Dreams die with time.When you were young, you dreamt of being a Sorcerer King, like those of stories from before the Collapse. Of wielding power akin to that of the gods themselves, living forever, and ruling wisely.Over time, these dreams matured. By the time of your mid-adolescence, many of your peers were already working in family business or taking higher courses, provided they were blessed with intellect or wealth. You were preparing to enter the Academy, study magic and eventually help people like the responsible adult that you were expected to be.Yet these aspirations were not to last. Optimism quickly turned to confusion, then to despair. The sheer amount of work and talent required to succeed once you passed the entrance exams was astounding. The meditation techniques were hard to get a grasp of, and your focus wavered often. Maybe you had taken a place intended for someone else, because you witnessed how others bore a much lesser burden of practice and theory required to advance.Well, it didn't matter anyway. The expulsion letter ended your possibilities of a career as a licensed mage.You kept studying still, working menial jobs and spending your free time reading whatever magic tomes were available in the library. It wasn't much. You learned to meditate properly, little by little, and taught yourself some cheap tricks like lighting a fire without flint or creating a mote of light instead of a lantern. But the publicly available knowledge was little, and soon you had to look for a proper job when your mother wouldn't support you anymore.And when it dawned upon you that you would be stuck in the same place for the rest of your life like the rest of your peers if you didn't do something, you went away, leaving your family: your more competent and serious elder brother and your mother - to fend for themselves.The tricks you learned in the libraries were a bit useful. Some down on their luck adventurers hired you as cheap magical support for their expeditions. It wasn't much, but it was honest work, and you learned bit by bit again, picking locks, evading tough enemies and besting weak ones with your dagger.Soon, you were exploring ruins on your own. Maybe luck had finally turned towards you, or you were experienced enough to succeed, but you made ends meet with trinkets you looted from old, less dangerous and hence less popular ruins. Sometimes you would still dungeon-dive as part of a group if you needed some more spare coin.You restarted the regimen the Academy provided you with as well. The endurance training that some first-years (namely, you) were going through strengthened your body and the meditation cleared your mind.Yet all the same, the remnants of dreams from your expulsion slowly died within you, replaced with a simple, unsophisticated will to live.
What cruel and fortunate fate it is, then, that the day after you decided to abandon them completely, you stumbled upon a book in an abandoned library. A book of magic.The tome, written in an strange, but decipherable language, was titled "Necromancy: Basic Undead and The Creation of Intelligent Servants". You progressed through it one step at a time, your foundations solid and no professors to impose time limits on you. Still, you needed to spend much of your time working, and practice of this dark magic had to be carried out covertly.Reanimation was a cruel force unless ensouled, intelligent creatures were created. It pulled bits of soul force from wherever the soul of the corpse was, causing it suffering. You cared, truly, but the price of improvement had to be paid, sometimes unwillingly for others.With the book finished, you are now capable of raising 5 simple undead under your command and one higher-order being bearing its previous soul, be it a banshee, ghoul, or great skeleton warrior, that will possess its own intelligence and be capable of breaking out of your grasp should you be weakened enough. This should make it possible to take on greater tasks.You have travelled the breadth of the Nousian Kingdom, but many ruins are yet unexplored ever since the Collapse two hundred or so years ago, and many strange beasts lurk in the woods. To the south, beyond the sea, the deserts of Nahs stretch endlessly. To the west, Emorian jungles hold their secrets. To the east, the squabbling daimyos of Yoki hold shaky power in the mountains and woods. To the north, the strange republics of Latunia endlessly wrestle with monsters and search for ancient artifacts.Currently near the trade city of Marsogne, near the northern border with its mountains, you ponder where to go now.>With your new powers, greater opportunities for work may be available. Look for rumours of dangerous ruins to be explored. Whether buying magic books on the black market (because who will sell one legally to an unlicensed mage?) or purchasing higher-grade gear, you need money. [optional: specify what you'll be saving for]>Go in some direction or another. You'll look for work as well, but you need to stay on the move. [specify direction]>Resurrect an ensouled, intelligent companion. They will be conspicuous and may make you subject to action by law as you travel, but an ally nearby at all times will be worth it. [specify: banshee (ethereal, strictly female, loud deafening scream, magical damage), ghoul (restored zombie, either sex, decent power and some poison attacks), ensouled skeleton (hardier skeleton, either sex, tough bones and great dexterity + strength)] [can be combined with other options]>Something else?What is your name?>Write-in (preferably go for something French or generic fantasy human but best an unholy amalgamation of the two)
>>6047601>With your new powers, greater opportunities for work may be available. Look for rumours of dangerous ruins to be explored. [Save for a magic book with more... conventional teachings]For our public persona and any future group ventures we need more conventional magic that we can use without fear of being turned into the authorities. >Élsweyr Botrel
>>6047601We shall be known as Einsler Mangruben.>With your new powers, greater opportunities for work may be available. Look for rumours of dangerous ruins to be explored. Whether buying magic books on the black market (because who will sell one legally to an unlicensed mage?) or purchasing higher-grade gear, you need money. [optional: specify what you'll be saving for]Deeper sorcery is necessary. We need a Banshee but our magic is too weak. If it escaped right now we would be fucked.
>>6047601>With your new powers, greater opportunities for work may be available. Look for rumours of dangerous ruins to be explored. Whether buying magic books on the black market (because who will sell one legally to an unlicensed mage?) or purchasing higher-grade gear, you need money. [optional: specify what you'll be saving for]Healing magic. Everybody loves a healer.
>>6047601Supporting >>6047611
>>6047607I misread generic fantasy name as German fantasy name, kek. I'll keep my vote for Einsler Mangruben though, as I think it could be kino.
>>6047601>Look for rumours of dangerous ruins to be explored. Black market will still require liquid funds. We seem broke. Party up and do a dungeon run. Or two.>what to save up for1) a forgery of a Class E (Apprentice VII) license. Should not be too difficult or expensive, and people will not look too closely at a Class E. Let's round out all the utility spells that non-magicians will expect us to know.2) We have trouble focussing on meditation. Get lessons on that, or a crutch item. We need it to advance to bigger spells; the way we are right now we'll always be middling at best.
>>6047601>>Resurrect an ensouled, intelligent companion. They will be conspicuous and may make you subject to action by law as you travel, but an ally nearby at all times will be worth it.>Wight (Ensouled Skeleton + Ghoul/ Ensouled skeleton with a reskin), dig up a barrow (which we may have encountered on an adventure, or dug up and left the body). They're likely to be a great warrior, and may or may not lean closer to a preserved mummy or a skeleton with some skin still on it.
>>6047601>>Go in some direction or another. You'll look for work as well, but you need to stay on the move. [specify direction]Go north.
>>6047605>>6047607>>6047611>>6047721>>6047736>>6047949>>6047956>>6048470Just when I launch the thread my ip changes to a rangebanned one fml.I will see if I can phonepost in some hours, and fix this issue completely by tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest, but in the mean time some considerations about names and companions:The undead banshee/ghoul/skeleton/wight can operate independently if you command it to do so, so eg if you tell it to wait for you outside of the city, hiding, they will do so. But at VERY BIG distances (like 30+ km tier) your connection begins to weaken and if you are insufficiently powerful they may break free. Thought I should make this clear since it may seem like they must accompany you everywhere remaining nearby.One other thing is names, there doesn't seem to be many suggestions, I'm not picking Elsweyr because this is a cursed QM's name and Einsler/Eisler sounds Jewish which is definitely not what I'm going for lol, but I thought how I could transform the latter while preserving the general sound and I came up with Einsler -> Anselm -> Ancille imparting it with some of that hon hon hon baguette energy, but ancille or something similar literally means handmaid/helper so while I like the sound it must be feminine I don't know how you anons will like it.I thought about this for a bit and I do not in fact mind writing for a female character if anons choose this, and I haven't written anything to set it in stone (besides the Sorcerer King bit in the very beginning and name of the quest itself), so I'm putting it up to a vote (yes this is the DREADED GENDER + NAME VOTE):>Ancille Botrel, female>Ancille Mangruben, female>Ancil Botrel, male>Ancil Mangruben, male>Write-in your own variantI will count female/male first and then the most liked name + surname.Anyway, see you soon, cool to see so much participation so far, hope you anons remain to play further.
>>6048532>Ancil Botrel, Male
>>6048532>Ancille Botrel, female
>>6048532>Ancil Botrel, maleI’m monitoring this thread Op
>>6048532>Ancil MangrubenWe're a proud MAN with proud STONES
>>6048634kek>>6048532You are very promising QM. I'll be on. Don't fret the range ban. ( D
>>6048532>>Ancille Mangruben, male>Our parents were barely literate, blame them for the girly spelling.
>>6048687>our parents knew EXACTLY wtf they were doing>Evelyn Waugh, soldier novelist>Stacy Keach, silver screen chad>we have been set up to SUCCEED
>>6048532>Ancil Botrel, male
>>6048532>Ancille Mangruben, femaleExtra protecting provided by simps
>>6048702https://youtu.be/-Z1Ple-qYuU?si=n4vqcmgIlG9rPIFP
>>6048532>Ancille Mangruben, MaleSupporting the effeminate name lmao>Fuckup untalented mage gifted a second chance to achieve greatness by fateThe first part hits too hard OP...
>>6048532>Ancille Mangruben, MaleWe'll make the first mouth to call us a woman REALLY cry.
Rolled 1 (1d2)>>6048534>>6048599>>6048601>>6048604>>6048634>>6048687>>6048843>>6048965>>6049006>>6049071Ok so the consensus is male, and I will leverage my QM powers a little to make >Ancille the winning name because I like this anon's idea >>6048687As for the surname, votes are split between Botrel and Mangruben, each at 5 votes, so I'm rolling for it.1 - Mangruben2 - Botrelafter that writing for>Look for work, saving up for more sorcery books
Marsogne is a city of trade. Sitting on a river near the greatest of mountain passes to the north, towards Latunia, it is the chief receiver of it's goods and whatever treasures it is willing to share. One could think its denizens would grow fat from the wealth it accumulates, but that is not true. For Marsogne is also a city of monster hunters, coming to the north in search of coin and glory, travelling south to tell tales of their adventures, or taking a break from hunting trips to the nearby forests.You go downstairs from the upper floor of the Silver Bread inn where you stopped while you stayed in the city. The summer heat is offset here by a gentle breeze from wide-open windows, but heat from the kitchen adds to it, making the air a mess of the stench of sweat from people huddled inside for their breakfast and the pleasant smell of food drifting from the dishes.You eat first - you've learned it's important to have energy for the rest of the day - then approach the boy behind the counter."Any rumours? Strange places discovered?" you ask quietly, placing a few copper on the counter."Some." he says, pocketing your bribe. "The under-city I'm sure you've heard of, right?"You nod. Marsogne is built on top of a vast dungeon of intersecting tunnels and facilities long forgotten. Much of it has been abandoned during the Collapse, and it is only recently that the ban on exploration of the tunnels has been lifted, attracting many adventurers to the city."Well word is, there's been a wild magic burst there somewhere. And now the giant spiders are going going crazy throughout all of the underground. Multiplying by the day. There was a ranger that said her entire party died to the matriarch, had these really hollow eyes. Must be tough... She's left for the Fox's Tail once she's recovered somewhat, said our ale's good but they have better rooms. Well, I say there's nothing wrong with our bloody rooms, the mattresses are plenty soft-""Keep to the point." you interrupt him.He huffs and continues, a bit grumpier than before. "One other thing is a mountain fortress. It's a bit far, maybe four days' worth of travel by foot to the northeast. A mage was talking about how she figured out its position from the Knights Soronne manuscripts. She should be in the Moonlight Inn. Said their dishes were better and the name was cooler. Can you imagine that? Choosing an inn by its name? And our food is-""Keep to the point." you remind him a bit more forcefully.The boy sighs and looks at you apologetically this time. "There's one last thing. A cache of some sort is rumoured to be in the woods. A warrior kept going on about some sort of remnants of a ratmen hideout being there.""Where may I find him?""He's in his room upstairs, I think. Adrien Labeque." he says impassively and switches to taking another customer's orders.(choices in next post)
Well, where to?>Find the ranger in the Fox's Tail and ask her about the spiders.>Find the mage in the Moonlight Inn and ask her about the mountain fortress.>Go upstairs to ask this Adrien Labeque about the ratmen hideout.>Write-in?
>>6049382>Go upstairs to ask this Adrien Labeque about the ratmen hideout.
>>6049382>Go upstairs to ask this Adrien Labeque about the ratmen hideout.This seems unlikely to kill us
>>6049382>spidersPack fire spells and purge spells, with oil and antivenin to multiply effectiveness. Buy a padded overcoat heavy about the head and neck, boots, and gloves. If we interview the ranger at Fox Tail we'll have a rundown of the spiders' opening tactics and common skills. Revenge might motivate the ranger to go with us for a discount.Finding the Mother will be fairly easy: ping the ambient mana every half hour. If budget permits, the new party can chip in for a cask of 85% black powder 15% nails.The spiders are not a big a danger as it seems: the rumor is recent, and only rumor; they have not expanded overground, and the dungeon ban has not been reinstated.>but the ranger's party died though...tpk's happen easily in ambush, but getting firsthand info from a survivor who is also a ranger, and going in with an antiarachnoid loadout will offset a lot of this. We have a fair chance, and I say we killemall
Maybe will write in like 4 hours and push out an additional update today to speed things up if another vote or 2 come in by that time. But not guaranteed.
>>6049382>Go upstairs to ask this Adrien Labeque about the ratmen hideout.We could use a warrior to assist us in our endeavours.
>>6049382>>Go upstairs to ask this Adrien Labeque about the ratmen hideout.
>>6049383>>6049441>>6049463>>6049710>>6049874Sorry for the delay.Summer heat is killing me, head is heavy, but still writing for>Go upstairs to ask this Adrien Labeque about the ratmen hideout.
>>6050123: )Spiffing, QM. Thank you.
Another tranny spammer quest
You get back upstairs, find the door with "Adrien Labeque" etched onto the disposable piece of paper, and knock. There is no response even after a minute. You knock a little harder the second time, but that doesn't yield results either, though you think you hear some sort of sound (snoring?) from behind the door stop. You wait for a while again and look around the corridor. No one in sight. Taking that into account, you knock VERY LOUDLY just to finally determine whether he's there at all, and hear something heavy fall behind the door, followed by chaotic sounds of struggling and footsteps."Please wait a minute!" a pleasant baritone asks. He has a staple southern accent.A bit of time passes as the sounds from behind the door continue, and soon a dishevelled, sleepy man with long black hair opens the door. You would call him rangy at first glance, but as you talk you notice he has decent muscles under his shirt. His face is pleasant and clean, with no scars or anything of that kind, and no bristle either."How may I help you?" he asks."Adrien Labeque?" you ask, and he nods. "I heard you encountered some sort of... ratmen hideout in the woods? The counter boy told me that. Mind sharing what you know?""Ah, of course, of course." he smiles. "Please wait for me downstairs. I will be there to discuss it shortly. Oh, but you didn't tell me your name?""Ancille Mangruben.""Hmm... Isn't that a girl's name?""It is. I'm a man with a girl's name. Fate turns in weird ways, doesn't it?" you smile and give him a glare telling it's best to drop it."Haha, for sure!" he says, seemingly getting your message. "Well, downstairs in 20 minutes, alright?""Alright."As you go down to the first floor you are reminded of your name. The girlish spelling has made you the object of a good deal of mockery at the neighbourhood school, and for a long time you hated it, but as people matured and forgot such petty issues you came to have a mixed opinion about it. Some part of you thinks a proper man's name would be better, but another accepts it as a part of yourself by now. It's hard...(1/3)(I am very bad at finding fitting images that I am content with sorry anons they will be few)
It takes Adrien shorter than 20 minutes to finish his morning routine, and you don't even recognize him at first until he starts approaching your table with a big pompadour on top of his head now. You wonder where he gets the money to allow himself the oils for this kind of hairstyle. A two-handed longsword with a few chips along its edge is strapped behind his back. While his gait and bearing is that of noble, his clothes are well-worn, characteristic of an adventurer."So. You're interested in the ratmen hideout, huh?" he says, taking a seat at the table. "Everyone I met thought I was spewing nonsense. 'Ratmen? There's been no ratmen around in decades!' they said. It's good to finally find someone who understands.""You said it was abandoned." you say. "Why would you share the news in the city? Why not loot it and take all the wealth for yourself?""It's not so simple. The ratmen are known to be master trappers, so I need someone to help me disarm the traps. Besides, I heard some strange sounds from inside. Some kind of monster may have taken residence there.""You didn't see the source?""I did, a bit. I think I saw some shifting at the far end of the tunnel, like a wall was moving, but I didn't see it too clearly. The moment I understood it was trapped from a skeleton at the bottom of a spike pit, I came back. Don't want to end up the same. It's not like I'm not experienced enough to disarm some simple traps, but it's the ratmen we're talking about, you understand." he says, smiling apologetically.You frown. You've heard legends of ratmen, this boogeyman that city kids are told about to keep them from playing in the streets at night. But you don't remember them being master trappers or anything of this sort."How did you know it is the ratmen?""It's the sign identifying the place of the hideout." he says. "Two horizontal bars and a vertical one, intersecting."You do remember something like this being shared in the urban legends."Can you tell me about these sounds you heard from inside?""There was a skittering sound, like thousands of little feet crawling throughout.""Hmm." you lean back on your chair and cross your arms, thinking. "Anything else?""The nearby villagers said the forest was cursed." Adrien explains. "Said some hunters disappeared there in late summer last year and any parties going there vanished too, so they decided against going there anymore. The investigation team sent by the province administration in winter found nothing, probably didn't notice the ratmen hideout. Also the walls of the tunnel were smeared with some kind of soot? I didn't look too closely."(2/3)
With your expertise in evading various monsters, you think you know what this might be. There is a certain species of bugs, a ravenous force called hivur, that are active in late summer to autumn. When all animals are preparing for the winter cold, they devour anyone entering their hunting grounds, as well as all berries and nuts growing there, then multiply and migrate in late autumn and winter. Their anatomy lets them withstand severe frost. Once they settle in a new area, they slumber until the next harvest season, then get active again. If disturbed during their slumber, they turn aggressive, but they're at least not as numerous and ferocious as during their hunting season. They've got a big queen that spawns hundreds of them, but otherwise they are small, the size of a hornet, though without the wings.The only thing that doesn't fit is the soot. You know that hivur don't leave such marks. What could have caused this? More important, perhaps, is the question of how to deal with a great number of small bugs that may very well eat you whole. There's the option of fire, but that could damage whatever loot is inside the hideout."Well." Adrien interrupts your thought process. "Will you aid me in securing the place? I propose we get half the loot each, unless you want to bring someone else in.">"Alright, I'll help you. Here's what we'll do..." [write-in a plan and/or suggestions/questions to QM for how to deal with bugs. You're fairly confident you can deal with the traps with your expertise in looting ruins.]>"I'll think about it." You want to check what the other people the counter boy told you about can say. Or perhaps you wish to look for another opportunity altogether somehow? [write-in where next]>Something else?
>>6050186I'm not one who they call "tranny spammer". I try to at least wrap up the thread if I've started one.
>>6050241How thick are our pants, and how well do Hivur climb? I'm thinking we buy some chaps, or something similar if they exist in this setting, and tie the bottoms shut for protection.Instead of fire, can we create smoke? Whether through magic or green wood, because bugs do NOT like smoke.
>>6050253They climb decently well and are moderately agile, think like half or third the speed and full grip of ants. (I have not observed bugs extensively so that's the best reference I could come up with). So unless you shut yourself completely beekeeper style you're probably in danger of at least some bug bites.Smoke is a great idea! You can definitely do that. There is both magic and substances that create smoke. You could hire a mage for that, though that would mean splitting the loot, or buy something generating smoke e.g. incense or green wood as you said.
>>6050241>"Alright, I'll help you. Here's what we'll do..." (Go find the Ranger whose party died, try to get her in on this so we have someone with more scouting experience to help with the traps. Then hit the market to find flammable materials to generate large amounts of smoke.)
>>6050241>>6050276Well, I see no issue in investing in some light armor. >"Alright, I'll help you. Here's what we'll do..." Buy some chaps or leg guards, something to cover our rear, and a thick jerkin or gambeson. Wear a helmet and wrap our face in cloth (or skip the helmet and wrap our entire head if that's too expensive). Then see if we can get something cheap and smoky, and get our hands on a rake or something similar to kill bugs with that escape the smoke. If we can't find anything cheap, then we could buy a hatchet (presuming we don't already have one) and find some wood or greenery at the site to burn.>>6050332I support this anon trying to get the ranger on board, but ONLY if we're not the most competent with handling traps. If we already know the tricks of the trade, then we can rely on the age of the hideout decaying the mechanisms and due caution for where we step. Carry some rocks and a long pole, or something. Ooh, we already know where a skeleton is. Raise the guy who fell in the spike pit to scout ahead, maybe. If we don't like him we can just dismiss him afterwards.
Solid ideas, anons.>Raise a Skeleton Minesweeper>Conjure Smoke rather than Fire>Buy a pole, rake, & padded armor for your feet, legs, & head>Bring rocks>Have the adventurer wait outside until we have no further use for the skeleton to conceal our black arts
>>6050582Actually, the last bit raises a question; just how reviled/accepted is necromancy? It's only "cruel" if used on unsentient minions, so there's a (small) chance it's a relatively accepted form of magic,
>>6050241A pompadour is easy to grab, and a nicked sword might sheer if it catches on a hard edge, like an axe or another sword. Pair that with his inattentiveness to our knocking, he's not very good. He might be in the same boat we are: a loser jobbing on what little he knows, slumming in the poorer inns. Relying on him is a gamble.>qn QMWhat combat or utility spells do we have? List our most reliable.What size are hivur queens usually? And are the queens plural per swarm, like a court, or singular?>stratIf we are more a utility mage, we'll be stocking on force multipliers like oil flasks for (eg) Ember (a Zippo), or a copper spike for Spark (a 10v shock), or tin cone for Shrill (a rape whistle). If we do have some combat spells, we'll be packing more mana restoratives.If picking spell loadout is an option, whether innately or via scrolls or charged items, pick ambient cold spells as main. Instinct will urge the hivurs to go sleepybye in the cold, making exploration and getting first strike easier. A directed cold spell should also hurt the sooter, whatever it is.Pack an Empty Light (weak flashlight, heatless, 10ft range) for exploring.Pack a Colored Smoke to smog out small chambers; multiple might smog out big chambers. The tunnels being confined works to our advantage.Hivurs are wingless hornets. Thick boots with snowshoes when we start exploring, to squish more of them. Wear full sleeves and trousers, thick if we can, plus gaiters on the wrists and ankles, to buy a few more seconds without them getting to our tendies if we get swarmed. Get LaBeque to switch his main to sword and board, because tunnels. Make him also get a pick if budget permits, just in case hivur queens and praetorians have armor bonuses.
>>6050332>>6050339>>6050582>>6050588>>6050849Alright, writing now for the various write-ins, will try to compile them all and see what kind of plan can be devised from the suggestions with the limited funds you have. It'll take a while for the update to arrive though, like 2-3 hours at least I think, hell, this post took 1+ h.>Actually, the last bit raises a question; just how reviled/accepted is necromancy?Since it inflicts pain upon souls it is quite reviled. Even raising intelligent undead takes a toll on the mind of the resurrected, since they retain vague recollections of their previous lives and are fairly distressed when they are brought back to serve some necromancer. They can be commanded well, can suppress their freaking out to accomplish tasks, and all of them do so as long as they are under the influence of the necromancer (otherwise there'd be no use for them), but generally it is an unpleasant experience for the undead. Most come to accept their situations fairly quickly, courtesy of subtle changes in thought resurrection brings about, and some remain loyal to their master even if they become weak (cough cough stockholm syndrome cough).>What combat or utility spells do we have? List our most reliable.Small utility spells and stuff, I think these are usually called cantripsYou canMake a part of your body luminous or create a flying mote of light that follows you to light the way without a lanternCreate a small ball of fire at the tip of your fingerPurify dirty (not poisoned) water without the need of boiling it and can manipulate small amounts of it (like 100-200 ml) like creating a sprayOpen simple locks without lockpicks or a keyMake your voice louder (up to 3 times as loud)Do simple physical manipulations with things within about 6m of yourself so long as they're in your line of sightHeighten your perception a bit to help with study, concentration, or detection of hidden thingsGenerally manipulate mana, energy, spirit, w/e a bit, also detect it in meditationNecromancyYou canResurrect a skeleton or zombie with magic and place it under your command, up to 5 of them.Make an effort to take over the command of an independent undead or undead under the command of another necromancer, though the success of this will depend on the power of the one you're contesting.You can also summon one higher undead (banshee, ghoul, great skeleton).Basically what is mentioned at the start of the quest, you've got no necrotic blasts or anything of the like, your strength is your minions.I suppose it's about time I set the way magic works in stone, but it'll take a while to do this (frankly, this is all improvisation). Hence the long promised update time (+need to work out economy too).>What size are hivur queens usually? And are the queens plural per swarm, like a court, or singular?They're beeg. About 1m in height, 2m long. So like around human waist high and over full human long. There's one queen in each colony.
>>6050911Thank you for this bread. Please take your time baking more bread.
>>6050911Thank you for posting. This quest has been quite interesting so far.
Before proceeding further, you review what you have with yourself.You possessSpare clothesLength of rope"Necromancy: Basic Undead and The Creation of Intelligent Servants"Meditation beads50 silverTwo daggersIt's not much, but the money should last you half a month or more if you're careful. You do wonder whether the expedition will be worth it or you will simply recuperate your losses, but still..."Alright. I'll help you. Plan is to smoke the bugs out with whatever generates a lot of smoke. Incense is probably expensive, so we'll get an axe to cut down some wood on-site. Set it on fire and bellow the fumes inside, then kill those that crawl out with a rake. We'll need protection for ourselves if we are to fight them, so leather armour is in order.""Uhh... Okay, but may I ask a question?""Sure.""What bugs are you talking about?"You space out for a moment, then remember you didn't tell him you identified them as the hivur, and proceed with the explanation......Your small party is now at a tanner's workshop.With the kind of protection you need being an almost full suit, it comes around to about 90 silver: 30 being for body protection, 20 each for legs and arms, 10 each for head and hands. You could afford it if your were to pool your money with Adrien's (who also has 50 silver on him) but only for one person. You've got decent leather boots on you so they are not needed."Perhaps we should simply get gloves, a belt and a beekeeper's hat, tuck our clothes in and hope for the best." he suggests.What Adrien suggests would cost 14 silver for each of you (10 gloves + 1 belt + 3 beekeeper's hat), for a total of 28 silver for both of you.You also consider skipping the upper body (head, arms and torso) since these bugs are unlikely to crawl there, and go for leg armour, simple cloth gloves for tucking sleeves into and wrapping your head with spare clothes you carry for some basic protection just in case. That would amount to 23 silver for each of you, 46 silver total.A rake and an axe would cost 1 silver each. Same for long pole for trap disarm. Perhaps smoking out the bugs cheaply is worth the hassle of working on-site. Bellows to channel the smoke would cost 3 silver.You've browsed the scroll shop (it is a strange omission in the magic laws, being available to many, probably because they're single- or limited-use), the scrolls of Smoke and Cold Wind are 10 and 15 silver respectively. You notice scroll of Poison Wind. It's quite expensive at 30 silver but could solve the problem of bugs altogether. You'd probably need something to clear the air though.(1/2 choices in next post)
>>6050849>>6050911 Sounds like we should get several oil flasks, and if possible maybe some black powder on top of the smoke making tools
>Buy 2 leg leather armour pieces, also cheap cloth gloves for tucking sleeves into and wrap head with spare clothes for 46 silver + 6 silver for long pole, rake, axe and bellows leaving you with 48 silver [optional: write-in something to spend the rest of silver on?]>Buy 2 pairs of boots with snowshoes for 12 silver (these are hard to come by but you can find something in the villages), thick cloth gloves and gaiters which most likely won't be pierced (12 silver), you've got long sleeves on your shirt and pants, so you can tuck them in. Get 3 Smoke scrolls for mass smoking out (30 silver). Get oil to play off your ignition cantrip in case of other enemies (2 silver). Long pole for traps (1 silver). 57 silver total cost, leaving you with 43 silver. (basically this anon's plan >>6050849)>Buy Scroll of Poison Wind for 30 silver and [write-in]>Something else? Ask QM a question, suggest somethingReminder: You have 50 silver, Adrien has 50 silver, 100 total budget.(Thanks for waiting, anons, had a lengthy discussion about questing with my bro so update got delayed but it's finally done, however chaotic it is. Uhh my head hurts from numbers. I'll write the magic system down tomorrow I think now I am tired and sleep soon.)
>>6051085>Buy 2 pairs of boots with snowshoes for 12 silver (these are hard to come by but you can find something in the villages), thick cloth gloves and gaiters which most likely won't be pierced (12 silver), you've got long sleeves on your shirt and pants, so you can tuck them in. Get 3 Smoke scrolls for mass smoking out (30 silver). Get oil to play off your ignition cantrip in case of other enemies (2 silver). Long pole for traps (1 silver). 57 silver total cost, leaving you with 43 silver. (basically this anon's plan
>>6051087+1I also liked my idea
>>6051085>>6051081>kitting outMC>body protection 30>wear spare pants 0>gloves and gaiters 10+2>belt 1>wrap head with clothes 0>strip daggers of their handles, get or scrounge some tin wire + waste metal strips + screws for 3 silver from the blacksmith's apprentice, fix to a stout stick from catpenters 1 for an improvised pollax; quarterstaff with pointy bits>bargain between transactions for some chalk to mark our progress in the tunnels 0> = 47 silverAdrien Labeque>leg protection 23>wear spare tunics 0>gloves and gaiters 10+2>belt 1>wrap head with clothes 0>axe 1 >long Patented Omnidirectional Leverage Equipment, or P.O.L.E., 1>make a leaf fan while chopping wood later 0> = 38> balance 15 silver> one scroll of cold wind> just niceWe are now both broke. If the hivur nest ends up hoarding something like a caravan's worth of treacle sugar I will be very annoyed.>stratMages are always tender; that's why they're only ever in pyjamas in popular art. We pad ourselves to take some surprise damage.We don't bother with oil because there's still the soot-maker in the dungeon, and QM warned that we might burn loot if we use it. LaBeque takes lead with MC's light globe; he can stand some damage so no torso armor, and he's stomping so he gets leg armor. When things start to get dangerous we might find some human remains. We'll use those for skellies, 1-2 with us, the rest with LaBeque. If there are less than 3 bodies, then all with LaBeque. Since Necromancy causes suffering, I don't want to disturb quiet graves. Let the dead humans get some revenge, then return them to dust with proper RIP rites. There will always be corpses where there's trouble.Once we have skellies, use them to scout.If we encounter the Hivur Queen, we might leave the skellies inanimate, livebait the Queen with ourselves, and when her troops charge over and past our sleepiskellis, they can rush a surprise attack. Save the Cold Wind scroll for the Queen or Sooter, whichever we meet first AND can't handle. We can always break even and try again.
>>6051085>qn QMDoes our necromancy work on all humanoids or just humans? Does it work on beasts and critters? A reanimated Hivur(s) is a cheap drone. They'll probably be killed on sight by living Hivurs, but they can at least detect Hivur clusters and confirm empty tunnels, saving time.Reanimating critters is possible (of course not at the moment), we are saving enough of the Queen and putting it in a barrel of salt vinegar. We are going to run an undead hivur infestation+Bugz'R'Us hustle.Thank you for the massive effort QM. Bread good.
>>6051084>>6051087>>6051192>>6051281>>6051285Necromancy as you learned it works only on humanoids. It is possible to learn reanimating animals in the future. I will explain how magic works mechanically and a bit - from the lore point, in the update.Also I think you misunderstood, gloves+gaiters don't cost 12 for each of you, they cost 12 in total (2x 3 silver pairs of gloves and 2x 3 silver gaiters). To speed things along, I will simply go with the option 2 other anons voted for and add chalk from your suggestion, rake for extra bug-crushing power from this anon >>6050582 >>6051192 and rations which I forgot to mention to make>Buy:>2 pairs of boots with snowshoes for 12 silver (these are hard to come by but you can find something in the villages)>Thick cloth gloves and gaiters which most likely won't be pierced (12 silver), you've got long sleeves on your shirt and pants, so you can tuck them in.>3 Smoke scrolls for mass smoking out (30 silver).>2 oil flasks to play off your ignition cantrip in case of other enemies (4 silver) (since anon requested several).>Long pole for traps (1 silver).>Rake (1 silver).>Chalk to mark way (bargained for it).>Rations for 5 days for both of you (8 silver).>68 silver total cost, leaving you with 32 silver.>Pick up rocks on-site.I hope this list makes it more comprehensible.Writing.
You walk away from the market stocked with goods and head out for the ratmen hideout, stopping by the villages on your way to get the snowshoes. Adrien mostly follows your lead, the vendors observe his noble presence and try to rip you off, thinking you are some errant noble sons, but ultimately your haggling skills win the day and you get everything for an acceptable price.Entering the forest is a welcome change from the unbearable heat of the fields surrounding the city. You make fast progress first along dirt roads, then in deeper woods. At last, you reach what appears to be a mound. Adrien points silently to a sign on a nearby tree. One vertical line in the middle and two horizontal lines perpendicular to it on each of its ends. The sign of the ratmen, indeed."The entrance I found is here." He shows you towards a hole in the ground covered by a curtain of leaves and grass. Pulling it away, you descend a ladder into the dark. You call up your spirit to conjure a mote of light. It illuminates an earthen corridor, just barely tall enough to stand without bending your head. In the middle of the hallway, the floor falls sharply to reveal spikes with a skeleton at the bottom. It is as he described.At the farthest end of the hallway, where the light doesn't reach well, your sharp eyes see something moving, very slowly, as if in waves. This living wall is white as snow.You go back to the surface and equip your gaiters and gloves, then put on the snowshoes and wrap your head in clothing. Even with the coolness of the woods, the summer is definitely no time to wear this attire for long."You'll be the one crushing them mostly." you say, handing Adrien the rake."Ahh, what have we been reduced to... Killing some bugs with a rake. Are we not adventurers, sieur Mangruben? Are we not supposed to battle great monsters?" he says with irony, his voice muffled by the clothes."We do what we must."You've checked with rocks and the pole for any hidden pressure plates or false floors or something, but with the earthen floor it is unlikely. No tripwire either. You have to wonder whether these ratmen really are the trapmasters that Adrien claimed them to be of if he was just so impressed by the spike pit that he made it up and this is actually just some dingy hole with little of worth... Well, no going back now.You review your plan of action. From what you understood of the Smoke scrolls instruction the shopkeeper gave you, you must utter the arcane words on them, and then clouds of smoke will burst out of your palms. Seems straightforward enough. You'll cast it from mid-hallway, near the pit, then get out to the surface and wait for the onslaught. Going through with it right now, or is there something you missed?>Go for it.>Write-in some other action or preparation? Perhaps scouting for something else is in order?(1/2 magic in next post)
Magic works in the following way: you have a pool of Spirit that you can use to cast spells. There several ways to cast spells, the one you were taught or learnt on your own involves first learning to detect and control Spirit in meditation and then practising it enough that the process is achievable in a regular state of mind. Manipulating Spirit in certain ways creates special effects called "spells". Human magic that is performed by Nousian mages and taught at the Academy specifies an assortment of rigid spells that can divert little from their core. This means that some details changing, like e.g. for Raise Dead humanoid -> animal makes the spell unavailable. You have heard there are other ways to cast magic practised by the elves of Yoki (based upon "concepts" or "areas" rather than concrete "spells"), nomads of Nahs (something about ensouling Spirit), monsters and other groups, but you know little about them.You gain Spirit limit by making advancements in your knowledge of magic. This either means messing around with Spirit for a LONG time to figure out random new spells or reading books to learn ways of casting spells more easily. You still need to meditate and practice regularly for about a month before a regular spell becomes known to you, but this time can go upwards to a year for powerful spells (you have not encountered these yet).You regain Spirit while you sleep and meditate. A low amount of spirit makes you feel drained and empty, and at 0 spirit you lose consciousness shortly after.You currently have 15/15 SpiritSome of the spells you know cost:Cantrips - nothingPerception - 1 spirit (heighten perception, attentiveness) Raise Undead - 1 spirit (creates skeleton/zombie) Control Undead - 1 spirit (scales with power of contested mage)Raise Higher Undead - 3 spirit (create banshee/ghoul/super skeleton)(Yes this system is a horrifying amalgamation of various systems I came into contact with lately and came up with myself, I may alter it later down the line and retcon everything but for now it is like this)
>>6051583>Go for it.We're set. If worse comes to worst, we can revive Adrien as a corpse.
>>6051583KILL EM ALLI AM EXTERMINATOR MAN1 TRILLION 70 BILLION 800 MILLION DEAS BUGS
>>6051594was thinking it.anon said it.>When the party and I>turns to I and the "party"
>>6051583>Go for it.
Rolled 46 (1d100)>>6051594>>6051720>>6051777>>6051935>Go for it.I need you to roll 1d100 Bo3, DC is 50.
Rolled 4 (1d100)>>6052007Total Insect Eradication
Rolled 18 (1d100)>>6052007
Rolled 7 (1d100)Alright, I'll roll the last one to begin writing.
>>6052075>4meh we still got two rolls>18oh.>7shit.
>46 - Adrien's roll, failure>4, 18, 7 - your rolls, failureAs you utter the arcane words of the Smoke scroll, your palms begin to feel strange, as if touching something fluffy and soft. Once you finish reading, torrents of smoke starts spewing out of them. You stretch out your arm towards the bug chamber, and the hallway fills with fumes.It continues like this for half a minute or so. That's really quite a lot of smoke. Once the effect of the spell ends, you hastily ascend the ladder while the bugs die or awaken.What follows exceeds your expectations. Waves of these white insects pour out of the entrance, skittering towards you two. Adrien gets to work with the rake, scraping furiously at the little critters, killing dozens, then hundreds in minutes. You stomp with the snowshoes in turn, smashing packs of them once and again.Yet the tide doesn't stop, and soon a few of them make their way up your pants and onto the shirt. Even with the protection of clothing, their bites are nothing to scoff at, and you wince in pain whenever one happens.Adrien is not faring so good either. Raking means he is rather immobile, so the bugs can climb him easier. Though to his credit, he seems to hold up well, not even grunting from the pain.You notice the smoke escaping slowly not only through the entrance you guard. There are, apparently, other ways into the hideout, scattered around the mound several dozen meters apart. You notice out of the corner of your eye the matriarch emerging from one of them behind the trees.A long, yet sturdy, white with dark blue streaks abdomen is joined by a solid thorax with a large head possessing mandibles that could very well snap a man's leg if caught between them.It seems dazed by the smoke and crawling around aimlessly."Mangruben!" Adrien calls you.As you look at him, he throws you the rake."It's my cue. You deal with the small ones, I'll take out the matriarch while it's weak."He pulls out his sword from its scabbard on the back and charges... if only the snowshoes allowed that.The bug bites are starting to hurt bad now, and you think you feel... numbness, cold seeping out from the bitten places. Perhaps the winter bugs, the hivur possess a certain freezing effect? It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility considering their affinity with winter and capacity to withstand low temperatures in their migrations. You are made sharply aware now that you didn't pack any medical supplies. Perhaps hiring a healer or ranger, in spite of splitting the loot, would've been a good idea...Overall, you're doing well, but the bugs are quite ferocious, even if dazed by the smoke. What should you do?>There is no going back now. Finish what you started. [roll against same DC]>Escape while you still can. Call out to Adrien through the clothes wrapped around your face to retreat.>Write-in a change in plans?
>>6052099>finish what you startedaah aah fkn>AAAAAAA
>>6052099>Go Dale Gribble on their asses, toss the oil trap at the entrance & ignite it with a cantrip if they're still streaming out; otherwise, WIZARD SMASH(we'll still have another oil urn left)
