>>6318530
>Race of villagers: human
>Name: Azor
>Gender: male
Regarding type of magic, are the elements water, fire, earth and air? Could you list which elements there are?
>Unique perk: crippled arm, the dwarves forged a prosthetic that allows better mana control and has a powerful bound spell (up to QM what kind of spell)

>>6318697

Sure, we can go with water, fire, earth and air.
Add light and darkness too for extra flavor.

But could be something different as well, if you have something else in mind. (Plants, animals, spirits, demons, metamagic, etc)

Or even the dnd schools of magic (transmutation, conjugation, evocation, etc)

It is up to you really, I left it open ended because each person has their own idea of how magic should function, but usually there is some kind of "elements" of magic that the magician is capable of manipulating.

>>6318697
>>6318825


You are Azor the Magnificent, wizard extraordinaire. You built your tower near the village of Banipool, a decently sized settlement of about three or four thousand people. The villagers hold you in great esteem, for before you decided to settle there, you defeated a horde of monsters that were hellbent in slaughtering the villagers and plundering whatever wealth they could.

What type of magic you used to subdue your enemies?
> specify

After that, you figured you couldn't let the poor villagers undefended, and no one else would be willing to defend them, for the village was far too isolated. Now one might ask, what were you doing in such a god forsaken land? It is a long story.

You arm got crippled during an epic battle against Kryalon, the Many Tentacled Beast. Many of your friends perished, and you were about to perish too, it was only your magic that saved you and helped defeat the creature.

But to this day you bear the scars. Your left arm, which was stung with a powerful toxin, for which there is no known cure, shriveled. Master dwarves, thankful after you go rid of Kryalon, and already experienced with injuries from the beast, agreed to forge for you a prostetic. They made it so that it allows you to better control the mana - siphoning large amounts from the terrain at once, or releasing it as a massive mana burst if you do so uncontrolled or as a more potent version of some spell you know if you do it properly. When you do siphon the mana from the environment, sensitive or magical creatures can physically feel themselves being drained. If you do so for long enough or often enough, plants die and animals get increasingly sick. Though there is no clear limits for you abilities, your arcane calculations indicate that the mana you siphon comes from an area roughly two miles in diameter around the point where you activate your prostetic arm.

The arm serves yet another purpose - you are still poisoned by the Kryalon venom and will certainly die from it. But the arm, if currently powered, causes you to Regenerate. It is barely enough to contain the damage from the poison, but if you are further injured or the poison begins to overtake you for some reason, you can drain a lot of mana and pump it into your Regeneration ability to regenerate you further. If you touch someone, you can instead regenerate them, although this spends ridiculous amounts of mana - things start dying all around you when you do so, and if the environment doesn't have enough mana available, the process simply fails. The longest you managed to regenerate someone was one full minute, but that's usually enough to heal most people. When you did it, a good chunk of a forest around you withered and died.

The venom of the Kryalon will eventually kill you and turn you into a mindless creature under the control of the Kryalon. If the kryalon is dead - what seems to be the case - you will instead turn into the Kryalon yourself, for the creature is Immortal.

>>6318867

Everyone who was ever poisoned by the Kryalon can become a kryalon. The poison changes part of your being and attunes your mind to that of the kryalon. The mental control of the creature is broken while it is dead - last time when it died, all its remaining mindslaves fell to the ground convulsing, and everyone poisoned including you received a powerful psychic blast. It is truly an otherwordly horror.

You traveled far and wide looking for a way to cure the poison. You heard this region, that is strategically placed near a swamp, a forest, a desert and some mountains, holds the secret. It was once an elvish sanctuary, before the elves were driven away. There are elvish ruins all over the place. You hope that inside one of these ruins there might be the cure or at least a hint leading you to a way of preventing your death and stopping the Kryalon's reign of terror.

The dwarves have the custom of burning the bodies of all who die, so that they don't get up and become another Kryalon. The powerful poison resistance of the dwarves means many of them are carriers of the poison, but show no symptoms right up until they die. Whereas a human would turn immediately, a dwarf would take about three days after dead to begin the transformation into a Kryalon. It is safe to assume the dwarves won't let the kryalon spawn in their lands again, maintaining their burning custom. But as for you - you could become one at any point. All that is necessary is for you to die. And the poison is actively trying to kill you, all day, everyday.

So as to not exaust the supply of mana of any given place - which would be fatal for you - you can't stay in one place for too long, unless that place has a massive amount of mana that can sustain your Regeneration.

So you purpose built your tower to tap into the mana reserves of the magical leylines of the world. These mana reserves are precious, and highly sought after by powerful wizards. If one such wizard discovers you are tapping on those reserves, he will probably try to kill you to get the magic for himself.

So you have to defend your tower agains the ambitions of other wizards, who would use this magic for other purposes.

Distinctly, while you are within two miles of your tower, the vegetation doesn't die when you siphon mana. Instead, a barely visible beam of light comes straight from it towards your prostetic arm, powering it. You have access to all the magic of the elves from this forest now that you've built your tower, and as such your errant days are over - there is more than enough for you to live here comfortably.

Still, one day you will die, and your body will turn into Kryalon, what could cause a massive cataclysm in the area. The dwarves, hardened by countless generations fighting this creature, barely managed to contain it. Humans have no chance.

If you do leave the vicinity of your tower, however, you have to keep moving, otherwise you'll exaust the mana of the region fairly quickly.

>>6318869

Now it comes down to what you want to do to improve your odds of survival.

You could search the ruins yourself, or organize the villagers and send some of them to search it for you. You could try to attract a hero, with promise of payment, to do this for you. You could hire mercenaries, you could start an army, and in any case you will need to figure out a way to acquire some money if you want to do anything expensive.

Right now you don't ask any money from the villagers, but if you are so inclined you are powerful enough to impose a tithe upon them.

If your ambitions require expansion, this whole area is largely uninhabitted. You could attract settlers, with the right story.

You could also contact an organization - a kingdom, a magician guild, a mercenary guild. They would extend their support, but would also demand contributions.

You have some treasure from your times as adventurer - about 10,000 gold.

What do you want to do next? Please specify some details.

> Search the elvish ruins yourself
> Organize the villagers to search the ruins
> Attract a hero to do your bidding
> Hire mercenaries to do your bidding
> Start an army to defend your people
> Attract settler to populate the region
> Contact an organization
> Write in

>>6318867
>Gas Magic: you specialize in aerosolizing and directing metamaterials, for alchemically-diverse effects across wide areas. A bit of low-level wind magic, water magic, and temperature-control spells all help, but potioncraft is your real speciality.

>>6318874
>>6318893
> Contact an organization
Let's offer some experts firstpick of the other loot, and a generous finder's fee, if they help us locate a cure. Plsu we can aid the expedition!

>>6318893
>>6318896


You recall now! It was your powerful Gas Magic which was the demise of the Kryalon. You employed all your craft, with acidic mists, poisoned mists and all sorts of incapacitant gases on the creature to no effect. It seemed as if your magic couldn't harm it at all. But in the final battle, you brought a large amount of potions of Kryalonbane, a rare mushroom that the dwarves greatly prized and used to protect their most sacred places, and created a massive deadly mist of the thing. It didn't kill the Kryalon, but certainly caused it to fear for its life, for it attacked you relentlessly from then on, losing focus on the rest of the battle, allowing for your companions to deal the decisive blow.

Pondering about the battle, you realize that such a powerful creature is too much to handle alone. You decide to contact a powerful organization, to help you best deal with these dire circunstances. Writing a letter offering first pick of the loot and a generous finder's fee, you send an invitation to join your mission for a cure for:

> The local monarch, King Aethernus III, an old and wise man who probably know your reputation as a powerful wizard already. It shouldn't be difficult to get him to help. He could probably offer you some knights. But he might also send some posh noble family to live in your lands, saying they have an ancient claim or some such nonsense.

> The wizad guild. You know a guy called Gamma who is into necromancy, he supplied you potion ingredients before, he is in contact with a vast network of magicians all over the continent. If anyone knows of a cure, it would be these guys. However, you will most certainly invite unwanted attention to your newly built tower and its mana siphoning properties.

> The Rushsteel, a mercenary band, lead by Krieger, a veteran of hundreds of battles. These guys are hardened, and will fight for coin. They might harass your villagers though - too long into the fray, they lost any qualms about such pointless things as consent, they just take whatever they want.

> Write in

>>6318903
>> The local monarch, King Aethernus III, an old and wise man who probably know your reputation as a powerful wizard already. It shouldn't be difficult to get him to help. He could probably offer you some knights. But he might also send some posh noble family to live in your lands, saying they have an ancient claim or some such nonsense.

>>6318903
> The local monarch, King Aethernus III, an old and wise man who probably know your reputation as a powerful wizard already. It shouldn't be difficult to get him to help. He could probably offer you some knights. But he might also send some posh noble family to live in your lands, saying they have an ancient claim or some such nonsense.
Hey neat, a tax base and/or clientele for our services

>>6318940
>>6318942

King Aethernus, the wise monarch! You remember doing quests for some of his nobles in the beginning of your career, so he might be aware of you. You send a courier with some choice potions as a gift and a well penned letter describing the heinous nature of the Kryalon, and how it could surface at any moment to wreak massive havoc upon his kingdom. You give it an urgent tone about how finding a cure is absolutely essential to ensure the safety of the realm.

As you wait for the missive to finds its way to the palace, you stay busy organizing your tower. You put everything in its proper place and assemble your Alchemical Laboratory.

You realize you can make about 200 gold per month just by selling potions that you can make on your downtime (spending maybe a couple hours a day tending to alchemical equipment). That may not be an incredible sum by kingdom standards, but should ensure you will have enough to buy your bare necessities, and maybe staff your tower, if you can settle for living modestly instead of lavishly. You could sell more, but that would require further expansion - there simply aren't enough customers in the area to get more income than that. For now, that should do.

You realize you need to do some logistics work to get it to print your money for you: set up a shop in the nearby village to sell your potions, look for some apprentices that could help you with your alchemy, hire some small time adventurers to find components for you. If you could find a proper alchemist to work for you, you could even have the whole thing running without you having to bother about anything. But since finding one is unlikely, and training one might take a decade, you're stuck running this if you want any income at all.

What kind of arrangement will you make for your shop?

> Buy a small shop for 1,000 gold
> Buy a large shop for 3,000 gold
> Rent a small shop for 20 gold per month
> Rent a large shop for 50 gold per month
> Write in

Also, name the shop and choose who you want to be the face of your store.

> Hire an old lady to run your shop
> Hire a young lady to run your shop
> Hire an old man to run your shop
> Hire a young man to run your shop
> Write in

Also how actively you wanna adventurers to be digging around for components for you?

> Just enough to supply a small shop
> Plenty to supply a large shop
> More than you could reasonably use so you can stock up
> Write in

>>6318950
> Buy a small shop for 1,000 gold
People who want our best wares can come to our tower and beg our favor with gifts. We're worth it.

> Hire an old lady to run your shop
Can't trust young thots, always tying to seduce young men away from becoming wizards by stealing their virile arcana in their twenties.

> Just enough to supply a small shop

>>6318950
> Buy a small shop for 1,000 gold
> Hire a young lady to run your shop
> Just enough to supply a small shop

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>6318965 1
>>6318982 2

>>6318965
>>6318982
>>6319100


You find a good location right by the town center and buy a small shop for 1,000 gold. You spend some time furbishing it and interviewing people for work there. A bright young lady called Clara seems promising, specially because she knows how to read and write, so you begin teaching her about the potions and their effects and how to keep the sales books up to date. You stock up the store and once a week she shows up to grab a batch of potions and to show you the books so you know how much profit you are getting. Once a month she brings you the actual profits of the store.

The courier you sent to the king returns! A figure in black robes riding a black horse comes together with him.

Removing the hood, you notice it is a bald woman, with a very pale face, her whole head littered with complex looking red tattoo marks.

"Greeting, Magnificent Azor. King Aethernus sent me. I am Bella, the Inquisitor. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am here to investigate the rumors about a creature called Kryalon. I was told you know much about it. I'm interested in hearing your side of the story."

You invite the inquisitor for some tea and explain how you ended up poisoned by the Kryalon, the effects of the poison, and how you need mana and your regenerative magic arm just to survive. She seems very interested in the whole story.

Once you're done talking, she says:

"We thought this creature was a myth. Our book mention it, though out ancestors call it simply Mortuus. The story says there was an outbreak of the Mortuus mind plague in the kingdom twelve centuries ago. The people turned into mindless killing machines at the slightest touch of the Mortuus. No known magic could revert it. Even when our knights killed the Mortuss, one of the poisoned creatures would just raise as a new Mortuss within minutes. Entire villages had to be sacrificed."

"Sacrificed?"

"Yes. The book says they had to burn entire villages, to stop the plague. The way it was contained was the High Priestess at the time, Solana, asked for the deities blessing and magnified the light of the sun to the point it burned everything. She personally hunted down the creature and killed it again and again and again with the powerful solar burning divine magic. It is said the creature escaped underground and was never seen again."

"Anyone can cast such a spell today?"

"Unfortunately, no. It was a divine gift to Solana for her boundless devotion, received in a time of need. Though localized versions of the spell can be easily cast, the all encompassing area effect one is beyond the reach of current day Sun worshippers. Maybe the current high priestess could do it, but I doubt it. The gods aren't as active in mortal affairs as they used to be."

"So you don't know about a cure then?"

"Well, there is no known cure. Maybe the elves knew something about it. If we can locate one of their underground libraries, and do enough research, we could figure out if they knew it."

>>6319105

"As a stop gap measure, I'd like to cover you head to toe in burial pyre magical sigils."

"And what does it do?"

"When you die, you'll catch fire instantly, what should deny the creature the ability to spawn from your corpse."

"Wait, what?"

"Yes. We can't afford to have a ticking time bomb wandering around and do nothing about it. Unfortunately, the magical inks necessary for such a sigil are in very short supply. However, this region has most of the components that are necessary for creating these inks, and the rest can be source at a modest cost from overseas."

"I'll think about that."

"Think very carefully. For there is still another problem about this region. What do you think drove out the elves?"

"I didn't think about it."

"It was the combined threat of a lich and a demon. Both of them are immortal, but as far as I'm aware, the demon has been banished and cannot return unless a very gruesome ritual involving sacrificing several elves can be performed. The lich was defeated repeatedly, but its phylactery was never located. It is possible he is still active in this region somewhere."

"Oh, great. A demon and a lich."

"I'd like to investigate the place where the demon was last summoned. It is deep underground, in a sacred chamber of the elves called Underroot. It is probably a good idea to try to find evidence of the lich activity in this area as well."

What would you like to do first?
> Search for the elvish library
> Search for components for the magical ink
> Search for the chamber of Underroot
> Search for the lich and signs of its activities
> Write in

Will you invite the Inquisitor to stay at your tower?
> Yes
> No

Will you hire adventurers to go do the searching for you?
> Yes
> No
> Write in

>>6319108
>Search for components for the magical ink
> Yes
> No

>>6319108
> Search for components for the magical ink
Let's not plan for failure... But these runes sound handy, and it will be a good test-adventure for our hirelings.

> Yes
> Yes

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>6319397 1
>>6319424 2

>>6319397
>>6319424
>>6319473

"Well, we should start planning the search for these components right away. I understand that I pose a big danger to people out there in case I die unexpectedly, so I expect you to stick around and keep an eye on me. Would you like to stay in my tower while you're in town?"

"That would be delightful.", says the Inquisitor, "I appreciate your no nonsense attitude. Yes, this really is the most pressing matter. I will show you what we need and then we can depart at your earliest convenience to search for the components."

She returns to her horse and grab something that looks like a large rollmat. Once she unrolls it, however, its true nature is revealed - a portable alchemical kit, with lots of strange magical components carefully labelled in sturdy flasks and fastened onto the malleable fabric. She produces a number of scrolls and shows you detailed drawings of several different plants, parts of animals and minerals.

"Most of the minerals can be found in the local desert. Most of the plants in the local swamp. The forest could probably supply the most exotic animals. A few things can't be sourced locally at all and will take longer to arrive. I hope that by the time they arrive we will have everything else we need."

The peasants inform you about a tribe of gnolls that settled on the outskirts of the forest, far to the west. Some local hunters chanced upon them and barely made it back alive. The west beyond the forest is largely untamed wilderness, monster territory, so attempting to erradicate them is futile. But that doesn't mean one shouldn't set some clear boundaries.

The locals tend to avoid the swamp, because often times people that enter its depths do not return. Still, some old people fish there, and there's even some crazy folks who live there full time, at the outskirts.

The desert is also avoided, because it is deadly and some of its oasis are guarded by territorial monsters. However, some merchants risk their lives travelling through the desert, for on the other side there are extremelly valuable things to trade for.

Where would you like to search first?
> Desert
> Forest
> Swamp
> Write in

>>6319479
> Forest

>>6319489


You leave your tower with the Inquisitor to explore the forest looking for components for the magical ink.

As the days turn to weeks, you find an old man.

He says he is called Trupo, and he's a druid.

With his help, you map out the forest in several sectors:

The Boa Sector: this area has lots of snakes
The Wolf Den: this area has lots of wolves
The Deery: deer population is high
Grazed Lands: deer probably been here recently, everything been eaten and is regrowing. You suspect the deer migrate back and forth.
Aboleth Lake: for some reason, there is an aboleth living there, the place is full of zombies
Stone Field: a massive elvish graveyard
The Caves: a vast network of caves, they all look interconnected, there are deformed humans living inside
The Gnoll Patch: an outskirt of the forest claimed by the gnolls
Werewolf Tribe: a tiny werewolf tribe lives deep within the woods. They are territorial.
The Mistress: a very out of place looking manor in the middle of the forest, home to a lone vampire lady. She doesn't mind receiving guests for dinner.

You want three specific components:

Firespider Silk: there might be firespiders underground. The most promising places are the Caves and the Aboleth Lake. The vampire might know of a better path.

Otyugh Heart: there things are smart and very elusive. They eat shit and roam at night, hiding during the day. Any sector of the forest might have them, but as soon as you spot one they will read your mind and start avoiding you because you want to kill it.

Giant Hornet Queen Stinger: you haven't located the giant hornet hive, but you saw a few giant hornets flying around. You suspect it is in the Wolves sector, but you could be wrong.

Decide on a sector and a strategy to find your quarry!
> Specify

>>6319524
>Let's ask the Mistress about firespider silk

>>6319767

You ready to the manor in the forest to go meet the vampire lady. The druid does not approve of this course of action, and telling you to take care, part ways.

Though there is no trail leading there, it isn't particularly difficult to find it. In a quiet part of the forest, the building sticks like a sore thumb.

A quick inspection of the manor reveals all windows are barred from within. There are three floors above ground, making the manor soar higher than the treeline. Four gargoyle statues adorn the top of the building.

You knock on the door a few times, but unsurprisingly noone answers.

"If she is really a vampire then perhaps it isn't a good idea to try to barge in during the day. At minimum we'd be misinterpreted", you say.

"Well, if you want to be diplomatic with a vampire, then sure, let's wait for night time."

You set up camp in front of the manor and wait until nightfall before knocking on the door again,

This time the answer comes rather quickly. A young looking maid opens the door.

"What business do you have with the Mistress?", she asks.

"We are looking for firespider silk, we wondered if she know where we could find some."

"Wait here, I'll ask the Mistress.", she says, before locking the door again.

After about half an hour she returns.

"The Mistress will meet you. C'mon in."

You enter the vampire's manor and the inside is very stylish - many paintings, statues and armor stands ornament all the rooms you pass through. You're taken to a large library and told to wait. The maid offers you some tea, which you and the Inquisitor refuse.

The room is dimly lit by candle light. There is a pile of books by the recliner you were told to wait by. You can't help it so you grab one book and start reading.

It is a very dense story of political intrigue. You then put it back.

The one they call mistress shows up after a few minutes. She's very attractive, wearing a lacy black dress.

"Hello there. I am Asa Lorelei, the mistress of this manor. It is not often that I receive visitors. I was told you are after firespider silk? Unfortunately I don't have a stockpile of such item, though I do know where to obtain some. What is it you need it for?"

"I've been poisoned by a monster called Kryalon, which will emerge out of my dead body after I'm deceased. To prevent that, we wish to make magical tattoos that will cause my body to combust instantaneously in case I die. To create it, we need several rare components, one of them being this rare silk."

"Ah! The strangest tale. Now it makes sense. There are some such spiders in the tunnels below, rather annoying critters. To get to them, you'd have to go through troglodyte territory though..."

"Troglodyte?"

"The deformed humans that inhabit the caves. They very rarely leave and they fear the light. If you bring enough fire, they may not harass you. But beware, they will try to kill your lights and devour you."

"I was hoping you'd know of an easier way than through the caves..."

>>6319853

"I do in fact know of a better path. But it is shrouded in secrecy, and not an information I'm willing to give out lightly, for it pertains to my very own safety within these lands. I have many enemies and if they learn of these secret paths they may use them against me."

"Please tell us, Mistress Lorelei! Braving the dark against an unknown large number of troglodytes trusting only they will be scared of our torches don't sound like a good idea."

"Very well, I will show you the path. But first, you must defeat one of my enemies for me. His name is Solkan. He is a construct that lives underground. He can shoot a beam of magical sunlight which burns anyone in sight. He's been hunting me for some perceived slight. If you can destroy him and bring proof, I will lead you to your spider."

"And where can we find this Solkan?"

"I tossed him down a deep well and he sank. The well is connected to a sealed cave system. He's probably still trapped there. There is nothing else in there. If he wasn't a construct, he'd probably be dead already. But there is always the risk he will figure out a way to escape. I don't have a reliable way to destroy him. The well is about a mile from here, to the north. It is covered by a large stone."

What will you do next?
> Specify

>>6319859
Thank her and begin making our way to the well, have to assume we can figure out a way to destroy Solkan and it's less of a gamble than a pack of trogs.

>>6319923

"Thank you for the opportunity. We will head out to deal with this Solkan at once."

Mistress Lorelei seems pleased and excuses herself. The maid shows you the door.

You then depart towards the well. It isn't too hard to find, since in a small glade there is a big stone, right where she said it would be.

Moving the stone is a bit trickier, but together with the inquisitor and making use of a lever using a sturdy branch, you manage to dislodge it enough to descend.

The Inquisitor brought a length of rope and she ties it to the big rock.

"Who goes down first?", you ask.

"Well, if you don't wanna go I can go.", the Inquisitor says, descending down the hole with a torch in hand. That requires much skill.

"What are you seeing down there?", you ask.

"There is a passage... it is narrow and half flooded, but we can go through. You coming?"

"Sure."

You descend and soon enough the two of you are wandering through a very cramped passage.

You then find yourself into a much larger chamber. All the walls are scratched with weird carvings.

"This is... this is ancient Extraplanar language. Very few know it."

"It was I who wrote it. My name is Solkan.", you hear a voice. When you turn, you see a humanoid construct that looks like a man wearing plate armor. He is missing the left arm, and his visor glows with a golden light.

"I hear ya, buddy, but the vampire over the manor told us to destroy you."

"I have no problems with the two of you. I do not detect overwhelming evil when I gaze into your souls. I have no reason to destroy you two."

"Hold on... you only destroy evil?"

"Yes. I was built to cleanse the land of evil. I am... 60% operational. I lack ways to repair myself. There is a workshop in the mountains where I can be repaired. If you two can take me out of this hole, I will head there then continue the mission."

"You can't escape this hole?"

"Negative. Walls too slippery. Tried many times. Not equipped to dig my way out either. Broke my arm trying to dig. Will not do so again."

"Well, that's really awkward...", you say to the Inquisitor. "Are we really going to destroy this thing?"

"It is slow and doesn't look very resistant, we could probably bludgeon it to death. The real question is, should we?"

You ponder that you could probably use your magic to destroy him too. If you cast a protection against acid on you and the Inquisitor, you could summon an acid fog and it would melt him really quick.

> Let's destroy Solkan. Bludgeon him to death.
> Let's destroy Solkan. Melt him with an acid fog.
> Let's get Solkan out of this hole
> Just leave, you will try your hand at the troglodytes instead
> Write in

Ask Solkan about the Mindplague and the Kryalon. Offer to help Solkan out of this hole by eroding an earthen ramp to escape to the surface. Solkan can crawl with us up the ramp.

>>6320090
>> Let's get Solkan out of this hole

>>6320149
>>6320168

"Stand back!", you say, as you summon a mini acid fog. You start to erode a ramp out of the cave. It takes far longer than you had expected, streams of dissolved stone flowing from the hole as your mini acid fog does its deadly work.

It takes every bit of your concentration to keep the fog in one place, rather than let it disperse.

Still, after what felt like a couple days, the tunnel is finished!

You crawl outside and collapse from exhaustion.

When you wake up, the Inquisitor is by the fire roasting a small animal alongside the druid, and she says:

"You've been down for three days."

"I went overboard. It was a long time since I had done something crazy like that. Where's Solkan?"

"He went towards the mountains, as he said he would."

What do you want to do next?

> Go talk to the vampire
> Go in the direction Solkan went
> Go into the caves to search for the firespider
> Write in

>>6320196
Solkan will be helpful against the light fearing Trogs, so for now investigate the wolf forest looking for giant hornets while we wait for Solkan to repair its self.

>>6320196
Go after Solkan, bring him with us to deal with the trogs

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>6320342 1
>>6320368 2

Rolled 3 (1d3)

>>6320342
>>6320368
>>6320591


Pondering that it is probably a good idea to bring Solkan with you when you go deal with the troglodytes, you decide to pursue him.

With a three days headstart, it is unlikely that you'll catch him before he arrives at his destination, unless he gets into trouble...

1 - Solkan is in trouble, you find him
2 - You follow Solkan all the way to the mountains
3 - You lose track and are unable to find Solkan

>>6320592


On the edge of the forest, the druid part ways with you again.

You follow Solkan tracks all the way to the mountains, for he is heavy and leaves deep tracks. But there, on rock, you lose track of him and can't find where he went.

You find a cabin in the distance and head there. An elderly woman, potion maker by profession judging by the alchemical equipment on top of a large table and myriad flasks on her shelves, is brewing some potion when you barge in.

"Make yourselves at home, I'll talk to you once this thing is stable."

She spends a long time stabilizing a reaction by pouring a liquid very slowly inside a bottle. Then she corks it and come talk to you.

"So, what brings you here, brave adventurers? What kind of potions are you seeking?"

"We were just passing by. We were looking for Solkan. He is a construct that looks like a man in plate armor. He might still be missing an arm."

The woman seems visibly upset.

"I thought you had come all the way to the mountains attracted by my fame. I'm the best potion maker in the entire kingdom! I used to have a shop in the capital, but the king raised taxes until they became predatory, so I moved closer to the source of materials. Although sometimes I do wonder if it was a good idea..."

"Why do you say that?"

"The mountains...", she makes a somber face, "...aren't exactly what they seem. Baby cries late into the night, distant fires appearing and disappearing, coyote eyes that glow too bright into the darkness... those babies aren't babies, those fires aren't fires and those coyotes aren't coyotes. I'd say to watch your step around the mountains at night. If you feel something near you, it is already too late. I made a circle of salt around my cabin, just in case. Might be the only thing that saved my life. Here, have some salt. Pour it around your camp if you plan to spend the night into the mountains.", she says, handing you a flask of salt.

"Thank you, old lady... hold on... you're Sadha? The legendary potion maker?", asks the Inquisitor.

She seems much happier now.

"Yes, it is me!"

"Would you happen to have a Fireink potion?"

"For making those fire spell magical tattoos? Of course, I still have a bottle."

"By the gods! We were traveling far and wide looking for the components to make one."

"It is yours for the low low price of 5,000 gold. But I don't stash any gold here. You will have to pay my assistant."

"Assistant?"

"Yes. She lives in the nearby village. Her name is Razier. She handles the money. I just brew the potions."

You recognize the name. It is the mayor's daughter. She runs a banking operation.

You do have enough money - you have a little over 8,000 gold.

> Buy the potion, it is cheap all things considered
> Too expensive, you'll take your chances making your own
> Ask her if we could do some quest for her in exchange for the potion
> Write in

>>6320597
>> Too expensive, you'll take your chances making your own

>>6320597
>Let her know that we want the fireink to protect the world from the emergence of the Kryalon through self-immolation (see our poisoned arm). See if she has any better ideas or other things to teach us. Let her know about our gas magic, including acids if she needs it. Offer to invest our leftover gold in her daughter's bank and help a little bit around the shack if she gives us the ink for free or a deep enough discount.

>>6320597

>Ask for a potion that will help you find Solkan and a potion that will make him your friend

>>6320597
> Ask her if we could do some quest for her in exchange for the potion

Rolled 1 (1d4)

>>6320685 1
>>6320699 2
>>6320711 3
>>6320716 4

Rolled 2 (1d3)

>>6320857
>>6320716
>>6320711
>>6320699
>>6320685


"We can't afford that, but thanks for the offer.", you say. "Thanks also for the salt, I hope we don't need it, but could come handy."

You and the Inquisitor leave her cabin and continue searching for Solkan.

1 - you find a strange cave with carvings similar to the ones you saw before
2 - you hear and see very odd things, but no sign of Solkan
3 - you are attacked by a monster

>>6320859


You spend all day searching for Solkan, and then night falls. You gather some twigs and make a campfire, and prepare to sleep in a small crevice of the rocky walls.

Remembering the advice of the lady, you dump some of the salt around the crevice.

As soon as night falls, it begins.

"Can you hear that?", asks the Inquisitor.

"Hear what?"

You two stay silent, and you hear a baby crying in the distance. You can tell the direction, but it seems to be really far away.

Remembering the advice of the old woman, you ignore it, but it is unsettling.


Later during the night, you see a campfire appear in the distance. A few minutes later it disappears, and almost instantly another appears in a different location. This repeats for about an hour and then stops.

Past midnight, you hear the growl of a coyote. You see some bright red eyes in the dark.

That is definitely not a coyote.

> Stay in your crevice, trusting whatever it is won't attack while you're protected by the salt
> Wake up the Inquisitor and attack the thing
> Leave the Inquisitor sleeping and go attack the thing
> Write in

>>6320862
Cast a spell of glowing gas to swirl around your camp to illuminate the creature and forest nearby, but do some from behind the salt barrier

>>6320891


Overtaken by your curiosity, you cast a spell of glowing gas to illuminate the creature and the forest nearby!

The red glowing eyes disappear and there is no "coyote" there - they are simply gone once you shed some light upon them.

"Ah! A caster!", you hear a muffled whisper, that then multiplies by a thousand voices in your head, repeating "...caster, caster, caster...", again and again and again.

"Who are you? What are you? Get out of my head!"

You hear the baby crying again, this time much closer. The Inquisitor wakes up.

"What is going on here?", she looks around, drawing her sword.

"Come to me, Caster! I have something I must show you! Follow the lights! The lightssss...."


A bonfire appears not too far from where you are!

What do you do?

> Approach the bonfire, to hell with caution
> Stay within the salt barrier all night and ignore the voice
> Demand in a booming voice for it to show itself
> Write in

>>6320907

Ignore the voice, we are looking for Solkan. We have been sidetracked too many times.

Rolled 8, 3, 6, 6, 11 = 34 (5d20)

>>6320964


You ignore the voice and the next morning set out to continue looking for Solkan.

It's a vast mountain range and it is very unlikely to find the place without a clue.

Still, you trust blind luck. There are plenty of game to hunt and forageables growing even in this rocky ground, so you can sustain yourself indefinitely here.

The issue is your salt will run out in a few days.

Rolling 5d20 to find Solkan. On a 20 you find him. On a 1 you find BIG TROUBLE.

The voice keeps annoying you every night.

If I don't roll a 20, decide what to do when the salt run out.

> Go get more salt
> Keep going without salt
> Give up looking for Solkan and go do something else
> Write in

>>6321018
>Keep looking without salt

>>6321044

You go on about your day searching and and you find a big cave full of weird inscriptions!

You enter the cave and inside there is an immensely long temple with big columns, angled descending ever slightly. Within there is just a girl sitting on one massive silver throne, perhaps made for a giant. She looks to be maybe fifteen years old. She's wearing a plain black dress and no shoes. Her hair is blue and very long, tied in pigtails with two big fluffy hair bobbles.

She starts talking a lot of gibberish until she says:

"Can you understand this? Oh! From your face I can tell you do. Welcome, honored guests! In what may I assist you?"

"We are looking for Solkan."

"The one you call Solkan is undergoing repairs. The damage was extensive. It will take about four months."

"Can we see him?"

"I'm afraid not. The chamber where he is undergoing repairs is a noxious environment for humans. I assume you are humans? You look human to me, though there is also something else."

"I have been poisoned by a Kryalon."

"Kry..ah..lon... Ah! I know what it is. I assume your arm regenerates you? Dwarves are very clever."

"How... how do you know all these things?"

"Well, I don't. It is a thing in my head. Aaah...", she seems in pain. "A sym..bi..o..te. Symbiote. I don't need to eat or sleep. But I still drink water from time to time. I feel thirsty very often. In fact, I'm thirsty right now."

She pulls a small tube that seems to stick out from something behind the throne and drinks from it. She drinks greedily for about a minute, you can hear every big gulp.

"Aaah! Much better. Can I help you with anything else?"

> What are you?
> Can we stay here and wait for Solkan?
> What is that thing outside that attacks at night?
> Ask something else (specify)
> Leave the cave and go do something else (specify)
> Write in

>>6321069

Ask her name, if she knows how to cure the Krayalon poison without dying, and if she can teach us how to read the carvings here.

In the back of your head, consider the feasibility of a hot air balloon. Maybe one made of wicker?

>>6321080


"What is your name?"

"My..name? Oh! My name is..Mizu! That is it. You can call me Mizu."

"Do you know a way to cure the Kryalon poison without dying?"

"Very difficult. Class nine whole body surgery. 34% chance of death, 98% chance of sequelae. Sequelae includes constant headache, fatigue, numbness, nausea, vomitting, hearing loss, blurred vision, seizures, memory loss, anxiety, depression, hemorraghe, hallucinations."

"You mean there is a cure?"

"..Yes our..field hospital is equipped to deal with cases of poisoning such as these. But it is for..members only."

"Can you teach us to read the carvings here?"

"Of course! Estimated time for fluency... nine and a half years, with daily lessons of two hours. You may know this language as..Extraplanar. Excuse me. Thirsty."

She begins drinking again.

> How do I become a member?
> Please teach me the basics of the language.
> Can you teach me how to make, I dunno, a hot air balloon?
> Ask something else (specify)
> Leave the cave and go do something else (specify)
> Write in

>>6321087
>> Please teach me the basics of the language.

>>6321087
> How do I become a member?

>I want to become a member, I am going to help repair Solkan

>>6321111
>>6321127
>>6321308


"Please teach me the basics of the language! Also, how do I become a member? Is there anything I can do to help repair Solkan?"

"We can cover the basics in two months! But there is a ..Cost associated with it. You must perform a service that we are unable to. There is a ..gas that we need. Very trace amounts in the atmosphere. You must build and install collectors for this gas on top of the mountain..if you want our favor, that is."

"How do I build them?"

"We have a ..machine. Over there.", she points to a hole in a wall, "You just put some gold and stones in and it ..spits out the collector. It is thinly covered with gold. It reacts with the gas over time and becomes a ..crystal. We need the crystals to ..fuel a machine. But you must place the collector somewhere very high. Top of a mountain. The gas we need exists only in trace amounts ..Miscalculation ..stranded here ..survival chance 17% for the first year ..degrades 5% per year."

She starts drinking more water.

"I grow weary of discussions for now. Things need fixing. Place not safe at night. Please return tomorrow."

She sits crosslegged and her eyes begin to glow faintly. She no longer utters any words, though she keeps bobbing back and forth in place.

There is a tunnel behind her large seat. It is poorly concealed by it.

What will you do?
> Produce a collector
> Enter the tunnel
> Leave the cave and camp outside
> Stay in the cave for the night
> Write in

>look for Solkan

>>6321335
>> Stay in the cave for the night

>Produce a collector
>Let her know that we can produce the gas if she shows us an example of it.

Rolled 3 (1d3)

>>6321353 1
>>6321356 2
>>6321443 3

>>6321712


You go outside and start hauling stones to toss them into the weird hole on the wall. You spend a few hour doing this, then you hear it make a noise. A yellow light appears right on top of the hole.

"I think we need to put gold into it now".

You start dumping gold coins into it, one by one. Once you dump about 27 gold into it, the machine whirls to life. It start making a loud noise and after a couple hours it hole snaps open, revealing a very strange and shiny contraption.

You drag it outside and it is surprisingly light for its size.

The machine is solid but apparently porous, gas can blow through it. Inside there is a large hollow, with what looks like several thin layers of gold embedded on the inside of a sphere that opens up in the middle.

You pick up the collector and start carrying it. Then you recall your magic and address the girl in the throne again.

"Hey... uh... my magic is gas based. I could create the gas if you showed me a sample of it."

The girl convulses suddenly and comes out of her trance.

"..Interesting development ..unknown fact ..updating knowledge base ..searching for similar events ..oh! We did not knew it was possible to simply create the gas using magic ..this is beyond our capabilities. ..Wondering where it comes from ..Producing a gas sample for testing. ..Here it is!"

A small tube sticks out abruptly from her chair. She grabs a small transparent vial.

"This sample would take a week for a collector to capture. The gas has no discernible color, no discernible smell. When ..burned its flame is mostly ..green and yellow. It doesn't normally..react with anything. The collector will grow a crystal if you produce the right gas. Test with the sample."

She starts drinking more water. Then she quite literally toss the vial towards you. You barely catch it mid air.

You look at the sample. No color, no smell? You wonder if you can really replicate it.

You open the vial near the collector and the gas escapes. There is no discernible activity other than a soft vibration.

After a few minutes you decide to open the collector. There are a few small crystals in between the gold leaves. They are bright yellow, with a tinge of orange.

Roll 3d100 DC 80

If you get one success, you make the right gas!

>>6321725
dice+3d100

Rolled 27, 41, 43 = 111 (3d100)

>>6321775
Ignore me I'm stoned

>>6321776

You tried many times, but you were unable to replicate the gas. Perhaps your limited knowledge of its properties, which are rather elusive, made the task beyond your current capabilities.

"..oh! ..unfortunately you were unable to replicate the gas, even though you can create gases ..we can still try to collect the gas by putting the collectors high up in the mountains. Stash this collectors into the machine to harvest the crystals and then you can take it up the mountain with you. Do not attempt to remove the crystals yourself. Avoid opening the collector if it is too full. You could get ..poisoned."

You do as told and stash the collector. The machine makes a lot of noises, then open up again, with the collector free of the crystals.

"..oh! It is night. You shouldn't be here. I must hide.", says the girl, getting up from her throne and running behind it. The throne starts to move slowly to block the passage.

> Follow the girl
> Remain in the cave
> Leave the cave
> Write in

>>6321787
Follow her

>>6321787
>> Remain in the cave

>>6321787
>Remain in the cave

>>6321828
>>6321829
>>6322131


You remain in the cave. You watch as the huge throne blocks the entrance that the girl took.

Within a feel hours, the place gets really chilly. A strange black smoke enters the cave. It looks like it is alive somehow!

"Intruders!", you hear in your mind.

The black smoke comes at you to attack, but instinctively you use your gas manipulation ability on it!

The black smoke bends to your will!

"How? How are you doing this?"

As you move the black smoke around you notice that it has the property of causing lightning!

So you send a lightning arching throughout the smoke!

One little guy suddenly becomes visible and the black smoke falls to the ground as a black powder, ashes of something or another.

"Oh, nice, now I'll have to do the ritual all over again. Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"Well, the extraplanars told me to find stuff for them. Mainly gold and casters. I haven't had much success lately."

"Aren't you a caster yourself?"

"Yes, yes! That I am. But I only know illusion magic. Turns out the extraplanars know it too! They gave me an amulet that greatly increases my illusion powers."

"An amulet?"

"Look here! The girl gave it to me.", he produces a big shiny amulet. It looks like a transparent vial full of mercury, in the shape of a half moon with the concavity pointing downwards. It kinda look like a couple teeth as well.

"Why can't you cross salt?", asks the Inquisitor.

The guy flinches.

"Urgh. I learned illusion with a vampire. Turns out their magic is stronger than human magic, but has lots of nonsensical limitations. The illusions can't cross barriers made of salt, silver or running water. I can make the most incredible illusions at night, but they don't work during the day at all."

"And what do you do during the day?"

"Oh, what! I look for food like everyone! I just do it invisible."

"Have you met Solkan before?"

"Solkan? Never heard this before."

"What is your name?"

"Pirrhus, the illusionist!"

You hear a faint noise in the distance. Pirrhus seems startled.

Oh, shit! They are coming! Quickly, get near!"

> Get near Pirrhus
> Stand and wait for whatever is coming
> Tell Pirrhus to stop messing around
> Attack Pirrhus you don't trust him
> Write in

>>6322287
What are we even doing anymore....
>Stand and wait
We can defend ourselves

>>6322391

You decide to stand and wait. Pyrrhus vanishes mid air.

Three girls enter the cave.

"I told you, Trisha, I heard something around here! You see! Over there! A couple creeps."

"Don't you know it is dangerous to wander into caves at night?", says the one that was called Trisha.

"Yeah... we're the danger.", says the third one, closing the gap between you and then in an instant. You're not even sure if she ran or teleported, but she ends up right in front of you.

"You didn't believe a word of what that water guzzling creep told you, did you?"

She then begins to sniff the air.

"Oh, Pyrrhus is around here somewhere too! Great! A big party!"

She walks deliberately very slowly toward the big throne and sits in it.

"You wanna know the truth about Mizu? She's my sister. She got possessed by some kind of monster awhile ago. We've been trying to cure her, but she doesn't want to be cured. It is also interesting that she can go out into the sun now. And she drinks water. Can you think of anything more disgusting?"

"These scrawlings, all over the walls? She did it all herself. This used to be our place, you know? Until that bizarred thing that came from the sky buried itself in here. And then there is that fucking Solkan motherfucker. I hate that fucker."

"You know Solkan?"

She looks at you as if noticing you for the first time. You notice that Trisha positioned herself blocking the exit, while the other one is wandering around sniffing the air.

"All this ash everywhere is giving me the creeps.", says the one that first spoke.

"Yeah, I know Solkan.", says the one sitting by the throne. "He came in that thing. It was just him and a weird blob. The blob jumped on Mizu and she's been acting weird ever since. Then he started burning us with that goddamn beam he can shoot from his head. We haven't figured out how to kill him, but he was trapped. Someone released him and he came here again."

"Hold on... you're a vampire!", says the Inquisitor.

"Yeah, what gave it away? Oh! You're an Inquisitor. Well, we'd love to save our sister from the weird thing from the sky, but we can't be here by dawn, and she won't come out so... could you stop her from drinking all that water?"

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, I mean... she will probably get back to being herself if she stops drinking water all the time. Drinking that much water is not healthy for us. Besides, the weird parasite would probably die off."

> Promise to help the vampires
> Attack the vampires
> Ask for a reward
> Write in

>>6322502
>Kill the vampires, it's what Solkan would want

>>6322502
>> Ask for a reward

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>6322518 1
>>6322539 2

>>6322518
>>6322539
>>6322693


"I'm not gonna do anything for you, foul vampires! Prepare to die!"

"Really? We've been all diplomatic and you wanna go for a showdown? Suit yourself."

The three vampires hiss at you.

The Inquisitor toss a potion that produces a bright flash once it hits the ground. This sends all the vampires flinching and looking for cover.

You catch the cue and summon your nastiest acid cloud in between you and the vampires.

They try to cross the cloud and start melting, then they step back!

You push the cloud towards the vampires and soon enough they escape the cave.

"That won't end here, wizard!", they scream as they cackle and disappear into the night

You hear a scream!

It is Pyrrhus, who got caught in your acid cloud and is dying!

You flush the cloud outside the cave, creating a barrier at the entrance, and go check on Pyrrhus.

"Oh, I'm dying! I think I'm blind! Everything hurts!"

He got caught real bad on your acid cloud, his clothes were destroyed and his skin is completely melted. He is probably going to die an horrible death within a few minutes or hours.

The amulet is still dangling from his neck.

> Call for the vampires to save him
> End his suffering and loot his amulet
> Leave him there, you never liked the guy anyway
> Take him to the potion woman, maybe she can heal him
> Write in

>>6322694
>Tell him that you will take him to the potion woman to heal his wounds, but only if he agrees to reunite you with Solkan

>>6318530
>Race: Human Ghost
>Name:Eldruide
Gender: Male
Magic: Light and Darkness Magic
Perk: Is dead, just a ghost. No memory

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>6323938


"I will take you to the potion woman to heal your wounds, but only if you agree to reunite me with Solkan!"

"Who the fuck is Solkan! I'm dying here! Save meeee Aaargh..."

Rolling to see if Pyrrhus dies of shock.

1 - he dies
2 - he keeps screaming in pain

>>6325707

Pyrrhus keeps screaming, will you try to save him or not?

"Goddamnit, shut up for a moment, I gotta think what to do here."

> Call for the vampires to save him
> End his suffering and loot his amulet
> Leave him there, you never liked the guy anyway
> Take him to the potion woman, maybe she can heal him
> Write in

>>6325708

>"No Solkan, no potion, little buddy." You say as you melt his head with acidic gas, picking up the amulet after it falls off his neck.

>>6325712

"No Solkan, no potion, little buddy." You say as you melt his head with acidic gas, picking up the amulet after it falls off his neck.

The Inquisitor looks at you concerned.

"Perhaps the influences of the Kryalon are perverting your behavior, wizard. I didn't recall you being this needlessly cruel."

"He got caught by the acid cloud by accident, and we lacked the means to restore him. Even if we carried him to the potion woman, nothing guarantees that he would survive. Besides, there are vampires out there. I granted him mercy."

The Inquisitor seems satisfied with your answer, for now, but asks:

"What should we do next?"

"Well, we wait for the dawn so the vampires aren't around anymore, and then we decide."

So you two stay there and wait for the dawn.

When daylight comes, the throne moves and the girl comes out yawning.

"Oh, you two are still here? And who is that guy.... oh! ..Phyr-rus! A shame he is dead. Gotta remember to clean this up ..later."

She sits on the throne again and keeps doing her weird trance. She stops now and then to drink copious amounts of water.

What will you do?

> Take the collector up the mountain
> Ask the girl for a magic item like the one she gave Phyrrus
> Leave this cave and continue looking for components
> Write in

>>6325742
>Take the collector up the mountain

>>6325744


You begin the ascent up the mountain, carrying the collector.

The climb is hard and you almost slip to your death several times.

Once you get up there, you just leave it on top of the mountains, and looks down. The view is amazing.

The mountain isn't very tall nor too steep, you managed to climb in a day.

Still, you wonder if you should really stay up here during the night.

> Collect some firewood and make a fire
> Stay in the dark not to draw attention to yourself
> Return to the cave, you can come pick the collector back other day
> Go about your business of looking for components, the collector might take a long time to get enough of the gas
> Write in

>>6325745
>> Stay in the dark not to draw attention to yourself