you are here, you can help, and he will help you do that. And then, when things are better you can decide what to do.”

>Yeah, you're right
>I'm still not sure
>Other

>>41632796
>Yeah, you're right
is there a library in this mansion?

>>41632796
>Yeah, you're right

I do miss my parents though, is there a library around here?

>>41632796
>Other
"Is there really that much of a difference between wizards and muggles? Aren't we both human, even if one can use magic and the other can't?"

“Yeah, you're right.” You pause. “Do you know if there's a library here?”

“I haven't left this room since I got here due to some minor paralysis in my legs. I wouldn't know.”

“Thanks for your time, Aleski.”

“Feel free to come back whenever you want. Mr. Byrne says I'll be down for another month at least while he works on my legs.”

You leave the room and continue your search. In the end you do find a room with a plaque that says library, but you can't seem to get it open, even with magic. After a few minutes of fiddling, Oblio pops into existence next to you.

“Master Byrne would like to see the young master in his study.”

Oblio leads you down to the first floor again and through the hall that Mr. Byrne disappeared into. As you pass the front door you notice that most of the boots are gone. Oblio leads you though a twist in the hall that is clearly impossible and opens a set of large double doors for you.

Inside is a brightly lit room that looks more like a boardroom than a study. At a center table sit Mr. Byrne and Ms. Siezewall.

More coming

“Hello, Shane.” Ms. Siezewall says somewhat tersely.

“Hello.” You echo.

“Now Shane, we will be discussing your education for the remainder of the summer.” Mr Byrne says. “I will be teaching you how to defend yourself, with wards and some basic potions. Ms. Siezewall...”

“I will be your proper defense coach. Disarming and disabling. A bit of combat practice. We also have a number of tutors from the Order coming in to help teach you as well. If you're gong to be kicking the beehive, we're going to make sure you're ready for what comes out.”

>I'm 11.
>Okay, when do we start
>Other

>>41633393
>>Okay, when do we start

Will I still have time to supplement my learning, I would like to know more about the magical world, there seems to be a lot that I have no idea about. For example, what is up with the elf?

>>41633393
>Okay, when do we start

>>41633393
>Okay, when do we start
I'd like you to focus on defense.
I already know both lethal and non lethal spells.

OOC but is the Maxima modifier something you plan to include in the rulebooks?

>>41633393
>>Okay, when do we start

>>41633525
Modifiers for spells is something way down toward the bottom of the list of things I would work on. The system has gotten some work since I started this quest but is honestly mostly unchanged since I 'finished' it about a year ago. The spells list is really small, the potions list is even worse, and the creatures book hasn't seen work since I first started plotting out the system like 3 years ago. Truth is, it is more likely at this point that I would move on to another project than put out any major additions to this system.

/blogpost

>>41633393
>Okay, when do we start

“Okay when do we start?”

“Today.”

You spend the rest of the day training with Ms. Siezewall. And indeed, your whole summer is dominated by training. For the next two and a half months tutors and Order members pass in and out of the house. You never leave, not even into the garden, and not for lack of trying. Appearances aside the place is a damn fortress, even the glass on the windows seem impossible to break. You do get some time in the library, with Oblio watching you like a hawk. The few times you did try to sneak a peek at anything not on Mr. Byrne's 'reading list' you got caught.

That said, Mr. Byrne did treat you very well, and despite yourself you found you enjoyed his company.

He smiled a lot, encouraged you, was a great teacher, and when you complained he listened. At one point he even replaced a tutor who had been pushing you too hard. He caught a lot of shit from Ms. Seizewall for that. But he was adamant that you couldn't go outside, or sit in on any of his meetings with the Order.

It is now one day before you return to Hogwarts.

There is a knock on your door.

“Come in.”

Mr. Byrne is there in the same outfit you first saw him in.

“We're going to leave for the city a bit early.”

“A day early.”

“Yes, we have a surprise for you.”

>Oh, great
>[Get ready]
>Other

>>41633913
>Oh, great

>>41633913
>Oh, great
>[Get ready]

>>41633913
>is this a good surprise or a "DODGE!" surprise?
>[Get ready]

>>41633913
>[Get ready]
I really think we should be learning from ex-IRA and other terrorists, for learning how to fight dirty and using fear against our enemies.

>>41634035
I agree but finding one let alone finding one willing to teach it to a kid is probably not in the books.

>>41633636
damn... it's a fun system.

“Great.” You start getting ready. A few minutes later you get into the back seat of the car with Ms. Seizewall and Mr. Byrne taking up the front. You start toward London, but after about an hour pull off onto a side road where the car pulls to a stop in front of a barn.

“Go on inside. You've got a few hours.” Ms. Seizewall says.

You get out of the car and approach the barn. You slowly open the door, and as you do you hear someone shout; “Shane!”

Your mother and father run to you from inside the barn.

“We were so worried. I'm glad you're okay. How are they treating you?” Your mother bombards you with questions. Your father just silently hugs you, like you might disappear again.

>I'm fine, its so good to see you
>Cry
>Other

>>41634093
>finding one willing to teach
They don't need to be willing.
We either magic them into doing it, or simply extract the memory from their heads and insert it into our own mind.

Sure, the latter won't give us the important muscle memory for combat, but we can get tactics and theory.

>>41634141
>I'm fine, its so good to see you

>>41634133
Hopefully I can make better and better stuff. I've been batting around the idea of trying to develop RPGs professionally, and if I want to make that my goal I need to work on a lot of different stuff.

>>41634141
>I'm fine, its so good to see you

>>41634141
>>I'm fine, its so good to see you

>>41634141
>I'm fine, its so good to see you
We have a few hours.
Has anything happened after I left?

>>41634194
I know the pain of dwindling inspiration well.

“I'm fine really. Its so good to see you guys again. Has anything happened while I've been gone?”

“No, not really, we've been mostly caught up in working, trying to... forget that you're not coming home anymore.”

“Sorry.”

“It's not your fault sweety.”

>Yes it is
>You're right

>>41634403
>Yes it is

>>41634403
>Other
>"No, it's not. It's for the best, though. I've learned so much this summer."
To be honest, though, it's dad's fault.
If he hadn't tried to keep us away from Hogwart's, the Order wouldn't have had to do this.
Because he thought he knew best, instead of actually looking at the situation and carefully considering what is actually best, he caused this situation to come about.

>>41634403
>You're right
but maybe I can do something so that it won't happen to someone else.

>>41634503
though you're right... OUCH. Way to kick a guy while he's down.

>>41634403
>You're right

>>41634535
Which is better for a father?
To send his son to where he can learn to harness his abilities and make full use of his potential, or keep him locked away from the reality of the world and essentially blind one of his sense simply because you don't have that sense yourself?
Also, a parent is supposed to examine the reality of his situation and make a decision that's in the best interests of his child. That he didn't examine the legal recourses he had, that he tried to take a course of action that would have put his son in even more danger simply because he saw the perils his son went through without even looking at why those perils were even allowed to exist and how to best avoid them, he committed the grave sin of committing to a fight without knowing what his enemy is capable of.

His kind of thinking is the worst kind of optimism, the kind that leads to failures and regrets for his child because of ignorance and a failure to think things through on the part of the parent.

He deserves no sympathy, no pity, and it's only because of Shane's youth that he hasn't told his father what a complete and utter failure of a parent he was to try to prevent Shane from going to Hogwart's.
Sure, if it was any regular school, and only Muggles were involved, then his decision would be defensible, perhaps even laudable.

But this is a world of wizards, witches, and magic. One full of threats that Shane can see and is exposed to because of his nature. To refuse to see that is to put Shane in danger. And to be ignorant of the law, without even trying to find out what the law actually says, is a failure on him as a parent, as someone who is supposed to examine these issues of legality and what is expected of the society that the family lives in, and finding a defense or a way to escape.

I suspect that once Shane is older, and he looks back on his father's actions with experience and hindsight, he will pity his parents for being misguided at best.

>>41634791
as I said. You're right.

Could someone give a tldr of the previous year?

>>41634403
>>41634503
Oh, don't say the part about this all being dad's fault.
Shane himself wouldn't blame dad, at least, not yet.
I think he'd look on the bright side of things, and just tell mom how much he learned over the summer.

>>41634894
we're a muggle born at hogwarts
fuckton of purebloods are racist
we bring the fact that purebloods are murdering muggle born to the media because the headmaster didnt give a shit
half the wizardind world is pissed at us now

“You're right.”

You spend the next few hours in the barn, curled up on a hay bail just talking with your parents. When it's finally time to go, its dark. Mr. Byrne comes in and quietly takes you away after a few tearful goodbyes.

You arrive in London an hour later.

You spend the night in a tiny apartment near the ministry where Ms. Seizewall lives. In the morning you gather your things and head to the station. You're ready for whatever this year has to throw at you.

End of Year 2 Part 1


>>41634894
I'll pastebin on I wrote but scraped because I didn't want to bog down the start of a new thread.

>>41634894
We showed up at school, WIZARD RACE WAR NOW, we save a girl, then fail at saving a guy, then get dirt on a minsters son messing with necromancy and we were sent to live with this guy.

>>41634948
thanks for running

>>41634948
Did we vote on well connected? I am in favor of it. Thanks for running.

>>41634948
Thanks for running!

>>41634979
see
>>41630835
>Well Connected is now your second perk.

>>41634894
Here's a recap, don't be surprised if the tenses are all fucked up, transcribing from present to past tense is confusing for my brain apparently.
http://pastebin.com/v6Ssq1cr

Thanks for reading guys. We had some good discussion this thread.

Does anyone have any feedback they want to give. I feel like I'm comfortable enough running now that I should start trying to get better.

Also, just putting out there that it would be super cool to have a better quest image for year two. hint hint drawfreinds

If you liked the thread remember to vote in the archive. And also remember that @Tiddlybum_HE on twitter announces threads when they go up.

>>41634979
Yeah vote went through

>>41634948
thanks for running.
I hope to see you bring an interesting rpg ruleset someday.

>>41634894
Or you could read it yourself.

It's already really short.