>>3973849
>The archer: By the time your foes see you, you’ve already seen them and sent a rather forceful greeting

>>3973849
>>The muscle: When it’s time to fight or strike fear into others, few compare to your ability

>>3973849
>The infiltrator: Be it a camp or a fortress, you’re getting inside and when all is said and done someone is losing their head

>>3973849
>The muscle

>>3973849
>The leader: You’re the mastermind and the driving force of the team. Your knowledge is vast, your skills are numerous, and your word is law

>>3973849

>The leader: You’re the mastermind and the driving force of the team. Your knowledge is vast, your skills are numerous, and your word is law

>>3973849
>The infiltrator

Stealth/disguise/melee archetype, preferably

>>3973893
>>3973901

>>3973894
>>3973935

>>3973913
>>3973926

I'll wait for another 30 minutes and if the tie isn't broken by then I'll roll for it.

Rolled 2 (1d3)

>>3973966
The muscle:1
The infiltrator:2
The leader:3

>>3973966

You unsheathe two of your daggers and maintain your position. The horses continue their stride until a multitude of arrows strike the group in rapid succession. Only one horse is unharmed but the rest are in poor shape, some stagger and others fall. The carriage jerks and comes to a stop as one of its horses loose its footing. Jut, the largest among you, sees an opening and comes barreling out of some bushes, crashing his shoulder into an unbalanced steed. One of the horsemen fall off and what follows next is sheer chaos. You only pay minimal attention to the scene however; this isn’t your fight. You approach the stopped carriage and breach the door with Cynthia, the second in command backing you up. Inside you see one single, unassuming burlap sack sitting in the plushy backseat. The driver attempts to make a run for it but his attempt at self preservation was interrupted by and arrow which buried itself in his midsection.

With the package retrieved, you step outside to see your cohorts fighting the horsemen. Despite their intimidating looks and interestingly enough, enchanted swords, the guards found themselves greatly outmatched. Alvin, your peerless leader cut down two of them with ease, his sword ignoring the light armor entirely. Jut’s savage blows and Roderick’s unrelenting barrage of arrows dispatched the rest of them. Everything went seemingly according to plan, but Alvin had that unnerving smile on his face, a warning that things were not finished. The four swords of the horsemen began to glow a faint purple and lifted themselves into the air. The bodies of the guards rose as well and began orbiting the swords. Within seconds they were reborn, with glowing purple symbols snaking their way around each of them. Once again, the mundane has been avoided.

What do you do?

>Act as support with Roderick

>Fight alongside Jut, Alvin, and Cynthia

>Guard Val, who is in no way prepared for this

>Open the sack and see what’s inside

>>3974078
>>Act as support with Roderick

>>3974078
> Open the sack

Seems like the action best suited to our role.

>>3974078
>Disengage
We got what we came here for. No reason to duke it out with these 2.0 guards.

>>3974199
I thought I had all of the bases covered when I wrote out the options but you make a good point. Would you attempt to convince your allies to disengage as well, or would you simply go off by yourself? Regardless of your answer if you get enough support from the other participants I'll roll with it.

>>3974248
Well I assume everyone in our group is on the same page so when Cynthia signals for retreat she should be backed up by Alvin and then everyone will retreat orderly.

>>3974078
>>3974168
Changing to
>Open the sack and see what’s inside

>>3974262
They're only as organized as the plan allows. No one was prepared for this (sans Alvin once he saw the swords up close) and they'll all have their own individual responses to this development. If you were able to convince Cynthia or Alvin the rest would likely follow suit but it's a bit more difficult than it sounds. There will be more time to interact with team dynamics in the future assuming things go as planned.

>>3974268
I guess we're going with this. The update will go up in a bit.

>>3974175
>>3974268
While the others are battling it out, you decide to get a look at your latest prize. It’s far to light to be currency, a weapon, or a piece of armor. You open the sack only to see the bottom. You knew it wasn’t empty however since you felt that the object had some weight to it. You reach into the sack but you seemingly grasp nothing. This must be another one of those abstract items you’ve heard about. Most people say that these items can only be wielded by otherworldly figures; others state they’ve seen mere men handle such things with the use of magic or rare artifacts. Whatever the case may be, this certainly won’t get you new equipment or a place to stay for the night. You’ve been tracking this item for weeks now and with Alvin insisting on keeping a low profile for the duration of this operation, money has been tight.

Your thoughts on this situation are halted when a blast of energy sails over your head. Everyone seems to be fighting with everything they have to stand up against these reanimated horsemen, but arrows, sword strikes, and blunt force no longer deter them. Alvin and Cynthia, as excepted are squaring of against a single guard each while the others are handling this in a much less conventional manner. Jut and Val look as if they are playing some sort of game as they run around attempting to avoid their adversaries as Roderick attempts to find some sort of weakness within these new foes. It looks like a decent plan considering the circumstances, but from the outside looking in it seems as if your group will have three new openings if nothing is done.

What will you do? Pick an option and roll a 1d100.

>Simply ask Alvin or Cynthia how to defeat the guards
(Easy Roll)

>Watch Alvin and Cynthia they seem to know what they’re doing and perhaps you can gleam some information from their actions
(Normal Roll)

>Join the five-man fray and try to stall for time
(Hard Roll)

>>3974364
>>Watch Alvin and Cynthia they seem to know what they’re doing and perhaps you can gleam some information from their actions

>>3974364
>Stab the zombies in the back. Sever the spine

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>3974423
1
>>3974528
2

>>3974841
I'll need some rolls for this action.

Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>3974848

Rolled 65 (1d100)

>>3974848

Rolled 24 (1d100)

>>3974848

I forgot to state that unless I say otherwise, I'll be averaging the first 3-4 rolls that come in
>>3974959
>>3975009
>>3975064

Your eyes turn to Alvin and within seconds, it’s obvious that you won’t be getting anything substantial out of his actions. He’s clearly toying with it, most likely waiting for his team to finish off the others before he ends his in spectacular fashion, the showoff. Cynthia on the other hand, is much more focused and while it first appears that the two combatants are simply clashing, it seems as if Cynthia is making an effort to strike her opponent’s sword, she only giving it’s body the minimum amount of attention.

Upon witnessing this, you spin back towards the others and throw your two daggers at on of the guard’s swords. One misses and the other hits it dead on which causes said guard to convulse if only for a few seconds. Roderick, ever the opportunist takes notice and with little more than a twitch of his arm, coats his next arrow in some sort of blue energy that rises off of the arrowhead like smoke. Within seconds the arrow comes streaking out of the tree line and collides with the ominous sword, creating a moderately sized hole, which splinters at the edges. The guard’s body convulses again and becomes unstable. All color both natural and magical fade from it’s body and it collapses in the dirt. Jut after seeing the combined efforts of his allies, stops on a dime seemingly grateful that he can finally stand and fight. This fight doesn’t last long however, as his strike shatters the blade upon impact releasing the second guard from its grasp. By now, Cynthia has already defeated hers though what method she used to damage the blade is anybody’s guess. She turns to Alvin and gives him what can only be described as a look of impatience. Alvin receives this message and dodges another oncoming slice. He dances out of the range of his practice dummy and with one single backflip, lands on a near by tree branch which bends slightly under his weight. Upon leaping off of the branch, he preforms and aerial twist and lets loose a vicious slash. This maneuver leaves the sword cleanly sliced in two, and the guard with a long vertical wound across its chest. With nothing more than a nudge from Alvin’s boot, the guard collapses in a heap. Feeling rather pleased with himself, Alvin turns to the rest of you and takes a bow, only Val seems mildly impressed and you have a few things you’d like to say to him

What do you have to say to him?

>”Would you mind explaining this?” You ask, shoving the seemingly empty sack towards him.

>”What’s the story behind those swords?”

>“Must you always put on a show?”

>Write in

>>3975344
>>”Would you mind explaining this?” You ask, shoving the seemingly empty sack towards him.

>>3975344
>”Would you mind explaining this?” You ask, shoving the seemingly empty sack towards him.

>>3975430
>>3975621

“This, my friend, is our key to a host of new opportunities,” explained Alvin. “I have connections that will pay a hefty price for it. The things I’ll be able to obtain once I get in contact with them will allow us to reliably go after high profile targets. We’ve been through some things sure, but if I’m forced to drag the lot of you through another Cagnane incident, I’d like to be able to comfortably do so.”

“So you’ve been pulling all the weight around here eh?” Roderick finally strides out of the tree with an amused smirk on his face. “I suppose you simply stumbled upon this ‘key’ all by yourself then.”

“Well of course I did Lieutenant, after all, you only tracked it down. I’m the one who told you about it.”

“You’re impossible,” shrugs Roderick. “In any case, we should head back, that storm is catching up, and we should get moving before it hits.”

The rest of the group nods in approval though some are more interested in the prospect of getting some sleep rather than worried about getting caught up in a downpour. Everyone heads back into the tree line to retrieve their respective horses, with you and Roderick bringing up the rear on one horse. In front of you, are Val and Jut who also share a horse, while Alvin rides on his own. Cynthia is in the front driving the newly acquired carriage; both the vehicle and the horses will fetch a good price somewhere within the town.

(cont.)

>>3975649

After half an hour of travel, the band of thieves approach the entrance to the town of Forrand. It’s a medium sized township, which is currently undergoing rapid growth and development. Many new businesses are opening up around here due in part to the recent tax breaks the gentry have been receiving and also due to the bettering conditions in the area. As the borders of the nation expand, more and more people are leaving the densely populated cities in an attempt to find their own fortune. In the case of your group, you’re only here as a result of being sidetracked by the efforts of various bounty hunters. Alvin could be described as somewhat of a celebrity in these parts and the actions of a few hired killers have set you back by a few days. Before entering the town, Alvin dons a mask to conceal his identity, something he does when entering anything that could be described as civilization. Once the transformation is complete he appears much taller and his hair has noticeably grown, even from your position in the back you are able to perceive this. The guards let you in and soon you find yourself in the town square.

Alvin turns to you all, “We’ll be leaving here by late morning tomorrow so you have tonight and the morning to get whatever it is that you need. Once you finish, we’ll meet up at the back of the inn.”

With that, he departs and heads towards the after mentioned inn in order to get some rest. A few follow him, but Roderick and Jut go their separate ways.

What will you do?

>Head to the inn and sleep, you can do whatever you need to do in the morning

>Follow Roderick, he’s likely planning something that would interest you

>Follow Jut, the big man is also a big talker and following his exploits would be rather entertaining

>Go solo (specify what it is that you’ll be doing)

>Write in

>>3975651
>Follow Jut, the big man is also a big talker and following his exploits would be rather entertaining

I think we'll make a good team

>>3975701

Jut takes notice of you and slows down in order for you to catch up with him. The man is about as amicable as he is ruthless. Out of all of them, you’d say he’s one of the more approachable members of the group but he didn’t earn his nickname by being friendly. Aside from the skirmish with the dirt golems a week ago, his most recent fight with those horsemen was the cleanest confrontation you’ve seen him in. Most who stand against him be it man or monster are reduced to a sack of bruises and protruding bones once he’s done with them. Even his stories are bloody, for the last 10 minuets he’s been regaling you with a story from his childhood.

“And suddenly without warning, a his boot crashes right into her jaw and tore it clean off. Now I know what you’re thinking, it doesn’t sound too impressive, but I’m telling you, her jaw was enormous. It was almost as if the lower third of her face took up most of it, like she was wearing the bottom of a helmet on her chin or something. As I was saying, bone, flesh, and blood went flying everywhere, and for a second I actually saw her face, or what was left of it anyway before she fell face first in the dirt. I didn’t sleep for two days after seeing that.”

It appears as if he finished his monologue but before you can as him any questions he continues. “Speaking of not sleeping, did you notice that Cynthia never sleeps? I’ve only ever seen her do it three times and each time she was faking it. It’s a little scary to tell you the truth, in fact a lot of creepy things have been happening recently. Alvin’s contacts must be a pretty shady bunch given what we’ve seen. Don’t get me wrong, I fear no man, but when’s the last time we did some normal heists or shakedowns? I miss the good old days, not to say that I don’t like having you and the others around, you’re pretty decent as far as us thieves go. Don’t get me started on Val, she’s pretty cute, it’s a shame that she’s all over Alvin, but it’s like that saying goes. I don’t actually remember how it goes, something to do with the sea? Maybe it has something to do with an island full of mermaids or maybe female pirates. Anyway, back when it was just Alvin and I things were much simpler. Breaks in here, a carriage ambush there, maybe the occasional grave robbing every once in awhile. Now it’s all crazed wizards, bounty hunters, cursed valleys, and chasing around these invisible ‘keys’."

His ramblings are soon interrupted once he sees some suspicious looking men gathered in an alleyway. Feeling nostalgic, he suggests that the two of you shake down these goons and show them what it really means to be an outlaw.

What do you do? Roll a 1d100 along with your answer.

>Agree

>Suggest something else

>Disagree

>Write in

Rolled 18 (1d100)

>>3975891
>Agree

Take the lead by skulking around to an advantageous position, hammer and anvil style.

>>3975891
>>Agree

Rolled 9 (1d100)

>>3975891
Forgot to roll.

>>3975926
>>3976155
>>3976157

You walk around the side of the buildings and find a ladder leading to the rooftops. You then proceed to retrace your steps so that you are overlooking the alleyway. You look back towards the entrance of the alley and see Jut lying in wait. Your plan was to set upon one of them, and in the chaos Jut would come up from behind them. Unfortunately, your footing isn’t as solid as your strategy and you plummet to the ground. The thugs, startled by an armed man falling out of the sky, correctly assume that you were attempting to ambush them. They are a rather ragged gang, armed only with shovels, iron pokers, and butcher knives. Regardless of their lack of proper weapons they proceed to beat on your grounded form, all you can do is curl up in an attempt to protect your more vulnerable areas. Jut slams his mace into the nearby wall in order to get their attention.

“If you don’t get off of him, I’ll be leaving with your money and your collarbones!” Jut proclaims as he dashes into the alley in order to interrupt the beating.

It seems however, that his footing was also uncertain, and he slips in one of the many puddles that littered the alley. He attempts to get up only to be put back down with a horizontal slap from a shovel.

“Now you can’t leave,” explains one of the thugs as he proceeds to stab Jut in the leg with an iron poker.

Things aren’t looking good for the two of you, the beating is not letting up, and it seems as if no one will be coming to your aid.

What will you do?

>Let it happen, covering up a murder in this area would be far to much effort. Hopefully they’ll simply rob you and let you go

>Attempt to stand up and fight back. You won’t let these brutes have such an easy victory (Hard Roll)

>Write in

>>3976225
>>Attempt to stand up and fight back. You won’t let these brutes have such an easy victory (Hard Roll)

>>3976390
You forgot to roll.

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>3976225
>Attempt to stand up and fight back. You won’t let these brutes have such an easy victory (Hard Roll)

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>3976225
>Fight

Deeply embarrassing

>>3976390
>>3976700

In spite of your better judgment, you decide to push yourself up. Things are looking bleak and being in such an unthinkable and humiliating situation isn’t lifting your spirits. You refuse, however to simply lie down and let them win. These goons were your prey, and it’s time you showed them their place. You slowly rise to your feet on unsteady legs, the wind blowing fiercely even in an enclosed area such as this. You unfurl your chain whip and creep up on one of the thugs who are still beating on Jut. With on swift motion you wrap the weapon around his neck and pull with all your might. The man is in shock at first, but his surprise leads to horror and desperation when he finds that he can’t get his fingers under the chain. He trashes wildly as the chain bites into his neck but to no avail. The others, noticing that one of their number is missing, turns to you and are also shocked by your actions. They begin to close in on you looking for an opportunity to get a clear shot at your head but there isn’t enough room to do so.

Just when you feel the fight stabilizing, the momentum shifts again as your captive elbows you in one of your many newly bruised ribs. This gives him the opportunity to hit you again and finally escape. You stumble back and attempt to recover, but the last thing you feel is a boot hitting you square in the temple.
When you wake up you see the thugs strewn across in alleyway. They all have various bones jutting out of their bodies and their faces are unrecognizable. You roll over to see Jut sitting down, his back propped up against the wall, breathing heavily. It looks like you were only out for a few minutes but your efforts were not in vain, thankfully.

“So, what’s our cover story?” He asks with a sheepish grin. “That was just embarrassing, beaten by a puddle of all things.” It seems as if he’s at a loss for words, relatively speaking. “Maybe we should tell the others that we entered an underground fighting circuit and the crowd turned on us or something,” he mutters as he finally stands up.

(cont.)

>>3977109
Definitely that we got into a brawl with some trolls

>>3977109

After helping you up, the two of you trudge back to the inn. The other members of your group are in their own rooms, presumably sleeping; you won’t have to face them this night. Jut gives you a guilty smile and waves goodbye as he limps into his own room. You in turn, wave back at him as best you can and enter your own room. You feel both grateful and in pain as your body eases into the bed. Despite the odds, you eventually drift off to sleep. Nothing disturbs you and you are awake a few hours before midday.

Once you leave your room you see that everyone (sans Jut who is most likely staying in) has left a note under their door stating where they will be and what they will be doing before everyone gathers to leave. As your read the notes you go over your options.

What will you do?

>Find Alvin, he’s simply sitting at the back of the inn waiting for everyone else. Perhaps he can shed more light on the purpose of your more recent escapades

>Find Cynthia, she’s selling the carriage and the horses but knowing her, she won’t overcharge whoever she’s selling it to

>Find Roderick, he’s out shopping for supplies

>Find Val, she’s at a nearby tavern. She isn’t doing anything if note but she’s basically the pack mule of the group. She’ll likely have a healing potion on hand

>Go solo (specify what it is that you’ll be doing)

>Go back to sleep, you don’t feel like walking

>>3977103
I'm sorry I missed your roll.

>>3977113

That might be a bit farfetched, given that you are in a well-established town but you've all seen stranger things. We'll see if you're able to convince them if anyone questions you.

>>3977114
Yea no problem about missing the roll it was even lower than the other one.

>Find Alvin

Kinda steamed over how he and Cynthia knew the weakness of those guard zombies but didn't share.

>>3977116
Yeah I didn't expect it to be believed. It's more something so obviously false that people know right away you're saying it because you're unwilling to share the real reason.

>>3977122
>Kinda steamed over how he and Cynthia knew the weakness of those guard zombies but didn't share.

I'm somewhat surprised that nobody asked about that when the option was given. I guess etherial substances are more interesting than magical swords that possess and revitalize their dead wielders.

>Yeah I didn't expect it to be believed. It's more something so obviously false that people know right away you're saying it because you're unwilling to share the real reason.

Ah, I understand now.

>>3977122

You exit the inn and walk around the side. Before you see him, you can hear him whistling various tunes, shifting from one to another with little rhyme or reason. When you make it to the back you see him leaning against a wall, fiddling with an odd looking cylinder. Upon hearing your footsteps his attention snaps to you and he gives you a simple nod as a greeting. You decide to cut right to the chase.

“You need to tell me what we’ve been doing for these last few weeks. You’re keeping us in the dark and it’s costing us.”

Alvin gives a shrug and continues to mess around with the tube. “If I were to tell you everything I know every step of the way nothing would ever get done.”

“It would’ve been helpful if you had warned us about those zombies last night,” your annoyance with him is quite visible. Alvin takes notice and stands up straight.

“Those weren’t zombies, they were just regular people who were possessed by the enchanted swords they carried. As soon as they died, the swords injected their power into the wielders. The poor bastards didn’t know what they were in for when they took that job. Their souls are now as broken as their swords.” Oddly enough you sense some sort of remorse from him, a rarity to be sure. “Their employer must have been someone very important to have access to weapons like those. They know of the abstract that much is certain.”
You find yourself somewhat disinterested in his musings; he’s simply given you more information that he is unlikely to elaborate on. “You have yet to answer my original question,” you remind him.

“I figured you would have known what to do, it wasn’t as if those guards got back up through sheer force of will. Besides Cyn had no problems figuring it out and as far as I know she’s never even come across those swords.” All this time his hands never stopped moving. Occasionally the tube faintly shines for brief periods of time.

What will you do?

>Ask him about the tube

>Go find someone else to talk to (who)

>Go solo (Roll a 1d100)

>Go back inside and rest

>>3977338
>Ask about the tube

>>3977338
>>Go back inside and rest

Rolled 2 (1d2)

I'll be stepping out for a bit, in the meantime I'll roll to break the tie.If anything comes up before I get back, I'll go by the number of votes.

>>3977382
1
>>3977427
2

>>3977555

Feeling that asking Alvin any more questions would only leave you with more, you head back to the front of the inn. During your short journey you hear the whistling start back up. You enter the inn and walk up two flights of stairs to your room. Before you reach the doorknob however, your vision begins to blur and you pass out.

You awaken for the third time in less than 12 hours and sitting in front of you is what appears to be a child. At a glance you can see that this is no ordinary child. His hair is long but he only possesses several strands of it. His lips are jet black and his eyes have the appearance of bright green lenses. After taking in a whiff of air the child addresses you.

“Fear not my appearance human, as a show of good faith I will heal you.”

As he continues speaking, your bruises, scratches, and minor stab wounds begin to disappear. “I would like you to do a small favor for me, in exchange I can give you both power and information. I know that you have recently procured a rather valuable item recently and by the scent that surrounds you, I can tell that you are just what I need to retrieve it. This is a very simple task but I chose you both for your skill and your shifty nature.”

You don’t know what this creature intends to do with your most recent find, in fact you don’t even have a vague idea as to what it is. What you do understand however is that this thing wants you to steal from Alvin. This certainly wouldn’t be the first time you double-crossed a partner or sold out a group though your most recent betrayal ended up costing you a shoulder, and subsequently, your arm. You had to call in many favors and pay a small fortune to have your arm regenerated and you know for a fact that taking up this task could lead to much more permanent consequences. On the other hand, the offer comes with a chance at gaining access to a world which overshadows and directly influences your own. You have much to gain if you succeed.

>Agree

>Decline

>Write in

>>3978069
>Decline

>>3978460

“I’ll have to decline,” you state.

“So be it,” the child retorts “but know this. For a mere man, possession of such objects will lead to his ruin.”
With that you awaken, back within more familiar surroundings. You look up to see Roderick walking past you.

“I know you and Jut were up late last night, but did you really have to go out drinking hours before we leave?”

“I didn’t drink last night, I just didn’t get much rest last night.”

“Well you’d better be alert when we head out, I don’t want you falling off of the back of the horse.” After saying this Roderick picks up a bag that you hadn’t noticed before and carries it into his room. He seems to be nearly finished with his preparations.

You have a short amount of time before it’s time to leave. What will you do?

>Go over your stuff to make sure everything is in order

>Do some last minute shopping

>Try to find another member of the group

>Write in

>>3978533
>>Go over your stuff to make sure everything is in order

>>3978533
>Go over your stuff to make sure everything is in order

If magic boy came to us, he might try turning other party members as well. We should pocket the info, might be we'll take up the offer later

>>3978614
>>3979012

You enter your room and move to the small chest of drawers located on the far side you the room, right under the window. You open the drawers and place their contents on the bed. You go over each object one by one.

Daggers (5): These are all ordinary daggers. Some you’ve had for years, others for several days. They serve their purpose all the same: as short-range weapons and sometimes as projectiles.

Dirk (1): This dirk is a bit longer than your daggers but is far too short to be labeled as a sword. It serves a similar purpose to your daggers but with one key difference: this dirk is enchanted. The magic that resides in this weapon allows you to imbue it with fire which improves its range. It also allows you to easily start fires, can be used as a makeshift torch, and can even melt some metals given enough time.

Chain Whip (1): The chain whip is one of your most versatile weapons. It can be used for long ranged attacks, strangulation, and for ensnaring foes and weapons. It can also be used as a makeshift grappling hook if the right tool is attached to its end.

Knuckle Plates (2): This weapon can be used when hand-to-hand combat is necessary. They can be slipped over your hands and the bulk of the material covers your knuckles. You often wrap your hands and wrists when using these, both for your safety and in order to conceal them.

Lock Picks (10): These are standard lock picks. They’ve seen a bit of action but they remain in good condition.

Acidic Vials (4): These are used when picking a lock is impossible or impractical. They can also be used against restraints and various forms of life.

Explosive Vials (2): These are often used to breach heavy doors and moderately thick walls.

Enduring Vials (2): Once ingested you will not feel the effects of moderate wounds, fatigue, or toxins for 30 minutes.

Blow Gun: This is the closets thing you have to a long ranged weapon. You have 8 fast acting tranquilizer darts to go with it.

Leather Breast Plate: This will offer moderate protection against cuts and blunt force.

Wraps (10): Can be used for a wide variety of purposes.

Your outfit includes a cloak, tunic, pants, belt, and boots.

Here is your current loadout, the items not mentioned will go in your pack. You can hold up to 4 weapons on your person with daggers only counting as half a weapon each. You can also hold 5 tools.

Dagger (2)

Dirk (1)

Blow Gun (1)

Leather Armor (equipped)

Will you make any changes?

>Write in

(cont.)

>>3979082

Once you taken inventory and have made your preparations, you place everything else into your pack. Due to your life on the road you travel lightly but there will always be opportunities to pick up new weapons, armor, and tools. Once everything is ready, you exit your room. You run into Jut in the hallway, to your surprise, he is also healed. He s equally surprised and holds out a vial filled with a healing potion.

“Val stopped by and gave me on of these and I told her that I would deliver one to you, since I got you in that mess last night. How did you get patched up?”

“I left the inn to speak to Alvin and on my way back to my room, a mysterious child gave me something to treat my injuries.” Your retelling of events isn’t exactly untrue.

“Taking random potions from strangers? And here I thought my brother didn’t have any sense. That reminds me-“

“Are the two of you ready to depart?” Asks Cynthia as she emerges from around the stairs.

“You know me,” begins Jut, “I’m always ready for action. If I were you I’d be more worried about yourself, weren’t you out all morning selling the carriage and those horses?”

“Yes, and I made preparations to leave several hours before doing so.” Her reply is quick and to the point.

“Typical,” mutters Jut, “well, I’m heading out to the back, I’ll see you all when it’s time to leave.” With that, Jut squeezes past the both of you and makes his way down the stairs.

Cynthia then turns to you but upon seeing the pack on your shoulders, she walks past without bothering to question you. Once she disappears into her room, you head downstairs and see Roderick at the front desk who is paying for the rooms. You exit and once again walk around to the back of the inn where Alvin is having a conversation with Val. The conversation would be best described as one sided as Alvin is still messing around with the tube, only occasionally throwing out an interjection or two when prompted by Val. He looks somewhat worried, which makes two rare expressions you’ve seen from him today. Whatever is bothering him has something to do with this odd contraption he’s been tinkering with all morning. Overhead you see that the storm seems to have encompassed the town, only the skies directly above it are clear. You hear the sound of footsteps and see Roderick running towards the three of you with Cynthia following at a brisk, yet relaxed pace.

(cont.)

>>3979171

“Let’s ride!” Roderick exclaims while giving the swirling clouds a suspicious glare.

“I’ve already sent Jut to get the horses,” explains Alvin, “he shouldn’t be long.”

Right on cue, Jut makes his return with the three horses. “We should get moving now!” He calls out.

“The horses are just a formality,” Alvin stops slouching against the wall and looks towards all of you. “I think I’ve figured out how stop this storm,” he says looking somewhat more sure of himself than he did moments ago.

“Now isn’t the time for experimentation Alvin,” Roderick argues, “even if we hurry now we’ll be cutting it close.”

Alvin’s tone of voice takes on a more determined quality to it, “If we keep running one of these days we’ll have nowhere to run too,” he replies. “If you don’t trust me then you can take the others and go but I’m staying.”

Roderick turns to Cynthia in a silent attempt to ask for assistance. She walks closer to Alvin and gives him an emotionless stare.

“As admirable as your courage is, you are unprepared to take on this task. If we were to leave now you would have more than enough time to handle this properly at a later date.”

Alvin looks conflicted as he looks at the clouds, which have taken on a golden hue. “You may be right Cynth, but I’ve been wanted to try this for a long time now.”

Cynthia looks unimpressed by his answer, “Do as you wish,” she responds.

You don’t have much insight into what exactly is going on here but you have a feeling that Roderick and Cynthia may be approaching this situation in a more logical way. Alvin seems confident, but even that doesn’t fully sell you on his plan. Jut and Val seem to be conflicted

What will you do?

>Back Alvin

>Back Roderick and Cynthia

>Write in

>>3979082
Daggers count as .5, so we're at 3/4 slots filled, yeah? Add chain whip to loadout.

>>3979176
>Back Alvin
Let him demonstrate his leadership ability.

>>3979176
>>Back Alvin
Hopefully we'll see what this tube of his can do.

>>3979176
>Back Alvin

Ok lets see it

>>3979226
Noted

>>3979226
>>3979229
>>3979231
Alright, I'll lock this in.

>>3979248

“I’m sure Alvin knows what he’s doing,” you say addressing Roderick and Cynthia, “I’d like to see what he has in mind.”

Roderick looks incredulous, whereas Cynthia looks as stoic as ever. Alvin breaks the silence.

“See, even Devon believes in me and he questions at least half of the actions I take,” his mood seems to have lightened.

“That’s all well and good,” interjects Roderick, “but this is insanity. I’ve went along with most of your crazy plans over the years but I won’t be staying for this one.”

Roderick takes one horse from Jut and mounts it, preparing to leave. Before he can take off, however Alvin addresses him.

“I meant what I said when I told you that the horses were just a formality, I was never planning on gambling with your lives. I’m the only one who can do this anyway.” He turns to the rest of you and says, “Everyone stand next to Roderick, I’m getting you out of here before I work my magic.” The others comply and soon you are all standing with him.

“I’ll see you soon.” Alvin presses a few buttons on the tube and pulls on a mechanism located on its side. His left hand begins to shine a similar color to the mysterious cylinder and the overhanging clouds. Your sight begins to blur for the second time today, and the landscape seems to expand and contract rapidly. Jut, who was standing mere inches from you, now seems miles away, yet still in sight. This affect seems to have been applied to the others as well. You can feel a large amount of energy flowing through you, threatening to tear you to pieces, before it gets the chance however, you soon find yourself standing tens of miles away from where you were initially standing. Once your feet touch solid ground a large gust of wind exudes from you as well as the others who are now standing next to you. Jut as usual, is the first to speak.

(cont.)

>>3979313

“I really hope he can pull this off,” he says, staring into the distance.

“He won’t,” Cynthia states with absolute certainty, “he was completely unprepared to take on something of that magnitude.”

Roderick looks unsurprised by this statement while the rest are mortified. “So he’s dead, just like that?” Val can hardly believe it.

“Yes, but it hardly matters,” Cynthia responds with a disinterested tone “All he managed to do was waste time.” Though Cynthia’s detached attitude was nothing new, this statement angered everyone, even the usually cool headed Roderick.

“Alvin is dead,” he growls at her, “at the very least try to show some respect.”

Before he can grill her further, a large surge of energy washes over the landscape, its output dwarfs that of the cylinder’s spell several millions times over and as you all turn towards the direction of the town you see nothing. The town and its surrounding areas have vanished, not even the woods, which bordered the town, were spared. The wind soon follows and knocks everyone off of their feet, as you scramble to recover, the clouds soon fade into the sky. The storm is over

How do you feel?

>Shocked, the display of power you witnessed today has only been spoken of in legend. Processing what you’ve seen may take awhile

>Saddened, you’ve only been working alongside Alvin for a few months but his death has still had some impact on you

>Confused, Cynthia isn’t one to waste her breath with insults, there must be some deeper meaning to her words

>Indifferent, it seems as if all of this could have been avoided. The loss of Alvin doesn’t hinder your ability to continue your “trade”

>Write in

>>3979329
>>Shocked, the display of power you witnessed today has only been spoken of in legend. Processing what you’ve seen may take awhile

>>3979329
>Shocked

All this just to try and outrun a storm? Goodness

>>3979329
>Shocked, the display of power you witnessed today has only been spoken of in legend. Processing what you’ve seen may take awhile

>>3979338
>>3979362
>>3979489

You’re so stunned by what you’ve seen that you remain seated in the grass. What you have witnessed fills you with fear but something about the destruction of the town also filled you with a sense of wonder. Though no one would audibly admit it, the display was a thing of beauty; the air still shimmers with golden light. Everyone appears to be deep in thought for awhile though you can only hazard a guess as to the subject of their musings. Eventually Jut speaks up.

“We were set up,” he says, still somewhat shaken.

Roderick seems to agree, “There’s only one person who could’ve been behind this. Those bounty hunters and that storm were all part of the same scheme. We were corralled like sheep.”

“I assume the two of you want to go after him then,” Cynthia’s words form a statement rather than a question.

“Of course we will,” comes Jut’s reply, “I’m not going to continue on as if nothing happened!”

“Yeah,” Val chimes in, “we aren’t taking this lying down.” Her face then takes on a confused expression, “Wait, where are we going?”

Roderick points in the southeast direction, “We’re going back to the Shattered Canyons to finish what we started!”

“Doing so will be incredibly dangerous, but if you insist, I will accompany you.,” Cynthia states. “I know of a route that will save us the most time as we journey to our destination.”

Everyone seems on board with this revenge mission but not everyone completely understands the gravity of the situation. You are among them, what will you do?

>Agree to come along but ask for some clarification first

>Decline outright, if they're going after the one who caused that storm you do not want to cross paths with him

>Write in

>>3979507
>Agree but ask for clarification

Definitely very confused

>>3979507
>Agree to come along but ask for some clarification first

Remind them that a lack of straight answers caused Alvin's death

>>3979507
>Agree to come along but ask for some clarification first

>>3979542
Honestly, we should’ve asked Alvin about the tube. Everyone pretty much ignored the storm until it was too late

>>3979507
>>Agree to come along but ask for some clarification first

Ask them just what the FUCK is going on. It feels like we're the only member in this party who's out of the loop.

>>3979514
>>3979542
>>3979577
>>3979772

“Could someone please tell me what exactly is going on here?” You’ve decided that being left in the dark is no longer acceptable. Alvin might not be here anymore but you have the next best thing. According to Jut, he and Alvin were gallivanting around long before Roderick even joined them. If anyone could explain the situation best, it would be him.

Your assumptions prove to be correct as Jut steps up to answer your inquiries. “Alright I’ll try to keep this as short as possible.”

In reality, Jut’s story was incredibly long, so much so that you occasionally zoned out. You didn’t miss the important parts however and they go as follows. Long before Alvin and Jut became friends, Alvin had dealings with a wizard named Koleus. Eventually the partnership soured and Alvin stole a very valuable and powerful item from him. Ever since then he has been hunting down Alvin and in his single-minded pursuit he became known as a grave threat throughout the lands. Koleus burned towns, poisoned rivers, buried mountains, raided countless cities, and even started a few wars, all in order to exact his revenge.

At some point Koleus realized that while he was causing so much trouble, he may as well engage in some conquest and soon founded a large city-state for himself. At some point he even made political alliances with some nations who paid him tribute fearing that he would one day bring ruin to them, oblivious to the fact that he was simply milking his reputation for all it was worth, in reality he was nowhere near as powerful as his feats would suggest. A few years ago, Alvin came in contact with a mysterious being who gave him a vey valuable tool called the Ecriorge. At one point, Alvin used it in battle against Koleus who now reigned over a nation comprised of city-states. Alvin, with a little help from Jut who was merely a porter at the time, soundly defeated Koleus and liberated several city-states from his grasp. In typical fashion Koleus swore he would get revenge on the both of them.

(cont.)

>>3979842

Intrigued by this new weapon that Alvin wielded in their last confrontation, Koleus began studying its origins but to no avail. It seemed as if the power at Alvin’s command was otherworldly or at least fell outside of the confines of magic. While looking into this new development, he threw his weight around in order to brand Alvin as an insurrectionist, which technically wasn’t a lie. Alvin and Jut took well to their new reputations and went about causing trouble for many individuals in positions of power. Eventually the leaders of a few nations gathered together in order to put a stop to the chaos and foolishness. Their combined armies toppled the reign of Koleus and exiled him to the Shattered Canyons where he now resides. Alvin and Jut were also exiled but they were free to roam throughout others lands, albeit far from their own.

Sometime after meeting Roderick who they found wounded on a battlefield, Koleus summoned horrifying creatures who to retrieve Alvin in his stead. The creatures ended up kidnapping Jut instead but this brought Alvin to his front door nonetheless. With help from Roderick, Alvin soundly defeated his foe and rescued Jut but was unable to finish off the wizard. None of them have seen Koleus since but they have battled a few of his creations from time to time.

“So that’s basically how this all happened,” Jut finishes. “Did I do a good enough job explaining?” He asks.

Your glazed over eyes give him his answer. “Alright I know it sounds somewhat ridiculous and a bit,” he fumbles for words, “involved, but that’s all I know and its’ completely true.” He gives a sheepish grin, “So, are you still interested?”

How do you respond?

>Reaffirm your dedication

>Back out

>Ask something else (specify)

>Write in

>>3979905
>Reaffirm your dedication

Ask for hazard pay

>>3979905
>>Ask something else (specify)
Ask him about the tube Alvin used, was that the Ecriorge?

>>3980143
I'll save some time and tell you that the tube is indeed the Ecriorge. Jut knows very little about it but he's witnessed some of its capabilities firsthand.

>>3979941

You agree to go on this journey with them and once everyone collects themselves you begin to set out on the route Cynthia has set. Roderick decides to take Alvin’s horse for his own, allowing you to have one to yourself. Cynthia, as usual refrains from riding a horse and floats alongside you all as the horses clear through the plains. For someone who is now the leader or the group, she doesn’t communicate much. Neither her words, expression, nor tone of voice reveal anything substantial about her. She’s intelligent and logical sure, and also competent in a fight, but Roderick was actually in charge of soldiers during his time in the military. As you ride on you question the events behind her involvement with Alvin. She only joined up with him a few months before you. As for yourself, you remember your first encounter with this group vividly.

Four months ago, in the city of Mardim you were making your way through the alleys on your way to carry out an assassination. Doing the work of a professional assassin wasn’t something you did with any sort of regularity; in fact this was only your third time attempting such a task. You were still reeling financially from the retribution of your old gang, The Scarlet Bats and you needed money in order to get out of the hole you had dug for yourself. As you traveled along under the cover of darkness you heard the sounds of a scuffle. In Mardim, such things were commonplace but this was no ordinary brawl. In the distance you could hear the cries of a suffering creature, something inhuman. Accompanying this unnatural sound was that of a young woman’s voice letting her contempt for the situation and her disgust for these creatures be know, rather loudly as you recall.

What did you do?

>You had a job to do and if any strange monsters were lurking about that gave you inspiration to get it done as quickly as possible

>Your curiosity got the better of you and you followed the sounds

>Write in

>>3980304
>>You had a job to do and if any strange monsters were lurking about that gave you inspiration to get it done as quickly as possible

>>3980304
>Your curiosity got the better of you

>>3980304
>You had a job to do and if any strange monsters were lurking about that gave you inspiration to get it done as quickly as possible

>>3980399
>>3980588
>>3980651


You kept it professional and continued onward. You were determined to carry out this mission with the utmost efficiency. You would locate your target, kill him, get paid, and leave the city, no the kingdom, maybe the region just to be safe. Those were your thoughts as you made your way to the more upscale parts of the city. In actuality there was little difference between the rich and poor here. Only those at the very top such as your target could afford large, lavish homes. You finally came upon the home of your soon to be unwilling host and scaled the gate which sealed off the front from all visitors. It seems as if any guards were either on break or simply had not shown at all. This fact made you wary. You’ve heard about many disappearances occurring throughout all parts of Mardim for the past few weeks, any great deal of things could’ve happened to cause this absence of security. You listened out for any unnatural sounds similar to the ones you heard earlier and were met with silence. You found a suitable wall and after attaching a hook to your chain whip, you proceeded to scale it. Once on the roof, you located for the sunroof that your employer informed you of and found the pane missing, as if it were recently uninstalled. Once again, another breach in security was found, but this one was blatant. You figured that either your employer hired multiple assassins or something far more unscrupulous was at play. You went over your weapons and vials one more time and finding everything in order, you crept into the house. The place was almost entirely empty and only a light from one lone room was present. You listened out for any danger and heard the sounds of faint conversation coming from the lit room. The target wasn’t alone that much was certain.

How did you choose to handle the situation?

>By the books, you looked for ways to get the jump on your target. He could’ve be prepared for your visit and you didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks

>Scorched earth, with nobody here aside from the two figures in the room, you thought that any drastic methods wouldn’t do much to jeopardize the mission

>Simply walked in; they didn't hear you enter the house so you figured you would still have the element of surprise

>Write in

>>3980825
>By the books, you looked for ways to get the jump on your target. He could’ve be prepared for your visit and you didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks

>>3980825
>>By the books, you looked for ways to get the jump on your target. He could’ve be prepared for your visit and you didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks

>>3980864
>>3981116

You decided to find a suitable position within the house. You knew that the figures inside would have to leave the room eventually and when they least expected it, you would drop on their heads like a cave in. So you waited and waited some more. The voices continued though it sounded like they were now arguing. Though you couldn’t make out the nature of the conversation, it was obvious that someone was getting restless. Within a few minutes, you hear the door open and a heavy set of footsteps leaving the room. The mysterious man began speaking again, this time to an entity which you could not perceive. From the stranger’s side of the conversation you deduced that this was indeed a setup You were about to make a hasty exit when you heard the stranger close his conversation.

“They’re on their way now,” he stated, “we’ll get this done one way or another.”

You made your way up a flight of stairs determined to get to a window. You crept into another room and looked out of the window on the far side of the room and what you saw almost made you sink to your knees. There were at least a dozen members of the Scarlet Bats approaching the house. No conventional method of escape would be successful. You decided to wait them out and hide within a large chest which held the room’s bedding. Within moments, the gang members entered the house and several conversations commenced. Some of them appeared to be in a panic and from what you gathered, there would be even more visitors arriving soon. After what seemed like forever, all communication ended and the thugs spread out all over the house in order to take up positions. The mansion would soon turn into a warzone.

What did you do?

>You made a run for it, the goons were far too occupied to stop you from leaving the house

>You attempted to take out a few guards silently so that fewer pursuers would cover your escape

>You continued to hide

>>3981295
>You continued to hide

Wait until the chaos of battle, it should aid our escape. Hell, it may be the opportunity we need.

>>3981295
>>You continued to hide

>>3981295
>>You attempted to take out a few guards silently so that fewer pursuers would cover your escape

>>3981327
>>3981330
>>3981479

You decided to play it safe and stay in the chest. The idea of attempting an escape when two opposing forces are on the verge of conflict didn’t appeal to you. You would stay safe in this chest and leave once the house was considerably less crowded. After another round of waiting, you hear the sounds of a door flying off of its hinges and soon after, the sounds of battle. You listened to the sounds of clashing swords, spells being cast, and walls being destroyed. Whoever these new arrivals were, they certainly played to win. The battle became so chaotic that within minutes, parts of the house were in flames. From within the chest, you could smell the smoke rising and in your infinite wisdom, decided that being cooked alive while wrapped in fluffy blankets was not the ideal way to go. Before you could open the lid and remove yourself from the expensive linen however, you heard and creaking and seconds later, you were approaching the ground floor at a rapid pace.

The chest broke upon impact and took most of the damage. Combined with the cushioning the pillows, sheets, and blankets provided you were able to rise with little difficulty. The real difficulty was being able to recognize the creature that was lying prone next to you with its ribs jutting out of its chest. This was no time for investigation however, and ignoring the beast you turned to run out of the house as quickly as your legs would carry you. I your haste to flee the scene you were almost bowled over by a rather large man who was sent flying past you and into a wall located near the front door. The one responsible for the large man’s journey across the room now stood before you. It was a large, green, bipedal creature with its most defining traits being multiple eyes and claws which were naturally colored blood red. Before you could make a blind swipe at the creature three arrows proceeded to strike the creature along its right arm. The creatures turned to the offending archer and after striking you with its shoulder, left in order to brutally maul its new target. Mid charge however, it was blindsided by a ray of light which put it through a wall and was sent tumbling into the nearby dinning room. As you attempt to recover, you see a few more Scarlet Bats coming down the stairs.

How did you handle this? Roll a 1d100 along with your answer

>You joined forces with the house crashers in order to take out the monster; it was the greatest threat that you could see at the moment

>Dealt with the remaining thugs in order to tie up loose ends

>Assisted the large man who was still slouched against the wall

>>3981544
>>Assisted the large man who was still slouched against the wall

>>3981544
>>Dealt with the remaining thugs in order to tie up loose ends

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>3981556
1
>>3981656
2

>>3981872
It's time to roll
Actually the time to roll was when options were being chosen. Better late than never I suppose.

Rolled 100 (1d100)

>>3981885

>>3981885
>>3981986
Nice.

>>3981986

As you saw the few remaining thugs charging down the steps, you decided that dealing with them was more important. You believed that they were initially sent here to kill you before the chaos behind you entered the picture. With your mind made up you hurled three daggers at your new targets. Two were hit in the neck and died almost instantly, the other dagger only nicked another, but their troubles were far from over. Once they got to the ground floor to engage you in combat only four remained. One of them got to you much quicker than the others and his speed was rewarded with a steel plated fist to the jaw. The others decided to approach the situation more strategically and surrounded you. As the circled around you, edging closer and closer you saw in their knives the reflection of a large object quickly heading towards you and dove to the side. No sooner had you done this had the green creature been sent flying once again; it seemed to have some new wounds adorning its scaly flesh. The thugs who were focused on killing you were utterly flattened though you could still here the sound of soft yet labored breathing.

The creature, realizing that it was beaten ran out through the previously destroyed doorway and disappeared into the night.

“Well, it looks as if that lead was a bust,” came a male voice. The speaker was about your height with amber colored eyes, all in all he looked fairly unremarkable. He wore a leather vest over a white shirt with a hood and was holding a bronze sword.

“We can address that later,” said the archer, a shorter man with a soul patch beard. “This house is falling apart and the creature is loose, we should leave while we still can.”

The new arrivals all nod in agreement and after helping their large friend out of the wall, they leave the mansion. Following their lead, you exit the burning house and watch its slow demise. Meanwhile the group of what you assumed were monster hunters argued amongst themselves.

(cont.)

>>3982836

Shaking your head at the fact that your efforts were in vain you began to walk down the large set of stairs that lead from the front of the house, to the path which lead to the gate. Before you left however, a voice called out to you.

“Hey bed sheets!” Called the white hooded man with a playful tone. “Thanks for you help, that flashy entrance really added a nice touch to the fight.”

“He also spread the numbers of the Scarlet Bats thin,” reminds a rather tall woman wearing a shimmering rode and a blank yet focused expression.

“It wasn’t really necessary but I’m sure you lot needed such an advantage. Anyway, we’re leaving the city tonight. After what happened here more monsters and gang members will show up to teach us a lesson and as fun as that sounds, I can’t risk these guys.”

The man with the bronze sword made you couldn’t refuse. You’ve been wanted to flee the city for weeks now and if his predictions were true, you had all the more reason to make yourself scarce.

“I’ll come along with you,” you responded, “if only for a little while.

As your mind shifted back to the present, you were sitting in an open field along with the rest of the group. After several hours of travel everyone agree to stop and camp out for the night; the nearest settlement was about thirty miles away. As you lie there under the stars reflecting some more on your past, you hear what appears to be Alvin calling out to everyone. You almost know intrinsically that he’s not truly here but still it unnerves you all the same.

When you wake up the next day, you continue your travels.

Who would you like to talk to along the way?

>Jut

>Roderick

>Cynthia

>Val

>Ride in silence

>>3982840
>>Val

>>3982840
>>Ride in silence

Rolled 2 (1d2)

It's a shame that so many decisions have to be made this way.

>>3983271
1
>>3983334
2

>>3983378

You make the short journey to the next town in silence. The others however engage in some light conversation, mostly regarding the general state of affairs. Since you all had been lying low while tracking that mysterious item, you were simply living off of the money that was saved up. The journey to the Shattered Canyons will be a long one and none of you, aside from Roderick have any sort of outdoor skills aside from starting fires and general navigation. You’ll have to make some money in order to make it to your destination, a fact that causes some debate amongst the group.

Once you make it to the town, everyone decides on a near by tavern to continue their conversation. The tavern, named The Bursting Barrel, was a rather large place and had a few tables which could accommodate all of you. Once everyone gets settled, the task at hand is resumed.

“Look, if we can just get this out of the way now we’ll be able to get there quicker and all of the risks will be concentrated into one leg of the journey.” Roderick explains for the fifth time.

“We aren’t ready for something like this,” Jut retorts, he has also explained his views for the fifth time. “Raiding places like that was a thing we did with Alvin, without his experience we would’ve never made it through Cagnane. We should just stick with what we know and make a few coins here and there.”

“I thought without Alvin here I would finally hear the end of that,” Roderick shakes his head, “you can’t simply chant ‘Cagnane’ every time you want to avoid raiding a dungeon.”

Two continue their argument; they don’t even take notice when their drinks are served. Personally, you’ve grown tired of this. Given the fact that you’ve never raided a dungeon before, you’re inclined to side with Jut. However you can see the wisdom in Roderick’s argument. The less time spent in cities and towns the better, for all you know that petty wizard could send another one of those storms after you if he ever finds out that only Alvin bit the dust. Cynthia, despite becoming the leader due to the chain of command, hasn’t taken either side. You get the sense that she feels as if either method would suit her. She and Alvin just have different ways of expressing their arrogance. For her part, Val seems eager to get vengeance for Alvin as soon as possible.

What will you do?

>Take Roderick’s side and deal with your financial troubles in one fell swoop

>Take Jut’s side and play it safe, slow and steady as they say

>Ask Cynthia for her opinion

>Explore the town and let them argue amongst themselves

Now that this thread has cleared 100 posts, do any of you 3-5 anons in attendance have some suggestions or criticisms?

>>3983413
>>Take Roderick’s side and deal with your financial troubles in one fell swoop

>>3983419
Not particularly. I like the quest's premise and your writing well enough. Shame that more people are not voting.
>>3983413
>>Take Roderick’s side and deal with your financial troubles in one fell swoop

>>3983853
>>3984837
I thank the both of you for sticking around. I avoided updating today to see how many people would be consistently on board. The situation is worse than I thought and now that the thread is in sage mode well its all downhill from here.

Tomorrow, I'll update the thread and continue on as usual. Once all business in town is completed I'm going to archive this thread. I'm going to create another one in order to continue this story, the only thing I'm unsure of is wether I should do it as soon as this one is archived or if I should wait until the holidays are over. I guess the two of you (and anyone else who pops in) can vote on how soon thread 2 will be created.

>>3985782
You don't need to worry about bump order, everyone here sorts by last reply and this board is so slow that it will be several weeks until this thread gets pushed off.

>>3985782
Got it. Whatever you end up doing, I'll be watching. Either this thread, or a new one. Keep it up, man.

>>3985782
Third anon reporting in. Sometimes have crazy busy weekends and miss voting, especially with the holidays.

>>3985876
I wasn't worried about it being pushed off, I was worried about visibility. I always just went by bump order and was diligent enough to scroll all the way down the page to find what I wanted but I didn't expect other to do the same. What you've told me has given me some sense of hope.

>>3986115
Thanks again.

>>3986359
Understandable, I knew that things would come screeching to a halt (mores than usual) during this time of year.


Alright, with announcements out of the way it's time for me to stand (or in this case type) and deliver. I'll try to get it out in around 30-40 minutes.

>>3983853
>>3984837

“We don’t have time to waste Jut,” you begin as you finally speak up. “The more time spent scooping up coins from wherever we can get them, the more time that wizard has to prepare for us and if we get caught in another one of those storms we’ll end up just like Alvin.”

Roderick doesn’t necessarily agree with your theory but he’s pleased with your answer all the same. “We’ll it’s now three against one Jut, we’re getting this out of the way now. If we’re lucky the experience will break you out of your irrational fear.”

Jut’s face goes from shocked, to horrified, and then surprisingly, he dons a smug look on his face. “Alright then, have it your way. I’ll come along, but if there are any cave-ins or giant insects I get half of everything we find and we never step foot in a dungeon again.”

Roderick, soundly amused agrees and the two shake hands. Cynthia gives a nod and with that you are all in agreement. Roderick speaks again.

“Now all we have to do is locate a dungeon. Cynthia, I imagine you had one in mind while we were busy arguing.”

“You are partially correct, I located one several miles east of here, however, I’ve known of it since we entered the town.”

“Well it’s settled then, I bought supplies yesterday so we can get moving right away.”

After paying the tab, Roderick get up and leaves with the rest of you following. As you’re leaving the door you feel a set of eyes watching you and the others. You keep this sensation in mind as you exit.

Upon leaving the bar, you approach your horse, as you are about to mount it however a voice calls out.

“And just what do you think your doing?” Calls the voice.

You all turn to face the source of the interruption. The voice belonged to an overweight man wearing an ill-fitting purple tunic and white trousers. On his head he wore a purple hat with a yellow feather. For a man seemingly without weapons, his attitude towards your group was incredibly hostile to an almost reckless degree.

How do you respond to this man?

>”Who are you?”

>”Do you have something to discuss with us?”

>”Our business is none of yours.”

>Stay silent and let someone else deal with him.

>>3986442
>None of your business lardo

Is this notorious B I G

>>3986442
>>”Who are you?”
and
>>”Do you have something to discuss with us?”

>>3986477
This.

>>3986463
>>3986477
>>3986498

“Who are you?” You ask, somewhat confused. “Do you have something to discuss with us?”

“I do in fact,” the stout man replies. “I am Dante the Great, and I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.”

“Well,” replies Roderick, “what do you have to say to us? Do you think you deserve some sort of stake in our mission? If you object to what we’re doing you can take it up with all of us.”

Dante doesn’t seem threatened in the least by Roderick’s words. His eyes shift from on member of the group to the next. “How about this, send your strongest guy to take me on and if I win, the loot in that dungeon is all mine.”

“That’s not how we operate,” comes Roderick’s response. “Besides, you haven’t offered anything in the event that you lose and I can tell by looking at you that there is nothing of value you can offer us.”

“Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with?” The thickheaded man fumes, “I’m a big deal in these parts and no action goes around here without my involvement.”

“Please,” Jut interjects, “do you honestly think we’re going to back off just because you’re a ‘big deal’? We’ve dealt with much worse than you, get out of here you deaf bastard. That treasure is ours and there’s nothing you can do abou-“ Jut’s speech is cut off as an empty barrel connects with his face.

“That’s it, I’m taking all of you on right here and now!”

Dante picks up another barrel and hurls this one at Roderick, who slides out of his saddle to avoid it. The barrel misses, but Roderick takes a nasty spill nonetheless. Cynthia causally sends a blast of magic towards the enraged man but it has little affect aside from ruining the front of his tunic. Her eyes narrow as she propels another spell his way, with this one shimmering as it flies. Dante is knocked back several feet but once again gets up, more annoyed than anything. Jut after finally recovering, charges with his mace, and brings it down upon the lone attackers head. It’s a clean hit and Val adds a second, slamming a truncheon into his stomach. They are both rewarded with a right cross to the chest, and a wild uppercut to the gut respectively. It doesn’t take a brilliant tactician to see that this is going poorly.

How will you take on this new foe?

Roll a 1d100

>Charge into battle and attempt to overwhelm him with the help of Jut and Val

>Act as support with Roderick

>Ask Cynthia if she has any ideas

>Attempt to make a deal with the man

Rolled 95 (1d100)

>>3986588
This guy seems to have an insane toughness stat. Try immobilizing him with the chain whip. Ask Cynthia if she has non damage spells like sleep or charm.

>>3986608

You decide that engaging him through conventional methods will not yield any results and so you attempt to simply neutralize him. Taking out your chain whip, you swing it to the side before pulling it back and swinging towards the seemingly invincible brawler. You manage to snag his leg but this seems to only inconvenience him. He sneers at you and prepares to pull you towards him using his end of the whip but he is quickly tackled by Jut who throws a few elbows at him while he’s down. While the two men wrestle, Val repeatedly kicks Dante in the face whenever the opportunity comes up. Roderick gets up and with impressive accuracy, hit the outnumbered man with arrows, without coming close to hitting either of his allies. Despite having the upper hand in a conventional sense, your would-be bully seems completely fine; the only indicators that he’s been in a fight are his torn clothes and heavy breathing.
As you pull back your whip, you turn to Cynthia and ask if she knows any sleep inducing sleeps or any spells that could charm him.

“Though such spells would be useful at a time like this, I have never found a reason to use such tactics.” She seems to be deep in thought as she continues. “Attempting to learn now would be impractical, I will need to improvise.”

Cynthia’s eyes turn a faint golden color and as she outstretches her hand, you feel an odd sensation. Suddenly, the ground below all of the currently ensnared combatants slowly beings to sink, and they begin to disappear underground. Though this seems mundane at first, when you look closer you see that no soil, pebble, or wayward blade of grass has been displaced. As you step closer towards the eerie crater, you see the three still fighting on as if nothing has happened; the ground beneath them remains unchanged as well. With another motion, Cynthia ensnares Jut and Val in a telekinetic grip and lifts the both of them out of the pit.


Dante, now alone in the pit looks around in confusion. He silently shakes his fists at all of you and begins to climb his way out. He only makes it up half way when suddenly, the ground is brought back to its natural elevation and beyond. The sole denizen of the former pit is suddenly sent up into the air and above the clouds, his exclamations of surprise still fairly audible.

“That takes care of that,” Cynthia remarks as if she had just discarded some rubbish, “we should depart at once, he won’t be airborne for long.”

Everyone silently agrees and mounts their horses. In less than two minutes, you leave the town and ride along in the direction of the dungeon.

Would you like to talk to anyone on the way? If so, who?

>Jut

>Roderick

>Cynthia

>Val

>Ride in silence

>>3986754
>Talk to Jut

Did that guy just ignore you macing him in the face or what?

>>3986754
>>Cynthia
Ask her what she knows about the dungeon she found.

>>3986763
>>3986775

As you’re riding, you try to make sense of what just transpired.
“Jut!” You call out

“Yeah?” Comes his response.

“What happened back there?” You inquire. “Was he just ignoring all you your attacks?”

“It was really strange,” he says, “Every time I hit him it looked like it hurt for a few seconds, but then he’d just keep fighting. Nothing ever left a mark on him.”

“Alvin ran into a guy like that once,” Val chimes in.

“How did he beat him?” You’d like to hear how that turned out.

“He just tied him to a large piece of driftwood and put him in the ocean,” Val explains. “It was a lot cooler when he tells it.”

“I don’t think ropes will hold ‘The Great Dante’” Jut replies with a smirk, “we probably couldn’t even get the rope halfway around his waist.”

Roderick cuts in, “You aren’t exactly in the best of shape yourself, Gut.”

“If we weren’t doing something important right now I’d flatten you,” Jut retorts with a hint of playfulness.”

“I bet you would, it’s a wonder you haven’t flattened our horse yet,” Val comments. She and Roderick share a laugh as Jut scrambles to come up with an insult for his hecklers.

Ignoring the verbal brawl that is about to commence, you ride ahead to speak with Cynthia who is floating far ahead of everyone. She takes notice of you, an comes closer to your level, and waits for you to speak.

“What do you know about this dungeon?” You ask.

“I know only of its location and history,” Cynthia answers, “it used to be and underground fort under the control of the Demeg Empire. When it fell the men at arms who were stationed there turned to theft in order to survive now that they were cut off from their homes.”

As the dungeon in question becomes visible in the distance, she continues. “Eventually, the citizenry grew frustrated and sent the bandits one of their own to infiltrate their lair The bandits took him as a prisoner and held him for ransom but unbeknownst to them, the man carried a deadly and contagious disease. Within days, everyone in the fort died and few have stepped foot in there since, those that did were never seen again.”

When you reach your destination, it is decided that you and Cynthia will go in first in order to bypass or disable the initial traps, which may have been set up.

What will you do?

Roll a 1d100

>Go through the front entrance

>Look for an alternate way in

>Write in

>>3986850
>Go through the front

I hope we have protection from disease

Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>3986850
>>Look for an alternate way in

Rolled 36 (1d100)

>>3986850
Forgot my roll

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>3986873
1
>>3986880
2

>>3986908

You and Cynthia walk around the dungeon looking for an alternate way in. The dungeon is better described as a bunker as it is built into a grassy hill. You surmise that another entrance must be located somewhere around the side or the back of the hill. After a few minutes of searching, you come across a tarp covered in dirt and grass. Upon removal, you see that this tarp was covering a ladder which leads deeper into the base.

Once the two of you make your way down and Cynthia produces a sphere of light in order to illuminate the area. The dirt floor is littered with insects, some dead, others less so. There are also some old, rusty coins lying about; they have been out of circulation for decades now. As you continue moving, you come across the your first bandit. His corpse wears a rusted helmet and holds a tattered sheet of paper. His clothes are torn, faded, and littered with rat droppings. When you take a few steps forward you come across a pressure plate. It was much less obvious than it would have been in its glory days, but you manage to avoid it. Out of curiosity, you attempt to spring the trap and are rewarded with a dull click and harsh scraping sounds. It seems as if the traps around here have either broken down, or are too rusty to function properly.

What will you do?

>Move to the next room

>Go get the others

>Give the room another look. Roll a 1d20 (Hard Roll)

>Write in

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>3986927
>>Give the room another look. Roll a 1d20 (Hard Roll)

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>3986927
>>Give the room another look. Roll a 1d20 (Hard Roll)

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>3986927
>Look closer

>>3986930
>>3986960
>>3987225

You give the room another search in order to find any hidden valuables or secret passages, but it soon becomes obvious that this room houses none of those. You and Cynthia decide to continue but before proceeding, she puts a protective spell over the both of you in order to insure that no nasty surprises get the best of you. You come across a few passages, some are rigged but just like the first rap, it is nonfunctional. Eventually you come to a chamber which you assume was used as the barracks. The room has several worn down cots and weapons lying around. The room is also filled with the cadavers of thieves. Only a few of them look as if they’ve died within the last decade. Moving on, you find a chamber which houses a few cages. The contents of the room, much like everything else in this dungeon is in poor shape. There is only one lone prisoner in a cage and he’s in the same state as all of the other bodies which litter this glorified tomb.

You make your way through the front entrance and meet up with the others. Reunited, you all enter in order to do a thorough search of the place; you are determined to leave with something of value. After an hour of poking around, you manage to take a few coins off of the fresher corpses, which have been sitting here for a long while. At most, you’ll get a decent meal for two nights with this pathetic pile of coinage.

“Well this was underwhelming,” Jut comments.

“Not every dungeon is going to be guarded by dragons lying on top of a pile of gold Jut.” In spite of his words, Roderick look a bit frustrated as well.
“I guess these guys were just petty thieves with an unnecessary hideout,” Val says as she props herself against a wall.

Everyone sans Cynthia looks at her expectantly; waiting for something to happen but after a few seconds it’s obvious that this whole thing was a waste of time. Out of boredom, Roderick goes back to the captains room to see what records the bandits kept lying around from their days as soldiers. To his surprise what he finds is a list of names, locations, and a mapped out chain of command. Apparently these former soldiers weren’t the only ones who turned to crime once their “glorious empire” fell. An entire network of former soldiers turned crooks was established and behaved as some sort of syndicate. The ones who occupied this fort held a very modest rank in the hierarchy, but there were several more with the potential to yield great treasures, some might even be still active.

How do react?

>”This is more trouble than it’s worth.”

>”I suppose we have more work to do.”

>Write in

>>3987829
>"Looks like our gold is in another castle, gang."

>>3987829
*How do you react?

>>3987829
>>”I suppose we have more work to do.”

>>3987837
>>3987857

“I suppose we have more work to do,” you remark as you walk back to the horses.

“Yeah, even if I won my bet, I would’ve only had enough to buy one meal. It’s so hard to make a living these days, the prices on everything is going up at least every other week.” Jut continues rambling on about inflation and various other gripes he has with the economy.

With Jut going on in the background, you pull up next to Roderick and inquire about his plan. He state that you’ll be following a new route which is dotted with a few of these bandit forts. You’ll still be traveling in the direction of the Shattered Canyon, but it will take a bit long. Since you’ll be traveling most of the time Roderick figures that even if Koleus could pull off another spell of that magnitude, he’d have no frame of reference for where to send it. In the end it seems as if both Roderick and Jut got what they wanted in one way or another.

You avoid going back to the town so as to not run into your stubborn new foe in the case that he survived his fall and simply decide to rough it in the valleys for the night. While lying down to rest up for tomorrows journey, you think you hear Alvin calling out to you yet again. This time however, no one feels as if they can brush it off; everyone heard it and you can tell that everyone is aware of this fact.

What will you do?

>Follow the sound of the voice (pick three members to come with you)

>Stay out and try to sleep

>Ask the group what they know about ghosts or spirits

>>3988129
>>Ask the group what they know about ghosts or spirits
Cynthia seems like she'd know something. Should show some caution rather than immediately rushing in.

>>3988129
>Follow voice with Cynthia, Val, Roderick

>>3988129
>>Ask the group what they know about ghosts or spirits

>>3988162
>>3988192
>>3988205

You yourself know very little about ghosts or spirits aside from the stories you’ve heard. You knew of people who claimed to have interacted with them, but their stories seemed embellished at best. No one else seems to know much about the subject either and simply swap stories. Roderick’s tale sounds the most threatening, and it’s one that you’ve heard of before. It is one of a general who was killed in an epic battle with his force of ten thousand men. He and his men were supposedly killed by a band of rogue magic users. According to the stories, he can summon the souls of his men to fight with him, or even utilize the sum of their power. Within the last few years, a few nations have sent their men to investigate this legend but few returned and those that did had lost all of their senses.

Roderick happened to come into contact with one of these poor souls one day while on patrol. He says that the man could only moan and blindly stumble around, feebly attacking the air and sporadically thrashing around. Roderick put the poor man out of his misery and when he did, he says that the cursed victim unraveled as if whatever force held him together had finally given out

Cynthia has more than just stories to tell and informs you all that it would be impossible for Alvin to be a ghost. According to her the spell that he died trying to dispel was so potent that it completely erased his body, mind, and soul. She surmises that only direct intervention from the gods could save him and that very few exceptions were ever made in matters such as these. Still, you can tell from her tone that she believes he will come back eventually. In spite of her words, you know what you heard, Alvin is around somewhere and he’s attempting to contact each and every one of you.

Alright, I think this a pretty good point to end things. Everything is set up in terms of the main characters and overarching plot so I think this thread has served its purpose.

The question I ask of you is wether I should make the second thread now or wait after the holidays. I have to warn you that after Christmas, I'll be out of town for a few days and so I'll only be able to post on my phone. Combined with the fact that I'll be visiting some family members, the quality and quantity of updates will take a hit if I proceed with thread #2 now. If you are ok with this, I'll see what I can do so to not leave you hanging.

>>3988250
Probably after the holidays, I for one won't be on tomorrow

>>3988250
Whenever works for me. After holidays would work better for other players, likely. Good first thread, OP. Awaiting your next.

>>3988250
You should wait in that case. Quality over quantity. Have fun.

>>3988205
>>3989980
me

>>3988260
>>3989595
>>3989980
Thread #2 should be up by Monday afternoon, or Tuesday morning at the latest.