>>4672020
>Male
>Dragonborn

>>4672041
Hello! Welcome!

I guess asking for three votes was a bit ambitious, for a Saturday morning, huh?

>>4672020
>Female
>Dwarf

>>4672061
Yeah, it's going to be slow going for a couple hours more.

>>4672061
Hello!

Perhaps, sometimes you just gotta wait. I think people might also be put off because a lot of these types of quests die in character generation. I'd give it a couple more hours

>>4672020
>Female
>Elf

>>4672067
>>4672066
Sounds about right. I'll keep the thread up most of the day and collect votes/make an executive decision if the thread's still up in 8 or 9 hours before I go in to work, and just run the thing overnight.

>>4672076
>>4672066
>>4672041
Unless one of you all want to change your votes to one of the others, I think I'll wait for one more vote to come through. If it's something else, we'll do a good ole fashioned rolloff, if it supports one of the others, that'll take the vote.

>>4672098
For the sake of expediency, I'll switch my vote to >>4672066

>>4672020
>Male
>Dragonborn

You don't have top worry about the the thread going for a good while btw, that can take weeks here

>>4672098
Nevermind, back to male dragonborn for me as well!

>>4672123
is right, a thread will generally stay up for about 4 weeks or so at a time, though if you get a lot of posts and/or wanna end it on a cliffhanger, you can start a new one sooner.

>>4672098
Eh, alright, I'll go with the consensus. Let's go Male Dragonborn.

>>4672126
>>4672123
So it is written!

Dragonborn are generally one of several colors, but the more important distinction in this world is this:

>Metallic Dragonborn
>Chromatic Dragonborn
>Scaleblood

Scalebloods were originally human inhabitants of the archipelago where most dragons make their home, known as the Thousand Scales. The energy which attracts the dragons slowly changed the humans living there. Scaleblood sacrifice the breath weapon for ferocious durability and blindsense.

Draconic culture leans heavily Eastern in flavor, so unless there are any vehement objections, we'll go with Li Yen.

>>4672138
>Scaleblood
Let's go fancy special mode

I assume you mean Li Yen is our name? That works for me

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>>4672154
Indeed!

For visual reference, a Scaleblood.

>>4672138
>Chromatic Dragonborn
I want to be shiny.

>>4672166

For maximum shiny, Metallic would be the play, since the scales would be made of metal, but since reptiles are generally shiny, any option can be.

>>4672171
I actually meant to vote "Metallic", I'm not sure how I did that. Let me correct this.

>>4672138
Changing >>4672166
to
>Metallic Dragonborn

>>4672171
>Next vote for either Scaleblood or Metallic will take the vote there, but since you share a place of origin, we'll proceed with the next vote.

That’s right. That is your hand in front of your face. You flex the strong draconic muscles, sluggish from the fog which still clouds your mind. Your name was Li Yen, you lived your life never knowing if today would be your last day. Life in the Scales can be harsh, but your people were renowned for their martial ability and their crafts, specifically jewelry and metallurgy.

So how did you even get here? What were you doing?

Choose a Background, this will affect your origin, and your areas of expertise beyond the class you will choose. [CULTURAL BONUS: You are proficient in the use of artisans tools! You are well versed in blacksmithing, regardless of your background or class.]

>Acolyte, you were a member of a Great Dragon's cult before you sought out a life of adventure.
>Soldier, you were a soldier in your island's standing army, serving the people of your village, and the dragon which rules it.
>Sailor, your life was one of travel and trade, some legitimate, some not so much. The islands were rife with opportunity, though most of it dangerous.
>Sage, you lived a life of study, both academic and arcane in the Jade City, the largest island in the Scales.
>Folk Hero, you were nobody, until you performed some heroic deed for your community, such as slaying a demon or negotiating a peace between two islands.
>Spy, you were nobody, professionally. An agent in the employ of one of the dragons, performing espionage, theft, or assassination for your lord.
>Criminal, you’ve always lived on the wrong side of the law, for one reason or another. The Jade City might shine in the sunlight, but the shadows were always your domain.

>>4672190
>Sailor, your life was one of travel and trade, some legitimate, some not so much. The islands were rife with opportunity, though most of it dangerous.

>>4672190
Supporting >>4672194, we love a good sea shanty!

Oh and in the further interest of expediency ill switch my vote to metallic.

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>>4672194
>>4672196
>>4672205
You remember now. You spent years running the channels between islands in the employ of some bigshot or another, and you’d finally gotten your own ship. It wasn’t much, a simple junk, but that little piece of garbage could be run by just you if you really had to. And it was yours. You were feeling the salt and sun against your bright golden scales.

Then the sea went mirror calm. The wind died. Shen Yu asked you if this was some kind of storm. No, a storm you can handle, this was something else.

Then that thing came over the sides. It was like if a giant crab, a dragon, and a cyclops all got together and took their scariest traits and threw them in a stew pot with an extra dash of ugly and mean. It tore the ship in half and devoured your three other crew before your fire breath blinded it. Luck was never your strong suit though, because your last memory is being slammed by a claw the size of your cabin below deck, and being flung hundreds of feet into the air.

>[1/2]

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>>4672263
>Last vote for now, will continue tonight in about 9-10 hours. Vote will stay open until then to let others join for a proper vote. The wonders of graveyard shift.

As your sense of self returns, you are suddenly and violently reminded of the reason you woke up. Tilting your head back you see it just before a massive tentacle wraps around you, and yanks you by the midsection into the air. You are flung backward and held up in front of a massive eye with a small black pupil. It looks at you for a moment as you make eye contact, then you are thrown up onto what feels like a wooden deck.

The area on the deck surrounding you is piled high with what looks like assorted junk. Weapons, armor, pieces of buildings, carts, boats, the occasional body of some strange creature in varying states of processing for their meat or hide. The water that clings to your clothes quickly evaporates into visible steam as the full range of motor function returns to you.

Seeing nobody nearby, you search around in the piles to find something useful. You find...

Choose an item set to determine your primary class, options to multiclass will come later if people feel like learning new skills.

>A set of well used tinker’s tools. (Artificer)
>A small bone totem and a greataxe. (Barbarian)
>A musical instrument and rapier. (Bard)
>A mace and a silver holy symbol. (Cleric)
>A yew staff with a still-living sprig of holly growing from a knot at the top. (Druid)
>A pair of handaxes, a longsword, or a glaive, choose one. (Fighter)
>A set of wooden prayer beads, and a sturdy silk sash (Monk)
>A battle axe and shield, emblazoned with holy icons (Paladin)
>A bow and arrows, with two short swords. (Ranger)
>A short sword, set of lockpicks, and a bandolier of throwing knives (Rogue)
>A runed rod, made for use as an arcane focus (Sorcerer)
>A strange glass orb, which seems to call to you (Warlock)
>A spellbook...wait, it’s *your* spellbook. It must have been nearby. (Wizard)

>>4672317
Just one for now!

>>4672294
>A yew staff with a still-living sprig of holly growing from a knot at the top. (Druid)

>>4672294
>A yew staff with a still-living sprig of holly growing from a knot at the top. (Druid)
Yeah, I'm onboard for sailor druid. Druids would be amazing at sea.

>>4672294
>A short sword, set of lockpicks, and a bandolier of throwing knives (Rogue)

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>>4672294
>A yew staff with a still-living sprig of holly growing from a knot at the top. (Druid)

>>4672294
>>A short sword, set of lockpicks, and a bandolier of throwing knives (Rogue)

>>4672321
>>4672332
>>4672433
Thrice said and done, writing for druid!

>>4673391
>>4672433
>>4672342
>>4672332
>>4672321
Your name is Li Yen, golden dragonborn, with the unfortunate nickname “Spicy Tuna” to some of your friends for an incident when you used your wild shape to mimic a fish, and caught some poaching fishermen unaware with an unleashed breath weapon which you retain the ability to use while shifted. You scrounge up the bare minimum of what would pass for your implements. A yew staff with a plant you don’t recognize growing from the top certainly seems natural enough, and a ship’s wheel will serve as a wooden shield. You also find a small pouch to hold things, and a sickle which may be useful later for collecting herbs.

[HP: 5/5, SP: 5/5]

What do you do now?
>Try to find whatever passes for a crew
>Hide, and wait for whoever or whatever will be sent to see what gets fished up.
>other

[As a DRUID, Li is WISE, and INTELLIGENT before most else. Checks which utilize these approaches will be easier than others. You have a Spell Power pool to use magic, which is currently 5 points. Since you share a connection with the sea, your spell power regenerates at a rate of 1 every 3 posts. Your Health pool is also 5. Failing a check where danger is present will result in the loss of health.]

[For your skillset, you are perceptive, knowledgeable about animals, medicine, nature, and magic to a degree.]

[CULTURAL BONUS: Your mentor knew the secret to making and working with ironwood. You can temporarily reinforce wooden objects to be as strong as metal, and given time can grow a new ironwood tree if needed.]

Your special features are as follows:

[Wild shape/Polymorph] You can turn into any animal found in nature, with some exceptions based on overwhelming size (No blue whales. Other whales are probably fine.) You can also expend a Spell Power point to attempt to force this transformation on someone else you can see.

[Druidcraft] You can work minor magics surrounding nature. You can shape water, control and produce flames, move earth, and create minor winds. These abilities can be amplified by spending a Spell Power point to affect greater areas, different things, or become more lethal. For example, adding a spell power to a move earth could allow you to shape stone.

[Healing] You can spend Spell Power on a 1 to 1 basis to heal yourself or others. This can mend most wounds, but cannot reattach or regrow limbs (yet.)

[Summoning] You can summon beasts or elementals to help you. 1 spell power for a beast, 2 for a group of beasts, 3 for an elemental.

[Nature’s Ward] Poison and Disease do not affect you.


This information will be available on a pastebin sheet going forward.

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>>4673433
Forgot my picture.

>>4673433
We woke up on a new ship that didn't get wrecked or anything yeah? If that's the case then
>Try to find whatever passes for a crew

>>4673433
>Try to find whatever passes for a crew
There were carcasses being processed, that means there's someone to do the processing. Let's just hope they don't see us as something to process. I'd settle for being enslaved, but not eaten.

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>>4673442
>>4673488

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZeNYaTmVP4

Workstations mean crew. Crew means there’s work to do, so at the very least you can try to bargain for passage. You wander the deck, in search of someone to speak to. Getting a better look at your surroundings, the deck is built like scaffolding in and around what looks like a living creature’s shell. You feel a faint heartbeat through the boards which look like they were scavenged from hundreds of different sources. You eventually hear the sounds of work from around the back of one of the larger piles of junk. You stalk around the pile and come upon an empty chair and table with what looks like the bastard child of a moray eel and a beholder, with what looks like the hilt of a knife without a blade sitting on the table next to it.

Stars surround, hauled up something still kickin’ eh?

Before you can process the empty workstation, a voice fills your mind. You wheel around and brandish the staff between the two of you. Behind you stands a somewhat hunched humanoid figure with smooth graying purple skin and a large eyepatch-like device on their head… which ends in long tentacles. Ok. Not the weirdest thing you’ve seen today but it’s up there.

Woah there, calm down there son, I ain’t gonna eat ya!
>Arcana: This creature is an Illithid. Otherwise known as Mind Flayers, they are a race of psionic creatures which subsist upon the intellect of other creatures, specifically by eating their brains.

What do you do?

>Who the hell are you, and where the hell am I?
>Die monster!
>[Sailor] Looks like I’m out of any other options, can I book a safe passage out of here?
>other

>>4673565
>[Sailor] Looks like I’m out of any other options, can I book a safe passage out of here?

>>4673565
Ah, crap, I was worried that it was going to be an illithid. That wasn't just a best-fit art piece, was it, we're actually on a nautiloid spelljammer.

>Who the hell are you, and where the hell am I?
Let's get some in-character answers as to what this place is, and ask who our illithid pirate host is.

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>>4673584
>>4673699

You recall the old saying, and figure that until such time as it actually starts trying to eat you, it's best not to start a fight on a strange ship. Your voice croaks as the unused vocal cords remember how to form speech. "My name is Li Yen, now where the hell is this, who are you, and why should I believe you're not going to try and eat my brain?" Manners are important.

Hiya, you can call me Skipper! And this is the Junk Junk!

"The what."

The Junk Junk! Was one of your folk who called it that, I think. Said the psychic sails reminded him of home. I collect junk, as you can see. Not brains. Well sometimes brains but not brains like yours, brains like that.

'Skipper' gestures vaguely to the strange eel creature before continuing. And as for the brain eating, don't have to! Fished up a ring some time ago, now I don't get hungry for knowledge. I mean, outside the city nobody really gets hungry here. Cept my folk still need more brains to keep doin what we do. Not me though. Got the ring.

WISDOM: So clearly he's a bit insane (probably from not eating brains for who knows how long), but harmless enough.
ARCANA: That checks out, you've heard of rings which can sate hunger. Useful to some, but you can conjure your own food.

"So there's a city here? And where is here anyway?" You lean back onto a chair sticking out of a junk pile with legs made from the bones of some humanoid.

Ah, that'd be the Astral Plane, might not have heard of it, but it's the space between all the other planes. This here sea is the border between the Upper planes, like Mount Celestia and Elysium, and the lower planes, like Hell and the Abyss. I take my ship here and trawl the border for stuff that drops in out of those Color Pools. Like you!

ARCANA: "Color pools, huh? I have heard of those. they're like holes in reality. That must have been what happened to my boat." You ponder your options. You could potentially find another pool to take you home.

Gonna head that thought off before you get any funny ideas, Color Pools are dangerous. And most of em don't even lead back to the Prime. Only safe way to navigate the things is a boat like this. No, you'd be better off trying to buy access to the portals in the city. Night Market, they call it. Kinda like an extraplanar neutral territory, all sorts come and go, including plenty of you Primes. If you're inclined, just about anything you can imagine is bought and sold there. I don't go much further in than the Dock Ring, Junk here gets kinda antsy when I'm not around to keep her reigned in. Starts eating stuff she shouldn't.

[1/2]

>>4674016

"Then the path forward is clear. I would ask you for passage to this city, though I admit I have nothing to my own. I have scavenged these tools from your property, and as such can offer nothing but my services as payment. I am an able hand around a ship, though this is foreign to me." You scowl, it's been a long time since you were so poor you had to swab decks for passage.

Oh, that's ok. I was heading back that way as it stands. And as far as the stuff goes, it's all junk to me. I just sell it to folks like yourself to keep Junk here running. Mostly I just do it to see what turns up. Long as you don't take too much, I don't see a problem with you keepin' it. You'll need some money in the city though, depending on who you do business with. Could always sell your soul, plenty of people end up doing that at one point or another. But passage is free. You don't eat here, and it's not like weight means anything when all travel is powered by the thoughts and dreams of living creatures. If anything you just wanting to go there actually gets me there faster.

That's convenient. A ship steered by thought alone would be even easier to handle than your old junk. You suppose you could live out the journey, however long it ends up being, as a guest. It has been a long time since you've not worried about the details of a voyage. Then again, something about this ship intrigues you, helping out around the ship might be a good learning experience if you intend to spend any extended period in this place.

>"That is most generous, I will accept your offer Skipper. I will try to stay out of your way."
>[Sailor] "My pride as a sailor wouldn't allow me to spend the whole voyage loafing around, please allow me to assist you as we travel."
>[Artisan's Tools] "I am actually a capable appraiser of arms, armor, and other forged goods. I could assist you in taking inventory instead."

>>4674063
>[Sailor] "My pride as a sailor wouldn't allow me to spend the whole voyage loafing around, please allow me to assist you as we travel."
Be a good guest, and also learn something about how astral ships function. Sounds good to me.

>>4674063
>[Sailor] "My pride as a sailor wouldn't allow me to spend the whole voyage loafing around, please allow me to assist you as we travel."

>>4674063
>[Artisan's Tools] "I am actually a capable appraiser of arms, armor, and other forged goods. I could assist you in taking inventory instead."

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>>4674071
>>4674074
Your answer is almost immediate. "My pride as a sailor wouldn't allow me to spend the whole voyage loafing around, please allow me to assist you as we travel. I would love to know more about your ship and this place."

Skipper’s facial tentacles give an amused wiggle.

Alrighty then. Suppose if you can actually help out instead of gettin’ in the way, I’ll start you off with some coin to help you when you get to the city. I warn you though, this isn’t an ordinary ship by any means. Try to keep up.

Skipper leads you around the Junk Junk and explains its various functions to you. The ethereal silken sails which gave the ship its name are meant to catch what they call a ‘psychic wind’, basically a collection of stray thoughts and dreams which here have mass. This allows for navigation, but not propulsion. That is handled by what they call the ‘Spelljamming Helm’ which looks less like a helm and more like a vat of boiling chemicals, being fed by a large tank of some green chemical slurry. Your knowledge of nature recognizes this slurry is plant-based, meaning this ship runs on biomass. Skipper explains it could take just about anything living, but a lovely young lady in the Jade Ward supplies him with the slurry by the ton, in exchange for the innards and oils of Astral creatures. Seems they are useful in potion making. Your intellect and knowledge of the arcane allows you to keep up with his explanation with little backtracking. You are confident that in an emergency, you could likely maintain a ship like this for at least a little while. His explanations of the method by which one navigates are more complex, but since it is similar enough to navigation by starlight, you feel confident with practice you could pick it up.

>Time for the first roll! The rolling system is total of first 3 1d6 for solo checks, best 3 of 4 for checks made with assistance from other characters. Since this is Skipper testing you, you’ll be rolling solo!

>Since Li is intelligent and has experience as a sailor, the DC of this Very Hard check (12) is lowered by 2. So we’re looking for 3d6 to be equal to or greater than 10!

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4675613
Allow me to be the first to throw out a die!

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>>4675617
That's not an indicator of things to come, nope.

>>4675619
W-we've still got two dice left!

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4675613

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4675619

>>4675635
>>4675632
>>4675617
>Perfectly average
>And on the spot

very nice

>>4675617
>>4675632
>>4675635
>Total 10

You madlads, you rolled the three cardinal numbers of a d6.

>writing

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>>4675632
>>4675635
>>4675617

You were born to sail the sea, be it Material or Astral. Within a short period of time, you are an able hand about the nautiloid. Skipper is impressed

Stars surround...You sure you haven’t done this before, Li? Time may be screwy here but I know it hasn’t been that long since Junk fished you out of the water. You some kind of savant?

“No, I…” Have you? It all feels familiar for some reason. The brush of the ship’s consciousness against yours when directing the helm and sails through the pilot’s chair. It feels right.

>This is your first opportunity to spend the quest’s experience resource, Memory Points! Li spent an untold amount of time adrift in the water which reflects the collective unconscious of the Prime Material. Memories from all manner of creatures have found their way into his mind. You have 2 memory points to begin with, and they are awarded for completing Goals, which roughly translate to jobs. You’ll be getting your first Goal when you set foot in the city. More opportunities to acquire traits quickly with memory points will arise in time. You already have heard of a talented Alchemist in the city. Who knows what else you could learn?

Choose one:
>”Actually, yeah, this feels really familiar. Like a past life.” [Acquire Astral Navigation]
>”Not the sailing, but working on the ship’s helm and infrastructure feels right. [Acquire Spelljammer Engineering]
>Both [Spend both points to get both traits.]
>”No, just a very quick study. [Conserve point 2/2]

Well, I’m impressed either way son. Tell you what. You’re gonna be living off your back for a good while when you first get to the city, might as well make that easier for you.

Skipper hands you a small pouch which jingles slightly, as well as what look like a messenger bag patterned to look like it has a smiling face.

”A Bag of Holding? Are you sure?” Such things were highly sought after in your profession, for a number of reasons. They always weigh five pounds, and can hold upto five hundred. You can quickly retrieve an item from the bag merely by thinking about it while reaching in, and unless someone knows what is in it, or upends the bag, your belongings are safe. You open the small pouch and inside you see a handful of coins, minted in gold, silver, and platinum, as well as one large iron coin, roughly the size of an average human’s palm with a skull with two faintly luminescent red eyes. “And what kind of coin is that? It looks… evil.” You feel slightly slimy for having the coin on your person.

[1/2]

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>>4675654
That’s a Soul Coin. Devils make ‘em. Outta people. Awful waste of a mind if you ask me but I’m a vegan now anyway so who am I to sneer. It’s worth a fair bit here, especially to Devils, if you don’t mind working with them. Most other folks will take them, but they definitely put some people off, and if you offer to buy off an angel with them, expect a divine ass-whuppin. They’d be happy to break ‘em though. Might like you for givin’ the honor of destroying one. Not a whole lot though, but it’s a nice icebreaker I’m told. Afraid most Planars don’t value gold and silver much, but other Primes like you do. The main currency in the City is Favor.

You nod. “So like a barter system then. I can work with that.”

Well yes, but no. Favor here is a physical thing. It can be given and traded. Looks like a neat little crystal. Colored by the being what gives it to you, and the dragons in the Jade Ward will exchange a lot of random stuff to get it. They’re basically the bank. Angels don’t have a lot of gold, but get a Favor from one and a Dragon will pay a fair sum based on the size and type of favor.

“So can Primes, mortals, like myself make them? Seems convenient if I can just go into favor debt quickly to buy something important.” It’s a trick you’ve pulled before. Take out a ton of loans and use the loans to pay loans, which makes you look reliable.

Sure, but a favor from a drifter isn’t exactly worth much. You’d probably be better off with gold until you’re a bigshot where a favor from you means something. Like asking an archmage for help. When someone owes you Favor and they know it, you get ‘em to say “I owe you a debt.” and simple as that, you get a shiny little crystal. And it’s never something you can get in advance, since it’s based on you actually doing the thing.

“Ah well, worth asking. So basically I just find important people, see if they need anything, and I can buy my way home or wherever else? So just a matter of finding my way to important people.” Skipper nods. It seems Skipper has very little knowledge of specific people beyond his circle of suppliers, but he can point you in the right direction.

Once you arrive in the city, where will you seek assistance and information?
Leaving this vote open until later tonight.

>”You mentioned an alchemist in the Jade Ward...” Dragons are at least familiar territory.
>”Well, I have a Soul Coin already, where can I find a Devil to make a deal?” You’d like to be rid of this thing, might as well get the best value for it.
>[Sailor] “It’s a port town. They’re all the same, essentially. I’ll find the best bar, and work will surely follow.” Wait...do people even need to eat there? Surely they at least drink for fun.
>”Any recommendations on where I can find a Celestial to break this nasty thing?” No good deed goes unpunished, but carrying this thing makes you want to heave.

>>4675654
>”Actually, yeah, this feels really familiar. Like a past life.” [Acquire Astral Navigation]
>>4675682
>[Sailor] “It’s a port town. They’re all the same, essentially. I’ll find the best bar, and work will surely follow.” Wait...do people even need to eat there? Surely they at least drink for fun.

Sounds good, QM! For reference you'll probably want to write your full post first and then split it in the future, that way you can post the [2/2] shortly after the [1/2]

>>4675703

I meant to, and then spaced out when writing it. I write them all on a doc before transferring over. "Ah yes, the post is done, post it. ...Wait damnit."

Work drained me a lot more than I thought. See you all in around 10 hours!

>>4675713
All good king, happens to the best of us! Rest well!

>>4675654
>Actually, yeah, this feels really familiar. Like a past life.” [Acquire Astral Navigation]
>>4675682
>”You mentioned an alchemist in the Jade Ward...” Dragons are at least familiar territory.
>”Well, I have a Soul Coin already, where can I find a Devil to make a deal?” You’d like to be rid of this thing, might as well get the best value for it.

>>4675752
>>4675703
Looks pretty good for getting Astral Navigation, but just so we agree, where will Li go first when rolling into town? There will be time to make other stops, but a first step is what we're looking for.

>>4677248
Once more for the sake of expediency ill go with the other's vote, though I'd like to nix spending the soul coin as a compromise.

>>4677591
For clarity im not against spending the coin *ever*, I just think if we're going to wheel and deal with a demon it should be for an emergency or a big thing instead of just a casual thing we do straight out the gate

>>4677248
>>4677591
Let's start with the alchemist in that case

>>4678569
>>4677591

Sounds good, unless other votes come in we'll start on Thursday with the introduction to Night Market!

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>>4678569
>>4678911
>>4677591

>sorry for the delay, things have been a little nuts.

Had you not spent time acclimating to the mechanics of travel, the city would have snuck up on you. It’s a sight to behold, even to one used to the jeweled rooftops of the Jade City. Roughly disc-shaped, the city surrounds a towering crystalline spire which seems to catch the starlight and reflect it across the city in an ever-changing pattern. Your eyes follow to the base of the tower, where buildings which dwarf those you are familiar with are themselves lit like the night sky in every hue imaginable. Signs in languages you have never even seen, let alone speak, broadcast words and programmed illusions. Skipper informs you that just about everyone in this city is trying to buy or sell something, and you see what he means almost immediately. The Dock ring is home to all kinds of vessels in every shape and size, absolutely none of them familiar to you. Many look to be set up to double as storefronts and markets, and a constant stream of dock hands operate floating discs of energy to haul cargo to and fro.

As you pull in to dock, several hands wave at the Junk Junk,welcoming it back to port. Beyond the dock ring you can see a section of city which for once looks quite familiar to you. Green and gold tiled pagodas rise into the sky, covered in the wonders of nature. Above the city pulses a harnessed star much like the sun contained within several jeweled rings.

There she is, the Jade Ward. Home to the largest population of dragons beyond the Prime Material. I would say to watch yourself, but you’re probably better equipped to deal with them without my meddling. The alchemist is a young woman named Yoonalva, though she usually just goes by Yuna among your kind. Her shop’s called LaVey’s, has a huge glass house out behind the shop. Hard to miss it.

You bow to the old illithid. “Thank you again, Skipper. I will not forget your generosity.”

Better not. I think it’s fair to say you owe me, eh?

You smile. “Indeed, though I doubt my Favor is worth much.” You feel a small rush of magic as a small golden crystal appears in their outstretched hand.

Call it an investment. You’ve got an interesting head on your shoulders kid, try to keep it there. And don’t forget to buy some junk next time! Junk here doesn’t eat cheap.

With a final bow, you descend the ramp onto the docks.

[1/4]

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>>4681933
>>4681933

The cacophony of the city’s multi-planar population hits you all at once, as if opening the door of a soundproofed room, the second you pass through a thin psychic membrane surrounding the dock. Compared to the eerie silence you're used to now, it makes you stagger for a moment. Some of the dock hands look your way, but you recover quickly enough. The second thing you become aware of is that you are starving. Skipper had warned you that for Primes, time passes in the city at the same rate it does in the Prime Material.

As you walk past a persimmon tree, you reach out a hand and connect with the power of nature for what feels like the first time in centuries. Moments later, a flower bud blooms and rapidly matures into a fruit which you pluck and eat. Normally, something like this would be able to keep you going for a whole day due to the magics infused with the fruit you created but today you are still hungry, for now. Thanks to your instruction in the ways of Astral Navigation, you understand that truly the movement of your legs is unimportant. A humanoid moves by walking, so walking is how your mind measures movement and distance. You could float there like Skipper does, but such methods are difficult until the mind is well acclimated. Instead you focus on the second principle. With a clear idea of your destination, you are bound to encounter it eventually. The clearer the image, the easier it is.

Soon you find yourself wandering flattened stone roads, as rickshaws pulled by unseen creatures ferry passengers up and down the crowded streets. The people walking the street are all manner of race and planar alignment. A procession parts the crowds surrounding a veiled figure wearing clothes made of starlight, as a gaggle of Imps heckle them from a nearby street lamp. Two elves converse in High Draconic as a pair of kobolds shine their shoes and fan them. They turn to look at you and you see their eyes are thin and slitted like your own, and their dress mark them as members of nobility. Skipper wasn’t kidding when he said you could practically walk anywhere and trip over a dragon’s tail here. You incline your head at their gaze, and seemingly satisfied they return to their conversation. Nearby, a roadside stall hosts a gaggle of Primes surrounding a set of Red dragonborn twins cooking delicious-smelling teppanyaki meats, and making quite the production of it. They take turns tossing ingredients to each other with their spatulas, using precision jets of flame to cook in midair. It’s a little flashy for your tastes, and certainly isn’t how it would be done back home, but you can’t fault them for putting in that extra effort to stand out when everything here could cost your soul. You’re getting distracted. Destination now, miso-glazed grilled meat later. Best not to spend anything before you know how much things cost here.

[2/4]

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>>4681944
As you wander with intent, you spot it in the distance. It reminds you more of a Western church, the big ones, than an Alchemist’s shop. Cathedrals you think they were called. True to Skipper’s description the massive glass structure is visible from blocks around, and you can see as well as feel an overwhelming presence of nature within. It feels orderly, clean, and well maintained similar to the feeling you would get strolling through a civic garden, or practicing bonsai in your quarters aboard ship.

You enter what seems to be the front door, and find yourself in something more resembling a jeweler’s store than a garden. Long glass cases containing potions and clippings of plants, berries, fruits, vegetables, and samples of various woods. You recognize many of the items here, but some are beyond your expertise. You can tell some of the items here definitely do not come from the Prime Material.

As you browse, a small kobold dressed in a martial arts trainee’s uniform, or something that looks very much like it, addresses you in an odd dialect which reminds you of Low Draconic.

”Greetings honored guest, how can this one serve you today?” he bows, nearly dropping a potted plant he is holding in doing so. His speech seems too formal to be using Low Draconic, but you address him in kind.

“Thank you, that is not necessary. This one was sent by a customer of the proprietor, that is Miss Yuna, correct?” As soon as you begin speaking the kobold’s eyes go wide, and as your sentence finishes it begins bowing deeply in apology and stammering.

”Apolologies! A thousand-thousand apologies Great One, this one was not aware of the Great One’s presence, truly Great One is a master of the shape-changing arts. This one will fetch Miss Yuna at once, please forgive this one for imposing upon your patience, as Miss Yuna is tending the upper gardens today. It will be but a few minutes.” The panicked kobold sets the fern gently on the counter, then speeds off through a glass door at the back of the room. You see him round a corner and disappear into the assorted foliage which lines the corridor.

Ah. It seems he has mistaken you for a polymorphed dragon. Perhaps the common dialect is rare where he is from. Or he has been here a very long time. You content yourself with admiring the fern he left while you wait. It is quite healthy, and speaks highly of its cultivators. You recognize it as a plant which in normal consumption causes severe fever and hallucinations, but in very small doses can be used as medicine. You take a small clipping, immediately regrowing the damage you cause. Your magic will sustain it until you can find a suitable pot.

[3/4]

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>>4681946
Some time later, as time is difficult to measure here, a tan skinned elven woman with odd glass frames on her face, long blonde hair tied in the back with a ribbon, and wearing a fairly modern looking yukata patterned with flowers arrives through the same door the kobold left from and greets you formally.

”Greetings honored guest, my name is Yoonalva Yuna, how can the proprietor of LaVey’s Planar Potions & Plants serve you today?” She bows, using a similar dialect to the kobold, but slightly less formal.

You sigh. ”This one believes there has been a mistake, this one is not a Great One as the student says.” You switch to the Common tongue. “My name is Li Yen, I am a recent acquaintance of Skipper, captain of the Junk Junk, and I am most definitely not a dragon. Please accept my apology to you and your student,” you bow.
“Well, Ping will certainly be relieved that he does not need to ritually throw himself from the highest tower for disrespecting a dragon,” she laughs softly. “Please excuse his enthusiasm. Around here, the only people who use your dialect are particularly old dragons. I only know it because Master LaVey taught it to me to deal with his more distinguished customers. Anyway, it is a pleasure to meet you Li Yen, if Skipper sent you to me I assume you are new to Night Market?” She walks over and moves the fern to an empty spot on the shelf, she looks it over as if inspecting her work. She tilts her head and seems to look closely at the part you took a clipping from.

“Yes, I was adrift in the Astral Sea, and their ship fished me out. They spoke highly of you as an accomplished alchemist, and trustworthy figure. I admit I am impressed with your garden, I have not seen its like even in the Jade City. I am a sailor by trade, and a practitioner of the druidic arts by happenstance.”

She brightens up at your mention of the art. “Ah, so that explains why this bit looks newer than the rest.” You shuffle somewhat guiltily. “Don’t worry, I understand the impulse, and you replaced what you took. I’m sure it’s in good hands. I was nearly killed for taking clippings of succulents from a Djinni prince’s window garden once.” She then looks thoughtful for a moment. “Adrift you say? Do you know for how long?”

“It was difficult to tell, but it had been nearly a year since I purchased my ship, so...Year 214 of the reign of Great Dragon ‘Claws Which Capture the Sun’ in the Jade City. I think the Westerners’ calendar was in the four hundreds or so.” You catch a look of surprise before she quickly hides her shock.

[4/5, I lied apparently.]

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>>4681953

“I see. Well, how can I help you? I’m afraid if you want any more of my plants, you will need to pay for them,” she teases.

>”I need to know more about the city, and what currency I have been given is worth here. If it is not too rude, may I ask on what salary your student lives?”
>[Druid]”I am looking for work and a place to stay, and this place seems like a very good fit for someone with my talents.”
>”I am looking for the most expedient method to return to the Prime, and how much it would cost to do so safely.”
>”Would I be mistaken in that some of these items are produce for eating? I would like to purchase a day’s worth of food.”
>[Insight] Press her for details. “You seemed surprised when I mentioned the year I was lost at sea. Truly, has it been that long?”
>Write In

[4/4]

>>4681955
>I need to know more about the city, and what currency I have been given is worth here. If it is not too rude, may I ask on what salary your student lives?”
>[Druid]”I am looking for work and a place to stay, and this place seems like a very good fit for someone with my talents.”
>[Insight] Press her for details. "You seemed surprised when I mentioned the year I was lost at sea. Truly, has it been that long?"

If we can only pick one then let's start with the Insight.

Also does the red text signify speaking in Draconic? I assume Low and High draconic are two different dialects of the same language

>>4681969
Correct! I'll be using red for speaking in non-common languages. Li knows High and Low Draconic, and the Common tongue spoken by merchants he has done business with in the West. He also knows a secret language used by the druidic orders to speak to one another, as well as to plants and animals.

Low Draconic is the dialect spoken by those of the lower working class such as farmers and manual laborers, and High Draconic is mostly spoken by nobility and dragons themselves. Li knows both because his trade would have put him in a position to need to learn how to interact with those above his station. It would be disrespectful to speak Low Draconic to someone above you. The difference is mostly in forms of address, word usage, and intonation.

>>4681969
>[Insight] Press her for details. "You seemed surprised when I mentioned the year I was lost at sea. Truly, has it been that long?"

You still alive, QM?

>>4688136
probably not

>>4688136
>>4688158
I am, I realize I should probably say when I intend to update. We'll pick up with probably the last vote of the thread next time, either Wednesday or Thursday night.

>>4688681
Things have changed at my work, so I don't have the kind of downtime I had when starting the quest. I'm afraid for now the adventure is on hold. I'll give this a shot again when I have more time and energy to invest, and hopefully get off to a faster start.

>>4691717
RIP

f

too die so young