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>>1808849
The captain’s face is a hard mask, a furious expression on his face. “You stupid lads, trying to be fucking heroes. I can’t believe you’d be so reckless, following us out here.”

You and Sam open your mouths in attempt to justify yourselves, but the captain cuts you off immediately. “Don’t even try and start lads, just get the fuck in formation. Fall behind me, one of you on each side.”

You both do as the captain says, you and Sam standing slightly behind him on either side. All of you eyeing the beast as it goes berserk, driving itself into a frenzy. For watch the beast for what feels like an eternity, waiting for it to steady itself and come charging at you. You look at the men who surround you, all but Sam wounded to some degree. Blood gushes from a wound on one ranger’s head, whilst a large slash streaks along the abdomen of another, wrapping around the right side of the man’s ribs all the way to the middle of his back. Frankly, you don’t even know how the two men are still standing.

The beast gets over the initial shock of its pain and looks around erratically, training its eyes on your small squad. You can practically feel the beast’s gaze burn through you, the black pits filled indescribable hate. You grip your sword so tight your knuckles turn white, watching the beast as it saunters slowly towards your group. You glance quickly at Sam to your left, surprised to see a slight smile on his face, relishing the adrenaline of the moment, a direct contrast to the man behind him who mumbles a prayer to Vaul.

The captain attempts to rally you all. “Ready yourselves men, don’t fight for yourselves, fight for your fami-“

”AAAAAGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

The beast, done sizing you up, drops to all fours and charges at breakneck speeds, determined to slaughter the beings that’ve caused it such great pain. You’re surprisingly calm as it pounces, claws extended straight at the captain. Whilst the beast is still in mid-air he sidesteps, simultaneously bringing his sword diagonally upwards, putting a huge gash along the beast’s ribs.

You instinctively back up as the beast howls in pain, but the captain snaps you back into focus. “Don’t retreat! Stay in formation and make it reach!”

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>>1808851
You attempt to keep formation and hold, but the beast goes absolutely berserk, striking at the area around it with obscene speed and force. You duck as a lanky arm sweeps overhead, the beast trying to cave your skull in. You try and stand just outside of the beast’s reach, trying to make it move and catch it off balance, but it moves forward way too quickly, screaming in fury all the while. Somewhere deep down you can feel the primal terror rising in your body as the spittle from the beast’s roars spray your face, but somehow you tune it out, singularly focused on not getting disembowelled. Others are not so fortunate, and one ranger hesitates for a fraction of a second, frozen in terror for just a moment too long. He cops a vicious backhand from the beast that sends him flying, caving his chest in and killing him instantly.

The Captain, taking advantage of the beast’s singe mindedness, skirts around behind it. Sam slips his grip up his staff, holding it by the very end to maximise his reach. He swings right for the beast’s ankle as the captain starts to close in from behind, and he connects, an audible crack as the bones in the beast’s left ankle snaps. The captain closes in as the beast stumbles forward, its leg giving way. Captain Odrik moves swiftly as the beast holds its hands out to catch itself, and with a quick, horizontally arcing slash, severs the beast right forearm off, just above the elbow. The beast, this time, doesn’t flail or scream in pain, and with its left hand lunges straight for the captain’s leg, spinning its body around and yanking Odrik to the ground by the ankle. The remaining two rangers instantly move in to save their captain, breaking formation, but you and Sam hesitate for a fraction of a second, unsure of whether to move in or stick to the plan. You and Sam look on wide eyed as the beast violently drags Captain Odrik closer, the man kicking and slashing at the beast’s arm to no avail as it crushes his anke in its grip.

You’re frozen as you watch the beast sit up as it drags the captain closer, the rangers moving in vain as the beast brings its head down repeatedly, smashing the captain’s head to a bloody pulp with its antlers.

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>>1808852
The rangers close in, screaming in fury at the site of their slaughtered captain. You swear you see the beast smile slightly as they recklessly run in, and with deceptive agility the beast sweeps its legs up, jumping shakily to its feet. You and Sam snap out of your funk, and with your own battle cries follow the rangers in, no more point in keeping formation.

The beasts acts quickly, throwing the captain’s corpse at one ranger, stopping him in his tracks and knocking him prone, whilst lunging at the other. The lone ranger yells as he brings his sword down on the beasts, though with a slight crank of its neck it blocks the blade with its antlers, wrenching the weapon from his hands. Eyes covered in blood from his head wound, the ranger doesn’t notice the hand coming straight for his throat, the beast crushing his windpipe at soon as it gets a grip.

You and Sam charge forward furiously, the beast breathing heavily as it limps forward to meet you, eager to kill you and Sam for the trouble you’ve given it. The beast, however, makes a crucial error in its excitement to kill you, and the ranger it knocked over with the captain’s corpse, still prone on the ground, stabs his sword right through the beast’s broken ankle. The beast yelps in pain and surprise, promptly bringing its fist down on the rangers skull.

This, however, gives you and Sam the opportunity to strike. Sword raised above your head, you attempt to bring it down in a vicious vertical slash, but in your haste only manage a shallow cut. The beast, so crazed that it fights through the pain, lashes out with its mangled leg, kicking you right in the stomach.

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>>1808854
You’re airborne for a moment before you land on your ass, blood coming out in a spray as you cough up the liquid welling up in your throat. You watch as Sam lunges out with his staff, but with nothing to distract it the beast catches it with its hand and forces it from Sam’s grip, rapping Sam in the head with his own weapon and knocking him out cold.

You look on helplessly as the beast limps towards you, determined to end the one who plunged a sword through its back. You look on helplessly as the beast limps towards you, realising that the creature has decimated everything that your town could’ve possibly thrown at it. Angry and sad about the fate of the rangers despite how hard they fought, you take some solace in the fact that you did considerable damage to the thing, and that Hearthspring might not yet be doomed because of it.

The beast drools in anticipation, its shadow now looming over you. Funnily enough, you don’t feel the terror that was welling up before, and with the revelation that Hearthspring may yet still fight it off you don’t have any trouble accepting your fate. A low, satisfied growl rises up the beasts throat as it lowers its head to your level, and you feel its hot, dank breath on your face as its fangs open wide.

And suddenly it recoils, screaming louder and shriller than ever as its back erupts in an explosion of flame.

It beats at the flames in vain, aggravating its existing wounds in the process as it howls. The lantern oil drips down and sizzles on its skin, turning its skin into a mass of blisters. You know the beast felt pain, but up until now it always powered through it. The flames however are way too much for the beast to handle. You smile as it retreats, remarking that it’d actually be a horrifying sight with your lips and mouth covered in blood. You watch as it limps into the woods, not even registering that you slump forward, passing out from the pain.

The first thing you notice when you wake up is the immense pain radiating from your abdomen. Groggily, you open your eyes, the canopy of the forest slowly scrolling as you move, leaves crunching as people walk beside you.

>Try to sit up
>Call out, ask for water to wash the blood out of your mouth
>Pass out again, let your body heal
>Write-in

>>1808856
>Pass out like a little bitch.

>>1808856
>>Try to sit up
I don't think you need to make a new thread for every session when the previous one has yet to hit bump limit/time limit.

>>1808856
>Call out, ask for water to wash the blood out of your mouth
This is going to be one hell of a story for the townsfolk.

>>1808856
For the sake of progress I'll change my vote >>1808868
to
>Call out, ask for water to wash the blood out of your mouth
even though announcing yourself without knowing who the people or their intentions are, is kinda dumb.

>>1808881
>>1808869
2 for mouth wash

>>1808867
1 for bitch moves

Writing

>>1808868
Fair call, now that I've actually got some players no need to shill my quest at the top of the board

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>>1808885
To say you feel fucked up would be an understatement. Now that you think about it, this is probably to most pain you’ve ever been in your entire life. Your insides feel like mush, and old, sticky blood coats the inside of your mouth and throat.

You open your mouth, your innards in so much agony all you can muster is a rasp. “W-water. G-give me some… Water.

Theo’s head comes into view as he leans over you, passing you a canteen. “Sleeping beauty awakens huh? Here, drink up.”

You hear a gruff voice interject, the man who it belongs to out of view. “Fookin’ took you long enough lad, we’re almost halfway back to me gaff.”

You’re very surprised to hear a new voice, you’ve never heard of anyone dwelling this far out in the woods. The canopy moves by gently as you swill the water around your mouth. Shirtless, you look down your body, seeing the huge purple and black bruise on your stomach, some weird ointment rubbed all over it. Your being dragged through the forest on some sort of sled, eyes going as you realise your being dragged along by a moving rock.

The gruff voice pipes up again. “Don’t spit it out lad, you’ll aggravate ya stomach. Here, just dribble it into this.”

You take in a sharp breath of surprise as you come face to face with the hooded man, him handing you a glass bottle.

[Sure you’ve got a ton of questions, so fire away]
>Write-in

>>1808897
1. How long was I out
2. Where's Sam
3. Who are you
4. What was that thing
5. Did you bury the rangers
6. Did the thing survive

Those should be a pretty good start.

>>1808899
Yeah that pretty much does it.
I don't think we should mention having seen him in a "dream" yet.

>>1808903
Yeah maybe ask those questions in private.

>>1808899
Guess that pretty much encompasses it for now. You'll have the opportunity to ask more in the future regardless.

Writin'

RIP Rangers

Weren't there 2 abominations in our dream?

>>1808966
There were two figures in your dream, the hooded man and the beast. Take from that what you will.

>>1808984
We also saw this old guy at the end of it, though it's not clear whether he was the hooded figure or not.

>>1808993
Sorry if I didn't make it clear guys, but this old man's definitely the hooded figure from your dream. You stared him right in the face just before you woke up.

>>1809019
It might've made me more confident if I had reread that section, I was just thinking there was a chance the hooded guy was the one who created the abomination, left, and then the old guy arrived later.

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>>1808915
You cautiously take the bottle, sceptical of the old man and his motives. He’s the only person who could possibly be clued in to what’s actually happening, and you’ve definitely got a ton of questions.

You dribble into the bottle, a thick, red mixture coming out of your mouth. You rinse it out a couple more times, then take a long drink from the canteen before you start. “So how long have I been out for?”

Theo’s the one that answers. “About an hour and a half I’d say.”

So not really that long then. You realise you haven’t heard from Sam, a pang of worry rising. “Where’s Sam? Is he alright?”

The old man answers this time. “Aye, he’s fine lad, no need to worry. He’s already been an gone. Nasty head injury though, thing gave him a good whack.”

Looking down your body and at the moving rock that’s pulling you along, you realise that it holds another rope, and soft snores are coming from another sled next to you.

Your mind put at ease, you start with the real questions, eager to piece together what’s been going on. “So old man, what in Vaul’s name are you doing this deep in this woods? Just who the fuck are you?

The old man chuckles, amused at your intensity. “I’m not ya enemy lad, if that’s what yar thinkin’. Name’s Moest, and I’m out here keeping watch.”

Bemused, you quiz him. “Keeping watch? For what?”

Old man Moest’s voice goes a bit lower, strangely foreboding. “For what he says… For shit like that thing ya just fought ya dummy. Don’t need to go to the spire to figure that one out.”

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>>1809031
Not satisfied, you press him. “Yeah and what fuck was that thing? That beast looked like it walked out of fucking nightmare.”

Moest elaborates. “T’was no beast lad, poor thing used to be human. A man possessed, no longer the master of his own body.”

The thought sends a shiver up your spine. “Possessed? By what?”

Moest’s speech starts to quicken. “Spirits, shades, ghosts, whatever you want to call them it doesn’t matter. They can take you in the night if they’re strong enough, though in this case I think this man gave himself to it.”

The talk of spirits rouses something in your memory. “Theo… I remember you telling me about this a while back. Something about spirits, free will and Vaul, I can’t really remember to be honest. I didn’t really think they even existed”

Theo adds to the conversation. “Aye, it’s written in The Passages. It’s dictates that spirits are just manifestations of Vaul’s will, just another part of nature like the wind or the rain. They’re not sentient and they don’t have free will, which means that they don’t act out of their own interests.”

If anything, you’re more confused than before. “So you’re telling me that everything this thing was doing, killing animals, eating hearts, stalking men, it’s no different to a storm or a plague. If they’re an extension of nature and Vaul’s will, you’re telling me that according to the passages Vaul intended for everything that’s happened to take place?”

Old man Moest interjects, voice raised. “Don’t ya see lad? You’re on the money. These things happen for a reason, and this is a herald for things to come. The Reckoning is upon us lad, and we best start preparing.”

(cont)

>>1809038
The Reckoning… Vague memories are recalled, things to do with judgement and sin. It was often used when you were getting told off, old wives telling you that if you kept being naughty Vaul would sort you out in The Reckoning.

You ask Theo to elaborate. “I know it’s in The Passages, but what exactly is The Reckoning?”

Theo answers you question. “The Reckoning is the judgement of mankind. Everything that we’ve done collectively, good and bad, is going to come down on us, before Vaul reveals himself and makes his decision on whether he deems us worthy to join him. I guess it’s kind of framed as humanity’s greatest test, but it’s always implied that we’ll pass it no matter what, because believing in Vaul and following the teachings of The Passages makes you a good person, or so The Passages say. Personally, I reckon that it’s a crock of shit.”

Old man Moest butts in, audibly irritated. “Don’t ya fookin’ dare blaspheme around me lad, or ya gonna join yar mates in a sled. Nothing like this has ever happened in my time. Men don’t get possessed, only animals do. Ya can’t tell me this isn’t The Reckoning. Humanity isn’t good. War, greed, lust, these things rule the world. Yar still young lads, and ya haven’t seen the things people are capable of if ya back them into a corner. Men are vicious and depraved, and any man that’s been to war can tell ya that. The Reckoning is supposed to reflect the deeds of man, and so far it has done so perfectly.”

You take in the old man’s words, reflecting on your own father’s disdain for war. Unlike some of the other men at the tavern, he always put an emphasis on the crimes of both sides, not just Alataria.

You take a moment to process the things you’ve been told and the recent events. You realise, in your thirst for answers, you’d almost forgotten all about the rangers, the emotional trauma hitting you all at once. “M-many good men died today, and more than one gave their lives for me. All of them in fact, by choosing to go out there, in the name of protecting Hearthspring. Surely you gave them their bodies the respect that they deserved?”

For a moment you’re greeted only by silence, eventually old man Moest’s answers back. “Nay lad, I wish I could. Each of them paid the ultimate sacrifice, but there’s not enough fookin’ time. Make sure you make their sacrifice worth it.”

You answer back straight away, furious. “What the fuck do you mean there’s not enough time? Even if that possessed man isn’t dead, we still could’ve taken the time to gi-“

Theo, this time, cuts you off. “Oscar, you don’t understand. Sam reacted the same way. Just let Moest explain.”

You do as Theo says, letting Moest explain itself. “Aye, it’s true that you and the rangers fought well, Ya ended up fookin’ that thing harder than a Barcadan whore at port. There’s no way he’s recovering, and that’s the whole point.”

>>1809042
Moest clears his throat before continuing. “Ya see lad, spirits are as much of a part as nature as the air and the trees, and like everything else they undergo a natural cycle. They spread by ‘shattering,’ breaking themselves willingly into smaller pieces that eventually grow, continuing the cycle. They don’t do this willy nilly though, because shattering spells the end for that spirit. It’s like committing suicide to have kids, ya wouldn’t do it unless you were already at the end of ya tether. That possessed is never recovering from what ya all did to it, and cause of that it’s gonna shatter.”

You follow Moest’s train of thought, but get him to elaborate. “So I’m guessing we don’t want this thing shattering then?”

The old man responds. “Aye, cause it’s probably gonna spell the end for ya folk back in Hearthspring. Kids are often uncannily like the folks that birthed em, and spirits are no different. Not everything that rises out the thing that possessed that man will be pure evil, but I’m wagering that most of them will. They’ll all go on to possess animals and wreak havoc. They’ll be weaker than the thing ya fought at the lake, but instead of one there might be a couple hundred, all itching to feast on any flesh they can get their hands on.”

You mull over Moest’s words. “So do you know how long have we got until it shatters?”

He grunts in approval. “Aye. I’d wager about 5 days, give or take a day.”

And you start to feel the apprehension rise up as you realise what needs to be done. “And we’re gonna have to go back out there and finish it propery…?”

Moest’s tone sounds grim. “Aye, and that’s why we got no time. You’re not piss poor fighter’s for ya age, but yar gonna need to be better. I’ve got three days to train ya, and yar gonna need all the help you can get.”

[Do you have any more questions? If not, gonna continue on]
>Write-in

>>1809046
Continue

>>1809046
I second the continue

>>1809046
Continue on, get some rest.

>>1809054
>>1809064
>>1809082
Looks like Oscar's curiosity is sated for now. Writan

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>>1809099
You lie back in silence, trying to process all you’ve been told. Frankly, it’s information overload, and to be honest you’re still having a hard time believing it. Spirits, possession, The Reckoning; Until now all old wives’ tales and religious nonsense, so you take what Moest has said with a grain of salt.

After a moment’s contemplation, Moest says one more thing. “Best ya follow yar mates’ example and get some rest lad. I’ll wake ya up when we arrive.”

You don’t need to be told twice, your fatigue catching up with you since the conversation finished. You close your eyes, letting the motion on the sled rock you to sleep.

“Get up lad, you’ll be able to get a proper sleep in a bit, but there’s some things we got to do first.”

You slowly open your eyes, aroused from you sleep. You’ve stopped moving now, and instead of seeing leafy canopy before, you look up at the wooden ceiling of a small shack. To your left you see Sam sit up too, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Your stomach rumbles at the smell of cooking meat, having not had a hot meal in three days. Your mouth waters as the smell of some sort of stew gets closer, though your jaw drops in surprise when you’re served by some sort of small statue.

Old man Moest yells from across the shack, chuckling. “What? Ya never seen a moving statue before? Bole’s just a fookin’ golem, he’s not gonna bite ya. Take yar stew and eat up, ya need the energy.”

You oblige, the strength of your hunger overpowering your astonishment. You scream in pain as Theo comes over and props you up so you’re in a sitting position, your stomach protesting in agony as the muscles are shifted.

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>>1809160
Moest whistles, catching the attention of all three of you. “Alright, listen up the three of ya. I’m gonna let ya rest soon, but first we need to run through a coupla things, just for me to see what I’m working with.”

The old man pulls out a beautiful, prismatic gemstone. “This here’s valorite, also known as mana crystal. Can sell one of these for a pretty penny, but don’t be getting any ideas eh?”

He tosses it to Sam. “All you gotta do is press it to the middle of your fore, and think. About literally anything.”

Sam closes his eyes, concentration evident on his face. Nothing happens.

Sam looks unsure. “I don’t think I’m doing it right…”

Moest dismisses him, waving his hand. “Nah lad, it’s not fookin’ hard, ya just don’t have what it responds to. Go on then, toss it to Theo.”

Theo examines the valorite before holding it up to his forehead. As soon as it makes contact it gives of a deep, greenish brown glow.

Moest, evidently surprised, raises his eyebrows. “Well, would ya look at that! What are the fookin’ odds, looks like we got an Earth mage on our hands!”
Theo’s eyes go wide, grinning madly. “N-no way, as if I got magical affinity. I can’t fucking believe it…”

Moest chuckles. “Congratulations lad, just make sure you don’t become a pompous dickhead like all the other mages and academic at the spire. Oscar, yar up next.”

Theo tosses the valorite to you. The flecks of colour are truly dazzling, changing colour as you move it in the light. Slowly, you bring it up to your forehead…

[Does the valorite glow?]
>Yes
>No

[Gonna leave this vote open for a while, as having magical affinity with greatly alter Oscar’s abilities. Keep in mind that the ability to manipulate the energy of the world around you leaves you spiritually impotent, and unable to manipulate the energy within. Make your decision wisely.]

>>1809163
>manipulate the energy within.
Would that be Ki stuff?

>>1809173
Yep, pretty much. Not just restricted to physical elements though, you can use your "inner energy" for things that are more esoteric in nature.

>>1809187
Would it be right to say that having no affinity is more martial focused?

>>1809187
What about the spiritual part?

From now on, I'm just going to refer to "inner energy" as flow, it's actual name.

>>1809194
Hmmm, I'd have to go with yes as it can be applied much more broadly, helping with pretty much any type of physical fighting or martial tradition. In fact, many martial traditions have flow as requirements for many techniques That being said though, there are mage arts that incorporate fighting traditionally with a weapon and augmenting martial combat with spells.

>>1809196
I don't want to give to much away, but having access to flow gives many unique advantages when dealing with "spiritual" things compared to magic. Haki is a decent comparison to the things flow can do, though flow encompasses a lot of druidic elements and introspective things too.

>>1809163
>>1809216
Alright, gonna be going with
>No
Keen to actually play a martial character in a generic fantasy quest for once

>>1809163
>>1809216
>No
Since Mik was a wizard and I want to see what Flow can do.

>>1809216
So Flow is presumably more common than the Magery thing then, if whole martial traditions require it.
I guess I might as well go with
>>1809163
>Yes
I like spellswords

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>1809222
>>1809216
Changing to whatever the dice decides.
1 = Yes
2 = No

>>1809231
Yes, every living thing that doesn't have a magical affinity possesses flow. However, flow is very hard to develop and train without pushing one's self to the limit mentally, which arguably less people can handle than people who actually possess magical affinity.

Magical affinity is quite rare, with affinity mainly based on your genetic lineage and the geographic location of where you are born. There is also another factor that affects the prevalence of one affinity in particular, but I'll leave that to be revealed.

>>1809163
>Yes
but in a weird way

Cheers for playing guys, think imma end the session here and let the votes come in as it feels a bit too soon to call such an important decision and I want everyone to have their say. Gotten all my shit outta the way, so should be back in to count the votes and start the next session in about 8 hours or so.

>>1809317
Cherrs mate

>>1809163
>Yes
MAGES 4 LYFE MAH NIGGA

>>1809163
>>1809231
Actually, I'll change my vote to "yes" if you decide what color(s) it'll be, as I assume different schools of magic are exclusive, and "no" if we'd have to pick our magical affinity.

>>1809303
>1 post

>>1809163
>>Yes
being a normal is gay

>>1810884
Actually being capable of using Flow is arguably rarer according to QM

>>1811326
rare is moar am better
>>1809163
changing to No

>>1809317
Liar

>>1811999
Dw anon, just slept in a bit

>>1809219
>>1809235
>>1811350
3 for flow

>>1809303
>>1809763
>>1809782
3 for mana

Looks like we've got a tie. For the record, your affinity has already been decided by the dice.

Gonna go and get pissed with my yobo mates, should be back in a couple of hours with the tie hopefully broken.

>>1812062
>Yes

>>1812315
Spellblade it is then.

>>1809782
Eh, fuck it, change this to
>No

Gonna do a recount since a few have changed their votes.

>>1809219
>>1809235
>>1811350
>>1812620
4 for flow

>>1809303
>>1809763
>>1812315
And 3 for magic

Gonna call it here, looks like flow edges it out.

Writan' now guys.

Sorry for the delay guys, back on track now.
>>1812677
…And nothing happens. You try to think hard about random things, but it’s to no avail and the valorite remains dull.

Old man Moest claps his and you toss the gemstone back to him. “Well, I’m surprised that even one of ya is magically inclined, it is pretty fookin’ rare after all.”

He looks to you and Sam, giving you both a wink. “Don’t be disappointed though lads, the stone might not have lit up for ya, but that doesn’t mean yar useless.”

Proving his point, Moest holds the valorite to his forehead too, the stone remaining dull. “See? I’m just like ya both, not a magical bone in my body. But, Vaul’s given us a different gift.”

You start to hear a low rumble, almost as if it was originating inside your skull. It gets progressively louder, and you feel an invisible pressure press on your temples. Just as it gets on the verge of being uncomfortable it stops, completely gone.

Judging from the expressions on your friend’s faces, they felt exactly what you did. Moest shoots you and Sam a slight smile, hobbling over a cabinet by the well. “Just a bit of a teaser for things to come. One more thing before I let ya all rest, yar gonna have to tell me yar preferences so I can decide how I’m gonna go about training ya all.”

(cont)

>>1812844
He swings the door open, revealing an array of weapons.

“Take yar pick.”

>A standard breaking sword, similar to the ones the rangers wielded. The weapon of choice for those from Lesser Camewell.
>A typical longsword, standard arms for those in Greater Camewell.
>A broadsword, a good middle ground between heavier, two handed arms and the longsword. Can be wielded with one hand or both. Weapon of choice for many Paladins and Sworn Swords of Vaul.
>A massive zweihander, like those used by the Cloud Knights.
>A typical spear. Not really employed to great effect in Camewell, but favoured by those across the sea in Tso-Tan.


Sam, not fazed by the weapons, jumps to his feet. “Wait! What the fuck did you do just then? You’re telling me I can pull that as well?”

Moest chuckles, clearly amused by Sam’s reaction. “Aye lad, one day ya might be able to do the same. It’s called releasing yar flow, the energy contained within every living being without a magic affinity.”

Sam looks at the old man eagerly, sporting a devilish grin. “Surely you can teach me.”

Moest nods. “Aye, but yar arms training will suffer because of it. Yar gonna have to focus on one or the other, otherwise we ain’t gonna get fookin’ anywhere.”

>Focus on training your flow
>Focus on arms training

>>1812845
>A standard breaking sword, similar to the ones the rangers wielded. The weapon of choice for those from Lesser Camewell.
Follow the proud tradition of our people!
>Focus on training your flow

>>1812845
Oops, forgot to add one option to the weapon choice.
>A plain rapier, the Alatarian weapon of choice. You've never seen such a thin blade before, and it looks exactly like you imagined one would.

>>1812845
>>1812847
Seconding this

>>1812845
Would our lvl2swordsmanship apply to all of those swords(except the rapier/zweihander I guess maybe?)?

>>1812845
>A typical longsword, standard arms for those in Greater Camewell.
>Focus on training your flow

>>1812845
>Focus on training your flow

>>1812845
If we choose arms training, we'll still have a chance to learn flow later, right?

>>1812845
>A massive zweihander, like those used by the Cloud Knights.

>Focus on training your flow

>>1812845
>>A standard breaking sword, similar to the ones the rangers wielded. The weapon of choice for those from Lesser Camewell.
It's what we know, and I don't see any benefit to the others. Maybe this is just a style choice, but I like keeping to our roots.
>>Focus on arms training
Seems like this will have the most immediate benefit, which we'll need against the spirit.
I assume we'll be able to learn Flow later.

>>1812845
>A massive zweihander, like those used by the Cloud Knights
>Focus on training your flow

>>1812845
Also want to add
>Zweihander
To my original vote.

>>1812845
>Focus on arms training
>A massive zweihander, like those used by the Cloud Knights.

>>1812883
>>1812879
Samefag

>>1812062
What would our affinity have been, had we chosen to be a mage?

>>1812854
Have had a think about it, and I'm going to divide swordsmanship into 3 categories, Swords [Standard], Swords [Heavy], and Swords [Ultra Heavy]. Longswords and breaking swords will come under standard, the broadsword under heavy, and the zweihander under ultra heavy. Since you've only trained with a breaking sword, you'll now have level 2 swordsmanship [standard].

>>1812872
>>1812865
Of course. You're just choosing your focus for your training, you'll still learn a bit of arms if you choose flow, and vice versa. Thus Moest will teach you a bit of flow regardless, and you'll know how to progress in it.

>>1812891
Picking a weapon we aren't familiar with is a pretty dumb choice then since we don't have time to train.

>>1812891
But time spent with a teacher is more valuable than learning flow on our own right?

>>1812893
there's no better time to learn than when our life might depend on it

>>1812891
Oh, that decides it then, would rather do our best when fighting the abomination.
>>1812845
>>A standard breaking sword, similar to the ones the rangers wielded. The weapon of choice for those from Lesser Camewell.
>Arms training

Vote seems pretty contentious, so I'm gonna give it another 10 and answer a few more questions.

>>1812889
You were eligible for 3 affinities, water, earth and lightning. I rolled 1d5, with earth and water being a 2/5 chance, and lightning being 1/5. You ended up with lightning.

>>1812894
Yes, having a teacher experienced with flow will help greatly in learning it, but Moest is also a master breaker and generally an extremely experienced warrior too, so you'll benefit just as much from his tutelage if you choose arms.

Keep in mind that you don't have to stick to the weapon you choose forever. You're free to learn any weapon type at any time. If you choose a weapon similar to one you're experienced in, you'll also pick it up quicker.

>>1812899
>we can't UNLIMITED POWER
Worst quest literally dropped
I hope you die and are raped by a pack of niggers
jews start all wars in the world and you know it

>>1812901
IRC was a mistake

>>1812899
>not choosing lightning
Just poor foresight by the voters. Lightning would have been way cooler than anything else.

>>1812847
>>1812853
>>1812872
>>1812898
4 for breaking sword

>>1812870
>>1812879
>>1812881
>>1812883
4 for zweihander

>>1812855
1 for longsword

>>1812847
>>1812855
>>1812859
>>1812870
>>1812879
5 for flow

>>1812872
>>1812883
>>1812898
3 for Arms

Looks like it's a tie between the zwei and the breaking sword. Gonna do final destination, 20 minutes to vote.

>1 for Zweiahnder
>2 for Breaking Sword

>>1812909
2

>>1812909
1

>>1812909
1

>>1812909
1

>>1812909
1

>>1812909
2

>>1812909
Mate, the point of final destination is that it's a short timeframe, not 20 minutes where you can samefag 3 times.
But whatever.

>>1812909
>1 for Zweiahnder

>>1812909
1

>>1812909
2

>>1 for Zweiahnder

>>1812909
1

>>1812919
>get a phone or reset the modem
>samefag anyways
That's what happening right now

>>1812909
Zweihander

>>1812919
Yeah, I didn't really think that through properly. Still getting used to the whole QMing thing I guess. I don't really know how I can stop samefagging though, just so easy to change your ID. Maybe just count the votes for IDs with multiple posts?

Might as well just call it here, cause it's looking like zweihander has got quite the lead. If we want to learn breaking later on, we can regardless.

>>1812912
>>1812914
>>1812916
>>1812917
>>1812920
>>1812921
6 for the zwei

>>1812910
>>1812918
>>1812924
3 for breaking sword

Writan' guys

>>1812941
Please do not count >>1812920 for being of the wrong format thank you.

>>1812941
You counted an ID twice for zwei

>>1812942
>>1812943
Sorry about that guys, slipped my notice. Also missed a vote at the end for Zwei.

>>1812912
>>1812914
>>1812916
>>1812917
>>1812921
>>1812926
Still 6 for Zwei

>>1812910
>>1812918
>>1812924
3 for breaking sword

>>1812945
Time to waste training

>>1812945
RIP

>>1812945
post never

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>>1812945
Sam struts over to the weapon cabinet, picking out the spear and testing it weight. He smiles, satisfied. “Yeah, this is it. And I want to learn this flow shit too. What the fuck are we waiting for anyway? You said yourself there’s not time, let’s fucking get started!”

Moest shakes his head at Sam. “Don’t be fookin’ stupid lad, ya still got a nasty head wound. Ya start moving around and rattling yar brain and yar gonna have a headache for days. So sit yar arse down and finish yar fookin’ food.”

Sam, deflated, obliges. Moest then turns to you. “What’s yar pick lad?”

You scan the array of weapons, the breaking sword catching your attention, though no matter how hard you try you can’t take your eyes of the massive zweihander. The thing’s so large, you’d be able to cut the beast clean in half with one solid swing. Well, you imagine yourself doing so anyway, you actually have no idea how you’re gonna run around swinging the massive blade without tiring out very quickly.

Moest can teach you how to use it though, you’re here to train after all. You point to the gigantic blade, a smile starting to form. “The zweihander. I’ve never seen a sword that big in my life.”

You hear Sam let out a snort. “Pfft, no fucking way Oscar. Are you sure you can even lift that thing?”

You snap back at him. “Fuck off Sam you skinny motherfucker, I could easy lift that. And we’re here to train anyway, might as well learn how to use a new weapon.”

The old man however looks at you sceptically. “That thing’s heavy lad, and Sam’s right, I wouldn’t underestimate the difficulty of wielding it in battle. But, yar right as well, we’re here to train, and picking up skill in another weapon isn’t a bad idea.”

You take in Moest’s words and continue. “I’d like to focus on flow too, unless I need to put an emphasis on arms because of the new weapon.”

Old man Moest waves his hand dismissively. “Nay lad, that’s grand. In fact, it’s probably better that you focus on flow, it’ll improve yar strength.”

Moest walks over to the other side of the room, and unlocks a large chest. Reaching in, he pulls out a small bag. He empties out the contents as he walks over to you and Sam.

(cont)

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>>1813025
In his palm rests what you can only describe as two glowing ice cubes. “Shove these down ya gobs lads, then get some rest. Make sure ya crunch em, they’ll make ya good as gold for tomorrow.”

He then turns to Theo, standing patiently to the side the whole time. “Come with me lad, I have something to show ya. Bole, you too.”

You study the crystal for a moment as Moest, Theo, and the little golem walk out the door, looking into the soft light in its centre. It’s cold to touch, just like ice, but doesn’t melt in your palm. You bring it up to your mouth and eat, breaking it apart with your teeth. Immediately, a minty sensation fills your mouth, and a wave of calm washes over your whole body.

Instantly relaxed, it doesn’t take long for you and Sam to get to sleep.


You wake up to the sounds of birds chirping, the sun already well and truly up. You sit up, rubbing your ey-

Wait, you don’t feel any pain.

You take a peek at your stomach, surprised to see it look completely normal and fully healed.

You hear Moest’s voice from across the room. “Feeling better eh? Told ya they’re the real deal.”

He walks over to you with two massive plates, stacked with all manner of cooked veggies and 4 pieces of bread, each with a fried egg on top. Flicking Sam’s ear to wake him up, he passes one to you, giving one to Sam as he rises. “Eat up lads and get ya selves ready. Grab yar weapons and meet me outside when yar done.”

You and Sam munch your breakfasts down enthusiastically. You didn’t realise how hungry you actually were, and the food’s absolutely delicious.

Sam looks over to you, mouth full of food. “Mmmph, this is fucking good. I head’s fine as well, don’t feel any pain.”

You nod. “Me neither, stomach’s fully healed. Keen to get stuck into training as well.”

Sam grins, evidently keen. “Same man, let’s finish this feed and get out there.”

(cont)

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>>1813027
Breakfast finished, you pull your boots on and grab your weapons, the zweihander extremely on your back. As much as you hate to admit it, Sam might be right about the sword, and you heave hard to just get the thing on your back. You both walk out into the morning sun, greeted by clear blue skies and the beautiful vibrant green of the forest.

You walk down the stairs to a clearing where the ground’s levelled out. Moest stands in the middle, deftly swinging his own sword around his fingers, throwing it up into the air and catching it with his other hand.

He pipes up as he sees you both approach, sheathing his sword. “Alright lads, listen up. First exercise for the day is gonna be simple. Yar gonna try and kill each other. Easy?”

You and Sam look at him bemused. You’re not really sure what he’s trying to say. “Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose of you healing us if we’re just gonna go out and injure each other? Besides, I don’t even know how to use this thing.”

Moest smiles back at you. “Don’t worry about all of that shite lad, I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong. Just keep trying to swing that fookin’ sword. There’s a catch though, yar both gonna have to eat three of these.”

From the pockets of his robes he pulls out a handful of strange, shrivelled nuts. He hands 3 of each to both of you, shrugging as you throw them down your throat. You both walk to opposite ends of the clearing, both brandishing your weapons.

You almost stumble as you take a step forward, and your vision starts to shift. The grass underfoot starts to sway and swirl, and you’re unable to focus on one thing at a time. The light starts to get incredibly intense, and you feel like your lungs are filling with phlegm.

What the fuck is happening to you?

>Combat initiated!

>Close the distance and try to pressure Sam, getting inside the range of his spear.
>Skirt around and try to out manoeuvre him.
>Charge straight in, tank whatever he throws at you, and finish this with one devastating swing.
>Write-in

>>1813030
>Charge straight in, tank whatever he throws at you, and finish this with one devastating swing.

>>1813030
>Close the distance and try to pressure Sam, getting inside the range of his spear.

>>1813030
>Charge straight in, tank whatever he throws at you, and finish this with one devastating swing.
Chop off the bloody spearhead.

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>>1813030
Moest's shack, for reference

>>1813030
>>1813033
>Try and get a feel for how your body wants to move, use the natural sway and the slope of the ground to use your momentum for easier movement, let the wind of Sam's movements push you out of the way of his strikes, feel his focus and tensing, while being as natural and unreadable as you can. Maybe try and use the reactions of the light, wind, sound of foliage, movement of birds to get a better idea of things you can't directly see, like how Sam is shifting his weight, etc.
I thought maybe you expect us to try to bullshit some Flow stuff.
If it's retarded just ignore it.

>>1813030
>Charge straight in, tank whatever he throws at you, and finish this with one devastating swing.

>>1813040
Huh, looks like we're going to be making way faster progress than I thought. Looks like we're making a breakthrough early.

>>1813042
>Looks like we're making a breakthrough early.
I vote that we not do that and instead charge in blindly.

>>1813031
>>1813034
>>1813041
3 for trademark recklessness

>>1813033
1 for being more measured

Roll me 3d10-6 [-12 (TRIPPING BAALLLSSS), +6 (Breakthrough)] VS DC 6 [Base 15, -12 (TRIPPING BAALLLSSS), +2 (Sesh gremlin), +1 (staff fighting to spear similarity)]

Rolled 10, 6, 2 - 6 = 12 (3d10 - 6)

>>1813048
I wonder if we can pass this high DC

Rolled 2, 9, 9 + 6 = 26 (3d10 + 6)

>>1813048

Rolled 1, 8, 9 - 6 = 12 (3d10 - 6)

>>1813048
Wow fucking killer dc there man how can you even justify that shit?

>>1813050
Oops, sorry, that's a 14, messed up the formatting.

>>1813049
>>1813051
>>1813050
>12, 14, 12 vs DC 6
Great Success!

Looks like you're kicking Sam's shit in. Writing

>>1813055
Spend -14 vys for regular failure

>>1813042
A pleasant surprise, guess some of that was bound to work eventually

It takes an immense amount of focus to even move your legs, but you force yourself onwards, your zweihander dragging behind you. You stare Sam down, his face morphing and becoming extremely symmetrical. Every sound in the forest is extremely vivid and catches your attention, sounding as if the noises are happening right behind you. It’s like you’re fully taking note of absolutely every little thing that’s happening around you, sending you into sensory overload.

Sam stumbles towards you, then quickly spins around, striking at something that isn’t there with his spear. He looks around wide eyed, his pupils fully dilated, barely lifting his feet as he shuffles forward. You stand still for a second and close your eyes, trying to get away from the absolute barrage of stimulus that is your normal environment.

In.

You try and centre yourself, focusing on your breathing.

Out.

You feel your body move as you breathe. The air moving into your nostrils, through your windpipe and into your lungs, and all the things that make the process happen.

In.

It’s funny how something as simple as the act of breathing, is in reality, an extremely complicated and involved process. Just one of the many things that makes your existence possible.

Out.

You listen to your heart beat, and visualise your blood circulating through your veins, feeding the rest of your body. Feeling your body’s very vitality course through you slowly, ebbing and flowing, you clench your fist. You were stumbling before, but that’s just because you were panicking. You clench your fist, testing your control. Maybe this is how you really feel and move all the time without your brain selectively filtering and sending out information.

In.
All these processes that you’re only taking notice of now, they happen all the time around you, present in every living being. You feel the forest pulse in unison to some universal, cosmic beat. You tune into the pulse, becoming one with it, finally realising your place in the orchestra of cause and effect that is the universe.

Out.

Your eyes snap open and you charge with speed and strength you didn’t know you had. Launching forward, you close the distance between you and Sam in two quick strides. The universe takes notice, the pulse of all the living beings around you quickening in time with yours. You know Sam is taken completely off guard, feeling his panic as he clumsily brings his spear up to impale you.

(cont)

>>1813131
The grass swirls underfoot as you twist, feeling Sam’s muscles twitch and tense, relying on what he still believes to be instinct. You sway slightly, the steel tip of Sam’s spear darting past your head as you charge forward. You feel the helplessness well up in Sam as he realises that you’ve completely passed his guard, his stomach sinking with the weight of his impending doom. Your muscles tense as you bring you zweihander up, no longer struggling as you let your vitality flow to the areas of your body that need it.

Just as your zweihander begins to make contact with the top an intense rumbling, louder than anything you’ve ever heard before, manifests itself. Your head pounds against the immense pressure and your body crumples under some sort of invisible weight. In a fraction of a second you feel your consciousness fade, squeezed out by some immense force, quickly fading to black.

[Congratulations! You’ve figured out the secret to Flow Sense! It’s still weak, but you can now tune in to the ebb and flow of the universe at will]

[You’ve gained a sense of something, but you haven’t quite figured it out. 3/5 progress to a new breakthrough unlocked!]

That's gonna be it for tonight guys! Cheers for playing guys, next post hopefully tomorrow afternoon 4pm AEST, check the twitter regardless.

Gonna stick around a bit for questions and what not, so fire away.

did we lose consciousness from trying to move or were we going to pass out even if we stood there anyway?

>>1813137
I think the old man knocked us out.

>>1813137
Pretty obviously the old man called the match by knocking us unconscious before we cleave our buddy in two.

>>1813139
>your body crumples under some sort of invisible weight.
I don't think the old man is that sneaky even if he is a master with flow.

>>1813142
I think this was a more serious, single target version of that "releasing the flow" thing he demonstrated.

>>1813134
Cheers mate, will you update the relevant pastebin with that?
Was a nice description of the whole "expanding senses" thing, by the way.

>>1813147
Yep, character pastebin's just been updated. Gonna take some time to articulate an explanation for flow in the combat pastebin, that'll be updated in time for next session.

>abomination can't recover from those wounds
It's going to be an ez fight if the old man helps.

>>1813134
>4pm AEST
>[crickets.mp3]

>>1816738
That reminds me of another QM but not I'm sure who

>>1816738
It's only 1:20PM AEST.

>>1817379
https://time.is/AEST

>>1817395
Did he mean Australian or American?

>>1817400
He said AEST, so I assume he meant AEST, which is Aussie.

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>>1813134
>mfw OP leaves you on read.

QM dropped quest

Sorry about that guys, was enticed into Monday night shenanigans and have just woken up.

Gonna make some breakfast (or lunch I guess?) and get started on the opening post. Stay tuned.

As an aside, if I were ever to die, I feel like it's much better to be straight forward with your players rather than keep a small spark of hope alive (RIP Diarca)

>>1818630
RIP Diarca
RIP Soma
RIP Sparks
RIP BSO

>>1818630
Where is it senpai?

>>1819010
Halfway done, but just been accused of cheating in my midsem last week for taking a piss without handing in my phone so gotta talk to my professor. Patience is a great virtue anon

>>1813133
You come to, feeling the grass prick your cheek as you lay on the ground. A slight headache lingers, but you’re otherwise fine. Opening your eyes, you’re relieved to see your vision has returned to normal, the branches above no longer spiralling infinitely upon themselves.

Across the clearing, Sam sits crossed legged, hand supporting the weight of his head. His eyes aren’t really focused on anything, and they hold the obvious glaze of someone deep in thought.

You hear Moest’s whisper from behind you. “Ya only been out a moment lad, I’ve just explained to Sam what yar gonna need to do. First, get yar arse up and walk with me, we don’t wanna disturb him.”

The old man leads you into the forest outside of the clearing, following a little trail. “So lad, interesting wee display ya put on just then eh? What was going through ya head?”

You try to recount the events of the fight, still reeling from how intense your experience was. “I could feel… Everything. The singular pulse of absolutely everything, that’s the only way to describe it.”

The Old man nods. “Aye, what else?”

You continue. “And the energy that was pulsing, it was in me too. I imagined it running through my blood… I think I manipulated it but I’m not really sure how.”

Moest runs his fingers through his beard. “Aye, you definitely did manipulate it. And this energy, what you felt, that is flow. And being aware of that energy permeating around everything around you, and processing that information for your advantages; That’s the art of flow sense. Tell me lad, how do you feel now.”

For the first time, you think about it. “Drained, I guess. Maybe even hollow. I feel like I’ve been desensitised. I mean, I should be happy, right? I’ve just figured this flow stuff out, but I just feel indifferent.”

Moest nods again, hearing just what he expected. “That’s because yar empty. Ya got no life juice left. No essence, the thing that gives substance to yar flow, and before we do anything else yar gonna need to build that up again.”

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>>1819282
You come to the end of the trail, a little clearing in the woods with a lone tree stump, warm sunlight shining directly on it.

Old man Moest points to the stump. “Sit on that thing lad, let the sun warm yar back. I chose to bring ya out here instead of Sam cause ya used a lot more essence than he did. Yar a fookin’ fast learner, that’s the quickest I’ve ever seen anybody pick up flow sense, and ya used all of yar essence in the process. A lot less distractions out here, so it’ll be easier fo ya to replenish yar reserves. Sit ya arse on that stump and I’ll get ya started.”

You oblige, sitting crossed legged on the tree stump. The sun shining through the canopy straight onto you is very pleasant, and the trees make a natural barrier from any foreign noise. Once you’re settled, Moest continues. “Like anything to do with flow, it’s hard to explain it and yar just gonna have to experience it. Yar essence, it’s what makes you, you. There’s no other way I can put it. If ya deplete it, ya lose yar quirks, yar humour, yar emotions... All the shite that give ya yar character. To get that back, ya gotta reflect. Think about the things that’ve happened recently, how ya feel about them, all the good and all the bad. Ya do it naturally over time when ya relax, but if ya wanna replenish it quicker yar gonna have to actively think about it. Sit there, close yar eyes, and think. Yar gonna know when yar finished, come back to us whenever that is.”

With that, Moest leaves you to your devices. You sit alone, your only company the being the wind moving through the leaves and the other odd sounds of the forest. A lot has happened lately, and its gone so quick too; You haven’t really had any time to think about any of it. The rangers, and the beast, which you know now to be one of the possessed. You’ve been gone for about 4 days now too, you wonder how your father and the townsfolk are doing. You get absorbed in your thoughts, reflecting on the past, the outcomes of your decisions, and the possible future.

[Time to air your thoughts on what’s happened so far, and how you feel about them. This isn’t a vote, and nothing has to be necessarily agreed upon, just comment on past events, things that are happening, and how you feel about them. Reflect on how things have changed you.]
>Write-in

>>1819286
Think about the the abomination, the fear we felt fighting it, the sadness for those it killed and protected us, what is stake if we lose and the determination to not let those sacrifices be in vain.

>>1819286
>That dream, that told is of the beast, we should talk to Moest about it, it still bothers us somehow, and what was with that girl in plate, is this a Flow thing?
>The dance was postponed, perhaps we should try harder to get a date next time, get to know more people. What if that will be our last chance for something like that, no reason to hesitate talking to girls, there's so many worse things out here.
>The rangers gave their life for the village, but what of those who fled, were they right in deeming the mission futile, or would their presence have overpowered the beast? Should they be blamed, when so many others fell?
>Dad was in the military, did he know of Flow as well?
>The possessed must have been full of hate to choose to turn into this, to cast death on so many strangers. We must handle him, already too much has been lost.
>The three of us, we would have all marched into our death had it not been for the rangers.
>The one whose throat had been slit, it's a shame he couldn't at least die fighting to protect others, perhaps his sword having been used to wound it can give him some calm.
>Somehow our initial gusto feels both reinforced and diminished, we ended up helping, but it's only luck we didn't die on the way here, we have others to thank for the chance to be useful.

>>1819286
Think about you hesitated fighting the beast, and how you're steel yourself against that fear. Banish any fear of the prospect of facing it again. You're happy you're getting stronger, and even if you're worried about the townsfolk you're loving the shit out of adventuring and training to be better.

>>1819313
>and even if you're worried about the townsfolk you're loving the shit out of adventuring and training to be better.
This.

>>1819286
Endless desire to rip the universe metaphysical fabric an asshole and then rape it with our magic dick

>>1819318
Hey buddy I think you got the wrong door, BQ is two blocks down.

>>1819323
Gargle my shit faggot the desire to make the universe your bitch should cross all dimensions and permeate all quests

Nice reflecting guys, exactly the type of thing I want. Writan' now

Short delay again guys, I swear everything is going against me running today. Post soon I promise, just stay tuned

>>1819432
Soma 2.0

>>1819432
RIP

>>1819323
>Implying BQ isn't the old abandoned house at the edge of town where all the druggies and hobos congregate.

>>1813025
I just want to point out that historical zweihanders weighted around 2.5 kilograms and were pretty fast.

>>1819286
>Think about how many weapons Moest has and whether he mastered them all
>And about why a master of weaponry and flow lives alone in the forest unknow by all
>And what does he eat there
>And whether flow sense can help us pick up girls

Sorry about the constant delays guys, I keep thinking I'm free to run but shit keeps constantly coming up. Hopefully going to be a lot more consistent now.
>>1819357
If you get down to it, all of the recent events have revolved around the possessed. You couldn’t really say you’re exactly mad at it; That’d be futile, the same as being mad at a storm for wiping out your crops. It’s just another aspect of our world acting out, you might as well be mad at Vaul himself for making things this way. Regardless, you realise that you need to take this into your own hands; The possessed needs to be destroyed.

You feel the fear welling up as soon as you even think about confronting the possessed. You force it down, what are you so scared of anyway? This has to be done, and you’ve faced it twice now and survived. The hopes of the village are resting on your shoulders, even if they may not know it, and so much has been sacrificed to even enable you to get to this point. The Captain and the rangers that stayed, all of their hopes rest on you too, and you feel as if a strange sense of duty has been passed. You steel yourself, the thought of confronting the possessed no longer filling you with dread, instead being replaced by the determination to do what’s necessary.

In these past few days you’ve encountered things crazier and more intense than anything you’ve ever imagined. It hasn’t all been death, sacrifice and the possessed; Coming out to the lake, learning about flow, seeing things that are new. You might’ve been scared before, but now it’s something more akin to thrill. The danger and the adventure, it makes you feel alive. You have no clue how you’re going to go about living a normal life in Hearthspring after this, something inside you has been set off. If you’ve learnt anything these past few days, is that there’s a lot more to see out there in the wider world. You always knew that Hearthspring was remote, but you’ve only come to realise now how sheltered the town truly is.

Even the fighting aspect of things you’re starting to enjoy. Well, you’ve always like the sword, but now that flow’s been introduced you can easily see it becoming an obsession, one that you’re not going to be able to facilitate unless you’re out there adventuring, pushing yourself and putting yourself in dangerous situations. You and your friends, you’re all still so weak. The only reason you got this far was because of the rangers, and pure luck. You’re gonna need to get stronger, a challenge you now willingly accept and embrace.

And to be honest, its put everything into perspective. Things that used to seem like a big deal, like getting a date for the moon dance, in the face of certain death they seem very trivial. The little elements of your life, there’s no point fretting over them and the possible consequences. What’s the worst that can happen with those little things anyway? Nothing compared to the prospect of your demise.

>>1821938
You also think about Moest. He’s taken you in and looked after you, you’re grateful for that, but just who the fuck is he? You’ve still got a lot of questions for him, some that may be better being asked in private. His history, his motives, what he was doing in your dream. So many questions left unanswered, something that you should aim to remedy.

Finished, you open your eyes. A strange sense of contentedness resonated through you, a slight smile arising as this is reinforced with determination. You’re ready for whatever this world’s gonna throw at you, and you welcome the challenge with open arms.

[Essence restored! 3/3]

You know you’re feeling a lot better because you can once again, actually feel. You’ve come to terms with a lot of stuff that’s happened recently, and taking some time to figure things out has restored some kind of clarity of mind. You’re even more ready for your training now that before, prepared to put everything you have into bettering yourself, getting stronger, and putting down the possessed once and for all. You jump off the stump and stroll up the forest path back to the clearing, ready to meet Moest and Sam to progress with a new zeal.

After a short walk you emerge from the tree line to see Moest, Sam, Theo and Bole standing in the clearing, waiting patiently. You look at Theo, remarking that you haven’t seen him since last night. He doesn’t really look any different, but instead of holding any weapon he now grasps a large staff that bends curves into itself at the top.

Moest’s eyes light up as he sees you. “Lovely, looks like we can get started. We’re done fookin’ around with flow today, I’ve already pushed ya hard already. We’re gonna do some joint training today, help Theo out as well. Exercise is gonna be simple; Theo’s gonna levitate some of these pebbles up, and ya other two are gonna try and hit them with yar weapons.”

Sam looks offended. “We’re supposed to be fighting the possessed in 3 more days, and you got us hitting pebbles!? Come on old man, you can’t be fucking serious…”

Moest quirks his eyebrow. “Ohh? Is that what ya reckon lad? Then I’ll make it a bit more exciting eh? Bole, try and pin these two lads while they swing, that’ll make things a bit more interesting.”

The little golem starts to lumber forward, then suddenly locks its arms into its body. He tilts his head forward, and with a pop springs up, locks the rest of his limbs into his body, and starts rolling toward you and Sam with frightening speed.

Theo closes his eyes and concentrates hard on levitating the pebbles and Moest looks at you expectantly.

[What’s your strategy going to be for this exercise?]
>Take big, arcing swings, trying to knock out as many pebbles as you can in one go
>Work in tandem with Sam, alternating in strikes and keep an eye out for one another.
>Take it slow and focus on dodging Bole, making decisive strikes when you’re safe.
>Write-in

Also made a new Pastebin called musings https://pastebin.com/MzMmN8Dt where Oscars' idle thoughts are contained.

>>1821946
>>Work in tandem with Sam, alternating in strikes and keep an eye out for one another.

>>1821965
Have you managed to solve whatever was holding you up?

File: Basic Wooden Staff.png (5 KB, 350x343)

5 KB PNG

>>1821946
Oops, forgot the pic for Theo's staff

>>1822014
Nope, but it now doesn't require my immediate attention so I can focus on running this thing. Not rail roading or anything, but I wanna get the Oscar and co out of Hearthspring and adventuring by the end of this week, which will probably require me running quite a lot more that I have so far this week.

>- Who was that girl in the plate we saw?
What plate?

>>1821946
>Work in tandem with Sam, alternating in strikes and keep an eye out for one another.
Its a joint training thing, its retarded to try and play the selfish game right now

>>1822091
Girl in full plate that punched you square in the nose in a dream you had when you were still following the rangers upstream. Somewhere in thread 2 if you want to reread.

Looks like things are understandably slow atm. I'm gonna go grab something to eat, should be back in half an hour or so to count any more votes that come in.

>>1822155
Dead board + australian time.

>>1821992
>>1822105
2 for TEAMWORK

Got a little meeting first, but writan' will start straight after

>>1822497
Actually, roll me 3d10 vs DC 15 to see how well you do

Rolled 5, 6, 5 = 16 (3d10)

>>1822523

Rolled 6, 8, 1 = 15 (3d10)

>>1822523
Check this nat 3

Rolled 3, 8, 5 = 16 (3d10)

>>1822523

>>1822543
>>1822548
>>1822552
>16, 15, 16 vs DC 15
Great Success!

Writing now guys

>>1822562
You and Sam waste no time kicking into gear, immediately diving out of the way before Bole crashes into the two of you. Across the clearing you see Theo grip his staff hard, completely still as he puts every last drip of his focus into keeping the cloud of pebbles afloat. Bole’s momentum keeps rampaging past you, but his legs pop out once again, sending him into the air and reversing his momentum, sending him careening right back at you.

You yell to Sam. “Run to the pebbles, I’ll keep Bole occupied!”

Sam gives you a nod and you both break into a sprint. You glance back to see Bole gaining on you fast, pursuing you vehemently. You stop and take a solid stance whilst Sam keeps running, swinging your zweihander and bracing yourself as your sword makes contact with the mini boulder. You barely deflect Bole, but you manage to veer him off course, forcing him to switch his momentum again as you run to catch up to Sam.

Sam stops in front of the cloud of pebbles, getting started by jabbing at the cloud with his spear before bringing it outwards in a slash. He’s surprised to see the cloud of pebbles part, Theo moving them out of the way of his spear. Sam under compensates for the lack of resistance, and almost loses his balance in the process.

Sam sees you running towards him and the cloud, Bole rolling after you. “Your turn Oscar! I’ll take care of Bole!”

You utilise your momentum, crashing into the cloud and sending heaps of pebbles flying with a massive, wild slash. By the time Bole catches up with you, Sam’s already regained his balance, bracing the tip of his spear against the ground and flinging Bole to the side as he tries to knock you over.

You alternate with each successive strike, minimising your recovery times to keep Theo constantly pressured. You and Sam get into a good, efficient rhythm, not giving him an inch and keeping Bole off your backs as well. Theo replaces every pebble you knock out of the air, though over time he tires out, no longer moving them out of the way as quick as before, and eventually the number of pebbles start to dwindle as Theo gets increasingly exhausted.

>>1822782
After a while the cloud of pebbles all drop at once, Theo slumping as he leans of his staff, sweat pouring down his face.

Moest grunts, clearly not impressed with both of you. “Fookin’ terrible showing lads, we’ve got a long way to go if yar gonna have any fookin’ chance. Oscar ya need to rotate yar hips as ya swing, like this; And Sam, don’t overextend or yar gonna end up on yar arse. Come over here, I’ll show ya…”

You go on like this for the rest of the day, trying to knock Theo’s pebbles out of the air whilst avoiding Bole, Moest lecturing you as Theo gathers mana to regain his energy in order to repeat the exercise again. You only stop for lunch, all of you digging into massive plates of roasted wild tubers and venison to sate the hunger you’ve worked up over the day. Moest’s tutelage is pretty harsh, and by the end of the day you’re absolutely exhausted, but you think you’ve learnt more about the art of combat and fighting in one day than you have in your entire life. After working together with Sam the whole day, you feel as if your synergy in battle with him has increased greatly. You’ve known the guy since you were a boy, but you’ve always duelled against each other, only working together to defeat a common enemy since you’ve left town. The old man’s critical of you and Sam, but by the end of the day you notice a grudging acceptance from him, finally somewhat satisfied with your progress.

[Congratulations! You’ve gained 3 exp in Swordsmanship [Ultra Heavy], and it is now level 1!]

[Your synergy in combat with Sam has increased! You now possess the trait Combat Synergy, giving you both a +1 to combat rolls when fighting a common enemy!]

You retreat back to Moest’s shack when you’re finished, settling in for massive bowls of stew. You’re done for the day, but it’s not really yet time to rest. What’re you going to do with your spare time for the day?

>Chat shit with Sam and Theo, talk about the training and their progress
>Go find Moest, he’s outside somewhere
>You’ve still got Iroh Tomotaki’s memoirs with you. Settle down and have a read
>Write-in

>>1822787
>>Go find Moest, he’s outside somewhere
Let's have a chat

>>1822787
>Go find Moest, he’s outside somewhere

>>1822787
>Go find Moest, he’s outside somewhere
Hopefully we'll get some answers

>>1822795
>>1822806
>>1822810
All 3 for CURIOSITY

Had to pop out for a bit, but writan now

>>1822924
You’re absolutely stuffed, all of you finishing 3 huge bowls of stew in the span of 10 minutes. Sam packs his pipe up with sweetleaf and manages to eat another 2, sending him into a food coma whilst Theo settles down with his strange mathematics and metaphysics book. You get up and leave the two of them to their devices, deciding to seek out Moest and get some proper answers.

You walk down to the clearing to find Bole hard at work chopping firewood. The little golem, sensing your intentions, sets aside the axe and starts walking down the little trail to the stump, leading you to Moest.

Moest sits on the stump, sword stabbed into the ground in front of him, deep in thought. The soft moonlight shines down from the break in the canopy, illuminating the little copse. This is the first time you’ve gotten a look at Moest’s breaking sword, the black blade engraved with birds flying through intricate patterns.

Moest looks up, not surprised to see you in the slightest. “Finally come here for answers eh lad? Fire away, I’ll be happy to answer whatever ya can throw at me.”

[What questions have you got for Moest? I’ll go with everything Moest related in the musings pastebin, but feel free to ask things more specific or not included.]
>Write-in

File: Gyr Breaking Sword.jpg (23 KB, 700x493)

23 KB JPG

>>1822965
Forgot the pic again. Here's Moest's sword, for reference

>>1822965
>We've met before, in a dream, or what I thought was a dream. What was it, and why did I see it? I've had another strange dream since then, is that related?
>...Couldn't you have helped the rangers against the possessed?

>>1822965
>>1822979
Can't think of anything else to ask

>>1822965
>You said you were keeping watch for the possessed, but who sent you here to keep watch?
>Where did you learn to use flow and fight?

>>1822979
Also in addition
>If that wasn't just a dream, then you've known of the possessed for days. Couldn't you have done something?

>>1822979
>>1822990
>>1822995
>>1822998
Questions noted, and all will be revealed. Writing now

>>1823010
RIP

>>1823010
You’ve got a lot of questions, so it makes sense to start at the one you’ve had for the longest. “The night before we left Hearthspring and the river ran red, I saw you and the possessed. In a dream. O-or what I thought was a dream… I’m still not really sure if it was real.”

Moest nods. “Aye lad, that was real alright, but only in the sense that it was something that happened. The first time we’d actually physically met was after the fight at the lake.”

He furrows his brow, contemplating how to explain himself, and continues. “It’s fookin’ hard to explain lad. The pompous metaphysics professors at the spire, buncha wankers mind ya, call it ‘an alternate plane of reality.’ The place ya went in yar dream, it’s akin to our world, but it’s not exactly the same. I don’t think there’s anyone alive that knows its true nature, all we know is that it exists, and what happens there is very real. Ya can get there by regulating yar flow a certain way, but it’s still way beyond anything yar gonna be able to do for a while. Sometimes, I hear, normal people make it there by accident, but nobody knows why. Neither of us met in the flesh there lad, cause I was dreaming too.”

Moest stops for a moment, giving you a second to wrap your head around everything. Once you look like you’ve got some kind of a grip on things he continues to elaborate. “I don’t know how ya got there lad. I sure as shite didn’t bring ya there if that’s what yar thinking. I was keeping an eye on the possessed, and ya just so happened to wander by.”

You take in his words. “So when you grabbed me by the shoulder and looked me in the eye, you sent me out?”

Moest nods. “Aye lad, that’s exactly what I did. Then I got the fook outta there too, believe me. Since then it knows I’ve been watching it, and its been a lot more cautious.”

You delve deeper, so many things still unclear. “You said that before, on the way here last night. That you were keeping watch, for any signs of The Reckoning such as this possessed. Why? Who’s sent you here, out in the middle of the woods, to watch for signs of some event mentioned in an old, dusty book?

File: Doomsayer Ring.jpg (114 KB, 1024x852)

114 KB JPG

>>1823158
Moest holds his fist out, brandishing a ring with a sigil of a rising sun. “I belong to a Vaulic sect known as the Doomsayes, a religious order no different to the paladins, the water wives, or the cloud knights. We were founded in a much more tumultuous time than this, where Camewell was being torn asunder by conflict after conflict. The signs have already fookin’ come and gone lad, and something needed to be done. I’ve been assigned out here to keep watch on this general area, and I’ve done so for 16 years. Backwoods like this are a hotbed of spiritual activity, and if the first signs were gonna arise anywhere, it was gonne be in a place like this.”

The Doomsayers… A foreboding name, but not one you’ve heard before. “If the Doomsayers are just another Vaulic sect like all the others, how come I’ve never heard of you?”

Moest squints his eyes, an angry memory brought to mind. “Because no one else has seen the signs. The whole country is still in denial lad, because if the church accepted that The Reckoning was actually happening, there would be mass hysteria. In the eyes of the fookin’ church and Greater Wellish royalty, the Doomsayers are a cult and must be silenced. Thus we must work in secret.”

It’s easy to dismiss Moest’s credibility, hearing that his order is practically a cult, but you can see in his eyes that his intentions are genuine, and that he truly does believe he’s doing a service that is integral to humanity’s survival. Moest really believes The Reckoning is happening, and why should you trust the rulings of some church you’ve never had anything to do with over what you can see is genuine concern? “So now that you know about the possessed, have you reported to your superiors that The Reckoning is upon us?”

Moest nods again, though a hint of solemness plagues his words. “Superiors are not a thing in the Doomsayers, every man and woman is equal. But aye, I did send word lad, as soon as I saw the possessed about a week before I encountered ya. My wife Bonnie, Vaul bless her soul, made a very intricate and agile golem to carry any messages we had to send, and that thing should be on its merry way to Verrigan as we speak.”

(cont)

>>1823160
Something still doesn’t add up, and you start to feel the anger well up in your stomach. “If you’ve known about the possessed for so long, why didn’t you do anything about it? I’ve felt the things that you can do with flow, and it’s obvious you’re a master swordsman. Why didn’t you help us and the rangers when we were fighting it? Maybe even dispose of it before it got so bad?”

The old man raises his voice at the accusations. “What, you think I wasn’t fookin’ helping ya with every bit of my power lad? I was exerting pressure on that possessed’s flow all throughout yar fookin’ fight with it! Even when ya were running from it in the dream as well! If it wasn’t for me, ya’d all be in the fookin’ ground! And ya expect me to get out there and go toe to toe with it? Fookin’ look at me lad, how young do ya think I am?”

Shaking his head, he pulls up the hem of his black robe, revealing a wooden leg in place of his left. “Even if I was still whole, I still wouldn’t be able to get out there lad. I’ve been in wars since before ya were born, since before ya fookin’ father was born probably. Battle’s taken its toll on me lad, and as much as I wish I could get out there and help ya, there’s no way I can. Cause if I could, believe me, I’d skin the poor fooker myself.”

You stop for a moment, taken aback by Moest’s tirade. You go to apologise. “I-I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything, it’s ju-“

Moest waves his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it lad, ya just want ya answers and I’m giving them to ya. Keep firing away.”

Your eyes gravitate towards Moest’s breaking sword, the complex engraving on the blade nothing short of a work of art. “So I’m guessing that’s your sw-“

Moest cuts you off. “Of course it fookin’ is lad, no need to guess…”

Slightly embarrassed, you continue. “Your sword, I’ve never seen a piece of steel like that. I’ve been wondering where you’ve got it from.”

Moest smiles, looking back on fond memories. “Oh lad, ya really have no fookin’ clue do ya? This sword is only given to those in the Gyr, and is handed to the man by her majesty, the Queen of Tyr and Lesser Camewell herself.”

You look at Moest, perplexed. “The Gyr I’m assuming is some sort of elite warrior collective?”

Moest laughs. “Nay lad, the Gyr are the elite fighting force of Lesser Camewell. A battalion of the best breakers the world has to offer. They’re feared all over the world as well, even across the sea. They’re headed by the falcon, the most vicious breaker alive at the time.”

(cont)

>>1823162
You look at Moest in awe, misinterpreting his words. “S-so you’re the falcon then, o-or used to be?”

Moest laughs even harder. “Ahahaha! Holy shite! No way lad, I was just in the Gyr; I served under Kaius Loch, the silver falcon and probably the best breaker Camewell’s ever seen. I was nowhere near the skill level of the best Gyr, let alone the fookin’ silver falcon himself.”

You nod, understanding the skill level of the man before you. “So did you have to have a good understanding of flow as well before they let you into the Gyr?”

Moest shakes his head, refuting your question. “Nay, not at all. I did understand a bit about flow before I was trialled of course; A rudimentary understanding is practically essential for any high level combat. But nay, most of my knowledge of flow came much later, only when I became part of the Doomsayers. The man who taught me did so well, and it has taken me years to progress to this point in my mastery. I may seem strong to you, but this man, he was far better than I.”

You reflect on Moest’s words. You riddled him with questions, and he’s answered every one to the best of his ability. You only have one thing left to ask him. “After the dream, where we met, I had another one. It was different though, pitch black like I was standing in an infinite abyss. There was another person there, a girl my age wearing full plate armour. Would you know anything about what happened?”

Moest combs his fingers through his beard, thinking. “Nay lad, it doesn’t sound like the normal dream. There’s much about flow I don’t know about, but I doubt it could be a coincidence. That one yar gonna have to figure out ya self.”

You stand in silence for a moment, processing all you’ve been told before Moest pipes up. “It’s getting late lad, and it looks like ya finished yar questions. Head back to the shack and get some rest, we’ll still got a lot to do tomorrow.”

You oblige, your curiosity sated. You mull over Moest’s words as you head back to the shack, and when you enter Sam and Theo are already long gone, snores echoing throughout the small cabin. You spend a lot of time thinking about what was said, and before you know you join Sam and Theo in deep sleep.

[That’s it for today guys! Sorry it wasn’t a very long session, but should be back Friday for the long haul. At the moment, no session tomorrow, but if I find time I might do a couple of surprise posts so stay tuned. Don’t forget to follow twitter at https://twitter.com/OlasQM for updates!]

>>1823166
Thanks for running

>>1823166
See you friday

>>1823166
Try to at least announce it when you can't make it to a session or have to stop in the middle.

tnx eggman

>>1823223
That's not the proper quest experience.

>>1823166
Are you going to add Flow to combat pastebin?

>>1828082
Absolutely. Been thinking about the logistics of combat for the past couple of days now, and been thinking of fleshing it out by adding certain weapon attack and armour modifiers too. Still got to think about it more though, so nothing definite yet.

You awaken to the sound and smell of bacon sizzling, Moest labouring over the pan. “Rise and shine lad, breakfasts almost finished. Bole’s gone to one of the streams and gotten some water this mornin’, pop around the back and have a wash in the meantime. I imagine it’s been a while eh?”

It’s been four days in fact, and it feels like it too. Enticed by the prospect of not being covered in the grime, sweat and blood of the past few days, you head around to the back of the shack, noticing for the first time a smaller shed behind it, remarking that this is where Theo must do most of his training. You wash yourself off, the cold water banishing any remnants of sleep from your mind. Once you’re done you dry yourself off and make your way back into the shack to find a massive plate of bacon and eggs on toast with grilled tomato and mushroom.

Sam’s just beginning to rise as Moest walks over, handing him his plate and giving you both a debrief of today’s training. “So lads, I’ve spoken to both of ya, and ya both told me about the revelations ya both had in yar fight yesterday. What we’re gonna do today is go over those revelations, try and emulate them, then try and apply the skills ya gain. Sam, ya only have one revelation to work off, but Oscar, ya got the inklings of one thing, and ya already figured out the other one was flow sense. Before we start, yar gonna have to decide whether ya want to improve yar flow sense, or try and figure out yar other revelation.”

>Work on your flow sense
>Try and work out your other insight

>>1828795
>Try and work out your other insight

>>1828795
>Try and work out your other insight
pity (you)

>>1828795
>Work on your flow sense
The other one is probably enhancing strength or something.

>>1828795
>Try and work out your other insight
Let's figure out our options before choosing

>>1828799
>>1828824
>>1828838
3 for mystery insight

>>1828830
1 for flow sense

Writan'

>>1828841
No rolls?

>>1828907
No anon it's autofail.

File: Sweetleaf Pipe.jpg (8 KB, 300x300)

8 KB JPG

Sorry post took so long guys, let myself get sidetracked.

>>1828841
You weigh your options for a moment, making your decision. “I’d like to try and work on the other insight today, I think that’ll be more useful to have too instead of just flow sense.”

Moest nods. “So be it. Finish up your breakfast then meet me in yard. Both of yar insights are different, so Sam ya might as well have a shower first whilst I get Oscar started.”

And with that the old man turns and hobbles out the door, leaving you and Sam to finish your breakfasts.

Sam talks in between mouthfuls of food. “Where the fuck does Theo get to while we train? Didn’t see him the whole day yesterday till he came out to train with us.”

You answer him. “There’s a little shed out the back. I couldn’t really see through the windows, but I think I saw his silhouette moving around inside.”

Sam takes in your words, chewing food all the while. “Hmmm, I wonder what he’s getting up to. It’ll be interesting to see what he can do with his magic once we’re finished up here. I’ve never seen a proper Earth mage in action.”

You nod, agreeing with him. “Aye, and it’ll be interesting to see what we can do with flow too.”

You put your plates away, grab your zweihander and your waterskin, then walk out the front door. You walk down the stairs as Sam peels off around the back of the shack, Moest waiting for you in the middle of the clearing.

Moest examines his finger, a beautiful blue butterfly settling on it. “Was it a good breakfast then lad? Yar finished up quick. I gotta say, I ate my fair share of that bacon myself. Always lovely when a boar comes wandering close.”


Moest moves his hands, the butterfly flying away, and points down at a sack of wood chunks. “I’m gonna throw these at ya lad, and you’re gonna try and hit them outta the air with yar zweihander. Think about the things that happened when ya went to swing yar sword in the sparring match yesterday, and keep them in mind whilst we run through this.”

Moest puts the sack back down. He reaches into his pockets, pulling out a bag of sweetleaf, a pipe, and a flint and steel. “One thing before we start. Everything’s gonna be a lot harder to figure out than before, because yar mind’s not being altered in any way. Ya got the gist of what ya need to think about, so it ain’t too bad, but ya can make things easier by smoking a bit of this. Trouble is that ya might not get as much out of it as you otherwise would have if ya were sober. Gonna be up to ya, either way works fine.”

[Smoke the sweetleaf? Will make the DC for the reflection easier, but you will get less xp if you pass.]

>Smoke it
>Pass

>>1828995
Pass
All-in.

>>1828995
>Pass

>>1828995
>Pass
Reckless learning

>>1828995
The insight most likely is related ot this part.
>You listen to your heart beat, and visualise your blood circulating through your veins, feeding the rest of your body. Feeling your body’s very vitality course through you slowly, ebbing and flowing, you clench your fist.

>>1829003
This part is the only one that looks different from flow sense
>The universe takes notice, the pulse of all the living beings around you quickening in time with yours.
Some kind of self-boost?

>>1828997
>>1829000
>>1829002
All 3 for going all in

Gonna need 3d10+3 [Insight] VS DC 20

Rolled 10, 1, 3 + 3 = 17 (3d10 + 3)

>>1829035

Rolled 5, 8, 2 + 3 = 18 (3d10 + 3)

>>1829035

Rolled 1, 4, 10 + 3 = 18 (3d10 + 3)

>>1829035
Fail

>>1829035
Spend 4

>>1829044
>>1829045
>>1829049
>17, 18, 18 VS DC 20
Severe Failure!

Writing

>>1829052
How much bonus does the leaf give?

>>1829052
You wave your hand at Moest. “I’ll pass for now. I feel like I’ve got a pretty good grasp of it, I’d like to try and learn as much as possible.”

Moest grunts out a response, picking up the sack of woodchunks. “Aye lad, yar call. It might’ve come naturally last time, but I hope ya realise it’s not always gonna be so easy.”

You draw your zweihander, letting the ground support most of its weight for now. You grip it with both hands, readying yourself, as Moest put his hand in the sack. Rather than throw a chunk up in the air for you to knock away, he throws the chunk right at you. Your arms strain as you struggle to bring the sword up to meet the trajectories, not getting anywhere close to intercepting it. He doesn’t let up, and you heave your zweihander up as hard as you can, and you soon get frustrated by your inability to even get close to hitting the wood chunks.

You throw your sword down, frustration getting the better of you. “You’re throwing them too fast! At least give me a fucking chance to hit them!”

Moest glares at you, raising his voice as he points at your sword. “Ya think it’s supposed to be easy lad?! You’re not fookin’ doing it properly! Stop trying to force your fookin’ sword to move, and start thinking about how ya even managed to do it in the first place! Now pick up yar fookin’ weapon and go again.”

(cont)

>>1829090
You resume the exercise, Moest not letting up the speed in the slightest. You focus on your memories of your sparring session, remembering that you moved your flow into other parts of your body, though still having no concept of how you actually did it. In fact, you know you’re now aware of the concept of flow, but you still can’t actually sense it, you just know its there. Eventually Sam comes jogging down the stairs, Bole following by rolling down the incline. Moest just shakes his head, passing the bag of wood chunks to Bole whilst he goes to tutor Sam, the two of them walking down the forest trail to the tree stump.

You go on like this till just before noon, trying in vain to cut the wood chunks that Bole throws at you out of the air. Your muscles start to ache pretty early in, and by the time Sam and Moest return, they’re practically on fire.

Moest walks over to you, Sam following closely. “Ya make any progress lad?”

You respond, disappointed. “Nay, I know I manipulated my flow the make me stronger, but I can’t for the life of me recall how I actually did it. I guess I’ve gotten a little bit more comfortable with the sword, but cutting wood out of the air doesn’t really make for substantial practise. Why can’t you just tell me how it’s done so we can get on with it?”

[You’ve gained 1 xp in Swordsmanship [Ultra Heavy]!]

[The DC for reflecting on your unknown insight has been reduced by 1!]


Moest shakes his head, combing his fingers through his beard. “Because I can’t lad, ya must realise it yarself in the core of your being. That’s the only way ya will truly be able to harness the powers of flow. The best I can do is try to induce the breakthrough, it is up to ya to make the connection. Take a break lad, and clear yar mind. Ya can always come back to it later and try something else out for now.”
[That’s 1/3 of the day done. One more physical training session will make you physically exhausted.]
>Keep at it, persevere with your unknown insight
>Give it a break, reflect on flow sense [Non-Physical]
>Give it a break, practise using flow sense during combat [Physical]
>Write-in

>>1829083
For now, a +1 bonus

>>1829092
>>Give it a break, reflect on flow sense [Non-Physical]
Let's take a break for now, do the second physical thing later.
Maybe using Flow sense when trying to get a breakthrough could help, let us feel the Flow itself, so we have an idea when we're start to succeed in moving it around. We'll see, if not, then I'm fine with taking some sweetleaf for it.

>>1829092
>>Give it a break, reflect on flow sense [Non-Physical]

>>1829092
>Give it a break, reflect on flow sense

>>1829092
>Give it a break, reflect on flow sense [Non-Physical]

>>1829151
>>1829149
>>1829113
>>1829096
All 4 for chilled out flow sense

Writan'

>>1829159
No roll?

>>1829164
stop asking faggot he'll call for a roll when the roll is needed

>>1829170
Make me fag

>>1829173
Thats pretty fucking gay man I don't mess with that gay shit

>>1829164
Nope, not for now at least.

This is your first time actually using it consciously, you've still got to get the hang of it before you can use it on a whim without suffering negative modifiers. Can't really go about gathering insight on how to improve on flow sense when you haven't even used it.

>>1829177
ey jimbo you writin or not

>>1829159
You decide to give yourself a rest, deciding to put this new flow sense thing to the test. “You keep talking about this flow sense thing, I’m keen to give it a go.”

Moest puts his hand forward, gesturing at nothing particular. “Well? What are ya waiting for lad? From what ya told me yesterday, sounds like ya got it all figured out. Might as well take a seat and give it a whirl.”

You think back to how connected you felt to everything around you, everything pulsing as one. Even now, you can sense it; You might not be able to feel the rhythm but you know it’s there, that there’s something to tune into. Heeding Moest’s words, you take a seat in the clearing, closing your eyes and trying to tune into the cosmic beat that flow pulses to. For a while, you’re only left only with a vague awareness of the environment around you, aware of the trees surrounding you and the birds flying overhead. You focus on your breathing, keeping a steady rhythm of inhale, exhale. You do this until it becomes second nature, your mind free to drift, no longer having to focus on the timing of your breath. You don’t know how long it takes you, but you lapse into a trance, finally feeling the ebb and flow of the universe’s energy. You may not have consciously realised it, but your breathing is perfectly lined up with reality’s push and pull, allowing you to tune into this state of oneness with everything around you. Despite finally being aware of the rhythm, it is incredibly faint compared to what you experienced before, and it’s taking all of your focus to keep it maintained. You have a vague notion of everything in the clearing and your immediate vicinity, your awareness only reaching a few metres until it fades. You are definitely aware of things around you, but the strength of your current sense is nothing compared to its potency yesterday when your mind was altered. Regardless, you now know what it takes to access Flow Sense, and you trust that from now on you could do it at will.

[Congratulations! You can now use Flow Sense on a whim with no negative modifiers! It’s still going to take a bit of practise until you can use it combat though.]
[Your essence pool has increased by 1!]
[Essence: 3/4]

>>1829259
You’re surprised to see the sun so low in the sky when you open your eyes. It only feels like you’ve been reflecting for half an hour. Thirsty, you take a quick swig of your waterskin, looking around as your eyes adjust back to the light. Sam and Moest are nowhere to be seen, whereas Theo is probably in the shed behind the shack. You could seek any of them out to help with your training, though with the pipe and sweetleaf on the grass next to your waterskin you can continue on your own accord, everything you need here.

[That’s 2/3 of the day done. One more physical training session will make you physically exhausted.]

>Persevere, keep focusing on Flow Sense. Now that you’ve got a better clue on how it works maybe start trying to make new breakthroughs with it and understand it better. [Non-Physical]
>Focus on trying to apply Flow Sense in combat by yourself. [Physical]
>Go back to working on the unknown insight by yourself [Physical]
>Seek out Theo
>Seek out Sam and Moest
>Write-in

>>1829261
>Go back to working on the unknown insight by yourself [Physical]
Since this is the last time slot we might as well exhaust ourselves.

>>1829261
>Go back to working on the unknown insight by yourself [Physica

>>1829261
>Go back to working on the unknown insight by yourself
Shonen training sequence a-go

Wait are we going to swing the sword by ourselves while meditating?

>>1829265
>>1829281
>>1829283
All 3 for PERSEVERANCE

Are you guys going to smoke some sweetleaf for the +1 bonus, accepting the xp deficit?
>Yes
>No

>>1829291
Yep, Moest has told you how to progress, and you know the speed and strength at which you should be swinging the thing once you properly apply your insight.

>>1829298
No

>>1829298
>No
ALL OR NOTHING

>>1829298
>No

>>1829302
>>1829303
>>1829308
Looks like it's a resounding no.

In that case, roll me 3d10+3 [insight] VS DC 19 [Base 20, -1 (previous reflection)]

Rolled 4, 7, 5 + 3 = 19 (3d10 + 3)

>>1829313
crit fail pls

Rolled 5, 4, 2 + 3 = 14 (3d10 + 3)

>>1829313
1,1,1

Rolled 10, 5, 7 + 3 = 25 (3d10 + 3)

>>1829313

>>1829315
>>1829319
>>1829327
>19, 14, 25 VS DC 19
Regular Success!

Writin'

>>1829315
>>1829319
>>1829327
We did it!

>>1829345
never respond to me again

>>1829350
Take my (You)s you dirty slut.

>>1829363
I've called the sharia cyber police, prepare the pay jizya dirty infidel

>>1829365
>Implying the SCP can do anything to a freedom loving red blooded American.
Europoors and britbongs pls