>>45182022
>Yes Ma’am
>Be careful in there
Professional but courteous.

>>45182022
>Take a look into the conference room first
then
>Yes Ma'am

I'll wait for a tiebreaker before continuing.

>>45182022
>>Yes Ma’am

>>45182190
This.

>>45182561
Don't wait for tiebreakers - Just roll a 1d2 or something next time.

>Take a look into the conference room first
>Yes Ma’am

Isabella may be the Heir to House Aries, but she’s not a professional. “Of course, Ma’am,” you say with a respectful nod. “But I should see the conference room for myself first.”

The sweaty man with the suit opens his mouth as if to protest, but Isabella simply nods. “That’s very prudent of you,” she says with a smile. “Please.”

You enter the room and quickly jog around the edge, checking for anything out of the ordinary. The place smells heavily of magic, but that’s nothing unusual for such a large gathering of Sorcerers. You can find no traps, magical or mundane, and so you wave Isabella in and return to the lobby. You can see Isabelle looking at you with a pensive expression before the double doors swing shut.

With all the important people gone, you take a seat in the corner. The people who remain in the room with you slowly coalesce into two distinct groups.

The first group you notice is the loudest, a group of guys around your age. They’re joking amongst themselves and tossing a football back and forth without ever actually touching it. You believe they’re the escorts to the Heir of House Cancer.

The second group is a mixture of boys and girls who seem somewhat annoyed by all the noise. They’ve spread themselves out across a few couches and are whispering to each other about something even your hearing can’t pick up on. You recognize one of them from House Pisces, meaning they’re most likely the escorts of the House Pisces Heirs.

What do you want to do?

>Approach House Cancer escorts
>Approach House Pisces escorts
>Stay in the corner
>Sweep the perimeter
>Write In

Also…

As a Knight, you have been bred and raised to be a warrior fit for battle against even the most nightmarish creatures. You are stronger, faster, tougher than the average human, but you specialized in…

>Strength
>Dexterity
>Toughness
>Wits

>>45182669
Thanks for the advice. This is my first quest, so I appreciate any constructive criticism.

>>45182803
>Sweep the perimeter
>Write In
Contemplate on the many various ways that House Gemini is the best House, and that all other Houses are simply inferior.

>Wits

>>45182803
>Approach House Cancer escorts
Ask them politely to keep it down a little, wouldn't want to accidentally disturb the conference.

>Wits

>>45182803
>>Stay in the corner
>>Toughness

>>45182803
>>Sweep the perimeter
Strength

>>45182803
Perimeter sweep
Strength

Stronk knight

>>45182803
>Approach House Cancer escorts
>Toughness

>>45182803
>>Sweep the perimeter
>>Wits

after we're done sweeping, I'd prefer the fishies over the cancer

>Sweep the perimeter
>Strength Based Build
>MFW We will be pulling St.Seiya levels of shit

>>45182803
>Sweep the perimeter
>Toughness

Rolled 2 (1d3)

Tiebreaker roll.

1 is Strength
2 is Toughness
3 is Wits

>>45183413
fail

>Toughness

You’re fast and strong and smart, yes. But your true gift is your toughness, one honed by years of training. It’s tough to slow you down, even tougher to stop you. You can keep fighting long after lesser men (and even Knights) would’ve collapsed, and you haven’t feared torture since you were eight years old.

>Sweep the perimeter

This is getting you nowhere. You stand up and decide to take a quick walk, check to make sure nothing fishy is going on. Within a minute, you’ve left the noise of the lobby behind, and as you patrol the hallways you notice an interesting smell. A dark heavy ash…the familiar smell of fire magic. But there’s no smell of fire.

You follow the smell until you arrive at room 124. What do you do?

>Knock
>Break In
>Go around to the window
>Ignore It
>Write In

>>45183493
>>Break In

>>45183493
>Knock

Fuck you all

Break in

>>45183493
>Go around to the window

>>45183493
>Go around to the window

>>45183493
>break in

>>45183493
>Go around to the window

Break in

>Break In

No time to be polite, no time to be clever. You can always apologize later if this turns out to be a misunderstanding. You brace yourself and kick the door just to the side of the handle hard, sending it swinging inwards with a small explosion of wood.

You stride into the room, the smell of fire magic stronger than ever. Lying on the bed is a short man in a towel. You stop in surprise, but when the man fails to react to your presence you take a closer look.

The man’s throat is a mess, burned as if by a powerful blowtorch. Clearly this was the fire magic you smelled earlier. Worse, you recognize the man’s face. It’s the same short, sweaty man who greeted you and Isabella upon entry.

You hadn’t smelled any illusion magic, which meant either this was shapeshifting or someone had anticipated a Knight’s presence. Either way, the negotiation is clearly compromised. You need to do something, fast.

>Alert the escorts
>Try to call Isabella
>Find another way into the conference room.

>>45184251
>Alert the escorts
While on the way towards said room looking for a way in.

Generally: raise the alarm quietly if we can.

>>45184251
>Alert the escorts

>Alert the escorts

You’re out of the room before you can even think about what to do next, heading down the hall back towards the lobby. If the negotiations are under threat, it’s not just your problem; it’s everyone’s.

As you run through the halls you check for any other entrances to the conference room. You find nothing, but that’s not surprising. The Houses would only want to have to worry about one entrance, and whoever’s setting up this…whatever is going on would want the same thing.

You burst back into the lobby and suddenly find every pair of eyes on you. The football the Cancer escorts were playing with hits the floor, forgotten. It’s like they know you have bad news. (Maybe they do – if any of them are talented empaths you must be practically screaming “I HAVE BAD NEWS.”)

“One of the negotiators is dead,” you say, keeping your voice low. “He’s lying dead in room 124 even though I saw him walk in there just a few minutes ago.” You point at the double doors leading to the lobby.

There’s no response – some of the escorts seem stunned, others skeptical. What should you do?

>Take charge
>Defer to someone else (Who?)
>Fuck this, get the door open
>Write In

>>45184772
>>Take charge
>>, get the door open
To the rescue!

>>45184772
>Take charge

>>45184772
>>Fuck this, get the door open

>Take Charge

“We don’t have time for this!” You say, approaching the door. You test the handles but they don’t budge. Of course. You pull brass knuckles out from your pockets – generously purchased for you by House Aries – and turn to the other escorts. “I need barrier magic on me. I need someone to break the door open. I need someone ready to shield the Heirs. Leave the fake to me.”

Silence.

“I need it now!”

Either the strength of your conviction persuades them, or you just intimidate them – either way, the escorts spring into action. One of the House Pisces escorts waves his hands in front of you and you feel the chill of barrier magic over your skin. Two House Cancer escorts take position by the door, one preparing barrier magic, another preparing a spell that reeks of force magic.

“On three. One, two, three!”

The door literally explodes outwards, showering the conference room with pulverized scraps of wood. You see the fake immediately, seated in the front of the room, still sweaty, wringing his hands.

Your unarmed modifier is +5

>Go for the kill (roll d20) (DC 12)
>Knock him unconscious (roll d20) (DC 18)
>Explain yourself

Best roll of the first 3 is taken.

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>45185543
>Explain yourself
TRAITOR
then
>Knock him unconscious (roll d20) (DC 18)

Also do some sick spinz

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>45185543

Rolled 8 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>45185543
>Knock him unconscious (roll d20) (DC 18)

>Knock him unconscious

The doors explode open and you start moving. Faster than the fake can react you’re on him, and after throwing in a sick spin, your fist slams into his face. It’s hard to judge how much force to use to knock a shapechanger out without killing him, but you manage it, and he collapses to the floor unconscious.

All hell break loose.

Two men in the back of the room pull pistols out from under their coats and begin firing at the Heirs, who are caught off guard but shielded by the barrier magic being provided by the escorts. A woman near you leaps to her feet and begins spitting fire, apparently indiscriminately. Some washes over you – the barrier protects you, but you can feel it won’t take another hit. Everyone seems to be slinging spells now, the room filling with the thick smell of Sorcery.

You see Isabella, back to back with the Heirs of Pisces and Cancer. She looks like she’s taking care of herself, but her safety is the reason you’re here, and the girl spitting fire is getting awful close…

Out of the corner of your eye, you see two men hurrying out the room. Curiously, they’re the only ones not throwing spells around.

>Protect Isabella (roll d20) (DC 15)
>Pursue the men
>Write In

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>45186187
>Protect Isabella (roll d20) (DC 15)

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>45186187
>Protect her

>>45186187
>Protect Isabella

You have a god damn job to do, son.

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>45186187
>Protect Isabella

>>45186187
>Pursue the men

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>45186187
>>Protect Isabella (roll d20)

>>45186214
>>45186244
>>45186273
>>45186474
Argh

>Protect Isabella (6+5=11)

Forget the men. You have a job to do. The woman spitting fire is moving in on the Heirs, who seem too distracted to properly focus on her – there are a thousand and one spells flying through the air, and it’s getting harder and harder to tell who’s on what side. You clench your fists and charge, your first strike hitting the woman solidly in the side.

She stumbles, but doesn’t fall, and before you can take advantage of your momentum there’s fire in your face. You roar in pain and rage and take a wild swing that fails to connect through the flames.

The fire doesn’t seem hot enough to actually burn you but it still hurts like a bitch. You fight through the pain and take another swing, landing a glancing blow. The woman shrieks but redoubles her efforts, and the fire grows ever hotter around you.

“Duck!” Screams Isabella’s voice from behind you, and you duck without hesitation. There’s a noise like a church bell, and suddenly the fire stops – you watch as the woman’s head flies from her body and lies still on the ground.

“Are you all right?” Isabella asks, her face filling your vision. You blink, still woozy. The sounds of battle are lessening, and things seem to be winding down. Bodies litter the floor, but at this point you’re pretty sure your side won…whichever side that was.

>I’m fine
>Are you all right?
>We need to get you to a safe place
>We need to interrogate the fake
>Write In

>>45186987
>We need to interrogate the fake

File: RamzaDissidiaTease.jpg (172 KB, 846x476)

172 KB JPG

>Zodiac-themed knights
Is he going to have to fucking come down here?

>>45186987
>>I’m fine
>>Are you all right?
...while at the same time shielding her with our body (her near the wall and us in front of her) and taking a good look around the room for threats. Interrogating comes a few moments later after the ruckus has died down.

>>45186987
>>Are you all right?

>>45186987
>>45187116
This

>>45187116
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” you insist, getting to your feet and grabbing her shoulders. “I’m more worried about you. Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

“I’m perfectly fine, I…what are you doing?” Isabella asks as you guide her towards the wall.

“I’m protecting you.” You put your own body between her and everyone else, checking the room for any remaining threats. The Heirs all seem to be alive and well, being looked at and fussed over by their escorts. More people are searching through the carnage, what they’re looking for you’re not exactly sure.

“Look, I appreciate your dedication, but I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” Isabella says. “Besides, it looks like everyone who is trying to kill us is dead.”

“Or gone,” you mutter. You don’t see any remaining threats, but you’re not exactly running on the best track record. “We need to get to the fake.”

“The fake?”

“The man who greeted us was a shapechanger. I think,” you say. “I found the real man dead in his hotel room. His throat was burned. The fake might be able to tell us who did this, or how this happened.”

One last scan reveals nothing to be concerned about, so you hesitantly lead Isabella over to the unconscious fake. He’s stirring, his face heavily swollen from where you hit him earlier, and so you grab him by the collar and shake him to consciousness.

>Who are you?
>Why did you do this?
>Who are you working for?
>Write in

(roll d20 for intimidate. Your modifier is +2. DC is 10)

Rolled 11 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>45187648
>Who are you working for?
you guys will make us the most awkward guard ever

Rolled 17 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>45187648
>>Who are you?
>>Why did you do this?
>>Who are you working for?
Warn him that each defiant answer will cost him a finger. That should help with intimidating. And follow through.

Rolled 2 + 2 (1d10 + 2)

>>45187648
>>Who are you working for?

Rolled 5 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>45187648
>Who are you?
>Who are you working for?
rolling just because.

>Who are you working for? (17+2=19)

“Wake up. Wake up!” You shout in the fake’s face. He blinks once or twice, his eyes glassy and unfocused.

“Did you give him a concussion?” Isabella asks from over your shoulder.

“No, he’s just playing it up,” you say. “Who are you working for?”

“I’m…I’m not,” the man says. “I did this on my own, I’m not working for anyone.”

You stomp on his hand and there’s a crack as something in there snaps.

“Oh fuck!” He screams, his face rippling as if someone had dropped something in a lake. Shapechanger it was then.

“Oh fuck,” Isabella murmurs.

“I don’t know who hired me,” the shapechanger gasps, clutching at his now broken hand. “It was all done online. I got paid in bitcoins, for fucks sake!”

You pause for a moment. “You must’ve known who you were working with, at least.”

“No, no,” the shapechanger says, shaking his head rapidly. “I didn’t know anyone else who was in on it! I was just here to cast the blame after it happened!”

“Wait, after what happened?” Isabella asks. “Who were you supposed to cast blame on?”

The shapechanger says nothing, merely shakes his head with increasing fervor.

>Answer her! (roll d20) (DC 18)
>We need a psychic
>Write In

(You can take actions to increase your modifier but they might have unintended consequences.)

>>45188449
Well, a psychic would be quicker, for sure. All those guards outside should have at least seen those two fuckers running off, right? Nobody caught them, I'd assume. What do you guys think?

>>45188449
>We need a psychic

>>45188449
>>We need a psychic

File: Stone cold.gif (954 KB, 320x240)

954 KB GIF

>>45188449
>I got paid in bitcoins, for fucks sake!

>We need a psychic

“This isn’t getting us anywhere. We should get a psychic,” you say, running a hand through your hair. The motion reminds you that you still have your brass knuckles on, and so you slip them off and put them back in your pocket.

“There are no House Aries psychics here,” Isabella says. “We’d have to use a psychic from another house, and I don’t know if we can trust them.”

You shake your head. “Well, we’re not getting anything out of him the traditional way. I broke his hand and he still won’t talk. And there’s always the chance he’ll just tell us what he wants to hear. A psychic wouldn’t have those problems.”

“You’re right. You’re right,” Isabella says, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Jana,” she calls across the room, “is Eric here? We have a prisoner we need answers from.”

Acros the room, a pretty Middle Eastern girl that you recognize as one of the Heirs of Pisces turns towards you. “Eric,” she says, snapping her finger, “please assist Isabella with whatever she needs.” (cont.)

File: e8XoKxw.jpg (49 KB, 900x900)

49 KB JPG

“Sure thing, sure thing, sure thing.” A guy, most likely Eric, ambles up to the two of you. He seems strangely calm, considering the chaos that had engulfed the room a few minutes earlier. “This guy one of the bad ones,”

“Er, yes,” Isabella explains. “He claimed his job was to impersonate Mr. Ryan and cast blame once these…terrorists had succeeded. We need to know what their plan was and who he was supposed to cast blame on.”

“Anything for you, Princess,” Eric says. He leans down and places a hand on the shapechanger’s forehead. “Hold him still.”

You step heavily on the shapechanger’s chest, which seems to stop him from struggling. Eric closes his eyes and concentrate, and the acidic smell of mental magic reaches your nose.

“Hmm…well, he really doesn’t know who he was working for. Or what the plan was,” Eric says, not opening his eyes. “He was supposed to put the blame on…hm.”

“On who?” Isabella asks.

“On House Capricorn.”

>Speak to House Capricorn
>Speak to House Cancer
>Speak to House Pisces
>Get Isabella to a safe house
>Write in

>>45189055
>>Get Isabella to a safe house

>>45189055
So whoever it was is working against the Imperial House.

>>45189055
>Speak to House Capricorn

>>45182022
Not gonna lie, I came in here thinking it was a Saint Seiya quest.

>>45189140
Seems like they are trying to spark a war.

>>45189055
Don't think Izzy is gonna want to leave. Besides, there's a bunch of other high-power people here anyway.

> Speak to all the houses.
> The fuck kind of juice are you drinking, captcha?

What are we wearing? Is it some sort of magic-resistant suit?

>>45189368
Kek
> Magic-resitant formalwear
This is now a thing, OP.

>>45189368
>>45189431
I dig it

Cancer guys seem like tools

>Capricorn

>>45189455
So can everyone smell magic or is it just us/our type of combatant?

>Speak to House Capricorn

“We should talk to House Capricorn,” you say. “Clearly they’re involved, maybe they know something. Where is their Heir?”

“Giovanni?” Isabella asks. “Giovanni isn’t here. The Crown Prince of the Zodiac Court doesn’t come to America for a territory dispute.”

Eric nods in agreement. “Yeah, he’s probably partying somewhere in Europe…or maybe Japan. Last time we saw him he tried to convince Hakim and Jana to spend the month in Tokyo with him. Crazy stuff.”

“Where he is isn’t important, as long as he isn’t here,” Isabella says. “Giovanni can’t know about this. If he thinks his house is under threat he’ll lumber in like he always does and lose us any chance of catching these people.”

“I dunno Izzy,” Eric says, scratching the back of his head. “I think Giovanni would want to know…if I’m not gonna tell him about this I have to talk to Jana and Hakim…or at least Hakim.”

“Fine. In fact, tell them I want to talk to them. Tell Lucas and his jocks too. Meet me at my estate tomorrow so we can really, really talk about this.”

“Sure thing, chica,” Eric says, flashing Isabella the peace sign. “Sayonara.” He walks back over to the other side of the room.

“I hate that guy,” Isabella says. “If you still want to talk to House Capricorn about what happened, feel free. But please, don’t tell them they were supposed to be blamed.”

You nod and wipe some ash on your face. Hopefully this doesn’t get any more complicated than it already is.

I think I'll stop here for the night, I have school tomorrow. Thanks for participating in the first "A Knight in the Zodiac Court Quest" and I hope you all show up for the continuation, which is currently scheduled for Friday.

Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=A%20Knight%20in%20the%20Zodiac%20Court%20Quest
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZodiacKnight_QM

>>45189870
Only Knights can smell magic, although Sorcerers and other magical creatures often have similar senses.

Questions like this (things James would already know) can be asked here in the threads on to the Twitter, and I'll do my best to respond to them.